Age of Heroes, ten consecutive guarantees

The Dragon and Tiger Guards House was opened in the capital of Rome, located in the old city.

Even though the entire ancient Roman city is full of antique buildings, it seems that an old man who is over fifty years old has long passed the age of building large-scale construction projects. He has a place in this cultural ancient city and often has an ancient charm that has been passed down for hundreds of years.

When the ancestors of the Bai family came to this strange land, they were considered very poor. It was only by relying on soft food and the blacksmithing skills passed down from their ancestors that they established the Bai family's foundation that could not be destroyed by wind and rain for hundreds of years.

Another gold-lettered signboard corresponding to the Longhu Guard Hall is called Bai's Sword Shop.

Western knights love to use swords, and their demand for weapons is even greater than armor.

In the extraordinary world, hundred-forged steel made of ordinary materials cannot support the violent fighting spirit, so craftsmen who can forge superior weapons have always been extremely popular.

Among the five major colleges of Penglai Academy, there is one dedicated to the study of weapon forging and manufacturing technology. Its importance is evident.

In Rome, the dwarves, who were best at craft forging, had already declined in the city-state era, and were directly extinct in the demigod era. The forging technology passed down was extremely lacking, so there were obvious gaps and archaeological gaps in the technology of smelting and forging weapons. There are signs that Bai's Sword Shop also got its name by using Daxia's unique forging skills. After hundreds of years of development, it has gradually formed a unique route.

Since ancient times, sword-making and sword-practicing have been indistinguishable. The Longhu Guard Hall and the Bai Family Sword Shop are located on the same street. No matter how changes have occurred over the past few hundred years, the students in the Guard Hall and the fire deep in the sword shop have always been the same. Never extinguished.

Just like a steel-smelting factory, the furnace almost always runs day and night, and its lifespan is even much longer than that of a steel-making blast furnace, which can last for dozens to hundreds of years.

Although the direct line of the Bai family is in decline, there are many collateral branches. Lin Lin finally came up, and there were two to three hundred people in charge of this ancestral business.

Today, a meeting is being held in the round hall on the third floor of Jianpu.

Nowadays, the Bai family's industry is in decline, and only the sword shop business and the reputation of the guard hall are still there. The other branches of the industry are not doing well. Whether they are losing money or something else, they all need financial assistance from the family's ancestral business.

Sitting at the head of the hall was a middle-aged man with an oriental face named Bai Huaian. Of course, he also had a Roman name, Rudolf.

In terms of seniority, Bai Huaian and Bai Potian are considered peers. His father, Bai Hewu, is a well-known sword forger. He is now over eighty and devotes himself to forging iron and swords, leaving all external management to Bai Huaian.

Even if Bai Potian comes, he still has to call Bai Hewu "uncle" when he sees him.

In today's Bai family, there is no direct lineage, so Bai Huaian's line has the right to speak, because Bai Huaian is responsible for handling the sword shop and Weiguan industries.

The meeting was open, reporting on the situation of various industries.

Bai Huaian held the tea cup and listened silently to the report. The results were similar to what he thought, with almost no improvement.

He sighed silently in his heart, thinking that it would not work if he continued like this. Now that the reputation of the Wei Guan was not good, the business of the sword shop began to be sluggish.

If this continues, let alone maintaining the dignity of the Bai family, it will be a problem to maintain food and clothing for hundreds of people.

It's a pity that for such a big family, there are only a few people who can hold up the lintel.

He glanced around and looked around. In fact, there are not a few men in the Bai family now, but the number of serious men named Bai only accounts for about one-fifth. The rest are either women or A person with a foreign surname.

Strange to say, those with the surname Bai, regardless of collateral or direct lineage, give birth to a very small number of boys, but there is no shortage of girls.

Therefore, the Pang family usually adopts the method of recruiting a son-in-law. At that time, he will be regarded as his own family and is eligible to participate in family meetings.

As long as you are not a noble or wealthy family, you are often not very sensitive to the surname issue of your descendants, so adding a surname temporarily is not a big deal.

In Bai Huaian's view, those who can be recruited as sons-in-law are often not particularly outstanding in their own strength and talent, otherwise who would be willing to rely on others.

