Chapter 174: Opportunities in the Eyes of the Earth Knights

The importance of pixies is self-evident. Even for Tulip Castle, acquiring a pixie is cause for grand celebration.

Thus, after the thorn pixie was born, Liszt quickly summoned officials like Gort.

They convened in the castle.

"Woah!"

"Woah!"

"Woah!"

The thorn pixie flying around the living room undoubtedly captured everyone's attention. It was very bold and unafraid of people. With Liszt’s indulgence, it seemed eager to explore every nook and cranny of the castle, inspecting its new home. And this little creature was quite fierce.

When Thomas, who had been serving tea, blocked its path, the little pixie immediately bared its teeth and waved its hands as if ready to strike.

It wanted to slap Thomas across the face.

Although Thomas managed to dodge in time, preventing the slap, the pixie still strutted proudly in front of him, as if saying, "This is my territory, lowly slave. Open your dog eyes wide!"

In fact, that was almost exactly what it was thinking. Liszt could sense its feelings; the thorn pixie was indeed expressing dissatisfaction with Thomas. Because of its bond with Liszt, it considered the castle its home. Everyone else was unwelcome.

Despite this, these unwelcome individuals lavished praise on the thorn pixie in the living room.

"Its beauty rivals the stars in the sky; I cannot think of better words to describe it!" Gort gesticulated wildly. "Its arrival proves what I've said before: Flower Town is not only blessed by the glory of knights but is also the birthplace of such glory!"

"Not only is it a pixie, but it is also a pixie that brings immense wealth. Under its care, fast-growing iron thorns and magic thorns will be like trees laden with gold coins."

Marcus, as always, spoke succinctly: "The thorn pixie will carry forward the journey of Your Honor's glorious path!"

The praise continued unabated.

The thorn pixie indeed deserved such praise—it could cultivate a magical herb and a type of wood, making it strategically valuable, almost as important as the pixies that grow crops.

Liszt beckoned.

The thorn pixie, which had been flying around, obediently landed on his shoulder and yawned: "Woah." It seemed tired from playing.

Liszt glanced at the sycophantic followers and slowly said, "There will be plenty of time for praise later. Right now, I want to know how we should celebrate."

"My Lord, please entrust the task of organizing the celebration to me; I am most adept at this," Gort confidently stated.

"Then tell me, how do you plan to celebrate?"

"Whenever Tulip Castle acquires a pixie, we invite the nobles who follow us to a feast. As the Baron of Flower Town and a descendant of the Tulip family, you can invite the nobles of North Valley City to a feast. Additionally, the relatives within Tulip Castle and the Baron of Falcon Town should also be invited."

Gort first identified who should be invited.

He then continued, "To celebrate the thorn pixie, all commoners in our territory should participate. I believe we should give them a day off... Hmm, no, that wouldn't be appropriate. It's autumn harvest season, and we need labor for various projects. Giving lazy serfs another day off would be unforgivable."

Thus, the idea of a holiday for commoners passed quickly.

Celebration while working would suffice.

Upon hearing this, Blair added, "Perhaps we should give each serf a copper coin to show the lord's concern."

"Do we really need to treat serfs like this?" Gort was unconvinced; he had always looked down on the commoner class.

Liszt made the final decision: "We will give each serf a copper coin, and free citizens will have a day off. As for you all, your wages will be doubled on the day of the celebration."

"Doubled wages, hmm, that's a good idea," Gort hurriedly nodded in agreement.

"Thank you for your generosity, My Lord!" Karl, Rom, and others quickly expressed their gratitude. They liked having a generous lord.

Smiling slightly, Liszt was pleased with their reactions.

Handing out money wasn’t just an act of generosity; it was a deeper strategy to stimulate the circulation of goods in Flower Town.

As a soul from the twenty-first century, he understood many economic theories.

After all, he experienced inflation, rising prices, and the devaluation of the yuan daily. Despite earning more, he found it increasingly difficult to afford a house. Through these experiences, he gradually learned about stimulating consumption.

The purpose of stimulating consumption is not consumption itself but to create demand. Once there is demand, it can drive the development of various industries.

Money only generates real value when it circulates.

If Liszt were to hoard all the gold coins in his own vault like other lords, his territory would remain in a primitive agricultural stage. The inhabitants would neither starve nor be well-fed, and they wouldn't have the means to purchase goods or engage in small businesses or side hustles.

With money in their hands, they would have the means to consume, and the territory would come alive.

Ultimately, transitioning from primitive agriculture to crafts and manufacturing would bring continuous wealth—though there would be negative effects. With money, the inhabitants might become less loyal.

But Liszt believed that as long as he maintained a strong knightly force and periodically harvested wealth from the prosperous, the territory would remain stable. After all, this was a world where strength ruled, and wealth had meaning only under its protection.

"Gort, continue."

"As you wish, My Lord." Gort composed himself, trying to appear less interested in money, "The last and most important point of the celebration is that you should announce the recruitment of followers during the event!"

Liszt raised an eyebrow, mulling over the suggestion: "Recruit followers?"

"Yes, everyone understands the importance of pixies to nobles. Having a pixie means you will achieve even greater glory. This is the perfect opportunity to recruit followers. There will always be people like me, Marcus, Blair, and Isaiah who are willing to follow your footsteps!"

Why celebrate the acquisition of a pixie?

On one hand, it is joy, and on the other, it is to show off and demonstrate the lord's strength, attracting knightly vassals. In this world, many nobles and freemen have cultivated Earth Knights, but only a few receive fiefs and titles. The rest tirelessly seek opportunities to become nobles.

"Having a Thorns Sprite by my side, I am the opportunity for these Earth Knights." Liszt instantly realized that with the birth of the Thorns Sprite, his reputation would surely rise.

From a rural baron, he would leap to become a future viscount guarding the city!

A viscount, either with their own island or city, has already become one of the higher-ranking nobles.