Alice in the Land of Steam

Chapter 41 Is reality disappointing?

A few days passed in the dull routine. One day, at the dinner table, Metien looked at his brother who was drinking soup, then at the maid who was reading the newspaper, and suddenly said, "Lingge."

Ling Ge knew that his sister had something to say to him when she was secretly watching him, so he was not surprised. He put down the wooden bowl and asked calmly, "What's wrong, Metien?"

"Well, I want to ask..."

The pink-haired little girl stammered and looked at the golden-haired maid for help, but the latter lowered her head, hid herself behind the newspaper, and pretended that she saw nothing.

I knew this guy was unreliable!
Metien sighed inwardly and said to his brother resignedly, "Are you free on the 12th?"

"number 12?"

Linger thought for a moment, then nodded and said, "The fourth grade class has two history classes to attend, but I can switch with other teachers. Is there anything you can help me with, Metien?"

"Have!"

Metien couldn't wait to say: "I have been studying in my room recently. I feel a little stressed and my learning efficiency is not high enough. So I think it's time to relax!"

"Oh……"

"If I remember correctly," Ling Ge said slowly, "the negotiations between the United Churches and the Religious Mutual Aid Association will be on the 12th."

Even at this time, he is still thinking about his students. It's so kind and touching!

Since the negotiations were a recent hot topic, Linger did not spend much effort to find the relevant reports. After omitting the messy information, he captured the most crucial sentence: "At 11 am on November 12, the negotiations between the City Parish Committee and the Linville City Religious Mutual Aid Association will be held at the Maintis Conference Building on Saints Street..."

"can."

Metien's face turned pale. Linger didn't look at her and said to Alice, "Give me the newspaper."

Linger nodded slightly. When the two girls were happy and thought their plan had succeeded, he said calmly, "On the 12th, we will go to Green Bay for an outing. The environment there is nice and the air quality is also very good. Most importantly, it is close to school. If everything goes well, it shouldn't affect my work."

"Give me."

The problem is that this result does not meet the expectations of Metien and Alice - well, Alice might want to go on an outing, but Metien doesn't.

So, Metien and Alice got the ideal answer as they wished.

"Actually, we don't have to run that far." The pink-haired girl's smile was a little forced: "I think it would be nice for us to take a walk in the Municipal Square. How about setting the time at 12 am on the 9th?"

The maid gave the pink-haired girl a helpless look, then handed the newspaper in her hand to Lingge. Coincidentally, the name of the newspaper was "Citizen Evening News", which was published by the newspaper company where Miss Fialli worked. It has always been famous for its good paper quality and large volume.

Snapped!
Alice bumped her head against the borrowed newspaper: Sister, you are too exposed!

But Linger did not agree immediately. Instead, he looked at Alice first. He was sure that the two of them must have discussed it beforehand, because only Alice could come up with this rhetoric. Moreover, seeing how skilled Metien was, they might have practiced it many times in private.

You can say that he was not a good son because he easily gave up the church passed down by his father; but you can never say that he was not a good brother, because even the most dull-witted person could see that he cared about his sister.

A certain golden-haired maid buried her head even lower, not daring to move.

In order to prepare for the pharmacist qualification exam next month, Metien devoted almost all of his time to studying, studying hard all day long, not daring to slack off. Except for three meals a day, he did not even step out of the room. Such efforts were all seen by Lingge.

“I’m still watching!”

But this statement really hit Ling's soft spot.

As she spoke, a pitiful light like a little animal appeared in her eyes, and her earnest tone was enough to move even a hard-hearted person: "Is it okay, Lingge?"

Indeed, she has made it so clear. If Lingge still can't guess it, then he can just throw his IQ into the sewer and keep Alice company.

Saints Street is located in the church district, and is only a few hundred meters away from St. Anton Street, where the city parish council is located. The two streets are separated by the Municipal Square.

Therefore, Metien’s true purpose has become clear.

Linger put the newspaper down and said to his sister, "I understand your feelings, Metien, but this matter is not something we can interfere with. The will of others is reality."

Metien defended himself aggrievedly: "I didn't intend to interfere in this negotiation..."

Linger frowned: "Then what do you want to do?"

"I want to go there and wait for a result!" The girl clenched her fists, with a rare firmness in her eyes: "If I can't interfere with other people's will, at least let me participate in this matter. Instead of being a bystander like now, I can only understand the truth from the newspaper reports and wait for others to judge the survival of Tianxin Church... Lingge, you just said that you can understand my feelings." She raised her head and looked at her brother fearlessly: "So, you must understand me too, right?"

Linger looked at her calmly: "Even if you get there, you'll just be watching."

