Chapter Seventeen: Telling Stories

  Jony has been practicing defensive moves for the past two months.

  All kinds of defense.

  Just like when we were young and learned how to hold a pen, how to hold chopsticks, and how to hold a knife and fork, with repeated practice, you will eventually make the correct movements second nature. When someone asks you to pick up a brush pen, you absolutely won't consider how to hold it; when someone invites you to eat, you definitely won't hesitate about how to use chopsticks.

  Jony is almost done with his training.

  Let's review. When Johnny woke up on the second day, he could feel his hands aching, his waist aching, and his legs aching... He felt that his whole body was sore, moving was a luxury, let alone training. But Johnny was in pain and happy, lying on the simple bed, looking at Odara who called him to wake up with a helpless gaze.

  Audra walked up to Johnny, took a quick look and indeed he was hurt. This kid had experience. It meant that Johnny had practiced enough numbers. Even if he hadn't, this little guy had reached his limit.

  Jony's happiness lies in the fact that today seems to be his own rest day.

  Audela had experience with this kind of muscle injury, but he was completely clueless about the treatment. He looked at Johnny's face, and Johnny also looked back at him. Audela felt that he could see a faint smile on Johnny's face. So he grinned at Johnny and turned to leave.

  He is clueless about treatment, but he has a lot of experience in solving this kind of problem.

  The pastor came and went, taking Joni's pain with him. He was in such a hurry that Joni didn't even have time to ask his name.

  Joni stretched his body and found that he was no longer in pain, feeling refreshed all over, as if he had never been injured. But Joni didn't feel happy at all, he saw Odara laughing at him with a "heh heh" smile.

  "Good job yesterday, kiddo! Keep practicing like that and don't worry about a thing. You see, we have a priest in our castle!"

  Joni thought of Prometheus, who was tied to a mountain by Zeus after stealing fire and had his internal organs pecked out by an eagle, only to be healed again the next day... except that it was internal organs for him, but muscles for himself.

  On the fifth day, Odara came to inspect Jony's training.

  "It's been five days of practice, let's see how it turns out."

  He pulled out a wooden stick and attacked five times as usual. This time Johnny made great progress, withstanding the first four attacks, but was finally knocked down by one stick.

  "There's progress, the movement is coming out, but it hasn't become second nature to your body yet." With that, he helped Johnny up from the ground and threw a punch at his eyes. Johnny was startled, his neck jerked back, and his eyes narrowed slightly.

  "See, that's how it is." Odala didn't really hit him. "That's your instinct, of course. You're not even good at hiding; hiding is the same as not hiding."

  Damn it, I know what instinct is! Johnny thought angrily, but didn't dare show it on his face.

  "Alright, keep practicing, I'll come back in five days to check on you."

  In day-to-day training, in day-to-day treatment, in the real-life abuse that occurs once every five days... Finally, two months have passed.

  "Not bad, you've finally made a start." Odara nodded in approval as he looked at Johnny lying on the ground.

  Jonie, who was knocked down after more than 20 rounds, indeed has a reason to be praised.

  "Starting today, we will rest for three days and make some adjustments. After three days, we will learn how to attack."

  What great news. Johnny thought as he lay on the ground.

  He slowly stood up, patted the dust off his body, and silently put his sword on his back. He let out a deep sigh, then smiled and said to Oudara: "Sir, I'll take my leave."

  Audrey was accustomed to Johnny's sudden change of expression and waved her hand to indicate that he could leave.

  This kid is not simple at all.

  Jonnie, who was in a good mood at the moment, felt comfortable with everything he saw: the sturdy outer walls of the castle, the lush trees in the courtyard, the armor shining in the sunlight, and the shouts of the warriors on the training ground... Jonnie felt like he had come back to life.

  At this time, Astrid walked straight through the gate and into the castle.

  "Hey, Astrid!" Joni called out enthusiastically.

  Astrid looked over and saw it was Johnny, feeling a bit puzzled: "Johnny? Don't you have training today? What's got you so excited?"

