Alice in the Land of Steam

Ieta sat alone on the steps of the windmill tower, the stars in the sky as numerous as primroses on the ground. It was astonishing that the desolate Atorica plains possessed such a beautiful starry sky. The dust from the quarries and the smoke from the forges over ten centuries seemed to have had no effect on the air quality of the region, so much so that the visible Milky Way still stretched straight through the dark slate blue night sky. The starlight, diffused in the sky above, formed oval shapes resembling eyes, like the gods of ancient legends who controlled the giant stars, looking down upon humanity. Its magnificence and grandeur were unimaginable without witnessing it firsthand.

Having wandered the world for many years, this was the first time the girl had ever seen such a beautiful scene. But perhaps it was not because she lacked the ability to observe, but because all the sights were chasing after the changes in emotions.

The more confident a person is in themselves, the more persistent they are in pursuing their path and their goals.

Only when feeling lost do we look up at the stars.

Ieta is in this state now. In fact, she has always been more confused than determined. Fate always makes this poor girl gain something and then lose something else, as if fickleness is the norm in life. The comforting thing compared to the past is that at least now when she feels confused, she can look up and see the starry sky, instead of the pure white, monotonous, and almost suffocating ceiling.

This comparison may seem meaningless, but at least... it's progress, right?

rustling sounds.

Footsteps sounded, and the person deliberately made noise to remind the dazed Miss Angel that they were coming.

Ieta turned around and saw the proprietress, Siesta, walking smilingly down the ridge of the field, carrying a bamboo basket covered with a blue and white floral tablecloth. The aroma of food wafted through the air. Her nose twitched, and the girl belatedly felt hungry; her stomach rumbled.

Her face immediately turned red with embarrassment.

“I heard from Ling that you didn’t have an appetite today and didn’t want to eat dinner. That won’t do, Ieta. You need to eat well for dinner so you can grow up healthy.” Siesta said, walking over to Ieta’s side, gently putting down the bamboo basket, and lifting the tablecloth. Steam and aroma immediately wafted out. Ieta smelled the fragrance of bread, the richness of jam, the aroma of cabbage, the mellowness of stewed potatoes, and the unique sweetness of Salia Chester.

Perhaps taking into account her poor appetite, the proprietress prepared simple and light dishes for Ietta, with very little meat. At most, she would sprinkle some minced meat on the tomato stew, which made it look more delicious. At least Miss Angel couldn't help but swallow.

“Even if you’re in a bad mood, you still need to eat properly.” Siesta placed a piece of white bread spread with blueberry jam, raisins, and cocoa crumbs into her hand, then took food from the bamboo basket and placed it on the tablecloth, muttering to herself, “Eating is a major event in life, and it’s proof that a person is trying to live. When you’re in a good mood, you should eat, because that will make you feel even better; when you’re in a bad mood, you should also eat, because that will help you forget about unhappy things. Ieta, do you think what I’m saying makes sense?”

She asked out of the blue.

"Huh? Ah! Since it was Miss Siesta who said it, then... it must make a lot of sense, right?" Ieta held the bread, anxiously observing the proprietress's reaction.

The latter was amused by her performance: "Don't ask me, ask yourself, Ieta."

"Me? I don't know..."

"Hmm...maybe not knowing is a good thing?"

The landlady nodded firmly. She was always like this; she agreed with everything Ieta said and supported everything Ieta wanted to do. Her indulgence and pampering were unparalleled, even by her two younger sisters. In the past, Miss Angel had always wondered why the landlady was so good to her. It wasn't that she suspected ulterior motives, but rather that if she didn't know the reason for her kindness, she wouldn't know how to repay her. Sometimes she even worried about accidentally saying or doing the wrong thing and angering the landlady.
Now that she knows the reason, the vague worry has not disappeared, but has become more pronounced, like the rain finally starting to fall from a cloud-covered sky.

Ieta took a bite of the bread in her hand, but it tasted like nothing at all. The sweet and sour blueberry jam and the slightly bitter cocoa crumbs fermented on her tongue, just like the girl's mood at that moment. Suddenly, she asked, "Have I worried everyone, Miss Siesta?"

