"Oh, Reidi, don't just stand there laughing. From now on, Schwede's cultivation progress will depend on your guidance — that's your duty as the senior disciple. Oh, I just remembered — a few months ago when you advanced to Silver rank and I took you on as a family knight, I never gave you a gift. Tell me, what kind of gift do you want?"
Honestly, Lorist was extremely satisfied with the two disciples he had taken in. Reidi was taciturn, loyal, and hardworking. He possessed tremendous natural strength, an exceptional physique, and outstanding comprehension — to put it in two words, he was quietly brilliant. Having followed Lorist for over four years, he had advanced from Bronze Two-Star all the way to Silver rank. One could say he progressed a tier every year, advancing remarkably fast. The once-ignorant youth had now become an impressive
Reidi did something that surprised Lorist — he walked up to Lorist's desk and suddenly dropped to one knee. "Master, I want to learn that internal force you spoke of..."
Lorist nearly fainted. Well, to explain: he had described his family's inherited Gold Water Art as a lost cultivation method of Eastern warrior monks in order to impress Princess Sylvia and her Great Swordmaster godmother Cindy. Whether those two women had actually been impressed was still unclear, but Reidi, who had been at his side the whole time, had clearly been completely hooked.
"Cough, cough, cough..." Lorist nearly choked on his tea. It took him a while to stop coughing before he stood up. "Reidi, you need to think this through carefully. With your aptitude and the high-tier combat arts manual I gave you, if you continue training methodically, becoming a Gold Knight is practically guaranteed. Once you reach the peak of Gold rank, you might even gain insight and advance to Great Swordmaster."
"It's not that I don't want to teach you, but the way internal force is cultivated is completely different from combat arts. You'd essentially have to relearn an entirely foreign body of knowledge, and I can't guarantee you'll be able to master it. I only took that path because I had no other choice back then. You're much luckier than I was — you don't need to take those kinds of risks. Besides, you should have heard me mention it to Princess Sylvia. I'm completely clueless about how to advance my own cultivation further, utterly at a loss..."
"Do you still want to learn internal force? When I started learning, I was still at Black Iron rank — I really had no choice. Once you learn internal force, you can never advance in combat arts again. You're already at Silver rank, and if you pick this up, I have no idea what might happen. This concerns your future. I really don't recommend it."
"Master, I want to learn..." Reidi raised his head, his gaze firm.
Reidi had many admirable qualities, but that stubborn streak hadn't changed one bit.
Lorist was silent for a moment, then waved his hand. "You're both dismissed. Let me think about this carefully. Reidi, I'll give you three days. Think it over properly, then give me your answer."
"All right, Master." Reidi and Schwede both withdrew.
Lorist tapped his fingers on the desk. He understood Reidi's character well — once this kid set his mind on something, there was no turning back. Over four years of daily companionship had made Reidi the person he trusted most. Put it this way — with this kid's aptitude and temperament, even his grandfather from his previous life would have been moved to take him on as a disciple without a second thought. What Lorist hesitated over wasn't whether to teach him, but whether Reidi could actually learn it, and what consequences it might have for his future.
After all, this was knowledge from two entirely different civilizational systems, two entirely different cultivation methods. The Gold Water Art was a family heirloom from his previous life, restricted to those of the family bloodline. While Lorist had no real concern about such restrictions, in this strange other world, it was his foundation for survival — it was wise to keep something in reserve.
If Reidi insisted on learning, Lorist planned to teach him the Danhai Qi Induction Technique. It was also an internal cultivation method. Compared to the Gold Water Art, the Danhai technique was far more balanced and moderate. It was an internal method that his ancestors in his previous life had developed by improving upon a Daoist longevity art, divided into five layers. Easy at first, then progressively harder. The first two layers were simple — guiding qi into the body, developing qi sensitivity, and conditioning the physique, with excellent health-preserving effects. The last three layers grew progressively more difficult, and those who mastered them were all exceptional in their era.
Lorist's grandfather had once told him that during the late Qing Dynasty, an ancestor had taken in a homeless orphan as a disciple. The boy practiced diligently for thirty years, reaching the fifth layer, where he could rival the famous grandmasters of the Republican era. He became widely renowned in the martial arts world. Later, when foreign invaders attacked, he joined the battlefield to defend his homeland, earning great military distinction. Then, during a major battle, he mysteriously vanished on the battlefield and was never heard from again.
Perhaps teaching Reidi the Danhai Qi Induction Technique was a good idea. For one thing, it would leave the footprints of that ancient civilization from his previous world in this world of combat arts, and allow the Norton Family to develop its own distinctive cultivation tradition. Even if he eventually decided to pass the Gold Water Art down to his own descendants, it wouldn't seem too unusual. Moreover, the Danhai Qi Induction Technique was originally what his ancestors had used to teach non-bloodline disciples — it didn't carry the harsh restrictions of the Gold Water Art and its prohibition against cultivation by those outside the bloodline.
