Long Yuxue was about to leave after being done with the briefing when she was stopped by Tang Wulin. "Ma'am, where do I go for meals?"
Long Yuxue replied, "Didn't I tell you where the canteen is earlier?"
Tang Wulin spoke with a bitter smile on his face, "No!"
Long Yuxue spoke, "Don't you know the rule that new recruits aren't allowed to eat?"
"Huh?" Tang Wulin was staring at Long Yuxue in bewilderment. 'Is there such an army that doesn't provide meals to its soldiers?'
Long Yuxue spoke indifferently, "Over here, one must rely on one's own effort for everything including your meals. You'll need to use your military merits to exchange for the meal allowance. Only then can you eat in the canteen. However, new recruits are allowed to take a loan first and deductions will be made from his or her military merits later."
The corners of Tang Wulin's lips twitched once. The Blood God Army was truly peculiar!
"Ma'am, may I ask for a loan from you?" Tang Wulin asked to test the waters.
Long Yuxue spoke, "Sure. The interest rate is ten percent per month."
Tang Wulin was speechless. How could the interest be that high? He would still need to eat anyhow, so he could only ask helplessly, "Okay, Can I borrow from you then?"
"Follow me. It's dinner time anyway."
The both of them walked out from the barracks. As expected, the canteen was located nearby. Tang Wulin saw the largest crowd he had seen since he joined the Blood God Army as he followed Long Yuxue into the canteen.
The canteen was very large with a floor area of thousands of square meters. There were at least two thousand people having their dinners. Yet, there was an endless stream of people coming in still.
There were a dozen windows with different signages displayed above the windows. The signages were numbered one, two, three, four, and so on.
Long Yuxue explained to Tang Wulin. "The smaller the number on the window, the more expensive the food is, but it's also more nutritious and helpful to the body."
Tang Wulin pondered on how similar it was to the academy's rules. However, he had not paid much attention in the past despite his voracious appetite. He would eat at whichever window that provided adequate food. He had not expected that the army did not provide meals to its soldiers. So, it was fortunate for him that he did not need to eat as much now.
Long Yuxue brought Tang Wulin to window number six and joined the queue. Tang Wulin realized that the smaller the number on the window, the shorter the queue was. No one queued at the windows numbered one, two and three as such.
There was a large number of lieutenant ranked officers in the canteen. On the other hand, there was no private present. As for Tang Wulin himself, he had not changed into his military uniform yet. He had Long Yuxue by his side, so his identity was not an issue.
As a foodie since young, Tang Wulin actually wanted to check out the food provided at the first three windows, but he was too shy to do so.
Tang Wulin asked Long Yuxue softly as they were queuing. "Ma'am, is there a need for a blacksmith in our army?"
Long Yuxue darted him a look. "Of course, we need blacksmiths to repair our mechas. Why? Are you a blacksmith?"
Tang Wulin nodded and spoke, "Yes, I'm a blacksmith! Will I be able to earn military merits by forging?"
Long Yuxue answered, "You can do that but you'll earn fewer merits."
"Enough for meals?" Tang Wulin inquired again.
Long Yuxue spoke, "Are you really concerned about not having enough to eat? I thought I've just given you a loan. You can pay me when you've accumulated your military merits later."
Tang Wulin did not explain further because he could not say that he wished to eat better food. He nodded.
"Yuxue!" A pleasant voice was heard at this moment. Tang Wulin subconsciously looked toward the direction where the voice came from.
A female military officer with her hair in a ponytail came walking to their side. She was a captain dressed in a well-ironed military uniform which complemented her appearance that she appeared just as valiant and heroic as a man.
She was just as beautiful as Long Yuxue, but her jawline was less defined. Her pair of huge eyes were shimmering with cheekiness.
"Qiyue." Long Yuxue's lips cracked into a rarely seen smile when she saw the captain.
Jiang Qiyue's gaze fell upon Tang Wulin out of curiosity. "Plain clothes? Is he new? He looks rather handsome, doesn't he?"
