Alice in the Land of Steam

Chapter 1414 What was left unsaid?

Alice was late in the end.

Inside the command center of Blackfire Fortress, the atmosphere was heavy as iron. A massive map of the Feather Mine and its surrounding area hung on the rough stone walls, and the flickering light of kerosene lamps cast swaying shadows on the desks, illuminating tense profiles. When Alice followed Arnor into the meeting room, it was already packed with people—commanders of various units, logistics officers, intelligence officers, and Cheryl, the nominal leader of the Holy War Army.

When Alice rushed in, the meeting seemed to have been going on for some time, and the atmosphere was quite tense. The attendees were either frowning or deep in thought, so they didn't notice her sudden intrusion. Cheryl stood before the tactical map, her posture ramrod straight. Her once simple dress had been replaced by a crisp, dark gray military uniform, which made her gaze appear sharp as an eagle's. She didn't pause because Alice was late; she merely nodded slightly to indicate that Alice should sit down, and then continued issuing instructions in a clear and steady tone.

"All mining garrison teams in the shallow area shall immediately abandon their original missions and proceed to the first to fifth mining areas on the surface to conduct defense and vigilance, covering the line from the eastern pass to the water channel, and guarding against enemy spies who may secretly infiltrate and attack the water source." She pointed to a spot on the map, "If there are any enemy traces, immediately sound the alarm, with the main purpose of disturbing and scaring away the enemy."

Most of the mineral resources in the Feather Mine are buried deep underground, but some veins also exist on the surface. Of course, compared to the mineral output in the mine, they are negligible, and their locations are relatively scattered. Therefore, whether during the Imperial Army's occupation or the Jihad Army's rule, the attitude towards these resources was to let them fend for themselves. The Imperials abandoned slaves and laborers who were too sick to continue working underground, or political prisoners who could bribe overseers, in the surface mines to fend for themselves; the Jihad Army handed them over to the Blackfire Fortress, where Commander Kylo built rudimentary fortifications, with only two or three teams rotating to garrison them.

With war looming, the Feather Mine, located behind the fortress, is temporarily safe, so it's crucial to focus even more on its outer defenses. The mining garrison in the flat zone is responsible for evacuating residents, while the mining garrison in the deep well zone is responsible for guarding against underground monsters and hostile subterranean races, preventing them from taking advantage of the chaos after the war breaks out. This task naturally falls to the mining garrison in the shallow zone.

"Yes!" A weathered commander stood up and accepted the order without hesitation.

“Engineering Corps,” Cheryl turned to the other side, “stop all non-essential construction, concentrate manpower and resources to reinforce the fortifications in the east and north of the fortress, especially the north, where the Axis forces are very likely to launch an attack. Simple fortifications cannot withstand the bombardment of magic cannons. At the same time, set up sentry posts on the outer high ground—I need you to complete this task within three days.”

"Understood." The commander of the engineering corps quickly wrote down the leader's instructions. Although the task was arduous, his eyes did not waver in the slightest.

“Intelligence team,” Cheryl turned to a young man in a grey cloak. Like Kalia, he was a dark elf, a race that had always been discriminated against by the mainstream races of the Eastern Continent, or could only find refuge in the primitive and desolate lands of Atoliga. “According to reports from the garrison in the buffer zone, some suspicious individuals have appeared in the combat area, and some of the bolder ones have even reached the edge of the mountain pass. Take your men and clear them out. Don’t give them the opportunity to spy on us without restraint. If possible, try to find out their origins, which faction they belong to, whether they are from the Axis powers or the Imperial Army, their unit numbers, and their objectives. I believe you have the information.”

"I will definitely do it." The man in gray bowed his head respectfully.

“Medical team and supplies dispatch office,” she said, her gaze sweeping over several female officers in the corner, “all first aid stations will be moved to the mine entrance. Reserved hemostatic herbs and bandages will be doubled and distributed to each action team. Any wounded must be evacuated via the west tunnel—not through the main square, to avoid unsettling the public. Also, if medicine is insufficient, we can purchase it from Miss Siesta of the Fairy Sleep Inn. This has already been discussed with her. What is your opinion, Miss Alice?”

