Alice in the Land of Steam

Chapter 1363 Did he really leave?
Ling and Alice looked at each other, speechless for a moment.

Lin Ge didn't know what to say, feeling that anything he said at this moment would be wrong; while Alice, having already said everything she wanted to say, was now speechless.

An awkward atmosphere filled the room. It wasn't quite stiff, but it wasn't quite embarrassed either. If you had to describe it, it was like saying the wrong thing in a moment of impulse, and although you apologized immediately, there was still a lingering sense of unease between you. The problem was that neither of you felt like you were the one who had said the wrong thing.

After all, they were all very stubborn people. Alice was a given, and even Ling, who appeared so calm and collected on the outside, wouldn't easily change his mind once he made up his mind. Alice was probably the person who understood this best besides Medien, after all, she used to be a maid at the Heavenly Heart Church, and she knew Ling even before Saint Charlotte.

However, while her maid status wasn't officially revoked, it hadn't been mentioned for a long time. As for the maid outfit, Alice used to wear it frequently. Back then, she seemed to regard being a maid as something extraordinary, like a "hero" or "warrior" in a game, always speaking of it with a smug tone. But one day, the landlady, annoyed that Alice didn't take good care of her clothes and didn't even notice the maid outfit was dirty, took it back and carefully washed and dried it for several days, even fumigating it with herbs several times. The entire outfit was not only clean and tidy but also emitted a faint lavender fragrance, completely unlike secondhand clothing.

Then the landlady neatly folded the cleaned maid outfit and returned it to Alice. The genius player was quite happy at the time, saying something like "My equipment is upgraded" that was hard to understand. However, since she was still playing games and too lazy to change, she simply stuffed the maid outfit into the closet, planning to try it on when she had time.

As a result, they waited for a long time, and for some reason, Alice never changed into that maid outfit again. It wasn't that she disliked it or anything; she simply forgot about it without realizing it. The others didn't seem to care much, assuming she was just fickle and tired of the maid outfit—something quite common for Alice. Occasionally, Medion would suddenly recall Alice in her maid outfit and curiously ask her why she mentioned it, but it was just a casual question, and Alice would give a perfunctory answer, and the two of them tacitly ignored the question.

Judging by the timeline, it was probably during the period when the group left Mirror Star and were still searching for the Heavenly Sanctuary in the universe.

But it was truly strange; even Alice herself couldn't explain why she suddenly disliked wearing that maid outfit. Was it really, as everyone said, that she was fickle and easily bored? She pondered this for a long time without finding an answer. Because some things in this world happen without warning or motive. Like the candy she loved as a child, the fairy tale she cherished, or even the person she adored—all could suddenly become tiresome at some point, letting go without a second thought, as if all the emotions she poured into them were false. Only much later, when they reach the stage of reflecting on their lives, do they suddenly realize, did they really like those things so long ago?

Then comes the feelings of emotion, nostalgia, and sighing—these are all common traits of ordinary people.

Alice was no exception.

As darkness fell, the room remained dark, save for the eerie glow emanating from the game screen, accompanied by upbeat electronic music. The game's black-and-white graphics, however, clashed sharply with the music. Alice glanced up, her gaze fixed on the game console screen, and couldn't help but wonder if she would one day suddenly grow tired of games and abandon them, just like that maid outfit she hadn't worn in ages.

Or is she already at this stage?
Thinking about it this way, she suddenly felt a little listless, and even the argument she had just had with Lin Ge seemed less important. Although she had experienced this feeling before, ultimately, the game meant something different to her. It wasn't just her only hobby, but perhaps even her only way of understanding the world. If she lost the game, she really didn't know what would be left of "Alice"—just an empty shell? It's said that one shouldn't be bound by only one emotion, but if there's an emotion that allows you to devote yourself wholeheartedly, without considering gains or losses, isn't that a good thing?

“Alice,” Ringer asked abruptly, “you just said that everyone knows?”

The genius player was a beat slow to realize what he was talking about, and nodded hesitantly: "Yeah, who told you to make it so obvious? Ovira even asked me to comfort you. She said I could play games with you, and that playing games would make her happy and she would naturally forget about all the unhappy things. But actually..."

It seems to have had the opposite effect. Not only did the two of them spend an entire afternoon tormented by the same level and the same boss, but they also ended up having a fight. If Ovira knew, she would definitely regret it.
If I had known, I would have preferred not to ask.

"Did Ovira send you? It seems I've worried a lot of people." Lin Ge said, then suddenly looked up at the ceiling, as if avoiding her gaze. "Although, I still don't think I've done anything wrong..."

Alice raised an eyebrow, ready to argue with him again. But the young man quickly added, "But maybe that's just my feeling. Like you said, everyone thinks I'm putting on a brave face. Individual perceptions of oneself are always biased, and it's difficult to judge whether others' evaluations of oneself are true. Alice, who do you think I should believe?"

Need I say more? "Of course you trust us!"

"Why?" Lin Ge asked humbly.

"Why so many questions?" Alice curled her lips, somewhat annoyed. She had been dissatisfied with Ling's attitude for a long time. He had to investigate the reasons for everything, as if if the motive was unreasonable, then the result would also be unreasonable. Didn't he know that many things in the world are not based on reason, but are dominated by emotion?
After all, the world itself is rational, and if people are not emotional enough, how can they face the cruel reality?
“If you can’t convince yourself,” she rolled her eyes when she saw that Ling was still hesitant, and said bluntly, “then just consider it as… the minority obeying the majority.”

That sounds like a very Alice-in-the-Sea reason.

