by Unknown
“Got to hold it. Got to hold it.” Mathias constantly said to himself.
In the back of Mathias’s mind, the words his father said a year ago constantly echoed. “Mathias, we are the family of the Demonblood Warriors. As a member of the Demonblood Warriors clan, you have an advantage, but also a disadvantage! The advantage is, even though the density of Demonblood in your veins hasn’t reached a sufficient level, your body will still be much stronger than those of most ordinary people. It might be very difficult for others to become a warrior of the sixth grade through training alone, but for you, it will be somewhat easier.”
“However, your disadvantage is this. The descendants of the Demonblood clan are not able to train battle energy according to normal books. This is because the blood in our veins is only suited to the training method inside the ‘Secret Demonblood Manual’. It conflicts with all other types of battle energy cultivation methods. Unfortunately, only those who have reached a certain density of Demonblood are able to practice using the method within the ‘Secret Demonblood Manual’. Therefore, you will not be able to develop battle energy at all.”
“Also, although in theory, anyone training the body can reach the sixth grade, that’s just in theory. In practice, the number of people who accomplish this is very low. But for us, it is different. Even if the amount of Demonblood in our veins is low, our starting level will be higher than others. Just from training alone, we can become warriors of the sixth grade. Your great grandfather, based on training alone, managed to become a warrior of the seventh grade!”
Mathias remembered his father’s words very clearly.
Mathias growled to himself, “I’m stronger than everyone else now, only because of the Demonblood in my veins. But since I can’t practice battle energy, my only options are to work hard, and to work harder! Since great grandfather was able to become a warrior of the seventh grade, then I shall…I shall become a warrior of the eighth grade. Or even the ninth grade! Nothing is impossible!”
A warrior of the eighth grade!
A warrior of the ninth grade could be considered the most powerful expert in the entire country of Silver moon. A warrior of the eighth grade, although unable to restore the Tulare family to its former glories, would be able to dramatically improve its current situation.
“Got to hold!” Mathias gritted his teeth.
By this point, his muscles felt like they were being chewed on by countless ants. His entire body was quivering, and every single muscles on his entire body trembled. Every single trembling muscle could be seen visibly.
After a long time, in the end…
Thud!
Mathias, exhausted, collapsed to the ground.
“That feels wonderful.” Flat on the floor, his entire body relaxed, Mathias could clearly feel how numb his entire body was. All the muscles on his body, after undergoing that training, were slowly growing. Although the growth wouldn’t be noticeable from just one or two exercises, after a long period of time, the effects would be pronounced.
Davis, off to the side, nodded with satisfaction.
And then, Davis’s face grew cold as he turned to look at the fourteen and fifteen year olds. “All of you had better hold on! Mathias’s only eight years old, while all of you are almost adults. Don’t let an eight-year-old get the better of you!”
…………….
After morning exercises ended, Mathias bid farewell to his group of friends and went towards the Tulare clan manor. If a stranger had seen him, the eight-year-old Mathias surely would have been assumed to be eleven or twelve years old, and not just a mere child of eight.
The descendants of Tulare truly were different from other men.
“Big brother!” Upon seeing Mathias, the healthy-looking Gabe rushed over.
“That’s enough, Gabe. My entire body is covered with sweat. Let me wash myself first.” Mathias patted Gabe on the face and laughed.
Gabe humped. “I know that as soon as you wash up, you’ll go take lessons from father.”
As a member of a noble house, Mathias’s education began from a young age. The five-thousand-year-old Tulare clan was even stricter regarding educational matters than even the royal families of most kingdoms were.
“Enough, Gabe. I’ll play with you around noon.” Mathias laughed.
Gabe was only a child, while Mathias was much more mature.
After washing up and changing into some fresh clothes, Mathias entered the study. At this moment, his father, Alistair Tulare, was sitting in front of a desk, his back ramrod straight. In front of Alistair were three thick tomes.
“Father!” Mathias respectfully bowed.
