Warlord Of Chaos

Not long after Steelberg had left, the scarlet beads popped into Han Jin's mind. He got up and fumbled around with his clothes, but could only find one beneath him; the others were all gone. "Maybe Steelberg has them," he thought to himself. With some more considerations, Han Jin decided to stand up with the help of the wall behind him.

Although he had already completely absorbed the energy of the bread, it was far from enough; he would need to eat at least seven or eight more of the same bread to acc.u.mulate even one unit of energy. In the world where he came from, the popularization of computers had made life digitized. But ninety years ago, his master had created a set of digitized cultivating methods, using Yuan as its basic energy unit. Ten thousand Yuan equaled one Jia, ten thousand Jia equaled one Xuan, and ten thousand Xuan made up one Tai Yi. If someone successfully acc.u.mulated ten thousand Tai Yi, then they would achieve what was called an immortal body, similar to Han Jin's master! The most astonishing part was that this method had no bottleneck, and as long as one had enough resources, he or she could absorb energy with the same speed, regardless of which level he or she was in, except at the beginning while building a basis. One could always absorb energy equal to zero point one percent of what one already possessed per day, and therefore, the more energy one had, the faster one could absorb.

As a good boy, industrious in studying and improving himself, the extreme efficiency of this method was what had attracted Han Jin to cultivating. After merely several days of practicing, he had acc.u.mulated significant amounts of energy, which had made him extremely confidant in his future. But at the time, he hadn't known that his master had chosen him from a crowd of thousands due to his affinity toward energy. In the jargon of the cultivation field, he had the 'root of wisdom'. An ordinary person would not be able to sense the subtle shifts in energy as easily as he did. 

Though Han Jin had only absorbed a small amount of energy, it was enough to support him for a few steps. Han Jin stretched and walked towards the direction where Steelberg had left, aiming to find out more about this completely strange world and the whereabouts of those red beads. A red bead contained almost twenty or thirty yuan of energy, and although he could not absorb them right now, he could do so in a few months after he had acc.u.mulated a certain amount of basic energy in his body from normal food. Zero point one percent was only a safe amount, and one could absorb as much as one percent, but that would become dangerous. Anyway, this was not the right moment for him to be over cautious and indecisive; he must restore his power as soon as possible.

Radon Town was very small, and Han Jin found himself in a cornfield at the edge of the town with only a few minutes' walk. No sign of Steelberg there. Suddenly, a wave of children's laughter drew his attention. He turned around and saw a flock of children playing a horse riding game. Though an actual riding horse was definitely dangerous for kids, this one was different, because the "horse" they were riding was actually a boy.

That boy was none other than his sole servant, Steelberg, who was crawling on the ground with a young boy of about thirteen or fourteen on his back. Several other kids ran in front of him, seemingly baiting him with something.

The rider was extraordinarily fat - at least seventy five kilograms in weight - while Steelberg was thin and fragile. The weight was clearly too painful for Steelberg to bear, as he wobbled with every step. The uneven ride seemed to have annoyed the the fat boy, who started to beat Steelberg's b.u.t.t with a stick. 

When those kids started to run in the opposite direction, Hanjin finally saw what they were using to bait Steelberg. It was a piece of bread! At that moment, memories from an unknown place flooded into Han Jin's mind like a tide. This body he was using now was named Raphael, a sorehead aristocrat whose parents died very early and left him the family business at the age of fifteen. This naive juvenile knew nothing about running a business, and was too lazy to learn. Within three years, he squandered all of his family fortune and was immediately left homeless.

The only property Raphael had left was Steelberg, a servant who had served him since childhood. Though Steelberg had many shortcomings, and also made undeniable contributions to Raphael's homeless status, he was definitely a loyal servant! Even though they had fallen to beggars, Raphael still couldn't overcome his laziness to start doing something for a living, leaving all burdens to fall upon Steelberg's vulnerable shoulders. Unfortunately, he grew up with his good-for-nothing young master; Steelberg didn't have a skill he could make a living out of. The only option left for him was to beg or entertain others at the cost of his self-esteem.

Raphael knew nothing about what Steelberg did for him, nor cared about Steelberg's sufferings as long as he had something to eat. But Han Jin was not Raphael, and he immediately realized how much his servant must have been suffering.

