Alice in the Land of Steam

Chapter 1029: The name from the past?

The elder stood alone on the hill outside the camp, looking at the vast fog in the distance.

This would have been a very dangerous move in that era of chaos and disorder. As civilization collapsed, countries and cities lost their protective functions, and wars and massacres were rampant. The corpses of the innocent dead were not collected, and became food for monsters and wild beasts. However, the beasts that ate flesh and blood eventually lost their minds and became extremely crazy. They wandered in the wilderness and forests, hunting people who came and went, tearing off their hands and feet, tearing open their chests, and then swallowing their hearts.

The elder still has memories of that time, because his parents died in an attack by beasts during their escape. They used up their last bit of strength to throw him out of the beast tide, and then they were drowned by the hysterical roars. To this day, the elder still can't forget the scene at that time, but what makes him feel strange is that the scene that impressed him the most was not the unwilling, worried, but somewhat relieved look in his parents' eyes before they died, nor the extremely terrified screams of other refugees when their hearts were torn open... but those terrifying beasts that were feasting on flesh and blood, with broken limbs hanging on their sharp teeth. The expressions on their faces were not greed and pleasure when enjoying the feast, but a twisted pain.

From then on he understood that in this era, no one was completely immune to it, and everyone, whether they were eaters or being eaten, were just struggling hard.

However, those were memories from a long time ago. There were no threats in the wild today, and even if they wandered in deserted fields or woods, they did not have to worry about being attacked by wild animals... In a sense, this was a good thing, at least the survivors of the settlement would not be in danger of their lives when they went out to collect some roots and berries to fill their stomachs. But in another sense, the elder felt that it was really terrible, just like the news that the mysterious girl brought yesterday.

If there is only this one settlement left in the world, and only these one hundred or so survivors, then is there any meaning in my persistence?

Last night, another survivor died in the camp. He did not die of starvation or freezing, but of suicide.

Perhaps after listening to the story told by the elder, he developed strong doubts about the world and chose the most extreme approach in desperation - or the most sober approach, because only sober people know why they die, as for other people, they are just living in a daze.

According to convention, the elders should have held a simple funeral for him, mourning the loss of another companion who could support them in the world. But today he was not in such a mood. All he could think about was the mysterious silver-haired girl. He wondered if she would appear again... If it was her, was there any way to change this desperate world?

Is He...willing to change?

In any case, it was the mortals who failed Her first. If She used this as an excuse to punish the mortals for their reckless behavior, there seemed to be no reason to blame Her. Although the ancient legends mentioned that She was a kind, generous, kind, and loving goddess, it was only a legend after all, and there were many things that were not mentioned in the legends.

Thinking of this, the elder couldn't help but sigh worriedly.

“Why does the elder sigh?”

Suddenly, a gentle voice came from behind him. The elder turned around quickly. As expected, it was the mysterious silver-haired girl from last night. He already knew the other party's true identity. Although the girl called him elder, in terms of age, there was no one in the whole of Eden who could compare with her. Therefore, he naturally did not dare to really put on the airs of an elder, and even did not dare to look directly at the other party's face. Instead, he bowed his head and said respectfully: "I am just thinking about it, sir."

The girl asked, "What are you thinking about?"

"..." The elder was silent for a while. He didn't think that his thoughts could be hidden from His Majesty, so he answered truthfully: "I was thinking, since I heard the news you brought back last night, we have been struggling to live in this world. Is there any meaning in it?"

Hearing this, the girl couldn't help but sigh: "As wise as you are, you would have such thoughts. I'm afraid others are even more confused."

The elder then told her that there was a survivor last night who committed suicide out of despair after hearing his story. The girl fell into a long silence after hearing this. Her mood must have been very complicated. She had many words in her heart, but she didn't know how to express them. When they came to her lips, they turned into a long sigh and gentle comfort: "The darkness before dawn must be the most difficult to endure, but I think, as long as we always have hope, we will always wait for the day when our wishes come true, right?"

The elder's expression changed, and an expression of surprise and uneasiness appeared on his old face.

If other people said this, it would be just a few words of insignificant consolation. This disaster, which began in the heyday of civilization and lasted until the end of the century, has destroyed too many things, not only tangible buildings and materials, but also intangible knowledge and heritage. Too many people were displaced and lost their spiritual support in this disaster. Without these things, even if mortals wanted to cheer up, they would not be able to start over.

But if it is the adult in front of me, maybe there really is a way?
No, there must be a way!

