Tonight, Alice joins the hunt.

"Don't worry, that guy has become a bit more human since he was resurrected. And with Margot and Norrell watching over him, there shouldn't be any problems." Zheng Zha patted his chest vigorously, looking incredibly confident. "Even if he digs some trap, I'll take the fall. I'm very, very strong now; a little bit of scheming can't do anything to me."

“That makes sense… With Alice and Patchouli around, we really don’t have much to worry about.” Xiao Honglu smiled wryly, ignoring the boastful part of Zheng Zha’s statement. But he did think there was some truth to the first part. The twelve-year-old boy carefully rubbed his eyes, which had returned to normal, and glanced at Zheng Zha again before secretly letting out a sigh of relief after confirming that nothing was wrong.

“I plan to focus on enhancing my rune magic from now on.” He sighed with a touch of old age, “After the battle with the Grim Reaper, I’ve come to understand just where my talents are meant to keep me. For ordinary people, my wisdom can certainly easily subdue them and manipulate them at will. But for an old lady like Alice… a shrewd and calculating woman, I still have a lot to learn.”

"I think you're underestimating yourself." — Alice's voice suddenly appeared inside the temple where the resurrection altar was located. The slender figure that appeared at the temple entrance along with the voice made Xiao Honglu shudder.

"Sister Alice!"

"I won't be angry if you call me an old woman, because I really am very old, almost seven hundred years old, which is incredibly old by 21st-century standards." The girl waved her hand, seemingly unconcerned. "I waited outside for half an hour and didn't see you come out, so I thought something had happened inside and came to check... Looks like I was overthinking it?"

She nodded to Zhan Lan as a greeting.

"Ahaha... Sorry, Margot Lloyd." Zheng Zha laughed heartily. "With a long-lost companion returning, I couldn't help but chat for a while longer. Hopefully, it won't cause any trouble?"

“There’s no delay, of course, but we only have twenty-four hours in this world. So I suggest you take them outside to play in the sand or dirt to try and get their feel for it. We have important things to do when we get back.” She held out her hand to Zheng Zha, who was taken aback at first, then realized what she meant and placed the Sun Scripture in her hand.

"Then I'll leave Zhao Yingkong to you. I'll take Zhan Lan and the other two to the woods for some practical training... How's that pair outside doing?"

"It's neither good nor bad," Alice shrugged. "I talked to Ming Yanwei, and Zhang Heng pretended to be unconscious and eavesdropped the whole time. I just pretended not to know anything, and I don't know if Ming Yanwei knew or not. Anyway, I've done all I can. How things develop is up to them. To be honest, I think letting go is actually a good choice for both of them. At least they can still be friends in the future."

“How could I not know?” Zheng Zha’s face was ashen, and he sighed heavily. He left with Zhan Lan and Xiao Honglu—Alice didn’t know, and didn’t care, what kind of interaction they would have with Ming Yanwei. Only after everyone except her had left the temple where the resurrection altar was located did she open the ancient book before her and, following the guidance of the main god, initiate the resurrection ritual.

"God, resurrect Zhao Yingkong."

The sounds of reward points and side quests being deducted rang in her ears. And with the announcement from the Supreme God, a clear vision immediately appeared before her eyes—she saw a massive portal open in the sky, and countless ancient angels with pure white wings surged out like a tidal wave, only to be utterly crushed before the assassins who controlled the spatial rift.

The assassin killed many, but the number pouring out of the portal far exceeded her kills. Soon, the angelic legion completely surrounded an area spanning hundreds of kilometers—they formed an extremely complex formation, and once operational, locked space, depriving the assassin of their sharpest blades and swiftest footsteps. Then, the massive, ancient, lifeless creatures that crawled out of the portal, as large as mountains, completely shifted the tide of battle in favor of the side that opened the portal.

The assassin ultimately died—surrounded, exhausted, and unable to regenerate enough to keep up with her depletion. And after her death, fragments of her memory began to flow backward, gradually piecing together the assassin's life in Alice's eyes. And then…

“Spying on other people’s memories is not a good habit.” A small, fair hand reached out quietly and perfectly blocked Alice’s view. The pieced-together fragments of memory then shattered and quickly entered the main body connected to the small hand.