Meanwhile, Steelberg was too tired to move even one more step. He stopped there and gasped for breath. Another boy got closer to Steelberg and teased him with the bread in hand. To his surprise, Steelberg suddenly dove forward and snatched the bread out of his hand. This matched with the memories in Han Jin's head; Steelberg was not a fool, and had his own tricks. 

The kids broke out in laughter. The fat boy on Steelberg's back jumped down with a swear and kicked his waist. The force of the kick made Steelberg fall flat on his back, but he still managed to keep his hands in front of his c.h.e.s.t like a puppy. He then put on a flattering smile. Clearly, Steelberg was used to this and knew how to protect himself while also winning favor from his oppressors.

More laugher. Han Jin lowered his head, and raised it again a moment later. In that instant, it was as if he had become a completely different person. Even though he was still in shabby clothes, his fragile frame was now surrounded by some kind of powerful aura, one as sharp as the edge of an unsheathed sword.

"Go!" The fat boy waved his hand.

Steelburg immediately climbed up and rushed toward the direction of the market, but froze after a few steps when he came face to face with Han Jin.

Without a word, Han Jin turned and walked away. Steelberg followed tightly behind him, looking like a pup who had just caused trouble for his master. He feared that his young master would blame him for his disgraceful behavior, even though to everyone else, there was nothing graceful about Raphael to begin with after he had lost his family fortune and his status. Despite all that, Steelberg, raised as a family slave since he was little, would always and forever treat Raphael as his one and only master. 

"Young Master..." a low voice came out tentatively, breaking the silence.

Han Jin turned his head to look at Steelberg and let out a sigh, not knowing what to say. After all, the one who was shamed was not himself, but his poor servant. He tried to utter some words of comfort, but could find nothing that was proper. In the end, he could only pat the dust off Steelberg's shoulder to show his gratitude.

"Young Master, you..." Steelberg timidly slightly dodged backwards at Han Jin's intimate gesture. Regardless of the extravagant life before or the impoverished life at present, Steelberg had never forgotten about his position, nor would he ever attempt to shirk his duty.

"Look at yourself; your face is so dirty." A bitter smile crept onto Han Jin's face, and he continued, "Is there water nearby? A river? I can see my own face just by looking at yours. We are probably both dirty as hell right now."

"River?" Steelberg stared at his young master, startled. " Did you forget that the Emerald River belongs to Lord Manhanna? Last time we attempted to take a bath in the river, we were..."

"Last time was last time. Besides, we could run faster," Han Jin interrupted.

"Ok," muttered Steelberg.

The two slowly made their way towards the market, back to the broken wall where everything had started. Han Jin sat back in his spot, while Steelberg sat down at his side. The two fell into silence again. Han Jin didn't talk because he had just received the memories of the previous owner of this body, while Steelberg was to afraid to say something in fear of annoying his young master.

After a long time, Steelberg finally muttered, "Those little brats are getting worse by the day."

"Why do you say that?" Han Jin seized the opportunity to break the awkward silence and asked naturally.

"They used to give me bread as long as I called them "young master," but today… Damn it, they will get what's coming for them one day!" Steelberg grumbled with hatred on his face.

"Don't go begging at their feet again," Han Jin said in a calm and slow voice. Unlike Steelberg, Han Jin knew very well how awful human beings were. No matter how poor he had become, he was still an aristocraft. The kids were definitely trying to make themselves feel important by having Steelberg, the servant of an aristocrat, call them "young masters." Tormenting and bullying him probably made them feel even more satisfied. And naturally, they would start to want more after a while. That was also human nature: things would eventually become dull after the initial thrill had passed. As the idiom goes, 'After taking an inch, one would always try to reach for a yard.' Besides, Steelberg never fought back, which no doubt encouraged the kids even more.

"Heh? Then how can we..."

"Leave it to me," Han Jin interrupted. Even though he didn't let Steeberg finish, he knew what he was going to say; if neither of them went begging, they would die from hunger eventually.

Steelberg stared at Han Jin with an astonished expression. Suddenly, he felt as if this young master in front of him was a complete stranger.

"Have you eaten anything today?" Since the two were now living a terrible and poor life, three meals a day was a dream they could not afford. They should be grateful to have anything to eat at all. 

"Ah..." Steelberg stuttered and passed the bread in his hand to Han Jin. However, his hands froze halfway as he remembered the shame he went through to get it. Now, he didn't know whether it was proper to give it to his master or not.

