Chapter 271: Brettony

Chapter 271: Chapter 271: Brettony

The drive from Pariden to Brettony was a bit long.

The big group set out early in the morning again. Vivian Lowell slept soundly in the car, and when they arrived at the coast, she was amazed by the sight of the endless beach stretching into the distance.

"The ocean here is so beautiful."

Vivian sighed in admiration. Just then, she saw a speedboat approaching in the distance to take them to the small islands where they could forage for seafood.

The islands weren’t far.

By the time Vivian got off the speedboat, she already had her ruler ready.

Foraging for seafood in Brettony came with rules. Every type of seafood had to reach a certain size before you could take it. For example, spider crabs had to be thirteen centimeters!

Vivian couldn’t remember the rest of the rules, but Vance Wyatt and Julian Faulkner did. All Vivian had to do was keep finding prey and hand it over to Julian.

"It’s a shame Mr. Drake isn’t here!"

Vivian recalled what Mr. Drake had told her about foraging in Brettony. Carrying a small bucket, she took a few steps forward and froze.

"Oh my god... there are so many!"

She saw the ground was densely covered with scallops!

They were of all sizes, hidden on the rocks with bits of seaweed clinging to them. Vivian had thought she would have to turn over stones to find anything this time.

She never expected the waters around Brettony to be so abundant with seafood!

"Yes, there are quite a lot."

Julian Faulkner had been following Vivian closely. He glanced at the scallops on the ground, shook his head, and said, "But they’re all too small. They don’t meet the size requirement."

"Come on, let’s check further ahead."

After speaking, Julian took Vivian’s hand and led her forward.

Vivian felt a pang of regret. She gave the "tiny" scallops a mournful look before reluctantly following Julian.

’Are these considered small?’

’I haven’t even taken out the ruler to measure them yet!’

After walking a short distance, they reached a large tidal flat dotted with rocks and seaweed. Vivian, wearing non-slip, rain boot-like shoes, walked steadily across it.

Gazing at the tidal flat, Vivian sighed.

The water looked so peaceful at a glance; she couldn’t tell where any treasures might be hiding.

"Looks like I’ll have to stick to turning over rocks after all."

Vivian muttered to herself. Just as she was looking for a smaller rock she could lift without making Julian think it was dangerous, Julian reached down with one hand and lifted a large stone.

Beneath the large stone were several abalones, looking like a small family.

Vivian visually estimated the largest one and realized it was almost as long as her palm.

!!!

Thrilled, Vivian splashed through the water and rushed over. Just as she was about to bend down and pick them up, Julian grabbed her wrist.

"Let me get them."

Julian sighed softly. "This abalone is huge. You can tell from how firmly it’s latched on even after I lifted the rock that its grip is very strong."

"There’s no good way to brace yourself here, so it would be dangerous for you. Just watch from the side for me. If I really can’t get it, you can help me with the hook. How does that sound?"

Hearing this, Vivian agreed, thinking that at least she could still be of some use by standing there.

However, Julian’s strength was clearly considerable.

A few minutes later, Julian had harvested the entire abalone family and placed them in the bucket.

"We’re so lucky this time."

Vivian gazed happily at the abalones with their green-fringed mantles. "The smallest one just meets the size requirement! Hehe, we scooped up the whole family in one go!"

"Mhm."

Julian hummed in agreement, seeming to be in a good mood. He then asked, "You wanted to eat eel, right? I already told Vance."

"His main job today is to catch eels and crayfish. Eels like to hide in seaweed, and you usually have to lift rocks to find them."

"Same with crayfish. They’re fast and might get away. Vivian, there are a lot of oysters here, too."

Julian had barely finished speaking when Vivian, while parting some seaweed, discovered an oyster hidden within. It was huge!

The kind that you could tell met the size requirement just by looking at it.

"Here, here!"

Vivian quickly tugged on Julian’s sleeve and tried to pry the oyster, which was practically "embedded" in the rock, loose with the hook in her hand.

