The Black Iron Glory
Preparation

Chapter 14

Whosoever

As they leave Mock's Fishing and Boating Tools, Claude issues a debt of one silver thale and three riyases.

Each small pirate figure costs two sunars, the same as a mutton biscuit would cost, so four of them total cost eight sunars. The silver flower hairpin Claude bought for his sister was more expensive because it was made of pure silver and not silver-plated copper. Wakri asked five riyases for it, which was still a reasonable price.

All that remains is the magic cookbook. Wakri says that she found it in her father's bed and it was one of the things she left for him. Although he did not understand why his father kept the book by his bedside, it was quite clear that it was some sort of antique considering that it was made entirely of leather.

Although it was only a restaurant cookbook, Wakri would not sell it for cheap because it was an antique. So, Claude had to pay two silver thales for it.

During the reign of Stellin X, trading went well within the Aueras and prices were stable. Normally, a normal household produces six sunars a day. In other words, six dollars is enough for a family of six or seven not to worry about food and other necessities. An ordinary worker makes about one or two thales of silver a month, which is about one hundred to two hundred dollars.

Claude's father was the chief secretary of the Whitestag, but his salary was not that high at only about three thales a month. Other allowances and allowances amount to about four to five thales, roughly four to five hundred dollars. However, Morssen's personal investments doubled his monthly income several times.

As for Claude's older brother, Arbeit, he produced about two thales of silver each month after becoming Sir Fux's personal secretary. Although it was not a very high salary, the additional performances he could access thanks to Sir Fux's connections could make him quite a bit.

Moreover, Sir Fux was not a stingy person and always made sure those who served him managed to enjoy some of the benefits he did. So, at times, Arbeit's own salary even exceeded his father's. However, Arbeit has never helped households financially and instead leeches free food and accommodation they provide. Even the annual one-headed sunar tax that he had to pay for the past two years after returning to the common people was settled by his parents.

Although to be honest, the two thales that Wakri charged for the book were not excessive. But even so, it was just an ordinary cookbook and not some kind of famous novel or book worth collecting. Some books sold in city bookstores have six to seven decades of history and cost just a little more than a silver thale.

So Eriksson, Borkal, and Welikro felt that the book was not worth the asking price at all. They quickly tried to persuade Claude not to buy the cookbook. It would be better to buy a good notebook to copy the recipe in it for his mother's birthday gift.

Claude found it very difficult to explain his intentions. He knew that the beast skin recipe book was not a simple antique. It was a magical thing. The two silver thales to it was not at all superfluous. Instead, it felt a bit cheap. It would be 'stealing' according to the saying in his previous life. Not accepting the deal was futile.

But there was no way he could explain it to his friends. Even if he did, they might not need to believe it, as he seemed to be the only one capable of seeing the changes in the cookbook. He might even make his friends think that he lied to them just because he wanted the book.

It was then that Claude understood how restrictive it was to really have no money. For the past half a year after he had moved into this world, he focuses all his efforts on trying to adjust to his new identity and preventing others from knowing it and not considering how he will make any money at all. He was just a 16-year-old high school student after all who had no worries about food or opportunities to spend a fortune.

All he had now were the two riyases his father had given him to buy, and the four sunars his mother had given him as allowance. Although he was able to afford the statues and pirate hairpins, he was far from being able to afford the book.

Borkal on the other hand had a sufficient amount on him. The fee for the horse riding class was given to him for safekeeping and he was the unofficial treasurer of the four of them.

They had already paid the school for the two horses they would rent including the school fees they paid in Welikro's name. They only had about one pale silver left.

However, they had already planned to use it for their adventure in Egret. They just bought a lot of stuff. Even if they put in the eight Welikro riyases he got from selling his skin, Claude and the others could only raise at most one silver thale and two or three riyases.

He decided to buy a cookbook. How could he not learn the secret of magic after moving into the world with the magic world? Even if just mentioning it made people pale, it was not enough to hold back his curiosity.

It was especially so because his mental strength was different from others. As he had read in his past life, he was someone filled with magic talent. He is a magical genius. Perhaps this was the key to the protagonist's life that he had been searching for with great difficulty! Primary cheat!

That magical cookbook was the first opportunity he would come to contact with magic. No matter what, he had to get it, even if it meant murder or arson.

In an instant, Claude simulated countless attempts to sneak into the store to steal the cookbook and burn it to erase all traces of him that had ever been there. He considers his physical abilities worthy and Claude's body high, but thin. After guessing their relative fighting abilities, he gritted his teeth and made up his mind.

