《The Mighty Dragons Are Dead》 Chapter 1: The Dragon, the Elf, and Fresh Flower Town Chapter 1: The Dragon, the Elf, and Fresh Flower Town Trantor: Henyee Trantions Editor: Henyee Trantions He had spent a week recuperating from wild fruit poisoning and was also making an effort to adapt to his new identity after transmigration. Liszt often felt incredulous. The overworked self who died suddenly at work has actually been reborn as a noble. Moreover, a noble in a different world. This different world was somewhat simr to medieval Europe, a ce where castles and knights ruled everything. However, it was a magical fantasy world with the existence of dragons and elves. Knights could cultivate Dou Qi, and there were mysterious magicians. Even he himself had cultivated ¡°Basic Dou Qi¡± to be an Apprentice Knight. ¡°Primary Dou Qi, huh.¡± A stream of energy flowed endlessly through his body and, guided by his will towards his hands, he instantly felt his palms heating up, filled with immense power. That slightly tingling swelling sensation made him feel as though he could tear tigers and leopards apart with his bare hands. It was Dou Qi, which symbolized power, that allowed knights to rule the vastnds. Dou Qi cultivation. An ¡°Apprentice Knight¡± would master Primary Dou Qi, an ¡°Earth Knight¡± would master Intermediate Dou Qi, and a ¡°Sky Knight¡± would master Advanced Dou Qi. Liszt¡¯s father, Hereditary ¡°Coral Ind¡¯s Count,¡± Li Weiliam Tulip, was a Sky Knight who had mastered Advanced Dou Qi. He possessed absolute power over life and death on his territory, Coral Ind, which was asrge as a prefecture-level city, and only needed to swear allegiance to the Sapphire Duke. Regrettably. As the third son of the Earl, he had not inherited the Tulip Family¡¯s talent for Dou Qi. Even though he had already reached the age of sixteen, he was still an Apprentice Knight. His elder brother, Levis Tulip, became an Earth Knight at thirteen and was now an elite among Earth Knights, capable of challenging three Earth Knights single-handedly. His sister, Lvera Tulip, also became an Earth Knight before reaching adulthood. He also had a half-brother, Lytton Tulip, who was twelve years old and was said to be on the verge of bing an Earth Knight. Liszt inherited more of his mother¡¯s appearance, thete Countess. His light golden, slightly curly short hair, deep sapphire-like eyes, handsome features, fair skin, and slender figure all gave him the air of a naturally elegant nobleman. However, his aptitude was unfortunately poor. Perhaps because he looked so much like his mother, the Earl once had high hopes for him. The greater the expectation, the greater the disappointment. As he grew older, his father becamepletely disillusioned with him, even disying indifference. His brother Levis was temporarily ennobled as a ¡°Hereditary Viscount¡± and was destined to inherit the title of ¡°Hereditary Earl.¡± His sister Lvera also received the title of Baron of Falcon Town, bing a rare ¡°Hereditary Baroness¡± with her own territory in the Grand Duchy of Sapphire, rather than a life peer withoutnd. As for him, he was merely ennobled as a Baron, just like his sister, but of Fresh Flower Town, the most remote ce on Coral Ind. Liszt, who had a personality like his mother¡¯s, was always soft and weak, constantly bullied by his brother and sister. As he grew older, hismunication with the Earl diminished even further, to the point where he would rather live in the Knight Academy than return home. ¡°Thankfully he was an unnoticed ipetent; by taking his ce, no one would realize the difference¡­ And having my territory, with hereditary and unquestionable rights over life and death, is wonderful,¡± Liszt had already gotten past the initial panic and was making efforts to blend into this world. And he had to blend in, to live like a native. Because in this world, transmigrators didn¡¯t have much of an advantage¡ªmagic and Dou Qi surpassed technology¡ªhe couldn¡¯t simply make nuclear weapons and spread destruction, so the idea ofpeting with magic and Dou Qi using technology had to be put aside. Even more so after understanding some of the situation, he felt the need to keep a low profile¡ªmetal resources were entirely provided by dragons, while lush vegetation couldn¡¯t exist without elves! Without dragons, without elves. The idea of farming or having an industrial revolution was somethingpletely out of reach! But dragons and elves are rare essences in this world, and the Duchy of Sapphire has only one dragon¡ªthe Sapphire Dragon, which was the mount of the Sapphire Duke 150 years ago, and the entire Sapphire Family was established on the back of this dragon. It is said that a dragon can live for a thousand years, which means that the Duchy of Sapphire can enjoy its national fortune for hundreds of years toe. Elves are more numerous than dragons, but their ranks are clearly defined. Liszt¡¯s father, Li Weiliam Tulip, possesses a ¡°Tulip Great Elf,¡± which helps the family cultivate arge number of tulips, thereby establishing the family, and even changing their surname to ¡°Tulip.¡± The Great Elf can live for two hundred years and, barring idents, the Tulip Family can still enjoy fortune for over one hundred and fifty more years. Beneath the Great Elf are the Minor Elves, who can live for one hundred years. The Tulip Family owns twelve Minor Elves, which help the family cultivate various nts. Beneath the Minor Elves are the Elf Bugs, beings birthed from within nts with a lifespan of ten years, capable of affecting nt growth. If they encounter a stroke of fortune within those ten years, they can evolve into Minor Elves. As for the Elf Bugs themselves, it is only by a lucky chance that one might be birthed from a nt. The Tulip Family has cultivated Coral Ind for over twenty years, reaping more than a hundred Elf Bugs, and considering those that have died, there have only been a little over one hundred and fifty in total. Among them, only twelve have evolved into Minor Elves. ¡°Elves¡­ It¡¯s a pity that the previous soul indeed displeased the Earl, even Li Vera has obtained a Minor Elf, whereas I, have only four Elf Bugs!¡± At Liszt¡¯sing-of-age ceremony, the Earl of Coral Ind announced his ennoblement as the Baron of Fresh Flower Town and gifted him four Elf Bugs. That was all. ¡°My lord, dinner time has arrived, shall we dine now?¡± Butler Carter knocked on the door and came in, bowing slightly. ¡°It¡¯s already dinner time, eh? Very well, please invite the two teachers to join us,¡± Liszt said, not so elegantly stretching his back. His time spent nurturing his health had bored him terribly. Soon, the two teachers arrived together. The one with blond hair and tailed coat was Goltai, the family tutor, already forty-five years old. He was a down-on-his-luck Honored Knight who depended on the Tulip Family, mainly responsible for Liszt¡¯s schrly education. Of course, his primary job was as the Administrative Officer of Fresh Flower Town, helping Liszt manage the whole town. ¡°Liszt, you look much better. Thank heavens; it¡¯s good to see you healthy and lively again,¡± Goltai said with yful ease, quite casually. The other with a serious expression and meticulous movements was Liszt¡¯s knight teacher, Marcus. His strength had reached that of an Earth Knight, but he had not yet gained a noble title. His family had been Retainer Knights for the Tulip Family for several generations, and in his generation, he was the first to be an Earth Knight. Liszt smiled slightly, ¡°Now that both teachers have arrived, Mr. Carter, please proceed with the meal.¡± ¡°As you wish, my lord,¡± the old butler Carter left the parlor gracefully to inform the kitchen downstairs to serve the meal. ¡°Teacher Marcus, my health has mostly recovered, and I hope to continue my knight training sses from tomorrow,¡± Liszt said. Marcus¡¯s square face was expressionless: ¡°Possible.¡± Seeing this, Liszt smiled faintly, knowing in his heart that this Earth Knight harbored some resentment. He had hoped to earn distinction on the battlefield, win the title of Honored Knight, and join the ranks of high society as a noble member. Instead, he was dispatched here to serve as Liszt¡¯s knight teacher, trapped in the backwater of Fresh Flower Town. And within the Tulip Family, Liszt was notoriously inept, which meant, following Liszt, the chances of bing a noble were almost nonexistent. Soon, the old butler arrived with the maids and manservants, bringing the ted meals. The meal was not borate. The quality of life in Fresh Flower Town was low, and production was limited. Liszt, being a son not favored by the Earl, had meager resources and could not support avish lifestyle. Still, Liszt ate with great seriousness. Transmigration is a technical affair, and bing a noble was already a great fortune. One should know that in this world, aside from the nobles, mostmoners are but sheep to be ughtered at will. His two teachers included, were in fact his servants, and he could decide their life or death with a single word. Chapter 2 - 0002: Serpent Script Composed of Smoke Chapter 0002: Serpent Script Composed of Smoke Trantor: Henyee Trantions Editor: Henyee Trantions Grilled goat meat, boiled seven-gill eels, a small portion of apple puree and pear slices, hop-vored barley beer, and white bread made from fine wheat flour. This was Liszt¡¯s dinner. The slightly Western-style meal did not suit his taste, but he was incapable of cooking and could not prepare the home-cooked dishes he liked. Moreover, in this world, nobles are strictly forbidden from entering kitchens, storehouses, or any other ces meant for servants, as doing so would be a breach of noble etiquette and subject to ridicule. Of course, the court was an exception. The chefs and servants of the court were all attended to by aristocrats from the various small fiefs. Liszt¡¯s father, the Earl of Coral Ind, had once served as a stablemaster for the new generation of the Sapphire Duke, responsible for caring for the Duke¡¯s beloved steed¡ªa horse with a mix of dragon blood in its lineage. To this day, the Earl of Coral Ind would asionally enter the court to fulfill the role of stablemaster. He relished this task, fearing that another noble might rece him as stablemaster and impede his close rtionship with the Grand Duke. In the same vein, the Sapphire Duke also served as a personal valet to the lord of his sovereign state, the Steel Ridge Kingdom, attending to His Majesty the King¡¯s every need. Essentially,moners are the servants of the nobility, and the lesser nobility serve the greater nobility. Only by bing king of a country does one be a true master. ¡°Thankfully, here in Fresh Flower Town, I am the sole master and need not attend to anyone,¡± Liszt thought contentedly while eating his less-than-satisfactory dinner. The Earl was his father who didn¡¯t care for him and would hardly bother him. After dinner, Butler Carter would direct the maids to clean up the dishes, and a personal valet would bring water for washing and assist Liszt with rinsing out his mouth. When the routine was done, Carter left with the other servants, ¡°I will be just outside the door, Master and the two gentlemen, please call upon me if you need anything.¡± ¡°Thank you, Mr. Carter,¡± Liszt said, smiling with a gentleman¡¯s grace. In terms of noble etiquette, he was influenced by his predecessor and didn¡¯t need to learn it actively; it came naturally to him. Even towards the lowliest servants, one must maintain politeness and respect¡ªin private, it mattered not whether they were beaten or killed or subjected to any sort of mistreatment, but publicly, one must maintain noble demeanor. ¡°It is my honor to serve you,¡± Carter said as he smoothly closed the door. ¡°Liszt,¡± Goltai said, taking a sip of tea sweetened with honey, ¡°we must quickly make use of the Elf Bug, but the town¡¯s finances are in terrible shape. The previous administrative officer was a fool who did nothing but oppress serfs and left us with a mess!¡± ¡°I know, Teacher, please investigate as soon as possible to see which areas are suitable for the Elf Bug cements.¡± ¡°Of course, it¡¯s my duty.¡± Liszt then turned to Marcus, ¡°Will it be difficult to investigate the magical beasts near Thorn Ridge that are close to Fresh Flower Town? As thendlord, I must take seriously the matter of these beasts frequently harassing the farmers.¡± Marcus replied, ¡°Thorn Ridge is vast, and the magical beasts don¡¯t have a fixed pattern of activity. With only four Retainer Knights at your disposal, even if I learn all about the magical beasts, we still won¡¯t be able to defend against them. The Patrol Team is absolutely unreliable; they are a bunch of ruffians and scoundrels who would wet their pants at the sight of a magical beast.¡± Fresh Flower Town is located at the northeastern extremity of Coral Ind and is surrounded by Thorn Ridge¡ªa ce teeming with magical beasts, which is why few merchant caravans are willing to trade here. The town can only produce and consume its goods; without the help of elves, the farmers struggle to support themselves, yet they still must pay taxes to the Tulip Family, who rule over Coral Ind. And the nobility is only concerned with how much tax they can collect, paying no mind to the farmers¡¯ survival. The Tulip Family is no exception. However, the present Liszt could no longer remain indifferent. As a youth bathed in the glorious banner of mutual ownership, having be the lord of a region, he waspelled to rescue the people from dire straits¡ªit was his duty. Only with the prosperity of Fresh Flower Town could he, as thendlord, enjoy betterforts. For both public and private reasons, he had to develop Fresh Flower Town. ¡°There must be a way to cope with it. Teacher Marcus, after tomorrow¡¯s knight ss, I¡¯d like you to apany me for a walkthrough of Thorn Ridge. As thendlord, I have yet to really see what Fresh Flower Town looks like.¡± ¡°Liszt, this is not a good idea. It¡¯s better to just stroll around the town. Thorn Ridge is not a ce to go. Don¡¯t forget, you nearly died in Thorn Ridge,¡± Goltai immediately objected. Liszt shook his head, ¡°Last time I carelessly ate poisonous berries; this time I will be careful.¡± Marcus simply said, ¡°I will notify your four retainer knights tonight and arrange the patrol route through Thorn Ridge to ensure your safety.¡± ¡°Thanks for the trouble.¡± ¡°You should be careful and cautious,¡± Goltai said helplessly. Liszt didn¡¯t say much more, for the two teachers didn¡¯t know his real ns; his body had notpletely recovered and, given his nature, he would definitely prefer to fully recover before venturing out¡ªBut as a noble travels, he either goes by carriage or on horseback, and unfortunately, he had no carriage. Riding a horse wasn¡¯t an easy task either, for there were no saddles or stirrups here¡ªknights with Dou Qi didn¡¯t need such equipment to ride horses, or any mount for that matter. ¡°On the contrary, a saddle would restrict the fusion of a knight¡¯s Dou Qi with his steed¡­ But without a saddle, it always chafes the behind¡­¡± Liszt thought after seeing off the two teachers. ¡°My lord, at what time do you n to retire?¡± his personal attendant came in to ask. ¡°After ten o¡¯clock, Thomas. Add another candle to my study for now; I wish to read,¡± Liszt directed his personal attendant. Disappointment shed across Thomas¡¯s face; for several consecutive days, he hadn¡¯t had the chance to prove himself. Liszt always sent him away rather than requiring his personal attendance. As a personal attendant, he felt he hadn¡¯t earned the baron¡¯s favor and worried about his job. The truth was, Liszt didn¡¯t like having a personal attendant; every time Thomas helped him dress, it made Liszt¡¯s skin crawl¡ªThe abominable nobility system! Why couldn¡¯t a male noble have female personal attendants? As Thomas brought in a candle and then left, the study became brightly lit. Liszt got up, pulled the curtains apart, and through the castle window, he could see a few faint lights from the town nearby. Quite dim. A town where the people couldn¡¯t even get a full meal had no nightlife, only endless silence. ¡°This is my territory, isn¡¯t it? Poor and backward, yet it belongspletely to me, an entire town that¡¯s my own independent kingdom¡­ I will turn it into an utopia!¡± he mused. In a trance. Faint smoke appeared before Liszt, the mist twisting into abstract characters, formed like countless little serpents entwining each other. This was the standardized script of the Steel Ridge Kingdom¡ªSerpent Script, with origins so ancient, no records of its inception remained; chronicling history was not customary here. As a transmigrator inheriting all previous memories, Liszt could read the Serpent Script. A message that had baffled him for a week. ¡°Mission: As thendlord, you need to understand everything about your domain. Please make a round through Fresh Flower Town to grasp the crises within yournd and prepare for future development. Reward: The sublimation of Dou Qi.¡± The content was brief and notplicated. But what Liszt couldn¡¯t understand was why he could see the Smoke Serpent Script; searching through the memories of his predecessor, it had always appeared since he was a child. However, back then, the smoke was so thin and blurred that he couldn¡¯t make out the Serpent Script at all, thinking it was a mere illusion. It wasn¡¯t until after the soul transmigration that Liszt could clearly see the text. Startled for a moment, he reached out to touch the smoke, but it disappeared immediately, which supported the notion of it being a hallucination. Now, Liszt didn¡¯t think it was an illusion; perhaps this was a transmigrator¡¯s perk, a manifestation of some system? Unclear, he decided to verify it. As long as he patrolled the territory, the mission would beplete, and whether he could receive the reward would be proof. If there was no reward, it would mean it was just a hallucination. If there was one, it would mean it was a perk. The transmigrator¡¯s ace in the hole¡ªBefore the transmigrator made a move, did the ace go first? Chapter 3 - 0003 The Servants in the Castle Chapter 0003 The Servants in the Castle Trantor: Henyee Trantions Editor: Henyee Trantions Thomas left the study with a heavy heart. As he descended the stairs, he paused at thending, intending to light a cigarette, but then he realized he had hidden his tobo under his pillow. Mr. Carter, the butler, strictly forbid the servants from smoking within the castle. ¡°Thomas, what are you loitering here for?¡± A maid in her thirties, dressed in a ck and white uniform and carrying a mop and bucket, ascended the stairs from below. ¡°Nothing.¡± ¡°Has the master still not allowed you to attend him personally?¡± Thomas, annoyed, pped the wall, ¡°Maisie, tell me, why doesn¡¯t the master like me? Although I¡¯ve never been a personal valet before, I¡¯ve served as the first manservant for Viscount Roosevelt. I¡¯m capable of doing the job.¡± ¡°How would I know? I¡¯m not a maid from Tulip Castle. I¡¯ve never met the master before.¡± ¡°I¡¯m just asking if there¡¯s anything I¡¯m not doing well enough.¡± ¡°You should be asking Mr. Carter or Mrs. Morson about that¡­ And I don¡¯t think you have anything to worry about. The master only has three manservants, Jessie is an assistant, Tom is clumsy, and honestly can¡¯t attend to the master. Maybe that¡¯s just how the master is. There¡¯s no one in this town better suited to be a personal valet than you.¡± Thomas felt a bit heartened, ¡°Yeah, I heard that the master isn¡¯t highly regarded at Tulip Castle and might remain the Baron of Fresh Flower Town, living in this poor countryside for the rest of his life.¡± ¡°Perhaps.¡± ¡°Maisie, do you regret following the master here?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care. Life in the castle, no matter how bad, is still better than going back to the farm to starve to death. I¡¯ve already sold myself to the master. There¡¯s no use in having regrets.¡± Just as Thomas was about to respond, he was abruptly interrupted, ¡°Don¡¯t you both have work to do? Thomas, Maisie, mind your behavior. No whispering outside your chambers and the kitchen!¡± Coming up the stairs, it was Butler Carter who managed this humble little castle. He was carrying a string of keys and a bottle of red wine, inspecting the entire castle. ¡°Right away, Mr. Carter. I¡¯ll get back to work,¡± Thomas and Maisie scurried off, each to their own tasks. If small nobility serves the higher nobility, then manservants and maids are indeed the servants of butlers. The system of nobility has always had such distinct stratification. The castle might be small, but there was no shortage of work. Even with only one noble like Baron Liszt to serve, the daily workload was immense. Take cleaning, for instance: every morning and evening the whole ce needed to be scrubbed down. And there were clothes to wash, hot water to heat, food to prepare, toilets to clean¡ªa majority of these tasks fell on the manservants and maids. But this didn¡¯t mean Carter was without work. On the contrary, in addition to managing the servants, he was also responsible for greeting guests, pouring wine, supervising the serving of meals, receiving and sending correspondence, safeguarding high-end tableware, managing the wine cer, and looking after the most important guests. Old Carter was fifty years old this year. In an era where the average lifespan was barely fifty-five, he was already well advanced in years. Dong dong dong. He knocked on the door of the study. ¡°Come in,¡± replied Baron Liszt from inside, his voice gentle and carrying the fashionable ¡°Steel Ridge ent¡± so esteemed by countless nobles in the Kingdom of Steel Ridge and its client states. Old Carter took a deep breath. During his time at Tulip Castle, he had little to do with Baron Liszt, mainly looking after an earl¡¯s lodge. At the recenting-of-age ceremony for Liszt, the earl assigned him to serve as Liszt¡¯s butler. It was a promotion in terms of position¡ªafter all, the role of butler is the ultimate goal for all servants. But the benefits had certainly diminished. However, Carter harbored noints. Since selling himself into the Tulip Family¡¯s service at fifteen, thirty-five years had passed without marriage or family¡ªCarter had long since considered himself part of the Tulip Family. If he could spend his final years with Baron Liszt, a descendant of the Tulip bloodline, it would be a happy ending indeed. ¡°My lord, reading at night is damaging to the eyes. Remember to take care. No amount of candlelight canpare to the sun¡¯s light during the day.¡± Liszt gave a slight smile, his eyes shifting away from the thick parchment book on the table to look at the somewhat elderly butler, ¡°Mr. Carter, have you checked all the rooms?¡± ¡°Except for the servants¡¯ rooms that still need work, all other rooms have been locked.¡± ¡°Very well, then, let¡¯s have a drink together.¡± Liszt had already noticed the red wine in Carter¡¯s hand. Nobles were as fond of wine as life itself, creating an informal custom that the lord of a castle would have a few drinks with the butler before going to bed at night, discussing the matters of the castle. Liszt didn¡¯t like to drink, but his predecessor did, so much so that his body required alcohol. However, the alcohol content here was very low; unless he drank it like beer, it was hard for him to get drunk. One ss of red wine each. They touched their sses gently. Swirling his ss, Liszt took a small sip, ¡°Can the castle¡¯s expensesst until this year¡¯s taxes?¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s going to be difficult. You didn¡¯t bring much wine or flour from Tulip Castle, and Fresh Flower Town is very remote with no caravans willing toe here. Even if we have gold coins, it¡¯s hard to buy wheat and wine. But the good news is, there¡¯s plenty of wild fruit on Thorn Ridge, so we don¡¯t have to worry about running out of fruit.¡± Liszt wasn¡¯t highly regarded by the Earl, and of course, he received very little when he became independent. ording to his memory, when his sister Li Vera became independent, her carriage was filled thirty times over, but he¡­ didn¡¯t even have a single carriage, just some horses and a group of porters with some luggage. The difference in treatment was like heaven and earth. His predecessor had harbored too much resentment, but for him, it wasn¡¯t much of an issue, since he wasn¡¯t the Earl¡¯s true son. At most, it would be awkward when meeting with his father and trying to express closeness. ¡°We can¡¯t do without wheat,¡± Liszt put down his wine ss and dered with undeniable certainty, ¡°Fresh Flower Town must develop quickly, the trade route has to be opened!¡± Bread was the staple food here. Without the wheat for white bread, they could only eat the rough and hard-to-swallow ck bread made from rye and oats. Liszt already couldn¡¯t have his favorite hometown dishes; if he also couldn¡¯t have the soft white bread, he would starve to death. ¡°Opening trade routes is not an easy task. Thorn Ridge is too dangerous.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that, I¡¯ll solve it. The future of Fresh Flower Town won¡¯t be limited by poverty, nor will the castle remain this crude, without even a name,¡± Liszt said earnestly. Only a magnificent castle could have a name. Given the simplicity of Liszt¡¯s castle, to call it a castle was an overstatement, and naming it would be subject to the ridicule of other nobles. ¡°Have the Elf Bugs been well taken care of?¡± ¡°Very well, milord.¡± ¡°Good.¡± They finished their wine. Old Carter, recognizing it was time to leave, took his leave, ¡°Milord, please rest early, I wish you a good night.¡± ¡°Good night to you too, Mr. Carter.