So, in the end, Marisa and Renko agreed, because after giving it serious thought, they couldn't find a reason to refuse. Even though the whole affair sounded utterly insane—so much so that even they understood the severity of potential failure—still... haunted by that sorrowful dream lingering in their minds, they truly wished to be liberated.

"What do we do next?" the two of them asked.

"I will send you both out shortly, back to the real world. Once I am prepared over there, I will notify you and then bring you into Gensokyo. So, for the time being, all you need to do is wait," Lin Luo stated.

"Wait? Hmm, understood. But how will you contact us when the time comes?" Renko asked, her voice tinged with excitement. After what had just transpired, she had gained some understanding of Lin Luo's strength. She felt both curious and deeply desirous of that seemingly miraculous power. Now, she was intensely eager to know how Lin Luo would contact them within Gensokyo... would it be the legendary mental dialogue, or something even more wondrous?

Faced with Renko's eager and expectant expression, Lin Luo calmly reached into his clothing and pulled out a mobile phone, handing it to her. "It's very simple. Just wait for my call."

"..." Renko stared blankly at the dull black phone in her hand, utterly dumbfounded.

Marisa remained perfectly composed, her expression utterly unreadable, like a statue.

"What? Is there a problem? This phone is very special. As long as it has power, it can receive my signal no matter where you are. It's far superior to the technology you have," Lin Luo said, completely unaware that his phone had just ruthlessly shattered the girls' fantasy, continuing his explanation nonetheless.

"Hoo..." Renko took a deep breath, hoping to compose herself, but ultimately realized that such a situation made composure impossible. So, after tucking the phone away, Renko suddenly lunged forward like a tiger pouncing, flailing her limbs wildly at Lin Luo, reminiscent of the Roar of the Lioness of Hedong. "Give me back my expectations!!!"

"Finally, I'm back." After sending Marisa and Renko back, Lin Luo immediately returned to Gensokyo. Of course, he didn't use the passage beneath Youkai Mountain. Instead, he traversed space directly. Standing beneath the skies of Gensokyo now, gazing upon everything within it, he couldn't help but feel a wave of emotion.

He had made his decision: he would shatter the Great Barrier. Regardless of success or failure afterward, every blade of grass, every tree, every mountain, and every stream here would undergo a monumental transformation. The Gensokyo he knew might vanish forever. Such a prospect left his heart anything but calm.

However, he would not hesitate.

The sentiment in his heart was one thing; action was another. Since the decision was made, he would exert his full strength to accomplish it... even if it meant facing opposition from everyone.

"It seems... not much time has passed." Lin Luo stood in the sky for a moment, then suddenly sensed familiar presences converging from all directions. Focusing his gaze, sure enough, familiar figures began appearing in his line of sight one after another... Yukari Yakumo, Yuuka Kazami, Ran, Lily, Silverne, Eirin... Everyone he knew, save for Reimu, had gathered nearby.

Clearly, although nearly a thousand or ten thousand years had passed for him during that interdimensional crossing, perhaps only a few days had elapsed here. Otherwise, such a large number of people couldn't have assembled so quickly.

Being watched by so many people made Lin Luo slightly uncomfortable, especially facing certain individuals among them; he didn't know what kind of expression to adopt. Yet, from those countless gazes, he could discern that their concern outweighed everything else. Thus, Lin Luo offered a slight smile and raised his hand in a gesture of victory. "I succeeded."

As those words fell, the previously anxious crowd instantly breathed a collective sigh of relief. After a brief silence, it was followed by thunderous cheering.

"Oh!!! A feast! A feast!! Let the banquet begin!!!"

Three days had passed since Lin Luo departed Gensokyo due to the reversal of causality. During these three days, no one’s mood had been stable. Even the most optimistic among them knew that if Lin Luo failed, the consequences could be unimaginable. They possessed immense power but had nowhere to use it, forced only to pray internally. This was torture for them, a feeling worse than death.

Therefore, the moment they sensed Lin Luo’s aura reappearing in Gensokyo today, they rushed over. Although most of them had already guessed the outcome, it was only when Lin Luo uttered the word "success" that they truly let go of their inner unease. An indescribable lightness and joy erupted; they needed to release, to vent, and the best way to do that, as always in Gensokyo, was through a banquet.

Gensokyo, which had been subdued by the incident of Reimu’s death, now erupted once more with its inherent liveliness as everyone bustled about preparing for the feast. Only a select few maintained complex expressions.

Among these few were, of course, Yuuka Kazami and Yukari Yakumo.

