Chapter 84: Tower of Secrets
The black train with Black Eagle Livery slowly came to a stop before them, the doors swung open.
As the two entered the empty carriage, the doors immediately closed behind them.
This was a special train exclusively equipped for Director of the Supervisory Bureau Ingrid, with Rast being the one brought along.
Mr. Silver crouched on Rast’s shoulder, staring at Ingrid for a long time, even forgetting to eat the usual fish jerky that he would nibble on during moments of boredom.
“Forget it, you’re neither my student nor that old man’s student anymore…”
“You are now the Inspectorate Director of the Imperial Military, and we can’t oversee you any longer.”
After a lengthy silence, he flicked his tail.
Within those ruby-like Beast Eyes, the silvery moonlight flashed and vanished.
Rast had seen this moonlight before; the last time it was used, someone named Isda was put on lockdown by Mr. Silver.
However, this time the target of Mr. Silver’s ability was not someone else, but himself.
Like being erased with an eraser, the silhouette of this white creature gradually faded in the moonlight, before completely disappearing.
Only a lazy voice remained, whispering directly into Rast’s mind in a “moonlit whisper.”
“I’m not comfortable in a situation like this, I’ll go take a nap in the sub-dimension’s subspace.”
“I’ve left a spiritual mark on you, just call me if there’s anything.”
After saying this, the image of the ferret director completely vanished.
Rast looked at the spot on his shoulder where Mr. Silver had disappeared, feeling a bit speechless.
What am I supposed to do now that you left after arguing with people?
However—
He glanced at the tall figure in a black military uniform beside him, and curiosity arose in his heart.
Knowing he needed to interact with Ingrid, he had specifically looked up information about this senior earlier that morning.
Unlike the highly confidential information about Akshia’s “d*ath’s Messenger,” which had limited data available and could only be inferred from snippets of rumors, Ingrid’s Night Blade had quite comprehensive information.
Her internal title in the academy was “Shadow Iron,” and her Night Blade was also called “Shadow Iron.”
As living beings, humans have the instinct to survive.
Thus, no matter how much normal people push themselves to their limits, the instinct for survival would not allow them to surpass their boundaries. It distinguishes and preserves the parts of energy needed to maintain life functions.
For example, when subjected to excessive pain, the body forces a human to fall into a coma.
The so-called Night Blade “Shadow Iron” acts on the holder’s body, allowing them to completely forget pain and shut down the body’s self-protection mechanisms.
It breaks free from the constraints of instinct and squeezes out forces that should not be used from the depths of the soul.
In terms used in Rast’s previous life’s web novels, it is akin to unlocking a “gene lock.”
The cost is huge; once activated, the user often falls unconscious due to immense pain.
There’s even the risk of permanent life reduction or soul damage from excessive use.
This is undoubtedly a rather mediocre Night Blade.
Exchanging self-harm and even physical damage for a surge that exceeds biological instincts seems trivial compared to those truly powerful Night Blades.
However—
This senior in front of him became the second seat at the Round Table and is now the Inspectorate Director relying on such an average Night Blade.
With this thought, Ingrid looked at the fading moonlight that disappeared from Rast’s shoulder.
She sat in the train’s seat, yet her posture still carried a military sharpness and severity.
Ingrid forced a smile: “I knew it would be like this.”
“Do you and Mr. Silver not get along?” Rast asked.
“It’s not that we don’t get along.”
“But I’ve known for a long time that Mr. Silver prefers Hiltina, including the current first seat of the Round Table… who is pure-hearted and can dedicate their life unreservedly to a single belief.”
Ingrid gazed out at the rapidly changing scenery outside the train window, and the distant view of Starry University slowly receded.
“However, I truly cannot be like them.”
“Ten years ago, when I arrived in the capital city with the admission letter from Starry University, taking the crowded green train and seeing the prosperous world before me—”
“I knew, even if I d*e, I must d*e here.”
“I swore in my heart that one day I would control my own fate and obtain everything I had previously only been able to look upon enviously.”
She tucked a strand of hair, ruffled by the wind from the train window, behind her ear.
“Everything I yearn for, envy, and pursue by any means possible…”
“Is probably a landscape that Hiltina and the others have long since grown accustomed to and even feel weary of, wanting to escape from.”
“But I happen to be a complicated creature, rather than a pure and singular one.”
Ingrid withdrew her gaze from the shrinking academy outside the train window.
“Sorry, it’s been a while since I returned to the academy and reminisced about many things it brought to mind… I unintentionally talked too much in front of you.”
She spoke with a touch of regret: “Especially since it may have affected your relationship with Mr. Silver and Hiltina, possibly making you feel awkward.”
“It’s fine—”
Rast shook his head: “I should actually thank you, senior. If it weren’t for your help, I wouldn’t have been able to find any clues about Canaan, and you even came to take me there.”
“It’s a trivial matter; after all, I was just passing through to attend the anniversary celebration.”
Ingrid smiled: “Besides, I’ve also heard about your situation.”
“I heard you come from a remote little village cut off from the world, and by an accident and coincidence, you came into contact with the Night World, becoming a Night Traveler and entering Starry University.”
“Our backgrounds are similar; we are both alone in the capital and Starry University, so we should help each other out.”
“However, you are even more outstanding than I am, able to be so close to Mr. Silver shows that even after seeing the prosperity and hustle of big cities, you can still maintain a pure heart.”
She shook her head somewhat self-deprecatingly: “Unlike me, who is full of ambition.”
……
No wonder when interacting with this senior, he could feel an inexplicable closeness.
It turned out she saw him as someone who also came from a small border town to the capital to study.
However, strictly speaking, that was probably not a misunderstanding; after all, his hometown indeed came from an unknown border town, and he was also alone in the capital.
The train, accompanied by a loud whistle, passed through the golden plains.
Neither of them spoke again along the way. Coupled with Mr. Silver having gone to his own subspace to nap among piles of fish jerky, the carriage fell into a prolonged silence.
Until—
The train gradually slowed down.
And outside the window, a tall black tower loomed in the fortified military district.
The headquarters of the “Tower of Secrets” had arrived.
(End of Chapter)
