Alice in the Land of Steam

This reaction...

Everyone was speechless as they watched Alice silently walk past them without looking back. Did Alice still think of this as a game, her true identity as an integral part of the game's background story, and imagine all the emotions and betrayals that could be seen with the naked eye as a drama just to immerse the audience? Then she was really the worst actor, not only was she not immersed in it, but she also destroyed the immersion of others.

However, in fact, we all know that this is impossible. After all, Alice's incredibleness has been very obvious all along, but she has always been a cover-up for the identity of a visitor from another world. In the absence of a reasonable explanation, everyone can only attribute it to the fact that the genius player's brain circuit is so strange. But the truth shown by Celestial Themis can perfectly correspond to those details, and even the explanation for why Alice is so obsessed with the game has been found: whether it is her, Tiantis, or even Celestial Themis, they all think that it would be better.

Alice, who closed her heart after being betrayed and lost her memory after waking up, instinctively sought comfort in the virtual game world; Tiantis, who felt pity for her betrayal and was disappointed in her weakness of being too easily manipulated by emotions, hoped that she could learn the contemptuous and uncompromising mentality of game players; as for Themis in the heavens, she hoped that the game would help her get out of the psychological shadow and recover her past memories as soon as possible.

But at that time, they might not have thought about that when Alice really treated everything as a virtual game world, what position would the so-called reality take?
At this moment, Alice's reaction told everyone the answer.

"This……"

Shino was about to say something, but waited until Alice walked out of the control center before he said helplessly, "You're just running away, right?"

Yes, it is undoubtedly an escape.

The saying that escaping cannot solve problems is not true for most people, because in their cognition, escaping is not a means, but an end in itself. If you can achieve your goal without paying any price, why not do it? Facing a problem is difficult, but turning away only requires a little self-knowledge.

"Don't be too hard on her, Xino." Saint Xia Liya said softly, looking around at everyone: "I think even among us, there are people who have the same idea, right? However, we all know that it is not weakness, but perhaps we all need some time to calm down."

"That's something to be thankful for." Rorona smiled faintly. The dimples on her face made people wonder if she was really as relaxed as she looked. "At least, Themis in the celestial world didn't choose Tentis, so we may still have time to think about the answer."

This indeed sounds like good news, but the young man knows that there are at least three points in her words that are worth discussing: one is time, two is thinking, and three is the answer.

Do they really have a lot of time? Considering the strength of the Witch Society and the current situation of Mirror Star, I'm afraid not.

What should they think? How should they accept the facts? How should they act after accepting the facts? Even if they have to act, how can they defeat the Witch Society and stop Tiantis's plan?
In the end, do the answers they come up with really make sense? After all, this is not a picture book story where the protagonist can do anything as long as he sets his mind to it. The gap in strength between them is like a chasm, which makes people feel desperate.

The golden apple might be the only hope, but Themis in heaven did not choose them. In this regard, the person who should feel more fortunate should be Tiantis. After all, she already had the advantage and naturally did not want Ling's side to get a chance to turn the tables.

"That's it for now, everyone."

Saint Xia Liya's mood was actually very complicated, but she knew that she was the eldest sister and should remain calm at this time, so she tried her best to speak to her companions in a gentle tone: "We have experienced so many things on the way, everyone should be very tired, let's rest here first. Well, as for Alice, Lingge and I will find a chance to talk to her, so you don't need to worry too much."

Is it really?

Although Saint Chariah, as the eldest sister, has both majesty and affinity, and Lingge is the best person at comforting others on Yunjing Sky Island, Alice's problem is obviously not something that can be solved with just a few words. Seeing her expressionless face when she left, it was obvious that she was not in a good mood. It was the first time for everyone to see Alice like that, and they were worried and had some doubts.

However, it was difficult for anyone other than Saint Xia Liya and Ling Ge to do this. So everyone looked at each other, and no matter how they felt, they at least agreed to this proposal, temporarily stopped to rest, and gave themselves some time to calm down and think.

With mixed feelings, the group silently left the control center.

……

Perhaps a familiar environment is more conducive to keeping a cool head, so that when Tiantis walked out of the control center and stood in the corridor overlooking the empty and lonely city below her feet, she did not feel the slightest shame for being rejected or disappointment for failing to achieve her goal. This may be because she had anticipated this result a long time ago. Otherwise, why would Themis in heaven send Alice to the church of the brother and sister, but refused to let her stay under the eyes of the Witch Society for even half a second?

In fact, she was certain that the actions of the Witch Society were too extreme and did not meet her mother's wishes, but she did not want to fall out with Tentis. Even the thought of such a thing would make her feel extremely panicked - so rationality was just a lie, and the girl had never gotten rid of her emotions, but after experiencing so many things, she could no longer muster the courage to face them.

It doesn't matter. Anyway, people are like this most of the time. Tiantis walked out of the headquarters building of the Game Command Company and looked up. If it was another Heavenly Temple in the distant universe, she should see the shadows of trees and the endless sky between the branches and leaves. The color is so clear that it makes people intoxicated. If the time is different, maybe you can see a magnificent sunrise or a dim sunset. The original star field is the wreckage of the old world, the burial place of all life and hope, and the sun and moon of Eden are naturally buried there. However, the mother still created the curtain of day and night for her children, so that they can feel the passage of time and naturally understand the preciousness of life.

As time goes by, wisdom increases day by day. Only in the infinite universe can limited life find meaning.

However, the scene seen here is completely different, because compared with the new world that is vividly alive, this city engraved with traces of betrayal and war is just a reflection of the old world. The obliterated time is frozen here, and it is destined that it will never have a second chance to see the light of day.

