Tonight, Alice joins the hunt.

The Qin Dynasty lasted a long time, from the beginning of the era to its end.

Even the most prosperous nation will eventually perish, and even the most flourishing civilization will eventually decline. Even if all treacherous officials and villains are wiped out, when the end of an era arrives, all things will still face destruction.

Thus, even the Qin Dynasty, which at its peak almost dominated the entire universe, ultimately could not withstand the great calamity of the era. All preparations, all resistance, all fighting spirit and effort, all turned into pale sand piled up at the end of the final era.

The old era ended, and a new one began immediately. The Qin Dynasty rose again, reached its zenith, and then declined. And then another similar cycle began.

Reincarnators have visited this place, altered some minor details, and then hurriedly left. Transmigrators have come here, but their traces remain undetected and unrecorded. Because Sirin knows her identity, knows that she is Aichidra, who has been eternally slumbering in the depths of the Abyss of Death!

What did she do? We don't know. But in the next era after her departure, a thunderous echo reverberated throughout the universe, reaching every corner of the heavens!

"Today I have established order, today I have transcended the chains of the holy gods."

"My people, from this day forward, there will be no more calamities in this land. Rejoice! For I have surpassed all for you!"

The brightest star core rose to the highest point of space, and in the next moment, the shackles that the script meme had imposed on this universe were lifted. Immediately afterward, another star core, much smaller and less imposing, yet still dazzling, took its place. Then, even more chains extended outward from within the star core, traversing giant star clusters, crossing the vast expanse of space, and then penetrating every corner of the universe.

Heaven no longer favored Qin. Because "favored" is a term of bestowal from above. And because the Qin Emperor was the new Heaven!

By transcending the limitations of the script meme, Qin Shi Huang broke free from the shackles of the original concept and forged his own Dao Fruit into the throne that governs the heavens. From then on, as long as the Qin Emperor reigns on the throne, the Great Cataclysm will never occur. Simultaneously, the timeline is anchored and sealed, meaning even a true god can no longer manipulate time at will in this sea of ​​stars!

then……

In 210 BC, the First Emperor died. His eldest son, Fusu, succeeded him, becoming the Second Emperor of Qin...

One generation after another, one lineage after another. Although the First Emperor abolished the Dao Fruit, the brilliance of transcending the species still remained. Centered on this freed source world, hundreds and thousands of derivative worlds, similar yet different, gradually radiated outwards, all under the rule of the Great Qin. Soon, a derivative world where the second emperor was not Fusu but Huhai appeared in Xilin's eyes, and it lingered for a long time.

A haughty and authoritative voice rang out from beside her ear.

"Consider it repaying that woman's favor. Reincarnated beings, you are free to interfere with this universe as you see fit."

"But listen carefully, woman. My Great Qin will not be allowed to be slighted or defiled."

The voice subsided. Then, the world in Sirin's eyes shifted. As she passed through the Abyss of Death, she saw several vast universes, carrying unparalleled and immense energy, crash into the 'Qin' that the First Emperor had abandoned!

That was... a battlefield!

She came to her senses and found herself once again in that desert from 2000 BC. Beside her, she saw Alice putting an eye patch on herself.

“You…” she instinctively wanted to ask.

“I met a birdman who said I owed him an eye,” Alice replied casually, completely concealing her missing eye socket under a black eyepatch. “I think he was right. So I had no choice but to give him one of my eyes.”

Birdman, Egypt, mythology, the Book of Revelation. Without a doubt, the birdman's name is Horus. Although it's unknown what deal Alice made with it, she doesn't seem to think she's at a disadvantage.

So……

Sirin stretched out her hand, and a ball of light formed from gathered information appeared in her palm. Alice also had a similar object appear in her hand.

"Let's exchange information."

Section Six: The Trial - Begins

The situation is very serious, far more serious than expected.

After the two sides exchanged information, the reincarnators were able to understand exactly why Luo Ye said there could only be two and a half people who could use their brains.

So... these secrets really can't be told to them.

