Alice in the Land of Steam

Chapter 1252 Will you help me in the future?
Sometimes Leticia would dream about the past, even though she had no memory of the "past" in her ever-reincarnating soul, just like a fruit that falls from a tree will not remember its experience as a seed. But that feeling was very limited, and generally speaking, it neither bothered her nor generated a desire to explore. However, later on, the past she dreamed about was even older than the "past" in her memory.

At that time, she was still a carefree girl in the Holy Temple of Heaven, living with her sisters. She was loved for her simple and lively character and innocent face. She woke up every day in an indescribable emptiness, but was soon filled with the love from her relatives. They took her to explore the vast city, looking for secret treasures left over from the ancient times, and imagining what the world her mother lived in was like. She was startled when she saw the screen flashing black and white signals, and felt happy when riding on the carousel that could no longer turn in the old times. However, her favorite thing was to sit under the apple tree full of fruits and listen to her gentle elder sister telling her dreamy and wonderful fairy tales.

The sleeper who was awakened by the kiss of true love, Snow White who lost her glass dancing shoes, Cinderella who rode a pumpkin carriage to the ball, the little mermaid who turned into foam because of falling in love with a human, Rapunzel who was locked in a high tower, and Little Red Riding Hood who depended on her grandmother for life... She was sometimes happy and sometimes sad, as if she had become the protagonist in the story, experiencing their joys and sorrows. The sisters all said that she was kind-hearted, so she was easy to empathize, but the girl who had a premonition thought that it was based on another complex emotion. But it was precisely because it was too complicated that she could not express it in words that she was misunderstood by her sisters.

Later, when Leticia woke up from her dream, she felt a sense of emptiness and a sense of wonder. She could hardly imagine that the girl in her dream was herself. Although she had the same face as herself, her personality was very different. The biggest difference was that Leticia didn't like those childish fairy tales at all. She often felt that they were too fragile, like glass that would break at the touch. Perhaps only children would like them.

However, the girl who inexplicably appeared in his dream and called herself Bai Ye said that dreams are the echoes of past lives. How thoroughly must a person's soul undergo a baptism before it can become a strange appearance even to itself, just like a leaf falling into a stalk or a flower falling into a fruit?
Maybe there is such a person, but it is not you. The girl named Bai Ye said: Because you are also a child now.

I used to be a child, so I liked fairy tales; now I hate fairy tales, but I am still a child. Leticia didn't want to admit it, but a voice in her heart told her: You really haven't changed at all. Whether you like or hate fairy tales, it's essentially based on the same reason, right?

Because I believe.

Whether it is Leticia in the past or Leticia now, they all believe that fairy tales are not just stories, but a harbinger of reality, something that has already happened, or something that will happen. This sounds a bit incredible, could it be that their feelings about it are more accurate than the eldest sister's prediction of fate?

They don't know, but a complete fairy tale is indeed like a prophecy, with a beautiful beginning, a rough process and a happy ending. In the past, Leticia paid the most attention to the ending. As long as the ending was happy, the hard work in the process seemed not so important. If every fairy tale could achieve happiness after going through hardships, then she would like every story equally. Now Leticia thinks that the process is the most important and the most annoying. If the process is always full of loss and sadness, then why not let it stay at the beginning and the end? She stubbornly refuses this continuous process and must let it develop in a jumpy way, preferably jumping directly from the beginning to the end. If it can't be done, then she hates them.

"This is not right." The past Leticia said to her: "If you can't accept the disappointing parts, you will never grow up."

"Do you want to grow up?" Leticia asked now.

"Yes." Past Leticia hummed softly: "I want to become someone like my sister."

She has many sisters, so which one is she referring to? The gentle one? The strict one? The caring one? Or the cheerful one? Leticia doesn't know. She only knows one thing: "No."

She said word by word: "I don't want to grow up yet."

A helpless sigh came from the dream.

What the hell! Before waking up from the dream, the girl thought unhappily: It's like she has grown up!
……

Later, when she spent a long night in the room of the person she hated the most in order to find a way to grow up, when the long-awaited dawn finally came, Leticia suddenly remembered this past event and the dream that had long been blurred. She did not think that she had gone back on her words, because the Leticia in the dream who said "I don't want to grow up yet" had actually become the past. The one standing here at this moment was the "current Leticia", and now she wanted to grow up.

Although, growing up was much more difficult than she had imagined.

"It's dawn." The girl lowered her head and stared at her palm quietly. The veins in her palm were still as clear as ever under the sunlight. She said with some sadness and some relief: "But I haven't grown up yet."

"Are you disappointed?" Lingge asked, standing beside him.

Leticia thought about it, and although she was reluctant to admit it, she still nodded: "A little bit."

"This is growing up." Linger reached out and gently rubbed her hair, smiling, "Learning to face disappointment is the first step to becoming an adult. Even if you do many things with hope, you may only get disappointing results in the end. But as long as you keep persisting, you will succeed one day, right?"

"When is that one day?"

"It depends on how persistent you are."

"..."

Leticia stared at the sunrise in the distance for a long time, then suddenly turned her head and made a face at Lingge: "Lululu, it's not what you said!"

The young man was stunned: "What?"

"Stupid Lingge, why are you saying such cool things!" The little bat snorted at him, "Learning to face disappointment is the first step to becoming an adult, I don't believe this nonsense. There is only one reason why I didn't become an adult today - and that's you, Lingge!"

"Me?" Ling Ge was puzzled: "What does this have to do with me?"

