Chapter 595: Rich and Boastful

"X Battle School?"

Ouroin chewed on the name, a hint of doubt in his eyes, "X? What does that mean?"

In the Empire language there is no such word; even with his knowledge he could not recall any language that had a term related to "X", only a few similar ones, none with a clear meaning, seeming plausible yet not.

"Um..."

Lei En's mind raced, forcing a twisted explanation: "It's a local slang from the outskirts of the Dragon Forest, derived from Kangjiatuo, meaning 'unknown, infinite', which fits the future aspirations of the Battle School perfectly. I thought it was nice, so I used it."

"I see," Ouroin's expression cleared, "'unknown, infinite'—a fine name."

Lei En breathed a silent sigh of relief; he had finally managed to bluff his way through.

He quickly changed the subject, "Master, please serve as X's first principal; there is no one more suitable than you."

"Fine!"

Ouroin readily agreed.

Lei En smiled; from the start of his plan he never imagined becoming X's principal. The Battle School needed the Ouroin Master brand, and wearing the title of principal meant the Ouroin Master had to devote himself fully, no longer a hands‑off manager.

Whether the school succeeded, Lei En actually didn't care much.

If it succeeded, great; if not, it's fine—at most he'd waste a few hundred gold shields.

The priority was to get the Ouroin Master aboard, creating long‑term contact and turning him. Spending a few million gold shields for a Supreme Council vote was simply a bargain.

Compared with Duke Hong Shi, who would spend sixty million gold shields for a single vote, the investment in this Battle School was negligible.

Afterward, the two finalized some school details.

Early construction, recruitment advertising, slots for the first batch of students, candidate list for teachers, production and acquisition of Soul‑Melding Seeds, magical potion provisioning, hiring of civilian staff, the school's concealment and security work, establishing a teleportation array, and so on.

Ouroin poured in great enthusiasm.

Lei En and he discussed until nightfall, continuing negotiations at the table, and only retreated to the room arranged by the elf steward late at night.

At dawn the next day, Ouroin summoned Lei En and Anvira for meditation.

After meditation, the three ate breakfast together.

The castle's servants repeatedly observed Ouroin in secret; the Holy Soul Wizard still wore a simple plain white robe, his snow‑white hair and long beard neatly groomed, demeanor clean, kind eyes, like an affable old grandfather.

No matter who he spoke to, a gentle smile always graced his face.

When a servant brought a lavish dish or poured juice, Ouroin would softly express thanks, stirring the servants' excitement.

Even Lei En sincerely admired the Ouroin Master.

A noble Holy Soul Wizard who could maintain such egalitarian spirit was truly rare.

Ai Lun E Si is a world that reveres the strong; people have long become accustomed to the strong exploiting and trampling the weak. Even the weak accept this reality, bearing no resentment, only wishing to become strong themselves and join the ranks that oppress the weak.

The notion of equality among all is almost nonexistent; uttering it is a joke.

Lei En was initially uncomfortable, but with such a pervasive environment, he gradually absorbed it; as his strength grew, his mindset unconsciously shifted, sometimes disregarding the weak, instinctively assuming their service and flattery were owed to him.

He had to constantly reflect, lest he forget his original purpose.

If he himself struggled, imagine the natives of Ai Lun E Si. This shows how precious the Ouroin Master's character truly is.

Lei En enjoys dealing with people of noble character.

He was about to speak when a guard entered, whispering to Fabián; Fabián nodded, approached the table and said, "Master, Viscount Stoynd requests an audience."

Ouroin turned his head, puzzled, "Why does he want to see me?"

Lei En raised an eyebrow.

Viscount Stoynd is the head of the Loges family, named Weili En*Logos, one of Mo Du's six great nobles, wealth rivaling a nation; Lei En had met him a few times before and got along well.

He guessed the purpose of the visit.

Weili En*Logos is a Legendary High-rank Great Swordmaster, stuck at the Legendary Peak bottleneck for years, unable to break through. Though the Mo Du nobles call him a "Sword Saint" for his superb swordsmanship, he is still one step short of a true Saint Rank transcendent.

For transcendent beings other than Wizards, the safest way to ascend to Saint Rank is years of forging, upgrading an Element into a Legendary Element.

