Chapter 165: Flame Mushroom Magic Potion Cooperation

"Oh my goodness!"

Gort opened his mouth wide in exaggerated surprise upon arriving at the Thorns Garden after receiving the notification: "I can't believe this is real. Magic Thorns? I thought Flower Town was blessed by the Glory of Knights, but now I understand that this place is more like the birthplace of the Glory of Knights!"

"The birthplace of the Glory of Knights? I like that description, Advisor Gort. Perhaps there are even more surprises you couldn't imagine," Liszt said mysteriously.

With the existence of the Smoke Task golden finger, everything here made perfect sense.

Dragons!

Smoke Dragons!

For a dragon capable of founding a nation, bringing such benefits is nothing.

"Are there more surprises?"

"Of course, you'll know soon enough," Liszt replied, referring to the evolution of the Thorn Bugs. He believed it wouldn't be long before news of the new thorn species would come back, and then, after the Thorn Bugs had been assimilated, they would obtain a magical Thorn Sprite.

He didn't tell Gort, as Gort's big mouth couldn't keep secrets. Regarding the evolution of the Thorn Bugs, he wasn't planning to announce it until it was successful, only letting Marcus know. Liszt trusted Marcus very much, as his family had already settled in Flower Town.

Switching topics directly,

Liszt said, "Teacher Gort, we can start transplanting and planning the Thorns Garden. My idea is to transplant the Fast-Growing Thorny Thorns and Fast-Growing Poisonous Thorns to the edges of Thorns Ridge, surrounding Flower Town to prevent attacks from outside monsters or bandits."

"That's quite a large project," Gort said with difficulty. "It might not be possible in the short term. Harvest time has arrived, and I'm organizing the serfs to harvest this year's crops."

"Then let's wait until after the harvest to arrange the Thorns Garden. However, immediately arrange for people to remove the ordinary thorns around the Fast-Growing Magic Thorns to allow the Magic Thorns to grow and propagate."

"As you wish."

A moment later.

The Insect Officer Romm Barrel also quickly arrived to inspect the insect grass.

Liszt gave further instructions: "Strengthen the protection of the Thorns Garden. At least four bug guards should be on duty per shift, working in eight-hour shifts, rotating three times a day."

"Understood!"

"Also, I will purchase several large drums to be placed in the wooden huts where the bug guards are stationed. If there's any situation, they can directly beat the drums to alert others."

After making proper arrangements, he reluctantly left the Thorns Garden.

Back at the castle.

Elkson Truth had already designed the full set of tools for training Falcon, including the hawk hood, hawk leg straps, hawk water bottle, hawk gloves, hawk sleeve cage, falcon stand, and dummy bait, all precisely measured according to Falcon's body shape.

Not too expensive, but not cheap either, totaling about one gold coin.

"Baron Liszt, in the coming period, we will enter the falcon-breaking phase. Please ensure that Falcon is not fed. The rest is up to me, to make it unable to sleep. Ultimately, it will bow its proud head and be thoroughly tamed."

"I understand."

Liszt reached out to pet Falcon, who, although wouldn't bite Liszt, would avoid being petted, as it disliked anyone touching it.

In the following days, Falcon's training began.

Moved out of the castle and confined to a separate Falcon House, Elkson closely monitored Falcon, recording detailed data. It must be said that this humorous and witty mage, instead of doing his usual magic work, took on the role of a caretaker, which was quite interesting.

"Mr. Elkson, what type of magic are you proficient in?"

"Earth and Water."

"May I ask a curious question? How did you become a mage?"

Elkson recalled, "Baron Liszt, I was born into a serf family. My teacher happened to pass through Snake Spear City and came to our town to select some plants. He needed an assistant and chose me. Afterward, he asked if I wanted to explore truth with him, and I agreed."

"So you're from Snake Spear City."

"My family was originally serfs on Midway Island. When I was very young, because Lord Claire Viscount angered Marquis Wallace Pineapple of Deep Throat Island, we were exiled to a desolate island. So my family and I came to Coral Island and settled in Snake Spear City. However, my parents have passed away, and I am now alone."

Marquis Wallace Pineapple of Deep Throat Island is one of the seven marquises of the grand duchy.

The former sub-junior viscount of Little Papa Island, his elder brother, the sub-senior viscount of Big Papa Island, is a vassal of Marquis Wallace Pineapple. As for Midway Island, Liszt had never heard of it, nor did he know anything about Viscount Claire.

However, when the Tulip Family obtained the fiefdom of Coral Island, they purchased a large number of serfs from various places, and presumably, Elkson was bought as a serf at that time.

After a few casual exchanges,

Liszt suddenly asked, "Mr. Elkson, do you know Fire magic?"

"Not proficiently, but I do know it."

"Then, I have a batch of fire attribute magic herbs. Can you make them into mana potions for me?" Liszt decided to entrust the production of mana potions to Elkson.

Elkson raised an eyebrow and smiled, "I won't refuse a job that earns money. On the path of exploring truth, gold coins are always necessary, as knowledge doesn't come free."

Mages love to tinker with bottles and jars, researching various explosions and dangerous things.

All these require gold coins to purchase materials. As a class outside the nobility system, they need to earn gold coins by working themselves—making mana potions, crafting mana equipment; mages specializing in ice magic might even sell ice cubes.

Of course, some mages choose to join the nobility system.

For example, serving as court mages or magic advisors to nobles, enjoying their patronage.

But mages of Elkson and Glanny's level certainly cannot enjoy such patronage and can only work to earn money to buy knowledge and explore truth.

Tulip Castle has a dedicated mage who collaborates in producing mana potions, living a secluded life without lacking funds.

These two could only take on odd jobs and live a semi-reclusive life.

"Then, I'll entrust the magic potion made from the Flame Caps to you. I'll build a Flame Cap processing workshop in Mushroom Village and work with you on a long-term basis. What do you think?"

Initially, he had planned to keep Glanny, but now, he felt that Elkson was a better choice.

Elkson seemed a bit hesitant. "Stay in Flower Town for the long term?"

"There's no need to stay here long-term. The production of Flame Caps is limited; it would probably take just one week out of every month to make all the magic potions."

"Since that's the case, I'm willing to cooperate." After nodding, Elkson asked doubtfully, "Sir Liszt, why don't you collaborate with Tulip Castle instead?"

"Isn't it the same to collaborate after producing the finished goods? Without the cost of transportation, we might even earn a bit more."

Liszt squinted his eyes and chose not to reveal the truth. He had been quite high-profile recently, making a strong impression in the region of Coral Island. Excessive force leads to breakage; everything must be done in moderation. It was enough for him to know about entering the ranks of elite earth knights.