Alice in the Land of Steam

Chapter 1058 Do you understand what she said?
The sound of horse hooves swept through the streets, the gravel trembled uneasily, and then fell silent after a tenth of a breath. If you stand on a high place and look down, you will see a silvery white snow line crossing the white ruins and the dark green forest, connecting the two ends of heaven and earth. The knight on horseback is fully focused, with only the piles of stones and debris blocking the way ahead in his eyes. The mount that is in tune with her only needs a small hint, such as the change in force when lightly pulling the reins, or the adjustment of the angle when turning the direction, to magically understand her meaning, and leap between the ruins and the dense forest, as agile as a snowflake blown by the wind, without being stained by dust.

Obviously, it is impossible to catch up with Sun Snow, which is known as the Snow Mountain Divine Horse, at human speed. It is even possible that the dust splashed by her hind hooves cannot be seen. So the young man wisely stopped and stood by a half-inclined low wall and waited patiently. He knew that Sun Snow not only had amazing speed and endurance, but also had a keen hearing. It is said that these horses, who are used to living on peaks above 6,000 meters, can even judge the time and scale of the next snow by listening to the subtle movement of water vapor condensing in the clouds. So the sound of a human footstep is obviously no different from an avalanche in their ears.

Sure enough, the young man just waited quietly for a while, and then heard the sound of horse hooves coming from far away, and then going back. But what he saw first was neither a person nor a horse, but the iconic snow-white horse tail, as bright and moving as a flag, fluttering in the wind as the knight advanced, and every strand of hair was shining in the night with a color as transparent as starlight, and then there was Xino's serious face, the wine-red eyes that seemed to be solidified with a ball of fire were staring at the front, and her body slightly bent on the horse's back, her hands holding the reins tightly without weapons, and her closest friend, most trusted partner, and most beloved pony - Brandy.

The knight gave a short command to stop the horse from charging forward. The iron-wrapped horseshoes trampled on the broken street a few times before slowly stopping in front of the young man. Xino lowered her head and smiled at him. Even without a helmet or protective gear, this white thorn flower from the land of Grangenia faced the howling wind on the horse's back, and her cheeks and skin were not scratched at all. It was as if the wind described by the bard as sharp as a knife immediately turned into a gentle caress once it approached her. Is this also a unique talent of the Gustave family? I believe it will be envied and jealous by many people.

"Good evening, Ling."

The young knight gracefully dismounted from the horse's back, stroking the horse's mane, which was as soft as snow on a mountaintop, and said hello to the young man: "It's been a long time since I had a good run, and so has Brandi - I just hope I didn't disturb you."

Long time?
Linger remembered that she would ride her favorite horse every morning and evening to run around Yunjingkong Island. When she was in a good mood, she might reward herself with another lap. For this girl who was trained as a knight since childhood, this habit was as common as her innate noble blood and noble temperament, but it also meant that she rarely indulged herself during these two time periods and outside of training. Breaking the routine was not something a knight who abided by her duties should do unless she had a reason to do so.

The young man set his eyes on Brandi and saw his own appearance in her eyes, which were similar to the transparent sea water under the sun, and also like the clear sky after a snowfall. He reached out and touched Brandi's forehead, and Brandi did not resist, but raised her nose and rubbed his wrist. The warm breath made him feel that it should be daytime, not the dark night with only sparse residual light.

"How will you be here?"

He asked softly, then looked at Xino: "If I remember correctly, Brandi should be resting in her room now." Although it was nominally a stable, with the skillful hands of the traveling goblins, even the stable was comfortable enough to be used as an inn. If she was thirsty or hungry, there were primrose stalks carefully cultivated by the goblins and the clearest stream in the forest.

What made her let go of it all and leave Yunjingkong Island when no one knew, just to accompany her master for a walk on this desolate and dilapidated street? With Sunxue's speed, the few sprints just now could only be considered a walk.

"Maybe it's because Brandi can sense my mood." Xinuo chuckled, "We grew up together, so we understand each other. Whenever I'm in a bad mood, she will appear in front of me, and then we will take a walk, stroll, run in the wilderness, and let the wind blow away the sorrow. Although this is a city, not Grindelwald's wilderness, it is no less huge and vast, so she thinks that I may need to run a few laps here to calm my head."

"Hey!" Brandi suddenly called out, and the young man miraculously understood what she meant. She was saying that her master, her best friend since childhood and the most recognized descendant of the Sun Snow Clan, actually needed companionship rather than calmness.

What’s even more amazing is that Lingge actually felt that these words were spoken to himself.

Is she serious?

The young man and Brandi looked at each other for a while. The latter's long eyelashes fluttered. After a while, she silently lowered her head and chewed a piece of wolfsbane that had grown tenaciously from the rubble. For some reason, Lingge always felt that she seemed a little disappointed.

Maybe it was an illusion. I was not Xino, so how could I understand what Brandi said and read her mood?

Ling Ge put this ridiculous thought behind his mind. He raised his head and happened to meet Xinuo's curved eyes, which contained a faint smile. He couldn't help but ask, "What are you laughing at?"

"Did I smile?" The young knight subconsciously touched the corner of her mouth, but there was not even the slightest curve, so she denied it flatly: "I didn't smile, I was serious."

That's better.

Linger looked at her suspiciously, but the girl may have realized where her flaw was, so she opened her eyes wide and wrote the words "I am serious" on her face. This is actually a very poor disguise, but generally speaking, once a person reaches this level, no matter how much the skeptic wants to find out the truth, it is impossible to cross the deliberate defense line.

