Alice in the Land of Steam

“There’s one last target, the eldest daughter of the Resbellite family, Gloria Resbellite.” Ling looked at the documents in his hand, raised an eyebrow slightly, as if he had seen something interesting, but he quickly put the documents away and said to Gloria, who was clearly a little upset, “The Resbellite family mansion is outside the city. It’s already late, let’s visit them tomorrow.”

"So we've gained nothing tonight?" Gloria muttered. "Why do we keep testing her? It feels like we're just wasting time. Since Bai Ye has already given herself away, why don't we just expose her and force her to admit it?"

Lin Ge dismissed her complaints, simply saying, "If you think you can force her, feel free to try. I won't stop you."

"Hmm!" Gloria was slightly tempted, but quickly dismissed the dangerous idea.

She dared not say that absolutely no one in the world could force Bai Ye to submit, but she was certain that person was definitely not herself.

Perhaps Lin Ge could do it, after all, he once made Bai Ye appear so vulnerable, a memory she still considers the most humiliating of her life. But so far, the young man hasn't shown any intention of doing so. Perhaps he thinks this method is too despicable and disdains it?

That would be best.

Gloria seemed preoccupied, but Linger appeared oblivious, leading her toward the Church of Heaven. As they walked, he said, "I guess you don't have anywhere to rest. You can stay at the church tonight. However, there are no rooms available. Would you be willing to share a room with Alice?"

“Then forget it.” Gloria shivered. “Given Alice’s personality… I definitely wouldn’t be able to handle it.”

"Actually, Alice's personality isn't that bad."

"..."

Gloria glanced at Linger suspiciously and decided to rank this sentence as the most bizarre thing she had ever heard that night, or even in her entire life.

Whether it was that Linger would actually speak well of Alice, or that he actually thought Alice had a good personality, it was strange enough. But soon, something even stranger happened right under Gloria's nose.

……

Unable to imagine the shock of what she had witnessed, the gray-haired girl followed Ling back to the Heavenly Heart Church and watched as Alice diligently cleaned the church. Upon seeing the two return, she casually greeted them, "You're back, Ling. Unfortunately, dinner time is over, but there's some leftover food in the kitchen. Feel free to eat if you don't mind. By the way, I don't know what you were doing all night, but at least tell me before you go out next time. Making Medien worry so much isn't something a good older brother should do."

Good heavens, Alice is actually doing housework! Could it be that her claim of being the number one maid in Linwell City wasn't just empty boasting? What shocked Gloria even more was that Alice nodded happily upon seeing her: "Oh, and Gloria too, good evening! It's been so long! Want to play some games together?"

"You know me, Alice?" Gloria blinked blankly.

“That’s a strange thing to say. You know me, so why shouldn’t I know you?” Alice said, then kindly added, “I know a few good doctors. Should I introduce you to them, Gloria?”

These words sounded familiar, and the gray-haired girl instinctively shook her head in refusal: "No need, I'm not sick!"

"That's good." Alice breathed a sigh of relief, then hummed an unknown tune as she cleaned and went upstairs.

Gloria watched her retreating figure disappear down the stairs, speechless for a long time. Alice was right; the two should have known each other, but that was only in the real world. In reality, they were friends and partners, but this was Ling's dream. In the dream, people like Saint Charlotte, Ovira, and Rorona all had their own identities in this world, but Gloria didn't. She was an uninvited guest, or rather, an uninvited guest, without a place of her own in this world. Therefore, it was strange that Alice still remembered her.

Unless, of course, it's the subconscious of the dream's owner influencing the actors in these dreams. In other words, because Linus subconsciously feels that Alice should know Gloria, even if Gloria is essentially nonexistent in this world, Alice can greet her naturally and interact with her in no different way than usual. If we delve deeper, for example, if Alice starts wondering who Gloria really is, what her identity is, where she lives, what her hobbies are, etc… there are likely two possibilities.

If the dreamer's subconscious is strong enough, it will prompt the dream to begin accepting this outsider and help her fill in all the necessary information until she becomes one with the dream, as if she were a person who had always existed. Conversely, if the subconscious is weak, Gloria will be rejected by the dream and become even more out of place.

So, would Linger accept her? Gloria glanced at the young man beside her, thinking to herself, "There's no doubt about it. The real question is, does he even want to accept me?" These two statements sound similar, but they are worlds apart. The former is passive, driven by his subconscious; the latter is active, a deliberate choice on Linger's part…

Did he actually want Gloria to stay in the dream, rather than help her escape? The girl was startled by her own thoughts and quickly shook her head to dismiss them. These were just her assumptions, wild thoughts, and there was no evidence to prove them.

On the contrary, the facts prove that the young man has been helping her all along. From the very first moment he saw her, he never uttered a single word of doubt, and tonight he even took her around searching for the real White Night. If he didn't genuinely want to help Gloria escape the dream, why would he go to all this trouble?

Yes, that must be it!
Gloria easily convinced herself, after all, she didn't have many other merits, except for her exceptional optimism.

Optimism is a good thing.

At least for now.

Later, Gloria met Medion from her dream again, who also warmly welcomed her and didn't find it strange. Gloria was pleased to find that Medion in her dream seemed no different from her in reality, the only difference being that the pink-haired girl in her dream had already obtained her coveted pharmacist license and was working hard to obtain the qualifications to practice medicine legally.

