Chapter 7: A Storm in the Stairwell & Training

Part 1: A Storm in the Stairwell

After the lesson, Lisa was drenched in sweat, panting heavily, her limbs feeling like jelly.

She hadn't expected being a mentor to be such exhausting work, which was probably why her previous mentor used to fly into a rage when faced with slow-witted students.

Of course, this kind of teaching and that kind of teaching couldn't be lumped together, but in essence, they were much the same: enriching learning through canned knowledge, and enjoying the pleasure that learning brought.

Lisa had grown to love the joy of imparting knowledge to others.

Chen Huaian was the same; he was born in an era where test-oriented education was widespread, an era where everyone had a chance to succeed. Having successfully passed his university entrance exams, if he hadn't enjoyed and loved learning, he would have been eliminated long ago.

Learning satisfied him and made him happy.

Especially when the object of his teaching was this exceptionally talented and brilliant student, a rare genius from Sumeru.

The rewards, naturally, were even greater.

Of course, the teaching method of this brilliant student, her canned knowledge, was also extremely terrifying. It was the kind of canned knowledge that contained taboos, forbidden knowledge that could drive intelligent scholars mad.

Initially, this canned knowledge seemed no different from ordinary canned knowledge, but once one delved deeper and continuously tried to understand it, the forbidden knowledge within would be triggered, like a sudden summer storm, with lightning and thunder, and streaks of heavenly lightning pouring down, madly assaulting the intruder.

Chen Huaian, attacked by the heavenly lightning within this canned knowledge, temporary fainted and it took him a while to recover. Frightened, he dared not linger and quickly left this portion from the canned knowledge alone.

Because of this, Chen Huaian's study time was not long, not even half of his usual time, yet it was his most satisfying learning experience...

After a brief rest, Chen Huaian buried his face in Lisa's neck, inhaling the scent of the rose witch, and savored, "Sister Lisa, are you satisfied?"

Chen Huaian liked women who sweated a lot. When Lisa's fair and delicate skin became slick with sweat, it was like it had been oiled, making it even more appealing and irresistible.

The Witch of Purple Rose was in love.

"I'm starting to envy Jean now," Lisa said, enjoying herself as she ran her fingers through Chen Huaian's hair, caressing his scalp. "Why didn't you meet me first? If you had, you would have fallen in love with me first, wouldn't you?"

"I'm in love with you now too," Chen Huaian slowly moved downwards, and with one hand, he grabbed the giant 'slimes'  that had been jumping around and interfering with their study session.

'Slimes' are cute creatures, yet also very annoying.

Just like in the game, whether you're picking lamp grass by the lake or mining in the mountains, a slime will always pop out from time to time, bumping into you or hitting you. How can one not find that annoying?

Therefore, these troublesome 'slimes' must be severely punished. Vigorously rubbing it like rubbing the top of a dog's head until it doesn't dare to be so annoying anymore.

"The experience you give me is something Jean can't provide. Jean and I haven't reached this stage yet."

Lisa wrapped her arms around Chen Huaian's neck and chuckled, "So you're saying I won?"

"You won," Chen Huaian kissed Lisa's moist lips. "You devoured her man, you are one step ahead of Jean."

"Hehehe, this doesn't feel bad," Lisa felt a bit relieved, suddenly feeling that even if Chen Huaian had confessed to Jean first, it wasn't such a big deal anymore.

"But I'm still not happy. You'll be like this with Jean in the future, won't you? Living together, and then like this day and night, clinging to each other... I'm feeling jealous again."

"Jealous?" Chen Huaian forcefully slapped Lisa's ***, causing ripples. "Want another round?"

"You're like a beast, are you trying to kill your big sister?" Lisa playfully punched Chen Huaian's shoulder. "Sister can't give you anymore. If you still want more, go find your Acting Grand Master Jean."

"What a waste of your body," Chen Huaian said, disappointed. "So voluptuous, yet you're panting after just a few thrusts. So useless."

"I'm a mage, my stamina definitely can't compare to yours. I guess only your Acting Grand Master Jean can play with you all day long, right?"

"Probably," Chen Huaian thought of Jean's toned legs and glutes, and felt anticipation.

Lisa, hearing this, reached out and pinched Chen Huaian's nose. He truly was an insatiable wolf.

But it also indirectly proved Chen Huaian's solid foundation and the heights he could reach in the future, truly worthy of the sword he wielded.

If he were easily satisfied and lacked ambition, then his Sword would be too undeserving of its reputation, a bit like a silver spearhead that's actually made of pewter.

No woman dislikes a powerful man, and Lisa was no exception...

