Alice in the Land of Steam

Chapter 825 Have you decided to convert?

It was already late at night when we returned to the hotel. We had experienced too many things tonight and everyone wanted to have a good rest. Although a little bat who felt that he didn't need to rest struggled hard, he was still grabbed by the collar and forcibly taken back to the room by his grandmother. But before leaving, Nevelle did not forget to tell everyone the information she had collected in Professor Heinrich's secret study. In fact, there was no important information. It was nothing more than that the Witch Society had a so-called "Reality Plan" in addition to the Eden Project, and the confidentiality level seemed to be higher than the Eden Project.

It seems that the joint excavation of the ruins of the ancient city of Yaldes under the ground of Lenwitin is also to advance the progress of the reality plan, but Nevile does not know the more specific content of this plan, and it is estimated that there will be no information about this in Professor Heinrich’s secret study. After all, it is a top-level secret, and even if he is a philosopher of the association, he cannot use it at will.

After listening to the above information, Alice muttered, "The Witch Society has so many messed up plans. The Eden Project is scary enough, and what is this reality project about? Dear Countess, you have already sneaked into Professor Heinrich's study. Can't you just read ten lines at a glance and collect more information?"

This kind of easy-going attitude immediately aroused Leticia's dissatisfaction. She immediately raised her head while being held in the air by her grandmother and showed her sharp fangs to the genius player: "Alice, you are useless and can only talk nonsense! If you have the ability, do it yourself!"

She said if you can do it then go ahead, Alice said I really can do it, but I won’t go anyway.

Now not only Leticia, but everyone else despised her. To prove her innocence, the Countess had to explain: "It was mainly because we encountered a witch from the association at that time. She was very powerful. It was difficult for Leticia and I to escape from her, and we had no chance to collect more information."

She did not shy away from her failures. Although as the Countess of the Siqilia Peninsula and the ancestor of the Bloodfang Valenhild family, she seemed to need some face to maintain the dignity of the nobility, but she had also failed before. There were so many battles when Metosh was founded. Could she have won every one of them? Then the first emperor of Metosh would not be Neo, but her.

Besides, is it shameful to lose to a witch? On the contrary, being able to fight a witch and escape safely is something worth boasting about.

"Alice can't even take a single blow. She's the weakest!" Leticia waved her fist in anger, then was carried away by her grandmother and went back to sleep.

"I'm going to clean the wine glasses and make some midnight snacks for Yieta." The bartender walked behind the counter. "She has worked really hard tonight. Oh, and Xiaoyang and Xie Mi are also in the windmill tower room, although they are of no use."

"Hey, don't be so formal, just call us by our names."

Linger responded with a soft sound, and then watched the three people disappear at the stairs, until the footsteps gradually faded away and finally disappeared. He still stood there without moving, thinking about the reality plan mentioned by Nevile. The name was very meaningful, because the leader of the association, Tiandis, called herself the Witch of Reality. Linger had an instinctive feeling that this plan was deeply related to her royal power, and it was even possible that it was formulated with this as the core.

"kindness."

The corridor late at night...is not quiet either.

There was the sound of wine glasses colliding downstairs. In the third room from the right, Leticia was trying to win her grandmother's sympathy. Across the way, Shesta and Saint Shallia were teaching the newcomers how to integrate into the Cloud Whale Sky Island more quickly. A little further away, Alice was hitting the handle hard, and the game console was groaning under the heavy load - didn't that guy say he was going to sleep? Why was he still playing games?
The joys and sorrows of the world are not something that can be shared, Lingge just thought she was noisy.

The genius player didn't care about the kid's careless words. He stretched himself and seemed to have used up all the remaining energy in his body. He said weakly, "Then I'll go to bed first."

Now that my new sister has arrived on the island, as a good sister I naturally have to take good care of her.

"Well, Miss Gloria, please follow me." The proprietress, Shesta, turned her head and said to the gray-haired girl next to her with a smile, "I'll help you arrange a room. There are many vacant rooms on the second floor. Don't worry, just pick the one you like! Oh! By the way, I need to prepare some daily necessities for you. Do you like cotton quilts or velvet quilts? What pattern do you want on the pillow? Do you want violet or lemon scent for the bath?"

