Chapter 50: Abnormal Status?
The old blacksmith’s decision to temporarily leave Sanctuary Valley and go to a human city shocked all the dwarf beastmen in the underground city.
You see, although the dwarf beastmen would mine everywhere, the matter of “visiting humans” was extremely rare, even in the distant past.
Coupled with the recent increase in monsters and the increasingly dangerous journey to human cities, the dwarf beastmen were even less likely to do so.
Soon, even the chieftain came to his door, trying to analyze for the old blacksmith how dangerous this matter was.
But the old blacksmith’s mind was firm.
In the end, the chief could only helplessly entrust Chu Jiu: the old blacksmith had never been to such a distant place, and he asked him to please take extra care of him along the way.
*
Two days later, Chu Jiu left the underground city with the blacksmith squirrel.
Bow-tied squirrel and the three brothers saw them off all the way to the surface.
The three brothers originally wanted to go with them, saying that although their combat power was a bit weak, they could at least be helpers.
As a result, the blacksmith squirrel told them that he had temporarily entrusted the blacksmith shop to bow-tied squirrel, fearing that she wouldn’t be able to handle it all alone, and asked the three brothers to stay and help her properly.
Only then did the three little ones reluctantly agree.
Once Chu Jiu and the blacksmith squirrel were both riding the dodo bird, the four little squirrels stood in the rubble-strewn desert, desperately waving their little paws under the azure sky: “Be safe, be safe!”
The blacksmith squirrel waved his paw at them, and Chu Jiu shouted loudly, “Don’t worry, I’ll take good care of the old man!”
*
In fact, because dwarf beastmen lived much longer than humans and were physically much stronger, even though the white-eared squirrel was not young, he didn’t need any extra care at all.
Not only that, this “old man” was more agile and nimble than Chu Jiu when it came to chopping firewood with his bare hands or picking up stones to build a stove.
Along the way, far from “taking good care of the old man,” Chu Jiu sometimes felt like he was the one being taken care of.
Once the two became familiar with each other, Chu Jiu couldn’t help but ask him how to properly convert the age of dwarf beastmen to the age of humans.
The white-eared squirrel used stones to write out equations on the sand and explained earnestly for a long time. Chu Jiu roughly understood:
This old blacksmith, according to human years, had lived for nearly two hundred years.
But because of their long lifespans, the growth stages of dwarf beastmen were also very different from those of humans.
For example, when he met his human friend more than ninety years ago, he was still in his “youth.”
And the three squirrel brothers were currently still considered “cubs,” not even “youths” yet.
Chu Jiu: …So, so that’s how it is!
So he really was using candy to deceive kindergarten children!
The profiteer Chu Jiu sighed.
*
To save time, when crossing the Sunny Plateau this time, Chu Jiu didn’t go to the Chestnut Spirit’s camp again but just asked a passing little Chestnut Spirit to send a message of safety to Sheldon and the others.
After running in such a hurry for a full eight days, Chu Jiu arrived at Bean Village.
He directly took the old blacksmith to see Douglas.
In Chu Jiu’s opinion, the biggest obstacle for the old blacksmith’s trip to Sea Moon City wasn’t the long distance or the monsters along the way.
The biggest obstacle was actually:
Because humans and dwarf beastmen hadn’t had contact for a long time, most humans no longer recognized dwarf beastmen or assumed that dwarves, elves, and the like had all disappeared.
If they rashly took a carriage to Sea Moon City like this, it would probably cause other troubles.
Therefore, he needed Douglas’s help.
Not only because Douglas was previously the captain of the Ability-users Patrol, but more importantly, Douglas had believed since childhood that there were other intelligent races in the wilderness.
*
Just as Chu Jiu had expected, Douglas’s family was more surprised than astonished when they saw the old blacksmith.
However, for little Mary, who was not even seven years old, it was probably just joy without any surprise.
Despite Chu Jiu and Douglas telling her that this was a two-hundred-year-old dwarf beastman, it didn’t stop Mary from circling the dwarf beastman non-stop:
“Little squirrel! Little squirrel!”
