Alice in the Land of Steam

Chapter 75: Did you find the wrong place?

Lingge and his two companions were looking for a hotel called "Fairy's Deep Sleep" on Sherer Street.

The inn industry in Rustin has a long history, perhaps even before the city government decided to give the place the names of "prosperity" and "luxuriance". In the Middle Ages, every restaurant, tavern, chapel and even the soup kitchen in the town could also serve as a place for passers-by to rest, and the local people's warm and hospitable culture was cultivated at this time.

At that time, the hotels were all wooden and stone structures: stone walls and wooden roofs, and the sloping roofs were usually covered with a two-inch thick layer of grass for warmth. Today, they still retain a similar style, but it has nothing to do with the original purpose. It is more to follow the ancient tradition and create a retro trend.

Standing at the entrance of Sherrill Street, you can see which houses have thick square stone walls, like the city walls that defended against barbarian invasions during the reign of King Inrel; or which houses have green grass on their roofs, like the fields when spring just arrives, and you will know their origins and purposes.

Compared to the city, the atmosphere here is more quiet and peaceful, with few pedestrians passing by. The three of them searched from room to room, their footsteps on the carpet of fallen leaves on the street, echoing in the emptiness. This city seems to be always dropping leaves all year round, blown down by the wind, drifting down naturally, carried away by birds... falling like raindrops, never stopping.

The old bluestone bricks had just been swept in the morning, and were now covered with leaves. The traces of the leaf veins were so clear that they diluted the transparent sunlight. Linger's eyes fell on the retro hanging sign in front of him. Seeing the words "Home of Sleeping Squirrels" on it, he shook his head and said softly, "Not really."

Metien was a little disappointed when he heard this.

Alice, who was standing by, brushed off the fallen leaves stuck on her shoulders and asked, "Which house is this?"

Linger remembered it clearly: "The seventh one."

Ling Ge also knew that this was not a solution. He thought for a moment and said, "Let's find someone to ask."

They originally wanted to look for it by house number. It would be easier to find 13 Scherer Street than to find a hotel with only a known name. Unfortunately, the hotels here had no house numbers, only old-fashioned hanging signs, which were an obsolete feature of the times and could perhaps only be seen in the city of Rustin.

"13 Scherer Street?"

If it wasn't necessary, he actually didn't want to use this method, because Lingge didn't think he was very good at dealing with others, and as for Alice, she was a little too good at it.

Alice looked up again and looked further into the long street. She saw more grassy roofs hidden in the colorful crowns of the trees along the road. There was no end in sight. She felt embarrassed. "When will I find it?"

He asked the maid to take good care of Metien, and he randomly found a house nearby and knocked on the door. He stood in the garden and waited quietly until the owner responded.

About half a minute later, the door opened a little from the inside, and at the same time the owner's low voice asked, "Who?"

Only this city, rich in humanistic atmosphere and natural charm, still retains traces of the past. It can be considered as a sentimental poet pursuing retro and reminiscing about the past. However, it has now brought great trouble to Lingge and the other two in their search.

Linger replied: "A traveler asking for directions. I want to know how to get to 13 Scherer Street?"

A surprising statistic also comes from the book "Urban Green Life", which mentions that more than 70% of the houses in Rustin have attached gardens or private gardens. Although sometimes they are only shrubs or flowers of several square meters in size, it is unimaginable for those who only have narrow streets and a small sky.

Before 1681, there were a variety of signs on the streets, including basswood, pine, and oak. But during the urban typhoon, an unprecedented strong wind blew these signs to the point of collapse, and hundreds of people died from being hit by loose signs. This led to the Kingdom's Ministry of Public Affairs urgently issuing a decree to regulate the size, weight, and number of signs in front of doors. Today, they have evolved into simple house numbers.

These small gardens are usually open to the public, and residents here are happy to share the city's greenery with outsiders as long as the land and plants are not damaged.

There was a questioning tone on the other end, and then the door was opened. A man with a mustache, wearing a white shirt, black trousers, and a dark green beret, walked out and said to Linge, "You must have come to the wrong place. There is no number 13 on this street."

No number 13?
Linger frowned slightly and asked him again: "So, is there a hotel called 'Fairy's Deep Sleep'?"

This question made the man more certain of his guess: "Then you must have come to the wrong place. There has never been a hotel called 'Fairy's Sleep' on this street because it does not conform to the naming habits of the Rostin people... But this name is really good. Maybe I can write it into my next script?" As he spoke, a smug smile slowly formed at the corners of his mouth, probably thinking this was a good idea.

Turns out he’s a playwright, no wonder he stays home during work hours.

Ling Ge got the answer, although it was not the answer he wanted, but he relaxed his brows for the time being, nodded slightly to the man, and said, "Thank you for your help. I am very sorry to bother you. I hope you have a pleasant afternoon."

He took off his hat in greeting, put it back on, and was about to leave when the other party called out to him, "Wait, young man, what do you think of my suggestion?"

"proposal?"

"I want to include the name of the hotel you just mentioned in my new work. It inspired me for my next work. Of course, this is not a one-sided request. I will pay you."

Ling Ge didn't expect that he was serious. After a moment of silence, he said, "You are welcome, sir. As for the reward, there is no need, because I didn't come up with this name."

"That's true. In that case, if I want to use this name, I have to get the consent of the original owner, but where can I find them? There is indeed no hotel called 'Fairy Sleep' on Scherer Street, or even in the entire city of Rustin. There wasn't one in the past, and there isn't one now. What about the future? There may be in the future, but that is uncertain. I have lived in this city for thirty-three years, and I know it - and even the history of the land where it is located - very clearly. Could it be that it is hiding secrets that I don't know about? Just like the story my father once told me..."

The man fell into deep thought, muttering to himself, perhaps people who create art have similar problems, they are immersed in their own world and ignore the existence of people around them. Linger felt that he should not disturb him, so he left quietly, and took Metien and Alice away from the room.

He stopped only when he could no longer hear the man's voice.

"What's going on with that guy?" Alice asked. "I think he's weird."

Lingge didn't answer, but thought to himself: Actually, you are quite weird too, so let's not talk about others.

In contrast, Metien was more concerned about the outcome of the matter: "Have you asked for directions, Lingge?"

Linger shook his head: "No."

He told the two the man's answer. After learning that there was no No. 13 on Scherer Street and no so-called "Fairy Sleep" hotel, the two girls reacted differently.

"Have we been cheated?" Alice was suspicious.

Metien retorted: "I don't think Sister Saint Xia Liya is that kind of person! Besides, there is no need for her to lie to us! She can't get anything from us."

Alice scratched her hair. "What you said makes sense, but we can't actually find the hotel. Is there another Scherer Street in Rostin?"

"Well!"

Metien was speechless.

Linger did not join in the discussion. He raised his head slightly, and through the lush tree canopy, he saw the shadowy sunlight. It was almost noon, and the warm winter sun squeezed through the gaps between the leaves and sprinkled on the street. The white and golden spots flickered, and people could actually feel a little warm, as if they had entered summer in advance.

He retracted his gaze and interrupted the girls' discussion with one sentence:
"Let's find a place to rest first."

　Give me some meow
　　
　
(End of this chapter)