“Can I write it as a nickname?”
“No, you can’t.”
“Why not?”
“It’s hard to verify someone’s identity by just a nickname.”
At my question, Hye-ryeong waved her arms about while kindly answering me.
“Aren’t there hardly any people with overlapping nicknames?”
True, I’ve hardly ever seen cases where nicknames overlap, so it should be fine, right? Or is it that while a nickname can hint at someone’s renown, it doesn’t hold the same weight as a proper name?
“But there are people in this world who only use nicknames that only they know. Like claiming to be the ‘Sword Emperor’ or ‘Sword King’… Nicknames like these are so often impersonated that they cannot be used for identification.”
“Isn’t it the case that flashy nicknames can vary region by region too? Like the ‘Gansu Sword King’ or the ‘Henan Sword King’…”
How can someone with the nickname ‘Sword King’ look so insignificant?
It seems that nicknames like ‘Sword King’ should simply be called just that: ‘Sword King’ and nothing more.
That’s how they truly shine.
But… hearing about exclusive nicknames brings to mind the world of martial arts fiction.
Thinking about it, in those novels, there were a lot of extras who liked to proclaim their own self-appointed nicknames and show off. Most of them were third-rate martial artists, weren’t they?
Frankly, anyone who spouts their own nickname usually doesn’t turn out very well. After all, a nickname isn’t something you should be claiming yourself—it just looks weak and unbecoming.
Nicknames should ultimately be given by others and gain meaning through other people’s mouths.
“Eun-gong, wouldn’t a phonetic translation work?”
“Phonetic translation?”
“You just take the pronunciation and translate it into Chinese characters appropriately to create a name.”
As Mok-kyeong says, when creating a name suited for the region, this method is most convenient. But what characters should I use? I’m not skilled in this kind of thing at all.
I glanced at Hye-ryeong, hoping for her help. Maybe she interpreted it as me looking at Mok-kyeong, as her slightly disgruntled expression quickly brightened up.
“Hye-ryeong, can you help me come up with a name?”
“Hehe, I’ll make it really cool for you!”
“…Let’s make the surname ‘Wei.’ Everyone just calls me that anyway.”
“Then let me think about this! Hmm…”
“I’ll give it some thought too.”
Let’s go with the surname Wei first.
There’s no need to complicate things, so I’ll stick with the surname Wei for now and decide on the given name.
How can I phonetically translate William Marshall to make it sound good?
…Should I just go with ‘Wiliam’? The Chinese characters can be adjusted later. While I’m pondering this, Hye-ryeong suddenly straightened her head and announced:
“The surname Wei should be the protective Wei (衛)! It suits you and it’s a well-known surname!”
“Well-known surname?”
“It belongs to a famous general from ancient times!”
“If it’s so famous, wouldn’t there be descendants around? Is this alright?”
Are we sure nobody from the family will come along and contest the usage of this surname? At my question, Hye-ryeong rested her chin on her hand, tilted her head, and then said after a brief pause:
“Shouldn’t be a problem, right? After all, there are already people forging family records… For example, how many people claim to be descendants of Liu Bei and use the surname ‘Liu’! And some just use common local surnames…”
“I see.”
Since this world doesn’t have a household registration system like ours, using surnames in this way shouldn’t pose a problem.
Of course, famous clans like Nam Gong or Pang are out of the question, but adopting the surname of an old hero buried in history doesn’t seem to cause much trouble.
“Something’s bothering me.”
“Still, this isn’t that common! People usually stick with their family surname unless they absolutely have to change it! Even mine has been passed down for a thousand years…”
“A thousand years… that’s impressive.”
It’s a surname maintained by warriors who have protected Hainan Island for a long time. Quite a romantic surname.
“My ‘Dan’ surname has also been passed down from our ancestor.”
“I see.”
“So, with the surname settled…how about the given name?”
“Since your name is William…”
“William.”
“Wiliam.”
“William… Wil… li… em.”
“Wil… li… em?”
Is pronunciation really that difficult? It’s not like her pronunciation of ‘milk’ sounds like ‘miruku.’
Of course, it’s a Western name, so it might be hard for them to pronounce it correctly, but still, I don’t think calling me ‘William’ is that impossible.
“Try again. William.”
“Wiliam.”
“William.”
