Chapter 58 – Back to Tal Village

Chapter 58 – Back to Tal Village

The boat progressed forward just like gliding.
The clear weather on the sky continued, and the warm sunlight poured down.
Indeed, it’s a good time for setting off… – he thought.
Since this was his first trip by boat, Eiji didn’t know how convenient it would become.
He had only the fear about the weather, but, that too, seemed to be a needless worry.
The sky was cloudless and radiating brightly with the sunlight.
Sitting on the deck of the ship, Eiji turned his sight toward the front while enjoying the swaying of the boat that one cannot experience normally.

In comparison with a cart pulled by cattle, the boat was advancing far quicker.
It was probably because the boat was traveling downstream on the river.
Providing the boat moves with this speed, they will probably reach Tal Village within a short amount of time.
The sight from the top of the boat was different than those seen during a walk or in the car.
The point of view looked high and clear.

Because Eiji’s previous visit to Tal was when the season entered fall, or so, it would make it around half a year since the last time he was there.
Certainly, it was a tremendously busy year. – He thought.
Eiji thrusted the oars in beneath the river’s surface.
After they had left Siena, the forest would constantly stretch; nevertheless, it finally began to end.
From that point, the Tal village will be appearing in front of them.
The other villages’ populations weren’t large enough to require lumbering trees and reclaiming the land.
Therefore, the forest was vast, and the villages would be settled in various places near the forest’s borders.

Feeling the force from the water, Eiji sensed firm power in his hands as he created splashes on the surface of the water.
As he fixed the oars like that, the bow gradually turned to the right.
Fernando stood next to Eiji.
His sight was similarly directed toward Tal.

– Hey hey, only one hour has passed since we set off. Isn’t it unreasonably fast?
– Back when we traveled there, it took us a whole day, right?
– At least from what I remember, we arrived in the evening. So this is a boat?
– Now, can you understand the reason why I was fixated on this idea?
– Yeah, I agree with you.

Fernando would usually be entrusted with the trade negotiations with Tal.
Because of that, he probably understood the convenience coming from the boat’s speed well.
Even a freight car was slightly slower than people walking without any belongings on them.
Since they would set off very early in the morning and reach their destination by the time the sun sets, was the distance between the villages perhaps around some 40 kilometers?
When it comes down to it, this boat’s speed would be more than some 30 kilometers per hour.
At this rate, it seems we will be able to quickly move towards the next village. – He thought.

As soon as Eiji reached the closest point near the tribal chief’s house, he faced toward the stern and dropped two anchors.
*Dobon* – together with the heavy sound, the anchors sunk.
*Gkkun* – just like being caught in, finally, the chains connecting the boat stretched fully, making it sway hard.

The riverside wasn’t outfitted even for docking and rope tying.
As a result of that, Eiji decided to moor the boat with the anchors in order to avoid the possibility of damaging the boat’s bottom.
It was also due to him being unfamiliar with the methods of halting a boat on the water.

– Oh my, we have already arrived? That was fast.
– If we can progress this fast, our trade will take a step ahead, won’t it?
– Certainly, before it used to take us 2 days, but like this, we will be able to return back on the same day. This is a big deal. Speaking of which, how do we disembark the cargo?
– About that….

Eiji looked at the riverside.
The boat stopped in the center of the river with a considerable depth of water.
Judging by his eye, the depth was probably not less than one meter.
Unlike in Siena, where the boat was loaded directly on the riverside, this time, there was the fear that the goods would get soaked.

– I didn’t think about that. Should we place them in a large barrel? Or perhaps, should we have each village build a small craft? There’s no need for them to construct a dock, I guess.
– Honestly, get a grip on yourself. After all, you’re the initiator.
– I’ll pay more attention.

Eiji’s lowered his head docilely as his was prideful face a while ago took a complete change.
After getting closer to the riverside as much as possible with a ramp, they transported the smithing tools together with animal furs in barrels and tubs.
As they were disembarking the cargo, a villager approached their boat after noticing it.

– Fer,  What the hell is that?!
– Yo, Giro. It’s a boat, which I built. This time, we intend to do our trade using this to cross the river.
– The river….with a boat….such a thing, I’ve never seen it before.

