Chapter 234

Chapter 234: The Train

"Hei Dan, Little Yellow is incredibly clever," the young creature sobbed into Jiujiu's embrace, softly sharing about his companion.

"Jiujiu, Little Yellow says he'll take me to play in the sand."

"Jiujiu, Little Yellow says..."

Hei Dan didn't mention his unwillingness to leave or his wish to bring Little Yellow along. Instead, he continued to extol the virtues of his friend.

Ji Huan listened patiently by the side. When the little monster had finished his monologue and vented all his emotions, the tears on his cheeks had dried.

Children's moods changed quickly. Soon, he was peering out from Jiujiu's arms, eager to explore.

Under the guidance of Sand, they arrived at a small town that looked barren, likely due to its proximity to the desert. The surroundings were dusty and dreary.

Ji Huan's group, dressed as outsiders, stood out prominently. There weren't many pedestrians on the road, and every monster who saw them reacted with great caution.

Fortunately, Sand, their guide, was familiar with the area. He took the initiative to greet the other monsters who cast curious glances at them. Upon receiving the greeting, these creatures returned to their business.

Turning a corner, Ji Huan's eyes lit up as he saw half of a railway track!

The tracks they had previously traveled on vanished at the entrance to the desert town, preventing the train from proceeding further due to the absence of tracks. Now, seeing them again indicated that they had arrived at a railway station.

Sure enough, beside the tracks stood a dilapidated little house with a sign hanging above the entrance. It displayed several names that were clearly place designations, accompanied by numbers.

This must be the ticket office for the train.

However—

After greeting the monster inside the small house, Sand led them straight ahead without stopping.

Although he was curious, Ji Huan didn't ask any questions but followed Sand instead. They walked for hours, passing through the entire width of the town from west to east.

Along the way, upon Sand's suggestion, they purchased local-style clothing from a roadside shop. Despite the frontier town having little to offer, their refreshed appearances made them less conspicuous.

Then, they walked straight to the edge of the town.

Calling it an "edge" was because the road they were on seemed to vanish, and there stood only one house at the terminus.

The front door of the house was tightly shut, indistinguishable from its neighboring dwellings – both dull and dilapidated, appearing no more than an ordinary two-story residence.

Yet, Ji Huan soon noticed something peculiar: as they approached the house, several monsters had already passed by, knocked on the door, entered after it opened, and disappeared inside.

It might have been tolerable if only a few monsters had done so, but...

Ji Huan roughly counted in his mind: nearly twenty monsters had gone in!

Was there a grand feast taking place? But the house didn't seem large enough to accommodate such a multitude...

Even at this point, Ji Huan was still unaware that this very house was their destination. With no path ahead, he assumed the way might be concealed somewhere. Just as this thought crossed his mind, the Sand led them to the end of the road, stopping in front of the house.

"Here is the train station," said the Sand, standing at the entrance of the house.

"Huh?" As expected, the Ye Falar monsters were astonishment personified.

Then, the Sand knocked on the door. Soon, a narrow gap opened, allowing Ji Huan and his entourage of over a hundred monsters to file in.

Each monster that entered wore a look of surprise. Contrary to its mundane exterior, the interior was packed with seats, already occupied by numerous monsters. Upon seeing such a large group entering all at once, they merely glanced up before returning to their previous activities.

This was clearly a waiting hall!

But what startled them wasn't this dilapidated hall but the locomotive parked behind it, in the somewhat gloomy sky!

Ji Huan couldn't help but glance down at his feet, and there, to his astonishment, was a stretch of railway tracks!

It was unbelievable—a train station located within a residential area!

"Turns out that train station up front is just a decoy. If outsiders accidentally board it, they'll be taken straight to the bandits' hideout… Hehe." Rubbing his nose, Sand murmured softly.

Ji Huan and the others were flabbergasted!

Even House was impressed. "Robbery is also the main occupation for monsters where we're from, but we do it openly. No monster would use such cunning methods like yours!"

Sand could only force a smile. "What can we do? We aren't as powerful as you, and since the whole family's involved, there are bound to be weak and ailing members. We have no choice but to come up with creative ways."

"That's true. It's a family business for you," House commented wistfully.

Ji Huan was left speechless.

Indeed, as the house had mentioned, the monsters here resided in groups. Not a single one of those in the waiting hall was traveling alone. At a glance, it was easy to tell that they were from the same clan, with at least two of them together.

"Please follow me; the ticket counter is that way," the grain of sand said to Ji Huan.

"I'll go with you. House, stay here with Grandpa and the others," Ajin nodded at Ji Huan, and the two followed the grain of sand toward a corner.

