Tonight, Alice joins the hunt.

[A large-scale war is unlikely in the short term. The orcs need time to mobilize, and the Celestials cannot launch a direct surprise attack right now—or rather, some people would love for them to launch an attack so they can wipe them out in one fell swoop. But that's clearly impossible; the Celestials wouldn't be that foolish.]

He left his room, tapped his forehead lightly, and signaled to his companions that he was going to act alone. As he walked, he assessed the current situation.

Clearly, the Central Continent team now holds a comprehensive advantage. In Xiao Honglu's own opinion, the Central Continent team could launch an attack on Mordor right now with at least a 90% chance of winning—the two Tier 4 players transferred from the East America team alone would be enough to suppress or even defeat the Celestials team. And for them to take down a Tier 4 mid-level Sauron with a huge weakness would be incredibly easy—even a proper mid-level Tier 4 like Ex could be defeated through multiple weakening methods, let alone Sauron, whose fatal weakness, the One Ring, is already in the hands of the Central Continent team.

In this situation, delaying would only increase the variables—the Fellowship of the Ring's imprisonment clearly shows that the Valinor gods don't care whether the protagonists of this world survive. They only care whether fate will operate according to their will—that is, Sauron must die; everything else is secondary.

[Even though victory was assured, stalling for time and waiting for the mortal army to counterattack would only slightly increase Mordor's chances of winning, but would greatly increase the possibility of the Vera intervening in this world. Yet they still chose to execute this strategy... Chu Xuan, Alice, Patchouli... you have no other options besides being wary of the East Sea team, which was wiped out at the beginning and only had one ambiguous infiltrator—damn it, why did such an unpredictable guy appear when they were the first team?]

He didn't doubt that Chu Xuan and the others' predictions were wrong... just thinking about it was laughable. But if the predictions were true, then the wise men's purpose in arranging their trip would be questionable.

[Is it bait? Were we placed in this remote battlefield to lure the infiltrator into attacking? But how could that be? Since the enemy has been able to endure this long, they certainly wouldn't attack just because we are five relatively weak Reincarnators… They must have a deeper purpose, perhaps one that could directly secure victory. So what is our purpose here? Is it really just to enhance our experience and strength?]

He felt a terrible headache coming on. He hadn't reached the third level, so he couldn't simulate the thought processes of Alice and the others. And when he thought of Alice, his previous reasoning seemed increasingly flawed.

Alice was given an additional task by Chu Xuan.

Although her exact actions are unknown, the unusual activity in Gondor on satellite imagery and Zhang Jie's real-time monitoring of key figures in Miltistris strongly suggest that Alice intervened there. Given her timing in traveling to Miltistris, there's only one possible objective.

Did they conclude that the infiltrator had a hidden presence in Miltistris... or did the infiltrator have many points of influence, with Gondor's capital city being just one of them?

"...I can't figure it out."

The boy couldn't help but sigh softly, the dejection on his face fading away the moment he left the house. By the time he reached the streets of Long Lake Town, he had regained the spirit of a child his age.

Since I can't figure it out, there's no need to keep thinking about it. My current position is insufficient, my vision is limited, and my resources are inadequate. If I continue to be so focused on proving myself, the chances of messing things up again will only increase. Therefore…

Whether what I just saw was a hallucination or something truly bad happened, and regardless of how capable that infiltrator from the East China Sea team was or how many hidden traps he had laid, I only need to complete my immediate objective.

Ah… To secure the defenses along the Valley-Lonely Mountain line, and the safety of the two kings, a gradual, layered approach, infiltrating the lower and middle ranks of the allied forces and intervening as needed, is indeed an idea. But to be on the safe side, it would be far more prudent to simply bring the entire allied force under my control.

Anyway... those people didn't say we couldn't make a big show of it!

He made up his mind.

Section 37 - Can't Carry Him, Can't Carry Him

What...is this guy trying to do?

Why do you look so neurotic?

