Alice in the Land of Steam

Chapter 1456 Doesn't he understand?

Ever since learning that the witch and her construct mechs were about to arrive on the battlefield, Ovira had been pondering this question: how could they possibly win the war? The simplest method was naturally to place all their hopes on Hino, firmly believing that the Victory King would bring them all victory. However, reality was often not so simple. No matter how strong Hino was, she was ultimately just one person. In this war, their side not only had to face the witch and her construct mechs, but also the threats from the Imperial Army and the Axis forces. Hino was overwhelmed and unable to win every battle.

Alice's game console was still not repaired, the Holy War Army was slightly weaker, and Ietta and the Cloud Whale Sky Island could only maintain the status quo but could not dominate the battle. In such an unfavorable situation, Ovira naturally thought that she had to do something.

Just like what Sister Xia did.

Ovira had always admired, worshipped, and even envied the girl. Therefore, after she left, she always tried her best to imitate her, encouraging her companions and comforting them, silently supporting the spirit of the team. Although it was her first time doing something like this, and she was clumsy in practice, sometimes saying hurtful things without thinking, the princess never had the thought of giving up. Because if she didn't do it, who else could she expect to do it?
When the entire team was plunged into a gloomy atmosphere because of Xia's departure, and even the usually calm and collected youngest member seemed listless, Ovira knew that she had to step up, and only she could step up and take on this responsibility. It would have felt so heavy on anyone else's shoulders, but it was just right for her.

Because, after all, she is the older sister.

In the past, the eldest sister was everyone's support; now that the eldest sister has passed away, we still need an older sister to shelter us from the wind and rain.

Ovira felt that the person must be herself. But this heavy and intense sense of responsibility did not stem from age or experience, nor was it related to the various stories she had experienced on this journey. It was purely a premonition, as if it had been destined long ago. At that time, Princess Bemang used another name, another identity, and another fate. Her personality was so different that one would doubt that the two people were completely unrelated. Yet, the things engraved in their bones were so similar that they were exactly the same.

If you want to do it, then do it.

Occasionally, when she felt uneasy and tossed and turned in bed, she would hear that person whisper in her ear, a memory that remained vivid even after waking. Her gentleness, steadfastness, and resilient will were exactly like that of her most admired older sister, Xia, which made Princess Beimang somewhat understand her teacher's feelings. If, long, long ago, the person who met her in the Sosen Mountains hadn't been her teacher, but herself, she would probably have also remembered her fondly over the long years, even obsessively searching for her shadow in everyone she met.
Naturally, the teacher eventually understood that no two people in this world are ever the same; even souls of the same lineage will have their own destinies. A person's past life cannot influence their present life. Therefore, the princess regarded the dream as a voice of her heart, not a premonition, and the person's words as encouragement, not a prophecy. Even if one day she, like the princess, chooses this difficult path, it will certainly be based on her own choice, and will have nothing to do with so-called predestined fate from a past life.

If I could, I really want to tell Lin Ge how I feel.

If possible, I really hope he can understand his choice.

But that must be a wish that is out of reach.

Because a young man won't stand idly by and watch the same tragedy repeat itself twice, and at times, he can be frighteningly stubborn. So, no matter how earnestly Ovira pleads with him—"If you're willing to believe me, I can save everything..."—he certainly won't agree, will he?

In addition, another concern for the princess was that she was unsure whether she was truly qualified to become a god of Linger.

Generally speaking, the more devout a person's faith, the purer their choices, right? If this theory holds true, then Linger must be the best example in the world, because his piety is something everyone has to acknowledge, whether it's Rochelle, a believer in animism, or the witches dedicated to fighting against heretical false gods. This is why, when she heard that Linger had used the power of his faith to help Saint Charlotte restore the full power of the monarchy, Ovira wasn't surprised at all. She already knew how powerful the young man's faith was, but it had never been revealed before, because, in essence, the deity he served, the legendary goddess who created the universe and all things, the mother of the young queen and all living beings, was not, strictly speaking, the object of Linger's faith.

This is easy to understand; what is enshrined on the altar, what is pursued in words, what is practiced in actions, and what is engraved in the heart... will never be the same.

It wasn't until that person appeared, until that person embarked on this journey with him, until that person said those words to him, "Please let me be your god," that the young man found his true faith.

Ovira was too late, so she could never do it.

But if she couldn't become Ling's god, how could she save him and everyone else? Princess Bemang was deeply troubled by this, spending countless sleepless nights tossing and turning in bed, even pondering the question in her dreams. It was her dreams that inspired her, leading her to a strange idea when she woke up in the middle of the night with a start: if she couldn't achieve it in reality, could she do it in her dreams?
Unlike reality, dreams can be altered.

Modifying the background setting, the story outline, the plot development… changing everything that might hinder him, leaving only the parts he needed—would that create the perfect ending? Of course, that would be a heinous act, especially for a creator. Ovira had read many books on writing theory, and without exception, they all emphasized that even the creator had no right to arbitrarily alter the story's setting, fabricate plot developments, let alone change the protagonist's character, transforming him completely.

If she had other options, Ovira would never have done this.

However, she had no choice.

