Tonight, Alice joins the hunt.

Alice let out a soft "ah".

"I think you should have studied medicine and know what a rejection reaction caused by foreign objects is. Regardless of where these so-called 'people' come from, it is an inevitable fact that they will be unwelcome in this multiverse. The world may simply ignore them, but the perception of the thousands of races living in the world will inevitably turn into rejection because of the world's indifference. And then... there will be war."

"Mortals suffered for many, many years as a result. They may not have committed any sins in this endless world, but they certainly did nothing to benefit it. In the eyes of other races that are born with privilege, doing nothing is a great sin. Thus, mortals became the lowest ants in this endless world. They were used as food, as experimental materials, as consumable tools, and as entertainment. There is no need to go into the specific details, but I think you can guess what they mean."

"In short, it was a rather unpleasant time for humanity as a whole. And this period lasted for a very, very long time, so long that even counting became meaningless. And during this long period of time, humanity unexpectedly did not go extinct but survived, and at some point, quantitative change led to qualitative change."

"Mortals gained their own divine favor, a crimson aura of fortune built from countless hatreds and curses. Although I don't understand how stupid the myriad races were to allow mortals to multiply so widely across so many worlds, or how blind they were to not sweep away the still-naive mortals with lightning speed when the crimson aura first manifested. It seems that the workings of fate have their reasons, and mortals finally obtained the heaven of hatred they possessed."

"After that came war. The outcome of the war was not hard to guess: mortals emerged victorious. They spent a long time decimating the myriad races that had previously enslaved them. They even rebelled against this multiverse itself, allowing the heavens of mortal hatred to replace the heavens of the myriad races. Thus, the tide turned, former servants became masters, and former masters became servants. The myriad races no longer possessed divine favor, and mortals returned everything they had suffered to the former myriad races tenfold—they would make the surviving myriad races suffer even more than they had suffered. And this revenge also lasted for countless years, a time so long that even calculation seemed foolish."

"So, back then, all the races also possessed their own crimson destiny?" Alice asked, then denied it. "But I don't think it's that simple."

"You guessed right. It seems you can do things other than make judgments." Shen Qi nodded approvingly and continued, "The myriad races do indeed possess their own crimson destiny, and among them, there has even emerged a peerless powerhouse named Ice Phoenix. If they had been allowed to develop for a period of time like the human race did countless ages ago, perhaps the crimson destiny of the myriad races could have truly created another Heaven of Hatred that could rival the crimson destiny of mortals—but unfortunately, the wise men among the mortals discovered all of this in advance. They defeated, or rather repelled, the Ice Phoenix before it reached its limit, and then they changed their behavior, using appeasement to deprive the crimson destiny of the myriad races of the space to continue growing."

“And after that, they decided to prune the tree.” Shen Qi crushed the leaf in her hand, and in the same instant, all the branches on the small tree in front of them vanished. The lush canopy became a bare, straight stick, and although the number of leaves had greatly decreased, many still remained, like kernels on a corncob, neatly attached to the stick. There wasn't a single gap, nor a single change.

"They conducted extensive research and finally came to a conclusion—whether it was the ancient human race from a distant era or the ancient myriad races of the Ice Phoenix era, although one succeeded and the other failed, the reason they both had a chance to turn the tide was because in this infinite world, there are always some worlds that are different from others. They are hidden, they are unusual, and in the era when myriad races ruled, perhaps there were a few such worlds that served as sanctuaries for mortals. In the present world where humanity is flourishing, there will always be habitats for myriad races in some remote corners. And it is in such unique and unusual worlds that variables arise."

“In such a world, heroes may emerge, and these heroes may become variables,” Shen Qi said softly. Her gaze swept across the void, focusing on Zheng Zha, who was already locked in combat with the ambushed emperor, and Chu Xuan, who had secretly orchestrated everything. “Just as in ancient times, when mortals emerged who defeated all races, Pangu and Hongjun, mortals fear that the same thing will happen again. Although the Ice Phoenix failed, it did not perish. And to prevent such a thing from happening, they decided to eliminate all variables.”

