The Builder

Wu Youren had no idea what was happening, but those in the know had understood long ago. One of the guards who had abandoned his challenge against Wu Youren chose to challenge someone else instead, while the other four withdrew completely. Wu Youren quietly committed the names of those four to memory. The one who continued his challenge genuinely needed a spot in a Martial Academy, whereas those four had clearly just been looking for an easy target. Those were two entirely different things. The intensity of the subsequent sparring bouts was lowered to minimize injuries, meaning the matches would drag on for five days. Yet on the second day, the first batch of ten hostages was already scheduled to depart for their respective martial academies. Wu Youren had few possessions, but they still packed two full wicker trunks. What brought him the greatest relief was that he did not have to wear the hostage uniform—the clothes could be left behind at Hostage Manor. Traveling through an enemy nation dressed in the uniform of a hostage would invite consequences that required no imagination. Prior to this, he had only left Hostage Manor twice, both times dressed in uniform to attend major Liang ceremonies. That humiliating feeling... needed no elaboration. Their conveyance was an automobile. Indeed, this world had already stepped into an industrialized era. The ten hostages rode in six open-top cars. Once they passed through the gates of Hostage Manor, they split into two convoys of three cars each, heading in different directions. The Protocol Office had issued notice that five hostages would enter each intermediate martial academy, and the thirty hostages would arrive at their assigned academies in batches. The moment the vehicles rolled out of Hostage Manor, Wu Youren breathed a quiet sigh of relief. He had finally left that oppressive place behind. Sharing his car was another hostage, He Wenhao, a baron's son who was a year older than him. Over the past eight years, the two of them had rarely spoken, and today was no different. At this moment, however, they could not resist exchanging a glance, both catching the visible relief in each other's eyes. Yet as the vehicles moved forward, pedestrians along the roadside cast disdainful glares in their direction. When several cars passed them, passengers even leaned out the windows to spit. Every vehicle they rode in bore a massive emblem: "Hostage." This was another of Liang's methods. Supposedly, having such an obvious mark ensured that the populace would not be easily deceived or bewitched by them. Hostages riding in open-top cars like this often found themselves on the receiving end of hurled rocks and bricks, particularly when the vehicles slowed down. It was not just an open humiliation; it was unvarnished arrogance: *Great Liang does this to you, and what can you do about it?* Even the guards' uniforms featured armbands bearing the word "Hostage." Even without riding in the cars, there was no escaping the disgrace. Fortunately, neither Wu Youren nor He Wenhao was wearing a hostage uniform today, which took off a great deal of the pressure. The two even had the leisure to observe the roadside scenery and the local customs. The capital of Great Liang was called Tianjing. It seemed heavily populated and prosperous enough, yet there was an indescribable strangeness to it. The streetscape was not something two hostages were in any position to criticize, so they simply watched in silence. Despite living in Tianjing for eight years, this was the first time they had observed the local scenery from such close quarters. When Wu Youren had first arrived, his heart had been in his throat; on the two occasions he had gone out for ceremonies, he had kept his head lowered just to avoid the stares of the onlookers. After watching for a while, Wu Youren spoke up. "It feels a bit less tranquil than Zhongjing." This was his genuine impression, expressed rather tactfully. Strictly speaking, this city lacked a certain elegance and weight of history. It was hardly surprising for a newly risen city to lack historical heritage, but the occasional patches of wasteland and crumbling walls seemed a bit... Speaking up on his own initiative felt somewhat presumptuous, but in truth, was it not also a form of probing? "That is precisely why you are being sent to the martial academies," replied one of the accompanying guards, not taking offense at his attitude. "The Guizu are growing more rampant by the day. Tianjing is still in decent shape; Jin's capital is in an even worse state." "They truly exist?" He Wenhao could not help chiming in. "Are they spirits and monsters?" "They are everything," another guard replied curtly, unwilling to say more, clearly harboring some distaste for the hostages. "Could we stop so we can buy some things?" He Wenhao asked proactively. "Forget about it. Stopping midway is out of the question," the first guard stated bluntly. "There will be plenty of goods at the Martial Academy." "Over the years, Great Liang has produced an endless stream of fine goods. Many of these things are items you could never see in Jin... What the f—?" Before the words had completely left his mouth, a dark silhouette plummeted from the sky and slammed heavily into the ground not far ahead. The entire road shuddered violently twice, followed by debris flying in all directions! "Enemy attack!" All three cars braked sharply, and several guards sprang straight out of their vehicles. Amidst the billowing dust, a voice coughed and called out, "*Cough, cough*... The engine suddenly gave out... Good grief, that nearly killed me!" "You think a damn engine failure settles this?" a guard roared in fury. "Do you have any idea who we are—" "Quiet, that's Young Marquis Wu!" another guard hurriedly interrupted. "It was just brake failure... It's no big deal!" "*Cough*... The young marquis?" The other guards fell instantly silent. The next moment, a figure streaked away like lightning. "Then I leave this to you... Clean it up quickly." As the smoke and dust gradually settled, a massive crater appeared on the road, spanning over fifteen meters in diameter! It was not