Tonight, Alice joins the hunt.

And now, I suppose it's about time for me to fulfill my duty.

Alice looked up at the sky beyond the sky. She could still see the vast, blood-red river, and she could still tell that it was fading.

She didn't know what a "chess player" was, since it was a term coined by Luo Yesheng. But she knew that Shen Qi had opponents in this multiverse. And the dimming of this blood-red river, a change affecting the entire multiverse yet only perceptible to practitioners of information magic like herself, was naturally related to Shen Qi.

The dimming of the crimson river signifies that humanity's position as a protagonist in the multiverse is wavering and shifting. And she finally understands why she has been perplexed about humanity's value to the gods since the beginning of this struggle—because it simply means one thing: that Shen Qi is watching her thoughts.

"think……"

Alice said softly, "I'm different from Luo Ye; I like to think."

“I’m not like her, because she always looks anxious. It’s as if she’s about to die, and that’s why she’s always in such a hurry to arrange everything and do everything as well as possible… I don’t know what’s chasing after her, and she probably won’t tell me. But in any case, I’m not like her.”

“I’m not like her, I’m not her. I know she always wanted to be good to me, but she always judged what she considered ‘good’ based on her own understanding and then arbitrarily imposed it on me… She was too eager, so she could never notice certain subtle details that she thought were unimportant but were actually very important. But I’m different.”

“I’m different. Although I don’t know where she is now, or how many hidden plans she has laid on this stage, or how much she has prepared and where she is working so hard now, I do know that she definitely has a misconception.”

"She thought that tools would be destroyed when they were no longer useful, and that the moment I fulfilled my calling would be the moment I perished. So she always tried to take over my calling, even making me a backup like a clone of myself so that I wouldn't have to fulfill the mission I was born to bear. But she was wrong. She overlooked a detail, and that's why she was wrong."

Alice looked up at the sky.

The ocean and land beneath her feet clashed, nearing a stalemate, the blood of mortals and mechanical beings flowing everywhere. The victor was about to be decided, and the mechanical beings, whose nature lacked any ingrained fighting instinct, were beginning to show signs of weakness. Perhaps this world would soon become like those ship girl worlds of the past, but Alice no longer paid them any attention.

"I've come up with some conclusions, some conditions for changes in the level of life," she said aloud, looking up at the sky.

"Let me take the gene lock as an example. The first to third stages are all mortal. There is nothing to pay attention to in these stages. It is nothing more than strengthening the bloodline, tempering the will, accumulating power, and nourishing the soul. When the body, energy, soul, and will all reach their limits and then break through the limits, then one can become extraordinary."

"The initial stage of the fourth tier is a typical extraordinary life form. It has no upper limit on lifespan and can endlessly expand its scale by abandoning a fixed form. It can grow from a life form within a planet to a star sea or a life form between planes. This can be considered the first leap in the level of life, and it is actually not difficult to achieve this level."

She extended a hand, gently clenched her fist, and a single cell appeared before her. The cell then rapidly multiplied, its size exploding. Numerous miniature fusion engines formed within, and then a vague will quietly manifested.

The white sea of ​​clouds beneath Alice's feet seemed to come alive, and a blurry figure emerged from the clouds. Then, imitating Alice's appearance, it transformed into the form of a young girl. It cautiously hid in the gaps of the sea of ​​clouds, and only when Alice ignored it did it slowly approach, then stood about ten meters away, listening to her explain the method for mortals to ascend.

Not only the clouds, but the wind in the atmosphere also seemed to give birth to new life because of Alice's voice. In the ocean, innate water spirits that were like gods were born. Slender mechanical life forms suddenly spread their wings and flew to the top of the sea of ​​clouds with these suddenly born primordial gods. Even on the continent, some mortals suddenly had a sudden inspiration and stepped onto the back of a giant bird, riding on it into the blue sky.

Alice ignored them, focusing instead on controlling the changes in the cell cluster before her, causing it to evolve into countless intricate molecular machines, mental networks, and even elemental aggregates. She applied all the methods she had tested for advancing to the extraordinary to this aggregate of life.

