Girl in the Box: Please tell me why I was reincarnated as a mimic monster!

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Kana excitedly accepted the basket of potato chips, not forgetting to show it off to the others and share some with them, like a missionary activity. It's a good thing that some people like potato chips, but Rin hopes that there won't be any more people like Kana. Even their Flame Dragon King knows to control his desires... Sigh...

“This is from Akihabara…” Evan’s feelings were complicated.

"Well, let's just call it a local specialty..." Li said with a wry smile.

Because Akihabara is probably the only place where oil can be used so lavishly. At that time, the things that were sorted out included a large amount of olive oil, peanut oil and various cooking oils, which led to the popularity of fried dishes in Akihabara recently.

“Akihabara…” Evan smiled. “It’s a place full of possibilities. Kana lived there before, didn’t she? Although it wasn’t for long, she had a pretty good time there.”

"Do you like it?" Li asked.

“Yes, I think everyone thinks so,” Evan said. “There’s no place where inspiration strikes more easily.”

"Um……"

Rie looked around at the scene before her. In this crowded room, Kana was sharing potato chips with everyone, and smiles graced everyone's faces. Rie thought for a moment, and then something came to mind…

“Old Man Evan,” Li asked, “what do you guys usually do in the evenings?”

"At night..." Evan thought for a moment, "The guard duties are mostly handled by the Royal Guards, so we usually don't have much to do at night... What's wrong, Miss Li? Why are you asking this?"

"It's nothing," Li said mysteriously, "I just wanted to treat everyone to dinner tonight."

...thump thump thump...

Li knocked on the door.

"Please come in."

Alice's voice came from inside. After confirming that she could enter, Li pushed open the door. Inside the meeting room were Alice and Ning, whose meeting had been temporarily interrupted. Senno now had a thick stack of contracts in his hands. Li brought Xiao back here.

"Are you finished talking?" Li asked.

“I suppose so.” Alice smiled. “Thanks to Toning, our contract was signed smoothly. But it seems that when we announce it in a few days, things might not go well.”

"You just went to the Sangu Workshop, right?" Ning looked over.

"Yes, I went to take a look," Li said with mixed feelings. "I have a very subtle feeling."

“…I’m sorry, it’s my fault,” Alice said apologetically. “I really can’t take care of everything right now, and I don’t want to abandon everyone in the workshop…”

“I understand,” Li said resolutely. “So, I want to say something… okay?”

“Please speak,” Alice said earnestly. “I will listen carefully.”

"Hmm..." Li reorganized her thoughts and said, "If possible, I hope that the researchers at Sanko Workshop can cooperate with Akihabara. Akihabara can provide the materials and resources, but I hope that Sanko Workshop can cooperate with our new magical technology development as much as possible. Is that alright?"

“…Pfft.” Alice paused for a moment, then couldn’t help but chuckle. “Oh, I see… Ning, you were right. As expected, Rin brought this up.”

Chapter 48 It’s decided!

"Eh?"

It took Li a while to understand what Alice was saying.

“Ha…” Ning sighed, “I figured you’d probably come and talk about this too. So I’ve already spoken to Alice about it.”

Alice gestured to Senno with her eyes, and Senno, understanding, took one of the contracts from the large stack in his hand and handed it to Ri. The contract outlined the future work arrangements for Sanko Workshop, primarily focusing on aligning with Akihabara's operations and jointly conducting research and development beneficial to the future of both countries…

"What is this...?" Li felt like her brain couldn't process it anymore.

“The relevant contract,” Ning explained. “I had already anticipated that you would consider the Sanko Workshop issue, so I also asked Alice about the Sanko Workshop and learned a little about it. The information you learned about the workshop is roughly the same as what I learned, so I thought you might do this, and thus I prepared it for you in advance.”

“I’m sorry,” Alice said apologetically, pressing her hands together. “I really regret bringing everyone from Sanko Workshop here. I overestimated my abilities. As you can see now, I’m struggling to maintain the New Kingdom... let alone take care of everyone from Sanko Workshop. If I had been more capable, Sanko Workshop wouldn’t be in this state... I’ve thought about this for a long time, but no matter how I look at it, Akihabara is the best place for Sanko Workshop to develop.”

Ever since Alice led the Sanko Workshop away from Akihabara to return to the kingdom and seize power, the Sanko Workshop's situation has been extremely precarious. As a group of craftsmen with limited combat capabilities, the Sanko Workshop is of no use to the current state of the new kingdom; they are merely a group of craftsmen. Alice herself doesn't understand what she expected them to do.

Ultimately, due to various reasons, the Sanko Workshop has become what it is today, and all they can do is assist Alice and supplement the already limited manpower of the New Kingdom.

