Alice in the Land of Steam

Chapter 557: Doing something big?
Pieces of aquamarine as crystal clear as sapphires released a faint blue light in the fireplace. On the soft and comfortable crystal grass velvet chairs, Countess Nevill and Queen Amyra of the Nereids sat opposite each other, separated by an exquisitely crafted round table, on which were placed two cups of the mirror elves' favorite drink called "Gend Juice", as well as various uniquely shaped desserts and biscuits. The raw materials could not be seen, but at least they could never be seen on land. Only in this deep-sea city-state could one have the honor of tasting them.

Nevi and Amyra had been chatting for a while, from the history of Nereides City to the customs of the Sikilia Peninsula, from the rise and fall of the Metosh Empire to the intensification of the offshore colonial war... It seemed that they had no intention of getting to the point in a short time. The three little girls who had been sitting quietly at the side gradually became impatient and began to get restless. They exchanged glances privately, urging each other to stand up and break the deadlock, or create an opportunity to sneak out to play.

But Nevile did not give them a chance to reach a consensus. After exchanging polite greetings, she glared at the three of them imperceptibly. The little girls who were secretly restless and eager to try became listless, lowered their heads and dared not act rashly again.

Watching this scene from the side, Galene smiled secretly in her heart, but she was soon glared at by Queen Emila. She quickly retracted her gaze and pretended to focus on the document in her hand, but in fact her mind was completely empty and she had no thoughts at all.

After chatting for about ten minutes, both sides finally got to the point.

"Perhaps Galene has mentioned to you before that the reason I invited you and your companions to visit the Ice Water Palace is actually because I want to ask for your help with something." Queen Emila said.

Nevi nodded slightly. "She did mention this matter, but she hasn't told us what it is specifically. If it is something we can do, we are willing to lend a hand. I just hope that Her Majesty Amyra will not have too high expectations of us. After all, if the mirror elves of the entire Nereids City are unable to do something, then we, a few visitors from the earth, may not be able to play any role either."

She made it very clear that we can help, but don't expect us to be able to help. After all, although Neviel is a demigod, there are also two demigod-level origin priests in the city of Nereids, plus a large number of mirror elves. The power that can be mobilized in this deep sea area is actually not inferior to the power that Gundaruf gathered in the virtual root swamp. Gundaruf gathered such a powerful force to fight against the alliance of the cult, but he misjudged the gap in strength between the two sides, which led to his failure; could it be that Queen Amyra wanted to follow his example?

This was a suicidal act that even Alice, with her intelligence, knew she shouldn't agree to, let alone Nevile.

Emilia understood her concerns, but she also had her own reasons. She explained softly, "Miss Nevill, you don't know that this is actually my personal request - or rather, it is an internal affair of the Nyrid royal family. It is not unrelated to the other mirror elves in Nereides, but it is less involved. If I mobilize the people of the city for my own selfish reasons, I am afraid it will attract a lot of criticism, and I will feel even worse, so I want to ask for your help."

"Of course," she added, "This matter may be inconvenient for me, but it is easy for you to accomplish, and the risk is very small. Moreover, I will not let you make a wasted trip. If it is successful, you and your companions can go to my private treasury to choose an item to take away as a reward. Oh, it is called a private treasury, but in fact it is equivalent to the treasury of our Nierrid royal family. The treasures in it may not be as much as the accumulation of the Valenhild family for thousands of years, but there are some rare treasures on earth. Maybe it can help you in your future journey?"

She learned from the previous conversation that Nevill and his group were traveling around the world for a certain purpose, and that the Cloud Whale Sky Island was their means of transportation, so she thought of persuading them in this way.

Nevill smiled and asked, "This is a good situation, Your Majesty Aimi, but what if it is a bad situation and things fail?"

"That is the result of your best efforts. I will never criticize you." Queen Aimi's tone was sincere and her expression was genuine. If it wasn't the performance of a natural king, it must be true and sincere: "And, I am still willing to represent the people of Nereids City and regard you as the most distinguished guests. You will receive the warmest hospitality in this city and there will be no neglect." It sounds like a good condition. Nereids City has ruled this sea area for a long time, and the deep sea area has hardly been invaded by the tentacles of the cult. The various secret treasures, extraordinary items and unique materials buried there are probably richer than those on land. Aimi said that "everyone can enter the treasury and choose an item." This reward is generous. Moreover, there is no danger if you fail, and you don't even need to worry about the harsh criticism from the client. Is there a more ideal task in the world than this?

But if the risk is really minimal as Amyra said, then why did she offer such a generous reward? Moreover, why should outsiders be involved in the internal affairs of the royal family?
Nevi was very cautious and was not moved by Queen Emila's conditions and agreed immediately. As a countess of the Valenhild family, she still had some self-control, so she said slowly and calmly: "I can feel your sincerity. That's why I don't want to make my promise easily, for fear that I can't meet your wishes and disappoint your expectations in the end. This will be the thing I feel most guilty about. It would be better for Your Majesty to explain the details of this matter more clearly, so that I can carefully consider it and measure my ability before giving you an answer. What do you think?"

"That's only natural." Queen Aimi didn't expect that a few sincere words could impress a demigod, so she wasn't too disappointed. She smiled and said, "It's just that after all, it involves the internal affairs of our Nieride royal family. If Miss Neviel is unwilling to agree in the end, please don't leak it out, so as not to cause misunderstandings from outsiders."

"Please rest assured, Your Majesty. I am not the gossipy kid from the Swamp of the Void Roots, who likes to gossip in the shadows." When Nevill said this, she suddenly cast her eyes towards the three little girls behind her and frowned slightly: "Leticia, take Metien and Shemi and go play outside first - didn't you want to go out a long time ago?"

Yes, she could promise not to gossip, but there was no way she could guarantee that these three guys would be able to curb their curiosity, so it would be better to kick them out first.

However, the three little girls who had tried to sneak away before, showed surprising enthusiasm at this time, and patted their chests to assure: We don’t want to go out to play at all! We are not children anymore, so we have to stay here and do great things with you!

Do big things, do big things.

Damn...big things don't need you little guys messing around here.

Nevi was speechless, but Emilia chuckled and said, "Let them stay and listen. I believe they won't tell others about what happened here."

This gentle tone, warm smile and trusting attitude immediately won the favor of the little girls, but also made Nevile alert: What do you want to do by improving their favorability in front of me? No, he actually let the children stay to listen to the internal affairs of the royal family. Could it be that this matter is actually related to them? With whom? Leticia? Shemi? Or...

What about Metien?

　Give me some meow
　　
　
(End of this chapter)