Chapter 167: It's Yours
Translator: WQL Editor: DarkGem
The day after circumcision was most insufferable. Before the untamed thing's head was completely exposed, as long as he put on his pants and took a walk, the friction between its head and the underwear would stimulate Zhang Tie so his body quivered all over. So he had to be meticulous even for a walk.
Besides, the wounds also started to hurt.
It was estimated that the anesthetic effect wouldn't completely wear off instantly, so he didn't feel very painful on that very day. However, on the second day, after all the senses had absolutely recovered, the impact of the operation was fully displayed. Thinking back to that he and Donder had even got in a fight in the Immortals Gathering Hotel, which left him to be tortured by several women fetched by Donder, Zhang Tie's sweat beaded all over his forehead. If it was today, he would never do it as it was too foolish.
Two days later, he would have to leave home and register in the Iron-Blood Camp. Six days later, he would face the first duel in his life.
Considering that it was not comfortable to move, Zhang Tie had to stay at home honestly.
In the eyes of dad and mom, he had truly grown up this time.
Zhang Tie's dad was also taking a rest today. Due to various reasons, the factory that he worked in suffered from an inefficient capacity utilization rate this last month.
Dad said that some Norman Empire's engineers were employed in their factory. They were commissioning several new installation modules on the assembly line of the factory. After the installation of the modules, the factory would produce uniformed steel components. The Norman Empire's engineers said the components were the composite modules of a battle castle. After that, half of the production capacity in his dad's steel mill would be used to produce the composite modules of battle castles.
After devouring Blackhot City, the Norman Empire had started to digest the production of Blackhot City on all aspects. The output of those overtaken productions had only one target - preparing for the war.
This made Zhang Tie slightly muddle-headed. Did it mean that the decision makers of the Norman Empire were preparing for an incoming even bigger war? Zhang Tie recalled Zerom's words from the survival training, 'the chaotic world is coming', and his heart pounded swifter with a feeling of urgency.
Sometimes, what was known by big figures would not be known by small figures. This was small figures' grief. The science teacher called this information asymmetry, which indicated the asymmetry between real forces, benefits, and people's rights.
It was said that before the Catastrophe there was a miraculous tool called the Internet. It could help people to keep in touch with each other even hundreds of millions miles away. Everyone could share their news with other people. The Internet could connect everybody on the entire continent. People could easily acquire large amounts of knowledge from the Internet and also learn what happened across the entire continent, even in the most remote areas.
That was humanity's first time using magic called science and technologies to construct an information sharing platform that covered all the human kind. The largest advantage of this kind of platform was the reduction of the information asymmetry between benefits and real forces due to different knowledge levels between people of different standing, greatly advancing social fairness. Commoners all liked this Internet and used their every effort to develop this Internet. However, some big figures who wanted to use information asymmetry to maintain their ruling position and vested interests hated it very much and did all they good to destroy it.
This battle didn't end until the appearance of the Catastrophe and the Star of the God, which grabbed away the marvelous Internet from human beings forever, sending them back to the age of extreme information asymmetry...
After the operation, Zhang Tie stayed at home for two days, during which he calmly lived with his family members and recuperated.
He didn't plan to go outside these days if there was nothing urgent to deal with. Every second at home was precious for him. However, on the early morning of the third day after he took the circumcision, a little boy brought a letter to Zhang Tie's house. Reading it, Zhang Tie had to put on informal clothes and go out again.
It was Donder who had written the letter, asking Zhang Tie to come to the grocery store today no matter what.
The calligraphy of the letter was very familiar. There was even a very hard to locate hidden mark that Donder had taught him to identify whether the letter was true or not.
The little boy said that the boss of the grocery store had given him one silver coin to deliver the letter here.
Zhang Tie didn't doubt the little boy's words, but he became somewhat curious about when Donder had become this generous. A silver coin? If it was a normal day, that mean guy would not even pay ten copper coins.
After telling his family members, Zhang Tie went out. He spent several copper coins for a trolleybus and arrived at Donder's grocery store in less than 20 minutes.
The grocery store had not opened today, leaving only one door half opened, seemingly waiting for Zhang Tie. He entered and saw Donder counting something with another person over the counter.
"Wait a moment, I'll soon be free!" Donder told Zhang Tie after turning a head to see his entrance. He then continuing counting the items in the store.
Zhang Tie knew the person who was working together with Donder. He was Faires, a guy as thin as a monkey and the boss of another, bigger grocery store near the flea market of the railway station. In the past two years, as he had looked with interest at Donder's grocery store's location, he had tried many times to buy it, but previously, Donder had never agreed. Yet judging from the present scene, Donder must have sold his grocery store to him this time.
For some reason, Zhang Tie felt that Donder's personality was totally different from before.
Zhang Tie then calmly waited for more than ten minutes before the two shop owners finished counting the goods.
After that, Faires satisfactorily covered his account book and said in a tentative way, "Mr. Donder, the records on your account book well match the items in your grocery store. You know, as Blackhot City is suffering from a depressed economy and many stores have already closed, many rich men have also left. Therefore I might not give you as much as before!"
"What's your price!" Donder calmly asked.
"60% of the previous price; plus your store and the goods inside, 300 gold coins in all; how about that?" Faires's eyes glittered with a shadow of cunning as he observed Donder's expression.
Hearing this price, Donder still kept silent while Zhang Tie almost jumped up. Even though the Blackhot City had experienced the crisis, the business of this grocery store was not influenced that much.
On the contrary, its business even improved in the past three months. Due to the large amount of human flow near the railway station, this place was even more bustling than before. Even if the Blackhot City's properties were a bit devalued, the items in this store were already worth a lot by themselves. For instance, that powerful rat poison and those crystals. 300 gold coins were really too low.
Donder opened his mouth. "400 gold coins!"
For some reason, Donder, who was always complaining normally, only reported his quotation, nothing more.
Faires tried his best to calmly observe Donder's face with a pair of brown eyes for over ten seconds, seemingly wanting to see through something. In the end, he didn't even bargain anymore, just nodded. "Fine, 400 gold coins!"
After that, Faires called the notary who brought the transaction text. Donder then took out the certificate of the store while Faires took out 400 gold coins, the notary fee, and other taxes. Soon after, they completed the trade.
"I need a lad who knows this place. The first year, I'll pay you 35 silver coins a month; the second year, you'll receive a trading bonus. If you can do it well, I'll promote you to a manager. How about coming over to help me?"
Out of Zhang Tie's expectation, after the trading, Faires thought about employing him to continue working here for him.
"Thanks, I've got another job!" Zhang Tie politely refused.
Faires felt pity as he stared at Zhang Tie. "Never mind, if you want to work here, I'll welcome you at any time! It's really difficult to foster a lad who knows what he's doing!"
"Let's go then!" Donder told Zhang Tie after putting away his purse. They then left the grocery store.
Donder looked strange today. Zhang Tie felt like saying something the whole time, but he had forgotten how to open his mouth. Although Donder selling his grocery store had nothing to do with him, not knowing the reason for it, still left Zhang Tie unsatisfied.
After walking roughly 50 m with Donder, Zhang Tie finally couldn't stand it anymore. "Why did you sell the grocery store?"
Donder turned his head and peered at Zhang Tie. He then shook his head. "I thought that you could hold it a bit longer, but it seems that you're still not that stable!'
'Bastard!' Zhang Tie swore in his mind.
However, since he had already asked the question, he didn't need to pretend anymore, so he immediately argued, "Do you mean that I've made you go bankrupt by that meal? If it's true, I'm very sorry!"
"You can make me go bankrupt by one meal of over 10 gold coins?" Donder cast a contemptuous eye onto Zhang Tie. "That consumption yesterday is normal, you're really a rustic from the remote area of Blackhot City. I've even been to a place where a cup of water would cost 100 gold coins!"
A cup of water would cost you 100 gold coins? Zhang Tie's mouth twitched as he felt that Donder was boosting. "There has never been such a place in this world. 100 coins would be equal to my dad's 89 years' salary!"
Zhang Tie had an expression of clear disbelief.
Donder kept silent, walking on ahead of Zhang Tie. After 10 more minutes, he guided Zhang Tie before a six-story apartment building that occupied over 200 square meters on the Avenue Monet in the east of Blackhot City.
"How about this building?" Donder asked Zhang Tie.
"Not bad!" Zhang Tie casually answered.
"Then it's yours from now on!" Donder also casually said.
Zhang Tie stared dumbfounded.
Chapter 168: Ugly Stone
Translator: WQL Editor: DarkGem
The exterior wall of the entire apartment was made of dark red bricks and gray stones, which looked pretty cool and clean. In the balcony of each floor, there was a flaxen windowsill. On the rails of the windowsills, many potted plants were placed. The gate of the apartment building was facing Avenue Monet. Walking out of the gate, you needed to go down over ten stairs before reaching the sidewalk. On both sides of the stairs, one could see a part of the first floor apartment close to the avenue. Besides, there were two parterres filled with red maples and Chinese roses.
The pitch-black wrought iron gate of the apartment looked pretty firm and delicate. The brass handle was very clean. Generally, everything in this apartment building matched a man of good standing who had received a good education and had a nice income in Blackhot City: clean, fresh, graceful, the surrounding environment was neither dirty and chaotic nor brilliant.
In Zhang Tie's mind, the traders that went about soliciting business deals in bulk commodity exchanges, doctors that carried out circumcision operations for him, teachers like Zerom and Captain Kerlin at school, the graceful businessmen who had small business in Blackhot City and that notary he met today should live in such an apartment.
There were numerous apartment buildings like this one in Blackhot City, tall or low. They were mostly favored by renters. That bastard Hista dreamed of having such an apartment one day so that he could collect rents every month. With the money, he could then indulge with women everyday.
Seeing Zhang Tie dumbfounded, Donder added, "What? You're scared to be seen an idiot with only such a small apartment building?"
Zhang Tie stared at Donder with disbelief. "Are you kidding me? Have you eaten something wrong or what? I knew that you were not right when I caught sight of you today. I'll check if you've caught a fever or something..."
Saying this, Zhang Tie pretended to touch Donder's forehead, only to get a 'Pa' sound from Donder who slapped his hand away.
