As Ezra and Lucy entered the steam bus, the female attendant standing near the entrance politely guided them toward their seats located close to the back end of the vehicle.

The moment Ezra stepped inside...

He immediately noticed the difference.

This was nothing like the public steam buses moving around ordinary towns and low-income districts.

The entire interior practically screamed luxury.

Dark polished wood lined the walls.

Soft yellow lamps glowed overhead.

The seats were wide and cushioned with thick black leather, while silver carvings of the Ashenlocke crest were designed neatly at the edges of the armrests and windows.

Even the floor beneath their feet was clean enough to reflect light.

Through the large glass windows, snow continued falling softly outside.

This was one of Ashenlocke’s private transport buses.

A vehicle mainly used for transporting Lowline workers and important staff working under the many industries owned by the Duke family.

They clearly took care of their own workers...

Ezra sat down comfortably while glancing outside the window at the massive Noble Dirigible slowly rising into the air.

The giant airship moved heavily above the snowy sky while steam escaped from the sides of its body.

"Wow..."

Lucy’s voice quietly came out beside him, filled with excitement.

Her eyes practically sparkled while staring at the airship flying upward.

Ezra glanced at her briefly.

"First time seeing one?"

He pointed calmly toward the window.

"No..."

Lucy quickly shook her head.

"Even though I lived around the rural sides of Merc Hollow... people in our district used to see airships like that fly over sometimes."

She laughed nervously afterward.

"The noise they make is impossible to miss."

"District..." Ezra rested his cheek on his fist. "As in the Red District?"

"Y-Yes..."

Lucy instantly looked downward while awkwardly rubbing both index fingers together.

Her ears became slightly red from embarrassment.

That explains the strange seductive aura she naturally gives off.

Ezra thought quietly while glancing at her from the corner of his eye.

Lucy still looked uncomfortable.

"You don’t have to worry about things like that."

Ezra spoke flatly.

Lucy slowly looked back up at him in surprise.

At that moment...

The steam bus had already started moving without most passengers noticing.

The motion was smooth.

Although with Ezra’s senses, he could easily tell the glass, wheels, suspension, and brake systems were made using expensive high-grade materials.

The vehicle barely made noise while moving.

Outside...

Blue steam lights glowed beneath the lower engine sections of the bus while it smoothly drove through the snow-covered roads at high speed.

Lucy stared at Ezra quietly for a few seconds.

"You read the contract I wrote, right?"

Ezra suddenly asked without turning toward her.

"Yes."

Lucy quickly nodded.

"I read it carefully."

"Then you already know what I need from you."

Ezra crossed his arms lightly.

"So, thinking too much about unnecessary things is pointless."

His tone stayed calm and plain.

"We already have a lot to start doing once we arrive at our first destination."

Lucy blinked curiously.

"Where exactly are we going, if I may ask, Master Ezra?"

"We’re going back to what used to be home."

Ezra rested his head comfortably against the chair.

Lucy quietly stared at him afterward.

Although I thought he belonged among the better nobles...I still wasn’t fully sure what kind of person he truly was.

She thought silently.

At first, she expected Ezra might eventually use her however he wanted like most nobles would.

But now...

It felt different.

He still intended to use her usefulness.

That much was obvious.

But the way he acted about it felt strangely straightforward.

No fake kindness, no pretending, no disgusting hidden intentions in his eyes and no too much show of friendliness.

He’s honestly strange.

Lucy smiled faintly to herself before sitting properly again and admiring the luxurious interior around her.

At that moment...

The female bus attendant walked toward the center aisle with a bright professional smile on her face.

"It’s wonderful seeing all the beautiful and handsome faces of Ashenlocke’s lights gathered here today."

She bowed respectfully.

Several candidates smiled proudly after hearing the compliment, while some family members sitting beside them laughed softly.

Unlike other buses, this one mainly carried Lowline and Highline candidates whose parents or guardians didn’t personally arrive with private airships. 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

"The journey toward the East Station will take..."

The attendant raised her wrist and checked the silver watch attached to it.

"Approximately six hours and forty-five minutes."

She placed both hands on her waist confidently.

"So, during that time... I’ll be introducing several landmarks across this region."

Her smile widened.

"We are currently inside the central region of Metallica. The largest mining region in the entire territory... Adamaros"

The moment she finished speaking...

The bus smoothly entered the main road, finally leaving the snowy forest section surrounding the Trial grounds.

And once they exited...

The atmosphere completely changed.

Many candidates immediately pressed themselves closer to the windows with excited expressions.

Most of them had only heard stories about Adamaros before.

Some had seen published documentaries while others only knew it from books.

But now...

They were finally seeing it with their own eyes.

On the left side...

Massive mountains stretched endlessly into the distance.

The sides of those mountains were filled with cave openings, rail systems, metal bridges, and moving workers.

Large Ironstride Walkers moved back and forth while carrying mining equipment and ore containers.

Some were shaped like mechanical beasts, others looked more like giant steam-powered cranes with legs.

On the right side...

A massive open landscape stretched outward with endless cargo airship stations lined across the land.

Steam towers released white smoke upward nonstop, Heavy machines moved constantly.

Unlike normal steam engines from comics and novels in his past world...

Some of the larger mechanisms emitted almost no visible smoke at all, while the once which did, the smoke didn’t look like the poisonous one that people avoided inhaling.

That alone caught Ezra’s attention immediately.

Obviously...

Ezra already understood Britannia possessed advanced technology compared to other kingdoms.

But his knowledge remained shallow.

The books in his house mostly focused on history and the education he and his brother received mainly covered basic noble studies taught to all the lines of children alike.

This really is steampunk technology...If I compare it to the ones I have seen in manga and comics from my past life.

Ezra quietly observed the structures outside with genuine interest.

