Alice in the Land of Steam

Chapter 283 Do I need to buy a ticket to visit tourist attractions?

"Unfortunately, since the storm in the 17th century, the people of the Sailla Plain have not seen such a fierce and violent wind for nearly two centuries. It seems that it was the last greeting from the past era to the present era. Since then, the windmills in Avion have just rotated alone. The old and rotten blades make a low echo when they turn, sometimes making passers-by think that they are about to fall. Despite this, no one has ever proposed to dismantle these windmills or move them to other places."

Lingge's story came to an end. The ancient legend of the windy city of Avion was so magical and incredible that the companions who heard the story for the first time were amazed. Alice reached out her hand, patted the young man on the shoulder, and said in a mature manner: "Lingge, you are so artistic."

"..."

"It feels so romantic." When Metien looked at the windmills that could be seen on the street again, there was a little more longing and reverie in his eyes.

Cold, poverty, wind, earth, rainy season, primroses, mountains, fertile soil, standing tall towers, turning wings, visible hope, and ancient longing... Many years ago, there was a storm that blew away the shadows above the heads of the villagers of Avignon. Many years later, it was also a storm that blew up all the windmills in Avignon, as if responding to someone's call, to rush to an appointment that has not been recorded in history.

If this isn't considered romantic, then does the fact that Alice died twenty-five times in one night while fighting the second level boss of "Dark Castle - Dawn Waltz" count as romantic?

Of course it is impossible.

Therefore, this small town, which seems remote and unknown compared to the capital city of Nimsher and has a permanent population of only more than 10,000 people, immediately established a special image in the heart of the pink-haired little girl, making her look forward to the upcoming sightseeing trip.

"Actually, I have some ideas about this legend." Alice pinched her chin again and pretended to be a financial expert in the newspaper who was commenting on securities stocks or economic issues. Her tone was very serious: "For example, is it possible that the angel's treasure is hidden under a windmill here? I think this is also very reasonable, right?"

The implication was to warn this guy not to shout nonsense in the street. The two or three passers-by who had just walked past turned back to look a few more times after hearing the word "treasure", but the look in their eyes when they looked at Alice was mostly filled with sympathy and pity, probably because they felt sorry for her for being obsessed with vernacular novels at such a young age, and actually taking the so-called "treasure" as reality, which seemed to indicate that she was not in a very good brain.

After walking along Gaunt Street for about ten minutes, the group arrived at the first tourist attraction in Avion besides the windmill, which is called: Statue of the Country Girl of Avion.

The three-meter-high statue, as its name suggests, depicts a classic country girl in the area around the Saaria Fields, with Avion as the center. The girl is wearing traditional Avion country-style clothing, a light cloak, open-toed sandals with two wooden teeth on the shoe plate, suitable for walking in the fields, and a white feather hair accessory. She is holding a wicker basket filled with freshly harvested primroses, with bright flowers hanging down the edge of the basket, as if the dew has not yet dripped through it. The sculpture is clearly made of copper, but it gives people the beauty of seven colors. Perhaps this hint, highlighted by the monotonous color, comes from the girl's movements and demeanor.

The sculptor used the delicate knife marks to depict her lifelike appearance. It can even be said that the statue depicts the scene at that time, such as walking on the ridge of the harvest field, suddenly hearing someone calling, so she turned around and showed a bright and bright smile. Her movements were so simple and natural, and there was a bright glow in her eyes, filled with joy from the heart. Was it the joy of the harvest season, or the love for the person in front of her? Those eyes seemed to have everything, but in the end they returned to the long-lasting implicitness.

"Coincidentally, I also have some ideas about this legend." Linger glanced at the golden-haired maid: "But this is not a suitable place to discuss it, so it's better to change the place to talk."

Alice humbly accepted the advice and said, "I was wrong this time, you can continue to scold me next time." The implication was that she would make the same mistake again next time, but it was definitely not intentional, it was just that she had some problems with her memory... Lingge was at a loss as to what to do with her, so he simply quickened his pace and hurried on his way.

Saint Shallia, who was leading the sheep, looked at the girl's face, stared at her for a while and said, "She is very elegant."

Olvera, who was holding a book in one hand and a lantern in the other, also opened her eyes wide: "Superb carving technique, perfect combination of external image and internal emotion... Her smile alone makes people want to get close to her."

