The Knight of Light plants the sun in the eternal night.

The words of the fluorescent mushroom plant reassured Leo as he rode along without worry, since the carriage was moving slowly.

The journey of one or two hundred kilometers took from morning until evening.

The Firefly Wilderness is vast. Although it is called a wilderness, most of the land is actually quite barren, with very little fertile land suitable for cultivating and growing Light Plants. Otherwise, the Baron would not have sent the knights to reclaim the swampy plains.

We passed several manor houses along the way.

Leo didn't stop; he led his team directly to the Glowing Town.

This is a brightly lit town, with various herbaceous plants densely planted along the roads, as well as many woody plants emitting a dazzling light. It has the atmosphere of a city that never sleeps, with its dazzling lights and vibrant colors.

Of course, the brightest lights were the lamps; every household lit their lamps.

"It's been more than half a month since I left the Glowing Town," Franken said with emotion as he rode his horse.

Leo gazed curiously at everything in the town.

His memories from his previous life made him familiar with the town, but as a time traveler, his feelings about the Firefly Town were fresh and exciting.

Perhaps only in the land where dragons descend can there be a true city that never sleeps.

But man-made cities that never sleep, like the Firefly Town, can be so brightly lit and dazzling that they seem otherworldly.

Unlike the nightlife scene on Earth.

This is a more "inner-lighting" effect. Instead of neon signs, it flashes vibrant flowers, plants, and trees. The light emitted by the plants is a holy light, a light that brings peace to the soul.

"Is that Young Master Leo?" A street vendor, upon recognizing the handsome face on horseback, immediately removed his hat and saluted.

Most of them were free men.

Some merchants and some artisans were freed from slavery and were able to move freely within their territory.

"Holy Light above, greetings to Young Master Leo."

"Young Master Leo, you've become even more handsome!"

"Would you like to try a freshly baked croissant, young master Leo?"

"Young Master Leo, are you doing well in your fiefdom?"

Most of the freemen were commoners with some status, and some had even been guests at the Glowing Fungus Castle, so they were more carefree in attitude than the serfs.

But the respect for Leo is no less.

Leo did not respond; he was "always" a cool and aloof nobleman, so he simply nodded from horseback.

Then all their thoughts were on this glowing town, which could basically be seen as a city with the beginnings of capitalism. Merchants, craftsmen, and some commoner knights formed the main structure of the town.

Of course, free people can freely enter and leave the territory, so a large part of the residents of Glowing Town may have migrated from other places.

They paid taxes to the Glowing Mushroom Family and received their protection.

You can also pay to lease land to build houses or grow crops, but you can't own the land.

The vast territory of the Firefly Wilderness belongs entirely to the Fluorescent Mushroom Family. The minerals, plants, water sources, and animals in the soil also belong to the Fluorescent Mushroom Family, and the serfs naturally belong to the Fluorescent Mushroom Family as well.

Free citizens must pay taxes on everything they use here.

"The family has made a fortune thanks to the glowing town." Leo couldn't help but sigh as he stood by the bustling streets, surrounded by vendors speaking in accents from all over the country, and hawking various goods.

Franken chuckled from the side, "I've inquired about the composition of the territory's taxes; it's basically a 3-3-4 structure."

"Three, three, four?"

"Of the territory's total tax revenue, 30% comes from the manor's taxes, 30% from the trade taxes of the Glowing Fungus Castle's directly affiliated caravans, and the remaining 40% comes from the Glowing Town's taxes. These free people are much richer than I imagined."

The town of Firefly has a population of about 30,000, of whom 15,000 are free citizens.

Franken continued, "Many freemen come from Lancashire, and they sell most of the goods needed for the territory's daily operations. The Baron's tax knights only need to keep an eye on their purses."

"Professor Franken, what do you think about us opening a market at Swamp Manor?" Leo suddenly suggested.

Franken laughed and said, "That's not funny, Leo. Not many people pass by where we live."

"yes."

"Leo, I know what you're thinking. Swamp Manor is on the edge of the territory, and there's a Glimmering Road leading to Thousand Tent Hills, but it's a military road, not a trade route. Glowing Mushroom Fortress and Taro Fortress rarely interact."

The White Rose Kingdom is roughly divided into eight realms.

The Firefly Wilderness is located in the northeastern part of the country, and its capital is Lancashire County.

The Thousand Tent Hills are located in the eastern part of the country, and the capital of the region is Yorkshire.

Therefore, Fort Glowing Mushroom mainly traded with Lancashire, while Fort Taro mainly traded with Yorkshire.

Leo remained noncommittal, only saying, "If Taro Castle and Glowing Mushroom Castle were to engage in trade—I mean trade between the free citizens of the two territories—would we be able to establish a market?"

Seeing Leo's serious expression, Franken thought for a moment and seemed to understand something, so he replied solemnly, "If that's the case, then a market can indeed be set up, and we happen to be located between the two territories."

"Let's make a plan first."

"Leo..." Franken wanted to ask something.

But Leo interrupted, "I can already see the Glowing Fungus Castle, Professor Franken. Let's focus on getting there. I'll need you to handle some tedious social interactions for me later, and I'm really impatient with them."

Franken puffed out his chest: "It's my duty, Lord Leo!"

He was born for this job; although he wasn't a nobleman, he was very enthusiastic about socializing among nobles.

The convoy drove out of the glowing town, and the dimly lit road turned into a brightly lit avenue.

The road is not only wider than the dimly lit road, but also lined with a large number of herbaceous plants, and occasionally even woody plants.

The brightness is several times that of a dimly lit path where only mushroom plants are grown.

But none of these were enough to attract Leo's attention.

He gazed from horseback at the end of the radiant road, a path leading to a hillside where, atop a low hill, stood a magnificent castle outlined by light, exuding an indescribable sacred aura in the darkness.

This is the castle of the Glowing Mushroom family.

It took dozens of generations to build this "Castle of Light" on the low mountain, making it an inextinguishable fortress for the fluorescent mushroom family.

With such intense holy light, not only would Tier 1 magical beasts and Tier 2 Shadow Beasts dare not approach, but even Tier 3 Void Beasts would not dare to get close easily.

It can be said.

Living in such a castle, one would never have to worry about attacks from shadowy monsters, and would be far from all calamities.

However, maintaining such a castle of light requires a massive amount of resources. All the serfs and free people in the entire Firefly Wilderness are working hard for the eternal holy light of the Firefly Castle.

Leo is a member of the Glowing Mushroom family. Even after being granted a fiefdom, he still has to contribute to the Glowing Mushroom Castle.

"call!"

He exhaled a breath of stale air.

Without seeing it with your own eyes, and only searching for it in your memory, you cannot feel the impact of the fluorescent mushroom castle.

At this moment, an overwhelming urge surged within him, a desire to possess the castle: "Are kings and nobles born with a special destiny...? Elder brother, you were only born seven years before me!"