Ling Ge could only turn the topic to the main business, that is, the purpose of his visit: "It's late, don't you plan to go back for dinner?"

He glanced at the snow-white horse next to him and added, "Brandy may not have eaten yet either."

"Ah, so, you're here to call me back for dinner?"

"Yes, what's wrong?"

"Nothing, I just think it's a little...strange." The girl laughed self-deprecatingly, "It seems that I only forgot to eat when I was a child because I was too playful, and my father or Weber had to send someone to call me back. Later, I grew up and became a punctual adult, and no longer let others worry about my meals. But now it seems that I may not have really grown up. I am still easily tripped up by other things and forgot to go home for dinner."

As she spoke, she shrugged her shoulders. This action seemed ungentlemanly for a well-educated noblewoman, but it matched her words very well.

Naturally, the young man heard the implication of her words and replied: "Maybe you not only need to calm down, but also need the company of other people - just like having dinner with everyone, you will naturally forget many troubles."

"You have a point, Mr. Ringer."

Xino looked at him with interest, looking him up and down, and said with a teasing tone: "But what surprises me is that you can actually understand what Brandi said." Huh?
Ling Ge was stunned for a moment, then looked at Brandi in surprise: "Wait, did she really say that just now?"

"Of course, sometimes you should doubt your feelings. But in the short term, I don't think you will have to worry about encountering the same problem again."

"why?"

"Because of what happened today, Brandi might not want to talk to you for a while."

There was a hint of laughter in the girl's voice, and Brandi was indeed looking at the young man as if he were a fool. When the latter showed an extremely rare embarrassed expression, she suddenly snorted, as if to express her dissatisfaction and... complaint?
"Okay, don't be angry, Brandi, Lingge didn't mean it."

Xino stroked the horse's mane to calm her down, then jumped back on the horse and said to the young man in a condescending manner: "I hope you don't mind me making you run an extra trip, but I'm really hungry now, so let me accept this invitation and enjoy a feast of fairies. As for you, Mr. Lingge, I hope you can gather everyone together as soon as possible - you also said that I need more company, so if there is even one person missing from the table later, it will be your fault, okay?"

"I don't think..."

Linger subconsciously wanted to refute, but before he could finish, a loud neigh interrupted him, followed by the crisp and clear laughter of the young knight, just like the little girl who liked to ride a pony and wander around the town of Ragram many years ago, imagining herself as a knight, playing carefree until late at night, until someone came to call her back for dinner: "Let's go, Brandi!"

"Don't hesitate, go ahead!"

“Let’s just rush to the finish line!”

Sun Snow let out a joyful cry, leaped up and rushed out, like a silver-white lightning flashing before her eyes, her speed was incredible, leaving all the troubles and anxieties behind in an instant. She was a horse, she didn't need to consider so many complicated things, just as her master and friends said, just go forward bravely.

Perhaps, this is also Xino’s attitude.

Lingge looked at the figure gradually going away, thinking about something.

and many more!

He suddenly remembered something, and his pupils couldn't help shrinking: I haven't asked the next person's location yet...

"Go east, brave and upright young man."

From afar came the voice of a young knight—no, it should be called a bard, because she did speak in a deliberately drawn-out, chanting tone, which made people wonder whether this young girl had used a similar tone to praise her feats as a knight when she was still a girl riding a pony. In short, it was so imaginative and mixed with a hint of ridicule:

"There is a lost soul waiting for your rescue. The wise elder can no longer give advice. Although she has the most extensive experience and the calmest wisdom in the world, how can she soothe a heart trembling in the rapids? You should be like moonlight brushing across her heart, like the tide flowing over her memory, leaving your mark in her soul - cross twelve mountains, flow through thirty-nine rivers, and then pass through three connected forests, and complete your mission in the destined place, young man..."

Her voice gradually drifted away in the wind until it could no longer be heard. The young man had to marvel at her ability to finish such a long speech at Sun Snow's amazing speed - it was also possible that Brandi deliberately slowed down her pace to cooperate with her master. Then he thought about it seriously and guessed that the people Xino saw should be the little bat and her grandmother, but the countess probably wouldn't be very happy to be called an elder. That was out of respect, but for a lady, it was too offensive.

Of course, what the Countess thought had nothing to do with Lingge, and he would not be a gossipy villain and spread these words everywhere. Well, if it was Alice, it was possible.

Strangely enough, he found himself thinking about Alice a lot today.

There is a reason for this, it’s just that young people are not willing to mention that reason nowadays.

He looked back. The headquarters of Game Command Company looked so majestic even at night, and it also added an indescribable coldness. This might be related to its pure steel structure and a whole wall of glass curtain windows. They reflected and refracted brilliant light during the day, shining brighter than real gold, but at night they could accommodate the same darkness and depth, like cooled volcanic rock, ugly and shapeless. Of course, you can't find any traces of evil and filth in the sanctuary of the goddess, but the fear and confusion that grew in people's hearts could not be stopped. After all, they didn't want to hurt anything, they just wanted to escape.

The young man withdrew his gaze and sighed softly - although there was no one else around, he still deliberately suppressed his voice, so that the sigh was confined to a very small range around him, perhaps not even the nearest grain of sand, a leaf or even his own shadow could hear it - then he walked towards the east, in the direction indicated by Xino.

I just hope that it won’t be like what she said, that I really have to cross twelve mountain ranges, wade through thirty-nine rivers, and pass through three connected forests before I can see Leticia and her grandmother.

Lingge swore that he had never walked such a long distance when he was still wandering.

Give me some meow. Give me some meow.