Decision

Chapter Forty-Four: The Decision

During morning training on the third day, Pat could no longer suppress his curiosity and asked Ready, "Ready, what are that big iron wheel and that iron chair in the corner of the yard used for? Are they toys for Alisha and Shiward?"

Ready shook his head. "They aren't toys. They're training equipment I used in the past. Though they could be used as toys for the children too—they just don't like playing with them."

"Training equipment? I don't understand." Pat carefully examined the two objects again, but no matter how he looked at them, he couldn't see what they had to do with training.

"When I was little, I was playing in the mountains and woods one day when I accidentally disturbed a wild beehive. Countless wild bees came swarming at me. I was so frightened that I closed my eyes and wildly waved the branch in my hand. Although I knocked down plenty of bees, I still ended up covered in stings, with bumps all over my head and bruises across my body. It took me more than a month at home to recover. That wild-bee incident left me with a psychological trauma. Don't laugh—that's what my master said." Ready unhappily glared at Pat, who was laughing.

"All right, sorry. I was wrong. Go on." Pat apologized to Ready.

"I used to learn swordsmanship from my father. After coming to Molent City, I learned from Uncle Garilando—the owner of the Red Raven Tavern. Don't be fooled by his limp; he's a Gold-rank swordsman. I performed very well when training alone. But whenever I held a sword and fought someone, the moment I saw my opponent's sword flashing, I would involuntarily remember the cold glint of the bees' stingers when they had stung me. Then I couldn't control myself and would shut my eyes, wildly waving my sword like a branch. I completely forgot all the sword techniques I had learned and couldn't use any of them. Back then, both my father and Uncle Garilando were furious with me, saying I simply wasn't cut out to learn swordsmanship..."

"But you're pretty good with a sword now. You didn't have that problem when you sparred with me yesterday, did you?" Pat had never expected Ready to have such a habitual problem with closing his eyes. The previous evening, he had sparred with Ready, and what he found most frustrating was that he, a Black Iron Three-Star, had only managed to draw with Ready, a Bronze Three-Star. Besides, he hadn't noticed Ready closing his eyes during the match. On the contrary, Ready's eyes had been wider than bells as he watched Pat's every move. This made Pat wonder whether the problem Ready described had really existed.

"Of course I don't have the problem anymore. My master cured me using those two devices. The big wheel is called the Hollow Turntable, and the iron chair is called the Spinning Chair," Ready said.

"The Hollow Turntable? The Spinning Chair? Those two things cured your habit of closing your eyes? How? Tell me." Pat grew interested.

"Well, it wasn't long after I started following my master that he discovered my habit of closing my eyes. So he patiently asked me what had caused me to close my eyes habitually. In the end, he helped me remember what happened when I encountered those wild bees as a child. My master said those bees had left a shadow in my heart, making me close my eyes whenever I encountered danger so I could pretend it didn't exist. It's an ostrich mentality. Don't ask me what an ostrich is—I don't know either. My master said it's a bird that lives in the desert. When it encounters an enemy, it sticks its head into the sand, thinking that if it can't see the enemy, there's no danger. Do you think a bird could really be that stupid?"

"What happened afterward?" Pat listened with great interest.

"My master said curing this problem would take a long time. I would need psychological counseling to gradually change my fear of danger. But he also said there was a faster method of treatment. It was extremely painful and unpleasant, but it could give me a visual ability that made fast-moving objects seem slower to me. As long as the things I could see weren't moving quickly, I wouldn't feel threatened and instinctively close my eyes. That way, my problem would naturally disappear." Ready explained.

Pat asked, "You chose the fast treatment?"

"Of course. When my master asked which method I wanted, I naturally chose the fast treatment. So he had the Hollow Turntable and Spinning Chair made. I just never imagined those two things would be so terrifying. It took me two whole months to adapt to them and get used to them. My master said I was cured, then brought over a hive of wild bees. He smeared honey all over me, gave me a sword, and told me to concentrate on stabbing down all the bees. I was terrified at first, but after the bees were released, I really did find that they had suddenly become much slower. I could even clearly see their wings fluttering. I easily stabbed them all to death with my sword." When Ready recalled the treatment process, he wore an expression as if he couldn't bear to look back on it. But when he talked about the result, he became excited again.

