Aftermath

The group returned to the Dawnlight Academy's Gold Instructor residential area under the escort of Fatty Shi and Er. After sending the sleeping Instructor Marlin back, Fatty Shi went to fetch the on-duty pharmacist from the academy's medical clinic to give Bordefinger a thorough physical examination. Once it was confirmed he was out of danger, Bordefinger was given a healing potion and his wounds were re-bandaged. Lorist finally felt relieved.

Lorist pulled the bell rope leading to the residential area's management office and summoned Keli. He asked her to take care of Bordefinger and his two children for the next three months. Lorist arranged for the three members of Bordefinger's family to stay in two guest rooms on the second floor. Ready, on the other hand, found a servant's room downstairs, brought in his luggage, and then went out to tend to the two Zino horses.

It was over an hour later when everything was settled. Lorist instructed Keli to prepare some food for everyone as a late-night snack. They then sat down on the sofas in the living room. Yuri, holding the small clay pot Lorist had just bought for Maikesi, which he found in the study, lit the fireplace in the living room. He placed an iron pot on top and began to cook the Maikesi, continuously adding milk and honey crystals. Soon, a rich milky aroma filled the room, drawing down the two children who were with their father on the second floor.

After pouring two cups of Maikesi for the children and telling them to check what Keli had prepared in the kitchen, Lorist began to recount the entire incident of his ambush to his companions. He believed the two Gold One-star swordsmen who attacked him were likely instigated by the junior disciple they mentioned, who demanded they disable one of Lorist's arms. However, Lorist couldn't fathom who held such a deep grudge against him.

"No grudge?" Fatty Shi scoffed, sneering. "This isn't a matter of grudges. In fact, Locke, you don't even realize you've already become a thorn in many people's sides. Just to mention the current academy duels and external challenges, you've blocked the path of many. Before, you only had a bad relationship with the Silver instructors in the academy. Now, you're the nightmare of all Silver instructors in the academy district. Although it's only been a month of duels, you've already defeated the Silver instructors from thirteen academies. Perhaps these defeated Silver instructors feel humiliated and are seeking revenge, or maybe people from academies whose turn hasn't come yet want to cripple you to end this farce of academy duels, to avoid suffering the same fate as the thirteen academies' Silver instructors."

"As for the external challenges, Locke, do you know how many people who placed bets have lost everything, even their fortunes, on you? Last month, the total bets we collected reached over eighteen thousand Gold Fude. Do you know how many people are now hoping you'll stumble so they can win it all back? These people will stoop to any means for their winnings and losses. Little Locke, you must be extremely careful about your safety from now on. Our academy's law enforcement division must assign a team to follow you starting today to prevent any accidents. Telman, your Swordsmanship Club must also send a team of elite members to accompany Locke. With more people, at least those with ill intentions won't find an opportunity to catch Little Locke alone."

"Understood," Telman replied.

"No, if you do that, will I still have any freedom? Will it be tiring to have so many people following me around every day? I can at most stay within the academy, right? I believe my safety is guaranteed within the academy," Lorist hastily declined. If a whole team of law enforcement officers were to follow him, what would that look like? If he had to go to the restroom, would a large group of people be watching? Who could stand that!

"Even though it's safer in the academy, there are still opportunities to exploit. Little Locke, don't worry, our people will just be hidden around you, protecting you secretly, not following you closely as you might think. If our law enforcement division doesn't proactively present a protection plan tonight, that old man upstairs will scold us to no end when he finds out about your ambush tomorrow. It's because Little Locke, you are the academy's cash cow now, and that old man cherishes you dearly." Fatty Shi's words made everyone laugh.

"Why do you have to let that old man know? Can't we keep tonight's ambush quiet?" Lorist asked, slightly confused.

"We must make it known, and the bigger the stir, the better. This will make those with malicious intent who want to act in secret have some reservations. If you remain silent, it will make those people think you are guilty or afraid, and they will escalate their attacks on you," Fatty Shi said. "Also, Er, tomorrow you will publicly send people to search for those two attackers. We will secretly dispose of the two corpses here and claim to the outside that they fled when they saw the reinforcements arriving, and that one of them was injured. You will announce tomorrow that there's a reward for finding these two people. Don't let anyone know that these two corpses have already been killed by Little Locke."

"En?" Er was still a bit confused as to why Fatty Shi said that.

Lorist, however, already knew what Fatty Shi was up to. "Damn it, that fatso is going to lie again."

Indeed, Fatty Shi said to Er, "If you say that these two Gold Swordsmen were killed by Little Locke when their ambush failed, then who will bet on your platform in the future? You blockhead, think about it, if Gold Swordsmen were killed, can those Silver Rank fighters still defeat Little Locke in the arena?"

"Right," Er slapped his thigh, understanding. Then his eyes rolled, and he came up with another idea. "Fatty, do you think anyone will believe that Little Locke encountered two Gold Swordsmen and emerged completely unharmed?"