Donder then cast a ferocious glare at him. "Bastard, as I've said, you're really rustic. This apartment only cost me several thousand gold coins when I bought it several years ago. It's cheaper now. Someone would spend it by a few meals. It's nothing at all. You really think it's something that big?"
When Donder mocked Zhang Tie, he walked up the stairs of the apartment building with a sound of 'dong dong dong'. After taking out a key, he inserted it into the lock and rotated it two circles before opening that gate.
"Come on in, I need you for something!"
Scratching his head, Zhang Tie followed Donder in.
Behind the gate was a thick door mat. The apartment was paved with a clean gray wooden floor. Entering it, Zhang Tie raised his head up and caught sight of a beautiful layer of triangular glass ceiling, from where sufficient sunlight could reach inside the room. The spiral stairs inside could directly lead to the roof. From the second floor upwards, each floor would contain two apartments, face to face with each other with an aisle between them.
Donder didn't go upstairs, instead, he passed by some tall green plants on the left of the stairs before opening a door of a residence.
The moment Zhang Tie entered, Donder locked the door from inside.
This was a residence on floor 1. Its furniture: sofa and various other things inside the room were well prepared. All the furniture gave a fresh wooden fragrance.
Before Zhang Tie could enjoy them carefully for a bit longer, Donder had already led him into a tranquil study after passing by an aisle. The moment Donder pressed a hidden switch, a bookcase had slid way, revealing a door behind it. After opening this door, Zhang Tie saw stone stairs stretching down towards a basement.
On the walls of the staircase hung expensive ten thousands-year fluorite lamps which rendered the entire basement pale green.
"After entering here, remember to close the door of the basement. After doing so from inside, the bookcase outside will automatically slid back to its original place and all the safety settings will be triggered on. Even if someone wants to break it from outside using force, it would cost them a long time..." Donder explained, turning back his head while walking first.
'Bang!'
After closing the door, Zhang Tie heard a heavy and dreary sound made by the door of this basement, like a safe being closed. He had not imagined that the thick room door was made of steel, its surface only brushed with a layer of wood paint.
The basement was very large, covering more than 100 square meters. It had a look of a temporary asylum. There was a table, several lockers, big and small, and some other items. What was out of Zhang Tie's expectation was that there were no less than four wardrobes of different sizes here, and a huge mirror. What did Donder prepare so many clothes here for? To enjoy them in front of the mirror by himself?
Donder walked towards a chair and told Zhang Tie to sit down as well.
At this moment, Zhang Tie was completely filled with curiosity. Everything that the mean boss of the grocery store did today was filled with a sense of mystery.
"I know you must have a lot of questions now!" Donder said, staring at Zhang Tie.
With a sense of depression, Zhang Tie scratched his head. "What are you doing this for today? I feel like you've become stranger!"
"Because I have to leave the Blackhot City soon. I have to deal with the things here!"
"You want to go?" Shocked, Zhang Tie stared at Donder. "Why?"
"Because of you!" Donder looked at Zhang Tie with a smile. "Previously, I didn't know when I could leave Blackhot City. But because of you, I will do so soon. Do you know that I've not been back home for three decades? Previously, I thought that I could only have a chance to go back home when I was old enough. But because of you, I can do so several decades in advance. So I have to thank you!"
"Because of me?"
Zhang Tie became even more surprised.
"Can you not widely open your eyes and point at your own nose? This looks is too rustic!" Donder smiled. "Do you remember that that you have given me? Do you know its real value?"
"Hmm, this book can improve one's spiritual energy. It should be very precious!"
"It's not just precious!" Donder shook his head. "Do you remember that story about an ugly stone that I've told you before. That is an ugly store."
Zhang Tie could still clearly remember the story about an ugly stone. It was one of the stories that Donder had told him. Once upon a time, an ugly stone was found by a stonemason in a mountain village. Because that stone was very hard, the stonemason then used it as a stone anvil. He found it was very useful and kept using it for dozens of years.
One day, a greater blacksmith came to the village and found that stone too. He felt that the stone might be an iron ore. Therefore, he cut off a small piece of it and took it back. When he returned home, he made it into a horseshoe and sold it for dozens of copper coins. The blacksmith was very satisfied about it.
After the blacksmith left, another, even greater master swordsmith felt that the stone might be an aerosiderite. Therefore, he also cut off a piece of it and took it back home. He then built it into a precious sharp sword and sold it for several hundreds of gold coins.
Later, an even greater master clockmaker found that aerosiderite and cut off a piece of it. He used the metal inside it to create several pocket watches in the series of aerosiderite. He finally sold them for thousands of gold coins.
After the arrival of the master clockmaker, a carving master found that piece of stone and directly took away the remainder of it. After a delicate carving, he got tens of thousands of gold coins from it.
Finally, the value of the stone was identified by an emperor. After smelting the stone again, the emperor extracted the metal from inside the stone and made it into the seal of the empire, which was worth hundreds of millions of gold coins...
This story told that the same thing would have different value in different people's eyes.
Zhang Tie understood it, but he also became confused at the same time.
"Like how human exercise their muscles, one's spiritual energy is mainly carried out through visualization. The things being visualized to exercise one's spiritual energy are top secret knowledge. Additionally, all the visualizations are a deep conscious activity which demands ardor and need extremely high spiritual stability and sustainability, which pose a very high requirement for one's willingness and endurance.
"Previously, I've never seen anybody who could exercise spiritual energy before twelve years old. Neither have I heard of any method of cultivation that could improve kids and youths' spiritual energy. Although 'Mental Arithmetic by Abacus' looks simple, it can help a person start exercising spiritual energy from six years old, or even from five.
"Besides, its threshold is very low, making it available for almost everybody. Although the effects of the 'Mental Arithmetic by Abacus' is weak, through visualizations and improvement of one's spiritual energy, people could lay a solid foundation for the further exercise requiring superior spiritual energy. This is the true value of 'Mental Arithmetic by Abacus', a method that could be learned even at a very young age to improve one's spiritual energy. Additionally, it's a beginner's textbook for improving one's spiritual energy. Do you understand it's value now?"
"Hmm... it really seems a bit useful to improve one's spiritual energy since young!"
Zhang Tie smirked.
"A bit useful?" Donder gaped at Zhang Tie, his voice high.
Infuriated as if having been insulted, he jumped up from the chair and fiercely flicked Zhang Tie's forehead with a finger.
"Bad *ss, are you an idiot or what? For idiots like you, it's a bit useful. However, have you ever imagined its effect if 10 million people, 100 million people, 0.1 billion people, or several billions of people, even tens of billions of Chinese people could learn it?
"It could help many people who could not improve their spiritual energy any more to easily exercise it so that they could easily improve themselves and break through the bottlenecks in their cultivation. It could enable many Chinese youths to lay a solid foundation for a good spiritual energy, which could help them a lot in their future development.
"Do you know how many genius' and powerful men would be seen among Chinese in the future, you idiot!"
Donder flicked Zhang Tie's forehead once again before sitting down, heavily panting.
Chapter 169: News about the Holy War
Translator: WQL Editor: DarkGem
Looking at Donder who was so excited, Zhang Tie became stunned as he had not imagined that such righteous words could come from that mean guy. What made him even more amazed was that the book that he had picked up from the roadside stall could play such a huge role.
Everything that had happened today made Zhang Tie muddle-headed. Soon after, he recovered his composure, realizing a lot of useful information from Donder's words.
First, the cultivation of spiritual energy mainly relied on visualizations. However, before the secret of 'Mental Arithmetic by Abacus' was discovered, it seemed that the greater part of methods being used to cultivate one's spiritual energy were very sophisticated and hard to master. It was an especially tough challenge for young people and kids not yet twelve years old as they didn't have a stable temperament.
Second, for a common boss of a grocery store in Blackhot City, it was not his place to care about the survival and development of Chinese. Their rise and fall were several millions of miles away from his daily life.
"Does me giving you the book mean so much?" Zhang Tie asked.
As for Donder's explanation, if it was heard by someone in Blackhot City or the Norman Empire, that guy would join the list of missing people in less than two days with nothing of his presence remaining. How could he brag in such an exaggerated way by using hundreds of millions, even billions, of Chinese people?
"F*ck, of course I cannot, but the organization behind my back can!" Donder calmly replied.
"The organization behind your back?"
Zhang Tie was surprised. He finally understood that everybody had their own secrets, including him and even Donder, that mean guy.
"Of course!" Donder answered full of pride. There was a strange brilliance to him, almost a sense of honor, that Zhang Tie had not seen before. "My status is very trivial in my organization, and I'm just an eye and an ear of my organization in Blackhot City. Do you understand it?"
Zhang Tie finally understood that Donder was a spy of his organization responsible for collecting intelligence in Blackhot City .
"How is your organization when compared to the Norman Empire?" Zhang Tie asked out of curiosity.
"Have you seen those ten thousand year fluorite lamps hanging on the wall?"
Zhang Tie nodded.
"If the Norman Empire was one ten thousand year fluorite lamp, my organization would be the shiny sun in the sky!" Donder solemnly said.
Zhang Tie was shocked once again.
"No doubt about that. If we can encounter each other in the future, you will know that I have not cheated you! Because of 'Mental Arithmetic by Abacus', I've made great contribution to my organization. As a result, my organization dispatched me back to the Eastern Continent. My mission in Blackhot City has been completed in advance, and I finally have the chance to go back home!"
"Aren't your organization in Blackson Human Clan Corridor?"
Donder smirked. "Blackson Human Clan Corridor is a Hebrew expression. Among Chinese, it is called Waii Peninsula or Waii Subcontinent. It is only a small area on the entire Kun'ang Continent, an uncivilized area which is far away from the axis of the world and revolves around it. Do you know what is an uncivilized area to Chinese? You should understand that a really huge dragoon will not play with water in a shallow pond. As for me who is just dreaming of not having to starve to death, I was dispatched here to just watch the weather change!"
Zhang Tie stared at Donder, feeling uncomfortable about what he had said about the uncivilized thing.
