Black Iron's Glory Chapter 26

It was dinnertime .

Arbeit wasn't there and Claude didn't have the slightest idea where he could be .

His mother had already finished and brought the yawning Little Blowk upstairs . She said that the young boy had a great time playing with the slightly elder girl next door and didn't take an afternoon nap, which showed from how early he went to sleep .

Angelina had also finished her meal . She acted really quickly and was already washing the plates gathered up in the kitchen . That was the part about his sister Claude really liked . She was delightable and precocious . Despite being only twelve, she already knew how to help out with the household chores .

Claude's father leaned back in his chair for his post-meal puff and seemed as if he was thinking about something huge and complicated like national policy or philosophy .

Claude put down the silver utensils in his hand and took a small linen cloth from the stack on the table to wipe his mouth . He had finally finished his meal . His mother had made some bony beef stew . Even though it could be bought for cheap from the butcher's, it was Claude's favorite dish . However, biting around the bone took some time, so he was the last one to finish .

After carrying his plates to the kitchen for his sister to clean, Claude went back to the dining table and prepared to talk to him about a serious matter .

"Father, tomorrow is Friday and we have the afternoon session off . I, Eyke, Boa and Weri are planning to go to Lake Balinga to fish and we have already rented Old Sunny's single-sail fishing boat . We will also be camping by the lake through the night in hopes for a better catch . So, I won't be coming home during the next two days . "

There was no choice . Since he had already decided to head to Egret for an adventure, he had to make an excuse to hide it from his parents . Going fishing at Lake Balinga was a great excuse . After all, they were youths who lived beside a lake that wasn't too far away from the sea and had no trouble swimming at all .

The time when the old Claude fell into an ice hole and fell sick only to have his body taken by the transmigrator was a whole different issue . That wasn't because he couldn't swim well, but rather because of the cold weather that caused him to wear too many layers of clothes . His body also wasn't prepared for the sudden change in temperature, which caused his muscles to spasm uncontrollably when he fell in the ice hold . Had it not been for Welikro and the rests' quick reaction to grab onto his clothes, the transmigrator might not have found a good target to go into at all .

Additionally, fishing was also a great way to make additional pocket money . It was common for the youths of Whitestag to rent fishing boats for a few days to make some extra cash, so it was nothing to make a big deal out of . People like Claude who rented fishing boats weren't all that rare either, but they required some luck as without guidance from an experienced captain and fisherman, rookies wouldn't be able to find traces of fish and their schools in the lake as it was truly too large .

Morssen put down the black, ivory pipe and looked at his son . "Do you lack money? Why do you want to go fishing like the others?"

Claude nodded . "Yes . I bought something and now I owe Boa, Eyke and Wero some money . So, I want to use the two days of vacation to fish and make it back . If I'm lucky, I'll be able to pay it back right after that . "

"How much do you owe?"

"Not much, only one thale and three riyases . "

"What did you buy and where did you buy it? What sort of thing costs this much money?" Morssen really wanted to know whether this son of his was scammed by anybody . A 16-year-old youth like him had already spent the monthly income of a peasant youth on something he bought . If he really was scammed, then Morssen, the chief secretary of the town, would go ahead to teach that scammer some rules . The act of scamming his son was an affront to his authority .

Claude shook his head . "Father, don't worry . I wasn't tricked or scammed . I bought this from Mock's Goods, oh, it's called Mock's Fishing and Boating Tools now . The late owner, Pijak, managed to obtain a cookbook made of beastskin that seems to have over a hundred years of history . I believe that it's passed down by some noble household .

"It should be an antique cookbook, given its intricate appearance . There are also 17 delicious recipes . Since mother's birthday is next month, I bought it to gift it to her . However, the current owner Wakri wanted to charge two thales for it . It was thanks to Boa and Eyke that I managed to get it for the price of one thale and three riyases . They also helped me pay for it . "

Morssen didn't appear to be moved . "Show me that cookbook . I think I would know better whether it's an antique or it's worth money . "

Claude went upstairs to get the magical cookbook .

