Tonight, Alice joins the hunt.

Given all the favorable circumstances, if she still couldn't guess that the myriad races were the mastermind behind Terra's transformation, then she could only mean that she'd lost her mind. As for why the myriad races chose Terra, and why they transformed her into this form, she already had a general idea in her mind.

They simply wanted to destabilize her balance and draw her into the game—Alice wasn't particularly fond of their actions. However, despite her disapproval, she didn't hold any negative views towards their behavior.

after all……

"All earnest efforts and struggles to change and develop oneself are, in my view, reasonable and justifiable behaviors. Isn't that right?"

"Alice said softly. As she spoke, she was in the world of the Cosmic Dream, watching the new civilization guided by the false god she led—during Lin Xi's absence, she had successfully upgraded her own enhancement from B to A. Of course, while she was doing this, many individuals with S-rank enhancements had already appeared on this continent."

She remained the unassuming one, still able to observe the entire civilization from the right perspective. The one who scrutinized all changes, reasonable or unreasonable—Lin Xi's disappearance was not a problem at all. And in this not-so-short period of time, the civilization beneath her feet had grown to a certain level.

Given sufficient nutrients, civilizations always grow rapidly.

Unlike the Qin Empire, where the Qin Emperor suppressed his contemporaries and all hardships and tribulations were borne by Hu Hai, the civilizations in the Cosmic Dream, while receiving support from a flawed supreme god, also face numerous external calamities, each capable of easily overthrowing a weaker civilization. This is the main reason why they dare not slacken or fall behind.

They researched and understood the existence of virtual worlds. They then quickly exchanged multiple demi-planes handcrafted by Alice from the inferior god, creating vast relative time differences to develop technology and mysticism. Although attempting to reverse time was still impossible due to Qin Shi Huang's suppression of the time axis, this still bought them a significant amount of time, allowing them to quickly surpass the ranks of surface civilizations.

Now, the entire planet has been transformed into a tiny component of a vast, cyclical system. The mortals inhabiting it have transformed an entire star system into a colossal machine. This immense mechanical construct resembles a god forged from steel. And as Alice observes this god, artificially created S-class combatants are descending one by one, empowered by divine force.

Having fully mastered S-rank enhancements, they could barely be considered extraordinary combat power. And when such combat power accumulated in large numbers, they would at least have the ability to contend with Qin at the low-end combat power level. However… right now, their opponent is not Qin.

Alice looked up at the sky.

Within that still-circular Sun Gate, a colossal, monstrous creature lurked, ready to pounce.

They're coming.

Sehmet is coming.

Chapter 53. The Arrival - Part 1

“Sehmed…” Alice murmured the name.

When she uttered the name, her thoughts were directed towards a specific individual. Therefore, when she uttered the name, she saw it.

She saw the colossal form, majestic and radiant like a lion, perched in the void. She saw the golden sun moving forward, and the kingdom of night that followed it.

Sekhmet, the god of the sun and war.

Sehmet, a heretical high priest.

When she looked at it, it also saw her. And in that eye contact, neither of them made any conventional move.

Fighting is inevitable, but fighting across the universe is pointless.

While the authority of the transcendent species supports them in engaging in this level of intercosmic combat, it ultimately cannot cripple them.

“You will die here.” Alice looked at it, at the lion-headed goddess. “Even if you are comparable to a quasi-saint, you will still die here.”

She received no response, no verbal response.

As the light and shadow in her vision vanished, she saw the war-torn kingdom behind the lion-headed goddess erupt and boil—it was all witches, great witches. And Alice's provocation of Sehmed was also a provocation of them all.

Then, everything quieted down again.

Alice remained seated on the observation deck of her private residence, gazing at the artificial space where the sun hung suspended.

The sun continued to watch over her, and the circular portal expanded slightly as a result.

They are coming, but they haven't come yet.

Before they arrived, Alice had some final steps to take care of.

She rose from the observation deck and floated lightly down into the streets below. The entire mechanical colossus, transformed from the star system, was clearly visible in her eyes. And she quickly found the individual she hoped to meet.

Zhang Jie. Zhang Jie is still slumbering in his inner demons.

Throughout the long years, Alice has been watching him, recording the entire process of a retired, disabled veteran gradually growing up.

He undoubtedly succeeded, because the golden age created by the orb of light that Alice cast transformed his crippled limbs, which had made it difficult for him to move in the Source World, into a minor ailment that could be easily healed. With his continued efforts, he quickly returned to his post and rediscovered himself in society.

First came the security guard in a wheelchair. Then came the military police with prosthetic limbs. Later, he volunteered to participate in some clandestine and dangerous experiments. When he awoke as a successful survivor in the life support pod, he had shed his original flesh and blood body and replaced it with a strong and sophisticated mechanical body.

