Chapter 135: Returning to the Mortal Realm

Link immediately expressed his gratitude to Alice, who accepted it with a smile. Ever since Suigintou had been granted life and a soul, she would always beam with a smile whenever she saw Link.

After discussing their return, Alice gave Suigintou a firm hug, then stared at Link for a long moment, looking as if she had something on her mind. Seeing this, Link prompted, "By the Father God, Miss Alice, you seem hesitant to speak. Pray, tell me what is on your mind. As long as it is within my power and does not violate the teachings, I shall not be stingy with my help."

Alice looked at Link with gratitude, then glanced down at Suigintou before saying, "Mr. Neil, would you be willing to take this child, Suigintou, with you? Although she is not particularly strong, she is equivalent to a mortal who has just acquired Sacred Origin Power. She can pass through the realm gate and will be able to provide you with assistance."

At these words, both Link and Suigintou were stunned. Suigintou hurriedly asked in anxiety, "Mother, are you abandoning me?"

Alice stroked Suigintou's head and said tenderly, "Of course not. It is simply that this lifeless world is not suitable for you. I, too, must wait a long time before I can leave. Rather than staying here, it would be better for you to go with Mr. Neil. I believe Mr. Neil will take good care of you. Suigintou, do you not wish to be with Mr. Neil?"

"I..." Suigintou looked at Link with a gaze full of expectation and shyness. Her cute demeanor betrayed her true feelings; compared to Alice, who had bestowed her body, she clearly preferred to be with Link, who had granted her life and soul.

Observing Suigintou's reaction, Alice asked Link again, "Mr. Neil, can you accept my request?"

Link smiled and nodded. "Of course. Since the child calls me father, I naturally cannot abandon her. Miss Alice, rest assured, I will take good care of her."

"Thank you." Alice flashed another sweet smile.

The conversation between this pair of "parents" was truly bizarre, yet neither of them felt anything strange about it. After the initial awkwardness, a thick-skinned human with an extraordinary past and a reclusive, non-human Sacred Spirit calmly accepted the arrangement. They maintained a normal way of interacting—neither intimate nor distant—comparable to ordinary friends of the opposite sex. As for Suigintou, she had only just gained life and lacked common sense; she simply viewed Alice and Link as her parents, unaware of the implications such titles carried in the outside world.

And so, the decision was made for Suigintou to return with them. Link was quite pleased. Setting aside the fact that Suigintou already possessed the strength of an early-stage Tier 7, he felt a genuine, heartfelt fondness for this "daughter." Perhaps because her life and soul originated from him, there was a sense of blood and soul connection between them, making her feel even closer than a biological daughter.

Afterward, Link called the others and together they found Yuuka, who was taking a stroll through the sunflower field. Yuuka said little, immediately instructing Reimu and Lin Xi to bring out the Yin-Yang Orb and the Dreamy Heavenly Talisman.

Once the two women produced the sacred artifacts, Link could not help but ask the question he had been wanting to ask all along: "Lady Yuuka, may I ask, to whom do the Yin-Yang Orb and the Dreamy Heavenly Talisman truly belong? You have mentioned many times that Reimu and Sister Lin Xi, who hold these sacred items, are the successors of a friend of yours. Who exactly is that person? Can you tell us?"

At this, everyone grew tense, fearing Yuuka might be angered, yet they pricked up their ears, clearly just as curious.

Yuuka merely glanced at Link and replied with an expressionless face, "That person was the guardian of this small world, the shrine maiden of Gensokyo, a human saint. However, she perished in the catastrophe five thousand years ago."

"The guardian of Gensokyo?" Everyone was shocked. Alice had the strongest reaction, asking, "Yuuka, could that shrine maiden be the legendary 'Dreamy Shrine Maiden of Paradise' who could even defeat you?"

"That is she," Yuuka nodded slightly.

"No wonder," Alice nodded as well. Turning to look at Lin Xi and Reimu, she said, "You two are truly fortunate to have inherited her sacred artifacts. As long as you use them well, your names will surely be among the human saints of the future."

These words stunned everyone. Lin Xi and Reimu were even more shocked. Although they knew their talent was excellent, they had only ever imagined reaching Tier 9 at best; the realm of a saint was something they dared not even dream of. Yet Alice claimed they had the potential to become saints—how could they not be astonished?

