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After Liszt settled the wormgrass of the wheat insect, Glengyle, manager of Wheaton, told him, "My lord, there's something that I don't know if I should say."

"Please speak." Liszt's eyes glittered, feeling that he would get the information on the invisible dragon now.

Glengyle, however, replied, "My lord, I found three weird grasses on the desolate land. They are big and tall. The chickens we keep like to eat their grasses."

Corn!

Liszt immediately realized that the clue was not about the invisible dragon, but the three wild corn. He immediately asked the manager to bring him to the corn that he had been looking forward to.

After he saw the wild corn, Liszt was baffled.

"Glengyle, how long has it been since you discovered the grasses?"

"Three months."

"And they have always been like this?"

"Yes, my lord."

Liszt subconsciously touched the Red Blood Sword that he was carrying.

The magic of the ruby was stimulating and nurturing his combat aura all the time. It meant that he was cultivating all the time. With some magic medicines in the future, it was not unlikely for him to grow into a sky knight.

He observed the three wild corns.

The corn he saw did not have straight stems, with leaves, flowers, and cobs. Instead, there were quite a few stems with flowers. A few tiny toothpicks were where the cobs were supposed to be.

The toothpicks were sectioned, and each section was a grass seed.

Don't tell me that they're wild corn! This is more like wheat than corn! Liszt knew very well that the three grasses were his reward, but he could barely accept it.

What about big, shiny corncobs?

They're grasses for livestock… Huh, I remember it now. Are the three wild corns Mexican corn grass?

Liszt remembered that Mexican corn grass, a high-quality and high-yielding grass, had been planted in his home world for pigs, cows, and goats.

That must be it. I don't think there is really wild corn. Corn was developed after thousands of years of breeding." Realizing that, he could now sigh and comfort himself. It's a high-yielding crop after all. I didn't lose anything.

Getting rid of his frustration, Liszt put on the smile of a noble again. "Glengyle, these are corn grasses that have a high yield and are popular among livestock. You need to take good care of them from now on. I need their seeds."

"Yes, my lord! I'll certainly look after the corn grasses and keep them away from the serfs and the livestock!"

"That's good. I'll inform Mr. Goltai. He'll make further arrangements. You only need to carry out his orders."

"Yes, my lord."

Looking at the Mexican corn grass again, Liszt took a deep breath. Let's go back!

The wormgrass of the wheat insect was settled well. The peanut insect, the clover insect, the tulip insect, and the wheat insect had all been properly planted, but the thorn insect and the millet insect were still waiting for appropriate locations.

In any case, elves were always taken care of.

…

On the way back, Liszt ran into Marcus, who was planning to meet him at the castle.

"Mr. Marcus, what's up?"

"My lord, Goltai told me that you asked about the invisible dragon."

"That's right. Do you know anything about the invisible dragon?"

"I heard about it before," said Marcus carefully. "I read about it from a half-torn knight novel, the name of which I don't recall. I read it when I was very little."

"Is that so? How was the invisible dragon described?" Liszt knew that the reward for the mission had come.

Marcus said, "According to the novel, there's a fourth type of dragon other than gemstone dragons, metal dragons, and elemental dragons, named sacred dragons. The invisible dragon is one of the sacred dragons. They cannot be seen and bring infinite disasters wherever they go."

"Disasters? Then why are they sacred dragons?"

"Because they can produce a very special gem."

"A special gem? They should be categorized as gem dragons. Right, what is the special gem? Does it have any unique powers?"

"The gem is related to a legendary item. My lord, have you ever heard of space rings? They're tiny rings that can contain a lot of things."

Were there space rings in this world?

Liszt searched the memories of his former self, but found nothing. "No. Do you mean that space rings are real? Or rather, the gems from the invisible dragons can be used to build space rings?"

"I don't know if space rings are real. Even if they are, they must be priceless treasures that only real nobles can have," said Marcus. "The novel I read did state that the invisible dragons left infinite disasters as well as their gems, and that whoever picked up the gems would have a space ring."

"Then what?"

"Then nothing."

"Was there no other information about the invisible dragon in the book?"

"No. Also, I think it's only make-believe. You know that most of the novels are written based on pure fantasy." Marcus came to tell Liszt the information, but he obviously did not believe in the invisible dragon.

Liszt gave no response and simply continued, "What about the other sacred dragons?"

"I don't know. The book was half-torn. The part I read only introduced the invisible dragon."

After Marcus left, Liszt was still confused about the reward.

Was it simply the knowledge of the invisible dragon? Or did it mean there was an invisible dragon around for him to capture? Or did it mean that an invisible dragon would attack Flower Town soon? Of course, it could also mean that an invisible dragon would come to offer a space ring to him.

As he thought about it, the mist appeared before him again.

Mission accomplished. Reward: information about the invisible dragon.

After twisting and changing, a new mission was released. "Mission: Have the wild corns in Wheaton attracted your attention? A lord needs to consider why wild corn emerged in Wheaton. Perhaps, there are more wild corns around. Please find the source of the wild corn. Reward: new information about the invisible dragon."

Liszt's attention was quickly fixed on the new mission reward.

More information on the invisible dragon. What's it about? How much information about the invisible dragon will I be given?

Observing the situation objectively, Liszt was freed from the unrealistic illusions about dragons and realized that the information on the invisible dragon might not be anything good.

Based on his experience, he had several speculations.

Firstly, the mist was merely introducing the information to him. However, it didn't make any sense. A goldfinger shouldn't be so boring.

Secondly, there was an invisible dragon around to capture. If this was true, it was definitely exciting, but Liszt didn't have the power to capture any dragon. Even a small dragon could wipe out all the knights on Coral Island.

Thirdly, an invisible dragon came from far away to offer items to him—Liszt did not remember having such a good dragon friend.

Lastly, an invisible dragon would attack Flower Town soon.

The fourth speculation was undoubtedly the most probable one. It was not big news that dragons attacked human towns. Otherwise, "dragonslayer" wouldn't have existed as a profession in the knight novels.

Basically, in a qualified knight novel, the hero would definitely become a dragon knight, or slay a dragon, before they married a beautiful princess.

So, the rewards are telling that I have to fight a dragon and become Liszt the Dragonslayer?

Liszt smiled at the mirror. Then, where can I find my princess after the dragon is dead?

He had complicated feelings. He was worried that his theory might be true, but he felt that it was not going to happen. After much deliberation, he decided that he should accomplish the mission first and study the clues in the reward before he rushed into anything.

If an invisible dragon was truly going to attack him, he could always ask for help.

Once the message was delivered to the Sapphires, it would easily make him a marquis. It was the highest title that the archduke could give.

Summoning Goltai, he gave him the mission. "The corn grass couldn't have grown out of thin air. Birds or wind must've brought their seeds over. Mr. Goltai, ask all the spare farmers to search the villages and try to find more corn grass."

Goltai was rather confused about the mission. "Liszt, is the corn grass very important?"

"Of course, it's highly nutritional and even more suitable as fodder than clovers are… Besides, cattle will grow faster with different varieties of food."

"Since it's so valuable, I'll have them search every corner."

As they talked, Liszt suddenly saw a group of people strutting to Thorn Hill in the south.

