Tonight, Alice joins the hunt.

“That’s another topic. Now it’s my turn to ask questions.” Ming Yanwei gently shook her head, picked up the teacup on the low table, and took a small sip.

“From what you’ve said, I can tell that you know I had an experience after clicking that strange window. And that experience must be the memory I’ve lost. I would like you to tell me about this experience… It doesn’t need to be too detailed, just tell me about the part where I ‘died’.”

"This is going to be a long story, so I'll try to keep it brief," Zheng Zha said softly. He began to recount Ming Yanwei's brief experiences in the world of Ju-on... Actually, it wasn't long, because Ming Yanwei was shot and killed by the newcomer who stole the Buddhist scriptures on the morning of the third day. She hadn't done anything special, nor did she exhibit any particular behavior. Zheng Zha's description mainly focused on the reincarnation team and the Main God Space.

About fifteen minutes later...

"...Finally, Lu Renjia shot you, and at that time we were separated by a street and couldn't come directly to save you. So...that's how it is." Zheng Zha finished speaking, picked up a cup of tea, and drank it down in one gulp. Talking for so long had left him feeling a little thirsty.

"Is that so..." Ming Yanwei pressed her lower lip, a strange smile appearing on her face. "Did I get killed by a man again...? No, I guess I brought it on myself. Oh well, it's not important. It's just a way to put my mind at ease."

She exhaled softly, but the rise and fall of her chest revealed that her emotions were definitely not as calm as she claimed.

“Let’s continue our previous topic.” She gently shook her head, as if trying to shake off the distracting thoughts in her mind. “The reason I know about the Central Plains Team is because a man named Chu Xuan came here half a year ago. I was able to survive the demon tide because of his help. He told me these things and advised me to—”

Before he could finish speaking, Zheng Zha jumped up as if his spine had been pierced by a red-hot iron clamp. A powerful aura suddenly erupted from his body, and he gripped Ming Yanwei's shoulders tightly with both hands.

"What did you say! Chu Xuan!? He... he's alive too!? Still in this world!?" He looked furious, whether from fear or anger, it was hard to tell.

However, Ming Yanwei simply watched him quietly, unmoved.

"You're hurting me," she said casually.

The next moment, Zheng Zha's violent aura vanished abruptly. He slumped down, shaking his head with a wry smile. "Sorry, Chu Xuan... makes me a bit allergic. And he supposedly knew I was coming half a year ago... What a joke! That's a charlatan's overreaction."

"I can't answer that question. I can only tell you the three messages Chu Xuan asked me to convey, just as he told me." Ming Yanwei gently rubbed her shoulder; Zheng Zha's grab had almost cracked her bones.

"First, this world is based on memory, but you'd better not die. Dying will be a lot of trouble, a lot of trouble."

"Secondly, he will meet with you later, but before that, he will give the woman who woke him up from his grave a good beating."

"third……"

Author's Note:

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

3/14

Section 8 Chaos

"Third, when you encounter a problem that you just can't figure out no matter how hard you try, stop thinking about it. For you, not every problem has an answer."

Zheng Zha's eyes twitched. His temples throbbed, as if the veins on his forehead were about to burst.

“As always,” he repeated. “As always, this guy still can’t speak like a human! The first one is one thing, the second one is nonsensical, and the third one… he’s saying I’m stupid, right?! He must be!”

“No… I don’t think that’s what he meant.” Ming Yanwei looked at Zheng Zha, who was almost frantic, and shook her head almost imperceptibly.

She sighed softly, "But... it's alright. After learning about these things, a question that had been bothering me has finally been answered. The world of memories... death... these words have troubled me for half a year. I always thought everything I was seeing was an illusion. But... even something as unreasonable as the Main God Space has appeared, so there's no need to think about anything else. And..."

“Forget it.” She shook her head. “It’s all a dream, I don’t care anymore. Death or life, reality or illusion, it doesn’t matter to me anymore. If it’s all an illusion, then let me drown in this dream. A world without betrayal, without pain…”

Zheng Zha immediately regained his senses. He looked at Ming Yanwei, his expression somewhat complicated: "...Don't you plan to leave here with me? You...should still be alive; the Supreme God must have a way to restore you."

