Alice in the Land of Steam

The sanctuary of gods is floating in the universe.

This ancient ruin of a city, drifting through the long passage of time, has gradually radiated new vitality. Trees grow from the windows of collapsed buildings, new buds sprout from the dusty ground, and even in corners that are difficult for ordinary eyes to reach, purple mountain flowers and vines quietly bloom, until the green covers the city valley, and the sound of green waves blown by the wind is as long as the sound of the sea tide. Moving your sight upwards, past those lush branches and leaves, you can see a shining circle of light passing from the end of the sky every day, with a silhouette cut into pieces by high-rise buildings, bringing the changes of light in the morning and evening in the twenty-four natural moments. From east to west, the bright light of the morning and the residual light of the evening meet majestically at the center of the city, as if they were one, and it is incredibly magnificent.

Many years ago, this place was once the holy land of God. In the long 120 million years since the birth of the universe, it had never been disturbed by war. In the end, the ambition and greed of mortals paid back all the debts. The war seemed to have a kind of fateful magic, causing it to suffer irreversible damage. Although after the birth of the new world, the goddess reshaped the city based on the former heavenly temple and restored it to its glorious period, when she fell into a deep sleep, everything here was restored like a miracle, and it became desolate and decayed again.

No one can explain this phenomenon, let alone the nature of this change. It is actually the resonance of the two heavenly temples. It is isolated from time, but it also does not coexist with memory. Before the girl with black hair and black eyes wakes up from the underground of the planet and feels relieved by what she sees and hears, this city is destined to not be able to get out of the shadow of that day.

However, life will not stop moving forward because of this. Destiny is like a vine, clinging to unpredictable trees and growing. Before all the stories unfold, there is a group of girls who do not know what troubles and sorrows are living here, and they naively believe that the world should be what it is now, with its past glory vaguely revealed in its decline.

They explored the city, watching everything around them with curiosity, and rummaged through the empty supermarkets or shopping malls for various labeled items as proof of the past. A mechanical doll made with magic, which could swing a sword by itself as long as it was equipped with something called a battery, and launch imaginary attacks on all enemies, but died in dejection after the energy was exhausted; a cube with six color faces, twisted by a wonderful structure, the colors mixed together like a paint bucket that was accidentally knocked over, if it could be successfully restored within the specified time, it might be used as a key to open a secret door; there was also a strange and retro steel machine, which would start to hum, boil and roar as long as it was poured with boiling hot water, but due to lack of proper maintenance, it fell apart after a while, and it was difficult to restore its majestic appearance at that time with only a piece of parts or a piece of gear...

Sometimes young children would bring these things back and ask their oldest sister at home, but the eldest sister could not explain where these incredible things came from. Maybe the mother would know, but she had already fallen asleep and should not be disturbed for these little things. So she could only rack her brains and say that these things fell from the apple tree. At first, they were warm, red, and juicy apples. Once they fell to the world, they turned into all kinds of hard things.

The young girls were confused about this explanation, but they believed it firmly. They often marveled at the wonders of the world and how it could connect two unrelated things together. However, they completely forgot that sometimes two strangers who had never met before could also wander around in the maze of blood and trace each other.

In any case, they live here without worries, without sorrow, without caring about worldly affairs, and without being involved in mundane things. They are just... just like fairies in fairy tales.

Yes, this is a very distant and long fairy tale.

Farther than longing, longer than remembering.

……

"So, the prince woke up the princess with a kiss of true love and took her back to his country. The two held a grand wedding with the blessings of the seven dwarfs and the people, and lived happily together ever since."

The square is covered with long-stemmed ferns, gray-tailed grass and purple-leaved bushes, dotted with handfuls of ripe berries, which give off a slightly tipsy scent under the warm sun. From a distance, the deep green is mixed with bright yellow, light purple and germanium brown, just like the natural palette of nature, fresh and bright.

