Chapter 12

The elvish insect was not born yet; Liszt couldn’t just wait here. After naming the watchers, he returned to the castle. There was only one road through Thorn Hill that connected Flower Town to the outside world, so few outsiders ever came.

Merchant caravans only arrived with knights when the earl came to collect taxes.

Now that Flower Town had turned into Liszt’s dominion, the caravans probably wouldn’t come again. So, nobody would steal the elvish insect.

As for the residents of Flower Town, they dare not loot the elvish insect, either.

Elvish insects could only sign contracts with human beings with magic power—and maybe monsters, if they ever thought to do so.

Magic power referred to combat aura and spells. They were essentially the same despite their different appearances.

Liszt, Marcus, and Goltai were the only people with magic power in Flower Town. Marcus and Goltai were famous on Coral Island. They couldn’t get away even if they stole the elvish insect. Nobody dared to steal the properties of the Tulips on Coral Island, and Liszt was a member of the family.

Therefore, there was no need to worry about the safety of the peanut elvish insect.

He came to his study and waited for the mist. After these experiences, he had grasped the pattern of the mist. He could see it when he calmed down.

As he expected, he saw the twisted words a minute later.

Mission accomplished. Reward: a peanut elvish insect.

As I expected, the peanut elvish insect is the reward of the mission… These uncanny misty missions cannot offer rewards out of nowhere. The rewards all exist in reality or are events about to happen… The sublimation of combat aura is because of my long-time practice, and the peanut insect was there in the first place.

However, without the misty mission, those rewards would probably be wasted.

He would’ve probably still been a beginner knight, and the peanut insect would’ve died.

At this moment, new content in Ophidian appeared.

Mission: As a lord, you need to know the number of your subjects. Please complete a census and figure out the basic information of the residents. Reward: a brand-new tulip.

A census? Isn’t this what I was planning to do? It seems that the misty missions are updated according to the actual circumstances… What does a brand-new tulip mean? Will I be given a new magic drug? Liszt speculated.

The Tulips prospered exactly because of tulips.

The tulip was not just a flower but also a medicine that had magic power. It was an important ingredient to help with training. In Liszt’s memories, the best tulip could be sold at a price of ten gold coins.

If the brand-new tulip was a magic medicine, it would definitely boost the economy.

Even if it wasn’t, he could still offer it to the Tulip Castle and let the tulip big elf assimilate it, which would increase the potential of the big elf.

So, I have to supervise the census now! Is it really tricky to investigate a town that has no more than two thousand people? Goltai is too disappointing. I’ll do it in person if I have to.

Two thousand people was the number of students in Liszt’s school in his hometown. As the former chairman of the Students’ Union, he was confident of his abilities.

…

However, it was a most tricky mission for Goltai.

He communicated with the former administrative officer, a knight sent by the earl, during the job transfer. The knight did only one thing in Flower Town: tax collection.

The knight cared about nothing else. Or rather, the knight barely came to Flower Town. He asked his squire to manage it on his behalf.

His squire also cared about nothing but tax collection in this place.

The taxes of Flower Town included peanuts, milk, wheat, barley, oats, tomatoes, and tulips. The Earl of Coral Island levied taxes every three months, claiming most of the yields of Flower Town. The knight would leave Flower Town alone after it was done.

He preferred the prosperous Coral City to the remote town.

So, Goltai found the census an impossible mission when he gazed at four clerks and six patrolmen, his whole crew, in his shabby office.

“None of you has ever read a single book? You can’t find anyone literate in town?”

A clerk replied in embarrassment, “My lord, there are no schools in the town, and we have never left it…”

One of the patrolmen, who had a red nose, said, “Perhaps the old cobbler can read. He’s from another island. I saw a thick book in his house and even skimmed it, until he beat me up. He’s blind but he makes best shoes and has the best fists.”

Goltai ignored the blind cobbler without thinking.

Since they were illiterate, he could only command, “But I’m sure you can count, right? Each of you will go to one village and count the households in the village!”

It was supposed to be an easy job, but when they reported a day later, Goltai almost went crazy.

He scolded, “What? Peanuton has 18 households and 56 people? Mr. Teacup, are you trying to make me laugh?”

Mr. Teacup, or David Teacup, was a clerk. He hesitated. “My lord, I’m not. I counted many times, but I’m not sure it’s correct, because the result was different every time.”

There were 23 households and 92 people in Peanuton. Goltai calculated it in person when Liszt was saving the peanut plantation.

He had no idea how David Teacup counted 18 households and 56 people.

It went without saying that the counts of the other villages were all bulls*it.

Thinking about that, Goltai waved his hand helplessly. “Alright, that’s enough. Keep the numbers to yourselves. Bring my horse. I need to meet Baron Liszt.”

Goltai complained to Liszt in his castle. “It’s unbelievable! Those clerks and patrolmen cannot even count to ten! It’s impossible to complete the census with them! Liszt, I’ve written letters. Maybe we can continue the census when new aids arrive.”

“When will that be?”

“Don’t be hasty, Liszt. We have plenty of time, don’t we?”

“I don’t.” Liszt knocked the table. “Mr. Carter, who in the castle can read?”

Carter bowed and said, “My lord, I can read and write, and so can Thomas. Well, I believe Mrs. Mason can, too.”

“Will you invite Mrs. Marcus and Thomas over? Also, summon Mr. Marcus and my squires. As I recall, they can all write.”

By the time they all arrived, Liszt announced to them, “Now, let us put whatever we are busy with aside and help me with the census of Flower Town. The town, Mushroomton, Peanuton, Tomaton, Barleyton, Wheaton, the Flower Farm, and the Cow Farm, each of you will take one of them.”