Bettis said a few flustered words, but Granny ignored her, simply smiling as she lifted her high into the air. Frightened, Bettis covered her eyes with both hands, yet could not resist peeking ahead through her fingers.
Her gaze passed over the crowd's heads. This was the first time she had ever been so high up.
Bettis was very small. Even standing on a box, she could barely reach the fried fish counter, and she had to stand on tiptoe to hand fried fish to customers.
Her heart pounded. Thankfully, Granny's hands were very steady, and Bettis cautiously looked toward the platform.
The train had not arrived yet. Several rows of fully armed Expeditionary Force soldiers stood near the platform, with several machine guns even aimed across the empty tracks.
They did not wait long. Accompanied by a shrill whistle, a train came rumbling in from afar.
Bettis widened her eyes as she watched. She felt that this train seemed... somewhat different.
Trains bound for the Northern Territory had always been fitted with armed locomotives, with several machine-gun positions and a few Dragon Breath Cannons. Together with the ram at the front used to clear the tracks, as long as the railway remained intact, they need not fear even an assault by an entire army.
Yet the machine-gun positions on today's train returning from the Northern Territory were unusually aimed at... the train cars.
The Expeditionary Force regarded Bazel as extremely important. Although they had discovered no abilities beyond his resurrection, they had still cautiously prepared a special train to transport him.
Machine guns had been set up before and behind the carriage transporting Bazel. Aside from the box containing Bazel, the middle held only fully armed Banshees.
Meanwhile, two Expeditionary Force squads stood ready in the carriages farther back,