Suddenly, Wendel's back muscles tensed up completely, as if they were about to explode.
He was both surprised and suspicious, and several guesses flashed through his mind uncontrollably:
"The inhabitants of Utopia are Monster in human skin. They seem normal most of the time, but when faced with a blind spot in logic, they exhibit behaviors that are different from ordinary people, ignoring obvious problems?"
"Or perhaps the station staff member already knew I was lying, but simply didn't want to confront me, so they pretended not to see and let me leave? Why would that be?"
"Well, carrying a suitcase to the platform restroom could easily be explained by the fear of losing it, but the entire platform is sheltered, there's no need to take out an umbrella beforehand, and besides, the rain has long since stopped..."
Wendel's gaze unconsciously turned to the window, where he saw the bright sunlight shining on the platform, and passengers waiting in an orderly fashion behind the cordon, a stark contrast to the gloomy and dim atmosphere of Utopia.
He exhaled, his body suddenly relaxing a little.
This is not Utopia... I've already left... Wendel muttered to himself as he wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.
As he recalled his oversight, it felt as if he were trapped in a nightmare from which he could not wake up.
After a while, Wendel stood up and decided to go to the platform for a smoke to calm himself down.
The tobacco Placate him well, allowing him to recall his experiences in Utopia.
During this process, he had an Spirit Intuition based on his experience:
"Perhaps it was because I genuinely helped Trissy that the platform worker deliberately ignored my question and let me leave?"
Wendel preferred this explanation to the idea that the entire population of Utopia were Monster in human skin.
Just then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw the train conductor talking to a group of people in a corner.
Wendel subtly moved a few steps closer, wanting to hear what they were saying.
Using his superhuman hearing, he vaguely overheard a conversation from a distance that would not arouse suspicion:
"Last night, we... stood on the platform... in Utopia..."
"The kingdom... has none..."
Please keep this a secret...
Wendel's eyebrows twitched slightly. Combining the description in the document in his pocket, he roughly understood what the group of people were saying to the train conductor.
They're saying there's no Utopia station within the kingdom's borders, and that the Steam train was "missing" last night!
At that moment, Wendel was overwhelmed with fear again, feeling that being able to leave Utopia alive was the greatest fortune.
It took Alfred nearly a week to get back to Backlund from Port Escoson.
This was because he visited the families of his deceased comrades, former friends, elders who had returned to their fiefdoms for vacation, and some of his family's business partners along the way.
"This is more exhausting than fighting," Alfred complained to his father, Earl Hall.
Earl Hall smiled and pointed to the stairwell:
"Go back to your room and rest for a bit, we can talk again in the study later."
He was quite satisfied with his second son's mental state and development.
Alfred looked around and asked with a smile:
"What is Backlund's most dazzling gem?"
He paused for a moment, then added:
"And what about Hibbert?"
Earl Hall smiled and said:
" Audrey went to her Foundation and didn't return until the afternoon. She kept complaining that you couldn't provide a definite itinerary, leaving her with no idea when you would arrive."
" Hibbert is now Cabinet Secretary, and he's very busy."
Alfred nodded, said nothing more, went back to his room, took a shower, and changed into a shirt, vest, and formal attire.
"I prefer East Balam's casualness," he said to his adjutant, smiling as he looked in the mirror.
"You look even more aristocratic this way." His adjutant said, handing him the documents. "General, this is from Military Intelligence Section 9."
" Military Intelligence Section 9?" Alfred thoughtfully broke the seal on the file folder. "So, you already have the results of your investigation into Utopia?"
Before he finished speaking, he had already pulled out the document and started flipping through it.
During this process, Alfred's page-turning became slower and slower, and in the end, he went back to the beginning and read it again.
This investigation report is divided into two main parts:
First, the Military Intelligence Section 9 members escorting Alfred's report mistakenly entered Utopia, witnessed a murder, and forcibly escaped in the middle of the night, returning to the Steam train; second, there is no station called Utopia on any of the train lines from Desi Bay to Backlund, nor is there a port called Utopia in the Raging Sea, and subsequent investigators found no trace of it.
Neither of these situations exceeded Alfred's tolerance; what surprised and shocked him was the Criminal of the murder:
Her name is Trissy. She is a hotel owner with a secondary education, having graduated from a grammar school. Afterward, she became a businessman's mistress and is currently trying to get rid of that identity.
This is quite similar to Trissy, the port hotel owner Alfred encountered; every detail matches.
Therefore, Alfred concluded that the Criminal in the murder was Trissy, the educated beauty who played melancholic tunes at night.
