This train sped off into the distance, charging ahead without any obstacles in its desperate escape.

The people who boarded soon calmed down. They all assumed a major explosion or an accident in a large-scale weapon’s development had occurred somewhere.

“So what’s the deal with the sudden weather change? “

“Must be a light show from drone performances. “

“But what about the explosion on the ground? “

“A natural gas pipeline ruptured. My uncle just sent me a text saying so. “

Only Yang Zicang knew it wasn’t anything like what they said. It was problem, obvious at a glance, yet people always found some random possibility to explain it away.

Can’t you just admit it… the age of myth is here!

“Make way, make way, dear passengers. Want some sunflower seeds, cola, beer, or soda? “

“At a time like this, you’re still in the mood to sell these. “

“With so many passengers getting on, there’s bound to be someone who needs something, right? I’m putting in overtime here. Want some chilled fruit beer? “

In the relatively crowded carriage, everyone cooperated and made way, with a few people ordering some snacks.

A small bramble finch-like cuckoo landed on a table. Seeing its appearance, the middle-aged man in the seat cracked his neck and got up to give up his seat.

The train kept moving forward. Yang Zicang looked out the window at the unfamiliar yet familiar scenery—he had only seen most of it online or on TV before. It was all right along the way. How wonderful, he thought. If only he had known, he would have taken the train earlier to see the world.

In the blink of an eye, they reached the border. The attendant pushing the small cart turned back again.

“I’ll have a bottle of coke, sugar-free. ” Yang Zicang raised his hand and called out.

Another person across the aisle said, “Give me a bottle of rice wine too, plus a bread roll. “

The cola and the wine were handed over to their new owners.

“Sunflower seeds, cola, beer, beef jerky—anyone need anything? “

“Attendant, do you have brandy or whiskey? “

“Yes, but remember you can only drink them once we cross the border. Luckily, we’re almost there. “

The brandy was handed over.

Yang Zicang drank his cola and watched the cart move past. Suddenly, he heard a light but crisp, bell-like sound from behind.

“Do you have any vodka, cuckoo~ “

“Yes… c-customer, you… “

“A serving of Little Bird’s Vodka, thanks. Cuckoo~“

The train crashed through the border with a shudder, and Yang Zicang felt a hint of confusion. Where was this train headed?

As if on cue, someone shared his question, “What is the destination of this car? “

“This time, our destination is the end of the world. “

｛Confusion｝, ｛Curiosity｝, ｛Disbelief｝, ｛Escape｝, ｛Uncertain Journey｝…

Little Bird flew onto the seat and gazed at the young man’s head resting on the chair. His very being radiated such intense emotions energy that they swirled around him.

This small creature, its body with a metallic sheen, twisted its head to look back at the retreating conductor.

｛Search｝, ｛Read｝, ｛Historical Memory｝, ｛Wish Dispatch｝.

……

The train finally reached the “end of the world, ” which turned out to be a coastline. According to Yang Zicang’s memory, this was likely somewhere in the Mediterranean or the Black Sea.

After all, it’s impossible for a train to cross the sea.

“To think I’ve ended up in a foreign land just like this. I hope those monsters won’t be fast enough to chase us down. “

Yang Zicang yawned and made his way to the door, watching the people cheerfully rush out and onto the sandy beach, waving their hats. Some women were even beginning to go into the sea in swimsuits.

A little bird landed on Yang Zicang’s head. When the young man looked up, the bird fluttered and settled onto his forehead.

“You’re a pretty good one, you know, leading so many people. I can barely count them all, cuckoo~ “

“A talking bird! “

Yang Zicang was startled, then realized it was a finely crafted wind-up bird, so detailed it seemed almost real.

“What are you? “

In this world, Yang Zicang instinctively stepped back against the door.

“You want to know my full name? ” The bird spread its wings and proudly proclaimed, its voice crisp as a bell, “I, this bird, am the herald revered by the All-Minor-Events Guild, no, the perfect postman and sub-ether celebrated by all distributors, the Trinity-Confessed of Sicily’s Shadowy Advisors, and the most stylish and dashing tactical Cuckoo of the entire clockwork realm! A dapper gear-popping sovereign chimera, an iron-striped man ‘Cuckoo~’ is me, got it? “

It tilted its head, explaining as if afraid he wouldn’t grasp the profound meaning:

“In short, the sovereign chimera, Iron-Striped Guy ‘Cuckoo~’. “

It spread its wings and offered a small business card.

“Please kindly keep this, from Cuckoo. “

Yang Zicang instinctively took the card with his fingers, then cried out like a madman, “How can you hand out business cards! “

“That’s a long story; do you really want to hear it? “

“Indeed, the world has changed. Saving it from disaster takes priority. “

Yang Zicang clutched the card, suddenly remembering he had another piece of paper like this—though the text was foreign to him, he’d been using it as a bookmark.

After taking a look at the two business cards, one for “Imperial Axis Singing Bird ” and the other for “Hundred-Crown, ” he tucked them together into his pocket. Yang Zicang stepped out of the car with a solemn expression, found a relatively quiet patch of coast partially shielded by rocks, and began to sit cross-legged in meditation, calming his mind.

“Saving the world starts now. Oh, right, where’s my little brother? “

The Iron-Strip Han Cuckoo flew down beside him, pecked at the ground, and asked, “So you’re going to sit here in meditation? “

“Yeah. “

Somewhat startled, Yang Zicang spotted his little brother splashing in the water in the distance; relieved, he placed both hands on his lower abdomen.

