Alice in the Land of Steam

Chapter 1422 Is there no reason not to use it?

At the same moment, on the Cloud Whale Sky Island, someone was also gazing up at the moonlight tonight.

Alice stood on a high hill, letting the cool clouds brush against her fingertips. She was so close to the sky, so close that it seemed she could reach out and touch the moon. The full moon, like an ice crystal, hung low, almost embedded in the dark blue sky. Its moonlight flowed like a waterfall, dyeing the surging clouds a bright pearl color and a cold steel blue.

She bent down to look.

Below the floating island, the sea of ​​clouds resembled an endless snowfield, yet through the gaps where moonlight couldn't reach, the true face of the earth was revealed: on the desolate Atoliga Plain, the Blackfire Fortress of the Holy War Army stood like the spine of a colossal beast, its watchtower lights colder than fireflies. Further away, the tunnels of the Feather Mine stretched deep into the earth like festering scars, ore carts screeching on the tracks, and the faint sound of metal striking stone walls carried on the night wind—the tireless work of thousands of engineers expanding their fortifications day and night, in preparation for the inevitable war, the exact time of which was unknown.

The tranquility of the sky, the desolation of the ground; the gentle moonlight, the silent fortress; the boundless sea of ​​clouds, the horizon blocked by mountains; the free-flying birds, and the brewing slaughter... everything is orderly, as if it has never disappeared.

Alice withdrew her gaze, exhaled softly, and the white mist quickly dissipated into the clouds. At that moment, she couldn't help but think of her companions far away, perhaps deep underground, gazing at the night sky just as she did. But all she could see underground were endless, dark layers of rock. Did stars twinkle in that unbelievably distant world? Perhaps they did, for life, no matter when or where, always chases the light.

The echoes of the sea of ​​clouds were like the tides, and Alice's ears caught a slight movement, as if someone was walking silently on the green grass, approaching her without a sound.

But this couldn't be hidden from Alice.

With an almost instinctive premonition, she could clearly see how far away the person was, what their expression was, and what their purpose was in approaching her, as if they were all reflected in the same mirror without any flaws.

Although she was reluctant to admit it, she felt it might be related to her game console. After the console broke, she lost the power she had always relied on, and no longer possessed the pride and confidence of a genius gamer. However, she also shed a heavy burden, and could re-examine everything she had until she understood its true meaning.

Perhaps one only grows after losing something; this clichéd formula is an eternal truth. By reflecting, understanding, and trying in this way, Alice will one day emerge from the shadows and become a true player—one who fights not with the power of a game console, but with her own intuition, wisdom, and courage.
Unfortunately, she didn't live to see that day.

It wasn't because she lacked patience, but because time was never on her side.

Alice turned around and her gaze fell on the person who had just arrived.

The moonlight illuminated the figure of the newcomer. The girl with crystal-clear hair and bright eyes wore a slightly oversized alchemist's robe, which, though old, was very neat, just like the one Alice wore when she first met her in the seaside city of Lotdana. Her eyes were so clear that they seemed to reflect the outlines of the clouds and the moonlight. At this moment, they were slightly wide open because her prank had failed, and then they curved into crescents.

It's Rorona.

"Oh dear, we've been caught?" She wasn't embarrassed at all by being caught. Instead, she scratched her cheek with her index finger and stuck out her tongue. "I thought I could scare you, Alice. When did you become so perceptive?"

“I’ve always been very perceptive.” Alice raised her index finger at her and shook it casually. “So your pranks won’t work on me, Lorena.”

"Not always."

The alchemist remained unmoved by the provocation of the genius player, and said with a smile, "I just haven't shown my true skill yet. Out of kindness, I don't want to undermine your confidence too much."

Alice felt these words sounded strangely familiar, and after thinking about it carefully, she realized that she also liked to say such trashy things.

I used to be so arrogant.

She sighed silently, unaware that she had unknowingly separated herself from the character of "Alice," from the genius player who initially arrived in this world believing it was all a game setting, to the Alice who now realized it was an undeniable reality, yet was even more confused because of it. This shift in mindset was undoubtedly a sign that she was integrating into this world. In fact, she should have done so long ago, given her status as a young queen, a child of a goddess, and naturally a favorite of the universe and its laws—whether in the old world of Eden or the new world of Mirror Star.

A sense of belonging is not something that can be achieved overnight; it can only be cultivated slowly. The dramatic changes that occurred in Alice were also due to everything she experienced in this world, the companions she met, and the stories she wrote herself. Of course, the most important thing was undoubtedly the successive departures of the two people who occupied an important place in her life, which brought her great shock and fear. It was like being encased in a hard eggshell, only to have it violently shattered from the outside one day, allowing her to see the world outside the egg for the first time. Everything was like the beginning of chaos, a new beginning for all things.

Lorena's voice snapped her out of her reverie.

"So, it's so late, what brings you here, Alice?" The alchemist glanced at the moon in the night sky. The silver moon, which had been hanging high in the sky, had quietly disappeared into the depths of the sea of ​​clouds, with only the sparse moonlight remaining as evidence of its existence. "If there's nothing else, you should go back and rest. Staying up late is not good for you."

"You didn't rest either?" Alice pouted.

“That’s because I have important things to do. Otherwise, do you think I’d enjoy staying up all night?” As she spoke, Rorona deliberately showed Alice her dark circles, indicating that she had been working diligently, so busy that she hadn’t had time to rest. This was a commission from the Holy War Army. To prepare for the upcoming war, Cheryl and her comrades were working intensively on pre-war preparations, the most crucial of which was logistics. Regarding weapons, armor, and armaments, the Feather Mine already had a good supply of raw materials and a forging base, so there wasn’t a shortage. For the past half-century, Cheryl had also intentionally stockpiled food through private trade and resource exchanges, so she wasn’t too worried about food. As for medical supplies, the previously somewhat meager reserves of medicine were now barely enough after receiving help from the Fairy Sleep Inn, at least enough to sustain the war effort.