Since the diary hidden within had been copied down by him and decoded, the cookbook was no longer of much use to him . Additionally, the contents on the last page was a little too eerily coincident, making Claude feel a little unsettled . It was as if that cookbook had so mysteriously ended up in his hands instead of everyone else it could've ended up with . It so happened that he was able to discover the secrets within as well .

Currently, all he could think of was to get the cookbook off his hands as soon as possible . Not only was it not that useful for him, it could even bring him quite a bit of trouble . If there were a person who could read the hidden diary within in the future, they would guess that Claude, the one who bought the cookbook, could possibly read the words within as well, which meant that he had talent for magic .

The thought of that caused his hair to rise . He had also said that he bought the cookbook to gift to his mother . Apart from his three friends, Wakri was also there to hear it . Who knew whether they'd tell it to other people? While he could keep it in the short term, people would start to suspect if his mother didn't get it during her birthday .

After all, what reason would he have to keep the cookbook like it was his treasure? He didn't cook, so there was no point for him to own it, unless there was something else about that cookbook that caused Claude to hold onto it .

In some sense, Claude was a little paranoid . After all, he had transmigrated into a completely foreign world and had turned from a man in his thirties to a 16-year-old youth . So, he had always paid attention to whether his behavior was oddly different from others', whether his speech sounded right, and so on . The more he thought about these, the more often his train of thought would go in a bad direction .

Fortunately, he wasn't permanently in that state . As long as he dealt with the matter that bothered him, his mental state would return to normal right away .

He handed his father the cookbook . "This is the one . "

Morssen received it and gave it a sniff, before opening the glasses box on the table and wearing his glasses, which could also be used as a magnifying glass, to closely inspect the beaastskin cover of the cookbook .

After a good while, Morssen finally removed his glasses and nodded with satisfaction . "This Wakri does have the trustworthiness of a proper merchant . He doesn't trick others like those smaller hawkers . This cookbook is indeed an antique and the price of one thale and three riyases is not expensive . "

After a good while, Morssen finally removed his glasses and nodded with satisfaction . "This Wakri does have the trustworthiness of a proper merchant . He doesn't trick others like those smaller hawkers . This cookbook is indeed an antique and the price of one thale and three riyases is not expensive . "

"That's what I thought too," Claude agreed, "Mainly, it is made entirely out of beastskin and seems really grand . I think it could've belonged to some noble household that was exterminated during the kingdom's reformation . It was probably used for the banquets they hosted and it ended up in Mock's Goods one sale after another .

"It was because of that and the 17 recipes for delicious dishes within that I thought of buying it for mother as a birthday present . I believe that mother will be elated when she sees this . "

Claude attempted to take the cookbook placed on the desk before his father . As he expected, Morssen stretched out his hand and put it on the cookbook .

Morssen cleared his throat before shaking to Claude . "Claude, we are really glad that you are such a filial son . However, you're still young and don't have any income . So, we won't expect you to buy us any expensive gifts during our birthdays . It's enough that you hold that intention .

"This cookbook is indeed a wonderful gift for your mother . But it is also an antique, so it would be a waste to put it in the kitchen for your mother to learn the recipes from it . That would also damage the cover and beastskin inside easily . So, I've decided to keep this in the study to preserve it . Naturally, if your mother wants to learn the recipes, you can make her a hand copy, which would arguably be more meaningful to her as a gift . "

"But father, I still owe them money for this cookbook," said Claude unwillingly .

Morssen took out the gold-laced, black deerskin money pouch and took out two thales . But after some thought, he put one back and put the remaining thale on the table .

"How about this . . . You spent one thale and three riyases on this cookbook . I'll cover the thale for you, so the three riyases you spent is your gift to your mother . Copy this cookbook one more time and give it to her as a birthday present . Is that alright?"

"I suppose it is . . . " Claude almost fainted . He was experiencing the stinginess of his father first hand .

"But I'll need to get a good notebook and a good cover for the surface as well! I don't have any money on me now," said Claude as he gave his father a troubled look .

