The Mighty Dragons Are Dead

To confirm his marriage to the daughter of Marquis Roderick, Loria Gold Wheat Ear.

The task of selling Fresh Flower Brew was handed over to Frank.

Liszt also entrusted the sales work to Goltai.

With the direction for Fresh Flower Brew set, the remainder of the task was naturally delegated to subordinates; his own important work was training dogs and practicing cultivation.

In the blink of an eye, the sun was blazing on the 5th of March.

On this day, the Tulip Caravan’s ships returned, and the two thousand five hundred serfs purchased by Liszt also arrived with the ship, with the handover arranged at Fresh Flower Port.

Ever since Fresh Flower Town had its own dock, there was no need to go through the transfer via Coral City’s dock.

“Two thousand five hundred serfs, plus the losses from the last slave trade, number a total of two thousand seven hundred… The losses this time might still be substantial, but the quality is good, with quite a few craftsmen mixed among them,” Frank, following the fleet to Fresh Flower Town, handled the transfer of serfs.

As for the arrangements for the serfs, the town had long been prepared.

Thus, there was not much chaos, and bilingual receptionists proficient in Serpent Script and Wind Language, under the direction of town officials, quickly completed the tally of serf numbers, skill screening, and recording of identity information.

“A total of two thousand two hundred twenty-six serfs, among them thirty-seven might be terminally ill and beyond help…” Goltai returned to the house at the dock.

Reporting to Liszt.

Upon hearing this, Frank immediately began calculating with his fingers, “Then, we’ll count on two thousand one hundred… two thousand one hundred eighty-nine serfs, with a total loss of… loss of… loss of…” He calculated twice, finding it somewhat difficult, and didn’t come up with an answer.

Liszt, adept at arithmetic operations, had already silently figured out: “A loss of five hundred eleven serfs.”

“Oh, right, right, right, a loss of five hundred eleven serfs,” Frank spread his hands, not embarrassed by his poor arithmetic.

The people here generally weren’t good at math.

He also did not harbor any negative emotions about the high number of deaths, saying with a smile, “If you continue the serf trade, you can compensate for the losses in the next transaction, um, you can supplement three hundred serfs, and the other… more than two hundred serfs, consider them as normal losses.”

“That’s fine,” Liszt nodded.

The death of over five hundred people due to the slave trade had begun to numb him, but he still felt somewhat choked up—without the trade, there would be no harm, but how else could he develop his territory and achieve his dragon riding ambitions without buying serfs? He could only apologize to the souls of the deceased.

Being born into this dog-eat-dog world was a sorrow in itself.

Moments later, he put away any pretense of crocodile tears or true feelings. Stepping out of the house, he looked at the bustling dock square.

The serfs were being sorted.

Karl Ironhammer of the Patrol Team was selecting strong men among them to form a new patrol squad.

Rom Barrel did the same, selecting sturdy men left over from Karl’s choices to join his Bug Guard Team, and then distributing them one by one to the various farms to cultivate the land and guard the Cordyceps.

Earth Knight Lasse Rondo and Rick Trace, meanwhile, took responsibility for selecting robust youths and grouping all the children, who would later begin their Dou Qi Cultivation.

On their way to Fresh Flower Town, they had endured torment, but upon setting foot on this land, they would start anew.

Butler Carter and Mrs. Morson also led the Castle’s servants in choosing from among the serf throng, mainly picking suitable servants and young children. Li Si Te’s Castle would eventually expand to become a named Castle, and at that time, many servants would be needed.

“Mrs. Morson, females who look clever and moderately pretty, under the age of twenty, can also be selected, around ten or so. The Castle needs a group of maids who can handle heavy chores, the current few of you can’t attend to everything thoroughly,” Carter instructed.

Mrs. Morson nodded, “I understand, I’ll choose the qualified maids.”

The clerks bustled about, commanding the serfs, bringing food and water, and arranging for those serfs left over to be sent to various farms.

At present, only those serfs assigned to farming were arranged, craftsmen and workers were also allocated to farm work.

It would not be until there were suitable positions available that they could be relieved from farm labor and return to their old trades, utilizing the skills they possessed.

Li Si Te climbed onto a rock, surveying the port scene, without anyone following him, except Douson. Suddenly, Douson’s nose twitched, and he barked at the empty air beside him.

“It’s me, Douson.”

Someone’s voice came out; Douson still roared uneasily until Li Si Te stroked his neck, calming him down.

Without turning his head, he asked, “Why are you invisible?”

“Nothing much, just didn’t want to show up… My sister was probably sold to Fresh Flower Town in the same way initially,” said Black Dragon Changeling Paris.

“Maggie was lucky. She was part of the first batch of serfs purchased by Fresh Flower Town. It wasn’t the peak season for the slave trade then; each serf was a treasure, so they received fairly decent care on the ship. These serfs are less fortunate, many packed together, and if they got sick, they could only be thrown into the sea.”

Paris, still invisible, spoke in a somber voice, “Baron, why do such things as the slave trade, so devoid of conscience, happen?”

“Because they haven’t met a landlord who treats his people well. At least in Fresh Flower Town, they will definitely not suffer any further harm,” Li Si Te said offhandedly.

He was a participant in the sin, so there was nothing good to say; all the blame was cast onto others.

By the way, he beautified himself; while other landlords were evil-doers, he was the incarnation of justice, the landlord who brought hope to the serfs.

Perhaps it was a lack of intelligence.

Though Li Si Te couldn’t see, Paris still nodded approvingly, “For them, it is indeed lucky to come to Fresh Flower Town. Here, life doesn’t need to worry about food and clothing, nor fear of mercenary plunders… I have come to like the peaceful life here.”

“But it won’t always be peaceful. Soon, I will head to the battlefield to fulfill the truth in my heart,” Li Si Te said, touching the Crimson Blood Sword at his waist.

The ruby inlaid on the sword flickered, the crimson carrying a strange allure.

The setting sun’s glow shone on his handsome face, making it seem especially sacred and just, with sapphire blue pupils that could rival real sapphires. He proclaimed loudly, “My horse, my sword, my spear, my knights, will scatter my ideals of justice and flaunt my knightly way.”

Paris was spellbound, unable to utter a word.