"You can drive it." Shangluo took a step back, one step away from the operating table: "So, how to operate it?"
[It’s too troublesome to take me out of the phone. I’m quite comfortable staying in it. Wait a minute, I'll add a function to it. Beep beep, beep beep. 】
"Done yet?"
[OK, did you see it? There is a flight mode switch on the desktop. After pressing it, I can fly the plane. After you click on it, I will restrain all non-essential functions, disconnect from the Akashic records, and focus on the things in front of me. This is a switch. 】
"Is this necessary?"
【necessary. You're taking "Introduction to the Occult" this weekend, right? You'll understand after reading this. But I can give you a more vivid example. You've seen Harry Potter, right? In Harry Potter, students at Hogwarts practice using wands to cast spells. But there is also a school of magic in Africa where they practice wandless spellcasting. Most modern wizards actually use wands, and do you know why? 】
"Is it also because of the switch?"
【Yes. From an occult perspective, magic requires a switch. Because if you don't add a 'switch', then each of your actions may have a mystical significance, thus bringing unpredictable consequences - because being everywhere equals being nowhere, and only extremely powerful inhibition can control this. kind of uncertainty. This ability can even become the ultimate punishment: for example, in ancient Greek mythology, there is the story of King Midas and Goldfinger. The king turned stones into gold, but every 'touch' he made turned things into gold, and he was almost killed; this is a limit situation, let's talk about a non-limit one, for example, the left eye will jump to wealth and the right eye will jump to disaster. Do you hope that every time your left eye twitches, you will get rich and every time your right eye twitches, you will get disaster? 】
"That's not necessary..."
[So this is the situation. Switching is a self-limiting measure for me, because I don’t have the energy to check whether every work I do has occult meanings. So let’s just get a switch that narrows my possibilities but also makes it easier for me to function—for you and for me. In addition, adding switches also has many other benefits. For example, it allows each caster to get similar results through similar causes without going too far off track. 】
"Is occultism such a troublesome thing?"
[You haven’t learned anything, and if you suddenly hear something as troublesome as creating a self-made technique, of course you won’t understand it. By the time you finish the class, you'll almost understand. If you don’t understand, I can give you tutoring lessons, just relax. Just like Taozu can bring out the emperor's alchemy with his own hands, I can also bring out your mystical attainments. The reason why knowledge is knowledge is because it has a path to learn. 】
"You are finally of some use..."
[I have always been very useful, okay? Now, press the button~ After holding it in for so long, I want to experience the beauty of the real world. 】
Shangluo pressed "airplane mode". The whole car shook violently - but it seemed to be just a psychological effect. The car itself didn't move, but he felt a shock.
But as Apollonia connected to the operation of the train, the train itself really started to move.
The switch in the car fell, and the commutator moved in the forward direction by itself.
...
"It's gone? It's gone now? Shouldn't you get into the car and do some behind-the-scenes operations?"
[Please, that requires phlogiston consumption, okay? It's just a small train, so what are you doing seriously? And I just thought of a compromise - any action that requires force will consume phlogiston. It's no big deal to flip the switch, and it's easy to pull the switch. But I just tried the speed control handle, and it's quite heavy. So let's divide the work. I'll operate the other parts and you can control the speed. 】
"Automatic transmission, right?"
[Ah, yes, you can use it as an automatic transmission. This way both of us can have fun driving, and since you've just eaten a lot of meat, you're much more energetic than me now. Poor Apollonia is still hungry. 】
"So, departure?"
【good! Apollonia is setting off! 】
The flip card display in front of the vehicle showed an afterimage, skipping a series of commonly used Chinese characters and jumping to the phonetic symbols. The "water plate" originally used to display the train number now hangs high with the "Apolonia" train number.
[Platform on the left, close the left door. The instructions are correct, the voucher is correct, and we drive on time. 】
...
[I want you to drive at the right time. Please cooperate and pull up the handle! Can you understand the feelings of railway fans? Do you know how beautiful trains are? Ah, the beauty of human machinery, the small front of the car has influenced the whole world to move towards civilization. What a noble and interesting profession it is to be a train driver. I have been waiting for this day for a long time~]
"Okay, okay, I'll cooperate with you. Drive on time!" Shangluo turned the speed control handle clockwise and adjusted it to first gear.
[Okay, now start accelerating. I'll do the rest. You move up a gear every three seconds. Upgrade, upshift! 】
...
In just ten minutes, Shangluo felt as if a century had passed. As expected, being a driver is a professional job. Just operating the speed control handle kept him from stopping for ten minutes. But this also surprised him, because it was the first time that Apollonia had a strong interest in something. She really likes trains.
[Ah, happy time is so short, there is only one stop. 】
This train can only have one stop. One stop away is the main line of Xiamafang Subway Station, and it will be troublesome to walk further out. Because the car was not in any of the dispatch room records, no one knew it was just a wall away from the main line.
At half past six in the morning, the early train was about to pull into the station. Separated by a wall, passengers have already entered the Xiamafang subway station.
Shangluo also got off the train here - if he drove a little further, other passengers in the subway station would be able to see the mini train entering the station.
Directly opposite the car door, there is a small door that looks like an employee passage. According to Zhu Xianxen's introduction, he got off here before, and then entered the station through the staff passage to catch the main train.
"Wait..." After standing on the platform, Shangluo discovered an important problem: "It's over! I entered the station without buying a ticket, what should I do when I get off? I can't evade the fare on the first day of school. ! And there is no way to escape. There are people cutting the corners of tickets at every ticket gate. You can’t get out without a ticket.”
[It’s okay, your acting skills are pretty good, right? Just say you lost your ticket and go get a replacement one. 】
"But I can't always say I lost my ticket, right? I don't just use it once."
[Well... now it's time to test your acting skills. 】
...
"Uncle~" Shangluo stood outside the ticket window, still carrying his schoolbag.
"Is something wrong?" The old man at the ticket window raised his glasses and glanced at him.
"I accidentally lost my ticket. I thought..."
The old man inside suddenly lit up:
"You bought the ticket when you entered the station, and then lost it at the platform, so you came up to replace it? From Xiamafang to Confucius Temple, right? Why is there another one?"
"No, no, no, from Xiamafang to Mount Wutai. Was there the same thing before?"
"When I first came to work here, there was a kid about your age who came to my place every two days to pay for tickets, and he always wore a mask. I think he's been around for quite a while now, and I still see him occasionally... Are you going to Mount Wutai? Look at your student ID and I’ll give you a half-price student ticket. Yes, it’s done, 5 cents is just right. Here’s the ticket for you.”
