The Werewolf and the SmithTranslated by Lickmee
Edited by IcePhantom, Ruzenor, Anivyl
It was impossible for humans to live together with monsters, because this is crossing the lines of two completely different types of species. Still, that was my theory and mine only. Because if monsters were the type of species that had a higher intelligence than humans did, relations.h.i.+ps between humans and monsters would be more widely accepted.
Because humans had always sought after strong things in order to advance their own civilization.
For those weaker than themselves, humans would normally seek to possess them for exploitation. This is the law of nature after all: the weak becomes food for the strong.However, should there be something that could not be considered “weak”, yet the level of civilisation is clearly not as as good as theirs, then the most concerning point would be that it couldn’t exploited for humankind. Therefore, when necessary, humans will discard these “things”.
Coincidentally, monsters were one of those ‘things’.
The immediate danger of a gunfight happening within the Nightfall Town Tavern was luckily diffused by a Mr.Wolf.
Well, it couldn’t really be called ‘diffusing’, but at least the people in the tavern weren’t as nervous as before.
When told of the reasons behind our hand-holding, it was as if we were forcefully writing the word ‘impossible’ into ‘possible’. Each and every one of their eyes, even Mr.Werewolf here, were eyeing me in amazement.
“Mr.Lou Woo, are you x.x.x?”
“Sorry, Wolflang, but I’m serious.”
I put my arms around her shoulders to prove our relations.h.i.+p, and immediately noticed that her hands were still grabbing onto the machete.
“This……is too x.x.xxx”
I guess what he’s saying is that this was just too unbelievable.
Huhu, I was also quite shocked myself. A werewolf who was wearing a western suit, and a short-sleeved one at that. How trendy!
After organising the words mentally, I said the next sentence.
“Wolflang, we have no hostile intentions.”
“That, I know.”
“Uh……”
Yo Bro Werewolf, can’t you speak a little more? At least give me some time to think! I’ve only learnt this language for 25 days, and how was I supposed to respond to that kind of statement?!
“About that……we want to buy a pot!”
“Un?”
Brother Wolf’s furry grey head had a querying look, as he remained speechless.
I can’t blame him for that, he must have never seen someone who would change topic so abruptly in his whole life.
But I don’t know how to talk about other stuff anyways! No matter how good I am at chattering, I could only speak in Chinese after all!
“Sorry, we……”
In the end, it was still Medusa, who would help me no matter what, who started explaining the situation to Mr.Wolf here with a series of words that I couldn’t understand.
……
At the end, we got invited to sit at the bar and were offered a red-brownish liquid in a gla.s.s that had the words ‘Please drink’ written on it. I was already very thirsty from the journey and all, so I drank it without a moment of hesitation.
It was liquor. Sweet liquor.
It tasted just like the 380 yuan wine per bottle I had in my company’s annual meeting. I wouldn’t really say that it’s good, but it was still okay.
As for Mr.Wolf here, he had been talking with her this whole time. Or should I say, one-sidedly asking her questions. I supposed I could somewhat understand. After all, the news of me being unable to speak this language is already out, I am sure such problems are unavoidable.
I really wanted to understand what they are talking about, but it was not possible to do so as they were talking too quickly for me.
Once I was done with my second gla.s.s, I signaled to the shopkeeper that I had enough. Perhaps he didn’t understand at all, as he set the third gla.s.s on to the table with a “duang” sound.
Steeling myself, I drank half of it. Then, my craving for a smoke came up again. I had gone without smoking for a while now, but there was only a reason as to why desire for tobacco has returned.
There was someone smoking beside me.
That’s right. The shopkeeper who gave me the alcohol just now was smoking.
It was impossible for me to endure, as I had no intention to quit smoking in the first place. I used my fingers to make a gesture of holding a cig to the shopkeeper, asking him if he could give me a stick.
This time, he understood me. Taking out a cigarette from a small cloth bag, he pa.s.sed it to me together with a box of matches. I threw the box of matches back to him with a smile.
That’s right! It’s finally time for me to act cool!
Taking my lighter from my pockets was like giving life to it. Following the flipping actions from my fingers, nudging the cigarette into the most comfortable position, I lit up and inhaled from the cigarette deeply.
This whole process took less than 2 seconds.
Fear me, you mortals! This is the only thing I can act cool with in this world——a lighter!
As expected, the shopkeeper had a shocked expression on his face, though it only lasted for a few seconds.
Can’t you act a little more surprised!? This was a secret lighter flicking skill that I took a while to perfect……
Puffing out my first mouthful of this world’s smoke, Brother Wolf came to talk with me.