"Of course there is! The book says that as long as a man and a woman spend a night together in the same room, they will become adults the next day, but it also says that both parties must have that intention. I'm sure there will be no problem with that, so it must be you, Lingge! You are such a petty guy who didn't want me to become an adult and deliberately refused to cooperate, which caused me to fail! It's all your fault, it's all your fault!"

Can you blame me for this? Lingge cried out that he was wronged, saying that he had always acted in an upright manner and had no intention of secretly murdering you. However, the little bat had already determined this fact and would naturally not listen to his excuses. He also said harshly: "I don't care! Anyway, if I don't become an adult tonight, I will come again tomorrow night! If it still doesn't work tomorrow night, I will come again the night after tomorrow! In short, if you don't cooperate with me, I will bother you every night!" Lingge used his own method to fight back: "Then I will assign you a lot of homework every night."

How despicable!
But in order to grow up, Leticia gritted her teeth and decided to endure it, and even said with a whine: "It's just homework, who, who hasn't done it! I'm not afraid of your threats, Lululu!"

She continued to stick out her tongue and make faces at the young man.

If she wasn't even afraid of the threat of homework, then Ling Ge really had no choice. And he suddenly thought of another thing. Since Leticia decided to bother him every night before she grew up, then...what about Ovella?

Princess Beman still needs my help to cure her insomnia. She has already been very dissatisfied with my previous failed appointments, not to mention that now there is a little bat trying to interfere.

In fact, it's not just the little bat. Some other people have also shown similar intentions, such as Lorena. Ever since she stayed overnight in her alchemy workshop last time, she has been hinting to Lingge intentionally or unintentionally that if you are not comfortable staying in the hotel, my alchemy workshop is always open to you.

Yieta complained to Lingge more than once that she was always lonely at night living alone in the windmill tower room, but when Lingge asked her to go back to the hotel to rest, she was reluctant and just looked at the young man with a meaningful look.

Ever since he played games with Alice last time and helped her untie her knot, the genius player would occasionally show up uninvited with a game console and snacks, insisting that he put down his work and play with her. Ling Ge didn't want to pay attention to her at first, but the genius player always had an expression that said "I'm going to get depressed if you don't play with me", and it was hard to tell whether she was pretending to be pitiful or threatening.

Even sleeping is not peaceful, because a girl who calls him a pervert will appear in his dream, and it seems that she wants to use her ability to enter dreams to avenge her previous shame. However, young people are rare people who can stay awake in dreams and still remember things in dreams after waking up. This seems to be a very unique talent. At least Gloria said that she has not encountered it many times, so Bai Ye's plans often end in failure.

Of course, all the things these people did were based on the premise that they would not be discovered by Saint Shallia.

If Saint Shallia discovered that my nightlife was so rich, the consequences would be disastrous.

Lingge felt the same way, and always felt that his life should not be like this. It was bad enough that he had to worry about these problem girls during the day, but why was it that even his private space at night was invaded by them?

"What are you thinking?"

Leticia stared at the young man suspiciously.

Lingge replied unhappily: "I'm just thinking about adults' affairs. It has nothing to do with you."

Leticia was so angry that her cheeks puffed up like an angry hedgehog. It even seemed that she would spit out a stream of fire from her mouth in the next second. "Why are you putting on airs, you annoying Lingge! Although I am not an adult now, I will be one soon! When I become an adult, you will definitely regret your contempt for me today!"

Lingge glanced at her, and although he didn't say anything, the little bat understood his eyes: Just you?

Damn it, you actually look down on me!
Just wait, when I grow up, I will definitely be a super stunning, invincible beautiful girl, with the figure of a grandmother and a boss lady, and the temperament of Xiao Xia; with the height and bearing of Xinuo, and the literary accomplishment of Ovilla; with the beauty of Yieta, and the affinity of Gloria; with the calmness of Lorena, and the... uh, what does Alice have? Vitality and vitality? Forget it, I'll just count it in.

In short, she is a more impressive beautiful girl than every lovable character in fairy tales: Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, Cinderella, The Little Mermaid, Little Red Riding Hood... combined!
By then, I will be able to make Lingge bewitched just like the plot described in my grandma's favorite novel. When he deliberately approaches this strange beautiful girl and wants to express his longing and love for her, I will flatly refuse him and reveal the truth: I am the little brat Leticia whom you have always looked down upon. You didn't expect that you can no longer afford me!
Wow ha ha ha ha! ! !
When she thought of the complex expression on Ling'er's face at that time, which was a mixture of regret, shame, surprise, grief and heartbreak, Leticia couldn't help but laugh.

"Wow ha ha ha ha!!!"

She was already laughing, laughing wildly, wantonly, and happily.

Lingge watched Leticia burst into laughter, and her laughter startled a few wild sparrows that had just woken up in the woods. They flapped their wings and flew away from the treetops, leaving only a few gray feathers floating alone in the air. After laughing for a few minutes, Leticia was satisfied and didn't even bother to say hello to Lingge. She turned around and walked out of the room, with an arrogant and casual expression and a domineering and free pace, as if she was in her own room.

Lingge was stunned for a while before he came back to his senses. At this moment, he suddenly hoped that Leticia would grow up soon. It was not that he wanted to see what Leticia would look like when she grew up, but mainly because this child's mind was too hard to guess. She laughed for several minutes just now, and Lingge couldn't guess how many emotions were contained in this laughter. It always felt very complicated, yet subtly simple.

It’s easier to understand adults’ thoughts.

He sighed helplessly and was about to go wash up so that his face would not look so tired after staying up late, but suddenly he heard a genius player's roar from the next room: "It's so noisy!!!"

"Who is laughing so long in the morning?"

Ling Ge: “…”

Give me some meow