The first two campsites were empty and dusty. Oask only rested his horses for a while and fed them some oats and water before continuing on the road in about ten minutes.
When they arrived at the third campsite, it was packed with people. Hundreds of people stopped there to rest.
A few soldiers dressed in garrison garrisons came over and asked each other about it. Only then did they learn that it was the labor camp from Chaniaral Prefecture. There were about five hundred people and more than ten wagons filled with supplies. They were watched over by a garrison platoon.
Unlike Claude's long-distance carriage, the labor camp relied on their own two legs. They had been on the road for about ten days and it would take them another two days to reach Whitestag.
He noticed that the slaves didn't seem as miserable as he had imagined. While their clothes were a little old, they weren't tattered and looked rather healthy. It was clear that they had been eating enough to fill their stomachs.
Even though they were chided by the garrison soldiers and didn't crowd around them, they still gathered not too far away to comment on Oask's wagon. Some of them even said some vulgar things.
When the platoon jarl heard that Oask and Claude were going to continue on their way, he looked at the sky and shook his head. He felt that it would be best for them to spend the night there for safety reasons.
They heard the howls of the wolves when they were resting at the first campsite they set out from Hesse.
It was already past five in the morning and it would take at least two to three hours to reach Hesse. It wasn't a good idea to travel through the night in the Black Forest.
However, Oask and Claude decided to continue on their way. Seven or eight wolves weren't much of a threat to Claude. He was confident he could wipe out the entire pack even without a crossbow or shotgun.
Oask, on the other hand, felt that it would be more dangerous to camp with the laborers. He wasn't afraid of his own safety, but he was worried that the laborers would steal his things and he wouldn't be able to explain himself the next day. He didn't have time to waste.
When they got back on the road, Claude asked in confusion, "Uncle Osk, didn't they say that the camp is strictly guarded?
I saw that the guards were lax and didn't even guard properly. They seemed to be very lax with the slaves … "
"This is the Light Crimes Camp. The slaves there are either petty thieves or brawls. They are only sentenced to three to five years of labor.
The guards were not that strict, because these slaves knew that they would be released after a few years. On the contrary, if they escaped, their crimes would be aggravated, and it was not worth it to be sentenced to ten years of labor.
I insisted on going just now because I didn't want to spend the night with them. If we fall asleep and the carriage is missing something, we can only blame our bad luck tomorrow … "
So the labor camp was divided into misdemeanors and felonies.
Oask said that the convicts who escaped were mostly from the Heavy Crimes Camp and were sentenced to ten to twenty years of labor. So, escaping was their only option. They would end up the same if they were caught anyway, so it didn't matter if they got a heavier sentence.
The first camp was relatively safe, but the second one was the last rest stop on the national highway in the Black Forest. It was only a little more than an hour's journey from Hesse.
It was estimated to be around seven o 'clock. The night was dark, especially in the forest, making it feel gloomy and depressing. The two horses that were pulling the carriage were anxiously stamping their feet in the camp. Uncle Oask fetched some water from the well, but the two horses only drank a few mouthfuls before stopping …
Oask made a prompt decision and said to Claude, who was standing guard at the entrance, "Get in the carriage. We're leaving immediately. We're not going to rest here."
As expected, not long after they left the camp, they heard the howls of the wolves behind them.
Claude stood up and looked back, but he didn't see any wolves following the carriage.
"We left early and the horses have already started running. The wolves are smart enough to know that they won't be able to surround us, so they stopped chasing," Oask said, "Don't worry, we'll be there soon. Go to the Hound Tavern in Hesse and you'll be able to have a good meal there.
Their roasted rabbit is famous for its deliciousness, especially when it's stuffed with fresh mushrooms and roasted on the grill. The oil in the meat will be absorbed by the mushrooms and your mouth will be filled with oil. It's really delicious. "
By the time they reached Hesse, it was almost nine at night. Unlike Whitestag, Hesse was surrounded by a long stone wall that was covered in moss and looked rather ancient.
The guards at the gate asked Oask a few simple questions and told him that they had rushed over from the national highway in the Black Forest. After asking if they encountered any wolves, they opened the gate and let the carriage into town.
Oask was rather familiar with Hesse because he had to pass through it every time he escorted a guest.
He drove the carriage to the Hound Tavern with familiarity and handed the carriage over to the coachman and servants. He joked with them before bringing Claude into the tavern's hall.
It was rather late, but the hall was rather lively. There were still about ten customers sitting there drinking and chatting.
In the corner of the hall, four or five people were playing cards around a table. Claude listened and found out that they were gambling. However, the stakes weren't high, only one or two sunars at a time.
Quite a few customers in the hall knew Oask. He greeted them all the way to the counter and said, "Old Bido, give me a big room and make me something good to eat. Do you still have roasted rabbit?"
The owner of Hound Tavern was a white-haired old man. He was rather thin and wore a pair of black-rimmed reading glasses.
He looked at Oask and Claude. "Where are we going this time?
Oask, there's still roasted rabbit in the room. I wonder if there's any left. I'll go check the stove. "
"Kaflezit prefecture," Oask said as he patted Claude's shoulder.
