The afterlife blew up Gensokyo

"Yes? How could there not be? There are plenty of these shops hidden in the endless void in the outside world. Almost every shopkeeper in those shops is a shrewd businessman."

As if recalling something, Shi Bai couldn't help but purse his lips.

"But are you sure I want to tell you this? You are still too far removed from these things right now. Getting involved in things outside of this world too early won't actually do you any good."

"Far away? Why?"

Shen Qi looked puzzled.

"Don't think things outside the world are wonderful. It's an extremely brutal battlefield, and quite dangerous, okay?"

Shi Bai rolled his eyes.

"If it weren't for the Dragon God protecting and shielding this world, do you know how many malicious individuals would have come here? Not to mention all sorts of transmigrators, there are also those veterans from the Main God Space. These are relatively easy to deal with. But do you know how much trouble it would cause if it attracted the apocalypse or the attention of some evil god?"

Is it that dangerous?

Shen Qi was slightly taken aback.

"That's why I said you can't know those secrets, right? Those guys are all outright bandits, especially those few in the Main God Space. They're treating me like the big boss, it's just unbelievable..."

Seemingly recalling the time when he was blasted straight into the ground by a magic cannon, Shi Bai's face showed a pained expression.

"In short, the world outside is far more dangerous than you imagine, and I really don't recommend that you know about it now. And even if you do know something now, what good is it? It can only satisfy your curiosity a little bit at most, it's completely useless... Let's wait until later, I will take the initiative to tell you those things later."

"How long after that?"

"Hmm...it will be at least 1000 years from now."

After quickly calculating the time in his mind, Shi Bai nodded.

"The real excitement will begin when that time comes, and I hope you will all be ready to meet the real challenge."

"More than 1000 years? That's so short?"

Shen Qi looked surprised.

"........."

Shi Bai turned his head away, indicating that he did not want to talk.

"Ahem... Well then, how about you tell me what you can tell me now? I'm quite interested in that shop you mentioned."

Shenqi coughed slightly a few times.

Curiosity is an innate human trait. Although I know that it's useless to know all that now, it's still terrible when the other person has said so much but refuses to say anything more.

"Ah, there's really not much to say, because most of those shops are hidden in the endless void and are very difficult to find. They're practically the ultimate sneaky swindlers..."

Hearing Shen Qi bring up this matter again, Shi Bai couldn't help but feel a slight pain in his teeth again.

"But then what about their customers? If it's a shop, shouldn't it have customers coming and going to make a transaction?"

Shen Qi looked puzzled.

"Is not this contradictory?"

"What contradiction? Those shop owners have plenty of ways to find customers to trade with. For example, some randomly send out invitations, some choose customers purely by chance, and some shop owners actively go to certain worlds to find customers... There are just too many to list."

Shi Bai pursed his lips.

"Although most of those shopkeepers are neutral, at least most of them are in the lawful camp. They also occasionally set out to save some worlds that are on the verge of destruction due to the apocalypse. So over the years, they have accumulated some precious items like the [Origin of the World]."

"So, which are some of the more famous stores?"

After listening to Shi Bai's story, Shen Qi became even more curious.

"Hmm... For example, that guy surnamed Jiu in the [Transmigrator Agency], that guy surnamed Bai in the [Dimensional Shop], and that guy surnamed Shi in the [Time and Space Administration] who shares the same surname as me... None of these guys are good people, they're all damn swindlers."

Perhaps recalling some unpleasant memories, Shi Bai's face darkened slightly.

"Don't worry about anything else, just know that they are unscrupulous merchants."

"Hmm... So what is this doomsday you mentioned several times earlier?"

After thinking for a moment, Shenqi asked another question that she was very interested in.

"The end of the world is the end of the world. Who knows what the end of the world really is? All we need to know is that it is the enemy of all living beings."

Perhaps he was getting thirsty from talking, Shi Bai picked up an apple from the table, took a bite, and mumbled something indistinctly.

"The apocalypse is the most important destroyer of the world. For example, gods might just want to secretly steal some of the world's essence, evil gods might want to pollute and assimilate the world in search of food, but the apocalypse is completely intent on destroying the world. Some low-level apocalypses, such as zombie virus apocalypses, are easy to deal with, but higher-level apocalypses are much more troublesome. Some apocalypses are even more bizarre, and you have no idea how to deal with them."

Shi Bai waved his hand.

"That's enough. Anyway, you're unlikely to come into contact with the apocalypse now. You just need to know that the apocalypse is a super disgusting thing. Although I've come into contact with quite a few apocalypses, I still don't really understand what the apocalypse is."

