After being lectured on the history of gold coinage by Borkal, Eriksson and Welikro said that they would keep the shaliuns they received as proof of the four friends' adventure in Egret.
There was nothing more worthy of a souvenir than the shaliuns Claude got from killing the python.
Claude didn't really care about the two shaliuns he got. He still had 30 shaliuns left.
He had originally wanted to sell the two gold coins to Borkal and get some money before going to Monk's shop for a stroll.
He suspected that some of the trinkets Picak bought were magical items just like the recipes. However, the new owner, Wakri, didn't know much about them. So, he decided to go check them out and see if he could pick up some more bargains.
Now that Borkal said that and Welikro and Eriksson were there to support him, Claude had to give it some thought.
He was worried that if he were to ask Borkal to cash out the two gold coins, his three companions might suspect that he was hiding some of the gold coins.
The human heart was unpredictable. It wasn't that Claude was paranoid, but he didn't want his friendship to deteriorate.
His excuse was perfect, and his companions all believed him.
If he were to let Borkal sell the two gold coins, his friends wouldn't say anything even if they suspected him. However, it would leave a thorn in their hearts and he didn't want that to happen.
Sometimes, he found it amusing to think about it. He realized that in this world, the people he trusted the most were the three youths of his age. In his eyes, they were more reliable than his parents.
It wasn't that he didn't think about selling the gold coins in town, but he realized that the situation would only worsen. In less than half a day, the townsfolk would know that he was the one who sold the shaliuns.
There was no one more suitable than Borkal to sell the shaliuns. Not only would he hide the origins of the coins, he would also do his best to get a good price for Claude.
But at the same time, his three friends were well aware of Claude's financial situation. If there was nothing he needed to spend money on, why would he sell the two gold coins?
Was he supposed to tell them that he was going to Old Monk's Grocery to pick up leftovers?
To put it simply, he wanted to maintain his friendship, but he didn't want his friends to know the truth.
Because he couldn't explain how he saw the diary hidden in the recipe book, and how he got the clue to the treasure in the ruins. He couldn't say that he had magic talent, could he?
After some thought, Claude said, "Boa, I want to keep one of the shaliuns. Can you help me sell the other one?
After all, you all know my father and brother's personalities. I don't want to quarrel with them at home every day just for some pocket money. "
Borkal gulped down a mouthful of brandy. "Alright, I'll help you ask around. I'll definitely get you a good price.
I think my father's friends would need something worth showing off, and a Sullivan gold coin would be a good choice. "
Claude chuckled. "Alright, I'll wait for your news. I'll treat you to a good meal after I make my move."
Borkal and Eriksson drank the most out of the two bottles and soon fell to the ground.
Welikro and Claude only drank a few mouthfuls each and they were still sober.
After dragging the two drunkards to the bottom of the shack and covering them with blankets, Claude and Welikro sat by the bonfire.
The sea breeze was a little strong at night and it felt a little cold. So, Claude put on Eriksson's jacket.
"Why don't you drink at night?" asked Claude.
"I don't feel like it."
Welikro shook his head. "I was careless in not searching the ruins and you almost got into an accident. I don't feel good about it.
I have to be more vigilant at night, just like the two of them. If anything happens, it'll be too late for regrets. "
"You're going to keep watch for the whole night?"
Welikro chuckled. "Yes. Look at the two of them. They're as drunk as pigs. Do you really expect them to stay up for the night?
I doubt they'll be sober by tomorrow morning.
Drinking too much of that brandy gives me a headache. I've had a taste of the stuff my father bought in the past, so I only drank a few mouthfuls. The rest was gulped down by the two of them. "
"By the way, Claude, you didn't drink much last night either, did you?"
"I've never liked to drink."
Claude twisted the branch in his hand so that the flames could roast it evenly. He smiled and said, "It's enough to have a taste. There's no need to drink yourself into a drunken stupor.
Do you know what happens when my father holds a banquet? Many of the guests puke all over the place and I have to clean them up.
The smell disgusts me, so I started to dislike drinking. "
"My father loves to drink too and he gets drunk sometimes.
He's very well-behaved when he's drunk and doesn't throw up or make a ruckus. All he does is find a place to sleep.
But now that my sister is the housekeeper, she won't let my father buy any alcohol. My father can only secretly save up some money to satisfy his cravings, "said Welikro.
Claude was speechless. He was too embarrassed to comment on Welikro's shrewd sister. She was Welikro's relative, after all. He didn't have the right to criticize her.
"You should get some rest too. I'll keep watch here so you can have a good night's sleep." Welikro patted the gun in his arms.
"I don't want to sleep yet," Claude said, "I don't feel sleepy at all.
