Alice in the Land of Steam

Who made Linger so weak?
The answer is at hand.

Before embarking on this journey, before meeting these girls with such different personalities, before shouldering the fate and future of the world, how strong were these young people? Always calmly facing unknown challenges, always rationally examining their own hearts, never feeling lost, always moving forward on their own firm path, never wavering because of external doubts or ridicule... never changing.

However, the otherworldly girl who fell from the sycamore tree seemed to have started a new story, so starkly separating him from his old life. In this way, one unfamiliar face after another entered his life, and gradually became familiar. He tried to resist, always unwilling to accept the changes fate had brought to him, but he could not escape the oldest and strongest weakness of mankind since the beginning of time: his emotions.

Was it based on empathy? Or was it out of helplessness? Perhaps it was also because of a trace of guilt that even the young man himself was unaware of? In any case, he embarked on his journey and experienced all sorts of things, gradually rediscovering the emotions he had long lost. He saw gentle ideals in the shepherd of the apple orchard, innocent aspirations in the princess of the ancient kingdom of Bemang, bright hope in the angel of the Salia Plains, vibrant life in the sea-dwelling princess of the Mirror Sea, the desire for reincarnation in the eternally immortal vampires, contradictory empathy in the twins who followed the memories of the world, and noble justice in the young knight of the Gostaff family… All of these left a deep imprint on his soul.

Conversely, the girls naturally projected their expectations onto this young man. What kind of person did they want to see him be? Calm but not cold-hearted, strong but not stubborn, persistent but not obstinate, rational but not letting reason dictate his actions. He should demonstrate keen judgment and decisive action when facing powerful enemies, but not sacrifice the weak like his adversaries; he should feel sorrow for the plight of others and sometimes need someone to confide in, rather than bottling it all up alone; he must be strong, otherwise how could he lead everyone forward? But at the same time, he also needs to have a vulnerable side, otherwise how could he draw everyone closer?
The more young people respond to these expectations, the more they expose their weaknesses, or rather, those weaknesses that did not originally exist but were artificially created. It's as if they were originally meant to be merciless statues on an altar, flawless works of art in a display case, or omnipotent gods in the eyes of mortals, but have been infected by the mediocrity, sadness, and despair of this world, and have become the most wretched version of themselves.

But isn't that what you wanted to see? Isn't that what you expected? Isn't that the kind of person you envisioned Linge to be?

Medion gazed calmly at every face in the hall, and the girls unconsciously avoided her gaze, even Alice.

Because that is the truth.

Weren't they the ones who unilaterally depended on Ling? Weren't they the ones who placed all sorts of expectations and demands on him? Weren't they the ones who were happy to see Ling become an ordinary person? If they said so, and actually did so, then it is only natural that they should bear the consequences. And today, that young man, because of his own fragility, would rather sink into a dream than return to reality. This was a plot that had been foreshadowed long ago, when he decided to embark on this journey in front of his adoptive father's gravestone.

In his life, many people have entered his memory with the same faces, for the same reasons, and in the same ways. Now, those same people, with the same experiences and the same excuses, are leaving him one by one, simply wanting this young man to accept the same fate. Can't he grieve for this, even become so fragile that he could shatter at the slightest touch, wanting only to hide in a tiny dream world, escaping the cruel expectations that forced him onto this path but never taught him how to cope?

If all the answers are yes, then his choice is beyond reproach, not because of weakness, but because he no longer needs to be strong.

As the instigators of everything, they understand the logic behind it better than anyone else, which is why they dare not meet Medien's gaze.
of course.

"I didn't mean to blame anyone." The pink-haired girl suddenly smiled, her smile filled with sincere gratitude and a touch of melancholy. "On the contrary, I'm very grateful to everyone, because I know that Lin Ge is definitely happier now than before."

What was that young man like in the past? He clearly had the deepest affection for his adoptive father, yet he refused to shed a tear at his funeral; he was clearly the most devout believer of the goddess on earth, yet he never used the name of God when blessing believers; he always regarded the Tianxin Church as the most precious legacy left by his adoptive father, yet he showed no sadness or hesitation when forced to give it up... He was indifferent, aloof, and suffocatingly cold.

Medine wasn't afraid of her brother, but she often worried about him, fearing that he had long lost faith in the world and was only living to take care of her. During the period after her adoptive father's death, she would often wake up from nightmares and have to check through the wall to make sure the young man's breath was still in the room before she could feel at ease.

An unexpected journey changed many things. When Medien awoke with a start, he discovered that his brother had unknowingly relearned to smile, to be tolerant, and to release the tenderness buried deep in his heart, sincerely treating this world he had lived in for twenty years yet never felt familiar with. Although confusion, sadness, and the tears shed while watching his loved one die in his arms followed, Medien felt that even shedding tears then was better than not being able to cry at all.

“Linger must think so too,” Medion said softly. “So, even if it’s just this once, let him rest for a while, okay?”

She sincerely sought everyone's opinions, and after listening to her heartfelt speech, few could remain unmoved.

