Asking for Help and Buying Books

Chapter 27: A Plea for Help and Buying Books

Three cargo wagons soon arrived at Villa Number Thirty-Five in the Dawnlight Academy's Gold Instructor residential area. Lorist found the villa's door open, with a wicker basket for trash placed by the entrance. It seemed Keli had arrived early and was already deep into cleaning the house. Deciding not to disturb her, Lorist directed the three drivers to unload the books, bookshelves, and miscellaneous items from the wagons into the two wooden structures in the courtyard that were designated as stables.

After giving each driver three small silver coins and sending them off, overjoyed and profusely thanking him, Lorist looked at the mountains of books piled in the two rooms and gave a wry smile. It would take several days to sort them out. For the past few years, Lorist's extra earnings had been almost entirely spent on buying books. Without realizing it, his collection had surpassed a thousand volumes, enough to start a small library.

These weren't printed books like in his previous life. Galintea had no paper suitable for writing; all books were made from parchment or animal hide, and then scribes were hired to copy them. Consequently, each book was not only expensive but also quite heavy. For instance, the three volumes of "The Fall of the Gods" Lorist had purchased, each weighing over five pounds, had cost him three Gold Fude back then, a price he begrudgingly paid to understand the legendary era of magic civilization.

The villa's second floor had a small study, though it wasn't as large as the Miss's room. Lorist planned to sort the books, moving those on history, geography, customs, and general knowledge upstairs. The remaining books, such as myths, legends, novels, and poetry, would be placed in a corner of the living room with two large bookshelves, which should be sufficient. In the future, he'd have to be more careful when buying books to avoid duplicates. It was all the fault of those unscrupulous merchants who would change the book titles and protagonist names, slap on a new cover, and pass them off as new releases. Lorist had fallen for it repeatedly, only to discover he already owned them upon returning home.

After greeting Keli, who was busy polishing furniture, Lorist went upstairs with a few books. As he approached the study, he saw the master bedroom door was open, and a large, fat man was snoring soundly on the bed.

Damn it, this is my new house, my new bed, and this fatty beat me to it. Lorist walked over and kicked him. The fat man opened his sleepy eyes and sat up, staring blankly for a moment before realizing what was happening. "Are you crazy, Little Locke? Why'd you kick me, brother?"

Lorist retorted, "What do you think you're doing, sleeping here in broad daylight? Is your Enforcement Department so idle?"

Fatty Shi then realized he was lying on Lorist's new bed. He chuckled sheepishly, "Brother, I was just tired. The academy's been chaotic these past few days, like a marketplace. I was running around like crazy. I came looking for you, saw this bed, and just wanted to try it out. Next thing I knew, I fell asleep."

"What did you need me for?" Lorist asked.

"It's about the Swordsmanship Club, brother. You have to help me out. My Enforcement Department can't handle it anymore. The two patrol teams last night were so exhausted they fell asleep on the road. The Enforcement Department thought something had happened and mobilized everyone in a panic. Then they found the two teams sleeping like logs on the road. No wonder I slept so soundly this morning!"

Lorist asked curiously, "What does this have to do with the Swordsmanship Club? How can I help?"

"Sigh!" Fatty Shi sighed deeply. "Brother, you forgot about the idea you gave me? It's only been half a year. You went for training in the Ruins Archipelago, and I didn't slack off. I ran around begging and pleading, and finally got the academy higher-ups to agree to let students form a Swordsmanship Club and allow elite members of the club to become reserve members of the Enforcement Department. I'm short on people right now, and you, the new president of the Swordsmanship Club, should hurry up and get it organized and send people to help the Enforcement Department."

Oh, I remember now. Lorist sheepishly rubbed his head. Half a year ago, while drinking with Fatty Shi, the latter had lamented his woes, cursing the academy's higher-ups as misers for not allocating personnel to the Enforcement Department. To this day, the department had only about eighty members, responsible for maintaining discipline, guard duty, and patrols. Fatty Shi's repeated requests for more staff had been rejected.

Fatty Shi had complained that with over five thousand students in the academy, the ratio of enforcement personnel was less than one to fifty. If any trouble broke out, the existing staff wouldn't even be enough for self-preservation, let alone maintaining order. He wondered how the higher-ups would handle the fallout then.

Lorist had told Fatty Shi he lacked flexibility. Wasn't it true that the students had spontaneously wanted to form a Swordsmanship Club recently? The academy had initially refused their application because they would have to provide space, financial aid, and bear responsibility for any accidents. The students had caused a stir and were reportedly rallying support. According to academy regulations, if more than one-tenth of the entire student body applied to form an extracurricular club, the academy had to agree and provide assistance.

Lorist suggested that Fatty Shi negotiate with the academy. If the students were determined to form the Swordsmanship Club, the academy would eventually have to compromise. In that case, it would be better to act first, bring the Swordsmanship Club under the jurisdiction of the Enforcement Department, and then have the club's elite members serve as reserve personnel. This way, trivial matters like daytime duty and nighttime patrols could be delegated to the reserve personnel, effectively increasing the Enforcement Department's manpower.

