A dull longsword and a heartbroken villager

"Is there anything you need me to relay?" Bray asked after a long pause.

"Tell Sister Lizbern not to deprive herself of food, to eat well if she can, and not to think only of the children."

“She should take better care of herself sometimes. If she’s not feeling well, the children will worry.” Even though he hadn’t seen Sister Lizbern for a long time, he seemed to know everything that had happened to her.

“These should be enough to get her some money. Please give them to her for me. At this time... the nuns and children must be having a hard time.” The priest took some beads from his pocket.

A very small number of monsters can condense these magical crystals.

The formation principle of this thing is quite similar to that of gallstones, so it is not particularly common, but these crystals can be used as a substitute for magic crystals and have some value.

The safe zone is indeed lacking in energy, so the demand for crystals inside these monsters is quite high, and they can be traded for a lot of money on the market if nothing unexpected happens.

"Are you sure she knows how to sell?" Bray asked, somewhat doubtful.

"Don't underestimate Sister Lizbern," the priest chuckled.

Bray nodded, then silently took Levy's hand and left the station.

Luo Shiqi and the man were still in a daze when they came to their senses and saw that Bray had walked far away.

Seriously, how can they be so unreasonable? They didn't even say goodbye before leaving.

Forced into a corner, the two, who had just been cured, could only jog to catch up.

“I told you not to walk too fast,” Father Thun said irritably, then looked at the empty ruins alone.

Dinner... seems to be out of the question. We'll have to wait until Bray brings food tomorrow. The safe zone in the capital is much larger than Luo Shiqi had imagined.

Luo Shiqi originally thought that every safe zone was pretty much the same, but the orderly scene shocked him.

Such order was commonplace when various cities still existed.

But in the apocalypse, this order seems quite unbelievable.

Although chaos can still be felt here, it's much better than Luo Shiqi's original safe zone.

He stood there blankly at the entrance to the safe zone, forgetting to think.

Bray glanced at the kid, but didn't leave; he just stood there and sized him up.

This kid is precocious; this era is indeed the cruelest for children.

After the kid and the other man followed Bray to the safe zone, they parted ways.

The two weren't exactly close friends to begin with, so they didn't hesitate to say goodbye at all.

The man, in particular, immediately began looking for a way to make a living after arriving at the safe zone.

Before leaving, the man finally said something polite: "Thank you."

After most of the day had passed, Bray finally heard this sentence, which left him speechless.

But the unfamiliar man ran away, and Luo Shiqi was still standing there, still in a daze.

"If you want to make a living, you might be able to find something in the residential area."

"You can join the exploration team, or just do odd jobs," Bray suggested to the kid.

The exploration team faced danger, and doing odd jobs was exhausting.

There is no easy job these days, and no millionaire can rest easy here.

How should I put it... the current situation is a bit primitive; only through labor or "hunting" can one survive.

Luo Shiqi heard what Bray said, but he didn't leave. Instead, he looked at Bray with a complicated expression.

“I’m not some great philanthropist who raises brats I don’t know.” Bray glanced at Luo Shiqi.

Don't assume he's the kind of guy who adopts poor kids all the time. While he wouldn't abandon someone in distress, he's not overflowing with kindness either.

There are so many pitiful little devils in this apocalypse that it's impossible to count them all. If Bray were to show mercy to each one he sees, he probably wouldn't have enough money no matter how much he had.

If you can't even properly care for your own pet, don't expect him to raise another one that's just freeloading.

"Can you teach me?" Luo Shiqi suddenly stared at Bray with a very eager look.

A question mark slowly appeared in Bray's dead fish eyes.

Teach? Teach what? He was completely bewildered by Luo Shiqi's question.

"It's the same ability you had when you dealt with the monsters," the little boy said earnestly.

Oh... this.

"That's not an ability, that's swordsmanship," Bray said irritably. Although the effects of "Wind God Style" were somewhat magical, it was still pure swordsmanship, without a trace of magic.

"This is it, this is what I want to learn," Luo Shiqi said after pondering for a long time.

Ever since he saw Bray defeat all the monsters with a single sword strike, he had felt an urge to learn that skill from Bray.

In this era, what can guarantee a person's survival? Strength.

That's right, it's the ability to walk freely in the wasteland. In this era of returning to "primitiveness," savagery is actually the best way to survive.

He thought that if he could face those monsters, he would naturally be able to find more resources in the wasteland.

"Huh?" Bray looked at Luo Shiqi in surprise. This impolite brat's words were so shocking.

Bray was completely unprepared when Bray suddenly offered to teach him swordsmanship.

But Bray soon figured out Rox XVII's motives.

I estimate that Luo Shiqi would feel the urge to learn from any strong person he sees.

This desire to learn is good, but it's a little impolite.

Bray could sense a strong desire in Rox XVII, and the purpose was quite simple—to survive.

"I'll do anything, as long as I can become like you," Luo Shiqi said, making a rather naive statement.

Upon hearing this, Bray once again sighed that this precocious brat was still a brat at heart.

“You’re overthinking it. You can’t become like me,” Bray said quietly.

He wasn't denying Luo Shiqi's talent, because he had never witnessed Luo Shiqi's genius.