A fountain stands alone in the center of the square. The pool has long been dry and is occupied by lush lichens and mosses. Occasionally, vines and creepers can be seen roaming around. Unknown small insects are hidden under the palm-sized leaves, rustling and playing the harmonious sounds of summer. The statue on the base of the fountain has also disappeared, replaced by a lush shade - a naughty bird from somewhere actually dropped an apple tree seed here, and it also made it sprout young shoots. With the base of the fountain as soil, it grows tenaciously, sprouting branches and leaves, blooming and bearing fruits, until it grows into its current thriving appearance.

It was midsummer, and the city was full of life. The apple branches were flowing with golden luster, emitting a slightly drunken heat. The drooping leaves were as transparent as a patient who had lost too much blood, and the veins underneath could be clearly seen. The fruits, green or red, hidden by the lush green, hung heavily on the branches, making people salivate. The blue-haired girl sitting under the tree seemed not to smell the faint fragrance lingering at the tip of her nose. She closed the book calmly and said gently to the girls who were gathered in a circle in front of her and were listening to her story attentively: "This is the story of Snow White."

"What do you think?" she asked again.

"Ah?" Fei Er, who had been dozing off the entire time, suddenly woke up, raised his head, and blinked blankly: "What, are you done?"

The blue-haired girl glanced at her inconspicuously. Fei Er felt guilty and hid behind another tall girl with a snow-white ponytail. She grabbed her arm and stuck her head out, revealing only half of her face. She blinked her eyes vigorously, as if to emphasize something: "I didn't mean to be distracted, Sister Xiaoxia. In fact, I listened very carefully at the beginning. Sister Xinuo can testify for me!"

Xinuo, who was used as a shield by her, pulled her hand away, bent his fingers and flicked her forehead lightly, and taught her a lesson: "It's useless to listen carefully only at the beginning, right?"

Having said that, she had no intention of pushing Fei'er away. It seemed that she was used to being her shield and she was just giving her a lesson.

Saint Xia Liya sighed helplessly, not taking this guy who was always in a mess to heart. She turned around and looked at her other sister, and asked softly: "What about you, Eve, what do you think?"

The girl called Eve nodded her head vigorously, her eyes sparkling. "Wow, so cool! The magic mirror is so cool! The crystal coffin is so cool! And the poisoned apple is so cool too!"

It seemed that because of her limited vocabulary, she could only keep emphasizing the words "amazing" and waving her hands to express her excitement after hearing the story. Although the focus she had was slightly different from what Saint Shalia wanted her to focus on.

After Eve finished speaking, she looked at her sister next to her excitedly, grabbed her arm with both hands and shook it, and pleaded in an almost coquettish tone: "Sister Lorena, I, I want this, can you help me make one and let me be Snow White too?"

The girl she called Sister Rolena smiled and replied, "Sure, as long as Sister Xiaoxia doesn't object."

Eve then looked pitifully at the blue-haired girl under the tree, hoping to soften her heart and get her to agree. Based on her past experience, the probability of this happening was very high.

Sure enough, Saint Xia Liya could not resist her sister's pleading gaze. After a little hesitation, she nodded gently: "If you really want, let Lorena help you. However, it doesn't matter about other things. Just don't play with the poisoned apple. It's too dangerous, okay?" She was worried about her youngest but most playful sister, so she gave her careful instructions and repeated reminders.

"Ah~" Eve was immediately disappointed. She lowered her head and thought, if Snow White didn't eat the poisoned apple, could she still be considered the real Snow White? However, if she had to act out the story, she would have to find a vicious queen and seven dwarfs. The dwarfs could be played by the sisters, but the role of the queen was so evil, would anyone be willing to play her?

The more she thought about it, the more absorbed she became, completely ignoring her original thoughts.

Saint Xia Liya saw this and sighed again. Why did her sisters always focus on such strange things? Shouldn't they understand the true meaning of truth, goodness and beauty from this beautiful fairy tale and swear to be good children and stop playing tricks? At least, at least they shouldn't be distracted when their eldest sister is telling stories, right?

She felt that her requirements were already very low.

Just as she was about to ask the other sisters what they thought of the story of Snow White, the sharp-eyed girl suddenly caught a glimpse of a head with pink ponytails peeking out from behind a lonely low wall at the edge of the square not far away. She couldn't help but call out, "Lilithy."

"What are you doing hiding there?"

