Castle of Black Iron

I was born in a remote place in Waii Subcontinent——Blackhot City of Andaman Alliance.

Andaman Alliance was a very small alliance of cities. The total urban area of this alliance might not even match that of Class A city in Taixia Country. Of course, you could not find knights in this alliance.

Before the holy war, Andaman Alliance had been annexed by Norman Empire. My hometown Blackhot City also became a Class D city in Brunswick Province under the governance of the governor of the north border of Norman Empire. Even though before Andaman Alliance was annexed, many people who lived in the prosperous cities of Waii Subcontinent still didn’t know about the location of Blackhot City of Andaman Alliance.

Not to mention those Hua people who lived in the prosperous and powerful Taixia Country.

I was a grassroots knight who grew up from a trivial person in such a remote place.

Why do I feel that I’m a grassroots knight? The most important point is that I didn’t know that there was any relationship between me and Huaiyuan Palace which shocked the entire Waii Subcontinent until I was 16.

When I was young, a copper coin meant half a bowl of rice brew. My mom supported our family by making and selling rice brew. My dad worked in a steel mill. I remember that my dad’s one year’s salary was 12 gold coins at that time, which could barely survive the family of 4 even in Blackhot City. Our family was very frugal at that time.

Previously, we should have five family members. Pitifully, before I came to this world, one of my elder brothers had sacrificed in a battle between Andaman Alliance and the surrounding forces in the status of a common soldier of Andaman Alliance. After that guy left our family in a very irresponsible way, I came to this world.

I think they might want me to have a longer longevity instead of just leaving the family like my elder brother; therefore, they named me Zhang Tie.

Compared to the official name Zhang Mushen, I prefer the pet name. The name Zhang Tie is very basic.

Although tie is not valuable, it’s very hard. Therefore, this word reflects my life experience since I was born to the present.

...

My mom used to instruct me——to be a good person; instead of being a big figure!

I have been trying my best to be a good person since I was young.

When I was young, I didn’t even understand the meaning of a good person. However, when I sent the remaining rice soup to the orphanage in Blackhot City by tricycle for the first time and saw the naive smiles of those orphans and my mom’s reassuring smile, I had learned a preliminary definition of a good person——a good person was like those who could send remaining rice soup to orphanage.

The Grandma Teresa in the orphanage also touched my head and said I was a good person.

At that moment, I was confident that I would be a good person for the rest of my life.

I’ve not imagined that my wish to be a good person would be shattered after I came to Taixia for less than half a year. I’m now a totally heinous bad guy.

...

It’s too difficult to be a good person; especially a good person who’s favored by everyone else. Additionally, a good person wouldn’t necessarily win people’s respect or praise.

Sometimes, I wanted to be a bad guy too.

It was also in Blackhot City when I wanted to be a bad guy for the first time. It was in the Iron Thorns Fighting Club.

...

After finding out that I could bear being beaten at school, Captain Kerlin the military representative and director of the Seventh National Male Middle School in Blackhot City introduced a promising job to me in the fighting club out of pity and "kindness".

I still remember Captain Kerlin’s words which he said that day.

"I have a precious part-time social practice position for you. It’s highly paid. Besides, you could touch many rich and influential figures and broaden your horizon. If you could do a good job, you will improve your battle strength greatly. You could even have a chance to contact with those beauties over there. Many people begged me for that job; however, I disagreed; I find you’re the most proper person for this job!"

When I heard these words at the beginning, I felt that Captain Kerlin was the most lovable person in this world. I felt that the halos of a good person finally brought me a good luck and I saw a narrow chance for me to improve my poor life.

At that moment, I was doing a part-time job in a grocery as an apprentice in Blackhot City. The boss of the grocery was a miser. I didn’t gain any pay after 2 years of job.

When in the Seventh National Male Middle School in Blackhot City, all the male students in their puberty became wild animals being dominated by male hormone.

At school, we didn’t call each other students; instead, we called each other animals.

Therefore, I desired about this job through which I could make money, enjoying beauties and "have an intimate contact with beauties".

The location of this job was Avenue Bright, the most prosperous place in Blackhot City.

I felt that I was going to have a bright future.

...

On the next day since Captain Kerlin introduced that job to me, with a nervous yet ambitious feeling, I came to the Avenue Bright. Holding my breath, I entered the gate of the Iron Thorns Fighting Club which was guarded by warriors in armor.

A beauty was standing behind the counter of the lobby. At her 20s, she wore a black tight vest and a pair of white tight sweatpants with a ponytail. At the sight of her genial smile and air of youth, my heart had started to pound.

This woman was called Mary, the first female who drove me to be a bad guy.

After knowing that I was here to apply for a job in the fighting club, she came out of the counter and led me to the manager’s room.

Walking behind her and watching her "twisting" butt, a wildfire of hope to be a real man started to burn in my heart. Closely after that, I stammered, "Hi...hello, I...I am Zhang Tie, what’s your name?"

I think my voice must be trembling at that moment.

Mary stopped as she threw a glance at my face and my clothes which indicated my identity and background, with an icy and ironical eye light she said, "Actually, you don’t have to know my name. Although we’re all here to make money, you should know that there would be no relationship between you and me for the rest of our lives. Stop daydreaming..."

What a shame!

After hearing this reply, my face turned pale. My heart ached as if it was stabbed by someone. In a split second, I didn’t know how should I respond to her. Perhaps, I should face her in a mild and calm way; however, with a complex mood combining fury which was caused by being despised and braveness, I forcefully caught her shoulders and pushed her against the wall. When she was scared so much that she even became flurried, I thrust my waist and hit her twice in the form of "piston movement". At the same time, I told her furiously that I would definitely let her crawl to me and beg me to f*ck her one day.

This obscene movement could never be made by a good person.

Such words could not be told to a 20-year old beauty by a good person either.

I felt that I was a bad guy; therefore, I was pretty scared inside.

Luckily, Mary didn’t shout loudly. Although she despised me furiously, she still led me to the manager’s office.

It was my first time to be a bad guy who let such a beautiful girl feel shameful and hide her distant and derisive face.

In the manager’s office, I saw the manager of this fighting club and learned about the "promising job"——highly paid, improving physical health, having intimate contacts with big figures and broaden my horizon in a high-end place.

It was called a ladder player, which had another name in the fighting club——human flesh bag! Those rich people in the fighting club didn’t feel cool to only hit sandbags; they required a mobile sandbag for their exercise. I was the very mobile sandbag.

The working time of this part-time job was 6 pm to 11 pm on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. The compensation per hour was 70 copper coins. If I was late on the very day, the compensation for the very day would be deducted. The compensation would be paid weekly. I might get a tip from guests.

On the day I went there, a human flesh bag had just resigned; therefore, in order to keep me, the manager added 10 more copper coins per hour for me.

80 copper coins per hour! I adopted it willingly even though my job was to be beaten by others!

It was my first paid job.

During the first time, I was hit and passed out in the fighting club the moment the training started. I gradually woke up after being carried out of the training room.

It was too late when I went back home that night. My father asked me the reason.

I told him that my teacher introduced a highly paid part-time job for me. I could contact a lot of rich and powerful person through this job. When I was free, I could even do physical exercises. Additionally, there were many beauties over there. I even met a beauty who praised me that I was ambitious and a daydreamer!

My dad and mom burst out into laughter at the same time.

...

Now, I see, this encounter with Mary in the fighting club might be the premonition of my current encounter, through which, the Almighty God wanted to show me a point.

——At a point in my life, a woman changed me from a good person to a bad person.

Mary was the first one, but not the last.