"As for Chinese like you who have long been dispatched to an uncivilized area, when you're alive, if you don't come for a pilgrimage in the east or visit the place where gathers the most Chinese, if you don't go to have a look in the area where your bloodline roots in so as to experience the honor and brilliance of the Chinese clan that you have not tasted before, you will have spent your life in vain!"
What Donder said made Zhang Tie long for that unknown glory. He asked, "Are you leaving here for the Eastern Continent?"
"Yea, tonight I will leave Blackhot City for Kalur by train. When I arrive at Kalur, someone will pick me up over there. I will then take an airship. During the trip, I'll transfer several stations by other vehicles. If I don't get stuck somewhere in the middle, I'll see the Eastern Continent in one and a half months."
Zhang Tie's face fell slightly. "Will I see you again?"
Since Donder was almost a master to him, realizing that guy was going to leave soon, Zhang Tie felt a bit reluctant to part with him. In a split second, every memory that he had with this guy flashed across Zhang Tie's mind. Instinctively, he felt like crying.
"This is the most important thing that I want to talk with you about, today!" Donder looked solemn. "You should remember what I've told you today. No matter what, you have to leave Blackhot City along with your family members in two years, though the sooner, the better. You must move to settle down among Chinese nations in the southeast of Waii Peninsula first.
"Afterwards, you should seek for a chance to move all of your family members to the Eastern Continent. The entire world is going to be in great chaos. Hundreds of millions of lives will soon be burned into ashes. Waii Peninsula is not a long lasting area. For the sake of you and your family members' lives, you have to leave as soon as possible!"
"Why?"
Zhang Tie's heart pounded.
"Because the holy war between human beings and demons will start soon!" Donder gloomily said.
"A holy war?"
Zhang Tie was startled. Soon after he understood what Donder was talking about, his face immediately twitched.
Holy war? That phrase was able to startle everybody.
Given the history and relevant knowledge that Zhang Tie had learned about the holy wars, there was only one word that could be used to describe those two previous holy wars: Destroy!
Terrifying demons poured out of the underground world like locusts which could immediately sweep over human cities and nations one by one. Every place that demons passed by would become mountains and seas of bloody bodies, no single person left alive.
The first holy war broke out about 600 years ago. At that time, the human race, which had just recovered a bit, was almost completely destroyed by demons. At school, when giving an introduction to the first holy war, the science teacher only said several things: the amount of human casualties was 27 billion and over 600 human nations and regions were destroyed by demons.
The first holy war lasted roughly 70 years, over three generations. After this holy war, the total amount of human beings was only over 10 billions, which indicated that two thirds of people had died in the first holy war.
The second one broke out about 300 years ago, which was also called the one hundred years holy war. It lasted for over 110 years. The amount of casualties of human beings in this holy war was 48 billion. Over 1000 human nations and regions were destroyed by demons. Compared to the first holy war, the second one was much more miserable as many human races were completely eliminated by demons. Numerous human families were broken apart.
Each holy war between the human race and the demons would be a catastrophe of the entire human race.
When the respected science teacher was talking about the previous two holy wars, he even choked several times in class. Compared to any other kinds of wars, in holy wars between the two races, people had to save themselves. As for demons, humankind was their most delicious food whose fresh blood, muscles, and brains were the favorite food of all demons.
After each holy war, each black-and-white photo taken by historians and war correspondents about any place that once was occupied by demons was like vivid hell for those still alive.
Zhang Tie once saw the black-and-white photos that were brought to the classroom by the science teacher. That cruel scenes in them made Zhang Tie and all the other animals in his classroom sick. They had all lost appetite for lunch...
Holy war was a nightmare for each person, lasting over 100 years!
According to the previous two holy wars, the third holy war would probably be even more tragic than the previous ones. It would last longer while many more areas would be involved. As a result, more people would die in the third long lasting holy war.
"Go to the east. The most powerful Chinese clan is where the hope of the humans lies in. Even if all the humans on the Kun'ang Continent died in this holy war, the Eastern Continent could still support the last few people!" Donder said.
The dialogue with Donder before he left Blackhot City unlocked many puzzles in Zhang Tie's mind. He abruptly understood why so many things happened in Blackhot City in the past two months: why the Andaman Alliance would be destroyed over night, why the prices of the grains on the market had started to surge since months ago, why Zerom said that the chaotic world would arrive.
It was because privileged big figures who had the right to write the history of Blackson Human Clan Corridor had accelerated their preparations for the incoming holy war. Before the arrival of the holy war, the alleged emperors and chancellors were nothing different from squirrels who were busy trying to save up for the winter.
How long was left before the third holy war between the human beings and demons would break out? According to Donder's judgment, it would at least take five or twenty years at most before it finally broke out. But this short period before it began was for big figures to accomplish the warm-up mobilization which concerned the lives of the human clan.
Donder told Zhang Tie that many nations and families on the continents had already prepared for over 100 years for the third holy war between the human beings and the demons. However, no matter how well they had prepared. When the third holy war really broke out, all the preparations might not be enough.
Before the arrival of the overwhelming demons, nobody knew whether the steel and iron fortresses that they had built would be as weak as a piece of paper which would be easily broken by demons. Nobody dared to firmly say that the strategic materials that they had prepared could help them stick till the end of this holy war.
Before leaving, Donder gave Zhang Tie the following things: the real property transfer certificate of this apartment building, a lot of key belonging to it, several deeds of house property, 400 gold coins, and a strange resin card with many small holes on it. The older men told Zhang Tie that if he arrived at the Eastern Continent, he would definitely be able to find him using this card.
Besides these items, Donder also left Zhang Tie with a book about 'cross-dressing'. Everything in this basement was for 'cross-dressing', including various props, materials, and clothes. There was even a hidden tunnel in the basement which led to a perennial chartered room of an underground bar.
That underground bar ran around the clock. As many people went there, nobody would notice him even if he accessed that chartered room from here.
As the third holy war would not break out soon, Donder hoped that Zhang Tie could well prepare and gain enough money to move his family members to the Eastern Continent, using the things provided by him.
This was the expenditure left for Zhangs' escape. This amount of expenditure would allow a poor student like Zhang Tie to be one of the possessing class.
Donder didn't care about this wealth at all. He said this was only a bit money, which was just a trivial compensation for him to thank for Zhang Tie's gift of 'Mental Arithmetic by Abacus'. The organization that he was serving had awarded him many times more than this amount of wealth for his discovery of the 'Mental Arithmetic by Abacus'. Therefore, Donder told Zhang Tie not to feel reluctant for receiving such a bit of wealth.
After leaving the apartment building, Zhang Tie walked on the Avenue Monet for a long time. He felt muddled-headed as he hadn't yet recovered his composure from everything that he had experienced today. Not until he turned to the avenue where his house was located and a little boy ran the bells on a bike, happily passing by, did Zhang Tie become clear-minded.
Seeing the innocent and joyful smile of that little boy and hearing the crispy rings of the bell, Zhang Tie almost immediately broke through a translucent glass wall that was before him, since he could finally see the entire vivid and free world again.
The holy war thing should not be a concern to a trivial person like him. No matter what, when he realized something bad was going to happen, he would run away along with his family members. This amount of wealth would even be enough for him to move his beloved girls like Pandora and the members of the Brotherhood away to the Eastern Continent.
Zhang Tie revealed a smile when he thought of the wealth left by Donder and felt very good.
'I'm rich, I'm rich! As a charter man of an apartment building, I'll get a gold coin per month. Hista cannot imagine that I've made his dream come true, hahahaha...'
The entire Blackhot City suddenly became brilliant!
Humming all the way, Zhang Tie returned home. The moment he entered, he saw three guests: Alice, Beverly, and Pandora. They looked as beautiful as wax dolls and were chatting with his mom. Seeing Zhang Tie come in and his mouth falling open at the sight of them, the girls smiled at the same time.
Zhang Tie's mom glared at him with mixed moods. "My idiot son told me that he had found three girlfriends in the survival training, I didn't believe that until the three beautiful girls came here for him now."
With such a son, his mom felt both happy and worried. She became upset although being a bit excited: Zhang Tie was not that fickle in love and adorable in girls' eyes. How could he bring back three girls merely in the survival training?
"Guoguo[1] has really grown up!"
His mom became gratified and dejectedly sighed inside...
Zhang Tie didn't know that the news that he would start a duel with Sodor in two days had spread wide through many schools of Blackhot City. Few people knew that he had become a second lieutenant of the Norman Empire; it had only spread in a small circle. In many people's eyes, a show between a fresh graduate and a LV 4 warrior was truly attractive.
However, Zhang Tie didn't really have this thing on his mind. For him, the beginning of the life in Iron-Blood Camp was the most important thing in his future...
Not until Donder had left did Zhang Tie realize that he had forgotten to ask about his ability to throw lances so precisely, because the news that the third holy war between the human beings and the demons would soon break out was too appalling.
[1] Zhang Tie's nickname at home. It means Little Fruit
Chapter 170: Preparations
Translator: WQL Editor: DarkGem
Five days passed quickly. Although Zhang Tie's wound after the circumcision had not recovered yet, and he had only changed fresh dressing for his wound only once, his holiday would soon be over.
The last few days, the good news was that Zhang Tie's untamed thing was not that sensitive any more. It had become accustomed to the contact with his underwear and pants.
The bad news was that Zhang Tie found out that he had become famous among the animals of Blackhot City. In the eyes of many people who didn't understand him, Zhang Tie seemed to be an evil and terrifying thug, a homicidal maniac who could break his classmate's neck in front of over one thousand people in the canteen of the Wild Wolf Castle.
Those people didn't care about what Zuhair and Glaze had done to him, they just spread what he had done to Zuhair in all schools across Blackhot City.
On the first day when Blackhot City was included into the territory of the Norman Empire, Zhang Tie had already utilized the game rules of the Norman Empire's barbarous training to kill his own classmate in front of the public. Such an impression would not be good in the eyes of the gossipers.
Besides, there was gossip that the disappeared Glaze was also killed by Zhang Tie. Although they had gotten it right, Zhang Tie didn't plan to admit to it, just leaving them to guess. No matter what, he would not lose even a hair.
