Aiden was a Centurion of the Imperial Army and the Captain of the Guard in Amun.
Over the past decade of serving in Amun, he had frequently traveled between the capital and Amun, making him a seasoned veteran.
To Aiden, the Misty Plains was a dangerous area teeming with undead.
But now...
"What is this?"
Aiden blinked dumbfoundedly at the scene before him.
"What's this building…?"
As he led a group of miners toward the capital, a large red building appeared before him.
─Misty Plains Station
'Misty Plains Station?'
Aiden tilted his head at the sign hanging on the building.
No matter how much he racked his memory, he had never seen such a building in the Misty Plains.
No, if such a building had existed, rumors would have spread long ago.
Moreover, this was a place Aiden had passed through just the day before.
Back then, it had been nothing but an empty plain.
How could such a building appear overnight?
'Just transporting the stones to build this would have taken days...'
The impossibility of the situation left Aiden bewildered.
And it wasn't just the building.
Bang! Bang!
Stranger still was the non-human workers that were laying down metal tracks, the likes of which Aiden had never seen before.
"Centurion, what is all this?"
"Hmm, I'm not sure."
Aiden wondered if he had fallen under some undead illusion, but the scene felt too real for that.
Just then, a neatly dressed young man in a robe approached and greeted Aiden and his group.
"Are you folks from Amun?"
"Yes, but what exactly is this place?"
"It's a station."
"A station? You mean a relay post?"
"Similar, but different. This station is not for carriages but for trains."
Relay posts were intermediate stops where officials could borrow carriages or horses for public duties.
In contrast, a station was a public facility accessible to ordinary citizens.
"It's a place to rest."
"Are you saying people can rest in the Misty Plains?"
"That's correct."
" But this is a dangerous area infested with undead!"
"If it's undead, you don't need to worry. They cannot approach this area."
"Pardon?"
Aiden did not know whether to believe the young man or not.
After all, the idea that undead could not approach the Misty Plains was something he had never heard before.
Undead creatures hated living beings and would relentlessly pursue any human they saw.
At least, that was what Aiden knew.
"Centurion, there really isn't a single undead in sight!"
"And the fog doesn't seem to reach this area either!"
With report after report from his subordinates, Aiden was at a loss for words.
"What on earth...?"
"My apologies for the late introduction."
The young man smiled and introduced himself.
"I am Yuri Grail, a wizard of the White Tower."
"…T-The Sage of Gluttony!"
Aiden's eyes widened in astonishment.
*
The Misty Plains were the most dangerous area near the Imperial Capital.
With undead creatures roaming about, not only civilians but even soldiers would avoid approaching the area.
However, just because people rarely visited this desolate region didn't mean no one ever went there.
There were quite a few mercenaries who made a living by hunting undead and harvesting their magic stones.
Recently, a strange rumor began to spread among these mercenaries of the Misty Plains.
Somewhere on the plains, there was a sanctuary called "Misty Plains Station", where undead could not approach.
"Come on, that's nonsense. How could there be a place in the Misty Plains where undead can't go?"
"I've been wandering the Misty Plains for ten years, and I've never seen such a place."
"It'd be more believable if someone said the undead were resurrecting."
At first, none of the mercenaries believed the story of a sanctuary where undead couldn't approach.
As far as they knew, there was nowhere in the Misty Plains that the undead couldn't reach.
Or so they thought.
"...What is this building?"
"Misty Plains Station?"
That was before they saw the train station.
To their surprise, the undead truly could not approach Misty Plains Station.
To the mercenaries, this was both a refreshing experience and a tremendous blessing.
"Ha ha ha! I'm alive! I'm really alive!"
"Now we can roam the Misty Plains with peace of mind!"
For mercenaries who risked their lives to hunt undead for a living, the Misty Plains had always been a "land of death", where constant threats to life left no room for rest.
The station, which emerged in this land of death, became a safe haven where mercenaries could rest and a beacon of hope that saved lives.
─Even if you're chased by undead, just run to the Misty Plains Station, and you'll survive…!
That glimmer of hope provided mercenaries with a sanctuary for their hearts.
Those who were near death, those who needed a break, they all gathered at Misty Plains Station.
But it wasn't just because of the sanctuary that people flocked to Misty Plains Station.
"Wasn't today your day off? Why'd you come to the Misty Plains?"
"Hahaha, don't you know?"
"Wait, did you really come just to eat the fish-shaped bread?"
"I was going to rest at home, but I couldn't stop thinking about it, so here I am."
The fish-shaped bread.
A food shaped like a fish, available only at the Misty Plains Station.
Its addictive flavor drew mercenaries to the station, even on their days off.
"Ah, this is the taste."
"Did you know? The fish-shaped bread tastes even better with Guinness."
The fish-shaped bread became a must-try delicacy for mercenaries visiting the Misty Plains, becoming a local specialty in less than two weeks.
And it wasn't just the mercenaries.
