Alice in the Land of Steam

Chapter 853: Straight to the point?

So we are back to the original question.

Although Alice looked confident when facing Xino, she knew in her heart that she was not a qualified lobbyist, so after making her bold words, she quickly backed off and handed the right to speak back to Lingge. However, the smug look she secretly cast was undoubtedly expressing one meaning: I have already helped you, and if you can't convince her next, that will be your problem, Lingge.

This guy is very clear about seeking benefits and avoiding harm.

In other words, does she really have the awareness of seeking benefits and avoiding harm, or is it maybe just her beast instinct at work?

Lingge rubbed his brows, let out a light breath and relaxed, trying to make his expression look less serious, because he already knew that this conversation alone would not be enough to convince Xino. In this case, he would try to make it look like an ordinary conversation instead of a serious meeting. This would also lay the foundation for subsequent contacts so that they would not be completely ruined by a single rupture.

His mental activity did not last too long. In the eyes of outsiders, the young man just stretched out his hand to rub his forehead, and then quickly put his hand down and said to Xinuo who was listening attentively: "This matter is a bit complicated in detail. It may be difficult to explain it clearly in a short time. Therefore, I will first pick out some parts that you can understand. Is that okay, Miss Xinuo?"

"Of course." Xinuo smiled: "In fact, I think my ability to understand and accept is pretty good."

Linger did not comment and continued, "First, the part about Joan of Arc."

"Huh?" Xino said that he was very receptive one second ago, but in the next second he showed a surprised expression: "Does this matter have anything to do with the Saint Lady?"

Although she had switched identities, the Third Princess, who still had this memory, froze in her smile. She wanted to deny that she had done this, but was the self-conceited detective Gloria no longer Gloria? She had no position or confidence to refute.

Linger said, "Did you know that Joan of Arc was once a member of a secret society?"

Joan of Arc is a philosopher of the witch society, second only to the leader and a core member of the witches, and has a close relationship with the Gustave family. When Alice was communicating with Xino just now, Linger thought for a long time and finally decided to start from here. After all, he couldn't just tell Xino that there was a mysterious organization that was planning to eliminate all aliens. Maybe he would be regarded as a psychopath?

This made Lingge feel that all his careful consideration of tone and repeated weighing of the pros and cons had lost their meaning.

At the same time, I am also looking forward to Xino's reaction.

"The handwritten materials of the Hiberton ancestors have always been kept secret by our Gustaf family and have never been seen by outsiders." Xino looked at Ling Ge curiously: "So I am a little curious, how did you know about this?"

It turns out she knew it all along.

Now not only the friends, but even Lingge was a little surprised: "You know?"

“A very deep relationship.”

Lingge felt that his expectations had dropped by several percentage points, because she looked exactly like Alice when she boasted about being a genius gamer. The latter would not listen to anyone's comments in this state. Even if you told her in person that "your gaming career is a failure", she would just think that it was your jealousy and would just do what she wanted.

And if I told her that Joan of Arc was most likely a member of some mysterious organization... that would also be pretty crazy, but at least it wouldn't be so shocking.

Everyone knew what she was referring to: the great detective Miss Gloria once vowed to exchange information about the Witch Society with Linge and others, but the information she revealed was all information that Linge and others already knew. The embarrassing scene at that time seemed exactly the same as it is now.

"A bit like Gloria," Alice muttered quietly.

So I looked over secretly.

The only problem is that Xino is a fan of Joan of Arc. Will she believe this easily?
"Then I have to listen carefully." The girl's originally straight back seemed to be straightened even more, and her body leaned forward slightly. She looked at Lingge with bright eyes, and looked very expectant: "Is there any secret about the Saint Lady that I don't know?"

"Yes." Xino took a sip of water and said, "This matter was mentioned in the diary of the ancestor Hibden. He said that on the eve of the end of the Republican War, the Saint invited twelve knights, including him, to join a secret society aimed at protecting and supporting human civilization. However, the ancestor participated in this war only to quell the civil strife more quickly and restore peace to the White City. So as soon as the war ended, he rejected the invitation of the Saint and the invitation from the new Republic government and chose to return to Grindelwald. In his later years, he recalled the past and recorded many unknown secrets in his diary, including this matter."

"I know." The girl nodded without hesitation. Her snow-white ponytail danced in the sunlight that filled the hall, and her expression seemed very calm.

Wow, a big reveal right at the start?
The friends all looked at him sideways, feeling that Ling Ge was still the same as before, not knowing how to be tactful at all.

The heir of the Godafu family shouldn't be so unreliable, right?

Fortunately, the young man reacted quickly and diverted everyone's attention, so that Gloria did not continue to be embarrassed: "We have our own channels."

He answered Xino's question with a simple sentence, and then asked her: "You said that Joan of Arc invited twelve knights, including the White Knight, to join the secret society. Did anyone agree?"

"If someone refuses, someone will naturally agree." Xino's tone was very natural: "I don't know the situation of other people, but Lady Rose Knight Rostia must have agreed, because she is the most steadfast follower of Lady Saint. Ancestor Hiberton once said that if other knights' loyalty to Lady Saint is based on ideals, then her loyalty to Lady Saint is somewhat similar to the believers' piety to God." The twelve Lord-Given Knights had different endings in the war. Some died on the battlefield like Star Knight Kalistan, some returned home like White Knight Hiberton, and of course there were still people like Rose Knight Rostia who followed the Saint and held high positions in the government of the Republic. Obviously, the last part of them should have accepted Joan of Arc's invitation and became a member of the Witch Society.

Ling Ge thought of something and asked Xinuo: "If Joan of Arc had invited you at that time, would you have accepted it?"