He closed his eyes. Even though it was his first time doing something like this, he seemed to take to it as naturally as an old hand.

“Is your real name Yang Zicang, Cuckoo? “

“Yeah. “

“Are all people from your Wubang Continent like this? So many of them don’t wear watches with Roman numerals, Cuckoo. “

“Why do you have so much pointless chatter? Are you some kind of AI test product from a tech company? “

Yang Zicang opened his eyes and cast a disgusted glance at the delicate little cuckoo bird on the ground.

Originally, this kind of thing was a mechanical ornament on clocks from the era of old dowager empresses, designed to pop out at set times and chime with a “cuckoo cuckoo ” ring.

He guessed it might be a smart toy resurrected in retro style by some company.

Just a bit annoying.

“I’m just casually asking. Too bad you don’t remember what happened at the inn, Cuckoo—otherwise, I could have parsed it out for you remotely. “

“Just leave. I don’t have time for you. “

“You make a good point, Cuckoo. I need to go tell the client this, Cuckoo. “

It flapped its wings and took flight.

“Client? ” Yang Zicang opened his eyes in slight confusion, looking up towards the Black Shop. “Who are you going to tell? “

The bird, after circling the sky once, spun back in an instant, flapping its wings as it spoke. “Soldier No.4, Cuckoo~ ” With that, it flew off again. “Goodbye, Buchen Zicang. I’ll come find you later. Don’t wander off, Cuckoo~ “

“I won’t wander off. “

Yang Zicang closed his eyes.

-｛Distributor…｝

-｛… signals ‘Hurry up’…｝

-｛… focused on me… in this moment…｝

The moment Yang Zicang sat down, he still felt pangs of longing and intense emotional fluctuations. But as he concentrated and steadied his breath, a hidden, deep-blue line lurking dormant inside him for who knows how long suddenly shot up with the ferocity of a spirit snake!

( Trans: I, the Great Quadrilateral, have activated Glaze Saeva Perception.)

The youth’s eyes snapped open.

( Trans: Sub-Ether Space!)

The surrounding beach and crowd burst apart instantly, scattering into rings of surging energy masses.

( Radiance – subtitle: history. }{\ Radiance – subtitle: timeline. }{\ Radiance – subtitle: memory.)

Yang Zicang withdrew his gaze and looked down at the pocket of his clothes. The two Ether Name Cards emitted faint trait beacons.

“Damn it! That bird belongs to Soldier No.4?! “

-｛Distributor Loki\ Tata Mingqi signals ‘doing push-ups.’｝

-｛Distributor February\ Di’an radiates worry.｝

-｛Distributor May·Valkyrie tagged a new node: the prelude to a burgeoning brilliance for me.｝

“Damn it! ” Yang Zicang flickered, bursting into a sprint across the fluorescent world.

He dropped the delicate little card from Little Bird and raised his own Ether Name Card.

｛Shock of Survival｝, ｛Oath-Breaker｝, ｛Love to Run｝…

The “Trajectory Master’s ” information field flashed in an instant. His body shot forward like a high-speed express train, flinging the earth behind him.

“That’s it. As long as you believe, you can defy mortal speed here. I can accelerate more—I absolutely can. I’ll keep accelerating! “

Boom!

A sonic boom exploded from his body.

“That was way too fast… “

｛Doubt.｝

In that fleeting moment, his velocity dropped by half. Yang Zicang only then realized what thought he had just projected. He tried to accelerate again, but no matter what, he couldn’t reach that previous speed.

“Bai Yuxian is gone… was he caught by Soldier No.4?! “

Yang Zicang dared not dwell on it. He had no idea where this place was, but the good news was that it seemed uninhabited. As he sped forward, he caught sight of a landscape filled with undulating mountains awash in swirling fluorescence. He made a snap decision to terminate the “Sub-Ether Shuttle ” right here.

With a flick of his wrist, he raised the Name Card and, with a single thought, withdrew from the Sub-Ether Field into the real world. There, beneath the dimd radiance of either dawn or dusk, a piercing chirp echoed from a distance.

Yang Zicang, holding out the hotel key, looked up and saw a giant bird swiftly whooshing across the skyline, with several more hovering in the distance.

As he, wearing the face of a “Grainwood Person, ” looked on, one of the hovering giant birds instantly flapped its wings and charged toward him.

“So fast. “

A halo materialized on his chest, and a wisp of light, like a sharp line, shot into the key.

｛I tip the COSTELLA HOTEL key opener 10 GALD.｝

Boom! Boom!

Two flashes of fire flickered and vanished on the bird’s back.

Two cannon shells, reeking of a dense, twisted aura, tore through the air like a pair of rampaging, enraged beasts.

Ripples spread outward, enveloping Yang Zicang.

The surrounding mirage shimmered, revealing the hotel’s image. Just as the two shells were about to explode beside him, Yang Zicang pushed off the ground with his foot and lunged into the distance.

Boom! Debris and clods of mud burst into the air. With the momentum of his leap, he landed heavily on the now-solid and soft bed.

“Squeak, squeak, squeak! “

The yarn-ball rats, who were just about to leave the room with brooms in their mouths, hopped in unison and turned their heads, staring in shock through the gaping hole where mud and earth erupted.