Chapter 33 The General's Rebellion <TOC>
Translator: SumTLMan
Rayne had no idea about the rebellion by the army general. That was a matter for the top nobles to worry about as he was just a small fry just hearing about it.
But when he noticed the unusual drop in temperature around him, he knew that something was wrong…
This was a scene that had happened before when Ymir had scared off the “gnoll” horde leader.
Rayne had a vague feeling that something big might’ve happened as he glanced at the big boss beside him.
Sure enough, her face was as cold as frost.
Those blue eyes were as cold and sharp as a blade.
During the past few days, he knew that this big boss, who had a calm expression on her face at all times, wouldn’t frown even if in front of mountains and earth splitting.
But now, she was staring at him with such a grave expression. He was afraid that things were more complicated than he had heard.
Rayne thought that she must’ve known [Grand General Stormwind] Bath Asconius.
Or perhaps her true identity was that of General Bath’s daughter?
…….
Paul, however, didn’t know where the chill that gave him inexplicable goosebumps was coming from. He shivered and pulled the collar of his cashmere coat closer as he looked up at the sky and grumbled: “Damn… It looks like a snowstorm is heading our way.”
After a pause, he looked at Rayne again and asked: “Doctor, the train is about to leave this stop. Have you thought about my offer?”
“This…”
There was clearly no other option than to board this train.
Rayne deflated his lips, not rushing to respond but glancing at the big boss beside him.
Ymir, as if not caring whether he chose to ride on the train or not, had instead thought for a moment and opened her mouth towards Paul to ask an odd question: “Do you have a communication radio station onboard?”
“Yes, we do.”
Paul was puzzled by the question which was asked without rhyme or reason.
But he instinctively added: “But… The usage fee is quite expensive.”
“Get on the train.”
After hearing this, Ymir said no more and stepped decisively into the train carriage.
Rayne roughly guessed some of her thoughts and followed.
……
Paul followed with a quizzical expression on his face as he closed the train door.
The cold wind outside was instantly cut off while the temperature inside the carriage was far too warm.
Ymir asked again about the communication radio station.
The train conductor thought he had misheard and repeated the question: “So… Do you mean to say you want to use the communication radio station onboard the train?”
Ymir succinctly replied: “Yes.”
“That’s…”
Paul was suddenly a little confused by Rayne and his companion’s identity, mainly because Ymir’s aura was so strong. Even though she was dressed in ordinary attire, she gave off the kind of unmistakable dominance of a superior.
He couldn’t help but use respectful language when addressing her: “As you know, our communication equipment is very costly to operate. Even for an acquaintance of our Chamber of Commerce, it costs… Ten gold kroner for single use!”
Wireless communication in this world was still in its infancy. Because of the fog barrier, long-distance communication still required establishing a large number of signal base stations and manual relay stations. The equipment is bulky and outdated, and the cost of using this form of communication is extremely high.
As it so happens, this train carriage is run by the “Thorn Birds Chamber of Commerce”, one of the larger chambers of commerce, and had happened to have one on board.
Ten gold kroner is worth 100,000 lire.
This is an absolutely exorbitant fee to pay at once, which is equivalent to a year’s worth of living expenses for an average family living in absolute luxury.
When Ymir heard this, she looked behind and asked Rayne: “Do you have any money? Lend me a hundred gold kroner.”
“Uhh… Yes.”
When Ymir asked to borrow money, Rayne felt like “Bill Gates had borrowed five dollars from him”, and he readily agreed to lend it to her.
Paul, the steward who was in charge of the train carriage, was utterly baffled by their conversation.
What kind of family do these two belong to when a hundred gold kroner was so easily lent out?
Listening to the calm tone of their conversation, it was as if they weren’t lending out one million copper lire, but a hundred!
He thought the young Doctor was the one in charge, but it turned out that this cold, indifferent lady was the one who leads.
And by the looks of things, it looked like a noble lady was travelling with a butler.
But if only looking at their attire… It doesn’t seem to be the case either!
But this one hundred gold kroner was easily lent with an open mouth. Weren’t they a little too rich to call themselves wilderness hunters?
However, if they were nobleman, why wouldn’t they rather stay within the mechanical city and enjoy themselves. Do they have nothing better to do than to wander the wilderness?
Could it be that this was a noble lady who had eloped with her private Doctor?
Well, that was probably the only possibility.
At this moment, Paul, who was filling his brain with backstories, looked at the duo with a slightly odd look in his eyes.
……
Woo…woo…woo…
The steam-powered boiler’s roar sounded as the train slowly moved forward, plunging into the fog of the wilderness.
Because of the war, the thirty or so train carriages were packed with people as the air became stale.
Sometimes Rayne thought that it wasn’t always good for his nose to be too sensitive.
There was the stench of sweat, tobacco, food, excrement… And a sweet, sweet smell.
As a magic potion master, Rayne could also distinguish this strawberry smell in the train carriage, called “Blue Dream, ” a low-grade psychedelic drug that can bring people spiritual pleasure. It was a by-product of narcotics extraction and was popular among hoodlums and gangsters.
The combination of all these smells in the carriage was absolutely horrendous!
Rayne tipped Paul two silver naira as he took them straight through the coach section of the train carriage and into the business section at the train’s front.
