Alice in the Land of Steam

Chapter 1366 Are you a little happy?
The moment she opened the door, Ovira suddenly realized a very serious fact: she hadn't tidied the room yet.

The door hinges creaked slightly as they turned, as if reminding her of the urgency of the moment. Instinctively, she tried to block the crack in the door with her body, attempting to delay the arrival of that moment, but it was too late. Lin Ge's figure came into clear view, standing in the soft light of the corridor, his expression as calm as ever.

While her room wasn't strictly cluttered—everything was in its proper place, much better than Alice's room or Lorena's alchemy workshop—the desk was the exception. Because she needed to consult a large amount of information but was too lazy to flip through books one by one on the shelves, the princess simply moved all her books to the desk. The extra books were stacked under the desk or on the floor. When she needed to consult something, she would just pick it up, look at it, and then put it back without closing it, just in case she needed it again…

In addition to her pen holder and inkwell, discarded manuscript paper, small tools for binding and cutting paper, snacks for satisfying cravings (snatched from Alice's room), energy drinks for staying up late (kindly provided by an unknown bartender), and third-rate literary novels to kill time when bored (supposedly a countess also enjoys reading them)... all these miscellaneous things piled together made her desk look even messier than Alice's drawers or Rorona's crafting table!

Of course, if Ovira had the carefree personality of Alice or the alchemist persona of Rorona, then these issues would not be problems. However, the persona she has always presented to everyone—especially to Ling—is: the heir of the ancient kingdom of Bemang, the student of Lady Tree, the noble princess of the Leslie royal family, and the noble and elegant Princess Ovira.

If Linge finds out that it's not actually like that...

Princess Beman shivered, a chill running up her spine, causing her to involuntarily tense her back. But closing the door again now would be too impolite; she couldn't very well make Ling Ge wait outside for ten minutes until she finished tidying up before letting him in, could she?

And it seems like ten minutes isn't enough time to clean it up...

"What's wrong, Ovira?" Seeing her standing at the door in a daze, not inviting him in, Ling asked in confusion, "Is it inconvenient now?"

Of course it's inconvenient!
If she could, Ovira would have blurted it out. But the thought of Ling coming to her only to be turned away would surely break her heart. And he was currently in a bad mood because of Xia's situation, a time when he needed to be treated gently. How could she be so heartless as to say such cold words?

Sigh, it seems I have no choice but to sacrifice myself for the sake of others!

If all else fails, just say Alice did it; after all, she did just leave her room...

Having made up her mind, Ovira maintained a stiff smile, awkwardly avoiding Ling's probing gaze. Her eyes were fixed on the doorknob, as if the old, brass-colored object had suddenly become interesting, capturing all her attention: "N-nothing, I was just a little curious, Ling, why did you suddenly come to see me? Cough cough, don't stand at the door talking, come in."

I want to go in, but you've been stopping me.
The young man silently watched as a complex mix of emotions flashed in Ovira's eyes—a mixture of entanglement, regret, helplessness, and resignation. Finally, he gritted his teeth, took a step to the side, and let Ling enter her room.

The young man habitually glanced around at his surroundings. Ovira was on tenterhooks, afraid that he would blurt out, "Hey Ovira, why is your desk so messy? Aren't you Princess of Beman? It's really disappointing that you can't even keep things clean and tidy." Fortunately, he only glanced at it and then looked away. It was unclear whether he was used to it or simply didn't have any expectations of Ovira in the first place.

If possible, Princess Beman would prefer the former.

Just then, the young man let out a soft "hmm," as if he had discovered something, and strode toward the desk. His steps were unhurried, the soles of his shoes making an almost inaudible sound as they touched the wooden floor, yet each step seemed to be on the beat of Ovira's heart.

Damn it, we've been found out!
“Um, Ling, would you like some black tea or juice? Oh, and I have some snacks here, would you like some?” Ovira tried to distract Ling, but it was too late. He had already walked to the desk, not to criticize the messy environment or the princess's lifestyle, but to reach for a stack of manuscript papers. The white papers were covered with ink-black characters, the handwriting flowing and beautiful, so although dense, it didn't look bloated. Ling thought it was Ovira's novel manuscript, but after picking it up and glancing at it, he realized he was wrong.

My fingers gently brushed across the paper, the texture delicate yet slightly rough. The ink marks rose slightly beneath my fingertips, like countless tiny pulses beating. The edges of the manuscript were slightly curled, showing signs of frequent handling, yet they were carefully smoothed out, as if the writer had cherished it dearly.

She must have put in a lot of effort to complete it.

"What is this?" the young man asked Ovira, turning around.

"Huh?" Ovira didn't expect him to ask this, and was a little embarrassed for a moment: "It's just some... plans that I wrote down casually."

"The plan?" The young man seemed intrigued. "Could you elaborate?"

"kindness."

Princess Beman quietly breathed a sigh of relief, then walked to the desk as well, blocking Ling Ge's view with her body. While explaining, she discreetly tidied up the papers, pens, and snacks scattered on the desk. The ink bottle was quietly pushed to the edge of the bookshelf, the quill pen was inserted into the pen holder, and the snack wrappers were silently swept into the drawer, making a soft rustling sound. Her voice gradually became smoother as she explained, like a babbling brook, yet it was not without careful pauses and moments of thought, as if she were carefully sorting out every detail in her mind.

