31

Nero and Leonardo walked through the bustling train station, making their way to the platform where their train awaited them. Nero, looking a bit lost, checked the departure boards repeatedly.

Leonardo teased, "Do you even know where we're going, Nero? Or are you just wandering around aimlessly like usual?"

Nero sighed, trying not to let the jabs get to him. "Of course, I know! We're going to a place called Mount Emei in Shishuan Province. Just let me figure out which platform our train is on."

Leonardo raised an eyebrow and smirked, "Sure, sure. I'm just surprised you even know the name of the city. You're usually so forgetful and tends to improvise, you are definitely not the best example of a guardian."

The comment reminds me of how useless I was to my brother during his childhood. If only I were stronger... if only I had tried to get stronger... if only I had acted. These thoughts made me silent for a few seconds until I responded.

Nero's face fell as he mumbled, "I'm not forgetful, Leonardo. It's just that... things have been tough lately. When things go wrong, we have to throw the plan away and improvise."

Leonardo's playful expression turned apologetic as he realized he had struck a nerve. "I'm sorry, Nero. I didn't mean to upset you. You know I don't really think you're useless."

"It's okay." Nero replied quickly smiling as if nothing happened, trying to brush off the comment. "Let's just focus on getting the tickets."

Approaching the ticket vendor, the man behind the counter greeted them with a warm smile. "Hello there, boys. Where are you headed?"

Nero hesitated for a moment, then replied confidently, "We're going to Shishuan Province."

The vendor was curious. "Are you going to visit the Buddha statue on Mount Emei? It's a big tourist spot."

Nero scratched the back of his head. "Yeah, sort of."

The vendor looked around, perhaps searching for their parents, and asked gently, "And where are your parents? Are they with you?"

Leonardo looked up at Nero, knowing the truth, and Nero took a deep breath before responding, "Actually, we're orphans. Our parents passed away recently, and we need to travel to our grandfather's place."

The vendor's eyes softened with sympathy. "Oh, I'm so sorry to hear that. Let me call someone responsible to accompany you. Minors cannot travel alone."

Before the vendor could make the call, Nero quickly intervened. He gestured subtly with his hand, using his power to manipulate the vendor's memory. "It's alright, sir. We can manage on our own. Please, just give us the tickets."

The vendor's expression softened even further, as if a newfound understanding had washed over him. He handed over the tickets without further questioning, offering them a warm smile. "Alright then. Take care, boys, and have a safe journey."

As they walked away from the counter, Leonardo couldn't help but ask, "Why didn't you use that trick earlier, Nero? It worked perfectly."

Nero looked thoughtful, "I know, but I didn't trained before so I do not trust myself to use these skills. I didn't want to screw it up by failing the memory manipulation and attracting unwanted attention."

Leonardo nodded, understanding his new friend's hesitation. "I get it. Just know that I believe in you, Nero. You're not alone in this, okay?"

Nero smiled appreciatively at his fake younger brother, grateful for the support. "Thanks, Leo. Having you by my side means a lot."

I pat his head looking at his innocent look that reminds me of Vali when we were younger. I know my brother is two years older than this kid, but at least I don't want to screw things up for Leonardo like I let happens with Vali, even if I could not stop my grandfather I feel guilty.

I take Leonardo's hand to make us look more like brothers, giving greater credibility to our story, and guide him to the place where we will board our train. This trip will certainly be annoying, I sigh thinking about the long time we will have to wait and surely I have to learn teleportation magic to avoid this in the future.

Who knew that traveling by train from an isolated city in the interior of China to a more isolated region of Sichuan Province could be a fascinating experience, offering travelers the opportunity to witness the diverse landscape and local life along the way.

The train leaves the station, and passengers can look out over the countryside that stretches around the railway line. The train's windows offer views of green fields and mountains covered with vegetation, dotted with small villages with houses of typical architecture.

As the train moves away from the hometown, the landscape gradually begins to change. As you enter the province of Sichuan, the mountains become more prominent, and meandering rivers wind through the valleys. The train travels through mountainous terrain, through tunnels carved into the rock and over bridges spanning deep gorges.

The atmosphere inside the train is lively, with neighboring passengers sharing stories, eating typical snacks and drinking tea. Next to me and Leonardo were an elderly couple to whom we shared our false story and gained their commotion who took care of us the entire trip entertaining mainly the young Leonardo who appeared to be bored.

The old man of the couple started talking to me about seeking god, he and his wife were going to Shichuan to visit the Buddha statue to express their faith. He recommended that I do the same as God will guide me and Leonardo to a prosperous future.

The idea proposed by the old man left me amused and I had to hold myself to not laught out loud about. He was recommending a devil to seek guidance from a god, and telling me to see the Buddha statue. The most ironic thing is that I was going to visit Buddha himself and I really am a devil being guided by a god.

After a few hours of travel, the train arrives at a larger station in a regional town. Here, travelers can disembark to stretch their legs, explore the station area and perhaps sample typical dishes from the region.

