Chapter 27: Guidance

David did not rest immediately. The New Year's Eve party had delayed him somewhat, and after indulging in plenty of energy-rich food, he first went to the underground gym to practice the Eighteen Styles of Martial Arts several times. Only after feeling thoroughly exhausted did he return to his room to freshen up.

Sitting on the soft bed, he took out the K2 Military Electronic Countermeasure Device and connected it to the security brain of the Sturt Hotel. Using an upgraded account to access the security brain, he began searching for information related to Mr. Sturt. There was not much data about Mr. Sturt in the security brain; only his age was listed. Given that he was the owner of the Sturt Hotel, it was not surprising that detailed information was lacking. However, David found it strange that Mr. Sturt's age was recorded as ninety-three. This seemed inconsistent with the middle-aged appearance he had witnessed at the party, where Hans, standing beside Sturt, appeared older than him. Although Hans looked somewhat aged due to health reasons, he could not be compared to a ninety-three-year-old Sturt. While people over ninety in the Federation might not show signs of aging as prominently as in David's previous life, they certainly would not appear as youthful as Sturt.

David did not dwell on this too much; perhaps Sturt had used some unknown special beauty treatment. The world of the wealthy was beyond the speculation of someone like him. The security brain was the central hub of the entire Sturt Hotel's security system, containing all data about the hotel: financial records, security logs, confidential company information, and details of all guests.

David's first priority was to find out if the Sturt Hotel had any connection to Trainer Jeremy, as this would serve as the strongest evidence to confirm whether Sturt was behind his troubles. Soon, he discovered financial transactions between the Sturt Hotel and Trainer Jeremy in the financial records. However, the records showed that it was not the Sturt Hotel making payments to Jeremy. In fact, it was the opposite—Trainer Jeremy had been regularly investing funds into the Sturt Hotel for over two years, while David had only met Jeremy a few months prior. The timing was too strange.

Initially, David hoped to prove that Sturt was the mastermind, but his findings only complicated the matter further, leading him to misjudge the relationship between the two. Of course, the financial records were obscured, but once David penetrated the outer layers of disguise, everything was laid bare. Perhaps Sturt never anticipated that anyone could easily breach what he believed to be an impenetrable security brain, which explained why so many confidential documents were stored there.

David also found information about the deceased security chief, Amos, confirming that Amos was indeed sent by Sturt, receiving bonuses disguised as expenses for assignment tasks. Furthermore, after Amos was killed, a considerable compensation was sent to his family.

David shook his head; the information provided by the security brain was not as useful as he had imagined. However, he clarified Sturt's involvement, allowing him to monitor Sturt's movements. He set up a small program in Sturt's itinerary records to automatically send Sturt's daily schedule to his identity bracelet, ensuring that every move Sturt made would be under his observation. Sturt was a wealthy man in Perlan City, and his daily outings were always planned, which made it easier for David to track him. Having accomplished this, David put away the K2 Military Electronic Countermeasure Device and fell into a deep sleep.

The next morning at six o'clock, David was awakened by the smart butler, Emma. As he walked downstairs, he saw Myron, who had also been awakened. Myron seemed unaccustomed to rising so early and appeared dazed.

"David, does your smart butler have a problem? Waking me up this early!" Myron complained as soon as he saw David.

"I didn't set a six o'clock wake-up!" David shook his head and turned to the smart butler, Emma, asking, "Emma, is there an error in your program?"

"Performing self-check, self-check complete!" Emma began its self-diagnosis upon hearing the question, its eyes flickering before returning to normal. "Emma's system is functioning properly; there is no program error!"

"Then why did you wake us at six?" Myron interjected.

"By authorization from the highest authority, Hans, Mr. Gallen holds secondary authority and can issue commands to me. Waking you at six was Mr. Gallen's instruction!" Emma replied.

"Gentlemen, getting up at six is a good habit; I hope you can maintain it!" Gallen said cheerfully as he emerged from the dining room holding a glass of juice.

"Good morning, Uncle Gallen!" Myron's previous complaints vanished as he greeted Gallen alongside David.

"Emma, serve them the prepared breakfast!" Gallen ordered the smart butler, then turned back to David and Myron. "Take your breakfast down to the underground training room; I want to see how you're doing!"

Emma handed two meal boxes to the two. David noticed they contained ten portions of enhanced meat, realizing they were likely in for a demanding session that day.

The underground vegetable cultivation base outside the glass passage did not astonish Myron; he seemed quite accustomed to it. Once in the underground gym, David and Myron set their food boxes down and stood in front of Gallen.

"I need to assess your grasp of martial arts. The Eighteen Styles of Martial Arts may seem simple, but they have been refined over millennia and are the best foundation for your future practice," Gallen said, smiling at the two youths.

"Uncle Gallen, I heard the martial arts were derived from the knightly training methods of the Divine Realm. Is that true?" Myron asked curiously, perhaps because Gallen's demeanor was not overly serious.

"Myron, if you were strong enough, you would have the right to know. Right now, you do not have that qualification!" Gallen shot Myron a stern look and then waved his hand, continuing, "Since you're so eager, let’s have you demonstrate the Eighteen Styles of Martial Arts first."

As Gallen gestured, Myron's body involuntarily shifted five meters to the center of the gym.

"Then I'll begin!" Myron said decisively.

He proceeded to practice the Eighteen Styles of Martial Arts. From David's perspective, Myron's execution was far better than his own before acquiring the knowledge orb. Myron's grasp of the Eighteen Styles was roughly in the 80% beginner phase, according to David's estimation.

After completing one round of the Eighteen Styles, Myron was sweating profusely but looked very pleased, directing a boastful glance at David.

"Not bad; your mastery of the Eighteen Styles has reached an advanced beginner level. It seems you've put in significant effort in this regard," Gallen nodded approvingly. The better the foundation of his student, the easier it would be for him to teach.

"Uncle Gallen, I haven't made progress in several months; even my strength and speed haven't improved," Myron quickly sought advice.

With the best teachers in Perlan City instructing him at home, he had reached a point where they had little advice left to offer for further improvement.

"The foundation of strength and speed lies in your physique. If your physique hasn't improved, then naturally, your strength and speed cannot increase. Generally, enhancing your physique can be achieved through special potions or martial arts training. I see you've used enhancement potions; at this stage, it's best to refrain from using them again. Otherwise, when you attempt to become a formal knight, you'll lose the benefits of the potions. In the coming days, I will guide you in improving your martial arts!" Gallen said with a smile.

Myron nodded, understanding his own issues. However, reaching this level with the Eighteen Styles and further improvement would be quite challenging. This was also why Mayor Bernard had gone to great lengths to secure his placement with Gallen.

"Each use of enhancement potions generates a certain tolerance. While this tolerance may not be noticeable in everyday life, it can be fatal when trying to break through limitations. Therefore, the use of enhancement potions must be approached with caution," Gallen advised Myron, casting a glance at David as well; this was not just for Myron, but a reminder for David as well.