"Move it, move it, you damn big oaf! What's taking you so long? Are you trying to get yourself killed? The lord wants to take a census of your household. Hurry up, get dressed, and bring your wife and children over to the clearing up ahead. Everyone has to be there. Leave anyone behind, and I'll break your legs!"
The patrolman strutted about, pounding on the thatched cottage door and bellowing inside.
Before long, all the farming families in Barley Hamlet had come out of their homes. At the patrolmen's shouted orders, they gathered in the clearing.
They whispered among themselves in little groups.
Every so often, they looked toward the table in the middle of the clearing. A woman of about forty sat behind it, dressed in a neat dark green gown, sorting through a stack of parchment. A young maid stood behind her, helping dissolve the ink in an inkwell.
"Who's that?"
"Never seen her before."
"Idiot, she's obviously a maid from the castle!"
"Right, right. Just look at her clothes. They've definitely been ironed. Only the lord's maids get to wear clothes that clean and neat. Nothing like ours, all stinking and wrinkled."
"What does the lord want? I heard one of his lackeys say something about taking a... taking a what, again?"
"A census," said an elderly farmer, chewing on the root of some plant. "The count sent people to take one ten years ago. Back then, Barley Hamlet had... had... so many serf households, a lot more people than now. Ah, that heavy snowfall seven years ago starved so many people to death."
At the table.
The patrolman, who had been swaggering around just moments ago, was now bowing and scraping to the two maids. "Mrs. Morson, Miss Michonne, all the serfs in Barley Hamlet have gathered."
"I'm not a miss. I'm just a maid from the castle." Michonne Oxtail was actually quite pleased by the title. Smiling, she asked, "Is everyone here? Make sure you haven't missed anyone, or the lord will punish us—and that includes you."
"Of course, of course. I guarantee none of them would dare hide."
Mrs. Morson nodded. "Very well. Have them come over one household at a time. Once a household has been recorded, they can go straight home. There's no need for them to come back and register again."
"Yes, ma'am."
The patrolman began bringing the serf households to the table one at a time.
Following the list Liszt had prepared in advance, Mrs. Morson asked, "Are you the head of the household? What's your name?"
"H... Hope, ma'am."
"Don't be nervous. I need your full name, including your surname, Mr. Hope."
"Oh, r... right. My name is Hope Swill."
"Now, Mr. Hope, is everyone in your household here? There are five of you, in all? What's your wife's name? And what are the names of your two sons and your daughter? How old are you? What's your occupation—what kind of work are you responsible for? Does your wife do the same? Has your eldest son started working?"
Before long, Mrs. Morson had finished asking her questions and began recording the information on the parchment.
Serf household head—Hope Swill, age 37, grows barley, all four limbs sound; wife—Simon Swill, age 34, grows barley, all four limbs sound; eldest son—Robo Swill, age 20, grows oats, lame; second son—Peter Swill, age 17, grows barley, all four limbs sound; daughter—Lily Swill, age 15, raises chickens at home, all four limbs sound.
After recording the information, Mrs. Morson checked it once more.
Once she had confirmed it was correct, she said gently, "Mr. Hope, Mrs. Hope, your family can go home now."
"Oh, r... right."
The census took only a day. Stack after stack of parchment was delivered to the castle and placed on Liszt's desk, and the population census of Flower Town was declared complete.
"Liszt, it's incredible. A task of this difficulty was resolved so easily in your hands. You'll make a fine lord, without a doubt," Gortai praised.
"Teacher Gortai, save the praise for later. Tally the figures from each hamlet and give me the totals."
"My pleasure."
Perhaps Liszt's decisive efficiency had put pressure on Gortai. The retainer who had failed to become an adviser was unusually working late by candlelight.
Early the next morning.
The compiled information was already in front of Liszt, who had finished breakfast and completed his knightly training.
"My lord, Lord Gortai stayed up all night. When he delivered the records, his eyes were bloodshot," Carter said, holding the parchment.
"Give him good food and drink. I should do something to repay him. Flower Town needs to develop. I don't want my territory to remain as lifeless as it was before."
Carter looked a little dazed. A few seconds later, he replied, "My lord, it's as if I'm seeing the count in his younger days—a spirited viscount who became a count in five years and established the Tulip Family's rule over Coral Island. With you as Flower Town's lord, all its people are fortunate."
"Perhaps." Liszt made no attempt to be modest.
He quietly leafed through the parchment. Though the stack was thick, it contained very little information. Even writing in tiny letters with a quill didn't allow much text to fit.
"Parchment really is primitive."
"My lord, we're almost out of parchment. This census has used up four-fifths of our supply."
"I know. I'll find a way to deal with it." Papermaking had already been added to Liszt's schedule. He was only waiting for the right time to see it through.
In half an hour, he had learned all the figures for Flower Town by heart.
There were eight hamlets in all.
Town Hamlet: 257 households, 907 people. Among them, 41 households, or 125 people, were freemen; the rest were serfs.
Peanut Hamlet: 23 households, 92 people, all serfs.
Mushroom Hamlet: 68 households, 211 people, all serfs.
Tomato Hamlet: 30 households, 152 people. Among them, 10 households, or 28 people, were freemen; the rest were serfs.
Barley Hamlet: 48 households, 155 people, all serfs.
Wheat Hamlet: 101 households, 342 people, all serfs.
Flower Farm: 21 households, 54 people, all serfs.
Dairy Farm: 18 households, 60 people, all serfs.
Flower Town had a total of 584 households and 1,973 people. Only 51 households, or 153 people, were freemen; the rest were serfs. At the castle, there were 10 servants, 4 Retainer Knights, Gortai and Marcus, the two retainers, and Liszt himself—17 people in all.
Gortai and Marcus also had families, but they were in Coral City and hadn't come with them. Perhaps they were unwilling to come, or perhaps they would arrive later.
That brought Flower Town's total population to 1,990.
The vast majority worked in agriculture, growing barley, wheat, oats, tomatoes, mushrooms, peanuts, and tulips; raising dairy cattle; and keeping small numbers of chickens, ducks, geese, pigs, dogs, and sheep.
Only seven percent of the population worked in handicrafts.
There was one tailor's shop, blacksmith's shop, carpenter's shop, bakery, mill, general store, leatherworker's shop, barber shop, and locksmith's shop.
"The census is detailed enough. I should have completed the mission by now, shouldn't I?" Liszt thought as he pushed away the parchment, which gave off a faint fishy stench.
Just then, old butler Carter came over again. "My lord, wonderful news! The steward from Flower Farm has come to report some good news."
At the words "Flower Farm," Liszt's eyes lit up. He understood at once. This was probably the mission reward. "Where is he? Ask him to come in... What's the good news?"
"It's a Black Tulip, a kind we've never seen before. My lord, I'll bring him over at once."