The train finally arrived after a long wait. Thanks to Jenny's extensive family connections and financial support, she managed to sponsor most of the group's tickets. Passengers and forest guards disembarked smoothly. The guards, taciturn and armed to the teeth, stood by the doors for strict inspections.
The allied group moved timidly, queueing closely at the entrances. Guards verified tickets while maintaining their stern vigilance. When it was Nick's turn, his ticket passed inspection, but his nerves grew tense during the detailed checks.
"May I see your luggage, sir?" one guard demanded.
Nick slowly handed over his heavy backpack. The guard opened it and frowned, puzzled by the contents.
"Sir, please step aside," the guard ordered. Nick complied.
After closing the bag, the guard turned to him with suspicion. "What are these weapons doing in your bag? Before I make any arrests, I should note—you're clearly a national guard."
Nick hurriedly explained, "I have permission from Captain James—my step-uncle—to conduct individual missions with this group. There have been villain attacks on interior forest villages. We're assessing the situation. The government has recently evacuated and relocated these villages near the vast meadows. Our mission is to investigate those."
"Where are your permits and official documents for this?" the guard asked sharply.
"I don't have them. Maybe Captain James forgot. But I do have this sketchy written note," Nick said, showing a roughly handwritten paper.
The guard read it skeptically. "How am I supposed to believe this? It could easily be forged. I'm calling headquarters. Captain James must have informed them."
"No, don't call! I'm not lying," Nick pleaded. "Captain James is my step-uncle. This is his handwriting. Look, I even have photos of him drafting the permits."
Nick showed pictures on his phone of himself and Captain James working on the documents.
After a long pause, the guard reluctantly nodded. "Alright. As much as I doubt it, you and your group may proceed."
The rest of the group eased onto the train, dressed in military attire, having snuck in dishonestly. They took seats near each other in the back.
"We overheard your conversation with the guard," Jasmine whispered to Nick. "How did you photoshop that picture?"
"I took selfies with my step-uncle during admissions," Nick explained. "I just combined those with a fake note. Had to come up with something—it worked."
"What about the guards ahead? Will they buy the selfies?" Jenny asked.
"Don't know. Maybe your pregnancy excuse will work better," Nick joked.
"Or we bribe them," William suggested.
"We're drifting back to our worries," Jenny said.
"Where's the next stop?" Elizabeth asked. "I can't stand these uniforms any longer."
Nick pulled out his phone. "Let me check the train schedule…"
He read aloud: "Next station: Sinsitive Stage. It's near a heavily guarded meadow. There are restrooms and restaurants. We won't arrive for about ten hours."
"Are there villain attacks there?" Lama asked.
"Probably. That's why guards escort the whole train," Jasmine said.
"As guards ourselves, we should be ready to team up if anything happens," John added.
Nick looked up the final destination on his map. "Crapaud Zone. We should get there after about 648 hours non-stop. Any emergency stops might delay us. Sleeping on the berths is the best comfort we have. Thanks to Jenny for the VIP tickets!"
"No problem," Jenny replied. "But we can't let our guard down."
"So what should we do? Charge phones with the solar panels?" Elizabeth asked.
"No board games?" Jenny inquired.
"I packed a Ludo game," William said. "Also, maybe the puzzle book has clues?"
"What do you mean?" Elizabeth asked.
"Well, the title of this boxed board game is 'A Game of Love,'" William said thoughtfully. "Using such analogy, maybe the pages we find at Crapaud Zone will lead us to the next gem. But if we lose those pages, our mission fails. We can't count on Madam Jezebel to send new maps."
Nick shuddered. "We can't let that happen."
A man behind them suddenly looked their way. John whispered, "Is he spying on us?"
"Can we trust anyone?" Nick whispered back. "We should be careful."
The group fell silent, thinking.
William said quietly, "The puzzle book seems like it's guiding us to defeat evil magic. Why would it care?"
"We need backup plans if the maps go missing," Jasmine said nervously.
"Meeting Madam Jezebel would be our last resort," Lama added.
"Enough—let's play Ludo!" John said with a grin.
They played late into the night until the lights flicked off at midnight. Everyone went to their berths.
At dawn, they gathered for snacks before arriving at Sinsitive Stage.
Everyone disembarked to stretch and freshen up. The station was heavily guarded, and the guards had changed shifts—meaning fresh inspections.
Jenny asked, "Nick, will you try your trick again? Or should someone else handle it?"
Elizabeth said, "Nick should do it. Jenny and I will back him up."
The group queued for inspection.
Just before Nick reached the guard, a voice boomed from the station speakers: "Attention passengers! Due to mechanical breakdowns, this train journey will be delayed. The crew is working to fix the problem. We appreciate your patience."
The train halted. Passengers were forced off while repairs began.
The group gathered at the restaurant.
"That was close," Nick said.
"What do you mean?" Jasmine asked.
"I saw a strict guard confiscate daggers from a passenger. I was nearby watching."
"How strict are the guards?" Elizabeth wondered.
John whispered, "I think the spy was at the station master's office."
Jenny whispered back, "So the breakdown might be a setup for more inspections?"
John nodded. "The announcement came right after I spotted the spy signaling the guards."
"That makes sense. I saw the strict guard confiscate weapons but missed the signals."
"We need a new plan to bypass inspections," Jasmine said.
The group fell silent in thought.
Jenny suggested, "Let's wait for the inspections to end, then regroup."
They refreshed at the washrooms and reconvened.
Jenny said, "Maybe I can use the pregnancy excuse. I'll say we're visiting a camp for benchmarking, on approved leave due to my condition. The weapons are for training at the camp."
"Good idea," Nick said, checking online.
"The closest camp is Melon Airbase, near Crapaud Zone. The guards move between stations regularly, so if we're careful, we might not get noticed. Fingers crossed."