"My father is receiving guests for dinner tonight?" mused Claude with surprise .

"That's right . I heard mom telling my dad that when I was leaving in the morning . He will be eating at your place so he won't be back for dinner . Your father had invited quite a number of people . Even Boa's father will be going . It seems like they're going to have a discussion about something at your house . "

"Is that so . . . " Returning home at that kind of time was indeed rather inappropriate . If his father saw him, he would definitely be asked to serve the guests . It wasn't that there weren't anybody to help out during the dinner . His father would definitely want him to expand his horizons by observing the guests' interactions and also show his face to familiarize himself with the other guests . Networking, as his father usually puts it .

"What are you doing there dazed like that? Put your bag down . Oh, I'll have to go back home to get some mutton, beef and seasoning . You did say that you would be showing your skills tonight and let us experience what real barbecue is about," said Eriksson .

"I said that?"

"Yes you did . Boa and I talked about how there would be a dinner at your house during the third afternoon cla.s.s session and decided that we won't be eating at home . You agreed too . And when Wero said that he would be having barbecue with us, he also said that he won't be going home and would be staying over here . You said that Wero's barbecue last time wasn't good and that you'll show us what real barbecue is about . Don't tell me you forgot already?"

"Well . . . " Claude stroked his head shyly .

To be frank, he didn't really know how he spent the whole afternoon . All his attention was focused on the magical cookbook within his bag and he was only superficially responding to what his friends said . He had forgotten almost everything, even what he promised .

But now, he had to calm down . Since he already got his hands on the cookbook, there was no need to rush back home to read it . Since his father was going to host dinner at home, he wouldn't be able to have any time for himself even if he went back anyway . Instead, he would be dragged to serve the bunch of drunks during the meal .

His father frequently went on about how he ought to expand his horizons and get to know the upper society of the town, much of which Claude considered to be bulls.h.i.+t . The real upper society banquets were those he frequently saw on television in his previous life, with beauties as common as clouds, guests in magnificent dresses and tiaras, interacting politely and enjoying pleasant music and fine wine .

It was definitely not a crude bunch of old men eating heartily around the table, speaking at the top of their voice and drinking with all their might . Some of them would either end up crawling under the table or snore out cold above it . From time to time, there would be those who vomited all over thanks to their low alcohol tolerance . The smell was sure to be unbearable and he would have to clean up after them .

Whatever . I won't be going back, thought Claude . He tossed his bag on the bed and said, "Alright, I'll show you all my skills tonight and let you experience true barbecue . Also, Eyke, see if you have any wings when you go back for the food . Get us some if you do . They will taste great once grilled up properly . "

"Chicken wings? Aren't chickens roasted whole? Why do you want the wings only?" mused Eriksson as he went back .

"Claude, what's up with you during the afternoon? You seem completely out of it," Borkal asked from the bed, "Are you worried about owing us for the cookbook?"

Claude hummed his agreement and nodded . "I don't know why, but I really want to buy the cookbook no matter what when I was at the shop . But I had a bit of buyer's remorse during the afternoon . After all, a silver thale and three riyases is a huge sum for me now, and I even promised to return it in three days . That really unnerved me quite a bit . "

Borkal laughed . "Perhaps you are tied to that cookbook by fate, hence why you had to get it no matter what . I also had an experience like this before in the past . When I was out strolling with my father, I saw a wooden swordfish toy that I wanted to buy no matter what . The shop owner saw that I wanted it badly and asked for a high price and wouldn't settle for cheaper no matter what . My father then dragged me away angrily .

"But when I got back home, I was so troubled over it that I couldn't even eat properly . My head was just filled with thoughts about the swordfish toy . In the end, my mother had no choice but to ask the servant to buy it for a high price for me secretly . Only then was I satisfied . But after a week or so, I lost interest in that toy already and tossed it into the storeroom for it to gather dust ever since .

"My father warned me that doing such a thing is a huge taboo in business . A qualified merchant has to be able to control his own desires . He shouldn't expose what he wants so easily or he'll easily be taken advantage by others . So, I went back to take the toy out and put it on my table as a constant reminder of this lesson so that I don't forget it . "

"Thank you, Boa . I understand now . I will also remember this in the future . " Claude was quite glad that Borkal had come up with such a perfect rationalization for why he had to buy that book no matter what for him .