While he was thinking about it, the people in charge of several industries below had begun to argue with each other, assuming the attitude of blaming each other.

"Your hotel business is really bad."

"You have the nerve to blame me. The last project was beautifully written, but it ended up losing 300% in three months. How can you have the nerve to accuse me!"

"Okay, everyone, be nice..."

"Shut up, you are the most embarrassing. This time you have the nerve to come over with the IOU and ask the big guy to help you repay the loan!"

"I didn't want to either. I didn't expect that the futures market would suddenly collapse. Who knew that the freight would suddenly be cut off? It was going well..."

"Then you shouldn't stud either!"

"It's such a big hole, do you want me to fill it in for you?!"

boom!

Bai Huaian slapped the table, and everyone quarreling in the conference hall immediately stopped.

Bai Huaian, who was in his fifties, raised his hand and snorted coldly: "You guys are still thinking about me?"

The person who just spoke immediately changed his words: "No, I just said it out of anger..."

Bai Huaian said expressionlessly: "My direct family resold a lot of properties back then. For decades, I left the ancestral property here regardless of whether I wanted to return to Daxia. During this period, did I consider the life and death of the collateral families?"

"Do you really think that if they can support you, you can sit back and relax?"

"What if they still have the idea of ​​going back?"

"What if what happened back then happens again? Do I have to sell both the sword shop and the guard hall this time?"

"Moreover, you can't even manage the property at hand well, so you still expect me to give you a fortune? Even if it is given, can you accept it?"

Bai Huaian slammed the tea cup on the table and said angrily: "The Bai family has declined to this point today. They have to bear some responsibility, but each of you can't escape the blame!"

At the end, everyone lowered their heads, looking like they were being scolded humbly.

But if I don’t really regret it, no one will know.

Bai Huaian originally wanted to discuss other things, but seeing this mess, he knew that speaking would be useless.

When the family was weak, they were the ones who were most resistant to helping. Now that the family is strong, they are the ones who want to go back and make a fortune together... They are afraid of avoiding bad things, and they are afraid of missing out on good things.

The chickens and dogs cannot be reused!

Bai Huaian also felt a bit depressed and desolate in her heart, thinking that she had worked hard for decades to maintain a bright appearance, but at the end of the day, she was still a grassroots team.

But he still had resentment in his heart. The Bai family had no shortage of outstanding people from generation to generation. If the family hadn't insisted on going its own way, taking away a large amount of property and a few mainstays, how could the Bai family have ended up like this?

"Go down." He waved his hand and motioned for everyone to retreat.

Most of the crowd dispersed, but a few people remained.

Holding a plan in his hand.

"On behalf of the Patriarch, this is a new industrial proposal, and I am confident enough this time."

"Well, my shop over there can't survive any longer. On behalf of the owner, when will the capital be injected?"

"I'm even more anxious here. The bank wants to collect the loan. If you don't pay, the collateral will be taken back. Then I will lose all my money!"

Bai Huaian said angrily: "Get down here!"

After driving away these people, he sighed, turned and left the rotunda, and went to the sword shop.

In the deepest part of Bai's sword shop, there is a very ancient furnace, which is the original sword furnace.

Today's sword furnace fire is transferred from this furnace. This is the foundation where the Lao Bai family has been here for hundreds of years.

Next to the sword furnace, a slightly stooped but still strong old man was striking an orange-red iron block, and the crisp sound of striking iron was rhythmic.

Hearing this voice, Bai Huaian's expression became calmer. No matter how impetuous his emotions were, he would always calm down when he came here.

Bai Huaian bowed to the white-bearded blacksmith: "The son has met his father."

"Rudolph is here..." The old man Bai Hewu put the sword embryo into the sword furnace and rubbed his dusty beard.

"I prefer the name Huaian."

"Your mother gave you the name Rudolph."

"I know."

Bai Hewu picked up the porcelain cup, took a sip of water, and said calmly: "You are still the same as when you were a child. You want to prove that your surname is Bai, and you even changed your name to be like a Daxia person. But you know in your heart that you don't have that If I can’t manage this group of people, I won’t be able to catch up with my direct descendants.”

Bai Huaian immediately hardened his fists, but faced with his father's comments, he could only lower his head and said, "Father has said it hundreds of times."