¡± After Carter left, Liszt spent some time looking at the thick parchment book about the culture and customs of the Duchy of Sapphire; the book was as thick as a dictionary. Its content, however, was sparse¡ªtrue to its name, the thickness of one page of parchment was almost that of pigskin. ¡°How was paper invented?¡± Liszt wondered. He was pleased to find his memory quite sharp, remembering the papermaking process he had seen online, ¡°Once I have the time, I must also invent paper¡­ An industrial revolution seems unlikely, but there are still many ways to get rich.¡± In a trance, he zoned out again. Sure enough, the Serpent Script formed by smoke appeared before him again. ¡°Quest: As andlord, you need to understand everything about yournd. Please inspect Fresh Flower Town to understand the crisis of your territory, and prepare for future development. Reward: The sublimation of Dou Qi.¡± Chapter 4 - 0004: The Knight with Bursting Dou Qi Chapter 0004: The Knight with Bursting Dou Qi Trantor: Henyee Trantions Editor: Henyee Trantions Early the next morning. Marcus arrived at the castle early, but did not enter. Instead, he waited outside. Looking at the low, dpidated castle, his heart was cold. Perhaps he was thinking that his future would be as bleak as this castle. The castle was built on a mound in the southwestern corner of town. There were no tall walls, no towering watchtowers, no battlements to stand upon, no broad moats, and no massive gatehouses. It was just a slightlyrger two-storey house. The stone walls were beginning to show faint cracks. Gradually, several tiles fell off the roof, raising concerns about leaks when it rained. It was said that this modest little castle was over a hundred years old. When Coral Ind was not yet under the Earl¡¯s dominion, nobles had lived here, but it had fallen into decay. After the Coral Ind was conferred to the Earl, he had it renovated as an alternate residence for inspecting Fresh Flower Town, though he never once stayed there. Until now, when Baron Liszt took up residence in the little castle. And he, a former Earth Knight of the Coral Ind Knights, who had been full of ambition to distinguish himself on the battlefield and be honored with an award, was going to be a frequent visitor to this little castle. Together with Baron Liszt, staying in Fresh Flower Town that didn¡¯t even have a gravel path. ¡°Good morning, Mr. Marcus,¡± greeted Servant Thomas respectfully, carrying an empty bucket and ready to fetch water from the town well. Marcus responded indifferently, ¡°Good morning.¡± He couldn¡¯t remember Thomas¡¯s first name, but he remembered hisst name, which seemed to be ¡°Pigpen,¡± a typicalmoner¡¯s surname. Even he himself did not have a noble-sounding surname; his was ¡°Wheel,¡± because his grandfather had been a coachman who constantly rolled wheels around. Commoners were like that, taking whatever surname they could get. He envied the nobles for their surnames, he envied the Earl¡¯s surname¡ªTulip, such a noble surname! How much effort would he need to put in to change his own surname to something simr? All the noble surnames were not to be used bymoners: Flowers, gemstones, metals¡­ Nobles would definitely not allowmoners to degrade them! Soon, four tall men d in leather armor arrived behind Marcus. ¡°Teacher Marcus,¡± they all greeted one after the other. ¡°Karl, Rom, Gray, Auden, you¡¯re here,¡± Marcus acknowledged them one by one. These four men were Liszt¡¯s Retainer Knights. Retainer Knights were not knights but merely attendants to knights. They were a kind of servant responsible for taking care of knights on the battlefield¡ªcarrying spears, leading horses, washing clothes, and cooking. Essentially, Marcus was also a kind of Retainer Knight. It was just that he was a freeman, while Retainer Knights were bonded servants. Shortly after, Baron Liszt, still not quite awake, walked out from the castle¡¯s drafty main door. In the morning, Liszt had changed into simple and neat training attire¡ªa modest white, which paired with his enviable face, tall figure, and distinguished temperament, made for an excellent appearance. ¡°Good morning, Teacher Marcus, Karl Ironhammer, Rom Barrel, Gray Scythe, Auden Insole, anddies and gentlemen.¡± Ladies were female servants and gentlemen were male servants¡ªregardless of their marital status, nobles could address servants this way. Just as a male butler, whether married or not, is addressed as ¡°Mister,¡± and a female housekeeper, whether married or not, is addressed as ¡°Madam.¡± The rigid system of the nobility¡ªLiszt¡¯s body had been ustomed to it for sixteen years and now instinctively greeted them this way. ¡°Baron, we shall begin the knight¡¯s training ss,¡± said Marcus. ¡°Alright.¡± On the mound in front of the castle, Liszt began his knightly training. His four Retainer Knights, who had not learned Dou Qi, were merely toughening up their bodies on the side. Dou Qi training emphasizes bloodline inheritance, and very fewmoners are able to learn it. Li Si Te actually felt that Dou Qi was rted to nutrition. How could themoners who couldn¡¯t even get enough to eat refine power in their bodies into Dou Qi? Among the nobles, as long as one was diligent, there was nobody who could not produce Dou Qi. This was also the reason the nobility held on to their ruling positions so firmly. With money to eat well, they could cultivate Dou Qi, wield power, oppress themoners, and then be richer, eat even better, have stronger Dou Qi, greater power, and oppress themoners even more. The morning milk paired with bread provided Liszt with a steady supply of nutrients. Under Marcus¡¯s guidance, he kept practicing ¡°Basic Dou Qi¡± From the age of six, he had been cultivating using this secret manual. Unfortunately, the effects were minimal. Dou Qi certainly made him stronger than themoners, butpared to an Earth Knight, an Apprentice Knight appeared very weak, and Marcus could defeat him with just one hand. ¡°The mysterious aura, an experience I¡¯ve never had before, the practice¡­ I wonder what the elevation reward for Dou Qi will bring me after Iplete the task¡ªcould it possibly turn me into an Earth Knight?¡± Feeling the Dou Qi within his body, Liszt practiced diligently. A whole hour passed before morning practice ended. ¡°Teacher Marcus, have some water. We¡¯ll take a ten-minute break and then head out.¡± Liszt wiped the sweat from his forehead, finding the morning practice quite exhausting. The old butler Carter had already brought the servants over with the nutrient-rich milk tea. All four Retainer Knights each got a cup of milk tea with minced meat, milk, and eggs, savoring the delicious beverage in small sips, forgetting the hardship of the past hour. Marcus and Liszt got an extra dessert¡ªcheese biscuits. Once they had finished eating and changed their clothes, the personal servant Thomas had already brought Liszt¡¯s horse, an adult chestnut who was almost pure in color. This was a gift from the Count of Coral Ind when he turned twelve. It was still a foal at the time, but now it had grown particrly majestic. Snort. The chestnut horse blew a loud snort, then rubbed against Liszt¡¯s arm affectionately. ¡°Fire Dragon, my old buddy, you must be bored stiff staying in the castle all the time.¡± Comforting his mount, Liszt smoothly mounted it with a swift leap. Behind him, Marcus and the four Retainer Knights each mounted their own horses. Marcus¡¯s was a yellowish-gray horse, also quite majestic¡ªhis personal mount. The Retainer Knights¡¯ horses were allmon yellow-maned horses, belonging to Liszt¡¯s property but assigned to the Retainer Knights for rearing. ¡°My lord, may you have a safe journey,¡± Carter wished him well. ¡°Thank you for your good words.¡± Liszt lifted his horsewhip, and the Fire Dragon Horse let out a long neigh and broke into a run. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Liszt, riding at the front, wore Magical Beast Leather Armor that only nobles could afford. It was lightweight and breathable, yet offered better protection than ordinary armor. The ck Magical Beast Leather Armor was girded at the waist with a One-Handed Sword. He also wore a ck Magical Beast Leather Helmet, crowned with the magnificent feathers of a male pheasant, adding to his martial appearance. His Retainer Knights, apart from their own weapons of one-handed swords and shields, also had to carry for Liszt arge-sized Knight Spear as well as backup weapons like a longsword, war hammer, and il, along with their lunch and water for noon. Marcus, apart from his favorite short spear, also carried a bow and arrows, for he was a Divine Archer. More than his identity as an Earth Knight, being a Divine Archer highlighted his worth. This was also the reason he was so ambitious and stood out among the Coral Ind Knights filled with Earth Knights, hoping to earn the standing of an Honored Knight. Clip-clop, clip-clop, clip-clop! The sound of horses¡¯ hooves striking the solid earth rang out sharply, and before long, they had reached the small town. Liszt was to inspect his territory, and the town was a priority. Chapter 5 - 0005: The Magical Beast of Thorn Ridge Chapter 0005: The Magical Beast of Thorn Ridge Trantor: Henyee Trantions Editor: Henyee Trantions The geographical location of Fresh Flower Town is at the northeast corner of Coral Ind and the area is not small. However, howrge it specifically is, Li Si Te (Liszt) was clueless. As a remote small town on Coral Ind, it was only simply divided to the northeast side of Thorn Ridge, without any marked boundaries. That meant, as long as Li Si Te (Liszt) didn¡¯t encroach on the towns to the southwest of Thorn Ridge, he could arbitrarily decide howrge Fresh Flower Town was. Even if he were to include all of Thorn Ridge, probably no one would me him¡ªafter all, the ownership of Thorn Ridge on Coral Ind was also undefined. Over twenty years of cultivation by the Tulip Family, in fact, less than two-thirds of Coral Ind had actually been converted into farnd with a settled poption. The remaining one-third was wilderness. Thorn Ridge was such a wilderness where thendlord¡¯s knights needed to campaign abroad, and these wildnds must be opened up by serfs andmoners. Thend of Thorn Ridge was extremely barren and uneven, making it of low development value. Moreover, facing magical beasts, ordinary people were just a delicious meal; even hunters dared not lightly test the waters of the magical beast¡¯s depth. Of course, there were some adventurers who would still go hunting magical beasts, and each beast, every piece of flesh, every inch of fur, could be exchanged for gold coins. Li Si Te (Liszt), riding on his Fire Dragon Horse, was filled with enthusiasm for this inspection. Enclosingnd was an innate instinct of every noble; howrge Fresh Flower Town was would depend on where his horse¡¯s hooves could reach. At this moment, the hooves were trotting along the town¡¯s streets, which were dirt roads, very dirty, with the feces of livestock and humans apparent everywhere¡ªonly the nobles would build toilets. ¡°Sanitation, it must be changed,¡± Li Si Te (Liszt) said as he turned to speak to Ma Ku Si (Marcus). Ma Ku Si (Marcus) could not deny it; he was not an administrative officer and was not interested in these matters. What heated his blood was the authority of the nobility, especially the serfs andmoners constantly bowing to Li Si Te (Liszt) along both sides of the street. These people, with their sallow faces, harbored admiration and fear toward the nobility. They would shiver all over. The ones kneeling were serfs; those bowing were freemen. Serfs made up the overwhelming majority, having sold themselves to the nobles, and were Li Si Te (Liszt)¡¯s private property. Matters of marriage and burial were decided by Li Si Te (Liszt). Even if Li Si Te (Liszt) exercised his droit de seigneur, these serfs were obliged toply and send their freshly bathed daughters and wives into the castle. Freemen were rare; they were mostly craftsmen such as hunters, tailors, and the like. The town was very small and rundown, not housing many residents. Even if all the town¡¯s popce had gathered along both sides of the street to pay respect, there was still no trace of a warm atmosphere. Gazing around, Li Si Te (Liszt) found that the town might only have a few hundred people¡­ not even as many as the student poption of a school. The lowly hovels made of mud and thatched with straw stretched over arge area. The size of the town was mostly supported by these dpidated houses¡ªwith two-story buildings being a rarity, with only three or four households visible. This time, he truly felt the poverty of themoners¡¯ lives. His heart was heavy with countless emotions. And he felt even more fortunate that he was a noble, able to live in a castle and eat fine white bread made of refined wheat flour. The Fire Dragon Horse quickly carried Li Si Te (Liszt) through the town¡¯s only north to south thoroughfare, and with a slightly heavy heart, he proceeded along the safe route nned by Ma Ku Si (Marcus) towards Thorn Ridge. Throughout the ride, surrounding the town were patches of farnd, but Li Si Te (Liszt) could not name most of the crops. These crops didn¡¯t look promising; they were sickly and twisted, with many weeds growing alongside them, clearlycking any scientific management. This era certainly had incredible creatures like dragons and elves, as well as unimaginable divine forces like Dou Qi and Magic, but it was rtively underdeveloped. Industrial revolution was out of the question, but introducing some scientific development methods was still very promising. Liszt was full of confidence in managing his territory and leading the development of Fresh Flower Town. ¡­ The journey was not long before the small town was far out of sight. Leaving the tnd, they entered a hilly area with sparse woods, which marked the edge of Thorn Ridge. ¡°Baron, magical beasts often appear around the edge of Thorn Ridge, so I hope you will follow me closely without being reckless,¡± Marcus said, leading the way upon reaching the area, and he instructed the four Retainer Knights, ¡°Protect the Baron at all costs. Unless you be corpses, do not let any magical beast advance a single step. Can you do that?¡± ¡°We can!¡± Karl and the others responded loudly. They came frommoners, who did not have to go to war in this region, a burden borne only by nobles and knights. But although Retainer Knights were ofmoner status, they also needed to go to war¡ªserving as logistical soldiers, they had the responsibility to die for the noble if they were seeking better treatment. To avoid magical beasts, the group of knights could only make their way along the edge of Thorn Ridge. The trees were still lush and asionally one could see wild animals, like rabbits and foxes; but the edge of the Thorn Ridge was not rich in food, so it was rare toe acrossrge wild beasts. ¡°In spring, summer, and autumn, the food within Thorn Ridge is enough to meet the needs of magical beasts, so Fresh Flower Town does not often encounter them. But in winter, starving magical beasts will invade Fresh Flower Town, and every year a few unfortunate souls be food to satisfy the beasts¡¯ hunger,¡± Marcus exined without mincing words despite his poor mood. ¡°Ah, magical beasts, I wonder if we could encounter one today,¡± Liszt thought, recalling from the predecessor¡¯s memories having seen several types of magical beasts. The biggest difference between them and ordinary wild beasts was their magic power, enabling them to release some greatly powerful magic spells. At Tulip Castle, they had also raised a small magical beast¡ªthe Fire Rabbit. The Fire Rabbit, capable of casting small fireballs, was delicious, with glossy fur preferred by nobles for its meat, and noblewomen for its fur to make coats. He had also seen the fur of a powerful magical beast¡ªthe Giant Barbarian Bear, which Coral Ind¡¯s Count¡¯s favorite chair was upholstered with, the terrifying bear¡¯s face fully tanned, exuding an intimidating and ferocious aura. To hunt down the Giant Barbarian Bear, the Coral Ind Knights had lost eight Earth Knights. The death of eight Earth Knights amounted to a severe blow to the Knight Order, even more casualties than a territorial battle might cost. Moreover, many more Apprentice Knights had perished. All the way, Liszt kept recording the terrain of Thorn Ridge, including ces suitable for building defensive fortifications, ces fit for water conservancy projects, locations where fortresses could be erected, and areas appropriate for opening farnds. These were all duties for andlord noble invested withnd to fulfill. ¡°It must be time for lunch, Auden. Let¡¯s prepare lunch right here.¡± ¡°Yes, my lord!¡± Auden Insole immediately dismounted, found a t area to spread out a carpet, and then arranged the dry rations on it. The simple lunch included bread, caviar, fruit sd, and milk tea. And specially prepared for Liszt, dried goat meat. Just as they thought it was going to be a simple lunch, Marcus¡¯s expression changed abruptly after swallowing a piece of bread, ¡°Baron, there is a situation. It¡¯s the scent of a magical beast!¡± Chapter 6 - 0006 Earth Knight and Wind Blade Wolf Chapter 0006 Earth Knight and Wind de Wolf Trantor: Henyee Trantions Editor: Henyee Trantions As an Earth Knight, Marcus¡¯s Dou Qi was keenly perceptive to things like magic power and Dou Qi. If he said there were magical beasts, he was certainly not wrong. Liszt immediately became tense. The four retainer knights hastily packed up the tableware. They were ordinary people who hadn¡¯t even cultivated Dou Qi, so facing magical beasts meant certain death for them. Marcus had already mounted his horse, ¡°Don¡¯t bother packing up the tableware, protect the Baron and get him on his horse, and prepare forbat!¡± The retainer knights hurried over to assist Liszt. But Liszt, an Apprentice Knight with Primary Dou Qi, was much stronger than ordinary people. Suppressing the nervousness in his heart, he had already mounted his horse. The Fire Dragon Horse, majestic though it might be, was a young horse who had never faced battle and was equally nervous. Liszt had to reach out and stroke his mane to calm its nerves. Snort! The Fire Dragon Horse, encouraged by its master, rxed its tense body. As a birthday present from the Earl to his son, its bloodline was not inferior, inheriting from the magical beast, the zing Steed, and it had a strong adaptability. In a few breaths¡¯ time. The magical beast that Marcus sensed had poked its body out from the depths of the dense forest; it was a massive gray wolf with two pale cyan patterns on its body. ¡°It¡¯s a Wind de Wolf! A low-level magical beast! Step back, I¡¯ll handle it!¡± Marcus raised his short spear, and while it was called a short spear, it was actually a Knight Spear meant for closebat and was longer than a person. Speaking of which. Marcus suddenly let out a mighty roar, ¡°Hah!¡± Intermediate Dou Qi resonated and vibrated in his mouth, like a bomb exploding, the tremendous roar made the surrounding leaves rustle. He hoped to scare off the Wind de Wolf. The Wind de Wolf crouched down a bit and seemed to back away, as if it was going to retreat, but that was just a prelude to its attack. But as soon as Marcus squeezed his horse¡¯s sides, he rode his dusky-yellow horse and charged forward with his spear for a strong attack. The Wind de Wolf also leaped forward, dashing toward Marcus, while several pale cyan Wind des abruptly appeared in front of it, spinning and slicing towards Marcus. The tip of the Knight Spear trembled, a faint milky white light attached to it, swiftly striking and shattering each Wind de. Then, with a swing of his spear behind him, Marcus drew an oval trajectory with his Knight Spear, charging from the other side and hitting the leaping Wind de Wolf precisely. In a moment of crisis, the Wind de Wolf twisted its body, dodging the Knight Spear, but the milky white light on the spear inflicted a wound, causing blood to flow continuously. Once itnded, it sent out several Wind des chaotically. Marcus moved as one with his horse, narrowly dodging the Wind des. By now, he had put some distance between himself and the Wind de Wolf and attempted several charges to engage in closebat. However, the Wind de Wolf was intelligent, always maintaining its distance andunching Wind des to wear him down¡ªanother difference between magical beasts and ordinary wild beasts was their intelligence. In such a war of attrition, and with the magical beast¡¯s rapid magic power recovery, it was hardly an issue. However, a knight¡¯s Dou Qi couldn¡¯tst. But Marcus proved his strength and why he was confident in winning honors and the noble title of Honored Knight on the battlefield. He sheathed his Knight Spear and swiftly drew his bow from behind, instantly letting loose two arrows in tandem, the arrows infused with Dou Qi shot out like beams of light. The Wind de Wolf¡¯s eyes shed with disdain, as it could easily dodge the arrows¡¯ attack range with just a light twist of its hips. But the next moment, the Wind de Wolf¡¯s expression changed from disdain to fear. Two arrows collided in mid-air, rapidly changing direction and sinking fiercely into the back of the Wind de Wolf. ¡°Such profound archery, truly worthy of being the Knight Order¡¯s Divine Archer!¡± Liszt, who was watching the battle, was genuinely astonished, and his nervousness had faded away. With such an Earth Knight for protection, he could conveniently paddle leisurely by the side. It¡¯s good to live as a Landlord, always avoiding exertions in situations that don¡¯t require effort. Servants waited on him in life, while knights risked their lives on the battlefield. As the saying goes, things can happen in the blink of an eye. Watching Marcus draw another two arrows, the Wind de Wolf, bleeding nonstop on its back, shed a hint of resentment in its eyes and twisted its body to flee into the dense woods, disappearing from everyone¡¯s sight in the blink of an eye. Marcus watched the direction in which the Wind de Wolf vanished and slowly lowered his bow and arrows. Karl Ironhammer, who had been watching excitedly, couldn¡¯t help but say, ¡°Teacher Marcus, why not pursue it? Two more arrows and the Wind de Wolf would surely be dead. That¡¯s a magical beast more valuable than pearls.¡± ¡°There isn¡¯t just one magical beast like the Wind de Wolf in Thorn Ridge, and it wasn¡¯t as seriously injured as it appeared. It was just a ruse to lure us in¡­ It definitely haspanions waiting in the woods. If you aren¡¯t afraid of dying, feel free to chase it,¡± Marcus responded coolly. Karl Ironhammer scratched his head and fell silent, not daring to speak. Marcus ignored him and turned to Liszt, ¡°Baron, this ce is dangerous, let¡¯s hit the road.¡± ¡°Sure!¡± Liszt readily agreed, touring his territory only for the mission; he wasn¡¯t willing to face danger¡ªan old saying goes, a gentleman does not stand under a copsing wall. Perhaps encountering a magical beast on the edge of Thorn Ridge in spring made Marcus a bit anxious, so he quickened the pace of the inspection thereafter. On the way, Liszt asked curiously, ¡°Teacher Marcus, your archery skills are impressive, even capable of deflecting arrows. What kind of archery is that?¡± ¡°Double Arrow Intersect, an advanced technique of standard archery skills, requiring the guidance of Dou Qi to perform.¡± ¡°That archery technique is both cool and practical. Teacher Marcus, when will you hold an archery ss to teach me?¡± Liszt was very eager. Marcus responded without much enthusiasm, ¡°Advanced archery techniques require the exterior release of Dou Qi to study. Before bing an Earth Knight, Baron, what you first need to do is to strengthen and enhance your own Dou Qi and learn the knight¡¯sbat skills, not shy archery.¡± ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll learn archery after I advance to Earth Knight,¡± said Liszt. Afterpleting the mission and receiving the Dou Qi Sublimation reward, perhaps that would be the moment he advanced to Earth Knight. In the next three hours, they did not encounter any more magical beasts. After inspecting Thorn Ridge, they arrived at the other side of Fresh Flower Town¡ªthe Sea of Azure Waves. The Duchy of Sapphire was situated in the northeastern corner of the continent, formed by the Sapphire Archipgo. Coral Ind was in the northeastern corner of the Sapphire Archipgo. Fresh Flower Town was in the northeastern corner of Coral Ind. Therefore, the vast blue sea Liszt saw at that moment was the border of the Duchy of Sapphire, the Sea of Azure Waves stretching into the unknown. ¡°Teacher Marcus, what¡¯s beyond the sea? Are there other inds, or continents, or perhaps other countries?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. The fleet of Earl has never ventured into farther seas. However, legend has it that, beyond the Sea of Azure Waves, lies the Devil¡¯s Sea haunted by devils, where no one can navigate.¡± ¡°Not even with dragon riding?¡± ¡°Dragons are the pirs of a nation; no Dragon Knight wishes to ride dragons and take risks everywhere. The continent has countlessnds waiting to be developed. Baron, why care about the seawater that holds nothing? Not to offend you, but you should learn from the Earl and seize morend.