Chapter 233: Realm Gate

The second day, afternoon, clear weather.

After a night of rest, most of the passengers had recovered their energy, drifting out of their compartments in twos and threes to wander about the enormous train. The observation car, which had no entry restrictions and could accommodate large crowds, became a popular area.

Once the train departed the human settlements of the various continents, crossed the wilderness, and burst past the border of humanity's known maps, the scenery that had long since grown tiresome finally began to change a little.

"Wow—what huge waves! How pretty!"

Pressed against the window of the observation car, gazing at the azure sea and blue sky outside, Lin Xiaolu could not help letting out such an exclamation.

Beside her, Xia Liang and Bai Jingxuan were likewise crowded at the window, one continuously taking photos, the other gazing intently at the horizon—clearly both immersed in this rare scenery as well.

The reason they had all gathered here was entirely because Senior Cuique had told them at noon that it would be best to come to the observation car for the final stretch of the journey. Only when they actually arrived did they understand her meaning: just as Lin Xiaolu had shouted, the train was currently traveling across a vast expanse of sea.

The ocean, for most people of the Material Realm, was a sight ordinarily only seen on television and the internet. The vast majority of cities would not choose sites near the sea. Compared to the wilderness, the mysterious threats within the ocean were no fewer, and being adjacent to both ocean and wilderness meant a city's defense system had to bear greater defensive pressure. On top of that, the difficulty of building long-lasting road protection networks over the sea meant people could not use the ocean as a means of intercity transport, and naturally there was no need to build cities by the sea. Over time, the concept of "the sea" had become something quite remote to ordinary people.

And now, the train they were riding not only allowed close-up views of the seascape, but was genuinely traveling across the surface of the sea—so it was no wonder the girls were so excited.

The semi-transparent track suspended above the sea flickered in and out of view among the waves, seemingly forged from some crystal-like material that refracted seven-colored light under the sun. At regular intervals, a drainage trough would push aside the excess seawater, colliding with the waves rushing toward the track and sending up droplets like scattered diamonds.

The water was so clear it made one wonder if they were in a dream; through the surface, schools of fish could be faintly seen swimming beneath the track, sometimes clustering, sometimes scattering, chasing the train's shadow as they moved forward together.

Inside the car was a riot of colorful flowers; outside were the blue sky, white clouds, seawater so clear it was nearly cyan, and golden ripples of light. The magnificent scenery drew exclamation after exclamation from the passengers in the observation car, the sound of camera shutters linking into a continuous stream.

Senior Cuique stood behind the juniors, silently gazing at the scenery outside, her azure eyes reflecting the rippling light. The sea breeze blowing in through the window stirred her scarf, so she draped the extra length over her shoulder and gently exhaled a breath of stale air.

Although it was not her first time seeing it, such a wondrous sight would always lift one's spirits.

【The train's next stop is Luennoire. The train's next stop is Luennoire. Passengers alighting, please check your personal belongings…】

An announcement thick with a fairy accent rang out across the train at just the right moment, pulling the thoughts of many passengers—who were still immersed in the scenery—back to reality.

Although the route traveled within the Material Realm was consistent, once entering the Nation, the Nation Express would diverge in its routing. Most of the time, the mainstream route was to enter the Nation from one of the five great cities, then proceed to other cities.

At this time every year, due to the influence of the Nation Examination, the train operators would adjust their route arrangements, adding lines that passed through that year's examination venue. Reflected this year, the routes entering the Nation via Luennoire had increased considerably.

"Senior, let's take a group photo before getting off?"

As the station approached, many passengers in the observation car chose to take commemorative photos at this time, and the juniors from Fang Ting naturally did not want to be left out. After a brief discussion, Lin Xiaolu was sent to find someone to take the picture, while Xia Liang was in charge of arranging the spot and angle for the group.

