Girl in the Box: Please tell me why I was reincarnated as a mimic monster!

The girl in the white dress, who called herself a goddess, spoke to herself.

"you……"

“I met you once, when I visited Xin Chu. At that time, your condition was very serious, and Xin Chu was very worried about you.”

"……elder brother."

Li stopped talking and just listened quietly.

"You should still remember him, even if he's been erased from the world. He was a kind man, even kinder than you. He felt great sympathy for you, even though his situation wasn't much better. You might wonder about his identity. His identity is just as you imagine. When you get back there, you can explore it yourself. I think you've already glimpsed at least a small part of him. The answers are all here. I'm sorry for all this chaos... I don't know what I can do for you, but please allow me to say something..."

Thank you.

Crack... Crack crack crack! Bang!

The pure white room suddenly collapsed, and the girl in the white dress disappeared in the blink of an eye. A familiar hand grabbed her and pulled her around.

We're going home.

The woman with the watery complexion said this.

There was only one answer from Li: she nodded, and the two figures, one cherry blossom and one stream, disappeared into the void.

☆ Let's return to the dungeon with the treasure chest monster!

Prologue

Not long after that, the aftermath of the war was basically completed, and the allied forces gradually returned to the capital city of the duchy with the help of the Holy Sword Queen. It was not only that battlefield that was affected by this change in the world; the disaster even spread to this side. On the way back, everything that Saivi saw was as if a catastrophe had taken place.

Almost nothing was left in this world; everywhere was a scene of desolation. After returning to the duchy, Xuanze left a message saying that he would come back to the duchy once everything had settled down. After saying that, he led the demons back to their own territory.

However, it doesn't mean that everything ended after the war. There is no doubt that they won. They only dealt with the problems on the battlefield, but there are still many post-war issues. After returning home, a series of problems overwhelmed the Sevier siblings. It will probably take them a long time to deal with this massive amount of paperwork.

During this period, they worked day and night to deal with these matters, and then had to run around the city to solve a series of problems.

"Haha~ You've worked hard, bro."

"You've worked hard too, Lihua."

The princess of the duchy put down the documents in her hand, stretched, and then struck up a conversation with the duke across the desk. A mountain of documents piled up in the duke's office, separating them so they couldn't see each other, but they both knew what the other was doing. They had tacitly chosen this time to take a short break; a balance between work and rest was very important.

"How many more are there...?" Li Hua looked at the mountain in front of her, her feelings were very complicated.

"I only know that it can't be finished in a short time. Do you have any problems?" Saiwei had already given up.

“The problem… is huge…” Li Hua sighed helplessly. “It’s a huge headache. We’ve lost nearly 80% of our farmland because of that battle. Some of it was buried underground due to changes in the terrain, some was destroyed by lava, and some has been demonized by the large amount of magic that overflowed from the air.”

“…This is terrible,” Savi’s voice sounded very distressed. “So how much food do we have left?”

“Only enough for three months,” Li Hua gave a very precise answer. “Our granaries were also largely destroyed in those chaotic natural disasters.”

"Oh my god... this is giving me a headache." Savi looked bewildered. "If this continues, things are going to get really messy..."

“I’ve already arranged for some people to reclaim the farmland,” Li Hua said, also with a headache, “but the situation is much worse than we imagined. There’s very little usable land, and even if there is, the quality isn’t very high. Besides, three months is the maximum I’ve estimated. We can’t produce that much grain in three months…”

“I have a lot of trouble here too,” Savi said with a headache. “After that, the monsters suddenly became very numerous and extremely aggressive, and even appeared in large numbers. There weren’t many survivors after that battle, and in order to resist these invading monsters, I had to divide up half of my fighting force to deal with them, while the rest stayed in the city to guard it, and the rest did all sorts of work.”

Yes, the situation is far more serious than anyone imagined. In a sense, Serik's goal has been achieved: the world is indeed coming to an end, or rather... humanity is coming to an end.

This war brought about many changes, including to the environment and daily life.

