Alice in the Land of Steam

Chapter 254: Finally entering the world of magic?
On December 1855, 12, it was snowing and the street near the window was covered with gray-white snow. Tired sweepers were holding shovels that were obviously too heavy and were clearing the snow on the street without stopping to ensure the traffic was clear. Well-dressed gentlemen and ladies walked out of the hotel with elegant steps and saw a two-horse-drawn mail coach driving all the way here from the suburbs. The kerosene lamp hanging on the roof of the carriage on the high seat seemed to melt last night's snowflakes.

The temperature is low, but not frozen yet. The rivers, fountains, ditches and waterways are all flowing, and if you put your fingers in them, you will feel the biting cold. In another month, these flowing springs will be completely frozen, reflecting the faces of passers-by in the ice, and hanging sharp icicles on statues, street corners and eaves.

This scene reminded Lingge of the time he lived in Linville. Compared to Rustin, where it never snowed, the city before him was obviously more similar to his hometown in terms of seasonal changes.

It is Nimscher, the capital of Leisenburg, a city with a long history and international reputation. It is also the city where the 11th World Expo will be held.

For this reason, the tourism industry in Nimsør has been doing well in recent months, or even overcrowded, with tourists from other countries constantly entering this "international city" waiting for the opportunity to join in the fun, from as far away as Warsaw in the western border and even small countries like Robinos.

The influx of foreign tourists caused the city's hotel industry to be in short supply. The highest price was half a pound per day. The local citizens were even more enthusiastic and thoughtful. They set up various stalls around the exhibition area and provided various services to foreign tourists. Before the exhibition even started, the tourists felt the care and kindness of the city.

Linger and his group arrived relatively early. Otherwise, they would not be able to find a cheap hotel to stay in in a few days. They could only follow the example of the self-righteous middle class and go to the city center to enjoy the luxurious services of high-end hotels and club hostels at a high price. Alice was quite tempted, but it was a pity that Linger would not give her such an opportunity.

At this time, the exhibition hall layout and preliminary preparations for the Expo have been completed, and exhibits from various countries are being moved into the exhibition hall one after another. The day when the Expo is officially opened will surely arrive. It will surely be an unprecedented grand occasion and something to be desired.

What will he encounter at this expo? Unlike his curious and expectant companions, Linger has been thinking about the same question these days, but he can't get an answer.

As he stared at the desolate snow scene and the noisy street scene outside the window, a voice suddenly came from behind him: "Lingge."

So he replied softly: "Then let's do it now, okay?"

Shouldn't she be with Metien?
Linger was puzzled, but didn't care, and asked, "What happened?"

"okay!"

"Nothing happened." The shepherdess said softly, "It's just that the ingredients for the potion have been processed, so I came to ask you when you plan to take the potion."

Lingge remembered that he had taken the initiative to tell Saint Shallia the reason why he wanted to enter the mysterious world, and his original intention was to gain power to protect Metien and other companions in the subsequent journey.

The shepherdess's lips twitched, as if she was smiling. Ling Ge didn't see clearly, but only heard her gentle voice: "Okay."

"Fortunately," Saint Shallia said softly to the young man, "the materials for priest potions are basically magical plants, or they can be replaced by magical plants, so they can be collected in Shesta's garden, and there is no need to collect monsters' body tissues and materials. It is said that some quite evil potions even require the parts and souls of intelligent races to be prepared."

The young man turned around and found that it was Saint Shallia who had come into his room at some point. She was holding a lamb that always followed her closely. A linen canvas backpack was fixed on the lamb's back. The lamb might have felt a little uncomfortable, so it twisted and turned restlessly. It was only when Shemi on its head gently soothed it that it gradually calmed down.

The goblin agreed immediately, then opened the canvas backpack on the lamb's back and began to take out all kinds of strange things on the table, muttering to himself: "50 grams of dried petal powder of Silver Moon Grass, 10 grams of a mixture of branches and leaves of aquatic ice mint, 13 drops of distilled sap of the poison arrow tree... wow, it stinks! Also, the first leaf of the Spirit Whispering Vine when it speaks, 3 spoons of extract from the rotten Shiva fruit, and finally 100 grams of distilled water, 50 grams of salt water, 50 grams of sugar water... uh, won't I have to pee urgently after drinking so much water..."

She turned around and said to Shemi, who had been watching the show, "Please, Shemi."

He should have reminded Alice to be quiet these days and not cause trouble. After all, their identities were very sensitive. If they attracted the attention of the Night Watch, things might not go smoothly. Nimsher City naturally also had the power of the Order. It was better to say that their power had penetrated into the politics and economy of every country.

Strange, why is Shaymi here too?

Ling Ge and Saint Xia Liya both heard her mumbling.

Perhaps worried that her words would be misunderstood as urging by Ling Ge, she added an explanation: "Most potions have a short shelf life, so it is best to drink them on the spot after they are prepared. Otherwise, the effectiveness will gradually weaken over time."

Are he and I similar?

Alice often says behind people's back that she is a riddle man and that she is hard to figure out. But in fact, isn't Ringer the person who is the most hard to figure out?

In a strong sovereign state like the Kingdom of Greater Brittany, the activities of the Night Watch and the Balance of Order may still need to be carried out in the name of the government, but in a small country like Leysenburg that was forced to declare "permanent neutrality", there probably wouldn't be so much scruples.

