At the end of November, the three-month recruit training finally came to an end. The army's higher-ups were considerate enough to give these 400 new recruits three days off, one of which allowed them to go down the mountain and take a stroll around Gourneygada City.
The moment the notice was given, more than two hundred of them took the day off and went to the city to play.
Claude didn't go out to play and stayed in the camp to write letters.
The recruits weren't allowed to communicate with the outside world during the three-month training camp and could only write letters home after the training ended. However, it had to be approved by the higher-ups before it could be sent out by mail.
Claude had a lot of letters to write to his mother, sister and Borkal.
Welikro had been recruited by the royal guard and Claude hadn't received a letter from him when he left, so he didn't know his current address.
Kefnie had to write a letter as well. She was his girlfriend, after all, so he had to write a longer letter to ask her about her feelings.
Then Lady Maria had to write a letter to ask after her and tell her how she was.
Felidos also had to write a letter to express his gratitude for recommending him.
There was also Ludian, who was in charge of the management of Normanley Real Estate. Claude had to write a letter to express his concern. After all, he was still a minor shareholder and he couldn't just ignore it.
Also, Tomas, the former head of the patrol force, had to write a letter to find out if he was elected as a councilor in Whitestag. At the same time, he was also Claude's hidden hand in Normanley Real Estate. If anything big happened in the company, even if Ludian hid it from him, Tomas would still tell him the truth.
Lastly, he had to write a letter to Borkal's father, the great merchant of Whitestag, Rubire. Before Claude left, he had given him the land he bought and the construction of the four buildings. He didn't know how it was going.
It was going to be Angelina's dowry in the future, so he couldn't ignore it.
He had to write at least nine letters, and this did not include the people he met after the company was established, such as Viscount Wenisk, who was in charge of the construction of the naval base, Lieutenant Nuit, and those who helped his family after his father passed away.
He remembered how many people came to send him off before he left. It was something he didn't expect. Come to think of it, it was all a favor.
It was a pity that there were no postcards in this world. Otherwise, he could buy a big stack to take care of everyone.
Claude thought about whether he could make the card into a profitable business if he invented it.
But he quickly gave up on that idea. Postal fees were a little expensive. Most people in this world wouldn't be able to write a few lines of words on a card without paying a huge amount of money.
Letter writers in this world often regard writing letters as a serious matter of etiquette and communication, and they will communicate in their letters about topics that are normally difficult to talk about.
It was just like borrowing money between friends. They were too embarrassed to ask, so they wrote a letter and sent someone to deliver it.
If his friend didn't have the money to help him, he could also reject him in the letter and clearly state his difficulties. He didn't need to reject him face to face and put both of them on the spot.
Therefore, using a postcard to greet people would make people feel frivolous and improper. After all, the greeting words were written on the card for everyone to see. It would make the person who received the postcard feel embarrassed or feel that his privacy was exposed in broad daylight.
Another important point was that printing technology wasn't as advanced as it was in Claude's previous world. There were only two colors, black and white, and there wasn't a way to make colorful and exquisite postcards.
A postcard that couldn't attract people to collect or buy wouldn't have much of a market even if it was invented by him.
I guess I'll just write the letters properly. Claude put away his delusions and continued writing on the table. After much difficulty, he finished nine letters at around nine at night. Shaking his numb arms, he gave them a rough check before stuffing them into the envelopes with Bluefeather's insignia.
Forget it, I'll check it again tomorrow, then write down the address and hand it over to the mail office in the barracks.
Unlike Claude, Aboyev and the other nobles didn't write any letters.
Moriad asked them why they didn't write to their families.
Moriad rolled his eyes and said, "Forget it. Back when they were at home, they were seen as a burden by their families and weren't welcomed by them at all. Sending them to the camp so early isn't a big deal."
So, they didn't feel the need to write to their families. Nobody would really read their letters if they did.
"Boss, can we go to Gourneygada tomorrow?" Berklin asked.
Claude shook his head. "Let's go the day after tomorrow. I'll treat you to a feast and pay for all your other expenses.
I still have to check these letters tomorrow morning and send them to the post office.
I'm worried that it'll take up the entire morning. There's no point in having half a day to play. "
"Alright. We'll go to Gourneygada the day after tomorrow," Berklin said, a little disappointed.
Dyavid snickered, "You fool. Didn't you hear Boss say that he'll pay for all other expenses? You can call two maidservants at the tavern without worrying about running out of money."
As new recruits, they wouldn't get paid for the three months of training and would only get a stipend of one riyase a month. That was only three riyases for three months.
That amount of money was enough for them to eat a good meal at the tavern, but there was no way they would be able to do anything else.
Berklin found out from the veterans that the price of a maidservant at the tavern in Gourneygada was three riyases.
For Berklin, whether to go for a good meal or find a maidservant to relax with him was a philosophical question where one couldn't have it all at the same time.
Seeing the four nobles' expectant faces, Claude shook his head with a bitter smile. He didn't think that even though they looked like nobles, they were actually paupers after getting to know them better.
Back in the royal capital, their families would still give them some pocket money for the sake of pride. But after they were sent to the camp, their allowance was cut off as well.
What he said made sense too. He meant that the four of them were already adults and would get a salary after joining the camp. They could spend their own money without having to pay their families. That was how they were taken care of by their families.
