Victor Wang turned around and saw a witch.
She wore an enormous red witch's hat. From Victor Wang's vantage point—due to the slight distance—the wide brim cast a deep shadow that completely obscured the upper half of her face. Only her fiery red lips and the cascading pale golden hair were visible.
She was dressed in a complex ensemble: a white inner garment layered with a red outer robe, adorned with pleats and tiny decorations, forming a dress that wasn't entirely a dress. The upper part resembled normal clothing, while the lower half was a gown—though the two were seamlessly connected. The long hem of the skirt trailed on the ground, perfectly matching the clothing style of this world.
Seeing a color palette so reminiscent of Klee, Victor Wang instantly knew who she was.
At this moment, the other party was gazing at him with a puzzled expression.
In truth, Victor felt quite uneasy. Alice had once mentioned using Hilichurls from Dadaupa Gorge as laborers in a sweatshop—an idea that would not make a certain "Doctor" weep, but would leave a certain "Rich Man" in silent horror.
There were also things like launching Hilichurls from Windrise to Springvale, and experimenting with letting them pilot Ruin Guards.
But… Victor Wang believed that since she leaned toward being a neutral-good figure, as long as he communicated properly, even if she didn't help him, she likely wouldn't drag him off to be dissected.
Clearing his throat and holding back the Wind Slime to prevent it from drifting away, Victor Wang solemnly introduced himself.
"Hello, I'm a Hilichurl who has suddenly mutated to possess normal intelligence. You can call me Victor."
"A sentient Hilichurl? That is rare, but I'm not particularly interested in that."
Her tone shifted. Alice raised her smooth chin and gestured with her eyes toward the floating island in the sky.
"How do you know the incantation to ascend?"
At the moment she looked up, Victor Wang caught sight of her ruby-like eyes, and two adorable elven ears that didn't quite match her mature physique.
"Well... actually, I came from an alterna—" He thought back to the first day he arrived here, to the chaos he accidentally unleashed, and changed his wording. "I came from the outside. I know certain special information."
He kept making an exaggerated motion of looking upward.
Alice sighed softly, as if stirred by some memory, then asked, "What are you doing? Does your neck hurt?"
"Ahem, you should know what I'm trying to say."
Alice shook her head seriously. "I have no idea what you're talking about."
"I think you—"
"I don't care what you think. I care what I think. What brings you here?"
Victor Wang couldn't quite read her reaction, but since she asked, he figured he might as well say it.
"As you can see, although I've regained intelligence, I'm still stuck in this body. I wanted to ask if you might have a solution."
"Sorry, that's not really my field. I do have a friend who once looked into turning Hilichurls back into humans, but they didn't succeed."
I'm guessing that friend of yours is Rhinedottir. Even she couldn't do it.
Holding on to a more is better mindset—even if it led nowhere—Victor Wang pressed on, "Then… do you know how I might break the curse of undeath that's upon me?"
"Ah, that I can give you a little hint on. The essence of the undeath curse is that your 'death' was rejected. As for what rejected it, and why you were rejected..."
Come on, just say it already, I'm listening closely.
Victor Wang remained silent, awaiting the next part.
"That's all I can share. If you resolve that root issue, the curse will naturally lift."
"Well that's... not much different from saying nothing."
"If I told you everything, how would you grow? Even if you did know, what could you even do with that knowledge right now? Besides... some truths bring trouble. There are things you shouldn't say casually." A mysterious smile curled on Alice's lips.
"Ah, I get it, I get it."
Thinking about the feeling of being watched by the whole world, that indescribable sense of dread, Victor Wang felt like he was basically a walking nuke now.
If he ever faced a true mortal enemy, he could just summon the Sword of Damocles. He wondered: Would I even resurrect afterward? The more he thought about it, the more excited he got. If I die, the curse ends. If I survive, I'm invincible.
Though... if that power only triggers when someone calls out "Phanes," and it's directed solely at him, it wouldn't help much.
"I have one more request. Could you help me integrate into human society?" Before Alice could respond, Victor Wang quickly added, "I'm willing to pay a price for it."
With two and a half years of work experience under his belt, he understood how social capital worked—equal exchange was the norm.