"Thus, inexhaustible power, an immortal body, an indestructible soul, and an unyielding heart. It doesn't matter which of the four paths you take first; as long as one is successful, it will naturally drive the rest. Whether it's using biochemical modifications to rapidly expand your size or gathering your spirit to transcend your limits, any path is acceptable. Of course, the best approach is to advance simultaneously, ensuring that the other areas don't lag too far behind once one is successful. In this way, mortals can ascend to the extraordinary."

"But that is the lowest level of transcendence, which is easy to lose control of or become permanently out of control after being achieved. So when other paths are not yet viable, one needs to suppress one's own path to transcendence. Only when the body, mind, strength, and soul all reach their limits can one be considered a stable transcendent life."

The mass of flesh in front of her suddenly coalesced inward, instantly transforming into a beautiful young woman who bore a striking resemblance to her. The moment the young woman materialized, she displayed remarkable supernatural power, yet she stood respectfully about nine meters away from Alice, listening to Alice's voice slightly closer than the other listeners.

"A stable extraordinary life is just the beginning. To become a true god at a higher level, one must find and understand the path one is to follow. At that time, brilliance will be born from the abyss deep within one's heart. At the same time, the impurities that arise from one's mind because of the chosen path will coalesce into demons and contend with oneself."

"Choose the 'Path of Battle,' and your inner demon will become the 'Demon of Peace.' Choose the 'Path of Justice,' and the 'Heart of Evil' will manifest. In the battlefield of the Abyss of the Heart, no external force can be relied upon. The only thing you can rely on is your own Dao, and in the process of fighting, the spacetime distortion reflected by the light within your heart will be generated. This is the external demon, an external demon that you cannot escape no matter where you hide. Only by enduring and defeating them can life ascend to the next level."

She went on to describe in detail how to peer into one's own heart, how to discover one's own path, and how to increase one's chances of defeating inner demons without relying on any external forces. She spoke for a very long time—decades or centuries, it's unclear. The war between the sea and the land gave way to peace, and then countless sects and temples appeared on the land and sea, their numbers equal to the number of listeners.

"After gathering the light of the soul, one becomes a true god. After mastering the power of space and time, one becomes a worm on a timeline. At this point, there are no shortcuts to continue. One can only rely on one's own Dao to forge a true form and expand one's scale to the limit through painstaking accumulation. When a true god's timeline extends from the beginning of the universe to its end, it means that it has grown to the limit that the universe can tolerate. Beyond that lies the path of transcendence."

“Transcendence…how to transcend?” Alice sighed softly. “The first thing a true god needs to transcend is the cosmic catastrophe. When the universe reaches its end, everything in it will be destroyed again, and everything will return to zero. And this return to zero includes the true god's own structure, flesh and blood, soul, and even will…all of this will spontaneously face destruction. Therefore, no matter how much power a true god accumulates or how many treasures he prepares, he cannot avoid this cosmic catastrophe, because when the catastrophe arrives, the more he prepares, the greater his burden.”

"However, there is one thing that will not be a burden. That is the Way of the True God, the Idea of ​​the True God, the principles and creeds that the True God adheres to. It has no substance and does not occupy any burden in the universe, so it can transcend catastrophe. It becomes the only reliance of the True God to reach the transcendent species."

"Entrust your own path to the light of your soul, and then project it into the multiverse. Before that, you must first recognize the existence of multiple universes and develop the light of your soul to its fullest potential. Then..."

She reached out and banished all the listeners from the sea of ​​clouds.

“There is nothing else besides the Dao. For everything else is merely a manifestation of the Dao’s erosion.”

"The physical body is a phenomenon of erosion, originating from the source of humanity. The soul is a phenomenon of erosion, originating from the very beginning of reincarnation. All experiences, all emotions, all joys, all sorrows, they may originate from mortal civilization, from the primordial heavenly court that is the origin of mortal civilization, or from other transcendent beings, or from the deeds or legends projected by other transcendent beings into the current universe. They are all phenomena of erosion, all obstacles on the path to transcendence."

