Chapter 145

Chapter 145

Before the students had time to be too surprised, Lorant arrived right on time for class.

A few students who were shocked by their own thoughts about the future quickly composed themselves, returning to their usual state and began preparing for the lesson.

They didn’t know what the future would hold for them as professionals and their animal pets, but they knew that if they didn’t earn enough points in this class, they would have to stay behind and work for free at the Animal Pet Shop.

Lorant looked around and, seeing that Mo'er and the children from the Blue Star Orphanage had already arrived, nodded and reached up to activate the small amplification device around his neck.

"Good afternoon, everyone."

"Good afternoon, teacher!" The knights responded in unison, their voices strong and clear.

This was a rule Lorant had gradually established over time. Initially, the knights did not have such a routine during classes.

At first, they felt awkward and somewhat embarrassed when they shouted out.

However, humans are creatures of habit. After a few lessons, once everyone around them was doing the same thing, they no longer found it strange.

In fact, not participating in this ritual made them feel out of place.

Lorant nodded, feeling a sense of satisfaction as a teacher.

"Very good. First, let me introduce the new classmates who will be joining us in this class." Lorant scanned the group of orphaned children huddled together, looking anxious.

For these children who had lived at the bottom of society, all professionals were terrifying figures.

Compared to the harsh cold of winter or the scorching heat of summer, which were natural disasters beyond their control, professionals and nobles, as 'man-made disasters,' were even more to be avoided if they wanted to survive.

If an elder had any advice, it would certainly be to stay away from all professionals.

And never believe the nonsense that professionals might show mercy to those at the bottom.

Out of ten professionals, one might be kind enough to toss them a couple of copper coins, while eight would likely treat them as if they didn’t exist.

But if they were unlucky and encountered the remaining one who happened to be in a bad mood, it could mean disaster.

Although the orphans had enjoyed a life of luxury at the Animal Pet Shop, a life they had never dared to dream of, no longer having to beg on the streets or take odd jobs in dark corners,

their fear of professionals, like Mo'er's, would not easily disappear.

"I'm sure you've all noticed that today, the children from the small and middle classes of the Blue Star Orphanage will be joining us in this class," Lorant said, pointing to the nervous orphans.

He was not displeased with their behavior; everything takes time.

As these children interact more with professionals and realize that they are normal human beings just like them, their fear will naturally diminish.

"This class is part of our practical training. Today, we will learn how to coordinate with the Crystal Ice Flame Dogs in battle."

Lorant added, noting the students' surprised expressions: "However, since these Crystal Ice Flame Dogs are still young, we will only engage in pet battles today."

"Pet battles, as the name suggests, involve only the pets, with no direct participation from their owners," Lorant continued, seeing the puzzled looks on the students' faces. "That means, for this class, you only need to establish basic coordination and rapport with your pets. Your task is to maximize your pet's potential without directly engaging in the fight yourself."

"But don't think that you can leave everything to your Crystal Ice Flame Dogs."

"A good commander can make the Crystal Ice Flame Dogs perform even better."

"In real battles in the future, if you have a Crystal Ice Flame Dog, the commands you need to give will be much more complex than what we practice here."

"At that time, you will need to manage your own combat, pay attention to the complex environment, and also keep track of your pet's position to give appropriate instructions."

Lorant surveyed the room, his voice rising. "I have always emphasized that the difference between pets and wild beasts lies not only in their emotions and their closeness to humans."

"It also lies in their intelligence and strong learning ability."

"These two qualities are precisely the best standards to judge whether you are a qualified owner."

"Teaching your pet to fight, and to fight intelligently, is what you should strive for!"

"Do you understand?"

"Understood!" The students responded in unison.

Lorant nodded in satisfaction. "By the way, due to the special nature of this class, I have prepared a new scoring system for you."

"First, our previous classroom scoring rules remain unchanged."

"On top of that, I have set up additional points."

"Let me explain the final assessment method for this class." Lorant suddenly broke into a bright smile, causing the students, who were now familiar with him, to shiver involuntarily.

Whenever their teacher smiled so brightly, it usually meant trouble!

The last time he was this happy was when he introduced the scoring system to trick the last group of unlucky students into working for free!

"I will teach you some basic commands to train your pets, and then give you some time to bond with your Crystal Ice Flame Dogs."

"Don't worry, the Crystal Ice Flame Dogs are all from the same batch, the same age, and have already learned the commands and basic instructions I will teach you."

"The bonding session is just to build a short-term trust between you and these young pets."

"After the bonding, we will have one-on-one battles, between you and the children from the Blue Star Orphanage."

Lorant deliberately drew out his words, waiting for his students' reactions.

The knights were naturally taken aback. No one had expected that Lorant had brought the orphanage children for this purpose.

Battling against these thin, frail children whose arms and legs looked like chopsticks?

How could they accept this?

"Teacher? But isn't this a bit like bullying the young?"

"That's right! Winning this way is too shameful!"

