Alice in the Land of Steam

Chapter 803: Is Lingge liberated again?

"I activate the magic card [Lenoir of the Herald - Magic Starter]."

In the light symbolizing magic, a philosopher unknown to Lingge and others appeared. He had messy black hair, unshaven beard, and unkempt appearance. He wore a linen work suit covered with oil and dust, and thick cotton gloves. In the toolbox on his waist were tools such as screwdrivers, wrenches, and tape measures. He looked more like a maintenance worker than a scientist. At this time, he was observing a huge machine back and forth, carefully adjusting its internal structure. Judging from the wear marks on the tools he used, such adjustments and modifications seemed to have lasted for a long time.

Suddenly, the originally silent machine emitted a low hum, and then on the cold steel shell, a series of faint blue lights lit up, gradually covering the entire machine and illuminating the dim workshop. Everyone was familiar with that kind of light: it was the prominent feature of the magic device's startup and operation status.

"Lenoir is a genius scientist," Tiantis' voice came again. "Everyone remembers the great achievements of Dante, Luther or Barbarossa, but in unknown corners, there are many more people who are willing to bury their names in the dust and devote their efforts to our common ideals. Lenoir is one of them: he creatively combined magic devices with steam engines and invented detachable core metals, which made the mass production and simplified use of magic devices a reality. He is the founder of the modern magic system and also a pioneer who pushed the Eden Project to the next node."

Tiantis slowly placed his hand on the deck: "This card can only be activated if you have released monsters for two consecutive turns. Draw cards from the deck according to the number of monsters released. After this effect is activated, you cannot draw cards from the deck through the effects of magic cards in this duel."

"I have released two monsters, Dante of Literary Thought and Martin Luther of Divine Wisdom, so I draw two cards."

She took a look at the card she had drawn, and then the corners of her mouth slowly curled up: As the two core cards of this deck, she now has one in her hand.

The arc of this smile was very shallow, and it even gave people the illusion that she had never smiled before. Therefore, Gloria, who was looking at her from afar across the Twell River, naturally did not notice it. She just quietly raised her vigilance after Tiantis drew the card, preparing for the next attack: she did not even have a card on her field, and if the opponent wanted to gain an advantage, now was the best time.

Given the strong character shown by her opponent, will she give up this good opportunity to take advantage of the situation?

Joan of Arc, riding on a white warhorse, thrust her lance downwards with all her might. It was clearly the dark surface of the water, but it seemed as if it had been thrust into the thick earth, making a clanging sound. Ripples reverberated, and the saint's solemn voice spread to the end of the distant night: "Citizens of the White City, gather under our flag now and march forward to hear the cheers of victory!"

If you have faith and determination but don't know how to plan your resources and don't have the heart to make choices, you are actually on the road to failure. You paid the price of failure a long time ago, but now you are still obsessed and fantasizing about a happy ending where you can win with love and courage?
Let me tell you, reality is often so cruel and innocence is vulnerable.

"I usually summon [Alien Philosopher - Joan of Arc]." Tiandis said softly.

Among the countless heroes, Joan of Arc may not be the most powerful, but she is definitely the most unforgettable one for the people of the White City, not only because she saved a country in decline and suffering with her own body, but also because of her noble spirit and selfless character. To this day, the heroic legend of the saint and her twelve holy knights is still circulating in the land blessed by the covenant of the White City, inspiring everyone trapped in darkness to struggle and grasp the precious light of hope in life.

Her Royal Highness the Third Princess did not hold out any hope for this. She frowned at the cards in her hand, thinking about how she would turn the situation around in the next round if her opponent expanded the situation to suppress her. However, Tiantis looked at her deeply.

As expected, Tiantis drew three cards from the deck, took a look at them, and then sent two cards in his hand into the exclusion zone face down, then covered two more cards and announced the end of the round.

The holy golden light bloomed from her firm and clear golden hair, covering the saint and the horse under her. On the fluttering flag, five blooming irises injected power into her armor and weapons, smearing silver holy marks on the steel blade and armor. Under the shining light, the saint's face gradually became blurred, but her aura became more holy, majestic, and inviolable.

