Mystery: Lucky One

Klein took the envelope from one of Reinette Tinicole's heads and nodded gently in greeting:
"Thank you."

Although they were both angels, he obviously would not face Renette Tinicole the same way he faced Alice. After all, even if Alice was angry, she would just tease him or kick him twice without any real intention.

Thinking of this, Klein opened the envelope to see who the letter belonged to. Reinette Tinicole asked beside him:
"You..." "Want to..." "Immediately..." "Will you reply..."

The contents of the letter came into view at this time. Klein was surprised to read Frank Lee's introduction to the mushroom. After reading the question at the end, he nodded and answered:

"Yes, reply immediately."

He quickly stood up from his armchair, took out his pen and ink, walked quickly into the study, sat down at the desk, and began to consider his reply.

As long as fish and water are added, everything will return to normal... It seems that before I give Alice the letter, I must confirm one thing.

Klein shook his head and wrote a few words on the letter paper:

"...I have a question. If I eat the mushroom you created, eat cooked fish, and drink a glass of water, will it continue to reproduce?"

If so, this mushroom must not be handed over to Alice, otherwise she will definitely try it... or let someone else, such as me, try it.

Klein thought of a possibility, shook his head, and continued writing about Frank Lee's idea:
"...Growing by absorbing the flesh and blood of monsters? This is indeed a good idea, but eliminating pollution is also a very important issue. In addition, you'd better consider the taste and nutritional balance..."

The last suggestion was Klein's own selfish motive - after all, if there was food in the "God-Forsaken Land", he wouldn't have to work as a delivery man for Alice.

Of course, the prerequisite is that the taste of this food is not single, otherwise Alice will...well, she will be back in a few days, so she shouldn't be able to use it, right?
No, maybe she will return to the "God-forsaken Land" in the future...

Klein finished writing the letter while thinking, folded the letter paper, handed it to Renette Tinicole, and said to her naturally:
"Frank will pay for the postage."

This is not surprising. Renette Tinicole said intermittently:

"I hope..." "He..." "Not yet..." "Dead..."

Klein watched as the four heads of Renette Tinicole finished their lines one by one. Then, one of the heads grabbed the envelope and disappeared on the spot. He moved his body blankly.

Hope he's not dead yet...?
Klein was stunned for a moment, but soon remembered the first thing Frank Lee did after learning about Alice's identity as an angel - he asked Alice for her flesh and blood for research.

...?
Klein was stunned for a moment, and realized that Renette Tinicole, who had four identical heads, might also be a good research material. In other words, there was a high probability that Frank Lee had made some requests that should not have been made.

I don't know how he is now...

Klein hesitated for a moment and wrote a line of divination on the paper: He was planted in the soil.

Next, through the citrine pendant, Klein confirmed that Frank Lee was indeed planted in the soil.

He pinched his brows and wrote a new line of divination: He is still alive.

Fortunately, he was still alive... Looking at the yellow crystal pendant rotating clockwise, Klein breathed a sigh of relief.

He packed up the dried mushrooms and after a moment's hesitation, he did not open the letter belonging to Alice. Instead, he threw the letter onto the gray fog, intending to leave it there for the time being.

After doing all this, he rubbed his forehead and lay back in the armchair.

……

Ouroboros was waiting there to take her back, but this never happened. Alice returned to Afternoon Town disappointed and harassed the respected Mr. Fool.

At five o'clock in the morning, the sound of prayers rang in his ears, waking Klein from his dream.

He opened his eyes a little dazed, opened his pocket watch to check the time, and looked at the pointer between the numbers 5 and 6 and fell into deep thought.

...The only one who would pray to him at this time is Alice!

Klein cursed as he glanced out the window at the still hazy sky. He struggled out of bed and came out above the gray fog.

Fortunately, it’s not winter now, otherwise she would probably get impatient waiting... Klein sighed and spread his spirituality to listen to Alice’s prayer.

Send the body back?
Klein listened to Alice's prayer in a daze. He seemed to understand what she said, but he figured out the key point of the matter - he had to be a courier again.

Ok!

Klein resigned himself to Alice's request and gave a somber reminder at the end:
"You know...it's five in the morning..."

After hearing the last sentence, Alice looked away guiltily, then quickly remembered that no one was looking at her here, so she became determined again, walked through Afternoon Town, and returned to the camp in Silver City.

As she had instructed in advance, the Chief and the members of the Silver City Exploration Team stayed in the camp. When Alice saw the Chief, she greeted him warmly, and after avoiding other people, she told him her request.

"...Sacrificial ceremony?" The chief's eyes moved slightly.

Like chanting the name and praying, the sacrificial ceremony is also a way to establish a connection with the gods. Performing this ceremony means that he has completely become a follower of the Fool.

"You can ask Derrick to come," Alice said sympathetically, "but, uh, but, I'm not very good at pretending in this regard, or rather, I'm not very good at making excuses..."

She needed a reason that didn't seem wrong on the surface... The Chief looked at Alice thoughtfully, recalled Alice's behavior, shook his head and said:
“Maybe you don’t need an excuse.”

Alice looked at him quizzically.

"It seems that nothing you do is strange..." The chief answered carefully, "After all, everything is guided by fate."

Alice looked at the Chief in surprise, thinking seriously whether his words might be an insult to her.

The chief looked at her without changing his expression. After half a minute, Alice gave up this meaningless behavior and said decisively:
"Then go and call him over to me."

After a pause, she blinked slightly and suddenly changed her mind:
"How about this...why don't you give me a sword?"

