With a slight jolt, the passengers in the carriage realized they had arrived at Rock Junction Station, and the mana rail train was slowly coming to a halt.

Outside the window, the station's grand hall gradually came into view.

The station's hall was spacious and bright, with a transparent glass roof that allowed faint natural light to filter in. Local artists' works adorned the walls, depicting the history and culture of the Rock Box Mountains.

Each platform was supported by massive stone pillars that seamlessly integrated with the station's structure. In the past, trains from the north frequently passed through, connecting the northern city-states with the central and southern areas of Protos. However, now, the number of trains arriving was strangely sparse, making this once-bustling station appear somewhat desolate.

Lan Qi and Xide stood up from their seats, holding their suitcases.

As they walked down the aisle of the carriage, they saw many uniformed Imperial soldiers patrolling the platforms. They wore black military uniforms and held gleaming weapons.

Each soldier was expressionless, as if they were part of Rock Junction Station, stern and unwavering.

The merchant passengers seemed somewhat uneasy, carefully stepping off the train, trying not to make too much eye contact with the soldiers.

There were two passages leading from the platform level to the station hall level.

One for transferring and one for exiting.

The vast majority of passengers headed towards the exit.

As Lan Qi and Xide walked along the transfer passage, they found that there were hardly any people.

Finally, near the inspection checkpoint, they saw Imperial soldiers guarding the area again.

At the inspection desk, an officer of medium stature with a stern face, whose chest was adorned with medals indicating he was a captain, stood guard. His eyes were sharp, constantly watching every Imperial citizen who appeared there.

Lan Qi and Xide exchanged a glance and continued towards the inspection desk.

As they approached the captain, he scanned them with cold, hard eyes.

"Name, identity, and destination."

The captain's voice was deep and powerful.

"Luoqi McCarthy, and this is my companion, Xide Novia. We are priests from the Eradication Branch in the Imperial capital, Helrom, here to assist the northern branches with their duties," Lan Qi said calmly, handing over their passes and documents.

Although he was prepared for some level of unwelcomeness, he was truthfully stating his information. The captain shouldn't give them too much trouble.

The captain nodded, picked up a magic device from the table, and began to check their documents.

"So, you're priests from the Eradication Branch."

After confirming their identities, the captain's tone became noticeably more peaceful, and he returned their documents.

Lan Qi and Xide exchanged another glance.

It seemed the Eradication Branch had a good reputation in the north. Even an Imperial Army captain treated them with courtesy.

It should be noted that the Rebirth Church was very unpopular in the southern provinces.

Perhaps it was indeed because they were close to the front lines.

When times were safe, the Rebirth Church was the most dangerous, but when times were dangerous, they represented safety.

When faced with the threat of war and unknown horrors, aligning oneself with the Rebirth Church provided a sense of leaning on darkness.

"If you two wish to transfer towards the Northwest Province, you will have to wait until tomorrow morning, as the blizzard in the north has caused large-scale train delays. And if you plan to continue transferring further north, I'm afraid you'll have to wait a long time."

The captain added regretfully.

He didn't know the priests' exact travel arrangements, but in this city, if they didn't turn back, there were only two directions they could go.

"We want to continue north. Why do we have to wait so long?"

Lan Qi didn't show the transfer tickets to the Northwest Province that the Eradication Branch in the capital had bought for them. He only intended to buy tickets further north after passing the inspection in Rock Box Mountain, taking Xide with him to investigate the dangerous northern front lines.

But it seemed that transportation to the north was currently difficult.

Xide remained silent, waiting for Lan Qi. She had given him control of the itinerary; she was responsible for helping with the fighting.

"Actually, I don't recommend you continue north."

The captain hesitated.

"Has something happened in the north?"

Lan Qi asked, puzzled.

"A section of the track further north has a critical failure. It's difficult to repair under the blizzard, and there haven't been any trains from the north for several days. You can either travel overland using other means, or you'll have to wait until the city-state repairs the rails."

The captain took out a map and circled the route and the affected area with his finger.

"Also, it's said that many people have gone missing in the north this year, and the治安 (zhi an - public security) is very chaotic. You must be careful."

The captain lowered his voice, reminding them.

"Is that so?"

Lan Qi raised an eyebrow.

"Not only that, but special investigators from the Imperial capital arrived a few days ago. I don't know what happened, but the governor of Box Mountain Province also sent an investigative team to accompany them to investigate the situation in the north."

"If you two intend to continue north, I suggest you don't go beyond Qinston City. Not only is the weather bad, but the terrain is extremely complex. Without the help of locals, leaving aside all other dangers, you're likely to be buried or frozen to death by the mountain wind and snow first."

The captain seemed unwilling to delve too deeply into the topic and quickly changed the subject, asking if the two needed help contacting accommodation in the city-state for the night.

He could see that these two elites from the Imperial capital were not weak, and were already quite excellent and powerful talents in their area.

But the map ahead was not something young people could handle.

…

Not lingering long at the checkpoint, the two said goodbye to the captain and walked back towards the station hall.

"Are you scared? Be careful, we might both get kidnapped."

Xide saw that Lan Qi hadn't spoken for a long time and asked with a smile.

Going to the north was originally Lan Qi's sudden idea. Xide didn't mind following the original route with him to the Northwest Province to where the Eradication Saint was to capture the Aitheran Kingdom's special agents and followers of the Goddess of Fate Church who had infiltrated the empire.

Going further north was obviously very dangerous, while the Northwest Province was much safer.

Lan Qi stroked his chin, his expression solemn as if deep in thought.

"The more order is lacking, the more I am needed," Lan Qi muttered to himself.

"?"

The cat boss in the shadows frowned upon hearing this.

Lan Qi was clearly saying very righteous words.

But it sounded very scary to it.

It had heard about what this guy did in the Sanctuary Shadow World.

This guy was a kidnapping ringleader himself!

He would remove all the organs of the vampires at the drop of a hat!

Recommending a friend's book~

(End of Chapter)