Chapter 4: Memories of Provence

Not far from the Port Authority, there was a two-story stone-and-wood house with a high-ceilinged first floor. The outer wall of the first floor was built of stone, while the second floor was assembled from wooden planks. The sloping roof was covered with thin slates, and under the slates was pressed a kind of dried seaweed. This style of house was considered a model in the harbor; residents with some savings all built their houses in a similar way.

Whenever he saw this kind of house, George always wondered if he should bring out the technology for firing bricks and tiles as soon as possible. However, George only knew the basic principles of firing bricks and tiles; he knew nothing about the specific operations.

Since the incident at the paper mill, he had held a cautious and skeptical attitude toward the feasibility of a series of technologies from before his transmigration under current conditions. It was not every time that one could gain something in the east after losing in the west, like what happened with papermaking; such a thing was unlikely to happen again. Multiple failures might damage the prestige he had worked so hard to build. After all, he was not a true Lord yet, nor did he have any impressive Military Merit. His young age and natural baby face could not give his subordinates enough confidence; to use a saying from before his transmigration, “a man without a beard cannot be trusted to handle affairs.”

The biggest difference between this house and others was that the first floor of this room only had three walls. The side facing the pier only had three wooden pillars. Hanging on the pillar on the right was a wooden sign painted with a bowl, a spoon, and a wine glass, showing that this was a Tavern.

George led Baroman into this Tavern. Near the sign was a wooden counter, and behind the counter was a closed kitchen. The stout proprietress, Jill, was busy collecting coins from the paying customers, while shouting the dish names to the kitchen in her bold voice.

It was nearly lunchtime, and the waitresses in the dining hall were very busy. Although the outfits of these maids seemed very revealing to the people of this world, they were just low-cut tops and short skirts. As for their looks, one could only say they were not ugly; as for their figures, they mostly suited the tastes of those who liked skinny girls. Their extra income mostly came from sailors who hadn’t tasted meat for a long time and some Adventurers with unique tastes. Of course, this mostly had to wait until the restaurant closed or during the free time between meals.

Walking into the Tavern, one would discover that this place was different from Taverns in ordinary cities. The open walls brought in good lighting, and the gentle sea breeze blew into the Tavern along those three pillars and flowed out from the windows on the opposite wall. Bright light, fresh air, and just-right furnishings made the first floor of the Tavern give off a unique warm atmosphere.

“Aunt Jill, two specials,” George said, tossing a Gold Coin over.

“Oh! The little Young Master from the city.” Jill caught the Gold Coin with an agility that didn’t match her body shape, her face full of smiles. “Two portions.” Saying this, she looked behind George.

“Lord Port Officer, welcome to our ‘Dexamethasone’.” Proprietress Jill immediately put on a fawning expression. “Please go upstairs, both of you.”

Looking around, on several small round tables on the first floor, a group of shirtless, strong men were sitting in twos and threes. They were unkempt, their clothes were covered in filth, and some even had faint traces of dried blood.

They drank boldly, bragged loudly, flirted wantonly with the waitresses, and occasionally took advantage of them with their hands. It seemed they wanted to completely vent the depression in their hearts before going out to sea. They made the atmosphere in the Tavern very noisy.

In a corner nearby, there were a few guests who were relatively neatly dressed. They wore common explorer clothes, and the weapons placed within easy reach showed that they were Adventurers. Judging by the situation, they were most likely on a mission; otherwise, in most cases, they would have joined the ranks of those sailors.

“When I left, it had been raining on and off for almost a month in North Disk Port.”

“Fake, right? How could it rain for that long?”

“Really, I’m not lying to you. If the rain hadn’t made loading ships inconvenient, there would be a lot more ships coming here.”

“I’m afraid it’s not just a lot more. Before coming here, it also rained frequently in Curtis Port and Joklai Port.”

“It’s all because of those damn pirates, otherwise we wouldn’t have to stay here.”

“Oh, you probably have a lover in a port in The South, right?”

“Look at what you’re saying, the pay for short trips is still a bit less.”

“But the risk is smaller too. Are you that short of money?”

“To be honest, I was lucky this time. I didn’t encounter pirates when going north, but there were fishmen attacking the fleet, but they were all repelled.”

“Really, why are there both fishmen and pirates this year?”

Amidst the laughter and cursing of the sailors, George and Baroman clattered up the stairs to the second floor.

Compared to the first floor, the environment on the second floor was much quieter. The tables were slightly separated by wooden boards, and the floor was cleaner than the first floor. However, the windows were not open wide, so it was a bit dim.