"Activate Jeanne's effect. When this card is successfully Normal Summoned, change it to Defense Position, add its Attack value to its Defense, then draw three cards from your Deck and banish two cards from your hand face-down."

However, such a saint who was as pure and flawless as snow and as bright and brilliant as the stars, now stood on the opposite side of them. Because, before she was a hero of the White City Republic, she had another identity, that is, the philosopher of the Witch Society.

That girl with gray hair and gray eyes, as ethereal as mist, would she know that the seemingly virtual card game is actually no different from the real world? If you only focus on the cards in your hand without considering the future plan, you will never be able to achieve the final victory. When a person starts the game, she must know what she wants to get, what she is waiting for, and how she hopes to win... Only by considering these factors carefully can she be called a true duelist.

[Alien Philosopher—Jeanne of Arc/Light/4*/Effect]

Another familiar philosopher stepped onto the duel stage. The deep but powerful sound of horse hooves echoed on the river. The blond, blue-eyed, silver-armored saint rode on a heavily armored warhorse and walked out of the darkness with a solemn look on her face. The swallowtail flag fluttered on her spear. Five irises, symbolizing the sons of the White City, were blooming in the night, silently showing the glory and splendor of the ancient country. Countless people had pushed her into the dust and trampled on her, but countless people also stepped forward when she needed heroes the most to protect her people from any evil.

[Attack Power 1000/Defense Power 2000+1000]

Joan of Arc's defense power reached 3000. Although it was not as strong as the attack power of the evolved Ultimate Olvera, it was enough to make Gloria feel difficult. Fortunately, this monster had no offensive ability. The opponent did not seem to have any intention of pursuing, but rather consolidated its defense.

Although she didn't understand why she didn't take advantage of the situation to pursue and instead kept defending, the initiative was now back in her hands. Gloria exhaled lightly, calmed down her slightly uneasy mood, and decisively drew a card from the deck: "My turn!"

She ignored Alice's constant shouting of "Call me, call me" and pressed the monster card she had already decided on on the Duel Climb: "I Normal Summon [Fate Kingship - Saint Shalia]!"

A thin and slender figure was outlined in the soft white light. Due to the precedent of Olvera, the blue-haired girl was not surprised to be summoned to the field. She just nodded silently to Gloria on the Indorsis Bridge, then slowly raised her hands, and her slender fingers gently brushed through the void, as if plucking invisible strings, pouring out beautiful music. One by one, golden threads appeared from between her fingers, intertwined and floated towards Gloria, and finally landed in her palm, condensing into a familiar card - "Activate the effect of Miss Saint Shallia. When this card is successfully summoned, add a [Merciful Relief - Ringer] from the deck to your hand. Then, activate the effect of the Ringer added to your hand. When there is a Girl Kingship monster on the field, special summon this card in attack position; finally, activate the second effect of Miss Saint Shallia to release a [Merciful Relief - Ringer] on your field, and add a [Decider of Cause and Effect Fate - Saint Shallia] from the deck to your hand!"

It still unfolds smoothly, but it may not be a good thing for a certain young man.

"Sorry, Ling."

Before Lingge could say anything when he returned to the duel arena, he met the innocent eyes of the blue-haired girl. He was speechless for a moment, and then a golden thread of fate pierced his heart, turning into light spots all over the sky and dissipating. His consciousness also returned to the long-lost cold cemetery, and he fell into deep thought at the gray-white tombstones on the ground.

He felt that he would be able to leave here again soon.

"Activate the effect of [Saint Shalia, Decider of Cause and Effect], return one [Saint Shalia, King of Fate] and one [Ringer, Merciful Relief] from your field and Graveyard/Exiled Zone respectively to your Deck, and Special Summon this card from your hand!"

Lingge in the cemetery returned to the deck as he wished, and the blue-haired girl on the field also turned into a ball of pale blue light. Threads of fate appeared from the void, interweaving around the pale blue light. The blend of gold and blue seemed to be carefully carved by the hands of a master, gradually polishing out a slender outline, a tranquil back and a soft profile. A golden chain was wrapped around the girl's left arm, extending infinitely to the end of the Tywell River, rising at the end of the horizon until it connected with the silver moon hanging in the sky, like a sacred giant snake circling the earth, measuring the length and width of the world with its own body.