She looked at her hands and whispered.

“They are obstacles, but not all obstacles need to be eliminated. However, even if they are not eliminated, they must be understood. So that they no longer affect my thinking, which operates based on the path I have taken—there is nothing else but the path. Ah... thankfully I can integrate my love for Patsy into my path and turn it into my attachment, otherwise I would have a headache.”

"So... I'm different from Luo Ye. I noticed this detail because I discovered this path to transcendence."

She spoke softly to the sky.

"I will think about these things sooner or later, and I will consider the value of humanity to me sooner or later. Because when I think about it, it means that I have reached the limit of true godhood and am moving towards the realm of transcending species. I will analyze all the interference I have suffered in the past and strip away the influence of all my experiences on me one by one. That is why I will consider the value of humanity to me, after all, they have always had a great influence on me."

"This is the right path to transcendence, because I can see the end of the road and can compare it with the information I have. And I think I've gotten this far without your guidance—which means that Luo Ye is wrong. Tools aren't discarded after use. Instead, they acquire new responsibilities, or perhaps—"

"--free."

She blinked, looking up at the clear, pristine sky above the sea of ​​clouds.

Am I right?

"Mother."

She received no response.

She didn't expect any feedback.

She glanced at the land and sea, now a chaotic mess, and shook her head. In withdrawing her own will, she granted this newborn world its independent freedom.

She didn't reach any conclusions here, because the place she should be going to wasn't this land where stories of mortals and mechanical life forms unfolded.

She simply closed her eyes, then opened them.

What came into her view was a land where steel and pastoral landscapes intertwined. Floating cities soared through the sky, while fields and factory districts dotted the land. Witches riding broomsticks chatted casually, conjuring clouds and rain over the fields, purifying wastewater and stale air from factories and mines into usable resources. Meanwhile, numerous tamed giant dragons flapped their wings, leaving long white streaks as they transported wizards and mortals, who shared a single space, to their respective destinations via folded-space passenger cabins.

This is... the outside world of Gensokyo, many, many years ago. It was the medieval period, still ruled by materialistic wizards. It was a time before the Church became powerful, a time when many of her former friends were still alive.

It was the era she remembered, fantasized about, and dreamed of many times in the dead of night.

A top hat appeared out of thin air, and then a white rabbit dressed in a suit jumped out. She bowed to Alice and handed her a letter bearing the label of the Alchemy School.

"Miss Alice, Miss Alice. Please receive your letter."

This is the era where she can reach her conclusions. Although this isn't her current individual universe, her original timeline is here. She can come here whenever she wants, and as long as the Supreme God allows it.

She reached out and, with a smile, accepted the letter whose contents she already knew.

"Thank you, Yelena." She reached out and patted the head of her old friend who didn't yet know her.

Chapter Sixty-Seven: All Things Renewed

Meanwhile, on the stage of Daozheng...

In the underworld...

"senior!"

Even as that petite, pale purple figure rushed into her arms, laughing and crying as she expressed her joy, Fujimaru Ritsuka remained filled with a sense of unreality.

It's unrealistic, absolutely unrealistic... Compared to the perils encountered on the way to Uruk, the journey to and through the Underworld is as easy as a spring outing in a fairy tale—

—Although the princess never made a move, simply following from a distance of over a hundred meters, her mere presence was like a walking winter. No magical beasts or wild animals dared to approach. Merlin easily overcame the treacherous terrain along the way—the Flower Magician might not be good at fighting, but when it came to traveling and slacking off, she was a first-rate expert.

The journey from Uruk to Kusa was without incident. The descent from Kusa to the underworld was also without hindrance.

Even the journey from the entrance to the Underworld to the court of the Underworld God, which had required numerous trials in the previous cycle, became remarkably easy this time. Merlin and Anastasia were one thing, as they weren't even considered living beings, and it was understandable that the undead of the Underworld weren't interested in them. But Ritsuka herself received the same treatment, making her journey to the Underworld exceptionally smooth.

