He was first sent to the school gates by his father in a carriage. Then, he hopped into the classroom on one leg with his walking stick and received a standing ovation from his classmates.
The students had gone to see the four-metre-long niros crocodile carcass on the dock yesterday afternoon and evening. Most of them had heard that it was Claude who dealt the fatal blow.
The scene of Claude jumping in with his left foot wrapped in plaster and his two hands holding onto the crutches was very much in line with the image they had of Claude fighting the giant crocodile for three hundred rounds and finally killing it. So, not only did they stand up, they even applauded to express their admiration for Claude's heroic actions.
At least for that moment, Claude had become their hero.
He didn't think that his classmates would welcome him in such a manner. He felt rather flattered by it.
So much so that he was too embarrassed to curse out loud. Clap your ass! Can't someone with good eyesight come over and help me?
Using a cane for the first time wasn't easy for him to master, especially since the distance between the school gate and the classroom wasn't a short one. It was around a hundred meters, not to mention that there was a large field in between.
He dragged himself to his seat in the last row of the classroom with much difficulty and put down his cane. He tossed his backpack into the drawer and raised his hands to express his gratitude to his classmates for their warm welcome. Only then did he sit down quietly and doze off.
It couldn't be helped. Previously, he had been catching up on sleep during literature class, so he had developed a habit of falling asleep the moment he sat in his seat …
A few minutes later, Welikro, Borkal and Eriksson ran into the classroom, panting heavily. Claude's sleepiness immediately disappeared.
"We were waiting for you outside your house in the morning and saw your father send you to the carriage. We didn't dare to greet him and just followed him," explained Welikro.
"There's no need to gather in front of my house in the future. Come to school by yourselves, or the three of you can go to school together."
"At the very least, my father has decided to send me to school every morning before my leg recovers."
Welikro, Eriksson, and Borkal didn't have much of a choice. The main reason they gathered at Claude's house every day was because it was the closest to the school and they were all going the same way. At most, they would only need to take a detour to get there.
Another was that the street in front of Claude's house had the most food stalls in the morning. If they felt hungry, they could buy something to eat and share it with everyone before heading to school.
Now that Claude's father had decided to personally drive Claude to school every morning, the three of them didn't have the guts to ride in the carriage.
It seemed that before he recovered, he would either have to go to school alone or gather a few people in front of his house.
"By the way, did you sell the fish and the crocodile yesterday?" asked Claude.
"Sold it …" Borkal didn't seem to be in a good mood and seemed rather frustrated.
"What's wrong?" Claude asked.
Can't sell it for a good price?
That's impossible. The entire body of a niros crocodile is a treasure. The skin aside, even the meat is a delicacy, let alone such a huge crocodile.
"The crocodile was bought by Sir Fux. He only offered four crowns for it," said Eriksson.
Four crowns was equivalent to 20 thales. It was a decent price for Claude, but why did Borkal look so gloomy?
Sighing, he said with a tearful face, "You guys don't know this, but this crocodile can be sold for a much higher price.
When I got home, my father told me that if this crocodile were to be auctioned off in the prefectural city, it would fetch at least ten crowns.
Other things aside, the skin alone is worth eight crowns! This is a four-meter-long niros crocodile we're talking about!
It's been decades since such a huge crocodile has been hunted in Swamp Kemda! "
As it turned out, Borkal had held an auction at the docks yesterday evening to auction off the niros crocodile. He believed that the most likely buyer would be the owner of the weapon shop, Hans, since crocodile skin was the best material for making leather armor.
Next up was Gilp's Furs. They didn't manage to buy anything the last time and business in town had been declining recently. They should be able to redeem themselves this time.
Apart from that, Wakri and the old tavern's chef, Pjard, were also decent potential buyers. Borkal even wanted to sell the crocodile's skin and meat separately to attract more bidders.
In order not to scare away the buyers and to warm up the atmosphere, Borkal started the auction at ten thales. He believed that as long as there were more bidders, it wouldn't be difficult for the final price to be around thirty thales, which was six crowns or more.
What he didn't expect was that Sir Fux would arrive the moment the price reached sixteen thales.
So much so that the auction was paused, all bowing to Sir Fux to show their respect.
When Sir Fux found out about the auction, he would offer four crowns to buy the niros crocodile and have it made into a specimen. It just so happened that his manor lacked an impressive display. He believed that the four-meter-long niros crocodile would shock all visitors.
Since Sir Fux had made his bid, no one else could compete with him.
Borkal hadn't expected such an outcome and was on the verge of tears. However, no one was willing to offend Sir Fux and bid more than four crowns. In the end, Borkal had no choice but to accept the deal and the auction ended abruptly.