Alistair coldly nodded, and Mathias quickly walked next to him.
“Yesterday, I explained the history of the countries of the Lemuria continent to you. Repeat it back to me.” Alistair said coldly.
This was the real Alistair.
In Poses like the time when he was holding the crying Mathias in his arms were extremely rare. Normally, Alistair’s attitude towards Mathias could be summarized in one word: ‘Strict’. In all things, Alistair strove for perfection. He wouldn’t let Mathias get away with any mistakes.
“Yes, father.” Mathias said calmly.
“In the Lemuria continent, there are three dangerous areas. The number one Cliff range, the ‘Cliff Range of Magical Creatures’. The second Cliff range, the ‘Cliff Range of the Setting Sun’. And, the number one forest, the ‘Forest of Darkness’. The space these three dangerous regions take up is incomparably large. The ‘Cliff Range of Magical Creatures’ runs across the entire continent, from north to south, covering over ten thousand kilometers. Within it are countless magical Creatures, including Guru-level Creatures which have the power to ‘destroy the heavens and ravage the earth’. Because of the ‘Cliff Range of Magical Creatures’, the Lemuria continent has been divided into different regions.”
“West of the ‘Cliff Range of Magical Creatures’, there are twelve kingdoms and thirty-two duchies. Within these kingdoms and dukedoms, there are two major divisions. The first is the Light Union, with the kingdom of Silver moon being the principal kingdom. The second is the Dark Alliance, with the kingdom of Haiti being the principal kingdom. These two alliances are opposed to each other and constantly battle because one is controlled by the Radiant Church, while the other belongs to the Cult of Shadows.”
“East of the ‘Cliff Range of Magical Creatures’, there are four empires, six major kingdoms, and countless duchies! These four empires are enormous, and are not influenced by the Light Union or the Dark Alliance. In these four empires, the rule of the emperors is absolute. Any of the four empires are comparable to the Light Union.”
“The four empires are the central Lemuria Empire, the southeastern Feather Empire, the eastern Renault Empire, and the northern Achilles Empire.” After having said all this at one go, Mathias let himself relax slightly.
“Just this?” Alistair frowned.
Mathias was about to immediately continue, but Alistair cut him off. “Let me ask you, within our Light Union, how many kingdoms and duchies are there?”
“Within our Light Union, there are six kingdoms and fifth…seventh…” Mathias suddenly frowned.
How many duchies were there in the Light Union? Mathias’s memory was a bit hazy. He wasn’t sure if it was fifteen, or if it was seventeen. He couldn’t be sure.
“Humph!”
His face cold and harsh, Alistair pulled out a wooden stick, and Mathias obediently stuck his hand out.
His eyes narrowing, with a ‘WHAP’ sound, Alistair whacked Mathias’s hand with the stick. A red line immediately appeared on Mathias’s hand, but Mathias could only clench his teeth, not making a sound.
“Mathias, you must remember, we are currently living within the Light Union. You must know everything about the Light Union!” Alistair coldly looked at his son. “In the entire Lemuria continent, the most important entities are the four empires and the two alliances.”
&nbs
p; Mathias nodded.
Although his father’s words were simple, Mathias clearly understood the deeper meaning.
“At the far northern end, the Light Union shares a border with the Achilles Empire. While at the southern end, the Dark Alliance intersects with the Lemuria Empire. Under the guidance of the Radiant Church, the unity of our Light Union isn’t one whit inferior to that of the empires.”
Listening to his father’s words, Mathias agreed.
Yesterday, he had read many books. Clearly, the Light Union could be considered the ‘cultural center’ for the entire Lemuria continent. At the same time, in terms of economic strength, it was on par with the Lemuria Empire, making the two of them the most economically powerful entities in the world.
In addition, it had the support of the Radiant Church.
The Light Union truly was very formidable.
“Today, we will study art,” Alistair said coldly. “As the descendent of a noble family, you must have a thorough understanding and appreciation of art. Art is what gives noblemen an aura of gravitas!” Alistair pulled out a large tome as thick as a fist, immediately opening it.
