Tonight, Alice joins the hunt.

"Is there...is there anything I can do?" she asked nervously.

“It’s a very simple matter.” She saw Ice Phoenix nod slightly to her. “The time for reckoning is coming, and before that, all races need an opportunity to prove themselves.”

"We must prove ourselves to the offspring of the Mother of Diversity, to the beacon of the nodes, to the chosen ones. We must prove that we are superior to mortals, more suited to live in this infinite universe. And now, the decision-makers who can examine the answers we have submitted are on a planet where no humans exist, and all the inhabitants are non-human, alien species."

"This is your only chance, and I hope you can use your Bai Ze's innate abilities to compile and revise the history of this planet, making it equivalent to that planet. And you, Shang Bai Ze Huiyin, are the only being in this multiverse capable of doing this."

She saw Huiyin's astonished expression and looked around in confusion.

She then added a sentence.

"Because there is a karmic connection between you and that chosen one. Because the world she inhabits will not reject your involvement, and most importantly, it is her name."

—"Alice Margotrovid".

The elaborate rituals covering the entire celestial body were then launched.

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

Meanwhile, on the other side of the world.

The messenger girl, who called herself Angelina, gazed at the Lungmen mobile city-state, now clearly visible in her field of vision. Suddenly, for no apparent reason, she shivered.

What happened?

--have no idea.

Is something wrong?

—I don't know.

She rubbed her head, her pigtails swaying, and looked up at the sky.

And there were gathering clouds in the sky.

"Is this a sign of an impending natural disaster?"

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

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

I saw some readers in the book review section struggling with questions about Daoist principles. Hmm... it's rare to see such a long review analyzing power systems, so I'll explain it here.

Firstly, Alice is the cause of the 'change,' stemming from her past. It comes from her past where explosions erupted wherever she went, and plans were completely overturned and rebuilt. This is a result guided by the overall story's direction, so it's not described much in the text. Of course, there's also the influence of Shinki, as Alice herself embodies her thought process.

Then, the relationship between the Dao and Attachment is actually quite subtle. The Dao is the essence, the highest priority. Attachment, in essence, is an anchor for stability, a safeguard against directly transforming into a Dao-like being after advancement, becoming a rule-based god. This point should have been clearly explained in the early parts of the chapter on Past Life Inheritance. If Attachment is the essence, how could the past life inherit the Attachment of this life and achieve a leapfrog development? Therefore, it's obvious that the Dao has the highest priority, but as an intellectual being, one often values ​​Attachment, which is actually secondary.

Ultimately, Alice's love for Patchouli is indeed unrelated to whether Patchouli is alive or not. Her love remains unchanged, but her actions will change because of this unchanging love. In other words, there is a conflict. When faced with certain special circumstances, the desire for change and the desire to preserve this unchanging love will clash. And this creates a weakness, making it possible for her to be defeated.

Well, that's about it. I originally wanted to post it in the book review, but my phone is too busy, so I'll just say it here instead _(:з」∠)_

Chapter Twenty-Five: The Overlord, Part Seven

—Some strange things have happened.

—This world, this planet, seems to have undergone some strange changes.

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

“I have benefited greatly from our conversation, Ms. Loai. Your teachings are very interesting.” — The dragon girl named Talulah rose from her seat, bowed slightly, and then stepped back.

This was her third visit to Alice's new residence in one day. And each time, she stayed longer than the last. In these brief moments of interaction and conversation, the naive young girl was quickly captivated by the numerous theories that Alice had hastily concocted and successfully tested.

This is normal. Although Alice may be hiding her true abilities, they are not sealed. Even without using the slightest bit of the Dao Erosion effect, she can easily gain a large following of fanatical followers through her words. The more intelligent one is, the easier it is to be deceived. Because every word she utters is a manifestation of the essence of this world.

It is only natural that an ignorant intellectual life will instinctively crave profound knowledge.

The girl in front of her, however, possessed an exceptionally strong curiosity and desire to explore.

“I will visit you again tomorrow morning, Ms. Luo Ai.” The dragon girl before her bowed slightly, quietly opened the door, but then stopped at the entrance. “Ms. Luo Ai…”

She seemed to hesitate for a moment, but only for a moment.

“In our previous conversation, you showed me the possibility of curing Oripathy. So, if… I mean, if.”