Weili En follows that path as well.

Lei En once used his Soul Eye to observe that Weili En chose the breakthrough Element "Blade Storm", already at level nine; one more level would upgrade it to a Legendary Element.

However, that level was like a sky trench, unattainable.

Blade Storm is a close‑combat sword art that improves through sparring; Mo Du's swordsmen have long been challenged by Weili En. Any renowned Empire swordmaster that could be found, Weili En has almost duelled, even several Saint Rank transcendants.

Even Consul Gneus sparred with Weili En a few times.

Yet, no matter how many Saint Rank transcendants, none surpass the Ouroin Master; this Holy Soul Wizard's swordsmanship is the best in the world!

Weili En's purpose was obvious.

Lei En smiled and said, "Master, Viscount Stoynd must have heard you were here, so he came early this morning. He wishes to spar with you, seeking a breakthrough opportunity."

Weili En is a person worth befriending.

Aside from originally supporting the Weizelan Wizards in building another floating city on the New Continent, Weili En has no other major faults, and that isn't even a fault.

He is a transcendent focused on swordsmanship, has a good rapport with me, and can put in a good word.

"How does this Viscount know I'm in Grammogen?" Ouroin suddenly asked.

"I was the one who let the news out," Lei En replied honestly, standing and bowing, "Master, I fear Duke Hong Shi might act against Grammogen, so I used your name hoping to temporarily scare him off, making him hesitate to act."

Ouroin did not get angry.

He shook his head, sighing, "The grudge you hold with Kelsong likely cannot be reconciled. With his arrogant temper, he'll surely seek revenge on you; my name alone can't scare him off."

"I understand," Lei En said solemnly, "I have a way to keep him from being able to revenge me."

Ouroin did not press further, telling Fabián, "Let that Viscount in."

"Yes, Master."

Fabián left on the order, soon returning with a sturdy, unremarkable‑looking middle‑aged man behind him—Weili En*Logos.

At the sight of Ouroin seated at the table, his excitement barely contained, he quickened his steps, half‑kneeling, and loudly declared, "Weili En*Logos has seen Master Ouroin."

This is a very solemn etiquette, usually reserved for teachers, elders, monarchs or deities, and only used in formal settings.

In Wei Lien's position, he may have performed the half‑kneel ceremony only a few times in his life.

Lei En thought to himself that Wei Lien was really giving it his all to advance to Saint Rank.

Ouroin stood up, gesturing, "Viscount Stroind, no need for formalities, please rise."

Master, just call me Wei Lien.

When Wei Lien first met Ouroin, he lowered his bearing to the minimum. Master Ouroin was indeed as amiable as rumored, and would likely not refuse his request to spar in swordsmanship, filling his heart with uncontainable joy. He also remembered others were present and said, "Lei En, and this lady…"

"My student Anweila," Lei En introduced.

"So she's the champion of this year's Wizard Exchange Tournament!" Wei Lien's eyes brightened. He hadn't attended the BrewotzAcademy to watch, but had heard of Anweila, knowing she is a combat Wizard with superb sword skill, and nodded, "I have met Lady Anweila."

Anweila replied in a cool voice, "I have met you, Viscount."

"Viscount, you haven't had breakfast yet, please sit," Lei En laughed, then ordered, "Fabian, have another breakfast delivered."

"Thank you for the thought, I'm not hungry now."

Wei Lien had been traveling to visit a swordmaster when his family sent word; he rushed back to Mo Du that night, waiting outside Glamorgan Castle, patiently until the Wizard's meditation ended, finally making his visit—there was no appetite for any breakfast.

A Legendary Peak Grand Swordmaster—don't even talk about a single breakfast; even starving for two or three months wouldn't kill him.

"Even if you're not hungry, you must eat," Lei En said without a tone of refusal, "Master Ouroin hasn't finished his meal yet."

Wei Lien instantly sensed Lei En had something to say and laughed, "Then let me try your chef's cooking."

After a few bites, he couldn't stop praising it.

Lei En let out a quiet chuckle; his own chef was top‑class and the flavor superb, but a high‑born like Wei Lien had never missed any delicacy, and it was clear the praise was meant to flatter. The lure of advancing to Saint Rank was so strong it unsettled Wei Lien's composure, compromising his Viscount's decorum.