Xilin tilted her head, looking at Xiao Honglu from above the clouds with great confusion. With her perception abilities, she could naturally collect all the subtle changes in sound, light, heat, and electricity in the area and then simulate the actual scene in her mind. She had accurately captured and perceived all of Xiao Honglu's previous actions, and when this complex information was gathered together and formed a scene of movement in her mind, an equal number of doubts also surfaced in her mind.

She saw Xiao Honglu standing alone in the room, his brows furrowing suddenly, then relaxing, his expression shifting between serious and relaxed, peaceful and distorted. It was practically a dramatic face-changing act without the need for ink. Before she could even open the hidden portal to collect Xiao Honglu's spontaneously dissipating brainwaves to gauge his thoughts, this boy, who was no more than thirteen years old, seemed to have made up his mind and resolutely walked towards the street.

"I suspect this guy is up to something," Sirin thought, as she disturbed the spatial structure at her fingertips. A phantom, resembling an otherworldly projection, descended from the clouds and landed beside Xiao Honglu in a completely invisible manner.

But isn't this better?

Zhao Zhuikong told me not to cause trouble, not to offer suggestions, and not to research or plan anything on my own. I shouldn't even speak if necessary, and I should use my powers of various attributes as little as possible, and keep a low profile—well, but I'm not the one causing trouble now, so I should just watch quietly, right?

She directed her avatar to nod in satisfaction, but as soon as she took a step, Xiao Honglu suddenly turned his head to look in her direction—she was immediately terrified, even forgetting that she was just a projection avatar that didn't need to breathe or move, and stared wide-eyed without moving, until Xiao Honglu turned his head with a puzzled look, at which point she let out a long breath that wasn't actually there.

“Strange… Am I being too sensitive?” Xiao Honglu frowned, walked towards the area where Xilin was, and passed straight through the avatar. “I always feel like I’m being watched, but that feeling disappears like an illusion when I turn my gaze away.”

He looked in the direction he was gazing—it was just an ordinary street in Changhu Town, where many ordinary merchants, farmers, and citizens were either busy or leisurely walking around. Their vitality and movement patterns were crystal clear to Xiao Honglu, and he was certain that there were no spies or informants among them who could conceal their presence from his senses.

Xiao Honglu: [It couldn't be just an ordinary spy watching me, could it? The ability to touch my mind indicates a targeted gaze, not just a casual glance. But if it were just an ordinary spy, I could definitely detect changes in heart rate and physical reactions within a certain area when I turn around. Yet I haven't seen a single soldier…]

Sirin: [[...That scared me to death! I remember my projection avatar could supposedly block the senses of any being below the fourth rank. I even used it to test the demigods in those story worlds before without being detected, not even by Neos, who had the same enhancements as Xiao Honglu... Oh! I see, this is the actual manifestation of his fourth-rank potential?]]

Sirin: [Amazing!]

She watched intently as Xiao Honglu recovered from his earlier confusion and resumed his mental scan of the entire River Valley Town. This time, she carefully adjusted her avatar's structure to ensure it was flawless. And as expected, Xiao Honglu detected nothing amiss this time.

Sirin: [Just as I thought!]

Her thoughts raced in the clouds, and she saw the other members of the Central Plains team suddenly drop what they were doing and walk into the street—clearly, Xiao Honglu had used his mental abilities to communicate with them and was persuading them to join his plan. Judging from Xiao Honglu's complex expression and mental fluctuations, this persuasion process was not going smoothly.

The plan seemed to be thwarted, but the determination in his eyes did not diminish.

Sirin: [Hmm...should we eavesdrop on their plans? Like, bringing two large forces under their control while keeping things as discreet as possible...oh, I almost forgot they're planning to do it openly. In that case, infiltrating their mental communications wouldn't be so necessary...]

Sirin: [Besides, I don't think most people would like someone infiltrating their mind. After all, I'm just a newbie; it wouldn't be good to ruin the relationship beforehand...]

