Toyokawa Shoko doesn't want to become a witch

Page 537

"Is this... another world?" Flame's mouth dropped open. "There's actually a place like this in this world?"

"To be precise, it's no longer in our world." Xiangzi brushed a strand of long hair behind his ear and looked at the familiar wilderness. "Fairy Tale Town... It's been so long since I've been here. I thought I'd never have the chance again."

Because of the lamp's wish, the world of Once Upon a Time has become an independent and real world. It seems Mortis has successfully used the primordial world to reconnect with Once Upon a Time.

"The last place we could trace was the game's server room," Miaomeng said. "I tried it based on the urban legends that have appeared in the past two days, and found that there is indeed a hole big enough for someone to pass through."

"Hollow?"

"Yes, they say that when playing the game, you can see a portal, and after passing through it, you arrive in another world. The first person who went through it was very scared and came back immediately, posting what they saw and heard online."

It's not quite the same as the first time.

“But I don’t know where they went after that.” Miao Meng shrugged. “The trail ends here.”

“It’s already pretty good that we found this place.” Xiangzi patted Miaomeng on the shoulder. “As for where Mortis and Dolores went, we can ask the locals.”

"Indigenous people?" Flame tilted her head.

"More or less, but not entirely." Xiangzi started walking. "Anyway, they're people I know, but I don't know how they've been doing these past few years."

The name "Fairy Tale Town" originally came from Su Shi after she became the Flower Witch. She attached herself to the internet and created a virtual world that was almost identical to reality. This world was eventually transformed into a real world by the wish of the lamp, independent of the world they lived in, and even time itself existed independently of it.

In other words, while Xiangzi and her friends were repeatedly going through this cycle within a month, the world of Fairy Tale Town had actually lived through three years.

Now, Mortis has awakened the super-causality within Su Shi once again, restored her connection with the world of Fairy Tale Town, and sent the people they had kidnapped into this isolated world.

What Xiangzi needs to do now is to rescue all the people Dolores has kidnapped before Dolores does anything irreversible.

However, we still don't know where the remaining two members of the Bremen Symphony Orchestra are hiding. The world of Fairy Tale Town is vast, and it's impossible to search like headless flies.

The entrance to Fairy Tale Town wasn't far from the royal city; with the magical girl's physical abilities, she could reach it in a short time by walking along the dirt road.

As I walked, more and more people started to appear around me.

On the road outside the city market, oxcarts and horse-drawn carriages lined up in rows, waiting to enter the city, creating an orderly scene.

"Wow, this is amazing... It's like a theme park." Flame's mind had been racing almost nonstop since she arrived. "Is all of this real?"

“Your feet are on real muddy ground, how could it not be real?” Xiangzi smiled and led her through the city gate checkpoint with the other pedestrians.

Upon entering the city, they only needed to undergo some very simple checks. The group didn't carry much luggage, and although their clothes looked out of place in this world, the guards easily let them through.

Just as Xiangzi passed through the checkpoint and began to think about how to enter the palace in a gentle yet efficient manner, a knight on horseback stopped beside them.

"It seems you are the guests Her Majesty the Queen was referring to." The knight took out an envelope and handed it to Xiangzi. "With this invitation, you can enter the palace directly."

He seemed to have other things to do; after delivering the letter, he left for the city gate without stopping.

Xiangzi held the invitation in his hand and raised his eyebrows.

"It seems I won't need to worry about it."

She shrugged and waved to Yan and Miaomeng, who were curiously looking around at the roadside stalls.

Flame goes without saying. Although Meow Dream has been here before, she hasn't actually experienced a normal life in another world for more than a few days, so she's still very curious about this place.

"Let's go, one umbrella, Qiqi dove, slip, delete, you said = easy......."

However, Xiangzi quickly lowered his hand.

Never mind, one person is enough. Let them be curious for a while longer.

============

After entering the city with the invitation, the guide did not lead her to the main hall of the city-state, but instead headed in a more remote direction.

"This is Her Majesty the Queen's office," the maid who led the way explained.

Xiangzi vaguely remembered that this area used to be a research institute for studying rainbow bridge gates. Had it been converted into offices?

