Above The Sky
Chapter 490 - 490 459 The Vehicle Killer 33

490: Chapter 459: The Vehicle Killer (3/3) 490: Chapter 459: The Vehicle Killer (3/3) The Alchemy Train was of course not just for passengers; it was also loading a vast amount of cargo.

As the latter half of the train cars were still being loaded and unloaded, all passengers were waiting.

Ian used Fairy Perception to observe the crowd that was busy with the moving tasks nearby.

They were working fervently, even employing a special Alchemy device that could, under the control of a single person, latch onto larger boxes like a magnet, transferring them to the ground before releasing the magnetic grip.

Alchemy devices had already been widely employed in the civilian production surrounding the Imperial Capital.

This had not yet become commonplace in Harrison Port.

Without transportation capabilities, massive production power would not exist…

Regardless of how the Black King was extolled by later generations, the foundation he laid for the Setar Empire was so solid, and all his successors needed to remember this.

After the loading and unloading were completed, the train gradually started to move.

As the Alchemy Furnace Core at the front began to hum, a sound akin to a torrential downpour arose, stirring gusts of wind between heaven and earth.

Rumble rumble rumble rumble—the wheels turned, and the massive Iron Behemoth moved forward.

The Alchemy Train’s locomotive, painted in silver and black, lit up with a hazy shield’s flash on its exterior, carrying the carriages behind it as it sped away.

Outside the window, Bart’s Grand Station was rapidly retreating, getting smaller, and the roads closer to the train became a blur due to the high-speed movement.

Only the sunset gradually descending from the sky seemed stable, staying in its original place.

But this was only temporary.

Soon, night fell, and many passengers chose to turn off the lights beside their seats, preparing to rest for a while to the soothing sounds of violin music played on the train.

The Alchemy Train network was built during the mid-Era of the Black King.

At that time, the First Knight had already cleared almost all the Magical Beast Nests in the Central Great Plains of the Empire, and the Empire’s core territories were wholly owned by Humans.

Numerous towns and farmlands were established and developed, and the Alchemy Train network was part of the decade-long major construction plan.

After leaving the grand station, the train gradually approached the agricultural area.

The central region of the Setar Empire was an exceptionally vast plain, so abnormally extensive that it had no mountains, although there were still forests, rivers, and hills.

But fundamentally, flat terrains predominated.

The Iron Behemoth raced on, with verdant farmlands receding rapidly on either side of the tracks.

Even with the train, it was quite an extended journey.

Ian and the Frost Butterfly always watched intently.

Following the vibration of the tracks, they passed by Black Ming Lake; the vast fishing grounds next to Kamor City were also captivating in the darkness of the night.

As forests flitted by, they watched Falling Star Hills.

The Dwarven towns here were always bustling with enthusiasm, and the fires within them were ceaselessly alight even deep into the night.

At the stopping stations, they gazed out at the vast orchards.

The Royal Agricultural Department’s livestock Experimental Gardens and new planting zones were located here, and the large white domes almost made them mistake the place for the snowy Northern Territory.

The train, starting up again, led the young man and the fairy closer to the heart of a thriving Terra Kingdom.

They saw the ruins of an ancient city, a former Pre-Era Labyrinth that had been decrypted and was now a tourist attraction, allowing descendants to venerate the Glory of bygone times.

There was a track on the bridge spanning 1,500 meters over the Quiran River.

This place used to be a city-state fortress guarding the river, but it had now become a hub of commerce and workshops, with a bustling crowd that was far more unstoppable than the armies that had crossed here hundreds of years ago.

Riding the train, Ian and the two Fae journeyed past profound lakes and undulating hills, over vast woodlands and farmlands, as time flowed between sunlight and dark night.

They were headed for distant places.

This rare leisure time, with no one hunting them, and no journey like that in South Ridge filled with Magical Beasts everywhere, was indeed quite relaxing to be honest.

And it was in such an environment that the Frost Butterfly gradually accepted the various knowledge and common sense that Ian and Hua’an taught her.

“I see…

So that’s how it is.

I completely understand now,”

The Little Fairy showed a moment of realization, and although it was unclear exactly what she had comprehended, the fact that she could fluently make such a remark proved that the Frost Butterfly had indeed learned well recently, and she would definitely have no problems with normal human interactions.

As for inadvertently saying something strange, when it came to Humans, Fae were always saying odd things, so it wasn’t really a big deal.

