Chapter 72: Unveiling the World
This novel is translated and hosted on bcatranslation
Yu Sheng’s question made Bai Li Qing raise her eyebrows, though the movement was subtle.
“There’s only one Borderland, of course,” Bai Li Qing said calmly. “A ‘meeting point of worlds’ isn’t something you can mass produce.”
“I’m talking about ‘Boundary City,'” Yu Sheng said with a serious expression. “If there’s only one Borderland, what about Boundary City? This city, located at the Borderland—is it possible that another similar city exists somewhere in the world?”
He paused, looking into Bai Li Qing’s eyes, and continued slowly, “A city that’s quite similar, but not quite the same. They share the same name, and some locations overlap, but unlike this place, it’s entirely ordinary. If the observable universe stretches for billions of light years, isn’t it possible that such a city might exist somewhere within that vastness?”
For a moment, Yu Sheng thought he saw something change in Bai Li Qing’s expression—a hint of unusual seriousness.
The “Director” remained silent for a few seconds before she spoke cautiously. “As for your ‘hypothesis’—let’s call it that—there is actually a theory among scholars. The theory goes like this:
“If the scale of space and time across the entire universe is infinite, or at least nearly infinite, statistically speaking, then it’s possible for two identical or highly similar locations to exist. Two planets with very similar characteristics, two mountains that resemble each other, or even two histories that are almost identical. The chance of such ‘mirroring’ might be low, but it’s not zero, given sufficient time and space.”
Yu Sheng nodded thoughtfully. “I’ve heard something like that before…”
“But there’s a caveat to this theory—a non-public one,” Bai Li Qing added. “Even if this theory holds true, and even if every point and event in the universe could have a ‘mirror’ in infinite time and space, there are two exceptions. Two places that can never have a duplicate.
“One is a planet called ‘Terra,’ hidden deep within the stars, far from here, but connected to the Borderland by some secret links. The second is this Borderland itself.
“In other words, there cannot be a second ‘Boundary City’ in this world, because this city is an integral part of the Borderland. And the Borderland… has no ‘mirror.’ Even if the universe stretches infinitely, across limitless time, from the past to the future, there will be only one Borderland. Only one Boundary City.”
Yu Sheng’s eyes widened slightly, and he stayed silent for a long time.
“Judging by your reaction…” Bai Li Qing adjusted her posture, “you seem almost certain that there is another ‘Boundary City’—in fact, you’ve seen it, haven’t you?”
Yu Sheng forced himself to calm the storm in his mind. He took a deep breath and tapped his fingers lightly on the table in front of him.
“Yes, I’ve seen it. It’s a small seaside city. From the southernmost point to the north, it takes only thirty minutes by car. There are no ‘Otherworld’ phenomena, no Special Affairs Bureau. People live simple lives. The sunshine… the sunshine is always so gentle, never blinding. And the sunsets are beautiful.”
Yu Sheng described the scenes from his memory to the woman in front of him.
He didn’t hide anything. Since Bai Li Qing already knew the truth about Wutong Road No. 66, and since she was the one in charge of all things related to the “Otherworld,” she seemed like the best person he could turn to for help.
Bai Li Qing listened quietly, her colorless eyes giving nothing away. Nobody could tell what she was thinking while she heard his descriptions. Only after Yu Sheng finished did she suddenly speak.
“Can I see it?” she asked.
Yu Sheng was taken aback. “See it? How?”
The woman across from him reached out her hand and pressed it against his temple. Her touch was cold, and he felt a sudden sense of disorientation.
“This is my ability—if you don’t mind, you can open up your imagination to me for a while. Of course, if you’re uncomfortable, I won’t force it.” Bai Li Qing’s tone was earnest.
Yu Sheng frowned, thinking quickly, and then nodded lightly.
He closed his eyes slightly and focused on recalling his hometown—the image of the “other Boundary City.”
The ordinary seaside town surfaced in his mind, and then he felt as if another pair of eyes were viewing his memories along with him, taking in those imagined scenes.
After a while, Yu Sheng opened his eyes.
He noticed that Bai Li Qing still had her eyes closed. Behind her, the infinite expanse of the café they were in seemed to crumble, collapsing noiselessly from afar. The neatly arranged, endlessly repeating tables and chairs were swallowed by darkness, vanishing as though they had fallen into an unseen abyss.
