In the Ilkhan Kingdom, the northern neighbor of the Bassman United Kingdom, a man sat on a train, reading a copy of Truth and Magic.
"Ha, nothing Mulan comes up with will ever surprise me again."
A light outside the window made the man look up. But it was not sunlight-it was a flash in the distant sky. An airship was slowly falling in the distance, trailing thick smoke.
Boom!
Only then did the sound of the explosion reach them from afar.
Phoenix and Reno sat across from Evan, their attention also fixed on the airship.
"My lord, that isn't a civilian airship. It's a military attack airship, with bomb bays and gun ports."
Reno had barely finished speaking when more distant noises, vaguely resembling explosions, reached them. As seasoned veterans who had once served in Basman, Phoenix and Reno instantly sensed something was wrong.
Just then, the train began braking hard. Its wheels scraped against the rails with an ear-piercing screech. Many passengers' cups and bags toppled over, and people instinctively grabbed whatever was nearby to steady themselves.
The passengers in the carriage began shouting in panic.
"What happened?" "What's going on?"
"What's wrong with the train?"
"I think it's braking!"
"Everyone, stay where you are!"
Evan closed Truth and Magic as well and turned to look through the window in the direction the train was traveling. But he saw nothing unusual, nor could he sense any dangerous presence or foreign magic power.
"My lord, I'll take a look."
Reno rose and headed toward the front of the train. The inertia from its sudden braking had no effect on him. He passed easily through several carriages, then lightly leaped onto the coal tender before jumping into the cab.
There were two people in the cab, both visibly startled by