“I remember you didn’t have this bad habit before.”

“Times have changed, Zhao Yingkong.” The obstruction in Alice’s view vanished, and she saw Zhao Yingkong leaning against the edge of the resurrection altar—her figure was as exaggerated as ever. And a hint of inquiry flickered in her pure black eyes.

"The fourth stage? Hmm... it doesn't seem like it. Is it some kind of similar realm? How many worlds have I lived through since I died? Five or eight?" Zhao Yingkong tilted her head slightly and asked.

“One story-driven world adventure, one God-transported world adventure.” Alice shrugged and replied, “Strictly speaking, you died in one world. After Death Comes, it was Starship Troopers, and then I came to find you. Moreover, Zheng Zha has reached the fourth tier, and I think you should be able to sense him here.”

"...Wow, then you must have encountered something incredible." Zhao Yingkong blinked and gently tapped her forehead. A certain divine light flashed within her, and after obtaining some definite information, she sighed softly. "Alright, the two of you who were able to suppress your inner demons at the early stages of the fourth tier were indeed able to suppress me when I failed to advance to the fourth tier... Who else hasn't been resurrected? Saito Hajime?"

"Hmm." Alice nodded, then asked her, "Are you the primary personality or the secondary personality?"

"Is there a difference?" A slight smile appeared on Zhao Yingkong's lips. "If I can reach the fourth tier, then there won't be any difference between the primary and secondary personalities. If I fail, then naturally there won't be any difference either. Hmph, instead of those boring things, tell me what kind of situation I need to deal with next. Two fourth-tier beings have emerged in one world... I'm really looking forward to what the first world I'll encounter after my resurrection will be like."

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

There probably won't be a third quarter. _(:з」∠)_

Section 7: Guided Tour of Gensokyo (Record missing)

About half an hour later...

"The place we're going to is a region called Gensokyo. Its essence is a refuge for supernatural beings pieced together by large spatial rifts. It is protected by a powerful barrier that simulates the membranes of the world, and only things that meet certain conditions and have no causal connection with the outside world are allowed to enter. However, we Reincarnators are already visitors from outer space, so our direct arrival will not trigger the alarm mechanism—unless the barrier's identification system has not been updated."

Alice changed back into her Western-style outfit: a white and blue dress with a small vest. She took out a map and began explaining it to the others.

"Given that I took Patchouli through the God's Passage last time I went back, Gensokyo has definitely updated its detection program. It might not be fatal, but the landing point after teleportation might be disrupted. When that happens, everyone here will have to determine their location based on the surrounding environment, and at least make sure they don't get into trouble for any reason before being found by others."

"Can't we use telepathic communication?" Zhang Jie asked.

"No, Gensokyo is full of extremely complex barriers and spatial rifts with protective measures. Not to mention mental communication, sound, light, electromagnetic waves, vibrations, heat, and even quantum entanglement might not be able to get through. Moreover, if the identification system has really been modified, then the most likely scenario is that, apart from me and Patchouli, all outsiders will be directly teleported to places that the lords of each area can directly observe... Although the residents of Gensokyo haven't fought for many years, being rusty doesn't mean they can't fight."

Zhang Jie nodded, indicating that he understood.

“Guide! I have another question!” Zheng Zha suddenly raised his hand, and then spoke when Alice looked at him: “What do you mean by ‘not necessarily fatal’? You said the shelter’s security measures seem very strong, but why wouldn’t it be fatal?”

"It's very simple. Gensokyo has become an independent worldview, and the rules of the outer realm have no effect on things inside the barrier." Alice snapped her fingers, and a scroll illustrating the Buddhist cycle of reincarnation appeared beside her for her to explain.

Her fingers slid across the scroll, from heaven to man, and from man to purgatory.

"Gensokyo has its own independent Three Realms and Six Paths system as well as a reincarnation system. In Gensokyo, the souls of the dead do not simply dissipate like in the outside world or many other worlds. Instead, the souls of the dead are materialized into a mochi-like form and then go to the underworld at the bottom of Gensokyo to be reincarnated."

