The Mighty Dragons Are Dead

Before dawn had broken, Butler Carter’s voice was already echoing up and down the castle.

“Tom, brace yourself!”

“Thomas, prepare Lord Liszt’s festive attire without a single mistake, Flack Abbieye!”

“Mrs. Morson, there’s dust on the second-floor window. Have the maids clean it immediately. We can’t give our soon-to-arrive guests the impression of laziness.”

“Good heavens, why does the kitchen have the oysters out in the sun? Take them away quickly… No, no, no, Eileen, absolutely not today!”

“I need to see the water in the castle’s tank spilling over, but Jessie, you won’t be carrying water, let John and Parker do that. You need to hurry and inspect all the cordyceps. Even on festival days, we can’t neglect what’s most important!”

“Don’t bring the entire thing out to sun. You should break it up—small chunks of ice will sun more easily.” Carter took out a handkerchief, wiped the sweat from his forehead. It was indeed a busy day, and he still had a pile of precious crystal tableware to polish, but he had to sort out the trivial matters first.

He watched the newly arrived manservant Jim, struggling to move the water tank used for making ice the day before out into the sun.

He couldn’t help but tell him to use his head.

Jim was tall and quite clever, but only green in experience. Upon hearing Carter’s words, he immediately started apologizing, “I’m sorry, Mr. Carter, I didn’t think of that. I’ll break up the ice blocks right now and put them in a few buckets and basins.”

“Don’t spill it, inside there is… saltpeter, the Lord specifically mentioned it’s very valuable.”

“Rest assured, Mr. Carter.”

After making his rounds around the castle, Carter went up to the second floor, just in time to see Thomas carrying Flack Abbieye into Liszt’s bedroom.

He followed and knocked on the door to enter.

“My Lord, you’ve awoken quite early today.”

Liszt was donning his detested clothes and the particularly uncomfortable ruff “Ruff” with Thomas’s assistance.

His mood was a bit sour for a moment, “With all the commotion in the castle, I found it a bit difficult to sleep.”

Carter suddenly bowed, looking somewhat uneasy, “I apologize, it was a lapse in my work, disturbing Your Lordship.”

Liszt was just a bit groggy from waking up, but seeing Carter apologize, his little irritation quickly dissipated. It wouldn’t do to have this old man, faithful to him, bear the brunt of this small occurrence, “It has nothing to do with you, Mr. Carter, don’t blame yourself. It’s the seafest today, I had to rise early.”

Carter breathed a sigh of relief.

Thomas cast a sidelong glance, somewhat disappointed—he had quite looked forward to seeing the Lord chastise the butler.

After dressing, Liszt had a quick breakfast, then mounted his Fire Dragon Horse, ready to take a tour of the hamlet—today was the festival, and even if only the nobles celebrated, it was still important to share joy with the common folk, to savor their support and compliments.

By this time, he had already spotted Goltai, also in festive attire.

And Marcus, Blair, and Isaiah, dressed rather formally. These three were not yet nobles with titles.

“Baron, Goltai offers you festive greetings.”

“My Lord, Marcus offers you festive greetings.”

“Baron, Isaiah offers you festive greetings.”

“Baron, Blair offers festival greetings to you.”

The four of them greeted Liszt in turn, meticulously performing the nobility etiquette.

Liszt responded with noble courtesy as well, “Happy holidays.”

Then came his four retainer knights, and twelve squire knights, who each stepped forward to salute and offer their holiday greetings. Finally, the castle servants, laying aside their work, led by Carter, also offered their festival greetings.

As he walked through the town with Goltai and the retainer knights,

phrases like “Lord Landlord, XXX offers you festival greetings” continuously came from both sides of the road, with freemen kneeling on one knee, and serfs kneeling on both knees.

The authority of the nobility was continuously consolidated within such rituals, sinking deeply into people’s hearts.

Once the commoners had grown accustomed to kneeling, the foundation of rule would be unbreakable.

“My lord, good news.” While patrolling Tomato Hamlet, Liszt encountered Jessie Asanobu, who had been promoted from assistant manservant to manservant, now earning a wage of two copper coins a day.

“Jessie, what’s the good news?”

“I just checked the cordyceps in Tomato Hamlet and found that the Tomato Elf Bug has already been nurtured.”

“Is that so, this indeed is good news.” Liszt was delighted; the seventh elf bug had come to the castle. He directly led the patrol team to John Bian Dan’s tomato fields.

The cordyceps in the middle was notably tall, bearing red tomatoes.

On one of its small yellow flowers, a plump, all-red elf bug basked leisurely in the sun. John Bian Dan watched nervously beside the elf bug, his duty to protect it for the landlord from any harm, and to prevent it from being contracted by anyone else.

Only the landlord was qualified to contract an elf bug.

And only those who possessed Dou Qi or magic could establish a contract.

“Lord Landlord, John Bian Dan offers you festival greetings.”

“Happy holidays, John.”

Liszt briefly greeted him and then approached the bug, sprinkling a bit of Jade Powder to attract it. He then rubbed a little Jade Powder on his fingertip and reached out to the little one. The Dou Qi at his fingertip circulated, the charm of magic power and Jade Powder working together, and the bug bit down without hesitation.

A fleeting sensation of a heart-to-heart connection passed, and the Tomato Elf Bug had established a contract with Liszt.

Goltai looked on enviously at the elf bug, chuckling joyfully, “Today really is a day of celebration, as if the elf bug chose to nurture today to offer you, Liszt, its festival greetings.” If only his own domain had an elf bug, perhaps he would not have ended in bankruptcy.

“It is a clever elf bug, I can feel it,” Liszt smiled and turned to John Bian Dan, “John, the tomato field where the cordyceps stands will still be cultivated by you. Remember not to harm the cordyceps; it’s the most important existence in Tomato Hamlet.”

“Rest assured, Lord Landlord, John is willing to give his life to protect it!”

He spoke with great excitement; the tomato fields near the cordyceps were high-yielding and high-quality, meaning he could keep enough tomatoes after paying his taxes. For him, a prosperous life had taken off ever since Liszt rewarded him with a Nalda.

“It will get better and better.”

“I want to grow tomatoes for the Lord Landlord all my life!”

As he watched the patrol team depart, his gaze focused on the noble and inviolable silhouette, his heart surged with emotion: “May the glory of the knight forever favor the Lord Landlord.”