Chapter 298: Father and Son Killing Each Other in Tulip Castle

The woodworking workshop will take a few more days before it can begin operations.

Lystert is now focusing on the upcoming launch of the Flower Wine. He went to Tulip Castle and brought a barrel of the original brew, which he handed over to the Earl.

"This is Flower Wine?" The Earl tasted it and nodded, "You impress me, Lystert. The liquor business is more profitable than potions; it's a lucrative industry."

"The Flower Wine business still needs your protection, Father."

"Of course, I am your father... The Flower Wine shows me many possibilities. It might become the greatest asset for the Tulip family in ascending the ladder of power," the Earl clearly saw the hidden profits behind the liquor, "Levis, Lvera, you, and Lytton are all part of the family."

The Earl was about to suggest a division of the liquor profits.

Lystert interrupted him, "Father, I thought my brother had already reported the partnership plan for the Flower Wine to you." As he spoke, he glanced at Levis standing nearby.

"Of course, I reported it. Without your permission, how could the Flower Wine be successfully launched on Coral Island?" Levis hurriedly said, "The result of my discussion with Father is that I will contribute two-tenths of the profits to the Tulip family as a channel usage fee, and the rest will be divided between the two of us brothers."

Out of ten parts of profit, Lystert would take four, and the remaining six would go to Levis.

Now it seemed that Levis only took four parts for himself, submitting two parts to Tulip Castle.

From Levis's attitude,

Lystert had a pretty good idea and said, "I also find this profit-sharing reasonable. Though my brother, as the heir of Tulip Castle, can freely use the channels, he hasn't yet divided the family assets with Lytton, so it’s only right to look after the younger brother and set aside two parts for Tulip Castle."

"As you said, Lystert, Lytton is also my brother; how could I not look after him? Two parts of the profit, feel free to use them to support Lytton, Father. I won't have any complaints."

With their words, the two brothers finalized the profit distribution, leaving no room for the Earl to interject.

Perhaps as a father, he felt the value of the Flower Wine was too significant, but for Levis and Lystert, redistributing more profits was not an option.

They were unwilling to share the profits even with Lvera, let alone Lytton, their half-brother.

On this point, the two brothers were resolute.

Seated behind his desk, the Earl looked at Levis, then at Lystert. Seeing their calm expressions, as if nothing had occurred,

a shadow of gloom crossed his face.

He drained the cup of Flower Wine in one gulp

and slammed the cup onto the table: "Should I be proud of your shrewdness? It’s been only twenty years since we rose from minor nobles to major nobles. The enterprising spirit I hoped for, have you truly inherited it? Why does Tulip Castle now exude the stench of decay, like all major noble families?"

"Father, I am diligent in my training every moment, hoping to earn merit on the battlefield, just like you." Levis said solemnly, his left hand on his chest.

Lystert had no intention of explaining.

Nor did he need to explain; the development of Flower Town was the strongest evidence.

He even had the mood to crack a joke: "Like wine aging to perfection, perhaps decay is an excellent expression of noble temperament."

"Lystert, I'm not joking with you." The Earl looked at his increasingly blurry second son, suddenly feeling his authority as a father wavering, "The old you wouldn't joke either. Your growth pleases me, but I don't want you to lose certain... familial bonds."

The young Lystert was very afraid of his father.

But now, Lystert placed the Earl on an equal footing. Between father and son, no matter how much they quarreled, there was nothing to fear. The Earl couldn't possibly break his own son's legs.

So.

"Father, perhaps you believe that sharing between siblings is a form of familial love, but I believe that holding an unbreakable sword in my hand to protect my siblings is also a form of familial love."

"I find Liszt’s words quite reasonable," Levis deeply agreed.

The Earl fell silent for a moment.

He poured himself another glass of flower-brewed wine and also poured a glass for Levis and Liszt. Raising his glass, he gave a slight nod: "I hope you both remember what you said today, and remember, decadence is not a trait that nobles should possess!"

The atmosphere eased.

Liszt raised his glass.

Pretending to be bold, he downed it in one go, though he really didn’t like drinking white wine.

After finishing the wine, Levis suddenly said: "Father, what about the top-tier flower wine for the Grand Duke?"

"I happen to need to attend a spring court assembly at the palace in a few days, and I will bring the century-aged tulip wine you have been developing."

The brief exchange in the study concluded, with the two brothers successfully safeguarding their interests.

In the corridor, Levis let out a long sigh: "Since you don’t live in Tulip Castle, you may not be aware, but after the flower-brewed wine was released, Lady Mary has been staging several crying scenes in front of Father, and I almost couldn’t maintain my position. Fortunately, your words today convinced Father."

The master of Tulip Castle is Lee William Tulip.

Levis is merely the heir.

But Lady Mary and Lytton have special statuses; they are destined not to become the masters of the castle, so they must strive to secure more benefits before Levis inherits the castle.

If one does not act in self-interest, heaven and earth will destroy them.

While we shouldn’t think too poorly of others, we also shouldn’t imagine them to be saints. Mrs. Mary’s pillow talk, how it sways him, Lister doesn’t know, nor does he need to. He must understand one thing clearly: if you give up an inch today, you may lose a mile tomorrow.

In the past, Lister was weak and easy to bully.

Now, he needs to project a new image, one that lets everyone know Lister is not someone to trifle with. If provoked, he will unleash Hiddleston and create a major disturbance.

Aside from the Earl, no one on Coral Island could stop Hiddleston.

So.

“When I say I can walk tall on Coral Island, I’m not joking.”

……

The renowned Flower Wine, which had been extensively promoted,

finally went on sale just before the end of the month. There were no lines of people waiting to buy it. Such buying trends haven't caught on here yet.

Pre-orders were already piled on Lister’s desk.

All Lister needed to do was transport the flower wine, and after sorting and bottling it properly, hand it over to Lister. He didn’t need to know who bought the wine. As long as he counted the bottles, his share of the profit would be secure.

Of course, he based his calculations on the delivery price.

Shipping costs and selling prices varied by region, but that aspect was not Lister’s concern. He simply handed over the wine at the following prices: five silver coins for wooden bottles, fifty silver coins for ceramic bottles, and ten gold coins for jade bottles.

Just from this one batch.

A total of 210 wooden bottles, 26 pottery bottles, and 8 jade bottles were sold to various buyers. Both Stonecrush Castle and Beer Castle each purchased 4 bottles of Jade Bottle Flower Wine.

The total value surpassed 103 gold coins, which was sufficient for the island’s nobles to enjoy for about a week.

"It’s unfortunate that the Earl compelled the sale of Flower Wine at cost price to Tulip Castle before he left for Blue Dragon Island. Otherwise, given the alcohol consumption at Tulip Castle, it would likely equal the combined sales of all the lesser nobles," Liszt thought, feeling somewhat disappointed as he received 40 gold coins.

These sales figures were just for Coral Island.

The next goal was to expand distribution to Red Crab Island.