Alice in the Land of Steam

Chapter 928 Will You Apologize Properly?

The next week passed uneventfully.

The news of the old patriarch's death gradually spread throughout the Grindelwald Plains. Although no one knew the slightest about the old man, when the residents in the countryside heard the name of the Godstave family, they would still spontaneously pay their respects in silence to express their inner sadness and regret. This was the prestige that the Whitethorn had accumulated over the long years, and it would always benefit its descendants.

Including Sumia, celebrities and politicians from several major cities on the Grindelwald Plains came to mourn after hearing the news. Even from Campbell, the Verdurous Star City at the border of Saint-Denis and Sonia Provinces, people rushed over thousands of miles, fearing that they would miss the seven-day funeral period. They looked so anxious that they didn't seem to be attending a funeral, but rather rushing to a grand social party. The deserted Shadoli Manor, which had been deserted for many years, was blocked by cars and horses. There were not enough rooms in the mansion to receive guests. The hotel in the small town of Regrum at the foot of the mountain, which had been doing poorly all year round, became very popular because of this. It was really ridiculous.

Even the ongoing Polo Championship had postponed its schedule for the old man's funeral. The apparent reason was that the legendary female player in the tournament's history, Ms. Mistyan, had married into the Chateau Le Manor. Now that her family had passed away, the organizing committee was very sad. In order to remember Ms. Mistyan's outstanding contribution to the promotion of the sport of Polo, they decided to postpone the next game until after Mr. Van Indrew's funeral, and to have all the contestants and staff wear black veils during the game to express their condolences...

The actual reason was that all the celebrities and politicians in Sumiya City gathered in Shadoli Manor and Regram Town. Without these big shots watching the game, the topic of the championship became weaker, and it was impossible for them to stand up and sing against the Whitethorn Flower Family in this special period. Therefore, they simply went with the flow and did a favor, and then asked the media to write a few articles such as "concession to the deceased is a big step for Wind Flower Ball" or "A small move adds a touch of warmth to this cruel competitive sport". The popularity has increased instead of decreased, which is definitely beneficial to them.

A funeral shows a hundred different faces of the world. Whether it was Mr. Van Indrew who left a will before his death and wished to be buried in a low-key manner, or Heno who wanted to silently remember his last relative after losing him, they must have had very complicated feelings when facing this scene. I wonder how much of the gentle smile that the girl showed when receiving the guests was out of politeness and how much was from the heart?

Of course, there were people who sincerely mourned. In addition to the residents of the town of Regram, Shino's college classmates also rushed to the girl's side as soon as they heard the news. They used all kinds of clumsy but warm words to try to comfort their friend to get out of her grief and cheer up. This included Leila, who was supposed to be preparing for the competition, and she also hurried over because she was worried about Shino.

Although they were the ones who were comforted in the end, the concern of her friends still brought a long-lost smile to Xinuo's face. She only politely received other distinguished guests, but she talked with these friends all night long, talking about many things, from studies to life, from competitions to ideals, from college memories to the future prospects... She didn't mention her deceased grandfather, but it was obvious that she had completely let it go.

The last trace of haze lingering in her heart was dispelled by the precious friendship. This was the most pure and flawless treasure that the girl named Xinuo had, besides the glory of the whitethorn flower. She would cherish it for the rest of her life. Even if they were destined to go their separate ways, even if they could never meet again, even if they were temporarily forgotten or lost due to various accidents... but one day they would be found again, just like those distant dreams and aspirations of childhood.

It is worth mentioning that a small episode occurred during this period. That is, when one of Xino’s college classmates, Phyllis, came to Xiaduoli Manor, she was accompanied by someone. That was her father, the Archbishop of the Williard United Church and the general director of the United Church in Sumiya Diocese, Mr. Pichel Cordery.

In addition to mourning for the old patriarch, his other purpose was to discuss with Xino the follow-up of the synthetic beast. Although the beast has been eliminated, the impact has not been completely eliminated. The Natural Disaster Detection Bureau detected abnormal magic fluctuations near the Bolian Manor. It is suspected that the earth magic is resonating with the surrounding environment. In addition, the approaching autumn and winter seasons are likely to cause extreme weather such as heavy rain and heavy snow. The church alliance is naturally capable of handling it, but it also has to consider the face of the Gustaf family. Therefore, it proposed a cooperation proposal, with the former providing manpower and technical support, and the latter responsible for giving suggestions based on the actual situation and local conditions to jointly solve this problem.