"But I'll need to get a good notebook and a good cover for the surface as well! I don't have any money on me now," said Claude as he gave his father a troubled look .

"Didn't I give you two riyases some time ago for you to buy books with?"

"I bought that pure silver hairpin for Anna and four pirate figurines for Little Blowk . I already used it up . "

"Look at you . . . " Morssen breathed a long sigh and lectured, "You're already grown up, but you spend money without much thought and planning . You only pay out and buy whatever catches your fancy . Anna's still young, so what good would such an expensive hairpin do for her? A copper one that cost a few sunars would be enough . And Little Blowk either breaks his toys or gets bored of them after a few days, so there's no need to buy new ones for him .

"I know you love your younger siblings, but you can't spoil them like that . I gave you that money to buy books, not gifts for them . Think well about what you did . Spending money always feels good and your siblings are also glad to receive the gifts . But where are the books you promised me you bought? You shouldn't go back on your word . This is the most basic quality a man should have . "

Claude finally realized what was going on . His father had long realized where he spent his money . He was only making a teachable moment out of  this .

"Whatever, one thale it is then," Claude muttered, "I'll just go fishing over the next two days . If I'm lucky, I'll be able to sell my catch for a good price and I'll have the money I need to buy books . I didn't say that I wouldn't go buy more books, right?"

"Sigh, stubborn as usual," Morssen said as he took out a riyas from his money pouch, "It's not that I don't want to give you that extra silver thale, but your behavior right now suggests that you'll buy whatever you want whenever you have money . You don't seem to know how to spend your money wisely yet . You'll ask us for money whenever you use it up and if this goes on, not only would you not develop a habit to save, you'll also ruin become a disgrace of the family who only knows how to spend out of habit .

"I only have a salary of three thales a month, so I only make a riyas a day from my work . Money doesn't come easy for us parents, but we spend it willingly on our children nevertheless . But, I still hope that you will spend your money carefully and don't buy anything if you don't have to . You must plan your purchases well . Take this riyas and consider my day of work gone . "

Claude pouted and stretched his hand out to take the silver and copper coins on the table as he thought, Don't think I don't know about your other income sources . . . If we really only counted on your monthly salary as a public servant, our family would have long starved to death!

"Father! Why are you giving him money?!"

.  .

It was dinnertime

Arbeit wasn't there and Claude didn't have the slightest idea where he could be

His mother had already finished and brought the yawning Little Blowk upstairs . She said that the young boy had a great time playing with the slightly elder girl next door and didn't take an afternoon nap, which showed from how early he went to sleep

Angelina had also finished her meal . She acted really quickly and was already washing the plates gathered up in the kitchen . That was the part about his sister Claude really liked . She was delightable and precocious . Despite being only twelve, she already knew how to help out with the household chores

Claude's father leaned back in his chair for his post-meal puff and seemed as if he was thinking about something huge and complicated like national policy or philosophy

Claude put down the silver utensils in his hand and took a small linen cloth from the stack on the table to wipe his mouth . He had finally finished his meal . His mother had made some bony beef stew . Even though it could be bought for cheap from the butcher's, it was Claude's favorite dish . However, biting around the bone took some time, so he was the last one to finish

After carrying his plates to the kitchen for his sister to clean, Claude went back to the dining table and prepared to talk to him about a serious matter

"Father, tomorrow is Friday and we have the afternoon session off . I, Eyke, Boa and Weri are planning to go to Lake Balinga to fish and we have already rented Old Sunny's single-sail fishing boat . We will also be camping by the lake through the night in hopes for a better catch . So, I won't be coming home during the next two days . ".