"They wrote a script for the entire multiverse, and then formed an organization whose purpose was to modify all the worlds in the multiverse to conform to the script they had written, while simultaneously eliminating all worlds that did not fit the script."

Shinki didn't elaborate on the topic, or even steer it towards the meaning or mission of the Great Sphere of Light. Instead, she directly gave her conclusion here.

"This is the so-called 'Humanity's Fate Resonance Project.' Mortals want to become the eternal protagonists of this multiverse, eliminate the possibility of all parallel worlds, and make all variables that might threaten mortal rule disappear from this multiverse. Then, they will usher in an eternal kingdom."

Alice remained silent.

After a long while, she suddenly spoke.

"It's a very interesting story; I can listen to it as if it were true. But..."

"What does this have to do with you? And what does it have to do with me?"

“Of course there is a connection.” Shenqi shook her finger and explained. “My analogy should be clear enough. All races are the offspring of this multiverse, while mortals are outsiders. They are like two ant colonies on this multiverse tree—it doesn’t really matter how they fight, since they are already mortal enemies, and one day a victor will be decided. It’s just that one side will wipe out the other, which isn’t anything new.”

"But ah..."

"Ants hollow out a tree, destroying its original nutrient network and causing destructive changes that greatly shorten its lifespan. So what do you think..."

A subtle smile appeared on Shen Qi's lips, it was hard to describe whether it was pleasure or mockery. She snapped her fingers lightly, and the twisted and deformed tree withered and turned to ashes.

"What will the tree think?"

"...As you said, the tree is dead, and a dead tree cannot make its own sound. Even if it could, it would be extremely weak, perhaps affecting a part of the situation, but useless to the overall picture."

"I didn't say it was just this one tree." The mocking smile on Shinki's lips suddenly transformed into the cunning characteristic of a young girl. "The tree is dead. What died was the tree's consciousness, that thing called Heavenly Path Gaia. But you see, even ants gather in swarms, and birds and beasts have their companions. And as a multiverse will with its own self, do you think it might also have friends?"

"So, what if another tree... or rather, a passing friend A, wanted to visit a friend from the past after a long time, only to find its head smashed to pieces, its body teeming with germs, and its flesh, though still alive, being twisted and transformed into a bizarre shape? What do you think that other tree would think?"

“I imagine that other tree must be furious.” Before Alice could reply, Shenqi continued, answering her own question, “From that other tree’s perspective, the mortal race is a virus that killed its own friends, and deserves to die. The other races, unable to even protect their own creators yet still clinging to life, also deserve to die. But, more important than killing them is something else entirely. And that is, its own dead friend… is there any way to bring it back to life?”

"You mean—" Alice's eyes widened in surprise.

"Don't flatter yourself, Alice." Shinki shook her finger slightly. "I didn't say you were that dead tree, but you are indeed related to it—perhaps a tool used to save it, perhaps a medicine to heal it, perhaps the vessel for its resurrection. Of course, it's also possible that none of these are true, and I might have been making things up from the beginning."

"...You deserve a beating."

"You said the same thing, too." Shinki covered her mouth and chuckled.

"Alright, let's get back to the main topic. I've already told you about my origins and purpose, and I'm sure you can guess your own origins and mission by eliminating all the wrong options. So now, the only thing missing is... oh, I have to tell you why I split you into three parts."

"Actually, the answer is quite simple. As a collective being, you are currently at a rather delicate level of life. Although you are extraordinary, you have many flaws in your heart. At the same time, the power between the id, ego, and superego, which are the components of your personality, is somewhat unbalanced—your id is too strong, valuing desire far more than order, which is why you are bound by emotions. If this continues, although you will eventually get out of this predicament, something very bad may happen before that."

"If you grow up crooked, that's not good news for me. So, I've decided to deal with this problem for you before you regret it—by separating your three selves. They won't restrain each other, and they will each grow in this world—the id satisfies desires, the superego follows the rules, and the ego makes choices. When they reunite, they will return to their optimal balance. There's no need for that clumsy severing of the three corpses. The fourth-stage inner demons and growth obstacles will also vanish."

