Alice in the Land of Steam

Chapter 235: Another dream?

Until the end, Ovilla didn't understand whether she had convinced Lingge or not.

The rain fell all night long, and by the time everyone woke up in the morning, it had gradually stopped, but the sky was still a little dark and the dark clouds had not completely dispersed, making people feel that the next rain could come at any time.

The air after the rain is fresh and slightly cold. A deep breath can make the drowsy head clear. After a good rest, the travelers who have experienced an exciting adventure face the world with a full and fulfilled spirit. They see transparent raindrops hanging on the green leaves on the branches, which are swaying. The streams gathered by the rain in the lush mountain forests have been washed all night, separating several muddy paths. The mud pits that seem to be trampled by wild animals are filled with turbid water. From time to time, you can see birds startling the branches and scattering a drizzle; or small water spiders quickly pass through the stagnant water in the pit, rush to the back of the bushes, and disappear.

Looking back, you can still see the shadow of the castle looming between the branches and leaves, like a giant standing silently under the dark clouds. Alice suddenly thought of something and asked Ovira curiously: "Now that the seal of the castle has been lifted, can everyone who enters the Sosen Mountains see it?"

The princess, who her companions thought should have had a good night's rest, still looked tired and exhausted. She yawned and replied slowly, "I don't know, but... it should be like this."

What an unreliable answer.

Alice said with emotion: "So, if Sir Roman, who wrote the March Search Diary, lived in this era, his lifelong exploration and pursuit would not be in vain?"

When Ling Ge heard this, he glanced at the golden-haired maid and said sincerely without any sarcasm: "I didn't expect you to care about this kind of thing."

"Oh, it's a side quest, maybe there will be some good rewards. Even if there is no reward, it's good to get a complete collection achievement." Alice patted her chest and said shamelessly: "You know, I have been an obsessive-compulsive gamer since I was a child. I must lick the map cleanly and I must get all platinums in the game. Everyone calls me Ai Sanguang!"

Due to various reasons, the efficiency of progress was slowed down. It took seven or eight days for everyone to reach the river where they encountered the dwarfs when they first entered the mountain. Looking from here, they could already see the shadow of the city of Rostin, proving that they were about to leave the mountains and return to the civilized world.

Metien didn't react for a moment, and opened his eyes wide in surprise, and found that his brother's expression was serious and didn't seem to be joking. So he pondered for a while, and finally said his thoughts word by word: "I want to go to the place that Sister Xiaoxia mentioned, the Heavenly Temple where the goddess is sleeping."

"Oh oh." Olvera nodded repeatedly. Although she didn't understand, she felt that it was very powerful.

"How is that possible!" Metien didn't believe it, because having no opinion was equal to having no opinion, and how could his brother be a person without an opinion? So, he must have some opinion, but he just didn't want to tell me.

Continuous rainfall has widened the river bank by several meters. The large rock, which was originally lying alone on the shore, has been submerged by the rising river water. The part of the rock surface hidden under the river water is covered with dark green aquatic moss, proving the tenacity of life and that it will thrive no matter what accidents it encounters.

"what is the problem?"

As for the others, they were basically immune to Alice's self-boasting, especially Ringer. He knew very well that if they traced every title of the golden-haired maid to the bottom, they would eventually find that her race was not actually human, but a magical creature called Ditto.

"It's about your opinion on that matter." Metien was very skilled at playing dumb, but he was very dissatisfied with his brother's dumbness. He puffed up his cheeks and said, "You obviously know it very well, Lingge, don't pretend you don't know!"

This was not an unexpected answer. Linger's expression remained the same, without any change. He asked again, "Can you tell me the reason?"

"Hey, hey, hey." The pink-haired girl pretended to be silly with a cute and bright smile. Seeing that Lingge seemed too lazy to argue with her, she moved closer and lowered her voice, as if she didn't want to be heard by her companions in the distance. But in fact, at this distance, even normal voices could not be heard: "I just want to ask you a question."

Ling Ge asked suddenly: "Actually, I would like to ask your opinion, Metien."

"What if I say I don't have an opinion?"

After a simple breakfast, the group set out again, aiming to leave the Sosen Mountains. The road was muddy and difficult to walk on after the rain, and the rain kept falling intermittently, with occasional heavy rain and occasional showers, as unpredictable as a girl's mood. Basically, they had to stop and rest after traveling for a while, and sometimes they could not travel for a whole day. In addition, Olvera, who had just left the castle, was full of curiosity about the world hundreds of years later. Although she would not point to a butterfly and ask "What kind of bird is this", she still behaved like a curious baby, often stopping to ask questions.

"Lingge!" A familiar voice suddenly came from behind, shouting quite energetically: "What are you doing here alone?"

Ling Ge saw through his sister's lie, or excuse, at a glance: "Are you looking for me?"

As she spoke, she had already walked to Lingge's side, raised her head, and looked at her brother on the stone through the water that flooded the rocks: "Everyone is looking for you."

"My point of view?"

In the distant city at the foot of the mountain, although there are towering buildings, the green area covered with trees also occupies a large area, which makes it look not like a purely human city, but more like a part of the mountain range extending outward; farther away, gray clouds are moving back and forth over the vast wilderness. In fact, they are flocks of sheep driven by shepherds, greedily eating the new bushes and weeds that have grown after the rain.

It was no rain in the afternoon when they arrived at the river bank, and the sky seemed clear, so they decided to take a break here and eat something to replenish their energy (this was Alice's suggestion). Lingge had no objection, but he didn't feel tired either, so when a princess sat under a tree by the river, rubbing her sore ankle in grievance, the young man stood alone on a stone far away from the camp, staring at the city at the foot of the mountain in the distance.

