Alice in the Land of Steam

Chapter 949: Just a betrayer?

The wind and snow howled in the mountains, and the shadows of the big cedar trees blurred into black afterimages behind the snow curtain, and it was impossible to distinguish the trunks and branches. Ling Ge and his group stepped deep and shallow on the snow on the ground, walking between the valleys sandwiched by the towering snow peaks, and their hair and clothes were covered with a thin layer of frost.

"what--"

Alice wrapped her clothes tightly around her body and exhaled a breath of warm mist, but it was soon frozen by the low temperature outside and condensed into fine ice particles. When the biting north wind blew, it disappeared into the depths of the wind and snow. Her eyelashes trembled slightly, shaking off a few crystal snowflakes. She looked up at the sky, but her ruby-like eyes were stained by the wind and snow, reflecting only a vast expanse of white. She couldn't see what was behind the snow, and she couldn't help complaining, "I hate snow."

"Hold on a little longer, Alice." Saint Shallia encouraged her gently, "We are not far from the top of the mountain, we will be there soon."

Unfortunately, Alice didn't cheer up because of this encouragement, and she even muttered quietly: "It's because you need to persevere, that's why I hate it."

Everyone was speechless when they heard this.

With the protection of fairy magic and cold-proof clothing, this level of wind and snow was not enough to stop the travelers from moving forward, but the biting cold wind and the vast white snow curtain still caused them a lot of trouble, making this journey particularly difficult. When they raised their heads, their vision was blurred by the oncoming snowflakes, and the ice slag hit their cheeks like a knife cut; when they took a step, they fell into the cold and muddy snow piles, and the temperature transmitted through the heavy soles of their shoes seemed to freeze their blood, and moving forward gradually became a numb mechanical movement...

It’s not so much that Alice hates snow, but rather that she hates the feeling of wasting time if she stops to rest, and wasting energy if she keeps moving forward in the wind and snow.

No matter how you think about it, you feel that you have lost, and the thing that a genius player can't tolerate the most is to suffer a loss.

Xinuo next to him asked considerately: "Would you like to hide behind me? It might be easier that way."

The female knight's well-tempered body made it possible for her to ignore the blizzard on the 7,000-meter peak. The fine ice fragments caught in the wind and snow, enough to cut her cheeks, could not move her eyes in the slightest, and they remained bright and firm.

This further highlighted Alice's worthlessness. She immediately perked up and refused to show her weakness: "No need. It's just a snowstorm. I, Alice, am not that fragile!"

"Ah." A guilty look appeared on Xinuo's face: "Actually, I was asking about Miss Gloria."

Alice: "..."

"Call me Captain."

Gloria corrected Xino's mistake seriously, but she knew that the young knight was not used to this kind of role-playing game, so she just corrected her and did not force her. She put one hand on the hilt of the rapier at her waist, and pulled her hat down a little with the other hand to block the snowflakes blowing in her face, and then showed a confident smile: "No need, this little snow is not even one ten-thousandth of the storm at sea. The passionate seafarers are not afraid of the storm, let alone the snow in front of us?"

Ai-chan, the not-at-all-hot-blooded seaman, curled his lips secretly, expressing his disdain for the captain's statement.

Having said that, Shino keenly noticed that Gloria's hands and feet were trembling slightly in the cold wind, and her breathing was getting heavier each time. It was obvious that her physical strength had reached its limit.

No matter how her identity and memory changed, her body was still the same body after all, and her physical fitness could only be described as mediocre. If she hadn't trained for a short period of time when she was an athlete before, the situation would probably be worse, right?

Xinuo didn't want to expose her arrogant words, so he just smiled helplessly, then silently quickened his pace, and stood in front of Gloria and Alice without leaving any trace, blocking the snowstorm for them. Suddenly, two sighs of relief came from behind them at the same time, but Alice's was more obvious, while Gloria's was deliberately lowered.

After all, the captain can't show his weakness in front of his crew.

