Ark of the Immortal

At that time, Melanza had not yet started practicing fencing. Her body was weak, and even the backpack she carried to class every day would sometimes make her out of breath.

And that day was the day Melantha went out to study. After returning home from get out of class, in order to be in a hurry to have a hot dinner, Melantha held an umbrella and chose a deep alley.

The teacher's residence is close to the lower city, and the sky is dark, so the gangsters who were originally in the lower city moved to the upper city.

And Melanza arrived at this alley just in time to survive. When she saw the man walking with ill intentions in front of her through the gap between the raindrops and the umbrella, she had already missed the best opportunity to escape.

The girl's fear did not overwhelm her. Faced with the gangster's rude demands, she had no choice but to hand over all the valuables on her body. Her calm and rational choice prevented Melanza from being treated badly.

Those little gangsters obviously didn't want to offend a girl who seemed to know whether she was rich or noble. They got what they wanted and planned to leave.

But before leaving, I took some time to threaten this rich lady not to call the police, otherwise the consequences would be tragic.

Fortunately, just when the gangster was saying these words, a man came towards the end of the alley.

It was this armored geek covered in black robes who had just gone to the uptown area to buy some cheap and good wood.

In order to take a shortcut, he also chose this alley. When I turned around, I happened to see those gangsters bullying a little girl.

In fact, the undead man never thought about taking care of this matter. For him, there was no value in paying attention to it.

So, the armored weirdo in black robes carried the wood on his back, came to the gangsters gathered in a circle, and spoke.

Excuse me.

The gangsters didn't understand what the undead meant. In their understanding, calling them to give way was a stupid choice in itself, let alone witnessing the blackmail scene.

After thinking for a short time, someone among these gangsters took out the dagger hidden in his waist and stabbed the armored weirdo in the body.

But the imagined injury scene did not appear. Instead, there was a goosebump-inducing sound of steel scraping.

Bah...

The blade slid backwards on the man in black robe, and also cut through the tattered black robe covering his body, revealing the armor that was already full of scars.

Then the man looked at the gangster who was attacking him and put down the wooden frame on his back.

He stretched out his right hand and pulled out the long rusty knife hanging from his back.

In the next few seconds, Melanza watched helplessly as the armored man used a rusty long knife to chop several gangsters to the ground.

Then the armored monster looked at Melanza, who was just surrounded, with his eyes hidden behind the gap in his helmet.

Are you coming?

Melanza shook her head wildly, and even the little hat on her head was thrown off.

No...no, they and I...are not together!

Um.

The armored man put away the long knife in his hand, hung it on his back, then put his lumber frame back on his back, came to Melanza standing in the middle of the road, and looked down at her.

Melanza thought the armored weirdo wanted to do something, but he just said it in a voice that sounded like a dry tree being trampled.

Excuse me.

Melanza subconsciously took a step aside, and the armored weirdo walked past Melanza and headed towards the lower city.

Melanza, who had received a good education, knew that she had been helped inadvertently, and she should at least say thank you.

That...sir?

The undead man stopped and turned to look at Melanza.

Not a word was spoken.

Melanza finally saw clearly the armor that had begun to turn black hidden under the black robe.

She mustered up her courage, saluted the undead man, and said playfully.

Thank you...thank you for your help, sir.

After a brief hesitation, she added.

Can I do anything for you...for you to repay your kindness?

The armored weirdo was silent for a while, seeming to be thinking about why the girl said she wanted to repay the favor.

Perhaps he finally realized that he had inadvertently rescued this girl. A few seconds later, the armored monster came to Melanza.

He held out his right hand.

money.

3. The teacher with five gold coins

The rusty sword struck the girl's neck. But halfway, he was blocked by a sharp straight knife and his momentum was greatly reduced.

The girl seized this hard-won opportunity and used a sharp straight knife to slash the hand of the tachi wielder, hoping to force the enemy to release the weapon.

But the sword was suddenly withdrawn. The sword holder stepped forward along the left path, holding the sword in his right hand, and touched the girl's neck lightly from bottom to top.

Melanza's sword-drawing hand froze, then slowly withdrew it.

The undead man took two steps back and watched the girl in front of him stand upright.

progress.

The undead man nodded, he saw the girl's progress. Even though he only blocked one of his own attacks. But I finally saw clearly the trajectory of my sword, but I just didn't know how to defend after getting close to him.

Swing the sword, a hundred times, don't forget.

After saying this, the undead man came to sit next to the fire, put the rusty sword aside, and stared at the bonfire again without speaking.

He has been like this all year round. As long as no one is looking for him, he can sit by the bonfire and stare at the bonfire all day without knowing what he is thinking.

The undead man selected a piece of wood from the pile of wood next to him and threw it into the fire in front of him. The wood that had just burned out immediately received enough firewood and continued to burn.

