2 Chapter 0002: Serpent Script Composed of Smoke

Grilled goat meat, boiled seven-gill eels, a small portion of apple puree and pear slices, hop-flavored barley beer, and white bread made from fine wheat flour.

This was Liszt's dinner.

The slightly Western-style meal did not suit his taste, but he was incapable of cooking and could not prepare the home-cooked dishes he liked. Moreover, in this world, nobles are strictly forbidden from entering kitchens, storehouses, or any other places meant for servants, as doing so would be a breach of noble etiquette and subject to ridicule.

Of course, the court was an exception.

The chefs and servants of the court were all attended to by aristocrats from the various small fiefs. Liszt's father, the Earl of Coral Island, had once served as a stablemaster for the new generation of the Sapphire Duke, responsible for caring for the Duke's beloved steed—a horse with a mix of dragon blood in its lineage.

To this day, the Earl of Coral Island would occasionally enter the court to fulfill the role of stablemaster.

He relished this task, fearing that another noble might replace him as stablemaster and impede his close relationship with the Grand Duke.

In the same vein, the Sapphire Duke also served as a personal valet to the lord of his sovereign state, the Steel Ridge Kingdom, attending to His Majesty the King's every need.

Essentially, commoners are the servants of the nobility, and the lesser nobility serve the greater nobility.

Only by becoming king of a country does one become a true master.

"Thankfully, here in Fresh Flower Town, I am the sole master and need not attend to anyone," Liszt thought contentedly while eating his less-than-satisfactory dinner.

The Earl was his father who didn't care for him and would hardly bother him.

After dinner, Butler Carter would direct the maids to clean up the dishes, and a personal valet would bring water for washing and assist Liszt with rinsing out his mouth.

When the routine was done, Carter left with the other servants, "I will be just outside the door, Master and the two gentlemen, please call upon me if you need anything."

"Thank you, Mr. Carter," Liszt said, smiling with a gentleman's grace. In terms of noble etiquette, he was influenced by his predecessor and didn't need to learn it actively; it came naturally to him.

Even towards the lowliest servants, one must maintain politeness and respect—in private, it mattered not whether they were beaten or killed or subjected to any sort of mistreatment, but publicly, one must maintain noble demeanor.

"It is my honor to serve you," Carter said as he smoothly closed the door.

"Liszt," Goltai said, taking a sip of tea sweetened with honey, "we must quickly make use of the Elf Bug, but the town's finances are in terrible shape. The previous administrative officer was a fool who did nothing but oppress serfs and left us with a mess!"

"I know, Teacher, please investigate as soon as possible to see which areas are suitable for the Elf Bug placements."

"Of course, it's my duty."

Liszt then turned to Marcus, "Will it be difficult to investigate the magical beasts near Thorn Ridge that are close to Fresh Flower Town? As the landlord, I must take seriously the matter of these beasts frequently harassing the farmers."

Marcus replied, "Thorn Ridge is vast, and the magical beasts don't have a fixed pattern of activity. With only four Retainer Knights at your disposal, even if I learn all about the magical beasts, we still won't be able to defend against them. The Patrol Team is absolutely unreliable; they are a bunch of ruffians and scoundrels who would wet their pants at the sight of a magical beast."

Fresh Flower Town is located at the northeastern extremity of Coral Island and is surrounded by Thorn Ridge—a place teeming with magical beasts, which is why few merchant caravans are willing to trade here.

The town can only produce and consume its goods; without the help of elves, the farmers struggle to support themselves, yet they still must pay taxes to the Tulip Family, who rule over Coral Island.

And the nobility is only concerned with how much tax they can collect, paying no mind to the farmers' survival.

The Tulip Family is no exception.

However, the present Liszt could no longer remain indifferent. As a youth bathed in the glorious banner of mutual ownership, having become the lord of a region, he was compelled to rescue the people from dire straits—it was his duty. Only with the prosperity of Fresh Flower Town could he, as the landlord, enjoy better comforts.