On the evening of the day when Donder left, after sending Pandora, Alice, and Beverly back home respectively, on the way back, Zhang Tie considered how to tell what he had experienced today to his family members.
When he came back home, he found his elder sister-in-law had went to bed as she was pregnant and had easily fallen asleep. Zhang Tie then called his parents and his elder brother and explained why Donder had presented him with the apartment building and the amount of gold coins to him.
Seeing Zhang Tie pull out a purse which contained 400 'locomotive' gold coins, the other three people of Zhang family were shocked for quite a while.
"You mean that Donder gave you this money?" Zhang Tie's dad asked Zhang Tie with eyes wide open.
"Yea, and a six-story apartment building in Avenue Monet. That building was bought by Donder several years ago. He was always living there. Today he transferred it to me. The formalities had been dealt with. Donder said this was a trivial compensation for my gift of , which helped him render great meritorious service to his super great organization.
"He was ears and eyes of that organization in Blackhot City. As he was now dispatched back as a part of the compensation that his organization awarded him with, he then left these items to me!" Zhang Tie honestly explained, putting his hands on his knees.
After hearing Zhang Tie's explanation, his parents and elder brother became silent. Although Zhang Yang knew that could improve one's spiritual energy was a very precious mysterious knowledge, he had not imagined that this book could play such a great role.
Through Donder, everybody learned the value of , which was simply a beginner's book for everybody to practice their spiritual energy, greatly lowering the threshold for them to cultivate and improve their spiritual energy. It could even help many people who could not cultivate or improve their spiritual energy any more to improve their spiritual energy once again. It was a book of great value that could not be underestimated.
"What else did he leave or say to you besides these things?"
After being silent for several seconds, his dad stared at Zhang Tie in an unprecedentedly solemn way.
"He said that the secret of should not be revealed to anyone else besides our family members in case of bringing disaster to our family. Oh, he also gave me one card that I could use to contact him if I came to the Eastern Continent in the future!"
Saying this, Zhang Tie took out that resin card with many irregular small holes on it. He was still confused about how to use this name card.
His dad took a careful look at it after taking it into his hands. His frown then slowly disappeared. Finally, he became completely relaxed and let out a long sigh before nodding to Zhang Tie's mom.
"Dad, you know this item? What's it used for?" Zhang Tie asked, looking at his dad's changing expression.
"This is a name card!"
His dad smiled.
"A name card?"
Not only Zhang Tie, even Zhang Yang who was gazing at that strange card became startled. He took that card from his dad's hand and carefully observed it for quite a while. Zhang Yang couldn't find even one word on it. How could this be a name card?
Both brothers became suspicious.
"Of course. This is the most advanced name card, which is not for people, but for large-scale steam-driven calculators. The round holes on this card are a machine language that can only be identified by a large-scale crystal steam-driven calculator. This is an ID card that is used in long-distance remote communications requiring decoding by Xuan Yuan-6 steam-driven calculator in Eastern Continent.
"If you insert this card into any long-distance crystal remote communication equipment in any city of the Eastern Continent, you will be able to contact Donder..."
His dad took back the card from Zhang Yang's hand, carefully checking it even with a yearning expression.
Large-scale steam-driven calculator? It was Zhang Tie's turn to be dumbfounded. This thing was too advanced so he'd only heard about it at school. Even the teacher who had introduced it to them hadn't seen it before.
According to the teacher's comment, steam-driven calculator was based on steam-driven difference engine, which was used two generations of calculation inventions ago. The steam-driven calculator was the greatest machine that humanity had created so far.
Zhang Tie knew that a difference engine was a machine that could carry out sophisticated difference calculations and was invented by mathematician Babbage during the first industrial revolution before the Catastrophe. The mathematician gained his inspiration from a steam-driven jacquard engine, inventing the steam-driven difference engine, which could calculate through movements of gears. Sadly, after it was invented, the difference engine didn't catch too many people's attention. Due to some unknown reasons, it was then refrigerated by people.
In the second industrial revolution before the Catastrophe, electricity-driven computers that calculated by transistors instead of gears with the same calculating function were invented. Therefore, the steam-based difference engine was completely forgotten.
Closely followed by the invention of the computer came the Catastrophe. After it, those still alive realized that if they wanted to survive for longer, they had to own a calculating tool which could calculate faster and more precisely than human brains. Therefore, the steam-based difference engine that had been refrigerated for over 10,00 years was discovered again.
Among the previous 17 cities of the entire Andaman Alliance, there was only Kalur, the city of machine, who could use steam-based difference engines. There were only two steam-based difference engines across the Andaman Alliance. One was put in Kalur, serving as the most powerful calculating core that supported the manufacturing industry across Kalur, while the smaller one was put in the Andaman City, the capital of the Andaman Alliance. It was said that it was used by the Andaman Alliance to manage its huge family business.
Between steam-driven calculator and steam-driven difference engine, there was a steam-driven analytic engine, which was a much more powerful machine based on steam-driven difference engine. Accordingly, steam-driven calculator was more powerful than a steam-driven analytic engine. It was the representative of the greatest manufacturing capability of human beings. Across the entire Blackson Human Clan Corridor, not only large-scale steam-driven calculator, even a large-scale steam-driven analytic engine could not be produced.
"Dad, how do you know so much about it?"
Zhang Tie stared at his dad with doubt. This card was not even seen by Zhang Tie's teachers at school. How could his dad explain its usage so clearly? Besides, his dad looked too strange. Why did he let out a deep sigh after seeing the card when he looked worried about Donder's status before!
"Hmm... hmm... your dad has heard about it from others before!"
Zhang Tie felt that his dad was really not good at telling a lie. At such an age, when he was telling a lie, he would always scratch his head, which was known to all the other members of Zhang family.
Zhang Tie looked at him with doubt once again. The moment he wanted to open his mouth, his mom interrupted him.
"Guoguo, what do you plan to do with that apartment building and that money left by Donder?"
Mom's words directly caught Zhang Tie's attention.
"Needless to say, of course, I will hand them all to you too, letting you to be renters and enjoy it for the rest of your lives..." Saying this, Zhang Tie immediately became highly spirited. "As my elder brother is going to get married, he and my elder sister-in-law should have a new residence. Even if I live in another residence in the apartment building, there are still 9 residences in the apartment building, which could bring you over 10 gold coins a month. This income is much higher than dad's salary.
"The rice brew business at home is lacking, while my elder sister-in-law is going to give birth to a baby for our family, so this apartment building is very necessary. As for the money, I will give it to my elder brother. Since he is going to retire from the military service, with that amount of money, he can do some business, which would be much better than working for other people!"
In order to not worry his dad and much too much, Zhang Tie didn't talk about the incoming holy war. The moment Zhang Yang opened his mouth, he caught sight of Zhang Tie's shake of the head. Due to the tacit agreement between the two brothers in the past decade, Zhang Yang immediately shut up as he knew that Zhang Tie would tell him something alone later.
After thinking for a while, his dad and mom exchanged glances with each other, then nodded.
"The apartment building is yours, we will look after it for you, since I'm afraid that you won't have enough time to deal with it. As your dad and me have been used to living here for the past dozens of years, we don't want to move anymore. If you want, you can move there. If you have a residence to stay in Blackhot City instead of having to rent outside, your dad and me are reassured..."
His mom revealed a benign smile. "As for this money, I will put it away for you. When your elder brother needs it in the future, I'll give it to him as a loan from you!"
Knowing his dad and mom's intention, Zhang Tie didn't say anything. However, he insisted to give the rents to them as part of his filial piety. In the end, they nodded and agreed to take one third of the rents, leaving the rest to Zhang Tie himself.
Everybody then became satisfied with the distribution of the wealth.
After his dad and mom went to bed, Zhang Tie silently pulled Zhang Yang aside and whispered to him about the incoming third holy war. Hearing this news, Zhang Yang's face immediately twitched as he finally understood why the Blackhot City and Andaman Alliance became chaotic in the past two months.
"Elder brother, I will leave the 400 gold coins to you. This is a critical moment for you and me to pass through the incoming difficulties. We don't need to discuss how to distribute it anymore. I have little time left at home as I have to serve in the Iron-Blood Camp; the City Guard of Blackhot City will soon be revoked, the Iron-Horn Army only considers to keep several military officers. Adviser Vessie told me that the rest of the military staff as well as the soldiers will have to retire.
The Iron-Horn Army will recruit and train a new batch of soldiers their own way. So you'ill surely have to retire in a few days. After that, you can use the money to get a business and gradually mediate relationships for our family. You should seek for a path for our family to survive in the Chinese nations in the south; otherwise, if anything urgent really happens, although we two can directly escape, how about our dad, mom, elder sister-in-law and that incoming baby?
"So we should prepare for what's coming as early as possible. Elder brother, as long as you can find a path for our family out of here, we can move our dad, mom, elder sister-in-law and the incoming baby first..."
The brothers' hands tightly clasped each other, and Zhang Yang gloomily nodded.
...
Time flew past, and it was time for Zhang Tie to register in the Iron-Blood Camp of No. 39 Division...
Chapter 171: Rules of the Iron-Blood Camp
Translator: WQL Editor: DarkGem
August 6th, 889th year of Black Iron Calendar, Iron-Blood Camp's station, Blackhot City.
Compared to the scene when he came here five days ago, this time, the entire Iron-Blood Camp's station was over ten times more boisterous.
Zhang Tie had put on the handsome dark red military uniform of a second lieutenant. After foisting the bottom of the trousers' legs into the shiny boots and lowering the brim of his military hat, he looked sharper. With a long sword at his waist, Zhang Tie presented his certificate to the sentry and entered the station of the Iron-Blood Camp, gaining the attention of all the soldiers passing by him in the station.
This morning, adviser Vessie had driven Zhang Tie here. After that, the adviser drove away, unable not to mumble to himself, "After merely five days, how can he feel much sharper than before..."
Of course, adviser Vessie didn't know that in the past five days since he parted with Zhang Tie, the latter had already eaten a Fruit of Brilliance, which surged his spiritual energy by three times. Also, last night, Zhang Tie had eaten another Leakless Fruit, which stimulated the fourth burning point on his spine to radiate yellow light. If nothing unexpected happened, next month on this day, Zhang Tie would become a LV 5 warrior after igniting two more burning points.
