"Don't say that, I also relied on personal connections."
Wang Zhong's voice rang out.
Though his words were humble, a hint of self-satisfaction was evident in his tone.
A few other voices chimed in with timely flattery.
"It seems these people are also heading for the Fenghe Town ruins."
Lu Fei glanced sideways, catching sight of several young men and women giggling as they hurried past his seat.
They all appeared to be in their early twenties, dressed as adventurers.
However, their demeanor betrayed a certain immaturity, suggesting they were likely novice adventurers who had recently graduated from a Beast Taming Academy.
Not long after.
Those individuals returned with snacks and drinks.
As they passed Lu Fei's group, one of the young men's gazes fell upon Bai Qianqian and the other girls, his eyes widening in surprise.
"Hey, why are you stopping? Hurry up!"
A companion blocked by his path urged him on.
The young man couldn't help but swallow, then whispered in a lowered voice:
"Boss, be-beautiful!"
Hearing this, his male companions turned to look with a mixture of doubt and anticipation, quickly widening their eyes as well.
It wasn't surprising they were so astonished.
Bai Qianqian's temperament was already cool and aloof, her appearance exceptionally refined and ethereal. The other two girls in their group, Liu Manman and Zhang Wan, were also strikingly beautiful.
It was rare enough to see one such individual on any given day.
To see three at once was almost dazzling.
Soon, their gazes shifted to Lu Fei, and their eyes immediately blazed with envy and jealousy.
"Who is this guy? He's so lucky with women!"
"Exactly, the prettiest one is sitting next to him. Is she his girlfriend?"
The group muttered amongst themselves as they returned to their seats.
Bai Qianqian, with her sharp hearing, caught their discussion. Her eyes showed a flicker of disgust, which she skillfully concealed.
There was a dining car on this train.
However, calling it a dining car was more akin to a convenience store, selling various food and drinks.
The selection was limited, far less extensive than the train dining cars Lu Fei remembered.
The space was also quite small, lacking tables and seats for dining.
It made sense, as seating on trains was already scarce, so there wouldn't be any extra space to set up dining tables.
"Thump-thump-thump!"
As they walked down the aisle, more than a dozen soldiers in crimson combat uniforms, fully armed, approached.
They were moving from the front of the train towards the rear, their faces stern and their expressions solemn.
Lu Fei moved aside, his gaze curiously assessing these soldiers until they had moved further away before he retracted his attention.
"Did something happen?"
After a moment of thought yielded no answers, Lu Fei shook his head, pushing the matter aside, and continued walking.
Five minutes later.
He returned to his seat with a tray holding drinks.
Upon arrival, he found a clean-faced young man, appearing to be in his twenties, standing by their seats, earnestly striking up a conversation with Bai Qianqian and the others with a wide, friendly smile.
"You're students from a Beast Taming Academy, right? Which academy are you from? Maybe I know some of your seniors."
"You're also heading to the Fenghe Town ruins, aren't you? We are too. Want to go together? There's safety in numbers."
"Don't let my age fool you, I'm an Advanced Beast Tamer. If you don't mind, I can guide you through the ruins. It's a bit dangerous for a group of students to go alone."
Lu Fei recognized the young man as the same one who had been openly discussing the girls' beauty earlier.
Despite the girls in his group being indifferent to his advances, he seemed oblivious, continuing his monologue.
Bai Qianqian's brow furrowed slightly, clearly growing impatient with this overly familiar stranger.
Seeing Lu Fei return, she composed herself.
Lu Fei walked over, holding the tray with drinks in his right hand.
"Hey, don't block the way."
The leading young man faltered visibly, then grudgingly moved aside. Lu Fei sat down, but the young man remained standing there.
"Do you need something else?"
The leading young man was taken aback again, quickly forcing what he thought was a sincere smile.
"Brother, my name is Lu Gou. I was just discussing with your companions. You're all going to the Fenghe Town ruins, right? We are too, so how about..."
"No, thank you."
Lu Fei interrupted Lu Gou with a decisive tone.
He glanced at Lu Gou, a slight smile on his face.
He couldn't help but think what an interesting name, carrying "dog" in it.
"But you're still students, aren't you? It's too dangerous to go to the ruins like this. If you come with me, I can protect you!"
Lu Gou said, his gaze shifting towards Bai Qianqian and the other girls.
In his estimation, these young ladies from some Beast Taming Academy surely wouldn't possess much strength.
Perhaps not even Intermediate Beast Tamers.
With such strength, going to the ruins would likely only allow them to explore the outer fringes.
To enter the depths of the ruins, they would need the protection of a powerful Beast Tamer.
In such a scenario, he, an Advanced Beast Tamer, should hold considerable appeal for them.
If it weren't for the fact that they were still on the train, Lu Gou would have summoned his level 70 contracted beast. Perhaps that would have elicited admiring glances from these girls who had clearly seen little of the world.
Lu Gou didn't believe Lu Fei could speak for the girls' intentions. He turned his attention to the other two, but before he could speak, Liu Manman impatiently interjected:
"Are you annoying or what? If you want to hit on girls, go somewhere else!"
Bluntly rebuffed like this, even someone with Lu Gou's thick skin couldn't endure it. His face turned a mixture of green and red, and he turned to leave, but not before uttering a parting threat.
"Just you wait. Don't let me see you inside the ruins!"
Everyone quickly forgot about this minor interruption.
On the other side.
Lu Gou returned to his seat, his face dark.
His companions had witnessed everything that had happened and, seeing his state, they began to chime in:
"Brother Liu, there's no need to argue with those unappreciative people!"
"Exactly, they're just students who haven't even fully grown up yet."
"It's rare for Brother Liu to offer help with good intentions, and they don't even appreciate it. Truly ungrateful!"
Lu Gou's lips twitched, his expression darkening slightly.
As an Advanced Beast Tamer at his age, while he might not be a genius, he had never attended school. He had solely relied on his own experiences, weathering hardships and struggles to reach this point.