Alice in the Land of Steam

Chapter 1291 Occasionally?

On the way to school, both of them were silent, but this silence did not make them feel awkward. On the contrary, Saint Xia Liya enjoyed this atmosphere. She could clearly feel the young man's breathing, hear his heartbeat, and the sound of his footsteps rubbing gently on the grass. All of this made her feel at ease and familiar, as if she had dreamed of them countless times and now was just meeting again in reality.

Lingge was also enjoying the silence, and at the same time, he used it to think about the next topic. He kept organizing his words in his mind, trying to express his chaotic thoughts, but he could not find a suitable entry point, so he remained silent. When he was halfway there, the young man accidentally raised his head and saw a familiar eaves sticking out from the branches of the old grey tree. In an instant, all his thoughts seemed to have found their home, destined to pour out in that place.

"Saint Shalia."

He stopped, turned around, and asked the girl beside him: "Before going to school, can you accompany me to another place first?"

Saint Xia Liya blinked her eyes. In fact, she had guessed which place Lingge was talking about, but she did not point it out. She just nodded slightly, at least at this moment, obeying all his decisions.

"Let's go."

Ling Ge said, walking in front of the girl, but suddenly he seemed to remember something, and his steps paused slightly. He did not look back but stretched out his hand and repeated: "Let's go, Xiao Xia."

Noticing the change in the young man's address, and looking at the hand stretched out in front of her, Saint Shallia couldn't help but arch her eyebrows and smiled silently. She also stretched out her hand and placed it on the young man's palm. The warm touch at that moment made both of them feel familiar, but not last night, but long ago, when reality was just a dream.

In this way, the young man held the girl's hand and walked all the way to the small church on the hillside.

But when he arrived at the front door of Tianxin Church, Lingge found that it was much larger than he remembered, which was surprising. But what was going on? Obviously, when Metien rebuilt the church, he did not expand it recklessly because there was more land available, but maintained the size of the original church, so it should have always been the size that young people remembered. In the past, he disliked its narrowness and crampedness. In order to save space, even the kitchen and warehouse had to be placed behind the prayer hall. Sometimes young people confessed for believers in the front hall, and Metien prepared dinner in the kitchen at the back. The smoke rose and the aroma of food came faintly, making people feel that it was not like a church, but more like a hotel or a tavern.

They also disliked the fact that it was too old and had poor sound insulation. When Medien was studying upstairs, she was often disturbed by the various noises coming from downstairs. Although the girl was focused and patient in studying, as her brother, Lingge always wanted to provide her with a better environment. This was also human nature.

There are probably all kinds of problems besides these. Sometimes I complain about the poor quality of the paint on the exterior walls, as the walls have long been weathered and peeling off due to the erosion of time; sometimes I complain about the narrow and high stairs, as my sister has to go up and down the stairs frequently, which always causes danger and inconvenience... But, as I just said, it's really strange.

Mingming never felt that way when he lived with Mr. Yang Ke. At that time, the Tianxin Church gave him the impression that it was even more spacious and comfortable than the Queen's palace. Although he had never seen what the Queen's palace looked like, he only heard about it occasionally in the minstrels' songs.

If it is because of the people who live there, then after Mr. Yang Ke passed away, the living space of the brother and sister should have become more spacious, right? If it is because of the different state of mind, why do I feel the same emotion today when I bring Saint Shallia here as before? Young children are always lively and active, and they think the world outside their home is bigger and more beautiful. When they grow up and finally see the world, they can only feel at ease in the narrow memory.

Far away, near, in time, in space, growing, and yet to be reached... home is complex and changeable.

"What's wrong, Ling?"

Seeing Ling Ge put his hand on the door of Tianxin Church but never pushed it open, Saint Xia Liya asked curiously. This sentence brought the young man back from his thoughts about family and time and space. He couldn't help but be startled. After reacting, he shook his head gently and said nothing, but simply explained: "Sorry, I remembered something."

Saint Xia Liya stared at him for a long time, until the young man felt a little uncomfortable, she smiled slightly: "Lingge seemed to like to be in a daze today, since this morning. What were you thinking about then? Is it the same thing you are thinking about now?"

She was probably referring to the long period of silence and daze that Lingge would remain in after getting up in the morning, when he seemed to be thinking about some random things.

“…No.” The young man calmly looked away, not wanting the girl to see the guilt in his eyes.

I can't just say that I was thinking about Bai Ye, wondering if she would use this "dream" to threaten me, and how to counter her threat... Although all of these are reasonable, they don't fit the situation at the time.

So, just bury it deep in your heart.

Saint Shallia nodded thoughtfully and did not ask any further questions.

The young man didn't want her to ask any more questions, so he quickly pushed open the door of Tianxin Church and walked into the church which had been unattended for a long time since Sister Metien and Sister Livia left Yunjingkong Island. Originally, there was a fake nun named Gloria, but she didn't seem to want to guard a deserted church alone, as that would be too boring.

This indirectly proves that the power of the curse is indeed weakening, and even Gloria can break away from her role setting. Of course, you can also think that she originally played this kind of "half-baked nun", and perhaps only she knows the truth.

Arriving at the front of the prayer hall, on the altar is the statue of the Goddess. In the original Tianxin Church, the statue of the Goddess was carved by a famous sculptor invited by Mr. Yang Ke. In secular terms, it is the most valuable thing in the entire church. The statue in front of us is a wood carving, and it was not made by a famous craftsman, but was carved by Medien himself. In addition, Shemi and Leticia also helped.