"If there were a mobile city, like Lungmen, willing to fully support your research, how confident are you that you could produce results within a relatively short period of time? Even if it's just a preliminary result?"

She saw the scholar from the Rhine remain silent for two seconds before giving his answer.

"I don't know," the scholar shook his head slightly. "But I will try my best."

“Understood, Ms. Luo Ai.” The Lungmen officer nodded slightly. “If you don’t mind, please don’t leave Lungmen city for the next few days. There might be some people who want to visit you.”

She finished speaking quickly, the end of her sentence slightly muffled due to the speed. Then, she quickened her pace, left, and closed the door behind her.

Silence returned to the room. In the quiet living room, Alice, using the alias Luo Ai, gently rubbed her forehead.

Somewhat strange.

The city suddenly started to act strangely.

Although it's hard to pinpoint exactly what's strange, something unusual definitely exists.

Was it that girl named Talulah? No, it wasn't. She certainly possessed an aura of fortune and some unknown secrets. But to Alice, such secrets were practically written all over her face. From the first moment Talulah saw Alice until their rapid growing familiarity, everything had been within Alice's calculations, without the slightest deviation.

Everything will proceed according to the script she has written. Talulah, influenced by her, will use her connections to introduce her, Ms. Luo Ai, who holds the key to the research and development of a cure for Originium Disease, to Wei Yanwu, the actual ruler of this mobile city. She knows that persuading Wei Yanwu will be no more difficult than persuading Talulah, unless Wei Yanwu has another will lurking deep within his heart.

That was the Tyrant, that was Fenrir, was there some underhanded dealings involved in their struggle?

No, it wasn't the Overlord, nor the Fenrir wolf that fought against him. She had already known from her previous calculations that the true ruler of this moving city of Lungmen was Chelsea, who had changed her identity. Therefore, if any individual in her script deviated from her plan, Chelsea could very well be lurking within it.

The most likely candidate for the title of City Lord of Longmen is Wei Yanwu. Besides him, the second most likely candidate is his wife, Wen Yue. Of course, the most probable outcome is that both are correct. Both City Lord Wei Yanwu and Lady Wen Yue are extensions of Chelsea's will.

So, was it Chelsea? Did she notice my presence and therefore take the appropriate action?

No, still not. Because if Chelsea had already woken up, she would have come to Alice immediately upon discovering her and sought her help. She is well aware of Alice's abilities and talents, and has a clear understanding of her own place in the world.

It couldn't be her, absolutely not. Because Alice knows her better than she knows herself, and can easily predict most of her actions. Regardless of whether she retains her memories or her sense of self.

The arrangement involving Talulah was a test. Regardless of Chelsea's actual situation, as long as she remained connected to Lungmen, the upcoming changes in Talulah would stimulate her, prompting her to take action that would allow Alice to obtain more information.

Regardless of the outcome of the test, Alice will successfully gain the trust of the city's ruler and obtain support from Lungmen to build a large laboratory. She will then systematically develop a treatment for Oripathy within the laboratory. While minimizing her own abnormalities, she will simultaneously draw the attention of the world's Originium Will—the Overlord and Fenrir.

If we consider Originium as a living organism, then the infection phenomenon of Oripathy is its means of proliferation and expansion. It doesn't care if a portion of its own (Originium) is mined, smelted, and used by the inhabitants of this planet—because that benefits the development of Originium itself. And based on the same principle, when a drug that can suppress Oripathy and block its expansion is developed, it will act immediately.

Are Originium living things?

It's hard to say, but regardless of whether it's a tyrant or a Fenrir that survives, they will both be classified as living beings. And the more living a being is, the harder their days will be.

Because war will break out. The Originium Will, a hybrid of Overlord and Fenrir, will drive everything in this world at their disposal to eliminate the 'Originium Disease Treatment,' which would block their path to advancement and continuation. They will unleash natural disasters, sending them crashing down on Lungmen. And at the very moment the disaster strikes, they will have a second pawn at their disposal.

Those are the Infected, all creatures with excessive amounts of Originium crystals within their bodies. They are interfered with and influenced by the will of Originium, thus developing interest or hostility towards Lungmen—initially, it will be a few simple assassinations. Then, there will be a targeted riot. And if nothing is accomplished on this basis, then battle will follow.