By putting herself in his shoes, she immediately drew her own conclusion. Thus, the eavesdropping phase failed to reach the spiritual level. The spying, however, continued—she saw Xiao Honglu interrupt the discussion, the conclusion seemingly less than ideal. But even this unsatisfactory result didn't seem to affect his resolve—he quickly moved into a blind spot, and Xilin helped confirm that no one or any machine was watching. Immediately afterward, Xiao Honglu unleashed the power enhanced by his Three-Eyed Clan.

Energy gathers in the air.

Celine adjusted her position, raising her coordinates another ten thousand meters into the sky. Just as she settled into her new audience seats, the voice below her heard a sound coming from above.

'roar--!!!!'

With a terrifying roar, a massive shadow instantly covered half the sky. Unparalleled trembling and fear surged like a tidal wave over the inhabitants of Lake-town, engulfing them completely. Then, with a scream echoing through Lake-town, chaos and panic engulfed the city.

The dragon that had brought destruction to this town returned to the world less than a day after its carcass vanished. And just seconds later, burning fire descended from the sky.

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

Xilin felt she might need to revise her perception of the Central Continent Team. Previously, she had considered them a biased, albeit somewhat hostile, Reincarnation Team that preferred to suffer losses rather than inflict further damage—a rarity in the God Realm, but rare doesn't mean nonexistent. However, now…

[Was the absence of casualties a deliberate avoidance of densely populated areas?]

[But chaos and evil won't disappear just because you didn't throw flames directly at their heads.] Sirin pursed her lips. She knew very well how to cause real damage to a civilization—killing was useless; destroying their spirit was the key, even though she herself had always failed. But even in these failures, she had witnessed the terrible consequences that could result from carrying out such actions.

She knew what Xiao Honglu was planning. While the rest of the Central Continent team members, with conflicted expressions, participated in maintaining order, he commanded the red-eyed black dragon made from Smaug's bones to launch a swift attack on the central area of ​​Lake-town. The administrative district instantly lost its ability to function, while those of high status, protected by guards, escaped the buildings that had been reduced to flames and quickly organized a team to launch a counterattack into the sky.

Brand, the king of the valley, was a brave and skilled warrior.

In the original story, he would lead his guards in a bloody battle against the Orc army at the foot of Lonely Mountain, eventually dying from exhaustion after three days and nights of slaughter. Now, when the resurrected Smaug arrives at Lake-town, he will naturally not back down or flinch because his enemy is an evil creature far more powerful than the Orc army.

Because he was the grandson of Bard the Dragonslayer, the glory of his grandfather's slaying of a dragon and the courage in his heart sustained him. This gave him the courage to lead his people in battle against the dragon, just as his ancestor had done. Sirin watched him, seeing this crowned mortal brandishing his sword, shouting encouragement to his soldiers, arranging for the people to take refuge, and accepting the dragon-slaying black arrow handed to him by a servant—he wanted to kill the dragon with a black arrow, just as his grandfather had done.

And Celine knew that his efforts would ultimately be in vain.

After all, Xiao Honglu wanted to control both forces while ensuring the safety of the two kings... Ah, at first I thought he planned to use Saruman's method, directly bewitching them with mental magic. But I didn't expect such a simpler strategy... to 'kill' the king openly, but actually imprison him in a secluded place. And we, as heroes who turned the tide in the disaster, would go to the dwarves' capital for help, and then capture the dwarf king using the same methods?

She watched as the King of the Valley raised his dragon-slaying bow and fired a fatal arrow at the charging red-eyed dragon—if Smaug had been there, that arrow would have been deadly, for he, like his grandfather, had pierced the dragon's heart with a single strike. But it was not Smaug present.

What appeared here were merely summoned creatures, Xiao Honglu's weapons, his enhanced derivatives, puppets he constructed from the remains of inanimate objects—for a puppet creation, the heart might be useful, but it was hardly a vital organ. And it was precisely because of this that, just as the mortals of River Valley Town were cheering for their king's divine archery, the dragon that should have been slain suddenly raised its head and swallowed the Dragon-Eating King whole.