Compared with the previous statue, it is undoubtedly much simpler, but strangely, it is even more impressive, as if the girl had placed her own memories or emotions on it when she carved it.

Sitting in the seat closest to the goddess statue, when she looked up, Saint Shallia naturally thought of her gentle and loving mother. Since falling into the human world, all her impressions of Him seemed to come from hard recollection. In the end, she learned the sad news that her mother had already returned to the lightless sea. But Saint Shallia did not feel lonely. She always felt that He was by her side, smiling at her and her lover, offering her good wishes.

Ling Ge also looked up, staring at the statue of the goddess. What was he thinking about? Who was he thinking of? Was he, like himself, vaguely feeling the blessings from heaven and many beautiful wishes? But Saint Xia Liya felt that the person he was thinking of should not be his mother, but his adoptive father. She always knew how important the man she had never met was in the young man's heart. In fact, even she had to thank Mr. Yang Ke for cultivating two beautiful souls for this cruel world. Perhaps in the future, countless people will benefit from it.

At this moment, in this small church, the two young people simultaneously thought of their relatives who were no longer in this world. A tacit understanding was formed in the dark, and ultimately it came down to an emotion of life.

The sound of waves came from far away, hitting the wall of the church, and there was a quiet echo. Saint Xia Liya listened for a long time before she realized that it was not the sound of waves, but the oak forest that had not yet grown in the cemetery calling in the wind. Then she thought of yesterday, when Ling Ge stayed alone in the cemetery for a long time, so long that people were very worried. Xinuo also came to her for this matter, hoping that she could think of a way to comfort Ling Ge. But in the end, she couldn't do anything, and only comforted herself selfishly. Temporary love, impulsive love, selfish love, it seems to be very effective, but in fact, it still solves nothing, right? What happens today will continue tomorrow, and love cannot always be passionate and burning, and will eventually cool down to ashes. If you think so, am I making things more troublesome?

Saint Xia Liya secretly glanced at the young man next to her, but he was looking at her unexpectedly. Their eyes met silently. The girl panicked and dodged subconsciously, but she was a step too late.

"Saint Xia Liya." Ling Ge took the initiative to speak and called out her name.

"Ah? I, I'm here, Lingge!" The shepherdess straightened her back subconsciously.

The young man didn't know why she was so nervous, but he didn't ask further questions. Instead, he said in a very serious tone: "You said before that you would be responsible for that matter, right?"

"Of course!"

Saint Xia Liya admitted it without hesitation. This was originally her sincere thought. Why did the young man keep asking? Was he worried that she was just talking, or that she was not capable enough to bear the heavy responsibility? Maybe it was all possible, but the girl just wanted him to know that there might be impulse, selfishness, and sour emotions brewed by all the inconsolable pain in that love, but there was absolutely no falsehood.

"But I just thought about it and I think this is not a good idea."

The young man said, lowering his head somewhat unnaturally, crossing his hands on his knees, twisting his ten fingers restlessly. He seldom made such childish movements, but the mood at this moment might resonate with it: "For things like this, there has never been a saying about who should take responsibility and who can stay out of it, right? We should all be responsible for our own actions, whether in words or actions. So..."

He hesitated to speak, but Saint Xia Liya seemed to be thinking about it and asked tentatively: "So, you mean, we should bear it together?"

Ling Ge breathed a sigh of relief: "Yes, that's what I meant."

Saint Xia Liya couldn't help but bend her eyebrows. Doesn't this sound like marriage? Besides, what else must this young man and woman undertake together? What's more, Ling Ge said it in Tianxin Church, which is the most familiar place in his life. Only here can young people let down their guard and speak sincerely from their hearts.

Even the scene is so consistent with the mood, as if foreshadowing something.

But soon, the shepherdess stopped smiling, because she saw no shyness or hesitation in the young man's eyes, and she realized that he was not speaking so obscurely because he found it difficult to say it. Beneath this vague expression, there was a metaphor for someone's deeper feelings.

Deeper than human love.

"If that's what you think," she whispered, "I'll always support you, Lingge."

Just as she had always supported him in the past.

"Thank you, Saint Shallia." The young man said sincerely, as if he did not hear the girl's hidden meaning. After thanking her, he looked up again, but not at the statue of the goddess on the altar, but through the statue, through the walls, through the colored glass windows, he saw a place farther away, in that newly built cemetery, how each young soul fulfilled his or her responsibilities in the world, returned to the lightless sea in the sky, and enjoyed all the happiness in their dreams from then on.

He murmured unconsciously: "If only I had understood this earlier."

In that way, he might be able to shoulder the responsibilities that he was supposed to have.

But do your responsibilities include this war, the dead and the survivors, and everything beyond the emotions of life that can be gradually attributed to the realm of divinity? If a mortal wants to take on the responsibility of a god, stop all wars, and end all suffering, then he is undoubtedly crazier than an ambitious person in the eyes of the secular world. But Saint Xia Liya inexplicably felt that Ling Ge could do it, and he was already preparing to do it.

As long as he sets his mind to it, he can create miracles.

So, with some complicated feelings, the girl repeated what she had just said word by word: "If you think so, then I will always support you, Lingge."

This time, the young man did not reply, but turned around and gave her a gentle and reassuring smile.

At this moment, Saint Charity felt an impulse, not the impulse of love, but the impulse of loneliness, as if it was the most empty emotion emerging from the most passionate emotion. She wanted to ask the young man in front of her a question, but she hesitated as she thought of what happened last night, but she didn't realize that she had already asked it inadvertently.

"Lingge, are you still sad?"

“…Maybe sometimes.”

Just occasionally.

Give me some meow