MMBMGAP CH 4

Chapter 4: Training

At the break of dawn, Lin You woke up naturally with his internal clock. He sat quietly on the bed for a moment, regulating his breathing before getting up to wash.

Just then, a small cat brushed up against his feet and mewed sweetly.

“You’re hungry, Mimi? Just a moment.”

Smiling gently, Lin You opened a can of wet food and placed it down for the kitten. While the cat happily ate its gourmet meal, Lin You grabbed a can of nutritional supplement for himself and finished it in a few quick gulps, resolving breakfast.

He then carefully combed his waist-length silver hair with a bristle brush and changed into his white priest’s robes. Getting ready to leave was simple—he didn’t need to put on any makeup or accessories. Just smoothing down his hair made him look like an ethereal spirit; once he donned the white robes, he appeared as holy and pure as an angel.

“I’m heading out. Be good and stay home, alright?”

At that, the little cat ran to the doorway and meowed as if reluctant to let him go. Lin You had no choice but to crouch down and give it a few more affectionate strokes.

He had picked up this cat behind the temple a few years ago. It had been a rainy day, and the tiny kitten was shivering under a tree, covered in mud. Lin You had taken pity on it and brought it home. After giving it a bath, he noticed the cat might have some Persian blood due to its long white fur. That same night, the kitten fell ill and vomited several times. With no other option, Lin You spent the whole night calming it with his spiritual power. In the end, the kitten pulled through. Perhaps due to absorbing a great deal of Lin You’s olive-scented pheromones, it became especially attached to him.

After pacifying the princess of the house, Lin You finally left. As he walked toward the temple’s meeting hall, he reminded himself to buy some new snacks for Mimi later. The night before, they had received notice of a meeting first thing in the morning. All junior, intermediate, and senior priests were required to attend.

Lin You entered the conference room and found a seat in the section for intermediate priests.

As soon as he sat down, Feng Qing, who was next to him, struck up a conversation. “Do you know what today’s meeting is about?”

“No,” Lin You replied calmly. Socializing had never been his strength, and he was usually the last to know about any gossip.

“They say we’re being sent to the Advanced Academy for training. And it’ll last several months,” Feng Qing said.

Feng Qing, also an intermediate priest, was an Omega from a noble family. Gifted since childhood, he had been sent to the temple to train at an early age and had grown up with Lin You. He had always felt sorry for Lin You, who was an orphan, and treated him well. The two were arguably the closest of friends.

“…” Lin You didn’t react much, clearly uninterested.

“You don’t want to go?” Feng Qing asked.

“My cat… it’s a problem,” Lin You replied, worried about who would care for Mimi if he had to be away for months.

“I can’t help with that either… maybe you can bring her along? Depends on who your roommate is…” Feng Qing’s voice grew more uncertain as he spoke. There was a high chance he would end up as Lin You’s roommate.

Lin You’s spiritual power was far too strong. Among intermediate priests, only Feng Qing could tolerate it without being overwhelmed, let alone any lower-level ones. But if they were to share a dorm, Mimi would be a big issue—Feng Qing had severe cat allergies. He could usually bear with a few stray hairs on Lin You’s clothes, but sharing a room was completely out of the question.

“It’s better if I don’t go,” Lin You said flatly.

Not long after, the High Priest entered the room, and the once-noisy hall instantly fell silent as everyone sat upright and respectfully prepared to listen.

The High Priest stood at the podium and addressed the room.

“Today’s meeting is to announce a new development. The Royal Advanced Academy and the Temple will be collaborating on a training program—spiritual power training will be incorporated into the close-combat courses. This is part of a new tactical strategy, and the Temple is fully supporting it. We will be selecting a few qualified priests to undergo joint training at the Academy. The program will last at least three months. All selected priests are expected to cooperate fully.”

The High Priest, Heather, was a youthful-looking Omega whose true age was hard to guess. She possessed the strongest spiritual body in the Empire. In her early years, she had co-developed the Heavenly Canopy System with another High Priest, a protective shield that enveloped the Empire’s airspace. Unfortunately, her fellow priest had died in battle years ago, leaving Heather to maintain the Canopy alone. Since then, she rarely left the Temple, and because of her sacrifices, she was deeply revered throughout the Empire—even the Empress showed her great respect.

“Now, I will announce the names of the priests selected for the program,” said Senior Priest Lian, stepping forward to read the list. “Intermediate Priest Lin You, Intermediate Priest Feng Qing, Junior Priestess Lucia, Luka, Sika, Yelia… That is all.”

As expected, Lin You was on the list.

“We’re screwed. What are we gonna do now?” Feng Qing whispered anxiously to Lin You. Murphy’s Law^[1] had struck again—what about the cat now?

“…” Lin You bit his lower lip, saying nothing.

“Why not send her to my place? At least I have servants who can look after her,” Feng Qing offered.

“But then… I won’t get to see her,” Lin You replied helplessly.

“Then… why not ask that guy? Don’t you have someone you know at the Academy?” Feng Qing couldn’t help but hint. After all, Sade, Lin You’s fiancé and a member of the imperial family, basically had free rein at the Academy. If anyone could make arrangements for a cat, it was him.

“Who?”

“Your fiancé. Isn’t he studying at the Academy?”

“But…” Lin You wasn’t sure if Sade would even respond. He’d already embarrassed himself once years ago and didn’t want to experience that again.

“Just ask already.” Feng Qing, fed up with Lin You’s hesitation, ignored his sour expression and lunged for his optical terminal to send Sade a message himself.

“Alright, alright, I’ll ask,” Lin You finally gave in, unable to resist Feng Qing’s forceful attitude.

(To be continued…)
T/L: Awww Lin You’s a cat lover! Mimi is a cutie patootie ( ˃` ⩌ ´˂ )