Alice in the Land of Steam

Chapter 81 Are you saying hello to me?
There are many bards or novelists with unique imagination who describe fantasy creatures in their works, including elves, dragons and goblins, and mention their racial habits, cultural heritage and living habits, and naturally the living environment.

Those stories that originated from rural anecdotes are basically accompanied by a considerable degree of stereotypes. For example, elves must be a noble and solitary race who likes to live alone at the source of a river or downstream of a spring; dragons must be a majestic and arrogant race who likes to live in cold caves with their butts piled with treasures they have plundered; as for goblins, they are basically kind, innocent and close to humans. They live in flower buds and tree holes, just like children of nature, and are blessed by life.

Metien and Alice are deeply influenced by stereotypes. In this respect, both the Mirror Star World and the Earth World are surprisingly similar.

Although, after personally experiencing the traveler elf's innate magic of "strange changes at will", the two already knew that these fantasy creatures were real and not just fictions created by poets and novelists, this stereotype could not be easily eliminated and even deepened.

So before they even stepped into the lobby of the hotel, they had imagined in their minds what it would be like.

Stepping into the fairy's hotel is like stepping into a lush garden: the walls are made of green vines, the roof is woven with pink and yellow flowers, and every leaf is so fresh that it is still stained with morning dew; the ground is covered with green grass, which is softer than a woolen blanket, and various exotic plants are blooming in the air, with the breath of spring...

Small white round tables were filled with silver dishes and three-tiered trays filled with delicious cakes and snacks. Guests of different races sat in groups of three or four, talking in low voices like whispers in the wind. Traveling fairies with butterfly wings on their backs walked among them, using magic to direct the teapots floating in the air to drop steaming coffee and black tea...

The tipsy sunshine, the intoxicating warmth, the hanging flower boxes, the mosses and vines growing on the beams, the mushrooms sprouting from the corners, the rose bushes climbing the wooden racks, the crickets singing in the ivy and grass, the white pigeons lined up neatly on the windowsill, the little rabbits that secretly took a piece of snack when the guests were not paying attention...

Do these exist?

Naturally, Metien and Alice hope to exist.

This atmosphere also infected Metien and Alice, making them want to yawn to dispel the unstoppable sleepiness and immerse themselves in this lazy atmosphere.

The windowsills and corners are filled with well-tended potted plants that bloom in all seasons: lily of the valley, hydrangea, violet, daffodil, rose, dahlia, calla lily... and some landscape trees, crabapple, pomegranate, fir, white autumn maple, etc. In addition, there are wall shelves in the four corners of the ceiling, on which grow some unknown purple flowers, hanging down like a waterfall, bathed in the bright sunshine, embellishing the surroundings with extraordinary beauty.

The lobby on the first floor is where guests eat, and perhaps also serves as a tavern, but at this moment it is empty, with only white-golden beams of light slanting and floating. In this scene, it seems as if everyone has become lazy in the afternoon sunlight, unwilling to move, and only wants to stay in their rooms and take a nap.

This chandelier seemed to double as a flowerpot, with lush vegetation and unopened flowers growing inside, casting a lush shadow. The light it released was somewhat similar to sunlight, changing with time. It was afternoon, the brightest time of the day, so the entire hall was illuminated with clarity and brightness, and even the tiniest dust in the air was clearly visible, like plankton on the seabed, drifting aimlessly.

Unfortunately, none of them exist.

There are cross-shaped windows on both sides, but they are just decorations. No matter whether the hotel is inside the sycamore tree or underground, it is impossible to receive light from the outside world. Therefore, the light source in the hall mainly comes from the small leaf lamps hanging on the wall and a large chandelier above the head.

To say that the place was empty was not quite accurate, as there was a figure behind the counter, but it was obviously not a customer.

What appeared before my eyes was a very ordinary hotel. Everything I could see was made of wood: wooden floors and ceilings, wooden tables and chairs, wooden stairs, wooden flower stands... Even the air was filled with a faint aroma of sawdust, with a warmth like the sun. Whether it was the wood that made up the floor, ceiling, tables and chairs, or stairs, the textures on them all looked fuzzy and old, as if they had been baptized by a long period of time, giving them a heavy meaning.

