Black Sail
Chapter 180: CLXXX. Upper Class

Chapter 180: CLXXX. Upper Class

The Pioneer left Aran Imperial City and after half an hour, it reached the vast open plains.

It was expected to arrive at Chenxi Port in two days.

The scenery outside the window was breathtaking, untouched by industrial pollution, the primitive landscape was lush and green, the grass vibrant, the sky and sea a brilliant blue.

The mechanical train could travel day and night, spanning about a quarter of Aran’s territory, passing through three provinces and seven major cities, including Yunxi City.

However, Yunxi City was mid-journey, expected to be passed by around noon tomorrow. There was a station set up there but during the trial operation, no passengers boarded, so it was bypassed directly.

The train maintained a normal speed, keeping between eighty to a hundred miles per hour.

It didn’t rely solely on coal steam but also had auxiliary power. If magic crystals were used to increase speed, it could even reach one hundred fifty miles per hour, but that would shorten the train’s lifespan and overworking it would cause severe wear to the engine unit.

Muran, serving as the deputy conductor, saw everything was running smoothly and so he handed over full control to William.

He returned to a private compartment in the engine car, which was the residence for five people.

The Caucasian man was being intimate with his girlfriend.

Mo Yutong was absorbed in a book about religion.

"You guys are easily satisfied..."

Muran’s expression was cold; these people cared nothing about the secrets hidden in the world.

Mo Yutong closed her book.

"Things are good enough now. We lack nothing, life is stable, and we’ve killed enough classmates to show loyalty to the magician."

Mo Yutong worried her actions would be discovered, which would create a hostile situation with Muran. She had released half of the classmates they had captured, using local substitutions from Li Si.

These people were all placed in an academy in the Pedan Kingdom.

Mo Yutong had thought deeply and considered multiple aspects. The Pedan Kingdom had no religious power; arcane magic and Magic Energy Industry were the nation’s foundations.

It could be said to be a paradise for scholars. Before Beima Kingdom was reformed into a Duchy, it had flourished by following Pedan’s system.

She even had covert contacts within the upper echelons of Pedan Kingdom and had pointed out directly that these people possessed extraordinary knowledge.

Of course, she spoke nothing of other dimensions, only stated that it was knowledge learned from the ruins of an Ancient Era advanced civilization.

Not only did Mo Yutong have an official position in the Aran Royal Court, but she was also a spy for Pedan Kingdom. Once she returned to Pedan Kingdom, she would receive the highest level of protection.

Not only was Aran developing rapidly, Pedan was also secretly advancing their "Magic Energy Industry" technology tree using knowledge of the Ancient Era advanced civilization.

Twenty or so people put together, although Muran was an insurmountable scholar, could his knowledge stand against so many?

Mo Yutong believed it was almost time to leave. Secrets can’t be kept forever; nothing could be completely flawless, and she could no longer rescue many more people without putting herself at risk.

Given Muran’s pathological extent, he might do anything.

Hearing Mo Yutong’s words, Muran sneered, noticing the resentment hidden between the lines. She spoke in Chinese, clearly meant for her alone.

"I don’t understand what you’re complaining about. After all, it’s William who’s in the public eye, enduring... the hatred of others. You and I are both clean, no need to feel any guilt."

Muran sat on the sofa. He didn’t have habits like smoking or drinking, not even tea, anything that could stimulate the brain was completely barred, self-discipline to an exasperating level.

"We are not the worst people. Didn’t we find a person’s information on Liszt, a real villain? One who kills without remorse, utterly devoid of humanity. We only did the right thing at the right moment. If Liszt had been in our position from the start, he would have killed everyone, leaving no one alive."

Muran had countless ways to exonerate himself.

"Think whatever you want."

Mo Yutong reopened her book, ignoring Muran.

"You people... truly lack the consciousness of elites. As long as there is society, there are privileges. Any form of society is a privileged society, leaving trustworthy things to be done by trustworthy people leads to healthy development. The elites set the rules, including morals; even civilization is a product of the elites. Enjoying power, influencing the world, is inevitable. As members of Ivy, your intelligence is notable but you lack understanding of the most basic logic, retaining mediocrity, which is truly pitiful."

For Muran, morality was just a communal imagination, existing only in the mental world, and completely non-existent in practice, being controlled by nonexistent things was a sign of lacking intelligence.

However, every coin has two sides, morality could also be materialized and become a tool.

"Mediocrity, so you say you are now a god? Your power has reached a point where you can set moral standards?"

