Tinkerer

Beta looked at the both of them stupefied. He didn't expect the old man in white would be so straightforward to his reasoning but that wasn't what stunned him. What made him confused was the term that the old man used – Tinkerer. That was the first time he encountered that word. The teachers never spoke of it nor even his classmates or schoolmates. So, hearing the word uttered in disdain, he surmised that it must've been taboo to use that title.

"May I ask what exactly that is?", Beta asked, feeling somewhat bad for neglecting to research about such trivial things.

"How can you not know what these kinds of bastards are? They are obviously the evilest people there are! Can you believe what they did to the village where I was born? They razed it down! I'll tell you something else! That guy over there was a part of that group! You know what else? Eight hundred years ago, I passed by this village and there was a really beautiful girl, but this is not part of the story. Anyway, that village had a really good wine and babes but these Tinkerers actually razed it down as well! Just for some metal that was beneath it! And this one time in a music camp I attended to...", the man in white said, continuing his monologue seemingly endlessly.

Beta didn't know whether to say something or not. If he was rude enough to interrupt, that frustrated old gramps might kill him, but if he continued listening to him, he would die before the story was finished. Luckily, the man in black finally interrupted him, saving Beta from the endless blabber of the old man in white.

"Stop talking, you old senile fool! He asked what Tinkerers are and not anything about your life story! Hmpf! Let me really tell you what Tinkerers are. We are a group of people that use machines and advanced weaponry combined with soulpower. Do you see the weapon to my right?"

Beta looked closer at the man and finally noticed what the man was holding in his right hand.

"Is that a shotgun?", Beta asked with a raised eyebrow.

Since he had recently seen a gun, he wasn't as surprised as he was before. But deep inside, he was also excited to know that this kind of technology still actually exists. First the handgun and now the shotgun, both are powerful weapons that he was quite familiar with. His parents used to have these kinds of weapons too so he was wondering if he can get any clues regarding the time a hundred years ago. A hint of interest can be heard in Beta's voice so the old man in black was quite pleased.

"Oh? You know that but nothing about the Tinkerers? What a strange kid!", said the old man bluntly.

"And what a rude old man to call me strange straight to my face!", rebutted Beta in his mind. He didn't voice out his thoughts since he didn't want to start an argument with the old man in black. The last thing he wanted was to be stuck in a long winded argument with old men. He needed more information so instead of complaining, he just shrugged at them and waited for them to talk more.

"Oh well, whatever. As you can see, this is one of the weapons that we, Tinkerers, use. This gun is loaded with my soulpower and as long as I push this trigger, it will release a powerful surge of energy in a short range. Quite amazing, am I right? But well, I hate to admit it, that old gramps over there is actually stronger than me. Only due to this weapon can I keep things on the same level so it's very handy. But of course, that's not everything a Tinkerer is capable of. We also create puppets that can guard our homes or attack the enemy. As you've already heard, it's not hard for a well-made puppet to destroy a village or two. Depending on what it's made of, it can live for hundreds of years without a scratch. Of course, you always need someone to control them or insert runes to enable it to attack whatever is near it, but it's still greatly helpful in times of need. So, what do you think about Tinkerers? We're awesome, right?", the man in black said happily.

"Hmpf! Don't believe a word he says! They are evil scums! Selfish bastards that only have their machines in their heads! They don't even bat an eyelid as they kill nonchalantly just to get better resources!", the old man in white interrupted with an attitude full of contempt.

"I don't really need to guard my home and I think if the intelligence of these machines isn't sufficient, they won't be of any use against opponents on the same strength level, especially against humans. So, do Tinkerers have anything that could be useful to me?", Beta answered after thinking about it for a bit.

The old man in black wasn't wrong to say that Tinkerers sound amazing with how unconventional their ways were compared to pure cultivators, Beta thought so too. But for him, they weren't that appealing. Since he didn't have a home, he surely doesn't need a guard dog. Another thing was about a stupid puppet that only knows how to attack once someone got close to it, won't do much either in a real fight. Guns were the only things that interested him so far since they could at least be used against opponents who were stronger than him. Other than that, he wanted to know more as to widen his knowledge about Tinkerers and their contraptions. He also already had an idea about how to improve a gun's efficiency, so it would be a great addition to his arsenal.