The Leakless Fruit increased his burning points at a frightening speed. So Zhang Tie was considering whether he should be low-key, leaving several ripe Leakless Fruits on the small tree, when he entered the Iron-Blood Camp. If he encountered any situation where he would be bled or something damaged his vigor, each Leakless Fruit on the small tree could act as an emergency first-aid kit.
Zhang Tie thought it over for awhile and gradually considered it's usefulness. In the end, when he almost reached the Division's Building of the Iron-Blood Camp, he decided to temporarily not pick ripe Leakless Fruits anymore in the following four weeks so that he could save up several emergency first-aid kits for himself. As he was not familiar with the Iron-Blood Camp of No. 39 Division, it was not bad to hide his real force.
Donder said that each army in any region had their own unwritten special regulations which influenced and were followed by each soldier. Sometimes, even the superior's words were not as important as these unwritten regulations. You could not acquire the agreement of the colleagues in the army with only a position appointed by the superior.
When adviser Vessie left just now, he also warned Zhang Tie to be careful about those army ruffians. If they continuously filed suits about you to Colonel Leibniz for trivial things, it would not be very glorious.
Knowing that there must be someone who detested him, the newly promoted second lieutenant, head of Platoon Three, Company Five of the Iron-Blood Camp, Zhang Tie had well prepared to face the challenges. However, he had not imagined that the challenges would come so fast.
...
"Are you that boy toy struck by the lightning bolt?"
Unexpectedly, Zhang Tie saw three tough guys snigger at him with arms crossed, standing in front of him on the way to the office area of the Division's Building.
Zhang Tie glanced over their ranks first—they were all sergeants. Among the Iron-Horn Army, sergeants were all LV 5 warriors with rich battle experience. These guys usually performed as team leaders under platoon heads. They were the backbones of teams under the platoon head.
These alleged backbones was a role that you needed to crack down on. If you could not do so, they were then called - trouble makers or army ruffians!
"Don't you need show respect when you see your superior?" Zhang Tie calmly asked.
Hearing Zhang Tie's words, the three guys, the shortest among whom was half a head taller than Zhang Tie, exchanged glances among themselves before bursting out laughing, as if having heard a good joke.
"Brat, you know where you are? Here is the Iron-Blood Camp of No. 39 Division, the casualties of which could rank top five in the entire Iron-Horn Army. According to the rules here, the only one who deserves our respect is boss Reinhardt. You want us to show respect to you? Have you even completely grown your pubic hair yet?"
They then burst out laughing again, casting contemptuous eyes at Zhang Tie.
Zhang Tie felt embarrassed. He rubbed his face and stared at these arrogant guys. "Fine, since it is the rule of the Iron-Blood Camp, I will then follow that rule here. Additionally, since you asked, I will tell you that I've completely grown my pubic hair. However, as you are not women, I'm sorry, I won't show them to you. Even if you were three women, I would still not show you my pubic hair, either, considering your looks!"
...
Many bored military officers were leaning against the windowsills of the Division's Building of the Iron-Blood Camp, watching Zhang Tie's confrontation with the three army ruffians. With sounds of "Puchi...", they guffawed, unable to stand it anymore.
"Boss, this brat is very interesting..."
"It's really my first time seeing anyone in the entire No. 39 Division dare to declare that the three guys look ugly!"
"I've read this brat's records in Blackhot City. I found that this brat was very talkative, able to even confuse the truth. Additionally, his temperament is not bad. I like him. If this brat cannot stay in the company anymore, just dispatch him to us, the department of general affairs. I'll arrange for him to argue with the bastards in the logistics department and the headquarters to prevent him from losing his life..."
Zhang Tie didn't know who was saying this upstairs, but with that person's words, many people upstairs started to have a good feeling about him and came to his side.
The relationships between people were that marvelous. Sometimes, someone would like you only by your words instead of having to look at you. Of course, sometimes it was the exactly opposite...
Standing before the window was a tough man with golden hair of around 40 years. With the beard covering most of his face, the person in the lieutenant colonel uniform was biting a big cigar. None of the buttons on his coat were buckled, and even some on his shirt were left unbuckled too.
If he was another commoner, people would consider him a drunk with untidy clothes. However, now this person revealed his natural fierce and heroic aura by dressing this way. This man was Reinhardt, the head of the Iron-Blood Camp.
Seeing Zhang Tie downstairs, Reinhardt revealed a shadow of a smile——at least this brat assigned by colonel Leibniz was much more interesting than those bastards who came to the Iron-Blood Camp to make money...
Hearing Zhang Tie's joke, all the unscrupulous military officers upstairs burst out laughing loudly while the three guys who were holding Zhang Tie back turned purple.
"Brat, do you know the outcome of insulting the three of us?"
The three men walked one step forward at the same time, immediately surrounding Zhang Tie while making sounds of 'Pa pa' by pinching their fingers.
"If I treat your honestly, does it mean I'm insulting you?" Zhang Tie said with amazement, staring at them seriously. "Then, I'm sorry about what I've said, actually you look very beautiful. I mean it, you look very beautiful. There is really few man as beautiful as you three. If you were b*tches, I would definitely show you my pubic hair..."
The scrupulous military officers upstairs laughed so heavily that they started holding their their bellies with their hands as they squatted down to the ground, tears almost running down their cheeks. Even Commander Reinhardt's face continually twitched...
"F*ck, Beckham, I cannot stand it anymore! Even if I'll be put into confinement, I have to beat this brat up today!"
A man on the left of Zhang Tie became infuriated and shouted loudly before punching with his fist towards Zhang Tie's head without any hesitation.
"Beat him!" Another guy also screamed and attacked Zhang Tie almost at the same time. "It's fine as long as we don't beat him to death or cripple him!"
Zhang Tie didn't use his hidden strength at all, instead, he only used his barbarous strength to catch an incoming fist before kicking at the other guy's, who was trying ferociously to kick at him, leg away.
The latter one was immediately kicked two meters away while the first attacker's face immediately twisted as he felt an irresistible strength take hold of his arm.
At the same time Zhang Tie pulled the third person's arm and crashed him onto the first attacker. In a split second, the first attacker and the third attacker crashed into each other and fell to the ground, dazzled.
The battle was over almost in a heartbeat. Seeing what happened, the onlookers upstairs immediately became quiet and turned solemn with their eyes on the three people under the control of Zhang Tie.
"He didn't use his hidden strength!" a military officer said.
"He controlled his strength well!" another added, nodding.
"He has great physical strength!"
A tough military officer became spirited with his eyes on Zhang Tie.
"He has rich battle experience. The kick that he used to send Beckham flying backwards through the air was highly skilled!"
Another military officer nodded.
"Based on his power alone he could win the position of the second lieutenant of Platoon Three under our company!"
Another military officer nodded towards Reinhardt.
"It seems that colonel Leibniz got the right person for us this time!" Reinhardt smiled as he flicked his cigar. "Guderian, go downstairs to call him here, no more playing."
A first lieutenant then walked downstairs.
When Guderian walked downstairs, Reinhardt turned back from the window and seriously glanced over those in the conference room. He then said in a very, very solemn tone, "Who among you would like to try being struck by a lighting bolt? If you're lucky enough, you might form Iron-Blood battle Qi like this brat. I will then transfer my position to you!"
Reinhardt's expression was filled with instigation and amusement, his eyes glittering. If it was anyone else who had said this, everybody would understand that he was joking. However, as it was from the head of the Iron-Blood Camp, everybody knew it to be true. If anyone dared to nod, he would definitely be bundled onto a kite and sent flying in the sky or be directly tied onto a cable and suspended under a cloud with the most lightning bolts.
Battalion commander could definitely do this thing!
Seeing his eyes full with expectation, all the military officers hurriedly lowered their own heads, preferring to hide them closer to their crotches...
After glancing over the conference room, Reinhardt found nobody daring to be that brave, therefore, he let out a deep sigh of disappointment.
Downstairs, the moment Zhang Tie beat the three bad *sses off, he felt being locked on by many killing intents. The previously boisterous Iron-Blood Camp abruptly recovered its quiet. Soon after, many more guys ran towards him with their weapons while those guys who were lining up, training, or wandering cast their icy eyes onto Zhang Tie all of a sudden.
Seeing 70-80 more guys with bad looks surrounding him and the increasing amount of people running towards him, Zhang Tie finally knew that he had stirred up trouble.
The moment Zhang Tie started to prepare for a ferocious battle, a first lieutenant running downstairs shouted out an explanation. "This is the second lieutenant platoon commander of Platoon Three, Company Five of the Iron-Blood Camp assigned by Colonel Leibniz..." .
"Ha... he's one of us..."
Hearing his words, those guys who had intended to beat Zhang Tie stopped moving forward. Instead, they smiled and departed.
"The three guys dared to provoke a superior; they deserved to be beaten up, hahaha!"
A group of people who had planned to take revenge for Beckham and the other guys who had been beaten up by Zhang Tie started to mock the three awkward guys.
With such a sudden reversal, Zhang Tie immediately felt the collaborative atmosphere of the Iron-Blood Camp. This was an extremely united team that didn't allow their members to be bullied by outsiders.
The military officer who had helped Zhang Tie out of trouble greeted him.
"Follow me up, boss Reinhardt is upstairs!"
Chapter 172: Being Accepted
Translator: WQL Editor: DarkGem
Zhang Tie knew that it was almost like a dream to have such tough guys who were elder than him, had been serving in the army for longer than him, and had much more battle experience than him to show their respect to him. To tell the truth, these guys looked like tools of violence.
'Do I need to fight them?' Zhang Tie asked himself before a surge of pain distracted him. His d*ck's wound was acting up again since after circumcision it was still in recovery. If he moved too heavily, it would be ripped again. If that happened, Zhang Tie was uncertain as to when that thing would stop being a mummy.
Between his sexual happiness and those tough guys' obedience, Zhang Tie had to think only for two seconds before choosing the first option.