“Little squirrel, can I touch your ears?”
“Little squirrel, your tail is so cute, is it real?”
Finally, Eileen had to pick up her daughter and put her on a chair, instructing her: Be a lady! Sit properly! Don’t disturb!
Despite being admonished by her mother, Mary still stared at the dwarf beastman with a giggle, constantly muttering, “So, cu, ute…”
Amidst his daughter’s babbling, Douglas listened to Chu Jiu explain his concerns.
Douglas pondered for a moment and said, “Your worries are very reasonable.”
“Indeed, if it were humans who didn’t know about dwarf beastmen or didn’t believe in their existence, they would probably panic at the first sight of Mr. Blacksmith.”
“Maybe even the guards of Sea Moon City wouldn’t be able to confirm his identity and wouldn’t let him pass easily.”
“But this problem… is also easy to solve.”
Douglas said that their Ability-users Patrol still had some conveniences in such matters.
Soon, a plan was discussed and they decided to set off together the next day.
*
The next day.
Reg drove the carriage, taking Douglas, Chu Jiu, and the blacksmith squirrel to Emerald Town, and directly parked the carriage in the courtyard of the Ability-user Patrol.
This was what they had discussed last night: before heading to Sea Moon City, Douglas would first go to Captain Ren to get a letter of proof.
With this letter of proof, plus Douglas’s own reputation, neither the guards of Sea Moon City nor any other well-intentioned people would be able to find fault with Mr. Blacksmith.
Douglas had been inside for a while, and the white-eared squirrel in the carriage was somewhat uneasy.
This was the first time he had come to a place with “so many humans.”
Looking at the tall humans walking around outside and the buildings that were completely different from the underground city he was familiar with, his ears twitched several times.
Chu Jiu whispered, “It’s okay, Douglas is very reliable.”
As soon as he finished speaking, he saw a tall, sturdy esper with a full beard holding something in his arms, rushing out of the patrol’s small building and heading straight for the carriage.
Chu Jiu’s heart tightened, and he subconsciously moved in front of the little squirrel, only to see the ability-user make a sharp stop in front of the carriage, his expression excited:
“Is, is there a dwarf beastman?”
“I, can I meet him?”
Chu Jiu: …?
Douglas followed behind, explaining helplessly: this was Captain Ren, Lauren, his senior, and also someone who had believed in fairy tales since childhood. Now that he heard “a dwarf beastman has come to town,” he was overly excited.
The blacksmith squirrel hesitated for a moment but still slowly came out of the carriage and greeted Lauren.
At that moment, Chu Jiu saw with his own eyes that the burly Lauren, the bearded Lauren, had countless little stars shining in his eyes.
Chu Jiu: …Understood. Another fluffy creature enthusiast.
Lauren giggled foolishly for a long time, and only after Douglas coughed to remind him did he remember to spread the thick, heavy book in his hands in front of the little squirrel, asking the little squirrel to “put a paw print” on it.
Chu Jiu originally thought it was some kind of “foreigner registration book,” but only then did he see clearly: it was a “Folk Tales” book! And it was a “Dwarf Beastman Special Edition”!
So this patrol captain was using his official position for personal gain to get the little squirrel to sign his book!
Chu Jiu: …Ahhh, you fluffy creature enthusiasts, do you have to be this outrageous…
Chu Jiu, filled with such internal complaints, seemed to have forgotten how he would place the little black cat on his chest, allowing the little guy to sleep soundly and peacefully at any time.
Lauren, having obtained the adorable little paw print, continued to giggle foolishly and personally escorted Chu Jiu and the others back into the carriage.
Of course, the “letter of proof” that Douglas needed had already been properly obtained.
Reg, knowing that time was tight, didn’t linger in Emerald Town at all, driving the carriage straight towards Sea Moon City.
At this time, those in the carriage naturally wouldn’t notice that in an inconspicuous little shop by the roadside, two figures were whispering:
“Quickly report, that former captain, and that strange pioneer, have both left Bean Village and headed towards Sea Moon City!”
“This is the ‘good opportunity’ they’ve been waiting for!”