Lingge didn't notice the girls' interaction. He walked at the front of the team, facing the vast expanse of snow. He needed to concentrate highly to ensure that the road he was walking on was safe and there was no danger of falling or getting lost. On this seldom-traveled 7,000-meter peak, a fall could result in death, and losing one's way would make it more likely that one would become a victim of a blizzard or food for wild animals.

Deadly threats lurk everywhere. These outsiders dare to go so deep only with the protection of fairy magic. In the past, believers and tourists who came here to climb the mountain and make pilgrimages had local Chattoto people as guides, and there were also various facilities built by the municipal government along the way to ensure safety. However, there are still many cases of death from falling and losing direction every year.

It is hard to imagine how much perseverance and persistence the man named Saint Tumi had to climb to the top alone in that primitive and barbaric era, and live on the top of Mount Osor for thirty-three months, observing the sky, mapping the stars, and finally opening up a path to the realm of God.

The wind and snow ten thousand years ago must have been more severe and cold, but ten thousand years later, the deeds of the saint still have not been replicated. Is this enough to prove that the obstacle leading to the divine realm has never been the mountains, wind and snow, and the vast starry road, but man’s own will?
Saint Tumi himself was very secretive about this experience, and the natural disaster destroyed too much history, so that later generations like Lingge can only piece together some traces of the past from these fragmented fragments.

Some people may know more, but whether they are willing to share the history they know with these unknown outsiders is obviously an unsolvable problem. Before getting in touch with those people, Lingge can only try his best to grasp the existing clues.

He suddenly stopped, looked up at the dark and blurry shadow in the depths of the snowstorm, and said to his companions without looking back: "We are here."

The summit of Mount Osor is just before our eyes.

……

Although Mount Osor is known as a pilgrimage site, in fact, this mountain, with a total height of 7,712 meters, has only been conquered by a very small number of people in its history. Saint Tomi was naturally the first conqueror, and the others were the fanatics who regarded animism as their spiritual pillar. They would even imitate the saints and climb the mountain without wearing any cold-proof clothing or carrying any tools, proving their piety again as ordinary people.

The flames of faith burning like firewood are blazing in a beating heart, making the weak body burst out with the power to resist natural disasters. This seems to show that human will is enough to resist objective facts and achieve impossible miracles. However, the price is also cruel. Those fanatics who climbed to the top of the mountain to make pilgrimages often die out after burning to the extreme, and fall down on the way back from exhaustion, becoming a monument buried deep in the wind and snow. That is because the motivation that supported them to move forward has disappeared, and what remains is just some residue beyond their ideals.

The desire for life is not as strong as the fanatical pursuit of faith. Is this admirable? Or is it pathetic? Lingge couldn't judge. He just suddenly remembered that when he was climbing, he occasionally saw some buried snow piles surrounded by a circle of stones. It seemed to be the funeral custom of the local Xiatoto people. Only they could come and go freely on the pilgrim's road.

Ordinary believers and tourists were forced to stop halfway up the mountain and could not move forward. So they admired the snow on the top of the mountain from afar. When the weather was clear, they could see the relics left by the saints. For them, this pilgrimage was worthwhile. It seems that Linger and his group were most likely the first group of people to climb Mount Osor after the promulgation of the "Religious Decree", although they were neither fanatics nor tourists.

After hearing this from Lingge, Alice seemed extremely excited. She had been complaining about the heavy snow and wind, but now she reached the top of the mountain before Lingge, and then proudly announced to the others, "It took only half an hour to reach the top, and the historical record was created by me! Although this is a small step for me personally, it is a big step for all mankind! Ugh!!!"

The snow blew into her throat, and she started coughing violently, looking very embarrassed. Saint Shallia kindly went over to pat her back, but the others ignored her and walked past the golden-haired maid with an indifferent look on their faces.

Because everyone knew that this climb to the summit was actually of little value. First of all, the direct airdrop from Yunjing Sky Island helped them skip the most difficult section from 4,000 to 6,500 meters. Although the remaining road to the top of the mountain was still a bit dangerous, it was no longer so steep. Secondly, the protection of the fairy magic allowed them to ignore the high mountain pressure and move freely, unlike other climbers who had to consider the problems of lack of oxygen and physical strength. Finally, the traces left by the Xia Toto people here also helped a lot, especially the most dangerous section of the cliff path. If it weren't for the iron stakes they had driven in advance, the group would never have been able to pass so easily.