"These little ones are so young. Teacher, can't we just have internal battles among ourselves?"

"No way! Teacher Lorant!"

"Isn't this too much of an unfair advantage? It's not fair!"

The knights' objections rose one after another, their excitement causing them to forget Lorant's rule about raising hands before speaking in class.

Gabriel had also opened his mouth to say something, but upon seeing Lorant's cold smile, he instantly swallowed his words.

His sharp sense of danger had saved him from many perils in the wild.

Sure enough, Lorant cast a cold glance at those who were loudly protesting, and they gradually fell silent.

"What? Is it break time now?" Lorant raised an eyebrow, looking at the students whose faces had suddenly turned green, clearly just realizing their mistake.

"Chris, Mark, Fran, Ain, each of you will lose five points from your class score. I hope you perform better in the next segment."

"Otherwise, we'll see each other tomorrow and the day after."

Lorant sneered again as he watched the previously outspoken students wilt, his gaze sweeping over all the students.

"But I think that most of you here share the same thoughts!"

"Do you think being professionals guarantees victory?"

"Winning is never shameful; only losing is!" Lorant suddenly became serious, "To underestimate your opponent before the battle even begins—this is what the Knights Academy teaches you about dealing with situations?"

"Your thoughts are what make me ashamed!"

The entire lawn fell silent instantly, with only the sound of the wind and the knights' restrained breathing breaking the quiet.

"But having such confidence is not bad!" Lorant suddenly changed his tone and smiled, "Since everyone is determined to win, let's add a stake to this one-on-one match."

"If you lose to these children, whom you believe you should easily defeat, then each of you will lose one hundred points from your overall course score."

"And you will also have to spend at least two days each week helping out at the Animal Pet Shop, no, at the Blue Star Orphanage, until the end of the pet class."

"How does that sound?"

Lorant smiled like a cunning fox, not truly angry. The knights' reactions were exactly what he had anticipated, and he was merely proceeding with his planned lesson.

"Now, everyone is free to speak. Do you agree with the new rules I've proposed, or do you want to admit defeat before the match even starts?"

"By the way, I assure you, I haven't done anything behind the scenes. These children, like you, have not received any related training before today."

"They are even less experienced than you, since you have already encountered the Luli Ice Flame Dogs, while these children have never even seen these pets before!"

Lorant continued to provoke the students with his words.

Sure enough,

"I agree! Teacher Lorant!"

"Me too! I agree!"

"Who would be afraid?"

These hot-blooded students couldn't stand being provoked, each eager to step forward and challenge immediately.

They completely forgot the severe consequences of losing one hundred points.

Meanwhile, the children from the orphanage looked even more frightened.

As Lorant had said, they had never come into contact with these pets before.

Due to their background, the orphanage children were naturally more cautious and careful in their actions.

They had to be extremely careful to survive, always watching others' expressions.

Even though life under Lorant's care had been like a dream for them, with good food and a happy daily routine, they still remained cautious.

Lorant remembered how Silem, at their age, had been a mischievous troublemaker, causing problems everywhere and being adept at whining and pleading.

Even in the pet shop, where the magical pets were so close and tempting, they dared not cross any boundaries, standing far away and watching the Luli Ice Flame Dogs play and frolic in the sunlight.

Lorant's words had completely terrified these children.

How could they ever imagine themselves not only attending classes with these noble knights but also engaging in one-on-one battles with them?

How could they possibly compare to these noble knights?

A few of the younger children were on the verge of tears, frightened by Lorant's words and the knights' reactions.

Lorant, of course, did not forget about these children. After provoking the knight students, he turned to look at the frightened orphans.

Seeing their thin bodies and terrified faces, Lorant felt no sympathy.

They must grow, and they must grow quickly, within the shortest possible time!

"As for the children from the Blue Star Orphanage, today is indeed your first time participating in such practice. This kind of practical training may be unfamiliar to you, but you must get used to it."

Lorant's expression softened as he looked at the children, who seemed like lambs thrown into a pack of wolves, trembling with unease: "I believe in you. Compared to these knights, you only lack some luck!"

"If you were born into families where you could eat and dress well, and even have the chance to build up your strength, would you be any less than them?"

"Do you want to spend your entire lives cowering in corners, burying your heads in your knees whenever a knight passes by, praying they don't notice you?"

"Previously, Pence gave you many basic reading and writing lessons. That was to ensure you could grasp the most fundamental knowledge, so that in the future, you wouldn't be illiterate."

"Today is my first class for all of you. I hope you can show me through your actions whether you have enough courage and whether you have the potential to become someone who can step onto the battlefield."

Lorant nodded inwardly as he watched the children gradually raise their heads.

Of course, he didn't expect all the orphans to become independent warriors.

Bravery has always been the domain of the few.

But those who achieve great things and are worthy of being recorded are also few.

Today was Lorant's first round of selection. After this class, if anyone performs poorly, he would consider reorganizing the group.