However, the shock did not last long, for they were not the only two to have inherited the sacred artifacts. Countless people had received the legacy of these two items over the past five thousand years, yet none had ever achieved sainthood; they were merely two among many successors. No one could say for certain how far they would go. Furthermore, Lin Xi was a grounded person, and Reimu did not have an overwhelming thirst for power, so they soon calmed down, treating Alice's words as a whimsical encouragement.

Alice offered no further explanation, as she believed that once the two women truly understood how to wield the artifacts, they would naturally realize the extent of their power; saying more now would be useless.

"Enough, save your words for later. I am about to trigger the resonance between the Yin-Yang Orb and the Dreamy Heavenly Talisman. You two, hold the items steady and do not move, or you shall be held responsible for any mishaps," Yuuka suddenly interrupted, pulling everyone's attention back to the matter at hand. She flicked her fingers, shooting two streams of green energy that struck the Yin-Yang Orb and the Dreamy Heavenly Talisman.

Instantly, the two artifacts were activated by Yuuka's power, emitting a pulsing resonance. Following this, the power of the two items erupted and connected, and a rift appeared—the very same strange fissure that had brought them into this world.

Upon closer inspection, the rift not only contained many chilling eyes, but there was also a red ribbon on each side of the opening, which looked extremely eerie.

Yuuka did not give Link time to dwell on it, speaking again, "Very well, the passage is open. Go quickly. This passage will not last long; if it closes, it will be a long time before it can be opened again."

Link had no choice but to collect his thoughts and bid farewell to everyone one by one. Suigintou also reluctantly said goodbye to Alice. Then, Link picked up Suigintou, took a large stride into the eerie rift, and vanished before their eyes.

The next moment, the rift closed. The Yin-Yang Orb and the Dreamy Heavenly Talisman returned to normal and merged into the bodies of Lin Xi and Reimu. The two women, as if they had just finished a marathon, collapsed to the ground, drenched in sweat and gasping for air.

After observing the two women, Alice secretly asked Yuuka via telepathic transmission, "Yuuka, that strange rift just now... could it be the legendary Gap?"

"Oh? You recognized it?" Yuuka looked at Alice with a playful smile, then nodded slightly. "Indeed, that is the Gap, the power of the one who created Gensokyo. She left this power within the shrine maiden's inherited sacred artifacts, all for the sake of one day rebuilding Gensokyo."

"Rebuilding Gensokyo..." Alice whispered in a low voice before ending the topic. The wasteland world returned to silence.

Just as it had been when traveling to the wasteland world, upon entering the rift, Link felt a dizzying sensation. When he came to his senses, he had already landed on the ground.

Taking a steady look, he saw he had returned to the Human Realm, right outside Star-Shine City. The scarred city was struggling to emerge from the shadows of war.

At the same time, Link restored his conscious connection with Bai Ling. Bai Ling had been wandering near Star-Shine City ever since Lin Xi and the others went missing. Now, sensing Link's presence, it immediately sent a wave of joy and excitement.

After soothing Bai Ling in his mind, Link turned his gaze toward Star-Shine City. Suigintou, sitting on his shoulder, curiously observed her surroundings. "Father, is this your hometown, the Human Realm? What a beautiful place! It is much better than the place where Mother lives."

For Suigintou, who had never seen a vibrant world, even the war-torn capital was far better than her original home. Not long after she spoke, several soldiers walked over and said with an unfriendly tone, "You—yes, you, the guy with a doll on his shoulder. Who are you? Are you a refugee displaced by the war? Why haven't I seen you before? Which street are you from?"

Facing this hostile questioning, before Link could react, Suigintou could no longer restrain herself. She pointed angrily at the soldiers and snapped, "You foolish humans, show some respect to my father, or I shall teach you a lesson!"

The soldiers were stunned, and then expressions of shock washed over them. The doll had actually spoken, and its voice was quite pleasant! What was going on? Was this the legendary ventriloquism? Or was this a little girl who looked like a doll?

As they pondered, the soldiers subconsciously studied Suigintou. They noticed she really did resemble a young noble lady, though she was petite—less than eighty