Alice in the Land of Steam

Chapter 1388 Do you want to rebuild the Holy Grail?
Perhaps feeling guilty for destroying the Atorica's living environment in order to slay the evil dragon Nidhogg, His Majesty Italos not only purified the curse of the dragon's blood with the power of the fairy sword Hydras, but also, with the permission of the fairies, entrusted the sword to a trustworthy mortal, hoping that he could use the power of the sword to reshape the ecology of this land and open up a hopeful path for the many creatures struggling on the edge of survival.

As for why he entrusted this arduous task to someone else instead of doing it himself...

"Because Your Majesty is a free man."

This is Cheryl's answer: "She herself said that what she longed for most in her life was the scenery of distant places and the unknown adventures. The battle with the evil dragon Nidhogg was merely a brief stop on her journey at the request of a friend. Now that everything is settled, she will continue her journey and pursue her ideal future. Although the spirits of Paradise Country Assyria are reluctant to part with her, they know that Your Majesty has done enough for them and find it difficult to ask you to stay."

Upon hearing this, Alice clicked her tongue and said, "Your Majesty is quite the free spirit, and... well, nothing at all."

She had originally intended to say that he was completely different from Ietta, but then she realized that such a comment seemed rather impolite to Miss Angel, so she swallowed it back. However, even though she hadn't made it clear, everyone understood what she meant and felt that the comment was indeed quite appropriate.

Perhaps influenced by a curse, Ieta was never one for adventure. She preferred staying in one place, quietly enjoying the happiness within her grasp, rather than venturing far and wide. First, it was the windmill village of Avignon, then the cloud whale island. Unfortunately, nothing in this world is ever perfect. Fate always seems to work against those who are content with the status quo, forcing the girl to leave for various reasons, even if she wanted to stay.

“The Feathered Elves are the freest race in the world,” Cheryl said. “They were given wings and were born to soar in the highest skies. Even though Your Majesty has only one wing, you have never forgotten your instinct as a sky elf.”

There are actually quite a few races that have wings and can fly like the Feathered Elves, such as Harpies, Vampires, or Winged Centaurs. However, they can usually only fly in low or near-air altitudes below 3,000 meters. The only races that can truly reach altitudes above 3,000 meters and are not afraid of the fierce storms are the Feathered Elves and Dragons. And the only race that can build its civilization in the sky and look down on the mortal world from above is the Feathered Elves.

This was a mysterious and romantic race that, even after its extinction, remains unforgettable to later generations, especially to bards.

The angel listened silently to her companions' and Cheryl's comments, her lips slightly pursed, saying nothing. Her wings subtly folded behind her, covering her shoulders, arms, and legs, bringing her a slight sense of warmth. She knew, of course, that their words were merely heartfelt and meant no harm. She also knew that how one chooses to live has nothing to do with one's race. Couldn't there be a member of the naturally aloof and free-spirited winged elves who could adapt to any situation? No one had stipulated that, had they?
Trying to impose group impressions on an individual is extremely unreasonable. Everyone is a unique being in this world, so why must we follow our own stereotypes and demand that others be a certain way or not?

However, despite thinking this way, even if she thought this way, the more she thought about it... the more envious she became.

Should I, too, like Your Majesty, occasionally step out of the windmill tower and learn to be a free-spirited winged elf?

Learning isn't a difficult thing, at least not for Ieta. For example, she was originally extremely resistant to fighting, but when her companions needed her, didn't she ride the Cloud Whale Sky Island and stand in front of the Dark Witch? Although the ending wasn't perfect, no one can say it was the Angel's fault. She tried her best and had a clear conscience.

Xia Xia's older sister must think so too.

Ietta thought unconsciously, unaware that her address to the hero, though respectful, carried a hint of detachment. Perhaps she couldn't yet connect herself with that one-winged yet free girl? This restrained emotion stemmed from a vague unease and contradiction within her. She both hoped the hero was her past life, proving that she still possessed the spirit of freedom deep within her, and subtly resisted, always feeling unworthy.

At least not now.

