บท 112: Chapter 112: The Brothers Grimm
In the small tavern of Merchants' Town, at a corner table.
Ino's gaze was fixed on the two young men sitting opposite him, their appearances strikingly similar.
Although he had grown familiar with them, he still felt a sense of incredulity.
In this fantastical journey, encountering the living Brothers Grimm was akin to a fan meeting his idols.
After all, in the countless fairy tales and folklore, the names of the Brothers Grimm occupied a significant place.
And now, sitting across from him, were these legendary brothers.
Wilhelm Grimm, the elder, wore thick glasses, exuded a calm demeanor, and had a slightly tanned face that was full of life. He was currently bent over, diligently copying down stories.
His younger brother, Jacob Grimm, was a vibrant and energetic young man, sitting upright like a tall birch tree.
As he looked at the two brothers before him, Ino couldn't help but recall what had happened half an hour earlier.
At that time, after he finished telling the story of The Hobbit, he was invited by Wilhelm, a generous patron, to the tavern for one purpose: to record the story.
Seeing Wilhelm pull out a notebook three inches thick, Ino had faithfully recounted the background, origins, and exciting scenes of The Hobbit.
Though he spoke at an even and slow pace, one would expect a disparity between speaking and writing speeds. Yet, Wilhelm's transcription speed was astonishingly fast, almost keeping pace with Ino's narration.
Thus, he spoke non-stop for a full half hour.
Just as he was about to continue with the Battle of the Five Armies, Wilhelm suddenly interrupted:
"Thank you very much, but we need to pause and let my wrist rest for a bit."
Wilhelm gently flexed his wrist, clearly feeling a bit of fatigue from the prolonged high-speed writing.
Seeing the story come to a halt, Jacob's eyes sparkled with excitement as he praised:
"It's wonderful! I haven't heard such a great story in a long time. I wish I could personally go on an adventure in Middle-earth one day!"
Ino smiled and shook his head: "You're destined not to go there, because that world is too far from here."
He had a good impression of Jacob, who was not much older than himself—a very pure young man.
On the other side, hearing that he couldn't go to Middle-earth, Jacob shrugged indifferently:
"I know, you and my brother are both great storytellers."
Wilhelm's brow furrowed slightly, and he spoke with a more serious tone: "Jacob, you should learn to be polite."
He felt his brother was too blunt; even if they knew it was a made-up story, they shouldn't expose it directly.
Ino waved his hand to show he didn't mind: "Actually, we're colleagues in a sense. You know, some stories need to be embellished to attract an audience. If we told them exactly as they happened, they might not be as engaging."
Wilhelm nodded in agreement: "You're right. Nowadays, listeners won't believe bizarre stories, but they find ordinary stories boring. As novelists, it's quite a challenge."
Ino asked curiously: "Speaking of bizarre, have you encountered many strange things? Must be quite dangerous, right?"
He was puzzled because the Grimm brothers seemed like ordinary people with no extraordinary abilities.
This made him very curious about how these brothers survived in those bizarre stories.
Jacob eagerly replied: "We have encountered many strange things! Although it's sometimes dangerous, I love the thrill!"
Ino expected Wilhelm to refute his brother, but to his surprise, Wilhelm nodded as if agreeing with him.
"Well, no wonder you call yourselves adventurers before novelists."
"No, you're only describing my brother," Jacob shook his head, then pulled a silver short sword from his boot, confidently declaring:
"I'm not a novelist, I'm an adventurer and demon hunter!"
Wilhelm's face instantly darkened: "Jacob! Merchants' Town forbids showing weapons. Have you forgotten you were jailed for three days last time for this?"
Chastised, Jacob quickly sheathed the sword, lowering his head like a scolded child.
Wilhelm turned to Ino, apologetically explaining: "Sorry! Jacob is always so impulsive. Last time, he caused trouble by brandishing a weapon."
Witnessing this, Ino also smiled and shook his head:
"It's okay! Besides, I didn't see clearly—was it a silver quill pen he just took out?"
Sometimes, relationships between people are like gentle rain; those seemingly insignificant details can silently bring people closer.
Hearing Ino mention the silver quill pen, Jacob quietly raised his head.
The three of them exchanged smiles without saying more.
…
In the small tavern of Merchants' Town, on a corner table, three plates of fragrant roasted beef steak were laid out, along with some candies and dried cheese.
The steaks were Wilhelm's treat, while the remaining food was what Ino took out from his suitcase.
After dinner, the three of them leaned lazily in their chairs, waiting for the food to digest.
At this moment, they all felt a bit stuffed.
Ino indulged in the delicious steak, while the Grimm brothers enjoyed the candies. In this world, which had only medieval material standards, sugar was still considered a luxury.
"Ino! When I become a legendary adventurer, I'll give you a silver quill pen."
Jacob said, eyes half-closed, savoring the taste of the candies, making a promise.
"Then I'll look forward to that day! When Wilhelm's story is printed, I'll be the first to buy a copy, and you both have to sign it for me, the signature of the Brothers Grimm!"
Ino also leaned back in his chair, murmuring.
"Don't worry! No need to buy it, I'll give you a copy! You're the first to believe we can become legends; others think we're just idlers."
Wilhelm said earnestly.
…
Time always slips by unnoticed.
Ino had stayed in Merchants' Town for a full seven days.
During this time, he would go to the market square outside the town during the day, where the merchants parked their wagons, to tell stories. After dusk, he would return to the tavern to chat with the Grimm brothers.
Though they called it chatting, it was more about him telling stories, with Wilhelm recording them. As for Jacob, he was just there for fun, sometimes even asking for a few candies.
In a corner of the tavern.
After finishing the seventh volume of Narnia, "The Last Battle," Ino picked up the raspberry berry wine on the table, moistening his lips.
"Another wonderful story! I feel a bit ashamed for listening to so many of your stories for free."
Wilhelm sighed as he put down his quill.
Hearing this, Ino waved his hand: "It's okay. We agreed to keep a tab, so you don't have to feel bad about it!"
As their relationship grew closer over time, he also learned that the Grimm brothers were really short on money. Their only income came from their part-time job as demon hunters, earning a modest living, often just scraping by.
And that first gold coin from the first day was purely Wilhelm's way of keeping up appearances, likely the last coin in his pocket.
After a few moments of silence, Wilhelm suddenly asked:
"Ino, do you believe in magic? I mean real magic, not the evil arts of witches and demons."
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