She suddenly turned her gaze to Alice, who was slightly taken aback. After realizing what she meant, she quickly nodded in agreement and, on a whim, added, "We will sell it at market price."

Although no one knows exactly what the market price is.

Cheryl couldn't help but laugh, but quickly straightened her face and nodded, saying, "Thank you for your understanding, Miss Alice. Furthermore, the mobility and altitude of the Cloud Whale Sky Island are our most important reconnaissance advantage at present. Please assist Miss Ietta in patrolling at near-ground altitude, focusing on monitoring the eastern canyon and the northern wasteland. I will have the mobile forces provide ground support. If it is a small-scale enemy situation, the ground forces will engage them and eliminate or drive them away; if it is a large-scale enemy situation, I may have to trouble you to take action and temporarily hold off the enemy before our forces arrive."

Given the size and speed of the Cloud Whale Sky Island, unless it's the Imperial air force or the Axis mechs deployed in full force, it shouldn't encounter any situations it can't handle. Besides, this was a pre-arranged cooperation, so Alice agreed without any psychological pressure: "No problem, leave it to us!"

Cheryl nodded slightly, said no more, and went on to assign other tasks. The atmosphere in the command room, however, was noticeably more invigorated. Many people cast kind and grateful glances at Alice, exchanging smiles and greetings when their eyes met. Clearly, Cloud Whale Sky Island's actions in stepping forward in this time of crisis had won the favor of these holy war warriors, and the reinforcement of air power filled them with confidence in the war.

This is what they call morale.

As Alice reflected on her thoughts, Cheryl's voice continued calmly in the command room, her fingers moving rapidly across the map, as if she had already mentally rehearsed countless possibilities of war. She methodically assigned tasks, adjusted defenses, and predicted enemy attack directions. Those who received their assignments rose one by one to accept their orders and left the command room to carry out their respective tasks, without any hesitation. After the hour-and-a-half-long meeting, only Cheryl and Alice remained. Even Arnor had received his assignment and was leading his team on a reconnaissance mission.

Staring at the empty command room, Alice was somewhat stunned, realizing she hadn't offered any opinions and had merely been an observer. If meetings were always like this, no wonder Ling had entrusted the task to her; it was incredibly easy. She didn't realize that this was actually Cheryl's doing. Though naive by nature, Cheryl was, after all, the leader of the Holy War Army, and had held that position for over half a century, far exceeding the reigns of most secular monarchs. Before she took over, the Assyrian Holy War had failed, and the Holy War Army's ideals were on the verge of collapse; half a century later, the Holy War Army regime, once predicted to be short-lived, had established itself in the Feather Mine, possessing its own fortress, city, inhabitants, production bases, and army…

Moreover, sometimes, remaining silent is the wisest course of action. Maintaining a cautious respect for areas one is unfamiliar with is a rare and valuable quality. If Alice, relying on her status as the Holy War's only ally, were to interfere with Cheryl's strategic plans, the latter would likely find it more troublesome. At this moment, Alice's silence and cooperation were seen by Cheryl as proof of rationality.

Based on this, she had a good impression of Alice. Seeing that the girl was still standing there after the meeting, she gently reminded her, "The meeting is over, Miss Alice. Or, do you have any questions for me?" "No, no," Alice quickly shook her head. "I think your arrangements were perfect. I have nothing to add."

She said this deliberately to make it seem like she actually knew a lot, at least on par with Cheryl. The latter, however, didn't see through the genius player's little trick and nodded slightly, saying, "It's great that you understand. By the way, if you're going back to Cloud Whale Sky Island, please tell Miss Ietta for me that I'm very grateful for her help and will definitely repay her in the future."

"..." Alice pondered for a moment before realizing that she wasn't referring to Ieta piloting the Cloud Whale Sky Island into battle, but rather to Ieta refusing the Fairy Sword Hydras as payment. Thinking of this, the genius player felt a pang of shame; after all, just moments before, she had been urging Ieta to accept, albeit in jest.