"Is this her story?" Alfred murmured to himself.
This made the inhabitants of that Utopia seem unusually real, not just an illusion as Alfred had imagined.
In other words, even after the outsiders leave, the residents of Utopia still have their own lives, their own loves, hates, pains, and sorrows, and all sorts of experiences.
Except for the fact that Utopia seems to not exist in the real world, it's pretty much like an ordinary town in the Kingdom of Loen.
Perhaps Utopia truly exists, and everyone there is real; however, to enter, one must be in the right place at the right time... Alfred nodded almost imperceptibly, then put away the investigation report from Military Intelligence Section 9 with a sigh.
For him, the matter was considered closed at this point, and he had no intention of investigating further.
You should know that there are countless strange things and phenomena in the Southern Continent. Being too curious will only bring you unimaginable danger.
After tidying his clothes and adjusting his mood, Alfred went to his father's study and knocked on the carved door.
"Please come in," Earl Hall's voice called out.
Alfred smoothed his blond hair, pushed open the door, and found a seat.
Earl Hall smiled and looked at him, saying:
"You're a man now."
"No one would say that to a man," Alfred replied without any hesitation.
"In my heart, you're still that slightly rebellious boy," Earl Hall said with a smile. "And you're already Sequence 5 Beyonder?"
Alfred replied with a double entendre:
"Yes, I am now a true knight."
Earl Hall nodded, then suddenly sighed and said:
You must have gone through a lot of pain.
"As far as I know, both Potion and war can cause serious harm to people, both physically and psychologically."
"Everyone experiences a great deal of suffering in their life," Alfred said with a sigh.
He used Loen- style euphemism.
He paused for a moment, then added:
"I'm actually in a better position now than when I left Backlund. As long as I figure out the methods, at my level, I don't need to worry too much about crazy attacks."
Earl Hall dropped the matter and instead said:
"Your sister has also become Beyonder."
"Hmm?" Alfred was startled at first, then remembered something and said with a hint of annoyance, "I thought she had simply changed her interests."
"It seems Audrey's adventure has benefited from your help," Earl Hall said, sounding somewhat relieved. "I hope you can speak with her and tell her how dangerous, insane, and painful the path of Sequence Potion is, so that she can stay at her current level."
Alfred responded without hesitation:
"I will do it."
It was evening, in Audrey's private study.
" Alfred, what brings you here?" Audrey, now dressed in casual clothes, led Susie to open the door for her brother.
She had been waiting for her brother here for several minutes.
"There are some things I want to remind you of." Alfred walked into the study and casually pulled up a chair to sit down.
Audrey smiled and pointed to the golden retriever, saying:
Should we ask Susie to leave?
Looking at the golden retriever that was now obediently squatting beside him, its eyes full of human warmth, Alfred couldn't help but laugh:
"No need, I don't think it'll eavesdrop on our conversation."
"She," Audrey casually corrected.
Once the noblewoman was seated opposite him, Alfred sincerely remarked to himself:
After not seeing her for several years, my younger sister has completely shed her childishness. Both her appearance and demeanor have reached a level that is truly admirable; she is no longer the little girl she once was.
Alfred withdrew his gaze and asked casually:
"I heard you've become Beyonder?"
"Yes," Audrey nodded readily.
Alfred had intended to ask Sequence number they were in, but after thinking about it, he felt that it was too direct and might cause a backlash, so he carefully chose his words and said:
"You must be Beyonder in the ' Spectator ' pathway, right? The Rainbow Salamander has similar abilities."
That Rainbow Salamander was a gift Alfred gave to his sister.
After Audrey gave an affirmative answer, Alfred asked jokingly:
"Can you now provide psychological therapy? The vast majority of Beyonder, including myself, need help in this area. Oh, I forgot to tell you, I'm already Sequence 5 ' Punisher Knight ' in the ' Arbiter ' pathway."
Audrey pursed her lips and smiled slightly:
"I am a qualified Psychiatrist and have received professional training. You can verify this with your parents."
Alfred's expression gradually turned serious; he was already at Sequence 7.
" Audrey, there are some things I need to remind you of. Potion offer more than just power."
He paused here, observing his sister's reaction, and found that Audrey showed no impatience and was listening very attentively.
"Every Potion contains madness, which can lead to loss of control... I have seen similar cases before, more than once... They have happened to my enemies, and they have happened to my friends; no group is exempt..." Alfred recounted the dangers of Potion in detail, drawing on his various experiences in East Balam.
During this process, he noticed that not only was his sister Audrey listening attentively, but the golden retriever Susie was also behaving very quietly.