Ye Qiyan made several trips back and forth, carrying away most of the food and assorted seasonings in the kitchen.
He had not forgotten that there were still two living people in the Manor.
So he did not take everything.
As he left the Manor for the last time, the old butler, who had been standing by the iron gate all along, suddenly called out to him.
"Father!"
Ye Qiyan stopped and turned to look.
The old butler bowed to him, holding the hand of the security guard who had gone mad.
"Father, thank you for saving our lives. If I ever have the chance, I will certainly repay you. Please accept this."
"Ah, please don't misunderstand. I'm not suggesting that you've made too many trips. Even if you emptied the Manor, it would be perfectly fine. I only just remembered this. If you had left without it, I would truly have regretted it."
Afraid that Ye Qiyan might read too much into it, the old butler added that explanation and placed a ribbon-bound wooden box in his hands.
"What is this?"
Ye Qiyan opened the wooden box and looked at its contents with slight surprise.
The old butler shook his head and answered with a sigh:
"Judging by your expression, you must know about the RUN Company too. This is the currency used to trade with them. With it, you can buy anything from them. The master collected it for many years, but in the end, he only acquired these three coins. Since the master is dead, I might as well give them to you, Father. Consider it a small token of repayment for saving our lives."
Indeed.
There were three Train Coins in the box.
But Ye Qiyan was more surprised by a name.
The RUN Company.
Was the organization that had appeared back in Doomsday Town more than just part of the background?
Could he encounter this company at other stations in the future?
Just how vast an organization was it, then?
He could not figure it out.
Nor did he have any more information to support further speculation.
Ye Qiyan returned to the train for the last time, discarded his raincoat, and smiled at the piles of food and assorted pots, bowls, and utensils.
There was no use thinking so much. He would be better off focusing on staying alive.
He put these things into the Storage Unit, so he would not have to worry about them spoiling from being left too long.
He set up a grill inside the train and placed a thick, high-grade steak on it, preparing his first proper hot dinner since coming to this world.
While the meat grilled, Ye Qiyan also placed containers outside to collect rainwater, then began sorting through the special items he had acquired at this stop so far.
[Purified Earthbound Object] (level 3) [Can be placed anywhere on the train to repel evil entities] [Smooth Ruby] (level 1) [Expensive. Perhaps certain beings would purchase it with Train Coins? Can be used to craft the Ruby-Colored Train Paint]
"Would anyone really spend Train Coins on something like this?"
Ye Qiyan tossed the Gemstone aside, thought for a moment, then used Ascension on the skull.
[Stamina: 56 → 49] [Spirit: 90 → 50]
An invisible power enveloped the skull.
In an instant, the stamina and spirit had been consumed.
The object in Ye Qiyan's hand no longer resembled a skull. In its place was a perfectly rounded piece of glowing jade.
[Pure Earthbound Stone] (level 4) [Place anywhere on the train to allow the train to dispel evil entities, disregard any evil entity powers below its level, and automatically absorb negative effects inflicted on the conductor]
Its abilities had undergone a qualitative leap after Ascension.
While both could dispel evil entities, the level 4 Earthbound Stone had gained the additional effects of absorbing negative effects and disregarding evil entities below level 4.
In other words, before he reached level 5, he probably would not face any further danger at supernatural stations.
And most importantly of all-
Ye Qiyan did not feel that the stone's potential had been exhausted.
It could still undergo further Ascension.
Departure countdown [00:42:45]
As Ye Qiyan enjoyed his grilled feast, he heard a noise from the collection station.
He looked toward the sound and saw WALL-E emerging through the hole below.
Holding a bloodstained gift box, WALL-E swayed over to Ye Qiyan and handed it to him.
[Level 3 treasure chest] (can be opened)
"Good job, WALL-E. I'll give you some extra engine oil later."
WALL-E did not understand any of that. It simply returned silently to the collection station to sleep.
"Well then, I can leave now."
With WALL-E back with the treasure chest, there was no point staying at this stop any longer.
"Depart."
[Privilege activated]
The train started moving.
It slowly accelerated, passing through the void.
Moving from beneath one bank of pitch-black thunderclouds to another, Ye Qiyan returned to the Endless Wilderness.
[All survivors have left the fourth station!] [Station chat enabled!] [Innate hidden module for newcomers, [Newbie Protection], deactivated] [From now on, monsters will also attack trains during the day]
The broadcast faded.
The chat room instantly came alive.
["Fuck your mother! Are you even going to let us live? Monsters at night, and monsters during the day too! So we're not allowed to sleep anymore? If you want me dead, just say so! There's no need to torture us like this!"] ["Heh, haven't you figured it out yet? This world wants to watch us die. It never intended to give us a way to survive."] ["Huh? That's strange. Even level 2 trains should have left the station a while ago, right? Why is the broadcast only playing now?"] ["Are you saying someone reached level 3? Don't be ridiculous. Didn't you see how many materials it takes to upgrade to level 3? There's no way anyone could gather all that. Besides, it hasn't even been an hour. Maybe the broadcast is just broken and played late."] ["Exactly. It's barely been any time at all. How could anyone have collected so many materials? If someone really has, I'll eat it!"] ["Tsk, monsters during the day too, but I'm running out of bullets. Hey, the guy selling guns, say something. Got any more bullets? I'll trade bug meat for them! It's high in protein and tastes like beef!"] ["Ew! Are you Bear Grylls? Why are you eating bugs?"]
Some complained, while others discussed it.
After four stations, those who remained had been forced to grow accustomed to this world's cruelty.
They showed little anger at the broadcast's announcement, because they no longer had the energy to be angry.
The death toll after the fourth station was somewhat lower than it had been after the third.
[3455/10000]
Fewer than a thousand people had died.
Was that cause for celebration?
Still, the chat room scrolled far more slowly than it had at the beginning.
Ye Qiyan paid no attention to any of this. His attention was entirely focused on the box in his hands.
"Ascension."
[Stamina: 63 → 33] [Spirit: 70 → 45] [Level 4 treasure chest: can be opened]
Ye Qiyan speared a piece of grilled meat with his knife, stuffed it into his mouth, and wiped his hands.
The last level 4 treasure chest had given him the Guard Tower. He hoped this one would not be too bad either.
[Open level 4 treasure chest] [Obtained Train Coins: 8]
Before you continue