Perhaps Miss Cheryl thought the same thing, which is why she didn't want me to touch the fairy sword Sidras in my current state?
Thinking of this, Ieta couldn't help but raise her head and secretly glance at the gray-haired girl sitting opposite her. However, the other girl's intuition was unexpectedly sharp, and she directly discovered Ieta's spying. However, the other girl did not make a fuss, nor did she think it was a very impolite act. She just smiled slightly, gentle and kind.

Miss Angel quickly averted her gaze, keeping her head down and remaining silent, but in her heart she overturned her previous guess.

Miss Cheryl didn't seem to think that way; on the contrary, her smile seemed to be...encouraging herself?
……

Cheryl withdrew her gaze and continued to recount the rest of the legend: "After Her Majesty Italos departed, the new master of the fairy sword Sidras truly lived up to her expectations. Relying on the sword's power and uniting the people's hearts, she built a kingdom for mortals on the barren land of Atorica—the ancient Atorica Kingdom, the earliest civilization on this land. However, after the death of the first king, his descendants did not seem to inherit his justice and benevolence, and therefore were not recognized by the sword. The kingdom gradually declined, until the time of the last king, when the event you all know about occurred."

The palace collapsed, the favored concubine died, and the incompetent and tyrannical king, indifferent to the fate of the nation, cruelly executed the artisans and slaves who built the palace. Panic gripped the country, shrouded in gloom. This atmosphere of despair attracted the attention of an unknown evil god. Coveting the power of the fairy sword Hydras, yet fearing the light and hope it brought, the god seized the opportunity, bewitching the king. He told him that by building an altar in the underground mines, offering sacrifices to the sword and the blood and souls of the living, he could unleash its true power and reshape it into the Holy Grail, capable of granting any wish.

This even includes reversing the order of life and death, bringing the dead back to life. "The Holy Grail to fulfill wishes?"

Everyone looked at each other in bewilderment, and Alice couldn't help but ask, "Does anyone really believe in such unrealistic things?"

"People are often foolish, liking to place their hopes on the impossible and regard it as a miracle, especially when there seems to be no other way," Cheryl sighed. "Besides, the origin of the fairy sword Hydras is also proof. Everyone knows that fairy magic possesses incredible power. Although it is inherently uncontrollable and no one knows what will happen, doesn't that also mean that anything is possible?"

Alice told a corny joke: "I think that's a pretty optimistic idea."

Unfortunately, no one laughed.

After all, this is a very serious topic.

"The king, heeding the words of the evil god, ordered the slaughter of living beings as blood sacrifices. At first, criminals and slaves were sacrificed, but when that wasn't enough, soldiers and even ordinary citizens were used. But how could the fairy sword Hydras, born of light and hope, accept such evil sacrifices? This was merely a means for the evil god to corrupt the power of his divine artifact. Ultimately, the king was overthrown by his people, and the ancient kingdom of Atoliga was destroyed. The evil god poured his own power and the hatred of all living beings for the destruction of their kingdom into the sword, attempting to mold it into a powerful and evil sacred relic. But He didn't know that the fairy sword Hydras was a weapon with a soul; it had only feigned weakness, actually retaining a final sliver of power, which it unleashed at the crucial moment, attempting to perish together with the evil god."

"But ultimately neither side succeeded. The evil god failed to completely seize the sword's power, but Hydras also failed to perish with it. Instead, by a twist of fate, they merged into one, ultimately giving birth to... the true Holy Grail." Cheryl's expression became somewhat complicated as she said this: "That was originally just a rhetoric used by the evil god to bewitch people. He probably didn't expect it to become a reality, much less that he would become a part of the Holy Grail. Coincidentally, because that evil god was a Creator with the [Craftsman] pathway Sequence 1, he inherently possessed a certain creative ability. Combined with the power of fairy magic, by a twist of fate, he actually endowed the Holy Grail with the ability to 'grant wishes'."

Of course, this is also limited; it is not a true case of wish fulfillment. Once the limits are exceeded, unpredictable consequences will occur, and the previous owners of the Holy Grail are the best examples.

