Chapter 52 Ambition continues to grow

The Magic Eye consumed a significant amount of Aura, and Liszt found himself struggling to sustain it for more than five minutes; any longer, and not only would his Aura run out, but his eyes would start to ache.

However, whenever his Aura was depleted, a warm aura would emanate from the Red Blood Sword at his waist, replenishing his loss.

The rubies produced by dragons contained wondrous magic.

Focusing his Magic Eye, he could see the ruby glowing with a blood-like radiance, like a vortex gently spinning.

"I can see the magic within the gem; I should be able to perceive the magic of a dragon as well. I must seize this time to practice and strive to wield the Magic Eye at will."

With the Red Blood Sword drawn, Liszt was in high spirits.

In the following days, preparations for "slaying the dragon" would begin.

...

"Isaiah, what do you think Baron means by this? Why is he digging this tunnel here?" With his fingers counting, Isaiah calculated how much copper coins they would need to distribute to the slaves later.

Liszt never exploited the slaves without compensation; he always paid them a certain wage. As a result, the slaves eagerly volunteered for various production and construction projects.

"Frankly, I'm utterly confused," Gort said, chewing on his pipe, seemingly detached from the situation. "Lister has come of age. He's no longer the timid youth in Tulip Castle. Most of the time, I can't fathom what's going on in his head, let alone what he'll turn Flower Town into."

"You didn't say that in your letter. You mentioned Flower Town was thriving."

"If I hadn't, would you have come? Besides, Flower Town is indeed thriving... At the very least, we have seafood on our plates every day, don't we?"

"I admit fishing and dung collection were innovative ideas. But what are we doing today? Digging an underground tunnel beneath the farm to store hay?"

Gort removed his pipe, shaking off the ashes. "Stop complaining. Blair never does, so Lister always raises a glass with him at dinner."

"That's because he's old and only wants to find a noble patron for a comfortable retirement. He has no ambition left."

"You're not exactly young either."

"Yes, but I hope to one day return to the ranks of nobility. I must strive for my son; he's too dull-witted to ever marry into a noble family." Isaiah fretfully scratched his hair. "I came here hoping to find a chance to fight in battles, as you said Lister has great ambitions."

"I'm not sure, but you could talk more with Marcus. That guy used to crave nobility more than anyone, yet he pledged allegiance to Lister quickly enough."

Isaiah narrowed his eyes. "I will."

Night soon fell, and it was time to distribute the wages. Isaiah cross-checked the roster as he handed out copper coins to each laboring serf. "Next, Aleva Feces."

"Milord, it's me, it's me!" Aleva, whose surname was Feces, rubbed his palms together in anticipation as he happily received the two copper coins from the clerk.

Enough for eight loaves of black bread!

But he didn't plan on buying any bread. His wife had joined Oyster Village, going out to sea every day to catch seafood. Apart from the portion due to the castle, they could enjoy seafood at home. With all the seafood he'd been eating lately, he felt invigorated, with his stamina doubling at night, lasting up to six seconds.

His wife praised him for his prowess, urging him to eat more seafood.

He was planning to have a third child. Now that he was earning more copper coins, he would send his children to apprentice at the blacksmith's shop in the future—the lord had mentioned that skilled serfs would be highly valued.

"Praise Lord Isaiah!" Stashing away the coins, Aleva couldn't help but pray silently. He liked their current lord, as life was improving day by day. There was no need to worry about hunger, and he could even save some copper coins.

"I just wonder why Lord Isaiah is digging pits here?" As a serf working on the dairy farm, he was responsible for tending to the cows.

Previously, he had been on edge, complaining to his wife that he might lose his job, as perhaps Lord Isaiah no longer wanted to rear cows. Otherwise, why dig pits on the dairy farm?

Yet, his wife scolded him fiercely, "If you can't raise cows, you can raise horses. If you can't raise horses, you can build roads. If you can't build roads, you can plant millet. Lord Mayor is incredibly kind, allowing the elderly, women, and children to work with ease and have their fill of food. Damn it, stop your grumbling. You must have faith in Lord Mayor!"

Aleva, being utterly devoted to his spouse, promptly altered his perspective at her suggestion.

No matter where the lord digs a pit, he remains a great lord. As for what he is digging for, that is of no consequence—the thoughts of noble lords are beyond the comprehension of commoners.

…

Practicing the Magic Eye and overseeing construction projects have become Liszt's primary tasks these days.

Over the past few days, all preparations for the dairy farm have been completed.

The beacon towers stood ready, their bunkers camouflaged meticulously. The pathways had been traversed numerous times, ensuring no hindrances lay in the way. The smokegrass had been harvested and now piled high upon the beacon towers, poised to be ignited at a moment's notice. Young cattle grazed nearby, while two aged cows, Old Spot and Blackie, were tethered to the periphery of the beacon tower.

The path from the Thistlewood to the bunker was one that Liszt had traversed multiple times, ensuring that he could swiftly reach the bunker right after he finished planting the cordyceps.

The bunker was connected to another sanctuary via a U-shaped passage.

Should the Invisible Dragon deviate from its anticipated course, finishing neither the cattle nor the grass in Flower Town before taking flight, it would promptly slip into sanctuary through the U-shaped passage, and then seal the entrance behind it.

The refuge was equipped with air vents connecting to the outside world and stored ample supplies of food and drink to ensure his safety at least.

No one dared to be careless when dealing with a dragon.

As he walked through the dairy farm, List inspected the construction quality for the last time. It wasn't a massive project, so it had been completed quickly with good quality. Moreover, everything had been built according to his specifications without any shortcuts taken.

"I've grown fond of this world and this era."

He climbed up the watchtower and gazed at the entire dairy farm. "A lord's word is law, and everyone must work hard to fulfill it. Back in my company, I managed a team of five, and there was always someone who went against me. Here, no one dares to question my orders, not even Gort or Marcus."

Power was an irresistible desire for men.

One might not find it appealing if they had never tasted it, but once they did, they would become addicted to its allure and find it impossible to resist.

List could no longer give up the title of Baron of Flower Town.

At the same time, ambition was sprouting within him. Flower Town was too small to satisfy his hunger for greater power. Fortunately, ambition remained just that, and reason governed his thoughts. He adhered to the policy of "stockpiling grain, building high walls, and delaying the declaration of kingship," taking a gradual approach to achieving his goals.

"Are kings and lords born with a privileged destiny?"