Tokyo bombing incident Nth time

But it's one thing on the outside, and another on the inside. It's perfectly fine for Yuri to talk to people, and it's even okay for him to talk to a train, but talking inside a train makes him seem particularly silly.

If this still doesn't stop Yuri, Line 2 has clearly shown its intention not to answer immediately.

They didn't even tell Yuri about the "special features of the Rat King" that they had mentioned before.

In the end, he decided to continue resting.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Yuri lay face down on the table.

To be honest, being pulled downwards by gravity is still a novel experience, and it's not something you can get used to in a short time.

But why?

A voice rang in Yuri's mind, "Are you sure you want to continue thinking now? You've noticed your poor condition several times already, haven't you?"

"Who? What's going on?" Yuri didn't sense any threat; he should have jumped up immediately.

“My God, this is yet another irrefutable proof that you’re not in good shape—didn’t you even notice who I am?” Yuri began the conversation. “While I wouldn’t mind being a regular member, do you really want to do it?”

“No, he’s just in such a bad mental state that he can’t concentrate and has to imagine us talking to himself to relieve his mental stress,” Reconnaissance Yuri answered first.

"Shut up, all of you!" Yuri and Inspector Yuri said in unison.

Then Yuri stopped, and the inspector Yuri didn't say, "This is Yuri's own decision. We are all part of Yuri, so let's just wait and see."

Yuri immediately chimed in, "I knew things would turn out this way, but I still don't really want to just wait like this—okay, that's enough, I'll shut up!"

Yuri, who was lying on the table, clutched his head. He had seen Akemi do this before, supposedly to relieve headaches.

Although he didn't have a headache, he needed some relief, whatever it was.

Inspector Yuri gave a concluding speech, "In short, don't panic. You're not crazy; you just can't concentrate yet. Everything will be fine after you rest, and you won't hear these voices anymore—and if you ever need to hear our opinions again, you know where to find them."

I think what I mean is that I really have gone mad, there's no other explanation," Yuri thought desperately.

Finally, the voice in my mind faded away, and almost at the same time, light streamed into the carriage.

The transparency of the carriages is increasing, revealing the surrounding environment.

What appeared below was not a railway track, but a pitch-black swamp. The train hovered in mid-air, speeding across the still bubbling ground.

The vehicle emitted a faint light, and in its reflection, it seemed as if some eyes in the swamp were watching this direction.

The partitions leading to the front and rear compartments were still opaque, and some strange hieroglyphs appeared on them.

Yuri understood the meaning of these words; they were probably the same as the electronic screens inside buses, displaying information such as the next stop and boarding instructions.

After leaving the swamp, there was almost no time for the scene to change. Countless buildings appeared on both sides of the train, of varying heights, but all of them stood firm.

Looking up at the tallest building in his field of vision, Yuri's gaze was drawn to it and he could hardly look away.

That was the most beautiful moonlight Yuri had ever seen in his memory.

"How beautiful, Luna, your light still shines over the world of film all these years."

He remained silent for a while, but eventually came to his senses.

After all, Luna didn't look back, and there's no point in observing from one side without any response.

Although Yuri could hardly imagine what the consequences would be if Luna really looked back.

The moon in the movie is different from the moon in reality. The moon in reality is a celestial body far away from Earth, and its realism is comparable to that of Earth itself.

The moon in the realm of shadows is Luna herself, the moon goddess. The great spirit, the moon, Luna.

Whether it is a god or not, and what kind of god it is... Yuri doesn't know.

It's supposedly a rather friendly treatment; apparently, if you fly high enough, you can meet Luna herself. That's certainly a very kind offer, especially considering her brother Helios...

What was the ending of the last one that sprouted wings and flew towards the sun?

The above is largely anecdotal from occult books that Yuri couldn't recall reading at the moment.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

"First time meeting Lady Luna? What's your impression?"

After Yuri regained his senses, the train spirit that had appeared in front of him at some point immediately asked a question.

“To be honest, it’s beautiful. I feel like this is the first time I’ve ever seen moonlight in the film world, but it feels very familiar.” Yuri answered Line 2’s question, “What were you doing just now?”

“I was concentrating on moving just now. Although I was almost certain that the Rat King wouldn’t try to save face immediately after making a mistake, it might launch an ambush if I let my guard down. So I was focused until I left that spot before coming back to chat with you.”

"That swamp is the Rat King's territory?" Yuri was indeed somewhat doubtful; those gazes did indeed resemble rats. "We passed through the Shadow Gate opened by the Rat King and arrived on the other side—and this other side is the Rat King's lair?"

In that case, wasn't our viewpoint a bit too limited?

“It’s one of the areas where the Rat King can move easily. I’m not crazy enough to just crawl out from where his power is strongest—I moved a bit between the material world and the shadow world and chose a similar spot—do you remember the place where there’s darkness on both sides?” Line Two stroked his beard. “This still won’t immediately get me out of the Rat King’s influence, but it will at least be somewhat off-center. However, as long as I’m not hit hard the moment I cross the boundary, I can come and go as I please. It’s wise of it not to attack me recklessly.”