Then, he joined a secret force. Although he didn't make a pact with the Sphere of Light, he carried out missions in various worlds through a loophole deliberately left by Alice. He repeatedly distinguished himself and rose through the ranks. As the differences in the flow of time widened, nearly twenty years had passed.

He achieved great success.

Now, he stands with the star of a general on his shoulders, surrounded by guards and honors. He has retired from the front lines, but his merits have given him a body far stronger than in his youth. He is now a member of the decision-making body, brimming with confidence, holding vast resources and the fate of countless people in his hands. He is ambitious, eager for further advancement, and relentlessly strives to achieve it.

His heart must have been filled.

His wish should have been fully fulfilled.

However, he has not yet woken up—at least he doesn't appear to be.

So Alice took a step forward.

When her feet touched the ground, she was already in the middle of Zhang Jie's office.

"You..." A security guard was about to react, but Alice simply flicked her finger, and they all fainted. The next moment, all the automatic security systems and detection instruments also malfunctioned, creating a sufficiently quiet and isolated space.

“I know you.” Zhang Jie’s hand, which was instinctively resting on the drawer, trembled slightly. He didn’t touch the temporary alarm button and emergency firearm hidden in the cabinet. His eyes widened as he took in Alice’s silhouette. “You are Alice Margot Lloyd. A-level special agent…”

"...What do you want to do?!" he asked sharply, perhaps trying to stall for time.

“You don’t know me,” Alice said, but she calmly sat down in the seat opposite him. “Although I am indeed Alice Margotroved.”

The girl raised her eyebrows and glanced at Zhang Jie from bottom to top.

"Is playing house fun? You're already awake, yet you're still engrossed in it. Do you really enjoy that unfulfilled military life from the past? Do you really crave the approval of your 'comrades' and the act of 'defending the country'?"

She observed that Zhang Jie's body stiffened slightly for a mere fraction of a second. However, he returned to normal the next moment, glaring at her like a normal, ordinary officer.

"You can still stop now! Law enforcement will be here soon!" His neck was slightly swollen, and his cheeks were flushed red like an ordinary person's due to blood stasis.

So be it.

Alice shook her head slightly.

Since someone is willing to pretend to be an ordinary person, then let them be. In any case, we both know the truth, so there's no need to worry about such trivial details.

She reached out and slicing a smooth surface across the desk in front of her. With a light touch of her finger, a scroll depicting the current state of the universe appeared between them.

"Go ahead and play if you want, I won't disturb your fun. But now that you've reached this level, there are some things I have to tell you."

Her fingertips marked seven dots on the scroll. Five were on the scroll, and two were outside of it.

One was exceptionally large, while the other six appeared rather small.

“I’ve done a lot of useless work during this period, but I’ve also made enough arrangements. Now, the scheme I’ve laid out is largely complete. What I’m lacking is the right time to activate it.”

"What nonsense are you spouting!?"

“I am telling you what happened in the past, what is happening now, and what will inevitably happen in the future.”

Alice's finger touched the very center, the largest point.

"In this universe, there was originally only one country, one civilization. Its name was Qin, but its essence was just an empty shell."

The point she pointed to transformed into a swirling galaxy, with the Qin Emperor at its center, representing the Second Emperor Hu Hai, who suppressed the shifts in time and space. From Hu Hai at the center, countless celestial bodies extended outwards, forming tentacles. At the ends of these tentacles were individual star systems, within which resided billions of Qin people.

"Qin was very powerful, but in reality, only the Qin Emperor was powerful. The Qin Emperor's brilliance shone and dominated all things, and this is the reason why Qin stagnated and could not develop. Because the Qin Emperor had prepared everything for the people in every detail, the people became the Qin Emperor's appendages and accessories, rather than a powerful civilization."

"This is the First Kingdom, the Kingdom of Emptiness. I wandered around the Qin territory for a long time, but I couldn't find a single thing worth mentioning in terms of local customs, culture, or traditions. Because the Qin Emperor has taken over everything, their essence is emptiness."

The vast kingdom magnified rapidly in Zhang Jie's eyes. He saw the numerous 'pavilions,' 'counties,' and 'prefectures,' the highly developed technology, the cloud-like fleets and armaments, and the extraordinary life forms. Yet, besides all that, there was nothing—because all the Qin people lived on living ships from birth, without any obligations or pressures.

Because they have everything, they have nothing.

Alice's finger then pointed to a second point. A tiny point far away from Qin.

There lies a closed and independent realm, its star clusters shrouded in void storms. A crimson aura of destiny descends, giving rise to countless powerful prodigies who vie for supremacy. They possess various combat techniques utilizing 'qi'. Each individual exhibits extraordinary growth potential, surpassing even the most imaginative life forms.

