Alice in the Land of Steam

Chapter 745 Are you ready?
To get from the Qixingpan area to the Westminster area where Xiaoliang Palace is located, you have to pass the famous Indorsis Bridge. This bridge was first built in the 11th century AD. After many repairs and reconstructions, it is now nearly one kilometer away from its original location. The old bridge piers are also one of the most praised attractions in the city of Lonwitting.

The Indorsis Bridge spans the estuary of the River Tread with a span of more than 245 meters. It is the longest bridge in the Kingdom of Greater Brittany. The bridge is crowded with houses and shops. There is a tall tower every fifty meters. There is even a church built in the middle of the bridge. That is the famous Nemesis Church, which is known for providing relief to many poor people during the famine. However, it was closed after the promulgation of the "Religious Decree", which is a regrettable thing.

Even at night, the Indorsis Bridge was still bustling and lively. It would be better to say that the arrival of nightlife made the bridge even busier than during the day. People came and went like a tide. Horse-drawn carriages, mule-drawn carts, donkey-drawn carts, carts, and even private steam carriages, which were still relatively rare in this era, all struggled to move forward, as if they were stuck in a muddy swamp and could not move forward. The city police and city management department personnel had to set up checkpoints under the arches of the tower to guide and evacuate the flow of people, which alleviated the situation a little.

Sitting by the window, through the open car window, Linger saw the shadows of the Crimea Palace and the National Theatre looming in the night, and the high-end residential area in Westminster was brightly lit, including the manor they were going to. On this unusual night, will everything develop as expected?

Linger always had an inexplicable and complicated feeling, and he couldn't tell whether it was a good omen or a bad omen. He was wondering whether he should use the priest's favor magic [Premonition] to verify it. At this time, Miss Gloria, who was sitting opposite him, seemed to see that the young man was uneasy, and asked with a chuckle: "Mr. Linger, are you worried about the upcoming party?"

Ling Ge retracted his gaze and found that because of this sentence, everyone in the carriage focused their attention on him. He was silent for a while and then asked, "Isn't Miss Gloria worried?"

"well enough."

The girl blinked her eyes. "I have dealt with many similar situations before, and I think I have some experience. So if Mr. Ling is nervous, leave it to me later. You just need to smile. Smile, understand?"

She put two fingers on the corners of her mouth and curled them upwards, indicating that Lingge should smile like her, but the young man just looked at her expressionlessly without any expression.

"Your request is too difficult for Lingge." Alice, who was lying on her seat eating snacks and playing games, said sarcastically: "I have known him for a long time, but I have never seen this guy smile. This may be more difficult for him than fighting the witches of the Witch Society head-on."

It was rare that the golden-haired maid said something that made sense, and everyone except Lingge and Gloria nodded in agreement.

"Really?" Gloria felt a little regretful at first, not knowing what she was regretting, but she soon felt relieved and said with a smile, "It's not bad to keep a serious expression. I heard that in the upper class, those elegant noblemen or graceful and tender artists are no longer popular with ladies and young ladies. Now, handsome men like Mr. Ling, who are cold, proud and slightly alienated, are their new favorites."

A handsome man who is cold, proud and slightly aloof?
Alice and her friends looked at each other in bewilderment. She fixed her eyes on Ling'er's face, carefully examining him. After a while, she suddenly burst into laughter. This laughter was like turning on some kind of switch, and it was unstoppable. She laughed more and more wantonly, and finally rolled over in her seat, holding her stomach, and almost crying with laughter: "Handsome, handsome man!? Pu, are you serious, Gloria? If someone with Ling's personality can be popular, then wouldn't I be the little love saint of Brittany? Pu, hahahaha, I can't stand it, it's too funny!"

Is it necessary to be so excited?

Did I tell a funny joke?

This time it was Miss Gloria and Ling'er's turn to look at each other. Suddenly, she spoke in a low voice, as if talking to herself: "But I really think so."

Saint Shallia, who had not reacted at first, suddenly perked up when she heard this. She glanced at Miss Gloria beside her with a vigilant look, and said as if she was not willing to be outdone: "I think so too!" "Oh." Gloria seemed not to notice the competitive consciousness hidden in Saint Shallia's words, and replied with a smile: "Then we are in sync, Miss Saint Shallia."

"And me, and me!" Olvera also raised her hand in panic: "I think so too!"

After that, she seemed to be afraid that her statement alone would be misunderstood, so she glanced at Lorena who was standing still and said nonsense: "Lorena said she was too!"

At this time, the latter only needs to shake her head to expose her lie in public, but Lorena is a person with high emotional intelligence after all, and she would not do such a face-losing thing, so she just smiled, as if she agreed.

Leticia looked around and saw that everyone had expressed their opinions. She was the only one who stayed out of it. She seemed to be not sociable, so she pouted and said, "I think... it's just so-so. It's not that good, but it's not as bad as Alice said."

She felt that she was not praising Lingge, but only said that to attack Alice. Who made the golden-haired maid laugh so arrogantly that people couldn't help but want to go against her?

Ling Ge: “…”

Although they are undoubtedly approving of themselves, for some reason, young people always have a strange feeling that something is not quite right inside.

Alice's laughter gradually stopped, and she looked up and around, still a little confused. The golden-haired maid obviously didn't understand why the situation changed drastically just because she laughed for a while. Did everyone think that male protagonists with Ringer's personality were very popular, but she was the only one who didn't think so?
Am I the only clown?
……

After crossing the Indorsis Bridge, you haven't really set foot on the land of Westminster yet. There is a street called Barnet Avenue in the middle. It is a shopping street and also the headquarters of the General Financial Association, the Law Society, the Watchmakers' Guild and the Bakers' Guild. It is also home to public buildings such as St. Covenant's Clock Tower and Trafalgar Square. Citizens often come here to play during holidays. It is the area where Westminster borders ordinary citizens. The royal palace area, administrative area and high-end residential area ahead are all guarded by guards, so you can't just enter if you want.

Crossing Barnett Avenue and entering the high-end residential area, the environment here is obviously much quieter, the streets are clean and tidy, the light of the street lamps is bright and pure, and green parks, fountain pools and lush woods can be seen everywhere. Professor Heinrich Schliemann's villa, Xiaoliang Palace, is located in the shade of a dense cypress forest.

"Here we are."

Miss Gloria stared through the window at the brightly lit mansion. Guests were coming and going, laughing and talking. She could faintly hear the melodious music, which was the prelude to the party. On the wide street, there were many carriages like theirs heading towards the main entrance of the mansion. It was obvious that the professor attached great importance to this party and invited many guests. After realizing this, the gray-haired girl turned around and cast a meaningful look at the other protagonist of the night: "I hope you are ready, Mr. Linger."

The young man replied in a low voice: "Yeah."

　Give me some meow
　　
　
(End of this chapter)