23 Chapter 0023: The Arriving Convoy

The farmers who were idle at the dairy farm were summoned by Liszt to reclaim the wasteland surrounding the castle and to grow alfalfa.

Originally, according to Goltai's opinion, the serfs as landlords, should come to work unconditionally.

Liszt was not that exploitative, he decided to provide the farmers with three meals a day, whereas commoners usually only had two, hence, people scrambled to come and work.

He allotted a portion of the surplus wheat bran from the castle, distributing it to the working farmers. Wheat bran is the husk separated from the wheat and in Liszt's position, only the fine wheat flour was consumed while the bran was typically used to feed horses, yet it was consumed by the commoners. The bran cakes he previously used to feed horses were in fact the food eaten by many farmer families.

"It's said that the nutritional value of wheat bran is higher than that of wheat flour," Liszt recalled in his previous life he had bought bran cakes, and the sellers claimed that the bran contained a wealth of dietary fiber and B vitamins that could improve constipation and reduce cholesterol, "but the bran is indeed hard to eat and to digest."

As a noble, he was not lacking in nutrition, so there was no need to force himself to eat the coarse bran.

Naturally, nobles ate white bread.

Here, bread was the absolute staple, and according to different materials and textures, it could be divided into nine grades. Four grades of white bread and five grades of brown bread.

The highest-quality white bread, made from finely sifted and selected wheat flour, was only something great nobles could afford the wealth, materials, and labor to produce. The price of such white bread was astonishing as well, costing at least several silver coins for one loaf.

The slightly inferior white bread was made from sifted fine wheat flour, which, due to the removal of coarse particles, had a very fine texture. It usually sold for one silver coin per loaf.

The next level of white bread was made from unsifted fine wheat flour. The texture was slightly worse, and one silver coin could buy two or three loaves.

The lowest grade white bread was made from coarse wheat flour; it was simply processed flour that tasted a bit worse, and ten copper coins could buy one loaf. The white bread that Liszt currently ate was of this grade, while the bread eaten in Tulip Castle was of the level above.

Commoners all ate brown bread.

The somewhat richer freemen among the commoners could afford the few-copper-coins "bran-removed whole wheat bread"; the "whole-wheat bread with bran" that sold for one copper coin was probably affordable for ordinary freemen; the serfs ate "mixed brown bread" made from wheat flour with the bran unremoved, mixed with other flours, which could buy four large pieces for one copper coin.

The poorer serfs would either eat "grain brown bread" made from ground legumes and other grains, or consume bran cakes made entirely of bran.

Additionally, Liszt was also aware of another type of brown bread that was commonly made by commoners.

This brown bread, after fermentation, became extremely hard. Commoners would slice it and use it as plates, or as wedges to stabilize wobbly tables.

It was said that some of these bread plates could be used for several months.

"Oh, the wicked feudal society," Liszt lamented with feigned seriousness, pulling back his thoughts, with no intention of overthrowing the nobility system. The ass determines the head; being a noble, enjoying the status granted by the era, it would be absurd to pull oneself off the noble seat.

Besides, it would be hard to overthrow. Without dragons, without elves, what could be used to break it?

"My lord, do you need the Fire Dragon Horse brought over?" Thomas asked cautiously, always so meticulous in front of Liszt.

"No need. By the way, Thomas, how is the Li Dragon Horse in the stable, any temper tantrums?"

"The big guy you just tamed, my lord, had been bullying the Fire Dragon Horse all night long, but by this morning, the Fire Dragon Horse could peacefully graze next to it," Thomas reported.

Liszt nodded, unsurprised.

Two tigers cannot share one mountain, unless one is male and the other female.

The Li Dragon Horse was a stallion and the Fire Dragon Horse was a mare; getting along peacefully was only natural. Moreover, it was very likely, the first offspring of the Li Dragon Horses would be born to the Fire Dragon Horse—Liszt had no objections, as the Fire Dragon Horse was also a fine breed, with a blend of the low-level magical beast, the Blazing Steed lineage; the combination of strengths would produce even better offspring.

No longer paying attention,

Liszt began to practice the moves from "Flaming Wave".

Generally, Earth Knights wouldn't train with a new Dou Qi Manuscript before they had mastered the one that suited them best. Liszt was blessed with quick comprehension; even though he still had a good grasp on "Fire Dragon Drill", he was able to simultaneously practice "Flaming Wave". Unlike the one-on-one combat focus of "Fire Dragon Drill", "Flaming Wave" emphasized battle against multiple opponents.

The moves often involved sweeping the sword across a large area or thrusting the spear into a group.

Unbeknownst to him, he had become engrossed in his training, his Fire Attribute Dou Qi constantly released, heating the surrounding air to an intense warmth. The power was yet unknown, but at the very least, it looked impressively powerful.

"Great Fire Wave!"

With one slash of his sword, flames burst forth again.

He saw Butler Carter approaching him at a brisk pace.

He involuntarily reined in his Dou Qi and asked, "Mr. Carter, what's the matter?"

"My lord, Jessie just came back from cutting grass for the horses and reported seeing a merchant caravan. I suspect it might be the Earl and the Baron's entourage arriving," Carter said.

Liszt's spirits lifted, "They've finally arrived? Please notify the two teachers to join me in welcoming the caravan. I'll go take a bath and change my clothes first."

Hurrying upstairs to bathe.

Before long, Marcus and Goltai had already arrived.

Located on a slope, the castle provided a good vantage point, from where they could already see the slowly moving caravan approaching from the direction of Thorn Ridge.

"Teacher Goltai, remember to remind me to reorganize the Patrol Team. The caravan arrived without any notice, and I only found out through my servant. This shouldn't happen," Liszt remarked.

"The Patrol Team is full of bastards; you need to lend me some Retainer Knights to train them properly," Goltai replied.

"No problem," said Liszt as he mounted his horse. He didn't ride a Fire Dragon Horse but instead his newly tamed Li Dragon Horse, a means of self-display. "Let's go meet the caravan together. My father probably won't come in person; it might be one of my brothers following the Tulip Great Elf."

The three of them rode off to meet the caravan.

Meanwhile, Carter was busy instructing all the servants, "Pull yourselves together and tidy up your clothes; don't look dirty and disgrace the master! Jessie, I'm talking about you—oh my heavens, your trousers are still muddy. Do you want to embarrass us all? Go and change them immediately!"

"Yes, yes, Mr. Carter," the assistant manservant, Jessie Asanobu, with his flaxen hair, hurried back to his room to change his trousers.

Carter called out again, "Mrs. Morson, inform Mrs. Abbie to get the desserts, teas, and snacks ready. Also, make sure to prepare the ingredients for a lavish banquet as we might have guests whom the master will need to attend to personally."

"Are you saying there will be Nobles coming?"

"Of course, there will be. As you know, the Black Tulip is very important, and the family's Elves will come to assimilate. It might be Young Master Levis escorting them, or perhaps Young Master Lidun. Regardless, they are all important people. We can't let the master lose face, not to mention Thomas's colleagues."

Thomas's colleagues—as in the personal retinues of various Nobles.

After a flurry of activity, the castle's entrance soon saw male and female servants lined up under Butler Carter's supervision, standing on the left and right sides of the gate respectively, waiting to welcome the esteemed guests.