I was afraid I would not be able to finish this on time, since I only started translating it 3 hours ago, but I suppose I"m more capable than I think, and also I had n.o.body bothering me so I really focused on translating, yay.
Gaton speaks in a rude manner, and slightly old fashioned, I hope I managed to capture some of that.
Also, April 27 is my birthday! Which is already for some of you (still 26 here). If you feel generous and want to help this useless me get something for my b-day, I"ll leave .
Also, regardless the huge time gap between chapter 8 and 9, as some of you, who follow me since I started know, I was working in a company, pretty much just a secretary, but after the last project was completed, they went and "let go" of many people, me included, so I had to go find another job. They were a pretty hard couple of months, I needed to find a job to pay the rent and the bills, which in USD aren"t that high, but the pay in my country is kinda low. But after struggling a bit, I got a decent job for now, the pay is lower, but I can still pay the bills. And in all honesty, it is less stressing than that other office job I had. Also, no unpaid overtime, so that"s a big plus.
Anyway, that"s it for that, a late apology for not giving any updates. I"ll try and build a backlog of chapters. Maybe a patreon? Who knows, every little helps right now, so I"m very tempted to do that.
Also, a little rant, as I was reading some novels I haven"t had the time to catch up lately, I noticed some sites have an insanely amount of adds, and some even split the chapter in several pages… I get it, about trying to get more add revenue, but they hurt my data cap (which is very small btw) since I only read on mobile. Who does that? I feel like I"m in those sites I used to visit when I was a student, to download movies split in 10 parts, all parts behind an ad.fly link, which was behind another ad.fly link.
I don"t mind adds, I don"t use adblocks, but there has to be a limit imho. It kills the immersion, reading 4 paragraphs then clicking on a "next page" and waiting for it to load the adds.
I want to read Gomenne Onii-sama! But the site is all white on white ): any tips? (mobile selecting only shows a blue square, it does not highlight the text)
Anyway, here"s the chapter.
Episode 10: The Blacksmith’s WorkshopGuided by Liscia, we went towards the outskirts of the village, to the house of the blacksmith.
“Is this the house of the Mountain Clan person?”
“Yes, Yamato-sama. Right next to it is the workshop.”
The house of the Mountain Clan Person was in the outer edge of the village. The building was a rustic-styled house with a workshop integrated, where the smell of hot iron could be sensed.
“The entrance seems quite small, for a house this big.”
“The Mountain Clan People are of small stature, even if they are adults.”
Liscia explained to me.
It should probably be correct to a.s.sume they were like those small, st.u.r.dy people that came out in many fantasy stories. If that was the case, using a big enough entrance for normal humans would be pretty much useless.
“Gaton-san, it’s Liscia. I’m coming in.”
Liscia told me he had been working in this workshop ever since she was a small child, and as the village chief’s granddaughter, she knew him ever since.
And without even knocking, she went ahead and entered after calling out to him. Although, there seems to be no custom of knocking in this world, in the first place.
“It"s open, let yourself in.”
It appears the workshop owner’s name was Gaton.
From deep inside the workshop, an unfriendly reply to Liscia’s call could be heard. I felt slightly relieve that the person i was looking for was not out.
Leading the way, Liscia guided me to the back of the workshop. It was dim when we entered, but as we proceeded further inside, a hot fire illuminated the room.
“Oh my… this is amazing.”
My voice unintentionally leaked while watching the sight of the workshop.
Unlike the plain and simple exterior of the building, the inside of the workshop was extremely well equipped.
Many well maintained and visible used tools, along with a furnace, bellows, an anvil and many others were in sight. Although this was a different world, being in this workshop, with so many tools similar to those of Earth gave me a nostalgic feeling.
“I see, so the shape of the tools is almost the same… this is interesting…”
I felt a bit moved. With the main function in mind, developing tools might follow the same evolutionary path in any world.
“Liscijou. That guy there, who is he? And what’s with that getup?”
While i was feeling fascinated by the interior of the workshop, with my eyes dancing all over the place, the Mountain Clan old man asked Liscia while feeling suspicious of me.
“This person is a traveler, Yamato-sama. He’s been staying in the village since a few days.”
“A ‘Lost one’, huh? What a strange outfit. Is that a new fashion in the capital nowadays? ”
At Gaton’s words, i turned my gaze towards my own appearance. Looking at it again, this really seemed like a strange outfit, not very fitting for this different world.
What I was wearing right now were some casual outdoor j.a.panese-made clothes. They were Gore-Tex high performance products that I normally used while camping or climbing since they were waterproof, but they looked slightly glossy.
And they were clearly different from the clothes from the villagers, knitted from hemp and wool.
“A ‘Lost one’… Well, something like that. By the way, Gaton-san. I’ve come to ask if you could do me a favor.”
