Chapter 100 – Growing More Prosperous With Each Passing Day
Future discussion would revolve around this expansion. This all depended on how beneficial this expansion would be to the Stuart clan based on Carolyn’s negotiation abilities.
“Dero, how would you grade Enoch?”
“Miss, he might be at the peak of the Heroic Soul stage. His combat prowess exceeds our imagination and he’s a freak who can kill without emitting any killing intent. We will have to be quite careful when coming into contact with the Empire,” Dero respectfully said.
Beneath that innocent slight smile was the devil’s scythe. Doing business with the Kaiser Empire would serve as a double-edged sword.
“Step down. Go and make sure that the other guys don’t get too near them.”
“Yes, miss. Do not worry about this matter.” Dero naturally knew it would be counterproductive to play tricks before the eyes of an expert. Some basic surveillance was necessary, and valuable information could be gleaned from a few tiny clues
Inside the quiet room, Carolyn massaged her temples. Her head really hurt. She had faced countless matters upon her return, making it seemed as though her experience in Tianjing had simply been just a dream. Waking up from that “dream” felt like an abrupt return to her own world and the contrast between the two was like the heaven and earth. Perhaps… not leaving her contact information was the right decision…
✶
When he arrived at the Prodigy Society’s entrance the next morning, Wang Zhong almost couldn’t recognize it.
The great doors which were originally slightly damaged had already been taken down and replaced with new entrances that sparkled as light reflected off the surface of the sculptures. Outside, the walls had been freshly painted over, and the most ballsy thing was the bronze human-sized statue placed at the front of the door. One could vaguely identity the statue to be Ma Dong wearing a flashy forktail suit, a solemn expression on his face as he worried about the people and his gaze looking far off to the distance.
“Ah, you’ve arrived! Hurry up and come in!” Ma Dong exclaimed with self-satisfaction when he stuck his head out the door. He was a person who loved to laze around and sleep, but the reason why he got up so early this time was to appreciate the startled and amazed reaction of this group of fellows. To him, seeing their expressions was as enjoyable as eating ice cream.
“Did you get rich or rob a bank?” Wang Zhong asked with a stunned expression on his face. Ever since he got to know Ma Dong, Wang Zhong knew this fellow was a person who always loses his money. It got to the point where he started lamenting his own lack of wealth in recent times..
“How could I be someone like that? This is just the beginning. As I’ve said, under my leadership, the Prodigy Society will definitely head towards glory and splendor,” replied Ma Dong. He felt very pleased with himself at the moment. “There are more exciting things waiting inside. I know you bunch loved training, so I installed a gravity room; you don’t need to use the public facilities anymore.”
This was the criteria for becoming a large organization. These facilities and amenities were already at the level of the Five Great Societies of Tianjing Academy.
“Brother Wang Zhong, you’ve arrived! Don’t listen to Ma Dong’s boasting. The reason why he’s doing all this is definitely to court some unsuspecting junior sister,” said Emily. She seemed to have arrived even earlier than he and was already done wiht the first set of exercises.
Wang Zhong nodded in agreement, which made Ma Dong roll his eyes as he exclaimed, “You two are so shallow! I’m doing all of this because I care about the Federation’s next generation!”
“From the looks of it, you truly have struck a windfall.”
“Hehe. For a prince charming like me, money would simply grows legs and runs toward me. It can’t be helped as my charm is too great. There’s no one who could challenge me in this life!” Ma Dong praised himself as he flung his head back, making no attempt to hide his self-satisfaction.
“Can you say words that we understand?” asked Wang Zhong.
“Hehe. A fatty came over a while ago named Qian Guang. He’s very foolish, but was filthy rich! He said he had come over to sponsor us. When he came in he acted very pretentious, which scared the shit out of a few of our members,” Ma Dong explained, his acting aura in full effect. “After that, your president came down and personally spoke a few words with him, before walking away with a hundred and sixty thousand in sponsorship for us. This is your brother’s strength! Why not change the Prodigy Society from head to toe? In the last few days, our society numbers have doubled and will soon break a hundred!”
