Chapter 130: The Difficulty of Leaving

After flying for about twenty minutes, the group finally reached the gateway between the two worlds that Alice had mentioned. It was a massive rift in space-time, where violent gales and thunderclaps raged like an apocalyptic vision. Even from a distance, they felt the overwhelming power of the rift, which was difficult to withstand.

Observing their reaction, Alice said, "This is the gateway between the two worlds, created by mortals abusing their power a thousand years ago. Although it had been calm for a millennium, the abuse of space-time rift power by mortals a few months ago caused this unstable passage to reopen. It was through this channel that I traveled to the mortal realm." She paused, then added, "Navigating this passage is dangerous even for me; I can only do my best to protect myself from being harmed by its chaotic power, so I cannot help you."

What could the two of them say? They could only exchange a helpless, weary glance and sigh.

Afterward, Alice led them back. Seeing their low spirits, she offered some comfort: "You need not be so discouraged. While I have no way to help, Youmu should be able to."

"Youmu..." The expressions on their faces darkened. Asking that arrogant, ice-cold beauty for help? The difficulty of such a task was extraordinary, especially since she had rejected them from the very start.

Reimu remarked unhappily, "Forget it. Given that green-haired woman's nasty temperament, if we go to her for help, won't we just get swatted away with a single slap?"

Even Reimu, whose own personality was abrasive and indifferent toward others, was criticizing Youmu, let alone the others. Though Link remained silent, his thoughts were the same. Even though Youmu had taken them in, he could not forget how, upon their first meeting, she had spoken repeatedly of killing them and turning them into flower fertilizer. He knew full well that she wasn't just trying to scare them; she would truly do it. To someone who viewed mortals as mere ants, turning people into fertilizer was likely as routine as eating or drinking.

Alice seemed aware of Youmu’s temperament. After hearing Reimu’s words, a trace of awkwardness appeared on her face, and she did not refute the claim. Her reaction only served to confirm Link’s suspicion: Youmu Konpaku was truly the type of person who would take a life if she felt the slightest bit of displeasure.

Helpless, Link bypassed the topic and asked, "Miss Alice, could you tell me where exactly this place is? Is it the 'Negative Space' from legends, where countless chaotic creatures reside?"

Alice nodded, then shook her head. "Yes and no. This place was once part of the Negative Space, but it was forcibly carved out by an ancient Holy Spirit using the power of boundaries. Upon this foundation, a paradise was built where humans, Holy Spirits, and various sentient beings could coexist in peace, known as the 'Gensokyo Beyond the World.' Unfortunately," she sighed deeply, "during the Great Calamity five thousand years ago, Gensokyo was destroyed. It became a wasteland where no living creature could survive. Those who once lived here either fled or perished, leaving the wasteland as you see it now. Only Youmu still lives here."

"Youmu, you say?" Link thought of the mysterious and unfathomable green-haired woman and nodded thoughtfully. He asked about Youmu’s identity, but Alice only stated that Youmu, like herself, was a Holy Spirit, offering no further details. Clearly, she did not wish to reveal too much, so Link set the matter aside to ask other questions.

Alice did not hold back this time; she answered everything she knew, helping Link understand many things. Most importantly, this realm was finite in size—if they wished, they could reach its edge in a day. Beyond that lay a chaotic abyss; once fallen into, there was no return. The only way to leave was through the unstable space-time rift.

In other words, Link and his companions were effectively trapped.

When they returned to the mansion, Lin Xi and Altaïr had woken up. As soon as Alice left, they arrived, and seeing the troubled expressions on Link and Reimu’s faces, they hurried to ask what had happened. Upon learning the truth, their own expressions soured, but Lin Xi immediately said, "Everyone, don't be too pessimistic. I’ve been traveling for three years and have seen all kinds of situations. There is a saying in the East: 'Heaven never shuts off all doors.' I believe we will find a way. Don't forget, the Father God is with us."

Hearing Lin Xi's words, the faithful Altaïr and Reimu regained their optimism. Only Link, though he appeared to recover his spirits, was inwardly smiling bitterly. *Father God? The Father God is me.* If even he was at a loss, what could this so-called Father God do?

However, Lin Xi was right: there is always a way out. It was not yet time for despair, and he could not give up easily. Furthermore, he still possessed the "True God System" within him. A system that had always surprised him surely wouldn't let him down now. He quickly pulled himself together and assigned a new task.

