On the third day of morning training, Pat's curiosity got the better of him. "Reddy, what's that big iron wheel and that iron chair in the corner of the yard for? Are they Alisa and Schrader's toys?"
Reddy shook his head. "They're not toys. They were training equipment I used back in the day. The kids could play with them if they wanted, I guess, but they don't like to."
"Training equipment? I don't get it." Pat studied the two items closely, completely unable to see what they had to do with training.
"When I was a kid, I was playing in the woods one day and accidentally stirred up a hornet's nest. Countless hornets came swarming at me. I was so scared I closed my eyes and just started wildly swinging the stick in my hand. I knocked down a ton of them, but I still got stung all over. My head was covered in bumps, my whole body was bruised and swollen. I had to stay home for over a month to recover. That hornet incident left a deep psychological scar on me. Don't laugh — that's what the Master says." Reddy looked at Pat, who was snickering, and frowned.
"Alright, alright, sorry, my bad. Keep going." Pat apologized to Reddy.
"I learned swordsmanship from my father first. Then, once I came to
"But you're pretty good with a sword now, aren't you? You didn't have that problem when we sparred yesterday, did you?" Pat couldn't imagine Reddy having a habit of closing his eyes. The previous evening, he'd sparred with Reddy, and what really irked him was that he, a
"Of course I don't have that problem anymore. The Master cured me. With those two things. That big wheel is called the Hollow Wheel, and that iron chair is called the Swivel Chair," said Reddy.
"Hollow Wheel? Swivel Chair? Those two things cured your habit of closing your eyes? Tell me, how did they do it?" Pat's interest was piqued.
Well, not long after I started following the Master, he noticed my habit of closing my eyes. He patiently asked me why I habitually closed them. Eventually, he helped me remember running into a wasp nest when I was a kid. The Master said those wasps left a shadow in my heart, making me shut my eyes to avoid seeing the danger whenever I encountered any. It's called ostrich mentality. Don't ask me what an ostrich is. The Master said it's a bird that lives in the desert. When it meets an enemy, it sticks its head in the sand, thinking that if it can't see the enemy, it's safe. Tell me, is there really a bird that dumb?
"What happened next?" Pat asked, listening intently.
"The Master said curing this habit the normal way would take a long time. He'd have to provide some psychological counseling and gradually change my fear of danger. But he also said there was a quick treatment method that would be painful and hard to bear, but it could grant me a visual ability that slows down fast-moving objects in my eyes. As long as I could perceive things without feeling they were dangerously fast, I wouldn't instinctively close my eyes. The problem would naturally heal itself," Reddy said.
"You chose the quick treatment, didn't you?" Pat asked.
"Of course I did. When the Master asked me which method I wanted, I naturally chose the quick one. So he had this Hollow Wheel and Swivel Chair made. I just never expected those two things to be so terrifying. It took me a full two months to adapt to them and get used to it. Then the Master said I was cured. He brought over a wasp nest, smeared honey all over my body, handed me a sword, and told me to focus and stab them all down. I was scared to death at first, but once the wasps were released, I really did notice that their speed seemed to slow down a lot. I could even clearly see the trembling of their wings. I easily stabbed them all to death with my sword." Reddy had a pained look as he recalled the treatment, but his excitement was clear when he talked about the results.
"The Master said the visual ability I have now is called Dynamic Vision. As long as I concentrate, I can perceive the trajectory of fast-moving objects. Like yesterday, Brother Pat, when we sparred. I could see every single sword move you aimed at me with perfect clarity, making it effortless to counter. Even though you're a Black Iron three-star, you couldn't get the better of me, a mere Bronze three-star. That's why we ended up in a draw." Reddy was beaming with pride.
Pat looked at the Hollow Wheel and Swivel Chair in the corner, his mind racing. "Reddy, if I trained with that Hollow Wheel and Swivel Chair just like you, could I gain the same Dynamic Vision ability?"
Reddy was startled. "Probably. I heard the Master say those two things were originally used to train ordinary people to have Dynamic Vision. If you want, I can go ask the Master if he'll allow it. But Brother Pat, the training process is genuinely excruciating and painful. You might even feel like death is better. You should think it over."
Pat shook his head. "No need to think it over. If I had the same Dynamic Vision ability as you, my strength would definitely take another step forward. Then I could protect the young lord even better. I'll go ask the young lord myself."
"I'll go ask for you!" Reddy suddenly got excited, turned around, and ran toward the house.
Pat touched the hollow training wheel and swivel chair, mulling it over. "These two things look so simple. Are they really as terrible and unbearable as Reddy made them sound? Could he be trying to scare me?"
It wasn't long before Reddy came running back, brimming with excitement. "Brother Pat, the Master agreed! But he said if you're going to train, you have to stick to it. No quitting halfway."
Pat said, "I promise I'll see it through to the end. I won't stop halfway. I swear."
"Great! How about we start right now? The Master said to give you the same training I went through. It'll guarantee you develop the same Dynamic Vision ability as me." Reddy seemed to be gloating a little.
Maybe it's just my imagination? Pat thought to himself.
Just then, the rumble of carriage wheels came from outside the courtyard gate. It was Sister Cory returning from a big shopping trip at the market in the commercial district, having taken the neighborhood's public carriage.
Reddy and Pat went over to help her carry the bags of goods from the carriage to the warehouse.
