Alice in the Land of Steam

Chapter 994 Can’t open the door?

There was actually nothing interesting to see in the president's office. As for the strange name of Celestial Themis, except for Lingge and Saint Shallia, everyone else only discussed it for a while and then put it out of their minds. Even Alice herself didn't think it was strange, as if this name was a very common type among earthlings.

After leaving the office, the golden-haired maid raised her arms and shouted, "Okay, now the only thing left is the control center. Let's go!"

She ran towards the sightseeing elevator first, but Saint Shalia grabbed her collar and gently pulled her back.

"Don't be anxious, Alice." The blue-haired girl said softly, "Before that, please explain to us about this control center."

"The control center... it's the control center." Alice scratched her cheek and said as a matter of course, "It is said that all the internal data and information of the Game Command Company are stored there, and it provides services for the information terminals of the entire building. At the same time, the server of Alice Game is also there, controlled and supervised by a high-performance supercomputer. It is said that the supercomputer has given birth to a true strong artificial intelligence. The game information of Alice Game, including geography, humanities, history, politics, biology and even the most important plot, is automatically generated by that artificial intelligence. So when this game was first released, the media promoted it as 'the first electronic game designed and developed by artificial intelligence in human history', although Game Command Company itself has never promoted it in this way."

When it comes to games, she becomes very excited and knows a lot of relevant information.

Linger asked: "In that case, by looking up the data from the supercomputer, perhaps we can understand why the city ruins of Earth appeared in the Temple of Heaven?"

Alice wasn't sure, but she couldn't show her fear, so she nodded confidently, "Yeah, I think so."

Shouldn't we rush to such an important place as soon as possible? Why did we have to visit the so-called game museum and the president's office? Ling'er's face darkened, and he was very dissatisfied with the golden-haired maid's childish attitude. Alice smiled and hid behind Saint Xia Liya, only showing her head to look at him, with a smug look in her eyes, as if to say: I just want to play, what can you do to me?
Behind Saint Shallia is the safest place in the world. Even that Linger cannot break through this fortress...

The collar suddenly tightened.

"It's time for you to lead the way, Alice." Saint Charity said slowly, then lifted the golden-haired maid out from behind her. It was unknown where the strength came from in that delicate and slender wrist. Alice struggled subconsciously, but failed to break free. She was expelled from the world's strongest fortress and exposed to Lingge.

The young man looked down at the guy coldly.

"Uh, well, actually, I said I didn't mean it, do you believe me?"

"hehe."

……

What a mistake. I actually forgot that Saint Xia Liya and Ling Ge are in the same group. Next time I should find someone else to be the shield.

In the sightseeing elevator, Alice was grinning and looking around, looking for an accomplice. Of course, Lingge didn't do anything to her. The violent education method was not the pastor's preference, so he just gave her a few verbal scoldings and let her go. As for why Alice acted like she was being taught a lesson... of course it was because she was bored.

How bored does a person have to be to choose a shield before making a mistake? Alice will give you the standard answer.

Metien? As a younger sister, she holds a special place in Lingge's heart. It is absolutely safe to hide behind her. Unfortunately, there are two lackeys around her. They always look down on me in the name of protecting Metien. Who are they looking down on? Don't you know that I have known Metien longer than you? When she called me Sister Alice, one of you was still a maid in the Fairy Deep Sleep Inn, and the other was still playing with amnesia in the Virtual Root Swamp!
Olvera? Don't be fooled by her appearance of being a good girl. She is actually a big playboy in private. She always stays up late at night and develops a relationship beyond friendship with Lingge. She thought she was hiding it well, but unfortunately she overlooked one point, that is, I am also a night owl. I have seen everything you have done. If you don't want to be discovered by Saint Xia Liya, you should be my shield! Well, this reason should be enough to threaten her, but Princess Berman holds a pen in her hand and is a future great writer. Alice doesn't want to offend her. What if she is portrayed as a clown in her novels in the future and is infamous for eternity?
Ieta? Miss Angel is a more obedient girl than Avra, and she is weak in character, easier to bully than a lamb. It doesn't take much effort to use her as a shield, just get close to her and she can't do anything to you. Unfortunately, she has someone behind her. Alice doesn't want to not be able to eat the food made by the boss lady and drink the water mixed by Shelia in the future... Well, the latter doesn't matter, the main thing is the former, so it's better not to offend her.

