Alice in the Land of Steam

Chapter 1386 The First Encounter Between the Feathered Elf and the Fairy?

I don’t know if it’s a common practice, but many stories start from a long time ago, just like Cheryl’s narration at this moment: “Long, long ago, in the ancient and primordial era, there was an evil dragon named Nidhogg, the dragon that devoured the world.”

This is the villain in the story.

It's no exaggeration to say that dragons were the most powerful race in ancient times. Apart from their low birth rate, undisciplined nature, and difficulty in establishing a unified government, they had almost no other weaknesses. Of course, if you insist on saying that their innate arrogance, domineering nature, recklessness, and contempt for the weak are also flaws, that's not entirely unreasonable.

Ancient texts often record instances of evil dragons attacking cities and burning living beings to ashes. Modern people often regard this as an exaggeration and clamor, but they do not know that in those times, it was all commonplace. As the sage Tumi later said: "The dragon is awe-inspiring above all things with its power. It is unmatched except by divine calamities."

It was precisely because of this immense power that the dragons were qualified to contend with the giants for dominance over the continent. The former inhabited snow-covered mountains, while the latter cultivated fertile plains, and both sought to seize the other's territory. At that time, the giants had established a complete and strict regime. The Kingdom of Mensavak Veroria ruled over nearly half of the giant clans on the continent, and their power was so great that even the dust elves, who were also blessed by the earth, had to give way. The dragons, on the other hand, numbered only a few hundred, and apart from the nominal ruler, the Dragon King, they had almost no sense of centralized power or concept of rule.

Throughout history, those who sought to dominate the continent had to prioritize racial unity and the centralization of civilization. Only the dragons earned the right to compete through sheer power.

Nidhogg was the most powerful, arrogant, and greedy dragon among the dragons of that time. He fanatically coveted the power possessed by the fairies, repeatedly attacking the paradise of Assyria, attempting to steal the Tears of the Goddess to forge his own crown and use this power to become the true ruler of the dragon race, not just a nominal Dragon King. If he succeeded, it would not only be a disaster for the fairies of Assyria, but the continent, already suffering from natural disasters and wars, would likely face even more drastic changes.

To protect the relics of their gods and their homeland, the Fairy Queen led her people in a counterattack against the dragon. Despite the fairies' kind nature, aversion to fighting, and lack of combat experience, resulting in heavy casualties, they barely managed to withstand the dragon's attacks. However, Nidhogg, realizing he couldn't break through the defenses of Assyria, devised a despicable plan. He roamed the outskirts of Assyria, constantly spewing dragon breath to burn forests and grasslands, and whipping up storms and sandstorms with his wings, wreaking havoc on the natural environment the fairies had worked so hard to protect—all to spread fear.

As mentioned earlier, strong and sincere emotions are the source of a fairy's life and power. Therefore, creating disasters and spreading fear will naturally weaken the fairy's power. When the fairy is too weak to protect this land, the evil dragon will descend from the sky and take away everything they depend on for survival: their homeland, relatives and friends, happiness, enlightenment, and the reason for their birth.

Such a future seemed predictable, yet no one was willing to lend a hand, for the struggle for continental dominance had reached its most intense moment, and no one wanted to anger the dragon Nidhogg by helping the fairy race. The reason was obvious: the fairies never participated in external conflicts, and helping them would bring no benefit other than gaining insignificant friendships, while the dragon Nidhogg truly possessed the power to take the lives of millions.

Faced with the threat of the dragon, the Fairy Queen, in desperation, sought help from the Silver Elves and the Dwarves. These two races, too, lacked the strength to fight the dragon, but they possessed a forging technique far ahead of their time. It wasn't simply forging minerals and metals into mortal weapons, but a supreme art infused with emotion, resonating with the soul—a technique known to contemporaries as: divine artifacts.

