13 Chapter 0013 Black Tulip

"Hurry up, hurry up, damn fool, dilly-dallying, are you looking to die! The Lord Landlord wants to take a census of your family, quick, put on your clothes, and bring your wife and children with you, assemble in the clearing ahead, if one person is missing, mind I break your legs!"

The patrolling member slapped the thatched cottage door, brandishing his authority as he bellowed into the house.

Soon, the entire population of Barley Hamlet emerged from their houses, assembling in the clearing amid the scolding of the patrol members.

They whispered to each other in twos and threes.

They occasionally looked up at the table in the middle of the clearing, where a forty-year-old woman in a tidy dark green dress was sorting through a stack of thick parchment. Behind the woman was a young maid, helping to dissolve the ink in the tea canister.

"Who is that?"

"Never seen her before."

"Idiot, she must be a maid from the castle!"

"That's right, that's right, look at her clothes, they are definitely pressed, only the Lord Landlord's maids wear such tidy and clean outfits, unlike us, stinking and wrinkled."

"What does the Lord Landlord want to do? I heard the lapdog say, a census... What was it?"

"It's a population census." An elderly serf chewed on some kind of plant root, "Ten years ago, the Earl sent someone to conduct a census, back then our Barley Hamlet had... had... had so many serf families, many more people than now, oh dear, the big snow seven years ago starved many people to death."

In front of the table.

The patrol members, who were previously brimming with bravado, were now nodding and bowing as they said to the two maids, "Mrs. Morson, Miss Midgeon, all the serfs of Barley Hamlet are assembled."

"I am not a miss, I am just a maid in the castle." Actually, Midgeon Bull Tail was pleased with the title of miss. She smiled and asked, "Is everyone here? Make sure not to miss anyone, otherwise the Lord Landlord will punish us, you included."

"Of course, of course, I can guarantee, they would not dare to hide."

Mrs. Morson nodded, "Then go on, have them come one household at a time, once their census is done they can go straight home, no need to come back to register."

"All right."

The patrol member then started leading the serf households one by one to the table.

Mrs. Morson asked according to the items Liszt had prepared beforehand, "Are you the head of the household? What's your name?"

"Ho... Hope, ma'am."

"Don't be nervous, your full name, including your surname, Mr. Hope."

"Oh, okay... okay, my name is Hope Sourwater."

"So Mr. Sourwater, is your whole family here, all five of you? What is your wife's name, and what are the names of your two sons and daughter... How old are you, and what is your occupation, what do you do? Is your wife the same? Is your eldest son working yet?"

Quickly, Mrs. Morson finished her questioning and began to record the information on the thick parchment.

Head of serf household - Hope Sourwater, age 37, barley cultivation, limbs intact; wife - Simon Sourwater, age 34, barley cultivation, limbs intact; eldest son - Rob Sourwater, age 20, oat cultivation, limping; second son - Peter Sourwater, age 17, barley cultivation, limbs intact; daughter - Lily Sourwater, age 15, chicken raising at home, limbs intact.

Having recorded the information, Mrs. Morson checked it over once more.

Once certain everything was correct, she said gently, "Mr. Sourwater, ma'am, your family can go back now."

"Oh, okay... okay."

This scenario continued for one day, and then stack after stack of thick parchment was delivered to the castle, to Liszt's desk. With that, the census operation for Fresh Flower Town was declared complete.

"Liszt, this is truly incredible. Such a difficult task, in your hands, seems so easily resolved. You will make a competent Lord Landlord, for sure," Goltai praised.

"Teacher Goltai, let's hold off on the praise for now, compile the numbers from each hamlet and summarize them for me."

"At your service."

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Perhaps it was Liszt's decisive actions that put pressure on Goltai, prompting this would-be advisor and follower to uncharacteristically burn the midnight oil, working late into the night by candlelight.

Early the next morning.

The compiled statistics had already been laid before Liszt after he finished breakfast and completed his knightly training.

"My lord, Lord Goltai stayed up all night. His eyes were full of red veins when he delivered the documents," Carter said, holding the thick parchment.

"Make sure to treat him with good food and drink. A token of appreciation is always necessary. I want Fresh Flower Town to thrive. I don't want my territory to remain as lifeless as it was in the past."

Carter looked a bit dazed and took a few seconds to respond, "My lord, I feel as though I am seeing the young and spirited viscount that the Earl was in his youth. In five years, he rose to the rank of earl and established the Tulip Family's rule over Coral Island. Having you as the landlord is fortunate for all the residents of Fresh Flower Town."

"Perhaps," Liszt replied without modesty.

Quietly flipping through the thick parchment—although there were many pages, there wasn't much content. Even written in minute script with a goose quill, there wasn't much text to record.

"Thick parchment is indeed backward."

"My lord, we don't have much thick parchment left. This has already used up four-fifths of our stock," Carter informed him.

"I know, I'll find a way to solve this." Papermaking had long been on Liszt's agenda, just waiting for the right time to tackle it.

After half an hour, Liszt had fully comprehended all the data from Fresh Flower Town.

There were a total of eight hamlets.

In the town's hamlets, 257 households, 907 people, of which 41 households, 125 people were freemen; the rest were serfs.

Peanut Hamlet, 23 households, 92 people, all serfs.

Mushroom Hamlet, 68 households, 211 people, all serfs.

Tomato Hamlet, 30 households, 152 people, of which 10 households, 28 people were freemen; the rest were serfs.

Barley Hamlet, 48 households, 155 people, all serfs.

Little Wheat Village, 101 households, 342 people, all serfs.

Fresh Flower Farm, 21 households, 54 people, all serfs.

There was also a dairy farm, 18 households, 60 people, all serfs.

In total, Fresh Flower Town had 584 households, 1973 people, with just 51 households, 153 people being freemen; the remainder were serfs. At the castle, there were 10 servants, 4 retainer knights, as well as two followers—Goltai, Marcus—and including Liszt himself, 17 people.

Goltai and Marcus still had families back in Coral City, yet had not brought them over. It could be they were reluctant to come, or they were waiting for some time before making the move.

Therefore, the total population of Fresh Flower Town was 1990 people.

The vast majority were engaged in agriculture, growing barley, wheat, oats, tomatoes, mushrooms, peanuts, tulips, and raising dairy cows, as well as a small number of chickens, ducks, geese, pigs, dogs, and sheep.

Only seven percent of the population was involved in handicraft industries.

There were tailors' shops, smithies, carpenters' shops, bakeries, mills, grocery stores, tanners' shops, barbershops, and locksmith stores—one of each.

"The census is detailed enough; this should complete the task," Liszt thought to himself as he pushed away the parchment that emitted a faint stench.

Just then, old Butler Carter approached: "My lord, great news! The steward from Fresh Flower Farm has come to report a joyous event to you."

Upon hearing the words "Fresh Flower Farm," Liszt's eyes lit up, and he knew it was probably the reward for the task, "Where is he? Bring him here... What's the good news?"

"It's a previously unseen Black Tulip, my lord. I'll bring him over right away."

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