Alice in the Land of Steam

Chapter 1407 Looking for trouble?
Upon receiving the reply, Arnor could hardly believe his ears and repeatedly confirmed, "Abandon the search and return immediately? Are you sure Lady Cheryl said that? Did she give any other instructions?"

The small, cat-like, lion-like creature lay on the rock, lazily yawning and listlessly watching its tail twirl in the air, as if shooing away unseen flying insects. It watched with intense focus, its amber pupils unblinking, clearly completely absorbed, utterly too lazy to answer Yanor's question.

The latter was already used to such reactions and sighed helplessly, but this sigh was not because he felt it was too willful, but because he finally accepted the fact.

Serphis does not lie; its will is actually equivalent to that of the Lord of the Sword.

Lady Cheryl ultimately chose to give up, unwilling to place her hopes on a vague legend any longer, even though she had exhausted herself searching through the great archives of Malacasha Palace, deciphering documents and seeking fragments of history, dreaming that one day she could reach the source of the legend, reshape the ancient Holy Grail, and use that miraculous power to help the Holy War Army and the people of Atorica to be liberated from the cruel and tyrannical rule of the Empire.

In a sense, the legend of the fairy sword, the Holy Grail, and Nibelungen not only carries the hopes of this land, but is also the culmination of Lady Cheryl's tireless efforts day and night. It shattered in an instant, and how many people who had poured their expectations into it felt how unwilling they were when it finally fell to the ground.

However, there's nothing that can be done about it.

The affairs of the world are as ever-changing as the sandstorms in a vast desert. The defeat of a single battle, the fall of a region, or even the issuance of a single order can trigger unpredictable chain reactions. The war between the Imperial Army and the Axis powers should have allowed the Holy War Army, as a third party, to struggle for survival. Who could have imagined that the two sides would temporarily cease hostilities in the face of immense hatred and instead turn their attention to this third party? Now, the Holy War Army's situation is extremely precarious; the slightest misstep could lead to total annihilation. As its leader, Lady Cheryl bears the greatest pressure. Every decision she makes will determine the fate of tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, or even millions of people. Under such pressure, abandoning unrealistic fantasies and choosing a more prudent strategy is only natural, isn't it?

Arnor could almost picture the difficult yet relieved expression on the face of the girl who was revered, loved, and followed by everyone when she made this decision.

Legends are ultimately distant and unreal; the fate of the Atoligans must be fought for with the weapons in their hands.

Thinking about it this way, he seemed to understand it a little better.

The only difficulty he felt was how to explain this to Ling and his group. Not only would he have to halt the exploration, making the journey anticlimactic, but he would also have to shamelessly request to borrow the Cloud Whale Sky Island for the upcoming war. Although Lady Cheryl had clearly stated that she could exchange it for the fairy sword Sidras, and considering the connection between the Sky Island's owner and the sword, they should agree to the request, Arnor still felt that it was a more sorrowful thing.

Atorica is a land unblessed by the gods, and the Atorica people have never believed in any deity. For them, what sustains them amidst harsh natural environments, scarce resources, and endless natural and man-made disasters is their hope and love for the future. No matter how many times they suffer foreign invasions or even occupation and rule, they refuse to give up their identity as "Atorica people." The fundamental reason for this is not ethnicity, religion, or even nation, but an ancient sense of cultural identity.

The hero Italos slays a dragon with his sword. The dragon's blood brings both disaster and prosperity. Kingdoms rise and fall, but the fairy sword has protected this land and its people since ancient times. The underground mines nourish the oasis like flowing water, and the creatures struggle through the wind and sand, but one day they will find a way out... This is the faith of the Atorica people.

Losing faith will not kill a person immediately, but it will gradually cause them to lose themselves and live in a daze.

"You must think so too, right, Serphis?"

Arnor looked at the kitten beside him: "If Lady Cheryl is no longer your master, you will be very sad, won't you?"

