Alice in the Land of Steam

Chapter 500: Isn’t this how you drink black tea?
There are many places to prove Ling's point.

For example, he found werewolf hair on the island where Neverle lived, proving that Gundaruf might have been there before, but there were no signs of fighting around, indicating that Gundaruf had taken the initiative to follow him; for example, when everyone saw Neverle in the castle, she had no scars on her body, and she did not look like she was restricted in her freedom. In this case, it would be easy for her to escape from the castle in such a chaotic situation with her strength, so how could Leticia save her?

From this perspective, Leticia's death in the mangrove forest is very intriguing.

The air in the room seemed frozen like ice. Even though the wind was blowing and the curtains were fluttering, it felt very depressing, as if one was in a closed furnace. Neither Nevile nor Lingge spoke. One was thinking about something, while the other was waiting for something. Only Leticia's breathing echoed in the dim light, even and gentle. She seemed to have a good dream, murmuring her grandmother's name in her sleep.

"Starting tomorrow," Nevile suddenly said, "when she opens her eyes and wakes up, she will face a strange world. She will forget you, forget her experience yesterday, and forget the good friend she just met... This sounds very sad. Will Metien feel sad when she knows it?"

She mentioned the pink-haired girl, the only person besides herself who could make Leticia open her heart. Unfortunately, the time they had known each other was too short, not enough for them to understand each other more deeply, nor allowed them to make fragile promises. From yesterday to tomorrow, from tomorrow to the next day, for a person with amnesia, time is always moving forward, and it is impossible to ask it to go back to the past, so emotions become fragile, like window glass, which will be scattered among the dead leaves and weeds on the ground with a slight bump, and it is difficult to find in the dark night.

Did the passers-by regard the glass fragments as gems buried deep in the wilderness, dazzled by their glittering appearance in the sun, or did they see through their fragile and sharp nature and were reluctant to pick them up with their hands for fear of being cut by them, so they just kept their distance?

Based on Nevile's impression of humans, it is most likely the latter.

"Maybe so."

Linger glanced at the vampire girl who was sleeping soundly on the sofa and said, "But she is stronger and more optimistic than you think. So even if she loses her old friends yesterday, she will still smile and meet new friends tomorrow. Feelings may be fragile, but they are not as fragile as you think."

Lingge was thoughtful when he heard this: "So, that's why you showed up at the Forloze Castle - you weren't coerced by Gundaruf, but took the initiative to cooperate with him?"

"That's a good thing." Nevile said, "I hope Leticia and she will always be good friends. After all, I can only be her grandmother, not her peer, playmate or close friend. I am no longer old enough to play with dolls, and I am not interested in flowers and desserts. My only wish now is to drink black tea every day and watch Leticia spend every ordinary and peaceful day."

"That's right." Nevi nodded slightly. "Perhaps it's because I've lived a long time. Unlike Gundaruf, the guy who was blinded by ambition, I know the strength of the united church better than anyone else. Let alone the seven major churches, even the Inquisition alone is not an enemy that the aliens on the Shikilia Peninsula can fight against. Therefore, the happier Gundaruf jumps and the louder he shouts, the closer he will die. But it's not enough for him to die alone. Other aliens who know about the Fang of Eternal Life must also die here. We can't let them pass on the news and attract more prying eyes."

"The Inquisition." Lingge gave the answer for her.

"Yes."

"So," Ling Ge completely understood the cause and course of events, "you cooperated with Gundaruf and took the initiative to show the power of immortality to those wavering aliens, just to help them stand firm in their positions, join the Silver Moon Alliance, and fight against the cult together - and ultimately bring about their own destruction?"

"However, the legend of the immortal witch has been passed down on the Shikilia Peninsula for ages, the headquarters of the Balance of Order secretly preserves the archives of the Fang of Immortality, and there are ambitious people like Gundaruf who want to use her power to satisfy their own selfish desires... If left alone, the news about Leticia will soon no longer be a secret. It will fly over the waves and waves like an albatross on the sea and spread to more distant places: Taguao Wilderness, Bazia, the Republic of San Marino, and even several powerful countries in the inland: Great Brittany, Lessenwell and White City. Never doubt the desire of human beings for immortality. Their expansion speed is as fast as a balloon. I am afraid that even if Neo is resurrected, his desire to establish the Metosh Empire cannot be compared with it. For this reason, I need a way to kill the seeds in the bud and never allow this news to leak out."