"Boss, won't you run out of money?" Arbeit asked worriedly.
Claude chuckled. "Don't worry, it'll be enough for you to play until you die.
I'm going to bed now. After I hand over the letter tomorrow, I'll go to the infirmary to see Dr. Perunt and the corpsman named Bell. I don't know if they can go down the mountain with us the day after tomorrow. I'd like to invite them to dinner to express my gratitude for taking care of me. "
The next day, after handing in the letter, Claude brought the four to the infirmary. Interestingly, one of the veterans with an injured leg was in the middle of a checkup. Perunt told him that he was fully healed and he hurriedly ran out after thanking the doctor.
"Why is he in such a rush?
Didn't his leg just heal? Why is he running so fast? "Claude asked.
Perunt laughed heartily. "You don't remember?
It's all thanks to you that his leg is healed!
Back in the canteen, you kicked Corporal Felderson's calf. He didn't notice anything wrong at the time, but after you fainted, he felt the pain and fell to the ground, moaning in agony.
When he was sent for a checkup, he was only lightly injured. He had a fractured bone and had a brace placed on it. It took him three months to fully recover.
Tell me, why isn't he running when he sees you? "
"Ugh …" Claude scratched his nose sheepishly. Truth be told, he wouldn't be able to recognize the veterans he fought with even if they were standing right in front of him. He only remembered the round-faced corporal's name. The one who left the deepest impression was the unlucky one who had his wrist broken by Claude.
"What brings you here today?" Perunt asked.
"Isn't it a three-day break?
I wanted to ask if you and Bell are free tomorrow. I'm going to treat you to a good meal in Gourneygada to thank you for taking care of me, "Claude replied.
"Well, I'm free tomorrow morning. I'll be going to Gourneygada anyway. The books and newspapers I ordered have arrived, so I'll have to pick them up from the bookstore.
However, I'll have to come back by noon and check on the injured soldiers at the infirmary in the afternoon, "Perunt said.
"Alright, I'll treat you to a good meal at noon. You can come back after that.
I'll go ask Bell if he's free or if he's on leave. "
"No need. I'll let him go with me tomorrow morning. He happens to know how to drive, so I'll have him send me there.
By the way, how many people are you bringing tomorrow? "
Claude pointed at the four nobles. "Just the five of us."
"Alright, come to the infirmary first tomorrow. I'll have Bell send us to Gourneygada with a carriage. It'll fit perfectly and you won't have to walk down the mountain to find a carriage," Perunt said.
"Alright, that's settled. I'll bring them to apply for a permit to go down the mountain into the city tomorrow." Claude bade Perunt farewell.
Early the next morning, Claude brought the four nobles to the infirmary carriage and went to Gourneygada.
Perunt had Bell drive the carriage around the city twice to let Claude and the others familiarize themselves with the city. He also introduced them to some of the more famous shops and buildings.
Perunt then went to the bookstore where he ordered the books and newspapers. Claude also bought some newspapers there to read when he got back to camp.
At noon, Claude treated everyone to a good meal at the most famous tavern in Gourneygada, Camus, spending more than three crowns.
After the meal, Perunt took his leave and returned to camp in Bell's carriage. Claude brought the four nobles to have fun in Gourneygada.
"Boss, let's go to Red Rose Tavern in the western sector. I heard from the veterans that the dancers and maids there are the best," Aboyev said eagerly.
"Actually, the maids at Camus Tavern aren't too bad. Why don't you look for them here?"
Claude found it odd. He had seen them amusing the maids at the side during the meal and thought they were going to stay there for the afternoon.
"No, Boss. It's really expensive here. I've asked around and the maids here charge a thale a time, and they only work after nine at night. They don't entertain customers in the afternoon.
Also, the veterans in camp say that Red Rose Tavern isn't bad. We'd like to check it out, "Berklin said.
Alright, let's go to Red Rose Tavern then.
Claude hailed a carriage and drove the five of them to Red Rose Tavern.
Claude didn't blame his four nobles for their eagerness. From their conversations, he knew that the four of them had already had their first taste in the royal capital when they were around sixteen or seventeen years old.
In the past, when they were idling around in the capital, they could rely on their identity as nobles to bully the ruffians in the suburbs and extort money from them so that they could go to the tavern to eat and drink to their heart's content. After they were full, they could hug their maids and sleep in the tavern.
From a certain perspective, if their families hadn't sent them to the military, they would have ended up like the Eight Banners in the early days of the Republic of China. All they had was a glamorous appearance and they weren't even as good as the gangsters on the streets.
The three months of training in the military camp had left the four of them feeling rather stifled. How should he put it? Even the sight of the naked pigs sent to the kitchen made them feel a little more refreshed.
If it wasn't for the fact that the last month of training was really tough, causing the hot-blooded youths to fall asleep the moment they touched the bed, Claude would've suspected that they hadn't been practicing the Qilin Arm all night.
That was also the main reason Claude agreed to let them go to the tavern to look for maids. Men had to have a place to vent. It was easy to see why Whitestag's naval base included brothels in the old streets. In this world and era, women were the best source of tranquilizers for soldiers. They were also the closest thing to a soldier's heart.