"Eyke, are you still going to go fishing with Welo at night?" Claude asked Eriksson the next day.
It was already the end of October, but the fleet led by Captain Altroni still hadn't returned to Whitestag.
Eriksson grew a little restless and said that he often couldn't sleep. So, he often asked Welikro to go fishing on the small fishing boat. He would only be able to sleep for a few hours after exhausting himself.
"Yeah, I can only sleep on the fishing boat now. If I sleep on my bed at home, I'll definitely have nightmares about shipwrecks," Eriksson replied listlessly.
"It's fine. I believe your father will be back in a few days. By then, you won't have any nightmares anymore," Claude consoled him.
"Boa is busy with his family's business now and you have to look after the wood. The four of us are getting together less and less.
We'll graduate in another 20 days or so. By then, we'll be going our separate ways. I don't know if we'll ever be together again. Time really flies. We've all grown up in the blink of an eye. "
Eriksson murmured in a sad tone.
"Sigh, there's nothing we can do about it. Everyone grows up eventually. But I believe we'll still have time to be together in the future.
How about this? I'll see if I have time tonight. If I do, I'll go fishing with you at the lake.
If I don't reach your dock by eight, you don't have to wait for me, "said Claude.
Eriksson nodded. "Alright, we'll wait until eight. If you don't come after eight, it means you won't be coming, right?"
"Yes. The wood hasn't been too peaceful at night for the past two days. Siori said that his chicken farm in the forest is missing quite a few chickens. I don't know what took them away.
I checked the fences during the day and they were all fine. It seems that the problem happened at night.
So, I decided to set up some traps around the chicken farm in the evening. If it's still early, I'll go look for you. If it's too late, I won't go, "explained Claude.
Eriksson didn't reply and merely gave him a thumbs up before lying back on his desk. Just like the old Claude, he slept in class in the morning.
On the other side, Welikro was sound asleep.
He was different from Eriksson. Eriksson went night fishing on the lake because he couldn't sleep, while Li Du was full of energy.
According to Eriksson, Welikro was at his best when he was fishing at night on the lake. He could even endure a night without sleep. But when he returned to school in the morning, he would immediately start dozing off.
"Hey, Claude, what happened to your wood?" asked Borkal curiously.
Claude shrugged. "It's nothing much. Quite a few of Theori's chickens have gone missing in the past two days. I suspect foxes, wolverines or night owls have set their eyes on the chicken farm in the forest.
That's why I'm going to set up some traps for the next two days. If the traps don't work, I'll lay in ambush for two nights. I have to figure out what's going on. "
"It's a pity that I don't have much time now. Otherwise, I'd go help you out too …" Borkal said unwillingly, "My father gave me a bunch of work to do. I'm so busy every day after school.
I never thought that one day I would look forward to going to school, because I only have leisure time when I go to school.
I really want to hang out with you guys … "
"Hehe …" Claude chuckled bitterly. "We're about to graduate. After the new year, we'll be 18 and adults. We'll no longer be carefree students. We'll all have our own things to do in the future. You're just one step ahead of everyone else.
The reason your father gave you so many things to do is because he wants you to grow up and be able to take charge of things on your own. "
Borkal didn't say anything else. Everyone knew that, but he couldn't stand the constraints when it came to him.
In the past, Borkal wanted to graduate early so that he could become a successful merchant.
What he didn't expect was that being a merchant required so much knowledge. Not to mention, his father taught him about the ways of the world. Those were things that were never mentioned in books.
After school, Claude returned to the wood as usual. After patrolling the area, he went to the Sioris' chicken farm in the forest. The couple was digging a small ditch around the chicken farm with shovels and hoes. They probably believed that it would ensure the safety of the farm.
"Here, right here …" Sioris led Claude to the fence and pointed at the ground. "Supervisor Claude, look! That's where the fellow entered the farm and killed the chickens before leaving with them.
If I hadn't noticed the chicken feathers on the fence, I wouldn't have known that it had become the fellow's secret door. "
Sioris pulled the fence apart and saw that one of the wooden planks was protruding.
Claude took a closer look and saw that the nails holding the planks in place had rusted off. It looked fine from the outside, but when he pushed the plank, it started to shake. That was how it became a secret door into the chicken farm.
"I'm going to dig a ditch outside and repair the fence around the chicken farm. That should be safer," said Sioris.
Claude shook his head. "That won't work. I suspect that the one who stole the chickens is a fox. That thing is smarter and knows how to swim.
Digging a ditch won't stop it. It'll just be a waste of effort.
The best way is to get two hunting dogs. That way, you won't have to guard the chicken farm at night. "
"Let's talk about that later. We won't be able to find a suitable dog in such a short time.
Hunting dogs with better breeds are expensive and we can't afford them, "said Sioris with a shake of his head.
Actually, the Sioris weren't qualified to be the caretakers of the wood. They spent most of their time doing private work. Even when they patrolled the wood, it was mainly to pick some mountain products.
