Stepping out of the academy's finance department,
The Swordsmanship Society still had three gold Forde in subsidies called "office expense allowances," and the Combat Force Instructor Group had five gold coins in benefit subsidies. Combined, his income this month came to thirty-eight gold coins. Lorist was quite satisfied with his current life, because he had once used
Lorist was indeed the highest-paid instructor at
Academy Instructor Assistants received only one gold coin per month in benefit subsidies. Those who performed well would be hired as Trainee Assistants with a monthly salary of two gold coins, for a three-month probationary period. Upon completion, they became officially hired instructors. If they were
Silver Instructors' salaries came in four tiers: five gold coins for the first three years, six for the next three, seven for the three after that, and if an instructor taught at the academy for over ten years, the salary was fixed at eight gold Forde per month.
Dawn Academy's Golden Instructors were paid according to their strength. One-Star Gold earned ten gold Forde per month. Two-Star Gold, fifteen gold coins. Three-Star Gold—instructor Kruder's tier—earned twenty gold coins per month. If Instructor Kruder could break through the peak of the Gold rank and become a Great Swordmaster, his salary would be at least fifty gold Forde.
When Lorist had first received the Ikado badge and been granted the academy's Golden Instructor待遇, the finance department had argued furiously over how much to pay him. Some insisted on using the One-Star Gold Instructor salary as the standard. Others questioned whether, since Instructor Lorist had originally been a Black Iron Instructor at the academy and was now receiving Golden Instructor pay thanks to the Ikado badge, they should still pay the Black Iron salary as well. The matter was ultimately escalated to Dean Levins for a final decision. Dean Levins ruled that the Two-Star Gold Instructor salary would apply, and the Black Iron salary would be dropped. Thus Lorist's monthly salary became fifteen gold coins, and then when he obtained the Combat Force Golden Instructor badge as well, his salary doubled once more.
This was exactly why
Leaving the Swordsmanship Society, Lorist headed to the Combat Force Instructor Group office. As Chief Instructor, he first signed the benefit distribution list that Instructor Anfia handed him, authorizing the payout, then signed his own name below and collected his five gold Forde. He was just turning to leave when Instructor Marlin called out to stop him.
Marlin extended his hand. "Lend me some money. I'll pay you back tomorrow."
"Hm? How much?"
"As much as possible—ideally everything you've got. I'll return it tomorrow," Marlin said.
"Huh?" Lorist fished out his pouch and tossed it to Marlin, thoroughly curious. "Brother Marlin, what do you need the money for? And you're paying it back tomorrow—what's so urgent?"
Instructor Anfia beside them burst out laughing. "We borrowed some too, also to be returned tomorrow. Every time Marlin gets his salary, he has to turn the whole thing over to his wife, so he's always scratching his head about how to scrape together drinking money. That's why he just came up with a brilliant scheme—he plans to exploit the time gap, use the borrowed money along with his salary to put together a bit of private stash, so he won't have to worry about drinking money in the future."
"What brilliant scheme? Borrow today and return tomorrow, and somehow end up with enough private money to drink worry-free for the rest of your life? Even loan sharks don't make that much in a single night!" Lorist racked his brain but couldn't figure out Marlin's money-making plan.
"Actually, this scheme has everything to do with you," Instructor Anfia said with a grin.
"With me? What is it?"
"Tomorrow is the academy's duel day again, isn't it? Your opponent is Clearwater Academy, ranked seventeenth—nothing to worry about, probably just a formality. So Marlin is planning to pool a hundred gold coins to bet on you winning. Sure, one large silver coin only wins one small silver coin, but a hundred gold coins combined would net twenty gold coins in profit—enough for Marlin to drink for years," Instructor Anfia explained.
"If I actually win, won't the Dean go ballistic? Brother Marlin, you've really got some nerve—borrowing my money to bet on me winning. What happens if I lose? If you want drinks, I'll treat—how about the Red Crow Tavern tonight?"
Marlin just grinned like the scoundrel he was. "If you lose, that's your own problem. Drinking is always better when you buy it yourself. Besides, if you treat once or twice, that's fine, but any more and I'd lose face. Freeloading drinks every day—that's just too embarrassing."
"Aren't you afraid the Dean will come down on you? You're basically snatching money from the academy, you know."
"For the sake of alcohol, brother, I'm willing to risk it. Besides, we can say this is the Combat Force Instructor Group showing our support and encouragement for you. Tomorrow morning, every instructor and assistant who's free will go cheer you on—that way the academy won't be able to do anything to us."
