"Mmm-hmmm~~~"
A soft, delicate moan echoed across the expansive, plush bed.
Long, platinum-blonde curls cascaded over her skin as she stirred, leaving behind a faint, ticklish sensation. Her reddish-orange eyes slowly fluttered open. Half-lidded, her pupils—shaped like cross-flowers—looked like genuine blossoms, imbued with a touch of alluring charm.
Alice's mind, previously blank, gradually began to clear. She instinctively tried to prop herself up, but—
Aching. Sore. Numb.
A cacophony of sensations washed over her, forcing her to collapse back onto the mattress. In a moment of frustration, Alice slapped her slender, jade-like hand against the chest of the man beside her.
"Sleep, sleep, sleep! Is that all you know how to do? Am I some second-hand good? Some beat-up old sedan you can just kick into gear whenever you want? You damn bastard!"
*Alice: Do you really think I wouldn't drag a train away today and make sure you never see your own daughter?*
*Riku: Really? I don't believe you!*
A large hand wrapped around Alice's willow-thin waist and pulled with sudden force. With a startled cry, she found herself pinned firmly against his chest.
Riku's eyes were half-closed. His pitch-black irises weren't the typical black and white; they seemed to contain the vastness of the cosmos itself. If one looked closely, it was as if they could see the entire universe swirling within his gaze.
"Alice, were you just planning on running off with our daughter?" Riku asked with a playful, enigmatic smile.
Alice's body stiffened. She forced a conciliatory smile. "Of course not, darling. How could I ever let our daughter be born without her father around~~~"
*Riku: Really? Is that what you meant just now?*
*Alice: Darling, you must have misread me!* [Nodding earnestly.jpg]
She was defeated. Utterly defeated.
There was no helping it. Alice, the renowned Witch A of the Hexenzirkel and a rare member of the Elf race, possessed power so staggering that she could barely find an opponent in all of Teyvat. And yet? When facing her own man, she was reduced to nothing but whimpers; she felt like she might just shatter into pieces if things continued. She was simply no match for him.
After some playful bickering, the two finally got out of bed. Riku wasn't the type to be ungentle, but given the recent situation—"Not enough," "Still hungry"—it was ridiculous! Any man who heard such things would be pushed to his limits. Riku simply had to teach Alice a proper lesson.
On an oversized, soft sofa, Riku leaned back while Alice lounged lazily in his arms, toying with his long, ink-black hair. She flipped over, sprawling out like a starfish on his lap. She blinked her beautiful eyes and purred, "Darling~~~"
"What is it?" Riku narrowed his eyes instinctively.
When a child is quiet, they're definitely up to no good. He knew his witch-elf partner all too well; her personality was pure, mischievous "demon pill." Using such a gentle, watery tone out of the blue? He didn't even need to ask what was going on.
"Oh, come on~~~"
"Speak properly."
"I just..."
"I'll agree to it."
"Hehe~~~"
The coquettish witch had won again. Alice sat up, kneeling on Riku's lap. She cupped his face in her fair, jade-like hands, forcing him to look her in the eye.
Riku chuckled, not bothering to swat her hands away. "Go on, then. As long as it's not something dangerous, I'll agree."
"I want to go explor—"
"No."
Riku cut her off immediately. Exploration? Explore what, for heaven's sake! Their daughter had been in the womb for nearly 136 years and was about to be born. How could he let her run off on an expedition now?
"Damn it!" Alice puffed out her cheeks instantly.
Riku couldn't help but smile. She was a stunning, vibrant beauty with the air of a mature queen, yet she always acted like a spoiled, mischievous child.
"It's been two hundred years! I haven't been on an adventure in two hundred years!" Alice began to throw a tantrum.
*Ying ying ying~~~*
*Alice: I see it now, darling! You just want to keep me hidden away in a golden cage!*
Riku watched her antics with amusement, even as she jumped up and started pointing fingers at him.
"I've already finished researching the 'Gate of the Universe.' Once our daughter is born, we can go explore, how about that?" What else could he do? Pregnant women were like this; he could only coax her like a child.
"Really?!"
"Really."
Alice's eyes sparkled. For a lively, restless witch who had once managed to make "Hilichurls self-sufficient," staying cooped up at home for two centuries was no small feat. If not for her maternal instincts, her love for him alone wouldn't have been enough to keep her contained!
Alice's thoughts jumped quickly. She sat back down and blinked, asking, "Darling, does that mean the extinction of the entire universe can be cleared away soon?"
"It's difficult." As the Lord of the Universe, even Riku found this matter a headache.
Generally speaking, as a universe develops over time, if it cannot advance further, it will naturally drift toward extinction. However, the extinction of a universe leaves behind a "Seed of the Universe," which then gives birth to a new one. Accumulation after accumulation, development after development, until a true breakthrough is achieved.
Riku's situation was unique. When he transmigrated, he happened to arrive just as a dying universe was giving birth to its "Seed of the Universe." As the last living being, he naturally became the master of the "Lord of the Universe."
Riku had immediately flashed away to a new universe, but what happened? This broken universe was also drifting toward extinction. He had intended to leave, but Alice, who had transmigrated as well, had latched onto him. And then? Heh~~~
While Riku and Alice were entangled, this dying universe latched onto them, too.
Damn it all. This pathetic universe had mistaken Riku, a human-shaped "universe," for the true "Lord of the Universe." It wasn't that Riku couldn't leave, but he would have to "cut off his own flesh"—he would have to sacrifice at least seventy percent of his origin. That would be a complete joke!
So... there was no choice. Riku had to grit his teeth and accept it. *Fine, let's do it. As long as it hasn't fully extinguished, we can fix it.*
In the end, it wasn't entirely a bad thing. If he were to simply act as a human-shaped "universe" to birth a new one and become a Lord of the Universe, it would just be a standard growth path—and a very troublesome one at that.
But now? Saving this universe from extinction, combined with the development of his own "Seed of the Universe," was like 1+1=100. Or perhaps even higher. Though it was a bit exhausting, Riku felt the payoff was high enough. That reward alone made it all worth it.
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