  In her impression, Joanie should be very shy.

  "Today is no training." Johnny walked up to Astrid and replied seriously.

  "What's so happy about that?"

  Joni didn't answer, just smiled at Astrid and winked his eyes.

  "Astrid isn't a stupid barbarian, and the news is quite informed. She has some idea of Joni's training methods: 'Oh, no need to train, I get it, I get it. No wonder you're so excited.'"

  Jiang Yi suddenly felt that the girl in front of him was so beautiful and so charming. His courage suddenly grew.

  "Astrid, is there something urgent? Let me treat you to a drink?"

  "Alright, anyway I just finished the task. However." Aisling looked Joni up and down with a smile at the corner of her mouth, "Do you have money?"

  ……

  ……

  "Alright, alright, I know your money was all taken by Uncle Odala to pay off debts. It's been two months since we last met, and as the matchmaker, I should show some concern for you. This meal is on me. But how are you going to repay me? I did get you a good job after all!"

  What a terrible job? A job that doesn't pay and takes lives every day? And you almost shot me to death... But Johnny didn't dare say it out loud, he didn't want to quarrel with the girl in front of him.

  "Let me tell you a story."

  "Tell stories?"

  "Yeah, though it's not like a troubadour's tale that can be sung out loud, I guarantee the story is fascinating." As he let out the "oh" sound at the end, Johnny felt like some creepy uncle who sold little girls.

  "Where did you come from? The story of single-handedly and bravely charging into the Goblin tribe?"

  "No, there was an old poet who came to my house... Ah, let's talk while walking." Joanie was a bit out of breath. Nowadays he himself felt that killing a few goblins was such a hassle, it was really a stain on life.

  Arriving at the Sword and Shield Tavern on the edge of the castle, Aisling ordered two large mugs of ale and a plate of roasted meat. Finding a seat in the corner, Aisling asked impatiently: "What happened next? How did it go?"

  The story was very successful.

  Generally speaking, poets won't run to a blacksmith's shop to tell stories. Although they are a group of artists, they also need to make a living. A blacksmith's shop is not a lucrative place...

  To put it politely, a place like an ironwork shop isn't exactly where people come to appreciate art, right?

  Joni's iron shop was no exception. There were no old poets; his stories all came from the games of past lives.

  Huh? Maybe I'm suited to being a traveling bard? Johnny spoke stories with his mouth and schemed in his mind.

  Then the great hero Bruyist entered the underground of Winterfell with his dog-headed servant. Joni took a swig of beer. Not bad, it had a taste of beer.

  "How can a Goblin be an attendant? Such creatures are stupid, clumsy and barbaric, yet it's even a minstrel?" Astrid asked.

  "Oh dear, this dog-headed person's situation is quite special. There's another historical story about the hero and the dog-headed people, do you want to hear it? It starts from when the hero just left the village, which one do you want to hear?"

  "...you go on." The style of starting from scratch doesn't have a market in this world either? Aisling is also like that... Jony sighed inwardly.

  What Jony is talking about now is the plot of Night City's Magic Shadow. As a traverser, since he can't plagiarize ancient poems, he might as well plagiarize stories. This evokes a hint of nostalgia and gratitude for his past life. However, it's just that much, and they're already in a real-life game, so there's no need to miss the computer. As for others... cough, let's tell a story.

  "A patrol of dark elves discovered them..."

  "What's a Dark Elf?"

  It's over, is there really no dark elf in this world? Then this story can't be told.

  "Astrid, have you been underground?"

  "I haven't... I've heard it's very dangerous there, what happened?"

  "Really?"

  "My dad said the underground is a very dangerous unknown country, and those who go down seem to never come back up."

  That's good.

  "Hey, dark elves are the ones who were banished underground a long, long time ago. They're evil, they..." Johnny started to ramble on confidently.

  I'll tell you more about Chui San Hei's story later.

  In a bar telling stories to beauties, Xia Xiao San often read about bridges that finally came true after he became Joanie.