"Her Majesty has decided to forge an unparalleled sword, endowing it with the power to control the wrath of heaven and earth and to annihilate all enemies. When it is wielded, it will draw together the elements, unleashing the fury of nature—the thunder of the heavens and the roar of the earth, the howling of the wind and the raging flames, the tidal waves that engulf all things, and the colossal shadow that brings calamity. The one who wields this sword will be one with heaven and earth, one with the elements, and no powerful enemy can stand against the elements of heaven and earth."

Cheryl's description filled everyone with longing, and Xinuo exclaimed, "A sword like this truly deserves the name of a divine weapon."

"But this is not without its costs."

Cheryl said softly, "Besides various precious minerals and metals, the most important material needed to forge this sword is emotion. However, who should infuse this sword with emotion? Whose emotions are strong enough to give a soul to an ordinary iron sword, enabling it to resonate with the elements of heaven and earth and protect all demons? The fairies at that time naturally thought of the goddess's tears. If the goddess's tears were forged into a divine weapon, not to mention the evil dragon Nidhogg, even the entire dragon race might not be able to withstand this power, right?"

"But this idea was ultimately rejected. On the one hand, the Tears of the Goddess is an extremely special existence in the mortal world. Even the dwarves, who are known as the 'pinnacle of skill,' and the silver elves, who are known as the 'masters of craftsmanship,' could not process or forge it. On the other hand, the Tears of the Goddess is the most important place for the fairies to conceive. Although at that time, the fairies had already spread all over the continent and could give birth to new fairies through other means, only the Tears of the Goddess could reliably conceive new fairies. This was of irreplaceable significance to the fairy race, who could not reproduce through natural mating or magical gestation."

"For the continuation of her race, and even more so to protect the peace of the paradise village of Assyria, the fairy queen at that time voluntarily offered her soul, which merged with the sword, imbuing it with incomparably strong emotions, and ultimately giving birth to unparalleled spirituality."

"A noble soul is reborn from the ashes, and the fairy's sword is thus forged."

In the distant ancient times, a time when barbarism and civilization coexisted, and faith and belief ran parallel, every race was engaged in struggles with themselves, other races, and even the world, vying for the right to survive. In the process of struggle, sacrifices and costs were inevitable: when Regent Dylanda established the Twin Dynasties of the Silver Elves, hundreds of thousands of his people died in wars alone; the dwarves, once known as the Dark Elves, parted ways with their close relatives and migrated to the underground world, where they had to endure the dark environment and harsh climate, with dormant underground volcanoes that could erupt at any time and take their lives; races such as werewolves, harpies, and vampires were still in the primitive and ignorant tribal stage, and were even considered by some to be members of the monsters; even among humans, who had the widest range of influence, there were numerous city-states that were constantly fighting each other, making it difficult to achieve peace.

They thought the fairy race, favored by fate, could remain uninvolved and live a peaceful life forever. However, they were ultimately caught in that enormous vortex, unable to escape. For this, they had no choice but to sacrifice and make sacrifices.

The crowd fell silent, unable to find the right words to express their feelings. The candlelight flickered, and every silent ancient book on the giant bookshelf seemed to be casting shadows.

Cheryl continued, "The fairies firmly believed that with this sword, they could slay the dragon and protect the original birthplace. However, before they could act, the fairies discovered a problem: when the sword gained its own emotions and soul, it also gained its own will. Divine objects choose their masters and reveal their brilliance; only souls recognized by the sword can wield its power. However, in the paradise of Assyria at that time, not a single person possessed the unwavering will and indomitable spirit to gain the sword's recognition."

This is not hard to understand. The fairies' carefree and casual nature means they are not suited for fighting. The only one who could possibly gain the approval of the Fairy Sword is the Fairy Queen, who has been protecting the Goddess's Tears, the Paradise Village of Assyria, and her people since her birth. However, she has become the spirit of the sword and can no longer stand up to fight the evil dragon.

