Alice in the Land of Steam

Chapter 1361 Please don't doubt it?

"So, let's play a game."

"..."

Lin Ge stared at Alice for a while, and seeing that she had no intention of explaining, he felt quite helpless: "You don't think that just saying 'so' means you can ignore the 'because' before it, do you? This is so vague, how is anyone supposed to know what you're trying to do?"

"Haven't I already made myself clear about what I want to do?" Alice gestured by holding up the game console in her hand.

"So, that's what I'm asking: why do you suddenly want me to play games with you?"

"Does it matter? You seem pretty free anyway."

Upon hearing this, Lin Ge glanced at the little lamb who was peeking in from outside the door but was too afraid to approach because Alice was there, and replied, "Actually, I'm still a bit busy."

Now is the time for the lambs to walk and play.

Of course, given its lively and active nature, aside from eating and sleeping, the rest of the day can basically be considered its time for walks and play. Its former owner doted on it, patiently playing along no matter how naughty the lamb was; now that person has temporarily left and doesn't know when they will return, Ling feels that since he is her lover, he should fulfill half the duty of an owner and help her take good care of the lamb.

Although Alice doesn't seem to think so.

After she learned what Ling was worried about, she turned around and walked to the door, waving at the furtive little lamb outside, her tone disdainful: "Go away, go away, go play by yourself, or go to the herb garden and find Shemi and Little Sun to play with you. Ling is very busy right now and doesn't have time to play with you."

"Baa!" the little lamb bleated defiantly, lowering its head to face Alice's leg as if it were about to collide with her at the slightest provocation.

The human and the sheep had disliked each other for a long time. The reason for this could be traced back to when the group was fighting the vampire, Miss Fialy, in Linwell City. The sheep bumped into Alice at least a dozen times in the game, supposedly to defeat the enemy, but the genius player clearly held a grudge and began a rivalry with it. Later, it escalated to various trivial matters: who deliberately bleated loudly in the early morning, keeping her awake; who deliberately ate large amounts of snacks when she was hungry; who gave her a sour look and ignored her; who secretly called the other a pig for eating so much… In short, their relationship was quite delicate.

But after such a long period of competition, they had developed a somewhat tumultuous relationship, and over time, they had even formed a unique communication system that outsiders simply couldn't understand. For example, Lin Ge couldn't understand why, after a few minutes of confrontation at the door, the two of them suddenly and inexplicably reached a consensus. The lamb bleated as if in protest, then turned and ran away without looking back, while Alice scoffed, as if the lamb had gotten a great deal, and walked back with a disgruntled look, saying to Lin Ge, "Now, the problem is solved."

Lin Ge couldn't help but wonder, "How did you convince it?"

“I didn’t persuade it,” Alice replied. “I just promised to give it the fruit at dinner.”

In her view, it was less persuasion and more of a transaction, and at a heavy price. Although Alice was a carnivore, she also enjoyed the sweet and juicy fruits grown on Cloud Whale Island. Today, for the sake of Linger, she had actually given them up—a humiliation she would never forget!
Lin Ge: "..."

So what I'm asking about isn't the content of your transaction, but rather the method by which the transaction was completed.

From a young person's perspective, the lamb simply bleated twice, and Alice didn't utter a single word, just shook her head and nodded, and that's how they reached an agreement. This way of communicating is amazing; perhaps only its original owner could do it? So, it seems that Alice and the lamb's relationship shouldn't be considered bad; on the contrary, they should be quite close.

Unfortunately, she still treated the lamb so badly; otherwise, she might have been a better fit to take care of it than she was.

"I have a feeling you're thinking about something very rude?" Alice looked at Linger suspiciously.

"..." The young man was silent for a moment before saying, "I just think you should be more patient with the lamb, after all..."

After all, it had just lost the most important and only person in its life.

“There’s no need for that. Just treat it like usual. If you keep treating it so well…” Alice glanced at Ling, “wouldn’t that be like constantly reminding it that the person who was best to you is no longer here?”

Lin Ge was stunned.

He never thought of that.

It was just a feeling of guilt, a desire to make amends to the lamb.

But who knows if this one-sided attempt to make amends is just another burden for the lamb? Like Alice said. Thinking about it this way, perhaps it's not me accommodating the lamb, but the lamb accommodating me? After all, it's very strong, while those who truly need companionship are often more vulnerable.

"Alright, stop thinking about it." Alice interrupted Ling's reverie and gestured to the game console in her hand: "Now that the little sheep's problem is solved, shouldn't you play games with me, Ling?"

……

On Cloud Whale Sky Island, which place is the best for playing games?
There were two choices. One was the Heavenly Heart Church, which housed the goddess's meticulously collected game consoles and had a spacious area, perfect for everyone to gather and play games together. However, that was a story from another timeline, where the events never happened, and the memories were much more faded. Based on some complex psychological factors, I instinctively avoided this option.

As for the other place, it's naturally the room of the genius player.

This has nothing to do with the venue or equipment; it's purely a matter of preconceived notions. Alice is the person on Cloud Whale Sky Island who loves playing games the most, so her room is naturally the most suitable place on Cloud Whale Sky Island to play games. This logic is similar to how Ovira's room must contain many books, or how Rorona's alchemy workshop must contain many strange little gadgets. Although it's stereotypical, it's not entirely without merit.