"Thank you, Boa . I understand now . I will also remember this in the future . " Claude was quite glad that Borkal had come up with such a perfect rationalization for why he had to buy that book no matter what for him .

Borkal sat up from the bed and said solemnly, "Claude, you don't have to take what you owe us to heart . One thale and three riyases is indeed a heavy burden to the current you . It's not that I doubt your ability to pay us back, but I am aware that it will be hard for us to give the money back in such a short time . I hope that you don't do anything stupid to try to return that money to us either and end up being reprimanded by your father . It won't be good for you to affect our plan to go to Egret . "

He waved his hand to stop Claude from speaking and continued, "I already made some calculations and we have already gotten most of what we need . What we need to spend on is the rent for Old Sunny's fis.h.i.+ng boat, which is three riyases and two sunars . That's our largest expense .

"Then, we need some money for food, since we'll be staying there for two days and nights . So, it'll cost around two riyases for some delicious stuff . As for our other expenses, we can save it . We'll just bring some things from our houses to make up for it . Wero and Eyke have both brought their guns, and I have an arbalest at home . I believe that we'll definitely get some good catches on the island with those weapons . We can even rely on hunting to fill our stomachs .

"We'll be needing some medicine next, namely, disinfectant, potions and antidotes . We prepared three riyases to buy those, but I think we can save that amount because if everything goes well during our trip, we wouldn't need them . We can just take some medicinal supplies from home and make do . Eyke can also get some from the first aid box on his family's boat and put them back when we get back .

"The last items on our list are the four bottles of gran wine that cost five sunars each . We were going to get four bottles for two riyases, but I don't think we really need to spend that kind of money . After all, we're going on an adventure to Egret and four bottles of wine is an unnecessary load we don't have to carry . Perhaps it might even affect our hunt . Wero said that animals have a strong sense of smell and can pick up on alcohol from far away, so I think it's best we don't bring any . We did say that we wanted to hunt a few animals to sell their furs for a good price after all .

"All in all, we only really need to worry about the rent for Old Sunny's boat . We can save on most of our other expenses . I think I should be able to get that amount from home . Eyke can also get some from his mother . There's still three days before Friday, so we can still go to Egret as we have planned . So, don't worry about the sum you owe . We are buddies and we won't force you to pay up . "

Claude was truly touched to have good friends like them . Even though he didn't really put the money he owed on his mind after getting the cookbook, that was the funds his friends would use for their upcoming trip to Egret . It would be rather difficult for him to return that amount in three days like he promised .

He would really feel sorry if he did cause them to be unable to go on their trip because of his inability to pay them back . Borkal, Eriksson and Welikro have already been planning the trip for the past ten days and they really hoped to have a great time at Egret and also earn a good catch like Welikro had said they could .

Claude had even planned to ask for money from his father when it really came to it . Even though he would be scolded, if he claimed that he had bought the cookbook for his mother as her birthday present, his father would still give him the money .

Claude had even planned to ask for money from his father when it really came to it . Even though he would be scolded, if he claimed that he had bought the cookbook for his mother as her birthday present, his father would still give him the money .

But if that happened, he would no longer be able to keep the cookbook with him . His father would definitely stash the cookbook safely away and show it off to his guests . That would make it much more troublesome for him to a.n.a.lyze the magical cookbook .

The ideal scenario was for him to hide the existence of the cookbook from his family, or only take it out after he had finished examining it . But the problem was he would be unable to gather enough money within three days . Even though he was a transmigrator, he still hasn't discovered an opportunity to make good money during the half year since he arrived in this world . He was, after all, only a 16-year-old middle-school student .

"Thank you, Boa," Claude said as he couldn't help but hug Borkal, "You really helped me out big time . I was considering begging my father for it if I couldn't get the money in time, but I'll definitely be scolded or even punished if that's the case . And you know about that elder brother of mine . He'll definitely cause a big fuss over it if he finds out, and I don't want to cause so much trouble in the family just to give my mother a birthday present . I was wracking my mind over it during the afternoon . "

After he released Borkal, Claude said sincerely, "I am really thankful for your kindness . But don't worry . I'll definitely pay you guys back as soon as possible . If we have a good haul during our trip, I'll definitely pay you back with my share of the haul . "

Borkal smiled . "We are good friends, brothers . Didn't you say that brothers ought to go through thick and thin together?"

