Alice in the Land of Steam

Is this a standard arrogant statement from Chapter 1419?
“I’m starting to have some doubts now.” After a long silence, the countess was the first to speak: “Perhaps this is a mistake. Of course, I don’t mean to question you, Ling, but something as dangerous as this is better off lying dormant underground. If it were to reappear, who knows what kind of trouble it would cause.”

With the ancient Atoligarian lands rife with turmoil caused by the Holy Grail, and the lessons of the Grey Fungus tribe right before our eyes, the Countess's words were not entirely unfounded. It's just that older people tend to view things with the most conservative attitude: "It's not too late to give up now. At least, knowing its origin and whereabouts is enough to justify all the effort we've put in along the way."

The term "sunk cost" already exists in this era. Although the Countess was not a professional economist, she had learned the principle of "stopping losses in time" from her many years of social experience without being taught.

"But then... what about the war?"

Selena shifted uncomfortably, feeling extremely uncomfortable despite sitting on the smooth, flat floor. The werewolf girl carried the weight of both the mission of her leader and the responsibility of her companions. Long before news of the war arrived, when her closest friends and even those not directly involved decided to return to the Great Mine to support the war effort, she, being the youngest, was left behind and could only watch the Cloud Whale Sky Island disappear into the distance, secretly vowed that she would not let everyone down, that she would find the Nibelungen, and that she would pilot this skyship to descend from the sky at the most critical moment of the battle to save her companions, friends, and family.

She didn't aspire to be a hero; she simply had things she wanted to do and had to do.

Now, with the legendary remains so close, and seemingly only one step away from unveiling the mysteries of history, she was unwilling to give up here. Similarly, she wasn't afraid of being crushed by those heavy expectations, but rather afraid of one day suddenly hearing the devastating news that the Feather Mine had been captured by the enemy, only then regretting why she hadn't persevered now.

"The matter of war," the countess glanced at her and said slowly, "should naturally be left to people to handle. After all, no matter how powerful a weapon is, it is ultimately used by people. The Nibelungen is a good weapon, but its side effects are also significant. I don't think the Holy War Army can become its users. The so-called power of 'making your wishes come true' is not so easy to master."

"Lady Cheryl can definitely do it!"

Serena finally found a point to refute and immediately pointed it out, raising her voice unconsciously as if doing so would make her seem more reasonable: "Didn't Lady Cheryl say that she wouldn't rely on the power of the Holy Grail, but only wanted to use the Nibelungen as a purest weapon of war? After the war, she would send it back to the paradise of Assyria and purify it with the tears of the goddess, then there wouldn't be any problem, right?"

Neville nodded slightly: "If that is indeed the case."

Serena, believing she was questioning the leader of the Holy War Army, retorted angrily, "Lady Cheryl would never lie!"

The countess, of course, wouldn't hold a grudge against the little girl. She simply smiled and said, "Alright, let's assume that's the case and discuss its feasibility again based on that premise. Selena, do you think that with the help of the Nibelungs, the Holy War Army will definitely win this war?"

"Isn't this—" Isn't this something that should be taken for granted?

Selena almost blurted it out, but the words caught in her throat as she suddenly realized that no matter how confident she was, it was still an uncertain matter.

"It seems you've already realized that, in terms of sheer strength, the Holy War Army is no match for either the Empire or the Axis powers; it can only hope to survive in the cracks. If the two were to unite, the disparity in strength would be even greater, and even if we were willing to lend a hand, we couldn't guarantee victory."

The Countess meant no harm, merely offering an objective and rational analysis. While the Holy War Army's chances of victory would certainly be slightly greater with the help of Ling's group, they remained slim. The Cloud Whale Sky Island merely supplemented their lack of air power, unable to decisively influence the ground battle. While Hino was invincible, she could only decide the outcome of a single battle or campaign. War itself consisted of countless small-scale battles and large-scale campaigns, all interconnected. Without influencing the overall situation, the outcome could not be changed. Moreover, the Witch Society was not without ways to restrain the Victorious King—or at least to control her, just as Caraboss had used the Alien Philosopher in space to distract Hino from the main battlefield. Behind the scenes of this war, a mysterious construct remained unrevealed. Neville was certain it hadn't left, lying in wait for a fatal moment.

Everyone understands the logic, but it might be hard to accept. Ling and Ovira remained silent, while the little bat stared blankly, lost in thought.

“Let’s assume the best-case scenario: the Holy War Army doesn’t collapse under the enemy’s offensive, but instead survives the most difficult phase of the early stages of the war, and then, relying on the Blackfire Fortress’s defenses and the terrain of the Feather Mine, it achieves a stalemate with the Empire and the Axis powers’ armies. But do you think this outcome is acceptable?” Neville asked Selena, who silently shook her head.

Naturally, this is unacceptable.

Because time is never on the side of the Holy War Army, they lack the resources for a long-term struggle. In particular, one of their two opponents is the oldest and most powerful empire in the Eastern Continent, which, although now corrupt, is not entirely empty inside and still has a strong appeal and control. The other is a colonial alliance composed of a group of powerful countries in the Western Continent, which has also received technical and logistical support from the Witch Society. As long as there are still fleets from the Western Continent traveling in the five seas and four oceans, their army cannot die from exhaustion.

In this long and hopeless stalemate, only the Jihadist Army was completely passive, with its logistics, manpower, and most importantly, morale all inevitably declining. But for a resistance regime that fights purely on ideals and beliefs, once morale is lost, destruction is inevitable.