In reality, Medion lost her initial goal forever due to an unexpected journey, only to have it realized in her brother's dream. This is probably what young people hope for in her: life doesn't need dramatic twists and turns; simply moving forward step by step and living a simple, ordinary life is enough. Therefore, in the dream world, there are no witch societies or religious decrees, and no mysterious force pushing young people astray. He remains in the small chapel passed down from his adoptive father, living a peaceful life with his sister and maid, and will continue to do so...

Until the day I woke up.

That dangerous thought flashed through her mind again, but this time, Gloria ignored it more firmly than ever before, not considering it a warning or prophecy. The gray-haired girl stayed without a second thought and rested for the night at the Cathedral of Heavenly Hearts. Although she vehemently resisted sharing a room with Alice, the situation was clearly beyond her control, and she ultimately had to compromise this once. However, Alice in the dream slept unusually well, had excellent sleep quality, and didn't even have the habit of staying up late—it was all too strange. If it weren't for her still-carefree tone and unchanged personality, Gloria would have thought she was a completely different person. What was most unacceptable was that Gloria found herself waking up later than Alice, and even being woken up by her. When she struggled to open her eyes, the sky outside was only faintly bright, with a few pale stars hanging on the gray canvas, barely visible.

"It's not even dawn yet, why are you up so early?" Gloria asked Alice, puzzled, but only received a matter-of-fact reply from the latter.

“Because today is the seven-day service at the Church of Heavenly Hearts.” The maid Alice put her hands on her hips and glared at Gloria with righteous indignation: “Don’t just eat and drink for free, you should help out too!”

"Huh?"

……

The teacup is empty.

Lorona snapped her fingers lightly, and the alchemical puppet that floated behind her, somewhat resembling a fairy, flew over with a teapot, intending to refill the teacup. However, Bai Ye raised his hand to stop her: "No need for that. I think I should be going too."

"Are you in a hurry, Bai Ye?" Rorona said with some regret, "We've only drunk less than half of this pot of black tea. It would be such a waste to leave now."

"Then you can keep it for yourself. I wasn't that interested in these tea parties anyway." You practically forced me to stay.

"Is that so?" Princess Haiqi looked at the several empty plates in front of Bai Ye with a meaningful gaze. Almost all the snacks she had prepared for this tea party had been eaten, and the one who did this was none other than the girl in front of her who had claimed to be uninterested.

"..." Bai Ye shifted her gaze somewhat awkwardly. She felt she couldn't blame herself; after all, Rorona was too inquisitive. There were some things she couldn't say openly, so she could only find ways to evade the issue, or use eating as an excuse. As she ate, she unknowingly finished the snacks, which was quite reasonable...

"In short," Bai Ye coughed twice, forcibly bringing the topic back to the point, "I have told you everything you want to know. You can pass these words on to others, especially Xinuo, and tell her not to look for me anymore. Even if she finds me, it will be useless and a waste of time."

"Well, I'll try to persuade her, but as for whether Xinuo will listen... I can't guarantee that."

Lorena smiled slightly and said, "After all, she's the most serious person. When she gets stubborn, even Lin Ge and Xia Xia can't do anything about her."

Especially since one of them is still asleep and the other has already passed away, there's even less anyone else can do. They can't exactly rely on Alice, can they? Given the genius player's personality, it's more likely that he'll fuel the fire and stir things up.

Bai Ye knew that Rorona was telling the truth, which only made her more troubled. The thought of continuing to play hide-and-seek with that perceptive young knight made her feel like she was asking for trouble. Although as long as her Mind King's power remained, she would always be in a superior position, who would enjoy a life of constant hiding and fear, even while eating and resting?
"Just as I thought." She muttered to herself in a voice only she could hear, "I haven't had a single good thing since I started hanging out with you guys."

"What?" Rorona didn't hear clearly.

"It's nothing." Bai Ye avoided her eager gaze and stood up decisively. "I'm leaving now. Goodbye, Rorona."

Just like that, you're leaving? So decisively?

Lorena watched Bai Ye's departing figure, lost in thought. She didn't intend to stop him, but just as Bai Ye was about to leave the moonlit meadow and re-enter the dark forest, she suddenly spoke, "If you insist on leaving, I won't stop you. But, could I ask you one last question?"

Bai Ye stopped in her tracks. She didn't turn around, but simply said, "If it's about Lin Ge, then I have nothing more to say."

"It's not about Linger, it's about you."

"I?"

“That’s right. You told me before that Ling Ge had been in a deep sleep because he wanted to stay in the dream and didn’t want to wake up. You can only enter other people’s dreams, but you can never wake up someone who is pretending to be asleep… I can understand all of that, but what I don’t understand is why you’re hiding from us?”

Lorena stared at her retreating figure, seemingly discerning something from the gray-haired girl's hesitation: "Even if you can't do it, as long as you explain it to us properly, everyone will understand. We never intended to force you to do anything, nor will we blame or complain if you can't do it. I believe you should know this better than anyone. If that's the case, why are you still hiding from us? What are you running away from, and what are you afraid of, Bai Ye?"

"..."

Naturally, there was no reply. The figure stood there blankly for a while, then walked away without looking back. This wasn't exactly breaking a promise, since she had only agreed to let Lorena ask one more question, not that she would definitely answer.

The forest became deserted, with only the moonlight lingering uneasily. Princess Haiqi couldn't help but sigh.

“Ling Ge too, and Bai Ye too,” she muttered. “They’re all troublesome guys, like little kids.”

Aside from children, who else would be so attached to a dream that they don't want to wake up, and who else would be so stubborn and sulky on their own?
Compared to those two, even Alice seemed much more mature. (End of Chapter)