Fatty Shi was overjoyed. He slapped the table and praised Lorist's sharp mind, saying he'd come up with such a brilliant idea in no time. Thus, Fatty Shi began working tirelessly to establish the Swordsmanship Club, while Lorist packed his bags and headed for the Ruins Archipelago.

However, Lorist hadn't expected that his casual suggestion would lead Fatty Shi to rack his brains over the establishment of the Swordsmanship Club. To gain approval from the academy's higher-ups, Fatty Shi had to revise the application significantly. For instance, the club president, originally to be elected by the students, was changed to be appointed by the academy. This effectively gave the academy control over the club. Of course, even an academy-appointed president would still need the recognition of the club members. This left only one candidate for the position of club president: Lorist himself.

Oh, I'm still the president of the Swordsmanship Club! Lorist finally remembered what Dean Levens had said before he left yesterday. He seemed to have asked Lorist to finalize the club's regulations and submit them. Damn it, can I handle all this by myself?

Lorist spread his hands and said to Fatty Shi, "Fatty, it's not that I don't want to help you, but I just got off the ship the day before yesterday, and yesterday I was busy moving things from the Miss's place. I'm really not in the mood to deal with the Swordsmanship Club these days. Plus, I just moved into a new house and need a few days to settle in. I also need to rest up for the academy duels. See, how can I possibly have the time? How about you just endure a little longer?"

Fatty Shi was on the verge of tears. "Brother, you can't do this to me! You can't just leave me hanging. In a few more days, I won't even look human. I really can't take it anymore. Especially these past two days, ever since the academy posted the duel notice, academy affairs have tripled. The conflicts between outsiders and students have already reached nearly a hundred. Our Enforcement Department is exhausted, like beaten dogs. You can't just stand by and watch me suffer..."

"Serves you right! Who told you to push me into being the Swordsmanship Club president? And weren't you enthusiastically posting the duel notices? I hope you get worked to death."

Fatty Shi finally understood where he had offended Lorist. He quickly slapped himself lightly. "It was my fault, brother. I didn't consider your feelings. But you have to understand my situation, brother. If you weren't the president, the academy wouldn't agree, and the students wouldn't be convinced. Only with you involved will the academy and the students stop bickering until next year. I recommended you to cut through the red tape quickly. As for the duel notice, brother, you can't blame me either. I couldn't handle it. That old man is more cunning than a fox. If he were serious, he could easily find some minor fault of mine and teach me a lesson. It's not that I'm not helping you, but I have no other choice."

Lorist wasn't unwilling to help, but he was thinking of a way to ease his own burden. "Stop making that face. Who are you trying to scare with that long face? Let me think..."

Fatty Shi's expression immediately changed. "Okay, okay, brother, take your time. Just come up with a good idea to help me get through this difficult time." As he spoke, he picked up a book and fanned Lorist solicitously. "Brother, just tell me what you need. I'll give you people, and money... well, no money."

Lorist thought for a moment and then said to Fatty Shi, "How about this: have Telman come help me. He's steady and handles matters with a clear head. I'll appoint him as the Executive Vice President, responsible for the Swordsmanship Club's specific administrative affairs. Take notes: have Telman first establish the Swordsmanship Club Executive Committee, and include Yuri and Steve as committee members. Then you choose three more people. Take up five committee seats. And those seven ringleaders among the students, have them join as committee members too, and give them three slots to choose themselves. That makes a total of fifteen committee members. Including myself and Telman, that's seventeen people."

"Tell them that the current committee members will be appointed by me. In three years, all Swordsmanship Club members will vote to elect twelve committee members. The remaining three committee members and the Executive Vice President will be appointed by the president. In the future, all specific affairs of the Swordsmanship Club will be handled and proposed by them, with the Executive Vice President overseeing and managing daily operations. Send someone to find them later and inform them of their appointment to the Swordsmanship Club Executive Committee, then gather them in a room to discuss the club's regulations. To prevent them from slacking off, have someone guard the room and don't let them leave until they've finished their discussion."

"Also, tell Telman that he's only responsible for coordination and shouldn't get involved in the specific discussions. Let those fifteen people argue and discuss amongst themselves. Fatty, you can tell your people what you need beforehand and have them propose suggestions for discussion with those student leaders. Once they come up with the Swordsmanship Club's regulations, tell them that each person gets five slots to recommend elite students. Have them recommend them immediately, and you can choose fifty people from them to become reserve members of the Enforcement Department."

"Furthermore, since the Swordsmanship Club is now led by the academy, the academy must provide corresponding personnel quotas, budget, and welfare subsidies. The president, executive vice president, and fifteen committee members will receive a monthly office expense subsidy of three Gold Fude. The Swordsmanship Club administrative office will have a staff of twelve, selected from club members, with a monthly living subsidy of one Gold Coin. The office's monthly administrative expenses will be ten Gold Coins, and the person in charge will be the Executive Vice President. Elite members who become reserve members of the Enforcement Department will receive a monthly living subsidy of one Gold Coin, with other benefits provided by the Enforcement Department based on their performance."