Shino was naturally very happy about it, after all, she would soon leave Grindelwald Field, and these loyal knights had to go somewhere. The initial plan was to arrange for them to manage the various fields and estates of the Gustaf family, but not everyone was good at running an industry. If they could establish a relationship with the church, their future lives would be much easier, so why not?
However, on the day of discussing cooperation, Alice was too bored on Yunjing Sky Island, so she went out for a stroll alone. While strolling, she ran to Xiaduoli Manor and happened to meet the Archbishop who came to visit.

At that time, the Archbishop saw at a glance that Alice was gifted. After all, among a group of polite guests, the golden-haired maid's walking posture was so special, a little arrogant, a little willful, and a little disdainful. In short, it left a deep impression on her. So he asked Shino who this guy was, the maid of the Shadoli Manor?
Before Xino could answer, Alice heard people talking about her behind her back. Her hearing was particularly sharp only at times like this, so she stepped forward and said to the high priest in a righteous manner: I am not an ordinary maid, but a speed-partying maid who has mastered eighteen cleaning secrets and twenty-eight game speed-passing techniques, and who once fought the Deep Blue Galaxy Overlord for three hundred rounds in the tournament, so you have to call me Lady Alice.

A drop of cold sweat broke out on Shino's forehead, and he quickly stood up to explain to the archbishop that this guy had some problems with his brain... No, she was simple and innocent, so she often said shocking things, and hoped that you would not take it to heart. At the same time, he hinted to Alice with his eyes, why don't you apologize and slip away quickly, waiting to be found by the Night's Watch and the Scales of Order?
Fortunately, the Archbishop did not take this matter to heart. Moreover, Gloria was also training on the court of Shadoly Manor that day, and her ability played a crucial role. As a result, although Alice's behavior was abnormal, it did not arouse the other party's suspicion, and the matter was revealed amid everyone's laughter.

Afterwards, the golden-haired maid boasted in the hotel that she had gone deep into the enemy camp to gather intelligence and had close contact with the enemy without fear, fully demonstrating the psychological qualities that a genius player should have, but she only got contemptuous looks from everyone.

However, she did not gain nothing at all. She did find out some information from this incident, which might be insignificant, so she just told it to everyone as a casual chat after dinner.

"I heard," she said furtively, like a village lady who talks bad about someone behind their back, "Shino donated most of the Gustaf family's property to the orphanage, poorhouse and compulsory education foundation under the name of the Church Union. It is said that the total amount is as high as one million gold pounds, which is twice the prize money of the championship. In addition, she also donated 100,000 gold pounds to the tournament organizing committee in the name of her mother and established an award for young players called the Mistyan Award. These donations were fully entrusted to the Church Union for use and supervision. She really trusts those people."

The golden-haired maid couldn't help but sigh when she said this: "But the Cult Union is our enemy. Isn't what she did the same as aiding the enemy? Besides, the Cult Union doesn't lack that little money. If you ask me, it would be better to donate it to me. At least I'm really poor."

The last sentence reveals her true inner thoughts. After stealing her teammates' equipment, the golden-haired maid now covets the property of her future teammates. Her low moral level is despicable.

Lingge was originally watching Gloria and Shemi training (the specific training method is that Shemi throws the ball, Gloria hits it back, Shemi frantically catches it, and then continues to throw the ball. Alice calls it the automatic ball-throwing machine training method). After hearing Alice's complaint, he couldn't help but look back at her and said in a flat tone: "There's nothing strange about this. Although the Church Union is cruel in treating aliens and magicians, it is another face when it comes to charity. They have a complete monitoring system, which can basically ensure that all donations are actually used in the field of charity, rather than being pocketed by some parasites."

Xino was willing to donate the property of the Gustaf family to contribute to the development of her hometown, but the premise was that her donation could be put into practice. The only people who could make such a promise to her in the entire Saint-Denis Province—or even the entire Sigiriya Continent—was the United Church. They were already very rich and could even independently undertake the grand Ouroboros plan. The Gustaf family's millions of property was nothing in their eyes.

