Xingtetsu: Why is the captain on the train?

Pam looked back and saw all the passengers sitting down. He crossed his arms and said, "Yarilo VI, according to the think tank's records, the civilization on that planet is a member of the [City Builders] faction. In other words, they are a member of the [Interstellar Peace Corporation]."

"So, on this pioneering journey, please be sure to abide by the terms of the Interstellar Peace Treaty. Do you understand?" Pam said to herself, but found that no one was listening to her seriously.

Under the moon, on March 7th, the star core spirits get together and tell the girls their secrets.

Walter is playing chess with the captain.

Dan Heng hid in the room as usual and did not come to the observation car.

Only Ji Zi, holding her coffee, noticed Pam's gaze and raised her cup to indicate that she heard it.

The exhausted conductor sighed and could only announce symbolically, "Please sit tight and hold on. The train will depart in three minutes."

"It seems that our train conductor has suffered a great blow." The captain held up the bishop's flag, took a step forward at an angle, pressed Walter's chariot on the left, and fended off Walter's soldiers on the right.

"I'm used to it." Walter sacrificed his pawns to save the chariot, and the chariot moved sideways in one step, directly threatening the captain's horse.

The captain said, "I want to ask, has Lao Yang ever considered going home?"

Walter paused as he held the flag. “To be honest, I have considered it, but it is difficult at the moment.”

"Our world is undoubtedly connected to this world. You should have seen the fragments of the sword in the collection room of the Black Tower, right?" The captain raised his head and looked at Walter.

“Murata Jizi…” Walter pushed his glasses and stared at the chessboard for a while, but his mind was no longer on playing chess.

After a long while, Walter chuckled and raised his eyes to look at the captain, “So, you and Yuexia are planning to go home?”

"uncertain."

"Not necessarily?" Walter looked at the captain.

"Well, they will catch up with us in the Hyperion. After everyone has reunited, we can consider whether to go home or stay." The captain smiled and said, "It's your turn."

"Okay." Old Yang nodded, but his mind was no longer on the chessboard.

Most of his mind was occupied by the image of a red-haired violent maniac.

Until... a sudden tremor brought his thoughts back to reality.

Looking at the chessboard again, seeing that only a few pawns were left on his half of the chessboard, Walter smiled bitterly and shook his head. After looking at the young man opposite him, the captain's eyes were no longer on the chessboard. His eyes were cast towards the outside of the observation car.

Walter's gaze also turned to the outside of the viewing window, and he frowned subconsciously as he glanced at it.

"Is this... Yalilo VI?" March Seven muttered to himself as he looked at the huge pale planet outside the window, his tone filled with a hint of disbelief.

"It doesn't feel normal." Yuexia also looked up, staring at the pale planet, and continued what March Seven said.

"It's abnormal." The captain stood up and walked to the window, looking at the planet named Yalilo VI. "According to the records of the think tank, it has been nearly a thousand years since the last train visited this planet. I boldly guess that the white we can see is either clouds or snow, but..."

The captain glanced behind Yalilo VI. At a distance too far to be measured, a healthy star was still burning. Logically speaking, the ecology of this planet should not be abnormal.

"Due to an unusual situation, the plan has changed. The originally scheduled stopover time of up to one month will be extended to indefinitely until the route is open again." Pam also came to the crowd and announced in a serious tone.

"Star core?" This was obviously not the first time that Lao Yang encountered such a situation, and his words undoubtedly attracted the attention of the captain, Yuexia, and Hexing.

"Yes, the disturbance of the star core has been detected." Pam nodded seriously, and the captain closed his eyes and carefully felt the fluctuation of imaginary energy.

"Can you explain it?" The Star Core Spirit raised his hand.

"The disturbance of imaginary energy will cause fluctuations in the route. For example, the rails in front of us have 'abnormal' ups and downs. If we let the train move forward, the bumps will throw us off the track and fall into the abyss, and there is a high probability that the train will be destroyed and everyone will die." Ji Zi raised her hand and pinched her chin, and explained softly to everyone, "So we must brake and stop until the road is cleared again."

