The sky gradually darkened and the train began to pick up speed.
However, the trains in the region couldn't go faster than 40 km/h. During the day, they maintained a speed of around 30 km/h, which was faster than the average speed of a long-distance horse race. Not to mention, the train didn't need to rest for half an hour and could run for two days and three nights with some water and coal.
The train had a total of five freight carriages and nine passenger carriages. Most of the freight carriages were directly behind the coal carriages and the passenger carriages were behind the freight carriages. Claude's private compartment was at the very end of the train.
It would take around two days and three nights to reach Port Vibator from the station at Dorinibla River. There were six more stops along the way.
Claude had already finished his dinner. He walked out of the carriage and stood on the balcony in front of his private compartment. He lit a cigarette and stuck it in his pipe as he enjoyed the view of the grasslands at night.
Claude wasn't a smoker at first, but after his family's tobacco factory started producing cigarettes, he started smoking from time to time. He even made a pipe to stick it in.
He had no choice. Nowadays, people would hand out cigarettes when they met. In order to avoid inhaling second-hand smoke, Claude had no choice but to smoke first-hand.
The night wind was rather chilly. Claude returned to his private compartment after he finished his cigarette. He closed the curtains and washed his face. He blew out the candle and lay on his bed, listening to the monotonous sound of the wheels grinding against the rails as he gradually fell asleep.
But not long after, he was woken up by an urgent knock on his door. Adjutant Mason Hughes pushed it open and said, "General, there's an intense exchange of gunfire in the passenger compartment in front. I think there are bandits trying to rob us. What should we do?"
Bandits trying to rob a train?
Claude shook his head to clear his mind. This was the region, not the westerns he saw in his past life. How could there be bandits trying to rob a train? Where did they get the guts to do so?
They were basically going against the entire region, not to mention that Claude's private compartment was at the very end of the train.
"Gum, send two squads of guards to the carriage in front to clear out the bandits. Calm the situation and protect the passengers," Claude ordered.
Each of the five generals in the military region had a platoon of guards. Each platoon had fifty-five people, and in addition to the forty-eight guards in the four squads, there were also two medics, one signaller, and seven platoon leaders.
Claude would usually bring three squads of guards with him when he went out. The fourth squad was stationed in Ferd Manor.
Gum had been promoted to major and was still serving as Claude's guard jarl.
Gum quickly arranged for the two guard squads to attack while he stayed by Claude's side. "The three of you, go to the top of the compartment and prevent anyone from approaching from the carriage.
You two go to the back of the room. If anything happens, immediately fire a warning shot … "
The train was still moving. It was probably because there was a coal carriage and five freight carriages between the locomotive and the passenger carriages. That was why the gunshots and crossfire didn't reach the train driver.
Claude's group, on the other hand, could clearly hear the gunshots, screams, and cries coming from the front.
With the addition of the two guard squads, the gunshots from the passenger carriages became even more intense.
But soon, there was only the "chirp chirp" of the new rifles. Perhaps the addition of the guards in military uniforms gave the train passengers a lot of support, the screams and wails from the passenger carriages in front quickly stopped. Only the intermittent sounds of sobbing could be heard.
Not long after, news came from the front that Gum had brought two medics and two guards to the front carriage.
The gunshots had stopped by then and it seemed that the situation was under control.
About half an hour later, a guard sent by Big Gum reported that twelve of the bandits had been killed, five were seriously wounded, four of the train's staff had been killed, three of the passengers had been killed, and a dozen or so had been wounded.
Strangely, however, the bandits didn't rob the passengers of their belongings. Instead, they wanted to capture a woman.
The woman, on the other hand, was running away while shooting at them with a revolver. The gunfight had spread to five passenger carriages until two security squads intervened and suppressed the firepower of more than a dozen criminals. They successfully killed them and rescued the injured woman.
Along with the soldier's report was a gun that belonged to the bandits. It looked rather strange. The barrel was sawed off and there were four barrels arranged in a square pattern. Judging from the four ropes on the gun, it could be fired four times in a row. However, the gun itself seemed rather bulky and cumbersome.
"Strange, where have I seen such a strange gun before?"
Claude thought for a long time but couldn't recall where he had seen such a strange gun before.
However, he had his own guesses about the cause of the gunfight. Perhaps the woman was the herbalist whose whereabouts were reported in the newspaper and the bandits were the smugglers who went missing.
"Major Mason Hughes, go ahead and ask if this woman is the female pharmacist mentioned in the newspaper. Also, check the identity of those bandits and see where they came from." Zhang Tie said.
If so, bring this female pharmacist here. I want to know why they are chasing after her. "
Claude found it rather strange. There was no way they would make such a big fuss over a simple ointment.