Lorant didn't plan to train all the children to be warriors.

To him, this world has never been one where only warriors truly have value.

The Animal Pet Shop lacks everything, but what it needs most is people.

If a child shows exceptional intelligence, he will send them to Holland's prestigious academy for further studies, hoping they will become capable employees like Emma in the future.

If a child has a strong body, even if they can't become professionals, Lorant can arm them with pets to form a force that no one can underestimate.

Even if they excel in nothing, as long as they are loyal to Lorant, he can ensure they will have a lifetime of security and comfort as employees of the Animal Pet Shop.

In a sense, the moment Lorant acquired the orphanage, the lives of these children were rewritten.

"Do you, children, wish to fight alongside me against these powerful knights?" After giving the children some time to think, Lorant asked softly, "If you are truly afraid, I won't force you. You can speak up now, don't push yourselves."

"What I am asking you to do is dangerous. If something goes wrong, you might die."

A few children glanced at each other, then avoided Lorant's gaze and silently walked to the side.

Lorant looked at them without a word, just watching the other children quietly.

Soon, more children began to waver and chose to withdraw.

Lorant wasn't surprised. Most of those who withdrew were older children who had already formed a mindset that was hard to change over the years.

Keeping them in the main branch instead of sending them to the satellite branches was Lorant's last effort.

If these children choose to withdraw this time, Lorant will let them go to the satellite branches.

At that point, it could only be said that these children didn't have the luck.

Abandoning them, Lorant still had countless options. But for those abandoned by Lorant, it meant missing out on the best opportunity they might ever have.

However, not all the children were like that.

What made Lorant happy was that out of the forty-odd children, only about ten chose to withdraw.

The other thirty-odd children, though still filled with fear, gritted their teeth and stayed.

One child caught Lorant's attention.

It was a girl, around eight years old, one of the older children among the orphans.

At first, Lorant even considered sending her directly to the satellite branch to work.

But in the end, he decided to give more children a chance, so he kept her.

This child behaved differently from the others. The fear and panic that the others showed were completely absent in her.

Lorant saw only eagerness and excitement.

She was thrilled!

She was excited by what Lorant said and what was about to happen.

That wasn't something that could be faked.

This ability to handle pressure and even thrive under it made Lorant take a closer look at the girl.

But he quickly refocused his attention.

"Of course, as the weaker side, if you can defeat these powerful knights, the rewards will certainly not be lacking."

"To be honest, I haven't decided what the best reward should be yet. How about this: if anyone can beat them, I'll make a promise to fulfill one of your wishes. What do you think?" Lorant thought for a moment and said.

This reward was incredibly attractive. Anyone with a brain could understand how valuable such a promise from Lorant was.

Wealth, knowledge, power—Lorant could provide them all.

Such a reward would likely cause a frenzy even among the Knight Regiments and other organizations, but now it was being offered as a classroom reward to these children.

"Alright, everyone, follow me. You can choose a Ruyi Ice Flame Hound with which you feel a connection." Lorant led the excited students to the area where the Ruyi Ice Flame Hounds were gathered.

Mike and Taya had already rounded up the batch of Ruyi Ice Flame Hounds that had been trained by the first-year students yesterday to understand simple combat commands. Kongsan was helping maintain order; otherwise, the two siblings alone couldn't manage these little ones.

These were the first batch of Ruyi Ice Flame Hounds born, and there were 150 of them, enough for the students and the orphanage children to choose from.

"Before we begin the selection, I will give you a demonstration."

Lorant gestured to the side, and Maomao, who was also helping to maintain order beside Kong San, trotted over with great enthusiasm, his fluffy tail wagging furiously.

Maomao circled around Lorant excitedly, his head tilted back, his beautiful eyes reflecting nothing but Lorant.

This unique Luli Bingyan Hound was gradually showing some differences from its siblings.

Although Lorant hadn't given it any special treats, Maomao's physique was already significantly larger than those of its littermates, being about one size bigger.

Whether in terms of fur volume or bone size, it was clearly not on the same level as its contemporaries.

At first glance, one might think it was a Luli Bingyan Hound that had been born a month earlier than the others.

Lorant extended his hand above Maomao's eyes and opened his palm.

Seeing this gesture, the highly excited Maomao immediately stopped, shifting its gaze to Lorant's palm and staring intently, waiting for the next command.

"Sit!"

Lorant formed a fist with his hand and gave a clear command.

Maomao obediently sat down, its gaze still fixed on Lorant's hand.

Though it continued to wag its tail, its attention was now fully focused.

Lorant pointed his finger toward Mo'er. "Charge!"

The Luli Bingyan Hound obeyed without hesitation, launching itself forward like a black bolt of lightning, vanishing from its original spot.

Lorant's next command came even faster. As soon as he said "Charge," he immediately shouted, "Stop!"

In the students' view, a black blur streaked across their vision and finally came to a halt by Mo'er's leg.

Such speed! It was enough to tear the throats of everyone present!