"The source of the abnormality..." Looking at Yalilo VI under the moonlight, "There is no doubt that it is on Yalilo VI."

"The source of the fluctuations does come from that planet." The captain opened his eyes and exhaled softly, "I guess it will be a difficult journey."

Ji Zi nodded slightly and then said, "Well, let's start arranging the tasks now."

"Captain, Yuexia, Xiaosanyue, Xing, and finally Danheng." Jizi looked at everyone who raised their eyes after being called (of course, Danheng was not present), "I hope to entrust this pioneering journey to the five of you."

"Exploration?" Yuexia blinked.

"In short, we will cooperate with the local forces of Yalilo VI to find the [star core] and bring back the train seal. Of course, the premise is that there are still local forces on this planet."

“Remember to [explore], [understand], [establish] and [connect]. These are the four things that [Nameless Guests] must do every time they arrive in a world.”

"The so-called pioneering is nothing more than doing these four things." Ji Zi turned his gaze to the captain again, "I hope you can lead the team and take good care of the young people."

The captain was amused, "I am also considered a young man."

"Then take care of everyone, including yourself." Ji Zi chuckled and followed up the captain's teasing.

"Understood." The captain nodded and accepted the role of team leader.

Chapter 15: Girl camping in the snow

"According to the records in the think tank, during the time when Akivali was active, [Kaituo] and [Wumingke] were also a huge force."

"The train is dragging its comet tail in pursuit of the starlight. Wherever the train stops, it will be regarded as a friend and guest."

Dan Heng stepped on the fluffy and hard snow, and calmly recounted the glory that once belonged to [Kaitaku]. "Yalilo VI once also honored Kaitaku as a distinguished guest. This was once a closed planet. It was not until the arrival of [Kaitaku] and [Wumingke] that the civilization on this planet was connected to the vast universe."

"It is obvious that there is no trace of civilization here." The captain looked at the white snowfield in the distance, and after a moment of silence, he shook his head.

All that can be seen is the vast and white earth, and all that echoes in the ears is the howling wind and snow.

At the end of the collapsed and broken gorge tunnel, a group of five people were moving forward slowly.

Stepping out of the narrow valley, the captain paused and looked into the distance. The view was gloomy. He could only see a continuous lead-gray shadow among the surging gray and white, looming in the wind and snow. "It seems that there are traces of buildings?"

"It should be a city. Let's go." Dan Heng exhaled a puff of white mist, then raised his foot and walked forward on the thick snow.

---

"To be precise, it should be said that it is the traces of a city." The captain touched his chin and looked at the dome that was covered by thick snow and only the roof structure was left, exposed outside the snow. "To be honest, I am now skeptical about whether we can find human habitation."

"This is probably a landscape building, at least not a residence." Yuexia held down her skirt, squatted down, and swept away the snow covering the roof of the building. She looked downward, and could only see piles of white snow under the glass-like synthetic material.

"Captain, look over there, is there a figure?" As an archer with good eyesight, San Yue Qi seemed to see a figure in the hazy wind and snow.

"Let's go and take a look at this building..." The captain looked around the building complex consisting of roofs and shook his head, "It's worthless."

"Yes." Dan Heng, who was on guard in the front, nodded and reminded everyone, "Stay alert and be careful of the world-breaking creatures."

As the group gradually approached the direction pointed out by March Seven, they discovered that they seemed to have found some human habitation. After all, the monsters spewed out from the rift created by the star core would not use campfires to resist the wind and snow, nor would they use ice picks and frying pans as weapons.

"Are you humans or ghosts?" Lingke Landau, holding a frying pan and an ice pick, stared with vigilance and curiosity at the group of five people wearing only thin clothes in the howling snow and wind.