He was suffering from the wound after circumcision for the time being, while there was still a long time for him to begin getting along with those guys, so he didn't need to show his real force at once. This was the intelligence of the Chinese clan—time tries all.
"When I was coming here just now, first lieutenant Freo suggested for me to stay with you guys. He said that this way we could deepen mutual understanding and get along with each other later. I feel like First Lieutenant Freo was right..."
The moment Zhang Tie opened his mouth, many guys surrounded him with grim smiles. After the three bad *sses of Beckham's group had suffered a loss, they started to describe how this toy boy was great. Hearing that, many people didn't believe it and wanted to have a try themselves.
However, Zhang Tie's words didn't come to an end.
"First Lieutenant Freo was right, but I don't plan to greet your guys and deepen the mutual understanding between you and me in this way. When I was in the division's conference room, Major Guderian told me that there was a rule in the Iron-Blood Camp: we have to talk the truth.
"I feel that this rule is very great as honest exchanges between people are better than fights. So firstly I want to make an honest exchange with you today!"
With a smile, Zhang Tie glanced over those tough sneering guys that were not used to such an exchange pattern and were now exchanging glances with each other.
"I will introduce myself to you. I'm Zhang Tie, native of Blackhot City. 15 years old, almost 16. I've just completed the survival training of my graduate year. Since I had formed the Iron-Blood hidden strength, I was recruited by colonel Leibniz.
"Before putting on this military uniform, I had never imagined that I could be a soldier of the Norman Empire one day. Previously, I only dreamed that I could stay in Blackhot City instead of being dispatched to the farms outside the city walls where I would have to depend on my petty shrewdness and luck after serving the army. Then I would find a way to do business and make a lot of money so that I could play with women everyday and wait for death. This has always been my biggest dream which remains unchanged even now!"
Hearing Zhang Tie's words, some guys even from among onlookers unconsciously smirked. Zhang Tie's dream was similar to that of most men. So the moment he mentioned it, he obtained appreciation from many people.
A person who could talk honestly would always be interesting wherever he went. Some tough guys already felt that Zhang Tie was a bit interesting, at least being different from the toy boys who were arranged for the Iron-Blood Camp only for glory and money before.
"To tell the truth, until the survival training was half done, I still felt that the Norman Empire was the enemy of Blackhot City, or might be the biggest enemy that I'll have to face after graduation. After the Blackhot City event happened, I was even very panicked for a period of time, fearing that I'll have to encounter you on the battle field after coming to serve in the City Guard of Blackhot City where I would get killed by you.
"When I was at school, the Iron-Horn Army of the Norman Empire was described as a very terrifying organization by the animals at school. I though that way until the next morning after the Iron-Horn Army appeared in Blackhot City when I learned that the Coal, Steel, and Iron Federation of Blackhot City that I planned to die protecting had surrendered unconditionally only after being surrounded by you for several hours.
"Upon hearing the news, I only had one thought in my mind: I felt that I was simply a motherf*cking idiot. Those bad *sses of the Coal, Steel, and Iron Federation of Blackhot City who had controlled the most wealth and the most powerful army here didn't even dare to fight before declaring their surrender. I even had thought about sacrificing myself for the timid guys and fighting you for their Blackhot City!
"One pair of leather shoes that those guys wore was more expensive than my dad's one-year salary. In the stores along the Avenue Bright of Blackhot City, a pair of leather shoes that was provided for them would cost 16 gold coins. However, my dad could only make 12-13 gold coins a year. Even if my mom and I sold rice brew at home, we could only make a couple of gold coins a year.
"The price of a bowl of rice brew was only three copper coins. When the price had to be increased by a copper coin because of rising rice prices, our business declined and mom worried about that very much. Before survival training, my dad gave me the most pocket money in my life—three silver coins out of his private money, letting me go to get a woman and bid farewell to the virgin status."
By now, all the soldiers before Zhang Tie had stopped walking forward.
"Guys like me who took three silver coins of their dads' private money to f*ck a women and even felt reluctant to drink one more bowl of rice brew at home which would cost three copper coins had thought about protecting those guys who would spend more than my dad's one-year salary to buy a pair of leather shoes. I planned to sacrifice myself to protect the guys who could not even stand one night in front of the enemy and would not notice a person before they sold them. Then I finally understood that I was the biggest idiot in the world!'
By then, all the dozens of people before Zhang Tie had become quiet. Since this story was very sincere, it could move them. When Zhang Tie talked about how his dad had given him three silver coins out of his private money to let him go for a woman and that he could only earn three copper coins for a bowl of rice brew, those onlookers all thought back to their own parents. Even those people who were training on the playground beside moved closer and started to listen to Zhang Tie's story.
There was not another second lieutenant in the Iron-Blood Camp like this.
"Therefore, on that morning when Blackhot City surrendered, I finally understood it faster than anyone else by accepting this fact. I didn't even pity myself for that, instead, I felt lucky. Since my elder brother was serving in the City Guard of Blackhot City, thinking of that he won't have to fight you guys on the battlefield, I felt very lucky. As for such an Andaman Alliance and such Blackhot City, I preferred them to be over. No reason to feel sad for their end. It had nothing to do with me."
"Although we lived in the city, my dad worked hard everyday. He had to hand in taxes. My mom diligently worked at home while the rice brew business at home also was levied taxes. My elder brother had enjoyed several years' compulsory trading by serving in the City Guard. I've even an eldest brother that had become a martyr while serving in the army. Nobody in our family owed anything to Blackhot City and the Coal, Steel, and Iron Federation.
"As for those businessmen, everything in Blackhot City was based on trades, as if doing business. Since it was a trade, I don't need do anything for it, like sacrificing myself.
"It was not bad to become a citizen of the Norman Empire. After realizing that I had become a one, the first thing I did was to use barbarous survival training rules regulated by the Norman Empire to break the neck of a vicious guy who had tried to kill me several times, before one thousand people. He was a true beast. Besides, I beat up the other members of his group by stomping on them. At that moment, I felt so cool that I really wanted to shout loudly 'Long live Norman Empire!'
"After I returned home after the survival training, I was screwed by a villain, who sent me behind bards, claiming that I was an enemy of the Norman Empire. Thankfully, when I was in the survival training, due to special karma, I formed the Iron-Blood hidden strength, so I was not killed in the prison of Blackhot City.
"Also a brother from the scout camp of No. 39 Division whom I had saved in the survival training had positively mediated relationships for me after learning that I was sent behind bars, so as to clear my name. Finally, I had the chance to see colonel Leibniz, who, after learning about my experiences, immediately recruited me into the Iron-Blood Camp and awarded me with the rank of second lieutenant, according to the rules of the Norman Empire.
"I didn't refuse it, instead, I even felt excited about that because this promotion was very cool and indicated a brilliant future ahead. Additionally, even if I had to sacrifice myself, I felt that I'd have a brighter future by serving the emperor of the Norman Empire than serving a bunch of guys who only care about their business. As for the last point, I have a deep understanding..."
With a smile, Zhang Tie patted his own clothes and pointed at his boots.
"Second lieutenant of the Andaman Alliance would not have such a good treatment. Additionally, I find that this second lieutenant military uniform is very handsome, and I even feel reluctant to take it off. I heard treatment in the Iron-Blood Camp was even higher than that in normal battalions. Therefore, I happily registered in today..."
At this time, many people had lost the hostility and alertness from their eyes. Nobody felt like to fighting Zhang Tie anymore. He was just chatting with them like friends. In their hearts, they had already decided that he was reliable, or at least not annoying.
"I know what you're all thinking about. I told you this to explain that I'm just a commoner and am no different from you with exception of being a bit younger. I put on this military uniform completely out of karma. I didn't have anyone above at all. Neither did I lick shoes nor have any reliance on anyone. I'm here because of my own luck and power.
"I don't expect to obtain your welcome, nor did I plan to punch you down. There is an old Chinese saying, 'Only by long-distance travel will one know the real strength of his horse; only by passed time will one clearly see the person beside him.'
"I don't mean to show off anything today. All of me will be tested by time. As your platoon leader, I promise you that I'll try my best to protect you on the battlefield and strive for the chance to help all of you survive. If any of you don't believe in my real strength, you're welcome to fight me in two days' time!"
"Why not today?" a tough man of Platoon Three asked out of curiosity.
"Because I've just taken the circumcision a few days ago, it's not well recovered yet. If I beat you up, the wound will not recover soon, which would make me feel unwell. Nobody would like his d*ck being wrapped like a mummy all day long, right? Unless a person has no d*ck at all, only then he would not know the pain of being cut on your d*ck..."
Hearing such a reply, many onlookers were startled while more of them laughed their *sses off. Some scrupulous guys even whistled.
After seeing that Zhang Tie wasn't fighting the guys of Platoon Three, but was instead being jeered by a great amount of animals, the three guys of Beckham's group immediately took off their pants and tried their best to swing that thing in their crotches to show off around. Everybody then burst out laughing. Under the great laughter and the weird calls of 'mummy, mummy, mummy', Zhang Tie pulled off the zipper of his pants, which really startled the great amount of bastards, and they howled.
Zhang Tie didn't fight the guys in Platoon Three, still, he was well accepted by them.
Freo, Guderian, and several military officers then stared at each other, standing far away from those animals. In the Iron-Blood Camp, no new second lieutenant could be agreed on and accepted by the rest in such a short period. What magic had Zhang Tie used?
Chapter 173: Hierarchy Exists Everywhere
Translator: WQL Editor: DarkGem
The hierarchical differences of the Norman Empire existed everywhere. At lunch, the canteen of the camp was divided into seven parts: common soldiers, corporals, sergeants, first sergeants, second lieutenants, first lieutenants and Major Guderian and lieutenant colonel Reinhardt. Everybody ate in their own area.
Food and dishes were also different for people of different ranks. From first lieutenant onward, each person could get some fruits before lunch. As for captains, they could have a cup of aperitif. Major Guderian and lieutenant colonel were directly serviced by the chief cook of the canteen.
Zhang Tie really broadened his vision.
"They even follow such a strict hierarchical system at lunch, aren't they afraid of mutual estrangement in the troop?" Zhang Tie asked a second lieutenant who was having lunch together with him.