Alice rubbed her head. The amount of information she had obtained from Sirin was indeed enormous. But her journey to the Egyptian divine kingdom was far from simple or ordinary.

She did not see Anubis, but she did see the manifestation of Horus—this falcon-headed creature was undoubtedly a sage, or rather, a sage in disguise. Its condition was that one of Alice's eyes be exchanged for a reason to disregard the trial.

It's just an eye, nothing serious. Alice knew that even if she lost this eye, it was only a loss during this trial. Once the trial was over, she would naturally return to her perfect state. After all, compared to the other problems she would face, this expense, which was practically insignificant compared to losing a hair, was negligible.

Egypt has many gods, and the essence of these gods is basically beyond the realm of the divine. Among these gods, even by the most conservative estimate, only two and a half have a connection with Alice.

Anubis, Horus, Sekhmet.

Anubis will not participate in this war, as it is merely a backdrop. Its connection to Horus lies in the Eye of Horus, the Book of Revelation that secured victory in the legends of gods and demons. Sehmed, who could barely be considered half an enemy, was a target 'killed' by Iris during the compilation of the Book of Revelation.

Sehmette, the lion goddess who governs war and the resurrection of fire. She is the only adversary Alice has failed to defeat on this journey of exploration. She is also the only goddess who will dedicate her will to this war. Because she herself embodies the concept of revenge, she is inevitably as meticulous and vengeful as Yazi.

Alice, with Horus's help, briefly glimpsed the bargaining chip Sekhmet placed within this battlefield. It was a war-torn realm floating in the void. Countless powerful warriors waged an endless slaughter within its fiery lava homeland. And among them were no weaklings below the level of the extraordinary—they would embed themselves into the world that served as the main stage. Then the war would sweep across every corner of the cosmos.

They are indiscriminate destroyers, invaders targeting any objective. But their primary target, and that of the goddess behind them, is Alice Margotrovid.

"For others, this trial is about settling the karmic debts of their past lives. But for you and me, it's about settling the karmic ties we've formed on this journey." Alice digested the information contained in the orb of light given to her by Sirin, and sighed slightly with melancholy. "In the cycle of reincarnation, all the karmic ties formed when we were weak must be repaid or settled. Otherwise, if we continue on this path, we will be blocking others' way."

“Yes, I know.” Xilin nodded. “I’m dealing with Huhai, and you’re dealing with Sekhmet. But for us, it doesn’t matter if we can’t win. Even if we are defeated here, it will be a way of settling the past karma and severing the old ties.”

That's enough to say.

If even those of us who are merely trying to sever ties with past lives are facing such a predicament, then what will those who need to defeat, repel, or at the very least sever their karmic connections from past lives have to face?

The matter was self-evident; the two exchanged a glance, both seeing deep worry in each other's eyes.

Both of them had a clear idea of ​​what was going on, but they both knew that this topic was unnecessary and couldn't be continued here. Others might very well hear it, and they shouldn't be.

“But that would make us lose the initiative.” Alice shook her head slightly, continuing the previous conversation. She didn’t ask Celine why she had formed such a heavy karmic bond with Hu Hai. She simply stretched out her hand, outlining a complex and chaotic shape in front of her eyes—like a bunch of bubbles pieced together, each bubble containing different elements.

The core elements currently known are 'Qin' and 'Egypt'. Beyond these two, there are unknown elements originating from Greece, Norse mythology, and, more importantly, ancient Central Plains. These elements will infiltrate this chaotic universe in various forms during this trial, and the reincarnators of the Central Plains team must resolve the legacies and karmic consequences of their past lives within this war.

She reached out, trying to piece together a storyline from this chaotic and complex world.

First, it's highly likely that the main characters still exist in this world. Anubis's act of removing all the main characters from the Mummy must have had a hidden meaning. Therefore, it's very possible that a replica of the Mummy story exists in this world, which is bound together by the legacy of the saints, the gods, and other connected individuals.

After all, it was Egypt and Qin, the ancient divine kingdom and the starry sky of the Qin Dynasty.

What are your thoughts?