For both public and private reasons, he had to develop Fresh Flower Town.

"There must be a way to cope with it. Teacher Marcus, after tomorrow's knight class, I'd like you to accompany me for a walkthrough of Thorn Ridge. As the landlord, I have yet to really see what Fresh Flower Town looks like."

"Liszt, this is not a good idea. It's better to just stroll around the town. Thorn Ridge is not a place to go. Don't forget, you nearly died in Thorn Ridge," Goltai immediately objected.

Liszt shook his head, "Last time I carelessly ate poisonous berries; this time I will be careful."

Marcus simply said, "I will notify your four retainer knights tonight and arrange the patrol route through Thorn Ridge to ensure your safety."

"Thanks for the trouble."

"You should be careful and cautious," Goltai said helplessly.

Liszt didn't say much more, for the two teachers didn't know his real plans; his body had not completely recovered and, given his nature, he would definitely prefer to fully recover before venturing out—But as a noble travels, he either goes by carriage or on horseback, and unfortunately, he had no carriage.

Riding a horse wasn't an easy task either, for there were no saddles or stirrups here—knights with Dou Qi didn't need such equipment to ride horses, or any mount for that matter.

"On the contrary, a saddle would restrict the fusion of a knight's Dou Qi with his steed... But without a saddle, it always chafes the behind..." Liszt thought after seeing off the two teachers.

"My lord, at what time do you plan to retire?" his personal attendant came in to ask.

"After ten o'clock, Thomas. Add another candle to my study for now; I wish to read," Liszt directed his personal attendant.

Disappointment flashed across Thomas's face; for several consecutive days, he hadn't had the chance to prove himself. Liszt always sent him away rather than requiring his personal attendance.

As a personal attendant, he felt he hadn't earned the baron's favor and worried about his job.

The truth was, Liszt didn't like having a personal attendant; every time Thomas helped him dress, it made Liszt's skin crawl—The abominable nobility system!

Why couldn't a male noble have female personal attendants?

As Thomas brought in a candle and then left, the study became brightly lit. Liszt got up, pulled the curtains apart, and through the castle window, he could see a few faint lights from the town nearby.

Quite dim.

A town where the people couldn't even get a full meal had no nightlife, only endless silence.

"This is my territory, isn't it? Poor and backward, yet it belongs completely to me, an entire town that's my own independent kingdom... I will turn it into an utopia!" he mused.

In a trance.

Faint smoke appeared before Liszt, the mist twisting into abstract characters, formed like countless little serpents entwining each other. This was the standardized script of the Steel Ridge Kingdom—Serpent Script, with origins so ancient, no records of its inception remained; chronicling history was not customary here.

As a transmigrator inheriting all previous memories, Liszt could read the Serpent Script.

A message that had baffled him for a week.

"Mission: As the landlord, you need to understand everything about your domain. Please make a round through Fresh Flower Town to grasp the crises within your land and prepare for future development. Reward: The sublimation of Dou Qi."

The content was brief and not complicated.

But what Liszt couldn't understand was why he could see the Smoke Serpent Script; searching through the memories of his predecessor, it had always appeared since he was a child. However, back then, the smoke was so thin and blurred that he couldn't make out the Serpent Script at all, thinking it was a mere illusion.

It wasn't until after the soul transmigration that Liszt could clearly see the text.

Startled for a moment, he reached out to touch the smoke, but it disappeared immediately, which supported the notion of it being a hallucination.

Now, Liszt didn't think it was an illusion; perhaps this was a transmigrator's perk, a manifestation of some system? Unclear, he decided to verify it.

As long as he patrolled the territory, the mission would be complete, and whether he could receive the reward would be proof.

If there was no reward, it would mean it was just a hallucination.

If there was one, it would mean it was a perk.

The transmigrator's ace in the hole—Before the transmigrator made a move, did the ace go first?