June 5th, at the Kane Mansion.
It was another clear day, and Rossi opened the windows of the dining room to let the fresh air flow in.
Lis, however, looked like he hadn't woken up yet, yawning and enjoying today's breakfast at the dining table.
Today's breakfast was bacon and eggs, blueberry cake, and yogurt granola with nuts. The pink bacon, chopped into small pieces, paired with golden eggs sprinkled with pepper and salt, was appetizing. The delicate blueberry cake and the colorful yogurt nut granola brought a sweet taste that could always bring a good mood to a new day.
Even Lis, who had spent more than a dozen hours in the basement researching, felt a bit more spirited.
The vibrations and sounds from the basement last night didn't cause any panic among the servants, as everyone knew Master Lis was researching magic there; it was just that this time, it took a bit longer, and the noises were a bit louder, that's all.
Lis didn't care about the servants' dark circles under their eyes. Though the experiments that lasted for more than a dozen hours yesterday did not succeed in improving his first arcane, he still made significant gains.
First, the system's arcane submodule was different from his previous life; now, each attempt to modify the Magic Model didn't require any Experience Points. The only limitation was that if he didn't have enough Mana, he couldn't materialize the Magic Model.
Second, in the arcane submodule, the success or failure of each Magic Model modification was no longer expressed in terms of fit, so every time Lis made modifications, he had to throw the Fireball to see the specific effects. He might know what success looks like the first time he constructs his own exclusive arcane model.
Third, using magic in this real world wasn't as simple as in the immersive games of his former life, where one could just select and release a spell with his will. Every time Lis used the Fireball Technique, he clearly felt real Magic Power circulating in his body, and he needed to get used to and master this sensation.
Although he encountered many difficulties, Lis was not discouraged. Unlike in the games, the feeling of truly mastering extraordinary power was so beautiful and enchanting that Lis was soon immersed in it, forgetting the passage of time.
Moreover, with continuous attempts, Lis had a hunch that within a week, he would be able to master his first arcane.
Lis moved his body around, feeling that his current body was not yet fully in sync with him, like last night,
when he was still very excited, but his body was too tired!
This pampered body was not used to his love for staying up late!
But no matter, it was simple...
Just stay up a few more nights!
A little forced therapy, perhaps?
As Lis was stretching his limbs, Housekeeper Joyce said beside him:
"Master Lis, the garments you ordered have just been placed in your bedroom, and Welf is already waiting for you in the courtyard with two guards."
Lis slapped his face, perking up as he replied:
"I know, tell Welf and the others to wait for me at the back door in casual clothes."
Shortly after, Lis changed into his clothes and came to the back door of the mansion.
Knowing that Lis planned to train his body and learn to use weapons, Joyce had specially prepared a set of shorts and a short-sleeved shirt, made of cotton, which was very comfortable and breathable to wear.
Welf and two guards dressed in casual clothes and carrying weapons were already waiting for Lis at the back door.
One of the guards was somewhat thin and stood beside Welf, grinning and chatting about something.
The other guard looked to be under twenty and stood a bit apart, carrying his weapons alone, not joining in the conversation between Welf and the other guard. When he saw Lis approach, he quickly stood at attention and saluted.
Only then did Welf and the thin guard notice Lis by their side, and they hurriedly saluted too.
"Good morning, Master Lis."
Lis waved his hand: "I remember you, Welf. You two are...?"
The thin guard hurriedly replied with a fawning tone, "Good morning, Master Lis! I'm Bill, I joined the Kane family with Captain Welf."
The young guard spoke in a steady voice with a hint of respect, "Master Lis, I'm Dison, I have been raised by Housekeeper Joyce since I was a child, and I've always been in the mansion."
"Hmm, I know." Lis nodded, clearly understanding that Bill, like Welf, was hired by the housekeeper to be a guard of the Kane family, while Dison was raised by the family from a young age and could be considered one of his loyal subordinates.
