Alice in the Land of Steam

Chapter 1138 Has the fantasy been shattered?
The night was slightly brighter, and a few flying insects were flying among the branches and leaves, flashing distant fluorescent lights that looked like stars.

There was silence under the plane trees. The wind brought the sound of the tide from afar. It was the ancient ocean expanding and contracting. It was walking like a silent giant in the mist that no one could see beyond the end. Wherever its steps went, the sound of the sea also reached. Was it also looking for a way home? Did it understand that tears and seawater tasted equally salty? Just like that stubborn girl who had nowhere to go.

"That's all I have to say."

Xinuo suddenly spoke, breaking the silence.

Lingge couldn't help but think, is this a kind of reconciliation? He originally thought that after that incident, a gap had quietly opened up between Xinuo and the team that was difficult to bridge, and he thought countless times about how he should do to regain her trust. This was indeed the most troublesome thing for him besides Alice. But unexpectedly, in the end, it was the person involved who helped him solve this problem. Although it sounded a bit shameful, it did make the young man feel relieved.

At least, there was one less thing that was weighing him down. Since arriving in the East Continent, or rather, since he could remember, Linger had never been so tired. The pressure from his experiences during this period was perhaps second only to the period when Mr. Yang Ke passed away, Metien was still immature, and he was busy dealing with church affairs. He even lost his sleep time, because Olvera's condition was so serious that she could not rest without him by her side, but the young man was sure that it was not the curse, but her heart disease.

if--

Lingge couldn't help but think that if he could solve every problem smoothly, he would soon feel relieved, and Yunjingkong Island would definitely return to its former state.

He gave a somewhat relieved smile, as if he was happy that the two of them had finally reached a reconciliation.

Xino stared at his smile for a while, and suddenly said: "However, I just understand your actions and your difficulties, which does not mean that I want to take back that comment."

Ling Ge was slightly startled: "You mean..."

"Well, I still think you are weak, Lingge, although the weakness here is not the same as before. Sometimes this is a good thing, because it allows us to see the soft side of your life. Everyone has that side, Lingge, just like a hedgehog has a soft belly instead of being covered with thorns. But sometimes it becomes a bad thing, like now, Lingge, do you think that if you try to persuade Alice with this weak attitude, will she listen to you?"

The young knight's eyes were sharp and decisive, as if she had seen through the young man's heart, or even his essence: he was not an invulnerable shield, but a stubborn hedgehog. Somehow, this was consistent with Mr. Yang Ke's evaluation of him.

The young man subconsciously avoided her gaze, but suddenly realized that doing so would undoubtedly confirm what Shino said, so he turned his gaze back. Shino couldn't help laughing at this scene, but she laughed with some helplessness and surprise, because she actually remembered her little knight commander in her hometown of Regrum, Chloe. Every time she made a mistake but tried to make excuses, she would have the same reaction.

I used to think you were very mature, but now I realize that you also have a childish side, Lingge.

It is said that Chloe once invited Lingge to join her Saint Guard. Perhaps she was not only impressed by the young man's intelligence and planning, but also perhaps they appreciated each other in some aspects?

And every time Chloe lied to me and argued with me, what did I do?
Xinuo recalled for a moment, then took two steps forward and opened his arms to the young man. Ling Ge was stunned for a moment, and before he could react to what this meant, the girl had already hugged him gently and patted his back, as if she was comforting a sulky child. This distance was undoubtedly the most appropriate, without too much intimate physical contact, nor would it appear to be just a distant courtesy. According to the young man's first impression, the hug between relatives, friends, or companions is probably this distance.

But even so, Linger could still smell the faint fragrance wafting from the snow-white long hair, mixed with the faint fragrance under the sycamore tree, the fragrance of fallen leaves accumulated on the ground, and the fragrance of grass leaves spread on the roof of the Goblin Deep Sleep Inn, turning into a more comfortable, warmer, and more reassuring fragrance, lingering around the young man's nose. He suddenly thought that although he went to Grindelwald Field, he happened to miss the season when the whitethorn flowers bloomed, and he didn't see the small white flowers that symbolize nobility and justice.

But maybe, that's what the scent of whitethorn is like? Fresh, natural, and powerful.

It never faded, nor did it go away. It bloomed silently in the girl's hair. Because the knight was about to leave his hometown, the seeds of the flowers followed him, taking root and sprouting in her faith and ideals. Grindelwald has been passed down from generation to generation: How can the best knight not have the most loyal followers?

"Linger."

This was a pure hug between friends, so Xinuo was not shy about it. She looked directly into those golden eyes. Since she was about the same height as the young man, when she spoke, her voice and breath were blowing towards her ears, and she felt a slight tickling sensation, just like being tickled by the grass on the roadside in spring. "I joined you very late, and I don't know what kind of image you have always been in other people's minds. Maybe you are very calm, very indifferent, or very rational? But those are the impressions of others on you. What about you? What kind of person do you want to be? What do you want to live for? Do you care about the so-called distance?"

"Put away those weak thorns in your body."

She said softly, gently, as if a friend was offering sincere advice: "Be stronger, Lingge."

Before the young man could react, the warm touch from behind had gradually faded away. Xino retracted his hand, smiled and patted his shoulder, pretending to be free and easy: "Okay, let's stop here. If I say more, I will doubt whether I am taking a philosophy class. No one likes to listen to those obscure and complicated theories. They prefer to gain thinking through actions. I hope you are the same."