However, the power of Tiantis's kingship has never been exposed from beginning to end. Therefore, even if the young man tried to see the big picture from the small, and piece together a complete pattern from an inconspicuous fragment, he could not find a reference direction. He didn't even have a fragment, how could he piece it together?

He came to the last room on the left in the corridor and knocked on the door. Soon a familiar voice came from the room: "Come in."

Shesta took Gloria's hand and walked towards the stairs. Saint Xia Liya wanted to say that you can call me sister, but she paused for a moment and finally took it back. It was not known whether she was concerned about Gloria's thoughts or the thoughts of another personality in her mind. When they reached the stairs, Shesta suddenly remembered something and turned back to the young man who was still standing there and said, "I almost forgot to say, Mr. Ling, Miss Livia is resting in the last room on the left in the corridor. Metien is taking care of her. If you are worried, you might as well go over and take a look."

Lingge always felt that he would not be able to sleep tonight.

Let's go check out the situation in Medien, and find out why Sister Livia appeared on the Cloud Whale Sky Island and how she was injured. We need to find out these things clearly.

……

Gloria was a little overwhelmed by their enthusiasm, but as the third princess of the Victorian royal family - at least for now - she nodded politely and thanked them: "Thank you for your kindness, Miss Shesta and Miss Saint Charia."

Saint Shalia took advantage of the moment when Shesta was talking and said, "I'll help too."

I simply shook my head, threw these unnecessary thoughts out of my mind, and walked towards the stairs.

Then he walked up the stairs with weak steps, his swaying back like a decadent ghost - or the kind that had just died. Judging from her schedule, going to bed so early was really difficult for her.

Lingge pushed the door open and entered. He immediately saw Sister Livia, who looked pale, leaning against the bed, her hands gently pressing the snow-white quilt, listening attentively to something. The person who was telling her the story was none other than Metien. The pink-haired girl moved a chair to sit beside the bed, with a book spread out on her knees. Her fingers moved on the soft white pages one sentence at a time, and she used a clear voice to explain the meaning of these words to Sister Livia. However, the more Lingge listened to her story, the more familiar it became. Finally, he was shocked to realize: Isn't this the motto left by the goddess in the "Canon"?
"Ah, it's Linger!"

The noise of him pushing the door attracted the attention of both of them. Metien raised his little head and showed a surprised expression when he saw his brother. Then, without waiting for Lingge's response, he excitedly told him an even more surprising good news: "I'm telling you, Lingge, Miss Livia has decided to convert to the faith of our Holy Goddess!"

Linge: “?” Did I open the door the wrong way and accidentally enter another time and space line?

A devout believer who has been in St. Annville Cross Church for more than ten years suddenly decided to throw himself into the arms of the goddess. If Alice said this, Ling would definitely think she was crazy, and if Metien said it... well, it's not so believable, but maybe the pink-haired girl just wanted to play a joke on her brother?
Even so, you shouldn't make such jokes in front of the person concerned.

Linger put on a serious face and reprimanded his sister, which was rare: "Don't make such jokes, Metien."

For some people, faith is a tool that can be used at any time, but for others, it is a sacred spiritual pillar that cannot be desecrated. Making fun of their faith is not only impolite, but may even lead to more serious consequences. For example, in several religious wars in history, the intensity of the fighting between fanatics was even greater than the game between several major powers for hegemony over the Western Continent.

When Meitian heard what his brother said, an expression of grievance suddenly appeared on his little face: "But, I'm not kidding..."

The person involved also stood up to speak for her: "Yes, I can prove it, Mr. Ling."

The nun, who was still wrapped in bandages, placed a hand on her chest, feeling the steady heartbeat in her chest. Her sea-blue eyes were bright, reflecting a tipsy light under the warm candlelight. "I sincerely want to return to the embrace of the goddess, because her teachings, her mottos, and her admonitions to the world have deeply moved me. My soul has been guided by her, and I have decided to embark on a destined path. I repent for my immaturity and pray for a better future for mankind... I hope you can agree to my request, Mr. Ling."

Her tone was sincere and genuine, not like a joke, but this made Lingge frown even tighter: "So, do you want to betray the True Spirit Sect, Miss Livia?"

betray.

