The magical train hurtled towards the enormous city at breakneck speed. From above, the metropolis appeared to have a protected inner sanctum, clearly separated from the rest of the urban sprawl. At the center of this isolated area, a luminous sphere enveloped the entire territory, making it impossible to discern what lay within its boundaries.

In stark contrast to this enigmatic zone, the surrounding city was breathtakingly beautiful. Everywhere one looked, there were sights reminiscent of modern society. As the train finally reached the city limits, it began to decelerate rapidly. Walter, a passenger on this journey, gazed intently through the window, his eyes drinking in the various buildings and unfamiliar sights.

Subconsciously, he compared this place to Earth, disregarding the obvious magical elements such as levitating buildings tethered to the ground by massive chains, or the bizarre creatures that seemed alien to his eyes. Without these otherworldly features and the fragmented memories he had inherited, he might have believed he was still on Earth.

The longer Walter observed this landscape, the more surreal it felt. He almost imagined himself still at his computer, watching the opening sequence of a game. However, when he reached out to touch the cool glass of the train window, the sensation of cold reality grounded him.

Gradually, his gaze shifted from the cityscape where people wielding magical artifacts mingled, their cultures noticeably different from Earth's. In the distance, he finally spotted an enormous dome-shaped barrier - the protective shield of the academy he was heading towards, where the initial part of the game's plot had unfolded. Now, all of this had become his new reality.

"Dear passengers, we will reach our destination in a few minutes. Please be considerate of others and follow the rules," a voice announced from the train's ceiling, startling Walter from his reverie.

Sighing, he looked down at the faint blue glow beneath his seat, suspiciously reminiscent of the barrier surrounding the academy. Following his inherited memories, he extracted a small, thin square object with a weakly pulsating blue light at its center.

As he brought it closer to the blue glow, the square object suddenly stopped blinking for a few seconds. The blue light beneath the seat quickly vanished, revealing what it had concealed - a suitcase belonging to the body's previous owner. The square object, Walter deduced, was clearly for storing items.

Taking another deep breath to calm his nerves in the face of this world's magical manifestations, Walter grasped the suitcase. Moments later, the magical train began to rapidly decelerate until it finally came to a halt.

Walter lifted the suitcase and exited his compartment. In the corridor, other passengers in various attires began to emerge. At first glance, he noticed their clothes were considerably simpler compared to his own.

Drawing on his inherited memories, Walter understood why. Having lost his noble status after being exiled from his family, his predecessor could no longer afford first-class accommodations on the train. As he looked around, Walter felt an involuntary sense of detachment from the other passengers, immediately grasping the reason.

"The arrogance of this bastard is so deeply ingrained that it's affecting even me. This is going to be challenging," he thought with a sigh, forcing himself to move forward.

Following the crowd through the corridor, Walter disembarked from the train. His eyes rapidly scanned his surroundings, taking in the scene that resembled an ordinary station, save for the various magical devices constantly scanning for any suspicious items.

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"Yes, according to the plot, even though this city's defenses are formidable, there are still traitors. Just like in the real world, there are always loopholes," he mused.

Making his way through the throng, subconsciously avoiding physical contact, Walter moved towards the city entrance. Before he could enter, however, he had to pass an identity check.

As he approached, he saw a long queue of people waiting their turn. The path was blocked by high walls with passages in between. Each person would step forward and stop before a tall knight clad in silver armor. Unlike ancient armor, this resembled modern special forces gear from Earth, with its own aesthetic appeal.

The knight, wielding a large sword inscribed with indecipherable markings, waited for each person to stand on a designated spot. A red line on the ground, forming a square, would illuminate as soon as someone stepped inside. After a few seconds, the red light would change to green. Seeing this, the knight would step aside, allowing the person to enter.

Walter knew from both his inherited memories and the game that this was a form of identity verification he would have to pass, much like going through customs.

The queue shortened quickly, with occasional incidents of people being caught, though these had no bearing on Walter. Soon, it was his turn. Stepping forward, he stood in the square and waited.

Simultaneously, he felt something formless pass through his entire body. This sensation lasted about 10 seconds before dissipating. A few moments later, the ground beneath his feet glowed green. The knight stepped aside, granting him passage.

As he walked through the long corridor, he noticed several knights and archers watching him intently from the high walls.

"Just like in the game, this city is very well guarded. Yet, it was almost destroyed during the invasion," he reflected.

Following the others, he finally entered the city. Before his eyes sprawled an enormous metropolis with various buildings. Everywhere, something was happening. In one place, what looked like a large screen displayed people in robes with captions beneath, as if showing news.

Fortunately for Walter, having inherited memories from the body's previous owner, he could read these symbols.

As he watched people going about their business, each with their own destinations, Walter felt momentarily lost. After some contemplation, he decided that reaching the academy was his top priority. The sooner he resolved the issue of protecting himself, the more options he would have for various quests in this city. Ultimately, he thought, he might try to save this city.

His mind raced, leaving him dazed for a few seconds as he contemplated future events. Suddenly, someone appeared before him, snapping him back to reality. Looking at the person who had suddenly materialized, a name immediately sprang to mind: Cyrus Veil.

Cold gray-blue eyes regarded Walter with an appraising look, sending a slight chill down his spine. Cyrus was a well-built man of middle age with some gray hair. Impeccably dressed, at first glance he exuded an air of cleanliness and elegance.

However, Walter knew this man's true identity - the personal bodyguard and butler of the headmistress. A dangerous character who would appear if there was a threat to the academy or the headmistress. Encounters with this person were always perilous, often resulting in failure.

"Welcome to the city of Astraline, Master Walter," the butler Cyrus Veil said, bowing slightly towards Walter.

"Master Walter, my name is Cyrus. I was sent here by Madame Nightshade. Please follow me; I can show you the way." As he spoke, Cyrus gestured towards a beautiful vehicle parked at the roadside. If one could call it a vehicle, as it ran on mana and magic rather than fuel.

Walter hesitated briefly before nodding. Seeing that the butler was leading him, he followed.

Soon they approached the vehicle, which reminded Walter somewhat of modern cars on Earth. However, he didn't dwell on the details. He sat in the designated seat, the door held open by Cyrus.

Cyrus, in turn, sat in the front next to the driver, leaving Walter alone in the back seat.

The vehicle started moving, heading towards the large barrier in the distance.