The Wisteria Train 18

The two of them quickly gave chase in Vigi's direction.

Before heading out, Yan Zheng looked back at Arbiter and gave a slight nod as if to convey something, then walked out into the curtain of rain with Zhou Caiwei, following close behind Vigi.

Only Bai Ci and Arbiter were left in the dining car. Raindrops pelted against the windows, making a pitter-patter sound.

“Arbiter, what else can we do?” Bai Ci asked, looking at Arbiter.

Yan Zheng had arranged their actions so swiftly and decisively, and Arbiter had raised no objections. Coupled with that look back just now, it was clear Arbiter had her own plans.

Arbiter nodded appreciatively. As expected of the NPC she had chosen, she was indeed clever. Arbiter did indeed have something she planned to do, requiring her to split up from Yan Zheng.

“My dearest friend, the dining car is safe for now. My vassal Yan Zheng and the righteous Zhou Caiwei have already set forth, venturing deep into the mist to track those cryptic clues. At this moment, there is a matter for which I must earnestly petition your aid.”

Bai Ci looked at her and nodded. “Go ahead. As long as it's within my power, I will do my best to help.”

“I wish to request that you guide me to Carriage One. That trainmaster, Wisteria—I deeply suspect he is inextricably linked to the bizarre calamities plaguing this train.”

“I must personally go to investigate his background and unravel his disguises and conspiracies. In this desperate plight, his true face may very well be the key opportunity for us to break through.”

Arbiter paused, then added, “My eye harbors the power of judgment bestowed by the abyss, sufficient to tear through empty facades and pierce the meticulously woven disguises of those entities.”

“However, this investigation must be conducted in utmost secrecy. We must not alert him in the slightest, lest the gears of fate shift once more and the predicament grows even more severe. For this, I require your full assistance.”

Did she mean she had an investigation-type skill? Or was she just highly proficient in psychology?

Having heard so much chuunibyou talk, Bai Ci was starting to find it hard to distinguish what Arbiter actually meant.

After all, a player whose class was Magical Girl had skills centered around love and miracles; there was no telling what kind of bizarre things she might pull out.

Was she merely describing reality with grand exaggeration, or did she truly possess such a skill or a similar item?

It was impossible to tell truth from fiction.

Though Bai Ci's mind was racing, she didn't hesitate in her response, immediately agreeing, “Alright, I'll take you there.”

“Carriage One doesn't have many passengers, so it's relatively safe. If you all need a place to rest later, you can come find me there as well.”

Her mind was wandering all over the place, yet her speech remained smooth and uninterrupted, and her responses never felt out of place.

Thanks to the various types of customers she had encountered since starting work, Bai Ci had thoroughly trained this ability.

She never expected she would be able to put it to such good use in an Anomalous Infection instance.

“That you would accept my petition without the slightest hesitation, and remain willing to brave danger for me in this chaotic trial ground to help me seek the forbidden truth... such friendship far outweighs even the bonds of destiny.”

“I have engraved this in my heart. When the time comes to hide and recuperate, Yan Zheng and I shall follow your trail, and we will absolutely not disturb you rashly.”

Arbiter clasped her hands together. To have rolled such a friendly NPC, her class skill was truly too useful.

She bowed slightly, performing a solemn gesture. “This favor, I swear in the name of the abyss and the rules, shall never be forgotten.”

In plain terms: she was absolutely going to protect this NPC.

Without delaying any further, the two stood up and walked out of the dining car.

The announcement over the broadcast that food would only last for a single day had already caused a stir among the passengers.

The fatigue on the faces of the once-drowsy passengers had vanished, replaced by panic and urgency, with only a select few remaining calm.

Some passengers began crowding toward the dining car in groups.

Bai Ci and Arbiter happened to be walking against the flow of the crowd. Fortunately, it was obvious neither of them was hiding anything, and they were empty-handed, so the panicked passengers didn't bother them much.

They didn't even run into a single crew member, and the two of them quickly arrived at the door of Carriage One.

Logically speaking, in a situation like this, crew members should have been maintaining order instead of leaving everyone to their own devices.

But then again, none of the crew members on this train were decent, dedicated employees anyway.

Bai Ci pulled on the door, but it didn't budge.

Clearly, it had been locked from the inside.

It seemed that during the chaos earlier, other passengers had also noticed something was wrong and tried to seek help from the crew through Carriage One, only to fail in the end.

Just as Bai Ci was wondering whether Marg inside the carriage would hear her if she called out for someone to open the door, or if the people in the carriages behind her would hear first and block her path—

At that moment, the door suddenly opened from the inside.

The person who opened the door was somewhat unexpected to Bai Ci—it was Wisteria.

He, however, did not seem surprised by who was behind the door. He stepped aside to let them in, a standard, polite smile still plastered on his face, as if he weren't part of the crew that had already shed some of their pretenses to broadcast malicious announcements.

“Miss Lora, please come in.”

Inside Carriage One, Violita was still sitting in his wheelchair. For once, he wasn't resting with his eyes closed but was in a state of alert.

Marg stood guard by his side, watching the doorway warily. Seeing that it was Bai Ci, he gave her a slight nod but didn't say a word.

Wisteria closed the door behind him and guided Bai Ci to her seat, his tone respectful.

“Miss Lora, I heard you went to the dining car, so I specially brought some pastries and black tea for you and Mr. Violita to help you regain your strength.”

As he spoke, he picked up the teapot from the tray on the side table and poured a cup of hot tea for Bai Ci.

Since this hadn't been tested for poison using Grow with Time, how could Bai Ci possibly dare to drink it?

Her gaze swept over to Violita in the adjacent seat. He was also holding a teacup, but he wasn't drinking either—it was purely to warm his hands.

Arbiter was a head shorter than Bai Ci. After all, she was a Magical Girl.

Using Bai Ci as cover, she could safely fix her gaze on Wisteria.

Arbiter reached up and pinched her white eyepatch, pulling open a small gap to observe through.

Beneath the eyepatch was a blue eye.

This eye was the medium for one of her skills, "Condemnation".

Condemnation could see through all the negative emotions in the world—be it malice, hatred, jealousy, fear, despair, or greed.

Before this eye, they would have nowhere to hide, manifesting as black mist of varying densities wrapping around a person's body.

However, this skill did not come without a price. Looking through it for too long would burn her eye, causing severe pain. If she encountered someone with overly intense negative emotions, she would suffer a backlash, which would affect her vision or even damage her mind.

Therefore, she usually kept this eye covered with her eyepatch, never easily uncovering it unless she encountered a critical situation.

Back in the dining car, the reason Arbiter had actively struck up a conversation with Bai Ci was not just because Bai Ci came from the carriages ahead and might provide information.

More importantly, she had confirmed the aura on Bai Ci.