The system showed the first task: Find the Train Territory!
A whole 3D map of the city filled the screen, a glowing red dot pulsing in the distance.
Aria followed it and soon reached an abandoned lot near the seaside, just a hundred steps from where she had appeared.
Trash littered the ground. Unknown decays—human, animal, zombie, or mutant—lay scattered everywhere.
"Is this the land I need to find? I don't see any railway or tracks for a train though." She whispered.
The area was completely bare, just a stretch of seaside road.
A small white fluff ball floated nearby, drifting along her path.
No mouth, no eyes—just fluff.
It introduced itself as the Golden Finger Spirit of the Peak Stationmaster System.
Though it followed her silently, Aria couldn't help but think of it as a floating CCTV.
Until it spoke with the voice sounded like an excited child, artificial yet pleasant, unlike the cold tone of the Manager System.
"Host, congratulations on finding the first land territory. Please start marking it as your own!"
Aria looked around at the empty lot.
"Own the land…?"
"If the host fails to claim the land, achievement points will be deducted from the final score."
"Why mention deduction points so casually? I haven't earned any points yet!" Aria grumbled, reading the floating screen instructions.
According to the system, to claim a land territory by the stationmaster, she had to drop blood onto the soil.
"What? Blood? No, I cannot do this!"
Aria flinched. The mere thought of hurting herself made her nearly sob, she was terrified of physical pain.
"Blood can be extracted from the host's finger."
"This isn't some magical spatial ring power… Why does it have to be like this? I really don't want to draw blood." Aria said, shaking her head.
"Host can use the system's anesthesia if afraid." The fluff ball announced.
"Oh… why didn't you say that earlier?" Relief flooded her as she accepted the vial.
The anesthesia smelled sweet, like strawberry, and her fingers quickly went numb.
A floating knife gently made a small cut on her finger, and a drop of blood fell to the soil.
As soon as the red droplet touched the ground, a glowing red button appeared on the screen: [Claim Land].
Aria tapped the button weakly. She didn't feel pain, but the thought of her own blood unnerved her.
Saving people in another world wasn't on her to-do list.
They owed her thousands of money for this, she thought.
[Congratulations, Host! District 1 Station successfully claimed!]
[Please name your train station and first train station stop.]
Aria hesitated, fingers hovering. She thought back to why she had written this story.
A world of doomsday, yes, but she had wanted hope to glimmer through the darkness.
Train… train… An idea struck her.
What if she imagined a train that only stopped where people truly desired?
"I'm naming this station… the Heavenly Train Transportation, and the first stop is Wishing Stop Station!"
[System has recognized Heavenly Train Transportation and its first station as Wishing Stop!]
[Congratulations, Train Stationmaster! Level 1 unlocked!]
A bright white light shot into the sky.
Slowly, a transparent dome stretched out, reaching toward the city center.
"Barrier? Is that a barrier?" Aria whispered, glancing at the fluff ball. It remained silent, but the system interface lit up:
[Golden Barrier Activated]
[Protective shield around Heavenly Train Station, invisible to the naked eye. Abilities: Invisibility, High-Level Shield, Evil Heart Rejection]
"Evil Heart Rejection?"
[Passengers with evil hearts cannot enter. Only pure hearts may access Wishing Stop Station.]
"That… is kind of amazing," Aria said, a small smile forming as she thought about it, forgetting that her finger had already stopped bleeding thanks to the system's power. "So… I'm a Pure Heart person too?"
Fluff Ball: "...."
[Ting!]
Another notification appeared.
[Congratulations, New Stationmaster! Please accept your rewards:
— 2 High-Level Wagon Trains
— 2 Benches
— 2 Free Premium Passenger Tickets: Premium Heavenly Train Card]
A small red box materialized before her.
When she took it and opened it, two pink train cards resembling tickets were revealed, labeled Wishing Stop, Heavenly Train Station, winking in the light.
"It's so cute! Are these the tickets for her trains?" Aria wondered. Curious, she picked up one of them.
Both the front and back were detailed with cloudy designs, and the logo of her train station was engraved on it.
Not bad, not bad, she thought. This could be considered a good thing.
Next, Aria noticed the screen had a "Start Building" button, and she instinctively tapped on it.
Instantly, her view shifted to a bird's-eye perspective.
The entire land territory sprawled below her like a sandbox game.
Tentatively, she hovered a two-story station building into a certain green place where it can be build.
As it touched the ground, railways magically appeared in reality, twisting into existence like something out of a dream.
Once her vision returned to normal, an enormous staircase rose before her, leading inside the building. A small billboard displayed Heavenly Train Station.
The place was cleaner and more pristine than any area she had seen since arriving into this world.
Ascending to the second floor, she found an empty hall, a cashier booth, waiting benches, and a few closed-off lots for shops.
Aria guessed she would need to upgrade soon to see its full glory.
She placed the red box carrying the two premium tickets on the cashier counter for now, then approached the two pink connected train wagons.
Upon entering, a mechanical female voice echoed. "Welcome to Wishing Stop Station. Please take your seat and prepare for departure."
[Ting!]
[Next Task Alert!]
[Stationmaster, open the Heavenly Train Station. Schedule the first departure and welcome your first set of passengers to Wishing Stop Station!]
Aria didn't spend too much time thinking about what would happen.
She walked back to the cashier booth and opened the red box containing the two premium tickets.
Upon consulting the system's knowledge base with the help of the Fluff Ball, Aria discovered that her Heavenly Train Station had different kinds of tickets, and these two free tickets were premium-level cards.
Premium Card Tickets:
A passenger who owns this ticket can travel back and forth within a deadline of one year. The passenger must have a pure heart and must not have committed any of the seven deadly sins. They can use the ticket to go wherever their heart desires.
"This is some high-level magical stuff… Can I use this myself?"
"Denied."
"Tsk. Stingy."
"Host is the Stationmaster. You don't need the train's tickets to travel."
"I'm curious how this will work." Aria countered. As if responding to her confused look, the system answered her next question before she even asked it. "Host can experience it as soon as the destined passengers arrive."
"How will the destined passengers get these tickets if they're in my hands?"
"Put them back in the red box and move the lock to the right-side section."
The two premium tickets suddenly vanished from the red box the moment she followed the system's steps.
Unknowingly, not far from the port, two children were cautiously watching the road.
City B around them was in ruins, fully abandoned by human society.
The two little children looked like pitiful beggars from the 21st century.
The elder brother and his younger brother were both bruised and dirty, their clothes unwashed for who knows how long.
They walked endlessly, not knowing where they were going, but they were surely looking for food and a place to stay.
They had been hungry for almost two days, and the last time they ate was two nights ago, before they managed to escape the bad people who had caught them.
"Brother… I'm hungry."