As the train pulled away from the platform of Frostfire City, Erich caught sight of the Edmond family's main residence in the distance. Beside him, Irene was flipping through 《On Reincarnation》, her lips moving as she muttered under her breath, likely memorizing some prayer.
The rest of the journey unfolded like a slowly unrolling scroll.
The tundra gradually receded, replaced by vast stretches of coniferous forests. Firs stood tall and straight on both sides of the tracks. As they passed through the Cangling Mountains, tunnels came one after another, casting the carriage in alternating light and shadow. Irene seemed to be quite afraid of the dark; every time they entered a tunnel, she would instinctively grab Erich's sleeve, only to be brushed off by his expressionless face. Once they crossed the mountains, the vegetation outside the window changed once more. Broadleaf forests replaced the conifers, their wide leaves shimmering in various shades of green under the sunlight.
On the morning of the third day, the train entered the territory of Green River Province.
Vineyards. Endless vineyards filled everyone's field of vision.
The railway seemed to have been deliberately built through the most scenic spots. The hills on both sides were covered in grapevines climbing along wooden trellises, shimmering with a nearly translucent green in the August sun. Bunches of unripe grapes hung thickly beneath the frames, some green and others purple. In the distance, a few workers wearing straw hats could occasionally be seen working.
“Beautiful, isn't it?” Irene said, leaning against the window and looking at Erich beside her.
“It's alright.”
But Erich stared for a long time. Ever since he transmigrated, he had either been surviving in uninhabited primordial forests or facing yellow sand and monsters inside the Abyss. Suddenly seeing such a vast expanse of vibrant green made him feel as though he had finally woken up from that nightmare.
In the afternoon, the train stopped at Golden Dew City for a rest. The platform was made of warm yellow crystals and metal, overgrown with ivy—a completely different world compared to the dusty concrete platforms of Ash City.
The doors opened, and a few people boarded.
Erich didn't pay them any mind at first, until a young woman walked into the carriage.
She had long brown hair, wore gold-rimmed glasses, and possessed a tall, voluptuous figure. She was dressed in a finely tailored black-and-white maid outfit. Scanning the carriage, her gaze lingered briefly on Erich before she quietly took a seat in an empty spot.
Irene leaned in and whispered, “She doesn't look like the type of person who would sit in a carriage like this.”
“My grandfather lived to be ninety years old. Do you know why?”
“Why?”
“Because he minded his own business.”
Irene pouted and turned her head away, ignoring Erich.
The train continued south, and the vineyards outside the window gradually turned into wheat fields. After the sun set, the mana wall lamps in the carriage lit up, casting a warm yellow glow.
At night, the train made a temporary stop at an unnamed small station.
Irene stood up and said, “I'm going to the restroom.”
“Mm.”
Erich leaned back in his seat and pulled his legs back to give Irene room to get out. Once the train started moving again, it would only be a few more hours before they reached Radiant City. This four-day journey was finally coming to an end.
As Erich closed his eyes to think, something soft brushed against his legs as it slid into the inner seat. Assuming Irene had returned, Erich kept his eyes closed.
“Erich Edmond.”
It wasn't Irene's voice.
He opened his eyes. The brown-haired woman who had boarded at Golden Dew City was sitting in Irene's seat, turned sideways to look at him.
What was this about? Was she attracted to his good looks? Was she about to confess to him?
While Erich's thoughts were running wild, the woman spoke.
“You clearly looked down on the young lady, yet here you are chatting so happily with a commoner. Was the shock of being exiled from your family so great that it muddled your brain?”
Erich didn't answer. He was frantically searching through his host's memories, trying to figure out who the woman in front of him was. In Erich's opinion, with such a striking presence, his predecessor would definitely have remembered her if he had ever met her.
Unfortunately, he failed, so he could only force a dry smile. “I'm sorry, but who are you?”
The woman looked at him as if looking at a bug.
“You did such terrible things to the young lady, yet now you don't even recognize me.” She stood up, looking down at Erich. “Erich, you are even more... disgusting than I thought.”
She turned and left, just as Irene returned from the restroom, exchanging glances with the passing woman.
“Did you harass her? Why does she look so angry?”
“I don't even know her,” Erich said. “If anything, she harassed me.”
Irene's expression became quite subtle. She hesitated for a moment before lowering her voice.
“You don't know her? She's Margaret, the head maid of Lady Alicia Wayne, the eldest daughter of the Wayne family.”
Erich's left eyelid twitched.
“How do I remember...” Irene's voice grew quieter and quieter. “...that you previously broke off your engagement with Alicia in an extremely high-profile manner?”
Erich put one hand to his forehead and gestured for Irene to shut up with the other.
He remembered.
Alicia Wayne, the purple-haired girl whose engagement his predecessor had publicly and humiliatingly broken off. Damn it, whose script was Alicia playing out? It couldn't be Xiao Huohuo's, could it? Once he arrived at Morningstar Academy, would she point her finger at his nose and say, “Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river, do not look down on a young girl's poverty!” and then, crying of love and courage, lead her companions to beat him to death?
Erich felt a massive headache coming on.
“Are you okay?” Irene asked.
“I'm fine.” Erich adjusted his seat back and closed his eyes. “Going to sleep.”
Escaping is shameful, but useful.
Irene didn't say anything more, and the carriage fell silent once again.
...
In the morning, as soon as Erich opened his eyes, an exquisite breakfast was placed on the small table in front of him. A fried egg, bacon, a slice of buttered bread, and a small glass of juice stood in stark contrast to the dry bread in Irene's hand.
The person who brought the breakfast was Margaret. She bent slightly at the waist, a smile on her face.
“Young Master Erich, please enjoy your breakfast.”
Her tone was gentle and her manners impeccable, but Erich read the message “Don't you dare refuse to eat!” from her completely cold smile.
Fine, I'll eat! How could he, Erich, be afraid of a mere breakfast! Erich picked up his fork, speared a piece of the fried egg, and put it in his mouth. The taste was surprisingly good. Just as he relaxed slightly and was about to spear a piece of bacon, the train suddenly jolted violently.
The plate flew straight out, and Irene slammed her head into the back of the seat in front of her, letting out a muffled groan.
Immediately afterward, all the mana lights on the ceiling of the carriage went out. A dim, translucent barrier descended from the sky, enveloping the entire train. The wheat fields and distant villages outside the window were all filtered into dark silhouettes.
Irene's face turned deathly pale in an instant.
Rate on N.U.