While four crowns sounded like a high price, it was only equivalent to twenty thales.
Claude's father, Morssen, was the chief executive of Whitestag. His monthly salary was three thales, or thirty-six thales a year. Could Morssen afford a four-meter-long niros crocodile with half a year's worth of his salary?
That was impossible. A one-meter-long baby niros crocodile would be more likely.
From a certain perspective, Borkal and the others were robbed. Sir Fux used his influence to prevent the merchants who could afford the crocodile from bidding against him, allowing him to buy it for a low price.
Borkal had no way of expressing his bitterness. He couldn't go back on his word and could only watch in agony as Sir Fux took the niros crocodile away.
Borkal didn't sleep well that night. When his father told him the true value of the niros crocodile, he really wanted to bang his head on the wall.
If he'd known earlier, he wouldn't have started the bid at such a low price. He could've started at six or seven crowns and told them to buy it if they wanted, scram if they didn't. If they couldn't afford it, stay away. That was a niros crocodile that had only been hunted for many years. He would be able to recoup the cost if he made it into a specimen!
"It's all my fault. I should've raised the bid from the start …" Borkal clutched his hair in agony.
The niros crocodile was the result of four people risking their lives to kill it, but it was bought by Sir Fux at a low price due to his carelessness.
Even though he and Eriksson were just bystanders, they were still on the same fishing boat back then.
If Welikro and Claude were done for, the two of them wouldn't be able to escape either. The thought of that made Borkal feel even more frustrated.
"Forget it. Four crowns it is then. We don't mind. He's Sir Fux after all …" That was all Claude could do to console Borkal. Perhaps the lesson this time would teach Borkal a lesson about the role of influence in business.
According to Eriksson's description, almost all the nobles of the town were present at the auction. Everyone knew that Sir Fux was a bully and knew the true value of the niros crocodile.
However, none of them objected to Sir Fux's offer of four crowns. Some even praised Sir Fux for being so considerate, unlike them, who only knew what to do with the skin of the crocodile.
Making it into a specimen was just too amazing. That was what everyone said.
When future visitors saw the niros crocodile specimen in Sir Fux's manor, they would learn about the deeds of the four young crocodile-hunters. That would be a great honor for them.
It was Sir Fux's foresight that allowed their names to spread far and wide. They should thank Sir Fux for paying for the niros crocodile.
"Ptooey!
Do we need him to make a name for us? "Welikro said angrily.
It couldn't be helped. Actually, Morssen and Borkal's father, Rubire, were present at the auction as well, but they didn't say anything.
Morssen didn't mention it to Claude at all when he returned home. Rubire, on the other hand, told his son about the true value of the crocodile and let him experience the humiliation he felt in the face of power. That might be a good lesson for Borkal.
"Alright, let's put this matter behind us. How did the others go?" asked Claude.
"Yeah, they sold pretty well. Pjard bought three egrets and a wild goose. He also picked out half of the fishes from the lake for a total of one thale and three riyases. That's not a low price," replied Eriksson.
"Then, there are still five ducks left, right?"
He remembered that they hunted a total of nine waterfowl. Apart from three egrets and a wild goose, there were also five wild ducks. They probably gave one to each of them and the extra one was given to Pegg. He was quite busy guarding the entrance yesterday.
"That's right. Pjard didn't want the five ducks and Borkal didn't want them because of the auction.
So, I gave two to Kefnie and her sister and gave them half of the longtail swordfish.
As brothers, we have to do something for you. We won't let you lose face in front of Kefnie and her sister, "said Eriksson as he gave Claude a knowing smile.
Claude gaped. "Why did you give them things?"
"Weren't you the one who let them in?"
Eriksson patted Claude on the shoulder with a smile. "It's fine, we understand. You just wanted to show them what you're capable of, which is why you let them in to see the crocodile.
We don't mind the little things they took.
No matter what, Kefnie is a girl you like. As brothers, we're more than happy to help you. We also told her sister about you liking Kefnie and she said that if Kefnie likes you too, she wouldn't object to the two of you becoming a couple. "
"I, I …" Claude wanted to cry. He only let the two sisters in to see the niros crocodile because they were schoolmates. He didn't have any other intentions.
Who would've thought that something like that would happen? Eriksson was just using it as an excuse to make a fuss and let the two sisters take advantage of him.
"Hey, you saw Kefnie's sister, Catherine, yesterday, right? I told you last time that her sister is more beautiful than her. I wasn't wrong, was I? Her figure is amazing. At the docks yesterday, half of the people were looking at the crocodile, while the other half were looking at her sister …" Eriksson was still nagging.