Alice in the Land of Steam

Chapter 1429 Will they be back soon?

Even if it were a mass-produced machine, it would still be an unattainable goal for the Holy War Army.

Listening to Alice's teasing, Arnor's gaze inadvertently swept over the cassette at her waist. The silver-white metal gleamed coldly in the sunlight, as if it contained a near-divine power not belonging to this battlefield. He couldn't help but recall the battle just now, how the mecha named "Celestial Realm" tore through the Imperial Army's formation with elegant yet deadly movements, and how the floating light cannons circled like stars, precisely crushing every threat.

Such power is something the Holy War Army wouldn't even dare to dream of.

"...We can't even build the most basic magic engine," he sighed silently to himself.

Although they possessed raw materials and mastered the techniques of smelting and processing, they lacked professional alchemists and technicians. The Axis powers strictly guarded against key technologies in magical engineering, and the Empire forbade the flow of magical devices into the Atorica province. Under these heavy blockades, despite its unique advantages, the Feather Mine was unable to build its own industrial system, let alone develop specialized war vehicles like construct soldiers.

Alice caught a glimpse of his fleeting disappointment.

The genius player, who already had a deep understanding of people's hearts, vaguely guessed why this man, who was so loyal to the Holy War Army and their ideal cause, was so disappointed. She scratched the back of her blonde hair and showed a rare hint of hesitation.

But she didn't hesitate for long before making up her mind: if she wanted to say something, she should say it in time; if she kept hesitating, it would be too late someday. This was a lesson she had learned from experience. Besides, even if others—like Rorona—blamed her, she could say that she had accidentally let it slip. After all, that was always her persona: careless, absent-minded, and easygoing. Everyone should be able to understand.

and so.

"You're not thinking that even mass-produced machines are technology the Holy War Army will never use in its lifetime, are you?" Alice noticed the surprise and confusion on Arnor's face and lowered her voice, as if sharing a secret that shouldn't be overheard by too many people. "Don't ask me how I know, just assume I guessed. Anyway, your worries are unnecessary. I estimate that soon the Holy War Army will be able to use its own construct mechs—hmm, that name doesn't sound good, how about changing it to... Holy War Armor?"

"Doesn't seem very good?" This was the first thought that crossed Arnor's mind, but he quickly dismissed it. He eagerly pressed on, "Is it true, Miss Alice? Where did you get this information? Could it be that Lady Cheryl successfully bypassed the Empire's blockade and made a deal with the Axis powers... No, the Axis powers are about to go to war with us, how could they possibly be doing business with the Holy War Army? Besides, they never sell core weapons like construct units..."

"Don't overthink it," Alice interrupted his reverie. "Couldn't it have been developed by ourselves?"

"Self-developed? Miss Alice, are you kidding me? We, the Holy War Army, don't have that kind of talent..."

"Although it wasn't developed by the Holy War Army, you at least provided the materials, so you've contributed your share. Don't forget how I got the Celestial Realm that I'm piloting now."

After she made it so clear, Arnor finally realized: "You mean Miss Rorona?"

“Hmm.” Alice shrugged. “Lorona said she got more inspiration while building the Celestial, and decided to use it as a prototype to develop more models of mechs for the Holy War Army. But don’t get your hopes up too high. After all, she made them by hand, so her efficiency is low and the number won’t be large. Secondly, even if the new mechs are the same as the Celestial, they won’t be able to perform as well as mine in your hands.”

Arnor, however, had already started to laugh, a laugh that carried a sense of relief and ease.

“That’s enough, Miss Alice,” he said softly, his gaze firm. “You said we shouldn’t have too much hope, which is exactly what the Holy War Army does best, because we’ve always come this far without any hope.”

Therefore, even the slightest hope is a miracle for these people struggling in the dark underground and endless yellow sand.

