65 – Leaking Sailboat
Early the next morning, Liszt brought Blessedcurls’ nest into the castle and put it on a window sill so it could bask in the sun. He was fed up with the bird’s cries.
He did not know what happened last night, but it still cried in the middle of the night.
Blessedcurls had just eaten some small fish and small shrimp, so it was very lively as it tumbled around in the nest and issued ‘tweet’, ‘tweet’ cries.
In the kennel outside the castle, Tremblingwoods stuck its head out, salivating as it stared at Blessedcurls on the window sill.
“Woof woof!” When it saw that Liszt went outside, it immediately shook its tail lively, and pulled on the iron chain tied around its neck, making the chain rattle. Liszt was indeed raising a dog, leashing it since it was little.
Liszt untied the chain and then took it in his hands.
Tremblingwoods immediately dashed out like crazy. Whenever Liszt took it for a walk, that was probably the happiest time of its day.
Liszt started the training when they reached the horse field.
When Tremblingwoods was fairly small, Liszt generally trained it once a day, currently, the frequency had been reduced to once every three days. He had succeeded in teaching Tremblingwoods not to hurt people or release its magic without a command. Also, he forbade it to eat or drive away the horse field’s horses.
Of course, apart from Blackdragon, other horses would make detours when they saw Tremblingwoods.
“Tremblingwoods, sit!”
Tremblingwoods was happily running just a moment ago, when it suddenly squatted down, looking at Liszt with its tongue out. It was not much different from a dog.
Liszt threw a small ball made of leather: “Tremblingwoods, fetch.”
Tremblingwoods immediately dashed out alike an arrow. After a few steps, it jumped into the air, made a 180° turn, smoothly catching the leather ball in its mouth, then hurried back and placed the ball on Liszt’s hand.
“Very good.” He rewarded Tremblingwoods with a small piece of dried meat.
Next, he repeatedly drilled a few things into it, which included the release of Rockthorns. He only stopped when Tremblingwoods was tired and out of breath. Then, he once more chained it and gave the chain to Thomas: “Take it back.”
“Yes, Master.”
Looking at the position of the sun, Liszt felt that the logging team should have arrived. However, the one who came was a patrol, not the logging team.
“Sir Lord, there’s an urgent report!”
“Speak.”
“There is a tilted sailboat floating in the sea near the East Coast, with people waving flags aboard. Sir Gort believes it to be a ship that had met with misfortune. He had immediately sent me to give Sir Lord a report, and is currently in the process of organizing people for the rescue.”
Once he heard the news.
Liszt's spirit was stirred. He at once said to the patrol member: “I will come as soon as possible. Go tell Teacher Gort to save the misfortune befallen ship, especially the people aboard.”
……
Liszt changed into the appropriate to go out frac habillé (a three piece suit), took the four retainer knights and Earth Knight Marcus, and hurried to the East Coast. Once they arrived, they saw a group of people pulling ropes on the beach, dragging a not big or small sailboat to the shore.
There were several unfamiliar faces among the people pulling the ropes.
“Sir Lord!” Isaiah, who directed the ship rescuing operation, bowed in salute.
Gort also came over from the beach: “Liszt, they are refugees from the Small Kerchief Island. They fled the Small Kerchief Island by ship, planing to seek refuge in the Big Kerchief Island. However, on their journey to the Big Kerchief Island, they ran into a storm and their ship was damaged. Next, they were taken by the sea wind all the way to the Coral Island before being stranded on the East Coast.”
Liszt nodded. He had heard of the Small Kerchief and the Big Kerchief Islands.
At this moment, a somewhat stooped old man went up to them from the distance before prostrating himself ceremoniously on the ground: “Respected Sir Baron of the Flower Town, I, Burnell Poisonfeatherbirdeggs (Poisonfeather bird, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhenniao), a person in distress, offer you my sincere regards. I am very much apologetic for troubling your noble self.”
“Poisonfeatherbirdeggs?” Liszt had heard of a lot of exotic family names, yet he still felt that this family name was quite exotic.
“Sir, my family gathered sea poisonfeather bird eggs for the Small Kerchief Island’s Sir Lord for generations.”
It was difficult to guaranty the agricultural harvest, which was why food was scarce in many places. Also, the ignorance and fear of the sea had led to little to no development in fishery. Meanwhile, to earn their living and to guaranty the luxurious lives of the aristocrats, serfs had to find ways to acquire food.
Among others, sea poisonfeather bird eggs had become a source of food.
Sea poisonfeather birds were laridae-type seabirds that usually built their nests on cliffs by the sea. The harvesting of sea poisonfeather bird eggs was done at the risk of one’s life. Climbing hundred-meter-tall cliffs and wrestling away the eggs from sea poisonfeather birds, it could be said that it was not easy for those serfs to survive and leave behind offsprings.
“I see.” Liszt gestured for Burnell to get up. “Why have you fled the Small Kerchief Island?”
“The Small Kerchief Island was attacked by a group of pirates, the castle has fallen. It is unknown whether Sir Lord Smallkerchief is still alive. We had no choice but to steal a ship from the pirates and flee the Small Kerchief Island. We wanted to take refuge in the Big Kerchief Island, but because of a violent storm, the ship was nearly capsized. Eventually, we drifted to Sir’s fief.”
Liszt unconsciously frowned: “The Small Kerchief Island was attacked by pirates?”
The Small Kerchief Island was the fief of Viscount Smallkerchief’s family. If memory served him right, the current lord was called Vince Smallkerchief. This family and the Big Kerchief Island’s Viscount Jenner Bigkerchief’s family were one and the same family – the Kerchief Family – one hundred years ago. The family was very famous for sewing handkerchiefs.
Later, the one who had inherited the family title and another one who had rendered meritorious deeds on the battlefield and had become a viscount had changed the family name to Bigkerchief and Smallkerchief respectively.
“The pirates pillaged the castle and slaughtered on the island; we could only escape.”
“Have you decided on what to do now?” Liszt looked at the damaged sailboat; the sails were torn and the hull had multiple holes. The ship had already been puled ashore. A group of stooped figures disembarked the ship as they supported each other, “Do you persist in taking refuge in the Big Kerchief Island or do you stay in the Flower Town?”
A ray of hope suddenly flashed through Burnell’s murky eyes: “Sir, can… can we stay in the Flower Town?”
This was the increase in population mission reward, so Liszt would naturally not let it slip past his fingers: “If you stay, I can grant you the identity of serfs. The Flower Town has a lot of uncultivated land that can be conferred to you for cultivation. Also, serfs skilled in different crafts will be valued. If you decide to stay, then report to Chevalier Gort.”
They could not continue with their journey as the ship was stranded. Moreover, what difference was there between going to the Big Kerchief Island and staying in the Flower Town.
Therefore, after a simple discussion with the other refugees, Burnell reported to Gort that everyone was staying, becoming the Flower Town’s serfs and vowing loyalty to Liszt.
As they became serfs, it meant that these people, including the broken ship, had become part of Liszt's capital.
“Teacher Gort, check the identities of the new serfs and then assign them to the various settlements. Additionally, the sailboat is to be thoroughly investigated, I want to known if there is anything inside. A ship stolen from pirates is bound to have some weapons, right?”
Gort said energetically: “Liszt, please rest assured, these serfs can’t even hide a loaf of bread. Anything they carry as well as their circumstances will be clearly presented to you… It will only take half a day’s time.”
“Don’t forget about the ship. Repair it if possible.”
“Certainly.”