Claude took a hot bath and collapsed on the bed. He was exhausted. He and Welikro had been taking care of Eriksson for an entire day and night. Not only was his body exhausted, but his mind was as well.
She had almost fallen asleep in the bathtub just now, so the moment she laid her head on the pillow, she immediately fell into a deep sleep. When her stomach growled and she woke up from hunger, she realized that it was already past eight in the morning the next day.
It seemed like he hadn't eaten anything since yesterday. It was only then that he understood why he was so hungry.
He had only eaten two sandwiches and two mugs of rye wine on the ship. After he returned, he took a bath and slept until now. He had slept for more than 20 hours without eating anything.
His stomach was extremely empty, so he got up and went to the kitchen to find something to eat.
Naturally, there wasn't much to eat in the kitchen. Apart from a loaf of black bread that the Sioris brought over, everything else had to be cooked or boiled. It would take quite a while before he could eat anything.
I'm so hungry … Claude picked up the black bread and couldn't bring himself to eat it.
He knocked on the table, causing it to clatter loudly. Not a single crumb fell off the bread.
It was the military bread that lived up to its name. It was the main rations used by the kingdom's army.
There was once a rumor that in a battle, a small squad of the enemy attacked the logistics department. In the end, the cooks and servants used these long and hard black bread as weapons to engage in hand-to-hand combat with the enemy and successfully captured all the enemies. That was because these pitiful enemies were all knocked unconscious by the black bread …
From that, one could see how tough the black bread was. If it wasn't softened by fire or soaked in hot water, one's teeth would easily fall off if one ate it.
However, the bread's biggest advantage was its durability. Usually, one wouldn't have to worry about it growing moldy or spoiling after half a year.
Claude recalled that the Sioris had given him two loaves of black bread more than a month ago. Last month, when he was studying in the herbalism lab, he was too lazy to cook and ate one. The taste was bland and tasteless, so he left the other loaf in the kitchen without touching it.
It was said that when Baron Alphis Fon Normanry returned to Whitestag to set up the wood, Siori and his wife became his servants. They worked in the kitchen and learned how to make army bread.
It seemed that they needed sawdust to make army black bread, and sawdust was plentiful in the wood, so the thrifty Sioris made army black bread as their main food for three meals a day.
His stomach felt really uncomfortable and hollow, but he didn't have the courage to chew on the black bread.
Fortunately, he still had a few raw eggs. He cracked two and swallowed them to fill his stomach before starting a fire to boil some water for a feast.
Since he didn't have enough firewood, he put on his clothes and went out to get some for the kitchen.
When he opened the door, he found a large sack of charcoal at the door.
It seemed that Siori was quite conscientious. He had sent the charcoal over, which saved him the time of chopping firewood.
After eating two big bowls of oatmeal, Claude felt much better.
He remembered the promise he made with Welikro the day before and went to the stables to get Jemmy out. He hitched it to the carriage and drove it to town.
When he arrived at Eriksson's house, he found Welikro there early in the morning.
Eriksson was still sleeping, but he was in decent condition. After being treated by the perverted herbalist in the apothecary, he gulped down four to five bottles of concoction and sweated profusely. When he woke up in the afternoon, he ate a big bowl of oatmeal.
According to the old herbalist, Eriksson's life was saved. However, he was soaked in the cold water for a long time and lost a lot of blood due to the injury to his thigh. He fell unconscious after barely crawling up to the beach.
Had it not been for Claude and Welikro's insistence on searching Krulu Flying Fish Island, Eriksson would have been dead.
As Eriksson had been lying on the beach for more than a day before he was rescued, the cold had seeped into his bones. Even though his life wasn't in danger, he would still have to stay in bed for two to three months to recover.
Otherwise, his body would easily turn into a tuberculosis patient due to the damage done to his foundation. The slightest change in the weather outside would make it easy for him to catch a cold or a fever.
Madam Eileen was very grateful to Claude and Welikro for saving Eriksson's life. It was all thanks to them that Eriksson was rescued.
However, due to the old apothecary's repeated warnings, she wasn't willing to let them meet Eriksson even though she knew that the two of them were good friends and had a deep friendship with each other.
The old herbalist had said that it would be best for Eriksson to rest in bed for the next half a month to prevent him from getting too emotional and worsening his condition.
So, after Madam Eileen tactfully gave them some medical advice, Claude and Welikro tactfully got up and bade farewell. They also declined Madam Eileen's token of gratitude.
When they got on the carriage, Welikro lamented, "Tomorrow is the graduation ceremony. Eriksson won't be able to go to school to get his diploma."
Only then did Claude remember that he had to go back to school the next day. "It's the 25th today. Time really flies. I would've forgotten if you didn't remind me.
I have to go home and remind my parents. They have to go to school tomorrow as well.
By the way, where are you going now?
I'll send you there first. "
Welikro thought for a moment and said, "Send me to Eriksson's dock. My fishing gear is in his room. I'll bring it back with me. If I have nothing to do in the afternoon, I'll go fishing by the lake."
You sure have a big heart. You still haven't forgotten to go fishing at a time like this.