¡± His words carried a hint of seduction¡ªonly through war could new Nobles be created. Chapter 7 - 007: The Sublimation of Dou Qi Chapter 007: The Sublimation of Dou Qi Trantor: Henyee Trantions Editor: Henyee Trantions ¡°` Seawater with nothing in it? Liszt would never agree with that. In his homnd, the struggle for the ocean was no less than that fornd, and a bluewater navy was the ambition of every country. While maritime resources were indeed difficult to exploit, they were in no way less abundant than those onnd; in this world, he dared not conclude whether there were any mineral deposits beneath the sea¡ªafter all, ording to the information currently avable, only dragons could produce gemstones and metals. But the fishing resources in the sea were absolutely incalcble in their enormity. In the Duchy of Sapphire, there were many wastnds, and a severe shortage ofbor, not even enough to farm thends, let alone develop fisheries. Yet a critical issue arose: elves were held in the hands of nobles who could not affect so much of the arablend, resulting in very low agricultural yields. Just like Fresh Flower Town, the farnd area was definitely not small, but the poption it could support was minimal. The fewer the people, the more they were bound by the nobility and the feudal system to thend, helping the nobility to farm, payingrge amounts of tax, and supporting the noble¡¯s luxurious life. ¡°The development direction of Fresh Flower Town lies in this vast expanse of azure Sea of Azure Waves!¡± Liszt¡¯s heart zed with fervor. As long as there was a nearby fishery, food could be supplied continuously; only when themoners were well-fed could they work hard to increase the poption, and with arger poption, more taxes could be collected. With more taxes, his own life could improve! Of course, these were not the urgent matters at hand; the development of fisheries could not be separated from ships, and Fresh Flower Town was still some distance away from shipbuilding, not to mention his savings could not buy many ships. ¡°Let¡¯s go, after inspecting the final stretch of the border, we¡¯ll head back.¡± He flicked his riding whip and the Fire Dragon Horse neighed loudly as it galloped along the sandy beach of the Sea of Azure Waves. The sand was a light yellow, clean and clear, with asionalrge trees simr to coconut trees growing. The afternoon sun was blocked by them, casting shadows in ce after ce. With a bit of development, it would be a perfect summer resort. The beach inspection over, returning to the starting point at the edge of Thorn Ridge, Liszt officially finished his inspection mission of Fresh Flower Town¡¯s territory. The entourage sped along the road back to the castle, where Marcus and the four Retainer Knights paid their respects before taking their leave to their homes in the town. The castle was merely a residence for Liszt and his male and female servants. ¡°My lord, seeing you return safely puts my heart at ease,¡± Butler Carter greeted Liszt, leading the servants lined up to wee his return. ¡°In my territory, even magical beasts need to behave,¡± Liszt joked, ¡°Mr. Carter, is everything well in the castle?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good, Mrs. Morson, please arrange a bath for me, I need to take one.¡± ¡°Right away, my lord.¡± Mrs. Morson was almost forty, never married, and had worked at Tulip Castle her entire life, now responsible for all the female servants in Liszt¡¯s castle. Speaking of all the female servants, there were actually only three. And in the castle, there were a total of only ten servants. Butler Carter Taugaun, in charge of all the affairs in the castle, was considered Liszt¡¯s confidant; Housekeeper Morson Paddy Field, in charge of all the female servants, assisted Carter in managing the daily affairs of the castle; Cook Abbie Spoon, responsible for everything in the kitchen. There was the personal male servant Servant Thomas Jiandao, ordinary male servant Tom Pigsty, and male servant assistant Jessie Asanobu. All the female servants were ordinary female servants, Maisie Xiantou, Debbie Window, and Midgeon Bull Tail. There was also one kitchen assistant who was a female servant but was under Cook Abbie¡¯smand, named Eileen Four Fingers. Four Fingers, a very strange surname. Perhaps her ancestors had only four fingers, so when it came time to register a surname, that became it¡ªdon¡¯t expect themon people who are illiterate, spend their entire lives in the countryside, and hardly ever travel far toe up with appealing surnames. The nobles didn¡¯t allow them to have nice surnames either. Once Liszt took off his leather armor with the help of Thomas and went upstairs in casual dress, Butler Carter immediately called out loudly: ¡°Jessie, lead the lord¡¯s Fire Dragon Horse away, and remember to add extra beans when feeding it, it has been tired all day. Mrs. Abbie, head to the kitchen to prepare dinner; tonight, we should add an extra portion of roast meat for the lord. Mrs. Morson, remember to lead the female servants to prepare bath water for the lord; Tom still has to go to town to fetch water; Thomas, you must clean the lord¡¯s leather armor.¡± ¡°Yes, Mr. Carter!¡± the servants responded. ¡°` Carter nodded in satisfaction. Although the castle was small, the servants were few, and life was slightlycking, he was the steward here, managing all the everyday affairs of the castle and a capable assistant to the master. He liked this sense offort and power. ¡­ The temperature of the bathwater was just right. Although they were not as skilled as the maids in Tulip Castle, with Mrs. Morson directing them, these newly-indentured maids had already adapted well to their work. Liszty in the bathtub, enjoying the sensation of the warm water soaking his body. He had not been without thoughts of establishing equality for all, to let the people of this world feel the light of a civilized society¡¯s democracy. But he was soberly aware that these servants¡¯ survival depended on being subordinates to the nobility, sheltering under the nobility¡¯s wings to live on. Without the job and status of a servant, returning to the fields, their lives would likely be even more miserable. Serfs and freemen starved to death in no small numbers each year. In the castle, as long as one didn¡¯t encounter a perversendlord, at least one had no worries of food and shelter. Once one managed to strive to the level of steward, that was the highest status amoner could aspire to. ¡°Who would have thought that one day, I, Liszt, would also have so many people depending on me for their lives.¡± His thoughts drifted. He began to be lost in thought and soon, serpent script made of smoke appeared before his eyes. The serpent script had changed, no longer disying the previous passage, but new text: ¡°Complete the quest, reward: sublimation of Dou Qi.¡± Liszt¡¯s heart was thrilled, ready to receive his reward, but then he suddenly discovered he did not know how to collect it. Just as he was about to investigate where to im his reward from, the serpent script in front of him dispersed into a cloud of smoke and quickly formed a new piece of content. ¡°Quest: A serious crisis has urred in Peanut Hamlet within the territory. A vast expanse of peanut fields has undergone an unknown mutation. The nters are at a loss and facing a reduction in yield. As andlord, it¡¯s your duty to resolve the issue. Reward: An Elf Bug.¡± ¡°Hmm, a new quest, the reward is an Elf Bug, that¡¯s a good thing!¡± Liszt first rejoiced, then followed by frustration, ¡°But what about the reward for the previous quest? Where is the sublimation of Dou Qi, who can tell me how to im that reward?¡± At that moment, Liszt was utterly fretful. He sensed his own Dou Qi, which showed no change at all. He fussed over it until the bathwater cooled, yet he still hadn¡¯t received the quest reward. He seriously began to suspect that he was truly having hallucinations. The smoke did not exist at all. Dressed, he stepped out of the bathroom with a dark expression, causing Servant Thomas, waiting outside, to begin to wildly specte. ¡°Master, you don¡¯t look well, is it possible that¡­?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine, go attend to your tasks. I¡¯m going to the study to read for a while.¡± Once in the study, Liszt wanted to calm himself and read a book. But his mind was a mess, and he couldn¡¯t calm down at all. He simply changed into another set of training clothes and began to practice in the castle¡¯s small garden. He was learning ¡°Basic Dou Qi,¡± the most widely circted Primary Dou Qi Manuscript. Aside from some tailored Dou Qi Manuscripts of big families, this was the best foundational manuscript. Primary Dou Qi was but a breath, only for strengthening the body and health. Havingpleted a set of movements and vented the frustrations he could not express elsewhere, he finally felt a bit better, and his emotions gradually stabilized. Just then, a breeze blew by, and suddenly, Liszt¡¯s eyes shone brightly, as if an idea shed through his mind that he managed to grasp. Immediately after, he once again performed all the training movements of ¡°Basic Dou Qi.¡± When this performance was over, all the Primary Dou Qi within his body seemed to reach a critical point, starting a transformation. It surged out from invisible channels and poured into every cell of his limbs and body. ¡°The sublimation of Dou Qi!¡± ¡°So it was here waiting for me!¡± Chapter 8 - 0008: Earth Knight Liszt Chapter 0008: Earth Knight Liszt Trantor: Henyee Trantions Editor: Henyee Trantions ¡°` In his body, there seemed to ur a tumultuous storm, with boiling strength pulsating through his limbs and every part of him. The bnced and tranquil Primary Dou Qi had already surged into his cells. It seemed to undergo metamorphosis within the cells, and when the new Dou Qi returned to the meridians, it hadpletely transformed. The reborn Dou Qi had be Intermediate Dou Qi, possessing a unique attribute; Liszt stood quietly in the little garden, motionless. His heart felt as if flowers were in furious bloom; he tried hard to suppress his excitement and experience the nature of the freshly emerged Intermediate Dou Qi¡ªhis mission was indeed real and had brought about the sublimation of his Dou Qi. He had now, truly be an Earth Knight! For the cultivation of Dou Qi, this was a brand-new starting point; it was only as an Earth Knight that one represented truly extraordinary power. ¡°So my Dou Qi attribute is fire, huh? It¡¯s a bit conflicting with the Water Attribute of ¡®Thousand Waves¡¯; it looks like I need to prepare a new Intermediate Dou Qi Manuscript¡­ I thought I would awaken the same Water Attribute Dou Qi as the Tulip Family.¡± Water, fire, earth, wind, lightning, ice, light, dark. And gold, as represented by dragons, and wood, as represented by elves¡ªall are natures of magical power. There is no superiority among these attributes; they are merely different aspects of power. However, ever since before they had received the Earldom, the Tulip Family had been studying Water-Attribute Dou Qi. Their family¡¯s ¡®Thousand Waves¡¯ is also a top-tier Water-Attribute Dou Qi Manuscript, containing vast insights and experiences from their cultivation. Descendants who practice it could aplish more with less effort. But Liszt was not suited to cultivate ¡®Thousand Waves¡¯ now; forcing it would be counterproductive. Fire Attribute Dou Qi would naturally be more fitting for the practice of fire attribute manuscripts. ¡°Teacher Marcus has a Wind Attribute and cultivates the ¡®Gale Breaker¡¯ manuscript, which also doesn¡¯t match my attribute. Let me think, when I was at the Knight Academy, I came across a ¡®ming Wave¡¯¡­ In a few days, I¡¯ll arrange for Teacher Marcus to make a trip back to Coral City to fetch it for me.¡± During this initial stage, the Intermediate Dou Qi needs to be nurtured and stabilized, so there¡¯s no rush to cultivate from the manuscript. In fact, Liszt is not eager for a boost in strength. Indeed, nobles have to go to battlefields, but Coral Ind, far from the maind, sees little strife. As the third son of an Earl, nobles on Coral Ind wouldn¡¯t dare to trouble him, thus he can develop in peace. Besides, even if one cultivates to great strength, in a hundred years, it will all be but a handful of yellow soil. To live as a stablendlord, enjoying the service of servants, is good. The dirty work of fighting and killing can be left to the subordinates. ¡°Of course, being promoted to an Earth Knight is still something to be excited about. This means I¡¯m less likely to fall ill and my resistance to severe cold and scorching heat has greatly strengthened! In this world, what could be more fortunate than being healthy and living a long life?¡± He exhaled a deep breath. Liszt¡¯s emotions, once stirred with excitement, now began to settle, and he turned to walk towards the castle. His personal servant hurried over, looking for something to attend to: ¡°Master, you have just finished your knight¡¯s training, do you need fresh bathwater prepared?¡± ¡°Would that be too troublesome?¡± ¡°Of course not, serving you is our honor.¡± ¡°Okay, prepare another bath then.¡± ¡­ Dinner time. Marcus and Goltai arrived as promised. ¡°Liszt, you look even healthier now, it seems you have fully recovered, that¡¯s worth a toast,¡± Goltai lifted his cup, deeply inhaling its scent, for he was as fond of drink as he was of life. This was amon mdy among nobles. Yet, Marcus¡¯s gaze flickered: ¡°Baron, have you¡­ made a breakthrough?¡± ¡°Just an hour ago, inspired, I made new progress in my Dou Qi cultivation.¡± Liszt replied with restraint, for after all, making a breakthrough to be an Earth Knight after his sixteenth birthday was nothing to boast of. ¡°Congrattions, my lord!¡± Marcus spoke solemnly, his tone changing slightly. He used to address him with ¡°Baron,¡± but now he directly called him ¡°my lord,¡± a wee change. ¡°Wow, this is tremendous news, no wonder when I left the house today, the magpies were bustling and chirping all over town. Liszt, you are truly worthy of being the Earl¡¯s offspring, inheriting the fine lineage of the Tulip Family. You, will inevitably wield power!¡± Goltai burst out exuberantly. ¡°Compared to my brother and sister, my talents are not outstanding; I can only make up for it with more diligent cultivation.¡± ¡°The fact that you think this way proves that you are equally excellent. Historical figures aren¡¯t always outstanding in their youth. A knight¡¯s creed is to continuously catch up and progress. In you, I see such qualities.¡± ¡°Thank you for the praise, Teacher Goltai.¡± ¡°Therefore, tonight, we must celebrate properly and have a few more drinks.¡± Goltai chuckled, then turned to Butler Carter and said, ¡°Mr. Carter, to celebrate Liszt¡¯s advancement to an Earth Knight, shouldn¡¯t you bring out some fine wine from the castle¡¯s cer to toast this glorious moment?¡± Old Carter had a broad smile on his face, ¡°I think so too, Mr. Goltai.¡± But he did not move; to drink or not to drink wine, the decision had to be made by the master of the castle. Liszt did not want to dampen the mood and nodded, ¡°Mr. Carter, please bring out a bottle of Crescent Moon Wine and also prepare a pudding for each gentleman anddy.¡± ¡°As you wish, my lord,¡± Carter turned and left, descending to the wine cer. On his way, he passed the kitchen door and said, ¡°Mrs. Abbie, the lord has granted us, each to have an extra pudding with dinner tonight.¡± Abbie¡¤Spoon was a plump woman, and upon hearing the news, she eximed loudly, ¡°Butter pudding, oh my, the lord is too generous; there really is no need for this. The maidservants will eat anything, and besides, we don¡¯t have much cream left.¡± Kitchen maid Eileen, who was mopping the floor, looked up eagerly, ¡°Mr. Carter, can the kitchen maids also get an extra pudding?¡± ¡°Of course, today is a joyous day, as the lord has advanced to an Earth Knight!¡± ¡°Oh, heavens, the lord is so great!¡± Abbie eximed loudly again, and then she turned and shouted, ¡°Eileen, what are you still standing there for? Hurry up and finish mopping, then go to the storeroom and bring over the cream. It¡¯s a big day for the lord; you get to eat the pudding that¡¯s only avable on festive days, so let¡¯s get spirited and work hard!¡± ¡°Understood, Mrs. Abbie, praise be to the lord.¡± ¡­ Crescent Moon Wine. A specialty of Coral Ind, harvested during the first new moon of each autumn to make wine. Tulip Castle has a grape Minor Elf who grows a variety of grapes, one of which is specifically for winemaking. Although they don¡¯t taste very good when eaten, the wine they produce is sweet and sharp, a top-quality wine that is well-known throughout the Duchy of Sapphire. The Court would purchase a batch every year. When Liszt left Tulip Castle, he took a box with him. ¡°An aged bottle of Crescent Moon Wine is like an old story gracefully emerging from a deep tunnel of time, subtly telling you what true beauty is, whatsting vor is,¡± Goltai swayed the crystal wine ss, watching the bright red liquid rise and fall against the crystal wall, speaking poetically. Liszt took a small sip. To be honest, he didn¡¯t think there was anything particrly enjoyable about wine; he didn¡¯t like any alcohol, preferring only to eat wine-soaked rice. His body, inherited from his previous life, had a certain ability to assess alcohols and could adapt to the taste of various types. So, when in Rome, he would have a drink asionally. After all, without high-proof distilled spirits, it was hard to get drunk. ¡°By the way, Teacher Goltai, is there a problem with the peanuts from Peanut Hamlet?¡± He suddenly recalled his new mission. His Dou Qi had sublimated, and he was very eager for the new rewards. ¡°Hmm, indeed, it seems that this year¡¯s climate hasn¡¯t been very good, and Peanut Hamlet is likely facing a total crop failure. I¡¯ve sent someone to look, and the Peanut Fields are extensively turning yellow. In a few days, they¡¯ll probably die off¡­ Poor serfs, they¡¯ll go hungry before winter even arrives.¡± Goltai spoke pitifully but without a hint of sympathy in his expression. Putting down his ss. Liszt stated unequivocally, ¡°Tomorrow,e with me to Peanut Hamlet for an on-site inspection, to research how to resolve the crisis.¡± Chapter 9 - 009: The Barren Land of Peanut Hamlet Chapter 009: The Barren Land of Peanut Hamlet Trantor: Henyee Trantions Editor: Henyee Trantions The date-red Fire Dragon Horse carried the Earth Knight Liszt, across the muddynd, to Peanut Hamlet. Peanut Hamlet was a residential area much smaller than a vige, sparsely dotted with seven or eight thatched cottages. ¡°What are you dazed about? Seeing Lord Landlord has arrived, why aren¡¯t you kneeling quickly to pay your respects!¡± A clerk from the town energetically knocked on the door of each farming household. The residents here were all serfs. Emerging from the leaky houses with expressions numbed by the pressures of life, they stood woodenly at their doors, not knowing what to do. Under the loud scolding of the clerk, they knelt one by one on the ground, bowing in the direction of Liszt. The actions of the adults were all numb. Only a few bare-bottomed children would asionally lift their heads, observing Liszt with their dirty but bright eyes. Then, they too were pped down by the heads of adults, kneeling on the ground with their foreheads nearly touching the soil. ¡°Who is in charge of Peanut Hamlet?¡± Liszt asked. Goltai sat on his own horse, looking as if the matter did not concern him; he did not know who was in charge of Peanut Hamlet. A clerk spoke up: ¡°Replying to the Lord, it is Old George with the limp.¡± ¡°Please have hime here.¡± The clerk quickly dragged over an old man with a limp and shaky walk. The old man wore patched clothing, and his withered body seemed as if it could snuff out at any moment. ¡°Lord Landlord, Old George has arrived,¡± the clerk announced. The clerk pushed the old man, seemingly trying to make him quickly pay his respects, but the old man just stood there nervously, woodenly, not knowing what to do. Liszt waved his hand to dismiss the clerk and said warmly, ¡°Old George, don¡¯t be nervous. I am Baron Liszt Tulip, the Landlord of Fresh Flower Town. I heard that there¡¯s a problem with the peanuts in Peanut Hamlet. Lead us to the fields to see if we can resolve this issue.¡± ¡°Ah, oh, Baron¡­ Lord Landlord¡­¡± Old George stuttered nervously, ¡°I will lead the way right away¡­ thank heavens¡­ Peanut Hamlet is saved¡­ the Lord Landlord hase to save us!¡± Stirred with excitement, Old George suddenly walked as if carried by the wind. Liszt had inspected the farnd before, but he had only stood outside for a nce; now, he truly took a close look at the farnd. Since the fields belonged to serfs, there were no ridges, and the long-shaped fields were separated only by a trench as a boundary line, with different serfs tending to different crops. Nearly ny percent of the farnd¡¯s yield belonged to the nobility, which is to say, Liszt¡¯s. The remaining ten percent was their ration. At this moment. The peanut fields, which should have been lush green, were patchy with blue and yellow; all the peanuts were withered, sprawled lifelessly on the ground. Thend was damp, clearly showing the serfs had not skimped on watering, but watering alone could not bring the peanuts back to life. Wiping his tears, Old George said excitedly, ¡°Lord Landlord, we haven¡¯t cked off at all, watering thrice daily, but the peanuts are still dying. Now, only the field that Archie tends to hasn¡¯t withered, but it¡¯s also struggling, with some leaves beginning to yellow.¡± Following the direction Old George pointed, Liszt saw the long field in the center of Peanut Hamlet¡¯s farnd. In the middle of the long field was a green area, much healthier lookingpared to the surrounding blue and yellow withered peanuts. Liszt dismounted, walked into the field, bent over, and plucked a yellowing peanut sprout, ready to observe it closely when Goltai suddenly said, ¡°Liszt, you shouldn¡¯t touch these dirty tasks. These serfs should do whatever is needed.¡± Although a fallen Honored Knight, he still looked down onmoners more than the average noble. Liszt paid no attention. He continued examining the peanut sprout in his hands, trying to ascertain the cause. He was not an agronomist, but he had farmed in his childhood and was not unfamiliar with agriculture. The peanuts of both worlds were simr in some aspects and foreign in others. But he could still discern that the peanut sprout in his hand was malnourished, which was the cause of its current condition. ¡°Have you used wood ash or manure to fertilize the fields?¡± ¡°What?¡± Old George was puzzled, ¡°Lord Landlord, we water the crops, three times a day!¡± Liszt asked, ¡°Don¡¯t you use fertilizer?¡± Old George was taken aback and then asked in return, ¡°What is fertilizer?¡± Not even knowing what fertilizer is¡­ Liszt was at a loss for words, ¡°How do you all grow peanuts then?¡± Old George rambled on about their methods, which essentially involved letting wild grasses grow in the fall and winter, burning them off the next year, and then nting peanuts. After nting, the tasks were watering and weeding. Generation after generation had done it this way, resulting in particrly low yields. Only the nobles could use elves to influence nt growth and achieve a bountiful harvest. Understanding this, Liszt couldn¡¯t help shaking his head. Without spreading fertilizer, even the best soil would be barren after a few ntings. The vast fields before him were almost turning into barrennd, no wonder the peanuts were dying¡ªthey were ¡°starving¡± to death. However, Liszt soon had a doubt, ¡°Why didn¡¯t they starve to death before, but the peanuts are starving to death now?¡± ording to Old George, they had been nting this way every year, and apart from droughts and floods, they hadn¡¯t experienced anything like this. Therefore, the nutrient deficiency in the peanut fields likely had another cause. ¡°What could it be?¡± His gaze turned toward the green patch in the middle of the field, pondering seriously. Suddenly, an idea shed through his mind, recalling the reward for the quest¡ªsaving the peanut fields was the task, and the reward was an Elf Bug. Based on the reward he received for his first quest, Liszt felt that the Elf Bug wouldn¡¯t just appear out of nowhere; he would likely find it unexpectedly along the way. ¡°Rewarding me an Elf Bug¡­ the peanut fields suffering from malnutrition¡­¡± Staying up, Liszt already had the answer, ¡°Perhaps, the cause of the malnutrition in the peanut fields is the Elf Bug that I am to be rewarded with for the task. Elf Bugs are born from nts, and my Elf Bug should be the Peanut Elf Bug.¡± With a wave of his hand, he summoned everyone, ¡°Let¡¯s go and take a look in the center of the field.¡± The group tiptoed over to the center of the peanut fields, where the peanut seedlings were still fairly robust. Liszt searched his memory; as a child, he had seen Elf Bugs being collected. They were usually found inside a nt¡¯s flower or a new bud, resembling a jade-warm caterpir. Each type of Elf Bug had different patterns. He currently owned four Elf Bugs, including a Tulip Spirit Bug, a Thorn Elf Bug, a Millet Elf Bug, and an Alfalfa Elf Bug. Breeding Elf Bugs required coordination with farming, and Goltai was still helping him find suitable fields for breeding the Elf Bugs. After searching for a while, Liszt didn¡¯t find a peanut seedling that was gestating an Elf Bug. ¡°It¡¯s probably not the right time yet; if the nutrition can¡¯t keep up, this Peanut Bug will probably miscarry,¡± Liszt couldn¡¯t help clenching his fist. Elf Bugs represented productivity, and he couldn¡¯t afford to fail this mission. With that thought in mind. He told everyone, ¡°I think I understand the reason now, Old George; follow my instructions and let¡¯s save this peanut field.¡± ¡°Praise to Lord Landlord!¡± Old George cried with joy. Goltai asked in surprise, ¡°Liszt, have you really found the problem? Do you even know how to grow peanuts? What caused the peanuts to die?