Tonight, Alice joins the hunt.

The next moment, he felt as if he had arrived in a huge factory.

What comes into view is a hall composed of dozens of ancient tombs interwoven together, with hundreds or even thousands of undead creatures moving about, working diligently in various parts of the tomb like busy workers.

He saw the tomb guards carving patterns and drawing magic circles on the stone walls with the tips of their knives. He saw Death's servants with jackal heads carrying stones and various golden vessels to build an altar.

They melted gold and used the molten gold to build links. They filled magic circles with gems, using the larger ones as hubs and grinding the smaller ones into powder, which were then sent to the altar. They quickly vanished in a flash of light.

A series of enormous crashing sounds rang out as the Sphinx beasts dismantled the giant stones, clearing tunnels connecting the tombs. Among this herd of sphinxes, a robust human with a bare torso stood out conspicuously.

That was Zheng Zha, who was working feverishly, cutting through a boulder with a vibrating dagger. When Qi Teng looked at him, he sensed the gaze, turned around, and waved to Qi Teng.

"This is..." Qi Tengyi walked down the stairs with a puzzled look, carefully avoiding the undead creatures that were working hard, and came to Zheng Zha's side. "What are you doing?"

“Margot Royd’s grand plan, ha, you’d never guess what she’s up to.” Zheng Zha laughed heartily, not keeping them in suspense for long. “She plans to transform the entire Hamunaptra into a floating fortress, then sail directly to Cairo to take down that Indians woman.”

"A floating fortress?" Qi Teng pointed at Zheng Zha, then at the ground, his jaw nearly dropping. "Hamunata?"

"Incredible, isn't it?" Zheng Zha patted Qi Tengyi's shoulder forcefully. "I thought so at first too. But it turns out my imagination was lacking. You know, Margot Royd has already prepared a weapon system. It's a seven-colored beam of light. While you were sleeping, a desert storm struck here, and Margot Royd's seven-colored beam cannon blasted through the entire storm, forcibly clearing it up into clear skies!"

"I think it would only take a few more shots to destroy the entire city of Cairo. And Margot Lloyd even said that this wasn't the maximum effort he could put in."

"This..." Qi Tengyi stammered. "It is indeed somewhat unexpected."

“Pretty surprising, right?” Zheng Zha patted Qi Tengyi on the back. “Hey, buddy. I know the scriptures matter is upsetting you, but if I were in that situation, the result would be the same.”

His voice gradually lowered. "That woman from the Indian team is very strong. Even with such powerful firepower, Margot Lloyd told me that our chances of winning are still very low. I had the prisoners from the Zero Point Indian team interrogate her and they found out her name—Sesshouin Kiara. Although I don't know why a Japanese person would join the Indian team, I think it's for the same reason that this foreigner, Margot Lloyd, joined our Central Continent team."

“Our chances of winning are slim, which is why we need to stick together even more now. Qi Tengyi, if you really want to do something, go find Margot Lloyd, she will arrange a job for you.”

Zheng Zha wiped the sweat from his brow and returned to the task of cutting the stones.

"In this situation, she is more suitable to lead the Central Continent team than I am. Although I am very dissatisfied, I only recently noticed that Margot Lloyd has not slept for even a minute since the horror movie started. At least I admire her endurance."

"We grown men can't let women look down on us."

Author's Note:

..........................................

Based on previous suggestions, I've decided to evolve into a two-watch beast to solve this problem. However, that will have to wait until after the Lunar New Year holidays; I'm incredibly busy during that time _(:з」∠)_

Section 31: Alice's Second Magic Lesson

"So you've come to me looking for a job." Alice adjusted the assembly process of the magic furnace, carving out a short period of time from her schedule for a conversation. Behind her, the physical light derived from the highly concentrated information flow swirled and intertwined, resembling a constantly operating star map.

“Of course you can get a job. I have everything I need, except manpower.” Alice snapped her fingers, and a squad of tomb guards emerged from the passageway beside her and stood in a neat row in front of Qi Tengyi.

“I plan to add an anti-gravity well in the main burial chamber in the southwest. It just so happens that the area was severely damaged in the previous battle, which has reduced my remote monitoring capabilities in that area, inevitably causing delays in the construction schedule. You can help me solve this problem,” Alice explained. “It’s easy. I’ll project the design onto your retina in a bit. You just need to contact me if any visible errors occur during construction, and I can handle the rest.”

"Uh... well, I'm not..."

"Not satisfied with this job? Then we can switch to another one. We need to collect firsthand data on the warm-up and initial activation of secondary weapons. You can help me with that too..."

"Miss Alice, I want to learn magic."

“Ah, you want to learn magic.” Alice tilted her head. “Why?”

"I..." Qi Tengyi clenched his fists tightly. His voice was terrifyingly low. "I'm not reconciled."

