Alice in the Land of Steam

Chapter 1267 The best student?
Linger has always believed that the greatest help of learning to human beings is not the acquisition of knowledge or the expansion of horizons, but to help them develop an independent personality and understand what they can do, what they should do, and what they want to do. There are too many people in this world who are mediocre and drifting like reeds. Linger will not look down on such people because he feels that he has been one of them. But no matter what, he cannot sit idly by and watch others, especially his students, become such people.

Therefore, in the first class, he said these words to these children who had just lost everything and didn't know what they would get. He didn't expect them to understand and find their own answers immediately, which was too difficult for children of their age. But even if they just remembered a little, it was enough. One day in the future, when they felt lost, they would get strength from this memory. For a teacher, there is nothing more proud than this.

What the young man didn't expect was that among this group of children, some not only listened to his words, but even started their own thinking, and then stood here bravely just to tell him an answer.

This would make all the words Linger had thought of long ago useless. Kyle was right. If the young man had not stopped Grayhill Eagle, Mitch and Kadora, Xino, or even Metien, why would he stop him now? Everyone is responsible for their own choices, but they can rarely interfere with the choices of others. If these are two parallel forks in the road, then they are destined to only look at each other from a distance, understand and respect each other.

What's more.

"Even if I wanted to stop him," Linger's eyes swept over the boys and girls in front of him one by one. He could not see any joking or hesitation in their eyes. He could not help but shook his head, "I am afraid you would not listen, right?"

"If you want to lecture us, we will certainly listen."

Kyle grinned and said, "Just think of it as a lesson in advance. After all, we're going to be skipping classes for a long time.

Is going to the battlefield like skipping classes? Whether this metaphor is appropriate or not, it can be seen that Kyle is still very relaxed, which may be a good thing, but if it is not properly guided, it may become a bad thing. In Ling's eyes, including the oldest Kyle, they are just a group of children who need to be taken care of by others. Although, they themselves do not think so.

Ling Ge tried his best to ask, "Did you make this decision after hearing about the situation on the front line?"

Kyle nodded slightly. He had been paying more attention to the progress of the war than anyone else. In addition to learning about the situation from the war reports received by Linger, he also pestered the soldiers who stayed behind in the stronghold every night, trying every means to get some intelligence from them. This positive and enthusiastic attitude was even better than his own academic studies.

Perhaps in his opinion, the meaning of learning knowledge is to liberate his hometown and take revenge on the invaders. If he can participate in this war from the beginning, then there is no need to consider other things. What should he do after the victory of the war? He has never considered that the vision of young people is limited, or it has to be limited. If he always looks too far away, he will ignore the road under his feet. At least at this moment, the latter is more important.

Linger said, "In that case, you should know that the rebels are doing very well in the front. They have not only repelled the enemy's attacks many times, but also recovered many lost territories, including key cities and fortresses with strong enemy defenses. If this trend continues, victory in the war is only a matter of time. Why are you so anxious? Besides, victory or defeat on the battlefield is never decided by one person. With the current strength of the rebels, one more of you will not make a difference, and one less of you will not make a difference either. You have never been as important as you think."

After a pause, perhaps because he thought that such a statement was too hurtful, Ling Ge changed his words and said, "I mean, it's not that important now. So, you should stay here, learn more knowledge, gain more experience, and then you can shoulder those important responsibilities and missions in the future. That's exactly what I - and perhaps Grayhill Eagle - expect of you."

In order to convince them, Ling also brought up the name of Carson Borg.

"Don't underestimate us, teacher." Kyle was very confident: "Although we haven't received professional training, we have experienced war and survived. We have memorized the knowledge that cannot be learned from textbooks with our bodies."

How to use weapons, how to avoid the enemy's field of vision, how to find loopholes in the enemy's defenses, how to protect yourself in dangerous battles, and even how to kill a fully armed enemy... Once you have experienced these things, you will never forget them. Those who have mastered this knowledge can be considered qualified soldiers, and may even look more like professional troops than the legions of criminals and slaves in the Northern Army.

This has nothing to do with age. The battlefield will never reject anyone just because they are children, and young soldiers like Mitch and Kadora are not isolated cases. Just based on the history that Linger has learned, there were young guards during the Hundred Years' War, armed boy scouts during the War of Sovereignty, and even choir guerrillas during the War of the Guardians.

"Besides, is the war really going smoothly?" Kyle suddenly asked again. He stared straight into Ling's eyes, as if trying to see something from them. "If that's the case, then there's no need for Teacher Xinuo to leave the school, right?"

Linger's eyes fixed on the boy's face: "Who told you that?"

He had not yet told anyone else about this news. Apart from Shino, only Alice knew about it. But Alice shouldn't be so unreliable as to reveal it to a few children, right? However, judging from her personality, it is possible that she accidentally let it slip...

"No one told me." Kyle replied: "I guessed it myself."

"Teacher Xino must be a great person, right? I heard from Teacher Saint Xia Liya that she was a very powerful knight in her hometown, just like the Eagle of Gray Hill." He said to himself. This was a secret buried deep in his heart. He had no way to tell it for a long time. Until now, facing the young man in front of him, he finally gained the courage to speak: "I have known for a long time that such a great person like her could not stay here and be our teacher forever. So, when I heard the news that Teacher Xino was leaving, I knew that she must have more important things to do. And right now in Gray Hill, what else is more important than the ongoing war?"

