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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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“Can I just write my nickname?”
“You can’t register with a nickname.”
“Why?”
“It’s difficult to verify your identity with just a nickname.”
Hye-ryeong flapped her arms as she helpfully answered his question.
“Aren’t nicknames almost always unique?”
He had rarely seen cases of overlapping nicknames, so he thought it wouldn’t be a problem. Or was a nickname, while indicative of one’s reputation, not comparable to a real name?
“But there are people who use nicknames only they know. Like calling themselves the Sword Emperor or the Sword King… There are so many people impersonating famous nicknames that it’s impossible to verify their identity.
There’s at least one person with a fancy nickname in every region! Like the Gansu Sword King or the Hanam Sword King…”
How could someone with the nickname “Sword King” sound so insignificant?
A nickname like “Sword King” should only be used by one person.
That was the only way it sounded cool.
But… speaking of self-proclaimed nicknames, it reminded him of wuxia novels.
There were many such characters among the extras in wuxia novels. Those who showed up, proclaiming their self-styled nicknames. Weren’t most of them third-rate martial artists?
He had rarely seen anyone who proclaimed their own nickname turn out to be decent.
It was unseemly and made them look weak to announce their own nickname. Especially if they had come up with it themselves.
Nicknames only held meaning when they were given by others and spoken by others.
“Benefactor, why not just transliterate your name?”
“Transliterate?”
“Just take the pronunciation and convert it into Hanja characters.”
As Mokgyeong suggested, that was the easiest way to create a name suitable for this country. But what should he use? He wasn’t good at this kind of thing.
William looked at Hye-ryeong, seeking her help. Perhaps because he had been looking at Mokgyeong, Hye-ryeong’s sullen expression instantly brightened.
“Hye-ryeong, help me come up with a name.”
“Hehe, I’ll come up with a great one!”
“…Let’s use Wi as the surname. Everyone calls me Wi anyway.”
“Then let me think! Hmm…”
“I’ll think about it too.”
The surname was Wi.
There was no need to overcomplicate things, so he would stick with Wi and decide on a given name.
How should he transliterate William Marshall to make it sound impressive?
…Should he just go with William?
He could just find Hanja characters that fit the pronunciation. As he pondered, Hye-ryeong suddenly lifted her head and said,
“Let’s use the character ‘Wi’ that means ‘protect’! It suits you, and it’s a famous surname!”
“A famous surname?”
“It’s the surname of a famous general from the past!”
“Usually, wouldn’t there be descendants? Is it really alright to use it?”
What if a descendant showed up and told him not to use it? Hye-ryeong placed a hand on her chin, tilted her head, and after a moment, said,
“Wouldn’t it be fine? There are tons of people who forge their family trees… There are so many people who claim to be descendants of Liu Bei and use the surname Liu. Some people just use common surnames…”
“Is that so?”
So it was fine to use any surname since there was no such thing as a family register.
Of course, he couldn’t use famous surnames like Namgung or Paeng, but it seemed like there wouldn’t be a problem with using the surname of a historical figure who had long since turned to dust.
“That’s a bit surprising.”
“It’s not that common, though! Unless they have a reason to change their surname, people usually stick with their family name! I’ve been using the same surname that has been passed down for a thousand years…”
“A thousand years… that’s impressive.”
A surname of a martial artist who had protected Hainan Island for generations. It was a romantic surname.
“My Dan surname is also the same one used by my ancestor.”
Is that so?
“Then let’s settle on that for the surname… how about the given name?”
“Since your name is William…”
“William.”
“William.”
“Wil.li.am.”
“Wil.li.am?”
Was the pronunciation that difficult? It wasn’t like they were from the islands and couldn’t pronounce consonants properly, like pronouncing “milk” as “miruku.”
He understood that it was a Western name and might not roll off the tongue easily, but he didn’t think it was that difficult to pronounce William.
“Try again. William.”
“William.”
“William.”
Huh?
William turned to look at Mokgyeong. He had just correctly pronounced his name for the first time in the Central Plains.