Ming Yanwei raised her hand and pushed open the side window. The morning sunlight slanted in, casting a golden glow over most of the village.

“Do you know, Captain Zheng Zha? When I came here a year ago, this village had just been attacked by demons. Nearly a third of the population was lost, and almost every family had someone die. The outer walls were broken, and the houses were torn to pieces. Everyone was desperate and grieving.”

“I witnessed how they rebuilt and how they revived.”

"There used to be an abandoned cemetery in the southeast of the village. That was the first battle I fought in this village. At that time, I had no desire to live and didn't even want to hide when I saw the zombies rushing at me... It was a foot soldier named Yamashita who pushed me away from the zombies' mouths. But he lost an arm as a result and died of a cold two weeks later."

Her gaze seemed to extend beyond the eastern wall.

“I regretted it, so the day after he died I picked up a bow and arrow and went alone to kill all the zombies…tsk, that’s a bit like what some idiot did. But that doesn’t matter. What matters is that I knew from that moment on that I had a responsibility to this place.”

Ming Yanwei gently clenched her fist and emphasized, "Responsibility."

"So I took on my responsibility. I learned the rituals of summoning spirits and exorcising evil in Shintoism. I learned how to bandage wounds, how to heal injuries, how to boost morale, and how to command this militia, organizing them to fight against demons and bandits. Gradually, I became more and more respected, and the village improved. Even those who had lost family members gradually lost their expressions of despair and sorrow. Now, the village has attracted and sheltered many refugees, and perhaps in a few years it will expand into a city."

Her brows were brimming with anticipation for the future. In her vision, Zheng Zha seemed to see a prosperous metropolis gradually taking shape. Countless people were working and toiling, yet their faces wore joyful smiles.

“I have fulfilled my responsibilities, and the village is on the right track. Even if I leave, it can continue to develop. But... why should I leave? Why abandon the village that I have put so much effort into building to suffer in that precarious cycle of reincarnation? After all, look, I no longer have that so-called God's watch on my wrist, do I?”

She looked at Zheng Zha.

"Can you convince me, Captain Zheng Zha?"

Zheng Zha remained silent. After a long while, he shook his head with a wry smile. "You're not someone who can be persuaded with words, so I won't waste my time. But there's something else I need to tell you. Hmm... it might be useful to you."

He told Mingyanwei about what had happened in the village filled with crosses and his own deductions. After he finished speaking, he saw the witch frown.

“That is indeed a problem…” Ming Yanwei gently tapped her forehead, thinking. “I have indeed heard about witches. However… the information is too scarce, and it could be just hearsay. The old witch mentioned the village by the sea to me before, but I never expected… Oh well, I will find a way to deal with it later.”

She stood up and bowed very formally to Zheng Zha.

"Thank you for the information; this is very important for the village. I will inform the others and warn the villagers to be careful when traveling. I will also find someone to guide you to the city... Thank you so much."

"No need to be so formal..." Zheng Zha waved his hand. "I should be thanking you. Sigh... seeing how skilled you are with a bow and arrow, I was originally planning to let you exchange ideas with the newcomers in the team. He's also a very talented archer. I heard he's a reserve member for the Olympics, maybe you even know each other in real life."

"The Olympics?" Ming Yanwei smiled nostalgically. "That was truly remarkable. A long time ago, I also... never mind, it's all in the past. What was that shooter's name?"

“Zhang Heng,” Zheng Zha replied.

The next moment, he suddenly felt a bone-chilling cold rise up his spine. It was as if some terrifying monster was awakening and blowing cold air onto his neck... He almost instinctively reached for the demon-headed broadsword. However, just as his fingertips touched the hilt, the chill vanished without a trace.

"Captain Zheng Zha."

He turned around and found Ming Yanwei looking at him with a smile. Her gentle gaze felt like some kind of cold, crawling creature moving across his face.

“Excuse me,” her voice was as sweet as honey, “could you repeat the archer’s name again?”

