Chapter 302: Celebrating with All Living Things

"If a piano appears in the scene, I will sing to you."

This was not the melody that had emerged in Liszt's mind, but it was very fitting for the situation. When the piano was carefully carried up to the second-floor study by the servants, Liszt felt a burst of inspiration blooming and colliding in his mind, rubbing against his fingers.

An upright piano, family edition, medium model.

Court-appointed piano knight Cruz Bronze, completed in the spring of the 151st year, priced at one hundred twenty-eight gold coins.

The piano is one meter fifty wide, sixty centimeters deep, and one meter twenty-eight tall.

Cast from a mix of rock wood and fine steel, the strings are made from top-tier bowstring material, taken from magical beast hides. The body is painted purple-black and exudes a faint solid wood scent.

It doesn’t have the grandeur and elegance of a grand piano, but among upright pianos, it is a high-end product. Compared to the shoddy pianos often bought by minor nobles for a dozen gold coins, this one reflects his current status.

Placed against the wall.

Bringing a stool, Liszt sat directly in front of the piano, his itching hands involuntarily pressing on the keys.

"Ding!"

A crisp sound was made, and you could feel the tremor as the hammer struck the strings.

With just that one sound, he felt a shock all over, as if his soul had been elevated. The pianist Liszt within him was stirring, eager to play. *Für Elise*, *Accompanying You*, and many other famous piano pieces he had heard began to echo in his ears.

His ten fingers itched to become dancing sprites on the keys.

However, he did not. There were too many inspirations, and they seemed to overwhelm his thoughts, so he couldn’t recall any rhythm. After touching it for a moment, he got up and left the study.

Today was his birthday, and including Marcus, Lassie, and Griffin had returned from Black Horse Island.

As early as the morning, Flower Town had been immersed in a festive atmosphere. Officials were busy distributing gifts to all the tenants in the lord's territory in the name of the lord, giving each person two copper coins.

Usually, during festivals, even if there was a gift, it would be at most one copper coin. Now that Flower Brew was on the market and the lord had money again, with a generous gesture, it was doubled!

"Wishing the lord eternal youth!"

"May the lord ride a dragon soon!"

"The great lord be eternally blessed by the glory of knighthood!"

"Praise the lord, happy birthday, Lord!"

Even those serfs who had just arrived in Flower Town and had not yet adapted to their new life joined in the chant: "Praise... the lord..."

The clerks and patrol members, while going door to door, also announced to everyone: "To celebrate the lord's birthday, the livestock and poultry in the entire town will receive extra feed today!"

The chickens in every household, the wolves and dogs in the dog training grounds, the fruit-stealing monkeys in the fruit-stealing monkey training grounds, the cows in the dairy farms, the horses in the castle grasslands, the fat pigs in the pig farms, and the scattered dogs and sheep raised by the serfs could all feel the festive atmosphere and were part of the birthday celebration.

Mrs. Mo Sen entered the insect room and sprinkled a thick layer of jade powder into the spirit bug's nest: "Dear little creatures, today is the lord's birthday. You should also praise the lord."

Maids also brought various fruits and carefully placed them on the tables inside the shell wooden building. They didn’t know why they were doing this and could only guess that the lord was going to feed the shell-dwelling sea monster.

It was a known fact among all the servants that a shell-dwelling sea monster was kept in the castle.

When cleaning, they were always on guard, afraid that the shell might suddenly open and eat them. So, even if there were odd noises coming from the wooden building, they pretended not to hear them. That was probably the sound of mermaid Acheronides attempting magic and failing.

Sometimes, new magic easily failed, but fortunately, with water-type magic, even when it exploded, it wasn’t dangerous.

At most, it splashed water all over the room.

"Thomas, Tom, Jesse, don't forget to give extra beast meat to Hiddleston, Tupo, and the eight little ones," Lisszt instructed the footmen before the lunch banquet began.

His army of blizzard beasts would naturally be included in the celebration, enjoying improved rations.

"Yes, my lord."

The sun was at its zenith, and all the guests had arrived.

Butler Carter approached. "My lord, may the banquet begin?"

"Let it begin!"

At once, the host and guests took their seats, and dish after dish of exquisite food was served, emitting enticing aromas.

However, there was only enough alcohol for the footmen to carry a few bottles of Flower Wine.

A small cup of wine was poured for each person.

Lisszt wore a smile but spoke seriously, "We shouldn't disrupt the normal work of the territory because of my birthday, so each person may only have one cup of Flower Wine at this lunch banquet, and no more." Drinking leads to negligence, and the work arrangements for the serfs were not yet finished, making a celebration inappropriate.

Gort appeared disappointed; he loved the atmosphere of drinking at banquets the most.

However, the theme of the banquet was determined by Lisszt's will.

Once everyone had their Flower Wine poured, following Gort's lead, the followers raised their cups and cheered, "May you remain forever young, and may the glory of knighthood always watch over you! Glory forever belongs to you!"

"Glory belongs to me, and I stand with all of you!" Lisszt raised his cup, looked around at the increasing number of guests, full of vigor, and drank it all in one gulp.

The spiciness of the liquor penetrated his lungs, filling him with immense pride.

It had been worth the year of hard work; the once backward Flower Town had finally begun to flourish.

He was filled with emotion.

"Woo-ah!"

Jie La suddenly flew over, grabbed the steak from the plate in front of him, and began gnawing on it messily. After a couple of bites, she apparently found it unappetizing, threw it back, and then lay by the soup bowl, noisily slurping the egg soup.

The atmosphere that had just been built up was completely ruined by the little one.

He smiled and did not blame Jie La.

Today was a celebration shared with the people and all living creatures, so she too should be included.

Without alcohol to add to the merriment, the banquet was still filled with laughter and joy, though the food was consumed quickly, and within half an hour, all the dishes were finished.

Wiping his mouth and without keeping his followers any longer, Lisszt directly announced the end of the banquet.

Those who had work to do should continue doing so; he paid wages daily and didn't let them slacken their efforts.

He kept Marcus, Lassie, and Griffin behind, and after Butler Carter brought the milk tea and closed the door of the study, he said, "One thousand serfs have been assigned to Advisor Gort for selection, and five hundred have just been chosen. After you return, transport them to Black Horse Island."

"Yes, my lord."

"Recently, it has become increasingly difficult to purchase grain, so there may be a reduction in bread supplies. Remember to search the beaches on Black Horse Island for seafood to get through this period."

"Rest assured, my lord, we have already found two beaches rich in seafood."

"I am confident in Master Marcus's work," Lisszt smiled and gestured. "Flower Wine has been introduced, and it seems to be selling well. The finances of Flower Town will be quite comfortable, and it is time to develop Black Horse Island ambitiously. Once these serfs are trained, I will dispatch another group of officials to assist you. I trust you will take on the heavy responsibility!"

The three rose and saluted. "We are willing to serve you, my lord!"