Alice in the Land of Steam

Chapter 1356 Will it never be unsealed?
If we exclude the Orderly Maidens of the Royal Power and only consider the order within the Chaotic Royal Power, then the departed Dark Witch Carabosse is undoubtedly the eldest sister of everyone, while Perece, who is sitting side by side with Tentis on the bench and looks delicate and weak, is indeed the eldest person besides her, that is, the second sister.

In reality, this is a very strange thing. After all, apart from Themis of the heavens, who was clearly created after the birth of the Old Eden and whose status as a female monarch is uncertain, the offspring of the other goddesses, whether they are the twin monarchs of fantasy and reality in the old world or the opposing monarchies of order and chaos in the new world, were all born at the same time in a strict sense. Therefore, it is impossible to distinguish between them by age.

Yet they still managed to establish a sister-sister relationship. Who is the older sister and who is the younger sister? Who is the eldest and who is the youngest? Who is responsible for taking care of everyone and attending to their lives and emotions? Who can be carefree and fully enjoy the feeling of being cared for? It's a feeling that cannot be described in words; it seems as if it was predetermined, and questioning it would seem strange.

The young queen is not a human being, and therefore is not bound by human norms. Just as Tantis, since coming into the world and gaining her sense of self, has always firmly and unquestioningly occupied the position of the elder sister; just as Saint Charlotte, upon opening her eyes from a long slumber and seeing the curious yet bewildered faces around her, was absolutely certain that she should take care of them; just as Caraboss, while yearning for her elder sister's gentleness, secretly imitated her strictness, but never thought that one day she should or must replace her... The emotions of life are complex and ever-changing, based on impulse rather than reason.

Although neither Fafrona nor Fier ever called Perec by the name "sister" most of the time, and Lilith, who dared not be willful in front of Carabosse, always indulged in her affections and enjoyed the privileges hidden in her helpless smile, it did not mean that they never regarded Perec as their sister. Rather, it was because Perec's personality was gentler than Carabosse's, so they were often more casual with her.

Similarly, this does not mean that Perec never put herself in her sister's shoes; on the contrary, she always remembered it, even more clearly than anyone else.

So, even though the road ahead was dangerous, even though she had to do the thing she hated most, even though she knew that going against herself would always lead to the opposite of what she wanted... she still whispered to Tentis, "Let me go."

Because that's the responsibility of being an older sister.

Tentis gazed intently at the girl before her, seeing her own expression reflected in those emerald eyes—strangely, it looked somewhat sorrowful. She wasn't sure if this was her true self, or merely how Perec saw her.

“If you want to do it,” she said, emphasizing each word, “I won’t stop you.”

Perec breathed a sigh of relief. She seemed to have anticipated hearing objections from Tentis, because this plan was far too important for them, too important to allow for any failure. And could she, weak, hesitant, always wavering between ideals and reality, really pull it off? If even she herself had doubts, it seemed only natural that Tentis, who had poured even more effort into the plan, even everything, would voice her opposition.

But the final result at least proves that even when you doubt yourself, others will choose to believe you for various reasons. Sometimes it's emotion, sometimes it's reason—which one is it for Tennys? Perec wasn't quite sure, but in any case, she was grateful for her trust.

In addition, the girl had one small request.

“I hope you won’t reveal this to everyone for now.” She pursed her lips, intentionally avoiding Tennys’s gaze. “At least, until the results are in…”

Tentis had probably already guessed she would make such a request, so he wasn't surprised. He simply reminded her, "Eve, Timmes, and Lilith are alright, but Fafrena and Fay will definitely not be kept in the dark. Especially Fafrena, who has been stationed on the Eastern Continent for many years and knows the situation there best. Once you arrive on the Eastern Continent, it's essential to meet with her and ask her about the current situation. Although I've heard that she's currently leading a fleet to open a new supply route for the Axis powers between the Stormy Ocean and the Chaotic Seas, which is probably a bit far from your goal, I still think that spending more time preparing is better than trying to make up for it later. As the Moria proverb says: 'The long way around is the fastest shortcut...'"

For some reason, she suddenly became a bit long-winded, rambling on and on, offering earnest advice and various worried reminders, as if she were addressing a younger sister who was about to embark on a long journey and whom she was deeply concerned about—and indeed, that was the case. However, in everyone's eyes—whether as a member of the Witches' Society or among the chaotic young princesses—Tentis had always been either shrewd and calculating or mysterious and unpredictable; no one had ever seen her so talkative before.

Perhaps it's because the more experiences you have, the easier it is to become like an ordinary person?

Pere listened quietly, her hands clasped on her knees, her fingertips slightly clenched. When she heard Fafrona's name, her eyelashes fluttered slightly. That always impulsive, sharp-eyed younger sister… she was indeed the hardest to hide from, and the one she most needed to see. And Fier's keen insight was equally undeniable, especially since she had long been prepared to step onto the battlefield, yet had never imagined that this resolve could one day be replaced.

“I understand, Tentis.” Perec’s voice remained gentle, carrying a calm that came from making a firm decision. “I will go see Fafrona and try to avoid unnecessary trouble. As for Fier…”

She paused, as if considering her words, and said, "I'm counting on you."

Her "Please" sounded somewhat vague, even carrying a hint of ostrich-like wishful thinking, as if by not thinking about it too much, she could temporarily escape Fei Er's all-seeing eyes. This was very much in line with Perec's personality; when faced with thorny issues, she sometimes chose an almost naive avoidance.

Tennys gazed at her lowered profile, a barely perceptible tension hidden beneath the soft lines. She ultimately withdrew her unfinished words, all her worry and reluctance dissipating into a barely audible sigh that blended into the cool night air. She understood that no amount of advice now could help Perec complete her thorny path; what she needed was no longer the care or guidance of others, but self-realization.

