CHAPTER 1054: CHAPTER 1051: "ALICE.

Year of the Old Days 830 - Year of the Old Days 832.

Cemetery.

Lv Shu held a bouquet of white daisies, gazing at the crowds moving back and forth. This cemetery was located at the 20% land demarcation line, mostly burying those who died in war.

"Son, your mother is now all alone."

At the end of Lv Shu’s line of sight was a middle-aged woman, her black hair streaked with white. She faced a tombstone, placing the daisies petal by petal in front of it: "Son, your mother came to see you again today... I opened the door at home and found the previously locked window open, was it you who came back? If you did... please come see your mother in her dreams... Even your pet, Jiaojiao, died yesterday. The air quality is so poor, too much smoke from the bombs. Cats and dogs don’t live long..."

"How many more years will this war last... Son, you stayed with the army until the end, saying you were going to escort the Old God to make it rain, the rain has fallen, when will you return... when will there be an end..."

Lv Shu looked on silently.

A ginkgo leaf drifted down on his forehead; it’s already autumn, yet most people were wearing thin clothes. They walk back and forth in the cemetery, petals falling, witnessing the myriad expressions of human life.

"Can the Old God resurrect the deceased? If we are devout enough, can we catch a glimpse of Him?"

"Old God... I can dedicate all my possessions to You, I can be Your devoted believer for life, just please... bring my father back to life..."

"Wars never end, three years and another three, neither side is wrong, who exactly is at fault..."

Until dusk, the crowd kept changing, and only then did Lv Shu toss the white daisies in his arms into a trash bin. He had no one to mourn, if there was, perhaps he should mourn himself.

The setting sun dyed the tombstones fiery red, and also turned his flowing white hair rose-red. He did not know what he should do; his personal tasks had long been completed, and there was no heavy burden on his shoulders, as if staying in the safe small town was his only task.

"Swish".

He swung the black blade in his hand, deep confusion like snow settling on his shoulders.

He had long known that his acuity was insufficient to delve into the instance, he wasn’t as clever as Noel, not as adept as Lu, nor did he have a high starting identity. In the Fifth World, the Seventh World, he always helped Su Ming’an as a follower, in the Eighth World he became the boss Black Robed Man, in the Ninth World he became an electronic ghost drifting between dimensions. Every place with great achievements, he accomplished by recklessly burning himself, but now there’s no place needing his burning, and the teammates don’t wish for him to burn himself.

So, at the moment when he saw Su Ming’an pierced in the sky, a huge wave of regret and unwillingness surged in his heart.

What could he do?

What could he do?

Yamada Machiichi and Yuanyuan immediately rallied the army, Noel went to meet Su Ming’an, yet he... didn’t realize it was a feigned death.

Clearly, he was the closest to Su Ming’an at the time, right below in the sky, but he only vaguely realized it when Xiao Jingsan and Noel rushed over to grab the body. Even after Su Ming’an’s resurrection, Su Ming’an didn’t convey any new mission to him, seeming to want him to stay in the small town.

"..."

Lv Shu swung the blade again.

He thought, if Su Ming’an never gave him new missions, could it be that Su Ming’an wanted him to let go? They had already talked it through beforehand, Su Ming’an respected all of Lv Shu’s decisions and wouldn’t constrain his actions, just hoped he would cherish himself more.

But what should he do? Go to the front lines and fight? One more of him, no gain; one less, no loss. If he stayed in the small town, at least he could protect the last pure land...

At this moment, he suddenly heard a voice:

"... Are you feeling confused?"

Lv Shu raised his head. A deity suddenly appeared by the path in the cemetery, with newly bloomed peach blossoms adorning its shoulder.

"If you are feeling confused, I can tell you what is most suitable to do." The deity said.

Lv Shu stepped forward.

The deity revealed a gentle smile, watching Lv Shu approach.

"Swish" went the sound.

The black blade pierced through the deity’s body, as if shattering a burst of white light and shadow.

"Get lost." Lv Shu said.

What made him confused was his ability, but he would never be seduced by the enemy.

"I won’t believe anything you say." Lv Shu said: "Your reaction told me, I am real, not a character you fabricated; otherwise, you wouldn’t need to seduce me. Stay far away from me, liar."

The deity smiled faintly, then disappeared.

Lv Shu stood in silence for a long time.

