"Here are your translators," Park announced, tossing Adam and Seo two small black devices that looked like strips of tape. "Stick them on the back of your neck."
Without hesitation, the pair followed the instructions, pressing the strips to their napes. Within seconds, the devices fused into their skin and vanished.
"That's it? I don't feel anything," Seo said, puzzled.
"I think it's already working, we just haven't noticed yet," Adam guessed.
Park hadn't yet responded when a sudden gust of wings cut through the air, interrupting the moment. High above, a wyvern with bluish-grey scales spiraled down gracefully, its reptilian eyes gleaming in the courtyard lights. Riding the beast was a young man in a Japanese school uniform, observing the group with curiosity—Hayato Takahashi, the latest bearer of the golden ticket. Beside him, wielding a silver bow, sat Aeliena Windrider, the elven archer and disciple of Sir Eadric Blackthorn.
Madame Jae-hee Kim broke into a radiant smile.
"Eadric! How were your experiences in Japan, my old friend?"
Sir Eadric leapt from the wyvern with the poise of a true paladin. The sword slung across his back—nearly his own height—seemed weightless in his grasp. He placed a hand on Jae-hee's shoulder and chuckled.
"Jae, Japan is fascinating… and a bit… odd," he murmured, recalling the neon billboards of Kyoto.
"If I remember correctly, the old records described it as a land of samurais and ninjas ruled by the shogunate," Madame commented, reminiscing over ancient texts about that legendary place.
Beside her, Master Long took a moment before speaking.
"They say samurai follow a code of honour. I imagine they have great talent in mastering the Dao of the Sword."
Though he knew little firsthand, Master Long remembered that their Chinese ancestors had some historical friction with Japan. Even so, many samurai tales had achieved legendary status across the Archaia continent.
Sir Eadric sighed, a bit bitterly.
"Well, I didn't come across many of those legends. Instead, I ran into... lolicons, tsunderes, yanderes, moe..." he blushed, "and also dandere, kuudere, Ojou-sama!..."
"I didn't dig too deep, but I'm sure it's just as inspiring and legendary as the samurai," Hayato chimed in, stepping up beside Eadric and patting the knight's shoulder—clearly trying to change the subject.
"Definitely. I'll tell you more later. But... who are these gentlemen?" he asked, a nervous sweat on his brow.
"Ah, Hayato!" Eadric laughed heartily. "These are Madame Jae-hee Kim and Master Xianyu Lóng, my long-time companions. Those two over there are Li Zhēn and Park Sang-min, their devoted disciples."
Adam stepped forward and extended a hand.
"I'm Adam, this is Seo Min-gyu, and that's Lu Wei over there. We're from Earth too, and we've also got golden tickets."
"Hello everyone, I'm Hayato Takahashi," he said, bowing formally.
"I am Aeliena Windrider. A pleasure," the elf said coldly, her voice flat.
"Looks like Vega's already arrived," Madame observed, pointing at the sleek spacecraft docked in the hangar.
Park nodded. "She must've gone straight to the command carriage. Let's go."
The group crossed several carriages. Inside, the train was absurdly larger than its outer appearance suggested. Adam ran his hand along the metallic wall, sensing a subtle, almost imperceptible vibration. 'Some kind of dimensional-folding tech?' he wondered.
After a few minutes of walking, they reached the command carriage—the brain of the interdimensional locomotive.
"So," Adam broke the silence, "Italy, Korea, Japan, China… where's the last ticket holder from?"
Madame pressed a button on the wall to open the door and gave him an enigmatic look. "Texas. United States."
Texas.
Adam immediately pictured a cowboy straight out of a Western: wide-brimmed hat, weathered leather jacket, boots with spurs… and an eagle perched on his shoulder. The perfect cliché.
Beside him, Seo gulped, imagining something completely different—a 600-pound person in a motorized scooter.
Texas Final Boss…
The door hissed open with a pneumatic whoosh, revealing the inside of the carriage. Two half-human, half-cyborg individuals manned the control panel. Behind them stood a young girl, no older than twelve, watching the newcomers with wide, curious eyes.
"Vega! How was Texas?" Madame stepped forward with genuine excitement, arms outstretched toward her friend.
Dr. Aurelia Vega—clad in a spotless lab coat bearing the train's emblem, her gleaming robotic arms matched with crisp white trousers and stylish heels—smiled as she recognized the voice.
"Jae! Finally!"
The two women launched into animated conversation. Madame recounted how Adam had "destroyed" Seo's door, while Vega shared her impressions of the "land of excess."
Meanwhile, Kal Narion, well-used to his master's reunions, took the initiative to make introductions.
"I'm Kal Narion," he said with a slight bow. "And this is Riley Morgan, the ticket holder."
He introduced each person to the girl, but when it came to the elf, he noticed Riley staring intensely, particularly at Aeliena's pointed ears.
"Are you human?" Riley asked, narrowing her eyes.
Aeliena caught the girl's gaze and interpreted it as innocent curiosity. Elves always got along well with children—peaceful by nature, their harmonious features usually charmed the young.
"No, I'm an elf," she replied gently, expecting the usual look of wonder to follow.
Riley's eyes widened, shining with intense emotion. Her mouth stretched into a grin bordering on ecstasy, and her body trembled with excitement.
"I knew it," she whispered, practically entranced.
'Kids are always enchanted by elves,' Kal thought, recalling the fairy tales mothers used to tell their children.
Seeing Riley's strange behaviour, Kal, ever the gentle soul, assumed the girl was simply overwhelmed by the presence of such a rare being—even on the Archaia continent.
Placing a calming hand on her shoulder, he spoke softly, "Don't be afraid. She won't hurt you."
"I knew you were real..." Riley murmured, her voice taking on an almost fanatical tone.
Smiles of understanding spread across Kal and Aeliena's faces—
Until…
"I'LL HUNT YOU ALL DOWN, YOU ALIEN BASTARDS!" With a cutesy scream that starkly contrasted her words, Riley whipped a Glock from her waistband in one fluid motion and fired straight at the elf's head.
BANG!!!
"…"
The silence that followed was deafening.
Aeliena, her reflexes honed over centuries, narrowly dodged the bullet by mere millimetres. Her previously serene expression was now frozen in utter shock as she instinctively leapt back.
Kal moved instantly, disarming the girl and pinning her down as she thrashed like a wild animal.
"I'LL KILL EVERY LAST ONE OF YOU, YOU DAMN ALIENS! LONG LIVE HUMAN SUPREMACY!"
Still dazed from the near-death experience, Adam caught a revealing detail: the girl's T-shirt bore an armoured warrior with the number "40,000" emblazoned on his chest.
'Ah… now it makes sense.'
The two women's conversation had halted as they stared at the girl, completely baffled.
Adam stepped forward and, with a calm that even surprised himself, scooped up the still-squirming girl.
"Heh… just a brat who spent too much time on toxic forums," he said with an awkward smile. Turning to the stunned elf, he added, "If it's not too much to ask, I hope you can forgive her."
With a nod to the others, he carried the tiny fanatic out of the carriage. It was time for a serious talk about interdimensional etiquette—and why trying to assassinate your potential allies wasn't the best way to start a conversation.