After the four of them finished their satisfying meal, they laid on the jetty and listened to the slos.h.i.+ng of the lake water while looking up at the starry night sky .

"Claude, your barbecue really is magnificent . I didn't know that smoked chicken wings could taste that great . n.o.body back at home liked to eat the wings of the roasted chicken we made . " Eriksson picked at his teeth with a toothpick with satisfaction .

Claude didn't respond and only looked up at the sky with a melancholic expression . He had learned how to barbecue from his boss in his previous life, who said that he had learned how to barbecue Brazilian style after going to the Americas to buy ore for two years . He later went on to use his barbecuing skills to flirt with countless girls .

"You alone ate two out of the four chicken wings we had . I didn't even get one," complained Welikro, pretending to be hurt by it .

Claude didn't respond and only looked up at the sky with a melancholic expression . He had learned how to barbecue from his boss in his previous life, who said that he had learned how to barbecue Brazilian style after going to the Americas to buy ore for two years . He later went on to use his barbecuing skills to flirt with countless girls .

"You alone ate two out of the four chicken wings we had . I didn't even get one," complained Welikro, pretending to be hurt by it .

Eriksson smiled like a fox . "Who asked you to grab the drumstick first because it had more meat? We only had two chickens at home this time . I'll get them to prepare more in the future . "

"Eyke, what do you want to be when you grow up?" asked Claude out of nowhere .

"When I grow up?" Eriksson gave it some thought and said, "I want to be a s.h.i.+p captain just like my father . But the Shark of Red Sea is too small for me . I want to captain a large long-distance s.h.i.+p and sail across the seas . "

"What about you, Boa?"

"Me? I want to take over my father's business and become a successful merchant," Borkal said after a pause, "But I hope that my business will expand all over the kingdom instead of just operating within the three southwestern prefectures . "

"Wero?"

"My father said that I should hunt with him for a few years after I graduate . When I'm 18, I'll join the army to strive to become dignitry . "

"What about you, Claude? You haven't told us what you want to be in the future . "

"Me? I still don't know," Claude said as he watched the stars with longing, "I have a wish: to travel the world . Maybe I want to be an adventurer . But I'm not sure whether it'll come true . "

"My father is receiving guests for dinner tonight?" mused Claude with surprise

"That's right . I heard mom telling my dad that when I was leaving in the morning . He will be eating at your place so he won't be back for dinner . Your father had invited quite a number of people . Even Boa's father will be going . It seems like they're going to have a discussion about something at your house . ".

"Is that so . " Returning home at that kind of time was indeed rather inappropriate . If his father saw him, he would definitely be asked to serve the guests . It wasn't that there weren't anybody to help out during the dinner . His father would definitely want him to expand his horizons by observing the guests' interactions and also show his face to familiarize himself with the other guests . Networking, as his father usually puts it

"What are you doing there dazed like that? Put your bag down . Oh, I'll have to go back home to get some mutton, beef and seasoning . You did say that you would be showing your skills tonight and let us experience what real barbecue is about," said Eriksson

"I said that?".

"Yes you did . Boa and I talked about how there would be a dinner at your house during the third afternoon cla.s.s session and decided that we won't be eating at home . You agreed too . And when Wero said that he would be having barbecue with us, he also said that he won't be going home and would be staying over here . You said that Wero's barbecue last time wasn't good and that you'll show us what real barbecue is about . Don't tell me you forgot already?".