Chen Huaian embraced Lisa and rested for a while. Once he had recovered sufficiently, he got dressed, kissed Lisa goodbye, and left the Knights of Favonius headquarters to return home.

Before returning, Chen Huaian didn't forget to smell himself. After all, Lisa wore perfume, and she had just sweated a lot, so her scent on him was extremely strong.

So Chen Huaian found a place and awkwardly manipulated the Anemo element to blow on himself for a while. Once the scent had mostly dissipated, he went to buy groceries to prepare lunch for himself and Mona.

The shopping street in Mondstadt was not like in the game, where it was only a short distance, just a few steps and a few different shops; it was a truly bustling street.

He bought curry at the department store, beef from the butcher, and some potatoes and onions from the vegetable stall. He would cook curry for lunch—simple and quick.

As soon as he unlocked the door, Mona, who could now walk normally, hummed a tune and jogged over to greet him, taking the ingredients from Chen Huaian's hands and putting them away in the kitchen.

"What good news? You seem to be in a very good mood."

"The research I was stuck on for a long time has had a breakthrough," Mona said happily. "I've already sent out the paper and experimental results. If all goes well, I'll have a large sum of mora coming in a week, and I won't have to be so strapped for cash."

"That's great news!" Chen Huaian said, happy for Mona, and went over to give her a big hug.

"You'll have to treat me to a meal then."

"Of course, you can eat whatever you want at Good Hunter then."

Chen Huaian ruffled Mona's hair, released her, and began preparing today's lunch.

"What are we having for lunch?"

"Curry rice. It doesn't take much cooking time; it's simple and quick."

"I ate that when I was in Sumeru before. The spiciness was appetizing, but it didn't look very hygienic, so I only ate it once and didn't want to eat it again."

Sumeru's prototype is a combination of Arabian countries and India. Considering the food from India, the country of origin for curry, everything is cooked to a mush, coupled with the habit of eating with hands. It would be strange if it were hygienic.

Therefore, the curry made by Chen Huaian, who valued hygiene, was naturally not authentic, but the taste was more delicious than what Mona had eaten in Sumeru restaurants before. Three whole servings went straight to her stomache.

Part 2: Training

After eating, Chen Huaian returned to his room to rest. Although he really wanted to sleep with Mona, hugging the beautiful maiden would surely not lead to a proper rest. By the time what needed to be done was finished, the rest period would probably be over.

If he didn't rest at noon, he wouldn't have energy in the afternoon. Chen Huaian didn't want to leave a bad impression on Jean by being sluggish in the afternoon.

After a good rest, he returned to the Knights of Favonius headquarters in the afternoon to receive training from Jean.

Chen Huaian considered how Jean was a sword wielder, so he spent 100 points to exchange for a silver sword to learn how to use a sword with her.

He didn't find Jean at the entrance of the Knights of Favonius headquarters, and after waiting for a while, Jean emerged from the Knights of Favonius headquarters.

Because there were knights standing guard at the entrance, Chen Huaian and Jean maintained an appropriate distance. He said, "Good afternoon, Acting Grand Master Jean... Did you rest in your office at noon?"

“Yes, I took a quick nap in my office. It’s better than returning home.”

"That's truly Acting Grand Master Jean's style, a workaholic."

"I rested at noon," Jean repeated, after all, a workaholic wouldn't rest.

"I suppose so."

"You, come with me."

Ending their brief greeting, Jean led Chen Huaian to the training grounds behind the headquarterss.

The two turned into a small path, and seeing no one around, Chen Huaian finally couldn't resist embracing Jean's waist, which was excessively slender compared to her hips.

Jean was visibly startled by Chen Huaian's intimate gesture, trembling slightly. She nervously looked around, relieved that no one had noticed.

—Except for the nun standing on the roof of the Knights of Favonius headquarters, silently observing everything.

"Didn't Acting Grand Master Jean accept my confession? Why are you acting so distant?"

"No, it's not that," Jean explained in a fluster. "Aren't you joining the Knights of Favonius? Before you officially join, it's best we keep our relationship a secret, otherwise, it wouldn't sound good if it got out."

"I know," Chen Huaian nodded. After all, such behavior, which could lead to accusations of nepotism, would not sound good anywhere.

"So I only hugged you when no one was around. Is even that not allowed?"

"I didn't say it wasn't allowed... just don't be too presumptuous."

After walking a short distance with Jean in his arms, and hearing the sounds of training coming from the training grounds behind the Knights of Favonius, Chen Huaian didn't need Jean to remind him. He voluntarily released Jean from his embrace, falling back two steps to maintain an appropriate distance from her.

The training grounds of the Knights of Favonius were not like in the game, where they were stingy and players even had to snatch a small piece of land from Hilichurls for training dummies.