As the owner of Sangu Workshop, she felt complicated looking at the workshop's current dire situation. Now, thinking about it carefully, she wasn't sure if her impulsive actions had harmed Sangu Workshop, but one thing was clear: she had to take responsibility for it.

During this time, she constantly reflected on her immature ideas, striving to become a queen whom the people could trust, while also seeking a way out for Sanko Workshop. Their future was uncertain, and Sanko Workshop shouldn't be bound to this place like she was. At least not now.

Given the current state of the New Kingdom, Alice believed it was impossible for her to provide a suitable environment for the development of the Sanko Workshop. Now that she had finally made contact with Ri and Ning, Alice hoped that they could at least return to Akihabara, as it was a more suitable place for them. Therefore, she and Ning shared the same thought.

After understanding the reason for the matter, Ning also thought so. Ning did not criticize Alice's irrational behavior, but simply nodded, pondered for a while, weighed the pros and cons, and finally agreed to Alice's suggestion, and first drafted the contract.

Ning also believes that the New Kingdom and Alice are currently unable to provide Sangu Workshop with any room to maneuver. This is due to three main issues: resources, manpower, and the overall situation. Sangu Workshop, which was originally neutral, has been drawn into the New Kingdom's sphere of influence by Alice's actions. This will inevitably attract the attention of other forces, as this newly emerging force is full of creativity, and far-sighted individuals will naturally keep a close eye on its movements.

The Sanko Workshop represents almost the pinnacle of technology in the world today. Given enough resources and time, they can create unimaginable things, which is why they are coveted by many. This force originally belonged to Alice, but since Alice has regained power, it means that the Sanko Workshop has been incorporated into the New Kingdom's forces.

There are likely many forces lurking in the shadows, eyeing the Sangu Workshop covetously. While Alice's actions may have brought the Sangu Workshop under her protection, even a casual observer could see that the workshop offered no real benefit to the New Kingdom; in fact, it would be used to fill a manpower gap. The Sangu Workshop, representing the world's most advanced technology, was now essentially useless. It would be far better to seize it from the New Kingdom and utilize its true potential than to let it languish in their hands.

I suspect that many forces share this view.

Not to mention them, even Ning thinks so. Alice has really made a wrong move this time. This extra step may not have much impact on the situation of the new kingdom of Alyas, but it may push the Sangu Workshop directly to destruction.

Ning's idea was that since the new kingdom could not provide the Three Ancient Workshop with the space to fully demonstrate its capabilities, it would be better to hand it over to other wealthy and needy countries.

If Sanko Workshop could return to Akihabara, that would be ideal. Akihabara is now basically self-sufficient, and providing Sanko Workshop with surplus materials for their research would not be a problem at all.

Ning believes that Akihabara needs them now. She has experience working with the members of Sanko Workshop, so she understands to some extent how important Sanko Workshop is.

If there's anything Akihabara lacks right now, it's definitely in terms of on-the-job research. While Akihabara boasts many geniuses and prodigies, it's unrealistic to expect the residents, accustomed to their freedom, to cooperate effectively.

If things go smoothly, Sanko Workshop will become an unprecedented force. Both of them believe that this is the best decision for Sanko Workshop.

However, Ning didn't represent all the power in Akihabara; the decision-making power wasn't in her hands. The real decision rested with Ri. After the two of them coordinated the relevant details, they drafted a preliminary plan. Once Ri came over, confirmed it, and signed it, the matter would be essentially settled. This time, regardless of how little Ri understood these things, she had to experience this world.

“So, we’ve already discussed this beforehand,” Ning explained. “The basic details are on that contract. Check it out, and if you think there are no problems, sign it with your magic.”

"oh oh……"

Because everything came so fast, like a tornado, the overwhelming amount of information tormented Li, whose thinking was already somewhat clumsy, and she often found herself stuck. But this contract was the only thing she checked over and over again, even using her magic eye to verify it, before finally making her decision.

"I don't think this will work," she said bluntly.

Upon hearing Li's answer, both Alice and Ning stared at her in disbelief. They hadn't expected this at all. Logically, they had already perfected the contract as much as possible, but Li seemed dissatisfied with something. Despite their surprise, they quickly regained their composure, considering whether they had overlooked anything, or if there was something that appeared different from Li's perspective.

"Aren't these contracts all too transactional?" Li complained. "Even if you're a little more willful, it's not a problem, is it? And Alice, what's with this contract that clearly means you're abandoning the Sanko Workshop? Everyone's working for you!"

"Huh? Huh?"

Alice was completely confused by Li's reply.

“Ha, let’s start over.” Li took all the contract documents from Senno. “We’ll revise these contracts one by one. I want to know what Alice is really thinking, okay? Don’t let your own position hold you back; you are Alice, after all.”

