Alice in the Land of Steam

Chapter 3: Did the apple originally symbolize destiny?
No matter how strongly Metien objected, Linger decided to go to the city parish committee to discuss the specific matters with Mr. Longning, who was in charge of the "Religious Decree". He changed into the black suit that he only wore when going out, put on a top hat of the same color, and left the church after tidying up his appearance. Before leaving, he told Metien to be careful when she was alone at home, but the girl seemed to be still angry and ignored him.

Lingge didn't care. After all, Metien was still young and always thought that everything in the world could be solved by her own efforts. This was also because Mr. Yang Ke and herself protected her too well. But in a few years, she should understand that the true meaning of the world is not to always have hope, but to face reality.

The sky in Linville is always gray, especially in the foggy month, just like an oil painting with too much ink. From the huge chimneys of the factories on the outskirts of the city, the hellish coal clouds are swallowed and spit out, covering the city and corroding the shadows of the buildings. The cold wind surrounding it is low like the whimper of the dead, which just fits the nickname of the city "Sad City". It has long been accustomed to crying and lets its crying flow in the blood vessels of the citizens.

Ling Ge felt a chill on his neck as the cold wind blew outside, and then he realized that he had forgotten to wear a scarf. In the past, he would not make such a low-level mistake, but today he left in a hurry, and it was more like running away than leaving home. Thinking about it this way, he was actually not as calm and cold as his sister saw.

The Holy Cross district is close to the white city area, which is actually a slum, so the composition is quite complex and there is no order at all. Just standing in front of the church for a while, Linger's ears have distinguished a lot of noisy music: the wheels of the carriage rolling over the potholes in the street, the panicked creaking of disturbed livestock, the caw of black crows on the dead trees with withered branches and leaves, the clanging of breweries, leather factories, laundries, taverns and other shops when they open or close... They are extremely noisy, as if it would not be enough to reflect their unique existence without this.

"People in our city never learn to live quietly." Linger muttered to himself, lightly pressing the brim of his hat with his left hand, leaving No. 13 Songshi Street and preparing to go to the No. 7 public transportation stop to wait for the tram that was about to stop.

In recent years, the kingdom has invested heavily in public utilities. Even the bus stops built along the streets are made of wood and stone and are quite sturdy. In order to prevent thieves or vagrants from using them as their hideouts, there is even a special mounted police officer who patrols back and forth between several stops and is responsible for driving away suspicious targets that are not passengers.

There are two notice boards in the station. One displays the train stop routes, which are rarely changed unless in special circumstances. The other displays temporary notices from the Municipal Transportation Bureau, which usually indicate either fare increases or road congestion.

Lingge calculated the time accurately. There were still three minutes before the next train arrived. There were not many passengers waiting in the station. He took the time to look at the municipal bulletin board, but found that the content posted today was different.

“Dear residents of the Holy Cross District, due to the needs of the seventh phase of our city’s public transportation expansion plan, a three-month road improvement will be carried out on Duden Street, New Bridge Street and White Mist Street. Residents who want to go to the Church District can get off at the Municipal Square Station and walk ten minutes to arrive. We apologize for the inconvenience and trouble caused.”

It was signed by the Linville City Transportation Bureau and stamped with the official seal.

While Lingge was lost in thought, he heard a low whimper, and then the ground began to tremble, the gravel on the roadside shook slightly, and a huge noise drowned out the discussions of the passengers around him. He looked up and saw billowing smoke. A column of black steel beasts rushed out of the smoke, with sharp cries, gradually slowing down and stopping outside the station.

For Lingge, it is also a train to the end of his destiny.

Although the church district was his destination, Linger's expression did not change. He heard passengers complaining that the seven-phase expansion project was too long. For more than two years, the traffic in Linville City has not been smooth. Now even several streets in the city center have been included in the scope of rectification. As a result, one-third of employees and workers have to spend more time commuting. Their dissatisfaction is justified.

This is the influence of the combined cults, which can easily change the situation of a continent and determine the fate of tens of millions of people. Metien actually thought that her brother could fight against such an enemy. To say that she was naive was a very gentle description.

All of this can be traced back to the "Ouroboros" plan proposed by the joint religious order. They hope to construct a huge and complete transportation system across the entire Sigiriya continent, covering hundreds of countries large and small, breaking the restrictions of national borders. At any station in any country, you can take a train, train or subway and embark on a journey around the Western Continent. In the end, you can return to the starting point. This is the meaning of "Ouroboros".

