Alice in the Land of Steam

Chapter 779: Unexpected true identity?

The 245-meter-long Indorsis Bridge was illuminated by incandescent lights as bright as day. The steel chariots shaped like fortresses and the mechanical soldiers in the shape of silver knights blocked the front and back of the bridge connecting the east and west districts of Lunwitting. In the sky, airships of the winged mobile force cruised, and the sound of propellers blaring from their mouths like huge whales, accompanied by the silent gaze of death birds. Steamboats passed by on the surface of the River Twell, and the roaring sound of steam engines once disturbed the fish, shrimps and algae sleeping at the bottom of the river. Further away, from the direction of the estuary to the deep-water dock in the Bethrode district, everything was shrouded in a translucent blue crystal wall, isolating it from all external sights and detections.

Against such a grand backdrop, the carriage stuck in the middle of the bridge looked lonely, like a small boat in a storm that could capsize at any time. Although the two white horses created by alchemy were not living creatures, they could understand the subtle atmosphere at the moment and stomped the bridge surface with their hooves rather uneasily, splashing grayish-white dust that flew under the lights.

Nevile stood in front of the carriage, facing the overwhelming enemies without fear, and calmly stared at the steel wall in front of her. The night watchmen behind the wall did not dare to relax in the face of the silver-eyed countess. They all raised their vigilance and pointed the barrels of their magic devices at the carriage, waiting for the commander's order to fire. Nevile even saw the figures of the silver mad dogs. The gloomy black-haired young man was stained with blood, but he still clenched the hilt of the magic sword, looking eager to try, which made the countess take a second look.

These guys were not very strong, but they were able to chase us all the way from Xiaoliang Palace to here, and they kept following the carriage. If they hadn't stopped us, the carriage might have escaped from Westminster before the cult's united encirclement closed in. It should be said that they were indeed the mad dogs of the Balance of Order, and they had inherited all the nature of the witch of fear: tenacity, resilience, and a little crazy.

But it was meaningless to say this now. The Countess did not like to imagine what ifs when the facts were in front of her, so her gaze only stayed on these silver mad dogs for a moment before passing by and heading to a more distant place, the end of the Indorsis Bridge.

At this moment, there were many kinds of sounds surrounding her ears: the sound of the engine still roaring to dissipate heat after the magic armored vehicle was turned off; the sound of the propeller like a windmill when the airship moved slowly; and the sound of the steam engine boiling and burning coming from the water... Only the mecha corps that used the most advanced magic engines could remain silent, as silent as a ghost in the night.

However, the Countess was more concerned about another sound coming from the end of the bridge. Compared with the other sounds at the moment, it seemed more soothing and calm, like the G minor hidden in the passionate baltz, and it even gave people a sense of elegance.

Ta, da, da da da.

That was the sound of horse hooves hitting the road. A horse-drawn carriage was approaching slowly from the end of the bridge. The iron chariots and night watchmen made way for it as it passed through. The strong white light from the headlights also surged to both sides like a tide, making the carriage appear in the dark night. The two black horses pulling the carriage were tall, with deep black-gold manes. The iron-wrapped horseshoes stepped lightly on the solid stone bridge surface, leaving shallow holes like bullets shot from a magic gun.

The carriage was also pitch black, with only some golden lines on the edges, and no emblems or marks that symbolized identity. The driver was a middle-aged man in a court knight's uniform, with a sword on his waist with a gorgeous and exquisite cage-shaped guard, more like a ceremonial tool than a weapon, but Nevelle knew from his sitting posture and driving skills that this man was definitely a real knight, and his experience in driving horses and carriages might even be more extensive than hers.

Gloria thought for a moment and said, "I'm not very familiar with her, I just have some basic understanding. Ah, as a daughter, isn't it not good to evaluate your mother like this?"

"That's Her Majesty's carriage." A voice suddenly came from behind. Nevile turned her head slightly and found that it was Linger and others who came out of the carriage after hearing what she just said. Alice was still holding the silver-white cube-shaped game console in her hand, which was emitting a faint blue light. The person who spoke was Miss Gloria, who was wearing a dress and had an elegant temperament. Noticing Nevile's gaze, she smiled. Even the head of the Valenhild family had to admit that she did have an aristocratic temperament, which was completely different from the so-called detective.

"Yeah?" Alice blinked. "What did you say?"

"Really? Why do you sound like you are very familiar with the Queen?" Alice looked at her suspiciously.

