Putting an end to his pointless fantasies, Bruce continued studying all kinds of subjects, steadily expanding his knowledge and deepening his understanding of this world. Knowledge could save his life at a critical moment, too. Of that, he was certain.
The next day, Bruce headed to Rhode Town.
Although Rhode Town was only a town, its economy was thriving. It was home to plenty of wealthy people and nobles, and transportation was convenient, with carriages readily available.
After asking around, Bruce soon learned that there were two places in Rhode Town that taught swordsmanship.
One was a Swordsmanship Hall, and the other was a swordsmanship club.
The Swordsmanship Hall charged relatively high fees, and joining required a monthly membership payment. Its promotional material promised that members would receive instruction from outstanding, highly qualified Swordsmanship Masters.
The Swordsmanship Hall also catered to young noblemen and the children of wealthy families.
Its reputation apparently wasn't very good, though. Its main draw was a group of beautiful female Swordsmanship Masters, which immediately gave Bruce a poor impression. Outstanding, highly qualified female Swordsmanship Masters? Well, well. How interesting.
The swordsmanship club charged relatively low fees, but the quality of its instruction wasn't necessarily very good.
After a little consideration, Bruce chose the swordsmanship club.
He wasn't short of money, but he already had his swordsmanship notes. He only needed someone to guide him through the fundamentals and correct mistakes he hadn't noticed himself. The Swordsmanship Hall's other kind of "swordplay" wasn't what he was looking for.
The street where the swordsmanship club stood was rather quiet. Although it was a shopping street, there weren't many people passing through, and quite a few shops were still closed that morning.
Bruce soon found the place: the Wind-Cutting Swordsmanship Club, at 32 Lozick Street.
Wind-Cutting Swordsmanship. A fairly ordinary name.
As he walked into the club, a girl came forward to greet him.
"Hello. How may I help you?"
Bruce nodded and looked around. Several young women stood inside the club, looking spirited and capable. They had presumably practiced swordsmanship themselves. Were they working as sales assistants or receptionists now?
Display cases around the room held all kinds of swords.
"This is..."
Bruce's gaze shifted. In one display case, he noticed a sword shaped like those he remembered from his homeland. Then he spotted broad greatswords, and even a katana?
"These swords came from the Eastern Continent. Their designs are a little different from the Cross Swords and rapiers we use here on the Southern Continent."
The young attendant beside him explained.
"The Eastern Continent."
Bruce nodded. All he had previously learned was that the Eastern Continent was a rich and wondrous land. He hadn't expected it to have such familiar weapons. Did that mean it was like his homeland?
An idea immediately took root in his mind: he had to visit the Eastern Continent at least once in his lifetime.
"What kind of sword are you looking for? We carry a wide variety of designs, all made from high-quality materials. We have two-handed swords, sword canes..."
"I'm here to learn swordsmanship."
Bruce interrupted the young attendant's introduction.
"You're here to learn swordsmanship? Please come this way."
The girl's gaze flickered. She stepped back half a pace, then extended a hand toward a small doorway, through which he could just make out a staircase.
Bruce followed her up the stairs. The wood seemed to be of poor quality and felt a little damp, creaking beneath their feet.
"We're the most professional Wind-Cutting Swordsmanship Club in all of Forendana. There are six Wind-Cutting Swordsmanship Clubs in Forendana, and we're among the top three."
"Our senior fellow student was one of the best graduates of the Wind-Cutting Swordsmanship Club headquarters in Sokvinia."
"Our senior female student also graduated from the Wind-Cutting Swordsmanship Club headquarters in Sokvinia,
and she's very beautiful." As the girl introduced the Wind-Cutting Swordsmanship Club, Bruce learned something he hadn't expected: it was actually a chain spread across the entire Rune Kingdom. That was rather interesting.
Bruce didn't take the girl's boasting to heart.
He didn't yet know how good they were. He would find out once he started training. In any case, he only wanted to learn the fundamentals.
