Hearing this.
The Deputy Train Conductor of the Azure Dragon Train and the other thugs, whose eyes had initially dimmed with disappointment, now flickered with a glimmer of hope again. Getting Stellar Coupons wasn't bad either—at worst, it just meant they wouldn't be part of the official Stellar crew, but rather affiliated members.
At least with the Stellar's backing, both their quality of life and sense of security would be significantly better.
"Egg Lord."
But the Deputy Train Conductor still spoke with utmost seriousness and sincerity: "I don't know what others think, but I know it was you who gave me a second chance at life. My loyalty will forever belong to you alone!"
"Stellar Coupons or not, it doesn't matter. As long as I'm working under you, Egg Lord, I'll do anything!"
"..."
Behind him, the group of thugs stared expressionlessly at the Deputy Train Conductor's back. This was their Deputy Train Conductor—just look at how effortlessly he could switch emotions. At the very least, none of them could shift their moods so many times in just a few seconds. It was quite a skill.
"Only you could pull this off."
Er Dan patted the Deputy Train Conductor's shoulder with a sigh. "Truly my right-hand man. Your loyalty is unmatched."
"Alright, let's leave it at that for now. We'll discuss the details further once the Stellar returns. I'll go over everything carefully with Lao Zhu."
The main topic, of course, was the specifics of modifying the Azure Dragon.
Soon—
The Stellar returned, pulling back onto the hillside.
"Train Conductor Zhu!"
As the train came to a smooth stop and Lao Zhu stepped out from Guard Car No. 7, Er Dan's eyes lit up, and he immediately went to greet him. "From now on, we're colleagues. Let's take care of each other."
"You're too kind, Boss Egg."
Lao Zhu smiled as he clasped Er Dan's outstretched hands, then casually slung an arm over his shoulder. "Lord Mang gave me a rough idea while we were on the train. Right now, he has two plans for your Azure Dragon."
"First—keep using your current Azure Dragon as is."
"Second... help you start over!"
"Start over?"
"Mm." Lao Zhu grinned. "By sheer coincidence, the train just acquired a Rare Train Token. A train built with a Rare Train Token can randomly obtain two red-tier Vehicle Components."
"On top of that, Lord Mang still has an S-rank Mechanical Class Change quest—the Underwater Labyrinth—left unfinished."
"Lord Mang's idea is to help you build a brand-new train, then deliberately fail the quest himself so you can complete the S-rank difficulty Mechanical Class Change quest. That way, you'll gain S-rank potential, a customizable Train Stunt, and a red-tier heavy firepower component."
"Which option do you think suits you better?"
"This..."
A flash of shock crossed Er Dan's eyes as he muttered in disbelief, "A Rare Train Token... plus S-rank potential?"
"Isn't that a bit... extravagant?"
"But wouldn't this consume a lot of resources? Even if the Azure Dragon only has one locomotive, leveling it up quickly to its current rank—Rank 7—would still require a considerable investment. This..."
"Mm."
Lao Zhu nodded. "Lord Mang did the math. It would indeed cost a bit more—around an extra million units of Iron Ore. But he mentioned that back in the Iron Ridge Wasteland, just 50,000 units of Iron Ore would've suffocated him. Now, 50,000 units aren't too hard for him to get."
"He can earn that much just by selling a few cartons of cigarettes."
"As the Train grows, the efficiency of resource extraction continues to increase. Right now, over a million units of Iron Ore might seem like a lot, but when the Train reaches level 10 or even 15 in the future, this amount won't be particularly impressive."
"While your Train is still at a low level, restarting is still feasible. Once it reaches higher levels, not only would restarting waste a ton of resources, but you might not even get the chance."
"I'm completely fine with it!"
Er Dan couldn't help but grin, scratching the back of his head sheepishly. "It's just that I feel a bit undeserving—I haven't done anything to earn this..."
"No worries. Lord Mang did save your life with a missile once. Consider this repayment."
"Ah? Does that count?"
"Of course not. Just reminding you in case you forgot."
"I'd never forget that!"
"If you're fine with it, then it's settled. Lord Mang wants your Train to be stronger so you can earn better rewards in the Serendipity Map. He has high expectations for your 'Azure Dragon.'"
"However, Lord Mang has one condition."
"What is it?"
"Rename your new Train."
"To what? Not 'Azure Dragon' anymore?"