After looking in turns at the boat and Fernando’s face, Girolamo stood still without uttering a single word.
Perhaps he had never seen a properly build boat that is bigger than a small craft.
Why haven’t they developed a decent boat until now?
Eiji thought that it could be related to the invention of the saw.
Making lumber, plainly without any saw, is a job takes an awful lot of time.
Considering the time that is required to make something larger than a small craft, wouldn’t they cease the need of doing so while facing the problem of technology?
At Eiji who was thinking, Girolamo bowed down.
Eiji had also thought this before, but, this tribal chief is exceedingly modest.
On top of that, he was warm-hearted.
Both his words and his smiling face were reassuring. Girolamo was a good man.

– Hello, it was Eiji-san, wasn’t it? Long time no see.
– Long time no see.
– Thank you for the fasteners and the iron hammers that you gave us last time. They were incredibly helpful. Saying so, this time….
– Yes, just like I promised, I’ve brought you hoes and scythes.
– Is that so? That’s a blessing. Everyone in the village will be glad.

The last time Girolamo paid Eiji a visit was quite a long one
Back then, Eiji once refused Girolamo’s request.
His tools were still imperfect as the villagers pointed out their tendency to chip.
Selling an incomplete item is a pain for an artisan.
Even since then, Eiji has been applying the method of trial and error.
Adjusting the amount of carbon in the iron, understanding the right temperature of the built fire, Eiji grasped feelings that cover a lot of ground.
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that he has acquired a full knowledge of making iron by himself.
Being self-confident, Eiji was now able to hand the hoes to Girolamo.
Putting a friendly smile on his face, Girolamo would welcome his guests from the bottom of his heart.

Calling out with his voice, the villagers gathered, making it seem like they were surrounding Eiji.
He wasn’t familiar with being watched by many sights.
With his movements clumsier than usual, Eiji took out the tools.

*Oohh* – Each time he took out the Hoes, scythes, plows, lumbering hatchets, and woven mats, a large commotion occurred.
You could say that an inventor get more blessings than he deserves. – Eiji felt the joy itching to gush out from his body once he understood that his made tools were in attention.

– So this is the iron hoe…? Indeed, it’s deep black. Is this the same as that easily rusting iron?
– I too have become used to seeing it, but, as expected, the first time I saw it, it gave out an unpleasant feeling.
– I don’t understand it as I’ve only watched the iron since my birth, you see. Later, if you leave it wet, its tendency to rust won’t change. Therefore, it’s important to cleanly wipe the water and let it dry in the shade.

Girolamo’s impressions seemed to be the consensus of everyone’s opinion in this village.
Taking out the tools, Eiji handed each one of them to the villagers.
Everyone checked the sensation of use from their tools. If it was the hoe, they would dig up the soil, if they had a scythe, they would mow the grass.

– Oooh. Is this the rumored scythe?! So light.
– First, you should prioritize weak and old people’s circumstances.
– No, even a young person can cultivate a vast field using this. That’s why, I should be the one to hold it.
– Aren’t you just wanting to have some fun? Respect the elderly!
– Even though you’re the ones who would usually forward us manual labor, what are you talking about?

It looked like that the rumors of the iron had spread inside Tal village.
While deciding who should be the one to possess which tool, a quarrel broke out immediately as they competed against each other.
Everyone became desperate to obtain the superior tools as much as possible.
However, there was no way for Eiji to pass every member a tool.
From now on, there was a need to trade some of them with the other villages.
It was painful; nevertheless, this time, Eiji had a limit of just 20 hoes to present.

– Because Tal village should do the job of choosing the owners for the tools, I’ll leave that matter to you guys. More importantly, do you have any  other wish for tools besides the farming ones? Depending on what you request, I should be able to make them today, but…
– Ahh, I’d like a spatula.
– A spatula? It’s a small item, so it will be fine. I shall start making it today.

There were other necessary tools, which weren’t known unless they were local.
Eiji planned to go around the villages with his tools, making them efficient for promotion and trade purposes.
The article, which was instantly desired by the girl with a small stature, seemed to be needed in a detailed work where she would separate, stick, and adjust the shape of clay during the process of making pottery.
Because it only required plain shaping of a thin iron plate into the desirable form, the process itself was simple.
Eiji immediately consented.