Senior Cuique, who had been called over, had no objections, letting Xia Liang pick and choose here, while also tugging her and Bai Jingxuan around. In the end, the spot for the photo was chosen at the very center of the car.

Following Xia Liang's instructions, the four sat side by side on a long bench, while the camera shot from a forty-five-degree angle on the side, perfectly capturing both the interior of the car and the scenery outside the window. The person closest to the camera—Senior Cuique—needed to press as close as possible to the backrest behind her, while the person farthest from the camera—Xia Liang herself—leaned forward, so that all four could appear completely within the frame. Once the positions were arranged, everyone stretched out a hand and made a gesture of their own liking, and the composition of this group photo was complete.

The photo was taken, and the train had just arrived at the station.

A few minutes later, the group stepped off the train, each dragging their own luggage.

—"Ah, geez, Senior, everyone clearly made their own favorite gesture, so why are you the only one who didn't do anything?"

Dragging a large suitcase with one hand and scrolling through the photos on her phone with the other, when she saw that the others in the picture had all struck poses while only Senior Cuique stood there like a wooden stake on the bench, Xia Liang could not help complaining: "This photo could've been cuter!"

"Is that so."

Senior Cuique observed the platform surroundings as she casually replied: "What a pity, then."

"Right? Such a pity, right? So next time you have to pay more attention. When we take other photos after entering the Nation…"

Xia Liang lightly scolded Senior Cuique for her "crime," her steps not pausing as she followed close behind Senior Cuique onto the station platform. But when she clearly saw the scene around the platform, the speed of her words involuntarily slowed considerably:

"…you have to stay consistent with the main group."

After saying this, she could not help but swallow hard, even forgetting what she had originally intended to say next.

"Eh, wow, what is this!" Lin Xiaolu, who had gotten off behind Xia Liang, took in everything before her and immediately cried out in exaggerated astonishment.

"How magnificent…" Bai Jingxuan, walking at the very back of the group, was the last to voice her admiration.

The platform where the train had stopped was a platform built entirely over the sea, its entire body a pure white, surrounded on all sides by seawater, like a solitary white island.

Behind this island-like platform, a small path stretched out toward the nearby sea, and at the path's end, a door stood there.

It was an incomparably enormous door, roughly estimated to be several dozen meters tall; merely standing there, it made those who saw it involuntarily feel an invisible pressure.

Below the door was seawater, above was sky, and in front, behind, left, and right there was nothing—no buildings, no passages—just a single, solitary door. Precisely because of this, its presence here appeared so abrupt.

"This door is the node connecting the Material Realm and the Magic Nation. We generally call it the 'Realm Gate.'"

Seeing that everyone had noticed the door not far away, Senior Cuique took the opportunity to explain: "There are only five such doors in the entire Material Realm, each leading to a different city. Because the Realm Bridge connecting to the Nation lies behind the door, when they forged it they used a special material that instills fear in those who see it, making them dare not act rashly."

Hearing her words, the juniors' expressions varied—some thoughtful, some still bewildered. However, Senior Cuique had no intention of explaining further; she simply dragged her suitcase forward: "Don't overthink it. Just follow me."

The juniors belatedly set their steps in motion, one after another following her forward. Crossing the vast, empty white platform, the group stepped onto the white stone path leading to the great door.

It was called a small path, but that was only relative to that overly enormous door. In reality, this "small path" was five to six meters wide—enough for ten people to walk abreast. Passengers disembarking from the train moved slowly forward along the road in small clusters, all of them unconsciously lowering any noise they might make, as if worried about disturbing something.

"Remember this: from the moment we walk up to that door, my code name is 'Long Dan.' Absolutely do not call me by any other name."

Senior Cuique also lowered her voice: "Especially you, Bai Mei. It wasn't a big problem on the train, but from here on, absolutely do not call me the wrong thing, because the mission I'm executing is very important, and a slip of the tongue from you could undo all my work."

Lin Xiaolu covered her mouth with one hand and nodded somewhat awkwardly.