“So this is what it’s like to travel in a train, leisurely enjoying the scenery; it has its own beauty…

Last time I got so impatient halfway through that I got off and walked on my own.”

Taking the sentiments now expressed by Hua’an as an example, the Fairy Miss nodded thoughtfully, “Have you ridden the Alchemy Train before, Ian?

Somehow, you seem very familiar with and seem to really enjoy this experience.”

“Not at all,”

Ian shook his head, telling the truth: “I’ve never ridden an Alchemy Train before, this is a novel experience for me too—in South Ridge, I never even left Harrison Port, busy all day with alchemy, alchemy, alchemy, with no time to enjoy the scenery.”

“That’s why I’m feeling so happy now,” he said softly, looking out the window at the forest that was slowly decelerating.

“That must have been tough,” Hua’an seriously commented, “I remember in our fairy language we have a term to describe that kind of life…

What’s it called…

‘salaryman’?”

“It sounds like your years in Harrison Port were quite ‘salaryman-like’ indeed!”

“Pfft.” Ian couldn’t help it and burst out laughing—being with the Fae always inexplicably made him happy, “How come the Fairy Homeland would have this phrase?

Shouldn’t it be from Human nations instead?”

“It could be from Humans.” Hua’an twirled her umbrella, seemingly lost in memory, “Because in our Fae Spirit Energy Network, there’s all sorts of memories, and it’s hard to tell which are our own and which belong to Humans…

or other creatures?”

“Even occasionally stumbling upon very ancient things.”

Spirit Energy Network?

Hearing this, Ian felt a stir in his heart.

He indeed knew of the invisible vast web connecting the Fae, a network closely entwined with the flows of Natural Spirit Energy…

but now was not the time to inquire about it.

He decided to wait until he reached the Imperial Capital to ask more about the Spirit Energy Network.

The journey has been quite pleasant until now.

That was until the Alchemy Train came to a stop beside Hexaflower City, and several seemingly Ordinary passengers boarded the train.

At the moment, a light rain was drizzling outside, quite unlike the rains Ian was accustomed to in the South Ridge, but the atmosphere indeed suddenly became uncomfortably damp.

Ian slightly turned his head.

He noticed that in the carriage behind him, a large group of new passengers noisily boarded the train.

Among those passengers…

there were several Sublimators.

Initially, the young man didn’t pay much attention to this fact.

After all, the closer one gets to the Imperial Capital, the more Sublimators there are, which is normal.

It’s like not seeing many physics doctors in a remote small town, but next to the capital’s university town, you might encounter several at once.

But here’s the issue…

even next to the Imperial Capital, the frequency of Sublimators appearing seemed a bit high.

The second time the train stopped, near the Brody Agricultural Trade Zone, two more Sublimators boarded.

This time they were in the front carriage, and their presence wasn’t suspicious, per se, but it was certainly not that of an Ordinary person.

This time, Ian became alert—He watched Frost Butterfly and Hua’an closely, noticing that their aura hardly changed, and if anything, it got even better.

“That’s right, with a Second Energy Level fairy here, what danger could they possibly be in?”

Shaking his head slightly, Ian remained vigilant and continued to observe these people.

—After all, it was only a little unusual to have so many Sublimators, right?

However, he couldn’t ignore that on the third stop, as some passengers disembarked and a new batch boarded, several more Sublimators blended in with the newcomers.

Even, three of them ended up in the same carriage as himself.

One wore the uniform of the security team, probably a Knight planning to return to the Imperial Capital for a promotion, while the other two wore long robes and hoodies.

They all had legitimate documents and went to their seats to meditate quietly after boarding, looking very calm.

But things weren’t that simple.

“What’s going on?”

Sipping the complimentary tea provided by the train, Ian watched these people’s actions, his mind ripe with doubts.

Because he could tell that most of the Sublimators were clearly from the same organization, or at least they had known each other for some time…

Their actions had an obvious commonality.

Not only that, this train heading to the Imperial Capital was now filled with people, mostly belonging to different organizations.

There were Scholar groups, sectarian groups, Nobles and their attendants.

In short, they were all part of a group.

It turned out that solo travelers like himself were actually in the minority.

“Interesting.”

After some thought, Ian’s brow cleared up, “It looks like a big event is about to happen.”

True enough.

Just half an hour after the Alchemy Train started moving again, a period of time later.

A muffled explosion came from the direction of the train’s head.