The afterlife blew up Gensokyo

Uncensored: "..."

"Alright, we still have some time... Have you found any news about Rick over the years?"

Shi Bai stood up from the chair.

"No, you know that madman never rides anything like that. Instead of waiting here, why don't you just go to his world and find him?"

Wu Xiu spread his hands with an innocent look on his face.

"Anyway, teleportation guns aren't uncommon in his world. Why don't you just go to Rui City and rob a few of them?"

"I'm looking for Rick, not Rick."

Shi Bai glanced at Wu Xiu with disdain.

"Besides, it's quite impolite to invade someone else's world at will, and I don't want to fight him again. I'm willing to lend a hand in small matters, but I won't do it if you want me to make a special trip."

"Uh... this really is your style."

An unedited and dry response.

"In that case, how about we... just issue a bounty?"

"No way!! Why should I have to pay for my apprentice's business?!"

"........."

P.S.: Happy Dragon Boat Festival!

Chapter Eighteen: Shame Within Shame

A tragedy is simply destroying everything beautiful in front of others.

Among all living beings, the suffering that comes from not being able to obtain what one desires is suffering itself.

Only through suffering can one truly understand the suffering of all beings; only through attachment can one let go of attachment; only through worry can one be free from worry.

After someone finally chose to abandon all morals and enter the worlds that Yukari Yakumo went to, unlike her previous detachedness in those worlds, in almost every world after that, Yukari Yakumo would encounter a being that left a deep impression on her.

Some of them were proud and virtuous white-robed ministers, some were serene and indifferent white-haired youths, some were impetuous cultivators who would give everything for a wicked demoness, and some were sunny boys with clear likes and dislikes... But without exception, their final fates were all tragic because of her.

The white-robed wise minister committed suicide for his unyielding integrity, the white-haired youth disappeared because of his deep affection, the reckless cultivator was executed because of the distinction between good and evil, the sunny boy died because of his terminal illness... Playing these roles was actually not difficult for Shi Bai.

As the saying goes, the mortal world is a test of the heart, but if there is no intention in the mortal world, how can one talk about testing the heart? Shi Bai could only blame Yakumo Yukari's previous failure on the fact that there was no one in those worlds who could be remembered by Yakumo Yukari.

Since he had already come all this way, Shi Bai felt it would be a shame to leave empty-handed, so he decided to go himself.

However, naturally, Shi Bai himself listed this kind of thing as a black mark on his past, just like when he was Qin Hesheng... He absolutely cannot let Yakumo Yukari know about this!!

However, overall the effect is quite obvious. Shi Bai can clearly see some transformations happening in Yakumo Yukari. If this progress continues, it won't be long before they return to their original world.

Time flies, and another hundred years have passed in the blink of an eye. Because time flows at different speeds in different worlds, the so-called meaning of time is not very significant outside of our world.

Just as money becomes just a number when it reaches a certain level, so too does time in the endless void. Perhaps there is no concept of time here, but it is simply imposed upon us.

A hundred years is not a long time. In the endless void based on tens of thousands of years, a hundred years is even a very short time. However, for Yukari Yakumo, who has been traveling through various worlds, she has lived more than a dozen different complete lives.

In these dozen or so worlds featuring Yukari Yakumo as the protagonist, Shi Bai always appears as an important supporting character. Drawing on his experience from those heart-wrenching anime, he meticulously plans over a dozen perfect yet tragic love stories. To ensure that Yukari Yakumo doesn't discover anything amiss, he even prepares dozens of completely different personas to be used at crucial moments, which can be described as painstaking effort... Although the parties involved may not appreciate it and there is a high probability that they will hunt him down after learning the truth.

But why would he voluntarily expose his dark past? So such a thing is basically impossible.

How could someone as seasoned as him possibly fail?!

Putting that aside, in other matters, Shi Bai's task of finding Rick through Wu Xiu has finally made progress.

As the absolute leader representing the technological side, Rick's world presents a diverse structure, a vast world composed of countless parallel universes. In Rick's world, there exist an infinite number of Ricks, the most intelligent beings in the entire universe, whose numbers are dizzying.

A madman capable of easily destroying the world or even the universe is already terrifying, but what's even more terrifying is that there are countless such madmen in that world. It is precisely because of this that virtually no one wants to go to that world, and Shi Bai is no exception.

