Alice in the Land of Steam

Chapter 1270 Will I Never Leave You?

Lingge sat in the room, staring silently at the two items on the table. His eyes were so deep that it was difficult to see through his inner thoughts.

Those were the game console and cartridges he had obtained from Alice, who had been trying to repair them but had failed. The essence of the game console and cartridge was the embodiment of the Fantasy Kingship. Alice had been seriously injured in the war that led to the fall of Eden, so she could not fully exert the power of the Fantasy Kingship. She had to be assisted and guided by the celestial Themis to turn fantasy into reality.

So, from another perspective, does it mean that as long as Alice's injuries are healed, the game console and cartridge can be repaired?
There is no problem logically, the problem is, how to do it?
If it was a physical injury, it would be easy to heal, but from the outside, Alice didn't look like she was injured at all. After all, she had been recuperating on Earth for a while, and the long time span was enough to erase all material traces and let her return to her energetic self. But physical injuries are easy to heal, but psychological injuries are not so easy. Otherwise, Themis in the heavens would not have sent Alice, who knew nothing, to the Mirror Star World. She should have hoped that Alice's journey on the Mirror Star, the people she met, and the things she experienced, could become a new force to help her overcome this difficulty.

The result is always contrary to one's wishes. Perhaps she is still afraid to face her past, or perhaps the memory of life on Earth is far more profound than any other memory, so that Alice has always regarded herself as a "player". She looks at the world from a fictional perspective and is not ready to face the reality. So what kind of ending she will get in the end is actually foreseeable.

Lingge had no way to deal with this.

Although the two heart-to-heart talks between the young man and Alice both times helped her get out of the haze, he knew that the genius player must have many emotions in his heart that were not convenient for others to confide in, surging and surging like a tide. The truth about her life experience shocked her, the destruction of Eden made her terrified, and the death of Themis in the celestial world made her blame herself. Even with so many negative emotions accumulated, she still had to pretend to be fine and continue this journey, which made her feel confused.

A person needs to bear so many heavy things at the same time. It's good enough that she is not crushed. How can we expect her to cheer up immediately and put aside all worries to fight?
Alice must be avoiding fighting in her heart, otherwise, she would not easily hand over the game console and cartridges that she treasured to Lingge.

In fact, even if she was willing to fight, Lingge would not agree, because the last person who resisted fighting but had to fight was named Celestial Themis. The young man did not want to see a similar tragedy happen again, and did not want to blame anyone for weakness or feel guilty about anyone's promise afterwards. That would not help the current situation and would only make the ending more sad.

Let those who are willing to fight fight.

In addition to Heno, there is also...

The young man opened the metal box and took out a cassette. The mark on it showed that it should be the original cassette. Even the name seemed to announce the beginning of the whole story, "First Fantasy: The Four Warriors". It was with the power of this cassette that Ringer, Alice, Saint Shalia and Medien defeated the vampire Fialli, and thus began an incredible journey. But now the light of the cassette has long been dim, just like it has been covered in dust for many years in the old times, gradually fading, and all the fantasies and miracles have also weathered and disappeared.

When Alice starts the cartridge on the game console again and sees the four familiar pixel models on the screen, as well as the big boss who seemed extremely powerful at the time but now seems to be nothing special, will she feel a little nostalgic?
Emotions are always so fragile.

The young man slowly closed his palms. The metal casing of the cassette felt cold and the sharp edges hurt his palms. However, he seemed not to notice and closed his eyes, feeling something carefully.

One second, two seconds... ten seconds...

After a long time, he opened his eyes again and looked at the cassette. It seemed unchanged, but if you looked closely, you could see that the luster on its surface seemed to be brighter. It was just very slight. If it weren't for the original dullness as a contrast, it would be impossible to catch such a small change with the naked eye.

Sure enough.

The change in the cassette confirmed a guess in the young man's mind, but he was not sure whether it was good or bad. What could bring about a turnaround could often also bring about destruction.

dong dong.

Suddenly, there was a gentle knock on the door, interrupting Linger's thoughts. He put down the cassette in his hand, and without asking the identity of the visitor, he just said calmly: "Come in, the door is not locked."

The person in the corridor pushed the door open and entered the room along with the warm orange light, along with her iconic long green hair. It was gathered up with a crescent-shaped hair accessory, gently passed over her shoulders, and hung down to her smooth calves. The forked ends of her hair swayed slightly with the footsteps of its owner, and its shadow fell into the cracks in the wall, in the chandelier, and on the ceiling, like a lively cub, looking for every place in the room to stay.

"Good evening, Lingge..."

Saint Xia Liya suddenly stopped walking, because she also saw the two things on the young man's table, and blinked curiously: "Isn't that... Alice's game console and cassette?"

"Yeah." The young man knew what she was going to ask and replied calmly, "I borrowed it from her."

Saint Xia Liya looked at Ling Ge with strange eyes, as if she was looking at some rare creature: "How did you convince her? I remember that she treasured her game console and cartridges very much, right? She would talk about it for a long time if someone touched them."

When Saint Shallia was cleaning her room, she put her game console and cassette box on the bookshelf for convenience. When the genius player found out, he kept complaining about it for a long time, from day to night, saying things like "How can you touch my things without my consent", "I also have the right to privacy", "I oppose excessive regulation, adults must be free", etc. Finally, Saint Shallia threatened, "I won't help you clean your room next time", and the genius player calmed down.

"Maybe you're using the wrong method." Ling Ge said calmly, "As long as you appeal to her emotions and reason, she will agree."

"is it?"

Saint Charity expressed her doubts. She felt that the fact that Alice was reasonable was a false proposition in itself, but since it was Ling'er who said it, she would just assume that it was so.

