Alice in the Land of Steam

Chapter 1367 Shouldn't we give up on our dreams?
"call!"

Ovira put down her quill, the tip still damp with ink, its surface gleaming warmly in the dim candlelight. She let out a sigh, then raised her arm as if to stretch and ease the fatigue from sitting for so long. But as soon as she assumed the stretching posture, she suddenly remembered that there was someone sitting opposite her. If he saw her making such an unladylike gesture, wouldn't it damage her image in his eyes?
Thinking of this, the princess froze, her arm hanging in mid-air, looking somewhat embarrassed. After a while, she casually lowered it, completely unaware that her sudden raising and lowering of her arm was actually even stranger.

At this moment, Ling also put down his pen. He seemed to have realized what had just happened, so he gave Ovira a half-smile, then stretched backwards, his movements natural and looking very relaxed.

Ovira: "..."

Why do I feel like I'm being mocked?

She had to whisper a reminder: "Image, Ling, mind your image?"

The young man looked at her strangely upon hearing this: "Does stretching really ruin your image? It's not that serious. Besides, since when have you become so concerned about your image, Ovira?"

Princess Beman was struck dumb.

Am I always seen in Ling Ge's mind as someone who doesn't care about their own image?
Damn it, it's all Alice's fault!

A genius gamer who was lying in bed playing video games sneezed, but didn't pay it any mind. He turned over and continued to ponder, kicking off the blanket and hugging his pillow to his chest.

But what good would blaming Alice do? It wouldn't change the actual situation. Ovira, feeling a pang of sympathy, didn't want to continue the discussion and quickly tried to divert the young man's attention: "Speaking of which, after these modifications, the plan should be perfect, right? When should we begin implementation?"

Ling shook his head slightly: "It's not perfect yet. Some details still need to be improved. However, the two of us probably can't handle everything. Perhaps we should ask for other people's opinions. As for when to implement it, we can talk about it after we enter the territory of the Yaras Empire. Before that, I will inform Medien and Sister Livia."

After all, this plan cannot be separated from their assistance.

Ovira nodded thoughtfully, her hair swaying gently with the movement, gleaming softly in the candlelight. She thought to herself that Lin Ge was indeed more thoughtful, and that she still had much to learn.

Fortunately, I'm best at studying.

Princess Beman was very confident about this, after all, Lady Tree had praised her as "the best student", and she was both smart and loved reading so much. Isn't that the standard configuration of a good student?

A slight smile unconsciously crept onto her lips, revealing a hint of smugness.

Princess Ovira's temperament was truly unpredictable, but fortunately, Lin Ge was already used to it, so he didn't dwell on it too much. As he tidied up the papers and pens on the table, wiping the ink off the quills and putting them back in the pen holder, or neatly gathering the scattered papers and putting them in the drawer, he casually asked, "By the way, Ovira, it's been a long time since I've heard you mention your novel. Are you still writing it?"

"Well!"

This question seemed to have hit a nerve. Ovira's eyes darted around, her gaze unfocused: "Well, I haven't had any inspiration lately, so..."

As soon as Lin Ge saw her reaction, he understood everything.

The lack of inspiration is probably just an excuse; the real reason... is indeed because of Saint Charlotte's death.

Princess Beman's fairy tales were based on the journey of Ling Ge and his companions from the very beginning. But if she wanted to stay true to the original story, should she write that part of the plot exactly into her book? Or should she slightly change the direction of the story to give Xia Jie a happier ending?
After all, fairy tales are meant to bring joy, even if that joy contradicts reality...

Ovira ultimately did not make a choice, or rather, she found it difficult to make a choice.

She couldn't allow a tragedy that had already occurred to repeat itself in the story, so that the person who wrote these words, and those who would read them in the future, would feel the weight of reality within what should have been a beautiful fairy tale, even though it was an unpublishable novel destined to have few readers. Ovila still decided to take responsibility for its tone and plot. But at the same time, she couldn't ignore the facts and arbitrarily alter the plot. Doing so would not only destroy the style of the story based on a real prototype, but would also make Ovila feel as if she was running away from something, and running away would not solve any problems.

Taking a step toward reality is too cruel, while taking a step toward fantasy is too unrealistic.

Perhaps I am also caught in a dilemma, unable to move forward or backward.

The author of the novel couldn't help but feel a sense of self-mockery.

Lin Ge observed her expression, including the subtle changes and flickering in her eyes. He didn't offer any words of comfort or encouragement to this girl who had once vowed to forge her own creative path. He simply said softly, "If you don't have inspiration, it's a good choice to put it aside for now. You can make up for it when you have inspiration. I believe that words written from the heart are always more touching than words pieced together from fabrication, Ovira."

The writer gave a soft "hmm," her head bowed, seemingly lost in thought. After a while, she finally looked up, cautiously glancing at Lin Ge, and asked, "What if... I never have any inspiration?"

She immediately looked away after speaking, avoiding the young man's gaze. Her hands were clenched tightly on her thighs, filled with unease. Because the unspoken implication of her words was... to give up?

It was Lin Ge who initially sparked Ovira's interest in writing, it was Lin Ge who encouraged her to embark on this path, and it was Lin Ge who first read her novels and offered his opinions. If there was only one person in the world who could persuade Ovira not to give up, or who was disappointed by her desire to give up, that person would naturally be Lin Ge.

