Chapter 241 – Mercenary Street
“Uh, where is this?” Jayad and I followed Lorna to a somewhat old neighborhood. Both sides were lined with blacksmith shops, sword stores, or taverns.
Most of the people walking on the road were fierce-looking, muscular men, all of whom were armed. **Even** the few women who occasionally walked by were fit and strong, with well-proportioned muscles in their arms, looking like they could punch three Paruls to tears.
Not to mention me, **even** Jayad became nervous, with only Lorna remaining relaxed and at ease: “Don’t be nervous, this is Mercenary Street. Many cities have one. People who are hired by nobles and merchants to solve problems are all concentrated here. Adventurers, mercenaries, killers – if they have money, they’ll listen to you.”
So that’s how it was. No wonder they were all tough guys. Just as Lorna finished speaking, a merchant caravan passed by, carrying a lot of goods. The merchant sat in a luxurious carriage, looking very wealthy.
He had already hired a team of mercenaries to guard the caravan. Mercenaries wearing irregular armor walked on both sides. Leading the way at the front was a formidable uncle nearly two meters tall, carrying a greatsword that was definitely twice my height. His arm muscles were as thick as my thighs.
Unimpressive, unimpressive. This sword looked like a door panel to me; being hit by it would definitely turn me into meat paste.
**Even** Jayad didn’t dare to act **unruly** in front of these fierce mercenaries. In other neighborhoods, he would have already been looking around for theft targets, but **here**, seeing that team of mercenaries approach, especially their leader carrying the greatsword, he quickly pulled me along and moved to the side of the road.
“What are you afraid of? You don’t need to fear these mercenaries, they just have some brute strength. Once you master the power of the Holy Light, you can easily defeat him,” Lorna said dismissively.
It seemed she had misunderstood something. Jayad didn’t want to defeat him; his fear of mercenaries was just the instinctual reaction of a thief – staying away from people not to be trifled with.
However, it seemed there were also Jayad’s colleagues here, and stronger ones at that. Skilled and daring, they dared to steal from mercenaries and adventurers.
On the road, I heard someone shouting: “Damn thieves! You stole my amulet! When did you do it?”
Clearly, this fellow, who looked quite skilled and even had neat and beautiful equipment, had been targeted by a thief, and he hadn’t even realized who had stolen from him.
Being stolen from in a place like this and not discovering it on the spot **basically** meant it was gone for good. This guy, less skilled than the thief and dressed so ostentatiously, was practically inviting someone to steal from him.
Looking at him, Jayad’s eyes showed envy. I knew he wasn’t envious of the exquisite armor, but of the thief who could steal from him, or more specifically, of the skill of theft.
“So, what are we here for on Mercenary Street?” I asked Lorna. With her pure white half-Mage Robe and stockings, she didn’t look like someone who would come to a place like this.
“I’m finding him a place to practice quietly, it’s over there.” Lorna pointed to a large building that looked a bit like a stadium from my previous life.
It was a training ground, also called a dojo in the East, **specializing** in renting out training spaces to people. Mercenaries with sabers and swords were constantly coming and going at the entrance.
“Hello, do the three of you need to rent a training ground? Which type do you need? Do you need a sparring partner or a coach?” a beautiful young girl asked as we entered.
“Indoor double room, no sparring partners, and no weapons required,” Lorna said with familiarity.
“Okay, one Silver coin per hour, thank you. If you need anything, you can ring the bell inside. We provide energy recovery drinks and emergency rescue services,” the girl added, not forgetting to promote other products.
So expensive! It costs one Silver coin per hour here. And judging by Lorna’s choice, it was the cheapest training ground, without any additional services, otherwise, it might have been even more expensive.
Jayad reacted more strongly than I did. In his opinion, for training, any open space would suffice; there was no need to rent a specific area. It was too extravagant.
However, after entering the training ground, I felt it was worth it. It was very spacious. Although it was called a double room, I thought it was big enough for four people to practice freely.
The ground was a leveled dirt path. Some commonly used standard weapons were hung on the walls. Although Lorna said no weapons were needed for rent, these simple weapons were likely provided for free by default.
After confirming the customer’s request one last time, the girl closed the training room door. As she left, she wondered curiously, what could one boy and two girls train together for? They didn’t look like battle-hardened mercenaries.
When the girl left and we were the only three left, Lorna took out her weapon and swung it a couple of times, saying, “Come on, let’s spar a couple of rounds first, so I can understand your strength.”
“You, you’re going to use that hammer to practice with me?” Jayad spat, looking at the deadly weapon in her hand.
“Yes, I’m more familiar with my weapon, I’m used to it. Don’t worry, I’ll hold back,” Lorna said.
I **highly** suspect how reliable her “holding back” is, because she was wielding a heavy weapon.
It was a Page Hammer, a one-handed blunt weapon, with four vertical iron plates added to the hammerhead. There were also styles with six or eight plates, with the edges sharpened into spike heads, effectively increasing its lethality.
This type of weapon was deeply favored by Clerics. It could both display authority and serve as a powerful weapon, possessing strong armor-piercing capabilities. Even hitting armor could potentially create a large dent.
Could she really hold back with this thing? Wouldn’t hitting Jayad directly cause internal bleeding?
Seeming to sense Jayad’s hesitation, Lorna added, “Stop dawdling. What are you afraid of with Holy Light protection? **Even** if I hit you with full force, it won’t hurt!”
“Okay,” Jayad said. He took out his short sword, and pure white light emanated from his whole body.
“Wait a moment, you’re going to train with me using this weapon?” Lorna said in surprise.
“This is all I have,” Jayad said helplessly.
“I know. I saw you fighting Moors in the tavern yesterday. Honestly, you had no technique, you were basically just stabbing randomly. If you had practiced a bit, you wouldn’t have been completely defeated by a swordsman.”
“Just take out that sword. Holy Knights don’t use those short weapons, and neither do I, so I can only teach you to use a sword,” Lorna said.
“Alright,” Jayad said helplessly, putting down his short sword. He also knew that it was unlikely to fight Lorna with this weapon unless he had already perfected his short sword skills.
After Jayad picked up the long sword, Lorna finally seriously assumed a stance and said earnestly, “First, I’ll tell you my profession. I’m a Priest, not proficient in close combat.”
