Chapter : 1353

The possibilities were endless. He could build automated sentries for his estate. He could build mining golems for his salt project. He could build a robotic butler that didn't judge him when he ate cake at midnight.

"Focus, Lloyd," he scolded himself. "One thing at a time. First the suit. Then the robo-butler."

He looked out the window again. The sun was starting to set, painting the sky in shades of orange and purple. The mountains cast long shadows over the tracks. They were getting close.

He felt a familiar itch in his eyes. His [All-Seeing Eye] was active, passively scanning the environment. He could see the heat signature of the train's engine. He could see the stress fractures in the metal wheels. He could see the skeletal structure of a bird flying past.

He blinked, dialing the power down. It was exhausting to see everything all the time. He needed to save his energy for the museum. He needed his vision to be razor-sharp when he looked at the Heart.

"I hope it's not crowded," Lloyd worried. "It's hard to stare intensely at an object when there are school children running around screaming. Maybe I should go right when it opens. Or right before it closes."

He started strategizing his museum visit. He would need to stand at specific angles to see through the outer casing of the Heart. He would need to avoid the guards noticing his glowing eyes. Maybe he should wear sunglasses? No, wearing sunglasses inside a museum would make him look like a spy or a blind person.

"I'll just squint," Lloyd decided. "Like I'm reading the small print. Scholars squint. It's a known fact."

The train began to slow down. The rhythmic clanking changed tempo. They were approaching a station. Not Ramos, but a mid-way stop. A place to refill water and let passengers stretch their legs.

Lloyd didn't intend to get off. He was comfortable. He was safe in his box. But then he felt the train lurch to a halt. The sudden stop knocked his guidebook onto the floor.

He sighed and bent down to pick it up. As he did, he heard voices in the corridor outside his compartment. People were boarding.

"I hope they don't come in here," Lloyd thought. "I booked this whole cabin. I have the ticket to prove it."

He heard the door to the next compartment slide open and slam shut. Then silence. Good. The neighbors were quiet.

The train whistled again, signaling departure. It lurched forward. Lloyd settled back into his seat. He still had a few hours before Ramos.

He picked up his notes again. He started sketching a new idea for the interface between the Heart and the Lilith Stones. If the Heart was the brain, the stones could be the nerves. It was a complex system, but he was starting to see the shape of it.

"It's going to work," he whispered. "This time, it's going to work."

He felt a surge of determination. He wasn't just running away from his problems. He was running toward a solution. The Golem Heart was the key to his survival. It was the key to protecting his people. It was the key to winning the war.

"Just a quick trip," Lloyd reassured himself. "In and out. Like a ghost. No drama. No fighting. Just science."

He smiled at his reflection in the darkened window. He looked like a man with a plan. And for once, he really hoped the plan would actually survive contact with reality. Because if he failed here, if he couldn't fix the suit... well, he didn't want to think about that.

"Ramos," Lloyd said softly. "Show me your secrets."

The train picked up speed, carrying him deeper into the mountains, towards the city of stone and the heart of a legend. He was alone, he was prepared, and he was blissfully unaware that his solitude was about to end very, very abruptly.

The train rattled on through the night. Lloyd was feeling quite pleased with himself. He had successfully eaten a second sandwich, drawn three new diagrams, and avoided talking to a single human being for six hours. It was a personal record.

He decided he needed to stretch his legs. The private compartment was nice, but it was small. He stood up, adjusted his coat, and slid the door open. He stepped out into the narrow corridor of the first-class carriage.

Chapter : 1354

It was quiet. Most passengers were asleep or reading. The gas lamps on the walls flickered, casting long shadows. Lloyd walked towards the end of the car, intending to visit the dining car for a cup of coffee. Real coffee, not the train sludge he had earlier.

As he walked, he passed the other compartments. The doors had glass windows in the upper half, covered by curtains. Most curtains were drawn. But one was slightly open.

Lloyd didn't mean to look. It was just a reflex. His eyes scanned the gap.

He froze. His foot stopped in mid-air. His heart did a little somersault in his chest.

Sitting in that compartment, reading a thick book with a very serious expression, was a woman he knew. A woman he knew very well. A woman he was currently trying very hard to avoid.

Mina Siddik. Rosa's sister.

Lloyd pressed his back against the wall of the corridor, hiding in the shadows. Panic flared in his chest. What was she doing here? Was she following him? Did Rosa send her? Was she here to drag him back to the estate by his ear?

"Calm down, Lloyd," he told himself. "She's reading a book. Assassins don't read books. Usually."

He peeked again, very carefully. Mina looked... normal. She wasn't wearing armor. She wasn't holding a weapon. She was wearing a sensible traveling dress and reading glasses. She looked like a scholar.

"Archaeology," Lloyd realized. "She loves old stuff. Ramos is full of old stuff. She's going to the museum."

It was a disaster. A coincidence of cosmic proportions. Of all the trains, in all the towns, in all the world, she had to walk onto his.

"I have to go back," Lloyd thought frantically. "I have to hide in my room and never come out until we reach Ramos. Then I will jump out the window and run."

He turned around to sneak back to his compartment. He took a step.

Creak.

The floorboard under his foot groaned like a dying cow. It was the loudest sound in the universe.

In the compartment, Mina's head snapped up. She looked at the door. She saw a figure in the corridor. She narrowed her eyes.

Lloyd froze. He held his breath. Maybe she didn't see him. Maybe she thought he was just a passing conductor.

Mina stood up. She walked to the door. She slid it open.

Lloyd stood there, caught in the act of tip-toeing away. He slowly turned his head. He tried to put on a casual smile.

"Hello," Lloyd said. "Fancy meeting you here. On a train. In the middle of nowhere."

Mina stared at him. Her eyes widened slightly. Then they narrowed again. She looked annoyed. Not angry, just... tiredly annoyed. Like she had found a fly in her soup.

"Lloyd," she said. Her voice was flat. "What are you doing here?"

"Me?" Lloyd laughed nervously. "Just... traveling. Seeing the sights. Expanding my horizons. You know, typical lord stuff."

"You are supposed to be inspecting soap factories in the east," Mina pointed out.

"Ah, yes," Lloyd said. "Well, I took a wrong turn. A very long wrong turn. Navigation is tricky."

Mina crossed her arms. "You are going to Ramos."

"Maybe," Lloyd admitted. "Are you?"

"Yes," Mina said. "I am going to study. I have a permit for the archives. I am researching the pre-unification era."

"Fascinating," Lloyd said. "Rocks and old paper. My favorite."

They stood there in the corridor, staring at each other. The tension was thick enough to cut with a knife. Lloyd felt guilty. He had proposed to this woman in a moment of insanity. Then he had run away. Now, here they were, trapped in a metal tube hurtling through the mountains.

"Well," Lloyd said, pointing down the hall. "I was just going to get coffee. So... good to see you. Bye."

"Lloyd," Mina said.

He stopped. "Yes?"

"Don't be an idiot," she said. "Come inside. If people see the Lord of Ferrum lurking in the hallway like a thief, it will start rumors."

She stepped back and gestured for him to enter her compartment. It wasn't a request. It was an order.

Lloyd sighed. He was caught. He walked into her compartment and sat down opposite her. She sat back down and picked up her book, but she didn't read it. She just looked at him over the top of her glasses.

"So," Lloyd said, trying to break the ice. "How is the family? How is... everyone?"

"Everyone is fine," Mina said coolly. "Rosa is angry. Yacob is confused. Father is counting money. The usual."

"Right," Lloyd said. "And you? You are... escaping?"