“Master, we don’t have much parchment left. We’ve already used up four-fifths of it.”

“I know, I’ll find a way to solve it.” Papermaking had long been on Edward Thompson’s agenda, just waiting for the right time to carry it out.

After spending half an hour, all the data of Flower Town was clear in his mind.

There were a total of eight hamlets.

Town Hamlet: 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.

Wheat Hamlet: 101 households, 342 people, all serfs.

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

Dairy Farm: 18 households, 60 people, all serfs.

The entire Flower Town had a total of 584 households, 1,973 people, of which only 51 households, 153 people were freemen, the rest were serfs. On the castle side, there were 10 servants, 4 squire knights, and two followers, Henry Clark and Marcus, including Edward Thompson, making 17 people.

Among them, Henry Clark and Marcus also had families, but they were in Coral City and had not come along. Perhaps they were unwilling to come, or maybe they would come after some time.

So the total population of Flower Town was 1,990 people.

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

Only seven percent of the population was engaged in handicrafts.

There was one each of a tailor shop, blacksmith shop, carpenter shop, bakery, mill, grocery store, leather shop, barber shop, and locksmith shop.

“The census is detailed enough. I should have completed the task now.” Edward Thompson pushed aside the parchment in front of him, which gave off a faintly fishy smell, thinking to himself.

Just at this moment, the old butler Carter came over again: “Master, great news! The steward from Flower Farm has come to report a happy event to you.”

Hearing the words “Flower Farm,” Edward Thompson’s eyes lit up, and he understood in his heart that this was probably the reward for the task: “Where is he? Invite him in… What’s the good news?”

“It’s a black tulip that has never been seen before, Master. I’ll go bring him over right away.”

Chapter 14: The New Home of the Tulip Sprite Worm

Flower Farm has a history even longer than Flower Town.

Eighteen years ago, shortly after being granted Coral Island, William Thompson Tulip mobilized his knight order to survey the island’s terrain and discovered a wildflower meadow here.

Among the flowers, there were two new varieties of tulips, growing vigorously.

For the Tulip family, tulips were their lifeblood, so the count moved his people here to cultivate tulips. However, due to inconvenient transportation, after a few years the count transplanted the new tulip varieties to Coral City, and Flower Farm gradually fell into decline.

To this day, apart from a small number of tulips, most of the flowers at Flower Farm have been cleared away and replaced with other crops, such as barley and wheat.

So when Edward Thompson arrived, he did not see a riot of colorful flowers, only lush green wheat seedlings.

“Lord, there are only twenty acres of tulips left here. The red ones are Sundance tulips, in memory of your lordship’s ancestors; the yellow ones are William I tulips, in honor of your lordship’s supreme glory.” Steward Victor, his hair graying, sighed with emotion.

At its peak, Flower Farm covered as much as 800 acres; now there were only 200 acres, and 180 of those were planted with wheat.

“They’re not magic herbs?”

“Unfortunately, they really aren’t magic herbs, so the count rarely picked tulips from here in later years. But now they’re about to revive. Lord, look over there, in the tulip field, that black tulip with purple-black petals—I’ve never seen anything like it!”

Edward Thompson looked over, and indeed, that tulip stood out among the surrounding yellow and red tulips, its color a deep purple-black.

Like a proud black swan quietly preening its feathers among a flock of geese.

“Is it a magic herb?”

“I don’t know, my lord.”

“I’ll go take a look.” Edward Thompson parted the ordinary tulips and walked up to the black tulip. As his fingers touched the purple-black petals, a familiar yet strange aura was immediately sensed by him.

His eyes suddenly shone.

Edward Thompson revealed a satisfied smile: “It’s a magic herb!”

Magic herb—magical material.

The mysterious mage’s spellcasting could not do without the aid of magic herbs; knights’ battle aura cultivation also relied on the support of magic herbs; all sorts of wondrous treasures, more or less, required magic herbs as auxiliary materials.

Although the price of magic herbs varied greatly depending on their effects, even the cheapest magic herb could be sold for at least one silver coin.

Edward Thompson had never heard of a magic herb cheaper than a silver coin.

To master a magic herb was to possess great wealth.