Welcome to Rewind World Game

[Shrine Maiden: This gentleman's Tarot card is... the upright Wheel of Destiny. The center of the card is a large revolving wheel, representing an unstoppable change in destiny. Seizing the opportunities that destiny provides may bring you success.]

[Shrine Maiden: This lady's card is... the upright Judgment. The angel descends to judge the good and evil of the world, blowing a horn to awaken people. Judgment implies "rebirth," symbolizing a new beginning. I think the hardships that have entangled you for so long have ended, but perhaps they are the start of a new hardship?]

...

"Detective sir, let's go quickly!" Alice tugged at Su Ming'an's hand.

When they returned to Burg Castle, Su Ming'an was somewhat curious about the divination of this era and stopped by a divination stall. However, Alice was very resistant.

"Alright." Su Ming'an decided not to pursue the next divination step. He placed a gold coin on the stall and turned to leave. Perhaps Alice didn't like this feeling of predestination.

When they returned, it was already evening, and the streets gradually lit up with warm yellow lights, like rivers of light flowing over their shoulders. All the way, Alice was chatting with him, saying she wanted to learn swordsmanship in the future, and also wanted to learn the arquebus—three steps away with a gun, within three steps with a sword—to blow away all the bad guys.

"No matter what happens in the future, I will protect you," Alice squinted her eyes and made a gesture: "Then, if any villain wants to bully you, I'll go, bang!"

She pointed at the white bird on the street lamp, "bang," "bang," several times, scaring the bird into fleeing in all directions.

Su Ming'an nodded silently. He wasn't good at coaxing children, and Alice, now lively, was no longer the silent and reserved girl she used to be, which gave him a bit of a headache. But this showed that Alice was gradually stepping out of the shadows of the past, which was a form of growth.

And that's a good thing.

When passing through a vivid red district, Su Ming'an felt a tug.

Turning around, it was a beautiful woman, leaning under the street lamp light, attractive and enchanting. A fragrance of cosmetics and fine wine drifted through the window.

"This... handsome young master," the woman observed Su Ming'an's age and spoke softly, "would you mind spending a night with me? Just for the pocket watch at your waist."

"Sorry." Su Ming'an didn't want to linger.

But at this moment, Alice showed a strong curiosity and desire to explore, peeking around.

"If the pocket watch is too expensive... ten Kels will do, come on, enjoy the moment," the woman said.

"Enjoy what?" Alice asked curiously.

Su Ming'an didn't want to set a bad example for the child and pulled Alice to leave. However, the woman's voice became urgent and sorrowful: "Then... then five Kels, that's okay too... How about three Kels? Two Kels? Handsome passerby, whatever you think, it's all fine."

Her voice was already mixed with pleading and urgency, trembling.

Alice couldn't help but turn back to see the thin woman under the streetlamp. Though it was early summer, the day-night temperature difference in Burg Castle was large, and it was still cold at dusk. She puzzledly asked, "Detective sir, why don't we... pay attention to her? She's already shivering from the cold, is she a bad person?"

"No."

"Then why won't you pay her any attention? She's obviously beautiful."

Su Ming'an sighed.

Under the streetlight, the dim light dyed Alice's purple eyes, reflecting the shivering woman; the world's good and evil were all visible to her. She couldn't understand why Su Ming'an would ignore a beautiful woman. In her thirteen years of life, the men in the slums seemed never to refuse a beautiful woman.

"Alice." Su Ming'an squatted down.

He already realized, he could only return once every six months, and he couldn't guide Alice like a normal teacher. Her moral and emotional issues, no one could answer for her.

"Only when you like someone and have a sense of responsibility in your heart can you do it," Su Ming'an said.

"Okay." Alice nodded.

"She doesn't like me, and I don't like her, so it won't work. If you think she needs help, you can give her money, but it's best not to do anything more excessive."

"Is she a bad person?" Alice asked.

"She's not. It's this bad world forcing her to do so; she's not wrong."

"Oh." Alice nodded, half understanding: "I've heard of a concept called marriage. Detective sir, what is marriage?"

