Lucian felt his body shudder from time to time, especially after a long, mournful whistle that echoed amid the constant clatter of shrrr-shrrr-shrrr!

  It felt as though he were sleeping on a swing, endlessly jolted by sudden kicks.

  Then he caught a stench so foul that Lucian was forced to wake instantly.

  Clutching his mouth and nose with his right hand, he observed his surroundings.

  ‘Where am I again?’

  Then, as if a puzzle were forming in his head, he suddenly remembered everything that had happened before his consciousness darkened.

  “Mu—my heart. I—I am going to die. And—and my hand… my right hand. It—it just… just suddenly twisted…”

  “Shut up.” Kasturi frowned, sitting opposite him on the long seat.

  Lucian’s wandering gaze fell upon the cold and aloof Mr. Tigerman. Holding a blue-white handkerchief to his nose, the man’s powerful eyes were fixed on something beyond the window of a… train.

  ‘A train. I’m on a train.’

  Lucian examined his surroundings once more, now with clearer vision.

  Having boarded multiple high-end, luxury, royal-class trains before, he immediately noticed that this small four-passenger cabin was lacking in many aspects, especially in size and condition.

  “Ugh!”

  The smell hit again.

  Searching for the source of the unbearable stench, his eyes landed on a man dressed simply, yet exceedingly filthy. Matted hair, unbrushed teeth, and a gloomy demeanor completed the picture.

  ‘Mr. Weird Watch from before.’

  Lucian remembered the last time he had smelled… No, saw this librarian.

  “Look at that. You finally woke up. Of course, I’m the one who healed you, so I never had any doubts. But I still have—”

  Lucian ignored Cassian, who clearly had no intention of stopping anytime soon.

  ‘I had a very different impression of you the first time,’ Lucian thought. ‘Why do you talk so much? You used to be shy… agh, my head hurts…’

  “Don’t mind this idiot,” Kasturi said with a sigh.

  “He’s quite awkward with new people, but once he gets used to you, he never stops talking.”

  ‘And you’re rude to everyone,’ Lucian thought.

  ‘No… not to everyone. Where is she, anyway?’

  Lucian wondered about the third missing member of this exceedingly strange group.

  “You’re looking for the Luminary?” Cassian asked.

  “Luminary? Isn’t that the title given to the highest-ranking member of a guild?”

  “Yes. She is the leader of Black Index, Lady Seraphine Victoria,” Cassian replied proudly.

  Kasturi finally tore his gaze away from the window. After waiting for another long whistle to pass, he spoke, “When was the last time you took a bath?”

  ‘Thank you. I’m really not the only one with a good nose.’

  Lucian wanted to sigh in relief, but stopped himself just in time, saving his nose from sudden death.

  “A bath?” Cassian pondered, as if contemplating a world-changing question. “Just thirteen days ago… Why do you ask?”

  Kasturi frowned. “In our time.”

  “Hm… that’s a different question. Around seventy days, I guess.”

  Kasturi’s previously relaxed eyes sharpened instantly.

  “Go take a bath,” he said coldly, “or I’ll throw you into a river.”

  “Eh, no need to be so rude. I’ll… take one next time.”

  Cassian hurriedly pulled out his silver watch with its golden chain and pressed the notch.

  With a soft ‘tick’ sound, he vanished.

  ‘I am truly envious of this man.’

  After pausing for a moment, Kasturi pulled out a black wooden box and placed it on the small table connected to the two giant windows.

  Lucian remembered the palm-sized box as the one he had seen used against the Unread.

  “That item…”

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  “An unbound mystical item,” Kasturi said before Lucian’s thought could settle.

  “…And those are?”

  “Do I have to explain?” Kasturi waited for the next whistle to blow, giving himself the much-needed time to gather his determination for a short explanation.

  ‘How lazy can a person be?’ Lucian chuckled inwardly.

  “So… I will start from the beginning, since you are illiterate in the world of Liberations,” he finally spoke.

  Lucian smiled awkwardly, but didn’t let this beast-like man discourage him from obtaining his first direct information regarding the world of Liberations.

  “So… the Unreads can be classified by various means. Most commonly, they are divided by their origin. The Unread that nearly killed you was, of course, a human-born Unread.”

  Hearing this, Lucian’s brows twitched, but his soft smile remained unchanging.

  “However, humans are not the only ones with stories. Given enough value and tragedy, even a plain rock could become the source of uncontrollable power.”

  Kasturi deliberately looked at Lucian as he gave the example of the rock.

  “But objects that become Unread often don’t possess an identity of their own, making it truly difficult to find a Librarian to bind to their story. Thus, these useless yet extremely dangerous objects can, in the hands of a craftsman, be turned into items infused with Unread power. However, in that state, they lose almost half their strength, while their loopholes become significantly more pronounced.”

  “Eh… may I ask a question? I really didn’t understand about—” Lucian half-raised his hand, with a thousand questions waiting on his lips to spill out.

  But Kasturi ignored him with a sneer and continued speaking.

  “This item is quite unique and hard to use. If I am not mistaken, upon opening its box, every Unread-based power within fifty meters will be reduced by half. As for its loophole, its effect includes its user.”

