The Black Iron Glory
Two lane

Chapter 9

Two lane

Madam Ferd, who had brought Little Blowk into her arms and was busy feeding him milk, expressed her dissatisfaction towards Arbeit. "Arbeit, you are our eldest son, yet you have not carried out your responsibilities as an elder brother and serve as their role model. You don't even bother holding Little Blowk once, and he doesn't like you either and always cries when you get close to him.

"Claude on the other hand has changed a lot since he recovered from his illness. I often saw him reading quietly in a corner and his grades at school also improved. When I met Instructor Weckham from high school when I was out on the streets, he was very complimentary of Claude, he also became much more mature and often helped with chores and took care of his younger siblings. Anna and Little Blowk loved it very much and always asked her to read the story.

"You on the other hand take it with the same attitude and hate it. He is your brother, not your enemy! Arbeit, you are an adult and already have a decent job, but that doesn't mean you can be the boss for your siblings at home. You even treated our house like a hotel and just went back to eat and sleep. Usually, I don't see any traces of you at all! What's even more ridiculous is that you ask Anna to wash your socks and underwear She's only twelve!

"As your mother, I don't want to know where you spend all your salary and I won't ask you to help support the household financially. But at the very least, you could spend some money to hire a maid to wash your clothes, right? Anna doesn't have a strong personality, so she won't turn down a request from you, her older brother. But if Claude finds out about this, I doubt it'll end well for you … "

"Alright, don't talk about it" said Morssen. He turned to his son and said, "Arbeit, I want you to hire a maid to take care of your laundry. You understand what I'm saying?"

Arbeit nodded stiffly. "Understand."

Morssen then took out his beloved pipe made of mulberry-black wood and elephant ivory and a pack of tobacco. He stuffed some into his pipe and lit it with matches. After feeling deeply offended, she leaned back in her chair and decided to have a serious talk with her son.

"Arbeit, the reason I chose this path for you is so that you can become a government official. Before you turn 18, you can enjoy the benefits of a national because I am one. But now, you're 20 and you're considered an adult by law. You can no longer benefit from my national status. Right now, you are just a regular administrative worker. If you want to change your social status, you have to rely on your own efforts and dedication.

I recommend you to Sir Fux in the hope that you will not have to spend more than a decade working on this difficult job to become a citizen like me. With its help, you can reduce that time by at least half, but it goes without saying that you have to make him believe and rely on you first. I'm not going to be able to help you a lot in this and that should depend on your own abilities. I've steered you down the right path, and whether you'll be able to get through it is up to you alone. "

Morssen took another puff and slowly exhaled, letting smoke cover his face. "Claude is different from you. He is a student of physical flow and has an athletic body and good reactions. He is 16 years old and he will graduate at the end of next year. There were still two years before his status changed to that of an ordinary person when he was 18." "Your mother and I have decided to send her to the Nubissia continent after she graduates. Viscount Jerrihausen Van Cruz was the governor of the godfathers of Tyrrsim and Claude. So, Claude would join his unit in the military there to get his help.

"Arbeit, you don't have to worry about Claude taking your share of the inheritance. Although joining the military was the path to glory, it was one filled with danger. People can lose their lives at any time in war .. Just like you, I do not have the slightest adventurous spirit or courage to stand on the battlefield in front of all those firearms. So, I chose to become an administrative officer.

"But joining the military also presents an opportunity for many. If one managed to obtain an impressive feat, one could shorten the time to become a citizen and might even have the chance to be given a noble title. The promotion rate was much faster than that of an administrative official. Maybe Claude will help raise Ferd's household status if he's lucky.

"That's also why I chose to send him to Viscount Cruz. Tyrrsim was a newly occupied area rife with conflict and rebellion. However, the casualty rate there wasn't high, so Claude shouldn't be in that much danger. The kingdom's borders have stretched far and wide over the past two years of war and Nasri is forming yet another anti-Aueras alliance. Almost all the kingdoms and dukes in the continent joined the alliance and I believe that another great territorial war will erupt in two more years. I will send Claude to the Nubissia continent exactly to avoid him having to enlist in this war. "

Morssen put down his pipe and sighed. The unspoken rule of the kingdom was that every student of the physical stream was a reserve soldier. The bill also stipulates that children from any country will return to a more general status after the age of 18. Their parents' national status no longer applies to them and they must serve in the military to gain their status as citizens.

A series of hasty footsteps sounded from below. Claude rushed down with his leather backpack.

“Dad, Mom, I'm out.” He ignored Arbeit as he normally would and pinched the little cheek of Little Blowk's baby before rushing out of the house.

Little Blowk opened his mouth and was ready to cry after being pinched so much. Madam Ferd hurriedly stuffed some fried eggs into it, causing Little Blowk to cough when she discovered the egg felt strange. He had completely forgotten about what his elder brother had just done.

