Tonight, Alice joins the hunt.

This was a real headache, a huge headache. She knew all too well the capabilities of the wise men, and she also knew that even the greatest wisdom needed strength to support it. The fact that the reincarnator Alice was Ismir, the Dragon of the North, didn't surprise her—it was simply a matter of prioritizing cause and effect and overlapping timelines, something she herself could do on a smaller scale.

But if this judgment is true, then the separation between Alice, a reincarnator at the initial level, and Ismir, the dragon god with combat power at the intermediate level or above, means that Alice Margotroyd is currently undergoing some kind of ritual to advance from the initial level to the intermediate level. However, this ritual has not been fully successful, and she and Zheng Zha have become the disruptors of the ritual!

[The external forces that have joined us in this time reversal are, or rather, there are only two that we can currently observe. One is my former boss, the Lord of Time, Kororos. The other is the progenitor of the demon race, the strongest and most secretive among the fantasy races, the Mother of All Demons, Aichidra.]

My former boss was too powerful and unlikely to be interested in such a game. Although he probably didn't follow the genetic lock system, his true combat strength was definitely at the level of a high-ranking being, or even a quasi-saint—just as a lion wouldn't deliberately scheme against an ant, a powerhouse of his level wouldn't intentionally sabotage a transcendent being who had just advanced from the initial stage to the middle stage of the fourth level...

So... is Aichidra our real enemy? Damn it, my previous assessment was completely wrong. I should have taken Zheng Zha back to the future and fought the Mother of All Demons, or just run away. Instead of this situation, with the alliances shifting and anything I do potentially disrupting Alice Margotrovid's advancement plan. I'm going to join the Central Continent Team; I can't and don't want to bear this kind of grudge that blocks my path, you bastard!

But why Aichidra?

The girl felt her brain boiling, a sensation that intensified when she looked up and, through the pile of books, saw a 'handsome vampire youth' sitting innocently and cluelessly in the corner eating a banana. "I'm frantic here, and you're leisurely eating a banana?! And to make matters worse, you're such a clueless idiot, I can't possibly explain this whole mess to you!"

I tried to endure it (though I didn't), but the more I thought about it, the angrier I got. I tried to back down (though I didn't), but the more I felt I had lost out.

Seeing that the person still looked innocent and bewildered, Miss Xilin, who had been sitting quietly but whose mind was already filled with nameless anger, suddenly felt dizzy. She casually overturned the mountain of books, grabbed a book from beside her, and smashed it hard on Zheng Zha's head!

The book abruptly ended near Zheng Zha's forehead.

"Uh... what happened?" Zheng Zha casually took the book, looking blankly at Xilin, who was still in a throwing stance. He glanced at the cover and found that the title was "The Energetic Argonian Maid, Volume Five," which made his eyelids twitch!

"I'm giving this to you as a side dish!" Celine's tone was filled with undisguised irritation. "Why would you eat a banana on such a cold day!"

“I wasn’t bothering you…” Zheng Zha muttered helplessly, casually crushing the banana in his hand into dust. His expression immediately turned serious, and his tone became deep: “Have you figured out anything, Xilin?”

The second book, which was about to fly away, stopped in Celine's hand. She opened her mouth, then lowered her eyes and sighed softly.

“Yes, I’ve figured some things out.” She added carefully. “The things I’ve figured out… are a lot. And they’re quite complex. There are some parts I’m not entirely sure about.”

"Could you tell me?" Zheng Zha asked. "Could I also help with my opinion?"

“I don’t know how much I can say.” Xilin shook her head, ignoring the rest of Zheng Zha’s sentence. “The situation is a bit complicated. We can’t leave this past history now. And we can’t act recklessly here… that could lead to some unpredictable consequences.”

“That’s like you said nothing at all,” Zheng Zha shook his head. “Tell me what you can tell me. For example, is that Alice the one I know? I’ve been observing her actions lately, but the conclusions I’ve drawn feel a bit… strange. She should be an extremely intelligent sage, not the kind of… idiot who seems to be less intelligent than me right now.” — He pronounced the word 'idiot' very awkwardly.

"Did you use the third-order gene lock's mind simulation method to replace her thinking?" Sirin asked.

“It was substituted.” Zheng Zha nodded, then shook his head. “But I didn’t sense anything. Perhaps my information gathering was insufficient. I feel that this Alice… her mind is completely empty. Her brain may indeed be functioning, but she’s not thinking about anything of value. Her attitude towards that ancient vampire might be the only exception. But other than that, nothing…”

"...Perhaps my feeling is wrong, and she is not the Alice I know?" Zheng Zha said somewhat uncertainly. "It might have been difficult to be sure before, but I think if it were the Alice I know, she would never have any strange thoughts about anyone other than Norrell."