She followed the maid all the way into the building that had originally been a research institute. From here on, Xiangzi became very familiar with the place; it was probably the place she had frequented most during her time in the royal city. The path the maid led her along was also the path towards the Rainbow Bridge gate.

The sound of boots striking the ground echoed in the vast space.

Xiangzi found that there wasn't much difference between this place and before; it was just that the research materials that were piled up everywhere were gone, and it had become more spacious and clean.

The Rainbow Bridge door, which had lost its original function, had become a wall with intricate carvings. The White Queen's desk was placed directly in front of the door—blocked by a large pile of miscellaneous books.

Xiangzi retracted his previous thought; it wasn't that the place had become cleaner, but rather that it appeared cleaner because there were fewer people.

The White Queen's desk was almost completely covered with papers and books; standing at one end of the hall, Xiangzi couldn't even see her head.

It wasn't until someone buried in the documents looked up that Xiangzi realized there was indeed someone there.

"You've arrived." The White Queen, whom we hadn't seen in a long time, brushed the papers off her head. "Please find a place to sit. I apologize for any inconvenience caused."

She gestured to the chairs nearby and said weakly:

"It's been so long, is there something you need here?"

"I thought we were going to catch up."

"Go find Lin Hai and catch up with her; she's rebuilding the holy city of the world of desire."

“It seems that the process of atonement is very difficult.” Xiangzi walked to the desk.

“If it’s not hard work, then it’s not atonement,” the White Queen said softly, signing her name on a document. “And I’m willing to do it.”

After signing the document, the White Queen placed it in the basket beside her and then turned to look at Xiangzi.

Xiangzi could clearly see the dark circles under the woman's eyes, as if she hadn't slept for days.

However, when the White Queen saw her face, she shook her head and smiled.

“You’re not much better off than me; you’re both exhausted,” she said. “So, why did you come to me without a reason? Let me guess, is it related to the goddess?”

"You already know." Xiangzi's eyes widened slightly.

“I can sense whether someone has entered this world, let alone the Goddess.” The White Queen paused, then continued, “Actually, I have been waiting for you for a long time. I thought you would come soon, but I didn’t expect to have to wait for so many days.”

"Do you know where they are now?" Xiangzi pressed.

“I know, but…” the White Queen said, “The last time I sensed any fluctuations in this world was in the ruins of the divine kingdom.”

"Is it there...?"

Xiangzi had a headache.

That place is indeed very difficult to reach; there is no normal road to get there, except—

Xiangzi focused his gaze on the Rainbow Bridge gate behind the White Queen, which had been specially modified. The White Queen noticed Xiangzi's gaze, turned around to look at her creation, and shrugged helplessly.

In some ways, Mortis and Dolores hiding in the Kingdom of God would actually be the easiest place to go.

“It’s exhausting to start it up, but never mind.” She sighed. “Give me half a day.”

"Thanks a lot."

"This is also for the Goddess."

The Tale of Reincarnation: Bonds - Chapter 713 Hope Approaching Zero

There is no difference in the flow of time between the fairytale town and the real world, and traveling back and forth has become much freer. The urban legend that appeared a few days ago involved people who successfully traveled back and forth between the two worlds. If even ordinary people can travel back and forth smoothly, then these magical girls will have even less of a problem.

So while others were busy helping to activate the passage to the divine kingdom, Xiangzi returned to the real world and brought Mu along.

Although she really wanted Chu Hua and Hai Ling to come too... just to be on the safe side, someone still needed to protect the lamp.

"Why did Xiang specifically ask me to come here?" Mu didn't quite understand at first.

“I think you definitely want to meet Mortis,” Xiangzi said. “After all, only you can fully understand Mortis’s thoughts.”

"..." Mu nodded silently and came to the world of Fairy Tale Town with Xiangzi.

Half a day passed quickly, and as night deepened, a maid knocked on the door of the reception room to tell them that the White Queen was ready.

Standing in front of the White Queen's office again, Xiangzi discovered that the desk that had been placed in front of the door was gone, along with the large stack of files that had been blocking his view.

