Pegg opened the docks and let Claude in with the carriage.
But before Claude could ask if Eriksson was there, Pegg told him some bad news. Eriksson went out to sea on his fishing boat alone instead of fishing on the lake.
"What did you say? He went out to sea alone? Why would he want to go out to sea?" Claude was shocked.
Pegg was the one who was confused. Seeing Claude's confused expression, he pointed at the empty dock with a bitter smile. "Did you forget that Captain Altroni's fleet hasn't returned yet?
Eriksson said he was going out to fetch his father and went out on his fishing boat without a word. He only left a letter for us.
We only found out when Vero came looking for him in the morning. "
He realized right away that he had forgotten about the most important thing in Whitestag while immersed in his alchemical experiments in the wood.
The fleet that his father and the others invested in set off for Tyrrsim on Nubissia via the newly opened sea route. They were supposed to set off in August and return to Whitestag by the 15th of November.
But it was already the 18th of November and the fleet still hadn't returned. It was no wonder his sister said there was a fight at the banquet the day before yesterday. His father was worried and even got into an argument with his mother.
It was obvious that the bigwigs of the town who had entrusted their entire fortune to the fleet were panicking and worried that something would happen to the fleet.
Some time ago, Eriksson had been having nightmares about a shipwreck.
If something really happened to the fleet, the others would only lose money, but he would lose a family member.
Altroni wasn't just his father, he was also his idol. He always said that he wanted to be a captain when he grew up.
That was why he couldn't hold back his longing and set out on his fishing boat to receive the fleet led by his father. He hoped that he could be the first to see the fleet return.
"When did he set out?"
Claude's mood turned for the worse. It was the 11th of November and winter was about to arrive. The winds were strong and the waves were strong. Eriksson was all alone on a modified fishing boat. He was basically risking his life to go out to sea!
If something were to happen, he would still be alone without any helpers. It would truly be a case of calling for help from the heavens and the earth!
"He left in the morning the day before yesterday. At that time, I thought he was going to the lake to fish, so I didn't pay much attention to it. It's normal for him to not come back at night, so I wasn't worried.
But he didn't come back for the whole day yesterday, and he didn't come back at night either. That's when I started to worry.
This morning, Vero came to find him. I told him about the situation and he went to Eyke's room. Then, we saw the letter on the table. Only then did we know that he had gone out to sea with the small fishing boat. "
"Does Madam Eileen know?" Claude asked.
Madam Elena was Eriksson's mother. She had caught a cold while giving birth to Eriksson and had been in poor health, so she rarely visited the docks.
"Got it. It was Wero who delivered the letter."
Pegg frowned and said, "In the afternoon, Madam Eileen and Wero were looking for a boat that could go out to sea. They want to look for Eyke, but they haven't found a suitable one yet."
It was really hard to find a boat that could go out to sea at this time. Large ships weren't suitable and the smaller ones would have to be repaired and refurbished. Many of them were already docked in the shipyards and few owners would be willing to go out to sea.
Claude tugged on the reins and the carriage turned around. "I'm going to Eyke's house to take a look. If you find a boat, let me know. I'm going out to sea to look for Eyke as well."
Eriksson's house was in the south of the town, not far from the town square.
It was a three-storey brick building. The first floor was rented by a merchant that specialized in gold and silver utensils. Eriksson's house was on the second and third floors.
Claude stopped the carriage in the backyard and ran up to the second floor in one go.
However, the one who opened the door was an old maid. She told him that Madam Eileen had gone out in the afternoon and hadn't returned yet.
Claude had no choice but to return to the docks. He waited with Pegg for a long time before he saw Madam Eileen's carriage arrive at the docks.
Wero was there as well. He helped Madam Eileen down the carriage and told Claude that they had rented a small boat, but it would only set sail the next morning.
They also gathered three sailors, but the owner of the boat couldn't set sail due to family matters, so they had to find another captain to replace him.
The next morning, they would take the small boat to the docks and load the supplies onto the boat before setting off.
Welikro said that he would set off with the boat to look for Eriksson the next day. Claude nodded and said that he would go as well.
Welikro asked about the wood.
Claude said that it was fine and that he would leave it to the Sioris to look after it for a few days. He would pack a few clothes and bring a few things back and sleep at the docks that night.
Pegg brought Madam Eileen to the warehouse to check on the things they needed to bring out to sea. Welikro also had to accompany her to buy some supplies, so Claude took his leave and drove the carriage back to the wood.
When he returned, the Sioris were already asleep.
Claude rudely woke them up and told them that he was going out to sea for a few days.
The couple promised to take care of the wood and told Claude not to worry about it. They also prayed to the sea god for Eriksson's safety.
But when Claude turned to leave, he felt that the couple seemed to be secretly delighted.
Going out to sea at this time of the year didn't just need to be warm. More importantly, the outer layer had to be smooth and waterproof while the inner layer had to be breathable.
The reason why Wakri's fishing gear and ship's merchant shop were still buying animal hides was because he wanted to make clothes that wouldn't hinder him on the ship.
Things like the robe that Claude liked to wear on the ship couldn't be worn on the ship because it would be easy for him to be caught by something and he would be in danger if he wasn't careful.