There were two rooms on the second floor. Judging by the placement of their doors, one was relatively small and the other larger. They entered the smaller room, which served as an office.
"My name is Lilith Hilton. May I ask your name?"
Lilith invited Bruce to sit down, and they took seats facing each other.
"Bruce Wayne. Do you offer basic instruction here? This is my first time trying swordsmanship, and I'd like to learn the fundamentals."
"We do offer basic instruction. Wind-Cutting Swordsmanship places very strict demands on the fundamentals, too. If that's what you'd like to learn, then Wind-Cutting Swordsmanship is exactly what you're looking for."
Lilith smiled. Whatever it took, she had to persuade the man in front of her to sign up. Recruiting one swordsmanship student earned more than selling swords downstairs, and he didn't look like someone who was short of money.
Lilith handed Bruce a course sheet.
"The introductory course consists of twenty-one lessons, with two lessons each week. Tuition is twenty Copper Runes per lesson. The course covers the following: muscle training..."
Bruce gave it a quick look. The price was reasonable, and the material covered basic movements as well as some fundamental sword forms from Wind-Cutting Swordsmanship.
"Could I observe a lesson first?"
Bruce asked. There was plenty of written information, but it didn't tell him how good the instruction actually was.
"We offer a free trial lesson."
That was even better. Being able to try a lesson first put Bruce much more at ease.
Smiling, Lilith led Bruce into the other room. It was more spacious, with thick, soft mats laid over the wooden floor. The surrounding walls were white, giving it a simple, open feel.
Bruce immediately spotted a slender woman with a ponytail demonstrating sword swings. Her movements were fluid, and she looked quite attractive in profile. She held a black Nylon Longsword, long and slender, with a circle of male students seated around her.
Most of the people who came here to learn swordsmanship were men. There were very few women.
Perhaps these men had come mainly to look at the female Swordsmanship Master. Of course, that was only Bruce's uncharitable speculation. After all, if they really wanted beautiful female Swordsmanship Masters, the Swordsmanship Hall would have been a better choice.
Still, women who came to learn swordsmanship were genuinely rare. Noble families generally wouldn't let their daughters take it up, and girls from poor families didn't either. Only strong-willed girls from reasonably comfortable middle-class homes would come to study it.
After Bruce entered, Lilith asked him to wait a moment. She left, then returned with a man.
"You want to learn swordsmanship?"
The man was big and burly, with a rough air about him.
"I'd like to learn some fundamentals and get some exercise," Bruce replied with a nod and a smile.
"Mm. Come over here, then. I'm Andre Hilton. Little sister, get him a set of training clothes."
"All right."
Lilith brought over a brand-new set of white clothes and a Nylon Longsword. She wore a sweet smile. She had found another student for her brother's club, earning them more money.
Wind-Cutting Swordsmanship used Cross Sword techniques. Training with a Nylon Longsword ensured that practice felt as realistic and as close to using a real sword as possible.
The free trial lesson began with the most basic stance and sword grip.
Andre certainly lived up to his credentials as an outstanding graduate of the Wind-Cutting Swordsmanship Club headquarters, authorized to open a branch. He took his teaching seriously and explained everything carefully. He was a competent swordsmanship instructor.
Bruce was very pleased with the trial lesson.
"Wouldn't two lessons a week leave rather long gaps between sessions? Could we condense the schedule a little? I might not have that much time available."
By the end of the trial lesson, Bruce had worked up a light sweat. Lilith poured him a glass of water, and after thanking her, he brought up the question of scheduling. Lilith said that wouldn't be a problem; he could come whenever he liked.
Whenever he came, he could either practice or take his next lesson. Andre was there every day.
Unlike the other students, Bruce would have all his swordsmanship lessons taught by Andre. That was his own request. Although the beautiful female Swordsmanship Master was easy on the eyes, he had come to learn, not to admire a pretty woman.