Gourmet Emperor: Master Of Culinary World 47 Funeral And Sapping

"Henry, what happened below? Do you alright? Nothing bad happens there, right?

I calming down my uncle and put down the cloak that I used to wrap the skeleton bones.

"Uncle, I'm fine, nothing bad happens down there, don't worry. Down there, besides the bird's nest, I also found this"

I open the cloak that contains the skeleton bones. When it opened, all the people in there startled and take a step backward

"Henry…, that's bones right?"

"Yes, uncle. I found him in the cave. Since it's already bones I don't know whether is bone belong to a man or woman, but let's a.s.sume that the bones belong to a man"

"Ugh, I'm not asking it belong to a man or woman but why you carried here? You take the risk to climb down there only to pick up someone bones, that's ridiculous, right?"

"Ah, I don't have the heart to leave these bones there, uncle. Maybe he waiting for someone to help him out from there when he's still alive but n.o.body ever comes to help him. It's pitiful, so even only his bones still remain, I take it out with me to give him proper burial"

My uncle nodded after hearing my explanation. Of course, I can't tell him that I also take his sword. It's troublesome and even dangerous if someone coveted to that sword.

"I see your kindness not only for the living but also for the dead too. I won't blame you for this. Let's give him a proper burial as you said. Where we should bury him?"

"Thank you for your understanding uncle. Hmm, let's bury him here, so his spirit can watch us and give his blessing from here"

"Good! You! Bring some shovel here and make a grave hole here"

One of my uncle men immediately does as my uncle says. He runs to the camp to take the shovel. After a few minutes, he already returns carrying some shovels in his hand. We begin to dig a hole with that shovel and after a grave home already made, we arrange the bones like a human structure before we put the soil to cover the hole. After the burial over, we silently make a pray so whoever he is will not bring disaster upon us, instead bring blessing to our camp.

Since there's nothing else to do here after the burial, we walk down from the cliff. My uncle and his men continue to clearing the forest while I and Clause go the horse cart to take what I ask to make in there. When we arrive, the horse cart driver, which his name is Joe, already finishing his job a while ago. He immediately shows his works to me.

"Master Henry, I already finish your order, please check the goods"

"Um, let me take a look"

He handed me what I told him to do before. When I check his works, it's neat and precise, just as I wanted.

"Your name is Joe, right? You did a good job here, I think you have talent as an artisan. Why you only work as a cart driver?"

"I used to work as smithy master Henry, but the iron ores are hard to get and that makes me unable to make goods. So I have to change my work to make a living"

"Hmm, later when our territory is prosperous, we can buy iron ores as much as we want. When that time arrives I will need your service, Joe"

"My honor to be able to serve you, master Henry"

"I will need many of this kind of things later, I'll make you the one who supervises the production"

"Thank you, master Henry"

Joe looks happy to be able to work with his skill. Well, I indeed will need many of the things he just made. I give a sign to Claude to carry the things and tools that I needed and we go to the forest we explored before.

"Claude, I told you this tree is money tree before, right?"

"Yes, but I don't know how this tree can make money"

"You know what is the commodity with high prices besides salt?

"I know that! It's sugar and honey. Sugar because not much land can cultivate beet for sugar and honey because it's still taken from the natural sources like the forest"

"That's right. Now if there's something as sweet as sugar and honey, do you think that can be sold at a high price?"

"Uh, yes of course…..Wait, Henry, do you mean this tree can make something sweet like sugar?"

"Bingo! That's why I will entrust you with this project. I will show you how to get the sweet thing from this tree. For starter, this is maple tree and that one over there is birch tree. Both of these trees can produce sweet sap from its tree. We will be collecting that sap, processing it to condensate the sugar concentrate within the sap, and at the end of the process, we will get liquid that as sweet as sugar and honey"

"Henry…do you think I'm capable for that?"

"It's not complicated things. You just make a hole into the trunk with a drill to make the sap come out, place the tube in the hole and place a container below the tube to pool the sap. After that collect the container that already full with sap, replace with the empty one, put the collected sap in the barrel and send to the castle"

"Only like that?"

"Yes, it's easy, right? I know you can do it"

"Yes, I can do that. What is this technique called, Henry?

"Well, since basically, it's taking the sap from the tree, let's call it, SAPPING"