Everyone was a little annoyed with her, mainly because they were no longer nervous after she did that, so they didn't bother to pay attention. Only Gloria smiled and said, "Don't be so reserved. I think, with Her Majesty the Queen's personality, she won't care about such details."

"So, the person we are going to meet is Her Majesty the Queen?" Alice didn't seem to understand the seriousness of the situation, her eyes sparkling, "The Queen of the Kingdom of Brittany, a commoner like me can actually meet Her Majesty the Queen, shouldn't I dress up first and learn some greeting etiquette, how do you think I should greet Her Majesty the Queen, good morning? Good evening? Have you eaten?"

"I don't know Her Majesty very well..."

So, is the legendary general also a legendary magician? The reason for his retirement may have nothing to do with the transition between the old and new eras, right? As for who was in the carriage that could be driven and escorted by such a heroic figure, there was no need to guess.

"Kasastan, the Son of Wind?" Ling Ge suddenly remembered: "You mean the legendary general who led the cavalry of the Kingdom of Great Britta in the Battle of Dragon's Teeth during the reign of King Grissom and defeated the northern barbarians in one fell swoop? But that battle was hundreds of years ago, right?"

After the Battle of Dragon's Teeth, the continent entered the Steam Age under the impetus of an invisible force. With the advent of steam engines, muskets, trains, and even steel chariots, cavalry units gradually withdrew from the stage of history and only played a role in a few occasions, no longer as glorious as they once were. Therefore, Kasastan, the Son of Wind, was also called "the last ray of light of classical warfare" by historians and military scientists. He himself seemed unable to accept this result, so he chose to retire and disappeared.

"That's what history records." Gloria glanced at Ling Ge with a half-smile, "But the truth is often more complicated. Amid the oppression of various religious organizations and supernatural forces, the Victorian royal family wants to maintain its rule in the Kingdom of Great Brittany. In addition to relying on the alliance of religious groups, they must have their own supernatural powers, right? It's a pity that there are no useful people among the royal children. Fortunately, there are still loyal ministers like Sir Devine in the world."

After Gloria greeted the Countess, she continued, "The driver is Sir Divan, the Queen's personal knight. He does not hold any position in the palace and only obeys the orders of Her Majesty the Queen. However, a long time ago, he had another name. People at that time called him: Kasastan, the Son of the Wind."

"The last sentence!"

"As a daughter?"

"Wa ...

There seemed to be a chuckle in the carriage, and Sir Devine continued to drive forward, passing the encirclement and coming to the front. Alice didn't care about the consequences of her shouting. She stared at Gloria and her tone was a little incoherent: "You, you said you are the daughter of Her Majesty the Queen? So you are the next queen... Ugh! So the queen is your royal family... Ugh! So you are a princess of the royal family?"

"Yes." Gloria glanced at Linge: "Didn't Mr. Linge tell you?"

"..." Lingge looked straight ahead, pretending not to notice Alice's critical look. He himself only found out about this matter after the party started. The escape afterwards was exciting and dangerous, so how could he have the time to tell them about this kind of thing?
Seeing Alice so excited, Ovella couldn't help but feel a little jealous, and said quietly: "I am the princess of Belmang."

Then he looked at Lorena who was smiling but saying nothing and added: "Lorena is the princess of the Nereids."

"I see!" Alice suddenly realized something, and she didn't know what she understood. "Lingge, you are indeed the princess killer. Forget it, it's not important. What's important is that since you are a princess and the person who came is the queen, then Gloria, can you tell your mother to show mercy and let us go?"

She pointed out seriously: "In fact, you were the one who first proposed this matter. We were just implicated by you."

Gloria showed an innocent expression: "I also want to do this, but I'm not sure if Her Majesty the Queen is still willing to appear in front of me as a mother?"

What does it mean?
Are you going to sever the mother-daughter relationship?
While Alice was wondering, the carriage had stopped. The driver, the royal guard knight Devine, left the seat, opened the door for the queen, and then stepped aside, behaving like a real guard. However, Ling noticed that his eyes briefly stayed on Gloria. There did not seem to be the respect that one should have for a member of the royal family in his eyes. Instead, there was a hint of hostility and vigilance.