"My master said the visual ability I possess now is called Dynamic Vision. As long as I concentrate, I can detect the movement paths of fast-moving objects. Like yesterday, Big Brother Pat, when you sparred with me—every sword strike you launched at me was perfectly clear to me, so I had no trouble dealing with them. Even though you're a Black Iron Three-Star, you couldn't do anything to me, a Bronze Three-Star. That's why we ended in a draw." Ready's eyebrows danced, his face full of pride.

Pat looked at the Hollow Turntable and Spinning Chair in the corner, and an idea struck him. "Then, Ready, if I train with the Hollow Turntable and Spinning Chair like you did, will I also gain Dynamic Vision?"

Ready froze. "I suppose you could. I heard my master say that these two things were originally designed to train ordinary people to gain Dynamic Vision. If you want to, I can ask my master whether he'll allow it. But, Big Brother Pat, the training process is truly difficult and painful. You might even feel as if you'd be better off dead. Why don't you think it over again?"

Pat shook his head. "There's no need to think it over. If I gain Dynamic Vision like yours, my strength will definitely improve further. Then I'll be able to protect the young master better. I'll ask the young master myself."

"No need, no need. I'll go ask for you right now." Ready suddenly became excited and turned to run toward the house.

Pat touched the Hollow Turntable and Spinning Chair and thought, These two things look simple enough. Are they really as terrifying and unbearable as Ready says? Could he just be trying to scare me?

Ready quickly ran back, beaming. "Big Brother Pat, my master agreed. But he said that if you train, you have to see it through. You absolutely can't give up halfway."

Pat said, "I promise I'll stick with it to the end. I definitely won't give up halfway. I swear."

"Good. Shall we start now? My master said I should put you through the same training I went through, and I guarantee you'll gain the same Dynamic Vision as me." Ready seemed a little gleeful at Pat's misfortune.

Maybe that was just my imagination. Pat thought.

At that moment, the rumbling of a carriage came from outside the yard. Big Sister Keli had returned from a major shopping trip at the market in the commercial district, riding the residential area's public carriage.

Ready and Pat went over to help her unload the bags of goods from the carriage and carry them into the storehouse.

Ready asked, "Big Sister Keli, what are we having for lunch?"

Keli said, "Steak, stewed fish soup, vegetable salad, fruit pudding, and Alisha's favorite chicken legs."

"Mm, Big Sister Keli, make one less steak for lunch. We might as well avoid wasting it," Ready said.

"What? Isn't the young master coming home for lunch?" Keli asked.

Ready smiled. "Not the young master. You'll find out soon enough..."

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It was deep into the night, and everything was silent. Even the frogs that were usually so noisy along the banks of Moon Lake had quieted down considerably.

Outside the window, silver moonlight quietly blanketed the silent Dawnlight Academy, coating the woods, grass, buildings, and houses in a new layer of silver-gray.

Lorist rose and put on his clothes, then stood before the window and gazed at Moon Lake beneath the night sky. The night breeze fluttered the white curtains, making them dance in the silver moonlight.

After glancing at the hourglass on the table, Lorist reckoned it was around two in the morning. Yet he still felt no sleepiness at all. After hesitating for a long while, Lorist decided to take a walk by Moon Lake. Perhaps that was the only way to calm his heart...

August had already passed. It should be September first now. The academy had officially gone on break.

A few days earlier, President Peterson had delivered a box containing thirty gold notes to Lorist and repeatedly thanked the instructors and assistants of the teaching group, because Young Master Peterson and the dozens of remaining students had all awakened Battle Qi.

Dean Levens had also paid out the thousand-Gold Fude bonus he had promised. Added to President Peterson's three thousand gold coins and the funds left over from previous months, the total came to more than four thousand gold coins in bonuses. Lorist, as head instructor, received three hundred. Hughes, Marlin, and Anfia, the three deputy head instructors, each received two hundred gold coins. The twenty-four instructors each received one hundred, while the twenty-four instructor assistants each received fifty gold coins. Everyone was delighted. The dozen or so remaining gold coins became the celebration budget, and they spent an entire night partying at the Red Raven Tavern. Even Lorist was made to throw up three times.

