Chapter 205 Second Phase of Training
As night fell, Aaron lay on his bed, his eyes vacant.
The tutoring classes were one thing; he could grit his teeth and get through them. But a fiancée was an exaggeration, and more importantly, Vico and Lisanna hadn't even asked for his opinion.
He truly felt exhausted. Life seemed to have hit an accelerator after he turned eight, and now even the overdrive button was faintly visible.
Time to lie flat!
Aaron thought to himself, but soon a bitter expression appeared on his face.
Though he didn't want to admit it, he currently only had the *conditions* to lie flat, not the *qualification*.
The unavoidable tutoring classes, the threat of Lord Voldemort, Dumbledore's prying, his parents' desire for grandchildren (this one deleted), and so on – various factors were all obstacles on the path to lying flat.
"Still too weak!"
Aaron sighed, then opened the system store.
[magic Class: @Transfiguration (1000 magic points, includes Animagus); Blank; Blank; Blank; @Patronus Charm(200 magic points)]
[Material Class: @Phoenix Feather (30 magic points); @Dragon Blood (20 magic points); @Mandrake (5 magicpoints); @Bezoar (1 magic point); @Rhinoceros Horn (3 magic points).]
[Item Class: Blank; @magic Crystal (100 magic points, possesses powerful magic, can power magic arrays); Blank; Blank; Blank]
Looking at the large blank product slots on the interface, he couldn't help but smile wryly.
He only had three magic points left. Unless he refreshed by category, he would have to wait until he signed in tomorrow to fill these blanks.
After a moment of hesitation, Aaron's gaze fell upon the Item Class.
magic Class items were too expensive; even if he found a good skill, he couldn't afford it with his current single-digit capital.
But the Item Class was different. With a bit of luck, he might be able to get something helpful before school started.
As the last three magic points were cleared, the three product slots in the Item Class were also refreshed.
[@Captain Jack's Compass (200 magic points, points to the owner's deepest desire)]
[@Wizard Chess (1 magic point)]
[@Jilani's Emerald (50 magic points, whoever obtains the gem will be plagued by misfortune)]
"Not bad, I guess!" Aaron muttered.
Wizard Chess could be immediately ruled out. He wasn't very interested in playing chess, and this item was only worth one Galleon on the market, readily available.
Jilani's Emerald was clearly for tricking people; he'd give this windfall to anyone he disliked in the future.
The last item, Captain Jack's Compass, made his eyes light up. This was a divine artifact for finding things, and most importantly, it wasn't expensive.
He and the thought-form could sign in for six magic points every day, so he could buy it in just thirty-four days.
Clink, clank!
Aaron heard the sound of coins clinking together. He turned his head to see Abey rummaging through its pockets, checking its last remaining treasures.
Over a hundred Galleons, a dozen Silver Sickles, and dozens of Bronze Knuts were neatly piled on the bed, forming a pyramid shape.
Although it couldn't compare to the mountain of food, it stood proudly in front of the pyramid, looking quite accomplished.
This adorably silly sight made Aaron involuntarily laugh, and his mood brightened considerably.
"Look at your ambition." He pinched Abey's cheek, "Don't forget you've seen the Gais family's vault."
Abey immediately recalled the endless mountains of gold it had seen last year, and its eyes gleamed with excitement. "Can I go see it tomorrow?
Just enough to fill my pockets, I promise I won't take too much."
Aaron's mouth twitched, then he unhesitatingly refused.
No one knew Abey's hoarding ability better than him. If it got too excited, the vault might even end up with a gaping hole... Early the next morning.
Jeans was knocking on the door early. "Young Master, it's time to get up."
Aaron sat up from his bed and looked at the alarm clock blankly: 5:40 AM.
Aaron raised an eyebrow, grabbed the alarm clock, and hurled it towards the door. "Come wake me up at six."
The knocking sound instantly disappeared, and Jeans shook his head with a wry smile outside the door.
With the Master and Madam away, besides urging the Young Master to attend classes and protecting his safety, he had to obey the Young Master in everything else.
Twenty minutes later, Aaron changed into simple clothes and walked out with Abey.
Jeans first led them to the dining room for a meal. Both man and dragon knew what they would face after this meal, so they didn't care about table manners.
After devouring a table full of dishes like a whirlwind, Aaron leaned back lazily in his chair.
As for Abey, it ignored Jeans' warning gaze and casually gestured for the House-elves to bring another table full of food.
"Young Master, aren't you going to stop it?" Jeans couldn't help but ask. "It's a pound heavier than last year."
"So what?
It's still a child; eating a bit more won't hurt."
The thought-form had taken Abey's two years' worth of rations, so his main body naturally had to compensate it in other ways, at least not letting it go hungry before returning to school.
As for its weight... Jeans would handle it. After all, he had successfully helped Abey lose a pound last year.