For another, Lorist was genuinely curious. He wanted to see what kind of changes would occur if Reidi practiced the Danhai Qi Induction Technique. He could use this opportunity to understand what the fusion of internal force and combat arts might produce. At this thought, Lorist smiled wickedly. Poor Reidi had no idea that if he insisted on learning internal force, he would become Lorist's experimental guinea pig.
Having made up his mind, Lorist wasted no more time. He took out paper and pen and began writing and sketching.
Three days later, Reidi stood before Lorist once more.
"You've made your decision? No regrets?" Lorist asked.
Reidi didn't speak — he simply nodded.
"...in your mind, memorize everything on this diagram thoroughly."
Reidi took the diagram and studied it, then asked curiously, "Master, what do these acupoints marked on the human body mean? And what are these meridians?"
"Acupoints — you can think of them as nodes in the flow of qi through the blood circulation. They're connected to the blood vessels in some ways, but also distinct from them. As for meridians, they're not visible in the body like blood vessels, but you can imagine them as an illusory circulatory system. What flows through them isn't blood, but internal force. Your task right now is to memorize the location of every acupoint on this diagram, then visualize where the meridians lie within the human body."
Lorist sighed. "Reidi, this is a cultivation method completely different from the combat arts you're familiar with. You must overturn your existing concepts. First, memorize everything on this human body diagram by heart, and then I'll guide you through qi induction and the direction of internal force. This is a gamble. I don't know if your cultivation will succeed, and the future is uncertain. Are you absolutely certain you want to learn internal force cultivation?"
Reidi nodded firmly. "Master, I want to learn. If I continue cultivating combat arts, I'll advance to Gold Knight gradually, just as you said. Perhaps one day I might become a Great Swordmaster, but that would take forever — I'd probably be forty or fifty by then. But if I learn internal force from you, then maybe like you, I could defeat a Great Swordmaster before the age of thirty."
Lorist suddenly understood — so that was it. He had once told Princess Sylvia that at eighteen, unable to break through to Silver rank, he had chosen to study the secret arts of the Eastern warrior monks. Now he was twenty-eight, having cultivated internal force for only ten years, yet he had defeated Great Swordmaster Cindy. No wonder Reidi had been dwelling on it.
Reidi was twenty today, having just advanced to Silver rank. If he continued with combat arts, in ten years he should become a Gold Knight, but there was absolutely no way he'd reach Great Swordmaster. But learning internal force? In ten years, he might truly become another Lorist — slaughtering Gold Knights like chickens and standing alone against Great Swordmasters. With his competitive, never-back-down temperament, of course he would insist on learning internal force.
Lorist burst out laughing. He stood and walked over to Reidi, ruffling his hair. "Work hard. As long as you memorize everything on this human body diagram, you can take the first step. During this time, I'll be monitoring your progress closely. Don't let your master down."
...
Schwede knocked twice on the door, and upon hearing Lorist's voice, entered.
Pushing the door open, Schwede reported respectfully, "My lord, Master Hied and Master Farin have arrived. They've also brought several suits of armor."
Lorist stood up. "Let's go take a look."
When they reached the second-floor reception room, Master Hied was directing several servants in arranging seven suits of armor.
Lorist had written to Master Hied back when he left Gilduesque City to escort Princess Sylvia home. In the letter, he had informed Master Hied about the
Seeing Lorist arrive with Schwede, Master Hied hurried over. "My lord, as per your instructions, I have designed and completed these seven refined iron standardized armors — three traditional-style and four integrated-style..."
"How's the defensive performance?" That was Lorist's primary concern. If the defense was too poor, they wouldn't sell.
"My lord, rest assured. Although it only has fifty percent of our family's standard steel armor's defensive power, it's comparable to the White Lion Fine Armor. We conducted tests — firing our family's chariot steel crossbows at these armors, it took a direct-range distance of two hundred and sixty meters to penetrate, ten meters less than the White Lion Fine Armor's two hundred and seventy. I suspect it's because the quality of our family's black iron ore is simply too good." When it came to these iron armors, Master Hied's words flowed endlessly, his face brimming with pride.
"What's the cost?" Lorist asked.
Master Hied glanced around, then discreetly held up two fingers and said softly, "My lord, under twenty Gold Forde..."
Lorist was very satisfied. He quietly replied, "When the time comes, mark it up four times. Understood?"
