Tonight, Alice joins the hunt.

Alice embraced her, pressing her chest against hers as if trying to merge her with herself.

They both have the same heartbeat.

“Patch…” Alice whispered in her ear. “I’m fine, don’t worry. And… I’ve found a way to break the curse.”

Patchouli's tense body softened; she casually dispelled the gathered magic and gently rested her head on Alice's shoulder. "Am I still dreaming? Such a beautiful dream?"

"Even in a dream, it's against the rules to play tricks on people. I'm very easy to fool... especially you."

“But this isn’t a dream; I have indeed found a cure,” Alice replied softly. “Although it’s an unbelievable development, since it’s already a fact, we have to accept what’s before us. Well then, let me help you come to your senses.”

She helped Patchouli up so she could see Patchouli's face clearly. Her gaze shifted downwards, settling on those thin, soft lips. Then, she slowly leaned down…

...A few minutes later.

“That’s roughly the situation.” Alice spread the missing person notice she had obtained from the Supreme God on the newly straightened desk, trying hard not to notice the blush on her face, and explained earnestly. “I was taken to a place that can be described as ‘infinite’ by some force of nature. I can’t go into the specifics, but it does possess the power to completely remove the curse from me. I need to use a valuable currency that is only issued in that place to exchange for this power. And this notice can take you, Patchouli, to that place.”

She took out the bottle of soul-suppressing solution that she had exchanged from the main god.

“This is the evidence; taking it will ensure that the curse will not erupt in any form for a day. Of course, even stronger evidence is myself… You should have already sensed that the curse has disappeared from my soul.”

"...Indeed, it is very compelling evidence." A flame of vitality and life ignited in those pale purple eyes.

"What should I do? Sign it directly? Or do I have to bleed myself? Cut off my soul?"

“A signature will suffice.” Alice took out a special pen provided by the Supreme God. A few seconds later, as the name [Patchouli Knowledge] was neatly written in the signature column, the entire document suddenly vanished in a flash of light.

Then the solemn and majestic voice of the chief god rang in their ears.

[Reincarnator Patchouli Knowledge has officially registered to join the Central Continent Team. Relevant permissions will be granted upon returning to the Main God Space. Before then, revealing Main God information will result in the deduction of corresponding reward points; negative points will lead to elimination.]

“Look,” Alice gestured. “Seeing is believing.”

"I acquired enough currency during my last mission... enough to remove the curse from you. We'll be back there around seven o'clock tomorrow morning. Once we get there, I'll explain everything you need to know in detail."

"So what I need to do now is probably pack my bags?"

“That’s right,” Alice nodded. “Although I feel very sorry for Remilia, it would be best to take the entire Great Library with us. After all… we might not have another chance to come back.”

Patchouli lowered her eyes.

“Understood, I’ll do as you say. But…” She glanced at Alice’s left arm. “How long are you planning to hold my hand?”

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

About an hour later, Alice and Patchouli arrived at the meeting hall of the Scarlet Devil Mansion. The young vampire from the mansion, Remilia Scarlet, had been waiting in the hall for some time.

"You two..." The young vampire, around five hundred years old, glanced at the two witches' hands, still tightly clasped together, veins throbbing on his forehead. "Don't you know anything about being mindful of the occasion?!"

"Feelings should be expressed, but restrained by propriety." Alice tilted her head slightly, while Patchouli turned her gaze away from her.

"You two Western Europeans, stop with your Chinese nonsense!!" Remilia pouted angrily. "Fine, I'm not heartless. Since Patchouli wants to go for treatment, I have no reason to stop her. The library is yours; anyway, only witches like you would read those books. And... Sakuya!"

A silver-haired maid suddenly appeared beside Remilia, carrying a plate covered with red brocade. A ring with a red bat motif rested securely on the plate, emitting an eerie glow as the candlelight flickered in the hall.

"This is a treasure passed down from my ancestors. Although it can't compare to the grandeur of your witches' magic, it can save your life in times of crisis." She flapped her wings and approached Patchouli with the ring in her hand. "Give this to Patchouli for self-defense. Don't give it to anyone else!"

