Alice in the Land of Steam

Chapter 1397 Is it just because of fear?

The inky sea undulated silently against the leaden sky, with a few slivers of moonlight filtering through gaps in the low-hanging clouds in the distance, barely outlining the blurry contours of the horizon. The salty sea breeze, carrying a damp chill, whistled continuously through the towering masts and steel frame of the Nidhogg.

Fafrona stood at the highest point of the bridge and saw in the distance a fleet of Knight-class cruisers escorting a uniquely shaped transport ship that resembled a giant island at sea, slowly approaching the area where the Nidhogg was located. The sea fog hung low, and the outline of the steel ships was faintly visible in the moonlight, as if a ghost fleet was shuttling through the fog.

She recognized it as the Heimdall, a special-type transport ship under the Magic Research Institute, specifically designed to transport high-risk strategic materials. Its service life was even longer than that of the Nidhogg beneath her feet.

It is said that after the end of the Steam Holy War, the sacred remains of the psychic machine god Alexander, left behind in the human world, were transported back to the Society's headquarters by the Heimdall. The ship's hull, entirely made of Orichalcos metal, effectively prevented the leakage of residual faith power. After that, the researchers of the Magic Research Institute worked day and night, exhausting all their efforts, to develop the construct mech that even Tentis considered a forbidden object.

Has it returned now?
The young woman crossed her arms and coldly watched as the Heimdall entered the area and requested docking with the Nidhogg. The wind on the bridge ruffled her fiery red hair, making her look like a flame burning in the night from afar. Her blue and white naval uniform was casually draped over her shoulders, the sleeves fluttering in the wind.

Ahead of the Nidhogg's bridge, the shadow of the Heimdall gradually loomed, slicing the moonlight into fragments. The seawater between the two colossal ships churned violently, emitting a low, mournful wail. As the distance closed, the docking mechanisms on the Heimdall's sides slowly unfolded. Amidst the fierce, deep roar of the steam engines, giant pincers emerged from the interface, resembling the joints of some prehistoric deep-sea creature. Each movement was accompanied by the piercing screeching of metal rubbing together and the hissing of steam depressurization.

The docking port at the bow of the Nidhogg slowly opened, revealing an intricate network of gears and linkages, like a gaping maw waiting to devour its prey. The Heimdall's clamping arms precisely engaged their slots, instantly erupting in a burst of sparks, like a cluster of crimson stars suddenly bursting forth in the darkness. Immediately afterwards, the heavy locks snapped shut in quick succession, producing a dull, thunderous thud that made the Nidhogg's deck tremble slightly.

Once docking was complete, the silhouettes of the two war behemoths merged into one in the darkness, resembling a monster crouching on the sea, exuding a suffocating sense of oppression. Only the occasional wisps of steam escaping from the decks and seams, like the weary breaths of the behemoths spreading across the sea, condensed into fleeting white mist under the moonlight.

"Unit A is stored in Warehouse 3. Could you please send a few technicians to assist us with routine inspections and maintenance? ...Yes, just notify the Society members, as the security level is quite high... Also, could you please tell me where the captain of the Nidhogg is? Fafrena... Ah, on the bridge? Okay, thank you. You can go ahead with your work; I won't bother you any longer..."

After handing over her chores to Caesar, Fafreona's adjutant on the Nidhogg, Perec walked alone onto the bridge and met her at the very edge. The sisters hadn't seen each other for nearly three years since their last parting. Fafreona had been handling affairs related to the Eastern Continent in the open sea, while Perec was promoting the new medical system of the Herb Garden on the Western Continent.

One commits murder, the other saves lives; these two are sisters. Isn't fate always full of irony?
"What, it's you?" Fafrona's first words upon meeting him were quite blunt: "I thought it was Fier, or at least Lilithie?"

