Mr. Death in the Steam World

Moen almost thought he had misheard.

"Fifty years have passed without us realizing it."

She leaned back in her chair, looking up at the red heart pattern painted on the ceiling.

"I'm here all alone, day after day, year after year. Those three magicians won't talk to me, and all the soldiers know is 'cut off their heads.'"

She paused, her gaze falling on Moen's face.

"I ask you, outsider, no, young man, do you know what it feels like to spend fifty years in a place that never changes?"

Moen fell silent.

He had been in this world for less than a month, and even including his previous life, it was only a little over twenty years.

Fifty years is too far away for him.

"I don't know," he said truthfully.

The Queen of Hearts gave a cold laugh and picked up her teacup again.

"So don't give me any grand theories, I just want Lily to stay here and keep me company."

"Over the past fifty years, my strength has gradually weakened. I do not want to die slowly in silence, so I invited many children to visit me through my dreams."

"However, most of them were too naughty and not sensible enough, so I sent them all back."

"Only Lily, only Lily..."

"To you, this is just a false space, but to me, this is my reality."

"If you insist on taking her away,"

The Queen of Hearts spoke very forcefully, but she was actually just sipping her tea and remained silent.

After a few seconds of silence, she spoke again, her tone becoming sharp.

"Besides, do you think she'll be better off back home than she is here?"

"Her mother worked herself to the bone in the factory every day, but she couldn't earn more than a few gold pounds a month. When Lily went back, she still had to wear tattered clothes, still couldn't get enough to eat, still—"

"Enough said. No matter what you say, I'm taking Lily away today. This is a request from a mother who has nowhere else to turn."

Silence fell in the room once again.

Moen glanced out the window; the pocket watch in the air ticked away, indicating that there was only one hour left before they were forcibly evicted.

He wasn't stupid. The reason the Queen of Hearts had been wasting so much time talking to him was probably to buy them enough time to drive them out without them realizing it.

However, she was stalling for time, but wasn't he doing the same thing?

Just then, a loud bang came from outside the window.

Moen turned his head sharply and saw a huge fireball rising not far from the castle gate through the window.

Flames exploded under the pink sky, like a blooming red rose.

Although he only asked Phils to make a commotion, this commotion is a bit too big. Could it be that something has happened?

The Queen of Hearts' expression also changed abruptly.

"You—" she suddenly looked at Moen, "You're just stalling for time!"

"Aren't you one too?" Moen's hand was already on the revolver at his waist. "Let me guess, the Mad Hatter is probably arriving soon, isn't he?"

No sooner had the words been spoken than a series of synchronized footsteps sounded outside the throne room. The playing card guards had somehow completely surrounded the throne room.

"Cut off their heads! Cut off their heads!"

Moen stared intently into the eyes of the Queen of Hearts.

"One last question, where is Lily?"

The Queen of Hearts looked at him, her previous languor and grievances vanished, replaced by madness and excitement.

Do you think I'd tell you?

Without hesitation, Moen pulled the trigger.

"Then don't blame me."

The bullet slowed down dramatically the moment it left the barrel, and the Queen of Hearts flashed behind Morne, leaving a deep bullet hole in the wall.

"Although I am not as good as I used to be, it is wishful thinking for you to think you can kill me all by yourself."

She threw a punch straight at Moen's back, but Moen dodged it by bending over.

"What, you think I'll be slowed down by you and obediently stay in place to take this hit?"

Moen feigned nonchalance, but inside he was sweating profusely.

On his wrist, a piece of hairband gleamed faintly and fluttered in the wind.

If it weren't for the fact that Fils made him several headbands with the spell "Independence" written on them before he left, he would have already fallen for it.

The Queen of Hearts clearly hadn't anticipated that her opponent could evade the slowing effect, and left with no other choice, she shouted:

"Red Heart Soldiers! Hear my command! Slay the enemy leaders! Protect my paradise!"

These words immediately amplified the commotion outside the door.

"Red Heart Soldiers! Hear my command! Slay the enemy leaders! Protect my paradise!"

The soldiers shouted the Queen of Hearts' commands, their bodies emitting a faint red glow, clearly indicating that they had been enhanced.

Moen speculated that this was another manifestation of the Queen of Hearts' "ruling" power.

The soldiers formed layer upon layer of encirclement and attacked Moen. If he did not do something, he would inevitably be overwhelmed by the endless soldiers.

Under the Queen of Hearts' smug gaze, Moen took a deep breath and revealed an even more insane smile.

"Thanks for sending these little monsters to help me stack up my levels!"

Without further hesitation, Moen took out the tea leaf that White Rabbit had given him, chewed it, and swallowed it, releasing a burst of red and black energy.

Revolver, trench coat, mask.

A gunshot rang out, the soldier fell to the ground, and the agent of death descended in grand style.

Moen clenched his fist, feeling the long-lost harvest form, and a sense of power even greater than when he was in the Other Shore Flower form.

Unlike before, a deep purple light also flowed around him from time to time.

[Night of Venting and Slaughter (Purple): Whenever you are in the dark, your abilities will increase with the number of enemies you kill (up to 500%).]

[Introduction: Unrestrained, lawless, those who obey me prosper, those who defy me perish!]

The Queen of Hearts' eyes flashed with a fierce light, intending to stop him, but Moen turned around and fired a shot.

The Crimson Reaper's bullets traveled at speeds far exceeding those of ordinary firearms. Moen had expected her to use teleportation to dodge, but the Queen took a step back and instead created a barrier to take the hit head-on.

Before the Queen could recover, Moen, wielding the Crimson Reaper, charged into the ranks of guards, scattering scraps of paper as he went, carving a bloody path through the enemy ranks in the blink of an eye.

As the number of guards he killed increased, the purple light on his body deepened, soon becoming almost tangible, faintly forming a suit of armor on his body.

It was three o'clock in the afternoon in Wonderland. After breaking out of the castle, he looked up at the pocket watch in the air and let out a long howl.

Plan! Got it!

Upon entering the fairyland, he discovered that time in the fairyland was not the same as that in the outside world.

They entered at nine o'clock in the evening, which, according to his later estimation, was about four o'clock in the afternoon in Wonderland.

It is now 3 p.m., which is 8 p.m. in reality.

He had noticed that "Night of Venting and Slaughter" had actually taken effect when he fought his way up from the castle tower to the throne room.

He speculated that the "Night of Venting and Slaughter" actually referred to a night in reality.

It was precisely because of this essential ingredient that he dared to drink tea with the Queen of Hearts face-to-face in the throne room to prolong the time.

Now that it seems there's a problem with Phils, he's decided to stop hiding it and start layering up the guard regiments.

Although Lily is still with the Queen of Hearts, the Queen of Hearts' words of care for Lily during their conversation were definitely genuine.

In comparison, Phils, whose situation is unknown, is more important.

Now that the layers are fully stacked, with his harvesting form and five times the combat power, who in this fairyland can stop him?!