Demon Hunter: I have a red gourd

Chapter 16 Stereotype
"It seems that your assistant is quite capable. After following the master blacksmith for a long time, he has acquired some of the master's style." Ivan raised his eyebrows at the dwarf, with a hint of teasing in his tone.

Fergus was speechless for a moment, then coughed awkwardly. "Ah, of course, of course. My assistant does have a lot of research on materials and has a pretty good eye. But, ultimately, repairing this armor will depend on my experienced hands!"

"Look, these cracks can't be fixed by simply patching them up. I have to personally restore them to their original strength and protection."

"Thank you for your hard work, Master." Ivan smiled. "However, how many orens will it cost to repair my armor and silver sword?"

The dwarf stroked his chin and thought for a moment, then gestured with his hand: "Nine hundred orens, that's fair enough."

As soon as he finished speaking, Yuna interrupted him, her tone full of dissatisfaction: "Fergus! Nine hundred is not enough! The rare metals and repair supplies needed for the armor alone will cost a thousand orens! Not to mention his silver sword is broken in two, repairing it is not a simple task!"

She looked at Ivan and said, "How about this? 1,400 orens, come back in two days to pick it up. I promise that by then your armor and silver sword will be beautifully repaired. Not only will they be restored to their original state, but they will even be stronger and more durable than before."

"It's really not cheap." Ivan patted Philip's shoulder. "Fortunately, someone paid for me."

Philip, who had been watching for a long time, finally had a chance to speak. He cleared his throat and said, "Ivan is an expert in hunting scissor-tailed dragons specially hired by Lord Veserad, so..."

"So what?" The dwarf Fergus immediately interrupted with a loud voice, puffing his beard and glaring: "I tell you, even if it was Viseralad himself standing here, I'd still pay him what I owe! My craftsmanship, our craftsmanship is worth this price!"

Philip raised his hand to signal him not to be impatient, and added slowly, "I mean, so all the expenses this time will be charged to the lord's account. Just make your offer with confidence, Fergus."

Fergus was stunned when he heard this, but then he quickly put on a smile. "So that's how it is! That's great! I'll do this job with all my heart, and I guarantee that neither the Lord nor this witcher will find any fault with it!"

"Sir, I see you're carrying a sword on your back." The dwarf narrowed his eyes and looked Ivan over. "How about getting some maintenance done? I guarantee the price is reasonable, and my craftsmanship is impeccable!"

"Then there's no need for that for now." Ivan shook his head, amused by the utilitarian dwarf. "I'll need to use the sword again in the next few days, so I won't do any maintenance on it for now."

"Philip, have you really thought this through?" Yuna swiftly put away Ivan's armor and silver sword, looking at him seriously. "You know that Viserad has to check the accounts at the end of each year. If he finds large amounts of unexplained expenses, he will definitely be furious."

"What do you mean by 'have you thought it through?' I've already told you this is the lord's order." Philip pretended to be innocent.

"Tsk, I don't care about you." Yuna curled her lips in disdain. "Anyway, no matter how stingy that lord is, he wouldn't dare to default on paying the blacksmith's fees. I'm just giving you a kind reminder."

"Okay, do you want to play a game of Gwent? If not, we have to start working."

"Okay, no one in the entire guard can..." Philip reflexively reached for his waist to take out the cards, then suddenly remembered something and interrupted his action.

"You should focus on repairing the demon hunter's equipment first. His business is the top priority right now." Philip put his arm around Ivan's shoulders. "I'll take Ivan to rest for a while. I'll wait for your good news in two days."

"No need." Philip took Ivan to a hotel that was far more luxurious than the one he had stayed in before and ordered two roast meats, cream of mushroom soup and white bread.

"Ivan, although I always go to the blacksmith shop to play cards with Fergus and Una, but why do I always feel that they are a little strange today?" Philip stuffed a piece of barbecue into his mouth and muttered.

"Let me guess, you probably didn't discuss professional knowledge with them when you went to the blacksmith shop before." Ivan took a sip of mushroom soup and squinted his eyes in enjoyment.

This was the most delicious food he had eaten in the three months since he came to this world. In the past, how could he afford to stay in such a high-end hotel?
The sour and hard black bread really made him vomit.

"Of course not. After all, I don't know how to forge iron." Philip swallowed his food. "Just now, when I saw you two talking, I felt like Yuna knew more than Fergus. Is this my illusion?"

"Could it be that the master blacksmith exam in Novigrad tests practical skills rather than theory?"

Ivan cut off a piece of the roast meat and slowly savored it. "Philip, tell me, would you rather believe that a dwarf is a master blacksmith or a woman?"

Without a second thought, Philip answered without hesitation, "Of course it's the dwarves. Who on this continent doesn't know the forging skills of the dwarves and elves? The most famous swords in history were all forged by them!"

"Besides, even if it's a human blacksmith, it has to be a man. How can a delicate woman wield a blacksmith's hammer?"

"That's the crux of the matter," Ivan nodded. "That's the stereotype. When we're unfamiliar with a person or group, stereotypes become the most convenient categorization tool, allowing us to make quick judgments, even if those judgments are inaccurate."

"Men should do hard labor, such as plowing and forging; women should do delicate work, such as sewing and cooking. Elves appear elegant and beautiful, as if they were born with etiquette and social skills; dwarves appear strong and rugged, as if they were born to wield hammers and forge iron."

"But who can say for sure that a woman can't wield a blacksmith's hammer? Yuna just mentioned that she's from Skellige, and every woman there is as capable as any man."

"Ivan, what you mean is," Philip stopped chewing and widened his eyes, "the real master blacksmith is actually Yuna, not Fergus?"

Ivan took another bite of the barbecue and smiled without saying anything.

"God damn it! Why didn't I think of this before?" Philip hit his head. "It must be because of the dwarfs' reputation that people come to Yuna to do business. She's a good person. I have to help her keep this secret."

"Don't worry, even if you tell others, no one will believe you."

“That’s the terrible thing about stereotypes.”

(End of this chapter)