He decided to give Wei Lien a hand, but only if the other showed sincerity.

Finishing the last bite of breakfast and wiping his mouth, Lei En smiled, "Viscount Wei Lien, you've arrived at the right time; there's something that may need your help."

"Please speak," Wei Lien paused, stunned, and stopped eating.

"Master Ouroin and I are preparing to establish a school to train combat Wizards," Lei En said slowly, "It's a long‑term project affecting the future of the combat school; the beginning is always the hardest, and we currently have two issues."

"A combat Wizard school?" Wei Lien exclaimed in surprise; this was no small matter.

He looked at Ouroin, saw him also nod slightly, confirming it was real and not Lei En's off‑hand remark, and listened attentively.

"First is recruitment. We will select the first batch of students in major cities of the Empire, a total of one hundred slots, choosing only those who have just undergone their first Soul Transformation—regardless of background, but with sufficiently high talent. This requires many locals to handle promotion, testing, and screening; after the initial selection, we'll send them to Glamorgan," Lei En outlined his idea.

Wei Lien, grasping the point immediately, said, "Leave this to me."

The Glos family is one of the Empire's oldest noble houses, with its fief in Mo Du, but their enterprises span the Empire's major cities; their connections run deep and they enjoy good relations with local powers.

Lei En originally planned to cooperate with the Mechanical Guild.

However, the Mechanical Guild poses a risk: they might intercept the talents, pay huge sums to buy them out, and turn those geniuses into mechanists.

The talents attracted with great effort using Master Ouroin's reputation would be wasted on the Mechanical Guild.

The Glos family's extraordinary lineage is Grand Swordmaster; their talent requirements are far lower than those of Wizards, so they won't hoard the top‑talented students—they are better collaborators.

"Then we'll trouble you, Viscount, and cover the recruitment costs ourselves."

Lei En continued, "The second issue concerns funding." A slight difficulty crossed his face, "My finances have been a bit tight lately…"

Wei Lien understood instantly.

Before Lei En finished speaking, he declared, "I'm willing to contribute to building the combat Wizard school: a donation of 500,000 Gold Shields, plus the recruitment expenses, which the Glos family will also cover."

The Glos family controls Mo Du's most prosperous district, truly wealth enough to rival a nation; back when the Floating City was built on the New Continent, the Glos family provided the majority of the funds—more than the Pomor family, who run the naval fleet—contributing over thirty percent, amounting to at least twenty‑million Gold Shields over several decades.

After the new Floating City failed, only a few years passed before the Glos family's finances became abundant again.

Lei En was well aware of this.

Thus, when he heard Wei Lien was coming, he began scheming.

He didn't continue the previous thread, but suddenly turned and said, "Viscount, you came to see the Master to spar with him and seek a chance to break through to Saint Rank?"

"Yes…"

Wei Lien was overjoyed; as soon as he spoke, he realized Lei En felt his donation was insufficient. He immediately added, "The Glos family will donate two million Gold Shields to the combat Wizard school."

What a lavish sum!

With two million Gold Shields secured, Lei En finally smiled.

Even Master Ouroin looked at Wei Lien's wealth with new respect; he had remained silent, letting Lei En act, and didn't expect a few words to secure a two‑million‑Gold‑Shield donation for the Wizard school.

"On behalf of the X Battle School, I thank the Viscount for his generosity," Ouroin rose to express gratitude.

Wei Lien waved his hand repeatedly, "You're too kind, Master."

After a moment's consideration, Master Ouroin said earnestly, "In the coming months I'll be in Glamorgan. Whenever I'm free, you may come to spar with me and I'll share some swordsmanship experience; it might help you break through Saint Rank."

"Thank you, Master, for facilitating this!" Wei Lien was overjoyed.

He had initially felt a pang over the two million Gold Shields—after all, his family's money isn't given away lightly—but now felt it was more than worth it.

As long as he can break through, he'd even give five million Gold Shields!

"We'll try it now." Seeing Wei Lien's impatience, Ouroin decided to meet his expectation and said, "Lei En, let us use your training ground. You and Anweila also come together, perhaps we'll gain something."

(End of chapter)