At first glance, the greenery is not lush, but it is hidden in every corner. With an occasional glance, you can discover the beautiful vitality and vigor.

She was a girl with a cool temperament. Like Miss Shemi who led the way, she was a traveler fairy with two pairs of translucent butterfly wings on her back. They looked almost identical, with the only difference being their hairstyle. The girl's short silver hair was cut off at an angle just below her earlobes, making her look very clean and refreshing. Her slanted bangs covered her left eye, while her right eye calmly and attentively stared at the wine vessel in her hand, flipping it lightly and casually. In her other hand, there were several different types of wine, ready for use at any time.

She was wearing a bartender's uniform, a white shirt, a black vest, and a row of neat copper buttons. Combined with her cool temperament, clean short hair, and neat movements, she looked handsome and cool.

Ling Ge was a little surprised. The girl behind the counter was actually a bartender.

This is a new profession that has only emerged in recent years, along with a new tavern culture from the wild country of Cardialo - or bars and taverns. In the past, bartenders only needed to hand customers the wine they wanted, and they would have completed their tasks. However, bartenders pay more attention to the matching of different wines, mixing the desired taste for customers to satisfy their discerning taste buds.

The bartenders served not the sailors who liked to guzzle dark beer, nor the nobles who only drank estate-aged wine, but rather the middle class who did not want to be identified with the sailors but were not yet able to become nobles.

Even in the kingdom's capital, Lunwitting, this profession is new and rare, and has not yet become a new trend. As for the goblin bartender... can goblins and bartenders really be linked together?
Even the most imaginative novelist would probably not dare to write like this, but the facts are right before his eyes and Ling has no choice but to doubt it.

"Second sister!"

As soon as Xie Mi entered the room, he greeted the bartender girl behind the counter: "I brought the guests over!"

The action of flipping the wine glasses suddenly stopped. The girl who was mixing the cocktails raised her head and her eyes stayed on Xie Mi's happy little face for a moment. She nodded slightly and turned to Ling Ge and others. Just as she was about to speak, she frowned slightly and glanced at the corner of the wall. There was a kind of coldness in her voice like snow rum: "Be quiet, now is not the time to make noise."

Perhaps it was a conditioned reflex, or perhaps it was because she was guilty, Alice subconsciously replied: "I didn't say anything!"

Everyone was silent for a moment. After a few breaths, the bartender girl spoke again: "Sorry, I'm not talking about you. It's just that these guys seemed a little too excited when they knew that there were guests coming."

These guys?

Who are you referring to?

Alice looked towards the corner curiously, but found that there were no other creatures there except the ivy trellis and potted plants. She immediately became suspicious. Could it be that this guy was trying to be a veiled threat, hinting that she should stop being so noisy?
next second.

The golden-haired maid's eyes slowly widened.

Because she saw that a green vine that was originally wrapped around the flower stand suddenly lifted up and shook gently, just like the action of a human waving, greeting her?
The leaves on it are still trembling!
This seemed to be a signal, awakening the hotel's dormant vitality in the afternoon. All the plants in the pots came alive, shaking their branches and flowers to greet the travelers from afar. There was even a crabapple tree that quietly pulled its roots out of the pot and wanted to come over to shake hands with the guests, but it was glared at by the bartender behind the counter, so it retreated obediently and covered itself with soil with branches, as if nothing had happened.

Then there were the tableware on the wooden tables and chairs: the lids of the ceramic teacups were lifted and lowered, making a clacking sound, a warm greeting; the tall teapots tilted on their own without anyone controlling them, like an elegant gentleman bowing; the silver spoons and forks stood up and collided with each other, making a crisp sound, like a polite greeting...

In the end, even the hotel itself was happy. The ceiling and floor shook slightly, and a heavy and low sound was emitted. It was this old man with ancient history and long age who was welcoming the guests.

The noisy and bustling movement did not gradually subside until the bartender girl reminded them to be quiet again in a cold voice. However, the scene that just happened had been imprinted in the minds of the travelers, making them finally realize that they were in a fairy inn.

A magical, incredible world.

　Give me some meow, and thank the two readers, the Sinking Hymn and the Ghostwriter Group, for their 5000 tips. By the way, there are no more updates, the author's hand speed can only maintain a stable update of two times a day, what a shame (sad)
　　
　
(End of this chapter)