If this look was directed at Lingge and others, then he could understand it, but as Gloria is the third princess of the Victorian royal family, why should she be so vigilant?
Before Lingge could figure out the problem, a blond woman dressed in gorgeous clothes and with an elegant temperament walked out of the carriage. She was leaning on a cane decorated with gold foil in her left hand. Every time the end of the cane hit the ground, it made a crisp sound, but it was more like knocking on everyone's heart, making everyone involuntarily cast their eyes on her, and easily became the focus and center of the entire battlefield. She had no extra decorations on her body, just like her own car, but that was because she did not need to rely on these external objects to set off her solemn posture and noble temperament. As Her Majesty the Queen who ruled this country, she was majestic enough. Just standing there, she gave people a feeling that she could not be violated.

The Queen stopped walking as she gently pressed her small and delicate cane on the concrete bridge. She looked at the uninvited guests who were surrounded by her royal blue eyes. It is said that the blood of the Golden People flows in the Victorian royal family, the same nation that Sister Livia was born into. However, her features are much purer than those of the nun. Her proud but gentle pupils, under the strong light of the headlights and searchlights, do reflect a color similar to gold.

The arrival of Her Majesty the Queen caused the whole place to fall into silence. The silence of the outsiders was naturally because they were in a passive situation and could only wait for the other party to speak first. But for some reason, the troops affiliated with the united cult seemed to respect the queen, so they tacitly handed the right to speak to her. Neither the commander of the wing suit mobile force, Xin, nor the commander of the 13th Mechanized Squadron, Yelena, had any intention of standing up to steal the limelight. After Gloria discovered this strange phenomenon, she lowered her head and chuckled intriguingly.

Her Majesty's eyes had swept over Ling Ge, Saint Xia Liya and others one by one, without staying for too long. When she heard Gloria's laughter, she naturally set her eyes on her. To the third princess of the royal family, her youngest daughter, she did not seem to show any emotion that a mother should have, whether asking her to come back to her or scolding her for being so willful.

Lingge saw this and thought about it. He vaguely understood why Gloria said that just now.

But sometimes, the truth is often stranger than he imagined.

The mutual scrutiny and sizing took only a few breaths. Her Majesty the Queen quickly withdrew her gaze from her little daughter and returned it to Lingge. It was not known whether it was because he was the only male surrounded by a group of beautiful girls and was very eye-catching, or because of some mysterious intuition, she concluded that he was the mastermind of this incident and the backbone of this group of people.

Then, she slowly showed an elegant smile on her face, nodded slightly to the young man, and said: "It seems that you are the uninvited guests mentioned by the professor. This should have been a wonderful party: important archaeological discoveries, beautiful dances and music, delicious food, and many outstanding people gathered together to talk about the past and future of mankind. I really don’t know what rude behavior the professor did to you that made you disregard the etiquette of guests and commit such an offensive behavior. If there is any, please allow me to apologize to you on behalf of the professor."

Her tone was gentle and unhurried. She didn't sound like she was questioning someone, but rather concerned about a friend she hadn't seen for a long time, which made people feel like they were in the spring breeze. This was why Linger was more alert, because he knew that this kind of person was the hardest to deal with. If you only regard Her Majesty the Queen as a gentle and amiable elder, then the politicians in the cabinet and the members of the Parliament will laugh at you for being too naive. The Prime Minister of the Republic and the dictatorial monarch of the Empire, who had been fighting with her for decades but never won, would probably not agree.

"I don't know what position you are standing on when you say this, but as to the reason for what happened tonight, I think it would be better for you to ask Professor Heinrich directly, or ask the people around you." The young man paused, probably thinking that this attitude of speaking was a bit rude to the ruler of a country, so he added: "This is my personal opinion, please forgive me if it offends you."

The Queen laughed and said, "It is normal for young people to speak without restraint. I won't be angry about it. As for your suggestion to ask Professor Heinrich directly, I think it is not necessary, because I know my position better than you think, Mr. Ling."

She suddenly called out Ling's name, causing the young man's heart to skip a beat, and he realized that he seemed to have overlooked an important detail. The Queen saw his reaction, and the smile on her lips seemed to have a more intriguing meaning: "If I stand on the royal family's standpoint, I will not be here tonight. You should understand now, Mr. Ling. And I think dear Miss Gloria also understands it."

She took a deep look at the gray-haired girl in the formal gown, then let go of her hand, letting the golden cane stand upright on the hard concrete bridge surface without falling. She lifted the hem of her skirt with both hands, bent her knees slightly, and performed a perfect and elegant greeting to the guests in front of her. At the same time, she whispered the belated self-introduction from her mouth -

"Philosopher of the Society, codename Victoria, it's an honor to meet you all."

　Give me some meow
　　
　
(End of this chapter)