The Mighty Dragons Are Dead

This was the picture of Douson after disembarking, gold dog eyes clouded up, just short of vomiting.

“Even an Intermediate Magical Beast can get seasick, and quite severely at that,” Liszt was helpless about this as Magical Beasts after all live on land.

The sailing vessel rocked and swayed, and even him, having just crossed over, got seasick the first time he went out to sea.

However, the powerful recovery ability of magical beasts soon made itself known. By the time he led a dizzy Douson back to the Castle at a slow pace, Douson’s seasickness had clearly subsided. His legs no longer wobbled, his eyes no longer blurred, and his barks grew louder—even though his spirit was still a bit lacking, all other aspects had recovered.

“Whether or not he can overcome the seasickness, take Douson with us after tomorrow when we go out to sea,” he said.

The Fresh Flower Vessel had a speed of 5 knots and would need 14 hours to reach Black Horse Island, plus at least an additional hour or two to find a place to dock.

Therefore, after the maiden voyage, camping on Black Horse Island was definitely in store.

Without Douson, Liszt felt insecure; should there be an Intermediate Magical Beast on Black Horse Island, a recovered Douson could at least put up some resistance. Coupled with his and Marcus’s assistance as two Elite Earth Knights, even if they couldn’t handle it, they could still escape—Douson had become the root of his confidence.

Walking along the soon-to-be-completed Douson Avenue.

Horse hooves sounded from behind.

Thomas, who had been inquiring about the serf Maggie’s information, had returned with the thick parchment from the administration office that recorded identities: “Milord, we have ascertained Maggie’s identity. She is a serf from Eagle Kingdom who recently joined Fresh Flower Town. She has no kin and no surname, and is currently boarding with the family of the general store owner.”

Liszt took the thick parchment, keenly capturing the key point: “Boarding—she’s a little girl?”

“Yes, Milord. Maggie is just nine years old this year.”

On the thick parchment, it was clearly written—Maggie, nine years old, a serf without relatives, boarding with a general store owner’s family, currently being trained in the girls’ group and participating in needlework classes organized by the administration office.

After reviewing the record.

He casually handed the thick parchment back to Thomas: “Return it to the administration office.”

Without saying anything more, his mood was as listless as Douson at that moment.

He had thought that the Smoke Mission was very considerate, preparing to reward him with a beautiful female secretary. He had even figured out under what pretense to recruit the secretary, but it turned out to be just a nine-year-old girl.

“What is this supposed to mean, am I to raise her?” Liszt tied Douson to his kennel and walked into the Castle alone, heading directly to the study.

The study was where he pondered his problems.

“The Smoke Mission can’t be this simple. After all, it’s a product of the Smoke Dragon, and everything involved is about fate. There must be more to Maggie…”

The Formless Dragon Chain Mission, the Thorn Bug Chain Mission; many seemingly chaotic missions and rewards often have this or that kind of connection.

Therefore, he naturally wouldn’t consider this nine-year-old serf Maggie to be a reckless reward from the Smoke Mission: “The information is too scant, continue to monitor Maggie. Oh right, Mrs. Morson has complained to me before that the workload of the maids in the Castle is too great, especially with banquets being held every day, we need to recruit more maids.”

A thought flickered in his mind: “Perhaps we could recruit Maggie as a maid and train her from a young age?”

No matter what involvement she had, keeping her close would definitely bring a day of revelation. Even if there was no involvement, she could still be cultivated as a future secretary candidate.

He rang the bell.

He called Mr. Carter and Mrs. Morson over.

“My lord, do you have any instructions?”

“Mrs. Morson mentioned to me that we are short of maids in the castle. So, are the male servants sufficient?”

Carter and Morson exchanged glances and said, “The daily life of the castle can just be maintained by the servants, but during celebrations like the Little Minor Elf’s birth festival, we indeed fall short of hands… Moreover, my lord, the castle doesn’t yet have a name. With the glory of knighthood in store, we all know you will bestow a name upon it sooner or later.”

Mrs. Morson added, “A castle with a name requires numerous servants to maintain it, especially those who are diligent and skilled. It is quite difficult to recruit such a staff in short order—best to train our own.”

“Yes, we should indeed train a group of servants ourselves,” Carter said with a smile, his face full of contentment, “My lord, you need more people to serve you; the glory belongs to you.”

Living in a castle alone.

Fifteen servants attending to him, and yet the two butlers still complained of a shortage of hands.

In the past, Liszt couldn’t have imagined such a luxurious life where fifteen people couldn’t keep up with the care of one person.

However, now, he very much agreed with the butlers’ opinion, “Indeed, we should train a batch of servants ourselves. Currently, Fresh Flower Town lacks neither food nor clothing, and the castle is certainly not short of Gold Coins and revenue. Hence, the training of servants will be entrusted to Mr. Carter and Mrs. Morson, with the first batch provisionally set at twenty internship positions.”

Subsequently.

He also gently hinted, “I came across a little girl named Maggie, who seemed quite pitiable and was very polite. If she is willing, Mrs. Morson, please offer her an internship position.”

“As you wish, my lord.”

Feasts, every single day.

Liszt informed everyone that the Fresh Flower Vessel would likely stay for a few days on Black Horse Island to search for the Li Dragon Horse Herd, “The Fresh Flower Vessel will probably stay at Black Horse Island for a couple of days, looking for the Li Dragon Horse Herd.”

“My lord, I wish to accompany you to Black Horse Island,” Goltai immediately proclaimed his loyalty loudly.

Liszt rejected him straight away, “This is just a scouting trip. When we decide to develop Black Horse Island, even if Consultant Goltai didn’t want to go, I would send you there to arrange matters on my behalf.”

“I am always at your service, my lord!”

“How’s the development of Fresh Flower Town going these days?”

“Very smoothly. It’s expected that before the first snow of winter, Fresh Flower Town will have completed all the roadworks and house construction. I believe the serfs will have a comfortable winter this year.”

“Are preparations for winter clothing and blankets in place?”

“The administration hasn’t prepared any, but the caravans passing through Fresh Flower Town have begun selling blankets and winter clothing. I’ve checked in the market, a piece of winter clothing sells for 12 copper coins. As long as the serfs aren’t lazy, they can afford it. A blanket sells for 25 copper coins, a serf family could probably afford a couple.”

After saying that, he added, “Actually, you needn’t worry about these serfs freezing to death. They are rough and tough. As long as they have something to eat, even if you throw them in a snow pit, they wouldn’t freeze.”

But Liszt didn’t see it that way.

“Consultant Goltai, do you know how much I spend to buy a serf?”

“Ah… twenty silver coins.”

“Since you know it’s twenty silver coins, do you now see them as twenty silver coins? What’s more valuable, a few dozen copper coins or twenty silver coins?” Liszt asked reproachfully in a harsh tone.

He didn’t care whether Goltai looked down on serfs or believed in equality for all—that was just for deceiving children. But the value of serfs and the value they could create had to be appreciated. Thus, he admonished, “This winter, for every serf that freezes to death, twenty silver coins will be deducted from your salary.”

“Oh no, my lord…” Goltai exaggeratedly clasped his head, “Rest assured, my lord. I will take good care of every serf, ensuring they all get through the winter safely, without a single one freezing to death!”