Alice in the Land of Steam

Does Chapter 1387 no longer exist?
The rest is history. The hero Italos was entrusted with a critical mission: to become the wielder of the fairy sword Hydras and to protect the paradise of Assyria by defeating the dragon Nidhogg. The battle between the two sides lasted seven long years. Initially, Nidhogg didn't take this helper from the fairies seriously. After all, in his eyes, Italos was nothing more than a small mortal, a weak ant with feeble magic, even his wings—one of the most important symbols of the winged elves—were incomplete. What could someone like that, even with the fairy sword's approval, possibly accomplish?

But he refused to think about why someone like him could gain the approval of the Fairy Sword.

"In His Majesty Italos's first battle against the evil dragon Nidhogg, although he successfully repelled him, he was seriously injured and on the verge of death. If it weren't for the timely rescue by the fairies, there probably wouldn't have been another battle," Cheryl said. "Of course, given His Majesty's past experience, this is an extremely remarkable achievement."

Many novice adventurers, whose first battles are merely against wild beasts in the forest—not even monsters—are still overwhelmed with tension, some even dying as a result, becoming insignificant supporting characters in many legendary tales. But Her Majesty Italos, a mortal with no combat experience and even a physical disability, faces a terrifying dragon in her very first battle. While the fairy sword Hydras grants her power comparable to the dragon, it cannot compensate for her lack of combat experience. Moreover, the dragon's might naturally suppresses life weaker than itself; many cannot even stand under its might, let alone wield a weapon.

Her Majesty Italos, with a mortal body, wielded a fairy's sword, fearless of the dragon's oppressive power. Was it due to innate courage or a strong belief? In any case, she did it, and did it very well.

"Perhaps it was a cruel joke of fate. Although Your Majesty dislikes fighting, you possess an amazing talent for combat. You repelled the evil dragon in your first battle, and in subsequent battles, you grew at an astonishing speed, soon being able to confront the evil dragon head-on without being at a disadvantage. Of course, there must have been many hardships and twists and turns in this process, and many near-death experiences. It is not as simple as it sounds. However, the Fairy King Hydras at the time never mentioned it to outsiders, so I cannot make any conclusions."

Cheryl said softly, but she knew that even if she didn't say it, everyone could understand the hardship behind the story.

She continued, "What followed was the legend you all know. Your Majesty grew stronger through the trials of battle, while the dragon Nidhogg, due to his arrogance and conceit, missed his chance. The balance of power shifted, and the tide of battle turned. In the final battle, Your Majesty defeated Nidhogg with overwhelming force, but the dragon, not hesitating, bit off his own wing and tail to escape. Your Majesty, of course, could not allow him to escape and become a greater threat in the future. The two pursued each other across almost half the land, and the battlefield gradually shifted from the paradise of Assyria to a strange, wild, barren, and hopeless land."

That was the ancient land of Atoliga, where civilization had not yet taken root, and mortals and animals alike struggled in the desert, searching for a way to survive.

"That fierce battle made the world pale in comparison. Dark clouds covered the sky and thunder roared; mountains and rivers on the earth wailed and the soil cracked; at the boundary between heaven and earth, mortals worshipped and beasts fled in panic... These catastrophic scenes described in legends are actually real events."

As she described it, everyone couldn't help but conjure up images of that battle in their minds, imagining the barbaric era ten thousand years ago. In this remote border region far from the center of the continent, the immense power of natural disasters instilled fear and submission in all living beings. The shadow of a colossal dragon loomed behind the lightning-streaked clouds, its sheer size enough to obscure the sun and moon, like a mountain range stretching across the darkness, inspiring dread and making one afraid to look directly at it. Compared to this, the girl wielding the fairy sword seemed so small, like a speck of dust, vulnerable to being swept away by the storm or swallowed by the thunder at any moment. Yet, she was fearless, launching an attack on that insurmountable mountain range. In the midst of the perilous exchange, she suddenly thrust her sword forward, piercing the dragon's neck. Blood gushed out like a waterfall, scattering across the sky like a cold, red rain.

This sword seemed to pierce through the darkness and gloom of the ancient era, causing all the scenes to freeze in that instant. The thunder stopped abruptly, the cracks in the earth solidified, and even the prayers of mortals and the cries of beasts disappeared. Only the unwilling, mournful, and angry roars echoed across the battlefield. Heaven and earth silently witnessed the body of the evil dragon fall to the earth, triggering a terrifying sandstorm that would not happen again for ten thousand years. Smoke and dust swept across the land like a tsunami, instantly engulfing the tiny figure of the girl.

This is the ancient legend of Italos, the dragon slayer, that has been passed down in the land of Atoliga since ancient times.

Naturally, when later generations mentioned this legend, they always added far-fetched embellishments, giving the protagonist some illustrious background, extraordinary origins, or superhuman power, as if only such a person could become the protagonist of a legend. Thus, Her Majesty Italos gradually became a flawless figure in the eyes of the world. Some said she inherited the bloodline of the Feathered Elf royal family, possessing innate magical power; some said she was already a renowned supreme power before receiving the fairy sword, the sword's power merely icing on the cake; and others said…

But no one would say that His Majesty was just a traveler who happened to encounter a fairy, a crippled winged elf with one wing.

After hearing the hero's tale, everyone turned their gaze to Ieta, the last surviving winged elf. They also understood why Cheryl had said the story was inextricably linked to Ieta. Although the hero from ten thousand years ago and the visitor from ten thousand years later might not be the same person, seeing this race long since vanished from the annals of history again, especially on the land of Atorica, filled with both suffering and hope, always evoked a strange feeling, as if a legend, passed down from past lives and brought to life before their very eyes.

