NOVPUBWith a light jolt, the passengers in the carriage understood that they had arrived at Rock Intersection Station, and the Magic Power Rail Train was slowly coming to a halt.
Outside the window, the grand auditorium of the station gradually loomed into view.
The station’s hall was spacious and brightly lit, with a transparent glass ceiling that let in the faint natural light. On the walls hung the works of local artists, depicting the history and culture of Rock Box Mountain.
Each platform was supported by gigantic stone pillars, which perfectly blended with the body of the station. In the past, trains from the north would often shuttle through the station, connecting the northern city-states with the central and southern parts of Protoss. But now, there were oddly few trains coming into the station, making this bustling station a bit desolate.
Lanci and Sikder stood up from their seats in the carriage, carrying their suitcases.
As they walked down the carriage aisle, they saw several imperial soldiers in uniform patrolling the platform. They were dressed in black uniforms, all holding gleaming weapons in their hands.
Each soldier had an expressionless face, as if they were part of Rock Intersection Station, solemn and resolute.
The merchant passengers seemed a bit uneasy, carefully stepping off the train, trying not to make too much eye contact with the soldiers.
There were two passages from the platform level to the hall level of the station.
Either they transfer to the interchange side or exit the station.
The vast majority of passengers headed for the exit.
Lanci and Sikder walked down the passage of the interchange, noticing fewer and fewer people around them.
Only when they nearly reached the checkpoint did they see the empire soldiers guarding it.
In front of the inspection table, a medium-built military officer with a firm face, the medal on his left chest probably indicating that he was a captain, stood guard. His eyes were sharp, and he was vigilant of every citizen of the empire who appeared.
Lanci and Sikder looked at each other and continued towards the inspection table.
As they approached the captain, he glanced at them with a stern look.
"Name, identity, and destination."
The captain’s voice was low and strong.
"Rocky McCarthy is my companion, Sikder Novia. We are priests from the capital Herram, responsible for assisting the northern division in performing official duties."
Lanci maintained his calm, handing over his and Sikder’s travel documents and credentials, stating nonchalantly.
Although he was prepared for a lack of welcome, he spoke the truth, and the captain should not cause them too many difficulties.
The captain nodded and picked up a magical instrument from the table to check their credentials.
"So you are priests of the Nirvana Branch."
Confirming their identities, the captain’s tone became much more amicable, returning their credentials.
This made Lanci and Sikder exchange glances again.
It turns out that the reputation of the Nirvana Branch in the north is not low, even the junior officers of the empire would treat them with respect.
In the southern provinces, the Rebirth Church was not welcomed.
Perhaps it does border the war zone.
When it’s safe, the Rebirth Church is the most dangerous, but during dangerous times, they represent safety.
Amidst the threat of war and the unknown fear, forming an alliance with the Rebirth Church feels like leaning on darkness.
"If the two of you plan to transfer in the direction of the Xi Bei Province, you probably have to wait until tomorrow morning. Because of the blizzards in the north, there are large delays for the trains. If you plan to continue traveling north, I’m afraid it will be a very long wait."
The captain added regretfully.
Although he wasn’t aware of the priests’ specific travel plans, but in this city, if they didn’t return home, there were only two directions to choose from.
"We want to go further north. Why is the wait so long?"
Lanci planned to only go to Hezishan Province to undergo the passing inspection, then buy a ticket to continue north and take Sikder with him to investigate the dangerous northern front lines. But it seemed that the northbound traffic was quite challenging.
Sikder, who was beside him, didn’t say anything and only waited for Lanci’s decision. She had handed over the responsibility of the trip to him and only helped with the fighting when needed.
"Actually, it’s not recommended to continue going north."
The captain hesitated.
"Has something happened in the north?"
Lanci asked in confusion.
"The railway in the north has a key node that’s broken, and it’s hard to fix under the snow. There haven’t been any trains coming from the north for a few days, so you can either travel overland by other means or wait until the city-state fixes the railway."
The captain took out a map, circling the route and malfunction area on it with his finger,
"Also, it’s said that many people have disappeared up north this year, and the public order is very chaotic. You guys should be careful."
The captain lowered his voice, reminding them.
"There’s been such a thing?"
Lanci’s eyebrows furrowed.
"Not only that, a special investigator from the capital came here a few days ago. I don’t know what happened, but the governor of Hezishan Province also dispatched an investigation team to go north for field investigations."
"If the two of you plan to continue north, it would be better not to proceed after reaching Chinston City. The weather is terrible and the terrain is extremely complicated. Without the help of locals, let alone all the other dangers, you could be buried by mountain snow or freeze to death."
The captain seemed to want to avoid touching too deeply on this subject, quickly changing the subject and asking whether the two needed help contacting a place to stay in the city tonight.
He could tell that these two elites from the capital were not weak, and in their locality, they would already be exceptionally excellent and powerful talents.
However, the area ahead on the map was not something that young people could handle.
...
Not lingering at the checkpoint for too long, the two men bid farewell to the captain and walked back towards the hall.
"Scared yet? Be careful, we might get kidnapped together."
Seeing Lanci had been quiet for a while, Sikder joked.
Originally, going north was just Lanci’s whim. Sikder didn’t mind accompanying him according to the original itinerary to catch the infiltrated agents of the Aestheland Kingdom and believers of the Church of the Goddess of Destiny in the Saint of Nirvana’s Xi Bei Province.
Going further north was obviously very dangerous, while the Xi Bei Province was much safer.
Lanci stroked his chin, his expression serious as if contemplating deeply.
"The more chaotic the place, the more it needs me."
Lanci muttered to himself.
"?"
The cat boss lurking in the shadow frowned at Lanci’s words.
Lanci was saying something very righteous.
But to it, it sounded very scary.
It had heard about the things this guy had done in the Cathedral Shadow World. 𝔫𝔬𝖛𝖕𝔲𝖇.𝖈𝖔𝖒
This guy was a kidnapper himself!
He was always ready to extract people’s organs from the Blood Clan!
