The Life of a Returned Genius Farmer - Chapter 12

Chapter 12: The Mediator – Part 2

[Translation By Divinity]

After finishing their work, they returned to find Jilpung waiting for them. Beside him lay a pile of several Red Trouts.

“You caught quite a few,” Lee Han remarked.

“I wanted to make sure you had plenty to eat!”

“Then hand them over. I’ll grill them for you.”

Lee Han immediately started cleaning the fish. Jilpung watched his deft movements, his tongue lolling out in amazement.

“You’re really good with your hands!” he exclaimed. “I heard the humans who used to be friends with our tribe were like that!”

“Humans were friends with beastfolk?” Lee Han asked, surprised.

“The dog beastfolk were known for their friendship with humans, nya,” Seolmyeong explained. “Maybe because of their canine nature, they were quite friendly with humans. That’s why some other beastfolk tribes dislike dog beastfolk, nya!”

“We just wanted to get along with everyone,” Jilpung said, sounding a bit dejected.

The saying “dogs are man’s best friend” seemed to apply here as well. Had the dog beastfolk befriended humans for similar reasons?

Lee Han patted Jilpung’s head comfortingly, and the dog beastfolk’s large tail wagged happily in response.

Seolmyeong, observing this, curled up beside Lee Han like a loaf of bread.

“That’s typical of dog beastfolk, nya,” he commented. “Seeing that, I think you’ll get along well with the monkey beastfolk. Why can’t you just get along with them?”

“Humans and monkey beastfolk are different!” Jilpung retorted, a hint of defensiveness in his voice.

Was that so?

Lee Han stopped petting Jilpung and focused on grilling the trout. As the fish sizzled, he seasoned them with salt.

“Smells delicious!” Jilpung exclaimed.

“I’m a bit tired of it since I eat it every day,” Seolmyeong said, “but it’s still really tasty, nya!”

“Eating this every day… I’m envious!” Jilpung said.

“It’s nothing special. Here, let’s eat.”

Lee Han finished grilling all three trout and offered them to his companions, who eagerly dug in.

“So, has there been any bloodshed with the monkey beastfolk?” Lee Han asked.

“Not yet,” Jilpung replied between bites, “but it seems likely to happen soon. We need proper mediation before it escalates.”

Lee Han breathed a sigh of relief. If there had already been violence, mere translation might not be enough to resolve the conflict. But if not, then dialogue could still bridge the gap.

After they finished their meal, Jilpung scooped Lee Han up.

“I’ll be quick!”

They arrived at a location downstream from Lee Han’s base. It was a wider part of the river, with a vast plain and a village enclosed by a wooden fence, similar to the minotaur village.

Lee Han looked around curiously as they approached the village entrance. It resembled the minotaur village but had subtle differences. The most noticeable distinctions were the numerous weapons and hides scattered about.

A dog beastfolk, who was trimming and organizing what appeared to be monster and beast hides, grinned at Lee Han.

“Most beastfolk aren’t good with their hands,” he remarked, “but I didn’t know you could handle leather so well.”

“Are you talking about Uncle Hanwol?” Jilpung explained. “His family has been working with leather for generations!”

“Oh, really?”

“Yes. Uncle Hanwol’s great-grandfather’s great-grandfather’s great-grandfather… Anyway, a distant ancestor learned leatherworking from a human. So they’ve been working with leather for generations, and he’s become the pride of our village!”

Indeed, the middle-aged dog beastfolk seemed quite skilled at handling leather.

Lee Han watched with fascination, and the dog beastfolk, who was trimming the leather with sharp claws, beckoned him.

“Are you curious?”

“Yes. Your leatherworking skills are impressive.”

“Ehehehe! To be praised for my dexterity by a human is truly delightful!” Hanwool exclaimed, beaming. “Come find me if you ever need help with leatherworking. I’ll be happy to teach you.”

“Thank you,” Lee Han replied with a smile.

“By the way, Jilpung,” Hanwool turned to the younger dog beastfolk, “is this the human you were talking about? You should take him to the village chief. He’s been waiting for you.”

“Okay!” Jilpung barked, then led Lee Han deeper into the village toward a large building. An elderly dog beastfolk sat in front of it.

“Are you the human?” the elder inquired.

“Greetings. I’m Lee Han,” he replied respectfully.

“Greetings. I’m Hanwool, the village chief,” the elder said warmly. “I’ve heard a lot about you. You made a spear for young Jilpung here, didn’t you?”

“Haha, yes. It was a rather crude creation.”

“Nonsense!” Hanwool exclaimed. “It’s been ages since we’ve seen such craftsmanship since the humans disappeared. I was overjoyed to see it. More importantly, I hear you can communicate with other races… Is that true?”

“Yes, it is.”

“That’s wonderful. Jilpung must have told you about our situation, right?”

“He mentioned that the monkey beastfolk are causing trouble…”

“Indeed,” Hanwool sighed. “They keep intruding on our hunting grounds. It seems like they’re searching for something, but we can’t communicate with them… They’re interfering with our hunts.”

Unlike the minotaurs, the dog beastfolk were carnivores. They primarily hunted monsters, but they also hunted animals in the Great Forest. Unlike monsters, animals were often wary and difficult to catch. The monkey beastfolk’s intrusions made hunting even more challenging.

