Tonight, Alice joins the hunt.

“There’s a bottom line.” Alice shook her head. “The price won’t be small, and it’s only temporary—the luck of mortals is extremely harsh on those who are different. Even if you risk your life and shed blood for them, when the time comes, those who are destined to be eliminated will still be eliminated. If you want to solve this once and for all, then you have to completely integrate into it from the very beginning, becoming a part of the human world from its original stage.”

"And you happen to possess such a world?"

"To be precise, it's the coordinates of a world." A tiny point of light appeared in Alice's hand, as if it contained countless mysteries.

"It was a nascent world, based on some kind of flame, where prosperity and decline alternated constantly, and whose rules were incomplete, just like Gensokyo. Only such a world would not refuse the integration of Gensokyo... because it wanted resources, and we wanted living space."

"The best of both worlds."

Section 10. No matter how slippery the road is... we still have to walk.

“A win-win situation.” Zi pondered the word, her slender brows furrowing in deep thought. This time, however, she spent more time on it than before.

Alice's proposal wasn't complicated; the complexity lay in the price to pay to turn it into reality—the space of Gensokyo, and the rudimentary rules it contained as the prototype of a world, as the bargaining chip. That world ablaze with flames would absorb Gensokyo while simultaneously accepting its remnants. This would allow the remnants to be assimilated by the world's will and the spirit of humanity.

Whether to save people or land, reaching a conclusion is not difficult. However, while reaching a conclusion is easy, making a decision is not so simple.

She thought about it for a full fifteen minutes.

"Alice, what kind of fusion... do you mean by fusion?" Purple's voice was filled with reluctance. "If it's just merging the spatial structures..."

“That would only start a war between the two worlds, and then both sides would be severely damaged.” Alice shook her head. “We need to carry out a deeper integration, transforming the original world into an external one. The spacetime structure, operating rules, and even the changes in fate and bonds of that world will be preserved, while our people will replace a portion of the people there, completing the transfer of fortune on a causal level.”

"So, it'll become a fiery world with elements of Gensokyo?" Ziwei frowned slightly, then her eyes suddenly lit up. "No, why would you do something so unprofitable... You're planning to create a Trojan horse? Use Gensokyo as bait to lure that fiery world into eating it, and then erode and modify it from the inside?"

“Exactly,” Alice replied with a smile. “The theme of that world is an endless cycle of rise and fall in reincarnation; it is a cursed world. Every living thing that inhabits it yearns for liberation, for the end of the curse. Furthermore, the world itself is unable to develop to a higher level due to the incompleteness of its underlying rules. Therefore, Gensokyo will become a remedy that allows that world to escape its predicament. Neither the world itself nor the living things that inhabit it will reject the integration with Gensokyo. And naturally, after the integration is complete, it will be time for reckoning.”

"They will inevitably want to reject or completely digest us, these foreign beings. We can also take this opportunity to influence them from the inside out, making it our true home. In the script I have written, if the deviation is no more than 30%, then Gensokyo will disappear, the world will be freed from the cycle of fire and darkness, and a new Gensokyo will be reborn in a new era."

“…If that’s the script, then I can totally accept it.” Zi looked at her seriously. “But if we want to push the script to this ending, we have to provide some driving force at some key points… But those who can be the driving force can’t be involved, and can’t inherit the destiny… It seems that it’s time for us old guys to put our remaining energy to good use.”

"Don't worry, there's no need for you old fogies to sacrifice yourselves." Alice glanced irritably at Yakumo Yukari, who was putting on a heroic act but was actually grinning like an idiot. She wanted to keep her in suspense but ultimately decided not to waste time answering, "Why do you think I brought so many people back? We don't need to complete the transfer of destiny; naturally, we'll be the driving force behind the script to resolve everything. Besides, those who become the driving force can also be involved in the game."

The entire Central Plains team consists of mortals... well, at least mortals in the sense of being recognized by the laws of humanity. And since they are mortals, there is naturally no need to consider the fortune of mortals.

"You're also going to participate in the world fusion?" Ziwei raised an eyebrow. "Oh, right. You came up with the proposal, you provided the world coordinates, you provided the manpower. And this can't be all for nothing; your team also needs to gain enough benefits in that world. And since you're planning to start this project… so, you also played a part in your teammates being teleported to various corners of Gensokyo by the Great Barrier's automatic response mechanism—"

"Ahem." Alice turned her head slightly, not responding to the question.

"Instead of that, I think you should check the Great Barrier. Don't you think the spatial structure of Gensokyo... is a bit unstable?"

"...?" Zi blinked in confusion.

"—!" Zi suddenly opened her eyes wide.

