Alice in the Land of Steam

Chapter 1066 Is this what they call...?

"Not confident?" Linger frowned slightly, not quite understanding what this meant. In the final analysis, it seemed to have nothing to do with the current topic.

"Ah."

Saint Charity nodded slightly, then she sat up straight, folded her hands on her thighs, and looked at Lingge face to face, observing the young man's expression up and down with her emerald eyes, as if trying to see something from his face. Although the latter did not avoid this gaze, nor did he show any guilt or timidity, the shepherdess still firmly believed that her previous thoughts were correct. She did see his lack of confidence from the young man's tone, demeanor, eyes, and even every subtle change in his expression.

“In fact, I have felt this way for a long time.”

She said that as for how long ago this long time ago was, it was not a topic that needed to be discussed now. If a time period had to be traced back, it might have started from the first time she saw Lingge: "You always avoid certain things under the guise of rationalism, but that's not because you don't want to do it, but because you don't have the confidence to do it well. Because you can't do it well, you don't do it - is this your subconscious thought, Lingge? You seem to have gotten used to putting yourself in a very low position, perhaps even lower than ordinary mortals. You never have expectations of anyone, but the person who bears the brunt of this range is yourself, Lingge."

Saint Xia Liya spoke word by word, her tone was slow but firm, as if nothing could stop her from continuing to speak, saying these words that had been accumulated in her heart for a long time. In fact, Ling Ge had no intention of stopping her. He was in a daze, feeling as if all his disguises had been stripped off and he was completely seen through. This was something he had done to others before. Maybe there was someone in this world who could see through him, but in the young man's memory, that person had long left him. Could it be that after a long period of time, he would see his shadow again in another unrelated person?
On this moonless and starless night, time was stretched to a finite extent, while memories were traced back to an infinite number of times. The scene was reversed in an instant, and it was frozen in a narrow, bright and warm church. Under the compassionate gaze of the goddess, the man in the black priest robe asked himself: "Do you want to become a pastor of Tianxin Church in the future, Lingge?"

But the young man refused him, saying that he had no talent in this area and was more interested in studying history. If Tianxin Church was handed over to him, it would only be gradually buried. It should have a more suitable successor, such as Metien.

Perhaps Lingge's attitude was very firm, or perhaps out of indulgence towards his adopted son, the man did not force him, but just felt a little regretful, and after the regret, he was relieved. "That's fine," he said, looking at his adopted son with encouraging eyes: "Then do what you want to do, Lingge, just don't hurt others, and don't hurt yourself."

Lingge always thought that he had strictly followed his teachings, without deviating or betraying them.

But what he was never willing to admit, and dared not admit, was that the encouragement in the man's eyes at that time was not encouragement for dreams, but encouragement for the soul - he had long known where this young man's biggest weakness was.

Have more confidence in yourself, Lingge.

You are not as weak as you think.

You can do many things.

And, only you can do it.

……

If it were him, he would definitely say that, right? Although time has passed, and the man's soul has long been sleeping in the goddess's lightless sea, his spirit seems to have turned into starlight, passed down along with the eternal night, and now it is shining in the eyes of a young girl, making her say almost the same words -

"Have more faith in yourself, Ling."

She said very seriously and confidently: "You can do many things, and only you can do them. You said that Metien showed many unique qualities, so you insisted that she was the golden apple left by our mother, but to me, you are the same? You met me in the town square of Linville City, you used the power of the thread of fate to help me find my lost sisters, and you were even able to help us alleviate the curse that was entangled in our souls... Aren't these unique qualities enough to prove that you are the greatest proof of the golden apple as a person, as you said? I think that if you always look down on yourself, even Metien would not agree, Lingge."

Want to have more confidence in yourself...?

For example, firmly believe in your own uniqueness, firmly believe in all the things that make you different from others, or even firmly believe that you are the golden apple and the key to solving all problems... and so on.

Linger had never thought about it this way. This young man always used to push all the incredible things he encountered in his life onto others. Therefore, he was able to meet Saint Xia Liya, he was able to find the lost girl Wang Quan, he was able to alleviate the curse, and he was even able to get the favor and attention of Tiantis... All of these were not his own strength, but were guided by Metien.

The young man firmly believes that miracles and fairy tales come from others, and he is just an ordinary mortal.

"There has never been a mortal like you in the world, Linger."

Saint Xia Liya's voice, as warm as in his memory, gently caressed the young man's heart, leaving him stunned for a moment, not knowing how to respond to this sincere trust and unreserved recognition: "Maybe sometimes you feel very tired and hard, and therefore feel inferior for your own fragility, but I think that is not an emotion that only ordinary people have, but a common feature of all life. A truly noble soul will stand up from fatigue and sleepiness, and continue to move forward unswervingly until it reaches the end. You are that kind of person, Lingge, and I am willing to believe that you are that kind of person."

"so--"

She leaned forward slightly, her hands pressed on the soft grass, her emerald eyes sparkling, as if reflecting the tiny traces of light on countless apple leaves. "Don't be so self-deprecating, Lingge. I will believe you, even if you don't believe in yourself. Even if Metien is really the golden apple and you are not, at least, before Themis or anyone else in heaven gives a clear answer, I would rather believe that you are the golden apple I am looking for."

As she spoke, her face slowly approached, her eyes sincere and focused, as if she was eager to see something from the young man's face, even if it was just a slight change in expression. But the latter's first reaction was to look away, he was a little embarrassed and uneasy, and had not yet adapted to the shepherdess's sudden confession, confession, and this extremely passionate temptation.