She was a little worried that when she returned to the real world, she would not return to her own body, but would be fixed in the "God-Forsaken Land" to refresh - that would be bad.

"...Ah?" The chief looked at her hesitantly.

"Do you have a painless way to kill people?" Alice asked seriously, "I think you can kill me and send the body back, so that I can be resurrected there..." "No," the chief finally couldn't help but interrupt Alice, "You... uh..."

He considered, trying to find the right words: "Is there no price to pay for this?"

"Hmm..." Alice touched her chin, "Now that you mention it... there should be a price, right? Maybe the more times this happens, the easier it will be for me to become a god? If there is a price, it's probably this..."

...Is this the price?

The Chief looked at Alice blankly, and for a moment he was unsure whether they understood the price to mean the same thing.

His attitude made Alice hesitate for a moment before giving up her previous idea and shaking her head.

"Forget it. I always feel that you are in danger like this. I'd better try to see if I can go back by just sending my body up..."

After calling Derrick, Alice took the initiative to go above the gray fog and waited with Klein for her body to be sent up.

She ignored Klein's resentful look until Derrick successfully completed the sacrifice ceremony and sent her body and the corpse of the Raven Shadow Serpent up. Only then did Alice face Klein's resentment:

"Um...should you go down and take my body..."

Klein looked at her expressionlessly and left the gray fog.

After blinking blankly for a while, Alice suddenly realized something - she was left alone here.

...?
This was of course normal. She was retrieving the "Dice of Probability". She didn't rely on Klein to connect to the Source Castle. She just needed Klein to get a permission. Theoretically, Klein could leave the gray fog alone and leave her here alone.

Of course, he could also suddenly reject her request and kick her out... But this kind of thing had to be done above the gray fog, at least for now.

But no matter what, this was indeed her first time staying alone above the gray fog, or in Sefirah Castle, so could she...

Alice's eyes lit up slightly, and she looked around, seriously considering the possibility of having an adventure in Sefirah Castle someday.

Of course, definitely not today. I first need to find an opportunity to stay there a few more times to figure out the situation...

Alice gave a malicious smile, tapped the table and looked at the stairs that were not hidden.

Every time she entered, she was on the stairs, but every time she walked directly down the stairs. To be honest, she had never considered walking inside to see what was at the top of the stairs...

There was no rush for this. Alice secretly kept this in mind and waited for Klein to arrange the ceremony.

Then, Klein laboriously returned to the gray fog, glared at Alice who was sitting there like a waste, and threw her body into the real world along with the corpse of the Raven Shadow Serpent.

Alice slowly closed her eyes.

The good news is that the feeling of spiritual fall was no different from every time she returned to the real world in the past. The destination was still her body, not some strange place. Alice sat up from the floor smoothly.

After doing all this, Klein returned to the real world. He glanced at Alice on the ground, pinched his brows, and said patiently:
"Is that all right?"

"Where's my gift?" Alice held out her hand.

Klein paused for a moment. He was not that surprised. He was glad that he was prepared. He muttered, “I’m glad you’ve prepared for this.”

"Forget it, I won't bother with you..."

Having said that, he walked into the study, took out a contract and handed it to Alice.

Under Alice's puzzled gaze, he explained: "This is a contract from the 'Notary'... I remember you wanted a messenger before?"

Alice recalled this long-cherished wish.

Although the messenger was no longer necessary for her at this stage, she was still satisfied with the gift. She immediately took the contract with a smile on her face and waved her hand, saying:

"Go back to sleep, I'm leaving now!"

After a pause, she looked down at the contract in her hand and added:
"I didn't mean to wake you up in the early hours of the morning. You know, the time in the 'Forsaken Land'..."

Klein waved his hand, signaling her to get out of here quickly.

Alice didn't say anything more to him. She also waved her hand, stuffed the contract in, picked up the body of the "Raven Shadow Snake" on the ground, and disappeared on the spot.

Her destination was the sofa in the living room of her home in Backlund. She opened her eyes, and without turning on the lights, the light of "Apollo" naturally radiated from her body, illuminating the entire living room bit by bit.

Even though Alice was not on guard, the sudden slow breathing and rapid heartbeat in the room still caught her attention.

Facing the morning light, Alice looked around and looked at the figure standing not far from her.

The figure was covered in a black cloak. The thin cloak completely concealed her figure. Alice could only see the leather boots on her feet. The wide hood almost blocked her face. Only a pair of deep and sharp green eyes were still clear.

She was watching Alice from a distance, her gloved hands deftly hooked around her waist, and somehow she pulled out a small and sharp dagger, looking at Alice with a wary look.

But the problem obviously did not end there. Alice closed her eyes as if no one was around. The scene in the bedroom became clear at this moment. There was another person lying in the familiar bedroom, also a woman with a beautiful face. Alice was distracted for a moment, and inexplicably felt that the face was somewhat familiar.

She suddenly opened her eyes while Alice was peeping at her. Alice was startled for a moment, but then she realized that it was not because of her. This woman did not make her feel uneasy as if her peeping was discovered. Although she sat up with a frown and looked towards the direction of the living room, Alice was not nervous.

As Alice was watching, the woman in suspender pajamas reached out her hand, and a book with an ocean blue cover instantly appeared in her hand. A silver eye pattern had been outlined at some point. Alice was stunned for a moment, and before she could react, the person disappeared along with the book.

...?
No, wait, what is going on...

Did I go to the wrong door? And that book, and that face...

And this guy in front of me...

What is going on? (End of this chapter)