Douluo Dalu: My Martial Spirit is the Worm of Time

Chapter 2 Frostleaf City

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Old Quinn's cloudy vision carefully scanned every corner of the first floor. He didn't see anyone, nor did he see any corpses. He turned his gaze to the second floor.

"Amon…"

"Amon…"

He called out softly, pretending to be looking for someone.

There was no response, only his hoarse voice echoed in the house, like a death-urging ghost from the Yellow Springs.

Old Quinn slowly walked up the stairs. Just as he reached the halfway point, a chair flew down from above.

His expression changed, and he flung it away with his left hand.

Amon leaped down, holding a stick in his hand, the only weapon he could find temporarily.

Old Quinn stirred his soul power and stabbed the pitchfork upward fiercely.

Amon swung the wooden stick, hitting the tip of the pitchfork and blocking it.

Using the force of his leap from above, he pounced on Old Quinn.

The two of them slid down the stairs together.

Old Quinn was at the bottom, bearing most of the impact of the landing. Amon rolled away and snatched the pitchfork from the other's hand.

"Ah… my leg." Old Quinn let out a scream, clutching his left leg and wailing incessantly.

"What are you doing? I just came to borrow money… just to borrow money…"

"Is that so?" Amon calmed his breathing, which had been made ragged by the strenuous exercise. Those movements had consumed most of his remaining strength.

He picked up the kettle from the nearby table, poured a cup of water, and placed it on the ground a few steps away from Old Quinn.

"Then I'm sorry, please have a glass of water to calm your nerves."

Old Quinn looked at Amon in fear, and seeing that he had already raised the pitchfork, looking like he would die if he didn't drink, he began to cry and beg for mercy.

"Don't kill me, I was wrong… I was really wrong… please…"

Seeing that he was unwilling to drink the water, Amon confirmed his guess and stabbed him in the neck.

Old Quinn's emotions stabilized.

Amon walked to the water tank, used a ladle to scoop water and wash away the blood splattered on his body, and washed his hands again and again.

The faint stench from the pitchfork told him that it was a recently used manure fork.

Fortunately, I wasn't stabbed…

Otherwise, even if it only cut a small opening, it would leave a shadow in my heart.

Amon changed into a clean set of clothes, found a meat-cutting dagger from the cupboard, and tucked it into his waist. He was preparing to set off for Frostleaf City.

One reason was that he could get information better in the city and have more room for development, and the second was that killing Old Quinn would definitely cause a lot of trouble if he stayed in Holy Grace Village.

He had no interest in arguing and wasting time with the old rogue's family.

At the entrance of the village, Amon encountered a young man carrying a bamboo basket, wearing a jacket made of tanned deerskin.

Dimitri, the son of the village hunter, was enthusiastic and cheerful… such information automatically popped up in his mind.

Dimitri also saw Amon. He waved and smiled, "Hey, Amon, are you going to the city?"

"Are you going too?" Amon looked at him with some surprise. Although Holy Grace Village was not far from Frostleaf City, the villagers rarely went to the city unless necessary.

"Yeah. My dad hunted a wild boar and asked me to sell it. Also, the salt and matches at home are running out, so I have to buy some back." Dimitri pointed to the bamboo basket behind him with his thumb, which contained half of a slaughtered wild boar.

"Then let's go together. It's safer on the road with you, a Soul Master, accompanying me." He smiled somewhat naively and unconsciously touched the woodcutter's knife at his waist.

The road between Frostleaf City and Holy Grace Village was a vast wilderness, and ordinary wild animals such as wolves and wild boars occasionally appeared on the road, posing a small danger.

Amon was not in good condition now, so he was naturally happy to travel with someone.

He raised his hand and plucked a monocle made of a crystal-like material from the void and put it on his right eye.

This was the ability of his External Soul Bone. It could materialize soul power, turning intangible soul power into real matter. The skill itself did not consume anything; it simply gave soul power a special property.

This soul bone was very special. It was not attached to the body but to the Martial Soul!

Although it did not directly bring powerful lethality, Amon could freely transform soul power into liquid or solid transparent matter.

The materialized soul power had a certain hardness and could reduce the impact of external forces. The hardness and shock-absorbing effect were proportional to the total amount of soul power he invested.

A very good auxiliary ability! That was how Amon evaluated this soul bone skill.

Of course, what pleased him most was that he could generate a monocle anytime, anywhere.

Although he was dominated by the personality and memories of a transmigrator, after merging with Amon's clone, he also picked up some of Amon's habits, such as feeling very awkward if he didn't wear a monocle on his right eye.

Before long, Frostleaf City appeared in their sight.

This was not a big city, but it was the most prosperous place in this area.

