Surviving The Fourth Calamity

Chapter 627: Chapter 425 Alice? Alice!

Hill looked at Alice with a tinge of sorrow for her sudden enlightenment.

Growth and maturity force one to struggle alone, tumbling and stumbling, getting hurt, then finally learning to swallow the pain, learning to restrain oneself.

Alice and Merkel began their acquaintance in insignificance, grew to know each other through the grace of Alice saving a life, and fell in love through years of mutual reliance. Yet, they still fell apart when Merkel was influenced by his ancestors during his ascent to legendary status.

The original Merkel didn’t harbor ambitions to become the King of Magical Beasts; otherwise, Alice wouldn’t have given him her heart.

However, once the heart was given, Alice couldn’t bring herself to willingly let go.

One of them had to concede, but unfortunately, it’s always the soft-hearted who end up getting hurt.

”Actually, I should’ve understood a long time ago,” Alice laid on the couch, the Mithril Sphere rolling aside, her front paws lifted to cover her face, ”At first, although Hill was quite fond of me, he didn’t intend to adopt me as his daughter.

I am a Spirit of Nature; Hill sees me as his best friend’s child.

But it was after I insisted on leaving with Merkel that Hill declared to others that I was his eldest daughter, even above Agleya.”

She spoke with a trace of sadness, unable to suppress her sobs, ”It was all to protect me; otherwise, Hill would have never wanted to be so deeply connected with Magical Beasts. Being a Spirit of Nature sounds grand, but in reality, no one cares.

Only in death does one become significant. How absurd a life!”

Hill looked helplessly at Alice, ”I made that choice because I like Alice. Otherwise, no matter how cute a friend’s child is, I wouldn’t adopt them as my daughter!”

”Hill is really kind, always so considerate,” Alice said with a miserable smile, ”Pretending to be oblivious, I enjoyed the love Hill gave me, yet I didn’t even dare utter an apology.

My capriciousness led to this outcome.

I should’ve told Merkel that I couldn’t bear that kind of life, that he should either stay with me in the valley or stay away from me!

But I couldn’t let go of anything, and in the end, I lost everything.

Hill, the instant I heard he was coming after me, I was happy for just a few seconds before being overwhelmed by desolation.

I can no longer trust Merkel.

Do you know? I even thought, if he’s making this choice because of love now, might he regret it later?

Just like me right now!

Love that carries regret, it tastes so bitter!”

Hill couldn’t help but stand up but was stopped by a sharp cat cry, ”Meow~ Hill, don’t come over!”

”Alice?”

”Hill, if I’m not cute anymore, would you still love me? Would you still see me as your beloved daughter?” Alice asked through uncontrollable tears, ”A Spirit of Nature changes its form based on emotions. I thought only those below legendary would do so.

However, it’s not the case. If one loses that naive nature, that feline temperament, the form will change!

I thought I might turn into a black cat, but in the end, I couldn’t even remain a cat!

I didn’t want to come out of the pendant not because it was fun inside, but because outside, I might not be able to maintain the appearance of a cat.

My white fur, my green eyes, my beautiful pads, all gone!

I read many of Hill’s books during this time. I thought perhaps I could become a bear, so that even if Hill found me less adorable, I’d still resemble Hill’s child.

But I couldn’t do it. Spirits of Nature are light, I don’t have that much strength!”

Although the atmosphere was somber, Hill was on the verge of laughter.

No wonder at times, he saw Alice poring over books like the Compendium of Magical Beasts, thinking she was just looking at the pictures.

Alice felt she had changed a lot, but deep down she was still that slightly naive Spirit of Nature.

”Alice,” he said as calmly as possible, ”Perhaps the initial reason I grew fond of Alice was because she was adorable. But after becoming family, I can accept anything.

If I turned into a mountain-sized bear, would Alice be afraid of me then?”

”Of course not! Hill will always be the best!” Alice replied eagerly, her front paws flailing before quickly regaining composure and covering her face again.

”Then no matter what Alice becomes, she is still my Alice,” Hill said slowly, ”She will always be Hill’s eldest daughter.”

Alice fell silent for a moment, ”I’ve read many books; I always feel I will turn into something like an agile Magical Beast.

Maybe a bit bigger, a bit fiercer.

But I don’t want to become a leopard.

Maybe I’m narrow-minded, but I absolutely do not want to become like those female leopards.

Hill, they deliberate ate creatures about my size in front of me, and even small Magical Beasts.

They often say that cats are useless.

It’s only because they didn’t dare kill a cat Magical Beast in front of me, but from their tone, it seems they’ve done so before.

I refuse to become like them.

Not letting the Cat Tribe leave the valley with me was the only right decision I made during this time.”