“I’m not willing to contribute nothing in the battles to come. I don’t want to keep hiding behind everyone else… I’m a veteran too, and I want to contribute my strength. And… I don’t want to be swept aside by the enemy like an ant. That woman from the Indian team, she probably didn’t even notice I was there.”

He looked at Alice like a drowning man, as if she were a lifeline.

However, Alice was not a straw. She rejected him without hesitation.

"You can't learn magic, give up."

"Why!?" Qi Teng's face flushed red with excitement, his hands flailing wildly. "I'll work really hard! Is it because I'm not talented enough? I've studied theology and history from all over the world; I can learn!"

“It has nothing to do with talent.” Alice waved her hand. “It’s simply a matter of time.”

"Magic is a discipline, just like the physics, chemistry, mathematics, and biology you usually learn. It is a systematic, verifiable, and well-structured system... well, although some parts may not be perfect. But without a doubt, it is not a system that can be mastered by simply having some talent and thinking it through."

"Just like mathematics, you need to study from elementary school to university to understand and master it. However, most people who go to university only know basic addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division, which they can use to buy groceries or do some business. But to use it to make huge profits for yourself, or even to innovate and create unique results, requires much more time. It takes decades of contact and integration to make it a part of your own worldview. Even direct memorization cannot achieve this."

"Well... let me give you an example. A mage who can cast any spell has the same level of expertise in the field of magic as a mathematics PhD in the same period. And being able to master multiple spells—even the lowest level—is equivalent to being an authority in other disciplines. After all, people who study magic have more time."

"But... Xiao Honglu? You told him he could learn magic by reading those ancient stone tablets, and I can understand all of them!" Qi Tengyi still wanted to argue something, making a last-ditch effort.

“Oh, he’s a bit smarter than you, so he’s more efficient. And he doesn’t actually want to learn how to use magic; he just wants to determine what effects and scale magic can achieve.” Alice paused, then continued, “Of course, I could prepare a foolproof magic item for you. However, that would take up a lot of my time and wouldn’t improve our overall combat strength.”

"Is...is that so?" Qi Teng's face was pale, and he forced a smile as he bowed to Alice. "I'm sorry, I was overthinking it. I'll go to the southwest to deal with that gravity well..."

His back was hunched, like a defeated soldier. His entire spirit was almost broken... perhaps it would break down soon.

Alice raised an eyebrow.

“Wait a minute.” Her gaze suddenly sharpened like needles. “I’ve suddenly remembered another way. But it depends on how much you’re willing to pay.”

Qi Teng slowly turned his head.

How much can I give?

.............................................................................................

Alice picked up a black strip of cloth with strange runes written on it and tied it to her forehead to cover her eyes. Then she took out paper and a pen and placed them in front of her.

"It's not too late to regret it now. These things are very powerful, and even I don't want to come into contact with them too much unless necessary."

"I'm ready."

“Alright.” Alice nodded. She picked up her pen and quickly wrote a line of text on the paper.

"What can you tell?" She flipped the note with the writing on it over and pushed it in front of Qi Tengyi.

Qi Teng tried his best to open his eyes wide.

It was a line of square-shaped characters, somewhat resembling seal script, yet unlike any seal script Qi Tengyi knew. Although the characters were square and angular, they seemed to be interconnected, and upon closer inspection, they resembled a maze constructed from brushstrokes, making one dizzy and disoriented.

"Sorry, I didn't see anything."

Alice remained noncommittal.

She took the piece of paper, tore it up, then wrote another one and pushed it in front of Qi Tengyi.

This time, the text is still a line of square characters. However, compared to the previous ones, the edges and corners of these characters are noticeably smoother. It's as if all the folds have a slight curve, giving a soft and gentle feeling.

Qi Teng felt a dampness in the air, and a strange smell, like that of a necrotic animal carcass, wafted through the air. He sniffed, but only inhaled cold air.

It's probably just my imagination.

Qi Teng looked at Alice. This time, he still couldn't figure it out.

Alice quickly finished writing on the third sheet of paper.

This time, the strokes of the characters were even smoother—no, these weren't just smooth characters. They were interconnected vortices of varying sizes, intertwined and colliding with each other. They seemed to be combined, yet also like separate, dispersed parts. Qi Tengyi even felt that it was a living thing, a living spiral, and that spiral was climbing up the back of his hand!

He instinctively waved his hand and flung it away.

All around was quiet, and the paper lay obediently in front of him. There was nothing unusual about it.

"What can you tell?" Alice asked for the third time.

"I..." Qi Teng clenched his fist. He felt his heart pounding and his back was covered in cold sweat. He subconsciously raised his hand to wipe his forehead, but the touch on the back of his hand was smooth and sticky, like broken egg white, which made him feel uncomfortable.

