Chapter 65 A leaky sailboat

The following morning, Liszt hung Sherlock's birdcage on the windowsill of the castle to expose it to the sun while also getting some respite from its incessant chirping.

The night before, for some unknown reason, the bird had even started chirping in the middle of the night.

At this moment, Sherlock, having just feasted on small fish and shrimp, was full of energy, crawling around the nest and continually squawking "Gak! Gak!"

In the doghouse outside the castle, Hiddleston poked his head out, staring at Sherlock on the windowsill with drooling anticipation.

"Woof woof!" Seeing Liszt emerge, he immediately wagged his tail joyfully, tugging on the iron chain around his neck with a clattering sound – Liszt had always kept dogs on chains since he was young.

Untethering the chain and holding it in his hand, Hiddleston instantly dashed off, galloping wildly. The time Liszt spent taking him for walks each day was probably the happiest part of his day.

Leading Hiddleston to the stable, Liszt began his training session.

When Hiddleston was younger, he had trained him once a day, but now it was down to every third day. He had successfully taught the dragon not to harm or cast magic without commands, as well as not to eat anything or chase the horses in the stable.

Of course, except for the Black Dragon Horse, all the other horses would avoid Hiddleston.

"Sit down, Hiddleston!"

Hiddleston, who had been energetically running about, immediately crouched down, panting and staring at Liszt with his tongue lolling out, not too different from an ordinary mongrel dog.

Liszt tossed a small leather ball. "Fetch it, Hiddleston."

Hiddleston darted off like an arrow, jumped up after a few strides, spun a full 180 degrees in mid-air, and successfully caught the ball in his mouth before dashing back to place it in Liszt's hand.

"Well done." He rewarded Hiddleston with a small piece of jerky.

Next, they repeated several more exercises, including the casting of the Rock Spikes spell, until Hiddleston was exhausted and panting heavily. Only then did Liszt reattach the chain and hand it over to Thomas. "Take him back."

"Yes, sir."

Glancing at the position of the sun, Liszt felt that the logging team should be arriving soon. However, what arrived instead was a patrolman.

"Lord, urgent news!"

"Speak."

"A tilted sailboat drifted towards the eastern coastline, and someone on board was waving a flag. Lord Gort believes it to be a distressed vessel. He's organizing a rescue effort and has instructed me to immediately report this to Lord yourself."

Upon hearing the news, Liszt's spirits lifted. He promptly told the patrol member, "I'll head there right away. Tell Gort to ensure the distressed ship is rescued, especially the people on board."

...

By the time Liszt, dressed in his Frac Abie attire, arrived at the eastern coast accompanied by four escort knights and the Earth Knight Marcus, he witnessed a group of people straining to pull a medium-sized sailboat onto shore with ropes.

Among those pulling the ropes were a few unfamiliar faces.

"Lord," Isaiah, in charge of directing the boat operation, bowed respectfully.

Gort also hurried over from the seashore, "Lister, these are refugees from Little Papa Island. They sailed away from there hoping to seek refuge on Great Papa Island, but a storm damaged their ship, forcing them to drift with the sea winds all the way to Coral Island, where they eventually ran aground on the eastern coast."

Lister nodded. He had heard of both Little Papa Island and Great Papa Island.

At that moment, a slightly hunched elderly man approached him, kneeling from a distance, "Baron Lister of Flower Town, the unfortunate Bounie Crow's Egg offers you his sincere greetings and apologizes profoundly for disturbing your esteemed self."

"Seagull Egg?" Liszt had heard many peculiar surnames, but he still found Seagull Egg to be quite odd.

"My family has served as egg collectors for Lord Papa's domain for generations," Bounie explained.

Agricultural yields were unreliable, and food shortages were prevalent in many areas due to the fear and ignorance of the sea, which hindered the development of fishing industries. As a result, the peasant slaves, driven by the need to sustain the luxurious lifestyles of the nobles in their castles, had to resort to creative means to acquire sustenance. Seagull eggs became one such source of food.

Seagulls were a type of sea bird whose nests were typically built on coastal cliffs. Collecting their eggs entailed risking one's life, scaling hundred-meter-high cliffs, and battling the protective seagulls. It was truly remarkable that these peasants managed to survive and pass on their lineage.

"I see." Liszt extended his hand, gesturing for Bounie to stand up. "Why did you flee from Papa Island?"

"Papa Island was attacked by a group of pirates. The castle fell, and Lord Papa's fate remains unknown. We were forced to steal a pirate ship to escape Papa Island, initially intending to seek refuge on Great Papa Island. However, we encountered a violent storm, nearly capsizing our vessel, and eventually ended up stranded in your territory."

Liszt frowned. "Papa Island was attacked by pirates?"

Papa Island was the family domain of Baron Papa. If he recalled correctly, the current lord was named Vincent Papa. This family, along with Baron Great Papa on Great Papa Island, had once been part of the same clan, the Papas, known for their famous handkerchiefs.

Later, one branch inherited the baronial title while another gained recognition on the battlefield, both becoming barons. One branch adopted the surname Great Papa, while the other took the name Little Papa.

"Pirates pillaged the castle and slaughtered on the island; we had no choice but to flee."

"Lister, what do you plan to do now?" He looked at the damaged sailboat with its torn sails and several holes in the hull. The boat was dragged ashore, and a group of stooped figures were supporting each other as they disembarked. "Should we continue seeking refuge on Papa Island, or stay in Flower Town?"

A glimmer of hope flickered in Bounie's turbid eyes. "My lord, can... can we stay and live in Flower Town?"

These people were part of his mission reward, so Lister wouldn't let them slip away. "Stay. I can grant you the status of serfs, and there are many fallow lands in Flower Town that I can allocate for cultivation. Skilled serfs will be highly valued. Report to Sir Gort whether you wish to stay or leave."

With the ship damaged and stranded, they had no means of departure anyway. Besides, what difference was there between going to Papa Island and staying in Flower Town?

After a brief discussion, Bounie and the other refugees informed Gort of their decision to stay and become serfs of Flower Town, pledging their loyalty to Lister.

As they became serfs, it meant that these people and the dilapidated ship now belonged to Lister's assets.

"Teacher Gort, please inventory the newly acquired serfs and assign them to the various settlements. Also, clean up this sailboat and make a list of its contents. Surely there must be some weapons left by the pirates, right?"

Gort responded enthusiastically, "Rest assured, Lister. These serfs won't be able to hide even a single plate of bread. Everything they possess and every detail about them will be laid bare before you... It'll take only half a day."

"Don't forget about the boat. If it can be repaired, have it fixed."

"Of course."