Alice in the Land of Steam

Chapter 1251 Still haven’t grown up?
It was difficult for Lingge to describe his feelings at the moment. He looked at Leticia with an extremely complicated look. The latter was sitting on the bed with her arms folded across her chest with a smug expression on her face. She probably really thought that her idea was great. She would solve problems when they occurred. She, Leticia, was a real doer, much better than Lingge who could do nothing and said nothing!
"Let me ask you something," Ling Ge couldn't help but ask, "Did you really learn this from a book?"

"Of course!" Leticia replied without hesitation, and glared at Ling Ge, dissatisfied with the young man's suspicion: "I looked through many books to find this method. Don't you and Xiao Xia always tell me to read more books? I have done it now!"

She raised her chin so proudly that her nose almost touched the ceiling.

Linger sighed helplessly, "Dear Miss Nevile, what kind of books do you usually read?" Moreover, since you know how to disguise yourself with the book covers of world famous books, why don't you hide them more secretly? Why did Leticia find them? However, the countess probably didn't expect that the little bat would suddenly read her own books. After all, the child didn't like reading books since he was a child, especially those profound and obscure classics.

Well, in order to grow up, to become an adult soon, she is willing to face the things she hates the most? Leticia's courage and determination are indeed worthy of encouragement, but it's a pity that they are used in the wrong direction.

Fortunately, at least the book didn't describe it too explicitly, so the little bat's understanding of "spending the night" was just a man and a woman spending a night together in the same room. If it was just this level, Linger wouldn't be unacceptable. After all, he had already spent the night in Olvera's room, Rorona's alchemy workshop, and even Ieta's windmill tower room. What would be wrong with adding Leticia?
Unfortunately, perhaps it was the first time that Leticia had the experience of staying overnight in the room of a man without telling her grandmother, which made her feel fresh and exciting; or perhaps the nervousness of becoming an adult soon covered up the impulse and anxiety... In short, she was a little too excited. Sometimes she crawled around on Ling'er's bed, making his quilt and pillow all over the place; sometimes she hung herself upside down under the windowsill, disguised as a human-shaped bat; when she was happy, she walked around the room, rummaging through boxes and cabinets, trying to find some things that the young man had hidden and could not be seen by others; when she was unhappy, she bared her teeth at the young man, repeatedly asked him what time it was, and when she didn't get a satisfactory answer, she shook her head and kept muttering "Why is it not dawn yet?"...

To be honest, Lingge felt that she was not here to become an adult, but to torture himself.

For the nth time, Leticia flew over the young man's head to chase a firefly that flew into the room. When the wind from her wings rustled the pages of the book, he finally couldn't help it. He simply put down the book he was reading, stood up, and walked out of the room without saying a word. The little bat who had finally caught the firefly was shocked and shouted, "Lingge, where are you going? Come back quickly!"

If you don't come back, I will be the only one left in the room, which won't meet the requirements for a man and a woman to spend the night together. How can I become an adult then?
Isn’t the problem very serious?

She was so anxious that she wanted to rush out and catch Lingge, but she was afraid that the noise would be too loud and be discovered by others. She didn't know what to do for a moment. But in fact, she didn't need to do anything. After just a few minutes, Lingge came back with a pile of books in his arms. Leticia was about to scold him for running around and making her worry, but she suddenly had a bad premonition. She watched Lingge put the books in his arms on the desk, and there was a heavy muffled sound. She asked tremblingly: "What, what is that?"

The young man glanced at her and uttered the four words that the little bat least wanted to hear: "Your homework."

"I saw that you seemed to be very free, so I went to Saint Shallia to ask for a homework. The night is long, and if you can't sleep, this is a good way to kill time."

"You went to see Xiao Xia!?" Leticia's eyes widened, her expression even more horrified than when she heard the homework: "Did you betray me and tell Xiao Xia about my being here!?"

"How is that possible?" Lingge replied unhappily, "I'm not stupid, I'm using other excuses."

The little bat finally breathed a sigh of relief. Although she didn't know why, her instinct told her that if Xiao Xia knew that she had spent the night in Ling'er's room, she would never have a good ending - perhaps Ling'er had the same premonition, so he didn't tell her the truth.

Then she turned her gaze to the homework on the desk, her eyes full of confusion: "Well, actually I'm a little sleepy, why don't I go to bed first..."

The young man grabbed her collar and pulled the little bat back. The bat was held in the air by him, feeling embarrassed and angry. She waved her hands and feet in resistance, like a cooked crab. But Lingge would not tolerate this guy. He ignored her resistance, pressed her firmly in front of the desk, and issued a ruthless sentence: "Okay, start doing your homework. When you finish, it will be dawn."

Will I become an adult after dawn?

Leticia looked at the pile of homework on the table, which was taller than her head, and her little face suddenly wrinkled like a bitter gourd: She didn't want to grow up this way, it sounded too lame!

The little bat whined and was reluctant, but Lingge, who had just let her knead him, suddenly became tough and would not allow her to cheat. Once the latter showed the slightest intention of giving up or escaping, he immediately said, "If you don't want to do your homework, go back to your room and don't stay here to disturb me while I'm reading." The little bat wanted to leave, of course, but when she thought that she would never have the chance to become an adult if she left, she gritted her teeth and endured it, and secretly swore in her heart that when she became an adult, she would return today's humiliation tenfold, no, a hundredfold to the hateful Lingge!

After she stopped making noise, the room suddenly became much quieter. All you could hear were silent breathing, the rustling sound of turning pages, and the sound of the pen tip gently tapping the table through the paper. At first, it was a little resentful, suggesting the owner's inner dissatisfaction; but it gradually became stable, as if the owner could finally calm down and face the questions on the paper. The sound of the pen tip gently sliding across the paper made people feel unexpectedly comfortable. Occasionally, there would be a pause, probably because she encountered some difficult problems and needed to think carefully. But such a pause usually did not last too long. After all, Leticia was a smart child. She just didn't like reading, not that she was not good at reading. As long as she was willing to think calmly and treat it patiently, many problems in the world would not be difficult for her.

