Alice in the Land of Steam

Chapter 990: Did I almost forget to write the title?

When travelers from faraway places set foot on the ancient ruins and the distant Holy Temple of Heaven finally welcomed the second batch of guests millions of years after Saint Tomi, inside the Alien Philosopher, Carabosse was gazing deeply at the deep and lonely sea of ​​stars. The transparent glass porthole reflected her stern profile, as if reflecting another abyss.

Behind her, the communication device on the table flashed red and beeped, waiting for the person on the other end to pick up the call. Perhaps because of the distance, the interval between each beep was particularly long, echoing in the empty room, making the witch's silence even more piercing.

Time seemed to have weight, falling drop by drop in the hourglass. An unknown amount of time had passed. Carabosse waited patiently until the drawn-out reminder sound suddenly stopped and the red light on the communication device turned blue. A familiar voice came across the vast sea of ​​stars. Disturbed by the omnipresent magnetic field and magic flow in the universe, it seemed a little distorted.

"Hello, hello? Can you hear me, Carabosse?"

"Yeah, I heard it." Carabosse was still standing in front of the porthole, without turning back, but her calm voice was still captured by the communication device and transmitted to the ears of the person opposite.

"Strange, why is there still noise? Isn't this thing broken?" The other party muttered a few words, and then hit his communication device a few times, trying to fix it physically. Carabosse listened to the noise and couldn't help but feel helpless: "This is not a malfunction, it's a normal phenomenon, Tiantis."

"Oh, is that so?" Tiantis laughed dryly, "Actually, I knew it a long time ago. I was just teasing you. People should always have a sense of humor. You are usually too serious, Carabosse."

"Let's just take it as it is." Carabosse shook her head and didn't dwell on this topic any further. She didn't deny that she was a serious person, but at the same time she was skeptical of what Tiantis said, "People need a sense of humor." Because as far as she knew, Tiantis's understanding of humor was not the same as other people's understanding of humor.

These are all off-topic and have nothing to do with the topic they are going to talk about next.

After making a joke with the dark witch lady who didn't understand romance, Tiantis seemed to be in a better mood. She sat back in a high-back chair, playing with the black queen chess piece in her hand, with a relaxed attitude: "So, do you have any new information to report to me this time? Let me guess, it can't be related to those people?"

In this situation, the "those people" she mentioned can only refer to one thing.

Caraboss said softly, "They have broken through the outer defenses of the Interstellar Cruise Force and entered the interior of the Heavenly Temple. I estimate that they will soon come into contact with Themis in the Celestial Realm."

"Really? It seems that I should also be prepared."

"Should you tell them the truth?"

"Well. If I don't show up, I'm afraid they won't believe it easily. Especially Saint Xia Liya. Perhaps because she is often exposed to the law of fate, her character is the most sensitive and stubborn. The previous few times, I just revealed a little information about this, and she suspected that I was lying. This time, with the help of Mr. Ling, she and those young royal powers of order have finally reached this point. In any case... This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and we must seize it."

Tiandis, who was on the other side of the communication device, seemed to be talking to Carabosse, or to himself, and spoke for a long time. Carabosse listened silently without interrupting. She knew that sometimes people with too much psychological pressure would have such a situation, not to mention that Tiandis was not a very strong person.

She has only come this far with hatred, belief, and the desire to change the world.

After Tiantis finished talking to herself, Carabosse asked, "Do you think that this time, as long as you tell them the whole truth, they will believe you? Even if they do believe you, will they agree with our approach? I think they are not people who can change easily. Although they are naive, they are also naive to the point of being stubborn."

In the past, Saint Xia Liya was unwilling to listen to Tiandis's full truth. Was it because she felt that it was a lie used by the enemy to disguise and deceive her, or was it because she had actually noticed it a long time ago but did not want to be shaken, so she chose the most difficult path?
As the eldest sister of the young queen, her innocence was only reflected in her ideals, but her delicate mind and sensitive intuition were no less than any of her sisters. So her avoidance of Tiantis was actually a rejection in another sense.

