Tonight, Alice joins the hunt.

Chapter 34: The Joker

poker.

The front of a playing card features a black and white imp, while the back is blank.

The moment it fell between Xiao Honglu's five fingers and was firmly grasped by him, his will manifested from its slumber.

“Sister Alice…” His gaze towards Alice was complex and conflicted. Undoubtedly, everything Ziyi had done while controlling his body was clearly visible in his mind—he might have wanted to offer some commentary, but in the end, only a single word remained on his lips—

"……Thanks."

"It's good that you don't hate me," Alice replied calmly.

“How could I hate…” Xiao Honglu instinctively wanted to retort, but in the end he only showed a bitter smile. He gently pulled out a thin hair that fell on his forehead, his bitter smile filled with a sigh.

“…I won’t hate you, Sister Alice.” He shook his head. “My sense of good and evil isn’t defined that way. I’m just a little…” His gaze lowered to the world that had become reality at his feet. “Just a little… not quite used to it.”

Beneath their feet, the world was recreated as it appeared at the very end of a chess game. Two civilizations, having endured centuries of bloodshed, continued their relentless struggle, oblivious to the dangers they had witnessed. And this vast expanse of space, spanning ten light-years, was ablaze with the crimson flames of war.

This battle will not end easily, because the technological gap between the two sides has not widened sufficiently. Centuries of war have not only propelled technological advancements but also brought the technological paths of the two civilizations into contact. And often, the one who understands oneself best is the one with whom one has entangled for the longest time.

Mortals cannot destroy the Sirens in an instant.

The Sirens also had no way to annihilate mortals in a short period of time.

The blood feud between the two civilizations was deeply ingrained, leaving no reason or excuse for a ceasefire—mortals, driven by hatred and self-interest, were unwilling to back down. On the Sirens' side, the primal hatred of their progenitor Lilith for mortals surged deep within the hearts of every single one of them.

Why Lilith harbors such hatred for mortals is unknown, and ultimately unimportant. At least until one side considers backing down. None of that matters. After all, hatred and bonds have intertwined and swirled, transforming into a chaotic web of unfathomable causes. And this is precisely what Xiao Honglu meant by 'unaccustomed'.

These things are intertwined and interwoven.

And so, in Alice's eyes, she saw that Xiao Honglu's life level had finally ushered in that crucial change. She saw a radiance emerge from the depths of his heart, and in an extremely minute moment, it formed a tangible outline.

“I have found my path, Sister Alice.” The black and white cards in his hand gradually gained color, and the image engraved on the front of the cards gradually changed from the Little King to the Big King. “And my path… is indeed very similar to my past life.”

“I…” He raised his head, looking at Alice with sincere and fervent eyes. His long and turbulent life unfolded in his eyes. And in the end, the image in his eyes lingered on a distant morning.

That was before he joined the Main God Space, before he became a reincarnator, when he was still in that mental hospital, still being cared for by that older sister and thus full of motivation for life—back then, he already acted like a little adult. Even though he had to endure the physical pain caused by destructive research every day, his eyes were filled with joy and ambition.

And one morning, he pushed open the window with its railings and said to the world that appeared before him—

"If every day could be this peaceful and stable, that would be wonderful."

And now he is repeating the same words.

“My vision is to create a peaceful and stable world where everyone can live without worry.” He pinched the Joker card and pressed it to his forehead. “In other words, a world with stable order, smooth operation, and where the individual needs of every class can be met. I… hope for world peace.”

Alice raised an eyebrow.

"Like that puppet city you created during the Saint Hunting Ritual, sealed within a card? Peace throughout the world... Is your way of bringing peace to the world by putting 'the world' inside a glass box for display?"

Xiao Honglu's eyes lowered slightly.

“But,” his voice was calm and composed, “that is indeed an effective way to bring peace to the world. As long as the life inside the glass box is unaware of its existence, then they are free and happy. Perhaps I can think of a better way now, but the past me… I don’t think I did anything wrong.”

