Alice in the Land of Steam

Chapter 30 Is Alice a good girl?

"Don't let strangers in when I'm not around." Ling Ge, who was cutting carrots, suddenly said, "I hired you as a maid to take care of Metien's life, not to make trouble with her, Miss Alice."

Alice carefully placed the potatoes that had been cut into polyhedrons into the basin, then raised her wet hands and saluted in a pretentious manner: "Got it!"

"But," she whispered to herself, "you should have said this to Metine. After all, I'm just a maid. If she really wants to do something, I can't stop her!"

The credibility of this statement is basically zero.

Lingge put the chopped carrots into the pot and stewed them with the tender lamb and peas. Then he turned to Alice and said, "She has always believed that you are a messenger sent by the goddess. If that's the case, you can use this to convince her. It shouldn't be a difficult task for you."

“No!” Alice’s expression was serious, emitting a firm and unshakable aura: “The goddess taught us to treat others with honesty and not to lie. Metien is my friend, I can’t take advantage of her trust in me…”

"You're fired." Linger didn't bother to listen to her nonsense and kicked her out on the spot. Judging from his expression, he might really do such a thing. Alice, who didn't even have dinner, immediately showed her flexible moral bottom line: "But in appropriate circumstances, white lies can help others more!"

"Well, you're hired."

"Huh." Someone breathed a sigh of relief.

"Linger!" She pulled her head out of the cupboard and shouted, "I forgot something!"

The girl's stomach made a sound wanting to eat.

"Yes, yes." Alice nodded repeatedly: "What do you think? Do you support it?"

You asked me if I support it, of course I support it - Alice thought Linger would answer like this, after all, it was not a big deal, just borrowing two books. Who knew that after she asked, Linger fell silent. He stopped cutting potatoes, the kitchen knife stopped on the edge of the chopping board, and stared at Alice quietly, his eyes were so clear that they were almost empty, as if they had lost focus, and no one knew what he was thinking.

Linger was already used to her clamoring, so he was as steady as the Alps and asked without turning his head, "What's the matter?"

Then Lingge sent him to get the seasoning.

Gollum-

From being laid off to finding a new job, in just three seconds, the ordinary maid Alice experienced great ups and downs in her life. In the ups and downs of her career, she finally understood a truth: dignity is not important, making a living is important.

"Borrow a book?"

Although I don't know why she is so confident and where her confidence comes from, this expression does not look like a joke.

Alice jumped to his side, spread out her palm and made a "give it to me" gesture: "Metien said you have a lot of history books in your room, can you lend them to me?"

On the stove next to her, the pot of lamb stewed with tender peas was bubbling. The fresh and appetizing aroma of carrots and peas seemed to penetrate the gap in the pot lid, lingering around Alice's nose and arousing the greed in her stomach.

To be honest, this request was a bit unexpected, and even Ling Ge, who was always calm, felt that he was hallucinating. He finally turned around and set his sights on Alice's face. His golden eyes were like a transparent mirror, reflecting the girl's inexplicably confident expression.

"Yes."

Once you've earned a million pounds, who would still work for this worthless, expressionless priest?
She thought indignantly.

"Book!"

Alice complained quietly that he only made her do these chores, but she still stood on tiptoe and tried to look for the salt shaker in the cupboard. Because she used too much force, she accidentally hit the back of her head. After a scream, the pain transmitted to her mind inspired her. In a flash, she recalled something that she had almost forgotten.

Lingge did not agree directly, but confirmed it again: "You just said that you want to borrow my book?"

"Why not?" Alice said as if it was a matter of course: "As a person from another world, you can't always be ignorant of the world you traveled to, right?"

"So, you want to learn more about our world?"

"why?"

"Uh." She held her stomach awkwardly, her eyes wandering: "No? Then forget it, I can buy it myself. Anyway, do I have a salary?"

"not enough."

Linger suddenly whispered, "If you want to understand the world we live in, it is not enough to rely on what you read in books." "Then what should I do?" Alice blinked, "You mean I should go see the scenery outside? The world is so big, why not take a trip at any time?"

"No." Ling Ge shook his head. "What I mean is that tomorrow afternoon, I have two history classes in the fifth grade Wisteria class at St. Lowood National School. They are for beginners and are very suitable for you. So, if you really want to understand the world and our history, you can come and audit them."

"Really?" The eyes of the golden-haired maid lit up. She hated boring things. Although classes were boring, they were better than flipping through books alone. What's more, she could leave Tianxin Church and go outside to have a look. To be honest, after a week of traveling through time, her range of activities had not yet exceeded Songshi Street, which was a shame among travelers.

