Chapter 232 Zhuge Liang was always cautious

The Kingdom of Steel Ridge, one of the three major kingdoms in the northern part of the continent, borders the Kingdom of Blastfurnace and the Kingdom of Eagles.

It has seven vassal states: the Grand Duchies of Sapphire, Maple Leaf, Rose, and Brass, and the Duchies of Light Sapphire, Starry Sky, and Honeysuckle. Strictly speaking, the Grand Duchies of Sapphire and Rose should be demoted to duchies, as their countries have dragons but no dragon knights.

"The Duke of Honeysuckle had to move three times a year because he could not stand the nobles defecating and urinating randomly in the palace, making him walk with constant fear. There was even a knight who relieved himself on a chair in his study, and the Duke of Honeysuckle, unaware, sat down on it."

"How did the Duke of Honeysuckle punish that knight?"

"He chose to defecate inside the knight's helmet."

"Ha ha, what a creative punishment!"

"Ha ha!"

Laughter echoed from the study, where Liszt and Zanbuluota had been chatting for over three hours. Zanbuluota always had endless little gossip, keeping Liszt thoroughly engaged.

Especially those court secrets.

These were likely anecdotes compiled by minor nobles during Zanbuluota's travels, akin to unofficial histories. When he toured the Kingdom of Steel Ridge, he was only a prospective noble, far from accessing the high-ranking officials or even the lesser nobles of the fiefdoms.

However, these unofficial histories were relatively more serious compared to knight novels.

At least they had substance; the stories might be true or false, but the people in them existed. In contrast, knight novels not only had dubious stories but also fictional characters.

When the butler Carter knocked and entered to inquire about the dinner arrangements, Liszt finally snapped out of his pleasant conversation: "Invite all the town officials to dinner tonight to welcome Mr. Zanbuluota." He had decided to keep Zanbuluota, for the sake of his entertaining stories.

Undoubtedly, these stories would provide significant reference for Liszt's compilation of the annalistic history book, *Dragons Battling in the Wild*.

"Thank you for your generosity," Zanbuluota bowed courteously.

He understood that he had won the favor of the recently renowned Baron of Flower Town, achieving his goal of reviving his status in Flower Town. Since being stripped of his noble title by the Earl, his life had fallen into poverty, and even his children began to look down on him, which deeply hurt him.

Now, though still a commoner without a title, once he followed the promising Liszt, who could guarantee that he would not return to the ranks of the nobility?

At the dinner that night, Liszt formally introduced Zanbuluota to the town officials.

Isaiah, Blair, and Marcus all knew Zanbuluota, as he had been Lytton's family tutor and frequently visited Tulip Castle. His knowledge and abilities were not in question—what was problematic was his attitude, which led to his dismissal by the Earl for allowing Lytton to beat up commoners.

But this was not a matter of principle; it was quite normal for nobles to beat up commoners.

Not all nobles shared Liszt's deep-seated belief in equality. For the people of this world, dividing humans into different classes was the norm.

Therefore, everyone welcomed Zanbuluota, although Isaiah and Blair might have harbored some sense of crisis.

After the dinner, Liszt pulled Zanbuluota aside and chatted for another hour about interesting stories.

Finally, he let him go with reluctance, but still clearly said, "I know your intentions. Don't rush regarding your position in Flower Town. I have received word that my father will return before the New Year. I will arrange your work after the New Year."

Zanbuluota nodded, understanding Liszt's implication: "I will follow your arrangements, my lord Baron."

"You can go home and wait for news, or stay in Flower Town. If you have free time, we can continue our chats about the interesting stories from other countries; I am very interested in this information."

"My wife has passed away, and my children are grown. I won't be going back. If possible, I plan to stay in Flower Town for now."

"I will have Gort arrange your accommodation."

...

The Earl returned faster than Liszt had anticipated, arriving at Coral Island on December 20th with his knightly order. Ships full of loot were piled at the dock.

Of course, the knightly order left complete, but many knights were missing, likely forever left in the Kingdom of Eagles.

After the knights from Tulip Castle came to Flower Town to report, Liszt planned to set out the next day to attend the victory banquet at Tulip Castle.

"Mr. Carter, prepare generous gifts for my father and brother. The more lavish, the better. This time, I hope to get a share of my father's war spoils, especially iron. The lack of iron is driving me mad!"

Though the bone workshop had already opened, and the Bone family, led by Black Bones, worked day and night crafting bone tools, iron remained a crucial resource.

The iron he used to make the hot water tanks and air conditioner casings came from melting other iron items.

Now, Flower Town had more to offer—flower soap was an excellent gift; high-end seafood was a precious present; exquisite bread and peanuts were suitable souvenirs. Liszt also planned to give the Earl and Levis each a telescope.

The military value of telescopes was significant, and the Earl would surely reward Liszt generously upon seeing them.

Originally, the telescopes were meant to be kept secret and not disclosed.

But as he increasingly integrated into the noble system and the Tulip family, enjoying the benefits of the family, his mindset had changed—strengthening and expanding the family would better protect him, even if he personally went to battle and earned titles, becoming a baron of Black Horse Island.

The Tulip family would still be his strong support.

If the Earl could advance further through his war achievements and be enfeoffed as a Marquis, Liszt would rise in status as well—then he would be the son and grandson of a Marquis, and there would be no shortage of opportunities for him on the battlefield.

Thus, Liszt sincerely hoped the Tulip family would grow stronger.

At least until he could ride a dragon, the family needed to protect him, allowing him to develop steadily without worrying that his inventions might be taken by powerful nobles.

White paper, glass, and cement—if not for his concerns, he would have started researching them long ago.

Such technology might not usher in a new era, but it could certainly rapidly expand a family. However, it might not be good for a weak family to possess such technology; it could lead to their destruction by pirates.

The tragedy of Papa Island constantly reminded Liszt of the risks faced by nobles.

Therefore, Liszt only made small changes within his territory.

"Zhuge Liang was cautious all his life... I should write this as a calligraphy piece and hang it by my bed, to admire every night before sleeping."