Tan Lutu opened his eyes. Although no one reminded him, he knew that it was dawn.
As an orc, if he had to get up with the sun in the past, he would definitely yawn. But at this time, Tan Lutu was not sleepy at all. He was full of energy. After wiping his face with water, he put on the academy's trainee uniform. The uniform was gray and black, and the embroidered hammer and axe were lifelike. The trainee uniform of an orc was a combination of daily clothes and combat uniform. Whether it was in class or in a competition, it would not be a problem to wear it.
As the young orc walked out of his house, he could not help but look up. The sunlight shone on the wide and flat gravel road. The gravel road stretched as far as the eye could see. Tan Lutu basked in the peaceful and comfortable sunlight. He could not help but think of his parents who were fighting on the other side of the sea. He knew clearly that this peace and harmony was bought with the blood of countless Black Wings. He paused and made up his mind to write a letter to his father, Orkash.
This was Victorre, the city of orcs only dozens of miles away from King's City. Tan Lutu was in a newly built residential group, which was adjacent to the academy's trainee residence.
"The flames of war never cease, Tan Lutu." A female voice sounded beside him.
"Eternal Will.
Good morning, Na 'he. "
Tan Lutu turned his head and smiled. Na 'he was also a trainee, but she was a few years older than him. She should be an adult soon. She was a mixed-blood, the child of a human and an orc. She had a good temper and was very beautiful. She was faster and more agile than an orc, so she was very popular.
It was said that in the early days, this kind of mixed-blood orc was very excluded. At that time, both humans and orcs despised this kind of bloodline, but the empire did not forbid the union between humans and orcs, and did not treat mixed-blood orcs differently. Later, after more than ten years of development, the number of mixed-blood orcs slowly increased, and their situation became much better.
"How long did you sleep today?" Na 'he asked.
"Eight or nine hours. What's wrong?"
Na 'he nodded. "Let's talk while we walk."
They walked side by side to the academy. On the way, Na 'he and Tan Lutu shared some pine nut shortbread and light sweet wine for breakfast. This was the cooking of Na' he's mother. Orcs would not make such light food. Their food was usually bacon or pancakes.
"Usually, I wake up before the sun rises every day. This is my family's habit, but today I missed the time." Na He said.
"The classes in the academy are too tiring. Every day is very tiring." Tan Lutu wolfed down the biscuits and sweet wine, but ended up choking and pounding his chest.
"That's not the reason." Na He rolled her eyes. "It's us who are changing.
I was all right, but mostly my father, who became more and more sleepy. He was still asleep when I left, and my mother's nagging increased every day.
Tantulu, don't you feel it?
And your appetite. "
Na He didn't eat much and gave the rest to Tanlutu. However, it still didn't seem to be enough because he would feel very hungry before noon.
"Really?" Tan Lutu scratched his head. "I don't think … I feel anything."
"You should have fallen asleep when you got home yesterday. You can try. When you get home, take note of the time," Na He said seriously. "According to my estimation … Ah, Teacher Sve Kent."
In front of me, the beastmen were carrying heavy weapons on their backs as they walked towards me with light steps. Svkaner was the daughter of the Great Chieftain. She had just reached adulthood, but she was already an elite warrior who had been certified by the academy. Her amazing hard work and super high talent made her a celebrity in the academy. She had also changed her academy uniform into pure black, symbolizing her identity as an instructor's assistant.
Although she was only a few years older, Tan Lutu and Na 'he already had to call her teacher.
"The flames of war never cease."
"The will lasts forever." The two trainees replied in unison.
"Are you going to class?" Sve Kent asked softly.
"Yes. In the morning, it's Animal Taming Foundation and First Aid. In the afternoon, there's a combat practice. Let's walk together, Teacher Sve Kent."
"You can just call me senior."
As they approached the Victor Empire Academy, the golden oak trees on both sides gradually came into view. In the square, close to a hundred orcs were training their bodies. Ever since Victor Empire had built the city, there had been an endless stream of orcs coming from all over the north and even Aladia. In the end, most of them chose to settle down here.
"Na He, I just heard you talk about our changes. Can you tell me more about it?
I'm very interested. "Sve Kent asked.
"Senior, you know that after moving to Victor City, everyone's life has changed a lot, right?" Na He said.
Tan Lutu nodded vigorously. He was aware of this obvious change: "Yes, yes. Victor City has issued a lot of laws and regulations. Our lives are no longer as casual as before. It's more orderly. At first, it was quite sad, but later on, I realized that we have more time every day."
Sve Kent listened quietly.
"That's not it."
Na 'he shook her head and interrupted, "What I mean is that the orcs' schedule has become very regular. Up until now, we have gradually adapted to these rules. Take myself as an example. I usually sleep at 21 o 'clock and wake up at 5 o' clock for eight hours."
"Good habit." Sve Kent nodded.
"But recently, I realized that my sleeping time has been increasing. For the past ten days, I have been recording every day."
Nahe pulled out a form and said, "Senior, look. From 5: 00 to 5: 08, 5: 17 … He only woke up at 5: 30 today. My father's condition is even more obvious. I've asked many students in the past two days, and they seem to have similar conditions. More generally, other than students, the average sleep duration of the orcs has also increased …"
Tan Lutu opened his mouth: "That's unbelievable …"
Hearing his companion's exclamation, the orc raised his neck proudly: "Indeed."
"What I'm saying is, you actually record how long you sleep every day, and you even ask others about it. How free are you?!
Is the course too simple or the practice too easy? "
"Idiot, this is called applying what you have learned!"
Na He rolled up the form and showed it to Tan Lutu: "The knowledge taught by the teachers can be used in all aspects."
"That's right."
Svkaner watched the two of them bicker for a while before smiling and nodding at Nahe. He praised, "Keen insight is the foundation of becoming an excellent warrior, and insight doesn't only exist in battle, it's also the same in life.
As a mixed-blood orc, it is really rare for you to be able to notice this. Please don't misunderstand, Na He, I am not biased against your bloodline. Mixed-Blood orcs are also excellent and have many advantages that ordinary orcs do not have. But this time, many of the changes are not obvious in mixed-blood orcs.
"As for you, as a pure-blood orc …" As she spoke, she turned her gaze to Tan Lutu: "You should have noticed these problems before her, but Tan Lutu, you don't seem to know anything."
Tan Lutu could only smile sheepishly.
"Senior, do you know the reason?" Na He observed her expression.
"You were once trapped in this world, and now you are free of the chains."
Sve Kent said solemnly, then paused and smiled at them: "This is what His Majesty the Emperor said to us. If you want to understand, you have to first familiarize yourself with the history of the orcs … Here we are."
Sve Kent looked up at the tall dragon statue of the Imperial College and greeted the other students. Then he walked up the steps to the Imperial College campus of Victorre Imperial College.
Victorre, the last capital of the Skalon Dynasty, was rebuilt on the old site. Behind Sve Kent, countless orcs walked up the steps. The sun shone on their backs, and in an instant, it was like a thousand years ago.