Last night, Lingke observed the sky and judged that the snowfield might clear up the next day, so she made full preparations for camping in advance. It turned out that she was good at geography and observation of celestial phenomena. However, although Lingke had made all the preparations, she never thought that five strangers in strange costumes who were not afraid of the cold would walk out from the depths of the snowfield.

The group looked at each other for a moment, and finally Sanyue took the initiative to stand up. Looking at the vigilant Lingke, she raised her hand and said, "Little sister, relax a little, we have no ill intentions."

"Bad guys never write the word 'bad guys' on their faces, let alone say they are bad guys." Ling Ke stared at the awkwardly smiling Sanyueqi, then turned her gaze to the four people behind Sanyue, "Besides, you haven't answered me yet, who are you."

"Let me do it." The captain spread his hands and pressed Sanyue's shoulders, pulling the girl behind him. "Hello, you can call me captain. The five of us are from outer space, not the natives of this planet, but I think you should be the native of this planet."

Ling Ke frowned, staring at the captain in silence for a long time before she slowly lowered the ice pick and frying pan in her hands, "I don't believe what you said."

"We have evidence, if you want to verify it." The captain looked at Lingke's clothes carefully, and his eyes swept across Lingke's small camp. "It seems that our speculation was wrong. We originally thought that the civilization on Yalilo VI might have been destroyed... destroyed."

"You want to say extinction, right?" Ling Ke stared at the captain who changed his words temporarily, with a cold and cute face, and stretched out her hand to the captain, "Show me the evidence."

"March."

"Huh? What evidence do I have?" San Yueqi was stunned.

"Photos, on the train, in the space station, didn't you take a lot of photos?" The captain exchanged positions with March Seven and shrank back into the team. He glanced at March who was flipping through the photos one by one to show the strange girl. He moved to Dan Heng's side unnoticeably and lowered his voice.

"Dan Heng, did you notice?"

Dan Heng nodded slightly. "This girl has traces of industry on her body, such as warm clothes, tents, cans, and pickaxes."

"It seems that my guess was wrong. The civilization of Yalilo VI still retains a certain degree of urban and social structure." The captain exhaled softly, "This is good news."

Dan Heng glanced at the captain. Facing the captain's sigh, Dan Heng was also a little hesitant. In the end, he could only shake his head, "I don't know, but looking at the condition of this little girl, it may be good news."

"At least we don't have to face the purgatory of human nature." Yuexia, who had been listening to the conversation between the captain and Dan Heng, sighed in a soft voice with relief.

Dan Heng and the captain also nodded seriously.

After all, Lingke was well-dressed and looked healthy. She had food and shelter in the snowfield. More importantly, she was a child, and a girl at that, who could step into the snowfield by herself and build a bonfire.

These alone can reveal too much information indirectly.

"My name is Lingke, Lingke Landau." The girl stared at the people on the train, "You really are..."

She paused for a moment, then cut off the unnecessary question herself, "Forget it, this kind of question is meaningless."

"So, are you willing to discuss some meaningful topics?" The captain took the initiative to step out of the team and looked at the girl who introduced herself as Ling Ke, "For example, the location of the city, your history?"

"You may not know that thousands of years ago, alien visitors with the same identity as us also visited your planet. We once left records about your planet and your civilization."

"If everything had continued as planned, you would have already left your home planet, entered the universe, and become a high-level civilization."

Ling Ke was silent for a long time before she raised her eyes suddenly, looked at the thick dark clouds, felt the chilling cold, and sighed softly.

"What else could it be because of?"

"The wind and snow have buried our civilization, our history, and everything we once had."

"The city was flooded, the population was decimated, and monsters were everywhere. We could only struggle to survive under the protection of [Cripe] until today."

Chapter 16: Lingke Landau's words are full of hints

"What else could it be because of?"

"Snowstorm and monsters."

"The city was submerged in the snow, and the population was decimated by the monsters. The only people left could only struggle to survive under the protection of [Cripe] until today."

The little girl, with a mature and calm tone, narrated the facts that were not funny.

