Chapter 328 - Self Control Training(2)

He made his way up to the farm, while Commander Alia parted ways and wanted to head towards the training room once more. She has been on her break this past hour, after eating a little bit she wanted to check on Eric, to see what progress he is making.

Eric, just couldn't get enough of the wonderful farm here. There just is too much greenery, it is so comfortable on the eyes that one would want to take a nap here, and considering all that training he just might.

This time, this is where he can eat a bit of lunch. The feast room would no longer be an option for that and reaching for the storage room all the way to the end of the farm just would take too long and he could accidentally damage perfectly grown crops.

He feels beat, and all this walking isn't the best thing to experience. It feels like something is constantly slapping his feet although it is the other way around, this is Volcanic rock we are talking about. Might have just flown up here but what's done is done.

As soon as he entered the farm, he made his way towards the bundle of apple trees. They count 30, and can perfectly fit in here due to the half a mile long space provided. He tried an apple early in the morning since he had a craving for one, oddly half an hour later he felt a lot more energetic. Odd for someone who isn't a morning person.

But of course an apple wouldn't be enough to fill his belly, so on the way there he was looking for some perfectly grown watermelon. He didn't know which one to pic, since even though they look big, their colour is too light which in another way signifies that they aren't ready for anyone to eat. They are in August after all.

Once close to the apple trees, after deciding that the Watermelons aren't just ready and he isn't in any way walking for a mile to eat. So apples it is, he might try to eat some figs too although he found it confusing to determine what they are or how to eat them. Fairly there are 20 trees to give a little test try on.

He never saw figs before, he isn't even sure how much they cost but obviously they won't come in cheap due to the fact that they are rare in the forest. As for apples, although he couldn't afford them in the Marketplace due to the fact that they went ten gold coins per kilogram. There are tons of them in the forest throughout the end of summer, sometimes he feels stupid about not selling them.

Close to the fig tree, he found none other than Ada. When she saw Eric, she got even more excited and with a couple of figs on her hand she approached him, saying. "Have you tried the figs? They are delicious!"

Afterwards she shoved one on his mouth and made him chew, with a rather displeased look on his face he wanted to explain the bad taste but at the same time didn't want to ruin all this enthusiasm. "Um... I think we need to figure out how to eat them first."

Afterwards he grabbed another fig and tried to figure how to attain the good taste only instead of tasting both the good and bad. He made a theory about watermelons, and how the parts surrounding it are inedible.

He wanted to see if it is the same concept here, but he got distracted. A farmer approached, carrying a little giggle as well. He grabbed a fig and with his big hands he tried to rip it open without completely demolishing it.

He ripped lightly open in two, showing its red contents inside close to their faces so they understand how this goes. Afterwards he tapped on purple external tasteless part and wiggled his forefinger, trying to explain to not taste that.

Right after, he began to eat the fig although it barely took a few seconds even though the figs here are as big as apples in the forest. He showed them the fig again, and the red inner part of it is mostly gone.

With a smile he gestured at the fig several times before he dropped it on the ground, completely explaining that this part is inedible even though they didn't exchange proper sentences.

He grabbed another fig, ripped it open and handed it to Eric. The Farmer wanted to assure that Eric understood the concept of eating a fig. It is not that anyone here is dead dumb, it is just that figs are way too rare.

Having a theory about this even before the Farmer showed them, he started eating the red part of the fig and started admiring the taste that came along with it. "This is amazing." He exclaimed as he almost choked on it.

Eric grabbed another fig closer to his reach, ripped it open and handed it to Ada. "Try it without the purple part, we have been eating it wrong."

Seeing that the two kids have figured out how to eat the figs, the farmer just gave another smile and returned back to work. With all these crops growing, grass grows along with it and this place becomes a bit hard to walk through. It will eventually slow down their work which could lead to food rot.

"The people here are so nice." Ada complimented after the farmer left, she wanted to thank him but didn't know how. "I thought they would kick me out if I came up here alone."

"They do hate ill.u.s.tratios due too 13 Guards dying on their hands, but if you entered Lan Zhe with me, they will honour you as much as they honour me regardless of your origin." Trying to explain it a bit further so Ada feels like she fits in here, he added. "Once you are one with this town, they will accept you as one.

"By the way you never told me that Lava doesn't burn you. I was worried sick when you jumped earlier and thought you were trying to kill yourself or something." Ada showed concern, wanting to smack the boy but he looked cute eating the fig.

"Oh sorry." He felt stupid about forgetting to tell something this important, afterwards he asked. "Why would I want to kill myself?"

"I don't know." Ada answered, feeling a bit embarrassed for even thinking it. But in another way she didn't want to throw his past on his face again, chances are he got hit by it hundreds of times. At least that's what she thought.

...

Shpllup!

Fell Eric through the Lava, and Xalk calmly spoke. "Opecl. Er Welzer Artej ke sadpu." This of course translates to, "Good, the Golden Blood is here."

"Hi everyone." Eric answered in a low tone, a bit refreshed now that he managed to eat, drink, relax and see Ada for a little bit. Yet his muscles are still sore, and he would like for this day to end.

"Perfect. We new exercise." Kazer instantly explained not wanting to waste a second here. "Do you do this?"

After, he went towards a flatter surface of the Volcanic rock so he can put his head over it without damaging himself, although his skin is tough like rock. We are talking about people who can withstand the heat of the abnormally hot lava here, he mostly needs the flat surface for balance.

Putting his head on the volcanic rock, he lifted his legs up and tried to stand straight with his head as a base and his arms as the balancors. "Remember stand with hand?" Kazer asked with ease, as if the fact that he is upside down and facing no trouble with balance is nothing.

"Yes..." Eric answered, as he already had a theory where this exercise is going. He didn't quite like the looks of it.

In a blink, Kazer removed his hands from the grounds and crossed his arms. Staying perfectly balanced, upside down with his head against the Volcanic rock, standing straight. "This close to handstand, this head stand."

"And how exactly will this help me learn Fire Controlling?" Eric asked directly this time without giving care if he offended the Grand Masters and their wisdom. Earlier he was asked to bent down for 4 hours straight, last thing he would want to do is do a head stand for 4 hours straight.

"Balance, self control. If not control your body, than how control lava? You have be tough as rock." Afterwards he hit the Volcanic rock close to his head lightly with his knuckles.

Now, Eric understands why the Calidum Lutum are extraordinarily tough. Not to be confused, genes have a hand in it too but also the fact that they do training as difficult as this.

"I don't think I can stand like that." Eric answered with all honesty.

Luckily, Kazer explained after again crossing his arms. "You do this short time, no long."

"Anything would feel better than doing this for 4 hours." He answered, in a way it sounded like a joke but if they only knew how sick he is of this bizarre training since day one. He can understand in some ways why he is doing it but at the same time it doesn't make sense since he is way too under qualified to work this hard. He is 16 after all.

"Try." Kazer answered, as he used his arms to lift himself off the rock and even do a little bit of an inverted leap before he landed on his feet. "We need check strength."