"Aren't you learning a bit too fast?" Watching as Snow spent only half a day to perfectly memorize both the breathing and exercise methods, Mordred's face showed an expression of disbelief.
Although he had taught quite a few Beyonders and some had indeed been fast learners,for instance, those from the Machinery Hivemind had incredible memories and never forgot a detail once told,they still required a lot of practice to link that knowledge with their physical movements.
Someone like Snow, who could integrate the breathing method into his natural breathing after just a few practice rounds, was truly someone he was meeting for the first time.
"My sequence is quite suited for subjects that require 'habits'." Snow smiled, but his mind was already contemplating under what pretext he should bestow this breathing method upon Victory, Honor, and Gabriel.
The [Bestowal-Prayer] system he had developed based on his Sefirah had two drawbacks: first, it required prior preparation, and second, the physical constitution of the prayer-callers couldn't compare to that of full Beyonders.
The former could be somewhat compensated for with methods like divination, but the latter could only be addressed through [Training Reinforcement],an application of his [Concept Swapping] ability.
However, the effect of [Training Reinforcement] worked by distorting the definition of a "limit." In other words, while adding this ability allowed for infinite physical improvement through exercise, the effect of each individual workout wasn't necessarily stronger than that of a normal person.
The Knight Breathing Method and Knight Exercise Method undoubtedly gave him a new choice. These methods could quickly bring a person to their physical peak. Combined with the effects of [Training Reinforcement] to break limits and cancel out diminishing returns, he could rapidly build up his believers' physical stats.
Based on Snow's actual experience, one could likely achieve a Sequence 9-level physique in about half a month, and reach Sequence 8 levels in just two months.
Of course, if one wanted to rely on this to grind physical stats up to Sequence 5 or even the demigod level, the time required would be measured in centuries. But for now, it was enough.
Today was September 4th, 1349. In two and a half months, Klein would only be a Sequence 7 Magician. Meanwhile, Snow would be able to pull together a team of Beyonders with Sequence 8-level physiques who could also perform Sequence 7 or even Sequence 6-tier spells. Thinking about it, it was quite "overpowered."
"That's exactly why I charge per project!" Mordred didn't know what Snow was smiling about, but seeing that smug face made him want to throw a punch.
Muttering a couple of words in dissatisfaction, Mordred grabbed two knight's heavy swords from a nearby rack and tossed one to Snow, "Although I don't know why you'd want to learn swordsmanship in this era, since you want to learn, let's go!"
Snow caught the sword but paused for a moment. He leaned the blade aside and said, "Wait a moment..."
"What is it? You wouldn't happen to be..." Mordred was about to say something when he suddenly felt a gust of chilly wind. Then, he found a letter had appeared in Snow's hand.
"Makes me almost want to get a bottle of potion and try it ourselves," Mordred muttered, then stabbed his sword into the ground.
"I'm going over there to grab some water. Call me when you're done!"
"Okay." Snow nodded and found a random spot to sit in the courtyard. He then tore open the envelope in his hand.
"To the Esteemed Mr. Devil:"
"I am Sherlock Moriarty, who once completed a transaction with you. I hope you still remember me."
"To complete that Great Being's task, I have just arrived in Backlund."
"I am writing this letter to you primarily in the hope of obtaining some assistance regarding intelligence. I wonder if it would be convenient for us to meet?"
"Your friend, Sherlock Moriarty."
...
'Oh? Mr. Fool has already arrived in Backlund? This is quite a bit earlier than in the original story!' Snow pulled a matchbox from his jacket and burned the letter along with the envelope, his expression turning somewhat strange.
'Since he's already using the pseudonym Sherlock Moriarty, it means Mr. Fool still hasn't escaped the fate of "death." However, I didn't expect him to seek my help in the capacity of a "Blessed of the Fool"... Mmm, perhaps it's because of my protection of Miss Justice that he feels I have a way to help him block Ince Zangwill... or rather, 0-08's monitoring?'
Thinking of this, Snow lightly tapped the table's edge and began to ponder.
'What's certain is that my receiving this letter at this specific time is likely not a coincidence. Given that Klein knows I'm a member of the Aurora Order on the surface, he certainly wouldn't rashly write or show up at my door.
'Therefore, the timing of this letter's delivery was likely determined through his divination. In other words, at any other time, his letter would have likely drawn Mr. A's attention.
'Conversely, our meeting cannot be as conspicuous as it was with Xio; I can't meet him at my house. Instead, I need to choose a relatively less eye-catching location.'
Having reasoned this far, Snow had an idea. He pulled a calling card and a fountain pen from his pocket and quickly wrote a line of text on the back:
"September 4th, 7:00 PM, Backlund Bridge District, Braveheart Bar."
After writing, Snow pulled out a small silver bell and shook it gently. Dodo immediately emerged from the shadows.
"Give this to the person who had the letter delivered." Snow handed the card to Dodo. Before Dodo could even take a clear look, he had already vanished along with the card.
"He truly is an impatient one." Snow shook his head and tucked the silver bell back into his breast pocket. This wasn't a mystical item like Azik's copper whistle; in reality, it was just a small bell Snow had bought by the roadside. However, under the effect of his [Concept Swapping] ability, he had easily associated "shaking the bell" with "summoning the messenger," allowing him to summon Dodo with a simple movement.
"Finished?" Sensing something, or perhaps simply smelling the scent of burning paper, Mordred reappeared in Snow's vision. It wasn't hard to see the delicate mind beneath his rugged exterior.
"Mmm. Some business regarding Beyonder matters; I *am* an information dealer, after all," Snow said candidly. Then, as if recalling something, he asked, "You just said you wanted to try a bottle of potion? I happen to have a few formulas here. I can give them to you at cost!"
"..." Mordred seemingly hadn't expected Snow to suddenly say such a thing. His expression looked conflicted, but after a brief moment of thought, he still shook his head, "Better not. That potion stuff is too dangerous. I'm not young anymore; I won't go taking risks."
"That's truly a pity." Snow shook his head. He didn't rush to proselytize, but instead picked up the practice sword leaned against the side and said, "Come on. Let's see if you can teach me Loen military swordsmanship within two hours."
Hearing this, Mordred put the thought out of his mind, grabbed his practice sword, and said, "Keep dreaming! Learn the basic swordsmanship first!"
[Translated and Rewritten by Shika Kagura]
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A/N: Sherlock Moriarty (夏洛克·莫里亚蒂) - Klein's famous pseudonym in Backlund, chosen to honor the great detectives (and villains) of Sherlock Holmes lore.
A/N: Sep 4th, 1349 - The timeline is moving faster than the original work due to Snow's influence.
T/N: "Habits" (习惯) - Refers to the Paradox pathway's affinity for patterns and conditioned responses, which helps Snow learn the Knight Breathing Method exceptionally fast.
T/N: "Training Reinforcement" (锻炼强化) - A localized name for the specific application of Snow's [Concept Swapping] ability that allows his recruits to grind physical stats without limits.
T/N: "Cured in it" (腌入味了) - A colorful way of saying the smell of gunpowder is so strong on Snow that he's practically marinated in it.