"I see..." The captain sighed softly, and he was silent for a moment, "We followed the ancient route and found your planet, but to be honest, the current situation is very bad."

"Very bad?" Ling Ke looked at half of the captain's face, her heart full of doubts and confusion, but... she would rather believe that these so-called outsiders are really aliens. Now the situation in Krippleburg is very bad. Although the walls of Beloberg are still peaceful, the walls that have stood for seven hundred years are probably crumbling at this moment.

"Our route is blocked by the fluctuations of some... [foreign object]. That thing is somewhere on the planet beneath our feet at this moment. And we guess that [foreign object] is probably the root cause of the abnormal weather on your planet. We have the ability to deal with that abnormality, but we can't find it."

Lingke frowned and fell into a brief moment of contemplation.

Sanyueqi and Xing quietly moved their feet and approached Danheng. "Captain, why don't you just say [Star Core]?"

"In many worlds, the [Star Core] is not called the [Star Core], but a name given to it by some locals. Moreover, not all worlds regard the [Star Core] as a scourge. On the contrary, some worlds rely on the dangerous power of the [Star Core] to resist greater threats. Mentioning it rashly may instead arouse the vigilance of the locals." Dan Heng glanced at San Yueqi, who only cared about food and not fighting, and explained to the two girls in a low voice.

The Star Core Spirit nodded with an expression that showed he had learned something.

March Seven was lost in a brief memory. After noticing Dan Heng's gaze, he stuck out his tongue. It was obvious that March Seven was still a person who remembered to be beaten, but he just didn't like to use his brain most of the time.

"I do have someone who can help you." Ling Ke finished her contemplation. She raised her eyes and stared at the captain, "But it's hard for me to trust you."

"So, what can we do to gain your trust?" Yuexia walked out of the team and came to the captain. With just one sentence, he threw the difficult problem back to Lingke.

"Under the moon." The captain turned his head helplessly and looked at the silver-haired girl beside him.

Yuexia just looked up and glanced at the captain.

The captain is a good guy. If he doesn't speak, he will really go to great lengths to prove to Lingke that his group is trustworthy, but Yuexia doesn't like the captain to run around because of a question from the girl in front of him, and... it will probably be in vain.

"Trust is a fragile relationship that is difficult to establish. Since you don't trust us, there is no need for us to establish trust." Yuexia stared at Lingke seriously, "Although our demands are the same, only we have the ability to resolve [Abnormalities], and you don't."

Ling Ke was silent for a moment, but nodded, "That's right."

The demands seem to be consistent, but the information is conveyed unilaterally by outsiders. It is understandable that Lingke is wary and skeptical about this.

San Yueqi stood aside, feeling anxious but unable to speak.

She looks carefree, but in some aspects she is quite reasonable. Since Ji Zi has arranged the captain as the team leader, she will not rashly express her opinion at such a critical moment of the negotiation, especially now when everyone has different opinions.

"I'm sorry, it seems that it will be difficult for us to reach a cooperation." The captain smiled softly. Although he was the first person he met in this city, the atmosphere of the conversation was basically deadlocked at this point. "Can you help us point out the direction of the city?"

"Belloberg did not strictly control the entry and exit of people..."

"I guess you're going to say but." The Star Core Spirit continued Ling Ke's words.

"But, um..." Ling Ke looked up at the Star Core Elf who was standing with his hands on his hips and chest puffed out, and forced herself to continue, "But recently, the Great Guardian has strictly prohibited citizens from entering the snowfield. Without a record of travel, you can't enter the city, and it will arouse the vigilance of the Silver Mane Iron Guard."

High Guardian, Silvermane Iron Guard.

Two new words again.

"So, Miss Lingke is still willing to provide us with some help?" The captain smiled.

He believed that there were no mediocre people in his team, and it was not impossible to carry out the infiltration plan. He just wanted to test Lingke's attitude.

In the captain's opinion, Lingke's attitude was indeed a bit strange.