The Defeated Dragon

In the center of the flower farm, the tulip greater sprite along with the tulip lesser sprites as well as six tulip sprite worms surrounding the Black Tulip were absorbing its aura as they carried out the a.s.similation.

Liszt stood to the side, watching the tulip great sprite.

In his predecessor's memories, the greater sprite called Little Fragrance was estimated to be over sixty years of age. Twenty some years ago, it had merely been a lesser sprite, before successfully evolving into a greater sprite in the hands of Liszt's father. It was with the help of Little Fragrance that Tulip Family developed rapidly and had exchanged a great number of tulips for copious amounts of wealth.

A battle hardened order of knights was recruited using the acc.u.mulated fortune. In under a few years, Leewilliam had become a count because of outstanding military service.

Coral Island had become his family's territory.

“That sprite… Despite my predecessor's memories of him watching Little Fragrance since little, no matter how many times I look at it, I still cannot have enough. Things as beautiful as sprites should not exist… Unfortunately, it is not mine. I only have five sprite worms, no, I am about to have six.”

In his letter to the count, he expressed his desire to exchange for a sprite worm. Clearly, the count had agreed, as Levis had brought a wheat sprite worm with him.

“Dear brother, father instructed me to give you this wheat sprite worm as a reward for discovering a new type of tulip magic ingredient.” Levis took out a jade box and handed it to Liszt.

“Is this reward part of the deal?”

“It is not. He he. Liszt, do not think of us as outsiders.” Levis laughed mildly, his aristocratic temperament being no worse than Liszt's, “Anyway, the blood of Tulip Family flows through our veins. The importance of a magic ingredient, a tulip to boot, has great benefits to the family. When father heard of it, he became very glad.”

“Then I will accept it. Thank Sir father for me.”

“You can thank him yourself.”

“Hmm?”

Lvera came over: “Grandfather was afflicted with an illness and is bedridden. Father wants the three of us to pay him a visit. Therefore, tomorrow, you will have to go back to Coral City together with us.”

“Is that so?” Liszt nodded. He had no reason to refuse.

“So let us set aside our reminiscing for lunch, and first settle the formalities. Lvera, go ahead and negotiate with Liszt first. I will go take a look at Flower Town's scenery… I have never been to this little town.” While riding his mount, Levis left together with his retainer knights and Lähden, who was responsible for his safety.

Watching Levis go further away.

Lvera suddenly said: “Will you not reconsider parting with that black horse?”

“I am sorry, sister.”

“It is quite extraordinary, you found it?”

“Yes.”

“You are determined not to sell it?”

“I will not sell it.”

“Well, it seems like not only your luck has improved, but your character also has improved.” Lvera narrowed her eyes. When they were little, she had beaten Liszt up not a small number of times. The previous Liszt was a good-for-nothing who got often beaten up and had his toys taken away by his older brother and sister.

Liszt did not want to recall the past as it was not what he had experienced himself: “Sister, what have you brought me? Business is business, do not try to fool me.”

“I will not interfere in the selling of the tulip magic ingredient. I have just come for my lesser sprite and two sprite worms to a.s.similate it. Your compensation will be 500 catties of wheat, 800 catties of maize, 100 catties of pig iron, and 50 catties of wrought iron. Besides those, I have still brought a bag of seeds of Falcon Town's specialty, the sugar vegetable… However, whether you can cultivate them without a sugar sprite worm is none of my concern.”

“It is less than what I have expected, but so be it.”

“Do not be greedy. If it was Lytton, then I would only be willing to pay half of it.”

Lytton was the youngest son of the count. His mother was the current countess, a daughter of a lesser aristocratic family. Children relied on their mother's honor; Liszt's and the other two's mother was a marquis's daughter, to which Lytton could not compare to. The crucial points to a person's aristocratic status were their connections and the t.i.tles of their father's and mother's families.

It seemed like Lvera was dissatisfied with Liszt's current att.i.tude. After the negotiations had concluded, Lvera suggested them having a match.