Melanza looked at the undead man's back. She was young and couldn't understand what kind of back it was. But she could only feel the hole under the undead man's armor. His heart seemed to have been hollowed out, leaving nothing behind.

Melanza's relationship with the undead is limited to hiring and being hired. Even the title Teacher in Melantha's mouth is Melantha's own habit.

At that time, after Melanza gave the only pocket money she had to the undead man, the undead man turned around and left. But in Melanza's memory, the figure turning away has been deeply imprinted in her mind.

Later, after Melanza began to learn fencing, she met an undead man again in the upper city. She mustered up the courage to catch up with him and grabbed him by the hem of his black robe.

The undead man carrying firewood stopped and turned to look at the girl holding his clothes.

He obviously recognized the little girl, the child he casually rescued last time.

The immortal asked angrily.

Want, help?

Melanza looked at the undead man and shook her head. She just wanted to say hello to the armored geek. After all, she didn't even say a few words last time.

I just want to thank you again. Melanza thanked her sincerely.

Um.

The undead man hummed, then stared at Melantha. He thought for a while and then spoke again.

Really, no difficulty?

? What Melantha didn't know was that the pocket money she gave last time allowed the undead to buy a week's worth of good wood in the upper city.

In the immortal's increasingly rigid mind, Melanza had transformed from a girl into money.

And lots and lots of good wood.

If Melantha encounters any difficulties, the undead will be happy to help.

As long as she is willing to pay.

Melantha didn't understand why the undead kept insisting on their own difficulties.

Why do you want to help me?

Because, money.

The undead man spoke honestly.

The cat's ears drooped, looking a little listless. Melanza was a little disappointed. She thought this gentleman had a helpful character, but she didn't expect that he was doing it for money.

But she saw the scratched armor on the undead body and the shabby black robe.

The robe that was scratched when he rescued her last time had not been replaced, and the piece of fabric was still hanging in the air, as well as dust and burnt marks.

Although the people living in the Lower Town are still residents of Victoria, many are running around for their own livelihoods, abandoning some of the elegance and etiquette of the Victorians. But they had to do this in order to survive.

Melantha didn't know what kind of life the poor people in the lower city lived, but she occasionally heard about it.

The black bread was full of crumbs, and even the corn soup was as bland as water.

Come to think of it, Mr. Immortal must be working hard to survive, right?

In the eyes of the girl, the undead man's body hidden under the armor has turned into a middle-aged man in lower Victoria, who helps people calm down, or occasionally gets into fights, and gets corresponding rewards.

The cat's ears stood up.

Melanza only felt that the undead were pitiful.

Although I am very grateful...I appreciate your idea of ​​helping me, sir, but...

Melanza is powerless. She cannot give money to the immortal for no reason. Without any reward for labor, it is the best way to breed greed in people's hearts. Although she didn't think the undead would be like that, she still abided by this rule.

At the same time, she did not think that the undead would accept such a reward that seemed like charity.

Um.

The undead man nodded, he understood, the girl did not need help.

So he turned and left.

He was in a hurry and the bonfire was extinguished when he returned late.

The second encounter between the two ended peacefully.

It wasn't until some time after Melanza was learning fencing that she experienced an attack.

During that attack, Melanza witnessed her father being scratched on the arm by the thugs.

But the girl who picked up the duel rapier and wanted to use the knowledge she learned to protect her family was knocked down by a simple swing.

It was later learned that this was a botched attack on Melanza's family, with the goal of injuring her parents, who ran a perfume business, and preventing them from attending an important meeting.

But if the hired guards hadn't helped Melantha block the subsequent attack, Melantha might have had an extra scar on her face.

It was at that time that Melanza understood that the duel she learned was basically for performance, and the teacher chosen by her parents did not teach her real fighting skills. Even if you can indeed strengthen your body, if you encounter another attack, your ability to resist is still limited.

Therefore, when she met the armored weirdo carrying lumber on the street for the third time and preparing to return to the lower city from the upper city, Melanza chased after him again and grabbed the hem of the undead's shabby black robe.

The undead man turned around and looked at the little girl holding on to his clothes. he asks.

difficulty?

Be concise and to the point.

Melanza was also very determined. Among the people she knew, the most powerful one was the armored weirdo in front of her who always wore armor and never showed up in the lineup.

the girl asked.

Sir...can you teach me how to fight?

? The undead man was obviously confused about this question.

The girl quickly added another sentence.

I will give you money! Based on the price of one class per week, five gold coins!

Five gold coins!

The undead man's pupils hidden behind his armor shrank.

The bundle of wood behind him only cost two gold coins, which was enough for him to burn for several days!

As long as you coach me once a week! Melanza said eagerly. I want to have the ability to protect myself and my family!

The undead man's sluggish eyes suddenly became sharp, and he looked at Melanza. The girl's eyes were full of determination, and what maintained such a firm look was her determination to stand alone.

good.

The undead man nodded in agreement.

For five gold coins.