Ling said thoughtfully, "I don't know if I can do it, but I'll try my best."

"Try what?"

"Knowing yourself is the hardest thing in the world, so I can't give you a definite answer, but I will try to examine my own heart and try to prove that I am not pretending... or quite the opposite."

Alice understood his implied meaning and rolled her eyes without hesitation, thinking that Ling was still too conservative: "Forget about pretending to be strong for now, just start by admitting your weakness. If you feel sad, just honestly admit it. Sometimes you don't want to do anything because you're sad, and that's something everyone experiences. Nobody will blame you, so why pretend to be strong and make everyone worry more? I'm telling you, it won't hurt to show a little weakness sometimes, after all... something like that just happened, you're not the only one who's sad." Like after Themis died in the heavens, wasn't she also very sad, very grieving, locking herself in her room, not wanting to do anything? At that time, it was Ling who comforted her and pulled her back from that state. The young man never blamed her for not being strong enough, so why force herself?

Alice stared intently at the young man, pressing him for an answer with her gaze.

After hesitating for a long time, the young man finally nodded slightly: "Okay, I agree."

Alice secretly breathed a sigh of relief, because she knew that Ling had never broken a promise. If he did, it wasn't his fault, but rather... fate.

This could be considered fulfilling Ovira's request, though she might have expected something better. But this was all he could do, and even achieving this much had taken his best. Lin Ge appeared calm on the outside, but when he got stuck on something, he was more stubborn than anyone else. It was unclear when he would finally see the light. Of course, if Xia were still here, things like Ovira's worries and his own were never really a problem for her…

Alice was lost in thought, her mind racing with countless ideas. Often, one thought wouldn't settle before another would surface, and eventually, she wouldn't even know what she was thinking anymore. Just then, Ling reached out and gently patted her head, just like he used to do with Medine, conveying a reassuring touch, and whispered, "And thank you, Alice."

The genius player paused, then suddenly turned his head and muttered in a voice only he could hear, "You're welcome. By the way..."

She glanced at the young man and said, "Remember to thank Ovira too."

……

Once things are out in the open, both sides seem to understand each other. This is the true essence of emotion: when you are honest, you naturally gain the right to understand; conversely, when you want to understand, you naturally have the desire to be honest. All concealment, pretense, cover-up, and bravado are merely hypocrisy. So many misunderstandings arise from these, growing in people's doubts and anxieties, ultimately fermenting into a bitter pill. Ancient sages envisioned the future, believing that a thousand years from now, people would live in a transparent world without deception or betrayal, where emotions between people are genuine and pure, and everyone can get what they want and refuse what they don't.

Unfortunately, even a thousand years later, such a vision seems too distant. The great wizard Moria, who studies fate in a narrow, dark tent; the magician, who explores the mysteries of magic in a cold, quiet laboratory; the devout believer, who comforts and guides lost sheep at the altar; or the professor, who imparts human philosophy in a spacious, bright classroom... Countless wise men among mortals sought this path but could not find it, and were defeated by an invisible barrier.

Will the young man be next? He carries no less expectation than anyone else, but he hasn't adapted yet.

From a solitary soul in the mortal world to the true Holy Spirit who guides all beings in their prayers, the time it takes to adapt may be longer than Genesis, or it may be as short as the blink of an eye.

After being honest with each other, the two played the game for a while longer. This time, they were much more relaxed than before, but the result seemed unchanged; they were still stuck on the same level and the same boss. The young man didn't take it to heart. After failing again, he put down the controller, looked up at the sky outside the window, which was dark and blood-red, and seemed to be sinking into silence. He said to Alice, "Let's stop here. It's time for dinner."

"It's still early, and the landlady isn't rushing you, so what's the hurry?"

Alice's eyes were fixed on the game screen, her teeth clenched: "I'm going to beat this level today!"

By the time the landlady came to urge them in person, it would be too late, and the consequences could be very serious. However, the genius player was the type who wouldn't admit defeat until she saw the coffin, so Lin Ge didn't bother to say anything to her. He stood up and said, "Then you can play by yourself. I'm leaving now."

The genius player seemed unconcerned about whether he left or not, casually mumbling a few "uh-huhs" to brush him off, completely absorbed in the game. Lin Ge vaguely saw the shadow of the Alice from the past again, but only for a moment. Coming back to his senses, he realized everything was the same; it was probably just his imagination. After a long silence, the young man turned and quietly left the room, considerately closing the door behind him for Alice.

The already dimly lit room fell into complete silence, save for the eerie, cold light emanating from the game console screen, reflecting on the genius player's face and revealing a pale, focused expression. If a girl were still here, this scene would surely feel familiar. Long ago, Alice had also stayed alone in her room, oblivious to the outside world, pouring all her emotions and energy into that imagined virtual world. Defeating enemies brought her joy, getting stuck in a level filled her with frustration, and completing a level filled her with pride. Discovering any useful tricks would prompt her to eagerly share them with other players on forums, as if discovering a new continent. In this isolated world, she seemed to have only this one way of surviving, never exploring other possibilities. Her joys and sorrows were all driven by something unseen and intangible, making her appear so simple, so simple that it evoked a sense of… loneliness.

Failure after failure, restart after restart, and battle after battle... the tapping of the controller gradually stopped.

To the accompaniment of celebratory music, the genius player turned his head excitedly, chin raised, a look of pride on his face: "See? I told you I could beat the game..."

The sound stopped abruptly because there was no one around, only darkness as thick as the deep sea surrounding her.

After an unknown amount of time, a faint sigh drifted from the darkness: "Really, he's gone..."

Give me some cats