"Will this have any negative impact on the future? Will it create this hatred?" Yuri was a little worried.

“Didn’t I say—you were worried about me?” Line 2 laughed. “No need for that. You need to know one thing…old acquaintances always have a ton of excuses to fall out, one more won’t make a difference.”

Since he said so, Yuri decided to let it go. To be honest, after worrying for a while, he felt like he was just being overly anxious.

"See that swamp? What do you think it is?" The train spirit pulled the information back.

“A swamp… of course it’s a swamp, right? The Shadow Realm has the same terrain as the material world, doesn’t it?” Yuri stated his opinion bluntly, then waited for the moment when he would be refuted.

“The Shadow Realm does indeed have terrain similar to the material world, but that swamp isn’t natural; it’s an environment created jointly by the rat spirits and humans—a wasteland. If you get stuck, you’ll gradually disappear. Valuable things might last longer, or even be unearthed again, while worthless things won’t get a second chance…” Line Two tapped the table. “Doesn’t that sound familiar?”

Indeed, Yuri thought it sounded just like the typical garbage recycling and disposal process.

"What did the Rat Spirits do in this step?" Yuri pointed out the problem. "In the Material Realm, Rat Spirits are often found in the junkyard under normal circumstances, but only in small numbers. Obviously, there are more than just a few in the Shadow Realm."

“If everything works properly—by human standards—then the rat spirits are recyclers. They sort, collect, and destroy things that are worthless, and keep what they deem valuable for trade… panning for gold in the waste. Normally, they would also encourage humans to do this, because doing so would direct spiritual essence toward their side.” Line Two said calmly, “It’s quite important, isn’t it? Someone always has to do the dirty work.”

“It sounds like there’s a social system in the Shadow Realm similar to the human world.” Yuri swallowed the rest of his sentence. “I thought it was like the material world, with several large spirits each occupying their own territory and completely separated.”

Firstly, he was unsure whether the spirits of the material world looked like this, and secondly, the large spirits seemed to include the one in front of him.

“There are many differences, but also many similarities. The specifics are probably not something that can be explained in a short time.” Line 2 pointed to the side, “See that huge building? It’s the square one.”

“I see it.” Yuri thought the building was large enough for the train to drive in, and even large enough to turn around.

“That’s the territory of the All Holders. Oh, they correspond to supermarkets and large chain stores, if you want to know. The sales clerk you just met is one of their subordinates. I have a certain cooperative relationship with them, but I’m not exactly their enemy.”

That's true; railway transportation is, after all, an important channel for freight transport. However, what about the overall ownership?

"Does this name have any special meaning? I don't think extreme words like 'all,' 'one,' or 'exhausted' are very suitable for a name," Yuri asked, pondering. "Does it mean they possess an extremely large amount of resources?"

"That's one thing. On the other hand, they try to control everything. If you want to move to the Shadowlands, remember to avoid living in the Omnipotent's territory as much as possible—" The Train Spirit gave a strange smile. "The Omnipotent's territory is the best place for pleasure. Spirits have different ways of enjoying themselves than humans, but I'm sure even humans who come here will not be disappointed with the experience."

These two statements seemed contradictory, but Yuri continued listening.

"Moreover, what's even more commendable is that it's not just the powerful and wealthy who can enjoy themselves here. For every class and every level—at least that's what the propaganda says—they have prepared appropriate treatment. As long as you can continue to pay the price, you'll always be a guest of honor here." Facing Yuri's expression of sudden realization, the train spirit continued, "And they also accept credit, and they accept paying with their lives."

"It sounds like a casino, the kind where you go in but never get out." Yuri found it more and more familiar, and in the end he could basically predict what Line Two was going to say. "It seems that spirits and humans do have a lot in common."

"Don't get me wrong, everything here is voluntary, and all prices are listed in advance—so if you have enough self-control, it's a pretty good place to live. The owners will do their best to ensure the safety of every customer—and if you're willing to pay extra, you can be even safer than other customers. But I'm afraid you'd better not."

"Yes, every casino says that."

The difference between spirits and humans was smaller than Yuri had expected.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

"We'll be arriving at the station soon, in a relatively well-developed area, much like my Shadow Realm base." The train spirit began to become transparent again. "I expect to stay here for a few hours. You can go down and explore, experience the Shadow Realm itself... The area around the station is relatively safe. If anything happens while I'm here, I'll be there within three seconds. I'm sure you, you reckless fool, can handle this."

"...I wanted to ask this from the beginning. You didn't answer my question when you said you wanted to cross the rift, but now I've remembered it again." Yuri genuinely felt that going down there for a while might be good for his condition. "Before I go down, could you answer my question?"

"what is the problem?"

"The Rat King has put in a lot of effort to travel between the two worlds, but why do you seem so indifferent to it? Haven't you already returned to the Shadow Realm?" It's like he offended the Rat King and then got himself into trouble; that doesn't make sense.

Of course, it's easy to deduce that Line 2 has a particularly convenient way to travel between the two worlds, and that's what was implied in the conversation... But why? He wanted to hear Line 2 answer that question itself.