"Marriage is when two people are together, facing happiness and hardships together. You can marry when you grow up, or you can never marry, marry whoever you like, as long as you like it, and the other person is willing. But before marrying, when you don't have a sense of responsibility, it's best not to do it casually."

"Can I marry Spring Heart Cookies?" Alice exclaimed excitedly: "I love Spring Heart Cookies a lot!"

Su Ming'an felt a bit helpless: "It's best to marry a human."

"Do you plan to get married?"

"No."

"Why not?" Alice's eyes were very bright. She had been wondering about this for a long time; this past six months, Aunt Rinna from the neighbor's house always scared her by saying she was just an adopted kid, and that if the detective got a wife in the future, he wouldn't want her anymore.

If the detective never marries, could they not just remain companions, walking side by side forever? He doesn't have to leave, and she won't be driven away. The detective used to drink heavily every day, his health poor, certainly not being able to wield a sword. She could become stronger in the future to protect him, so no exotic species could ever bully him, continually protecting him.

It could definitely be this way.

"Oh, the reason is quite simple." Su Ming'an said.

Alice's eyes widened. She was very afraid that the detective would say it was because she was a burden.

"It's because... I'm not of legal marriage age yet." Su Ming'an said.

The air seemed to turn quiet.

Alice blinked.

For a moment, she felt like laughing and crying.

Though the marriage age in this era isn't limited, she only now realized that the detective was just nineteen years old this year.

Su Ming'an extended his hand: "Let's go."

Alice held his warm hand.

They strolled slowly under the dim streetlight, Su Ming'an turned back and gave the woman a little money, telling her to find a way to make a living. Then, they slowly walked down the long street, bit by bit.

The street was very quiet, leaving only their long shadows. Alice kept chirping, like a clever little sparrow.

"Detective sir, I heard, every winter, those who can't get through the winter give away their pretty kids for money, and get them back when they have money. Upon hearing this, I felt cold all over. Can those children really return to their families?"

"I believe you will change all of this," Su Ming'an said.

"What I mean is, if money isn't enough, I can also do this to relieve you, detective sir."

"Don't you dare!"

"Are you planning to get married in the future?"

"Probably not."

"Never again?"

"Yes."

"You don't have anyone you like?"

"..."

"Or is it that you're unable to like someone?"

"..."

"Sorry, I think I've said something inappropriate."

"It's okay."

"But I've heard from some neighbors that you actually have someone you like."

"Who?"

"I heard you're going to marry the Lighthouse."

"...Who told you that?"

...

Su Ming'an walked a long way with Alice.

Every time he interacted with her, every time he entered this game, Su Ming'an felt relaxed, sensing his san value subtly increasing. This game could heal his spirit. Perhaps this was the only pure land in the Tenth World.

When arranging the schedule for the second semester, with a large fund and recommendations from the Princess, he directly enrolled Alice in the best Royal swordsmanship class, taught personally by a Royal swordsmanship teacher, costing 1000 Kel per semester.

[Girl: I will study hard. When you return in half a year, I will surely grow into a companion you can be proud of. I will still prepare the Spring Heart Cookies and hot red tea, waiting for your return.]

[Girl: Goodbye, Detective.]

[Detective: Goodbye... Alice.]

...

When exiting the game, Su Ming'an felt a bit reluctant.

He held the Dream Patrol Helmet while sitting on the bed for a moment. In the dim room, only his own breathing could be heard. The air was heavy like a haze on his shoulders.

Only cold tea on the table, no Spring Heart Cookies and hot tea.

...It's just a game, after all.

Alice also exhibited obvious NPC traits, for example, she didn't wonder why he would suddenly disappear, she didn't inquire about matters outside the game. When he answered the Deity's questionnaire, she was very quiet, as if she didn't see it.

But when he interacted with her, he felt she was more real than anyone else in this world. Like a place where he could breathe freely and find solace.

"Knock knock."

A knocking sound came from the door.

Lv Shu stood at the door, wearing an obviously ill-fitting tracksuit, paired with dress pants, and boots on his feet, presenting a very novel combination.

"Su Ming'an, I won't wear priest attire anymore," Lv Shu said.