"Therefore, in Gensokyo, death is not a big deal. Even mortals can be reincarnated directly, and can even continue generation after generation with incomplete memories after signing a contract with Enma. And for those who have achieved great success in their cultivation, it is even simpler. Their elders can go to the underworld to rescue them, and if they are more capable, they may even be able to forcibly return to life as soul mochi after death."

"Wow, that's actually... kind of interesting." Zheng Zha clicked his tongue. "What if we're completely destroyed, body and soul?"

"That's not a problem. The rules of Gensokyo don't support the 'annihilation of body and soul' operation," Alice replied. "Gensokyo is an artificially created independent world, and it differs from other worlds in many ways. Some of these differences are to ensure peace within Gensokyo, since it's a sanctuary, not a gladiatorial arena. Other differences arise from design flaws that have led to numerous loopholes. The most common flaw is that a year in Gensokyo often doesn't have just four seasons. Sometimes there are seventeen or eighteen summers in a row, and sometimes winter ends in just three days."

"Of course, these things don't concern us much. You just need to remember one thing—don't do anything reckless in Gensokyo, but don't be too afraid of dying either. It's very difficult to cross the line between life and death in the outside world, but it's very easy in Gensokyo. Of course, not dying doesn't mean you can do anything reckless. Gensokyo is an area where it's easy to leave but difficult to enter. I can assure you that even if your landing point is disrupted after teleportation, you won't fly out of Gensokyo, but if you run around and rush out... that will be very troublesome."

"Sister Alice, is it the outside world you mentioned before?" This time, it was Xiao Honglu who raised his hand.

“Yes, I was referring to the outside world.” Alice nodded, glancing around at everyone. “In my world, the outside world is a very dangerous area. Any alien, or any mortal not registered in the database, will be detected by a global detection system within thirty milliseconds of exposure to the air. And after that, the anti-mystic forces from the outside world will—”

She paused, then continued, "—It's even possible that the cause and effect are preemptive, with the aliens being teleported here before they even reach the outside world and wiping out all living things. And even if we can survive the first wave of attacks, the power launched by the outside world will reach a level that can rival or even defeat supernatural beings within thirty seconds at most—and that's all the information I've come across. I don't know what will happen after that."

Everyone fell silent.

Having spent so much time with the witches, the reincarnators naturally had a rough idea of ​​what extraordinary life was. They were colossal beings capable of suppressing the destiny of an entire civilization single-handedly. And these so-called outsiders were able to defeat them with merely patrol-like mobile forces… Some of the more arrogant individuals, who had only recently experienced a major battle, couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat.

"Ahem." Zheng Zha coughed lightly. "I think we're all human, so it shouldn't be..."

“Don’t overthink it. Outsiders always kill the innocent and never let the guilty go free.” Alice glanced at him indifferently. “They don’t need to protect animals, they don’t need to study samples, they don’t need to back down, they don’t need to compromise. They kill anything that isn’t human, they kill anyone who isn’t recorded—this is what they call ‘humanity flourishing,’ because all intelligent beings that are not human or partially not human have been slaughtered. Even the ghosts and gods left over from ancient times have been annihilated, or used as living batteries to be drained of their last drop of blood, leaving only a group of old, weak, sick and disabled non-humans to eke out a living in the dark corners—and this place where they eke out a living is Gensokyo.”

"..." Zheng Zha's eye twitched. He wanted to retort, to say something like, "We humans are peace-loving creatures." But considering that saying that would not only make him look stupid, but also give him a death sentence for his emotional intelligence, he ultimately decided to keep quiet. In the end, only a sigh remained.

"...Is this trip to Gensokyo to fight those outsiders?"

“How could that be?” Alice slowly, then shook her head dramatically. “Outsiders aren’t so easy to deal with. Not only do we only get one chance to attack, but with our current fighting strength, going up against them is like throwing an egg against a rock. Perhaps one day, after I reach the fourth or even fifth tier, I’ll show them what it means to be arrogant and reckless. But until then, I’m telling everyone about the outside world in advance so that they can realize the terrible things that will happen after leaving Gensokyo. Therefore, it’s best not to wander around or mess around in Gensokyo.”

"As for the purpose of this trip to Gensokyo... it will remain a secret for now."

She took a soft breath and ended the previous conversation.