“You… pronounced my name correctly?”
“Is that something to be so impressed by?”
Mokgyeong tilted his head, looking puzzled.
As he said, it wasn’t a big deal to pronounce someone’s name correctly, but it felt strange to finally have someone pronounce his name correctly.
“Wil! Li! Am! I can do it too!”
“Try saying it all together.”
“William…”
What was the problem? They were both from the Central Plains, so why could one pronounce it and not the other?
“…Let’s move on from the pronunciation issue and decide on a name.”
“Okay…”
“Don’t be so sulky.”
William thought for a moment, then placed his hand on Hye-ryeong’s head and ruffled her hair. Fortunately, she seemed to cheer up, moving her head against his hand.
She really was like a penguin.
…He would have to be careful, though, since penguins were known to peck at eyes out of curiosity.
“Anyway, how should we decide on the name…”
“Can’t we just use William?”
“What ‘Li’ and what ‘Eom’?”
“How about ‘Li’ meaning ‘profit’ and ‘Eom’ meaning ‘submerge’?”
“Protect ‘Wi,’ profit ‘Li,’ submerge ‘Eom.’”
It could be interpreted as “protecting the established order.” It had a decent ring to it. It was a combination of positive meanings.
[T/N: dont fuckin ask me i dont get it either, chinese i swear…]
So his name was decided as Wi Lieom .
He had been called that for a few months now, so it didn’t feel awkward.
“Now you’re really Wi Lieom. Hehe…”
“Come to think of it, you were the first to call me that.”
“Right?”
He wanted to pinch her cheeks. William resisted the urge to reach out to Hye-ryeong, who was looking up at him with a smug expression, and looked ahead.
The line had shortened considerably while they were chatting.
“That was faster than I expected.”
“Maybe there’s someone with incredibly fast handwriting since the Wulin Alliance is filled with talented individuals?”
“It seems like they’re processing each person in the time it takes to drink a sip of tea.”
Wouldn’t someone that efficient be considered a valuable asset even in the 21st century? Even a computer couldn’t process that quickly.
It seemed like there weren’t any unnecessary arguments either.
“It’s good that it’s fast.”
“That’s true.”
“It’s good because we can eat sooner if it ends quickly.”
As they chatted, killing time, their turn finally came.
William tilted his bamboo hat upwards and stood before the receptionist.
“A Westerner…?”
“I’m here to register for the martial arts tournament.”
The man, who had a scholarly air about him, scanned William and spoke with a smile.
“Are you perhaps… the Blue-Eyed Lion?”
“You know of me?”
“Western martial arts experts are rare in the Central Plains. And among them, the recently famed Blue-Eyed Lion is rumored to be a large man with blue eyes, so it’s not difficult to recognize you.”
“Are there other Western martial arts experts besides me?”
“The members of the Northern Sea Ice Palace have an appearance that is half Western. They rarely come down to the Central Plains, so it’s difficult to see them. The only one known is the Ice King, Baek Seol-gi.”
That was a name that sounded like it would be chewy and delicious if eaten fresh.
It was a name that would have made him the target of ridicule if he had lived in Korea.
“Interesting.”
“But you’re probably the only well-known Western expert.”
“Let’s skip the small talk and get on with the registration. There are people waiting behind me…”
“Please state your name.”
“Wi Lieom. Protect ‘Wi,’ profit ‘Li,’ submerge ‘Eom.’”
“Wi… Lieom… A fine name. Are you registering for the preliminaries?”
“Is it possible to directly participate in the main tournament?”
“It’s possible if you have a recommendation…”
He didn’t have one. The recommendation the Haenam Sword Sect received was for their own members. As an outsider, William didn’t have a recommendation.
“I’ll register for the preliminaries.”
The receptionist took a book from the stack on his left, opened it, and wrote down William’s name. His smooth and swift handwriting was impressive.
“Thank you for your assistance.”
“You as well.”
William returned the greeting and left.
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[bro got de whiteified]