While they were fighting, Alice, with the help of reason, went directly to the internally weakened Kingdom of Alyas and forcefully seized the throne. King Seric of Alyas had already died in the war, and the kingdom was now undergoing a purge of Seric's remaining forces under Alice's efforts. Besides all that, she had to face various other matters, such as the queen's ascension to the throne, giving the people an explanation, and the future direction of development. Of course, there were also matters concerning the church and the hero. She was probably extremely busy right now.

Serik believed that the young and promising princess was definitely capable of overcoming these obstacles, but if they were to be able to speak to each other like before, they would probably have to wait until they finished all the work at hand, both in the kingdom and the duchy, as they faced a whole host of problems.

Edman and his group are still in the country helping with various matters, but I heard that once the principality is stable, they will return to their homeland to rebuild the country. At that time, Savi will definitely fully support their reconstruction and become their ally.

There are still many things I want to do in the future, so I must work hard now.

"Ah... speaking of which... how is Akihabara now?" Savi asked.

"Huh? Akihabara?"

Akihabara, originally considered a problem area, became a game-changer in this war, a trump card capable of turning the tide of battle. Before Ri appeared, no one could have imagined that Akihabara possessed such power. They shone brightly in this war, and returned to Japan afterward. But logically, wouldn't such a vibrant group of residents remain quiet for so long?

"Hmm... I was just about to work on some documents about Akihabara... Let me find them... Ah... Found them..."

Lihua pulled out the most crucial document from a pile of files, quickly scanned it, then paused for a moment, looked at it again in disbelief, and finally stared in disbelief.

"Um...brother."

"what happened?"

"Akihabara is gone."

"what?"

"Everyone in Akihabara is gone, only the intact houses and such remain..."

"Huh?!?!?!"

Yes, many things changed after that war, but the most significant historical event was probably the disappearance of Akihabara from the Principality. The relocation was carried out almost unnoticed; now only the remaining intact buildings stand in Akihabara. The ruins have been completely cleared away, leaving nothing behind. The residents seem to have vanished without a trace.

However, how could the citizens of the principality, who were unaware of Akihabara's deeds, care about such things? Rather, the disappearance of Akihabara was just an ordinary thing in their eyes, so no one mentioned it, which indirectly led to the fact that Savi only learned about it now.

Chapter 1 Returning to the Labyrinth

"Wait, wait, wait!? No!? Waaaaaaah!!!"

"Does it hurt that much...? Aren't you a mimic?"

"Now you're the Dragon King?! Those treasure chests can just change their shells and be fully healed! I'm different!!"

Just as Sevi discovered Akihabara's disappearance, Ri and Ning were recuperating at home. The two of them took a full-force attack from Xia Que and Seric. As Ri had said, the treasure chest Ri was fully restored after changing the box. However, the body of the Dragon King Ri was seriously injured. This body housed Ri's main consciousness. It was only after being rescued by the Living Dragon King Chu Chu that it was barely pulled back from the brink of death.

As for Ning, she was perfectly fine. As a slime, her self-healing ability was extremely strong, and by today she was back to normal. It was said that half of the garbled magic had been restored—truly a terrifying self-healing ability. The most seriously injured, Li, was currently sitting on the bed while Ning applied medicine to her body. Ning, without a trace of gentleness, rubbed all over Li's body with her specially made potion. Every time she applied pressure, Li would scream in pain, making it feel like she was taking care of a child.

"Okay, that's all for today. You can put your clothes on now."

"Hiss...be gentle..."

"It would be much better if you just ignored it. Being too concerned about it will only make you more sensitive."

"How could I not care!"

"You're acting like a little kid right now."

Ning skillfully dealt with the child's tantrums while carefully putting away the medicine. Li quietly put on her clothes, then left the room with Ning and went downstairs. Looking down the stairs, they could see how many people had gathered in their house. The people who had been discussing something turned around when they heard someone coming down the stairs.

Good morning, Li.

"Um, is Li-mei feeling better now?"

"Wow~ It looks much better than before, Shi."

Are you free to move around now?

The four dragon kings, led by Fino Er, greeted Li as she descended the stairs. Like Li, they were all at the pinnacle of the dragon race in this world, and in a sense, they could be considered family. These four dragon kings had taken great care of Li since they first met, and Li was very grateful to them.

"Well, basically everything's fine now," Li said with a wry smile as she found a seat. "I've completely forgotten how to walk..."

