Alice in the Land of Steam

Linger found Metien at the edge of the city. It was hard to imagine that this little girl had such an amazing power hidden in her body, supporting her to cross almost half the distance of the city, just to get farther away from the unfortunate and unclean building. But would the little girl be happy about this? When Linger saw her, she was curled up alone in a ruin full of rubble, holding her calves with her hands, resting her head on her knees, staring blankly at the endless darkness in the distant universe.

She was so absorbed in watching that she didn't even notice her brother's arrival. It was Ling'er's cough that drew her attention back. The little girl blinked her lake green eyes blankly, and after a while she slowly turned her head and called out to her brother, "Ling'er..."

The young man couldn't help but shudder. It was the first time he heard his sister call out his name in such a lonely and helpless tone, just like a fledgling with its feathers wet in a rainstorm, instinctively seeking comfort from its mother. Many years ago, Mr. Yang Ke's death did not take away all the little girl's hopes, because she firmly believed that she was still loved in this world, by her gentle brother and by her great and loving mother. These were the two rays of light that supported her to live in this cold and gloomy world and still have hope for humanity and the future. She believed it firmly, or rather enjoyed it.

But today, a light went out, and it went out a long time ago.

As the most devout believer of the goddess, she should have noticed something, but the fact is that she knew nothing about it, and she always prayed for more favor, more blessings, and more glory from the goddess who had already sacrificed herself for mortals. Isn't this an insatiable behavior?
The girl was deeply terrified by this, and she wondered anxiously whether she had forgotten the teachings of the goddess at some point and turned into a greedy and selfish mortal - just like the gods in Old Eden. Although they imitated their creators and claimed to be gods, they did not fulfill their duties as gods, but instead indulged in desires and struggles all day long, leading to an irreparable tragedy.

Although Metien was very dissatisfied with Tiantis for attributing the goddess' self-sacrifice to mortals, she could not deny that there was a certain inevitable connection between them. She was afraid that she was becoming that kind of person, no longer qualified to kneel before the goddess's statue and pray, and even... would disappoint her father's expectations.

Yes, unconsciously, she felt more guilty towards her father than towards the great goddess. This might be because the girl was just a pious mortal, without any magic power in her body, and naturally did not participate in the rebellion that led to the self-sacrifice of the goddess from the beginning; however, she did promise her father in person that she would become a believer of the goddess who upholds justice and kindness, saving all the pain in the world and fighting against all the injustice in the world.

Ling once thought that this oath was too heavy for a little girl who was not very worldly-wise. But today, he was more convinced of his idea, but the reason was no longer because of Metien's character and experience, but because of the fickleness of fate.

But facing his sister's helpless gaze, the young man said nothing, but walked to her side and sat down. The rubble and gravel on the ground were a bit hard, but the ground chosen by Metien was relatively flat and should not be bumped. As for himself, Lingge didn't care.

Having her brother by her side seemed to bring Metien a precious sense of security. She retracted her gaze, leaned her body slightly, and leaned on Ling'er's arm. The two of them looked up at the dark blue sky quietly. The city was so small in the vast universe, and the brother and sister were the two most inconspicuous grains of sand in it, just like when they were still in Linville City.

Our existence is as small as a grain of sand, but our emotions are as vast as the stars; that is human beings.

"Lingge," Metien suddenly said, "Did we do something wrong?"

Ling Ge seemed to have known what she was going to ask, so he shook his head and replied, "Of course not, we didn't do anything, so how could we be wrong?"

"But, it's because we didn't do anything that we were wrong, right?"

"So, what would you like to do if you could?"

"I want..." Metien pursed her lips silently, which were as thin as the snow in Linville City in winter. She would never forget that her father died in that season of snowflakes: "Fulfill my promise to my father, save all the pain in this world, and fight against all the injustice in this world."

Only in this way can we not betray our beliefs, right?

"You've already done that," the young man said calmly.

The girl looked up at her brother in confusion, while Linger said softly, word by word, "You rebuilt the Tianxin Church on Yunjingkong Island, you inherited the only faith of the Goddess in this world, and you have never forgotten Her teachings to mortals. So I think, even if my father is standing here at this moment, he can never say that you broke your promise to him. There are differences between mortals, Metien."

There are those who break their promises for a dream, like Saint Tomi, and those who keep their promises for a feeling, like Metien. If you cannot distinguish between the two, you are just making the mistake of stubbornness and prejudice, like Tiantis.

"But you were very opposed to my reopening of Tianxin Church, Lingge."

Metien's tone was full of confusion. To her, her brother's attitude was also an important part of her life and emotions: "Don't you think that I have neither understood the teachings of the Goddess nor fulfilled my promise to my father, and that I am only doing this to satisfy my vanity and sense of dignity?"

"I never thought so." Linger shook his head and said, "I'm just worried that you are not mature enough and are prone to put too much effort and hard work on impulse. When you finally get the results, once it is not as expected, the disappointment will only be greater. Just like today in the control center, you interrupted Tiandis many times and exuded your hostility without disguising yourself. I will not judge whether this approach is right or wrong, but at that time, were you very clear about what you were doing, or were you just impulsive, Metien?"

The pink-haired girl lowered her head silently. She didn't think her actions were wrong, but perhaps, as her brother said, she acted on impulse, rather than examining her own beliefs and heart and then refutation with righteous words. The nature of the two is different.