"Let's set out, then. We'll head straight for the Belle Street Warehouse. Today, when we go out, let's just be commoners, act normal."
Welf and the two others had no doubts; they simply followed the Young Master's orders. Perhaps the Young Master had taken a fancy to experiencing the life of a commoner on a whim!
The Belle Street wasn't far from Feis Street, both located in the East half zone of Bright City.
Looking at the spacious warehouse surrounded by grey-white walls, a rough estimate put it at over 800 square meters, with an interior ceiling height of 5 meters.
Everything that had once been stored in the warehouse had been cleared out, with only some straw still piled in a corner.
Besides the warehouse, there was an empty plot of nearly one thousand square meters to the east, which seemed to be used for parking caravans and goods. The entire warehouse was enclosed by brick walls over one person tall.
The whole warehouse was also quite clean, indicating it was well maintained.
Lis was quite satisfied with it, the place was spacious enough and relatively concealed. Apart from the storage rooms for keeping goods, there were several rooms in the back for temporary rest.
After taking a complete tour around the warehouse, Lis saw that Welf and the others had already prepared the weapons they would need. Even the box of sweets and red tea that Rossi had specially brought for him was set aside on a table, so he gestured for Welf to get ready for the training.
Seeing this, Welf, without hesitation, stepped forward and handed a practice wooden sword to Lis.
"Master, let's start with the one-handed sword," Welf suggested.
After speaking, Welf himself picked up a wooden sword and casually executed a beautiful sword flourish.
Lis tested the wooden sword in his hands. Though made of wood, the material was quite hard, and it was heavy to hold.
Even though his Strength hadn't received an attribute modification, the increase brought by level 30 was enough for Lis to use the wooden sword properly.
Watching Lis clumsily swing the wooden sword to produce an irregular sword flourish, Welf smiled and said,
"On the battlefield, a one-handed sword is generally used in conjunction with a shield. Of course, warriors who are more skilled in martial arts and seek higher agility and freedom may choose to use only a one-handed sword."
"Which swordsmanship does Master Lis wish to learn? Rock Swordsmanship, Tidal Swordsmanship, or Gale Swordsmanship?"
These were all styles that Welf had mastered, considered top-grade among publicly known swordsmanship.
Lis did not hesitate, as he had already made plans:
"I want to practice Royal Swordsmanship."
"Royal Swordsmanship?"
Welf was somewhat surprised. Royal Swordsmanship was indeed a very famous style, but it was not known for its power. Instead, it was because the movements of Royal Swordsmanship were very elaborate.
In essence, this style was a form of ceremonial swordsmanship, existing for the sake of visual appeal.
Thus, it was also esteemed by Nobles and wealthy merchants.
Of course, Welf knew this style because, besides looking good, its biggest advantage was its simplicity.
After hesitating for a moment, Welf refrained from urging Lis to choose a different style of swordsmanship. Perhaps he should just indulge Lord Viscount's caprice. Maybe it was his preference for this style that brought Lis, the esteemed Mage, to train with weapons.
Raising his hand to indicate the sword's edge and tip, Welf began explaining the one-handed sword and Royal Swordsmanship:
"The parts of a one-handed sword that have lethal potential are these two. In order to fully..."
With Welf's explanation, a series of system messages also appeared before Lis's eyes.
The reason he chose Royal Swordsmanship was because it was simple and could be learned quickly. Royal Battle Technique, including swordsmanship, spear technique, knife skill, and so on, was demonstrated through multiple experiments to be the quickest way to improve weapon proficiency.
As for being mistaken for a mere show, Lis didn't care. What mattered most to him was to master the specialty of All Martial Arts Mastery as quickly as possible.
[The Golden Warrior Welf has taught you techniques for wielding a one-handed sword, your proficiency with one-handed sword weaponry has increased]
[...10%...50%...100%]
[Your proficiency with the one-handed sword has risen to basic]