HPDBC Chapter 334: Wayland’s Decision
Chapter 334: Wayland’s Decision
"That’s true."
Qiong Xing nodded.
He understood that reality was not so simple.
Passion alone could not keep a business running.
"But if there were people who wanted your work, would you continue?"
This time, Wayland answered without hesitation.
"Of course I would."
"Then perhaps you shouldn’t decide to retire just yet."
"Hm?"
Qiong Xing carefully picked up the knife.
The blade gleamed beautifully under the light.
It was exactly what he had envisioned.
No, it was even better.
"Actually, I have several more things I’d like to ask you to make."
"Several?"
"Yes."
Qiong Xing smiled.
"There are many tools from my homeland that don’t exist here. If you’re willing, I’d like to work with you again."
For a moment, Wayland simply blinked.
Then a wide grin spread across his face.
"Ha! Now that’s a dangerous thing to say."
"Dangerous?"
"You’ve got no idea how much fun this old man had making that knife."
His laughter echoed throughout the workshop.
The retirement he had spoken of so casually moments ago suddenly felt much farther away.
And seeing that expression, Qiong Xing thought that perhaps there was still plenty of fire left in the old craftsman after all.
If Wayland himself no longer wanted to continue, Qiong Xing would not stop him.
But if he truly wanted to keep working and simply could not, then perhaps there was something Qiong Xing could do to help.
Until he understood why Wayland had decided to retire, there was nothing he could do.
"...If you’ve got children, then you should understand. If there’s no work, there’s no food on the table."
That answer alone told him everything he needed to know.
This was not what Wayland truly wanted.
"Then all you need is work, right?"
"Huh?"
"Work. If you have work, you’ll continue, won’t you?"
It would be such a waste to let his skill go unused.
A craftsman with talent like this should not have to spend the rest of his life quietly tending fields just to get by.
"One customer’s orders aren’t enough to solve that problem."
Even Qiong Xing understood that.
No matter how many requests he made, there was a limit to both the quantity and the money he could provide.
In that case, he would simply need to borrow someone else’s help.
"There may be someone willing to take on that role. But unless you agree first, I can’t even bring it up. Personally, I’d like you to continue. But that’s my wish, not yours. ...What will you do?"
It was only a possibility.
Things might not work out.
Even if the discussions went well, the result might not align with what Wayland actually wanted.
He could reject the offer outright, unwilling to accept help from someone so much younger than himself.
There were many possible outcomes.
But if Wayland was willing to place his trust in him despite all that, then Qiong Xing wanted to help however he could.
"I’m not trying to force you. But honestly, I think it would be a terrible waste. Besides..."
Qiong Xing smiled.
"There are still plenty of things I want you to make for me, so it would be a problem if you retired."
"...Ha... hahaha! Hahahahahahaha!"
Wayland suddenly burst into laughter so loud that it echoed throughout the entire forge.
Startled by the noise, Lian, who had been sitting on Qiong Xing’s lap chewing on a slice of apple, jumped in surprise.
Qiong Xing gently stroked Lian’s head and reassured her before turning back to the still-laughing Wayland with a smile.
"You’re a pretty demanding youngster, aren’t you?"
"Am I? Maybe. But you’re the only one willing to put up with this youngster’s selfish requests, Wayland."
The laughter continued to ring through the workshop.
"Hahahaha! You’ve got quite a mouth on you."
There was probably no one else capable of creating something that matched his expectations so perfectly.
Even if this knife had been made as a final commemorative piece before retirement, Qiong Xing felt nothing but gratitude toward him.
"Alright. I’d already been thinking about giving up. Even if it doesn’t work out, I’ll put my faith in you. I’m counting on you."
"Likewise. I don’t know if it’ll succeed, but I’ll do my best to make sure you can keep working, Wayland."
Now that he had obtained Wayland’s agreement, Qiong Xing immediately set his plan in motion and contacted the person he had in mind.
...
"Ms. Roland, can you fillet fish?"
"...Excuse me?"
As always, Roland was surprised by Qiong Xing’s sudden visit, though he welcomed him happily nonetheless.
However, his completely unrelated question left him unable to respond right away.
His visits were always welcome, of course, but being asked something like that before they had even properly exchanged greetings was understandably confusing.
"Um...?"
"I’m sorry for bringing this up so suddenly. If possible, I’d like to recommend a product to you and ask whether your shop might be interested in carrying it."
That certainly sounded like good news, but he still did not understand what it had to do with his earlier question.
When he asked for clarification, his gaze became fixed on the object Qiong Xing’s quietly placed on the table.
"What is this? I should mention that... I don’t deal in weapons."
Roland explained that he intentionally avoided handling weapons because they often led to disputes and trouble.
He apologized, but said he had no intention of dealing in them in the future either.
Qiong Xing smiled and shook his head.
"No, that’s not it. This is a cooking utensil. It’s a knife used for preparing ingredients. I had it made in this shape according to my specifications. I was hoping you could judge its sharpness."
Only then did he understand the meaning behind his earlier question.
When he admitted that he could not personally fillet fish, Qiong Xing did not seem bothered in the slightest.
Instead, he simply asked whether someone who could do it might be available.
Roland thought it was unnecessary to use a fish merely to test sharpness, but if Qiong Xing insisted, there was probably a reason for it.
So he called over one of his employees, a woman with two children who was experienced in preparing fish, and had her demonstrate.