"This... alright!" Jeans helplessly picked up his small notebook. "I'll devise another weight loss plan for it: how much it eats, how much it runs.
I've arranged a brand new treadmill for it, with only one feature: it's sturdy.
As long as it doesn't get tired during training, it can eat as much as it wants now."
Hearing this, Abey, who was eating a fish fillet, stirred slightly. Turning its head, it saw Jeans' familiar small notebook and instinctively shivered.
During the two-month holiday last year, it had been dominated by that thing.
After breakfast, Jeans led them to the family's Chamber of Secrets and very skillfully opened the door to the armory.
"This again?" Aaron patted his forehead, then took a horizontal saber from the wooden rack. "How many do I have to fight this time?
Fifteen? Or twenty?"
"No need." Jeans revealed a mysterious smile. "That was the original training plan, but ever since I learned that Young Master you single-handedly slayed a giant snake that lived for a thousand years, these cold weapon trainings no longer hold much significance.
So the Master specifically instructed me that I can advance you to the second stage of training."
"Second stage?" Aaron was a bit bewildered. "If there's a second stage, does that mean there's a third stage?"
"Young Master is indeed clever." Jeans snapped his fingers. "Actually, the first stage mainly focuses on improving basic abilities and combat skills.
Young Master's physique has already been elevated by Lord Hogg to a height unattainable by ordinary people. Unless there's some extraordinary encounter, the growth in physical fitness will be incredibly slow in the short term.
Actually, with Young Master's current strength, fighting a hundred Muggles without using magic might be difficult, but he could still emerge unscathed from fighting fifty.
However, against true experts, it would be a different story. For example, the King of Assassins in the Muggle world, or the special forces elites in the military.
Their skills were forged in hundreds of battles. If you were to face them with the same physique, you might not last ten minutes before being defeated."
Hearing this, Aaron's temper flared instantly.
Ten minutes? Who are you looking down on?
He pointed his sword at Jeans and said with a serious expression, "How about we have a match first? See if I can last more than ten minutes."
Jeans raised an eyebrow and said with a slight difficulty, "Isn't that inappropriate?"
"It's very appropriate, just a friendly spar!
I'll go easy on you." Aaron saw hesitation on Jeans' face and immediately added, "You can go all out, but you can't refuse."
"Alright! Since Young Master you've put it that way, I suppose I can only agree."
"Aren't you going to use a weapon?"
Jeans shrugged and took a long saber from the rack. "This will do! I'm ready."
"Then I won't hold back."
Aaron raised his sword and walked towards Jeans step by step, the tip of his sword scraping a line of sparks on the floor.
He had waited a long time for this chance to openly beat up the butler. After him, it would be the six bodyguards. He wouldn't be doing justice to their more than ten years of secret protection—no, secret surveillance—if he didn't give them a good thrashing.
However, the butler had, after all, taken good care of him, so he still had to save him some face and not let him be too embarrassed.
Just as Aaron was thinking about how to respect the old and cherish the young, Jeans dropped his weapon and very skillfully pulled out a brown wand.
Before Aaron could react, a white light struck him.
Bang!
The long sword in Aaron's hand fell to the ground, and he stumbled back several steps.
"This is a small lesson. Don't underestimate your enemies, and don't imagine them to be such noble gentlemen," Jeans said calmly, putting away his wand.
"I never realized you were this kind of person before," Aaron gritted his teeth, his face full of indignation. "No martial ethics!"
"My Young Master, weren't you the one who lacked martial ethics first!
I said that if you were to face an expert with the same physique, you wouldn't last ten minutes, but my physical fitness is still far from yours, Young Master.
Moreover, my original intention was to remind you that there are always people stronger than you, and you shouldn't become arrogant just because you have some strength, but Young Master, you didn't seem to have any intention of letting me finish my sentence.
And most, most importantly…" Jeans paused, his expression somewhat forlorn as he sighed, "Young Master has grown up, his wings have hardened, but if you want to hit me, at least find a decent reason!"
Aaron's face flushed, and he said awkwardly, "Was I that obvious?"
Jeans nodded seriously, noncommittal.
"Young Master, you might not have noticed, but when you walked over with your sword just now, you had a particularly twisted smile.
I personally suggest you go see Lord Flo for a psychological consultation later. We still need to prevent problems before they arise!"
"Uh… that's not urgent.
Let's talk about the second stage of training first!"
"Alright." Jeans smiled calmly. "The second stage is about adapting to various extreme environments.
The future is full of uncertainties, and the battle environment won't always be in a training room.
Erupting volcanoes, falling cliffs, collapsing glaciers, and even chaotic urban areas, etc., all could be battlefields."
Gulp!
Aaron swallowed, saying incredulously, "You mean I have to go to these places next?"
"Yes." Jeans took a gray key engraved with the number two from a string of keys. "So, Young Master, are you ready?"
Aaron:...Can I say no?