Chapter 12: Fishing

"A new method of papermaking?"

Old Ford's expression first showed hesitation, then suddenly turned into a look of alarm.

"Master, parchment-making has been passed down for hundreds of years. How could there be any other way to make paper? Besides, building the garden requires a large sum of money. If this so-called papermaking method that the bard mentioned turns out to be nonsense… and fails… our territory's finances will definitely fall short this year..."

"Alright, alright, I'm just doing a small experiment."

Bruno had quite a bit of respect for this loyal and elderly butler and didn't want to embarrass him in public.

"No need to rush to buy more parchment. The papermaking method I'm talking about doesn't require a lot of animal hides. Ford, you should go supervise the commoners drying the seaweed. I'd feel much more at ease knowing you're watching over them. After all, you are the most trustworthy person I have in the Idar territory…"

Hearing Bruno say this, Old Ford was somewhat touched. After all, he had been by Bruno's side since he was just a baby.

Indeed, while the young master could be a bit willful at times, he had never forgotten about him…

"As you command, my lord." Old Ford gave a slight bow.

His back was already hunched with age. He walked off slowly toward the higher rocks, accompanied by a few attendants. His frail figure stretched into a thin shadow under the sunlight.

Bruno stood still, quietly watching him. Once Old Ford had walked far enough, he quietly called for Lobita.

"My lord, you called for me?"

Lobita was completely soaked, with strands of seaweed still clinging to his sleeves, making him look as if he had just rolled around in the ocean.

"What happened to you?"

"Reporting to my lord, I have poor swimming skills. While supervising the serfs gathering seaweed, I accidentally fell in."

"Ah? Something like that happened… Looks like I was careless. You should return to the village and change your clothes before you catch a cold," Bruno said.

"My lord!" Before Bruno even finished speaking, Lobita suddenly knelt on the ground, deeply moved. "You care so much for a lowly servant like me… I don't even know how to repay your kindness..."

Bruno ignored him and continued, "…Then, bring a few experienced fishermen, find a couple of unused boats, and we'll quietly head out to sea to fish. Make sure you don't alert the old butler."

Lobita was dumbfounded, completely at a loss.

Who am I?

What am I doing?

What did my lord just say?

Going out to sea… to fish?

"My lord…"

"Lobita, you were the one who suggested that 'the sea has food,' and while seaweed can fill our bellies, we can't eat it for every meal, can we? Since that's the case, you must take me out to sea to find food. See? I trust you so much..."

"Uh…" Lobita was speechless for a moment. That… did make a little sense.

"But the old butler—"

"Oh, come on. The butler is already old. If you don't say anything and I don't say anything, how would he ever find out? Look, he's already far away." Bruno pointed at Old Ford's distant figure.

"You all wouldn't say anything… right?" Bruno smiled at the guards nearby.

The soldiers looked at each other and quickly shook their heads. "We won't. Definitely won't."

"But—" Lobita hesitated.

"Enough with the 'buts.' If you don't get moving, I'll throw you into the sea to feed the fish!" Bruno pretended to be angry.

...

The small fishing boat rocked violently under the assault of the waves.

Bruno, having been born near the sea in his past life, was not afraid of such rough waters. But poor Lobita was suffering.

For Lobita, being forced to go out to sea and fish was like being thrown into the fire. Worse yet, he was an absolute landlubber.

Kneeling by the side of the boat, he had already vomited several times.

His lord's wild ideas… were simply beyond a normal person's comprehension…

Thinking about this, Lobita suddenly felt a newfound respect for his master's former servant, Shabi.

Compared to his current situation, perhaps… even shoveling poop wasn't so bad after all…

As this thought crossed his mind, his stomach churned again, and with a loud retch, he threw up once more.

Bruno stood a good distance away, watching with mild amusement. "It's normal to get seasick on your first fishing trip. Rest well… Once you've thrown up enough times, you'll get used to it."

In reality, Bruno had no choice.

Fishing from the sea was an essential part of gathering food, and mistakes could not be allowed. But there were very few people he could truly trust. So, Lobita had to do.

"Every time… I have to come along?" Lobita finally caught his breath.

"Of course. You're my most trusted person. And since you were the one who suggested we search for food by the sea, you've earned a reward. This coastline isn't just home to our Idar saltworks. Now, it's responsible for seaweed harvesting and fishing too. Only you… can shoulder such an important responsibility."

Lobita's expression was complicated.

His lord… really did trust him the most!

He was actually being entrusted with such an important task. This was truly… an honor beyond words…

"My lord…" Lobita grabbed the side of the boat and leaned toward Bruno with excitement.

"Stay away!" Bruno quickly dodged to the side. The guy had just thrown up, and his breath smelled awful.

Shoving Lobita aside, Bruno stood at the bow of the boat. Seeing they had sailed far enough from the shore, he signaled for the fishermen to stop.

"Just as I taught you before—get ready." Bruno sat at the front and called out.

The fishermen looked at each other, not knowing what to do.

Finally, one of them stood at the side of the boat, holding a wooden club, and began tapping against the hull.

Thump, thump-thump… thump-thump…

Seeing one person go along with the strange act, the others hesitated no more and quickly followed suit, all rhythmically striking their boats.

After all… when a whole group of people looks foolish together, it doesn't seem quite as dumb…

Thump… thump-thump-thump… thump-thump…

Bruno stared intently at the water, but deep down, he felt a little uncertain.

After all… this did look incredibly stupid…

This method came from a novel he had read on Earth. Supposedly, the principle behind it was similar to sonar, which sounded high-tech. However, Bruno had never actually studied it in depth.

"Let's hope that novel wasn't just making stuff up…"

Bruno silently prayed.