"Hmm, let me think first. Where should I begin? Well, our next destination is the Atoliga province of the Yalas Empire, right? We want to make contact with the Holy War army that's currently conducting resistance activities in that region and try to get information about Paradise Township Assyria from them. But we're complete strangers. If we just show up there, it's questionable whether we'll even get any information, let alone whether they'll even want to make contact with us. So I was thinking, perhaps we should gain their trust and establish contact through other means, and then try to extract information from them. Of course, there are more direct and effective methods, but I don't think you'd really like those, Ling..."

For example, they might use force, leverage Gloria's abilities to gather intelligence, or borrow Rorona's alchemical tools—but frankly, these all border on unscrupulous methods, which Lin Ge would absolutely not agree to. Besides, the current situation isn't so dire that such drastic measures are necessary. Although Cloud Whale Sky Island lost a kind and guiding elder sister in the recent battle, the Witch Society also lost the Dark Witch Caraboss, and even more tragically, their strategic construct, the Alien Philosopher Dyson Sphere, was destroyed. Without the Dyson Sphere as a threat, if the Witch Society wants to maintain its outer space defenses, it must project more power into space, naturally reducing the power it can project towards the Eastern Continent.

This was absolutely the most devastating defeat the Witch Society had ever suffered since its founding.

Of course, given the society's immense size, this loss, while significant, is still within acceptable limits. Losing the Dark Witch doesn't diminish their strength; they still have six other witches and countless philosophers. Losing an alien philosopher's Dyson Sphere doesn't preclude them from acquiring six construct mechs and even more construct soldiers and magical weapons. Even losing the Ansers region, an overseas colony, isn't a major loss for the Mindrias Empire or the entire Axis colonial legion. They still have Storm Cape, Silent Bay, the ocean city of Oshe, and the foreign city of Utopir. They control hundreds of ocean routes from the Storm Ocean to the Endless Sea, and are continuously opening new ones…

The mere thought of such terrifying power sent chills down her spine, yet Ovira believed it was nothing more than a temporary flare. With just a few tinder removed, it would be reduced to ashes. Ultimately, the Witch's Society was a vast organization, but still just an organization. All its hidden dangers stemmed from internal factors—a lesson Ovira had learned from books. She felt the Witch's Society was far less united than outsiders imagined; the underlying conflicts simply hadn't yet surfaced. Perhaps the death of the Dark Witch Caraboss would be the catalyst?
"So, you came up with this plan?"

Lin Ge's voice pulled Princess Bemang's thoughts back from those distant foreshadowings. The future was certainly full of hope, but the prerequisite was to do her best in the present. She blinked: "That's right, if things go smoothly, we should be able to gain their trust this way. Maybe they'll even come to us before we even have to."

Of course, this is the ideal situation, but reality is always accompanied by all sorts of unexpected events, so Princess Beman did not speak too definitively.

Ling nodded slightly, his gaze sweeping over the mountain of books. He noticed many signs of reading and corrections on the scattered, open books. He couldn't examine the contents closely, but he roughly guessed that they were about the history of the Atoliga province and related information about the Holy War Army. His feelings became even more complicated.

Whenever he traveled to a new region, the young man would research its history, culture, and geography beforehand to ensure he had a thorough understanding so he could develop a comprehensive plan and prepare for any unforeseen circumstances. He hadn't originally had this habit, but when the blue-haired shepherdess invited him to Rosting for an incredible journey, the young man outwardly refused without hesitation. However, he secretly researched Rosting behind his sister and Alice's back—its founding and development, its tourism industry, its artistic atmosphere, and the pioneering adventures that began in the Thorsen Mountains. Perhaps at that moment, he had a premonition that this journey would come no matter how much he resisted; such was fate.

Of course, there are also some materials that cannot be found in the book, such as the fairy inn under the sycamore tree, the prototypes of the characters in "March's Search for a Diary," the ancient kingdom of Beman in the Sosen Mountains, and even the memories of Lady Tree and Ovira. Whether seen in the book or heard from others, this information played a crucial role in the journey. It could even be said that if he had never known the beginning and end of this story, then another story would not have ended and begun with him.

That's how a habit was formed, and it remains so to this day.

These documents and this plan should have been the young man's responsibility, but he neglected his duties because he was immersed in sadness, confusion, and self-righteous strength, forcing Princess Beman to shoulder this responsibility. Thinking of waiting on the hill with the lamb for someone who might never return, Ovira, who had finally regained her right to sleep, had to stay up all night, carefully reviewing every document in the dim light, searching for every clue, and then recording it stroke by stroke on the soft paper with a delicate pen… The young man couldn't help but feel guilty, and he couldn't help but feel guilty.

He opened his mouth, as if to say something.

"It's not tiring at all!"

Ovira's words interrupted the young man's reverie; her clear voice, like moonlight streaming through the window, broke the increasingly tense atmosphere in the room. Seeing his surprised gaze, the princess's lips curled into a slight smile, as if to say, "I knew you'd think that," and she scoffed, "For me, this is a piece of cake!"

Seeing her smug expression, Ling couldn't help but smile, as if amused by the princess's reaction. His smile was subtle, just a slight upturn of the corners of his mouth, yet it softened his entire demeanor. Ovira wasn't annoyed; instead, she nodded approvingly, "That's how it should be! Ling, you definitely look better when you smile!"

Was I... being teased?
The young man shook his head, dismissing such absurd thoughts, and said to Ovira, "The plan is well done, but there are still some oversights that you may not have noticed."

"Huh? Really? Oh no, not at all! I'll change it right now!"

"Okay, I'll help you revise it."

"what?"

"Why, don't you want to?"

"No, it's just a little..."

"A bit?"

"Happy."

Give me some cats