Chapter 106.2 – Queen
Alicia held Joy’s hand and sat there frozen all night.
Love her?
She should have returned to her father long ago.
Hate her?
After so many years of living together day and night, she couldn’t hate her completely.
The princess didn’t know what kind of emotion it was until the end.
The mole people woke up and surrounded her with a rustle.
One person asked her cautiously: “Di Wen! Which city are we going to next?”
“…Elton,” Alicia said emotionlessly, “Let’s go to Elton. I know a secret passage that leads into the city.”
It was dawn, she stood at the entrance of the abandoned city looking into the distance.
Looking at this place again, she didn’t know how many miles they had walked to get there. She thought that her father would be proud of her.
She eventually became a leader.
*
“You also know the story after that,” Di Wen panted against the wall.
There was still a distance from the top of the tower, she couldn’t walk anymore and needed to rest. Shi Yuan and Lu Tinghan waited patiently for her.
Di Wen said: “I told everyone that I was going to talk to the king about this blood debt, but in fact, I just wanted to find my father. We went to the capital and entered the city. The city was being attacked by monsters, and our team was forced to split up.” She closed her eyes, “I didn’t expect that troops in the royal capital couldn’t hold on anymore. My father was moving underground and happened to meet the mole people.”
She couldn’t speak further.
The angry mole people had always regarded the king as a tyrant and killed him. By the time Alicia arrived, the mole people were already cheering.
They put all the credit on her and shouted: “Di Wen the Kingslayer! Di Wen the Kingslayer!”
The tide of cheers drowned out her cries.
“I don’t know what kind of feelings I have for them anymore,” Di Wen said, “Just like Joy, I hate them and I love them – but whether it’s love or hate, it doesn’t matter anymore, they are the only family I have.”
“I didn’t tell them the truth. I wandered around with them and built lairs. We also met other mole people, met someone I like, and I had a daughter with him, and later, he also died. And then, we ran into you guys.”
“…I understand,” Lu Tinghan said, “It’s a lamentable story.”
“It’s just an old thing, it’s just that I am getting old and have to get it off of my chest.” Di Wen stood up, “Let’s go, let’s go to the top of the tower quickly.”
Shi Yuan climbed up the steps step by step.
Ten minutes later, Lu Tinghan unlocked the defensive measures at the top of the tower based on the passcode provided by 0293, opened the door, and the strong wind and rain poured in.
Shi Yuan’s face was covered with water and wiped it with his sleeves before realizing that they were on the ground.
They stood in the observation room, the glass was almost completely broken. From the top of the tower, they could overlook the city. The thunderstorm seemed to be a little smaller, the black clouds were thinner, and there was the golden light of the sunrise faintly on the horizon.
When Lu Tinghan inspected the observation facilities, Di Wen walked to the edge of the observation room and sat on a wooden chair that was about to rot.
Shi Yuan stood by her side, trying to see what she was looking at, and heard her say, “It’s great, isn’t it? I have returned here with my people.”
The rain had stopped, the clouds were still overhead, and the golden light in the east was growing brighter and brighter. Di Wen endured the stimulation of the light and looked intently at the sunrise in the distance.
She said: “Greenhouses, farms, power plants, and exhaust disinfection systems are all functioning, and armories, warehouses, and observation towers are fine. The ‘blazing sun’ will protect this place. General Liszt guarded the city, I brought back the people of the Empire, we will survive.” She smiled, “Do you think my father would like me now? Would he be proud of me?”
——Over the years, she had thought about this question over and over again, unable to let go.
At this moment, she knew the answer.
Half of the red sun jumped out of the horizon, and the golden orange sky light broke into the city, illuminating the palace, long streets, and squares.
Di Wen’s eyes widened suddenly.
Shi Yuan saw that in the distant horizon, the group of fish that had followed them all the way shuttled in the sky. The dolphins swam freely, the tropical fish dragged their gorgeous long tails, and the whale floated in the golden sea of clouds. If it hadn’t been for them passing by Adesi, Shi Yuan and Lu Tinghan would not have discovered the secret town, nor would they have met Di Wen and the others.
“…Father, is that you?” Di Wen asked softly, “Have you been watching over me?”
There was no answer.
The school of fish disappeared and was swallowed by the sea of clouds.
The glow of the sky disappeared and cloudy rain once again covered it.
The light was just like a fleeting moment.
Lu Tinghan checked the facilities and recorded the situation.
It was time for them to go back. With her back bent, Di Wen walked down with them and took the elevator back to the bottom of the tower.
She asked, “You guys are leaving, right?”
“Yes,” Lu Tinghan said, “The next time we meet, the Alliance will come with the abyss analog signal.”
“Okay.” Di Wen looked at the two of them deeply, “I wish you a safe journey. Don’t worry about us, it’s just a little time, we can hold on. I will arrange for everyone to work, clean up the city, strengthen the defense line, and wait for your team to come back.” She smiled, “Although I can’t be a queen anymore, I can still do this.”
Lu Tinghan: “It’s a deal.”
Di Wen: “It’s a deal.”
Lu Tinghan discussed with everyone in the Alliance, they’d set off tomorrow to return to the main city.
On the last night of staying in Elton, Shi Yuan went sightseeing with Lu Tinghan again.
He sat on 0293’s head, and 0293 shouted once again: “Warning! Warning! Warning!” Two people and one machine walked on the spacious street.
Shi Yuan examined the buildings again.
It was still that weird feeling that he couldn’t describe: many of the roofs were too pointed, the colors of the walls were too dazzling, and the layout of the city was different… Every detail was telling him that this was not the Alliance.
He thought that if he lived in Elton for a long time, he would also like it here.
But at this moment, what he missed was the Alliance City.
He missed the long streets and short alleys, the gentle-toned houses, the regular and straight layout, the flat roofs, the towering towers, and the xuejian flag.
After leaving the Alliance for nearly half a year, he was experiencing such a strange emotion.
He thought that Di Wen and the mole people must have felt the same way.
“Lu Tinghan!” Shi Yuan shouted.
Lu Tinghan stopped when he heard him, and when he looked back, there was an extra Shi Yuan in his arms.
Shi Yuan: “Touch!”
Lu Tinghan rubbed his head, smiled, and said, “Why so suddenly?”
Shi Yuan: “Purr, purr, purr – I know what I’m feeling!”
“What is it?”
“I’m homesick!” Shi Yuan told him, his tone jubilant, as if he had finally figured out a difficult problem, “You’re right, I’m thinking about home! I really miss it!”
Lu Tinghan kissed him: “We’ll leave tomorrow, we’ll go home.”
