Alice in the Land of Steam

Chapter 1069 Is it time to go back?
Lingge had never felt so uneasy before. He felt that his favorability with Saint Shallia should be quite high. Normally, both parties would not have any secrets that needed to be deliberately hidden from each other. In this case, the "confidentiality" emphasized by Saint Shallia just now was somewhat intriguing. What was it that she had to do but had to hide from him... To be honest, the young man had no idea.

The smile on his face disappeared unconsciously.

Saint Xia Liya stretched out her finger and poked his cheek: "Smile more, Lingge."

The young man said honestly: "I can't laugh."

"why?"

"I was thinking about what you meant by confidentiality."

"It's a secret, keep it secret~"

Saint Xia Liya raised her head, and her face gradually moved away from the young man's eyes, but one could still see the slightly raised corners of her mouth and the sparkling light in her eyes. She seemed to be in a good mood, and even had the energy to tease the young man in her arms: "Or if I tell you, will Lingge be willing to smile a little longer?"

This... is not impossible to consider.

Lingge thought seriously, but suddenly an angry shout interrupted his thoughts: "Baa!?"

He subconsciously looked in the direction where the sound came from.

It turned out to be a lamb, who was playing behind the apple tree. Suddenly, he heard his owner's laughter and came to check what was going on. Who knew that he saw such a crazy scene - the young man with a blank face was actually laughing! Bah, that's not it. It should be said that he was resting on his owner's thigh!
That is clearly a privilege that only you have! As a human being, you are actually fighting with a cute and innocent lamb like me to snatch the lap pillow of your master. Don’t you have any sense of shame! ?

The master must be too kind-hearted to refuse you, so he indulged you in what you did. However, as the master's most intimate friend (actually, it is the relationship between owner and pet), the guardian of the girl's royal power (self-proclaimed), the inheritor of the ancient witchcraft of the Moryas (at least the old wizard didn't say it was not), (the leader of the four sacred beasts of Yunjing Sky Island (this title was awarded by Alice, the other three sacred beasts are the little sun in the herb garden, Xino's horse Brandi and Gloria's gray-feathered falcon Xiaobai, although there is a guy who is obviously not related to animals mixed in, but such details do not need to be paid attention to. By the way, she originally wanted to include Xie Mi in it, but was chased and bitten by the goblin for 30 kilometers before giving up), I, the lamb, will not sit idly by and watch you do whatever you want!
Justice must prevail!

With a righteous expression, the lamb called out again, then lowered its head without hesitation and prepared to charge.

Linge suddenly felt something was wrong: "Wait--"

But it was too late.

"Mee!!!" This is the lamb's charge cry.

"Huh?" This was Saint Shallia's voice of doubt and uncertainty.

"Ugh." The young man groaned as he was hit on the waist by the beast and pushed away from the warm lap and fell to the grass.

"Baa baa!!!" This is the proud cry of the lamb after its great victory.

"Puh, puh!" This was the laughter that Saint Shallia made after she tried hard to hold back her laughter but finally couldn't hold it back anymore.

"..."

This is what Lingge said when he lay on the grass, looking expressionlessly at the apple tree above his head: "This night."

It's really not beautiful at all.

……

Under the comfort of the owner, the lamb finally calmed down and did not continue to trouble Lingge. Of course, as a price, Lingge's lap pillow was naturally taken away. Now it was the lamb's turn to rest its head on the owner's thigh, enjoying the softness and warmth. Moreover, it would occasionally cast a vigilant and threatening look at the young man beside it, as if to warn him to be more obedient and not to have any crooked ideas. I am the great contributor who has come all the way with my master. Do you deserve to compete with me for favor?
Ling'er had a blank expression on his face. He certainly wouldn't haggle over a sheep. He just felt that this guy had been too arrogant ever since he survived the last swimsuit competition. It was obvious that he hadn't learned his lesson yet. Next time, he should suggest to the proprietress that they all eat a whole roasted lamb together while Saint Xia Liya is not around.

