Alice in the Land of Steam

Chapter 701 Have we arrived at the destination?
A giant aquatic beast shaped like a plesiosaur, carrying seven or eight passengers on its back, leisurely and calmly shuttled through the dim underground sewers. The rushing water under its body turned into docile servants. Once the fierce undercurrent or whirlpool hit this huge body, it was like hitting an indestructible wall, instantly breaking into water droplets that splashed across the sky and wet the passengers' cheeks or hair.

Unlike the tunnel, the waterway is not a reinforced and sealed granite ceiling, but a natural rock wall, so it is rugged and often has dangerous or steep places. At this time, Arkanye, named Gern, will show his superb swimming skills, either by slightly tilting his body to change direction, or by swinging his flat forelimbs like fish fins at will to steadily accelerate. With these subtle movements that ordinary people would not notice at all, he can easily avoid the rock walls or hanging stone pillars above his head, and the passengers on his back will not feel any bumps, as if they are not shuttling in a river with undercurrents, but moving on an endless flat ground.

"This is a very sophisticated way of manipulating the water flow."

Princess Rorona of the Rikuma Sea region authoritatively confirmed: "It is not about interfering with the flow of water with magic power, but on the premise of mastering various information such as the direction, speed, and deflection force of the water, the body's movements change naturally with the changes in the water flow, so as to achieve a seamless effect. In other words, it is not about letting the river drive you forward, but following the river. This technique, in addition to having extremely demanding requirements on the body's coordination ability, also requires the user to have a very deep understanding of the water area in which he is located. Even among our mirror elves, few people can master it."

After saying that, she even praised him seriously: "As expected of the Alkanean clan, known as the 'water ferrymen', Lord Gerné really opened my eyes."

If it were any other race, they would probably get angry if someone said "You are a very good boatman", but for the Arkanian race, this is indeed the most flattering compliment. Therefore, Gern accepted the evaluation without hesitation and even laughed twice to show his respect, although his tone still sounded cold and contemptuous: "Haha, it is my honor to be praised by the Mirror Elves. But I am very curious, why would the Mirror Elves, who have always lived in the deep sea, come to the surface? Besides, I can't see any characteristics of a Mirror Elves in you. If it weren't for the disordered breath, I would have thought you were a pure-blooded human. Haha, what an interesting guy."

"Hahaha, well, there are various reasons, but I can't reveal them for now." Rorona brushed it off in a very natural tone: "It's not a gentleman's thing to get to the bottom of a lady, or is Lord Gernier the same type of person as Lingge?"

It's not my business?

Lingge, who was innocently caught in the crossfire, glanced at Rorona, who looked away guiltily and pretended to look at the scenery as if nothing had happened. This reaction was exactly like that of someone who had gotten into trouble in daily life.

"Humph."

Gern was not the type to ask questions after being politely rejected, so he just snorted at Lorena's perfunctory words and gave up. After all, in the tradition of the Arkanian tribe, they were water ferry beasts, the ferry that led the living from one shore to the other. They only needed to follow their mission, and as for the origins and purposes of the guests on the boat, it was not something they needed to care about.

If the cult had not included the Arkanian tribe in the hunting range, perhaps these ferrying beasts would have dared to pick up their own members? Their traditions were so strict that they would never allow any man-made things to encroach on their power, but they were also so generous that they treated everyone who needed to go to the other side equally. Perhaps this also fits the impression of water in the world: it nourishes life, but it also brings disaster.

"Sir Gern," old man Pancras, who was still standing at the front, holding a candlestick as a guiding light, suddenly asked, "Recently, is there any new situation underground in Lunweiting?"

"New situation? What do you mean?" In a place where no one could see, the giant beast in the water had a cold grin on its face: "Are you referring to the stupidity and greed of the little mice at King's Station and the big bats at St. Pierce Station who fought for territory but were caught by the night watchmen? Or are you referring to the 138th underground cleaning operation launched by the city government, which ultimately failed. Three hundred and eighty miners, one hundred and twenty well diggers and twenty-two subway station attendants accompanied them in doing useless work for three months. This is a farce? There are new situations happening every moment underground in this city. If you don't describe it more accurately, oh, my old friend, Pancras, what answer do you want me to give you?"