*
They traveled quickly, and it was evening when they arrived at Sea Moon City.
Thanks to the “letter of proof,” although the city guards were initially surprised, after verifying the letter and confirming the identities of Douglas and Reg, their attitude changed from astonishment to admiration: you actually encountered the legendary dwarf beastmen!
Thus, they entered the city and checked into an inn without any hindrance.
The next day, Chu Jiu and the blacksmith squirrel arrived at the Gem Candy Shop early in the morning.
However, they waited and waited, but the candy shop remained closed.
Could it be… something was wrong?
Chu Jiu had a bad feeling in his heart.
The blacksmith squirrel was already a man of few words, and now he simply didn’t speak.
They waited until almost noon before they saw the young woman who had been behind the counter last time rushing over.
The woman looked hurried and quite haggard, completely oblivious to Chu Jiu and even the little squirrel beside him.
It was only when Chu Jiu greeted her that she paused, forcing a smile, “Ah, it’s you. I remember you, you bought date preserves.”
“We’re not open today. I just came to pick up something. There’s something going on at home… Please come again next time.”
Chu Jiu’s feeling grew worse.
He had a hunch that he had to explain things clearly within these short minutes, otherwise he would definitely regret it.
Therefore, he disregarded politeness and directly stopped the woman, quickly and clearly stating his purpose.
The woman was initially annoyed, then surprised, and then incredulous.
It wasn’t until she calmed down slightly, noticed the dwarf beastman beside Chu Jiu, and saw the “gem candies” Chu Jiu took out that she exclaimed in surprise, her eyes immediately turning red and tears falling uncontrollably.
“Could it be, could it really be…?”
“Grandpa’s nonsense… could it really be true?”
Chu Jiu was so nervous that his forehead was covered in sweat, and he quickly asked: did something happen to the old grandpa?
The woman wiped away her tears and said that her great-grandfather hadn’t been able to get out of bed yesterday and had been talking nonsense all night. They had called a doctor, who said that her great-grandfather was so old, having lived so long without illness or disaster, that it was time to prepare for the end.
This morning, her great-grandfather had suddenly become more lucid and insisted on seeing the “gem candy decorative painting” in the shop, which was why she had rushed over.
She had never expected that the nonsense her great-grandfather had been talking about for so long was actually true.
This great-grandfather, who had lived his life so properly, had actually gone to such a distant place in his early years and had even befriended a “dwarf beastman.”
At this time, the blacksmith squirrel, who had been silent all along, spoke, “I, see him.”
The woman nodded repeatedly, “Yes, yes, I’ll take you over.”
“But, he doesn’t even recognize us anymore, he might not recognize you…”
Saying this, the woman choked up again.
Blacksmith squirrel: “It doesn’t matter.”
*
When Chu Jiu and the others arrived at the old man’s house, the white-haired old man was lying in bed, staring blankly at the ceiling, vaguely muttering “gems,” “gems”…
Even when his great-granddaughter leaned close to his ear and told him that the old friend he had been talking about for so long had come to see him, he didn’t react much.
Seeing this, the blacksmith squirrel took the candy Chu Jiu handed him and slowly walked up to the old man’s bedside.
He jumped onto the footstool the little girl had prepared for him and placed the gem in the old man’s withered hand.
The old man’s fingers stroked the candy, once, twice.
After a minute, his eyes gradually regained their light.
He looked at the little squirrel beside him, squinted for a long time, his lips trembled, and finally, in disbelief, he called out, “Little Tie!
Is that you, Little Tie!”
The little squirrel nodded, his voice choked with emotion:
“It’s me, I, came to see you.”
“Little Tie, came to see Eric.”
The old man, called Eric, grasped the brilliance that his descendants hadn’t seen for many years.
“Gems,” he said, weeping and smiling at the same time. His wrinkled face radiated the joy of his grandson.
His hands trembling, he asked incoherently, “This, is this a gem? You… you found the raw materials? You… you… helped me… realized it?”
The little squirrel shook his head and truthfully told him that another human had brought these gems.
