Alice in the Land of Steam

Chapter 889: Nothing can stop her?

Later, on a starless and moonless night, Reynald raised his spear and charged at the windmill standing in the field. From then on, the rumors of the paranoid man would always circulate among the folks of Grindelwald, but the pain and persistence of the father were torn apart and scattered by the wind overnight, leaving no trace; later, when Heno learned that the irresponsible man had abandoned his family again and left alone, he found that he was not as sad as he had imagined, and could even be described as indifferent. At one point she suspected that she had lost her feelings for her relatives, until she returned to her room after presiding over her father's funeral and comforting her grief-stricken grandfather, only to find that the girl in the mirror had burst into tears; later, the girl seemed to have walked out of the haze, and regained her former cheerfulness and optimism. She began to accept her grandfather's arrangements for her, actively learning riding and martial arts, eager to inherit the mission and glory of the Gustaf family; she still liked the sport of polo, and chose to do what she liked as her father said, but she suddenly realized that she could not love it as much as her mother; she would smile and say hello to every manor servant, town resident and even college classmate, and there was nothing wrong with her way of dealing with people, which made people pleasantly surprised that the eldest lady of the past finally came back, but only the parties involved understand that some people and some things can never go back.

The fathers and children of the Gustave family seemed to be always engaged in an endless struggle. Time and fate once overwhelmed them, but they forgot about them after their loved ones passed away one after another. They never thought that they had defeated them or were defeated by them.

Today, standing in front of his parents' tombstones again, Xinuo can finally face those heavy memories calmly, and sighed with emotion: "There are always many failed people in this world, and it seems that my father is one of them."

He once thought about being a good son, but his father's expectations were always contradictory. He gradually lost confidence in the day-to-day quarrels and finally chose to run away from home, using escape as an answer. He once thought about being a qualified husband, but turned away when his wife needed him the most, thus tarnishing the vow of love and losing her news forever. He once thought about fulfilling his responsibilities as a father, but failed to set a good example for his daughter. He hurt her again and again and made her live alone for so long. Even the family mission he wanted to undertake was so weak and powerless. His self-sacrifice failed to completely eliminate the threat of the beast, but only extended its seal for several years... At this point in his life, love, family affection, responsibility, and that distant and illusory family mission have all accomplished nothing. A person like this is naturally a failure, right?

"But now, I suddenly understand a little bit."

Xinuo said softly: "Whether it is my father's choice or my mother's forgiveness, I think they all have their own reasons. In the past, I was too immature and always lacked the courage to face reality, so I was confused by them and fell into fear and sadness. It was not until today that I realized that there are not so many things in life that are worth hesitating about. Many times, we are born to live in response to expectations."

"So, I will try to respond to those expectations, even if it requires cruel sacrifices. After all—"

She looked down at the name on the tombstone and chuckled, "Only those who are enlightened are qualified to stand on the glorious field and compete for victory. This is what you taught me, mother."

She had forgotten and lost those courage and determination for a time, until she remembered them today.

However, everyone felt that for someone who forged an amateur certificate, it was good enough for her to have a competition, but she was so picky about the golf course that she had no idea at all and no one wanted to pay attention to her.

The town of Isolde is about a three-hour drive from the Chardouri Manor. As early as the day the schedule was confirmed, Linger had discussed with Shino to borrow her family's carriage to take Alice to the competition, and the number of times it was borrowed depended on how far the talented player could go in the competition. Linger naturally hoped that this guy would be eliminated in the first round. After all, in order to create a popular persona for herself, she shamelessly hijacked everyone's free time and forced everyone to go to the competition to cheer for her. If they dared not to go, she would roll on the ground and act like a spoiled child.

Although the rules are simple, they are undoubtedly more exciting. According to authoritative media predictions, at least one-tenth of the contestants will be eliminated on the first day of the trials alone, which shows how cruel it is.

After spending ten minutes brushing her teeth, washing her face and eating, Alice came to Shadoly Manor with a large group of supporters. Those who didn't know her would think she was here to seek revenge, which stunned Shino, who was interacting closely with Brandi in the stable.

Time just passes by quietly without us noticing.

Everyone was really afraid of this move, so except for Ieta who was unwilling to leave Yunjing Sky Island, everyone joined the suspicious organization "Alice Support Club" she founded involuntarily, including the three sisters in the Fairy Sleep Inn. Among them, Lingge was designated as the president, and Rorona was the vice president, because the two made outstanding contributions to her participation in the competition. As for what kind of contributions they made, you can imagine.

Maybe it was because of her experience in the city today that touched her deeply.

The girl waved goodbye to them, then walked out of the cemetery, her figure gradually disappearing at the end of the gray road. At this time, a gust of wind blew over, rustling the leaves around. The gentle sound seemed to be someone's response. Xinuo had a premonition of something and looked back suddenly, but she saw nothing, only the rustling of the wind and the fragmented sunlight passing through the mottled silhouette.

She stood up, gently brushed off the dust on her clothes, and smiled at the tombstone beside her: "That's it, father, mother, I have to go. Now that I have made up my mind, I have to prepare early. I will come to visit you again after this is over."

"Please believe that your daughter has grown up."

Due to the large number of registrants and limited time, in order not to delay the main competition, the competition system of this qualifying tournament adopted a three-game two-out-of-three single-elimination system, which is different from the regular competition. That is, the player who wins the first two games in three games will win the game, and the loser will be eliminated directly without the opportunity to participate in the loser group.

On July 1856, 7, the public selection phase of the 25st Yamit Cup Wind Flower Competition Championship officially began. More than wind flower enthusiasts from all over the world registered for this cup. They will compete against each other in a total of stadiums distributed in the city and suburbs of Sumia for four precious places in the main competition.

