Chapter 106: First Inspection of Territory

The eastern coast was only a few kilometers long. Although it had plenty of seafood, overfishing would quickly deplete the resources in no time.

List did not want to do such a thing.

He planned to implement a fishing moratorium in Flower Town, at least a seasonal one during the summer months when fish were breeding and growing rapidly. This would allow marine resources to be well protected.

Of course,

the seasonal moratorium was just a temporary measure. After Thorns Ridge was conquered and a dock was built in Deepwater Bay, he would promote coastal fishing. The shellfish resources by the shore were too few to be exploited. However, the fishing resources near the coast were more than enough for the entire Coral Island.

Now that there were no docks, fishing boats, or fishermen, they could only develop coastal fisheries.

"Isaiah, I entrust you with the supervision of the establishment of the Coral City Fishing Team. I hope you can get everything ready as soon as possible. Old Grandet will assist you in laying out every trade route and selecting the leaders. Here are fifty gold coins for warehouse rental and the purchase of carriages and horses."

"Yes, my lord," Isaiah replied.

Soon, they discussed the construction plan for the merchant team.

It was divided into two parts.

One part was to form the "Flower Merchant Team", which would be stationed in Coral City. Old Grandet would serve as the captain of the merchant team, while Harpagon would be the deputy captain.

Old Grandet would mainly operate four trade routes: "Coral City-Birch City", "Coral City-Yulin City", "Coral City-Broken Stone City", and "Coral City-Spear City".

Harpagon would be responsible for the "Fishing Team" and the "Castle Procurement Team". The procurement team would buy whatever the castle needed and transport it back.

The other part was to form the "Thorns Merchant Team", led by Sherlock, which would mainly handle daily trade between Flower Town and North Valley City.

The two merchant teams had different focuses.

But both were important. One focused on the seafood business, providing gold for Flower Town, while the other focused on daily trade, providing various living materials for Flower Town.

…

In the morning,

he exercised his body and practiced his Aura.

List was not as diligent as when he was doing archery tasks. Leisurely times often led to a gradual decline, and the extravagance of nobility wore down his fighting spirit.

"Tremble, cast magic!"

After walking his dog and watching the male servants crush the rock spines and start paving the road, he sighed inwardly, "I still prefer the life of fighting roosters and walking dogs."

The "Tremble Avenue" was sixty meters complete, and by the end of the year, it would likely be finished smoothly.

With good food and frequent training, Tremble was now stronger than its mother, even though it was not yet an adult. Its magic casting was quick and accurate, and it executed List's commands without fail. It was already a good combat helper and loyal guard.

"Caw!"

"Caw!"

On the windowsill of the castle, a piercing call accompanied a familiar melody, welcoming List's return. It was Juan Fu singing. This wind falcon's feathers were becoming darker and longer than when it was a chick, and it was eager to fly all day. For this reason, List tied a rope around its ankle.

He hadn't decided how to train Juan Fu.

There was a high possibility that he would kill it and eat its meat to avoid any trouble.

After securing Tremble, List went to the dragon borage field. The wild dragon borage planted last night looked a little wilted and had not adapted well to the new soil environment. The dragon borage that might have been home to a sprite bug was sicker than yesterday, and its vitality seemed much weaker.

It was on the brink of decay.

He used his Magic Eye to observe carefully and found that there was still a faint flicker of magic at the flower bud of the dragon borage: "I hope it doesn't die, or it would have been all for nothing."

He had done everything he could,

and the rest was up to fate. There were still many wild dragon borage plants in the town that were being transplanted one by one. Almost all the wild dragon borage in the town had been transplanted to the dragon borage field, covering an entire acre. The serfs continued to water, fertilize, and weed the plants, hoping to use the most meticulous care to keep them alive.

"My lord, you should really go see the thorn caterpillar shrub yourself. The thorns there change overnight and have already grown to half a man's height."

Blair gestured to indicate the crazy growth of the fast-growing variety of thorns.

In just a few days, the thorn seedlings had become thorn trees.

But he was also a bit confused: "My lord, I can't think of what use they could have. They don't bear fruit and can't be used as timber. Perhaps we could plant thorns on either side of the fence along the road to Thorns Ridge. In that case, beasts and even monsters should detour and not trample on them randomly."

"It is indeed a use… let's cultivate the shrub first," List said, unable to think of a better use.

He then inspected the situation of the fragrant coconut tree caterpillar and the cultivation of the flame mushroom.

The fragrant coconut tree caterpillar was still incubating and had not made much noise.

The cultivation of the flame mushroom surprised him.

"Your wisdom and knowledge are simply amazing, my lord. After your enlightenment, the serfs of Mushroom Village mixed the fragrant mushrooms and flame mushrooms together, and the flame mushrooms successfully grew! I can't figure it out, but the flame mushrooms indeed need to grow with fragrant mushrooms."

Gort pointed to the flame mushrooms that had started to develop from mycelium to fruiting bodies and said excitedly.

His subordinate's admiration gave List a great sense of accomplishment.

He merely smiled faintly: "After finding the reason, the next step is to cultivate the flame mushrooms on a large scale, Master Gort. Mushroom Village needs to expand as much as possible. If the ingredients for cultivating the flame mushrooms are insufficient, have the merchant team procure them from outside."

He said in a heavy tone: "I need potions!"

"As you wish, I will squeeze every ounce of strength out of the serfs to cultivate enough flame mushrooms. The beautiful red mushrooms will bring unimaginable wealth to Flower Town!"

"Squeezing is necessary, but treatment cannot be lacking. Tell all the mushroom serfs that if they can cultivate enough flame mushrooms, then the accompanying fragrant mushrooms will have their taxes halved!"

"My God, those lowly serfs will go crazy with joy. You are truly an embodiment of kindness."

"I am indeed a merciful lord," Liszt's tone shifted, "but you must also tell those serfs that if anyone slacks off, or carelessly damages the Flame Mushrooms, I will make them understand that nobles not only are generous and kind, but also hold a whip that can flay the skin from their bones."

Gort nodded: "Of course, it's absolutely necessary for them to understand this!"

People aren't machines, diligently uniform in their efforts; there will always be some who prefer to eat without working. After barely scraping by, they don't want to do any more work.

Liszt didn't like such commoners - his thoughts were already those of a qualified noble.

...

Watching the retreating figure of the lord, Bob the Crooked-Neck felt dejected.

"A reward of one Nalda, my goodness, it was actually obtained by that old man Nash! That old bachelor, how could he possibly cultivate Flame Mushrooms before me!" He cursed angrily.

Not at Liszt, he didn't have the nerve for that.

He was cursing at Nash, the reason being simple. After successfully cultivating the Flame Mushrooms, Liszt rewarded those who contributed, and Nash was the first to research the appropriate ingredients.

Thus, Liszt rewarded Nash with a gold coin.

Everyone in Mushroom Village envied and resented Nash, especially Bob, who had once been determined to win that reward.

After cursing for a moment,

Bob put aside his unwillingness, clenching his fists: "The lord said that when the first harvest of Flame Mushrooms comes, whoever has the largest, best, and most Flame Mushrooms will still receive a reward! This time, I, Bob, will definitely get the reward, and let everyone understand that I grow the best Flame Mushrooms!"