"Whoa!" Zi suddenly screamed in agony! "Kazemi, what are you doing?! You're going to tear down the barrier!"

Without hesitation, she vanished into a gap that suddenly opened up. From the other side of the gap came the faint sounds of exploding magic cannons and a series of battle cries and curses. They must be having a very enjoyable fight over there.

Alice would never admit that she secretly adjusted the teleportation point of the great barrier when Zheng Zha landed, nor would she admit that she added a spatial tremor at the end of the teleportation that, while not enough to damage Zheng Zha, was absolutely enough to turn all the flowers and plants within a hundred meters into dust. Because this was a completely illogical act, and it brought her no benefit whatsoever.

—She couldn't possibly feel better because of this prank, because she wasn't angry at all.

“However, with that, the preliminary preparations are basically complete.” Alice rose from her seat and glanced at the wall clock, which showed that half an hour had passed. Although most of the conversation had been spent in Yukari Yakumo's contemplation and the internal discussions among the sages, the fact remained that her goal had been achieved.

Alice snapped her fingers.

[Now, the rest of the team members have arrived in various areas of Gensokyo. And since my proposal has been approved, the officials in charge of each area will understand my meaning—they will proactively establish causality with the reincarnators on my side to ensure that when the world merges, the reincarnators will be placed in their respective areas instead of all being crammed together in one place.]

The coats she had brought from Shanghai and Penglai, along with a small box filled with miscellaneous items, floated quietly behind her.

[The teleportation interference should have been successful—Zheng Zha is currently battling in the sunflower field. Chu Xuan will go to Eientei to have a good squabbling with that 800 million dollar old lady. Zhao Yingkong will arrive at Hakugyokurou; I remember she carried a lot of food with her before coming here. The others will go to the Earth Spirit Palace, Moriya, Hakurei Shrine, and other places, and forge karmic connections with my old acquaintances before the plan is implemented.]

She let out a soft breath and stepped out of the Dollhouse. In her perception, the wills of the sages faded away, and the great barrier at the top of the sky began to operate.

In short, everything is in place. Our members, who are the driving force behind the plot, should reap considerable benefits from this operation. Especially Patchouli; although she's always at odds with me, this... should be the perfect opportunity for her promotion. If all goes well, then in ninety days we will achieve a wonderful ending where everyone—this world, the other world, the Central Continent Team, and the inhabitants of both worlds—is happy. But until then...

Her gaze turned south, toward the southern part of the Magic Forest, toward the dense bamboo forest in the southwest of the Human Village.

As a 'screenwriter,' I need someone with a stubborn head, a hard fist, thick skin, and plenty of motivation to be the 'protagonist' who connects the plot threads.

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

Ten minutes later, Alice crossed the forest and arrived at the bamboo grove. She sensed Marisa's presence along the way, but now was not the time to meet that black-and-white imp—both she and Marisa had important duties to fulfill. And there was no need to let her emotions run wild before then.

Although I really want to see Marisa.

What appeared before Alice's eyes was a bamboo hut, simple in appearance but protected by an intricate barrier. When she reached out and touched the door of the bamboo hut, an invisible wave of energy seeped through the barrier into the interior of the hut, and then created a huge echo in someone's ear.

This is not a polite or thoughtful way to visit.

So, a second later, the homeowner's anger surged outwards in a sonic manner, accompanied by the sudden swinging of the door panels to both sides!

"Who's got a screw loose and doesn't even knock—"

The sound stopped abruptly.

The next moment, a girl with a red bow on her head and long white hair tied with many talismans suddenly appeared in the doorway. Her crimson eyes reflected surprise, which instantly turned into joy.

"Long time no see, Mokou." Alice greeted her with a smile.

"Alice." The girl rubbed her eyes, a hint of disbelief in her voice. "I thought you'd be gone for a long time."

“It’s only temporary.” Alice shook her head slightly, then said, “Mokou, I’ve come here to see you because of something important. But before that, I have to ask you a question first—have your thoughts remained unchanged since our last meeting? I hope you can answer me without reservation.”

"Where are we going? Who are we going to kill?"—The answer Alice received from Mokou was simple and brutal.

“…That’s really your style.” Alice’s lips twitched, but she also breathed a slight sigh of relief. Finding a new ‘protagonist’ was no easy task, and it would be best if they could reach an agreement in one go. She then said, “Since your original intention remains the same, then we have a lot to talk about. But before we begin our formal conversation…” She glanced at Mokou standing in the doorway and herself standing outside.

Don't you think we should find a more suitable place to talk first?

Her suggestion was immediately adopted, and five seconds later, the two girls sat facing each other on either side of an exquisitely designed low table. Since Mokou had no idea how to brew tea, the two androids, Shanghai and Hourai, had prepared a teapot, teacups, tea bricks, and other accessories beforehand. Once they were seated, two cups of fragrant tea were gently placed at either end of the table by the androids.