The Northern Province was close to the Arctic Land. Due to the harsh natural climate, it was sparsely populated. Frostleaf City was located in the northern part of the Northern Province, which made it even more so. The other nearest cities were also hundreds of miles away.

"Stop." The guards at the city gate stopped the two of them. "One copper coin for the entrance fee for adults. If the goods exceed fifty kilograms, an additional one is required."

He glanced at Amon and added, "Children can enter the city for free."

Dimitri hung the bamboo basket on the weighing pole. It did not exceed the weight of the weight. He skillfully threw a copper coin into the iron coin collection box.

The guard nodded, waved his hand, and signaled the two to enter.

After entering the city, Amon asked, "Do you know where I can find a job in the city?"

"Find a job? Aren't you going back to the village?"

"Well, I want to see if there are more possibilities in the city."

"Hmm…" Dimitri pondered for a while, stroking his chin, and said, "When I came a few days ago, I saw that the Icewind Elementary Soul Master Academy was recruiting teaching assistants. Maybe you can give it a try."

"Thank you for the information." Amon nodded.

After the two separated, Amon walked towards the academy, asking for directions along the way.

As he walked to a corner, a child with long red hair suddenly rushed out and bumped into him, falling backward under the reaction force.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry." She quickly got up, apologized, and hurriedly ran away.

Amon pinched his monocle, looked at her receding figure, and clicked his tongue.

"Interesting."

A dozen minutes later, he arrived at his destination.

Two guards with iron rulers hanging from their waists stood at the door, leaning against the pillars on both sides, looking listless.

One of them yawned, glanced at Amon approaching, and muttered in confusion, "A kid? Never seen him before. He shouldn't be a student here."

"Hello, is this the Icewind Elementary Soul Master Academy? Are you still recruiting teaching assistants?" Amon asked.

"Are you a Soul Master?" The guard quickly moved his back away from the pillar and said with a hint of respect.

"Yes, I heard that you are recruiting teaching assistants, so I came to try."

"Please come with me. I'll take you to see the Dean. He personally handles personnel matters."

Under the guard's guidance, Amon came to a two-story stone building, walked upstairs, turned right, and arrived at the Dean's office.

The guard knocked on the door.

"Come in."

Dean Shi Guantao was an old man who looked to be in his sixties or seventies, with a full head of white hair, a long beard on his chin, and shallow wrinkles on his face. His eyes were bright and piercing.

"Dean Shi, this gentleman is here to apply for the position of teaching assistant." After speaking, the guard consciously withdrew from the office.

Shi Guantao nodded, placed his gaze on Amon, and looked at this adolescent child. After hesitating slightly, he asked, "Introduce yourself."

"My name is Amon, a level thirteen auxiliary Soul Master, and I have some experience in close combat." Amon briefly introduced himself.

"How old are you this year?"

"Um… twelve years old."

"Release your Martial Soul and let me see it."

Amon followed his advice and stretched out his right hand. Accompanied by a flash of gray light, a semi-transparent worm with twelve rings and starry sky colors continuously swam in his palm. At the same time, a yellow Soul Ring slowly emerged, emitting a faint glow.

"A hundred-year Soul Ring? At your age, you should be able to go to a middle-level Soul Master Academy for further studies, right?" Shi Guantao asked somewhat puzzled.

"There are always some unsatisfactory things in life, as well as all kinds of helplessness." Amon shrugged and pulled the corners of his mouth back slightly, forming a smile.

In Shi Guantao's view, there was a hint of bitterness in this smile.

He nodded and said, "The salary for a teaching assistant is not high, five gold soul coins per month, including room and board, with a one-week trial period. Of course, if you perform well, the salary can be adjusted appropriately."

Amon asked with some surprise, "Is that all? I thought there would be some kind of assessment."

After hearing this, Shi Guantao laughed, "It's not that complicated. The teaching assistant's job is not difficult. There will be formal school teachers to guide you. And what you need to teach are just low-grade students. Any Soul Master can do it."

Any Soul Master can do it… This sentence sounds simple, but in fact, the threshold is not low. Because just the condition of 'Soul Master' screens out more than 90% of ordinary people.

"Do you have a place to live?" Shi Guantao asked.

"No, I just came from the village today."

"I'll take you to the staff dormitory."

After the accommodation was arranged, Shi Guantao handed Amon a card printed with the academy's emblem. This was the proof of a faculty member. With this card, he could enjoy many conveniences in the academy.

It was already close to evening. Amon prepared to buy a few suitable clothes and taste the local specialties. He subconsciously touched his chest, only to remember that his lovely gold soul coins had left him.

Recalling the scene of colliding with the red-haired child on the road, he raised his right hand and straightened his monocle, muttering to himself in a low voice:

"Interesting, I've been pickpocketed…"

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