Julie's Weaponry

Lu went deeper into the alley and found another small alley on the right. After he walked into it for a few seconds, he saw to teenagers with one older than the other. They were younger and shorter than Lu. The two were rummaging throw the body of an older man leaning against the wall. The two paused and looked at Lu when they heard his footsteps.

A short awkward silence filled the atmosphere as the two kept staring at Lu with a hint of surprise and fear. The mask was just that creepy! Lu stared back and thought about what was happening. It seemed these kids were stealing a drunk man? Lu sighed for the poverty that spread among the lower class of this world. Nevertheless, stealing was a bad thing. It might get you killed.

With this, Lu decided to use his ultimate trump card to help the old man. He didn't like it but… it was the only way. Leaning a bit to the ground and making an angle with his hips, Lu relaxed his arms and made them dangle in front of his chest. Then he rushed toward the two while rotating his had left and right. Coupled with the creepy mask, these movements would make an excellent horror scene.

"AHH!" The younger kid screamed and turned around to run. The older one remained silent but was also scared as he tripped and then ran away. Before Lu even reached the man, the two were long gone.

'Agh! My trump card requires too much mental energy to fight against the embarrassment and the blow to my self-esteem!' Lu dramatically clutched his heart.

'Okay, enough with the jokes, what should I do with this guy?' Lu tilted his head and thought about the best way to wake a drunk person. As he searched through his modern knowledge and the ways his previous world have perfected for this kind of issues, Lu found the perfect method.

SLAP!

'Hm…'

SLAP SLAP SLAP!

"Ugh! Bastard, what the fuck are you slapping for?" The man started waking up. Lu thanked his previous world in his heart for helping him. The man looked around and was dazed. He then stared at Lu and remained silent.

Seeing this, Lu thought he might as well clarify. He grabbed a stick before writing on the muddy ground. 'You were almost robbed.'

"By you?" The man had a confused look and Lu wanted to beat him up. He then wrote. 'I helped you.'

Now the man seemed to understand and nodded. Then he turned again toward Lu and asked. "Can you help me go home?"

Lu was speechless and he wanted to beat this guy back into unconsciousness. Instead of thanks, the man requested more help? Lu let it slide and decided that helping this guy would turn the gods of fortune in his favor.

After helping him up, Lu placed the man's arm on his shoulder and started traveling the streets according to the man's directions. After ten minutes of walking, they reached a shabby looking shop at the end of the Merchants District. The shop was a two-floor wooden building with a back-garden. Although it seemed old, the wood seemed quite strong and sturdy. It had a sign saying Julie's Weaponry. It seemed this guy sold weapons.

The two went to the back garden and entered through the fence. After reaching the backdoor, the man knocked three times. A couple of moments later, an average looking girl opened the door. She wore a clean white, knee-length robe tied in the middle with a belt. It seemed this was the trend in this world. Even Lu's clothes were similar but of worse materials and brown colored. Her hair was brown with a bit of blonde in it. Freckles were visible on her nose and cheeks.

"Dad! Did you drink all night again?" The girl frowned and was displeased. However, she soon distracted by the masked person helping her dad stand. Lu could see a slight hint of fear in her eyes but he didn't blame her. This world concept of masks was a lot more extreme than earth because of the church.

"Just help me to the couch! And serve this lad something." The man grumbled and tried entering the house leaving Lu's side. The girl helped to the couch before she turned to Lu. "Please Sir, come on in. Thank you for helping my dad."

Lu just nodded and closed the door behind him before he went to sit on the other couch. The girl went to another room leaving the two men alone.

"Even though it wasn't anything important, you still helped me. Words of gratitude are worthless, so what do you want?" The man lied down and asked.

Lu's mood went downhill hearing his words. He had the feeling that this man was treating him as some leech who tried to take advantage of him. Without another word, Lu stood up and headed toward the door.

"Hey lad, where are you goin'?!" The man shouted seeing Lu's actions. Lu opened the door, middle fingered the man and walked out before shutting the door loudly.

Although Lu was in dire need of money, it wasn't like he couldn't find another way. He didn't help him because he thought he can rub some money out of him. And he didn't like the tone the man used.

'Sigh, good deeds are rarely appreciated. Forget it, let Karma play its thing.' Lu walked through the back-garden and crossed the fence. After a few more steps, he heard the door opening so he turned around.

"Sir, please wait!" The girl hurried toward Lu who simply faced her without saying anything. "Although my father may be unpleasant, he's a good man! I'm sorry if he offended you earlier. Letting someone who helped us leave after offending him leaves a bad taste in our mouths. Please, accept our hospitality!" The girl was out of breath after she finished her long talk.

Lu would lie if he said her sincerity didn't move him a bit. Not many people would apologize for that easily and so sincerely. Thus, he nodded and followed the girl back inside. After returning to the living room, he found the man sitting in his chair holding a cup of tea. As he saw the two walk inside, his eyes kept staring at Lu until he sat on the sofa.

The two eyed each other and said nothing. Lu saw that the man's eyes were now clearer after he sobered up. His face was unkempt and a bit dirty. He had a nose larger than average, bushy eyebrows, and a strong chin.

"Dad!" The girl broke their staring contest and caused the man to grumble and sighed.

"Look, kid, I apologize for my earlier behavior. I sincerely thank you for your help. Please, if there's anything I can do to help you with, do inform me."

There was a brief silence that followed. The man frowned as he thought Lu was still mad. However, Lu then reached out his hand and pointed to his mouth. Then he shook his head.

The father and daughter were stunned. The man then remembered how Lu talked to him through writing earlier. There's a hint of sympathy in the man's eyes as he gestured toward his daughter. "Bring a pen and a pencil."

After receiving the two items, Lu wrote for a bit before handing the paper over.

'You're welcome. I didn't help you to get something in return. I'll now take my leave as I have other things to do.'

Lu was about to get up but the man held his hand up to stop him. "Lad, I've judged you wrong. Please follow me." The man then stood up and started walking toward the front of the building. Lu looked at the girl and the latter smiled and nodded. Lu stood up and followed the man.

The two reached the front of the building and they entered the shop Lu saw from the front. As expected, many weapons filled the shelves of the shop. Swords, sabers, spears, bows and other weapons existed.

"First, let me introduce myself. My name is Mark. Mark Ronald. As you can see, I make weapons and most of these are my creations."

Lu looked around and was impressed with the craftsmanship of the weapons. He then looked at Mark waiting for him to continue.

"Kid, even though you helped me out of goodness, I repaid in ungratefulness. Please take one of my weapons and use it as repayment. I stopped selling a long time ago, but I feel like my weapons would be in the right hands with you. So, please choose one of my creations." Mark bowed his head slightly which was a gesture difficult for proud men. This showed how sincere he was. Although Lu and Mark knew that Lu's help wasn't that big, the latter wanted to repay him nonetheless.