Alice in the Land of Steam

Chapter 1056: Are you attached to the little happiness?

The corridor of the mall was pitch black, looking like a huge mouth ready to devour anyone. The strange thing was that when Lingge walked over, a device with a pearl white shell and that looked like a huge gem embedded in the ceiling would automatically light up. The light it emitted was crystal clear, soft yet warm, enough to drive those self-proclaimed upper-class ladies crazy. But here it was just a tool for mall lighting. In other words, it was as ordinary as the loudspeaker used in department stores to announce discount information on goods.

The level of civilization in the other world is far beyond imagination. If the Eden Plan of the Witch Society is successfully implemented, will human civilization become like this one day? After the magic power recedes, steam surges up. Although it brings a lot of troubles, such as industrial pollution, labor oppression, colonial wars, materialism and hedonism, it does objectively improve productivity, making this society move forward at an astonishing speed like a roaring steam train.

And when the steam recedes, what will rise with it? Is it some kind of energy that makes these lights that are clearer than gems, softer than candlelight, and more convenient than all the lighting methods known to mankind? It's incredible, Lingge sometimes thinks so. If the mortals of Mirror Star can properly use magic power instead of seeing it as a source of power and immortality, perhaps everything will be different. But this is a luxury wish. Saints like Tumi can't resist the whispers in their dreams, let alone the temptation of their own hearts?
Lingge thought as he walked up the corridor. It's not that there is no tool called an elevator in this mall, but the area where it is located has unfortunately collapsed and cannot be used, so the young man can only use this more primitive method to measure the height of the floor himself. His footsteps rang in the empty darkness. The lights gradually brightened from near to far in the places he walked by, and then dimmed one by one after he walked a distance. From a distance, it seemed as if the light was moving.

But the world had never seen such a slow beam of light. It even took nearly half an hour for it to climb from the first floor to the top floor. Ling Ge thought that this could only be attributed to the fact that the mall was built too high. Do the aliens really have so many goods to sell? The largest department store he had visited in Linville City was less than ten stories high!
Presumably Miss Angel did not walk up here. After all, she has six wings. Although she has not used them for many years, the instinct of the Feather Elves still remains in her body and blood, allowing her to soar with just a wisp of wind as weak as a breath, and fly to a place higher than the stars - it is said that the royal city of the Feather Elves in ancient times floated there.

Their only flaw is that they are too fluffy and rich, so that with a light shake, they can shake off the flying feathers all over the sky. For example, as soon as the young man opened the door to the rooftop, he was immediately blinded by a flying feather. The end of the feather tickled the tip of his nose, bringing an itchy feeling. Linger took it away and raised his eyebrows: "Can I take this as an unwelcome hint?"

"Ah, Ringer!"

A panicked voice came from above: "Why, why are you here?"

"That's what I want to ask, Yieta." Linger raised his head and looked at the angel lady sitting on the edge of the platform. The wind in the sky blew gently, caressing the girl's skirt, wings and hair, making those soft things that people couldn't bear to hurt flutter gently. She supported the edge of the platform with her petite hands, her back was not sitting upright but slightly bent, a little slack, and when she lowered her head, two pools of unmelted snow were hidden under her fine white bangs, full of innocent curiosity and childish fear. In the eyes of young people, that silhouette was slender and thin, and full of a kind of fragile beauty. If you have to use a word to describe it, it would be noble.

From this angle, a few stars hang low in the dark blue night sky, almost penetrating into the girl's hair. Unfortunately, there is no moon. If there is a bright, clear moon, as if made of crystal, glass and diamond, slowly hanging above the girl's head, overlooking this ancient, magnificent but dilapidated city with her, then the young man can guarantee that it will be the pinnacle of art history, a picture that will make all painters, writers and bards scream and prostrate themselves before the god of inspiration, a poem in painting and a painting in poetry.

But the next moment, the action of Miss Angel completely destroyed the beauty of the picture. Almost as if by instinct, she folded her wings and wrapped herself tightly in a pile of white fluffy feathers, revealing only her little face. She looked pitifully at the young man below: "Why can't I be here? I just want to get some fresh air. The wind here is different from the wind on Yunjingkong Island...."

She flared her nose and sniffed the air, like a squirrel looking for honey: "It has a very comfortable smell. I miss it very much."

This was natural. After all, this was her home ten thousand years ago. The comfort and nostalgia she talked about might have come from the throbbing in her blood, from the only remaining longing and memory for her mother in her last moments.

"I didn't say it was bad, but you stayed a little too long."

Linger took two steps back calmly to avoid seeing things he shouldn't see - such as the girl's flawless calves after her skirt was blown up by the wind - and then slowly explained his purpose: "You should go back too, Yieta."

"Back to where?"

"Of course it's Yunjingkong Island."

"Do you want to lock me up in that little windmill tower, Lingge?" Yieta suddenly became a little sad: "I finally got out, let me stay a little longer, please, I swear, just a little while."

Before leaving, she was still very reluctant, but once she saw the vast world outside, the chicks no longer had an irresistible urge to return to the nest. They longed to fly, shuttle between the sky and the clouds, and live freely - this is also the nature of the feather elves. They are free as if they are not bound by anything, until something called desire begins to corrode their hearts. Only the feather elves who have abandoned power, authority, and wealth can get true freedom, but there are only a handful of such souls in the world. The girl in front of Lingge is the last feather elf in the world, not only in the sense of race, but also in the sense of soul.

"You can stay as long as you want," Linger calmly promised after understanding her concerns: "I won't stop you. But at least before that, you have to go back to eat. I'm sure you won't disappoint the landlady who prepared the dinner for you?"

"This..." A hesitant look appeared on Yieta's face.