Having been inexplicably lectured, Alice was completely bewildered. She genuinely couldn't understand what had gone wrong and could only look to Ning for help. However, Ning, as if resigned to her fate, gave up the reins with a wry smile, preparing to assist Li with the corrections. In the end, Alice had no choice but to obediently accept the lecture.

The work on revising the contract documents continued until noon, when they returned to the palace. This time, because Alice was present, no nobles dared to cause trouble. The three of them worked tirelessly all afternoon, completing the revisions to most of the contract documents and adding some large new contracts, which could not yet be signed.

Alice's plan is to reveal the whole truth about this incident to all the people of the kingdom in two days, explain everything to them, and then explain the problems that the new kingdom is now facing. Finally, she will announce the various matters concerning the contract between Akihabara and the new kingdom of Alyas. On that day, Li and Alice will sign the representative contract of these contracts in front of everyone in the new kingdom.

Only from that point on will the contract be fully effective.

Ning wasn't unaware of the reasons behind her actions; Alice intended to use this opportunity to explain everything clearly and regain the public's trust. However, there was a challenge...

“Well… now there’s a problem,” Alice said. “Although we’re talking about forming an alliance, putting aside the name of the alliance, haven’t you decided on the name of your country yet?”

"...Oops~ I forgot about that..."

Reminded by Alice, Riku remembered something she had long forgotten, something seemingly insignificant yet extremely important: naming her country. Although it was a trivial matter, it was crucial, and she didn't want the country to be consistently named Akihabara when signing contracts in the future.

Akihabara is merely a symbolic region representing their country and is not suitable as the name of the country.

"Ugh... my head hurts." Li rubbed her temples, her head throbbing. "I hadn't really thought about this before, but I never expected it would come in handy now..."

"Isn't it better to call it Akihabara?" Xiaotian tilted his head.

“Akihabara refers to a place, while a country refers to a larger place that includes this place,” Ning said, trying to mislead people. “Therefore, Akihabara cannot be used as the name of a country.”

"I see..." Xiao nodded as if she understood, but for some reason I really hoped she hadn't.

Li racked her brains trying to come up with a name for their country but couldn't come up with a satisfactory one. Alice sat there leisurely sipping her black tea. This matter was no longer within her control. All she had to do was confirm Li's answer. This was something she could no longer interfere with.

"Sigh," Li was at her wit's end and turned to Ning for help, "What should we name the country?"

"Isn't a small garden enough?" Ning said casually. "Besides, isn't that your surname too?"

"Ugh! I've been trying to avoid this ending!" Rin exclaimed in frustration. "It's so shameful to name your country after yourself!!"

“Okay, let’s call it ‘Small Garden’,” Ning said, making a bold statement.

"Hello!?"

“Hmm, good name.” Alice nodded. “Senno, remember to write this down later.”

"Ok, I see."

"Hey!?"

And so, the name of the Labyrinth Kingdom was decided so casually and easily. Although it will take quite a while for Rin to adjust, well, keep trying, girl.

“By the way,” something suddenly occurred to her, “Alice, do you have time tonight?”

"...? Yes? What's wrong?" Alice was a little caught off guard by the sudden change of topic.

"Oh, that's good." After confirming the matter, Li breathed a sigh of relief.

"So?" Alice asked, puzzled. "What exactly happened?"

"Well, I just wanted to invite you out for a meal," Li suggested. "How about it? I'll cook!"

Ding--!

When Li said that she would cook, Alice's eyes lit up. By the time Senno realized what was happening, it was too late, because her master had already found an excuse. But she still tried to stop her.

"Um?" Senno tried to say, "Lady Alice? You probably won't be able to leave the palace tonight, will you? It's very dangerous outside at night."

“It’s nothing, it’s nothing,” Alice said without hesitation. “It’s not like I’ve only done this once or twice.”

Is he a repeat offender?!

Having learned of the unexpected turn of events, it's clear this seemingly quiet former princess is actually quite mischievous than imagined. No wonder she's a talented woman; her drive is probably key to her success. In any case, the list of participants has been expanded to include one more person… no, two more. Miss Senno will probably be worried and come along…

Ah...looks like tonight's going to be busy...I wonder if the owner could let us use the kitchen for a bit...

As night fell, Riya began to consider the preparations needed for tonight's party.

The interlude is filled with undercurrents.

The figure in the long robe walked through the quiet street. He stopped, looked around to make sure no one was there, and then continued deeper into the area. Unfortunately, he was in a region where the underworld was extremely active. This wasn't a place for ordinary people; it was practically a crime hotspot, and the situation was chaotic even under normal circumstances.

Tonight was no different; plenty of people were drinking and causing trouble, and factional battles were commonplace. The tavern owner, however, remained behind the counter, meticulously wiping his glasses, seemingly indifferent to the outside world's commotion. These seemingly harmless fellows were actually the most dangerous people here; they had powerful backers who allowed them to operate this tavern.

