Chapter 7: Battle Tutorial

Same as what Dixiya said during the day.

When night came.

Kantisi, who had been busy all day, indeed came to Luo De's home.

Dixiya had already told Kantisi about Luo De's desire to become the village guard.

Therefore, after Kantisi arrived, she said nothing unnecessary, merely explaining the guard's duties and responsibilities to Luo De in detail, agreeing that he would start in three days, then she left.

The next day.

Luo De had just gotten up when he heard someone knocking on his door.

He opened the door to see.

It was Dixiya, dressed in a different outfit.

Before, she had always worn a light armor, but today she took it all off, and like the other desert folk, she came out in cool clothing.

"Yo, you're up early; I thought you'd sleep a bit longer."

Dixiya walked in, looking around the tidy yard and rooms as she went, saying, "Not bad, much better than those brothers of our Blazing Light Beast Hunters; at least they keep their living quarters clean."

"I'm used to it."

"If the room is too messy, sleeping isn't comfortable."

Luo De replied with a smile.

Last night he tidied up until late, finally getting this little house into a clean and orderly state.

"Hmm, not bad; liking cleanliness is a good habit."

Dixiya rested her chin on her hand, nodded in praise, then pointed outside and said, "Want to go get breakfast together?"

As a link between desert and rainforest, A Ru Cun never lacks taverns and eateries for merchants to rest and enjoy themselves.

Breakfast is also available.

"Are you hungry?"

"If I'm not hungry, I'd like to make it myself."

Money is tight; Luo De doesn't have much cash now, the guard's salary won't be paid until next month at the earliest, and even when he gets it he has to pay rent, so even with some savings he's still somewhat strapped, so he should save wherever he can.

Dixiya saw his predicament.

But she didn't expose it, instead nodding and saying, "Fine, I'm not too hungry either, so it doesn't matter if we wait a bit."

"Hmm, later is fine."

Luo De nodded, then turned and went into the kitchen.

Yesterday he bought ingredients: rice, flatbread, vegetables, dried meat, and eggs.

If it were Luo De himself, his breakfast would be a bowl of plain congee with a boiled egg.

However, according to Excellent Mountain's dietary customs, such bland food certainly wouldn't do.

Luo De had eaten and lived with the Blazing Light Beast Hunters for several days, so he clearly knew the mercenaries' eating habits.

He pondered for a moment.

He then prepared the ingredients.

Rice, flour, bald beans, tomatoes, crocodile jerky.

After a clatter, two large plates of sweet-and-sour, rich, glossy A Ru Mixed Rice were brought to the table by Luo De.

This is also a method Dixiya taught Luo De.

A Ru Mixed Rice.

Just from the name you know it's a delicacy that spread from A Ru Cun.

Because the ingredients are common, the price low, the taste decent, and it's more filling than other foods, it gradually spread widely across Excellent Mountain; mercenaries like Dixiya and her crew eat this simple mixed rice more than anything else in their daily meals.

"Sniff—"

The mixed rice arrived, Dixiya's nostrils flared, she raised an eyebrow, and praised, "Not bad—color, fragrance, and flavor all there; your cooking skills are beyond words."

Yesterday she had already tasted Luo De's cooking.

At that time her evaluation was just that.

After breakfast, she straightforwardly invited, "Want to join our Blazing Light Beast Hunters? No need to fight; just be our cook."

Not every mercenary is as skilled at cooking as Dixiya.

Most mercenaries' food handling is just simple pan-frying or big-pot boiling, with no particular care for ingredients—basically they throw in whatever they have, and the resulting taste is often hard to judge.

But Luo De's reply remained the same: "No, after wandering for so long, I just want a peaceful, stable life now."

"Tsk, what a waste of such great skill."

Dixiya shook her head regretfully, then stroked her chin and mused, "With your cooking, opening a restaurant would also be not bad—ah, if I'd known you had such talent, I wouldn't have suggested you become a guard."

"Hehe."

Luo De chuckled: "Having such a life is already great; I don't dare hope for big money."

"You're really easy to please."

Dixiya muttered a sentence, then turned to Luo De and asked, "By the way, what guard post did Kantisi assign you?"

"North Suspension Bridge."

Luo De, mouth full, replied indistinctly.

"North Suspension Bridge, huh."

Hearing that name, Dixiya nodded and said, "Sure, I'll take you to check it out later to get familiar with the place."

"Okay."

Luo De responded with an acknowledgment, then buried himself back in the struggle with breakfast.

He wandered around for a morning.

After becoming familiar with the workplace.

Dixiya then brought Luo De to the Flaming Light Beast Hunters' station in A Ru Cun.

It is a compound resembling a courtyard, not large, but enough for all the Flaming Light Beast Hunters to live in.

This time's station was rather deserted, with only a few hungover mercenaries still snoring loudly and two guarding the gate; everyone else had vanished.

"The brothers have worked hard for a month; it's rare to get a chance to relax in A Ru Cun, so I let them loosen up a bit."

Dixiya explained as they walked.

Luo De also expressed his understanding of this.

Originally hoping that these ragtag mercenaries could have the discipline of a regular army was impossible; moreover, with A Ru Cun under Kantisi's protection, not to mention in the desert, even if one looked across the whole of Mount Sumeru, it would be hard to find a second place where the Flaming Light Beast Hunters' mercenaries could feel so at ease.

Having eaten sand in the desert for over a month, they naturally wanted to indulge themselves fully now that they had a rare chance to rest and relax.

Following Dixiya's steps, Luo De and she arrived at a training ground.

"Hey, as I said before, when I have time I'll properly teach you how to fight; taking advantage of these two days while we're resting, I'll just show you a few self-defense moves."

While speaking, Dixiya took down a wooden stick wrapped in sponge and cotton cloth from the rack and threw it over.

Before they had arrived at A Ru Cun.

Because the squad urgently needed rest and the desert was fraught with danger, no one could guarantee when they would encounter peril.

Therefore, at that time Dixiya, although eager to teach Luo De some self-defense martial arts, really couldn't spare any time.

Now is just the right time.

Luo De took the wooden stick, then imitated Dixiya's posture and assumed a stance.

Given that Luo De had never learned any martial arts in his two lives, this purely imitative fighting stance still looked rather clumsy.

Dixiya gave a hehe smile, casually swinging the wooden stick in her hand twice.

"Watch closely, I'm coming!"

(End of chapter)