Yu Sheng was dumbfounded. He had no idea what was happening. “Hey! The place is collapsing! Wake up!”
Before he could finish, Bai Li Qing finally opened her eyes. “It’s fine. Just a side effect of using my ability.” As she spoke, the collapsed structures and furniture quietly restored themselves.
Yu Sheng felt a bit awkward and gave an embarrassed chuckle. “Oh, your ability is pretty… flashy.”
Bai Li Qing didn’t respond. She rubbed her forehead lightly, as though she was deep in thought.
“Did you see everything?” Yu Sheng asked curiously. “So, what do you think?”
“I saw it. Just as you described—a peaceful seaside town, with many places that echo this city’s layout.” Bai Li Qing interrupted him. For some reason, she hesitated as she spoke, though the hesitation was quickly concealed. “I believe you’ve really seen another ‘Boundary City,’ but I’m curious—why are you so determined to find this ‘place’?”
“For personal reasons. I need to find it,” Yu Sheng said firmly. “But according to you…”
“A theory is just a theory,” Bai Li Qing shook her head. Her attitude suddenly seemed less definite, her words leaving more room for interpretation. “Honestly, I still don’t believe there’s a second Borderland in this world. But if there’s just some place that happens to resemble this city in certain architectural aspects… that’s not entirely impossible.”
Yu Sheng eyed her suspiciously. “Really?”
“Who knows?” Bai Li Qing sighed. “Some scholars say that our universe is still very young—some physical laws have yet to even emerge. Therefore, everything we think we know about this world from a human perspective might be wrong, or could be overturned one day. I do believe the ‘Boundary City’ you showed me is real. It’s just… not recorded in the Borderland archives.”
“And if you ever find it…”
“You’ll be the first to know,” Bai Li Qing said sincerely, nodding.
Yu Sheng thanked her.
But he wasn’t entirely convinced. His instincts told him that the woman in front of him wasn’t being entirely “honest.” He wasn’t sure where that feeling came from, but he decided not to dwell on the topic.
“I have another question,” Yu Sheng said, quickly shifting to a new topic. “It’s for a friend.”
Bai Li Qing nodded. “Go ahead. I’ve got plenty of time today.”
Yu Sheng paused to gather his thoughts. “It’s about ‘Alice’s Little House.’ Does the Special Affairs Bureau know about this organization?”
“Alice’s Little House? Of course we know,” Bai Li Qing responded immediately. “Those ‘living dolls’ are active in the supernatural realm. We’ve dealt with them many times.”
Yu Sheng’s heart skipped a beat—maybe he had finally found a lead for the little doll. “Are you talking about ‘Alice’s Dolls’? So, this ‘Little House’ is registered with the Bureau?”
“No, you’re mistaken,” Bai Li Qing shook her head. “Alice’s Little House isn’t something ‘registered with the Bureau.’ It’s an independent force beyond the Borderland. Though they keep a low profile, their influence isn’t much less than ours.”
Yu Sheng blinked. “…Huh?”
“There’s not just one special place like the Borderland in this world, nor just one large organization like the Special Affairs Bureau. We’re just one of many official organizations dealing with the Otherworld and Entities. Besides us, there’s the ‘Bamosa Hermit Society’ founded by the Bamosans, the ‘Academy’ and the ‘Archaeological Association’ from Terra, the ‘Astrological Society’ of the Algladians, and many others. ‘Alice’s Little House’ is also an independent group—they follow an Ancient Holy Spirit called ‘Alice,’ who blesses these dolls. They’ve been active… even before the Special Affairs Bureau existed.”
Yu Sheng was speechless.
So Irene wasn’t exaggerating after all. The little doll really was something special!
Yu Sheng didn’t hide his expression, and Bai Li Qing quickly picked up on it. “If I remember correctly, the report mentioned you have a ‘doll’ with you?”
“Yes, her name is Irene. She claims to be one of ‘Alice’s Dolls,’ but she was sealed away for a long time by accident.”
“But I recall that the report also said her height was only… this tall.” Bai Li Qing gestured with her hand above the table.
Yu Sheng rubbed his nose awkwardly. “Ah, well, that’s another accident…”