Its tail, which had been swaying in the air, suddenly stopped. Serphis slowly raised its head, glanced at Arnor, and its amber, vertical pupils seemed strangely profound. But it quickly looked away, yawned boredly, buried its head between its legs, and ignored him completely. It had always been this capricious; its willingness to respond didn't necessarily mean it valued you, it might just be in a good mood; and its refusal to acknowledge you didn't necessarily mean it was indifferent, it might just be too lazy to move.

The emotions and fates of this mortal world are too complex for it to ponder; let those mortals worry about them.

Arnor couldn't help but smile bitterly, deeply feeling that at this moment, he was just one of the mortals on this land who were unable to find relief.

But is this fate, or is it just self-inflicted trouble?

……

As night fell, the group rested around the campfire. Bright flames flickered in the thin, indistinct mist, and scattered sparks rose and fell like fiery butterflies. The bursts of light seemed to gradually dye the night red, while the corpses slowly decomposed in neglected corners, seeping into the decaying earth, becoming forever a part of this land. If not for the protection of the caverns and rock walls within the corridor, the travelers would never have dared to light a campfire. No one knew whether the gases floating outside were mist, poisonous gas, or miasma, swamp gas, or even other more dangerous gases seeping up from the ground after years of accumulation—gases that would mercilessly extinguish and devour all light sources like light-averse monsters. In the end, the Dark Cloud Abyss witnessed only the unchanging darkness of millennia, its awe-inspiring nature.

Of course, for those who have witnessed the power and authority of the Dark Witch, or those who live by day and night in the mines eight thousand meters deep, everything it tries to demonstrate seems rather cliché. Therefore, they seem completely unaffected, casually chatting or going about their own business, some even already imagining the adventures to come. Venturing deep into the mysterious and unknown underground world, tracking the elusive Gray Fungus tribe, and finally, guided by various clues, successfully finding the lost skyship Nibelungen, which lies beyond the reach of civilization…

Stories like these would be popular even if written as novels, let alone firsthand experiences.

When Arnor arrived, Kalia and Edwin, who had led the advance exploration, returned to the temporary camp with good news: they had found an underground passage not far from the camp, containing traces left by the Grey Fungus, which should be their migration route. The Grey Fungus possess extensive underground experience, are familiar with various geological phenomena and geographical factors, and can even analyze the mineral content and burial type of an area by observing signs of vein growth. The routes they choose are usually, if not the most convenient, certainly the safest. Therefore, if the group wants to explore deeper underground, they only need to follow in their footsteps.

"In that case, after a short rest, we can prepare to begin our exploration."

Lin Ge said, "However, without the help of Cloud Whale Sky Island, exploring the underground world is not as convenient as exploring the surface. Therefore, this expedition should be conducted with as few people as possible. Apart from the necessary combat personnel, we should bring at most two or three more people to be responsible for identifying routes, providing logistical support, or negotiating with the Gray Fungus tribe."

“Me! Me! Me! I want to go!” Ovira was the first to raise her hand and volunteer. Her reason was quite good: “I’ll be in charge of drawing the map, which is a very important thing!” Of course, Princess Beman also had her own selfish reasons. She wanted to record this underground exploration journey in her novel. In that case, firsthand experience was very important. She couldn’t just rely on other people’s narration and her own imagination to create the story, could she?

“I want to go too.” The second person to speak was Medine. She thought for a moment and said, “The underground world must have a lot of unique plants. I can help everyone identify herbs. Maybe those gray fungus people need them too!”

That reason is indeed very valid.

"Then I'll go too!" Leticia followed closely behind. Of course, she didn't have any particular plans; she just wanted to go with her grandmother and friend. Countess Navigne and Hino, as combatants, would definitely go along, so they weren't in a hurry to speak.