In the final analysis, he was a spring of extremely calm water, used to spending his daily life in peace and calmness, and always believed that the shepherdess in front of him should have the same qualities as himself. But the change of emotions was always so abrupt. What happened in this gentle night that made Saint Shalia suddenly want to pour out her heart and say those words that she had never been able to say? Or did he accidentally reveal something in the conversation just now, which made the girl feel that this might be a perfect time to confess without worrying about other factors interfering?
"You're always like this, Linger."

His retreat made Saint Xia Liya look aggrieved and confused. She said sadly, "You always try to avoid other people's feelings. Isn't this also a sign of lack of confidence?"

"Sorry." Ling'er's back hit a hard and uneven object. He realized that it should be the tangled roots of the apple tree entwined on the base of the fountain. After a long period of growth, they have become thick and strong enough to be compared with the oldest oak trees or giant banyan trees, thus unintentionally blocking the young man's retreat. He had to face Saint Shaliya's gaze again and said awkwardly: "In this case... maybe I should thank you for your trust in me?"

Saint Shalia shook her head gently: "Verbal thanks are not what I want."

"So, what do you want?" Linger said, "Although I have nothing."

"No, you have everything." Saint Xia Liya said firmly: "You actually have everything we want, so I said, you should be more confident in yourself, Lingge." "Really?"

Lingge didn't quite believe it. He felt that no one in the world could satisfy all wishes, not to mention that he was just an ordinary mortal. Well, even if he believed that he was not ordinary according to Saint Shalia, would the conclusion change if the premise was changed? In many cases, it was not always the case.

"If you don't believe me," Saint Xia Liya saw that the young man still didn't care, and couldn't help asking, "Can you agree to one of my requests?"

"What kind of request?" Lingge replied cautiously: "As long as I can do it, it's fine."

“You can do it.”

Saint Xia Liya gave him a sweet smile, which made the lamb next to him jealous. It bleated twice in anger, but failed to attract the attention of its owner. It simply hid behind the apple tree and turned a blind eye. But I still hope you can come back, Lingge thought, at least help me liven up the atmosphere.

He had a vague premonition that he was about to have an unusual experience in his life - just like the kiss he had been forcibly given by a arrogant little bat not long ago. Although everything happened for a reason, could the impermanence of life be explained by just the two words cause and effect?

It's too late.

Saint Shallia reached out her hand and gently closed his eyelids, causing the young man's vision to suddenly fall into darkness. As he had just agreed to Saint Shallia's request, Linger did not resist and let her palm cover his eyes. He felt a slight chill at the touch, and at the same time, she spoke softly -

"I heard about it from Olvera," she said. There was no complaint or anger in her tone, more like a sister scolding her sister's mischief: "The night we stayed at the Gospel Convent, you and her once admired the night view on the bell tower together, right? She said that the starry sky was beautiful that night, although for some reason, she was very sleepy, so she leaned on your shoulder and fell asleep. Is this true, Lingge?"

"Well, I guess there should be?"

What was wrong with that Ovella? Could she just say something like that? And the key to the incident was that she and Metien had a quarrel. Why did she digress to such an insignificant detail?

"I also heard from Yieta," the shepherdess seemed not to notice the young man's psychological activities, and continued to speak gently, "We stopped at the Land and Sea, and on the day of the swimsuit competition, although she couldn't participate in the competition, she still wore a swimsuit to show you, and you seemed to give her a perfect score. Is this true, Lingge?"

"… Maybe there is one?"

What's wrong with Yieta? Can she just say such a thing? And I gave her that 100 points just to comfort her, so why is she showing it off like a big deal?
"I still listen..."

"Saint Xia Liya," Ling Ge coughed twice and interrupted her: "Why don't we get back to the point? Regarding your simple, small request, if you think I can do it, why not just put it forward?"

Instead of talking about old things here, Lingge was really a little afraid. What if the next sentence she said was "I also heard from Leticia..."? Although the forced kiss incident just happened and he was the victim, it was better not to take chances.

"Okay." For some reason, Saint Xia Liya's voice sounded a little regretful: "Actually, my request is very simple, Ling Ge, can you lend you to me temporarily?"

What does it mean to lend me to you temporarily?
Ling Ge couldn't figure out what Saint Xia Liya was thinking, but he thought the girl was probably just joking with him to ease the awkward atmosphere, so he nodded gently: "If you need it."

"Thank you."

Saint Xia Liya smiled slightly, her eyebrows curved into crescents. Then she stroked the young man's cheeks with both hands, gently held his face, and stared at it for a long time before slowly and firmly repeating what she had just said: "Thank you, Lingge."

Thank you for believing in me.

Thank you for helping me fulfill my mission.

Thank you for being willing to stay with me after going through so many dangers and hardships.

Although you are always inferior, lack confidence, and like to exclude yourself from the ranks of "special", I know that you are the most special person in the world. If you forget your own specialness due to temporary fatigue, please let me use my own way to help you regain the trust and bond.

She used a little force with her hands to bring the young man's body closer to her, as if she wanted him to lie down on the grass. The latter noticed it, but did not resist. After all, he had temporarily lent himself to Saint Shallia, so he naturally had to meet her reasonable request. But then, the young man found that he was not lying on the grass. The slender, thin, itchy touch he imagined did come from the back of his head, but it was obviously different from the feeling of directly resting his head on the grass. The place where he was resting his head was softer and warmer, and there was a faint scent of apple blossoms, which made people couldn't help but sniff it twice more.

"Now," Saint Shalia said gently, "you can open your eyes, Lingge."

She slowly moved her hand away, and Linger slowly opened his eyes.

Then he saw the girl's bright smiling face, the tiny flashes of light on the apple tree, and the fragmented night sky in countless narrow gaps.

This one.

The young man subconsciously thought: It’s probably the so-called... knee pillow, right?
Give me some meow