"To be honest, I was a little surprised that you came to see me." Mokou clasped her hands together, her gaze burning like flames as she looked at Alice. "Half an hour ago, that old woman in purple informed me and Keine that there was something amiss with the Great Barrier, and told us to be on guard. Then five minutes ago, she told us that the alarm had been lifted, and that we shouldn't attack immediately if we encountered any outsiders nearby—at that point, I guessed it was you and Patchouli who had returned. I originally thought you would at least go and greet Reimu and the others before coming to see me. But now it seems... there's something that only I am suited to do."

"Let me guess... does your team need a meat shield?"

“Very close, but not quite,” Alice replied, snapping her fingers. Shanghai and Penglai flew onto the table carrying two original game discs. The images on the discs then became clearly visible to Mokou.

“Dark Souls I.” Alice pointed to the first disc.

“Dark Souls III.” Alice pointed to the second disc.

“I’m not considering a sequel, because an era of great power is something I don’t need. All I desire is the beginning and the end of the cycle,” Alice said softly, looking earnestly at Fujiwara no Mokou before her. “I remember you’re quite knowledgeable about this series of games. I wonder if you’re confident you can conquer this world in your current form.”

“If the world were as intense as depicted in the game, I could elbow it with my eyes closed,” Mokou gave a quick and confident answer. “But if it were a world that perfectly matches the CG animation or the game’s textual descriptions, then I’d probably have to put in a lot of effort… What, you want me to link the fire?”

"Whether you reignite the fire or extinguish it is up to you, whether you want to become a wandering spirit or ashes is irrelevant. However..." Alice hesitated for a moment, then suddenly sensed a subtle shift in the space within the room. A spacetime ability, which she wasn't entirely familiar with but was absolutely certain she wouldn't mistake, stirred up a barely perceptible ripple in the room.

Well, whether it's one sheep or two, it's all the same. Having insurance is better than nothing.

"...You guessed right, Gensokyo will soon undergo tremendous changes. Perhaps when you open your eyes tomorrow morning, you will find yourself lying in the Northern Undead Asylum or the Nameless Cemetery. And if you are not averse to such a fate, then I have a request for you."

Mokou chuckled softly.

“Just say it, Alice. I’m not one to beat around the bush. If you have a request, I’ll take it all.”

“That’s good.” Alice nodded, her fingers lightly gliding over the two discs. She sensed that unfamiliar spacetime fluctuation for the second time, and pretended not to notice it as it passed over one of the discs.

"What you need to do next is simple: take one of these two discs. Don't let it out of your sight, and then... when you wake up and find everything turned upside down, just do what an ashes or a wandering ghost should do."

Section 11: The End of the Old Era

Mokou didn't refuse—she never would have refused in the first place. She was a passionate person, yearning for battle, for adventure, for exploring the endless unknown rather than rotting and decaying in some small corner. For her, Gensokyo was both a sanctuary and a prison. She longed for a destiny to spread her wings and fly, and naturally, she would never miss this opportunity.

The script has been written, the stage has been set up, the actors and extras are all in their positions, and the protagonist who connects all the plot threads is ready to go.

Everything is ready; all that's left is for the performance to begin.

Alice left the hut at the edge of the bamboo forest, knowing that Mokou needed a little more time to make final adjustments. Meanwhile, the Great Barrier and the sages who ruled Gensokyo also needed to conduct a final rehearsal of the script's prologue—she looked up, and the boundaries of order in the sky, imperceptible to ordinary humans and spirits, were shifting and operating little by little, their causal connections with the real world being severed and severed piece by piece.

The outside world is the biggest variable and test in this operation. When Gensokyo leaves, there is a high probability that they will detect the change in the spacetime structure. They will then immediately deploy overwhelming forces to destroy Gensokyo, the last refuge of these outcasts.

Alice turned her head slightly, and beside her, a spatial rift tied with a ribbon floated silently. The project to sever Gensokyo had stopped at its most crucial stage.

“No need to rush,” Alice said softly. “I’m prepared.”

She reached out and carefully took out a delicate little ball from her storage equipment—it looked like an ordinary astrological crystal ball, with an average color and decent material. However, there were countless protective runes rotating in an orderly manner on the outside of the crystal ball, firmly imprisoning the contents inside.

The atmosphere around her remained unchanged, but the calm sky suddenly darkened when she took out the crystal ball. A faint, muffled rumble of thunder echoed. The gap hovering beside her twitched like an electrified fish, its two delicate bows trembling as if about to fall to the ground.