Lorena? This is absolutely not possible. I always feel that she will agree to it immediately, but kick you away at the critical moment, and then cheat you. In the end, she will pretend to be innocent. Her character is even worse than yours.

Shino? A knight of the Gustave family, he is cheerful and upright, and has always taken it as his duty to eradicate evil and protect the weak. He is definitely a moral benchmark on the Cloud Whale Sky Island. The only flaw is that Alice seems to be the evil she wants to eradicate...

Lady Captain Gloria... well, let's wait until one day she finds someone who is easy to bully.

Countess Nevile? She seemed to be ignoring me like an ant.

Sister Livia? She should be able to protect me, but it's annoying to have to listen to her nagging about the goddess' teachings for an hour afterwards.

Looking around, Alice found sadly that there was no place for her in such a big world! Could this be her fault? No way, absolutely no way, it was all the world's fault!

"It's all the world's misaligned teeth!"

She raised her arms and called out, expecting a huge response, but her companions ignored her and walked out of the sightseeing elevator one by one. The golden-haired maid then realized, "Hey, we're here already?"

She hurriedly trotted out of the elevator and followed. There was a corridor outside. The cold white and silver-gray tones looked extremely cold. There was no decoration in the entire large corridor, and there were no other rooms. It led straight to the tightly closed steel door at the end. When the travelers walked out of the elevator, their footsteps echoed in the empty corridor, causing a heavy echo, giving people a dead and dull feeling.

"The control center should be ahead... Hey, wait for me, Ling Ge, and Saint Xia Liya, why are you in such a hurry?"

Before Alice could finish her words, Ling Ge had already walked towards the only room at the end of the corridor, followed closely by Saint Xia Liya. Their steps were so hurried that they didn't seem to be exploring a strange place, but rather like they were going to an appointment with someone and were afraid of being late. Alice's dissuasion failed, so she hurriedly ran to catch up, shouting as she ran: "Wait for me! Without the permission card in my hand, you can't open the door even if you get there!"

The other companions looked at each other in bewilderment. After a moment of silence, Avella whispered, "Shall we follow them too?"

This is a question that does not need an answer. If they did not come here to witness the truth, why did they come here? So everyone started to catch up with the three people in front. Because Yieta had not exercised for a long time, she was still panting when she ran, and people were worried that she would not be able to hold on and fall to the ground in the next moment. Even so, she still took the opportunity to take a breath and whispered to Avella next to her: "Avella, do you think Ling Ge, huh, Ling Ge and Sister Xiao Xia are so anxious, huh, do you think they know something?"

"I do not know."

Princess Bemang held her book and followed closely behind Shino and the Countess, shaking her head blankly. She felt that Linger and Saint Chariah had been a little off since they entered the headquarters of this game command company. Of course, there was also Alice, who showed the most obvious emotion. In the past, she had never been so excited even when playing games. Or was she very happy because she saw something from her hometown in the other world?

But when a normal person sees a devastated hometown, they will generally be shocked first, then angry, and then sad, right? Olvera didn't feel these three emotions from Alice. Is she really an earthling? "Woo..." Yieta didn't get an answer from her. She looked away in disappointment, thinking, it would be great if nothing happened.

There is always an ominous feeling.

"By the way, Yieta." Olvera suddenly turned her head to look over, or to be more precise, to look at Yieta's back: "If you are so tired from running, why don't you fly?"

"Eh!?"

Miss Angel was stunned.

