Near the coast of Midseashire, northeast of the Hornacis Mountains, a city of moderate size rose overnight.
Inside the city, on the dark streets, by the towering clock tower, within the tranquil church, in the steam train station, and on the docks, figures emerged one after another.
They wore clothing fitting the current popular styles, and expressions of sadness or joy appeared on their faces, immersed in their respective roles, as if they had lived in this newly appeared city for a long time.
As the sky revealed a hint of dawn, several meteors quietly streaked across.
Silently, the information within this city became active, constantly interacting with its surroundings and the Spirit World, weaving an unclear imprint within the Spirit World.
In the center of the city, in the underground of a church belonging to the Night, Klein leaned against the wall, holding a dim kerosene lamp, his expression slightly fatigued.
After a moment of respite, he reached out and pulled two projections from the historical void: the historical projections of Roselle and Leyton.
After a brief silence, Leyton and Roselle's historical projections successively became lively, controlled by their respective consciousnesses.
Roselle glanced around casually, taking in the situation of the city, then chuckled before looking at Klein and saying, "Why didn't you put the city in Southern Intis? There are two true gods watching there; even if Amon has now become the 'Error,' it would be difficult for him to cause trouble right under our noses."
Klein rubbed his forehead, speaking with a hint of weariness, "Whether it's Amon or Zaratul, they are both very skilled at concealing themselves. If they don't actively reveal themselves, it's difficult for you in the Astral World to discover them."
"Moreover, once they discover the puppet city I created, they will surely create the greatest chaos and try their best to disrupt my ritual. This could very likely affect the surrounding areas, so it's better to choose a desolate place. Anyway, I can rely on the ability of grafting to establish connections between the puppet city and various places."
"Whew~ I need to rest now, I need to sleep. Separating a large number of Worms of Spirit, and writing scripts for them, while playing so many roles at the same time, I feel like I could have a mental breakdown at any moment."
"You're too impatient," Leyton commented, then continued, "I've strengthened the information exchange between here and the Spirit World; it will form a corresponding area in the Spirit World much faster."
Roselle chimed in, "Build a church for me here too. I will distort some of the rules here and grant your puppets some living characteristics, which will also accelerate the formation of the Spirit World city."
Klein nodded: "Thank you."
After ending the maintenance of the historical projections, he yawned and walked out from under the church, onto the city streets.
The dawn sunlight had already spread, and people scattered throughout the town gradually returned to their designated places.
The breakfast stalls by the street were already emitting hot white steam, and the rumbling sound of steam trains came from the western part of the city, as this city welcomed its first visitors.
Klein made the kerosene lamp in his hand disappear, then raised a hand to adjust the semi-tall silk top hat on his head, approaching the steam train station to the west. He intended to participate in the city's daily life as a visitor.
In a brand new steam train station on the west side of the city, a steam-emitting train slowly came to a halt. Soon after, people began to disembark from the train one after another.
Darrell unconsciously tightened his grip on the leather briefcase in his right hand, while his other hand lowered the brim of his hat, walking discreetly with the crowd onto the platform.
He looked at the word written in Intis script on the platform with some confusion: Utopia.
Whether it was the Intis words visible everywhere or the architectural style predominantly in bright yellow, everything indicated that this place belonged to Intis, not Loen.
His expression was somewhat bewildered, with a fleeting hint of panic, but it was quickly hidden.
As a Beyonder, he had a greater understanding of this world, knowing that many dangers lurked beneath its calm surface, and realizing that he might now be encountering a mysterious event.
How unlucky. Ever since I coincidentally became a Beyonder during the previous war, I seem to always encounter such things. Although most of the time it's just on the periphery, just passing by, this is still too unlucky.
As thoughts drifted, he heard the complaint of a middle-aged gentleman dressed as an Intis noble next to him:
"Utopia? Does this steam train stop at this station? And, we were in Loen last night, how did we get back to Intis today?"
Next to this gentleman, a young man with brass-rimmed glasses, light blue eyes, bright golden hair that was slightly disheveled, and a strong scholarly aura, looked around and chuckled, saying, "Since we're here, why not go into the city and take a look?"
"The steam train has broken down now, so we'll have to stay here for at least a day."