"Mr. Goltai, is that the new patrol team?"

"Yes, your squires were of great help. Those jackasses didn't follow my orders in the beginning, but after a few fights, their tempers were gone."

"That's good. Discipline is the top priority for the patrolmen. Mr. Goltai, we must strengthen the management of the patrol team. I have a few ideas. The patrolmen must be responsible for the safety of the villages. They will be paid by the town, wear the same clothes, and observe the same code of conduct."

Liszt intended to improve the patrol team so that he could learn everything about the town.

"However, the town has few Neldas. Isaiah has complained more than once that he can't do anything with Neldas."

Liszt did not have many gold coins in his castle, either. According to his butler, he had only about 150 left.

However, the future of the castle was very promising. Liszt's ruby sword alone was worth more than a thousand gold coins. The profits from the black tulip would eventually arrive, too.

"I'll allocate fifty gold coins for the maintenance and development of the town. The coins will be deducted from the taxes of the town."

"Fifth Neldas? That's too many. Liszt, I've checked it. The annual tax of the town is only fifteen Neldas."

"Fifteen coins aren't too many. Mr. Goltai, tell Isaiah and Blair that Flower Town will be busy these days, and they must be prepared."

"As you wish!"

…

Liszt was not joking about the development of Flower Town.

He was already drawing an abstract map of the town. Basically, it was a right triangle.

The two legs of the triangle were Thorn Hill, and the hypotenuse was the east coast.

The town was at the center of the triangle, the castle was near the right angle, and the Cow Farm and Barleyton were the other two corners.

To become rich, one has to build roads first. He highlighted the muddy trail from Thorn Hill to the town with a quill. I need to build the main road into a gravel one. There's no cement here, but there's a lot of sand. I can use it to pave the road.

The muddy roads among the villages could be paved with sand, too.

However, sand was not always the best choice, especially on rainy days. But it was a pity that there were few stones near Flower Town, making it impossible to mix the sand with stone.

Besides road maintenance, there was another important thing, which was farming.

Elves could influence the growth of plants, but elves were not indispensable. The farmers of the town farmed all the same without elves.

Teaching people to fertilize the land is the first step of scientific farming, but it's not enough. I need a batch of tools to increase the productivity of the farmers. I can ask a blacksmith to make use of the iron from Tulip Castle and Falcon Town.

The two things were important, but their effects were not immediate.

The result of one other thing, however, could be seen quickly: fishery.

On the back of Fire Dragon, Liszt looked at the infinite ocean and smelled the unique salty stink of the ocean water. The waves sparkled under the sunlight.

Thomas played with Dudderson on the beach.

Dudderson had been growing fast. It was almost the size of a common dog and was showing signs of magic. It might be able to release magic before it reached adulthood.

Liszt intended to train it soon in case it hurt someone.

"My lord, is there anything special about the east coast? The ocean here is too deep for any port." Marcus looked at the ocean and still found no wealth in it.

Liszt pointed at the reefs below the surface of the ocean. "Mr. Marcus, do you see the reefs? There's food all over them. After the tide ebbs, you can ask the farmers to pick up the food… This is real seafood."

"It's starting to ebb, my lord," Thomas said to Liszt while reining in Dudderson.

"Give me Dudderson. You, Tom, and Jesse will search for the seafood as I described it." Liszt took Dudderson's leash.

Dudderson was still trying to chase after the waves.

Liszt immediately shouted, "Quiet, Dudderson!"

Dudderson would not listen.

Liszt got off the horse and pressed Dudderson onto the sand, immobilizing it. Then, he commanded, "Dudderson, quiet!"

Dudderson moaned and, unable to break free, could only crouch.

Then, Liszt slowly lifted his hand.

Dudderson struggled and tried to run again.

Liszt seized it and commanded it again. After a few repetitions, Dudderson finally stopped moving. Carl hurried to deliver a piece of meat, which was rewarded to Dudderson by Liszt. Liszt said, "If you listen to me, you will have meat. Do you understand, Dudderson?"

Dudderson tore apart the meat and gulped it down.

Before they left, Liszt specifically reminded Thomas not to feed the dog. It would be easier to form conditional reflexes and complete obedience training with hunger.

"My lord, you are gifted at taming monsters. I can foresee that Dudderson will be a qualified and docile monster."

"Of course, if it's not, I'll butcher it. The smoked meat of the Rampant Earth Dog tasted quite good last night. I didn't enjoy much monster meat even in Taro Castle."

The meat of the Rampant Earth Dog was not sold but dried in the castle.

"It's indeed delicious. I can sense the magic power in the meat." Marcus also had dinner in the castle last night.

After training Dudderson for a while, Liszt gave Dudderson to Carl and rode to the coastline to check the servants' work.

At this moment, Thomas, Tom and Jesse were all busy with gloves, buckets, hammers, and shovels.

Thomas was flipping the stones and searching for the seafood below them.

Jesse was digging in the sand and searching for the seafood buried underneath.

Tom, on the other hand, was picking up the seafood that was stranded due to the ebbing.

"Mr. Marcus, do you know the relationship between tides and the moon?" Liszt asked, in a good mood.

Marcus shook his head. "I don't."

"The moon moves all the time. The tide rises and ebbs because of its draw. Of course, the sun also has such a draw, but it's much further away and the draw is much slighter ."

"My lord, I can't understand any of that."

Marcus was only being nice.

The moon and the sun could attract the seawater? He would've spat in their faces if someone else said it. If the moon and the sun attracted seawater, why were human beings not flying?

Liszt was bored after seeing Marcus's face—what an idiotic native.

Then, he thought to himself, Since the moon here also causes tides, does it mean that this world is indeed a planet? Would I be able to reach the same spot if I sail along the Blue Wave Ocean? In that case, can I accomplish a global tour someday?

The thought was too distant, so Liszt did not waste too much time on it.

He rode his horse to Tom.

Tom hurried to bow to him. "My lord."

"You do your job. I'm just passing by." He saw clams, sea snails, sea stars, and seaweed in Tom's bucket. There were also insects, including sea centipedes and sea cockroaches.

The sea centipedes and sea cockroaches were jumping out of the bucket all the time.

So, Tom had to pick them up in a hurry.

"The running insects are not food. You can throw them away," Liszt reminded him.

"Oh, o-okay, my lord." Tom threw the insects out in a flurry. There was no telling if it was because his lord was around, but he couldn't grab them and sweated hard.

Not far away, Thomas, who was examining the rocks, saw Thomas's embarrassment and gloated internally. He was the most excellent of the three footmen in the castle; he was a suitable choice for the next butler.

On the other side, Jesse failed to capture any of the shrimps and clamps that his lord wanted. He had no idea that he should dig into the holes through which the creatures breathed.

How useless! he thought to himself.

He knocked the rocks happily, picking up the seafood, and he even found a few crabs.

He then broke the shells and dug the fresh meat out.

Before they left, his lord claimed that the meat of shellfish was delicious.

Thomas was not convinced that this ugly, soft thing was delicious, but he still carried out his orders dutifully.

It was no trouble at all.

There were clams and mussels everywhere on the bare rocks after ebbing.