Similarly, he wasn't showing off how strong he was; he knew his own strength was somewhat impressive.

Bray was simply stating a fact.

“I can’t teach my stuff to others,” Bray said casually, completely forgetting that he had previously thought of teaching Nia the “Eighteen Styles of Style.”

"Besides, think about it yourself, who would agree to your request?" Bray said helplessly.

Luo Shiqi was indeed precocious, but his emotional intelligence didn't seem to have increased much as a result, probably because he rarely socialized.

Anyway, that kid's behavior of immediately asking others to teach him things will almost certainly fail 99% of the time.

It would be the same even if the person in front of him wasn't Bray.

Luo Shiqi stood there, stunned, seemingly lost in thought.

"As for money, I'll find a way to earn it..."

"If your attitude is bad, I will try to change it," Luo Shiqi said sincerely after a minute of silence.

Their attitude was much better than before, but it was too late.

Of course, even though he was very nice at first, Bray didn't intend to teach him.

“I don’t intend to teach anyone swordsmanship. I’m not a swordsmanship instructor, nor am I a teacher.” Bray glanced sideways at Luo Shiqi.

"In short, if you want to make a living, one option is to go to the Adventurers' Guild and take on quests that might result in death, and the other is to go to the center of the safe zone and do some grueling odd jobs."

After saying that, Bray waved his hand and left with Levy without looking back.

Bray was afraid that if he stayed any longer, Luo Shiqi would continue to pester him.

Seeing someone's skill level and immediately wanting to become their apprentice is just too real.

People can be very selfish; they often keep secrets and are even afraid that others will surpass them.

The important point is that not everyone is qualified to teach others. "A teacher for a day is a father for life," and this responsibility is quite heavy.

Many people may call themselves teachers, but whether they are truly teachers or not, the facts will tell.

“Brave, why does he want to learn from you?” Levy asked curiously as she walked to Bray’s left.

The child seemed to have a very strong urge to learn things, which puzzled Levy.

“He learns things to survive; these days, the more you learn, the greater your chances of survival,” Bray said casually.

Bray didn't dislike this motivation; after all, everyone is like that, and driven by such motivation, the kid would probably learn things very quickly.

"But I don't intend to teach swordsmanship to others."

"What about Nia?" Levy asked a very serious question =V=.

“Nia is my own daughter, she’s different,” Bray said matter-of-factly.

“…” Bray sat on the peeling wooden stool, looking at the boy in front of him without saying a word.

Tsk, Bray would rather call this guy a brat.

Luo Shiqi stood expressionless in front of Bray, his eyes unwavering.

Steadfast...steadfast my foot! This guy followed him all the way to his vicinity, and he wasn't moved at all.

Even the idea that sincerity can move mountains is a lie; Bray didn't even feel the slightest bit of "opening" in it.

He just wanted this unfamiliar brat to leave as soon as possible.

"I want to learn your skills," Luo Shiqi said in a deep voice as he slowly knelt on the ground.

“Your knees are worthless…” Bray sighed.

"It's a pity, even if you do that, I won't teach you anything." His tone was full of deep helplessness.

What gave Luo Shiqi the illusion that he would be worn down into agreeing?

Bray had made up his mind; if Luo Shiqi continued to pester him, he would strike him down with his sword.

Don't worry, Bray has absolute confidence in his control of force; it's impossible for anyone to die.

"Little Seventeen, do you want to eat this?" Naruko, holding Nia, squatted down next to Luo Seventeen and gave him a slightly yellow steamed bun.

"I'll eat it." Luo Shiqi took the steamed bun and started eating it while still kneeling.

"..." Bray glared fiercely at Naruko. This Luo Shiqi was such an annoying brat, and Naruko even brought him food.

"You actually glared at Nia!?" Naruko looked at Bray in shock and said in an incredulous tone.

"I didn't..." Bray managed to suppress the urge to vomit blood and offered an explanation.

"Baba?" Nia, in Naruko's arms, looked at Bray with an innocent expression.

Bray covered his face, feeling a bit desperate. It seemed that Nia had believed Naruko's lies.

"Please chew this book," Luo Shiqi continued, chewing on his steamed bun.

“I decided a long time ago that I would no longer teach swordsmanship to anyone.” Bray put away all his expressions and looked coldly at Luo Shiqi.

He won't easily waver on a decision he's made.

From that day on, Bray had no intention of teaching anyone anything, no matter who they were or what they had done.

He felt he was not qualified to be a mentor, and that it was better to let an innocent child grow on his own than to let him die because of bad guidance.

Perhaps growing like weeds would be better than being guided by oneself.

"Bang, bang, does that mean Nia can't learn either?" Nia in Naruko's arms was so aggrieved that she was about to cry QAQ.

Baba said he would teach Nia swordsmanship, but now Baba says he won't.

Will Nia never have the chance to learn again?

Thinking of this, Nia couldn't help but bury her face in her mother's chest... feeling wronged.

"Dead fish eyes, you made Nia cry!" Naruko glared at Bray and said angrily.

"..."

“Nia is different; Daddy teaches you everything,” Bray said softly.

"Really?" Nia turned her face away slightly and tried to ask.

“Really,” Bray said earnestly.