  ‘That’s why I was still alright after the blast.’

  Lucian smiled faintly as he rubbed his left side which was completely healed, as if it never survived a direct blast.

  “It’s yours now,” Kasturi said, looking past the window, as if searching for something Lucian’s eyes could never reach.

  “Ah… mine…”

  “And this too. According to your deal.”

  Then he slid forward the lockless box containing Everlong.

  Lucian instinctively reached for the box and held it tightly.

  ‘I—I finally got your gift, sister. Happy birthday to me.’

  His smile soon vanished as he realized he was wearing only a white shirt and black trousers.

  “By the way, how am I supposed to carry all these?”

  *****

  The Nether coal powered iron serpent paused with great struggle, releasing a large quantity of blue smoke as it howled a signal for its passengers to disembark.

  Lucian stepped out from the carriage of the second-class coach after Kasturi, carrying a large suitcase that was clearly not his own.

  With feigned humility, Lucian caught up to Kasturi, glancing back at the train behind them.

  “What about him? Did he teleport somewhere else?”

  “No, he’s still there. His ability… ah, just leave him there. This train will remain at the station for a full day. If he’s lucky, he’ll leave it before then.”

  “And if he’s not lucky?”

  Kasturi chuckled. “He’ll find himself near the border of the Southern Region.”

  ‘Why are you so happy about that?’

  As they walked toward the exit, the crowd grew denser and denser, moving with the frantic urgency one might expect during a great fire.

  Only then did Lucian realize he had seen this station before. Of course he had, it was one of the world’s largest and busiest stations afterall.

  “Eh, isn’t this Rivengate?”

  Kasturi’s smile widened. “You have decent eyes. It’s about time you see the bigger world, illusion-side bumpkin.”

  “What?”

  Lucian was flabbergasted. He hadn’t expected that, after living in an illusion for three years, he would find himself standing in one of the world’s greatest cities.

  *****

  Forcing their way through the crowd, they spotted the staircase that connected to one of the four single-roof lines, each linked to every platform by double stairways on both sides.

  They rushed toward the stairs, sometimes pushing through the mass, but more often being shoved back.

  After a grueling struggle, Lucian finally sighed in relief, standing a short distance away from the station gate, irritation still etched across his face.

  He looked around, a newfound curiosity flickering in his gaze.

  Outside, the station greeted them with a vast parking lot filled with carriages that nearly matched the crowd in number. Most were hand-pulled, with a few expensive ones drawn by horses.

  As for the Nether-powered vehicles of the wealthy, they had a separate parking area, complete with high-class services, security, and even staff assigned to open the doors.

  As Lucian observed the scene, more than a dozen people suddenly rushed toward them. Upon reaching them, they eagerly began urging the two to ride in their carriages.

  They were coachmen, hunting for customers.

  Looks like a hard line of business.

  Not bothering with them, Kasturi calmly walked toward the nearest carriage and spoke to the crowd.

  “Brasshall Road, Unit Thirteen. As fast as possible.”

  Lucian followed and sat beside him.

  The carriage puller shoved the others away with a victorious grin and spoke in a polite voice.

  “That’ll be seven coppers.”

  It was common practice to negotiate fares in advance for convenience. Usually, it was the customer who asked first, those of the commoner class always tried to pay as little as possible.

  But standing before the poor man was Kasturi, built like a beast with a height of at least 1.88 meters.

  The puller immediately lowered his voice and said, “But… five coppers will also be fine.”

  “Seven coppers it is,” Kasturi replied flatly, his dominating presence making the carriage puller nervous.

  ‘He really does look like a hitman from some criminal organization,’ Lucian thought, smiling inwardly in sympathy for the man.

  With that, the carriage puller happily shut the tin door and secured it with a rope.

  The carriage was man-pulled and in rather poor condition. It had just enough space for two passengers, the maximum the puller could manage. There was no roof, and a small basket at the back served as a makeshift luggage compartment.

  Gripping the two wooden rods, the puller leaned forward and began to move.

  Though small in build, years of experience had hardened his body enough to haul the carriage without losing his breath.

  But the city was unforgiving. The heat, coupled with the hilly, undulating roads, soon left the man drenched in sweat.

  Watching the bustling city, Lucian couldn’t help but chuckle as he remembered the first time he had come here, when his bookworm sister had enthusiastically bombarded him with every piece of information she knew.

  Rivengate was also known as the Crown of the South due to its geographical position, perched like a head atop the southern region. As for its name, it came from the River Aster, which flowed through the heart of the city, almost splitting it into two perfect halves.

  Soon, they reached their destination, Brasshall Road, Unit Thirteen.

  It was a three-story building, similar in appearance to the others around the market district, filled with offices belonging to all kinds of companies.

  Kasturi lifted the suitcase himself and walked toward an oddly bright red mailbox beside the gate of the building, standing out starkly among the usual yellow ones.

  He took a black coin from his pocket and dropped it into the mailbox before opening the gate, just as the carriage departed.

  Lucian entered the building after Kasturi and froze, utterly flabbergasted.

  Before him stretched an interior of buildings of varying sizes, extending far into the distance.

  It was as if an entirely different world existed within the building itself.