At the center of Flower Farm, the Tulip Great Sprite and Tulip Sprite, along with six Tulip Elf Bugs, surrounded the Black Tulip, absorbing its aura and assimilating with it.
Liszt stood to one side, watching the Tulip Great Sprite.
In his predecessor's memories, the Great Elf named Xiangxiang was probably over sixty years old. More than twenty years ago, it had been only a Little Elf. During Liszt's father's generation, it had successfully evolved into a Great Elf. With Xiangxiang's help, the Tulip Family had developed rapidly, and countless Tulips had brought them immense wealth.
They had used that wealth to build a battle-hardened knight corps. In just a few years, Leewilliam had been made an earl for his military achievements.
Coral Island had become the family's fiefdom.
"Sprites... Even though I have my predecessor's memories and have watched Xiangxiang grow up, I can never get enough of seeing it. Sprites are such beautiful beings that they shouldn't even exist in this world... What a pity it isn't mine. I have only five Elf Bugs—no, I'm about to have six."
He had written to the earl, hoping to get an Elf Bug in exchange. The earl had evidently agreed, since Levis had brought along an extra Wheat Elf Bug.
"My dear little brother, Father asked me to give you this Wheat Bug as a reward for discovering the Tulip potion." Levis took out a jade box and handed it to Liszt.
"Is this an extra reward on top of the deal, or part of it?"
"On top of the deal. Heh, Liszt, don't think of us as strangers." Levis smiled warmly, his noble bearing nearly matching Liszt's. "No matter what, the blood of the Tulip Family runs through our veins. A potion is one thing, but a Tulip is of great importance to the family. The benefits are immense. Father was delighted when he heard about it."
"Then I'll accept it. Please thank Father for me."
"Why not go thank him in person?"
"Hmm?"
Lvera came over. "Grandfather has fallen ill and is bedridden. Father is planning for the three of us to go visit him together. So, once everything here is settled, you'll need to return to Coral City with us tomorrow."
"I see." Liszt nodded. He had no reason to refuse.
"Then let's leave catching up until lunch. We'll settle the official matters first. Lvera, you can discuss things with Liszt. I'll go look around Flower Town... I've never been to this little town before." Levis mounted his horse and rode off with his Retainer Knights and Raiden, who was responsible for his safety.
Liszt watched Levis ride away.
Lvera suddenly asked, "You really aren't willing to part with that black horse?"
"I'm sorry, sister."
"It's no ordinary horse. You've noticed?"
"Yes."
"You're absolutely not selling it?"
"No."
"Fine. It seems your luck has improved, but so has your temper." Lvera narrowed her eyes. When they were children, she had often beaten Liszt—his predecessor had been a weakling who was regularly bullied by his older brother and sister and had his toys stolen.
Liszt didn't want to dwell on the past. Those weren't his experiences. "What did you bring for me, sister? Business is business, so don't try to shortchange me."
"I won't interfere with the sale of the Tulip potion. I'm only here to assimilate one Little Elf and two Elf Bugs. My payment is five hundred pounds of Wheat, eight hundred pounds of millet, one hundred pounds of pig iron, fifty pounds of wrought iron, and a local specialty from Falcon Town: a packet of Sweetheart Vegetable seeds... There's no Sweetheart Bug, so whether you can grow them successfully is none of my concern."
"That's less than I expected, but it'll do."
"Don't be greedy. If this were Lytton, I'd only be willing to pay half."
Lytton was the earl's youngest son. His mother was the current countess, the daughter of a minor noble family. He benefited from his mother's status, but Liszt and his two sisters had a mother who was a marquis's daughter, a far higher match than Lytton's. In assessing a noble's standing, the ranks of both their paternal and maternal families, as well as their connections, were crucial.
Perhaps dissatisfied with Liszt's current attitude, Lvera proposed a sparring match once they had settled the deal.
"What's the attribute of your Battle Aura?"
"Fire."
"What secret art are you cultivating?"
"Fire Dragon Drill."
"Let's have a match. I want to see how strong you've become." Lvera took the spear carried by one of her Retainer Knights. "I haven't sparred with you in a long time—not since I advanced to Earth Knight."
Sparring was just an excuse.
She simply wanted to teach Liszt a lesson.
But Liszt was no longer the timid boy he had once been. He only smiled faintly. "Sorry, I haven't finished cultivating my secret art yet. Let's spar another day."
Lvera's gaze sharpened. "Are you trying to avoid me? That's not a virtue a knight should have."
"Fairness is one of a knight's virtues. Why not wait until I've finished cultivating Fire Dragon Drill?" Liszt gently parried her verbal jab.
Lvera raised an eyebrow, then lowered her spear. "You're as timid as ever."
"I call it wisdom."
"You certainly know how to flatter yourself."
Lvera was nineteen and unmarried, still a spirited young woman. Liszt was well past his rebellious teenage years, and a few taunts weren't enough to make him angry.
After exchanging a few more pointless remarks,
Levis had already returned from his stroll.
"Dirty, chaotic, and poor." He shook his head repeatedly. "Liszt, I understand now why you need food. Flower Town is more destitute than any town I've ever seen."
"That's true. But I'll make it prosperous."
"By relying on the Black Tulip? Then let's discuss that... First, the assimilation deal: the Great Elf, the Little Elf, and six Elf Bugs. Tulip Castle will pay three thousand pounds of Wheat, two thousand pounds of Barley, five hundred pounds of Wheat flour, one thousand pounds of wrought iron, thirty barrels of beer, and seeds for various crops."
After checking the details, Liszt accepted the deal without haggling.
Cart after cart of supplies was carried into the castle's storerooms, instantly filling what had been a rather bare space. There was enough grain to feed the castle for half a year alone. The pig iron and wrought iron could be used to make tools and armor, while the seeds were specifically for planting in Flower Town.
Without Elf Bugs, the barren soil could only be fertilized with farmyard manure. He would see if it made a difference.
Come to think of it, the town wasn't all that dirty anymore. People collected the manure every day and sold it to the castle. Liszt had ordered it distributed to the various hamlets to enrich the fields. It had only been a short time, and there wasn't much of it, so aside from Peanut Hamlet, none of the other places had shown any obvious results yet.
Lunch had a pleasant atmosphere. Gortai was an excellent host, keeping the conversation lively and everyone laughing.
After the meal, Levis and Liszt discussed the cultivation and sale of the Black Tulip. "Father's intention is to buy out the cultivation and sales rights to the Black Tulip in one go. In return, you'll receive a thousand gold coins. You can also grow them in Flower Town and sell them to Tulip Castle."
"That won't do. The Black Tulip is the foundation of Flower Town's development. I won't give up a steady stream of income for a mere thousand gold coins."
"That's a thousand gold coins, not a small sum. Flower Town might not earn that much in taxes over fifty years."
"If we cultivate the potion in large quantities, then in a few years, I might make over a thousand gold coins a year from the Black Tulip alone. Potions are in short supply. They've never been something the market couldn't sell."
"You need to understand that without the family's trade routes, the Black Tulip can't even be transported out of Thorn Ridge."
"That's why I want to discuss cultivation and sales with Father—or, rather, with you, big brother... I can provide Tulip Castle with seeds, but I'll need to take a share of every Black Tulip you cultivate."
"So you mean we do all the work while you lie in your castle counting gold coins?"
Liszt picked up his cup of milk tea and replied unhurriedly, "Essentially, yes."