Chapter 145 Mercenary Group Mercenary Group, Autumn Harvest Over, Knight Academy...
"Temuqi".
"Lay! Long time no see! You finally have time to come over. Let me show you my work!"
Lei was warmly received by Timur.
Of course, his studio was still a mess.
Temuqi took out the glass lamp, with a long wire attached to its end.
With a click, the light came on.
Temujin finally succeeded.
"congratulations!"
"Thank you, the idea you gave me really came in handy. I plan to bring the 'switch' to the party this year, and the invention will be credited to both of us. If it wins a prize, can I share it with you for half?"
Temujin smiled broadly. He was confident this would be a hot piece at this year's gathering.
"Don't write my name, use the name 'Edison'."
"ah?"
Temuqi was puzzled.
"I don't want too much attention."
"good."
Lei made up some excuse to brush it off.
The switch was invented by the famous inventor Thomas Edison. Even though he was now in another world, he couldn't very well claim credit for Edison's invention. But ultimately, he still benefited from Edison's legacy, allowing people in this other world to remember that great name.
Lei thought to himself.
"Temuki, when do you usually leave to attend that gathering?"
"When the first snow falls in winter, the guild will tell us the location."
"Could you take me for a walk when we set off? I'd like to visit a nearby town."
Temugi was somewhat embarrassed.
"Don't worry, I'll stop at the first or second stop and won't go with you."
"Okay, no problem."
After hearing Lei's explanation, Temuji readily agreed this time.
The location of the dwarfs' annual gathering is different each year, and the exact location is a secret within the dwarf tribe, strictly forbidden to be revealed to others.
If Ray were to say he wanted to come along, that would be extremely impolite. But if it's just about traveling together, then there's absolutely no problem.
How's your hill doing?
"They are still stockpiling timber and have already cleared a large area of mountainous land."
"Progress is good. The hunting season is almost here, perhaps we can go hunting in the mountains together."
"It's a great honor."
When Temuji extended an invitation, how could Lai possibly refuse?
In terms of both strength and experience, Temuji is far superior to Laiyi. Going with him would definitely give Laiyi more advantages.
"Lay, when are you planning to make hot pot base this year? I really miss that taste."
"There's no butter available; we'll have to wait until winter."
"All right."
The two chatted for a while longer before Ray left.
Temuqi had already dug up and harvested the potatoes and sweet potatoes planted next to his house.
He finally figured out what he had been researching for more than half a year, which swept away the gloom of the previous months and gave him time to tidy up his garden.
The village harvested grain early this year, and the bounty hunter team arrived earlier than usual.
The villagers were busy harvesting wheat, but when Anderson's convoy arrived, they still managed to spare some time to carry their various dried vegetables and fresh produce to the threshing ground.
The little monsters Anderson's mercenary group captured in Eaton Forest last year earned them a lot of money.
Doing this kind of thing is likely to incur the wrath of intelligent monsters, but the greater the risk, the greater the reward.
They were all alone strangers in a foreign land, and it was their own choice to flock into the Eton Forest in droves to embark on an adventure for dozens or even hundreds of times the profit.
“Sheen, let’s disband after this year. I plan to use the gold coins I’ve saved up over the years to open a tavern. Eaton is beautiful, but we’re getting old.”
Sheen was somewhat helpless.
Anderson's condition started to deteriorate after he left Eaton Forest last year.
Speaking of the topic of aging.
Indeed, Anderson's condition has been poor over the past year, with his old injuries flaring up more and more frequently, and he hasn't taken on many missions.
"What about the brothers under my command? Some of them are orphans, and some are seriously injured and disabled. Other mercenary groups simply won't take them in."
“They can stay and help out at the tavern, but this kind of life is unsustainable now. I can only guarantee they won’t starve.”
The cigarette in Anderson's hand flickered on and off.
What's wrong with you?
"I...sigh..."
Anderson took a deep drag on his cigarette and then exhaled a large cloud of smoke.
"Before setting off this time, I did a divination for myself."
Sheehan looked at Anderson with disbelief.
Could it be that he was right? Anderson secretly learned divination.
“Don’t look at me like that, Sheen. You know, my blind grandmother used to be a renowned fortune teller.”
"Please continue, and what was the result?"
Anderson shook his head.
"Oh no, my intuition tells me there's great danger. But I can't refuse a request from a high-ranking nobleman, so I have no choice but to bite the bullet and go for it."
Sheehan patted Anderson on the shoulder, offering him encouragement.
"Let's not take the old route anymore, let's take a safer one."
Anderson said.
"Temporarily change course? Okay."
Sheehan's understanding put Anderson at ease.
“Sheen.”
"Hmm? What's wrong, my beloved commander?"
"Buy more salted eggs from the village last year, they taste better."
"..."
"good."
