Chapter 25 What are the qualities of a knight?

In the heart of the Flower Farm, the Tulip Grand Elf, accompanied by the Tulip Sprites and six Tulip Elf Worms, gathered around the black tulip, absorbing its aura for assimilation.

Liszt stood by, observing the Tulip Grand Elf.

In his predecessor's memory, the Grand Elf named Xiangxiang was probably in her sixties. Two decades ago, she was merely a Sprite. It was during Liszt's father's generation that she successfully evolved into a Grand Elf. Thanks to Xiangxiang's aid, the Tulip Family flourished rapidly, amassing great wealth through the sale of their tulips.

With this wealth, they built a formidable knightly order, and within a few years, Lee William was ennobled as an Earl due to his war exploits.

Coral Island became the family's territory.

"The elves... Even with my predecessor's memories and having watched Xiangxiang since childhood, I could never grow tired of seeing her. Elves are undeniably beautiful creatures that should not exist in this world... Unfortunately, she doesn't belong to me. I only have five elf worms, no, soon to be six."

He had written to the Earl, hoping to acquire an elf worm, and the Earl seemed to have agreed, as Levis carried an additional Wheat Elf Worm with him.

"Is this an extra reward beyond the transaction or part of the transaction?"

"Beyond the transaction, ha-ha, Liszt, don't think of us as outsiders." Levis smiled warmly, his noble demeanor not inferior to Liszt's. "Regardless, we both carry the blood of the Tulip Family. The significance of a magical herb or a Tulip to the family is immense. Father was delighted when he heard about it."

"I'll accept it then. Please convey my gratitude to Father."

"Why not thank him personally?"

"Hmm?"

Li Weiwei approached. "Grandfather is ill and can no longer get out of bed. Father plans for the three of us siblings to visit him. Therefore, after we're done here, you'll need to return to Coral City with us tomorrow."

"Is that so." Liszt nodded, seeing no reason to decline.

"So let's save our catch-up for lunch. First, we'll settle the formalities. Li Weiwei, you discuss with Liszt first, while I take a look at the scenery of Flower Town... I've never been to this little town before." Levis mounted his steed, accompanied by his retinue of knights and the guardian of his safety, Leiden, and they left together.

Watching Levis disappear into the distance, Li Weiwei suddenly said, "You truly don't want to part with this black mare?"

"I'm sorry, Sister."

"It's an extraordinary horse, haven't you noticed?"

"Yes."

"Absolutely not for sale?"

"Not at all."

"Well, it seems your luck isn't the only thing that's grown. Your stubbornness has too." Li Weiwei narrowed her eyes. In their childhood, she had beaten Liszt up quite a few times - the previous Liszt was a good-for-nothing who often got bullied by his siblings for toys.

Liszt didn't want to dwell on the past, as it wasn't his story: "So, what have you brought for me? Business is business, don't try to fool me."

"I won't interfere with the Tulip Potion sales, but I'll be purchasing a young elf and two elf insects this time. My payment will be five hundred pounds of wheat, eight hundred pounds of millet, one hundred pounds of raw iron, fifty pounds of wrought iron, and a packet of Sweetheart Cabbage seeds, a specialty of Falcon Town... As for whether or not you can grow them without the Sweetheart Bugs, that's none of my concern."

"That's less than I expected, but it's acceptable."

"Don't be greedy. If it were Lytton, I'd only be willing to pay half."

Lytton was the youngest son of the Earl, and his mother was the current Countess, a daughter from a minor noble family. His status relied on his mother's standing, whereas Liszt and his siblings' mother was a Marquis's daughter, which was far above Lytton's rank - when assessing a noble's status, the importance of their father's and mother's titles and connections couldn't be overstated.

It seemed that Li Weiwei was displeased with Liszt's current attitude,

After the negotiation was settled, Li Weiwei proposed a sparring match. "What attribute is your Aura?"

"Fire."

"What secret manual have you cultivated?"

"The Flaming Dragon Thrust."

"Let's fight. I want to see how powerful you are now." Li Weiwei took a long spear from her squire. "It's been a long time since we last sparred after you advanced to an Earth Knight."

Spar was just an excuse.

Her real intention was to teach Liszt a lesson.

But the current Liszt was no longer the submissive one he used to be. He merely smiled lightly. "I'm sorry, but I haven't finished cultivating my secret manual yet. Let's have the match another day."

Li Weiwei's gaze turned sharp. "Are you dodging me? That's not a quality a knight should have."

"A knight's virtue includes fairness. Why don't you wait until I finish cultivating the Flaming Dragon Thrust, big sister?" Liszt deftly defused her verbal jab.

Li Weiwei raised an eyebrow and set down her spear. "You're still as cowardly as ever."

"Call it prudence."

"You sure know how to polish your own image."

At nineteen, Li Weiwei was still unmarried and full of youthful vigor. Liszt's psychological age had long surpassed the melodramatic phase, so he wasn't angered by mere words.

He replied with a few casual remarks.

Levis had already taken a stroll around and returned.

"Filthy, messy, and dilapidated." He shook his head continually. "Liszt, I understand your need for food, but Flower Town is more impoverished than any other village I've seen."

"That's true, but I'll make it prosperous."

"Relying on the Black Tulips, huh? Then let's talk about that... First, regarding assimilation: The Great Elf, the Lesser Elf, and the six Elf Beetles will be paid three thousand catties of wheat, two thousand catties of barley, five hundred catties of flour, one thousand catties of wrought iron, thirty barrels of beer, and seeds for various crops."

After going through the list, Liszt didn't haggle and agreed to the deal.

Load after load of supplies were transported into the castle's warehouse, instantly filling up the once-meager space. The grains alone were sufficient to feed the castle for half a year. The pig iron and wrought iron could be used to craft tools and armor, while the seeds were specifically requested by Liszt to be cultivated in Flower Town.

Without the elf worms, the barren land had to rely on manure for fertilization, hoping for some positive outcome.

Speaking of which, the town was no longer as filthy as it once was—the feces were collected daily and sold to the castle. Under Liszt's order, the manure was distributed to various villages to enrich the farmland. However, due to the short duration and limited quantity, apart from Peanut Village, there were no noticeable effects elsewhere yet.

...

The lunch atmosphere was pleasant, with Gort being an excellent contributor to the banquet's joviality, engaging everyone in lively conversation.

After the meal, Levis and Liszt discussed the matter of cultivating and selling the black tulips. "Father's proposal is to purchase the exclusive rights to cultivate and sell the black tulips in one lump sum. As compensation, you'll receive a thousand gold coins. Additionally, you can cultivate them in Flower Town and sell them to Tulip Castle when the time comes."

"That won't do, the Black Tulips are the very foundation of Flower Town's prosperity. I won't forsake an endless stream of income for a mere thousand gold coins."

"That's a thousand gold coins, no small sum. The taxes of Flower Town for fifty years might not even amount to that much."

"Magical herbs cultivated in abundance; perhaps within a few years, solely from the Black Tulips, I could earn thousands of gold coins annually. Magical herbs are always in high demand; there has never been a market where they go unsold."

"You must understand, without the family's connections, the Black Tulips could never be transported out of Thorns Ridge."

"That's why I want to discuss the matter of cultivation and sales with Father, or rather, with you, my elder brother... I can provide the seeds for Tulip Castle, but I must receive a certain share from all the black tulips cultivated."

"You mean we do the work while you sit in the castle counting your gold coins?"

Liszt picked up his cup of milk tea and replied calmly, "Essentially, that's right."