Metien's eyes were clear, as if his mind was flawless: "At least I'm not watching from here!"

The atmosphere was somewhat depressing. Alice had already shrunk herself under the dining table, trembling, and did not dare to intervene in the confrontation between the brother and sister. After all, she was a maid hired by Linger and a trusted ally of Metien, which meant that she was somewhat in a difficult position.

Time flowed in the frozen silence. It was unknown how long it had been. It could be a second or a century. When Alice felt that a terrible storm was about to come and turn the kitchen into a fierce battlefield, a sentence, or a word, came lightly from the center of the storm and calmed all the disasters: "Good."

"Huh?" Alice was stunned.

"Eh?" Metien was also stunned, and couldn't believe his ears: "Ling Ge, what did you just say?"

"I agree." Linger put down the newspaper and said slowly, "If this is what you insist on, then I have no reason to refuse."

I was surprised, he is so considerate, is this still the Lingge I know?

Alice poked her head out from under the table with a suspicious look in her eyes, suspecting that he had been secretly replaced without her knowledge.

"But I have a request."

Linger said again.

Instead, both of them breathed a sigh of relief: As expected, we knew it wouldn't be that simple.

Metien was a little nervous: "What request?"

The broken golden eyes reflected the girl's face clearly, and the childishness and ideal impulse were inherited by her. Compared with her, I might just be an escapee, and I failed Mr. Yang Ke's expectations.

Ling'er's eyelids drooped slightly, and he whispered, "Promise me, no matter what the outcome of the negotiation is."

“Don’t be disappointed.”

Because that's reality.

***
The Curtain Church on Piccadilly Street is blessed by the Queen of Silence and is hidden in the deep night. An alley behind the church is locked by an iron gate. It is usually rarely visited and is always inadvertently ignored by passers-by. However, at the deepest end of the alley, in an old-looking three-story red brick building, is the headquarters of the night watchman.

These night watchmen, known as the "Black Death", are a special agency set up by the Night's Habitat. Their external name is Justice Division II. Nominally, they belong to the Folklore Affairs Bureau of the Kingdom's Ministry of Religious Affairs, but in fact they have a separate administrative plan with a very high level of confidentiality.

Their only mission is to track down and eliminate the aliens, monsters, and unregulated magicians hiding in the city. No matter right or wrong, good or evil, once they are targeted, they will die, hence the nickname "Black Death".

In contrast, the Society for the Dead, which is actually responsible for collecting remains, burying the deceased and managing cemeteries, has a subordinate organization, the Deathbird, which has the reputation of "farewell angels". It has to be said that this is an extremely ironic contrast.

At this time, Lestrade, the chief of the Night Watch in Linville City, the director of Axiom Two, and also a believer of the Queen of Serenity, a man who likes to wear a black windbreaker, was in his office, listening carefully to the reports from his subordinates.

"...After careful investigation and tracking, we found that there were indeed traces of vampire activity at the excavation site below the floating ruins. We can basically conclude that it was done by the Crimson Prayer Society. Their purpose should be to obtain enough sacrifices to complete the sacrificial ceremony without attracting our attention, so they targeted the resentment of the undead."

"As expected, those dirty and sneaky hairless bats only use such brutal means." Lestrade said casually, "Let them dig if they want. We can use them to deal with the resentment of the undead and seal S-021 back as soon as possible. It has been away from the headquarters for too long. Who knows when it will get out of control."

S-021 is the holy relic enshrined in the floating ruins. Of course, this is what the magicians say. The unified name for such items within the cult is sealed objects. As the name suggests, they are items that need to be sealed. Unless there are special circumstances, they are not allowed to be used.

"Right now, the main focus is on the upcoming negotiations."

Lestrade instructed: "The location of the negotiation has been determined. It is at the Maintis Conference Building on Saints Street. You must arrive near the venue in advance and set up the position equipment to control the situation as soon as the riot breaks out. The estimated level of this battle is A-level, so each team member is allowed to be equipped with 4 magic devices. The specific distribution of categories will be arranged by each team. Notify the city police in advance and ask them to dispatch riot police to cooperate with our actions. Also, remember to greet all newspapers. After the incident is settled, no related reports are allowed to appear in front of the public. Violations of this rule will be immediately closed..."

He made various arrangements in an orderly manner. Although the battle had not yet begun, he had already foreseen the victorious outcome.

Of course they will win, because the enemy's every move is under control, and every thought of the enemy cannot escape their capture. The only suspense is how to minimize the losses.

In the darkness.

The night watchman held a lantern in his hand.

The call of the god of death came upon the heads of the aliens.

　Give me some meow
　　
　
(End of this chapter)