Chapter 41: If you want to get rich, build roads first

Adopting a calm and rational perspective, Liszt freed himself from the unrealistic fantasies about dragons. He now suspected that the information about the invisible dragon might not be a desirable reward at all.

Based on previous assumptions:

One, the Smoking Task is educating him – but that makes no sense; as a deus ex machina, it shouldn't be so trivial.

Two, there's an invisible dragon nearby to catch – if true, it would be a groundbreaking discovery. But Liszt has no power to capture a dragon. Many countries that possess dragons start by capturing young ones, as adult dragons are too much to handle. Even a baby dragon would overwhelm all the knights of Coral Island combined.

Three, the invisible dragon has come a long way to deliver equipment – Liszt doesn't believe his relationship with dragons is that fortunate.

Four, an invisible dragon might be planning to attack Flower Town.

The fourth assumption seems the most plausible. Dragons attacking human villages and towns aren't uncommon news. Otherwise, the profession of "Dragon Slayer" wouldn't exist. In popular knight novels, Dragon Slayers are celebrated protagonists, second only to Dragon Riders.

Essentially, in a decent knight novel, the protagonist will become a Dragon Rider or slay a dragon, and then marry a beautiful princess.

"So, these two tasks are telling me I need to resist a dragon and strive to be the protagonist of a knight novel, Dragon Slayer Liszt?"

Liszt looked into the mirror and chuckled. "Then, where's the princess when the dragon is defeated?"

Feeling a mélange of emotions, he was both apprehensive that his conjectures might prove true and yet found it hard to believe such an event could occur. After much deliberation, he concluded that he was unnecessarily worrying about an unlikely scenario. He decided to focus on completing the task at hand first, and see what kind of clue the final mission reward would provide before making any decisions.

Should invisible dragons truly invade, his inability to resist doesn't mean he cannot seek assistance.

Should this tidbit of information be delivered to the Sapphire Family, it's reasonable to believe that in exchange, obtaining the title of a Marquis wouldn't be a difficult task – the highest nobility rank that the Duchy can confer.

Summoning Gort, he promptly assigned the task: "This corngrass doesn't just appear out of nowhere; it must have been carried here by birds or the wind. Teacher Gort, rally all the available farmers to search between the settlements. We must find more of this corngrass."

Gort was somewhat perplexed by the task at hand. "Liszt, is this cornstalk truly of great importance?"

"Certainly, it's a highly nutritious grass that's even more suitable as fodder for stables and dairy farms than alfalfa... In any case, having a variety of grasses will aid in the faster growth of livestock."

"Given its great value, I'll immediately arrange for people to search for it. No corner will be left unexplored."

As they spoke, Liszt suddenly noticed a group of people marching in unison outside the castle, passing by the entrance and heading south towards Thorns Ridge.

"Teacher Gort, is that the new patrol?"

"Yes, your squires have been a tremendous help. Initially, the patrol members didn't take kindly to the orders of a civil officer like me, but after a few scuffles, they've learned to behave themselves quickly."

"Well done, discipline is the paramount concern for our patrol force, Instructor Gort. We must continue to reinforce its management. I have a few ideas that need implementation... The patrol should assume responsibility for maintaining the security of the town and its outposts, with compensation provided by the town. Uniforms should be standardized, as well as codes of conduct."

Liszt shared some preliminary ideas, outlining his intention to transform the patrol team into a local police station, initially focusing on maintaining law and order. In time, he aspired for it to also take charge of household registration management.

Only then can one thoroughly comprehend every intricacy of Flower Town, leaving no room for any suspicious individuals to establish a foothold within its borders.

"Yet there are scarce few Noldors in this town, and Isaiah has grumbled to me more than once that without them, he can accomplish nothing."

Gold coins are not abundant in Liszt's castle, as the butler had previously reported to him.

There are roughly 150 of them. But the castle is quite 'wealthy' now. Just Liszt's Red Blood Sword is worth over a thousand gold coins. Not to mention the annual profits from the Black Tulip industry and the vast resources acquired during assimilation.

"I'll allocate fifty gold coins from the castle's treasury for the development of the town. This amount will be deducted from the town's annual tax retention."

"Fifty Neldars? That's too much, Liszt. I've looked into it, and the town's annual tax revenue is merely a pitiful fifteen Neldars."

"Fifty is not excessive, Teacher Gort. Inform Isaiah and Blair that Flower Town is about to enter a busy period. They should prepare themselves accordingly."

"As you wish!"

...

Liszt's commitment to developing Flower Town was not merely empty talk.

He had already started sketching a rough map of the town, a rather abstract representation in which Flower Town resembled a right-angled triangle.

The two straight sides were Thorns Ridge, and the hypotenuse was the eastern coastline.

The town was situated at the center of the triangle, with the castle near one of the right angles. The dairy farm and Barley Village occupied the other two corners.

"Happiness lies in good roads," he mused, holding his quill pen as he emphasized the dirt road connecting Thorns Ridge to the town. "This main thoroughfare needs to be upgraded to a gravel road. There's no cement available, but we have plenty of sand – the East Coast is abundant with sea sand that can be used for paving."

Next came the muddy paths between the villages, all of which could also be covered with sand.

However, using sand alone for paving wasn't an ideal choice, as it would make drainage difficult and allow sand to seep into shoes, creating a mess. Unfortunately, there weren't many stones around Flower Town, so mixing sand and stone wasn't an option. They would have to settle for sand roads, which were still better than mud paths that became impassable after rain.

Road construction was a major undertaking, but so was agriculture.

Elves could influence crop growth, but they couldn't rely solely on them. Before the arrival of elves, farmers in Flower Town still had to cultivate their fields.

"Scientific farming has merely taken the first step, acquainting our subjects with the importance of fertilizing crops. But that's not enough; we need to forge a set of agricultural tools to enhance farmers' productivity, enabling them to cultivate more barren lands. We've traded with Tulip Castle and Falcon Town for a pile of iron – we can commission the blacksmiths."

These two tasks demand immediate attention, though their benefits won't be immediately visible.

Yet, there is something that can yield swift results – seashore foraging.

From atop his Fire Dragon Horse, Liszt gazed at the endless sea before him. The salty, briny air rushed towards him, while sunlight danced upon the waves, creating a dazzling display of sparkles on the shore.

Thomas led Hiddleston, allowing the creature to frolic on the sandy beach. Hiddleston was growing rapidly, almost visibly each day, now as large as a rural village dog. Perhaps due to its nutritious diet, traces of magical energy already circulated within its body. It might be capable of casting spells before reaching maturity.

Liszt intended to commence rigorous training to prevent it from becoming too wild and potentially harming others.

"Sir, is there anything noteworthy on the eastern coast? There are no deepwater bays here, so it's not suitable for a harbor," Marcus observed the waves, still unconvinced of the ocean's potential wealth.

Liszt pointed towards the occasional rocks beneath the waves. "Teacher Marcus, do you see those reefs? They're covered in food. During low tide, our farmers can collect these marine delicacies... Unlike the freshwater fish we commonly eat, these are true seafood."