Alice in the Land of Steam

Amidst the swirling snow, a black and white griffin silently flew towards the Cloud Whale Sky Island. The knight on its back gazed wistfully at the distant mountains, lost in thought. Through Rorona's alchemical artifacts, Xinuo witnessed this scene, even seeing the bewilderment and fear in her eyes. She suddenly recalled something from long ago, something that seemed like a fleeting dream in her life, yet still evoked a sense of longing. So she spoke softly, "Perhaps she too has her own troubles?"

"What hardship could be more important than human life?" Alice persisted, feeling that only Hino shouldn't have spoken up for Cecilia, for she was a knight of the Gostaff family, with the blood of Baron Vince the Pioneer and the White Knight Hiberton flowing through her veins. The former had arduously pioneered and reclaimed the land, creating a peaceful and prosperous home for his people; the latter, true to his chivalrous spirit, had embarked on the path of rebellion to uphold justice. If they witnessed this, surely they wouldn't support Cecilia's actions?

Hino didn't answer, but just sighed softly.

Cecilia quickly returned to Cloud Whale Sky Island, but instead of rejoining the Griffin Knights, she landed at the Fairy Deep Sleep Inn and explained to Alice and the others, "Sorry, there was an unexpected situation, but I've resolved it, and we can continue on our way."

Her expression remained calm and composed, as if it were just a trivial matter not worth mentioning, but Zeto's sharp eyes kept glancing at her master, as if she were worried about something.

Alice glanced around and found everyone silent. Hino leaned against the window, eyes closed, resting; Rorona leisurely tidied her alchemical tools; Medien and Sister Livia were whispering about how to greet the saintess; even the bartender was silently staring at her collection. Did everyone really have no opinion what had just happened? If Ling, if Xia, if Ovira were here…

She felt this was wrong, so she snorted and said directly to Cecilia, "Well, we all saw it. Although the problem was indeed solved, I personally cannot agree with this result, Miss Cecilia."

The latter was slightly taken aback, but didn't seem to care about Alice's rude or even somewhat offensive tone, and asked in return, "You saw everything?"

“Not only did you see it, you heard it all clearly,” Alice said. “Including your conversations with those refugees.”

“That’s truly… amazing.” Cecilia didn’t know how to describe it. She hadn’t sensed any magical energy, so how did Alice and the others, who were at the Fairy Sleep Inn, over a vertical height of nearly several thousand meters, manage to observe the entire process?

Alice was surprised that Cecilia was more concerned about such trivial matters, and she became even angrier. However, she had changed a lot by now and would not act recklessly as she used to. Instead, she patiently explained to Cecilia, "It's all thanks to Rorona's alchemical tools. Look, it's that one."

Rorona smiled and showed Cecilia the ordinary-looking mirror in her hand. The mirror reflected the snow-covered plains, accompanied by the clear sound of whistling wind. Cecilia was even more puzzled: "An alchemical tool? Isn't it a relic?"

She had only heard that alchemy could be used to make potions and various secret rituals, but she had never heard of such a magical use.

"How can a relic compare to Rorona's alchemy?" Alice scoffed at those so-called relic created from the remains of superhumans or their intense resentment, dismissing them as nothing more than remnants of magic. "Rorona's alchemy is the epitome of wish fulfillment. Whatever you want for, she can create the item for you, without any side effects. Isn't that far superior to a relic?"

"It's not that amazing," Princess Haiqi said modestly. "There are still some things I can't do."

For example, medicines to heal the curse on her body, or medicines to purify magical pollution, especially the latter. Since the curse was alleviated, Rorona's main research focus has been on this issue, trying to solve the magical pollution problem facing her homeland, but she has never achieved satisfactory results. Ultimately, magical pollution is caused by a break in the great magical cycle of the entire world. The Witch Society has slaughtered too many heretics, but it has not restored that part of the magical energy to the cycle, causing the originally stable system to collapse. To cure it, the source must be addressed. However, purifying the source of the great magical cycle is such a monumental task that even the Creator King at his peak could not guarantee he could accomplish it, let alone himself now.
Besides, the city of Nereides in the mirror had long since moved away from the intercontinental sea to the distant, chaotic ocean. Her homeland was gone, her relatives and friends were no more. Could that place still truly be considered her hometown? Thinking of this, Princess Haixi couldn't help but sigh. Suddenly, she remembered that after arriving on the continent of Dongdi Fant, a young man had made a promise to her to return home together, but he had not yet woken up. She wondered if he still remembered.

Cecilia naturally couldn't know what Rorona was thinking, but seeing that she only denied "being able to do everything" but not "being able to do most things," she couldn't help but sigh, "What incredible power."

Just like the incredible origins of these travelers.

“That kind of thing is fine no matter what, but…” Alice forcefully steered the conversation back on track. She was tired of beating around the bush and directly stated her thoughts: “More importantly, don’t you think your handling of that matter just now was a little cold-blooded, Miss Cecilia?”

“I don’t deny it, but it’s also an indisputable law to uphold the sanctity of our country,” Cecilia replied calmly.

“Sacred and unquestionable laws?” Alice frowned, clearly disliking the term. “What kind of laws could be more important than human life?”

Cecilia glanced at her, paused for a moment, seemingly considering whether she should explain the laws of her country to these outsiders. Finally, she spoke, her voice slightly low but unwavering, as if reciting a passage etched into her very being: “The Sacred Laws, jointly promulgated by the third saintess of the Snowfall Order and the seventh king of the Perlancius Dynasty, have been in effect for over two thousand eight hundred years. Their original purpose was to reorganize the provinces and regions of Saint Chiron into one hundred and eighty-one dioceses according to specific criteria such as geography, population, faith, and resources. Each diocese has one bishop appointed by the Papacy and one consul appointed by the royal court. Within each diocese, military and political power are separated; divine authority and royal authority coexist, without interference, yet mutually checking and balancing.”