Master Hied chuckled. "My lord, I was just about to mention — back in the day, the Krisen Empire's cost to produce a single suit of White Lion Fine Armor was one hundred and fifty imperial gold coins. In those days, when the empire was powerful, the exchange rate with Gold Forde wasn't the current three-to-one. Factored in, that came to one hundred and eight Gold Forde. In your letter, you said to keep costs low and sell each set of standardized armor for forty to fifty Gold Forde. I think that's far too cheap — we need to mark it up at least two or three times."
Lorist laughed. "Fine, Master Hied. Take a couple of days to rest. When the representatives from those three families arrive, introduce them to these armors. If we can sell above eighty, I'll give your armor-smithing department a ten Gold Forde rebate per set, for you to distribute as bonuses to the hardworking craftsmen."
Master Hied stroked his goatee with satisfaction. "Leave it to me, my lord."
So when Count Kemmes,
Lorist spread his hands helplessly. "I'm sorry. Though I'm the lord, I can't go against Master Hied's wishes. He's the only armor master in our family — his position is exalted. I can only go along with his arrangements. Otherwise, if he left the family, I'd have no one to cry to."
After all, every noble family would coddle and pamper such a figure — he was the guarantee of a family's military strength. Everyone could understand Lorist's helplessness. They might as well hear Master Hied's introduction first.
Master Hied was, naturally, eloquently persuasive, praising these seven suits of armor to the heavens. To give the three noble lords a direct comparison, he even had three suits of White Lion Fine Armor brought in for side-by-side performance evaluation.
Count Kemmes had his eye on a suit painted a bright silver color. This armor had three distinguishing features: first, the silver-plated surface was rust-resistant, gleaming brilliantly and extremely eye-catching; second, the entire suit offered comprehensive protection, essentially a combination of plate and chain armor, appearing particularly solid and substantial. Among the seven standardized armors, Master Hied boasted that this suit's defensive performance was the best — at least ten percent superior to the White Lion Fine Armor, which was the biggest draw for Count Kemmes; third, it was the most expensive, at one hundred Gold Forde per set, non-negotiable.
However, Count Kemmes had a question: why was this armor painted such a bright silver, while the Norton family's standardized armor was silver-gray?
Master Hied shot Lorist a contemptuous look before answering Count Kemmes. "That lord is too stingy — he mixed half the silver with lead..."
Count Kemmes burst out laughing. "Fine, I'll take this armor. Start with twenty thousand sets, and depending on how things go, I might want another ten thousand."
With Count Kemmes making the first move, Baron Shahin and Baron Philim followed without hesitation. Hennade took a set of the standardized refined iron armor priced at eighty Gold Forde — ten thousand sets. Baron Philim chose a standardized armor designed for cavalry, priced at eighty-five Gold Forde — also ten thousand sets. To Lorist's surprise, none of the three haggled over price, placing their orders with remarkable promptness.
Lorist was puzzled. "Why are you three so eager? Did you strike gold or something?"
Count Kemmes laughed. "You don't know, Locke? Some time ago, we made contact with Grand Duke Madras. We resold the iron armor we'd originally bought from you to him — good quality at eighty per set, inferior ones at forty to fifty Gold Forde. Now our only problem is that we don't have enough of it. Grand Duke Madras wants to establish two regular legions — he needs at least a hundred thousand sets. So after buying and reselling, what we actually spent on your family's standardized armor comes to only about two to three hundred thousand Gold Forde."
Lorist gave a thumbs up. "Impressive. Since that's the case, I have another business opportunity — our family still has tens of thousands of sets of old iron armor from previous equipment changes. Help me sell those to Grand Duke Madras. I'll give you ten percent of the profits. Then, please use all our family's profits to purchase grain and ship it back. I'll give you another ten percent on that — ten percent in, ten percent out, twenty percent total profit. Interested?"
Count Kemmes slapped his palm. "Only a fool would pass up a deal like that. But why doesn't your family just trade with the Madras Duchy directly?"
Lorist pointed at Hennade with a wry smile. "He knows. Back in the day, when our Norton Family defeated Duke
Hennade nodded with a grin.
"Fine, I'll take the deal. It'll fall under the Snow Salt Consortium. But Locke, you really aren't playing fair. You already sold us the snow salt at a price of one million pounds for ten thousand Gold Forde. We paid up and took delivery, so technically our transactions are no longer tied to your family. Why did you still want to insert yourself into the Snow Salt Consortium and take another ten percent of our profits?" Count Kemmes brought up the oversight from when they'd signed the agreement last time.
Lorist shrugged. "I can withdraw from the Snow Salt Consortium, if you prefer. Starting next time, I'll just double the price of snow salt..."
"Forget it, forget it — you'd better stay in the consortium..." Count Kemmes said, thoroughly defeated.
...(To be continued.)