Chapter 66: Even Lazy Pigs Have Their Active Moments

After sending away the group of bandits eager for wealth, Alexander began to implement his own money-making business. His winery was established, with skilled workers leading a large number of slaves in the production of barrels of wine. Then Alexander began soaking various tonics such as deer antlers and ginseng into the wine. These precious tonics were easily found near the mountains near the village of Calius.

When these ingredients were mixed together, the effects were remarkable. They could strengthen even the weakest kidneys over the span of ten years. However, these concoctions required ample time to ferment, so they would be left to soak for a month.

During this period, Alexander focused mainly on improving his own strength. Yes, the usually lazy Alexander had miraculously started exercising. He discovered that exercise could indeed increase his physical fitness. After persevering with daily weightlifting, his strength actually increased by one point. This delighted him to no end.

He immediately called for Geoffrey and began specialized training. Geoffrey was astonished by his lord's diligence. Had he suddenly awakened? It seemed the heavens favored him, for Geoffrey knew he hadn't chosen the wrong person.

So he promptly arranged specialized training for Alexander, such as physical conditioning and evasion techniques. They used arrowless arrow shafts to train Alexander's reflexes and filled barrels with sand to build his stamina.

Strength +1

Agility +1

Strength +1

...

During this process, Geoffrey also added some martial arts training for Alexander. He knew Alexander liked using two-handed swords, and coincidentally, he was also skilled in them. So he generously imparted all his techniques to Alexander.

Then came the scene that shocked him: his lord... was actually taking notes seriously, rather than relying solely on muscle memory. Alexander swore he was more serious now than he had ever been during his final exam cramming sessions.

He explained to Geoffrey, "I just want to record the two-handed swordsmanship you've created. If necessary, this sword technique can be preserved and passed down as a legacy. The biggest difference between nobles and commoners lies in their monopoly of knowledge and the ability to pass it on, while commoners can only rely on oral tradition or lessons learned from failure. Mr. Geoffrey, I hope you don't mind me doing this?"

Geoffrey quickly nodded in agreement, "If my lord has a need, I must fully support it. However, those techniques can only be considered battle skills, far from being called swordsmanship."

"No, no, no, these are the most practical techniques on the battlefield," Alexander said with a smile. He didn't need those fancy moves; for him, the best technique was the one that could kill enemies.

But that wasn't what shocked Geoffrey the most. He discovered that Alexander had started buying other books and... was learning. From advanced horsemanship to basic reconnaissance and even basic medicine, Alexander bought every book he could find.

The prices of these books were exorbitant, ranging from at least 1,000 dinars to as much as 10,000 dinars, reflecting the luxury of knowledge in this chaotic and bloody era.

Of course, Alexander didn't discard these books after reading them; he would let Geoffrey, Viktor, and the others read them. However, none of them were apt for learning; reading was like hypnotism to them. Besides realizing they were unsuitable for learning, they also discovered something more terrifying: their lord seemed to be a genius in everything. After reading a book, he could almost immediately master its knowledge, and after each study session, his relevant skills seemed to improve.

Intelligence +1

Horsemanship +1

Engineering +1

Intelligence +1

...

"It's just unbelievable!" Helzog, the self-proclaimed genius engineer, was shocked by Alexander's learning speed.

He was very satisfied with Alexander's arrangement and had prepared a laboratory, tools, and even servants for him, so he planned to stay in the village of Calius. However, these days, he also went for walks. Anyone who stays cooped up in a laboratory all day will become ill, but he's a sunny and outgoing engineer. How could he allow himself to get sick? So when he went for a walk, he witnessed Alexander's seamless transition from physical training to mental training.

If only he knew how to dissect, he would have dissected Alexander and seen how he was growing

Hold on, actually... it's not impossible.

Hertzog quickly dismissed that dangerous thought. After all, he was a cheerful and sunny engineer—how could he even consider such a thing? Besides, just based on Alexander's strength, capable of killing a brown bear with one punch, he didn't dare covet the boss's body. Better to stick to his research.

Recently, this period of time was simply the happiest in Hertzog's life. It wasn't the lack of a wife that bothered him; it was encountering technical bottlenecks. But each time those bottlenecks were effortlessly cleared up by his boss, he began to suspect that his boss was absolutely a master of engineering.

Soon, he wouldn't have any doubts anymore because Alexander had come to discuss academic matters with him again.

"Do you get used to staying here, Mr. Hertzog?" Alexander entered Hertzog's laboratory-cum-residence. "I imagine this place doesn't compare to your home in the Empire."

"No, my lord, this place is so good that I could forget my homeland. If I could, I would even spend thirty years in the Empire in exchange for living here for three days." Hertzog, a man of culture, spoke in such an articulate manner.

Alexander was naturally very pleased with Hertzog's response. He pulled out a notebook from his robe and said, "Mr. Hertzog, here are some notes I've made on physics. You can take a look."

Hertzog was a bit puzzled. "Physics?"

"Oh, no no no, I mean engineering knowledge. Slip of the tongue, slip of the tongue," Alexander quickly corrected himself, realizing that there was no such term as physics in this world. He then used "engineering" to make it easier for Hertzog to understand.

Hertzog flipped open a page at random. On it was written in the local language: "Principle of Levers."

Below it, Alexander had explained the formula of the principle of levers in simple and understandable language.

Hertzog couldn't help but tremble as he held the notebook in his hand. He stood up abruptly, his eyes burning, and asked Alexander, "My lord, this is the most precious treasure in the world!"

Naturally, he didn't know if the principle of levers was correct or not, but as an experienced engineer, he had accumulated a lot of related experience. So when he saw the formula translated by Alexander, he could tell at a glance that it was probably ninety-nine percent true.

The key was that this formula might be a universal formula applicable to all situations. Who exactly was the person who could summarize such a formula?

It was likely that even this simple little formula, once it reached the Empire, would cause a seismic shock in the entire academic world.

Not to mention similar engineering knowledge, there was actually... an entire book of it.