Why Did You Summon Me?
chapter-41

Chapter 41: Mr. Sorry

Well, first of all, we would have to congratulate the Void-Hentai Union on the addition of their newest member. The group was originally called The Four Void-Hentais but now there were five members in it... Erm... Let's just put that aside for the time being... Back in the Void, the other four members were comforting the Engineer, telling him things like "Don't worry! We're gonna get more chances in the future!" and "The time for us to shine will come."

Okay, guys! NO! As long as I'm still here, you will never get any chance at all! Baiyi announced loudly. Putting on the navy blue cloak that Mia had sewn for him, he busily prepared to go out for a stroll. To be honest, the workmanship of the cloak was really not that good and the fabric was also cheap. But then again, one can't complain too much because it was made from the excess of a curtain. Coupled with the full militia armor on his body, he looked particularly awkward and funny. There was no doubt that he would attract a lot of strange looks on the road. However, Baiyi did not mind those things at all but instead, he treated the cloak like a treasure.

His main intention in strolling around the academy was to see if he could find any odd jobs in the academy. He was sure that in the future, he would be earning more money than he did the day before. The lousy lie that he told Mia the day before would not be able to work anymore in the future, which was why he needed a proper job.

But there was only so much that a Soul Armature could do. In fact, his prospect was not much better than Mia's. Especially in an elite school like the Celestial Fortress Academy, there was a lot of Soul Armatures which means there was no shortage of strong people. With his strength only at the Intermediate Level, he really did not have anything that made him stand out.

Well, selling some special formulas to the academy's alchemist workshop sounded like quite a feasible idea. Although it felt a little bit like giving away the goose that laid golden eggs, but he really had no other better options .

As he was pondering, he walked towards the main classrooms of the Celestial Fortress Academy. Basically, the layout of the academy was in the shape of a ring. All of the classes, practice fields and all sorts of workshops were arranged neatly in a ring. And right in the middle of the ring, there was a miniature garden that was filled with a variety of beautiful flowers and trees. There was also a small pond, verandah and even a hut where the students could take a break.

Nevertheless, they weren't many students lingering around in the garden. Instead, there were more Soul Armatures. At first, Baiyi was somewhat surprised by the amount of Soul Armatures gathering around the garden. After he had given it some thought, he began to realize the reason why. Usually an ordinary Soul Armature would be under mobility restriction. That obviously did not apply to him. They usually have to maintain a close range of distance to their practitioners in order to ensure their survival. It was no wonder that the structure of the academy was built like that because as long as the Soul Armatures were in the garden, it would be convenient for the students to carry out their daily lives. And let's say if something were to happen to them, the Soul Armature could quickly reach them in the shortest time possible as well.

The layout, taking into account the beauty and practicality as well as the accessibility, was indeed quite exquisite. Baiyi decided to take a look and at the same time, observe how those ordinary Soul Armatures usually spend their time.

Gee... Sunbathing on the lawn? Fishing by the pond? Reading an old book over and over again? Several people gathering together to tell the stories of their heroic deeds in their past lives? Feeding birds and cats? Looking at those pitiful people, Baiyi almost thought that he had walked into a park meant for the elderly. The only thing lacking to complete the scene was a group of people practicing Taichi.

No wonder that boring arena was so full of people. And no wonder the Voidwalkers are so attracted to Earth's cultures. What a pitiful and appalling culture this world has... Look at those Soul Armatures especially! They look so bored that they look almost rusted!

The moment those people saw the approaching of Baiyi who was dressed in a peculiar manner, they could not help but stared at him curiously, as if he was an alien.

"I guess they must be curious as to why I can be here without my practitioner," Baiyi chuckled to himself as he randomly sat down on a bench. Not to his surprise, a person quickly came to query--- a Soul Armature who was at the Legendary Level. His armor looked to be slightly simple and worn and it gave Baiyi a sense of familiarity.

"I'm sorry, can I talk to you?" The Soul Armature asked politely, not caring about the shabby armor and out-of-place cloak that Baiyi was wearing. After all, he was once a powerful being unlike those students who only judged things based on appearances.

Why must you apologize? Baiyi wondered but at the same time, made a gesture asking him to take a seat. "May I help you?"

"I'm sorry. I'm just curious about you..." The Soul Armature started off his sentence with a 'sorry' again before he continued, "Why are you able to come here all alone without the company of your practitioner?"

"Ahh... Well, this is because my power is actually very weak so I don't place any burden on my practitioner at all. On top of that, my practitioner is very outstanding, allowing me to have a bigger mobility range," Baiyi claimed proudly.