A battle, a battle that shows no mercy. Even without the Reunion Movement, the Infected, under the influence of the Originium Will, would become irritable and easily angered, and then, for various reasons, would unite to launch a frenzied attack on Lungmen—it would be a grand war initiated by the Infected and then sweeping across the entire world. And all of this was still within her calculations.

I need a war… a war large enough to expose Fenrir's weaknesses. Once we clash, both we and it will, in a brief moment, understand each other's ideologies and paths.

Only in this way can I seize the opportunity at the right time and shatter the path, or obsession, held by Fenrir the Great Wolf, thus completely expelling it from the depths of the Overlord's soul!

This is a good opportunity, a rare one. Once I take this first step, the rest will be easy to complete. Ah... yes, as long as I take this first step carefully.

As long as I take that first step safely...

She rubbed her eyes and walked to the door four minutes after Talulah left. The door opened as she reached out her hand, and the Lungmen cityscape outside immediately came into view.

A bustling and noisy city, but beneath the surface, undercurrents of bloodshed lurk.

This was roughly the same as her first impression when she first arrived in the city-state.

Something still feels off.

But she couldn't sense anything was wrong.

She knew she wasn't mistaken; since she had sensed something was wrong, there must be something amiss somewhere.

But... what kind of place would that be?

Alice rubbed her forehead, carefully considering whether to take a risk and release a small portion of her power to uncover some of the hidden truths of this world. However, just as she was about to take the risk, a slight hesitation arose in her heart.

This is not a good choice.

Exposing one's whereabouts to the First God before everything is properly prepared is definitely not a wise strategy in the eyes of Qin Emperor Huhai. It would likely trigger a fierce battle, leaving his companions in a precarious situation.

So……

How to do?

Sirin hasn't returned yet. The character she's playing, 'Lin Xi,' is currently keeping a low profile in her room, pretending to be an inconspicuous roadside pebble. Meanwhile, her real self is secretly infiltrating the Originium Will, investigating Fenrir's secrets and plotting something.

Alice suddenly raised an eyebrow.

[The real body... huh?]

Ah... given my current character setup, it's not unusual for a newbie to revert to their original form so early in the game. While this might attract Hu Hai's attention, the likelihood of doing so is much lower than expected.

So...would you like to give it a try?

She hesitated for a few seconds, pondering. Returning to the ship would certainly put her back under the Emperor's watchful eye. However, it wasn't entirely without its advantages.

At least she can clear her mind of confusion.

The girl stopped rubbing her forehead. Her entire demeanor shifted slightly, returning her to the state of a player outside the story, rather than a character within it. She then glanced around, her delicate brows furrowing slightly in displeasure.

"It all feels a bit pointless," she murmured, trying to justify herself, knowing that every word she uttered would be recorded in this world. "Peaceful and ordinary, devoid of any grand events, a world like stagnant water and rotten wood... Even if I stay here forever, what hope is there for me?"

"...Or is it that I haven't grasped the essence of 'tachyon games' at all?"

She blinked. Even in her mortal form, the moment she uttered words like "this world," which contradicted her current worldview, a subtle gaze traversed the void and anchored directly at the spot where her feet stood. She could clearly sense that a part of her information had been captured by the other party, but she figured the other party probably didn't yet realize it was bait.

She shook her head.

"Alright, let's go back first. Although the environment here is novel, it's still much worse than the living ship."

So Alice went to the bed inside the room, lay down, and closed her eyes.

Her will was then withdrawn from this temporary body.

The spacetime around the planet was thus shifted for a brief instant. Even though the timeline remained unmanageable due to Emperor Huhai's reign, one minute on this planet ultimately became a fixed fifty-nine seconds at that moment. The extra second was removed from the records of all affected individuals on the planet. Then the world began to function again.

A blurry, azure phoenix form then appeared within the subtracted second, descending upon the spot where Alice had been contemplating.

That was the Ice Phoenix, and she gently touched the outline of mass left in the atmosphere.

"Even without evidence, you managed to leave this dangerous place before I could act, relying solely on your intuition. Your perception is quite sharp, but even so... what's meant to happen will happen."

Her form dimmed, gradually sinking into a long darkness.

"But it doesn't matter, she'll be back sooner or later. After all, she's prepared so much for this world."