After only two hours, Thomas had filled the two buckets he carried. One of the buckets contained only the meat of the shellfish.

He looked at Tom. Tom's buckets were also full, but he picked up a lot of things that their lord asked them not to.

He couldn't recognize the same animal at all.

How stupid.

As for Jesse, he could be ignored. He was sweating like a pig, but the bottom of his bucket was barely covered. There were only a few fat lobsters inside.

Thomas put down his buckets laden with trophies and held his head high, waiting for his lord's inspection.

…

Liszt, who spent most of the time in the shade of the coconut tree, stopped the fishery experiment when the sun was high.

He checked every bucket on his horse.

"Tom, you need to work harder to distinguish seafood from vermin. Not everything from the ocean is edible."

Tom lowered his head in shame. "I'm sorry, my lord. I'm too stupid to tell the difference."

"It's all right, Tom. It's perfectly normal for your first fishing experience. Don't feel guilty." Liszt comforted him and turned to Jesse's bucket. "Well, Jesse, I can see that you worked hard, but you apparently did not do what I taught you."

"My lord, I dug hard, but the holes disappeared every time I did." Jesse was anxious.

"You need to dig along the holes."

"I… I can stay here and keep digging. My lord, I can certainly fill my bucket."

"If you stay here, nobody will fetch water for the castle. Jesse, I'm not blaming you. It's not an easy task to dig up shrimps and razor clams."

In the end, Liszt reached Thomas's buckets. One of the buckets was full of meat, and the other contained crabs and other sea creatures.

"Job well done, Thomas."

"Thank you for your praise, my lord. I will always try my best for my lord." Thomas was delighted.

Liszt responded with a big smile, acknowledging Thomas's work. He knew what was on Thomas' mind. Carter told him a long time ago that Thomas had ambitions, but he was not bothered as his lord, because Thomas' ambition couldn't be greater than to be the butler of the castle.

If the man was truly capable, he could always appoint Thomas as the butler when Carter was too old.

No servants could drift out of his control.

After bringing the seafood back to the castle, Liszt did not have it cooked immediately.

The seafood was indeed similar to the seafood he remembered, but it remained to be seen whether or not it was poisonous. The test was simple. Marcus captured a few carnivorous animals with the hunters of the town.

The wolves and cats in the cages were more than hungry.

After the seafood was tossed in, it was immediately swallowed by the beasts. The boiled seafood was then given to another batch of animals. On the next day, all the animals were alive except for two which had eaten certain sea urchins.

It means that the seafood here is similar to the seafood on Earth except for the sea urchin. I'll made samples of the edible seafood for the farmers to refer to.

After figuring it out, Liszt was not in a hurry to introduce fishery.

He needed to let other people know that seafood was delicious.

A lot of seafood could be eaten alive, but Liszt did not recommend it. One tended to get infected by parasites this way.

Due to the poor medical conditions, there would be nothing he could do except waiting to die.

So, he summoned Abby Spoon, the cook. "Mrs. Abby, let me teach you how to cook seafood. For the crabs, just scrub and steam them. These lobsters can be boiled with water. The clams here can be cooked into soup or fried. The oysters can be boiled or fried, too."

Oysters were a delicious food.

Back in his home world, Liszt loved oysters because raw oysters contained a lot of zinc that was of great significance for the development of secondary sexual characteristics…

So, oysters would definitely become an indispensable cuisine on the baron's dinner table.

Luckily, Flower Town was right next to the ocean. There were oysters everywhere on the coast.

Liszt, who was only sixteen years old, needed better food to become stronger.

After teaching Abby Spoon how to cook the seafood, Liszt did not quite have great expectations. Or rather, he already had this before. Back in Taro Castle, he enjoyed the rock lobsters offered by the fishermen.

As a country of islands, Archduchy Sapphire had a lot of fishermen.

Some of the serfs searched for food in the ocean when they were too poor. However, on Coral Island, the Tulip family had been busy reclaiming desolate land and had no interest in fishery.

So, the people in Flower Town had never thought of fishing in the past twenty years.

It's the first time that Mrs. Abby makes sea food. I don't think the crabs will be properly steamed. She has to experiment and learn gradually.

As he expected, Liszt had familiar seafood at lunch, but the taste was not familiar.

The crabs and the lobsters were overcooked, and the clam soup was full of sand. But he still ate a lot, because it was still much better than bread with bacon.

Marcus, Goltai, Isaiah, and Blair had the seafood dinner with Liszt.

"Delicious!" Marcus gave a simple remark and devoted himself to the lobsters and crabs.

Isaiah smiled. "Yummy!"

Blair raised his thumb. "Rare cuisine!"

Goltai despised the clams for their ugly appearance at first, but after he had a taste of them, he couldn't stop eating at all and even asked for more.

His wrinkled face was full of happiness. "I remember now. I remember everything now."

"What have you remembered?" Liszt cracked the shell of the crab skillfully.

"When I was young, I traveled to a small island and had oysters there. I was drunk and had a marvelous night. After I woke up, I left the island and never had the food again until today."

"Have some more. Perhaps something marvelous will happen tonight," said Liszt with a feigned smile.

He already knew that Goltai found a young mistress in the town. The girl was only seventeen. If she hadn't been with Goltai voluntarily, Liszt definitely would've stopped it.

Goltai chuckled. "Who knows? I'm in love with oysters now."

Isaiah and Blair both chuckled.

As adults, they all knew what he meant.

Even Marcus became hopeful as he turned to the oysters.

While the knights and nobles enjoyed seafood in the dinner hall, the servants were also having a great time in the kitchen downstairs.

"Those lobsters are delicious. Who could've foreseen that such ugly creatures would be so delicious?" Allyn Fourfingers scarfed down the food.

Abby said with dissatisfaction, "Don't be so rude, young lady. You are eating like a man."

"I'm just a kitchen maid. Why can't I eat like this? I've been eating like this at home. Even Mr. Carter didn't say anything."

Carter was cutting the oysters gracefully. As the butler, he always ensured that everything he and the servants did was flawless.

He remarked, "Allyn, you've seen Ms. Lvera's first maid. Maybe you should learn from her."

"I won't hold a knife with my fingers like her just to make myself seem like a noble lady. His lordship complimented Sister Mathy before, but Sister Mathy doesn't eat that way."

Mathy smiled. "I grew up in a village. Nobody taught me table manners at all. I'm still learning from Mrs. Mason. She worked in Tulip Castle before. Many maids there know noble etiquette better than the ladies."

Mason Ricefield squeezed the meat out of the lobsters. "That's because nobles can break the rules, but servants have to abide by them in order not to be punished."

Allyn suddenly shouted, "His lordship doesn't punish servants! Tom broke a vase yesterday, but his lordship did not reprimand him."

"His lordship is merciful. I won't break anything anymore," said Tom with respect.

Thomas had the oysters he dug out and smiled in disdain. "I highly doubt it. Tom, you will break a lot of things in the future. His lordship would be wise to forbid you from going upstairs."

The dinner was over.

Liszt finally got down to business. "I'm planning to build a new village on the east coast, so that some of the serfs can be occupied when not farming."

Farmers were busy in some seasons but idle in others.