"Alright, let's stop here if you're unhappy." Alice let out a soft sigh, regaining her relaxed expression. She took out a piece of chalk and tapped it in the center of the map, then addressed the group: "Let's get back to the main topic. Although the Main God Space contains information about the Touhou Project, information is information, and there are still some differences in the real world."

She drew a circle around the forest in the very center of the map.

"This place is called the Magic Forest. The magic here is information magic, and my residence in Gensokyo is located here. If after the teleportation ends, you find yourself surrounded by a forest, and you can see the sky as soon as you look up, then it means you have arrived in my territory. My doll will find everyone quickly, and this is the best way to start."

"Those who come here may encounter a blonde witch wearing a pointed hat and riding a broom. Her name is Kirisame Marisa. Although she is not very mature as an information mage, she is quite good in other aspects and is also a helpful and kind girl. If you meet her, just ask her for directions to me."

She drew the chalk in her hand to the east.

"Gensokyo has no magnetic poles, no simple way to measure the Earth's magnetic field, and no regular sunrise and sunset. Because the rules are imperfect, the sun may not rise in the east and set in the west. It's not unusual for it to rise in the east, circle around, and then set in the east, moving from west to east or from south to north. So there's no way to accurately determine the cardinal directions. Therefore, we can only mark the characteristics of each area and then respond according to the situation at the time."

"If the place you see after the teleportation is a large lake, or a red mansion by the lake, then it means you have arrived at either the Lake of Mist or the Scarlet Devil Mansion. In the former, you will only encounter a group of silly fairies, so you don't need to pay attention to them. In the latter, it is the area that Patchouli will arrive at, so Patchouli will be the one to meet you there."

"Besides these places, if you can find a shrine or village after teleporting, that would also be a good place to stay. There are two shrines in Gensokyo, one with red as its main color and the other with green. In short, the shrine maidens in both shrines are very easy to talk to. Don't lie, just tell them your purpose. Even if you offend them a little, it doesn't matter, they basically won't do anything."

"The village is also very nice. It's a gathering place for ordinary people in Gensokyo. Generally speaking, as long as you appear there, within three minutes at most, a white-haired guy with a bento box on his head or a bunch of talismans tied in his hair will come to your door. When you meet them, you can basically speak your mind without causing much trouble."

Alice let out a soft breath.

"Alright, these places are relatively safe. Geographically, they are mostly located on the east side of Gensokyo. The remaining places are mostly less safe locations."

“The first troublesome place is the bamboo forest.” Alice held the chalk in her hand from east to south.

"Those two white-haired women who might appear in the village could also be in the bamboo forest. Encountering them isn't a problem. But if you don't meet them and instead encounter a group of little girls with rabbit ears, you need to be more vigilant… though vigilance isn't very useful anyway. The bamboo forest has a barrier that obscures spatial structures; encountering them means you're already within the bamboo forest's owner's sight, and you might be invited to drink some strange medicine… At that point, it's best to behave yourself. At least one of the bamboo forest's owners is at the borderline of transcendent level. And they're experienced and exceptionally talented."

She glared at Zheng Zha, who was eager to try, forcing the latter to behave himself.

"Unless we break off relations and fight to the death, it's unlikely we can take them down anytime soon, and there's even a possibility of an unexpected defeat. So Zheng Zha, you should just stay put. I don't care about Zhao Yingkong. But I don't think you'll actually fight her."

"This is the first troublesome location. The second troublesome location is underground... mainly because a bunch of drunkards with horns on their heads are hard to deal with. But it's not a big problem, at most they'll just get drunk and die. And if you don't encounter the guys with horns on their heads, then you'll most likely see a group of ghosts... If you encounter that, just sit there and wait, just stay away from cherry blossoms. Whether it's cherry blossom flowers or people with cherry blossom hair, if you see them, just stay far away. That guy isn't someone you can communicate with except for a couple hundred tons of food."

"Besides these, there are two other troublesome places: a cemetery and a sunflower field. There's a chance you might encounter a purple-toned..."

“Alright, I think that’s about enough.” Zheng Zha suddenly rubbed his head and raised his hand to interrupt her. “While it’s true that Margot’s detailed explanation is very good, it sounds to me like you’re describing tourist attractions! All places where everyone can be happy as long as you don’t fight. I think the only thing we need to remember is not to run around and fly to that so-called ‘outside world’ you mentioned, right?”

