Another World Reincarnation Chronicle

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As one goes on adventures, it’s natural to pass through various cities. I was accustomed to meetings and farewells. I had to be able to leave without hesitation or lingering regrets. That would have been my usual self.

“Um…”

I looked at the inn room while shouldering a heavy bag. If there had been a mirror in front of me, I would have seen the regrets reflected in my eyes. I was truly feeling a sense of loss over this situation.

Other adventurers likely felt a similar regret if they stayed here for a few days. The city of the dwarves was that beautiful.

Even just looking at the common bed provided in the inn revealed how stunning the craftsmanship of the artisans here was. Such creations could never have been born from human hands.

If I were to leave this place, there would be no low beds, no short-legged chairs, and no counters I could look up at without standing on my tiptoes.

I wished there were still dwarven artisans in the Celestial Realm. With a deep sigh, I slipped out of the inn alongside Nightmare.

As I walked down the long hallway and descended the stairs, I thought to myself: the stairs here weren’t even high. Tall people could never understand the struggles of those with shorter legs. I gazed sadly at the low stairs.

Just as I stepped down to the first floor, my eyes met those of the innkeeper, who was cleaning. He held a broom custom-made for dwarves’ short stature.

It was a rather short broom, ambiguous in length—much shorter than what a human would use but not quite long enough.

“Are you leaving today?”

“Ah, yes.”

I hurried my steps in response to the innkeeper’s question. He merely glanced at me, not asking anything more. A silent tension filled the air, with the sound of broom sweeping following me from behind.

As usual in the morning city scene, the morning at the Star Forge was bustling. Countless dwarves hurried by, the sound of hammers ringed from all around, and the fiery energy of the forge danced in the wind, tickling my cheeks.

It wasn’t just the dwarven-sized equipment or furniture that gave me a strange affinity for Star Forge. Since Kalbain’s Mana significantly affected my physical body, I couldn’t help but love this city, strongly enveloped in the essence of fire.

Finding the station where the Maritime Train was docked was surprisingly easy. The massive dome-like structure was recognizable from afar.

As I hurried along, the domed building and the long, extended tunnels came into view. I instinctively entered the station.

The dwarven Maritime Train was specialized for transporting ore from distant locations rather than passengers. From the looks of it, countless ores were transported through here daily, with large and small stones rolling across the ground.

“Move aside!”

“Shift it this way!”

“The cart is empty!”

Sharp shouts rang out from all directions. I passed by busy dwarves as I headed to the place the blacksmith had told me about.

The train was stationed on Track 14.

This was it. I walked straight toward the engine compartment. In front of the compartment, two dwarves leaned against the wall, smoking. They looked less like they were conversing and more like they were simply passing the time.

I approached them and spoke up.

“Hello?”

None of the two dwarves responded. They merely gazed at me through the smoke without a word. The smoke wasn’t pleasant, but I quite liked that I could meet their gaze without looking up.

“I heard there’s a train here going to Dragon’s Cradle. Does it really go that way?”

“Are you here to catch the train?”

In response to my question came another question from one of the dwarves. Judging by his neat uniform and the hat sitting straight atop his head, he seemed to be the conductor. I shifted my gaze to him and nodded. Then the conductor continued.

“As you can see, this isn’t a regular train. There’s no food provided, and the sleeping arrangements are uncomfortable. You’ll have to share it with the laborers. Will you still go?”

I had slept on the back of a moving rock turtle before. It would be better than sleeping outdoors. I nodded and replied.

“I don’t mind.”

“We’ll leave in twenty minutes. You can board early, but you’ll need to pay the fare in advance.”

“How much is it?”

I recalled the few gold coins remaining in my bag. I had been using gold coins without worry, but before leaving Trevel, I handed over most of my coins to Ligon, so I needed to be frugal.

“Got any cigarettes?”

“Cigarettes…? Is that sufficient?”

“It’s enough. If you don’t have any, go buy a pack from over there. That will cover the fare.”

Fortunately, the conductor didn’t ask for an exorbitant amount. I headed to a nearby store and bought a pack of cigarettes, handing it to the conductor.

“Since we’re leaving without waiting, I’d recommend boarding early.”