Liszt found it too wasteful. It would be better if some of the farmers were changed into fishermen.

"Such delicious food indeed should be worked on. However, Liszt, the population of the town is too little. All the serfs are needed here."

"I'll come up with a solution to the shortage." Liszt did not say anything more.

He had discussed with Levis about purchasing serfs with the dividends of the black tulip as a reward. The earl's fleets returned with a lot of serfs every time it went out for trade.

Goltai immediately understood. "If you put it that way, I'll start planning for the new village immediately."

"My lord, what will be the name of the new town?" Isaiah asked.

"Let's call it… Oysterton."

Liszt had high hopes for Oysterton. He hoped that some serfs could be transformed into fishermen and provide food for Flower Town after the village was built. Before, most people of Flower Town would sleep through the winter to reduce the need for food.

With enough food, the cold of winter would be nothing.

A lot of construction work could continue in winter.

Goltai arrived at the castle again in the evening. "Liszt, the corn grass was found! The patrolmen found a pasture at the edge of Thorn Hill that looks the same as the corn grass."

"Lead me there."

Liszt saw the corn grass before it was completely dark. Compared to the three wild corn in Wheaton, those corn grasses were much shorter.

Liszt examined them with disappointment.

It was probably where the corn grass originated, but there was no sign of an elvish insect. Without elvish insects, it was barely possible to develop and improve the corn grass.

"Take good care of them and collect the seeds. Sow them in the town later to provide a new grass for the horses and cows."

…

At night, Liszt read books in his study after a bath.

The misty words condensed before his eyes. Mission accomplished. Reward: information about the invisible dragon.

Soon, the mist was twisted into a new mission. Mission: Fishery is on the lord's agenda now, and a batch of serfs are about to be kicked into the ocean by you. It's a necessary skill to use the subjects, but sustainable development is also important. Please update the equipment of the fishermen. Reward: a large area of smoking grass.

A large area of smoking grass? What's that? Tobacco?

Updating the fishing equipment was an easy task. He would've done the same even without the misty mission.

The reward of the mission was no longer information about the invisible dragon. Liszt was more or less reassured. He began to wonder what smoking grass was.

Smoking was popular among nobles. The Tulips had planted a lot of tobacco and even had a tobacco little elf.

So, the smoking grass can't be tobacco. I have tobacco seeds from Tulip Castle. I can plant them whenever I want to.

Liszt did not consider it any longer. He would know what smoking grass was sooner or later.

He continued reading the book. The earl fulfilled his promise and offered him a wagon of books when Liszt returned.

Now, he was reading an autobiographical novel named The Travel Journal of Earth Knight Gulliver.

From the first person perspective, it told the story of an earth knight named Gulliver in Archduchy Maple Leaves. The story was interesting, although many plots were simply fantasies to Liszt, like how the hero had an affair with an earl's wife, eloped with a marquis's daughter, and chit-chatted with Archduke Maple Leaves.

The descendant of a bankrupt noble couldn't have enjoyed any of that.

However, the author of the book must be a man with a lot of experiences. He introduced a life that was completely different from that on Coral Island.

It was quite interesting.

Liszt liked novels that were both fun and informative.

"Huh?"

As he read on, the story reached a dragon-slaying battle out of the blue. Gulliver arrived at a town that was invaded by an invisible creature. The lord of the town had escaped, and the people couldn't resist the enemy. At this moment, Gulliver decided to rescue them.

After observation, he reached the conclusion that it was an invisible dragon, although the deduction process was uncanny.

Invisible dragons are amazing dragons hiding in a different world. Only knights with the greatest courage and integrity can see them! I have to see it, face it, and find its weakness!

Finally, Gulliver found the invisible dragon and was heavily wounded, but he also managed to see it.

Ah, what a beautiful dragon! It's like flowing transparent crystals. My blood simply penetrated through its body. Yes, I couldn't touch it. I was very frustrated because it was impossible for me to ride it.

Liszt quite admired Gulliver, who was regretting that he could not ride the dragon after he was almost killed.

Thankfully, Gulliver knew himself quite well.

I knew it wanted to kill me. I couldn't see its eyes, but I sensed what it was feeling. I forgot where I was, and my last wish was to smoke a cigarette. Since I didn't have any tobacco left, I had to grab random grasses near me and chewed them to quench my addiction.

Liszt's eyebrow rose as he read this part.

He continued reading.

It was not until later that I realized that what I caught was smoking grass, a grass similar to tobacco but with a unique smell, like my socks that had been worn for a fortnight. I almost threw up. Yes, I successfully quit smoking. I swore that I wouldn't smoke again!

I had smoked for seventeen years. When I was little, my father liked to smoke the cigarettes he rolled himself. He would ask me, "Hi, Gulliver, do you want one?"…

The rest was the memory of how his father taught him to smoke.

Liszt's head almost exploded. Why are you talking about this? I'm dying to know how you slew the dragon!

Thankfully, after a flashback of more than five hundred words, Gulliver finally returned to the dragon-slaying story.

I swore that I was determined to quit smoking back then, but I forgot it later because I was shocked by the invisible dragon's actions. It robbed me of my smoking grass and ate it. I think something might be wrong with its nose.

Sorry that I badmouthed the invisible dragon. As a matter of fact, we became friends later. Since it ate my smoking grass, it did not kill me. I earned the friendship of an invisible dragon with a bundle of smoking grass and two cows. To be honest, the invisible dragon is not huge. It's only slightly larger than a house.

I saw Archduke Maple Leaves's bronze dragon before. It was almost thirty meters long. The invisible dragon is like its child, if dragons ever have children.

We spent an afternoon together. In the evening, it shook itself before me and dropped me a gem. Then it flew away, but its gem was left behind. I've been wearing it ever since.

Haha. Now you know the origin of my space ring. Too many honorable sirs were willing to pay everything for my ring, but I never agreed, because it's proof of my friendship with the invisible dragon!

That marked the end of the chapter on the invisible dragon.

Another Gulliver story immediately began.

Liszt skimmed through the novel, but there was no more information on the invisible dragon. Even the space ring was only mentioned once.

It seemed that Gulliver only mentioned the invisible dragon when he thought of it.

It seems that the reward this time is the knowledge of the invisible dragon recorded in the novel… Only people of courage and integrity can see the invisible dragon? In that case, I don't think I can see it at all. He knew himself quite well.

However, he doubted the accuracy of the information. How could the criteria for seeing the invisible dragon be personality, something that could not be measured?

However, he still found information that was of use for him. Gulliver resisted the invisible dragon's attack with smoking grass. He also exchanged a bundle of grass and two cows for the invisible dragon's gem… The reward for my current misty mission is smoking grass. It seems part of a longer quest.

The first reward was information on the invisible dragon.

The second reward was new information on the invisible dragon.

Then the reward was the smoking grass that the invisible dragon liked.

All the rewards were associated. In that case, the target of the missions was quite obvious. It was possible that an invisible dragon was truly going to invade Flower Town.

Cows? Liszt thought of something else. The Cow Farm has two cows that are too old to produce any milk. They haven't been butchered yet because there is still enough food in the castle. Maybe the two old cows are the food that I need to prepare for the invisible dragon?

