Lord of The Mysterious Realms Chapter 1177

Having said this, Jenkins flashed a smile at the woman in the doorway. She froze, stunned for a moment, and then her eyes widened in understanding.

“Yes, you're right. We aren't allowed to influence the past, and the past can't influence us, so our appearances wouldn't be real... The fact that you figured that out means you were testing me, trying to see if I recognized you... Wait, who are you?”

Jenkins didn't answer. Instead, he quickly backed out of the room and shut the door.

The back-and-forth had started with his question, so for it to be fair, it had to end with hers. If he had directly asked whether the Dawn Express disguised the faces of its "passengers" and "intruders" to preserve "historical accuracy," he would have been obligated to answer her question: "Who are you?" And from that, she would have realized his identity was anything but ordinary.

But since he hadn't asked directly, instead using a method that bordered on cheating to get his answer, he was under no obligation to satisfy her curiosity.

“Her surprise confirms it. She's definitely from the future, and likely the near future. Otherwise, she might know my name, but not my face. How fascinating,” Jenkins mused. “Another vessel carrying information from the ‘future.’ But it's of no consequence. I've resolved to ignore the so-called future completely. Miss Brolignans was the perfect cautionary tale.”

The door remained closed. For whatever reason, the woman didn't follow him out. Seeing this, Jenkins lingered no longer and continued on his way. The conductor was still waiting for him up ahead.

Just as the lady had said, most of the carriages on this train were designed with separate compartments. Jenkins, following the answer he had just obtained, arrived before the door of the "conductor's old flame's" compartment. This time, he remembered to knock.

After the sound of his rapping faded, no strange noises came from within the compartment. Still, Jenkins had to wait a full two minutes before the door was finally opened by a middle-aged man in uniform, who was surrounded by a faint green aura. He was slightly plump with a small mustache and radiated an affable, approachable air. His clothes, however, were rather disheveled, the buttons not quite fastened.

“My dear passen... you're not a passenger.”

Unlike the passengers, the portly conductor could apparently tell who the outsiders were. His expression was wary at first, but then it softened into a smile as he gave a slight shake of his head.

“So, it seems the Dawn Express has made an unscheduled appearance in the material world again, before reaching its final destination?”

“That's right,” Jenkins confirmed. “I'm a passenger on the train next to this one. Because of your arrival, I have to meet with you and sign some documents to prevent you from taking people's lives. At least, that's what the records I've seen say.”

Jenkins answered truthfully, deliberately slowing his speech so he could observe the conductor's reactions.

The conductor stepped fully out of the compartment and quickly shut the door, preventing Jenkins from getting a look inside. He gave a dismissive wave of his hand.

“I don't take anyone's life. That's the work of the Dawn Express,” he clarified. “I'm merely a poor soul trapped aboard this train.”

Jenkins wasn't concerned with what might be inside the room. When the conductor began walking toward the front of the train, he fell into step beside him. According to the portly man, the "documents" had to be signed in the locomotive.

He was quite chatty, and as they walked, he spoke freely with Jenkins about the Dawn Express. Unlike the passengers, he didn't seem to be bound by any confidentiality rules, which made Jenkins feel he'd completely wasted his time in the woman's compartment.

“So you already know? Yes, this is indeed a tourist train. It carries people from various points in your future, taking them on tours to different moments in time. This train was built in what is, for you, the future. Its only purpose is to ferry passengers to observe the past. As for the crew... well, we're just stray souls from the material world that the Dawn Express happened to pick up along the way.”

He took a long draw from his cigar, then exhaled a thick cloud of green smoke through his nostrils with practiced ease. Jenkins instinctively held his breath, only to realize the smoke was completely odorless.

“As you know, people aren't just curious about the future; they're fascinated by the lost past as well. The passengers of the Dawn Express pay the fare for all sorts of reasons. Even though they can't interfere, just being able to observe is a reward in itself for them.”

“Does the Dawn Express run often?”

Jenkins asked, purely out of curiosity. He'd already learned that since the Dawn Express was built in the future, he, existing in this time, wasn't eligible to purchase a ticket and become a passenger.

“From its point of origin in the future, it runs quite frequently. Even with the exorbitant ticket price, mortals always seem to find a way to pay—a miracle in itself, I suppose. As for intruders from the past, like yourself... you're a way for the Dawn Express to collect energy and establish anchor points. The ticket fares are enough to cover the entire journey, of course, but the rules dictate that its very existence requires the ‘consent’ of the past.” ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ novelFirｅ.net

the conductor explained patiently.

“So this document I have to sign is this so-called ‘consent form’?”

“Precisely. Otherwise, it would have to collect enough souls from this time period to serve as collateral and anchoring coordinates. So you see, the Dawn Express is actually quite a sinister thing. If I wasn't detained on this train, I wouldn't stay here for a single moment longer.”

the portly man said casually, raising a hand to adjust his cap before gesturing toward the closed compartment doors.

“Truth be told, there are never more than ten passengers on any given trip. The fare is a major hurdle, after all. The fact that you just happened to pick a door with a passenger behind it... well, I can't say if that was good luck for you or for her. So, are you intrigued by this place? Even though you'll forget everything that happened here once you leave, I can make you a promise. If you live long enough to reach the era when I became conductor, I will find you and invite you aboard. Once you're on the train, your memories will return.”

“Do you say that to every intruder?”

Jenkins asked with a smile. He wasn't about to be taken in; the conductor had conveniently failed to mention what the "tickets" actually cost.

“I do. I say it to every single one,” the conductor admitted. “Because it's amusing, isn't it? I'm trapped here. You intruders are the only entertainment I get. As for the passengers... apart from the occasional erudite scholar—like the noble lady in compartment three—most of them treat me like some dangerous curiosity. But enough of that. What can I get you to drink? I can have a steward prepare something, and we can have a proper chat in a moment.”