Immediately, she grew concerned for Kal again, reminding him, "However, Kal, training a qualified knight is extremely expensive."
"Even though you acquired a large sum of money from the Martial Arts Tournament bets and lifting the curse, it probably won't last very long."
"Just the standard plate armor and a decent warhorse will cost several hundred oren as a base."
"Moreover, during the long training period, these children are completely out of production."
"Food and drink, weapons and equipment, training grounds, and the instructors' pay—every single one is a huge expense."
"The food can't be too bad either, otherwise, they won't grow strong enough bodies."
Triss's worries were reasonable; as she said, it was indeed a bottomless pit of investment.
However, Kal smiled calmly, his tone full of confidence: "Don't worry too much about money; for me, that's actually the smallest problem."
Triss looked at Kal with some surprise upon hearing this.
She knew Kal had many secrets and had witnessed his incredible physique.
Seeing Kal so certain, although she was very curious how Kal could acquire stable and vast wealth, she was smart enough not to press him on this sensitive topic.
She just smiled sweetly, with admiration and affection: "You are very confident, Kal."
"However, that's one of the things I like about you."
By the time he left Triss's messy residence, it was almost evening.
Kal tidied his robes, preparing to find a quiet corner nearby and open a teleportation gate to return directly to Terra.
However, as soon as he turned into a relatively quiet alley, a commotion and the sound of pursuit grew closer.
He saw several teenagers, about thirteen or fourteen years old and dressed in rags, fiercely chasing and beating another boy.
The boy being chased looked thinner and smaller, about eleven or twelve years old.
His face was already bruised and swollen, and his clothes were full of holes and patches, covered in dust.
But even being beaten like this, his bright eyes showed a resilience—
and an unyielding spirit not typically found at his age.
It was noteworthy that his right hand remained tightly clenched into a fist, as if he held something extremely important inside.
Seeing this, Kal temporarily dismissed the idea of leaving immediately and stopped in his tracks.
A faint light flashed in his eyes, and his X-ray vision instantly activated, his gaze easily penetrating the boy's clenched fist.
It was a silver coin—Kal immediately understood; no wonder the boy was being chased and beaten by a group of people.
He must have been lucky, picking up this silver coin, which was a "huge sum" for a commoner, from who knows where.
Then, he was accidentally discovered by these ill-intentioned peers, thus attracting this misfortune.
At this moment, the bruised and swollen boy running at the front, due to panic and his injuries, was momentarily careless.
As he ran past Kal not far ahead, his foot suddenly caught on a protruding stone, tripping him.
With a "thud," he lost his balance completely, falling heavily to the ground and rolling several times in a disheveled manner.
In an instant, he was caught by the several people chasing him from behind.
"Hurry, we've got him!"
"Hand over the silver coin!"
"That's what you get for running!"
The teenagers immediately surrounded him, raining punches and kicks on the boy lying on the ground.
The group continuously cursed and threatened him, forcing him to hand over the silver coin.
But the boy lying on the ground had a very stubborn personality.
Even when beaten by multiple people, he gritted his teeth, not letting out a single cry of pain, nor did he beg for mercy.
He even seized the opportunity to grab the stone that had just tripped him, resisting with all his might, while also cursing back at them without showing weakness: "Get lost! This is mine! Nobody gets it!"
Kal frowned slightly, stepping forward, intending to intervene; he couldn't stand to watch.
However, just as he lifted his foot, the situation suddenly escalated.
Among the attackers, two of the most fierce-looking teenagers had a cruel glint in their eyes.
The two actually pulled out crudely ground stone knives from their clothes; by their stance, they intended to kill and rob.
Kal's eyes narrowed, his face quickly covered with a layer of icy coldness, and his figure flickered.
The several teenagers who were committing the violence only felt a sharp pain, as if they had been hit by a runaway carriage, and then they were uncontrollably sent flying backward.
"Ah ah ah!"
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Several screams, accompanied by dull thudding sounds, rang out.
The teenagers, like broken sacks, slammed against the mottled walls on both sides of the alley, slowly sliding to the ground.
The two teenagers who had pulled out stone knives were the most severely injured; their arms were bent at an unnatural angle, clearly broken.
Blood continuously flowed from their noses and mouths, and their bodies twitched slightly on the ground.
For a moment, these two couldn't even scream, only groaning in pain.
The other teenagers who had participated in the punching and kicking were mostly clutching their buttocks or backs, rolling on the ground and wailing.
Although it hurt a lot, it was far less severe than the two.
Kal ignored the wailing aggressors; he walked up to the beaten boy.
Then, he bent down, reached out, and helped him up, gently patting the dust off his clothes.
"Are you alright?" Kal's voice softened, carrying a reassuring power.
The boy managed to stand steadily, the pain from various parts of his body making him wince slightly.
But he still held on, shaking his head, and replied with a stubborn voice: "I—I'm fine."
"Thank you, sir. They're just minor injuries; they'll heal on their own in a while."
He looked down at his tightly clenched right hand, felt that the silver coin was still there, and actually managed to force out a small smile that seemed to say "it was worth it."
He muttered softly: "The silver coin is still there—the beating wasn't a waste—"
"If I save it, I can buy ten loaves of bread—enough for me to eat for several days—"
Kal looked at the boy; after enduring a brutal beating, the boy was looking at the silver coin that had almost cost him his life.
The boy was actually secretly rejoicing that he had "kept his property," believing it was well worth it.
A complex emotion couldn't help but rise in his heart, and he sighed softly.
In this era, the lives of the lower class were just this difficult.
A single silver coin could mean the difference between a child's survival.
Kal's face showed a gentle, faint smile, and he asked softly, "Child, where are your family?"
The boy looked up at Kal, and upon hearing the question, a hint of unconcealable sadness flashed across his face.
But that sadness was quickly replaced by resilience, and he slowly shook his head.
His voice held a slight, barely perceptible tremor as he whispered: "My father—passed away from illness—when I was five years old."
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