Let's finish roasting the python meat first and bring it home for Anna and the kid to try.
Actually, we've already gained a lot from our adventure in Egret.
Look, there's deer jerky, python jerky, and those four antelope hind legs. These can all be brought home.
Also, selling the furs and medicinal ingredients will give us some extra money. We won't have to resort to asking for money from our family like we did this time.
I'll be able to clear my debt with you guys and we even got a shaliun for our collection.
We really made the right decision to come here. It's just that holidays like the revival festival are too rare. It'll be hard for us to find another one like this in the future. "
"You went through a life and death crisis in the afternoon. Aren't you afraid?"
"I do feel a little scared when I think about it, but I didn't think about it at all. It was either I killed it or it killed me. It's that simple.
Look, I'm perfectly fine now and I'm roasting its meat. So, what's there to be afraid of after I win? "
"Well said. How about this, Claude? If you're willing and your family agrees, I can ask my father during the winter break to let you hunt with us. What do you think?"
"We'll see. It's only the end of May now and there's still half a year before the winter break. Who knows what will happen then, so there's no point in me agreeing to it now.
Besides, even though my father is a citizen, he's not willing to buy us a gun. I won't be able to practice shooting as often as you do.
As for the academy, there won't be any firearms training until next year. Sigh, if it wasn't for Eyke's gun in the afternoon, I would've been dead for sure … "Claude really wanted a gun of his own.
"Actually, there's another way," Welikro said, "You can find a citizen and buy a gun through him. Register it under his name and get him to be your guarantor. That way, you can legally own your own gun."
"My father will go crazy if he finds out," Claude said, "Also, I don't have that much money to buy a gun."
The topic came to an abrupt end. Welikro knew very well that without Morssen's approval, Claude wouldn't be able to own a gun.
No one in Whitestag would be willing to risk offending the chief executive just to be a guarantor for Claude's gun.
Claude stood up, cleaned the wok, and started boiling water.
Borkal and Eriksson had used the pot to cook the two python fangs, so he had to disinfect it again.
After the water in the pot boiled for a long time, Claude stood up and poured the water away. He cleaned the pot and started boiling water again. He was preparing the water for tomorrow.
After the water cooled, he poured it into a water sack.
Claude poured the water into the pot and tossed in the two deer leg bones he left over from last night before hanging the pot over the bonfire.
"Are you going to cook bone soup?" Welikro asked.
There was still half a bag of flour left. The flour was packed in small five-catty bags and was wrapped in oiled paper.
Claude poured the flour into one of the buckets and scooped some water from the other bucket to mix it.
"I'm going to make some noodle soup in the morning. That should help with hunger. We might be on the ship back in the afternoon, so I'll have to make some more food. Let's have a portion of fried meat for each of us."
Claude used a frying pan to fry some pancakes and cut some meat from the goat's hind legs to fry them before putting them away for lunch on the way back.
He added water to the remaining flour and squeezed it into small pieces with his fingers before tossing them into the pot.
Borkal and Eriksson woke up in the wee hours of the morning. They were either hugging their heads and complaining of a headache or asking for water.
Claude fed them a large bowl of noodle soup each and only calmed down a little. They only woke up after another hour or so. However, the two of them didn't seem to be in good spirits and looked listless.
Claude and Welikro had already started packing their things. They were going back that day, but they realized that the spoils of war were a little too much for the four of them to carry.
"Two buckets, four wooden plates, four wooden bowls, a frying pan, and an iron pot. These are from Old Sunny's fishing boat. We have to bring them back.
Two tents and four blankets. These are our own and we have to bring them back too.
There are also some miscellaneous items and our own backpacks. The rest are spoils of war. One deer hide, two goat hides, one python hide, four goat legs, and python jerky. How are we supposed to bring all of this back? "Welikro was a little troubled." How are we supposed to bring all of this back? "
"We still have to be on guard. How about this? Let's chop down two tree trunks and carry them back. Two of us will carry them and two of us will stand guard. We'll take turns.
We're going down the mountain anyway, so it should be easier than going up. Let's rest a little more if we're tired. "Claude didn't have any good ideas either.
It took them around two hours to go up the mountain, so they didn't expect it to take that long to go down as well.
That was mainly because Borkal and Eriksson would complain about tiredness, pain in their shoulders, and need to rest for a while.
In the end, Claude carried the two buckets with the utensils on them, while Borkal and Eriksson used a tree trunk to carry the spoils of war. Welikro was the only one left to stand guard with his gun.
When they returned to the river, they rested for half a day before they could recover. Eriksson became the captain of the fishing boat once more.
Once the anchor was removed, Claude and Welikro went back to rowing. When the fishing boat left the river, Eriksson recalled that there was still a net left in the lake.