"After the fall of the ancient Kingdom of Atoliga, the Holy Grail, originally the fairy sword Hydras, also wandered through different hands. Its first owner wished for an oasis that would never wither, but the overgrown oasis not only drained the life force of the earth's veins but also attracted hordes of magical beasts. In the end, the magical beasts devoured all the living things and plants in the oasis, yet they still lingered until they starved to death and were weathered and buried, becoming the burial ground we see today. The second owner wished for supreme power, and as if blessed by luck, he raised a huge army within a few years, becoming a warlord who controlled a region. However, other warlords also rose up, and because he was the most powerful, they attacked him en masse, burning him to death in his own palace."

"The third owner was one of these warlords. He was a very intelligent but also very ambitious man. In a sudden inspiration, he used the power of the Holy Grail to hollow out the dragon blood crystals that had been buried deep beneath Atorica since ancient times, and forged them into a steel warship. He also separated the power belonging to the evil god from the Holy Grail and integrated it into the warship, attempting to use its power to reunify this land. However, after the warship was completed, he inexplicably went mad, obsessed with challenging the heavens and wanting to establish his own kingdom among the stars. He piloted the warship into the starry sky, but was eventually intercepted and shot down by an unknown extraterrestrial being. It is said that the warship is still buried in some corner beneath Atorica. The power of the evil god continues to devour and decompose the dragon blood crystals that served as the raw material for the ship's hull, corrupting them into ordinary minerals. With the circulation of the earth's ley lines magic, these minerals gradually flow into every layer of the Atorica land..."

Everyone suddenly realized: "Is this the origin of the legend that the flesh and blood of the evil god multiplied into underground minerals?"

First, a hero slays a dragon, its blood crystallizing and buried deep underground, forgotten by all. An unknown mortal is tasked with establishing a kingdom, but the last, incompetent king misses out on the treasure. The evil god plots in vain, but his schemes fail. An ambitious warlord extracts the dragon's blood to forge warships, attempting to rule the stars. The fallen flesh and blood of the evil god, however, gives birth to the source of all the prosperity and suffering of the Atoligarians in later generations…

A karmic connection from past lives, a convergence of destinies—everything is filled with coincidence and a sense of the unbelievable. No wonder Cheryl said before that Atorica is a land surrounded by legends. In reality, its fate is never interfered with by the people of this land, but rather governed by ancient legends.

Of course, this is not the end.

Because the legend continues to this day.

"After losing the power of the evil god, the Holy Grail lost its ability to grant wishes and reverted to the form of a sword. However, due to long-term corruption, it lost its former glory. It wasn't until later, when this sword fell into the hands of the first leader of the Holy War Army, my brother, that it was reborn through his beliefs and ideals, shining with new brilliance. It was at that time that the demons of Assyria in Paradise Land sensed the signs of the sword's reappearance in the world, and thus made contact with the Holy War Army and decided to support our cause. Unfortunately, even with the power of the sword and the strength of the demons, it is difficult to replicate the ancient legend. To this day, the sparks of rebellion are still struggling, desperately searching for a glimmer of light in the darkness. Perhaps it is because we, the descendants, are not capable enough to compare with His Majesty Italos?"

Cheryl's fingers gently traced the blade, feeling the fairy sword's cold, sharp edge, her tone filled with emotion. Naturally, she was the most deserving of such sentiment, for her brother, the original leader of the Holy War Army, the one who inherited the will of the hero Italos, had died wielding this sword at the hands of the Empire, to protect the land behind him and safeguard its hope for freedom and peace.

The legends of Atorica are mostly intertwined with suffering, whether it be the blood of evil dragons, the nightmares of evil gods, the Malacasha Palace and the ancient kingdom, or even the mines buried underground—treasures that could have brought prosperity to this land, ultimately becoming nothing more than sources of hardship and tragedy. Only true heroes bring hope. From Italos the One-Winged One to the instigator of the Assyrian Holy War, Cheryl, as the third wielder of the fairy sword Hydras, desperately hopes to become like them.

Give me some cats