"I?"

Xinuo pointed at herself and blinked, as if she didn't expect Linger to ask such a question. But looking at Linger's serious expression, she thought about it for a while and suddenly smiled: "It may depend on the nature of the secret society that the Saint Lady belongs to."

Ling Ge was a little surprised: "I thought you would accept it directly."

"You say that because you think I'm a fan of the Saint, right?" Xino said, "But my father once told me that there is a huge gap between admiration and understanding. Sometimes admiring a person is just based on a sense of distance. It is because you always follow behind her that you can understand the feeling of looking up at her back and feeling at ease. And when you make up your mind and want to walk side by side with her, you need to pay a lot of awareness. What does she want? What is she fighting for? Where will her ideals and beliefs go? These are things that you can't see clearly when following someone's back. If you can't understand these and make a decision, even if you can keep up with her at the beginning, you will definitely get lost in the end because you lose your way, right?"

Ling'er's eyes flickered slightly. He had never thought that Xinuo's ideas would be so mature. At this time, the young man's mind was filled with his adoptive father, Mr. Yang Ke. How far is the distance from admiration to understanding? He once seemed to understand, but now he only feels emotional when he recalls it.

The young man shifted his gaze and glanced at Metien, who was sitting next to him with a confused look on her face, hoping that she would understand this truth one day.

But the world that a child sees may be different from that of others? Then are the principles that she needs to understand the same as those that ordinary people understand? Childishness and maturity, ideals and reality, always run through every choice in life.

He retracted his gaze and looked back at Xino, saying, "So you don't know anything about the secret society that Joan of Arc joined?"

Xinuo shook his head: "There is no mention of this in the handwritten documents left by our ancestors."

"Do you believe what Joan of Arc said, that there is a secret society that exists to protect and support humanity?"

"If that's what Her Lady Saint said, I would naturally believe it." Xino said softly.

Lingge was not surprised by this answer. He was about to continue speaking when Xino's voice came again, as if his voice was lowered by the wind blowing under the windowsill, and it seemed a little low: "But I once thought about a question - if the person who faced the invitation of the Saint Lady was not the ancestor of Hiberton, but me, what would I do?"

This hypothesis aroused everyone's interest, so everyone looked at her, and even Lingge forgot what he was about to say for a moment.

The girl seemed unaware of everyone's gazes, and her expression remained calm. Unconsciously, the snow-white ponytail behind her head had stopped swaying and quietly fell along the back of the chair, with the tip gently tapping the floor. "Later, I thought about it for a long time, and I thought I would probably ask her a question - in the human civilization that you want to protect and support, what position do aliens occupy? Although this statement may be a bit naive, the Godafu family and the aliens on the land of Grangenia have signed a thousand-year-old oath, which has long had a profound impact on my ideals and beliefs, so I suddenly understood the choice of the Hiberton ancestors, because I know that some paths cannot be compromised."

She raised her head, pursed her lips, and gave everyone a faint smile.

It seemed that the heiress of the Godafu family had vaguely guessed something, perhaps she had found some traces in the manuscript left by the White Knight Hibernton, or perhaps it was just a simple guess... In any case, her attitude had been clearly conveyed.

"Then I can tell you," Ling Ge felt that he had a better chance of convincing her, so he changed his initial step-by-step approach and went straight to the point, "It's an organization called the Witch Society."

"Witches...a society?"

This was the first time Xino had heard of the name. A thoughtful look appeared on the girl's face. The first reaction in her mind was that this name did not fit the Saint at all. How could the Saint be mixed up with the witch?
It always gives people an evil feeling.

"Joan of Arc did not lie. The Witch Society is indeed an organization that aims to protect and support human civilization. It has existed since a long time ago, probably in ancient times not long after the birth of human civilization. It has always been hidden behind the scenes of history, guiding human civilization's innovation in politics, economy, thought, culture, system and technology through various means. For example, the Renaissance, the Reformation, the Pioneering Decree, the Great Geographical Discoveries... including the Republican War promoted by Joan of Arc in the White City, they are active behind them. The people who promote these changes are the core members of the Witch Society, collectively known as philosophers, and the people who lead these philosophers are called witches."

Linger paused for a moment, giving Xino enough time to digest this information, and then continued: "As you know, since the Witch Society is closely related to the development of human civilization, it is impossible for them to hide themselves completely. It's just that they have many disguised identities on the surface. Classical Literature Seminar, Celestial Movement Society, Modern Magic Seminar, Practical Science Seminar, Prehistoric Heritage Research Institute, Steam Cult... and the Cult Union."

The appearance of the last name caused the air to stagnate for a short time, as if everyone was subconsciously avoiding its existence. However, Xino quickly reacted and chuckled, "So, the people from the united cults are so concerned about our Gustave family, it turns out that they are doing it for the Saint's sake?"

This was also Ling's guess, but he did not admit it. He just pursed his lips and said nothing.

"From what you said, this witch society is a pretty good organization." Xino seemed to really believe these shocking settings. He blinked his wine-red eyes, and the misty light in them was as clear and transparent as wine that had settled for many years. "Perhaps it was a pity that the ancestor of Hiberton rejected her invitation at the beginning?"

“No, I think it’s the right decision.”

Linger said in a calm tone, word by word: "Because protecting and supporting human civilization has never been the purpose of the Witch Society. It is just a means to achieve their real goal - to eliminate all aliens, eliminate all magic power, and then eliminate all mysteries, and create a real world of their ideal, or the Garden of Eden."

"The so-called Eden Project."

　Give me some meow
　　
　
(End of this chapter)