Free Web NovelChapter 796: Final Chapter
"Are you newly arrived in Fantasy Land?"
Alice didn’t think much; that’s simply her assumption. If an ordinary person from the Human World, for some reason, enters the Magic Forest, they usually don’t venture too deep into it.
Although the journey from the human village to the Magic Forest is relatively short, the forest environment is considered quite harsh for humans.
Whether it’s collecting herbs or picking mushrooms, people generally try to stay on the perimeter. Even those with little experience or unavoidable mishaps, like falling into a mushroom-induced illusion, will generally have some common traits when they start wandering deeper.
However... this person did not exhibit those traits.
The blond maiden’s gaze briefly settled on the young man across from her, dressed in white with black hair—
This person was clearly an ordinary human, but his attire wasn’t like the villagers from the human settlements; his clothes didn’t carry the forest’s moisture, leaves, or any scratches from branches or thorns. His spirit seemed normal, not showing any panic or fear.
He’s not from the Human World and hasn’t wandered much in the forest.
So, he likely encountered a divine disappearance, stumbling into Fantasy Land by confusion and probably appeared in the depths of the Magic Forest, close to her home, before understanding the situation and being discovered by her. Alice thought that must be the case.
She retracted her gaze and calmly said, "Then let me guide you out of this forest now. It’s getting late, and after dark, things will be a lot more troublesome. The forest is much more dangerous at night."
——This person is a bit unlucky. Even those who haphazardly stumble into a divine disappearance usually end up in places like the Human World...
——But this kind of luck, directly appearing in the depths of the Magic Forest, is quite something.
"That’s really very kind of you... May I ask how to address you, miss?"
The young man in white and black immediately smiled, his demeanor like a fresh mountain mist, natural and returning to simplicity. He graciously accepted this goodwill, while also aiming to glean some identity information about this magician.
"Just call me Alice... Come with me, I’ll take you out now."
The blond maiden responded calmly, taking another look at the young man in front of her, then turned to head in one direction of the forest. She became more certain in her heart that he was an outsider. If he were a villager from the nearby Human World, he wouldn’t possibly not know her name.
The maiden often went to the Human World to perform puppet shows, earning her a C-level debut.
The two small puppets by her side quickly closed the doors of the mansion behind them, then flew back to hover around their master, autonomous like puppet-type spellballs, their small bodies emitting significant magic power.
"Alice, huh? That really is a fairy-tale-like name, so fitting for your demeanor, miss."
Gu Mo blinked his eyes, showing a genuinely approving expression, smiling as he complimented her.
——This was another intriguing clue.
——His interest piqued even more.
"Mm."
Alice was indifferent to this, merely nodding without replying, continuing to stride forward gracefully.
She’s no stranger to these situations. Like drowning people instinctively clinging to the last straw, those lost deep in the Magic Forest always worry that the only helper—which is her—might suddenly change her mind, so until they’re out, they tend to instinctively try to connect with her.
It seems to be what assures them.
However, the lost soul she met today was slightly unusual.
Alice noticed that after praising her name, he didn’t continue speaking, unlike others who were clearly anxious and kept babbling in fear.
This slightly surprised the maiden.
But that was okay too, as constantly talking would make the girl feel awkward; her personality doesn’t lend well to chatting with strangers. On the other hand, not responding could make her seem cold, inducing wild imaginations.
This isn’t the first time this has happened. While leading someone out of the forest, because of her silence, the person was overly anxious, desperately trying to make conversation for a sense of security, only to be left unanswered, scaring themselves.
There were practically no obvious paths in the Magic Forest.
This vibrant, dense forest grows quickly and abundantly; only frequently traveled regions around the perimeter, where villagers gather herbs or chop wood, maintain some paths. The deep interior stays absolutely pristine.
However, such circumstances pose no problem for a qualified magician. Wherever Alice walked, a clean and spacious path naturally cleared.
Like the forest was making way, as long as the blond maiden kept moving forward, the path would extend... Hmm, doesn’t something about this feel off?
Anyway, that’s what was happening, and Gu Mo leisurely followed closely behind Miss Alice, effortlessly traversing the dense forest. At the same time, he observed her control over magic, feeling a slight sense of gratification and satisfaction.
