Alice in the Land of Steam

Chapter 944: Do we need to consider the future?
The Witch of Dispute, Favrona.

"She is the controller of the Nidhogg?" Ling Ge said thoughtfully, "I did hear that she is very powerful, but I didn't expect that she could make Grann Solomon afraid and flee without a fight?"

The first time I heard this name was from Fei'er. According to her, among the fourteen young royal families who had fallen into the mortal world, the Witch of Strife Favrona was the most special one, because only her royal holy artifact had not been damaged and still retained the power of its heyday.

Around the third century AD, the Witch Society, in order to pave the way for the Eden Project, mobilized a large army to fight against various false gods and evil gods, causing bloodshed in the mysterious world at that time. The First Dark Age became a shadow shrouded in the hearts of countless extraordinary people. And Favrona was the backbone of this war. Countless true gods and powerful people died in her hands, including Saint Tomi's student, Mecanthus, one of the original twelve saints. In this way, Grann Solomon's fear of her seems to be understandable.

“Not only that,” Gloria added, “You probably don’t know how Grann became a Sequence 2 True God. It wasn’t because he was gifted, but because of a fortuitous encounter. If it weren’t for this fortuitous encounter, I’m afraid he would still be just a mediocre Beyonder. Let alone revenge, he would even have a hard time protecting himself.”

"Adventure?" Alice was holding onto the edge of the table, with only her head sticking out. Her eyes were sparkling, and she was obviously very interested in this topic. "Did he fall off a cliff and pick up a long-lost potion formula, or did an old man who knew alchemy pop out of a ring?"

"neither."

Gloria shook her head, and then she told everyone, "When Grann first founded the Solomon's Dogs Pirates, they were still very weak and were often chased around by the navy of the Western Continent. He almost ran through the Storm Sea, Endless Sea, Faraway Sea, and Sky Sea among the Five Seas. But he didn't dare to go deep into the dangerous chaotic sea area, which was the center of storms and whirlpools, and also a paradise for aliens and sea beasts. Any human ship that entered would be attacked, no matter which continent the force was from."

"Gran had no confidence that he would be spared, so he kept his distance from this sea area and did not harm it. But fate had dictated that even the best sailors would inevitably be swallowed by the wind and waves, and Gran's caution only delayed the time. Soon, he was ambushed by the enemy and had no choice but to hide in the chaotic sea to survive."

"He disappeared for thirteen years after that. Everyone said he was dead, buried in the dark abyss of chaos along with the Dog of Solomon, with no hope of revenge. However, thirteen years later, a human ship returned safely from the chaotic sea. Its leader was none other than Grann Solomon, who had disappeared for a long time. But at that time, he had already crossed the threshold of demigod and entered the sequence of true gods, and he still did not give up his revenge plan. In the vast ocean, there are many powerful true gods, but he is the only one who is willing to be a pirate and do dirty work. Therefore, Grann and his Dog of Solomon pirate group soon became a major concern for the Western Land Allied Forces."

"As the legend of the great pirate Grann gradually spread throughout the five seas and four oceans, the question of how he could rise to the top and become a true god in just thirteen years naturally became a secret that everyone was curious about. Although he himself always kept it a secret, it is well known that no secret can be kept forever on the sea. Even the secrets of a dead person can be turned into new evidence by the waves, not to mention that Grann Solomon is a living person."

The vast sea area that separates the eastern and western continents is divided into five seas and four oceans according to its geographical location and regional characteristics. In the era when human navigation technology was not yet developed, countless dangers lurked in each sea area, especially the chaotic sea area. Until now, humans have not completely conquered that sea area.

But at the same time, it has left behind the most secrets and legends. First, Magellan mistakenly entered the Land of the Dead and recorded his experiences here in a book, which triggered countless people on earth's fanatical pursuit of the mystery of eternal life and infinite wealth. Later, there were rumors that the secret treasures of the royal city of the ancient Mirror Elf Empire sank into the endless abyss, causing the seabed 8,000 meters below to be covered by treasure hunters.

Under the watchful eyes of the sea, Grann Solomon's secrets could not be kept.

