The morning sun was just beginning to peek over the horizon when Rhys arrived at the designated meeting point near the city gates.

The morning air here carried faint traces of broken mana, signs of spells being used.

Standing near a stone pillar, the three women from the sect were already waiting.

Yuki was the first to notice him approaching. She waved her hand enthusiastically, her silver hair catching the early sunlight. "Morning, Rhys! You’re right on time."

Kai simply gave him a brief glance before looking away, her arms crossed over her chest.

Selena stood quietly in the shadow of the pillar, her eerie blue veins hidden beneath a dark, long-sleeved robe.

"Morning," Rhys replied smoothly, keeping his tone neautral. He wondered for few seconds why the other two woman giving him such a cold shoulder.

"Wow," Yuki blinked, taking a small step closer to him. She tilted her head, her purple eyes scanning his face with genuine curiosity.

"Is it just me, or do you look a bit different today? Did you do something to your hair?"

Rhys felt a momentary tightening in his chest, but his expression remained completely neutral. "Not really. I just got a good night’s sleep."

"Hmph, we don’t have time to gossip about looks," Kai interrupted coldly, her boots tapping against the cobblestone path.

"The logistics transport is about to depart from the station. If we miss the registration window, the caravan masters will leave without us. Move it."

Rhys merely shrugged and followed behind the three women as they walked down the wide stone steps toward the lower valley station.

He didn’t mind Kai’s sharp attitude at all. As long as they did the heavy lifting during the mission, she could be as arrogant as she wanted.

However, when they finally reached the lower station courtyard, Rhys completely froze in his tracks.

His eyes widened slightly as he took in the massive sight before him.

Sitting on a set of reinforced iron tracks was a gigantic logistics transport.

It was a moving train.

Rhys was completely stunned. In all the web novels and fantasy stories he had read back on Earth, alternative worlds were always described as medieval settings where people relied entirely on wooden carriages, horses, or flying beasts to transport goods.

He had fully expected to spend the day walking alongside a line of traditional wooden wagons pulled by horned oxen.

But this reality was completely different. The massive vehicle before him stretched out for dozens of compartments.

It was constructed entirely from heavy, dark iron and reinforced steel plates. Instead of a coal engine, the front locomotive was an enormous, blocky structure covered in glowing purple rune lines.

Thick tubes of condensed mana hummed with deep, vibrating energy, venting out clean white steam that smelled faintly of mana.

’So people in this world actually developed their society with advanced technology, unlike the primitive stories I read,’ Rhys thought to himself, completely fascinated.

It was an incredible blend of industrial design and pure magical engineering. It made perfect sense when he really thought about it.

If humans possessed the power of magic and ancient runes, they wouldn’t just sit around in mud huts for thousands of years.

They would naturally use that power to build efficient machinery to make their lives easier.

"What are you standing around for?" Kai turned back, frowning at his sudden pause. "Haven’t you ever seen a logistics train before?"

"I’ve seen them, just not one this large," Rhys lied smoothly, quickly catching up to their pace.

"Well, Grand Anchor Bay is the largest port territory in the region," Yuki explained proudly, walking right beside him.

"The amount of spirit silk and medicinal herbs exported from the Azure Lotus Peak every day is completely massive. Normal carriages would take weeks to move even a fraction of this cargo through the wild lands. The train can make the trip in a single day."

They walked up to the registration counter near the front locomotive. Kai presented their mercenary token to a stout, middle-aged supervisor wearing heavy leather armor.

The man verified the details, stamped their experience certificate registry, and pointed toward the rear of the train.

"Sect disciples, right? Compartment seven. Keep your eyes sharp once we enter the ravine. The baboons have been unusually active this week," the supervisor warned, his voice gruff.

"We know what to do," Kai said shortly.

They boarded the train through a heavy iron door. Rhys quickly discovered that this transport did not only carry valuable merchandise.

The front and middle sections were tightly packed with large, sealed containers holding crates of spirit silks and preserved herbs, but the rear compartments were specifically designed to transport people.

There were dozens of traveling merchants, well-armed mercenaries, and independent mages sitting on long wooden benches, checking their weapons and discussing the route.

Most of them were hired by the people for protection, except few taken the same mission as them.

Finding their seats in compartment seven, Rhys sat down by a large, reinforced glass window.

Looking around at the bustling crowd inside the train, he couldn’t help but realize how little he truly knew about the scale of this world.

"The train will start moving in three minutes," Kai announced, sitting directly across from him. She began to polish the edge of her long blade with a white cloth, her eyes focused and sharp.

"Once we pass the outer light shield, the train will accelerate to its maximum speed. Our main priority is to defend the train.

If any monsters manage to land on the roof, I will handle the physical engagement. Selena will weaken them, and Yuki will control them."

She stopped polishing her sword and looked directly at Rhys, her expression cold. "Don’t ever step out of the train. It will never stop for you.."

"Understood," Rhys replied with a casual smile. He leaned back against the wooden seat, perfectly satisfied with the arrangement.

[This female human is remarkably arrogant considering her meager strength]

’Woman...’

[That’s sexist..]

’Meh, you can say anything, but I can’t.’ he rolled his eyes.

’No need to mind her. Let her think whatever she wants,’ Rhys thought, amused. ’The less I have to do, the better.’

Suddenly, a loud, echoing horn sounded from the front locomotive.

The entire iron frame of the train shuddered violently as the massive kinetic runes began to glow with a brilliant purple light.

Deep beneath the floorboards, the heavy machinery hummed to life, creating a rhythmic vibration that vibrated through the seats.

Slowly, the massive iron train began to roll forward along the tracks.

Rhys looked out the window as the station platform began to slide backward.

The train picked up speed quickly, moving past the massive stone defensive walls of the outer city.

Ahead of them, a shimmering, translucent curtain of golden light stretched across the entire horizon—the outer light shield of the Azure Lotus Peak territory.

With a soft, crackling sound of static energy, the front locomotive pierced through the golden barrier.

The air pressure inside the compartment shifted instantly, becoming heavier and wilder.

They were officially outside the safety of the shield now, entering the completely untamed wild lands.