The elder was always calm and wise, otherwise he would not have been able to lead the last survivors at the end of the century to survive in this doomsday. But at this moment, he still couldn't help but worry about gains and losses: "Your Majesty, what you mean is..."

He quietly changed his address.

The goddess did not answer, but just raised her head slightly, looking at the misty distance with a sad and melancholy look. The gray and white world, wrapped in bleak clouds and low gravel, could not see any bright colors. It was more than ten thousand years different from the beautiful and prosperous Eden in the goddess' memory. It was simply a dream - Genesis was a beautiful dream, but now, the dream was awakened.

"I thought for a long time last night." The goddess finally spoke. Only her gentle and clear voice could make people feel a little bright in this gray world, but it was also mixed with a little melancholy, like a stream stained with haze: "What should we do to make this world a better place? If we just restore it to its past appearance, it is not difficult to do; however, can it stay at the best moment forever? As long as life is alive, it will move forward, and time will flow forward, and everything will change. How can we ensure that what happened today will not happen again the day after tomorrow? Elder, you have lived in this era for a long time and should understand it best. I wonder if you can answer this question for me?"

This is a question before God.

According to ancient legends that have been passed down to this day, the ancestors of dragons, humans, giants, elves, and fairies all studied in the goddess's sanctuary and listened to her teachings on the mysteries of magic. It is said that at that time, the goddess also asked them what they would do with this power. The answers of the ancestors are too long ago to be verified, but they must have satisfied the goddess. Therefore, magic flourished for a time, creating a glorious period for the civilization of Eden.

Unfortunately, since the exhaustion of magic power, there are no real magicians in the world. The exhaustion here is just a description. In fact, magic power is still everywhere, but for mortals who cannot use it, it is no different from exhaustion. I don't know when it started, but magic power seems to have been infected with some strange toxicity, which will silently erode the foundation of life and matter, causing them to decay and die in silence. As a result, magic gradually became a crazy force. Except for those who are controlled by power and authority and are extremely hysterical, no one dares to use it.

As the world enters the countdown to doomsday, the pollution of magic power becomes more serious, to the point where if people do not actively absorb magic power and merely live in a magical environment, their lives and matter will gradually dry up. This is also the reason why mortals are helpless against doomsday - they are only users of magic power, not owners.

Some even suspected that the goddess had bad intentions when the world was first created, and had placed a curse in her magic. The more mortals relied on it, the more irreversible it would be. As the magic power became more polluted, and the goddess never showed up, seeming to exist only in legends, more and more people believed in this statement, and in the end, a sect was formed with this as its banner, and its followers were extremely fanatical, like crazy people. However, their extremism was useless, except for adding a touch of madness to the already sad doomsday.

Only the elders who are familiar with history and see through human nature know that all this has nothing to do with Her Majesty the Goddess, it is purely the fault of the mortals themselves. But mortals are always good at shirking responsibility, which seems to have become an instinct for survival. If they cannot change this nature, the mistakes are nothing more than following the moving wheels, seemingly moving forward, but actually repeating the cycle over and over again.

Now, Your Majesty asks him this question. Is it to take this opportunity to test human nature and judge whether mortals are still qualified to be saved?
When the elder thought that his answer would determine the fate of the entire civilization, his breathing became weaker and almost disappeared. He thought seriously for a long time, repeatedly recalling countless historical precedents and the teachings of sages in his mind, but he could not think of an answer that would not only live up to his conscience but also satisfy Her Majesty the Goddess. He did not consider that the Goddess was simply asking out her doubts, and it was not the so-called questioning before the Goddess. In the final analysis, He had been away from this world for too long, so long that the impression of Her Majesty the Goddess was only a stereotyped symbol in the legend, thinking that He should be a symbol of divinity, the source of creation and the ruler of all living beings who looked down on the world from a high and extraordinary perspective, but ignored that before divinity, the first thing the Goddess obtained and possessed was actually humanity.

Therefore, he chose a cautious but measured answer: "In front of Your Majesty, I dare not claim to be wise, but I think that only under your glorious protection can the world move towards a bright future."

The goddess shook her head gently: "I don't have any glory to speak of. I am just an ordinary creator. Perhaps, when mortals are greedily pursuing something, I am just satisfying my own desires."

The elder did not notice that the goddess said creator rather than creator, but he could hear the loneliness in the goddess' words. He opened his mouth to say something, but he did not know how to respond. Perhaps the goddess could evaluate him in this way, but as a mortal, could he make comments at will? Therefore, he finally chose to remain silent and said nothing.

