"Fawkes!" exclaimed Hermione in surprise as she opened the compartment door of a new train.
This time, the compartment wasn't as spacious as the one on the Golden Eagle train. It resembled more of a sleeper compartment on a regular train, with two narrow beds that served as a combination of seating and sleeping, and a small table. Even the window was only half its original size.
A large fiery red bird was calmly perched on the table, giving Tom and Hermione a surprise as they entered.
At least now they didn't have to worry about how to get back to Hogwarts. With Fawkes, the world would be within their reach. For fast deliveries, choose Fawkes.
As the train carried Tom and Hermione through the lands of Siberia, Evans was busy transporting the victims of the Illusory Dream Flower.
It wasn't an easy task, trying to extract a dozen people from under the noses of the KGB required a lot of effort, but Evans managed to do it.
Evans wore a mask, in a darkened room, with a man lying on the table in front of him: an acquaintance of Tom's, the waiter who had acted as an intermediary between Tom and the Illusory Dream Flower in the dining car.
Evans took out his wand, aimed at the waiter's head, and with a flash of a spell, the waiter's skull was severed, exposing the roots that coiled within. These roots trembled slightly in the air. The brain, which should have been inside the head, was nowhere to be seen, leaving only traces of brain tissue on the surface of the roots.
Evans lightly touched the bundle of roots, and they contracted like a living octopus, causing the lifeless body of the waiter to tremble. A look of disgust crossed Evans' face before his wand emitted a flame that reduced everything to ashes.
After turning the bundle of roots into ashes, the waiter's body stopped trembling and died completely.
Evans repeated the process several times, and while there were some differences in the amount of roots, the overall condition was similar. Some roots had even begun to sprout, indicating that if left unchecked, a new Illusory Dream Flower would eventually emerge from the waiter's head. After burning all the roots, Evans let out a deep sigh and stored the last remaining fragments of intact brain tissue, or rather, the culture medium for the Illusory Dream Flower.
After finishing everything, Evans stepped out of the dark room. He had work to do, just like Dumbledore.
Soon, Evans met Dumbledore. Dumbledore appeared a bit more haggard than before, and it was evident that the recent efforts had taken a toll on him.
After listening to Evans' account and seeing the mythical Illusory Dream Flower with his own eyes, Dumbledore rose from his seat, with a serious expression.
"There is something very wrong with that Swiss Auror and his colleagues, and with those who have disappeared... If new Illusory Dream Flowers bloom, the consequences will be unthinkable. We need to act immediately." He led Evans out of his office as quickly as he could.
...
"Is this Vladivostok?" Hermione stepped off the train, feeling the autumn breeze caress her face. It was quite chilly.
"Yes, it's the final stop," replied Tom, lazily stretching himself on the side of Hermione. He had just taken a nap and took the opportunity to visit the Guild.
2 / 2
"I have good news, our mission was approved and now we are rank C members of the Association," Tom shared the good news he had heard. The desert exploration mission he had previously accepted had been classified as a rank D mission. The Association members didn't find anything valuable in the ruins, so a single rank D mission wouldn't have been enough to level up. However, by adding the mission to investigate the train, it was sufficient.
"Excellent," said Hermione, adjusting her wind-tousled hair, leaving a gentle shampoo scent. For wizards, not having a place to bathe on the train was not a problem, they could always solve the issue through magic.
So the two of them spent six days and seven nights on the train, yet their bodies remained clean.
As they stepped onto solid ground, both stretched their necks and flexed their muscles. However, it wasn't the first time in these days that they felt the ground beneath their feet. In fact, the train on the Trans-Siberian Railway didn't cross the entire Eurasian continent at once. It made several intermediate stops, allowing passengers to get off and explore for a while to experience the culture and environment of East Asia and Far East Asia.
But as interesting as those places were, they could only enjoy them for a short time. The train didn't stop for long. The time was enough for passengers to get off, take a stroll, and buy local products since for the local farmers, every passenger-carrying train represented a great business opportunity.
The time aboard the train became boring once it started moving. Although the scenery was beautiful, seeing it every day also became monotonous. Tom and Hermione, at first, were interested in admiring the Siberian landscapes and playing cards with other train passengers, but in the end, they took out their assignments and started studying.
"Hermione, come here!" Tom saw a stone tombstone and beckoned Hermione over. He knew it was the famous place: Monument 9288. The monument stood four meters tall, made of black marble, with a geometric composition of a circle at the bottom and a Russian double-headed eagle emblem at the top of the spire, with the words "9288" inscribed in bronze, marking the distance between the end of the Trans-Siberian Railway and the capital, Moscow, which was 9288 kilometers.
Seeing that there was no one around the monument, Tom quickly called Hermione to take a photo together there. As for the camera, that was not a problem at all, as there were some street vendors around the train stop offering photo development services.
"Three, two, one, cheese!" accompanied by a flash, the figure of Tom and Hermione was forever imprinted in the photograph. After a while, they got their photo together.
The two were together, Hermione snuggled in Tom's arms, the sun shining on their faces, and everything was frozen in that moment.
"After seeing moving pictures, it's a bit strange to see static photos," Hermione laughed as she looked at the two motionless figures in the photo.
"It's quite special," Tom handed the photo to Hermione and looked towards a corner of the station. "It's also time to return to Hogwarts."
In the corner of the station, Fawkes was standing on a small platform preening his feathers. Clearly, Fawkes was waiting for Tom and Hermione.
"There is still much to do..." Tom sighed as he placed his hand on Fawkes' tail.
In the next moment, the two vanished from the spot.