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

Meanwhile, in a bustling city somewhere in Japan, Alice, who had already changed into clothes in a local style, suddenly sneezed several times in a row.

"Achoo—! Achoo—! Achoo—!"

She rubbed her nose vigorously, looking completely bewildered.

“Strange… What happened? Why do I have a feeling that things are getting out of my control… This shouldn’t be the case, I had everything planned out.”

"Alice, are you feeling unwell? Well... how about we find a place to rest for a bit? Let's just forget about today's events for now?" Patchouli quickly supported her, touching her forehead with concern.

"Oh dear, it's a bit hot," Patchouli said worriedly. "You need to rest; you can't hurt yourself."

If we're talking about being busy... they were indeed quite busy before. It took them over a year within the memory world to barely adjust its various parameters, allowing it to operate in a state infinitely close to reality while possessing extraordinary power. But...

[In my memory world, I'll get a terrible disease! My body won't be harmed at all!]

Alice abruptly overturned the coffee table in her mind. She was about to tell Patchouli that if she didn't want to, the concepts of fatigue and illness simply wouldn't exist in this world. However, the next moment, she noticed an unnatural flush on Patchouli's cheeks, and her eyes were slightly misty.

That's... a very familiar expression.

Okay... I see.

【Then I really should be sick, even if I'm not... I have to be!】

"Um... I do feel a little unwell." She let out a soft breath, then collapsed into Patchouli's arms with a 'plop'.

Let's put premonitions aside for now! We've already been dragging this out for over a year, and there's still some time before the scheduled wake-up time for the Zhongzhou team. I have much more important things to do right now!

Author's Note:

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

Tomorrow, the chapter titles will be changed back to normal.

I updated four chapters today, totaling 10,000 words. I'll check the data tomorrow morning to see if the output is still the same as when I usually update two chapters... If it's still this half-dead state... tsk, whatever.

4/14

Section Nine: Explosions are bad for civilization, tiring, and useless.

The world of memory... What is the world of memory?

It's really just a nicer-sounding name; in essence, it's nothing more than a slightly more complex, large-scale composite barrier. It's not very strong, lacking both offensive and defensive capabilities. Its only advantage is that due to the sheer volume of information, it can approximate reality to an infinite degree. Also, due to sensory confusion, one can have more time inside this barrier than outside.

The barrier was constructed from countless messages in the atmosphere and the dreams of all living things in an entire city. The data was immense and complex. Even Alice and Patchouli, as its creators, couldn't precisely control every detail. It was like a random map generator; they could program the generator and input some important parameters, but beyond that, all they could do was press the 'generate map' button and occasionally intervene in the barrier's natural evolution to correct any overly glaring flaws.

After all, this world is just a place for them to rest.

Two hundred years ago, when we escaped from those ruins, our bodies and souls, even with external forces supporting them, were on the verge of collapse. And it was precisely because we couldn't touch each other's hands in reality that we tried to construct a world of memories using messages, a world that offered nothing but authenticity. All for the sake of being able to embrace each other tightly in a fantasy.

But... tsk, never mind.

Alice disliked Japanese beds, especially those called 'tatami,' which were essentially just wooden planks covered with a quilt—they were so uncomfortable for her. She preferred the kind of large bed with five layers of velvet mattresses, covered in rose and lily petals, so comfortable that even if she fell flat on her back, she would bounce back up—a Simmons mattress, of course, would be even better. But those, she thought, were rather lacking in style.

More importantly, she had made a promise with Patchouli that in the world of memories, she would follow the customs and traditions of whichever country she was in. So even if she didn't like it, she had to try to adapt.

"Alice, open your mouth."

Patchouli's voice reached her ears, snapping her out of her thoughts. A celadon spoon filled with liquid was placed to her lips, and she obediently opened her mouth, fulfilling Patchouli's wish to be fed.

It tasted sweet, like seasoned honey, not a potion made by Patchouli. This brought her a small measure of relief. Even demons couldn't stomach the food or potions Patchouli made, but she wasn't a demon, so even though it was awful, she had to force herself to eat it.