”Otherwise, I probably couldn’t bear it for even a month.”

Hill soothed, ”Then follow the call of nature! Letting things take their natural course is better than anything.”

The transformations of the Spirits of Nature would still follow their personality, but if there was something they particularly disliked, they would naturally ignore that form.

Even if they weren’t in Teraxil, the Natural Consciousness of all worlds welcomed the presence of the Spirits of Nature and would do everything to help them.

If Alice and Hill were together, there was basically no world that would refuse their arrival.

Even the Abyss was the same, except the Bottomless Abyss would choose to twist the light of nature in them into the form of the Abyss.

Alice didn’t respond further but slowly, very slowly, she turned into a gentle sphere of light.

The Natural Consciousness of Felunryel appeared quickly, and even though this world was so chaotic, the world’s Natural Consciousness only showed the gentle and life-affirming side around the sphere of light that Alice had become.

No Natural Consciousness would not love a Spirit of Nature.

Hill wasn’t worried that Alice would become ugly, her very existence as a Spirit of Nature proved everything.

It’s not as if there weren’t Spirits of Nature who, due to grievous harm, fell directly into becoming Evil Spirits.

Most Spirits of Nature, when faced with unbearable pain, might choose self-liberation, but there are always those who, swept up in the flames of vengeance, embrace the Abyss.

Such Evil Spirits, although the Natural Consciousness feels sorrow, would not harm them, for they were once its beloved children.

But a normal Natural Consciousness would no longer pay attention to this child, only the Abyss would open its arms to welcome them.

Alice was very sensitive to emotions, and her decision to run away immediately after noticing the Magical Beasts of the Monster Nation acting abnormally spared her many traps and troubles.

Those betrayals and harms could only affect her if Alice chose to get involved.

Alice also indirectly responded to her views on Merkel. Perhaps there was no hatred, but now she didn’t want to be lovers with Merkel anymore.

But she didn’t plan to refuse Merkel’s wish to follow her.

There might have been many thoughts of a little girl, but for Hill, being able to judge this far was already quite good.

He was actually a very simple person, his love and hate very clear-cut, completely not understanding emotions that were a complex mix of love and hate.

List quietly appeared beside Hill, transformations of the Spirits of Nature were something few could see.

This required Alice to truly trust Hill with all her heart.

The flowing light continued for a day and a night before it began to dissipate bit by bit.

On the long couch opposite Hill, a young girl appeared.

Her head full of golden hair covered her body, and Hill panicked and pulled out a long cloak to cover her completely.

He waved his hand and opened the door leading to the bedroom, and List, already in tune, said, ”The water in the bath is ready.”

”Hill?” Alice asked in confusion, ”Can’t I move?”

”Go take a bath first.” Hill pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling for the first time that life was full of dramatic ups and downs, and that it was truly full of surprises.

”Sir.” List comforted the headachy Hill, ”It’s a good thing we brought Marsha’s core with us. Why not have her keep Miss Alice company?”

The Magic Core of Marsha, which had been placed in the City Lord’s Mansion, had also been promoted to high-level by Hill during that time.

If it was List, Marsha would definitely obey his order.

But with Srei, even if she was slightly stronger than Marsha, due to her personality, she might refuse some orders that she didn’t like.

List simply suggested Hill to replace the City Lord’s Mansion with an intermediate Tower Spirit as well; with Hill gone and most of the Undead Tribe departed, the Lord’s Mansion had little to do most of the time.

Using a high-level Marsha was really a bit of a waste.

List always remembered that Hill wanted to find a real Half-plane at some point. By then, even he would need some helpers.

But by that time, Marsha would be extremely useful.

Compared to the straight-laced Hill, and List who had just appeared with a copy of Hill’s consciousness, Marsha, who spent years discussing clothing, decorations, and even gardening and art with the girls of the Undead Tribe, was definitely better suited to help Alice get accustomed to human life.

Hill found the still dormant core of Marsha in the pendant and placed it in a specially made Mithril box filled with high-level Elemental Crystals.

Such a box was for Mages moving house, allowing their Tower Spirit to appear in the outside world even when not within a Magic Tower.

It just consumes a bit more.

Of course, Hill could still afford it, but Marsha didn’t like that kind of lonely and idle life.

When Hill asked if Marsha wanted to stay in the pendant, she outright refused, preferring to sleep until there was something to do.

She didn’t have programming for farming, to just stay there idly watching flowers bloom and wither?

Hill awakened Marsha’s core, and List quickly connected with Marsha, allowing her to be instantly aware of what had happened.

Marsha floated in place, her mouth wide open enough to see her little tongue, expressing her astonishment.