"It sounds...like there's nothing wrong with it?" Alice said somewhat uncertainly. "Don't many countries divide their administrative regions this way?"

“The problem isn’t the division,” Hino suddenly opened her eyes and said softly, “but the restrictions.”

Cecilia glanced at her and nodded slightly, seemingly thanking her for her understanding.

“That’s right, restrictions,” she continued. “Division of dioceses is only the first step; the real significance comes later. The Sacred Laws strictly restrict the movement of people between dioceses. Any citizen of Saint Chiron who wishes to move from one diocese to another must obtain the approval of both the bishop and the governor of the original diocese, as well as the acceptance of the bishop and the governor of the destination diocese. Otherwise, they may not move without authorization.”

“Isn’t that too strict?” Alice’s eyes widened. “What if I just want to visit relatives and friends?” “You still need to apply.” Cecilia’s tone remained unchanged. “The approval process usually takes three to six months, depending on the distance and the season. Approvals are suspended when heavy snow closes the mountains in winter.”

Alice opened her mouth, but for a moment she didn't know what to say.

"But this is just a standard regulation."

Cecilia continued, her gaze fixed on the vast horizon, her voice heavy with emotion, "The Sacred Laws also contain a supreme supplementary provision that has never been amended since its promulgation, nor has any king or saint ever dared to propose its abolition."

She paused, then said, word by word, "Anyone born within the territory of Saint Chiron and with Saint Chiron blood flowing through their veins is not allowed to leave the country without permission. To leave the country, one must obtain permission from both the Royal Court and the Holy See—the King and the Holy Maiden, both approvals are indispensable."

All was silent.

Hino frowned, Medien and Sister Livia stopped talking, Rorona opened her mouth slightly, and even the bartender behind the counter cast a surprised glance at her.

Everyone was astonished by this regulation, which was so strict it could even be described as harsh. Alice recalled her first encounter with Cecilia a few days earlier, when Cecilia mentioned that the Holy Feather Knights patrolled the border to block passages during wartime, prohibiting anyone from entering or leaving Saint Kiron's territory without authorization. At that time, the genius player thought the emphasis here would be on "preventing outsiders from entering," but it turned out it also included the implication of "prohibiting citizens from leaving the country." Moreover, judging from the serious expression on Cecilia's face, the priority of these two aspects was perhaps equal.

The last time people heard of such harsh regulations was when the cults jointly issued extermination decrees targeting superhumans, magicians, and other beings. Apart from that, even the "Religious Laws" targeting religious believers seemed so humane, at least offering compensation to religions that were willing to cooperate.

“So…” she murmured, “it’s simply impossible for those people to leave the place they live in? Even if they left Lakeside Village, even if they hadn’t met you today, even if there hadn’t been this war… they would still have been stopped?”

"Yes." Cecilia lowered her eyes. "Even without war, without a blockade, they can't leave. Because that law has never changed since it was enacted; it's the only constant in Saint Chiron."

In this frigid land, ice and snow melt, storms subside, wild beasts are killed by hunters, cities are destroyed by disaster, and people die every moment. Even pure faith has not remained unchanged for thousands of years. Only the Sacred Laws have remained unchanged since time immemorial, as if they had become the foundation of Saint Chiron's nation.

“But…why?” Alice felt an overwhelming sense of absurdity. “Why make such outrageous laws? Trapping people in their own country, not even letting them leave, what is this? A prison?”

"Stop talking, Alice." Hino stopped her from speaking: "Don't casually express your opinions on the laws of other countries. Besides, the formulation and implementation of any laws and regulations are inevitably accompanied by deep-seated practical reasons. If outsiders make wild remarks without understanding, it is indeed possible to cause misunderstandings."

As she spoke, she glanced at Cecilia. Everyone present wasn't stupid; they naturally knew that while she was ostensibly criticizing Alice, she was actually using this subtle method to ask Cecilia what "real-world reasons" led Saint Cheron to enact such stringent regulations restricting the movement of people within the region.

Cecilia was unwilling to answer. In fact, from her perspective, the fact that she was willing to explain so much to these outsiders was already a very patient thing to do.

“Thank you for your understanding, Miss Hino,” she said softly.

Hino shook her head and said nothing more.

At this point, Alice knew that saying anything more was pointless, and she fell silent. But she wasn't one to give up easily, so the silence only lasted a short while before she spoke again, asking, "What if I wanted to help those people?"

Cecilia's demeanor suddenly became serious. As a soldier of Saint Chiron, regardless of her opinions on her country's harsh laws, her duty prevented her from standing idly by while outsiders wantonly trampled on rules established over nearly a thousand years. She had never deeply considered their meaning, but she knew that if a law could allow this country to survive in the barren, snowy land, then it must have value.

Change is not necessarily a good thing, and besides... the country called Saint Chelon is precisely the most stubborn, closed, conservative, xenophobic, and resistant to change country in the world. The people who have grown up under its radiance have more or less inherited similar qualities.

“I know you mean well, but that is not enough to justify your violation of sacred laws in the land of Saint Chiron. If it were, I would probably have no choice but to become your enemy.”

She was so direct. Shouldn't she have been more tactful in this situation? Wasn't she afraid we'd turn on her right then and there? The other griffin riders weren't on Cloud Whale Sky Island.

Alice muttered to herself, of course, she didn't intend to violate the laws of Saint Qilong, even if they were laws she didn't agree with. The genius player waved his hands repeatedly, explaining, "You misunderstood, I didn't mean to forcibly take them elsewhere, but leaving some supplies to help them through this difficult period before rebuilding their homes shouldn't be a problem, right?" (End of Chapter)