Nevill picked up the black tea on the table, took a sip, moistened her dry throat, and then continued to tell Lingge about the game hidden behind the fog in a leisurely tone: "Gandaruf took the initiative to attack the Temple of Judgment, stole the files of the Fang of Eternal Life, and planned to spread the news throughout the swamp to tempt the ambitious people to conspire with him. This practice will put Leticia in danger. I naturally hate him, but what's the use of hating him? I don't know how many people have hated Gundaruf, and I am not the only one. I am not stupid enough to think that killing Gundaruf will calm the rumors by itself. So I thought, if I can't pour a basin of cold water on this burning flame, why not add a few firewood to it? I can't put out the fire myself, but as long as things get bigger and bigger, and the momentum of the swamp aliens gets stronger and stronger, then naturally there will be people who are stronger than me and who are more disgusted with Gundaruf's actions to stand up and put out the fire, that is-"

And Leticia's death in the mangrove forest was Nevi's way of demonstrating the power of immortality to the many alien leaders who participated in the alliance.

Nevile took a sip of her tea and didn't answer, but keeping silent was actually tantamount to assent.

Lingge recalled the fire before leaving the Shiqilia Peninsula, and a strange look flashed in his eyes: "So, the people of the Balance of Order used the final fire to burn the entire virtual root swamp and the aliens in it to ashes, which seems to have just met your wish?" Nevile's mouth curled up slightly, outlining an elegant arc, but this smile looked a little cold and chilling: "That's right, although I didn't expect the Balance of Order to directly cast the final fire, I just wanted them to clear out most of the aliens in the swamp so that the message could not be passed on. But it doesn't matter, anyway, the final result is the same. You may accuse me of being too cruel, I don't deny this, but I also have to say that this is for Leticia-anything, as long as it is for this child, there is no reason for me not to do it. I think you should be able to understand me, Mr. Lingge?"

The word "understanding" she said was quite meaningful, as if to imply that if it was for Metien, you would do the same, right? This left the young man speechless, because he could neither make assumptions about things that had not happened, nor categorically deny that there was no such possibility, so he was silent for a while and then changed the subject: "Unfortunately, things in the world are not always as we wish."

"After all, what is destined cannot be changed by human power." Nevile knew what he meant, so she shrugged lightly. Even such a casual movement seemed elegant and calm: "Who knew that Leticia would be the young queen of creation? Who knew that the one who influenced the union of the cults behind the scenes was also the young queen? Even more ironic, who could have foreseen that the young queens would fight each other to the point of no return?"

These three "who knows" made Nevile's plan successful. All the aliens who knew about the existence of the Fang of Eternal Life died in the fire, but Leticia still could not have a peaceful life. As the young queen of [Eternity], she was destined to be drawn into this vortex and could not escape.

"But it's not completely without benefits." Nevi'er added, "At least I can look forward to waiting for you to go to the Holy Temple of Heaven and ask the goddess who created the world to lift the curse on Leticia. I don't think She would be so cruel to her own child and sit idly by, right?"

Ling Ge said calmly: "The goddess' mercy will save every suffering soul."

Nevile glanced at him and said, "I've never seen you praying for Leticia, so I have to say that you look a bit like a priest now. Also, this cup of tea is getting cold, don't you want to drink it?"

Like a hospitable host at a tea party, she invited the young man to taste the black tea she brewed herself: "This is the treasure of the Neoesu family, the most authentic Sushanbao black tea. There is no place to drink it after leaving Motoxu."

Lingge had no more excuses to refuse, so he walked to the table, picked up the gradually cooling teacup, raised his head and drank it all in one gulp. He didn't have time to savor the fragrant aroma between his lips and teeth. After putting down the teacup, he said to Nevi'er: "Do you sometimes feel that you are very similar to Saint Tomi?"

This sudden question startled Neverelle, but she soon understood the meaning of this sentence, which was that she was considered to be the same as Saint Tomi, a cold-blooded person who could sacrifice everything for the obsession in his heart. The difference was that Saint Tomi's obsession was the entire human race, while her obsession was Leticia.

The Countess suppressed her smile and answered seriously, "I am different from him - he may sacrifice everything for his race, but I at least have my own persistence. In other words, I will not do anything treacherous or ungrateful. Doing so will only bring shame to my bloodline and make me ashamed to continue to bear the name of Valenhild."

Ling Ge looked at her quietly for a while, then slowly said: "At least now, let me believe you."

Nevile smiled again: "Then you will find that you can trust me more in the future."

"Thank you for your hospitality. The tea is good."

After asking all the questions he needed to ask, Linger turned around and was about to leave. However, before he left, he seemed to remember something and said, "The hotel will hold a banquet tonight. If you don't mind, you can come and attend. Metien should also be very happy to see Leticia. They can get to know each other again at the banquet."

After saying that, he left Nevile's room, closing the door behind him, and the sound of his footsteps gradually faded away. Watching his figure disappear through the gradually closing door, and looking at the empty teacup on the table, remembering how he just drank the tea in the cup, the Countess suddenly sighed softly: "What a waste."

"That's not how you drink black tea."

The light was dim but warm. Leticia turned over on the sofa and murmured a few words, as if she was talking in a sleep.

　Give me some meow
　　
　
(End of this chapter)