"But you didn't listen once, you just wanted to prove that you are no worse than them, and you can live well without the support of my family." Bai Hewu picked up the hammer: "You can live well, as long as you are willing Like me, pick up the hammer and strike hard.”

Bai Huaian straightened his back and asked, "Did my father get into the sword shop back then because he felt he was inferior to Bai Ginseng Shang? Or did he already know that he would fail?"

Bai Hewu smiled, took out the iron block, and continued to beat, the sound of "ding-ding-dong-dong" echoed.

"I never felt like I needed to compare myself to him."

"He has made a decision, and I have also made a decision. If he wants to go to Daxia, he can go. I will guard the Bai family's ancestral business. Everyone has a different path."

"I don't want him to fail. I hope he can succeed more than anyone else...and I also know that if he can't do it, then no one else in the Bai family can do it. Although the white ginseng merchant failed, he He is still an admirable person, and you should not laugh at a person who is more courageous than your father."

Bai Huaian disagreed: "He dragged down the following generations."

"How could such a thing happen? Look at his son, he doesn't live a very prosperous life."

"But we..."

"Rudolph." Bai Hewu struck hard: "Don't blame others for your own lack of ability. Why do you think the Bai family, which is not big enough, wants to separate the main family and the collateral family?"

Bai Huaian shook his head.

"Because the direct descendants of the Bai family have always relied on their own ability to make a living." Bai Hewu said earnestly: "According to the rules of our ancestors, those who inherit the family business are those who are unable to support themselves. The direct descendants are monsters from generation to generation, and they do not need charity. , you can hold up the sky by yourself... So, it’s time for you to put down your stubbornness.”

Bai Huaian stopped talking.

"What, you're not convinced?"

"My son feels unconvinced and feels wronged... I have worked hard for thirty years and worked hard for the family. Do I have to cling to my family to survive?" Bai Huaian clenched his fists, his eyes were unhappy, and he was unwilling.

"That's all, you are in charge now. You don't have to tell me what you decide." Bai Hewu continued to forge.

"I just have one thing I want to ask my father." Bai Huaian paused and said, "About this time..."

Before he finished speaking, he heard an exclamation from behind.

"It's not good, Acting Patriarch!"

A sword shop apprentice ran in with a disgraced look.

Bai Huaian suppressed his displeasure and turned around to ask, "What's going on? How can you behave in such a hurry?"

The apprentice took a few breaths and said: "Something happened in the guard hall, someone came to kick the hall!"

"Kick the gym?" Bai Huaian was furious and said in a deep voice, "Who is so bold?"

The Dragon and Tiger Guards Hall has been a local landmark for hundreds of years. Who would come here to become famous?

"Yes, the Union of Guards..."

…

The swordsmanship guard hall in Rome was roughly similar to the martial arts sects of Daxia, and was a higher level than the Children's Palace.

Although you can't learn serious Japanese swordsmanship in the Children's Palace, you can still learn enough to kill a little dragon girl or something.

The swordsmanship and sword skills that can be learned in the swordsmanship academy are of a higher level.

Speaking of Rome's extraordinary system, it is rather strange. Here, people pay for knowledge, such as spells. As long as you have money, you can buy advanced spell knowledge and hire private tutors. However, this is not the case with swordsmanship. The knight's body training method , training methods, ways to refine fighting spirit, and crucial sword skills, all must be learned in the corresponding guard hall.

If you steal something even if you take it without asking, it is equivalent to stealing. Any swordsmanship gym will strictly prohibit and crack down on piracy and theft.

It can be seen from here that the knight's extraordinary system, or in other words, swordsmanship, sword skills, etc., are actually monopolized.

Unlike the Dragon Vein Realm in Daxia, anyone can obtain the inheritance left by their predecessors;

In Europa, the cost of learning swordsmanship is very high. You must become a disciple of a swordsmanship school. After several years of training and the guidance of a master, you can master a swordsmanship.

During this time, you have to keep paying tuition and additional fees. For example, if the customized weapon is designated by the swordsmanship hall, you can only give money; for example, you can pay more to unlock advanced courses in advance; and For another example, if something happens in the Guard Hall, you must protect it. This is your responsibility as a disciple; in the future, when you graduate from the Guard Hall and gain a reputation, you must also show that you are a disciple of the xx Guard Hall and help The Weiguan became famous.