Alice had said that apart from them, there were no living creatures in the Gensokyo wasteland. As long as they didn't rush to the abyss at the border or approach the unstable rift, they were safe. Though it was their first conversation and Alice was enigmatic, her words carried a strange, persuasive power. Most importantly, the Phantom lurking in the shadows had not sensed any falsehood or deception in her speech.

Thus, Link prepared to thoroughly search the wasteland. Aside from the two women who stayed as a pair, the others and the beasts were separated to search for clues. They spent the entire day scouring the area, even reaching the border Alice had described. It was truly a chaotic world, with distorted space ahead that seemed as if one would vanish into it upon mere contact.

Yet, even after searching the entire wasteland, they found no way to leave. In fact, because the air outside was so chaotic, they felt physically unwell upon returning. Given that they were all powerful individuals with high resistance, the fact that they felt this way after only a day showed how terrible the air quality was. An ordinary person would likely fall deathly ill within an hour.

Fortunately, Link’s healing methods were potent, and everyone was fine after treatment. Still, the lack of results after a day of effort left them feeling quite frustrated.

But they could not give up. For the next few days, they continued to search everywhere, but found no leads. In the blink of an eye, they had been in the wasteland for four days, and the date in the outside world had reached December. The longer they stayed, the worse their moods became. Facing the total lack of progress and trapped in a wasteland so oppressive that even a hint of life was invisible, even the stoic Altaïr began to feel the strain, let alone the others.

Facing this situation, Link was extremely anxious but powerless. The True God System seemed to have malfunctioned, showing no reaction at all.

On the morning of December 2nd, while it was still dark, Link, troubled and unable to sleep, rose early and went to the kitchen to find water. To his surprise, Alice was there. She was holding a book in one hand, while the other hand wore a set of rings connected to fine threads. Her fingers moved with great dexterity, and the threads danced in rhythm, as if she were performing an elegant show. At the other end of the threads was a black doll—the puppet Alice had created, Suigintou.

At that moment, Suigintou was brewing tea for Alice as if she were a marionette, yet her movements were so nimble and lifelike that one could hardly tell she was an inanimate object.

Upon closer inspection, the doll was exquisitely crafted. Despite being less than eighty centimeters tall, she was virtually indistinguishable from a real person, dressed in a gothic black dress with flowing, magnificent silver hair. Her small face was like a child's, resembling a gothic lolita.

Regrettably, because she lacked life, no matter how beautiful her appearance, she lacked spirit and vitality—she remained merely a marionette.

Seeing Link enter, Alice set down her book and stopped Suigintou’s movements. "Mr. Nil, you are up quite early."

Link nodded. "Yes, I couldn't sleep, so I got up to find some water."

"Oh, that’s perfect. I just had Suigintou brew some black tea; the leaves were brought back from the mortal realm. Would you like some?" Alice asked in a voice that was cool yet not unpleasant.

Link smiled slightly. "Black tea? That would be great. I used to drink it often."

Alice nodded and immediately controlled Suigintou to "float" over with the teapot and cup. After pouring a cup for Link, the doll even gracefully lifted the hem of her dress and bowed, acting just like a well-mannered noble lady.

Link was amazed. "Miss Alice, you are the one controlling her, right? That’s truly incredible. She’s just like a real person. I’ve seen puppet shows, but those puppeteers are nowhere near your level."

Alice showed no joy at the compliment; instead, a trace of loneliness appeared on her face. "Is that so? But at first, I wanted this child to have life and a soul. For that, I even made a special trip to the mortal realm, but it was still of no use."

"Have life and a soul?" Link paused, his mouth twitching. "Miss Alice's ambition is truly grand, but that sort of thing must be incredibly difficult to achieve, right?"

Alice nodded. "My mother and Miss Youmu both said that only the long-vanished True God could create a soul from nothing and bestow life."

*Only the True God can do it?*

Hearing this, Link’s heart stirred, and he vaguely thought of something. He glanced at Suigintou, who stood before him like a young lady, and asked curiously, "Miss Alice, may I touch this child? Please don't misunderstand; I am simply curious about her skin. It looks just like a real person's. If you don't like the idea, just pretend I never asked."

Alice shook her head. "As long as you don't hurt her, Mr. Nil, you may touch her. Her skin is made of a special material blend; it is indeed similar to that of a human child."

Link thanked her and curiously reached out to touch Suigintou’s small face. He was surprised; not only did it look real, but the texture was indistinguishable from a person's, though it lacked warmth—like a corpse that had yet to stiffen.

Just as Link was marveling at the material of the puppet, the long-silent True God System suddenly transmitted an unexpected message to him.