"However," Lingge continued, "you have learned to reflect today - this is an emotion that every qualified pastor must learn. Yes, I call it an emotion, not a skill. Do you think a pastor should listen to the wishes or confessions of others, and then give comfort or forgiveness in the name of God, so that all believers, whether living or not, can be inspired by the grace of God?"

Metien nodded blankly. She did think so before.

"Do not."

Ling said: "Among mortals, no one can become a messenger of God and act on God's behalf. Pastors are just a group of believers who are best at reflecting on themselves and guiding others to reflect on themselves. My father did good things and made others willing to do good. You once thought he was a candle, warming others in the dark night; but I think he is a mirror, reflecting all kinds of people. It is because people see their own deviations in the mirror that they are willing to reflect on their thoughts and actions."

A priest is not a candle, but a mirror.

The faint light of a candle can certainly illuminate others, but can one who blindly follows the light be considered a true believer? Once such a person loses the guidance of others and cannot shine himself, he will probably soon be lost in the darkness.

In the past, Metien wanted to become a candle, burning herself to illuminate others, but what would she leave behind after the candle burned out? Metien was puzzled at first, then she seemed to be thinking about it, and finally she nodded her head gently and said, "I think I understand a little bit, Lingge."

The brother reached out his hand and stroked her short pink hair. The touch was as soft and smooth as the petals of primroses. "You will have plenty of time to practice this principle in the future. Then, you will become... a great pastor like Mr. Yanke. His spirit in heaven will always watch over you and guide you."

Metien raised his head, stared at his brother quietly for a while, and suddenly asked: "Lingge, you have always understood this truth. You have always been the most important heir to your father, and you have always, always, always worked hard for his career. So I still think that you are more suitable to be the pastor of Tianxin Church than me!"

"That's not the case, Metien."

"Why not?"

"Because you can't give up anymore."

“Why can’t I just give up?”

"Because you have always persisted." Ling'er took his hand away from his sister's head, and a low voice sounded in her ears: "People who persist should not give up. If you give up here, all your past persistence will come to nothing. This is unacceptable, Metien."

The girl opened her mouth, wanting to say that she had only spent a few months rebuilding Tianxin Church, which was not as long as her brother, let alone her father. But her lips opened and closed, because the girl vaguely realized that the "past" her brother was talking about was not the time when she rebuilt Tianxin Church, but a long time ago, even before she followed her father to Linweier City, as early as the vague memory of her orphanage in Lunweiting City, and so long ago that even the common memory of the huge human race could not trace back to the time.

After all, whose memory is this?

"It's late, Metien." Ling Ge suddenly said, interrupting his sister's thoughts: "You should go back for dinner. The proprietress has prepared a sumptuous meal at the Fairy Sleep Inn. Miss Livia is also worried about you. Remember to apologize to her when you go back. If you are tired, do you need me to carry you back?"

"what."

Metien was stunned for a moment. She couldn't remember how long it had been since she had felt the feeling of lying on her brother's back. The most recent time she could still remember was at her father's funeral. When the pastor of the prayer meeting solemnly read the motto in the "Petition to the Dead", her father's coffin was buried. She watched this scene with her own eyes, but strangely she didn't cry, she just stood there in a daze. When she came to her senses, she found herself lying on her brother's back, walking step by step towards the empty Tianxin Church.

Although his brother's back was warm at the time, like a flame in the snow and moon, it was not a beautiful memory after all. So after Metien came to his senses, he shook his head without thinking and rejected the proposal: "No, no need, Lingge, I can go back by myself. In comparison, you have more important things to do, right?"

"When I came here, I saw that no one seemed to have gone back." Metien blinked and looked at his brother: "Lingge, you must be here to look for them, have you found a few people?"

Ling Ge was no longer surprised by her sister's sharpness. She said truthfully, "Almost all of them have been found. Only Saint Xia Liya is left, and..."

He paused for a moment, then said the last name in a complicated tone: "Alice."

"Xiao Xia and Alice." Metien was also quite emotional. These two people had extraordinary meanings to her and her brother. After all, one was the beginning of a journey, and the other was the beginning of an unusual life. If Alice hadn't suddenly broken into their lives, if Saint Xia Liya hadn't suddenly appeared in front of them, perhaps the brother and sister would still be living in that sad city full of haze and tears, living in the legacy left by their father.

But do you want to ask if Meitien has ever regretted it? Definitely not. On the contrary, she feels very lucky.

"Lingge, you must bring back Sister Xiaoxia and Sister Alice!" She clenched her fist and made an encouraging gesture for her brother: "I and everyone else will be waiting for you at the hotel! Tonight's dinner will definitely be lively!"

Her tone was quite expectant, and it seemed that after being comforted by her brother, her mood had improved.

"I'll try my best." Linger asked, "But I need you to provide a clue. Do you know where Saint Xia Liya is?"

"Eh?"

The pink-haired girl tilted her head, and after a while a blush appeared on her face. She said shyly: "I, I was a little anxious at the time, so I didn't pay much attention..."

Huh?
Lingge frowned, but not because his sister did not provide any clues, but because it did not conform to Alice's game theory: If Metien did not tell him where Saint Shalia was, wouldn't the mission be interrupted?
Probably not...

Well.

Gradually, the expression on Ling'er's face changed from confusion to thought, and he thought: Maybe, I actually already knew where Saint Xia Liya would be.

This is a task that does not require clues. (End of this chapter)