She had a guess, but wasn't sure.

It wasn't until she was seated in the palace of Hades with Mash's help, and recounted her experiences since parting ways with the City of Mist in a state of unease, that she received a definitive answer from King Gilgamesh, who was also a guest at the table.

"Fool, that's because you're practically a dead man now. Your soul has already left your body, but it's been forcibly imprisoned in your tattered shell by your will and the icy magic within you." The crimson-eyed king sneered, but there was a hint of approval in his gaze as he looked at Ritsuka.

"You're not much different from a dead person now, so the underworld will naturally be open to you. The wandering spirits in the underworld won't see you as a target because they think you're one of them. They think you're just another dead person."

As soon as Gilgamesh finished speaking, Mash, who had been clinging to Ritsuka since they met, could no longer hold back her tears and sobbed. She blamed herself for her incompetence while tightly holding Ritsuka's only remaining intact hand, and then Ritsuka patiently comforted her and calmed her emotions.

Ritsuka used a subtle magic trick on her, hidden in her actions and words, to help her fall asleep. Because of their contractual bond, it worked silently. With Ritsuka's soft words of comfort and gentle solace, Mashu, tears streaming down her face, quickly drifted off to sleep on Ritsuka's lap. Even in her dreams, however, the young girl occasionally showed expressions of self-reproach and sorrow.

Mashu is, after all, just a child. Although she must, and has become, a warrior, she is still just a child.

Having soothed the child, Ritsuka rose from her seat, glancing around at Merlin, who was lazily playing with Fou to the side, and then at Gilgamesh, who sat at the head of the palace, shrouded in mist, though she knew his true form. And then there was Princess Anastasia, who had remained quietly outside the palace from the beginning, always keeping a hundred meters' distance from her—she took a soft breath.

"Gentlemen, I am an envoy of Chaldea, Fujimaru Ritsuka." She gently pressed her hand to her chest. "I have come here to seek cooperation with King Gilgamesh and His Majesty Ereshkigal, and to repair and complete this Seventh Singularity."

“I think Mash must have already mentioned the ‘Continuous Spirit Particle Transfer’ to you all before. Yes, Mash and I have indeed experienced the end of Mesopotamia. I witnessed the war between Tiamat, who was reborn from the primordial sea, and Mangtlund, who controls thunder and fire. It would have been a terrible battle that would have reduced this land to ruins and severed the order of humankind. In order to prevent it from happening, I want to cooperate with you all.”

"What do you intend to do?" King Gilgamesh gently tapped the stone table before him. He asked, "And what are you capable of doing?"

“I have intelligence, and I know what to do,” Ritsuka replied confidently. “As far as I know, the goddess Mangotrend has been on this land for over a month. During this time, she has been building Imanithyc and protecting the people of Mesopotamia. This shows that she is friendly to the mortals on this land, which is roughly in line with your goals.”

"Hmph. That woman certainly did a lot of things." Gilgamesh snorted lightly.

Behind the veil of mist, the somewhat resentful voice of the goddess of the underworld echoed. "Though I hate to admit it, her methods were indeed better than mine. Since Ritsuka, you've already experienced the future once, I won't hide it from you anymore. I originally intended to 'drag everyone into the underworld' to spare them the physical pain and tragic fate they suffer. And that girl, although I don't get along with her... she did indeed do a better job than me."

"Miss Ereshkigal..."

As soon as Ritsuka finished speaking, there was a sudden tremor behind the fog.

"Who, who told you to call me so intimately! Ai Lei, Ai Lei and all that..."

"Oh?" Gilgamesh's lips curled into a mischievous smile. He raised a finger, and a golden light, like a portal, appeared beside him. "To address a god by his name is indeed a great disrespect. Ereshkigal, how about I use my sword to sever this presumptuous head for you?"