Listening to the conversation between the middle-aged gentleman and the young scholar next to him, Darrell sighed inwardly with a hint of sarcasm:
How naive these young people are, still thinking of exploring a strange city at a time like this, completely unaware of the bizarre situation. But this is normal; half a year ago, I was just as naive. After all, who would have thought that so many horrors were hidden beneath the calm surface of the world?
Collecting his thoughts, Darrell turned his body and, out of goodwill, reminded them, "When I bought my ticket at the steam train station in Southville, I didn't see a place called Utopia among the train's scheduled stops. And, we just arrived in Intis from Loen in one go; this is too strange."
The middle-aged gentleman smiled and nodded at Darrell, then explained with the most plausible reason he could think of, "Perhaps the steam train driver took the wrong track last night and entered a road that hasn't been officially opened yet. This station looks very new and there aren't many people, which fits the appearance of a newly built station that hasn't officially started operations."
A train driver wouldn't make such a basic mistake. Even if the train driver took the wrong track, we couldn't have traveled from Southville County in southern Loen to Intis overnight. This isn't an airship. Thoughts flashed through his mind, and Darrell became even more convinced of his idea: there was a significant problem with this city or this steam train station.
He was still thinking about what he should do and how to avoid potential dangers when he heard the middle-aged gentleman extend his hand to him and say, "My name is Charles, from Southern Intis. This is Lemon, a scholar from Lenburg, currently traveling and studying. We plan to go into this city and take a look. Would you like to join us?"
"Of course," Darrell smiled and nodded.
As soon as he spoke, he came to his senses. Why did I agree? I clearly intended to refuse. Have I been subtly influenced without realizing it? Or are these two people in front of me problematic, are they also Beyonders? Hmm, have I seen these two people on the train before?
Thoughts flashed quickly through his mind, and Darrell's body was already following Charles and Lemon out of the steam train station.
Behind them, many others also chose to temporarily enter the city for their own reasons, intending to rest there for a period.
As soon as they walked out of the steam train station, they smelled the aroma of food wafting through the air.
Grumble~
Darrell's stomach protested at the opportune moment. Feeling the gazes from around him, he lowered his head somewhat embarrassed.
It was all because yesterday's dinner was a bit too early. Hmm, the food here smells very good too.
The middle-aged gentleman, who called himself Charles, smiled and suggested, "Heh, let's find a shop and have some breakfast. Yesterday's dinner was too early, and I urgently need to replenish some energy now."
"No problem," Darrell nodded without hesitation, agreeing to Charles's suggestion. The hunger from his stomach and the aroma of food in the air temporarily made him lower some of his guard against this place.
The three walked on, arriving at a breakfast stall at the end of the street, where one person was already seated, enjoying breakfast.
He was facing away from the three, with soft facial features and little expression on his face. He wore a white shirt, black vest, and matching trousers. A semi-tall silk top hat rested on the table in front of him, along with a delicious-looking breakfast.
Darrell frowned slightly, looking at the person eating breakfast with some hesitation. He felt that the other person looked familiar, but couldn't recall where he had seen him at the moment.
"Gentlemen, what can I get for you?" A somewhat plump man walked out of the restaurant.
He was heavily hairy, wore suspenders, and had a coarse apron tied over his white shirt, with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. He approached and asked the three in fluent Loenese.
Lemon, wearing brass-rimmed glasses, raised a hand and pointed at the figure eating at another table, speaking in a calm and gentle tone:
"The same as him will do."
"No problem, one classic set meal, sir. Please have a seat; breakfast will be ready very soon."
The man enthusiastically greeted Lemon, while also looking at Charles and Darrell.
Charles glanced meaningfully at the somewhat plump restaurant owner in front of him, and said with a smile, "I want your most luxurious breakfast here. Don't worry about whether I can finish it; I'm not short on money."
"Cough Cough~" The young man eating breakfast at the other table suddenly coughed twice.
Charles, who had maintained his gentlemanly demeanor, turned his head to look at the figure on the other side, raised his neck, and said loudly, "I, Charles, am rich!"
"Heh," Lemon propped his hands on the edge of the table, trying hard to suppress his laughter, and said, "Sorry, I couldn't hold it in. Please continue."
Darrell looked at this scene in a daze. He had completely not expected that the usually graceful middle-aged gentleman he was with would suddenly adopt the style of a nouveau riche, and the other person had also lost the usual calmness of a scholar.