Mystic Overlord: Reading Gives Strength
Chapter 38 Search!

Chapter 38: Chapter 38 Search!

Clang, clang, clang—

"Open up!"

After a harsh sequence of checks on two compartments in the luxury carriage, the young guard arrived at the door of the third compartment and began to pound roughly on the door.

Then, unlike the hesitant passengers who had been reluctant to open their doors before,

the occupant of this inspection swiftly opened the compartment door from inside.

"Hello."

In front of the guard, a young man appeared.

A clean and gentle yet sharply defined face.

The owner of the face, with slightly messy but not off-putting blond hair, was now nodding and smiling politely at him.

The young guard couldn’t help but remark internally as he stared at the other person.

—What a pair of fine eyes.

Leaving aside the young and handsome appearance, those gray eyes staring back at him seemed to contain an infinitely deep and elusive something.

Young and handsome, full of charm.

This man, appearing at any social ball, would certainly become the target of those women’s pursuits!

Slap—

Just as the guard was stunned for a moment, a heavy hand landed on his shoulder.

Then, he heard an authoritative voice:

"Koloso, continue the inspection with the others towards the back."

"I’ll question this gentleman."

"..."

"Yes!"

Almost reflexively, the young guard moved on with the others, immediately knocking on the doors of the following compartments.

And the middle-aged man who stayed behind

entered the compartment without the possibility of refusal.

This middle-aged man had a determined face, lips tightly sealed.

Standing over 185 centimeters, his solid but not bulky muscles filled out the coat he wore.

Anyone seeing this guy for the first time would understand one thing—

—This was definitely someone not to be trifled with!

Standing in the open space of the compartment, the middle-aged man had no intention of sitting down to chat.

Thus, he stood opposite Ronald.

Watching Ronald’s smile fade away, replaced by a composed demeanor, the middle-aged man started to speak without a hint of a smile:

"Sir, please present your ticket."

Ronald dutifully handed over his ticket:

"Please."

"..."

The middle-aged man’s callused right hand took the ticket and began to fiddle with the thin piece of paper.

Though the information on it was brief,

he spent nearly a full minute examining it before finally returning the ticket.

With an unchanged expression, the middle-aged man continued to speak:

"Sir, you wouldn’t mind if I ask you a few questions, would you?"

Faced with the middle-aged man’s questioning, Ronald furrowed his brow.

Things were getting troublesome.

If it had been the young man from the start, he was quite confident he could bluff his way through with the story he’d prepared.

But this man in front of him—

No use—

Taking back the ticket the other had returned, Ronald looked down at it while responding slowly:

"Rather than that."

"I’d prefer to know what’s happened on the train, after all, it’s not common for military personnel to take action involving a train."

"Hmm?"

Hearing Ronald bluntly reveal his identity, the man’s expression finally changed.

The square-faced man’s demeanor turned even colder, and he raised and crossed his arms in front of his chest.

"Sir, I don’t recall ever disclosing my identity to you."

"Who told you that?"

Accepting his military identity at the same time.

The middle-aged man posed his question almost as if it were an accusation.

His gaze, as resolute as steel, locked onto Ronald Adler, leaving no detail disregarded.

Such a direct exposure of identity.

The man before him had now made it to his list of suspects to watch closely!

...

The air grew even chillier, and Ronald Adler understood that his response was of critical importance.

Any misstep might land him in serious trouble.

After a two-second deliberation and maintaining an air of composure, Ronald Adler spoke:

"Isn’t all of this obvious?"

"The East Wind train travels between the border stronghold and Springs, carrying out vital transportation tasks. It’s only reasonable for merchants of high status and military or governmental officials to use such a convenient mode of transport."

"Besides, to stop the train in the wilderness and even dispatch manpower to take control of the entire train, only the military could manage this feat."

"Not to mention, sir, your robust physique, the calluses on your hands, and your commanding manner of speaking."

"It’s obvious that you’re a man who has served many years in the military."

"To say that I couldn’t see that would be nothing but self-deception."

...

After listening to Ronald Adler’s explanation, the middle-aged man didn’t respond immediately.

His words seemed fine, but the man felt there was something he hadn’t seen through.

Without waiting for the middle-aged man to continue pondering,

Ronald Adler pressed his advantage:

"Ronald Adler."

"Military sir, that is my name."

"And, by the way, I am also a noble knighted in fealty to Her Majesty the Queen."

"If something has indeed happened or is happening on this train, I suggest you share some of what you know with me. In the name of the Queen, I assure you that I have the firm resolve to uphold Grid’s interests!"

...

Upon hearing Ronald Adler’s discourse, the middle-aged man’s expression gradually cleared.

After scrutinizing Ronald Adler seriously, he briskly turned and walked out.

"Mr. Ronald Adler, something regrettable has indeed taken place on the train, and we are investigating the matter."

"So, it’s best if you keep your word."

"Don’t make any misleading moves."

Click—

The compartment door shut behind the middle-aged man, and his heavy footsteps faded as he strode down the corridor.

"Sigh—"

Ronald Adler slumped into his seat, his entire body relaxing from the strain.

The seemingly brief negotiation had actually taken a significant toll on his mental strength.

First and foremost, the soldier’s purpose for barging in was to search the compartments and the passengers.

Ronald Adler needed to prevent this from happening.

After all, there were items in that case of Nasos’s that were not meant for prying eyes.

So, the moment the other party checked his ticket and handed it back, Ronald Adler immediately exposed the soldier’s identity.

A weighty topic was enough to divert the soldier’s attention.

The natural questioning that followed was met by Ronald Adler with a long and intricate reply.

Thus, the soldier was drawn into a phase of contemplation.

Seizing the moment, Ronald Adler revealed his own identity and aligned stance in the front line.

During thought, the mind subconsciously registers incoming information as a ’condition’ and incorporates it into its scope of thinking.

Everything proceeded just as Ronald Adler had anticipated.

Since there were no issues with his own identity and the information he provided was truthful, the soldier naturally took Ronald Adler’s signals of friendship at face value during his contemplation.

On a subconscious level, the purpose of the search was satisfied the moment he checked the ticket.

Once the task was completed, in line with the soldier’s habit of efficient action,

the middle-aged soldier bluntly dropped his warning and then left the compartment.

Just like that, Ronald Adler had subtly guided the soldier’s thoughts to avoid a more thorough inspection.

However, this tactic was not without imperfections.

Next came the obvious problem—

—the case was still there!

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