After hearing that Lu was ready to leave at once, Mencer considered stalling just to bother him. But he had accomplished his goal of coming to the capital of Leoso, which he had only found out when he arrived. There were a few bumps along the way. But he had also served out the time his father set before he could return from his disciplinary trip.
There was no reason for them to stay, even if the peace and tranquility of the noble world in the Prince's castle was attractive. Instead, it would be best for them to get going so they would make it in time in case there were any delays.
Lu was excited to leave, and not only because he was leaving for the Imra Kingdom. He was being paid to steal. It was the dream. It would have been better if he could have traveled with Mencer to learn more about what they were going to do.
But the Prince had assured Lu that he would have access to all the information he needed when he arrived. However, there was one thing that Feltor had shared with Lu right before the latter hopped into the carriage.
There was no need for Lu to restrain himself after crossing the border as long as he completed the task. There was also no need to limit himself when inside the treasury. Lu had to take what the Prince asked and the condensation art for Mencer. But he could take whatever the fuck he wanted.
Lu looked forward to it. He almost couldn't stop shaking in his seat.
However, he knew he needed to step up his game.
A count of the Imra Kingdom wouldn't be easy to rob. The stunt with Mencer in Mura City was child's play in comparison. Of course, Lu had grown a lot since then. His Blessing was a lot stronger now, and he had the Chameleon's hiding technique to conceal his presence.
But he was still at First Insight and had yet to start condensing his essence. If he started on the road of cultivation right now, Lu was confident he would make enough progress to make his task easier when they arrived.
It was just that he had yet to reach the limit of what overusing his Blessing could do for his world essence. The more he exhausted it and himself by using it, the stronger he would get. It was only natural that he would do it until it no longer worked.
Lu had to proudly admit that his First Insight, that he's never too tired for another Moonlight Stroll, was the best he could have started with. He didn't even feel the need for a Deeper Insight anytime soon.
Unfortunately, there was nothing he could do regarding that during the day. It was the one drawback of his Blessing, and it was fatal. Lu was useless during the day.
He still had his body and world essence, but without any essence arts or martial arts, he was just an exceptionally well-trained young man with a superb foundation. The fact that overusing his Blessing strained and trained his body gave him the opportunity to be more than just a light-footed, fleeing escape artist. But Lu didn't know how to put that aspect of his Blessing to use.
His Master really was useless.
Lu got an idea.
"Hey!"
He popped his head out the front tarp of the transport carriage the Prince had arranged. Since he didn't have any official papers and the Prince didn't want the Kingdom to follow the trails back to him, Lu had to enter the Kingdom through smuggling. Enter without anyone knowing, and no one would know it was him who robbed the Yennet Count.
Lu plopped down next to the driver.
"Do you know how to fight?"
The driver was a gruff-looking man with a humble, nondescript appearance. He looked like a seasoned but less successful merchant or transporter just slogging along to try and make a living. He didn't catch anyone's attention, nor would anyone think about him after he left their eyes. He was the perfect smuggler!
Of course, since he was hired by the Prince, Lu already knew that. But he wasn't just someone hired to smuggle Lu across the border. He was used to it and had plenty of experience under his belt.
Someone without the ability to keep himself safe wouldn't survive in that kind of occupation for long.
The coachman raised a slightly bushy eyebrow.
"Cargo doesn't talk."
"Paying cargo does."
Lu smiled. He didn't show what he had, but he could tell he caught the smuggler's attention. He turned forward and focused on steering the horses, which they didn't need. The smuggler was openly ignoring Lu while tacitly inviting him to make his offer.
Lu grinned. He retrieved a shiny gold coin from a pocket and slid it into the smuggler's coat. The smuggler's eyes widened as he caught what Lu had handed over out of the corner of his eye. He hurriedly controlled his expression.
"I can teach you not to cut yourself with a dagger."
"Sounds good!"
Lu didn't need to learn how to pierce leaves falling off a tree with a spear or cut arrows with a sword. He just wanted to be able to handle himself and have one more card up his sleeve. For that, knowing how to use a dagger was perfect.
Like any merchant worth their salt, the smuggler had a few knives strapped to his arms, sides, thighs, and calves. He pulled one out and handed it to Lu.
"Watch out for this part."
The smuggler pointed at the dagger's edge.
"You hold it here. It's called the handle."
The smuggler pointed at the wrapped handle.
"You swing it like this."
The smuggler demonstrated.
"You can also thrust like this."
The smuggler pierced the air with a demonstrative thrust.
"Got it?"
Lu's expression wasn't pleasant.
"What? Not satisfied?"
He had given the smuggler a gold coin. Of course, he wasn't satisfied. The smuggler might as well have told him nothing.
The smuggler shrugged.
"Using a dagger is that easy. The only way to get good is through experience and combat. No amount of theory can teach you how to fight."
'I guess that's an insightful lesson, at least.'
"..."
Lu sighed and retreated back into the carriage, where he started swinging around the dagger.
"Don't damage anything."
'You got a gold coin. Don't be so stingy.'
"Sure."