Chapter 81: One-Eyed Barton, the Horseman

The Black Dragon Horse is a breed derived from dragons. To cultivate a herd, the mare's quality must not be too inferior.

Fire Dragon Horses are the most suitable for breeding, but there's only one of them. Hence, any warhorse can be used for mating purposes.

Marcus's mount, the Yellow-gray Horse, is a warhorse species, albeit a stallion.

Gort, Isaiah, and Blair's horses are generally capable of being warhorses, and they are all mares. Mares usually don't easily go to battle, making them more docile and suitable for nobles or noble descendants who aren't fond of warfare.

Gort looked at his own mount being relentlessly whipped by the Black Dragon Horse, his expression indiscernible.

Most importantly, this mare was clearly not in estrus. She had been forcefully mounted by the Black Dragon Horse.

This was Liszt's twisted sense of humor. His Fire Dragon Horse had already been violated by the Black Dragon Horse, so naturally, others' mounts would not escape the same fate.

A smile adorned Marcus's face.

It was unclear if he was gloating over Gort's misfortune or looking forward to the future herds in Flower Town.

He simply said, "Even a pregnant mare can still be ridden. There's about eleven months of pregnancy, during which you can ride for seven months before needing to reduce the frequency. Additionally, avoid long and strenuous rides as it increases the risk of miscarriage."

Marcus was well-versed in horses, but he wasn't the most knowledgeable person about them in Flower Town.

The one who truly knew horses best was Barton, the one-eyed slave from Papa Island. He had once transported horses for the Papa family, traveling north and south, and had even drunk water from behind toilets, gaining experience with various breeds of horses.

"Lord, I have never seen a horse more magnificent than the Black Dragon Horse. It must possess an extraordinary lineage," said One-Eyed Barton, who was around forty-five years old with a thick beard and a blind eye that was forever squinting.

To test his professional knowledge, List asked him to inspect the Black Dragon Horse.

"So, what lineage do you think it has?"

"I've seen horses with the bloodline of low-level magical beasts before, like the Fire Dragon Horse that Lord often rides. I've also seen hybrids produced by mating an intermediate-level magical beast, the Black Nightmare Horse, with a common horse. This new breed was cultivated in a stable within the Kingdom of Blastfurnace."

As Barton spoke, he shook his head. "But those horses were not as majestic as the Black Dragon Horse... They were taller, but their eyes and spirit lacked compared to it. Therefore, I speculate that its mixed lineage must be higher than an intermediate-level magical beast... Perhaps it's from a high-level magical beast, but I can't be certain."

He had already given a high estimation of the Black Dragon Horse's lineage, yet there was still a gap—the horse was of dragon origin. List didn't intend to reveal this fact. He needed to maintain a low profile. He then asked One-Eyed Barton a few more questions about horses, which the latter answered with confidence.

Thus, he straightforwardly said, "Barton, tell me your surname."

The one-eyed Barton's expression darkened. "My Lord, Barton was once an orphan with no surname. I was raised by a horse trader. Later, Lord Little Pappa bought me from the Kingdom of Blastfurnace, and I've been working for him as a horse trader ever since."

"I see." Lithur nodded. "Have you been married?"

"No."

Not being married meant that having a surname or not didn't matter—once he married and had children, there would be a need for a family name. Perhaps then, he would be known as Barton the One-Eyed Dragon?

"In that case, don't bother farming. I'm hiring you as the castle's stablemaster, in charge of managing the stables and taking care of the castle's horses."

Barton happily bowed. "Barton will take good care of Lord's stables!"

A stablemaster wasn't just someone who tended to horses; it was also a servant belonging to the castle. As long as he didn't make any mistakes, he could live comfortably without worrying about food or clothing.

In the noble system,

servants played a crucial role, handling all the work in the castle and keeping its inner workings running smoothly. Essentially, they were the backbone of the household.

Servants can be categorized into five main types: upstairs servants, squire attendants, downstairs servants, kitchen staff, and outdoor servants.

Upstairs servants consist of tutors, physicians, and companions for elderly nobles. Though they typically do not reside within the castle walls, they are allowed to dine with the nobility on the upper floors.

Squire attendants include squires who assist in battles and those who accompany knights in combat. They have their own families and households.

Downstairs servants encompass butlers, footmen, and maids, forming the core workforce of the castle. They live on the lower levels.

Kitchen servants are those who work in the kitchens, preparing meals and attending to culinary tasks.

Outdoor servants is a broad term, covering grooms, coachmen, foresters, gamekeepers, gatekeepers, gardeners, and more. They usually dwell in separate dwellings outside the castle and are responsible for tasks such as horse breeding, gardening, and hunting, though not always within the castle itself.

In the case of grand nobles, the classification of servants becomes even more intricate. There would be hall stewards, food servers, wine pourers, laundresses, chamberlains, personal valets, secretaries, dressers, horse trainers, dog handlers, jesters, musicians like pianists, drummers, and flutists, among others. Essentially, any task a noble requires could warrant the employment of a specialized servant.

For common folk, becoming a servant was a matter of pride. Servants enjoyed better living conditions and lighter duties compared to serfs. Moreover, there existed a system of servitude among nobles, with lesser nobles often serving as attendants to greater ones. For instance, Gort, as a fallen knight-lord, served as Liszt's family tutor.

Even the Earl of Coral Island, the Sky Knight who wields absolute authority over the lives and deaths of all on this isle, considers it an honor to serve as a stable hand to the Sapphire Duke.

The longer Lithur lived in the small town-castle, the more he realized that equality among people was an illusion.

"See to it that the Black Dragon Horse, Barton, is well taken care of. It has been working tirelessly lately, and I would dread the day when it collapses from exhaustion on top of a mare," Liston said earnestly, looking at the diligent creature.

Barton, through the gap in the Qilin horse's open mouth, examined its teeth meticulously. "This is still a young stallion, a bit of restlessness is normal. With the weather growing increasingly warmer, its mating drive will eventually subside over time. However, we must regulate its matings with the mares."

"First and foremost, ensure the conception of the Fire Dragon Horse."

"Understood, my lord." Barton swiftly embraced his role as a groom, addressing Liszt as 'my lord.'

...

In order to facilitate the pregnancy of the Fire Dragon Horse, Liszt had no intention of riding the Black Dragon Horse or the Fire Dragon Horse anymore. Instead, he switched to a less swift horse, continuing to hone his archery skills.

By mid-July, when he could ride the slower horse with agility and hit every target without deviating too far from the bullseye, Marcus declared that Liszt had officially graduated from Basic Archery. He was now ready to commence the practice of Multi-shot. All in all, it had only been a week's worth of study.

Thus, Liszt was quite confident in his learning of Multi-shot and looked forward to mastering it by the time August arrived.

"Sir, your ice cream." Thomas presented a cup of fragrant ice cream.

Lister, who had been diligently practicing archery under the scorching heat, took the ice cream and devoured it in large spoonfuls. A wave of coolness swept from his head to his toes, offering an indescribable delight. Without the aid of ice cream, iced beer, and chilled fruit juices, he would never have considered practicing with a bow and arrow during the sweltering summer.

Fortunately, the excavation of the miniature nitre mine had concluded, yielding a total of three hundred pounds of nitre. This was ample to provide the castle with sufficient ice for daily use.

In the evenings, several blocks of ice were placed in Lister's study and bedroom to lower the temperature.

With ice at hand, the summer became tolerable.