Even merchants, who occasionally traveled between Amun and the capital, began praising the fish-shaped bread at Misty Plains Station.
"I heard that fish-shaped bread is quite delicious."
"My younger brother said it's a winter delicacy."
People even began visiting the Misty Plains from the capital, just to try the fish-shaped bread.
"Oh, so this is the taste."
"What is this bean inside? I've never seen it before."
The sweet red bean filling and the crispy exterior of the fish-shaped bread captivated the taste buds of travelers.
The word about the fish-shaped bread spread to the capital through merchants and mercenaries, and people flocked to the Misty Plains.
A sanctuary where undead couldn't approach, and a winter delicacy called fish-shaped bread!
The Misty Plains, once known as the land of death, suddenly became a tourist destination for Imperial citizens.
For those visiting the capital, a trip to Misty Plains Station became almost mandatory.
People who knew about the dangers of the Misty Plains thought those who ventured the undead-infested areas for tourism were insane.
They predicted there would surely be casualties.
But even two weeks and then a month passed, and not a single person was harmed.
Instead, even more people flocked to the Misty Plains.
"Why hasn't anyone died yet?"
John Reese, a renowned monster researcher and undead expert of the Empire, was puzzled by the current situation.
People were coming and going in the Misty Plains as if they were taking a stroll in their neighborhood.
He asked a colleague who had visited the Misty Plains about what was happening...
"Haha, the Misty Plains, you say? Just follow the railroad tracks, and you'll be safe."
"Railroad tracks?"
"Exactly. The undead cannot approach the tracks."
"Wow, is such a thing possible?"
Railroad tracks that repelled undead?
He had to see this for himself.
Unable to contain his curiosity, John Reese headed to the Misty Plains.
To his astonishment, he did not encounter a single undead.
In the infamous Misty Plains, no less.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Instead, he saw tourists working as if they were "laboring".
Young couples, with fish-shaped bread in their mouths, were laughing and swinging pickaxes.
"What on earth are they doing?"
"It's a tourist attraction. Working on the tracks and eating fish-shaped bread has become a trend."
"...I really can't keep up with today's youth."
All he could confirm was that he was out of touch.
"But still, I think I'll have to come back for this again."
Blowing on the warm fish-shaped bread, John Reese enjoyed a delightful moment.
─John Reese.
The fish-shaped bread is delicious, and the railroad tracks are safe.
Another tourist was born, roaming the Misty Plains.
*
It took less than two months for the Misty Plains to become a tourist attraction.
As the Misty Plains gained popularity, so did the "railroad" that repelled monsters.
When word spread that the unbelievable idea of a railroad that could ward off monsters was actually true, the Empire was thrown into chaos.
Not only did crowds flock to the Misty Plains to see the railroad, but the number of workers also skyrocketed.
─The railroad that repels monsters.
Everyone wanted to lend a hand in building it, causing a commotion.
"Huh, are you saying that railroad really drives away the undead?"
"That's correct, my lord."
From the city walls, Baron Henry, the Lord of Amun, stared in disbelief at the railroad that now stretched to the front of his territory.
Four months.
That was the time it took to lay the railroad from the capital to Amun.
Amun, which had rarely seen outsiders, was now bustling with visitors from the capital.
For Baron Henry, the situation was utterly bewildering.
He had never imagined that Amun could become a "tourist city", even in his wildest dreams.
But what truly astonished him was yet to come.
"My lord, the number of ghouls approaching the territory has increased recently."
"Hmm."
As the railroad cut through the Misty Plains, the ghouls, displaced from their habitat, began to threaten Amun.
There were more tourists, but the danger level of the territory had multiplied.
Amun was already dangerous, but with tourists flocking in, the situation had become alarming.
Baron Henry didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
With the current forces, he couldn't possibly protect all the tourists.
If he did nothing, it was only a matter of time before casualties occurred—as clear as day.
In desperation, Baron Henry urgently requested reinforcements from the capital.
However, he did not expect the reinforcements to arrive quickly.
Even with the capital's troops, it would take time to prepare and travel to Amun.
Though the distance was just a day's journey, moving a large force required extensive preparation.
He had braced himself to hold out for at least two weeks, but...
"My lord, the military support is expected to arrive around noon."
"...What?"
Baron Henry's eyes blinked rapidly.
"Wait, how is that possible? Didn't we send the request just yesterday?"
"But that's what the reply said."
"That can't be...?"
In the face of this confusing situation, Baron Henry trailed off.
And when noon arrived, his mouth hung open in astonishment.
Choo-choo—!
Along the railroad that stretched from the Misty Plains to Amun...
"Good heavens."
A long steel structure was rapidly approaching Amun along the tracks.
The first train in this world.
It was the arrival of the 'ZTX'.
***
Translator's Note: 'ZTX' is a play on words version of Korea Train Express (KTX) which is a high-speed train network in South Korea that connects major cities.
***
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