……

Unfortunately, Alice's match was scheduled for the first day at the Rogrim Stadium in the small town of Isolde on the outskirts of the city. That stadium was different from the professional stadium in Cleveland Forest Park. It was only amateur level and could accommodate no more than 1,500 spectators. This made the talented player quite dissatisfied. He kept muttering several times why his debut could be in such a remote place. At least it should be at the Republic Memorial Stadium in May Republic Square in Sumia City, right?

What’s funny is that this guy was still sleeping in on the day of the competition. If Saint Xia Liya hadn’t woken her up in time, she would probably have set the record for the fastest elimination in the qualifying stage.

"Hurry, hurry, hurry, it's urgent!" Alice shouted as soon as she saw Xino: "Where is the carriage? Where is the carriage? I have to hurry to that Isolde town to participate in the competition. I can't be late..."

"No one needs to worry about her anymore."

Xinuo stood there for a while, suddenly smiled, then turned and left. This time she really left without looking back.

She is not the only one who is sad about Claire's incident, but those people have already walked out of the shadows and started to move towards a new life, just like Leila is working hard for her dream of becoming a professional player. Is she the only one who has to live in this shadow for the rest of her life, not daring to respond to the expectations of others?
The girl felt that she was probably not that fragile yet.

Since you knew that time was tight, why did you stay up late playing games last night?
Everyone was secretly complaining, but Alice's next words let them know that this guy was not nervous, but had other plans: "I have carefully designed a whole set of POSS movements for entering the venue. I can't rush on stage at the last minute. That would be too lame!"

It is obvious that he is a vulgar and superficial person who has lost sight of high tastes.

"Uh." Xino was also surprised by this fresh and unconventional reason, and reacted a little slowly: "The carriage is parked at the door, and Weber has prepared a coachman for you, just tell him." "Okay, okay, what are you waiting for, sprint!"

Alice started to run, but suddenly she remembered something and braked awkwardly, turning back to ask, "Do you want to watch my game, Xinuo? Aren't we good friends? If you don't come, I'll be very sad."

He said nice things, but everyone knew what he was thinking. He just thought it would be more glorious if Xino, the champion of the college championship, came to cheer him up.

"Want to watch the game..."

Xinuo thought about it. She had not originally planned to do so. However, considering that Alice had been learning from her during this period of time, she could barely be considered half a teacher to the talented player. Now that the student was going to play in the game, it would be a bit unreasonable for the teacher not to show up. So she nodded and agreed: "Okay, but in this case, one carriage will not be enough. Let's go to the carriage shop in the town and rent another one later."

Ah, does that mean I will have to meet the Knight Commander of the Holy Maiden Guard again?

With his impressive performance in the trials, could he become deputy knight commander?
The genius player had a plan in mind, but Xino ignored her. He turned back and gently stroked the mane of his beloved horse, saying softly, "Thank you for your hard work, Brandi. Go back and rest. During this period, you will do armorless training. When you gradually adapt, we will regain the feeling of the past... I will also ask you to do the thing we agreed on before."

"Whirl!"

Brandi cried out and rubbed her head against the girl's hair affectionately, still looking so admiring and dependent.

Xino's voice was very soft, and no one else heard it, but Linger was relatively close, and for some reason he had been paying attention to her condition, so he clearly heard the key word "armorless training" that Xino said. He couldn't help but take a closer look at the girl, and then he found that her forehead and neck were covered with sweat, and Brandy was similar, and it seemed that she had just experienced some intense exercise.

Training without armor, getting back the feeling, the previous incident… The young man’s eyes flickered, and he vaguely caught a glimpse of a clue.

"What's wrong, Mr. Ling?" Xinuo's voice suddenly sounded in his ears. Ling raised his head and happened to meet her clear wine-red eyes. With gentle curiosity, he said, "You have been staring at me. Do you have anything to say to me?"

The young man shook his head calmly: "No, it's just a little strange. I feel that Miss Xinuo seems to be different today compared to the past few days."

"changed?"

Xinuo was stunned for a moment, then smiled slightly and said, "Maybe it's because I figured out some things, some things that I was entangled with in the past, but now seem very simple."

"I see." Linger said, "Then I think I should congratulate you, Miss Xinuo."

"No need to congratulate... Does Mr. Ling think this is a good thing?"

"Of course." Linger looked at her deeply and said, "Nothing is better than recognizing your past self."

It sounds like you understand this very well. Shino didn't have time to ask this question, because the young man turned around and followed his companions out of the stable, leaving her with a thin back. At the same time, Alice waved and shouted: "Hey, Shino! What are you still daydreaming about? It will be too late if you don't leave now!"

Xinuo smiled silently: "Okay, I'll be there right away!"

Ten minutes later, two carriages drove out of the town of Ragram one after the other, heading towards the town of Isolde in the suburbs. If you zoom out and look down from the sky, you will find similar scenes happening in every corner of Grindelwald Field, whether it is an open road or a path between fields, whether it is a remote and simple roadside inn or a row of green vineyards... There are crowds of people and carriages crowded together, gathering towards the nearest stadium to welcome the grand performance called the Yamit Cup.

For others, the game meant much more than that.

……

"Master, the steward of the Bolian Manor sent back news that there are unusual movements in the ruins. The beast will not be awakened for long. I am afraid it will only take two or three months."

"That's enough."

In the dim room, the old man stared at the scene outside the window, his eyes were unusually deep: "For that child, time is not important, what is important is the will to fight."

"As long as she is determined, nothing can stop her."

Whether it was confusion or fear, the moment she decided to hold the weapon, she would leave them far behind.

　Give me some meow
　　
　
(End of this chapter)