I can return to the age of mysterious

Chapter 24: 024 Baichuan City_1 Chapter 24: 024 Baichuan City_1 “Wind Elephant Basic Combat Technique: Limit (Total of three levels)”
Unexpectedly, the original two-level Wind Elephant Basic Combat Technique had changed to three levels, with the term ‘advanced’ replaced by ‘limit’.

As Casio focused his mind, numerous basic movements flowed through his mind like a stream, forming a clear image. With further thought, even visual images flashed before his eyes, demonstrating the standard actions for each move. His mastery of the Wind Elephant Basic Combat Technique skyrocketed, reaching a whole new level.

Casio had a feeling that if he were to study the Wind Elephant Secret Martial Arts using his Wind Elephant Basic Combat Technique at the third level of ‘limit’, it would probably bring about remarkable efficiency. If the roots of a tree are strong and well-established, the branches and leaves will grow faster and become more abundant.

As he was lost in thought, rain drizzled from above, and Casio quickly found his clothes soaked. He looked up at the sky.

Rainwater fell like a spider’s web. Up there was a vast, profound black cloud layer, where thunder boomed like a cannon and lightning streaked across the sky.

“Time to return to the inn,” he thought.

Casio checked the fake ID in his coat pocket, then picked up his wide-brimmed hat and the umbrella that had been swept away.

He turned and walked away, slowly disappearing into the drizzling rain.

A day later, at the train station north of Fengnan City.

A large flat-roofed building shrouded in the morning fog seemingly appeared and disappeared. In addition to this, there was a long rectangular station platform where dozens of passengers with suitcases were waiting for the train’s arrival.

A harsh whistle sounded in the distance, and a dark green train puffed black smoke as it approached. The train’s headlights managed to pierce through the fog, as though an approaching meteor. The fog was squeezed aside by the approaching train.

All passengers stepped back. A middle-aged bald man bumped into someone and quickly turned around.

Behind him was a man who almost reached six feet in height, dressed in the black coat that was common among morning passengers: a wide-brimmed hat. His luggage in hand, the man wore a serious expression.

“Sorry about bumping into you,” the middle-aged man quickly apologized…
“No problem.” Casio moved sideways to reveal a black rectangular iron pillar that supported the roof behind him.

“Over here! Over here! All aboard!” A conductor in a blue uniform disembarked from the train and shouted loudly.

Immediately, passengers dressed in coats and trench coats gathered around. Holding their suitcases, they began to form a queue to board the train.

“Check your tickets to make sure you’re boarding the right train!”

“And keep an eye on your luggage, and your children!”

The conductor yelled a few more times.

In the crowd, Casio glanced at his watch: 7:05.

“Board the train.” The conductor patted the painted train body.

Picking up his suitcase, Casio headed straight on board.

His seat was by the window, offering a view of the scenery outside. The white window curtain had been tied to one side, and the window pane was foggy.

The train started to gradually speed up, white steam billowing from the top of the carriage, the wheels began to spin faster on the rails.

He wiped the condensation from the window with his hand, and the view outside became clear.

Ahead, tree after tree sped by as if they were fleeting rays of light. Behind him, the sporadic lights of Fengnan City gradually receded.

Casio watched deeply for a moment.

He would be back…

******************
Half a month later in Baichuan City, North Flow Country.

Snowflake Middle School ranked fourth in the province and first in Baichuan City, housing both middle and high school students. With strong teaching staff and numerous students, Snowflake Middle School not only worked to improve academic performance, but also actively developed students’ extracurricular interests.

Surrounding the school, apart from the food and entertainment businesses, were various sports venues. From basketball, baseball and swimming to even archery and fencing.

Snowflake Middle School covered a large area, consisting of sports fields, grasslands, and over a dozen new buildings. Each building followed consistent architecture patterns, all of them teaching buildings for the school.

Behind the teaching district, there were many similar buildings. Together, these facilities constituted the best-funded and highest ranked middle school of Baichuan City.

Next to a circular flower bed stood a tall teaching building with white walls and a blue roof. The sounds of teachers’ lectures could be heard constantly from within, interspersed with the occasional student being called on to answer questions.

“Very well, let’s turn to page 107 in our textbooks and continue on to the next chapter ‘International Situation and World Pattern’. Everyone, you may start by reading this section.”

In the first classroom on the third floor near the stairs, a middle-aged teacher with glasses placed the textbook on the table.

He turned around to pick up the chalk, and rapidly sketched a very standard looking map of the world on the blackboard – with all the major countries marked and the oceans indicated in the empty spaces.

With a click, the teacher put down the chalk.

“The Hong Li Federation has a history of 156 years since its founding till now. From its inception, our Hong Li Federation has been one of the world’s three major powers! Everyone, please take a look here.”

The middle-aged teacher pointed at a section of the map. This was a huge coastal nation, shaped like a hand grenade with a small dent in the middle.

This was the map of the Hong Li Federation, whose area was massive – roughly the size of two fifths of a vast continent.

This particular continent was known as the North Reef Continent.

Further south was another continent of almost equal magnitude known as the South Reef Continent. An immense, flat nation, the United States of Yana, occupied the eastern part of South Reef Continent.

To the east of the North and South Reef Continents, an enormous landmass existed. This landmass, known as the Star Blue Rock Continent, was almost three quarters the size of the two Reef continents combined.

The Star Blue Empire, the world’s largest country, had a landmass on this continent. It was a quarter larger than the Hong Li Federation and around a third larger than the United States of Yana.

There are also some small islands that could be depicted on the map surrounding the continents.

The teacher introduced each one, consuming half of the class time. In the classroom by the window, in the second last row:
A brown-haired, handsome boy was flipping through his textbook absentmindedly. His attention seemed to waver between the blackboard and the view outside the window, clearly not focused on the lecture.

“Phil, the teacher’s calling you.”

His desk-mate suddenly nudged him with his elbow.

Phil abruptly snapped back to attention and hurriedly stood up. With a quiet prompt from his desk-mate, he managed to fumble through the question.

“Phew… Milo, thank you.” Phil sat back down.

“Why have you been so distracted lately?” Milo, a freckle-faced boy, lowered his voice and asked Phil.

“Sigh, I’m about to be kicked out of the Combat Club. I ranked among the last three in the last hand-to-hand combat practice. If that happens again, I’d have to leave the Combat Club.” Phil sighed regretfully, lamenting not just the loss of the club but also the potential loss of Tifa, the Senior Sister from the Combat Club.

That had been his initial reason for joining the Combat Club.