The information was still not specific enough.

Liszt believed that his top priority was to keep on accomplishing the missions to get more details on the invisible dragon so that he could take measures accordingly.

Somebody knocked on the door.

"Come on in."

Carter came in with a lamp. "My lord, the hour is late. You should rest."

"I'm about to." Liszt put the book back on the shelf and frowned at the smell of his hand. "Mr. Carter, please add a box of air freshener in the study. I can't tolerate the strange smell of the thick-hide paper."

The wagon of books offered by the earl carried a tremendous stink that could not be concealed with Liszt's air freshener.

There was no clean white paper, but only the hard, stinky yellow thick-hide paper.

The paper was made with the materials inside animal skin after a special tanning process. The cost of the paper was high, and it was difficult to preserve it. Liszt was eager to replace the thick-hide paper with white paper, but he knew that it was not the right moment.

Firstly, white paper was not in demand.

Secondly, due to the lack of copyright laws, the grand nobles could steal the technology.

These were also the reasons why he hadn't worked on horseshoes, saddles, or cement. Also, he had the basic structure of a schooner in his head. It would definitely be a boost to the sailing age once it was invented.

Most importantly of all, he was short of people.

The whole town only had a population of 1,991 people. Two seniors died recently, and three babies were born.

Ignoring the old and the young who could not work, only 1,500 people could be used. They had to farm, build roads, establish Oysterton, and craft fishing equipment soon.

As for Liszt, he was quite busy in improving himself, too.

He had picked up Dragon Drill and Furious Fire, but he needed more time to master them. After the Red Blood Sword was gifted to him, he practiced even more diligently, hoping that he could break the hold of gravity and leap into the sky someday.

Carter lit the air freshener.

Blowing the candle, he asked, "My lord, should we hire more servants for the castle?"

"Are we short of hands?" Liszt was surprised. Ten servants for him should be enough.

Carter, however, said solemnly, "The elvish insects are quite obedient, but the footmen have to take care of their wormgrass every day. It's Jesse's job for now, but after the millet insect and the thorn insect are settled, it will be too much for him."

Pausing for a moment, he said, "Dudderson, Black Dragon, Fire Dragon, and the other horses all need tending. The seafood in the castle has to be gathered by servants until Oysterton is built. Also, Mrs. Abby is overwhelmed as more dishes are added."

Castles and town halls had a lot of overlapping functions.

However, the castle focused more on feeding itself, and the town hall had to manage the whole territory and collect taxes. Liszt was not satisfied with the system and felt that the greatest obstacle of productivity was the castle. It was a twisted monster that controlled all the elves, the greatest source of productivity.

After all, the greatest function of the castle was to ensure the luxurious life of nobles instead of increasing productivity.

He knew that well, but he did not intend to change it. He was a noble himself, after all!

"Since we are short of hands, Mr. Carter, you will hire new servants."

"All right, my lord."

"Big Lily, where is Little Lily?"

"What's up, Old Abe? Little Lily is feeding the chicken in the yard." Big Lily was a middle-aged woman whose back had been bent by years of hard work.

Abe smiled brilliantly. "Great news! His lordship is recruiting new servants. According to Mr. Carter, three footmen, a maid, and a kitchen maid are to be recruited. Little Lily can apply for the maid position."

"Really? Is his lordship really going to recruit new maids? That's wonderful! I'm going to tell Little Lily!"

"Go." Before Abe could continue, Big Lily was already gone. He shook his head in amusement and murmured, "I need to tell the good news to everyone. What a beautiful life it will be in the castle. Your child is lucky."

Very soon, all the 48 households in Barleyton heard the news.

"What a piece of great news. I was worried that Malfoy did not have enough land to work on. He's strong and diligent and will make a good footman."

"I doubt it. Parker is more diligent, and he is polite. I think he will definitely make it."

"Is the news true? His lordship will recruit servants from the villages?"

"Old Abe said so. He's been making tools for his lordship recently. How could he be lying?"

"Abe has good skills, but can he still lift a hammer?"

"He doesn't need to. His lordship sent apprentices to do the hard work for him. Do you remember Peter the Crippled? He's an apprentice! His lordship pays a copper to him every day!"

"Doesn't the old alcoholic own the blacksmith's shop?"

"It's been sold to his lordship for three Neldas!"

"Three Neldas! Heavens, his lordship is too generous!"

Good news flew to everybody like a bird.

Little Lily, who was feeding the chicken, flushed in excitement. "Mom, can I… really apply to be a maid?"

"Old Abe brought the news. He can't be lying. Little Lily, you must be prepared. You will have a good life if you make it to the castle," said Big Lily in delight.

"But… will his lordship choose me?"

"Be confident in yourself, Little Lily. You are the most excellent girl in Barleyton. You are my pride and joy. Of course, you can also lower your expectations and apply to be a kitchen maid."

"All right, I know what to do, Mom," said Little Lily determinedly.

For a better life in the future, she had to be excellent enough. Their lives had been difficult since she lost her father. Now that she had grown up, she had to share responsibility for the family. The seventeen-year-old girl clenched her fists.

…

In the blacksmith's shop, Liszt watched the old blacksmiths craft the iron blocks with their apprentices.

Liszt devoted all the iron he earned in the deal with the black tulip to the manufacture of tools. The first to be built was the fishing equipment.

Shovels, hammers, and spikes—with them, the fishermen would be able to catch fish.

The seafood to the east of Flower Town had never been developed or contaminated. One could capture fish easily.

"Mr. Goltai, have you started hiring fishermen?" Liszt wiped his sweat with the handkerchief that Marcus gave him.

He had been used to the service of a valet. It was quite enjoyable to have someone help him.

Goltai, on the other hand, could only wipe sweat with his own handkerchief. "The clerks are announcing your request in the villages. Only the old, the women, and the little children are to be selected."

"That's right. All that is needed in fishery is patience. It's only reasonable to send the unqualified farmers to go fishing. However, you must inform that that they must not eat raw seafood."

Medical technology was highly undeveloped in this world.

The nobles were barely ill thanks to combat aura, so they did not have any motivation to study medicine. Liszt could only make his subjects take precautions.

"They're lucky to have you. Liszt, you have a unique charisma." Goltai flattered him.

As a grown man, Liszt was not excited by the adulation. He simply ordered, "Do not stop crafting the ironware, but don't exhaust the blacksmiths, either. Improve their wages from five coppers to six, and those of the apprentices to two."

One copper a day for the apprentices and five coppers a day for the masters were Liszt's previous offers.

It was already very generous. The baron was too wealthy to exploit the small folk now.

The Red Blood Sword on his waist alone was worth more than a thousand gold coins.

That meant more than a hundred thousand silver coins, or more than ten million coppers.

Besides, Flower Town belonged to him. His subjects' money equaled his money, as he could levy taxes however he wanted to.

"Six coppers a day. What a bunch of lucky blacksmiths," Goltai murmured.

Then, he entered the workshop and shouted, "Mr. Blacksmiths, his lordship has decided that your salary will be raised to six coppers a day. Your apprentices will earn two coppers a day. Work hard! You can't imagine his lordship's generosity!"

"Wow!"