Generally speaking, the Rick that Shi Bai refers to is only one, and that is the only Rick in all the parallel universes who has truly stepped outside the world and is the most Rick.

Before meeting the other person, Shi Bai thought he was crazy enough in the past, but after meeting the other person and learning about their deeds, Shi Bai felt that his own craziness was nothing compared to the other person's.

To give a very simple and easy-to-understand example, at the very least, he couldn't do something like making a planet pregnant... Compared to Rick, Sad Wind is just a piece of cake, because Rick has not only transcended species, but also the limitations of physical size and even imagination.

But after all that, the real Rick is just an old man who likes to drink. His body is just human flesh and blood. After passing through his crazy years and seeing the world beyond, his madness has diminished. Now, his favorite thing to do is to travel the world with his grandson.

Well, it's a very ordinary adventure—like building a completely new civilization from scratch, and then destroying that civilization in the end.

"I didn't expect that after so many years, you still haven't made any progress."

After putting on a pair of oddly shaped glasses and glancing at him, Rick, seemingly quite disappointed, casually took the glasses off and tossed them onto the table. Then, holding a bottle of liquor in one hand, he sat down at the table.

"As for alcoholic beverages, I would recommend brandy and vodka. If you mix in a little bit of the blood and bodily fluids of an alien life form, it will become the most delicious drink in the world. Would you like a sip? It's free for you to try."

"No, thank you. I'd like to ask you for a teleportation gun."

Looking at the strange, unidentified liquid bubbling with eerie pink bubbles in front of him, Shi Bai rolled his eyes.

"Also, there are some things I'd like to discuss with you about."

"Teleportation gun? So you finally admit that all that magic is bullshit? If you ask me, the power of science is the most powerful."

Rick poured a mouthful of that strange, unidentified liquid into his mouth, his face beaming with delight.

"I can give you a teleportation gun, but do you really know how to use it? If the coordinates aren't set beforehand, it could very well teleport you to some extremely dangerous places... Oh, right, I almost forgot you can't die, so there's no problem. I hope the teleportation gun is okay."

"...I'll provide you with the materials. Can you enhance the teleportation gun again? For example, to travel to other parallel worlds?"

Facing the incessantly chattering old man in front of him, Shi Bai pressed his forehead with a headache.

"Do you need me to tell you about the [Gate]? I want to go to other parallel void worlds that haven't been destroyed by the [Gate]."

Parallel worlds... How much do you know about parallel worlds?

Rick became slightly more serious and, after a moment of contemplation, asked the question.

"How would I know? My understanding of parallel worlds is basically all from your world. Doesn't your world have an infinite number of parallel universes and an infinite number of versions of you?"

Shi Bai shrugged.

"Although having countless versions of myself feels strange, but..."

"In this world, there are always some things that are unique. They exist alone at a certain point in time, not in the past, nor in the future, but in the present."

Rick took a sip of the wine he had specially brewed.

"Do you know about timelines? In one world, you can go back several decades and kill a person who has just been born. Then, several decades later, that person will no longer exist. Because of this assumption, a famous time paradox has emerged—the grandmother paradox. It is precisely because of this that the fate of all beings in a world can be changed. But there is one kind of existence that cannot be changed; their fate cannot be altered."

"For example, that unique existence you just mentioned?"

Shi Bai raised an eyebrow.

“True uniqueness means that even if other parallel worlds exist, she would never exist in those worlds, because her existence is unique. She doesn’t exist in the past, nor in the future, but only in this moment when she exists, right?”

“That’s right. Based on my deduction, those ‘Creators’ who live behind the ‘Door’ are all unique beings. The ‘Door’ is both a restriction and a protection.”

Rick let out a burp.

"Even if you do manage to reach other parallel worlds where the [Gates] haven't been destroyed yet, you absolutely cannot enter the [Gates], because you are not a unique existence. In countless other parallel worlds, there are countless versions of you. So give up. If the sky falls, there are always taller people to hold it up. Why do something so thankless?"

"Can't someone who isn't unique enter the [Gate]? Why?"

Shi Bai frowned almost imperceptibly.

