Alice in the Land of Steam

Chapter 1266: Have you made your own decision?
When Linger finished his work for the day, the sunlight on the floor had already moved to the walls and curtains with the setting sun, reflecting lonely silhouettes, that is, a dim corner of the bookshelf, a dim ceiling chandelier, or just a young man who sat quietly at his desk all day. The sound of the weary bird returning to the nest called him to raise his head from the paper, letter and full of thoughts, and saw the blood-red sunset slowly sinking, covering the entire school, including the empty playground, the lonely courtyard, and the empty teaching building.

The students had all gone home, and the teachers were not around, so no one came to remind Ling Ge. Perhaps Saint Xia Liya saw that he was too immersed in his study and did not want to disturb him, so she deliberately dispersed everyone to create a quiet space for him to think. She was always so considerate, sometimes even making Ling Ge feel ashamed.

The sunset was so red that it was dazzling, and even the sunset glow in the sky was so bright that it seemed to be burning, just like a soldier fighting desperately on the battlefield. When his neck was cut by the enemy's long sword, the blood gushed out and sprinkled into the sky. It was probably that color. Linger didn't know why he had such a strange association and such an ominous metaphor. He had a premonition unconsciously, but got nothing. In the end, he could only attribute it to human imagination and the extracurricular books he read in college. It was said that some heroes in ancient myths died in this way.

He packed up his paper and pen, sorted out the letter, and put it into an envelope, ready to hand it over to the intelligence officer of the Ash Guerrilla stationed in the Black Forest stronghold after dinner, and entrusted him to deliver it to the Iron City of Bad Ain. Metien must still be there, but the Eagle of the Gray Hill may not be. As the offensive of the rebels gradually unfolded and expanded, as a representative of the Liberator Front and one of the few high-sequence combatants in the rebels, he must be charging on the front line, trying to live like a flag.

Although everyone said that Grayhill Eagle was a qualified and even great leader, the young man did not think so, because he always saw struggle and hesitation in his eyes. That was not the look a leader who could sacrifice soldiers for victory, companions for ideals, and himself for beliefs should have. The look should be as cold and firm as General Fransander. In the past, he was just forcing himself. Now that the rebels have a true leader like General Fransander, he can finally unload the heavy responsibility and focus on his original duties.

A dying person is not fit to be a leader, he said this to himself privately. Although the God of Night Roglia has disappeared, the pressure he brought always remains in his heart, making it difficult for the Gray Hill Eagle to let go.

Perhaps before the decisive battle comes, we can find a way to solve this hidden danger.

Ling Ge stood up while thinking and was about to leave. Suddenly, he heard a commotion in the corridor. The young man frowned. It was already this time. Is there anyone still here? He went to open the door. As soon as he opened the door, he saw a few familiar guys pushing and shoving outside the door, complaining to each other. One said, "You go," and the other said, "It was obviously you who proposed it, so you should go." They were arguing and couldn't reach a consensus.

"Cough cough."

Lingge deliberately coughed twice to remind them. These guys realized belatedly that they had been exposed. They turned around with difficulty and slowly forced a flattering smile on their faces: "Um, Teacher Lingge... good evening?"

"It's dusk now, not even night yet."

Linger corrected them habitually, just like he always corrected Alice's nonsense, and then his eyes swept over their faces one by one, calling out their names one by one: "Kyle, Morris, Barto, Enrique, and Minesha, school is over, what are you guys doing still staying in school, do you want to stay the night here?"

Of course, there was no such thing as overnight stay. All the children who came to school lived in the Ash Guerrilla's base in the Black Forest. Although it was just a temporary camp with simple facilities, since the main force was not there and only a few people were left behind, a lot of space was freed up, which was more than enough for these children to live in.

In fact, Lingge had considered building another dormitory next to the school to improve the living conditions of these children. After all, the last thing Yunjingkong Island lacked was land. But they took the initiative to reject this proposal. There was no special reason. It was just that Lingge kept them to help in the school, such as daily cleaning, taking care of the flower garden, or running errands, to offset the tuition fees with labor. They knew that this was actually taking good care of themselves, so they were unwilling to accept more favors. As war orphans, their self-esteem was actually much stronger than that of ordinary children. Of course, you can also think of this as a sensitive performance. In any case, Lingge could understand, so he did not force it.

The group of children headed by Kyle were the oldest among all the students. Kyle was already sixteen years old, the same age as Mitch, the leader of the Boys' Army. Although the law in the Western Continent stipulated that people were considered adults at the age of eighteen, and the Eastern Continent gradually introduced this concept after it was integrated with the Western Continent, no one took it seriously. In the Western Continent, children aged eight or nine had to work as newspaper boys or chimney workers to supplement their family income, while in the Eastern Continent, even teenagers could pick up weapons and go to the battlefield.

In comparison, Kyle, who was still able to stay in school and have no worries about food and clothing at the age of sixteen, and his friends were undoubtedly very lucky.

Seeing these people hesitating and not daring to speak outside the corridor, Ling Ge was a little suspicious, but he didn't take it to heart and said, "Whatever you have to say, come in first and talk."

Several people breathed a sigh of relief and followed Ling Ge into the office. The young man prepared some tea and snacks for them, but none of them wanted to enjoy them, so he drank a sip of red tea himself and nodded with satisfaction: "Well, it tastes much better than the last time I made it for Metien. It seems that the hard training during this period has not been in vain. Next time when the siblings have a heart-to-heart talk, I can give her a surprise."