He looked at the back of his hand, but there was nothing there.

"I...I'm not quite sure. Like a spiral, or a vortex?"

Alice nodded and began writing on the fourth sheet of paper.

This time she wrote for a long time, continuing to write on it for about two minutes. She put the pen aside and pushed the paper in front of Qi Tengyi.

"And this time?"

Qi Teng lowered his head and quickly glanced at it. However, just as he was about to say something, he realized that something was amiss.

There wasn't a single word on the paper!

Section Thirty-Two: This is an act of God...

“That’s enough.” Alice snapped her fingers, and instantly the thin piece of paper in front of Qi Tengyi burst into flames. Flames poured out from between each character, immediately turning into thick black smoke.

That wasn't the kind of smoke you could produce from burning a single piece of paper. Even lighting one, no, five trees wouldn't achieve the same effect. In Qi Tengyi's eyes, the billowing black smoke resembled a boiling cloud. And within that cloud, countless characters seemed to emerge.

He felt he could understand the text. He could even decipher parts of it with just a little concentration. And the very first line was…

The cloud of smoke suddenly collapsed into a small ball and disappeared into Alice's clasped hands.

"Why did you do that! I just wanted to look again..." A sudden surge of inexplicable anger welled up inside Qi Tengyi, but it vanished abruptly in Alice's sight. He lowered his head timidly, stammering an apology. "I'm sorry, it was just a sudden..."

“It’s nothing, just mental pollution.” Alice removed the blindfold from her eyes and placed it at her feet. “This is an evil path, the fastest way to gain power right now. Of course, the price to pay is equally enormous. Mental pollution is just a tiny, insignificant part of it. Later…” She paused. “If that god is really as powerful as you describe… no, it is that powerful. Then you might still have a chance to renege on your promise after this horror movie ends.”

"Of course, you'll have to be alive by then."

"I understand." Qi Teng let out two heavy breaths, but a relieved expression appeared on his face. "I'm prepared."

“That’s good.” Alice nodded and began to explain further. “The so-called heretical path refers to a path that is incompatible with other paths. The knowledge I am about to teach you is a typical example of this. This is not a suitable path for the study of carbon-based beings like us who can only exchange information at a rate of less than twenty bytes per second using sound waves. It possesses an extremely complex knowledge system with logic completely different from that of mortals. Usually, people will go mad after just a little contact with it. And those who can barely accept it will be corrupted by the information it contains and will no longer be able to learn other power systems.”

"Take Zheng Zha for example. Although I don't quite understand why he would want to simultaneously strengthen both vampire and internal energy—two completely opposite powers—there's no doubt that these two powers can be fused together. Becoming a vampire doesn't prevent him from cultivating qi. This is the righteous path, and the righteous path can accommodate multiple righteous paths running parallel. Of course, some are more difficult, but they can be overcome through talent and research. As for the evil path... the evil path can never accommodate other paths of power. If you learn this, even your basic math, physics, and even language skills will... suffer."

"Of course, there are advantages too. This path can significantly alter your mind in the very early stages, giving you the ability to protect yourself in front of that Indian woman. If you progress fast enough, it might even become our trump card."

"A self-destruct attack, huh..." Qi Tengyi said with a wry smile. It wasn't that he didn't understand the meaning behind Alice's words. But he had already prepared himself for it.

Alice smiled with satisfaction.

"You have a real talent for this, because most people would experience a slight mental breakdown after seeing the second sheet of paper, but you only felt slightly uncomfortable after seeing the fourth sheet. In more classical terms, it's just that your rationality is higher than average and your mental resistance is exceptionally good."

"Is that so? I'm quite talented... it's just complicated and stuff." Qi Teng breathed a sigh of relief and scratched his head. "I thought the evil path was about killing people and refining souls or something. If it's like that, I'll have to give up."

He probably just said it casually, but to his surprise, Alice immediately and seriously refuted him the next moment.

"I must correct your views. Killing to refine souls, and many other behaviors that you consider evil, are at most contrary to the morality and common sense you have cultivated in modern society. But in the path of power, they are just one of the ways to climb to higher peaks."

"Hmm... Let me give you an example. You might not have heard of it. I came across a classic game in the outside world. It describes the story of a broken world barely surviving. In that game, the protagonist, as a hero, does nothing but kill and extract souls from people. He kills the kings and gods of that world, plundering their souls for his own use. However, this is necessary, because only by doing so can that broken world continue..."

"Dark Souls? Is that so?" Qi Tengyi suddenly said, "That game is quite popular. I played it not long ago..."

"You know?" Alice raised an eyebrow slightly. "It's not just a simple alternate world, but a parallel one..."

"what?"

"It's nothing, just a difference in our origins. I thought they were just two lines that happened to intersect, but it turns out they are different branches of the same tree... Anyway, more proof is needed."