Han Jin took the bread, gave it a bite, and again asked, "Have you eaten today?" He meant to spare this bread for Steelberg but was afraid that the gesture would hurt his feelings.

Hearing this, a big smile crept on Steelberg's face. He kept nodding his head and repeated, "Yes Young Master, I have had so much and I am almost stuffed now." After he said that, Steelberg even deliberately belched.

But Han Jin wasn't fooled. He had long been aware of the importance of details and observing them. Whether you wanted to inspire someone, trick someone, or see through someone's lie, details were always the most crucial part. In other words, details could be the difference between success and failure! Luckily for him, Han Jin had always been keen on observing details, which easily allowed him to see through Steelberg in this instance.

The bread was split into two parts and the larger one was passed back to Steelberg. "Eat more. You need nutrition since you are still growing."

"But..." Again, Steelberg was stunned.

"Eat. That's an order," said Han Jin in a serious tone.

Steelberg took the bread with trembling hands, carefully turned it around, and nibbled it with tears shedding down along his cheeks like two trickles of a stream.

"Why are you crying?" Han Jin frowned.

"Nothing; it's just, Young Master, you are too good to me," sobbed Steelberg.

Although his body was weak, Han Jin was definitely not an average person by any means. Even before this life, he hid shrewdness and ingenuity under his carefree behavior. However, at this moment, Hanjin was awestruck, and even thought Steelberg was being sarcastic. Who was being good to who now?

Han Jin took a long time to recollect his thoughts. After Steelberg had finished the bread, he took out the red bead and asked, "Steelberg, did you see this kind of bead when you found me almost dead?"

"No, Young Master, when I saw you lying on the ground unconscious, I was scared out of my wits and thought you were..."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, Young Master. Very sure." Steelberg seemed to understand suddenly why his master had told him to stop begging. "So, Young Master, you want to exchange this magic crystal for food, don't you?"

"Magic crystal? How much is it worth?"

"Not very much; it's from the long-ear rabbit, a holy animal of the lowest grade, and it's useless to magicians. But this crystal is beautiful in its color and shape; moreover, the fire element it contains is rare, making it safer to be made as jewelry."

"A holy animal of the lowest grade? Rare fire element?" Han Jin picked out the key information in Steelberg's answer. "Do you mean that magic crystals from high grade holy animals will contain more fire elements?"

"How could magic crystals all be the same? There are many kinds of holy animals, thus their magic crystals are also different. Some contain the element of fire, some contain the element of water, and others... How could you not know this? Are you ok, Young Master?" Steelberg glanced at Han Jin up and down as if he were looking at a totally strange man.

"Oh, my head hit against the ground when I fell unconscious, and I am still dizzy right now; I almost forgot who you were just now." Han Jin gave a bitter smile. Though he shouldn't have said so much, Steelberg's information was so important that he had to make it clear.

"Are you alright, Young Master?" Hearing the word "hit," Steelberg nervously asked again.

"I am fine; maybe just need some rest. You were saying…?" Han Jin shook his head.

Steelberg told him everything he knew, but his knowledge was limited to begin with. Fortunately, Han Jin's comprehensive skill was great, and by the end of it, he had a better understanding of this strange world.

"Well, what kind of magic crystal contains the most element?"

"Those from giant dragons, of course." Steelberg grinned and continued, "Stop daydreaming, young master; we can't afford a single one of those even if we sell this whole town."

Han Jin fell into deep thought, his hands trembling with excitement. If even the magic crystals from a long-ear rabbit had dozens of energy, then how much energy would the magic crystals from higher grade holy animals contain? Not to mention those from giant dragons! As for the difficulties of hunting a giant dragon, Han Jin didn't care at all. By the time he tried to hunt a giant dragon, his own energy would have surpassed that of the giant dragon by a hundred or even a thousandfold. After all, only then could he absorb so much energy safely. Since energy was a basis for power, what did he have to worry about when the energy within him far surpassed his enemy? Of course, he needed to start acc.u.mulating energy before he could even think about getting to that point. At present, even the energy of a magic crystal from a long-ear rabbit was out of his reach, let alone that from higher grade holy animals.

"Go and sell this crystal in exchange for some bread." Han Jin put the bead in Steelberg's hand. The only thing he needed right now was food. The more the better.