Fatty Shi and Er were in perfect sync. He glanced at Lorist for a moment and then instructed Yuri, "Yuri, catch a chicken for me before dawn. Tomorrow morning, we'll dress up Little Locke. Brother Locke, you'll have to endure a little bit and act for us tomorrow."

Lorist frowned. "Hey, you two, don't go too far!"

"We won't. We'll just say you were attacked by two Gold Swordsmen tonight. Although you weren't seriously injured, you did sustain some wounds. Tomorrow morning, we'll bandage you up and sprinkle some chicken blood on it to make it believable. Oh, Telman, go inform the on-duty pharmacist that if anyone asks him in the next day or two, he shouldn't say anything without payment. If they pay, he should transfer Bordefinger's injuries upstairs to Locke. Make your performance during the duel this morning a bit more difficult, so those watching will think you're struggling to hold on. Heh heh, a lot of potential profit!" Fatty Shi and Er's eyes gleamed with gold.

Although the method was a bit underhanded, Lorist didn't object. After all, he had a twenty percent share in that betting platform, so the more bets placed, the more he would receive. As for those who lost their fortunes betting, Lorist felt no sympathy. On the contrary, he would inwardly say, "Serves you right," for having poor judgment and picking the wrong side.

After arranging tomorrow's scheme, Fatty Shi poured himself another cup of Maikesi, savoring it slowly as he continued his analysis. "Actually, I suspect two parties for Little Locke's ambush tonight. One is Saint Maso Academy. Tomorrow morning, Little Locke is facing Clearwater Academy, which should pose no risk. However, the fifteenth academy he'll face the day after tomorrow is Saint Maso Academy, our academy's arch-rival, so it's my primary suspect. But if it was Saint Maso Academy that instigated it, why would they send these two incompetent buffoons? That doesn't quite fit Saint Maso Academy's style."

Lorist protested, "Hey, hey, hey, those were two Gold One-star swordsmen, alright?"

"Gold One-star swordsmen are still buffoons. What else do you call Gold Swordsmen who can be killed by a Black Iron and a Silver? If I were there, I might have been able to kill one," Fatty Shi asserted decisively.

"Uh..." Based on the performance of that junior disciple, Lorist felt Fatty Shi was right. If he had to face that junior disciple, he might actually win. Apart from his evasive and slippery defense, that junior disciple hadn't left much of an impression on Lorist.

"There's another suspect," Fatty Shi asked Lorist. "Do you remember Sandos.Yilta?"

"? Who?" Lorist shook his head.

"You!" Fatty Shi was exasperated. "Didn't I just tell you about him? Three years ago, he incited students in the Dual Excellence Class to attack you, resulting in you severely injuring him and him being expelled. You forgot about the Swordsmanship instructor's assistant? After recovering, he became a disciple of the Storm Sword Saint of their Kingdom of Kaelia and is now at the peak of Silver Rank. He's come to Dawnlight Academy seeking revenge. I specifically reminded you, how could you forget?"

"Oh, I remember now, his name was Yikita," Lorist said.

"It's Sandos.Yilta, not some Yikita," Fatty Shi shook his head. "You even got the name wrong. It seems you really didn't take it to heart."

Lorist blushed. It was just that in his past life, the goalkeeper named Yikita was too famous. As a casual fan, he only remembered that goalkeeper's name after watching a World Cup with friends, not any other stars. So, as soon as he heard something like "Yikita," he automatically associated it with that goalkeeper.

"This guy was insidious and vicious when he incited students to attack you three years ago, otherwise, you wouldn't have used such heavy force. Although he's full of confidence this time, this guy comes from a prominent noble family and excels at scheming and plotting in secret. So far, twelve external challenges have been held, and you'll face him in two more matches. If Yilta sent someone to ambush you a few days ago, I wouldn't be surprised at all. It's highly likely he instigated this. The only thing I don't understand is those two Gold Battle Qi emblems. Their style isn't from the Kingdom of Kaelia either. You said those two corpses claimed their junior disciple told them to come and disable one of your arms. But I've seen Yilta's Silver emblem, and it's a standard Battle Qi emblem of the Kingdom of Kaelia, not the same style as those two Gold Battle Qi emblems."

"Forget it, don't rack your brain over it. What's the use of suspecting this and that? As long as your own strength is strong, any conspiracy or trickery is futile. Like these two tonight, they came to their deaths. It's late, everyone should go back and rest," Lorist said.

"Damn, you, a Black Iron, have the nerve to talk about being strong? For your safety, I'll have a tough night guarding your place tonight. Are there any beds left?" Fatty Shi said. Lorist was now everyone's cash cow, so his safety was paramount.

"None left. There's a servant's room for Keli. You can sleep on the sofa or the floor," Lorist replied.

Early in the morning, Dean Brado of Clearwater Academy heard some good news. It was rumored that Locke, the Black Iron who was said to be invincible among Silver Rank fighters, also known as Lorist, the Black Iron Gold instructor from Dawnlight Academy who initiated the academy duels, was ambushed by two Gold One-star swordsmen on his way back to the academy last night. Although the presence of many companions forced the two Gold Swordsmen to flee, Locke didn't come out unscathed; he seemed to be injured.