– Fernando-san, clear out the people.
– Everyone, we still have some works to do, so please disband. The madam that requested the spatula, that’s right, you’re indeed a beautiful woman. Won’t you stay here for a moment? Allow me to ask you several questions regarding the shape and the handle of the item we should make. Your name is, ah, Fiore wasn’t it? Indeed, it’s a nice name. If this evening is fine by you, how about a meal together?
– Oi, Fero, what are you doing?
– Isn’t it fine, Giro? I’m just having some interaction, that’s right, interaction.

Just what on earth is this person doing?
Good grief- while breathing out a sigh, Eiji went back to the river.

He brought a complete set of tools from the boat.
As soon as Eiji puts the bricks together, places charcoal, and prepares a pair of bellow, he will be able to make a simplistic furnace in an instant.
And adding the smithing tools that are the metal hammer and the anvil, the preparation for the work commencement will be done.
It seemed that Fernando was still speaking to the woman despite not learning his lesson.

Is what Eiji thought, however, it looked like Fernando’s attempt of picking up the woman was going quite favorably.
The woman, Fiore, put a smile on her face.
Eiji had the feeling that he would interrupt their enjoyable conversation; nevertheless, he cut in, as Fernando also had a job to do.

– Fernando-san, please take a break for a moment.
– Hm, yeah. Sorry for that.
– Sorry for having our talk interrupted, but but could I see your current spatula? I need to see it to figure out the right size.
– If it becomes even a bit of help, I don’t mind at all. Although, the one I am currently using is a wooden-made one. Is that alright?
– That’s fine. I want to know its size and shape.

Once she apologized, her face turned red rapidly.
It appears that Fernando came back to himself.
Among the iron materials prepared by Eiji, he took out the small one that was already made into a sheet, and threw it inside the furnace.
Striking and stretching the red-scorched iron, he cut it using the clippers.
It seemed that there were many people doing the same type of job as Fiore, so Eiji decided to make several items at the same time.

– Hey, Eiji-kun.
– What?
– Please don’t tell anyone.
– What? Honestly, I don’t know what you mean. Can I have you make the pattern quickly?
– No, it’s fine for you not to know. I too only enjoy drinking alcohol.
– Hm. Because I don’t know, I might recklessly have a slip of the tongue and tell Adele-san.
– Stop thattt! It will be bad if she gets mad.
– To what extent?
– Like being beaten with a whip as a form of punishment.
– …………
– I’m trusting you.
– Ah, no. Yes… I thought about it long time ago, but Adele-san’s way of expressing her love is quite extreme, isn’t it?

Eiji nodded without realizing.
While grumbling, Fernando took the knife and cut the lumber while making the design fast and efficiently.
His movements were quick and accurate.
Once the spatula was done, Fernando struck and inserted the rivets into the notches, as if wedging them inside.
Even though Fernando took just a single glance at the measurements when he put them in, at the end, the rivets were perfectly fixed to the extent of not falling out easily.
Excluding the preparations, their collaborative work took no more than 30 minutes.

Holding the finished spatula, Eiji moved toward Fiore.

– Sorry for making you wait. This is the spatula that you ordered.
– T-Thank you very much. I didn’t think it would be finished this quickly.
– Usually, it would take a little bit longer, but Fernando was here this time, so it was special.

Had it been an edged tool that requires grinding, it would have probably taken them more time. Besides that, the work normally consumes more time, as Fernando would make the pattern after Eiji finished his part.
Not to mention, this time it was also faster thanks to the absence of quenching.
However, was Fiore making a wrong conclusion? Her face blushed red as she took a glimpse of Fernando in a peeking manner.

– T-thank you. Please come again at night!
– Ah, yes. Again at night…?

She left as if running away.
Wasn’t there something unpleasant?
Eiji felt like somebody made a life threatening push on him.

– Eiji, nice support!
– I won’t tell anyone, but if your secret leaks out, I really won’t care.
– That woman won’t go out from the village, so it’s fine! Aah, this is the true charm of trips.

At Fernando’s glad voice, Eiji breathed out a sigh.

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Translator and reference notes:

*Gives a Thumb down for Fernando*