Chapter 465: Two Ships Transporting Serfs

In the following days, it was all about the harvest.

The Peregrine Count did not come to seek revenge or reclaim his territory and castle, allowing the Coral Island Knights to completely plunder Falcon City.

"Not a single spirit bug was found, and none of the knights who paid ransoms were willing to contribute spirit bugs... Before the war began, the Peregrine Count and his followers had already prepared to transfer important resources like spirit bugs," complained Viscount Jonas.

Viscount Trick sighed, "At least the resources we obtained far surpass those from previous campaigns."

He reflected on past campaigns, "In my memory, after nearly twenty years of following the lord's campaigns, only three times have the harvests surpassed this one. Once was a thousand-mile raid to plunder a large iron mine, which led to a dragon knight's pursuit; another was capturing a sky knight and receiving two spirit bugs as ransom; and the third was looting a large amount of gemstones."

"Indeed, this time we not only plundered a vast amount of resources but also completed the entanglement of surrounding territories, and the merits of war will not be few. Moreover, we can recruit prisoners, which is a great benefit to supplementing our knights."

"Speaking of which, if it weren't for Viscount Liszt's sudden rise, achieving such a glorious victory would not have been easy," said Trick. "Without the siege deterrence of Hiddleston, forcing the Sword Saint to charge, we would have had no chance to breach Fragrant Leaf Castle."

"He not only has one Hiddleston but also eight Blizzard Beasts. No wonder everyone calls him the Son of Glory... This time, his spoils are second only to the Count's. He chose to buy serfs, and with his spoils, he could probably buy over ten thousand serfs. His territory's development will soon surpass ours."

Trick suddenly asked, "Jonas, where do you think Viscount Liszt's future lies?"

Jonas furrowed his brow in thought before shaking his head and responding, "I don't know, but I believe that if the Count advances further and becomes the new Marquis of the Duchy, then Viscount Liszt will be worthy of the title of Count in the future."

"I think so too... Who would have thought that the once unremarkable second son of the Tulip family would become such a dazzling figure, with the glory of knighthood all bestowed upon him."

"It's not just the glory of knighthood; his strength is also outstanding. I feel that the strength he displayed this time has already surpassed mine. Especially his archery, which can now intervene in battles between sky knights. If he cooperates with Hiddleston, I have no doubt they could defeat a sky knight."

"Really, has he become so powerful? Before coming of age, he was still a squire, wasn't he?"

"I don't know how he trained, but he will become a sky knight in the near future," Jonas mused, reflecting on his encounters with Liszt.

Trick was somewhat skeptical, "I didn't feel that his aura was stronger than during the Iron Hoof Island campaign."

"I observed that too, but his strength has indeed increased," Jonas shrugged. "Whether that's true, we might not have to wait long to see."

"Maybe."

...

While others were discussing Liszt's strength.

In the past year or two, his prominence has been unmatched on Coral Island. The emergence of spirit bugs, the rearing of intermediate magical beasts, his elevation to viscount, and the acquisition of a fiefdom island, even surpassing the strength of veteran elite Earth Knights who depend on potions, the transformations have been immense.

On the monotonous Coral Island, calling Liszt the Son of Glory, no one would refute.

In the past, Liszt was very opposed to such high-profile behavior.

But after a conversation with Marquis Merlin, he realized that being low-key is not necessarily the best choice. He is the son of a count, bearing the bloodline of a marquis, and is naturally superior. Displaying his talent, as long as it's not too astonishing, is advantageous in every aspect.

If he had concealed his abilities during the Iron Hoof Island campaign, how could he have been ennobled as the lord of Black Horse Island.

If he had concealed his abilities during this campaign, how could he have amassed war merits and spoils, purchased a multitude of serfs, and seized numerous craftsmen from Falcon City.

"My lord, following negotiations, we've 'convinced' one hundred and ten craftsmen to relocate with their families to Black Horse Island," Marcus exclaimed with enthusiasm. "Excellent, once these craftsmen are aboard, ensure the accompanying squire knights look after them and prevent any unnecessary deaths."

"Understood, my lord!"

"By the way, Master Marcus, how is the serf trade with the mercenary band progressing?"

"We've provided ample spoils, and the mercenary band is herding serfs to the port for trade. The Red Crab Island fleet has leased us twenty merchant ships for serf transport, combined with Coral Island's ships, totaling thirty."

A two-masted merchant ship can carry three hundred serfs while ensuring the serfs can travel in good health.

Thirty merchant ships could transport nine thousand serfs.

"Are our spoils enough to transport two shiploads of serfs?" Liszt inquired again, as he was primarily responsible for military affairs, while Marcus had become a capable assistant in the serf trade.

Marcus shook his head in disagreement: "The mercenary group is driving a hard bargain; the spoils here are generally one-third to one-fifth less expensive than on Coral Island. After saving on the cost of chartering merchant ships, we can probably purchase thirteen thousand serfs."

Thirteen thousand serfs.

This far exceeded Liszt's expectations.

But he was still not satisfied: "I'll find a way to borrow some money and try to fill another merchant ship!"

"My lord, if we purchase this many serfs, our territory's food reserves might not be enough," Marcus advised. "Before you left, we stored food for ten thousand people to survive the winter. If we transport eighteen thousand serfs, the food will definitely not be enough."

"Then we’ll borrow money, charter other nobles’ unused merchant ships, and ship food back."

The bigger the risk, the bigger the reward.

He was no longer content with small steps; he wanted to leap forward.

"Right now, chartering merchant ships will definitely cost a fortune. Every major lord who comes to the Kingdom of the Eagle is here to loot resources and take them back to their own lands."

"That’s not always the case. Not all lords can lead a knight order to capture castles and plunder so many resources. I remember during the last expedition, our family's fleet did not fill all the ships, and a few merchant ships returned empty," Liszt signaled to Marcus to go ahead and charter the ships.

As long as you’re willing to pay, you can definitely charter empty ships and buy food.

Borrowing once is the same as borrowing twice. He believed he could borrow enough gold coins from Earl Lee William and his uncle Mexiro to purchase empty ships and load them with food.

At the same time, he’d write to Gort, telling him to step up grain purchases and store more food for the winter.

"However, speaking of which, Gort's actions are too slow. The smoke mission has not been completed yet. I wonder if he has not stored enough grain... Without the smoke mission, I feel that the rewards from this expedition may not surpass those from the Iron Hoof Island campaign."

The rewards from the smoke mission had already spoiled him.