Lingge added fuel to the fire: "By the way, now that you have walked out of the windmill tower room, you can dine with us in the lobby of the Fairy Sleep Inn - you haven't experienced the feeling of eating with everyone, right?"

"Eh?" Yieta opened her eyes wide all of a sudden, like a starving quail, staring intently at the grains on the grass. She even swallowed slightly, "Indeed, it's not. Is it lively?"

Lingge recalled the daily life at the hotel table: Alice who was noisy, Leticia who picked out vegetables when her grandmother wasn't paying attention, Shemi who whispered to Metien while eating, and Saint Charia who kept nagging every morning, either complaining about Olvera staying up late or complaining about Rorona not eating on time... So he nodded slightly and replied with confidence: "It's very lively."

Yieta's words reminded her of the Spring Buds Festival on the Saillia Fields. It was a festival to celebrate the harvest, which had a long history, but had almost never been held before Yieta came to Avignon Village. The angels blew away the mountains and brought a good harvest, so the residents gathered beside the harvested primrose fields. The most respected elder in the area wrote the "Gospel of the Harvest Goddess", and then the most beautiful girl in the area read it in person. Without exception, this honor belonged to Yieta. Then people sang and danced around the bonfire, and the adults' conversations and the children's laughter would not stop until late at night. That was the most lively scene in Yieta's memory.

A long time has passed, and the memory is not so much forgotten as faded, just as a pen drawing will gradually peel off from faded parchment. Yieta can still remember the scene at that time, the laughter of the people and the stars in the night sky, but the girl who stood on the celebration platform and recited the "Gospel of the Harvest Goddess" has gradually become a little vague.

Do the villagers of Avignon remember her face? They remember that they left a poor person in the world. Although they pitied her, loved her, and were willing to sacrifice their lives to protect her, they also made her suffer a torture that was longer than missing her and more painful than memories. She sometimes wrote some shallow insights about happiness in her diary, but they were very different from the understanding of ordinary people. Others only wanted power, wealth or fame, which were not worth mentioning, but she wanted to be with her friends and relatives, to do anything, to eat, to dance, as long as it was lively enough and not let her be so lonely - but as we all know, the latter is often more precious and more difficult than the former.

Now, she can finally enjoy this happiness in her mother's arms.

"I will." Her little face flushed, expectant and nervous: "I will go back, Lingge! When can we have dinner?" "When I find everyone back."

"Can I go with you to find them?" Miss Angel blinked her eyes: "I will tell them that it is a very happy thing for everyone to have a meal together!"

This is indeed the case as far as the current situation is concerned.

"No, no need."

Ling Ge shook his head and said, "You'd better go back as soon as possible to the Fairy Sleep Inn. Shelia will be very happy to see you. Maybe the landlady will secretly give you some snacks and let Shemi play with you - they have always liked you."

To be precise, it’s not about liking it, but about cherishing it - just like treating the most important thing in life, an irreplaceable treasure.

This might be some kind of connection between the traveler elves and the feather elves. Ling Ge didn't know, and Yieta, who had only the memory of wandering since birth, didn't know either. She lowered her head in frustration: "Okay."

Although it would be nice to go back and accompany the traveling fairy, Lingge's decisive refusal still made her feel useless.

Ling Ge noticed her reaction, thought for a moment and said, "Perhaps you can tell me if you have seen where the others went? This city is too big, and I don't know where to find them. You should be able to see more clearly from a high place, right?"

"Correct!"

Miss Angel raised her head at once, her bright eyes were like polished jasper crystals. "I saw her! Well, actually, I only saw one, Gloria. She walked to the south forest. There were a lot of, uh, I don't know what kind of trees they were. Anyway, they were very big, and there were a lot of aerial roots hanging from the branches. These aerial roots penetrated into the ground and became new trees. I saw her sitting on the root of a tree. Oh, yes, she was admiring a lake."

"lake?"

"Lake!" Yieta stretched out her hand and drew a circle in the air: "A lake as big as this shopping mall."

Well, since there can be a forest in the city, it is not surprising that there is a lake. Linger nodded slightly: "I see, thank you, Yieta. Now, you can go back. Remember to walk along the street and don't get lost."

"I'm not a kid anymore."

Miss Angel muttered, but her words were not convincing. In Ling'er's opinion, her daily words and deeds were indeed no different from those of a child - except for the scene he just saw, which gave her a very girlish feeling.

"Hey!"

She jumped down from the rooftop, and when she landed, the six wings behind her fluttered, and the white feathers fluttered in the sky. The girl made a cheering gesture to the young man, encouraging him to find everyone as soon as possible, so that everyone could sit together in the lobby of the Fairy Deep Sleep Hotel and have a lively dinner.

Then she staggered towards the staircase door, looking like she wanted to go back. Although she said on the surface that I was not a child, she actually kept Lingge's instructions in mind. I have to say, this is an interesting mentality.

When her back was about to disappear in the darkness of the corridor, Ling Ge suddenly called her name: "Yieta!"

When the angel girl turned around in confusion, the young man said in a serious tone: "From now on, you can always stay in the Fairy Sleep Inn and eat with everyone. I promise."

This sounded a bit strange, because eating with everyone didn't seem to be something important enough for him to promise in such a tone, right? What was even stranger was that Yieta seemed to understand what she meant. She was indeed not interested in those macro topics about the universe, civilization, life, etc. She only cared about the tiny happiness that was within her reach. She didn't dare to say such words before, worried that everyone would accuse her of being weak, but fortunately, the young man in front of her could understand her heart and was willing to accept it.

So she responded with a bright smile and nodded her head vigorously -

"Ok!"

A little bit of tiny happiness makes up the whole world and emotion.

Give me some meow