Chapter 776: Ghostly Expedition

Baaaang!!

A blaring horn and acrid steam assaulted his eyes and ears. It was the sight of a dilapidated train station, reeking of stench and strewn with filth. Old trains twisted on their tracks with grating noise. People sprawled about, high on drugs and alcohol, stirred restlessly, annoyed by the sound.

“……”

Lennok, his robe pulled low, leaned near the ticket gate, observing the scene.

It was an unofficial outer circular railway in a satellite city abandoned outside the megacity. An illegal station created for smuggling items and goods banned by the Council. The city government never acknowledged its existence, but conversely, it was never shut down or raided.

Naturally, most of the people gathered here were smugglers bringing all sorts of dangerous goods into Vulcan. It was common to see people openly moving corpses or loading sacks full of blood-stained items here.

If you grabbed any of the homeless people sprawled on the street smoking and asked them a question, they’d rattle off their wares and prices.

He knew Jenny also occasionally used the smuggling routes here.

Lennok had visited before to buy catalysts for tobacco production, but his purpose today was not for trade.

“Heh…”

In a corner of the bustling station, an old woman sat with a worn hood pulled over her head, staring blankly into space. Lennok, seeing the direction of her gaze from his spot in the station, slowly walked towards her.

Clink!

He took a few coins from his pocket and dropped them into the can in front of the old woman, who gazed at Lennok with blurry eyes.

“……”

The old woman sat with her mouth agape, staring blankly, while Lennok silently watched her. There were no words, no exchange of intentions, yet slowly, focus returned to the old woman’s eyes.

“Oh dear, such precious alms for an old woman like me…”

“Are you a shaman?” Lennok’s abrupt question made the old woman’s hand, which was reaching for the money, freeze.

It was no coincidence that Lennok had chosen the old woman among the vagrants sprawled across the station. He had noticed that her aimless gaze, drifting through the air, was fixed on something wandering the station.

Shaman. Or rather, a medium. While some consider them to be in the same lineage as sorcerers, in this world, they are somewhat distinguished based on whether their practice is rooted in primitive faiths.

The powers and spell formulas they could use varied wildly depending on individual aptitude and talent, making it difficult to categorize them with a consistent standard.

Their few commonalities lay in their ability to perceive spirits and utilize their power to some extent. Even if not to the degree of Spirit Command Arts that directly commanded ethereal bodies, they were strongly connected to that lineage.

“I’m not sure what you’re talking about…”

“I know that trains heading to Yorta regularly change their routes and transit points.” Lennok quietly asked, ignoring the old woman who scratched her head and feigned ignorance.

“If you’re a psychic ability user, you’d know how the transit points change, wouldn’t you? Tell me which train I need to take.”

“……”

Headrain River, which had to be crossed to reach Yorta. But to cross the river, one first had to pass through the swamp, its source.

The problem was that the trains passing through that swamp regularly changed their destinations even within the outer circular railway.

In that case, among the spellcasters settled at the station, a psychic ability user connected to Military City would know the information.

Only then did the old woman’s gaze, fixed on Lennok, sharply change.

“Heh heh, yes… I know.” The old woman nodded with a wry smile.

“People who have business in Yorta are limited, so they’re usually people I know by a degree of separation. Most don’t even ask about this.”

“……”

“But since I’ve received a generous donation after a long time, if you grant me one favor, I’ll tell you where to go.”

“What is it?”

“Leave this place as quickly as possible.” The old woman pointed behind Lennok and said.

“Because of your presence, the surrounding fluctuations are all disturbed. Just standing here makes other spirits afraid of you.”

“……”

“I don’t know what kind of power you wield that makes even spirits, free from material constraints, so terrified…” The old woman pulled out a slip of paper from her pocket, wrote something with an old quill pen, and handed it to Lennok.

“This is the train route heading towards Headrain River for this quarter, so try to get a ticket from the conductor.” The old woman said, pulling her hood further down and averting her gaze. Lennok chuckled at her more self-preservative attitude than he expected, and rose to his feet.

In any case, he had the information he wanted, so there was no need to delay.

Lennok easily found a person across the station who appeared to be the conductor.

“Move it, move it!!” A man with a dark turban tied tightly around his head was yelling at the top of his lungs.

“We’re moving all the goods and pulling the train out within an hour. We’ve got business to do with other satellite cities, so snap to it. Don’t you want to make money?!”

Lennok quietly watched the man, then subtly approached him when the cargo transfer was almost complete.

“Hmm?” The man startled and turned his head as a robed figure, like a ghost, suddenly stood right beside him.

Lennok quietly said, “I want to take the train.”

“…Destination?”

Lennok silently handed the folded paper to the man. A wad of banknotes was naturally tucked inside the folded paper.

