Chapter 295: The Rational Choice

After some evaluation, George could not simply refuse Sword Master Salvin’s offer. So he could only put on a hesitant expression and ask with a hint of doubt, “Instructor Salvin, I have to remind you. Based on your description, the ‘Hawk’ style seems to rely on muscle memory to enhance one’s ability to act. Rather than being a conscious control and response, it is more like a killing instinct. The repetitive training involved must take quite a lot of time, right? So I have to ask, exactly how long does this training take?”

Everyone has a scale in their heart. Whether something is good or bad, beneficial or harmful, once weighed on that inner scale, the result becomes clear. So there was another thought George kept to himself: ‘This beast-like fighting style does not quite match the path I am on now! Although the Knight’s Way is very inclusive, the resources I can get are limited. Perhaps what Instructor Salvin just said was hidden, but his description of his own style should be quite accurate. Compared to the best parts of the Nine Swords, this style in front of me is not only rough but also has very limited potential. From my understanding, even the worst “Stone Dragon” and “Tiger Claw” are far better than the “Hawk” style.’

As the saying goes, “A watermelon peddler praises his own melons.” When a person sells their goods to others, they usually try to say only the best parts. For those unscrupulous sellers, exaggeration is common. No one would hide their goods unless their source could not stand up to scrutiny.

Besides, others basically cannot be relied upon. Just a few clues about the style and approach are enough to do a reverse analysis. It is like trying to build a plane from just a photo of one. In fact, for modern fighter jets, even with both a real model and blueprints, the entire reverse engineering project is huge and long. Just like the “Shenhuo” project took over 20 years and still failed to fully master the “side” design.

So George felt he had a fairly objective view of that “Hawk” style. At the same time, he also had some understanding of muscle memory. And thanks to the more advanced ergonomics before he transmigrated, George might actually know more about this than the Sword Master Salvin in front of him. So from what Salvin just said, George really understood quite a lot.

Human muscles have a memory effect. After repeating the same action many times, the muscles form a conditioned reflex. However, it is very slow for human muscles to gain this memory, but once gained, it is also very slow to forget.

Many people who practice instruments like the guitar or piano feel this. After practicing a lot and getting skilled, it seems like the fingers move without the brain telling them to. When hitting a certain chord or key, the fingers naturally form the chord shape or move to the piano key. When playing combinations, the fingers seem to move on their own, but memorizing the chord positions or sheet music still takes a lot of time.

This shows that the brain does not remember these things. Instead, the fingers’ muscles gain memory through long-term repetition. Of course, muscle memory has both good and bad points. The most typical example is when someone’s fighting move is the result of massive repetition forming muscle memory. Whether the move is correct or wrong, it is very hard to change.

Take George from before as an example. Although he did not specifically follow this muscle memory path, as a Knight, refining the body and practicing mechanical skills for perfection were essential. So under Instructor Salvin’s guidance, while correcting the small flaws in his original moves, George really suffered a lot.

Changing the body’s existing habits costs much less than starting from scratch. For the past few months, George not only worked twice as hard during normal training time but also set aside two hours every night after dark for extra practice. It was not just about his naughty habit of teasing the Little Maid; even his reading time was cut short. This is how he made progress recently. The most obvious change was that his moves looked much smoother and more natural.

Although the Instructor in front of him had given George a lot of help during this time, it was all based on basic parts. George did not expect much from the higher-level knowledge Salvin held. He would accept anything that could inspire him and act as a stone from another mountain. As for the rest, George did not feel it was necessary to spend his precious time on it.

Sword Master Salvin was at least someone who had seen a lot. He clearly heard the hidden meaning in George’s words. Although George did not know if Salvin was unhappy inside, any well-mannered or deep-thinking person would not show it directly at such a time.

After a short pause, Sword Master Salvin asked with a doubtful tone, “Lord George, do you have any important plans for the near future?”

The other’s reaction made George feel a bit surprised. Because if the other person was sensible, they should have found a way to change the subject. If they dug too deep on this matter, the result would often leave both faces awkward.

“Because the autumn harvest is coming soon. This is a key time for the Territory every year. At this time, the tasks I need to handle are busier than usual. Besides, the disputes with the Dark Elves in the past few months have affected many industries in the Territory. I plan to use this time to make some adjustments so they can return to the right track.” George answered half-true and half-false. After all, based on his past behavior, he would not intentionally hit someone’s face unless there was a conflict of interest.