Is there a better place to contain a king than this? Perhaps there are, but none would be as effective as this. No one would believe a king swallowed whole could survive. And if he doesn't live, power will be vacant. The reincarnators will be able to seize this opportunity to legitimately gain control of the kingdom. And before the War of the Ring ends, there will be no heroes seeking revenge for the king to vanquish this dragon.

She watched as the puppet-like, crimson-eyed black dragon flapped its wings and soared into the sky. All that remained was chaos and the grief of the King's people. Scattered dragonfire spread unhappily throughout the city, and from within the flames, many skeletal remains, like undead, began to emerge.

That was a setup arranged by Xiao Honglu. While commanding the Red-Eyed Black Dragon to fly into the sky, he cast a spell on the land covered in flames. These illusory undead burning with fire would fight the people of the valley like ferocious dragon-tooth soldiers. And with such suitable enemies, the other reincarnators could more easily extend their control over the city.

This is an effective method. Although it's not exactly comfortable, it is indeed an effective method.

As the saying goes, those who achieve great things don't concern themselves with trifles. Even Ultraman, when beating up monsters, wouldn't bother to check if there were any unfortunate souls trapped inside a building he punched through—even just recently, Patchouli recounted her experience of wiping out an entire world to complete her experiment. Compared to those truly adept at manipulating people's hearts, Xiao Honglu's actions are utterly insignificant.

only……

Sirin sighed softly, and an invisible ripple descended from the sky. This invisible ripple neither extinguished the flames nor suppressed the undead created by the magic. She merely used the life force within her authority to slightly interfere with the emotions of the living in Longlake Town, making the timid brave and the hesitant decisive—she did not physically save anyone, but simply granted everyone the power to save themselves. The chaos in the town subsided slightly, and order returned to the land three to five times faster than before her intervention.

[I've really become strange... The old me could have easily and cheerfully annihilated an entire city, along with its inhabitants. But now I feel pity for such a trivial act—have I become kinder? No... Even now, I could still sacrifice a city, even a country, if it helps my comrades.]

So... oh, I see.

A sudden realization dawned on Celine. She analyzed her own heart and understood the true thoughts deep within her soul—killing and destruction were not inherently wrong, as long as she was willing to bear the corresponding karma. Therefore, no matter how excessive the actions, they were ultimately inconsequential. The reason she couldn't tolerate what was happening was because these actions were, in fact, 'unnecessary'.

She can condone killing for survival, and understand killing for ideals—because there are reasons for it. Every action inevitably carries corresponding responsibility. However, the harm caused by Xiao Honglu's actions this time was actually 'unnecessary'.

There's no need to destroy cities or spread panic—simply unleash your power on the battlefield against the orcs, crushing them with overwhelming force and protecting your allies. Because at this moment, the Central Plains team has no need to hide, nor do they need to care about the opinions of others or factions.

So……

[So that's how it is. Giving Xiao Honglu the power to intervene in this city was actually a deliberate arrangement by Patchouli and the others to create this environment for him… to ensure this little guy better grasps the power and resources at his disposal. They really went to great lengths.]

[It's just a pity that the current feedback should be 'unsatisfactory'. Whew, what a poor guy. Was he overwhelmed by Patchouli and the others and performed poorly? It seems there might be other reasons... but it doesn't matter anymore, he doesn't need my attention.]

She tilted her head and looked in another direction.

Go and meet other people.

The next moment, her avatar disappeared from where it had been standing.

A few seconds later, another gaze from someone she didn't know swept over her.

Chapter Thirty-Eight: Loving Someone: I Need a Camera Lens

Tailing is a long and tedious job, especially when the act of tailing is merely to act as a babysitter and clean up the mess. Such a process becomes particularly boring.

Xiao Honglu's grand plan proceeded without hindrance. After devouring the Valley King with his red-eyed black dragon, he concealed his identity and rode the dragon into the clouds. While the other reincarnators had some reservations about his actions, they clearly understood priorities and knew when to act and when to indulge in idleness—the Overlord and his group used the chaos to expand their influence. They won over many hearts through post-disaster appeasement. The march from the Valley to Lonely Mountain then commenced.