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t say just yet; in a few days, we will know,¡± Liszt cautiously refrained from stating the cause, worried that he might have guessed wrong. If there were no little elves, it would be a huge blunder. So, the priority was to save the peanut seedlings. Chapter 10 - 0010: The Great Fertilization Battle of the Peanut Fields Chapter 0010: The Great Fertilization Battle of the Peanut Fields Trantor: Henyee Trantions Editor: Henyee Trantions The fertility of Elf Bugs requires a significant amount of nutrients, and the barren Peanut Fields restricted the development of the Elf Bugs, resulting in all the peanut seedlings around the central part of the field nearly dying from concentrated nutrient deficiency. The solution to cure this was simple, fertilizing the Peanut Fields was needed. Liszt recalled his knowledge about farming and said to Old George. ¡°Old George, I¡¯m entrusting you with a few tasks. First, mobilize the farmers to collect firewood and dead grass everywhere, burn them, and gather the remaining wood ash. Second, get able-bodied farmers to dig pond mud, just theyer at the bottom of the pond. Third, have the children collect feces, regardless of what kind, just pick it up.¡± Old George had no questions regarding the orders from Lord Landlord, ¡°Understood, Lord Landlord, Old George will surely carry out yourmands.¡± After Old George hobbled away. Liszt turned to Goltai and said, ¡°Teacher Goltai, I¡¯m guessing the feces collected in Peanut Hamlet won¡¯t be enough. Go to the town and organize it so that all farmers collect feces¡­ Well, let¡¯s do it this way, buy the feces in the name of the Administrative Officer, setting the price at one copper coin per basket.¡± Copper coins, silver coins, Gold Coins, and Dragon coins are the universal currencies in this world. However, different empires, kingdoms, and grand duchies issue their gold, silver, and copper coins, which all differ from one another. The copper coin mentioned by Liszt is the currency of the Duchy of Sapphire, with which one can buy roughly four loaves of bread, enough to feed an adult for several days. A silver coin can exchange for one hundred copper coins, a Gold Coin for one hundred silver coins. As for Dragon coins, formally known as Sapphire Dragon coins, they are gemstone coins imbued with the Magic Power of the Grand Duchy¡¯s unique Sapphire Dragon, worth ten thousand Gold Coins, and are magic items in themselves. Upon hearing this, Goltai couldn¡¯t help butin, ¡°Wow, Liszt, why would you pay such a high price for dirty, lowly feces, which besides stinking and polluting our sense of smell, are worthless.¡± ¡°No, feces are very useful. Just carry out the publication, and find a ce to umte the feces, preferably an uncultivatednd away from the upwind,¡± Liszt understood the value of feces well. In the absence of chemical fertilizers and insufficient Elves, the best source of fertilizer for farming was feces. As a majorndlord who owned all thend in Fresh Flower Town, Liszt had many fields to cultivate, and he needed ample fertilizer. He also disliked the idea of his town¡¯s streets being littered with carelessly disposed of feces and urine, as such conditions were an affront to civility. He nned to buy feces long-term for two purposes: to use aspost and for sanitation¡ªpromoting the usage of toilets was not feasible for the time being, so buying feces was the most cost-effective approach. ¡°But the price is too high. One copper coin should buy ten baskets, no, twenty baskets,¡± Goltai suggested. ¡°Just do as I said, Teacher Goltai,¡± Liszt¡¯s tone carried a hint of sternness. With that, Goltai stopped hisints, spread his hands and said, ¡°As you wish.¡± ¡­ In those days, thendlord was the authority. When Liszt¡¯s orders were given, no one dared to shirk or evade them, so the clerks and farmers were very quick to act, and the pond mud, feces, and wood ash he required were already piled up in Peanut Hamlet. ¡°Very well, Old George, now lead the people to mix these materials together then dig a hole next to the root of each peanut seedling, sprinkle some of this mixture in, and bury it. Then water the nts and weed diligently, I believe the peanut seedlings will recover soon.¡± Mounted on his Fire Dragon Horse, Liszt cheerfully directed the farmers of Peanut Hamlet to fertilize the Peanut Fields. As andlord, he naturally wouldn¡¯t do the work himself¡ªthe noble system didn¡¯t allow it, and he personally had no desire to. The total area of the Peanut Fields in Peanut Hamlet is about one hundred acres, roughly the size of ten ser fields or seven or eight elementary schools. There are twenty-three farming households in Peanut Hamlet,prising ny-two people. Ny-two serfs, excluding children who can¡¯t work, plus the serfs brought in from the town, amounted to one hundred and twenty people, all busily working. ¡°Teacher Goltai, how many people are there in Fresh Flower Town?¡± ¡°Uh, sorry, Liszt, I haven¡¯t been in town long enough to sort that out clearly.¡± Goltai was unclear and turned to ask a clerk, ¡°You¡¯ve lived in the town for many years, do you know how many households there are and the poption? Over a thousand people?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, Lord.¡± The clerk shook his head. Goltai looked at another clerk. This clerk shook his head as well. Thus, not a single person in the whole of Fresh Flower Town knew exactly how many people there were. Liszt was speechless. Was Fresh Flower Town a forgotten ce? Had the administrative officers of Coral Ind nevere to conduct a census before? Had the previous Administrative Officer never done a poption survey either? ¡°We need a thorough census. Andlord who doesn¡¯t even know the poption of his own territory is truly speechless.¡± Thinking this, he had already ordered, ¡°Teacher Goltai, organize manpower, hurry to arrange the census. I need to know how many households there are in Fresh Flower Town, how many people, the names and family rtionships of each person, as well as their upations, ages, genders, and marital status.¡± ¡°This is going to be busy, Liszt. You know, there are too few officials in the town. We have no Finance Officer, no Defense Officer, no Legal Officer, no Diplomatic. In fact, we don¡¯t even have an Administrative Officer. I should be serving as your advisor, not the town¡¯s Administrative Officer.¡± In a Noble¡¯s territory, civil officials are basically led by the advisor, who oversees the Administrative Officer, Finance Officer, Defense Officer, Legal Officer, and the Diplomatic. The military officer is the Knight Commander, who oversees the Knight Order. There was no doubt, Goltai, as a down-and-out Honored Knight, low-level in the feudal system but still a Noble, had followed Liszt here with the intention of bing an advisor. And the other knight teacher, Marcus, without a doubt, should serve as the Knight Commander¡­ whether Fresh Flower Town could afford to maintain a Knight Order was another matter. ¡°Don¡¯t rush, Teacher Goltai. Fresh Flower Town is awash with things to be done and my Castle awaits its rise. First manage the town¡¯s affairs for me andplete the census.¡± Liszt didn¡¯t want to immediately delegate advisory powers to Goltai. It wasn¡¯t for fear of being outmaneuvered, but rather because Goltai¡¯s mind was filled with the feudal system and he wasn¡¯t grounded enough to keep up with Liszt¡¯s development ns. ¡°Alright then, Liszt. You¡¯vee of age and have the mindset of a qualifiedndlord. I heed yourmand,¡± Goltai saluted with one hand, disying his Noble breeding, calm andposed. ¡­ For three days in a row, Peanut Hamlet was bustling with the fertilization process, which was a significant agricultural project. The one hundred acres were soon all fertilized with a mix of pond mud, manure, and ashes from nts and trees. Especially the central plot ofnd, which received several times the fertilizer. Liszt also came here to direct the operation for three days and when everything was done, all he could do was wait, wait for the Peanut Fields to be improved. ¡°I¡¯ve done everything I can, hopefully the task will bepleted soon.¡± He wasn¡¯t one to dwell on matters, so once work here was over, he quickly moved on to other estate affairs. The most important was the Elf Bug. Chapter 11 - 0011: The Revival of the Peanut and the Gestating Bud Chapter 0011: The Revival of the Peanut and the Gestating Bud Trantor: Henyee Trantions Editor: Henyee Trantions ¡°Teacher Goltai, how is the progress of finding a suitable location to settle the Elf Bugs? They have been asleep for a month, and I hope to revive them soon, rather than let them waste their potential.¡± Elf Bugs are a kind of magical creature. They can recognize an owner; just a bite on a finger and a drop of blood as an inducement are needed to form a magic contract¡ªthey are the spirits of nature, the essence of nts, and the messengers of magic. nting their Cordyceps would affect the growth of the surrounding nts. Cordyceps are the nt body that nurtures Elf Bugs and can be considered an essential magic treasure belonging to the Elf Bugs. They can store and release energy. They can be nted as well as enter dormancy. The growth of Cordyceps is the growth of the Elf Bugs. If the Cordyceps die, the Elf Bugs will also die. Now, the Cordyceps is inside the stomachs of four Elf Bugs,cking nutrient supply, the Elf Bugs can only sleep soundly. This not only wastes productivity but also dys the possibility of the Elf Bugs¡¯ evolution¡ªwithout absorbing any nutrients and without influencing the growth of crops, none of the Elf Bugs can evolve into Little Minor Elves just by sleeping. Although the hope is slight. Liszt still wanted to try and see if his Elf Bugs could evolve into Little Minor Elves. Goltai answered, ¡°Alfalfa Bugs are suitable for nting on the dairy farm, where there¡¯s arge pasture. Recing the grass with alfalfa should work; Millet Bugs are hard to find a suitable ce for, as Fresh Flower Town primarily grows wheat and no one nts millet; Tulip Bugs should, of course, be nted at Fresh Flower Farm, even though the ce is nearly abandoned¡­ As for Thorn Bugs, Liszt, you know they¡¯re of little value.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care whether they have value, what I need is for them to have a field of their own, to grow!¡± ¡°I can start nting alfalfa and tulips first. Thezy serfs should get to work, but Liszt, I need more hands. The clerks are allzy fellows, they simply can¡¯t get anything done!¡± ¡°You may conscript the townspeople at will and have the castle pay their wages.¡± ¡°Good heavens, the castle is paying wages? You really are a generous Lord Landlord. But there¡¯s hardly anyone in Fresh Flower Town who can read, and you still want me to organize a census. They can¡¯t even write their own names, I can assure you, they won¡¯t get anything done, you can¡¯t expect much from themoners.¡± This was a problem. Fresh Flower Town had no school, there was no education here, and illiterate people serving as officials was truly unreliable. ¡°So, Teacher Goltai, do you know any literate people willing to settle in Fresh Flower Town? So long as they¡¯re willing to serve as officials, I can pay them wages, at least twice that of officials in other towns¡­ My castle should still have quite a few Gold Coins.¡± No matter how unpopr, Liszt was the son of an Earl, and he had received a substantial amount of Gold Coins when he came of age and was granted his inheritance. Goltai fell silent for a moment, seemingly weighing his words: ¡°Liszt, I can see you have big ambitions for Fresh Flower Town. I also do know some unrecognized but educated individuals. However, as your family tutor, I must remind you, Fresh Flower Town is already struggling to support one Landlord, and bringing in more people might be too much to bear.¡± ¡°I understand that, don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll take care of it; feel free to invite them all,¡± Liszt said easily. With the right talent, he could create wealth. In his view, Fresh Flower Town was an unexploited virginnd. Although it was difficult to be wealthy through farming without Elves, means to create wealth weren¡¯t limited to just farming. At the same time, a voice in his heart said, ¡°I have the Smoke Mission, my personal golden finger; maybe it could bring me even more wealth!¡± As they were discussing these matters, Butler Carter knocked and entered, ¡°Sir, Old George from Peanut Hamlet seeks an audience with you.¡± ¡°Oh, what¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°He said, the peanuts in Peanut Hamlet magically revived to lush green overnight. The central field that you specifically instructed to look after even has a peanut nt with a veryrge bud,¡± ¡°Really, let hime in,¡± Liszt was very surprised. He had just fertilized the fields, and he had not expected the Peanut Fields to recover so quickly. The urge to find a ce to be alone and check if the Smoke Mission had been updated was nearly overwhelming. By the time Old George entered the castle with anxious, tiptoe steps, Liszt had already regained hisposure, ¡°Old George, tell me in detail about Peanut Hamlet.¡± ¡°Yes¡­ Lord Landlord¡­ Your great radiance¡­ shines upon every corner of Peanut Hamlet¡­¡± Just as Carter reported, Peanut Hamlet turned lush green overnight, and one of the peanut nts underwent a mutation, sprouting a veryrge bud. The serfs could not contain their joy. Ignoring his limp, Old George ran like the wind, panting heavily as he sought an audience with thendlord. His formerly numb and desperate gaze had been reced by hope. Goltai had already figured it out, his mouth agape, ¡°Oh my, Liszt, this¡­ could it be that a¡­ a Peanut Bug has been bred in the Peanut Fields?¡± Liszt smiled faintly, ¡°Quite possibly.¡± ¡°Oh my, Liszt, you truly are a noble blessed by heaven! Who would have thought that such a remote and small town like Fresh Flower Town could breed an Elf Bug; it¡¯s simply incredible!¡± ¡°Whether it¡¯s unbelievable or not, we¡¯ll know once we see it. Mr. Carter, prepare a horse for me, I¡¯m going to Peanut Hamlet.¡± ¡°As you wish, my lord.¡± At the castle gates. Liszt and Goltai each mounted their steeds, while Carter inquired, ¡°My lord, your Retainer Knights have not yet arrived. Shall we wait a bit?¡± Thomas stepped forward, as if wanting to say something, but didn¡¯t dare to speak out. Liszt noticed and nced over at Thomas and Old George, then said, ¡°Thomas will ride with me, and yes, take Old George along too.¡± Like hearing celestial music, Thomas trembled with excitement, ¡°Thomas is at your service, my lord!¡± This was the first time Thomas was allowed to attend to his lord closely on an outing. A personal valet¡¯s closeness, synonymous with being a constantpanion, is the heart and soul of a noble¡¯s entourage. Many valets to the great Nobles were indeed Knights who had fought shoulder to shoulder with them on the battlefield. Four men, three horses. The Fire Dragon Horse took the lead, galloping swiftly to Peanut Hamlet. Looking out, the Peanut Fields that were yellow and wilted the day before were now a lush green, all the peanut sprouts stretching out their leaves. It was spring, and it was not yet the blooming season. Yet, in the middle of the field, thergest peanut nt had a fist-sized bud on its stem above the root, about to bloom. Its tender lush green was extraordinarily heartwarming. ¡°This truly is the bud of an Elf Bug, heaven¡¯s blessing, Liszt, Fresh Flower Town is and favored by heaven!¡± Goltai eximed, somewhat exaggeratedly. Liszt was actually very excited inside, but his face still bore the noble¡¯sposure and a gentle smile, ¡°The Elf Bug ys a crucial role in the agriculture of Fresh Flower Town, which is why this Peanut Field must be protected. Old George, you and the farmers must assign someone to guard it every day.¡± ¡°Lord Landlord, Old George would guard it even without eating or drinking!¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need to go without food and drink; take turns standing guard,¡± Liszt said to Thomas behind him, ¡°Tell my Retainer Knights on your way back that I need one of them to be stationed in Peanut Hamlet every day to guard the Elf Bug.¡± ¡°Yes, my lord!¡± Chapter 12 - 0012: Census in Fresh Flower Town Chapter 0012: Census in Fresh Flower Town Trantor: Henyee Trantions Editor: Henyee Trantions The Elf Bug had not yet been bred, and Liszt couldn¡¯t possibly wait here foolishly. After arranging for people to stand guard, he returned to the castle. Fresh Flower Town¡¯s only contact with the outside world was a road that traversed Thorn Ridge, and there were few travelers. Only when the Earl came to collect taxes would caravans apany the Knight Squad. Now that Fresh Flower Town had be Liszt¡¯s territory, no one came to collect taxes, and caravans were probably reluctant toe. Therefore, there would be no one coveting the Elf Bug. As for the residents of Fresh Flower Town, even less so dared to entertain the thought. The Elf Bug was a darling of nature; it would only enter into a master-servant pact with humans possessing magic power¡ªperhaps Magical Beasts could as well, but they had no such intentions. Magic power referred to Dou Qi and magic; they appeared different but were essentially the same. In Fresh Flower Town, only three people possessed magic power: Liszt, Marcus, and Goltai. Both Marcus and Goltai were well-known figures on Coral Ind; even if they stole the Elf Bug, they couldn¡¯t escape. On Coral Ind, nobody dared to touch anything belonging to the Tulip Family, and Liszt was a member of the Tulip Family. Therefore, there was no need to worry about the safety of the Peanut Elf Bug. He arrived at his study, closed the door, and concentrated for a moment, waiting for the smoke to appear. After repeated probing, he hadpletely mastered the pattern of the smoke¡¯s appearance; he just needed to calm his mind, and then he would see it. Sure enough. One minuteter. Twisted Serpent Script appeared before his eyes. ¡°Complete the mission, and be rewarded with one Peanut Elf Bug.¡± ¡°Just as I thought, the Peanut Little Minor Elf is the reward for a previous mission¡­ This Smoke Mission that appeared out of nowhere seems unable to conjure rewards from nothing; the rewards are things that exist in reality or are about to happen¡­ The sublimation of Dou Qi must be due to my own umted efforts, and the Peanut Bug is something that should emerge naturally.¡± However, without the Smoke Mission, those rewards would probably be wasted. He estimated he would still be an Apprentice Knight, and the Peanut Bug would also quietly die. At this moment, the twisted Smoke Serpent Script showed new content. ¡°Mission: As the Landlord of the territory, how can you not know the poption of your subjects? Please conduct a census to understand the basic situation of the residents. Reward: A new Tulip species.¡± ¡°A census? Isn¡¯t that precisely what I n to do? It seems the Smoke Mission updates content based on my actual situation¡­ A new Tulip species, what does that mean? Is it going to give me a Magic Potion?¡± Liszt guessed. The Tulip Family¡¯s growth was due to the Tulip. The Tulip was not merely a flower, it was also a Magic Potion¡ªa magical ingredient. Magic Potions were crucial auxiliary materials for cultivating magic and Dou Qi. The Magic Potion from the Tulip, as Liszt recalled, the highest-priced one could sell for a hefty sum of ten Gold Coins. A new variety of Tulip, if it produced a Magic Potion, would undoubtedly be a powerful tool for economic revitalization. Even if it weren¡¯t a Magic Potion, contributing it to Tulip Castle, allowing the Tulip Great Elf to assimte it, would also enhance the Greater Elf¡¯s potential for evolution and development. ¡°Well, then, next up is to push the census strongly! A small town with at most a couple thousand people¡ªwhat¡¯s so troublesome about it? Goltai is truly disappointing. If all else fails, I¡¯ll supervise it myself.¡± A couple thousand people were not much more than the size of a school in Liszt¡¯s hometown. Having served as president of the student body in his school, Liszt had great trust in his own abilities. ¡­ But for Goltai, it was an immensely difficult task. He asked the previous administrative officer during the handover, a knight dispatched by the earl, about his duties in Fresh Flower Town. The knight had done only one thing¡ªcollected taxes. The knight didn¡¯t concern himself with anything else, and hardly ever visited Fresh Flower Town himself; instead, he had one of his retainer knights manage on his behalf. The retainer knight here did likewise only one thing¡ªcollected taxes and nothing more. The taxes from Fresh Flower Town included peanuts, milk, wheat, barley, oats, tomatoes, and tulips. Coral Ind¡¯s Count would collect taxes every three months, taking away the majority of the scant agricultural output from Fresh Flower Town. Once the knight finished collecting taxes, he wouldn¡¯t bother with Fresh Flower Town anymore. Poor and remote, itcked the prosperity and enjoyment of Coral City. Thus, Goltai sat in the dpidated administrative room of the small town, looking at his mere four clerks and six patrol members, and felt thatpleting a poption census was an impossible task. ¡°None of you have ever read a book, recognized a single character? There¡¯s not a single literate person in the whole town?¡± A clerk said embarrassedly, ¡°Sir, there¡¯s no school in the town, and we¡¯ve never left it¡­¡± A patrol member with a bright red, wine-stained nose said, ¡°Perhaps the old tanner can read. He came from another ind. I saw a book in his house, so thick andrge. I even flipped through it¡ªit had pictures of little figures. But the old tanner gave me a beating. He¡¯s blind, stitches shoes very firmly, and is also tough at hitting people.¡± A blind man, Goltai didn¡¯t even think about it and disregarded the old tanner. Since there was no one who could read, all he could say was, ¡°You must at least know how to count, so each of you go to a hamlet and bring me the number of households and people!¡± This should have been a simple task, but after a day had passed and the clerks and patrol members returned to report, Goltai felt like going mad. He scolded loudly, ¡°What, Peanut Hamlet has 18 households and 56 people? Mr. Teacup, are you jesting with me!¡± Mr. Teacup, whose full name was David Teacup, was one of the clerks, and his face twisted with dilemma, ¡°Sir, I didn¡¯t, uh, I counted several times, not sure if it¡¯s correct, but each time the numbers were different.¡± Peanut Hamlet had 23 households and 92 people, a figure Goltai personally tallied when Liszt came to aid the Peanut Fields. He really couldn¡¯t fathom how David Teacup could have counted 18 households and 56 people. No need to think about it. The numbers for the other hamlets were surely made up as well. Realizing this, Goltai waved his hand in resignation, ¡°Alright, no more reporting, keep the numbers for your own amusement. Bring over my Mare Qian, I need to see Baron Liszt at the castle.¡± Riding his horse to the castle, Goltai exaggeratedlyined to Liszt, ¡°You have no idea. Those clerks and patrol members can¡¯t even properly count from one to ten! It¡¯s impossible to rely on them toplete the census. Liszt, I¡¯ve already written the letter, just waiting to send it; maybe we can wait for them to arrive before conducting the poption census.¡± ¡°And when would that be?¡± ¡°No need to rush, Liszt, we have plenty of time, don¡¯t we?¡± ¡°I cannot wait,¡± Liszt tapped his fingers on the table, ¡°Mr. Carter, who in the castle can read and write?¡± Mr. Carter bowed slightly and said, ¡°My lord, I can write letters and read books, Thomas can as well, and I think Mrs. Morson should be able to.¡± ¡°Then, please ask Mrs. Morson and Thomas toe over, and call over Teacher Marcus and my four retainer knights as well. I remember they all can write.¡± Once everyone had arrived, Liszt announced publicly, ¡°Now, let¡¯s set aside whatever we¡¯re working on and help me with the poption census of Fresh Flower Town. Each person will be responsible for one hamlet: the town, Mushroom Hamlet, Peanut Hamlet, Tomato Hamlet, Barley Hamlet, Little Wheat Vige, Fresh Flower Farm, and the dairy farm.¡± Chapter 13 - 0013 Black Tulip Chapter 0013 ck Tulip Trantor: Henyee Trantions Editor: Henyee Trantions ¡°Hurry up, hurry up, damn fool, dilly-dallying, are you looking to die! The Lord Landlord wants to take a census of your family, quick, put on your clothes, and bring your wife and children with you, assemble in the clearing ahead, if one person is missing, mind I break your legs!¡± The patrolling member pped the thatched cottage door, brandishing his authority as he bellowed into the house. Soon, the entire poption of Barley Hamlet emerged from their houses, assembling in the clearing amid the scolding of the patrol members. They whispered to each other in twos and threes. They asionally looked up at the table in the middle of the clearing, where a forty-year-old woman in a tidy dark green dress was sorting through a stack of thick parchment. Behind the woman was a young maid, helping to dissolve the ink in the tea canister. ¡°Who is that?¡± ¡°Never seen her before.¡± ¡°Idiot, she must be a maid from the castle!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right, look at her clothes, they are definitely pressed, only the Lord Landlord¡¯s maids wear such tidy and clean outfits, unlike us, stinking and wrinkled.¡± ¡°What does the Lord Landlord want to do? I heard thepdog say, a census¡­ What was it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a poption census.¡± An elderly serf chewed on some kind of nt root, ¡°Ten years ago, the Earl sent someone to conduct a census, back then our Barley Hamlet had¡­ had¡­ had so many serf families, many more people than now, oh dear, the big snow seven years ago starved many people to death.¡± In front of the table. The patrol members, who were previously brimming with bravado, were now nodding and bowing as they said to the two maids, ¡°Mrs. Morson, Miss Midgeon, all the serfs of Barley Hamlet are assembled.