Whether it was the deeds of the White Knights or the admiration for Joan of Arc, Xino was inclined to trust the alliance of the cult. In her mind, she probably separated the cult from the Witch Knot community, or in other words, she distinguished the good and evil sides of this huge organization. She had to fight against its evil side, but also affirmed its good side. A true knight should be upright.

"Moreover," Linger paused and continued, "Do you really think this is just a simple donation? Don't forget that after Heno left Grindelwald Field, there is no legitimate heir of the Whitethorn Flower in this area, and the friendship between the White Knight Hibden and Joan of Arc who fought side by side in the past will also become history. This means that the Balance of Order, which has always maintained a tacit attitude towards the closed state of Loser's Forest, actually has sufficient reason to enter it for investigation. This is undoubtedly a disaster for the aliens living in it. Heno took the initiative to show goodwill to the church alliance, probably to maintain this friendship and try to keep Loser's Forest independent."

Alice pondered for a moment, then suddenly realized: "So it's protection money!"

Rough words are not rough.

During this week, Shino has gradually revealed to those around her that she is about to leave her hometown and go to distant places to pursue the way of knighthood. The reactions of the knights of various families are different. Some want to keep her, some support her, and some want to follow her away, but Shino declined because the Godstave family and the people of Grindelwald Field still need the protection of these justice-minded people, which is more important than following her.

The aliens in the Forest of Loser also heard about this, but Xino's attitude towards them was different from that towards the family knights. She was more inclined to take these alien tribes away together, and it would be best for them to live on the Cloud Whale Sky Island and have a stable home. Even if the owner of the Sky Island, Yieta, disagreed, she could take them to a more remote and hidden mountain forest, so that they would not have to worry about the threat to the Balance of Order in the short term - of course, with Yieta's character, it was impossible for her to disagree.

Unfortunately, the attitude of the aliens towards this matter is different from that of her family knights. They want to stay here, stay in this familiar land, and protect the oath between the aliens and the white thorn flower. Only a few aliens who like to come and go alone, such as Brand with blue boots who met on the first day, or the giant bear who brought honey to Xino, are willing to set foot on Yunjing Sky Island and adapt to the new life.

The girl could not force everyone to change, so she could only choose to respect and bless them. Then, while holding a funeral, she secretly led those aliens who were willing to leave to Yunjing Sky Island. The three traveler fairy sisters were responsible for receiving them and helping them to open up a new home on the Sky Island. Fortunately, the area of ​​Sky Island was quite large, so there was no need to worry about the problem of insufficient space for the time being.

I believe that on the day of departure, Yunjingkong Island will become more lively.

After understanding the logic behind Heno's donation to the cult, Alice stopped worrying about it. She just couldn't stop thinking about the one million pounds. She kept muttering, "Even so, there's no need to donate so much, right? Just give me a little from your fingers, like 990,000 pounds or 980,000 pounds. That way, I'll be happy, and everyone will be happy too. Isn't that good?"

You call this "leaking a little"?
It turns out that Shino is actually an ancient giant, and horses can run between his fingers.

Lingge didn't even bother to pay attention to her. He planned to find an excuse to leave and not give the golden-haired maid a chance to continue annoying him. Then, soon, someone gave him an excuse: "Lingge!"

The pink-haired little girl hurried down from the second floor. She came to Ling Ge at a trot, and before she could catch her breath, she urged him, "Sister Aoweila called you over. She said she found a clue to the information you asked her to look for!"

Any clues?

It was exactly one week. It turned out that I was right to calculate based on the longest time limit. If I went to look for Avra ​​after two or three days and she didn't find anything, wouldn't that be very embarrassing?

The young man thought this was a kind gesture, but unfortunately Metien didn't think so.

Before Lingge set out to look for Aoweila, she grabbed her brother's hand and earnestly warned him, "Lingge, I see that sister Aoweila seems to be in a good mood today. You must apologize to her later and don't make her angry again!"

Lingge was silent for a moment, then asked in response to the little girl's expectant gaze: "What are you apologizing for?"

Metien: “…”

I am so tired, what should I do?

　Give me some meow
　　
　
(End of this chapter)