[The Decider of Karmic Fate—Saint Shallia/Wind/8*/Effect]

[Attack 2000/Defense 2000]

[This card is also considered a "Girl's Royal Power" monster in the rules. This card cannot be Normal Summoned. You can Special Summon it by returning a monster with the card name "Saint Shallia" on your field and a "Merciful Relief·Linger" in your Graveyard or Excluded Zone to the deck. This card cannot be targeted by the opponent's effects during the turn it is Special Summoned, nor can it be destroyed by battle or effects. The effect of this card name can only be used once per turn. Return a card from your hand to the deck, and Special Summon a Level 8 "Girl's Royal Power" monster from the deck. ]

"Activate Miss Saint Shallia's second effect, return a card from hand to the deck, and Special Summon [Creator of All Things - Rorona]!"

As Gloria declared, Saint Shallia gently pulled the sacred chain wrapped around her left arm, and the giant net that blocked the world shrank instantly. The Serpent of the World swallowed and spit out the brass tongue, using its body to open up a deep and blazing white hole in the void. At the end of the white hole, a tall and elegant figure slowly walked out. She was wearing a gorgeous long dress decorated with shells, corals, pearls and gems. On her smooth forehead, she wore a crown symbolizing the five seas. Her right eye turned into a crystal sapphire with a vortex shape reflected inside. Its color was clear and transparent, flawless, and exuded a magnificent and mysterious charm, attracting people's minds to sink into it involuntarily, and see the roaring waves, the turbulent eddies, the rising and setting of the sun and the moon, the ebb and flow of the tide... From ancient times to the present, all the life processes and all the traces of civilization in the deep sea are presented one by one inside this gem.

That is the most prominent feature of the Mirror Elves, the Origin Stone that was born with their lives. Among all the Mirror Elves, Rorona's Origin Stone is the most special, because her Origin Stone is the same as that of the Deep Sea Prince Mafina in the Mirror Elves' legend. Both are nurtured in the eyes. It is said that this is a treatment that only those who are favored by the Mother Goddess Crystal Snow can get. Therefore, she is also called by the aliens in the Lujianhai——

God's half-son, Lorena.

There are already two evolved Girl King monsters on the field, but Gloria still doesn't seem satisfied.

"Activate the effect of [Alice, the Hero from Another World] in your hand. If there are two or more Girl's Throne monsters on the field, Special Summon this card! Then, activate the Spell Card [Genius Player's Cheat Code]. If there is a monster with 'Alice' in its card name on the field, you can activate it and Special Summon 1 [Ringer, the Merciful Relief] from your Deck!"

Alice finally got to appear in the monster area excitedly, but before she could finish her joy, she heard Gloria activating the magic card. She was furious: "What, what is a cheat code? Am I a genius player like that? I passed the game entirely by relying on my skills, and it has nothing to do with cheat codes!"

Gloria ignored her and stared at several unknown symbols that suddenly appeared in the void. Although she didn't recognize them, she still pronounced them accurately: "Up and down, left and right, BABA, code passed, special summon Ringer in the deck!"

The young man returned to the field, but what followed was the sound of Gloria's ruthless activation of the effect: "Activate the second effect of Miss Alice, liberate a [Merciful Relief - Ringer] on your field, and add a [Invincible Genius Player - Alice] from the deck to your hand!"

"..."

"..."

Lingge and Alice looked at each other for a long while, and Ai-chan said sympathetically: "It's so pitiful, Lingge, you are going to be released again."

Although her words sounded like she was sympathizing with me, I could somehow hear a hint of gloating in her voice. Why?

Before Lingge could figure it out, he was interrupted by Alice's strange cry of "Ah Da", and then punched him in the chest, and turned into a sky full of light and disappeared, floating back to the familiar cemetery. But he didn't take it to heart, because the young man knew that he would be able to leave here soon, although that might not be a good thing...

　Give me some meow
　　
　
(End of this chapter)