"Well . " Claude stroked his head shyly

To be frank, he didn't really know how he spent the whole afternoon . All his attention was focused on the magical cookbook within his bag and he was only superficially responding to what his friends said . He had forgotten almost everything, even what he promised

But now, he had to calm down . Since he already got his hands on the cookbook, there was no need to rush back home to read it . Since his father was going to host dinner at home, he wouldn't be able to have any time for himself even if he went back anyway . Instead, he would be dragged to serve the bunch of drunks during the meal

His father frequently went on about how he ought to expand his horizons and get to know the upper society of the town, much of which Claude considered to be bulls.h.i.+t . The real upper society banquets were those he frequently saw on television in his previous life, with beauties as common as clouds, guests in magnificent dresses and tiaras, interacting politely and enjoying pleasant music and fine wine

It was definitely not a crude bunch of old men eating heartily around the table, speaking at the top of their voice and drinking with all their might . Some of them would either end up crawling under the table or snore out cold above it . From time to time, there would be those who vomited all over thanks to their low alcohol tolerance . The smell was sure to be unbearable and he would have to clean up after them

Whatever . I won't be going back, thought Claude . He tossed his bag on the bed and said, "Alright, I'll show you all my skills tonight and let you experience true barbecue . Also, Eyke, see if you have any wings when you go back for the food . Get us some if you do . They will taste great once grilled up properly . ".

"Chicken wings? Aren't chickens roasted whole? Why do you want the wings only?" mused Eriksson as he went back

"Claude, what's up with you during the afternoon? You seem completely out of it," Borkal asked from the bed, "Are you worried about owing us for the cookbook?".

Claude hummed his agreement and nodded . "I don't know why, but I really want to buy the cookbook no matter what when I was at the shop . But I had a bit of buyer's remorse during the afternoon . After all, a silver thale and three riyases is a huge sum for me now, and I even promised to return it in three days . That really unnerved me quite a bit . ".

Borkal laughed . "Perhaps you are tied to that cookbook by fate, hence why you had to get it no matter what . I also had an experience like this before in the past . When I was out strolling with my father, I saw a wooden swordfish toy that I wanted to buy no matter what . The shop owner saw that I wanted it badly and asked for a high price and wouldn't settle for cheaper no matter what . My father then dragged me away angrily

"But when I got back home, I was so troubled over it that I couldn't even eat properly . My head was just filled with thoughts about the swordfish toy . In the end, my mother had no choice but to ask the servant to buy it for a high price for me secretly . Only then was I satisfied . But after a week or so, I lost interest in that toy already and tossed it into the storeroom for it to gather dust ever since

"My father warned me that doing such a thing is a huge taboo in business . A qualified merchant has to be able to control his own desires . He shouldn't expose what he wants so easily or he'll easily be taken advantage by others . So, I went back to take the toy out and put it on my table as a constant reminder of this lesson so that I don't forget it . ".

"Thank you, Boa . I understand now . I will also remember this in the future . " Claude was quite glad that Borkal had come up with such a perfect rationalization for why he had to buy that book no matter what for him

Borkal sat up from the bed and said solemnly, "Claude, you don't have to take what you owe us to heart . One thale and three riyases is indeed a heavy burden to the current you . It's not that I doubt your ability to pay us back, but I am aware that it will be hard for us to give the money back in such a short time . I hope that you don't do anything stupid to try to return that money to us either and end up being reprimanded by your father . It won't be good for you to affect our plan to go to Egret . ".

He waved his hand to stop Claude from speaking and continued, "I already made some calculations and we have already gotten most of what we need . What we need to spend on is the rent for Old Sunny's fis.h.i.+ng boat, which is three riyases and two sunars . That's our largest expense

"Then, we need some money for food, since we'll be staying there for two days and nights . So, it'll cost around two riyases for some delicious stuff . As for our other expenses, we can save it . We'll just bring some things from our houses to make up for it . Wero and Eyke have both brought their guns, and I have an arbalest at home . I believe that we'll definitely get some good catches on the island with those weapons . We can even rely on hunting to fill our stomachs

"We'll be needing some medicine next, namely, disinfectant, potions and antidotes . We prepared three riyases to buy those, but I think we can save that amount because if everything goes well during our trip, we wouldn't need them . We can just take some medicinal supplies from home and make do . Eyke can also get some from the first aid box on his family's boat and put them back when we get back

"The last items on our list are the four bottles of gran wine that cost five sunars each . We were going to get four bottles for two riyases, but I don't think we really need to spend that kind of money . After all, we're going on an adventure to Egret and four bottles of wine is an unnecessary load we don't have to carry . Perhaps it might even affect our hunt . Wero said that animals have a strong sense of smell and can pick up on alcohol from far away, so I think it's best we don't bring any . We did say that we wanted to hunt a few animals to sell their furs for a good price after all

"All in all, we only really need to worry about the rent for Old Sunny's boat . We can save on most of our other expenses . I think I should be able to get that amount from home . Eyke can also get some from his mother . There's still three days before Friday, so we can still go to Egret as we have planned . So, don't worry about the sum you owe . We are buddies and we won't force you to pay up . ".