This is the evaluation that people with a certain ability to appreciate art would give. The well-traveled shepherdess and the Princess of the Berman royal family obviously have this ability. The evaluation of ordinary people is - "Quite beautiful." Alice looked up and down at the statue of the girl in front of her, and nodded at the end.

This highlighted a huge contrast. Lingge pretended not to hear what the golden-haired maid said, pointing to the words engraved on the base of the statue and introducing it: "This statue of a country girl from Avion was created by the famous sculptor Laurenceus when the city of Avion was built in the late 12th century. It is said that the master referred to many classic images in literary and artistic works before he started carving, and he also obtained in-depth information from local residents before establishing the current image."

"It has been proven that the master's good intentions were very successful. When the statue was completed, an immortal masterpiece was added to the history of Western sculpture. Later, the painter Heine was inspired by the statue and painted a painting with the same name, "The Country Girl of Avion", which is also a classic handed down from generation to generation. It is collected in the Fazi Palace in Fontainebleau, the capital of the White City Republic. As a national treasure, it is never easily exhibited. Now if you want to experience the traditional charm of the country style, you have to go to this statue in person to observe it in detail."

He paused for a moment and continued, "If it weren't for the Nimsher World Expo that attracted most of the tourists, I'm afraid we wouldn't be able to stand here so easily today and appreciate its charm and style."

Alice pulled her gaze back and took a look, and found that there were indeed only a few travelers around. Could this be the hidden benefit of abandoning the main line of the map and opening the branch line?
I am a time traveler and a talented gamer, but I have to rely on the off-season to distribute benefits. It’s really shabby. Put on your swimsuit, you bastard!
Alice suddenly became unhappy.

What's wrong with this guy?
Lingge saw it but didn't care. He and his companions admired the bright smile of the Avion country girl for a while, feeling that their body and mind were greatly healed by it, and then left the small square where the statue was located and continued to move forward. As they gradually approached the ruins of the windmill village at the other end of the city, more and more tourist attractions could be seen.

The Sandam Windmill outside the Church of Saint Milius is said to be the largest windmill in Avion after its construction. It is also one of the few windmills that can still be put into operation. However, it is not driven by wind power now, but by manpower. There is a brake device connected to the church bell tower inside. The bronze bell on the top floor is said to weigh 30 tons. At a specific time, people enter the windmill tower to push the device and rotate the blades to make the bronze bell ring. It takes five strong men to ring it each time, and the sound is loud and heavy.

It is said that in ancient times, the city relied on this windmill to ring the bronze bell to tell time. Now the time-telling activity has become a service for tourists. If you are willing to pay, you can even try it yourself. Unfortunately, when Lingge and his friends entered the city, the Sandam Windmill was undergoing routine maintenance, so this project was temporarily suspended, which made Alice very regretful.

When walking through Kaimen Park, you can see the towering watchtowers in the suburbs across the bleak snow-covered green land. Perhaps due to the locals' enthusiasm for windmills, they also prefer tall buildings. The towers are about 20 meters high and are all made of solid stone. Some are broken, with vines and leaves withered in winter clinging to the cracks, while others are still intact, but the surface is often polished by wind, frost, rain and snow, like an ancient sword.

The purpose of the watchtowers was not to defend against foreign enemies or to guard against invasions, but to be related to local agricultural production and animal husbandry. During the harvest season of grain and primrose, they were used as temporary warehouses; and in the spring, when the shepherds who drove the cattle and sheep to warm pastures would return, in order to catch up with the upcoming sowing and busy farming season, the people of Avion would light bright torches on the tops of the towers, guard them, and burn them all night to guide the direction and path of their return.

The statue of a country girl in Avion symbolizes the joy of harvest; the Sandham windmill is a belief that appeals to practical action; the watchtowers simply play an important role in local agriculture and animal husbandry... Both the cultural landscape and the natural landscape are often closely related to the local cultural history and are inseparable.

What about the ruins of the ancient village of Avignon, the predecessor of the city of Avignon, the place where windmill culture first originated, and the signing place mentioned in the Covenant of Kresov?

Fifteen minutes later, Lingge and his companions were standing on the north side of the city of Avion, the City of Wind. In front of them was the entrance to the ruins of the Windmill Village. As long as they entered, they could begin to explore the truth of the covenant, and then gain clues about the next young girl's kingdom, and even find the legendary angel's treasure!
The last sentence was added by Alice, so just listen to it carefully.

All in all, the destination of this short trip is within reach!

But until then.

You have to buy tickets first.

　Give me some meow
　　
　
(End of this chapter)