"This is a memetic virus, a secret treasure that Patches obtained from a defeated adversary. Our enemy planned to detonate it when they were at a disadvantage and then escape in another absolutely reliable way—Purple, do you think this thing can buy us enough time from the outside world?"

"You...you be careful, handle it gently, please don't bump it or drop it, waaaaaaah—"

Alice casually tossed the crystal ball into the gap, followed immediately by a series of almost piercing screams from Yakumo Yukari. One can only imagine that a certain seventeen-year-old girl must have been so terrified when she so roughly threw that crystal ball into the gap that her hat fell off her head—even though she knew the ball was actually so sturdy it could withstand a direct hit from a starship's main cannon.

After all, it's a memetic virus, and with Zi's experience, it's impossible that she hasn't dealt with such things before.

Unfortunately, this thing can only hinder outsiders for a period of time at most. It cannot cause them any real damage. This meme can only interfere at my level at most; it cannot harm Ex. And since it cannot do anything to Ex, it cannot possibly destroy that humane and thriving mechanical civilization outside.

The girl gently closed her eyes and took a step towards the highest mountain in Gensokyo. After returning to the Main God Space, she had consulted the information on the memetic virus and, after finally determining its strength, chose its current use.

It was a flower, a white flower of destruction. Its origin lies in the composite world of NieR: Riders on Dragons. It was a creation born from a necrotic time loop. It guided the endless cycle of destruction in the NieR world, and then, under the power of the supreme god, became the spoils of the reincarnators.

Those who can correctly perceive the flower will be corrupted, distorted, and mutated into a kind of war machine that has lost its self and expands outwards. When the number of corrupted individuals exceeds a certain threshold, the flower will bloom in some way, purging all living things in the civilization it parasitizes—its direct destructive power is not strong, and its influence on the powerful is a gradual process; however, it is a deadly poison for the civilization itself. Temporarily suppressing it is not difficult, but it requires specific methods and will sow the seeds of future disaster. If the problem is to be solved once and for all, given the lack of information, then it would require the full effort of several extraordinary beings of the level of Exus for a period of time.

There are more than one extraordinary being of this level among the outside world, so Alice never intended for them to encounter Gensokyo from the beginning. Yukari, who was in charge of the actual operation, naturally knew how to weigh the pros and cons, and would rightfully use some channels prepared for thousands of years to release it into the appropriate place—this flower wouldn't cause the death of any mortal, but it would entangle the extraordinary beings among the outside world. Gensokyo only needed this tiny gap in time. Because Gensokyo successfully infiltrated the void, the outside world would no longer be able to track down any trace of this nascent world.

When Alice opened her eyes, she sensed that the plan had been successfully executed.

“Everything is going well,” Alice said softly. She gazed at the sky atop Gensokyo, which in an instant transformed from a clear blue to a pure, inky black. Sensing the tremors that permeated Gensokyo and the panic of its inhabitants, she slowly exhaled a long breath. The heat contained within combined with the cool, damp air, forming a wisp of white mist that drifted slowly around her.

Things went too smoothly... but that's not necessarily a bad thing.

Since the underwater journey has begun and the cause and effect have been severed, once the World Ship has successfully entered the void, any underhanded actions by outsiders are meaningless. All that remains, and all that can be done, is to wait.

In the void between worlds, there are no concepts of time and space, so this wait will not be long. The so-called wait is actually just the interval between beginning and end—it won't be long before Gensokyo reaches its destination. It won't be long before this world is reduced to nothingness in the merging of the two worlds.

So remember it, imprint this scene in your heart. This land, once my home, will become a precious treasure in my memories. And the next time we meet will be the moment the script is finished.

She gazed into the distance, watching the edge of Gensokyo gradually turn into emptiness. A wave of emptiness then spread towards her feet. It paused briefly as it passed over a few points, but soon the emptiness swept over those areas, utterly erasing everything—the merging of worlds had begun, and she was the final witness.

"The old era is about to end, and the new era is about to begin," Alice said softly, watching her body gradually dissolve into nothingness. She sensed her new identity and destiny, while her past memories and powers quietly sank into slumber.

The script has begun; this time, the world will not experience any sorrow.

It's just a little regrettable that... at this moment, if only someone could be by my side, witnessing all of this with me.

She thought to herself.

Then, she seemed to see six purple wings flash past her eyes. She seemed to feel a hand grasp the five fingers of her right hand. And a warm, soft sensation quietly returned from her senses, which had vanished along with her body.

It was a warm hand, the warmth of which made her feel as if she had returned to the cradle of her childhood. Suddenly, she felt a tightness in her chest, and some strange emotion, as if it could trigger her long-dried tear ducts, compelled her to turn her head forcefully to look at her right side.