He spoke very bluntly and sharply. After all, young people never know what euphemism means. Or maybe he knows, but he just doesn't want to do it. If you want to talk, just talk openly and honestly. Why beat around the bush and use polite words and polite smiles to hide your true intentions? This is probably what young people think, right?

Not everyone can accept this, especially those kindhearted people like Metien. She was already worried because Miss Livia was seriously injured. Now seeing her brother using such direct words to provoke her, she couldn't help but puff up her cheeks and said, "Don't use such harsh words! Miss Livia didn't betray the True Spirit Sect. She just, she just..."

The pink-haired girl racked her brains to find a suitable reason for Livia's actions, but she actually didn't know why the nun suddenly wanted to join the Holy Goddess Church. When she made this request, the little girl herself was shocked. Under the premise of unknown reasons, she was stunned to find that although Lingge's statement was unpleasant to hear, it was actually the most appropriate.

Stuck there.

"I just got back on the right track." Sister Livia took over calmly and said to Lingge, "People always make many mistakes in their lives. Sometimes they think they are pious but never understand what faith is. Sometimes they are confused about the world they live in but never want to pursue the truth. In the past, I made these two mistakes at the same time, thinking that as long as I stayed where I was, I could get what I wanted. But now I have come to my senses, and I want to make up for the mistakes I made."

Her eyes were so clear, like the sky after a rainstorm: "I hope you can understand me, Mr. Ling."

"Yes, yes, yes, I totally understand!" Medien couldn't wait to agree on behalf of his brother.

Ling Ge was indifferent: "So you think the True Spirit Sect's path is wrong? Why?"

Carefully abide by the boundaries of the circle of human reason and never touch upon forbidden knowledge. The philosophy of the True Spiritual Sect is quite restrained and conservative. Could such a religion go astray?
“The True Spirit Sect’s path may not be wrong, but some people have taken the wrong path.”

"In that case, what you should do is to clean up those people and then bring it back on track with your own strength."

"I also want to do this, Mr. Ling, but I can't do it alone." Sister Livia shook her head sadly: "Let's give it to someone who can really take on the responsibility, such as Lord Pancras. As for me, I just want to go my own way now."

She looked down at the scriptures in Metien's hands and whispered, "In the doctrine of animism, the system of the Three Saints led by the Virgin Mary, the Saints and the Holy Spirit is the most important component, and the Virgin Mary is its fulcrum and core. Without the Virgin Mary creating all things, there would be no spirits, let alone souls like us who follow spirituality and comprehend life. However, whether it is the True Spirit School or other branches of animism, they have deliberately concealed the existence of the Virgin Mary in the scriptures, and only praised the saints and the Holy Spirit. Some even worship the saints as gods, which undoubtedly goes against his original intention. It is in view of this situation that I want to start from the beginning, from the origin of everything, from the Virgin Mary who opened up the chaos and created the universe, to re-comprehend our doctrines and gain a new understanding."

"The scriptures and legends of the Holy Goddess are similar to the legends of the Virgin Mary. I have reason to believe that the two are born from the same source. Therefore, my return to the embrace of the Goddess can only be said to be a change from the path of the True Spirit Sect to another path, and I have no intention of betraying animism." Sister Livia said word by word: "You may think I am quibbling, but this is indeed what I think in my heart."

"I'm not quibbling, it's obviously very reasonable!" Metien raised his little head and looked at his brother: "Lingge, you must think so too, right?"

Lingge remained silent and did not answer.

The little girl's expectations were dashed. She was a little annoyed. She didn't know whether she was annoyed at Ling'er's stubbornness or at his behavior of ignoring the believers who came to his door. This behavior really did not make him a qualified pastor... Hey, wait?
She suddenly remembered something, her eyes gradually brightened, and she turned her head and said happily to the nun on the bed: "Miss Livia, if you want to join the Holy Goddess Church, you don't need to ask Lingge's opinion!"

"Eh?" Livia blinked: "Why?"

"Because after the Tianxin Church was closed, Lingge is no longer a priest of the Holy Goddess Church, and he has no intention of reopening the Tianxin Church. In this case, according to my father's wishes, I am the most orthodox successor of the Tianxin Church!" The little girl proudly puffed out her chest: "Now, I agree that you can join our Holy Goddess Church!"

Ling Ge: “…”

Who taught you these words!?

　Give me some meow
　　
　
(End of this chapter)