"They are the enemy of all living beings, the enemy of the world."

Lolita! .jpg

P.S.: Good morning!

Chapter Twenty-Four: Shi Bai Doesn't Die in the Shura Field

Secrets have always been fascinating.

If it weren't for the fact that Shen Qi had already taken that step, Shi Bai wouldn't have specifically told her these things. At least for now, things he was talking about were still quite far off.

The Origin of the World is the most important thing in any world. This is universal for any world. The stronger the overall strength of a world, the stronger its Origin will be. The two complement each other.

In most worlds, the "Origin of the World" manifests in all living beings, but in a small number of worlds, the "Origin of the World" is directly and concretely formed and hidden in some corner of the world. The former needs no examples, while the most obvious example of the latter is the world of "No Game No Life Zero".

In that world, the core element of the "world's origin" is the Star Grail; whoever controls the Star Grail controls the world. Similarly, in the Marvel universe, the core element of its origin is the six Infinity Stones.

The advantage of the former is that the [Origin of the World] will continue to grow slowly along with the increase of living beings in the world. Even if that world encounters a catastrophe, as long as there are still living beings that can survive, that world will slowly recover from a fire and will not truly perish.

These worlds, known as "Wandering Worlds" or "Spark Worlds," wander aimlessly among countless worlds, searching for suitable hosts. Some are more frank, telling the host the truth and asking for their help in reviving the world and recognizing them as their master. Others are more insidious, disguising themselves as systems or cheat codes to deceive people into using them as tools. Regardless of the method, they all seek to use the host's power to collect the essence of the world and revive it.

If these "Spark Worlds" are like petty thieves stealing things, then the "God" is the biggest bandit leader in all the heavens and myriad worlds, with countless worlds directly under his control.

Based on this, some imitations of the "Main God Space" such as "Nightmare Space" and "Horror Space" will also emerge, but the most famous and powerful is still the "Main God".

No one knows exactly how many worlds exist; they are as numerous as the sands of the Ganges. Not to mention the parallel worlds, mirror worlds, virtual worlds, and so on that have arisen from various foundations. Trying to verify this is completely meaningless.

Compared to the former, the latter is equally impressive.

Even if all living beings in that world are killed, as long as the core of the [World Origin] is not taken away or found, that world can be reborn again.

However, if the core item is taken away beforehand, the life and death of all living beings in that world will be in the hands of that controller. No matter how strong a being is, as long as they belong to that world, their life and death will be in the hands of that controller. They will not even have a chance to struggle, just like Thanos, who collected all six Infinity Stones and snapped his fingers to kill half of the life in the universe.

Risk and opportunity have always coexisted.

However, besides this, there is another situation that is feared by all worlds: the [Origin of the World] is polluted, leading to the corruption of the entire world.

Unspeakable things, ancient lords, evil gods... they are the main culprits behind this situation. After the [Origin of the World] was corrupted, even though that world will not be destroyed, it has become their subjugated world. Demons run rampant, and countless strange creatures roam the world.

Shi Bai once visited a world that had been corrupted and degraded. Originally, it was a normal world of cultivation, but after being corrupted, the entire world of cultivation underwent an extremely terrifying and bizarre change.

Humans also exist in that world, and the cultivation system still exists, but the inheritance, cognition, and thoughts of all beings in that world have been distorted to some extent.

The cultivators in that world were less cultivating immortality and more cultivating the bizarre. Their path involved constantly merging with abnormal creatures into their bodies, gradually transforming themselves into monsters. The stronger their original form, the more bizarre and indescribable it became.

They believed they had attained enlightenment and become immortals, but in reality, their original nature was gradually transforming into that of a follower of an evil god, and they considered this to be perfectly normal... From the moment the [Origin of the World] was corrupted, everyone in that world was no longer themselves.

It can be said that the world of "Mountains and Seas: Mysterious Immortals" after it was polluted was filled with an extremely absurd atmosphere.

The world of "Mountains and Seas: Mysterious Immortals" is just one of the "corrupted worlds" that Shi Bai has experienced.

If those evil gods or Great Old Ones weren't mostly lazy and inactive, they might have replaced the apocalypse as the greatest threat.

To be honest, Shi Bai really wanted to see the Apocalypse fight the Great Old Ones and the SCP Foundation. He wondered who would be the ultimate victor if the three of them did fight...

If he had to place a bet, he'd bet on the evil god's side, since Cthulhu is on that side. But if he really had to put it in perspective, he's connected to all three sides in some way.