The man naturally took the banknotes, checked the destination written on the paper, and frowned.

“Ah, not here. All seats are taken. All tickets for the next week are sold out, so look for another train.”

“I’ll board here.”

“…Friend.” The man patted Lennok’s shoulder with his thick palm.

“Since you paid well, I’ll explain once, but there won’t be a next time. If you ask another guy this kind of question, you’ll get a punch in the face.”

“I understand there’s a gambling den where surplus tickets from sold-out trains are offered as prizes.”

“……” Lennok quietly spoke to the silent man. “I want to join the game. What I gave you was the fee for that.”

Having used this black market himself occasionally, Lennok was not ignorant of the rumors and information about this place.

It was an open secret that gambling was taking place at the station, with train tickets as stakes.

The man sighed deeply, turned to Lennok, and said.

“Look, I don’t know where you heard such nonsense, but leaving extra tickets isn’t up to us.”

“……”

“We just keep a few seats open to prevent the worst-case scenario. And if I had to say…”

Clack. The man pulled out a sawn-off shotgun, aimed it at Lennok’s solar plexus, and turned. With the blunt muzzle pressed into Lennok’s chest, the man said indifferently, “We choose who gets to join the game. I can’t stand gloomy robes like yours.”

“……”

“If you understand, just quietly get on any train and get out of this city. Got it?”

“Did you say to prevent the worst-case scenario?” Lennok nodded.

“Then I suppose I’ll just have to become that scenario.”

“…What?”

Whoosh!!

Something grabbed the man’s ankle and lifted him upside down.

“Ugh!!” Unable to even resist, the man’s body swung like a pendulum while hanging upside down, then crashed straight into the ticket gate window.

Shatter!!

The man was stuck head-first through the window. His legs, sticking out of the window, trembled then went limp.

Lennok, gripping the man by the hair through the ticket booth window, asked.

“Are you starting to have second thoughts now?”

Thump!!

A stuffy, smoky room where tobacco smoke lingered. Guided by the bruised conductor, Lennok stepped into the room, and the others immediately whipped their heads around to look at him.

People sat at tables playing cards or exchanging chips. Hundreds more spun slot machines with bloodshot eyes or were engrossed in pinball-like games.

It was a typical gambling den found in the back alleys of such gloomy streets. While it was a facility designed to attract customers using the station and generate profit, it wasn’t used solely for that purpose.

The conductor, as if fleeing, led Lennok to a clean table at the very end of the hidden room. A young man sitting alone at the empty table glanced up at Lennok and asked.

“You gonna play? If so, say it quickly.” The young man muttered irritably.

“You won’t be able to get a ticket anyway if you don’t.”

“…I will.” Lennok didn’t know what kind of gambling it was, but if others had gathered to get tickets, he supposed he had to participate. As Lennok said that, the young man stood up and guided Lennok toward the wall.

“Sit.”

Tat-tat-tat-tat!!

Dozens of people sat in a line along the wall, busily tapping something.

On the wall were crudely drawn ladder diagrams for brackets and several extra tickets haphazardly taped on.

As Lennok checked the destinations on the tickets taped to the wall, the young man pointed to an empty seat and said.

“Entry fee starts at 2 million Cells. If you lose all your coins and want to re-enter, you have to pay double each time. Do you agree?”

“……”

“The economy hasn’t been great lately, so the commission is high. Please be understanding.”

So, it was a system where money was wagered, and the winner took all the extra tickets.

Using leftover tickets as gambling prizes instead of selling them was surely a tactic to extract as much money as possible from customers.

Lennok nodded, understanding the situation, and the young man said casually.

“Naturally, you play until you lose all your coins. There’s no rule about quitting once you’ve won enough.”

“Damn it, I have to go to Torquepaz this time, no matter what.”

“Anyone who isn’t in a hurry, hand over your ticket to Valnar Colony. I’ll buy it at a high price!”

Someone anxiously offered money, but no one among those gathered responded.

Most people trying to acquire sold-out tickets probably had desperate circumstances or no financial concerns.

Since they couldn’t kill each other at the station, they chose gambling as the most peaceful means?

He could understand the idea itself, but…

“Let’s start right away. Who wants to take on this gloomy robe?”

“Me, me!!” “No, I was first. I already started the matchmaking!!”

People eagerly came forward from all sides, as if they’d been waiting. They must have uncanny instincts to notice Lennok’s subtly displeased reaction after realizing the nature of the gamble.

It was a given that those who were confused and unaware of the situation were easier to fleece.

Among them, those who had decided their turns quickly took seats next to Lennok.

“Heh heh, buddy. Let’s start right away.” The man licked his lips, looking at Lennok with greedy eyes.