“Sigh! Lord George, you are probably the most talented young person I have met in martial arts and the Way in these years.” Saying this, Sword Master Salvin shook his head helplessly. “But I also know that with your status, you cannot put all your energy into martial arts. It seems I was too forward before. But now, your efforts will not get equal returns.”

‘Is this “seeing a hunt makes one want to hunt”? Maybe the gap between children of common families and heirs of Knight families makes this Sword Master, who still has not found a qualified Heir, sigh like this.’ George could not help but think this in his heart. After all, in a world where bloodline inheritance is possible and there is almost no reproductive isolation, the situation where the strong get stronger and the weak get weaker is really hard to change. It is a bit like the wealth gap before he transmigrated, with no real good solution to fix both the root and the symptoms.

However, to avoid making the atmosphere too cold, George started to change the topic: “Instructor Salvin, you just mentioned the Hand-and-a-Half Sword. Do you have any interest in having a custom-made sword made in our Bolam Territory? You know we have many Dwarf Blacksmiths here. They can definitely meet your requirements.”

For most swordsmen who fight lightly, a good weapon is like a second life. Unlike Knights who, besides weapons and armor, also need to worry about their warhorses, servants, and Manor management.

So customizing weapons is a common thing for swordsmen with good strength. But even for custom items, the skill level of different craftsmen varies greatly. If it is done in a country blacksmith shop, even with customization, getting a qualified weapon should make one smile happily.

In fact, most Adventurers who get a high-quality weapon usually cherish it like a family heirloom. But for those who have reached the Black Lead Rank, usually only Magic weapons match their status.

But George knew that the Hand-and-a-Half Sword in front of him was just a Masterwork Greatsword. Of course, a Masterwork weapon is better than a normal Longsword in sharpness, toughness, and balance. Such a weapon is not only easier to use, uses less energy, lasts longer, and is sharper. It is also the basic material for making Magic weapons.

But for his status, such a weapon was really not matching. Even if getting Magic equipment is hard, according to his Rank, he should be able to get a weapon made by a Master Blacksmith, right?

If such a weapon is in the hands of an ordinary person, it is just a blade slightly stronger than a normal Masterwork weapon, far from reaching the basic effect of an Enchanted weapon.

But in the hands of its original owner, it can show extraordinary power. Because they are only suitable for specialized weapons designed based on hand shape, weight, strength, and habits.

For a Hand-and-a-Half Sword, the weight is usually just right. When swung with two hands, one can clearly feel a stronger pressure than when using one hand. Also, the weapon swings fast and can effectively control the reach. By changing posture, the Hand-and-a-Half Sword in hand can dance lightly like a Longsword or be unstoppable like a Greatsword.

When charging, using the momentum, it can break through the enemy’s guard like a weapon a hundred times heavier. When striking hard, the weapon’s attack can penetrate the fallen enemy and hit another enemy directly. Usually, as one masters this weapon more deeply, the moves become simpler and more practical. This is probably the highest realm of “great skill looks clumsy.”

However, for a pure Swordsman, trying to make the sword blade create a sharp air current that reaches 10 meters away, breaking gold and cutting stone like true steel, is not needed before becoming a Legend. Taking Sword Master Salvin as an example, the sword wind he could create could at most penetrate less than 1 meter forward. And it had limited effect even on tough leather armor.

Sword Master Salvin stroked the Longsword in his hand and said, “This is a gift my Master gave me when I left. It represents his recognition and expectations for me. Unlike me, my Master was just a Red Iron Rank Swordsman. For him, getting a Masterwork weapon took at least half a year…”

George nodded and said, “I understand the special meaning of this Hand-and-a-Half Sword for you. My earlier proposal was really rude. So let’s start the training now. Otherwise, the time might not be enough.”

“Don’t worry about this. I can delay going back a bit. Today’s training time will not be cut at all.” Sword Master Salvin adjusted his emotions very quickly and started to devote himself fully to teaching.

In today’s sparring training, George used a new technique of the Iron Heart School. In the fight, he focused on attacking Salvin’s practice weapon instead of his practice armor. Through a special method, he created an oscillation spreading from his arm, making Salvin unable to attack with full force.

