A Stardew Valley farmer came to Gensokyo.

She seemed to sense something; her long eyelashes trembled slightly, and she stopped turning the pages.

She looked up, a hint of doubt flashing in her icy blue eyes, gazing out the window towards a certain direction in the forest.

"What prank are those three kids playing now?"

"The seven-colored doll magician," Alice Margotrov murmured to herself.

Looking out of the second-floor window, she could vaguely see three familiar little figures circling and flying above the distant forest, seemingly throwing something down.

It looks like a prank, but it feels a little different.

Alice frowned slightly. Although the three little rascals loved to play, they usually didn't stray too far from the forest and rarely exhibited such persistent and aggressive behavior.

"It's a bit unsettling."

She closed the book in her hand, stood up, and called softly:

"Shanghai, Penglai".

As she spoke, two petite and exquisite doll-like girls dressed in modified maid outfits silently appeared beside her.

They had porcelain-smooth skin, long golden hair styled into an exquisite updo, and in their hands they held knightly lances that gleamed with a cold light, disproportionate to their petite figures.

Alice pushed open the stained-glass window, and the cool morning breeze wafted in.

She leaped lightly out of the window, with Shanghai and Penglai flanking her on either side.

An invisible magic lifted her up, making her float in the air as if weightless, and then she flew steadily and quickly toward the direction where the three little fairies were circling.

Just half a minute later, Alice arrived above the scene of the incident.

Looking down from her vantage point, she immediately saw the situation clearly: the three little ones were not playing a prank, but were desperately protecting a young human trapped in a tree, and were fighting against a wolf demon of considerable size.

The human youth occasionally threw stones to scare away the wolf demon, while the little demons harassed them from above, creating a tense and dangerous scene.

A flicker of understanding crossed Alice's icy blue eyes, which quickly turned into a calm and resolute decision.

As a mage who was trained by humans, she always maintains a kind heart towards her fellow humans. When she encounters humans who are lost or in danger, she will even allow them to stay at her home temporarily.

The flight speed suddenly increased, and Alice streaked across the sky above the forest like a blue shooting star.

In the blink of an eye, she was hovering directly above the wolf demon, her golden hair swaying slightly in the air currents.

The wolf demon below sensed an even stronger aura coming from above. It suddenly raised its head, bared its fangs at Alice in the air, and let out a threatening growl.

Alice's gaze fell calmly on the wolf demon, and she simply raised one of her fair wrists, her fingertips twitching slightly.

"Shanghai."

"Shanghai is here~!"

The doll girl named Shanghai, standing to her left, responded with a clear and cheerful voice.

She held the exquisite lance out to the sides, and the tip of the lance instantly glowed with a captivating, magical light.

The next moment, a slender yet exceptionally dazzling and scorching magical laser, like a sharp blade cutting through space, shot out from the tip of the spear and pierced the wolf demon's skull with unparalleled precision.

Before the wolf demon could even utter a wail, its massive body stiffened abruptly, the fierce light in its eyes dimmed rapidly, and it collapsed to the ground with a thud, kicking up a cloud of dust and fallen leaves.

Chapter Twenty: Angels Descend from Heaven

On the tree trunk, Xia Xun was already drenched in sweat.

The humid forest air enveloped him like an invisible, thick blanket, each breath carrying the scent of soil and humus.

The standoff with the wolf demon had lasted for nearly an hour, each second feeling like an eternity. His physical strength was sustained by the energy-rich agricultural products in his backpack, but his mental tension was stretched to its limit.

Fear, anxiety, despair... all sorts of negative emotions grew and surged wildly in my mind. My arms were sore and numb from hugging the rough tree trunk for a long time, and my fingertips were almost numb.

The pair of oily green beast eyes below him, like will-o'-the-wisps, never left him for a moment.

"I can't hold on any longer..." The thought became clearer and clearer.

Xia Xun even began to uncontrollably imagine himself drawing his axe, clutching the amulet given to him by Lingmeng, leaping down from the tree to fight the wolf demon to the death.

Although it's a death sentence, isn't it also a kind of relief? This stalemate offers no hope whatsoever.

After all, how could he expect to be rescued deep in this primitive and dangerous magical forest?

however--

The rescue team has arrived.

A figure descended gracefully from above, like sunlight tearing through the dim forest canopy.

Her short, golden hair shimmered with a honey-like sheen in the sunlight filtering through the tree canopy, and her blue skirt swayed as lightly as flower petals.

The girl floated in the air, her face so exquisite that it seemed to have been sculpted by the most outstanding puppeteer. Her icy blue eyes calmly looked down, and the sunlight outlined a hazy halo around her.