"If you are willing to accept my arrangement, then I will erase all history from the moment you entered this city until now and let the world continue to function. Then I will arrange for you to kill the friends you know—of course, they will not die, they will not even be injured, and they will not have this memory. You will only kill the bonds in your heart, without causing them any real harm—I can even completely erase the history of when you took action. You just need to nod, then close your eyes, and when you wake up, you will have become the peak of the Demon King level in your cultivation system, equivalent to the stage of the fourth high limit of the Gene Lock."

“And if you’re unwilling…” Shenqi raised an eyebrow. “I won’t do anything to you, but you’ll waste this one and only chance. And you’ll have to bear the consequences yourself.”

"Then make your choice, Alice Fried. Continue in this world, and you will be free from all constraints. Or refuse it, and another painful trial awaits you. The advantages and disadvantages are clearly laid out before you, and now you should be able to make the best decision."

"You only get one chance, and right now you're not going to be swayed by emotions or morals. So, yes or no, it's up to you."

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

Write a summary at the end of the paper in half an hour.

End Summary

Honestly, I don't think this piece needs a summary... because it's an interlude, and although it's a bit long... it's still essentially an interlude.

An interlude, in essence, serves as a transition, connecting the preceding and following parts. Therefore, this particular chapter doesn't contain any major plot twists; it simply explains Alice's origins and the current world-building.

After all… Z's chivalrous deeds are written in such a profound and complex way that I completely cannot understand them. Therefore, I will only use the settings that were originally in the original text up to the point of Dawn, plus my own deletions and modifications. As for the scope… it's not actually that large. There's enough to write just about this multi-faceted story, so there's no need to worry about jumping too far. The reason I'm bringing up multi-faceted stories is because I'm considering the possibility that I might suddenly go off on a tangent and write a script with a death scene, so I'm laying this out in advance, even if it might not be used.

And, I've decided to write The Lord of the Rings for the next volume, Bloodborne will be postponed for now _(:з」∠)_

Side Story: Aftermath: The Day of God's Birth

On the Earth's surface, somewhere, in a secret room.

When Plato the Thinker, the ruler of Atlantis, arrived at his seat, the complete report on the event numbered 'XU-艮坤兑' came into view.

——Top Secret-Code: XU-GenKunDui

On December 24th, 307 of the New Era, at 9:25:17 AM, three spacetime observation stations numbered 997, 1013, and 1121 in the outer seas of Europe simultaneously detected the highest-level spatial structure anomalies. Four seconds later, the spatial identification features of the alien nest 'Gensokyo' were accurately identified and reported by the station personnel. At the same time, in accordance with the 'Alien Extermination Ordinance,' the Fourth and Ninth Rapid Reaction Fleets under the European ruling zone were immediately deployed, preparing to thoroughly eliminate the alien nest 'Gensokyo.'

At 9:26:33, the Fourth and Ninth Rapid Reaction Fleets arrived at the target airspace. According to the supplementary regulations, the aliens were given a total of 12 microseconds to surrender. Having received no response, the fleet commander immediately ordered fire. According to the ship's computer calculations, the outer defensive barrier of 'Gensokyo' would completely collapse within a maximum of 166 seconds. This intelligence was immediately reported to the European Command and a corresponding capture request was sent. It was anticipated that the European theater's anti-mystical forces would teleport to the location within 70 seconds and, depending on the situation, eliminate or capture any alien supernatural life forms.

At 9:27:07, anomalies in secondary spatial structures were simultaneously observed at two spacetime observation stations, 405 and 441, above the European coast. At the same time, the memetic virus 'White Flower' was detected by the observation stations. Although a cognitive barrier was activated immediately, most staff at observation stations 405 and 411 lost all mobility within two seconds. In accordance with the 'Emergency Response Regulations for Memetic Viruses,' the observation station management AI immediately assumed command and uploaded the intelligence to the European governing authority.

At 9:27:40, the European Governing Area Command issued a Level 2 crisis alert. The First, Second, Fifth, Tenth, and Twelfth Rapid Reaction Fleets were urgently deployed to the region. Simultaneously, this intelligence was uploaded to the World Governing Alliance. The anti-mystery force mobilization order issued 67 seconds prior was cancelled, and the Fourth Rapid Reaction Fleet broke away from the encirclement formation to guard against the emergence of more memetic viruses.