Wait a moment.
I quickly turned my head and looked at Mok-kyeong. Mok-kyeong was the first person in Zhongyuan to successfully pronounce my name correctly.
“Did… you just pronounce my name right?”
“Is that something to be amazed about?”
Mok-kyeong tilted her head, as if confused about the fuss. While she’s right that just pronouncing someone’s name properly isn’t a big deal, it still felt peculiar and nice to finally have someone get it right.
“William! I can do it too!”
“Want to try saying it together?”
“Wiliam…”
What’s the issue? Both are from the same region, yet one gets it right, and the other doesn’t.
“Let’s move past the pronunciation and focus on crafting a name.”
“Okay…”
“Don’t get discouraged over this.”
After pondering for a while, I placed my hand on Hye-ryeong’s head and gave it a gentle rub. Thankfully, it seemed to lift her spirits as she started moving her head back and forth under my touch.
She’s really like a penguin.
…Penguins are curious creatures whose eyes you shouldn’t poke too much. Still, I’ll have to be careful.
“Anyways, how should we craft the name?”
“Isn’t ‘Wiliam’ good as it is?”
“What kind of ‘Li’ and ‘Eom’?”
“How about the ‘Li’ from ‘order’ and ‘Eom’ from ‘soak’?”
“So it would be: Protective Wei (衛), Order Li (利), Soak Eom (淹).”
It could be interpreted as ‘guarding ancient order.’ It had a decent feel. A good collection of auspicious meanings.
So, the name Wei Li Eom (衛利淹) is settled.
Since it’s been used for a few months already, it no longer feels unfamiliar.
“You’re really Wei Li Eom now. Hehe…”
“Thinking about it, you were the first to call me that.”
“Right?”
I wanted to touch her cheeks but stopped myself halfway and looked ahead instead. The queue had significantly shortened while we were chatting aimlessly.
“That was faster than expected.”
“Maybe Martial Alliance has many skilled individuals who write extremely fast.”
“They’re handling each person in less time than it takes to sip tea.”
With that kind of speed, they’d be valued talents even in the 21st century. I doubt anyone could type that fast on a computer. It seemed there were no unnecessary disputes either.
“We’re better off if things are quick.”
“True.”
“If we finish quickly, we can eat sooner.”
While chatting casually, our turn was almost upon us.
When it was my turn, I slightly lifted my hat and stood before the registrar.
“Colored-eyed person…?”
“I’ve come to register for the martial contest.”
“You’re the Blue-Eyed Lion, sir, aren’t you?”
“I see you’ve heard of me.”
“There are very few high-level martial artists from foreign lands in the Central Plains. And the recently famous Blue-Eyed Lion is renowned for being a towering figure with blue eyes, so recognizing you wasn’t difficult.”
“Are there other high-level martial artists with colored eyes?”
“People from the Northern Sea Ice Palace have features that resemble those of colored-eyed individuals. However, they rarely visit the Central Plains, so spotting them is rare. The only known one is the Ice King Bai Xueqi.”
That sounds like the kind of name that’d taste good if eaten warm, chewy and delicious.
Even to someone I don’t know, if they lived on the Korean Peninsula, it’d be an everlasting source of jokes.
“Interesting.”
“Still, the only widely known expert with a renowned name is you, Blue-Eyed Lion.”
“Let’s skip the small talk and register for the martial contests. There are people waiting behind me.”
“Please provide me with your three-character name.”
“Wei Li Eom. Protective Wei, Order Li, Soak Eom.”
“Wei… Li Eom… A good name indeed. You’re participating in the preliminary rounds of the martial contest, correct?”
“I’d like to participate directly in the finals if possible.”
“There’s a recommendation required for that, though…”
Of course, there’s no way I’d have a recommendation. The recommendation given to Hainan Sword Sect would naturally be used by their own disciples. As an outsider, it’s natural I wouldn’t have one.
“I’ll register for the preliminaries then.”
The registrar pulled out one of the volumes from the two on the side, opened it, and recorded my name with strokes as fluid as water. His speed was so smooth it earned an involuntary admiration.
“Thank you for your effort.”
“May you also perform well, sir.”
I responded with a bow and walked away.
As I stepped aside, I couldn’t help but feel the atmosphere buzzing with energy.
