The Mighty Dragons Are Dead

Thomas left the study, upset. He stopped at the stairs and intended to light a cigarette, only to remember that it had been hidden under his pillow.

The butler had strictly forbidden the servants from smoking in the castle.

“Thomas, why are you hiding here?” A maid appeared from downstairs. She was in her thirties and wearing a black and white dress, with a mop and a bucket in her hands.

“It’s nothing.”

“Does the lord still reject your service?”

Thomas slapped the wall angrily. “Mathy, why do you think the lord dislikes me? I’ve never been a valet before, but I was Viscount Roosevelt’s first footman. I’m qualified for the job.”

“How would I know? I’m not a maid in Tulip Castle at all. I never saw the lord before.”

“I’m only asking if I’m not good enough.”

“Perhaps you should ask Mr. Carter or Mrs. Mason… But I don’t think you need to worry about it. His lordship has only three servants. Jesse is the assistant, and Tom is too stupid to serve the lord. Nobody is more qualified as a valet than you in this town.”

Thomas brightened. “Yes, I’m told that his lordship was not appreciated by the earl in Tulip Castle. Perhaps he will spend the rest of his life as Baron of Flower Town.”

“Maybe.”

“Mathy, do you regret following his lordship here?”

“It doesn’t matter to me. Life here can’t be worse than starvation at the farm. Besides, I’ve already been sold to his lordship. Regrets are useless.”

Thomas was about to speak, when someone interrupted him. “Do you not need to work? Thomas, Mathy, mind your behavior. Do not talk outside the bedroom or kitchen!” Carter, butler of the shabby castle, had arrived.

He was inspecting the castle with a series of keys and a bottle of wine.

“Of course, Mr. Carter. We’re going to work.” Thomas and Mathy left in a hurry, resuming their business.

The small nobles were servants to the big nobles, and footmen and maids were to some extent servants to the butler. Aristocracy was always hierarchical.

The castle was small, but there was plenty of work.

Even though Liszt was the only noble that required service, the daily chores were still burdensome. The house had to be cleaned every morning and every night. Laundry, hot water, food, toilet… There was too much work for the servants.

However, it did not mean that Carter was free. On the contrary, besides managing the servants, Carter had to welcome guests, receive letters, maintain the tableware, manage the wine cellar, and take care of the most important guests.

Carter was already 50 years old. He was a senior in an age when the average lifespan was less than 55 years.

He knocked on the door of the study.

“Come in,” Liszt’s gentle voice called. He had the “iron tongue” that was popular in the upper class. Nobles in the Iron Mountain Kingdom were proud of the accent.

Carter took a deep breath.

He wasn’t familiar with Liszt in Tulip Castle. Back then, he was responsible for one of the earl’s estates, until he was appointed as Liszt’s butler in the ceremony for his adulthood. He had been promoted, but his wages actually dropped.

However, Carter did not complain. It had been 35 years since he was sold to the Tulips. Unmarried, he considered himself part of the Tulip family.

It would definitely be a happy ending if he could spend the last years of his life with Baron Liszt, a blood descendant of the Tulip family.

“My lord, reading at night hurts the eye. You must take care of yourself. Candles are not as good as sunlight.”

Liszt smiled and shifted his eyes from the thick book to the weary butler. “Mr. Carter, have you inspected all the rooms?”

“All the rooms have been locked except those where servants are still working.”

“Very well. Let’s have a drink.” Liszt noticed the wine in Carter’s hand. Most nobles were alcoholics. It was even a ritual that the master of a castle would have a drink with the butler and chat about the castle before they went to sleep.

Liszt was not fond of liquor, but his former self loved it. So, his body still had needs for wine.

The alcohol here was not very strong. He could barely get drunk unless he gulped it like beer.

The butler poured them wine, and they tapped their cups together.

After swirling the wine, Liszt sipped it. “Is the money in the castle enough for the rest of the year?”

“I’m afraid it’s difficult. You haven’t brought much wine from Tulip Castle. There isn’t much flour left. Few merchants are willing to come to Flower Town, so we can’t buy anything with coins. However, the good news is that there are many fruits in Tulip Castle.”

Being an unappreciated son, Liszt was not offered much during the separation.

As he recalled, his sister had thirty wagons of items when she left the family, and he had nothing but a few horses to carry his luggage.

His former self had been angry, but for him, it was not a big deal. After all, he was not the earl’s real son. Actually, it could be quite tricky for him to show intimacy to his fake father.

“We can’t live without wheat.” Liszt put down the cup and said, “To develop Flower Town, roads must be built!”

The main food here was bread.

Without the white bread made of wheat, Liszt would have to eat rye bread. If Liszt lost smooth white bread after losing his hometown cuisines, he would starve.

“It’s not easy to build roads. Thorn Hill is too dangerous.”

“Rest assured about that. I’ll take care of it. The future of Flower Town will not be limited by poverty, and the castle will have a name,” Liszt said solemnly.

Only splendid castles bore names. Liszt’s place was too shabby to be even called a castle. Other nobles would laugh at him if he gave it a name.

“Are the elvish insects taken care of?”

“Yes, my lord.”

“That’s good.”

They finished their drinks.

Carter bid farewell. “My lord, have a good night.”

“You, too, Mr. Carter.”

After Carter left, Liszt read the book that introduced Archduchy Sapphire. It was as thick as a dictionary, but there was actually very little content, because the paper was too thick.

How was paper invented? Liszt remembered the procedure to make thin paper. When I have more time, I have to invent the paper I know… Industrial revolution doesn’t seem to be an option, but there’s plenty of ways to become rich.

He was somehow absentminded again.

As he expected, the misty Ophidian words appeared again.

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.