……

Half a minute later, everyone stood in front of the control center's door in a neat row. There was an information terminal at the door that could be used to read the permission card. Linger gave Alice a look, and the golden-haired maid quickly took out the visitor permission card that she had applied for at the front desk from her pocket and swiped it on the information terminal. However, the door did not open as everyone expected, but a string of characters appeared on the blue light screen of the information terminal -

"Insufficient permissions, cannot open."

Linger murmured the meaning of the string of characters, unable to hide his surprise, because the text displayed on it was neither the language system of Earth nor the language system of Mirror Star in terms of structure and grammar. It seemed to have been subjected to some kind of wonderful magical effect, not only him who was born in the Kingdom of Great Britta, but also Xino from the White City Republic, the Countess from Metosh, and Ieta from Leisenburg, could read it without any obstacles.

Is this some kind of ancient writing? Or a minor language unknown to modern civilization? It is even very likely that it is the writing used by the goddess of creation, the so-called divine language? If so, the young royal girls should have an impression of it, but judging from their reactions, it seems that this is not the case.

Linger asked Alice: "Is this also the language of Earth?"

Alice was scratching her head over the visitor privilege card in her hand. She looked up at what he said, bewildered. "That shouldn't be the case, right? The Earth now has a unified language and writing system. There aren't as many complicated language systems as before."

"Then how did you recognize it?"

"How did you recognize it? I recognized it just like that."

Alice didn't seem to think this was a surprising thing. She was more concerned about something else: "It doesn't matter what language it is. The most important thing is that the door can't be opened. It's strange that visitors can't open the control center. Obviously, the game museum and the president's office in front can open it."

What's so strange about this? No one would allow tourists to enter such a confidential place, right?
"But what if I can't get in?" Alice swiped her card on the information terminal several times, but the same result was displayed every time. So she gave up and said dejectedly, "It's hidden so well. I have a feeling that there must be something very important hidden inside! Oh, it would be great if I could get higher-level permissions, such as... the president's permissions?"

At this point, her eyes lit up: "It seems that it is not impossible. Let's go back to the president's office on the ninety-ninth floor and search. Maybe we can find her permission card?"

"You can't find it." Lorena shook her head and rejected the suggestion.

"Why?" Alice was unconvinced: "Have you ever looked for it?"

"I have looked for it." Princess Haixi replied with a smile, "I have just searched everything in that office. I originally wanted to find some materials suitable for alchemy, but I found nothing. In addition, I didn't see anything like the permission card you mentioned."

Alice opened her eyes wide: "You despicable fellow, you actually went through her things without the owner's permission, how shameless!"

"Better than some guy trying to empty someone else's museum, right?"

"Ugh!"

Alice was speechless. When it came to talking, Lorena was the only one who could suppress her - Captain Gloria as a pirate was half of the reason, and the other half was the musket in her hand.

"It's better to just smash it open." Countess Nevi'er said, with a blood-red magic light floating in her palm. "It doesn't look very strong. I can break this door open with just one blow."

"No way!" Alice hurriedly stopped him: "Places like this usually have security measures. If it is determined to be an enemy invasion, the data and information may be destroyed directly. Then we won't be able to see anything!"

"Ugh! It's really troublesome."

These words were not said by the Countess, but by Leticia. She was speaking up for her grandmother. As for the elegant vampire Countess, she calmly put away her magic power, as if the proposal had never been uttered.

When everyone was discussing the method, Lingge, who had been silent, suddenly said, "Alice."

"Hmm?" Alice turned around and said, "Why, Lingge, do you have a plan too?"

The young man automatically ignored her sarcasm, pointed to something on her waist, and said calmly: "Try it with it."

Following the direction of his finger, everyone subconsciously looked over there. Alice also lowered her head and saw the thing hanging around her waist. She was so surprised that she was speechless.

Because what Lingge was referring to was the SLP game console and cartridges that she always carried with her.