She put on the Eye of the Old Days, killed him, stored the emotion within herself, and jumped into the sea to sleep, to prevent collapsing.
Once he changed bodies, she would awaken from the sea, trace the marks of his "reincarnation," kill him again, and store the emotion within herself.
Repeat the above steps endlessly, until the end.
...
But before this, Su Ming’an had to do sothing.
He placed the dark brown felt hat on his head, put on a coat, and walked towards the alley.
This was the year 508 of the Old Days, the beginning of everything.
A girl with black hair and purple eyes crouched in the alley, shivering.
He reached out his hand to her.
...
[Girl: Detective, from the first mont I saw you, I felt you were like a holy angel. Maybe when we both don’t rember, we’ve t before?]
...
Old Year 512.
He held her hand, one step, one step, walking towards the snow-filled valley.
"Crunch, crunch." The sound of walking on snow.
One tall and one short, one big and one small. Two figures holding hands, leaving a trail of deep and shallow footprints.
Alice looked up, she had already been chosen as the Goddess, why did they not lead the war instead of heading to a desolate place?
"Detective, the war has already started, where are we going?"
Su Ming’an bowed his head, gazing into her purple eyes: "To the end of civilization."
"Detective, where is the end of civilization?"
Su Ming’an softly said: "It is... our untouched holand."
Su Ming’an had tried many tis.
No matter how the war was guided, it always ended in defeat. Either Goddess Alice died from being stabbed in the back, or he died from malice. This is an era of rampant malice, with no other way to save except obliteration.
However, Chao Yan proposed a solution.
—Go to the end of civilization, to the junction of 9999 tilines. Erase this era from the realm of "Dream Tour" and "The Tower."
Which ans—
Delete the ga "Girl’s Dream Project", erasing the causality of Alice eting him.
If the Old God did not enter this era, Alice would not have a crimson snake on her body, and she would not beco the guide for Dieying to intervene in this era.
He had tried countless tis to save Alice. Protecting her in assassinations, taking her away in warfire, shielding her from public anger. But in the end, he found that the best way to protect her—
Was to never et her from the beginning.
"Detective, at that ti... will you still hold my hand?" Alice looked at the vast snow in the distance. The white salt grains fell on her hair.
"I will." Su Ming’an lied.
When the ga is deleted, at the very start of the story, she will forget him. As for her detective, he will no longer appear.
"Hmm." Alice nodded deeply: "I will definitely, definitely keep the promise and et you. At that ti, the war will definitely end..."
The whistling white snow, he tightened her scarf and attached a warr to her body, taking her forward all the way.
At the end of the story, this was his and her last journey together.
"Crunch, crunch." The vision was all a pure, expansive white, leaving only the sound of footsteps in the snow, one deep and one shallow, as if singing in duet.
When looking towards the edge of the world, Su Ming’an seed to see countless "Alices."
Alice dying in war, Alice becoming the Goddess, Alice sacrificing to Nine Serenities, Alice becoming a Royal City Knight, Alice becoming a Doctor, Alice becoming a street thug...
—How many possibilities can a person’s life foster in ten thousand tilines?
If life is a long cultivation ga, everyone’s "training schedule" is arranged by themselves, whether it’s work, study, or entertainnt. The key choices in each life, whether it’s postgraduate entrance exams, civil service exams, or work, can lead to different life endings. How many kinds of "possibilities" of one’s own existence could there be in this world?
In this cultivation ga called "Girl’s Dream Project", as a Player, Su Ming’an was undoubtedly outstanding, raising in the life album the rarest Alice—the Goddess Alice. He didn’t let her beco a street thug, a noble’s lover, or et a low-level ending as a criminal. But in other tilines, amidst endless possibilities, such an Alice exists. They may be less fortunate, may have taken a wrong turn, but it cannot be denied that they are still her.
The Alice in front of Su Ming’an will always be the luckiest and happiest Alice.
—We are all the Protagonists in our own world.
...
["At that ti... will we et at the ending?" On the beach, Alice asked softly.]
...
—We have already t at the ending.
Reaching the world’s edge, the snow almost blinded their vision.