"Eh? Well, I mean... there are methods but they are very hard to achieve, you see. We used to have a lot of ideas on what to build but we didn't have the resources so we couldn't help but raze some lands here and there. There were casualties, I know, but it was for the greater good! We wanted to invent new things that could help everyone have an easier and safer life such as a protective armor and flying machines but sadly, it takes up enormous amounts of soulpower which most people were limited with. Oh! you could even create giant cannons with our ways but, mostly, were scrapped due how expensive the budget to make one. In the end, only weapons were what we managed to invent since it was affordable and helpful...", the old man said, slightly embarrassed.

"Hahaha! Excuses, excuses! Why don't you just admit that you old fogeys have no real method to make yourself stronger that's why you resorted to inventing evil contraptions! I told you, Tinkerers are just useless evil bunch!", the old man in white said triumphantly while looking at the hurt face of the old man in black.

He couldn't refute what the old man in white said. It was indeed true that they were weak that was why they looked for other ways to help themselves surpass the others. But they won't admit that they were wrong. Strong people always tend to bully them so why not create something that could shoo away the annoying bullies? It was their right to protect themselves as well as help others who were helpless and hopeless with their future cultivation. The old man in black was about to explain what he was thinking but the Beta interrupted him.

"There may not be many methods, but he somehow managed to overcome his inferior level in cultivation to stand on the same ground as you do. So, what exactly is bad about it? I think it's only normal for them to think that way, at least, Tinkerers were better than those who gave up completely with getting stronger.", Beta said fearlessly as if to back up the old man in black's argument.

He wasn't completely siding with the old man in black but the logic behind what he said made sense to him. Plus, he was a little biased since he wanted to know more about Tinkerers and their inventions. So, he braved himself to answer in a way that helped the old man in black. After he said his piece, he carefully observed the old man in white. He knew that if the old man attacked him, he would definitely die but that won't likely happen with the old man in black around.

"What?! Preposterous! It's true that this thing is quite strong... but I'm still stronger!", the man in white protested.

"Hahaha! Why don't you just admit your inferiority? We Tinkerers are just much stronger!", the old man in black said laughingly.

Seeing the two start with their usual bickering again, Beta was glad. This means the two didn't really mind his remarks. Suddenly, an idea popped into his head.

"Oh! I have a proposal to make. You two are always arguing back and forth on who's better so I have a great idea that can help you. Why don't you both give me your strongest techniques and I will decide which one is stronger by testing them. Sounds great, right?", Beta said, using his warmest smile while trying to appeal to them. The two swiftly stopped and looked at Beta.

"Hmpf! Do you think we're idiots? Even if you put it in nice words, why would we hand over our techniques to you? We don't even know you!", the both of them said at the same time, ridiculing Beta.

"Eh?!", Beta was a bit saddened that his plan didn't work out.

He really thought that he could sway the old men by tricking them in the heat of the moment but it seems like they were still both alert against him. Then again, he thought of the possibilities and rewards he could swindle out of them. It was so tempting so he decided not to give up.

"Hmm... If I'm right, you both won't be able to leave this place anymore, so who will inherit your techniques? It would be wasteful to just let your lineage end, right? So, I really think what I proposed is the best for your two. I promise that I will take your techniques and bring them to the very top of the world where everyone will be able to look at them and be in awe! So?", Beta announced righteously.

"Hah! A very touching speech but I have to disappoint you. We are so old already so of course, we have kids and even grandchildren who we gave our techniques to! How embarrassing would it be if we still didn't have any at this age? Our techniques dying out? Pah! Which fool would allow that?!", the man in white said, laughing.

"I'll give them to you.", the old man in black said.

"W-What are you doing?!", the man in white complained.

"Well, you see... I was kind of preoccupied with creating machines and forgot about this matter...", the old man in black said, blushing slightly.

The old man in white was speechless with his mouth agape and eyes twitching from anger. He couldn't believe that he has been stuck with the stupidest old man that existed.

"Ahem... So, boy, are you willing to learn?"

"Of course!", Beta said with shining eyes.