She also wanted to ask Lingge what the genius player's game console and cartridges were for, but Lingge predicted it. The young man spoke first and blocked the question with a question. For some reason, he didn't seem to want the shepherdess to be too deeply involved in this matter. To be precise, he didn't intend to reveal it to anyone except himself: "So, what do you want to see me about, Saint Xia Liya?"

Saint Xia Liya said "Ah", and Ling'er's question successfully distracted her attention. After hesitating for a while, she shook her head gently: "It's not a big deal, I just feel... you seem a little unhappy, Ling'er?" "Me?" The young man was stunned for a moment, and then laughed a little: "Then should I thank you for your concern for me, or should I be glad that I am still the type of person who will be happy in your mind?"

"I'm not kidding, Ling."

The girl took a step forward, placed her hands on the young man's desk, and leaned forward slightly. Her pair of golden eyes, shining like stars, were fixed directly on his face. She looked very imposing, as if she wanted to force Ling Ge to look at his heart and stop lying. "You were unhappy before, but later you became happy again. But today you are not so happy. I want to know why."

Her expression was somewhat abstract, but Ling Ge magically understood what she wanted to express. In the past, Ling Ge never felt that this journey was a happy one. He only felt a sense of responsibility and pressure in his heart. However, in his recent experience, especially in the process of getting along with the children after the school was built, he seemed to gradually find the original intention he got from his adoptive father, and his smile became better day by day. And Ling Ge tonight gave Saint Xia Liya the feeling that he had returned to the past. It was not that she did not like the past Ling Ge, but she just felt... very sad.

Such a heavy and cold Lingge would make her sad.

The girl's eyes were like a mirror, revealing all the emotions that he tried to hide. The young man opened his mouth, but didn't know how to defend himself, as if his previous clever words and calm arguments would lose their effectiveness in front of her. What's the point of lying, hiding or escaping when facing someone who really cares about you? It's just hurting others and yourself at the same time.

Mr. Yang Ke once said, do what you want to do, but don't hurt others or yourself.

Young people may not be able to do the latter, but they should at least do the former.

"Okay." He sighed, using these two words to represent his surrender. If Saint Xia Liya insisted on asking, he really couldn't hide anything from her: "Today, Kyle brought a few students to me. They want to apply for... withdrawal."

In the shepherdess's surprised eyes, he recounted the whole story. When he mentioned the decision made by Kyle and others, he still couldn't let it go, but not to them, but to himself: "I taught them the truth and told every student in my class that if you choose the future path by your own will, then no one can tell you what to do. But when they really made their choice, I found that I couldn't accept it. Sometimes I even wanted to stop them. Isn't this ridiculous?"

He laughed at himself, feeling a little disappointed. “The teachings of the goddess tell us what kind of person we should be. My adoptive father, Mr. Yang Ke, practiced this path himself and never regretted it until his death. I thought I could become that kind of person, but in the end I found that I was just imitating him out of guilt and blindness. In fact, I often think I am right and want to change other people’s decisions with my own will. When Medeen said that she wanted to break away from the protection of her brother and everyone and try to become a qualified adult, although I was surprised by her realization, I actually hoped that she could change her mind and stay by my side, forever worry-free and free. I need to grow up; when the Crusaders sent out reinforcements and I asked Shino to go to fight, I knew in my heart that this was the most correct decision, but I still hoped that she would refuse so that she would not have to face cruel sacrifice; similarly, when Kyle and the others told me that they had found the path they wanted to take, and although it was dangerous, they had absolutely no regrets, as a teacher, I did not encourage and guide them, but instead hoped that they would give up this idea, and even said some things that should not have been said. These examples may prove that I am actually a very fragile person. I always speak in a high-sounding manner to others, but I can't be so strict and firm with my own words. "

So he can comfort others and help them get over their emotional problems, but he never knows how to comfort himself.

The young man let out a long breath and suddenly felt unprecedented fatigue. He couldn't help thinking that he had been trying his best to keep the people around him, but the result was always the opposite. Everyone would leave him, just like the father who cruelly abandoned his two children in the world, disappearing and never appearing again. If life is like this, will his efforts be meaningful? Maybe he should try to accept it and learn to grow up like Metien...

"It's okay, Ling."

Suddenly, a gentle voice sounded in his ears, and then someone's hand came from behind and gently embraced the young man. He felt his head falling into a weightless world, gently touching that warm heartbeat, and her almost pious voice: "Even if you are a fragile person, I will always be with you."

"I will never leave you."

……

At the same time, in Rorona's alchemy workshop, someone had a thoughtful expression.

"I see. It's an interesting idea. The most interesting thing is that it actually came from your idea." Princess Haiqi looked at the golden-haired maid sitting opposite with a surprised look, then nodded and agreed: "Okay, leave it to me. Since it's not difficult and you have a legitimate reason, I won't charge you this time. You must thank me well, Alice."

The golden-haired maid asked quickly, "How long will it take? I hope to get it tomorrow!"

"Tomorrow? Then I'll have to work late at night. But, you know, staying up late is the enemy of ladies..."

“Please!” Alice clasped her hands together and lowered her stubborn head for the first time: “I will be grateful to you, Lorena!”

"Alas, there's really nothing I can do about you." Rorona sighed on the surface, but a subtle arc appeared at the corner of her mouth: "Since it's your sister's request, then as a sister, I have to do my best."

"Great! No...according to the order of birth, I am your elder sister, right, Lorena?"

"I'm talking about mental age. What do you think, Alice?"

"No……"

"Hehehe."

Give me some meow