Chapter 26: The Art of Killing

"What?" The master suddenly felt a chill all over his body, as if he had jumped naked into the icy bay outside the window. He could hardly imagine that this sentence would come from Grey, a twelve-year-old boy, a silent but diligent, hardworking, and progressive child, suddenly wanting to learn how to kill?

Suddenly, every painting Aiden Grey had done appeared in the master's mind again. Thinking of those lines that concealed infinite power, the master suddenly realized he was wrong, wrong to have always treated Aiden Grey as an ordinary little boy. In the educational system of the great human aristocracy, some twelve-year-old children were already very mature, and fifteen was recognized as the standard for adulthood. Outside the active human areas, children in some beast tribes were considered adults at the age of six or seven.

Thinking of this, the master sat up straight and asked seriously, "I do know someone you might be looking for; he is a true expert at killing. But first, I need to know why you want to learn to kill."

"Since constructors are the creators of war, only by learning to kill can we create more outstanding constructed knights," Grey said calmly.

Aiden Grey's response made the master feel helpless again. It took several deep breaths to barely calm his depressed mood. He slowly said, "A very good reason, it sounds very true. But it doesn't matter, as long as there is a reasonable excuse. That person's name is Naya, but many years ago, almost everyone called him 'Disaster Blade'. You should be able to get what you want from him."

Grey nodded, straightened his posture again, saluted the master, and then handed over a piece of paper.

The master had thought it was another homework assignment but unexpectedly, it was a signed payment voucher from Grey, confirming the number of class hours the master had taught him this month. Of course, most of those class hours were nonexistent. But with this voucher, the master could redeem gold coins from Deep Blue, and the amount of gold coins that suddenly appeared was ten thousand, a number he could not ignore. This process was also very safe because the remuneration for private lessons was ultimately paid by the student. Deep Blue would settle this amount with Grey. Since there was no harm to Deep Blue's finances, it naturally would not be traced.

Seeing this payment voucher, the master's heart was troubled again. Was this bribery?

"Aiden Grey!" The master called out to Aiden Grey who was just about to leave and scratched his messy hair, asking, "Why did you ask me for help?"

"Because it feels like it should be the easiest," Grey replied.

"And if I refuse to help you? Who would you go to?" The master persisted.

"Blackgold."

The master suddenly realized that in Aiden Grey's mind, those who engaged in art and those who dealt with gold coins were equally unreliable, so he had chosen this as his breakthrough point. But he was very curious about another answer, so he called out, "Hey, Grey, then who would you go to in the end?"

Without hesitation, Grey said, "Those Grand Mages who only want to teach students!"

Late at night, Grey left the main tower of Deep Blue and arrived at the ancillary building complex commonly known as the fringe area.

Numerous magicians lived in the main tower, and each magician required at least twenty to thirty people to serve them directly or indirectly. Most of these people lived in the fringe area because the rent and land prices of the main tower of Deep Blue were simply unaffordable for any magician below level ten, even for a small room that could only fit a bed.

The fringe area was also divided into several regions of different grades based on their distance from the main tower. The annular region closest to Deep Blue was home to a large number of magicians, most of whom were below level ten. They couldn't afford to live in Deep Blue but could barely settle down next to it.

Wrapped in a dark cloak, Aiden Grey traversed several regions in succession, reaching the outermost periphery of the fringe area. Along the way, he felt various gazes, some from arrogant eighth-level magicians, some from the unkind stares of shady characters, and more from curiosity. People who wandered in the same area all day mostly knew each other or were at least familiar with each other, so strangers naturally attracted attention. However, the insignia of a third-level magician on the corner of Grey's cloak avoided many troubles for him.

At the end of a dark and deserted alley, Gray stood before a rundown tavern. The wooden signboard of the tavern had a large crack, and one could vaguely make out a crude and vulgar image of a half-naked woman branded on it. A few dim rays of light seeped through the gaps in the tavern door, revealing a quiet interior devoid of noise, music, or bands, with only a pungent smell of alcohol constantly emanating from within.

It was winter now, and the cold was omnipresent. Only the Deep Blue Main Tower, under the influence of magic, remained warm, and this warmth even extended to the inner ring of the fringe area. This was one of the reasons for the high rent in the inner ring and the source of the heavy burden and arrogant feelings of its residents. In this alley at the end of the fringe area, the weather was extremely cold. Even if small taverns like this opened their self-heating facilities, they would only be slightly warmer than the outside. To achieve the temperature of a living room, the tavern's monthly revenue wouldn't suffice to cover the energy consumption costs for a single day.

That bit of warmth made a significant difference to Gray's senses, but for most ordinary people, there wasn't much difference between minus thirty and minus fifty degrees.

In this freakishly cold weather and such a remote location, it was natural that there wouldn't be any customers in the tavern.

Gray pushed open the door of the tavern and walked in.

The tavern was small, with only three tables. Behind the counter stood a man of medium build and plain appearance, with graying temples that suggested he was already somewhat aged.