There was no choice . Since he had already decided to head to Egret for an adventure, he had to make an excuse to hide it from his parents . Going fishing at Lake Balinga was a great excuse . After all, they were youths who lived beside a lake that wasn't too far away from the sea and had no trouble swimming at all

The time when the old Claude fell into an ice hole and fell sick only to have his body taken by the transmigrator was a whole different issue . That wasn't because he couldn't swim well, but rather because of the cold weather that caused him to wear too many layers of clothes . His body also wasn't prepared for the sudden change in temperature, which caused his muscles to spasm uncontrollably when he fell in the ice hold . Had it not been for Welikro and the rests' quick reaction to grab onto his clothes, the transmigrator might not have found a good target to go into at all

Additionally, fishing was also a great way to make additional pocket money . It was common for the youths of Whitestag to rent fishing boats for a few days to make some extra cash, so it was nothing to make a big deal out of . People like Claude who rented fishing boats weren't all that rare either, but they required some luck as without guidance from an experienced captain and fisherman, rookies wouldn't be able to find traces of fish and their schools in the lake as it was truly too large

Morssen put down the black, ivory pipe and looked at his son . "Do you lack money? Why do you want to go fishing like the others?".

Claude nodded . "Yes . I bought something and now I owe Boa, Eyke and Wero some money . So, I want to use the two days of vacation to fish and make it back . If I'm lucky, I'll be able to pay it back right after that . ".

"How much do you owe?".

"Not much, only one thale and three riyases . ".

"What did you buy and where did you buy it? What sort of thing costs this much money?" Morssen really wanted to know whether this son of his was scammed by anybody . A 16-year-old youth like him had already spent the monthly income of a peasant youth on something he bought . If he really was scammed, then Morssen, the chief secretary of the town, would go ahead to teach that scammer some rules . The act of scamming his son was an affront to his authority

Claude shook his head . "Father, don't worry . I wasn't tricked or scammed . I bought this from Mock's Goods, oh, it's called Mock's Fishing and Boating Tools now . The late owner, Pijak, managed to obtain a cookbook made of beastskin that seems to have over a hundred years of history . I believe that it's passed down by some noble household

"It should be an antique cookbook, given its intricate appearance . There are also 17 delicious recipes . Since mother's birthday is next month, I bought it to gift it to her . However, the current owner Wakri wanted to charge two thales for it . It was thanks to Boa and Eyke that I managed to get it for the price of one thale and three riyases . They also helped me pay for it . ".

Morssen didn't appear to be moved . "Show me that cookbook . I think I would know better whether it's an antique or it's worth money . ".

Claude went upstairs to get the magical cookbook

Since the diary hidden within had been copied down by him and decoded, the cookbook was no longer of much use to him . Additionally, the contents on the last page was a little too eerily coincident, making Claude feel a little unsettled . It was as if that cookbook had so mysteriously ended up in his hands instead of everyone else it could've ended up with . It so happened that he was able to discover the secrets within as well

Currently, all he could think of was to get the cookbook off his hands as soon as possible . Not only was it not that useful for him, it could even bring him quite a bit of trouble . If there were a person who could read the hidden diary within in the future, they would guess that Claude, the one who bought the cookbook, could possibly read the words within as well, which meant that he had talent for magic

The thought of that caused his hair to rise . He had also said that he bought the cookbook to gift to his mother . Apart from his three friends, Wakri was also there to hear it . Who knew whether they'd tell it to other people? While he could keep it in the short term, people would start to suspect if his mother didn't get it during her birthday

After all, what reason would he have to keep the cookbook like it was his treasure? He didn't cook, so there was no point for him to own it, unless there was something else about that cookbook that caused Claude to hold onto it

In some sense, Claude was a little paranoid . After all, he had transmigrated into a completely foreign world and had turned from a man in his thirties to a 16-year-old youth . So, he had always paid attention to whether his behavior was oddly different from others', whether his speech sounded right, and so on . The more he thought about these, the more often his train of thought would go in a bad direction

Fortunately, he wasn't permanently in that state . As long as he dealt with the matter that bothered him, his mental state would return to normal right away

He handed his father the cookbook . "This is the one . ".

Morssen received it and gave it a sniff, before opening the glasses box on the table and wearing his glasses, which could also be used as a magnifying glass, to closely inspect the beaastskin cover of the cookbook

After a good while, Morssen finally removed his glasses and nodded with satisfaction . "This Wakri does have the trustworthiness of a proper merchant . He doesn't trick others like those smaller hawkers . This cookbook is indeed an antique and the price of one thale and three riyases is not expensive . ".