If they could reconcile, it would of course be something to be happy about, but no matter what, she could not accept the methods of the Chaos Witches, could not accept a new world that required huge sacrifices to create. She always firmly believed that there must be a way to have the best of both worlds, and all the sadness and misfortune could be eliminated by her own hands, even if that road was more difficult and there was no hope.

The stark reality revealed by Carabosse made Tiantis fall silent all of a sudden. She did not speak for a long time. Only the crackling sound coming from the signal receiver of the communication device still echoed hoarsely in the room, like the call of the deep sea or the noise of the soul.

"Are you reminding me of my position, Carabosse?" Her voice suddenly broke the silence.

Carabosse kept her tone unchanged, as calm as ever: "I am just reminding you not to forget who you are, Tiantis."

The witch of reality, Tiantis, is the person in the world who is closest to and understands the essence of reality the most, and does not have any expectations of others, and is a part of reality.

"You always hope to fight for something, such as our former sisters and Mr. Lingge, such as Themis in the celestial world, and certain people in the association. But it is in vain."

Carabosse pointed out mercilessly: "Their attitude has never changed from the past to the present. Mr. Linger has rejected our recruitment more than once. He is a particularly determined person. Themis in the celestial world has never been willing to give in. She said that she must wait until Alice and everyone else know the truth before she can make a judgment. But she has been secretly guiding those people. I think her attitude is obvious. As for the association, it has long lost the spirit of unity it had when it was first established. There is the secular faction headed by Victoria, the philosopher faction headed by William and Otto, and the expansionist faction headed by Caesar... The factional struggle is not yet obvious, but it is like a tidal undercurrent, ready to go."

"This world is like this, full of imperfections and shortcomings. If you have expectations of them, they may disappoint you at any time, Tiantis." Carabosse said lightly: "Especially after the implementation of the realistic plan, this mentality will only bring you unnecessary hesitation."

Realistic plans...

These four words seemed to have hit Tiandis's soft spot, leaving her speechless.

"determination."

Carabos stared at the universe outside the window, with the vast stars in her eyes, but the brilliance of the stars was no more powerful than her words, making people feel a heavy weight: "For us, this is the most important thing. Xiao Xia... Saint Xia Liya and the others always fail because they don't understand this. Tiandis, you have paid so much for the reality plan, I don't believe it just to get a failed result."

There was silence for a long time on the other side of the communication device, and then a bitter laugh came out: "I understand why Favrona and the others are always reluctant to communicate with you. It's really frustrating to be lectured by you even though we haven't met."

"You'll get used to it. If it's——"

The words stopped abruptly, and a trace of confusion appeared in Carabosse's eyes, because she originally wanted to say that if it was that person, he would definitely preach more harshly and naggingly. But then she thought again, it has been many years since she heard that person preaching. Besides, she did not accept her last earnest persuasion. Everything will be buried in memory, just like the light of the stars will eventually be drowned by the tide.

Carabosse slowly closed her eyes, took a few even breaths, and when she opened them again, she was clear-headed. She asked, "So, you should make a decision?"

"It is."

Tiantis gently pressed the queen chess piece in his hand on the black and white chessboard, making a crisp sound: "Let me fight for one last time, Carabosse. Whether it's them, Mr. Lingge, Themis in the heaven, or those who have been following us. I still have expectations for them. Of course, if they still go on different paths in the end, I also respect their choices, and-"

She took her hand away from the chess piece. The delicate, porcelain-like queen chess piece had already been cracked with tiny cracks, just like the determination in her eyes: "I will go all out."

Carabosse frowned slightly, then relaxed her brows, as if accepting the proposal: "Whatever you want. This should be the last time anyway."

Once the realistic plan begins to be implemented, fate will completely lose its room for maneuver. The universe begins to move forward, rushing towards a long-planned future. By then, the struggle between humans and aliens, the struggle between mortals and extraordinary people, and even the struggle between the royal powers of girls will no longer be important, because the world has already ushered in true equality: all lives are equal, and all come from the same source.

That's the reality.

"That's good."

Tiantis stood up, glanced casually at the lonely chess piece on the chessboard, and said softly: "Now, I should make some preparations. Later, Bailong will report to me on the progress of the actual plan. So, you can inform Favrona and the others of the relevant situation on my behalf."

Carabosse nodded gently: "Thank you for your hard work, Tiantis."