Oakes patted Claude on the shoulder. "This fellow received a conscription order from Bluefeather. I have to send him there to report."
Old Petyr pushed his spectacles up his nose and looked at Claude. "What a pitiful fellow. You've only just reached adulthood, yet you have to go so far to become a soldier.
You guys go sit over there. I'll get you something to eat. "
"Hey, Old Bido, I forgot. Tell the coachman to feed my horses three eggs in oats and black beans. They still have a long run tomorrow," Oask said. Old Bido nodded and went to the kitchen at the back.
Not long after, Old Bido personally brought in white bread, black ale, potato stew, bacon and a few other dishes. In the middle was a roasted rabbit that was glistening with oil.
Claude asked curiously, "Uncle Oask, doesn't this tavern have maids?
They even have to serve themselves? "
Oask laughed heartily. "This is the time for the maids to earn money. You'll know soon enough. Why don't I find one to keep you company tonight? It'll only cost three riyases."
It didn't take long for Claude to learn what it meant to earn money. A maid came down the stairs to the guest rooms on the second floor with a flushed face.
A customer who was sitting alone hurriedly waved for her to come over. The two of them haggled for a long time and came to an agreement. The maid brought the customer up the stairs while the other customers in the hall ignored them.
Claude could only blame himself for not spending much time in taverns in Whitestag, so he didn't know that it was normal for a maid to work part-time in a tavern.
Kefnie's sister, Kathlyn, worked as a maid in Mermaid Tavern. It was rather unusual for her not to earn that kind of money.
Oask tore the roasted rabbit apart and, as he said, it was filled with fragrant mushrooms that had sucked up the juices of meat.
He shoved one into his mouth with his fork and nodded profusely. It tasted really good. It wasn't roasted, but it was meaty and delicious.
Just as he was enjoying his meal, the door to the tavern was pushed open and two patrolmen walked in towards Claude's table.
The older patrolman in the lead greeted Uncle Osk. They seemed to be acquaintances as well.
Then, he took out a folder from his black briefcase, opened it, and took out a registration form.
Oask hurriedly had Claude take out Bluefeather's conscription order and Whitestag's administrative pass from his backpack and handed them to the older officer.
As the documents were complete, the older officer had the younger officer copy Claude's pass onto the registration form he took out and stamped it with a stamp at the bottom of the pass.
Claude saw that the stamp had the words' Pass Approved 'and a line of smaller words,' Hessian Patrol Squad '.
Uncle Oakes treated the two patrolmen to a glass of rye and they took their leave.
Claude asked, "Uncle Oask, why don't you need to register?"
Oask smiled. "I'm acquainted with them. They know I'm a citizen, so they won't check me.
Even if I go to a new place and run into a check, I don't need to register with my identity card, so I don't have to go to the administrative center to apply for a pass. "
That was perhaps the biggest difference between citizens and commoners in the kingdom. Citizens had relative freedom and could go anywhere they wanted as long as they had their identity card.
An adult civilian, on the other hand, had to go to the administrative center to apply for a pass. The time they needed to travel to the destination, how long they needed to stay at the destination and when they would be back had to be clearly written down.
Official business wasn't that bad. People like Claude who went to report for conscription wouldn't be given any trouble.
Private matters, on the other hand, required someone to vouch for them, and that person had to be a citizen.
On top of that, they had to endure endless checks along the way, which was rather annoying. But for a commoner, all they could do was smile and bear with it.
That was also the main reason why most commoners, apart from those who worked in the caravans, weren't willing to venture out. They would rather stay in their hometown and just have enough to eat and wear.
Even if they had something to do, they would hire someone to do it for them. As Claude believed, it was impossible for people to find work in this world.
Only when there was an unstoppable calamity would people leave their homes to make a living elsewhere.
As Oakes would be in charge of their accommodation and meals, Claude paid a hefty price of two crowns to hire his long-distance carriage.
However, the meal wasn't too bad for Claude. Apart from the roasted rabbit, everything else was similar to what he had at home.
After dinner, Claude followed Oask to the courtyard at the back of the tavern. There was a well there and the two of them went to the second floor with their simple luggage. They went to the guest room on the second floor to rest. They still had to leave early the next day.
The room Oask mentioned was actually a double room. There were two single beds on each side of the wall.
Perhaps it was due to the unfamiliar environment, the disturbing sounds of a man and a woman having sex in the guest room next door, or Oask's loud snores, Claude couldn't sleep at all on his first night away from home. He tossed and turned in bed all the way until dawn.
After a bowl of porridge in the morning, Claude went to the carriage to catch up on his sleep and let Oask drive the carriage.
Uncle Osk was right about one thing. Ambrize County and Cookley County's road infrastructure was really good. The roads were flat, and the carriages were very smooth. There were very few bumps on the road.
At night, they spent the night in Cooklia's Whiterose Rose Tavern. Claude found that the price of lodging there was double that of the Hound Tavern in Hessen.
On the third day, they passed through Chaniaral Prefecture and spent the night at Chellis Tavern in Negus Town. Claude paid for an extra room with his own money. He couldn't sleep well for the past two nights because of Oask's snoring.