"In addition, probationary members applying to join the Swordsmanship Club will need to pay one small silver coin per month, full members will pay one large silver coin per year, and elite members will not need to pay any fees. Probationary members can participate in training, sparring, or receive swordsmanship guidance at the club. Full members can participate in various mercenary missions and adventuring activities under the guidance of elite members, with 5% of their earnings submitted to the Swordsmanship Club, and the rest distributed among themselves. These collected membership fees and mission earnings will become the club's operating funds and annual rewards for outstanding members."

"That's basically it, Fatty, did you write it all down? Go find people first, have them discuss, and let them discuss my proposals too. Once they're done, show me, and if it's okay, we'll submit it directly. You'll have fifty reserve members by tomorrow if you work on it today." Lorist concluded his lengthy speech.

"Tsk tsk." Fatty Shi looked at the parchment filled with his notes and exclaimed, "Little Locke, how did your brain grow like that? You came up with such a complete organizational plan in such a short time. I spent three days trying to figure out how to establish this Swordsmanship Club and how to arrange personnel, and I still couldn't get anywhere. Your plan is much better. We'll do it exactly as you said."

Lorist asked, "What's the academy's schedule for the duels?"

"It's not finalized yet. Our academy's proposal is for each academy to select twenty Silver Instructors. Starting next month, every other day will be an academy duel day. The academies will draw lots to decide the order, and they will come to our academy to challenge us one by one until all duels are completed. If any Silver Instructors who weren't selected are unhappy, they can also sign up at our academy for duels on the single-day open challenge days. We're just waiting for the other academies' replies," Fatty Shi replied after thinking for a moment.

Damn it, odd days are for academy duels, and even days are for open challenges. Didn't they schedule any rest days for me? Do they think I'm made of iron! Lorist complained.

"Well, haha, brother Locke, your new house is really nice. The environment is beautiful. I'm truly envious of you. The academy really takes good care of its Gold Instructors with good benefits." Fatty Shi changed the subject.

"Envious? Lose that fat, work hard for a few more years, and reach the Gold rank as soon as possible, and you can have a house like this too," Lorist lectured Fatty Shi earnestly.

Fatty Shi was speechless. Damn it, you're only at the Black Iron rank and you're lecturing me? This is outrageous...

As they walked downstairs together, Lorist said, "El might look for you these past two days."

"Why would he look for me?"

"He wants a piece of the pie. He said he'll give you ten percent." Lorist explained El's intention to set up a gambling operation.

"That's great! I support this. We brothers work ourselves to death, and that old dean counts the gold coins behind our backs. I've had enough of it. No question, I'll cooperate with El to handle this perfectly." Fatty Shi's spirits lifted at the mention of making money.

As they walked towards the entrance, Fatty Shi said deferentially, "Please, stay, brother Locke. You don't need to see me out. We're like brothers, no need for formalities. I can walk myself out. Please, stay..."

Lorist cursed, "See you out, my foot! The books I moved are in the wooden shed outside. I'm going to organize them."

Fatty Shi's interest was piqued, and he followed Lorist to the wooden shed. Seeing the books piled on the ground, he exclaimed, "Little Locke, you spent all your money on these, didn't you? That's a huge investment, so many books. How about we set up a book rental service in the academy? I believe it would make a lot of money."

Lorist shook his head. "If too many people rent the books, they'll get ruined. These books are my personal collection; I won't rent them out."

Fatty Shi said regretfully, "What a shame, so many books. How about lending me a few?"

"Absolutely no lending, especially to people who don't return borrowed items," Lorist stated.

"Then I can buy a few, right?" Fatty Shi was indignant. This kid is really not giving me any face, it's just a few books.

"You still have time to read?" Lorist looked at Fatty Shi with suspicion.

Fatty Shi blushed. "Can't I just use them as a pillow?"

"Alright, alright, pick whatever you want from that pile over there."

That pile contained over a hundred books that Lorist had bought duplicates of.

Fatty Shi buried his head, picking through them for a long time, and finally chose seven large volumes. "These seven, how much?"

"Why do I feel like you're not buying these books to read them, but rather for some other purpose?" Lorist was truly puzzled.

"Well, isn't the bookshelf in your office rather empty? Putting these few books up there would make you seem more cultured and educated, brother." Fatty Shi frankly admitted the purpose of his book purchases.

Lorist shook his head, glanced at the books, and then gave Fatty Shi a fair price. "Three gold coins and eight large silver coins. Don't haggle; I'm practically giving them away. If you haggle, I won't sell them."

The price was very fair, and Fatty Shi knew it. He would have to pay at least seven gold coins for them elsewhere. "Okay, you're straightforward, so I will be too. That's the price."

He reached into his chest and pockets, fumbling for a long time. Fatty Shi placed "one, two, three... seven, eight" eight large silver coins onto Lorist's outstretched hand. "The bulk of the payment is here. Let's just forget about the remaining three gold coins. Goodbye, brother."

Fatty Shi, clutching the books, agilely hurried away...

Lorist stared, dumbfounded