Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
"No, I can't remember anything," the child stopped and sighed.
"The Old Man can tell you, if you can't remember, then don't think about it. Why bother? You won't find happiness that way. Look at the Old Man—he doesn't think about anything, just drinks, eats meat, and sleeps. What a joyful life..." Though he said this, the old man was filled with curiosity about the child. It was unusual for a mortal child to appear in such a remote place. The Little Guy's behavior after waking up was strange, showing a maturity uncommon in children.
"But..." The child furrowed his brow, clearly wanting to know what he had experienced, but he couldn't recall anything. "Who am I? Where am I?" These were the questions he pondered the most during this time.
"What’s there to say? Your primary goal now is to survive. With the Old Man looking out for you, otherwise with your small frame, you'd be nothing more than a snack for the Demon Beasts, and your soul would be torn apart by those Chimeras. You wouldn't even have a chance to become a ghost." The old man squinted his eyes as if he were about to fall asleep. He was more curious about what kind of talent this child possessed rather than his background; perhaps he was an extraordinary find since ordinary children wouldn't survive in such conditions.
The old man scrutinized the boy, increasingly amazed by him. Although the child appeared young in age and looks, his expression and gaze suggested he had been through much more than a typical child. However, after checking carefully, he found nothing unusual.
After hearing the old man's words, the boy stared blankly at the flickering flames in the fire pit. Just as the old man had said, besides the Beasts in this forest, there were also creatures called Chimeras. There were many kinds of Beasts and many kinds of Chimeras; Beasts only ate meat while Chimeras would not spare even souls. Of course, all this information came from the old man.
The old man rubbed his eyes and saw the boy's face; the child was squatting in front of him looking up. "Old Man, you're awake!" The old man was taken aback and jumped up.
"Stop calling me Old Man all the time! I'm practically your grandfather's generation! Do you even know what it means to respect your elders?" The old man became agitated.
"Then you need to look like an elder," the boy replied. Although he didn't know what an "elderly appearance" should look like, the old man's demeanor certainly gave off an impression of being unrefined.
"…"
"I've figured it out. As you said, I need to focus on surviving first. I'll think about what I can't remember later; maybe just like you said, I'll remember it slowly." The boy interrupted the old man's words.
"You've figured it out?" The old man felt a bit pleased but quickly suppressed any hint of joy in his eyes.
"Yes, I've figured it out, but next you need to teach me things." At this point, the boy seemed a bit shy.
"Oh! If you want something from me, you need to act like someone asking for help! With that attitude of yours? No way you'll learn anything from the Old Man!" The old man crossed his arms and squinted at him.
"What do you want then?"
"First of all, we need to set some rules: First, you can't keep calling me Old Man; it makes me very unhappy. Second, I won't teach you for free; you'll have to trade me something I'm interested in. Thirdly, you need a name; otherwise, how will you make a name for yourself when you venture into the world?"
"Are you trying to make things difficult for me? You're already so impressive; what do I have that would interest you? Just take whatever you want! Also, if I don't call you Old Man, what should I call you? Do I have to bow down and call you Master?"
"Hah! Look at how unwilling you are! You little brat have no idea how many people want to be my disciple! But I don’t take apprentices; even if I did, I wouldn’t take someone like you. You can call me Boss Lu from now on; you'll be my little brother and stick with me—I'll guarantee you'll live well! However, right now you really don't have anything that interests me. But I'll reluctantly agree to let you owe me one." Old Lu first showed surprise and then adopted a thoughtful expression.
The combination of an old man and a young boy would typically suggest a grandfather-grandson or master-apprentice relationship in public settings; however, these two did not seem like either.
"Alright then, I'll consider your conditions. I'm leaving." With that, the boy stood up and brushed off his pants as he walked away.
"Hey! Where are you going?"
"I'm going to come up with a name that will strike fear into everyone!" The boy walked away without looking back.
Comment 0 Comment Count