A few days later, the ships loaded with laborers arrived at the docks of Kalmar City.
The laborers disembarked here and were temporarily housed in accommodations that William had arranged in advance.
Abram and several children of similar ages were assigned to the same room. As he stepped off the ship, Abram caught sight of a familiar figure among the welcoming crowd at the docks—the blond-haired, blue-eyed young man whose portrait he had seen in the mess hall on the ship. Like Abram, many of the laborers who had seen William's photo on the ship curiously studied him in person.
William, in reality, exuded an even more captivating aura than his photograph suggested. After acquiring the Heroic Aura specialty, his appearance hadn't changed much, but his demeanor had become strikingly different, leaving a deep impression on anyone who saw him.
This time, William had brought along a team of doctors to conduct health checkups for the laborers, particularly the children. Throughout the examinations, William stayed by the doctors' side, displaying his approachable and kind-hearted nature.
Most children, naturally fearful of people in white coats, shrank back when faced with the doctors. Whenever this happened, William would hand out two pieces of candy to comfort them.
Abram also received two pieces of candy. He unwrapped one of the brightly colored wrappers and was about to pop the candy into his mouth when someone accidentally bumped into him from behind. He stumbled forward, and the candy fell to the ground, only to be crushed under his own small foot.
Abram's lips quivered as he held back tears. But just then, William, who had witnessed the entire scene, approached with his hands behind his back and handed him a new piece of candy. Looking up, Abram saw William place a finger to his lips in a gentle shushing gesture, smiling as if to reassure him.
...
That night, William patrolled the area around the laborers' housing, with Tony following closely behind.
Glancing at Tony, who was adorned in gold and silver jewelry, William reached into his coat and pulled out a brand-new notebook, handing it to him. "When you have time, study this."
The notebook contained William's handwritten notes on the training method for Life Return (Seimei Kikan), along with some of his personal insights gained through practice.
Tony, once the leader of a small gang in Maple Leaf Village, was not particularly strong among William's cadre. After being assigned to handle public relations in a small town near the Marines' 16th Branch Base, Tony had been lax in his training. As a result, his combat abilities had fallen behind many others in William's ranks.
Life Return wasn't a combat technique per se but rather a method of training. After practicing Life Return, William had unlocked two new specialties on the stone platform in the Plaza of Fate:
Skill Specialty: [Life Return - Beginner]: Through prolonged meditation and training, your control over your body has surpassed that of ordinary people.Devil Fruit Specialty: [Steam Power]: Through training, your enhanced control over your body allows you to lock steam pressure within yourself and convert it into power.
Based on his own experiences and the summaries provided by the Plaza of Fate, William realized that practicing Life Return could significantly improve one's control over their body, which in turn could enhance the effectiveness of other martial arts training. It might even lead to breakthroughs in related disciplines.
After all, most martial arts ultimately involve using one's body to strike an opponent. Life Return's ultimate goal of mastering one's body would naturally complement and elevate martial arts proficiency.
With this in mind, William had copied the Life Return training notes multiple times and distributed them to his cadre, including Tony, whom he hadn't seen in a long time.
Recently, William had been working on integrating the meditation techniques from Life Return with the swordsmanship of the Isshin-ryu style. He planned to compile his insights into a new swordsmanship curriculum, divided into basic and advanced levels, to serve as the foundation for the swordsmanship department in his future school.
Tony casually flipped through the notebook before stuffing it into his coat. William, displeased with his nonchalant attitude, remarked, "You're a cadre now. If you're not strong enough, you won't command respect."
Tony laughed it off, then glanced at the group of young men trailing behind William and changed the subject. "Why do you always have these fresh faces following you around now?"
William turned to look at them. "They're officers from the adjutant corps, assisting me with daily tasks."
Although William was full of energy, he hadn't mastered the art of cloning himself. His workload was immense, encompassing the Four Seas Trading Company, the Maple Leaf Village Shipyard, the White Pine Town Free Trade Zone, rural development and immigration initiatives, the school, the newspaper, and internal affairs of the kingdom. With so much on his plate, he couldn't possibly handle everything personally.
To address this, William had established an adjutant corps, selecting bright, educated youths from the youth military to assist him with various tasks.
For this institution, William adhered to the principle of "low rank, high responsibility." He deliberately chose newcomers who lacked seniority within his organization, training them for a period of time to instill his values before assigning them to other roles.
"It's getting harder to see you these days," Tony complained casually.
"Well, the scope of our operations keeps expanding," William said with a sigh. "It's not like back when we were in Maple Leaf Village."
As they chatted, the two arrived at the room where Abram and the other children were staying. While the accommodations William had arranged were far better than those in Tequila Wolf, they were still not particularly warm in the harsh winter. Fortunately, William had provided thick bedding for everyone.
Once again, William went from child to child, tucking them in. In the darkness, a pair of bright, curious eyes watched him intently. Abram stared at William, but when William approached his bed, Abram quickly shut his eyes, pretending to be asleep.
In the quiet, Abram felt William gently tuck the blanket around his feet. Then, with a soft pat on his shoulder, William whispered with a hint of amusement, "Go to sleep. Stop peeking."
When Abram opened his eyes again, William was already at the door.
...
William's vision for the school he was establishing was rooted in practicality. He was inspired by Napoleon's reforms of the education system in his past life, which aimed to provide talent for the military and government through specialized schools and curricula.
For the school's name, William initially considered following the French tradition of naming institutions with numbers, such as "Navia First Academy" or "Kalmar First Academy." However, this idea was met with resistance from Sherlock, Dampier, and even the staff involved in the school's construction. They argued that since this was the first school William was founding, the name should carry more significance.
Thus, William pulled a familiar name from his memories of his past life—New East—and proposed it as the name of the academy.
To his surprise, the name received unanimous approval from his cadre. Stripped of its historical context, the name "New East" perfectly encapsulated William's vision of reshaping the East Blue, establishing a new order, and building a powerful force in the region.
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