Alice in the Land of Steam

Chapter 209 Isn’t it the monster that devours the sun?

Coming from the second floor to the bottom of the castle was like stepping into a deep night, but the darkness here was different from the darkness of the previous floors. The darkness before was like a hidden evil beast, choosing people to devour, always trying to devour the last light and let everything return to the original chaos. Therefore, when Olvera walked in it, the flame of the lantern was like a residual light, shaky and dying, making people unable to feel at ease.

The darkness that spread silently at this moment was so peaceful and gentle, like the ancient relics sunk in the deep lake, or the endless forests wandering in the spring night. Walking in this water-like quiet darkness, watching the lantern light slowly blow away, my mood can't help but become calm, and it's hard to feel hostility towards the things around me.

But the more this happened, the more vigilant everyone became, believing that there must be some trap hidden behind the scenes, waiting for them to fall into it.

This is an obvious thing. It is impossible that the final boss hidden behind the scenes, the ruling monster that created four phantoms to seal the cage and plunged the country of Bemang into misery, is actually a kind-hearted, innocent, cute, polite and beautiful girl who also likes small animals?

That is the fantasy that only a crazy old 2D fan would have, but Alice is a maid and a hero, but she is not a crazy old 2D fan, so she knows very well that the sun-devouring monster Noctus that appeared in the script "March Diary" written by Sir Roman is its true appearance.

Until now, various rumors about this terrifying monster are still circulating in the area near the Sosen Mountains. Most of them are associated with keywords such as "devouring living people", "destroying villages", "causing earthquakes", and "bringing darkness". Just hearing them is enough to stop a child from crying.

When Alice was bored on the road, she used these rural ghost stories she heard from others to scare Ovira. The latter turned pale and swallowed subconsciously. She whispered, "I know that the monster is very difficult to deal with. All the magicians in Bemang, including the teacher, are helpless. But I didn't know that it is so famous in your world. Could it be that, besides me, there are others who have been harmed by it?"

"I do not know."

Alice, who was only responsible for spreading rumors, said irresponsibly, "There should be, otherwise the legend of Noctus the Dark would not be so widely spread. Hey, Lingge, weren't you reading a book about the history of Rostin City before? You should know the answer, right?"

“Perhaps,” Ovilla whispered, “when I leave this castle, I can look up the books left by Beman and find the answer from them.”

"I...I don't know."

With the guarantee of the young girl's royal power, which symbolizes the law of destiny, Ovilla's previous words suddenly became credible. So everyone was silent for a while, full of doubts about that lost history.

"You can't go wrong with your feelings." Suddenly a soft voice interrupted the conversation. It was Saint Shallia who was speaking: "Because that is the spirituality bestowed by fate."

Lingge, who was forced into the topic by her, didn't want to respond at first, but Olvera's face was full of curiosity. Considering that he couldn't let the innocent princess be poisoned by Alice's rumors, he recalled what he had read in the book and said, "The legend of Noctus the Dark originated in the 11th century AD. At that time, the villagers attributed a severe earthquake in the Sosen Mountains to its terrifying power. It happened to be a period when the pioneering wave gradually cooled down, and adventurers left the mountains and ended their exploration. It was believed that they were afraid of the fierce power of this monster, so it spread. As for whether anyone was directly harmed, I have never seen any records."

The princess looked confused and shook her head slowly, her tone not quite confident: "It is also possible that my feeling is wrong? After all, I have been sealed for so long, I may not be so sensitive to the span of time..."

She seemed to be very familiar with the Gregorian calendar, knowing that a century was a hundred years. Could it be that the countries of the goblins also used this calendar? While thinking, Lingge casually replied, "Do you mean that the time when Noctus the Dark appeared was earlier than your curse? Then who was the ruling monster that sealed you in the castle?"

"The 11th century AD?" Olvera asked, "What century is the world outside now?"

"I know, it was the 19th century AD!" Alice answered a question that did not require a quick answer, which had no other meaning except to show the low limit of her intelligence.

"In other words, eight hundred years?" Ovilla seemed to be thinking, "Has eight hundred years passed since I was sealed in the castle? Why do I always feel that it hasn't been that long?"

"good idea!"