—Thankfully not.

“Patch,” Alice said sadly, looking at her friend. “Do you really enjoy taking care of people that much?”

“No.” Patchouli shook her head slightly. “It’s just ordinary revenge. Before, when I couldn’t leave the library, I could only watch you come and mess with my body every week when the curse flared up, so now it’s time for retribution.”

"Don't make it sound so... weird! What do you mean by 'fiddle'? I was clearly trying very hard to suppress the curse for you..." Alice tried to protest, but the spoon in her mouth clearly disagreed. So she had no choice but to give up resisting and obediently wait for the feeding to end.

This year is 1600 AD in the world of memory, which corresponds to the fifth year of Keicho in the Japanese archipelago. The Battle of Sekigahara, which determined the course of Japanese history for centuries to come, took place in this year. The two men were in Osaka, the power center of Japan at the time, and a rare haven of peace outside the vortex of war.

Ultimately, the Battle of Sekigahara was essentially an internal struggle within the Toyotomi faction. After Toyotomi Hideyoshi's death, his powerful retainers took advantage of his young son Toyotomi's trust and inexperience to wage war against each other. In the end, Tokugawa Ieyasu emerged victorious, laying the foundation for his later conquest of Japan and the establishment of the Tokugawa Shogunate, which lasted for centuries.

But that doesn't matter, because Alice doesn't intend to interfere. Tokugawa Ieyasu and Ishida Mitsunari are nothing more than phantoms of the past in this world of memories. They have self-awareness, memories, history, beliefs and ambitions, and living, breathing flesh and blood. But to Alice and Patchouli, they are meaningless.

This wasn't the first world of memories they had constructed, not even one of the first ten or one of the first hundred—they had done countless things to change history and turn the tide. However, just like video games made by outsiders, the first time was novel, the first ten times were interesting, but after a hundred or a thousand times, only nostalgia remained. And after playing countless times, that initial excitement could never be relived.

Their objectives were twofold: first, to find the Nirvana Witch's true form lurking within this world of memories, defeat her, and remove the curse from her to complete the side quest in the world of Ju-on; second, to provide the other members of the Central Continent Team with ample opportunity for trial, allowing them to overcome their shortcomings and truly master their own power.

The Main God Space can provide various enhancements across many worlds; however, the time available for reincarnators to familiarize themselves with these enhancements is far too limited. They can only rely on unlocking their genetic locks to quickly master the corresponding powers. However, even with the genetic locks unlocked, there are still limits to what can be accomplished through instinct and the suddenly increased computational resources. This is what is meant by insufficient foundation; ultimately, time is needed for accumulation and refinement.

This 16th-century Japan, rife with war and supernatural occurrences, served as their training ground for the others. It was also a chessboard for their game against the Nirvana Witch. Of course, the chessboard wasn't fully prepared; it was only June, the two sides in the Battle of Sekigahara hadn't completely broken off relations, and there were still more than three months until the battle on September 15th. Naturally, the time hadn't yet come to awaken the rest of the Central Plains Team.

“Alice, how much growth do you think this war will bring them? Constructing a world of memories with extraordinary power is ultimately too troublesome, and we may not have time to prepare for a second time.” Patchouli put down her spoon and picked up a handkerchief to wipe the honey from Alice’s lips.

“I think it shouldn’t be too bad.” Alice pursed her lips, offering her answer as she pondered. “I plan to create the most chaos a month before the Battle of Sekigahara, then awaken the others and draw them into the vortex of war from the very beginning. Zheng Zha should be able to fully master his self-created move, ‘Explosion,’ while Zhan Lan and Xiao Honglu should also be able to master the basic applications of bloodline enhancement. Saito Hajime didn’t come, so forget about him. And Zero and Zhang Heng should also have made corresponding progress.”

"By the time their skills have been honed enough, the Battle of Sekigahara should be over. At that point, the 'Tower' that suppresses this world of memories can be opened. All outsiders, including the Nirvana Witch, can be lured to the center of the tower for a final test of their abilities—the process may be arduous, but the outcome is inevitable."