In fact, Mia had said something similar to her friends as well, "Look at this! Mr. Hope bought this for me! He got it all the way from the Southern City... That's right! Mr. Hope has a broad range of mobility. I guess, it's probably because of the fact that he is strong and gentle at the same time? I am really lucky to have met him..."

Without a doubt, her words had won the unanimous envy of all her classmates, just like the old Soul Armature who had an envious look on his face. That was right! They were a duo who took pride in each other!

"I'm sorry, what an admirable combination you have right there! But of course, my practitioner is excellent as well. At the same time, he possesses a powerful soul. When I first came here, I thought that I would have to wait for him by the corridor when he's having classes," the old Soul Armature continued.

Well, judging by the innate capabilities of a student, being able to have such a huge mobility range must mean that this practitioner of his is quite remarkable as well. Baiyi thought to himself. Actually such a distance cap was not entirely decided by the power difference between the practitioner and his Soul Armature. Sometimes, in the case where the practitioners were incredibly talented or the Soul Armature and its practitioner had an intimate relationship before, the mobility range would be increased as well.

Therefore, many people would summon their dead relatives, friends or even spouses to become their Soul Armature so that they could regain a new life together. With the bond that they already had beforehand, apart from the increased in mobility range, it was quite a popular method that was commonly used.

Well, there is no doubt that a farther distance would be better. Otherwise, having to stick to each other all the time--- during meals, sleeping time and even toilet breaks--- would be something that is very troublesome... But now that I think about it, your mobility range is not that small. " Why do you keep on apologizing? It feels like almost every sentence of yours have at least one 'sorry' in it..." Baiyi asked in a straightforward manner.

"Sorry! This is just a habit of mine. In fact, most people call me Mr. Sorry..." The old Soul Armature apologized again politely before changing the topic, "If I remember correctly, I think I saw you during the appraisal last time. Your performance last time was outstanding! You must be a powerful sorcerer, right?"

Ahh... No wonder this guy look familiar! Isn't this that guy who fell over before he could show off his death blow?

"Yes, that's me. I'm Hope," Baiyi introduced himself. As he glanced down, he noticed that there was indeed some traces of repairs on the guy's knees and so he asked, "Are you okay now?"

"I'm sorry that I have made a fool of myself last time," Mr. Sorry once again started off the sentence with his trademark 'sorry' before he said frustratedly, " Sigh ... This armour is a little too old now. I have gone to many blacksmiths for repairs but the result was always unsatisfactory... Besides, my practitioner did not come from a wealthy family, so I guess I'll just have to put up with it for now."

"Ahh, is that so?" Baiyi could not help but feel a little sympathy for the man, prompting him to ask the Blacksmith in his consciousness, Would it be considered as breaking our promise if I just help fix the armor?

After a long time thinking, the Blacksmith finally replied, "Well, if it's just reparing and not some major recasting or remodeling, then I suppose it's fine," the Blacksmith probably knew that his insistence last time had put Baiyi in an awkward position, so this time, he decided to take a step back instead.

That's great! I'll help him then. It's not easy for him as well I think, Baiyi replied inwardly as he turned to Mr. Sorry at the same time, "In my past life, I have studied the craftsmanship of forgeries and repairs out of pure interest. If you trust me, you can find some tools and materials and I'll help you fix it."

For a moment, Mr. Sorry was stunned. Obviously, he did not understand why a sorcerer would be interested in the art of craftsmanship. But out of politeness, he did not dare to ask the reason why. Deciding to give it a try, he replied, "I'm sorry. I'll thank you in advance, Sir Hope. I'll go look for them right now!"

Having said that, he jerkily ran off to find some tools and not long after, he brought back a huge wooden box. Baiyi was taken aback when he found that the wooden box contained an iron hammer, rivets, iron shards and more…

"Sorry, I borrowed this from a repair worker of the academy. Can you see if it is useable? If they're not enough, I'll look again!" Mr. Sorry said.

As a Legendary Level being, he's not cocky nor arrogant. This man doesn't seem like a bad guy at all apart from his ridiculous habit of saying 'sorry' all the time , Baiyi thought to himself while signalling for the Soul Armature to sit on the bench. Using his Psychic Energy, he casually inspected his knees and used his Mana to remove all of the rivets that the previous blacksmith had installed. He then picked up a few iron shards from the toolbox and measured the size of Mr. Sorry's knees.

After Baiyi had finished measuring them, a high-temperature blue flames surged out from his finger as they accurately cut the shards into the desired shape. Those shards were then attached and welded firmly onto the knees--- which were weakened due to metal aging--- by the blue flames.

With his Mana, he used a hammer to tap and made some final adjustments. After everything was completed, Baiyi finally said, "Alright, I think you will be able to show off your death blow smoothly now!"