"Honey, eat a lot of eggs and grow quickly" said Mrs Ferd.

"I don't want eggs. That's not sweet." Little Blowk shook his head hard like a Japanese pellet drum.

"Eggs are usually eaten with salt. Since when are they eaten sweet?" He's really shocked.

"Anything, just put some honey and feed it to him. Don't forget to tell him to brush his teeth after he's done," Morssen said as he stood up, "I'm done too, so I'll go to the mayor's office. "

"Oh, Bennie ..." Morssen used his wife's nickname when he removed his hat from the clothes rack. "I've spoken to Laor from the cleaning department and he's going to send someone over there to take care of the waste tank. Give the worker three sunar tips. Also, I'm going to host some guests tonight and someone is going to send something over during the day. Just sign and receive the goods. Although I will receive my guests at home, you just need to arrange it. I've talked to Pjard from the tavern and he'll send someone there to cook. There's no need for you to trouble yourself. "

Madame Ferd nodded. "All right, I know. Don't worry."

. . . . . .

As Claude rushed out of his house, he saw two similarly dressed youths in uniforms waving to him from the shop across the street.

"You're here! Where's Boa?" Claude crossed the road quickly to their place.

The taller, Welikro Fezka, was the son of the hunter, Kubrik. His father was a veteran who participated in two royal wars and was fortunate not to have sustained injuries. However, he also did not manage to cement any achievements for himself. After gaining national status from 15 years of service, he retired and returned home to take a wife. He had a daughter two years later and his wife gave birth to Welikro after two more years.

The one beside him, Eriksson Altroni was a little shorter, but he was really tough. His father was a sailor and his family owned a long-distance fishing boat called the 'Red Sea Wei'. Sometimes, his family's ships were also used to transport goods and they were quite famous in the Whitestag.

"The prayer may arrive later. Did you manage to get the money?" ask Eriksson.

Boa is a nickname, like how Eriksson is called Eyke, and how Welikro is called Wero. Boa was the son of the most famous merchant in Whitestag, Beaver Bodeman. His full name is Borkal Bodeman. The three of them are best friends and classmates of Claude's in high school.

The former owner of the body fell ill partly because of them. Over the winter of last year, the four boys decided to go to the frozen lake Whitestag for ice fishing. It ends with Claude accidentally falling through the ice and into the freezing water. Fortunately, the other three managed to save him and sent him home. Later, Claude fell ill from a strong fever and eventually his body was occupied by a transmigrator. Therefore, the three of them did not dare to go to Claude's house for fear of seeing his parents.

"Yup, I get it. My father gave me a silver thale. What about you guys?" ask Claude.

"I have too. My father threw me a silver thale when I told him," Eriksson said with satisfaction.

"What about you, Wero?"

"My sister said we didn't have much money, so she gave me two goatskins to sell in the shops. He didn't care how much I managed to sell him," Welikro replied in a low, clear voice, dissatisfied with his sister.

Claude had just noticed the sack beside Welikro's leg. Inside there should be two goatskins that his sister gave him.

"My sister said we didn't have much money, so she gave me two goatskins to sell in the shops. He didn't care how much I managed to sell him," Welikro replied in a low, clear voice, dissatisfied with his sister.

Claude had just noticed the sack beside Welikro's leg. Inside there should be two goatskins that his sister gave him.

"Don't worry, Wero," Claude comforted, "Regardless of how much goat skin is sold, you don't have to worry about the cost of riding a horse with the three of us here. Also, as per our plan, we will hire one training horse for the both of us. We'll manage to save half of it that way. "

Since everyone had to pay one thale to rent a horse for personal use, the four of them decided to rent only two. Not only did it save costs, the horse also did not have to sit still when they did not take lessons. After all, they couldn't possibly learn to ride all day. They could use the extra money for something else.

“Hey, I'm here.” The fat borkal ran up to them as he greeted, before he turned to the sidewalk mutton biscuit stall. "I want a biscuit, that one's–"

"Cut it into four pieces!" Eriksson added in haste.

Claude approached Borkal and patted his fat belly. "You came here without breakfast? I think it's time you lost some weight. You won't die if you starve a little."

"Come on," said Borkal as he brushed Claude off, "I woke up late and drank nothing but a cup of tea. Running here on an empty stomach starves me."

"Two sunars, thank you," the shopkeeper said as he came in with the biscuits cut in four.

Each took a piece without hesitation. Only Borkal kept complaining as he paid for it. "You're too far away. You robbed my breakfast."

Eriksson swallowed his bite and said, "I think Claude is right. It's time you lose weight. Eating less will benefit you.