The afternoon sun streamed through the blinds, casting its warm glow onto the desk. A squirrel frolicked joyfully on the antique wooden bookshelf, its agile movements echoing amidst the tomes of knowledge spanning various fields.
The squirrel's antics ceased as it reached the expansive desk, where it paused to sniff and investigate. With large curious eyes, it then delicately licked a finger coated with peanut butter.
The owner of the finger was an elderly man in a suit, who, in this leisurely afternoon moment, exhibited a rare sense of relaxation. Half-leaning back in his chair, behind scholarly spectacles, his wise gaze turned towards the young man seated across the long table.
"Compared to the crisp freshness of spring tea, the slight bitterness of summer tea, or the robust aroma of winter tea, I actually prefer autumn tea," the old man remarked thoughtfully. "Its fragrance is serene and pure, with a lingering mellowness that always evokes memories."
With a gesture of invitation, he raised his hand, indicating for the young man to partake. "We've just received a new batch of West Lake Longjing. My tea skills should still be up to par."
Lu Chen respectfully accepted the cup, taking a sip. The tea had a balanced and gentle aroma, with a subtle aftertaste. Indeed, it was a fine brew. Lu Chen was aware of the intricate etiquette involved in tea drinking, though he knew that his former comrade, a girl skilled in such rituals, would only receive a hearty gulp from him.
"Delicious," Lu Chen offered his sincere appraisal.
"I'm glad you like it," replied the old man, wiping his fingers clean and patting the squirrel's head, signaling it to play elsewhere.
"Your performance on the recent mission was impressive, deserving of your S-rank designation. I believe there will be no more doubts about you within the academy, nor within the Lionheart Society."
The old man then rose, walked over to Lu Chen, and refilled his cup. In that brief moment, Lu Chen couldn't help but feel a curious sensation. Though his dynamic vision caught only a slightly blurred image, it seemed more like the old man had slowed down rather than sped up.
The movement of the chair was smooth and silent, as if the process had been clipped from the timeline. This was the difference between Temporal Zero and Momentary Shift, the pure essence of acceleration.
"If only the desk weren't so long, it would bring people closer together," the old man remarked with a smile as he settled back into his seat. "Temporal Zero is indeed remarkable, but Momentary Shift is equally impressive. At least for you, it seems so."
Lu Chen sat up straight, like an attentive student in class.
"What's the highest tier you can reach with Momentary Shift now?" the old man casually inquired.
"Fourth tier, with sixteen-fold acceleration," Lu Chen replied, his answer the result of careful consideration.
At that time, in order to arrive at the Red Mountain Park promptly, it only took 57 seconds to cover the distance of ten kilometers. Judging by his physical fitness scores, it seemed to be just over eight times faster. However, it couldn't be calculated that way because the city wasn't a running track.
Taking into account various obstacles and factors like detours, his actual speed was probably around 13-14 times faster.
Since deciding to masquerade as a Momentary Shift user, Lu Chen had conducted quite a bit of research. He had consulted many materials in the Lionheart Society and now had a fairly good understanding of this particular linguistic ability.
The so-called increase in tiers and speed doubling of Momentary Shift were not absolute values. While it might be claimed to be sixteen times faster, in practical environments, such speeds were unattainable. This was because in the real world, high-speed movement of the body would also encounter factors such as air resistance and ground friction. These effects became more pronounced as the tier of Momentary Shift increased.
For Momentary Shift up to the sixth tier, the decrease wasn't too severe. However, if it were to ascend to the ninth tier, it wouldn't reach the 512-fold divine speed claimed. In reality, even reaching 200-fold would be impressive, but maintaining such speed for more than a few seconds would be physically taxing.
External friction would generate high heat, scorching the skin like a meteorite plummeting to Earth, akin to a satellite reentering the atmosphere.
Therefore, there was a reason Temporal Zero ranked above Momentary Shift. The former was like a king altering the rules, while the latter relied on brute force.
"It's quite remarkable for a newly awakened linguistic ability to ascend to this tier so quickly. It seems you are indeed quite talented. As I mentioned before, this linguistic ability suits you well because of your inherent swiftness. When wielding a blade, you'll be even faster," observed the headmaster, with admiration evident in his eyes as he took another sip of Longjing tea.
"I heard that Viscountess Charlotte Silverwing, the most famous Momentary Shift user in the history of the Secret Blood, used a revolver. But from what you're saying, it sounds like you're encouraging me to use a sword?" Lu Chen expressed his confusion. While he did enjoy using cold weapons, he had assumed the headmaster would advise him to use firearms.
"Viscountess Charlotte was one of my mentors, and her prowess was undeniable," remarked the headmaster, his gaze drifting along with the jumping squirrel on the bookshelf. "However, even so, I have to admit that bullets are too weak when facing King-level enemies. If she had wielded alchemical blades instead..."
The headmaster shook his head and chuckled. "I digress. As one gets older, reminiscing becomes a common pastime."
Lu Chen didn't mind and remained composed, waiting for the headmaster's further comments.
"Given your strength is sufficient to withstand the speed increase, it's evident that cold weapons offer far greater speed than bullets. The difference in mass also determines a vastly different kinetic energy. Bullets can't penetrate sturdy dragon bones, but alchemical blades carrying immense kinetic energy can. In my opinion, since you aren't lacking in strength, using cold weapons is the best choice," the headmaster offered a simple evaluation. With a wave of his hand, a pad appeared in his hand, and after a few taps, he placed it on the table.
Lu Chen focused on the photo on the pad, a familiar figure of the hunchbacked man he had slain when he first arrived in this world.
Lu Chen remained silent. Initially, he hadn't known what he would face after completing that mission. He shouldn't have killed the hunchbacked man in that manner, indirectly exposing his extraordinary strength. He had worried about it for a long time, but the academy hadn't questioned him about it. Today, it seemed that the academy wasn't unaware or indifferent to the matter, but the elderly man in front of him had suppressed it.
"Don't worry. Apart from me and your mentor, no one else knows about this. The officials involved in that mission have also signed confidentiality agreements," reassured the headmaster, taking a sip of his hot tea and gesturing for Lu Chen to relax a bit.