Chapter 261
Chapter 261: Warmth
An enormous Magic Train burned with otherworldly Magic Power as the iron beast pressed steadily onward.
Tree shadows flickered in rapid succession through the white gaps between them, flashing by at such speed that they seemed to flow endlessly toward the front.
The train hurtled down the tracks, the howling wind and the rhythmic clatter of steel grinding together—like a roar, like a thunderous bellow.
Viktor and Heni rode the train together, seated across from one another.
In her seat, Heni was extremely nervous. Both hands balled into fists, she clutched her loose robes tightly.
Even the scenery beyond the window failed to hold her attention.
Traveling alone with the Professor, just the two of them……
It was something Heni had never even dared to dream about.
Because of this, she had barely slept a wink the previous night.
Of course, in reality it wasn't a trip for leisure—but simply being able to go somewhere with the Professor was already more than enough to make Heni feel giddy with excitement.
She snuck glances at Viktor sitting across from her.
At this moment, the man in the black Coat sat quietly in his seat, a book in hand.
Each time he finished a page, he would turn it.
Fully absorbed.
The Crow that had been perched on the Professor's shoulder all this time was now standing on the tabletop, dozing off.
Watching the Crow sleep, Heni found herself growing a little drowsy as well.
Just as her heavy eyelids were about to fall completely shut, Viktor suddenly spoke:
"Heni, come here."
"Take a look at this."
Startled out of her daze, Heni jerked awake involuntarily and opened her eyes.
She watched Viktor set the book on the table, puzzled.
So she got up and came to sit beside Viktor.
Looking at the problem on the page, Viktor asked:
"If it were you, how would you handle this?"
At that moment, Heni hadn't yet registered that she was now sitting right beside the Professor.
Nor had she realized just how close together the 2 of them were.
She was simply brimming with intellectual curiosity, blinking at the open book, eager to work through the problem on the page.
But then the text on the book began to distort in a peculiar way.
As though suddenly possessed of a life of their own, the words started to dance across the pages—making them impossible to read clearly.
The next instant, Heni felt a powerful wave of dizziness wash over her. Then, beyond her control, darkness closed in before her eyes, and she slipped into unconsciousness.
In the final moment before she lost consciousness, she thought she felt herself sink into a warm embrace.
Then—nothing at all.
She lay there quietly on her side in Viktor's arms, eyes gently closed.
Her slightly chubby cheeks pressed softly against his chest, her breath rising and falling in slow, warm, steady rhythm.
Her rosy cheeks, caught in the sunlight, looked remarkably endearing.
Viktor's other hand hovered over Heni as he pulled a thin blanket and draped it across her.
And then, just like that, he held her in the curve of his arm—letting her lie there in his embrace.
His free hand picked the book back up and he resumed reading.
……
After some time had passed—she wasn't sure how long—Heni opened her eyes again.
The landscape outside had grown completely dark. Bright lights had come on inside the train, and the sudden brightness made Heni blink and squint as she came to.
Rubbing her forehead, Heni had the feeling she had somehow, inexplicably, fallen asleep—and slept for a very, very long time.
The sleep had been deep and peaceful and reassuring, as though she had drifted through an exceptionally sweet dream.
Noticing she had a blanket draped over her, Heni shifted—and accidentally bumped her face into something.
She looked up, and found herself looking directly at Viktor's face.
Hm??
Heni blinked blankly, her mind still not quite caught up.
Then Viktor's voice came.
"Awake?"
Heni snapped back to herself in an instant. Flustered, she scrambled to get herself upright.
The moment she was on her feet, she began bowing repeatedly toward Viktor in a flurry of panicked apologies.
"S-s-s……sorry, Professor!"
"I fell asleep by accident, and I ended up sleeping on your……on your……"
Viktor said nothing more. He simply kept his eyes on the book in hand and gave a casual nod.
Heni stood there, too embarrassed to sit back down.
She could only keep her head lowered, like a child made to stand in the corner as punishment.
But inside, her thoughts were elsewhere entirely.
Had she drooled on the Professor while she was asleep? He wouldn't think less of her for it, would he?
That thing she had bumped into just now—it had been the Professor's abdomen. It was surprisingly firm……
Heehee……it was really warm inside the Professor's arms……
The moment that thought crossed her mind, Heni shook her head hurriedly.
The front carriage was very quiet—the only sound was Viktor's finger sliding across the pages.
Even with her head down, Heni could hear Viktor close the book.
She looked up and saw Viktor rise to his feet.
The Crow took the opportunity to spread its wings and take flight, landing on his shoulder.
Viktor walked over to the window and gazed out, then said in an offhand tone:
"Get ready."
"We're almost there."
Heni was a little puzzled, but she stepped forward nonetheless.
Through the window, she looked at the view outside.
In an instant, her eyes went wide.
Because—without her noticing—the train had been traveling through the sky.
The surrounding darkness was threaded with pinpoints of starlight, casting a bright glow over everything nearby.
Heni was stunned. She couldn't begin to understand how a train could run through the air.
So she pressed closer to the window and looked downward.
And she saw it.
2 parallel tracks built from Magic, laid out across the open sky—glittering with otherworldly starlight against the darkness.
Like gemstones of every color embedded in the heavens themselves, they gave off an air of mystery and elegance.
The tracks stretched onward and onward ahead.
And below them—a boundless ocean, gleaming brilliantly in the glow of the tracks' light.
Like dropping bioluminescence into a teal-colored mirror.
The vivid luminescence merged into the ocean, dissolving into shards of scattered starlight.
The breathtaking scene left Heni momentarily transfixed.