“That’s a serious problem,” Lee Han acknowledged.

“It is,” Hanwool agreed. “Some of the hotheads in the village want to declare war on the monkey beastfolk, but they’re not pushovers.” He clicked his tongue in frustration and patted Lee Han’s shoulder.

“That’s why we need your help. Can you talk to the monkey beastfolk? Ask them why they’re trespassing on our hunting grounds.”

“Of course. Can I go now?”

“If you would. The sooner this is resolved, the better.”

There was no time to waste.

Lee Han chose Jilpung as his companion, and they set off for the hunting grounds. Soon, they spotted three ape-like figures—the monkey beastfolk.

The young monkeys seemed surprised to see a human. After a moment of hesitation, they approached Lee Han.

“A human? Are there still humans in the Great Forest?!”

“I’m not from here,” Lee Han explained. “I just happened to come here. My name is Lee Han.”

“Call me Magique,” one of the monkeys replied. “Have you seen a monkey beastfolk with red fur around here?”

“I just arrived today, so I haven’t. Jilpung, have you seen a monkey beastfolk with red fur?”

“Red fur?” Jilpung thought for a moment. “I saw one about ten days ago. He was injured and heading that way!” Jilpung pointed towards the north.

Lee Han translated for Magique, and the monkey beastfolk grew agitated. They began jumping up and down, their excitement palpable. Jilpung gripped his spear tightly, and the atmosphere grew tense.

Lee Han quickly intervened. “Wait! What’s going on?!”

“We have to catch him!” one of the monkeys shouted.

“He committed an unforgivable crime in our tribe and ran away!”

“He’s a dangerous criminal who killed one of our own! We must apprehend him!”

Upon hearing about the kinslaying, Lee Han understood why the monkey beastfolk had come to this territory. They were tracking down a criminal from their own village, and their pursuit had led them to trespass on the dog beastfolk’s hunting grounds.

“If that’s the case, we’ll help you!” Jilpung declared.

“Dog beastfolk have excellent noses and are masters of tracking, nya!” Seolmyeong added. “They can track by scent, so with their help, you’ll find him in no time!”

Seolmyeong’s explanation seemed to ease the tension, and the monkey beastfolk’s expressions brightened. They nodded in agreement, and Lee Han spoke up.

“But this is the dog beastfolk’s hunting ground. Please don’t come here again after you’ve caught him.”

“This place is far from our village!” one of the monkeys assured him. “We have no reason to come here otherwise.”

That simplified matters. Lee Han relayed the monkey beastfolk’s situation to Jilpung, who immediately ran back to the village to gather reinforcements.

“He killed one of his own kind!”

“He’s dangerous!”

“We’ll help you catch him!”

Perhaps because no blood had been shed yet, the two tribes were willing to cooperate based solely on communication. The monkey beastfolk were grateful for the assistance but remained wary.

“If you help us, we’ll give you something valuable from our tribe!”

“What is it?”

“It’s called Wind Banana!”

“Wind Bananas increase wind attribute resistance when consumed! They only grow in tropical rainforests and are difficult to cultivate, making them quite valuable!”

“Wind resistance, huh? Shredder mentioned the blade winds outside the Great Forest. I wonder if I could grow them.”

“It won’t be easy, nya! Wind Bananas only thrive in very hot climates!”

While the prospect of cultivating Wind Bananas was intriguing, finding the rogue monkey was the priority. Lee Han asked the monkey beastfolk if they had any of the fugitive’s belongings.

They produced a small leather bracelet, which Lee Han passed to Jilpung.

The dog beastfolk sniffed the bracelet. “Sniff sniff! He’s that way!” He pointed towards in one direction.

The dog and monkey beastfolk set off at a run, following the scent.

After some time, they arrived at a small cave. The monkey beastfolk gripped their weapons – stone axes, clubs, and stone knives.

“Come out, Regins!!”

“Did you think you could kill your own kind and get away with it?!”

But no matter how much they shouted, there was no response from within the cave.

Finally, the monkey beastfolk cautiously entered, weapons at the ready. Moments later, they emerged, dragging the lifeless body of a red-furred monkey.

“He’s already dead!”

“Divine punishment!”

Lee Han examined the body and noticed a large wound on the monkey’s chest. It seemed the injury Jilpung had seen earlier had proven fatal.

“So, is your business here concluded?” Lee Han asked.

“Yes. Can we take his body?”

“They said it’s fine.”

The dog beastfolk seemed indifferent to the dead monkey. Their primary concern was that the monkeys leave their territory.

Magique handed Lee Han a small bag.

“What’s this?”

“It’s what he had on him,” Magique explained. “He said we needed to head north to the cool central region to find where these grow!”

“Oh…”

“But we monkey beastfolk are native to the south! We refuse to leave! That’s why he attacked our village chief, killed his escort, and ran away!”

“That’s terrible…”

“For us, this is nothing but a crop of discord! Burn it or throw it away!”

A crop of discord. Lee Han opened the bag and was startled by its contents.

“This is…”

The bag was filled with nothing other than wheat.