Monkeys Who Steal Coconuts

Neckties, shirts, waistcoats, vests, boxers, suits, dress trousers, fedoras, and leather shoes—Liszt had a whole list of clothing he wanted to produce.

But he could not be so unconventional; after all, he was merely a rural baron. If one day he were to become the ruler of a nation, he could reform as he pleased and lead the trends.

For now, he had to endure these cumbersome garments to maintain the so-called dignity of a noble.

"My Lord, I have given the servants a half-day off. Starting tomorrow, they will dedicate themselves entirely to the castle's work."

"Mm, handle the arrangements as you see fit."

"Yes."

Sweating profusely from the heat, Liszt had little interest in small talk. "Mr. Carter, have someone prepare a bath for me. This weather is not particularly kind to people."

"As you wish." Carter hurried off to instruct the maids to prepare the bathwater.

Nowadays, bathwater was kept ready in the small castle at all times, for the servants all knew that their master was an exceptionally clean noble. Bathing once a day was normal, twice a day was common, and three times a day was not unheard of. It was only when he didn't bathe for a day that it was considered abnormal.

After bathing, he changed into home clothes—a loose robe.

This type of robe was a form of sleepwear; the nobles here also knew that wearing tight formal attire was uncomfortable, so they had modified their pajamas to serve as loungewear.

Liszt still found it cumbersome and uncomfortable to wear.

In the summer, his favorites were short-sleeved shirts and T-shirts, so he rolled up the sleeves of his robe, exposing his forearms. Although this did not conform to noble etiquette, who in the small castle would dare to call him out on such a minor transgression? There were benefits to being in the countryside, after all.

"My Lord, it is a pity we have no ice, otherwise I could brew you a cup of rock sugar water to dispel the summer heat."

"Even in Tulip Castle, there isn't much ice to squander in the summer. I can endure this difficulty; the only pity is that I can no longer drink iced beer." He did not particularly like alcohol, and drinking at banquets now was only because his predecessor loved it and it was necessary for socializing.

But he did love drinking iced beer in the height of summer—it was chillingly refreshing.

With midsummer approaching and the days growing hotter, he recalled that at the height of summer on Coral Island, eggs could be cooked on the ground; it likely reached forty degrees.

Every year, quite a few serfs died from the heat.

"I've heard that saltpeter can be used to make ice, but saltpeter is hard to come by. Coral Island doesn't seem to have saltpeter mines, and even if it did, I wouldn't recognize it... I remember reading in a book that in rural areas, saltpeter accumulates in the corners of earthen walls, stables, and toilets, but Flower Town only has wooden houses and no toilets..."

The technology of making ice with saltpeter was something Liszt basically had no way to replicate.

He could only do as other nobles did: store ice in an ice cellar during the winter and bring it out for use in the summer. "Mr. Carter, don't forget to remind me this winter to build an ice cellar."

"Very well, My Lord."

Dinner.

As usual, he invited Gortai, Marcus, Isaiah, and Blair—these were the only four people in Flower Town qualified to dine at the same table as Liszt.

"Liszt, the planning for Oyster Hamlet is complete. Tomorrow, the first batch of fishermen from Oyster Hamlet will head to the East Coast to officially begin fishing, wearing the new equipment you prepared for them. They are all elderly, women, and children—foolish and impulsive. For the past two days, they've already been scavenging for shells by the sea."

When the lord himself hosted a banquet featuring seafood, the news spread, and the commoners followed suit, preparing to go harvest seafood for themselves.

They always followed the lord's lead.

Liszt said sternly, "Teacher Gortai, you must provide proper safety guidance. I do not want a single commoner to come to harm from eating seafood. As officials of the town, you must take this matter seriously. Population is the most important productive force in Flower Town."

They might have been unconvinced in their hearts.

But Gortai and the others, already understanding Liszt's stance, nodded without hesitation to show they understood.

"Then tomorrow, if you have time, come with me to Oyster Hamlet to see the results of the fishermen's first attempt at gathering seafood. At the same time, you must actively promote which types of seafood can be caught and which cannot. Additionally, you must teach them how to preserve the seafood."

"Baron, we have already organized the clerks to emphasize this repeatedly. Moreover, we have let every clerk taste the seafood from the castle, and they are very enthusiastic about it."

"Very good."

The next day, calculating the time of the low tide, Liszt arrived at Oyster Hamlet with his attendant knights. Construction of houses had not yet begun in Oyster Hamlet; they had merely leveled a piece of wasteland not far from the sea where wooden houses would be built in the future.

At this moment, about two hundred elderly, weak, women, and children were carrying baskets or wooden buckets, constantly turning over every rock and shoveling through every patch of mud on the flat beach of the East Coast.

Many of them still lacked gloves, shovels, hammers, and other tools, relying entirely on their bare hands—the output of the town's tailor shop and blacksmith shop could not keep up.

"My Lord!"

Seeing Liszt, the fishermen bowed one after another.

Liszt nodded slightly in response and rode his Fire Dragon Horse, wandering about. Gathering seafood was hard work, exposed to the wind, sun, and water, but the workload itself was not very heavy. Thus, the fishermen, who had previously felt like they were "living off the dole," were full of enthusiasm; regardless of experience, they were all busy and having a great time.

After watching for only a while, Liszt grew unbearably hot and hurried back to hide under a coconut tree.

He looked up at the tall tree and felt something was not quite right. After a long moment, he realized: "There are no coconuts!"

He turned and asked the clerk nearby, "Does this tree not bear fruit?"

"It does, My Lord. This is a Fragrant Coconut Tree, and its fruit is called a Fragrant Coconut. However, the fruit is picked away by the monkeys from Thorn Ridge while it is still very small."

"Monkeys?"

"They are a type of grayish-yellow monkey. We all call them Fruit-Stealing Monkeys. They are very fierce and sometimes travel in packs to ravage the crops in the fields."

"Fruit-Stealing Monkeys..." Liszt nodded without speaking.

He suddenly remembered news he had read about how some countries in Southeast Asia had a tradition of training monkeys to pick coconuts. Coconut trees were very tall and difficult for humans to climb, but monkeys could easily ascend them to pick the fruit—if the town could train a group of Fruit-Stealing Monkeys, perhaps they could develop a coconut industry.

Of course, he was not yet certain if this Fragrant Coconut Tree was a true coconut tree—Flower Town had snow for over two months in the winter; if it were a real coconut tree, it should have frozen to death long ago.

"How does the Fragrant Coconut taste?"

"Once, I picked up a Fragrant Coconut dropped by a Fruit-Stealing Monkey. It was filled with milk-like juice that tasted sweet and tart—absolutely delicious."

Liszt felt his appetite stirred.

There were many such Fragrant Coconut Trees along the East Coast; if they could be protected, they should yield a bountiful harvest of Fragrant Coconuts. They could easily be marketed as a beverage, or even developed into a local specialty.

He cast his gaze further toward the distant Thorn Ridge: "Sooner or later, I will take Thorn Ridge and strangle every threat to Flower Town in its cradle!"

As for the Fruit-Stealing Monkeys, they would serve perfectly as trainees for harvesting fruit.