This naturally includes growth.

……

Finally finished!
Leticia put down her pen and let out a long sigh. She herself didn't expect that she could actually finish so much homework. It seems that I just don't bother to show off my true ability. Once I show my true ability, even that Medien will not be my opponent!
She leaned back in her chair with her hands folded, and admired her achievements with satisfaction. She was about to show off to Lingge, but she caught a glimpse of the scene outside the window. The sky was slightly white, and it seemed to be getting brighter, but many places were still shrouded in deep darkness. The cries of ignorant and lonely crows were a little scary. This was the last moment before dawn, and also the darkest moment of the day. When the starlight and moonlight had disappeared, and the sunlight had not yet fallen on the earth, what did the young soul see in its own eyes?

"It's not even daybreak yet..." Leticia murmured. She felt that it took her a long time to finish her homework, so it should have been daybreak long ago. However, time is not an abstract concept. It will not become as fast as you think it will. Reality is the only criterion for judgment.

"It's... four o'clock in the morning." Ling Ge put down the book in his hand without knowing when, and also looked out the window at the night, and said calmly: "In another hour, it will be dawn."

"One hour...it's so long." Leticia was a little frustrated.

Ling Ge glanced at her and said with a half-smile, "In that case, how about I give you some more homework? This way you won't feel it's taking too long."

"No way!" Leticia refused flatly, then jumped off the chair as if running away, and in the blink of an eye she ran to Ling'er's bed, put her hands on the windowsill, and stared at the night of Yunjingkong Island in a trance. It's a bit funny to say that although the blood race is a nocturnal race, she has hardly survived the night under the strict discipline of her grandmother, so naturally she doesn't know what the night of Yunjingkong Island looks like. In her original imagination, it should be cold, lonely, and with a hint of sadness, just like when she lived alone in the virtual root swamp in the past, there was always endless moonlight and fog that could not be seen through.

But as he watched, the little bat suddenly had a strange feeling, as if his mind was leaving his body and gradually merging into one with the night. She heard some different sounds from the bleak night wind, the lonely crows and the bleak insects. It was Metien talking to herself in the room, worrying about whether she could take on the mission of being a doctor, while her grandmother and Sister Livia were encouraging and comforting her; it was Miss Shelia still mixing drinks behind the counter, while her younger sister Shemi, who rarely stayed up late, confided her troubles to her, distressed that she could not help her good friend and did not know when she could complete the pilgrimage and become a qualified travel fairy; it was the voice of Olvera yawning and complaining about a young man while rushing to finish her manuscript; it was the sound of Ieta waking up from her sleep, gently pushing open the door and being surprised to see the primroses blooming tenaciously in the night; it was the sound of Rorona finally extinguishing the flame of the alchemical cauldron, habitually glancing out the window before going to bed, and lamenting that she did not see a shooting star tonight...

For the first time, the little bat realized that the night was so lively. Everyone's thoughts were scattered yet gathered, burning like a bonfire, making people feel warm. It was also the first time that he realized that it was not only Metien who had the troubles of growing up, but also Shemi who he had always disliked as childish, Olvera who was of noble birth but had no princess demeanor at all, the always lukewarm Miss Angel, and the alchemist who was always planning something bad... Everyone had their own troubles, which could not be expressed out loud at ordinary times, but the night accommodated everything.

When the day breaks, everyone will hide these worries in their hearts, still smile, and greet each new day of life. Is that what is called growth?
Perhaps only real children would talk about growing up all day long.

Leticia was feeling depressed. She suddenly spoke and called someone's name: "Hey, Lingge."

"What's wrong?" It was rare that she didn't call him an idiot right away, so the young man was still willing to pay attention to her.

Then he heard the little bat's question, which was confused and a little sad: "What does it feel like to grow up?"

Is this the beginning of thinking?
Ling was a little surprised. After thinking about it, he did not answer immediately, but asked: "What kind of feeling do you think it is?"

Leticia said, “It should hurt, right?”

"why?"

Leticia replied in a matter-of-fact tone: "Because Metien seemed very sad. I know she even cried secretly. If she wasn't in so much pain, why would she cry?"

Lingge couldn't help but smile. He didn't know whether he thought her idea was too naive or that she was very smart, seeing through the truth of growing up at a glance. The young man reached out to touch her head, then thought of something, stopped, and asked her: "In that case, do you still want to grow up?"

Leticia was a little hesitant, but not for long. She immediately replied, "Of course. Anyway, I'm not afraid of pain!"

Ling Ge still believed this sentence. After all, the little bat had experienced so many reincarnations. Even if the memory was erased every time, the body had long been accustomed to the feeling of death. In comparison, the pain of growing up was really nothing. The reason why she was entangled was probably for other reasons.

The young man did not ask any further questions, but just stared at the scenery outside the window silently with her.

Time passed by, and the sky gradually brightened. The sun slowly rose from the end of the world, and the sunlight spread through the morning mist, like thousands of golden hands tearing open the milky white wall and spreading across the fields and hills. When the crows' cries gradually faded away, the elks and hares in the forest felt a warm power, and opened their eyes one by one from their nests to welcome new life. Leticia stared at the scene in a trance, her heart throbbing with the magnificent sunrise, until the sunlight climbed up her cheeks and a burning pain came from her eyes. She suddenly came back to her senses and lowered her head to look at her hands. The veins in her palms were as clear as before, without any change.

really.

"It's dawn," she said with a little disappointment and relief, "but I haven't grown up yet."

Give me some meow