Chapter 145: Creatures, Departure, Capital

Frontline Base.

The first-floor hallway of the command building.

It was probably because the employees needed to arrive at work before nine o'clock that the place seemed overly quiet. Dorne and Vulcan were among the few people walking through.

As they briskly headed north, they discussed their route after leaving the base.

"Hey, brother, should we head to River Creek Town first or go straight to the capital?" Dorne asked eagerly.

Upon hearing the question, Vulcan seemed to instantly understand his brother's thoughts and smiled, saying, "Let's go to the capital. According to the thermal imaging captured by Ernieo, the population there should be around six million."

"Alright, to the capital it is," Dorne agreed immediately.

During their conversation, the two had already walked through the hallway, leaving the command building and arriving at the investigation department's operations center within the adjacent building.

This place was similar to an equipment prep room, with locked cabinets, counters fitted with protective windows, and metal tables fixed in place for miscellaneous items.

They also spotted Ada Wong waiting for them, standing beside one of the metal tables.

The operations director, dressed in black leather pants and a red shirt, saw the two approaching and raised her left hand slightly, gesturing toward two metal boxes placed on the table as she introduced with a steady pace:

"Gentlemen, these are the local attire and currency prepared for you by the investigation department, along with personal computers, cloaking cloaks, and 8mm submachine pistols. 

The personal computers contain detailed information, including special terrain, towns, villages nearby, and important notes.

As for basic supplies, you can purchase those in local towns. Any questions?"

"No, thank you for the assistance from the investigation department," Dorne said seriously.

"Thank you," Vulcan echoed the sentiment.

"Alright, if you encounter any issues, feel free to contact the investigation department through your personal computers. Good luck."

After saying that, Ada headed outside the operations center, while the two brothers opened the equipment boxes and swiftly changed into their local attire.

Their outfits were primarily black, with inner layers featuring Neutron protective fabric, covered by long dark brown robes. They wore metal bracers and shin guards on their forearms and legs.

Overall, they looked like the most common freelance mercenaries on Terrera or adventurers exploring deep caves or ancient tombs.

However, the robust Vulcan and the 1.4-meter-tall Dorne had faces that still bore a hint of youthful innocence.

With everything in order, they left the operations center and the frontline base, stepping onto the damp forest ground as they began their journey towards the distant capital in the east.

Exiting the forest, they arrived at a vast plain. Under a refreshing, clear blue sky, they continued along a cobblestone road.

Along the way, they encountered travelers carrying large backpacks, dwarven merchant caravans, and mounted sentinels on patrol.

In addition to these, they also saw various strange creatures and races.

For example, every now and then, they would spot "fairies" flying out of the forest, laughing and playing with each other.

These creatures were about forty centimeters long, with wings resembling those of butterflies. In the sunlight, their wings shimmered with a spectrum of colors, appearing almost translucent.

What stood out the most was that they wore scaled-down clothing, and their limbs, torsos, and faces looked almost identical to human females.

A few of these fairies even circled around Dorne and Vulcan for a while, openly chattering in an unknown language before bursting into hearty laughter. Only then did they flap their wings joyfully and return to the woods.

"Brother, were they laughing at us? They were laughing at us, right?" Dorne said in annoyance.

"Who knows? We don't understand their language," Vulcan shrugged, turning his head toward the forest, which still echoed faint laughter, and offered his opinion:

"Maybe they find it odd that we're out adventuring at such a young age, or perhaps laughter is just their way of showing goodwill."

"Young? We're already one year old, for heaven's sake. Anyway, if I run into them again, I'll catch a few and send them to Dr. Ashford for research."

"Haha, sure."

Vulcan knew his brother was merely grumbling and had no intention of actually harming the fairies, so he responded with his usual supportive tone.

At this point, they arrived in a medium-sized city, ten times larger than River Creek Town.

The streets were wide and clean, the buildings were neatly arranged, and the level of prosperity far surpassed that of River Creek Town.

After wandering around for a bit, they purchased some supplies and then spent eight silver coins to board a direct train to the capital.

Or rather, a magic-powered train.

At this moment, the two were standing on the platform at the southeastern end of the city, waiting for the train with numerous other passengers carrying luggage.

"…"

Dorne and Vulcan couldn't help but marvel inwardly. Though the transportation and convenience here were far inferior to the main universe, this place had achieved a different kind of "modernization" through magic.

However, there were no strict security checks. The soldiers stationed outside the station simply judged whether the passengers posed any threat based on visual inspection.

Whoo—!!

Before they could continue their observations or search for any magical surveillance systems, a train, whose exterior resembled a steam engine from the main universe, whistled as it pulled into the station.

The doors on the right side of the train car automatically opened, allowing passengers to board and take their assigned seats based on their tickets.

Soon, the doors closed, and the train steadily accelerated toward the east, carrying its passengers.

Watching the scenery outside the window go from clear to blurred streaks flashing by, Dorne and Vulcan estimated that the train's speed must be at least 150 kilometers per hour. This...

This was completely different from the fantasy worlds depicted in the "Swords and Magic" games or the comics and movies they had seen, which were far more primitive.

Due to the crowded nature of the train, the brothers didn't converse much. Instead, they enjoyed the delicious food, which had been baked and cooked using magic, while watching the natural landscape along the way.

After nearly six hours, the sky outside the window gradually transitioned from the bright blue of midday to the orange-red hues of dusk.

As the train passed through a dense forest, the brothers, seated inside, caught a distant glimpse of a colossal city bathed in the golden light of the setting sun— 

The Imperial Capital.

Even though there was still a considerable distance to go, the towering city walls and dozens of massive buildings and towers, some exceeding a hundred meters, stood majestically before them, exuding grandeur and authority.

By the time the sun was about to set, the train stopped at a station outside the city.

Upon disembarking and arriving at the western gate, Dorne and Vulcan encountered a dilemma.

Unlike the towns in the west and north, entry to the capital was not as free. At the gate, heavily armored soldiers were stationed, carefully questioning everyone seeking entry.

Seeing this, the brothers prepared to find a breach in the city walls and use their cloaking cloaks to sneak inside.

Just then, they heard a voice from behind them:

"Hey, you two. Planning to enter the city?"

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