Ieta clenched and unclenched her fists, her expression wavering, as if she were undergoing some kind of severe internal interrogation. But in the end, she made up her mind, mustered her courage, and looked up at everyone, saying, "I... I think Medine is right! Ling has done enough for us, and he deserves a rest sometimes! Besides, we're not helpless without Ling, are we?"

She looked around at the crowd, trying to see a reaction of approval on their faces.

However, not everyone supports Medine's statement.

“Feeling tired and wanting to rest is human nature, and even if that person is Ling Ge, I can completely understand it.” Rorona frowned slightly. “However, is using dreams to escape reality really a reasonable approach? If we take false comfort for granted, won't it eventually become real? I’ve seen this kind of thing many times, both in books and in real life, and without exception, the final result is rarely what we hope for.” “Indeed!”

Leticia sat back in her chair, arms crossed, her posture casual, yet her expression was surprisingly serious, almost making one mistake her for a recuperating countess rather than the little bat: "Grandma always said that only by doing the right thing can you get the right result. Ultimately, whether that guy just wanted to rest or genuinely wanted to escape reality, abandoning a large group of people and running off to hide in his dreams, leaving everyone here to worry about him, is the wrong approach, and it will inevitably only yield the wrong result!"

After the words were spoken, the hall fell silent for a moment. Everyone looked at Little Bat with surprise, especially Shamy, whose expression was one of astonishment, even disbelief. On one hand, they were surprised that Little Bat would oppose Medine instead of supporting her as a friend; on the other hand, her words were so well-organized and logical, so sophisticated compared to Little Bat's personality and usual air of ignorance. It was almost as if someone else had spoken these words through her, not her.

Of course, after the initial surprise, we must get back to the main topic.

That makes perfect sense!

Alice thought Leticia's words were absolutely right; they practically expressed her own feelings. Forgetting their usual sharp disagreements, she unusually praised the little bat: "Just like Leticia said, regardless of what Linge is really thinking, hiding away in his dreams and making everyone worry about him is wrong. How can we let him continue down this path? Besides—"

She paused for a moment before lowering her voice and saying, "I think that guy is definitely not that fragile. Even if he's tired and wants to rest for a while, he'll quickly get back on his feet."

Because this is the true protagonist of the game.

However, the genius player didn't say this aloud, because she didn't want people to think she was still hopelessly addicted to the game's mechanics and had never taken the world seriously. She had learned this lesson the hard way many times and paid a heavy price before finally learning to reflect and correct her mistakes.

"Although I believe that guy can break free from the dream and return to our side on his own, just watching and doing nothing isn't what it means to be a true partner. So, we need to take action and help him wake up as soon as possible. If he refuses to wake up, then we'll personally enter his dream and tell him that ourselves!"

At this point, the genius player let out a confident snort, as if he could already see himself standing before Linge, occupying the moral high ground to criticize and condemn him. In the past, that was the privilege of the young; the genius player was always the one being reprimanded. But today, could the situation finally be reversed?
"However, to enter Ling's dream, we still need Bai Ye's help, so I'll trouble you to continue searching for Bai Ye, Xinuo." Temporarily setting aside those far-fetched fantasies, the genius player entrusted this important task to the silent young knight.

Of everyone, Xinuo's attitude was probably the least questionable, so even though she didn't speak, everyone assumed she was the one who wanted Linge to wake up. And indeed, the young knight gave an affirmative answer without much hesitation. In addition, she hoped that Rorona could also help find Bai Ye's whereabouts, since she was the only one who had contacted him so far.

Although Princess Haiqi knew that last night's conversation was just a coincidence and she couldn't be sure of anything, she still nodded in agreement.

The group settled the matter quietly, without consulting Medien's opinion, or rather, deliberately ignoring the pink-haired girl, fearing she might object more vehemently and make the situation awkward. Ietta was precisely worried about this, so she carefully observed Medien's reaction, only to find that the latter wasn't overly agitated, merely letting out a barely perceptible sigh, seemingly accepting the outcome.

Would she feel helpless? Or angry? But Ietta didn't see that emotion. In fact, Miss Angel could also accept this result, but the reason for her acceptance was that she was originally caught in the middle. She empathized with Medine's words and hoped that Ling could get some rest; but she also felt that Alice and the others' words were not without reason. Young people should not use dreams to escape reality.

Essentially, Miss Angel is someone who lacks strong opinions but is highly adaptable. Since more people hold the latter view, she naturally changes her stance and supports everyone's approach. Perhaps she developed this personality while living in Avignon. As an outsider, an oddball, and an outsider and oddball wielding great power, although the villagers never showed her any fear or rejection, she instinctively learned to conform in order to integrate into the village atmosphere and truly become a part of this land.

Only in rare instances would she be stubborn and unwilling to back down, but in the end, these only left behind some unpleasant memories, such as the time that led to the destruction of the village of Avignon, the time she fought the dark witch Carabosse, and the time she watched helplessly as her two older sisters left her...

One thing is certain.

That is, Medine's reasons for accepting this result are different from her own.

You could even say... completely the opposite. (End of Chapter)