"If you could just behave yourself, you'd get better much faster," Ning, sitting next to her, teased her.

"We've already survived the most critical thing, so let's not worry about these things anymore..." Li turned her face away somewhat awkwardly.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, everyone. Breakfast is ready."

At this moment, Xia Ling's timely appearance helped to resolve the situation. She carried breakfast and set it out one by one on the now-expanded dining table, then invited everyone to sit down and eat. Xiao helped Xia Ling take out some bread and place it in the middle of the table. She had recently started helping with housework, which was an amazing sign of growth for Li.

The sweet aroma filling the air made even Li, who had just recovered, have a great appetite. Everyone sat down at the table and savored this hard-won moment of peace.

Where are they now?

After the war, they did return to the duchy with the queen, but then they returned to their original place through a pre-set portal. This abandoned labyrinth was once known as the Corridor of Time. Li had long wanted to return and had conducted many investigations to confirm the condition of the labyrinth, recording all the current information about the labyrinth in the Magic Eye.

Although it was heartbreaking, the labyrinth had indeed lost its original function, which to some extent ensured the safety of the living environment. So they moved back, back to the place where the Perseus Tree was originally located, the place where the three first met, a place full of memories. They originally thought life would become very inconvenient, but the people of Akihabara also came here with their ambassador, although they didn't live here.

They all agreed that this place belonged solely to Ri and her family, so no one else lived here besides them. When they returned, the Perseus Tree not far from the house entrance shone brightly once more, and the Soul Flowers bloomed again on the grass, making it feel as beautiful as it had been back then.

The reason why things turned out this way is still unclear, but it is a good place to live, and Chu Chu said something similar after she came here.

"This place is located right on the dragon vein, making it an ideal dwelling for the dragons and also helpful for Li's recovery."

Overall, life after the war was relatively peaceful. Ryou spent a few days recovering from her injuries and is now finally able to move around freely, so this kind of life is temporarily coming to an end. After experiencing a long period of intense life, Ryou actually feels a bit uncomfortable in this peaceful state, so she has been looking for something to do, which is why Ning just complained.

Ahhh~~ It's been so long since I've breathed in fresh outdoor air~~

After finishing breakfast, Li rushed out of the house and took a deep breath of the fresh outdoor air. For some reason, the ventilation in this maze was amazing no matter where you were. When Li investigated again, she found a lot of things. She once suspected that it was a modification made by Rielfa to make it more habitable, but no matter what, the area was a bit too big.

“Don’t forget what we’re going to do,” Ning said as she came out of the house. “Everyone’s waiting.”

“I know,” Li nodded to indicate that he understood. “What about the others?”

"Sorry for the wait, the cleaning took a little time."

Xia Ling and Xiao came out of the house together, and the four Dragon Kings followed them out, closing the door behind them. Li nodded to confirm the number of people, then adjusted his breathing and somewhat awkwardly attempted to use his spacetime magic. The silver magic circle unfurled, crackled with lightning, and shattered; the magic had failed.

"Uh……"

"It's alright, don't worry."

Although they failed, everyone just smiled and told Li not to worry. Li calmed herself down and silently unfolded the magic circle again. This time, the magic circle formed and operated smoothly, and a small portal opened up in front of them.

"Alright, let's go to the new Akihabara."

Chapter 2 The New Akihabara

On the other side of the portal was the great calamity they had once caused, the cursed zone that had brought them so much suffering. The huge crater that Ning had blasted open with a hydrogen bomb spell was now empty, but unlike before, the curse had been dispelled by them and Rielfa together, and the undead creatures that had roamed this area had long since disappeared.

Instead, it was the people of Akihabara who took their place.

Excuse me, could you please move aside?

"We've run out of wood here! Is there any more?"

"And some stones, please pass them over."

After they arrived, they heard voices behind them asking them to make way. The group moved aside, and a group of people pulled a trailer loaded with building materials and sped past. They quickly unloaded all the materials and left immediately.

The crater at that time has now become the place where the residents of Akihabara rebuilt Akihabara.

Why rebuild Akihabara here?

