Alice in the Land of Steam

Is Chapter 1294 really okay?

"No, why?"

Lorena looked at her silly little sister, who didn't even know what fingers and circles meant, with some surprise. She had thought that Lorena would be the easiest to fool... cough cough, I mean the easiest to persuade, but now it seemed that wasn't the case.
"Because Xia-jie and Lin-ge are both very gentle people."

Ieta hugged her knees, resting her chin on them, her azure eyes blinking gently, occasionally glancing at a wisp of white cloud outside the window, as clear and flawless as a sunny sky: "Sister Lorena, are you worried that you'll be neglected after Sister Xia and Ling get along better? But they're definitely not like that. Just like before, no matter how busy Sister Xia was, she would always make time for us, and Ling always tolerated our unreasonable demands. I think it will be like that in the future."

"So, we should just maintain the status quo."

As she spoke, she tilted her head slightly, revealing a silly smile that seemed to illuminate the entire hall like sunshine: "Being together every day, every moment, even forever, trying to cherish those ordinary yet precious feelings, one day, everyone can achieve a happy ending, right?"

That's how it's written in the story.

And Miss Angel did the same thing.

She once found happiness, seeing a haven for wanderers in a small village in the Salya plains, believing she would stay there for life. However, her excessive yearning for that happiness ultimately led to her tragic loss. To this day, Miss Angel remembers the old village chief's words of wisdom, which admonishes people that contentment with one's present life and restraint from inflated desires are essential conditions for achieving happiness.

Demanding without restraint, exceeding the limits of human endurance, will ultimately only lead to greater losses.

Rorona looked at Ieta with a complicated expression. Princess Haixi was actually a very stubborn person. From childhood to adulthood, she had always been burdened by the expectations of others, but she had never been molded into the image they wanted her to be. She simply swam towards her goals relentlessly, like a little fish that saw the light of a shooting star and tried to chase after it. This was true of her constant attempts to cure her chronic illness with alchemy, her desperate search for a way to purify the pollution of the ocean, and even her resolute decision to go to live in a human city against her family's wishes. She thought that this kind of personality was not wrong. It was better to rely on herself to get what she wanted than to just stand still and wait for a windfall.

So, Ietta's statement undoubtedly stood in opposition to hers. The wind angel from Avignon was cursed, destined to remain in one place for life. Although, with the young man's help, she unknowingly left the windmill tower, her past experiences seemed to have instilled in her a habit of waiting, and she had become accustomed to it. Some people wait for a windfall, while she was simply waiting for the seed she had planted long ago to sprout.

Princess Haiqi had a strange premonition: she was right.

When she flashes a silly smile and utters naive yet idealistic words, even she feels a pang of pity, let alone Xia, who is always soft-hearted, and Lin, who appears cold on the outside but is actually more easily moved by others. If you look at the end of each story, you will find that characters of this type often get a good ending. Perhaps not as wonderful as the protagonist, but not as terrible as the villain; perhaps they are not favored by the author, nor noticed by the audience, but unknowingly, they get what they want.

How should I put it? In terms of perspective, I've already lost.

Ietta felt uneasy under her gaze, thinking she had said something wrong. Just as she was feeling anxious, Lorena suddenly chuckled and gently kneaded the angel's soft cheeks with both hands. Hearing the angel make muffled "mmm" sounds as she begged for mercy, Lorena couldn't help but sigh, "I thought you didn't understand anything, but I didn't expect you to be the one who understands the most, Ietta."

Eh?
Is that so?
What did I understand?
Despite her cheeks being distorted and her ears turning red from being kneaded, Ieta's eyes remained so innocent, so clear, and so pure.

Lorena couldn't help but chuckle twice before releasing her fingers and letting go of the angel's cheek. Suddenly, she straightened her face and said seriously, "That's true, but being content with the status quo doesn't mean doing nothing. Ieta, don't you want to be closer to Linger, like... Xia-jie and him are?"

"Can I?" Ieta was slightly tempted, but not entirely confident.

After all, that's Xia Xia's older sister.

Invincible.

“Yes.” Lorena nodded without hesitation: “As long as we work together, there’s nothing we can’t do!”

This statement was delivered with great conviction, and the onlookers echoed it enthusiastically. Alice chimed in, while Ovira warmly invited her to join in the grand scheme. Soon, the angel was completely swayed and agreed in a daze.

After successfully dragging Ietta into the water, only two people remained. However, before Rorona could persuade her, Gloria eagerly raised her hand, excitedly declaring, "I'm in! I want to join!"

"You idiot!" Bai Ye scolded irritably in the consciousness space, "What does this have to do with you? Why are you meddling in this?"

But Gloria asserted confidently, "Who says it doesn't matter? I also want to get closer to Ling!"

"You enjoy dealing with perverts? Interesting, Gloria."

"Ling Ge isn't a pervert, I've already said that's just your prejudice!"

"You've been deceived by his pretense, haven't you? I'm doing this for your own good."

"Whether it's an act or not, we'll only know after getting to know him better," Gloria said confidently. "At least so far, I haven't noticed anything abnormal about Ling Ge. It's you, Bai Ye, who have too deep a prejudice against him. I'll change your mind!"

"..."

If Bai Ye could control her body, she'd definitely roll her eyes at her. What's this? You pretended not to see that guy forcing an innocent girl, and just because he hugged you, you're all bought off? In Alice's words, your favorability rating is way too easy to boost. What's the difference between you and that silly angel next to you?
However, she didn't say anything more, thinking that Gloria was just bored lately and looking for something to pass the time. Besides, with that clumsy and impulsive nature of hers, what could she possibly accomplish? She'd probably be crying and begging for help in a few days, and she could just tease her a bit then.

