Chapter 646: Enrollment

The war came so suddenly.

For a long time, peace had lulled people into complacency and indulgence, numbing their senses to the extent that when the Bauhinia Federation suddenly launched a surprise attack without declaration, the border defenses collapsed almost instantly. The powerful air defense network was taken down before even firing a single shot, allowing armored airships to advance unimpeded and delivering a profound shock to the kingdom.

Naturally, this included the city where Wu Ming lived.

His first reaction to the outbreak of war was hatred, as the survival rate of a three-year-old infant in times of chaos was extremely low. His second feeling was helplessness.

For someone like Wu Ming, war might be an opportunity, but this war had come far too early! He could do absolutely nothing and had to entrust his safety to the Strongs, a situation that was unbearable for someone who was used to being in control of everything.

Although the armored airships eventually did not drop cruise bombs, proving it to be a false alarm, the actual outbreak of war still had a tremendous impact on the Strong family.

First and foremost, James lost his job.

He had been a very successful salesman, earning enough commission every year to support a large family, buy a car and an apartment. Unfortunately, his company mainly produced luxury goods. With the outbreak of war, resource control was implemented and all efforts were redirected toward the war effort, causing business to plummet overnight. The company went bankrupt, and naturally, James, as a salesman, was laid off as well.

To make matters worse, although James had earned a lot of money previously, most of it had been invested in the stock exchange and futures market, chasing high profits.

This had not been a problem before, but with the outbreak of war, the stock market crashed, with nearly all stocks hitting the daily limit down. Not only were dividends no longer expected, but even share certificates became worthless—many companies that James had invested in went bankrupt, rendering the stocks completely valueless.

The worsening financial situation forced James to first sell his car, and soon after, the family moved out of their villa and rented a duplex apartment.

Mrs. Strong also had to reluctantly sell a wardrobe of expensive clothes, switch to plain garments, and begin carefully managing the family’s finances.

Wu Ming silently watched all of this, helpless in his current state, which was no different from that of a regular infant, possessing no power to change his fate.

The only thing he could do was to eat a little more “normally” and help take care of his two younger siblings, reducing the family’s burden.

Given their current financial situation, they naturally could no longer afford a nanny, and Jenna was let go.

Fortunately, James was an optimist and did not fall into despair. With three children in the house who needed to be fed, he simply had no time to be discouraged.

Every day, he diligently went out to submit resumes. Perhaps due to his work experience, he successfully “sold” himself and landed a job as a mail sorter at the post office, responsible for categorizing mail and parcels from all over the country. Although the salary was meager, compared to the masses of unemployed people, it was practically a great victory.

On the day he got the job, James stood tall and proud, like a general who had just won a battle. Mrs. Strong even added a ham and a bottle of wine to the dinner table.

After enduring a period of hardship, when Wu Ming turned five, good news began to arrive one after another.

First, the two major powers ceased hostilities. The Bauhinia Federation withdrew voluntarily and seemed to have signed a twenty-year mutual non-aggression pact with the kingdom. Long-awaited peace had returned, and the entire nation celebrated.

With economic recovery, stores became increasingly well-stocked, and the dinner table had far more variety.

Nighttime.

Gas lamps emitted bright white light as the five members of the Strong family gathered around the dining table.

Wu Ming could now eat independently with a spoon and had basic self-care abilities, causing the Strongs little concern.

However, the two four-year-old siblings nearby were quite fussy, sitting in their baby strollers and occasionally spilling soup or pulling down the tablecloth, forcing Mrs. Strong to repeatedly intervene and correct them.

“The war has ended, and the stock market is starting to recover. Although several companies went bankrupt, at least one survived…”

James raised a large mug of beer, clearly in a talkative mood. “I have a feeling it will definitely surge. Dear, everything will get better… Once we save up some money, I’ll start a business and bring our lives back to how they used to be.”

Mrs. Strong was feeding Brandon his milkshake, one spoonful at a time. The little boy always deliberately spilled some, getting it all over himself.

Upon hearing James, she turned around and said firmly, “Dear, you’ve forgotten one thing—little Steven is already five years old. We need to prepare for his education!”

“Yes, that’s right!”

James nodded solemnly. “Knowledge can change destiny. Our three children must go to school in the future. We don’t want them ending up like the Wards next door, working in factories when they grow up. You and I both know that’s a monster that devours people without even spitting out the bones. For ordinary male and female workers, surviving past thirty is already a blessing…”

He looked at Wu Ming. “Steven, remember, you must become a respectable member of the upper class someday!”