"No way!" The second lieutenant who was having lunch with him cast a strange look at Zhang Tie. "Tell me, what the hell are you thinking about?"
"I'm thinking that if only I had some fruits before lunch!" Zhang Tie honestly answered.
"That's right. Because I'm thinking this too. Those first lieutenant company commanders who are eating fruits must be thinking about having a cup of aperitif. Those drinking that cup of aperitif must be admiring the treatment that the boss enjoys. So do the common soldiers.
"The corporals all dream about having as much meat as the sergeants. Sergeants all dream about having as much soup as the first sergeants. First sergeants all dream about having a military officer's dorm and a beautiful guilty slave to warm up the bed for them.
"We all have our pursuits. In the troop, one can only expect better treatment by rendering meritorious services and improving his own real strength. Therefore, it is stimulative for everybody!"
After thinking for a while, Zhang Tie found that it was true. The hierarchical system that existed everywhere was encouraging everyone to work hard and reminding them of their own status. The Norman Empire was really terrifying.
Hierarchy is order! Order is beauty!
Zhang Tie remembered the dictum that was held in the mind of every Norman soldier that adviser Vessie had told him.
A country which would even divide military weapons into different classes for military officers with different ranks was really amazing.
Zhang Tie racked his mind.
'Perhaps the residents of the Norman Empire have been put into different classes, resulting in different treatment since they were born. Many people might have been working hard to improve their social status and rank since they were young.'
The strict hierarchical system of the Norman Empire was well known across the entire Blackson Human Clan Corridor. Everything in this country, including cities and people, was divided into different classes. The cities of the Norman Empire were divided into nine classes, while its people were also divided into different classes and ranks.
The lowest class was guilty slave, closely followed by guilty citizen, then the average citizen, soldier, meritorious class, nobleman, and imperial class. Among the imperial class, the most honorable was imperial household. The emperor of the Norman Empire stood atop of the pyramid of rights across the country.
This was the most rough division. To be concrete, guilty slaves were also further divided into different ranks.
In the Norman Empire, the lowest class was LV 3 guilty slave. If LV 3 guilty slaves didn't violate the laws their whole lives, their children would be promoted to LV 2 guilty slaves. LV 3 guilty slaves could not be promoted any time in their lives. However, if a LV 3 guilty slave could render meritorious service, his or her children could then be directly promoted to LV 1 guilty slaves.
Similarly, LV 2 guilty slaves had one more privilege than LV 3 guilty slaves. Once LV 2 guilty slaves rendered meritorious service, they could be promoted to LV 1 guilty slaves. After that, once they didn't violate the laws, their children could get rid of the status as a slave and be promoted to guilty citizens.
At that rank, they started to have some social rights. If they could render meritorious services to the country, they and their children could become average citizens, who would then enjoy more social rights and means of promotion.
In the Norman Empire, a person or a family, if lowered to be LV 3 guilty slaves, they had to experience at least three generations' efforts before being allowed to enter the main-stream society once again.
Zhang Tie, for example, after being promoted to be a second lieutenant, had become a low-rank soldier.
In the Norman Empire, only people coming from families above the level of soldiers could be made into military officers. Colonel Leibniz was a high-ranking soldier. Only after being promoted to be a major general could he become a member of the meritorious class.
The pyramid structure of the social classes across the Norman Empire was as precise as a difference engine.
If a person wanted to be a member of a noble class, not only in the Norman Empire but also in other human countries, there was only one requirement—only those people who have rendered great meritorious services to human beings in battles against demons by killing them can gain the respect of everybody and become part of the nobility.
After the first holy war between the humanity and the demons, it was clarified in the "Human Clan Brilliant Magna Carta" formulated by countries, armed forces, and religious groups on all continents that 'only people who kill demons can be awarded with the title of nobility'. This rule had gained the the approval of all the people, countries, and armed forces.
As having not killed any demons, even Lin Changjiang, the governor of the Northern Border Military Zone of the Norman Empire was only a member of the meritorious class, instead of a member of the noble class.
Human noble class in Black Iron Age was the representative of real elites and heroes, which was in complete opposition to the nobles that appeared in the history before the Catastrophe.
...
After staying in the Iron-Blood Camp for merely one morning, Zhang Tie realized that he already had a good impression about this place. Even average soldiers of the Norman Empire could enjoy a good treatment. However, as the "Iron-Blood Camp" was more special in the Army of the Norman Empire, the military officers here could enjoy an alluring treatment.
In non-war time, everybody in the Iron-Blood Camp could enjoy a salary 1.5 times higher than that of soldiers with the same rank in other regiments. In war-time, everybody in Iron-Blood Camp enjoyed a salary two times higher than that of soldiers with the same rank in other regiments. That was to say, Zhang Tie could get eight gold coins a month here. Before this, he had not imagined that he could possibly get this much gold coins per month.
This was only one privilege of the military officers in the Iron-Blood Camp. Additionally, each military officer here could get some fixed items which were mainly cigarettes and sugar bars and some other small items which were all hard-to-get in any other place.
Besides abundant material treatment, the experience as a soldier or military officer in the Iron-Blood Camp was also a huge plus in the eyes of superiors. In the Iron-Horn Army, any main battle officer of regimental level had served in the Iron-Blood Camp fore more than three years. Therefore, Zhang Tie understood the expression "gold-plating" which was used to describe those who served in the Iron-Blood Camp.
There was another name for the Iron-Blood Camp across the Norman Empire - Double High Camp. One of them referred to the high casualty rate, while the other to high possibilities in breaking through bottlenecks in each level of the Iron-Blood Fist. Because of "Double High", there were generally two kinds of soldiers here.
First were the trouble-makers, bastards, and army ruffians. Troublesome and untamed guys whom their superiors disliked would be thrown into the Iron-Blood Camp. They would then grow or die inside.
The second were people who were truly violent. They were war maniacs who dreamed about breaking through their bottlenecks in training the Iron-Blood Fist skill through tough exercises and battles here.
This was also what Zhang Tie had seen when he entered the Iron-Blood Camp of No. 39 Division for the first time. Some people were lazily lying and sleeping under the trees in the hot day while the others were practicing Lying Tiger Move in the training ground under the hot sun, their skin being heavily scorched to the point that even a layer of it had cracked and rolled up.
In the Iron-Blood Camp, besides one hour's drill in the morning, no other training would be arranged for average soldiers. Everybody could do whatever they liked such as training or sleeping. Nobody would care what you were doing because the battles that Iron-Blood Camp experienced screened off those unqualified for it. If you were powerful enough, you would survive the battles. If not, it would be normal for you to be eliminated. By then, you should not blame anyone else.
Soldiers were relaxed. As a low military officer, of course, Zhang Tie would be even more relaxed. It had nothing to do with him, big or small. On the first day he registered in the Iron-Blood Camp, he had found out that he had nothing to do at all in the afternoon.
No. 39 Division of Blackhot City was now in LV 2 combat readiness which meant that none of the common soldiers were allowed to leave the camp without receiving an order.
The military officers of the Iron-Blood Camp, though, followed the rule of 'register thrice: in the morning, noon, and evening'.
In the morning, military officers had to attend morning exercises together with soldiers for one hour. At noon, they had to have lunch in the station. In the evening, it was time to go back to their own dorms and go to sleep before 12:00 pm. Military officers were forbidden to sleep outside. Besides these, the Iron-Blood Camp had no more constraints on Zhang Tie.
This way Zhang Tie found out that it was actually not as boring as he had imagined in the Iron-Blood Camp.
Before he would be driven to Kalur for the incoming battles, he had roughly two weeks to stay in Blackhot City, during which he could do a lot of things...
Chapter 174: Mummy's Prowess
Translator: WQL Editor: DarkGem
August 9, 889th year of Black Iron Calendar...
As usual, Zhang Tie was woken up from deep sleep a bit after 6:00 am by his biological clock. The moment he opened his eyes, he felt his physical strength and spirit surging like early sunrise. That was a marvelous feeling.
This was the third day since Zhang Tie had registered in the Iron-Blood Camp.
Unexpectedly, when he put on his pants, he found that the thing which had not erected for six days had finally become grim again. At the beginning, Zhang Tie didn't realize what it meant, however, the moment he put on his pants, he understood that it was not painful anymore.
'Has the wound recovered?'
Zhang Tie then immediately took off his pants and undid the gauze over his dick. He carefully checked it and found it was truly recovered as a narrow scar now marked it, leaving fresh flesh!
"Hahahaha..."
Zhang Tie burst out laughing as he took off all of his clothes and rushed into the washroom. With the sound of 'Huala huala', he turned on the hot water and took a long-welcomed bath. After that, he watched that wholly new thing, which was not as ugly as it had been in the past few days.
During these couple days, Zhang Tie had already won a nickname - Mummy!
Although many guys in the Iron-Blood Camp had nicknames, Zhang Tie's was absolutely the loudest. After learning the reason for this nickname, all the other guys would laugh out loudly...
Nevertheless, Zhang Tie didn't care about it as he felt it was nothing shameful at all. Since they were all tough men, there was no need to care about that. No matter what, he would not lose even a hair.
The benefit brought by that nickname was that in a few days everybody in the Iron-Blood Camp knew the fresh new guy - Second Lieutenant Mummy! Of course, many people were still calling him boy toy behind his back.
But Zhang Tie didn't care what they called him. Like what Zerom had said, if other people called him this, he could only take it as their jealousy for his handsome looks and excellent personality. It was definitely a jealousy, an undisguised one at that. Those guys were jealous about him being more handsome than them in military uniforms.
Hahahaha...
There was another thing to deal with today. It was the day of his duel with Sodor.
Zhang Tie knew that it was time to show his prowess. He was too low key in the past few days, so now it was time for him to show his real strength to those bastards.
In the past two days here, Zhang Tie's biggest achievement was that he had learned how to drive a car. He could already drive a car to fly around the camp, which made his days way less boring than they would've been otherwise.
Zhang Tie found it very interesting to drive a car. Like running, anything that could bring him a sense of freedom akin to that of the wind would catch his heart.
