Alice in the Land of Steam

Chapter 1431 Does loving more lead to loneliness?

"The dragon's soul was unwilling to die, its resentment filled with rage towards the world, and its power preserved this obsession, preventing it from dissipating with the passing of life. Ultimately, its intense desire for resurrection and revenge was captured by the Holy Grail. The Holy Grail, capable of granting all wishes, is the most sacred object in the world, but in a sense, it is also the most evil, for it can even fulfill the wishes of the dead. Thus, under the power of the Holy Grail, the dragon's blood coagulated anew, shaping a new body—a body that had died but still existed in the world."

This was the very dragon skeleton that Ling and the others had seen.

“But,” Ovira whispered, “the Holy Grail distorts desires, so what will ultimately be resurrected is not the historical evil dragon Nidhogg, but merely a skeleton without a soul, without mind, and without self. It is in a daze, unaware of life or death, only wanting to break free from this cage, to find its ancient nemesis, and to settle the score with him once more. But this is destined to be impossible, because it lacks one thing.”

"What is it?" Leticia asked instinctively, completely engrossed in the conversation.

"Is it the heart?" Selena, having overcome her initial fear, joined the discussion with great interest: "That's how it's always written in stories. Before the villain is defeated by the protagonist, he asks resentfully, 'My power is clearly above yours, so why did I still fail?' Then the protagonist tells him righteously, 'Because you lack the most important thing, the heart!'"

It's a very standard shonen (royal road) plot, and it seems that not only novelists and playwrights from the Western Continent like to use it, but their colleagues from the Eastern Continent have also failed to break free from its constraints. In literary creation, people from different regions, cultures, and even races often share similar sentiments because creation originates from life, and the emotions of mortals are largely similar: a yearning for good to triumph over evil, justice over violence, and civilization over barbarism—so simple, yet so sincere.

Leticia glanced at Serena but remained silent. In the past, she would have scoffed, perhaps even mocking, "How could it be that simple? Reality isn't a fairy tale!" Of course, she still held similar thoughts now, but she no longer voiced them, having gradually come to understand a principle: never easily dismiss someone else's feelings, even if you don't believe them.

Moreover, this time Selena was actually right.

“It is indeed the heart,” Ovira said, “but not the mind in the abstract sense, but the physical heart….”

heart?

Everyone looked up, and it wasn't until now that they realized the Nibelungen, the sky warship encased in a cage made of pale dragon bones, was positioned precisely at the heart of the dragon skeleton. A dark heart locked within a pale cage—it seemed strange at first glance, but upon closer inspection, it made perfect sense. The dragon skeleton had originally been reshaped by the power of the Nibelungen; to it, this sky warship indeed held a unique significance and function, much like a heart.

“In layman’s terms, it’s like an engine,” Ovira explained the relationship between the two. “The dragon skeleton is the machine, and the Nibelungen is the most important engine. If the engine can’t start, no matter how advanced the machine is, it won’t function. The reason the Nibelungen can’t function is essentially because it’s missing its most important component. The key that the former dictator warlord used to control it was detached from the ship due to the violent impact after the sky warship crashed into the abyss and was left behind. Eventually, it was accidentally found by a Gray Fungus who worshipped the Nibelungen like a god. He had a premonition of the connection between this object and the Nibelungen, so he took it away as a sacred object in prayer rituals and a token of the elder’s inheritance. However, this action led to a twist of fate. Hundreds of years later, when the resentment of the evil dragon Nidhogg was reconstituted into a body under the power of the Holy Grail, it lacked the most important source of its heart, and therefore could not move freely. It could only be bound here by the curse, helplessly enduring the passage of time…”

As soon as she finished speaking, everyone realized what she meant and their eyes all focused on the scepter in Ovira's hand.

Who would have thought that this seemingly ordinary token would have such a unique origin? Even Elder Momogu and his ancestors probably didn't know the secret behind it. But even if they were completely unaware, he still unintentionally delivered the most important key needed to restart Nibelungen to Linge and his group. Was this a coincidence, or a guidance from fate?

Ling gave Ovira a deep look, but she seemed not to notice his gaze, her expression remaining calm.

“So,” the Countess asked, gazing at the colossal dragon skeleton, “that simply inserting this key back into Nibelungen will activate it? But won’t that also awaken this dragon skeleton? At this point, it’s still uncertain whether it’s friend or foe…”

Of course, the possibility of them being friends is very small.

The dragon's resentment at death, its hatred for the living, and its thirst for revenge destined it to be an enemy. Once awakened, not only the creatures of the abyss, but the entire land of Atorica, would likely face a familiar catastrophe. While the heir to the fairy sword Hydras is still alive, she likely lacks the strength to confront a resurrected dragon.

"That's true, but it's not like there's no way to deal with it at all."

Ovira said, "The Nibelungen is the heart of the dragon's skeleton, the source and driving force of all its power. Controlling the Nibelungen is equivalent to possessing the means to control the dragon's skeleton. The only drawback is that the person who controls the Nibelungen will constantly suffer from the wrath of the evil dragon, constantly face its corruption, and constantly fight against its resentment. The slightest retreat or weakness will result in its backlash, turning them into its nourishment..."

Hearing what Ovira said, everyone instinctively turned their gaze to Linger, even Selena, whom they had only recently met. It seemed to have become a consensus that this young man was the most resolute among them all. If it were him, he could definitely suppress the rage of the evil dragon's remains and become its master, instead of being driven by it and becoming its nourishment.

Ovira thought the same way; there was no one more suitable than Linger in the world. But what she thought didn't mean she would do it.