At that moment, in Xia Xun's vision, which was filled with fear and exhaustion, she was like an angel descended to earth.

I didn't even see how she moved.

The petite doll-like girl standing beside her, wielding a long spear, moved slightly, and a chilling magical light gathered at the tip of the spear.

"laugh--"

A thin yet scorching and dazzling magical laser beam instantly pierced through the air and precisely entered the wolf demon's skull.

Its massive body suddenly stiffened, and the wolf demon didn't even have time to let out a final howl before the fierce light in its eyes went out like a candle flame.

Everything happened too fast, so fast that Xia Xun's mind was still stuck in the determination to fight to the death, but the threat had already vanished.

The girl slowly turned around, a hint of concern on her delicate face, her voice clear and calm: "Are you alright?"

In that instant, Xia Xun felt as if he had seen a god.

"Alice~!" Sunny's excited shout broke the brief silence.

She flapped her wings and flew like a small orange shooting star to the young lady's side, her voice full of relief: "It's so good that you came! That wicked wolf demon, it kept circling around us, it was so awful!"

“Thank you, Alice,” Luna said softly, her small hand on her chest, her transparent wings fluttering gently. “You protected our friend.”

Star had already flown to the tree branch next to Xia Xun, gently touching his hand that was still tightly hugging the tree trunk, his knuckles white. He looked up at her with a worried expression and asked, "Xia Xun, are you alright? You're fine now, the wolf demon has been defeated."

The cool touch of her palm slowly brought Xia Xun's almost frozen thoughts back to normal.

He took a deep breath, trying to calm his wildly beating heart, and shook his head at Star, his voice a little hoarse: "Yeah, I'm fine."

"I'm sorry..." Star's voice trailed off, and the big blue bow on her head seemed to lose its spirit. "We promised to protect you, but you ended up in such a dangerous situation."

“But didn’t you successfully protect me?” Xia Xun immediately retorted. He released one hand and ruffled Star’s soft hair, trying to dispel her guilt.

"Look, we didn't get caught by it and we even held on until the rescue. Don't think about it too much, we're safe now, that's the most important thing, isn't it?"

"Hmm~" Star felt the warmth coming from above his head, finally nodded, and smiled again, his blue bows twitching lightly.

Xia Xun raised her head and looked at the girl floating in mid-air again.

Just then, Alice finished gently comforting Sunny and Luna, who were chattering beside her about what had happened, and turned her azure eyes to him.

Their eyes met.

Xia Xun forced himself to loosen his grip on the tree trunk. Although his arms were so sore that he could barely lift them, he still tried to straighten his back and solemnly bowed to his savior.

“Thank you so much for saving me, beautiful magician.” He spoke with a tone of deep gratitude. He was a farmer who had settled here to cultivate the land.

“Alice Margotroved.” The girl nodded slightly, giving her name in a voice as clear as a spring striking a rock, “a puppet magician who lives in this forest.”

Alice carefully examined Xia Xun, her gaze lingering on him for a moment.

Xia Xun exudes a natural and approachable aura, a blessing from the flowing water and vegetation. No wonder she can become friends with fairies who are naturally close to nature.

What bothered her even more was that there was a faint magical fluctuation emanating from him.

"What I just experienced must have shocked you all." Alice's gaze swept over the three little fairies who were visibly relieved, and finally settled on Xia Xun's slightly trembling fingers and pale face. "If you don't mind, you can come to my place to rest for a while."

Xia Xun did not pretend to refuse Alice's invitation.

He really needs rest, desperately so.

The sudden relaxation after intense tension felt like the last bit of strength was being drained from his body. At that moment, he felt his muscles trembling slightly and his limbs feeling weak and limp.

If it weren't for the last vestige of stubbornness that prevented him from collapsing and losing face in front of his savior and beautiful young woman whom he was meeting for the first time, he probably wouldn't even have had the strength to hold onto the tree branch.

Alice naturally saw his strength, but the kind-hearted girl did not point out his stubbornness. She simply called out softly, "Penglai."

"Penglai understands!"

Standing to her right, the blonde doll-like girl from Shanghai, dressed in the same modified maid outfit and holding a lance, gave a crisp response.

She flew lightly to Xia Xun's side, extended her seemingly slender yet unusually steady arm, and carefully supported his arm. A gentle and steady lifting force helped Xia Xun stabilize his body, and then she carried him slowly into the sky.

Alice gracefully led the way, with Shanghai guards on either side, and three little fairies fluttering around them. Xia Xun was carried by Penglai, and the group flew towards the depths of the forest.

