Alice in the Land of Steam

Chapter 240 Welcome back?
Back at the park, the abundant rains in recent days made the soil and grasses filled with moisture. The withered yellow palm leaves fell on the wet lawn, making a crisp sound when stepped on, as if a dry branch was broken. The group came to the ancient sycamore tree in the center of the park, and Xie Mi, who was hiding in the pocket of the pink-haired little girl, came forward and cast a fairy magic that could shrink people.

After her body became smaller, the princess felt very surprised by the sudden change in her vision. The grass that she had never paid attention to when she stepped on it suddenly turned into a primeval forest that was deeper and wilder than the Sosen Mountains, lurking with countless dangerous eyes and fleeting shadows. The sycamore trees that were taller and more majestic than the Mountains of Heaven were like giant pillars supporting the sky and the earth, making her look up frequently, but her sight could never go beyond the shadows cast by the treetops, as if the world under the trees was the entire universe.

All her excitement gradually faded away after she arrived at the Fairy Sleep Inn at the roots of the tree, because she had learned from Xie Mi that this inn was where her teacher had lived for the past hundreds of years.

Shemi pushed open the door outside, and Olvera followed the others into the passage. Just like Metien when she first arrived, she was particularly interested in the small leaf lamps hanging on the walls on both sides, and felt that the style seemed to be better than the lantern in her hand. Of course, this lantern was a relic left to her by her parents, and it carried their deep thoughts and love, so its significance naturally could not be compared with this one.

Although the passage is straight, the magical fairy magic has distorted the perception of time and space. Therefore, everyone must follow Xie Mi closely to ensure that they will not get lost.

It is worth mentioning that although Shaymi returned to the familiar hotel, she was not in a very good mood. To use Alice's words, she was like a social animal who woke up to find that today was Monday. This was certainly not because she was dissatisfied with the hotel, but because the thrilling and exciting journey in the past left a deep impression on her, so she was unwilling to return to the dull life before.

When Metien and Alice first saw vampires and learned that magic and magicians do exist in the world, they felt similar. Many people yearn for a life different from their ordinary daily lives, preferably away from the world they know, stepping onto an unknown continent and embarking on a magnificent adventure like the pioneers of the pioneering era, such as Columbus or Magellan.

Traveler fairies have a stronger desire for adventure than ordinary people. Linger once heard the bartender Shelia talk about the nature of their tribe. He knew that after the traveler fairies grow their first pair of butterfly wings, they will embark on a wandering journey and will not stop until they grow their second pair of butterfly wings. From then on, they will stay where they are and will not travel far. This journey that lasts for a hundred years is their most important rite of passage, and it is also the stage when their minds and visions are truly broadened and mature.

However, due to the surveillance of the night watchman and the search of the Scales of Order, the little elf Shemi, who had grown a second pair of butterfly wings, never left the hotel, resulting in her failure to complete her coming-of-age ceremony and still behaving like a child. Her deep yearning for distance and freedom has not been wiped out by the hardships of the journey, so she would feel very excited even if she just took a walk around the Sosen Mountains at her doorstep.

If she wants to have a sound mind and a mature mentality, then this problem must be solved. However, how do her two sisters, the boss's wife, Shesta, and the bartender, Shelia, want to solve this problem? Ling Ge recalled the question that Miss Shelia asked him at the last banquet, and vaguely had the answer in his mind.

"Where's my elder sister?" I looked around but couldn't see her.

Hey, my second sister smiled at me!
The goblin shuddered and looked like a ghost had seen Alice.

"She is in the herb garden in the underground garden, taking care of the magical herbs. She has been so busy these days trying to appease them that she has no time to sleep." Xie Liya said this, put down the wine glass in her hand that had been wiped crystal clear, and sighed quietly: "During the time you went into the mountains, Madam Tree has left the hotel and I don't know where she went. Fate is really strange. She has been staying in the hotel for hundreds of years, but suddenly she disappeared. Sometimes I feel like I am still living in a dream and haven't woken up."

The old wooden door, which had been loose for a long time, creaked, accompanied by her spirited greetings: "Big sister, second sister, and everyone, we are back!"

The pots of magical plants basking in the sun under the windowsill were startled by her. The green vines wrapped around the flower stand trembled and almost fell off. The bartender who was wiping the wine glasses behind the counter subconsciously stopped what she was doing, raised her head and looked at the large group of people entering the hotel one after another. Her heroic eyebrows slightly raised, and a faint smile appeared on her cold face: "Welcome back, Xie Mi, Xiao Xia, and all the guests."

"If only that were the case."

A few minutes later, the group arrived at the main entrance of the hotel. Although Xie Mi had seemed listless before, as he was about to meet his sisters, he patted his cheeks, tried to cheer himself up, and pushed open the door of the hotel.

