One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten—ten carriages in all—came along the dirt road under the escort of a group of knights, heading for the hill beneath the castle.
"Lord Baron!" The leading knight galloped up to Liszt and gave a knight's salute. "I've escorted the convoy departing from Tulip Castle here to trade in Flower Town."
"So it's Baronet Knight Raiden. You've had a long journey. Who came this time?" Liszt returned the salute.
Baronet Knight Raiden replied, "The Viscount and the Baron of Falcon Town came together."
"Really? My sister came too."
As they spoke, a luxurious carriage had already climbed the slope and stopped in front of Liszt and the others. The accompanying servants opened both carriage doors, and a young man and woman in noble attire stepped out.
The young man bore some resemblance to Liszt, though he was a little uglier. He had the same pale blond hair and sapphire-blue eyes.
The young woman also bore some resemblance to Liszt, and was likewise not as good-looking as him. She had pale blond hair and sapphire-blue eyes. She wasn't dressed in a noblewoman's clothes, but wore the same kind of male noble attire as the young man—the riding outfit nobles wore when traveling. It was similar to a tailcoat, but more ornate.
"My dear little brother, the lord of Flower Town, Baron Liszt, look who's here." The young man—Levis Tulip—laughed heartily.
Liszt dismounted and walked over to Levis. "Brother, I didn't expect you to come in person. And my sister, how is life in Falcon Town?"
Lvera Tulip arched her slender eyebrows. "Liszt, I can sense it. You've become an Earth Knight?"
"That's right. I was lucky enough to break through, even if I was a little late."
"Looks like leaving the confines of Tulip Castle and coming to the freedom of Flower Town has allowed you to flourish. You advanced to Earth Knight, found a new Tulip potion, and I hear the town has even bred a Peanut Bug... Your luck is so good, I'm jealous." Levis smiled and patted Liszt on the shoulder.
In truth, the brothers and sister didn't have a very good relationship.
Behind their warm gestures was mostly the polite formality of nobles. In any case, all three siblings had become true noble knights.
Just then, the Li Dragon Horse Liszt was holding suddenly snorted, then opened its mouth and roared at the horses pulling the carriages. The tall horses were so frightened that they backed away repeatedly, nearly bolting with the carriage.
"Hm?"
Only then did Levis and Lvera notice the Li Dragon Horse, its coat gleaming black.
Lvera's eyes lit up. "What a magnificent steed! Liszt, wasn't your mount the chestnut filly Father gave you for your birthday? Where did this horse come from? Would you part with it for your sister?"
"I tamed it on Thorn Ridge. I'm sorry, sister, but I don't plan to sell it."
"I'm not surprised you turned me down, but you were so quick about it. Liszt, you've improved since you were a child." Lvera was a little surprised. When Liszt was young, he had been rather timid and meek around her.
"People change. I'm an adult now, and I have to make some changes." Liszt welcomed them in. "The sun is harsh out here, and you've had a dusty journey. Come rest in the castle. Mr. Carter has surely prepared tea and refreshments, so we can relax and talk."
"Then, Mr. Raiden, please bring the Great Elf and Little Elves over," Levis said, turning around.
Knight Raiden hurried to the carriage and directed several other knights to carry out three exquisite "boxes," one large and two small.
The boxes weren't big. The largest was only about the size of a cradle, and inside lay a beautiful creature about the size of a baby. It resembled a human, but its whole body was translucent and radiant, like a glowing, colorful gemstone. Its wings were folded against its back. This was the Tulip Family's most precious treasure: the Tulip Great Sprite.
In each of the other two small boxes lay a Little Elf about the size of an adult's foot. They were just as beautiful, though not as bright as the Great Sprite.
The Tulip Great Sprite seemed to have been woken by the knights' commotion. It stretched in the box, then rubbed its eyes and woke up.
It flapped its wings and flew into the air. It had no gender, so naturally it wore no clothes. Its bright eyes glanced around before quickly settling on Levis. "Levis, are we there yet? Where's the Black Tulip?" Its voice was sweet, like a little girl's.
"We're here, Xiangxiang. This is Flower Town. You'll see the Black Tulip soon," Levis replied.
Then the Tulip Great Sprite looked at Liszt. "Whoa, Liszt! Long time no see."
Liszt smiled and nodded. "It's been nearly two months, Xiangxiang."
Before he could say anything else, the two Tulip Sprites woke up as well. They each flew out of their boxes and circled the Great Sprite, occasionally chirping, "Whoa! Whoa!" The Little Elves had awakened their intelligence, but it was limited, and they couldn't speak.
They brought the sprites into the castle.
The castle's reception room.
Those with noble titles sat around the table, while Marcus hosted the members of the knightly order without titles downstairs.
Liszt, Levis, Lvera, Gortai, Raiden, and another baronet knight, Bruce, took their seats together. Carter directed the servants as they brought in tea and refreshments.
The cook, Abby Spoon, gave it her all, serving one exquisite snack after another.
The Tulip Great Sprite sat on Levis's shoulder, swinging its chubby little feet and dozing off again. One Tulip Sprite lay on Levis's head, while the other perched on Lvera's shoulder. There were also several small jade boxes holding Tulip Elf Bugs.
Seeing this, Liszt understood. "The Earl must have already transferred the Great Sprite and the Little Elves to Levis. Otherwise, they wouldn't be so close to him."
He felt quite jealous.
No matter how many times he saw them, sprites were always so beautiful. It was painful to see such beautiful things belong to someone else!
But it was only a matter of time. Levis was, after all, the next Earl of Coral Island.
"I didn't expect Flower Town's castle to be so shabby. Liszt, you should renovate it properly," Levis said, holding his teacup as he looked around casually.
Compared to Tulip Castle, this little castle was no different from a commoner's thatched hut.
"I'd like to, but I lack money, people, and materials."
"I didn't bring any materials for building a castle. The carriages are full of food, drink, and all kinds of seeds. Father gave you plenty of food after your enfeoffment ceremony, so why do you need so much more?"
"Flower Town is even more desolate than I expected. I need to stockpile some food, or one day I'll really go hungry." Liszt offered a simple excuse.
Stockpiling food was always the right choice—store grain, build high walls, and bide your time. That had been the strategy since ancient times.
He wanted to develop Flower Town, but without solving the food problem, there was no point talking about development.
"Enough. I think we can save these boring topics for mealtime. The most important thing now is to see the Black Tulip. My Little Elf can't wait any longer," Lvera interrupted.
Liszt nodded. He truly didn't want to pretend to be warm toward them, either.
Levis and Lvera probably felt little familial affection for him, and he felt they were no different from strangers. "Since my sister is in a hurry, let's go to the Flower Farm first and assimilate the Black Tulip."