Chapter 9 (1/2)

The red horse carried Liszt through the muddy land to Peanuton, a settlement much smaller than a village. A couple of grass cottages were scattered around the place.

“What are you waiting for? Kneel before your lord!” The clerk of the settlement knocked on every door quickly.

Those who lived here were all serfs.

They got out of their leaky houses. Their faces were numb, and they were at a loss outside of the doors. It was not until the clerk scolded them that they knelt and paid tribute to Liszt.

The adults were all obedient.

But a few kids raised their heads and observed Liszt with their big glittering eyes now and then, until their parents slapped them and forced them to lower their heads.

“Who’s the manager of Peanuton?” asked Liszt.

Goltai was silent on his horse, as if it were not his business. He had no idea who the manager was. The clerk replied, “It’s George the Crippled.”

“Bring him over.”

Very soon, the clerk returned with an old man whose legs were partly disabled. He was wearing patched clothes and seemed ready to drop dead at any moment.

“My lord, Old George is here.”

The clerk nudged the old man, trying to make the old man bow, but the old man was too nervous to do anything.

Liszt waved his hand at the clerk and said gently, “Old George, don’t be nervous. I am Baron Liszt Tulip, lord of Flower Town. I’m told that something is wrong with the peanuts in your place. Show me your farmlands, and let’s see if we can solve the problem.”

“Oh, baron… my lord…” Old George stammered, “I’ll lead the way… Thank god… Peanuton is saved… Our lord is here for us!”

Old George, excited, walked much faster.

Liszt inspected the farmland before, but he never really observed it until now. The land was divided by ravines. Different serfs worked on different parts of the land.

Ninety percent of the yields belonged to their lord, or Liszt, and the remaining ten percent was their food.

The land was damp. It was obvious that the serfs had irrigated a lot, but water could not bring the peanuts back to life.

Wiping his tears, Old George said anxiously, “My lord, we watered them three times a day, but the peanuts are still dying. Only Archie’s land is still good now, but some of the leaves are turning yellow, too.”

Old George pointed at the land at the center of Peanuton for Liszt.

The central part of the land was green and looked much healthier than the surroundings.

Liszt got off the horse and plucked a withered seedling. He was about to observe it, when Goltai suddenly commented, “Liszt, you shouldn’t do the dirty work. Let the serfs do it for you.”

Although he was an unappreciated knight, he despised civilians more than common nobles did.

Liszt ignored him and simply observed the seedling, trying to figure out the reason.

He was not an agronomist, but he was no stranger to agriculture. The peanuts in the two worlds had similarities and differences. However, he could tell that malnutrition was the cause of the problem.