Alice in the Land of Steam

Chapter 29: Is your mental quality very poor?
"How do you know she's not a good person, Sister Alice?" Metien blinked her emerald eyes, looking very innocent: "I think she's a very good person, and she's here to help us."

"Not all the people who come to help you are good people."

Alice acted like an experienced person and gave the pink-haired girl a sincere lecture: "Ling Ge has already accepted the conditions of the City Parish Committee and announced to the believers that he would close Tianxin Church. If you still advertise in the newspapers at this time, it would be at best a betrayal and at worst a backstab. Do you think the people in the united church would let it go?"

There was no term for "backstab" in this era, but the literal meaning was understandable. Metien nodded, not quite understanding, "It seems that it is indeed not good. The goddess once taught us to treat others with honesty and not to lie to others."

The goddess's chicken soup for the soul is really something you never get tired of drinking.

Alice felt that the young man was teachable, nodded with satisfaction, lowered her voice, and made irresponsible guesses: "I guess this reporter must be someone sent by the Religious Mutual Aid Association. He wants to take advantage of this issue and use the reputation of our Tianxin Church to build momentum for their negotiations!"

"How could this happen?" Metien didn't quite believe it. "Isn't the Mutual Aid Association standing against the Church Alliance in order to fight for everyone's interests?"

"The problem is that Tianxin Church has already accepted the control of the Religious Decree, so in their eyes, it is no longer part of the 'big family', and naturally there is no need to protect your interests." Alice was talking nonsense, but she was serious: "On the contrary, it's more appropriate to use it as a sacrificial pawn."

The pink-haired girl panicked: "Then what should we do, Sister Alice?"

"Nothing to do."

Alice grabbed a handful of food while cleaning and put it in her mouth to chew it, making a "crunching" sound; she grabbed another handful when she passed by again, pretending to be calm. After two or three times, the plate was empty. Fiyali's eyebrows kept jumping and her anger value rose: This maid not only has a problem with her brain, but also has no manners at all. It's too much!
Even Metien couldn't stand it anymore and whispered, "Sister Alice, don't do this..."

"Why?"

Very shameful.

As for whether Lingge is qualified to take on the character of Yasasi, judging from the current plot, it is still uncertain.

Metien was a very polite child. Although he knew the other party had bad intentions, he still made tea and served a plate of snacks to show his hospitality. But Fialli just took a sip of tea symbolically and ignored the snacks on the plate. Maybe she wanted to keep in shape. What a pathetic woman.

Alice: "..."

This left Metien speechless.

She clenched her fists, her eyes confident: "Now we just have to wait and see, and we will win naturally in the future!"

Alice pretended to be serious, holding a broom and passing by the reporter many times in the name of cleaning, secretly observing her every move. The more she observed, the more certain she became of her guess. She felt that this guy looked suspicious and his behavior was weird. She wanted to drive him away but couldn't find an excuse. For the first time, she was looking forward to Lingge coming home.

Just when the two wanted to discuss in depth the gap between "good guys" and "Alice", the door of the chapel was suddenly pushed open from the outside. The remaining light of dusk sprinkled through the gap in the door, passed through the central aisle, and fell on the statue of the goddess, covering the silence of the stone carving with a dim veil.

Alice wiped the cookie crumbs from the corner of her mouth and threw them onto the floor she had just cleaned without any care. She said confidently, "I didn't do anything. You can't wrongly accuse a good person."

While waiting, the three were not idle.

The pink-haired little girl always insists on protecting her brother's Asian character. She really makes me cry.

"Because Lingge is a very gentle person." Metien said this for the second time in a matter-of-fact tone: "So he never refuses other people's requests."

***
But character setting is not something that can be achieved by just talking about it. For example, Alice's "genius gamer" character is not something she boasted about verbally, but rather it was achieved by gaining unanimous recognition from netizens on Earth in the 28th century through posting game guides (referring to sharing bugs). In addition, her hard work over the years (referring to staying up late to play games) gave her the qualifications to bear this responsibility.

Metien was confused. "Although what you said makes sense, Sister Alice, I'm worried that Lingge won't refuse Miss Feiyali's interview."

Alice spread her hands and said, "I have already rejected her. Now we just need to wait for Lingge to come back and reject her again. I think she will give up. Then we will wait for the result of the negotiation. If the negotiation goes well, Tianxin Church will naturally be reborn. Even if the negotiation fails, as the first church to respond to the Religious Decree, I believe the United Church will give us some preferential treatment. In other words, no matter how the plot develops, we can win."

The three people in the chapel subconsciously turned their heads to look at the door. A thin figure stood at the door in the bloody light of dusk, as if bathing in a crimson river. He took off his hat, gently brushed off the dust on it, and spoke in his signature calm voice: "I'm back, Metien. And Alice, what are you doing here?"

"Lingge!" The pink-haired little girl smiled with genuine joy: "Thank you for your hard work, welcome home!"