There was also the duel on the public challenge day. Lorist had finally proven his title of Silver Invincible with a record of three thousand consecutive victories. Now that the event was over, Dawnlight Academy had arranged for instructors and students from its sculpture department to take detailed measurements of Lorist's entire body. When the next term began, a bronze statue the same size as Lorist would stand on academy grounds. The story of Black Iron Locke, the Silver Invincible, would become an everlasting legend of Dawnlight Academy.

In a few more days, once El's accounts were settled, Lorist would receive another twenty-six thousand Gold Fude in revenue. Added to the savings at home, he would possess nearly thirty thousand gold coins—enough to count as a man of immense wealth. In Molent City, he could be considered a rich man. He might not rank among the very richest, but he was certainly better off than most. Even if he did nothing but eat, sleep, and laze around for ten years, it wouldn't matter.

The next term would begin in October, and the academy could no longer possibly assign Lorist any tasks. He could comfortably stay home and enjoy himself, or form a party with close friends and go on an adventure somewhere. That was how he had spent his days in the past. Now that the academy's affairs were over and the break had begun, he should have felt relaxed without any burdens. Yet Lorist always felt as if something were weighing on his heart. The heaviness left him unable to enjoy his food or sleep peacefully. Just like tonight, Lorist discovered that he was suffering from insomnia again.

The silver moonlight scattered across Moon Lake, making its surface shimmer.

Lorist sat on a rock beside the lake, watching the ripples stirred by the night wind as he silently pondered...

Yes, he was indeed running away. In the past few days, he had been able to use excuses such as the duels and the Battle Qi Enlightenment Class to keep himself constantly busy, avoiding making that decision. Now that everything was over, he finally had no choice but to face it.

Why should he return to inherit the territory? It was a completely unfamiliar place filled with unfamiliar people, and he would also have to resolve the family's predicament. It was a pit of fire. Was being a lord really that wonderful? Lorist couldn't figure it out. He had lived in Molent City for ten years and had grown familiar with everything here. He had friends here, work here, and his own legend here. This was his home.

Lorist genuinely didn't want to return and become some kind of lord. He was very satisfied with his current life. Just as Sertkamp had admitted after spending more than ten days with Lorist, life here was practically heaven compared to the family territory. Whether food, clothing, or daily necessities, the family territory couldn't compare with this place at all. It was simply too remote and backward.

But why did he always feel that stirring in his heart? It seemed that somewhere deep inside, a voice filled with unwillingness was calling for him to leave this place and return to his homeland to inherit the territory. Perhaps this was the soul imprint the Norton Family had left within this body. It longed to return home and restore the family to greatness. That was the deepest, most fervent desire buried in the heart of every Norton descendant.

Yes, he had already made his decision. He wanted to remain in Molent City and didn't want to return to inherit the territory and become some remote rural lord. That conflicted with the soul imprint hidden in the depths of this body, which was why he was troubled and restless, and why symptoms such as insomnia had appeared. If this continued, who knew what the body would be tortured into? Perhaps it would be fine as long as he endured until next March. By then, the family territory would choose the baron's illegitimate son as its lord, and it would have nothing to do with him.

Actually, what difference did it make if he was an illegitimate son? Wasn't he still descended from the baron's bloodline? Why draw such a clear distinction? A powerful shudder suddenly surged through him, and his entire body felt cold.

"Achoo!" Lorist let out a tremendous sneeze.

All right, all right. An illegitimate son is an illegitimate son. Naturally, he can't compare with me, the rightful heir by blood, all right? Little Locke, we're two souls in one now—you have the body, and I have the soul. Neither of us will feel good if something happens to the other. Please stop tormenting me, all right? Lorist quietly pleaded with his own body. His heart gradually settled, but Lorist seemed to hear a faint sobbing voice: I want to go home. I want to go home...

Yes, I want to go home too. Little Locke, you can still return to your home, but I can never return to mine...

Lorist sat silently on the rock beside the lake and shed tears. By the time the horizon began to brighten, the tear tracks on his face had dried. Lorist stood and said to the rising sun, "Little Locke, let's go home together."