Alice tilted her head.

“Mortals locked in boxes might not think that way. If one day they realize that the peaceful life they enjoy is due to unobservable imprisonment, then they will certainly be filled with hatred for you—even if they see the viewing glass box as a cradle protecting their young. But even so, their nature dictates that they are unwilling to accept any degree of subservience to others.”

“They will dismantle the cradle, they will break the glass box. They may hate you, they may not hate you, they may never have been aware of your existence. But in any case, they will leave your domain, leave the ‘peace’ you have created. And if they cannot leave, then they will turn their blades on you, or on the traces you have left behind.”

“So,” Alice looked at him and asked, “what should you do, and what will you do?”

“I will prepare a larger box for them, so they can't find new boundaries,” Xiao Honglu replied calmly. “And for those stubborn creatures, I will not indulge their desires. Because…”

He spoke slowly and deliberately.

“I want peace, but the peace I grant them is irrelevant to whether they accept it. The future I envision is irrelevant to whether they resist it. I will not put myself in their shoes, because I am fulfilling my own ideals, not becoming their slaves.”

“And…” Xiao Honglu let out a soft breath. “I want peace in the world, but the peace I want is not just something that manifests in the human race. This world is ultimately not just the world of mortals, and that is the biggest difference between me and my previous life, the ancestor who called himself Ziyi Clan.”

“I see.” Alice nodded. “It seems that when I first arrived in this star system, this civilization—” She lifted her toe and pointed towards the direction of Sanhu Star, “—the decadent atmosphere they displayed at that time was not solely due to the will of the Ziyi Clan. That laziness and indolence that permeated the top and bottom of society, a significant part of it actually originated from your ideas?”

“Yes.” Xiao Honglu nodded. Then he added.

"So he is my past life, because we want roughly the same things. The only difference is that he wanted to build a peaceful society for mortals with order and hierarchy. As for me, I hope that this peace can extend to all the intelligent races beyond mortals."

"So his obsession is completely different from yours."

"That's why he tried to resurrect himself in me."

It turned out to be the case.

Alice now fully understands.

Xiao Honglu and the Ziyi Clan were indeed of the same ilk. They both longed for peace and were determined to use a stable and ideal social order to bind the intellectual community within that 'peace.' The difference between them lay in the fact that the Ziyi Clan only wanted to establish peace for mortals; he could happily use all races other than mortals as sacrifices for mortals to enjoy this prosperous era. While Xiao Honglu also longed for peace, the intellectual society he designed did not open its doors solely to mortals.

They were of the same ilk, and their attitudes toward mortals were essentially no different. The Ziyi Clan only cared about the stable operation of mortal civilization, and were indifferent to the life and death of mortals. Xiao Honglu might not have been as resolute, but he showed no leniency or consideration for those he wished to bring peace to.

They were all individuals acting for their own ideals. They didn't care about the layers of skeletons buried beneath their ideals, even though their ideals themselves were about eliminating the possibility of those skeletons piling up. And this conclusion satisfied Alice.

She gazed at Xiao Honglu, watching this member of the Central Continent Team, who had joined the Main God Space with her, gradually stabilize during his fourth year of high school. She watched the playing card, which had transformed from a small black-and-white imp into a large, colorful imp, merge into his body. She watched the newly born light of his soul finally emerge from its nascent form.

It seems that the Central Continent Team will gain another True God-level fighter on the final battlefield. Although he is currently only a fourth-level player and not a True God, Alice is optimistic about his future progress and efforts.

So she got up and prepared to leave.

“I’m leaving.” Alice extended her hand to Xiao Honglu. “You are the second person to be awakened, and the situation of the others is relatively complicated… I’m leaving here to join another battle. Do you want to come with me?”

She saw Xiao Honglu shake his head, which didn't surprise her much.