About ten minutes later, after passing through an exceptionally dense ancient forest of intertwined, glowing vines, the view suddenly opened up.

A delicate and elegant Western-style building stands quietly in a forest clearing. Its pointed roof, stained glass windows, and white walls covered with roses and ivy, under the dappled sunlight filtering through the treetops, create a scene that seems to have been taken directly from a fairy tale picture book.

Passing through a small courtyard filled with colorful flowers and neatly trimmed, one can almost taste the aroma of freshly cut flowers.

The interior design maintains the same fairytale-like style as the exterior, yet adds a strong personal touch.

The building features a typical Western architectural layout, with a spacious living room featuring dark wood floors, elegant furniture lines, and exquisite landscape paintings hanging on the wall above the fireplace.

However, the most striking feature is the ubiquitous doll element.

From the two sides of the entrance hall to the cabinets, there are various exquisite dolls. There is a tea-drinking doll set on the coffee table and a girl doll reading a book leaning against the corner of the bookshelf.

Everywhere you look, there are dolls of various shapes, exquisite costumes and lifelike appearances.

Upon first stepping inside, Xia Xun felt as if countless gazes were silently watching her from all directions.

But he quickly calmed down and looked closely, and found that all of these dolls were exquisitely made and very cute.

Moreover, both the dolls themselves and the tabletops and cabinets they are placed on are spotless and gleaming, demonstrating the owner's meticulous care in maintaining them.

"A person who loves life, enjoys solitude, and pours their passion into the things they love." Xia Xun silently painted a portrait of Alice in his heart.

The fact that they chose to live in seclusion deep in the forest, keeping company with these dolls, says a lot.

He also vaguely remembered some of the settings for Alice in the East: a seven-colored puppeteer, a human who became a magician, and in the old version, she was the daughter of the Demon Lord.

The three fairies of light, who are usually lively, active, and even a bit noisy, are unusually well-behaved at this moment.

They landed lightly on the long sofa in the center of the living room, which was covered with an embroidered tablecloth, and sat side by side, placing their little hands neatly on their knees, even folding their wings in.

At Alice's prompting, Xia Xun sat down on the other side of the sofa.

The soft cushion made him almost sigh, finally allowing his tense nerves and body to relax.

Alice nodded slightly: "Please sit for a moment." Then she turned and walked towards what seemed to be the kitchen.

Not long after, she returned carrying an exquisite tray.

On the tray lay a beautifully shaped silver pot, several porcelain cups with gold rims, and a small dish of neatly arranged, crisp and delicious-looking cookies.

A subtle aroma of black tea mingled with the sweet scent of butter, filling the air.

"Please have some tea." Alice placed the tray on the coffee table and gracefully poured Xia Xun a cup of bright red tea. She then pushed the cookie plate towards him and the three little fairies.

Chapter Twenty-One: It's Better to Come to Me Than Marisa

Xia Xun picked up the white porcelain cup with gold trim and took a sip of black tea.

The rich aroma, mixed with just the right amount of astringency, melted on the tip of the tongue and slid down the throat, the warmth slowly spreading to every part of his body. He then picked up a cookie and put it in his mouth. The sweet aroma of butter and the slight bitterness of black tea intertwined in his mouth, and the crisp texture was delightful.

The sweet scent was like a pair of gentle hands, soothing his tense nerves and still slightly trembling heartbeat.

He looked up and his gaze fell on the blonde girl on the sofa opposite him.

Alice Margot Royd sat gracefully, her azure eyes gazing calmly at him, her fingertips resting lightly on her knees.

The afternoon sunlight streamed through the stained glass windows, casting dappled shadows around her, making her look even more like a meticulously crafted work of art.

“I really owe a debt of gratitude to Miss Alice for rescuing me this time,” Xia Xun put down her teacup, her voice much calmer than before. “Otherwise, I really wouldn’t know what to do. Thank you.”

“It’s nothing, just a small favor.” Alice’s tone was indifferent. She tilted her head slightly, her short golden hair sliding over her shoulder with the movement. “Why did you venture deep into the Enchanted Forest? The villagers should have warned you that it’s dangerous here.”

Upon hearing this, Xia Xun gave an awkward smile.

"Thanks to Sunny and the others, the crops I planted today ripened and yielded a bumper harvest overnight. So I wanted to pick some of the fresh produce and give some to Marisa, who helped me before, as a thank you gift."

"But we didn't expect to be attacked by wolf demons on the way. Thanks to the help of Sunny, Luna and Star, we were able to hold on until Miss Alice's rescue arrived."