Chapter 12

Chapter 12: A Teacher who comes from Hell? (IV)

Listening to Xing Yu’s question, Long Hao Chen couldn’t help become somewhat shocked and after thinking deeply for a short while, he shook his head with an ignorant face .

Xing Yu’s face revealed a rare smile, “You are quite honest; you don’t try to give a casual answer just to satisfy me . Not to mention you, even the Knight Temple cannot easily answer to this question . Precisely because of this question, regarding genuine knights, there are two branches of knights differentiated by the Knight Temple: the Retribution Knights, and the Guardian Knights .

Retribution Knights focus on attack . They wield dual weapons and fight with the combination of their mounts and their offensive holy arts . Their fighting capabilities are very high and their strength in the battlefield surpasses the strength of soldiers and assassins of the same rank .

Guardian Knights give priority to defense . They wield a weapon in a hand, a shield in the other one, and are the core of teams . They are proficient with assisting and recovery holy arts . Their fighting capabilities are perhaps weaker than Retribution Knights’, but in collaborations, the Guardian Knights’ utility is way higher than Retribution Knights . ”

At this point, Xing Yu stopped for a little . Still looking at Long Hao Chen, he asked: “Do you believe that there are more Retribution Knights or that there are more Guardian Knights?”

Long Hao Chen thought, then said: “There should be more Retribution Knights . You just said that the Retribution Knights’ offensive power are better . ”

Xing Yu shook his head: “It is the opposite, we Knight Temple have a Guardian Knights ratio of 10: 1, compared to Retribution Knights . ”

“Oh? Such a difference? But why?” Long Hao Chen asked puzzled .

Xing Yu answered: “Because we belong to the Temple Alliance . As the head of the six great Temples of the Temple Alliance, we Knight Temple mustn’t consider only our own individual combat capabilities: we have to consider our partners’ as well . The reason why it is called Temple Alliance is that it is only once people belonging to these six vocation fight together can they have the greatest fighting efficiency . But as the team’s core, the knight does not only have to consider his own attack and defense, but the protection of his allies as well . Thus, there are way more Guardian Knights than Retribution Knights . ”

Long Hao Chen understood some of his words, “Teacher, then should I, in the future, become a Guardian Knight or a Retribution Knight?”

Xing Yu lightly answered: “You are the only one who can make the suitable choice . In this aspect, I cannot help you . Seeing your disposition, it would probably be more suitable for you to choose to become a Guardian Knight, but I am, personally, a Retribution Knight . What I can pass on to you in vast majority are abilities and skills used by Retribution Knights . ”

“Teacher, I… …”

“Don’t be impatient to answer . ” Xing Yu instantly interrupted Long Hao Chen, “You have a year to think deeply over this . A year later, you will tell me your answer . ”

“Yes . ”

One year later, in Hao Yue city .

Walking on a wide street in Hao Yue city, Long Hao Chen’s eyes looked curious and surprised .

What a big city! The street was at least 16 . 6 meters (5 Zhang) wide, and shops stood on both sides of the street . There was an incessant stream of horses and it was extremely noisy, this city’s burst of people couldn’t possibly be compared with Odin’s: it was as vastly different as between heaven and earth .

In the southern part of the Temple Alliance, Hao Yue was a middle sized city . But it was the first time Long Hao Chen, who lived from childhood in Odin, got to see a city of this scale .

Long Hao Chen was full of curiosity towards Hao Yue city and people on the road seemed as curious as him . He was dressed in simple clothing, but his face was similar to a porcelain doll’s . Today, after one year, Long Hao Chen’s face did not look unhealthy anymore and he had also grew up a lot . Although he still looked like a kid, his appearance looked slender .

The most surprising thing was that such a beautiful youth carried on his back two intersecting long swords . They were clearly two swords with refined-iron handles with a length of a meter (3 Chi), a width of a decimeter (0 . 1 meter, 3 Cun), and a thickness of more than 3 centimeters (1 Cun) . Although they didn’t look like edged swords, they didn’t look light at all! They looked like a miniature version of the knight’s epee[1] . Could such a small kid possibly use this kind of epee?

