Chapter 4, The Baptism of Snow and Fire

Amy answered truthfully—because mercenaries can kill snow wolves, being a mercenary is her greatest aspiration in this life

In fact, among the many timeless sayings of His Excellency Amy, there is one phrase he repeatedly emphasizes, yet almost all later generations deliberately choose to forget it: "To gain a hundredfold in hope, one must invest a thousandfold. A single investment may yield no return, but continuous investment will surely bring rewards"

Upon returning to the village, I engaged in combat training, which essentially involved chopping firewood. What is the connection between chopping firewood and combat skills? The puzzled Amy asked her dear Uncle Chi.

Physical Training: I get up to run in the morning before dawn, running along the Warm Water River all the way to Snow Moon Lake, approximately 20 kilometers. The banks of the river are covered in ice and snow. To facilitate running, Chi Hanfeng's requirement is to travel light—meaning I can only wear a thin leather outfit.

Will Training: After running to Snow Moon Lake, one strips off their clothes and jumps into the lake to swim. Snow Moon Lake is formed from underground eruptions, and the water temperature is extremely high. Although swimming only occurs at the edge of the lake and does not enter the central area, the water temperature at the edge is sufficient to cook snow eggs.

Although Chi Hanfeng designated lumberjacking as a mandatory course for Amy, the performance indicates that this fallen noble of the empire is truly inept at chopping wood. Even with the largest double-headed axe, he is unable to successfully cut through even non-coniferous timber.

Beyond the mountains, across the river, there is a pond of cold maple. He is clever and quick-witted, he ... ...

Suddenly jumping from the icy cold into the boiling lake water can indeed strengthen a person's willpower

"Hmm, Uncle Chi, I want to sleep a little longer, just a little longer, I'm so sleepy." At 5 AM, the little ones were all in a daze, and of course, 8-year-old Amy was no exception. Hoping to sleep a bit longer is not an unreasonable request.

Grandpa Haber initially found it difficult to get used to the way this young man treated his grandson, and he was even less accustomed to him referring to little Amy as "son." However, after spending some time with this young man, he quickly accepted him as a family member. What truly moved the old man were some of Chi Hanfeng's actions after little Amy fell asleep... For instance, getting up at night to help tuck little Amy in, preparing lessons for the next day under the oil lamp, and chopping wood for studying until his palms were covered in blood. Of course, there was also the hard work of getting up early to go outside and shovel snow... What truly moved the old man were some of Chi Hanfeng's actions after little Amy fell asleep... For instance, getting up at night to help tuck little Amy in, preparing lessons for the next day under the oil lamp, and chopping wood for studying until his palms were covered in blood. Of course, there was also the hard work of getting up early to go outside and shovel snow...

Cough... Indeed, individuals with such a self-satisfied psychological disorder are truly resilient, akin to a cockroach that is hard to defeat

Little Amy quickly jumped out of the bed filled with snow, while the prankster, with a mischievous grin, placed a large wooden basin full of snow on the ground and leisurely said: "I always regret not having undergone rigorous training when I was young; it's all my father's fault for not managing me well back then, which is why I haven't achieved much. Hmm... I absolutely cannot let you grow up harboring the same regrets. I want to cultivate you into a warrior even more outstanding than your father. I hope to gain a hundredfold, so... Hmm... I absolutely cannot let you grow up harboring the same regrets. I want to cultivate you into a warrior even more outstanding than your father. I hope to gain a hundredfold, so... Son, you must pay a thousandfold."

It was not little Amy who listened with rapt attention to Old Man Haber’s lecture, but rather the uncle named Chi Hanfeng. "Oh, so that’s how it is. I wondered how that guy could strike my gun in the least vulnerable spot on the first hit, and stand so firmly in the snow, able to withstand my impact," he murmured thoughtfully.

One, two, three, four, I love Dad Chi Hanfeng, Chi Hanfeng leads us forward, moving forward ... ...

Chi Hanfeng is a rather peculiar individual. Anyone who meets him for the first time would likely perceive him as a nobleman. In all the empires, aristocratic families share the following characteristics: noble demeanor, elegant speech, and politeness. Chi Hanfeng's first impression aligns perfectly with this image; however, over time, one discovers another side to him: he is petty and enjoys playing tricks on others. After residing in Haike Village for two months, all the residents familiar with Chi Hanfeng have been subjected to his pranks. People have come to believe his self-description—a soldier, a scion of a dilapidated noble family who holds the lowest noble title of Imperial Knight, a title that cannot be inherited nor can one expect to receive a fief.

Grandfather Haber is quite aware of his son's intentions. During his grandson's training in chopping wood, he carefully teaches him how to use his hand strength, how to utilize his waist power, how to stand with his feet to exert maximum force, how to observe the grain of the wood, which direction to chop along the grain for the easiest cut, how to deal with trees that have knots, and what to do when encountering forked wood.

The one who suffers the most is the unfortunate little Amy

This unconventional uncle enjoys calling little Amy his son; since the day this unconventional uncle arrived, little Amy has never been able to sleep in. This fellow gives little Amy no time for any freedom of movement; although he never scolds or hits her, some of his methods are often more terrifying than physical punishment. Placing ice and snow in the blanket is merely a trivial matter; Mr. Chi Hanfeng, when he decides to deal with someone, is definitely the kind of person who makes one wish for neither life nor death.