“Okay.” Tentis uttered only one word, her voice returning to its usual calm, as if the brief moment of rambling had never happened. She raised her hand, seemingly wanting to pat Pereike’s shoulder or brush away a stray strand of hair that had been ruffled by the wind from her forehead, but the hand only hovered for a moment before slowly lowering itself.

Some of her caring gestures always seemed so unusual and deliberate when she did them.

“You can wait half a month,” Tentis said. “In half a month, a supply fleet will depart from Aquamarine City, heading to the ocean city of Oshe at Storm's Cape. You can go with the fleet, just like Carabos…” “No,” Perec interrupted her gently. “There’s no need for that, Tentis. I can go alone.”

Walking alone, no one knows, no one needs to say goodbye, and naturally, no one needs to face you.

It might be a bit of self-deception, but that's what Perec really hopes for.

Tentis was speechless, realizing for the first time how stubborn she could be. Once she made up her mind, not even eight constructs could sway her. Yet, she could somewhat understand where this stubbornness came from, and couldn't help but sigh. She had always felt that Perec was very similar to that person, and it seemed there was some truth to it; apart from the hair color, even their personalities were exactly the same.

“But then,” the Reality Witch asked instinctively, “how would you control the construct mech?”

Among the fourteen young queens, the Plague Queen Pereira is practically the weakest in direct combat. Moreover, her combat awareness and experience are severely lacking, making it difficult for her to exert immense pressure on the enemy single-handedly, unlike the Dark Witch Caraboss. However, this is crucial to Tentis's plan. Without subjecting the young queens of order to the dual pressures of reality and a powerful enemy, how can their souls be awakened, allowing both sides to revert to their complete queenly forms despite the absence of the sacred artifact? And without the return of the complete queens, the dormant part of that person's soul cannot be awakened, nor can the greatest power in the universe be summoned…

In the past, the reality plan repeatedly failed, partly due to this factor. The Order Kings found it difficult to truly make up their minds to fight with the resolve to kill their past sisters. Without this resolve, their souls could not grow, which in turn made it difficult for the Chaos Kings, who fought against them, to awaken. But this time, with the help of that young man, the bonds formed along the way, and many other reasons why they could not lose... the Order Kings began to change.

This is the best opportunity, but it may also be the only opportunity in nearly ten thousand years. Once it is missed, where will Tentis find the next young man? By then, he may not be what he is now, he may not even be human, not a living being, or even any matter in the universe... His form of existence is never defined by any law.

“I understand, Tentis,” Pereike said softly. “I know I’m weak and can’t control the Dyson Sphere in space like Sister Caraboss, without anyone else’s help. But I think I still have some determination to try, right? So, if possible… I want to start the Titan.”

Tantis paused, speechless for a moment.

Thai Air Force...

To be precise, its full name is: Prototype Machine God - Taikong.

Unlike the other six construct mechs, it is the only one without a creation-level serial number. Many members within the organization are unaware of its existence; its secrecy level is second only to Project Eden and Project Reality. The reason for this is likely because… it was created in imitation of the steam engine god Alexander.

Following the Steam Chaos, in order to completely eliminate the threat of the Machine God Alexander, the Society developed constructs capable of blocking the refining frequency of faith power. However, due to the enormous amount of magic power it carried and consumed, it essentially required an excessive amount of magical engines as its energy source and the souls of witches as its core to operate. The first two constructeds developed, the Starry Night Knight piloted by Fafrona and the Star Cup Divine Child piloted by Caraboss, played a crucial role in the battle against the Machine God Alexander. After the battle, researchers at the Magic Research Institute developed a great interest in the nature of faith power and the spacetime distortion power of the Machine God Alexander. Using this as a prototype and combining it with data obtained in the battle, they developed a new type of constructed based on the Steam Machine God Alexander: the Prototype Machine God—Taikong.

However, during actual combat, they discovered that the Titan had significant flaws, to the point that they were beyond repair and irreparable. Ultimately, with the joint intervention of Tentis and Fei, they were forced to abandon the project, and the Titan remained in storage to this day, unused. Later, based on the experience gained from developing the Titan, they created four more constructs: the Azure Dragon Nest Ladiste, the Earth Witch Scarlet Nightgate, the Turbine Mothership Nidhogg, and the Alien Philosopher Dyson Sphere. These, along with the then-renamed Star Cup Child Midai and Starry Night Knight Dayan, formed the Creation Machine system.

The Taikong lives up to its prototype's reputation. In terms of combat power, it is undoubtedly the strongest among the seven construct mechs, even by a significant margin. However, its unacceptable flaw lies in this: perhaps due to some innate influence from the steam machine god Alexander, the prototype Taikong's energy drive prioritizes absorbing external energy under all circumstances. For Alexander, the absorbed external energy was primarily the power of faith of its followers, that is, soul magic; while for the prototype Taikong, it is naturally the magic and even life force of all living beings within the mech.

Furthermore, it also possesses another characteristic of the Machine God Alexander: the larger and purer the external energy it absorbs, the more significant the increase in combat power it exhibits. After breaking through a certain threshold, it doesn't just increase, but rather experiences an exponential surge. In Tantis's estimation, if controlled by Caraboss or Fafreona, it might even be able to put up a fight in its fully awakened form.

At the same time, with sufficient energy input, the Taikong can also simplify the operation to the minimum, and one person can even control it as easily as pointing an arm. According to the record of a researcher during that actual test: "...it doesn't feel like controlling a machine, but like controlling one's own body."

But what is the price?

The experimental results were permanently sealed, just like the prototype aircraft, the God of War, which was believed to never be unsealed again.

until today.

Give me some cats