There was a saying in this world, 'to speak was simple; to do, difficult.' As simple as this saying was, it required no explanation.
Alexandros Centinni, the young boy who previously knew only to eat, sleep, and frolic, had the above saying flash across his head as he confronted reality in the harshest manner possible.
To speak of wanting to become strong was simple. But the process that led to strength… was very, very, very difficult. And not only was it difficult, but it was also filled with much suffering and pain.
Ten minutes of stretching and one hour of running later, Alexandros found himself sprawled on the ground, panting like a dog. He could not make heads and tails of his surroundings and experienced pain from areas that he did not even know existed within his body.
Alexandros had always thought of himself to be quite fit. And indeed, when compared to other noble children who were often obese, the young emperor, who was on the thinner side, was quite fit.
Today, however, Alexandros learned that there was a difference between 'not being fat' and 'being fit.' A difference that was as wide as heaven and earth.
Matthias watched with worry as the young emperor gasped for air akin to a seaman who had drowned in the ocean. He had already sent ahead the rest of the cadets so as to not hold up their training and for the sake of maintaining the emperor's dignity.
While keeping his worries to himself, Matthias turned his gaze to a spot not that far from the emperor. There, he found another figure lying on the ground in a manner similar to his liege's.
It was his saviour/benefactor, the Esteemed Scholar Wuzhi.
Unlike the emperor, Wuzhi was not very surprised by his sorry display. He had spent most of his life inside libraries, reading books and acquiring knowledge. Apart from the most basic of physical activities, he had never actually trained his body.
And why would he? It wasn't like he had to train his physique in order to cultivate the traditional way. Wuzhi did not even possess a Core to cultivate the traditional way!
Anyways, after having held a sword the other day during the duel, Wuzhi came to a realisation; he had to train his body. At least to the point of being able to swing a sword without any problems.
While he actively looked down upon fighting and even sort of disdained it, there was a difference between 'not wanting to fight' and 'not being able to fight.' Considering that he was currently part of a force actively engaged in war, Wuzhi decided that it was time to train his body.
Not for the sake of heroically fighting on the frontlines, mind you. But at least so that he would have no problems running away should the situation call for it.
Wuzhi still had a lot of things left to accomplish in this life of his. Falling and foolishly dying during the first step would only serve to satisfy and amuse his teacher. And if possible, he did not want to give his teacher that satisfaction.
"Your Royal Eminence, Sir Wuzhi, please rise. It is time to continue with your training," Matthias softly reminded.
"Grr!" Gritting his teeth and growling like a little beast, Alexandros fought through the pain and forced himself up.
The things that he wanted to accomplish; searching for his sister, revenge for his father, etc. were far too great. He could not allow himself to flounder so pathetically here. He would not allow himself to flounder so pathetically here!
With a powerful push of his tiny, frail arms, Alexandros rose to his feet. Wiping the sweat and grim off his face, he turned around towards Wuzhi, and said, "Get up, Wuzhi. Our training is not over!"
The young scholar wordlessly stood up and walked behind the emperor. The training resumed and the two of them disappeared into the distance.
Matthias, who witnessed this scene, had a warm look and an immeasurably satisfied expression on his face. Seeing his liege and benefactor disappear into the distance, he softly muttered. "That young boy of yesteryear is growing up into an incredibly fine young man. It seems that Sir Wuzhi's arrival and presence is indeed an intervention from the heavens."
Staring into the sky, he spoke with tears in his eyes. "Old Master, this servant yet believes that there is hope for this empire. Please continue to look after my liege from up above!"
Turning his head, Matthias jogged away and soon caught up with the others.
---
At another place within the Imperial Palace grounds.
"Shot!"
BANG! With the crack of thunder, a bolt of fire exited the long metal barrel of a rifle and headed towards an empty coat of armour, being used as a test dummy, placed at an approximate distance of fifty feet.
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The fire bolt, a tiny metal bullet less than a finger's length in size, tore through the air in an instant and smashed against the chest piece, the hardest portion of the metal armour. Forming a fist-sized hole in the chest piece, the now-deformed bullet tore through the backside of the armour and lodged itself on a wooden post some distance away.
The test firing of the single-shot rifle was thus successful.
"And that concludes the demonstration of the weapon's firepower," said the raven-haired beauty, the female merchant who hailed from the East and the person who had just fired the rifle. "And… if you pull this lever," she demonstrated, "you can eject the empty casing of the spent bullet, preparing the chamber for the new bullet."
Turning to face the crowd of onlookers, she continued her pitch. "An experienced gunner could fire between 30-35 rounds per minute. A rookie, with only a month's worth of training, can reliably shoot 20 rounds at a minimum."
"The effective range of the rifle is 900m! However, for maximum effect, I would recommend a third of that."
Placing the rifle down on a tray offered to her by a servant, the raven-haired beauty clapped her hands and sweetly smiled. "And with that, gentlemen, I conclude my demonstration. All of you are welcome to try the weapon yourself. Please heed the instructions of my men so as to not accidentally injure your esteemed selves."
