The Mighty Dragons Are Dead

The management of caravan trade, Liszt had no intention of letting the townsfolk organize it spontaneously; he planned to establish a merchant group exclusive to the Castle. Without the drive and ideas for reform and innovation, he simply followed the practice of most nobles, managing his own domain.

Old Geronte was elected as the head of the merchant group.

Abagon and Sherlock assisted from the sidelines.

“The only product you can currently trade in is seafood, and I hope that from Coral City onwards, the seafood from Fresh Flower Town can gradually begin to be sold in all cities,” Liszt said.

“As you wish, Lord Landlord.”

“So tell me, how do you plan to sell the seafood? It’s a new thing, most people haven’t eaten it before and will obviously fear it.”

After a brief moment of thought, Old Geronte replied, “Lord Landlord, we can advertise along the streets, claiming that even the Earl raves about the seafood. I believe countless subjects will flock to the food praised by the Earl.” This was leveraging a celebrity’s name for hype, not creative but very effective.

Sherlock added a suggestion to Old Geronte’s method: “We can also first make contact with most of the noble families’ kitchens, offering them free samples of seafood to taste.”

“Coral City has a large number of freemen who are also potential buyers of seafood. We can set up stalls in the streets and cook seafood for free, allowing the passing freemen to taste. I believe it won’t be long before everyone in Coral City knows the delicious taste of seafood,” Abagon suggested.

Liszt felt that both methods were good: “It seems you already have a complete notion of how to do business. Once the road through Thorn Ridge is finished, you can start trading.”

Old Geronte hesitated for a moment before speaking, “Lord Landlord, we have no carriages, how will we transport the seafood to Coral City?”

“After the road is finished, I will buy several carriages first thing,” Liszt mused, remembering that there were still sixteen Gold Coins in the Castle, and a standard carriage suitable for hauling goods with a cargo cover was one Gold Coin apiece.

He could buy six; any more would not be feasible, as there weren’t enough horses to pull the carriages.

After sending off Old Geronte and the others, Liszt sighed softly.

He had thought the Castle’s Gold Coins were sufficient, but now he saw they were far from enough. Five hundred serfs had cost him one hundred twenty Gold Coins, and in order to grow the town to a population of five thousand, he would need at least another six hundred Gold Coins. To reach a population of ten thousand, almost two thousand Gold Coins would be necessary.

“Otherwise, should I sell the Crimson Blood Sword? To Levis or Captain Mickey? It’s too expensive for them, but they might afford a price of a thousand Gold Coins, right?”

However, when he gripped the Crimson Blood Sword hanging at his waist, the gentle touch of Magic Power made it impossible for him to decide.

This was a Gemstone Weapon.

Produced by Dragons, it symbolized power.

And it matched his Dou Qi attribute, so even if he became a Sky Knight in the future, the Crimson Blood Sword would still befit his status.

“I can only develop things slowly. Hopefully, this year, relying on compost for farming, Fresh Flower Town will have a good harvest. Alongside the Elf Bug I brought and the ones bred here, the tax revenue for the next quarter might exceed fifteen Gold Coins?” The taxes for this quarter had already been submitted to the Castle.

After Isaiah’s careful calculation, the various crops and handicrafts collected this spring were worth around seven Gold Coins.

In previous years, the tax revenue in spring was usually around three Gold Coins.

There was virtually no tax revenue in the winter, about four in the summer, and around seven in the fall—less than fifteen for the whole year.

With the Elf Bug this year, relying on compost for farming, and seafood fishing, Liszt was confident that the summer tax revenue could reach last year’s annual level.

By autumn, the tax revenue would certainly be even higher, and surpassing Falcon Town governed by Li Vera wasn’t impossible.

“My Lord, your milk tea is ready,” Butler Carter, holding a freshly brewed cup of milk tea, entered the study. A cup of milk tea before bed each night was Liszt’s habit.

“Thank you.”

Taking the milk tea, Liszt, who was already a bit thirsty, drank it right away, downing half of the perfectly-tempered drink in one gulp.