The turbulent river water was split by its huge body and flowed to both sides. The sound of the rushing water seemed dead and distant in the dark and deep underground caves. The strangers on the back of the beast listened to his answer and found that the underground world of Lunweiting was so wonderful. There were not only aliens, but also so-called underground people.

"Is that an urban legend?" Alice asked curiously, but no one could answer this question. Only Lingge, who had read a book called "Biography of Old Lundu" before entering the city, knew that the so-called underground people were not the people who lived in the underground world that often appeared in fantasy adventure novels, and had their own unique culture and ecology. In fact, they were also Lunwitin people, but they took the initiative to enter the city's complex underground system for various reasons over the long years - war, famine, fire, unemployment, bankruptcy, avoiding the police, and escaping from reality. The authorities called them "hidden dangers in the dark", and the people on the ground contemptuously called them "underground people".

There is a chapter in the "Biography of Old Lundu" that records: "... a dramatic scene. The lights here are brighter than the sun on the earth, but there is a musty smell. I saw the public tombs left over from the past era. The original residents of the rows of tombs were torn apart. Now there are thieves, swindlers, desperate women, naked children, and hyenas who come here to dig for dead things. The locals call them Taoke..."

The word "locals" seemed to have formed their own group concept, so although these people lived in the dim underground, they refused to return to the surface. The rulers believed that this was a manifestation of restlessness, and believed that people who lived in the underground world for a long time might develop a sense of contempt for authority and anti-tradition, so they repeatedly raided these stubborn underground settlements, trying to force them to return to the surface to live. But as Gern just said, their attempts failed until the 138th action.

"Under Lunwitin is still Lunwitin", the young people have a deeper understanding of this sentence. It is not only a relic, but also human beings; not only human beings, but also aliens; not only a biological organism, but also an ecology.

The only city located above this ecosystem is the so-called "City of Cities".

Pancras shook his head slightly. "You know what I mean: Has the excavation work of the Prehistoric Heritage Institute in the area from Randall Station to Rogue Lane been stopped? I haven't heard much from them recently."

"So that's what you're talking about. I should have been more straightforward just now." Gern lowered his head slightly to avoid a rock pillar hanging overhead, and said casually, "They dug in that area for three and a half years. The noise of the cranes and excavators made the nearby aliens panic and it also made me a little sleepless. Fortunately, they finally stopped a week ago. Maybe they have dug up what they want. Old friend Pancras, you know the underground of Lunwitin best. What do you think they are looking for?"

Pancras frowned and did not answer.

Prehistoric Heritage Research Institute? Excavation work? Three and a half years?
Everyone was curious after hearing the key words and wanted to ask questions, but the old man seemed too busy to answer and Gern did not look willing to answer, so they could only suppress their doubts for the time being and wait for another opportunity to ask again.

After that, there was no conversation along the way. Apart from the sound of water flow, undercurrents and whirlpools, there was no other movement. They moved along the river, and there were many tributaries and forks in the middle. Gern was the one who chose the route. At first, everyone was still in the mood to remember which road he chose, but gradually they lost patience - because it was too dense, there were dozens of turns, and even people with good memory would be confused by such a complicated route.

The underground system of Lunweiting is like a huge network, and more like a living beast, expanding at an alarming rate every year, enough to make those who think they know it well dumbfounded when they come for the second time, thinking they have entered another world. And if outsiders like Lingge step into it casually and get lost, they may not be able to find a way out until they die.

About an hour later, the river became wider and the river became much calmer. Gern gradually slowed down and finally stopped at the wooden pier of another underground ferry. This ferry looked larger than the previous ferry station. There were some shabby stalls and simple sheds. Although no one was there, the torches on the pier and the wall were still burning, illuminating the words on the wooden sign at the stairs -

Oak Station, go up to the Seven Star Plate area.

　Give me some meow
　　
　
(End of this chapter)