Alice in the Land of Steam

Chapter 841 Is It Puss in Boots?

On July 1856, 7, a sunny afternoon, after more than half a month of flight, the Cloud Whale Sky Island finally landed smoothly in the Forest of Losser in the province of Saint-Denis. Its huge body stirred up a flood tide the moment it landed. The Emerald Lake, which had been silent for many years in the ancient forest, welcomed the first high tide in recorded history. The rolled-up tide slapped the lakeshore violently, and instantly submerged the thriving meadows and shrubs.

Transparent water droplets splashed all over the sky, and were somewhat dazzling when illuminated by the sunlight shining through the forest. After rising to the sky higher than the treetops, they fell rapidly under the pull of gravity, hitting the leaves on the branches that had wilted due to the scorching sun one after another, giving them new life. The sound of raindrops and leaves rustling alternately was like a harmonious serenade in the forest, and a fresh water vapor blew in the face, making the travelers who had just stepped off the sky island take a deep breath, as if they were feeling the unique atmosphere and flavor of this area.

“It looks like a nice place.”

Linger looked at the impenetrable jungle around him. The most direct effect of being away from human activities was that every tree in the forest was growing wildly, encroaching on each other's territory and competing for resources such as water and sunlight needed for survival. The shortest tree species here was more than ten meters tall, and the crowded treetops pushed each other and were close to each other, almost blocking all the light, causing the forest to be dark even in the daytime. Only the area near the Emerald Lake had sufficient light.

The ground was covered with a thick layer of fallen leaves, not just one color: withered green coniferous and broad-leaved trees, red sweetgum, and aquatic white grass dotted with white spots... It was like a colorful carpet, covering the rotten bacteria that had accumulated over the years. It was filled with corpses of animals and ants, which prompted shrubs, weeds, fungi and various flowers to grow freely on it.

The aerial roots protruding from the ground were curved and arched, and the surface covered with tree knots was ugly and hideous, like the four legs of a wild beast, holding up a heavy city on its back. Even the vines wrapped around the trunk and climbing on the surface were as thick as human arms, hiding in corners that could not be reached by peripheral vision, crawling slowly, with almost no signs of growth, but leaving behind a series of snake marks of varying depths.

They seemed to have never seen such an ancient and mysterious primeval forest landscape since they left the Sosen Mountains. For those who lived in big cities, it was an even more precious experience, such as a certain Princess III.

"It's really beautiful."

Gloria held a gray bird and stood on the shore of Emerald Lake, looking around. She stepped on the soft and fragrant meadow, and heard the ethereal and distant bird calls above her head. The vigorous vitality of the primeval forest came to her face, making the girl who had always lived in Lunwiting City couldn't help but sigh: "It feels like an adventure."

But Lingge didn't care about their thoughts, because the reason why he chose this forest as the landing site in the first place was so simple. Should he go against his own heart and agree with others? So he ignored these looks and calmly began to arrange the tasks: "Then, let's do it as before. I, Saint Xia Liya and Alice will go to Sumiya City to find clues about the last girl's royal power. The others will stay in Yunjingkong Island and wait for news. But this time, Miss Gloria, please join us. Your ability will be very helpful."

You had objections before because we didn't want to play with you. Now we are taking the initiative to play with you, and you still have objections. What do you want to do? Do you want to be the commander of the Gransefa Air Cavalry Regiment?
The golden-haired maid had already run dozens of meters away. She was now standing under a leafy oak tree. She turned around and waved vigorously to everyone. She also shouted in a very uncivilized manner, and her voice echoed among the branches and leaves: "Come and take a look and you will know!!!"

"What should we do now, Lingge?" Saint Xia Liya also asked the same question, but it sounded much more sincere when she said it. It was obvious that she was really worried, not like someone who only knew how to joke and have fun without any sense of responsibility!

After these words were spoken, not only Gloria, but also several other girls looked at Lingge with strange eyes, as if they were blaming young people for not understanding romance. At this moment, even if you just simply said "hmm", it would be better than saying such words, right?

If she was just looking for trouble... Lingge turned his head and gave Saint Shallia a look. The latter understood and nodded to show that she had received it. Thus, the fate of the golden-haired maid was decided in this simple interaction.

"What should we do now?" Alice asked. For some reason, Linger could always hear a sense of gloating from her tone: "Your judgment is wrong, Linger, do you want to change places?"

But the young man just glanced at her indifferently, and the golden-haired maid put away her sarcastic expression and went away to play.

It better be something real.

But this is the province of Saint-Denis, not the land of Lenkwell. Sumia, the City of Wind and Flowers, is not Lenwittin, the City of Ten Thousand Cities. Is the situation really so complicated?

With one part curiosity and nine parts suspicion, everyone walked towards Alice's direction, wanting to see what was going on. Then, as soon as they walked over, they found the problem, and they didn't even need Alice to remind them, because it was a fact that could be seen with the naked eye: a winding stone road extended in the direction of everyone's gaze, leading to the outskirts of Loser Forest, and even farther away.

In a primeval forest that theoretically should be sparsely populated, man-made structures were discovered?
Everyone looked at each other, not knowing what to say. After this strange silence lasted for a while, Ling Ge rubbed his brows and said helplessly, "It seems that I miscalculated."

"I have an opinion!" A strong voice suddenly came from not far away. Ling Ge had guessed that this guy would jump out and make trouble, so he didn't react. He just raised his eyelids and asked indifferently: "What do you think?"

"No." Ling Ge said expressionlessly: "What I mean is that this place is hidden enough and very suitable for hiding. Let's stay here for a while and leave after we find the last girl Wang Quan."