Then, after about forty minutes, the train continues its journey towards the most isolated region of Sichuan. The landscape becomes even wilder and more spectacular, with towering mountains and lush forests. The train passes through deep gorges, turbulent rivers and green valleys.

As the journey approaches the final destination, travelers may notice a change in the architecture of the surrounding villages and towns, reflecting the local culture and historical heritage of the area. The population may be made up of minority ethnic groups, each with its own language and customs.

Finally, the train arrives at the final station, which is located in a small remote town or village. Travelers are greeted by the calm and serenity of the countryside, far from the hustle and bustle of big cities. From here, they can embark on new adventures exploring the unique natural and cultural beauty that Sichuan's most isolated region has to offer.

Nero and Leonardo stepped off the train, bidding farewell to the elderly couple who had been their seat neighbors throughout the entire journey. The old man patted Nero's shoulder, wearing a gentle smile. "Remember, young man, go with your brother and seek Buddha to light your path. It will guide you well," he advised, repeating his earlier recommendation.

Nero replied with a mysterious smile, nodding. "Sure old man. I will keep that in mind and follow your advice."

In the background, the elderly woman handed a cookie to Leonardo, affectionately pinching his cheek, and whispered to him, "Be good for your brother, dear. Don't give him a hard time." Leonardo nodded, acknowledging her words.

The old woman then offered to take both boys to their grandfather's house along with her husband, but Nero politely declined the offer. "Thank you for your generous offer, but we know the area well, and I can take care of getting us there safely."

The old man, understanding Nero's determination, insisted, "Be careful, young ones. Head straight to your grandfather's house. It can be dangerous out there."

With heartfelt goodbyes, the elderly couple parted ways with Nero and Leonardo, who walked ahead with a sense of purpose, ready to embark on their journey to reach Buddha current location on top of a abandoned montain in the region.

We approach our destination seeing a mountain whose only way to climb to the top is through an old and unstable path.

"You're kidding, right?" Leonardo said when he saw the state of the place.

"Don't worry, it's perfectly safe." Nero speaks as he walks ahead stepping on a piece of wood that disconnects and falls.

"Are you sure?" Leonardo looks scared without any confidence in his guide.

"Most of the way is safe. It didn't break so much when I came here the first time." Nero starts to drive, stepping more carefully.

After nearly two hours of climbing, we reached the top of the mountain where we saw a man and another man with the features of a monkey drinking tea and talking.

As we approached, the two turned around and greeted us.

"He came back alive. You lost the Wukong bet." Buddha smile.

"He may have come back, but he may have failed the task." Sun Wukong tries to argue.

"Did you fail?" Buddha asks calmly looking at me.

"No, I fulfilled my task completely. I rescued the Buddhist priest, the kidnapped villagers and solved the cause of the problem." I smile receiving Buddha's smile and Sun Wukong glare.

Sun Wukong angrily gave a strange artifact to the god.

"You seem to have the guts to survive, I see the Lucifer bloodline hasn't fallen to the point of disgrace." Sun Wukong tries to act cool even though his gaze screams that he wishes he'd won the bet.

"It looks like I have potential." I laughed.

"Well, how about giving the mission report?" Sun Wukong spoke.

"The reason for the village's trouble was a stray devil with body possessing capabilities, he kidnapped people nearby to steal life energy from lured prey and possess strong bodies like he did with the Buddhist priest." I informed making them both look more serious.

"Who is the boy?" Buddha asked when he saw Leonardo who was beside me shaking with nervousness.

"He is Leonardo, one of the users of the thirteen sacred gear longinus. The stray devil planned to possess his body, but I killed him before he could carry out his plans." I spoke with a little pride.

"Good job Nero." Buddha smiles.

"Not bad little Lucifer." Sun Wukong nods as he sips his tea. "But where exactly did you find the boy?"

"You do not know?" I tilt my head.

"Buddha didn't tell me because of my current boss being involved in China." Wukong took another cup of tea.

"I found Leonardo in a small village in central China. It was a pretty isolated area and I don't think many people visit." I explained sincerely.

Upon hearing what I said, Sun Wukong immediately spit out the tea that was in his mouth and cursed in a low voice, saying something related to his boss being involved, which resulted in Buddha expressing mild surprise in the situation.

While the two were immersed in reality itself, Leonardo approached to introduce himself.

"Hello lord Buddha and Monkey King, it's a pleasure to meet you." Leonardo speaks.

"You do not need to be so formal. Just call me Buddha, as for Wukong, you can call him Monkey King or by name I doubt he cares." Buddha commented as Sun Wukong continued drinking his tea without caring.

"Buddha, I have a request can you help Leo find his parents?" I asked with hope.

"Sure. Just give me the description and the last place they were seem by you. I will try to locate them with some contacts." Buddha shrugs.

When Leonardo was about to start talking, a lightning storm started and we witnessed countless lightning bolts flying across the sky. Along with the lightning storm, torrential rain was pouring down as if the sky itself was crying. An image worthy of the description of the fury of the gods.

The storm didn't scare Buddha or Wukong, just making the latter sigh as if a headache was looming and the former frowned in preparation for a troublesome visit.