Yes, this might be the founding ancestor, feeling the legacy of his principles being practiced by future generations—
Seeing his passed-down Magic System flourish, and this stranger’s mastery of magic, how could he not feel gratified?
He naturally thought so, then focused on observing the maiden’s exceptionally beautiful visage, almost rivaling the Princess of the Moon’s. Especially with that overly delicate face, like a doll’s.
The two autonomous dolls revolving around him, at first glance, looked like miniature figures of the maiden herself, but he also noticed many traces of his own puppet technique within them...
Of course, this doesn’t explain much, as the techniques he has handed down over the years aren’t solely confined to the domain of puppets.
Just like how the other person had just used the magic system he crafted.
But aside from these elements that cannot serve as evidence, there are some clues that are enough to cause concern—
He glanced at the magic guidebook in the hands of the blond maiden, tied with a ribbon and locked, which gave off a subtle sense of girlish charm. However, this did not prevent him from confirming that it was indeed his handiwork, and within the book lay a fairy tale realm polished by his spells.
It was a bizarre, spectacular fantasy world.
Many characters from fairy tales and legendary creatures resided within this book’s domain, playing their own roles.
However, the role of "Alice" was absent because the entire magic guidebook was crafted as a magical world themed on Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Thus, the book’s owner was naturally the protagonist, and only the first person to open this book could have the opportunity to take on the role of "Alice" and embark on a magical journey within that story...
Now, this book was in the hands of this maiden.
Moreover, her name was also Alice.
—This situation was quite open to discussion.
Gu Mo didn’t believe anyone could snatch this gift from Shinki’s hands, so the only possibility was that this maiden had some connection with Shinki... even perhaps, when Shinki specifically requested this gift from him, it was not for himself but for this maiden?
His thoughts were extremely agile at this moment, easily grasping the key points and deducing the basic outline of the situation.
Just the details still needed some reflection—
For example, who is this Miss Alice? Why does Miss Shinki value her so much? Questions like these, and so on, regarding the details of these aspects, Gu Mo found himself quite interested and even made some speculations, recalling something Miss Shinki had mentioned before.
The most perfect and satisfying work...
Gazing deeply at the blond maiden, he felt this must be the case.
After all, completely deceiving him was indeed a difficult task, primarily depending on whether he intended to take things seriously. ——However, although Gu Mo can be very perceptive when he needs to be, he certainly did not anticipate the true impact of the reality.
At this moment, Alice, seemingly feeling his gaze, slightly frowned.
"What’s wrong? Do you have a question?"
She halted her steps, turning back to size up the person behind her, seeing him seemingly lost in thought as he gazed at her, causing her eyebrows to rise involuntarily.
"There are indeed some questions..."
Facing this frowning blond maiden, Gu Mo calmly nodded: "I am not very familiar with the current Fantasy Land, could I ask Miss Alice to explain it to me?"
"..."
"..."
A brief silence.
After a slight hesitation, Alice turned back and continued forward, while softly beginning to speak: "Fantasy Land is the name of this territory, and the magical forest you’ve entered now is part of Fantasy Land, unlike the outside world, this land is inhabited by Demons and Gods..."
Saying this, the maiden also felt somewhat strange.
Why indeed, according to the other’s request, did she start to explain?
Alice was not new to guiding lost people, but in the past, she would not change her style, always maintaining a slightly indifferent demeanor, never showing much warmth or friendliness.
But this time, it was something that genuinely caught her attention—
She didn’t know how to describe it, but it felt completely different from before. She was leading the way upfront, with the young man behind watching her with a calm gaze, exactly as before, yet inexplicably gave her an indescribable sense of oddity.
This peculiar feeling made her feel very awkward and unnatural, causing her to suddenly become very concerned.
As if somewhat troubled...
As if a bit apprehensive...
For some reason, she was unconsciously very attentive, caring about this person’s gaze, concerned about how he viewed her, and worried whether she was not doing well enough, fearing she might be displaying poorly in front of him...
Just like at this moment—
The blond maiden, while organizing her words and gently speaking about the situation of Fantasy Land, curiously felt this bizarre sensation, not even understanding herself quite what was happening.