"Mee!?" The lamb suddenly had a creepy feeling. Who is plotting against me?

Right in front of you, idiot.

The young man withdrew his gaze and said to Saint Shalia, "It's getting late. Let's go back and have dinner. I think Shesta and the others must be waiting anxiously."

Saint Xia Liya looked up at the night sky, which was changing from deep purple to dark red, nodded slightly, and asked, "Then Lingge, is it okay for you to go to find Alice alone? Do you need me to go with you?"

"Alice..."

The young man fell silent for a moment.

Saint Xia Liya thought she had said something wrong and asked in confusion: "Is there something wrong, Lingge?"

"Nothing." Ling Ge replied, his expression no longer relaxed, but rather gloomy: "I'm just a little hesitant. Is it the right time to go find Alice now? I think she doesn't want to see anyone right now, including me."

Saint Shallia was silent after hearing this. She recalled Alice's reaction after reading the files. Did she still regard all this as a game, thinking that she had just watched a boring cutscene? Obviously not. All kinds of evidence proved that Themis of the Celestial Realm did not lie. Even Alice's experience in the other world and the reason for crossing over could be matched one by one. So she just couldn't accept the reality and began to escape.

As for why it is unacceptable... this is also easy to understand.

"Could it be that," Saint Xia Liya finally spoke after a long silence, "you didn't want to find her at first?"

"Yeah." Ling Ge nodded: "I think we should give her some time to calm down. Only if she is willing to listen to me can I convince her to cheer up again. If she still keeps escaping and refuses to face reality, no matter what I say, it will be useless, right?" "This is your fault, Ling Ge."

Saint Xia Liya shook her head gently: "It is at times like this that she needs someone to comfort her. Girls are fragile and sensitive, even Alice is no exception, so when they are alone, they often cannot remain calm. Instead, they will fall into loneliness, tension, panic and even self-doubt. They need someone to accompany them and share the pressure with them so that they can get out of the shadow faster. Not everyone is as strong as you, Lingge."

She looked at the young man with sympathy: "You really still don't understand."

What do you understand?

Linger had a strange feeling. He didn't know whether Saint Shallia had too high expectations for herself or too low expectations for Alice. Was that cheerful and carefree golden-haired maid who seemed to have no worries really so depressed? In the past, even when facing the imaginary gods or the real witches, she never flinched, right? Or...

What really caused that guy to become autistic was not the truth that anyone believed in, but the subversion of some kind of concept?
The young man raised his eyebrows slightly, as if he understood the key to the problem.

Saint Xia Liya's voice came at the right time: "So, I think you should still go meet Alice and bring her back for dinner, just like you brought us back for dinner. Now you have done a good job, why not do better, Lingge?"

She smiled at the young man, her eyes sparkling.

"I'll go find her." Linger made a decision without thinking too long, and asked again: "Then you——"

"Then I'll go back to the hotel."

The girl stood up and gently brushed off the grass and dust on her skirt. The lamb, no longer enjoying the warmth of her lap, was anxiously circling around her, but after Saint Xia Liya promised that he could eat as much as he wanted tonight, he calmed down. He even poked his head out from his master's side and gave Lingge a smug look - idiot, what's there to show off? I'm not Alice, so I won't snatch food from you.

"I'm at the hotel with everyone else, waiting for your good news, Lingge. Remember to tell Alice, we're all very worried about her."

After a simple farewell, Saint Xia Liya led the lamb and set off on the road back. The young man stood there, watching her back as she walked away and gradually disappeared into the depths of the deserted streets. Only then did he look away and look up at the tallest, most magnificent, and most eye-catching building in the entire city, and couldn't help but sigh.

In the past, when he was a pastor of Tianxin Church, he had helped many lost believers to confess their troubles and guide them. Later, when he embarked on a journey, he became the exclusive psychologist for the young royal girls. Not only did he care about their mental health and emotional problems at any time, but he also talked to them one by one every once in a while, like he does now, to understand their troubles and soothe their anxieties.

