Alice in the Land of Steam

If you are willing to generously donate to help the people of Saint Chiron overcome their difficulties, I naturally have no reason to refuse. However, I hope you will not be too soft-hearted and leave them with false hope; I think that would be more cruel than cold and hunger.

This was Cecilia's answer, and although Alice didn't think there was anything crueler than death, she didn't refute it.

The Cloud Whale Sky Island changed direction and caught up with the refugees who hadn't gone far. Ironically, when they saw the Griffin Riders guarding the country reappear in the sky, many faces showed fear, thinking that the cold-blooded female knight had changed her mind and was coming to capture them. So mothers instinctively shielded their children behind them, men shielded women behind them, the able-bodied shielded the wounded behind them, and the white-haired old man, perhaps the village chief of Lakeside Village, even stood shakily at the front of the crowd, leaning on his cane, his cloudy eyes full of vigilance.

Resistance is meaningless, but even so, making a gesture of resistance can give the weak a tiny bit of security.

Alice felt a pang of distress. She knew it wasn't out of sympathy or anger, but rather a more arrogant reason. She believed the world shouldn't be this way, or rather, her ideal world shouldn't be this way. So, whenever she encountered things that contradicted her imagination, the sense of disillusionment accumulated little by little, until it became uncontrollable.

The enormous whale descended slowly onto the snow, its form towering and majestic even higher than the airships that had triggered avalanches and destroyed villages, yet its landing was so gentle that not a speck of dust was stirred. It was as if the angel had deliberately controlled her force, not wanting to frighten these poor, displaced people. Afterwards, Alice and her companions delivered the pre-prepared supplies to the refugees.

Alice rarely does such selfless acts, so even though she was the one who suggested it, she couldn't say a word to them. It was only when Medion handed a box of medicine to the white-haired old village chief that she earnestly said to them, "I hope these supplies can help you get through this difficult time. Also, please don't abandon your homeland; a bright future is just around the corner."

The refugees' reactions need no further explanation, as they were easily imagined: ecstasy, excitement, trembling, and tears. Had Medien not repeatedly stopped them, they might have even knelt on the cold snow, offering heartfelt thanks. Their posture might have resembled that of someone praying to a god. Could it be that the Snowfall Cult deliberately created such harsh regulations to maximize the exploitation of its followers' faith? If so, then they seem no different from ordinary false gods or evil deities.

Rather, it's more accurate to say that in the Eastern Empire Continent, there are very few righteous churches that truly adhere to principles and have a bottom line, and they are unlikely to survive. The Cult of the Goddess of Creation is the most typical example.

But the fact that the royal court also participated in the formulation of sacred laws is intriguing. If divine authority and royal authority were to share secular power, then the two would inevitably be adversaries. Why would the royal court risk losing popular support to vigorously assist the papacy in reaping faith? Judging from Miss Cecilia's reaction, she clearly still harbors considerable resistance to sacred laws.
Alice glanced back. The captain of the Holy Feather Knights was riding on the back of his griffin companion, watching the scene from afar with an expressionless face. Aiding and protecting the people of the kingdom was supposed to be her mission, but the Holy Feather Knights, responsible for carrying out the mission, had clearly not carried enough supplies, thus requiring the help of these foreign travelers.

In fact, Xinuo had suggested that the supplies could be provided by Cloud Whale Sky Island, but it would be better if the Holy Feather Knights were responsible for delivering them to the refugees. After all, as outsiders, doing such a thing on the land of Saint Qilong would inevitably be suspected of trying to win people's hearts, especially since Medien had already declared herself a saintess of the Holy Goddess Church, which could easily escalate into a religious conflict.

Cecilia not only rejected the proposal, but also stated that she was willing to take responsibility if any problems arose, and hoped that everyone would not have any concerns about it.

Upon hearing this, Alice's opinion of her improved considerably. Perhaps everyone has their own unspeakable difficulties. Cecilia was merely an insignificant part of the vast system of Saint Kiron, and had no power to change it entirely.

It was clearly his own country, his own people, and he was a knight protecting his country and his people, yet he could only watch from afar.

Those feelings must have been quite complex, right?

"You seem to be having some complicated thoughts, Alice." Lost in thought, a voice brought her back to reality. Alice turned to see Rorona smiling at her, her eyes holding a rather enigmatic gaze. Alice felt as if Rorona could read her mind, but she casually looked away. "Nothing, why are you suddenly saying that, Rorona?"

"Really not?"

Rorona looked her up and down, making Alice feel a little guilty, before laughing and saying, "That would be best if you didn't have one."

Having said that, she withdrew her gaze and turned it back to the refugees, watching their joy and excitement. Then, as if remembering something, her eyes softened considerably: "However, the fact that you're willing to lend a helping hand to others shows that you've grown a lot, Alice."

"What kind of talk is that?" Alice retorted, annoyed. "It's as if I'm a heartless person. I used to be a helpful person, okay? Don't forget who risked so much to get you out of Nereides!"

“It was Ling’s idea, Leticia was in charge of relaying the message, and Ieta was in charge of carrying it out,” Rorona replied without hesitation.

It seems that Alice really has nothing to do with it.

The genius player felt guilty.

"Haha, just kidding." Rorona waved her hand. "Of course you were helpful before, but it's different now. Do you understand what I mean, Alice?"

This statement seemed to come out of nowhere, but strangely enough, Alice was able to understand it.

In the past, her initiative to help others was merely following a gamer's instinct, discovering side quests and hidden elements in the game. While she didn't have much ulterior motive, she wasn't exactly enthusiastic or kind either. But today, Alice is acting entirely out of compassion, goodwill, and a small sense of justice, which is why she decided to temporarily stop on this important journey to help these homeless people.