Then, an exclamation came, and people looked up towards a direction. Lv Shu’s heartbeat suddenly quickened, and he looked to the sky—

In the western sky at the horizon, a fiery red suddenly ignited, covering buildings, mountains, and rivers with golden-red brilliance. Even though extremely distant, it was visible.

—Is that...

Lv Shu’s pupils contracted slightly.

—The resurrection of the Exotic Species King?

...

During the time of heavy rain, Su Ming’an remained in stillness.

Alice held him tightly, approaching the Black Mist. The second tower rose straight into the sky, shimmering with lighthouse-like halos.

The Holy Alliance Army lined up, their solemn iron faces concealing their expressions. The deity did not want Su Ming’an to participate in the tower, how could he be allowed to descend into Nine Serenities?

"Witch, forbidden from stepping into Nine Serenities." The bishop recited her charge.

... Is that so? Am I a witch again?

Alice brushed her short hair and laughed; it seemed she had been bouncing back and forth between these two identities too many times.

How ironic—when the deity needed her, she was the Goddess. When the deity did not need her, she was a Witch. Like a puppet on strings, the direction the puppet faced was entirely dictated by the great hand above, which defined "correctness."

She lowered her head, seeing Su Ming’an’s pupils in her arms move slightly. He should be able to perceive the rapidly passing time around him; for him, it’s only a moment, but for her as an NPC, it was a tangible two years. Now is just the beginning, more than seven hundred days to go.

He suddenly let out a very soft sound, just a murmur in his sleep.

"... Hmm?" Alice tilted her head, letting him lean on her shoulder, afraid of waking him.

His time is frozen, unaffected by the heavy rain; such a weary, extended period... better to let him sleep through it.

"Actually, you being like this is more reassuring." Her voice was gentle, and for the first time, she did not use respectful language towards him: "Every year after you disappear, I worry you won’t come back, yet like this, you are always in my sight... You know? I have grown very tall, and you seem not to have noticed."

She was over one meter seventy now, holding him without effort. Her features matured; her nose grew pronounced, her lips slightly thin, a very beautiful shape, with a somewhat rounded chin, just like the face of Snow White in fairy tales, very cute.

That little girl shivering in the winter, malnourished... she had grown up.

She picked up the sword, raised the shield, donned the thick armor, her cheeks no longer naive, her steps steady... she successfully walked out of the snowy night.

Incisive attacks poured towards Alice.

Vivid red serpents flowed within Alice’s pupils. At this moment, she no longer resisted the strange power within.

—When Yamada Machiichi and Lu arrived with the troops, this was the scene they saw.

The girl’s full head of black hair fluttered in the wind, her pupils completely dyed crimson, she bore wings formed of tendrils, a vivid red serpent’s brilliance circled her, soldiers lay fallen at her feet, the sharp tower stood upright before her, like a sword plunging into bone, and she as if a female war god.

She held the still youth in her arms, her actions could be called gentle. She spoke to him softly, walking step by step into the silent Black Mist.

"No one can stop me from reaching the Nine Serenities."

"When all this is over, if I can still maintain my divine wisdom... Detective, let’s find a quiet place. The flowers in the North Sea are said to be beautiful, and the wheat cakes there are said to be delicious. We must... create happy memories."

"I once had a dream, dreaming that you and I lived our lives in Burg Castle until I retired from being a Knight. We were old and gray, with bent backs, going together to see the edge-of-lake corollas... You once said, a retired Knight of Light would have a leisurely life, and children would respect us..."

"Things that weighed on my heart before, now, I find unsuitable to tell you. I’m glad you can’t hear them."

"When I said your porridge was delicious, I was lying. It was really awful... I just wanted to make you stay so much..."

"You said to wait for you to go to Nine Serenities together, but it’s been two years... How many people have died in two years, how many parents have lost their children, how many children have lost their elders... It can’t be delayed any longer..."

"I’m sorry, Detective, I... won’t wait for you anymore. You must remember..."

"Alice, in the end she is just Alice."

In the past, the aunt from the neighboring house often scared her, saying that if the detective got married in the future, once there was a mistress at home, she, this orphan, would be thrown out.

...How laughable.

Clearly, she was the first to reach legal marriage age.

...

