Train (2)

"Huh?" Inger frowned in confusion.

Alex came over while biting a piece of scallion oil crispy bread. "Hahahaha, isn't that you? Nice photo!"

The front page of the local newspaper was printed with a photo of the gray, masked figure of Inger in the air, casting a spell, just enough to incorporate the whale floating in the distance into the scenery.

The composition is very good, and Inger's figure is captured very heroically.

The huge title is particularly eye-catching: Hero wizard saves the beach and treats the injured.

"What a joke! Have you forgotten that we are traveling in secret?" Inger pressed Alex on the head.

[This world already has the most basic cameras. When I was reading a newspaper before, the image was so blurry that I thought it was a pencil drawing... When was this taken...?]

[Also, why me? Shouldn't I be the protagonist?! ]

"It doesn't print your face anyway." Alex smiled and put a blue fruit into his mouth.

When you bite into it, the juice bursts in your mouth. The skin is thick and juicy, sweet and sour. The color is not good-looking, but the taste is a bit like a cherry tomato.

Chijian, who had fallen on the chair, yawned and woke up, shouting, "I want to eat too!"

Alex stuffed the old, rusty sword into his mouth.

"Well, this one didn't kill many people, it just wasn't well maintained."

"This one spent some time on the battlefield."

"This is delicious! I've fought with many people! It's full of spiritual energy!"

Inger listened to the sword eating and smacking his lips. He was speechless and amused. He took another cup of milk tea and read the newspaper while drinking.

The second page, which should have been the front page, featured photos of the Lunar East Station and the Royal Etro.

[Official completion of West Station, first launch ceremony of Etro]

“Finally here.”

They played in the city for more than ten days, visited almost every corner of Luoyue City, and finally waited for the news of the train departure.

As expected, when the two packed up and arrived at the East Station, the platform was already packed with people inside and outside.

People didn't want to miss the first train, so they blocked the glass wall of the East Station, making it impossible for anyone who wanted to enter the station to get in.

Inger tapped the magic wand disguised as a cane, and the two were teleported to the back of the platform.

When he boarded the bus, the conductor put a small stamp on his ticket, which was a magic stamp.

They were called tickets, but to prevent them from being lost or damaged, they were made into coins with painted iron, and had his family name and the train time written on parchment paper.

The person who was printing the stamp was numbly printing it and reading out the names at the same time. When he saw Inger's name, he suddenly woke up and was about to speak, but was stopped by Inger.

Inger whispered in the passenger's ear: "Please, don't tell anyone I'm on this train."

Neka is the biggest investor of this train, and his relatives can be said to be second only to the royal guests.

The attendant nodded repeatedly. After he stamped the document, he turned around and gestured inside, and a female attendant came out.

She smiled gently and politely, "Please sit in the front."

Alex fully integrated into the role of Inger's follower, carrying two pieces of luggage and a lot of bags behind Inger.

Inger gave Alex's ticket to the conductor just in case.

But in order to hide the identity, no name was written on the ticket.

But perhaps out of consideration for Alex, who was born in the royal family, Duke Pendlija was unwilling to give the prince a vassal ticket, so he gave him a VIP ticket.

But the passenger was puzzled.

"Please wait a moment, this..."

Inger smiled and said, "What's the problem?"

“Uh…no…” the passenger choked.

Because the magic seal was stamped on it, proving that it was an authenticated ticket.

He thought that maybe high-ranking nobles were just generous enough to buy VIP tickets for a servant. Of course, only insiders could do such a thing, and he couldn't afford to offend them.

"No...nothing...Have a nice trip."

Inger nodded and went in, with Alex following happily behind him.

After putting down their luggage and sitting down, Alex whispered in Inger's ear: "Didn't you see the look in that passenger's eyes just now?"

"Um?"

"That look seems to be saying: 'Noble dogs live better than humans' hahahahahahaha"

Inger was disgusted by his bad taste, pushed him aside and said, "That noble is still a dog of the royal family. Stop talking about this and sit down."

"How can the nobles be called the royal dogs... If anything, it would be more appropriate to call them jackals?" Alex opened the car window and said thoughtfully.

Surrounded by jackals and wolves, a tiger or leopard will be eaten alive if it shows even the slightest sign of weakness.

