Sword practice

At seven in the morning, he practiced swordsmanship.

At eight in the morning, he practiced swordsmanship.

At half past eight, he mastered the basics of Favonius Swordsmanship!

After three hours of practice, comparing his movements against the illustrations and descriptions in the book and correcting his mistakes little by little, he finally managed to execute the entire set of Favonius Swordsmanship moves smoothly.

The corresponding skill also appeared on his Character Panel:

Name: Li Qiuzhi

Level: Lv.10 (0/1000)

Race: Human

Title: None

Innate talent: Intertwined Affection

Skills: Hunter's Archery Lv.3 (0/300), Favonius Archery: Basics Lv.2 (0/200), Hand-to-Hand Combat Lv.2 (0/200), Favonius Swordsmanship: Fundamentals Lv.1 (1/100)

Specialties: [Descender] [Maiden Rescuer]

Experience Points: 284

That meant he no longer needed to practice swordsmanship. After all, training on his own could hardly compare to pouring Experience Points directly into it.

For example, half a day of practicing Hunter's Archery with Draff in actual combat out in the wild had only improved it by the equivalent of a few Experience Points. He would have been better off beating up a Black-Backed Bass.

The problem was that he had too few Experience Points right now, while his level remained an endless bottomless pit.

Fortunately, his skills were sufficient for now, covering both ranged and close combat. He could focus on improving them first. Once they reached their maximum levels, combined with his superhuman physique, they might even let him hold his own against Vision wielders.

"Favonius Swordsmanship?"

Just then, a voice tinged with curiosity reached him. Miss Eula pushed open the iron gate and entered the courtyard, moving gracefully in her black over-the-knee boots.

Clearly, the sight of Li Qiuzhi practicing swordsmanship had caught her attention.

After all, he was practicing a perfectly good sword style with a scimitar. She could neither approve of that nor pretend she had not seen it.

"Good morning, Miss Eula." She had said yesterday that she would bring the keys over, so Li Qiuzhi was not surprised to see her.

"Here, the keys."

Eula walked up to Li Qiuzhi and extended her right hand, which held two keys. She loosened her gloved fingers slightly to pinch the key ring, and the iron keys clinked together with a crisp sound.

"Thank you. Sorry for the trouble of making another trip, Miss Eula."

Li Qiuzhi held his hand beneath the keys, waiting for Eula to release them into his palm.

Unexpectedly, Eula slapped her hand straight down. The keys landed in his hand, accompanied by a slight sting.

"Hmph. You're using Favonius Swordsmanship, aren't you? Do you really take it so lightly?"

Eula folded her arms out of habit, her lovely ice-blue eyebrows rising slightly. Her gaze settled on the scimitar Li Qiuzhi had been practicing with, a hint of displeasure in her expression.

Although she disagreed with many of the nobility's outdated rules, there were exceptions.

A small number of them did appeal to her, including the principle that one should take both people and things seriously. Knightly etiquette shared that view.

So it was hardly surprising that she could not stand seeing Li Qiuzhi practice Favonius Swordsmanship with a scimitar.

Had he been some random stranger on the street, Eula would not have cared what he did. But Li Qiuzhi had left a fairly good impression on her and did not show the usual disgust toward her.

They had gotten acquainted yesterday, and he had even rented her family's house. At a stretch, he could be considered her friend.

Friends needed to be held to strict standards.

Li Qiuzhi put away the keys and rubbed his hand. He had never expected Eula to scold him for practicing swordsmanship without a proper sword.

He did indeed have a mindset of making do with what he had to save money. After all, with his meager supply of Mora, he could not afford even a decent one-handed sword.

Looking a little embarrassed, he concealed his true thoughts and said:

"Miss Eula, I originally trained in archery. A few days ago, I seized this weapon from some Treasure Hoarders, so I thought I'd borrow Favonius Swordsmanship: Fundamentals from the library and see whether I had any talent for swordsmanship.

"If it turns out I'm reasonably good at it, I'll certainly get myself a good one-handed sword."

For the sake of his pride, his explanation was only half true. He would definitely learn swordsmanship regardless of his talent. Once he got started, he could simply pour Experience Points into it.

Of course, he would replace the scimitar too, but only once he had more money to spare. His current savings of a little over two hundred thousand Mora would not buy him a good sword.

Buying an inferior weapon that was only fit for practice and would break after a couple of fights would be far too wasteful.

"I see."

After hearing Li Qiuzhi's explanation, Eula rested a hand against her fair chin as she spoke, her tone softening considerably.

Testing whether he had an aptitude for a skill before deciding whether to study it in depth was perfectly normal. She could understand that.

Twining a strand of ice-blue hair around her index finger, Eula lifted her chin slightly and thought for a moment before saying:

"Since you want to learn Favonius Swordsmanship, you can come find me at the Knights of Favonius this afternoon. I can give you a few pointers."

Li Qiuzhi was a little surprised by Eula's offer.

He had not expected Eula to volunteer to teach him Favonius Swordsmanship. Does reaching friendship level two mean she'll take the initiative to help me with little things as a friend?

After thinking it over, he decided that was probably the reason.

"It would be wonderful to have your guidance, Miss Eula. But wouldn't it be a lot of trouble? Would it interfere with your work this afternoon?"

Although Li Qiuzhi had already learned the basics of [Favonius Swordsmanship: Fundamentals], he certainly would not turn down an opportunity to spend time with Eula. Friendship grew through these everyday interactions.

Of course, Li Qiuzhi kept his answer somewhat restrained rather than being too direct, showing concern for her work as a Knight of Favonius.

"Don't worry. Our Reconnaissance Company is back in Mondstadt City for a couple of days to rest and resupply. Minor matters like supplies don't require me, the captain, to handle them personally."

Eula lowered the fingers she had been playing with her hair with, her soft lips curving into a slight smile.

"Then thank you very much, Miss Eula," Li Qiuzhi said, nodding happily.

He knew that Eula served as captain of the Reconnaissance Company in the Knights of Favonius, and frequently had to lead her team on patrols outside the city, eliminating dangerous monsters and members of the Abyss Order.

She rarely returned to Mondstadt. It seemed he had happened to catch the Reconnaissance Company during its return for supplies these past two days.

"Good. One o'clock this afternoon. Don't be late, or you'll incur a serious grudge. I'll have my vengeance on the spot!"

Seeing Li Qiuzhi agree so readily, Eula looked satisfied, though she did not forget to threaten him in her own distinctive way.

"Of course. Rest assured, Miss Eula."

Li Qiuzhi nodded vigorously. Although he was curious about what form Eula's vengeance would take, he had no desire to invite trouble.

"Just call me Eula."

Eula tossed out those words before leaving.

[Eula has developed affection for you. Gained 45 friendship points. Current friendship level: Lv.2 (105/200)]

He watched Eula's graceful figure retreat. The cape draped over her right shoulder swayed gently with each alternating step. Looking past it, he could catch glimpses of the soft, snow-white skin exposed on her back.

Her backless black leather bodysuit also outlined the full curves of her hips.

Li Qiuzhi thought about his appointment to practice swordsmanship with Eula that afternoon.

It was about time to get going. Yesterday, he had promised Sanborn, the owner of the Fishing Tackle Shop, that he would stop by to take his commission. He could not go back on that promise either.

There'll be another chapter a little later (=^▽^=). Please keep reading, bookmark the story, and send recommendation votes. Thank you all for your support!