Chapter 25 – Entering the Cave
Rui did not like fragility, be it himself or others. In his eyes, being fragile will only cause him to lose fighting spirit, and it was a sign of weakness. However, the current him was envious of the blacksmith’s daughter, and liked the fragility of the blacksmith. To be able to cause a grown, firm man to cry like that, the blacksmith must have had a very good relationship with his daughter.
Fragility is not something one should be scared of! Everyone has something important to them. Even if it was a very strong person, he will also have his fragile side. Expressing one’s fragility is not shameful. For one’s important person, for their loved ones, even if their soft side was displayed in their eyes, there would be nothing to be ashamed of. At least this proves that, he was not dead, and he still had a “heart.” Compared to those who carry kind smiles and act in the way people would approve of them, yet are extremely heartless existences, people like the blacksmith are far more respectable!
“Uncle, don’t worry. I will fulfill your wish! Definitely!”
Looking at the blacksmith’s dark and tear-stained face, Rui felt his tears were shining with a holy brilliance. During his dark journey, he gripped onto his ‘self’ tightly, and used morals to bind himself to ensure he would stay ‘human,’ and not a cold and heartless demon. However, after killing people for so long, his heart had already began to numb.
People currently live in cities made out of steel. When they go out, they wear a fake mask. When they return home, they act coldly, and trap themselves in a small little house. After not being able to interact with other people for so long, humans will turn lonely, and the heart will turn numb. Every day, they live a static and simple life. Head for work, leave work, return home, and only that. Even if they were affluent spiritually, humans have turned into wanderers, gradually losing their sense of ‘self.’
To be able to move a numbed heart was not easy. The blacksmith’s dedication towards his daughter was able to move the chord in Rui’s heart. At that moment, he accepted it. He accepted the blacksmith’s request seriously. He did not think of it as a quest, nor did he think of the rewards he might obtain from blacksmith. He only wanted to help him. He wanted to help the lonely man who lost both his wife and daughter.
“Thank you, thank you!” The blacksmith could not bring out any other words. After a while, when he calmed himself down, he silently took out a pickaxe from the corner, and said to Rui. “My household has always been working with metals. I don’t have any other talent, nor do I have anything worthwhile. At the very least, take this pickaxe as my token of appreciation!”
Ding!