Alice in the Land of Steam

Chapter 113 Do heroes really exist?
At the same moment when Metien and Shemi accepted Mrs. Tree's invitation and entered the herb garden, in the Central Theater, backstage, in the actor's lounge.

"I have told you everything I know. Perhaps there are many unknown details that were taken into the tomb by our ancestors. It is a shame that we, the descendants, do not have enough courage to explore the truth. Therefore, the existence of the ancient castle remains a mystery to this day."

"I have wondered countless times whether the ancient castle in the forest that our ancestors could not approach was originally a realm that mortals could not set foot in. Although humans always claim to be the most intelligent creatures in the world, the unknown areas of this world are actually constantly expanding beyond the areas we know. Even after experiencing the geographical discoveries of the pioneering era and the great navigation era, we dare not say that we have fully mastered all the phenomena on this planet."

“So I think that only those equally mysterious powers can reveal this mysterious mystery.” Mills said here, leaning forward slightly, staring at the guests in front of him with his bright eyes: “That is the power you possess.”

Mountains that have not been conquered for thousands of years, ancient castles standing on the cliffs, dark red thorn bushes surrounding the sky, and the monster Noctus the Dark that wanders in the castle and devours the sun and brings darkness... These things that are beyond human imagination will fall back into reality at some point.

However, Sir Roman, who first discovered the mystery, could no longer see that moment coming. Under his tomb, only his sleeping bones yearn for peace. As his only blood descendant, Mills feels that even if he cannot fulfill his ancestor's last wish, he should at least see the day when the mystery is solved on his behalf.

and so.

"I want to ask you a favor."

He said in a very serious tone: "If you want to enter the Sosen Mountains, look for traces of the ancient castle, and successfully find out the truth about it, I hope you can share this experience with me. I hope I can gain new inspiration from it and write a sequel to "March Search Diary" to make up for the only regret of my ancestor. As for the reward..."

He paused for a moment, then suddenly stood up from his chair and raised his hands, like a king on the stage showing his treasure trove to the brave, and said in a rising tone: "I have been running a theater in Rostin City for twenty-two years. During this period, I have accumulated wealth, including manuscripts, sculptures, ancient books, paintings and treasures inherited from my ancestor Sir Roman. As long as you two want, you can take it all!"

As for the notary of the Inquisition, the Purifying Spirit has always been known as the "Guardian of the Social Contract", and there are many lawyers, judges and police officers among his followers. If someone is sentenced as a "dishonest person" by the Inquisition, I am afraid that at least in the mainstream civilization of the Western Continent, he will not be able to find a foothold.

After that, he added, "Of course, I mean everything except the Central Theater. After all, this is another great effort of our ancestor Roman besides "March Search Diary". As his descendant, I cannot make up for his regret and add another regret."

Swear to the great teacher... It turns out that he is a believer of the original sect. This is not surprising. Apart from educators, most people who engage in literary creation will choose to call on the grace of the end teacher and bathe in his glory to seek more knowledge and enlightenment.

Hearing this, Ling Ge raised his eyebrows slightly and asked subconsciously: "Are you kidding?"

Mills was determined to say this. Perhaps in the eyes of outsiders, it was foolish to spend all the family wealth for a wish from a hundred years ago, but Linger suddenly understood him, because the young man insisted on doing something he didn't like for so long because of someone's wish, and it even became a habit in the end.

Unfortunately, he couldn't agree to the other party's request.

"I'm not lying." Mills said seriously, "If you two don't believe me, I can swear to the great mentor and ask a notary from the Inquisition to sign a contract, witnessed by the gods."

At least not now.

"I haven't made up my mind yet, Mr. Mills."

Linger said calmly, "To be honest, this will be a difficult choice. I don't know which path will be the right one, so I need some time to think about it. Before that, I can't make any promises to you."

This sentence made Saint Shallia turn her head slightly, and her eyes stayed on the young man's face for a moment. But the latter was indifferent, and it was unclear whether he did not see it, or saw it but deliberately ignored it.

"If this is your consideration, Mr. Ling." Mills did not seem to be that disappointed with his answer. Rather, he expected it. "Then I should also express my feelings. I think no matter what you have thought about, the final choice will be the same: you will embark on the same path as my ancestor Sir Roman, enter the Sosen Mountains, and look for traces of the ancient castle until its secret is revealed, and... you will definitely reveal its secret."

Linger asked back: "Is this your intuition?"

"Do not."

Mills shook his head. “It’s not about intuition, but because I know that now that you have come here, into this theater, and know the story of the past, it is impossible to turn a blind eye to the future. As Shakespeare said in Hamlet: Man controls his own destiny.”

He stared at Linge deeply: "Will you give up controlling your own destiny?"

At this time, Mills seemed to become a philosopher, telling the obscure and profound truths of the world. But perhaps sometimes there is no boundary between art and philosophy, just as a playwright also needs a deep understanding of fate to help him write thought-provoking lines in the script.

Linger was speechless. He avoided his gaze a little: "Maybe so, but I still give the same answer as before, Mr. Mills. I can't guarantee anything."

Upon hearing this, Saint Shallia's beautiful golden eyes seemed to dim a little. Her lamb bleated twice, expressing its owner's inner thoughts: What a dishonest man!

"Then I respect your choice."

Mills sighed: "Of course, the promise I just made has no deadline. I am always waiting to fulfill it."

As if the curtain had fallen on a stage, this sentence announced the end of the topic. After that, both parties tacitly did not talk about the Sosen Mountains and the mysterious castle. After a few minutes of simple greetings, Lingge said goodbye because his purpose had been achieved and there was no need to stay any longer.

Mills did not try to persuade her to stay, but gave her two bottles of Durinde wine as a parting gift. Linger accepted the gift, considering that Miss Shelia might be interested in human drinks. If that didn't work out, he could give it to Alice, although she might not like it. But if she did, Linger would not necessarily give it to her.

Saint Charity led her lamb out of the green room, and Ling followed closely behind. But before leaving, he suddenly heard Mills say, "Actually, there was one thing I said wrong in the story I just told you."

Linger stopped walking, and Mills' voice continued: "I said before that the Sun Devouring Beast Noctus is real, and the Hero Rosh is just a figment of Roman's imagination. I have always believed it before, but now I have a new idea."

"Perhaps, the hero Rochu also has a prototype?"

"Who do you think it will be, Mr. Linger?"

He quietly waited for the young man's answer, but after a few seconds of silence at the door, Linger said nothing and quietly walked out of the actor's lounge, not forgetting to close the door before leaving. When the door gradually closed, Mills heard a low voice coming from inside:

"I do not know."

Then, the room fell into a deathly silence. It was not until a long time later that a soft sigh was heard: "Magicians... are really enviable."

　Give me some meow
　　
　
(End of this chapter)