They will travel to Lonely Mountain, where Xiao Honglu will devour the dwarf king with his black dragon—the shared calamity and enmity will be a perfect bond connecting the two nations. While Xiao Honglu and his dragon act as the villains, the remaining reincarnators will openly and legitimately seize power from both armies as heroes amidst the disaster.

—This isn't a great strategy, but it's effective until it's exposed.

But whether or not it is exposed, the implementation of this plan will take time.

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

"It seems everyone else is progressing quite smoothly." Alice pulled her attention away from the real-time monitoring that had surfaced in her mind. Back in the Star River Era, the reincarnators of the Central Continent Team had all been implanted with subcutaneous terminals, and the satellite had been launched into space when it arrived in the Lord of the Rings world. With these aids, monitoring the others' actions in real time through the terminals was as easy as eating and drinking for her.

It's nothing much, really just the same thing she did as Sirin. The only difference is that, unlike Sirin, her gaze also encompasses Sirin, who thought she was hiding well in the clouds. Observing her actions while browsing the intelligence analysis about Sirin that Patchouli had sent was indeed an interesting thing. Especially when certain parts of those materials were particularly beneficial to the reader's mental and physical well-being.

Alice thought she was unlucky enough, that even the simplest storylines she encountered would easily develop in ways she never expected—though many of those outcomes were actually the result of her own recklessness. But an accident is an accident, even one caused by her interference… it's still an accident.

However terrible her past memories may have been, they were all in the past now. Her own bad luck was clearly incomparable to that of the unlucky Sirin. And since there was someone living in the basement of misfortune, she, as a first-floor resident, had no reason to continue wallowing in self-pity.

However… there are definitely some problems on their end. There's a third party besides me and Sirin spying on them, and it's even possible that Sirin herself is under surveillance… It seems that the one from the East Sea team really did make some arrangements in the valley. I wonder if such a large lure will be enough to draw it out.

Or perhaps...

She blinked, interrupting her thoughts, and shifted her attention to the real-time changing satellite imagery—the entire Middle-earth, except for Mordor which was being interfered with by Sauron, was exposed to her view, and she could examine any place at will.

After all, Middle-earth is only so big, and the native powerful beings on the continent are essentially only slightly stronger than depicted in the movies—if she wanted, she could single-handedly reshape the world into her desired form during non-team battles. The only prerequisite is that the Celestials of Valinor don't interfere.

However, based on the intelligence we've gathered so far, the possibility of the Vera intervening is practically zero.

After all, this world is unimportant to them, while a group of true gods with mid-tier fourth-order combat power surely govern and control far more than just this tiny star.

This world is like a bubble. The sky is flat and the earth is square; both the land and the ocean have boundaries.

Even for a being that had only touched the edge of the extraordinary and had not yet fully become a super life form, a world of this scale seemed far too insignificant—Alice even suspected that if she went all out, she could blast this world back to the primordial chaos. As for the idea that a group of powerful beings on a higher level than her would be trapped in this realm without any intention or plan to escape, she absolutely refused to believe it.

But it's precisely because they don't come down easily while maintaining a considerable level of attention to the world that I find it so troublesome...

Alice sat atop the White City, looking down upon the Gondorian capital city of Minas Tirith. Her slender feet swung gently, her black boots occasionally clinking in the air—she sat there, unseen by any man or creature in the entire city. Before arriving in this city, she had casually sown seeds throughout Gondor, and it wouldn't be long before these seeds bore the fruit she desired.

However, naturally, the fruit takes time to grow. For the time being, the royal city will remain peaceful. After all, the Central Continent team has only been in this world for less than a day. Perhaps even the defeated Celestial team hasn't been able to return to Mordor safely. And it is precisely for this reason that she can now stay here, thinking about things she doesn't usually have time for, and doing things she doesn't usually have much time for.

[How long has it been since I used a truly powerful and legitimate information magic spell?]