Sprites were magical creatures. Ordinary animals and even magical beasts generally wouldn't attack them, so Nalant wasn't worried that the Blue Sprite would be in any danger at the beach.
Sure enough, when the Blue Sprite reached the beach, the mermen and sea monsters only watched it curiously. None of them attacked or chased after it.
The Blue Sprite, meanwhile, cried "Migu, migu" as it went into the water.
At last, the little thing stopped more than fifty meters from shore.
Thanks to the crystal-clear seawater, Nalant could see a patch of brightly colored coral there.
After the Blue Sprite stopped, blue light slowly gathered around it. When the glow became dazzlingly bright, rings of light began spreading out in every direction!
As the blue light swept over the coral, the underwater patch grew even more vibrant.
"If this were my previous life, this place would probably become the most beautiful tourist destination in the world, wouldn't it?" Nalant was close to tears.
Splash! Splash!
Just then, the sea suddenly grew lively. Schools of fish swam in from the distant depths toward the shore, leaping out of the water now and then as they went. They seemed incredibly joyful.
"Flying fish?" As a Title Knight, Nalant had sharp eyesight, and he could tell that all the fish belonged to the same species.
They weren't very big, only about the length of chopsticks. Their bodies shimmered silver, and the strangest thing about them was their pair of pectoral fins, which looked like birds' wings and let them glide briefly just above the water.
"Do you know what kind of fish those are?" Flying fish existed in his previous life, but he didn't know if they were the same as the ones in this world.
"My lord, those look like Slippery Flying Fish!" Kenbi Cowdung ventured timidly.
"Slippery Flying Fish?" Nalant hadn't expected anyone to recognize them.
"My lord, Slippery Flying Fish are bad fish. You can't eat them. Once, some villagers found one of these flying fish washed up on the shore. They ate it and ended up with diarrhea for three days. They nearly starved to death. Even the seabirds won't eat them—they're afraid of getting diarrhea too..."
"..." Nalant mourned for that serf, and for his own gold coins.
The situation was obvious: the Blue Sprite's effort had come to nothing. Fish that gave you diarrhea... Even if he eventually managed to clear the fish-people and sea monsters from the coast, the Slippery Flying Fish probably had no economic value.
With his feelings mixed between joy and disappointment, Nalant didn't linger at the beach. He set off back the way he'd come, his heart heavy, with the guards in tow.
He'd originally planned to head west and finish surveying Storm Territory. But since the villagers said magical beasts appeared in the west, he'd have to wait until he was fully prepared before continuing his inspection.
He hadn't even worn leather armor when he set out today. If he really ran into a magical beast, he'd be no match for it without full battle gear.
"Vivian, is there a blacksmith in Wheat Leaf Village?" Fishing was urgent, and what he needed most for it was shiny metal lure blades. As soon as he returned to the castle, Nalant set about preparing them.
He naturally couldn't keep making the next batch of lures out of iron spoons, especially since he couldn't find that many.
"There is, my lord. Ferdie the blacksmith has a smithy in the village!"
"Good, there really is one!" Nalant was delighted. He immediately instructed Quick, "Quick, take the spoon and fishhook I brought back to the smithy and have him make a hundred sets. Tell him to finish them as soon as possible. You can collect the payment from Steward Thomas later."
"Also, go to Swordwood Forest and cut down thirty Swordwood trees about as thick as a thumb. Take them to Misfortune Village and have the villagers make fishing rods out of them." Sea fish came in all sizes. Nalant knew that ordinary branches wouldn't be strong enough to catch them.
"Yes, my lord!"
Although he'd only surveyed a small part of his territory that day, it had still taken up the entire morning. After Quick left, Thomas came to report that lunch was ready.
"After half a month of bread and smoked meat, I finally get to eat something fresh!" Sitting at the long table and sipping delicious fish soup, Nalant couldn't help groaning with pleasure.
Having smoked meat and bread every day for half a month had been hard even for a bona fide foodie from Huaxia like him. At last, he had a chance to save his taste buds.
"The only thing missing is a cook!"
In the original owner's memories, even his father, Baron Andrew, had kept his castle stocked with enough food to meet the bare minimum standard for a noble household, despite not being particularly wealthy. He'd had four or five cooks, too.
Of course, the low standard of dining at Nalant Castle was partly due to the lack of a cook, but the lack of ingredients was another factor.
Commoners didn't have enough food to raise animals, and Nalant had arrived with nothing. His territory didn't even have any chickens or ducks, so he couldn't get his hands on a single egg.
"I need to work hard and start living the carefree life of a lord as soon as possible!" Other nobles had spent decades or even centuries building up their fiefs before gradually improving their standard of living. But Nalant figured that, as a transmigrator, it would take him no more than a year or two to reach their level. After all, he had a cheat on his side.
"My lord, the castle received some new gold coins today. I'll give you a report," Thomas said cautiously, holding a ledger.
Nobles left such "trivial matters" as money to their stewards. Whenever there was a major expense or a large sum came in, the steward would report it to the noble during a meal, sparing them the effort of managing such things themselves.
"Go ahead."
"My lord, the castle originally had nine gold coins, thirty silver coins, and two hundred and ten copper coins. After adding the money you brought back today, the castle now has thirteen gold coins, thirty-nine silver coins, and three hundred and fifty copper coins."
"Hmm. The mighty lord of this territory now has a fortune of a hundred and thirty thousand," Nalant thought to himself.
For a lord, that much money was nothing. He couldn't even afford to renovate this shabby castle with it.
Dark Creatures had breached this baronial castle several times. The walls and buildings were still intact, but most of the furniture and decorations were missing. The entire castle needed to be renovated and redecorated inside and out.
The corridors and great hall, for example, needed carpets. Otherwise, they were nothing but bare stone floors, hardly fit for a noble's residence. The castle also needed works of art, gold and silver vessels, and lamps to display its wealth. Without them, other nobles would laugh at him.
Nalant could ignore the trappings of noble status, but reputation wasn't as simple as saying "I do what I want" like it was in his previous life.
A bad reputation would affect Storm Territory's future trade and dealings with other territories.
In this world, a noble's reputation was like a calling card.
If your reputation was one of great prestige or renown, people in any territory would think highly of you and treat you as an honored guest.
If you were notorious or known to be poor, then forget making friends—people not looking down on you would be the best you could hope for.
"Once I've caught some sea fish in a few days, I can sell some to make money. And in a while, I can also cut down some mature Swordwood trees and sell those!" Nalant planned it out in his mind.