Here, there were at least four or five basketball courts in size, and all necessary equipment like weapon racks, sandbags, and wooden dummies were readily available.

And training in the training grounds was not like being imprisoned in the training grounds, always training, never able to become a Knight, like Ellin.

It was a gray-haired maiden wearing maid-style armor, Noelle, the perpetual trainee knight of the Knights of Favonius.

She didn't even have an official position, but she had more duties than official knights, not much better off than Ellin.

It was said that Noelle would not refuse anyone's request, but he didn't know if it was true or not.

"Ah, it's Acting Grand Master Jean," Noelle stopped swinging her claymore when she saw the two approaching.

"Good afternoon, Acting Grand Master Jean, are you here to train too? No, how could Acting Grand Master Jean, being so strong, need to come here? Or do you have a task for me? I can do it, give it to me! You can give me anything!"

"Noelle, you've misunderstood," Jean shook her head in denial. "I'm here to instruct... his name is Chen Huaian. This is Noelle, the trainee knight of the Knights of Favonius."

Chen Huaian smiled and nodded, saying, "Noelle, hello."

"Chen Huaian, it's nice to meet you! Ah! You're the amnesiac that Amber mentioned..." Noelle didn't finish her sentence and quickly covered her mouth, bowing to apologize, "Sorry, I didn't mean to bring that up."

"It's alright," Chen Huaian waved his hand. "Because of that, I asked Jean to teach me combat skills, to prevent such situations from happening again in the future."

"By the way, I'm also preparing to join the Knights of Favonius. Speaking of which, I'll be Noelle's junior. Let's work hard together!"

"You're also planning to join the Knights of Favonius?" Noelle, finding a like-minded companion, was delighted. "Then let's aim to become official knights and work hard together!"

"Let's work hard together."

"Alright, enough small talk," Jean interrupted Chen Huaian and Noelle's conversation. "It's training time now. Get ready, Chen Huaian. I'm very strict."

Jean's tone suddenly became serious, a completely different side from the girlish shyness she showed when teased.

This was Jean when she was serious, and also the side she usually showed at work.

It made both Chen Huaian and Noelle straighten their backs, looking forward to Jean's teaching.

"Before training, protective measures must be taken. Put on the gauntlets first, to prevent your skin from being scratched while swinging the Sword."

Chen Huaian took the gauntlets Jean handed him and compared them to the gauntlets Jean was currently wearing; they were identical.

"These are my spare gauntlets," Jean explained. "Although your hands are relatively large, these gauntlets are elastic, so even you can wear them."

"Thank you," Chen Huaian examined them for a few moments, unable to figure out how to put them on. He cast a pleading look at Jean, who then took the gauntlets and helped Chen Huaian put them on.

Noelle, standing nearby, tilted her head in confusion. She felt that something was amiss, but couldn't quite put her finger on it for the moment.

"Which weapon do you want to learn? I have some knowledge of bows, polearms, swords, and claymores... I remember you were carrying a bow yesterday, right?"

"Yes, but I want to learn the sword," Chen Huaian gestured to the longsword at his waist. "Acting Grand Master Jean, you are most proficient in using the sword, aren't you? So since you are teaching me, I naturally should learn the weapon you are most skilled with."

"Good," Jean had no objection to Chen Huaian learning the same weapon as her. On the contrary, she was happy, because this way she could teach him better.

Next was sword-swinging practice, starting with the very basics, teaching and adjusting Chen Huaian's posture and movements. Chen Huaian also diligently learned every essential point. At this time, he was completely undisturbed by beauty.

Jean was also very satisfied with this. She had originally thought that Chen Huaian might not practice as seriously, or even get handsy, because she was his instructor. She had planned to scold him if he wasn't serious, but now all the prepared reprimands were completely useless.

Chen Huaian learned very quickly. While Jean was also guiding Noelle, Chen Huaian had already performed the basic Sword moves Jean had just taught him in a very convincing manner, even in Jean's eyes, they were flawless.

—Chen Huaian was not a beginner at all. He must have studied swordsmanship before his amnesia.

Jean offered this explanation for Chen Huaian's rapid progress.

Chen Huaian noticed Jean's gaze, paused slightly, and smiled, "Am I learning pretty well? Is there anything else that needs correcting?"

Chen Huaian felt that what Jean taught him was very easy, practical without any difficulty.

But he knew that these moves were not as simple as they appeared on the surface; each sword swing required great coordination and control of strength.

It was like throwing a shot put, a simple action required a long time to practice.

As for why he learned so quickly, Chen Huaian himself was unsure of the reason, perhaps it's because of the system?

But there were no hints from the system either.

Regardless, this rapid progress was a good thing.