Then he set his eyes on these students and asked directly: "Come on, what's the matter? Were you punished by a teacher and want to ask me for mercy? This is not a shameful thing. It's good to admit your mistakes. But if you are too proud and don't want to say it, I will send you away after drinking this cup of black tea."

"No, that's not the case, Mr. Ling..."

As the oldest and leader of the group, Kyle said under the gazes of others, "We just, uh, want to get your... consent..."

"You want my consent?"

Ling Ge raised his eyebrows. He was not here to ask for opinions, but to seek consent. This meant that they had made up their minds and would not change because of other people's opposition. But in this case, why not just do it? Ling Ge was not their guardian and could not control them, unless the matter was related to Ling Ge, and it was a very deep connection, so that Kyle and others would not dare to do it easily without his consent... The young man suddenly had a guess in his mind.

But what comes with it is a heavy mood.

He pursed his lips, his frown inadvertently revealing a stern and sad temperament: "What's the matter?" Perhaps he got a glimpse of something from the change in his tone, or perhaps he didn't expect to hide it from this young-looking but insightful teacher. Kyle took a deep breath, and then his expression became serious. He said word by word: "We want to drop out of school, and hope you can agree."

really.

Lingge felt that he should be disappointed, but at this moment he only had a feeling of expectation, and it was not even from the moment before Kyle spoke, but from long ago, when he stood at the gate of the newly built school and looked up, and saw Mitch and Kadora coming with these children who lost everything in the war, he had already foreseen their departure in his heart, because people who have nothing cannot stay where they are, their weight is too light, and it is too easy to be swept away by the tide of fate.

Lingge once tried to give them weight, which came from a warm force, but the final result showed that he still failed?

"Before that, I want to know your reasons." Ling Ge tried to keep his tone calm, no different from his usual class: "I hope it's not because you are unhappy here."

"Absolutely not!" Kyle said quickly, "We are very happy here. I am not lying to you, Mr. Ling!"

He quietly changed the way he addressed the young man, as if the matter had already been determined since he made that request, and whether the young man agreed or not could not change that fact. But he still lowered his head, perhaps because he did not want to see the disappointed look from the young man who had been his teacher: "...We never thought that we could live such a life. To be honest, Mr. Ling, even if the war had not yet broken out and we had not lost everything, we might not have lived better than we do now. We didn't have to worry about the wind and rain, or about starving. When we opened our eyes every day, we didn't think about how to survive today, but how to live in the future. Living in the present and looking forward to the future is like, like..."

He was a little incoherent when he spoke here, not knowing how to describe his feelings, until the girl named Minesha behind him whispered a word: "Dream."

"That's right, dream! Just like a dream!" Kyle said happily. This metaphor was in line with his mood all along.

Excited, happy, frightened, anxious, worried, as if floating in the clouds...

"So, what made you decide to wake up from this dream?"

Ling'er's eyes were fixed on that happy face. He was still very young, but he could vaguely see some maturity in him. "Or, let me put it another way. If I agree to your dropping out of school, where will you go after you leave here? This question is very important. I hope you can answer me truthfully. Maybe..."

He hesitated: "Can I give you some advice?"

Kyle and the others looked at each other, as if they had made up their minds, and said to Linger solemnly: "We want to go to Bad Ain City, join the current rebels, and fight for the liberation of the Ansers region... just like Mitch and the others!"

Another unexpected answer.

In fact, Linger should have thought of it long ago. After all, the answer is not difficult to guess. When Mitch and Kadora sent these war orphans to Yunjing Sky Island and entrusted Linger to take care of them, Kyle and others were the most reluctant. According to Mitch, they joined the Youth Army with hatred from the beginning, probably because their parents and relatives died at the hands of the invaders, so their attitude was particularly firm. If it weren't for the Gray Hill Eagle who personally persuaded them, Mitch might not be able to refuse them. Even after entering school, the same was true. The time when they were happiest was not studying in class or being praised by the teacher, but listening to the war reports from the front line. Whenever they heard that the rebels had captured another city or conquered an enemy stronghold, even if it was just a trivial victory, they would be excited and excited. Other students had also mentioned to Linger that Kyle and others often privately asked the rebels who stayed in the strongholds about some questions about the war: How to become a qualified soldier? How to improve your strength? How to get recognition from others? The most important thing is... How to fight like you?
All signs show that not everyone is content with a peaceful life. Some people long for a roof over their heads after going through all the ups and downs, while others must run in the rain until they see the sunrise. What supports their burning passion is either hatred or faith. Lingge has no right to judge anything. He understands the former and respects the latter. But when the choice is really placed in front of him, he will hesitate and worry about their future. After all, it has never been a smooth road.

"If I were to stop you," the young man suddenly asked, "would you blame me?"

His tone was very serious, but Kyle was stunned for a moment, then he couldn't help but grin: "No, you won't."

Before Linge could ask him why he was so sure, the ambitious young man's eyes were already filled with reminiscence: "On the day we first came to school, you told us that humans are the creators and definers of history, and we are part of humanity. In other words, everyone has the qualifications to create and define their own history, and it depends on whether we have such will. You hope that we can get the answer after learning, and it doesn't have to satisfy you, as long as we have a clear conscience."

So at this moment, the boy named Kyle told his teacher with a clear conscience: "I was confused, hesitated, and thought about it, but finally I made up my mind to see the future you talked about. I don't know if this answer will satisfy you, but at least... you won't stop me."

"Right?"

Give me some meow