“Looks like you’ve never played this game before. Don’t feel too bad. It’s just that you’re not interested in trends.”

“Trends?”

“This game really took off recently when two incredible players faced off in District 47. You know?”

“……”

“Rumor has it that some dangerous big shots were involved, but I don’t know about that. All I know is the game got a reputation for being incredibly fun.”

Trends, he thought. Lennok gazed thoughtfully at the game machine he was sitting at.

On the screen, two characters faced each other on a colorless stage. With every punch and kick, a roulette wheel spun, determining the success rate of the attack.

Whirr-rattle!!

The loud roulette sound effects and dazzling light. The strange form of this game machine, seemingly a fusion of a slot machine and a fighting game. Hadn’t he seen this game somewhere before?

“Oh, and if you complain about losing, we’ve agreed to tie you straight to the train tracks. Don’t forget that either.”

“…Understood.” Thinking that, Lennok chuckled and gripped the console with both hands.

“Shall we play a quick round?”

He wondered if these people possessed greater gaming skill than Faysha Grisburn.

Just confirming that until the train arrived seemed like it wouldn’t be boring.

CRASH!!

The game machine’s control panel at the end of the hidden room shattered from the impact.

The man, who had been frantically moving the console with bloodshot eyes, couldn’t contain his rage and smashed the game machine.

But on Lennok’s screen, right beside him, the word [VICTORY] remained steadfastly displayed.

“38 consecutive wins.” Lennok stood up, looking around.

“Looks like it’s mostly over. Anyone want to play a few more rounds for fun?”

“……” No one answered his words, averting their gaze.

Because everyone who had challenged Lennok had lost within 30 seconds of the game starting.

They had long since lost not only the money they had wagered, but also every single ticket offered as a prize.

Next to Lennok’s game machine, dozens of worn tickets were haphazardly piled up.

“You, you bastard…!!” At that moment, the man who had smashed the game machine jumped up and glared at Lennok.

“You, you son of a bitch… what kind of trick did you use?!!”

“Trick?”

“This thing is designed so you absolutely cannot get a winning streak like that…!!” The man gritted his teeth and shouted, his face red.

“Gambling is supposed to give results proportional to the money you put in!!”

“You were gambling without even knowing what this game was.” Lennok replied indifferently.

“Then isn’t it natural for you to lose both money and prizes?”

“You…!!” The moment the man, unable to contain his rage, raised his fist. Lennok’s figure vanished from the spot like smoke.

“Time’s up.”

At that moment, the man’s body was flipped upside down and shoved headfirst into the shattered game machine screen.

CRASH!!

As the bewildered spectators fell silent at the incomprehensible movement, Lennok, having collected the tickets, exited the station and boarded the newly arrived train.

“…Ticket checked. Have a good journey.” The tense-faced attendant tore the ticket and handed the remaining portion to Lennok.

Heading to the seat number written on the ticket, he found a second-class compartment located far past the engine room.

In a space seemingly large enough to comfortably seat dozens, fewer than ten passengers were already seated.

Unlike in the gambling den, they showed no interest even as Lennok took his seat.

“……” But Lennok felt a chill far beyond anything he’d experienced before and chuckled beneath his robe.

Faint presences were hidden all around the walls and ceiling of the compartment.

He could roughly guess what they were after, but—

Baaaang!!

The train departed as soon as Lennok sat down, rapidly pulling away from the view of Vulcan as it left the station.

The speeding train entered a dark tunnel, and the moment the space inside the compartment was shrouded in darkness.

Clink!!

The sound of sturdy handcuffs clamping onto Lennok’s wrist, which was resting on the armrest, echoed.

“……” He glanced to his side, and the other passengers who had pretended not to notice him moments ago were now standing stiffly.

A chilling sight: they stood silently in the train aisle, like ghosts, staring down at Lennok.

Only the strange glow in their eyes was visible in the dark tunnel.

Lennok fiddled with the handcuffs and asked, “What is this?”

“Sometimes, psychic ability users like you, who don’t know any better, board trains heading to Yorta,” said the man sitting opposite Lennok.

“They’re so naive. Once they get on a train to Yorta, they just believe they’ll be safe without any basis.”

“……”

“If you just keep those kinds of folks seated so they can’t escape, and set the stage like this…”

Clank, clank!!

The train, having just exited the dark tunnel, shook violently, and the moment light returned to the compartment, Lennok fell silent, spotting the blood-stained magic circles densely covering the ceiling and walls of the compartment.

The man lightly snapped his fingers and whistled, looking at Lennok.

“You’re left defenseless in the middle of a magic circle that suppresses psychic abilities.”

Only then did Lennok realize why they had appeared so confident.

The reason they had handcuffed him and acted aggressively without even trying to hide their intentions the moment they entered the tunnel: was it because they believed Lennok was a psychic ability user, and his powers were completely suppressed within this compartment?