Claude chose a sheepskin coat and a pair of black pigskin pants from the clothes he brought home. His gloves and hat didn't really fit him, so he decided not to wear them.
Claude only regretted spending his money too quickly. Otherwise, he could have gone to Wakri's shop and asked him to buy a set of clothes suitable for wearing on the ship.
He naturally had to bring his backpack. He stuffed the backpack he used for wilderness survival into it. After some thought, he also brought five perfect-quality Elementary Health Potions he made and a climbing rope.
He didn't need to bring his gun, but he could bring the magic crossbow. There was no need for his shortsword.
The western seas of Aueras were very safe and there weren't many incidents of pirates attacking ships.
However, it was better to be safe than sorry. He stuffed the magic-piercing dagger into his boot.
Seeing that there was nothing else he needed to bring, he picked up the wild goat leg from the galley. He could roast some meat with Welikro when he reached the docks.
After locking the door, Claude drove the carriage to the docks. The carriage could be parked there and Jemmy would be taken care of by Pegg for a few days.
When he reached the docks, Welikro was already waiting for him at the main gate.
The supplies he brought Madam Eileen to buy were simple: food and alcohol.
They were going out to sea to find Eriksson, so Madam Eileen spared no expense. The food they bought wasn't the usual hard-as-rock smoked meat, but rather fresh mutton and a huge piece of ham.
The bread wasn't the kind that would break one's teeth, either. Instead, it was a big sack of whole-wheat bread, honey bread and cakes.
Welikro was sitting on two wooden crates. Claude walked closer and saw that they were two crates of whisky.
"Why did they buy such good alcohol?" asked Claude.
Usually, the crates of alcohol brought on board would be brandy wine. Whisky was two to three times more expensive than brandy wine.
"Madam Eileen promised that every sailor would get a bottle of whisky a day. It's up to them whether they want to drink it or not. This is what they usually quench their thirst with."
Welikro knocked on the two wooden barrels beside him. Only then did Claude see that they were filled with rye wine.
"Madam Eileen really spared no expense. Eyke really doesn't know any better. How could he go out on a fishing boat alone?" Claude sighed.
It was true that Eriksson was worried about his father, Captain Altroni, but he shouldn't have gone out on his own.
Whether it was dangerous or not was another matter. He had forgotten that he had a frail mother.
If something happened to him, what would happen to his mother? He was the only son in the family. If something happened to him, his mother wouldn't be able to live on her own.
Welikro wasn't in a good mood either. His mother had passed away giving birth to him and his father had a hard time raising him and his sister.
However, his sister was three years older than him and had always been obedient and sensible. She would be able to take care of her younger brother when she was a little older.
Welikro grew up with his sister, so he was very afraid of her.
Even though Welikro had never experienced motherly love, having a father and sister made up for that.
He told Claude that the sight of Madame Eileen's anguished expression in the afternoon had distressed him. If he had known, he wouldn't have gone home the day before yesterday. He would have stopped Eriksson from going out to sea alone.
Claude could only console him that it wasn't his fault. He couldn't watch over Eriksson all the time.
Also, if Eriksson made up his mind to go out to sea, he wouldn't be able to stop him either. He would definitely find a time to go out on his own.
Welikro was very frustrated, so Claude wasn't in the mood to roast the goat's hind leg anymore.
After giving the goat's hind leg to Pegg, Claude pulled Welikro away to get some rest. They had to leave the next morning and they might not be able to wake up in the morning if they slept too late.
The next day, Claude and Welikro woke up early and ate the sandwiches Pegg made for them. Even after waiting for a long time, the boat still didn't arrive.
Another half a day later, Madam Eileen arrived in a carriage, but the boat still didn't arrive.
It wasn't until nine in the morning that the boat finally arrived at the pier.
"Captain Marcelo, didn't you say you were going to set off early in the morning? Why are you only here now?" Madam Eileen asked the red-faced man with the captain's hat askew.
Marcelo didn't apologize. He merely laughed and said, "Madam, I was just worried that you wouldn't be able to get your supplies last night, so I came a little late to give you time to prepare.
You know that going out to sea at this time isn't a good thing for us. If it wasn't for Captain Altroni, I wouldn't have agreed to your request. "
Madam Eileen pointed at the food and alcohol piled up at the pier and interrupted him. "I've prepared everything you wanted. You can move them onto the boat now. I hope you can set off as soon as possible.
As long as you find my son, I won't be stingy with rewards for you and the sailors. "
Marcelo's eyes lit up as he looked at the food and alcohol piled up at the pier. He rubbed his hands in satisfaction. "Very good, Madam. Don't worry. We'll set off immediately after we move the things onto the boat. I hope we can find your son as soon as possible.
But as you know, it's very difficult to find someone out at sea. I'm sure you can understand our difficulties.
I can't guarantee that we'll be able to find your son, but we'll definitely do our best.
But if we can't find him within five days, we'll have no choice but to turn back. "
Madam Eileen said coldly, "Don't worry. Even if we can't find him within five days, I'll still give you the reward you deserve.
But if we find him, the reward will be three times that.
Also, the two of them will have to follow us on the boat. "
Marcelo agreed quickly. "Alright, there's still space on the boat. The two of them can board, but I hope they'll listen to my orders and not put everyone in danger."