Lai had heard that a mercenary group had come to the village to buy vegetables. However, he had already sold a lot of vegetables in town this year and didn't intend to compete with the villagers for this opportunity.
He was home alone. After a simple dinner, Lai sat in the yard stringing chili peppers.
This year we grew enough chili peppers ourselves, so we won't need to go to town to buy them when we make hot pot broth in winter.
"Ray, Ray."
Kari stood outside the door with a stranger. Lai felt that the person looked familiar, as if he had seen him somewhere before.
"Ah, Karigo, what brings you here? Is the hunting season about to begin?"
"No, it's not Ray. This is Sheehan, the vice-captain of the Anderson Mercenary Group. He wants to buy some bird eggs from your house."
"good."
Lai remembered who he was; it was this person who had bought a lot of salted eggs from him, making him a small profit.
"Commander Sheen, how much do you need? Would you like me to cook it for you?"
"Hey Lai, how many of those bird eggs do you have at home?"
Lai did the math. He was worried the bird eggs would spoil in the hot summer, so he pickled two jars. After eating some himself and giving some away, he had about seventy or eighty eggs left in one jar.
"It's hard to say, maybe seventy or eighty."
"Then please cook all these bird eggs, as many as you have, I'll take them all. There are quite a few people in our group, and they all really like to eat them."
"good."
Lai keeps a lot of red rockbirds at home. The newly hatched ones have already started laying eggs. They don't lay many, but because there are so many of them, they can basically eat eggs freely.
Salted bird eggs can be pickled whenever you want to eat them. Just wash them and soak them in a fixed amount of salt water. It's not troublesome at all.
"Oh, by the way, Lai's pickles are also very good, you can try them."
Kari casually mentioned it, then secretly gave Lei a look.
"Yes, I also have a lot of kimchi and pickled vegetables here. They can be stored for a long time and taste delicious."
"oh?"
Seeing that Sheen was interested, Rae invited the two of them into the living room.
Before she even entered the door, Tata dashed upstairs in a flash, so fast that only a white blur could be seen.
"The kitten I keep at home is a bit shy."
Ray explained and asked the two to sit down in the living room. Hearing Ray's explanation, Sheehan finally relaxed.
Lai took a knife and plate to the storage room where the kimchi and pickles were kept. He cut a piece of each and put it on the table.
"Try it."
The plate is decorated with various pickled vegetables such as ginger, radish, cowpeas, and small chili peppers. There is also a plate of pickled vegetables made with soybean paste, including cucumbers, cowpeas, chili peppers, cabbage, and other common ingredients, as well as a piece of loofah.
Adding various vegetables directly to the pickling vat would ruin the soybean paste. So, Lai made a separate large jar specifically for pickling vegetables.
Sheen first tried the kimchi, then ate some pickles. Kari didn't stand on ceremony with Lai and ate quite a bit as well.
"how."
Kari asked Sheen, and Sheen nodded.
“Great. I’d like a small jar of pickled vegetables and a small jar of kimchi. Could you please cut them into pieces the size shown on the plate? Name your price, including the cost of the jar, the side dishes, and the labor. Just deliver them to the threshing ground tonight.”
"good."
Rye found two jars that could hold fifteen pounds of water.
"Take a look, is this size of jar suitable?"
"Can."
After finishing their business, the two left. Tata crouched in a small corner of the stairs, observing the commotion downstairs.
He recognized Sheen's scent; it was them who had brought him out of the Great Forest of Eton!
He was afraid that Sheen would find him and take him away again, so he quickly hid.
"Aww!"
Humans!
"Awooooo!"
What is your relationship with them?
Lai couldn't understand Tata's howling, so he assumed he was just hungry and gave him a piece of monster jerky.
"Go eat, I need to get busy."
"Aww, hmph."
Perfunctory, huh.
Lai cooked the bird eggs, packed them with two jars of vegetables, and hauled them to the threshing ground in a small cart.
He didn't ask for much, offering a reasonable price, and Sheen happily completed the transaction with him.
Anderson's mercenary group only stayed for one night before leaving, and the villagers went back to their farm work without any delay.
The autumn harvest came to an end as the villagers worked from dawn till dusk.
Elder Barnet organized the villagers to weigh the grain they were to pay at the threshing ground. Several oxcarts and mule carts then transported the grain to the town, and everything was finally settled.
After a busy year, the villagers once again welcomed the joy of a bountiful harvest.
The threshing ground was filled with the villagers' grain, a golden expanse.
Having learned from last year's experience, Lai stockpiled a lot of wheat straw this year. Whenever someone didn't want it, he would lead his mule cart to the fields to collect it, aiming to get it for free whenever possible.
Neil has been at the academy for almost half a month, and it's time to bring him back after his scheduled break.
Ray drove the mule cart nearby early and, with Mr. Neil's permission, took him away.
It's been half a month since I last saw Neil, and he seems to have lost some weight; the baby fat on his face is gone.