In those unseen, dark nights, Ovira was tormented by her burning passion and cold thoughts, enduring the heaviest questioning and most uneasy palpitations from the depths of her soul. Every word she had written in the past seemed to rise from the ink, charging at the creator who had betrayed her original intentions. It was a revenge from the past; perhaps this unfinished story was madly accusing something, exposing the shameless crimes of humanity, melting them away under the bright light. But how could dead words contend with a living, beating heart within her chest? Thus, the writer ultimately triumphed, bitterly gaining the right to rewrite it, and resolved to carry it out.

Then, another question arose before her. Even if she successfully made young people believe in her in their dreams, could that power be transmitted into reality?
Theoretically, it's impossible because the power of faith originates from the strongest desires of the soul, while dreams themselves are incredibly fragile, like glass. If the desire is too strong, it will shatter the dream and return to reality. Even if a man-made dream could withstand the impact of faith, how can we be sure it will act on the right person? The logic of dreams is usually chaotic, and the dreamer is merely following their subconscious. Such fragile thoughts cannot establish a stable connection, just as everyone quickly forgets their dreams after waking up. Even if an impression remains, it's only a faint trace, unable to recall any details.

Ovira was initially troubled by this problem, but she quickly came up with a solution.

It's very simple, no solution is needed.

Just because others can't do something doesn't mean Lin Ge can't.

That young man… must be the most extraordinary being in the world, right? That's why so many miracles have happened to him. Why did Alice fall into his yard after returning from Earth? Why is the curse of the Maiden's Kingdom alleviated just by being with him? Why is it that his faith alone is enough to help the incomplete Destiny Kingdom return to its former glory? These questions remain unanswered. Perhaps, as Caraboss said, the power of the Maiden's Kingdom comes from the heart, and so does he.

In the final moment of making the decision, what came to Princess Bemang's mind was not the young man, not Sister Xia who had already left, nor anyone on the Cloud Whale Sky Island, but the person she hated most in her life, who used a curse to take away her life, her people, her parents and teachers, and all the happiness she could have had, yet claimed that this was only a necessary sacrifice.

Once, Ovila hated her high-sounding rhetoric, believing that no matter how noble the ideal, it shouldn't require others to sacrifice themselves. Now, she still thinks Carabosse is a hateful person, but she no longer finds her hypocritical, because Carabosse has put her beliefs into practice, willing to give her life to change the world. She is so indifferent when sacrificing others, yet ruthless when sacrificing herself. Such a person is truly complex and difficult to judge.

But at least, this unwavering, even resolute, attitude, this unyielding character once a decision is made, is something Princess Bellamy wants to learn. Because she too wants to change the world; their ideals are no different. The only difference lies in who will ultimately make the world a better place.

Ovira believed that person must be herself.

With this in mind, on the morning the group awoke in the Dark Cloud Abyss, she used the excuse of going back to retrieve something to secretly find Rorona. She lied, claiming she had been having nightmares for the past few days and requested that Rorona craft an item that could freely manipulate dreams. The Sea Princess looked at her with surprise. Had Rorona seen through Ovira's thoughts? She felt it couldn't be, otherwise Rorona would have definitely stopped her. So, Ovira feigned composure, not revealing any flaws. In the end, Rorona agreed to her request and crafted a potion called "Kaers."

Ovira had read something similar in the book. Caius was a sea monster from the legends of the Intercontinental Sea, said to be able to lull people into sweet dreams, making them completely forget the danger they were in, and leading them unknowingly to their deaths. Once, a ship was caught in a whirlpool because of this, and none of its passengers survived. Perhaps she was trying to subtly persuade herself through this legend?

But having made her decision, Princess Beman never hesitated. After parting ways with her companions and entering the abyss, she secretly mixed the potion into the food and had Linge eat it. After the young man fell into a deep sleep, she personally wove his dreams, modifying his world little by little, carefully guiding his thoughts, and using all sorts of means to try to make herself his god.

The results were both good and bad.

The good thing is that this method has proven effective. The power of faith provided by Linger after entering the dream gradually helped the Mysterious Kingdom regain its power. As a result, she learned many unknown secrets, such as the scepter in Elder Momogu's hand, which is actually the activation key of Nibelungen; Leticia's confusion, struggle and contemplation; and the cause of the dragon skeleton and the way to defeat it.

However, there were also less than ideal aspects. Even in his dream state, the young man's soul remained sharp; intuition, premonition, thought, rationality—all the qualities that distinguished him from ordinary people were fully preserved. Therefore, he often felt doubt about his surroundings and instinctively sought out aspects that contradicted intuition and logic. This resulted in his faith not being pure enough, and the purification and transmission of the power of faith became a slow and complex process. Consequently, he was unable to help Ovira regain her complete royal power.

In the past, Ovira might have been able to accept it, because even the incomplete Arcane Kingship was powerful, even transforming her in a way that felt like a rebirth. Without the vast amount of information she gleaned from the incomplete Arcane Kingship, this journey to the depths of the abyss would never have gone so smoothly. If only she had a little more time, even just a tiny bit, to organize and integrate all the known information and formulate a reasonable plan, she would surely achieve her goal…

That's how it should be.

But suddenly, Princess Beman realized that she didn't have that much time left.

Because she also had a dream.

A dream about "love".

Princess, who had been confused, hesitant, and indecisive for so long before finally deciding to do something, just as her teacher said, knew all the mysteries of the world, but she did not understand what love was.

Give me some cats