"When passing through the Realm Gate, try not to make eye contact with the guards on either side of the door. Even if you do, don't speak with them. And if you do speak, absolutely do not go deep into the conversation—don't draw their attention."

Senior Cuique continued forward as she instructed: "If they stop you, they will generally explain the reason—it's nothing more than a luggage check or identity verification. Whatever the reason, cooperate with them obediently. Don't ask questions, and stay as calm as possible."

"Sounds just like one of those rule-based ghost stories." Xia Liang whistled.

"What ghost stories?" Senior Cuique turned to look at her.

"Ah… basically, it's a kind of urban legend popular among us young people—things like 'if you break certain rules, you'll run into danger.'" Xia Liang explained with a dry laugh.

"…If you can treat what I just said as rules, that would be for the best, because none of what I said is a joke."

Without delving into the novel term from Xia Liang's mouth, Senior Cuique looked forward again: "Once we go a bit further, we can pretty much prepare to transform. Passing through the Realm Gate as magical girls can spare us some trouble."

"Is it okay? There are still a lot of other passengers around… and quite a few of them aren't magical girls."

Lin Xiaolu pointed at the pedestrians around the path.

"Can you see their faces?" Senior Cuique asked.

"Faces? I didn't really notice, but if I wanted to look… I can't?"

Lin Xiaolu blinked, looked around, and instinctively opened her mouth to raise her voice, but ultimately lowered it: "Why?"

"Because the magical girls present aren't only us."

Senior Cuique kept walking: "We're not the only ones who don't want others to connect our appearances before and after transformation."

"The logic does seem sound, but exactly when did it happen?"

Lin Xiaolu raised her eyebrows: "I remember it didn't look like this when we got off the bus..."

Senior Cuique pointed forward.

The direction her finger pointed was the Boundary Gate, now right before their eyes.

"Get ready; it's about time to transform."

As she spoke, she pulled the fake gemstone belonging to "Gentian" from her robes, murmured a spell, and her coat was instantly covered in blue magic. Moments later, the blue magic dispersed, and she had completely changed into a different outfit.

Several juniors followed suit, completing their own transformations before reaching the Boundary Gate.

Only when viewing the Boundary Gate up close did one notice that the tightly closed door bore no decorations whatsoever, featuring only a rough white surface like weathered marble and pockmarks that seemed to have endured countless storms. Compared to the aesthetic trend of the Magic Kingdom, where every inch was inscribed with Favo Runes—so much so that even one's shoe soles seemed to demand two Favo Runes—this door appeared far too simple.

Standing right at the center of this door was a pair of neatly dressed golden-haired twins, facing the travelers before them with proper, smiling expressions.

Undoubtedly, they were the "Guards" Senior Cuique had mentioned earlier.

One of the twins wore long hair and possessed a slightly capable demeanor; the other had short hair and appeared comparatively gentle. Yet, because their features were androgynous, their height was neither tall nor short, and their build was neither fat nor thin, it was impossible to determine their gender from their appearance.

However, these things were not actually the most important.

The most important thing was that a pair of long, whisker-like antennae topped their heads, and behind them were wings resembling the transparent wings of a cicada, yet refracting a spectrum of colorful light.

Were they decorations? Or some kind of technique?

Such doubts arose in Lin Xiaolu's heart, but she strictly remembered Senior Cuique's instructions, kept her mouth shut, and did not ask aloud.

"Distinguished travelers, welcome to the Boundary Gate," said the twin standing on the left.

"Please maintain order, form a line, do not crowd, and proceed in sequence," continued the twin standing on the right.

Having spoken, they closed their mouths and made no further unnecessary movements or words.

Do they not need to open the door?

Lin Xiaolu thought so, and before she could ponder further, the magical girl at the very front of the line answered her doubt with action: she walked straight up, pressed her palm against the door of the Boundary Gate, and then, the entire person suddenly passed through the door.

