Chapter 205: Chicken farming campaign

Liszt, who possessed the Magic Eye, could not miss the birth of any sprite bug.

The corn grass sprite bug did not escape his observation either. At the edge of the corn grass field, an unremarkable stalk of corn grass bore faint traces of magic on its ear.

"Finally found you. Grow up quickly and work for me."

After confirming this, Liszt immediately summoned Rom Barrel, the bug officer, and instructed him, "This corn grass is nurturing a corn grass sprite bug. Make sure to arrange for guards to watch over it day and night. There must be no mistakes."

"Please rest assured, sir. Rom will personally oversee the protection, ensuring that the corn grass sprite bug is nurtured smoothly without any disturbance!" Rom replied joyfully. Witnessing the birth of new sprite bugs had become a daily occurrence in Flower Town, a place truly blessed by the glory of knights.

Liszt then ordered Gill, the overseer of Barley Village, "Don't forget to fertilize and water this corn grass frequently. If there are any signs of disease or wilting, notify me immediately."

The gestation period of a sprite bug, given sufficient nutrition and meticulous care, typically lasted ten days to half a month. Most sprite bugs failed to develop properly due to lack of discovery or inadequate care during this period.

However, such problems did not exist in Flower Town.

"A small sprite, nine sprite bugs—my territory's sprite count is almost catching up to Lvera's," he thought happily. Surpassing her was just a matter of time.

When Lvera received her fiefdom, she was given a tulip sprite and twelve sprite bugs. Over the past three years, one of her sprite bugs died, but two more were born, bringing her total to thirteen sprite bugs. These sprites maintained the prosperity of Falcon Town.

But compared to Flower Town, Falcon Town's potential was far less impressive.

Without monopolistic businesses that generate cash flow, like seafood or flower soap, and lacking a variety of potions, she only had the tulip potion, which was a share from Liszt's black tulip. She also lacked intermediate-level magical beasts or dragon horses, so even if she formed a Knight Squad, it would be an ordinary one.

Flower Town, on the other hand, had control over the Black Blood horse, and the future Knight Squad they would form would rival the elite squads of Coral City.

Of course, Lvera was not Liszt's ultimate goal.

He wasn't interested in competing with women. His true focus was surpassing Levis: "Levis broke through to Earth Knight before adulthood and was praised for his talent, but I have caught up and am now an Elite Earth Knight! Now our goal is the same—to advance to Sky Knight!"

The path of potion consumption went smoothly, filling Liszt with confidence: "Sky Knight is within my grasp... The Earl is known as the Sword Saint of Waves in the Kingdom of Eagles. In the future, I will be known as the Sword Saint of Flames!"

Knights primarily use lances when charging into battle on horseback.

In duels, they rely on swords.

Sky Knights do not need to charge with the main force; a single knight with a sword can sweep through an ordinary hundred-strong knight squadron. Hence, they are called Sword Saints.

Now.

The future Sword Saint of Flames, Liszt Tulip, was heading to the town hall to convene a meeting with the town officials.

"Gort Advisor, and everyone else, I plan to promote chicken farming in Flower Town." He didn't bother finding excuses for his ideas; the task required by the smoke mission was straightforward, and no one dared question him. "Within the next half month, we need to reach a scale of fifteen hundred chickens, not just a thousand!"

Raising chickens is not a simple task, with a high mortality rate. This needed to be considered.

Pausing, he continued, "Raising chickens is for the castle. The castle will subsidize the feed for the chicks. Once grown, the chickens will be reclaimed by the castle. However, eggs laid by hens will be purchased at market price as compensation for the farmers. Do you have any additional suggestions?"

"My lord, this way, it seems no farmer will want to raise roosters. Should we only raise hens?" Isaiah asked, knowing that hens lay eggs even without roosters.

However, without roosters, the eggs laid by hens cannot hatch into chicks.

Liszt answered without hesitation: "Set a standard: farmers who wish to raise chickens must have nine hens and one rooster. Those with conditions can try hatching their own chicks, which will belong to them. Of course, you must review and ensure that those without proper conditions are not allowed to raise chickens."

Winter was approaching, and if someone couldn't build a henhouse, raising chickens would only lead to their freezing to death. If they were willing to let the chickens live indoors, a henhouse wouldn't be necessary.

After a brief discussion, the chicken-raising initiative began.

Fifteen hundred chickens spread across households would require only one hundred fifty families, making it easy to select suitable farmers. Meanwhile, the Flower Caravan and Thorn Caravan were notified to purchase chicks and even fully grown chickens from major cities and bring them to Flower Town.

"Within half a month, before the winter snows arrive, reaching a thousand chickens should be no problem," Gort calculated, snapping his fingers. "In previous years, Flower Town usually starts cooling and receiving snow around mid-December, lasting intermittently for two months until mid-February when temperatures begin to rise."

Liszt swirled his glass of red wine at the castle banquet: "Not just Flower Town, but half of Coral Island will receive snow. Flower Town, being in the northeast corner, is most severely affected." He guessed that the snow was brought by a small cold front.

On Earth, temperatures often plummet with the arrival of cold fronts.

While unclear in this world, the principle should be similar. As an island, Coral Island is deeply affected by cold fronts, even minor ones.

"Oh, Gort Advisor, how is the winter preparation going?"

"Oh, don't worry. For my pitiful salary, no serf in Flower Town will freeze to death this year. I swear by the glory of knights! If anyone freezes to death, I'll personally go to the Kingdom of Eagles and bring a serf here!" Gort said exaggeratedly.

His intention was to entertain and lighten the mood at the banquet.

Since Liszt gradually turned banquets into work meetings, the usual boisterous atmosphere of noble gatherings had become rare. Everyone was accustomed to discussing work while eating and drinking.

This was likely due to Liszt's preference for quietness.

Gort, on the other hand, enjoyed liveliness.

Elegantly cutting his steak, Liszt remained unaffected by Gort's antics, maintaining his usual quiet demeanor: "Winter preparations are just part of the winter strategy. This winter, the serfs must not be idle. We need to continue construction projects and improve Flower Town's infrastructure."

The obsession with infrastructure had long been ingrained in Liszt's soul—build roads to get rich!