Completely different from the ticketing hall, this corner seemed like an ordinary domestic area, almost resembling a kitchen.

A female monster carried a young monster on her back, bustling about as she cooked. Beside her, a younger male monster was assisting her.

From their appearance, they appeared to be a family.

"Ali, I need to buy tickets," Pulwanda was the farthest city the grain of sand had ever been to. After sharing all the cities it had visited with Ji Huan and Ajin the previous night, Ajin eventually decided on this city.

The female monster passed her frying pan to the young male beside her and wiped her greasy hands on her apron.

"Where to?" Ali glanced at Ji Huan behind him without asking further questions. Instead, she fished out a crumpled notebook from her apron and produced a nearly worn-out pen.

"Pulwanda."

"Five monsters?" Ali asked, scribbling on a piece of paper as she spoke.

"Not quite, there are actually one hundred and eight in total, including this little one," Sandgrain replied, pointing at the Black Egg nestled in Ji Huan's embrace.

"Hello!" Having remained silent until now, Black Egg eagerly greeted Ali when he was finally mentioned. He even extended his greeting to the two small monsters on Ali's chest and back. Feeling around in his pocket with his tiny claws, he pulled out two red candies and offered them, "Have some candy, lovely sister!"

Up until this point, Ali hadn't given Black Egg much attention. However, upon hearing his words, she finally looked him in the eye, her face breaking into a rare smile, "You little monster do have good taste."

Black Egg continued to grin.

The housekeeper, who had been following the boss, couldn't help but gasp inwardly. The two monsters carried by the female monster were covered in fluffy fur, making their features indistinguishable. Moreover, their figures were as robust and sturdy as Ali's. How did Black Egg find them "lovely"?

And furthermore—

How did Black Egg even determine their genders?

Nonetheless, it was thanks to Black Egg's "unique gift" that Mrs. Ali appeared delighted. She took the candies he offered, unwrapped each one to take a lick, and then passed them to her two granddaughters.

Two fluffy little monsters immediately opened their maws filled with sharp teeth, crunching the sugar ball into pieces with an "Awooo" sound.

Crunch, crunch.

In the dimly lit room, someone held their breath in suspense.

"All right, here are your tickets." As Ali spoke, she had already drawn the tickets. However, when collecting the payment, she only took one hundred and seven monsters' worth.

"This charming little monster gets in for free," said Sand. Ali snorted coldly but then handed the ticket to Hei Dan with a grin.

"Thank you! Thank you!" Although Hei Dan didn't understand why, he was instantly delighted at being praised as cute.

Counting the tickets, Hei Dan passed them to Jiujiu.

"One hundred and seven!" What was one hundred and seven? Hei Dan could now do multiplication and division!

After stowing away the tickets, Ji Huan counted out the money and gave it to Ali without even counting it, stuffing it haphazardly into the large pocket of her apron. Ali bellowed, "Lazybones, get up and work! We need to attach two more carriages today; we've got a big job!"

"Coming, coming!" Before Ali's robust voice faded, a response came from the room next to the kitchen. A burly man, still putting on his socks, dashed out. Once he finished, the young monster who had been cooking fried rice in the kitchen promptly served him the meal, which didn't look particularly appetizing. Nevertheless, the demonic man slurped it up with relish.

"This is the train conductor," the grain of sand explained by the side.

As the conductor ate, Ali let out another couple of calls. A group of monsters, young and old, emerged in succession, all rushing out while changing their clothes. Upon closer inspection, the garments they wore didn't seem ordinary; they appeared to be uniforms.

There were conductor uniforms, server uniforms, and even cleaner uniforms.

The young monster who had been cooking earlier washed its hands and then entered the house to change into a server's uniform. The other monsters, after filling their plates from the communal pot, ate their meals. Once they were done, the young monster packed the leftovers into boxes one by one.

"This is the train box lunch," the grain of sand continued to explain. "The monsters in this town have family businesses. For Ali's family, it's operating the train. The railway runs right through their home, and their ancestors have been train conductors for generations."

Ji Huan was utterly amazed!

While he was marveling, Ali's family finished their preparations. Ali herself changed into a server's uniform, still carrying two babies on her front and back. She held a large megaphone in her hand. "It's time to depart! All passengers with tickets, get ready to board!"

Under her loud announcement, the waiting passengers in the hall instantly sprang into action, gathering their luggage and heading toward the train.

Meanwhile, Ali's family took up their respective positions.

The train's whistle sounded, and suddenly, the makeshift train station within the residence came to life!