Viktor explained to Heni:
"This is the Magic Train."
The reason it carried the name Magic Train came down, above all, to those 2 words—Magic.
The ordinary railroads within the Empire existed simply to allow trains to move more conveniently between cities.
But the Magic Train, in truth, could reach any destination in the world.
Otherwise it would never have earned its reputation as one of the greatest inventions in the City of Mages.
The Magic Track gradually descended toward the surface of the water, flickering with cascading starlight, and the train followed it down into the sea.
From a distance, in the darkness, it looked like a fantastical train radiating otherworldly luminescence, gliding across the surface of the ocean.
Waves were sent surging several meters into the air.
The crashing sea foam—shattered into mist as wave met wave in the air—became something remarkably radiant.
Viktor said to Heni in an even tone:
"Ahead of us is our destination."
"The City of the Sea."
Heni followed the line of the train tracks and looked forward.
A colossal bubble hovered on the surface of the ocean, its towering structures within lit up as though roused by brilliant pearls—casting a shimmering, foam-like phantom glow.
Seashells along the roadside glowed with soft luminescence. On the walls of tall buildings, fantastical brushstrokes of light painted patterns like currents of water winding around great pillars, endlessly winding and long.
Heni's mouth had fallen open, her eyes filled with the color called wonder, as she stared at the immense city stretching before her.
"It's…it's incredible."
Viktor gazed at the City of the Sea before him, his mind briefly wandering.
The City of the Sea belonged to a map outside the Empire, set within the ocean—and Players could discover it through all manner of means. By boat, by swimming, even by flying in from above, any of them could bring a Player's map into contact with the City of the Sea.
But at first, Players in the game had no entry pass to the City of the Sea and simply could not get inside.
Even if they forced their way in, they would be met with fierce pursuit and attacks from the city's guards.
Without even giving the Player time to retreat—killed on the spot.
At last, the locomotive gave a blast of white steam, and before the enormous bubble, the train slowly came to a stop.
After Viktor and Heni stepped off, the train turned itself around and departed.
After all, on this journey, they had been the only 2 passengers.
The City of the Sea was not built on a vast landmass floating on the ocean's surface. Rather, it was constructed inside an enormous bubble, split into 2 sections.
Half rose above the ocean's surface to face the sky, while the other half was submerged deep within the great sea.
Now, they stood before the bubble, their feet on a path paved entirely from water.
Like a water bed—standing on the water's surface, one did not sink in at all; it only felt soft underfoot.
This was the City of the Sea's land.
At this moment, the 2 of them stood before the City of the Sea and were stopped by its guards.
The guards wore blue armor and shell necklaces around their necks, and even their torsos were marked with ancient patterns.
Rolling currents of flowing water swirled around their bodies like silk, weaving through the grooves of those patterns.
"Welcome to the City of the Sea."
The City of the Sea was scattered across the world's oceans—wherever different sea regions existed, a City of the Sea would exist there too.
The City of the Sea Viktor had come to was the one nearest to the Empire—located in the Padalenbu Sea.
This City of the Sea had taken its name from that sea region as well: Padalenbu Sea City.
Even though this was the City of the Sea closest to the Empire, it still required a full day's journey on the Magic Train to reach.
"You appear to be from the Empire."
"Please extend your hands—I need to register you."
Heni gave a nod and obediently held out her hand.
The guard extended one hand as well.
A thin, slender current of water materialized in his palm, then flowed automatically onto Heni's arm and wrapped gently around it.
With the water coiled around her, Heni felt as though a slender rope had been bound to her wrist.
It didn't restrict her movement—but wearing a current of water on her arm like a pair of shackles was enough to make Heni feel distinctly uncomfortable.
The guard turned to look at Viktor—but Viktor had not extended his hand. Both hands remained tucked in his pockets.
The guard's brow furrowed slightly, a trace of displeasure crossing his face.
"Sir, if you wish to enter the City of the Sea, you must cooperate."
Viktor's eyes regarded the guard calmly, his expression barely shifting, as he said in an offhand tone: "I have a small quirk."
"I don't particularly like—other people touching me."
The guard paused for a brief moment.
The words had barely left his mouth when violent flames erupted at Viktor's side in an instant, surging and dancing wildly through the air behind him.
Intertwined with crimson radiance and Magic Power, a colossal Lava Arm appeared at Viktor's side carrying a searing heat, as though ready to threaten the guard.
Feeling the temperature that was nearly enough to scorch him, the guard's eyes went wide, his voice shaking:
"Fire……is this fire?"
The next instant, the Lava Arm reached out and grabbed the guard by his clothing, hoisting him straight up into the air.
At the same time, the lava contracted slightly, suppressing the blazing heat by just a fraction.
But as the flames clashed with the flowing water, the water element around the guard was scorched away as though burned off in a great furnace—evaporating in moments.
This filled the guard with overwhelming dread. Terror flooded his eyes; his body trembled.
"No, don't……"
Once the water element on his body had been burned away entirely, Viktor—expression unchanged—tossed him down onto the soft surface of the sea.
The guard landed flat on his backside atop the water's surface, eyes wide open.
Before he could even look up, a badge bearing the emblem of 3 shattered human heads dropped onto the water's surface.
It floated lightly—then drifted forward until it stopped right in front of the guard.
Eyes wide, the guard picked it up and studied it, dread rising in his heart.
"This……is this……"
"I'll give you time. Go notify your City Lord here—tell him."
Viktor fixed him with a cold, steady gaze, and his unhurried voice sounded once more:
"Council Member Clavena has arrived."