This process was so simple it required no explanation; having seen it once, one could simply repeat it. Therefore, the passengers behind, whether first-timers or not, all followed suit, mimicking the magical girl and passing through the Boundary Gate.

The entire process was extremely simple; the twins standing on both sides stood motionless like sculptures, showing no intention whatsoever to interfere.

The line thus advanced steadily until Senior Cuique and her group reached the door.

Without speaking, Senior Cuique took the last position and signaled for the juniors to pass through first.

Lin Xiaolu, standing at the very front, did not overthink it; she took steps that were slightly stiff from nervousness, walked to the door, and pressed her hand against it. Accompanied by a flash of light, her figure vanished.

Next was Xia Liang. Judging purely by appearance, she seemed far more natural than Lin Xiaolu, yet she no longer displayed her usual quirky and mischievous demeanor; instead, she walked forward in small, obedient steps, pressed her hand against the door, and soon, her figure too vanished from before the gate.

The third person was Bai Jingxuan. Compared to the previous two, her state appeared far worse; she had only taken three steps forward when she turned to look at Senior Cuique twice. In response, Senior Cuique could only signal with her eyes for her to remain calm, having no other means.

After all, the two of them both knew what Bai Jingxuan was currently worried about. Compared to the open and honest Lin Xiaolu and Xia Liang, Bai Jingxuan truly carried the magic of a Remnant Beast within her. If the Guards nearby detected anything, the situation would be difficult to resolve.

Precisely because of this psychological pressure, even though Bai Jingxuan had tried her best to calm her mind, she still felt her legs going weak. She could only force herself to cheer up, follow Senior Cuique's instructions, and walk to the door with the calmest attitude she could project.

Then, she pressed her hand against the Boundary Gate.

— "Wait a moment."

Just then, one of the twins suddenly spoke:

"We are very sorry, distinguished traveler, but may we trouble you for a moment of your time? Would you be willing to cooperate with us for a simple routine inspection?"

Bai Jingxuan's hand instantly froze.

What should she do?

Only these three words remained in her mind; due to extreme nervousness, her thoughts stalled, and she could think of no effective solution.

She only remembered that Senior Cuique had just said that if these Guards made a request, they should cooperate as much as possible and not react too violently, but if she truly cooperated with the inspection, what if they discovered something?

All the travelers ahead had passed smoothly, yet it was only when it was her turn that an inspection was suddenly requested. No matter how she thought about it, this could not be a coincidence; these two Guards must have detected something abnormal to stop her.

But Bai Jingxuan also knew she could not hesitate too long at this moment, because hesitating too long would appear even more suspicious, so she could only suppress her panic, raise her head, and speak—

— "We are together."

Senior Cuique's voice came from behind her, interrupting Bai Jingxuan's words.

The attention of the two Guards immediately shifted to Senior Cuique, and one of them spoke: "We are very sorry, distinguished traveler, but even if you are traveling together, please do not interfere with us in the execution of our official duties. We hope you will wait here; we will give you an answer as soon as possible..."

"I apologize, but we have an urgent matter."

Senior Cuique did not stop due to their persuasion; instead, she calmly walked forward and handed over a prepared document: "Please do us a favor."

The two twins exchanged a glance, and finally, one of them took the document from Senior Cuique's hand. After reading the contents and verifying their authenticity, they exchanged another glance.

"Please."

This time, they made no further obstruction but cleared the path, allowing Bai Jingxuan to pass.

Meanwhile, Senior Cuique nearby re-stowed the document, nodded in greeting to the two Guards, and passed through the Boundary Gate together.

There was nothing special to say about the document's contents; it was merely a task document specially approved by Emerald. It detailed how she had assigned the magical girls of Fang Ting City to transport a certain special experimental material for her, covering everything from personnel to specifications to indicators. All necessary official seals and document numbers were present. If one disregarded the written content, it was completely a genuine document.