When this crazy-sounding plan was first proposed, no one thought that the bigwigs in the cabinet and parliament would approve it. However, the controversy lasted only three months. Three months later, it was included in the annual plan of the Kingdom's Public Affairs Department. Three months later, almost all countries in the Western Continent passed the same proposal. So now it is the seventh phase of the project. The Ouroboros is growing vigorously, and the shadow of the behemoth is looming behind it.

In 1767, Raman Seller invented a steam locomotive with externally suspended carriages, which the Order jointly modified and rebuilt to fit its scale. To this day, his creation still roars through the city streets, a symbol of progress.

He walked quietly among the other passengers towards the open front door of the train, as if he was walking towards the huge mouth of a ferocious beast ready to devour him.

***
Ling paid the five-pence fare as the notice indicated and got off at the Town Hall Square station. He found that the place was occupied by the tents of the Moriahs, who were the joyous singers and the ancestors of the circus, leaving behind many strange and terrifying legends. When he saw the funny-dressed clowns distributing leaflets everywhere, he realized that the Sedin Hill Carnival would begin in a few days.

It was a festival for sailors, peddlers and traveling merchants, but the lively atmosphere actually enveloped everyone's head, making the town square bustling with people. In addition to the clowns distributing flyers, there were also cages with black bears, fire-breathing dancers and fortune-tellers' tents. Lingge was not interested in this. He walked around the area where the tents were stationed and planned to cross the edge of the town square to St. Anton Street, but suddenly he stopped because a girl with unusual clothes blocked his way and stared at him quietly.

She looked like a character that only appeared in storybooks, with stunning facial features, a pair of big golden eyes, and lush green hair covering her smooth neck. In the middle was an elegant and intellectual braid, with a strand of hair tied into a long braid on each side, tied around the forehead, and a silver hair ornament that looked like a rice ear and a crown on her head, full of noble and tranquil temperament. She wore a simple but clean white skirt, dressed like a shepherd, without shoes, revealing a section of smooth calves under the skirt, and her delicate white feet stepped directly on the ground, but there was no scar or dust, looking like a beautiful work of art.

What is particularly eye-catching is that in her left hand, she holds a gray rope, the other end of which is tied to the neck of a lamb that looks only three or four months old. The lamb's hair is flawless white, fluffy and soft like piled clouds, and it is using its hooves to dig the gaps in the square's bricks and stones, as if trying to dig out grass from them.

Linger had never seen such a strange combination. She didn't dress like someone from this era. If she was a member of a circus, her temperament was too unique.

However, Lingge didn't care about her origins. He classified her as one of those Moruoya people with strange temperaments and asked politely, "Excuse me, what can I do for you?"

The girl spoke softly, her voice bringing some brightness to the gray sky: "You smell like apples."

Ling Ge was slightly startled, but he quickly reacted and shook his head, saying, "I've heard that the Moryas are masters of divination, and they can infer the fate of the world from the movement of the stars. I didn't expect that they could even predict the whereabouts of an apple. Is this the essence of astrology?"

"I'm not a Morya, I'm a silver elf." The girl frowned slightly, and even with such an action, she looked dignified and lovely: "That is not an ordinary apple, it is the golden apple of fate."

Silver elves? Golden apples? Did she think she was living in a fairy tale world? Ling Ge was always not interested in these stories: "Is this a new show in the circus? It is indeed novel. Unfortunately, I have something to do now, so I can only come and participate next time."

He bowed his head slightly to apologize, then walked past the girl. At the moment they passed by, he suddenly heard her say in a calm tone: "The fate of the world is predetermined, and the golden apple is a symbol of destiny. Anyone who eats the golden apple by mistake will be drawn into a fate that does not belong to him."

Ling Ge subconsciously stopped and turned around, but he only had time to see the girl's skirt fluttering in the wind, like a white flower in full bloom. She appeared on the other side of the town square without knowing when, going against the crowd, her figure was blurry and untouchable, but her voice still came lightly: "Son of the man who ate the golden apple by mistake, if you don't want to be involved in the fate of others, it's best to stay at home during this period of time and don't go out casually."

"My name is Stcheria, shepherd of the apple orchard, observer of the fate of the world."

"When the time comes, we will meet again."

The faint voice was swallowed up by the noise of the crowd.

When I turned around again, the figure was gone.

Only Lingge was left standing there in a daze, with the previous scene constantly flashing back in his mind.

He suddenly remembered: the girl's ears were not like human's pointed ears.

　Give me some meow
　　
　
(End of this chapter)