The ship was already in the stratosphere, hovering roughly 40 kilometres above the Earth's surface. From that privileged height, the world below resembled a celestial floor—a sea of white, fluffy clouds, occasionally pierced by mountain peaks jutting out like scattered islands.
Adam stood by the panoramic window, mesmerised by the view. The setting sun painted the horizon in hues of amber and crimson, its rays stretching in parallel over the cloudscape. "What a marvellous sight," he thought, filled with that rare feeling of smallness that only the vastness of the world can evoke.
Park piloted the ship with his usual impassive expression, as if navigating the stratosphere were no more remarkable than a trip to the shops. His fingers glided with precision across the holographic controls, adjusting parameters Adam couldn't even begin to comprehend.
At the rear of the cabin, Madame Jae-hee was finishing her explanation to Seo Min-gyu, who was soaking up every word with wide eyes behind his thick-rimmed glasses.
"We're accelerating," Park announced, his voice cutting through the cabin's contemplative silence. His fingers tapped a rapid sequence of commands into the control panel.
The ship responded instantly. An invisible force pressed Adam back into his seat as the vessel shot upward, piercing the upper layers of the atmosphere in mere seconds. The deep blue of the sky gradually gave way to the absolute black of outer space.
That's when Adam saw the train.
Suspended in the void like a physical impossibility, an old-fashioned steam locomotive cut through space. Steam billowed from its chimney in ghostly spirals that vanished into nothingness, while its black and bronze metalwork caught the distant starlight.
"A steam train?" he murmured, rubbing his eyes. But the vision remained.
He had expected a space station, perhaps a sleek mothership—something fitting the futuristic tech he'd encountered so far. But here was a relic from Earth's past, floating where no railway should ever exist.
"The Interdimensional Express," Madame explained, stepping closer to the window. There was a flicker of excitement in her voice. "Ever since Aurélia received its system, we've been exploring places you wouldn't even dream of."
Park adjusted the controls again, aligning the ship with what looked like a blue wall of shimmering light.
"We're here," he announced, his voice still monotone, though his pupils quivered slightly, betraying his thoughts.
Seo, spotting the glowing curtain, rushed to the window. Straight-backed, left hand behind his back, right hand to his forehead, he snapped a formal salute.
"LONG LIVE THE EMPIRE!" he shouted with such intensity that it startled Park and Madame, who exchanged puzzled glances.
Adam, however, got it immediately. It was an obvious nod to that old space opera franchise… but he was far too embarrassed to explain.
The ship passed through the curtain of light and glided toward a designated landing zone. It touched down with unexpected grace.
Madame and Park disembarked first, leading the way and greeting the other passengers.
"Wait… where are the clones?" asked Seo, curious and brimming with excitement at being somewhere so wildly different from his mundane routine.
Adam stood beside him, wide-eyed and slack-jawed.
"Where the hell have I ended up…?" he muttered, unable to tear his gaze away from the surreal crowd before them.
There were people in capes and superhero outfits, others in suits or everyday clothes. Some arrived in armoured SUVs, others on quad bikes or heavily customised motorbikes.
There were cultivators too—robed figures moving so swiftly they seemed to fly. "So that's where the phrase from Chinese webnovels comes from: 'one step spans a hundred li.' Those units are always so bloody confusing…" thought Adam, watching some soar on flying swords or astride giant cranes.
Others wore advanced exosuits, wielded light sabres and holographic shields, or bore signs of genetic enhancement. Some piloted towering mechs or sleek futuristic spacecraft.
And as if that weren't enough, there were also wizards in blue robes and pointed hats, and knights clad in medieval armour.
Adam felt as though he'd been tossed into a blender of fiction—a marvellous chaos where every imaginable world collided.
And to think, some of them still had systems...
Surprisingly, he didn't feel afraid or overwhelmed. Quite the opposite—there was genuine joy swelling in his chest. For someone who had spent his life confined to a normal world, being thrust into one brimming with infinite possibilities was nothing short of liberating, no matter how cruel or strange it might be.
On Earth, Adam had merely survived in a world without purpose.
Here… he could be more.
Adam wasn't here to survive.
He was here to conquer.
While the two Earth passengers were still lost in their own thoughts, Park and Madame were speaking with two cultivators near the landing platform. A third man, older and plainly dressed, stood just behind them in silence, listening intently.
Adam nudged Seo with his elbow.
"Oi, come on. Let's go meet them."
Madame, noticing the two had finally snapped out of their trance, turned with a smile.
"Adam, Seo… allow me to introduce two old acquaintances. This is my long-time friend, Master Xianyu Lóng, and beside him is his disciple, Li Zhēn."
"Greetings, younger brothers," said the master with a serene and respectful tone. "May your path along the Dao be a prosperous one. Li, greet your future Taoist comrades."
Xianyu Lóng wasn't a fool. He knew that these Earthlings, ordinary as they might seem now, were destined for greatness. That's why he treated them with reverence—hoping his disciple would grasp the meaning without needing it spelled out.
He hoped the boy would catch on.
"Hello, junior brothers," Li Zhēn said with a smug smile, greeting them with an air of superiority.
Seo responded cheerily, clearly missing the subtext—too thrilled by the magical surroundings to notice.
Adam, on the other hand, furrowed his brow ever so slightly.
"Is this some young master nonsense?" he thought warily, the look of someone who'd read far too many cultivation novels.
Before he could speak, a vein popped on Master Lóng's forehead. With a swift flick of the wrist, he smacked his disciple on the back of the head.
"Mind your manners, boy. That's not how I taught you."
"Tsk… tsk…" Li Zhēn grumbled, rubbing his head. "Greetings, Taoist brothers. Apologies for my earlier words. I shall speak with more respect."
"Just a brat," Adam thought, replying with a friendly nod.
Xianyu Lóng nodded approvingly, satisfied. Then he stepped slightly aside and gestured to the third man with an open palm.
"And this gentleman behind me is the third bearer of the golden ticket: Lu Wei."
The elder looked to be around sixty. His long white hair flowed down to his waist like a silver waterfall, and his full beard reached his chest. His black eyes were narrow and kind, his face wrinkled with age, yet his expression radiated the warmth and wisdom of a benevolent sage.
He wore a beige Tangzhuang—a traditional Chinese jacket—paired with simple matching trousers and worn sandals.
With a calm smile, he introduced himself.
"Greetings. I am Lu Wei. By chance… or perhaps fate, I am the third bearer of the golden ticket. It is a pleasure to meet those who share this journey of destiny."
He bowed in the traditional style—right fist against open left palm, and a respectful dip.
Seo, excited, quickly tried to mimic the gesture—but fumbled the words:
"Sayonara!"
Adam slapped a hand over his face.
"You idiot… that means goodbye in Japanese."
"Oh… my bad," Seo mumbled sheepishly.
Adam sighed and turned to Lu Wei with a smile.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Adam, and this here's Seo Min-Gyu… a filthy otaku."
"Hey!" Seo protested indignantly.
"I didn't know you spoke English so well, Lu Wei. I'm impressed."
The elder chuckled softly, like wind rustling through bamboo leaves.
"I don't, actually," he replied calmly. "This little talisman I carry was a gift from the two gentlemen who guided me. It humbly translates all known languages in the universe. A very handy tool."