Knowledge, Patchouli Knowledge. Alice could never possibly have any ambiguous feelings towards any other man, woman, or hermaphrodite besides herself. This was an ironclad rule within the Central Continent Team, a widely accepted fact as natural as the truth of the matter.

The snow was still falling softly outside the window, and the clock had already struck six.

A flash of light streaked through Sirin's mind.

“If…” A glint flashed in Celine’s eyes. Her emotions trembled slightly, but she quickly suppressed them. She took a soft breath and spoke softly, reaching out a finger to pick up a snowflake that had fallen outside the window: “That vampire princess, is Patchouli Knowledge?”

“That’s impossible.” Zheng Zha shook his head violently. “Norege is obviously in the Great Hollow Base right now. I know her; she would never casually abandon her duties to do another thing before finishing one. Besides, she hasn’t broken through the fourth-tier gene lock yet; she would never waste her time on other things.”

Zheng Zha said in a deep voice that he wasn't completely oblivious to Patchouli's plans within the Great Hollow Base—perhaps he truly couldn't understand them, but the wise men hadn't hidden anything from him—Patchouli intended to unlock the fourth-tier genetic lock by operating a giant base and simulating humane practices. And she wouldn't do anything else until she succeeded!

Unlike Alice, she didn't gain enough time due to Zheng Zha's autocratic rule. Judging from the Zhongzhou Team's usual time management pace (before *The Wandering Earth*), unless some extremely serious and completely unforeseen event occurs that is beyond the control of the wise men, then until the end of the story, apart from the brainless Zheng Zha, no one will be able to stay idle!

unless--

"Could it really have happened—?"

“It’s not what you think.” Sirin shook her head. “The situation on the ground is stable; I can confirm that without going back to Disbots. The members of the Central State team should all be alright now.”

She stood up, and with a wave of her hand, all the books in the house instantly fell into the opened spatial rift. Numerous magical energies and spells of different natures were suppressed with a flick of her finger. The entire courtyard instantly returned to its spacious and pristine state.

Thanks to Zheng Zha, the worst mystery that had been puzzling her and preventing her from taking any action had been solved. Therefore, remaining trapped here was no longer meaningful. She now knew why she and Zheng Zha had been sent here, what Alice's purpose was, and how she would achieve it. She also knew what she should do now.

“That vampire princess is Patchouli, but not the Patchouli you imagine.” Sirin looked at the dumbfounded Zheng Zha and slowly stretched. “This world is also quite different from the world you imagined.”

“We should go find Alice now. I can tell you definitively now that she is the Alice you know. Alice Margotrovid. And…”

She paused slightly, her gaze drifting to a spot outside the window.

"So you've already arrived, Miss Alice."

Chapter Sixty-Three: Alice's Obstacle

"You know me?" Alice emerged from the void. At this point in time, she didn't know what imaginary space was, and naturally couldn't guess why Celine could see through her at a glance—of course, she didn't really care about such details. She didn't care about anything. The reason she appeared was because Celine had extended an invitation.

Since you don't intend to be a thief, you should show up when invited.

Since the other party has made statements that concern me, I should respond.

Alice gazed at the exotic girl in purple who seemed completely out of place in the world, waiting for her next words.

“I don’t know you, Alice Margot Lloyd,” Sirin replied calmly, pointing to Zheng Zha, who was in a state of panic and existential doubt. “But I know you, and he knows you.”

Alice turned her head and glanced at Zheng Zha, who had been standing by the wall as if trying to run away. Her gaze swept over the young man before her, whose aura clashed with his 'handsome appearance,' and who looked embarrassed or bewildered. Then she saw this 'handsome young man,' who seemed like a vampire, instinctively shrink back as if stung by a needle. But he quickly forced a smile and greeted her.

"Yo, Margot Lloyd. Um...long time no see."

“I don’t have the surname Margot Lloyd,” Alice replied calmly. “My name is just Alice, only a first name, no surname. I don’t know you either.”

“But it’s also possible that you just don’t know or don’t remember,” Sirin replied lightly. “If I’m not mistaken, your memory only spans four and a half months. Miss Alice, you woke up at the beginning of the last month and have been drifting aimlessly in this world for four months. Until now, haven’t you?”

Alice remained silent. Or rather, she simply acquiesced. But this silence didn't last long. When the clock struck six and a half, Alice broke the silence herself, using another question to express her stance.

