“Sorry to trouble you, Mr. Carter.” Edward Thompson showed a thoroughly gentlemanly smile. When it came to noble etiquette, he was influenced by his predecessor and didn’t need to learn it deliberately—it came naturally.

　　Even when dealing with lowly servants, one must be polite and respectful—what you do in private, whether beating, killing, or any other perversion, doesn’t matter, but on the surface, you must always display noble demeanor.

　　“It is my honor to serve you.” Carter closed the door smoothly.

　　“Edward Thompson.” Henry Clark took a sip of tea with honey and said, “The sprite worm should be put to use as soon as possible, but the town’s finances are in terrible shape. The previous administrative officer was an idiot, did nothing but oppress the serfs, and left us with a mess!”

　　“I know. Teacher, please investigate as soon as possible and see where would be suitable to place the sprite worm.”

　　“Of course, that’s my duty.”

　　Edward Thompson then turned to Marcus: “Will it be difficult to survey the magic beasts in the area of Thorns Ridge near Flower Town? As the lord, I must pay attention to the frequent harassment of farmers by magic beasts.”

　　Marcus replied, “Thorns Ridge is huge, and the activity of magic beasts is unpredictable. You only have four retainer knights. Even if I figure out all the magic beasts, we still can’t defend against them. The patrol team is completely useless—they’re just a bunch of thugs and ruffians, and when faced with magic beasts, all they do is wet their pants.”

　　Flower Town is located at the northeastern tip of Coral Island, surrounded by Thorns Ridge. There are many magic beasts, so very few merchant caravans are willing to come here to trade.

　　They can only rely on self-sufficiency. Without the help of sprites, the farmers can barely feed themselves, yet they still have to pay taxes to the rulers of Coral Island, the Tulip family.

　　And the nobles only care about how much tax they can collect, not about the life or death of the farmers.

　　The Tulip family is no exception.

　　But now, Edward Thompson could not remain indifferent. After all, he was a new youth bathed in the glorious banner of the common lord’s ideals. Since he had become the lord of a territory, saving the people from their suffering had become his duty—only if Flower Town prospered could he, as lord, enjoy a better life.

　　Both for public and private reasons, he had to develop Flower Town.

　　“There’s always a way to deal with it. Teacher Marcus, after knight class tomorrow, accompany me for a walk through Thorns Ridge. As lord, I haven’t really seen what Flower Town is like.”

　　“Edward Thompson, that’s not a good idea. Just walk around the town; you shouldn’t go to Thorns Ridge. Don’t forget, you almost died there.” Henry Clark immediately objected.

　　Edward Thompson shook his head. “Last time, I accidentally ate a poisonous fruit. This time, I’ll be careful.”

　　Marcus simply said, “I’ll notify your four retainer knights tonight and arrange a patrol route through Thorns Ridge to ensure your safety.”

　　“Thank you.”

　　“You should be cautious.” Henry Clark said helplessly.

　　Edward Thompson said no more. The two teachers didn’t know his real intentions. His body hadn’t fully recovered yet, and by nature, he would only go out after making a complete recovery—but when nobles went out, it was either by carriage or on horseback. Unfortunately, he didn’t have a carriage.

　　Riding a horse, as he recalled, was not an easy thing, because there were no saddles or stirrups here—knights with battle aura didn’t need any auxiliary equipment to ride horses or any kind of mount.

　　“On the contrary, saddles would actually limit a knight’s riding skills... But without a saddle, it really is a pain in the butt...”

　　After seeing off the two teachers, Edward Thompson thought to himself.

　　“Master, when do you plan to retire for the night?” The personal valet came in to ask.

　　“After ten o’clock, Thomas. For now, bring another candle to my study—I want to read.” Edward Thompson sent the valet away.

　　A trace of disappointment appeared on Thomas’s face. For several days in a row, he hadn’t had a chance to show his abilities. Edward Thompson always sent him away instead of needing him to serve at his side.

　　As a personal valet, he felt he hadn’t gained the baron’s favor and was worried about his job.

　　In fact, that was true. Edward Thompson didn’t like personal valets. Every time Thomas helped him dress, Edward Thompson would get goosebumps—all thanks to the evil noble system!

　　Why can’t male nobles have personal maids!

　　As Thomas brought in a candle and left, the study became bright. Edward Thompson got up and drew open the curtains. Through the castle window, he could see a few faint lights in the distant town.

　　Very dim.

　　In a town where people couldn’t even get enough to eat, there was no such thing as nightlife—only endless silence.

　　“So this is my territory: poor, backward, but it belongs entirely to me. The area of a whole town is my own independent kingdom... I will turn it into a paradise!”

　　In a daze.

　　A faint mist appeared before Edward Thompson. The mist twisted and formed abstract characters, like countless little snakes entwined together. This was the common script of the Iron Ridge Kingdom—Serpent Script. Its origins were lost to history, as there was no habit of recording history here.

　　As a transmigrator who had inherited all his predecessor’s memories, Edward Thompson could read this Serpent Script.