Work Prophet
Chapter 59 - 20 Painting Class

Chapter 59: Chapter 20 Painting Class

After leaving the castle, Li Yu first took out the map to check the direction he needed to go next.

The map was hand-drawn by himself because the chief steward did not allow Li Yu to copy it, so he took a photo with his mobile phone and later drew it out little by little in his notebook.

Except for not having the statue of the Silver Moon Goddess and being uncolored, it was basically no different from the original version.

However, Fosto mentioned that this map was also several hundred years old, and some places were probably not that accurate anymore, but Li Yu had no better options at hand and had to make do with it.

Maybe when he had time, he could use a drone to create a more accurate map on his own; he had chosen to bring a solar-powered charger during his last two visits.

This charger was simply a normal power bank fitted with a monocrystalline silicon solar panel, which utilized photovoltaic power generation and did not require an electrical grid connection, making it perfect for Li Yu’s current situation.

Thus, he had initially solved the charging problems for the drone and some other electronic devices, without needing to specially remove the batteries and carry them back and forth anymore.

With the power bank, naturally, Li Yu also thought of larger storage batteries.

However, storage batteries usually were not light, and aside from his clothes and shoes, Li Yu could only carry about 3kg each time at the moment.

The large-capacity storage batteries on the market were basically over this weight, while the smaller ones did not differ much from the power bank.

Of course, there was another way, by transporting parts of the storage battery over in batches and assembling them here, but for now, Li Yu’s power consumption was not big enough to have an urgent need for storage batteries.

Furthermore, his cult had not been established yet, and for safety, he had to rely on Ireya. Making too much noise might potentially attract some unnecessary troubles.

So, Li Yu put aside those thoughts.

The first time he chose to explore the forest that was not too far from the castle, Ireya had once passed through here when she escaped from Rock Snow City back to Green Field.

But when Li Yu appeared, it was already deep at night, and he could not see the surroundings clearly; now, he took advantage of the good daylight to come back and finally see this place in its true form.

The trees in the forest were mainly firs, with gray-brown bark that often split into long strips to reveal the light red inner bark, standing tall and straight, growing upward, with thin long leaves branching out sideways, evergreen all year round.

According to the notation on the map, this area was also the forest land of the Arias family, which meant that the nearby commoners could not cut the trees at will; if they were caught stealing logs, they would face hefty fines.

Li Yu casually marked the fir trees on the map; as one of the most common tree types, firs were indeed suitable for being cut down and processed into lumber for construction and decoration; besides, the resin from the bark could be used as an adhesive, and fir leaves could be distilled to extract essential oils.

The paper currently used on the Bratis Continent was primarily papyrus and parchment, though both could be written on, they weren’t strictly "paper" and had their own shortcomings.

If one day he successfully introduced Papermaking Technology to the Bratis Continent, fir trees could also be a source of pulp.

In addition to fir trees, Li Yu also found dandelions scattered in the forest.

This little thing, with its unusual breeding ability, can easily drift around the world, and once it takes root, it’s very difficult to eradicate.

For gardeners and farmers, it is undoubtedly a scourge.

But this plant from the Asteraceae family itself is actually quite useful. According to Clara, when dandelions sprout, many nearby households come to dig them up, wash them clean, and take them home as wild vegetables to eat. All parts of the dandelion are edible, and the seeds can even cure illnesses.

People with stomach discomfort feel much better after eating some dandelion seeds, and those who have bruises or cuts on their arms and legs can heal faster by crushing dandelions and applying them to their wounds.

Li Yu knew that dandelions were not only limited to this; they have anti-inflammatory properties and can cure many diseases. Additionally, dandelion roots can also be used to make a drink. In the absence of tea, drinking dandelion water is quite good.

There are also many ferns in the forest, and when there is no rice to eat, quite a few villagers come to dig them up.

Fresh ferns are poisonous, but as long as they are blanched in water, and not consumed in large quantities at once, there shouldn’t be much of a problem.

The little maid said that the Arias family treated the tenant farmers quite well. Although they were not allowed to cut down trees or hunt in the forest at will, they were at least permitted to forage for wild vegetables and catch small animals like squirrels to occasionally improve their meals.

Some extremely harsh and greedy lords would charge for everything, be it the grassland, foraging in the forest, or the use of a bread oven. But the subjects underneath had no choice, as according to the laws of the Red Lion Empire, the land and everything on it belonged to the lord.

Of course, if things were done too excessively, the free people in the domain would all leave, and only the serfs who couldn’t cultivate so much land would remain, causing the lord to suffer losses as well.

Li Yu was not only looking for familiar plants and animals himself, but he also gave Clara and the four children each a Morning Light notebook and a pencil, asking them to draw all the plants and animals they recognized, and to draw those they didn’t as well, especially remembering to highlight any special features, so Li Yu could note them down and look them up later with Baidu and Google.

Compared to the tedium of doing calculations or memorizing multiplication tables, a forest excursion and a drawing class were certainly more enjoyable, and the little maid could also legitimately roam around everywhere.

Even though Li Yu had set up a reward of half a silver cohen, Clara seemed to still be at an age where she was carefree, as long as she had enough to eat and a place to sleep, she didn’t care much about how much money she had in her pocket.

Moreover, her parents had sold her off early and then disappeared without a trace, so she didn’t need to earn money for her family like the four little ones, and thus had little interest in the reward offered by Li Yu.

While the group of six was walking, stopping from time to time, investigating and sightseeing, the sound of horse hooves from behind disrupted the peace and quiet of the forest.

Two riders galloped towards them, constantly shouting the name Merlin along the way.

Li Yu stood still, waiting for the two to approach, and the riders visibly relaxed upon seeing him. One of the riders, a handsome young man, said to Li Yu, "I am Jordi, commonly referred to as the Purple Sparrow Flower Knight, and this is my follower Carl."

"What brings you two to me?" asked Li Yu.

"Um, Miss Irelia has ordered us to protect you and your assistants on your way back to the castle."

"What has happened at the castle?" Li Yu frowned.

Jordi hesitated but then replied, "Well... it seems that an assassin has appeared."