Chapter 2

Roasted goat, boiled lamprey, a slice of apple and pear pulp, wheat beer with hops, and white bread made of fine flour.

This was Liszt’s dinner.

He did not really like western food, but he couldn’t make his favorite foods at all. Also, nobles were not expected to go to kitchens or warehouses in this world, or they would be laughed at.

Of course, the court was an exception.

The cooks and servants of the court were all nobles of lesser rank. Liszt’s father, Earl of Coral Island, was once the stable boy for Archduke Sapphire. He was responsible for feeding the archduke’s beloved horse which carried the bloodline of dragons.

Even today, the Earl of Coral Island was summoned into the palace as a groom now and then.

He couldn’t have enjoyed it more. Actually, he often feared that other nobles would replace him as the groom and disrupt the intimacy between him and the archduke.

Also, Archduke Sapphire was once the valet for the monarch of the Iron Mountain Kingdom, catering to all of his liege’s needs.

Basically, civilians were nobles’ servants, and lesser nobles were the big nobles’ servants.

Only the king of a country could be a master.

Thankfully, in Flower Town, I am the only master, and I don’t need to serve anyone, Levis thought delightedly while having the unsatisfactory dinner.

His father disliked him and barely visited him.

After dinner, Carter ordered the maids to clear the table, and the valet fetched mouthwash for Liszt.

After everything was done, Carter left with the servants. “I’ll be outside the door. Please give me instructions if you have any.”

“Thank you, Mr. Carter.” Liszt smiled like a real gentleman. Thanks to his former self, he did not need to learn noble etiquette at all.

Even the humble servants must be treated courteously. The manners of nobles must be maintained on the surface, no matter what their real attitude was.

“It’s my honor to serve you.” Carter closed the door.

“Liszt,” said Goltai after sipping some honeyed tea, “we should make use of the elvish insects as soon as possible, but the finances of the town are too horrible. The last administrative officer was an idiot who did nothing but suppress the town. He left us a mess!”

“I know. Please find a suitable place for the elvish insects as soon as possible.”

“Of course, that’s my responsibility.”

Liszt turned to Marcus. “Will it be difficult to investigate the monsters between Thorn Hill and Flower Town? They harass the farmers now and then. As their liege, I must protect them.”

Marcus replied, “Thorn Hill is a large place. The monsters are not in a fixed area. Since you have only four squires, even if I figure out the hideouts of the monsters, it’s still impossible to resist them. The town’s patrolmen will only pee their pants before the monsters.”

Flower Town was located at the northeastern corner of Coral Island and neighbored by Thorn Hill. It was also frequented by monsters, so few merchant caravans were willing to come.

Without the aid of elves, it was barely possible for the farmers to make ends meet, not to mention that they had to pay taxes to the Tulips, the rulers of Coral Island.

The nobles cared only about their revenue. They were not concerned about the quality of life of the farmers.

The Tulips were not an exception.

Liszt, however, could not turn a blind eye to it. As a young man born in the modern age, he considered it his responsibility to save his people from disasters. Besides, only if Flower Town was wealthy could he enjoy more as its liege.

For the public and for himself, he had to develop Flower Town.

“There are ways to deal with them. Mr. Marcus, will you accompany me to visit Thorn Hill tomorrow? I haven’t gotten the measure of Flower Town yet.”

“Liszt, that’s not a good idea. You’d better stay in town. Don’t forget that you almost died in Thorn Hill.” Goltai immediately stopped him.

Liszt shook his head. “It was because I accidentally ate poisonous fruit last time. I’ll pay more attention this time.”

Marcus simply said, “I’ll inform your squires and decide the route of your visit tonight to ensure your safety.”

“Thank you.”

“You should be cautious,” Goltai said helplessly.

Liszt did not say anything more. His teachers were unaware of his real plan. His body hadn’t completely recovered yet. If it were up to him, he would’ve waited until he was well before he went out. He had to ride a horse since he did not have a wagon.

Riding horses was not easy in his inherited memories, because there were no saddles and stirrups here—knights with combat aura could ride horses or any other creature without any help.

Saddles will prevent the combat aura from combining with the horse… But isn’t it uncomfortable to just sit on the back of the horse? thought Liszt after seeing his teachers off.

“My lord, when do you plan to go to bed?” his valet came in and asked.

“After ten. Thomas, bring a candle to my study. I want to read.” Liszt sent his valet away.

Thomas seemed disappointed. He hadn’t found an opportunity to prove himself these days. Liszt always sent him away instead of asking for his service.

As a valet, he felt that the baron did not like him, and he was worried about his job.

He concerns were valid. Liszt did not like valets. Every time Thomas helped him get dressed, Liszt had goosebumps all over his body. He hated aristocracy!

Why couldn’t male nobles have handmaids?

The study was illuminated by the candle that Thomas brought. Liszt rose and pulled the curtain. He saw few lights in the town not far away.

Everything was dim.

There was no nightlife, but only infinite silence, in a town where people could hardly keep their bellies full.

Is this my territory? It’s poor and underdeveloped, but it belongs to me. This town is my independent country… and I’ll build it into a paradise!

In his trance, a faint mist popped up before Liszt. The mist zigzagged into intricate characters that looked like bundles of snakes. That was the general language of the Iron Mountain Kingdom, known as the Ophidian. The origin of the language was untraceable. Recording history was not a habit of the people here.

Having inherited all the memories of his former self, Liszt could understand the Ophidian language.

He had been baffled by the content for a week.

Mission: As a liege, you need to understand everything in your territory. Please inspect Flower Town, get to know the crises of the place, and make preparations for future development. Reward: sublimation of combat aura.

It was short and uncomplicated.

However, Liszt could not understand why he could see the misty Ophidian words. His former self’s memories suggested that they had been appearing since his childhood, but they were very fuzzy back then, to the point that he thought it was an illusion.

It was not until the soul transmigration that Liszt finally saw the words clearly.

After a brief daze, he reached for the mist, but it immediately disappeared, further proving that it was just an illusion.

However, Liszt did not feel that it was an illusion. What if it was a side effect of transmigration, or the representation of a certain system? He intended to test it in person.

The mission would be accomplished after he visited his dominion. He would see if he would be rewarded.

If he didn’t, then it was only an illusion.

If he did, it was an advantage.

Or was it a transmigrater’s goldfinger, which had arrived before he did?