Long Yuxue nodded. "Just arrived today and passed the test. I brought him here for a meal."
Jiang Qiyue smiled and spoke, "You're the kind-hearted one. I bet you're giving loans at low interest again, right? I've been telling you that everyone's going to complain if you keep breaking the rules. Everyone's monthly interest is a hundred percent while yours is only thirty percent. The others wouldn't have put up with it if it weren't you."
A hundred percent monthly interest? Tang Wulin widened his eyes when he overheard that. Moreover, Long Yuxue loaned him at a rate that was not even thirty percent! It was only ten percent per month. Being quick-witted, he would keep it to himself at this moment.
Long Yuxue darted Tang Wulin a look while her charming face was blushing faintly. "It's not easy being a new recruit. We've been in their shoes before, so we should help whenever we can."
Jiang Qiyue turned her head to the side and looked toward Tang Wulin. Her smile was flirtatious in an obvious manner. "Handsome boy, my name is Jiang Qiyue. What's yours?"
"Tang Wulin," Tang Wulin replied with a smile on his face.
His smile was gentle yet perfect. His pair of bright huge eyes were crystal clear as if he could illuminate the entire world. Jiang Qiyue was dazed for a moment as she looked at his smile. She cried out in her heart. He's so handsome!
The Blood God Army had the highest number of handsome men amongst all the armies. She was used to seeing handsome men, yet the person before her seemed to make everyone else pale in comparison. She did not manage to find any flaw on Tang Wulin despite her fastidious behavior when it came to choosing her man. This had never happened to her before.
She tilted her head and looked toward Long Yuxue. "This is quite interesting! How's his test results?"
Long Yuxue darted her a look. "I don't know."
Jiang Qiyue spoke in astonishment. "You brought him here for a meal, so it should be you who brought him for the test too, right? How could you not know?"
Long Yuxue spoke, "The higher authorities will evaluate his result. I'm not allowed to give the score."
Jiang Qiyue was astonished. "Was it so impressive?"
Long Yuxue answered, "More impressive than you think."
Jiang Qiyue was about to say something when a loud and clear voice came from behind. "I don't believe that."
The three of them turned around and found a tall, burly male officer behind them. The person had similar facial features as Jiang Qiyue. He had an exceedingly muscular figure but was only slightly shorter than Tang Wulin. The bulging muscles on his arms appeared terrifying. Tang Wulin was already considered sturdy, yet this person was even more imposing.
"Brother!" Jiang Qiyue called out, then wrapped her arm around the senior's arm spontaneously with a coquettish look on her face.
Tang Wulin noticed the military rank of lieutenant colonel on this person's shoulder.
Long Yuxue nodded her head as a greeting. "What don't you believe?"
The lieutenant colonel's gaze was obviously burning as he looked at her. "I don't believe that he can be that impressive to be praised by Yuxue. I wonder which rank he would get in your opinion? Second-class private?"
Long Yuxue shook her head. "First-class private."
"That's impossible." The lieutenant colonel spoke in astonishment, "You should know how difficult it is for a new recruit to be ranked a first-class private. We're all well aware of the difficulty to be promoted in the Blood God Army without any military merits!"
Long Yuxue appeared to be reluctant at acknowledging him as she turned around and continued with the queue.
The lieutenant colonel appeared familiar with her attitude. He turned around and looked toward Tang Wulin. "Boy, did Yuxue say you can achieve the rank of first-class private?"
Tang Wulin smiled bitterly and spoke, "I don't know the assessment standards, so I can't make any judgment. Hello sir, I'm Tang Wulin." He revealed a non-threatening smile as he was saying that. He had just arrived here, but he knew the best method to get a promotion after going through the education he acquired from Demon Island.
"I don't believe that. What are you most skilled in?" the lieutenant colonel asked. He seemed to pay no regards to Tang Wulin's salutation.
Jiang Qiyue looked at Tang Wulin curiously on the side.