“In the year 3578 of the Lemuria calendar, the grandmaster stone-sculptor Donatello was born….”
Off to the side, Alistair solemnly taught while Mathias strove hard to memorize. He wanted to meet his father’s requirements.
Chapter 5 – Growth (part 2)
Time flew by quickly, and in the blink of an eye, the grandfather clock within the hall rang eleven times, signifying that it was now 11 in the morning.
“Is Alistair at home?” A clear voice rang out. The Tulare manor had no guards, so clearly, this person had already arrived within the manor grounds.
Alistair frowned, placing down the thick tome in front of him. “Mathias, today we’ll come to a stop here.” Revealing a wisp of a smile, Alistair turned around and walked towards the guest hall.
“Ah, Alistair, my dear friend! Just the other day, I heard the cloth spinner bird’s cry, and I just knew that something good was going to happen. Indeed, by noon, I received your missive, and as soon as I read it, I was overjoyed.”
“Dear Philip, I am very happy to see you as well. Davis, quickly go and bring me the stone sculpture, ‘Fierce Lion’. Philip, come, let’s go to the main hall and wait. The sculpture will be here shortly.”
Hearing these words, Mathias felt his heart twinge.
“We’re selling off more family belongings?” Mathias knew that the ‘Fierce Lion’ sculpture was one which his father deeply liked. But the Tulare clan, which took very little taxes from Comox township, really was in dire economic straits.
Fortunately, the Tulare clan was an ancient one, and by virtue of its age, had stored many rare and precious items.
Unfortunately, even the vastest of hoards could not withstand so many years of auctions and sales. By this point in time, the number of valuable items within the clan was very few. Mathias couldn’t help but turn to stare at the grandfather clock. “I wonder how long it will be before even this clock has to be sold off.”
A middle aged man with long, golden hair and a nobleman’s aura strode into the hall by Alistair’s side. Mathias immediately was able to guess that this middle-aged man must be ‘Philip’.
“Oh, this adorable child must be your son, right Alistair?” Philip smiled very warmly at Mathias. “Mathias Tulare, right? May I address you as Mathias?”
“It would be my honor, sire.” Mathias placed his right hand against his breast and respectfully bowed.
“What an adorable child.” Philip seemed very pleased.
By his side, Alistair laughed. “Philip, stop wasting time with the child. Look, the ‘Fierce Lion’ you have desired for so long has arrived.” As he spoke, Davis easily carried in the large sculpture into the hall, and then easily set it down.
It was a nearly thousand-pound stone sculpture, but in Davis’s hands, it seemed like naught but a toy, clearly showing Davis’s strength.
“Mr. Davis, your strength amazes me. My own manor doesn’t have anyone as fierce as you, guard captain, even though I control twelve towns.” Philip smiled as he spoke, but the implicit meaning in his words was quite clear; he wanted to invite Davis to work for him.
Davis said coldly, “Comox town is my home, sire.”
“Forgive me.” Philip quickly apologized.
Philip turned to look at Alistair. “Alistair, I must say, although I like this stone sculpture very much, the artisanship of this ‘Fierce Lion’ sculpture cannot be considered to be top tier, much less the masterpieces of those grandmaster sculptors.”
“Philip, if you don’t wish to buy it, then forget about it.” Alistair was quite succinct.
Philip’s eyes couldn’t help but narrow, but then he laughed. “Ha-ha…Alistair, don’t be angry. I’m not saying that I don’t wish to buy it. I’m just telling the truth. How about this. I’ll buy this sculpture for five hundred gold coins. What do you think?”
“Five hundred?” Alistair frowned.
This price was much lower than what Alistair had hoped for. He had been hoping for at least eight hundred.
In the Lemuria continent, one gold coin equaled ten silver coins equaled a thousand copper coins. The average commoner would be able to earn twenty or thirty gold coins in a year. Even the average army soldier would only earn a hundred or so gold coins.
