Players, Please Board the Train

This is a giant vessel, over six hundred meters in total length. The hull is a long ellipse with ten decks. Each deck from the bottom up has a slightly smaller area than the one below, but the height between each deck is significant. Both the bow and stern feature retractable circular platforms that can double the available area.

Notably, from the fourth deck upwards, each deck can rotate and move around a central main axis, ensuring every level can freely enjoy sunlight.

Additionally, there are small auxiliary pods on both sides of the hull for emergency evacuation.

From a distance, this ship resembles a horizontally placed boiled egg with skylights, perfectly aligning with the aesthetic pursuit of ultimate simplicity under technological advancement.

Xu Huo was Ran Ying’s companion. Upon boarding, a server gave him a white wristband, while Ran Ying received a black one.

”What is this wristband for?”

”It’s for distinguishing identities,” Ran Ying explained. ”You are a companion I brought, without a formal invitation, so you get a white wristband.”

”All doors inside the ship require a wristband to open. The white wristband just restricts access to the ninth and tenth decks. There’s no other difference.”

Xu Huo briefly scanned his surroundings and noticed most people who boarded as escorts, male or female, held white wristbands.

Once the electronic clasp closed, a string of numbers flashed across the narrow screen.”That’s the wristband’s number,” Ran Ying explained. ”It’s used for headcount. Quite a few people have boarded already. Let’s move forward and check out the rooms first.”

They were currently on the fourth deck. With all decks closed, they could access any elevator to go upstairs.

Ran Ying took him to the seventh floor.

”Room 705.” Ran Ying used her wristband to open the door, then gestured for him to place his wristband on the sensor for authorization via her own wristband. ”After this, you can use your wristband to enter and exit this suite. There are two rooms. You can choose to stay in one by yourself if you want.”

At this point, she paused, reached out, and lightly tugged at the collar of Xu Huo’s clothes. ”Want to go take a shower?”

Xu Huo didn’t resist her action, smiling as he replied, ”Didn’t you say you needed to go greet an acquaintance you ran into?”

Ran Ying raised her handsome eyebrows slightly. ”You men really know how to keep people in suspense.”

”I’m right here on the ship, I’m not going anywhere,” Xu Huo said, walking to the bar to pour her a drink. ”Care for a small drink?”

Ran Ying walked over, took the glass from his hand, and downed the drink. Then, while taking off her jacket, she headed towards the bathroom. ”We’ll talk when I get back.”

Ten minutes later, Ran Ying emerged from the bathroom, casually combed her short hair, changed into a set of men’s formal wear, and said to Xu Huo, ”I’m heading out. If you have nothing to do, don’t wander around. The ship is full of players everywhere. If something happens, I might not make it back in time to save you.”

”Is there any particular significance to this trip?” Xu Huo asked from the sofa.

”Just a regular event,” Ran Ying said. ”Held once a year. The upper class gathers to socialize and exchange pleasantries. It’s quite boring, but we can’t not come. If you find it dull, you can grab some food, watch a show, or attend a concert.”

”I don’t really appreciate things that are too highbrow,” Xu Huo paused. ”Are there any other leisure activities?”

”Card games, ball games,” Ran Ying paused. ”You could ask Duke Tal if he’s willing to take you along. Use the room phone to call the front desk; they’ll connect you for you.”

Before leaving, Ran Ying reminded him once more not to move around freely before she returned.

Xu Huo verbally agreed. After contacting Bai Kou via his communicator, he left the room and headed to the fifth deck.

The first three decks of this vessel were underwater, and non-staff members were not permitted to move around there. Effectively, the fourth deck was the first one accessible to guests.

Each deck had restaurants, guest rooms, and recreational areas, but the main entertainment facilities were concentrated on the fifth deck. There were theaters, concert halls, casinos, and conference halls. Expensive alcohol was ubiquitous. Dedicated pastry chefs were on standby twenty-four hours a day, ready to supply snacks. Every area was meticulously arranged and exquisitely decorated. Some places even utilized items with special effects, such as mirrors that beautified people, potted plants that automatically bloomed when someone walked by, and self-playing musical instruments.

Even the paintings hanging in inconspicuous corners were works by masters.

However, what caught Xu Huo’s attention was the decorative pattern on the walls. It somewhat resembled a type of seaweed. Not just the walls, but the ceilings and the floors covered with carpets were carved with the same pattern. Getting close, he could smell a faint, fishy odor.

”What kind of pattern is this?” A voice suddenly spoke beside him. It was a man with long blond hair, wearing a black robe similar to that of a Christian priest. He was asking a passing server.

”It’s a type of seaweed called ’Sea Demon,’” the server explained with gestures. ”If you look at just this small section, it resembles an eye. But if you zoom out a bit, it looks like a strangely shaped ghostly hand.”

The blond man clenched his right fist, thumb pointing upwards, and tapped twice near his chest. Then he said, ”I often hear people say that when traveling by sea, it’s taboo to place items on a ship that might invite misfortune. Since this seaweed is so inauspicious, why is it carved all over the entire ship?”

Maintaining his professional demeanor, the server smiled and said, ”I’m afraid I don’t know about that. However, for the past ten years, this vessel has never encountered any accidents.”

A hint of a smile appeared on the blond man’s solemn face. ”This is just my humble personal opinion. If possible, please convey it to the captain.”

”Certainly, sir,” the server said with a slight bow before leaving.

Now, only Xu Huo and the blond man remained in the corridor. He saw the blond man produce a book, muttering as he opened it. It wasn’t a prayer or a blessing, but rather, he extracted three silver nails, each about the length of a palm, from the book and drove them into the wall in a triangular formation.

Noticing Xu Huo’s gaze, the blond man turned around and smiled. ”Any misfortune has its omens before it occurs. It seems I’m not the only one who has sensed such an omen.”

Xu Huo raised an eyebrow. ”Are you a follower?”

The blond man put away his book and waved his hand. ”I wouldn’t call myself a follower. I haven’t undergone any formal religious initiation or baptism. I merely follow in the footsteps of religion.”

”Belief is what matters. If you believe in a deity in your heart, that deity exists. You don’t need validation from others,” Xu Huo said.

”Well said,” the blond man replied, stepping forward to shake his hand. ”My name is Serin, from Zone 009.”

”Xu Zhi, District 011,” Xu Huo introduced himself, then asked, ”You think these patterns are problematic?”

Serin said, ”This ship is full of items everywhere. It wouldn’t be strange if the decorative patterns came from an item or a characteristic. So, it can’t really be considered a problem.”

As he spoke, he fetched a nearby painting to cover the spot where he had driven in the nails. He then turned to Xu Huo. ”You must keep this a secret.”

”Rest assured,” Xu Huo nodded with a smile.

Serin made the fist-and-thumb gesture against his chest again, nodded, and walked past him.