Chapter 177: Chapter 0177: The Focus Among the Nobles (Fifth Update, 600 Subscriptions Bonus Chapter)
November 5th.

Cloudy weather, a hint of autumn coolness.

The autumn harvest in Fresh Flower Town had been completed. This year, with the improvement brought by the Elf Bug, the wheat yield was bountiful, resulting in a fifty percent increase compared to previous years. The farmers of Little Wheat Village beamed with radiant smiles—taxes were reduced, yield was up, and with plenty of grain stored, there was no need to worry about hunger in the upcoming winter.

Those who planted oats and rye were also pleased, as the use of manure, pond mud, and wood ash as fertilizers increased the yield by ten to twenty percent over last year.

Today, the serfs in the town were still toiling, yet their faces were adorned with joyful smiles. It was the celebration of the great Lord Landlord’s acquisition of the Thorn Minor Elf. Everyone supported and adored this scion of the Tulip Family because, under his leadership, Fresh Flower Town had its first glimpse of a hopeful future.

Moreover, there was a copper coin festival bonus.

“Praise the Lord Landlord, praise the Thorn Minor Elf, Fresh Flower Town will be even better tomorrow!”

“With the Thorn Minor Elf, the Lord Landlord will win even more glory, and the honor of the knights will favor Fresh Flower Town! My nephew Philip has already become a Retainer Knight for the Lord Landlord, and he will follow him to achieve many honors!”

“Will Philip become an Earth Knight?”

“Certainly.”

“That’s not guaranteed; he’s just a serf. The title of Earth Knight is but a pipe dream for him.”

“Bob, that’s just jealousy speaking because your son got eliminated. You’re envious of Philip! Philip and Zavier have already won the Lord Landlord’s favor. Their future is bright!”

If they had the leisure to quarrel, it proved that these serfs weren’t busy enough—there was still room to push them further.

Meanwhile, the castle servants were too busy to even speak.

Butler Carter wiped the sweat off his forehead with his handkerchief over and over. After successfully hosting the sea festival banquet, he had experienced a grand event, but he was still extremely nervous.

Today there was no food brought from Tulip Castle by any earl.

All of the banquet ingredients had to be prepared by the castle itself. For this, he had made extensive purchases of ingredients two days prior, and bought all kinds of food available in North Valley City. Liszt never skimped on the castle’s expenses, so Carter felt confident relying on the castle’s wealth to make this banquet a success.

“Mrs. Abbie, free up a cauldron for Lucas as soon as possible; he needs it for two dishes.”

“Tom, let Jim handle the water-fetching. Take Parker and John and tidy up the lawn at the castle gates right now; guests will be arriving soon.”

“Mrs. Morson, I need your help. The dining room setup is not up to standard. The master does not advocate for us to use the symbol of the Black Tulip, so the curtains must be replaced with the red Tulip emblem that we brought from Tulip Castle… we are one family with Tulip Castle.”

“Jessie, Jessie, where are you? I need you to run an errand, go tell Bob the baker about today’s bread quantity and variety. Here’s the list I’ve written, give it to him.”

“We will have many guests today, and their horses will stay around the area. Barton, make sure to take good care of them.”

The bustling of the castle servants did not affect the master of the castle, Baron Liszt.

He got up as usual, and then he took his dog for a walk.

Juan Fu had flown away, and Douson was now his only pet. Holding a cane made from Rapid Growth Iron Thorns, he strolled along Douson Avenue.

Pointing the tip of the cane towards the sides of Douson Avenue, which were close to completion, he casually spoke, “Douson, Rock Spike.”

Pfft.

A sturdy Rock Spike burst forth from the earth.

The cane pointed to the other side and another Rock Spike appeared.

He continued to point, and Douson kept on releasing Rock Spikes, almost instantaneously without pause. Soon, two dense rows of Rock Spikes adorned both sides of Douson Avenue, resembling trees standing in a line—one after another, creating a rather aesthetic look.

Importantly, after the festival, workers would shatter these Rock Spikes to pave the road.