With such rich experience, the young man should be familiar with the job, but he is still a little unsure at the moment and doesn't know whether he can do the job well.

After all, the person he was about to face might be the most - not troublesome, nor weird, but the most unique - person in the world.

It turned out that it was not so easy to have this dinner.

The young man shook his head, put aside the irrelevant thoughts in his mind, and walked towards the city center. A minute later, his figure also disappeared in the darkness. There was only a lonely and empty square, the rustling sound of the wind blowing the branches and leaves, and a few apples lying quietly in the grass. Without the light, they seemed to be covered with a layer of strange ink color, without any luster, and seemed to rot soon.

The quiet night spread quietly, and the silhouettes of high-rise buildings in the darkness came from all directions, bringing a heavy sense of oppression. Such a cold atmosphere always makes people feel a little uneasy. Until a few minutes later, a petite figure slowly walked out from the shadow of the apple tree. She leaned over and picked up a green fruit from the grass, holding it in her palm and silently examining it.

She maintained this posture for a long time, until a gust of wind blew, the fruit in her palm swayed slightly, and suddenly fell to the ground, waking her up.

After a faint sigh, there was no one under the apple tree.

……

The headquarters of Game Command Company is even more oppressive in the dark night, reminding people of the giants in myths and legends that can wrestle with mountains. In the archives provided by Themis in the heavens, it is mentioned that when Her Majesty the Goddess created the world, she had borrowed the ancient culture of the other world. So, there should be similar legends on the planet called Earth - or its origin. However, the aliens never succumbed to the huge life in the conception, but created miracles that were no less impressive with their own hands. This romanticism that relies on human wisdom to transcend fantasy may be the reason why Her Majesty the Goddess is obsessed with the civilization of the other world.

It is not just a fantasy, but the courage to face reality from the magnificent fantasy.

However, among His Majesty’s creations, how many have understood His true intentions?

Perhaps, even His closest daughters are still confused.

At the entrance of the headquarters building, the young man stopped for a while to admire the promotional images playing on the big screen. The colorful and constantly changing pictures became the only light source nearby, but the colorful light hit the glass windows, refracted and reflected, and also caused some strange changes in the surrounding scene. It felt like walking in a dream, full of bizarre lights.

Linger felt familiar at first, wondering where he had seen a similar scene before, but this familiar feeling was fleeting, leaving no trace. He came to his senses and realized that he had been standing there for a long time, and seemed to be hesitant or afraid, so he put aside these irrelevant thoughts and walked into the building. In the sightseeing elevator he had taken during the day, he pressed the button representing the 97th floor.

If nothing unexpected happens, Alice is there.

……

The game museum was shrouded in a gloomy atmosphere at night. The glass display cabinets that looked quite spectacular during the day seemed to have become coffins for imprisoned dead souls at night, reflecting layers of bleak cold light in the darkness. The game consoles, cassettes, and brochures placed in the glass display cabinets seemed to come alive - or to have died again after coming alive, so that their eyes were empty and they followed your steps like ghosts.

If you are not a mentally strong person, you would never dare to walk alone in this empty hall, listening to your own footsteps echoing in circles, hitting the glass display cabinets and walls and then overlapping each other. It is an atmosphere more terrifying than listening to your own heartbeat in the dead of night.

Linger tried to make his footsteps as light as possible, and scanned the darkness within reach, looking for the person's location. In fact, he didn't need to look very hard to find it, because it was the only place with light, as conspicuous as a firefly in the dark night. What really hindered Linger were these glass display cabinets, which together formed an intricate maze. If he didn't want to bump into the transparent wall and stab himself, he had to try to pass through it carefully, just like dancing on the most exquisite crystal craft.

Five minutes later, the young man arrived at the place where the light was shining.

"Alice," he stopped and said to the thin figure, "It's time to go back."

Give me some meow