The Band Takes Shape

In mid-air, the Zijin Bone Dragon gracefully spun its body and flew towards the parked White Bone Train.

The White Bone Train began to glow section by section with an eerie light, resonating strongly with the skeletons in the air. Large numbers of bones turned and sank down, like a swarm of bees returning to their hive, attaching themselves to the train's body and continuously increasing its thickness and strength.

Ten minutes later, the strange "skeletal repositioning" ceremony came to an end. The thousands of tons of bones that the White Bone Fortress had lost in the Northern Lands were finally successfully recovered by Su Ming and Zijin.

Since no more carriages were needed, all of these skeletons were used to reinforce the existing train body. The reinforced White Bone Train was noticeably thicker, with a more imposing and powerful appearance, exuding an aura of authority.

A surge of energy descended, and the undead consciousness of the White Bone Fortress cheered. The power of the bones deepened, and the strength of the White Bone Mark increased dramatically.

[Another tourist hotspot is complete.] Su Ming's tone was filled with joy. [It seems the experience of eating here last time is still lingering in the minds of these spirits.]

****

Thanks to the feedback from the White Bone Mark, Su Ming and Zijin weren't too tired. The two continued practicing aerial coordination. Zijin needed to adapt to the changing power, and Su Ming also needed to brush up on his aerial combat skills in the magical world.

An hour later, Su Ming returned to the train.

Preparations are complete. Unicorn and Hansite are bringing the potato fries that have frozen outside into the carriage.

This is Su Ming's method for making French fries: Cut potatoes into strips, rinse them with water to remove the surface starch, and let them dry before frying.

But with such convenient conditions in the Northern Lands, freezing the fries before frying can make them even crispier.

To get some food, Qiluo dragged Younier along and went to a nearby village early in the morning to buy potatoes. After returning, they peeled, chopped, and boiled them, keeping them busy for quite some time.

Su Ming noticed some red potato strips mixed in, which reminded him of the purple potatoes he had eaten on Earth. He hadn't expected that such a special variety existed in another world.

Hansite quickly fried the first batch, and after Unicorn tasted it, he put down the empty bowl with satisfaction. "Not bad, keep going!"

For the second pot, Hansite chose red potatoes and filled the unicorn's bowl again.

He filled a small dish and handed it to Su Ming. Then the two of them heard a loud "boom" behind them. Turning around, they saw the unicorn lying on its back with its four hooves thrashing about.

Younier walked in. "Has anyone seen the potatoes I bought to make dye? They're all gone!"

Su Ming and Hansite both looked at the red "fries" on the plate and exchanged a glance.

"Miss Younier," Hansite, shielding the fallen unicorn with his body and handing her the plate he was holding. "Freshly fried fries, would you like some?"

****

After the boiler finished preheating, Su Ming went to the driver's cab to check the system status. Younier was also making final checks in various places before departure.

Su Ming noticed a bruise near Hansite's eye.

"How did she manage to hit you?" Su Ming asked curiously.

"Miss Younier may look frail, but she's quite ruthless when it comes to grabbing a wrench," Hansite replied gruffly. "She even warned me not to dodge, or she'd smash my violin."

"It seems you really like the instrument I gave you." Su Ming glanced around the driver's seat; he practiced there in his spare time. But Su Ming only saw the electric guitar, not the bass.

Although it seems to make little difference whether it's there or not.

What he noticed, however, was a shelf behind Gospel in the driver's seat.

"What are you planning to put there?" Su Ming asked, pointing to the shelf.

"A drum," Hansite explained, "The sheet music you gave me needs drumbeats to match the rhythm, so I'm going to add a drum."

Considering that bands on Earth typically have similar setups, Su Ming said, "Then I'll just send you a drum kit."

"No need," Hansite said with a smile. "We've almost finished making it using the textbook. Besides, we don't know how to handle Gospel texts properly, so it won't withstand much wear and tear if it's not made sturdy."

"Gospel, playing the drums?" Su Ming looked at the six mechanical arms on Gospel's back and suddenly realized that it did indeed have "talent."

"I look forward to your performance," Su Ming said.

"Equipment status OK!" Younier reported after completing the check. Upon seeing Hansite, the girl snorted in displeasure.

Su Ming updated the touchscreen program, making it easier to control the Gospel. He entered the new vehicle weight parameters into the system. "Gospel, go!"

The Gospel unlocks the brakes, and the handle is pulled. A powerful current surges into the motor, driving the wheels to turn. Despite the increased weight of the Youth Civilization, the train still starts and accelerates smoothly thanks to the surging power of the new equipment.

The Gospel continued to accelerate, and the enormous train once again sped across the snowfield.

"God says, you can go back to your rooms, wash up, and go to sleep!" Gospel announced to the three people in the driver's seat.

Xueqila Town, night.

