Black Sail
Chapter 181: CLXXXI. The Night Before

Chapter 181: CLXXXI. The Night Before

The next stop of the Aran Imperial City.

Here, another group of nobles boarded the train, joining the leisurely sightseeing party.

Alanee finally caught up and was ready to take the train there and back. Although it was a trial run, with her status, she could ride as many times as she wanted.

Because she hastily made her way here, Alanee’s forehead was faintly beaded with fragrant sweat.

The goateed elder servant accompanying her put on gloves and took out a brand-new, never-used silk handkerchief to hand to Alanee.

"Ah, Butler, what would I do without you?"

Alanee took the handkerchief and wiped her sweat, seeing that Grim beside her was unfazed, breathing without a hitch—it infuriated her, and she viciously pinched his waist.

"This subordinate deserves ten thousand deaths."

Grim showed no sign of sensation, merely bowing his head.

Alanee felt even more frustrated.

At this time, there were quite a few nobles waiting for the train, yet Alanee was not recognized by anyone. She rarely showed her face, and even at the Royal Court, very few people had seen her appearance.

However, everyone was taking sidelong glances at the tall and muscular Grim with his huge bow—he truly looked formidable.

After a short while,

the train pulled into the station and gradually came to a stop.

Alanee’s lovely eyebrows furrowed—what’s this? She had thought it was some huge behemoth, tens of meters tall, but this was it? It wasn’t even as impressive as the Magic Puppets displayed in her teacher’s home.

She felt a bit disappointed, but she was still quite curious about this vehicle that could run on iron tracks.

Minutes later, the nobles wearing gold and silver jewelry with their imposing entourage of servants all boarded the train. Alanee was not in a hurry and stepped onto the train last, leisurely.

The beautiful attendant checking the list did not find Alanee’s name, but seeing the natural aura of nobility emanating from the young lady, she knew such a presence could only come from long tenure in a high position.

The goateed elder stepped forward and whispered a few words,

"Keep it confidential, just inform the person in charge. The young lady does not wish for others to know," he added.

The young attendant felt as if electricity was coursing up her spine—this was a top-tier passenger, a royal relative.

She showed no delay, promptly going to the very front carriage to find Mu Ran.

"What’s the matter, why such a rush?"

Mu Ran was puzzled.

The attendant revealed Alanee’s identity—she probably wanted to escape her family’s control and sneak out for some fun.

Even Mu Ran’s heartbeat quickened, his palms and soles sweating.

He had already connected with the Emperor’s trusted confidant, the one-eyed soldier.

But this connection was purely based on strength and the benefits brought. Once the value shown was not up to the advantages offered by the one-eyed soldier’s support, they could cut ties with you anytime. And in the cutthroat atmosphere of the Aran Royal Court, a single mistake could mean ruin.

He must have other connections; this was an excellent opportunity to shine.

He promptly summoned Mo Yutong and two others, the train operation committee members, to ensure that this service was executed perfectly with the highest standards of hospitality.

Five minutes later,

the train started moving again, slowly accelerating to eighty miles, speeding through the picturesque wilderness.

Alanee and her group were arranged in the most top-tier private carriage, never used by anyone in the previous two trips, brand new.

Mu Ran and his team, as train operators, of course had their own considerations for the interior decoration, adding many elements not seen here before, like the soft and hard packing background walls and the luxurious atmosphere created by champagne gold lines on pure white stone.

"Not bad taste at all,"

Alanee patted the soft cushion on the seat, which was so comfortable she didn’t want to move. She wanted to sit here forever, avoiding the rigid lessons from her teacher and the hard benches she had to sit on.

Mu Ran and his team remained standing, not daring to sit down, showing the minimum respect.

"I’m so hungry, is there anything to eat?"

Alanee yawned, tired from the long journey here.

Mu Ran was in a dilemma. Although there were chefs on the train, they were not of Court Chef level, and he didn’t know if she would be accustomed to their food.

Mu Ran then resorted to being sly, asking Alanee about her preferences, and instructed someone to prepare the food.

"Just serve up something simple, as long as it’s meat," she said.

Alanee grumbled to herself about her teacher, who had only been feeding her odd plants, claiming they would enhance her concentration and increase her sensing power, making her daily routine feel like taking medicine.

Ironically, these plants were also very expensive, and not eating them was not an option, as adventurers had risked their lives to collect them from various forbidden areas.

Mu Ran’s face showed no expression, but he was feeling somewhat annoyed inside. How was he supposed to deal with such a nonsensical attitude?

Power.

One must possess greater power, supreme over all, to access the ultimate.

Mu Ran instructed the fair-skinned man to order the chef to prepare the meal, demanding the use of the finest ingredients and the sum of all his culinary expertise. If Alanee was not satisfied, he wouldn’t be able to continue working on the train.

Cooks on the elite train were akin to holding a golden rice bowl, with countless chefs clamoring for an opportunity to work there.

Grim, on his way there, observed the security forces on the train and couldn’t help feeling worried. The train carried so many wealthy passengers that if somebody were to snatch one, they would find hundreds of Golden Dragons, and surely those passengers would be carrying money to show off their wealth.

He looked out the window at the scenery. The tracks passed through some strategic locations, but there were also times completely outside of military reach, especially when approaching remote areas some seventy to eighty miles from the city.

Completely...

Isolated and helpless.

If there were experts on board to secure the train, that would be one thing, but looking at the security guards, they weren’t weak, but not significantly reliable either, equivalent to the level of a Gold Level adventurer.

Having fought in the Western Continent for many years, Grim knew of pirates, sand bandits, thieves, and outlaws of all kinds—desperate men who didn’t value their lives and wouldn’t hesitate to throw them away. They certainly weren’t afraid of any nobles or royals.

Although it was within the territory of Aran.

One could never be too careful, and he instantly became highly vigilant.

"Is there anything else you need? I will serve to the best of my ability."

Mu Ran bowed deeply, performing a gesture of utmost respect befitting a subject.

"Ah, I’ve worked up such a sweat getting here. Is there a place I can bathe?"

Alanee asked carelessly.

Mu Ran pondered for a moment, then asked Mo Yutong to stay while he obediently led the fair-skinned man away.

The goat-bearded old man nodded in approval; this person was quite clever.

He also took his leave, exiting the carriage.

Grim frowned, wanting to advise Alanee that if she truly wished to take a bath, she could wait until the next stop and have the train delay for a while to use the top-grade hotel there.

But Alanee didn’t care for her status and, tired as she was, hurried to take a bath.

Soon the evening arrived.

The train, tireless, hurtled along the tracks, illuminated by the beautiful moonlight. Alanee, wearing her pajamas, watched this scene from the sofa through the train’s window.

The galaxy was resplendent, celestial bodies twinkling. She had never noticed before just how beautiful the landscape of Aran was.

Meanwhile.

In a deserted hillside tunnel.

"It’s about time."

Claude had several pirates scout the area, which was utterly desolate, but they decided to be safe rather than sorry.

"Let’s bring it down early then."

Fen nodded, having calculated an explosion that would cause the tunnel to collapse internally without being noticeable from the outside. The train couldn’t stop in time in the darkness and would smash right into the pile of boulders.

Following the First Officer’s nod.

Rein placed his claw on the detonator lever.

And then he pressed down.

Boom!

As it exploded inside the tunnel, it sounded like a distant roll of thunder, followed only by the noise of crumbling rocks and the internal collapse, sending waves of dust rolling down the side of the small hill.

The first step was complete.

Now, all they had to do was wait for their prey to come to them.

Search the lightnovelworld.cc website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.