Arnor's team was also discussing the matter. They felt that having too many people would make movement inconvenient, so they decided to send another person besides the captain as a guide. Logically, the most suitable candidate should have been the bard Edwin. Hailing from a barbarian tribe in the Burial Grounds, he possessed the unique skill of listening to the wind, and his rock flute playing could scare away wild beasts, proving useful in various complex terrains. Unfortunately, this time they were underground. Limited by the terrain and depth, his wind-listening skills were greatly diminished, and as for scaring away wild beasts, with the demigod's imposing presence, it was largely unnecessary.

On the other hand, the werewolf girl Selena, with her natural night vision and keen sense of smell, thrives in this environment. Unfortunately, her personality is unreliable, and she has never had any experience working independently, raising concerns about her ability to fulfill her role as a guide. As for the dark elf Kalia and the giant mercenary Gordan, they were excluded from the selection process due to the dark elves' unfamiliarity with the complex underground terrain and the fact that the team already possessed sufficient combat strength.

Of course, this was the result of their discussion, but the final decision rested with Captain Yanor.

When the latter returned to the camp, this was the scene he saw. Everyone was discussing excitedly, full of confidence in the upcoming adventure and the expected results. For a moment, he found it difficult to speak, and just stood on the edge of the campfire, silently gazing at the scene.

Linger, who had been speaking quietly with Alice, suddenly looked up as if sensing something, his gaze passing over the flickering firelight and swaying shadows to land on Arnor. His eyes remained calm, yet possessed a penetrating insight, as if he had already seen through the bitterness beneath Arnor's calm exterior. Linger nodded slightly to Alice, ending their conversation, then turned to Arnor, his voice low but clear enough to reach Arnor's ears, and those of the others:

"Judging from your expression, things have changed, haven't they, Yanor?" Although it was a question, his tone was very certain.

Linger's voice immediately drew everyone's attention to Arnor. Alice was still gesturing, Ovira quietly stopped wielding her quill, Medion's mouth was slightly open, the werewolf girl Selena tilted her head to look at Linger, then at Arnor, and Edwin's rock flute, which had just been brought to his lips, also stopped. The sudden silence made Arnor feel like he was the center of a story, being watched by countless eyes, which wasn't a pleasant experience. Perhaps he was just not suited for such occasions, Arnor chuckled self-deprecatingly.

“As you expected, Mr. Ling.” The man’s tone was strained, and it was clear that he was reluctant to say the next piece of news, or at least not from his own mouth: “The news has come back from the mine. It was Lady Cheryl who gave the order. She requires us to abandon the search for Nibelungen and return immediately.”

The moment the words left his lips, only the occasional crackling of burning firewood remained around the campfire. Everyone seemed surprised by the sudden news, or perhaps they hadn't expected it to come so abruptly, and for a moment they forgot to react. Only Ling Ge paused for a moment, then quickly recovered. He casually added a firestone to the fire, causing the already rising flames to leap even higher, and asked unhurriedly, "In that case, may I inquire about the specific reasons? Although this deal was originally proposed by Miss Cheryl, and the final decision rests with her, we have indeed put in some effort for this trip, and I believe we have the right to know. Moreover, the clues to Nibelungen are right before our eyes; I think Miss Cheryl wouldn't speak without reason, would she?"

“Of course.” Arnor smiled wryly, not finding Ling’s attitude aggressive. After all, when he first received this reply, his reaction was even more excited than Arnor’s. Of course, the final reason was also difficult for Arnor to refute: “A few days ago, the Imperial Army broke through the Mikkelsen Corridor and then invaded the Atoliga Province. They are currently in a standoff with the Imperial Army. Although both sides are preparing for a new war, they do not seem to be fighting each other. Rather, it seems that they have reached some kind of tacit understanding and are both pointing their spearheads at the Holy War Army. At present, the Feather Mine and Blackfire Fortress are conducting pre-war mobilization. Lady Cheryl hopes that we can also return immediately to prepare for the upcoming war.”

Give me some cats