Eric didn’t ask who it was. Tears streaming down his face, he repeated, “So they still made it…” “I should have gone to see you…”
In Eric’s rambling narration, coupled with the information the blacksmith squirrel had revealed along the way, Chu Jiu finally understood the story of these two old friends.
Eric was the only son of the owner of the “Gem Candy Shop.”
This shop had always been famous in Sea Moon City for producing these shiny, gem-like candies.
Eric had loved the candies from his family’s shop since he was a child. No matter how sad he was, his parents would just take out a candy for him to look at, and he would immediately stop crying and reach out for the glittering, colorful gems.
Later, the “gem candies” in the house became fewer and fewer. He heard that the raw materials for making this candy had run out, and the masters who knew the recipe had been swallowed by monsters, so the shop would have to switch to selling candied fruit in the future.
Eric was both sad and unwilling to accept this. He listened everywhere and finally found out: this candy was made from a light-colored, ice-like, hard raw material.
To Eric, who was not even ten years old, this “light yellow, ice-like raw material” must be a very rare ore.
Where could the most ore be found?
Naturally, the distant Sanctuary Valley.
Who could dig out ore in Sanctuary Valley?
Naturally, the legendary dwarf beastmen.
So, Eric filled his pockets with candies, left a letter for his parents saying “I’m going to find the ore that can make gems,” and set off alone on the road to find “rare ore.”
Perhaps it was due to the good luck unique to children, or perhaps he happened to catch a period when the monsters were relatively calm, he stumbled through the Forgotten Forest, staggered through the Sunny Plateau, and crawled to Sanctuary Valley covered in wounds.
Just when Eric thought he was doomed, a little squirrel named “Little Tie” saved him and brought him to the underground city to recuperate.
After that, Eric and Little Tie, who were similar in age in a certain sense, became best friends.
Little Tie took Eric with him to pick nuts, learn mining, and go rafting in the underground river…
Eric told Little Tie about Sea Moon City, the fountains in the city, the sound of the rushing sea, and the big moon over the sea…
And of course, Eric’s favorite, those colorful “gems.”
As a thank you, little Eric generously shared the gems he had brought with him and gave them to his little squirrel friends.
Because his parents had told him that he could only eat one “gem” a day, otherwise his teeth would rot, so he also told the little squirrels: only one a day!
The little squirrels loved them.
Eric, having gained many fluffy good friends, was also extremely happy.
The only thing that troubled him was that neither he nor his friends could find that “light-colored, ice-like rare ore.”
Then one day, the little squirrels who went mining near the Forgotten Forest brought back news:
A human couple, with a guard escort, were calling out the name “Eric” again and again at the edge of the forest.
The human couple looked extremely sad.
Only then did Eric wake up as if from a dream: It’s my mom and dad! My mom and dad have come to find me!
Eric decided to go home immediately.
Before leaving, he and Little Tie made an “unbreakable promise.”
He said: Little Tie, my wish is to make those gems, to make many, many, so many that we can’t finish eating them.
Also, I’m different from you dwarf beastmen. As I grow up, I’ll become like my dad, a big guy with a beard. If you can’t recognize me, I’ll take out a gem and tell you: Eric has come!
Little Tie smiled and said, word by disjointed word in his language: Your wish is to make gems, my wish is to become the best blacksmith in the underground city.
When that time comes, you come to the underground city, find the most outstanding blacksmith shop, take out the gem, and say, “This is my payment,” and I’ll know it’s you!
And so, the little squirrel escorted Eric to the edge of the Forgotten Forest, watching from afar as the boy reached his real home in the forest.
After that, the little squirrel had been waiting for this human friend, waiting for him to knock on the door of the underground city, waiting for him to tell everyone: I made them! I made so many gems! Ten years passed.
Unknowingly, Eric and Little Tie’s promise had already been passed down as “humans will bring gems,” “only those carrying gems can come to the underground city,” “only humans with gems can commission the blacksmith”…
But “humans carrying gems” never appeared again.
The little squirrel’s friend never came back to the underground city.
The hundred-year-old white-haired Eric cried like a ten-year-old child.
He said that at first, he thought he would definitely be able to make those gem candies and fulfill his promise to his friend.