¡± ¡°I am not a miss, I am just a maid in the castle.¡± Actually, Midgeon Bull Tail was pleased with the title of miss. She smiled and asked, ¡°Is everyone here? Make sure not to miss anyone, otherwise the Lord Landlord will punish us, you included.¡± ¡°Of course, of course, I can guarantee, they would not dare to hide.¡± Mrs. Morson nodded, ¡°Then go on, have theme one household at a time, once their census is done they can go straight home, no need toe back to register.¡± ¡°All right.¡± The patrol member then started leading the serf households one by one to the table. Mrs. Morson asked ording to the items Liszt had prepared beforehand, ¡°Are you the head of the household? What¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°Ho¡­ Hope, ma¡¯am.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be nervous, your full name, including your surname, Mr. Hope.¡± ¡°Oh, okay¡­ okay, my name is Hope Sourwater.¡± ¡°So Mr. Sourwater, is your whole family here, all five of you? What is your wife¡¯s name, and what are the names of your two sons and daughter¡­ How old are you, and what is your upation, what do you do? Is your wife the same? Is your eldest son working yet?¡± Quickly, Mrs. Morson finished her questioning and began to record the information on the thick parchment. Head of serf household ¨C Hope Sourwater, age 37, barley cultivation, limbs intact; wife ¨C Simon Sourwater, age 34, barley cultivation, limbs intact; eldest son ¨C Rob Sourwater, age 20, oat cultivation, limping; second son ¨C Peter Sourwater, age 17, barley cultivation, limbs intact; daughter ¨C Lily Sourwater, age 15, chicken raising at home, limbs intact. Having recorded the information, Mrs. Morson checked it over once more. Once certain everything was correct, she said gently, ¡°Mr. Sourwater, ma¡¯am, your family can go back now.¡± ¡°Oh, okay¡­ okay.¡± This scenario continued for one day, and then stack after stack of thick parchment was delivered to the castle, to Liszt¡¯s desk. With that, the census operation for Fresh Flower Town was deredplete. ¡°Liszt, this is truly incredible. Such a difficult task, in your hands, seems so easily resolved. You will make apetent Lord Landlord, for sure,¡± Goltai praised. ¡°Teacher Goltai, let¡¯s hold off on the praise for now,pile the numbers from each hamlet and summarize them for me.¡± ¡°At your service.¡± ¡°` Perhaps it was Liszt¡¯s decisive actions that put pressure on Goltai, prompting this would-be advisor and follower to uncharacteristically burn the midnight oil, workingte into the night by candlelight. Early the next morning. Thepiled statistics had already beenid before Liszt after he finished breakfast andpleted his knightly training. ¡°My lord, Lord Goltai stayed up all night. His eyes were full of red veins when he delivered the documents,¡± Carter said, holding the thick parchment. ¡°Make sure to treat him with good food and drink. A token of appreciation is always necessary. I want Fresh Flower Town to thrive. I don¡¯t want my territory to remain as lifeless as it was in the past.¡± Carter looked a bit dazed and took a few seconds to respond, ¡°My lord, I feel as though I am seeing the young and spirited viscount that the Earl was in his youth. In five years, he rose to the rank of earl and established the Tulip Family¡¯s rule over Coral Ind. Having you as thendlord is fortunate for all the residents of Fresh Flower Town.¡± ¡°Perhaps,¡± Liszt replied without modesty. Quietly flipping through the thick parchment¡ªalthough there were many pages, there wasn¡¯t much content. Even written in minute script with a goose quill, there wasn¡¯t much text to record. ¡°Thick parchment is indeed backward.¡± ¡°My lord, we don¡¯t have much thick parchment left. This has already used up four-fifths of our stock,¡± Carter informed him. ¡°I know, I¡¯ll find a way to solve this.¡± Papermaking had long been on Liszt¡¯s agenda, just waiting for the right time to tackle it. After half an hour, Liszt had fullyprehended all the data from Fresh Flower Town. There were a total of eight hamlets. In the town¡¯s hamlets, 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. Little Wheat Vige, 101 households, 342 people, all serfs. Fresh Flower Farm, 21 households, 54 people, all serfs. There was also a dairy farm, 18 households, 60 people, all serfs. In total, Fresh Flower Town had 584 households, 1973 people, with just 51 households, 153 people being freemen; the remainder were serfs. At the castle, there were 10 servants, 4 retainer knights, as well as two followers¡ªGoltai, Marcus¡ªand including Liszt himself, 17 people. Goltai and Marcus still had families back in Coral City, yet had not brought them over. It could be they were reluctant toe, or they were waiting for some time before making the move. Therefore, the total poption of Fresh Flower Town was 1990 people. The vast majority were engaged in agriculture, growing barley, wheat, oats, tomatoes, mushrooms, peanuts, tulips, and raising dairy cows, as well as a small number of chickens, ducks, geese, pigs, dogs, and sheep. Only seven percent of the poption was involved in handicraft industries. There were tailors¡¯ shops, smithies, carpenters¡¯ shops, bakeries, mills, grocery stores, tanners¡¯ shops, barbershops, and locksmith stores¡ªone of each. ¡°The census is detailed enough; this shouldplete the task,¡± Liszt thought to himself as he pushed away the parchment that emitted a faint stench. Just then, old Butler Carter approached: ¡°My lord, great news! The steward from Fresh Flower Farm hase to report a joyous event to you.¡± Upon hearing the words ¡°Fresh Flower Farm,¡± Liszt¡¯s eyes lit up, and he knew it was probably the reward for the task, ¡°Where is he? Bring him here¡­ What¡¯s the good news?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a previously unseen ck Tulip, my lord. I¡¯ll bring him over right away.¡± ¡°` Chapter 14 - 0014 The New Home of the Tulip Spirit Bug Chapter 0014 The New Home of the Tulip Spirit Bug Trantor: Henyee Trantions Editor: Henyee Trantions Fresh Flower Farm, with a history even longer than Fresh Flower Town. It began eighteen years ago, shortly after Li Weiliam Tulip was granted Coral Ind, and he led his Knight Order to survey the entire ind, discovering a wildflower field here. Among the flowers, two new varieties of tulips thrived. For the Tulip Family, tulips were their lifeline, so the Earl moved his subjects here to cultivate the tulips. However, due to inconvenient transportation, within a few years, the Earl transnted the new varieties of tulips to Coral City, and Fresh Flower Farm gradually fell into neglect. Today, besides a few tulips, most of the flowers at Fresh Flower Farm had been cleared away to make space for other crops like barley and wheat. Therefore, when Liszt arrived, he didn¡¯t see a field of colorful flowers, only lush green wheat seedlings. ¡°Lord Landlord, only twenty acres of tulips are left here. The red ones are Saint Dance Tulips, tomemorate your ancestor; the yellow ones are William I Tulips, to honor your supreme glory,¡± said Steward Victor, his hair flecked with white, sighing repeatedly. At its zenith, Fresh Flower Farm spanned a vast 800 acres, but now only 200 remained, with 180 of them nted with wheat. ¡°They¡¯re not magic potions?¡± ¡°Regrettably, they are indeed not magic potions, which is why the Earl seldom harvested the tulips here afterward. But now, they are about to be revitalized. Look there, Lord, right in the tulip field¡ªthat ck Tulip, with its purple-ck petals. I¡¯ve never seen it before!¡± Liszt looked over, and indeed, that tulip stood out amongst the yellow and red tulips around it, its purple-ck color striking. It was like a proud ck swan, serenely preening its feathers amidst a flock of geese. ¡°Is it a magic potion?¡± ¡°I do not know, Lord Landlord.¡± ¡°Let me have a look.¡± Liszt parted the ordinary tulips and walked up to the ck Tulip, his fingers touching the purple-ck petals. Suddenly, a familiar yet strange scent was perceived by him. His eyes suddenly sparkled. Liszt showed a satisfied smile, ¡°It is a magic potion!¡± Magic potions, magical herbal materials. Mysterious magicians casting spells cannot do without the assistance of magic potions; knights practicing Dou Qi cultivation also rely on magic potions for support, as do various magical treasures, which all need magic potions as auxiliary materials to some extent. Even though the price of magic potions fluctuates greatly depending on their effects, the cheapest one is worth at least more than one silver coin. Liszt had never heard of a magic potion cheaper than a silver coin. To possess a kind of magic potion is to possess a vast fortune. Now, the ck Tulip grew on Liszt¡¯s territory. Undoubtedly, this wealth belonged to him. ording to noble customs and thew, even an Earl had no right to seize a lesser lord¡¯s profits. Loyalty is one thing, interests another; when a lord enfeoffs a vassal, the vassal owns everything in the territory. ¡°It seems I have gained not only a fortune but also found a new home for my Tulip Spirit Bug,¡± Liszt took a deep breath, ¡°The Fresh Flower Farm truly should be revitalized!¡± He gestured to Victor, the steward, and his own retainer knights, to leave the tulip field. He crouched beside the ck Tulip alone. Focusing his mind and calming his breath. Soon, a faint mist appeared before him, twisting into words. ¡°Complete the task, reward a new variety of tulip.¡± Then. The mist twisted, and the words changed. ¡°Task: The decaying Fresh Flower Farm seems to have encountered a turn of fate, the new variety of ck Tulip should take on the duty of revival in conjunction with the Tulip Spirit Bug. Please arrange cordyceps for the Tulip Spirit Bug. Reward: A magical beast cub.¡± The task was updated. ¡°` Easy as pie, it was like receiving a bounty of welfare. What caught Liszt¡¯s eye was the reward of a magical beast cub. Even the most ordinary low-level magical beast was more powerful than an apprentice knight, capable of challenging an Earth Knight. The Wind de Wolf Liszt had encountered before was a low-level magical beast, slightly weaker than Earth Knight Marcus. Some low-level magical beasts could even take on a Sky Knight. ¡°I wonder what kind of magical beast cub it will be¡ªwill it be raised or ughtered?¡± Liszt was full of anticipation. ¡­ ¡°My lord, the Tulip Spirit Bug has been brought.¡± Butler Carter, escorted by the retainer knights, arrived at the Fresh Flower Farm and handed a jade box to Liszt with great care. Taking the jade box, Liszt could feel a vibrant little life inside, connected by blood to himself. He opened the lid of the box. Immediately, he saw a ¡°silkworm baby¡± inside, thicker than a thumb but shorter than an index finger, with pale yellow on its back and green stripes. Compared to a silkworm baby, the Elf Bug was coated in a jade-like sheen that made it look like a wriggling long jade strip, stunningly beautiful. At the moment, the Elf Bugyzily on the powdered ground jade. During the transnt period, the cordyceps inside its stomach could not provide nutrients, so it relied on nibbling jade powder to maintain its vitality. Jade, also known as Magic Jade, was a stone imbued with magic power. Much cheaper than the gemstones produced by dragons but still a rare and precious mineral. ¡°Little guy, have you rested enough? It¡¯s time to check out your new home.¡± Liszt extended his index finger. Sensing his thoughts, thezy Tulip Spirit Bug slowly crawled onto his finger and settled in his palm. Its bright ck eyes, the size of sesame seeds, looked around restlessly, as if sizing up the new home environment. ¡°What a beautiful life indeed; no matter how many times one sees it, it¡¯s never enough.¡± Goltai, who hade to greet them, stared at the Elf Bug and eximed loudly. As a down-and-out Honored Knight, he had no Elf Bug. As a Honored Knight, the lowest tier in the noble hierarchy, one often hadnd and the more affluent could possibly afford an Elf Bug. But Goltai¡¯snd had long since declined and had been sold by him. Now a knight without a fief, he naturally couldn¡¯t afford an Elf Bug. Liszt walked to the center of the Tulip field and gently said, pointing at the ck Tulip, ¡°Little guy, make your home here and nt your cordyceps.¡± With their established contract connection, the Elf Bug understood Liszt¡¯s intentions. Slowly opening its mouth, it emitted a green light that fell next to the empty space beside the ck Tulip. Following that, a cordyceps took root and sprouted, growing branches and leaves. The green branch tips produced a pale yellow tulip¡ªthat was its cordyceps, capable of affecting the growth of dozens of acres of tulips nearby. As an Elf Bug, it could potentially make a tulip season yield twice over. And also enhance the quality of the Tulips. Liszt ced the Tulip Bug within the flower of its cordyceps; that was its home. It seemed that having spat out the cordyceps and rented it took a toll on its energy, restingzily in the flower without moving. Liszt couldn¡¯t help urging it, ¡°Little guy, there are new ck Tulips next door, aren¡¯t you going to taste them?¡± Enticed, the Tulip Bug finally crawled out of the flower, along the stem, and continuously climbed upwards until it reached the tip of the leaf. Just when it looked about to fall, it raised its head and moved towards the air. A faint glow emitted from its underside as if crawling on something transparent, it ¡°climbed¡± toward the cluster of ck Tulip flowers nearby. It wriggled its plump body. The Tulip Bug sent Liszt a feeling of ¡°excitement¡± and then started rolling around within the purple-ck flowers¡ªthis was assimtion. It signified the Tulip Bug beginning to gather the ¡°pheromones¡± of the ck Tulip, exerting its abilities on the ck Tulip. Of course, Liszt preferred to think that the Tulip Bug was collecting different genes to perfect itself. Once it had gathered enough, it would have the chance to evolve. At Tulip Castle, there were three Tulip Bugs that evolved into Tulip Lesser Spirits by this method. One was given to Liszt¡¯s sister, Li Vera. In Liszt¡¯s memory, he envied, resented, and felt jealous of her, and even more so when he was conferred the title of Baron¡ªbecause he didn¡¯t receive a Lesser Spirit. Chapter 15 - 0015: Marcus and the Sneak Attacking Wild Dog Chapter 0015: Marcus and the Sneak Attacking Wild Dog Trantor: Henyee Trantions Editor: Henyee Trantions Once the Tulip Spirit Bugpletes its assimtion, it can be returned to the Jade Box and kept inside the Castle¡ªwhat¡¯s more, there¡¯s no need to feed it Jade Powder anymore; the Cordyceps can absorb nutrients on its own to sustain the Spirit Bug. The process should take about a day. Back at the Castle. Liszt began to write letters. He unfolded a thick piece of parchment and, dipping the quill in ink, began to trace Serpent Script. With no telephone and no fax, he could only use the most primitive method of letter-writing tomunicate. He nned to write to the Coral Ind¡¯s Count and the Falcon Town Baron, his father and sister respectively. The Earl had one Tulip Greater Elf and one Tulip Lesser Spirit, as well as several Tulip Spirit Bugs, while the Baron had a Tulip Lesser Spirit. This meant that the ck Tulips on Liszt¡¯snd were vitally important to the Elves, and both the Earl and the Baron would be willing to pay a price to assimte this new variety. Here, let alone brothers settling ounts, even fathers and sons must do the same. ¡°By taking advantage of this assimtion opportunity, perhaps I could obtain a Spirit Bug from the Earl; from the Baron¡¯s side, a batch of living supplies.¡± He had already decided what he wanted to trade for. Elves were the primary source of productivity, and he must not let slip any opportunity to obtain them. Next came the shortage of living supplies¡ª in reality, the Castle wascking in everything. Liszt was not a person who lived an ascetic life; he enjoyed hisforts. ¡°Additionally, I can speak with the Earl about the cultivation and sale of ck Tulips as a specialty item. ck Tulips can only be grown on mynd. However, I can entrust the Earl with the selling rights. Hmm, as for the profits, taking a twenty percent share should be no problem¡­ But to fully propagate the ck Tulips, it will still take a year or two before they can be mass-produced.¡± He paused his writing, pondered for a moment, and continued the letter. ¡°Maybe I could ask for an advance, no, collect the Earl¡¯s sales agency deposit upfront. I must secure more Gold Coins; it would be hard to develop Fresh Flower Town without start-up capital. Especially the road through Thorn Ridge, a safe and broad path must be cleared; if you want wealth, build the roads first.¡± Basically, that was the content. Once the two letters were written, Marcus had already arrived. The only person fit to deliver the letters, being an Earth Knight, was Marcus¡ªLiszt had not yet studied the Intermediate Dou Qi Manuscript, which left him rtively weak inbat. ¡°Teacher Marcus, I have two letters here that I need you to deliver for me.¡± ¡°At your service,¡± Marcus replied, his tone slightly different. Before Liszt was promoted to Earth Knight, Marcus would probably have just said ¡°Yes,¡± but now it was ¡°At your service.¡± Liszt noticed this subtle change, but made no particr response: ¡°Also, I need a copy of an Intermediate Dou Qi Manuscript. The ¡®Thousand Waves¡¯ at Tulip Castle is not suitable for me. Please bring me the ¡®ming Wave¡¯ from the Knight Academy, and, uh, ask Butler Louis whether Tulip Castle has any other Fire Attribute Dou Qi Manuscripts.¡± ¡°No problem.¡± ¡°Rest well tonight, and set off tomorrow. Be careful when crossing Thorn Ridge.¡± Liszt paused, ¡°Your dappled gray horse isn¡¯t outstanding enough; ride my Fire Dragon Horse instead.¡± Marcus bowed in gratitude: ¡°Thank you for the offer, but the dappled gray horse has been through battles with me; it¡¯s an old friend with whom I share a mutual understanding. It¡¯s more fitting for a poor knight like me to ride it.¡± ¡°As you wish.¡± ¡°If the Baron has no further need of me, I shall take my leave.¡± ¡°Please do.¡± ¡­ ¡°Good afternoon, Mr. Marcus,¡± greeted Tom Pigsty, who was carrying buckets of water when he encountered Marcus leaving the Castle. Marcus nodded slightly: ¡°Good day to you.¡± Tom was ttered by the acknowledgement. Normally, neither Marcus nor Goltai would say ¡°Good day¡± to him. He was just a manservant who did the heavy chores in the Castle, with perhaps only the stable-boy Jessie Asanobu, who was responsible for feeding the horses, chopping wood, and sweeping dung, and kitchen maid Eileen Four Fingers beneath him in status. He wanted to bow to Marcus, but forgot he had buckets on his shoulders. As he bent over, the carrying pole slipped, and half the water spilled from the buckets. ¡°Be careful.¡± ¡°Oh, yes, of course, Mr. Marcus.¡± After Marcus rode off, Thomas emerged from somewhere and said, ¡°You really are all thumbs, spilling half the water from both buckets, Mr. Tom Pigsty. Perhaps the lord should have you feed the pigs¡ªthat might suit you better.¡± Tom picked up the bucket without looking at Thomas. ¡°I¡¯m going to fetch two more buckets of water.¡± He was a head taller than Thomas, but always had the habit of lowering his head. Thomas sneered, ¡°Other than fetching water, what can you do? No, you can¡¯t even fetch water properly. You are nothing but aboring manservant for life! I am the master¡¯s personal servant, and sooner orter, I¡¯ll rece Old Carter and be the butler of the castle! When that timees, you¡¯ll be the first one I send to feed the pigs.¡± ¡°You won¡¯t, Mr. Carter is the master¡¯s confidant,¡± Tom murmured in defense. ¡°Hmph, the master has already allowed me to apany him on outings and trusts me. I¡¯m young, and I will rece Old Carter sooner orter!¡± ¡°You won¡¯t.¡± Tom didn¡¯t want to argue anymore and turned away. After pouring the water from the bucket into therge tank, maid Debbie Window came over to fetch water. She nced at Thomas, who was loitering outside the castle, ¡°Tom, is Thomas giving you trouble again?¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be afraid of him; he¡¯s nothing special. The master will see your hard work.¡± ¡°I know, I¡¯m not afraid of him. The master is very very kind, he sees my hard work, and so does Mr. Carter,¡± said Tom as he wiped the sweat from his forehead. ¡°But thank you, Debbie, do you need help carrying water upstairs?¡± ¡°Won¡¯t it bother you?¡± ¡°Not at all, Mr. Carter has arranged light duties for me.¡± ¡°Tom, you really are a good person.¡± ¡­ Early in the morning, Marcus had his breakfast and fed his dapple-gray horse plenty of beans and hay. He carefully checked the two letters from Liszt and the five from Goltai, and then nced at the few words he had written on the thick paper. These words were reminders to himself so he wouldn¡¯t forget¡ªLiszt needed the Fire Attribute Dou Qi Manuscript, Old Carter had entrusted him to purchase thick paper, Goltai wanted a box of cigars, Retainer Knight Auden Insole had asked him to buy ointment for scabies, and he needed bowstrings for himself. His bowstring had snapped while struggling with Wind de Wolf, and he needed a new one. Afterward, he cleaned his Knight Spear and One-Handed Sword, counted the feathered arrows in his quiver, and, with everything well prepared, he mounted his horse and left the town, heading towards Thorn Ridge. Thorn Ridge was a series of rolling hills. In fact, it should be two hills joined together, with one running north-south and the other east-west, and a little path in the middle being the essential route in and out of Fresh Flower Town. Within the woods, Magical Beasts roamed. However, they were not many, especially in this season when food was abundant, and rarely did the beasts venture out. Thus, the path between the hills was rtively safe, and as an Earth Knight, he did not dreadmon beasts. He had traveled no more than a mile. Suddenly, he sensed the presence of a Magical Beast. ¡°Why have I encountered a Magical Beast again? Last time it was a Wind de Wolf, I really am unlucky!¡± Marcus gripped his Knight Spear, nervously watching the direction from which the Magical Beast¡¯s aura spread. After waiting for a moment. The Magical Beast did not show itself. Marcus narrowed his eyes; a Magical Beast that concealed itself was more dangerous than one that showed itself openly. He patted his dapple-gray horse, pretending to leave to coax the beast into revealing itself. He had gone about half a mile farther. The Magical Beast trailing him finally grew impatient and took the initiative to attack. Arge figure burst out from the woond beside the path,unching a ferocious attack. Marcus, who had been on guard all the way, naturally could not be taken by surprise. Almost simultaneously, he reined his horse around, thrusting his Knight Spear forward in response. Then, he discerned the appearance of the Magical Beast¡ªit was a gigantic wild dog. Chapter 16 - 0016: The Rising and Falling of Dog Barks Chapter 0016: The Rising and Falling of Dog Barks Trantor: Henyee Trantions Editor: Henyee Trantions ¡°` ¡°Fierce Earth Dog!¡± Marcus¡¯s heart lurched, and his Knight Spear trembled. But in the next moment, he suddenly found that his Knight Spear had precisely pierced a small bloody hole in the Fierce Earth Dog¡¯s body. The ferocious lunge of the Fierce Earth Dog was halted by his spear, and it fell heavily to the ground. The Fierce Earth Dog on the ground tried to turn and pounce again. But Marcus gave it no chance, discarding the Knight Spear unsuited for closebat, he drew the One-Handed Sword hanging on his horse and hacked wildly at the Fierce Earth Dog. The strength of an Earth Knight was astonishing, and even his One-Handed Sword had undergone systematic training. For a time, he chopped at the Fierce Earth Dog, evenrger than the Wind de Wolf, making it howl in chaos, its scattered retaliationspletelycking in technique. And from beginning to end, the Fierce Earth Dog did not use any magic but simply engaged in a melee with Marcus. ¡°Why is the most powerful Magical Beast of Thorn Ridge, the Fierce Earth Dog, no different from amon wild beast, so weak?¡± he wondered with a million doubts in his mind. But his Longsword did not cease for a moment, and shortly after, the Fierce Earth Dog was severely injured andy bleeding on the ground. Barely hanging on to life. Marcus dared not rx, picking up the Knight Spear from the ground and thrusting it toward the throat of the Fierce Earth Dog. Pu-chi! ¡°Whimper¡­¡± The Fierce Earth Dog¡¯s gaze scattered and it breathed itsst. Pulling out the rope he carried, Marcus skillfully tied it around the Fierce Earth Dog¡¯s tail, then mounted his dun horse, speeding back the way he hade. He dared not linger in Thorn Ridge, especially since the blood scent of the Fierce Earth Dog might attract wild beasts, even Magical Beasts. ording to thews of the nobles, all produce from the territory belonged to thendlord. Therefore, even though Marcus had killed the Fierce Earth Dog, it belonged to Liszt¡¯s property. He sped along and quickly returned to the two-story castle. ¡°Teacher Marcus.¡± Karl Ironhammer was on duty; their Retainer Knights needed to guard the castle¡¯s safety. ¡°Quick, go inform the Baron, I¡¯ve killed a Magical Beast!¡± ¡°What, a Magical Beast!¡± Swiftly, the entire castle was stirred, whether Retainer Knights, manservants, maidservants, the butler, or the cook, all followed Liszt toe and see the Magical Beast. Magical Beasts were actually not umon, for Tulip Castle had them bred, but in this small ce, a Magical Beast was still a rarity. Moreover, Magical Beasts were valuable, treasures from head to toe! ¡°Teacher Marcus, is this the King of Thorn Ridge, the powerful low-level Magical Beast called the Fierce Earth Dog?