Seeing that she didn't say anything more, Gloria thought she had won a great victory and gave Rorona a peace sign.

Princess Haiqi was surprised and delighted that she could persuade this most troublesome alternate personality. She smiled and gave a peace sign in response, and the two seemed to be kindred spirits.

At this point, only one last objective remains to be achieved.

Everyone's eyes immediately turned to Xinuo.

"..."

The young knight, who was drinking water, stiffened for a moment. Realizing that she couldn't avoid the topic, she slowly put down her glass. The colorless liquid, illuminated by the sunlight, refracted a dazzling light in the transparent glass. Accompanied by her shrugging gesture and helpless tone, she said, "I guess I won't get involved in this. I think my relationship with Ling is good enough, there's no need to take it any further."

"Our relationship is good enough, there's no need to take it a step further?" Rorona blinked. "Such a confident tone."

“Don’t guess, Rorona, you know what I’m referring to.” Hino paused, then continued, “Besides, my only goal right now is to defeat the Witch Society and fulfill my mission. Until that’s achieved, nothing else is on my agenda.” “Prioritizing your mission?”

Rolanda seemed thoughtful, then suddenly, a subtle smile appeared on her lips: "You know what, Hino, I've heard someone else say something similar before, someone you know very well."

"Who?" Hino asked instinctively.

Princess Haiqi softly uttered two words: "Lingge".

“…” Xinuo fell silent. She had to admit that although the answer was unexpected, it was very much in line with the young man’s personality.

Around the time when he had just gathered the seven young ladies and had not yet had a chance to ascend to the Heavenly Sanctuary, by chance, or perhaps as time passed and things naturally progressed, Lin Ge realized the girls' feelings for him. However, at that time, he stated that he only wanted to focus on the bigger picture and would not consider matters of the heart until he successfully reached the Heavenly Sanctuary and met His Majesty the Goddess.

But we all know what happened next. Love is an unstoppable emotion, not a game of chance where you can simply pause it. It's like water dripping on stone, accumulating day by day, eventually breaking through that solid barrier. Wasn't that what happened to Saint Charles? When her love exceeded her control, a single word, a glance, a moment of impulse was enough to ignite a raging fire, until it spread like wildfire. And this morning, the young people's reaction is thought-provoking: doubt, confusion, determination, awareness… but no resistance.

Because he already knew that some things were beyond his control, whether it was himself or others.

Since Xinuo said the exact same thing as that young man, it means they are actually the same kind of people, right? So, how can we know that the same kind of people might end up on the same path? In the grand scheme of things, it's not fate, but a person's identity, personality, upbringing, way of thinking... that's guiding everything.

Faced with Princess Haiqi's meaningful gaze, Xinuo opened her mouth, but couldn't say anything.

After all, even a knight capable of defeating everything cannot defeat the future. The Holy Lance White Thorn can annihilate the lives of all enemies, but it cannot erase the possibility of death.

……

In the end, Hino was persuaded by Rorona.

However, she had no intention of joining the group; at most, she was just a scapegoat. Thinking of defeat before victory, Rorona had already considered the consequences of the plan being exposed and successfully persuaded Xino to "voluntarily" become her sisters' protector. In case the plan failed, she would step forward and take all the blame. Of course, we all know that Saint Charlotte wouldn't blame Xino for this. If her attitude towards her other sisters was one of loving strictness, then her attitude towards Xino was undoubtedly more lenient, after all, she was the only sensible, mature sister who didn't require much of her worry.

For Xinuo's sake, Xia Xia shouldn't be too angry, right?
Everyone, including Rorona, thought the same way. Although Shino herself didn't think she had that much influence, it was rare for her sisters to make a request of her (it would be even better if they weren't using her as a shield), so she was willing to try her best to fulfill their request, just as she had always been generous in fulfilling Chloe's small wishes in the past.

"But you need to be careful not to go too far," Xinuo cautioned worriedly.

"Don't worry," Alice assured her, patting her chest. "Don't you know us?"

Ovira and Gloria nodded in agreement, while Leticia looked on with disdain. She probably thought that this was how Hino treated a child, and that she didn't understand her at all.

Xinuo thought to herself, "It's precisely because I understand him that I'm worried."

On the other side, behind the counter, Sheria and Hino shared the same concerns.

"Are you sure it's okay?" she asked her sister. "Wouldn't it be dangerous if we didn't stop them?"

Of course, she wasn't saying that Saint Charlotte was in danger, but that everyone present, including herself, was in danger.

"Don't worry, Xia isn't that petty," Siesta replied with a smile.

Is that really the case? The bartender wondered to herself. Although she had never experienced love, both the descriptions in books and her travels told her unequivocally that human love is as intense as it is selfish, not to mention sharing, and even intolerant of others coveting it.

Only when it comes to love is selfishness no longer a derogatory term.

"Perhaps your concerns are valid, but don't forget, Xia is not human."

Siesta glanced back at her sister and blinked gently. "Her feelings for her sister are no less than her feelings for Ling. If she had to choose between the two, she would definitely choose both, wouldn't she?"

Sheria nodded thoughtfully.

Whether it's experience, knowledge, or understanding of the shepherdess, her older sister far surpasses her, so perhaps she is right.

but.

The bartender suddenly had a thought: "Sister, what if one day you also have to choose between me and your lover..."

"Oh dear, Sheria," the landlady gently interrupted her, her eyes crinkling into crescents, "How could you ask such a self-evident question?"

"Uh, ah... yes, yes..."

What exactly are "ordinary" and "taken for granted"?

Anyway, she didn't give an answer.

Sheryl didn't dare ask any more questions.

Give me some cats