Alice in the Land of Steam

Chapter 362 Do you want to write a book?
On January 1856, 1, Linge and his party returned to Rostin City after being away for more than half a month. After circling over the Sosen Mountains for a while, the Cloud Whale Floating Island finally locked onto a familiar high cliff and slowly landed in the courtyard of the Beman Castle.

The spacious open space was large enough to accommodate a floating island, and the gentle breeze under the wings acted as an invisible buffer zone between the bottom of the island and the ground, preventing it from pressing on the fragile bricks inside the castle. The smoke and dust raised tiny vortices, and the dust outlined the trajectory of the wind.

In order to cover up the noise of the whale landing, Yieta also deliberately blew a large cloud to surround the entire island. In this way, from a distance, you can only see a huge, strangely shaped cloud in the blue sky slowly falling towards the mountain. You can't help but think it is some rare natural phenomenon, and you won't doubt that there is actually a huge rock whale hidden in the cloud, and on the back of the whale there are forests, flower fields, white windmills and travelers from afar.

The former cage welcomed the long-awaited light after the darkness dissipated. The brilliant light from the sky sprinkled down like crazy, spreading in large patches on the castle's mottled exterior walls, collapsed towers and spacious courtyards, giving them a layer of golden coating.

Hope alone can also give birth to new life. Although it is winter now, as the most famous tourist city in the Kingdom of Brittany, Rostin is warm like spring all year round. Therefore, where the light shines, plants can still grow happily and prosper towards the sun.

In the corners of the wall where only bleak mosses and gloomy mushrooms used to survive, some greenery has now emerged. Ferns with light golden spots on their leaves are swaying in the wind, as if greeting the guests who have intruded into this place. They should be golden ferns, the oldest type of fern in the Sosen Mountains, which are said to date back 120 million years before human civilization was born. In addition, there are long-tailed ferns similar to monkey tails and pseudo-fungus grasses that look like gray mushrooms.

Standing in the familiar courtyard, Ovilla even saw a wall eroded by wind and rain covered with vines similar to ivy. Their short tentacles clung tightly to the cracks in the stone bricks, and their leaves, half the thickness of a palm, were close to each other. When the wind blew, they created green waves, which was a spectacular sight.

The coldness and sadness of the past were all dispelled, replaced by a scene of prosperity and vitality. It was less than a month since Princess Beman left this place.

"This is what Bemang was like before." She murmured, as if talking to herself, or as if she was talking to the young man next to her.

Lingge knew that what she meant by "similar" was not the scenery, because the ancient country of the light elves, Beman, seven hundred years ago should have been more lush and green than the castle courtyard today. The endless sea of ​​forests and the blooming violets in the garden could not be compared with the vines on this wall; in fact, what the girl wanted to talk about was an atmosphere, the kind of peaceful, comfortable, and warm atmosphere that made people feel like bathing in sunlight.

He said, “Maybe it’s because of the rain.”

"Does a walk require passing by her window thirteen times a day?" Lingge was not someone who was easily fooled. He directly exposed her sophistry, causing the princess to subconsciously shrink her head and dare not refute.

Olvera lowered her head and hummed twice in frustration.

Lingge didn't notice her reaction and asked again, "I heard that you haven't been reading much these days. Have you been hanging around the windmill in Yieta?"

Then I realized that this conversation seemed familiar. Especially when it happened here, it had a deeper meaning, as if to prove that time never moves forward, but just repeats what has already happened.

But this time, Yieta is involved, so it's not just her problem.

Olvera unconsciously hugged the book tightly in her arms, and the misty vortex in her eyes quietly dispersed, and she looked hazy and empty. She didn't know whether she was thinking about something or because she stayed up late for a long time. She muttered vaguely: "Just like Mr. William Connor wrote in the preface to his botanical work "A History of Life", "All the incredible things that humans have explored may be considered to be in vain... because the great natural world showed us its appearance as early as 4.6 billion years ago, when the oldest algae began to release oxygen."

"Uh." Olvera's eyes dodged and she stammered, "Is that true? I think, I think, it shouldn't be strolling around, I'm just, uh, taking a walk?"

What she had concealed before was that she actually couldn't fall asleep at all. She had long been accustomed to the feeling of being sleepy and tired but unable to close her eyes. She was afraid that her friends would worry about her, so she deliberately didn't say anything. Among all people, only Lingge knew about it.

Miracles are very demanding things for humans, but for other lives, sometimes they are just a rain.

The princess raised her hand and yawned: "A long time ago."