"The Gate is a collection of endless multidimensional spacetimes. Behind the Gate lies an endless convergence and intertwining of time, space, and even destiny. Someone like you, who is not unique, will be instantly annihilated by the infinite power gathered behind the Gate once you enter it, leaving not even a corpse behind."

Rick wore a mocking expression.

"Perhaps you could try and see if you actually die, you idiot who hasn't improved at all over the years."

"But I entered the [door] before and came back alive."

"If a door that has been completely destroyed can still be called a door, then an apple core that has been eaten can also be called a complete apple."

Rick let out a burp, pulled a teleportation gun from his white lab coat and threw it on the table, then staggered to his feet.

"I don't have many friends. If you want to try it, be prepared to die. I'll prepare a ridiculously stupid coffin for you in advance, and then we'll sing, dance, and party in front of your grave every day."

"Uh... how can one become a unique being?"

After thinking for a moment, Shi Bai asked Rick with a hint of reluctance.

"It's simple: kill all your parallel universe selves, just like I did before. But since there are an infinite number of parallel universes, this method won't work. I don't know of any other methods."

With a wave of his hand, Rick staggered around and walked towards his circular flying vehicle.

"Alright, that's settled then. If you're still alive next time, remember to come to my house. I'll treat you to drinks and maybe teach you a lesson. Living like this is a disgrace..."

Shi Bai: "???"

Watching the other party's vehicle stubbornly squeeze out of the carriage after crashing into several hatches, Shi Bai turned his gaze to the teleportation gun Rick had left behind on the table.

"Hmm? These glasses..."

His gaze fell on the oddly shaped glasses that Rick had dropped to the side. After thinking for a moment, Shi Bai picked them up.

If he remembered correctly, the other person had looked at him with these glasses before saying that he hadn't made any progress... So what exactly are these glasses?

Could it be something like those black-rimmed glasses that can grant immortality?

Filled with this curiosity, Shi Bai put on the glasses, but to his surprise and great disappointment, the glasses that Rick had dropped on him seemed to have nothing special about them, as if they were just a pair of oddly shaped non-prescription glasses.

Just then, the villa door in this small world he had set up as a seaside villa was pushed open, and Yukari Yakumo, with a slightly tired look on her face, walked out of the villa.

Almost subconsciously, Shi Bai looked towards Yakumo Yukari, and then was quite surprised to see a big zero on Yakumo Yukari's head.

"So what the hell is this... level? Is Purple Mom currently level 0?"

After pondering for a long time without figuring out the meaning of the zero, Shi Bai simply handed the glasses to Yakumo Yukari, who had come over after seeing him.

"……Glasses?"

Looking at the strangely shaped glasses in her hand, Yukari Yakumo was slightly taken aback.

"That's right, put it on and look at me, see what the difference is."

Shi Bai nodded.

"For example, is there a number on top of your head or something like that?"

"Uh... there really is a number floating above your head."

When Yakumo Yukari put on her glasses as instructed and looked at Shi Bai, her expression was somewhat strange.

"What number?"

"0...wait, there are a few more words next to it...look carefully, this is the ultimate disgrace...?"

Shi Bai: "??????"

P.S.: Good morning!

Chapter Nineteen: The Little Girl from Before

Train ticket hall.

"A unique existence? I do know something about that."

Looking up from a pile of empty bottles and a stack of magazines with revealing covers, Wu Xiu's expression showed a hint of surprise.

"What, did that madman tell you all this?"

"you know too?"

Slightly narrowing his eyes, Shi Bai, wearing the glasses with unknown functions left by Rick, looked up at Wu Xiu in front of him. Just like when he used these glasses to look at Yakumo Yukari before, a number was also placed on Wu Xiu's head.

【100! 】

(...Level 100? Why is there an exclamation mark after that?)

"Of course, you know that, right? As the ticket seller on this train, I have access to far more secrets than you do. This kind of thing isn't really a secret anymore."

"Tell me in detail."

Still not understanding the purpose of the glasses, Shi Bai casually took them off and sat down in the chair.

"You know what 'unique' means, right? It means that there will never be another one like it. They are the most special. But this kind of existence doesn't just refer to people, it also refers to things. As long as the concept of 'unique' is met, then those things can be anything."

Sit up straight and speak without any attempt to correct his expression.