As he grew older, he finally understood: what he lacked was not some kind of ore at all. What he lacked was an extinct plant, a craft that no one knew anymore.
Relying on himself alone, he could no longer make “gems” or fulfill his childhood promise.
In this situation, should he still go to see his friend?
He hesitated, he struggled.
In this hesitation and struggle, he took on more and more identities.
He was a shop owner, a husband, a father…
He became increasingly afraid of risking his life, carrying an unfulfilled promise and empty pockets, to visit the little squirrels who were waiting for gems.
Furthermore, he grew old.
His legs and feet were no longer agile, his speech was no longer clear.
When he reached an age where it was impossible for him to walk into the wilderness and break-in Sanctuary Valley, he realized that his real wish was not to make “gem candies” but to share his most cherished delicacies with his good friends.
Unfortunately, he could no longer do it.
Hearing Eric say this, the little squirrel shook his head.
He raised his little paw, put a candy in his mouth, and smiled through his tears, “We, share.”
The tearful Eric nodded and tremblingly put a candy in his mouth.
He said, “It’s so good… the same taste as that year…”
As the candy slowly melted, the wrinkles on the old face gradually disappeared.
The light in his eyes became as dazzling and bright as a teenager’s.
He smiled, “Little Tie, the underground river we went to today was so much fun! What was that big-mouthed monster that mooed?
It even carried us out of the water.”
“We must write down this adventure.”
Little Tie: “Okay. We, draw it.”
The doctor standing aside waved his hand at the others in the room, “Everyone, go out.”
“It’s time. Let him leave happily with these memories.”
Chu Jiu stood in the hallway.
The hallway had a large window that overlooked the distant sea.
Just now, the system had sent him two prompts.
One prompt told him that he had completed [The Boy’s True Wish], which, along with the previous [The Merchant’s Small Dream] and [Guarding the Small Dream], were related events. He could choose to accept the rewards immediately or continue to accumulate them.
Chu Jiu still chose “accumulate rewards.”
The other prompt told him that because he had learned the truth about “The Adventures of Caliph” in the “Folk Tales,” he had obtained a new passive skill [Fairy Tale Interpretation], which would allow him to understand the truth more quickly from seemingly illogical childish words.
But Chu Jiu currently had no mind to think about the skill.
He was looking out the window.
It was almost midnight, and a full moon hung directly over the deep blue sea.
The moon was quietly and calmly embedded in the night sky, witnessing the vicissitudes of life.
Chu Jiu lowered his head slightly and softly said to Little Can, “Mr. Blacksmith did it…”
“He found his old friend, and he heard the sound of the sea and saw the moon over the sea…”
Little Can: “Meow.”
After a while, the little squirrel came out.
Eric’s grandchildren swarmed in.
The little squirrel shook his head and wiped away the tears from the corners of his eyes.
Chu Jiu squatted down and gently patted the little squirrel’s shoulder.
The little squirrel was silent for a minute, then whispered, “It’s good, he came.”
“Thank you.”
He raised his small hand and handed a thick roll of parchment to Chu Jiu, “We, that year, drew.”
“Perhaps, useful.”
Chu Jiu took the parchment roll, not in a hurry to open it, but softly asked, “Are you planning to stay for two more days?”
The little squirrel shook his head.
Chu Jiu said, “Okay, let’s go rest, and we’ll leave tomorrow morning.”
As for tomorrow, Chu Jiu planned to go to the commercial street to purchase materials and also go to the lighthouse to find Old Mr. He to return the “Compilation of Laws” he had borrowed.
Just as he was thinking about what else needed to be done, the system suddenly emitted a sharp burst of sound:
[Warning! Warning! Spirit Beast status abnormal! Status abnormal!]
Chu Jiu’s pupils constricted, and he quickly switched to the system interface. On the adorable Q-version avatars of his spirit beasts, the icons that usually displayed small red hearts or musical notes were all showing angry black faces and red exclamation marks!
What happened?!
What had suddenly befallen these soft and well-behaved spirit beasts?!
Thank you for the chapter