"Eh?" The figure behind the low wall froze for a moment. After a while, the girl who was called slowly came out. Facing everyone's gaze, she greeted them awkwardly, "Hi, hi, good afternoon, everyone. And Sister Xiaoxia, have you noticed me a long time ago?"

"No." Saint Shallia shook her head and said seriously, "It's just that your disguise was very poor, so I saw it at a glance."

"Ouch!" Lilithi couldn't help but let out a cry of grief: "Even if it's the truth, please don't say it so bluntly! You always speak like this, it's too hurtful!"

"can you?"

Saint Xia Liya didn't know that her words could hurt people sometimes, so she looked at the sisters present and asked for their opinions. As a result, they all nodded at the same time, saying that Sister Xia, you are just like this. Although everyone knows that you say such things because you are too serious, sometimes it is precisely because of this seriousness that it hurts people the most...

Seeing that her sisters all thought so, Saint Shallia thought for a moment: "I will pay attention to it in the future... But now let's get back to business."

She glanced at the pink-haired girl who was feeling smug about her ability to fool people and said, "Where did you go this morning? I couldn't find you anywhere. Originally, you should have been sitting here listening to my story, Lilithy."

"Well..."

Speaking of this, Lilithi suddenly became excited. She first quickly glanced around, and her pink twin ponytails swung as if to confirm whether there was anyone eavesdropping nearby. However, this was actually impossible, because except for the young royals like them, no outsiders could enter the Holy Temple of Heaven. So this mysterious look made Saint Shallia inexplicably have an idea in her mind: she really looked like a squirrel stealing apples.

"Sister Carabosse and Favrona seem to have discovered something incredible!"

After confirming that no one was eavesdropping nearby, Lilisti couldn't wait to share or show off the news with everyone: "It was found in a place called the Planetarium. It's a very large telescope. Sister Carabosse said that with this, you can see the world outside the Cathedral of Heaven! What do you think? Do you want to go with me to take a look?"

The world outside the Holy Temple of Heaven... The girls looked at each other and were actually a little moved.

They have been living in this isolated city since they became conscious, but they are not completely ignorant of the outside world. They know that in the distant universe, in the sea of ​​stars, there is an incomparably beautiful and prosperous planet, where many races live and have developed civilizations with their own characteristics. There are also many desirable landscapes that have only been seen in books: grasslands, lakes, snow-capped mountains, deserts, canyons, wastelands... In addition, it is also the planet that the mother carefully instructed the young royal powers to protect before she fell asleep.

This is the mission of the young girls' royal power. However, for the girls who are entrusted with this mission, they are still confused about what the world they are protecting looks like. This is the request of the mother. She hopes that the young girls' royal power can stay in this temple far away from the world and quietly maintain the balance of the laws of the universe, and not participate in the disputes of the world. The Temple of Heaven itself is large enough to accommodate fourteen girls living here, which should be more than enough.

The girls would not go against their mother's expectations, but sometimes, curiosity would get in the way, causing them to have some naive expectations about the distant and unfamiliar planet: What does the mirror planet look like? What do the dragons and fairies that their mother talked about look like? Are the sea and snow-capped mountains as vast and majestic as described in the book? Even if they can't set foot on that land in person, it should be okay to just take a look from afar to satisfy their curiosity, right?

Once this idea came up, it was unstoppable. Including Lilithi who made the suggestion, everyone turned their eyes to the calm blue-haired girl who was still sitting under the shade of the tree, their eyes full of expectations and hope. As the eldest sister of the young girl, she had been taking care of these sisters on her behalf since her mother fell asleep. Her gentle tone, friendly temperament, and occasional majesty were exactly the same as her mother's, so she had a lot of prestige in the eyes of the young girl.

Her opinion has always been important, and even the strictest sister, Carabosse, respects and loves this eldest sister from the bottom of her heart.

The afternoon air was warm, and the sunlight slanted through the apple branches, casting dazzling spots of light on the grass, flickering with the swaying branches and leaves, with varying degrees of brightness. Saint Shallia gently closed the book, thought for a while under the nervous gaze of her sisters, and then nodded slowly: "Since you want to go, then go." (End of this chapter)