If there is a person who is in a hurry to do something, who has something she has to do, who has to seize every moment to do what she wants to do, yet is still willing to stop for the suffering of others and to lend a helping hand to the misfortunes of others, then she must be a kind person.

Isn't that the main character in the game?
Alice suddenly realized that it wasn't the player's image, but the protagonist's image.

"Keep going, Alice." Someone gently patted her shoulder and said, "I and everyone else will support you."

...Soon afterward, the griffin flapped its wings, and the wind and snow rose again.

The refugees stood there, watching the whale sail away, and lingered for a long time.

After her conversation with Rorona, Alice remained silent upon returning to Cloud Whale Sky Island, seemingly losing the will to speak. She didn't press Cecilia about the Sacred Laws, but simply sat quietly by the window, gazing at the forests and mountains of Cloud Whale Sky Island, so incongruous with the snowy landscape, lost in thought.

Medion walked over, sat down beside her, and asked softly, "What are you thinking about, Alice?"

“It’s nothing, I just feel that doing this might not be useful,” Alice said softly. “Even if we leave the supplies behind, they will eventually run out. What will they do then? Just wait to die? Cecilia said that the officials of the royal court will help them rebuild their homes, and the Holy See will also provide subsidies, but in reality, these are difficult to achieve, aren’t they? By the time they get their turn, it will probably be too late.”

Medion was silent for a moment before saying softly, "But I think that if it really comes to that, people will never give up easily."

"What good will it do if we don't give up?" Alice closed her eyes and muttered, "That ridiculous sacred law won't make an exception, and people like us won't appear a second time, right?"

It's not Alice boasting, it's the truth. Just like the protagonist in the game, although she helps the unfortunate people, she will soon leave. Once she leaves, she won't come back, right? After all, the protagonist also has her own mission to complete, enemies to defeat, and people to save. It's impossible to leave everything to the protagonist. In any case, people need to rely on their own strength to fight for their own happiness.

“So, it would be better if this law didn’t exist,” Medine said softly. “There must be many people who think the same way. When that time comes, it will be time for change.”

Alice opened her eyes abruptly, staring incredulously at the pink-haired girl. It wasn't the rebellious idea itself that surprised her, but rather the fact that the person who conceived it was Medion.

The pink-haired girl gave her a mischievous smile: "But I know that the rulers of Saint Qilong must also know what their people are thinking. If they don't want things to get worse, they will definitely take remedial and salvage measures."

Alice had recovered from her surprise and curled her lip upon hearing this: "That's not necessarily true. Aren't there plenty of foolish and arrogant rulers in the world? They're all the same kind of people who don't know how to repent even when they're about to die."

They were as numerous as stray dogs on the roadside.

“That’s true, but the rulers of Saint Chiron probably aren’t.” Medien maintained his opinion: “Don’t forget, the Sacred Laws have been in place in Saint Chiron for nearly a thousand years without ever changing. Surely the rulers of this country have long since figured out a method that can both maintain the system and be accepted by the people?”

Even if it's just barely maintained, even if it's just barely accepted, it's still a kind of order.

The Narwhale Sky Island continued flying north.

Over the next three days, the group encountered several more similar incidents.

The Axis reconnaissance forces grew increasingly brazen. Their magical airships were no longer content with operating only over the snowy plains; they began to penetrate deep into the heart of Saint Kiron, harassing and even bombing villages and towns along the way. As one of Saint Kiron's few remaining air forces, Cecilia and her Holy Feather Knights were constantly on the move, often repelling one wave only to have another appear even further away.

And the number of refugees is also increasing.

Some had escaped from bombed villages, some had lost their homes due to avalanches, and some had been forced to leave their homeland due to food shortages... They dragged their families along, struggling along glaciers and mountain roads, their faces pale and thin, their clothes tattered, their eyes filled with confusion and fear about the future.

Whenever this happens, the travelers on Cloud Whale Sky Island take out supplies and distribute them to these refugees. Food, clothing, medicine, tools... they give them everything they can. Although they know it's just a drop in the ocean, the refugees, seeing hope in their despair, are always grateful. If it weren't for the shadow of the Griffin Knights in the sky, it would probably be easy to get them to abandon their loyalty to the royal family and the Snowfall Order.
Or rather, the system and laws of Saint Chiron destined its people to have no loyalty from the very beginning. They simply followed an ancient and rigid set of rules to survive, knowing that they could not live without leaving. Conversely, if there were other ways to live, they would leave without hesitation, just as wild animals are not loyal to their hunting grounds but only want to maintain their right to survive. This is beyond reproach, yet it inevitably makes people feel sad.

As a defender of this system, Cecilia never stopped them, but she also never gave in to the refugees. Each time, she would repeat the same words in that calm yet hard tone: "Return to your original parish immediately and await the royal court's assistance. The border is closed; no one is allowed to leave the country without authorization. This is an order."

No one dared to question it, and naturally no one dared to resist it.

The refugees silently accepted the supplies, silently turned back and retraced their steps, ultimately disappearing silently into the snowstorm. Will they heed the advice and return to their homes? Will they be able to survive? And will they make the same choice again when faced with the same predicament?
Naturally, no one could answer the question, and they could only watch them leave in silence without taking any other action.

The three-day journey passed slowly amidst wind, snow, and mournful cries.

On the morning of the fourth day, as the first rays of sunlight pierced through the clouds, a magnificent city finally came into view.

"That's... Shirakawa-Kazan?"

Alice stood on the edge of the Cloud Whale Sky Island, gazing at the ancient city perched atop a snow-capped mountain in the distance, and couldn't help but gasp in amazement. (End of Chapter)