Chapter 198: Forced cultivation of corn grass

"Harpagon is much bolder than Sherlock and possesses more foresight and a spirit of endeavor. Once Captain Kosto becomes adept at sailing, I plan to have Harpagon oversee the maritime trade."

In the castle study at night.

Liszt and Butler Carter each held a glass of red wine, savoring it slowly while chatting about the past, present, and future.

Carter's hair had turned grayer, but his spirits were much better than when he first arrived in Flower Town: "Sir, isn't it too soon to engage in maritime trade?"

"Currently, we're merely utilizing the foreign trade channels of Tulip Castle and Beer Castle, while also building our own network for Flower Town," Liszt said with a slight smile. "Flower Town is just temporary; in the near future, I will have my own city or island."

He took a sip of the red wine and continued, "I cannot always rely on the family's protection. My father might not mind, but Levis and Lytton would certainly have something to say."

"I see that your vision extends far beyond, sir. Please forgive my narrow-mindedness."

"Looking ahead is one aspect, but doing well in the present is another. I need you to remind me often, Mr. Carter."

The master and servant engaged in mutual praise, creating a harmonious atmosphere.

After a moment, the conversation turned to Flower Soap.

Carter was filled with emotion: "Hearing your conversation with Mr. Harpagon, I was quite surprised. I never expected Flower Soap to be so popular and capture such a large market."

"The popularity was expected," Liszt calmly stated.

In truth, Flower Soap did not have groundbreaking technology. Its cleaning power was not extraordinary, but the addition of certain substances from pig pancreas and wood ash gave it many desirable qualities—smoothness, lather, and a tightening effect on the skin. These features made it superior to ordinary soaps with average cleaning power.

Anyone accustomed to regular soap would experience a stark difference upon using Flower Soap. Feeling cleaner naturally led to a renewed sense of vitality.

For nobles, this was enough to make them switch from regular soap to Flower Soap.

As for the added benefit of arousing husbands' interest, only Lady Gaierta knew about it; others were likely unaware.

Naturally, under the deliberate promotion by the Flower Caravan, the reputation of Flower Soap began spreading from North Valley City across the entire Coral Island. Coral City, being the trendsetter, embraced it enthusiastically.

The production cost of Flower Soap was not low, making it impossible to give every noble a sample. Instead of adopting Sherlock's widespread approach, Harpagon chose precise targeting.

...

"Miss Sherry, this is a gift from my lord, Baron Liszt, two bars of Flower Soap made in Flower Town. It is more beautiful and befitting of your stunning beauty and noble demeanor."

"Oh, it's from Brother Liszt? Thank you!" Sherry happily accepted the gift and noticed an attached piece of thick parchment.

On the parchment was Liszt's handwritten message in snake script.

"Dear little Sherry, I am busy with many affairs in Flower Town and cannot visit you in Coral City. Therefore, I send you two bars of our specialty Flower Soap. May beauty always accompany you—your brother, Liszt."

...

"Esteemed madam, Harpagon greets you."

"Harpagon, the captain of the Flower Caravan, right? Did Liszt send you?" Lady Penelope received Harpagon.

"Baron Liszt misses you very much. He sent me to deliver two bars of Flower Soap as a gift, hoping you will enjoy them," Harpagon said respectfully. "The baron mentioned that if you like them, you can inform the caravan at any time, and Flower Soap will be supplied to you free of charge."

"Specialty Flower Soap? Is it just another kind of soap?" Lady Penelope, unlike the young Sherry, understood everything with a glance. "This boy is getting more cunning. No wonder he resembles that woman, Melissa. This shrewdness truly befits him as the grandson of Marquis Merlin."

Harpagon smiled awkwardly, not daring to comment on a noble, especially his lord.

Lady Penelope said, "Very well, I'll accept the gift. If they are indeed good, I will speak well of him. At least my old face still has some influence."

"Once again, greetings to you. Harpagon takes his leave."

...

Flower Soap was undoubtedly making waves in the soap market.

For Sherlock and Harpagon, this was a significant matter, but for Liszt, it was merely another means of earning money. After guiding his subordinates, he put it out of his mind.

Now, he had a new task.

Just this afternoon, the smoke changed: "Complete the task, reward five rotten bones."

Without guessing, Marcus and the others on Black Horse Island had finished constructing the temporary outpost and housed a hundred serfs.

A new task emerged immediately.

"Task: Raising horse herds requires numerous varieties of grass. Black Horse Island is currently unsuitable for growing more grass. Why not cultivate corn grass in Flower Town to enhance the nutrition of the Black Blood horses? Please plant 100 acres of corn grass. Reward: One fairy bug."

Tasks that rewarded fairy bugs must be completed, as each fairy bug was precious.

However, upon reading the task details, Liszt frowned deeply and summoned the steward of Barley Village: "Gill, how many acres of corn grass are currently planted in Barley Village?"

"Reporting to my lord, there are thirty acres of corn grass."

"Can corn grass be planted now and survive the winter?"

"Well..." Gill hesitated. "My lord, Gill has never cared for corn grass during winter and does not know if it can survive."

"How much corn grass seed have you harvested?"

"The seeds were all submitted to the administration office, probably several hundred pounds. Much of the corn grass is cut directly for grazing, with only a small portion reserved for seeds."

Liszt looked outside at the weather. It was nearing late autumn, and the temperature was no longer warm.

Such climate was not ideal for planting crops, but with the smoke task at hand, he could not ignore it. Otherwise, it would be difficult to ensure the birth of a fairy bug—he suspected it would be a corn grass fairy bug, but whether it would emerge depended on the progress of the task.

No matter how difficult it was, he had to push through, like herding ducks up a tree.

He immediately instructed, "Start cultivating seventy more acres of land and expand the corngrass field to one hundred acres, Gill. Do it quickly."

"Yes, my lord. Gill will arrange for everyone to start cultivating the new fields right away."

With that, they began their tasks.

Meanwhile, Liszt took the opportunity to investigate the corngrass field in Barley Village, continuously using his Magic Eye, trying to find any signs of the birth of a sprite worm.

As long as he found any sign of the sprite worm, even if the mission failed, he was confident he could still bring the sprite worm to life.

Unfortunately, there were no signs of magic. The corngrass field was filled with ordinary corngrass, not a single plant seemed special.

Sighing, he consoled himself, "I hope this weather allows the corngrass to sprout so I can complete the task."

...

The next day, the Flower returned.

Marcus brought him a new piece of news regarding the mission reward.

After dismissing his servants and closing the study door, he said solemnly, "My lord, we discovered the remains of an unknown animal in a valley on the island. Most of the bones were shattered, but five enormous bones remained. Each is as thick as a person and half-buried in the rocks underground."