Thus, a considerable number of beast tamers thronged towards Fenghe Town. Some merely wished to witness its legendary status firsthand and broaden their horizons, while others were driven by the pursuit of ancient treasures and unparalleled contract beasts.
Upon arriving at the academy, it was once again Lin Yuansheng who welcomed the ten students, arguably the most outstanding at Cangzhen Beast Taming Academy.
"Fenghe Town is quite a distance from here, nearly three hundred kilometers. Therefore, for this journey, we will be traveling by train. This will also allow everyone to rest properly and enjoy the scenery along the way. Rest assured, the academy will cover the cost of the train tickets."
Upon hearing this, the students exchanged glances. Was this the same院长 they remembered as being so stingy? On the Beast Taming Continent, trains were a rare mode of transportation; traveling by them was akin to embarking on a grand tour.
Before long, the group arrived at the train station.
Due to the existence of contract beasts, trains were required to be fitted with high-defense armor and equipped with firearms, making them prohibitively expensive.
Furthermore, a large number of hired beast tamers were needed to accompany and provide defense.
Not to mention the immense undertaking of clearing a safe route across the wilderness.
As a result, train routes on the Beast Taming Continent were exceedingly few.
The scarcity of trains dictated their exorbitant ticket prices; ordinary people, unless absolutely necessary, would rarely board them.
The vast majority of those at the train station were beast tamers with some financial backing.
After presenting their Cangzhen Beast Taming Academy student IDs, Lu Fei and his companions smoothly passed through the checks.
Entering the station, purchasing tickets, having their tickets validated... following a series of procedures, they joined the queue to board the train.
Upon closer inspection,
Much of the train's exterior was covered in thick steel armor. kuAiδugg
Machine guns and other firearms were mounted on the roofs of each carriage.
This world had already developed firearms capable of counteracting contract beasts. The reason the World Government invested vast sums of money into their research was the catastrophe in Yanbei City over thirty years prior.
Since that catastrophe, research into firearms had made breakthrough progress. Even some formidable contract beasts could be defended against using firearms in area-denial tactics.
"Woo woo woo~"
The train finally arrived. Lu Fei noticed that the trains of this world, and high-speed trains, were entirely different from what he knew. Firstly, their exteriors resembled fully armed armored vehicles.
On both sides of the train's head were mounted heavy, six-barreled machine guns, like a majestic, armored behemoth.
And at the rear, another combat carriage was coupled.
"One, two, three, four!"
A squad dressed in crimson uniforms was lining up, their presence sharp and their spirits high, ready to depart.
These individuals would accompany the journey, manning the train.
"Ding—"
A clear and pleasant bell rang on the platform, prompting all passengers not yet on board to quicken their pace.
Lu Fei and his companions had booked seats in second-class carriages.
There was only one first-class carriage, and its tickets were typically snapped up as soon as they went on sale.
For those without connections, the chance of purchasing a first-class ticket was extremely slim.
Fortunately, the environment in the second-class carriages was quite decent.
"Whoo—"
The train began to depart.
The massive wheels slowly turned.
The scenery outside the windows constantly shifted. The train station was soon left behind, replaced by an endless expanse of yellow-brown, occasionally dotted with sparse patches of grayish-green poplars.
As the train advanced, the landscape encountered became increasingly desolate.
Vast, boundless desert.
Gusts of swirling sand.
Scattered, rugged stones.
Despite having seen the wilderness scenery countless times, observing it from the vantage point of the train offered a distinctly unique perspective.
Gazing out,
Dense, tall barbed-wire fences stood on both sides of the tracks where the train passed.
And every few kilometers, a solitary watchtower could be seen erected beside the tracks.
Several young soldiers stood at the entrance of the watchtower, straighter than pine trees.
They were military personnel of the armed forces, and also beast tamers. This was another profession for beast tamers besides hired ones, serving the World Government.
Their sole duty was to guard the tracks and intercept any contract beast attacks that aimed to disrupt them.
Even with the current prosperity of civilization and advanced technology, humanity had achieved absolute control over contract beasts. However, there were still regions where contract beasts frequently encroached upon human territories.
Furthermore, there were places humanity had yet to conquer, such as the ocean.
The ocean contained countless unknown contract beasts, but humans dared not explore its depths due to the overwhelming unknowns; a single misstep could lead to a wasted life.
No one knew precisely how many unknown contract beasts resided in the vast, boundless deep sea.
The only certainty was that there were undoubtedly far more than in the terrestrial wilderness!
Lost in thought for a moment, Lu Fei collected his thoughts and prepared to get up and find something to eat.
Recalling Bai Qianqian, who was sitting right beside him, and out of gentlemanly courtesy, he asked, "Are you hungry? Would you like me to get you something to eat?"
Bai Qianqian did not reply, only shaking her head. Lu Fei stood up, preparing to purchase food himself.
Suddenly, he heard a soft murmur from behind him:
"The environment in second-class carriages doesn't seem too bad, it's just a bit crowded and noisy."
"I'm truly sorry, Young Miss. Recently, there have been too many people going to Fenghe Town, and train seats are extremely tight. I queued up and bought tickets early, but I still couldn't get first-class tickets."
"It's alright, Wang Zhong. Don't treat me like one of those delicate young ladies. Sitting in second-class occasionally isn't bad. Besides, the journey to Fenghe Town is only about three or four hours, so if you bear with it, it will pass quickly."
"That's good. I was worried you might be unhappy."
"How could I be?"
A few more voices chimed in.
"Actually, I think second-class carriages are already quite good. If Brother Wang hadn't bought out all the tickets, I definitely wouldn't have been able to afford them."
"Exactly! When I saw the ticket prices, I was shocked. They're almost as much as my monthly salary!"
"Tsk tsk, second-class carriages are already this expensive. How high must the first-class tickets be?"
"Don't even think about it. Is it just a matter of price? Without certain connections, don't even expect to buy first-class tickets. Only Brother Wang has the connections and ability."