Not long ago, Li had spoken privately with the residents of Akihabara about this, and what she was referring to was the establishment of a nation, a neutral country belonging to Li.

Ning had given Li two reasons for doing this:

Firstly, it's because their family's power is too great, and with the group of people gathered around them, they would cause significant problems in any country. Moreover, Akihabara has unknowingly become a powerful force operating outside of many nations, posing a danger to some countries. Perhaps Sevi and Alice don't think this way, but that doesn't mean their subordinates and the people don't.

Therefore, he had no choice but to leave the duchy.

Secondly, it's inconvenient. Although the duchy's royal family granted Rin considerable power and the position of ambassador to Akihabara, during the war, facing an enemy like the kingdom, they had to rely on Rin's strength to gain an advantage. Therefore, Akihabara's actions were basically arbitrary, which the ministers saw as a necessary evil. However, after the war, the ministers would likely begin to try to restrain Akihabara's power, and being drawn into power struggles would be a very troublesome problem.

Therefore, he had no choice but to leave the duchy.

In short, it was particularly inconvenient to stay in the duchy, so it was better to simply leave. Moreover, this was also an effective way to pass on their knowledge; a completely new country was like a blank sheet of paper, and it would be easier to rewrite rules and customs on it.

The three elements for establishing a nation are people, territory, and power. Regarding territory, the labyrinth once belonged to the Dragon King of Time. Although few knew a Dragon King lived there, it truly belonged to Rielfa. Therefore, Rielfa, who inherited the Dragon King of Time's power, could naturally claim it as her own territory.

As for strength, at least right now, aside from Xuanze, probably no one in this world dares to touch this labyrinth guarded by five Dragon Kings. And while I know it's not very kind of to think this way, Xuanze's subsequent strange actions inevitably remind me of a Demon King—since he now calls himself a Demon King, well… you know what I mean…

But that's beside the point. Let's get back to the previous topic.

The three basic elements for establishing a nation are essentially complete; in terms of territory and strength, they have more than enough, even an excess. So, the remaining issue is the people. They have no way to deal with the people; this decision was made late in the war, and few people remained in the world. This was a decision made out of necessity. They decided to start with the people of Akihabara, an act that would be considered an attempt to divide the nation on Earth.

However, they really couldn't think of any other solutions, so they could only start with the area where success was most likely and then go back to apologize to Saiwei.

They conveyed their plan to establish a nation to the people of Akihabara, offering them certain benefits. They also set up teleportation portals in various hidden locations throughout Akihabara, powered by enough magic to last for several days. These portals led directly to the depths of the labyrinth, specifically to the large crater. They didn't force the residents of Akihabara to leave with them; however, if the residents wished to follow them, they could simply use the portals to reach the labyrinth, or they could choose not to. After that, they didn't interfere further, leaving the decision entirely to the residents of Akihabara.

But they never expected that after the war ended, the entire population of Akihabara would move there, without exception. Along with them came Olito and the Borg Trading Company led by Natsuki. Rin was truly speechless, not expecting things to turn out this way.

Therefore, considering issues such as living space, there was no other place more suitable than the crater. In the end, this place became the birthplace of the new Akihabara. Located in the very center is the headquarters of the Borg Merchant Guild, which was rebuilt in just a few days. Then, a large number of buildings radiate outwards from this center, creating a spectacular sight when viewed from above.

"Hey, good morning everyone! Is the ambassador's injury all healed?" The person on the new house frame greeted everyone.

"Good morning, your injuries are almost healed," Riya greeted, then asked, "How's the reconstruction going? Has everyone moved into their new homes yet?"

"Hmm...almost there." The man pointed to the other end of Shin-Akihabara with the hammer in his hand. "There are still quite a few people living in tents over there. I think it will probably take another two days before everyone has a place to stay."

“Yes, we’ve been working hard for days, but we still can’t catch up.” Another person pushed the log up from below.

"Oh, is that so..." Rin looked thoughtful.

“That’s how it is,” Negi said, stepping out and patting Li on the shoulder. “I should go now; the students are waiting for me to help them.”

Not only Nieqi, but the other Dragon Kings also came out one after another, as did Xiao. During their recovery, they also had their own jobs, all of which were arranged by Ning.