The Fox Father came over holding some rice crackers and other snacks.
"Besides, this place is too far from the foot of the mountain. Even for us, it's impossible to buy so much metal material for building houses and bring it all the way up here."
He didn't seem to mind much. "So, we simply used what was around us and cut down some trees from the nearby forest to build our homes."
The Fox Mother also came over carrying tea. She set down the cups and poured tea for the two guests.
"Anyway, we're magical beasts, right? Living in a wooden house gives us a sort of return-to-nature feeling."
The Fox Father lifted his teacup, still showing his sense of humor.
"I see..."
Luke held his teacup while glancing around thoughtfully.
"Of course, our craftsmanship can't compare to that of professional human carpenters. It's a bit rough around the edges."
The Fox Father opened a pack of rice crackers, picked up a piece, and popped it into his mouth.
Crunch.
The crisp sound was followed by the sweet aroma of the snack spreading in his mouth, making him narrow his eyes slightly.
Human snacks really were more pleasant and delicious.
"To be able to make it like this already takes skill."
Luke gave a fair comment. "You've made the wooden parts so neat, and the joints fit together well."
"That's nothing."
The Fox Father laughed modestly. "Most of our talents are focused on intelligence and transformation."
"When it comes to fine technical work like carpentry, we're still a bit behind compared to some other beast species with natural tools or sharper claws."
"Still, being able to speak, think, and communicate freely with humans is already a great blessing from the heavens. We're very grateful for that."
Clearly, the Fox Father was quite satisfied and content with his current life.
"So it's just a lack of proper tools and skill, then?"
Luke smiled at that. "In other words, if you had the right conditions and abilities..."
"You could build much better houses, right?"
"Well, I suppose that's true..."
The Fox Father looked up at him, puzzled.
"If I really had the means, I could indeed rebuild this place, make a prettier and more refined home."
He wasn't boasting.
Before moving to the mountaintop near Dolle Harbor, he had lived in a town below.
There, he had studied many books and blueprints about house construction, and even asked human craftsmen for advice.
He had always admired the fruits of human civilization and intelligence.
Even for something like building a house, he sought to learn from them whenever he could.
Although the final result was a bit crude, that was due to material and craftsmanship limits.
In terms of design, though, the Fox Father had quite a bit of understanding.
"That's perfect. Since I came here as a guest and didn't prepare a proper gift..."
Luke smiled and took something out from behind his back.
"So, I'll use this as my housewarming present."
With a pop, he set a bottle of drink on the table.
"This is...?"
The Fox Father stared blankly at the small orange-red bottled drink on the table, then he looked at Luke in confusion.
"This…"
Luke said with a grin, "Is what will complete your skills and tools."
"It's called Carpenter Drink."
Invention: Carpenter Drink
Origin: Doraemon World — Future Tech Company
Function: After drinking it, your body will gain every ability needed to become a master carpenter!
This is a classic Doraemon trope when Suneo brags.
One day, Suneo, showing off as usual, invited Nobita and his friends to his home.
But this time, he wasn't showing off his wealth, but rather his own dad.
His dad used a high-tech chainsaw worth tens of thousands of dollars to demonstrate his meticulous carpentry skills.
Meanwhile, when Nobita returns home, he finds his own father suddenly motivated, trying to act like a carpenter to build him a wooden bookshelf.
But in the end… he snapped the saw in half and blamed it on poor tools.
So, the ever-resourceful blue robot cat gave Nobita's father this very gadget, the Carpenter Drink.
"Carpenter Drink? What's that?"
The Fox Father squinted at the small bottle, inspecting it carefully.
It looked just like any ordinary drink bottle, with a small black hammer symbol printed on the label.
After hearing Luke's explanation, his eyes suddenly widened.
"You mean…."
He gestured midair: "That if I drink this, I'll become a great carpenter?"
"I can't guarantee your technique, but your body..."
Luke smiled, glancing at his hands. "Will absolutely have the best carpenter functionality."
Carpenter... Functionality?
The Fox Father still didn't quite get it.
But driven by curiosity, he picked up the small bottle from the table.
"Well then, I won't hold back."
"No need to. It's meant for you."
At Luke's gesture, the Fox Father twisted the cap off and gulped down the drink.
Gulp! Gulp!
Hmm... Tasted kind of like orange soda.
He smacked his lips, savoring the flavor briefly, but only for a moment.
Because the next second…
"Hmm?!"
To his astonishment, his right hand suddenly began to glow!
"What is this?!"
He stared in shock at his hand that was radiating a dazzling red light.
"From now on."
Luke said with a grin, "Your hands are the sharpest saws in the world."
Luke smiled while casually pulling out a wooden plank and handing it to the Fox Father.
"Try it out, see how it works."
"A saw...?"
The Fox Father also seemed to feel something different about his palms.
Carefully, he brought his hands together like a blade and pushed lightly against the plank.
Then…
Ssshhk!
Without any resistance, with just the motion of his hand like a knife, the plank was cleanly sliced apart.
"Does it really work?!"
The Fox Father was astonished, and he instinctively shook his hand.
"It really turned into a saw? It feels just like cutting through paper!"
Amazed and thrilled, he quickly grew excited.
"My hands turned into saws and they are this sharp!"
Feeling the novelty of it, the Fox Father happily played with it, slicing one plank after another with his hand.
He looked just like a husky tearing apart a house.
Indeed, men remain boys at heart until death; this held true even for magical beasts like him.
Luke calmly sipped his tea and munched on rice crackers while watching the Fox Father play so gleefully that he nearly sawed through the table.