At 9:28 AM, eleven seconds later, the alien nest 'Gensokyo' began to escape Earth's gravity, and the Ninth Rapid Response Fleet's containment operation failed. Simultaneously, the European Command's Research Department successfully deciphered the surface signature of the memetic virus 'White Flower,' confirming it to be non-lethal. The first-generation cognitive vaccine will be successfully developed in a maximum of 330 seconds. According to the plan provided by the European Command's General Staff, as long as the memetic virus 'White Flower' remains completely suppressed until the first-generation cognitive vaccine is successfully developed, the memetic will not produce an outbreak effect. If the plan is successfully implemented, the death toll is predicted to be no greater than zero.

At 9:29 AM, zero seconds later, in accordance with the 'Supreme Law of Humanity,' the mission of the Ninth Rapid Reaction Fleet of the European Ruling District to pursue the alien nest 'Gensokyo' was temporarily canceled. Simultaneously, the flagships of the First and Fifth Extraterrestrial Cruiser Fleets, the 'Mayakivilli' and 'Baiqi', entered combat readiness, ready to launch a annihilation strike against the alien nest 'Gensokyo' at any time.

At 9:29, 30 seconds, the memetic virus 'White Flower' appeared to have triggered a secondary outbreak. Simultaneously, the alien nest 'Gensokyo' detached from the Earth-Moon system. Based on the priority clause of the 'Humanity Supreme Law'—'Human life is paramount'—the annihilation missions assigned to the First and Fifth Space Cruiser Fleets were temporarily cancelled. They were immediately dispatched to suppress the memetic virus 'White Flower' in orbit above the European Administrative District. Furthermore, given that the alien nest 'Gensokyo' had not launched any counterattacks during this operation, causing no fleet casualties or property damage, the Western European Administrative District Command determined that a temporary placement of the alien nest was permissible. Although, based on the 'presumption of guilt' principle in the 'Alien Killing Ordinance,' it could be determined that the appearance of the memetic virus 'White Flower' and the alien nest 'Gensokyo' were related, their disposal could be temporarily postponed.

At 9:30:01, the suppression of the memetic virus 'White Flower' was declared a phase of success. Simultaneously, the alien nest 'Gensokyo' experienced spatial distortion after detaching from the Earth-Moon system. Based on the research department of the Western European ruling district, it can be confirmed that this independent space is undergoing dimensional shift. Barring unforeseen circumstances, this independent space will detach from the current worldview in thirty seconds, and the possibility of its return is essentially zero.

At 9:30:02, the World Governing Alliance issued a Level 2 World Alert. It has been confirmed that the remnants of the Information Mages are located within the alien lair of 'Gensokyo'. In accordance with the 'Anti-Magic Law', all idle forces in all war zones on Earth are immediately placed on high alert, ready to respond to a annihilating attack from the Information Mages.

At 9:30:09, based on the combined calculations of twelve supercomputers under the World Governing Alliance Think Tank, it can be determined that the probability of Patchouli Knowledge, the 'Last Twin Witches,' and Alice Margotrovid being located in the alien nest 'Gensokyo' is greater than 90%. Furthermore, the probability that the weapon of mass destruction 'The Original Text of Apocalypse' is under Alice Margotrovid's control is also greater than 90%. Therefore, according to the highest priority commandment in the 'Book of Civilization', 'Destroy the Original Text of Apocalypse,' all available military forces are to enter combat status. All war zones already in conflict are to adopt a defensive posture, and conflict laws are automatically frozen, with the aim of destroying the 'Original Text of Apocalypse,' at all costs.

At 9:31 AM, one second later, the uncontrolled memetic virus 'White Flower' experienced its first outbreak. The outbreak affected the North Atlantic and one-seventh of Atlantis, resulting in the deaths of 153,315 civilians and military personnel due to memetic contamination. Simultaneously, research departments in all global governing districts devoted all their computing power to deciphering the dimensional shifts of the alien nest 'Gensokyo'. The completion of the first-generation cognitive vaccine was indefinitely delayed. In the Western European governing district's staff, 3,045 people, from the Chief of Staff down, committed suicide, their souls being fed into an energy reactor to atone for the delay in the battle.

