Tonight, Alice joins the hunt.

This is a game, a mobile game with a production level roughly equivalent to the early 21st century.

A sentence that Chu Xuan had told Alice not long ago, and then informed all the reincarnators at the summary meeting, quietly echoed in the ears of many members present.

—We reincarnators have the opportunity to place bets. And the Central Continent team will receive some extra benefits before that.

Clearly, this was the so-called 'preferential treatment'. Having understood this, the members of the Zhongzhou team all smiled and nodded, everything understood without words.

then--

Zheng Zha slammed the script of "Fate/stay night" shut in his hand.

“I hate this guy who stands on the lamppost and likes to call people bastards,” he said loudly and seriously. “I’ll chop him up when I have the chance.”

A hush fell over the room. Everyone was amazed by the abrupt shift in Mr. Zheng's topic.

After a long while, Xiao Honglu, who had barely recovered from the twitching at the corner of his mouth, weakly said, "He was, after all, a famous monarch. It's not a problem for him to be a little arrogant... right?"

"What would you do if a guy who's your enemy called you a bastard?"

“Of course, we’ll beat him so badly his own mother wouldn’t recognize him…” Xiao Honglu’s eyebrows twitched. “But we haven’t decided which side we’ll choose yet, Brother Zheng Zha. Besides, you’ve only read the script; no one’s pointing fingers at you and yelling at you—”

"But I still feel unhappy!"

"…………"

There was confusion.

Amid the chaos, Zhao Zhuikong, who had been observing the performance of others from beginning to end, calmly dealt with the pile of fried fish that had been cut into pieces on his plate.

"Too immersed in the role," he commented, expressing disdain for such superficial behavior.

However, the next moment, Zhao Yingkong, who was sitting next to him, happened to close the script for the Heaven's Feel route in Fate. She turned her head to look at him, her bright eyes blinking.

"Speaking of which, brother, you've been in the world of Fate for many years. But it seems that since the reunion, you've never revealed the identity you've taken on in the Fate world."

Zhao Yingkong's voice seemed a little sweeter than before.

Zhao Zhuikong's back felt a degree or two colder than usual.

“I guess it’s Shinji Matou.” Zhao Yingkong tilted her head slightly, looking innocent and carefree. “After all, you have to be involved in the Fuyuki City scenario and meet three conditions: not being the main character, always being involved in important plots while not being the main character, and always occupying an insignificant position even when involved in important plots. After doing a little elimination, it feels like there aren’t many left.”

Zhao Zhuikong felt cold sweat breaking out on his temples.

"Oh dear, what's even more coincidental is that this Matou Shinji also has a younger sister named Sakura, and they seem to have a special relationship and affection for each other." Zhao Yingkong's voice was not only sweet, but it even began to change from sweet to eerie.

"I wonder if Shinji Matou will simply ignore his sister Sakura as the story unfolds, or will he hand her over to the protagonist and wish them happiness? Or will his own sister become a mistress?"

Before they knew it, no one was speaking at the banquet. Some of the more perceptive individuals had already instinctively made their way off, while the more careless ones unconsciously held their breath, trying to minimize their presence.

"I'm so curious, Brother Zhui~Kong~!"

Zhao Zhuikong steadied his grip on the knife, raised an eyebrow at Miss Xilin, who was pretending to eat her steak but was actually listening intently and had no intention of intervening. Suddenly, he felt a sense of peace.

To be or not to be, that is the question. But only children make choices; adults always know there is no real choice!

He put down his knife and fork, raised his oak glass filled with wine that had an alcohol content of no more than 20 degrees, and drank it all in one gulp.

"This wine is quite full-bodied," he said, then slammed his head on the table with a 'splat' and passed out drunk.

Whether others believe it or not, he believes he is drunk.

What followed was chaos.

About five minutes later...

Witnessing her fellow reincarnators leaving with various excuses—whether it was stomach aches, being too drunk, or wanting to play games—and the unfortunate 'drunken' Zhao Zhuikong being dragged up the stairs by one leg like trash by Zhao Yingkong, Patchouli, who had remained silent since the start of the banquet, whispered, "Did you deliberately leave him there, Alice?"

"Chu Xuan did it, not me," Alice said calmly. She also felt that she and Zhao Yingkong had said the same things during the Saint Hunting Ceremony.

—Chu Xuan has already left, and even if he hadn't, he wouldn't care about such a trivial matter.

Patchouli shrugged, deciding to assume Alice was right for the time being. Her gaze then shifted to the mobile phone-like game devices Chu Xuan had given to everyone.

"Alice, are you planning to deal with this now? It might make for a good game."

“I don’t think it’s in a rush,” Alice replied casually, slipping the game item into her pocket as she took Patchouli’s delicate hand. “The night is still long, and staying up all night is a basic skill for witches. Perhaps we have more important things to do before dealing with those lower priority matters.”

"...You really have a lot of energy." Patchouli shook her head slightly, but obediently let Alice lead her to their private rest room. The door and window closed silently, and the excellent soundproofing separated the inside and outside of the room into two worlds.