"Yes," the proprietress said matter-of-factly, without even thinking, "If you don't eat properly, of course everyone will worry."

“You should know that’s not what I’m asking about, Miss Siesta…”

Ieta pursed her lips. She was no longer the naive girl she used to be, who always thought that what people said was exactly what they thought. She had learned to think, to doubt, and naturally, to examine her own heart. Instead of being swayed by such a deliberate tactic, she spoke her true thoughts word by word: "Did you... already know about that legend?"

The story of Italos, a one-winged feathered fairy girl, and Sidras, the first traveler fairy.

"I know," the proprietress replied without hesitation, a faint smile on her face. "Although it's a very ancient legend, most newly born fairies aren't interested, and no one would bother to learn about it. Take Sheria and Shemi, for example. One is obsessed with human bartending skills, and the other hasn't even figured out what he wants to do in the future. He's already troubled enough by the problems in reality, so how could he have the leisure to learn about a legend from ten thousand years ago? But unfortunately, every race has a few outcasts at certain times. Their appearance seems to be the same as their own kind..." They appear similar, but are actually quite different. I am an anomaly among the traveling fairies. From a young age, I was particularly interested in these legends, secrets, folk tales, and even the poems of bards. I always actively sought knowledge from my parents and elders. Among them, the legend of Her Majesty Italos and Lady Hydras impressed me the most. Later, after embarking on my own pilgrimage, I devoted all my energy to this endeavor, traveling across the continent with great passion, pursuing ancient legends… until the pilgrimage ended, and I began running the Fairy Deep Sleep Inn in Rostin City, where I finally slowed down a bit.”

Perhaps reminiscing about one's youth always evokes a strong desire to share, and the proprietress spoke at a rare length. Ietta listened silently, though without uttering a word, inwardly quite surprised. She hadn't expected that the most gentle and considerate proprietress, in her youth, would have been an outcast among her kind. But upon further reflection, something felt amiss. Fairies were supposed to be free spirits, weren't they? Since no one dictated their appearance, no one could define them as either equals or outcasts. Like Sheria, a traveling fairy who loved mixing drinks—wasn't she an outcast? And Shaymi, her pilgrimage was unique among traveling fairies; she didn't complete it alone, but with many companions—wasn't that also an outcast?
She told the landlady her thoughts, who was slightly taken aback, then smiled happily, her eyebrows curving into crescents: "Perhaps you have a point, Ieta. I'm not the most special one, just an ordinary traveler fairy."

“No, not at all,” Ietta reassured her. “Miss Siesta is very special, um… as special as a sunflower in a primrose field.” What kind of metaphor is that?
Siesta, both amused and exasperated, reached out and ruffled the girl's feather-white hair, making it a mess. Then, watching Ietta pout and furiously try to comb her hair again, a mischievous glint appeared on her lips. Even the gentlest, kindest, and most considerate traveling fairy sometimes wanted to play pranks. Wasn't it precisely because of this that the Fairy Queen Hydras ten thousand years ago was able to meet the great hero Italos?
“Iyeta,” she suddenly called out.

"Huh?" The angel, who was combing her hair, looked up in confusion.

"Do you think I'm only being nice to you because of His Majesty Italos and Lady Sidras?"

“Hmm…” Ieta looked a little hesitant, unsure how to answer, but that was indeed what she thought.

“You’re mistaken,” Siesta said, shaking her finger.

“Eh, isn’t that the reason? But I heard… I heard that the landlady was initially reluctant to move the inn to Cloud Whale Sky Island, but as soon as Shemi mentioned Ieta, she immediately changed her mind.”

"Then think about it, am I only good to you? Haven't I been good enough to Xia, Ling, and Alice?"

"This……"

It's hard for Ietta to deny it, after all, everyone at the inn has always been taken care of by the landlady. Aside from three meals a day, there's the daily cleaning of rooms, tidying clothes, and all sorts of mundane chores. Apart from a few who are somewhat self-disciplined (like the siblings Ling and Medien), everyone else is basically like parasites, barely surviving by relying on the landlady's meticulous care. If this isn't good, then it's far too strict.