“I know!”

Wu Ming replied obediently. He had absolutely no interest in the life of laboring like ants from dawn till dusk, only to have many children, most of whom would die young, with the survivors following in their parents’ footsteps.

“Steven, you’ve always been smart, but unfortunately, I originally could have sent you to the best aristocratic school…”

James sighed helplessly. “Only by winning from the very beginning of the starting line can you stand higher, see farther than others, and gain more opportunities!”

“Dear… Our little Steven is the best. Even in a regular school, he can still succeed, right?”

Mrs. Strong gently patted Wu Ming’s head.

“Yes, I’m the best!”

Wu Ming drank the last spoonful of his soup, his heart filled with anticipation. “Now, I should be able to access more things. But why haven’t I encountered any supernatural beings in this world yet? Are they just hiding too well?”

Before long, it was deep into the night.

After several noisy episodes, Brandon and Angelina finally fell into a deep sleep.

Due to their current living conditions and lack of space, Wu Ming now shared a room with Angelina.

He opened his eyes, gazing at Angelina’s sleeping face, still slightly chubby with baby fat, silently sighing.

Slowly sitting up in a meditative posture, Wu Ming immediately sensed the state of his mental sea. The previous chaos had been cleared away, replaced by a radiant light.

Gently drawing out a thread of mental energy to nourish his body, Wu Ming then examined his physical development, nodding in satisfaction. “After years of cultivation, my current tendons, bones, and internal organs are roughly comparable to those of a teenager, as is my strength!”

At this point, he could begin training in physical combat and martial arts techniques.

“However… this world does not generate inner qi, nor can I cultivate inner energy. Will I have to, as in the Sel Continent, figure out physical training techniques on my own?”

Wu Ming opened his eyes with a helpless expression, only to be startled by a somewhat unsettling sight.

Angelina had somehow woken up and was now staring at him with wide, curious eyes.

“Go back to sleep!”

Since the cultivation of mental energy was all within the consciousness, Angelina could at most see her older brother getting up in the middle of the night and making a strange posture. Even if she told someone, it wouldn’t be a big deal—she might even be thought to have been dreaming.

Wu Ming rolled his eyes and pinched her cheek.

“Waaah…”

But Angelina didn’t appreciate the gesture at all, immediately bursting into loud cries.

Her crying woke up Brandon, whose sharper cries were highly penetrating, spreading far into the night.

“What’s going on? What’s happening?”

Mrs. Strong opened the bedroom door, seeing Wu Ming rubbing his eyes and sitting up. “Your sister cried and woke up your brother too!”

Mrs. Strong helplessly approached to calm Angelina and Brandon down. Outside their room, some angry muttering could be heard—the old apartment’s sound insulation was poor, and Wu Ming had heard some unsavory noises a few times before. Now that their neighbors had been woken up in the middle of the night, they would have to go to work early the next morning, and naturally, they all expressed their anger.

…

In front of a large school.

Wu Ming carried a cloth bag and wore a cap, looking like a little adult as he followed James to the reception room.

“Hello, sir. May I ask who you’re looking for?”

A fat man with a red nose stuck his head out and loudly asked.

“I’m here to see Mr. Kyle Wilfer. I have an appointment to enroll my child.”

“Alright, please wait a moment!”

Wu Ming watched as the fat man picked up an old-style telephone with a crank handle beside him, gave it a vigorous shake, then lifted the receiver and spoke a few words into it.

“Are you Mr. Strong?”

“That’s right!”

“Please come in. Mr. Kyle is waiting for you in Room 401, on the fourth floor of the central office building.”

The fat man lifted the barrier, allowing James and Wu Ming to enter the campus.

As they stepped inside, they saw a large playground. Many students in uniform curiously stared at the two, but none dared to follow them toward the office building.

“Mr. Strong, nice to meet you!”

Inside a fourth-floor room, Kyle warmly greeted James as soon as he saw him. “And you too, young man!”

He smiled at Wu Ming and then said to James, “Our school charges tuition on a yearly basis—fifty dollars per year. If you agree, we can process the enrollment now, and your boy can start school today.”

“Agreed!”

At that moment, Wu Ming clearly saw a flicker of pain on James’s face, as fifty dollars was nearly half a year’s income for an average person.

In this world, knowledge and education had never been free.