Alice in the Land of Steam

Chapter 965: An even more ancient tradition?
"If only poets could speak poetically, then the world would be too boring," Ling said. "In fact, most of the artistic interpretations in the world come from ordinary people. This has nothing to do with occupation or identity, but only depends on people's sensibility."

After hearing this, Chief Wilhelm chuckled, "Now, you sound like a philosopher again. Your sensibility is like the wind and snow in the mountains, always changing. Lord Lingge, you are completely different from that saint."

He mentioned a sensitive person, and Linger couldn't help but turn around, glanced at Chief Wilhelm, and asked, "I'm curious, what kind of image does the saint have in the records of you Shattoto people?"

"Like I just said, calm, composed, full of wisdom, and always rational." Chief Wilhelm used a few simple words to outline the image of a scholar, pioneer and forerunner for the young man, but it seemed a bit empty. Using these words to describe any great figure who left his name and deeds in history books would not seem to be at all inappropriate and could not reflect the uniqueness of the saint.

Moreover, is it really possible for anyone to remain rational forever and not be shaken by external factors?
Lingge had never seen anyone like that.

He also disagreed with Chief Wilhelm's assessment of him: "I don't think I'm a very emotional person, even compared to that saint."

So maybe, your perception of yourself is a little distorted?

Chief Wilhelm thought so, but did not say it out loud because it was not polite. He just looked at Lingge, then pointed at the huge fireball that was slowly climbing up to the sky from behind the mountains and fog, and said in a serious tone: "The sunrise in the Eastern Alps is as magnificent as an avalanche, and you, Lord Lingge, have a sun in your body that will eventually shine."

The mountain people may not be good at the complicated rules of the people on the ground, but they never make mistakes in judging people, as Saint Tumi who lived ten thousand years ago can attest.

The young man never thought that he would hear such high praise from a Chateau man. It seemed that most people who had contact with him would look at him differently, such as the witch of reality. But did these people really see through the nature of the young man, or did they want to show their vision and sincerity through such behavior? As we all know, there is nothing more expensive in the world than the appreciation from others.

He changed the subject without leaving a trace - or rather, returned to the main topic: "Last night, I heard from Songtaya that your negotiations with the Mist Mountain Hermitage have ended?"

"Yes." Chief Wilhelm nodded slightly and directly informed the result of the negotiation: "They agreed to lend the saint's manuscripts, but they were unwilling to show up in person, so they entrusted me to deliver them. I have put the manuscripts in your house. From now on, you have one day to read or copy these manuscripts. Once the sun sets in the west of Mount Osor, I will take them back and return them to their original owners. This is the longest period that the Great Spirit Envoy is willing to promise. I hope you can understand, Master Ling."

"I completely understand, but what about the other parts?" Linger asked, "The Saint's manuscript is very important to us, so we are willing to pay the same price as a reward for borrowing it. Leader Wilhelm must have conveyed this sincerity to us, right? In this case, did the Mist Mountain Hermitage not make any requests?"

“Yes.” Chief Wilhelm said in a deep voice, his eyes somewhat penetrating. “But I’m not sure if that counts as a request. The Great Spirit Envoy didn’t even expect a reply from you. He just asked me to convey a message.”

"What?"

"One day in the future, if the Wushan Hermitage encounters a catastrophic disaster due to the alliance of religious groups, I hope you can take action to protect their heritage and continue the flame of faith for His Majesty Dong Peilong."

Inevitably, a look of astonishment emerged in the young man's eyes. He did not realize that his tone of voice rose slightly, which awakened the two girls who were still sleeping in the stone house. They vaguely heard the following conversation through a mottled stone wall: "Why would they make such a... strange request?"

With the experience of a young person, the only way to describe its nature is "strange".

"When I first heard about this request, I was as surprised as you, but the Great Spirit Envoy gave a good reason." Chief Wilhelm's eyes suddenly became vacant, as if he saw something that was happening or had happened in a place farther away than the mountains and foggy forests. "He has heard about your deeds and knows that you have fought together with the cult and did not lose. In terms of record, I am afraid that your record is better than that of the Thirteen Hermits led by Solomon. They have already bet on the Thirteen Hermits once, so why not bet on you as well? After all, it is just lending a manuscript, and it has not touched their core interests."

"In addition, another very important point is that you are a true believer recognized by Rochelle himself." I don't know if it was an illusion, but when Chief Wilhelm mentioned that name, he deliberately emphasized his tone: "The last walker of the Fertile Soil Sect, a Shasarant mountaineer who walked out of the high mountains in the north, a fearless person who dared to control the will of God and challenge the united church... Not everyone is qualified to get his recognition. You seem to be the only one, Mr. Lingge."

Rochelle... This name, which he had not heard for a long time, once again made the young man feel dazed. It was less than a year since the tragedy in Leisenburg, but he felt as if he was in another world. It was in that field full of primroses that he first realized the power of the united sect in the most intuitive way, and also for the first time felt the anger and desire suppressed in the souls of the animists.

Similarly, what the young man didn't know was that it was because of that battle that he came into the sight of the united cult and became the focus of their attention - through the "introduction" of another old friend.

Today, Mr. Ronning Lavelle, the tribune of the Linville Parish Council, may have already become a philosopher of the society based on his own achievements, and has since abandoned his past name and yearned for the prosperous history from another world; and the young man who calmly accepted his fate, by accident, stood at the starting point of the universe, waiting for the next distant adventure.

Everything in this world is so coincidental that it is incredible.

The young man opened his mouth, but didn't know what to say. He fell silent until he calmed down a little. Then he squeezed out a sentence dully: "I didn't expect that the Great Spirit Envoy knew so much about our origins." "Although hiding in the mountains, the Misty Mountain Hermitage has never given up its attention to the outside world. Moreover," Chief Wilhelm glanced at Lingge with a meaningful look: "Don't underestimate your reputation in the mysterious world, Lord Lingge."