After paying the fare, Ymir entered the communications room alone.
Not long afterwards, she came out.
The hundred gold kroner Rayne had given her had all gone into the radio operator’s pocket.
Sending a message costs ten gold kroner, so it’s no wonder she wanted to borrow a hundred.
……
Originally Paul had planned to get a doctor for the few civilian carriages he managed so that the sick passengers wouldn’t die during the long migration or transmit viruses to others on the train.
He had thought Rayne was a wilderness hunting doctor who had to walk the wilderness because of poverty, but he hadn’t expected to be slapped in the face with a one hundred gold kroner radio telegram.
Now, after having picked up two “suspected noblemen” in the carriage, Paul no longer dared to be rude and acted as respectful as a servant.
The class hierarchy in this world is very clearly defined, and the aristocrats are the true “superiors”!
When Ymir had finished her telegram, Paul came over and reported: “Dear sir and madam, I’ve just made an enquiry for both of you. A gentleman in the middle carriage is willing to give up a single room, although not too spacious, it’s the best place I can get for two gold kroner on such short notice…”
Rayne listened without saying a word, and the reason was that he felt he could stay anywhere.
Looking at the train’s state with all those people on the roofs, it’d be nice to just be able to have land under one’s heels, so what was the point of asking for more.
On the contrary, he thought it was a bit expensive to ask for a seat with the two gold kroner. Even if he were twice as rich as he were now, he wouldn’t be so wasteful with his money.
As for looking for a single room, naturally, it was in consideration of big boss Ymir’s feelings.
After a pause, Paul looked at the two and thought they weren’t entirely satisfied as he apprehensively explained: “As you know, those noble lords in the head compartment aren’t short of money. There’s probably no place left for…”
Without waiting for Paul to finish, Ymir nodded: “It’s fine.”
Seeing that the big boss had given the go-ahead, Rayne chimed in and said: “Mr Paul, please take us to our seats.”
With that, he offered two more kroner and a tip of ten silver naira.
Paul took the money while beaming a smile as he said: “All Right, you two come along with me.”
……
It’s good to have money.
Rayne also experienced the thrill of throwing money out for convenience, and what was originally a couple of thousand lire for a train ticket, they had paid nearly ten times that amount for one.
Still, Rayne felt like a bumpkin compared to Ymir, who had telegraphed ten messages for a hundred gold kroner.
The train’s central compartment was a single iron partitioned room, a bit like a “hard sleeper” in his past life.
The room Paul found for the two of them was, as he said, somewhat cramped.
The whole compartment was less than two metres wide, with a one-metre bed and a passageway through which only one side could pass. There were no windows for safety and security reasons and only a fist-sized air vent, making the room feel as cramped as a can of sardines.
However, Rayne felt quite satisfied. At least it was a separate room, which was much better than the crowded conditions in the regular carriages.
Big boss Ymir didn’t say anything and went straight in, and naturally, Rayne followed her in.
Paul gave the two an ambiguous smile and said: “You two have a good rest. If you need anything, you can come to me directly. I’ll be able to help out in some small way on the train…”
With that, he closed the door of the room shut, and the noises in the carriage corridor were immediately cut off.
……
Without a word, Ymir entered the room, sat down on the bed and began meditating.
Rayne was used to this as he put down his sack, took off his gas mask, and followed suit in meditation.
The two of them had spent a lot of time together over the past few days and had probably gotten to know each other’s temperament, so they were accustomed to this “silent” way of getting along.
Rayne knew that she was probably in a bad mood, but he didn’t try to be sympathetic, nor did he ask her what she had just sent by telegram…
He just stuck to following this big boss around and continued being a “yes man” at ease.
…….
On the other side of the door…
Just after Rayne and his companion boarded the train, several gangsters also boarded onto the train and started to look for a man while holding a wanted poster with a reward into each carriage.
“Hey, what do you think this guy with the bounty on him is all about? Did someone really offer 100 million lire on the black market to find this guy?”
“Who knows, maybe some big noble lord was cucked, and that’s why he’s so desperate and wants to offer a reward to kill his adulterer? Who else would have the money to put out a wanted notice on the black market? If it was really a criminal, why not an official warrant…”
“We’d be lucky if we even see him! Tsk, it’s a 100 million lire bounty. If daddy gets the money, I’ll spend a year in the best taverns in the city looking for the best girls and drinking the best booze…”
“You never know! With the word out now, the gangs all over the country are looking for him. That guy can’t go to the main cities for sure, so he’ll probably be on the run in the wilderness. Maybe he’s on this train right now…”
“…”
A few of the hoodlums talked as they violently forced every passenger in the carriage to lower their masks for cross-examination.
If Rayne had been here, he’d probably have egg on his face.
For he would’ve recognised at once that the portrait in the gangsters’ hands was exactly the same as his own face!
at least he has a strong blonde waifu that could help if things goes south,not like he have any historic of crimes or whatever for her think he must be killed or whatever
Many thanks for the chapter. Only today I came to find this novel and binge read it all. Unfortunately it’s fairly new with few chapters translated. Also the recent update is slow. Hopefully it speeds up. Thanks again boss for this amazing novel.
Oh seems this was dropped. How unfortunate.