At 9:33, 13 seconds, the Pan-Earth Joint Annihilation Fleet was successfully assembled and smoothly transitioned to the space zone where the alien nest 'Gensokyo' was located. Forty-five seconds later, the dimensional shift was broken. It was anticipated that the joint fleet would destroy all the alien nest 'Gensokyo's' defenses within nine seconds and wipe out all living beings within. The destruction of the 'Original Apocalypse Text' would be confirmed no later than 11 seconds.

At 9:33, fifteen seconds later, the unidentified creation, the 'Scroll,' appeared and covered the alien nest, 'Gensokyo.' All attempts to break through its defenses failed. According to the conclusions of the World Governing Alliance Think Tank, it can be confirmed that the 'Scroll' and the Consulting Mage share some similarities, and the probability that it is an ability activated by the 'Original Text of Revelation' is higher than 70%. Therefore, if the offensive against the 'Scroll' is maintained, it can be ensured that the 'Original Text of Revelation' cannot activate multiple effects simultaneously. Thus, the originally planned annihilation will continue, regardless of its success or failure.

At 9:40 AM, at 0:00, the memetic virus 'White Flower' experienced a second outbreak. Its reach extended to one-third of the Atlantis ruling region and one-fifth of the European ruling region. According to complete statistics, a total of 23,953,011 people died from the second outbreak. The European and Atlantis ruling regions were forced to activate emergency response mechanisms, arming civilians and organizing unofficial forces to suppress the 'White Flower' memetic virus. While the results were not ideal, they ultimately delayed its third outbreak.

At 10:00, 0:00, the temporary command of the Pan-Earth Joint Annihilation Fleet received intelligence that a dimensional shift reaction had been detected in the 'Scroll' generation. All countermeasures were ineffective, and humanity was about to suffer its first defeat at the hands of aliens in hundreds of years.

At 10:00, 1 minute, 1 second, the 'Scroll' and the alien nest 'Gensokyo' completely disappeared from the observation range. It was confirmed that the plan to eliminate and destroy the 'Original Text of Revelation' had completely failed. Simultaneously, the memetic virus 'White Flower' was officially renamed 'Flower of Destruction' and unleashed its third outbreak effect. The impact covered the entire European ruling region and most of the North American ruling region. Approximately 1.07 billion people lost vital signs.

At 10:00, 3:00, and 30 seconds, the suppression of the meme virus 'World-Destroying Flower' was declared complete. The cognitive vaccine produced by the think tank under the World Governing Union began its administration. Five minutes later, the effects of the meme virus 'World-Destroying Flower' were completely eliminated. The record of the event [XU-艮坤兑] ends here.

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

"Before we begin discussing the final proposal, we have one small matter to attend to." As Plato finished reading the document before him, a neutral voice emanated from a mechanical form composed of countless metallic lines, filled with rotating triangles, irregular triangles, polygons, and circles—Plato recognized it; it was Ying Zheng, the ruler of the Asian region. Unlike Ivan, the ruler of the European region who resembled a thundercloud, or himself, who was essentially a mass of coalesced seawater, this Easterner possessed a peculiar fondness for mercury. Even in its current form, this fondness had not vanished but had instead manifested itself in a different form.

"Is it about the stable form of the 'Flower of Destruction'?" The form of the South American ruling Smoke Mirror was like a writhing, blurry shadow, its voice like overlapping ballads. Ordinary people would be driven into uncontrollable madness simply by hearing its voice. Only the rulers present could maintain their sanity amidst its voice.

"That is indeed a strange thing. The suppressed meme virus actually took the form of a young girl. According to the think tank's speculation, she is very likely the former carrier or creator of the 'Flower of Destruction'. The tests on her also concluded that she should be human, but not a human from this world. Although her genes are more than 99.99% similar to those of ordinary people, they also have some special changes."

Ying Zheng, the ruler of the Asian region, made a gesture, and a female projection appeared in the center of the conference hall—a stunningly beautiful white-haired woman with a world-destroying flower residing in one of her eyes and a rare pale red color in the other—she slept peacefully, motionless.