"Fine. Since you've all got it figured out, there's nothing more I can say. Just stay up tonight and pray that I don't stumble into a ditch tomorrow." Lorist walked toward the door, then suddenly remembered something. "Oh, Brother Marlin—last time President Peterson mentioned the three-thousand-gold-Forde bounty, you didn't seem all that excited. Can you tell me why?"
"Oh, that? I've seen plenty of that in the city garrison. Whenever they need cannon fodder, the officers are always shouting, 'Whoever charges first gets a hundred gold coins!' After hearing that sort of thing over and over, you get used to it. No amount of money fazes you anymore," Marlin answered nonchalantly.
"Uh…" Lorist was speechless…
———
Lorist first went to check on Young Master Peterson, who was hard at work losing weight. With the whip's encouragement, the former young fatty had succeeded in shedding over seventy jin through nearly fifty days of unremitting effort, though he still weighed around three hundred jin. After taking the young master's pulse, the instructor standing nearby holding the whip reported that the training was progressing well—except that the young master was desperate for meat. Just moments ago, when the instructor had gotten a little too close, the young master had lunged forward, grabbed his arm, and tried to take a bite. If the instructor hadn't reacted quickly and channeled his Combat Force to protect his arm, that bite would have cost him at least a jin of flesh. The instructor had then given the young master a thorough thrashing with the whip to bring him back to his senses.
No wonder the young master had been so well-behaved during the pulse-taking—turns out he had just been disciplined. Lorist pondered for a moment, then decided to add a meat dish to each of the young master's meals. "Here's what we'll do: starting tomorrow, breakfast stays the same. For lunch, add one small boiled chicken, about one jin. For dinner, add one steamed fish. No oil in either dish—just a little salt. But starting tomorrow, we'll also begin the second training plan. If the food gets better, the exercise intensity has to match."
After watching the young master lie on the ground like a dead fish doing sit-ups for a while, Lorist felt it was about time to head to the Great Hall. This afternoon was when the first batch of one hundred and fifty-two students in the first Combat Force Enlightenment class would undergo their Combat Force awakening, and he as Chief Instructor needed to show his face.
Arriving at the Great Hall, the timing was perfect—the students preparing for their Combat Force awakening had assembled and formed their ranks. Instructor Marlin invited Lorist to the stage to deliver a final pep talk.
Lorist walked up and pointed at the enormous pentagram image hanging on the wall. "I believe you've all familiarized yourselves with and memorized this pentagram pattern by now. It represents the grand circulation cycle of Combat Force through the meridians. When you enter the meditation chambers, relax your bodies, focus your minds, and visualize this pentagram-shaped circulation flowing through you. Very soon, you will sense the emergence of Combat Force within your body—that will mean you have awakened your Combat Force. There's no need to be nervous. You will not fail. At this moment, your bodies have already reached their optimal state of essence, qi, and spirit. I have examined each of you over these past two days, and I am full of confidence in every one of you. So relax, be confident, and awaken your Combat Force with a smile on your faces."
Lorist's words drew a ripple of quiet laughter from the students below. Then, one group at a time, the students were led by instructors and assistants into the meditation chambers that had been temporarily set up. They would remain inside for one to two hours, emerging only after their Combat Force had awakened.
Combat Force awakening was actually quite simple and not at all complicated, but if one's physical condition was poor, no amount of quiet meditation and mental effort would allow them to sense the Combat Force forming within. After awakening, the students still needed to undergo the instructors' guidance to familiarize themselves with and utilize Combat Force, helping their bodies adapt to the flow until it reached the Bronze One-Star standard for entry-level rank. After that, further cultivation and advancement depended on individual effort.
Lorist made a round through the other three classes as well, feeling he had fulfilled his duties as Chief Instructor. He was just about to head home when he spotted Bill, the steward of the Peterson family, hurrying over to inform him that President Peterson had arrived and wished to see Chief Instructor Lorist.
Steward Bill led Lorist through a winding route that seemed to take forever. When questioned, the man was dismissive and barely responsive. Lorist found this puzzling—what was going on? This steward seemed to harbor a grudge against him. Perhaps he resented the weight-loss training they were putting his young master through, which in his eyes amounted to nothing short of abuse. The man didn't look like much, but his loyalty was certainly something—that was one thing to be commended.
What Lorist had no way of knowing was that Steward Bill had already lost over twenty gold coins betting against him. If he hadn't cut his losses in time, he would have lost another ten or so this month. Seeing Lorist now was like staring at the twenty-plus gold coins he had thrown away—there was no way he could give Lorist a pleasant look. The fact that he didn't pounce and take a couple of bites out of him was already showing remarkable restraint.