Considering Bai Jingxuan's special constitution, various special matters might be encountered during the journey to the Kingdom. Senior Cuique had long ago collaborated with Emerald to prepare various "genuine" proofs. This was not limited to Bai Jingxuan; regarding Lin Xiaolu's unique magical armor, Senior Cuique had also prepared numerous proofs to conceal its special nature when needed. Even for Xia Liang, a magical girl who was theoretically absolutely unproblematic and of pure stock, Senior Cuique had prepared a series of identification documents to prevent accidents.

Such complicated preparations and a large volume of documents were precisely one of the reasons Senior Cuique needed to repeatedly check her luggage before departure. In fact, because preparing these things consumed so much mental energy, she didn't even have the time to verify what was written on every single document, and could only trust that Emerald and her "friends" would handle things properly, which is why she was outmaneuvered by Emerald on matters like the age listed on the admission ticket.

Without hesitation, she walked through the Boundary Gate, and a rather dim corridor appeared before Senior Cuique's eyes.

The surroundings of the corridor were dim and lightless, with very limited visibility; only the overhead lights cast down, illuminating a path leading forward. The surroundings were a pitch-black darkness, and no one could see what lay within the darkness.

This was the "Boundary Bridge" that Senior Cuique had just mentioned to Lin Xiaolu and the others.

The so-called Boundary Bridge, as the name suggests, is a bridge built between the Material World and the Magic Kingdom, a channel connecting two worlds. Its greatest function is not merely to provide a stable passage for the two worlds, but also to provide an adaptation process for everyone passing through the Boundary Bridge, preventing physical rejection reactions in travelers after crossing worlds.

Especially for ordinary people traveling back and forth between the Kingdom and the Material World, and for magicians whose control over magic is not profound, for such groups, if the Boundary Bridge does not provide a process of transformation and adaptation for them, they are very likely to develop physical illnesses while crossing worlds, thereby endangering their lives. In the most severe cases, it could even lead to partial magicalization of the flesh, resulting in permanent organ dysfunction.

Of course, for the magical girls, such minor world differences would not cause them discomfort; passing through the Boundary Bridge was merely following the rules and using the official channel.

With no intention of lingering here, Senior Cuique took a deep breath and dragged her suitcase forward.

Ripples formed in the shadows where her footsteps fell, and the empty darkness flowed in silence. A lonely figure moved through the corridor, slowly advancing toward the sole exit.

"Do not return."

It seemed a voice was whispering this within the darkness.

Like a murmur right at one's ear, yet also like an echo from the farthest reaches of the sky—so faint it would make one doubt whether one's ears had truly heard any sound at all.

【Don't come back.】

Scattered fragments of shadow swayed within the dim corridor, shattering and reforming beneath the sallow lamplight, like text torn apart and only barely pieced back together, baring their fangs and brandishing their claws.

Don't come back.

Shattered, chaotic emotions hummed in the depths of thought; old memories churned up uncontrollably in the mind, like one murky bubble after another, rising to the surface and rolling out segment after segment of stale recollection.

"Don't come back."

【Don't come back.】

Don't come back.

The whispers from the darkness grew louder and louder, until they became layer upon layer of noise; the text born of shadow grew more and more numerous, until it blocked the road and the exit ahead; the memories surfacing from thought grew more and more disordered, until the passage turned into a mire, as if a weight of a thousand jin hung from Senior Cuique's body, dragging her down as she sank.

Senior Cuique showed no reaction.

She simply kept walking forward, kept walking forward without pause.

Even though the noise had become a shriek, the text had become layer upon layer of seals, and the thoughts had become shackles, none of it could slow her steps by even the slightest fraction.

Casually tearing apart those layers upon layers of text woven from shadow, she laid both hands upon the door at the end of the corridor.

This was the final door before she entered the Kingdom.

"I'm back."

She said this with an expressionless face.

Then she suddenly shoved the door before her open and walked in without a backward glance.