When Su Ming’an opened his eyes, there was a vast expanse of black mist around him. He was seated in a mechanical wheelchair.

A red-haired youth was pushing his wheelchair, his pupils like flames. Golden cold flames burned around them, dispelling the all-pervasive black mist.

"Old God, you’re awake. It’s now Old Day Year 832. The second rainfall pushed us forward by two years," Li Yuxuan said.

Su Ming’an felt a void in his heart.

...Where’s Alice?

...They were supposed to go to Nine Serenities together after the rain stopped, so where did she go?

Li Yuxuan answered, "Alice placed you deep in the black mist when the rain first started two years ago, with people from the Old Day Church protecting you, then she went alone to Nine Serenities."

"She’s been in Nine Serenities for two years?" Su Ming’an asked.

"Yes, the resurrection of the Exotic Species King requires time. Now, two years have passed, and it’s about time for the resurrection. We’re now escorting you to Nine Serenities to witness the resurrection of the Exotic Species King," Li Yuxuan’s voice was low: "As a vessel, her consciousness... should have been long gone."

Su Ming’an gazed around, but he could only see silent soldiers. They were escorting him to Nine Serenities, and where was Alice?

...She was left behind two years ago, and she placed herself in a place he couldn’t see. She couldn’t wait for two years; too many people would die in two years. So at the beginning of the accelerated time, she jumped alone into Nine Serenities.

That way, when the rain stopped, and he opened his eyes, the Exotic Species King would be almost resurrected, not wasting any time. The pollution in Nine Serenities was severe and wouldn’t harm him.

She was right. But... that means...

He had no opportunity to sever her fate, meaning he had never won against destiny even once.

She stayed in that dark, sunless place in Nine Serenities alone for a full two years, with no one to accompany her, until the Exotic Species King completely took over her consciousness.

Before the rain stopped, her fate ended.

Su Ming’an lowered his head and only then discovered a white dried flower on his knee. It was the flower Alice had once held in her arms.

She left the flower for him.

On the ribbon tied to the flower stem, there were small words written.

...

[For more flowers. —Alice]

...

For more blooming flowers in the future, she left herself in the depths of Nine Serenities alone.

Before he opened his eyes, she was gone.

At this moment, he seemed to hear an overwhelming heartbeat. The girl’s smile faded into the vast black mist, then shattered into thousands of countless flowers.

"..."

He was enveloped by an intense sense of fate, and he felt a pain beyond words.

A narrow alley, an astrology stall, the fireworks by the lake, the sea beneath the airship, the Spring Heart Cookies in the cupboard, the steaming red tea on the table, the crackling fire of the fireplace, the girl’s purple eyes, and "Detective."

He thought of the wish on the wish card. The wind was so cold that night, under the tree with the floating red ribbons across the sky, the fifteen-year-old girl blushing, tiptoed and whispered in his ear—

[I want to accumulate one wish each year, so when I grow up, you can fulfill them with me.]

[Would that be okay?]

Su Ming’an suddenly felt something in the jolts of the wheelchair; he lowered his head to open the white flower Alice left for him. Inside the petal, he found three lines of words.

...

[Don’t die.]

[Be happy.]

[Forget me.]

[—Alice’s accumulated wishes.]

...

Her three wishes from fifteen to eighteen years old.

A girl who never accepted fate, in the end, shattered into thousands of countless future flowers. She threw herself into Nine Serenities, the most frightening, dark mythology place, staying alone for two full years until she had no divine wisdom left.

Alice’s life ended in the early winter of her 21st year.

Till the end, she never gave herself a real name.

Su Ming’an removed a petal and placed it on his lips; suddenly, he felt a stab of pain, his heart seemed to have opened up a deep, small point.

...It was like a speck of regret-laden snow.

...

["Detective."]

[Outside the window, the white snow fluttered and brushed against the foggy window glass, like pure white goose feathers, or the touch of angel wings. Su Ming’an sank into sleep in the midst of the sound of crackling flames. Warm firelight danced on his face, a layer of warmth upon his closed eyelids.]

[After Su Ming’an had fallen asleep, the girl’s voice softly rose.]

["...Detective, today’s snowfall is so beautiful."]

["Good night."]

...

"..."

"Say earlier... it was bad. Yet you ate it so happily every year."

"Had you said it was bad earlier... it wouldn’t have been made..."