blueteamnovel Chapter 6 The Leaky Leader
Chapter 6 The Leaky Leader
The next morning, a gloomy and strange atmosphere permeated the lower deck.
The clamor and bloodshed of yesterday have dissipated, but the invisible barrier, accompanied by the whispers around us, is even stronger than yesterday.
The other trainees around him were avoiding Li Ang. Li Ang knew that as Matthew's "prey," no one else dared to get too close to him.
Soon the order to assemble sounded, which was the order to eat. They went to a slightly larger cabin on the fourth floor to have their meal.
This could barely be considered a rudimentary mess hall, with a few long wooden tables and benches fixed to the bottom of the cabin, exuding an old, decaying smell.
Soon the food was carried up by two silent sailors.
Each of the reserve apprentices received a piece of dark, hard, coarse bread that smelled sour from fermentation, and a bowl of thin oat porridge with almost every grain of wheat countable.
"Why are we still eating this?" A young nobleman pinched his nose, looking at the food in front of him, his face turning green.
Most of the others also frowned, looking as if they were having trouble swallowing.
Although they weren't exactly wealthy before, they had never eaten such coarse food before.
Not to mention they've been eating this stuff for days on end.
Li Ang silently picked up his black bread and oatmeal porridge and found a secluded spot to sit down.
He broke off a small piece, put it in his mouth, and chewed it slowly.
The rough particles rubbed against his mouth, and the sour taste made him feel nauseous, but he forced himself to swallow.
His body needs energy, especially now that he is ill.
He took a sip of oatmeal to swallow the unpalatable bread; well, this bowl of stuff was more like water than porridge.
While complaining in his heart, Li Ang began to miss his previous life. Not to mention that he had meat with every meal in his previous life, even the original owner's life before was just white bread and thick soup with meat!
He really misses the satisfaction that oil brings.
Just then, he noticed Helena across from him.
The girl who was one of the few who sympathized with Li Ang's plight yesterday and did not participate in the "bullying" was now eating her food in small, earnest bites.
Unlike the others, she didn't complain or show any disdain. Instead, she lowered her head slightly and carefully ate the bread pieces soaking in the porridge bowl, one spoonful at a time.
Feeling Li Ang's gaze, Helena looked up and her eyes met. When she saw it was Li Ang, she smiled slightly as a greeting. She had a good impression of the boy who had helped her yesterday.
Li Ang returned Helena's smile, and he also felt a certain fondness for this girl who hadn't joined in mocking and isolating him.
Suddenly, a small commotion arose at the entrance of the dining hall; Matthew had arrived.
At this time, there were still obvious bruises on his face, especially around his chin and lips. The swelling made his originally fairly handsome face look somewhat comical.
What's most striking is his slightly everted upper lip, where a noticeable gap is visible. Where a front tooth should have been, there's now nothing there.
He walked with his back straight to maintain his limited dignity, but deep in his eyes was a hint of barely concealed fear and embarrassment.
Kavi remained close behind him, his face bearing a mixture of obsequiousness and a barely perceptible hint of schadenfreude.
"Your Excellency, please have a seat."
Kavli pulled out a long bench, his voice still as loud as a work chant, but it sounded somewhat out of place in the quiet dining hall.
Matthew nodded slightly, trying his best to maintain his authority as the class leader. He slowly sat down, took the black bread handed to him by Kavi, and carefully took a bite.
A suppressed cry of pain escaped his lips.
The hard, dark bread touched the wound on his lip, making him gasp in pain.
He instinctively covered his mouth, a flash of pain and embarrassment crossing his face.
"Brother... Lord Chief, please slow down..."
Kavi quickly moved closer.
Matthew put down the bread with a gloomy face, then picked up the bowl of thin oatmeal porridge.
He scooped up a spoonful and carefully brought it to his mouth.
He endured the pain in his lips, ate a spoonful, and then... a lot more of the thin porridge flowed out from the gap in his lips.
"Pfft..." Someone in the cafeteria couldn't help but let out a very low chuckle, which they quickly suppressed.
Matthew froze instantly, his face turning pale and then red.
He suddenly looked up, his eyes scanning the crowd fiercely, trying to find the person who dared to laugh at him.
But at this moment, everyone had their heads down, pretending to be focused on the food in their bowls.
"Hmph," Matthew grunted, then spoke.
"Everyone...eat quickly, and once you're done...cough...hurry up and go back to meditate. Anyone...anyone who slows you down, don't blame me for being ruthless!"
The threatening, leaky air, coupled with his swollen cheeks and missing front teeth, greatly diminished its intimidating power.
Many of the reserve apprentices had their heads down, but their shoulders were trembling slightly.
Matthew barely ate anything, his face ashen, and he was the first to get up and leave, with Kavi quickly following behind.
As soon as he left, the atmosphere in the canteen seemed to ease a little, and the low murmurs of complaints about the food began again.
After finishing the last bite of the bland wheat porridge, Li Ang felt a slight return of strength.
He didn't linger, got up and silently left the dining hall, heading straight back to his small, dilapidated house.
Closing the door shut out the noise and musty smell from the outside world.
With the effect of 【Wind-blown Canvas】Lv1, the air circulation in the room is faster, and the air is instantly much fresher.
He sat down cross-legged and took out the book "Collection of Level 0 Spells".
The star has condensed, and my mental energy has recovered considerably; it's time to learn my first spell.
He turned the pages of the book, his gaze falling on one of the spells.
[Level 0 Spell: Breeze]
[Effect: Within the caster's mental guidance range, gathers or disperses a small area of airflow, creating a gentle breeze.]
[Spell Structure: Basic wind element symbols are outlined with stars, triggering magical resonance]
[Learning Requirements: Affinity for the wind element; at least one star must be condensed within the spiritual world]
"To converge or disperse airflow in a small area?"
Li Ang read the effect description aloud in a low voice, and a sudden thought struck him: how familiar this description was!
He subconsciously looked up, as if he could see through the layers of rotten wooden planks to the three [wind-blown sails] hanging high on the mast.
"The principle... is almost the same!" A look of surprise flashed in Li Ang's eyes.
The canvas technique uses a wind-gathering array to control airflow over a large area, while the [Gentle Breeze Technique] uses mental energy to draw runes to achieve a similar effect within a small area!
Both are essentially about guiding and shaping the flow of wind element magic, only differing in scale, medium, and level of detail.
This discovery, like a lighthouse in the darkness, instantly illuminated his path to learning magic.
He no longer needed to force himself to understand that abstract 'symbol' like other apprentices, but instead connected it with the sense of airflow control he had already 'felt' through the canvas.
Consciousness sank into the spiritual world, where the blue magic star spun obediently.