Could it be that I’m at odds with trains?
Ronald’s steps froze in place as his gaze slowly twisted.
First, he reached up to pat his cheeks, then he turned to look back at the steam train behind him.
The Dongfeng, which had just left the platform, was now back on the station tracks, completely defying logic.
Even the steam spewing from the front of the train was identical to what Ronald had just witnessed.
He had been careful not to actively search for the Magic Book, and yet it seemed to have sought him out on its own?
Or was someone in Greenwich casting some strange spell?
He pondered for less than two breaths before a judgment emerged in his mind.
"Is it the original text again..."
Back when Arita was still around, Ronald had asked his partner some questions about this world’s knowledge of the mystical arts.
At least now he had a certain understanding of them.
Being able to transport an entire train back in silence was not something a normal Caster could achieve.
Even if it were possible, it would undoubtedly require a large amount of setup or some rather conspicuous movements.
The incident that had happened in an instant...
The only explanation was that another Magic Book had appeared here.
So, how should he solve this problem?
Ronald stood at the edge of the station platform, the same cold breeze as before slapping his face.
In the few minutes he’d been thinking, the Dongfeng had left the station again.
And then it came back again.
The whole process was like having just watched a movie, and then the projectionist instantly restarting the film from the beginning.
Was it Time Retrospection...
Or simply the physical movement of an object?
While considering this question, Ronald threw his gaze towards the passengers on the Dongfeng.
Through the windows, the postures of the passengers on the train were plainly visible.
None of them showed noticeable panic or confusion.
Time had returned to the phase Ronald had just experienced.
The oblivious reactions of the passengers on the Dongfeng undoubtedly proved this.
Otherwise, there was no reason for these people not to panic as the Dongfeng repeatedly returned to the station.
"This is troublesome..."
His gaze swept over the entire platform.
In reality, it wasn’t just the Dongfeng—aside from Ronald himself, even the people around had fallen into the loop of time.
When it came to issues with time...
He hoped this wouldn’t turn into something out of "Relativity" or the like.
After all, this was Time Retrospection!
No matter how hard he racked his brains, Ronald couldn’t figure out the origin of it all.
Given the inseparable relationship between time and gravity, as well as the concept of the curvature of space-time.
Human history had no shortage of topics related to the study of time.
"The Electrodynamics of Moving Bodies," which carried the theory of relativity, "On the Hypotheses that Lie at the Foundations of Geometry," which pioneered Riemannian geometry...
To list them in detail, there were certainly no lack of significant works.
And if we expand to ancient mythology, there’s a long list of deities related to time as well.
Chronos from Greek mythology, the Three Fates from Norse mythology, Zurvan from Persian mythology...
None of these figures were easy to mess with.
What kind of spell related to time reversal could be guided from which Magic Book?
It was unimaginable, completely unimaginable.
In any case, the first step was to now leave the platform area.
Determine the scope of this phenomenon, and then it would be possible to start the next phase of the investigation.
Ronald skillfully adjusted his clothes and walked outside.
An even more incomprehensible event unfolded before his eyes.
This time, the roar of the train disappeared into the distance and did not reappear.
After distancing himself from the station platform, to his surprise, he saw the Dongfeng Express leaving!
It left as normally as could be, accelerating smoothly!
Had the spell failed?
Or had the original text been directly destroyed?
The patterns that had just appeared before him collapsed in an instant, and Ronald could not make heads or tails of it.
There were no anomalies or sudden events at the entire train station.
But the fact was right before his eyes!
The worst hypothesis came to Ronald’s mind.
"In a world that has undergone transformation, the people inside are unable to perceive it."
Alyda had clearly explained this principle to him before.
Had he been so negligent during his month’s worth of shifts that he ended up being devoured by this transformed world without any warning?
Had the Gred Mysterious Event Investigation Bureau, a national official organization, not noticed anything unusual here?
That would be preposterous!
For a time, Ronald himself was uncertain of what to do next.
In such a peculiar environment, any misstep could lead to very dire consequences.
"I can’t just stand here, dumbfounded."
After hesitating for quite some time, Ronald shook his head in resignation and opened his lips to let the cold air of the station flow into his body.
Releasing the tension, Ronald took ten standard deep breaths on the spot.
Unless in extreme environments like arctic plateaus, when faced with danger or troublesome situations, the best method is not to forcefully maintain mental clarity through willpower alone.
It is a rather esoteric practice, sometimes effective, other times not.
The truly effective and reliable action was deep breathing.
Inhaling air to the fullest extent, allowing oxygen to enter through the alveoli into the body, transported to every part by red blood cells. An increase in blood oxygen saturation allows all organs and systems, including the brain, to function fully.
A more stable mood, more efficient thinking, and a clearer perception.
These were indeed significant changes.
Feeling his vitality gradually increasing, Ronald made his first choice:
"Let’s try to get out first."
He was not far from the platform.
Following the direction the tracks led out, he would first see if he could directly leave this bizarre temporal region.
If he could escape the danger directly, that would be ideal.
With an expression of careful precision, Ronald began walking smoothly towards the other side of the platform.
However, after only a few steps, an even more bewildering scene emerged!
After moving only about ten meters, the Dongfeng Express inexplicably reappeared on the platform!
The passengers on the train, the steam of the engine, the station workers disembarking from the train.
Be it objects or humans, everything had reverted to its original state, just like before!
Silently observing the scene before him, Ronald let his right hand fall to his side, and his footsteps gradually quickened.
He had casually put on his jacket when leaving the office.
This jacket was something Ronald had specifically purchased.
The feature was that the cuffs were very loose—
So loose that when he summoned the Magic Book in his hand, it wouldn’t be visible from the outside!