"Six coppers a day?"

"His lordship is the best!"

"Praise his lordship! Old Jack will build ironware for his lordship forever!"

"Two coppers a day for the apprentices? Heavens! My parents will be exalted!"

The complaints about the heat in the blacksmith's shop were replaced by excitement. They all promised to work hard to repay their generous lord.

Liszt shook his head at the cheers inside.

He was unwilling to exploit the serfs partly because he was merciful and partly because it could motivate the serfs to work harder. He preferred creation to exploitation. Only by a reasonable distribution of resources and an improvement of productivity could he make the best use of the small population of this small town.

"My lord, are you going back?"

"I'm going to the tailor's to check the gloves, towels, and masks for the fishermen. I hope the products are qualified." Liszt cracked the whip on Fire Dragon.

"Lily Bathtub, Wendy Bigtoe, Jim Cowdung, Parker Rednose, and John Doorknob, after consideration, you've been given a chance to work in the castle."

After a three-day test, Carter finally announced the names of new footmen and maids that he found suitable for the castle.

The other applicants asked hopefully, "Mr. Carter, please give me another chance! I swear that I will do better!"

"Sorry, the decision has been made. However, for the testing of the past three days, you will be paid three coppers as the standard for the kitchen maid. Also, I've remembered you. If the castle needs more servants, I'll consider you first."

The servants of the castle were technically Liszt's property.

However, he had to pay for them. The servants could save the money for themselves or send it home.

The kitchen maid and the assistant footman were paid a copper a day. The maids and the footmen were paid two coppers a day. The first footman and the cook, three coppers. The butler and the housekeeper, four coppers.

Other than Carter and Mason who were by themselves, the servants all sent the money back to their homes.

Also, once the servants were tired of work, they could apply to free themselves with money if the nobles agreed to it.

The young men and women who were screened out left in disappointment. It was a major blow for them that they couldn't work in the beautiful castle.

The five who were chosen, on the other hand, were too excited to control themselves.

"Dear heavens, I've been selected!"

"Am… Am I going to stay in the castle?"

"Mom, I made it!"

Carter looked at the rookies with a smile, remembering how he was chosen as a servant by the viscount when he was young.

Starting off as the lowest assistant footman, he gradually grew into an excellent servant. As the Tulips advanced, he was sent by the earl to manage one of the family's manors in a different town.

After Liszt's coming of age, he followed him here as a butler.

It had been such a long time that he almost couldn't remember how he cheered and danced when he became a servant. For decades, he had been working in the castle, with both regrets and happiness.

His greatest wish right now was to accompany Liszt until the sun did not rise for him anymore.

"Young ladies and gentlemen, please be quiet." He pressed his hands down and hinted for them not to be excited. "I'll announce your jobs now."

Lily and the rest of them hurried to shut up.

"Lily Bathtub, Mrs. Allyn likes you. Your job will be as the kitchen maid. Ms. Allyn will help you get familiar with the job as soon as possible."

Little Lily immediately nodded. "I'll familiarize myself with it soon."

"That's good, but don't put too much pressure on yourself. Mrs. Abby can be… blunt, but you'll know that she's a good person after you get to know her." Carter was worried that the little girl couldn't handle Abby Spoon's criticism.

He went on: "Wendy Bigtoe, Mrs. Mason will teach you things required of a maid."

"Yes, Mr. Carter."

"Now, Jim Cowdung, Parker Rednose, John Doorknob." Carter looked at the young, emaciated fellows.

"Mr. Carter." All of them held their heads high, trying to make themselves look more graceful.

Carter was satisfied with their attitude. "I'll groom you for the footman job. Very soon, you will be occupied, both in the castle and beyond."

He looked at the new servants. "You represent not just yourselves but also the castle. You must be civilized and say goodbye to the lazy serfs that you were in the past. Do you understand, ladies and gentlemen?"

"Understood, Mr. Carter!"

"Each of you will be given a half-day holiday. Share the good news with your family. Starting from tomorrow, you will live in the castle."

…

"Mr. Carter, congratulations. You're about to become a big butler." Mrs. Mason chatted with Carter after the new servants left.

"Yes. It feels great." Carter put on a rare smile. "I have to live longer in case Thomas replaces me. I don't want to see him enjoy the feeling."

"I imagine that Thomas prefers to stay by his lordship's side. He's indeed smarter than Tom and Jesse."

Carter said fanatically, "His lordship has inherited the courage of the Tulips and the cleverness of the Taros. Sometimes, it's better to be silly than to be smart before his lordship."

He suddenly pricked his ears and said, "Hoofbeats. His lordship is back. I need to make preparations."

"Go, silly and smart Butler Carter."

He reached the gate and saw Liszt riding Fire Dragon with the sun behind him. The radiance of the sun glimmered on his curly blond hair like flowing gold.

His lordship is a natural-born noble. He has everything expected of a noble, Carter thought.

He bowed. "Welcome home, my lord."

"Mr. Carter, have you selected a new servant?" Liszt gave the reins to Thomas and loosened the bow tie. He found the clothes uncomfortable in the hot, damp summer.

The clothes of the archduchy were the same style as those on the continent.

The female nobles mostly wore dresses with crinolines inside that stuck the dresses out like pyramids.

Lvera never wore such clothes. She preferred the clothes of male nobles.

The full attire of male nobles was named Frak Abie, which included a tailcoat-like "Frak," a waistcoat named "Kire," and a pair of pants named "Beest," with boots and stockings.

Also, the male nobles had to wear accessories that represented their noble power on their neck.

They usually wore bow ties at home. On ceremonial occasions, they had to wear "Raff," a round collar that surrounded the neck.

Loosening the tie, Liszt immediately sensed hot air surging from inside his clothes. He complained to himself, I have to initialize a clothes revolution!

Shirts, vests, boxers, suits, leather shoes… There were many clothes that Liszt intended to create.

However, he could not be so innovative. He was a countryside baron after all. If he could become the king of a country someday, he would be able to change the fashion however he wanted.

But for now, he could not tolerate the tediousness in maintaining the so-called dignity of nobles.

"My lord, I gave the servants a half-day holiday. They'll be dedicated to the castle tomorrow."

"Well, do whatever you see fit."

"Yes, sir."

Liszt, who was sweating hard, was in no mood to talk. "Mr. Carter, draw a bath for me. This is not the friendliest weather."

"As you wish." Carter hurried to ask the maids to prepare a bath.

Bathwater was always prepared in the castle nowadays because the servants all knew their lord's enthusiasm for cleanliness. It was not unusual for him to wash himself three times a day.

After taking a shower, he put on homely clothes, a loose robe.

Such robes were a kind of pajamas. The nobles here also knew that it could be uncomfortable to wear formal dress all the time, so they changed pajamas into homely clothes.

Liszt, however, still found it complicated and uncomfortable.

His favorites in summer were T-shirts. So, he rolled the sleeves of his long robe and exposed his arms. Although it did not befit the etiquette of nobles, nobody dared to question him in the small castle. That was an advantage of the countryside.

"My lord, it's a pity that we don't have ice, or I could make you a cup of iced water."