But this time, Lingge wronged Alice.

Saint Charity tilted her head and observed the expression on Ling'er's face. Becoming a magician and stepping into a mysterious and unknown world is a choice that can change one's life. Faced with this choice, most people would show the same feelings: uneasiness, excitement, longing, and even hesitation and fear. But Ling did not. He just agreed very calmly. Was it because he had already prepared himself mentally? Or was it because this kind of thing did not mean much to him, and it was just as simple as completing a task or a job?

It turned out to be for this matter.

For example, the potion of the monster pathway.

Monsters are equivalent to wild beasts in the mysterious world, or can be considered as aliens without reason or intelligence - of course, the latter usually will not admit that these brainless guys have the same origin as themselves.

Linger listened to Saint Shallia's words and nodded silently. From every ordinary exchange, he absorbed knowledge about another world. Suddenly he realized something: "Wait, Saint Shallia, what is the name of the potion you just mentioned?" "Priest potion." Saint Shallia blinked her clear eyes: "Sequence 9 of the Shepherd's Path is called Priest."

"..."

Should we call it a coincidence?

At first, as a resident priest, I met Saint Shallia, who symbolized the kingship of destiny. Later, I was no longer a priest, so I finally chose the shepherd path of the law of destiny. The sequence 9 of the shepherd path happened to be the priest. Fate goes around in circles, and everything that was lost will be returned to you.

He shook his head: "Nothing."

By this time, Xie Mi had sorted out the materials and placed them on the table in different categories. He then wiped the non-existent sweat from his forehead, breathed a sigh of relief as if he had completed a difficult mission, and said to Saint Xia Liya, "My mission is accomplished, Xiao Xia!"

"Thank you, Shemy."

Saint Shalia walked to the table and prepared to start preparing the potion.

Lingge was a little confused about how she should deal with these materials. What was even more confusing was that there was only an empty transparent glass on the table and no other utensils.

"How do you make potions?" he asked. "Without using crucibles, beakers, balances, alcohol lamps, test tubes, droppers, etc., like doing chemistry experiments?"

According to Saint Shallia, magicians are different from extraordinary people and are more like scholars in the secular world, so it should be an extremely rigorous profession.

"Other magicians need it." Saint Shallia looked up and smiled at him, her two shallow dimples were calm and gentle: "But I don't need it."

She waved her hand casually, and then all the magic materials on the table flew up.

Under the brilliant golden light, they all reflected tiny star rays, gradually merged together, and finally gathered into a sacred stream of light. Guided by Saint Shallia's fingers, they flowed into the transparent glass cup, swaying and fluctuating like tangible sea water. Every time the tide rose and fell, it would cause the golden star rays in the sea water to flicker, as numerous and vast as the sea of ​​stars.

"It's done." Saint Shallia picked up the glass containing the potion and handed it to Ling Ge, describing it simply: "Sequence 9 priest's potion. Drink it and you will become a magician, Ling Ge."

Making a potion is not the most tedious step. The real preparation process is to confirm the formula, collect the materials and how to deal with these materials. The last step, drinking the potion, can be considered the simplest step.

Drink it like you would drink water—that’s what Saint Shallia’s eyes clearly said, clear and flawless, very innocent.

At this point, Lingge had no time to hesitate and regret. He took the cup and smelled nothing, as if it was just ordinary water. He exhaled lightly, creating ripples on the golden water, then raised his head and drank all the potion in the cup.

……

At the same time, at the Silver Clear Stream train station in the Borel district of Nimsher City, a train rumbled to a stop on the platform. After the door of the front carriage opened, several Scale of Order arbitrators in silver uniforms came out. Leading them was the captain whom Linger had met by chance in the Sosen Mountains: Wade Locke.

"We were fooled by that guy." He said to his companions with a gloomy look, "The traces he left in the Salya Wilderness were all disguises. In fact, he may have entered Nimsher City a long time ago and contacted the remnants of the Holy Spring Monastic Order. We must find Rochelle before they hold the summoning ceremony, otherwise the consequences will be disastrous."

"What do you think we should do?" Female team member Sally shrugged: "We all listen to you, Captain."

The other two companions did not speak, apparently tacitly agreeing with this statement.

Wade made a quick decision: "Let's meet up with the other teams first, and then go find the night watchmen in Nimsher. We need their cooperation so that our actions can be hidden from Rochelle. That guy has an overly keen sense of danger."

Although Rochelle was not the main target of capture, he was still a dangerous magician of Sequence 5, so it was impossible to send only one team to carry out the mission. In addition to Wade Locke's team, there were eleven other teams responsible for this mission at the same time. After Wade realized Rochelle's intention, he contacted the captains of other teams and jointly sent an emergency report to the Scarlet Night Gate. After that, he tried to block him in the Saria Field from different directions, leaving him nowhere to escape.

But they were all fooled by that guy, which led to the current embarrassing situation.

Rochelle, the Fertile Soil Sect, the Holy Spring Monastic Order, the Summoning Ceremony, the Conception of God, and the 11th World Expo... Doesn't that guy know what he is doing?

Wade thought bitterly, then waved his hand: "Let's go, contact other teams first."

The group of four quickly left the platform and merged into the crowded crowd at the train station and disappeared.

　Give me some meow
　　
　
(End of this chapter)