Lucy had already become completely absorbed in the scenery outside the windows.

"In this city..."

The attendant pointed toward the left side.

"All the major industrial metal companies operate here."

The bus slowly turned right while she continued speaking.

Several Highline and Lowline nobles inside glanced toward a massive industry gate ahead.

Large cargo trucks continuously entered and exited the area.

A silver tiger-claw logo rested above the giant metal gates.

"Unfortunately, since we’re traveling through the main route...We won’t directly pass through most mining facilities or industries."

The attendant smiled apologetically.

"Most of them are located deeper inside the forest sections surrounding the city. But..."

She raised a finger dramatically.

"There’s still one important landmark I’ll definitely be showing all of you soon."

Her smile never faded.

The drive continued smoothly afterward.

A few horse-drawn carriages occasionally passed them on distant roads, probably belonging to traveling Lowline merchants or nobles and above the skies... Numerous cargo Dirigibles floated constantly like traffic on a busy highway.

Ezra quietly leaned back into his seat again while thinking deeply.

Now that he properly understood the level of technology Britannia possessed...

He realized there was far more knowledge he needed to learn.

Far more.

If he truly wanted to push his guns further...

Then understanding this world’s technology would become necessary.

For me who was born into this kingdom, I was really a ghost.

Ezra laughed at himself low toned.

"Everyone please stand gently and look toward the Grand Blackforge."

The attendant pointed ahead.

All eyes shifted immediately.

At first...

The landscape looked strangely plain.

Flat empty land stretched outward with only a few cargo trucks visible from afar.

Workers pushed large carts filled with boxes while steam cranes lifted the cargo overhead.

But farther behind...

A massive smooth black dome structure rose from the earth.

Its shape looked unnatural.

"Isn’t that too small for the largest mining ground?"

One boy suddenly asked.

The female attendant laughed lightly.

"It only looks small from the surface."

Her voice became more serious afterward.

"The underground layers beneath this place currently extend over fifty-thousand feet downward... And excavation is still continuing."

The boy who asked the question instantly froze.

His fingers unconsciously started counting while his face slowly became stunned.

"All the layered sections contain numerous rare ores and mineral resources."

She explained further.

Ezra narrowed his eyes slightly at the structure.

With a depth like that...There’s no way dangerous creatures don’t exist down there.

He could already faintly sense numerous Cognis presences leaking upward from the underground area.

"Now that we are leaving this place..."

The attendant pointed far into the distance through the glass window.

"You can see the structure that is far away behind the Blackforge."

Her voice carried slight pride while describing it.

The candidates and family members inside the steam bus all turned their heads toward the direction she pointed at.

Far away...

Beyond the snowy roads, the cargo stations, and the layers of industrial smoke rising into the sky...

A gigantic structure still stood visible, even with the massive distance between them.

"It’s still visible from here..."

Lucy muttered softly in amazement while pressing closer to the window.

"That thing is really tall."

The attendant smiled brightly after hearing her reaction.

"That is the Force Tower."

She placed one hand on her chest proudly.

"And I’m sure everyone here already knows what it is."

Many people inside the bus nodded immediately.

After all...

It was one of the basic things every child in Britannia learned while growing up.

The Force Towers were enormous stone structures created using multiple layers of top-grade Wind Alchemy formations mixed together with extremely valuable materials.

Five of them existed across all the regions of Britannia.

Their purpose...

To create a defensive force field large enough to shield the entire kingdom from nuclear attacks and large-scale destruction capable of wiping out cities, kingdoms, or entire nations.

Practically every powerful kingdom/nation possessed something similar.

A final wall or a protection against complete annihilation.

Capable of stopping attacks powerful enough to erase civilizations with ease.

Ezra quietly stared at the distant tower through the window.

Even from this distance...

He could still faintly feel the strange pressure coming from it.

Like the structure itself contained endless layers of condensed Cognis.

Honestly...

It looked less like a tower and more like a giant nail hammered directly into the earth by the gods themselves.

After the explanation ended...

Everyone slowly returned to their seats again while the journey continued peacefully.

Outside, the sky gradually darkened while Cargo Dirigibles continued floating across the air like moving islands while the industrial lights of Adamaros slowly began glowing brighter against the snowy evening atmosphere.

Like that...

Hours passed quietly and eventually...

The steam bus finally arrived at the East Station close to nighttime.

The station itself was still crowded with movement.

Workers pushed luggage carts around, steam trains released loud mechanical whistles and passengers moved in and out of the large metal platforms while guards watched over the area.

Using part of his gold coins...

Ezra purchased first-class train tickets for both himself and Lucy toward the City of Obsidior.

His hometown.

The place where this life truly began for him.

The moment they entered the train...

Lucy practically became speechless again.

Compared to the steam bus...

The first-class train compartments looked even more luxurious.

The walls carried dark polished wood designs.

The beds looked soft enough to swallow someone whole.

Silver lamps glowed warmly at the corners of the room while the soundproofing inside blocked most of the loud train noises outside.

Lucy sat carefully on the edge of her bed almost like she was afraid touching anything too much would dirty the room.

The exhaustion from everything finally caught up to her and she fell asleep soundly not long after the train departed, while Ezra remained awake inside his own room.

He rested quietly against the bed while staring at the ceiling above him.

The train moved smoothly through the night.

Small vibrations occasionally passed through the floor beneath him.

His thoughts slowly drifted back toward Obsidior.

How much had changed there? Would the streets still look the same? Or would everything already feel unfamiliar now?

Ezra slowly exhaled before taking out the remaining sleeping pills he still carried with him.

After swallowing one...

He finally laid back properly against the bed.

The sound of the moving train gradually became softer inside his ears.

Then slowly...

Ezra closed his eyes and fell asleep.