As for Alice's claim that the same mech wouldn't perform as well in the hands of the Holy War Army, Arnor didn't take it to heart, dismissing it as mere boasting. After some time getting to know her, he had already discovered that this girl, nicknamed "Genius Player," seemed to be quite flamboyant at heart, always eager to boast and show off. Although she had temporarily suppressed her true nature for various reasons, the aura she exuded didn't lie, and Arnor was always very confident in his judgment of people.

Just like she had just dismissively referred to the Axis machine gunners as mass-produced machines.

But Alice wasn't exaggerating; she was simply stating the facts.

The biggest difference between the Celestial Mechs and the Axis powers' constructs is that the Celestial Mechs are not powered by an external energy source. In other words, they lack a power unit similar to a magic reactor, and their performance, durability, and combat time depend entirely on the pilot's magic power. To put it another way, the pilot is essentially the engine. Alice, as the pilot of the Celestial Mech, has an irreplaceable innate advantage: she is a young queen.

The soul of the young queen contains immense magical power, the foundation of her royal power. Although Alice's imaginary royal power is temporarily unusable for some reason, this magical power will not disappear. Of course, Alice has not learned or mastered any extraordinary abilities or magic, nor does she know how to mobilize the magical power within her. Therefore, when designing the Celestial Mech, Rorona added a function that automatically absorbs the pilot's magical power, perfectly solving this problem. And with the support of the young queen's vast, almost inexhaustible magical power, the Celestial Mech can unleash its maximum performance and combat power.

The members of the Holy War Army are just ordinary people. Although they possess extraordinary powers, apart from their leader Cheryl, the strongest among them is only Sequence 5, which makes it difficult for them to fully utilize the capabilities of their mechs.

However, this reason was not convenient to reveal to outsiders, so Alice could only remind Arnor in this veiled way.

"If nothing unexpected happens, Rorona should be able to manufacture the new mecha before the war breaks out completely. Until then, leave it to me." Alice gave a thumbs up and struck what she thought was a cool pose, but to be honest, in the eyes of Arnor and the others, it actually looked a bit silly.

But for some reason, it also gives people a sense of reassurance.

……

As dusk fell, the setting sun, like blood, dyed the sky above the Feather Mine a somber purplish-red. Thin clouds, fragmented by the light, drifted slowly across the fading sky, their edges edged with molten gold. On the distant horizon, undulating dunes and rugged mountains cast long, distorted shadows in the sunset, like lurking beasts silently watching over this war-torn land. Alice piloted the Celestial, landing smoothly on the makeshift plaza outside the Blackfire Fortress, constructed of scrap steel plates and rough rivets. The steel armor struck the ground with a dull, resounding thud, kicking up a fine cloud of dust. The cold, silvery-white armor of the mech, now bathed in the warm, fleeting sunlight, seemed to soften, as if temporarily relinquishing its elegant yet deadly sharpness from the battlefield.

The mecha dissipated like flowing water, and Alice's figure fell down. Her knees bent slightly, and after absorbing the slight impact of landing, the girl straightened up. She first took a deep breath of the air, which smelled of sand and a faint smell of gunpowder, and then stretched her arms upwards, stretching out in a very unladylike manner.

"Another day of helping others."

I launched a total of thirty-one sorties today without a single defeat. I truly am an ace pilot! I imagine the so-called Imperial Black Blade Legion would be terrified and dare not attack after learning of my record.

She thought to herself smugly.

Alice wasn't alone in the square; some Jihadist logistics personnel were organizing equipment and transporting supplies. Weapons and armaments urgently transported from the Feather Mine gleamed coldly in the setting sun. Several logistics personnel stopped their work upon seeing Alice, casting her gazes that mixed reverence, gratitude, and a hint of inexplicable curiosity. Alice seemed used to this; she simply waved casually at them as a greeting before heading towards the entrance to the fortress.

As soon as she stepped into the passageway, she heard a familiar voice coming from ahead.

"—Alice!"