“I’m sorry, Sister Alice, I plan to stay.” He lowered his head apologetically, then looked down at the starry sky that had become both a chessboard and a battlefield—he looked at the two civilizations in this world, and he had clearly made up his mind.

“Once you have your own ideology, it's hard to compromise as you have in the past.” He chuckled softly, reaching out and pressing down on the air. And silently, the intense battlefield naturally calmed down—the commander couldn't find an opportunity to defeat the enemy. The soldiers' morale periodically declined. The resource supply chain naturally experienced periods of shortage due to errors in resource allocation. And when all of this happened simultaneously, and for good reason, the day's war naturally came to a standstill.

"I cannot stand idly by and watch two nascent civilizations struggle in the midst of war."

“I want to help them,” he said. “I want to bring them peace.”

"Is it still that kind of peace, like something out of a glass box?" Alice asked. "The current situation isn't really conducive to playing with potted plants."

“No.” Xiao Honglu smiled and shook his head, but did not refute the glass box’s statement. “A glass box can have many identities. It can be a cage, a cradle. And when the time is right, it can also be a sanctuary.”

"The world is about to face war, just like the many times we have encountered before, a war that sweeps across the heavens and destroys everything. If I leave them alone, they will surely be wiped out in the aftermath of the war. So, I want to give them peace, a peace that allows them to live comfortably even amidst the chaos of war that sweeps across the stars."

“Oh?” Alice’s tone rose slightly. “You intend to save both of them at the same time? You intend to eliminate the century-old blood feud and long-standing hatred between them? If you don’t intend to use brutal mental intervention methods but simply rely on the natural workings of the concept of 'society,' then what awaits you may be a long and arduous process, and most likely, a failure.”

"It's up to me," Xiao Honglu shrugged and replied, "Besides, how will we know the outcome if we don't try?"

“There are no coincidences in this multiverse.” Alice reached out and conjured a small, seven-colored flower. “Everything has a cause and an effect. And based on my current observations, you will inevitably succeed at the beginning. But you may not be able to maintain your victory until the end of this trial.”

“But that doesn’t conflict with my current efforts.” Xiao Honglu replied with a grin, “Alright, Sister Alice. You don’t need to beat around the bush and test my resolve. I will protect the mortals on Sanhu Star, and I will also protect the Sirens outside Sanhu Star. I will let them use their own thinking and judgment to come to the conclusion of letting go of the hatred of the century-old blood war. I will also let them find their own way to coexist, so as to get through the deadly crisis that will come soon.”

“My will is firm, and my principles are not contradictory. So, I will stay here until the final battlefield calls to me, until this trial reaches its final step. You don’t need to worry about me, Sister Alice!”

His tone was relaxed, but his gaze and will were firm.

Alice couldn't judge whether this was a good thing, or a beneficial act for the team. She couldn't, and didn't intend to, analyze her companion's thoughts to predict the future. More importantly, she saw in Xiao Honglu's decision the kind of person she longed for.

She saw the signs.

Signs of 'change'.

The uncertainty of the future brought her a sense of joy. Even the six mortal civilizations beneath her feet, which had seemed utterly meaningless to her just minutes before, suddenly appeared more pleasing to the eye.

So she nodded and left.

As she left, a playing card floated into her pocket.

Section Thirty-Five: Counterfeits

Meanwhile, in another distant realm beyond the Qin Heavens, a playing card of the same caliber appeared at Alice's fingertips.

She examined the playing card closely, observing every texture, color layer, and even molecular structure. She quickly came to a conclusion.

This is a puzzle.

A dynamic puzzle.

Every particle on this playing card operates and is distributed according to specific specifications—of course, this does not diminish its function as a playing card, nor does it add any special effects. It simply… becomes an envelope.

Yes, a riddle, an envelope. The riddle in the envelope is a great secret. And only the person she loves can decipher it and reach a conclusion in a short time—because in this universe of trials, only she can solve the most complex riddles without hesitation.

Only she could do it.