"Brother, I miss you so much."
Neil held back his tears, looking at Ray with teary eyes, like an abandoned puppy.
"I miss you as well."
"real?"
"real."
Neil was happy and sat on the edge of the truck bed, swinging his legs.
How are you feeling at school?
"It's great. The teachers teach us how to ride horses and wield swords, and we also learn courses like imperial history."
Have you made any new friends?
“There are two of us, and we often eat together. Brother, could you bring me some side dishes this time? The food at the restaurant is too bland.”
"good."
The two brothers walked home in the gentle breeze. Ray bought Neil a lot of meat, planning to cook him lots of delicious food.
Unfortunately, the weather turned bad; it started raining the day after Neil returned home. The rain was quite heavy, making it impossible to go out.
Lei and Neil sat in the living room working.
Lai strung up chili peppers, while Neil washed the bird eggs one by one. They'd sold all the salted bird eggs at home, so they had to pickle a new batch.
"Brother, I heard from my classmates last year that we'll have a holiday for the harvest festival. Don't forget to pick me up."
"good."
"Are you allowed to go out normally?"
"Only the last two afternoons of the first week are allowed, but you can't go too far."
"Yes, it's fine."
"Brother, I want to tell you..."
Outside the window, the rain was drizzling, while inside, Neil excitedly recounted his horseback riding experiences.
Neil became much more cheerful after going to the Knight Academy, which is a very good change.
Tata lay on the long table, pretending to sleep, while Neil chattered away the time.
The absence of the scorching heat, though only temporarily, brought comfort and ease to everyone.
"Brother, let's go mushroom picking after the rain stops. It seems we didn't stock up much this year. Especially the wood ear mushrooms, they're so delicious in hot pot in winter."
Okay. Hand that to me.
Lai took a piece of straw, threaded it onto the chili pepper string, tied a knot, and the string of chilies was complete. They just had to wait for a sunny day to hang them outside to dry.
Time always flies when you're resting.
Ray found a nice little jar, picked out Neil's favorite vegetables, and brought him a jar, also giving Neil a silver coin as pocket money.
Neil felt like he hadn't even been home for a few days before it was time to go back to the academy. He reluctantly walked into the academy with his small, stuffed bag on his back.
With the autumn harvest over, construction should begin at the Dwarf Mountain. After informing Iru, Lai sent the goblins to the Dwarf Mountain the next day.
This time, a different batch of goblins went, but Iru was still there.
Lai also asked Iru to help him find four goblins to pick chestnuts and other mountain produce.
His and Lamb's combined strength was limited, and to achieve the desired supply volume, they would ultimately have to rely on more manpower.
Lai and four goblins worked for five or six days straight, bringing back nearly a thousand pounds of mountain produce, including shells.
During this time, Lai cut down a lot of pine branches, and it was almost time to smoke the cured meat.
The shepherd left him four hind legs and half a Gulu beast.
Ever since Mu started supplying his stall with the Gulu Beasts that he raised, after removing certain parts of them, he switched all his meat to that kind.
Although prices have increased somewhat, business remains booming.
This half of the Gulu Beast was specially reserved for him by Mu after Lai had given prior notice.
Actually, apart from the town's minor nobles, there aren't many people like Lai who buy so much meat at once.
There's a reason why Ray bought so much. The Hagrid family has always helped him, and he felt he had to show his appreciation.
Life went on uneventfully until one night when Rae went out hunting, a major event occurred in the empty house.
The moon hung high in the night sky, but the weather remained muggy.
The cicadas, clinging to the prickly ash tree, sang loudly and incessantly, their noise both disruptive and irritating.
It's quite unusual to still have cicadas alive at this time of year.
Tata was incredibly bored at home, so she leaned against the window and watched Little Black bite its own tail and spin around.
Lai went out, leaving it enough food, and Lamb, the family's livestock, would come over twice a day to feed them.
Tata actually wanted to go with them, but Lai didn't let him, saying he would bring back higher-grade monster meat for him. Tata then chose to forgive Lai.
"Aww~"
Ugh... so boring...
Tata wanted to run freely in the forest.
"Click, click."
A faint cracking sound came from within. This did not escape the little monster's sensitive ears.
Tata curiously searched for the source of the sound and discovered it was coming from Ray's room.
He opened the door with practiced ease, and as he approached the box, he noticed the noise was getting louder.
Strange, what's inside?
Tata touched the iron lock on the box with his hairy claws.
Suddenly, the noise stopped. As if it had anticipated something, the little monster jumped out of the room.
With a bang.
The wooden crate shattered, and something appeared in mid-air in the room.
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Author's Note: Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 13:01:23 and 21:12:09 on May 29, 2024!
Thank you to the little angels who watered the nutrient solution: One cup of wine (10 bottles); Cultivating Immortality is Great (1 bottle);
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
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