“Hmph, for someone coming for the first time, you sure are a pushy guy, Yamato.”
I tried choosing my words, to be as polite as possible, but Gaton was obviously wary of myself.
(I guess with this appearance, this was to be expected…)
Well, it was true I was just some dubious person with strange clothes that he was meeting for the first time. Thus, if the village chief’s granddaughter had not accompanied me, he would have turned me away immediately.
Gaton seemed to be famous in the village for his stubborn personality.
He had been refusing more and more of the village requests after the adults of the village were taken away, that was what Liscia told me before coming here. She said, he now only received the minimum number of requests for everyday necessities.
“I was told you could make ‘anything’ if it involved metal.”
“Hmph! Watch out whom you’re speaking to, young man! The whole Mountain Clan People can… No, myself! there is not a single thing that I cannot make! ”
Gaton responded splendidly with a red face at my provocation. I might have made him a little angry though.
(He’s got a lot of self-esteem… truly a Grand Master Blacksmith through and through)
According to Liscia, Gaton was awarded with the t.i.tle “Grand Master Blacksmith”, which only three people in the continent possessed.
In other words, he was the owner of tremendous skill among all the blacksmiths, enough to earn a place among the top three. She also said, that he was a stubborn person who was not really interested in honor nor money.
“Then, I’m sure you can make “this” right? ”
I took out the crossbow, and a single bolt from the cloth bag and placed it on top of the table. It was a compound crossbow, and my personal masterpiece brought from Earth.
After that, I asked if he could reproduce it. I wondered if the Mountain Clan People were skillful enough to recreate this crossbow.
“This is… the crossbow and the bolt are quite bizarre… hmm, this looks like a sort of mechanical device…”
To my surprise, Gaton guessed how the crossbow worked quite quickly.
While speaking to Liscia, i discovered that the crossbows have not developed that much in this world. Therefore, the mechanism they used was primitive and hard to use.
That was the reason no one in the village could understand how my crossbow worked at first. But after i explained to them and they tried to actually use it, they finally did.
But Gaton instantly saw through the crossbow mechanism, which should be so unusual in this world.
(As expected of the Mountain Clan People… No, it might be that Gaton is really amazing)
I was astonished by that fact. By the amazingness of this person called Gaton, who guessed correctly on this weapon from a different civilization.
However, i was somewhat expecting this to be the case the moment i saw the tools he used in this workshop. I thought that if it was this old man, he would be able to.
“But no matter how much i tell you, seeing is believing. I’ll launch a bolt for you to watch.”
I asked Gaton to prepare a metal plate he deemed unnecessary. And after hanging it against a pillar, he came to see the mechanism of the crossbow in action.
“So it really was a device to pull back the bowstring… but why it has to have such a complex metal shape… ohh, so thats why! A mechanism so that even powerless people can pull back the string…. and whats more, even faster and further than usual…”
Looking at my movements as i prepared to fire, Gaton guessed the principles behind this crossbow, one after another.
All of his guesses were spot on.
His instant understanding of the mechanism using the principle of lever, and the ergonomics of this crossbow was truly frightening.
(Oh… It really was worth my time coming here)
I finished my preparations while thinking how reliable this Mountain Clan Person seemed, whose gaze was placed at the crossbow. After quickly checking the surroundings, i turned towards the target, the metal plate hanging on the pillar.
“Hey, wait a moment Yamato! With a metal plate of that thickness, the arrow will bounce off, it will be dangerous! ”
“Let’s do it! Just take a look! ”
Without minding Gaton’s words, i pulled the trigger of the crossbow.
The tension of the strongly lever-principle drawn crossbow was released at once. And the fired bolt flew at a terrifying speed.
*Giinnn*
An intense metallic sound that made you want to close your ears echoed in the workshop. It was the result of a crossbow bolt, flying at hundreds of kilometers per hour, coming in contact with a tough metal plate.
“Oh, what is this! ? ”
The Mountain Clan craftsman Gaton gave an excited voice while looking at the sight before him. This blacksmith old man’s interest had risen after hearing such a sound.
“No way, for such a small bow to penetrate this metal plate used for armors… and it even stuck to the pillar behind it.”
With the crossbow test finishing successfully, the crossbow bolt splendidly penetrated the metal plate without fail.
“The arrow penetrated the metal plate so easily.”
At this unbelievable sight for them, Gaton and Liscia were astonished, while their eyes were wide open. They never imagined that this small weapon had that much power.
“I want you to ma.s.s produce this crossbow, to be used to protect the village.”
I honestly told him the purpose i came here to see him.
I want to help the children, those children exposed to the wild beasts in the forest and the current poverty they are experiencing, and help them become independent. So, without trying to bargain, i told him everything honestly.