Since this stone road is still being cleaned and maintained by someone, it is enough to show that the Forest of Loser is not a restricted area for human activities. There is probably a settlement of the size of a village or town here. Only in this way can it be sufficient to support the various expenses of road construction and maintenance.

But why is there no relevant description in the book I read? Not only that, there is no record in other materials about the province of Saint-Denis. Could it be that they are like the "underground people" in the city of Renwitin, a group that does exist but is never officially recognized?

The old bluestone slabs were covered with potholes and erosion holes, which were traces of years of wear and tear, silently showing its true age. It seemed to have existed for quite a long time, but there was no sign of damage or abandonment. Each slab still retained the appearance when it was first laid, as if there was no difference between the past and the present. The fallen leaves in the morning had been cleaned up and swept into the bushes and fallen leaves on both sides of the road. Only one or two leaves, which should have fallen just now, lay quietly in the gaps between the slabs. The traces of the leaf veins were so clear, still retaining the memory of them withering from the branches.

"Let me think about it first..."

Lingge didn't say too much. The main reason was that after leaving the Forest of Loser, there was no other place in the entire Sumya area that was more suitable for Yunjing Sky Island to hide. Did he have to land directly on top of Williard of the United Church?
You may not win by riding on the sky island, what if the goods are delivered to your door?
While the young man was still considering, Avella behind him suddenly exclaimed, her eyes fixed on the back of a tree in the forest, and she said in an uncertain tone: "I seemed to see something moving behind it just now?"

"There's something?" This sentence immediately attracted everyone's attention, especially Alice, who had nothing to do. She wanted to stick her head behind the tree and asked, "Where is it?"

"Maybe it's just a small animal in the forest." Olvera said embarrassedly. She felt that her reaction was a bit exaggerated. Isn't it normal to have animals in the forest? "Squirrels or rabbits?"

"Impossible!" Alice denied it flatly: "If that were the case, they would have run away long ago. How could they possibly come close to us?"

It seems to make some sense.

“In that case,” Alice chuckled, stood up, and moved her fingers and wrists slightly, making a crackling sound like frying beans, then pressed forward with full momentum: “Let me expose your true face!”

Why do you speak in such a villainous tone?

Everyone was speechless, but no one stopped Alice, mainly because everyone was there, and the game console and cartridges were hanging on the genius player's belt, so even if he encountered any malicious enemies, he would be able to deal with them.

Everyone followed Alice's footsteps as she moved closer to the tall lime tree. Her footsteps made crackling sounds on the fallen leaves. She took one step, two steps, stepped on the tree roots, went around the tree trunk, and the small figure hiding behind the tree came into Alice's sight...

"Ah?" The genius player asked in confusion, "What is this?"

Doesn't sound like a dangerous enemy.

Everyone looked at each other, then silently moved closer and watched. What appeared in front of them was a small animal that looked a bit like a Fabia cat. Its ears were pointed and covered with fine white hair at the ends. The fur on its body was mainly gold and crimson. The roots were crimson and the tips were gold. It looked like it was wearing a golden woven cloak, quite majestic. In addition, there was a pair of eyes shining with amber luster, which was looking at the large group of people in front of it with a confused and curious look.

The reason why it is said to be like a cat, rather than a more positive statement, is entirely because although this unidentified beast has the characteristics of a feline in appearance, there are great differences in details. For example, it has no whiskers, but instead a circle of white cotton-like material under its black nose, which sways in the wind and looks very soft; for example, although its forelimbs are covered with hair, its hands are not the claws and palms of cats, but are more like the finger structure of primates, and the sharp nails like daggers prove that it is not just cute in appearance, but also a powerful predator; for example... this guy actually walks upright, using two short legs to support a body less than half a meter high, and he also wears a pair of dark blue boots on his feet.

“Putting boots on the cat?” Alice’s first reaction was, “Is this some kind of prank?”

"No, Sister Alice." Metien squatted down and looked at the cat walking upright without blinking: "Look carefully, it seems that it is not a boot, but a part of its body."

"Oh?"

Alice looked closely and found that it was true. The part that looked like blue boots was actually a solid stratum corneum, but it was covered by hair on the outside, so it was not very clear. It was just like the white feathers on the ears of a certain angel lady were not ornaments, but body organs of the feather tribe.

"Your Mirror Star world is truly unfathomable, with even such strange animals existing there." The genius player exclaimed.

"This is not an animal." Xie Mi sat on top of Metien's head, also observing the cat walking upright. He remembered something and frowned deeply: "I seem to have heard my elder sister mention that there is a kind of monster that looks like this, but I forgot it... Hmm, let me think about it, I will definitely remember it!"

After saying that, she pursed her lips, crossed her arms across her chest, and began to think hard.

"So it's an alien." Alice suddenly realized. This is not surprising. After all, there are all kinds of strange creatures among the aliens. What's wrong with the appearance of a cat in boots?

Spirits are also a kind of alien species, different from demons, monsters and vengeful spirits. They usually refer to alien species that are born from the spiritual intelligence of species that already exist in nature. Therefore, their appearance will have certain similarities with the original species. For example, the werewolf is based on a wolf, the Capellus is based on a deer, the golden-maned lion-mane is based on a lion, etc. However, these alien species are more intelligent and have formed their own culture and civilization. Therefore, they have broken away from the ranks of spirits and called themselves a clan.

The cat in boots in front of us is of a relatively low level of civilization, with an intelligence equivalent to that of a seven or eight-year-old child. Therefore, although he looks smart and clever when looking at everyone, he cannot speak and has no way to refute Alice's outrageous statement that "this cat can actually wear boots".

"But," Olvera murmured, "it's so cute."

After the words were spoken, everyone except Lingge nodded in unison.

Cats are cute, but isn't a cat in boots even cuter?

　Give me some meow
　　
　
(End of this chapter)