Previously, Zhang Tie thought about going out in an average vest and pants, however, after thinking about the duel, he directly put on the lieutenant's combat suit of the Norman Empire.
Compared to informal dress and ceremonial dress, Norman Empire's combat suit was more close-fitting, compact, and more flexible. The main material on the outside was leather with reinforced yarn cloth, which had a strong sense of texture, spun in a stone-mill.
Additionally, the suit had defensive capabilities up to a certain degree. It was said that there was a layer of fine wire-working close to the heart and abdomen within the inner layer, which could effectively resist the harm brought by arrows.
The treatment of the Norman Empire's soldiers could also be seen by this combat suit.
Although this combat suit could not match real armor, Zhang Tie could wear it in his fight with Sodor without having to worry about being harmed.
For a weak person like Sodor, of course Zhang Tie didn't need to wear any armor.
He put on his combat suit, a pair of high, leather combat boots, and a pair of combat gloves and looked at himself in the mirror. The whole set included two colors, red and black, which matched well with each other and made him more valiant.
"Zhang Tie, you look really handsome!" Zhang Tie mumbled before the mirror before revealing a smile.
He then took up that terrifying, huge battle sword of 358 kg hung on the weapons rack and easily hefted it on his shoulder before walking out of the dorm.
When he left, the morning horn of the Iron-Blood Camp had just been blown.
It was hard to say whether it was because he had well recovered or had greatly improved his strength after eating the two fruits from the small tree, but after only one week, Zhang Tie already felt that the heavy sword was a bit lighter than before, and he could move it much more easily.
When Zhang Tie went downstairs, he met another second lieutenant who had just gotten up. At the sight of the over two meter long heavy sword on Zhang Tie's shoulder, that second lieutenant was so surprised that his mouth open wide enough to hold a chicken egg.
"Morning, Second Lieutenant Goethe!" Zhang Tie enthusiastically greeted the second lieutenant of the second company of the Iron-Blood Camp who lived on floor three.
"Is the big thing on your shoulder... is it painted wood?"
The second lieutenant stared at Zhang Tie with disbelief. When Zhang Tie greeted him, he could easily and steadily hold it by only one hand. His performance formed a sharp contrast between his average figure and that huge thing on his shoulder which arouse second lieutenant's suspicion.
Zhang Tie just gave him a smile. Second lieutenant Goethe then walked over and flicked at the blade of the huge sword with his finger. Hearing no sound at all due to its heavy weight, Second Lieutenant Goethe's face immediately twitched. He forcefully swallowed his saliva and stared at Zhang Tie with surprise.
"How heavy it is?"
"358 kg!"
"Is this your main battle weapon?"
"Yes, when adviser Vessie took me to select my weapons in the arsenal, I felt that this heavy sword was convenient, so I chose it!" Zhang Tie answered in an innocent way.
'What the f*ck is this thing?'
At the sight of the huge saw teeth on the other side of the huge battle sword, Second Lieutenant Goethe felt cold sweat go down his neck. 'Dear god! Why not strike me with that lightning bolt? I also want to get a Post-Lightning Stroke Savant Syndrome!'
Zhang Tie then went downstairs together with Goethe. The latter was really scared. When they parted at the entrance of the dorm building, Zhang Tie came directly to the place where Third Platoon was doing its morning drill.
He then forcefully stuck the blade of the heavy sword into the ground, leaving it leaning there. Zhang Tie himself then waited for those guys of Third Platoon to come out.
Five minutes after the morning horn was blown, fifty tough men of Fifth Company's Third Platoon of the Iron-Blood Camp quickly collected in the place of assemblage. Of course, everybody noticed Zhang Tie in his combat suit and that terrifying battle sword before him. Not only them, even half of the people on the training ground had taken notice of it.
As a platoon leader, Zhang Tie's mission was to lead these guys to complete the two hours' basic training in the morning. Besides that, he could also formulate training content.
"This morning, we will carry out strength training. Have you noticed this sword? If you want to show me you're real men, go pull out of this sword from the ground and insert it back into the ground like how you f*ck women. If you can't even do these simple movements, from today on, you should better not say that you're men in front of me..."
With a smile on his face, Zhang Tie said words as venomous as snake's bite which stimulated those guys' pitiful self-esteem of male animals.
Similar to Second Lieutenant Goethe, at the sight of this sword, some of the men also thought that it was just a mischievous trick of Second Lieutenant Mummy—painting a wooden sword to cheat others.
Many people were exchanging glances.
"Who'd like to try and prove that they're a man?"
"I would!"
Beckham, who was roughly two meters in height, walked out of the group and stopped before Zhang Tie. Stretching out his two hands, Beckham took hold of the sword's handle. The moment he did so, his face immediately changed as his sense of touch told him that the sword was not made of wood.
"Arghh!"
Beckham growled like a beast. He then made a Ma Bu [1]. Muscles and veins popped out all over him, face turned completely red as he tried to pull the huge sword out of the ground.
After the 358 kgs' huge sword was thrust into the ground, one needed much more than that the force of that weight to pull it out. Likewise, it was not difficult for one to punch out 358 kgs' force, but it was much more difficult for one to pick up a 358 kgs' item.
Finally, when Beckham's forehead oozed out sweat, he could pull it out less than 10 cm.
After growling like a beast for three minutes, Beckham finally felt soft on his feet, like becoming exhausted all at once, and threw himself onto the ground. After clumsily standing up, shame was written all over his face.
"Who's next!"
Everybody then stared at each other.
"You don't even have courage to prove yourself?" Zhang Tie mocked.
"How will you prove us that you've inserted it into the ground yourself? How will you prove us that you're a real man?" a trouble-maker in the platoon rebutted in a weird tone.
"That's very simple!"
Zhang Tie smiled as he started to use his Qi. Then, he merely used one hand to pull that huge sword out of the ground. After that, he inserted it back in front of everybody; it entered two feet into the ground. He then pulled it out once again and inserted it back.
Seeing Zhang Tie do that twice in a row, everybody became silent, even the trouble-makers shut their mouths...
With his hands crossed behind his back, Zhang Tie looked like a highly skilled fighter. However, his muscles and veins on the hand that he had used to pull out the sword had already started to quiver. Zhang Tie then held it using his another hand.
Although he looked calm in others' eyes, he felt that he had already used up his most of his energy. Only after two-three slashes, the muscles on his right hand had begun to shake like strings of a harp, sending out a protest to Zhang Tie.
A though flashed across Zhang Tie's mind, 'If I could've killed a pile of huge wolves and eaten several Huge Wolf Seven-Strength Fruits, it would be much easier for me to do this.'
After seeing the demonstration done twice, everybody started to queue up so as to try whether they could pull it out of the ground and insert it back. Everybody wanted to see how powerful Zhang Tie was.
After all the 50 plus guys tried it, their eyes started to fill with awe towards Zhang Tie. Seeing such a great power in front of them, nobody wanted to speak ill of him anymore.
In the end, not only the soldiers of Third Platoon, even other soldiers and military officers of the Iron-Blood Camp had queued up to have a try. They all wanted to test 'whether they were men or not'...
In the end, the soldiers of the Iron-Blood Camp formulated a ranking.
Those who could not move the sword at all were women; those who could pull part of it out of the ground were half-women; those who could completely pull it out of the ground, yet failed to insert it in were half-men; those who could pull it out and reluctantly insert into the ground, yet couldn't ensure that it stood steadily were impotent men. Only those who could pull it out of the ground and ferociously insert it in, letting it stand steady were real men.
What is a real man? A real man can pull it out and insert it back in!
The entire morning, groups of soldiers and military officers of the Iron-Blood Camp were drawn in by Zhang Tie to growl all over the training ground. Tough guys competed with each other with sweat pouring down their shoulders to gain the reputation of a real man. Those who called Zhang Tie a boy toy immediately found that they could not even match a boy toy. Therefore, they all felt very shameful.
When it was close to lunch time, even Colonel Reinhardt was attracted.
Under the adoring gazes of a pile of animals, the heavy sword was easily pulled out of the ground by Colonel Reinhardt. After several leisurely waves, he slashed with it downwards. At the same time, an invincible strength surged forward from his sword like a lightning bolt and directly plowed a gap in the ground which was one foot in depth and ten meters in length.
Everybody was shocked by such a lightning bolt, including Zhang Tie.
"Hahahaha, this sword feels really great. I'll get one to play with one day..." Colonel Reinhardt burst out laughing loudly. "Let all the bastards have a try today. All those called women are forbidden to eat today. From now on, I'd like one competition like this every week, with those who end up called women not allowed to eat on that day. Half-women can only eat one meal. Those who make progress will enjoy an extra meal. As to those real men, this father will award them with a pack of cigars..."
Saying this, Colonel Reinhardt pulled out a pack of cigars and threw it to Zhang Tie. At the sight of it the pile of animals all drooled.
After reaching his goal, Zhang Tie scratched his head. "Colonel, I'll need to use this sword in the afternoon. There might not be enough time for everybody to have a try. If so, I'm afraid that it could not come to an end until night!"
"What are you using the sword for in the afternoon?"
"Someone wants to duel me, I have to be there!" Zhang Tie honestly replied.
After saying that, Zhang Tie found that it had suddenly become quiet around. Soon after, including Reinhardt, everybody became infuriated.
"What?! Which bastard dared to call for a duel with a military officer of us, the Iron-Blood Camp?"
Like a lion instigated by an insect, Reinhardt's angry voice was so loud that it shocked the entire Iron-Blood Camp.
"F*ck him, f*ck him..."
"Call the brothers of the Armored Vehicle Camp to start the war chariots..."
"Get your weapons!"
Everybody then became highly spirited, especially Zhang Tie's men of Third Platoon who had been conquered by him. They were so excited that they ran around jumping like madmen.
'Why are they so excited? It's just a duel. No need to make a fuss.'
Zhang Tie felt muddled-headed...
[1] Ma Bu is a basic skill for Kungfu learners. When practicing Ma Bu, they have to steadily stand on the ground with their knees bent like how a horse stands on the ground. After they pass the Ma Bu pass, they could steadily stand on the ground instead of falling down when they fight others.