Performing a full bow, she retreated. "This lowly merchant shall retreat and leave it to Sirs." She went off to the side.
The various ministers and generals, who had gathered to watch this demonstration, could not hold themselves back as they rushed forward to be the first to experience this revolutionary weapon. Fortunately, the merchants had brought along with them, thirty instructors and an equal number of arms, allowing most to try them out. The unfortunate few that had not managed to grab a gun in time, had to wait and enviously watch their colleagues get the first try.
The raven-haired beauty, who had retreated to the side, was dressed in well-fitted hunter's clothes consisting of an inner shirt, an overcoat, a pair of trousers, and a pair of hard boots. The outfit was dyed in black and deep blues, giving it a rich, noble air.
Just as she had accepted a cool glass of the local drink, she felt a hand on her shoulder. Turning around, she found the regent of the empire, Rodriguez Centinni, standing before her with an odd smile on his face.
Having travelled around, the female merchant very clearly knew the meaning of that smile. However, she did not expose the regent on his intention and even acted coyly in his presence.
"Lord Regent," she slightly blushed, "for what reason have you sought this lowly merchant? How can I assist you?"
Seeing the young, beautiful female's reaction, Rodriguez immediately found his ego sufficiently stroked. Removing his hand from her shoulder, he warmly spoke. "Please, Luna. Do call me by my name instead of my title. 'Lord Regent' makes us sound so distant. Are we not fellow business partners now?"
Innocently blinking her doe-like eyes, she then coyly averted her eyes and shyly answered. "Understood, Lord Rodriguez."
Rodriguez laughed with satisfaction. Truth be told, the entire Centinni Family was filled with men and women of impeccable appearances. As gorgeous of a young boy as Alexandros was, his uncle Rodriguez wasn't too shabby either. He possessed a noble, mature countenance with deep-set eyes and a tanned, well-built body. For women to be enchanted by his appearance was no new discovery.
As he continued to converse with the beautiful yet intelligent young woman, Rodriguez had to admit; Luna Roseland, the female merchant, was cut from an entirely different cloth. She had the innocent demureness of a young maiden, the refined air of a knowledgeable scholar, and the intoxicating allure of a gypsy. All wrapped into a single body!
Though a married man, with not a few mistresses by his side, Rodriguez still wanted to add this excellent lady to his household. As such, beginning from yesterday, he had begun laying on his charms and had begun scheming to bring this woman to his bed. He figured that it would not be long before he attained the young maiden's heart.
"Hahaha! Is that tale true, my lord?" Luna brightly asked.
"Why? Are my words not faithful?" Rodriguez asked, in jest.
"Then, I shall take it as a yes. My, it seems that you were quite the warrior in your youth, my lord." Luna spoke with much appreciation. Her hands then 'accidently' brushed across the regent's own, as they both reached for the desserts on the table.
Luna reacted in startlement, as she blushed and retreated her hand. Regent Rodriguez, on the other hand, simply smiled and did not seem to mind it. Inwardly, however, he was full of laughter as he found himself approaching closer to his goal.
Unfortunately, Regent Rodriguez had yet to know how incorrect he was in his judgement towards this young woman. Unlike his thoughts, the raven-haired beauty wasn't the 'demure innocent scholar with a seductive air,' but rather 'a black-hearted viper that would rival an old spinster in her schemes!'
While Rodriguez schemed to pull the young woman into his bed, Luna, the young woman, was scheming to put Regent Rodriguez into her grasp. After all, having the ruler of an empire, albeit a failing one, in your pocket wasn't a bad transaction at all. It was, in fact, highly profitable!
And for Luna, who sought nothing but profits as a merchant, this was a matter of course.
At this point, it was unknown how many such men had fallen for her schemes. Judging from how she was teasing the line with just the perfect amount of effort, it was evident that she possessed more than a few successful attempts under her belt.
Just as the two were exchanging words, sharing laughs, and growing ever closer, Luna's eyes subconsciously drifted to the side. Regent Rodriguez, following her gaze, turned around and found the figures of his near nephew and his supposed teacher, engaging in some training.
A warm smile occupied Regent Rodriguez's face as he watched his nephew. "What is that silly boy doing?"
Luna's eyes, however, weren't looking towards the boy emperor at all. Whilst most people would subconsciously find themselves ignoring the tall, white-clothed figure next to him, she forced herself to lock her attention on that scholarly youth. It wasn't an easy task, yet Luna forced herself to succeed.
Staring intensely at the scholarly youth, Luna felt wariness and dread return in her heart. This wasn't her first time feeling these emotions, as she had felt the exact same emotion last night when she discussed a deal with the scholarly youth. Feeling the exact same emotions once more, Luna decided.
There was a saying in this world; 'a tiger knows when he enters the mountain of another tiger. A snake recognises when it enters the pit of another snake.'
Looking at Wuzhi, Luna recognized; this was another snake just like her.