Ling replied: "The followers of the original sect never reject any learner. The only requirement is not to disturb others' studies."

"That won't happen!" Alice patted her chest and assured with a solemn oath: "I have been a good kid in class since kindergarten. Everyone calls me the little red flower plunderer!"

It better be this way.

Lingge had no interest in his maid's glorious past. After getting her assurance, he withdrew his gaze and continued to cut potatoes, intending to make a dish of cold potato shreds that Metien liked the most. At this time, Alice came closer again stealthily, with a puzzled light flashing in her ruby ​​eyes: "By the way, why did you suddenly think of letting me sit in? I feel that this is not something you would do."

Normally, Lingge was a person who hated trouble, so for this request, he would either refuse or just throw the book to Alice and let her figure it out on her own. As for taking Alice to the school where he worked, how could he possibly do such a troublesome thing?
But he did it.

There must be a reason behind this. Could it be that he was too young and beautiful and couldn't bear to refuse the beautiful girl's request? Alice felt that this possibility was more likely.

Actually.

“I just want to see,” Linger said as he cut potatoes, “what kind of seed you will grow into.”

As he said this, what subconsciously emerged in his mind was Mr. Ronning's face and what he had said to him.

Will the encounter have meaning? Will the fruit be harvested after the seeds are planted? Can the person who holds the key definitely open the door? These questions are so mysterious and profound that even as a university student majoring in history, he still has no answers.

But it is undeniable that he was moved by Mr. Ronning's words, so he was willing to give Alice a chance to try. The seeds of self-reliance are always easily defeated by the wind and rain of the outside world. If they can get protection from someone, they may grow more luxuriantly until the day when they bloom and bear fruit.

What's more, this seed has a very special origin, and it will surely produce very special fruits.

Unfortunately, Alice didn't understand his good intentions, so after hesitating for a moment, she replied in an uncertain tone: "Bulbasaur?"

Ling Ge: “…”

So, he didn't say another word to his maid until the end of dinner.

***
While the golden-haired maid in the kitchen was desperately explaining what "Bulbasaur" was, Miss Fialli, a reporter from the Public Newspaper, was walking angrily in the twilight. She had cursed the damn priest a thousand times in her heart, and of course, she had not forgotten the annoying maid.

Their behavior, words, and expressions all made Fei Yali feel deeply disgusted. If she hadn't been worried about being noticed by the night watchman, she would have chopped, torn, and chopped the two men's dirty bodies!

Obviously, I am just a foolish and weak mortal...

Feiyali paused for a moment, her delicate eyebrows slightly frowned, and she recalled the look in the eyes of the priest named Lingge before she left Tianxin Church. Suddenly, she became a little uncertain. That look could even make her, a Sequence 7, feel oppressive. Is he really just an ordinary person?
There was indeed no magical aura from him. If it was a disguise, it would take a demigod-level warrior to be so flawless. But both the Holy Goddess Church and the Heavenly Heart Church were unknown. If it weren't for the implementation of the "Religious Decree", Fiyali would not have known of their existence. Could a church with such a weak presence give birth to a demigod-level warrior?

How ridiculous.

She shook her head gently, shaking off these ridiculous thoughts. Just as she was about to leave, she suddenly heard a gentle voice beside her: "Beautiful lady, you seem to be in a bad mood. Would you like a cup of fragrant fruit tea to cheer yourself up?"

Fei Yali turned around and found that there was a stall selling tea and homemade snacks next to her. The stall owner was an old woman in her sixties with completely gray hair and wrinkles on her face. She was looking at her with a smile.

The so-called fragrant fruit is actually a kind of berry that grows in the bushes in the suburban green space. Farmers in the suburbs will collect some and sell them when they go to the city to sell vegetables. Because of its sour and sweet taste, it is quite popular among children. Some vendors dilute the juice after mashing them and mix it with crude tea to make a cheap drink, which is the fragrant fruit tea sold by the old woman in front of me.

Fiyali wanted to refuse, because as an elegant lady (self-proclaimed), she only drinks the purest Blue Mountain coffee or Earl Grey tea, not the cheap drinks from roadside stalls. But at this moment, a new idea suddenly popped up in her mind, so the words came to her lips and changed naturally: "Okay, please give me a cup."

"Thank you, pretty lady. This cup of spiced fruit tea is only two pennies."

"I only have a one-pound note on me."

"Sorry, there are too many and I can't find them." The old woman looked embarrassed, but Fei Yali smiled and said, "It's okay."

"As long as you are willing to accept my interview, I can give you all the pounds.

　Give me some meow
　　
　
(End of this chapter)