169: Chapter 167: A Mysterious Train and a Murder of a Magician

Toby felt that Leon had a point, and that clues regarding the entrance exam might be hidden somewhere on the train. After some thought, he agreed to his proposal.

Of course, saying it was one thing, but walking straight out wouldn't do; they needed to make some preparations.

Toby pulled a handgun in a holster from his suitcase and tucked it into his waistband.

"Is this thing allowed to be brought into the school?" Leon asked, somewhat stunned.

"Mr. Dumbledore didn't forbid it, and I'll hand it over when we enter the school."

"Alright, though I don't think it can handle magic."

"It's the only thing I could think of; maybe it'll be useful during the exam."

Toby shrugged, then pulled two sets of detachable nunchucks from the trunk. "Considering Misha's age and your lack of experience with firearms, I prepared these for you."

Taking the two sets of nunchucks, Leon looked confused. "I can understand why one is large and one is small, since Misha isn't strong enough.

But why is the small one pink?"

"Don't you think pink suits Misha very well?"

As he spoke, both of them looked at Misha, who was sitting on the edge of the bed.

"I, uh, I have this." Misha jumped off the bed, opened her suitcase, rummaged through the clothes and snacks on top, and pulled out a toy water gun from the very bottom.

"It's already fully loaded."

They stared at the small water gun in silence for a moment, then nodded together. "It will protect you well."

Having said that, Leon tucked the two sets of nunchucks into his lower back and pulled down his jacket to cover them. "Klaisi is in Room 5 of Carriage 13."

"What an unpleasant number."

"I feel the same way. I hope they're alright."

One in front and one behind, they let Misha walk in the middle as they filed out of the sleeper compartment and into the long, narrow corridor.

Just as Leon was about to say something, a lady dressed like a noblewoman suddenly came out of the room next door.

The sudden situation startled him into shutting his mouth. The three of them pressed themselves side-by-side against the wooden wall, watching the woman pass in front of them and walk forward, disappearing behind the door connecting the two carriages.

"Toby, where do you think they all came from?" Leon whispered into Toby's ear. "The clothes, makeup, and hairstyles are all styles from centuries ago.

They didn't even give us a curious glance, despite how obviously different we are.

The original novel didn't describe the origins of these people in detail either."

Toby looked left and right to confirm there were no strangers before replying, "Based on the conversation between Mr. Dumbledore and Ms. Rowling,

most of Rowling's memories have been sealed.

What the novel depicts is mixed with a lot of subjective illusions and speculation; don't use the novel to anchor the real wizarding world."

Blinking as if he only half-understood, Leon said, "Regardless, let's meet up with Klaisi and Wino first.

No matter what Wino's motives are, we're at least on the same side for now."

"That's true."

The three of them then maintained their formation and walked along the corridor toward the rear of the train, looking around curiously as they went.

The train hadn't started yet, so through the windows on the left, they could only see gray brick walls and passing travelers.

On the right side were rows of tightly closed compartment doors.

After watching for a while, they lost interest in the monotonous scenery and quickened their pace.

Reaching the end of the carriage, they passed through a wooden door and arrived at a carriage with decor and surroundings almost identical to the previous one.

Deliberately ignoring the travelers who occasionally stepped out of their rooms and brushed past them, they moved their feet quickly.

In this way, after passing through four identical carriages, the fifth one turned into a hard-seat carriage filled with men and women.

These people were all chatting with the friends and family sitting next to them, creating a scene of extraordinary bustle.

It was in stark contrast to the sleeper carriages.

Moving forward through the aisle between the two rows of seats, Toby, who was in the lead, noticed that not a single person cast a glance his way, and a deep sense of confusion rose in his heart.

Can they really not see us?

Unfortunately, no one provided an answer.

And the warning from the Interview Letter extinguished any thoughts he had of using large gestures to attract the passengers' attention.

Continuing through two more hard-seat carriages, a dining car, and another sleeper carriage, they finally reached Carriage 13.

Moving away from the atmosphere where they seemed to be deliberately ignored by everyone, Leon and Toby's suppressed hearts were released from the suffocating torment.

"Damn it, what's wrong with the passengers on this train? Have we become invisible ghosts?"

Giving Leon's shoulder a comforting pat, Toby fell into deep thought.

Their group had entered the platform by passing through a wall, so... were they still on Blue Star?

Or had they entered another world?

The novel did mention that Hogwarts and reality were on the same planet, but...

"Damn it! Let us go!"

A familiar tone came from a distance. The two looked at each other; it was Klaisi's voice—something had happened!

Each grabbing one of Misha's hands, they rushed to the door of Room 5.

The door was ajar.

Through the crack in the door, Toby could see the layout and the situation inside the room.

The room was basically the same as his.

Between the two single beds, Klaisi was lying on the floor, unable to move.

Controlling him was a train staff member in a black uniform standing beside him.

The person wasn't using their hands to pin him down or their feet to step on him; what kept Klaisi pinned was a round wooden stick the person held in their hand.

Wino was lying next to Klaisi in the same position.

However, he was very quiet, not shouting and screaming like Klaisi.

Since it was a member of the train staff, talking naturally wasn't a forbidden matter.

Thinking this, and worried about his companions, Toby reached out to push the door while asking, "Sir, I..."

Entering the room, he saw a corpse covered in blood lying on the right-hand single bed, which had been hidden from view by the door.

The person seemed to have died recently.

The blood had not yet coagulated; it soaked the sheets beneath the body and dripped onto the floor.

Such a large amount of blood?

A cursory glance didn't reveal any wounds sufficient to cause such a terrifying amount of bleeding; Toby could only suspect the wound was on the person's back, out of sight.

"Who are you?" the middle-aged-looking staff member asked, looking back.

"Uh, we're passengers from Carriage 3. It's our first time on the Hogwarts Express, so we were looking around.

We heard a commotion when we reached this carriage, so we rushed over to see if any help was needed."

Standing in the corridor, Leon heard Toby's explanation and quickly shut his mouth, swallowing the words of concern for Klaisi.

The staff member didn't seem to doubt his explanation, and his tense attitude softened. "In the past, as the Assistant Train Conductor, I would have personally given you a tour.

But I'm afraid that won't be possible this time."

His gaze fell solemnly to the floor, toward Klaisi, who had quieted down after sensing something, and Wino, who had remained silent throughout.

"Followers of the Dark Lord are lurking on the train, and they have already assassinated a Hogwarts wizard."

Assassinating a wizard? Just the two of them?

Also, what are 'Followers of the Dark Lord'?"

Toby, who hadn't read the novel, had questions racing through his mind one after another.

"Alright, you two." The Assistant Train Conductor politely raised his hand to usher Toby out of the room, while stepping to the left to block Misha's view of the corpse.

"The situation is urgent. Please return to your carriage immediately and do not wander around until you receive further notice."

"Alright, thank you sincerely for your kind warning."

Toby backed out of the room with a smile, holding back Leon, who was somewhat reluctant to leave, and walked back the way they came with Misha.