"There isn't much ice even in Tulip Castle. I can live with that, although it's a pity that I can't have iced beer." He was not an alcoholic. He only drank at dinners because of social needs.

However, he did relish the memory of cool iced beers in the hot summer.

The days were becoming hotter and hotter. As he recalled, eggs would immediately be boiled if they were placed on the ground when Coral Island was in the hottest season.

Many serfs died of heat exhaustion every year.

I was told that niter can be used to make ice, but there are no niter mines on Coral Island… I remember that niters can be gathered in the corners of public toilets, but all the houses in Flower Town are made of wood, and there are no toilets…

Basically, it was impossible for Liszt to make ice with niter.

He could only store ice in winter and use it during summer like other nobles did. "Mr. Carter, remind me in winter to build an ice cellar."

"All right, my lord."

…

As usual, Goltai, Marcus, Isaiah, and Blair were invited to dinner. Only the four of them were qualified to have dinner with Liszt.

"Liszt, the planning for Oysterton is done. Tomorrow, the first batch of fishermen will officially start fishing in the east coast with the new equipment. They're all seniors, women, and children, silly and reckless."

After the news that their lord had a seafood dinner, all the civilians followed his example and began having seafood.

Liszt said solemnly, "Mr. Goltai, you must disseminate the safety instructions. I do not want any civilian to be in danger because of seafood. As officials of the town, you have to pay attention to this. Population is the most important thing for Flower Town's productivity."

Maybe they still did not consider it a big deal, but they all knew Liszt's attitude and nodded without hesitation.

"Tomorrow, if you have time, come to Oysterton with me and let's see their work. Meantime, you have to teach them what seafood is edible and how to preserve the seafood."

"Lord Baron, the clerks have made sure of that. Also, each of them already had a taste of the seafood in the castle. They are all quite enthusiastic."

"Very well."

During the low tide the next day, Liszt came to Oysterton with his squires. Houses were not built yet, but a desolate area not far away from the ocean had been flattened.

At this moment, about two hundred men and women were flipping the stones and digging in the sand with baskets or buckets in their hands.

Many of them were working with bare hands—the productivity of the tailor's shop and the blacksmith was too low.

"Greetings, my lord!"

The fishermen all paid tribute to Liszt when they saw him.

Liszt nodded at the fishermen. Fishing could be exhausting, but the results could also be fruitful. So, the unqualified farmers were all working passionately despite their lack of experience.

Liszt sweltered after only watching for a while. He hurried to hide in the shade of a coconut tree.

He looked at the tall tree and felt that something was wrong. A moment later, he realized that there were no coconuts on it at all!

He turned to a clerk next to him. "Do these trees not yield fruits?"

"They do, my lord, but the fruits were picked by the monkeys of Thorn Hill when the fruits were very small."

"Monkeys?"

"It's a gray and yellow monkey that we call fruit thief. Sometimes they even ruin the crops in the farmlands in groups."

"Fruit thieves…" Liszt nodded without any comment.

He suddenly recalled the articles he read before. It seemed that some countries in southeast Asia had the tradition of training monkeys to pick coconuts because coconut trees were too tall for human beings to climb. If a group of fruit thieves could be trained, it would be possible to develop a coconut industry.

Of course, he was not sure if the coconut tree was the same as what he knew. They shouldn't have survived the winter in Flower Town when it snowed consecutively for two months.

"How does the coconut taste?"

"I once picked a coconut that a fruit thief dropped. There's juice that tasted sweet and sour like milk. It's delicious."

Liszt's appetite was whetted.

There were many such trees on the coastline. If they were protected, a lot of coconuts could be harvested and even be made into a special beverage.

He looked at Thorn Hill further away. I will take down Thorn Hill sooner or later and exterminate all the threats to Flower Town!

The fruit thieves there could be enslaved to pick fruits for him.

Monkeys could certainly be trained if monsters could be. For knights with combat aura, beasts were no different from kittens and puppies.

However, there were only five people with combat aura in Flower Town: Liszt, Marcus, Goltai, Isaiah, and Blair.

They all had their responsibilities and couldn't work as animal tamers.

It seems that I need to select a few healthy young men from the town and teach them to be my squires.

Liszt could even build an order of knights if he could afford it.

However, due to the limitation of gold, he could only build a squad of knights at best. In his plan, the purpose of the squad was to eliminate the monsters on Thorn Hill and make Thorn Hill his territory.

When the food from Oysterton and the taxes of the castle are steady, I'll start to train them.

Carl Hammer and the other squires were incapable of combat aura and did not have any potential. He had to teach younger, talented people and make them real knights.

While he was considering his future plans in the shade, Goltai was already wiping sweat with his handkerchief. "Liszt, everything goes well in our inspection. Should we go back?"

Liszt also felt hot.

It was not the best weather for an outdoor trip. He nodded and said, "All right, let's go back." As the lord of a land, it was unnecessary for him to show that he was diligent or down-to-earth.

Bloodline and combat aura were the foundation of nobles.

On their way back, Liszt inspected the roads within the villages. It was difficult and inefficient to move sand with buckets and basins, but the roads were taking shape anyway.

When they passed Flower Farm, a stink found its way to Liszt's nose. It was so disgusting that he almost threw up.

His horse was also sniffing as if it couldn't stand the smell.

"Ah, what's this smell?"

"Who caused this?"

The squires covered their noses and gagged.

"Is anybody cleaning their septic tank?" Liszt remembered the smell when feces were removed from toilets, but the stench right now was even more intense. He soon realized it. There are no toilets or septic tanks in Flower Town. The dry feces shouldn't smell so bad.

Holding his breath, he said to his squires, "Carl, go and find the source of the smell."

Very soon, Carl returned with a grass. "My lord, I've found the cause."

He raised the grass in his hand high. "It's this grass. Some naughty kids plucked those grasses, and they stank after they were broken."

As he talked, an even stronger smell entered Liszt's nose from the grass in Carl's hand.

Liszt's eyes glittered despite the stench. "There are a lot of such grasses?"

"Yes."

"Good! Well done, Carl! Inform Goltai to protect these grasses. Nobody is allowed to approach or harm the grasses!"

The squire was puzzled, but he carried out his order.

Liszt felt great after giving the order.

Thomas couldn't help but ask, "My lord, why are you happy about the stinky grasses?"

"You have no idea how important they are."

He returned to the castle. He took a shower and checked the misty words for updates. He thought that the mission wouldn't be accomplished until all the fishermen had new equipment, but smoking grass, the mission reward, had been given to him. It meant that the mission was over.

As he expected, the Ophidian words were updated. Mission accomplished. Reward: a cluster of smoking grass.

A moment later, the words were changed. Mission: Seeds have been sown in the newly-reclaimed millet land, and the millet insect is desperate to breathe fresh air. It's a brave little guy. Please settle the wormgrass of the millet insect. Reward: a forgotten combat aura technique.

A forgotten combat aura technique? Not a book, but a technique. Is it an ultimate skill? Liszt speculated.

Combat aura techniques were powerful moves that represented the ultimate usage of combat aura.

However, because they were obscure and difficult to learn, it was hard for small nobles to pass them on.

The Tulips did not have any family techniques, nor did the Taros of Red Crab Island.