"Not only Mr. Xinuo, but also you, Mr. Lingge, and Mr. Saint Xia Liya... all of them, the people who are good to us in this school, will not stay here for too long, right? One day they will leave, and before that, I want to be someone who can let you leave with peace of mind." There was a hint of firmness on his young face, but Lingge was silent. He knew that he could not convince him no matter what. Every firm person in this world is unconvincing, and those who are shaken by the words of others are just those who have not noticed their own hesitation.

It is hard to say whether his determination is innate or taught by Lingge. If it is the former, no one has the right to comment; and if it is the latter, then Lingge has no right to comment. After all, if it were not for this teacher, how could he have taught such a student?
After a long while, the young man sighed softly: "That's it."

That's it? What is it like? He didn't say it, but Kyle and the others understood. They didn't know whether they should feel happy or something else. They just felt uncomfortable. They felt that they were sorry for Teacher Lingge and the many people who were kind to them in the school. At this time, Lingge smiled and comforted them: "Don't take it to heart. This is just my personal...or should I say obsession, but it has nothing to do with you. Since you have chosen this path, you must firmly believe that this path is the right one. Only in this way can you keep going, keep going..."

His eyes were a little dazed, as if they were looking further away, seeing the future shrouded in mist: "...until we reach the end."

Kyle hesitated for a moment and nodded gently: "I understand, teacher."

He changed back to the familiar name, because he knew that this was the last lesson that the young man in front of him had taught him, and perhaps the most important lesson in his life. No matter what the outcome was, whether he died fighting for his beliefs with passion, or lived to the day of victory by chance, and finally realized his original ideal after overcoming many obstacles... He thought he would always remember these words.

Lingge patted his shoulder, glanced at his companions behind him, and said, "Well, it's getting late, and you should go back. Although I agree to your application for withdrawal, at least until tomorrow, I am still your teacher and have the right and obligation to discipline you. So, be obedient when you should be obedient, and be a good student until the last moment. Don't do whatever you want like some people, do you understand?"

Who the "certain people" here refers to is still unknown, but Kyle and the others did take these words to heart, and nodded their heads to show that they understood. Then they said goodbye to Teacher Linger, and couldn't wait to go back and announce this to the rebels who stayed behind. Yes, they didn't even reveal their ideas to any of the rebels, including Grayhill Eagle, and they asked for Teacher Linger's consent as soon as they made up their minds. This may show that the young man actually has a very unique position in their minds, but he himself didn't realize it.

Before they left, the young man suddenly remembered something and reminded Kyle, "By the way, although you have to leave, don't leave too hastily. Come to school tomorrow and remember to say goodbye to everyone."

"Ah."

Kyle nodded and agreed. He would have done so even if Lingge hadn't said it. This school and the people in it, whether it was the gentle and patient teachers, Miss Alice who was noisy in the classroom, the goblins who always sneaked into the school to encourage the children to play with him, or the other children who had experienced the war and survived together, were all irreplaceable treasures in his life. Perhaps many years later, when his memory was blurred, he would still remember that when he was most desperate and helpless, he had such a warm time and those people who had given him so much kindness.

Before leaving, he hesitated for a moment, then suddenly turned around and asked, "Teacher Lingge, do you think... am I a student that satisfies you?"

Ling Ge was slightly startled, and after realizing what was going on, he couldn't help but laugh. He probably thought this question was really childish, and it didn't seem like a question that this precocious boy would ask. But wasn't there a time when he was considered childish? Most souls in the world are similar. The only thing that can distinguish them is your own will. It's up to you to decide which path you want to take it.

He whispered: "At least so far, you are the best student I have ever taught."

Kyle's eyes were a little sore, this was a very distant emotion for him. He didn't cry when he watched his parents die under the guns of the colonists, and he didn't cry when he recalled the memories of his relatives while wandering. He never cried when he felt wronged, lonely and unwilling. Perhaps it was the stubbornness in his heart that made this boy unwilling to show his weak side. It was the same now. He wanted to cry a little, but he was still sure that he would not cry, that was weak. Starting tomorrow, he would become a strong man and fight for all his ideals.

So the boy grinned and deliberately said in a joking tone: "It sounds good, but Mr. Lingge, you can't be... you haven't taught many students at all, right?"

After saying this, he left the office as if he was escaping, as if he was afraid that if he left too late, he would really not be able to leave.

Linger looked at his departing back, and was stunned for a while before reacting, feeling a little amused. However, he did not take Kyle's joke seriously, because as he said, the young man really had not taught many students, whether it was the energetic children in St. Lowood National School or the war orphans from the rebels, they always seemed to end up in vain. The difference was that he could not stay in the former, and he could not stay in the latter.

Looking away, the young man sighed silently: It seems that I can’t go back to the hotel for the time being.

He had to write a new letter to Grayhill Eagle to explain the situation of Kyle and others. He didn't know how Carson Borg would react after hearing the news.

Maybe, like Lingge, I feel helpless but relieved.

Give me some meow