“As for you, Alice…” The vampire frowned. “You’ve already taken my most precious treasure, so don’t even think about taking anything else from me. That’s it, I’m sleepy, you can go wherever you want.”

She turned her head away, no longer looking at the two of them.

"I'll handle Fran's situation myself, so you don't need to worry about her... Sakuya, see her out!"

The two witches exchanged a glance and bowed slightly to Remilia.

"Thank you, Remi. For the past two hundred years... I've been so grateful for your care."

Remilia turned her back to them and waved vigorously.

ten minutes later……

"Sakuya..." The vampire's voice had a heavy nasal tone. "Have they left?"

"If you want to cry, then cry, young lady."

"I won't cry! I'm the Great Lord of the Scarlet Devil Mansion! Two mere...mere..."

"Wa ...

Author's Note:

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

Sometimes I wonder if I really need to write a lot about Gensokyo... After all, it's based on the original Infinite template, and although it mainly references Future and Dawn, the overall plot is still quite serious. Hmm, if you need to fast-forward through Gensokyo, press 1; if not, press 2. This doesn't affect my outline or pacing. It's really just a difference between one or two sections and four or five.

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By the way, the final count is 20 in donations, minus the initial 13, plus seven bonus chapters in March. I feel like BX has probably gone out of business.

Section 4: Before Leaving Here

As they left the Scarlet Devil Mansion, the sun's outline was already clearly visible atop the distant mountains where youkai lived. Warm light streamed down, making the two of them feel cozy and comfortable.

“Patch,” Alice looked at her companion with some concern. “Can you hold on? Should we use the Soul-Suppressing Solution now? That stuff can suppress any curse involving the soul for a whole day, enough to keep us going until we leave Gensokyo.”

"It's alright. It's just some...physiological reaction." Patchouli breathed a sigh of relief. She had only taken a dozen steps when she was covered in sweat, and her heart was pounding terribly. "I just haven't left the Scarlet Devil Mansion for too long, and I'm a little...not quite used to it yet."

Her face was pale, and her fingertips trembled slightly. But with a few rhythmic breaths and a calming whisper, these unpleasant signs faded away, and her complexion regained its rosy hue.

"No problem." She raised her hand, and a pale purple magic circle appeared around her. Accompanied by several spells that strengthened her physical body, a spell focused on her mental energy was released. Her movements and demeanor then returned to normal.

"That bottle of [Soul-Suppressing Solution] must be an expensive medicine. It's better to save some unless absolutely necessary. You should know my current physical condition better than I do, so there won't be any problems."

"It's just a cheap bottle, I didn't even notice the price." Alice looked earnestly at her companion, her eyes filled with sincerity. "I just grabbed a random recovery potion. If you're interested, I'll buy you a whole case when we get back."

However, Patchouli easily saw through her "sincerity".

"Alice, don't look away when you're lying to me, or I'll get angry."

"I clearly didn't..."

“You’re biased in your mind.” Patchouli reached out and pressed her hand against the girl’s lower lip, which was about to retort. “Alright, you’re being silly right now. How could the medicine that can be used as evidence be some cheap, readily available product? And with your abilities, even if you moved to a new research location, you would definitely be able to obtain enough results in a short time.”

Alice pouted. "Fine, I'm stupid... You're smart, so you're right. Well, Miss Patchouli, we've been stuck at the Scarlet Devil Mansion entrance for several minutes now. Shouldn't we head to the next stop?"

She snapped her fingers, and a Shanghai doll carrying a briefcase floated lightly behind Alice—it was a work case containing theatrical puppets. Backups were only kept in the Doll Museum and the Scarlet Devil Mansion.

Alice's main job in Gensokyo is a solo puppet theater troupe. And today happens to be her performance day in the Human Village.

"Can it still fly?" Patchouli looked at the Shanghai doll carrying a suitcase. When her gaze swept over, the small doll powered by the fusion reactor swayed and looked like it was about to collapse.