"Change it to 'Traveling Frog.'"
"Uh... not that I mind, but is there any meaning behind it?"
"No idea. Probably just Lord Mang's little quirk."
"Did you just badmouth Lord Mang behind his back?"
"I didn't! I just mentioned it's a quirk—that's normal, right?"
Inside the Stellar's cabin.
Chen Mang stared at Mundo and the other two with a complicated expression, remaining silent for a long while before shifting his gaze to the six Murphy Stones on the table. These stones were what he had sent Mundo to sell to high-level Trains in exchange for Iron Ore just before the crisis erupted.
Mundo had indeed returned when the crisis hit.
But by then, Chen Mang had already gathered enough Iron Ore and no longer needed them.
Except...
He never expected Mundo hadn't sold a single Murphy Stone—no, to be precise, he had sold them, but never delivered the goods.
"..."
Chen Mang let out a long sigh, lit a cigarette, and leaned back weakly in his chair before pointing at the refrigerator filled with Iron Ore. "Alright, Doba, explain to me exactly what happened here."
"Yes!"
Doba puffed out his chest proudly. "Reporting to Lord Mang, Mundo, as the greatest Black Market Merchant, flawlessly completed his mission, selling all six Murphy Stones in exchange for over a million units of Iron Ore and various other resources."
"Using his status as a Black Market Merchant, he made the Train Conductors pay upfront. The moment the payment was received, he teleported away randomly, leaving no trace behind!"
"He completed multiple transactions perfectly within 18 hours!"
Mundo, who had initially been nervous seeing Lord Mang's expression and wondering if he'd messed up, now felt reassured by his clan leader's demeanor. He, too, stood tall with pride, awaiting Lord Mang's praise.
"..."
Chen Mang remained expressionless for a long moment before lightly tapping the table with his knuckles. "Perhaps it's a cultural difference between races, but among humans, this isn't called trade. It's called highway robbery."
"You didn't mention the Stellar's name while out there, did you?"
"No."
"Good. Don't report it in the future either. Later, go and have a new black cloak made, preferably one that wraps up tightly."
"Understood!"
"You may leave now. I'll rest for a while and call you later."
He watched the two figures retreating, sighed softly once more, then waved his hand to indicate that Xiao Fang standing by the door could also withdraw.
He could easily imagine the scene at that time.
After all, the "Black Market Merchant" was a Fortuitous Encounter!
When he first met Mundo, several lines of text appeared on the train's control panel screen.
-
「Apocalyptic Fortuitous Encounter: Black Market Merchant.」
「Elusive in movement, any train might encounter the Black Market Merchant, but only trains with Inheritance Value can purchase some rare and precious items from them.」
「Attacking, imprisoning, or harming the Black Market Merchant is prohibited.」
-
Under such circumstances, who would suspect this Black Market Merchant of being shady?
Since it's a Black Market Merchant, isn't it perfectly reasonable for them to sell some Murphy Stones besides possessing Inheritance Value?
Moreover, attacking, imprisoning, or harming the Black Market Merchant was forbidden. Though the consequences weren't stated, they didn't need to be spelled out. In such a situation, it was even less likely for any Train Conductor to actively attack Mundo.
And so—
When those Train Conductors excitedly carried their Storage Boxes down, ready to exchange Murphy Stones with Mundo.
They saw Mundo simply toss the Storage Box into the Refrigerator, then vanish on the spot in the blink of an eye, leaving behind only a bewildered Train Conductor standing alone in the cold wind, utterly at a loss.
They'd probably rather believe the Black Market Merchant had gone home with a stomachache to relieve themselves than accept that the Black Market Merchant had run off.
To be honest.
The gains were truly substantial. It seemed Mundo could engage in such activities more frequently in the future. As long as they encountered high-level trains, they could essentially rob the rich to aid the poor—depending on where they randomly ended up. It was all a matter of fate.
Good.
Mundo would now also be a Traveling Frog. Along with Er Dan, he now had two Traveling Frogs. He could simply stay peacefully inside the Stellar Train, and his Traveling Frogs would bring him a continuous stream of abundant resources.
He tilted his head to glance at the nearby "Train Panel."
Thanks to this great Black Market Merchant's brilliant move, the train's Iron Ore resources had directly reached 2.02 million units!
There was nothing more to say!
They could immediately help the "Azure Dragon" restart!