“What is you qi attribute?”

“It is fire-attributed.”

“What secret manual do you practice?”

“The [Fierydragon Drill] secret manual.”

“Let's have a fight. Show me your current strength.” Lvera took a pike from a retainer knight, “It had been long since we last exchanged pointers, not since I had advanced to an Earth Knight.”

Exchanging pointers was an excuse.

Her goal was just to teach Liszt a lesson.

But the Liszt of today was no longer that submissive Liszt, only saying with a faint smile: “I am sorry, but I have yet to master the secret manual. The match will have to be postponed to a later date.”

Lvera's gaze turned cold: “Are you shirking? This is not a quality worthy of a knight.”

“Fairness is also among a knight's qualities. Sister, why not wait until I master the [Fierydragon Drill] secret manual and then continue with this topic?” Liszt gently diffused her cutting remark.

With her eyebrows slightly raised, Lvera put down the pike: “You are as timid and weak-willed as ever.”

“It is called wise and farsighted.”

“You are just blowing your own trumpet.”

Lvera was nineteen years old and had yet to be married, she was still full of youthful energy. Liszt's mental age, though, had already reached the next stage. He would not get angry because of a few words.

He was bored with this exchange.

Before long, Levis had returned from his stroll.

“Filthy, chaotic, poor.” He shook his head. “Liszt, I already have an understanding regarding your request of food. Flower Town if far worse off than any other small town I had ever seen.”

“It is indeed as you say. However, I will govern it into prosperity.”

“By relying on the Black Tulip? Let's talk about it… First comes the a.s.similation of the great sprite, lesser sprite, and six sprite worms. For that, Tulip Castle will compensate you with 3,000 catties of wheat, 2,000 catties of barley, 500 catties of wheat flour, 1,000 catties of wrought iron, 30 barrels of beer, and a variety of crop seeds.

After checking, Liszt did not haggle and approved the deal.

Carriages with supplies were transported to the castle's warehouse, instantly filling up the once unsightly warehouse. Just the food was enough to sustain the castle for half a year. The pig iron and wrought iron could be used for forging utensils and armor. The seeds he had specifically requested were to be planted in Flower Town.

Without sprite worms, the barren land could only be irrigated with fertilizer made by the serfs. The outcome had to be waited out.

In fact, the small town was no longer very filthy. There were people picking up manure every day, selling it to the castle. Liszt had a.s.signed people to distribute the manure between the settlements and use it to fertilize the fields. It was still early and the quant.i.ty was also limited, so for the time being, except for the peanut settlement, the other places still had not much to show for.

……

The lunch went by harmoniously. Gort was quite good at keeping the feast lively.

After the meal, Levis and Liszt started their negotiations regarding the cultivation and sell of the Black Tulips: “Father wants to buyout the cultivation and sell of the Black Tulips in one go. In return, you will get 1,000 gold coins. At the same time, you can also cultivate them in Flower Town, and then sell them to Tulip Castle at the appropriate time.”

“That will not do. The Black Tulips are the cornerstone of Flower Town's development. I will not give up a steady stream of revenue because of some miserly 1,000 gold coins.”

“That is 1,000 gold coins we are talking about, it is not a small amount. Flower Town might not even be capable of collecting such a sum with 50 years of taxes.”

“By cultivating magic ingredients in large quant.i.ties, I might reach a yearly income of 1,000 gold coins in a few years with the Black Tulips alone. Magic ingredients are scarce products for which there is never a shortage in demand.”

“You should know that without the family's means, the Black Tulips cannot be transported through the Thorns Ridge.”

“This was why I wanted to speak with Father, or with you, brother, regarding the cultivation and sell… I can provide the seeds to Tulip Castle, but in return, I want a cut from the cultivated Black Tulips.”

“What you want is for us to do all the work while you stay inside your castle and count gold coins?”

Liszt replied calmly as he raised his cup of milk tea: “That is the case in a nutsh.e.l.l.”