The Mighty Dragons Are Dead

To another landlord, the quality of these serfs would be considered very poor.

Aside from skilled artisans being valuable, women and children were a burden, and the artisans were all elderly, which was very uneconomical.

But Liszt did not have any complaints in his heart—women could marry the bachelors of the territory and help mitigate the gender imbalance in Fresh Flower Town; with proper nurturing, children and infants could become future knight candidates; and old artisans possessed exquisite skills and could completely train a large number of apprentices.

Of course.

Able-bodied men were equally important to Fresh Flower Town, whether for farming or for constructing roads and docks, as they required strong labor.

Therefore, on the surface, Liszt still had to voice a complaint, “Mr. Frank, the quality of these serfs is not very good. Women were specifically requested by me, so having more is not a problem, but there are too many children, and the artisans are all older folks. Isn’t this somewhat deceiving me?”

“Oh, Baron Liszt, I wouldn’t dare deceive the blood of the Tulip Family,” Frank said with a smile. “This batch of serfs was assembled by the fleet from various serf markets, the able-bodied laborers were bought up by others early on. You know, without war, there aren’t high-quality serfs.”

“So, now, with the fleet setting sail once again, we should be able to purchase high-quality serfs, right? The Steel Ridge Kingdom has already gone to war with the Eagle Kingdom, and my father and the others have already entered the battlefield.”

Frank’s eyes flickered, “You want to continue the serf trade… Oh yes, the seafood market has brought you a large amount of gold coins.”

“You are very aware of the profits from the seafood market, aren’t you, Mr. Frank,” Liszt did not play poor, especially since the other party had always been helping Levis to collect dividends, “I will put together a sum of gold coins as soon as possible, hoping the fleet can bring me another batch of serfs.”

“There should not be a problem; the Tulip Fleet always conducts business when setting sail. Now that the war has started, the serf trade is an even better deal. So, how many serfs are you planning to buy?”

“One thousand, including two hundred skilled artisans.”

“One thousand serfs, according to the price, would need two hundred and forty gold coins.”

“The serf trade was difficult before, and I could accept the higher prices, but now during the war, if serfs are still so expensive, I cannot accept that, Mr. Frank.”

“War or not, the serf trade is always filled with risks…”

After some haggling back and forth.

They finally agreed on the price of two hundred and ten gold coins.

After taking out the gold coins he had saved by cutting expenses, and also shifting funds from the trade convoys, and handing them to Frank, Liszt’s smile was not so amiable anymore—facing another period of frugality, the feeling of an empty purse was uncomfortable, especially after getting used to spending money lavishly.

Liszt declined Frank’s invitation to have lunch together under the pretense that “Little Sherry really wants to see you.” Instead, he had his lunch at Lady Penelope’s castle.

Lady Marie from Tulip Castle had also sent servants to invite him, but he did not go as he was not well acquainted with Lady Marie. Li Vera stayed there too, and at the dining table, she kept asking Liszt, “Your Fierce Earth Dog has grown so big, how many gold coins to part with it, just say the price!”

What an international joke.

Although Douson had not unleashed any magic, and others were unaware of its abilities, one could tell by its form that it was extraordinary.

It could not be measured in gold coins!

Liszt responded coolly, “Dear sister, Douson opened its eyes to see me as the first person, it recognizes no one but me. Even if you used dragon coins, you can’t win its affection, so give up on this foolish thought.”

Hearing “foolish,” Li Vera’s face darkened, “You’re becoming more and more arrogant now, daring to disregard even your sister’s words.”

Liszt, with a knife in his left hand and a fork in his right, leisurely sliced his steak, “I’m merely stating a fact. Please remain rational.”

Lady Penelope seemed to appreciate the dominant change in Liszt and, against her usual stance, spoke in his favor, “Li Vera, please eat like a lady and stop trying to take what’s in Liszt’s hands. If you want something, you can certainly choose a suitable husband from among so many excellent nobles to fulfill all your desires.”

“Grandmother, you don’t love me at all now.”

“You’ve all grown up, my girl, and you lads as well. Your grandmother is getting senile and only hopes that you three siblings will get along harmoniously, and by the way, take care of little Lidun, letting the Tulip Family’s bloodline flourish and develop.”

The lunch was far from harmonious.

After the meal, Li Vera, fuming with anger, drew her sword and blocked Liszt’s path, “Like a warrior, fight me. I want to prove that you are still that cowardly Liszt!”

Before Liszt could respond,

Douson, who had been lying lazily to one side, suddenly broke free from Tom’s grasp and charged towards Li Vera. It moved with the momentum of a tiger descending a mountain, roaring deeply and stirring up a whirlwind.

In that moment, Li Vera’s face was instantly drenched in cold sweat.

She felt enveloped by a strong intent to kill.

It was the kind of deadly threat one feels when facing an irresistible force, a threat to one’s life—like when she was seven and whipped a fiery horse, which then charged at her, mouth open to bite—except now she was a distinguished Earth Knight, but just as helpless to resist.

“Come back, Douson!”

With a calm command from Liszt, the charging Douson abruptly halted and no longer lunged forward. However, the fierce glint in the eyes of the beast still flickered menacingly, its gaze fixed on Li Vera with a viciousness that suggested it might pounce and devour at any moment.

“It is a Magical Beast from Thorn Ridge. Even though it acknowledges me as its master, its ferocity isn’t so easily subdued. I apologize for frightening you. I have other matters to attend to; I’ve made an appointment. Dear sister, we shall talk another time,” he said, with a faint smile.

Then, leading Douson, he left the castle.

Li Vera’s face turned ashen, and she stood rooted to the spot, no longer attempting to verbally assert herself. The attack from Douson that she had just witnessed had truly frightened her—after all, she was but a flower raised in a greenhouse.

On the balcony of the castle, Lady Penelope, watering her new Dragon Hollyhock, undoubtedly witnessed the whole scene unfold at the castle gates.

She simply muttered, “That’s more like it. Girls should act like girls, boys like boys. Melissa and Marie, these two simpletons, certainly don’t lack the ability to bear children.”

Liszt did not deceive Li Vera.

He indeed had an appointment, or rather, needed to find someone.

He went directly to a small town near Coral City, and as he saw the dilapidated state of the town, his brow furrowed slightly, “Rom, is this the place?”

“Yes, my lord, this is the place, Moss Town. I’ve been to this small town before,” replied Rom Barrel.

“Whose fiefdom is this town?”

“It was once the fiefdom of a baron, who later went bankrupt. It was reclaimed by the Earl and has not been assigned since.”

“It is indeed here. I have found the white-tipped, two-story building that Goltai mentioned.” Liszt gestured with his hand, “Let’s go. It’s time to meet this magician, sir.”