These people didn’t know at all that if not for the sake of keeping a low profile, Long Hao Chen would not have any problem to carry two Genuine Knight’s epee and would easily use them .

A year of bitter practice caused incredible changes in him, as if he had been reborn . On the 83rd day in the owl-ants’ lair, he could finally rely on the bamboo swords to block completely the owl-ants’ attacks that came from all directions . However, he still had to practice in the owl-ants’ lair, only changing the weapons he brought . From the lightest bamboo sword, to a wooden sword, then an iron sword, a refined-iron sword, and finally an epee; he had to adapt to pairs of swords of all kind of weights . After he adapted to the knight’s epee, he had to come back from the epee to the refined-iron sword for one more month, then to the iron sword, the wooden sword, the bamboo sword, accomplishing a full lap .

After he accomplished all of that, a full-year had already passed . This time, he went to Hao Yue city because Xing Yu gave him two assignments as an evaluation of the year’s bitter training .

Upon entering the city, Long Hao Chen asked people where the Knight Temple of Hao Yue city could be found . After passing through a few wide streets, arriving close to the center of Hao Yue city, he identified his destination because of the symbol consisting of a shield and sword .

The Knight Hall of Hao Yue couldn’t be compared to Odin Hall at all . From outside, it looked like at least five layers of tall and big buildings were erected there, occupying a very wide area . At the entrance stood two armored young knights .

“Little friend, who are you looking for?” When Long Hao Chen arrived at the entrance of the Knight Temple, a young knight smiling at the entrance asked him . Having no choice but to answer, Long Hao Chen, who had an appearance of pretty boy advanced .

“Hello brothers, I am looking for the hall master, Nalan Shu . ” Long Hao Chen politely spoke to the two knights .

“Looking for the hall master?” The two youth looked at him, and asked: “Why do you need to meet him?”

Long Hao Chen told: “My teacher told me to look for the hall master Nalan Shu, and then to deliver him a letter . ”

“Then hand the letter to me . ” said the young knight on the left .

Long Hao Chen shook his head: “Teacher said that I had to hand it to Na Lan Shu hall master personally . ”

The young knight awkwardly retorted: “I am afraid that I can’t let you do that: this is Hao Yue city’s Knight Temple Hall, only people from the Temple like us can enter . ”

Long Hao Chen, showing some anxiety, said: “But I am also from the Knight Temple! I come from Odin Hall . ”

The young knight said: “That still won’t do, little brother, it is like this . As a kid from one of those halls, you can only enter for the examination every three years . Give this letter to me; I will help you to pass it . Then if the hall master is willing to meet you, you will be able to enter . ”

Long Hao Chen wrinkled, Xing Yu warned him several times that this letter had to be personally delivered to Na Lan Shu .

At this moment, a pleasant voice echoed, “What are you doing? Embarrassing a little child?” This voice came from someone in the Hall .

This person was a lightly dressed teenage girl, her neatly combed pink-colored hair formed a ponytail and her beautiful blue large eyes looked attentively at Long Hao Chen . She looked 18-19 year-old . Her body gracefully moved, her shoulders exposing from each side, a handle of a sword .

“Senior knight . ” In fact, both youths had just become knights recently, so they respectfully saluted her .

The young girl arrived in front of Long Hao Chen, curiously looking at his face, then said to the two young knights: “I heard all your words, but you should know that the custom are to die for people to live[2] . Plus, this little brother is also from one of the sub-temples of our Knight Temple . I will take him to meet uncle Nalan . Or do you believe that this child came to cause trouble?”

1 . TL: kind of duelling sword that looks like a thick rapier

2 . 規矩是死的，人是活的, litterally: rules/custom are to die, people are to live . I tried to translate its meaning rather than simply the words, thus I translated it a little differently . I think it means that people should be opened to adapt their rules to circumstances, if they want to live well .