The Causal Line on Alice’s body was tightly connected to his. He drew the Sword of Destiny, slashing—
"Detective... gentlen?" Alice’s eyes were filled with astonishnt.
Tears flowed from her eyes, and she seed to suddenly realize what he was doing.
...
[Are you sure you want to delete "Girl’s Dream Project"?]
[Yes/No]
...
"Don’t... Detective... don’t." She rushed forward, hugging him, tears soaking into his coat.
But Su Ming’an only lowered his hand, gently touching her head.
Go to happiness, Alice.
In a world without . At the story’s beginning.
It was I who interfered with your life, arranged your schedule, cultivated you into the way I wanted. This is not right.
Your life is not my training ga, your "ending album" should be lit by you.
His lips trembled:
"Delete the ga."
...
[Shrine Maiden: This lady’s Tarot Card is... Upright Judgnt. Judgnt carries the aning of "rebirth", representing a new beginning.]
...
Old Year 508.
The snow was exceptionally heavy.
A girl with black hair and purple eyes shivered in the broken alley, her skin white and clean, with no marks of red snakes, just like an ordinary girl.
She had frozen here for a long ti, but this was the life of a child in the slums, only enduring.
"Crunch, crunch, crunch, crunch." Suddenly, the sound of footsteps in the snow ca.
She felt sothing, though she didn’t know what she was expecting, she slowly raised her head—
Under the dim light, a figure walked towards her, seemingly cloaked in a layer of pale moonlight, the coat fluttering in the wind, carrying the scent of snow.
The girl’s heartbeat quickened inexplicably... clearly eting for the first ti, yet this scene felt like she’d seen it countless tis.
A word she didn’t understand was about to escape her lips, as if repeated a thousand tis by instinct, staring at that figure, she opened her mouth and called: "Detec-tive..."
"Oh dear! What’s a child doing freezing here?" The figure approached, revealed to be an old man with white hair, a pipe in his mouth, looking at her: "Child... truly pitiful, why not co with ? The old man usually has nothing to do, another mouth to feed doesn’t matter."
The girl opened her mouth, a wave of intense confusion surged in her heart.
... It seed it shouldn’t be like this, it shouldn’t be this person adopting her.
But she understood, having soone willing to adopt her was already her Luck. Exactly who... was she expecting? When she herself didn’t know.
She wrapped her coat around herself, following the old man.
"Little girl, what’s your na?" the old man asked, pipe in mouth.
"I... I don’t have a na."
"Old man, I am called Morgan Maxey. What do you like? Instrunts? Painting? Dancing? I don’t require you to achieve fa and success. You can learn whatever you wish, without any psychological burden."
She wanted to say she liked instrunts, but as it reached her lips, for so reason, she said, "I like swordsmanship... I want to learn the sword, Grandpa Maxey."
"Why?" Maxey showed a surprised expression. This little girl was indeed rare.
"I want... to protect soone," she said.
"Who?" Maxey asked in shock.
"I, I don’t know who that is. But it seems like I just want to protect soone. This seems to be an instinct rooted in my heart, a wish I’ve pondered over a thousand tis. Although I don’t know why I think this way." The girl mumbled, clutching at the clothes on her chest, where it felt empty.
Maxey shrugged: "Alright. Little girl, give yourself a na."
The girl opened her mouth, looking at the expanse of white snow before her, a white dayti star falling into her pupils. Tonight’s moonlight was especially hazy, as if under the street lights, there was a young man wearing a felt hat and a coat quietly standing there, looking at her.
But as she looked up, there was only the silent moonlight, no shadow at all.
...Who was she missing?
...Who did she want to protect?
Couldn’t understand.
It was like countless nightmares in the middle of the night, countless wishes pondered alone... but it all seed not to exist anymore.
Those warm hands, gentle eyes, and that bowl of unpalatable porridge... seed all forgotten.
Passing by a dilapidated house, it was as if her heart was suddenly gripped, causing her to halt and look at the house.
"That seems like a detective’s house, but he has been drinking all day and is long gone, the house is empty." Maxey glanced at the house and shook his head.