Claude was truly touched to have good friends like them . Even though he didn't really put the money he owed on his mind after getting the cookbook, that was the funds his friends would use for their upcoming trip to Egret . It would be rather difficult for him to return that amount in three days like he promised

He would really feel sorry if he did cause them to be unable to go on their trip because of his inability to pay them back . Borkal, Eriksson and Welikro have already been planning the trip for the past ten days and they really hoped to have a great time at Egret and also earn a good catch like Welikro had said they could

Claude had even planned to ask for money from his father when it really came to it . Even though he would be scolded, if he claimed that he had bought the cookbook for his mother as her birthday present, his father would still give him the money

But if that happened, he would no longer be able to keep the cookbook with him . His father would definitely stash the cookbook safely away and show it off to his guests . That would make it much more troublesome for him to a.n.a.lyze the magical cookbook

The ideal scenario was for him to hide the existence of the cookbook from his family, or only take it out after he had finished examining it . But the problem was he would be unable to gather enough money within three days . Even though he was a transmigrator, he still hasn't discovered an opportunity to make good money during the half year since he arrived in this world . He was, after all, only a 16-year-old middle-school student

"Thank you, Boa," Claude said as he couldn't help but hug Borkal, "You really helped me out big time . I was considering begging my father for it if I couldn't get the money in time, but I'll definitely be scolded or even punished if that's the case . And you know about that elder brother of mine . He'll definitely cause a big fuss over it if he finds out, and I don't want to cause so much trouble in the family just to give my mother a birthday present . I was wracking my mind over it during the afternoon . ".

After he released Borkal, Claude said sincerely, "I am really thankful for your kindness . But don't worry . I'll definitely pay you guys back as soon as possible . If we have a good haul during our trip, I'll definitely pay you back with my share of the haul . ".

Borkal smiled . "We are good friends, brothers . Didn't you say that brothers ought to go through thick and thin together?".

.

After the four of them finished their satisfying meal, they laid on the jetty and listened to the slos.h.i.+ng of the lake water while looking up at the starry night sky

"Claude, your barbecue really is magnificent . I didn't know that smoked chicken wings could taste that great . n.o.body back at home liked to eat the wings of the roasted chicken we made . " Eriksson picked at his teeth with a toothpick with satisfaction

Claude didn't respond and only looked up at the sky with a melancholic expression . He had learned how to barbecue from his boss in his previous life, who said that he had learned how to barbecue Brazilian style after going to the Americas to buy ore for two years . He later went on to use his barbecuing skills to flirt with countless girls

"You alone ate two out of the four chicken wings we had . I didn't even get one," complained Welikro, pretending to be hurt by it

Eriksson smiled like a fox . "Who asked you to grab the drumstick first because it had more meat? We only had two chickens at home this time . I'll get them to prepare more in the future . ".

"Eyke, what do you want to be when you grow up?" asked Claude out of nowhere

"When I grow up?" Eriksson gave it some thought and said, "I want to be a s.h.i.+p captain just like my father . But the Shark of Red Sea is too small for me . I want to captain a large long-distance s.h.i.+p and sail across the seas . ".

"What about you, Boa?".

"Me? I want to take over my father's business and become a successful merchant," Borkal said after a pause, "But I hope that my business will expand all over the kingdom instead of just operating within the three southwestern prefectures . ".

"Wero?".

"My father said that I should hunt with him for a few years after I graduate . When I'm 18, I'll join the army to strive to become dignitry . ".

"What about you, Claude? You haven't told us what you want to be in the future . ".

"Me? I still don't know," Claude said as he watched the stars with longing, "I have a wish: to travel the world . Maybe I want to be an adventurer . But I'm not sure whether it'll come true . ".