This question made the pink-haired girl ponder again, and she pondered for a longer time than before. When the wind blew across the river, the curved water formed ripples, and when it hit the hard rock for the third time, she finally thought of the complete answer: "As for the reasons, there may be many: because this kind of adventure is very interesting, with the company of Ringer, Sister Alice and everyone, I can see all kinds of incredible magic and things, I like it very much; because Sister Saint Xia Liya is the offspring of the goddess, and we are all believers of the goddess, so I want to help her fulfill this wish; because other young royal powers may have encountered the same situation as Sister Aoweila, if I have the ability, I want to help them; because... because if we really enter the Holy Temple of Heaven and see the sleeping goddess, my father will definitely be happy for us, right?"

The pink-haired little girl's voice was very soft, and it did not cause any ripples when it brushed across the water.

When listening to the previous reasons, Ling Ge was able to maintain his calm expression, but the last sentence of Metien made his expression change. At that time, the emotion that flashed across his eyes should be called confusion or guilt? "Ling Ge?" Metien, who had not received a response for a long time, asked in confusion.

"Nothing." Ling Ge said, and naturally changed the subject: "But, what about your exam?"

The pharmacist qualification exam, jointly organized by the Kingdom's Ministry of Public Affairs, the Red Cross, and the Herb Garden, begins in June and December each year. Passing the exam will allow you to obtain a pharmacist qualification certificate based on the mainland's prevailing standards, and you will be qualified to open pharmacies and clinics, prepare and sell medicines, and diagnose some simple diseases. If you continue your studies, it is not impossible to obtain a formal medical graduate diploma and certificate and enter a higher level of medical system.

Metien's dream is to join the Red Cross and become a great doctor without borders, and the pharmacist qualification certificate is the first step towards her dream. For this exam, the pink-haired girl prepared for a long time, often reviewing until late at night, and not even resting on weekends.

It had been more than two weeks since they arrived in Rostin City. In a few days, it would be December, also known as the Snow Month. If they didn't hurry back to Linville City, it would be difficult to catch up with this year's exam. Moreover, she wanted to continue this journey, and she probably wouldn't be able to take the exam in the future.

Is she giving up on her dream?

This is not the case.

"I've also thought about what to do about this matter. I've been thinking about it these past few days." Metien said softly, his hands subconsciously intertwined, his fingers twisting restlessly, indicating that his mood was not as calm as it seemed: "It has always been my dream to become a pharmacist, and then become a doctor without borders of the Red Cross, to help those suffering from diseases. But later, I heard from Shemi that aliens can also get sick, and they are often injured because of the night watchmen and the scales of order. And many times, when they get sick and injured, they can only bear it themselves, or find some wild herbs for simple treatment. Because among the aliens, there is no organization like the Red Cross, which is willing to transcend the limitations of country, nationality, identity, occupation and even race to provide free assistance to everyone."

"So, she introduced me to a lot of magical herbs, and told me to ask Miss Shesta to give me some seeds and cultivation tips. The only request was that if I became a pharmacist or even a formal doctor in the future, I could lend a hand and help heal any harmless aliens who were injured or sick by chance."

The little girl's eyes flickered with a strange light. "Since then, I have been thinking that although there are only a few Doctors Without Borders among humans, there are still tens of thousands of them. Moreover, the believers of the Grass and Wood Garden have been promoting the concept of the Red Cross. Maybe in the future, there will be hundreds of thousands or even millions of them. But there is not a single Doctor Without Borders among aliens. They have to face the searches of the Night Watchmen and the pursuit of the Scales of Order, and they have to endure the pain of illness and injury alone. Isn't it pitiful? So, I want to be a Doctor Without Borders among aliens and pass on this spirit, even if I am the first, even if I am the first, and there must be a first."

The first one is usually the most arduous and difficult one. Her Excellency Florence Nightingale, the saint who initiated the establishment of the Red Cross, relied on the help of the plant garden and spent decades to see results, and this was within the same race of humans. When facing different races, it is even more difficult to get them to recognize this spirit that transcends races.

There is another kind of difficulty that comes from the union of religious orders, such as... the Night's Watch and the Balance of Order.

But the pink-haired little girl's eyes were so firm, without any wavering.

After listening to this, Lingge was silent for a while, and then said: "But you can't ensure that all aliens are as kind as the traveler fairy."

Metien wrinkled his nose and said, "There are some very bad people among humans, Lingge, how can you be so naive?"

Being taught a lesson by my own sister.

"That's right."

Lingge did not refute, and looked at her with a soft look in his eyes: "Then stick to your dream, Metian. No matter what kind of dream it is, Mr. Yang Ke will definitely support you, and so will I."

Metien's eyes lit up: "So, you agree to continue this journey?"

Lingge shook his head but did not give a clear answer. It was unclear whether he disagreed or he just didn't know.

The pink-haired girl was a little disappointed, but she didn't ask any more questions, because she knew that she had already reached her limit. It would depend on what Lingge himself thought next. So she waved goodbye to her brother and planned to go back to play with Shemi. Before leaving, she suddenly remembered something, paused, turned around and said to Lingge, "By the way, Lingge, Sister Saint Shallia asked me to bring you a message."

"what?"

"She said she was sorry and she had not expected this answer."

Linger raised his head and glanced in the direction of the camp, then replied: "Then, Metien, please also tell her a message for me, and ask her why she doesn't say it herself."

"Eh!? Lingge, do you really want to ask this?"

"Well, go ahead."

"But, Sister Saint Xia Liya didn't do it on purpose, and she didn't lie to you..." The pink-haired little girl muttered as she walked away. Judging from what she said before she left, she was probably very confused about her brother's attitude.

Only Lingge himself knew that the words he asked Metien to convey were not an accusation.

But a statement.

　Give me some meow
　　
　
(End of this chapter)