However, for the room's owner, this memory was so distant that she had almost forgotten what she felt the last time she played games in this room. It was probably when the group had just left the Heavenly Sanctuary and returned to Mirror Star. She was filled with guilt and grief over the death of Themis from the Celestial Realm, and for a time, she closed herself off, living a dazed and ghostly life. It was then that Lin Ge suddenly barged into her room and, without explanation, demanded that the genius player play games with her. Through this silent comfort and guidance, he pulled her back from the brink of despair.

Strangely, the genius player had almost forgotten the words of comfort and advice Lin Ge had given him that night, but he still remembered the scene of the two of them playing the game. His memory was so clear that he could still vividly recall the game screen, the young man's expression, and the sigh of relief he let out when he finally cleared the game, which was not one of joy but of relief. It was all as if it had happened yesterday.

In her solitude, she quietly contemplates, and across the unseen sea, she carefully touches upon their traces, so familiar that they evoke a tearful urge.

Perhaps, as Ovira said, only the Alice who loves games and firmly believes that playing games can solve all problems is the Alice that everyone knows.

But were all those feelings I had at the time—guilt, confusion, excitement, joy, and emotion—just because of the game?
If it were the Alice of the past, she would have answered without hesitation: Of course! Nothing in her life was more interesting, more passionate, more desirable than games; it was as if this fiery, exuberant soul was born to live for certain imagined things, or even to die with them. But the Alice of today could no longer give a definite answer; she didn't even dare to. Every time she wanted to say that, many faces would appear before her eyes: Ling's, Saint Charlotte's, Themis of the heavens, and even Tentis's. First, there were fragments, scenes of life in the ancient sanctuary, when the world had not yet diverged from order and chaos, only her, her, and a crying little girl, mutually disliking yet relying on each other; then came the plot, unfolding continuously, including tedious suspicions, betrayals, accusations, forgiveness, and tears; finally, she stood in the bottomless darkness, calmly gazing at herself, and asked: Are you ready to accept reality, Alice?
Alice said: I don't know.

I don't know if I still have the courage to accept reality.

I wonder if I still have the right to indulge in fantasy.

Even less known—

Ovira. Alice sighed inwardly, recalling her conversation with Princess Beman. Now she could finally answer the question, but that didn't mean the answer would necessarily be satisfactory. Fate is like a circle; most of the time, people simply revolve around it.

I don't even know if I still love games as much as I used to.

"Alice," came the puzzled voice of a young man beside her, "why did you suddenly stop?"

"nothing."

The genius player shook his head slightly, then pushed open the door.

The room was empty, with only sunlight silently soaking into the floor.

really.

She's gone.

She was the one who came to him for help, she was the one who cared most about Lin Ge and everyone else, and she was the one who had been working hard silently all along, but now she had disappeared without a trace, as if she was afraid of seeing something.

What a coward.

Alice subtly pursed her lips, then turned to the young man and said, "Alright, Ringer."

"Let's play a game."

……

Ovira sat alone on the small sofa by the window in her room, a thick, ancient book lying open on her lap. The edges of the pages were slightly curled, bearing the patina of years of wear. Her fingertips unconsciously traced the rough paper, her brow furrowed slightly, her lips pursed, as if trying to concentrate on the words. But after a moment, her gaze drifted away, uncontrollably looking out the window. The distant, boundless sea of ​​clouds was slowly moving across the horizon, casting shadows that flowed like water over the floor, over her ankles, over the midday sunlight, and then silently faded away.

She couldn't help but recall her conversation with Alice earlier. She had taken the initiative to approach Alice, saying things like, "Only you can do it," "Only you can understand," and "Only this is Alice's way," and so on, before unceremoniously pushing this heavy task onto Alice.

She wasn't unaware that it was just a form of escapism, and even now she was so clearly aware of it, so she slowly released her hand and gently pressed it against her chest—she could feel something blocking it there, heavy and making it difficult for her to breathe.

Right now, Alice is probably playing games with Ling, isn't she? That's just her personality; she never backs down no matter what difficulties she encounters, and she agrees to all her friends' requests, regardless of whether they're reasonable or not. In the words of a genius gamer, it's her "sense of mission as the protagonist" that's inspiring her.

Of course, after experiencing the truth of the Heavenly Sanctuary, the passing of Themis of the Celestial Realm, and even Xia's departure, she might no longer think that way. She no longer sees this world as just a game, nor does she consider herself the sole protagonist in this game. She becomes like the most ordinary girl in the story—sensitive, suspicious, melancholic, and somewhat fragile. Even so, when Ovira comes to her for help, she still frowns, puts on a "I can't do anything with you" expression, and agrees.

So, this probably has nothing to do with whether or not someone is the main character, right?

It is "something only Alice could do".

Ovira couldn't do it, just as she couldn't do "what only Saint Charlotte could do."

It's not that I didn't try, it's just that my efforts were in vain.

It's not that I lack courage, but rather that I don't know where to use it.

It's not that I don't want to get closer, but I'm afraid that getting closer will only make someone more upset.

Most mortals are like this, and Princess Bemang is just one of them.

Quietly putting down her book and looking up at the monotonous ceiling, Ovira suddenly remembered that before Alice left the room to go find Linger, she actually had a question she wanted to ask her, but in the end she couldn't bring herself to say it. That question was heavy and still weighed on her mind.

She wanted to ask Alice: Was there ever a moment when you felt that you were the one who killed Xia Xia, which is why you suddenly lost interest and confidence in the game?

If that's the case... that's not right.

Absolutely wrong, patheticly wrong, the kind of wrong that would make even Xia Xia raise her eyebrows and say, "Don't always overthink things."

So please, Alice.

Please don't doubt... your own love for games...

Give me some cats