Even Ovira herself couldn't control it, because from the moment she picked up a pen and wrote the first word on the paper, the ending of the story was no longer hers to decide. She was simply driven along this path by sparks of inspiration, the desire to create, and her own aspirations. If one day she suddenly stopped walking, it wouldn't be because of a lack of inspiration, a loss of creative desire, or a shattered vision, but rather because of… fear?
She was indeed afraid—afraid that the pen she held would produce cold, heartless words, words that wouldn't be what she truly wanted to write, but rather words controlled by an invisible will. When a writer begins to experience this feeling, she moves further and further away from fantasy and closer and closer to reality.

Creation always combines fantasy and reality, but the former is far more important than the latter. A creator who is unwilling to accept reality may be called a free-spirited poet or an artist with whimsical ideas, but what difference is there between what a creator who is unwilling to accept fantasy writes and a cold experimental paper, a dry and tasteless instruction manual, or a rigid and inflexible political document? Lin Ge remained silent for a long time.

Just when Ovira realized she had indeed disappointed him, the young man finally spoke, but not with blame, criticism, or even a subtle hint. He simply said calmly, "Inspiration will come eventually, Ovira."

He gave the writer a deep look: "After all, this is your dream."

Human beings have an endless supply of inspiration for dreams, which can be traced back to childhood fantasies and even the memories of a previous soul. However, at that time, many things were vague and had not yet been named, so they could only be seen in dreams.

Ovira paused slightly upon hearing this, then opened her mouth: "But my dream is... to write stories that bring happiness and joy to everyone..."

Death, sacrifice, altered fate, and traced memories—when all these elements appear, it seems that the foundation for happiness and joy has been lost, and the story is destined to take a heavier tone or sink into deeper and deeper darkness.

Perhaps letting it end here is the best option.

As a creator, it's understandable that Ovira thinks this way.

“No.” The young man calmly interrupted her. “You’re mistaken. That wasn’t your dream. Think back, O’Vera. When you first wanted to write this story, what was your initial intention? What were you thinking? And how did you ultimately express it through words? I still remember that answer.”

Therefore, you can't possibly forget.

The writer was struck by a series of memories by the young man's words: her long, lonely childhood; the unseen and misunderstood smile of her father; her mother who always smiled gently at her from her sickbed; watching the violets in the garden being battered and shattered in the rain with her teacher in the glass greenhouse; passing the boring hours in the castle by reading books; the first rain in the Thorsen Mountains when she first left prison; the cats and pigeons she saw in the streets and alleys of Rostin; the Fairy Sleep Inn under the sycamore tree; the herb garden with green raindrops falling...

Ultimately, everything came to a conclusion with a casual remark from that young man: "You've read so many books, yet all you do is quote others? Why not try creating your own story?"

This sentence made the girl both angry and aggrieved, but it also aroused an unprecedented impulse. A feeling called "longing" and "desire" grew quietly like seedlings after the rain.

This statement is no less significant to Ovira than the various rules that the great goddess established for this universe at the beginning of its creation, because they are essentially of the same meaning.

So, despite still being annoyed by the young man's rude tone, she still made him the first reader of her novel. She was so deeply impressed that she even included that line in the novel's preface.

"I've read many books, but I don't know how to understand them. Some people wanted me to make a change, preferably by writing a story like this. But at that time, I was still hesitant, partly because I was unsure if I could write it well, and partly because I was unsure if it would be well-received. I couldn't write such long passages of philosophy; it would just be a bland and uninteresting narrative. But the person who gave me advice told me: a story doesn't need so much philosophy; it just needs to be a good story."

What exactly makes a good story? Does it bring laughter? Does it move you deeply? Or does it simply tell you that there was such a person in the world, that he did such a thing, and what happened to him in the end...? I think it's a very simple thing, even I could write it.

So I began to write.

……

Therefore, this was Ovira's original intention in creating the work.

It's not about writing a story that makes everyone happy, but about writing your own story. Whether that story is joyful, positive, and hopeful, or sad, helpless, and confusing, it's about the most authentic feelings of those who experienced it: because they've been through it, it leaves such a deep impression.

However, Princess Beman was kind-hearted, weak, and lonely by nature. Therefore, she always wanted to write a perfect ending for the story, ideally where all justice was served, all evil was punished, no one was hurt, and of course, no one shed tears. But she overlooked the fact that reality is never perfect; its good and evil, its beauty and ugliness, are two sides of the same coin. Having decided to use it as a model for her story, how could she only accept its good side while ignoring the bad, or even refusing to include them in her book?
If that's the case, then he wouldn't be considered a qualified creator, right?

Lin Ge didn't say it, nor did any book on writing mention it, but somehow, the princess heard another voice from within. It said to the princess: Keep writing.

If that's your dream.

“Hmm.” Her Highness replied softly, tilting her head back to give the young man a bright smile that softened even the night outside the window. “I think… I understand what you mean, Linger. So, no matter what happens, I think I should continue writing.”

She paused for a moment, then quietly asked, "You'll always be my reader, right?"

“Of course.” Lin Ge’s lips curled up. “However, you’d better hurry up, you’ll get busier and busier from now on. If you fall behind here, it will be hard to catch up.”

"It's okay! I can write very fast!"

"How fast?"

"Probably... faster than Alice died in the game?"

"Uh……"

Give me some cats