Alice quickly agreed, and the others also thought it was a good idea, but Lingge said nothing, thinking that it might not be so smooth. After all, the Belmang Kingdom had been destroyed for so long, and except for the castle that sealed the princess, which was still preserved because of the curse, all other relics had turned into historical dust and disappeared without a trace. Where could the remaining books be found?
I thought so, but I didn't say it out loud. I silently followed the princess's perspective and continued to move forward in the darkness that was as quiet and timeless as the night. I don't know how long I walked. When everyone almost doubted whether this darkness would never end, the scene in the sky suddenly changed.

It was a floating crescent moon, as bright and clear as a silver bow, hanging high in the night sky, illuminating the world, and casting pieces of cool moonlight on the ground. In the crescent moon, a tall and cold figure was floating. She was shrouded in the gorgeous moonlight, as if covered with hazy frost. Her specific face could not be seen, but just looking at her back made people feel proud, elegant, and a kind of self-conceited dignity. Avella subconsciously stopped, and at the same time, the [Book of Truth] showed the other party's information description:
[The Ruler - Shadow of Karabosse: HP 1/1, the embodiment of darkness, the dream of the night, the lonely and cold moon. Submit to her, or you will fall into the call of the eternal night. ]

The ruler... the shadow of Carabosse?
When Linger saw the name, he subconsciously felt familiar, as if he had heard it somewhere before. The other companions were even more shocked. For example, Alice blurted out without thinking: "Isn't it Noctus of Darkness!?"

……

Outside the universe, in the endless sea of ​​stars, a huge and magnificent steel structure like a star floated silently at the end of the darkness, silently observing all the movements of the earth. In the deepest part of the steel structure, on the cold corridor, there was a sound of empty footsteps, which quickly stopped, accompanied by a young and steady voice: "Lord Carabosse, you called me?"

Then came the cold and rational voice of a young girl: "Are you here, Floyd? Sit down first, and then take a look at this report."

Floyd took a seat as instructed, took the report from the other party, and after flipping through a few pages, a look of surprise appeared in his eyes: "Report on the abnormal magical phenomena in area Y-674... Area Y-674, I remember that wasn't the area where incident S-1055-102 occurred?"

S refers to the highest level of the abnormal event level standard set by the association, 1055 refers to the time when the event occurred, that is, 1055 AD, and 102 means that it is the 102th event of the same level that has occurred since the establishment of the association. Although the number 102 is large, if you trace back to the time when the association was established, it is actually a very early event.

Moreover, Incident No. 102 has a very special significance among all S-level incidents.

"If I remember correctly, Floyd, you were not in that fight."

The girl called Lady Carabos maintained her calm tone, as if the things she was talking about or even the things that were about to happen could not interfere with her original thoughts. This was her usual character: "Although the association's encirclement and suppression of the Goddess of Creation finally achieved its strategic goal, it suffered heavy losses. Less than half of the participants survived. This was due to miscalculation and lack of decisiveness."

"Yes." Floyd recalled the relevant archives about the battle, frowning: "As far as I know, the fierce battle also caused an outbreak of abnormal magic in the Y-674 area that lasted for three months. Not only did natural disasters such as earthquakes occur frequently, but the area also fell into a long period of darkness, so that the legend of the sun-devouring monster Noctus of Obscurity spread..."

"It's just a rumor in the countryside, not worth mentioning."

Carabosse was obviously not interested in this most popular legend in the Rostin region. She was more concerned about the essence of the incident: "Does the report of this abnormal magical phenomenon remind you of the battle eight hundred years ago?"

"If I only look at the report, I can't give you an accurate conclusion. After all, the scale is different. Compared with the one eight hundred years ago, the abnormal magic power phenomenon this time seems to be within the normal range. It's just that the area where it occurred is more sensitive." Floyd expressed his opinion cautiously: "Besides, you are an eyewitness to that battle, so you should know more about it than me."

"Really? In that case." Carabosse paused for a moment, then slowly said, "I want to convene a meeting of philosophers and present this report to the meeting for everyone to discuss together, so I would like to ask for your opinion."

Floyd was surprised when he heard this: "Is this a bit... too much of a fuss, Lord Carabosse?"

"You feel this way because you are still young, Floyd. If I remember correctly, you have been a member of the Society for less than two hundred years. Naturally, you cannot understand the significance of that battle to us. You can even think that it changed us and, in turn, changed the world."

"But just one change like this is enough."

Karabos' eyes were deep, staring into the void, as if he was staring at a deep nebula: "The current situation is the most stable period in the four thousand years since the establishment of the association, and I--"

“We don’t want to see any instability.”

　Give me some meow
　　
　
(End of this chapter)