particularly deep, only two or three meters, but from the rim of the crater, web-like cracks spread far down the pavement. Scattered inside the pit were numerous components, including tires. It looked... like a motorcycle? Such an occurrence was truly rare in Great Jin! Wu Youren kept that sarcastic thought safely to himself, not daring to utter it aloud. He Wenhao glanced at the precarious, trembling buildings nearby and his mouth twitched. "That... wasn't a human?" They had just been discussing the Guizu tearing down buildings; interpreting it this way was hardly unreasonable, right? "Have you lost your mind?" Several guards glared with wide eyes. "That was Young Marquis Wu! Who are you to slander him?" "Our worldly experience is truly lacking," Wu Youren chimed in at once with an apologetic smile. "You understand our circumstances, officers. Please forgive us!" Regardless of his relationship with He Wenhao, once outside, they were both subjects of Great Jin. When it was time to smooth things over, he had to step in. The guards did not press the matter. They knew full well what kind of life the hostages led on ordinary days. Never mind current affairs and gossip; if these hostages could find their own way back after leaving Hostage Manor, they would be considered remarkably capable. However, among the three hostages in the other cars, a young man named Feng Qianjun could not resist asking, "Was that... a grand knight?" Someone addressed as a young marquis could not be very old, but a knight could never cause such a commotion, could they? "That was an ability master," a guard sneered. "What does a mere grand knight amount to?" The five hostages fell silent at the revelation. They never expected to encounter such a rare existence the moment they stepped out the door. The knight system in this world had existed for several millennia, but the ability master system had emerged less than eight hundred years ago. As spirits, ghosts, and monsters grew increasingly rampant, people discovered that slaying Guizu allowed them to obtain special powers from their flesh, blood, or artifacts. However, becoming an ability master depended far less on resources than on one's innate potential. Wu Youren was completely unfamiliar with this system. He had only heard that the biguijue seemed to be crafted by ability masters. A question crossed his mind: Were an ability master's physical defenses truly that resilient? A crash like that would likely have overwhelmed even a grand knight, yet that person had walked away as if nothing had happened. While the hostages were still reeling in shock and contemplation, the guards who had stopped the cars were already pulling out walkie-talkies to contact the maintenance personnel. There was no alternative. Having run into such an incident and being specifically designated by the young marquis to clean up the mess, they had to handle it. Moreover, they were government personnel; even if they tried to recruit passersby to help, the response time and quality of work would be vastly inferior. As for escorting the hostages to the Martial Academy, that paled in importance compared to this matter. Even so, they did not forget to give a warning: "You're already lucky as it is. Don't go looking for trouble." The five hostages had no intention of stirring up trouble. They did not even exchange glances. They were not fools. Now that they were out of Hostage Manor, even if they wanted to escape, they would have plenty of time to plan once they reached the Martial Academy. They were currently wearing ordinary clothes. Standing alongside the guards, who could say for sure that they were hostages rather than hitchhikers hitching a ride? He Wenhao did not bring up buying anything again. Before long, a response came through the walkie-talkie, and the guards looked overjoyed. "Great, a builder is already on the way!" Road and building repairs typically fell under the jurisdiction of civil officials, who commanded laborers and machinery. It was rare for a builder to appear in person. Noticing the strange look on Wu Youren's face, Feng Qianjun could not help asking, "What's the matter?" He was the son of an earl, the highest-ranking among the five hostages heading to Red Pine Martial Academy. He was also the only one who rode in a car by himself, guarded by three officers. Wu Youren let out a soft sigh. "It reminded me of my father. He almost became a builder." Although his late father had been raised by his grandmother, he had been nurtured well, only to fall in that national war. "Is that so..." Feng Qianjun hesitated before speaking. "I had the impression he passed away?" The disparity in their status had meant almost no communication in the past, and he had known little about Wu Youren's background. It was only because this man had recently performed so outstandingly and was heading to Red Pine Martial Academy alongside him that he had specifically inquired about him. "Yes," Wu Youren nodded. Given their sensitive circumstances, he chose not to elaborate. Still, a faint hint of confusion stirred in his mind. Why was this person acting somewhat different today? "A pity," Feng Qianjun sighed softly. "A builder is just a scaled-down version of ability construction." He had also learned through his inquiries that Wu Youren's father had been an illegitimate son of a lord. Yet the illegitimate child of a noble could receive vastly different treatment depending on the house. His father might very well have been just a step away from advancing to an ability master. He Wenhao looked astonished upon hearing this. "There's such a connection?" "Hmph," a Liang guard snorted. "Ignorant fools. Half of the builders in our Great Liang are genuine ability masters." Feng Qianjun's mouth twitched, and he could not help letting out a low sigh. "Advancing to an ability master through construction was originally invented by our Great Jin!" Ever since the emergence of ability masters, nations had thrown themselves into frantic research, terrified of falling behind the others. Progress across different domains varied widely, and as an earl's son, it was only natural that Feng Qianjun knew certain details.