Inger knew exactly how Alex felt, being stared at by thousands of eyes.

He squinted at Alex and said, "I am one of the jackals you mentioned. Do I look like one?"

Alex looked back with a smile in his eyes: "You look like a rabbit."

Timid, cautious, sensitive, runs away faster than anyone else, but freezes at critical moments.

Inger kicked him. "Huh? Did you say anything?"

“…………”

The fact that people kick others when they are angry is also very similar.

***

The first train was almost fully occupied, but seating and baggage checking were slow and took some time.

This was something new to Inger.

There was a gun in his suitcase, although he didn't intend to do anything with it. But because he cast an invisibility spell, nothing could be detected. The security system was still too backward.

Moreover, the luggage is checked after passengers get on the bus. Since most of the passengers are nobles, the staff on the bus do not dare to rummage through it casually.

There are even fewer seats than you might have guessed. Each carriage can hold thirty or forty people at most. However, this is a VIP carriage, and there are probably more people in the rear carriage for some lucky citizens who have been chosen.

"How many people do you think can sit if the seats are removed?" Alex asked, his chin in his hand.

"One session, if you squeeze it, it's over a hundred, close to two hundred."

"One line still doesn't feel like enough."

"It's already very difficult to build the main line, so we need to build a few more branch lines, and it would be best if they could connect several large granaries and military bases in various territories."

This line was probably originally built for passenger transport, and most of the investors were wealthy nobles. Later, freight carriages were added at the order of the princess.

While everyone else was talking about how comfortable the magic train was, Alex and the other person were only talking about the war.

If this line can be operated well, it will undoubtedly play a huge role in the war.

Inger said a few words to Alex and turned to observe the environment inside the car.

The seats in the VIP carriage are relatively spacious, with one person sitting face to face, and two people sitting side by side is actually quite spacious as well, all with soft leather cushions.

The lights by the windows are all magic stone lights.

“Isn’t this too extravagant?”

Alex laughed and said, "Your house is full of these lights, and you say that?"

Inger rolled his eyes at him: "Not everyone is so rich."

"Hahahaha, it's even more infuriating knowing you didn't say that on purpose."

Alex continued, "I just looked at the rear carriage from outside. It was all lit by gas lamps, candles, and oil lamps. They are not lit during the day. I guess this is the only section with this. I also saw a wizard on board. I guess it can be used as an emergency backup energy source."

“That makes sense.”

Inger said, "I want to go to the back carriage and take a look."

Alex looked at him in surprise, then quickly shook his head: "I just went to the last section, and it smelled like tobacco and motor oil, and there were people holding children, and it was a bit noisy. You hate messy smells, right?"

Inger came over and asked, "Don't you smell strange?"

"I washed it and brought it back."

"Okay." He really hated the smell of tobacco.

There aren't many male teachers in high schools, but without exception, they all smoke during breaks.

They obviously shouldn't set a bad example for the students, but they gather together in the smoking area.

He didn't like running into them in the hallway smelling of cigarettes.

"By the way, do we need to buy so much food?"

In addition to the two pieces of luggage, the most things they brought were food and drinks, as well as two sets of sheets and pillows that they bought temporarily.

Alex looked at other nobles and saw that they were all taking things as simply as possible. After all, they had money and could buy food anywhere.

Inger chuckled.

He just observed that although this train has a canteen, it does not have many things prepared. It may stop at some major city stations along the way, but the distance between two stations is far and the time is long. The train cannot run all day and all night, and may need to stop in some suburbs at night.

At present, the density of cities is not enough, especially near the tracks. Temporary merchants who rush out when the train stops have no chance to find business opportunities. If they are not well prepared, they may go hungry halfway.

Most people who take this train go to the West Station, the terminal station. Most of them have to spend these seven days and six nights on the train, which is not an easy task. It is not possible to find a hotel every night.

"Ah, I see people in the back carriage are also carrying large and small bags."

Inger replied vaguely: "This is also a survival strategy for the poor."

At this moment, the train attendant closed the door and came in and said loudly: "The Royal Etro is closing its doors. Passengers who have not yet boarded will not be waited for. Passengers who have already boarded please put your luggage away carefully and sit down. The train is about to depart."