If we assume that the landlady's kindness towards us is solely due to Her Majesty Italos and Lady Sidras, then how do we explain her goodwill towards others? Do those people also possess something the landlady might be after? And it's not just them; there are so many people the landlady met and helped during her pilgrimages, and the guests who stayed at the Fairy Sleep Inn—do they all share the same background as Italos to deserve the landlady's unconditional kindness?

Such malicious speculation is so shameful that it makes one unable to lift their head. And if we deny that the landlady's kindness to everyone was for ulterior motives, then we should also deny that her kindness to me was based on that legend, and not for any other reason. Wouldn't that be fair?

Miss Angel is a little confused; her head is itching.

Fortunately, the proprietress tapped her on the head in time, rescuing the girl from the vortex of her thoughts.

"Don't overthink it, Ieta," the landlady said softly. "At first, when I heard from Shemi that the Feathered Elves still existed in the world, my first feeling wasn't joy or relief, but sadness. I don't know your background, your personality, or how you survived the catastrophe that led to the extinction of the Feathered Elves, but I know you must have had a very hard time. As the last bloodline of this race remaining in the mortal world, you were born with too many heavy responsibilities. I wanted to guide you, comfort you, or at least accompany you. But later, after getting to know you, I realized that you didn't actually take the responsibility for the rise and fall of your race upon yourself, or rather, you didn't even have the awareness of being a Feathered Elf orphan. You know nothing about civilizations, history, or the great Sky City; you're practically like someone who just hatched from an egg. I think that's for the best. Although you've also experienced other hardships, at least they can offer some comfort, and you'll eventually emerge from them, unlike this huge vortex that will only slowly devour you."

"Therefore, I deliberately concealed the legends of Her Majesty Italos and Lady Sidras, and never mentioned anything about the Feathered Elves in front of you. I simply treated you as a friend who needed care and companionship, just like the countless mortals I encountered on my journey. Like you, Xia, Ling, and everyone else... I'm kind to you not because I see anyone's shadow in you, or because there are any legends behind you, and what do those legends have to do with us Traveling Fairies? It's because you truly deserve to be treated well. Look at Ovira, she never asked me, 'Boss lady, boss lady, are you being so kind to me because my teacher is Lady Tree?' She knows perfectly well what's going on in her heart, unlike you who get stuck on such a narrow view."

Siesta imitated Ovira's tone, successfully making Ieta laugh. The angel chuckled, but then felt it was a bit impolite, mainly because it wasn't very polite to Princess Beman, so she forced herself to suppress her laughter, though her eyes crinkled with a happy expression: "Because I'm not Ovira, I'm not as... well, open-minded as her?"

“Perhaps it’s not magnanimity,” Siesta winked mischievously, “but rather forgetfulness?”

Ietta couldn't hold back any longer and burst out laughing.

A bowl of still-warm tomato stew was pushed in front of Iyeta, the minced meat sprinkled on top glistening enticingly in the starlight.

"So stop thinking about 'why she's so nice to me' or 'how I should repay her.' If you're truly grateful, eat well, live well, and do what you're supposed to do. If you encounter someone in need of help in the future, treat them the same way—that's the best response."

Ieta looked down at the gently shimmering reflection in the soup bowl, starlight shattered within it, like a bowl of tender dreams. Suddenly, she felt the heavy feeling in her chest quietly melt away, transforming into a warm, moist glow in her eyes.

"Mmm." She responded softly, picked up the soup spoon, scooped up a spoonful of soup, carefully blew on it, and put it in her mouth.

The sweet aroma of eggplant, the soft texture of potatoes, and the savory flavor of minced meat spread across my tongue—my stomach gradually filled up, and my mind slowly calmed down, so I stopped thinking about all those strange things.

Once people are well-fed, they won't have any wild thoughts.

Siesta watched her eat slowly, a smile curving her eyes. The starry sky remained silent, gazing down upon the earth, but at that moment, Ieta felt that those enormous eyes seemed to hold a subtle, almost imperceptible tenderness. (End of Chapter)