Even though he hadn’t shown any abilities, they knew him as a psychic ability user and were confident that his destination was Yorta.

Furthermore, if they knew Lennok was a passenger who had obtained his ticket separately, it was obvious where they had gotten that information.

“The shaman sold my information to you.” Lennok’s gaze turned cold.

“Or was this a trap designed from the beginning?”

“What does that matter?” The man said, looking around, as the passengers one by one pulled out something from within their clothes.

They were in the form of artifacts or accessories, but their shapes and origins varied. Their only commonality, perhaps, was that each possessed an eerie aura.

“If you were planning to go to Yorta, you’d have a ritual item to cross Headrain River, wouldn’t you?” the man said.

“Hand it over to us.”

“…A ritual item? You’re not talking about the train ticket.”

“Yorta straddles the material and spirit realms, so you need a sacrifice to cross both boundaries, right?”

“……”

“Among those, hand over the ritual item needed to pass through the spirit realm. If you yield it to us, we’ll spare your life.”

A sacrifice to pass through the spirit realm, he thought. Though not explicitly stated, Lennok immediately understood what they wanted from him.

The relic-grade artifact Lennok had personally obtained from Jillion’s Fortress to enter Yorta. The Guide’s Ring, which had been inside Jairo’s Casket. They must want him to hand over the power of that artifact, which was undoubtedly created in Military City.

“I don’t quite understand. Once you conspire to take the ritual item, what do you plan to do with it?” But Lennok, knowing the truth, deliberately feigned ignorance and countered.

“If you already have a ritual item, I don’t see the point in taking mine.”

“Once you pass inspection at Headrain River, your assignment within the city will be determined by the grade of your ritual item.”

“……”

“We just want to get assigned to the best possible tier at that time. It’s not strange, is it?” Lennok gazed at the man who answered with a smile, then slowly raised his finger.

The man swallowed hard as he recognized the Guide’s Ring, and Lennok immediately activated it.

Wooooong…!!

Immediately, the faint form of the Guide’s Ghost materialized above the ring’s gem.

At the sight of the ghost silently looking around, the other passengers standing nearby gasped in admiration.

“Oh, ohh…!!” “No doubt. It’s a high-level spirit with the highest rarity…!!”

“Hurry. We need to absorb all that power before we reach the swamp!”

As the passengers poured their intentions into the items they held, different spiritual forms began to appear above their heads.

A ritual item to pass through the material realm and a spirit-form sacrifice to pass through the spirit realm. Among these, what they wanted was not the ring itself, but the Guide’s spirit residing within the ring.

But Lennok, knowing this, remained quiet in his handcuffs, waiting for the right moment.

‘It’ll be easier to deal with them all at once.’

Killing these guys here and now wouldn’t bring any satisfaction or profit.

He could just obliterate their ritual items with the holy spirit-type spell embedded in the Compassion of the Archangel, then observe their reactions and extract information about Headrain River.

As Lennok thought this, waiting for them all to take out their ritual items, at that very moment.

[…Ugh.] The Guide’s Ghost, which had been standing blankly before Lennok, raised its head.

Seeing the blood-stained magic circles and the power-suppressing compartment, it snarled, baring its teeth as if enraged.

[Kwoooh…]

It was the ghost’s first voluntary movement, having obeyed Lennok’s intentions without any reaction until now. The moment Lennok realized this anomaly was due to the magic circle cast in the compartment and touched the ring.

[Schlorp.] The Guide’s Ghost opened its mouth unnaturally wide and simply devoured the other passengers’ spirits.

Chomp, chomp, chomp!!!

With just a turn of its head, the spectral forms were torn apart, absorbed, and vanished on the spot.

The artifacts, having lost the spirits dwelling within them, couldn’t withstand the backlash and began to shatter completely.

Crackling…!! Thud!!

“W-What?!” “It ate my spirit!” “No, no! Spit it out! Now!!” “We can’t enter Yorta without this…!!”

The passengers, belatedly realizing what had happened, screamed in panic.

In response, the magic circles drawn on the compartment ceiling and walls slowly lost their power and disappeared.

Only then did the Guide’s Ghost, which had been observing them, slowly turn its gaze toward Lennok.

[Burp.] The Guide’s Ghost, having completely digested the spirits it had just devoured, let out a satisfied sound.

Behind the Guide’s Ghost, several spiritual bodies it had digested appeared and began to follow it.

“……” A bizarre movement, as if it had swallowed the spirits and was now guiding their journey. With several spirits trailing behind it, the Guide’s Ghost bared its teeth and grinned silently at Lennok. To Lennok, it somehow looked like it was saying, ‘Please take good care of me from now on.’