I Need a Knife

"Creak—!" The wood-carved floral door of the room was pushed open just a sliver. A delicate little head paused, startled by the sound of the door, then carefully pressed against the gap to peek inside. Nothing! The visitor slowly pushed the door open and tiptoed into the room. "Roar!" "Eek—!"

Chen Jinyang, who had long since noticed someone entering, had deliberately hidden behind the door. As the visitor walked in, he suddenly jumped out like a vengeful spirit with a thunderous roar. The guilty little elf girl was scared out of her wits; with a heaven-shaking scream, Aelf shut her eyes tight and collapsed softly to the floor. After a long silence, she slightly opened her left eye for a peek, then quickly shut it again, squeezing both eyes even tighter. "Hahaha—!" "Hehehe—!" The Moon Elf girl opened her trembling eyes, her beautiful water-green pupils darting around, only to see Alos and Mishaer clutching their stomachs and rolling on the floor in laughter, while Phinia lay on the table, unable to stop grinning.

Having been made the butt of the joke, Aelf's small, arched brows shot up as she jumped to her feet, only to find Chen Jinyang standing there with his arms crossed, watching her with a grin. The elf, who had been bristling like a wild kitten, immediately wilted. She asked with a tremble: "William? Are... are... are you a dragon?" "Huh? What?" "A giant dragon!" "I am not!" Chen Jinyang was somewhat baffled by the eccentric behavior and questions of the quirky elf girl.

"Liar!" Aelf pouted, muttering two barely audible syllables. Her expression shifted, and she asked in a small, pitiful voice: "Mr. William! Will you eat poor little Aelf?" Chen Jinyang, feeling playful in response to the elf girl's almost comical question, spread his hands in a pouncing gesture and teased: "I'm going to eat you!" Aelf, already feeling a bit uneasy, let out an "Eek!" and scrambled back a few steps. The three onlookers laughed even harder, and Chen Jinyang chuckled along.

Realizing she had been played, Aelf brandished her small fists and said indignantly: "Despicable! You tricked me again! Unforgivable! Even if you are a dragon, you must pay the price!" The elf girl's eyes darted around as she circled Chen Jinyang, looking him up and down, poking here and tugging there (reminiscent of Hanamichi Sakuragi's moves in Slam Dunk). Chen Jinyang, bewildered by Aelf's actions, asked: "Little girl! What are you doing?" Immersed in her own fantasies, the elf subconsciously replied: "Looking for the dragon's treasure! Ah! I let it slip!" A panicked Aelf quickly retreated a few steps, but seeing Chen Jinyang show no reaction, she tilted her head and thought: Haha! So the treasure isn't on you! No wonder you didn't react! Dragons really are slow-witted!

Aelf scanned the entire room with her eyes. Phinia and Alos showed no reaction, but Mishaer, who had been constantly bickering with the elf girl along the way, was extremely sensitive to her sneaky gaze. She shrank her head and quickly covered the Horn of Kor she was wearing with both hands. The elf girl shook her head in a sudden realization: Oh—! I knew it! How could a little shrimp have such a strange item! Hehehe! Dragons really are incredibly cunning! I knew the helmet was suspicious all along! Aelf is truly the cutest and smartest Moon Elf! Hahaha!

With green light radiating from her eyes, the little elf pounced on Mishaer like a hungry tiger, shouting: "You wretched little shrimp! Hand over the treasure and I'll spare your life!" Mishaer, having developed a conditioned reflex to the elf's actions, dodged quickly. The two of them began chasing and dodging around the room, turning the place into a chaotic mess.

Although the elf girl Aelf was taller and stronger (relative to the little girl) and agile, Mishaer, who had been trained by Chen Jinyang for several months, was no pushover. By the time the Magistrate and old Sailu stepped into the room, the two little girls were tangled together on the floor with disheveled hair. In the end, the elf girl, who held the strength advantage, gained the upper hand. Grabbing the Horn of Kor with an excited face, she held it high above her head. The little girl, pinned by the elf's legs, saw she was losing and immediately called for reinforcements: "Sister Phinia! Come help me!"

Two against one, the elf Aelf suffered a regrettable defeat. Chen Jinyang and Alos were long accustomed to this recurring show put on by the three childish figures; the two brothers sat to the side, watching the spectacle with great interest, needing only tea and melon seeds to complete the scene.

Sunderland was stunned by the elf girl's audacity and "Mr. Dragon's" indifference, feeling even more confident in her hypothesis. Alos and the victorious Mishaer looked at old Sailu behind Sunderland with pleasant surprise, calling out: "Mr. Sailu! Mr. Sailu! It is so good to see you!"