The only thing they could do was look after the two horses in the stable. After Claude became the supervisor, he took care of almost everything related to the wood.
During this period of time, the small chicken farm in the forest had indeed suffered great losses. A few chickens had been stolen by chicken thieves.
The Sioris were very sad and moved to the chicken farm at night.
However, the chicken thief was very cunning and didn't get discovered. It wasn't until today that Sioris found out how it got into the chicken farm.
"Don't dig a ditch. Dig a few holes and use them as traps. Who knows, the thief might fall into them."
Claude didn't really want to take care of the Sioris' chicken farm. It had nothing to do with the wood and was just the couple's private work. If he interfered too much, it would only lead to misunderstandings. So, he could only give some friendly suggestions.
Sioris nodded to let him know.
So, Claude told him a few other things he noticed during his patrol. For example, there were a lot of mushrooms growing on the northern slope and they could be harvested. There was also a small stream in the south that had fallen wood that needed to be cleaned or it would block the water flow.
After that, Claude returned to the herbalism lab to continue his herbalism studies.
That night, he made some food for himself. When it was eight, he started preparing. Naturally, he wasn't going to look for Eriksson and Welikro. Night fishing was just an excuse. He was going to Hurian's general store to complete the transaction.
After checking his equipment, he put on a pouch containing 21 shaliuns and two crowns. Just as he was about to leave, he recalled his fight with Squinted Kamedy from Blacksnake and felt that he should learn from those ruffians and carry a sharp weapon with him just in case. That way, he wouldn't feel like he was defenseless.
Thinking about it, Claude realized that he didn't have a good dagger or something to keep at home. In that aspect, he really couldn't compare to Welikro.
When that guy had money, he liked to buy these short weapons, especially the odder the shape, the more he liked it.
That's right, didn't I buy a Steel Dagger last time? Although I think it's a magic item, I haven't been able to find out what the enchantment on it is. Forget it, I'll take this Steel Dagger with me and set off.
Claude found the dagger and stuck it into his boot. After taking a few steps and bouncing a few times, he felt that it wasn't a hindrance and decided that it was fine.
He went to the stable and pulled Jemmy out to the carriage. Then, he whipped the horse lightly and drove it out of the wood towards the pier by the lake.
Claude's goal was to park the carriage at Eriksson's private pier. That was why he told Eriksson that he wanted to go night fishing with them.
However, Claude only drove the carriage out of the wood at half past eight. He wanted to make sure that Eriksson and Welikro would have set off long ago and not foolishly waited for him at the pier.
The journey from the wood to the pier took around forty minutes.
As expected, when they arrived at the pier, Pegg, the gatekeeper, told Claude that Eriksson and Welikro had waited at the pier until half past eight. After making sure that Claude wasn't coming, they set off on their fishing boat. It had already been forty minutes since they set off.
"I'm sorry, Pegg," Claude said with a sigh.
Claude sighed and said, "I had some matters to attend to in the wood. I only came out when it was almost eight.
If it wasn't for the fact that one of the wheels fell off on the mountain path and it took me a long time to get it back, I should have been able to catch up to Eyke and Welikro.
But it's fine. I'll park the carriage here and search along the shore.
Eyke told me that they'll be fishing for long-tailed eels by the shore tonight. If I see their fishing boat, I'll call them to come and pick me up.
If they can't find me, I'll come back. "
Pegg looked at the two wheels of the carriage and saw that one of them was covered in mud and grass.
It seemed that the latch in the middle of the axle had loosened and caused the wheel to fall off. Such a problem was quite common. All he had to do was find the wheel and replace it with a new latch.
Most carriages had their own latches and repair tools.
"Alright, go ahead. Leave the carriage here and I'll take care of it.
But when will you be back? "Pegg asked.
"Around an hour. If I find them and get on the boat, I'll have Eyke send me back," said Claude.
"Do you need a lantern?"
"No need. Thank you, Pegg.
The moonlight is bright at night and I can see the road clearly.
If I bring a lantern, I won't be able to see far.
Plus, I have a torch in my backpack, so I can use it as a signal and light source, "said Claude as he jumped off the dock and made his way towards the slums.
After taking care of the Blacksnakes last night, Claude went to the forest to make sure there was no one around. He took off his robe and mask and walked along the path by the lake.
When he saw the sparkling waters of Lake Balinga under the moonlight, he suddenly thought that he could come here from the gravel by the lake, put on a robe and a scarf in the grove, and then reach Hurian's grocery store from the alley in the residential area by the lake.
The later it was, the less people he could see on the path. It was nearing November and the weather was getting colder. Nobody would get cold by the lake on such a night.
Moreover, there was another advantage. If he walked along the lake, then even if someone passed by the embankment, they wouldn't be able to see him. Thus, he would be able to return without anyone noticing.
Claude turned his attention to Eriksson. Going down from his private pier was the best choice. Firstly, it was closer to the forest and secondly, the carriage could be parked at the pier.
The only thing he lacked was a good excuse. That was why he came up with the excuse of being late for fishing.