"Lingge!" The golden maid also smiled with genuine joy: "You've worked hard, welcome home!" Lingge nodded gently to his sister, and when it was Alice's turn, he frowned: "Are you okay? Do you need to see a doctor?"

angry!
Alice, who was bullied in the workplace, clenched the broom in her hand, anger burning in her sweet dimples. The reporter behind her couldn't help laughing, but she finally stopped, stood up, and nodded to the real owner of Tianxin Church: "Hello, I am Fei Yali, a reporter from the Public Newspaper. It's a pleasure to meet you, Pastor Lingge."

"Reporter from Public Newspaper? What can I do for you?" Linger said, "Also, I am no longer a pastor of Tianxin Church. You can just call me by my name."

Fei Yali smiled, and the reporter's card on her chest shone a little in the twilight. "That's too rude. Besides, I believe that your current experience is only temporary and will soon turn around. Instead of changing your words later, why not make a habit now? Isn't it more appropriate?"

"Turning point?" Ling Geli raised his eyebrows and quickly understood the purpose of the reporter's visit. He shook his head and said, "I don't want to emphasize the obvious again and again, but, Miss Fialli, if you are here to interview me about my opinion on the Religious Decree, my answer is that I have no opinion. Please go back."

Yesyesyes!

Lingge lived up to everyone's expectations and successfully tore off the Asian label on his body, proving his worth. A certain golden-haired maid cheered silently and was very proud of herself, as if she had just won the championship in a community competition.

Metien's mood was a bit complicated. On the one hand, he felt that refusing the interview was actually a good thing. On the other hand, he felt that such a ruthless rejection was not at all like a gentleman, and was completely unlike his usual brother.

But Fiyali would not give up easily: "Why don't you reconsider it, Pastor Ling? Although the circulation of our Citizens Evening News is not large, it still has a certain influence among the citizens of Linville City. Moreover, it has always been known for its good reputation and will never fabricate facts or make false reports. You can put aside your concerns and trust our sincerity. Or do you have some unspeakable secrets that are not convenient for you to speak out?"

The last sentence was meaningful, but Lingge would not fall for such a simple provocation. His calm expression showed a direct and sharp indifference: "Not everyone I meet for the first time has to talk to me about their innermost feelings, Miss Fialli."

"I didn't mean to offend you."

"So which one does it mean?"

"I just thought you, and your church, might need some help..."

"Tianxin Church doesn't need any help from anyone."

His attitude was firm, and Fiyali could not change it. After a moment of silence, she changed her mind and said, "So, what if I came here to learn about your teachings? I think a devout pastor like you would not ignore the sincerity of a believer, right?"

What a difficult woman.

Do you think this can shake my resolve?
I, Lingge, am not some useless piece of shit!
"Shut up." Linger glanced at Alice, who was doing the voiceover behind him. The latter said "Oh" and stepped aside obediently. Then he looked at Fialli again and said, "Sorry, it's not convenient."

"Why?" Fiyali was unwilling to accept it: "As far as I know, the Religious Decree only restricts the right to preach in public places. There are no regulations for small-scale private preaching..."

"It has nothing to do with religious laws. It's just my personal reasons."

Ling Ge stopped her from saying anything and said coldly, "Ms. Fei Yali, people like you should focus more on your job and not speculate on other people's thoughts. You will feel happy when you talk about life, and you will feel happy when you talk about news and society. But I will feel happy when you don't talk about anything."

He walked inside, crossed the central aisle, and passed by the reporter with a stiff smile: "Now, please go back."

Metien's eyes moved back and forth between her brother's back and Fialli's face. She made a choice without much hesitation. She bowed deeply to the reporter, apologized, and chased after her. Alice spread her hands, opened her mouth, and said silently: So, that's it.

angry!
Facing Alice's provocation, Fiyali's mind was once again filled with uncontrollable rage. She lowered her head, and a fierce and cruel light of blood flashed in the depths of her originally gloomy green eyes. Her ten fingers were slightly bent, and her whole body exuded an uncomfortable cold aura, as if she couldn't wait to tear off this disgusting face and taste the fragrance of warm blood.

At this time, Lingge, who was walking by the goddess statue, seemed to notice something, stopped, turned around and cast a cold look. He stood quietly in the blood-red twilight, without any movement, just staring deeply, but it seemed to convey an invisible force, easily penetrating the barriers built by the outside world, strangling the heart of the greedy, making her soul feel like being hit by a torrential rain, instantly cooling to a temperature lower than the cold moon.

This momentum...what's going on!?
After a barely perceptible tremor, the reporter slowly raised her head with a forced smile on her face: "In that case, then I won't bother you anymore."

"goodbye!"

She fled the church in a hurry, stumbling a little, and almost falling. Alice looked at her stumbling back and scratched her hair in confusion: What happened?
Are today's journalists so mentally fragile?

　Give me some meow
　　
　
(End of this chapter)