The Mighty Dragons Are Dead

By the time the caravan had left Fresh Flower Town, the castle had once again regained its tranquility, although there was a large pile of dishes, wine glasses, and the like that needed cleaning, and the small garden outside the castle had been trampled beyond recognition by the knights. But Carter could easily organize the servants to clean up at a leisurely pace.

The castle had fifteen servants, which was more than enough.

“Teacher Goltai, the festival will be over soon, and we need to pull ourselves out of the festive mood. The construction of the town must not stop; we must continue to expand the lumberjack team and the stone-breaking team, and the fence-building team, as well, and strive to open the passageway sooner.”

Goltai was still savoring the moment, “As you wish.”

He had been in his element at this banquet, engaging in lively conversation with the Earl, feeling a level of enjoyment he hadn’t experienced in many years.

“Fresh Flower Town made quite the impression,” he described today’s luncheon, with its dazzling array of seafood and the ice cream so refreshing it tingled the tongue.

However, Liszt had a different thought.

That evening, he had a private drink of red wine with Carter, “Mr. Carter, I had intended to show the impoverished side of Fresh Flower Town, perhaps in exchange for some aid from Tulip Castle. Accidentally, we threw a grand banquet with seafood, ice cream, Magical Beast Meat—there’s simply no excuse to pretend poverty now.”

Carter said with a smile, “My lord showcased his charm. Your performance at the banquet won people’s affection. If I were a knight, I might have just stayed in Fresh Flower Town to follow you.”

The other meaning of a noble ‘showing off wealth’ was to demonstrate power and attract followers.

Viscount Trick Lygrass was drawn by the Earl’s charm and became a follower. He helped the Tulip Family and took part in the Grand Duchy’s pioneering wars, eventually establishing the significant estate of Coral Island’s Count.

“But no knights stayed behind, did they.”

“I believe the seeds have been sown, perhaps one day they will suddenly blossom into flowers.”

“That’s a very philosophical phrase, Mr. Carter, for that, let’s have a toast.”

“To your health, my lord.”

A gulp of red wine soothed his throat, Liszt asked, “How much food did my father bring today?”

“A fair amount of various foods, though most were consumed during the banquet. The surplus consisted mainly of beer and fine wheat flour, along with some seasonings—fennel, ginger, pepper, licorice, as well as salt, and sugar.”

“How much wheat flour and beer do we have?”

“There are about five hundred pounds of fine wheat flour and thirty barrels of beer.”

The fine wheat flour was clearly intended for Liszt to make white bread. He was slightly lost in thought—he could feel that the Earl still had fatherly love for him.

Some details could reveal it.

For instance, coming to Fresh Flower Town for the festival was a gesture of closeness; if he truly didn’t care about Liszt, there would be no need to visit this remote town for the celebration. Deliberately playing down the importance of saltpeter at the banquet could be seen as protection for him, especially since Lady Marie specifically mentioned that the Saltpeter Mine deserved development.

Now he had also brought a lot of extra food for him.

“Could the Earl also be one to rebuke with his words but benefit with his actions? This is a bit troubling.” He was somewhat uneasy in his thoughts. If the Earl’s family had nothing to do with him, he could easily maintain a gentleman’s detached style of interaction, leisurely living his own life.

What he feared most was being entangled in family affection.

He didn’t know how to deal with it, whether to embrace this affection according to his current identity or to keep his individuality and maintain a distance.

“Is this the bond of kinship, that every person is inescapably ensnared by this net?”

Having drained the red wine in one gulp, he decided not to dwell on these troublesome thoughts anymore—just let things take their course—neither initiating nor rejecting. Shaking off his reverie, he asked, “Mr. Carter, has the seafood gifted in return to Tulip Castle been sent out?”

“It has already been delivered to Mr. Silva, all of it top-quality dried seafood.”

“Very good, one good turn deserves another.”

He set down his wine glass.

Carter too finished his red wine, put away both glasses, bent slightly in a bow, “Lord, you should rest early, I wish you a good night, I will take my leave now.”

“Good night, Mr. Carter, have sweet dreams.”

In the following days, all was monotonous and calm.

Liszt, apart from supervising the lumbering work, was also paying attention to another matter—the training of the Fruit Thief Monkeys.

Initially, seven Fruit Thief Monkeys that were not seriously injured had been captured alive; all of them pulled through and regained their health. However, two of them were left with limps, and climbing trees was no longer much of a possibility for them.

The remaining five were handed over to the hunters of the town for training.

With ropes, whips, and fruits combined in use, they quickly subdued the arrogant Fruit Thief Monkeys, getting them to climb trees and enter cages on command.

“Three female monkeys, four male monkeys, I believe by the second half of the year, there will be ten Fruit Thief Monkeys.” The monkeys generally have two litters a year, but usually only one offspring per litter.

Liszt looked on at the increasingly obedient Fruit Thief Monkeys with satisfaction, “With no damage from the Fruit Thief Monkeys, this year’s Fragrant Coconut Fruit can mature. I believe in one or two months’ time, we’ll be able to drink fresh and sweet coconut juice.” The Fragrant Coconut Fruit was not seasonal; besides winter, it bore fruits continuously throughout the other seasons.

“It seems Coral City doesn’t sell Fragrant Coconut Fruit. Perhaps, if developed well, this could become another specialty of Fresh Flower Town. What a pity, though, that no Fragrant Coconut Tree Elf Bugs have been nurtured.”

As he envisioned the future of the Fragrant Coconut Trees, the hunters had already begun training the Fruit Thief Monkeys to pick fruit.

Faux fruits were tied to the tree branches for the Fruit Thief Monkeys to pluck; if they succeeded, they were rewarded with a peanut. Those who refused got whipped. The monkeys couldn’t escape, for they were tethered by ropes around their necks—dare to run, and they’d be pulled back and whipped.

“Remember this, animals can hold grudges and pitch fits as well. As long as they work diligently, there’s no need to lash out with the whip without good reason. I will administer these whips on anyone I find beating Fruit Thief Monkeys without cause,” he emphasized with a serious expression. He certainly didn’t want a rebellion of Fruit Thief Monkeys that could potentially kill several fruit farmers.

“Rest assured, Lord Landlord. We dare not forget any of your instructions,” replied the hunters, who were taking on dual roles and understood they would soon transition from being farmers to fruit growers, using the Fruit Thief Monkeys for labor. They were all delighted.

Had it not been for the need of training, they would have been loath to use the whip—a Fruit Thief Monkey to a fruit grower was like a horse to a knight.

Leaving the Fruit Thief Monkeys behind, he returned to the castle and summoned a few of the new serf merchants.

“Old Geronte, Sherlock, Abagon, were you all merchants on Little Papa Island?” Liszt repeated the question for confirmation.

“Yes, Lord Landlord.”

“Is there a merchant named Poliuxigin on Little Papa Island?”

Old Geronte replied, “Lord Landlord, there are only the three of us who deal exclusively in small commodities on Little Papa Island. I can call out the name of everyone in the city, but there is no one named Poliuxigin.”

“All right, I was just asking.” Liszt gave Old Geronte an appreciative look. The implication in the words “I can call out the name of everyone in the city” showed his significance. “I’ve called you here today to establish a merchant fleet belonging to the castle, and I hope to entrust you three with its management.”