When the whip was raised, President Peterson flinched, as though the lash were falling on him.
Lorist wore an expression caught between laughter and exasperation. He could understand the President hiding so his precious son wouldn't see him, but why did he have to make the Chief Instructor sneak around too? The whole secretive approach made it seem like they were up to no good.
President Peterson was quite satisfied with the results of his fat son's nearly fifty days of weight loss. After all, the boy had visibly shrunk a size, which anyone with eyes could see, and the fact that his son could still run and jump sent President Peterson into a state of wild delight. Back home, his son was famously lazy—if he could sit, he would never stand; if he could lie down, he would never sit. After walking for even a short while, he would be gasping for breath. Peterson had wanted to be stricter, but the old matriarch, the first wife, and the second wife all coddled the fat boy and wouldn't let anyone touch him, leaving him completely helpless.
Now, although his son was being forced to do physical training under the threat of the whip in the instructor's hand, it was still better than staying at home and refusing to exercise. Of course, President Peterson had also raised objections about the whip, wondering whether it was a bit too thick and large, and whether the instructor was cracking it a bit too frequently and too many times.
Lorist explained with a smile that a thick whip wouldn't damage the bones and tendons—it stung when it hit but wouldn't draw blood, and after applying medicine following the training, the marks would be gone by the next day. As for the instructor cracking it fast, he was forced to—the young master was simply too lazy. The moment you looked away, he would cut corners, and without proper training, good results were hard to come by. So as sparring instructors, they had no choice but to harden their hearts.
Lorist said meaningfully, "Better to suffer now than to suffer later. We're not just helping the young master lose weight—we're also helping him establish the right attitude toward life. Once the young master awakens his Combat Force and returns home, he won't continue living the way he used to."
President Peterson…
After a moment of silence, President Peterson spoke again. "Actually, there's another reason I came today. Bill went on and on about that steam bath of yours, painting it in such wondrous terms that he sparked my curiosity. So I made time today specifically to give it a try—and only secondarily to see how my precious son was doing. Now that I've seen him, I want to express my gratitude to Chief Instructor Lorist and all the other instructors for their efforts and dedication. I trust that Chief Instructor Lorist will make my wish come true."
Lorist nodded. The morning duel demonstration had left him drenched in sweat and feeling grimy, and he had just spoken in a somewhat lecturing tone that made him feel a bit awkward. Now that President Peterson had handed him a convenient exit, there was no reason not to take it. "I wonder if I might have the honor of inviting the President to experience this steam bath?"
President Peterson smiled. "You most certainly may…"
……
"Ahh, that's comfortable." President Peterson sat in the steam bath with a towel wrapped around his lower body, dripping with sweat, leaning back against the wooden bench.
Lorist was ladling cold water onto the glowing red river stones one scoop at a time. Billows of white steam rose up, and the bathhouse was already unbearably hot.
"Steam for a while, then go outside and rinse. After three rounds of steaming and rinsing, your body will feel incredibly refreshed. Steam bathing is actually very beneficial for both skin and overall health, but you shouldn't stay in the steam room too long—ten to fifteen minutes is optimal," Lorist said, his voice sounding somewhat muffled in the steamy bathhouse.
"I'll build one at home when I get back. Hosting a steam bath party would be nice too—everyone strips bare and sees each other as they are, haha." President Peterson had a sudden inspiration.
"That's not a good idea, because you never know if any of your guests have hidden ailments or contagious diseases. A home bathhouse is the owner's private domain—outsiders had best not enter. If you want to host steam bath parties, you'd be better off building an upscale steam bath club. Add services like back scrubbing, massage, and pedicures, and the business should do quite well," Lorist said.
"Yes! Why didn't I think of that…" President Peterson sat up abruptly, his eyes gleaming as he fell into thought.
……
Before climbing into his carriage, President Peterson reached into his robes and produced three palm-sized certificates, slapping them into Lorist's hand. "The first is to thank you for giving me a great business idea. Since you came up with this concept, it wouldn't feel right to take it for free—I can only express my gratitude this way. The second is to thank every instructor in the group. The third is for Chief Instructor Lorist personally. I'm entrusting my precious son to you."
These were three gold certificates, each with a denomination of one hundred gold coins. At the Temple of the Goddess Sejin, who presides over commerce and wealth, they could be redeemed for three hundred gold Forde. As expected of the Peterson family, one of the seven major chambers of commerce of the Commercial Alliance—generous as always.
Lorist bowed his head and gave a half-bow of gratitude. "Thank you, Mr. President. Please rest assured—we will absolutely live up to your trust."