Alice in the Land of Steam

Chapter 463: Another invitation?

After chatting briefly with Ling Ge, Fei Er set her eyes on Saint Xia Liya next to her. After taking a quick look, she suddenly spoke, her tone not as casual as before: "Miss, you look very familiar. I think I should know you. Do you mind telling me your name? Maybe it can help me remember it?"

She said this to Ling Ge, and now she says it to Saint Xia Liya, which makes people wonder if she has the same set of pick-up lines for everyone.

If this sentence was said by someone else, it would definitely sound like a street pick-up by a gangster, and it was an outdated routine that was no longer popular thirty years ago. However, Fei'er's expression was very serious, as if she really wanted to know the name of the blue-haired girl in front of her to confirm a guess in her heart.

Saint Xia Liya also looked at her, her pair of clear golden eyes as transparent and flawless as amber, and she answered softly: "My name is Saint Xia Liya, I don't know you, but-"

But, I also think you look familiar.

She buried this sentence in her heart and didn't say it out loud. I don't know why, maybe it's because the vague premonition in my heart is stirring uneasy. It is said that people's self-protection consciousness will prevent humans from doing things that hurt themselves, so now, Saint Shalia's subconscious mind may be doing the same thing.

As for where the hurt came from, perhaps it has to be traced back to a memory long ago, so long ago that Saint Xia Liya has no impression of it. It is floating and unpredictable, untouchable, and nowhere to be found.

"Saint Shalia...?"

Fei Er repeated it in a murmur, her eyes unconsciously vacant and her pupils somewhat unfocused, indicating that she was thinking and ignoring the outside world. She did not speak, and the others were speechless, and the scene fell into a strange silence. The rumbling sound of artillery fire in the distance seemed to begin to weaken, and the bright flames spread deeper into the swamp. After losing the two leaders, Gundaruf and Linsas, the aliens in the swamp were finally unable to resist the troops of the Inquisition and began an unprecedented rout. If you could fly up to the sky and take a look at the ground at this time, you would definitely see that those figures who fled in panic had swept into a tide, and faded away in this seemingly endless dark night.

It was not until a few minutes later that Fei Er ended this state of thinking and returned to the real world. The corners of her mouth slightly raised, reflecting a subtle and complex smile in Saint Xia Liya's eyes: "I said that my intuition is never wrong, but, tsk, it's not entirely a good thing. Why is it at this time."

She snorted, spitting on her own instinct that didn't apply to the situation, and then asked Saint Xia Liya: "You do look like someone I know. Her name is Xia Tisi. Have you heard of this name?"

In fact, she didn't need to ask the last question. When Saint Xia Liya heard the name, her fingertips trembled violently. She had an instinctive reaction to this completely unfamiliar name, as if she should know the other person. However, this feeling came inexplicably. In the more than 100 years of wind and rain since she left the apple orchard and wandered around the continent, she had never seen such a person, and she didn't even know if she existed in the world. If there is a person, you don't know her name, don't know her appearance, and have never even seen her, then how can you say that you know her?

But Saint Shalia was not sure, because she had lost many memories and had not yet recovered them. Perhaps, the girl named "Shatis" did exist, in a long time ago, in a memory that she had forgotten.

"I haven't heard of it." She looked at Fei'er calmly and replied softly: "Who is she?" "Who is she?" Fei'er repeated her question, and then her expression became particularly deep, which was not consistent with the impression she always gave people: "This is a good question, because no one has ever been able to see what kind of person she is. Everyone only uses a single one-sided adjective to evaluate her character, and I don't like it. So, let me answer you in my own words. Miss Saint Xia Liya - Xia Tisi is a great person, and she always takes care of everyone very attentively, so she is respected by everyone, and I am one of them."

The Chief Judge of the Balance of Order gently placed his hand on his heart and said seriously, "I respected her and was extremely dependent on her for a while. I always followed her and liked to stay with her. However, this was a long time ago. It was probably when she was not called Xiatise, but had another name. People like us always have many names, but the essence of the soul will not change, so even if she changed her name and appearance, I could recognize her at a glance. Unfortunately, our reunion in this world was not pleasant. When she began to use the name Xiatise, our relationship also changed. She was still a great person who shared her love equally with everyone. But I - or rather, some people, including me, felt that some people in this world did not deserve love. The world would be a better place without them. So a fierce quarrel broke out between us. I..."

She opened her mouth, facing Saint Shallia's quiet listening gaze, but she couldn't look directly into those clear eyes. She turned her head slightly, avoiding her gaze, and whispered: "This was the first time I stood opposite her, because this was the only thing I couldn't back down from. I won't say much about what happened afterwards, most of them are not very pleasant memories. In recent years, I have been avoiding them from appearing in my mind, and I have almost forgotten them, but you - no, more than that."

Her eyes swept over Lingge and the others, but they mainly fell on Avra. As for Leticia, she was not seen by her because she was hiding behind her grandmother. "But your appearance made me realize that memory never disappears, it is just hidden, and at some point it will suddenly jump out and give you a fatal blow. Alas, fate in this world is so unreasonable that those who love it can't wait to hold it in their arms, while those who hate it are so painful that they want to slap it in the face."

She sighed deeply, feeling that this sentimental look was completely different from the cheerfulness and enthusiasm she had shown before. Saint Xia Liya didn't say anything, her eyes were a little confused, and she couldn't figure out what she just said. Linger frowned slightly: "So, what does this have to do with us?"

It sounds like the story of how Chief Inquisitor Fei'er and a friend she once respected parted ways due to differences in ideas. Saint Shallia and the woman she respected named "Shatis" have similarities, maybe in appearance, maybe in personality, or maybe just in their names... which brought back her memories.

But there are no two souls in the world that are exactly the same. Even the most similar people are only similar. Therefore, it is unreasonable to accuse Saint Xia Liya of bringing up those sad memories for her.

"It doesn't matter? Of course it does." Fei Er fixed her eyes on the young man and said meaningfully, "It actually has something to do with you, Mr. Ling."

"why?"

Fei'er did not answer. She stared at Lingge quietly, observing every ups and downs of his breathing and heartbeat. When the air seemed to begin to solidify, she suddenly spoke and stretched out her hand to him. It was an invitation gesture, accompanied by a sincere and genuine tone.

"Want to join us, Mr. Ringer?"

　Give me some meow
　　
　
(End of this chapter)