Vivian wasn’t weak either.

So, when she used a bit too much force, she pried the oyster open directly.

"Uh..."

Vivian stared at the plump, white oyster meat before her, then looked at Julian in confusion. "Now what?"

’I was going to take it back to grill, but now it’s been "gutted." It’d be a waste not to take care of it on the spot, right?’

"It’s fine."

Julian wasn’t too concerned about it. He called out, and Vance Wyatt came over.

With practiced ease, Vance scooped out the oyster meat, rinsed it in the seawater, and ate it on the spot. "Can’t let it go to waste!"

"Gallian oysters are the only kind you can eat raw as sashimi. They have almost no fishy taste and are incredibly fresh and sweet, very different from the ones back home."

"Ma’am, don’t think I’m being crude for eating it right away. The locals here do the same thing if they accidentally open an oyster like this!"

Vivian wasn’t entirely convinced at first.

But seeing that Julian didn’t say anything, she believed him.

’That’s right.’

She had been to buffets and high-end Xyponese restaurants before. In those fancy places, the oysters served were usually Gallian, not from Xypon.

The most famous of the Gallian oysters were the Gillardeau oysters. They were delicious as sashimi, with no fishiness, only an incomparably fresh, sweet flavor.

And the ecosystem here in Brettony was excellent, so of course the oysters produced here could be eaten raw. There wasn’t much difference between rinsing and eating one on the spot versus taking it back.

The only slight difference was that they hadn’t brought any wasabi.

’Of course, eating it on the spot is actually fresher. This oyster was eaten before it was even fully dead. If we took it back, it would be some time before we got there, and it’d be long dead by then!’

Thinking about it, Vivian felt it was a bit of a shame.

’Hmm... if I’d known, I would have eaten it myself. But then again,’ she thought, ’Julian probably wouldn’t have approved.’

And Julian would definitely not do something so "crude." That just left Vance to reap the benefits.

’That guy Vance is so lucky!’

"Um, Vance..."

Vivian looked at the happy expression on Vance’s face and said, "I’ll leave the eel and lobster catching to you, then. Julian and I will keep looking for oysters, abalone, and crabs here."

Hearing this, Vance puffed out his chest and said, "Don’t you worry, Ma’am, you can count on me! You have no idea, Finn is amazing too!"

"She said that ever since she found out we were coming to Brettony, she’s been studying seafood foraging techniques online! It’s been less than half an hour, and we’ve already found several lobsters!"

"The only shame is that only two of them met the size requirement."

’Two already, so quickly!’

Vivian was amazed. She patted Vance’s shoulder and said, "Well, in that case, keep up the great work! Go for it, I believe in you!"

"Yes, Ma’am. I’ll get right on it."

Encouraged, and perhaps excited by the thought of "fighting side-by-side" with Finn, Vance happily turned and left.

For the next while, Vivian and Julian continued searching the area for abalone and oysters. They also occasionally found a few mussels.

It’s just that Vivian wasn’t a big fan of mussels, so after grabbing a few, they went to look for other things.

The tide was about to rise quickly.

Vivian could feel it. In just a few short minutes, the water that had barely covered her ankles was now already up to her knees.

Fortunately, she was already next to the speedboat by this point.

"Come on."

Julian helped Vivian aboard and saw that pretty much everyone else was already on the boat. Each person’s bucket was filled with a good amount of stuff.

Vance was also helping to check everyone’s catch to see if anything was undersized, in case someone had forgotten the measurements and accidentally brought one up.

Although there wasn’t someone checking at all times, it was a matter of self-discipline.

If no one followed the rules and just took everything they found regardless of size, the seafood here would quickly disappear!

This was the concept of "sustainable development"!

After a few minutes of checking, Vance picked out two or three that didn’t make the cut. "There might have been a measurement error. These ones don’t quite meet the standard, they’re just a little short. Let’s release them."