Every noon, the residents of Haike Village transport the coniferous hardwood cut from the forest to the small cabin of the Haber family using sleds

After an hour of willpower training at Snow Moon Lake, the next activity was physical training, swimming back to Haike Village along the Warm Water River. In terms of time, this physical training lasted only one year before it was discontinued. There was an occasion when Amy was so exhausted that she actually fell asleep while swimming. The mineral-rich Warm Water River has a very high density, allowing one to easily float on the surface without swimming. The direction of the river flows into the sea, which happens to be towards Haike Village. Upon discovering this secret, Amy often took the opportunity to catch up on two hours of sleep during this time. This training was eventually discontinued.

"Son, it's time to get up." The pleasant voice of a young man rang out as dawn began to break.

After dinner, Amy, exhausted from the day, still could not sleep. Under the light of the snow dolphin oil lamp, Chi Hanfeng began to teach Amy knowledge. In Amy's eyes, this was undoubtedly the area in which Uncle Chi excelled the most. As a noble of the Empire, regardless of rank, he possessed an absolute understanding of the Empire's history. Similarly, as a former captain of the Snow Moon Legion, Uncle Chi's understanding of military coordination and operations was far beyond that of an ordinary villager from Haike Village. Therefore, in the evenings, alternating between military strategy lessons one day and studying the Empire's history the next—although Amy was not particularly interested in the Empire's history, according to Chi Hanfeng, if she wanted to impress girls, this was a necessary subject to learn. Girls? What are girls? Little Amy did not understand this very simple term before the age of 15. ... Could it be ...? ... something very delicious?

Few people know how much Amy hated this phrase when she was young

--- "Notes of the Great Elder Lei Jun"

Like most hot springs, the waters of Xueyue Lake possess excellent therapeutic and restorative properties. Therefore, regardless of the trials she endured the previous day, Amy is always able to regain her good condition with the help of Xueyue Lake

What interests Amy is the casual discussions after knowledge classes, while Chi Hanfeng enjoys rambling on about the customs and culture in the imperial capital, as well as sharing folk tales about mercenaries, wars, and so on, while also taking jabs at the ruling King Redstone the Great or some prominent noble.

It seems that the Haber family has been using wood chopping as a means to train their children for quite some time. If one day a member of the Haber family truly becomes successful, a wood chopping knife must be engraved on the family crest

From that day on, the figures of two people, one large and one small, could be seen chopping wood in the dilapidated yard of the Haber family. At first, Amy's speed in chopping firewood was very slow, primarily due to her strength and the technique of swinging the axe. Although she had identified the grain of the wood she intended to chop, the axe blade often ended up elsewhere. Without Uncle Chi's assistance, it is estimated that the more than 200 households in Haike Village would have had to observe the "Cold Food Festival".

Anyone who has ever chopped wood knows that the most important tool for chopping is the axe. The thicker the wood, the larger the axe needs to be, especially in terms of the design of the axe head and blade. A wider axe head is preferable, and while the blade does not necessarily need to be very sharp, the connection between the blade and the axe head must be very smooth. This allows for the effective use of the axe's V-shaped structure after it penetrates the wood, facilitating a smooth separation of the wood.

Little Amy's daily homework is approximately as follows

Ah, I'm freezing to death... The mournful cries echoed through the pitch-black night—however, it seems that the neighbors near the Huber family's cottage have already grown accustomed to this peculiar, timed alarm.

In the eyes of later generations, "King of Mercenaries" Aimi truly had numerous opportunities, which is why he achieved such success in the later stages.

The eastern sky had not yet brightened, and two figures, one large and one small, set off from Haike Village, running along the Warm Water River towards Snow Moon Lake. The poor little Amy, while running, was being coerced by a certain villain to sing some rather inappropriate songs.

"Well," Chi touched his nose, "to be precise, I don't know either. All the other training sessions were arranged with the books, but this particular training was told to me by your father." It seemed that this was indeed Lake Harbor's idea, as Amy, following Chi Hanfeng's instructions, visited the residents of Haike Village one by one, expressing her willingness to provide them with firewood for free. Most of the older residents surprisingly showed expressions of: Ha, indeed, as expected of a child from the Harbor family.

Seeing Amy so engrossed in the mercenary stories, Chi Hanfeng curiously asked her why she was so interested in mercenaries

Upon hearing this statement, Chi Hanfeng, the former cavalry captain of the empire, nearly fell off his four-legged stool. He simply could not fathom that the son of the imperial infantry captain and the disciple of the imperial cavalry captain had the lifelong ambition of becoming a mercenary—an occupation looked down upon by regular troops. How could such a rebellious spirit exist under the tutelage of these two individuals?

Sigh... I wonder what kind of feelings Lake Harbor, who is in the Ice Prayer Tower, would have if he knew he entrusted his son to such a companion

Until one time when he overslept and drifted out to sea, Chi Hanfeng waited in the village for half an hour but still did not see Amy return. Anxiously, he found a wooden boat and discovered Amy sleeping soundly 5 kilometers from the coastline. After this incident, Amy never enjoyed such drifting sleep exercises again

In the first year of skill training, during the first half, Amy used the largest axe to chop wood; in the second half, the axe changed to a medium size, while the diameter of the trees continued to increase.

Two days later, Chihan Feng came to a realization: in terms of income, mercenaries of the same rank earn significantly more than soldiers, although the level of danger is also much higher. Mercenaries with the same years of service possess far greater strength in one-on-one combat compared to regular troops, which is highly beneficial for the young man's future development. Perhaps he could even attain the strength to enter the Wish Tower sooner. Being a mercenary is certainly preferable to serving the country and the damned exploitative Redstone Emperor in the military.