"The story should proceed as usual."

Alice reached out and pointed into the depths of Sekhmet's divine realm in the virtual world—ancient Egypt was a kingdom ruled by both gods and humans. Her finger ultimately landed on a subordinate kingdom within that divine realm.

"O'Connor and Evelyn's past lives, a chosen warrior and a pharaoh—the princess of the present god—will be born in a subordinate kingdom. They will then know and fall in love with each other, and at the end of their destiny, they will meet their innate nemesis: Ankuru and Imhotep."

“Sehmed will not stop this destiny; on the contrary, he will facilitate its development. After all, this is the prologue, the foundation of the story, and the possibility of it becoming distorted is very small. And they will die like the old stories, and be reborn in the new era.”

“In this new script, there’s probably no place for Britain and America.” Celine nodded, pointing a finger at a certain point in the Qin Empire. A star system she had randomly selected came into view of the two reincarnators, and her finger eventually touched an ordinary celestial body within it.

This is a general reference, without specifying which planet in which galaxy it refers to. The specifics will need to be investigated after experiencing the situation firsthand. Right now, it's merely a stage of planning and scenario development.

"Their reincarnations should be born as members of the Qin people. Some things will not change; Evelyn will still be a scholar, and O'Connor will still be an explorer and mercenary soldier. Different worlds, similar stories. The two of them will still meet in some star system. And then they will embark on an adventure that is destined to come."

“Egypt shouldn’t have merged with Qin at this point in time… Could they become the trigger?” Alice frowned, casually selecting a star system (still a general term) and pointing to a spot in the void. “Then, with the discovery of ‘Hamunata’ by the two reincarnated beings as the anchor point, the gate between the two worlds will open.”

At the point of contact she pointed to, the galaxy instantly crumbled into scattered dust. A colossal vortex emerged from the depths of the galactic ruins. In the blink of an eye, a massive portal opened at that point—the Divine Kingdom of Sehmed began to interact with the mortal realm at that moment. And so, the war between the two realms began.

This is merely the grand backdrop; the clash between the divine realm and the mortal world is simply a prelude to a trial. Hu Hai and Sekhmet will launch a full-scale attack on Sirin and Alice upon their discovery to sever their karmic ties. And as long as their whereabouts remain unknown, the entire galaxy's narrative will continue to unfold against the backdrop of a war between the two realms.

Two world wars, a global war. The stage may have been magnified by billions, but in reality, there wasn't much difference.

“The plot of the first part of The Mummy will serve as the catalyst for contact between Egypt and Qin. As for the second part, it should take place in other universes.” Alice stretched out her hand, moving it out of the vortex and tilting it outwards. Soon, it pointed to another general location. She had set up another anchor point there, and the plot of The Mummy Part II would unfold from there.

The second part, The Scorpion King's Treasure, follows the married O'Connors and their child as they come into contact with the Grim Reaper's Bracelet. Amidst battles with their old nemesis, they reach an oasis in the desert and visit the Black Pyramid of Anubis. In the end, Imhotep, the villain, will perish in the underworld at the base of the Pyramid of Anubis, and when the protagonists escape, the pyramid will be buried by the desert.

This is the original version. The new storyline might differ significantly in scale, but the content shouldn't change much. It's simply a matter of turning the Death Pyramid into the Death Planet or Death Galaxy, and the Death Legion into the Death Fleet. After all, Anubis probably didn't move his protagonist to this trial to create some novel or bizarre twists. Because if everything really developed that way, then the world of this trial could have been placed on Earth from the very beginning.

Different yet similar, that's how it should be.

“The pyramid guarded by the Scorpion King should be the second node. Its destruction signifies the start of the next phase. Visitors from those past lives will arrive at this point in time…” She pondered for a moment, and then Celine beside her gave the judgment that existed in her mind but was not directly stated.

"...Or perhaps, at this moment, I can regain some, or even all, of my intellect and power?"

Alice paused for a moment.