This series of operations has aggravated the monopoly of the swordsmanship academy.

But monopoly means that people behind can't get in the car... Too many latecomers expressed their deep disgust at this behavior of welding the door shut after getting on the car.

Basically, there were three types of swordsmanship schools in Rome.

The Royal Swordsmanship Hall is a hall endorsed by the Roman royal family. It has a transcendent status. Countless people can’t get in even if they squeeze their heads. The graduates who come out of it in Rome are equivalent to the Penglai graduates in Daxia. No matter where they go, they will be collected. to top offers;

Then, the hundreds of years of famous medical schools, including the Longhu Medical School, have great reputations and wide connections, making it easy to recruit students;

The last one is the newly promoted swordsmanship guard hall.

This is a business model that operates with new era thinking.

It is a joint health center formed by the joining of a series of small health halls.

It breaks the various old-fashioned operating methods mentioned above and implements modern business thinking. The operating policy is simple and does not pay attention to loyalty or appearance.

The first is to focus on those who are capable, and resources will be concentrated to cultivate disciples with potential; the second is to use money to open the way, and those who are willing to make money will open the vvvip channel.

There is also competition within the United Guard Hall, but its goal is still to rapidly expand the market and break the monopoly of the old swordsmanship guard halls in the past.

Although it has touched the interests of many established Weiguan, many small Weiguan have turned to it, causing its expansion rate to surge sharply.

Bai Huaian had met people from United Health Clinic several times before. The other party wanted to discuss business and hoped that Longhu Health Club could join them, and they offered quite generous conditions.

But Bai Huaian felt that in this case, the signboard of the Longhu Guard Hall would be borrowed and abused, so he refused.

The biggest problem with the current United Health Center is that there is a mixed bag of good and bad.

Large ones are out of control; small ones will be quickly eaten away.

The Dragon and Tiger Guards were actually very weak, and it was difficult to protect themselves. Therefore, Bai Huaian refused because he was worried that once he joined, he would be eaten as a fat sheep by the few in the United Guards.

He had the right idea.

But weak prey will inevitably attract predators, and it is useless to just avoid them.

The other party still came to the door.

…

A car is parked at the end of the street.

Bai Yu looked through the car window: "It seems we came at the wrong time."

"Maybe it's just the right time?"

Melusina sat in the back seat, opened the refrigerator, took out ice cubes and threw them into the cup.

She smiled slightly.

This smile is sweet, but the darkness has already leaked out.

"If we don't let them suffer some losses, I don't think a person as strong as Bai Huaian will bow down easily."

"Do you force a cow to have its head pressed if it doesn't drink water?" Bai Yu asked, "Sister Shirley already knew that something would happen today?"

"Don't look at me like that." Melusina half-opened the champagne and poured the light yellow sparkling drink into the goblet: "It's just that the Donghuang Group has more eyes and ears. I collected some information. I didn't instigate this. My sister is not so evil-minded.”

"Really?" Bai Yu was noncommittal.

"Do you want to confirm it yourself?" Melusina hooked her fingers on the buttons of her clothes.

"Inappropriate, inappropriate." Bai Yu quickly stopped: "Someone is watching."

Melusina understood, and then directly ordered: "Milica, please unbutton too."

"Ah? Do I want it too?" The little secretary driving in the front seat suddenly blushed like a fire.

She gritted her teeth, thinking that she would show the young master anyway, and she would not be the one to suffer.

Bai Yu immediately interrupted, picked up the champagne and put it aside: "So, who is here this time?"

"The people from the United Defense Hall... use some old-fashioned techniques."

Melusina simply summed it up: "First, they found someone to provoke, and friction arose between the hot-blooded young people. After several months of laying out the wiring, a conflict broke out between the two apprentices, and then they went back to break a few bones of one person. Lose one or two arms and use this as an excuse to attack the Dragon and Tiger Guards."