¡± asked Liszt, his eyes gleaming with deep thought. ¡°It is indeed a Fierce Earth Dog, under normal circumstances, even two of me might not be able to defeat a Fierce Earth Dog, as it can release Earth Attribute magic¡ªRock Spike, which is very difficult to defend against, and upon encountering it one can only flee. But the one I have hunted only used wild beast pounce, it did not use magic even once.¡± ¡°It didn¡¯t use magic, what do you think is the reason?¡± Marcus had clearly pondered during his wait: ¡°I think, I might have encountered a Female Tyrant Earth Hound that had recently given birth. Looking at its abdomen, shriveled and ck, these are postnatal traits, and it is still in thectation period. Also, I found many bite marks on its body.¡± ¡°Lactation period? Bite marks?¡± ¡°Here, here, and here, these are all tooth marks; Baron, do you remember the Wind de Wolf we encountered earlier? These tooth marks are starting to heal, they are not very clear, but I think they are from the Wind de Wolf.¡± ¡°So you¡¯re suggesting¡­¡± Liszt felt suddenly assured, ¡°This Fierce Earth Dog was attacked by Wind de Wolves during its pregnancy, it might have won and given birth to its offspring, but the battle drained its strength and magic power, forcing it to rely on its animal instincts to hunt, and then it encountered you, Teacher Marcus?¡± ¡°Very likely.¡± Liszt suppressed his excitement and calmly said, ¡°In that case, Teacher Marcus,pared to the valuable corpse of the Fierce Earth Dog, I think its offspring are the real treasure. Are you still able to fight? Join me in searching Thorn Ridge to find the Fierce Earth Dog¡¯s offspring.¡± ¡°I am always ready to fight,¡± Marcus puffed out his chest, then added, ¡°but Thorn Ridge is very dangerous, I alone should go in to search.¡± ¡°Together, I am also an Earth Knight.¡± ¡°Baron¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t forget, nobles, too, need to fight. Just treat this as a practical knight lesson for me,¡± Liszt dered with righteous fervor. ¡°` In his heart, however, he thought that with the mission reward lying just over there, how could he be content without iming it. Moreover, the fact that the weakened Fierce Earth Dog survived and attacked Marcus suggested that there were no Magical Beasts over there threatening its life; otherwise, it would have already be a pile of dung. No one could stop Liszt¡¯s determination. Marcus ced one hand over his chest and respectfully performed a Knight¡¯s salute, expressing his respect for Liszt¡¯s courage. The butler, Old Carter, bent at the waist to bow, ¡°My lord, your courage is armored and sharp, and glory shall surely be with you!¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Liszt donned the Magical Beast Leather Armor and mounted his horse with a heroic bearing, ¡°Let¡¯s set out!¡± ¡­ Two Earth Knights followed by four Retainer Knights galloped off, quickly entering the territory of Thorn Ridge. Guided by Marcus, they reached the spot where he first sensed the Fierce Earth Dog¡¯s presence. ¡°Baron, this is the spot where I felt its presence. The Fierce Earth Dog followed me for about a mile from here before it ambushed me.¡± ¡°Then, its den must be nearby. Let¡¯s start searching.¡± The mounds of earth rose and fell unevenly, and the woods were in disarray. The group of six searched for half an hour without finding the den of the Fierce Earth Dog, growing somewhat irritable and disappointed. ¡°My lord, perhaps the Fierce Earth Dog only passed through here, its den might not be near here, or it might not even have a den,¡± Karl said. But Liszt firmly stated, ¡°I believe its den is around here.¡± The confidence in the reward from the Smoke Mission was unyielding; it was his backbone. After thinking for a moment, he asked, ¡°Does anyone know what a Fierce Earth Dog sounds like?¡± ¡°Fierce Earth Dogs are still dogs; their barks are no different than those of ordinary dogs,¡± Marcus provided the answer. ¡°Then, Karl, Rom, Gray, Auden, you four must keep imitating the barking of dogs. If there are any young cubs of the Fierce Earth Dog here, they will definitely respond¡ªthey probably won¡¯t understand what the imitated barks mean and will think it¡¯s their mother calling for them.¡± ¡°Good idea.¡± Marcus agreed. So, along with the four Retainer Knights, he imitated a variety of dog barks as they continued to search the area. A quarter of an hourter. Marcus suddenly raised his hand, ¡°Silence!¡± After everyone fell quiet, he made a gesture of listening intently and whispered, ¡°Baron, listen.¡± Liszt concentrated his listening, and after a few seconds, he heard a faint ¡°awoo¡± sound amid the unknown bird calls. It was unmistakably a dog¡¯s bark. ¡°It¡¯s over there.¡± ¡°Yes, just over there.¡± Marcus signaled to Karl, ¡°Your imitation is the most realistic, now you keep doing it.¡± Karl did as instructed. Each time he barked, a faint ¡°awoo¡± would respond from not too far away. Following this puzzling conversation, Liszt and the others finally found the Fierce Earth Dog¡¯s den, concealed within a thicket of bushes. Pushing aside the entrance¡¯s thatch, Marcus carefully pulled out a very small puppy that had not yet opened its eyes. He carefully handed the young pup to Liszt, ¡°My lord, this is a young Fierce Earth Dog, a priceless treasure! It hasn¡¯t opened its eyes, and when it does, it will recognize its owner.¡± Not all Magical Beasts recognize an owner, but canine Magical Beasts do exhibit this behavior trait. The first thing they see is what they recognize. Most of the time, what they see is their mother¡ªperhaps recognizing an owner is in essence identifying a mother. Shivering in Liszt¡¯s arms, the puppy asionally let out a fearful ¡°awoo,¡± evidently frightened by the unfamiliar scent on Liszt, which was not the smell of its mother¡¯s milk. ¡°Just hang in there; soon you¡¯ll be able to drink milk again.¡± Liszt smoothed the fuzzy fur of the little milk dog and mounted his horse once more, ¡°Let¡¯s return!¡± Chapter 17 - 0017: Douson and the Dragon Breed Horse Chapter 0017: Douson and the Dragon Breed Horse Trantor: Henyee Trantions Editor: Henyee Trantions ¡°` Because of the Fierce Earth Dog incident, Marcus decided to postpone his departure by one day. While resting, he told Liszt some precautions about rearing Magical Beasts. ¡°Magical Beasts, even if they can recognize an owner, are full of danger. Theyck concepts of good and evil, right and wrong, and are prone to unpredictable temperaments. Once they master the use of Magic Power, they might inadvertently harm people. Therefore, Baron, in raising the Fierce Earth Dog cub, you need to actively guide and train it.¡± ¡°Like the pack of hunting dogs raised in Tulip Castle?¡± ¡°Yes, you must train its obedience from a young age, ensuring that it follows yourmands. You also need to constantly deplete its Magic Power so that it expends this energy in training sessions, preventing it from using magic to harm people in normal circumstances. The Fierce Earth Dog¡¯s Rock Spike is a very deadly magic.¡± ¡°How long before it can cast magic?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not quite sure. However, the magic of Magical Beasts is generally weak before they reach adulthood. The Fierce Earth Dog can probably mature in about a year and a half, which means you have a year and a half to tame it.¡± ¡°Very well, I will treat this as a matter of cultivation and persistently train it.¡± Marcus was evidently in a good mood. After exining the precautions, he rarely offered somepliments, ¡°Peanut worms, Magic Potion, Magical Beasts¡ªBaron, you¡¯re going to give everyone on Coral Ind quite a surprise.¡± Liszt smiled. The real surprise was still toe. He asked, ¡°How should I deal with the corpse of the Female Tyrant Earth Hound?¡± ¡°Perhaps you should ask Lord Goltai, who once managed the market trade for Earl, about the value of Magical Beasts. He is the most knowledgeable.¡± ¡°Mr. Carter, please invite Teacher Goltai.¡± ¡°As you wish, my lord.¡± Goltai hurried over and upon seeing the Fierce Earth Dog¡¯s corpse, he eximed loudly, ¡°Wow, what do I see here? Is this the King of Thorn Ridge¡¯s Fierce Earth Dog? My goodness, it¡¯s a Low-Level Magical Beast, but I feel it emits an aura terrifying like an Intermediate Magical Beast. Marcus, I must admit, you¡¯re one of the top Knights on Coral Ind.¡± The most powerful knight on Coral Ind was doubtlessly Liszt¡¯s father, the Sky Knight, Earl William Lee Tulip, who was also the only knight with Advanced Dou Qi. The rest were Earth Knights. As for Magical Beasts on Coral Ind, it seems that only the southern shallow water beaches are home to an Intermediate Magical Beast¡ªthe Purple Sand Crocodile. The Magical Beasts in other mountains are all Low-Level. The Fierce Earth Dog here in Thorn Ridge is the most powerful among the Low-Level Magical Beasts. ¡°Teacher Goltai, how should this beast be dealt with?¡± asked Liszt. Goltai prodded the Fierce Earth Dog¡¯s corpse with his cane. The calf-sized Fierce Earth Dog, with congealed bloodstains all over, looked quite dreadful, ¡°The fur is ruined; otherwise, the Fierce Earth Dog¡¯s fur is the most precious, worth at least twenty Gold Coins.¡± A Gold Coin is the currency of the Duchy of Sapphire, named in honor of the father by the first Sapphire Duke. ¡°It should still be worth some Gold Coins, right?¡± ¡°Only as scraps sold as leather. I guess, perhaps a dishonest merchant might be willing to pay five Gold Coins, or a conscientious merchant might offer ten Gold Coins.¡± Goltai continued his analysis, ¡°Its meat, I reckon there¡¯s about six hundred pounds. Market price for Magical Beast meat is typically one silver coin per pound. Fierce Earth Dog meat could likely go for two silver coins per pound, totaling twelve Gold Coins. However, Liszt, you should keep it for yourself to eat, as you need to stabilize your own Dou Qi now.¡± ¡°Mr. Goltai is quite right. Selling its meat is not profitable; the Castle usually needs to purchase meat from outside anyway,¡± Carter interjected, serving as the trusted Butler, he could participate in such discussions. ¡°Aside from the fur and meat, all that remains are the bones and internal organs. The organs of Magical Beasts can be sold to those stealthy magicians. I know where to find some magicians; they always like to acquire Magical Beast organs and all sorts of mysterious herbs and nts, difficult to say how many Gold Coins. As for the bones, they make good soup.¡± At this point, Goltai chuckled, ¡°It¡¯s a pity it¡¯s a bitch. If it had been a male dog, wow, that would have been a great tonic.¡± ¡°` The difference between a male dog and a female dog is whether it has a penis or not. Liszt said, ¡°Then let¡¯s skin the Fierce Earth Dog, tan the hide, and find time to sell it. Clean the innards as well, pickle them, Teacher Goltai, are there any magicians on Coral Ind?¡± ¡°It seems there aren¡¯t.¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s keep the innards for ourselves to eat in the castle.¡± ¡°Haha, we¡¯re all in for a treat then, praise the generous Baron Liszt!¡± ¡­ Night fell. A small barbecue party was held in the castle. The servants, Retainer Knights, together with the host Liszt, and two teachers enjoyed the delicious barbecued meat and chatted about the finer things in life. Liszt actually didn¡¯t like such lively asions very much; he was intrinsically a quiet person. However, life in the castle was such that most castles were gloomy and living there for a long time could be very oppressive, so it was necessary to find opportunities for release, and parties were the best chance for that. After having their fill of food and drink. The servants began cleaning up the messy knives, forks, cutlery, and wine sses, while Liszt went upstairs, heading straight for the originally vacant entertainment room. The entertainment room had been turned into a den for the young Fierce Earth Dog pup. The little puppy was being raised there until it opened its eyes, to ensure that the first person it saw was Liszt. So feeding and bathing had to be done by Liszt himself. The little puppy shivered, so Liszt named it ¡°Douson.¡± ¡°Hello, Douson, time for milk.¡± Liszt brought the cowhide bag filled with cow¡¯s milk to Douson¡¯s mouth, its mouth was specially cut in a certain shape. Smelling the milk, the desire to feed overcame the fear of the unfamiliar scent, and Douson quickly crawled over, fumbled for the mouth of the bag, and then gulped it down. Despite being only as big as a Teddy dog, it ate with the vigor characteristic of a Magical Beast, gobbling down its food. In the blink of an eye, Douson had finished a whole bag of milk. And with that bag of milk. Douson became familiar with Liszt¡¯s scent, and now when Liszt stroked its fur, not only did Douson not hide, but it also rubbed its head against his palm, showing affection. To the unknowing, it really seemed like Liszt had just raised amon earth dog, not the King of Thorn Ridge, the Magical Beast Tyrant Earth Hound. ¡°When will you open your eyes?¡± As if hearing Liszt¡¯s words, Douson made a soft ¡°wah¡± sound from its mouth. Liszt was slightly lost in thought as a wisp of smoke again appeared before his eyes, quickly transforming into a piece of text: ¡°Missionpleted, reward: a Fierce Earth Dog pup.¡± ¡°Sure enough, Douson is the reward, I¡¯ve already figured out the mechanism behind the Smoke Missions.¡± he thought to himself. The Serpent Script in the smoke in front of him had already changed. ¡°Mission: As an Earth Knight, you are tasked with the heavy responsibility of leading a cavalry charge. Please train with an Intermediate Dou Qi Manuscript to be a true Knight fit for battle. Reward: one Dragon Breed Horse with a trace of dragon blood.¡± ¡°Dragon Breed Horse?¡± Liszt¡¯s eyes lit up. Chapter 18 - 0018: One in 2.5 Billion Probability Chapter 0018: One in 2.5 Billion Probability Trantor: Henyee Trantions Editor: Henyee Trantions Dragon Breed Horse. Liszt was by no means unfamiliar with it. Because his biological father, Earl William Lee of Coral Ind, currently served as the Court Equerry at the court, tending to the Sapphire Duke¡¯s beloved steeds, one of which was a divine horse mixed with the bloodline of a dragon. This world had dragons. Not the divine dragons of the East, nor the evil dragons of the West, but an unparalleled essence of heaven and earth. These dragons essentially had no gender differentiation and would not mate to produce offspring. However, just as they could produce gemstones and metals, they could also infect other species with the dragon bloodline. Some enthusiasts, based on rarity, had ssified dragons, elves, and magical beasts. The most precious, of course, were dragons, a symbol of a country. The next most precious were Dragon Elves, a sign of power for the great nobility. The next most precious were Greater Elves, a sign of power for the medium nobility. Then the precious ones were Dragon Breed Magic Beasts, magical beasts mixed with the dragon bloodline. Then the precious ones were Little Minor Elves, a sign of power for the petty nobility. Continuing precious were Dragon Breed Beasts, ordinary animals mixed with the dragon bloodline. Thest precious ones were Elf Bugs, representing the foundation of the productive capacity. Actually, there was another type of elf, equally as precious as dragons¡ªthe Elf King, the legendary evolutionary endpoint of Dragon Elves. Its body, the cordyceps, was boundlesslyrge. A single tree could breed an entire forest, and numerous magical beasts, elves, and even dragons would live on its body of the cordyceps. However, most people treated the Elf King as a legend. An Elf Bug might evolve into a Little Minor Elf with one sess among dozens; a Little Minor Elf might evolve into a Greater Elf with one sess among hundreds; a Greater Elf might evolve into a Dragon Elf with one sess among hundreds; as for a Dragon Elf evolving into an Elf King, that had never been heard of. In his boredom, Liszt had done calctions on the probabilities. He assumed the probability of an Elf Bug evolving upwards was 1/50, for a Little Minor Elf it was 1/100, for a Greater Elf it was 1/500, and for a Dragon Elf it was 1/1,000. Therefore, the probability of an Elf Bug evolving into an Elf King was 1/2,500,000,000, one in two and a half billion. A one in two and a half billion chance, nearly zero, no wonder no one had ever seen an Elf King. Looking at the Smoke Serpent Script before him. Liszt felt his heart igniting with excitement once again. A Dragon Breed Horse was theoretically even more precious than an Elf Bug. Perhaps in terms of prowess, a Dragon Breed Horse might not be able to defeat any magical beast, as it had no magic. But as a rare specimen of the dragon bloodline, its price would not be low. In this world, anything rted to dragons was highly sought after. Moreover, the bloodline of dragons would enhance the capabilities of the species. A nag mixed with the dragon bloodline instantly became a steed of exceptional quality. A Dragon Breed Horse was undoubtedly an excellent breed of warhorse. Why did the Sapphire Duke treasure his Dragon Breed Horse so much, and even the Earl of Coral Indpeted for the chance to look after it? It was because that Dragon Breed Horse was none other than the Blue Blood Treasure Horse, the standard mount for the elite Blueblood Knight Order which boasted a history of two hundred and forty years. The Blueblood Knight Order fought battles far and wide for the Sapphire Family, earning great military merits, thanks in no small part to their Blue Blood Treasure Horses. Of course, the Sapphire Duke would ride a Blue Blood Treasure Horse, to draw the Knight Order closer to him, demonstrating solidarity with his knights. ¡°A Dragon Breed Horse, eh? If I had a Dragon Breed Horse and bred them, could I not also establish a Knight Order as elite as the Blueblood Knight Order?¡± The thought alone was very exciting. However, in Fresh Flower Town, only Liszt, Marcus, and Goltai had Dou Qi. Even if he were given a whole group of Dragon Breed Horses, there would be no shadow of a Knight Order. The journey is significant and the path is long. A momentter, he came back to his senses, the smoke serpent script before his eyes had disappeared. Looking at Douson, who had returned to his nest to sleep, he suddenly felt that the Knight Order was too far away, but living a life where he could ride dragon breed horses, lead magical beast dogs, and go hunting everywhere was still easily attainable. ¡°Tomorrow, Marcus will return to Coral City, and he also needs to go to Falcon Town, so he¡¯ll be back in about three days. Then, I will be able to cultivate with the Dou Qi Manuscript andplete the task.¡± Liszt stood up and left the entertainment room. ¡­ Marcus once again left Fresh Flower Town. Liszt wouldn¡¯t just wait around in the castle. Once he had fully recovered, he couldn¡¯t sit still. First thing in the morning, he arrived at Fresh Flower Farm, where the tulip bugs on the ck tulips were nearly finished with assimtion. ¡°It should take about two more hours.¡± After checking on the tulip bugs, Liszt mounted his horse and headed straight for Peanut Hamlet, where his peanut bugs were still breeding. Karl Ironhammer was standing guard there: ¡°My lord!¡± ¡°How are my peanut bugs doing?¡± ¡°They¡¯re still sleeping. Old George brings people to water it with lots of manure every day, the peanut cordyceps are growing very well.¡± ¡°Strictly protect the peanut bugs, I don¡¯t want anything to happen to them.¡± ¡°Rest assured, my lord!¡± Leaving Peanut Hamlet and returning to Fresh Flower Farm, after waiting half an hour, the tulip bugs sessfullypleted assimtion. Retrieving the tulip bugs, Liszt could feel their joy and a new breath on them, which was the aura of the ck tulips, indicating that the tulip bugs could now affect the ck tulips. From birth, Tulip Castle had arranged for all elf bugs to assimte as manypatible varieties as possible to increase their strength. Liszt¡¯s own tulip bug had already assimted all the varieties of tulips nted by the Tulip Family. ¡°Having assimted the ck tulip, why do I feel that the tulip bug is a bit ¡®agitated¡¯? Could it be thinking about evolving?¡± A bold thought crossed his mind. He quickly dismissed it. The tulip bug he obtained was one of the weaker ones among the Tulip Family¡¯s tulip bugs, so the likelihood of it evolving was extremely low. A new variety of magic potion was not enough to make it evolve. Having retrieved the tulip bug, he handed it over to Butler Carter for care¡ªthe cordyceps had been nted, and elf bugs, even without eating or drinking, would not die; they were easy to take care of. Liszt soon joined Goltai and went to the dairy farm. ¡°We have a lot of alfalfa seeds, and I n to start here by gradually removing the two-leaf clovers and nting alfalfa. Once we scale up, we will be able to nt alfalfa cordyceps, the cows will also adapt to the new forage, and we can concentrate on leading the horses here for feeding.¡± Cordyceps must be surrounded by the same variety of nts; otherwise, they cannot absorb nutrients and will wither. The cultivation of alfalfa cordyceps was easy to solve, and Liszt had nothing to add: ¡°Let¡¯s implement Teacher Goltai¡¯s n, but how have you decided to arrange the millet bugs and thorn bugs?¡± ¡°For the millet bugs, I n to first clear a piece of wastnd and nt millet to see if it can survive. As for the thorn bugs, we can only try to make it work in the thorn forest of Thorn Ridge. Liszt, I don¡¯t think thorn bugs are very useful.¡± Thorns are a small, spiky shrub. They are often used for fences. Many nobles like to nt a circle of thorns around their estates as a green hedge. Liszt also felt that thorn bugs weren¡¯t very useful; at most, they could cultivate a spiked hedge for the castle to protect the estate from small animals¡ªAs for magical beasts, a single wind de from a Wind de Wolf could chop down arge swath of thorns. The fire dragon horse leisurely ate the two-leaf clovers. Liszt, looking at the few skinny cows not far away, said, ¡°Regardless, elf bugs are a vital productive force, and we must find the right ce for them to grow.¡± Chapter 19 - 0019 The Long Taro Family of Red Crab Island Chapter 0019 The Long Taro Family of Red Crab Ind Trantor: Henyee Trantions Editor: Henyee Trantions The milk produced by the dairy farm was a rare luxury in Fresh Flower Town. Originally, the milk from the dairy farm was used to produce milk powder, and every three months, it was given to Coral Ind¡¯s Count as a form of taxation. After Liszt arrived, the milk was sent to the castle daily. There were a total of ten dairy cows. Among them, three were not yet two years old and had not started producing milk yet; two old dairy cows were no longer able to produce milk; one male dairy cow was also unable to produce milk; only four adult female dairy cows could produce some milk daily. It was unclear whether the breed of dairy cows was not up to par or if their diet wasn¡¯t good enough, but their milk production was very low. ¡°Dahua, at her peak milk production, could be milked three times a day and produce 20 kilograms of fresh milk; Little Hua, during the off-peak period for milk, could only yield 4 kilograms per day; Dahei was also in the off-peak period, at 5 kilograms a day; Dahuang was currently in the dry period,¡± the steward, an old man, said. He wasn¡¯t very old, but his back was bent, and he looked quite aged. Liszt approached one of the dairy cows, which was very docile and eating grass slowly. ¡°Will you continue to raise the cows that can¡¯t produce milk?¡± ¡°Zhuangzhuang needs to ensure that all the female dairy cows can conceive, so we must keep it. Little Hua, Little ck, and Little Yellow are still young and won¡¯t be able to conceive and produce milk until next year. Old Hua and Old ck have already aged, and we have reported to Lord Landlord that they can be ughtered for meat at any time,¡± the old steward said respectfully. Little Hua, Little ck, and Little Yellow are the names of the underage dairy cows. Little Hua, Little ck are the names of the newly adult dairy cows. Dahua, Dahei, Dahuang are the names of the adult dairy cows. Old Hua, Old ck are the names of the elderly dairy cows. Zhuangzhuang is the name of the male dairy cow. Liszt recalled that Butler Carter had mentioned to him some time ago that there were two old dairy cows on the farm that could be ughtered for meat at any time. Feeding a cow that could not produce milk for an extra day was equivalent to wasting food for an extra day. Usually, they would be ughtered immediately¡ªit was ruthless to think that dairy cows that had produced milk their whole lives had to contribute their meat in old age. Since the castle wasn¡¯t hosting anyrge banquets at the moment and the meat supplies brought in were still sufficient, the two old dairy cows continued to be raised on the dairy farm. ¡°Is the farm¡¯s pasture enough for the dairy cows to eat?¡± ¡°Yes, Lord Landlord, we only have ten dairy cows, but we have 150 acres of pasture.¡± ¡°Old Steward, how many acres of pasture do you think are enough to sustain ten dairy cows?¡± ¡°Reporting to Lord Landlord, a dairy cow needs ten acres of pasture to be sustained. However, we often take the dairy cows out to the wild fields to graze, so only eight acres of pasture are actually needed to sustain one.