Better to avoid long nights and many dreams. If no one chose the S-class job change early or late, it would be troublesome if someone chose it now.
He promptly headed out of the train compartment.
As for that "Rare Train Token," it had dropped from the death of some level 9 monster.
"Farewell, my old friend."
Inside the Azure Dragon.
Er Dan stood somewhat reluctantly in the train compartment, looking at the various components. By now, all removable parts had been stripped from the train, such as the "Headlights," "Car Audio," "Makeshift Heavy Machine Gun," "Bunny Cloud," "Nitrogen Tailjet," and others.
The remaining parts that couldn't be removed would have to stay on the train.
After one last sweep of the compartment, he took a deep breath and, on the Train Crew panel, selected to resign from his position as Train Conductor, with no successor assigned.
The next moment—
He felt the heart-to-heart connection he had with this train vanish instantly. The once-familiar compartment now carried a hint of strangeness, a feeling akin to losing one's mother.
Empty.
When his mother passed away, he didn't feel particularly sad.
It wasn't until one day after work when he instinctively opened the refrigerator and saw the dumplings she had made for him before leaving, frozen inside, that he froze slightly in place—realizing he was truly alone in this world now.
And it was from that moment onward that he began to love wandering the ends of the earth, because he no longer had a home.
"Alright."
Countless thoughts flashed through his mind as Er Dan stepped off the train, gazing somewhat wistfully at Chen Mang, Lao Zhu, and the others standing nearby. "I'm actually a bit reluctant to part with my old friend."
But then he looked down at the dismantled "Train Auxiliary AI" in his arms and smiled.
"Still, being able to remove this AI accessory is enough."
"At least I'll have some company."
Lao Zhu chuckled without saying a word, simply tossing a Rare Train Token from his pocket toward Er Dan and pointing at a nearby storage box. "Inside are 1 million units of iron ore resources, along with some wood and copper ore. Use them as you please."
"If it's not enough, just say so."
"Got it!"
Taking a deep breath, Er Dan immediately caught the Rare Token. In the next moment, a train engine composed of countless dotted lines materialized in the air. As the lines gradually solidified, the engine descended and landed heavily on the ground.
Just like before.
Having done this once already, he knew the drill. Er Dan quickly climbed into the train cabin, crafting all available accessories and reinstalling the parts he had just removed from the "Azure Dragon" train onto this new one.
Using the iron ore, he upgraded all basic accessories to Level 5.
He then crafted four standard carriages for train upgrades. Once the upgrades were complete, he began crafting the accessories available for a Level 2 train.
Soon—
The train reached Level 3, now boasting 18 carriages. These carriages had no accessories and were solely for upgrading purposes—soon to be devoured by the Stellar's "Geothermal Furnace."
All conditions for the train upgrade were met. As for the total accessory level requirement, the original parts from the "Azure Dragon" were already max-level, so that was naturally satisfied.
The process had now reached the profession change selection stage.
"I'm heading in, Lord Mang!"
"Go ahead."
The moment Er Dan selected the S-rank "Mechanical Train Job Transfer Mission"—
The walkie-talkie in Chen Mang's hand, which had been unresponsive until now, suddenly began flashing red and emitting a series of beeps. Smiling faintly, Chen Mang returned to the Stellar's cabin, closed the door securely, and pressed the red button. Instantly, his vision darkened as his body went limp, collapsing backward.
About ten minutes later.
"Vrrrrrr—"
The sound of propellers slicing through the air echoed above the Stellar. A massive drone flew in from the distance, hovering overhead with a square-shaped box suspended beneath it.
As the box crashed onto the ground and scattered open—
A robot stood up.
"...So this is what it feels like to be a robot?"
Chen Mang's consciousness was now inside this mechanical body. He tentatively flexed his limbs, finding the movements stiff and unnatural. Was this the kind of body Xiao Ai had been controlling all this time?
Without further delay—
He strode past Er Dan and the others, flicking Lao Zhu's forehead with a playful snap before moving on.
He walked towards the last carriage of the "Traveling Frog" Train, which marked the starting point of the maze set by Er Dan, with the endpoint located in the train compartment.
Upon entering the carriage, he sat cross-legged on the floor and waited patiently.
His task was to fail the challenge.
By doing so, he would forfeit the reward of 30 Murphy Stones in exchange for unlocking S-tier potential for Er Dan's "Traveling Frog."
(End of Chapter)