"Stay away!"
"Help! I was so close, so close to upgrading! Why wouldn't you lend me the materials!"
"Get away from me! You monsters!"
"I don't want to die! I don't want to die!"
On an ordinary night, the conductors who had failed to reach level 2 became food for the monsters.
Even among those who had upgraded, some unlucky souls still met untimely deaths after damage to their trains slowed them down.
The next morning.
Gentle sunlight shone into the train.
He washed his face, brushed his teeth, lit the stove, and prepared breakfast.
"Nice weather."
The Teru Teru Bozu had predicted today's weather the night before.
Mild and sunny.
It was the weather most suited to human survival.
He opened the window and let the cool breeze outside blow into the train. The wilderness outside had not changed in the slightest.
"Seventy bullets used overnight? Fewer than I expected."
He checked the sentry's ammunition consumption. Last night had been a nighttime survival period, after all. Although this round of monsters could not catch his level 3 train, some would still approach from either side and damage its flanks.
He did not want the train damaged. Repairs would cost materials, after all.
[Stamina: 100] [Spirit: 120]
He brought up the system screen. On his personal page, his spirit and attributes had already returned to full.
Ye Qiyan swallowed the Whiteforest Fruit flesh in his mouth, finished breakfast, and began rubbing his hands together.
"I wonder what the train options will be this time."
He walked into the locomotive and pressed his hand against the original control system unit.
Although he no longer needed to do this after binding the Module to the system, he liked the sense of ritual.
"Ascension."
[Stamina: 100 → 70] [Spirit: 120 → 50] [Train upgrade complete!] [Current level: 4] [Materials required for the next train upgrade: 500 kg of wood, 500 Mechanical Parts, 850 kg of metal, 40 kg of glass, 200 electronic components, 10 kg of gold, 15 kg of mithril, Calculation Unit ×1] [Open upgrade options] [Congratulations on becoming the first conductor in this sector to upgrade your train to level 4.] [Title obtained: Upgrade Expert] [Congratulations on breaking the record for the fastest level 4 train upgrade! You have received one Train Conductor Enhancement Card.]
One hundred points. Compared to the ninety points consumed when ascending the train from level 2 to level 3, it was only ten points more.
His Ascension talent really did consume much less after he had used Ascension on himself. Otherwise, the cost of going from level 3 to level 4 might well have drained him completely in one go.
Still, Ye Qiyan was somewhat surprised that this upgrade had broken a record.
After all, Shaya had given him a Flame Stone. Even without Ascension, he could have reached level 4 within this short period.
Since Shaya could give him one, perhaps other veteran survivors could do something like that too?
It seemed Ye Qiyan had guessed wrong.
Those survivors who had arrived in this world before him did not seem able to interfere so easily with newcomers like him. Shaya's situation was merely an exception.
After upgrading, he first opened the train details.
There was no need to dwell on the same three basic components of the train. Its speed had once again increased by twenty kilometers per hour.
That was not the main point.
[Open upgrade options] [Upgrade options opened] [Level 4 train upgrade options are as follows] [1: Luxury Sweet Dream Bed (5 Train Coins)] [2: Train Space Enhancement (8 Train Coins)] [3: Train Module: Train Anywhere Door (6 Train Coins)] [4: Smart Chip (10 Train Coins)]
"???"
After reading the four upgrade options, Ye Qiyan's face was covered in question marks.
Five, eight, six, ten. Buying them all would cost a full twenty-nine Train Coins?
Were these upgrade options really not determined by how many Train Coins he owned?
He only had thirty-nine in total. After buying these upgrades, he would have nothing left except the ten he had received from opening the level 5 chest.
"Isn't this way too expensive?"
Ye Qiyan winced at the cost and grumbled a couple of complaints.
Still, he could earn more Train Coins. Once he missed an upgrade option, it would truly be gone.
But he still needed to check what these four options offered before deciding whether to buy them now.
He touched the screen floating before him and brought up the details of all four upgrade rewards.
[Luxury Sweet Dream Bed] [On this bed, you can enjoy the best rest. Stamina/spirit recovery speed increases while lying on it. In addition, you will not have nightmares.]
Good stuff. He had just been thinking that his current iron bed made his back ache, and this could even restore stamina and spirit. Wasn't it exactly what he needed?
"I'll buy it."
[Train Space Enhancement] [Increases the interior length, width, and height of every carriage/locomotive in the train by one meter each.]
This upgrade option immediately reminded Ye Qiyan of Shaya's chapel carriage. Without question, he had to buy this too.
"Buying it, buying it."
[Train Module: Train Anywhere Door] [Through the partition doors between carriages, you can freely choose to enter any carriage in the train.]
"This looks pretty useful too. Buy!"
[Smart Chip] [Must be installed in a mechanical construct. Once installed, it can grant the construct low-level intelligence.]
"Ooh, if I installed this inside WALL-E's head..."
"I... uh... I'd better wait."
Ye Qiyan restrained the hand that was about to make an impulsive purchase.
After buying the first three options, he only had twenty Train Coins left.
He had not forgotten yesterday's broadcast. Everyone's platform today would be a trading platform where Train Coins were needed.
If he spent all his Train Coins now, then happened to find something he wanted, wouldn't he be left staring at it helplessly without any coins?
Let WALL-E put up with a little hardship and save a few Train Coins.
Ye Qiyan chose to hold on to the last option, the Smart Chip.
He had three stops' time. Even if he spent all his Train Coins at the trading platform, he was confident he could collect them again.
With the purchases complete, the train's interior became considerably roomier after the enhancement.
He placed the bed in the temperature-controlled carriage he was already using as a bedroom. Actually, if he had not upgraded the train's space, putting this bed in would have made it quite cramped.
"Whew... It's been so long since I slept in a bed this comfortable... no, my old bed wasn't this comfortable either..."
Ye Qiyan threw himself onto the bed and narrowed his eyes. The soft, springy mattress enveloped his body, leaving him utterly relaxed. His physical fatigue eased at that moment.
He brought up his personal interface.
His stamina and spirit were also recovering faster.
Sure enough, making WALL-E put up with a little hardship had been the right choice.
Before you continue