His tongue lightly licked the dab of milk tea froth on the edge of his lips, and with slight hesitation, he asked, “Mr. Carter, is today’s milk tea still brewed by Mrs. Morson?”

“Yes, my lord, is there a problem with the way the milk tea was brewed today?” Carter became a bit nervous.

Liszt shook his head, “There’s no problem with the brewing, but I always feel that Mrs. Morson’s skill is getting better and better, the milk tea is becoming more and more delicious.”

“I will convey your compliment to Mrs. Morson, I believe she will be very happy.”

On the first day of July, the afternoon sun was lazy, and the clouds occasionally concealed the sun as if a naughty child stealthily covered a companion’s eyes.

The weather wasn’t too hot, and there was a breeze blowing.

Liszt, inspecting the woodcutting work, stood on the other side of Thorn Ridge, with a handsome smile on his face, he solemnly announced, “The trees within a distance of one hundred meters on both sides of the road have all been chopped down, the Lumberjack Team has done a very good job in completing my orders, and as the landlord, I express my respect to you.”

Respect was just a matter of lip service.

Next, it was still the commoners’ turn to continue working, “Clearing the road through Thorn Ridge means that Fresh Flower Town will now be connected with the outside world, no longer secluded in the corner of Coral Island. Now anyone can go out and take a look. However, to further strengthen road safety, we must insist on finishing the fence.”

He paused, then said, “Therefore, the original Lumberjack Team will not be disbanded for the time being, but will go directly to constructing the fence, completely isolating the forests on both sides of Thorn Ridge outside of the fence.”

The wood needed for the fence was sourced on-site; there was a large amount of felled timber just lying on the ground.

The best timber was transported to the castle for storage, the second-best timber was hauled to build homes in Oyster Village, the next best for the fence construction, and the leftover scraps were taken by the commoners to burn for cooking.

The opening of the road was a moment worth celebrating.

Liszt gathered Goltai, Marcus, Isaiah, and Blair to arrange the following tasks.

First was naturally the issue of the merchant caravans; after purchasing carts, seafood trade had to start immediately; second was procurement, Liszt planned to spend his last ten Gold Coins to purchase a batch of scarce food, including hops beer; then was to advertise to merchant caravans from various cities in Coral Island, telling them that Fresh Flower Town was now open for access.

The castle’s merchant caravans were responsible for the large trades entrusted by Liszt, generally not involving too much trade between commoners.

Merchant caravans from other regions entering Fresh Flower Town would enliven the atmosphere of the small town, bringing wealth and a circulation of goods for daily life.

“Lastly, there’s one more point to note, Fresh Flower Town will welcome freemen to settle here by lowering taxes, make sure to spread this news in every city,” Liszt now longed for more population, not at all concerned about the bit of tax revenue, as the development of the domain was the first priority.

The others busied themselves with carefully noting down Liszt’s orders.

Marcus suddenly said, “My lord, I plan to take a day off to bring my family to live in Fresh Flower Town.”

Upon hearing this, Isaiah let out a long sigh, “My foolish son probably doesn’t want to come to Fresh Flower Town; he’s used to loafing around in Coral City.”

Blair, however, cheerfully said, “Then I will also bring my family over on the way. Life here is somewhat monotonous, but the air is fragrant.”

Goltai gave an awkward smile, “Liszt, I also want to bring my family here, but… Freya is already pregnant, I’m unable to handle it well.”

Liszt solemnly said, “Teacher Goltai, although keeping mistresses is a common indulgence of nobles, it’s ultimately immoral. I have no intention of telling you to stop immediately, especially since Freya is already pregnant. So, in Fresh Flower Town, just treat Freya as your wife.”

After a moment of contemplation, he added, “If her child is a boy, I hope he could become one of my Retainer Knights in the future.”

“Your generosity shames me, my lord, Goltai is willing to serve you!” Goltai stood up, walked over to Liszt, and bowed earnestly.

This was the same form of loyalty shown by Marcus before, true allegiance.