"Forced by circumstances, the fairies had no choice but to entrust the sword to someone else. However, this sword was not only their hope for slaying the evil dragon, but also contained the soul of the first Fairy Queen, possessing the power to control the elements of heaven and earth. If it fell into the hands of someone with ill intentions, it would surely cause a great disaster. After much deliberation, the new Fairy Queen finally decided to entrust the sword to her friend, a seemingly ordinary girl. Only her character was worthy of the fairies' trust, and they believed that after receiving the sword, she would still be able to maintain her true nature and not be blinded by its power."

"She was the winged elf heroine who was later known as the 'One-Winged Girl'—Italos."

really.

Upon hearing this, everyone felt a sense of relief, as if the shoe had finally dropped, a conclusion that had been left hanging in the story. The young man, however, thought more deeply and couldn't help but ask, "Excuse my boldness, but that new fairy queen, she wouldn't happen to be..."

“She’s a traveler fairy.” Cheryl nodded in acknowledgment, as if she had guessed what he wanted to ask. “Her name is… Sidras.”

The Fairy Sword, Hydras.

……

When I first encountered Italos, I was only a few years old, perhaps around a hundred, a time when my curiosity was at its peak. Our race differs from other fairies; we prefer contact with outsiders, especially travelers. I enjoy hearing their stories—about distant landscapes and their own journeys. In return, we lend a helping hand, assisting these travelers in finding food and water, and protecting them from wild beasts. Perhaps for this reason, we are often called Traveler Fairies, and since the name sounds pleasant, we have accepted it.

We are carefree and are always liked, but occasionally, we may suddenly want to play a prank.

One day, while picking fruit in the forest, I saw a lone, one-winged fairy girl walking through the woods. For some reason, I felt a urge to play a trick on her. I stole her baggage when she wasn't looking, wanting to see her reaction. Surprisingly, she discovered my hiding place and called out to me, asking for my baggage back. I wasn't sure if she had really seen me, because based on past experience, as long as fairies didn't want to appear, no one could detect our presence. Perhaps she was just bluffing? With these doubts, I moved to a different spot, but the moment I hid, she looked at me again, as if she could really see me.

I was furious and didn't believe she could really find me, so I kept changing my hiding place. She kept searching, finding me no matter where I hid. We spent the entire day playing hide-and-seek. By evening, I had lost patience and finally showed myself, throwing my bag back at her and asking how she had found me. She said she hadn't actually seen me; she was just guessing. I found this unbelievable and asked her, "You just spent the whole day here with me based on your intuition? Didn't you get bored?" But she replied, "No, it felt like playing hide-and-seek with a legendary fairy. Of course it wasn't boring!"

That sentence made me realize she was a very interesting person, unlike any other ordinary person I had ever met. The travelers I'd met in the past, though they would occasionally stop to rest and share their experiences, never lingered in one place for too long. They were always eager to move on to the next destination, as if afraid of missing something if they were too late or too slow. But in reality, many of them didn't even know what they were chasing or what was chasing them.

Such is often the way of the world; travelers who are too hasty are more likely to lose what is truly precious.

Italos, however, was different. She was willing to spend an entire day pursuing a vague feeling, an intriguing experience, and a fairy that might not even exist. She possessed a peculiar patience and focus, an almost stubborn sincerity that even I found admirable.

Naturally, we became friends.

This is the first time in history that fairies have made friends with mortals. Before this, fairies were always curious about outsiders but never took the initiative to make contact, because they were dangerous beings, born with a fighting spirit, and could not get along with us fairies. Mortals also pursued the legends of fairies not to make friends with them, but to pursue our unparalleled magic and incredible magical power, and to desire what did not belong to them.

I was the first fairy to befriend a mortal, and Italos was the first mortal to befriend a fairy.

Friendship is such a wonderful thing. Even the people involved probably didn't realize it was starting at that time.

Naturally, its end was unpredictable.

"Weird guy..."

“I’m not some strange fellow. My name is Italos, a wandering feathered elf. And you, what’s your name?”

"Why do you ask?"

"I just wanted to know."

"..."

"You don't want to tell me?"

"West Germany... Laszlo".

"Eh?"

"It means wind and wings."