Seeing this, the young man softened his tone a little: "Yieta and Saint Xia Liya both talked to me about this matter. If you really have something to say, it's better to tell her directly. Do you know that Yieta has been very worried these two days? She is worried about your attitude and worried that she has done something wrong... Think more about others, Ovira, you have concealed one thing before. It is considered that you have your own ideas and I will not interfere. But now that what you concealed has involved other people, shouldn't you seriously reflect on whether it is right or wrong?"

On the day when Princess Beman left the castle, the Sosen Mountains were covered by a dreary storm. That rain was also the first rain in Rostin City since the beginning of winter, which washed away the filth of the past and brought new vitality. After the rain, the air was fresh and the water vapor was abundant. All the plants and trees sprouted again in the new world, weaving green. Therefore, when Lingge looked down at the ground from the sky, he discovered that when the vast sea of ​​forests covering the Sosen Mountains was blown by the wind, it would surge with more spectacular green waves than in the past month, and it was not just the special case of the courtyard in front of him.

"It's... a miracle."

Linger glanced at her and asked, "When did you finish reading this book?"

"It's no use for you to apologize to me. You should go to Yieta to apologize and explain the reason."

"I'm sorry." Olvera said sullenly, "I won't do that again."

"I will."

"kindness."

After getting her promise, Lingge stopped asking questions, as if this was a satisfactory result. But Ovella raised her head tentatively and glanced at him: "Aren't you curious, Lingge?"

"What are you curious about?"

"What do I want to do with Yieta?"

"Not curious."

"why?"

"Because there is nothing that needs to be investigated unless it is closely related to oneself."

"You mean, this matter has nothing to do with you?"

Lingge didn't answer, but looked at Ovilla with strange eyes, as if saying: Isn't that so?
This is a matter between you and Yieta, what does it have to do with me?
This look instantly aroused the dissatisfaction in Olvera's heart. Although she herself didn't know why she was dissatisfied, she still puffed up her cheeks, like a little squirrel stuffed with pine cones, turned her face away coldly, and muttered in a voice that seemed to be deliberately lowered, but the young man could still hear it clearly: "Hateful Lingge, selfish Lingge, stingy Lingge! It's just like, it's just like-"

She kept saying "just" for a long time before finally finding a suitable image from a book she had read: "Just as cold-blooded and ruthless as the faceless man who walked out of the mirror in The Man in the Mirror by Bucks Clavell!"

"Really?" Lingge did not comment: "I haven't read that book."

Olvera was speechless.

At this time, Xie Mi flew down from the Cloud Whale Floating Island that occupied most of the courtyard. She waved as she flew. From a distance, she could be heard shouting, "Hey, Lingge, I'm ready! It's time to set off!!!"

Behind the little fairy was Saint Shallia. She was not leading the lamb, but walking alone, slowly along the gradually flat terrain at the edge of the island. The shrubs and ferns that were carried to an altitude of ten thousand meters were still growing vigorously. The tender leaves swayed in the wind, and the silky roots sparkled in the cracks between the soil and the rock walls, as if walking down an ancient and lush hillside.

For safety reasons, Lingge did not plan to bring too many people on this short journey back to Rostin City. Only Saint Xia Liya and Shemi went with him.

"You should leave," Olvera said. Although she was a little angry about the previous conversation, she still hesitantly reminded him, "Be careful."

"Yeah." Ling Ge nodded slightly in response, then turned to leave. Suddenly he remembered something and paused: "Before I leave, I have a question for you, Avra."

"Oh? What's the problem?"

It was Lingge who asked me this question. It was rare. Olvera perked up and tried to listen attentively.

Linger asked her, "I have been thinking about this for a long time. You always read books and have read many books. You often quote words from books, but do you really understand their meaning? Do you want to use them to express some of your own views? Or do you not understand them at all and just quote them with far-fetched meanings?"

"Eh?"

Avella blinked blankly, and then heard Ling'er's voice continue: "If you simply read without seeking the deep meaning behind it, then you will never understand the historical background, social atmosphere, characters and ideas that the author wants to express when the work was created. This is undoubtedly a very sad thing."

"Uh?"

"I heard that people who really love reading, once they read a lot of books, will be inspired to create and be eager to express something. So, have you ever thought about writing a book? If you have never been affected by this creative desire, I think there is something wrong with your reading method. I think you should improve this situation."

"..."

The young man looked at the princess seriously and gave her a suggestion after thinking for a long time. There was silence for a long time, and Olvera suddenly turned her head away and said angrily: "Who knows!"

"Go away, go away, I don't want to see you anymore!!"

　Give me some meow
　　
　
(End of this chapter)