Alice in the Land of Steam

Chapter 358 Do you want to know about my past?
"I woke up in a lush apple orchard." Saint Shalia used this sentence as the beginning of her limited memories of the past, narrating her infinite recollections: "It felt like I had a very long dream. After waking up, I was still a little confused and couldn't integrate into this world. It was midsummer at that time..."

It was midsummer, the orchard was green, the apple branches were full of white flowers, emitting a slightly drunken heat. The sun was bright, and the drooping leaves were as transparent as a patient who had lost too much blood, and the veins underneath could be clearly seen. It must be a very remote countryside, so the girl was the only one wandering alone in the cool shade of the apple trees, aimlessly and blankly, like a ghost from the past returning to the world, but she could not see any familiar scenery.

Memories are neither faded nor dimmed; rather, they have never existed.

The road leading to the outside world from the apple orchard is blocked by dense forests. Only a remote path is open in autumn every year. At that time, wild beasts hide in their nests and vines no longer climb up the stone slabs unscrupulously. The girl then walks on the golden dead leaves on the ground to go to the outside world and look for familiar things.

She went there ten times in total, but returned empty-handed nine times. She only sold a dozen ripe apples to the villagers living nearby in exchange for food and water, although she did not need those things to survive. The villagers were surprised that such a beautiful girl would come out from the depths of the forest, and even more surprised that no one had ever seen the mysterious apple orchard she mentioned.

In order to find out, hunters from several villages organized a team and searched in the direction mentioned by the girl. When they were hungry, they ate berries from the bushes, and when they were thirsty, they drank dew on the leaves and flowers. After walking for seven days and seven nights, they still could not find the location of the apple orchard, so they were forced to give up and return the same way.

So the tenth time, the girl went to those villages to sell apples, the villagers refused to let her in, calling her a "swindler", "a seducer" and "a Moriah who doesn't tell the truth". The girl didn't argue for herself, but used the apples to buy a newborn lamb from the only villager who didn't discriminate against her, and then turned and left.

No one would remember the girl's departure, just as no one remembered that she had been here. The human village wasted away in the monotonous labor day after day, and only seemed to come alive when the apples ripened every year. But the girl would no longer repeat her lonely behavior in the past, and regarded this as her only way to connect with the outside world. She was completely immersed in her own world, forgetting the passage of time, and did not notice that the fallen leaves on the ground were getting thicker and thicker, and finally they were too heavy to accommodate any small insects living underneath.

The growing trees blocked the pale sunlight, causing the forest to be gray and dark. The gloomy mosses covered the exposed stones, spider webs clung to the corners, and vines hung from the branches, dying. During that time, 128 lizards, 372 butterflies, and 15,600 ants escaped from the apple orchard. A rabbit that accidentally entered the orchard crashed into a tree trunk and died. Its fur turned dull before it died, and it was buried by Saint Shallia herself.

The girl didn't realize that everything around her was guided by time, using some mysterious magic beyond language to suggest that she should leave here and embark on a new journey. She lived silently in these bizarre scenes, raising the lamb with apple juice and the tenderest grass until it was old enough to accompany her on her journey. It was not until then that she suddenly discovered that the tallest apple tree in the apple orchard had died, and the withered branches branched and climbed, with veins more complicated than dried blood vessels.

Once a rabbit crashed into this tree and died in panic. Saint Shallia buried it with her own hands, not knowing what terrible thing it was fleeing from that made it show such a panic. This past event would split all the chaos since the girl woke up like a lightning bolt, making her come back to her senses in a state of confusion and bewilderment, and realize her mission.

"Let us go, little sheep," she said to her only companion, "and find the apple."

Whether wandering in the world or forgotten in heart, they will eventually return to the right track of destiny.

"Later, I met a tribe of Moryas in a country called Solud. The oldest and wisest wizard among them, who was also a fortune teller deeply respected by the tribe, told me that all the prosperity and decline, life and death illusions in the world are revelations bestowed by fate on mankind. Sometimes they appear in dreams, which are called dream revelations; sometimes they appear in prophecies, which are called apocalypse. The apple orchard, white flowers and withered apple trees are nothing but illusions you saw in those revelations, which really let you understand what you really want—"

She slowly placed her hands on her beautifully shaped breasts, and imitating the old wizard's deep and aged tone, she said to Lingge: "It's your heart."