"Faced with such a desperate situation, even the most resolute will inevitably waver or even despair. And if, at this moment, a Holy Grail appeared before them, a wish that could become reality simply by making a wish, could they suppress the trembling in their hearts, preferring to accept defeat rather than succumb to this temptation from the abyss... Even if Miss Cheryl is calm enough and unmoved by external things, can you guarantee that everyone in the Holy War Army is as resolute as she is? You know, praying to the gods is a mortal instinct..." The Countess gave Selena a meaningful look. The latter was speechless, her lips trembling for a while before she could only utter bland words like "It won't be like that" or "I believe in everyone," which were less of a rebuttal and more of a self-comforting statement.

The mushroom people of the Mushroom Power Tribe, desperate to change their circumstances, knowing full well that what fell from the sky was no blessing, still yearned to offer their faith to the gods in exchange for power and authority. Ultimately, however, they became an outcast, rejected by their own kind. Can you call them foolish? At least not in the primitive, wild, and theologically driven continent of Eastern Empire. The long-standing, savage religious culture had become deeply ingrained in their hearts, making them believe that kneeling and praying to gods was not a sign of humility, and that paying a price and receiving a reward naturally conformed to the principle of equivalent exchange. Whether righteous, evil, malevolent, or false, all gods could find their followers on this continent. The relationship wasn't one of exploitation, but rather one of mutual parasitism.

The two generations of Assyrian spirits and the elven sword Hydras, devoted their lives to their ideals, exhausting their hearts and energy, passionately and tirelessly fighting for the right to freedom for the people of this land. Half a century passed before the holy war army and the people under its rule were barely convinced that mortal faith could have a healthier state, such as faith in a great and benevolent creator goddess who is neither good nor evil, impartial and unbiased, giving everything without asking for anything in return, and encouraging living beings to explore their own potential, rather than entrusting their souls to a more powerful person and willingly becoming prisoners.

Could it be that after all the fighting and struggle of the Holy War Army, and the long journey along this path with its lofty ideals, all it has to do is make everyone kneel and pray before the statue of the god, begging Him to grant them a glimmer of hope in their despair? The thought of such a future suffocated Selena, and what she found even more repulsive was that the person who would take back the relic of the evil god as their last hope might very well be herself.

Selena kept her head down, her light gray wolf ears drooping listlessly. She had never thought much about it. When Arnor and the other companions solemnly handed the task to her, the werewolf girl felt only excitement and joy. She felt that she had finally been recognized and was worthy of being entrusted with such a heavy responsibility, instead of being always well protected because she was the youngest, as before.

In fact, compared to her peers, Selena is indeed quite mature. However, she lacks certain precious emotions, such as the courage to face setbacks and the wisdom to plan ahead. These are the very flaws that the Countess pointed out, which the Countess had only come to understand after a long life in the world and was now generously sharing.

“I…I don’t know…” Selena’s voice was barely audible, empty and blank. “I just thought, maybe this would be better…”

Navra said softly, "It's also possible that it's wrong."

"I think Grandma is wrong!"

Leticia, who had been quietly standing beside Neville, suddenly raised her head and forcefully interrupted their conversation, her crimson eyes revealing a completely different kind of determination. It was a strong desire to express her opinion and absolute confidence in her own viewpoint: "Isn't considering the consequences something only those who survive are qualified to do? And the enemy is right in front of us, and so powerful. In that case, we should seize every bit of strength, no matter what the consequences may be, it's better than doing nothing and admitting defeat, isn't it?"

Neville looked at her granddaughter with some surprise. Leticia rarely contradicted her so directly, especially on such an important matter. But the countess wasn't angry; instead, she shook her head slightly: "Your thinking is too radical, Leticia..."

"No way! This is clearly a principle Grandma taught me!" Leticia seemed a little angry, and her voice rose slightly with agitation. "Grandma told me that survival is the most important thing, more important than anything else in the world. Only by surviving can you have the right to think about the future! So, it's allowed to struggle desperately for it, and it's not wrong to use any means necessary, as long as you don't cross your bottom line! How could you forget what Grandma said?"

Neville was stunned by these words, only now recalling that it was indeed true. It was back when the grandmother and granddaughter were still living in the Void Root Swamp. She didn't want Leticia's secret of resurrection to be exposed, attracting the attention and covetousness of the swamp's anomalies and even the cult, so she spoke those words to her. Before this, the little bat's personality was somewhat extreme; she always relied on her immortality to do dangerous things, frequently talking about killing and death as if they were insignificant. It wasn't until Neville warned her that she became somewhat more restrained.

But Neville never expected that she would remember it until now.

“It’s different, Leticia,” the Countess replied instinctively. “Things are different now than before…”

“Nothing’s different!” the little bat concluded confidently. “It’s the same! This world has never changed. Whether it’s the past, present, or future, what we have to do is always the same. Don’t you understand this, Grandma?”

Neville fell silent. She never expected that she would be lectured by her granddaughter, let alone that Leticia would utter such philosophical words. Should she feel bitter or relieved? In short, it was very complicated.

"Leticia!" Serena was moved to tears, never expecting that Leticia would stand by her side, even arguing with her grandmother for it.

Leticia felt the burning gaze behind her, and her back tensed involuntarily, but she still stubbornly raised her head and refused to turn around: "Don't misunderstand, I'm not helping you, I'm just stating my thoughts."

"Such a standard arrogant statement," Lin Ge thought to himself.

　Give me some cats
　　(End of this chapter)