Alice in the Land of Steam

Chapter 12 Are my steps going against the will of God?
Lingge didn't come back until the afternoon, and he didn't come back alone. The two horses with black manes stopped steadily at the door of the church under the whip of the coachman, and the wheels rolled over the broken stone road. Lingge walked down from the freight carriage, followed by a young man in a white plaid apron with a black slogan written on it: Uncle Moredi's Bakery, accompanying you in your life since Queen Victoria II.

When Alice read it, she was really afraid that the sentence would be followed by something like "a 30-year-old authentic time-honored brand".

Then, under Linger's instruction, the young man in the white plaid apron took out cartons from the cargo wagon, which should be filled with bread to be used in the seven-day ceremony. The young man moved the bread into the church and placed it under the statue of the goddess, looking very familiar with the process.

Alice, who had already finished cleaning, wanted to go over to help, but was stopped by Medien, who also asked her to go upstairs.

This immediately caused dissatisfaction among his friends: "Why? Do you think I don't have the strength to even carry bread?"

As she spoke, she rolled up the sleeves of her hoodie to show off her non-existent muscles.

Metien's face flushed, and she stammered, as if she was saying something very embarrassing: "No, that's not what I meant, Sister Alice, it's just, it's just that the way you are dressed now is not suitable for meeting strangers..."

"Eh?"

Alice blinked and finally realized why Metien stopped her.

It is said that in the conservative 19th century England, when a woman went out, she would be considered "naked" even if she only exposed her neck, arms and calves. Men were slightly better, but those who did not wear a hat would also be looked at with strange eyes.

Gift! ?
Alice perked up, patted her cheeks to clear her mind, and ran down the stairs.

After Alice knew the whole story, she did not insist any more and went upstairs reluctantly, but her brows were furrowed. It was not because she was dissatisfied, but because she was thinking about a very serious question: Why did Medien speak to her in such a tone as if he was coaxing a child?
She sat on the last step of the second floor, lost in endless thoughts about life, the world, fate and even the universe. Gradually she felt that she was approaching the truth of everything and would fall into eternal peace… In short, just when she was about to fall asleep, the noise downstairs finally stopped, and then two loud neighs were heard, waking Alice from her doze. The coachman's whip hit the air with a "crackling" sound, and the wheels turned, leaving No. 13 Turquoise Street with the loaded carriage.

As for her current dress and appearance, it has reached the level of social death.

"Sister Alice!" Metien shouted from below, "You can come down now! Linger brought you a gift!"

Alice took it out excitedly and unfolded it in front of her eyes. She found that this maid costume was not brand new, but rather old. There were traces of mending in the cuffs and collar, which were easily damaged. Overall, it was very simple and clean. The original owner must have cherished it very much and maintained it well.

"So," Metien pushed her upstairs, "You should step aside for a while, Sister Alice. I'll ask Lingge to buy you some milk pudding later."

Although I still have some doubts in my heart, would a cold guy like Lingge prepare a gift for me? But Metien said it himself, so it shouldn't be wrong...

There was neither food nor anything else in the bag, but a set of clothes, a maid outfit in classic black and white.

She took the bag, opened it, and her eyes lit up: "Wow!"

She didn't want the reputation of her church to be damaged.

All doubts disappeared after she went downstairs. Ling'er was indeed holding a paper bag in his hand. When he saw Alice, he handed the bag to her. The girl couldn't help but feel ashamed of her previous suspicion: although Ling'er looked cold, he was essentially a good person.

Alice looked at the maid costume in her hand and asked curiously, "Where did this come from? Does the bakery sell second-hand maid costumes?"

"No." Metien came over and explained the origin of the clothes for his brother: "Uncle Moredi's wife was a maid in the Linwell City Home Economics Association when she was young. This is the clothes she used to wear. Later, she stopped being a maid, but she kept the clothes. Lingge discussed it with the uncle and bought it for you. After all, you can't always dress like this, right? My clothes are not the right size..."

As she spoke, the little girl couldn't help but glance at Alice's thighs, but she quickly looked away, looking a little embarrassed. As a woman, she obviously couldn't appreciate this bold dressing style, and she was even more curious, could it be that in another world, all girls dressed like Alice? That society would be too open.

Alice didn't notice her gaze, and continued to praise the maid costume in her hand, saying something that was hard to understand: "In that case, it must be at least an epic piece of equipment. Maybe it comes with a talent for housekeeping proficiency. After putting it on, the proficiency of skills such as cleaning, washing clothes, and cooking can be directly raised to the maximum level?"

She then put on a serious expression: "Don't worry, since that lady is willing to entrust her treasure to me, then I will not disappoint her wish. I will definitely become the best maid in the world and let her be proud of me one day! Woo, I am so touched!"

The girl was moved by his impassioned speech. When she was about to shed tears, Lingge poured cold water on her without hesitation: "This is just a very ordinary maid costume. It doesn't have the functions you said. Besides, Madam Melina doesn't have any wishes that need you to inherit. She is in good health and has her own children. It's just that they are all learning to make pastries from Mr. Moredi."

"That's okay."

Hearing this, Alice changed her expression like a chameleon, so fast that Metien didn't have time to react. She just stood there in a daze, and she said proudly, "Anyway, I'm a real maid now. I'm much better than those girls at the comic convention who can only act cute and innocent. Hum, I'm much better!"

Are there any dishonest maids?
Metien tilted her head, finding it hard to understand the ecological environment of the maid industry in the other world.

Lingge was too lazy to talk nonsense with this guy who was not in his right mind. He urged her to go upstairs to change clothes in a cold tone, and announced an unexpected news at the same time: "You have to help with the Seven Days Ceremony tomorrow."

"Eh?" Alice opened her eyes wide in surprise, pointed at herself, and asked back, "Are you talking about me?"

"It can only be you." Linger, who was counting the bread, didn't even raise his head: "Metien would have helped anyway, you should too."

Alice was holding the maid outfit, feeling a bit overwhelmed: "But I don't know how to do it. I'm not a follower of the goddess, and I don't know anything about these rituals..."

"You can speak our language, and I think you can write our characters, that's enough." Ling Ge still didn't look back, as if he didn't want to see Alice's embarrassed expression: "I didn't expect you to be responsible for the most complicated part. I'm afraid it's difficult for you to understand."

"That's...ok."

Although his words were irritating, Alice could only agree glumly because she had to bow her head under someone else's eaves. At the same time, she secretly made up her mind to quietly hone her maid skills and one day surprise this guy who looked down on her!
As a time traveler, isn’t this goal too humble?
She was lost in thought.

At this time, Lingge had counted the amount of bread. After confirming that it was correct, he stood up again and walked past the two girls, as if he wanted to go to the kitchen.

Alice was still feeling sad about the discrimination and humble goals she faced, while Medien wanted to ask her brother if he needed any help.

At this time, a very plain word came from the air he had already passed: "Also, tomorrow's ceremony will be the last of the seven-day ceremony."

“After the service, I will close the church.”

The voice fell lightly, and Metien's expression suddenly froze, and she couldn't say what she wanted to say. Alice also raised her head suddenly and looked at the corridor leading to the kitchen. In her eyes, the goddess's statue, the dim corridor and the man's back seemed to be on the same straight line, but extending in opposite directions, and there would never be a moment of intersection.

The brilliant light from the sky poured through the stained glass windows, illuminating the chapel brightly and spaciously. Dust was floating, sawdust was flying, and in a place where the light could not reach, he was at odds with his own god, and his shadow was everywhere in the corners of the dim aisle.

　Give me some meow
　　
　
(End of this chapter)