"Thank you for the compliment."

Outside the window, the moonlight was tinged with a rosy hue by the clouds and mist.

From another direction, the sound of bones cracking, which could not penetrate the walls, echoed within the building.

Section 9 - Holiday Fungus Can Still Hang In There!

When Alice opened her eyes, the sky outside the window was still pitch black. Whether it was the eve of dawn or another night before the next day was unknown. And, in truth, it didn't matter whether it was early or late.

A fragrant scent and a soft touch lingered beside her, just like on many nights before. When she awoke, Patchouli was already fast asleep. Although the reincarnated entity at the table was still busy with various experimental configurations, what did the entity's affairs have to do with the avatar here?

Work is work, and vacation is vacation; the two should not be confused.

Since we are still on vacation, we should do some of the things that are appropriate for vacation.

[This body was modified upon my arrival; as a beautiful girl, I don't actually need to excrete waste, nor do I need to consume any additional food or water. That means I can continue lying in bed until Patchouli wakes up… Hmm, should I wake her up now?]

The girl turned her face to the side, and the sleeping face of the beauty beside her was clearly visible in her eyes. She nuzzled slightly, and then began to purr like a small animal in her sleep.

I'd better not wake her up.

Alice thought to herself, adjusting her position slightly to make herself more comfortable. A thought then crossed her mind, and the game terminal that looked like a mobile phone, which she had taken from Chu Xuan, landed in her hand.

The presence of a game console in a Victorian fantasy world felt rather incongruous. However, since it was Chu Xuan's decision, she let him be. Based on her intuition and experience, Alice estimated that Patchouli would need at least another two hours to wake up. And since she wasn't planning on leaving bed before then, playing video games was the only option.

[A game...? This thing is probably an intelligence aggregation constructed by Chu Xuan from a portion of the information gathered in the Dao Struggle world. I just don't know if it's a simple intelligence gathering, or a powerful secret treasure capable of influencing the Dao Struggle.]

Considering Chu Xuan's cryptic demeanor, the latter is more likely... Oh well, since he doesn't intend to clarify, I'll just play dumb for now. I'll treat this as just an ordinary mobile game, something to pass the time during my vacation.

After some thought, Alice reached a conclusion and pressed the power button on her handheld device. After several seemingly meaningless icons flashed by, a 3D-like perspective unfolded, preceded by a long, text-based background explanation resembling a synopsis.

[This game is clearly not designed to make money.]

Alice raised an eyebrow, but quickly dismissed the strange feeling that had welled up inside her. Her attention focused on the device in her hand, and she immediately immersed herself in the game's storyline.

Of course, she didn't forget to turn off the sound so as not to wake Patchouli, who was fast asleep beside her.

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

The story takes place sometime sometime after the year 2000, the exact date is unknown and there's no need to elaborate. The setting is a secret magical organization located in Antarctica.

The organization is named Chaldea, derived from the ancient word for 'observatory'. A group of astrophysical magicians, specializing in the Type-Moon universe, have gathered here, their duty being to maintain the stability of the timeline. Their work is not in vain. For ten years ago, they observed the destruction of the human world in this era through their unique magical techniques.

The cause of the destruction is unknown, the process is unknown, but the outcome is certain. However, the magicians have been able to detect significant anomalies at several points in the past. These points are called Singularities, and the magicians have created a time-space travel technique called 'Spirit Particle Transfer' to deal with these anomalies. To accomplish 'Spirit Particle Transfer,' the magicians have created numerous powerful magical artifacts that work together. Their names and related details will not be elaborated here, and today, the start of the game, happens to be the day 'Spirit Particle Transfer' is performed.

—On the screen in Alice's eyes appeared a well-rendered, lifelike 3D image. She saw a large conference hall. A female magician, who appeared to be the leader, was loudly emphasizing something on a stage. The screen in front of her displayed rows of forty-eight young men and women dressed in identical, tight-fitting combat suits.

Alice knew who they were. From the previous recap, she knew they were qualified individuals who had undergone years of training and were naturally suited for spirit particle transfer. Most of them were magicians, and soon after this meeting, they would set off together to participate in the first spirit particle transfer operation.

The sound wasn't on, so Alice had no idea what kind of meeting it was. But Chu Xuan had thoughtfully set up a speech bubble that would automatically appear when the sound was off, allowing her to see the information she would normally have to hear.

—Assigning roles... Automatically selecting the candidate whose traits best match the player...

The screen paused, and illusory cursors appeared above the heads of the forty-eight young men and women, constantly shifting. Because of the bubble chat enabled, Alice easily noticed that several members in the front row were in an 'unselectable' state.

[Among these people, there must be important supporting characters in the story, or perhaps other 'players' have already made their choices before me? Hmm... who could it be? Still playing the game at this hour... Xiao Honglu? Cheng Xiao? Or did I really sleep until the next night?]

