Let's get going.

"I hope that you now understand that I'm only doing this for our mutual benefit. There's nothing to worry about, Mister." Clem said as he sat down beside Chump, ensuring that the place was stable beforehand.

From the sound of the seats, Clem seemed heavier than he looked.

"Huh..." Chump was fascinated, looking at the mark on his hand. "Wait, how was your voice not —"

The pressure hit him like a truck. Unbearable force compelled his mind, even his lungs, to halt. The mark on his hand brightened in a particular way, its color transparent but with a glow seemingly emanating from it.

"Never mind! Sorry, I am sorry! Argh…"

And just like that, the pain vanished as if it had never been there.

"And that's the contract taking effect. We will talk about me later on if I am in a good mood." Chump nodded, still feeling a bit uneasy while hearing Clem out. "Don't keep me waiting. Now, there's a lot of stuff that I want to talk about; let's start with—"

Upon contact, the mark on his hand felt as though it had lost some skin and fibers. However, he couldn't fully place his fingers in the space that the mark had left.

He stopped touching it and shook his arm, trying to rid himself of the unnerving feeling that something was on his body.

"Is it supposed to be transparent?" Chump asked, placing his hand on his lap.

"Indeed. It will only light up when it forces us to follow the contract. Now you must explain what this cabin is and why people were mounted on it. I want a full explanation of everything around it."

"I was an electrician." I'll explain everything to you, from how electricity works and how we use it, to what exactly this cabin is. But first of all, we call it a "Train," alright? We use it as a fast mode of transport.

"Fascinating, you don't use animals?"

Chump shook his head and continued.

"But before I explain everything, we need to get out of here. At any moment, your friends might show up and disrupt things." Chump rubbed one arm with his other hand while looking through the front window.

There was no movement outside. Clem had frozen in time. Chump waited impatiently and worriedly for a response. He shook his hand in front of Clem's eyes, but there was no reaction or reflex action.

"Are you... Are you there?"

Clem's blue chest lit up. He tapped it and retrieved a crystal, which reflected images and also seemed to speak!

Clem pointed at the crystal. "Hide. Now."

Unsure of what to do, Chump quickly ran towards the pilot's cabin where the pilot was lying dead. He sat in the chair, pretending to be lifeless, and listened intently for any sounds that might catch his attention.

"It is now operational. Thank you for this urgent message, Master Meisho."

The crystal spoke, displaying an image that wasn't very clear, but appeared as a glowing orange oval that faced the metallic wooden being.

On the other side of the magical call, a feminine voice broke the silence. Her thin voice conveyed her message in a monotonous tone, unpleasant to hear, yet Clem seemed very calm.

"Report."

The golem reported.

"No humans in sight. I've found a way to extract information about technology and its wonders, as well as a significant human invention. However, it is a common property, and I need permission to extract it from my salvage zone. I need permission to keep it untouched by other hunters while transporting."

"Understood. I will inform you immediately once the permission has been granted. However, one matter arises. Why is it an urgent matter? The hunters are not as interested in technology as we are."

Chump's heart skipped a beat as he slowly poked his head out, unsure of how to help or react.

"The hunters plan to invade the zone where I am located. It seems that part of the human population is nearby. I request immediate relocation. Luckily, it seems that the transport can move itself to a nearby location with the help of a bit of electric Remenant."

"Very well. I will handle matters myself and prepare the transport for relocation. It shouldn't take more than half an hour to enable you."

Chump bre—

"Although curiosity is permitted before your full report: What is the source of the information you've found? Sharing it with our peers could expedite this process."

Clem's heart skipped a beat as he froze for a moment. He looked up at Chump. Without any expression or remark, Chump quickly nodded, jumping into action like a well-coordinated dancer. He grabbed his notebook and pencil in one hand, working with efficiency.

"Clem, inform me. What is happening over there?"

"Apologies for the delay. The name of the thing that will help us is confusing. It's called..."

Chump wrote in large letters on a page:

[THE INTERNET]

"It's called 'The Internet,' Master Meisho. It's a tool that…"

As Chump rapidly displayed letters for Clem to see, their synchronization was so seamless that a television program would envy it.

"Humans shared knowledge among themselves. Once I gain full access, we can proceed with our investigation at a faster pace. Thank you very much for your patience."

Meisho's initially icy demeanor seemed to crack slightly, her voice sounding slightly perplexed but mostly responsive to the directions.

"Affirmative... Then I shall proceed with the procedure..."

Chump let out a relieved breath and relaxed his muscles as he listened to the rest of the conversation, as quiet as a feather.

"I will conduct a thorough inspection by the end of the day, just to ensure there is no malfunction."

Back to being tense and agitated, Chump looked worriedly at Clem, maintaining the same frozen expression throughout the entire conversation.

"There is no need. The spells and all functions are functioning as correctly and efficiently as possible. It's just that human language can be a bit unclear at times, like those things they call 'memes,' Master Meisho."

Meisho reverted to her monotonous tone. "Very well. If you say so, I will believe you. I'll schedule your next review for the end of the month. I'll send you a notification. Proceed with the transport. Communication over."

The transmission was terminated. Chump let out a big sigh of relief, his face planted onto the nearest seat. He felt much better, sliding down and using his arms to keep his body from falling.

Clem looked at him directly, bending slightly to observe him with curiosity. After observing him for a moment, Clem patted his head like a mascot, making Chump feel a bit silly.

"Are you alright, Mr. Chump?"

"Yes, I need a moment..." Chump replied.

Clem kneeled slightly before him and offered a hand, which Chump took while avoiding eye contact.

"Why did you do that?" Clem asked curiously.

"It's just something I do. Just forget about it, alright? It's not important anyway. Now, okay…"

He picked up his notebook and gestured with his hand to catch Clem's full attention, even though the situation didn't necessarily call for it, "Let me explain electricity to you first."

Both individuals engaged in conversation. Clem saw Chump focusing on the explanation with great attention to detail, while Clem's hands focused on writing everything down and recording at the same time.

Chump eloquently shared everything he knew, even bringing up the artifact he had been working on. His voice was more melodic than his usually aggressive tone, and his face displayed hints of happiness and confidence.

"And that's how it works! As you can see now, I'm halfway through creating a manual generator for my mobile phone, so I can power it whenever I have time! However, I'd like to go to one of the malls in the industrial zone to find a solar panel. With that, I can work on making a solar charger!"

"It seems you've made progress and harnessed this new energy to your advantage over these last few hundred years, intending to continue to improve it."

Clem nodded in agreement.

"On another note, I received notification that the electric —"

As he continued talking as if nothing had happened, a small zapping sound echoed from outside. Gliding through the doors, Chump was taken aback by the dazzling figure that swiftly moved into the cabin.

In an instant, the doors and all electronics began turning on and off, creating a chaotic display for a couple of seconds until the figure materialized in front of them. Chump couldn't look directly at it due to its constant glow.

"He has arrived." Clem smiled softly and placed his hand on the ball of light a few times.

"Damn! Can you ask them to tone it down, please?! It's brighter than any light mode on my computer..."

Clem ignored the request from their companion, pointing toward the pilot's chamber.

"Please, without causing any damage, investigate and activate this machinery. You should be able to move this entire 'train' in the north direction. We need to reach our facility, Zippy."

The ball of constant energy bounced around the individuals a few times before entering the pilot's chamber. For a few minutes, nothing seemed to happen, and then all the lights and the train itself turned off completely.

In a matter of seconds, the engines and motors restarted. Signals blinked, doors closed, the familiar caution warning sounded, and the train began picking up speed.

"Now, let me explain why we're here."