Even Chu Xuan wouldn't do it.

Because Chu Xuan is currently preoccupied with his own problems, while she has the most free time at this moment.

When her gaze shifted from the playing cards, two complex and precise spatial coordinates appeared in her mind. She didn't yet know the general layout of the area surrounding those coordinates. However, she knew that these were the locations of Evelyn and O'Connor, two crucial nodes.

—This is a bequest from the Ziyi family, the weight they handed over after losing the bet. Although she didn't know why he didn't renege on the debt, Alice still maintained a certain degree of wariness towards him.

However, this is not something I should handle; each "me" has its own responsibilities. And it is clearly another "me" that is exploring these two coordinates.

Alice thought to herself. She knew that her other avatar, the one who had broken away from Xiao Honglu, had already set off for one of the two coordinate points. And because that area belonged to the Qin Inner Heaven Domain and would be under Hu Hai's direct watch, it would probably take some time for the avatar to arrive there.

I really hope everything goes well over there... but even if it doesn't, it's not a big deal. I can always set aside some extra working hours.

She shook her head and set a new schedule in her mind—she knew that at this moment, many 'shes' had made the same decision—then she turned her gaze back to the sky of the Qin Outer Heaven Domain.

This is a civilization with a technological level in the early 21st century. The overall world situation is not much different from that of other early 21st-century source worlds—two wars that swept the world, the division of the world into two poles, the collapse of nations, and ancient civilizations in ruins… All of this is roughly the same as the past experienced by most of Alice's companions. However, there are slight distortions in the details.

Distortion, why is it distorted?

It's quite simple, because this is the boundary of the world, the intersection of matter and mind. It's near the outer layer of the Abyss of Death, a region capable of receiving messages from the outside. Here, the boundary between thought and action becomes blurred. Or, to put it more precisely, this is a dream.

This is a dream, a dream of the universe. Dreams are naturally distorted.

However, even a distorted dream, a dream of the universe, is not so different from reality. For when Alice looked up at the sky, she could clearly see that star that resembled a gateway.

That was the sun, a ring-shaped sun. Such an astronomical phenomenon was a natural occurrence that the inhabitants of this land had long been accustomed to. They had even devised many logically consistent theories to explain why the sun was shaped like a ring, resembling a portal.

【Sehmed.】 Alice murmured the name in her heart. At that very moment, she felt a slight connection with the shadowy figure behind the Sun Gate. A colossal beast, crowned and bathed in radiant light, majestic and ferocious like a lion, growled softly. The roar even traversed the boundless void, resonating directly within her body.

In an instant, the blood within her avatar was replaced by the erosion phenomenon, transforming it into the deadly flames of the sun. The searing pain was then instantly eradicated—she reached out and planted a sunflower in a flowerpot on the balcony. The moment the flames subsided, the sunflower's color became even more vibrant than it had been seconds before.

Sehmed, the heretical sorceress with whom she formed a bond during the first battle of the cycle of reincarnation. The moment O'Connor and Evelyn meet and arrive at Hamunaptra, it will cross the barrier of the void and descend upon this dreamlike world of the universe. This is because it is the universe's own defense against external invasions. Unless the level is sufficient, all aggressive outsiders will be temporarily halted here.

This is a buffer.

During this buffer period, native civilizations in the universe will gain time to prepare for war. Although that time may be incredibly short, even beyond the measure of nanoseconds, if a native civilization cannot even disregard the passage of time when facing invading aliens capable of traversing the universe, then it is only natural that it will not even have the right to resist.

But this place is still destined for destruction.

Alice shook her head, turned around, and pushed open the partition door between the balcony and the inner hall. Then, an elegant and clean interior appeared before her eyes.

This is a private residence, a finely furnished house built in the early 21st century in a city or county in the south of an Eastern country. Alice Margot Lloyd has obtained the right to reside here under her real name. Her identity here is that of an exchange student from the United Kingdom.