Through the door slit, inside were a floor full of bottles and books, even the sofa had a hole, emanating a rotten sll.
The girl passed by in a daze.
...It seed to not be the person she was looking for.
This was not ho.
"I’ve decided, Grandpa Maxey." The girl looked up:
"My na... will be..."
"Alice."
The unknown long road stretched ahead, snow was heavy, street lights cast ambiguous warm light.
Her steps were deep and shallow, making crunching sounds.
The girl staggered forward, step by step, toward the future she decided for herself. It is her boundless sky, endless freedom.
Under the streetlight, there was not a detective in a coat.
...
After that, there wasn’t anything particularly noteworthy.
The Old Days 555, the war subsided, the Goddess passed away peacefully, and the Steam Age smoothly revolutionized, gradually transitioning into the Ocean Age (Old Days 555 - Old Days 621), with rely two hundred years left to present.
Before dying, her white hair was lying on the bed breathlessly, surrounded by weeping attendants.
Yet at this ti, it seed like many voices sounded beside her ears. These voices had always accompanied her in life, like repeated illusions.
[Alice, Spring Heart Cookies are very delicious.]
[Alice, beauty is rely an appendage, your free will is the true aning.]
[Alice, after the war ends, let’s go see the ocean together, see all the seas...]
[Alice, referring to a person as the protagonist is degrading. Just like you and I are the protagonists in our lives. diocrity is okay, being dull is okay, you are... the best, Alice, I’m proud of you.]
...
"...Who are you really?" She trembled as she reached out her hand. Apart from the magnificent and beautiful do, there was nothing.
Tears slowly flowed, soaking the bedding.
Outside, it was snowing. The flas in the fireplace crackled and, in her haze, it seed she saw a figure sitting by the bed, reading her a story.
"Old man yearns to see the sea, young girl pleads to Beethoven to compose ’To Alice’ for the old man..."
His face was vague, as if such a thing once made her incredibly happy. This illusion had been seen countless tis in her life, yet she could never clearly see his face.
"...Who are you really." Tears flowed more and more, her nose soured, and she did not get the answer. Her body started to cool, breathing grew weaker.
Have we t before?
Why do I always see you in dreams and in illusions...
That figure turned into white mist and disappeared.
Her head rested on the soft pillow, tears flowing, slowly closing her eyes.
"Stay by my side tonight..."
No matter who you are, it doesn’t matter.
Please don’t leave .
Please don’t leave .
Detect...
...
...
teors poured down, falling by day.
The Old Days 555 December 31st, the snow was exceptionally heavy.
The Goddess passed away peacefully, aged 58.
The only words she left before dying were not the oracle of the deities, not the theological insights of her lifeti, not solemn heavy prayers, just one sentence of unclear aning, incomprehensible.
...
——"Detective, I miss you."
...
...
Su Ming’an bade farewell to Chao Yan.
Their ti would intersect and diverge, only when he could no longer bear it would she co up from the sea to find him and continue. Then, she would subrge into the sea again for recovery.
Thereafter her mory gradually blurred, only rembering she had to wait for soone.
Continually consud, continually recalled. Constant despair, constant hope. Losing everything, gaining everything. Writing every na, erasing every na.
It is not for farewell, but for reunion. Not for an end, but for a beginning.
"The next ti I see you, it should be in the Louyue Era." Chao Yan stood by the sea, her azure eyes showing a smile: "I will wait for you in the seaside village."
"Alright."
"No matter where you are, I will find you. So, before I find you, please live happily." She gently pressed her forehead against his, blessing:
"Farewells should be accompanied by flowers, but barren I have no flowers to give you. Everywhere is withered, only foxtail grass can be found."
"For you."
She gave him the foxtail grass, turned, and leapt into the sea.
By the seaside, only the lingering echo remained.
...
"Will be happy."
"...Don’t give up."
...
[Chao Yan took a foxtail grass from behind and handed it to Su Ming’an: "For you."]
["Why..." Su Ming’an accepted the foxtail grass. It was really just an ordinary foxtail, what was this little village girl thinking?]
["Just wanted to give you a gift." Chao Yan smiled: "Let’s go then."]
...
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