Within the Crystal Wall Sea, the "Universe Gate" could randomly lock onto universes, but trying to achieve a precise lock was incredibly difficult.
To be more accurate, the more powerful a universe was, the harder it was to lock onto.
The Teyvat Universe itself might not be considered a particularly powerful universe, but the fact that it belonged to the Sea of Trees Multiverse made things very troublesome.
If someone from a slice-of-life world were to fall in today, Riku estimated it would take about three to five years to lock onto their home universe.
However, the difficulty of precisely locking onto the Teyvat Universe within the Sea of Trees Multiverse was hard to say.
Thirty to fifty years? Three to five hundred years? Both were possible.
"What a pity," Rhinedottir sighed softly.
For her, being unable to return to Teyvat meant that much of her research could not continue.
Of course, that was not the main issue. It was just that she had only recently created the prototype, and it was hard to say if that child could truly be nurtured to birth now.
Alice said with a beaming smile, "Since you cannot go back, Rhinedottir, why do you not stay?"
"Stay?" Rhinedottir murmured. Then she said, "Alice, I have no choice. If I do not choose to stay, it seems I have nowhere else to go."
Alice blinked her beautiful eyes and said, "Rhinedottir, you could try rushing into the Extinction of the universe to see if you will die."
"No need," Rhinedottir refused without hesitation.
A person's value lies in their self-awareness. Rhinedottir knew very well that, relying on herself, she could not even leave the planet, let alone rush into Extinction.
Otherwise, why would Rhinedottir have become a sinner? It was because the Abyss could bring a brand-new future.
"Darling, let me chat with Rhinedottir for a bit..." Alice said, drawing out her words playfully.
Riku did not mind. He stood up and said, "You two chat. I am going to find Little Keli. That child is very unhappy because no one is playing with her since Rei left."
"Okay!" Alice waved her small hand in goodbye.
Riku took a step forward and vanished without a trace.
"I really did not expect that you, Alice, would give birth to a daughter with such a being," Rhinedottir said with a sigh of emotion.
Alice smiled and said, "It was all a coincidence! Little Keli's birth was a gift from the universe. Otherwise, given Darling's life level, he might never have been able to produce an heir."
Rhinedottir naturally agreed with this.
The higher the life level of a being, the harder it was to produce offspring, unless it was a solo gestation.
However, solo gestation would damage one's origin. Only a true union between two parties could produce a genuine bloodline.
One could say that Klee's birth was a life created through a stroke of luck.
"You have been away from Teyvat for two hundred years. I did not expect so many things to have happened." Rhinedottir crossed her long legs and teased, "Everyone thought you had died beneath the Abyss during your world-crossing travels."
"How could that be! I am an elf; luck is always by my side!" Alice waved her hand, indicating that such a thing was impossible.
Rhinedottir picked up her black tea cup and took a sip. "The witches' afternoon tea ends here. Witch A, what happens next?"
"Witch R, you are so direct." Alice pursed her lips, also crossing her legs and folding her arms over her chest.
"Just say it."
"This is a 'Cosmic Core.' Absorb it and stay. From now on, you will be a member of the Longhuang Universe."
"And if I choose to refuse?"
"Then I will have to capture you. As a member of the Hexenzirkel, I know exactly what kind of person you are, Witch R."
They went back and forth, but the outcome was already decided.
Rhinedottir did not say more. She lightly raised her hand, and a deep blue particle, about the size of a thumbnail and resembling a mineral crystal, fell into her palm.
The Cosmic Core merged into Rhinedottir's body just like that.
Everything seemed unchanged.
However, as a top-tier alchemist, Rhinedottir had been honored with the title "Gold" and had reached the level of creating life from nothing.
Because of this, Rhinedottir instantly felt a connection stemming from her origin, soul, and life. As an outsider, she had established a link with the Longhuang Universe.
"Next..." Rhinedottir stood up and waved her hand. "I will go to the [Apocalypse] Universe first to take a look. Once Mr. Riku's plan begins, I will head to the Saint Seiya Universe to continue my research."
"No problem," Alice said, smiling as she made an 'OK' gesture.
As she spoke, Alice tossed a Radiant Jade Machine to Rhinedottir and murmured, "I am really looking forward to everyone's arrival. With everyone's help, everything will go much more smoothly for Darling."
"..." Rhinedottir took the Radiant Jade Machine and remained silent for a moment. She really had not expected that the "Happy Witch," codenamed Witch A, would actually have such a love-struck side.
However, after a moment's thought, Rhinedottir curled her lips into an interested smile. "Alice, if you want everyone to come, then just wish for it from the bottom of your heart. Your status in the Longhuang Universe is very special; your wishes will trigger a response from the universe."
"I know that, of course..." Alice drawled, blinking her eyes. "Otherwise, Rhinedottir, how do you think you ended up here?"
"..." Rhinedottir left in silence.
As expected, when it came to wordplay, who could beat Witch A?
***
[Apocalypse] Universe.
"..." Silence had been the daily routine for the mother-daughter pair, Yuriko Takagi and Saya Takagi, for the past two days.
Gold Rhinedottir had proven with practical results: If you are weak, practice more!
In just two days—a mere two days—Rhinedottir had mastered the Undead Central Hub. It was not just mastery; she had completely dissected it from the inside out and begun researching ways to innovate and improve it.
Beyond that, the Zombie Alchemy technology that the Takagi mother and daughter had been researching was understood by her in just two hours.
If Rhinedottir had not spent most of her time thoroughly analyzing everything without rushing, she would not have just doubled the rate of evolution; a several-fold increase would have been highly likely.