"I should be the one saying this." The black-haired girl smiled slightly, said goodbye and hung up the call. She turned her head and looked out the window. The sun was shining brightly, the sky was clear and cloudless, and it seemed to reflect the people coming and going on the ground. Those researchers in white coats or combat personnel in uniforms were hurriedly passing through the atrium and heading to their respective work stations.

This is the Sky Dragon's Nest, the Ladist, a steel island soaring ten thousand meters in the sky. It is also the headquarters of the Witch Society. The "Witch's Nest" revered by the world once became the nightmare of the extraordinary world, causing those extraordinary people and magicians to wake up from shock and tremble countless times.

However, even among the members of the association, only a few people know that in the central area of ​​this steel island, there is actually a secret area hidden. It is so secret that only witches and a few philosophers know of its existence. Its name is Steel Eden Reglagios.

Of course, Tiantis prefers to call it——

The Temple of Heaven.

This is also where she woke up.

She vaguely remembered that one day ten thousand years ago, when she woke up from her deep sleep, the sky was as clear as it is now, and nothing seemed to have changed. However, this was exactly what she hated the most. If the world remained unchanged, what was the meaning of her past efforts?
There are always some sacrifices that cannot be wasted.

"Oh, what a nice day." The girl suddenly stretched her arms and stretched herself, then turned and walked towards the door, humming a tuneless song in a happy mood: "It's time to work~"

……

At the same time, one communication request after another from the alien Philosopher is being sent from the universe to the ground, belonging to various departments of the cult union, and their communication levels are all marked as the highest level, which means that only witch-level members are qualified to listen to the message. The content is also very simple, just a plain sentence, so plain that one can even imagine the tone of Carabosse when she said this: Reality plan, ready to start.

On the Eastern Continent, in the combat command room aboard the Nidhogg, the Witch of Strife Favrona casually turned off the communication device, with a hint of high morale in her fiery red eyes; on the Axis front, at the port of Half Moon Bay, the Witch of Disaster Eve looked out at the sails blocking out the sun on the sea level, then glanced at her adjutant Heng who was checking the magic position, and sighed silently; on the Western Continent, at the headquarters of the Inquisition in the Rainy Harbor of the City of Cold Night, the Witch of Fear Fei'er listened to the content of the message over and over again, and only stopped when she was sure that nothing was missed. The frivolous smile of the past was no longer on her face, only seriousness and earnestness.

At the headquarters of the Knights Hospitaller, the quiet and elegant Plague Witch Pellegrine did not show any change in expression after hearing the message, and she was still calmly reviewing the piles of documents in front of her. Only after a long time, a long sigh was heard in the office. At the headquarters of the International Committee on Compulsory Education in Fontainebleau, the capital of the White City Republic, the stunningly beautiful End Witch Pellegrine was writing the words "agree to the application" on the application document for "expanding the scale of compulsory education, establishing more national schools, and accommodating more street children to attend school". Her hands were trembling slightly, as if she was not sure if she was doing the right thing. In the distant endless sea, a steam fleet seemed to be searching for something, but in the command room of the central ship, the Death Witch Lilisti, who wore pink twin ponytails and had a lively and cheerful temperament, put the communication device aside without a care after hearing the content of the message, and even hummed a brisk ballad, as if no matter what was mentioned in it, it could not affect her good mood now.

Just like that, in a place unknown to the world, fate changed dramatically from this moment on. The only person who noticed it was perhaps the young girl Wang Quan who controlled the laws of fate. However, the blue-haired girl looked back and saw only a tangled vine, the shadows of the trees swaying and rustling in the ruins.

"What's wrong?" asked the young man next to him.

"Nothing." The girl withdrew her gaze, unwilling to elaborate.

Because it is useless to say it out, they cannot change what has happened. They can only move forward and continue to move forward until they see the light, then the world can usher in a saved future.

So, go forward, keep going forward, travelers who have come from afar.

Come to me, come to me, and let me tell you the truth of those ancient times.

A story about creation, expectation, betrayal, despair, escape, forgetfulness and cycle.

In the darkness, a pair of cold eyes were watching the backs of the travelers, waiting silently.

Give me some meow