I wake up when the time still past midnight, the tent is different from my room in the castle. In here, I can't enjoy the warmth of my girls' body like I have every night before. The sea wind also blowing a bit hard in here, bring some cold air into the tent. I stand up and leave my tent to see the progress of seawater cooking. It's been around 6 hours after we start cooking the seawater.
I see Claude among the four people that watching the fire in the stove, so I approaching and greet them.
"Hello guys, how's the fire?"
"Ah hello Henry, you don't sleep? We watch the fire and always add firewood to keep the fire burning"
"I already sleep for a while. I just want to see the progress here"
I look at the content of the iron pot. It already decreases about half from previous content. I feel a bit surprised because of it actually faster than I thought before. Since this cooking no need for crystallization pool, I just add more seawater directly to add the salt content.
"Help me fill the pot with seawater again guys, it's only half content right now"
I and some fire crews fill the pot with filtered seawater from the wooden barrel near the iron pot. We use some buckets to make it filled faster. Next morning this barrel will be refilled again with sea water. After the pot is full of seawater again we take a seat near the stove. The fire from the stove makes the warm air in this cold night.
"Anyone here is carrying fishing rods? If you bring fishing rod we can be fishing in the pier and try to catch some fishes there. And at night like this, we can make grilled fish in the stove"
"Jarred there love fishing, Master Henry, he always carrying his fishing rod anywhere he goes" a firewatcher name Cody pointing a man that also watch fire named Jarred.
"Is that true? Take that rod and fishing together. One person is enough to watch fire here"
The man who called Jarred to stand up and go to his tent to take the fishing rod. He returns carrying two fishing rod in his hand.
"You're Jarred, right? show me your skill in fishing. If we can get big fish tonight, I will make a delicious fish dish from that fish for you all"
"Like that Frikadel master Henry? People in castle said you're the one who made that dish"
"Haha, a different material different taste, but I guarantee it's all same, all delicious"
"Alright! Let's go, Rodney you watch the fire okay, me, jarred, Claude and master Henry will go fishing" the man named Cody who seem the team leader gives the instruction to his men.
Four of us go to the old pier to try to catch some fish. With some torches as lighting, we walk carefully along the old pier because of the wooden plank used to build the pier already worn out in many places.
"Okay, since there're only two fishing rods, we take a turn in fishing. The one who gets the largest catch will get extra dish"
I try to encourage them with delicious food as bait
"Huraaayyy"
We make paper-scissor-rock drawing to decide who will take the first turn in fishing. We also carry some bucket to keep the fish we catch tonight. The first turn is Claude and jarred, Claude, take the left side of the pier and jarred take the right side of the pier. We use the same bait for fairness.
Claude manages to catch first but the fish he catches is small which not qualified to eat and released back to the sea. We laugh together for what Claude catch. Jarred who catch the fish later, manage to catch a moderate size sea bream. Now it's my turn and Cody to fishing. After we throw our fishing rod, it needs several minutes before Cody's fishing rod get the fish before me. It's also a sea bream but smaller than Jarred's. Nothing bites my bait, but I still waiting patiently, I borrow the torch from Claude to make a light near me. I heard fish like to see something shining in the sea. That's why many artificial baits made from sparkling plastic. Not long after I use the torch, something is biting my fishing rod. From the power of its pull, I can tell this must be big fish. Need some effort before I can lift my fishing rod and take the fish that bite my bait. But after I lift the fishing rod, what I catch is not fish but Lobster! And the size is big enough! Claude and other laughing my catch.
"Henry, that not fish, so it not count"
"Can that even edible?"
"Eww, it looks scary with its big claw"
I just smile hearing their comments. I don't want to eat this lobster now, but use it for the banquet. So I put it in the bucket and want to keep it alive until I return
"Okay, this one not counts, but I still want to keep it. Let's go for the next turn"
Jarred and Claude takes the fishing rod again and tries their luck in fishing. Claude once again only get small fish, which make us tease him. Jarred proved his skill in fishing, he catches another bream in the same size as before. At my and Cody turn, with torch trick, I manage to catch another lobster which becomes laughing stock from Claude and friends. Cody this time manage to catch a herring with the same size as before. Turn for fishing back to Jarred and Claude again, while they fishing, I moved the lobster in the bucket to the barrel near the stove. They need a larger container to keep alive.
At third turn, jarred managed to catch a big carp, while Claude again and again only catch small fish which make him cursing his bad luck under our raining laugh. At me and Cody third turn, I also catch lobster again (which I'm intended) while Cody manages to catch a bream fish. We decide not to go fishing anymore because we already have plenty and it's my time to cook what we caught tonight.