"Big Lily, where's Little Lily?"
"What is it, Old Abel? Little Lily's in the yard feeding the chickens." Big Jasmine was a middle-aged woman, her back stooped from years of hard labor.
Old Abel's wrinkled face beamed with a smile. "I've got good news. The lord's castle is hiring new servants. Mr. Carter, the butler, said they're looking for three male servants, one female servant, and one kitchen maid. Big Lily, Little Lily, you can apply to be a maid."
"Really? The lord is really hiring new maids? Is it true? That's wonderful!" Big Lily dashed into the house. "I'm going to tell Little Lily."
"Go on, go on," Old Abel said. By then, Big Jasmine had already disappeared from sight. He chuckled and shook his head, then muttered, "I need to go back and tell everyone the good news. In the castle, they get to drink milk every day. What a wonderful life. Those children are in for a treat."
Before long, all 48 serf households in Barley Hamlet had heard the news.
"That's really good news. I was just complaining that Malfoy didn't have any more fields to plant, so he had to go clear wasteland instead. He's strong and hardworking. Apart from eating a bit too much, he'd surely make a good male servant."
"Not necessarily. Parker works even harder and has good manners, too. I think he's certain to get the job."
"Is it true? The lord is hiring servants from the countryside?"
"Old Abel told us. He's been helping the lord make tools at the smithy these past few days. Would he lie about something like that?"
"Old Abel certainly has a fine touch with his craft, but can he still lift a hammer?"
"He won't have to do the work himself. The lord will assign apprentices to swing the hammers. Remember Peter, the one with the lame leg? He became an apprentice at the smithy, and the lord pays him a Copper Coin a day!"
"Doesn't the smithy belong to Old Drunkard?"
"Old Drunkard sold it to the lord ages ago. Heh, he got three Narda for it!"
"Three Narda? Good heavens, the lord is so generous!"
Good news always spread from person to person like a bird with wings.
Little Lily, feeding the chickens in the yard, was so excited that her face flushed. "Mom, I... can I really apply to be a maid?"
"Old Abel brought the news. He wouldn't lie, Little Lily. You need to prepare well. If you can get into the castle, you'll be able to live a good life," Big Lily said with delight.
"But... will the lord choose me?"
"You have to believe in yourself, Little Lily. You're the finest girl in Barley Hamlet: hardworking and capable. You make your mother proud. Of course, you can always try for the other position. The lord is hiring one maid and one kitchen maid. You could apply to be the kitchen maid. You're the best at washing vegetables."
"Mm, I know what to do, Mom." A determined look appeared in Little Lily's eyes.
For the sake of a better life, she had to show she was good enough and become a maid at the castle. Without a father, her mother had raised her and her two younger brothers in dire poverty. Now that she was grown, she had to help shoulder the burden of supporting the family. The seventeen-year-old girl clenched her fists in secret.
At the smithy, Liszt watched several old blacksmiths working alongside their apprentices, busy forging iron.
The iron obtained through the Black Tulip's transmutation of traded goods had all been put to use making farming tools. The first equipment being made was for the fishermen.
Shovels, hammers, and awls. With those three tools, the fishermen would be able to gather seafood.
The seafood resources along Flower Town's East Coast had never been exploited or polluted. There were abundant shellfish and crabs, and they could be easily caught without any particularly advanced skills.
"Teacher Gortai, have we started selecting the fishermen?" Liszt took a handkerchief from Marcus and wiped the sweat from his brow.
He had grown used to being waited on by his personal valet. As long as there was no physical contact, having someone bring him tea and water was quite pleasant.
Gortai had to take out his own handkerchief to wipe off his sweat. "I've passed along your requirements. The clerks are spreading the word in every hamlet. We'll only take the elderly, women, and children who aren't yet grown."
"Exactly. Gathering seafood doesn't take much strength; it just requires patience. Having farmers who aren't very efficient at working the fields go gather seafood is a sensible way to allocate our manpower. But make sure the warnings are clear: don't touch poisonous seafood, and don't eat seafood raw."
Medical knowledge and healthcare in this world were extremely underdeveloped.
Nobles cultivated battle aura and rarely got sick, so they had little incentive to study medicine. Liszt knew no more about medicine than anyone else. All he could do was focus on prevention for his people: keep clean, drink boiled water, and eat cooked food.
"They're lucky to have you, Liszt. You have a remarkable charm," Gortai flattered him.
An ordinary young noble might have gotten carried away after a few compliments. But Liszt had the soul of an adult, with a mature outlook on life. There was no chance he'd let a few flattering words cloud his judgment. He simply ordered, "Don't stop forging iron tools, but don't work the blacksmiths to exhaustion, either. Raise their wages from five Copper Coins to six a day, and the apprentices' wages to two Copper Coins."
An apprentice doing odd jobs earned one Copper Coin a day.
A master blacksmith at the hammer earned five Copper Coins a day.
Those were the wages Liszt had offered before, and they were quite high by comparison. Now that the Baron had deep pockets, he couldn't be bothered to squeeze a few measly Copper Coins out of the common folk.
After all, the Red Blood Sword at his waist was worth one or two thousand gold coins.
That was tens of thousands of silver coins—or over ten million Copper Coins.
Besides, all of Flower Town belonged to him. His people having money was no different from him having money. He could adjust the taxes however he pleased and collect as much as he wanted.
"Six Copper Coins a day? Huh, those blacksmiths sure are lucky," Gortai muttered.
Then he went into the smithy and shouted, "Blacksmiths, the lord has just decided to raise your wages from five Copper Coins a day to six. The apprentices will get two Copper Coins a day, too. Work hard! You can't even imagine how generous the lord is!"
"Wow!"
"Six Copper Coins a day?"
"Long live the lord!"
"Praise the lord! Old Jack will forge iron tools for the lord for the rest of his life!"
"Even the apprentices get two Copper Coins a day? Good heavens, my parents will be overjoyed!"
The smithy rang with cheers and laughter. All complaints about the heat vanished, and everyone threw themselves into their work, eager to repay their generous lord, Liszt.
Hearing the cheers inside, Liszt shook his head.
Perhaps he had a kind heart and didn't want to exploit the serfs, but wasn't he also using a small benefit to drive up their productivity? He preferred creating wealth to squeezing it out of people. Only by allocating production resources sensibly and greatly improving work efficiency could he make the most of the town's population of fewer than two thousand.
"My lord, are you heading back?"
"I'm going to the tailor's shop to check on the gloves, towels, and masks being made for the fishermen. I hope this batch turns out well." He mounted the Fire Dragon Horse and gave the reins a light flick.