Aftermath
"Those guys' claws should be showing by now..."
Meanwhile, Wang Xiaoming encountered a problem that was neither too big nor too small.
He had originally intended to find food at the dining car, but before he had taken more than a few steps, he spotted a "familiar" figure in his line of sight.
The Magecraft I met in the dining car that morning stood motionless in the aisle of the carriage.
The Magecraft had once mocked him now stood there, cold and stiff, his eyes staring blankly at the ceiling, his face showing extreme shock.
Under the corridor lights, Wang Xiaoming could see clearly—
The Magecraft's skin and the old suit he wore had lost their original color, replaced by a heavy gray...
"Oh no, this is troublesome."
There was no genuine emotion in Wang Xiaoming's tone.
As the owner of the [Mystic Eyes of Petrification], he was absolutely certain of the current state of the Magecraft before him, whose fate remained unknown until his death, and he could also faintly hear footsteps coming from behind him.
The carriage door opened, and Rodin, the train conductor who was on night patrol, walked in.
"Mr. Wang, I expect you to give me an explanation."
After taking in the scene before him, Rodin stepped forward, squinting, and asked the man in his distinctively dry voice.
"If I say I didn't do it, would you believe me?"
Wang Xiaoming spread his hands, indicating his innocence to the train conductor.
"..."
However, judging from Rodin's expression, it was clear that his explanation had been in vain.
Chapter 356. Aftermath
"What happened?"
It's fair to say that watching a spectacle is human nature.
Although it was already late at night, the noise coming from outside the corridor still aroused the curiosity of the train passengers. The guests invited to the Mystic Eyes Auction opened their doors and gathered in the somewhat narrow carriage corridor.
And naturally, the one who loves to join in the fun wouldn't be absent from this group.
Aozaki Aoko had initially come with the intention of watching the spectacle, found her newly acquainted "brother-in-law" standing in the middle of the crowd, arms crossed and with an indifferent expression.
Opposite to "his brother-in-law" was Rodin, the train conductor whom he had met when boarding the train.
"What's wrong?"
Aozaki Aoko walked up to the man and asked him a question.
"It's nothing, just some unnecessary misunderstanding between me and the train conductor."
Wang Xiaoming spread his hands, revealing an innocent expression. Then he sighed and turned his gaze back to Rodin.
"Conductor, I told you, it really wasn't me."
Upon seeing Aozaki Aoko, Rodin's gaunt face showed even more distress, as if he understood that this matter was unlikely to end well.
Even so, Rodin, taking a deep breath, remained resolute:
"Mr. Wang, I believe what I see with my own eyes more than your explanations."
At the same time, Aozaki Aoko also saw the so-called "facts" Rodin spoke of --
At the other end of the train corridor, a lifelike "stone statue" stood quietly. It was lifelike because the "stone statue's" facial expression was exactly the same as that of an ordinary person, as if a normal person had been turned into stone.
Petrochemical?
Looking at the stone statue's expression of terror, which remained even in death, Aoko Aozaki, somewhat belatedly, finally remembered its identity—
Isn't this the Magecraft who provoked "his brother-in-law" on the food truck before?
How did it turn into a stone statue?
"Don't look at me like that. I don't even know his name."
When Aozaki Aoko turned her gaze to him, Wang Xiaoming's expression became even more depressed.
The fact that he possessed the [Mystic Eyes of Petrification] was common knowledge on the train. No wonder, after the incident, the train conductor immediately suspected him.
However, because the other party's attempt to frame him was so deliberate, it made it easy for Wang Xiaoming to clear his name.
"Besides, even if I wanted to kill him, would I need to use such an obvious method?"
There is more than one type of Magecraft that can petrify a person; the Mystic Eyes simply omits the necessary steps in performing the spell.
If we pick this up, then--
"All the Magecraft present are equally suspicious."
Wang Xiaoming's meaningful remarks caused a stir among those around him, followed by a shout from someone in the crowd:
"You bastard, what right do you have to suspect us, you murderer?!"
"That's right!"
The abrupt shout drew echoes from others; those who had only intended to watch the excitement never expected to get themselves into trouble. ⒈! O!⒉! OO ⒊" 7 9 9 ⒉
"Quiet!"
The train conductor's voice rose several pitches, a rare occurrence.
After the complaints and dissatisfaction echoing in the carriage subsided, the train conductor turned his attention back to Wang Xiaoming.
Logically, Rodin, as the train conductor, shouldn't have interfered with this dispute between Magecraft. But this was happening right before his eyes. Although Magecraft were allowed to fight and even kill each other in secret on the train, that was only in private.