After hearing the story up to this point, Lingge fell silent for a moment, and finally understood why Saint Shallia had always emphasized to him, "Believe in your heart." This was not only what she had heard from the Morya wizard, but perhaps it was also a thought that was confirmed after her own experience.

He deliberately avoided the topic and asked, "What happened next?" "Later, I wandered with the Moriahs." The girl's face showed a look of nostalgia and reminiscence: "They said they wanted to return home, so they never stopped; and although I knew I wanted to find the golden apple and the other royal powers of the girls, I didn't know where to go, so I decided to join their team temporarily."

Ling Ge was slightly puzzled: "Returning home?"

The literal meaning is to return to one's hometown, right? But where is the hometown of the Moryas? Young people have never heard of this saying. Of course, it may also be because the mainstream society knows too little about this mysterious ethnic minority. They are internally closed and have their own cultural system, making it difficult for outsiders to integrate into it.

"Yes." Saint Shalia nodded gently and explained, "According to the ancient legends of the Moryas, they do not belong to this world. On the other side of the sea, higher than the clouds, lies their true homeland, like a sacred palace on the edge of a majestic mountain, or a tower that reaches the sky in the center of an endless desert. Different tribes have different names for it: World Tree, Tower of Babel, Paradise of Love, Great Temple of Senluo... but the only common and unchanging name is hometown. In order to return to their long-cherished hometown, they would rather wander in the suburbs outside the city, be treated as aliens by people, and even become innocent victims in many national wars and religious persecutions, but they will not change their wishes, or beliefs."

The journey back home.

The young man felt a little complicated for a moment.

He did not discriminate against this ancient nation like many people did, but he had no interest in their history and culture. He knew at most that the Moryas' astrology was quite mysterious and that they had left many famous prophecies, which was also the impression most people had of them. However, this impression became a fatal weakness after the promulgation of the "Truth and Civilization Initiative Covenant". The hazy mysterious veil of the past was torn off and labeled as "superstitious" and "anti-science". Those who already looked down on the Moryas could naturally use this banner to threaten and persecute them more legitimately.

After communicating with Rochelle, he already knew that the "Truth and Civilization Initiative Convention" was just a barrier set up by the cult to cover up the existence of the mysterious world and prevent mortals from contacting extraordinary powers. In this way, the astrology and prophecy books of the Moryas may indeed have their unique features. After all, not everyone is qualified to guide a young queen who symbolizes the law of destiny.

"During the time I wandered with the Moryas, I learned a lot. The old wizard, who was said to be 251 years old, taught me knowledge about astronomy, astrology, runes, and herbal medicine, as well as common sense about potions, magic, pathways, and sequences. His knowledge was so profound that he was probably the only mortal I had ever met."

Saint Xia Liya stroked the lamb's soft fur and said with a gloomy look in her eyes: "He thinks I am very talented and may be able to become a great witch and inherit the will of the Elf King. Therefore, he hopes that after he dies, I can take over his staff and become the new leader of this tribe, leading the tribe to continue wandering until they find the hometown they saw in their dreams."

She still remembers the old wizard's appearance today, and remembers how she learned from him how to use a transparent crystal ball to observe the position of the stars among a pile of debris full of the smell of years and decay. At that time, he was already half dead, with a hunched body and a withered face, wrapped in a tattered black cloak. When he raised his head, his eyes were shrouded in mist. When he opened his mouth, his rotten teeth seemed to be corroded by venom. When he spoke, his voice was as full of holes as a broken bellows. When he opened his hands, the cloak he lifted up looked like a huge bat... It completely fits the imagination of ordinary people about the "evil, weird and terrifying" wizard. Even in the tribe, there are many young people and children who dare not approach him, for fear of angering the great wizard and being deprived of their reason by him and becoming puppets.

Only the young girl who followed him to learn knew what a wise and generous heart was hidden under that strange and weird image, and what a kind and gentle elder was walking in that black cloak covered with old dust. He dedicated almost his entire life to this tribe. Without his protection, these tribesmen would have died in a landslide, an earthquake or a flood during their wandering.

but.

"But I finally rejected him." The girl gradually stopped stroking the wool and whispered, "One reason is that I feel I am not a Moruyan and am not qualified to lead his tribe. Another reason is that I have more important things to do."

　Give me some meow
　　
　
(End of this chapter)