"...We, the spirits of the train, have held a dominant position in the vehicle energy domain for over a century, and our dominance in the transportation energy domain is roughly the same—we have also become travelers between the two realms, a fact that many spirits resent, but they are powerless to stop. The oceans have ships, the skies have airplanes, and the land has us. Other places may have exceptions, but this is the case in the Shadow Realm here. Nothing lasts forever, and one day we will be replaced, but not now, not at this moment."

Chapter 108 Journey to the Shadow Realm: Hybrid Soul

Yuri made contact with the ground of the Shadow Realm.

Contrary to his expectations, the ground of the Shadow Realm felt... quite similar to the ground of the Material Realm.

There were various spirits around, some even resembling humanoids... They were generally not very strong, with the highest being only level two.

It looks even weaker than a certain root carving friend of mine.

Yuri, Yuri, how can you be so arrogant and conceited? When did Level 2 become something you consider insignificant?

In reality, he's not very strong; Yuri himself is a noob.

Yuri quickly shifted his focus before the symptoms of schizophrenia returned.

Upon closer inspection, the surrounding spirits were diverse in type, shape, and form, and they generally treated Yuri with wariness.

Yuri tried to approach a group of humanoid spirits, partly because they looked like poorly made dolls, which made Yuri feel a sense of familiarity.

It's definitely not to say that Yuri was particularly proud of his shoddy skills at the time.

However, they shrank back before Yuri could get close.

Most of the other spirits were the same; even if they didn't retreat, they didn't want to pay any attention to Yuri and ignored his attempts to talk to them.

Yuri, feeling rebuffed, turned around and found a place to sit down at the "station" in the film world.

He looked around when he got off the bus, and it looked very different from a real train station.

There are no ticket gates or security personnel; both are handled entirely by the train spirit itself. There are no tracks or waiting rooms, only a platform—and even that platform isn't very flat—so everyone just makes do with what they have.

The first thing Yuri noticed were the humanoid spirits, which made up the largest number of them, accounting for half of the spirits waiting here. Upon closer inspection, their bodies seemed to be made of asphalt and plastic, not well-sealed, and constantly cracking.

Yuri wasn't sure if the cracking was normal, but he guessed they didn't want to answer... These spirits exuded a sense of decay; what did they represent?

After hesitating for a moment, he finally decided not to waste his spiritual essence and to focus on observing them. He didn't know if these spirits could sense Yuri's magical vision, but it was a hostile act, and Yuri didn't want to start a new battle, not even a small one.

Continuing to scan, one can see that most of the spirits stay with their own kind, but are not closely connected.

In the realm of shadows, spirits of the same kind will devour each other, and they may never be friends... But compared to other kinds of spirits, there are still differences in kinship. In this place where there are many kinds of spirits, it is always better to gather with one's own kind than to stay with another kind.

Among the spirit community, Yuri even saw a group of rats whose eyes revealed an intelligence far beyond what he had seen in their kind just minutes before—perhaps because they weren't so hungry.

They probably don't accept the Rat King's control, and the Rat King probably can't decide the direction of all the rat spirits—otherwise, they probably wouldn't have come over... by car.

There were also lone spirits, and they looked very familiar. Some camera spirits, or as the train spirits call them, glass-eyed, were scattered around, frequently turning their heads to observe the other spirits.

It's similar to what Yuri is doing.

They didn't exude much power; the strongest was slightly inferior to Yuri, while the weakest was only at the level of Level One.

It seems that the glass-eyed creature Yuri saw at the station in the material world was likely one of the stronger members of the race.

Clearly, the other spirits disliked Glass Eyes at all, and tried to drive them away as soon as they got close, but they would come closer again after a while, trying to see and hear something.

Even Yuri had never been treated like this, but it seems normal, after all, Yuri isn't a voyeur.

Then, Yuri's gaze was drawn to the last independent spirit.

It looks very strange.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

This strange spirit emanated a slightly stronger sense of power than Yuri. Of course, that wasn't the strange part. What was strange was that it gave Yuri a very chaotic and murky feeling.

In appearance, it looks like a four-legged animal with chicken wings, its hind legs and tail made of steel, and mushrooms growing on its back.

Yuri could hardly imagine what kind of spirit this was... it looked too strange.

Indeed, it's normal for spirits and their corresponding objects to look different. For example, glass eyes are quite different from a camera, and a rat spirit is likely to be more robust than a rat.

Yuri didn't really know what all the spirits looked like. For example, those humanoid doll spirits made of asphalt and plastic actually looked quite strange.

But it was precisely this one thing that brought him a sense of disharmony.

Is it because it's all alone? Searching the entire place, there isn't a single spirit that looks like it, not even one that resembles it.

This doesn't seem like a suitable reason to doubt, because Yuri himself looks different from the other spirits.

where is the problem?

Then, perhaps noticing Yuri's gaze, the other party slowly approached Yuri.

Yuri tensed up, ready to fight. Line 2 said he would intervene immediately if a battle broke out, so there shouldn't be any spirits here starting a fight... right?

As it moved, several groups of spirits that were close to its path moved aside.