"So, it was already that time."
Smiley recovered from his surprise.
He looked at Ye Qiyan and gestured for him to proceed.
"You are still the first to arrive at the Trading Platform. What an outstanding Train Conductor."
"If I got here first before but fell behind someone else this time, wouldn't that be embarrassing?"
Ye Qiyan stepped out of the train.
"I'm here to fulfill our agreement."
Even with the mask on, Smiley's emotions were easy to see from his faintly trembling body.
He fell silent for a moment, then suddenly let out a laugh of release.
"What a surprise. Someone actually came to fulfill the agreement. But although you are the most outstanding Train Conductor I have ever met, let's discard our previous agreement. Pretend it was never spoken. This world will never give me any chance of release!"
A hint of madness crept into Smiley's voice.
A black tear slid down his mask.
He raised his long hand, now nothing but bare white bones, and removed his mask. Beneath it, the face that had already been grotesquely distorted before had now lost all its features, leaving only a single vertical eye in the center.
"I tried. I struggled. And the result was that the curse grew stronger. Now I am utterly incapable of dying. In this world, perhaps only high-level items obtained by high-level Train Conductors at high-level platforms could set me free. But, with all due respect, although you are very capable and talented, you cannot obtain those powerful items at this point in time."
Putting his mask back on, Smiley bowed apologetically.
"But once your level is high enough and you have obtained high-level items, you will no longer be able to find this low-level platform. It is already an endless loop that cannot be