After saying all that, he couldn’t help but look up at the sky with his hands behind his back with a smug look on his face. “Sigh. Our society has developed to such a level in the short span of two months. This has made your brother feel very helpless. I just used a bit of strength and in the end, we reached such a height. I’ve to understand that there are too few sizable obstacles out there. Why do we even have to challenge anything anymore? Do we still have any opponents? Also… hmm? Fuck, where is everyone?”
“I’m here, president! What you said was too good!”
Wang Zhong, Grai, and Emilia had long gone into the society clubhouse, leaving only Barran who continued to watch him with a face filled with worship. When he listened to Ma Dong speak, he felt it was said with such refinement. Furthermore, he felt the president was really very strong. To create such a flourishing society and build a private gravity room was something one simply couldn’t dare to dream about. This president of his was too capable, which was why he was president.
Once again, Barran felt blessed.
“… That bunch is just too undisciplined! They dare to slip away when the president is giving a speech. Only you, little Bar, is disciplined. Make sure to keep it up!”
“Yes, president!”
When he saw Barran’s sincere and genuine expression, Ma Dong felt he couldn’t keep up with his acting. There really wasn’t any sense of achievement in bullying honest folk. “Cough cough. Alright, you can head in and train!”
After getting someone’s sponsorship, the atmosphere within the society had indeed changed.
In the past, the Prodigy Society’s arena was merely an empty stage with a large surface, giving off the feeling of there being adequate space. There was, however, a severe lack of various kinds of equipment. If one wanted to use a gravity room, one would have to go to the public facilities provided by the academy.
An example of the devices that they were wanting in the past was the collision device that Barran often used. It was originally old and broken, and after being rammed constantly by Barran for a period of time, seeing him use such a broken equipment for training made it unbearable to look at. The other training equipment were also seriously lacking, which made training in the academy feel quite pathetic. They were all either old, broken, or simply unavailable. Walking into the building was like walking into a refugee camp. It was simply impossible to endure for someone like Ma Dong, a person who pursued lofty and high standards.
Money was there to be spent, and in turn, it would generate more money.
A brand new floor, high-end lighting, new equipment sets. Without even considering their practicality, this man had ordered new uniforms, ceremonial garbs, and even wrapped up the training room. Just with the new look, it instantly changed the mood and spirit of those within.
Naturally, that hundred and sixty thousand credits had already been used up. Ma Dong’s spending rate was also top-notch.
Emily was a direct descendant of the Assassin clan after all, so her tastes were quite high. She also liked this new environment and said, “Once in awhile, Ma Dong Dong sure has his uses.”
It was fortunate that Ma Dong didn’t hear this. If not, he would definitely have run to the toilet to cry till he lost consciousness.
Emily and Grai both entered the gravity room on the second floor while Barran banged against the new collision measuring device. It was much sturdier than the old one. The old one had made him feel a bit uneasy since he was afraid it would shatter under his force. It made him unable to exert his full strength, thus influencing his training greatly.
Wang Zhong was currently examining the cross wheel excitedly inside the special training room. After this month-long absence from holding it, touching it once again gave him quite the unique feeling.
Especially after his battle with Brooks in the OP. That fight had given Wang Zhong some comprehension. Set knives were a combat style that utilized one’s finger to their maximum effect. This created an astonishing lethality. When taking into consideration his speed and judgment, he felt he could still only deal with two blades. Wasn’t this just the same as using the crosswheels?
For weapons, it could be frankly said as using different means to achieve the same result, as they were extensions to one’s limbs. If one were to truly reach such a level, the state where one style is able to combine with hundreds of thousands of styles would no longer be a legend.
Wang Zhong earnestly examined and experimented with the holes of the cross wheel. He deduced that these things were used for control, but after a closer inspection, he realised that he was looking at this in too simple a manner.