The goddess continued, "Let's put aside the past, which is a foregone conclusion. The elder's words are quite inspiring to me. I already know what I should do next."

The elder asked, weighing his words: "Will you save the world?"

"No." The goddess shook her head slowly, her tone becoming much heavier: "This world is sick to the core. I may be able to restore it to its original state, but doing so is just deceiving memory, not time. If it is just repeating what has happened, I am afraid it cannot be called true salvation."

The elder was inevitably disappointed when he heard this, but strangely, he was not that disappointed, as if he had expected such an answer. He just sighed softly and said, "That's true. It's better not to save him, Your Majesty. I think... mortals no longer have the qualifications to do so, right?"

They have never thought about saving others, so naturally they have lost the qualifications to be saved.

"Please don't be too pessimistic, elder." The goddess said softly. She slowly raised her head and looked at the mist in the distant sky. Her eyes were extremely bright, as if the stars that had long disappeared were still reflected in her eyes through the mist. "Although I cannot save this world, I can destroy it, and then, on the ruins of the old world, build the prototype of a new world. Because it is a brand new world, so even hope is brand new. Perhaps, it will take on the unfulfilled responsibilities of the old world and guide the road of civilization to a bright future."

This was an extremely difficult decision that He made after thinking about it for a whole night. For a creator, there is nothing more painful than destroying the work that he has invested all his efforts and emotions in. But the goddess knew that if she could not make up her mind due to personal reasons, it would undoubtedly be an irresponsible behavior.

He hopes to be a qualified creator, a god willing to take responsibility... and a gentle and loving mother.

"Building a brand new world on the ruins of the old world?" The elder couldn't help but sigh: "Your Majesty's courage is indeed beyond the reach of mortals like us."

Only Her Majesty the Goddess of Genesis can make destroying and creating a world as easy as turning over the palm of your hand.

The elder felt that this was an easy matter for the great goddess, and the goddess did not seem to want to explain. She just smiled and asked another question: "The elder does not seem to be worried. If the old world is about to fall, what will you do?"

"It's just some useless worries." The elder said, "We are the survivors of the old world. We were born guilty. We are lucky to be able to survive until now because of your majesty's blessing. The new world that holds new hope is undoubtedly too dazzling for people like us who are used to the dark end of the world. If we get too close, I'm afraid we will only be burned to ashes."

His tone was quite open-minded and did not sound fake.

As he said, being able to see the hope for the continuation of civilization in this endless apocalypse, he felt that he had fulfilled his duty as a remnant of the old world, and he no longer had such a strong desire for the new world that the goddess had spoken of.

"Originally, this disaster was caused by the selfishness of ordinary people. Why not end it now because of the forgiveness of ordinary people?"

The elder said calmly: "Your Majesty is so kind that he is willing to save civilization from darkness. If he cannot save us, perhaps he has some difficulties. If we, the people of the old world, are allowed to mix into the new world, I am afraid that it will destroy the new order that has not yet been established, which will not benefit either side."

"The elder's wisdom and rationality remind me of an old friend." The goddess said. She was referring to Altus, the first great sage of mankind in the past, who was also the first among the ancestors of all races to master the mysteries of magic. Under his leadership, mankind has always adhered to the concept of using wisdom to control power, and has always been the race that the goddess trusts most.

Unfortunately, after his death, things were not back to normal.

Gently shaking her head, putting aside the past, the goddess said to the elder: "However, if possible, I still want to save everyone. Therefore, I have thought of a compromise method, which is to temporarily protect your souls with my magic power, and then reincarnate them into the life of the new world in the future. In this way, there is no need to worry about the survivors of the old world affecting the order of the new world. But before that, I need to cleanse your memories so that you can be born as a new person. Is this method acceptable to you, elder?"

"To be able to regain a new life after being convicted may be the best fate for us, Your Majesty. I naturally have no objection, but..."

"Does the elder have any concerns?"

"No, but after the rebirth, everything is unfamiliar, so I want to leave something behind as proof that I once existed. Your Majesty, if you reincarnate my soul into the new world, can you erase my memory and keep my current name?"

"This is not an unreasonable request. Of course it is possible. May I know your name, elder?"

"Toumi."

The elder bowed to the goddess solemnly and said: "The Great Sage Altos, the Mountain Sage Relanthos, the Forest Sage Peryom, the Lake Sage Cuilan, the Truth Sage Isabel... and the successor of the 1,312 sages since then, the last sage of mankind, Tumi Omirrons, pays you the most sincere respect and gratitude."

"Your Majesty, the Great and Merciful Goddess."

Give me some meow