Besides... are they really not the same person?
Lin Ge recalled the scene earlier when Ieta stared blankly at the fairy sword Hydras, and felt that her connection to the legend might not be as simple as Cheryl thought. Perhaps the angel herself had this premonition, for when she gazed at the sword on the table again, her thoughts were even more complex. She tried to find a familiar scene in her distant memories to prove that all her premonitions were not accidental, but rather the result of fate's deep contemplation many years ago, but to no avail.

Strangely, despite having wandered the mortal world for so long, when Ieta recalled her past, the only thing she could remember was the time she spent traveling with a pod of whales in the sea. Memories of what came before that were like a mist, hazy and indistinct, unimportant and therefore unremembered. Bai Ye often said that dreams are the echoes of the soul, and that the soul carries memories of past lives. Yet, the angel never felt their presence in her dreams, like throwing a stone onto the shore, creating splashes and ripples, but leaving no echo at the edge of the sea. It was the same sea, yet it existed in different states. Those of this life stood on this shore, those of the past on the other. The boundary between heaven, earth, and sea blocked their searching gazes.

To find one's past life, one must have the courage to cross the sea. However, Miss Angel is satisfied with her current life and is not as obsessed with memories of her past life as others, so she has never tried. Until Cheryl, the leader of the Holy War Army, appeared with a sword and told everyone a story about a one-winged girl and a dragon slayer in the grand library of the ancient palace.

Things that seem familiar yet are completely unknown are far more bewildering than things that are either extremely familiar or utterly unfamiliar.

Under everyone's gaze, Miss Angel slowly raised her head, her gaze falling on the storyteller, and asked cautiously and carefully, "Um, Miss Cheryl, although it's presumptuous of me, but... may I touch it?"

She was referring to the fairy sword Hydras on the table, its jewels gleaming faintly, like sleeping eyes watching their successors.

Miss Angel had a premonition that perhaps when she touched it, all her questions would be answered.

“Of course.” Cheryl smiled slightly, seemingly having anticipated this question. Just when everyone thought she was about to agree, the gray-haired girl changed her tone: “No.” She gave Ietta a meaningful look: “At least not now.”

Meanwhile, unnoticed by the others, her fingers gently caressed the hilt of the sword, slowly tracing every vein outlined by the steel and gemstones, her movements both gentle and firm, as if soothing an ancient soul in its eternal slumber.

Why not now? If not now, can it be done later? But what's the difference between now and later? Ietta almost blurted out the question, but at the last moment she forcibly held back. On one hand, regardless of who the fairy sword Hydras originally belonged to, and what relationship she had with the hero Italos, at least for now, Cheryl was its master and naturally had the right to decide; on the other hand, she vaguely felt that Cheryl was right, that this leader of the Holy War was genuinely thinking of her, rather than being stingy with her authority and unwilling to let outsiders touch this ancient artifact.

Is it not possible now...?

After a moment of silence, Ieta nodded gently and said nothing more, but her lowered eyelids concealed turbulent thoughts, like undercurrents surging beneath a calm lake.

Everyone respected Miss Angel's decision and Cheryl's will. Little Bat, however, seemed somewhat dissatisfied, appearing ready to argue, but was firmly suppressed by Gloria sitting beside her and failed. Hmm, judging from the force with which she pressed her head, perhaps it wasn't Gloria but Bai Ye?

In conclusion, that little interlude is over, let's get back to the main topic.

"And then?" Alice asked the question that everyone listening to a story would ask.

Although Cheryl's account suggests the story has come to an end, she hasn't mentioned how the legend relates to today's meeting, so there's bound to be more to come.

"And then, the story comes to an end."

Cheryl blinked, a gesture that gave her a youthful air and made it easy to overlook her actual age: "His Majesty Italos's battle with the dragon Nidhogg affected the entire land of Atorica. Though unintentional, it still caused even greater damage to this already desolate and barren land. Especially after the dragon's death, its resentment lingered, seeping into the earth along with its blood, cursing all living things. If it wasn't eradicated in time, Atorica would never have peace. Filled with remorse, His Majesty unleashed the power of the fairy sword Hydras, channeling a massive amount of pure magic into the earth's veins to purify the curse within the dragon's blood. Perhaps influenced by this magic, the purified dragon blood didn't dissipate but miraculously merged with the earth, giving birth to a peculiar mineral, which His Majesty called Dragon Blood Crystal."

"Is this even possible?" Ovira asked, somewhat surprised.

"It's impossible for ordinary people, but since you're traveling with fairies, you should know the unique aspects of fairy magic," Cheryl said softly. "It defies common sense, is incredible, and can even be described as wish fulfillment. Perhaps this is a gift from the goddess to them."

The fairy sword Hydras, having absorbed the soul of the first fairy queen, will only become more powerful.

"The blood of the evil dragon transforms into underground minerals; the legend is indeed true." Lin Ge noticed a small flaw in this statement: "But I've never heard of a mineral called Dragon Blood Crystal being produced in the Atoliga province. Could it be that it's so rare that the Empire considers it a prohibited commodity and keeps it strictly secret?"

“No.” Cheryl shook her head firmly. “The answer is simpler than you think, and naturally, it’s also more bizarre, Mr. Ringer.”

"That's because there are no more dragon blood crystals in the province of Atoliga now."

"And the reason is related to the palace we are standing on."

The ancient Atorica kingdom's masterpiece, the summer palace built by its last king for his favorite concubine, was, in a sense, the source of all the suffering endured by the people of this land—though at the time, no one realized it. They were still lamenting the king's incompetence, grieving the nation's demise, and yearning for a bright future, unaware that for those powerless to resist fate, whether moving forward or backward, ascending or falling, was not their own choice.

That was a tragedy they were destined to experience, which later generations called... "legend".

Give me some cats