The only thing the Jihad Army lacked was the support of supernatural forces.

Within the entire Holy War Army, very few people possess supernatural powers, and most of them are officers. This makes them even more sparsely populated when they are dispersed among various units. They cannot form a dedicated supernatural army, knightly order, or mage order like the Empire. As for alchemical items or holy relics, they dare not even dream of them and have no way of obtaining them. The Empire has implemented the strictest blockade system in this regard, never allowing any supernatural items to enter the Holy War Army's territory. This is because those in power know that even with weapons, armor, armaments, and food, the Holy War Army is nothing more than a rebellious force in a remote corner. But if they obtain their own supernatural powers, they will truly have the strength to threaten the province of Atoliga.

In the end, the only extraordinary power that the Holy War Army could rely on was Cheryl, the leader who wielded the fairy sword Hydras. But even if she could unleash the combat power of a demigod or even a true god, she was not considered a threat in the eyes of the Empire. Every imperial army that went to war had at least two demigod powerhouses accompanying them to oversee the overall situation.

In terms of extraordinary power, the oldest Yaras United Empire undoubtedly possesses the deepest foundation in the Eastern Continent, perhaps only comparable to the Holy Kingdom of Nordorne, which inherited the spiritual legacy of the Spirit Prayer Society.

The Western Continent's control over magical technology wasn't as tight; they only prohibited researchers and technical data from leaking out, while finished products could be purchased directly. In the past, the Holy War Army used clandestine smuggling channels and abundant rare minerals to acquire a considerable amount of magical weaponry from the Western Continent to strengthen and reinforce the Blackfire Fortress's defenses. But this was far from enough. To address the Holy War Army's weakness in the supernatural realm, Cheryl, upon learning that Rorona was a seasoned alchemist (as she claimed), personally visited her, requesting that she craft some alchemical tools to aid the Holy War Army in the war effort, willing to pay any price for it.

Lorona readily agreed to her request, asking for only a small amount of rare ores that the Holy War Army had mined from the Feather Mine, as the princess's need for such items was not great. She hadn't even finished using her private treasury, which contained alchemical materials she had accumulated over her life through various means. Nereides had already amassed considerable wealth through trade with terrestrial merchants, and Lorona was the city's most favored princess. It was no exaggeration to say that even her private treasury alone would have been enough to support the Holy War Army throughout the war.

Of course, she could not do that, and Cheryl could not accept it either. Lorna's understanding had already moved her deeply, but to be so generous without expecting anything in return would not be the courtesy of a friend, but rather an insult.

After accepting the Holy War Army's commission, Rorona locked herself in the alchemy workshop for several days to prepare for the upcoming war, with Sheria even delivering her three meals a day. According to the bartender, every time she came over, she saw Rorona busy at the alchemy cauldron, her posture and movements exactly the same as when she last visited, making one wonder if time had never passed, but had frozen in this moment.

Therefore, Princess Sea-Dweller's claim of being busy was perfectly reasonable, which made Alice feel quite ashamed, as if she had become the idle person Rorona described, even though she had never said that.

"Actually, I came to see you because I have something important to discuss."

The genius player muttered in defense of himself, "You should know, right? Before Lin Ge left, he said that everyone should listen to me, right? Of course, I was originally the leader of this team... well, at least one of the leaders, so there's nothing wrong with everyone listening to me. But because I'm the leader, I have to be responsible for a lot of troublesome things, such as negotiating, communicating, attending the Holy War Army's pre-war meetings, and so on."

"Ahem." Rorona interrupted Alice's rambling, reminding her, "Get to the point."

"Oh, oh!" Alice nodded quickly, forcefully steer the conversation to the main point: "The main point is, I went to the Holy War Army's pre-war meeting today and found that Miss Cheryl didn't seem very confident, because the situation is indeed very serious. So I was thinking, could I do something to change the outcome of this war? Even if I can't be like Hino, winning every battle, I should at least play my part! But you know, um... my role is entirely on the game console..."

Alice hesitated for a moment, but ultimately reluctantly admitted it. It wasn't until she lost the game console that she realized she wasn't like Linger, who could always remain calm and analyze situations; unlike Xia, who could soothe people and mediate conflicts; unlike Ovira, who was good at gathering intelligence and building confidence... It seemed like she couldn't do anything after losing the game console.

“So,” Lorena didn’t deny it, but looked at the genius player, or rather, the girl who once called herself a genius player, with great interest, “what do you want to do?”

"Since my purpose is to repair game consoles, then what I want to do is, of course, fix game consoles!"

Alice's expression turned solemn, so serious that she seemed unlike the Alice Rorona remembered: "The damage to the game console is essentially a restriction on royal power, and the root cause of this restriction lies in the trauma to the soul. Repairing this trauma will fix the game console and allow us to continue using the power of the fantasy royal power. We already verified this last time..."

“Yes.” Lorena nodded gently. “Therefore, the Tears of the Goddess of Assyria in Paradise Village has a high probability of helping you regain this power. We have already mentioned this conclusion last time.”

“But I can’t wait until then, I want to…make a difference right now.”

Alice took a deep breath. It wasn't easy to confess her anxiety and unease to someone, but she had no choice at this moment: "So, Rorona, give me that kind of medicine from last time?"

"It's that kind of drug... that can stimulate the soul. Didn't we already verify its effects last time?"

"Since it is effective."

"Then there's no reason not to use it."

Give me some cats