"Why have you followed me for so long? And why are you coming to find me now?"

"Of course, it's to find Long Po—" Zheng Zha blurted out subconsciously, but before he could finish speaking, several arms that stretched out from the imaginary space sealed his mouth shut! Realizing that he had gotten in the way of the new sage, Zheng Zha quickly shut up and was then roughly thrown into a corner of the room further away by the pale, slender arms.

He shut up, but the words he said before he shut up were still out.

However, Alice remained indifferent, replying coldly, "I don't know what 'Dragon Break' is. I don't know, and I've never heard of it. If you're looking for answers from me, you're making a mistake. Of course, if you insist, as long as you don't get in my way, you can continue to follow me, just like you did for the past two weeks."

“You’ve misunderstood that, Miss Alice,” Sirin shook her head. “If, in the past, or even just a few minutes ago, our purpose in coming here and following you was indeed to ‘seek the secret of Dragon Break,’ that was only a few minutes ago.”

Zheng Zha, standing some distance away, stared wide-eyed, his face contorted with a look of 'Xilin, what the hell are you doing?!'

"Have you found what you were looking for?" Alice tilted her head slightly.

“I found it, and I found far more than I expected,” Xilin replied with a smile, then suddenly turned to Zheng Zha. “Captain Zheng Zha, there are some important secrets I cannot reveal to you right now. Given this, would you still be willing to take my suggestion?”

Zheng Zha opened his mouth, but the words on the tip of his tongue quietly turned into a bitter laugh.

“I’m used to this. I’m experienced with kitchen knives.” He sighed, then his previously comical expression turned serious. “I only have one question for you, Sirin.”

Will you stand shoulder to shoulder with me?

“No.” Xilin shook her head slightly, then added the second half of her sentence before Zheng Zha’s expression changed. “But I will bring you the victory you desire.”

“Then I have no worries.” Zheng Zha smiled generously, his hand instinctively moving to the right position to hold the knife. Although Xilin didn’t say it explicitly, Zheng’s intuition clearly told him that the flames of war were surging like a tide within the small house.

Alice simply watched their interaction quietly, turning her head from the side that had been tilting to the left to the right.

"Do you want to fight me?" Alice asked softly, her eyes showing no doubt or confusion, her tone as calm as commenting on a leaf falling in the wind. "I haven't found any reason for you to be hostile to me yet. Perhaps you think that defeating me will bring you some benefit. But once the war begins, it will not end because of your will."

“You’ve got it wrong again, Miss Alice.” Sirin shook her finger. “I have no interest in fighting you, and whether or not to start a war is up to you, not me. Because what I need to do now is to free you from your bonds!”

The atmosphere suddenly changed!

The roof of the courtyard was torn to shreds by the sudden opening of a spatial rift! An endless blizzard crashed down, and then Sirin abruptly stretched her hand towards the sky!

It looked like a light grasp, yet it caused a spatial tremor in the sky that could be clearly seen by ordinary children hundreds of miles away! A narrow crack, resembling an eye, extended nearly ten kilometers into the sky, and then the blizzard covering the sky suddenly reversed!

It was a deformed, unformed black hole, a spacetime rift forcibly created by extraordinary will. Even though Sirin was now severely injured, and even her extraordinary essence had been knocked away, even if she was no longer extraordinary, she could still be considered to be at the limit of the third tier, and she could still wield a force that could shake the heavens and the earth!

A massive storm immediately engulfed the land, hurling vast swaths of the earth's surface material into the sky thanks to the self-correcting forces of space. The once tranquil town was instantly filled with screams of terror. Large swaths of debris, unreinforced roofs, and even shallowly rooted saplings were swept up and sucked into the air. The clouds in the sky were instantly absorbed, leaving only countless stars still twinkling against the night sky.

The moon and stars are sparse, and the sun has not yet risen.

The stars twinkled in the night sky, but that was all they did.

However, Sirin, who was the one who caused this natural disaster, smiled.

“You guessed right. Another piece of evidence is in my hands.” Sirin’s gaze shifted to Alice, who wouldn’t act unless she intervened. “So the true gods of this world, those powerful holy spirits and demons, really don’t interfere when it comes to things related to you!”

"What do you want to do?" Alice's expression remained indifferent, but her fingers had already pressed against the ebony blade.

“I said I would free you from your shackles. Alice… or rather, ‘Alice’. You should not be bound by any person’s or thing’s ‘commission’. Nothing in this world should hinder your independent thinking.” Sirin’s feet floated in the air as she gestured to Zheng Zha, who was also in a state of combat readiness not far away.