¡± ¡°Eight acres per cow, ten cows need eighty acres. Well then, Teacher Goltai, start by clearing seventy acres of two-leaf clover and renting it with alfalfa,¡± Liszt said. ¡°No problem, leave it to me,¡± Goltai assured, patting his chest. Goltai had started to feel some sense of crisis due to Liszt¡¯s decisive and swift approach during the poption census project, and his work attitude had finally be more serious. He realized that Liszt was not the type of noble who was ostentatious and indulgent but rather one who was pragmatic and down to earth. To gain power, he would have to change his style. ¡­ Feed Douson. Inspect for peanut worms. Two days passed in the blink of an eye, and the third day was a rainy one. It was deep into spring, and summer had not yet arrived. The rain was as precious as oil, and agricultural production in all the hamlets was busily moving forward. The seeds for the alfalfa grass had been sown, and cornfields were marked out from the wilderness in preparation for cultivation. There was still no progress with Thorn Forest; they had to wait for Marcus to return from Thorn Ridge to search. The fourth day. After having lunch in the castle, Butler Carter hurried into the study, ¡°Master, Mr. Marcus has returned and is waiting outside the castle for your summons.¡± ¡°Please have hime in.¡± ¡°Baron, Mr. Marcus sends his regards!¡± The travel-worn Marcus arrived with the two Intermediate Dou Qi Manuscripts Liszt had been expecting. One was the familiar ¡°ming Wave¡±, and the other was the ¡°Fire Dragon Drill¡± obtained from Tulip Castle. After receiving the two manuscripts, Liszt turned to ask, ¡°Teacher Marcus, what was the response from the Earl and Baron to my letters?¡± ¡°Here are the replies from the Earl and Baron, and also the ten Naldas exchanged for the Fierce Earth Dog pelts.¡± ¡°Please take a seat, Teacher Marcus; I will read the letters first.¡± The first one he opened was the reply from Coral Ind¡¯s Count. The letter was brief due to the thick papyrus not allowing for many words. Li Weiliam Tulip replied to Liszt, prepared to send someone soon toplete the assimtion of the ck Tulip and to discuss the sale of it as well. He also promised to purchase a batch of scarce supplies for Liszt as a deposit for the transaction. The other was the reply from the Baron of Falcon Town. Li Vera replied to Liszt, congratting him on discovering a new variety of Tulips and would apany the Earl to exchange supplies for the right of assimtion. The replies were official and courteous. Lacking the warmth of kinship, the rtionship between the three siblings, who had lost their mother, the First Lady of the Earl, had gradually grown cold. The Earl, disheartened by Liszt¡¯s appearance, had be even more detached. ¡°But that¡¯s also good, I can ept this kind of lukewarm emotion. Being too affectionate, on the other hand, I cannot stand,¡± Liszt reflected with slight emotion after reading the letters. Putting down the letters. Liszt spoke gently, ¡°Thank you for your efforts, Teacher Marcus. Did you encounter anything new on your journey?¡± ¡°Coral Ind is as tranquil as ever, and there¡¯s no war in the Grand Duchy. However, there is something that might be considered news¡ªit¡¯s regarding the maternal n of the Baron.¡± ¡°My maternal n?¡± Liszt had almost forgotten that his mother came from a family just as noble and inquired, ¡°What happened at Long Taro Castle?¡± ¡°The Lord of Long Taro Castle, the Marquis of Red Crab Ind, has resigned from his post as Captain of the Court Fleet due to illness and has returned to Red Crab Ind. The Earl is preparing to send someone to visit, and it¡¯s likely this will be discussed with the Baron when the envoy arrives to assimte the ck Tulip.¡± ¡°Perhaps,¡± Liszt searched through the host¡¯s memories, recalling Long Taro Castle in his mind. The Grand Duchy of Sapphire was an archipgo with many Nobles distributed across its numerous inds, bothrge and small. Among them was arge ind called Red Crab Ind, the domain of the Long Taro Family, whose hereditary title was Marquis of Red Crab Ind¡ªMerlin Taro, Liszt¡¯s grandfather. The surname of the Long Taro family originated from the Greater Elf of Long Taro they possessed. They lived in Long Taro Castle, a fortress far more grand and luxurious than Tulip Castle, splendid and magnificent, perched upon the mountains. Marquis Merlin had one son and two daughters: his eldest son, Mesiro; his second daughter, Melinda; and his youngest daughter, Melissa Taro, who was Liszt¡¯s mother. When Li Weiliam Tulip was still a Viscount, Marquis Merlin foresaw his potential and married his youngest daughter, Melissa, to the Tulip Family. From this union came Levis, Li Vera, and Liszt. Up till now, Liszt had visited Long Taro Castle every year to celebrate his grandfather¡¯s birthday. However, since Li Weiliam remarried to a new Countess, the rtion between the Long Taro and Tulip families had gradually be distant. But no matter what, Merlin Taro was still Liszt¡¯s grandfather. As a descendant, it was proper to visit an ailing grandfather. Chapter 20 - 0020 Peanut Worm and Fire Dragon Assault Chapter 0020 Peanut Worm and Fire Dragon Assault Trantor: Henyee Trantions Editor: Henyee Trantions After sending off the tired Marcus, Liszt pulled his thoughts from the past. While it was true that a noble¡¯s major responsibility was to expand their connections, and the Long Taro Family was an important resource for him, he was not one for diplomacy. He preferred staying on hisnd, amusing himself with self-sufficiency. ¡°I should first practice the Dou Qi Manuscript andplete the Smoke Mission,¡± he said to himself. He first opened ¡°ming Wave¡±, which detailed through numerous illustrations and descriptions how to strengthen Fire Attribute Dou Qi and how to channel it for executing powerful moves. ¡°ming Wave¡± favored sweeping, expansive attacks, with most techniques radiating outwards like waves; it was a manuscript for area attacks. ¡°Area attacks, huh? Good for charging into battle, but isn¡¯t that what my Knight Order is for? I just need tomand from the back,¡± he mused. With that thought, Liszt opened ¡°Fire Dragon Drill¡±. This manual was for one-on-onebat, with powerful moves designed for single targets, andcked a bit for charging into battle. However, Liszt quickly decided to train in ¡°Fire Dragon Drill¡±;pared to going into battle, he was more worried about assassin attacks, and the one-on-one ¡°Fire Dragon Drill¡± suited him better than the area-focused ¡°ming Wave¡±. ¡°That¡¯s settled then¡­ Once I have the time, I can look into ¡°ming Wave¡± as well,¡± he concluded contentedly. In this world, there were no divine martial arts secrets; when training in Dou Qi, there were no particrly poor manuals nor especially powerful ones. Everything depended on the individual¡¯s talent andprehension. Extraordinary warriors could emerge frommoners, and descendants of powerful people could be mediocre. ¡­ In the following time, Liszt diligently trained in ¡°Fire Dragon Drill¡± while waiting for the merchant caravan to arrive. Time flew, and three days passed. The rain had stopped. Good news came one after another. The Elf Bugs in Peanut Hamlet were nearly ripe. Retainer Knight Karl Ironhammer excitedly reported, ¡°My lord, the husks of the peanuts have cracked open, revealing pink Elf Bugs inside, about to awaken. They¡¯re starting to quiver.¡± ¡°Is that so? I¡¯m on my way!¡± Liszt said. By the time Liszt arrived on horseback, the husks had fully bloomed, revealing a chubby Elf Bug, its body glistening like jade, crawling curiously over the cordyceps, filled with boundless curiosity about the world. The farmers of Peanut Hamlet gathered around, watching the Elf Bug with both curiosity and anxiety. Liszt took out the Jade Powder he carried with him and sprinkled it before the Elf Bug. The bug sniffed at it and quickly began to munch. In no time, it finished the Jade Powder on the leaves and climbed up Liszt¡¯s outstretched finger, following the scent, and nibbled on the powder coated there. Then, with a slight pain, the Elf Bug bit through Liszt¡¯s finger. In that moment, a spiritual bond formed between Liszt and the Elf Bug¡ªa master-servant contract had been established. Elf Bugs, with their innate magic, naturally carried the ability to form master-servant contracts. ¡°Come with me, little guy.¡± Liszt cradled the Elf Bug, ced it into the Jade Box, and prepared to take it back to the castle for raising, leaving the cordyceps in Peanut Hamlet. ¡°The fifth Elf Bug acquired. With the Elf Bug, a bountiful harvest for Peanut Hamlet is imminent,¡± Liszt thought with a buoyant heart. He couldn¡¯t help but instruct Old George, ¡°Old George, take good care of the Elf Bug cordyceps. Remember to water and fertilize; the more fertilizer you use, the higher the peanut yield.¡± ¡°Rest assured, Lord Landlord, we¡¯ll do exactly as you¡¯ve instructed¡ªregrly watering, weeding, and fertilizing the peanuts!¡± With the Elf Bug collected. Another piece of good news knocked on the door: the Fierce Earth Dog puppies, raised in the castle, had finally opened their eyes on the seventh day under Liszt¡¯s care. Seeing Liszt at first sight, they yapped and rushed towards him, affectionately nuzzling his pant leg. ¡°Douson, from now on, you¡¯ll be living outside the castle,¡± Liszt told the puppy. Holding the leash around Douson¡¯s neck, Liszt called for Thomas. ¡°My lord.¡± ¡°Thomas, I¡¯m giving you a task, take care of Douson for me. By the way, has Douson¡¯s kennel been built yet?¡± ¡°It has beenpleted, my lord.¡± Thomas took the leash, ready to lead Douson to his kennel. Though Douson had recognized Liszt as his master, it did not mean he would acknowledge anyone else. When Thomas led him, the barely a month old Fierce Earth Dog pup immediately bared its teeth and growled ¡°woo woo,¡± fiercely pouncing to tear at Thomas¡¯s shoes with considerable wildness. Yet, with nothing but little milk teeth, Douson could not bite through Thomas¡¯s shoes, ¡°Take good care of it.¡± ¡°Please be assured, my lord, I have experience in raising hunting dogs.¡± ¡°Fierce Earth Dogs are much more dangerous than hunting dogs. They have the bloodline of magical beasts. But it¡¯s okay; it shouldn¡¯t go mad. When it gets a little bigger, I will train it every day until it is exhausted.¡± After arranging a caretaker for Douson, Liszt climbed to the castle¡¯s spire and surveyed the barrennd several miles around the castle¡ªhe had always neglected that there was actually arablend around the castle but had merely turned a few acres next to the castle into a small garden, letting the rest grow wild with grass. ¡°Peanut Hamlet, Tomato Hamlet, Mushroom Hamlet, Barley Hamlet, Little Wheat Vige, Dairy Farm, Fresh Flower Farm, as well as the town and the castle. In fact, Fresh Flower Town has nine hamlets, and each must be utilized¡­ But without mechanization, and with less than two thousand people in Fresh Flower Town, it does seem impossible to cultivate so muchnd, doesn¡¯t it?¡± Machines can tirelessly reimnd, but humanbor is very slow. Less than two thousand people to cultivate tens of thousands of acres ofnd is indeed daunting. Many fields are merely sowed with seeds, left to survive or perish on their own. ¡°African agriculture must be like this, right? Poption, oh poption, only poption is the most valuable resource! But where can I get enough people?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a bit difficult.¡± Despite the difficulty, Liszt still had confidence that Fresh Flower Town could grow and prosper. As a transmigrator with a golden finger, if he couldn¡¯t achieve even this, he might as well jump off a building and not disgrace other transmigrators. ¡­ ¡°Fire Dragon Assault!¡± In the small garden in front of the castle, Liszt, holding a one-handed sword, executed a move from ¡°Fire Dragon Drill¡±. A me suddenly ignited along the de of the sword, roaring and expanding to a meter wide, like a fan stoking fires, with sparks flying and apanied by the faint sound of crackling. The me did not truly exist, it was merely the effect of Dou Qi clinging to the one-handed sword. Liszt¡¯s fire attribute Dou Qi had an explosive nature. Even within the same type of Dou Qi, different properties would be emphasized. Just as with fire attribute Dou Qi, his focused on explosiveness, while others¡¯ might focus on high temperature, intensity of the mes, or refinement. ¡°Finally, I¡¯ve mastered the Fire Dragon Assault. Now only thest move is left¡ªHeart of the Fire Dragon Drill. Once mastered, I can im the reward!¡± He felt quite proud in his heart. His talent was indeed strong. The ¡°Fire Dragon Drill¡± was divided into two sets of skills, one that refined the method of circting Dou Qi, and another consisted of sixteen attack moves. The method of circting Dou Qi hade easily to Liszt, and now he was learning the sixteen attack moves. ¡°Others take at least half a month to learn a manuscript, but here I am, less than a week has passed, and I¡¯m nearly finished.¡± ¡°It¡¯s hard to imagine the predecessor did not break through to be an Earth Knight before adulthood. Could it be hisprehension was too poor?¡± If the physical talent was not poor, then it could only be an issue ofprehension. The Liszt from before adulthood probably just hadn¡¯t had his mental breakthrough. As for the current Liszt, he wouldn¡¯t dare im to be extraordinarily intelligent, but he was definitely not foolish. ¡°Keep studying and strive to master the Heart of the Fire Dragon Drill today.¡± Chapter 21 - 0021: Wild Corn is Delicious Chapter 0021: Wild Corn is Delicious Trantor: Henyee Trantions Editor: Henyee Trantions ¡°¡±¡± A set of Dou Qi operation methods, which include how to refine Dou Qi, strengthen Dou Qi, condense Dou Qi, release Dou Qi, and attach Dou Qi. A set ofbat techniquesprising sixteen moves. Five movements rted to body methods: Dragon Charge, Dragon Leap, Dragon Jump, Dragon Flight, Dragon Dive. Five basic moves: Fire Dragon Stab, Fire Dragon Crash, Fire Dragon Smash, Fire Dragon Twist, Fire Dragon Drill. Five fierce moves: Fire Dragon Tail Swing, Fire Dragon Sweep, Fire Dragon Gust, Fire Dragon Roll, Fire Dragon Assault. One ultimate mystery technique: Heart of the Fire Dragon Drill. This is the entirety of ¡°Fire Dragon Drill¡±, each move¡¯s name is quite intriguing, as if it¡¯s part of a series with his Fire Dragon Horse mount. At this moment. Liszt was riding on the back of the Fire Dragon Horse. As the Fire Dragon Horse galloped, his body slightly rose and fell, almost as if he and the horse were one. In his left hand, he held a shield made of fine steel in front of him, partially covering the Fire Dragon Horse. His right hand was stretched out with an over-three-meter-long Knight Spear. Near the castle, the grass had been cut away, revealing the yellow soil¡ªthe barren loessnd. The hooves of the Fire Dragon Horse stepped on the somewhat moist ground, leaving uneven hoofprints, its body turning into a red fiery mass as it rapidly dashed into the distance. On the horse¡¯s back, Liszt, with Dou Qi radiating all around him, attached it to the shield and the Knight Spear, as well as the Fire Dragon Horse. Soon, the rider and horse werepletely enveloped in mes. Apanied by a loud shout from Liszt, ¡°Heart of the Fire Dragon Drill!¡± The Fire Dragon Horse leapt high, the Knight Spear thrusted forward fiercely. In an instant, countless merged shadows of the rider and the horse followed the attack, swiftly passing by and striking directly at a huge boulder ahead. Earth-shattering blow! Boom! A man-high boulder was instantly shattered into dust. mes wildly scattered everywhere, mingling with the debris to fall like raindrops. Once the dust had settled, Liszt, still on the Fire Dragon Horse, had already moved beyond the explosion¡¯s radius. He was ensconced in full body armor, as was the Fire Dragon Horse. The full body armor was silver-white, with numerous scratches and ck marks on it. Lifting the facete off his helmet, Liszt¡¯s handsome face emerged, his corners of the mouth slightly curled in a smile as usual, ¡°Not bad for the impact, this move, if it hits, should be able to severely cripple a Fierce Earth Dog or some such Magical Beast.¡± Clop, clop, clop, clop, clop. The sound of horse hooves grew louder as they approached. Marcus and Goltai, each riding a horse, came galloping over, followed by Liszt¡¯s four Retainer Knights. ¡°Oh, God, Liszt, you are truly a genius. I have seen it, is that the ultimate mystery technique of the ¡°Fire Dragon Drill¡±, Heart of the Fire Dragon Drill? You¡¯ve learned this entire manuscript in less than a week?¡± Goltai always spoke with a tone of astonishment. Marcus circled the scattered debris of rocks, equally amazed, ¡°The impact was very even, not a single piece of debris isrger than a fist, proving you¡¯ve mastered this move. Most Earth Knights would find that very hard to do.¡± Having said that, he took a disbelieving look at Liszt. In the past, the third son of the Earl¡¯s family was considered an utter waste. He had been well-fed with chicken, fish, meat, eggs, milk, and even tasted Magical Beast Meat, yet his Dou Qi cultivation was inferior even to that ofmoner Knights. Unbelievably, after advancing to Earth Knight, in less than a week, he had fully mastered an Intermediate Dou Qi Manuscript. It made him recall his own time training with the Gale Breaker, which took him a whole month and a half just to master the final ultimate mystery technique. His heart was filled with mixed feelings, ¡°Could this be the real difference betweenmoners and Nobles?¡± ¡°¡±¡± Liszt handed the shield and the Knight Spear to the Retainer Knights, and while he was at it, he also took off his helmet, breathing in the fresh air, his excitement hadn¡¯t subsided yet, ¡°I originally thought it would take me several months to master ¡°Fire Dragon Drill¡±, but it turned out to be not that difficult. It looks like I can find time to learn ¡°ming Wave¡± as well, the more skills, the better.¡± ¡°With your talent, you should indeed learn a few more secret tomes, Liszt. I¡¯ve always said that you have your father¡¯s ir, and you will surely bring glory to the Tulip Family in the future.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s hope your wordse true, Teacher Goltai.¡± On the way back, Goltai engaged in spirited conversation with Liszt, which was his forte. Marcus, on the other hand, seemed to have his mind wander off, lost in thought. It wasn¡¯t until he entered the Castle for dinner and distractedly finished his meal that Liszt saw him out, and he finally snapped back to reality. Waiting for Goltai to ride away, humming a tune. He looked at Liszt, who still stood at the Castle¡¯s entrance, as if waiting for him to speak, and said in a solemn tone, ¡°Baron, may I know where your sights are set?¡± ¡°My sights, you ask¡­¡± Liszt thought to himself that Marcus was inquiring whether he had any ambition for achievements. Marcus, who aspired to be a Noble, would naturally not be content to stay coiled up in a small town, following a Baron without great ambitions. But Liszt did not answer directly, ¡°Teacher Marcus, for a person, do not listen to what he says, watch what he does. Words spoken can be true or false, but the deeds done are crystal clear, aren¡¯t they?¡± ¡°I understand!¡± All of a sudden, Marcus knelt on one knee, ced his right hand on his chest, and gave a salute of loyalty, ¡°I pledge my service as your vanguard!¡± ¡°Please rise, Teacher Marcus. The territory is still fragile; I need you to help me build it up.¡± Liszt calmly helped Marcus to his feet, feeling a great sense of achievement within. To win the loyalty of an Earth Knight, that was personal charisma. Back in the Castle. After taking a bath. He saw the Smoke Serpent Script again, ¡°Taskpleted, reward one horse with a trace of Dragon Breed lineage.¡± Shortly, the smoke twisted, and a new task was issued, ¡°Task: The fresh and tender Alfalfa is favored not only by dairy cows but also by horses. It is the foundation for starting a horse farm and the first step toward building achievements. Please arrange for Cordyceps for the Alfalfa Bug. Reward: Three wild corn nts.¡± Upon reading the Serpent Script, Liszt was quite excited. The Dragon Breed Horse had already arrived, though he did not yet know where or who had discovered it; he nned to go find it the very next morning. However, right now, he was thrilled not by the Dragon Breed Horse but by the reward of corn for the new task. This world did not have corn as a crop, at least not on Coral Ind, and there was no memory of any corn-rted nts in his predecessor¡¯s recollections. ¡°Corn, such a high-yield crop, said to have the highest per-acre yield in the world, right? And it doesn¡¯t need much tending; just nt it, and it grows by itself. It is even said to be a divine nt, naturally C4 with easy male sterility, and in the future, corn will dominate the world of grains. In ¡°Interster¡±, the nearly extinct human race grew only corn.¡± Having farmed in his childhood, Liszt knew corn had a high yield, though its taste wasn¡¯t as good as wheat or rice. But here, it didn¡¯t need to taste the best, as long as it could fill stomachs, it would be the best crop. The wheat yield in Fresh Flower Town was only a couple of hundred pounds per acre. Once corn was nted, even if it didn¡¯t produce thousands of pounds per acre, as long as the yield exceeded five hundred pounds, it could sustain arger poption, ensuring no worries about food and clothing. When that timees. Widely nting corn to provide rough cornmeal for themon folk. nting a small amount of wheat to provide fine wheat flour for oneself, wouldn¡¯t that be delightful? Chapter 22 - 0022: The Nearly Castrated Li Dragon Horse Chapter 0022: The Nearly Castrated Li Dragon Horse Trantor: Henyee Trantions Editor: Henyee Trantions Before Liszt could give the order to search for the dragon breed horse, Goltai, who was responsible for changing the alfalfa on the dairy farm, hurried to the castle early in the morning. ¡°Liszt, great news has arrived! The newly nted alfalfa has sprouted and is growing quite nicely. Most importantly, a wild horse has somehow been attracted by it and is eating the alfalfa. That wild horse is extremely majestic, oh, even more robust and tall than your Fire Dragon Horse!¡± ¡°Summon Teacher Marcus, and let¡¯s head over to the dairy farm together to have a look at this wild horse. Having eaten the alfalfa grass, it should be ready to trade itself for its board, right?¡± ¡°Exactly, its board fee will be itself, haha.¡± Everything on the estate belongs to thendlord; without a doubt, this wild horse is Liszt¡¯s private property. The group quickly arrived at the dairy farm, and indeed, there was a ck wild horse leisurely eating the newly sprouted alfalfa in the pasture that should have belonged to the dairy cows. The wild horse was tall and shiny with a majestic form, and its muscles were visibly striated. ¡°Teacher Marcus, you are an expert in judging horses, what do you think of this wild horse?¡± The wild horse had already spotted Liszt and the others but seemed to be quite bold; seeing that they did not approach, it lowered its head again and continued to graze leisurely. Marcus¡¯s eyes shone with excitement as he said, ¡°My lord, what an excellent steed! Its bones are fine but the frame isrge, and its muscles are beautifully bulging. Its limbs are long, and so are its tendons. The neck is straight and leans forward, and its rump is shapely. Its coat is also very shiny, indicating it has no ailments. Most importantly, its gaze is sharp!¡± ¡°How does itpare to the Blue Blood Treasure Horse?¡± ¡°I apologize, my lord, I have not seen a Blue Blood Treasure Horse. The best horse I have seen is the Earl¡¯s Panther, which is said to have a blend of the Magical Beast, the dry tinder leopard¡¯s bloodline. But the Panther is nowhere near as majestic as this wild horse.¡± A horse with a white forehead is called a Panther (d¨ª). Liszt was certainly familiar with the Panther, the mount of Coral Ind¡¯s Count. The ck wild horse before him had an air that far surpassed the Panther¡¯s; after all, dragons were the most sacred of creatures, and a dragon breed horse was the most respected among horses. ¡°How can we capture it?¡± Marcus said, ¡°I could flip it with my bare hands, after all, it¡¯s just a horse. However, my lord wishes it to be his mount, so you should subdue it personally. A wild horse only submits to someone who can master it.¡± Liszt didn¡¯t n to tame the dragon breed horse for himself, he was more eager for the dragon breed horse to be a true stud and breed a herd of dragon breed horses for him. But taming a dragon breed wild horse was an interesting thing, and Liszt did not let Marcus do the job for him. He approached the wild horse himself. As he drew closer, the grazing wild horse immediately became alert, turned around, and red fiercely at Liszt as if warning him not to cross the line. As Liszt kept getting closer, the wild horse finally lost its patience and directly tried to bite him. With a twist of his body and good horsemanship, Liszt instantly flipped onto the back of the wild horse. The wild horse, feeling the immense shame of being ridden, frantically thrashed, hopping and jumping around trying to throw Liszt off. But Liszt, holding its neck and with his Dou Qi bursting forth, was not swayed in the least. An Earth Knight could withstand a real Magical Beast; let alone a horse. Half an hourter, the tired wild horse finally stopped struggling, panting and standing still, allowing Liszt to ride it andmand it to move left and right. Wiping the sweat from his forehead, Lisztughed heartily, ¡°A very stubborn fellow, pure ck in color, truly not a single hair of a different shade. Let¡¯s just call you Li Dragon.¡± A pure ck horse is called a Li (l¨ª). And with its thin dragon bloodline, being named Li Dragon is quite fitting. ¡°Karl, bring some bran cakes.