"Then there will be conflicts within the Guards Hall. As expected, the Knights Association will be contacted for notarization. The Knights Association is a subordinate organization affiliated with the Templars of the Church. It is responsible for managing the knights across the country. As a credible association, it will also be responsible. Handle disputes between guards."

"In short... the final result of the negotiation should be to use a knight's duel to resolve the dispute."

"The visitor to the United Guard Hall is not a good one this time. This bite will eat at least half of the Dragon and Tiger Guard Hall."

…

The joint health hall does not look very good.

At the discussion table, Bai Huaian's face was also very ugly.

The leader of the joint defense team is a strong man with a bald head and two axes coiled around his waist, giving him the impression of a Viking.

He blew his beard and said: "The people from the Longhu Guards Hall hurt our disciples from the United Guards Hall and made them like this. We must give an explanation."

"But don't say that we bully the small."

"Under the witness of the association, five people from each side will engage in a knight's duel, two knight apprentices and three senior knights."

"Best of five."

"If the Dragon and Tiger Guards win, the United Guards will promise to withdraw from the city of Rome and never cause you any trouble."

"But if the Dragon Tiger Guard loses... not only must we compensate for our losses, but we must also sign this agreement."

Bai Huaian looked at these people with calm eyes.

...The means are really rough.

he thought.

Even the agreement was prepared in advance, and it was obvious that they were here to annex the Longhu Guard Hall.

But this is a conspiracy.

If Longhu Guard Hall does not accept it, then the other party will definitely continue to use various methods to target the disciples of the Guard Hall.

Once, there will be a second time. By then, the Weiguan will be distraught and no one will come to sign up.

Moreover, the other party will inevitably declare in a high-profile manner that the Dragon and Tiger Guards are timid in fighting, and will attack them in terms of reputation.

After all, Wei Guan itself relies on hard power to make a living, and just having a sign is not enough.

Not only must you have face, but you must also have dignity... This is why a large sect needs the support of top experts.

This is also the reason why the top ten financial groups in Rome are willing to actively spend three-tenths of their income on supporting offerings, lobbying the church, and supporting the royal family.

The atmosphere suddenly became tense.

The mediator of the Knights Association spoke: "Master of the Dragon and Tiger Guards, this matter should not be delayed. It is better to resolve it as soon as possible. After all, it involves the reputation of the Guards. It will not be good for anyone if it continues."

The people from the Knights Association were invited here by the other party. Although they assumed a neutral attitude, the superficial negotiations were ultimately aimed at exerting pressure.

There are many hills inside this joint health clinic. Although there are many contradictions, it always maintains a consistent momentum when it expands externally.

The Longhu Guard Hall is weak and is not the opponent of several joint forces. The other party is better than this side not only in quantity but also in quality.

Bai Huaian's current situation is like riding a tiger with difficulty.

If he prevaricates and delays for a day or two, there may be a way to get some help and invite some help.

But he and his father rated it the same.

Stubborn, his face is not thick enough, and his heart is not black enough.

Faced with the conspiracy that hit his door, he didn't think about turning his back on himself and enduring it all over again. Instead, he felt that there was no way out.

Then he agreed: "—Okay!"

Several talkers from the United Health Hall also showed smiles of success.

"So, the leader of the Dragon and Tiger Guards has agreed?"

The other party also said a compliment: "You are courageous and have not lost the reputation of the Longhu Guard Hall."

Bai Huaian said coldly: "I hope you will keep your promise and don't roll around on the ground after losing."

"With the Knights Association as witness, we signed the agreement."

The negotiation ended happily.

The mediator of the Knights Association performed the notarization.

But then comes the process of ordering troops and generals.

Bai Huaian suppressed the anger in his eyes, returned to the door, and asked people to summon the disciples, swordsmanship coaches and guests.

Time is running out.

Today we have to decide the outcome of five games, and five people need to come out.

Bai Huaian is the owner of the museum, so he has no other responsibilities and needs to fight in person.

He made a selection.

It is not difficult to choose between the two apprentices. The knight apprentice, by default, is at the extraordinary first level, below the silver knight.

But senior knights are more difficult.

To choose the remaining two people, he looked around, waiting for someone to take the initiative, but almost everyone looked embarrassed.

Knights dueled with blind swords and could get someone killed.

