Alice in the Land of Steam

Chapter 1027: A story at the end of the century?
For mortals, the insatiable emotional desire is a manifestation of thirst, and the behavior of excessively demanding magic to fill this desire is equivalent to drinking poison to quench thirst. However, all living beings have the instinct to seek benefits and avoid harm. If it is impossible to suppress nature, why not choose the path that is most beneficial to oneself and leave the risk to the unforeseeable future? Perhaps it is with this idea that Nigfraum and other Eden gods will show their rebellious fangs to fate.

Lingge couldn't judge whether this idea was right or wrong. After all, he was just an ordinary person. Moreover, the young man felt that there was a logical trap hidden in Tiantis's question: "If a thirsty person knew that it was a cup of poison and drank it to quench his thirst, no one could question his choice. But what if he didn't know and just thought it was a cup of ordinary water?"

"You are very good at finding logical loopholes, Mr. Ling, but you also overlooked one thing, that is, the loopholes in reality." Tiantis smiled and said, "You always seem to think that other people are as smart, rational, and restrained as you are. Once you know it is venom, you will make a cautious choice. Little do you know that the most lacking thing in this world is fools without self-awareness. This has nothing to do with age, experience, and growth environment. It is everyone's nature."

"Unfortunately, perhaps because my mother indulged them too much, or perhaps because I protected them too well, this type of idiot is the most abundant in the Eden world." At this point, Tiantis's eyes suddenly became cold. She looked at the celestial Themis and said lightly: "Let's use real examples to tell them what the stupidity of human nature is. It's time to let this story from too long ago come to an end. As the administrator of the control center of the Temple of Heaven, I apply to play the X52 archive file."

X52, this number follows the previous file, which means it should be its sequel, that is... the story after the young girl king power and the human gods disappeared.

Themis of the Celestial Realm was silent for a long while before she slowly spoke: "Judgment: reasonable. The application for permission has been approved. Now we will start playing the X52 archive file, codenamed: End of the Century."

The end of the century is the end of Genesis.

……

A huge monster lay in the fog.

Gloomy and heavy, like a dying beast, curled up in a corner at the end of the world, waiting for death alone. The wooden planks, corroded by the swamp moisture for a long time, exude a stale and moldy smell. An old trestle bridge, connected to this lifeless camp by the residual light of torches, seemed to creak even the swaying firelight when stepping on it.

Such a scene is indeed shocking, as if it is mixed with a kind of withered beauty or decayed bleakness, which also coincides with the background of the night falling and the sky getting dark. However, this feeling may not be an illusion, because not only the camp in front of us, but probably the whole world, is heading towards decay and withering.

This is an age people call the Dark Age. The flame of civilization has been extinguished, and all things have reached their destined end. There is no hope and no future to be seen. Even the oldest dragons have given up resistance and bowed their heads on the highest snow-capped mountains, no longer hoping that anyone will forgive the sins of mortals and save this dying world.

Most of those who are still struggling do not know why they want to live, but they do not know why they must die, so they continue to live in a daze, just like the survivors in this camp.

When life is not lived for survival, when mortals are not living for the purpose of seeking meaning, when living is no longer a choice but a question... who can tell them the answer, why it has become like this? In the world long ago, people never had to think about these questions.

The vast fog filled the dead silent garden. In the distance, the fire flickered faintly. Someone was playing bagpipes beside the campfire, accompanied by the sound of telling stories, which was old and sad.

"In the beginning, the sky and the earth collapsed. The man who was once called God was controlled by his own arrogance and desire, and he bared his ferocious fangs at the great will that governs this world. Then, the ancient temple burned with fire and fell from the sky. The sun of Eden fell. The great will was also angered. After killing the disrespectful thirty-three mortals, he fell into a deep sleep and vowed not to open his eyes again until this filthy world was completely purified."

"Without the restraint of the great will, the desires of mortals expanded. They began to demand more magic from the world, longing for greater power, until they became the only master. However, the expansion of desires led to disasters, and excessive demands led to killing each other. When magic began to decline and the world could no longer respond to the needs of mortals, it was the beginning of war."

"It was a war for magic power. At first, it was the dragons and feather elves, who stirred up storms in the sky. Then it was the giants and dust elves, who turned fertile land into wilderness. Finally, the mirror elves called down a tsunami, destroying the cities of the people on earth. Blood and fire were burning everywhere on this land. People took up swords, gave up thinking, and pursued blind obedience. Everyone, whether warriors or civilians, was inevitably drawn into this war. Perhaps some people tried to prevent the catastrophe from happening and restore people's rationality, but in front of the surging waves of this land, they were as small as ants, insignificant."

"When all races were killed, humans became the final winners, because they had the largest population and knew how to survive in the cracks. But did the winners necessarily win something? They just lost less. In the final moments of the war, people destroyed civilization and order, lost knowledge and wealth, and everything the survivors saw was devastated. Cities were reduced to ruins, fertile land was burned to ashes, and no tree could bear fruit, and no clear water could breed life."

"So, just as the old war ended, a new war followed. This time, it was no longer a war for magic power, but a war for resources. People no longer craved power, but tried their best to survive. To this end, killing each other was allowed, and betrayal was commonplace. When morality no longer had the power to restrain the soul, the end of civilization was doomed."

"In the end, the world became what it is now. Shrouded in gray fog, the flowers of suffering have already gathered to mourn for those who are destined to witness the end of the world."

The sound of the bagpipes gradually stopped, and the elder who was telling the story sighed softly: "I just wonder if Her Majesty, the goddess who created the world, had ever expected that the end of Genesis would come so soon?"

