Alice in the Land of Steam

Chapter 567: Have you recovered?

"You don't plan to apply for a permit?" The three were surprised to hear this. Alice asked bluntly, "Why? Ah, I know! There must be something fishy going on, right? On the surface, it says that you can operate normally as long as you apply for a permit, but in fact, it is very difficult to apply for a permit. You may even need to bribe someone to get it approved. Oh, your human society is so dark!"

She made up the reasons in her own mind, and then sighed and groaned as if she were not a human being.

"That's not true." Rorona shook her head, still with a faint smile on her face. "The Investigation and Governance Committee has established three levels of licenses for business premises of different specifications and natures. As long as you meet the requirements, it is not difficult to apply for a license. It's just because of me that I can't apply for it."

"Personal reasons?" Alice asked. "What are they?"

"It's very simple. According to the regulations, all kinds of business premises must make reasonable explanations for the ingredients, sources and specifications of the goods they sell, and formulate corresponding prevention and pollution control measures. But I have no way to explain the ingredients and sources of the goods in my workshop." Rolena glanced at the workshop behind her. Every seemingly ordinary product on the shelf had a different meaning in her eyes. She said leisurely, but meaningfully: "If I explain it clearly, I might get into big trouble."

"Oh?"

Such a mysterious statement actually aroused Alice's interest. She kept asking, "What's the problem? Could it be that all the goods in your store are... fake and shoddy knockoffs?"

Rorona didn't understand the meaning of "counterfeit goods". She slowly put the documents in her hand back into her sleeves and hid them. Then she answered Alice's question with a smile: "All kinds of troubles, such as the confiscation by the industrial and commercial department, the inspection by the tax department, and so on. If you think about the worse, it is possible that it will arouse the suspicion of the religious alliance. By then, the people who come to the door will not only be people from the Investigation and Governance Committee, but also the night watchman of the Night Roost, right?"

When Lingge heard the word "Night Watcher", his breathing stagnated for a moment, but soon returned to normal. He stared at Rolena's gentle and sweet face and asked word by word: "What does this have to do with the alliance with the cult and the Night Watch?"

"Oh, I thought the guests already knew about it."

Facing his stern and serious gaze, Rorona's tone remained cheerful and she replied with a smile: "About the fact that I am not an ordinary person."

Why did she do this? Why did she say such things to a few strangers whom she had only known for a few days? Was this related to the newly issued "Water Management Regulations"? Did she take the initiative to confess her identity in order to win their trust in this way? If so, what did she want to achieve by using this trust?

Previously, some of Rorona's unique behaviors and mysterious background had once made Linger suspect that she was not an ordinary person. He even asked the residents living in this neighborhood for confirmation, but there was no evidence. In addition, the two sides would go their separate ways after today and would never meet again, so he did not want to pursue the matter further. Unexpectedly, at this moment, the girl admitted the incident in person and admitted the fact that she was not an ordinary person.

Lingge was not a suspicious person, but the incident happened so suddenly that he still had all kinds of associations. In comparison, Alice's mind was much simpler. She was just surprised for a moment, and then asked with great interest: "So you are really a magician? Or an alien? Oh, I have always felt that you are extraordinary. I felt so the first time I saw you on the breakwater. Do you think I have good taste?"

She admitted it herself.

"Well, yes, Miss Alice has good taste."

Lorena nodded seriously and followed the blonde maid's words, which immediately made her feel very proud. She put her hands on her waist and her nose almost turned up to the sky.

Then, Lorena turned her head to look at Lingge and Saint Xia Liya, and smiled lightly: "As for whether I am a magician or an alien, this kind of thing does not seem to be suitable for discussion in public. So you may as well follow me into the workshop to talk. Please rest assured that I will not do anything to you. In fact, the person who should be more worried is me. After all, I am just a weak woman with little power." In order to prove her words, Lorena rolled up her sleeves and stretched out her hand to the three people, showing her slender and thin wrist. According to a rough visual estimate, it can be encircled and clamped with just the thumb and middle finger; the blue and red blood vessels are intertwined, running through the pale skin; the slender five fingers are spread out, and the fine lines on the palm are so light that people worry that it may break at any time... From all aspects, this girl perfectly fits the word weak. So we should not worry about her bullying others, but we should worry about her being bullied by others.

While showing her wrist, Lorena blinked at Lingge. She didn't say anything, but her lively eyes seemed to convey her inner thoughts: A weak girl like me has the courage to invite three strangers into the house, don't you have the courage to agree to me?

Recalling her frail appearance on the breakwater, Linger immediately believed her. Moreover, he could not sense any danger from her, so he looked at Saint Shallia next to him, and after she nodded slightly in agreement, he accepted Rolena's invitation.

As for Alice? She would agree without being asked, after all, she has always been a person who likes to join in the fun. Moreover, the swimsuit she has been dreaming about is in Lorena's hands. In order to save her swimsuit, even if Lorena is not a beautiful girl but a fierce crow hag, I'm afraid she will roar and rush up to fight her to the death.

Of course, there was no need to fight to the death with the beautiful girl, so she approached and asked Lorena if she needed her help pushing her wheelchair.

Rorona smiled and declined, then pushed the wheelchair and walked back into the house. Alice followed her and asked curiously, "You weren't in a wheelchair yesterday, were you? Why are you like this today? Did something happen?"

"Yes, something did happen." Rorona replied while pushing the wheelchair, "I accidentally sprained my foot while working yesterday, and I don't have crutches at home, so I can only use the wheelchair temporarily."

"Oh, so that's how it is!" Alice actually nodded and believed this obviously perfunctory statement without hesitation.

Never mind. After all, she is an intuitive creature who has always lived on her instincts. She is simple-minded and unwilling to think. Only in certain special circumstances will she say something shocking to scare everyone, so don't be too harsh on the way she uses her brain.

The reason why Lingge felt that this statement was perfunctory was that there were too many loopholes in it.

Why did a girl who was born weak and sick and couldn't do strenuous exercise sprain her foot? Why did she have a wheelchair when there was no crutches at home? And she was very skilled in turning the wheelchair just now, as if she used it frequently; most importantly... Linger followed Alice and Saint Shalia into Rolena's workshop, closed the shabby wooden door, and glanced at the face of the girl in the wheelchair with a subtle look.

His complexion was much rosier than when we met a day ago. It was not the kind of sickly red, but a normal complexion. He did not look like he was sick at all.

From the time they met until now, she hasn't coughed even once, and there's no sign of her deliberately suppressing it.

Apart from the fact that she casually mentioned a suspected "sprain" that required her to use a wheelchair, she looked completely indistinguishable from a normal person.

So, what is going on?
What a mysterious and weird girl.

The young man couldn't help but think.

　Give me some meow
　　
　
(End of this chapter)