So, looking upward, past those bleak old trees, past those silent high-rise buildings, and even past the shattered sky above the city, all you can see is a piece of red steel. Six huge steel protective walls surround the entire city, like a hollow hexagonal bastion, or a huge mine pit with a hollowed-out mountain belly. Densely packed steel, brackets, and pipes cling to the surface of the six steel protective walls to support its structure. Countless passages, corridors, and entrances and exits closed by alloy doors make it look more like a sophisticated honeycomb. One after another, magical aircraft and constructed robots flew by like industrious worker bees, patrolling along the arranged tracks, forming the most silent and solemn atmosphere in this huge steel fortress. Their targets might be the command room, the control room, the research center, or the maintenance factory... Threads of magic power were discharged from the magic engines of these machines, gathering into a turbid mist, rising towards the abyss, but before it could rise to the ground, it had already turned invisible.

Therefore, no one would discover its existence, just like many people living in this fortress did not know that under the cold steel, there were the remains of a city. They had clearly flown over it, but they had never thought of looking down to discover the reality of this world. However, this was because Tiantis did not want them to see the truth - she was the witch of reality and undoubtedly had the qualifications to do so.

This is the Temple of Heaven, the Iron Eden Reglagios that Tiantis claimed to the high-ranking officials of the association, including Bai Long, but it is also one of the seven constructed mechas controlled by the Witch Association: the Azure Dragon Nest Ladist. It was originally expanded on the basis of the ruins of this city, and even its purpose of construction was not for fighting and deterrence, but only to conceal the truth of this world from the world, so as not to cause too much chaos. As for other institutions, such as the third research department responsible for magic and magic research, and the testing agency responsible for testing various new magic devices, they were all expanded later to facilitate the various plans formulated by the association.

The Iron Eden Reglagios was originally buried in an area called the Gravesend Sinkhole, which is Platinum City in the Kingdom of Great Brittany today, the headquarters of the Steam Cult. Therefore, when the Steam Engine God Alexander's Kingdom of God was born, this place suffered the most serious damage. Although it did not harm the city itself, it loosened the strata and the land moved upward, causing its natural protective layer to be uncovered. At that time, many residents living nearby claimed that they saw with their own eyes a "black steel city rumbling and climbing underground", and rumors spread like wildfire, and the Witch Society faced the crisis of being exposed.

Later, the philosopher Gauss proposed the "adaptability theory of magic power" and developed the etheric optical standpoint based on it, and then he disguised the Iron Eden again. After this incident, Tiantis realized that the great cause of the Witch Society was destined to be out of touch with the mortal world, so it was unnecessary to hide the Iron Eden in the mortal world. So the Sky Dragon Nest Ladist was born in accordance with her wishes, carrying the ruins of a city, and rose to the sky 30,000 meters high, overlooking the mortal world forever.

This extraordinary status did make many members realize that they were doing something extremely great, but it also made other members overly arrogant, believing that the Witch Society would eventually become the master of the world, or even that it already was, so it could naturally treat the cities and countries on the earth as chess pieces and manipulate their positions as it pleased.

In the past, Tiantis had spared no effort to suppress this arrogant mentality. It seemed that she was unwilling to let the Witch Association deviate from the position when it was born, trying to make it always maintain a lofty idealism and great dedication. Therefore, those members who were bewitched by the sleepless eye Vanos were expelled, and Solomon who insisted that he should be the leader of magic and was unwilling to follow the trend of the times was expelled, along with more, more, and more unsteady people, were expelled from this path by her.

Several purges that occurred in the association's history, several confidential files that may never be unsealed, the Disciplinary Inspection Bureau that is specifically responsible for reviewing and maintaining internal discipline, and the Security and Stability Maintenance Bureau that is responsible for clearing out traitors... all seem to indirectly confirm the harshness and cruelty of this leader.

However, as time went on, some people began to realize that their leader was not as majestic as before. Some inexplicable changes were taking place, she became more humane, but also weak, so that she could be indifferent to the undercurrents surging within the association.

If this is the path that every great leader must go through, they have no objection, but the change of Tiantis is more like a warning without any signs. Her true thoughts are still hidden under an unfathomable disguise. If you can't understand the cause of this change, then you naturally can't detect the problem she wants to warn. The dull people will only think whether there are too many changes in the plan, causing the leader to be dissatisfied with the progress, but the sharp people have discovered a fact: this change seems to start with the frequent appearance of a certain name.

It should have been an ordinary name, but once he appeared, it seemed to represent that the story would come to an end and the road would reach the end.

On this established path, what role will the Witch Society play?

They couldn't figure it out, but only Tiantis knew that there was actually no way forward for the Witch Society. It was not because they had reached the end, but because she had not left any room for that.

Passing through a long steel corridor, the black-haired girl came to an underground exit on the edge of the city - it could also be said to be the entrance to the Ladist. Heavy gears were turning with a clacking sound, and a huge and rugged industrial elevator was rising from the shaft. It connected the city and the constructed mechas that depended on it in a primitive way, and it was also the only mode of transportation that would not destroy the etheric optical position.

While waiting for the elevator to rise, Tiantis sent a simple message using her communicator. Then she put away the communicator, raised her head, and silently gazed at this world filled with gray tones and heavy steel. Without any warning, she suddenly chuckled, and the curve of her mouth was a bit self-deprecating.

“What a sad story.”

She said to herself, “Unfortunately, I am still the author of this story.”

In my pocket, the screen of the communication device was flashing a faint light.

[I am free to listen to your report. Please go to my office first. I will be there in ten minutes.]

The recipient of the message is: Bai Long. (End of this chapter)