NOVEL NEXT Chapter 27: The Tower
The train would take two to three hours to reach its first stop in a small town in the Feynapotter province.
Bored, Gregor took a short nap for about an hour and a half to make the time pass more quickly.
Lana stayed awake, solving crossword puzzles.
When he woke up, the train had just crossed the Ryan River and was about to cross the border between Intis and the province of Feynapotter in Lenburg.
After crossing the border, the train would stop at a small town in Lenburg for an inspection to ensure no illicit items were being trafficked across the border. Since that kind of inspection took almost an hour to complete, the passengers were allowed to leave the train and explore the city.
Gregor spent the entire time looking out the window, admiring the scenery.
For him, the trip seemed to pass in the blink of an eye. Before he realized it, Lana was poking him.
"Greg, we're here."
He took a deep breath before turning to look at Lana one last time.
"It was quicker than I expected," he said with a hint of melancholy in his tone. Even though they had only spent less than three days together, he had somehow grown attached to her.
Lana pulled a piece of paper from her purse and handed it to him.
"If you want, send a letter to this address. It's my house in Balam."
Gregor read the paper and tucked it into his pocket.
"And don't sign the letters with your name. My parents live with me, and I don't want them thinking I'm involved with a criminal."
"How should I sign the letters, then?" Gregor asked.
"I don't know. Use a nickname or something."
A nickname... In the original novel, the Tarot Club members used Tarot card names as their nicknames. Klein being the Fool, Alger the Hanged Man...
"Do you know what Tarot is?"
"Northern Tarot or Wanderer Tarot?" Lana asked.
Gregor looked at her, confused. "I don't know... The one with major and minor arcana."
"Yeah, that's the Northern Tarot," Lana replied as if speaking to the most uneducated person in the world.
Gregor thought about cursing at her for her condescending tone but decided against it.
He took a deep breath to calm himself. "You can be really annoying when you want to be, Lana."
"Anyway, I'll be signing my letters with the name of one of the major arcana—"
Interrupting him, Lana clapped her hands excitedly. "I like that! It makes it sound like some kind of secret society or something."
Secret society... I mean, technically she's not wrong...
Gregor lampooned in his mind while chuckling.
Ignoring his reaction, Lana continued. "Hm, who am I going to be..." She thought for a second. "How about... The Hierophant? Yes, I like that..."
"Do as you want. I'll use the sixteenth card when signing my letters: The Tower."
"Now that I think about it, how will I answer your letters if you're going to be traveling all the time?"
Gregor considered explaining ritualistic magic and contracts with creatures from the Spirit World but decided to spare himself the trouble.
"When you get back to Balam, ask your master to teach you about ritualistic magic and contracts."
"What does that have to do with my question?" Lana asked. To her, someone with little knowledge of mysticism, it sounded like Gregor had randomly changed the subject without answering her.
"Trust me, that'll answer all your questions."
Lana frowned, confused, but decided to not ask further questions.
She rummaged through her purse again and pulled out an envelope filled with multiple pound bills, mostly tens and fives.
Gregor looked surprised and confused by the large amount of money.
"There's four hundred pounds in here. Consider it payment for that bracelet," Lana said, handing him the envelope.
Usually, Gregor would have tried to refuse the money, but since he didn't know how long he would need to search for the Artist's formula, he accepted it.
He placed the envelope in the inner pocket of his jacket, alongside the small box containing Rebecca's jewelry.
"Thank you, Lana."
Lana chuckled. "I'm going to get rich selling this to some idiot addicted to crime stories."
"Do whatever you want. Just make sure whoever buys it isn't a weirdo. I don't want my sister's jewelry ending up with some creep."
"I'll see what I can do," Lana jokingly replied.
They continued talking for about thirty minutes. Since the inspection would take some time, they didn't feel the need to rush.
As the passengers who had left the train began reboarding, Gregor finally said goodbye and parted ways with Lana, who stayed on the train to go back to Balam.
As he stepped off the train, he noticed that the returning passengers seemed unusually hurried.
The train won't leave for another fifteen minutes. Why do they all look so worried?
A man running toward the train bumped into Gregor, causing both of them to fall.
Without wasting a second, the man scrambled to his feet and rushed to the train without checking on Gregor.
Roselle, you motherf***er, educate your people better...
Gregor cursed the man and the Emperor of Intis during the Industrial Revolution of the Fifth Epoch.
He got up, checking if all his possessions were in order before leaving the train station to look for a hotel.
The first thing he noticed outside the station was a large sign with the words "Welcome to Division Bell" written in a flashy font.
Gregor wandered through the town, looking for a hotel.
As he looked for a hotel, he noticed that everyone in the town had worried faces, as though they feared being caught by a monster in broad daylight.
Division Bell was a small town on the border between Intis and Lenburg. The town's main economic activity was tourism, usually from people whose trains were being inspected or who had to stay overnight due to some problem with their train.
Even though Division Bell was a small town, there were barely any people in the streets, and those who were walked almost running to their destinations.
The palpable tension in the air unsettled Gregor. He decided that once he found a hotel, he would ask about what was happening.