For twenty consecutive days, Galon trained in the Baiyun Combat Technique under the supervision and guidance of his second senior brother, Farrak. Only after correcting all potential mistakes that could cause hidden injuries did Farrak find time to attend to his own matters. Due to Farrak's daily personal guidance, Galon couldn't utilize the two attribute points he had accumulated over these days. Using them would cause a sudden enhancement that might alert his second senior brother to his extraordinary abilities and potentially expose his secret.
Bang! Bang!
In a brightly lit training room, two iron bars as thick as arms mercilessly struck Galon's back and chest, scattering fine beads of sweat onto the cement floor below. Two muscular martial arts students, gasping for breath and unable to lift the iron bars for another strike, thanked Galon and hurriedly left the room to rest.
Now alone in the room, Galon stood at its center, with sunlight pouring in from the side window, illuminating his sweat-glistened, bare torso. He took a deep breath, allowing his muscles to relax gradually. From outside, faint sounds of an accordion mingled with the noise of a bustling crowd reached him, a reminder of the ongoing festivities for the unveiling of the new central statue organized by the city government.
Approaching the window, Galon looked down at the street below from the second-floor martial arts hall. A group of children dressed in red clothes and black hats, each holding a small flag bearing the black and white striped federal flag, passed by the martial arts gym. Their disorganized ranks and innocent faces attracted many onlookers, including parents cheering on their children. The chaotic cheers somehow carried a rhythm of their own.
Tables covered with white cloths were set up along the street, laden with fruits, pastries, and cakes. Some had already settled down to enjoy the treats, including pretty young girls. Even from the second floor, Galon could catch the rich aroma of bread, cakes, and wheat biscuits.
The two students who had helped Galon with his training were also among the crowd, eagerly sitting beside two girls, their expressions forming a tight group. Galon couldn't help but chuckle at their apparent reluctance.
"Of course, you didn't forget today's festival, did you?" Garcia, his third senior brother, commented from behind.
Turning around, Galon saw Garcia, his head now bald and wrapped in bandages, giving him an odd monk-in-a-suit appearance.
"What festival? Isn't it the completion of the city government's central statue?" Galon asked, puzzled.
"It's the Carnival! The Carnival!" Garcia rubbed his head in disbelief. "Have you been training so hard that you forgot? It's the only day of the year for this festival."
"Carnival..." Galon remembered. "The annual December 30th Carnival, I almost forgot..."
He grabbed his clothes and began to dress, covering up his well-built muscles.
"And you, third senior brother, why are you back at the gym? Shouldn't you be out enjoying yourself these days?" Galon inquired.
"If I hadn't been injured sparring with our eldest senior sister, I wouldn't be lecturing you to go out and have fun! Hurry up, there must be someone you want to visit, right?" Garcia replied irritably.
"Yes..." Galon smiled, got dressed, grabbed his keys, and thanked his third senior brother for the reminder. Without it, he might have missed out on something important today.
"Remember to bring me back some goodies!" Garcia waved him off.
Galon left the training room, rinsed his face and hair with tap water, and stepped outside. The bustling street greeted him, filled with people watching a parade featuring an acrobatics troupe performing magic tricks and releasing pigeons into the sky.
Galon made his way towards Bennington Street, stopping to buy a few egg tarts and two tomato juices from a street vendor. He headed to the Dolphin Antique Shop, which was open. Old man Gego was sitting at the shop's entrance, enjoying the view of beautiful girls passing by in revealing red skirts and white stockings, shouting slogans for their school.
"Ali Academy! Forever the strongest!"
The girls, around sixteen or seventeen years old, looked vibrant and neatly organized as they passed the antique shop. Galon, standing across the street, caught Gego's attention with the snacks in his hand. His robust figure, dark purple hair, and crimson eyes made him stand out among the crowd, attracting the interest of several girls in the procession.
"Hey, handsome~~"
A blonde beauty briefly stepped out of the line and bumped into Galon. Her deep blue eyes seemed flirtatious as she subtly flicked a white slip of paper towards him, which he caught.
"You're very beautiful. But..." Galon shrugged, holding the paper with a slight shake of his head.
The blonde beauty's eyes flashed with disappointment as the girl's procession moved on, their slogans still echoing in the distance. Galon navigated through the crowd to the antique shop.
"How's the festival treating you, old man?" Galon sat beside Gego, unfazed by the dust on the step, and handed him the tomato juice and egg tarts.
"Just the usual, those girls from Ali Academy are pretty, aren't they? Did you get any action? I saw someone passing you a note!" Gego teased with a lecherous grin.
"At your age, still so lecherous," Galon commented dryly.
"Mama!!" A little boy ran past Galon, tripping and falling right in front of him. Galon helped the boy up, who, surprisingly, didn't cry and continued shouting as he ran into the arms of a beautiful young woman. The woman smiled gratefully at Galon before walking away with her son.
Gego watched the boy leave, a hint of melancholy in his eyes.
"If my grandson were still around, he'd be about the same age..."
Galon sensed Gego's regret but chose not to dwell on it, instead sipping his tomato juice and watching the lively street, waiting for the old man to continue.
"Because of me, my son and daughter suffered... If only..." Gego took a sip of his juice, his words trailing off, "If only there were a pill for regret in this world..."
"What's the use of regretting?" Galon said lightly. "Looking back, the only purpose I see is to learn from it and grow."
Gego smiled, "You're young, you don't understand." He took a deep breath, "When memories occupy most of your life, you'll understand."
"Maybe," Galon said noncommittally.
"Galon, kid." Gego suddenly became serious. "Have you always been curious why I'm running an antique shop alone?"
"Curious? Why be curious? Living a simple life isn't that bad, is it?" Galon looked at Gego strangely. "Are we continuing the lesson today?"
"Of course, learning is something that must be done daily without interruption," Gego steadied himself and stood up. "Come inside, it's a special occasion today, so I'll treat you specially."
Galon followed him inside, puzzled, as Gego closed the door behind them. The light from the door's small window illuminated the room. Gego brought out two large books and sat on the desk, pointing at them. "These two books are what I'll be focusing on teaching you. Feel free to browse through them. The content is accurate, as I've carefully corrected any mistakes. You can trust it."
"Thank you," Galon said, opening one of the books to find pages full of red pen annotations and highlighted points. The other book was the same.
"These books were annotated by me a long time ago, corrected of all errors. They were initially prepared for my grandson, but you're the one using them now," Gego explained.
Galon smiled, touched by the effort Gego put into preparing the books just for him. "Will mastering these books be enough to get started?"
"Pretty much," Gego began cleaning his glasses. "Then it's about hands-on practice and familiarity with various items' characteristics and history."
Galon sat down, ready to learn. "What are we covering today?"