The two found a table with relatively good light and sat down. Most of the people around were minor stewards from the Caravans traveling with the ships and a small number of chief and second mates from the ships, all talking in low voices. Actually, in a Tavern like this, there was no strict rule separating the first and second floors. But the sailors downstairs couldn’t stand the compartments upstairs, feeling they weren’t lively enough. Most of the time, second mates, chief mates, and even captains liked to be with the sailors. The upstairs became the choice for Caravan stewards and others who hated the noise or had matters to discuss. Slowly, the distinction became clear. Now, those buying expensive dishes were on the second floor, and those buying cheap dishes were on the first floor.

“Baroman, how is little Daniel doing lately? Thinking about it, I haven’t seen him for a long time.” Knowing the food wouldn’t be served that fast, George started some small talk.

“You know Daniel was studying writing and grammar with Scholar Ians before. Because he improved quickly, Scholar Ians recommended him to go to the Bokabu Temple in Cardala City to study.” When talking about this, Baroman was beaming. Excellent children are often the pride of their parents.

“Oh, going to the Bokabu Temple to study? In that case, Daniel might become a Wizard.” George became interested.

“That’s not possible. Daniel’s talent is only a little better than average. Moreover, the tuition for a Wizard is too expensive. Even a Noble with a Territory might not be able to afford it, let alone my family.” Although his words were ordinary, his tone inevitably held some disappointment.

“Indeed, the cost is high. The key is that he cannot pass it down through blood like a Knight. For a family or a clan, the cost-performance ratio is too low. After all, there is no guarantee that one’s descendants will have magical talent.” George tried to comfort Baroman. Actually, that sentence was also said for George himself. When he was young, also in the Bokabu Temple, George was found to have quite excellent magical talent, enough for a Mage organization to focus on cultivating him. But as the only Heir of the Territory, he had to walk the path of a Knight, even if he was more interested in Magic. Sometimes George thought it would be nice if he had a brother. Of course, it was just thinking; after all, fighting for inheritance rights was not a good thing, although a very strict primogeniture system was implemented here.

“Although he can’t learn Magic, the Temple can still teach a lot of knowledge, enough for him to become a qualified scholar. I can still afford this expense.”

“Have you ever thought about letting Daniel become a Knight?”

“It is much harder for people without blood inheritance to become a Knight than for those with it. Even if they succeed, first-generation Knights are often not as good as hereditary Knights. Moreover, it is becoming more and more difficult to obtain a Fief now. Finding a qualified Knight to teach him and covering a series of other expenses, although far lower than a Wizard, is not something I can solve.” Baroman smiled bitterly.

“Regarding the cost and teachers, if he becomes a Lord’s Knight apprentice, the Lord’s Mansion should be able to assist.”

“Thank you for your kindness. But currently, the Knight apprentices under your command are all Heirs of Knights in the Territory. This was originally an insurance in case a Knight was unable to raise the next generation. Now it has become a tradition, and too many people are staring at those spots. Without a reason that convinces everyone, one would become a target of public criticism. Even Lord Viscount wouldn’t do this.”

“I was indeed thoughtless in this regard. Let’s not talk about it, look, our lunch is here.”

The waitress brought two large copper bowls, a copper plate, and spoons. In the copper bowls was the main course, seafood soup, and in the plate was cut Black Bread.

The seafood soup here was a bit like the Provencal fish soup George had drunk before he crossed over. However, the one he drank back then was said to be not authentic enough because mussels were added. The seafood soup in this world was not as good as what he drank back then due to spice issues, but it could be considered a nostalgic taste. After all, this was the only place he found that stir-fried ingredients before making soup. Although the chef in the Castle could cook it according to his request, the seafood wouldn’t be fresh enough.

George signaled Baroman to start eating. The two began to eat slowly, dipping the bread into the fish soup.

But as soon as it entered his mouth, George realized something was wrong. George scooped another spoonful of fish soup and tasted it carefully. As a result, he found that in addition to the chervil, basil, coriander, onion, and garlic that were usually put in, fennel seeds and pepper powder were actually added this time. The boss couldn’t recover the cost for these two bowls of soup. The soup had extra ingredients this time; it was most likely because the proprietress was doing it for Baroman’s sake. He didn’t expect that he would one day benefit from his connections.

“Tastes good, right! Baroman.”

“Really very good, why didn’t I discover this shop before? I will definitely come often in the future.”

“You’d better not come often, or the boss will cry.” Of course, this sentence could only be a complaint in his heart now; it wouldn’t be good to say it out loud.

After lunch, George suggested that the two find a place to stroll for a while to digest the food. Baroman felt that walking too far was not safe, and it was better to return to the Port Authority as soon as possible. Of course, George realized that exposing Baroman’s fat to the early autumn noon sun was indeed too inhumane, so he granted his wish. After leaving the Tavern, the two went straight back to the Port Authority.