Inger couldn't help but chuckle.

Because I used to listen to the same old broadcasts, but later they went in one ear and out the other. Now it seems new to me.

Alex didn't understand what was so funny and stared at him curiously.

Outside the train, a man was holding a gong and knocking it, driving the crowd away and reminding people to depart.

The huge crowd outside the platform gave deafening cheers.

There are no huge chimneys and thick black smoke.

With a click, the wheels connected to the shafts began to rumble. It was very difficult to move this long dragon.

Alex stuck his head out of the window excitedly.

[Like the big golden retriever riding in a car for the first time in a certain movie. ]

Inger raised the corners of his mouth slightly again, without even noticing it.

【It’s a pity that the tongue can’t stick out. 】

As soon as the car started, it began to accelerate and the wind rushed in instantly.

Inger turned to the window and was instantly confused by his long hair.

Alex turned around and saw him, and burst into laughter.

Inger kicked him in the shin and Alex jumped up.

Inger took off the hair tie and tied her hair while saying, "When we speed up later, don't stick your head out. Be careful not to get cut by branches and turn into a ball that rolls out and you can't get it back."

Alex pulled back with a dry laugh. "You say horrible things sometimes."

After saying this, he couldn't help but look at Inger.

Because Gu Shu would occasionally tie ponytails for the girls in the orphanage, and he only knew how to tie ponytails, he just tied a high ponytail.

His hair was smooth, not fluffy, and didn't look very thick, but it was already quite long, a thin strand that rested on his shoulders and hung to his chest.

The pure and flawless long black hair is a delight to the eyes.

Because he usually tied his hair up casually, he always looked a little lazy. Now that he tied his hair into a high ponytail, his spirit changed instantly.

I am full of life and energy. I have been eating well recently and my complexion is very good. The damage caused by the two serious illnesses seems to be an illusion.

Alex couldn't help but wonder.

[It would be nice if this journey could continue forever. ]

At this time, Inger's mind was full of other thoughts, a mess.

[Broadcast, broadcast... Video communication is relatively useless, but what about voice? Make a magic tool for voice communication? The telephone should be invented soon, but it is not as convenient as a magic tool. In the past, people used to connect to the line, and smartphones are still nearly a hundred years away...]

[Trains are still too slow. Using magic to teleport can also get there in six days. As for airplanes, I wonder if they are working on them? Passenger airplanes are not that fast...]

A lot of clear memories flashed through my mind, mixed with a mess of thoughts, giving me a headache.

At the same time, the noisy voices in my ears faded away, leaving only the sound of the wheels rolling.

As the train drove into the open land, the scenery suddenly brightened. The distant hills undulated and the tender green grass was like the finest satin spread on the flat plains. The sky was clear and blue, with light clouds surrounding the peaks. Occasionally, a few exquisite small towns and a few herds of black and white cows, sheep and horses grazing could be seen.

Like a carefully staged scene from a movie set in Northern Europe.

Inger was shocked by the refreshing wind blowing in his face and almost held his breath.

His eyes seemed to be washed by water, captured by the bright scenery.

Gu Shu had never been abroad before. He was not used to the unfamiliar environment, had no one to guide him, disliked socializing, did not have much money, and was content to stay in his own little home.

The farthest place I went was Tibet. The days of teaching there were not so much fun as miserable. Occasionally, when I went to other cities, I always saw tall walls standing in a row when I took the train. In the 21st century, few people can appreciate the scenery of trains from the bottom of their hearts. Most people are in a hurry.

But, at this moment, he could say that he fell in love with the scenery of this world.

Large areas of natural land that have not yet been encroached upon by industrialization and urbanization.

Trees, grasslands and shrubs grow wildly.

The waterfall and river are clear and spotless.

The occasional herds of cattle are like strange ornaments.

Empty your mind and enjoy it purely.

Inger leaned his arms against the window, his chin supported by his palms, blinked gently, and followed the scenery that was being pulled away by the horizon with his eyes, with an unconscious smile on his face.

Alex also saw his smile, which was a kind of peace and satisfaction that came from the heart.

This was the first time he knew it.

[So, you can still smile like this...]