"Why?" Su Ming'an rose.

"It was after you saw a priest that something happened," Lv Shu said lowly.

Su Ming'an suddenly recalled his future image—he would meet death after encountering a black-robed priest. So, had Lv Shu completely shed the priest attire to prevent this precondition?

"That priest wouldn't be you, the tone is different. You can continue being a priest," Su Ming'an said.

"No, I don't want you to die, not even a possibility," Lv Shu said. "I came to see you because something big is happening. Check out the forum."

Su Ming'an turned on the computer.

The forum was as lively as ever, people were all playing the "Dream of Girls Project", strategy guides were everywhere.

The top post appeared very serious, with high engagement:

...

[(Pinned)(Hot) Union Government issues 'Demon Hunt Order'—the government will fully inspect and eliminate people who might be Exotic Species! This 'Demon Hunt Order' will be implemented long-term, please cooperate!]

...

"Demon Hunt Order?" Su Ming'an looked at this new term.

"The Demon Hunt Order is a new policy issued by the Union Government two hours ago," Lv Shu's face was sullen.

Seeing Lv Shu's face, Su Ming'an sensed that this "Demon Hunt Order" wasn't a good thing.

Su Ming'an clicked on the post to see. It introduced the content of the "Demon Hunt Order", which involves using blood tests, fixed-point inspections, patrols, and random checks to determine whether a person is an Exotic Species. Starting with the government's top tiers, ensuring all high-level officials are human, gradually deploying to the populace, and dispatching troops to each city for inspections, door to door.

This policy seems like a good thing, if we can identify Exotic Species among humans, it could reduce many casualties. But Su Ming'an vaguely sensed that this policy had an over-corrective feeling, with the main point being "better to kill mistakenly, than to miss."

—Why wasn't such a good policy implemented sooner?

—Because humans have yet to develop a precise method to detect Exotic Species.

Even Xiao Jingsan needs the Mirror of Dust to reveal Exotic Species. The government's large-scale inspection of Exotic Species using highly erroneous blood tests to identify individuals will likely implicate more innocents.

The Union Government issued this "Demon Hunt Order" probably under great obstruction to implement it. The military force needed alone is immense, not to mention the inevitable large-scale wrongful executions.

Looking at people's posts, unsurprisingly, this pinned post was controlled for comments, below were only a few posts like: "The Demon Hunt Order is so timely!" "Union Government well done!" "Great, I hope to uncover Exotic Species around me." Tons of dissenting posts had already been deleted.

"Who proposed this kind of policy?" Su Ming'an couldn't help but ask. Although the policy is somewhat valuable, it shouldn't be pushed out at this critical moment, it should wait until the Dream Patrol Family's conflict is eased before introducing.

At this critical moment, it's definitely provoked by players.

Lv Shu said: "It's a group of several dozen players. They've influenced the Union Government's policy direction."

Su Ming'an said: "To achieve this level, that's impressive."

The Union Government is a collective of fifty-eight independent human regimes, including politicians, entrepreneurs, experts, scholars, military elites. To stir up a storm here, promoting policy implementation, buying off legislators, persuading rulers...this group of players indeed has extraordinary methods.

Su Ming'an had seen players affecting upper-class dynamics in stories, but he'd never actually witnessed it.

Lv Shu hesitated for a while, then said: "The leader of the player group is..."

"Mizushima Kawa Sora, right?" Su Ming'an said.

"Yes." Lv Shu nodded.

Su Ming'an had already thought of her. As a Full Perfect Clear player, she indeed possesses such power. She can command a group of elite players to work for her, even having the Union Government's policy direction in her grasp.

Is she trying to face him head-on in competition, or is she preparing to save the world by a different method?

Su Ming'an continued to scroll the mouse; in the next moment, his pupils slightly widened.

In the wanted list published by the government, he saw a familiar name:

...

[Execution at Twelve Tomorrow: Kamitaira Takuya (Real name: Yamada Machiichi)]

[Identity: Suspected Exotic Species]

[Execution Method: Gunshot]

[Location: Union Government Zone 12 Headquarters, 39°N, 131°E.]

...