It was early summer again.
The scorching heat swept across the entire Stantin Duchy, just as it had in previous years.
Although Xu Yi's Private Fief lay in the northern part of the Stantin Duchy, it still could not escape the heat wave. The whole fief basked in summer's overwhelming power.
The locals of the Stantin Duchy were naturally well adapted to this climate, while the employees of the Xinfei Merchant Guild had spent several years here and had long since grown accustomed to its unusual weather.
Those who had come from elsewhere on the continent, however, struggled terribly with heat that already felt like midsummer when early summer had only just begun. To varying degrees, the heat left everyone limp and sluggish, even throwing off movements they normally performed with ease.
Thud!
A round steel pipe weighing thirty kilograms fell to the ground with a dull thud, kicking up a cloud of dust.
Hart shook his head and waved a hand. "Next!"
The man standing in the center of the testing ground immediately looked crestfallen. His lips moved, his face full of reluctance, but in the end he said nothing and trudged out with his head hanging.
Watching another burly man in line step into the testing ground, Heinz, who sat beside Hart, frowned. "With a test like this, I doubt many people will qualify, will they?"
Hart glanced down at the form in his hand and grunted in agreement.
"So far today, only eighty-three have qualified."
"That's far too few," Heinz could not help saying. "At this rate, who knows how long it'll take to recruit a thousand?"
Hart shrugged. "The president said he would rather have fewer men than lower his standards. This test has to follow his requirements strictly. Anyone who falls short is eliminated, with