The White Queen was dressed in overalls that didn't quite fit the style of this world, and she was holding carving tools such as a chisel and a hammer.

Uh......

Having not seen her for three years, the White Queen had changed even more than Xiangzi had imagined. The woman who was once arrogant and cruel, like a behind-the-scenes boss, had now become somewhat unkempt and much more straightforward.

“It’s almost done.” She saw Xiangzi coming over and wiped the sweat from her forehead. “I’ve readjusted the circuitry above, so we can open this door at a lower cost.”

"Is this necessary?" Xiangzi tilted his head.

“When we opened the gate last time, the divine kingdom hadn’t disappeared yet, so we could use the energy from the other side to open it. This time it’s different.” The White Queen gestured. “The other side has truly become ruins. We can only exchange our own tribute for magic. If we don’t do that, just opening the gate will burn down half the national treasury.”

"And what about after the changes?"

"Isn't burning through my personal assets enough?" The White Queen clapped her hands and jumped down from the ladder.

"Such a high price... don't I need to exchange it for something?"

The White Queen didn't want anything... such a huge price to pay, she felt quite embarrassed.

“This is part of atonement.” The White Queen brushed the hair that had fallen across her forehead back. “I will do my best to fulfill your desires and my ability.”

"...Thank you."

"You're welcome, that's right."

The White Queen instructed her maids to remove all tools and other items, leaving behind the ornaments she intended to use to open the Rainbow Bridge. These exquisitely crafted ornaments were all pre-made spells, capable of unleashing even greater power when used as offerings.

Boxes upon boxes of offerings were piled up at the corresponding positions on the magic circle. These pre-made spells were almost the personal assets that the White Queen had collected over hundreds of years in Fairy Tale Town.

She walked to the center of the magic circle, assumed a casting posture, and began chanting incantations.

After this world became an independent world, magic no longer depended on the original world as the source of power, but became the "rules" of this world.

The White Queen used the new rules to cast the same spells she had used before.

Golden streamers emanated from beneath the White Queen's feet, entangling the offerings she had left behind. Within seconds, these offerings merged into the stream of light and climbed up the massive gate behind the White Queen.

The flowing patterns on the door were noticeably dimmer and much finer than the ones Xiangzi had seen before, but they still stubbornly covered the entire relief of the door like ivy.

Boom——

A dull thud came from the door, and the relief carvings on it began to slowly rotate, gradually revealing a crack in the door...

Then it stopped.

"It can only last a few minutes, you'd better get there as soon as possible," the White Queen said, wiping the sweat from her brow.

"This is too shabby." Miao Meng looked at the Rainbow Bridge door, which was only slightly ajar, and twitched the corner of her mouth.

She remembered how shocked she was when she opened the door last time.

"This offering is barely enough to make a small opening for someone to pass through," the White Queen said, her eyes half-open. "...If you can't even get through, don't waste my resources."

"Ahem." Xiangzi tapped Miaomeng on the head and took the lead towards the Rainbow Bridge gate. "Let's hurry over there and not keep Su Shi and Mami waiting too long."

She walked to the open doorway, turned back to look at the White Queen one last time, and nodded to her.

Then it disappeared into the light.

=========

Yan followed Xiangzi to the ruins of the divine kingdom.

The moment I set foot on this land, a sense of familiarity welled up within me.

Why does it feel familiar?

Flame stood there, staring blankly at the dilapidated street before her. The ruins of the divine kingdom were different from the ruins of Mitakihara in her future memories.

Mitakihara was destroyed by a storm, with ruins everywhere and very few buildings intact. But this place is different. The desolation here is like a painting that was originally full of colors, but has been turned to the lowest saturation, turning completely gray and white. It is a quiet, lifeless desolation.

Everything was intact, but everything looked dull and lifeless.

here......

It looks so familiar, like I've seen it somewhere before.

How could that be? I've never been to this place before.

Yan frowned and pressed hard on her pounding heart.

Is it—that even more ethereal dream? That…it seems to be a dream from another world?

"What's wrong? Why are you suddenly standing still?" Xiangzi turned around, looked at Yan who had fallen behind, and tilted his head in surprise.

"I..." Yan shook her head, "It's nothing."