Linger was silent after hearing this. He didn't underestimate himself, he just deliberately didn't think about it. After all, he was already in a chaotic vortex, so there was no need to throw himself into another vortex. Even his sequence level was still at the initial sequence nine, and he had never thought of climbing up.

He intentionally or unintentionally avoided Chief Wilhelm's gaze and said, "We can accept this request, but the premise is to lend a helping hand within our capabilities. I will not put my companions in danger for a manuscript. I hope you can understand."

"A very wise decision." Chief Wilhelm nodded slightly, agreeing to Ling's terms on behalf of the great spiritual envoy. He also said a few words of comfort: "Judging from the current situation, the focus of the religious alliance is always on the distant foreign continent. In addition, the Mist Mountain Hermitage is patient enough, so the situation you mentioned will not happen."

Although, both premises are tenuous.

We have to hope that the united church will not bother to care about the religious believers who are still struggling in the Western Continent, and we also have to hope that the believers of the Mist Mountain Hermitage can endure the loneliness... The enemy's complacency and the allies' compliance with the law, these two kinds of reliance happen to be the most fragile things in the world.

However, Lingge didn't want to think about the long-term problems for the time being. He finally got the manuscript of Saint Tumi, and he breathed a sigh of relief, feeling that the time for him to arrive at the Holy Temple of Heaven would not be too far away. But then he remembered that he still had to face another problem, and his relaxed mood suddenly disappeared.

No matter what, since you have agreed, you must fulfill your promise.

The young man thought helplessly. He was still considering his tone, thinking about how to introduce the topic in a more tactful way so as not to offend Chief Wilhelm. But unexpectedly, the latter took the initiative to speak and said to him: "That's enough, Mr. Lingge. Next, we can discuss the issue of Sontaya. I believe that all the guests have already seen her specialness, right?"

This straightforward attitude surprised the young man a little, but he quickly reacted, adjusted his mood, and said, "That's true, but Songtaya herself doesn't seem to notice it. I'm curious, Chief Wilhelm, what is your and Elder Aina's attitude towards her?"

Chief Wilhelm shook his head and said bluntly, "This is not something we can decide."

He looked at Linge: "It is not just Rochelle who summons the power of gods with the Divine Ceremony and the Holy Stone Magic. In fact, since the promulgation of the "Religious Decree", several similar incidents have occurred, including: the disaster of the land of doom caused by the ancient tree elders of the Druids in the Gomurro Plains, the disaster of the beast riot caused by the ancestral spirits of the Ancestral Spirits in the Muro Mountains, and the tsunami disaster caused by the Ouroboros of the All-Unified Church on the coast of Dalmasca... In these incidents, even if the animists summoned the power of gods, it was still difficult to fight against the constructed mechas of the church. Not only that, it also led to the sacrifice of countless believers and the refinement of innocent people. It can be said that any religion that has summoned gods will not have a good end. Even so, the spread of the Divine Ceremony and the Holy Stone Magic has not slowed down in recent years, but has intensified. Sir Linge, do you know why?"

The young man nodded heavily: "Because I have no choice."

"That's right, because we have no choice." Chief Wilhelm said calmly but without question: "As animists, we are naturally opposed to the cult alliance, but our strength is far weaker than the cult alliance. If we don't find a way to break the deadlock, we will be destroyed at any time. However, both the extraordinary people and the magicians have proven to be just the remnants of the times and it is difficult for them to compete with the cult alliance. Therefore, the divine ceremony and the magic of the holy stone are the only forces we can rely on. Everyone must have the awareness and determination to call on the gods, and the mountain guards are no exception. Even if the cult alliance has not set its sights on us, who can be sure that day will not come? Judging from the current situation, the possibility of it coming is actually greater."

"However, just to fight against the alliance of religious orders, the anger of the gods was vented in the mountains, and many innocent lives were sacrificed. This not only violated the teachings of the saints, but was also against the original wishes of us, the mountain people of Xiatoto. Therefore, a long time ago, the twelve leaders of the mountain guard accepted all the information about the divine ceremony and the magic of the holy stone from the Misty Mountain Hermitage. According to the ancient traditions of the mountain people, they came up with a compromise solution, which was to select a qualified tribesman, give him the highest honor, but also let him bear the heaviest mission."

That's sacrifice.

"You may think this is cruel and barbaric, but the mountain people's heritage has its own profound meaning. If it weren't for these traditions, we wouldn't have been able to survive the countless natural disasters and man-made disasters over the past ten thousand years and pass them down to this day." Chief Wilhelm said to the young man who looked thoughtful, "And I want to tell you that Songtaya is not the first candidate. Before her, three other tribesmen had undertaken the same mission. They were from the Changxue Tribe, the Baisong Tribe, and the Bingyan Tribe. None of the leaders and elders of those tribes objected. Therefore, when the candidate fell on Songtaya, Elder Aina and I had no reason to object."

As mountain people, they could not go against this ancient tradition.

Linger pointed out: "But now, you have changed your mind?"

Chief Wilhelm was silent for a while before he slowly said, "If you can indeed emulate the saint's feat and ascend to heaven with your mortal bodies, on that day, I hope you can take Sontaya away from here - this is also a tradition, and it's even older: it is said that when the saint ascended to heaven, there was a Chattoto man following him, and together they witnessed the vast future."

The traditions of the mountain people must not be broken, especially when the tribe is facing a life-and-death crisis, unless there is another, older tradition from a great saint that can overcome all doubts.

Because of this, outsiders like Lingge have become the long-awaited hope of Chief Wilhelm.

Give me some meow