However, if anyone tries to bring these things into the open, it's something the crew, who see the train as their very existence, will absolutely not allow.
That's why Rodin attached such great importance to this matter.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Wang. As the prime suspect in this case, we need your cooperation in our train's investigation."
As Rodin's voice faded, several people dressed as guards suddenly appeared behind him.
Judging from the looks of it, if Wang Xiaoming has any thought or action of resisting, the guards behind him will pounce on him without hesitation.
However, this time they probably chose the wrong target...
Before Rodin could make a further move, an impatient voice from outside the crowd drew everyone's attention.
"As expected, even when there are groups of [incompetent people] gathered together, they only make this place more noisy."
The crowd that had been gathered together spontaneously dispersed, and a figure then strolled in.
"Lord El-Melloi..."
Rodin recognized the newcomer and clenched his teeth slightly. Even though he was not a subordinate of the Clock Tower, he was still aware of the Lord's reputation.
"Mr. Wang, it's 10:39 PM now. I don't want to waste my precious sleep time on such a meaningless thing."
After putting the pocket watch back into his breast pocket, Kayneth looked up and spoke to Wang Xiaoming in a calm voice.
"Five minutes. If the problem isn't resolved by then, how about we disband here?"
Although Kayneth used a question, there was absolutely no room for doubt in his words.
"Lord!"
At this moment, Rodin, who had been standing to the side, finally couldn't help but step forward.
"Three minutes left, conductor."
Even so, Kayneth's expression remained calm. Perhaps to him, the so-called train conductor wasn't even worthy of his attention.
"You--!"
Seeing Kayneth's indifferent expression, a flash of anger crossed Rodin's eyes. At the same time, the guards standing behind Rodin also showed signs of wanting to make a move.
The previous forbearance was only out of respect for the other party being a [Lord]. However, Kayneth's actions just now can be considered a trampling on the [rules] of the Rail Zeppelin.
This was absolutely unacceptable to Rodin and the other crew members, who considered the [Rail Zeppelin] their life.
Just as the atmosphere between the two sides was becoming increasingly tense...
"What happened?"
A voice suddenly rang out.
The train carriage door opened, and an elderly man with a cane walked in, accompanied by a young man wearing a green top hat.
"... Secretary Marisbilly."
Kayneth narrowed his eyes slightly upon seeing the elderly man enter.
Marisbilly Animusphere, the Lord of [Department of Astromancy]. He is also one of only two other Lord on this train besides himself.
"Sir Kayneth, it's truly rare to see you so late at night."
The old man who saw Kayneth also smiled and said...
"Are you in some kind of trouble?"
"Just some trivial matters."
"It's like this..."
A person stepped out from the crowd, approached the old man, and whispered a few words to him.
"I see."
Before long, the old man looked as if he had just realized something. Then he smiled and glanced at Kayneth.
"Sir Kayneth, you have far too little patience. As the conductor of the [Rail Zeppelin], how could Mr. Rodin not see through such a petty trick of framing someone?"
"Lord. Animusphere-- "
From the moment the old man entered the carriage, Rodin's expression remained unpleasant. And now, hearing his blatantly biased remarks, his distress deepened.
Besides--
Turning around, Lord Animusphere looked at the train conductor Rodin and said to him in a meaningful tone, "Even Rojian wouldn't want any mishaps to occur at the auction after she leaves, would she?"
"... Okay, I understand."
After a brief silence, Rodin took a deep breath and nodded slightly.
"The train authorities will continue to investigate the cause of death."
There was no way around it; facing two [Lord] and a True Magic slacking off on the sidelines, even if his master were still alive, he would probably have to think things through before taking any action against such a formidable force.
As for the deceased?
Everyone present knew that Rodin's words were merely polite formalities. Who would care about a guy whose name they didn't even know?
"Let's call it a day then."
After Rodin made the above announcement, the time between that and Kayneth's utterance...
Exactly five minutes have passed.
"Lord... I still can't understand."
After the farce, Lev Lenore Flauros, who was helping the old man back to his room, asked the question that had been on his mind all along.
Are you asking why we should help [El-Melloi]?
The old man still had that same smiling expression.
"Although we both belong to the [aristocratic] class, our relationship ends there. And I believe that even without us, [El-Melloi] wouldn't be bothered by this matter..."
After all, there's a True Magic in charge, even if that person's personality is notoriously unreliable, she's still a [True Magic].
That's because...
After hearing Lev's question, the old man narrowed his eyes and chuckled softly. At the same time, another voice rang out in the room—
"Lord probably has other requests."