The Mighty Dragons Are Dead

Chapter 117: The Torrential Rain at the End of Summer Approaches

Translator: 549690339

Insolent peasant!

Upon hearing the report from the patrol member, the thought flashed across Liszt’s mind—it was as if someone had bumped right into the landlord’s head—seeking to take advantage of the landlord himself.

However, he didn’t immediately take the patrol member’s word for it.

“Sean, go and question Hunte—whether it was he himself who dismantled his wooden hut,” he ordered.

“Yes, my lord!”

Retainer Knight Sean returned quickly, and along with him came Goltai. The answer was affirmative: Hunte, upon hearing that the materials for the repairs of wooden huts would be paid for by the castle, immediately boasted that he would replace every single piece of wood of his own hut. Then, in tragically misplaced enthusiasm, his hut collapsed.

“Teacher Goltai, what do you think should be done?” Liszt asked without anger on his face, only inquiring calmly.

“The vile commoner should be beaten to death alive!” Goltai responded loudly, “My lord, the freeman commoner Hunte harbors malicious greed, he even dares to covet what is sacred and inviolable to the castle. He should be punished severely. In my opinion, we should demote him to a serf and administer a hundred lashes!”

There were quite a few civilians watching nearby.

Hearing Goltai’s words, they couldn’t help but shrink their necks. Being demoted to a serf wasn’t terrifying, but a hundred lashes could kill a person. Some of the civilians had also tampered with their own wooden huts, trying to gain some advantage. Upon hearing this, their legs nearly buckled with fear.

The sudden longing for greed faded in their hearts, as they stealthily stepped towards their homes, intending to stuff back the tampered wood…

To be honest, a hundred lashes seemed a bit harsh.

The crime did not warrant death.

Still, Hunte’s actions had displeased Liszt considerably—he worked hard to lead Fresh Flower Town towards prosperity, yet some people did not appreciate it and even sought to take advantage.

This kind of attitude could not be encouraged; it had to be nipped in the bud.

“Considering that his arm was broken by the incident, let’s keep a record of the lashes for now. Once he has recovered, we shall conduct the fifty lashes in two separate sessions,” he decided.

He glanced at the anxious civilians around him and told Goltai, “Make sure the publicity is done well, I don’t want to discover a second person who commits a similar act.”

“As you wish, my lord!”

A cruel smile appeared on Goltai’s face, “I will make these foolish commoners understand what is more important: a few pieces of wood, or their very lives.”

After such a commotion, Liszt had no interest in continuing the inspection of the wooden hut maintenance.

He turned his horse around and headed back to the castle.

The Dragon Kui Cordyceps in the Dragon Kui Field were gradually recovering, and the magic power could now flow steadily through the cordyceps. Black spots and withered leaves were slowly regaining their green vitality.

After inspecting the Dragon Kui, Liszt rode around the riding range for a while.

Finally, he returned to rest under the green apple tree.

Carter, carrying a set of keys and just out from locking the cellar, approached. His pace was slow, displaying the serene confidence of the elderly. His clothes were always impeccable: a bit worn but ironed to smooth perfection, not a thread loose nor excessively wrinkled.

“My lord, you do not seem to be in the best of spirits,” he observed.

“It seems my mood is written all over my face.”

“Is there anything I can help you with?” Carter asked with a gentle smile, instantly imparting a sense of warmth.

Liszt motioned for Thomas to bring Carter a stool, then said, “Mr. Carter, do you think I am a competent landlord?”

“I have never doubted that for a moment. You have the bravery of the Tulip Family, and the nobility of compassion, fairness, humility, and honor. You are always blessed with the glory of knighthood.”

“Has there been any change in Fresh Flower Town in the past six months?”

“The change is significant. I remember when I first came to Fresh Flower Town, the expressions on the faces of the townspeople were numb. Now, it’s as if they’ve been reborn. I’ve seen many smiling faces here, more than in any other place. Everyone is grateful for your kindness, my lord.”

“Not everyone.” Li Si Te picked up an ice-cold fruit juice and took a sip. The cooling sensation spread from his throat to his belly and then throughout his body. “Today, I met a commoner who wanted the castle to repair his new house for free. He demolished his old wooden house without the slightest consideration for the kindness I had bestowed upon him.”

“You’re not worth getting angry over such a commoner. The lowly commoners are different from the honorable nobles; they are always full of vices.”

“Alright, I’ll accept your reasoning.” Li Si Te put aside the slight displeasure in his heart, “In fact, Teacher Goltai’s whip has already soothed my anger.”

Perhaps he hadn’t even noticed it himself.

He was increasingly adopting the standpoint of the nobility in considering matters.

As a transmigrator, Li Si Te still couldn’t defy the heavens and change the grand era. Little by little, he became part of it, betraying the ideas of communism and falling on the side of the exploitative class.

He was not far from becoming a qualified native.

But to this, he had his own rebuttal, “My dream is to ride dragons, not to change the world!”

The great battle of repairing wooden houses lasted for a full five days.

It couldn’t continue any longer because on this day, the north wind howled, and dark clouds shrouded the sky. The alfalfa grass on the horse farm swayed with the wind, unable to stand upright even for a moment.

The castle servants were busy installing wooden boards over the windows to keep out the wind and rain.

If he had the money, Li Si Te could have used crystals to carve glass panels to install on the windows, just like in Tulip Castle. But he wasn’t that extravagant. The box of crystals was reserved for making magic items in the future. For now, the castle windows relied on removable wooden boards for protection.

In addition, each window had a curtain woven from straw, which could normally shield from sunlight and mosquitoes.

But not now, as the strong winds outside would tear the curtains to shreds.

Once the boards were installed, the already dim light in the castle grew even dimmer. Carter quickly had the servants light candles in the study, living room, and other rooms to restore brightness inside. Now that Li Si Te had a fairly sufficient amount of money, a few extra candles could be lit—they lit five or six in the study alone.

“Mr. Carter, don’t worry about wasting them. I need my room to be bright enough. Reading in dim light is very harmful to the eyes,”

Li Si Te held a novel, idly flipping through it.

He had already read all 182 books in the castle’s library at least twice. Generally, a book had tens of thousands of words at most, and only a few thousand words at the least.

He greatly admired the authors of these knight novels for being able to weave complex and complete stories in just a few thousand words. And they had to include dragons, princesses, knight orders, kings, wars, feasts… otherwise, no noble would buy their books.

Nobles wouldn’t buy books, and these down-on-their-luck nobles, who made up stories, would starve to death—make no mistake, those who chose writing were mostly destitute nobles.

Commoners couldn’t write at all.

“My lord, looking at the weather now, there will be a heavy downpour today.”

“A downpour would be good. The ponds in Fresh Flower Town are nearly dried up and desperately need replenishing with rainwater.”

“Just hope it doesn’t damage the crops and affect this season’s tax revenue,” Carter said, lifting a wooden board to peek at the gloomy sky outside, expressing his concerns.

“Don’t worry. The castle is not short on food, nor is the town. The East Coast is Fresh Flower Town’s dining hall,” Li Si Te said nonchalantly.

He leaned back in his chair, his gaze not focused on the knight’s novel in front of him.

Instead, he was looking at a wisp of smoke that twisted into a line of Serpent Script: “Mission completed, reward: Mutated Fast-Growing Thorn Species.”