Although the golden-haired maid is a little off the mark, she is actually not stupid. She certainly understands this truth, but she still deliberately ignores these factors and is intent on gilding her own image. Her ugly face of greed for fame and fortune makes everyone despise her - besides, what's the point of greed for such fame and fortune? Can the Heideblosburg City Government give you a certificate just because you broke the mountain climbing record?

It seems a bit funny.

With the help of Saint Shallia, Alice finally caught her breath. Seeing that everyone ignored her, she could only follow in dejection. She thought to herself, you guys know nothing. Even if it has no gold content, it is still an achievement after all! What game player doesn't collect achievements? I think you guys don't understand at all!
When they reached the top of the mountain, the raging snowstorm finally subsided, allowing everyone to see the scenery within a radius of 20 meters. They saw a few vague shadows standing in the depths of the snowstorm. They did not look like big cedar trees, but more like the outline of man-made buildings, so they headed in that direction. After walking for a few minutes, the group stopped and what appeared in front of them were three simple stone houses.

From the perspective of construction technology, there is really nothing commendable about these three stone houses. They look like the products of a child playing with building blocks, and they are not even put together rigorously. Between the stone bricks, which have been eroded by years of cold wind and turned into a cold blue-black color, there are still gaps visible to the naked eye. The cold wind blows, pouring the biting cold air from an altitude of 7,000 meters into the house. The hollow echoing sound sounds a bit like the howling of the snow monster in the legend of the Xiatoto people, which is chilling.

Even so, they still stood silently in the raging snowstorm, just like the big cedar trees were unyielding in the face of a disaster that could completely destroy them. The door of the stone house was also made of stone, or rather a long vertical stone slab. Because no one had opened it for a long time, a thick layer of snow had already accumulated underneath.

"This is the holy site of Mount Osor, the 'source of spirits' recognized by every animist, also known as the Saint's Stone House." Linger looked at the three simple stone houses, and the records he had read in books naturally emerged in his mind, and he told them: "It is said that in the distant ancient centuries, Saint Tumi was inspired by the call of the spirit and came here after a long journey. It is said that when he climbed to the top of the mountain, the stars in the sky shone at the same time, as if celebrating his feat. So Saint Tumi realized with his intuition that the call came from the distant universe, and only by understanding the mysteries of the stars can we successfully respond to its call."

"After that, he built these three stone houses and stayed here for thirty-three months, living a life like an ascetic monk. When he was hungry, he ate berries from the bushes. When he was thirsty, he drank ice water melted from the snow. He devoted all his energy to the study of the stars. Why do the stars always move along specific paths? What does the correspondence between constellations mean? In the depths of the vast sea of ​​stars, is there a greatest secret about the creation of the universe? He pondered these questions, became obsessed with them, and finally found the answers he wanted, which are-"

Linger stopped talking and looked at the girls behind him (except Alice). Saint Xia Liya remained silent, Gloria blinked, and Xino smiled: "Girl Kingship."

The young knight said with some emotion, "At that time, all the races and aliens were obsessed with fighting for the hegemony of the continent, and humans could only survive in the cracks. However, Saint Tumi had already shifted his gaze from the earth to the sky above his head, and single-handedly touched upon the greatest secret of the balance between order and chaos since the creation of the universe. This should be considered the pinnacle of human wisdom, right?"

Although he knew that there was an unpleasant past between Saint Tumi and the young Wang Quan, Xino still discussed the matter objectively and affirmed Saint Tumi's contribution in this matter.

The golden-haired maid disagreed: "It's still a traitor! If it weren't for him, the situation wouldn't be so bad!"

This sentence sounds a bit extreme, but it actually makes sense, so Xino did not refute it, but just smiled at Alice, thinking in his heart: Who can say that pioneers and betrayers are not his original intentions?

So-called life has always been the most complex creation in the universe.

Perhaps, even the goddess who created life cannot fully see through their hearts?
Give me some meow