“Uh… that’s true. But I haven’t said anything yet…” Alice opened her mouth, then hesitated.

“I think that’s more than enough. Margot Royd, your long-winded speech was practically hypnotic. Anyway, you’re not going to reveal your true purpose, so let’s get straight to the point.” Zheng Zha snapped his fingers and looked at the large sphere of light above his head.

"God, exchange for ninety days to travel to the world of [Gensokyo]. Reward points will be deducted from your account."

Chapter 8: The Old Immortal Points You to a Clear Path

Alice blinked. Just moments ago, her vision had abruptly shifted. Accompanied by a groggy feeling that made her uncomfortable, as if her deep sleep had been forcibly interrupted, she felt as if she had been stretched into an unknown length of line. When her vision returned, she saw a familiar large house.

This is the Doll House, the Doll House in the Magic Forest. She lived here for nearly a hundred years; compared to the personal space provided by the Supreme God, this place felt more like her home.

Ah... it's been a long time since I last came back.

Alice collapsed onto a soft bed with a thud. Feeling the familiar touch of black velvet beneath her and the lingering scent of rosewood in the air, the slight displeasure she had felt towards Zheng quietly dissipated from her mind.

This is good.

Since Zheng Mouzha was unwilling to listen to the full extent of the information he was about to share, he would have to bear the consequences himself. After all, Gensokyo was an excessively peaceful place, capable of turning war gods into cripples and dragons into lazy cats. No one would die, at most one would get beaten up, and as long as one didn't go outside, nothing would ultimately happen to them. Although Gensokyo was said to be a place where it was easy to leave but difficult to return, this "easy to leave" only applied to long-time residents. For ordinary people, leaving due to "accidents" was not so easy.

Since we can't get out, there's no danger. At worst, we'll be half-paralyzed, but we definitely won't die.

And since they can't die...

"Why should I care so much? Let them have their own headaches."

So Alice took a deep breath. She stretched out her limbs, relaxed her body, and then…

She rolled from one end of the bed to the other, and then back again.

【Ugh, my head hurts so much. Patchouli, why are you so competitive? _(:з)∠】_】

[From the time I dealt with X in the lower world until the end of the Star River World, until now! Almost a week has passed! Seven days, one hundred and sixty-eight hours, ten thousand and eighty minutes, six hundred thousand four thousand eight hundred seconds—Patch hasn't said a single word to me, hasn't even seen me, and after returning to the Main God Space yesterday, she hasn't even slept with me in the Great Library!]

"I just walked a little faster than you! It's not like I wouldn't wait for you to catch up!"

【_(:з)∠】_】

Alice is in trouble.

Her wild rolling around turned the tidy bed into a freshly made doghouse. Black velvet blankets, her own hand-knitted rugs, and sheets enchanted with rare magic were flying everywhere, turning the once meticulously arranged room into a complete mess—she didn't care, since she didn't need to clean. But this was a real hardship for Shanghai and Penglai, who had flown out of her shadow to diligently tidy up the room—the two little dolls looked at each other, lamenting the mess Alice had made while hoping she would stop acting so crazy.

“I’m not acting crazy,” Alice suddenly said.

Her words startled the two little dolls, who flapped their wings and hid at the foot of the bed, only showing their upper faces and two small hands draped over the edge of the bed, looking at her pitifully. They breathed a sigh of relief after realizing that she hadn't actually spoken to anyone, and then made a scared gesture by rubbing their chests.

"This is important and must be dealt with as soon as possible."

Alice abruptly sat up in bed. She quickly ran through a psychoanalysis in her mind, and soon her previously restless emotions calmed down. The many distracting thoughts that had surfaced in her mind were completely suppressed, allowing her to return to a state of perfect purity, as if her mind and body were made of crystal, in a very short time.

[As expected, taking shortcuts does have side effects. The old me would never have agonized over such trivial matters, to the point that even Zheng Zha could act as my therapist… While my mental strength has undergone a qualitative leap, the flaws are now more pronounced than before. Although meditation can suppress distracting thoughts, the unresolved inner demons remain a significant hidden danger…]