Just as Lin Luo didn't know how to face them, they, too, felt somewhat awkward confronting him. Three days ago, although their memories had long been restored, Lin Luo didn't know it yet, so they could still maintain their usual demeanor. But what about now?

The mere thought of how they acted as spoiled children, how they were cherished, brought a profound sense of nostalgia, an urge to relive the past. But... who were they now? One was a Sage, the other a Ruler, undeniably the strongest in Gensokyo. Unlike the Ojou-sama, they possessed genuine, imposing authority. Could such individuals truly act spoiled like they did in childhood?

No! Just imagining such a scenario sent shivers down their spines—it was too mortifying!

Thus, as the majority dispersed to prepare for the feast, they fled.

Yes, they fled because they couldn't face it. They needed time to properly calm their emotions.

Of the three whose embarrassing histories had been exposed, Yukari Yakumo and Yuuka Kazami had temporarily chosen evasion. However, Kanako adopted a completely different approach. She remained as naturally unperturbed as ever, taking Alice by the hand and leading her before Lin Luo. A look of impulse, of excitement, crossed her face, and she pointed at Lin Luo, declaring to Alice: "Come, little Ai, call him Father."

Alice hadn't quite grasped the situation when she heard this command, leaving her utterly bewildered in the wind.

Although Lin Luo understood the preceding events, seeing Alice so utterly bewildered made his own frame tremble, and tears streamed down his face.

But Lin Luo and Alice were not the only ones lost. While most people were preparing the banquet, the outsiders like Lily remained on the scene. Lily possessed little possessiveness and certainly no awareness of being part of a harem, yet her innate female curiosity and gossiping spirit burned fiercely.

As for Eirin, she felt the situation was too murky and her mind was struggling to process it. Having lived in Gensokyo for over two years, she was hardly unfamiliar with the complex web of relationships. She knew Alice, as a princess of the Makai, wasn't much younger than her—and certainly hadn't lived as long as Lin Luo. Thus, she genuinely couldn't fathom what kind of logic would lead to Alice being Lin Luo’s daughter.

Such a bizarre development made her feel it was almost inappropriate not to resort to a little ‘cleansing.’

Of course, for Silverne, who possessed a divine spark, concepts like logic and causality were mere trifles. Upon suddenly learning the "fact" that Alice was Father's daughter, she thought of only one thing... a new rival for his affection had appeared!

Consequently, the way Silverne looked at Alice instantly became fierce and predatory.

Alice, completely unaware that she had suddenly become the central figure, found her mind utterly blank, incapable of processing anything.

Lin Luo felt the atmosphere around him growing strange, so strange that he yearned to find a hole in the ground to hide in. He finally understood... even though he had returned safely, this certainly couldn't be considered a good outcome. Not even a true shuraba (a scene of romantic conflict) could be as terrifying as this.

"Um... my head hurts badly. I think I'll go rest for a bit. You all carry on chatting," unable to bear the stifling atmosphere, Lin Luo finally found an excuse and made a tactical retreat.

The others, though reluctant to let things end so ambiguously, knew Lin Luo had been through an arduous ordeal this time and did not stop him. In any case, they had plenty of time to investigate and uncover the complete truth of the situation.

"The naturally airheaded are truly terrifying..." On the way to the Hakurei Shrine, Lin Luo couldn't help but mutter to himself. Kanako's single sentence had possessed an unprecedented level of destructive power, instantly capable of neutralizing five people at once. It made him realize anew the horror of the truly naive type, but fortunately, she hadn't uttered it at the beginning, or the entire crowd would have surely collapsed into chaos.

Regarding Kanako and Alice, Lin Luo didn't know how to approach the matter for the time being, and his headache was severe, so he didn't go to (Book Sanctuary)

There was also Mumei. This little chuunibyou—the hero returns triumphant, yet she wasn't there to wave flags and cheer. That was highly abnormal... As for the father complex, it was best to ignore that; his own stress levels were too high.

The gate to the Hakurei Shrine was firmly shut. Lin Luo found this strange again, as he could sense the presence of that mother and daughter inside... They weren't sleeping, yet the door was closed. What was going on?

With considerable reservation, Lin Luo gently pushed the door open.

Inside the room, Reimu sat kneeling at the dining table, upon which steam rose from a hot meal. The moment the door opened, she turned her head and spoke with an even expression, "You're back. Come eat."

"..."

Lin Luo paused, unable to process the normality of the atmosphere. Before he could react, Reimu tilted her head away and stammered, "It's... it's not like I prepared this specially for you or anything, it's just... just a coincidence... a coincidence!"

Hey, what was with such an obvious, textbook example of a tsundere reaction? What was she trying to pull?

Lin Luo was instantly speechless.