Alice raised an eyebrow slightly, and the constantly shifting cursor in her eyes quickly settled. It finally pointed to a young woman who appeared somewhat attractive but not exceptionally beautiful, and whose position was neither particularly good nor bad. Judging from the woman's seat and attire, she was probably in the middle tier of the eligible candidates—not among the top, nor among the worst. Her mannerisms were likely mild, or perhaps timid and unassuming. She was clearly someone who couldn't be a protagonist, nor a supporting character, and didn't even qualify as a villain.

It's neither good nor bad, just mediocre.

When the cursor disappeared and the screen resumed operation, the data about this truly ordinary girl in the magic world was clearly presented to Alice in a list.

—Name: Flora

—Gender and age: Female, 19 years old.

—Birthplace and Education: Irish, a descendant of a tenth-generation magic family, studied at the Clock Tower for six years, and is currently a Master Magician of the Alchemy School.

—Spiritual particle transfer adaptability: Excellent to slightly below average

[What a bland character design! Neither outstanding nor underwhelming, neither top-tier genius nor an extremely unconventional prodigy, nor an ordinary person who shouldn't be in this area teeming with magicians. As I predicted, this guy probably won't survive the prologue. But his name is 'Flora'...that's rather interesting.]

Alice pursed her lips, clicked on the character data, and prepared to try controlling the character. However, somewhat unexpectedly, after the data interface disappeared, she couldn't find the character control buttons on the screen. She could only stand outside the screen like a blockhead, watching the character inside continue listening to the pointless motivational speech.

But this didn't stump her, because she noticed an energy bar of unknown purpose in the upper left corner of the screen, and an idea immediately popped into her mind—her gaze quickly locked onto a pencil on the character's desk. Then she reached out and gently flicked the top of the pencil.

A gentle breeze seemed to pass through the screen, causing the pencil she had touched to sway slightly. At the same time, a small portion of the energy bar in the upper right corner silently depleted, and then, around the table, she clearly felt a slight loss of energy within her body.

[So that's how it is... I can't actually directly control the characters in the 'game,' but only interfere to a limited extent with the environment around them... It really is a Trojan mode, Sirin's words were spot on. No, wait, it's not that she just guessed correctly. Ah, right, Aichidra's luck is still protecting her...]

Alice shook her head inwardly, but her mind raced. Although the current information was limited, she could roughly guess that the first plot point in the story would soon be triggered, and the character she could currently influence would most likely not survive the first act. And within this magician's base hidden in the polar regions, the most likely unexpected plot point to occur was…

[Since the spirit particle transfer, as a major plot thread, won't be lost, the base itself shouldn't suffer irreversible large-scale destruction. However, time travel seems like an excellent plot trigger. So... the most likely place to run into trouble is...]

I see.

A slight smile played on her lips as she reached out and pointed her fingertips directly at the girl's brainstem on the screen. As the energy bar in the upper right corner plummeted, the girl on the screen let out a soft groan, clutched her head, and fainted!

The conference room on the screen immediately erupted in noise.

well.

Alice nodded.

She knew the structure of the human brain and the extent of her interference. This level of interference alone wouldn't cause any irreparable serious damage to the girl. However, while there was no damage, it was enough to render the girl immobile for the next ten minutes. She might recover after ten minutes, but by then she probably wouldn't be able to participate in the first spirit transfer.

[The first spirit transfer experiment will almost certainly fail, with an over 80% chance of a traitor appearing within Chaldea. The reason is simple: forty-eight characters with the same ability are far too many, and if this is the origin of the story, it's absolutely impossible not to reduce the number to about one-tenth!]

Alice was certain of this as she watched Flora on the screen being helped to the infirmary by a girl with an orange side ponytail—she was slightly surprised, because in the Type-Moon universe she knew, there shouldn't be any helpful good people among magicians. According to her earlier calculations, it should have been an ordinary employee helping Flora away, allowing her to take the opportunity to do something else.

But that doesn't matter.

She shifted her gaze, but didn't see anything like an information list on the orange-haired woman with a side ponytail. However, when she retrieved her previous memories, she discovered that this woman seemed to be sitting in a slightly lower-ranking seat.

[Kind-hearted yet ostracized? She seems very much like a protagonist... Could she be the representative of one of the two saints?]

Alice blinked and switched perspectives. She saw the typical Japanese name 'Fujimaru Ritsuka' on the orange-haired girl's chest. And less than two minutes later, this orange-haired girl took the unconscious Flora to Chaldea's infirmary.

The game begins now.

Alice's guess was correct. Absolutely correct.

As Flora, whom she was influencing, received treatment in the infirmary from a seemingly unreliable doctor, a deafening explosion suddenly erupted from afar. Because she had muted her phone, she didn't hear the sound, but instead saw a huge "BOOM" on the speech bubble. Then, the entire Chaldea magical institution descended into chaos, with alarms blaring and lights flashing!

Then--

"Alice, is the game fun?" Patchouli's voice came from beside Alice. Alice turned her eyes and saw that Patchouli, wearing a silk robe, had woken up from her slumber—her eyes were bright, but there was still a subtle weariness in the depths of her eyes. One hand was under her chin, while the other was playing with the hem of Alice's skirt.