Reddy asked, "Sister Cory, what's for lunch?"
Cory said, "We're having steak for lunch, along with fish stew, a vegetable salad, fruit pudding, and Elisa's favorite chicken legs."
"Mm, Sister Cory, you can leave out one portion of steak for lunch. No need to let it go to waste," Reddy said.
"What? Is the young master not coming back for lunch?" asked Cory.
Reddy laughed. "It's not the young master. You'll find out soon enough..."
------------------ Divider ------------------ The night was deep and all was silent. Even the frogs at Moon Lake, which were always noisy, had quieted down significantly.
Outside the window, silver moonlight quietly bathed the silent
He looked at the hourglass on the table. It must be around two in the morning. But Lorist was still not sleepy. After hesitating for a long time, he decided to take a walk by Moon Lake, hoping that it might calm his heart.
August had passed, and it should now be September 1st. The academy was officially on vacation.
A few days earlier, Chairman Peterson had delivered a box containing thirty gold notes to Lorist and repeatedly thanked the instructors and assistants of the instruction group, because the Peterson young master and the remaining dozens of students had awakened their
Dean Levins also distributed the promised bonus of one thousand gold Fords. Together with Chairman Peterson's three thousand gold coins and the remaining funds from previous months, the total bonuses came to over four thousand. Lorist, as the head instructor, took three hundred; Hughes, Marlin, and Anfia, the three deputy head instructors, each took two hundred gold coins. The twenty-four instructors each received one hundred, and the twenty-four instructor assistants each received fifty in bonuses. Everyone was overjoyed. The remaining dozen gold coins were used for celebration, and they partied all night at the Red Crow Tavern, with Lorist being force-fed three times to the point of vomiting.
As for the duels on the Open Challenge Day, Lorist finally confirmed his title of "Invincible Silver" with three thousand consecutive victories. Now that the event was over, Dawn Academy had already arranged for its sculpture department instructors and students to take comprehensive and meticulous measurements of his body. When the next semester started, a life-sized bronze statue of Lorist would stand in the academy. The story of Black Iron Rock and the Invincible Silver was destined to become an eternal legend of Dawn Academy.
In a few more days, the accounts at Ell would be fully settled. Lorist would then pocket another twenty-six thousand Gold Forde in dividends. Added to what was saved at home, his total wealth would reach nearly thirty thousand gold coins, a truly colossal fortune. He could be considered a wealthy man in Morant City, comfortably well-off. Even if he did nothing and lived idly for ten years, it wouldn't matter.
The next semester wouldn't start until October, and the academy was unlikely to assign Lorist any more tasks. He could comfortably stay at home and enjoy himself, or form a party with close friends and go on an adventure somewhere. That was how he had always done things. Now that the academy affairs were over and the vacation had begun, he should logically have felt relaxed and unburdened. Yet Lorist always felt a heavy weight pressing on his heart, making his food tasteless and his sleep restless. Like tonight, Lorist found himself suffering from insomnia once again.
The light of the silver moon spilled over Moon Lake, sparkling on its rippling surface.
Lorist sat on a rock by the lakeside, watching the water ruffled by the night breeze, silently brooding…
Yes, he was indeed running away. In the past few days, he had been able to use the duels, the Combat Force initiation class, and other academy affairs as excuses to keep himself busy, avoiding having to make that decision. Now that everything was finished, he finally had to face that choice.
Why go back to inherit the territory? It was a completely strange place with completely strange people. On top of that, he would have to resolve the family's difficulties. It was a pit of fire. Was being a lord really that great? Lorist couldn't understand. He had lived in Morant City for ten years. He knew everything here. Here were his friends, his work, his legend. This was his home.
The territory simply couldn't compare with this place. It was far too remote and backward.
But why did his heart always feel a throb of unease? There seemed to be a voice of discontent deep within, calling him to leave this place and return to his homeland to inherit the territory. Perhaps this was the soul imprint left in this body by the
Yes, he had already made his decision. Staying in Morant City and refusing to return to the territory to be a remote country lord had created a conflict with the soul imprint hidden in this body's very bones. That was why he felt so troubled, restless, and suffered from symptoms like insomnia. If this continued, who knew how much more his body could be tortured. Perhaps it wouldn't matter if he could just hold out until March next year. By then, the family territory would choose the Baron's illegitimate son as its lord, and it wouldn't have anything to do with him anymore.
What did it matter that he was an illegitimate son? Wasn't he still carrying on the Baron's bloodline? Why make such a clear distinction? Suddenly, a violent tremor seized his heart, and a wave of chills swept over his entire body.
"Ah-choo!" Lorist sneezed loudly.
"Alright, alright. An illegitimate son is an illegitimate son. Naturally, he can't compare to me, the legitimate heir, can he? Little Lock, we are two in one now. My soul, your body. If anything happens to either of us, neither of us will feel good. Please, stop making a fuss, will you?" Lorist whispered the plea to his own body. His heart gradually calmed down, but Lorist seemed to hear a faint sobbing voice: I want to go home, I want to go home...
Yeah... I want to go home too. Little Lock, you can still go back to your home. But my home... I can never go back again...
Lorist sat on a rock by the lake, silently weeping. By the time the horizon was faintly lit, the tear tracks on his face had already dried. Lorist stood up and said to the newborn sun, "Little Lock, let's go home together."