Major Mason Hughes had seen the report in the newspaper and knew what Claude was referring to. He saluted and went to the carriage in front.
Another half an hour later, Major Mason Hughes came to report. As Claude expected, the woman was the herbalist who escaped. She had been shot in the left shoulder and left rib. Her wounds had been bandaged and she was relatively conscious. She was brought over.
Her body was searched and she didn't have any weapons. However, she was hugging a black puppy and wouldn't let go.
Claude didn't really care about the puppy. He understood how it felt for a woman to be alone. Perhaps the puppy was the only thing she could rely on.
"Bring her in and ask her about her background. If there's nothing wrong with it, let her stay in our region. It's always good to have more herbalists around. They can help our citizens treat their illnesses and relieve their torment," Claude said with a smile.
Perhaps the region could even come up with a talent recruitment program that would greatly speed up the development of the region.
There was an exquisite revolver that arrived before the female apothecary. The silver barrel was engraved with a rose pattern, and it was coated with gold powder. The handle was carved out of ivory, and the symbol of the Stellin royal family was engraved on it.
In addition to the revolver, there were 23 golden bullets, but the bullets were made of silver.
Claude's expression turned solemn. The fact that the herbalist was carrying a revolver like that meant that she wasn't a simple person.
A thought popped up in his mind. Could she be an assassin sent by the Royal Capital to deal with the generals of the five autonomous regions?
But he quickly dismissed the thought. If she was really an assassin sent by the royal family, she wouldn't carry a weapon that would expose her identity.
Not to mention, such an exquisite revolver was more like a precious gift than an assassination weapon.
He picked up a silver bullet with a golden shell and looked at the primer. There seemed to be a thin red crystal embedded in the bottom of the shell. What's that?
Could it be used as gunpowder?
But before Claude could figure it out, he heard some commotion outside the carriage. The herbalist had been brought into the carriage by Major Mason Hughes and the others.
Claude turned around and saw that the herbalist's shoulders and waist were wrapped in white bandages with blood seeping out of them. She wore a black woolen sweater and the bandages made her figure look even more alluring.
As she was standing in the shadows of the carriage's entrance, he couldn't see her face clearly. Her face was a little dirty, probably from hiding from the gunfight.
However, she was still tightly hugging a foot-long black puppy in her arms. It looked like a puppy that had just been born for two or three months.
The puppy was very obedient, looking around with its big round eyes.
"You're injured. Sit down first," Claude said as he pointed at a small sofa by the door. "Mason, pour her a cup of milk tea."
Mason Hughes gestured for the two soldiers to put the herbalist on the sofa. They then closed the door and stood guard outside.
Mason Hughes, on the other hand, poured a cup of milk tea for the herbalist and placed it on the tea table in front of her. He then stood at the side and waited for Claude's instructions.
"My apologies, Madam. I have to apologize to you," Claude said.
Claude said, "Since you came to the Dominion, we have the responsibility to protect your life as long as you abide by the laws of the Dominion.
It's a pity that you don't trust the law and order of our society. If you had sought help from our patrol department, I believe you wouldn't have met with such trouble again. "
The female pharmacist sat on the sofa without saying a word, but the puppy in her arms was very curious. It struggled hard in her arms, as if it wanted to stretch its head out to taste the milk tea on the coffee table in front of them.
"Actually, the autonomous region welcomes every talented person to live and work in peace and contentment as a part of the autonomous region."
Claude continued, "As a herbalist, I believe your talents will be put to good use here.
But what I want to know is, where did you get that revolver from?
Or rather, what's your relationship with the royal family? "
The herbalist lowered her head and didn't reply. The puppy in her arms finally broke free and fell to the ground with a thud. It rolled on the carpet and walked towards Claude while shaking its head.
The female pharmacist cried out and tried to catch the black puppy, but because of the injuries on her body, she was a beat slower. The black puppy had already run out of her reach.
Claude glanced at the puppy and ignored it. Instead, he picked up the exquisite revolver on the table. "A revolver like this should be an intricately made gift for the royal family of Aueras.
As a herbalist, if you have the royal family backing you, the smugglers wouldn't have any designs on your rheumatism ointment.
I hope you can tell me how this revolver ended up in your hands. "
The herbalist still didn't say a word.
"Report!" Gum's voice came from outside.
"Come in," Claude said.
"General, we found this on the corpses of a few bandits.
Of the five bandits who were seriously injured, three are dead, and the remaining two are still unconscious. "
Gum placed the items in his hands on the table. There were three black metal medallions and a silver medallion.
Claude picked up the iron plate. On one side was the word 'Prepared' and the number '227'. On the other side was a line of smaller words. Under the candlelight, he could clearly make out the words' Aueras's Special Security and Security Inspection Hall '.