"The sky has cleared. I will take care of the task of returning that vampire princess to her homeland. You stay here and think things through. Think carefully about why you are here and what your true purpose is!"

The space around her immediately distorted, but before her form disappeared, several pitch-black crystals originating from the imaginary space suddenly burst forth! Then, they were all shattered by the falling ebony blade!

Her form flickered continuously, switching between several coordinates in a brief instant. Each flicker brought forth a dozen or so jet-black crystal pillars that suddenly appeared, blocking and shattering. And Alice's form, wielding the ebony blade, followed her relentlessly!

“Rejected,” Alice’s voice was as flat and icy as ever, as if nothing in this matter could stir any emotion in her. “Transporting the vampire Serana back to her family is a commission I have undertaken. This commission must be completed by me alone. If you attempt to interfere, then I will consider you an enemy.”

“See? I told you whether the war started depended on you, not me.” Sirin only returned a sly smile. “And the same goes for you: even if the war starts, it will end because of your will—Zheng Zha!”

Space shattered once more, but this time the crimson killing blade blocked the end of the ebony blade's slash path!

"I'll leave this to you, Zheng Zha. Hold her off. This world is special; we don't need to worry about damaging the surrounding environment. This battle will end when I send the vampire Serana back to her family."

Sirin's form vanished completely in the shift of space and time. A tremendous explosion followed. The ebony blade, attempting to break through the air, was blocked by the killing greatsword, while Alice, trying to pursue and block it, was hindered by Zheng Zha. Without a word, the black and red blades clashed hundreds of times in an instant!

A crimson tornado rose up, instantly crushing the small house that had served as a foothold into nothingness. Zheng Zha fulfilled his promise perfectly, and Alice was unable to escape the battlefield until Sirin's presence suddenly appeared in Serana's direction.

The clash between red and black abruptly halted at the very moment of the first thousand strikes!

"From our conversation just now, I can conclude that you and I were acquainted in the past." Alice's voice remained indifferent, but a hint of anger seemed to ignite within that indifference. "But if you insist on blocking my way, can't you just move aside?"

As the blades clashed, a massive surge of energy rippled endlessly at the point of impact.

"Sorry, I promised Sirin." Zheng Zha's lips curled into a smile that was hard to tell if it was helpless or serious. "Besides, Margot Lloyd, we're both at the third-tier limit now. I can't beat you if you're smart, but I'd still like to try and defeat you once, since you're not smart!"

The blades clashed, and the burst of energy swept outwards in all directions like a raging flood!

Chapter Sixty-Four: Alice's Ritual

Time was short, and Sirin acted faster than expected. Although teleportation below the extraordinary level was troublesome, it wasn't impossible for her. And when the spacetime coordinates stabilized again, she was already in the inn where the vampire princess was.

A commotion erupted outside. Even from several kilometers away, the aftershocks of the clash between two powerful beings below the Transcendent level still reverberated throughout most of Morningstar City. The innkeeper and his servants had vanished long before the second explosion. And when she entered Serana's room, she was not harassed in any way.

The moment she stepped through the door, she saw the vampire princess, now awakened. The princess silently observed her. Unlike her previous behavior during observations, this princess, who had only ever acted coquettishly and charmingly around Alice, now possessed an expression as indifferent as unyielding snow. A powerful hostility almost materialized, transforming into unleashed magical energy that was about to erupt!

She was very angry; she was furious.

But Celine saw through her facade.

In Sirin's expectant eyes, the vampire girl before her, though possessing a beautiful and slightly aloof appearance, was completely consumed by an extremely profound emotion directed solely at Alice. Sirin called that emotion 'obsession'!

But that wasn't the ancient vampire's obsession with the dragonborn! Rather, it was something related to Alice, something that might have once belonged to Alice Margotrovid. And if Sirin's judgment was correct, then the vampire girl before her was simply an empty shell, a vessel filled with emotions. Someone, or rather, some force, had stripped 'Alice's obsession with someone or something' from Alice Margotrovid and then filled it into the vampire girl's body!

Or rather!

The stripped-away emotions evolved into a shell that contained them, and that shell became the very form of this ancient vampire!

[As expected, my guess was correct. This world revolves entirely around Alice Margotrovid. This is her ascension ritual, all of this is the sustenance for her advancement. However, she is trapped halfway through her path to ascension, and Zheng Zha and I are both external forces lured in to disrupt this impasse!]