Alice in the Land of Steam

Chapter 66: Is it a connection closer than blood?
"Towel, handkerchief, change of clothes, ID, soap, toothbrush, toothpaste, perfume... Well, I heard there are a lot of bugs in Rustin City, so I have to bring carbolic acid to repel bugs. Also, don't forget to study even when traveling, bring these review materials with you!"

"Hey!"

The pink-haired girl sorted all the things into the small black suitcase, then pressed it down, closed it, fastened the metal buttons, and tied the straps. She tried to lift it, and because she brought a lot of things, it felt heavy, but it was still within the tolerable range.

Everything is ready, and all we have to do now is wait for the day of departure.

There was a look of anticipation and longing in Metien's eyes.

She had been in this mood since Lingge announced the result of his careful consideration at the dinner table yesterday. Perhaps it was because this was her first time traveling. She had always stayed in Linville before, and the farthest place she had been to was not more than the Tantville Plains on the outskirts of the city. The little girl always had a yearning for the unknown world in the distance; perhaps it was because she had a good impression of the gentle and elegant Saint Xia Liya, and her heart was beating with excitement at the thought of seeing her again.

Of course, it is also possible that she was simply happy that she could travel with Lingge and Alice.

The "prosperous city" Rustin is a city surrounded by flowers, green grass and ancient trees. What kind of people will you meet and what things will you experience there?
Magician, elf, golden apple, thread of fate, vampire... Well, forget about the last one.

She shook her head vigorously, throwing away all the unpleasant memories of yesterday.

The mysterious and fantastic things mentioned in fairy tales and novels do make people want to explore them, but if it endangers the safety of oneself and the people around, that is another matter. The little girl has a very clear understanding of this point.

"Wai wai wai, Metien!" Then Alice said in a carefree tone: "Are you in there? I'm coming in."

Listen, this maid can now say the word "stroll" with confidence.

Alice was speechless, and after a groan, she silently changed the subject. She handed the newspaper in her hand to Metien and said, "When I was out just now, Uncle Joseph from the watch shop asked me to bring this thing to you, and asked why you didn't borrow the newspaper from him today."

"Oh, I forgot!"

"Uh!"

At this moment, there was a knock on the door.

Vampires are all bad guys. I thought Miss Fialli was a good person!

She thought angrily.

"Too soon." Alice said noncommittally, "We still have one day before departure. It's no use packing up so early."

"Yes!" Metien puffed out his chest and said in a very confident tone: "I have put everything I need in there. I will definitely not forget anything!"

"It doesn't matter. A day will pass quickly!" Metien counted on his little finger, looking very cute with his serious expression: "Today will pass, and tomorrow will pass too. Can't we set off now?"

It sounded like she was asking for advice, but in fact, this servant who ignored her employer had no intention of waiting for Metien's answer. As soon as she finished speaking, she pushed the door open and walked in with a newspaper in her hand. She glanced at the small black suitcase at Metien's feet and asked casually, "Have you packed your luggage?"

If Alice hadn't won the final victory yesterday, Lingge and myself would have really died.

Metien woke up as if from a dream. She was busy packing her luggage after getting up in the morning and forgot the most important thing. She reached out to take the newspaper. But after pulling it, it didn't move at all. She looked at Alice in confusion, and Alice curled her lips and said, "I'll warn you in advance that the report above may not be good news for you. Think about it before reading it, don't let it affect your good mood before the trip."

It’s not good news… The implication is that it is definitely bad news. As for what the bad news is, both of them know it well.

The pink-haired little girl was silent for a while, then looked up and smiled brightly: "It's okay, Sister Alice. I'm very strong, don't underestimate me, okay?" Indeed, the more sensible and well-behaved a child is, the stronger he or she is, but the more worrying they are.

Seeing her insistence, Alice couldn't stop her any further, so she sighed and said, "Since you said so, you're not allowed to cry later."

"I won't cry!"

Metien loudly retorted, then snatched the newspaper from her hand angrily. It was the Pravda newspaper jointly issued by the religious order. She read the most prominent report on the front page directly, ignoring other irrelevant information and directly grasping the most critical content:
"... Mr. Lannigan, the chief inspector of the city police, accepted an exclusive interview with this newspaper and said that it has been found that the terrorist attack on Saints Street was caused by some radical members of the Religious Mutual Aid Association who were dissatisfied with the negotiation results and took revenge. They released hallucinogenic gas and even illegal weapons such as Molotov cocktails into the Maintis Conference Building, and then carried out a destructive attack on the entire Saints Street, causing large-scale panic in the area near the Municipal Square. It is estimated that the number of victims killed in this incident has reached 73, and the number of citizens injured in the subsequent congestion, pushing and trampling is close to hundreds. This is the worst incident that Linville has encountered in the past fifty years..."

"...Mr. Clermont, the general director of the City Parish Committee, issued a statement, saying that the criminals who planned this terrorist attack were likely guided by some radical doctrines and took irrational actions when they lost their minds. From this point of view, the religious atmosphere in our city still needs to be purified. For those pseudo-religions and even cults that attract, seduce and deceive citizens with bad doctrines, we must firmly adhere to the policy of the "Religious Decree" and resolutely ban them. Only in this way can we avoid similar incidents from happening again..."

That’s enough to read here. What follows are some repetitive nonsense speeches by city government officials. To sum it up, it’s nothing more than: Mr. Clement is right, the Religious Decree is indeed good, the Religious Decree is indeed wonderful, and whoever does not support the Religious Decree is not a qualified Linville person!

What else could Metien say?

She folded the newspaper and was silent for a while.

Although we already know that there is no chance of luck in the end of Tianxin Church after the Blood Moon Incident, it is always hard to accept the facts when we face them.

"Look, I told you a long time ago that it's not good news." Alice said as she quietly took the newspaper from Medien's hand, patted the little girl on the shoulder, and comforted her: "It's all the fault of those vampires. If I catch another vampire someday, I'll bring him back to you to vent your anger. How about that? Well, the premise is that there are still vampires in this city..."

Now that the Blood Moon Anomaly has subsided, it means that the combined cults do possess extraordinary powers unknown to ordinary people. It is also unknown which one is stronger than their secular forces, and whether it is enough to wipe out those vampires.

It would be better if it was possible. Alice didn't want to just be walking peacefully on the road and then suddenly one day be targeted by a bunch of messy people like Fialli's dad, mom, grandparents, brothers and sisters, etc.

Uh, what about that sentence she said to comfort Metien?

So, it’s just consolation, you won’t take it seriously, right?

Metien didn't take it seriously, so she raised her head and smiled at Alice, although it was very reluctant: "Thank you, Sister Alice. But I'm fine, I just feel a little uncomfortable."

"Then can I lend you a hug?"

Alice opened her arms, showing the tenderness and tolerance of a caring older sister. The pink-haired little girl smiled, then obediently buried her head in her arms, closed her eyes, and sank into the deep darkness. Alice vaguely heard her whisper, "I'm sorry, father."

"I seem to have failed to live up to your expectations."

This made the girl feel dazed, and suddenly she had a sense of déjà vu.

I vaguely remember that Lingge seemed to have said the same thing last night.

In a sense, this brother and sister are really similar, even though they have no blood relationship with each other.

This makes Mr. Yang Ke even more remarkable.

Because he is a connection that is closer than blood.

　Give me some meow
　　
　
(End of this chapter)