Chapter 16: Wildfire Town
"Turtle Sage..." The fatty flipped through the history book with a rustling sound, but he couldn't find this legendary figure anywhere. In history, this Orc hadn't left even a trace.
Although the fatty was persistent, he wasn't the type to get stuck on something. Since he couldn't find what he was curious about, he gave up and started studying other things.
One grain of sand leads to a tower, one drop of water becomes a river. In that world, the fatty was an expert in politics and military strategy. Now, if he thoroughly studied this history book, he wouldn't be any less impressive than those old foxes standing at the top of this world.
This was the fatty's capital to stand firm in this world.
Sitting at the table, Qingyin's cheeks turned a little red as she looked at the fatty. She suddenly realized that although he wasn't handsome, just an ordinary-looking fatty, he had a unique charm when he was focused.
However, this tranquility didn't last long. Soon, there were two rhythmic knocks on the door, like the sound of war drums on the battlefield.
The fatty, who was deeply engrossed in a complex and difficult military problem, had a sudden epiphany, but those two knocks brought his thoughts back to zero.
"Which asshole..." the fatty cursed angrily. But he hadn't finished half his sentence when Qingyin quickly pulled his sleeve and shook her head with a bitter expression.
Looking at Qingyin, the fatty instinctively shut his mouth. His intuition told him that there was danger.
Meanwhile, Qingyin quickly took a few steps and opened the door.
Standing at the door was Duke Rosell. Duke Rosell had a gloomy expression, and his eyes contained a look of impending storm.
Seeing Duke Rosell, the fatty was stunned. Although he hadn't seen his grandfather the duke since his reincarnation, he could tell who it was just by looking at Qingyin's respectful attitude.
"Grandpa, you're here..." The fatty's originally stiff face made a complete turn, and he flatteringly spoke to Duke Rosell.
"Did you say that just now?" Duke Rosell stepped into the room with a dark face and asked after taking a few steps.
"No... it was..." The fatty instinctively looked for a scapegoat, but in the blink of an eye, he realized there was no one to blame. Qingyin was out of the question, and the fairy's voice didn't match. So the fatty simply admitted it.
But the fatty wasn't slow to react. While flatteringly smiling, he said, "I didn't know it was you, Grandpa... Grandpa loves me so much. If I knew it was you, how could I have said something like that?"
Listening to the fatty's words and seeing his flattering smile, Qingyin felt uncomfortable all over, as if she had goosebumps. Flattering was something children did. Now that the fatty, who was almost an adult, was acting like this, it was strange for anyone to feel comfortable.
But somehow, such words eased the old man's face. Perhaps he was thinking of past events or the suffering the fatty had endured as a fool for these years, and his eyes took on a hint of kindness.
Duke Rosell took a few steps forward and walked to the fatty's side. His gaze wandered and suddenly spotted the "History of the Silver Moon Continent" on the table.
"Are you reading this book?" Duke Rosell asked lightly, then picked up the brick-sized book with one hand and started flipping through it.
The fatty didn't say anything, mainly because he wasn't sure about the old man's temperament. Who knew if the old man would treat this book as a waste like others did? In his previous life, the fatty had seen many aristocratic children get beaten for neglecting their studies and reading so-called "idle" books.
At this moment, even Qingyin couldn't grasp the old man's pulse and just carefully watched his expression, her red lips slightly parted, ready to cover for the fatty at any moment.
After a few minutes, the old man slowly closed the book in his hand, and then with a "bang," the "History of the Silver Moon Continent" was slammed onto the table.
The shout hit Fatty and Qingyin like a thunderbolt, startling them, and the little fairy, who had been sleeping sweetly, suddenly flew up, looking around with a frightened expression.
"Trouble..." Fatty's face turned a bit green as he realized what was happening, while Qingyin, standing beside him, opened her pearly whites slightly.
"Alright..." The old man, who was staring at Fatty, suddenly spoke a word slowly. The word carried too many things, but more importantly, it had a sense of relief.
Fatty was a bit confused, and Qingyin was too.
At this moment, the old man slowly sat down in a chair next to the table and said to Fatty, "Do you know a plant called the Phantasm Flower?"
"Phantasm Flower?" Fatty looked blank, but secretly mocked in his heart. Phantasm Flower? Come on, how could he know about such a thing.
However, after a brief moment of contemplation, Qingyin's angular lips curled up slightly, smiling faintly. She had already understood the old man's intention.
"The Phantasm Flower is a very beautiful plant. When it blooms, it is not inferior to the most dazzling rainbow in the sky. But the blooming time of this flower is very short, fading away in the blink of an eye," said the old man, taking a deep breath and turning to Fatty.
Listening to the old man, Fatty understood instantly.
"I was worried that your performance at the academy was just like the blooming of the Phantasm Flower, but now I can confirm that it's not. You did well..." The old man fondled "The History of the Silver Moon Continent" with his hands and continued, "Everyone says that history is useless, but that's wrong. There are too many inspiring and memorable things in this book. Hugo, a famous general of the Deldi Empire, led three hundred cavalrymen towards the thirty thousand troops of the Dragon Glow Empire to protect the capital, knowing that he would die. That's what a true knight is. And three hundred years ago, the Great Mage Latin turned his body into a blazing fire wall to resist the invasion of the beast race..."
Listening to the old man, beads of sweat appeared on Fatty's forehead. He was glad that the old man didn't know his real purpose for reading the book; otherwise, this upright and noble marshal would have beaten him to death immediately.
The old man's intention was to teach Fatty the noble spirit of those admirable figures, but Fatty's intention was to collude with those despicable politicians and conspirators in history...
Seeing the sweat on Fatty's forehead, the old man was somewhat puzzled and then stopped his "indoctrination" towards Fatty, saying, "Heijin, are you hot?"
"No... I'm just a bit excited about what Grandpa is saying..." Fatty quickly wiped the sweat off his forehead and said with sparkling eyes.
"Remember, an upright knight will be remembered forever, no matter if he succeeds or fails. But those despicable and nasty conspirators will only be despised by history..." The old man solemnly warned Fatty while thoughtfully looking at him. He seemed to have thought of something.
Looking at the old man, Fatty suddenly remembered what he had deduced on the chessboard at the Royal Academy that day. He already knew what the old man was pondering.
"Grandpa, I was wrong. What happened at the academy that day will never happen again. I want to be an upright and noble person..." Fatty timely clenched his fists and made a very tall and mighty impression. But in his heart, he muttered, "Good people don't live long, bad people live forever..."
The old man smiled and nodded, then said to Fatty, "Forget about the Royal Academy. I'll send you to a place where you can get better training after some time. Remember, practical experience is always the best teacher."
"Better training? Practical experience?" Listening to the old man, Fatty's heart skipped a beat, and he instinctively felt a sense of danger.
"Grandpa, where is that place?" Fatty asked the old man carefully.
"Wildfire Town. When you turn of age, you will be ennobled and granted a territory, and Wildfire Town is what I have had in mind for you," the old man said to Fatty with a smile.
At this moment, Qingyin stood there like a statue, stone-faced. Then, she covered her mouth with her white hands and looked at Fatty as if she were seeing a future down-and-out beggar.