Even though a few people tried to stand up, they were immediately glared at by their wives and shrank back.

"Acting on behalf of the Patriarch, it's not that we are unwilling, but with my husband's strength, how can he be the opponent of a mere Golden Knight?" A woman took the initiative to resign: "I will let him resign from the position of swordsmanship instructor. I hope that on behalf of the Patriarch Don’t make things difficult for us.”

With the first, there is the second.

In the end, the elder of the Bai family who was at the peak of the third level of Extraordinary was selected. The latter was over sixty years old, ten years older than Bai Huaian.

Although other elders, guests, or clan members are also willing, they are not strong enough.

Those who have the strength are afraid of trouble, while those who have the will have no strength.

Bai Huaian smiled bitterly, thinking that for such a person, he couldn't choose two suitable high-level knights, and he wouldn't choose one if he didn't want to fight.

It's not bloody, and it's all for nothing.

Push the crowd away.

Bai Huaian left two disciples behind.

"This duel is very important. You need to go all out. If necessary, you can directly break through the realm...you don't have to hold back."

He paid tribute to the two elite direct disciples in the guard hall.

These two people are not very old, but they were both taught by him personally.

They are all close to the level of the Silver Knight. They deliberately suppressed the realm of these two people. They were originally preparing for the National Knight Apprentice Competition in Rome, so that they could make a name for the Dragon and Tiger Guard Hall, but now they don't care about that much anymore.

He patted his disciples on the shoulder and said, "Work hard and Longhu will not treat you badly."

As long as they can win, then Bai Huaian only needs to win one game to get three wins.

This way there is no need to recruit a fifth person.

…

"I surrender."

No one expected it.

The direct disciples of elites who are given high hopes will immediately admit defeat in the first game.

Bai Huaian's face was livid, and his fingers were stuck in the armrests of the chair.

He said in a low voice: "Are you trying to trick me?"

The United Health Center smiled calmly: "We don't know what's going on."

The people from the Knights Association said calmly: "In the first game, the United Guards Hall wins."

Ten minutes of intermission.

The direct disciple who had just left the field knelt down directly after seeing Bai Huaian, hitting the ground with his forehead and blood splattered: "Disciple, I can't help it. They set a trap for me and secretly deceived my relatives into owing a huge loan. They also told me that in If you admit defeat in this battle, the debt can be written off..."

It's all a calculation.

Bai Huaian knew that anger would not help, so he could only look at the second disciple.

The second disciple swore on the spot that he was innocent, had not been threatened or manipulated by the other party, and would definitely win the victory.

The facts are as he said.

In order to make up for the defeat in the first game, the second direct disciple gave up the opportunity to make a blockbuster appearance in the Knight Apprentice Competition and broke through to the Silver Knight on the spot. Just as he broke through, his opponent immediately surrendered.

Disciple No. 2 won, but he was so aggrieved that he resisted the urge to curse and walked away.

Bai Huaian knew that this was also a trap by the other party.

The disciple sent by the other party was also at the level of a knight's apprentice. Now it was equivalent to eliminating a strong competitor in the competition at the cost of a defeat.

But under this conspiracy, Bai Huaian could only choose to sacrifice his disciples to save the Longhu Guard Hall.

After the two apprentices, there was a battle between three senior knights.

This is the highlight.

After all, the foundation of a defense hall depends on the number of masters.

…

Outside the duel, the audience didn't care about this. They just thought that the more ups and downs the better, so they enjoyed watching it.

Bai Yu watched silently, Melusina watched with him, but her eyes always stayed on the side of his face, smiling, and she never got tired of this face.

Suddenly, a figure smelling of fire appeared next to him.

An old man was sitting on the ground. His beard was stained with stove ashes and had scorch marks left by sparks.

He smiled at Bai Yu, showing his mouth with a few missing teeth, and raised the empty red flower porcelain cup in his hand.

"Young man, the old man is shameless enough to ask you for a drink of water."

"This is champagne."

"Champagne is good."

"As long as you don't mind."

Bai Yu handed over the champagne and poured the drink into a porcelain cup with a big red flower printed on it. It always felt a little subtle and inconsistent.

Just like the descendants of the Bai family who have an oriental appearance but have long been assimilated into the Romans.