[After leaving the station world, you noticed that the barren wasteland was currently nighttime.]
[Estimating the time, you concluded, ’If I’m not mistaken, the time flow between stations and the barren wasteland is synchronized with all the train conductors of this batch, regardless of how long they spent in the station.’]
[To determine the truth of that assumption, you browsed the region chat group for a while and discovered that it was indeed the case.]
[’From the looks of it, it doesn’t matter if a train conductor spent a week in the station world. The barren wasteland’s time is the same for all the train conductors. However, the time flow between station worlds is ultimately different from each other.’]
[’To solve that problem, the World Will has likely used time dilation so that no matter how short or how long the train conductors spent in the station worlds, only a certain number of hours would pass in the station world.’]
[Thinking of this, you realized that you’d technically have a time advantage against other train conductors if you spent all of your dwell time rather than using the early departure feature.]
[After all, a train conductor with a Level 1 Starter Train might only be able to stay for three hours, yet your current train level allowed you to stay for as long as 21 hours.]
[In other words, even if you spent 21 hours in the station world and another train conductor spent 4 hours, the time in the barren wasteland would be the same to all train conductors.]
[From what you discovered, everyone seemed to return to the barren wasteland. Not many train conductors noticed this since not all of them had even upgraded their train yet.]
[Those who could upgrade their train were undoubtedly those with powerful innate talents or were lucky to encounter resource-rich stations, which they could use to trade with other train conductors to obtain the train upgrade materials they wanted.]
[After making that discovery, you informed everyone in the regional chat group.]
[Of course, you weren’t that kind to give them free information. While you did give this one for free, your motive wasn’t pure.]
[Not only did you tell them about the dwell time advantage and whatnot, but you even encouraged them to make use of their time in exploring the station worlds.]
[You used the FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) tactic to make them want to leave their trains and explore the station worlds in order to make use of their time rather than waste it. If they wasted it, then they’d be behind other train conductors.]
[You even fabricated that you discovered other train conductors from earlier batches. Even going as far as mentioning that they were hostile and had attacked you, but managed to fend them off and escape.]
[While some doubted you out of skepticism, others out of delusion, as they didn’t want to believe other train conductors had such a huge head start due to the difference in batches, the majority still believed you.]
[After all, you were the leading train conductor, and one of the biggest proofs of that was the variety and abundance of the items and materials you put up for trade in your trade market.]
[Most of the train conductors had traded with you. Moreover, for items rare enough to be bargained, Jade would handle it in a private message when you were busy.]
[But in most cases, it was you who did it since your Hint Prompt gave you an advantage in knowing just how much they were willing to sell their item for and how low they would be willing to accept it.]
[Checking the regional chat group and seeing most train conductors side with you and believe your deceit, you chuckled, ’One of the natures of humanity is the love to conspire.]
[’I know some of these train conductors had worried about the possibility of train conductors from earlier batches or from other worlds already having an early advantage.’]
[’They only needed a leading figure such as myself to bring light to it, and they’ll come believing it. After all, my words only backed up the conspiracy theories they themselves had formed.’]
[Shaking your head, you pondered, ’These people sure are gullible. No wonder these sheeples got easily manipulated by politicians and the government. Well, I’m benefiting anyway, so it’s fine.’]
[’It’s in my best interest that they take advantage of their dwell time and explore the station worlds more. No matter what, I have the most resources to trade for in this station world.’]
[’By letting them explore the station worlds instead of cowardly staying in their trains, wasting their dwell time, they’ll be able to get the resources exclusive to the station world they stopped at. And since they’ll put it up for trade for either food or train upgrade materials, I’ll be able to take advantage of being the wealthiest train conductor in the region.’]
[’Essentially, they’ll be working for me to get those rare station world items. I wouldn’t even worry about other train conductors benefiting since the best currency to trade is those resources that can improve stats.’]
[’So far, I can use my Lesser Mystic Apples to trade for those relatively rarer items. Even if they ate enough Lesser Mystic Apples to reach the stat cap, they’d only be at Peak Bronze rank at most, which wouldn’t threaten Zenith even if we encounter each other in a Multiplayer-type station.’]
[You concluded, ’Although what I’m doing will undoubtedly increase the mortality rate, the weak would die anyway as the Train Survival World only rewards the strong, talented, and the wise.’]
[’They’ll die anyway if they didn’t progress and only stayed cooped up inside their trains. It’s only a matter of when.’]
[After you deceived most of them for your own benefit and arguably theirs as well, you, Jade, and Scarlet knew that the Extreme Event would start as soon as midnight struck, and it would become the 7th day since the start of the Duo Train Survival Era.]
[However, the three of you weren’t concerned as you and Jade headed to your room to sleep, and Scarlet went to hers.]
["Goodnight, darling."]
["Goodnight, Jade."]