At a table in the corner, two robust men with ragged clothes were lazily sitting against the wall, drinking intermittently. The alcohol was strong, and the taste was very pungent, presumably quite cheap. What they were eating with their drink was a small plate of thin, dried meat slices. It was unclear what kind of meat it was, but it looked completely dehydrated and unappetizing. However, the two men carefully picked up a slice of meat, put it in their mouths, chewed vigorously, savored it, and then took several large gulps of the inferior alcohol. This small plate of food seemed like it would take them all night to finish.

Gray looked around and had the entire situation of the tavern in his sight. The man behind the counter, while cleaning the glasses, glanced at Gray and said, "Kid, didn't your mother tell you that you have to be an adult to drink? Of course, if you have money, I don't mind pouring you a couple of drinks."

Gray lifted the hood of his cloak and said, "I'm not here to drink. I'm looking for someone."

"Who?" The man behind the counter seemed a bit interested.

"Disaster Blade." As soon as the words were out, Gray suddenly felt like he had fallen into an ice cave, instantly frozen stiff, unable to move a single finger! Except for his head, it seemed that his whole body was no longer under his control. And the cold that assailed him carried a sharp, piercing sensation, as if millions of needles were stabbing his skin. This was the first time Gray had tasted the flavor of murderous intent.

As if time had stood still, the two men at the table stopped what they were doing. One maintained the posture of pouring alcohol into his mouth, while the other carefully held a piece of almost transparent dried meat in mid-air. However, they obviously weren't like Gray, unable to move a single finger. Although their movements were stationary, their gazes were all on Gray, and their faces showed no extra expression.

The man behind the counter stopped wiping the glasses and looked up at the flickering, dim candle on the wall, apparently lost in some memory. After a moment, he regained his composure, looked at Gray, and said, "Disaster Blade was my nickname before, but I haven't used it for a long time. Now, I'm called Naya. You know Disaster Blade, so we can be friends, although I'm curious why a kid who hasn't grown up yet would come here."

"I want to learn how to kill," Gray said succinctly.

"Why?"

"Because I feel like I might need it very soon," Gray said.

Naya nodded, did not pursue the reason further, and said, "This is Deep Blue, even if it's just the outermost area, it's still Deep Blue. So..."

"I've prepared the tuition," Gray said.

Naya grinned, "My lessons are expensive, at least five hundred gold coins per day."

The murderous intent, like ice needles, disappeared with this smile.

Gray pulled out an exquisite enchanted leather coin purse, opened it, and dumped a pile of shining gold coins onto the counter, saying, "I've prepared one thousand gold coins, so teach me everything you know!"

Naya glanced casually at the heap of gold coins, smiled with amusement, and said, "A kid who's not even an adult, carrying so much money, and running into a killer's den. Don't you fear that I might just swallow you up? I know it's most likely that guy who loves painting women who sent you here, but he's a softie and can't be trusted. So, little one, give me a reason why I shouldn't just kill you now."

"Because I only brought today's gold coins."

Naya laughed even harder, saying, "Smart kid! But it's better to give me some other reasons. Sometimes I do things for money, and sometimes I don't. So for safety's sake, don't guess if I just want money now."

Gray hesitated for a moment, then said, "My name is Aiden Gray, Aiden Gray·Archimonde. My teacher is Princess Lianna Dawnlight, and my father is Gavin Battlecry·Archimonde."

The smile on Naya's face suddenly stagnated. He violently spat a thick glob of spit onto the ground and roared at the two men by the table, "What do you say, old buddies!"

The man on the left put down his glass and said, "Both of them are crazy! If you do anything to Aiden Gray, even if you flee to the underworld, Gavin Battlecry will hunt you down, and then the Princess will make you regret being alive for the next thousand years."

The man on the right put the wind-dried meat back on the plate, looked at Gray, and said, "Don't you think this little guy is interesting? Teaching such a little guy must be very rewarding, and there's money to earn too! If you think you have too much money, just give it to me. Anyway, Disaster Blade was more than ten years ago. Now, who knows if you can still wield a fast blade. And I'm short of money now!"

"Red Beard, don't even think about it!" Naya roared, sweeping all the gold coins on the counter into his pocket, afraid that something might change if he acted too slowly. After collecting the money, he finally looked at Gray with a slightly different gaze. After a moment of contemplation, he said, "What I'm going to teach you is not just about killing but the art of destroying life. Let's start now."

In the early morning, Gray returned to his living area. On the way to his bedroom, he saw the battered steel puppet again, with its unscathed, rounded head particularly eye-catching. Looking at this puppet filled with scars, Gray suddenly sighed and muttered, "In the future... I won't need you anymore."

Gray brushed past the puppet, his left hand tracing a faint trajectory that grazed the puppet's neck before he continued toward his bedroom.

With a clang, the puppet's head silently detached from its body, fell to the ground, and bounced far away. The incision on the neck was smooth as a mirror, as if it had been sliced open by a sharp blade.