Fei Er is the most steadfast advocate of war in the Witch Society, perhaps even more so than Fafrona. Otherwise, Tentis would not have entrusted her with the task of eliminating heretics, magicians, and false believers. Lilith, on the other hand, is an innocent and naive child, but because of her excessive naivety, she sometimes appears cruel, like a child who can laugh while slaughtering an ant nest with hot water.

Both of them possessed the qualifications to pilot the prototype Titan Titan. Fafrena hadn't expected that the person who arrived would be Perec, her kind, weak, even somewhat cowardly older sister, who had never killed a single person in her life. Could someone like her truly become the master of the Titan Titan? Fafrena told herself this wasn't nitpicking, but a reasonable question.

Faced with such doubts and her sister's rather impolite tone, Pereira smiled, reached out and gently pulled Fafrona's hand, saying in a soft voice, "I've told you many times, Fafrona, don't stand so high, or you'll fall."

Perec's hand was warm and steady, a stark contrast to Fafrona's slightly cool fingertips. Fafrona frowned slightly but didn't pull away, letting her sister gently pull her down half a step. The night wind, carrying the salty scent of the sea, swept over them, ruffling Perec's soft, pale hair and brushing against Fafrona's fiery red hair.

Of all her sisters, Perec was most similar to that person, not only in personality but also in first impression. Many people, upon seeing the same color hair fluttering gently in the wind, accentuating a soft and slender figure, would instinctively associate the two. But in reality, they were different. That person's color was an endless, vast forest, all vitality originating from inner conviction; while Perec's conviction was a pure, flawless gem, beautiful yet so fragile.

Destroying beautiful things is a human instinct.

“You’re still the same, you haven’t changed at all.” Fafrona turned her face away, her voice deliberately lowered and cold. “You’re making a fuss over nothing. There’s never anything dangerous for us.”

Including death, even death itself.

“You haven’t changed at all,” Pereike said gently, deliberately avoiding Fafrona’s initial question. The latter seemed to have forgotten about it and didn’t bring it up again. This was based on a tacit understanding and was also a manifestation of the deep affection between the two.

Although it may sound unbelievable, Fafrona, who always liked to nitpick at Pereira and was as stubborn as a hedgehog in her presence, was actually the person she trusted and relied on the most. However, her reasons weren't as noble as one might imagine. Before the young princess's power was lost to the world, and while they lived a peaceful life in a distant paradise, the person Fafrona trusted, relied on, and even longed for most was actually that person.

Order and chaos, she is undoubtedly the eldest sister of all the young girls' royal power.

She loved following behind that person, asking all sorts of questions or talking about trivial things, hoping to receive a few words of praise, which would make her incredibly happy. This annoyed Remy and Lilith, as they also loved sticking close to that person and listening to her tell interesting fairy tales.

But the world is unpredictable, and later, the young queens of order and chaos parted ways for their own ideals. Fafrona never spoke a kind word about that person again, nor did she ever mention her name. Instead, she showed an unusual affection for Perec, who knew in her heart that it was probably just her using her as a substitute for that person. After all, she and that person not only had the same hair color and eye color, but even their personalities were so similar. The only difference was that that person was generous in sharing her gentleness with her sisters, and therefore was loved by them; while Perec had no airs of an older sister, and even her youngest sister would call her by her name.

In truth, Perec didn't care about being anyone's substitute, because she had been experiencing similar things for a long time. Whether it was those who craved power or her teacher Metatron, they all only wanted to see a shadow of themselves in her, not her as a person. Over time, even Perec had become accustomed to this; otherwise, she wouldn't have volunteered to replace Fir and Fafrena to go to the Eastern Continent to carry out that plan.

The girl saw herself as a substitute for someone else, and she always felt that being expected of was a good thing, even if the expectation wasn't entirely pure. Fafrona seemed somewhat angry about this, or rather, awkward, which meant that although she trusted and relied on Perec, she could no longer openly express her affection as she would with that person. She was constantly cold and sarcastic, and prone to tantrums, which was quite a headache.