Gloria's lips curled up in an intriguing arc. "So, soon a rumor that seemed to be true spread across the ocean. People said that Grann Solomon accidentally entered an ancient battlefield on an island in the chaotic sea and devoured the remains of a Sequence True God. This allowed him to be reborn and complete an amazing transformation."

Hearing this, everyone's faces showed surprise. Alice even touched her chin and muttered to herself, "So you're eating abortions? You have such good taste?"

Eating human abortions... Although it is very straightforward, her summary is not wrong. It is said that this theory originated from Abraham, the God of Disaster in the East Continent. He discovered that devouring the flesh or bones of extraordinary people of the opposite path can effectively slow down the erosion caused by taking magic potions. Eve, the Disaster Witch of the Witch Society, described it as "a way for beasts to become stronger."

In fact, even in nature, wild animals that devour the flesh and blood of their own kind in order to survive are relatively rare.

Perhaps it is more common in the ocean? After all, the vast ocean always breeds many strange lives. Grann Solomon, who seems to have chosen the beast instinct for survival and revenge, is just one of them.

"It does sound like an adventure." Ling Ge suddenly realized that the topic had gone off track: "But what does this have to do with him running away from the Witch of Strife without fighting?"

"Of course there is a connection, although it's just my personal guess." Gloria said, "Although the law of spiritual fusion that devours the remains of extraordinary people to strengthen oneself is effective, it does not mean that simply devouring the remains of a true god can make a person cross the threshold of demigod. Therefore, I reasonably speculate that the ancient battlefield site that Grann broke into was actually the site where the Witch of Dispute Favrona conquered Mecanthus, one of the Twelve Saints who had fallen into madness. There is one thing that can prove this, that is, after being promoted to a true god, Grann Solomon once called himself the 'Crimson Successor', and after Mecanthus went crazy, he once caused great damage to the civilized world at that time, and people fearfully called him the - Crimson Disaster."

"This also explains Grann's cowardly act of fleeing without a fight when facing the Witch of Discord. The Crimson Calamity Mecanthus died at the hands of Favrona because of the dispute over the royal sacrament. I'm afraid the memory of that time was also inherited, making Grann Solomon almost unable to resist when facing his old enemy, let alone confront him head-on."

It turned out to be the case.

Everyone suddenly understood, and Alice had a very satisfied expression on her face, repeatedly lamenting that "more useless background knowledge has been added." It was obvious that she was not interested in the meaning of the story, but was only interested in the "listening to the story" part.

Ling Ge felt a little regretful: "It's a pity that he failed to test the combat effectiveness of the Witch of Strife Favrona and the Nidhogg. That way it would be easier for us to deal with them in the future."

"Oh, why think so much?" Alice disagreed: "They are fighting a colonial war in the East Continent. It has nothing to do with us." Linger glanced at her.

It sounds like this at first, but who can be sure of the future? Just like when he first arrived in Rostin City, he thought his journey would end here and there would be no follow-up stories. But he has come all the way to now and is about to reach the legendary Temple of Heaven.

Therefore, young people think it is better to be prepared.

He withdrew his gaze from Alice and looked at Gloria again, saying, "Gloria, I have a favor to ask of you. If you have time, you can write down all the information related to the East Continent in your mind. Maybe it will be useful in the future."

Linger has always felt that the power of the Kingship of the Heart does not lie in disguise, but in the memories accumulated in her mind after she changed her identity many times. The intelligence blockade of the Witch Society is so strict that if it weren't for the traitor Solomon, I'm afraid no one would know until now that there is an organization hidden in the dark side of the world that manipulates human history. However, for Gloria, that information is readily available, and she doesn't even need to take the initiative to spy. As long as her identity changes, the corresponding memories will automatically appear in her mind, and they are all true and correct.

Although it is accompanied by certain dangers, for example, when lurking in the Witch Society, Gloria was almost discovered. Fortunately, with the help of the inner personality Bai Ye, she was not exposed on the spot. If she was captured and imprisoned in the society's headquarters, the Blue Sky Dragon Nest, the Ladist, then Lingge would not be able to gather the seven girl royal powers.

But these are external risks and have nothing to do with her own abilities. As long as she is cautious, it will not be difficult to deal with them.