"That's what I thought too," Claude agreed, "Mainly, it is made entirely out of beastskin and seems really grand . I think it could've belonged to some noble household that was exterminated during the kingdom's reformation . It was probably used for the banquets they hosted and it ended up in Mock's Goods one sale after another

"It was because of that and the 17 recipes for delicious dishes within that I thought of buying it for mother as a birthday present . I believe that mother will be elated when she sees this . ".

Claude attempted to take the cookbook placed on the desk before his father . As he expected, Morssen stretched out his hand and put it on the cookbook

Morssen cleared his throat before shaking to Claude . "Claude, we are really glad that you are such a filial son . However, you're still young and don't have any income . So, we won't expect you to buy us any expensive gifts during our birthdays . It's enough that you hold that intention

"This cookbook is indeed a wonderful gift for your mother . But it is also an antique, so it would be a waste to put it in the kitchen for your mother to learn the recipes from it . That would also damage the cover and beastskin inside easily . So, I've decided to keep this in the study to preserve it . Naturally, if your mother wants to learn the recipes, you can make her a hand copy, which would arguably be more meaningful to her as a gift . ".

"But father, I still owe them money for this cookbook," said Claude unwillingly

Morssen took out the gold-laced, black deerskin money pouch and took out two thales . But after some thought, he put one back and put the remaining thale on the table

"How about this . You spent one thale and three riyases on this cookbook . I'll cover the thale for you, so the three riyases you spent is your gift to your mother . Copy this cookbook one more time and give it to her as a birthday present . Is that alright?".

"I suppose it is . " Claude almost fainted . He was experiencing the stinginess of his father first hand

"But I'll need to get a good notebook and a good cover for the surface as well! I don't have any money on me now," said Claude as he gave his father a troubled look

"Didn't I give you two riyases some time ago for you to buy books with?".

"I bought that pure silver hairpin for Anna and four pirate figurines for Little Blowk . I already used it up . ".

"Look at you . " Morssen breathed a long sigh and lectured, "You're already grown up, but you spend money without much thought and planning . You only pay out and buy whatever catches your fancy . Anna's still young, so what good would such an expensive hairpin do for her? A copper one that cost a few sunars would be enough . And Little Blowk either breaks his toys or gets bored of them after a few days, so there's no need to buy new ones for him

"I know you love your younger siblings, but you can't spoil them like that . I gave you that money to buy books, not gifts for them . Think well about what you did . Spending money always feels good and your siblings are also glad to receive the gifts . But where are the books you promised me you bought? You shouldn't go back on your word . This is the most basic quality a man should have . ".

Claude finally realized what was going on . His father had long realized where he spent his money . He was only making a teachable moment out of  this

"Whatever, one thale it is then," Claude muttered, "I'll just go fishing over the next two days . If I'm lucky, I'll be able to sell my catch for a good price and I'll have the money I need to buy books . I didn't say that I wouldn't go buy more books, right?".

"Sigh, stubborn as usual," Morssen said as he took out a riyas from his money pouch, "It's not that I don't want to give you that extra silver thale, but your behavior right now suggests that you'll buy whatever you want whenever you have money . You don't seem to know how to spend your money wisely yet . You'll ask us for money whenever you use it up and if this goes on, not only would you not develop a habit to save, you'll also ruin become a disgrace of the family who only knows how to spend out of habit

"I only have a salary of three thales a month, so I only make a riyas a day from my work . Money doesn't come easy for us parents, but we spend it willingly on our children nevertheless . But, I still hope that you will spend your money carefully and don't buy anything if you don't have to . You must plan your purchases well . Take this riyas and consider my day of work gone . ".

Claude pouted and stretched his hand out to take the silver and copper coins on the table as he thought, Don't think I don't know about your other income sources . If we really only counted on your monthly salary as a public servant, our family would have long starved to death!.

"Father! Why are you giving him money?!".

Chapter end