"We’ve got plenty of seafood here. We can have a great feast when we get back!"

"Mhm!"

Vivian nodded, happy to see the considerable amount of seafood collected in all the buckets.

’This is great!’

Vivian took a photo of their haul and sent it to Mr. Drake.

Mr. Drake replied quickly. He asked, "Did you go to Brettony? The sea and the rocks in the background look a bit familiar!"

Vivian was surprised that Mr. Drake had recognized it at a glance. She praised him, "You have a great eye, Mr. Drake. That’s right, I’m in Brettony right now!"

"But the tide’s coming in now, so we have to leave! Mr. Drake, I found so many abalones, oysters, and scallops today. We’re going to have a delicious meal."

"Congratulations!"

Mr. Drake seemed happy for her too, replying, "Are you in Pariden for Fashion Week? It’s still two days away, so going early to forage for seafood is indeed a good choice."

"Yep!"

Vivian continued typing her reply: "I’m here for Fashion Week, so I’ll be here for a few days. We’re also making a trip to Provencia tomorrow."

"The lavender is in bloom this season, and I want to see what the fields of lavender covering the mountains and plains really look like."

"It’s very beautiful."

Mr. Drake replied, "I happen to be arriving in Gallia tomorrow. The Drake Family will be attending Fashion Week this time, so maybe we’ll see each other there!"

’Mr. Drake is coming too!’

Vivian was surprised for a moment, but then it made sense.

The Drake Family had always held a high status abroad. Even if they weren’t heavily involved in the "fashion world," as a prominent and wealthy family, they certainly couldn’t miss an event like this.

Attending was also an opportunity to broaden their horizons.

Besides, the Drake Family was a massive enterprise and major consumers of luxury goods. As regular customers and members, it was perfectly normal for them to be invited.

She just hadn’t expected Mr. Drake to come in person.

Vivian chatted with Mr. Drake for a little while longer, and by then, the speedboat had docked.

Now all they had to do was find a restaurant to cook their seafood, eat, and then hit the road for Provencia.

The distance from Brettony to Provencia was quite far.

One was in the west, the other in the southeast. It was a long drive, but luckily, they hadn’t spent too much time foraging today.

The long drive to Provencia would take up the rest of the afternoon, but it was still manageable.

Fortunately, Vivian didn’t get motion sickness.

By the time they arrived in Provencia, it was already after nine o’clock. The sky was completely dark, and Vivian was getting sleepy again, so she and Julian returned to the hotel.

In Provencia, the peak season for lavender was from June to August. During this time, lavender farmers would harvest the flowers and sell them at the market.

Of course, besides bundles of lavender, the market also sold plenty of lavender-related "merchandise"!

For example, there were lavender cookies, even lavender-flavored baguettes, as well as lavender essential oil and other items.

The lavender essential oil was also the pure, natural kind. There would be a distiller where they would place the lavender, and through distillation, they could directly extract the lavender hydrosol.

As a pregnant woman, Vivian could of course use such a natural product.

Just a few drops on her wrists or neck would leave a long-lasting fragrance.

That night, after settling into the hotel, the whole group was exhausted. They holed up in their rooms and had the hotel deliver their meals, not wanting to go out to a restaurant.

"This is acorn-fed Iberian Ham."

Julian had prepared an exquisite and delicious dinner for Vivian.

Vivian was a little hungry, but she didn’t have much of an appetite from the long car ride and exhaustion. However, as soon as Julian mentioned Iberian Ham, she sat up in bed.

"You mean the legendary ham from pigs that only eat acorns? The Iberian Ham that’s even said to have a faint creamy, nutty fragrance?"

Vivian was very curious.

Iberian Ham was world-famous, but she’d never had the chance to go to Hesperia and try the real thing.

The ones she had tried back home never seemed to taste as amazing as people described.

She never thought she’d get to taste the genuine article now!