“Ah, Mr.Lou Woo. Just now you……, you wanted to buy a pot.”
“Un, yes, also.”
“And also tools. What did you need to buy tools for?”
“Uh, like this.”
In the end, I still needed to draw. I didn’t know how to say ‘an eave to keep the rain outn’, so I took out my journal.
“Me, and her. Live. Mountain cave.”
“Un.”
“And then, rain.”
“Un.”
“And then, home, have water.”
“Un……”
“And then, home, cannot, have water.”
“Un……Ha,haha.”
Wolflang let out a crude barbell-like laughter. I knew he didn’t try to hold it back.
“Sorry, Mr Lou Woo. Please continue.”
“Ah, nevermind. And then, we need, this.”
I used the best drawing skills I had in my entire 20 plus years of life to draw an eave.
“Un, I understand. Do you know how to make it?”
“This……sorry. I don’t know.”
“Just like this, then it’s done.”
He drew three pillars under ‘人’-shaped eave, which was made by piecing wooden boards together. After he was done with that, he drew the details of the eave as well its supporting structure. He then used the pencil to point at a piece of board, and used gestures to ask me about the length of the boards that we needed.
“Like this.”
“Ah, thank you, Wolflang.”
He waved his hands and gestured towards the sitting Medusa. We then followed him out of the bar.
It was only then that I finally noticed that there was no one casting hostile gazes at us anymore, though sometimes there were gazes with unknown feelings directed at me.
The roads in Nightfall Town were all dirt roads, with the structures primarily made out of wood. It had a somewhat above average population, and gave off a feeling of peace and harmony.
Wolflang had even greeted an auntie who was drying clothes. Was the relations.h.i.+p between humans and monsters in this town really that good?
It felt like we had walked from the southern part of the town to the east, before finally arriving in front of a neat brick wall.
The wall was made out of stone bricks and, what looked like,cement. In a town where most of the structures are made out wood, a structure made of bricks amongst them was certainly eyecatching.
Based on the white plumes of smoke and the hammering sounds behind the wall, it seemed to be an industrial area.
Although it was just a guess, it was totally out of my expectations. There was just a single man in that place——a man who was holding a hammer in his hands while greeting us.
The ash and sweat stained body of his was almost 2 meters high, easily causing people to mistake him for those blacksmiths in games.
Though blacksmithery was actually a talent of his.
“Good afternoon, Mr.Parker.”
“Hei! Wolflang, what do you need?”
“No, they’re the customers here.”
As I heard their exchange, I sized up the open-aired factory. The reason I called this a factory was because the area was just too large. After some rough calculation, the factory was almost 100x100m large.
The dazzling woodwork equipments, metal-smelting furnace as well as the steam machine made me open my mouth wide in awe.
Even Medusa stood there expressionlessly for a while.
“My dear customers, welcome to the kingdom’s best x.x.x.”
I couldn’t understand what he said at the end of that line, but he must have been quite proud of his factory. I could already feel it just by looking at the few s.h.i.+ning metal tooths he had in his mouth.
Honestly speaking, this brother called Parker isn’t really that easy on the eyes, or it could just be because his mouth was crooked. Even so, just by having this small factory, he was someone worthy of my respect.
Maybe it was due to my northeastern blood, I have always liked to watch the sparks of molten steel flying everywhere in factories, and listen to the sounds of cars being lathed.
Unfortunately, I didn’t get to be a craftsman in the end. Of my father’s three craftsmans.h.i.+p abilities, I have only managed to pick up his culinary skills and being road savvy. .
“Parker, I am Lao Wu. This is my……”
I thought hard about how to introduce she who lived with me, but right when I was about to speak, I realised that I haven’t learned the word ‘girlfriend’ in the language of this world yet.
“This is my……”
I felt her tail las.h.i.+ng gently at my ankle. Well, yeah, i was in the wrong here.
Brother Blacksmith eyeballed me with his uneven eyes. I looked at him in return.
Then, as if he remembered something, he brought the hammer down soundly on the chopping board next to him..
“I understand now! You guys are x.x.x right.”
His sudden action made me tremble in shock. Hey big brother, don’t scare me like that! And what did the word you just blurted out mean?!
As I was scratching my head in confusion, she unexpectedly acknowledged it.
“Yes.”
I then felt my arms being held tightly. Uh, okay, it should have had the same meaning.
“Haha, how splendid, Mr.Lou Woo.”
“Yeah. Mhmm.” I quickly agreed.
“Then, what do the both of you need?”
Parker moved his strong-as-an-ox body aside, then waved his big, thick hands at the 100% hand made goods behind him, ranging from muzzle loaded flintlocks to chairs and tables.