Tiger Translator's Progress
Henry couldn't quite assess the impression he had made on Charlize Theron during their first meeting.
He could sense that this woman was very wary. Perhaps this was related to her upbringing.
I wonder if the things I knew before I traveled through time have played out in the same way in this world.
However, perhaps after this actress achieves fame and success, she will be able to speak about such things without any reservations.
But at this point in time, it's like a landmine; whoever steps on it must be prepared to be blown up.
Henry, of course, couldn't afford to risk stepping on a landmine just because he's dressed as a Krypton, and he couldn't actually go and ask about her father's situation. So, he could only offer some advice as someone with experience in Hollywood, and then say goodbye.
Perhaps this will be the only time I'll ever meet this award-winning actress in person.
Walking the streets of Los Angeles, the city with the highest density of Hollywood stars, seeing celebrities is hardly news or a big deal. But if you want to have some kind of conversation or do some "in-depth" research, that's not so easy.
Do you really think those celebrities are just prostitutes or gigolos that anyone can touch?
Henry had thought he would have to wait several years until the actress shone brightly on the big screen before he could "see" her again—only in a movie, not in person. But just two days later, he received a phone call.
"Hello, is Mr. Henry Brown here?"
"Yes, that's me."
A slightly hesitant voice came from the phone. Slowly, with a hint of uncertainty, it said, "This is Charlize Theron. Do you remember me?"
"Ah, Ms. Cyril, of course I remember you. I wonder what I can do for you?"
"Well, since you're the author—no, the translator—of the book <Love from a Different Culture>, and I'm a fan of yours, I'd like to ask if I could get a copy for you to sign."
"Sure. Where and when should we meet?"
"Could we meet at the same restaurant we met last time? For lunch? —Yes, I have a few things I'd like to ask you."
It wasn't a dinner invitation, nor did he mention treating her. Looks like this girl is hungry. Henry didn't object, saying, "Okay. Today?"
"Yes, it was noon today."
"Since the timing is perfect, I'll treat you to a meal. Sorry, I'm easily hungry; I need to eat something when the time comes."
"... OK, thanks."
"See you then."
"Okay, see you then."
After hanging up the phone, Henry looked at Kitty, the little Tiger circling around his feet—well, she's not small anymore. Animals grow quite quickly; basically, after a year, they're considered fully grown, and their size is naturally considerable as well.
Kitty is probably not even a year old yet, but she already weighs 480 pounds. If Henry hadn't replaced the cat tree with an iron one, it would have crushed the old wooden one.
The animal is acting like this because, according to the time, today should be the day to go out into the wild and get some "fresh" food.
Being able to roam freely in the countryside, instead of being confined to a small house, is certainly quite attractive to animals, especially a Tiger.
However, since she had arranged to meet someone in person, Kitty's spring outing had to be postponed by a day. This was definitely not some kind of case of forgetting someone's affections for a fleeting moment!
So Henry stroked the tiger's head and said, "Little guy, you can have chilled fresh meat, with a little extra. I'll take you out to play again tomorrow."
"Roar!"
: don't want.
This is the sound coming from the speaker of the translator.
Henry cupped the Tiger's cheeks with both hands, forcing Kitty to look only at him. Then, his eyes glowed red.
He asked again, seriously, "Is it alright to go out tomorrow?"
"..-. son.""
: good.
"Good boy." Henry, whose eyesight had returned to normal, stroked the tiger's head again.
In reality, Kitty couldn't understand overly complex meanings. It's just that Henry's translator, besides translating the Tiger's thought processes and roars into simple human language, also had the function of translating human language into Tiger Language.
As the accumulated data grew and the functions became more complete, Kitty gradually became able to understand the Tiger Language transmitted by the translator. She was even able to have simple conversations with Henry.
However, considering that Tiger think differently than humans, Kitty can only understand the meaning of a small portion of individual words at this point. She cannot yet understand sentences, let alone a complete set of commands.
Whether this was genuine Tiger Language or a stress response like that of a dog or cat after long-term training, triggered by commands such as "sit" or "hold hands," Henry had no idea.
Perhaps, under the training of the translator, Kitty's growth is simply an adaptation to the translator. The interaction between the two has long since transcended the realm of wild Tiger.
Now, for Kitty's feed, Henry is contacting butchers to deliver freshly slaughtered meat to her door every day, with payment made daily.
Furthermore, to ensure a balanced diet, the meat delivered is rotated regularly. For example, beef today, lamb tomorrow.
The day after tomorrow, pork will be served. Occasionally, horse meat will be served, but it is relatively rare.
The cost of feeding Tiger is quite high, no wonder not many people can afford to keep them. And because of the nutritional issues, Henry even considered developing tiger food, modeled after cat food.
However, this stuff probably won't sell, and it's impossible to sell it to zoos, so forget about it. Watching Kitty eat raw meat is quite nice, it's just that the feces smell both fishy and strong. Henry has modified Kitty's toilet several times.
Since Henry had an appointment at noon today and couldn't take Kitty out, Henry naturally needed to prepare Kitty's food bowl in advance. Besides having a storage area with preservation features and allowing for scheduled feeding, the most important thing was that it was sturdy!
Ever since Kitty discovered that this little guy can produce meat on his own, guess how many times she's ruined the food bowl?
The initial plastic ones were a crazy, hasty attempt to save time. As a result, the first generation of feed troughs didn't even last a day; when Henry returned home, he only found the wreckage.
Then the second generation, made of sheet metal, also couldn't withstand the tiger's claws and was dismantled into scrap. This was followed by the third, fourth, and Nth generations.
This also included the Fridge, which Kitty had dismantled because she saw Henry taking meat out of it. The Fridge, like the other furniture, had been reinforced and protected against Tiger, but it still couldn't stop deliberate vandalism.
That's why Kitty's food is now delivered daily by the butcher shop.
Henry even considered sneaking off to Wakanda to get some Vibranium to build Kitty's own special feeding bowl. It'll be interesting to see who wins when the tiger's teeth clash with Earth's strongest metal.
In the end, they secretly obtained the formula for the main armor plate material used in tanks thirty years ago, which finally solved the problem of getting Kitty's feed trough.
As for why the latest armor plate formula isn't used, it's because composite materials are now used, unlike the old pure metal steel plates that were infinitely thickened.
Composite armor is a new type of material developed to counter different attack methods, such as bulletproofing, high-temperature resistance, and other functions, while also being lightweight.
But Henry only needed to deal with the claws of a Tiger; ordinary steel plates would suffice, while composite materials would be easier to damage.
After Henry put Kitty's lunch in the food trough storage area, the Tiger's attention shifted to the thing that it couldn't bite or smash.
The BB series' core robot reduces maintenance frequency and speeds up upgrades, thanks in no small part to the feed trough. Scratching Kitty's chin, Henry realized he needed to fill this free time before the agreed-upon time.