Chapter 67: Flame, Trap, and Smoked Grass

Translator: 549690339

Are beasts afraid of fire?

This was quite an interesting question.

Goltai shook his head, offering a different opinion, “Not all beasts are afraid of fire; some are even curious about it, to say nothing of fire attribute magical beasts that are naturally drawn to flames.”

Marcus contemplated, “I think this method might be workable. Small torches, of course, won’t scare beasts, but the big fire from burning pine branches, I believe, would deter even fire attribute magical beasts. The value of the pine branches cut by the lumberjack team is not great; we only want the trunks.”

The discussion on making fires lasted for a full quarter of an hour.

Then Blair added another point, “We could involve the town’s hunters in cutting the trees and have them set traps around the area. It might not work against magical beasts, but at least it will serve as an early warning system. Combined with bonfires, I believe it should be enough to ensure the safety of the lumberjack team’s serfs.”

Eventually, Liszt made the final decision, “Bonfires, traps, these are measures worth trying, but you must not overlook one of Fresh Flower Town’s crops.”

“What crop?” Everyone was curious.

“Smoked Grass.”

“Smoked Grass? Oh, my God, how could I forget such a dreadful plant,” Goltai immediately began to gesticulate wildly, “I am utterly convinced that just lighting a bit of smoked grass would even chase away a dragon with its smell… That scent… I still remember vividly the time you burned it at the dairy farm, Liszt!”

Dragons would not be chased away by the smoke; on the contrary, they would be drawn to it.

Liszt narrowed his eyes slightly, watching Goltai’s expression, sure that the other man had brought up the matter unconsciously, not fishing for details.

The day the Formless Dragon invaded, the burning of smoked grass, the dairy cows that died at the milk farm, the destroyed beacon tower, and that high, piercing dragon roar were all mysteries to others.

But Liszt had said not to ask.

So they had to suppress their doubts until they faded.

“I’m convinced of it too. When I was studying smoked grass, I smeared a bit of smoked grass juice on the nose of a green rabbit, and it was miserable for two days, almost coming down with an illness,” Isaiah agreed, nodding definitively. The green rabbit was his mount, a green horse.

“So…”

Liszt set down his knife and fork and wiped his mouth, pausing his meal, “Flames, traps, and smoked grass—three measures to protect the lumberjack team, ensuring that no magical beasts can harm anyone. This task, Teacher Goltai, Teacher Marcus, you should cooperate with each other to ensure nothing goes wrong.”

“Yes, my lord!” Marcus accepted the command.

Goltai also nodded quickly, “Leave it to me, Liszt.”

Liszt brought up another point in passing, “Additionally, we finally found a value for the smoked grass, so I’ve decided to cultivate the smoked grass field on the north side of Fresh Flower Farm properly and expand the planting scale of smoked grass. Teacher Goltai, you will need to come up with a plan and enforce it as soon as possible.”

“The wasteland we’re reclaiming might not be enough,” Goltai hesitated, “There is a serious shortage of serfs. We didn’t have many serfs to begin with, and Oyster Village took away some, along with the lumberjack team, the roadwork team, and the apprentices from town stores, even the knight squad and castle servants have taken away many serfs.”

He stretched out his hand, bending his fingers one by one as he counted, “Corn Grass, millet fields, tulips… and the large number of seeds you traded for, sweetheart cabbage, turnips, onions, coriander, and such; they all need serfs to plant them. I think we need at least one thousand more serfs.”

Without agricultural tools, the method of reclaiming wasteland was slash-and-burn.

Farming was an energy-intensive task that required many serfs to maintain the normal growth of crops and vegetables. Without enough serfs, the fields could not be planted.

“With mechanized planting, a dozen people could plant all the fields of Fresh Flower Town,”

Liszt often dreamed of leading Fresh Flower Town into the farming mode of the American farm owner, with large machinery moving through the endless fields.

Unfortunately, it was all just a fantasy, as Fresh Flower Town didn’t even have a few shovels or hoes.

So he didn’t insist that Goltai expand the cultivation hastily, “Then let’s just come up with a plan, divide up the fields, and when we have enough hands, we can start planting.”

“As you wish.”

At the lumbering site.

The thirty-plus lumberjacks, working in pairs, were chopping down big trees with their axes. It has to be said, the serfs who had been doing heavy labor all year round had a lot of strength, and their efficiency at felling trees was pretty good.

Liszt was riding on a Li Dragon Horse, slowly inspecting the area.

Elsewhere, Marcus was leading the Knight Squad, continuously picking up the cut-off pine branches and dragging them to three fire sites in the woods. The fires were burning brightly, forming a triangle to protect the lumbering site.

There were hunters setting up traps outside the fire.

Occasionally, bird calls could be heard from the depths of the woods, with no sense of danger—only a scene bustling with activity. But Liszt was not the least bit relaxed. The Smoke Mission’s prompts were clear—magical beasts would raid the lumbering site. He just didn’t know when the attack would happen.

“Magical beasts, huh. Since I’ve come to Fresh Flower Town, I’ve already killed two.”

One was a Fierce Earth Dog that had just given birth and hadn’t recovered its strength, the other a Wind Falcon that fought to exhaustion against a Fruit Thief Monkey. But neither encounter had really been a fierce battle; they were more like taking advantage of the situation.

The only direct conflict with a Wind Blade Wolf was a feint; it fled into Thorn Ridge after just one jab.

Now, he was somewhat looking forward to the imminent magical beast attack. This time, he didn’t know which kind of beast he would encounter, whether there would be a battle, and if he could kill another beast — the taste of magical beast meat was far superior to that of ordinary wild beasts, and it was also enriched with magic power, which Liszt loved.

The sun blazed down fiercely, with hardly a breath of wind. Even under the shade of the trees, it didn’t feel much cooler.

The Fire Attribute Dou Qi flowed through his veins as he rested his hand on the hilt of the Crimson Blood Sword. His gaze traveled across the dappled shadows on the ground, feeling his desire for battle rising.

Given his personal style, it was unlikely that he’d be able to charge into battle as a knight would want to show off a noble’s bravery. It seemed that he would have to find his chance with magical beasts — in such a crowded environment, fully prepared, with Marcus assisting on the side, what better opportunity could there be to showcase himself?

“Come on, magical beasts, my sword is already dying for a fight!”

Schwing!

He abruptly pulled out half of the Crimson Blood Sword, wanting to flourish it a bit, but then he thought it wasn’t very serious, so he decided to sheath it again. However, just at that moment, through the “crackle and pop” sound of the pine branches burning, an unusual “clang” sound rang out from a distance, quickly capturing his attention.

Marcus, who was also inspecting the area, clearly noticed the noise as well, calling out sharply, “Be alert!”

He drew his short gun and moved closer to the direction from which the sound had come.

Liszt tightly gripped the hilt of the Crimson Blood Sword, with the gemstone blue color of his pupils swirling like whirlpools—his Eye of Magic was already in use.

Soon, he spotted faint traces of magic power in several patches of grass.

With just a quick discernment, he recognized there were three magical beasts!

“Marcus, come back!” Liszt drew his Crimson Blood Sword with a clang, calling out loudly, “Fifty meters ahead, there are three magical beasts!”