"Let me try it."

she whispered.

“Ovira, you…” The Countess’s first reaction was to dissuade her. Perhaps in her memory, Ovira was still that strange girl who liked to lock herself in her room to write novels, who always appeared tired in front of everyone because she loved staying up late, and whose behavior was very inconsistent with her status as a princess? She was a kind, optimistic, cheerful, and clear-cut person, but she didn’t seem very strong. Her fear of the dark, her longing for her parents and teachers, and her deliberate avoidance of the long time she had wasted in the castle all proved that there was actually a shadow lurking deep in the girl’s heart. It was stubborn and could not be eradicated. It would grow into a huge spider web at any time, trapping the girl in the past, from which she could not escape.

Should she be forced to confront the wrath and resentment of the evil dragon, and even attempt to conquer it? Navel had a feeling that this was not a suitable choice.

Before she could voice her objection, a hand gently tugged at her sleeve, stopping the countess from continuing. She turned around in surprise and met Leticia's gaze, calm and composed, completely unlike the girl she remembered. Leticia shook her head at her grandmother, saying nothing, yet her stance was clear.

Even Linger wasn't surprised. He quietly looked at Ovira for a while before asking her, "Are you confident?"

"I'd say I'm pretty confident," Ovira said, her eyes crinkling into a beautiful smile, speaking earnestly in a joking tone. If he remembered correctly, this was the first time she'd smiled since entering the abyss. She was usually a cheerful girl, so why hadn't she smiled lately? What was she thinking when she wasn't smiling? And what was she thinking when she was smiling? If he could, Ling hoped this smile was because of him; at least it meant he still had the power to make his companions smile. But, as he'd said to Saint Charlotte long ago: he'd never understood girls' feelings. Of all the girls on Cloud Whale Sky Island, he truly understood the feelings of none, not even the shepherdess who had left him. The two had once been so intimately connected on a certain night, deeply feeling each other's loneliness and love. Driven by loneliness and passion, they had tried to explore why humans are lonely and why they love, but it was all cut short by a sudden accident, and he had lost all contact with her ever since.

Perhaps love and loneliness are eternal companions; without understanding both, one can never grasp the core of human emotion. Yet, the more one understands love, the further one distances oneself from loneliness; similarly, the more one understands loneliness, the further one distances oneself from love. Can anyone truly enjoy both simultaneously? At least, the young man's experience has proven that he is not that kind of person.

Then he laughed, a somewhat helpless laugh: "I understand you less and less, Ovira."

"Because I'm a girl," the girl replied playfully, avoiding the question.

Thus, the two seemed to have reached an unspoken consensus. Countess Navigne looked left at Linger, then right at Ovira, and finally at her serious-looking granddaughter who seemed lost in thought. She couldn't help but sigh, "I understand you young people less and less."

The only outsider, Selena, thought to herself, "I'm young too, and I don't understand what's going on between you."

……

Coincidentally, on the remote Cloud Whale Island, people are also discussing the issues of love and loneliness.

"Hey, you silly Gloria." Under the interwoven moonlight and in the hazy mist, the gray-haired girl stood silently on the top floor of the windmill tower, looking down at the deserted flower field. Primroses bloomed like a tide, their petals drifting with the mist like waves surging in the tide. Just a short while ago, the owner of the windmill tower had been summoned to the inn by Alice, so tonight the moonlight belonged to her alone, and naturally, no one would disturb the conversation that followed: "I have a question for you."

"Wow..."

A soft, languid voice echoed in my mind: "Okay... ask away, and if I know the answer... I'll tell you, haha..."

The drowsiness was becoming increasingly apparent; she spent most of the day asleep, and when she did wake up occasionally, her mind was foggy, making her as difficult to communicate with as a three-year-old. Bai Ye didn't know when this situation would worsen, so she seized the rare moment of Gloria's lucidity tonight to talk to her.

A very important conversation.

It will determine the fate of two people: liberation or ruin? Ascension or descent? A complete break, or... complicity?
“Do you know,” Bai Ye said coldly, “what the relationship is between love and loneliness?”

"Huh?" Gloria's voice became clearer, as if startled by the question, even her drowsiness vanished: "Bai Ye, why are you suddenly asking such a strange question? Besides, even if you asked me, I wouldn't know how to answer you. Hmm, maybe next time, next time, if I were in the role of a philosopher or poet, perhaps I could answer you?"

"No need." Bai Ye didn't point out that she hadn't changed her identity for almost half a year, nor did he care when she had forgotten her memories of this period. He simply said coldly, "I can answer you now: the more a person is loved, the lonelier they become. You just need to remember this answer."

“What a strange theory…” Gloria muttered.

"You disagree? Then let's make a bet. We'll bet on when that guy, Ling, will realize that the person who's been standing in front of him all along isn't you, but me. If he never realizes, then you lose, and you'll have to honestly admit that the answer is correct, how about it?"

"What a strange bet..." Gloria muttered again.

"Stop talking nonsense, do you agree?"

“Okay, I promise you,” Gloria said lightly. “However, Bai Ye, I think you’ve already lost from the very beginning.”

"why?"

"Because there's no way Linger wouldn't have noticed. He's so perceptive and knows you so well."

"Not necessarily."

The girl replied calmly, without explaining whether the "maybe" meant that the young man might not be so perceptive, or that he might not understand her as well as he thought. She looked up at the night sky, the moonlight reflecting in her misty eyes, casting blurry outlines that appeared and disappeared, seemingly real yet unreal, much like an ancient legend.

Flowers in the mirror and moon in the water.

Give me some cats