"She and the Flower of Destruction are in a symbiotic relationship. Killing her is pointless. Even if every single atom of her is broken down, she can still regenerate. Therefore, using her as a storage device for meme viruses and as a weapon is a feasible solution."

"Then let's choose: who's in favor, and who's opposed?"

Seconds later, the rulers reached a conclusion. The vessel of the World-Destroying Flower was preserved and modified in a suitable way—the protection for mortals under the Supreme Law of Humanity did not extend to mortals from other planets or even other worlds. Using her as a tool could be considered making the best use of her.

So, the last thing to do next is...

"We have failed. The pursuit of the Information Mage is no longer feasible. The destruction of the Apocalypse's original text has also failed. Assigning blame is pointless; now we should consider the follow-up." The mercury lines on the ruler Ying Zheng's body slowly flowed, it was difficult to discern whether it was joy or anger. Perhaps it had long lost the ability to express emotions, perhaps… who knows?

“We have done our best, exhausted all our strength, paid every price, and still failed in the end. So perhaps it is fate that they will escape.” The governor of Oceania was a swirling storm, and from the wind came a language that sounded like a shriek: “The original text of Revelation has disappeared. Perhaps the next time it appears, it will bring extinction. We should also make a decision.”

"We were born of the Book of Revelation, and we will surely die because of the Book of Revelation. In the end, we are nothing but a group of traitors. Whether we are magicians or machines, we are all human beings. By choosing one side, we have betrayed the other. Now may be the time for us to pay the price."

The governors fell silent. They knew perfectly well what the governors of Oceania meant—they were not human, or rather, they were no longer human. Centuries ago, the information mages unleashed the final apocalypse, awakening the entire lost world, attempting to use their power to achieve victory in the final battle. They were ghosts, heroic spirits, and then, they chose betrayal.

Ah, yes, they simply sided with the majority and eliminated the minority, but betrayal is betrayal. They killed their shapers and creators, and for centuries afterward, they relentlessly pursued the eradication of information magic. But the archmages of that time didn't simply awaken the dead without restraint like Alice did; they made contracts, and the dead betrayed those contracts with the archmages.

The dead wiped out the magicians, but what the magicians didn't know was that they had also killed the leading figures of the mechanical school. They replaced them and began their reign, and it was precisely for this reason that human civilization, freed from its only internal enemy, was able to develop rapidly and relentlessly. Without internal strife or division, this nation of billions of people developed together for hundreds of years before finally reaching its present state.

It's easy to understand why the dead killed the magicians: they believed mechanical technology was a better direction for humanity's future development. But the failure of magic didn't mean the victory of machinery. In the eyes of these desireless dead who fought only for mortals, the leaders of the mechanical school were equally incompetent.

They would eventually become corrupt and degenerate, so rather than let fate become a cycle, it was better to let the dead guide the path of the living. And so it went on for more than three hundred years.

However, even if the contract is betrayed, its effects persist. Although the surviving information mages have long forgotten the contract, it still exists. And once a mage discovers this agreement and activates it, these dead will have to obediently return to where they belong.

Alice doesn't know this, but she will find out sooner or later.

Therefore, she had to die.

“We should have died long ago; it is only natural for traitors to die. But we cannot die unprepared, for that would plunge the world into war. Unified nations would fall apart, and at least several hundred years would be wasted on pointless internal strife and power struggles. Therefore, we must exterminate all information mages,” said one of the governors.

“But we failed. And the losers should pay the price. Rather than let the vengeful witch suddenly return one day and destroy everything, we should end it all now,” another governor replied.

"But we need a successor, a successor who is fair enough, talented enough, and whose stance will never stray from the side of humanity."

The officials began to argue, each presenting their own version of events.

Their debate soon came to an end.

"Then let us use our souls to create such a successor."

The officials stopped and looked at the speaker.

The speaker then proposed his own solution: "We deserve to perish, but rather than let our souls dissipate meaninglessly, let us use them to nurture a sufficiently excellent successor. He will serve as the ruler, the only just emperor, to guide humanity forward, and we will receive our due retribution."

The officials fell silent.

And soon, they came to a consensus.

"No objections."