The originally anxious old Sailu forgot his fear the moment he saw the two little ones. He looked at the children with equal surprise and joy, saying: "Little Alos! Haha! Mishaer! Let me look at my lovely little girl! You really look much better!" Having thought the little girl wouldn't survive the winter, seeing her standing there healthy and full of life left old Sailu overjoyed. Having always treated William and his siblings like his own kin, he bowed gratefully to Chen Jinyang. Who else but a mysterious and powerful dragon could make a dying child healthy and strong? Old Sailu now fully accepted the Magistrate's hypothesis.

Old Sailu's gesture caught Chen Jinyang off guard; clueless, he could only stand there dumbfounded, offering a silly smile. Alos and the little girl excitedly pulled Sailu aside, recounting the fun events of the winter as if showing off treasures. Ms. Sunderland, meanwhile, mysteriously sized up the silent Chen Jinyang: Hey! It seems this dragon doesn't know his identity has been exposed! Hehehe! Keep pretending, Mr. Dragon! Since you don't want people to know your identity, hehehe! Let's see how I, the beautiful Sunderland Starglim, tame you! No! Tomorrow, I must make everyone who knows keep their mouths shut; from now on, discussing Mr. Dragon's identity is forbidden!

As for the elf Aelf, she was currently circling Phinia, waiting for a chance to snatch the Horn of Kor that the giantess was temporarily keeping safe.

Sunderland elegantly brushed a stray lock of hair behind her ear and spoke with a hint of charm: "Mr. William! May I ask where you are from?"

"Didn't you already know? I am from Gnome Village!" Chen Jinyang frowned, feeling that this beautiful woman might have ill intentions.

"Hehehe! Then, does your Excellency have any plans for the future?"

"Plans?" Chen Jinyang was stunned. That's right! How should I live in this world from now on? How should I continue on the path of martial arts? He muttered to himself: "At the very least, I must take care of the two little ones until they can be independent. Schooling? Literacy? Should they learn a trade to make a living?"

Watching Chen Jinyang frown in thought, the "scheming" Magistrate spoke with a tone of feigned compassion: "Indeed! This world is very dangerous! Monsters run rampant in the wild, and demons dance in chaos. Ordinary villages are often attacked and harassed by brutal Orc armies and monsters; total destruction is a common occurrence! Especially with two helpless children, it is even more dangerous! Only towns with sturdy walls can protect the safety of these children! Every winter, we in Mirabar bring the people from nearby villages into the city to protect them! To prevent them from being harassed by starving monsters!"

Chen Jinyang was not used to this sudden change in attitude from the "strong woman." He felt more and more that she had a conspiracy (his instincts were indeed sharp). Chen Jinyang replied testily: "What does that have to do with me?"

"Uh!" Sunderland's expression faltered. That's right! How could a proud dragon fear such things! She laughed awkwardly: "Does Mr. William have any needs?"

"I need a blade!"

"A blade? We..."

Chen Jinyang said coldly: "The blade I want is specially crafted! Others simply cannot forge it."

Magic weapon? Legendary weapon? Artifact? At this moment, the dizzy Sunderland's mind was filled with these thoughts. Keep him! Must keep him! My god! Anything produced by a dragon is a treasure! Even if I have to sacrifice my own charms, I must keep him! I just don't know what a dragon's aesthetic tastes are like!

The Magistrate, her face flushed with excitement, said repeatedly: "Mr. William! We in Mirabar are the largest metal mining site in the North! We have the best metals and materials! We can absolutely meet your requirements."

Having asked the mercenaries along the way, Chen Jinyang was very interested in Mirabar as a mining and trade center. In this world where metal was scarce, Mirabar was indeed the best choice for obtaining enough materials to forge a good weapon. He said somewhat hesitantly: "I also need to learn the forging techniques here!"

In this world, metal forging was a very precious skill, just like the secret martial arts of a master, and no one was willing to leak it.

Overcome by her delusions, Sunderland promised everything: "No problem! We have both Dwarven blacksmiths with exquisite forging skills and knowledgeable metallurgists and alchemists. You can learn whichever you like!"

"This..." Chen Jinyang hesitated in the face of the Magistrate's fanatical sales pitch.

"As long as you settle down in Mirabar, we will provide you with a residence for free!" Ms. Starglim looked at the others who were startled by her words and continued to entice him, "And these two children can learn to read with me or other scholars."

With things having reached this point, what more could Chen Jinyang say? A stiff smile appeared on his originally solemn face as he said: "Ah! Thank you very much, Ms. Magistrate! But Alos won't need it; in a few days, he will go with friends from the Habel Family to study magic. You only need to teach Mishaer." At this moment, Chen Jinyang shouted internally: Damn it! Is my charm really that great? Has this little lady taken a fancy to me?

Seeing Chen Jinyang relent and agree, Sunderland laughed inwardly like a little fox who had stolen eighteen chicks. Hahaha! I truly am the smartest Sunderland! The kidnapping plan is a success!