“From what i can see, the materials used are iron and timber, right? Since those materials are readily available, i believe ma.s.s producing it is possible.”
The blacksmith Gaton took the crossbow i handed over to him, and said, while checking the parts. He told me that even the complex mechanical parts were no problem for his skilled hands.
“But what about ‘compensation’? What will you… what will Yamato be paying in return? ”
Gaton started to negotiate.
(Is this what Liscia meant by him not interested in honor and money or…)
The Mountain Clan People were a stubborn craftsmen race not interested in money, jewels or honor.
Even if n.o.bles or kings asked them to work for them by using their power, they were not swayed at all.
“A Mountain Clan person always asks for compensation.”
As the phrase meant, they always requested some kind of compensation from their clients. It was not on the monetary or social meaning, it was meant to test the other party’s resolution, in order to accept or decline their work.
(Are you willing to pay an equal price?… is that what he means…)
From this point onwards, it was the start of the negotiations.
I must offer suitable items, items appropriate for the Mountain Clan People. But this was to protect the village, and the people’s lives.
“I will offer this ‘knife’ as compensation.”
With that as my reason, I pulled out my favorite survival knife from my waist. Piercing the wooden table, i presented it in front of me.
All in order to express that this was my desicion.
“Oh! This… is a really shinny knife…”
Gaton’s expression changed greatly after seeing a knife from a metal which he had seen for the first time.
He was many times more excited than when examining the crossbow. A metal unknown to the Mountain Clan People surely was a treasure that surpa.s.sed anything.
“Yamato-sama, you shouldn’t! That is Yamato-sama’s treasured knife.”
Next to me, Liscia gasped, then raised her voice.
She knew this survival knife was my main weapon, and that i cherished it after it helped me survive in this world. She was the only person i had told this was a memento from my parents.
It was also the knife that helped me kill the Big Rabbits and the Wild Boar. She was clever to notice that my fighting strength would be greatly reduced by letting go of this.
“Don"t worry about it. If this knife is all that costs for producing several crossbows, the probability that everyone in the village will survive will rise.”
Objectively, this was a bad trade. This survival knife was certainly valuable to part with.
It was a present given by my self-proclaimed adventurer parents. It combined the latest forging technology with j.a.panese swordsmithing techniques, it was the strongest knife made by a famous j.a.panese Swordsmith. And now that I was transported to a different world, the chance of getting another one was zero.
However, this was a short weapon, only usable for close combat. A dedicated weapon that only one person in the village could wield and master.
Compared to that, I already proved that crossbows could be used by children if they trained. So i already decided on the ma.s.s production and training, in order fo it to be useful for the future of this village.
“Hey, Yamato… do you know the raw materials and the process to make this knife? ”
“Sorry, while I’m interested in smithing, it is not my specialty. But I heard that its crafter used a combination of metals, folding it into many layers.”
Gaton continued to question me, while his eyes were glued to the knife.
“Surely, you’re not referring to these ripples… but to do that, what an amazing skill…”
“There are also stubborn swordsmiths like you back in my country. This is a masterpiece from one of those.”
“I see… I would love to meet that person at least once.”
“Sorry, but that might be impossible.”
“I see…”
I answered Gaton’s questions to the best of my understanding, while he continued to look at the knife, almost as if licking it.
In reality, I actually did know of the raw materials, but it was a synthetic metal, forged from the apex of modern metallurgic science. It was a material that could never be refined with this world’s level of civilization. That’s why i was a little vague on my answer.
“I’ll undertake the manufacturing of this crossbow.”
“Gaton-san! Thank you so much! ”
Liscia gave a joyful voice at the reply from this stubborn person. Looking at our exchanges so far, she probably had already given up hope.
“But well, there are some conditions…”
Gaton turned toward me and said while staring straight into my eyes.
“Conditions? ”
“Let my two grandchildren live with you in the village.”
“Your grandchildren… with us…”
Besides Gaton, there were apparently two Mountain Clan children who were helping him with this workshop. He said they were currently doing housework.
“Oh, alright. But i have to tell you I’m a strict person.”
“I raised them, so they are not that weak. We’ll go together tomorrow to the village chief’s house with a prototype.”
“You’ll have the crossbow prototype completed by tomorrow? ”
Those last words were an unexpected statement.
He said he could craft and complete the a.s.sembling of such a complex parts in just one day.
“Hmph, who do you think i am? Now, you’re being an eyesore. Leave already so i can begin to work.”
Gaton eyes were dead serious, meaning he wasn"t joking at all. If it"s this way, I’m really looking forward to tomorrow.
“I’ll be eagerly waiting.”
And thus, the ma.s.s production of the crossbow began.
Parting from my favorite survival knife was a bit painful.
However, with this we can probably avoid a food shortage in the future.