Chapter 385 : Goblin Billy
Chapter 385: Goblin Billy
“At exactly seven o’clock in the morning, accompanied by a sharp whistle, the Magical Steam Train,
which had been running for more than twenty hours,
finally entered the platform of the Elemental Soul.”
“Good morning, dear passengers. Our train has successfully arrived at the Elemental Soul. Please remember to take all your belongings with you and disembark in an orderly fashion.”
Hearing the soft announcement inside the carriage, Gawen-Tull, who felt sore all over from the long ride, stretched lazily and let out a long yawn.
“Last night’s thunder was far too terrifying. I barely slept at all.”
Around one in the morning, when everything outside the train had been quiet, a sudden thunderstorm erupted. The thunder was so loud that it surpassed even the rumbling storms they had encountered when the Magical Steam Train passed through rocky terrain.
Strangely enough, though, throughout the latter half of the night, there had been only thunder—no rain.
If the train announcer hadn’t repeatedly emphasized that it was merely a natural phenomenon, not only Gawen-Tull but even Janna would have thought that their train was being attacked by a thunder-elemental magical beast.
“I was fine. Aside from the moment the train first entered the thunderstorm zone, I wasn’t much affected. After that, I simply got used to it.”
Hearing Janna’s words, Gawen-Tull, while wiping his glasses with a handkerchief, couldn’t help but form a new impression of her perseverance.
In his eyes, Janna had always been a Wizard Apprentice who loved to read. But last night, when he saw her replacing sleep with meditation the entire time, Gawen-Tull felt genuine admiration for her for the first time.
Deep Meditation could, at times, restore Spirit Power more effectively than sleep. But very few Wizard Apprentices were capable of sustaining such a state all night long.
After all, it was nearly impossible for one’s focus to remain perfectly undisturbed. Even a single stray thought would break the Deep Meditation state, dropping one into Shallow Meditation.
Thus, most Wizard Apprentices drifted between the two states. Though this still restored Spirit Power, the constant back-and-forth was mentally exhausting.
Meditation = Cultivation;
Sleep = Rest.
Replacing sleep entirely with meditation meant getting no true rest at all—an unbearable habit for most Wizard Apprentices.
For this reason, when Gawen-Tull learned that Janna had already maintained this habit for two years, he couldn’t help but feel ashamed of himself, despite being a Third Tier Wizard Apprentice.
“The train doors have opened. Let’s go.”
After using a Cleaning Spell to tidy herself up, Janna dressed neatly, and the two of them headed toward the train doors.
“Good morning, Professor Mage.”
“Good morning. How did you rest last night?”
Following the flow of passengers off the train, Janna immediately spotted Lilith-Mag, who had disembarked earlier.
“I rested well, but Gawen didn’t sleep much.”
“Oh? Was it because I overloaded you with too much knowledge yesterday evening?”
“Of course not, Professor—it was because the thunderstorm was too loud.”
Not realizing that Lilith-Mag was joking, Gawen-Tull quickly shook his head and explained.
The night before, it had been nearly midnight by the time he and Janna left Lilith-Mag’s carriage.
Though attending a lesson so late at night was exhausting, both Janna and Gawen-Tull fully understood Lilith-Mag’s good intentions. Complaints never even crossed their minds.
“That’s good to hear. After all, in the coming days, I’ll be putting you both through a series of special training.”
Lilith-Mag said this while looking at Janna. Receiving her gaze, Janna nodded seriously.
“Let’s go. Someone is waiting to meet us outside.”
With that, Lilith-Mag pulled on her Wizard Hood and led Janna and Gawen-Tull through the dense crowd toward the station’s exit.
“Whew—”
The moment they stepped outside, the dry cold wind slipped down Janna’s collar and into her Wizard Robe.
Compared to the winters in Turin’s Wizard settlement, the Elemental Soul settlement wasn’t nearly as cold. Even the snow on the ground lay in only a thin layer.
However, the wind in Elemental Soul was unnaturally strong—so much so that it nearly tore the scarf from Janna’s face several times.
“No wonder this large Wizard settlement, rich in several ‘Elemental Essence Mines,’ produces such fierce winds. Even in winter, the gusts carry an intense density of wind-elemental magic particles—”
Hearing Gawen-Tull’s remark, Janna tightened her scarf and nodded in agreement.
It wasn’t just wind-elemental particles. From the moment she stepped off the Magical Steam Train, she sensed the concentration of fire, water, lightning, and earth particles—every element except shadow—far surpassing those in Turin.
“Professor Mag, over here!”
While Janna was still glancing about, a gray-skinned goblin, wearing a felt hat and cotton coat, stood before a carriage, calling loudly to Lilith-Mag.
“It’s been a long time, Billy.”
“It has indeed, Lady Mag. After so many years, you haven’t changed at all—you’re still as elegant and beautiful as ever.”
Seeing Lilith-Mag approach, the goblin named Billy immediately removed his felt hat and bowed respectfully. Only after Lilith-Mag spoke first did he flatter her with a smile.
“These two are the Wizard Apprentices I mentioned in my letter. I came here this time for their sake.”
“Hello, Billy.”
Introduced by Lilith-Mag, Janna greeted him with a warm smile.
Beside her, Gawen-Tull—always less skilled at social interactions—simply nodded politely.
“Greetings, lovely Wizard ladies. I am Goblin Billy. If you ever need assistance, please feel free to call on me anytime. The weather outside is cold, so why don’t we get inside the carriage first?”
The carriage Goblin Billy drove might have looked plain from the outside, but its interior was furnished with care.
Not only were blankets laid out on the seats in advance, but a kettle seat also held a pot of hot milk and three glass teacups.