Alice in the Land of Steam

Chapter 281 Does it feel familiar?
The carriage stopped at the union post outside the Dulian Gate, where the oldest of the dozens of square markets in the Saizeriya Fields is located. It is said that its foundation was laid as early as the 8th century AD. Therefore, the villagers of Avignon in the old days may have sold the most authentic Saizeriya country fruit wine and sachets made of primrose to passing travelers here. Unfortunately, it has completely disappeared now, and only vendors selling beef, mutton, cheese, apples, fish and vegetables are left. In between, there are the shouts of repairing harnesses and saddles, selling rabbits and furs, and promoting wild pigeons and parrots... It makes people feel like they have returned to the last century.

When leaving the Union Post, we happened to see a man wearing a white mask with only a pair of eyes showing. He was riding on a spotted wildebeest bred in Leisenburg, driving a large group of sheep through the city, as if he was going to cross the city and take them to another pasture. There, some bushes and weeds still stubbornly grew in winter, which was just right for these gray creatures to step over gravel and hills and search all over the mountains and fields.

This was not unusual in Avion after the beginning of winter, so everyone in the market, from the freckled girl with a basket of apples on her head to the fierce butcher chopping pork, ignored it. Only the roads were filled with the sheep, and carts and tricycles had to push and shove each other, and a covered carriage driven into the city from the countryside was also forced to stop, and the gray-maned horse neighed impatiently from its nostrils.

The lamb was a little excited when she saw so many of its kind and wanted to blend in, but was stopped by her owner, so she bleated in grievance. Saint Xia Liya could only lean over and comfort her softly, while Olvera looked at the shepherd riding on the wildebeest in the front with a thoughtful look in her eyes. She asked, "So shepherds in the human world need to wear paper masks?"

Bemang also has the profession of shepherd, but the sheep they herd are special. They are a kind of magical beast called "jumping sheep". They are very weak, and their only ability is their strong legs. Therefore, they prefer to jump on branches to eat leaves rather than bury their heads in looking for smelly grass stems in the cracks of rocks and mud. The light elves are good at using light magic to gather energy to make trees thrive. The forest in Mount Sosen is actually the pasture for them to herd sheep.

The shepherds of Beman wear straw hats when herding to prevent the jumping sheep that are chewing leaves on the branches from suddenly dropping sheep dung on them. Therefore, when the princess saw the man wearing a paper mask on his face, she thought it was for a similar reason - do the sheep here like to spit on people's faces?

very scary.

"No need." Linger told her: "This is just a custom in Avion, and it is limited to the local area."

Olvera then asked, "Why is there such a custom?"

Lingge wanted to explain, but the shepherd on the wildebeest had already gone away with his flock and disappeared into a remote street. So he turned to his companions and said, "Let's go into the city first. You will know soon."

……

Avion, the city of wind, is a city in the administrative planning of Leisenburg, but its size is just a larger town at best. The typical thing is that if you walk straight along Gunter Street in the center of the city for an hour, you can see the ruins of the windmill village at the other end of the city. It takes another half an hour to pass through the ruins of the windmill village and bypass several hills. In front of you is the bottomless Rhonin Rift. There will be a wooden sign next to it to remind tourists: Watch your feet!

Alice muttered quietly, "Actually, only Ovella wants to know."

Damn Alice, she's making sarcastic remarks again!

Upon hearing this, the princess puffed up her cheeks.

At this time, Lingge and his group were walking along Gaunt Street, but they were not going directly to the ruins of the Windmill Village. Before that, they had to find a place to stay first. They couldn't possibly not even know where to stay for the night, right?

Just wait, I'll make you regret it!
She made up her mind and swung the lantern in her hand vigorously, and the bright candlelight flickered through the glass wall.

Fortunately or unfortunately, although Avion is also a tourist city, its reputation is overshadowed by the nearby capital Nimser, and there are more tourists only in the season when primroses are in full bloom. Now it is winter when primroses are withered, and the 11th World Expo is held. Tourists have flocked to that international city, and few people come to this city that still retains many original features of the last century. Therefore, there is no need to worry about the room problem.

Alice had been very resistant to this journey before, but now she looked around like a curious baby. With her keen observation, she soon discovered a special place in the city, which was actually its most popular place: "Why are there so many windmills?"

The golden-haired maid pointed to a white windmill on the roof of a house and asked curiously. Yes, this is the characteristic of Avion, the city of wind.

The houses here, whether they are stone houses where civilians live, various shops open along the streets, government and chamber of commerce buildings, or even public buildings such as churches, all have spires like tall towers, which makes their average height far exceed similar buildings in other cities. Walking among them is like walking in a large forest of towering towers.

A windmill is often erected at the highest point of the spire. Depending on the function of the building, there are different types, such as toy windmills for children to play with, ceremonial windmills decorated with garlands and decorations, and high tower windmills that demonstrate majesty and solemnity. The materials will of course also change: civilians simply paste them with old newspapers, the middle class and wealthy people sew them with canvas, shops use copper, which is quite heavy, and public buildings such as government buildings and churches are made of wood with classical shapes.

In addition, windmills can be seen everywhere in the streets and alleys: standing outside stores to attract customers, set up on stalls as decorations, placed in parks for children and tourists to play, and even supporting simple water-drawing devices, large windmills to drive the dredging of urban waterways, and daily use of ancient tools such as mills, etc. There are also round stone towers on the hillsides of several hills far outside the city, with windmill wings slowly turning at the top, and the footsteps of cattle and sheep trampled out narrow country roads below.

It feels like a city that lives in harmony with the wind and windmills. Although many of them are just decorations, only a few of them are functional, and they are extremely backward products in this era of steam industry, the city still retains these traces of the past. The oldest windmill can be traced back to the 12th century AD, and the newest one may have just been replaced this morning.

Often when a gust of wind blows, a dozen windmills around will turn at the same time. The rumbling sound attracts tourists who are new to the place to stop and watch, looking up at the light and agile postures of the elves in the wind, as if between the invisible trajectory of the wind lightly touching the wings, there is some memory unknown to humans. It is not remembered by people's naked eyes or minds, but imprinted on the foundation of the city and has become its eternal part, from the long past to the distant future.

"What's this?" Alice exclaimed. "Holland?"

Linger didn't know what she was sighing about, but he explained truthfully: "It's the custom of the people of Avion."

"Of course I know it's a custom, but the question is, why is there such a custom?"

Just as Ling was about to explain in detail, he caught a glimpse of a hotel called "Rotating Windmill" on the street. It was small, but elegant, secluded, and had few guests, which perfectly met the needs of young people. So he hurriedly said to Alice, "Go to the hotel and book a room. You'll know soon."

After saying that, he walked towards the hotel, ignoring the golden-haired maid's thoughts.

Alice immediately protested loudly: "What? Everyone obviously wants to know, why are you keeping it a secret at this time!? Lingge, do you know the consequences of cutting off the chapter? So many people are waiting for you to speak, hurry up!"

Olivia next to him thought about it and whispered, "Actually, Alice is the only one who wants to know."

The friends all nodded in cooperation.

Alice was shocked when she heard this, and immediately showed an expression of "How dare you betray me", and at the same time, she had an inexplicable sense of déjà vu -

Huh?
Why does this conversation feel familiar?

　Give me some meow
　　
　
(End of this chapter)