Chapter 94: Chapter 094 HEMA Apprentice
Chen Ke was in high spirits, having bought a pair of black leather shoes from Lester for a friendly price of 150 union coins, as it was his first ti wearing a suit, he also learned how to tie a tie.
Like a secret agent in a Hollywood movie, he wore the gun holster over his shirt before putting on the suit jacket, with the PPQ45 tucked under his arm. The feeling of the suit and holster taut against his body gave him an adrenaline rush, ready to spring into action at any mont.
Of course, although Lester knew Chen Ke was no ordinary man, he didn’t know Chen Ke could use Holy Relics.
While changing clothes, Chen Ke secretly tucked the Holy Relic diamond into the suit’s inner pocket without letting Lester see.
This was because, in this world, most Spiritual Ability Users who could use Holy Relics had an official background, and illegal Spiritual Ability Users were rare.
Lester was probably not just a legitimate clothing rchant, and it seed he could also provide so “under-the-table jobs.”
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Chen Ke didn’t want Lester to think he was from the Administration Bureau and didn’t feel like explaining the origin of his relic, so he opted for less trouble rather than more.
“I see you’re not used to tying a tie, don’t all officers dress like this?” Lester asked with a smile.
Chen Ke picked up on Lester’s implication; he was probing whether Chen Ke was with the County Police or the Administration Bureau.
“Officers don’t have my kind of look,” Chen Ke joked.
He neither denied nor admitted because he wasn’t sure about Lester’s background.
“You’re right, your gaze reminds of a friend. If he is as cold as an iceberg, then you’re like a volcano… I hope that gun in your holster isn’t just for show,” Lester said with a satisfied smile.
“I will pull the trigger when necessary, no matter who is in front of ,” Chen Ke replied.
“Does your trigger-pulling finger have a price?” Lester asked, cutting to the chase.
“Everything has a price,” Chen Ke replied with a smile.
Lester didn’t continue; he had gotten the answer he wanted.
Chen Ke didn’t know what else Lester did besides running a clothing store, but he knew he had beco Lester’s potential “contact.”
Leaving Zio suit store, it was almost 5:00 PM. Lester thoughtfully gave Chen Ke a large shopping bag to hold his changed clothes.
While stuffing the clothes, Chen Ke spotted a flyer for the Golden Arthur.
He was idle anyway … There was no news from Pihom yet, so why not take a ride and check it out?
To avoid a wasted trip, Chen Ke decided to call first to ask about the specifics.
He dialed the first phone number on the flyer, and the person on the other end picked up quickly.
“Hello, this is Golden Arthur HEMA club,” a female voice answered.
“Hello, do you have a coach teaching yer Swordsmanship?” Chen Ke asked.
“Ah, of course, how much do you know about yer Swordsmanship?” the person on the other end asked.
“Just a bit, Google level. I want to receive professional training, ideally spar with high-level mbers and potentially compete one day…” Chen Ke almost laughed while speaking.
“You’ve really picked the right place. We suggest you co over when you can to have an in-depth discussion with a professional coach. Could you schedule a ti?” the person on the other end said excitedly.
“No problem, no problem, I’m coming now. I’ll catch a ride and be there shortly. The address on your flyer is correct, right?” Chen Ke replied.
“The Gun Tie District club is closed now; I suggest you co to the Raffi Road club,” the person responded.
“Alright, I’m on my way.” After checking the address on the flyer, Chen Ke hung up and then stood by the roadside to hail a car.
Without a word, the cab carried Chen Ke toward Raffi Road, a place he had never visited before.
The car sped quickly, soon ascending an overpass. Chen Ke couldn’t tell if it was psychological or geographical, but after leaving Gun Tie District, the sky seed a bit clearer.
Raffi Road was the comrcial district of Opportunity City, where many Spiritual Businesses clustered to construct buildings, but compared to other cities in the United Federation, it still fell slightly short.
During the ride, Chen Ke didn’t forget to open his phone to watch videos, firmly morizing the four main stances of yer Swordsmanship: Rooftop Style, Bull Style, Plow Style, and Fool Style.
If mastered, these stances, integrated with many basic chopping and spinning movents, could provide significant destructive power. However, the mastery of any skill depended on the ti invested in practice.
And, of course, the most efficient practice was sparring with people. That was why Chen Ke wanted to join the HEMA club.
Watching the instructional videos, Chen Ke rotated his wrist, trying to mimic their sword techniques and continually morizing the connection between various movents and stances.
Just then, a line of small text appeared in the corner of his eye:
“Introduction to yer Swordsmanship: 15%”
Chen Ke knew his approach was correct – learning starts with imitation, and just by watching and mimicking, he had increased from 1% to 15%.
He then continued to watch a few more videos, but the percentage no longer increased.
It seed that watching videos could only enhance experience to a certain extent; to truly master a skill, action was required.
Success in anything required the investnt of ti and effort; the idea that one could level up through re ditation was nothing but a fantasy.
He believed that after joining the club and sparring with the mbers a few tis, he would quickly achieve a basic level of proficiency in swordsmanship.
The car entered Raffi Road District, the scene vastly different from Gun Tie District. The tall buildings lining the streets and the expansive roads made him feel this was more indicative of the United Federation.
However, being a depressed city, such extravagant elents in Opportunity City did not extend beyond a few blocks.
Across the entire city, possibly all the resources were monopolized by those dozen-or-so Spiritual Businesses buildings, leaving traditional industries with bare remnants; prosperity lasted rely for a few steps before plumting into decay.
The car stopped next to a bustling avenue. Chen Ke paid the fare, got out, and watched the bustling crowd on the streets.
As the place with the most job opportunities in the city, the streets of Raffi Road District were much livelier than those in Gun Tie, though Chen Ke did not consider these people wealthy, just luckily employed workers.
Store after store lined the streets, including several large departnt stores. At the intersection, a large LED screen on the front of a building scrolled through various advertisents.
The intense pop music ca from the streets, people laughing and talking as they walked past Chen Ke, as if the depression a few blocks away had nothing to do with them.
Following the address on a flyer, Chen Ke headed toward the Golden Arthur Raffi Road Branch. Like the branch in Gun Tie District, it was located on the top floor of a large departnt store: the fifth floor.
Before taking the elevator up, Chen Ke, still keenly interested, checked out the price level of the items in the mall; indeed, it wasn’t as exaggerated as he had imagined—100 union coins could buy a lot here.
As the elevator doors opened, a fully equipped guy, waiting for the elevator, held a training sword wrapped in black cloth in his right hand and carried a helt in his left.
Knowing he was in the right place, Chen Ke walked through the corridor, pushed open the glass door, and was imdiately greeted by a robust man standing nearly 6’3″ tall.
“Hello, buddy! Are you here to…uh?” the man asked with a smile.
“I… am here to learn yer Swordsmanship,” Chen Ke scratched the back of his head, expecting to be greeted by a girl, not a hulky guy.
“Ha! Then you’ve co to the right place, my friend! I’m the coach here. My colleague told half an hour ago that a newcor would be coming to inquire—could it be such a coincidence that it’s you?” the man clapped his hands.
“I guess that must be ,” Chen Ke said.
“They really should have asked you to leave a phone number… Oh, co in, let show you around our place. By the way, my na is Brig, but you can call Ah Bu,” Brig said, leading Chen Ke into the club.
With Brig guiding him, Chen Ke walked through the club, listening to him explain HEMA along the way.
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