358. Old Jack’s Story (Part 2)
Jack was sent to the Institute of Pet Medical Technology, where he learned how to clean dog hair and how to judge whether a cat was sick or infected with parasites through its tongue.
Those furry or hairless guys, they just lay in Jack's hands, like lifeless dolls.
In fact, they are almost like dolls.
Jack reinstalled his identity chip, and Chelsea collected all the books about the Vikings. Chelsea told him that he had burned all those books, and he would not let these banned books appear in front of Jack again.
What was burned along with the book was Jack's former enthusiasm.
His hands were stained with too much animal hair, and they became limp. He could no longer hold any materials or tools, and he could no longer knock the red-hot iron plate.
After staying in the academy for three years, and with the last year left, Jack can graduate and become a pet doctor.
His grades are very good. After he graduates, he can be admitted directly to a pet hospital. Chelsea has taken care of everything for him, just waiting for him to stay in school for a year and then graduate.
But accidents always happen when everything seems to be calmest.
Jack's last year of further study at the college was supposed to be the same as the previous three years, going to and from school honestly, living alone in school without any friends. His character also doesn’t need friends.
But it happened to be in the last year that Jack discovered the books about the Vikings that Chelsea said had been burned.
They are hidden deep in the Chelsea workshop, hidden by chains, locks, and various protective measures. If it hadn't been for the daring thief, Jack, who came out to stop him, he would never have discovered that these books were still intact in his father's workshop.
He walked over shakily and picked up a scattered book of Viking myths from the ground.
Just like when he read it for the first time three years ago, those ancient English words swept towards him wrapped in memories, like a huge tide lapping at a small sailboat on the sea, trying to submerge him entirely.
There is a poem in the book, written in the extinct runes, describing the nature and gods of ancient Northern Europe. A large number of apocalyptic verses record mankind's exploration and discovery of the original world.
"The sun is the light of the world, human beings are born from the gathering of dust, and the waterfall is a river falling from the mountainside."
A poem of proverbs, with the clear blue mist and the sparkling aurora shining, returns the chaotic world to gold, wood, water, fire and earth, and summons the souls of those lives that are messy in the wind.
At that time, the gods still walked on the earth, the ice fields were weeding, and the Vikings were covered with the aurora of freedom.
Jack's eyes blurred with tears for a moment, and he felt something so long ago that it existed in his bones even before he was born. That feeling made him tremble, as if his bones and soul had been taken out by the Vikings and burned in the fire.
When Chelsea rushed home, all he saw was the thief who had been knocked unconscious and Jack, who was holding a book and reading in fascination.
"Jack..."
Chelsea shouted his name.
Jack raised his head to look at him, and at that glance, Chelsea understood that he could no longer stop Jack from chasing freedom and pursuing his dream.
That look had appeared on Chelsea before.
"Didn't you say that you have burned all these books?"
Jack asked him.
Chelsea's lips opened and closed, and finally they all turned into a sigh.
He looked at Jack and walked over. Jack was now taller than him, and his broad shoulders must have been able to bear a lot of heavy responsibilities.
"I lied to you, Jack. As you can see, I didn't burn them. I couldn't burn them. They were one of the few things left by my father, your grandfather, who asked me to , we must keep these books no matter what."
"..."
Jack said nothing.
Chelsea knew that she was getting older and could no longer compete with her son.
And looking at Jack's appearance, Chelsea no longer had any desire to compete with him.
"Why don't you let me learn to make weapons with you? Father, I like them. I like to hear the sound of iron, like the tempering of ice and fire. I like to turn those machines from drawings into reality. I like the feeling of connecting wires and changing a few structures to turn it into a weapon."
Jack kept talking and suddenly became excited. He dropped the book in his hand and grabbed Chelsea:
"I don't want to be a damn pet doctor. I don't want to be around those cats and dogs all day long. The smell of them is already driving me crazy! I want to be just like you, dad. I don't care what you say." What fate is, I don’t understand them, and I don’t want to understand them.
"All I know is that if you don't let me do what I love, I'm going to die."
Seeing Jack like this, Chelsea was silent for a long time.
Finally, he gave in.
He waved his hand slightly decadently and said to Jack:
"I understand, just do what you want, it's up to you."
He compromised, and when Jack was in his third year at the academy, his last year away from living the life he wanted Jack to live, he compromised.
That night, Jack quickly applied to drop out of school. He dropped out of the Pet Medical College without hesitation, returned home, and became a craftsman with his father.
And in this regard, Jack's talent is obviously higher than Chelsea's. It only took him five years to reach the same heights as Chelsea.
He began to go out to take orders, build weapons for many people, and became a slightly famous craftsman like Chelsea.
However, Jack's goals and ambitions are greater than Chelsea's. He wants to become the best craftsman in the world, so that when everyone mentions his name, they can follow him with the title of weapons master.
For this goal, Jack worked hard for another ten years.
Finally, he succeeded.
After Chelsea retired, he took over all the Chelsea jobs and regular patrons, and did so more successfully and satisfactorily than he had.
The weapons made by his hands are, without exception, perfect and accurate. It is almost impossible to find a better weapon than this one. Unless Jack himself rebuilt the second one.
In addition to weapons, Jack is proficient in any mechanical tool that can be crafted by humans.
In this way, it took a total of fifteen years for Jack to completely replace Chelsea. He became so successful that even seniors who were older than him would respectfully call him "Old Jack".
He can do things that many craftsmen cannot do, and easily solve problems that other craftsmen cannot.
But the more successful he became, the more he discovered that there seemed to be something that Chelsea had been hiding from him.
And uncharacteristically, Chelsea doesn't want to see Jack be so successful.
That reluctance was not out of jealousy, but a subtle emotion, similar to worry and fear.
It wasn't until much later that Jack understood why Chelsea was so opposed to him becoming a craftsman at the beginning, and why Chelsea was so afraid of him after he became famous.
He also knew what Chelsea had been hiding from him.