Claude's eyes narrowed. He tossed the metal plate aside and picked up the silver plate. As expected, one side of the plate had the words' Aueran Kingdom's Special Security and Security Inspection Hall 'on it. On the other side, the number' Special Service 'was engraved.
They weren't smugglers, but operatives from the kingdom's special department.
Claude finally remembered when he had seen such a strange-looking firearm.
Back when he went to Bluefeather for officer training, he was misunderstood by the operatives at Whitewood City as he passed by. They thought he was a demonic magus from Higros and he was almost captured.
It was then that Claude saw the oddly-shaped muskets the operatives carried. He also saw their identity tags, which were exactly the same as the one in his hand.
There seemed to be something beneath his feet. He looked down and saw the black puppy rubbing against his feet and sniffing around.
Why would the kingdom's special department come all the way to the autonomous region? Their job was to deal with rogue magi who threatened the kingdom's safety. Did that mean the herbalist was a magus?
The herbalist on the sofa had already noticed Claude's shocked expression when he looked at the silver plate. Just as Claude was about to turn to look at her, she made the first move. She sat on the sofa and interlaced her fingers. A few thick vines appeared out of nowhere on the carpet and bound Claude, Gum and Mason Hughes tightly.
The female pharmacist let out a muffled groan after casting the spell. It seemed that the burden on her body was not light, especially when she was still injured.
However, even though Mason Hughes and Gum were tightly bound by the vines, they could still move their mouths and immediately shouted a warning.
But before the soldiers outside could rush in, the herbalist used a vine spell to seal the front and back doors of the carriage.
The soldiers outside couldn't see what was going on inside, so they could only use the butt of their rifles to smash the doors.
Claude, on the other hand, didn't panic. He was thinking about what spell he could use to get out of this predicament.
It was just that he did not bring a magic book with him, so he had to think about what spells would be useful in this situation. The basic spells engraved on the three hexagrams in the spiritual space were not suitable to be cast in this kind of situation where he was tightly bound by vines …
But before he could think of a spell to use, he heard a loud bang and a puff of green smoke. The black puppy by his feet disappeared and was replaced by a black wolf the size of a calf. It bared its fangs and pounced at Claude, pinning him and the vines that bound him to the ground. The wolf's mouth reached for Claude's face.
Gum's face turned pale as he struggled and cursed, "Get lost!
Beast, don't touch the general! "
The herbalist, no, the magus, was also shocked. She stood up from the sofa. "Black Wind, don't bite him to death …"
Claude couldn't take it anymore. "Don't, don't lick … Huh?
Black Wind?
Sheila … "
The black wolf pounced on Claude, but it didn't bite him. Instead, it stuck out its tongue and licked Claude's face.
Claude was startled by the black puppy's transformation into a giant black wolf. He was immediately thrown to the ground and lost all his courage. This time, even if he had any spells, it would be useless. His whole body was tied up so tightly that he couldn't even move a finger. He didn't expect the giant black wolf to lick him with its tongue. He immediately recalled the memories buried deep in his mind. When he heard the female magus call out Black Wind, he was extremely surprised.
"You're Sheila?" Claude yelled. "I'm Claude. Let me go …"
"Claude?" The magus was stunned. "Is that really you?"
"It's me. Tell Black Wind to stop licking me. Ptui ptui …" Black Wind's tongue almost stuck into his mouth as he spoke.
"Claude, I, I finally found you …" The magus' body went limp and she fainted on the ground.
Claude was dumbfounded. "Hey, Sheila, wake up first. Let me go, stupid dog. Bite the vines away. Don't lick …"
Five or six minutes later, Claude finally extricated himself from the vines. He gave the big black wolf, who was wagging its tail, two slaps and ran to the magus on the ground.
When he found that she had only fainted, he was relieved. He gently put her on the bed and then cut off the vines entangled on the door with a knife. He opened the door and told the guards outside to quiet down. It's all right, everyone go back to your posts ….
The first thing he did after returning to the carriage was to wash his face and wipe off Black Wind's saliva. He then used a knife to free Gum and Major Mason Hughes who were tied up like rice dumplings.
The two of them crawled out of the vines with a lingering fear, but Claude didn't mind. If he didn't cut the vines with his blade, they would disappear in another ten minutes or so. Spells had a time limit, but Claude couldn't wait to spend more time with Sheerah. He wasn't going to let Gum and Mason stay in his carriage like a third wheel.
After making them swear to keep it a secret, Claude kicked his adjutant and the guard jarl out of the carriage. Before Gum left, Claude whispered something into her ear. He wanted her to tell him why the two heavily injured guards wanted to kill Sheila and send them to the kingdom of the god of war.