"No way!" The goblin puffed up his cheeks and retorted angrily, "I obviously helped a lot!"

But then again.

Xie Liya saw through her thoughts at a glance, but was too lazy to expose her. She said to Ling Ge: "I wonder if your journey is going smoothly. Did Xie Mi cause you any trouble?"

"Mmmm!" Xie Mi felt that his second sister was so bad that she only discouraged his enthusiasm. His eldest sister was better because she would gently comfort and encourage him no matter what happened.

After that, she looked at Ling Ge deeply and said, "Although I don't know why, I always feel that Mrs. Shu's departure has something to do with you. So can you tell me where she went? It's not that I want to persuade her to change her mind, but because if I don't know her news, it will make me feel uneasy."

And this uneasy feeling has been there since she left and has never disappeared.

After the words fell, everyone fell silent, not knowing how to answer. Of course, they could tell the truth about what happened that day, but that would only cause further harm. It was a kind of harm to everyone in the hotel who respected Mrs. Tree, and it was also a kind of harm to Olvera, who had let it go but still often saw the figure of her teacher in her dreams. The two kinds of harm added together, the final result was nothing more than sadness, and greater sadness. The potted plants in the corner and the vines on the flower stand stopped moving, and Mr. Rabbit in the rabbit hole quietly poked his head out, waiting for an answer they cared about. Shelia stood behind the counter and watched everyone's reactions silently. She saw the loss and pain in the eyes of her sister who was the least able to hide herself, and immediately understood something.

She sighed softly and was about to open her mouth to change the subject, but a young girl's voice suddenly came from behind the crowd: "Teacher...she won't be back."

Xie Liya looked in the direction of the voice and her eyes fell on the only unfamiliar face among the crowd. She had long platinum hair that was more crystal clear than the sunlight, and eyes that were as bright and scattered as stars, and she was looking straight at her.

Xie Liya saw her own appearance from the depths of the scattered stardust, so she asked Xie Mi: "Who is this lady?"

Before Shemi could reply, Olvera introduced herself: "I'm Olvera, a teacher... a student of Madam Tree."

Hearing this, Shelia's face was slightly moved, and then she heard Avella say: "I know, Mrs. Shu... the teacher is your friend, you must care about her, just like the teacher cares about me. So I have no reason or qualification to stop you from asking about her whereabouts, so I can tell you what happened in the past in person. But you can promise me... no matter what you hear, don't feel sad, and don't suffer because it is the teacher's wish, okay?"

The princess' voice was trembling, fragile but firm, and her eyes were full of expectation and pleading. Lingge knew that she was revealing her most painful scars, forcing herself to face those bloody wounds and comfort those who were also injured. Although, judging from her relationship with Mrs. Tree, she was the one who was most injured.

Perhaps it was the kindness of her nature, perhaps it was the guilt in her heart, or perhaps it was the courage, longing and willpower she learned from the game that supported her... In short, she made a decision that was completely opposite to her weak appearance.

This was her decision, and there was no way to stop it, nor was there any need to stop it. Ling Ge thought so.

This is too cruel. This is what the other companions thought.

Xie Mi was about to stand up and speak for Avra, asking her second sister not to pursue the matter further, but the bartender behind the counter smiled gently, looked at the princess with gentle eyes, and asked, "In that case, do you want to go to the herb garden and take a look?"

"Huh?" Olvera was stunned.

"That's where Madam Tree lived. She cultivated many herbs there, and left some relics for you. Since you are her student, it is only natural for you to inherit these items." Shelia smiled and said, "Ms. Avra, you should be looking forward to it too, right?"

"But, what happened just now..."

"Shhh."

Xie Liya raised a finger to her lips. Her silver bangs covered her left eye, while her right eye conveyed calm comfort and encouragement: "Do what you want to do. As for other things, we can talk about it later."

After saying that, she gave Shemy a suggestive look. The little fairy was usually a little dumb, but at this moment, she suddenly became smart and quickly shouted, "Ah, yes, Mrs. Tree's herb garden is, but... in short, it's a very good place! Olvera, come on, I'll take you there!"

She ignored the princess's opinion, grabbed her hand and ran to the kitchen. Olvera held the book in one hand, and the other hand was pulled by her. She had no strength to resist, and stumbled after her. The lantern on her waist swayed, and the candlelight flickered. Then, the pink-haired little girl also chased after her: "Wait, wait! I want to go too! Wait for me!"

The backs of the three people soon disappeared in the hotel lobby.

"Really?" Xie Liya held her forehead with a headache: "It's so noisy and won't let me have peace."

　Give me some meow
　　
　
(End of this chapter)