After that, she turned and walked out, but she did not return to the inn, but to the stable. With her back to the young man, the young knight raised her hand and waved: "I'm taking Brandi to training. I wish you all the best, Lingge."

What kind of success? She didn't say, and Linger didn't ask, but both knew it. The young man felt that the fragrance of the whitethorn flowers lingering on his nose was slowly fading away, drifting away with the wind to a corner of the ancient ocean. The scattered fallen leaves were like jellyfish, spinning leisurely, sometimes floating up, but more often falling. Standing under the tree and looking up, it was like thousands of emerald green, fiery red and withered yellow butterflies dancing, forming a tide. A butterfly just fell in front of his eyes, blocking his sight. When its journey came to an end and it quietly merged into the soft carpet under his feet, the young man had lost the trace of the girl in his sight.

She came decisively and left gracefully, just like the whitethorn flowers that only bloom in midsummer and wither in late summer.

All that was left for Lingge was a complex and confused thought.

He stared blankly at the direction where Xinuo left. Somehow, he suddenly felt a kind of trouble that he had never felt in his gray youth. But his throbbing heart would soon cool down. Who saw through him, and who comforted him? Would he get the emotions that he had not received from Mr. Yang Ke from others in the end? Thinking of this, the young man couldn't help but sighed with melancholy, and the sigh echoed in the distant wind: "Since it is training..."

"At least put on your armor."

……

A minute later, Lingge reappeared at the staircase. At this time, the hotel lobby was empty. The clean dining table was quietly placed in the middle of the lobby. Even Mr. Rabbit and the magic plants were nowhere to be seen. Only a chandelier was flashing a lonely light. It seemed that everyone knew that something serious was going to happen here, so they deliberately made room for him.

But to be honest, at this moment, Ling Ge actually wished they were still here. He didn't want to admit it, but the undeniable fact was that he would get a long-lost sense of security from it. For young people, this was not something that was suddenly gained, but essentially something that was lost and then recovered.

He walked through the living room, which had never been so quiet, and went up to the second floor along the old wooden stairs. He came to Alice's room and hesitated for a moment when he raised his hand, but soon he became determined and knocked lightly on the door, which echoed emptyly in the long corridor.

There was no response, as if the person in the room was fast asleep.

Lingge was not surprised at all. He knocked on the door again after ten breaths, and repeated the action twice. No one responded after three knocks, so he stopped following the procedure and just said, "Alice, I'm coming in."

Then he pushed the door open and entered.

The door is not locked.

But the room was dark. Not only was there no light, but even the curtains were drawn. The darkness flowed out from the corners and cracks, wantonly invading every inch of the old floor and every ancient wall tile in the room, dyeing them all the same color. Only in the innermost corner of the room was there a little light, which was a faint blue, cold like a ray of moonlight, shining on the girl's pale face.

In just half a month, the genius player had become so haggard that she no longer looked like a human. Her golden hair had lost its former brilliance and brightness and had become dry and rough. The fire in her ruby-like eyes had gone out and they were as dim as embers that could never be rekindled. She pursed her lips tightly and did not express any dissatisfaction or anger to the uninvited person. She adopted silence as her attitude. As she had not had water for a long time, her lips had already cracked, just like a dry earth lacking moisture.

There was a large circle of debris scattered around her, some of which were books, ink, pens and even needles and threads, and most of which were various tools that she had commissioned Lorena to make, ranging from common hammers, wrenches, screwdrivers, rulers, triangles, etc., to uncommon vernier calipers, tweezers, hand hammers and even glue and tape, etc., which completely occupied the space around her, leaving no place for others to set foot. These tools all had obvious signs of use, but it was obvious that they did not play their due role, so they were soon abandoned by their owners and thrown aside at random, and some even hit the floor and wall, leaving potholes on them.

When he realized that all the tools were not suitable for the business he was doing, this impatient and impulsive owner chose the simplest and most useful tool since the birth of mankind to replace them, that is, his own hands.

The genius player is picking up small silver-white cubes from the ground one by one, trying to put them together into a standard cube model. If you have enough contact with her, you will feel a familiar impression from the material, color and rigorous and detailed structure of these small cubes. Then, when your eyes sweep over the cassette box on the right hand side of the genius player and the cassettes that she once treasured but now ignored and scattered on the ground, you will suddenly realize: it turns out that it is Alice's game console.

Its full name is: Super Level Player game console, abbreviated as SLP game console.

This is a next-generation game console developed by Game Command Company and launched specifically for its masterpiece "Alice Game". The one in Alice's hand is even a limited edition. She won it in a lottery and it is one of a kind in the world - of course it is unique, because it is essentially the embodiment of fantasy royal power, the external form of law, and the so-called royal holy vessel.

Before Alice learned her true identity, she had been using the power of the Fantasy Kingship through this game console and cartridges. Due to her own cognition, this power was specifically manifested in the form of games, from role-playing games in Linville City to horizontal level-breaking games in Rostin City; from air combat racing games in Avion City to stealth assassination games in Rainy Harbor... Even though there had been thrilling moments, relying on its power, the group was always able to survive. It can be said that without this game console, the journey would never have been so smooth.

But, it broke.

Just as the girl disappeared, there was a sharp and crisp click.

What was shattered was not only the game console, but also the girl's fantasy.

Give me some meow