This was truly good news. The only regret was that Black Iron Locke was too lucky. Why wasn't his life taken? That would have automatically resolved the awkward problem facing Clearwater Academy. Unfortunately, Dean Brado sighed deeply and then sent people to contact Dawnlight Academy to see if the academy duel scheduled for this morning would be postponed or canceled. Of course, the most important thing was to ascertain whether Black Iron Locke was truly injured and how severely.

Dean Brado made up his mind. If Black Iron Locke was indeed injured, he would resolutely oppose Dawnlight Academy's suggestion to postpone the duel. It would be either a forfeit or a duel, with no other options. If they didn't seize this opportunity to strike while the iron was hot, Clearwater Academy would become a laughingstock like the thirteen academies before it. To be honest, that Black Iron Locke was truly remarkable. Thirteen academies and two hundred and sixty Silver instructors had all been defeated by him. He had been worried sick, fearing that it would be his academy's turn to suffer today. But who would have thought a pie would fall from the sky – Locke was injured. It would be best to win without a fight, but if Dawnlight Academy were to let the injured Black Iron Locke fight, then he would have to properly encourage the twenty Silver instructors from his academy who were competing today.

If twenty Silver instructors couldn't even defeat an injured Black Iron instructor, it would only mean that the Silver instructors of Clearwater Academy were truly a bunch of useless people, and there would be no point in being laughed at. Dean Brado was resolute. If they were defeated, he would dismiss all these Silver instructors upon their return.

Soon, the person sent to gather information returned. He heard that when Dawnlight Academy asked Black Iron Locke if he wanted to postpone the duel, he refused. He said that his opponent was only a Silver instructor, not a Gold Swordsman, so there was no need to postpone the date. Although he was injured, he was still capable of dealing with Silver instructors...

This news made Dean Brado frown. He wondered if Black Iron Locke's injury was a false rumor spread by that old fox from Dawnlight Academy. However, the person he sent to investigate confirmed that Black Iron Locke was indeed injured. This was confirmed intelligence he obtained by paying one gold coin to the on-duty pharmacist at Dawnlight Academy last night. For the sake of Gold Fude, the pharmacist even detailed the injuries: a sword cut on the left shoulder and a stab wound on the right rib. The on-duty pharmacist also said that although these two injuries were not life-threatening, they would still affect his movements, especially the stab wound on the right rib, which made his right arm unable to exert force and would take one to two months to recover.

Dean Brado excitedly led the Silver instructors of Clearwater Academy to Dawnlight Academy for the duel. By noon, he returned with a dark face, full of anger. Today's academy duel could be described as extremely perilous. The Silver instructors of his academy had indeed given their all, and even more so, the performance of these twenty Silver instructors in today's duel was exceptionally outstanding. Several of them had even used suicidal, desperate fighting styles. But why was it always a near miss? Several times they were on the verge of victory, just a little bit away! Yet, that Black Iron Locke had such good luck. Despite being injured and having limited mobility, he always managed to win at the most critical moments by sheer coincidence.

Like in the last match, even the sword scabbard he casually discarded on the ground became the key to victory. Who could have foreseen that? His long sword was knocked away, and then he casually grabbed the scabbard on the ground, trapping his opponent's thrusting long sword within it. Then, he drew the short sword from his waist and placed it at his opponent's throat. That's how he won the duel. Who could accept this victory! If it wasn't for sheer luck, what else could it be?

Besides Dean Brado, another dean had a dark face, and that was Dean Levens of Dawnlight Academy. He was holding a financial report urgently delivered by the finance department. This was outrageous, they were robbing the academy of money! Unacceptable!

According to this financial report, in the academy duel held this morning, Instructor Marlin of the Battle Qi coaching group bought a hundred gold coins worth of lottery tickets. Telman, the executive vice president of the Swordsmanship Club, representing the club members, bought three hundred gold coins worth of lottery tickets. Supervisor Shredder of the academy's law enforcement division, also representing the members of the law enforcement division, bought five hundred gold coins worth of lottery tickets. It was said that they all purchased tickets betting on Instructor Locke to win to express their support for Instructor Locke and their indignation over the incident of Instructor Locke being attacked last night.

After this morning's duel, to honor the nine hundred gold coins worth of lottery tickets, the academy's finance department paid out one hundred and eighty Gold Fude in odds/payouts. The total revenue from this morning's academy duel was sixty-three gold coins, eleven large silver coins, and three small silver coins. Therefore, the loss today was over one hundred and sixteen gold coins.

In the afternoon, Dawnlight Academy's Dean's Office issued a new notice: Starting today, the lottery for Instructor Locke to win in academy duels and external challenge duels will be canceled. In other words, from now on, there will only be one type of lottery: purchasing tickets for the opponent to defeat Instructor Locke.

"Tch, it's clearly giving money to the academy. Only an idiot would buy it," Fatty Shi said, tossing the latest notice into the trash can.