“Shanghai…you bastard.” Alice gritted her teeth. Then, with a gasp, Patchouli suddenly swept her up in her arms. She was then carried into the sky by an anti-gravity field driven by a pale purple magic circle.

"How about trying to rely on me once in a while, Alice? Although it's only been a few days since your last visit to the Scarlet Devil Mansion, and you've had enough remote communication every night before, your current body... hasn't had any hibernation for a week, has it?"

"You really love to take matters into your own hands, Patchouli Knowledge!" Alice was a little annoyed, but she only struggled a few times symbolically before lying still in her companion's arms.

Her voice and tone gradually weakened. "I could at least hold on until the end of tomorrow..."

“There should be limits to being reckless, especially when there’s no need to put in the effort.” The purple-haired girl sighed softly. “Go to sleep, Alice. I’ll slowly cross the Lake of Mist, and I’ll call you when we get there.”

She received no response.

"...Are you already asleep?"

"She's such a worry... Where has all her usual cleverness gone?" Her speed gradually slowed, and she glided like a falling leaf. If you turned your gaze slightly, you could see Alice curled up in a ball, sleeping like a baby.

“What an insecure fool.” She lowered her head and gently kissed Alice’s lips. “Sweet dreams, Alice.”

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

When Alice opened her eyes again, the sun was already tilting towards the setting sun. A dim twilight was gradually spreading across the horizon.

I slept for a very long time.

She looked up at the nearest source of noise. Her sky-blue eyes narrowed, and a smile involuntarily crept onto her lips.

"Patch... I never knew you had such a talent for putting on puppet shows."

At the edge of her vision, the purple witch was clumsily manipulating several small puppets to perform in a theater. A group of children from the human village formed a small circle around them, occasionally letting out joyful laughter.

"Looks like I'm going to lose my job." Alice shook her head and helped herself to her feet. Seeing her awake, Patchouli, who was operating the theater, gave her a gentle smile. But her hands didn't stop, because the theater's performance was at a crucial moment.

A familiar voice suddenly came from beside me.

"The Seven Luminaries' homebody girl going out? I wouldn't believe it if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes." The owner of the voice had long, pale hair that reached her ankles, tied with a red bow, but she lacked any of the elegance expected of a lady. She stood next to Alice, a straw dangling from her mouth, a relaxed smile on her lips.

"Fujiwara..."

"Just call me Mokou." The white-haired girl waved her hand casually. "I've heard some of what happened between you. Judging from your appearance, you must have found a cure. Are you planning to leave Gensokyo?"

"We do have this plan."

"Is that so? That's good." Mokou gently patted her shoulder. "The place you're going to must be very dangerous. The smell of blood on you... when I first smelled it, I thought you'd gone somewhere to commit a massacre. So, do you need any help? I've been in this place for so many years, I feel like my body is rusting."

"Phoenixes don't rust, do they?"

"Don't worry about the details! Stop being so long-winded like Kaguya. I'll just say it straight: I'm itching to beat up a few idiots. You two fragile mages are going out, so why don't you take me with you?"

“The way you talk…” Alice shook her head slightly. “You’re still playing that computer game from the outside world? It’s been so many years, aren’t you tired of it yet?”

"The King of Salvage will never fall!"

“But you’re a weak dog.” Alice waved her hand. “The place we’re going to… is very complicated. Even a phoenix will eventually die.”

“That would be wonderful.” Mokou smiled. “I’ve been waiting for this day for a long time.”

"Alright, alright, I understand what you mean. Since you've chosen to face it yourselves, I have no reason to stop you. But if that day ever comes... just remember to call me."

Alice nodded.

The puppet show ended at this point, and Patchouli put away the puppets and walked over, lifting her skirt.

Author's Note:

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

There should still be time... maybe the second quarter.

Section 5. If I catch you, I will...

"Are you talking about something interesting?" Patchouli asked with a smile, carrying her small suitcase.