Alice in the Land of Steam

Chapter 111 Is What You See a Mystery?

"More than a century ago, my ancestor Sir Roman—he was not yet a knight at the time, but please allow me to use this title to tell the story—was a playwright who created many classic plays that were popular at the time, but they were later overshadowed by the glory of "March Search Diary" and therefore remained unknown."

“People who engage in artistic creation will remember a truth: inspiration is infinite, but the means to inspire it are limited. Therefore, no matter how great a creator is, he or she will inevitably encounter a period when it is difficult to inspire inspiration. That is naturally very painful, but as long as you can get through it, you will definitely be able to leave your own name in the future art world... Sorry, it seems that I have talked about too many irrelevant things, so let's continue to focus on the main topic.”

"As a famous playwright at the time, Roman naturally encountered similar difficulties. He tried various methods to regain the ability to inspire inspiration, such as learning from the experience of his predecessors and changing the direction of his creation, but all failed. So in the end, he chose a path that seems crazy even to people of our time, that is, to hike through the Sosen Mountains, away from the hustle and bustle of civilization, and inspire his infinite inspiration in close contact with nature. He imitated the fanatics of ancient times and called this road - the pilgrimage of art."

When Mills said this, he blinked his grey eyes, and a hint of envy and yearning emerged in his expression.

Lingge saw his expression and was speechless. He felt that he and Sir Roman were of the same blood and were both artists, with paranoia and madness running through their bones.

You know, even in today's era, the Sosen Mountains are still a wild place that is difficult for civilization to set foot on. This mountain range that separates the northern border of the Kingdom of Great Britta and Leisenburg has always been considered the "Wolf's Lair" of the Sigiriya continent. This symbolic name describes its cruel nature. It may devour travelers who enter it at any time and lick every inch of flesh and blood on the bones clean.

Although the city of Rustin has a sightseeing train route that claims to "go deep into the southern foothills of the Thorsen Mountains and experience the wild natural scenery", in fact it only takes you on a tour of the semi-civilized suburban areas of the southern wilderness to see the markets, villages and hotel sites left over from the pioneering era. As for going deep into the Thorsen Mountains, it is completely a gimmick.

Even on such a safe tourist route, many skeletons of adventurers from the pioneering era are still excavated every year, proving that the "Wolf's Lair" on the mainland is not a social place where ordinary people can come and go as they please.

What's more, Sir Roman was traveling alone on foot. No matter which era, there is only one evaluation for such behavior: seeking death.

"One day, he was walking in the mountains, chasing the natural scenery that people in the civilized world could hardly appreciate. He accidentally glanced and saw an ancient castle standing on the cliff..."

The road was not flat. The nutritious black soil gave birth to a rich variety of plants, towering ancient trees, overgrown vines, and thick aerial roots that bulged like pythons, twisting and entwining, blocking people's way. Travelers had to exert great effort, using their wrists, arms and legs to barely climb over these walls.

"That's because the ancestor returned within a week after entering the mountains. He did not hike across the Sosen Mountains to the other side of Leisenburg as he said," Mills said. "During this short journey, he encountered something that he would never forget, and it became the inspiration for him to write 'March Search Diary'."

He heaved a sigh of relief, put aside the rattan walking stick he carried with him, took out a dirty handkerchief from his pocket, and wiped the sweat from his forehead and neck casually, without any trace of the gentle and elegant demeanor he had a few days ago, because in this remote mountain area far away from civilization, these useless things were actually not needed.

But Sir Roman not only did not die, but he actually inspired and created such a classic masterpiece as "March Diary". It can be seen that the standards of judgment of ordinary people are not applicable to artists.

As Mills told the story, Ling and Saint Charity seemed to have returned to a century ago, following the footsteps of the traveler, walking through the dark and secluded forest, stepping on the thick piles of fallen leaves. Under the slightly fishy-smelling rotten matter were crawling reptiles or spiders, and stepping on them was like walking in a muddy swamp.

The exhausted man planned to take a short break before continuing through the forest. However, when he raised his head, he was surprised to see an ancient castle standing on a high cliff, in the direction where the sunlight was struggling to squeeze in through the gaps in the dense treetops.

It is so old that it exudes an ancient atmosphere, and it seems to have a history as long as this land. Today, dark red thorns have covered every brick of the castle. Only in a few corners can you see the spires of the castle breaking through the blockade of thorns like swords and piercing the sky.

The man was stunned by his discovery and almost suspected that he was hallucinating. When he came to his senses, he immediately gave up the idea of ​​resting and picked up his walking stick to chase the cliff where the castle stood, wanting to find out which era the castle was from, which civilization it came from, and why it was left here. In his mind, he already had thousands of guesses, which inspired him infinitely.

……

"So, Ancestor Roman kept chasing after it, but no matter how hard he chased, he could not touch the shadow of the ancient castle. He could only sigh at the thicket of thorns, as if it was a creation hidden in another time and space, and only appeared in front of humans by chance, leaving behind a stunning glimpse."

"But he didn't think of giving up, because he had never seen a similar description in the records left by adventurers before. If he left today, he might not be able to have the same experience next time."

"Just when Ancestor Roman insisted on reaching the ancient castle, an accident happened."

Mills' expression was serious, as if he was describing something that really happened: "From the castle, there came a roar like that of a demon beast. In an instant, the ground shook, as if the mountains themselves were being shaken. Birds lost their direction, wild animals fled in terror, and the sky suddenly darkened, without a single ray of sunlight."

When he said this, Ling Ge suddenly realized: "The Sun Devouring Beast, Noctus of Darkness?"

"Yes."

Mills nodded and said, "It was exactly as described in the legend. Ancestor Roman was stunned by the terrifying roar. He felt his life was threatened and dared not approach the castle again. So he hurriedly left the Sosen Mountains and returned to Rostin. Inspired by this incident, he wrote the "March Search Diary."

"This was his original purpose, but after it was achieved, Roman didn't feel any sense of accomplishment. For the rest of his life, he couldn't forget the ancient castle he saw in the Sosen Mountains and the roar of Noctus the Dark in the castle. He wanted to explore their truth and the meaning of their existence. To this end, he spent his entire life studying the history and legends of this area, which resulted in him never creating another script in the second half of his life."

"He organized three expeditions into the mountains to try to find the castle, but all ended in failure. After the last failure, he exhausted all the strength he needed to survive, and a 62-year-old man met his own decline on his sickbed. Before he died, he told his son, my great-grandfather's grandfather, that he must let the play continue to be performed until the Central Theater closed down."

"Because this is not only his most proud work in his life, but also a mystery that he tried to reveal but ultimately lost to time."

The story ended with Mills' calm tone.

An unsolved mystery, an unfinished adventure, an unfinished drama, and an old man who has not rested in peace.

One of the greatest playwrights in history is Rothstein, his name is Roman Bergstrom.

　Give me some meow
　　
　
(End of this chapter)