"Hm..."
Alice had predicted he would make such a request. In fact, she'd intended to give Victor Wang an item, but now that he'd shown such self-awareness, she felt awkward giving it away for free.
From her personal inventory, she pulled out a cloak. After thinking for a moment, she also took out a black bracelet and handed both to Victor Wang.
"This cloak can help conceal your identity. The bracelet is a one-way communication device that only I can initiate. When the time is right, I'll ask something of you in exchange for the cloak."
A stranger, huh... could be a good training opportunity for Klee.
Victor Wang was stunned when Alice conjured the cloak out of thin air. This spatial tech—so cool and so useful.
And when he saw the bracelet, an odd feeling rose in him.
A smart bracelet? What if this is a tracking or listening device? I'd have zero privacy.
"Pfft~"
Seeing Victor Wang hesitate with the bracelet, Alice couldn't help but chuckle. "Don't overthink it. I won't make you do anything beyond your ability."
No, no, you misunderstood. Whatever, who even has privacy in the modern world anymore? What's there to fear.
"Alright then!"
"There aren't many interesting things left in this world. I really hope you'll go stir up some waves. Farewell~" As she watched Victor Wang put on the bracelet, Alice vanished.
"Teleportation!"
Teleportation and spatial storage are so cool. Shame I didn't get a chance to ask questions...
With Alice's cloak in hand, Victor Wang could finally bid farewell to Hilichurl society and openly enter human society.
As plans for his next steps formed in his mind, Victor Wang led the Wind Slime back to the Dozey Tribe's village.
Thankfully, the tribe's nap time wasn't over yet.
After Victor Wang left, Alice returned once more to the cliffside.
"The passphrase needs changing... it's spread to other planets now." Shaking her head, she performed a series of gestures, and the floating island and wind currents disappeared.
"There. No more random triggers."
Alice glanced at the spot where Victor Wang had stood. She felt like there was something she forgot to tell him. What was it?
Oh well, leave it to fate.
She teleported away once more.
......
Arriving at the edge of Sword Cemetery Lake, Victor Wang took out the cloak Alice had given him. He couldn't tell what material it was made of, but it had a very peculiar texture.
Folded up, it looked like a serious, matte-black garment. But when he spread it out, there was a Dodoco on the hood and a massive Jumpy Dumpty on the back.
"Ahaha, that's adorable."
He reached out and touched the images—not embroidered, but seemingly painted with some kind of special ink. Honestly, it looked incredibly realistic.
Victor Wang dipped his hand in the lake, trying to wash off the Dodoco.
Nope. Didn't come off.
Whatever.
Victor Wang turned around and threw the cloak over himself. Glancing at his reflection in the water, he saw a figure completely wrapped in fabric. Only his face was visible—and even that was shrouded in shadow from the oversized hood.
He looked like a mysterious final boss... but the Dodoco on the hood totally balanced that out, leaving others clueless about what might be underneath.
Although this getup attracted just as much attention as wearing nothing at all, Victor Wang decided to trust Alice. Her gadgets were always extraordinary, and this cloak clearly wasn't ordinary either.
Afternoon was more than halfway over. Estimating his pace, he figured it would take 14 hours of nonstop travel to reach Mondstadt. He decided to set off immediately.
Unlike the hidden route he used when he first arrived, this time he deliberately took the main roads, hoping to run into people before reaching Mondstadt and test the cloak's effectiveness. But being so close to Dadaupa Gorge, the road was completely deserted.
By nightfall, Victor Wang entered a canyon path. The route was partially blocked by Hilichurl-constructed thorns, wooden fences, and caltrops. Though it wasn't fully sealed off—one or two people could still squeeze through the gaps.
This camp housed two Samachurls, two Wooden Shield Mitachurls, and over a dozen regular Hilichurls. For any ordinary traveler, this would be a death trap. But for Victor Wang, it felt like home. The bigger the base, the happier he was.
"Olah! (Hello!)"
Speaking in his less-than-perfect Hilichurlian, Victor Wang cheerily greeted the Hilichurls and eagerly opened the camp's supply crates.
Wow—tonight's dinner is going to be delicious.*