“Good morning, my lord!” Goltai, dressed in festive attire with a ruff circling his neck, looked as though everything below his head was stuffed into a jar.

“Good morning, Consultant Goltai.”

“Your Douson seems to have grown a bit more.”

“It hasn’t reached adulthood yet, and it looks like it will continue to grow.” Liszt patted Douson’s shoulder, becoming more and more satisfied with the Fierce Earth Dog.

He was no longer able to easily reach Douson’s head.

With his own height, using the continental standard leather tape measure, Liszt was measured to be one hundred eighty-five centimeters tall.

The straight stretch length from head to tail of Douson was four meters twenty-six; the shoulder height of the forelimbs was one meter forty-one, and the rear limbs were one meter twenty-five; in a natural state, the head height was one meter ninety-seven.

Compared to the common tigers on Coral Island, Douson was obviously three sizes larger.

Ordinary humans weigh around one hundred thirty kilograms, the tigers of Coral Island about five hundred kilograms, and Douson’s weight had already reached one thousand three hundred kilograms.

In terms of canines, Douson was truly a giant.

“It will continue to grow, good heavens, will it become the largest Magical Beast on Coral Island?” Goltai said in an exaggerated tone, sounding surprised.

In fact, he was just coordinating with Liszt to show off Douson.

Knowing full well that the other party was just buttering him up, Liszt still willingly fell for it, “It might not become the largest Magical Beast. You must know that the weight of the Thunderfang Boar is several times that of Douson. But compared to the sole Purple Sand Crocodile, if Douson fought with it, it could probably end in a draw.”

The Purple Sand Crocodile had thick skin and was resistant to beatings and had rich magical tactics, while Douson only knew Rock Spike, but was quick on its feet.

Of course, as both were Intermediate Magical Beasts, without a real comparison, no one could guarantee which one was stronger. Time, location, and people would all affect the outcome of the battle—the Purple Sand Crocodile was just a dumb Magical Beast, while Douson had the backing of Fresh Flower Town.

Goltai praised, “Being able to fight with a Purple Sand Crocodile is already an incredible achievement. Originally, the Earl couldn’t even kill the Purple Sand Crocodile. Granted, it’s because the Earl did not value the Purple Sand Crocodile much, but it’s enough to show the horror of an Intermediate Magical Beast. Douson will be Fresh Flower Town’s strongest guardian!”

“It’s just that it has a big appetite.” Liszt complained with a smile.

In the past, one meal for Douson was enough for his seven meals; now, one meal for Douson was enough for his seven days of meals. The key was that Douson was picky, it wouldn’t eat ordinary food at all, it had to be chicken, fish, meat, eggs, and occasionally some tomatoes or wild fruits to supplement vitamins.

If you switch to a countryside noble.

They simply couldn’t afford to raise Douson.

Even Liszt had some regrets, “I should not have cut down the forest on Thorn Ridge at the beginning. It should have been kept as Douson’s cafeteria, preserving those wild animals and Magical Beasts.”

This was but a happy worry.

After a while, Isaiah, Blair, Marcus, and others gradually arrived at the castle, each changing into festive attire, Flack·Abbieye.

Even the two magicians put on tailcoats to attend the celebration.

Liszt took a bath and also changed into his own Flack·Abbieye.

Noble clothing was very intricate, and under Thomas’s care, it took him a full quarter of an hour to get dressed properly. The clothes felt a bit tight, but thankfully the weather had turned cool and he didn’t feel too stuffy.

“My lord, Flack·Abbieye was born to be designed for a noble like you. It accentuates your exalted elegance,” Thomas praised sincerely.

Indeed, that was the case.

When the nobles of North Valley City arrived one by one, standing amidst the gathered nobility, all wearing Flack·Abbieye, Liszt seemed to stand out in any crowd, having the effect of being the center of attention.

Handsome in feature, tall in stature, noble in presence, and with a gently mild smile.

Men felt shamed upon seeing him, while women wept.