Chapter 2: Nobles and Commoners (4)

  At the end of September, military basic training was in full swing.

  A gale was blowing in Kiel, the Baltic Sea was rough and the waves were crashing heavily against a small sailboat that had been placed on the beach. Lieutenant Kielhof, who was responsible for physical training, walked along the soft sand, pointing to a lighthouse far out at sea and saying coldly:

  "Today's subject is a three-person rowing boat training, divided into groups of three. The first group to reach the lighthouse can end today's training in advance, and the last group to reach the lighthouse will do 100 push-ups!"

  From the beach to the lighthouse, it's at least three kilometers. Three kilometers on land is nothing difficult, but on a windless sea with waves as high as three feet, it's quite a long journey. Wang Haitian lifted her slightly bruised and purple arm due to the heavy military training for the past three weeks, feeling a bit uneasy.

  "Seilam, Ouden, Redel, you three are a team!" Instructor Kierkhoff seemed to be from Mars, ignoring the contradictions between Seilam, Redel and Ouden, and forcibly tied them together with an unyielding tone.

  "Instructor, I object!" Kilhoff's words had barely fallen when Auden jumped out and said excitedly: "I don't want to be in a group with that idiot Silem, he'll hold me back!"

  "I'm afraid you won't even make it to the end and will cramp up!" Although the otaku was nervous and lacked confidence, he refused to give in. With a stubborn determination, he gritted his teeth and persevered to the very end.

  "What, Auden, are you afraid?" Reddell chimed in with a sarcastic tone: "Don't worry, if we become the last group because of Silim, I'll do those 100 push-ups for you!"

  Auden didn't directly respond to Redel's provocation, instead he looked at Kielhof with inquiring eyes. With the principal Reich's gift of a ceremonial sword and the tradition of encouraging competition at the Kiel Naval Academy, Kielhof put aside his principles and nodded in agreement.

  Auden agreed, but Wang Haitian regretted it. He secretly pulled Rudder to one side and said with a difficult expression: "Rudder, I was just kidding, why did you take it seriously? What if..."

  "Silentium!" Redel's face was tinged with a hint of displeasure, he pressed against Heidt's head and said furiously: "Silentium, if you still want to stay in the military academy, if you still want to stand firm in the competitive navy, then don't prepare any retreat for yourself, don't think about shrinking back when you encounter difficulties, saying that you're not capable! Silentium, you can shrink back once or twice, but can you shrink back for a lifetime?! Do you want to be nailed to the pillar of shame by those Odens and be looked down upon by others forever?!"

  Despite Riddell's advice, the fallen soul of Xiaofu has already become seriously ill. Wang Haitian nodded and agreed, hung his head, rolled up his pants, picked up the wooden paddle and threw it onto the small boat, humming and pushing the small boat into the sea.

  "Xilaim, you're in charge of steering at the bow!"

  Auden jumped onto the small boat and pushed Wang Haitian to the bow position, expressionless.

  Although sailing is a skillful job, it doesn't consume much energy after all. Wang Haiting understood that Auden was taking care of herself, she glanced at Auden and nodded, then sat down in the bow position.

  "Departure!" Kirchhoff shouted.

  Fourteen small boats set off together, the boatmen half-kneeling on the boats, their oars flying up and down in their hands as they rowed hard towards the direction of the lighthouse.

  "Major Stenzel, do you think this is suitable?" The small boat gradually moved away, and Kirchhoff turned to walk towards the hill where Stenzel was standing, wondering: "The contradiction between the nobility and commoners within the Navy has been long-standing. The principal lets the nobles and commoners live together in the same dormitory, mixing them into different groups, sharing honor and disgrace together, using collective honor to reconcile this contradiction. But I think such efforts are futile."

  "I hope Admiral Tirpitz isn't joking..." Stenzel muttered under his breath, without directly answering Kierkegaard's question.

  ****

  The waves were very big, and the small boat had to expend a great deal of physical strength to move forward. Conquering the violent sea was not a task that one person could accomplish alone, so the clever naval students worked together in shifts: two rowed while one rested and steered the boat, alternating like this in order to arrive at the lighthouse as quickly as possible.