Thinking of this, Alice immediately put on a righteous expression: "There's no need for that, Miss Cheryl. We are willing to help only because we can't stand the tyranny of the Imperial Army and can't bear to see the Axis powers going against the tide. It's an act of justice! If we were to ask for compensation for this, wouldn't that be taking advantage of someone in distress? We would never do such a despicable thing!"

Cheryl stared at her for a while, her gaze somewhat strange. She could naturally tell that Alice's righteousness and sense of justice were all an act, but beneath that clumsy performance lay a few genuine emotions, making it difficult for Cheryl to discern what this eccentric blonde girl was really thinking.

Alice didn't know either.

If it were the old her, the one who once considered the title of "genius player" an honor, she would have equated "accepting a quest" with "receiving payment," deeming it perfectly reasonable. After all, what game completes a quest without reward? But now she understands that some things must be done even without payment, or rather, the payment isn't tangible, but merely to quell her anger and make amends for past regrets. Ever since Themis and Saint Sharia of the Celestial Realm departed, a fire has burned within the genius player's heart. If it cannot be extinguished, then everything she has done in the past will be meaningless.

Cheryl also saw the fire, which was not quite the same as her own, but the strong desire and the idea of ​​changing the world at all costs were the same. She couldn't help but exclaim, "You are a very special person, Miss Alice."

Before Alice could even comprehend why she was being praised, Cheryl deftly drew her fairy sword, Hydras, from her waist. The sword's gleaming blade reflected the room's lights, revealing a pair of deep, unseen eyes: "Someone as special as you was destined to be born into this world to fulfill a mission. This mission fills you with courage and fearlessness, but it can sometimes lead to serious consequences. If one day you find yourself forced to make a choice, please remember how you felt at that moment and firmly believe in one thing..."

Perhaps it was her familiar tone, or perhaps Alice had heard similar remarks somewhere before, but everything in this world seemed to be in a strange cycle: what happened in the past was happening now; what happened now would happen in the future. Alice didn't feel trapped in a cycle, but rather felt guided by fate, and couldn't help but ask, "Will sincere feelings never hurt anyone?"

Cheryl paused for a moment, then smiled and shook her head: "That statement is certainly true, but that's not what I want to say. Rather—" She gently placed the hilt of her sword against her chest, her tone becoming solemn: "Trust your own heart, for that is the source of all courage and wisdom."

Then she put down her sword and smiled at Alice: "It is said that when the fairies of Assyria in Paradise entrusted the sword they had painstakingly forged to Lady Italos, asking her to slay the evil dragon, Lady Italos initially doubted whether she could do it, but it was Lady Sidras's words that strengthened her resolve."

It turns out to be a famous quote.

Alice said thoughtfully, "This was something you experienced firsthand, wasn't it, Miss Cheryl?"

"I suppose so," Cheryl replied succinctly, sheathing her sword.

“I will keep that in mind.” Alice accepted the kind advice, and Cheryl was clearly pleased. Her smile reminded the genius player once again of the person who had left, and a heavy feeling welled up in his heart. He then took his leave. But before leaving, Alice also gave Cheryl a piece of advice: “You look very tired. Please take care of yourself.”

She subtly changed how she addressed Cheryl. Previously, she hadn't used a respectful title because she still treated Cheryl as a peer. Although there was a half-century generation gap between them, it was still within an acceptable range compared to the lifespan of a young queen who often lived for hundreds of years. Now, she changed her address because she suddenly realized that this gray-haired girl, besides her age and personality, actually had many respectable qualities.

“I have a friend who used to be like you, always thinking of those around her, but forgetting to consider herself,” the genius player said softly. “I should have cared about her, but I never managed to say it. So I always thought, if there’s another chance…”

That's where it ended, and there was no further explanation.

Because fate has no "what ifs," Alice's story naturally ends there.

Give me some cats