She subconsciously looked up and saw someone waving at her from the shadows at the end of the corridor. The person was wearing a loose and simple alchemist's robe, and their crystal-clear hair and clear blue eyes reflected a strange brilliance in the light of the kerosene lamp.

"Lorona?" Alice was somewhat surprised. She walked up to her, looked her up and down for a while, and then confirmed that this was a real person and not an illusion: "Why are you here?"

“It’s an emergency operations meeting.” Lorona sighed slightly, clearly not too happy to come either. “The Holy War Army originally wanted you to attend, but they couldn’t find you, so they sent the message to Cloud Whale Sky Island. As you know, Gloria and Medion don’t like these kinds of occasions, the landlady and the others don’t leave Sky Island unless necessary, and Ieta is a complete shut-in. Besides me, there doesn’t seem to be any other suitable candidate, so I’m unlucky enough to have to put aside my work for now and come to the meeting in your place.”

Alice exclaimed "Ah!" and subconsciously touched the back of her head, a look of realization and embarrassment on her face: "Oh, I see. I'm sorry, Rorona, for making you run errands for me. The meeting probably hasn't started yet, right? Why don't I go by myself, and you go back to Cloud Whale Sky Island first?"

"Then I've made a wasted trip?" Rorona said irritably. "Since we're already here, a little more time won't make a difference. We can take this opportunity to discuss the mecha and pilots with Miss Cheryl, so that no accidents happen due to poor communication. Hmph, understanding the needs of our customers is the first principle of running a workshop."

"Oh, is that so? Then I'll..."

"You're coming with me too."

"Ok."

Alice's escape attempt failed, so she could only obediently follow Rorona towards the conference room at Blackfire Fortress. Along the way, Rorona inquired about Alice's experience and results piloting the mechs in combat over the past two days. Alice, naturally, boasted proudly, with considerable exaggeration. However, given that her activity had indeed greatly contributed to the stability of the rear battlefield, Rorona didn't expose her, only reminding her, "It's good to be energetic, but you must know when to stop, Alice. Don't forget that the Celestial absorbs magic power, and magic power is part of the soul. Excessive use will burden both mind and body. I don't want to hear the news one day that you've fainted from exhaustion; even in a novel, that's probably one of the most clichéd scenarios, isn't it?"

Her tone was teasing, yet tinged with a barely perceptible worry. Alice paused for a moment, then grinned, putting her arm around Lorena's shoulder: "I know, I know, when did you become such a worrier? You're even more talkative than Xia! Hmm, if Xia is the older sister, then your nagging is like a mother's. So, should I call you Lorena Mom from now on?"

“You dare say Xia is long-winded? Be careful, or I’ll tell on her to… um, to Lin Ge!” Lorena changed her mind at the last minute.

"Snitching bastard." Alice curled her lip, disdainful of this behavior of constantly reporting on others.

Neither of them dwelled on the details of why they complained to Ling Ge; after all, if it wasn't that young man, who else could it be?

“Speaking of which,” Alice murmured, walking up the walls of Blackfire Fortress and gazing at the vast land already shrouded in darkness, the outlines of hills and rocky mountains intersecting in the boundless wilderness, much like lurking beasts. The conversation she had just heard reminded her of her companions still far away, and she murmured, “I wonder how Ling and the others are doing.”

"They'll be back soon, won't they?" Rorona whispered, "carrying the Nibelungs, and everyone's hopes..."

"Yes, that's definitely how it will be." Alice nodded vigorously, seemingly certain that this was how things would develop, and even began to imagine it: "When he comes back and knows about my achievements during this time, he'll definitely look at me differently. But I'm a genius player, I won't get carried away by a little praise..."

"Really? I get the feeling you've gotten a bit carried away."

"That's not the case!"

They chatted and laughed as they turned the last corner, and a heavy metal door appeared before them, with bright light and voices shining through the crack.

The operational meeting has begun.

Give me some cats