Chapter 114: Cordyceps Protection

The count was busy, so Liszt merely took a moment to greet him and offer his best wishes before leaving Tulip Castle for Flower Town.

When he was about to leave, the count said solemnly, "Flower Town is developing very well. I've been keeping an eye on it. Train your Knight Squad. Hopefully, you and Levis can fight side by side in next year's Frontier Order."

"I look forward to that as well," Liszt replied.

But in his heart, he was noncommittal—there was no way he would fight. He would never fight in this life. He didn't know how to suck up either. Only farming could sustain his lifestyle.

However, who knew what the future held?

He wouldn't stay in Flower Town forever as a country baron. Riding a dragon was one of his life goals, while owning his own island was a small goal. To have an island as his fief, he would at least need to become a viscount. That required some effort.

On the way back, the dragon horse galloped.

He was slightly distracted on the horseback.

At the banquet for the Frontier Order, the nobles' excitement had still infected him—the nobles might be parasites, but their desire for glory was pure.

They wanted to fight, charge, and risk their lives for wealth and status.

"Should I really not go to war? If I don't go to war, how will I advance my title? Should I rebel? Without the strength to slay dragons, rebelling is tantamount to suicide."

He couldn't treat the Sapphire Dragon of the House of Sapphire as a decoration.

That was the pinnacle of power in this world, equivalent to a nuclear weapon. It was best not to test it.

"The most effective way to advance is to snatch military merit on the battlefield… A lord doesn't need to lead the charge. Letting the knights do the fighting could still ensure safety. At worst, I'll be captured. Having others ransom me back would be embarrassing, but preserving my life is most important."

"Perhaps I can follow the path of a second son of a noble family and court a noble belle?"

Some nobles only had daughters, and their titles would definitely be inherited by their daughters. The Grand Duchy recognized female knights. Such noble belles were the best marriage partners for second sons of noble families.

Some noble belles were doted upon by their parents and would receive fiefs themselves, becoming hereditary nobles, such as Lvera. They would also be the best marriage partners for second sons of noble families.

"It's a pity that there are few suitable noble belles in the Grand Duchy of Sapphire… There are many noble belles at the level of baronets and barons, but those at the level of viscounts and counts are rare. The archipelago kingdom itself isn't very large. There are only seven marquises and more than twenty counts."

Moreover, there was another very practical problem—noble belles longed for higher-ranking noble scions, not ordinary lesser nobles.

"I'm handsome, my father is a count, my grandfather is a marquis, and I myself have received a barony. Among the second sons of noble families, I'm probably a highly competitive existence. Let me think about which unmarried viscountesses are suitable for marriage in the grand duchy…" But after thinking about it, he couldn't think of any.

All nobles hoped to have a son to inherit their titles.

Nobles with only daughters were very rare.

The battlefield was too dangerous, and female knights were too rare. Liszt thought of a third way to obtain a title—make a great contribution. If he contributed papermaking to the Grand Duke of Sapphire, he might be able to get a countship or even a marquisate.

"But titles granted based on contributions are all life peerages without fiefs. This method is simply not feasible."

After thinking about it, he couldn't come up with a good solution.

He gave a self-deprecating smile and sighed inwardly, "It's better to rely on the count and Levis… Hold on, I shouldn't have such thoughts. After all, they're my blood relatives."

…

After returning to Flower Town,

Liszt fell back into a leisurely rhythm of life.

The count's participation in the war was tight,

and he couldn't even celebrate his birthday on September 14th on Coral Island, so Liszt didn't have any diplomatic concerns and could focus on developing the town. The dragon lily was still half-dead, but as long as it wasn't dead, it meant that the pixie bug had a will to live.

There was still hope.

What brought him joy was the fragrant coconut tree. The fruit farmer Giggs came to report that the fragrant coconut had split open, not spilling coconut milk, but crawling out a plump, milky white pixie bug.

Taking jade powder and a jade box,

Liszt rushed to Oyster Village and climbed dozens of meters up the fragrant coconut tree himself to see the long-awaited fragrant coconut pixie bug—it was very fat, fatter than any of the pixie bugs he had, and its body was particularly white, as if faintly glowing. It looked like it had just taken a milk bath.

"Little guy, come, I'll treat you to some jade powder."

He sprinkled jade powder on the fragrant coconut fruit, enticing the pixie bug. The newborn pixie bug acted on instinct and was soon attracted by the jade powder imbued with magic.

It began to eat the jade powder in big mouthfuls.

Next, Liszt merely needed to smear jade powder on his finger and extend it to the pixie bug's mouth.

One bite.

The contract was completed.

The pleasant feeling of telepathic connection tightly bound him and the fragrant coconut pixie bug together, sharing joys and sorrows.

Putting the fragrant coconut bug into the jade box, Liszt rewarded the fruit farmers who had patiently cared for the fragrant coconut bug with a silver coin each: "Giggs, you must still take care of this insect fungus carefully in the future, understand?"

"Understood, my lord."

Back at the castle, he handed the fragrant coconut bug over to Carter to put in the bug room.

Carter was delighted but also expressed his concern, "Sir, we already have eight pixie bugs. The servants in the castle may not be able to take meticulous care of every insect fungus. Should we hire new servants to take care of them specifically?"

This question reminded Liszt.

Certainly, everyone in Flower Town dared not defy him and would not dare to destroy his insect fungi. But it was better to be safe than sorry. What if a civilian went crazy and chopped down the insect fungus; or what if an animal accidentally ate it—don't count on the fence to stop everything.

"You're right to be concerned, but I don't plan to hire servants to take care of the insect fungi. I plan to establish a formal team to look after them."

Act on your thoughts. Summoning Gort, Marcus, and Karl the Blacksmith immediately,

"Milord."

"Gort, Marcus, and Karl, I've called you here because my population of pixie beetles is growing, and the mycelium is spread throughout various locations in the town. They require better protection."

"Do you need more personnel for the patrol team to frequently monitor the mycelium, milord?"

"Merely patrolling isn't enough. I need long-term, dedicated protection. Do any of you have good ideas?" Liszt had his own thoughts but chose not to reveal them.

Subtlety - this was the way of the superior to manage their subordinates.

Gort thought for a moment before saying, "Currently, the protection of the mycelium mainly relies on the care of castle servants, surveillance by local farmers, patrols, and the isolation provided by fences. Perhaps we could train more patrol team members to specifically monitor the mycelium."

Marcus was more straightforward: "We could entrust the Knight Squad with the patrols."

Karl added lastly, "Milord, I think we could arrange for patrol team members to specifically guard the mycelium. Currently, we have twenty patrol team members, and monitoring the town doesn't require that many. Assigning eight patrol team members to guard the mycelium would ensure it's protected at all times."

"Karl's suggestion aligns closely with my thoughts, though we don't need patrol team members for the guarding duty; it's too wasteful of human resources. Select strong serfs from each settlement and arrange for them to take shifts guarding the mycelium, with the town administration paying them a copper coin per day."

Pausing, he continued, "Furthermore, Marcus, arrange for some of the Knight Squad members to teach the guarding serfs some basic combat skills."