The real flaw is that due to the curse, her identity switching has become uncontrollable. If she can't randomly select a suitable identity, then this ability will only bring her endless troubles. Just like the previous identity of an athlete, it only allowed her to gain some experience related to the wind flower ball, but the price was that in order to play this role well, she had to sign up for the Yamit Cup Championship and trained hard for two months. The hardship of the process is obvious to all - well, she was also forced to accept the title of "Queen of Ashes", which can be said to be a double damage both physically and psychologically.

It seems that the curses cast by the witches are all targeted: making fate uncertain and mysteries drowned in darkness; locking freedom in a cage and making eternity fleeting; making the victors forever immersed in the pain of sacrifice and making the alchemist who can create everything never be able to create an antidote to cure the disease; and then, making the mind that should be free wander in the layers of memory maze, and even splitting into two personalities.

Because death is not the end for the young queen, the witches created cages of restraint, thinking that only in this way can they prevent them from continuing to interfere with their plans?

But if it is for this purpose, wouldn't physical imprisonment be more appropriate? Not only can it ensure that the young girl's royal power is under their own surveillance, but it can also give full play to the elite advantages of the witch association. With the philosopher-level members closely guarding and the restraint of the curse, it is not foolproof, but at least it should not develop to the current situation, allowing Lingge, an unknown person in the mysterious world, to complete the feat of gathering seven order royal powers.

From this point of view, they seem to be too careless.

Apart from Fei Er, Ling Ge didn't know much about other witches, but at least he felt that Tiantis shouldn't be such a careless person. In comparison, he would rather believe that she was deliberately letting him go, just like on the Indorsis Bridge, she had countless opportunities to deal with Ling Ge and his men, but she talked about many irrelevant topics, giving them a chance to escape. Could it be that she really had a strong desire to express herself, and she felt uncomfortable if she didn't chat with the enemy for a few words?
There is also an inconspicuous detail that can serve as evidence: when facing the siege of the Witch Society, Alice tried to activate the cassette of "Dark Castle: Waltz of the Dawn" as a last means of escape, but the cassette failed to activate, so she was forced to use a new cassette.

Because the situation at that time was changing rapidly, and the fact that Tiantis revealed his true identity in the end shocked everyone, Alice and the others may have forgotten about it. Only Lingge still remembered it and suspected that it was related to Tiantis's ability.

The reason why it is only a suspicion, not a certainty, is that if Tentis clearly has this ability, why doesn't he stop Alice from activating the "Duelers of Genesis" cartridge?

If she was letting it go on purpose, that would make sense.

There was some reason why she had to allow the kings of order to operate in the human world, but she couldn't let them hinder her plans all the time, so she used curses as a restriction instead of using force to confine them.

Following this line of reasoning, would it be a development that she would be happy to see Ling Ge and his group go to the Holy Temple of Heaven?

It's not that Lingge deliberately exaggerated the enemy to be too powerful, but they were already in an absolutely weak position. If they didn't think more carefully and act more cautiously, how could they find a glimmer of hope in such a desperate situation?
In a mysterious way, the young man had a premonition: the Holy Temple of Heaven was definitely not the focus of this journey, and the key to their victory over the Witch Society was not the Goddess of Creation. The Western Continent had been run by the Witch Society and was impenetrable. Even if there were some resistance, they were just small-scale and could not make a big difference. Therefore, the hope of breaking the deadlock was still in——

The young man slowly lowered his head and looked at the map in front of him. This was a world map made by Rolena, which was even detailed to the specific elements such as hydrological lines, contour lines and road networks. Linger took it out with the intention of determining the location of Mount Osor, as well as the surrounding geographical and cultural conditions, and making plans for the next trip.

But at this moment he had no intention of paying attention to those details. His eyes went straight across the vast mountainous area of ​​the North Ashka Mountains, heading west from the ancient river bay of the "Broken River City". A safe route marked on the map passed through the storm sea and reached the distant and mysterious alien continent.

It was the grand stage of the colonial era, a brutal battlefield where two million soldiers fought each other. It was also a place where primitiveness and civilization intersected, transcendence and science confronted each other, and freedom and wealth achieved each other.

The Eastern Emperor Vatican Continent.

　Give me some meow
　　
　
(End of this chapter)