For those who have experienced the Golden Age, the prosperity and beauty of civilization are imaginable, and that period of time is so long that it seems never to pass away; however, for those who were born in an era of war and can only trace the past through stories and legends, that period of time is so short, so short that they don’t even have time to experience it before it disappears.

Time and fate, long and short, have never been a concept, but a state of concept.

Suddenly, a childish voice came from the silent crowd: "Did Her Majesty the Goddess create the world?"

"Yes." The elder nodded and said in a calm and wise tone: "The great and benevolent goddess created the world in seven days and brought wisdom and civilization to mortals. This is the origin of the oldest myth from ancient times to the present. Later, the goddess did not want to interfere with the progress of civilization, so she left this world and handed it over to mortals. However, mortals failed to live up to her expectations." The voice asked again: "Then, will the goddess come back to save us?"

The elder stopped talking, and a few sparse sighs came from the crowd.

As night fell, the bonfire gradually dimmed, and the gloomy fog wet the clothes, making people feel a little uncomfortable. After the elder finished telling the story, the audience left the empty square in twos and threes, and went back to rest. While walking, they also discussed how people in the past were too stupid. They actually started a war for their own selfishness, destroyed the originally peaceful and beautiful world, and let future generations bear the consequences. If it were me, I would never do this, and I would definitely protect the world left by the goddess and prevent it from being harmed.

However, the reason why people today can say such things is simply because they don't need to worry about people in the past, just like the reason why people in the past could be so selfish is simply because they don't need to worry about people in the future. If neither of them considers the other, even if time can be turned back, the ending of the story will not change at all, right?
The elder with a haggard face shook his head slowly, dismissing this meaningless thought, and then looked at a corner at the edge of the square, where a girl with long silver hair stood. She seemed to be listening intently, her eyes a little stunned, and her elegant appearance and noble temperament seemed out of place in this dead atmosphere. If the other people in the camp, including the elder who told the story, were a candle waiting to be extinguished in the decaying fog, then she was a ray of light shining into the depths of the fog, allowing these people who had not seen the sky for a long time to finally imagine what the sun, moon and stars in the ancient legends looked like.

What’s strange is that such a girl who is so out of place has not attracted much attention. Only the wise elders could see her existence and determined that she is definitely not an ordinary survivor. If she were placed in an era 10,000 years ago when civilization had not yet collapsed, perhaps she would be called a god?
Because of this, he treated the girl with a respectful yet cautious attitude: "I have already told you the story you wanted to know. There may be some hidden secrets unknown to the world, but they are not something that an old man like me who is barely alive can understand. If you want to know more, you may go to other settlements to ask. Please understand."

If it weren't for the girl's request, the elder wouldn't have suddenly thought of telling everyone a story from long ago. After all, it wasn't something worth remembering. Everything was caused by the greed of mortals. Telling it would only add to the sadness. Moreover, in this era, people are already doing their best just to survive. How can they have the right to ask for so-called entertainment?
"No, elder, you explained it very well." The girl had come back to her senses and said softly, "This story is very helpful to me, thank you. As for the other settlements..."

A gloomy look appeared on her face. The elder saw it and seemed to understand something. He couldn't help but sigh softly, feeling sad and lonely. Why did a civilization that was once so prosperous and glorious fall to its current state? Although the story attributed the cause to the desires of mortals, every time the elder thought about it, he always felt that this reason was a bit weak. There must be other, most fundamental reasons.

However, what's the point of thinking about these things now? After all, things that have passed cannot be changed.

"It would be my greatest honor if I could be of any help to you," he said respectfully.

The girl nodded and was about to say a few more words when she suddenly had a premonition of something. She subconsciously raised her head and looked deeper into the fog. Her deep gaze seemed to penetrate the dense fog and see a place even farther away. After a long while, she slowly retracted her gaze and smiled at the somewhat anxious elder: "I still have some doubts that I need you to answer for me, but I need to deal with some things first. If there is a chance, I will come to ask the elder for advice."

After saying that, without waiting for the elder to answer, she turned around and disappeared into the depths of the fog without leaving any trace. The elder's cloudy pupils shrank slightly, and he could hardly believe what he saw. It is said that a long time ago, when the world was still in the heyday of magic, there were many magical spells that could do this. However, at the end of the century when magic was exhausted, magicians had become extinct. The so-called magic was more like a beautiful legend that no one had ever seen with their own eyes.

Considering what the girl just said, that other settlements no longer exist... if that's the case, where did she come from?
When the elder thought of this, the fear and contemplation in his eyes were gradually replaced by a kind of awe that came from the heart.

The hand holding the bagpipe couldn't help but tremble slightly.

Not out of fear, but out of excitement.

The legend has been told for so long, has it finally come true?

He couldn't help but think.

……

At the same time, the silver-haired girl who had just disappeared has appeared in an ancient buried ruin 30,000 meters underground.

The once prosperous city has become a ruin, with collapsed buildings piled up everywhere. Withered yellow leaves float lonely in the stinking ditch that soaks the soul. Pale tree trunks are torn, extending the traces of death. On the mossy overpass tracks, behind the broken and cracked gray-white walls of high-rise buildings, under the bricks and tiles of the streets buried by each glass tree... the illusion of past prosperity hangs everywhere, but it looks even more gloomy and lifeless.

The black-haired girl was lying under a nameless tree, with tangled dead branches above her head and not a single leaf. She could clearly see the gloomy underground world, which stretched endlessly like her dreams.

Her breath was so weak that it was almost unnoticeable, and her breathing and heartbeat had disappeared. If she closed her eyes, she would probably think that there was nothing in front of her eyes, not even a grain of sand or a speck of dust.

The silver-haired girl looked at her sadly under the tree, gently reached out her hand, stroked the pale cheek, and whispered: "Are you still refusing to wake up?"

"Tantis."

Give me some meow