Mystic Overlord: Reading Gives Strength-Chapter 1203 - 1197: Station Maze

This was Ronald's first time visiting the city of [Choluno].

And for Patricia, the same condition applied.

The two companions hadn't been to many places in this city; excluding the ruler's castle where Bapulor resided, and the shop run by Heloise—

According to Ronald's understanding of Patricia.

Besides the train station, which was the place most deeply tied to them both, he couldn't find a second possible place to hide.

Ronald took action, and the train station was quite a distance from the shopping street.

Although he had already grasped the city's general layout, after the maze-themed book transformed the entire world, the various mazes encountered along the way severely hindered Ronald's progress.

Departing at four o'clock in the afternoon.

Ronald navigated his way through three distinctly styled mazes.

As people were preparing dinner according to the rules of the maze-themed book, the train station of [Choluno] finally appeared before his eyes.

In truth, the former [Looney Kingdom] never had train stations.

For the past hundreds of years.

This coastal nation primarily relied on maritime transport, with land-based commercial activities carried out using primitive means like carriages.

Such development continued to this day—

Although cult magicians oversaw the construction of train stations and the laying of tracks throughout the country, the number of trains operating smoothly was still extremely scarce. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

And the result was, when Ronald arrived here.

The main gate of the train station was desolate.

Aside from pedestrians on the street who might curiously glance as they passed by, there was basically no one else present apart from the staff.

"... ..."

If the cult magicians led by Bapulor continued developing the country.

Would the scenery here still look the same after a few years?

Looking at the scene before him, Ronald felt a slight pang of emotion.

However, he had a mission at the moment.

So, with a small shake of his head, Ronald brushed aside these stray thoughts and walked straight toward the train station's entrance.

The maze-themed book world wouldn't show any leniency at times like these.

As Ronald walked into the train station, a maze awaited him, albeit with a style that had been correspondingly altered.

A group of doll-like figures, whose vacant expressions revealed they weren't truly alive but were instead created by the maze-themed book, occupied the majority of the train station.

The jostling crowd here was shoulder to shoulder.

As Ronald looked around, it was almost as crowded as the busiest station he had seen before crossing over.

"... ..."

"I knew I couldn't escape."

Muttering quietly, Ronald immediately sprang into action, maneuvering through the throng of people to find a path to the rear platform.

From noon until now.

Ronald had deciphered nearly two dozen mazes as he traversed the city altered by the maze-themed book.

This simple task of mapping paths was something he had become adept at.

But just as he entered this maze for a minute and had confirmed the path ahead in the crowd.

An unexpected event occurred—

Clang clang clang!

The sound of a crisp bell emanated from high atop the front of the train station.

Ronald looked up to find, on a large bulletin board on the upper right side of the train station, the sequence of trains arriving and departing had risen somewhat, indicating a change in the station's train docking and departure status.

"... ..."

Bad—I've really run into trouble this time!

Upon seeing this.

Ronald immediately recognized the problem.

Unlike other static mazes where shapes remained unchanged.

This was a train station where the flow of people constantly changed; how could it remain static for Ronald to decipher?

Sure enough, just as Ronald realized the issue in the next second.

Accompanied by the change in the train sequence on the bulletin board, the flow of people within the train station began to change accordingly.

Standing still, Ronald found himself enveloped by the surrounding crowd, unable to move.

Only once the crowd dispersed could he glance around again.

"... ..."

"I knew it was like this..."

Ronald muttered under his breath.

Compared to the train station maze just a mere minute ago, the crowd configuration had completely altered, as if presenting him with an entirely new maze to counter.

Ronald's position relative to the train station had not changed.

But in terms of the maze's structure, he had shifted from a clear path to the exit to a twisted dead-end alleyway.

"Phew—"

In this situation, Ronald didn't rush to solve the maze.

Before taking action, observing the surroundings and gathering the most accurate information was the top priority.

And so, minute by minute passed.

When another fifteen minutes ended, the bulletin board in the train station hall rose a notch again, accompanied by another drastic change in the crowd's flow.

Confidently observing his surroundings, Ronald found yet another unfamiliar structure distinct from before.

Presented with two choices, he now was.

Quickly plan the correct route and break through within a quarter of an hour, before the maze changes;

Or remain still, continuing to observe the evolution of the entire maze.

If he could uncover the existing patterns, solving it would be simple.

"What should I do..."

Reflecting thus, Ronald scrutinized his surroundings.

The cult magicians had unique views on urban planning; [Choluno]'s train station was a significantly large structure, and with the maze-themed book's transformation, its massive size was further expanded.

Coupled with the dense walls formed by people...

Breaking through this maze within a quarter-hour was not impossible.

But besides calmly observing and acting swiftly, luck was definitely a necessary element.

But as fate would have it.

During this observation, Ronald noticed an intriguing detail.

As it's his first time entering this train station, Ronald was deeply impressed by the maze structure near the entrance.

He realized that after the initial transformation had reset the maze to unfamiliar conditions, it changed back to the form it had when he first entered!

This was an identical structure; could it be...

Ronald conceived a notion, thus selecting a vantage point with ample visibility, spending the next quarter-hour carefully examining his entry path.

Sure enough, on this now entirely impassable route.

After the maze transformation, Ronald saw several structures reverting to familiar states!