  But Auden's situation is a bit different, once he encounters the sea, Wang Haitian usually can't help but feel dizzy and nauseous, and at this moment, he is lying on the deck with his eyes rolled back, vomiting until the sky and earth are dark.

  Auden and Raddel were physically strong, but human endurance was limited after all. Before long, the distance they had opened up earlier was gradually being caught up by the boats behind them. Even Hermann's face, which was flushed with excitement, could be seen clearly. Raddel and Auden were reluctant to give up their hard-won first place, so they gritted their teeth and struggled on with all their might.

  "Auden, let me take over..." Auden had sprained his wrist while rowing the boat. Although he pretended to be fine, Heidi noticed a hint of pain from Auden's constantly trembling wrist.

  "Xilem, mind the helm, we don't need a military moron like you helping out." Auden rolled his eyes, though he was in agony and drenched with sweat, that untamed spirit hadn't changed one bit.

  Herman's group finally caught up, with a hint of overtaking, Oden and Redel exchanged a glance, tacitly forgetting their past unpleasantness, quickening the frequency of rowing. Unfortunately, Oden was already at his last gasp, the piercing pain in his wrist made him unable to hold onto the oar, he had no choice but to put down the oar and slump back into the boat, listless and exhausted.

  The other teams' boats gradually overtook them, and before long, Wang Haitian's team had fallen to the last place. Oden slammed his fist on the boat board, feeling frustrated:

  "I lost..."

  A small sailboat that had lost its momentum was like a rootless duckweed on the vast ocean, tossing up and down in the wind and waves, drifting aimlessly. Seasick Wang Haitian took off his uniform, grabbed the wooden oar, although his face was pale but his eyes were full of determination.

  "Raidel, it's just between us two now..." Wang Haitian half-knelt in the original position of Auden, spitting a mouthful of saliva into his palm, still stubborn despite being short of breath.

  The little sailboat continued on its way, facing the strong sea wind and chasing after the roaring waves. Herman's group was already exhausted, while Rader and Wang Haitian were full of passion and shouting loudly as they desperately chased after them. Oden, who was crouching at the bow of the boat, restrained by his noble upbringing over the years, didn't make any angry or impulsive moves, but the fierce flames burning in his eyes weren't hard to guess the turmoil in his heart.

  The lighthouse is just in front of us, and Herman's group finally fell to second to last. Seeing Wang Haitian and others constantly approaching, Herman, who was afraid of accepting punishment, didn't care about his friendship with Auden, and shouted loudly: "Brothers, come on, don't let Auden catch up!"

  "Asshole!" Herman was also visibly enraged, and another German curse escaped his lips as he grabbed Heidi's shoulders and cheered her on: "Seiler, hold on, you can't lose to that Herman guy!"

  Perhaps it was the manifestation of God, perhaps it was Reddel's scolding that worked, or perhaps it was Auden's encouragement that allowed Wang Haitian to let go of his burden. The accumulated character of Wang Haitian after crossing over suddenly burst out, and his seasickness disappeared in an instant, as if he had been possessed by the heroic Bolt and received Liu Xiang's sacred light, doubling his combat power. Only then did Wang Haitian row left and right, the oars flying up and down, actually increasing the speed of the small boat by a factor of two, reaching the lighthouse just barely ahead of Herman and the others by one ship length.

  Herman knelt on the small boat, his eyes brimming with hot tears as if mourning the loss of a loved one, resenting heaven and earth, wailing like a ghost. Wang Haitian, Oden, and Redel were all exhausted, collapsing onto the small boat, staring at each other's disheveled state and laughing uncontrollably.

  "Auden, still looking down on us commoners?" Redel asked, leaning against the ship's rail and panting.

  "Of course, the glory of the nobility cannot tolerate any desecration!" Bernhard von Oden from Bavaria ignored the astonished faces of Sielem and Redel, slightly raised his head, gazing at the sky at a 45-degree angle, with his nose upturned and an arrogant expression: "I am a great Junker noble, my family has a history of hundreds of years, my body flows with the blood of Teutonic Knights, adhering to the ancient oath of loyalty to the king, promising to guard this rich land of Germany for generations, believing in iron-blooded fearlessness and never yielding in war!"