Really joke. Kill and burn for the sake of cookbooks. It was just an unreliable idea that came to his mind. Even his father, the Whitestag chief secretary, has said that the dock slums are one of the most dangerous areas in the city. For Wakri to be able to operate such a large store here means he has a way to deal with unwelcome visitors. This was a shop that had been running for three generations and was not something that anyone could mess with without consequences. Putting aside barging in to rob him at midnight, he would not even have the chance to steal it. He may end up being one of the many people missing in the Whitestag.

But his friends are true friends. Upon seeing that Claude had taken a decision about it, Borkal and Eriksson no longer tried to get him out and went to bargain with Wakri about it. After a big quarrel, they chose a silver thale and three sunars for the cookbook.

In addition, Claude used the rest of the money he had to buy silver hairpins and four pirate statues. Borkal and the others also bought many other items there, such as gunpowder, bullets, sulfur, and lime powder, items they needed for the trip. They also bought some other tools like ropes or hooks that cost a total of about four riyases. In the end, the four of them only had about two sunars left, enough for a mutton biscuit.

As the four of them enjoyed the mutton biscuits together, Eriksson suddenly said, "Ah, we should go back to school!" They forgot that there was still an afternoon session to attend.

After they rushed through the back wall of the school, they placed the items they bought in their classrooms only to be caught by their homeroom teacher. That's because they have physical flow classes and they should be in the gym or on the field not in the classroom. So, it was quite interesting for the four of them to enter the empty classroom.

These four cretins must have forgotten the time when they were out messing around, thought their class instructor, Weckham. He was well aware that they had gone through the back wall of the school.

If they return before the break ends, Weckham will pretend not to notice. However, they only returned after the first period of the afternoon session. It was a blatant insult to the school rules.

So, he punished them for being angry. "Your four! Go to the fields and run the rounds! Do not stop until the class session is over! Don't slack! I'm watching you!"

The four of them had no choice but to run around the fields for 20 consecutive minutes. Although they wanted to run slower, Weckham would shout at them as soon as they did. By the time the school bell rang to mark the end of the session, the four of them were completely covered in sweat and felt like they were collapsing in the fields immediately.

A 20-minute break between classes does allow them to rest and catch their breath. What followed was their swordsmanship lesson. Claude had lost focus since the beginning of the class and was almost struck on the forehead by the Welikro wood training sword. Although he was fine, Welikro was struck by the accident that almost happened.

Claude thought of the magic cookbook he put in his bag the whole time. He couldn't wait to rush home and shut himself in his room with a book to check out the secret of the blue Hez script.

After enduring three grueling class sessions, Claude is detained by Borkal as the four of them must bring the items they bought back to their secret base. On Friday when their break time is finally about to begin, they will move their belongings to the Old Sunny's sole sailing ship. The four of them could then go to Egret for their adventure.

Claude thought of the magic cookbook he put in his bag the whole time. He couldn't wait to rush home and shut himself in his room with a book to check out the secret of the blue Hez script.

After enduring three grueling class sessions, Claude is detained by Borkal as the four of them must bring the items they bought back to their secret base. On Friday when their break time is finally about to begin, they will move their belongings to the Old Sunny's sole sailing ship. The four of them could then go to Egret for their adventure.

The secret base was located on the west bank of the lake not far from the dock slums. However, the wharf slums are used to the public while Claude and other secret bases are located near the Eriksson family's private jetty where a long-distance fishing boat, the Shark of Red Sea, is docked.

There was a house built of stone and wooden beams on the dock and it was used as a warehouse and a place where the sailors could rest temporarily. Inside was one small room that Claude and the others claimed to be their secret headquarters. As the young master of the Shark of Red Sea, no one dared to oppose Eriksson to use the room. Even his father Captain Altroni ignored him after a futile effort reprimanded him.

The distance to Eriksson's house near their private dock is quite a distance. Train travel usually costs five fennies per person, which is about 50 cents, and the four of them combined cost two sunars.

But considering they were broke, they had to rely on their own two feet.

They arrived at their destination half an hour later and Borkal collapsed on the only bed in the room. The hard workouts during the physical classes in the afternoon and their long commute have drained his energy.

Welikro still looked rather energetic and he went to the lake with a small wooden bucket and fishing rod.

Claude on the other hand was very anxious and wanted to handle everything before rushing home, only for him to be stopped by Eriksson. "Where are you going? Your father has received a guest tonight, and my father has also joined. Your house is going to be really messed up right now, so you better not join.

"I told the guard, Uncle Peg, to get us some metal and coal racks. I'm going home to get some food. The four of us will have a barbeque here tonight. Didn't you see that Wero went fishing ? We'll count on you later. "