Mo Yutong laughed.

"I didn’t say that. On the Western Continent, we are only minor officials living peacefully, but theoretically, that’s how it is. I’m just helping you to dismiss unnecessary worries and maintain a healthy mentality."

Mu Ran directly pulled the book from Mo Yutong’s hands, now that everything was going according to plan, he had other thoughts.

"Can’t you just leave me alone?"

Mo Yutong pinched the bridge of his nose, showing his impatience and desire to be rid of the interruption.

Mu Ran realized that he was no longer young, and if he didn’t uncover the ultimate secrets of this world during his lifetime, the only person he could rely on was his progeny.

But Mu Ran disdained the idea of married a common woman; he didn’t care about lineage, only about intelligence, and by now, after his estimations, except for one or two female court astrologers, Mo Yutong was still the best choice.

However, he wouldn’t admit it, there was still time.

If all else failed, he would have to resort to despicable means and try to complete it by middle of next year, to have an heir by the end of the year.

"As you wish, I just want you to know that no matter what you do, you always have a place here with me."

Mu Ran stood up, walked to the door, looked back at Mo Yutong, then closed the door and left.

Mo Yutong felt a chill down his spine, that probing gaze was simply too terrifying; he might have to leave Aran soon.

Inside the specially designed bar car, the decor exuded luxury not merely from complex elements aggregated together, but from the restrained and textured decorations of various stones and glasses, emphasizing the space-expanding effect of reflective surfaces, making the car look bigger.

Many nobles were already at the bar drinking away their troubles, being stuck in the private cabin space was not an option.

The noblewomen gathered together, talking about scandals, clothes, and jewelry.

The topics among the male nobles were typical of middle-aged men, political hot topics, but when it came to the Emperor, they were as silent as the grave, not daring to make veiled references; they only discussed affairs abroad or expressed views on some vague concepts.

One noble mentioned the issue of education; his child had no interest in studying and he wondered what future there could be, perhaps ending up as a laborer at the docks.

Mu Ran also arrived here, serving the nobles, and coincidentally joined this conversation with a half-joking demeanor, uttering a few flattering words to cheer him up.

"There’s no need to worry, Earl. Education is just a piece of paper; the world does not work with brains dictating one’s position, but rather positions dictating brains. Your son, growing up surrounded by intelligence and broad perspectives, cannot be simply lumped together with laborers. Intelligence is the path to navigating life. With your wealth, even just leaving your money in the bank would accrue enough interest for several generations to live worry-free."

Mu Ran spoke calmly, yet his so-called elite theory, proposed under the guise of a professor from Aran Royal Technical College, was particularly useful to these nobles, who invited him to drink with cheers.

In order to quickly gain the acceptance of these nobles,

Mu Ran spoke about the research results from the Northern Prison, asserting intelligence was largely determined by genetics.

This theory was essentially an endorsement made by the big prison for the legitimacy of nobility and dressed up with numerous technical terms by Mu Ran, it received praise from the nobles in the carriage.

The entire carriage was filled with "upper crust".

At this very moment,

Eighty miles outside Yunxi City, positioned in a secluded hilly area was the railroad track.

"Damn it, just blow it up, what’s there to talk about?"

Rein loved watching explosions.

"Keep an eye on him; don’t let him anywhere near the detonation lever."

Fen spoke assertively, as the train wouldn’t pass until tomorrow, and making noise during the day could attract attention ruining all the preparations; they needed to send a couple of pirates to detonate it at midnight.

The controlled demolition he mastered, targeting the weak points of tunnel supports to cause a collapse, the minimal force to inflict maximum damage, meant blowing up the three-mile-long tunnel was not a problem.

His group needed to get a good night’s sleep to be sharp and energized for tomorrow when they would rob thousands, perhaps tens of thousands, at Triumph Heavenly Kingdom Port.

Gawain took a deep breath, sleeping was the last thing expected.

Meredith just hoped to finish soon to see Goria again.

"A bowl of wine for life and death companions, what’s mine is yours, what’s yours is mine."

Liszt fiddled with his Flintlock Gun, cursing the old Emperor, wandering through the world to see him chop down a royal head.

Liszt, a Wild West Outlaw, an Ivy prestigious school exchange student from the Department of Applied Optics, but...

"Stop with the hometown dialect, please."

Shadi’s face was long, his tune was as off as Hell.

Morison sharpened his knife with a feigned smile; the show was about to start.