Following the conductor’s advice, I stepped onto the train ahead of time. It was cramped, but cozy. That was the first impression I had as I looked around the train interior. I had thought there would be a lot of dwarves on board since we had to ride with the laborers, but that wasn’t the case.

Three. I couldn’t tell how many more dwarves were yet to arrive, but from the size of the compartment, it didn’t seem like many.

The dwarves glanced at me once and then turned away, either resuming their conversations or starting a card game. They seemed to have little interest in others.

I found a suitable spot to sit. As I relaxed into the plush chair, Nightmare popped out of my bag.

“Come here.”

There was still plenty of time before the train would depart. I offered my lap to Nightmare, then took out a small notebook from my bag and started revising my writing.

I aimed to eliminate tedious and boring stories, restructuring them only with engaging tales, hoping to evoke a deep interest in adventure among the readers.

The black letters began to stretch across the white pages. Just as the quiet compartment filled with the sound of my pencil scratching, the train let out a harsh horn.

BEEP—!

Nightmare, who had been sound asleep, jumped up in shock. It was so sudden that the fur all over its body stood on end.

It seemed we would be departing soon. I patted Nightmare’s back fur, looking out the compartment window. Inside, I could see the engine compartment.

The conductor dwarf was pulling and pushing various levers as he operated the train. As the long, loud horn subsided, the massive train gradually began to move forward.

It looked like it would be quite a comfortable journey. I gazed out the compartment window, watching the scenery of Star Forge slip away.

Passing through a long tunnel, the view of Star Forge flashed briefly. In a moment when the scenery stretched out, the train was running over the Blue Sea.

The refreshing spray of water parted dramatically, creating a White Wave. The waves spread into rough ripples as they rushed in the same direction as the train.

At that moment, the dwarves seated across from me opened the compartment windows. Immediately, a cool breeze rushed in, refreshing the calm air inside.

I too opened the window and peered outside.

WHOOOSH—!

A cool wind rushed in at once. The salty scent of the ocean brushed against my nose. I swept my hair back, which was blowing all over the place, and leaned out of the window.

I looked at the long horizon beyond the white, crashing waves. The boundary between the shallow waters and the sky was hazy. If I stared blankly, I might not be able to tell where the sky ended and where the sea began.

The sea was that clear. It mirrored everything above as if it were a mirror, showcasing a beautiful world beneath its surface.

I slipped out of the compartment with Nightmare and sat on the roof of the train. The cloak I wore flapped wildly in the fierce wind.

The train was moving very quickly.

*

Very unique geological formations kept coming into view. The rocky mountains rising above the shallow waters were covered in salt, glistening white. They looked like gigantic icebergs.

I looked up as we swiftly passed by the scenery of the rocky mountains. Tools scattered about were rusty and dilapidated, showing signs of neglect.

It seemed this was an abandoned mine.

More of those rocky mountains appeared behind it. Each time, the maritime train passed them swiftly.

I wondered how long we had been moving. The sun and moon took turns illuminating the sky as time flowed by.

It was now the second day since leaving Star Forge. As the shallow seawater began to recede and the surrounding dampness dried up, the train came to a halt.

“Arrival! Everyone disembark!”

At the conductor’s shout, the laborers inside the compartment started to pour out. I too jumped down from the roof, my hair blown back by the wind after a long time exposed.

Nightmare’s fur was also sticking in the direction of the wind.

“Is this Dragon’s Cradle?”

“No, you still have to go further to reach Dragon’s Cradle.”

In response to my question, the conductor looked up at the distant large mountain. It was shrouded in clouds, so nothing could be seen from halfway up.

I gazed up at the mountain, swallowing hard. I didn’t feel any special aura. Yet, for some reason, my body began to tense up.

Perhaps my body sensed the distant energy of the Dragon. I let out a long sigh, trying to relax.

“Are you planning to climb Dragon’s Cradle?”

“Yes.”

The conductor dwarf frowned at my answer. He removed his hat and continued.

“Though dragons love beautiful things, they find it hard to preserve their lives. They’re quite capricious beings…”

“Thank you for your concern. But I have to go up there.”

“Well… I hope you come back alive.”

I nodded and turned away from him. For some reason, my footsteps felt heavy. Adjusting my bag, I walked alongside Nightmare.

TAP— TAP— TAP—

The little Nightmare was bouncing around as if it were excited.