Chapter 66 Brainstorming at the Dinner Party

Dinner Banquets.

It seemed that banquets were held daily within the castle – feasting and drinking were considered a normal part of life for nobles.

"Teacher Marcus, Papa Island has been attacked by pirates. Are pirates prevalent in the Sapphire Duchy?" Liszt asked as he enjoyed his roasted meat.

Marcus pondered before replying, "If we only consider the news about pirates, it seems that many small islands have experienced pirate attacks. However, there might be another layer to this."

"What reason could that be?"

"These pirates might be disguised. Not every noble family can amass substantial wealth, and when they're on the brink of bankruptcy, taking risks can become a shortcut for their redemption. Especially among those with grudges, they might even use the guise of pirates to plunder their rivals' riches."

Hearing such grim information, if it were the original sixteen-year-old Liszt, he would likely find it hard to accept – these nobles, who claimed to have noble bloodlines and numerous virtues, were actually moonlighting as pirates. It was unimaginable.

But the current Liszt merely furrowed his brows slightly before relaxing them quickly. "Fortunately, Coral Island has a powerful knight order, and Flower Town is temporarily safe from pirate threats. But we must remain vigilant, Teacher Marcus. The knight squad must be well-trained."

"Rest assured, Your Excellency. I will spare no effort in training the knight squad, turning each one of them into qualified knights for the battlefield."

List turned to Gort and inquired, "Teacher Gort, please give me an update on the newly acquired slaves. I believe discussing official matters during meals is quite suitable."

"If you prefer it that way, let's proceed," Gort replied, gesturing for a servant to fetch his coat. He then pulled out a thick parchment from his pocket and unfolded it. "There are fifty slaves in total. In fact, they were all free citizens before the pirate attack, so they wisely chose to flee."

Papa Island had a small town called Papa Town, and these fifty individuals were its citizens, each with their own properties.

The relationship between free citizens and lords was akin to that of tenants and landlords, whereas slaves were outright property. To the nobles, slaves were considered "their own people," while free citizens were "outsiders." In times of war between lords, they would protect their slaves as they were their wealth.

Free citizens, on the other hand, didn't receive such protection. If they died, it was deemed their own misfortune, and the lord could even profit from it.

Thus, being a free citizen had its advantages and disadvantages, and not everyone aspired to be one.

Some free citizens of Papa Town, seeing that the Viscount had been defeated and fearing they might be casually killed or plundered by the "pirates," hastily fled. They cleverly commandeered a sailing ship while the pirates were still engaged in battle at the castle.

Unfortunately, they only had a skilled captain but no experienced crew, causing them to lose control in a storm.

"Therefore, they're not farmers, but rather skilled free citizens," List noted with satisfaction. Artisans were more crucial to the development of his territory than mere farmers.

Farmers could be acquired through slave trading in the future, but skilled artisans were much harder to come by.

"Blacksmiths, coopers, embroiderers, tailors, bakers, brewers, cobblers, carpenters, dyers, soap makers, tanners, sugar makers, salt makers, locksmiths, cooks, and their families – oh, and the innkeeper, the horse trader, along with a few traveling merchants."

"What does Bounie do?" Lister recalled the old man who spoke to him earlier that day.

"Bounie is a soap maker, skilled in crafting soaps infused with various floral scents."

"Excellent. I've had enough of bathing with soapwort powder. It would be great if he could turn it into soap quickly." As someone who took a bath daily and valued cleanliness, Lister had a high demand for soap. Unfortunately, the castle didn't have an abundant supply; instead, they had soapwort powder – ground fruits from soapwort trees.

Soapwort powder indeed cleaned effectively,

but it was troublesome and didn't feel pleasant during use. In fact, Lister knew of a more convenient cleansing item – soap made from pancreas.

It involved mixing the pancreas of a pig with wood ash to create soap. The process was simple: crush the pig's pancreas and mix it with wood ash to form the most basic form of soap. Unfortunately, no one in Flower Town raised pigs...

He sliced a piece of roasted meat, skewered it, and dipped it in tomato sauce.

Roast meat with tomato sauce tasted delightful.

After swallowing, he sipped his seafood soup before wiping his mouth contentedly with a napkin. "Regarding the new slaves' assignments, Mr. Carter and Teacher Gort should discuss and decide. Those suitable can be placed in the town to help establish workshops, producing goods specifically for the castle's needs."

The village's population was too small, clearly not generating much demand. As the lord, it was his duty to take full advantage of these resources.

Only then could these craftsmen exert their usefulness promptly.

Carter bowed and replied, "Yes, my lord. I'll seek advice from Mr. Gort."

After discussing the matter of the new serfs, Liszt moved on to another official business. "We need to improve the efficiency of the logging team. However, a new problem has arisen. Myself and Teacher Marcus often get pulled away by other tasks, leaving the logging team's security measures ineffective. This is very dangerous."

"Yet, we genuinely lack the strength to protect Thorns Ridge from the marauding monsters," he said calmly.

No one replied immediately, lost in thought.

Lister wasn't in a rush either and continued his dinner.

In truth, he was testing those present. He already had an idea in mind, one that had a high chance of dealing with the monsters.

This idea stems from the Smoky Grass Mission.

After the morning's sea rescue operation, he had completed it.

"Mission complete. Reward: Fifty inhabitants."

"Mission: Danger looms in the depths of Thorns Ridge. The lumberjacks' lives hang by a thread. As a lord possessing Smoky Grass, you should utilize your resources to safeguard your subjects' well-being. Defend against one monster attack. Reward: A tiny mineral deposit."

The mission's prompt was clear — he could use the Smoky Grass to fend off monsters.

The scent of smoky grass left a profound impression on Lithur; it was quite possible that not all magical beasts could endure it, especially those with exceptionally keen senses of smell.

Thus, he planned to create a simple "Monster-repelling Incense" using smoky grass. Whenever he encountered a magical beast, he would light it up.

He is determined to acquire the "Miniature Treasure Trove."

Yet, he didn't reveal the plan directly. Instead, he hoped that someone could come up with it, otherwise, he would always feel as if he was nurturing a bunch of good-for-nothing freeloaders.

Moments passed, and no one came up with a decent solution.

This disappointed Liszt greatly. Just as he was about to unveil his plan, Isaiah suddenly spoke, "My Lord Baron, perhaps we can use fire! Beasts are afraid of flames. Among the felled trees, there are pine ones which burn easily. We can continuously burn the cut branches and leaves. That way, the magical beasts will be terrified!"