“…Yes, if we haven’t resolved most of the issues by then, then we’ve at least lost half the trial.” She nodded slightly, her expression grave. “Besides that, I suspect that the moment the First Emperor awakens when the third part of the story unfolds will mark the end of the trial.”

“It’s a timed challenge.” Sirin nodded in agreement. “You and I are both people who wouldn’t care if we died. But if we both fail here, then the things we cherish will no longer be the same.”

"..." Alice did not answer.

She turned around, traversing time and space back to the correct point in time. Behind her, Celine shook her head slightly and walked the same path as her.

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

One day later. In front of Anubis's black pyramid, the reincarnators of the Central Continent Team gathered together.

Alice and Sirin didn't reveal any information about the trial, and the others pretended not to notice Alice's hesitant expression before they parted ways, all putting on a cheerful and harmonious facade.

For once, Chu Xuan stopped his almost endless research work. He not only picked up his fishing rod but also took his net to the stream in the oasis to catch fish—and he even cooked the fish himself into a dish called 'Stargazing', a classic English-style dish.

"I like looking at the stars." — He emphasized the word "I like" more than usual. And most of his dishes, whose names alone suggested their taste, ended up in the stomach of some muscular gorilla.

Then the muscle gorilla went off to get an upset stomach.

The siblings Zhao Yingkong and Zhao Zhuikong didn't do anything special; they simply leaned side-by-side against the temple entrance, reading a storybook that had appeared out of nowhere. The book was titled 'Pride and Prejudice'—but only Zhao Yingkong was reading it. Zhao Zhuikong was only looking at his sister.

Xiao Honglu set up a chessboard, only to be utterly defeated by Luo Ye thirty times in a row. Enraged, he switched to playing cards, where he was again defeated thirteen times. In a fit of rage, he slammed all his cards to the ground—a gust of wind blew, and a joker card drifted into his pocket. Meanwhile, Zhan Lan on the other side casually grabbed an Ace of Spades and used it as a bookmark in her notebook.

Zhang Jie continued smoking, merely smiling and offering no reply when Alice looked over. Ba Wang pulled out a smartphone that wouldn't be in production for decades. He downloaded a terrible game called "Yesterday's Broken Ship" and played it with great enthusiasm—Ming Yanwei, watching him play, declared she was going to go to the game company to rewrite the script and save an Arctic hare that was supposed to die in the game.

Zero remained largely unnoticed, merely lurking in the shadows, toying with cursed magic bullets. Aside from him, Cheng Xiao, Luo Gandao, and the others were clearly clueless.

Saito Hajime isn't here, even though Alice knows he's nearby.

then……

"Alice, after Anubis's trial is over, how about we go back to the Source World?" Patchouli held her hand and whispered in her ear, "We can go straight to Gensokyo. It's been so long since I've seen them, I miss them terribly."

“We can go now,” Alice said with a smile, biting her lower lip. “We should always try out powers beyond our species. Theoretically, we can reach our destination directly from here.”

“A very attractive proposal, Alice.” However, Patchouli simply smiled and shook her head. “One must finish what one starts, mustn’t one? Now that you’ve decided to tackle the trial first, don’t regret it.”

“…I just can’t do anything with you.” Alice sighed helplessly. “Then it’s a promise. After this trial is over, we’ll go back to Gensokyo together.”

“Yes, it’s a promise,” Patchouli replied with a smile.

And so, nothing more happened after that. But as the sun set, the pyramid was filled with the echo of Zheng Zha's calm voice.

"Anubis, we have come to participate in your trial."

The next moment, the world was plunged into darkness.

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

And so, in the darkness, Alice opened her eyes.

She looked to her left; there was nothing there. She looked to her right; only Sirin was leaning against an alloy wall, gazing at the vast starry sky outside the observation window.

"So, it really is just the two of us?" Alice looked at her hands and said softly.

“Yes, just the two of us.” Celine nodded. “Everyone else’s past lives’ plans have been triggered. They are no longer ‘completely’ themselves. And before we succeed…”

"...The comrades we once trusted are now all enemies we must defeat."

Section 7: Starting from Yesterday's Destroyed Ship