“The price is too low.” Alistair shook his head.
“Alistair, you must know that in all the ten thousand plus years of the Lemuria continent, there have been countless sculptures made. The true value of a sculpture is in terms of its artisanship. As far as the artisanship of this one…. well, heh, suffice to say, I just like it. Five hundred gold really is my highest offer. If you don’t accept, then let’s just forget about it.”
Philip laughed as he turned to look at the grandfather clock in the hall. His eyes gleaming, he said, “Alistair, if you were to sell this clock, however, I would be willing to pay a thousand gold.”
Alistair’s face grew cold.
“Ahem, two thousand gold would be acceptable as well. This would be my highest offer.” Philip hurriedly said.
Alistair sternly shook his head firmly. “The grandfather clock is not for sale! As for the sculpture, six hundred gold. Take it or leave it.”
Philip carefully studied Alistair for a moment, then chuckled. “Fine, Alistair. I’ll give you some face. Six hundred gold it is. Housekeeper, bring me six hundred gold.” The caretaker for his manor, who had been waiting outside the entire time, immediately ran over with the gold.
Six sacks of yellow gold.
“Six hundred gold, Alistair. You can count it, if you want.” Philip smiled.
Alistair hefted the sacks. Just based on weight alone, Alistair was certain that there really were six hundred gold coins in them, a hundred gold per sack. Alistair smiled and nodded. “Philip, how about staying and having dinner with us?”
“No need, I still have some business back home.” Philip laughed.
Philip’s housekeeper subsequently instructed two powerfully built warriors to lift and carry away the sculpture, which they did with difficulty.
After Philip and his entourage had departed, Alistair stared at the six sacks of gold, a dim look in his eyes. This time, he sold the stone sculpture. Next time? Although the manor still had many things remaining, sooner or later, they would have nothing left.
“Father, I want to learn to be a sculptor!” Mathias suddenly said.
Mathias knew very well that in the Lemuria continent, those famous master sculptors could produce works valued at tens of thousands of gold pieces each. Some famous sculptures could even reach a hundred thousand gold pieces. And wealth aside, the societal grading of these sculptors was also very high.
“If I can become a master sculptor, then…then father will no longer have to sell our family possessions.” This is what Mathias was thinking.
“Sculpting?” Alistair glanced at Mathias, his eye
s cold.
“Mathias, do you know that amongst the hundreds of millions of people in the Light Union, there are at least several million who have studied sculpting. But in the entire Light Union, the number of true masters can be counted on one hand. In addition, if you don’t have a good instructor, you simply cannot succeed on your own.”
“The inner circle of sculptors is not one which ordinary people are allowed into. You only see the sky-high valuation of the works of the masters, but do you know that the vast majority of sculptors only make a few dozen gold coins each year?”
Alistair’s voice was very fierce.
Mathias was so frightened, he immediately knelt down. Just now, he only spoke because he thought that sculpting could improve his family’s situation. He didn’t expect his father to say so much and lecture him so sternly.
“Enough. The ancestral hall needs some cleaning. After lunch, go and clean it up.” Alistair said coldly.
“Yes, father.” Mathias said respectfully.
Looking at Mathias, Alistair sighed in his heart. “Sculpting? Oh, child. Do you know that in the past, I also practiced sculpting? I spent ten full years of my life trying to learn. But unfortunately, my sculptures weren’t worth a single coin.” Alistair, too, had once foolishly dreamed of becoming a master sculptor and thereby improving his clan’s situation.
But in his heart, he felt very helpless. Despite spending ten years training, his sculptures were still worthless. The field of sculpting could be described as a pyramid.
Those famous master sculptors were at the top of the pyramid. They enjoyed a high status, and each sculpture they made was worth hundreds of thousands of coins.
But the valuation of the work of the countless low level sculptors at the bottom of the pyramid was soul-crushingly low. Most of their works would just be bought by commoners for just a few silver coins to use as decorations in their homes.
Chapter 6 – Red Demon Ring (part 1)