Only noble families with long histories could have some ultimate techniques.

Liszt was quite satisfied. Not bad, although I'm not fond of fighting, a secret technique can significantly increase my combat ability and reduce possible danger.

However, it remains to be seen what technique it will be.

Up until so far, the misty missions hadn't been too difficult. They were basically the daily tasks that Liszt was supposed to do. Reclaiming the millet land was exactly to settle down the millet insect. Liszt would do it with or without the mission.

Then, he considered something else. Is this mission also part of the quest regarding the invisible dragon?

…

Three days later, the fishermen of Oysterton were already able to harvest seafood in bulk during low tide.

Some of the seafood replaced bread on the civilians' tables, reducing the need for food in the town.

However, there was no place to store the rest of the seafood.

"Liszt, we have to figure out a way. There's too much seafood on the east coast. It may go bad at any moment." Goltai went to Liszt worriedly.

Liszt was lost for words. "If it can't be eaten, try to dry the seafood and preserve it… It's not the best season for drying right now, so we can catch less seafood. It's not going anywhere in the ocean."

Without refrigerators and enough salt for preservation, drying was the best method of storage.

The weather was too hot right now, so they might as well catch less seafood in case of overfishing.

Then, Liszt expressed his dissatisfaction. "Mr. Goltai, I'm the lord, and you are an official. I need you to manage Flower Town for me, not to come to me every time you're in trouble. Do you understand?"

Goltai managed a smile. "Of course I do. Liszt, trust me. I won't make the same mistake."

The houses in Oysterton hadn't been built, but the fishermen were doing their job.

The roads in the villages were being built up every day.

The low-yield and low-nutrition grasses in the Cow Farm had all been replaced by clovers. The cows liked the new food, and milk production increased a lot.

In the horsefield outside of the castle, clovers were flourishing, too, but no female horses were pregnant yet.

The peanuts in Peanuton were growing well. By estimation, it wouldn't be a problem to harvest them twice a year.

The black tulip in the Flower Farm was yielding fruits. Many seeds would be spewed out soon for multiplication. Thanks to the wormgrass of the tulip insect, the black tulip had more than thirty fruits.

The seeds would be enough for several acres. Then, with the big elf of Tulip Castle, the scale would grow even larger within half a year.

If they were sown the regular way, they wouldn't reach such a scale even after years. That was the power of elves.

However, elves were helpers that ultimately prevented human beings from studying fertilizers.

Liszt was changing the agriculture of Flower Town. Feces, ashes, and sludge were popularized in every village.

Wheat was still grown in Wheaton. Thanks to the help of the wheat insect, the production would be increased by twenty percent. In the meantime, the serfs of Barleyton tended to the corn grasses and collected the seeds.

Barley and rye were mostly grown in Barleyton before. It was seriously short of serfs after the millet land was reclaimed in Barleyton.

Mushroomton and Potaton were the same as before.

The changes in the town proper were greatest. As per Liszt's order, there were no feces or garbage on the streets anymore. Whoever littered about would be whipped—Liszt kept some of the punishments that nobles invented.

At first, Liszt thought of keeping them in custody, but then he realized that imprisonment without physical punishment was more of a privilege for the serfs.

They did not need to work, and they would still have food.

So, physical punishment was necessary.

"I've distributed fifty acres of land for the plantation of millet. It's the best that the millet insect can influence. Now, the serfs in Barleyton are too few, so we're only developing ten acres of millet land right now."

Goltai described the situation to Liszt.

They were here to settle the millet insect today. The millet had sprouted on the land that had been fertilized with manure.

"Ten acres it is, then. After the rye and barley are harvested, we'll plant millet instead." Liszt nodded.

Then, he began to settle the wormgrass of the millet insect.

The millet insect was glitteringly gold, almost dazzling.

"Come on, little buddy. Enjoy the fresh air."

The millet insect was indeed a brave guy. It crawled out of the jade box and spewed the wormgrass at the center of the land. The wormgrass soon grew large.

The new mission had been accomplished.

Five of the six elvish insects had been settled down. The thorn insect was the last one.

In a great mood, Liszt focused his attention on the horse, and the misty words soon appeared before his eyes. Mission accomplished. Reward: Eye of Magic Power.

Then, a new mission was released. Mission: The thorn insect's partners have been properly settled down, but it does not have a new home yet. As the lord, you cannot waste the productivity of any elvish insect. Please settle down the wormgrass of the thorn insect. Reward: invasion of the invisible dragon.

His good mood fell into pieces after he read the new mission.

He would've cursed aloud if he didn't have squires and servants with him. Are you kidding me? What kind of reward is an invasion of an invisible dragon?

According to the information he got earlier, it was possible that the invisible dragon would leave a priceless space ring behind.

However, he might not be able to live to wear it!

A dragon could destroy a town easily. Liszt did not at all intend to find out if he could satisfy an invisible dragon with two old cows and a bundle of smoking grass. In his opinion, that was a mission for the lord of Coral Island.

Pitifully, he had only a Flower Town.

The town would probably be a goner if the dragon was to tumble on it. His extravagant noble life would be reduced to bankruptcy.

For a moment, he even decided to abandon the thorn insect and leave the mission unfulfilled to not trigger the reward.

However, after he calmed down, he regretted it.

The misty missions seemed to be giving him things that would come to him anyway, but the difficulty of development without such a boost could be unimaginable. Also, he couldn't give up the rewards of the misty missions.

Hesitating all the way to the castle, he made up his mind.

I'm going to do it. It's just an invisible dragon!

The smoking grass has been prepared. The cows are here, too. If Flower Town is really destroyed, I'll ask for something more in Tulip Castle!

The earl can't watch his son starve, right?

For the space ring and for the misty missions, Liszt decided to take the risk.

After he made up his mind, he needed to make full preparations.

For that, he spent a whole night devising a plan in the study. He did not involve anyone in it, but kept the secret of the invisible dragon to himself, in case somebody leaked the news after he obtained the space ring.

The space ring deserved to be called an artifact.

Devising ways to stay alive in case of failure was Liszt's principle. He must ensure his own safety whether or not the mission was accomplished.

Observing the map of Flower Farm he'd drawn, he considered for a long time and circled the Cow Farm. This place will be the battlefield for the invisible dragon. I'll keep the cows here and pile the smoking grass in the Cow Farm to attract the invisible dragon's attention.

There won't be a battle. Nobody can defeat a dragon, much less slay it.

It's said that the special magic that dragons breathe out is highly lethal. Half of dragons' combat ability is based on their breath. So, I have to dig tunnels first, so that I can escape from the dangerous surface.

The dragons wouldn't dig holes and capture bug-like humans themselves, right?

On the other hand, neither me nor anybody else in Flower Farm can see the invisible dragon. To find out the real location of the invisible dragon, I should spread flour over the Cow Farm, so that the dragon will leave footprints behind when it walks… The question remains, do dragons still walk when they can fly?

Liszt stroked his hair, considering how to detect an invisible dragon, but he couldn't come up with anything.

In his agitation, he smacked the desk.

Crack.

The candle fell, and the oil flowed toward a knight novel at the corner of the desk, which was immediately consumed by fire.