Chapter 148: Survey of Resources in Flower Town

Granny Truth's letter was delivered to the castle by the Flower Town caravan.

He had postponed his arrival due to a shortage of materials needed to craft the black pearl magic equipment. It would take some time to prepare these materials, and he expected to arrive in Flower Town around mid-October.

"Wasting my time! I should have chosen another mage to visit!" Liszt was not pleased upon reading the letter. He felt that this mage was not showing proper respect, taking over a week just to prepare materials, which seemed inefficient and lacking in dedication, even bordering on negligence.

However, the number of mages he could contact was limited.

These beings typically lived in seclusion, leading semi-reclusive lives and rarely interacting with ordinary people. If Liszt were not a member of the Tulip family, Glanny probably wouldn't have met him at all—nobles also preferred not to have mages settle in their cities because they tended to cause explosions from time to time, which was alarming.

Liszt tossed the letter aside.

He no longer cared about when Glanny would arrive.

Currently, Flower Town was simultaneously conducting resource surveys and logging operations. Despite Gort's tireless efforts as an advisor, there were still many issues that troubled Liszt.

He had his own worries too.

Standing by the window of the castle, he looked down at Juan Fu, who was chained up, with a furrowed brow.

"Quack!"

"Quack!"

Juan Fu kept making noise, flapping his fully grown wings.

His sapphire eyes swirled as Liszt used his Magic Eye. In his vision, Juan Fu appeared as a plump bird made of green magic.

"Juan Fu is reaching the stage where it will start releasing magic on its own. In a few days, it might not need my guidance anymore... Eating well has become a burden. Should I reduce its food? This bird eats enough for three servants in one meal."

Juan Fu wasn't very large; curled up, it was about the size of a dog.

But it was still a magical beast, consuming far more than ordinary birds: "If we keep feeding it like this, it won't be cost-effective."

Without a falconer, Juan Fu would remain a wild and unmanageable magical beast, useful only for being killed for meat or sold for materials to earn gold coins.

Shaking his head, Liszt decided not to kill it for now. After caring for it for so long, they had become familiar with each other. No matter how he teased Juan Fu, it wouldn't bite him, only dodging instead, as it didn't like being touched.

"We do have a friendship."

...

Life in Flower Town continued busily and orderly.

Gort's resource survey was quickly completed, and the data was compiled and sent to the castle for discussion during dinner.

"According to the instructions of the lord, some of the town's serfs who were previously engaged in farming will be converted into full-time workers. The remaining farming serfs will receive interest-free loans from the castle, which will be provided directly in the form of farming tools and will guide them in scientific farming methods."

Gort passionately recited his lengthy report, as the resource survey was his achievement project, and he naturally spoke with enthusiasm.

"The current resource survey results for Flower Town are as follows: Peanut Village..."

Peanut Village — Peanuts occupy 100 acres, with one peanut spirit bug; corn grass occupies 20 acres; approximately 500 acres of uncultivated land, mostly covered with weeds; residential area occupies 20 acres.

Mushroom Village — Mushroom sheds occupy 80 acres; mixed mushroom and flame mushroom sheds occupy 30 acres; approximately 800 acres of uncultivated land, mostly covered with shrubs; residential area occupies 30 acres.

Barley Village — Barley fields occupy 50 acres; oats fields occupy 50 acres; rye fields occupy 150 acres; corn grass fields occupy 30 acres; millet fields occupy 50 acres, with one millet spirit bug; approximately 500 acres of uncultivated land, mostly covered with weeds; beach sand covers 1,800 acres, with some fragrant coconut trees; residential area occupies 50 acres.

Wheat Village — Wheat fields cover 500 acres, with one wheat spirit bug; pig farm with 12 fat pigs; approximately 300 acres of uncultivated land, mostly covered with weeds; residential area occupies 50 acres. Tomato Village — Tomato fields cover 80 acres, with one tomato spirit bug; vegetable fields cover 20 acres; approximately 40 acres of uncultivated land, mostly covered with weeds; residential area occupies 60 acres.

Oyster Village — Beach sand covers 4,600 acres, with some fragrant coconut trees and one fragrant coconut tree spirit bug; fruit monkey farm with 7 monkeys, including 3 pregnant females; residential area occupies 30 acres.

Dairy Farm — Alfalfa fields cover 150 acres, with 11 cows, including 3 pregnant females; thorn forest covers 180 acres, with one thorn spirit bug; approximately 300 acres of uncultivated land, mostly covered with shrubs; beach sand covers 1,700 acres, with some fragrant coconut trees; residential area occupies 15 acres.

Flower Farm — Tulip fields cover 200 acres, including 15 acres of Saint-Dance tulips, 10 acres of William I tulips, and 20 acres of black tulips, with the rest being uncultivated land; approximately 500 acres of uncultivated land, mostly covered with shrubs and weeds; residential area occupies 20 acres.

Town — Commercial district occupies 40 acres; workshop area occupies 80 acres; serf residential area occupies 150 acres; free civilian residential area occupies 120 acres; noble residential area occupies 80 acres; administrative building occupies 10 acres. Most of these areas are planned, with current buildings occupying much less space.

Castle — Alfalfa fields cover 120 acres, with one alfalfa spirit bug, housing 22 horses, including 7 pregnant mares; dragon berry fields cover 5 acres, with one dragon berry spirit bug; castle occupies 20 acres; approximately 400 acres of uncultivated land, mostly covered with shrubs and weeds.

The total surveyed arable land in the town is approximately 5,165 acres, beach sand covers about 8,100 acres, and buildings occupy about 775 acres, including rivers, ponds, and roads. The entire town covers about 15,000 acres of land—though the exact standard of "acres" remains unclear to Liszt, lacking a point of reference.

If he had physically traveled here, he could easily understand the local measurements using himself as a reference. Unfortunately, he had soul-traveled and couldn't determine whether he was now a giant or a dwarf compared to his previous self—it didn't matter anymore since he had adapted to the local units.

"Flower Town covers about 15,000 acres, Thorns Ridge about 13,000 acres, totaling 28,000 acres. That's the size of my territory... Hmm, I should include the nearly 5,000 acres of beach exposed at low tide, bringing the total to 33,000 acres."

A town covering 33,000 acres is already quite large on Coral Island.

Taking some time, he drew a detailed map of Flower Town. While the map wasn't perfectly accurate, the basic framework was correct.

Mountains, water, and clear roads were depicted.

His gaze wandered over the map and soon focused on the north side of Thorns Ridge: "Beyond this area are low shrubs, and further out, vast uncultivated lands. Should I claim this area too?"

After some thought, he decided against it.

Swallowing Thorns Ridge was already greedy enough; it was better to quietly accumulate wealth. Claiming more land might backfire and upset the baron and Levis.

"Right now, Flower Town's uncultivated land hasn't been fully developed. Let's focus on steady growth. With the smoke task ahead, there's no need to take risks. The old adage applies: stockpile grain, build high walls, and delay claiming power. I'm sixteen years old now, so let's set a small goal: by the age of twenty, I want to own my own island!"

In his mind, he envisioned the information about Black Horse Island.

This breeding ground for Black Dragons had yet to reveal its secrets, but its allure had already captivated Liszt.