Claude couldn't help but complain that Welikro was addicted to fishing. It was an illness that needed to be treated.
Welikro sighed and didn't retort. After a while, he said that if he didn't fish now, he wouldn't be able to in the future.
Claude asked him what he meant by that, but Welikro didn't say anything. Just like that, they reached the dock.
Pegg opened the gate and let the carriage into the dock.
Out of curiosity, Claude followed Welikro to Eriksson's room.
Eriksson's room at the dock was actually the secret hideout of his four friends.
Since they didn't hang out together for the past year, Eriksson tidied up the room and made it his living quarters. He wouldn't sleep at home during the holidays and would stay there instead. That way, it would be more convenient for him to take his fishing boat out on the lake.
Most of the items in the room were Eriksson and Welikro's fishing gear. Claude saw Eriksson's gun hanging on the wall and couldn't help but reach for it.
Welikro saw Claude fiddling with the musket and asked curiously, "What are you doing with it?
This old short-barrelled gun is not as good as your long one. "
Claude smiled. "It's a pity that Eyke is sick. Otherwise, I'd like to borrow this gun from him. I'm worried about running into wild beasts in the wood during winter.
Last time, Siori told me that sometimes during winter, the gray wolves in the mountains would come down from the mountains to look for food. So, every year before winter, he would get rid of the chickens in the chicken farm to avoid attracting trouble to himself. "
"You want to borrow this gun?" Welikro said nonchalantly, "Go ahead and use it.
Eyke won't be able to get out of bed for two to three months anyway. You'll have to take care of the gun for him. That's something he can't ask for.
You can just write an IOU slip and hand it to Pegg when you leave. It's not a big deal. "
That's right, it's not a big deal. Eriksson is already bedridden. I'll borrow the gun for a month or two. That's more than enough time for me to replicate a flintlock.
Claude immediately went to write the IOU slip on the table.
"There is also a box in the drawer. There are about ten fixed cartridges of this short-barreled gun.
Take it with you too. It won't be useful if it stays here for too long, "Welikro reminded Claude as he tidied up his fishing gear.
After handing the IOU slip to Pegg and sending Welikro home, Claude drove the carriage home.
His father was still frowning. The absence of the merchant fleet put a lot of pressure on him and he had a lot of white hair on both sides of his head.
The atmosphere in the house was still as gloomy as ever. While his mother and father spoke, it was only a short conversation.
While Claude ate his lunch, he gave his father a brief account of what happened at sea in search of Eriksson.
When he heard that Eriksson had been rescued, Morssen only said 'God of war bless' before he furrowed his brow and puffed on his pipe.
After lunch, Claude played with his little brother, Borke, and the snowhound until it was time for him to take his afternoon nap.
He drove the carriage to the national bank in town and waited for a long time before the cashier returned.
Claude handed over his account book and withdrew six thales in cash. He went to the open-air market and bought some seasoning and other ingredients before driving the carriage back to the wood.
When he returned to the wood, he first moved the things he bought into his wooden hut before driving the carriage to the stables.
After unloading the carriage, he filled Jemmy's food trough with horse feed and drinking water. After it was done eating, he put on a saddle and other things before returning to the hut. He picked up his gun and slung it over his shoulder, ready to patrol the woods.
He planned to earn some money from hunting to pay for his alchemical experiments.
He thought about many things while waiting for the cashier to return at noon.
He had originally planned to use the ten crowns he had in his account book to buy ingredients for his experiments. But he suddenly thought about what he would do if he used up all that money in his alchemical experiments.
Without a certain amount of income, he couldn't afford to indulge in his alchemical experiments. That was way too expensive.
According to the diary, Landes didn't step out of his lab for three days and three nights because there was a magic tower supplying him and the other rune magi with materials for their alchemical experiments. Claude, on the other hand, was only a first-level rune magus and his income was only three thales a month. That amount of money wasn't enough for him to indulge in his alchemical experiments.
If he were to use all his money to buy ingredients for his alchemical experiments, what would he do when he ran out of money and needed it?
There was a saying from his past life that went like this: A single copper coin could suffocate a man to death. He couldn't bring himself to borrow money from someone else.
In the end, Claude only withdrew six thales from the national bank. That was his salary for the past two months. It was an honorable sum.
Even if Morssen were to find out about Claude's account from the cashier a few days later, he wouldn't have any objections.
Claude had made up his mind that he would rely on his own hard work to earn money for his alchemical experiments in the future.
For example, hunting in the wood gave him a huge advantage. Given his abilities, it wouldn't be surprising if he hunted big game or ferocious beasts.
As for his salary of three thales a month, he could use it for his daily expenses and pocket money. He wouldn't have to worry too much about buying food and clothes for his siblings in the future.
In the afternoon, I went to the depths of the wood to set up a few more traps. Last month, when the school holidays were approaching, I bumped into the chef of the old tavern, Pjard, at the open-air market. He even asked me why I wasn't hunting pheasants and mountain hares anymore. He said he would buy as many as he could and that it was quite a lucrative job.