But every one of them was arrogant and cruel.

"This is the second country, the proud country. A nation influenced by the will of the great human world and Zheng Zha's past life. They are competitive and arrogant. Originally, they would have gradually destroyed themselves over a long period of time, or broken through, or been transformed by Zheng Zha. But I did some things, I introduced some external forces. And so a balance was achieved there."

The scene shifted, and he saw alien species springing up like mushrooms after rain, bringing pollution and invasion. At the same time, they also activated blood energy. Those arrogant geniuses united, setting aside their prejudices and fighting side-by-side. The fate of the Arrogant Kingdom was thus halted, for this external force became the shackles binding them to their doom.

Then, Alice's finger shifted again, pointing to the third and fourth points that were interdependent.

They were two intertwined civilizations. One was mortal, ordinary people who explored the universe normally through the development of science and technology. The other was a rebellious creation of mortals, which absorbed and modified the technology of mortals, and then operated in a semi-mechanical, semi-biological manner.

The two sides fight and kill each other, promote each other, and grow together.

"This is the Third Kingdom, a mediocre kingdom. And the Fourth Kingdom, a rebellious kingdom. Xiao Honglu and his previous life created this law-abiding Third Kingdom through order. And I took advantage of the situation to act as a driving force, creating the rebellious Fourth Kingdom while eliminating the Ziyi Clan. The two sides are in balance, and their state is stabilized here."

Zhang Jie had fallen silent, his eyes gleaming. Though he still feigned a naive, ordinary demeanor, his mind was racing at a speed far exceeding human capabilities, attempting to uncover the truth behind Alice's words.

Alice didn't expose him, but simply pointed her finger to another place.

"The Fifth Country, the Ideal Country."

Chapter 54. The Arrival, Part 2

The place she was pointing to was the border of Qin, the smallest and most insignificant point.

—Terra.

Everything about Terra was revealed to the two of them.

It was a land devoid of any 'humans'. All the inhabitants of the land were 'beasts in human clothing'!

“Originally, I did not intend to make 'Terra' an 'ideal country'. I had other plans for it, but unfortunately, I was not the only one who made the move. Some old guys from distant generations wanted to shake my decision and changed Terra's situation after paying a huge price, turning my arrangements on it into a mess.”

Her gaze shifted downwards, looking towards the deep sea of ​​Terra. The deep-sea god, whom she had devoured and replaced, lurked in the darkness. And a massive army, powerful enough to flatten the earth thirty times over, silently guarded her surroundings.

"I originally intended to use an 'irresistible' natural disaster as a starting point to guide this country towards either an ideal or a decadent state. However, the other side had too much capital and forcibly raised the moral level of the entire world. As a result, the world directly moved towards a utopian society without the need for external intervention. So, I saved myself the trouble of going through all that trouble."

Her gaze lingered briefly on 'Overlord' and 'Fenrir', who were vying for power within the Originium Will, and were originally chosen as protagonists, 'Talulah' and 'Frostnova'. Originally, she planned to use the ocean's offensive to force civilization to evolve, compelling the two huskies residing within the Originium Will to infuse their wills into these two chosen, or calculated, protagonists to oppose her. This way, she could both create the kingdom she desired and separate Overlord and Fenrir. However, she hadn't anticipated that the situation would change so drastically.

Alice did not go to Rhodes Island, nor did she go to Andromeda.

"I had already made preparations and written the script. I placed my avatar near Talulah and Luo Ye near Frostnova. This ensured that even if they fought each other as the main characters, it wouldn't deviate from my plan. However, aside from the interference of those old guys, one messy thing after another happened..."

...Patch is one thing, though troublesome, I expected it. But I never imagined that Sirin would suddenly stumble here, and I still don't know how she did it. Even more unexpected is that Zhan Lan was able to resolve her past life on her own, silently and successfully advancing, and rapidly progressing towards the realm of true godhood!

Alice shrugged helplessly.

"The script has already gone awry, and once I realized that those old fogies had already created a fait accompli, it would be foolish for me to stick to the original plan. So I had to slightly alter the plan. I set this fifth country as the 'ideal country.' And I also had to change the plan, to launch my own plan before they could push the entire country to continue changing."

Fortunately, the rest of my arrangements are still largely intact.

Her finger pointed to the sixth point, the sixth point outside the scroll, representing this place. In this vast cosmic dream, she looked down upon this civilization, which she had almost personally nurtured, growing from a tiny duckweed to a star-studded force.

"The Sixth Nation, the Nation of Ascension. I set up these inferior divine orbs, giving them an endless upper limit to growth. And under Sehmet's pressure, they have continued to climb, and now they have reached the minimum standard I expected."

She looked at Zhang Jie, who remained silent but whose eyes shone with a divine light.