Zephlin slammed the barrel against the ice, but only left a shallow dent in the hard ice. He had to gather his Magic Power, his fingertips glowing, and cast a precise spell that shattered the thick ice.

With a "crack" sound, the wooden bucket finally sank into the water, and a bucket of well water mixed with ice fragments was drawn up, emitting wisps of steam in the biting cold wind.

Only then was he able to wash the blood off his hands.

Since embarking on this pursuit and rescue mission, the conditions along the way have been extremely harsh. Zephlin's once neat priest's robes are now disheveled, with the cuffs and hem covered in mud and snow. The other team members are in the same sorry state—except for Rupert, of course, who has maintained that appearance ever since he joined the team.

But everyone was in high spirits at the moment; the operation had successfully rescued seven girls. Although the battle was somewhat intense,

Two girls succumbed to their injuries and died just before being rescued. The survivors, however, have been safely brought back to the town church and are receiving treatment.

Rupert leaned against the church wall, took a crumpled tobacco out of his pocket, and lit it in the cold wind.

Zephlin dried his hands, which were red from the cold, and walked over to him.

"Thank you for your hard work these past few days."

"Tch, what a fake tough guy!" Rupert scoffed.

"Send these girls back to the village tomorrow, and return the day after," Zephlin said.

The towns in the vicinity have been investigated, and no further traces of human traffickers have been found. Further west lies the sparsely populated Upper Ridge Mountains range.

"Just remember about the recommendation letter," Rupert said.

****

The next morning, the team members set off with the girls in their assigned villages, leaving only Zephlin and Rupert in the church.

Zephlin sat on a church pew reading "Colorful Wording," occasionally mediating petty disputes among the town's residents with the resident priest.

As for Rupert, he finally found an opportunity to go out and care for the town's "special profession" residents.

Zephlin sighed. If he hadn't stopped him, the gold coin in this guy's arms would have been sold long ago.

However, Rupert soon ran back to the church, his cheek still bearing traces of cheap lipstick.

"Zephlin, I've got some news!" he said breathlessly, " In the Kalaning Village to the north, there's a very beautiful girl named Rosalia. She's famous for miles around and is the undisputed beauty of the town."

Zephlin recalled that this girl wasn't among those rescued this time. "Are you saying it's unreasonable that the traffickers didn't arrest her?"

"Of course, when you go to the vegetable garden to pick melons, do you think you'll miss the best one?" Rupert replied. "So I interrogated the captured mercenaries again, and they said they had gone to Kalaning Village, but Rosalia had already been captured, and they came up empty-handed."

"Is there another group of human traffickers in this town?" Zephlin frowned, then shook his head. "That's not right. These shady characters operate in very sensitive territories. Crossing the line is the most serious provocation; they'll definitely beat you to a pulp!"

Compared to the occasional harassment from territory managers, the real mortal enemies are those who steal jobs and resources from their rivals.

"These human traffickers themselves have inquired about it, but they haven't heard of anyone capturing Rosalia," Rupert continued his report.

Zephlin considered for a moment, then picked up his scepter. "Since we have some free time now, let's go check out Kalaning Village."

Rupert bought some dry food in town, hired a simple sled, and the two set off for the Kalaning Village.

Youth Civilization.

Under the cover of night, the much quieter White Bone Train sped along. The added weight of the Hard Rock Canyon deepened the ruts.

This means that the cleanup crew arranged by Dafulin will have to work even harder to remove the snow tracks.

Su Ming walked through the corridor and pushed open the door to enter the driver's seat.

Younier was on duty tonight, and she was cutting a long dress by Jielusi, with scraps of lace and frills scattered around her feet. The young clerk looked less like a tailor and more like a gardener pruning flowers.

With her skillful transformation, this originally elaborate Victorian A-line dress became much simpler and more elegant.

Gospel become more familiar with the Doomsday Locomotive, software upgrades to the touchscreen have improved controls, reducing the need for human coordination.

Su Ming began checking the operation logs, carefully verifying the fuel usage. During the day, he instructed Hansite to mix and burn charcoal and coal, requiring minimal adjustments to the equipment, and the calorific value was significantly increased due to the addition of charcoal.

He quickly completed the calculations, and this time the results matched the theoretical values well. The increased weight of the train meant that there would be no problems when it arrived at the foot of the Sacred Mountain.

Su Ming walked to the front window, where the headlights shone four beams of light, piercing the darkness ahead like sharp swords. But the arrangement was clearly wrong—the original symmetrical layout of two on the left and two on the right had become three on the left and one on the right.

Younier knew what Su Ming was thinking and explained, "Newman changed it; he said you authorized it."

"..-Okay then." Su Ming didn't know what to say, but at least this was much better than modifying the tracks.

"But they look the same," Younier added. "Master Newman added two fake lampshades on the right side that don't emit light."

"Does Newman have a lump in his head?!" Su Ming couldn't help but ask.

"It still feels quite smooth to my touch," Younier said.