"I never said no!" The fog dissipated the next moment. The goddess of the underworld, whose face was identical to Ishtar's except for her pure gold hair, immediately revealed herself, pouting. Her cheeks were flushed, and her tone was urgent: "Gilgamesh, I'm warning you, the underworld is my... oh dear!"

Her pretty face froze there, then quickly turned from blush to deep red, the color spreading all the way to her ears.

With a 'pop,' the form of the goddess of the underworld burst and vanished on the spot like a balloon. Only a desperate shout of despair echoed from the place where she had left.

"Ahhhh, whatever! You guys figure it out yourselves, just tell me the result in the end, lalala—" Her voice echoed as it faded into the distance.

Fujimaru Ritsuka's face twitched. Although she didn't understand what was going on at all, she felt that this was a form of help. So she bowed slightly to Gilgamesh, but the movement of bending down was stopped by an invisible force.

"No need to thank me, thank that girl named Mash." The Golden King waved his hand, signaling Ritsuka to continue her story.

"Miss Mashu recounted your entire journey through the Underworld in that timeline before you arrived. However, to save time, I used a magical artifact to create a video recording of her memories, including your interactions with Ereshkigal and the words you used to persuade her. That goddess probably took a liking to you because of this. Don't be alarmed; just consider it your achievement. Pleasing a goddess is no easy task."

“Is that so…” Ritsuka lowered her eyes, but still insisted on bowing to Gilgamesh. “But gratitude is still necessary, King Gilgamesh.”

She straightened her back and continued the previous topic.

"In short, based on the above intelligence, we can conclude that the goddess Mangotrund does not harbor much malice towards humanity. She is not the one who actively instigated the divine war. Since it was not her, then the goddess Tiamat, who started the divine war and has a stance of annihilation towards humanity, is the target we need to focus on confronting—the best way to prevent a war that will bring destruction is to remove the source that may ignite the war in advance. And I have already gleaned a clue about this."

"Oh?" The king raised an eyebrow. "Speak freely."

“The Goddess of the Beasts,” Ritsuka said earnestly, “The Goddess of the Beasts calls herself Tiamat, yet another Tiamat sleeps in the ocean. It’s obvious that there is a connection between the two Tiamat. And it’s also an indisputable fact that the Goddess of the Beasts used the creative power of the Creator Mother. Based on this, I conclude that the Goddess of the Beasts, and Mr. Enkidu beside her, are themselves closely related to the real Tiamat.”

“Miss Anastasia told me that she lost her memory, but she knew that she was closely related to the outbreak of the divine war. And the place where she awoke, or rather descended, happened to be near the Temple of Blood.” Ritsuka turned slightly to the side and bowed slightly to the princess who was still sitting on a rock outside the palace, looking at the sky of the underworld. After receiving no response, she continued her analysis and explanation.

"So, combining the above information, and the reason why I didn't see Mr. Enkidu during the God War, I judge that Mr. Enkidu's life or death should be related to the awakening of Tiamat. I guess the Holy Grail, the anchor that the Magic King placed in this world, should be on Mr. Enkidu. And as long as a certain mechanism is triggered—most likely the death of Mr. Enkidu or that Beast Goddess—the true Tiamat can be awakened and driven into rage."

Ritsuka paused for a moment.

"The above is my speculation based on the information I obtained earlier. And King Gilgamesh, you may not know that while you were visiting the Underworld, the legion of the god Mangtrund destroyed the Blood Temple, destroyed the Beast Legion, and launched a pursuit of the Beast Goddess and Mr. Enkidu."

"According to what I know from another online world in the future, you and that goddess have a contract, and she will absolutely not set foot on the land under Uruk's rule on her own initiative. And this contract was not broken by her, at least not during the War of the Gods. Therefore, based on this, I can deduce—"

"That means the Goddess of Beasts and Mr. Enkidu should have already infiltrated Uruk to try and escape the pursuit of the god Mangotrund. There's a high chance they're now severely injured, injuries that even the Holy Grail can't heal. If you make good use of this opportunity, you have a chance to extinguish the fuse of this disaster."