Chapter 48 The Monkey Who Can Steal Coconuts

Liszt had a series of garments in mind that he wished to produce, including neckties, shirts, vests, trousers, suits, hats, and leather shoes.

But he couldn't afford to be too unconventional; after all, he was merely a rural baron. If he ever became the ruler of a country, he would have the freedom to innovate and set new trends.

For now, he could only endure the elaborate attire to maintain the appearance of nobility.

"Sir, I've granted the servants a half-day off. Starting tomorrow, they'll focus solely on castle duties."

"Mmm, you handle it as you see fit."

"Yes, sir."

Sweaty from the heat, Liszt wasn't in the mood for further conversation. "Mr. Carter, have someone prepare a bath for me. This weather isn't exactly pleasant."

"As you wish." Carter hurriedly instructed the maids to ready the bathing water.

The small castle always had hot water available for bathing, as the servants knew their lord was an extremely fastidious noble. A daily bath was standard, two baths were common, and even three were not unheard of. The only abnormality would be if he didn't bathe at all one day.

After a refreshing shower, Liszt changed into comfortable loungewear, a loose robe.

This type of robe was a variant of a nightgown – the nobles here also understood that constantly wearing tight formal attire was uncomfortable, so they modified their nightgowns to serve as loungewear.

Liszt still found it cumbersome and uncomfortable to wear.

During summer, he preferred half-sleeved shirts and T-shirts. Thus, he rolled up the sleeves of the robe, exposing his forearms. Although this went against the etiquette of the nobility, who would dare to question his minor breach of protocol in a small castle like Tulip Castle? There were advantages to living in the countryside too.

"Sir, it's a shame we don't have any ice. Otherwise, I could make you a cup of ice syrup to cool down."

"Even in Tulip Castle, there isn't much ice to spare during the summer. I can endure this hardship, but what I truly miss is being able to enjoy an iced beer." He didn't particularly enjoy drinking, but he had to partake in alcohol at banquets due to his predecessor's love for wine and the need for socializing.

However, he did enjoy sipping on an icy cold beer on a sweltering summer day. It was refreshing and invigorating.

As the scorching summer approached, each day grew hotter than the last. In his memory, the hottest days on Coral Island could fry eggs on the ground, reaching around forty degrees Celsius.

Each year, quite a number of slaves would die from heat exhaustion.

"I've heard that saltpeter can be used to make ice, but it's difficult to obtain. As far as I know, there aren't any saltpeter mines on Coral Island, and even if there were, I wouldn't recognize them... I remember reading that in rural areas, nitre often accumulates in corners of earth walls, stables, and toilet walls. But all the houses in Flower Town are wooden, and there are no public toilets..."

The technology of making ice with saltpeter was something that Liszt was unlikely to replicate.

He could only store ice in an ice cellar during winter and retrieve it for use in summer, just like other nobles: "Mr. Carter, don't forget to remind me this winter to build an ice cellar."

"Certainly, my lord."

...

Dinner.

As usual, he invited Gort, Marcus, Isaiah, and Blair—the only four people in Flower Town qualified to dine at the same table as Liszt.

"Liszt, the planning for Oyster Village is complete. Tomorrow, the first batch of Oyster Village fishermen will set out for the eastern coast with the new equipment you prepared for them to begin fishing officially. They're all elderly folks, women, and children—foolish and impulsive. They've already been collecting shells by the beach these past two days."

Upon hearing that the lord was personally hosting a seafood feast, the commoners began imitating him, preparing to go catch seafood for themselves.

They always followed the lord's example.

Liszt spoke seriously, "Teacher Gort, make sure to guide them on safety measures. I don't want any civilians to encounter danger due to the seafood. As officials of the town, you must take this matter seriously. Population is Flower Town's most crucial productive force."

Perhaps they still didn't quite take it to heart.

However, Gort and the others, who had already understood Liszt's stance, nodded without hesitation, indicating their comprehension. "Then tomorrow, if you have time, come with me to Oyster Village to see the results of the fishermen's first foray into gathering seafood. At the same time, actively publicize which types of seafood can be harvested and which cannot, as well as teach them how to preserve the seafood."

"Baron, we've already organized scribes and repeatedly emphasized this point. Moreover, we've allowed every scribe to taste the seafood from the castle, and they're very enthusiastic about it."

"Very good."

The next day, after calculating the time of low tide, Liszt arrived at Oyster Village accompanied by his retinue of knights. The village had yet to start building houses; instead, they had merely leveled a nearby barren plot of land, where wooden houses would be constructed in the future.

Approximately two hundred elderly, weak, and women, carrying baskets or wooden buckets, were scattered across the flat sandy shore of the eastern coast, tirelessly flipping over rocks and digging through mud in search of seafood.

Many of them still lacked gloves, shovels, hammers, and other tools, relying solely on their bare hands—the production capacity of the town's tailor shop and blacksmith could not keep up.

"My Lord!"

Upon seeing Liszt, the fishermen bowed respectfully.

Liszt nodded slightly in response and rode his Fire Dragon Horse around the area. Beachcombing was a tough job, with exposure to wind, sun, and water, but the workload wasn't particularly heavy. As a result, the fishermen, who had previously seemed idle, were now highly motivated, eagerly engaged in their tasks, regardless of their experience.

After only a short while, Liszt felt the heat unbearable and hurriedly retreated under the shade of the coconut tree.

Looking up at the towering tree, he felt something was amiss. After a moment of contemplation, he realized, "There are no coconuts!"

He turned to ask the clerk beside him, "Does this tree not bear fruit?"

"The tree does bear fruit, my lord. This is a Fragrant Coconut Tree. Its fruit is called a Fragrant Coconut, but when it's still small, it's plucked away by the monkeys of Thorns Ridge."

"Monkeys?"

"They're grayish-yellow monkeys. We call them Fruit-Stealing Monkeys. They're fierce and sometimes they'll even form groups to trample on crops in the fields."

"Fruit-Stealing Monkeys…" Liszt nodded, remaining silent.

Suddenly, he recalled some news he had read. It seemed that in certain Southeast Asian countries, there was a tradition of training monkeys to pick coconuts. Coconut trees were very tall, making it difficult for humans to climb them, but monkeys could easily ascend and harvest the coconuts. —If the town were to train a group of Fruit-Stealing Monkeys, perhaps they could develop a coconut industry.

Of course, he wasn't yet sure if these Fragrant Coconut Trees were truly coconut trees. In Flower Town, snow piled up for over two months during winter. If they were genuine coconut trees, they would have long withered from the cold.

"How does the Fragrant Coconut taste?"

"Once, I stumbled upon a fragrant coconut that had been dropped by a thieving fruit monkey. Inside it was a milk-like juice, sweet and tangy, incredibly delightful to drink."

Liszt's appetite was piqued.

There were many of these fragrant coconut trees along the eastern coast. If they could be protected, there would surely be a bountiful harvest of coconuts. They could even serve as a beverage, or even develop into a local specialty.

He cast his gaze farther towards Thorns Ridge: "We will conquer Thorns Ridge sooner or later, eliminating any threats to Flower Town!"

The thieving fruit monkeys would make perfect candidates for training in fruit picking.