253 – By Train
The steps on the way back were surprisingly not that heavy.
Starting with the foundation’s search and seizure, there are still a mountain of problems that have piled up, but it is thanks to the sense of accomplishment that comes with solving them one by one.
In addition, I couldn’t ignore the impact of talking with Sharon all night and sharing secrets, which made me feel lighter than before.
[Hmm. The first one seems to have already been decided.]
“Yes? What first?”
[It’s nothing, so you don’t need to worry.]
The goddess, who had been muttering meaningful things to herself audibly, leaving out only the subject, whether she had intended it or not, when I asked her, she casually ignored her and acted the other way.
I was very concerned that he was so vague, but it was obvious that he wouldn’t answer if I questioned him, so I decided to just ignore it for now. Just looking at it, it seems to be an extension of the trivial things we always say.
Now it was time to clearly decide on the next destination.
I had to go to the academy again after the weekend, so I needed to work diligently to finish it within today, if possible.
Now that I think about it, I went on a field trip, so the semester is coming to an end.
I want to rest comfortably during the vacation.
In order to do so, we must break this tangled prophecy as quickly as possible.
Once again, I recalled my purpose, ignited my enthusiasm, and began to devise a plan.
Thanks to Sharon’s advice, I have already decided who I should meet now.
Hayang and the chief engineer. Which of those two should I meet first?
The answer came out quickly.
The head of the institution takes priority. There are many reasons, but the biggest one is that he promised to answer my questions.
If you meet Hayang after getting a little more information, you may be able to find more clues through him.
In addition, meeting Hayang takes place in the mirror world, so it does not waste time.
At a time when we don’t know how long the conversation with the head of the institution will take, it would be at least a little more efficient to set the time for that side first.
From Noble mtl dot com
Now that the conclusion was reached, I didn’t hesitate and walked straight to the magic engineering station.
I was a little tired, probably because I stayed up all night, but it wasn’t too late to get a good night’s sleep after meeting the two people, so I decided to put it off for a while.
“This place looks familiar now.”
I still vividly remember the mysterious atmosphere I felt when I first arrived here from London Station.
This unique feeling, as if some strange flow was covering the space, was made even more perfect by the fact that there was no one at the station.
I’ve already been to that place a few times and looked at it, so I no longer felt the excitement I felt at first. Instead, it feels as friendly and welcoming as the subway station on the way to work.
I sat down on a random chair and began to wait leisurely for the train to arrive.
Should I call it leisure in the busy daily life?
As I tried to wait quietly without doing anything, my eyelids naturally became heavy and my eyes automatically closed.
I realized that I had almost fallen into a flood without realizing it, so I stood up, rubbing my eyes, and stretched.
Come to your senses. It was not the time to be like this.
In the upcoming conversation with the head of the institution, you can’t doze off and miss a single word.
As I started to think about what to talk about when I went inside and met with the director, Jamgiun quickly ran away.
‘He’s the head of the institution…’
As I was thinking about his unusual behavior, I recalled a memory from a few days ago.
Apart from his unconventional appearance, he was trustworthy enough to appear as if a light was shining from behind when he appeared at a time of crisis, blocking the Count’s attack.
To be honest, he had been chatting so hard that it hurt my ears, but I had never seen anything of this kind, so I didn’t recognize it, but the head of the organization was a transcendent person who was on a par with the operator.
I became clearly aware of this fact through the battle with the Count of Monte Cristo.
The Count, who was given the power of the sun god and had a fighting power comparable to that of a transcendent under sunlight, was defeated with an overwhelming margin, as if he was fighting a child.
He casually used cutting-edge weapons that were far beyond the current era, as if to prove his status as a magic engineering member. He has a laser cannon that doesn’t match his cowboy hat at all or something.
Although he was a transcendent with such powerful fighting power, he seemed bound by one duty.
Guarding the train.
I don’t know if it was a mission given to him by someone, or a mission he chose himself, but recalling his conversation with the Count, it was clear that the engineer was moving to protect the train.
And he said that saving my life was also part of that purpose.
In other words, you can assume that my fate is somehow related to the train.
For now, we have no choice but to stop at this level of speculation, but for more details, you can ask the person directly from now on, so it’s okay.
Of course, it is unlikely that the head of the organization will tell us everything. There may be restrictions on what you can talk about, and you may not know everything you’re curious about.
“Ah.”
Just when my thoughts were about to become endless, I noticed a train coming onto the tracks with bright lights from afar.
The time has finally come.
I strengthened my resolve once again as I watched the train slowly slowing down.
When I boarded the stopped train, the inner compartment was empty as usual.
Every time I see it, there are no passengers, so how on earth is it running?
Why are they trying so desperately to protect this underused train in the first place?
The doubts that arose in my head were pushed aside by the appearance of the head of the organization.
“Oh. “You came earlier than I thought.”
I bowed my head to the man who waved his hand and greeted me and first expressed my gratitude.
“Thank you for saving me at that time.”
“What are we doing between us? Besides, I think I received a thank you message last time.”
What is our relationship? Between being stuck in a train all day and being forced to chat?
Hmm. No matter what, there was no reason to decline if the other person expressed interest in me.
For now, we have to accept even the smallest favor.
“How are you feeling?”
“Thanks to you, I’m fine.”
“That’s a good thing! “It would be a big problem if you got hurt.”
When you first hear it, you may think that it is just a word of concern for my safety, but if it seems like there is a different meaning hidden in the expression ‘big deal’, is that too much of an interpretation?
“Anyway, where is our destination today?”
“I didn’t board to go somewhere. “I rode because I had someone to meet.”
He let out a sly exclamation behind his mask, perhaps knowing it all but asking on purpose.
“Oh my. Could it be that the person you’re meeting is me?”
“You know very well.”
“I see. “Like you said back then, you probably came because you wanted to ask me something.”
The atmosphere changed drastically as the director’s voice became lower.
“Are you ready to hear everything?”
I nodded slowly, swallowing dry saliva.
“That’s a nice expression. Then, let’s take a seat first. “It’s dangerous to stand when the train is leaving.”
“I’m thinking of going to another area anyway…”
“It’s okay. It’s not a story that will end briefly. And the train shouldn’t stop for a long time.”
Since you said that, I had no real reason to refuse.
Well, it’s a nuisance to keep stopping the train while I’m talking just because of myself. No matter how empty the train appears, there may be other passengers.
“Tsk. “You can sit here too.”
“···Yes.”
The engineer calmly sits down on an empty seat and pats the seat next to him.
As I crouched down next to him, the nightmare from the last time I went to the academic conference quietly appeared.
There will probably be just as many stories now as there were then.
The difference is that at the time it was just gossip that didn’t contain even 1% of nutritional value, but now it’s so important that not even a single word can be passed over in vain.
As soon as I took my seat, the train departed smoothly. Contrary to his warning that it was dangerous to stand, the train was so quiet and cozy that you wouldn’t even notice it had started unless you looked at the scenery outside the window.
“I’ve decided to tell you what you’re curious about, so feel free to ask questions first.”
What should I ask first? Many questions came to mind, but I decided to start by pointing out what the other person was most likely to know.
“What exactly is magical engineering? Why is that technology that will destroy the world?”
Right now, this train is also a product of technology driven by magical engineering.
The operator gave a rough explanation, but that alone is not enough. I had to clearly understand how this technology related to Hayang would destroy the world.
He crossed his arms and was lost in his thoughts for a moment as if choosing an answer, then slowly opened his mouth.