He has been an evil god, a containment object, and by some twist of fate became a member of the apocalypse. His life experiences are extremely rich... However, now all three of them have become prisoners, and he is using them to guard those extremely important secrets.

Of course, it's too early to talk about these things now. If we want to get involved in these things, we should at least wait until Gensokyo is fully established. If it weren't for what happened to Shinki today, Shibai wouldn't have thought of saying so much to her.

"Alright, now can you tell me what exactly happened to Alice?"

Shi Bai reached out and pressed his slightly sore head.

Forcing himself to recall so many past events all at once was a bit of a burden for him in the modern world. If it weren't for certain things he was considering, he would have wanted to shut down his desires again.

"...Alice is the closest thing I have ever created to the concept of life. In theory, she has surpassed Yumeko."

After a moment of silence, Shenqi took a deep breath.

"I have been researching these things for years, but unfortunately there has been very little progress. Alice is just like other demons. As soon as she steps outside the boundaries of the demon realm, she will instantly turn into a doll without any self-awareness."

"Is everyone else like this?"

Shi Bai raised an eyebrow, clearly curious.

“That’s right, all the creatures in the Demon Realm are like that, including Yumeko. I don’t dare let them discover this terrifying fact, which is why I’ve always forbidden them from going out.”

Shen Qi let out a soft sigh.

"However, over such a long period of time, there will always be people who are curious about the outside world. It is impossible for me to be on guard against them every moment. In fact, in the Demon Realm, there is already a vague urban legend that 'as long as you step out of the Demon Realm, you will instantly turn into a doll.' They generally believe that this is the punishment and curse of the Demon God for those who betray the rules and deceive."

"...Will I become a puppet as soon as I step out of the Demon Realm?"

With his arms crossed, Shi Bai looked thoughtful.

"And what about Alice?"

"As my greatest achievement, I treated her as my daughter, carefully teaching her all kinds of knowledge and magic. Alice is very talented and learns very quickly."

At this point, Shenqi gave a wry smile.

"But like everyone else, Alice is also full of curiosity about the outside world. For this reason, she has asked me more than once to let her go out and play. She is my daughter, and I want her to have a real life, not to become an 'object' that will turn into a doll as soon as she leaves the Demon Realm."

"So? What have you come up with about this research?"

Shi Bai seemed slightly curious.

"Before I learn anything about the [Origin of the World] from you, I want to use a method that might seem strange and bizarre to you."

After a moment's hesitation, Shenqi reached out and took out a very strange blood-red humanoid figure, placing it on the coffee table.

“About several decades ago, Eirin Yagokoro found this place, and together with her, we researched and created this item—the [Hourai Doll].

"【Penglai Doll】..."

Shi Bai frowned almost imperceptibly at the small, blood-red humanoid figure placed on the table.

What were you originally planning to do?

"...by killing Alice eight times, and then giving her real life in the form of Penglai."

After a brief silence, Shenqi answered without a word.

"According to my calculations, the possibility of failure is almost non-existent... As long as Alice can persevere, she will gain true life and escape the Demon Realm."

"But you're not going to tell her the whole story, are you? Like, that she doesn't actually have any life at all...?"

"The truth about this is too cruel. In the entire Demon Realm, the only ones who know this truth are succubi. Even my personal maid, Yumeko, doesn't know this."

Shen Qi shook her head.

“I will absolutely not let Alice know the truth. Sometimes a white lie is the best protection for her.”

"You didn't say anything to her, and then you planned to kill her eight times in total?"

After hearing Shen Qi's words, Shi Bai's expression became rather strange.

"Don't tell me you want to treat it as some kind of accident. You are the God of the Demon Realm, the creator of the Demon Realm. How could you not know what's happening in the Demon Realm? Besides, Alice is your daughter. Do you believe that after she gains true life and leaves the Demon Realm, she will never want to return to the Demon Realm to see you, her mother?"

"There is no such thing as having it all in this world; making appropriate trade-offs is necessary."

Picking up the [Hōrai Doll] from the table, Shinki let out a soft sigh.

"If I had told Alice the truth beforehand, she would not have been able to endure that trial, and her desire to have a real life would have been in vain. It was actually a very easy choice to make."

"Hmm... there is actually a way to have the best of both worlds."

After thinking for a moment, Shi Bai made a very serious suggestion.

"I just checked Alice's information. According to my estimate, it would only take killing about ten thousand people to give Alice a real life. Would you like to consider it?"

stare------

"Uh……"