This was because of George’s mastery of the Iron Heart School techniques, which let him understand the inner power of weapons. Now he could not only use this to strengthen himself but also deprive others of their weapon’s power. But perhaps because Sword Master Salvin’s strength was not ordinary, the effect on him was not big. It only made George feel a little more relaxed during the fight.

But for George, being able to use this ability skillfully meant that the self-strengthening ability “Iron Heart Power” he had been so eager to master was now fully grasped.

Iron Heart Power calls upon the user’s own spiritual and physical strength to break an unfavorable state that might cause failure. The user’s fighting spirit and training make them almost able to overcome any difficulty to defeat their enemy.

When using this martial art, one chooses a spell effect or other environmental effect that is currently affecting the user and will continue to exist. The effect on the user ends immediately. This is a self-interference ability acting on oneself. It can easily isolate and eliminate external powers that the user does not naturally possess.

According to George’s view, this was no longer just simple will interfering with reality. It seemed to have touched the edge of the law of cause and effect, but George’s current knowledge could not explain it.

It could be said to be a very powerful ability, although it only acts on oneself. When guided to act on others, the effect is much worse. The latter is exactly the ability George was using during his sparring training with Sword Master Salvin.

During this period of corrective training, the most obvious progress George made was: when his opponent successfully avoided his initial attack, his weapon could, under his control, quickly correct its position with lightning speed. In the blink of an eye, he completed another attack, and then could return to a defensive posture.

In fact, this martial art called “Quick Reset” shows the Iron Heart School’s tradition of controlling speed and power. It allows George to gain enough advantage in continuous fights.

This was the harvest after more than a month of guidance and training since Sword Master Salvin arrived. But looking at the current situation, George’s gains were getting smaller, and Salvin’s role was facing the problem of becoming less useful. Maybe this was another reason why he proposed further learning the basics of his inherited style today. Unfortunately, George, who had no collecting hobby, was not very interested in this.

However, George did not have time to think about the other’s thoughts right now. Just as he said, he was really busy with the Territory’s affairs during this time.

Not the next day early in the morning, George was already in the City Hall office dealing with piles of tasks. Ives Barnett was now quite cooperative, standing by George’s desk waiting for orders.

“How is the personnel arrangement for the convenience food production going?” George asked the clerk beside him while skillfully processing the contact letter for the port application in front of him. For George now, he could completely do two things at once in front of others.

Ives Barnett gave his opinion: “Although it seems a Merchant Guild wants to copy the same product, due to some details, no successful competitor has appeared so far. So the orders for convenience food are increasing recently. The original production capacity is gradually failing to keep up with buyers’ needs. So will the extra hands you added this time be a bit too few?”

“Just looking at the current situation, the workshop’s capacity is indeed not keeping up. But as you just said, some Merchant Guilds have started to copy it.” Saying this, George put down the document in his hand. “For products like convenience food, the technical difficulty is not really high. So in at most 1-2 years, we will not be able to enjoy the hot exclusive sales situation like now. The original distilled wine is a warning from the past. So I do not plan to expand this industry too much, so that if we want to change direction later, it will not be too troublesome.”

“I understand, Lord!” Ives Barnett thought for a moment and replied, “If it is like this, I can finish your previous arrangements within three days.”

George nodded satisfactorily: “In this way, we should be able to complete the Caravan orders while meeting the needs of those Adventurers, right! Hunger marketing works the same way in this world.”

The so-called hunger marketing method strictly controls the production scale within 20% to 30% less than the market capacity. It is a sales strategy that consciously compresses production to make the product popular.

The main reason for this situation is that those Adventurers who do not fear death have flooded into the Underdark again. In fact, after the Dark Elves disappeared from the Surface in the Duchy of Nohan, George once thought the sales of convenience food would drop. He even prepared to reduce workshop production as a response.

But the greed of the Adventurers—that thirst for money—once again refreshed George’s view of them. After less than 10 days of waiting, they started to follow the Dark Elves’ footsteps to look for items they left behind or collect the special products of the Underdark.

In less than half a month, the situation near Broken Halberd Fortress was almost restored to what it was before the Dark Elves’ large-scale invasion. Under that distorted prosperity, the sales of convenience food naturally rose.