Sure enough, the troublemakers didn't dare cause any trouble inside the tavern and all obediently went outside. The figure in the long robe paid no attention to any of this, simply moving forward silently. He only had one thing to do and didn't have time to waste with their antics. He hurried away from the main path and then turned to walk into a more secluded corner.

He remained constantly on guard, wondering if anyone was following him, until finally he stopped at a certain point. At the end of the alley stood a very old-looking door, but the marks on the handle indicated that it had been used continuously. Without hesitation, the figure in the long robe reached out and pushed open the door. After observing the surroundings, he cautiously stepped into the small room inside.

"It's so late, Your Excellency."

As soon as he entered, a mocking voice rang out. The figure in the long robe silently removed his hood, revealing long, flowing golden hair on his delicate face. He was Nosa Dangur, a nobleman of the new kingdom of Alyas, the head of the Dangur family who had submitted to Alice after the coup.

"The fact that you have time for such sarcastic remarks means you've thoroughly investigated those three girls, right?" Dangur turned around and mocked them.

He wasn't the only one gathered there; there were three other men with unfriendly expressions, each sitting in a corner, not getting close to the others, maintaining a delicate balance like a three-legged stool. Dangur took the last seat in the room, filling all four sides of the small room with people.

If someone looked closely, they would notice that the chair Dangur was sitting in looked more luxurious, the seat of honor. On the floor of the room was a simplified map of the entire city, with the four people seated in the four cardinal directions, while Dangur's seat of honor was placed in the royal palace of the main city.

"What?" Dangur sneered. "Weren't you all quite lively just now? Why are you so quiet now? I told you to investigate these three little girls, and you can't even handle such a small matter? Ha..."

"Heh," the man in the long robe and mask sneered, "Our Death Gun organization has been busy with preparations. We don't have time to deal with these little brats. What can those three girls possibly do?"

"You guys really dare to say that," Dangur sneered. "With the strength of these three little girls, you managed to slaughter a police officer from the Golden Mouth Group. Even you couldn't do something like that, could you? Even you would have to be wary of their power. I think you're afraid that if you push them too far, you might accidentally end up getting yourselves into trouble."

"You sissy, try saying that again!!"

A burly man, as strong as a bear, roared and slammed his fist on a chair, shattering it into pieces with a helpless groan. Four deep cracks were now visible where the chair legs had touched the ground. This imposing figure was clearly not someone to be trifled with, but none of those present were alarmed by his actions.

Because we've become so used to it.

"Brother Bear, why are you so angry?"

Then the last person spoke, a seductive and alluring voice echoing in the small room. This voice, filled with a strange power, eased the awkward atmosphere considerably. The woman, dressed like an exotic dancer, reluctantly took on the role of peacemaker. This wasn't the first time such a thing had happened; she was used to playing this role. After all, these prideful fellows certainly wouldn't obediently lower their guard and have a normal conversation.

"Humph!"

Brother Xiong snorted coldly and simply sat down on the ground. Thanks to her, the awkward atmosphere eased somewhat, but neither of them continued speaking. This was probably the first time since the kingdom's founding that they had encountered such a serious problem. The severity of this problem was enough to threaten everything they had accumulated over the years; a slight misstep could lead to their complete annihilation.

In just a few days, the appearance of three girls has drastically changed the situation within this new kingdom. Why do we say this? Because on the very day these three girls appeared, they overwhelmingly crushed the main members of the Golden Mouth Gang, and the already weakened Golden Mouth Gang was completely divided up by other underground forces in a single day.

It's important to understand that the Golden Mouth Group is one of the most renowned forces in this new kingdom. The fact that they were completely overwhelmed by three young girls, even with all their main forces gathered, is enough to attract the attention of other powers. Who exactly are these three girls? What are their backgrounds? Which faction do they belong to? These are all questions that these major powers are concerned about.

The appearance of these three girls has caused a huge upheaval in the underworld. Most importantly, these three girls seem to have a close relationship with the current queen. Originally, what these underground forces wanted to do was to restore the world that belonged solely to them before Serik Alyas came to power.

They had been brewing this plan for a long time, but the existence of the ghost prevented its proper implementation. However, some unexpected things happened. Seric, the hindrance, disappeared, and the ghost was nowhere to be found. This should have been a perfect opportunity, but who could have imagined that the suddenly returning Princess Alice would seize the kingdom in one fell swoop with the help of unknown artifacts?

After seizing the kingdom and stabilizing the situation, Alice began reforms, all of which threatened their interests. This made the underground forces, who had initially planned to observe for a while, restless, leading to the chaos in the new kingdom. Meanwhile, the truly hidden underground forces did not rush into action but quietly observed Alice's growing power.