"How have you been lately, Fafrena?" Pereira could only treat her awkward younger sister with a tolerant attitude: "I heard you've been in charge of opening up a new sea route between the Stormy Ocean and the Chaotic Seas. Have you encountered any trouble?"

“What trouble could there be? Just some ignorant sea monsters and strange creatures. The progress is going smoothly, and it won’t be long before we have a new supply route.” Fafrona glanced at her sister beside her: “But you seem to have taken on a very important mission.”

Pereira said softly, "It's what I should do, after all."

"Does that include deploying the Thai Air Force?" Favorona asked coldly.

“Otherwise, I wouldn’t be entirely confident.” Pereike’s voice was still as gentle and pleasant as ever, yet it inexplicably made Fafrona feel a surge of irritation. “You know, I’m not exactly a skilled fighter…”

"Since you knew that, then you shouldn't have come!" Fafrona's voice suddenly rose, forcefully interrupting Pereke's words: "Let Fei Er go, her awareness is much better than your half-baked self! If all else fails, let me go, the Taikong should have been my construct mech all along!"

It was a construct designed specifically to allow Fafrena, who already possessed full royal power, to unleash even greater strength, but it was later abandoned due to its severe side effects. Who would have thought that the usually mild-mannered and silent Perec would possess the courage to pilot it?
Pereira listened quietly, her fingertips curling slightly on the cold railing. Fafrona's words made her momentarily dazed, as if she had returned to that pale, cold laboratory. Professor Metatron's indifferent voice echoed in her ears: "Killing anyone is not my intention, but if he cannot bear it and eventually dies, it is an unavoidable part of the experiment."

At that moment, trembling, she repeatedly said "I'm sorry," placing her hand on the forehead of the wood elf boy. The touch of his skin was cold and sticky, like a dead worm spreading along her fingertips, drawing away at his last vestiges of life. She still remembers how she felt then, just as she could never forget why she resisted killing.

Now that things have come to this, she seems to understand her teacher somewhat, but she still cannot agree with his actions.

Even though she knew she was going down the same path.

“I’m sorry, did I make you worry?” She reached out and gently stroked Fafrona’s cheek, stopping the words that were about to come out of her throat. “But please don’t worry, Fafrona. Fighting for anyone is not my intention. I am truly fighting for myself. If I can’t bear it and eventually die, it is an inevitable part of the plan.”

Her calm tone and clear eyes did not move Fafrona, but for some reason, they made her feel somewhat afraid.

She had always been fearless, even regarding the tragedy of sisters killing each other as an inescapable fate that she had to bravely face. But only now did she realize that she did indeed have things she feared, even more than fate.

"I didn't..."

She originally wanted to say, "I wasn't worried about you at all," a kind of insincere statement that Fafrona was always good at, but she couldn't say it today because she had a premonition that if she really said it, it would hurt the girl in front of her.

She was never saddened by being seen as a substitute, but she was always saddened by her sisters' willingness to hurt themselves to show off, which is why she was here today.

The sea breeze grew colder, causing Fafrona's naval uniform to flutter loudly on her shoulders. She remained silent for a long time, finally managing to squeeze out a single sentence through clenched teeth, a sentence tinged with resentment, anger, and a profound sense of powerlessness:
"...Do as you please."

Pereira gave a soft "hmm," as if to say: "Then it's up to me."

The thick sea fog completely swallowed the moonlight, and the silhouette of the Heimdall gradually blurred in the mist, as if it might turn into a ghost and sink into the deep sea at any moment. Fafrona's uniform swayed heavily in the damp sea breeze, just like her mood at that moment. Could the sea, which she had always known so well, one day become so unfamiliar?

"According to procedure, the personnel and supplies on the Heimdall will be transferred to you, Favorona."

Pereira suddenly said, "As for the Thai Sky, I'm taking off..."

"Wait a minute!" Fafrona interrupted her, but stopped abruptly, looking at her sister's calm gaze, unsure of what to say next.

The reason why people can't say what they want to say is simply because they are afraid.

Give me some cats