¡± Liszt dismounted; though taming a wild horse was not too challenging, it was indeed very taxing, and he was covered in sweat. At that moment, the Fire Dragon Horse also came over; it was a young female. While rubbing Li Si Te¡¯s shoulder and with wide-open eyes, he observed the towering Li Dragon Horse next to him. The Li Dragon Horse, however, didn¡¯t even deign to look at the Fire Dragon Horse; it continued to hold its head high, refusing to ingratiate itself with Li Si Te, and still retained a hint of haughtiness. Even when Li Si Te took a bran biscuit and fed it to the horse, it did not show any affection. ¡°My Lord, the Li Dragon Horse is an adult, and if it is to be raised as a war horse, it would be best to geld him to prevent him from bing thin during the mating season,¡± said Marcus. ¡°Geld him?¡± Li Si Te waved his hand, ¡°That won¡¯t do. I¡¯ve decided the Li Dragon Horse shall serve as a stud to breed a herd for Fresh Flower Town. Such a magnificent steed should not be prevented from propagating its lineage; that would be a tremendous loss.¡± ¡°To be a stud horse?¡± Marcus nodded, agreeing with the decision. Even though he didn¡¯t know that the Li Dragon Horse was a Dragon Breed Horse, he could still recognize its exceptional qualities. Indeed, it would have been a pity to geld such a horse. The Li Dragon Horse, oblivious to the fate it had just avoided, contentedly nibbled on the bran biscuit, returning to its original leisure. From time to time, it would graze on the alfalfa grass on the ground. Goltai wanted to step forward and touch it but was startled by the Li Dragon Horse¡¯s snort and had to awkwardly change the subject: ¡°Where did the Li Dragon Horsee from, did it walk over from Thorn Ridge?¡± ¡°Perhaps there are more Li Dragon Horses in Thorn Ridge¡­ It¡¯s strange to think that there are wild horses on the ind,¡± Marcus spected. Horses typically live in vast grasnds. With insufficient grasnds on Coral Ind for wild horses to live, the natural breeding of wild horses seemed impractical. ¡°Maybe they drifted here from another ce, or perhaps the horses previously raised by the inders have gone wild. In any case, it couldn¡¯t have just appeared out of nowhere. Moreover, Li Si Te, I think that perhaps in a few days, more Li Dragon Horses might emerge from Thorn Ridge, and by then, we might truly have a Li Dragon Horse Herd.¡± ¡°That would be for the best.¡± Li Si Te also had his doubts. He didn¡¯t know whether to believe that the Li Dragon Horse naturally lived in thisnd or if some entity behind the Smoke Mission had conjured up a Li Dragon Horse¡ªhe was inclined to think the Li Dragon Horse had always lived here, and the Smoke Mission was merely a trigger rather than a clumsy creation. As for what the Smoke Mission truly was, there was no way to unravel it for the time being. He had to suppress his curiosity and leave it for a future resolution. Looking at the fresh and tender alfalfa grass forming a beautiful pasture, he suddenly thought of the wastnd outside the castle: ¡°Teacher Goltai, what do you think about nting alfalfa on the wastnds around the castle? We could build a track outside the castle and raise a Li Dragon Horse Herd.¡± ¡°Hmm, that should be feasible. Why not give it a try?¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll leave it to Teacher Goltai.¡± ¡­ Li Si Te rode the Li Dragon Horse back to the castle. Goltai and Marcus also prepared to return on their own. Along the way, Goltai suddenly asked, ¡°Marcus, you¡¯re now addressing Li Si Te as ¡®My Lord¡¯?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t seem like your character, making a decision so quickly.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have many choices, Mr. Goltai,¡± Marcus said, looking into the distance where the small castle shone brilliantly in the sunlight, ¡°Besides, don¡¯t you always say that he has the air of an Earl about him? I believe he won¡¯t stay hidden away in Fresh Flower Town, this remote ce, forever.¡± ¡°Perhaps,¡± Goltai said nomittally. Chapter 23 - 0023: The Arriving Convoy Chapter 0023: The Arriving Convoy Trantor: Henyee Trantions Editor: Henyee Trantions The farmers who were idle at the dairy farm were summoned by Liszt to reim the wastnd surrounding the castle and to grow alfalfa. Originally, ording to Goltai¡¯s opinion, the serfs asndlords, shoulde to work unconditionally. Liszt was not that exploitative, he decided to provide the farmers with three meals a day, whereasmoners usually only had two, hence, people scrambled toe and work. He allotted a portion of the surplus wheat bran from the castle, distributing it to the working farmers. Wheat bran is the husk separated from the wheat and in Liszt¡¯s position, only the fine wheat flour was consumed while the bran was typically used to feed horses, yet it was consumed by themoners. The bran cakes he previously used to feed horses were in fact the food eaten by many farmer families. ¡°It¡¯s said that the nutritional value of wheat bran is higher than that of wheat flour,¡± Liszt recalled in his previous life he had bought bran cakes, and the sellers imed that the bran contained a wealth of dietary fiber and B vitamins that could improve constipation and reduce cholesterol, ¡°but the bran is indeed hard to eat and to digest.¡± As a noble, he was notcking in nutrition, so there was no need to force himself to eat the coarse bran. Naturally, nobles ate white bread. Here, bread was the absolute staple, and ording to different materials and textures, it could be divided into nine grades. Four grades of white bread and five grades of brown bread. The highest-quality white bread, made from finely sifted and selected wheat flour, was only something great nobles could afford the wealth, materials, andbor to produce. The price of such white bread was astonishing as well, costing at least several silver coins for one loaf. The slightly inferior white bread was made from sifted fine wheat flour, which, due to the removal of coarse particles, had a very fine texture. It usually sold for one silver coin per loaf. The next level of white bread was made from unsifted fine wheat flour. The texture was slightly worse, and one silver coin could buy two or three loaves. The lowest grade white bread was made from coarse wheat flour; it was simply processed flour that tasted a bit worse, and ten copper coins could buy one loaf. The white bread that Liszt currently ate was of this grade, while the bread eaten in Tulip Castle was of the level above. Commoners all ate brown bread. The somewhat richer freemen among themoners could afford the few-copper-coins ¡°bran-removed whole wheat bread¡±; the ¡°whole-wheat bread with bran¡± that sold for one copper coin was probably affordable for ordinary freemen; the serfs ate ¡°mixed brown bread¡± made from wheat flour with the bran unremoved, mixed with other flours, which could buy fourrge pieces for one copper coin. The poorer serfs would either eat ¡°grain brown bread¡± made from ground legumes and other grains, or consume bran cakes made entirely of bran. Additionally, Liszt was also aware of another type of brown bread that wasmonly made bymoners. This brown bread, after fermentation, became extremely hard. Commoners would slice it and use it as tes, or as wedges to stabilize wobbly tables. It was said that some of these bread tes could be used for several months. ¡°Oh, the wicked feudal society,¡± Lisztmented with feigned seriousness, pulling back his thoughts, with no intention of overthrowing the nobility system. The ass determines the head; being a noble, enjoying the status granted by the era, it would be absurd to pull oneself off the noble seat. Besides, it would be hard to overthrow. Without dragons, without elves, what could be used to break it? ¡°My lord, do you need the Fire Dragon Horse brought over?¡± Thomas asked cautiously, always so meticulous in front of Liszt. ¡°No need. By the way, Thomas, how is the Li Dragon Horse in the stable, any temper tantrums?¡± ¡°The big guy you just tamed, my lord, had been bullying the Fire Dragon Horse all night long, but by this morning, the Fire Dragon Horse could peacefully graze next to it,¡± Thomas reported. Liszt nodded, unsurprised. Two tigers cannot share one mountain, unless one is male and the other female. The Li Dragon Horse was a stallion and the Fire Dragon Horse was a mare; getting along peacefully was only natural. Moreover, it was very likely, the first offspring of the Li Dragon Horses would be born to the Fire Dragon Horse¡ªLiszt had no objections, as the Fire Dragon Horse was also a fine breed, with a blend of the low-level magical beast, the zing Steed lineage; thebination of strengths would produce even better offspring. No longer paying attention, Liszt began to practice the moves from ¡°ming Wave¡±. Generally, Earth Knights wouldn¡¯t train with a new Dou Qi Manuscript before they had mastered the one that suited them best. Liszt was blessed with quickprehension; even though he still had a good grasp on ¡°Fire Dragon Drill¡±, he was able to simultaneously practice ¡°ming Wave¡±. Unlike the one-on-onebat focus of ¡°Fire Dragon Drill¡±, ¡°ming Wave¡± emphasized battle against multiple opponents. The moves often involved sweeping the sword across arge area or thrusting the spear into a group. Unbeknownst to him, he had be engrossed in his training, his Fire Attribute Dou Qi constantly released, heating the surrounding air to an intense warmth. The power was yet unknown, but at the very least, it looked impressively powerful. ¡°Great Fire Wave!¡± With one sh of his sword, mes burst forth again. He saw Butler Carter approaching him at a brisk pace. He involuntarily reined in his Dou Qi and asked, ¡°Mr. Carter, what¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°My lord, Jessie just came back from cutting grass for the horses and reported seeing a merchant caravan. I suspect it might be the Earl and the Baron¡¯s entourage arriving,¡± Carter said. Liszt¡¯s spirits lifted, ¡°They¡¯ve finally arrived? Please notify the two teachers to join me in weing the caravan. I¡¯ll go take a bath and change my clothes first.¡± Hurrying upstairs to bathe. Before long, Marcus and Goltai had already arrived. Located on a slope, the castle provided a good vantage point, from where they could already see the slowly moving caravan approaching from the direction of Thorn Ridge. ¡°Teacher Goltai, remember to remind me to reorganize the Patrol Team. The caravan arrived without any notice, and I only found out through my servant. This shouldn¡¯t happen,¡± Liszt remarked. ¡°The Patrol Team is full of bastards; you need to lend me some Retainer Knights to train them properly,¡± Goltai replied. ¡°No problem,¡± said Liszt as he mounted his horse. He didn¡¯t ride a Fire Dragon Horse but instead his newly tamed Li Dragon Horse, a means of self-disy. ¡°Let¡¯s go meet the caravan together. My father probably won¡¯te in person; it might be one of my brothers following the Tulip Great Elf.¡± The three of them rode off to meet the caravan. Meanwhile, Carter was busy instructing all the servants, ¡°Pull yourselves together and tidy up your clothes; don¡¯t look dirty and disgrace the master! Jessie, I¡¯m talking about you¡ªoh my heavens, your trousers are still muddy. Do you want to embarrass us all? Go and change them immediately!¡± ¡°Yes, yes, Mr. Carter,¡± the assistant manservant, Jessie Asanobu, with his xen hair, hurried back to his room to change his trousers. Carter called out again, ¡°Mrs. Morson, inform Mrs. Abbie to get the desserts, teas, and snacks ready. Also, make sure to prepare the ingredients for avish banquet as we might have guests whom the master will need to attend to personally.¡± ¡°Are you saying there will be Noblesing?¡± ¡°Of course, there will be. As you know, the ck Tulip is very important, and the family¡¯s Elves wille to assimte. It might be Young Master Levis escorting them, or perhaps Young Master Lidun. Regardless, they are all important people. We can¡¯t let the master lose face, not to mention Thomas¡¯s colleagues.¡± Thomas¡¯s colleagues¡ªas in the personal retinues of various Nobles. After a flurry of activity, the castle¡¯s entrance soon saw male and female servants lined up under Butler Carter¡¯s supervision, standing on the left and right sides of the gate respectively, waiting to wee the esteemed guests. Chapter 24 - 0024: The Three Siblings Reunite Chapter 0024: The Three Siblings Reunite Trantor: Henyee Trantions Editor: Henyee Trantions ¡°` One, two, three, four, five, six, seven¡­eight, nine, ten, a total of ten carriages, escorted by a troop of knights, made their way along the loess road to the foot of the castle¡¯s hill. ¡°Baron!¡±, the leading knight, galloping ahead to Liszt, performed a knight¡¯s salute, ¡°I am escorting the caravan that departed from Tulip Castle, here to trade in Fresh Flower Town.¡± ¡°So it¡¯s you, Lord Layden. The journey must have been taxing. Who hase this time?¡± Liszt returned the salute. Sir Layden spoke, ¡°The Viscount and the Baron of Falcon Town have bothe together.¡± ¡°Is that so? My sister came as well.¡± In the midst of their exchange, a luxurious carriage climbed up the slope and stopped in front of Liszt and the others. The attending footmen opened the carriage doors on both sides, and a young man and woman, both dressed in noble attire, stepped down. The male youth bore a resemnce to Liszt, though he was a bit iner, with simrly light golden hair and sapphire-colored eyes. The female youth also resembled Liszt to a degree, but she was not as fair as Liszt, with light golden hair and sapphire eyes. She was not dressed in nobledies¡¯ attire but, like the male youth, wore male noble clothing¡ªessential riding attire for going out, simr to a tailcoat but more ornate. ¡°My dear brother, lord of Fresh Flower Town, Baron Liszt, look who hase,¡± the young man, who was Levis Tulip,ughed heartily. Liszt dismounted and approached Levis, ¡°Brother, I did not expect you toe in person. And my sister, how is the life in Falcon Town?¡± Li Vera Tulip raised her slender eyebrows slightly, ¡°Liszt, I can sense it, you¡¯ve be an Earth Knight?¡± ¡°Yes, I was fortunate to have made the breakthrough, although it was somewhatte.¡± ¡°It seems that breaking free from the constraints of Tulip Castle and being in the free Fresh Flower Town, you¡¯ve found liberation. Advancing to Earth Knight, discovering new Tulip Magic Potions, I¡¯ve heard that the town has also nurtured an Elf Bug¡­ Your luck is so good it even makes me envious,¡± Levis said, patting Liszt¡¯s shoulder with a smile. In reality, the rtionship among the siblings was not very good. Behind their warm gesturesy the formalitiesmon among nobles¡ªregardless, the three siblings had all be true Noble Sirs and Ladies. At that moment, the Li Dragon Horse Liszt was leading suddenly snorted loudly, then bared its teeth and roared at several horses pulling the carriages. Startled, the tall steeds retreated continuously, almost bolting away with the carriages. ¡°Hmm?¡± Only then did Levis and Li Vera notice the shiny ck Li Dragon Horse. Li Vera¡¯s eyes sparkled, ¡°What a magnificent steed, Liszt. Wasn¡¯t your mount a bay mare, a birthday gift from father? From whencees this fine horse, and might you part with it for your sister?¡± ¡°Tamed from Thorn Ridge, I¡¯m sorry, my sister, but I have no intention of selling it.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not surprised to be refused, but you rejected so directly, Liszt. You¡¯ve improved since you were a child,¡± Li Vera said, slightly surprised. The Liszt of her childhood had been quite meek and timid before her. ¡°People are always changing; I¡¯vee of age, it¡¯s only natural to make some changes,¡± Liszt beckoned, ¡°It¡¯s too dazzling in the sun outside, pleasee into the Castle to rest after your long journey. Mr. Carter must have prepared tea and pastries; we can rx and chat over them.¡± ¡°Then, Mr. Layden, would you please bring over the Greater Elf and the Little Minor Elves?¡± Levis turned around. Quickly Sir Layden approached the carriage, directing several other knights to carry out from within the carriage three exquisitely crafted ¡°boxes¡±¡ªonerge and two small. The boxes weren¡¯t veryrge; the biggest one was just the size of a cradle, within whichy a creature asrge as a baby. It looked somewhat human, but its body was translucent and shiny, like a colorful, glowing gemstone, with folded wings on its back¡ªthis was the Tulip Family¡¯s most precious possession, the Tulip Great Elf. The two smaller boxes each held a Little Minor Elf the size of an adult¡¯s foot, equally beautiful but not as radiant as the Greater Elf. The Tulip Greater Elf seemed to be awoken by the knights¡¯ movements, stretched in the box, and then rubbed its eyes as it woke up. ¡°` pping its wings and flying into midair, it had no gender and naturally needed no clothes. Its bright eyes scanned around, and quickly locked onto Levis, ¡°Levis, have we arrived? Where is the ck Tulip?¡± Its voice was sweet, like a little girl speaking. ¡°We have arrived, Xiangxiang. This is Fresh Flower Town, and you¡¯ll be able to see the ck Tulip very soon,¡± Levis responded. At that moment, the Tulip Great Elf turned to look at Liszt: ¡°Wow, Liszt, long time no see.¡± Liszt nodded with a smile, ¡°It¡¯s been almost two months since west met, Xiangxiang.¡± Before he could finish, two Tulip Lesser Spirits also awoke and flew out of the box, circling around the Great Elf while asionally making ¡°wow¡± sounds¡ªthey had awoken their spiritual intelligence but, being of limited intelligence, they couldn¡¯t speak. Leading the elves, they entered the castle. ¡­ The castle¡¯s living room. The nobles were seated around the table, while the knight order members without titles were entertained downstairs by Marcus. Liszt, Levis, Li Vera, Goltai, Layden, and another Honored Knight named Bruce¡ªsix people in total¡ªtook their seats. Carter directed the servants to continuously serve tea and pastries. The cook, Abbie¡¤Spoon, pulled out all the stops; one exquisitely crafted pastry at a time was presented without cease. The Tulip Great Elf sat on Levis¡¯s shoulder, swinging its chubby little feet and beginning to squint and doze off again. One Tulip Lesser Spirity atop Levis¡¯s head, while another rested on Li Vera¡¯s shoulder. There were also several small jade boxes containing Tulip Spirit Bugs. Seeing this scene, Liszt realized, ¡°The Earl must have transferred the care of Great and Lesser Spirits to Levis, or else they would not be so affectionate.¡± He felt a great deal of envy. No matter how many times he saw them, the elves were so beautiful; it was hard to endure that such beautiful things belonged to someone else! But it was inevitable after all, Levis was bound to be the next Earl of Coral Ind. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect the castle of Fresh Flower Town to be so rudimentary. Liszt, you really should refurbish it properly,¡± Levis casually remarked while sipping his tea. Compared to Tulip Castle, this small castle was no different from amoner¡¯s thatched cottage. ¡°I would like to butck money, manpower, and materials.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t bring building materials for constructing a castle, but the carriage is loaded with food, drink, and many seeds. After the enfeoffment ceremony, father gave you a lot of food, why do you still need so much nourishment?¡± ¡°Fresh Flower Town is even more deste than I imagined. I need to stockpile some food, otherwise, there maye a day when I¡¯ll truly go hungry,¡± Liszt offered a simple exnation. Stockpiling food is always the right decision¡ªhe who gathers food and builds high walls can be a king at leisure, this has been the strategy since ancient times. He wanted to develop Fresh Flower Town; without resolving the food issue, there was no point in talking about development. ¡°Alright, I think we can discuss these boring topics over dinner. The most important thing now is to see the ck Tulip, my Little Minor Elves can¡¯t wait any longer,¡± Li Vera interrupted. Liszt nodded in agreement; he really didn¡¯t want to pretend to be extra cordial. Levis and Li Vera probably didn¡¯t have much affection for him, and he felt that they were no different from strangers, ¡°Since sister is in a hurry, let¡¯s go to the Fresh Flower Farm first to assimte the ck Tulip.¡± Chapter 25 - 0025: What is the Quality of a Knight Chapter 0025: What is the Quality of a Knight Trantor: Henyee Trantions Editor: Henyee Trantions ¡°` In the center of Fresh Flower Farm, the Tulip Great Elf, together with a Tulip Lesser Spirit and six Tulip Spirit Bugs, surrounded the ck Tulip to absorb its aura and undergo assimtion. Li Si Te (Liszt) stood by, watching the Tulip Great Elf intently. In the memories of his previous life, the Great Elf named Xiangxiang was estimated to be over sixty years old; it was just a Little Minor Elf more than two decades ago and had evolved into a Greater Elf during his father¡¯s generation. With Xiangxiang¡¯s help, the Tulip Family rapidly developed, and a vast amount of tulips brought innumerable wealth. With that wealth, they built a capable and battle-ready Knight Order, and it was not long before Li Weiliam was titled Earl for his military exploits. Coral Ind became the family¡¯s domain. ¡°Elves¡­ Although I have the memories of my previous life and grew up watching Xiangxiang, no matter how many times I look, it¡¯s never enough. Elves are definitely wondrous things that shouldn¡¯t exist in this world¡­ Unfortunately, it isn¡¯t mine. I have only five Elf Bugs, no, soon there will be six.¡± He wrote to the Earl, hoping to trade for an Elf Bug, and the Earl clearly agreed, as Levis brought with him an additional Little Wheat Elf Bug. ¡°My dear brother, the Little Wheat Bug Father asked me to pass on to you as a reward for discovering the Tulip Magic Potion,¡± Levis said, taking out a Jade Box and handing it to Liszt. ¡°Is this a reward outside of our trade, or within it?¡± ¡°Outside of it, haha, Liszt, don¡¯t view us as outsiders.¡± Levis smiled gently, his noble demeanor not much inferior to Liszt¡¯s, ¡°No matter what, we share the Tulip Family¡¯s blood, and whether it¡¯s a Magic Potion or the importance of Tulips, the benefit to the family is immense. Father was very pleased when he heard about it.¡± ¡°Then I will ept it, and thank Father for me.¡± ¡°Why not thank him in person?¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± Li Vera (Li Weiliam) approached, ¡°Grandfather is ill and has been confined to bed. Father is preparing for all three of us siblings to visit him. So, once things are settled here, you will need to go back to Coral City with us tomorrow.¡± ¡°Is that so,¡± Liszt nodded, with no reason to refuse. ¡°Let¡¯s save our catch-up for lunch then. We should finish the formal business first. Li Vera, you start the negotiation with Liszt. I¡¯m going to take in the scene of Fresh Flower Town¡­ it¡¯s my first visit to this small town,¡± said Levis, as he mounted his steed, apanied by his Retainer Knights and Layden, who was there to ensure his safety, and rode off. They watched Levis leave. Suddenly, Li Vera said, ¡°Are you really unwilling to part with that ck horse?¡± ¡°I¡¯m very sorry, sister.¡± ¡°It is quite extraordinary; have you noticed?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Absolutely not selling?¡± ¡°Not selling.¡± ¡°Alright, it seems not only has your luck improved but so has your temper,¡± Li Vera narrowed her eyes; she used to beat Liszt quite a bit when they were young¡ªthe previous Liszt was a failure, often beaten by his brother and sister over toys. Liszt didn¡¯t want to reminisce about past events; they weren¡¯t his experiences: ¡°What have you brought for me, sister? Business is business; you can¡¯t hoodwink me.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t intervene in the sale of the Tulip Magic Potion; I¡¯m just here to assimte once, with one Little Minor Elf and two Elf Bugs. The payment I¡¯m offering is five hundred jin of wheat, eight hundred jin of millet, one hundred jin of pig iron, and fifty jin of wrought iron, along with a packet of Falcon Town¡¯s specialty, sweetheart cabbage seeds¡­ No sweetheart bugs, whether you can cultivate it or not, that¡¯s not my concern.¡± ¡°It¡¯s less than I expected, but it will do.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be greedy; I would only be willing to offer half if it were Lidun.¡± Lidun is the youngest son of the Earl, and his mother is the current Earless, whoes from a small noble family. A child¡¯s status is dependent on the mother¡¯s nobility; Liszt and his siblings¡¯ mother is the daughter of a Marquis, far exceeding what Lidun couldpare to¡ªin assessing a noble¡¯s status, the rank and connections of both the paternal and maternal houses are key. It seems dissatisfied with Liszt¡¯s current attitude, once the deal was settled, Li Vera challenged him to apetition. ¡°What is your Dou Qi attribute?¡± ¡°Fire.¡± ¡°` ¡°What secret book did you practice?¡± ¡°¡±Fire Dragon Drill¡±.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s have a fight, let me see your current strength,¡± Li Vera took the spear carried by the Retainer Knight, ¡°It¡¯s been a long time since I sparred with you after advancing to an Earth Knight.¡± Sparring was just an excuse. The real purpose was to teach Liszt a lesson. But the Liszt of today was no longer the nodding Liszt of old; he simply smiled, ¡°Sorry, I haven¡¯tpleted the training of my secret book yet, let¡¯s have a match another day.¡± Li Vera¡¯s eyes were sharp, ¡°Are you avoiding it? That¡¯s not a quality a knight should have.¡± ¡°A knight¡¯s quality includes fairness. Sister, why not wait until I¡¯ve finished training the ¡°Fire Dragon Drill¡±?¡± Liszt gently defused the verbal joust. Raising her eyebrows slightly, Li Vera put down the spear, ¡°You are as cowardly as you¡¯ve always been.¡± ¡°This is called being prudent.¡± ¡°You really know how to tter yourself.¡± Li Vera was neen and had not yet married, still a vibrant young adult. Liszt¡¯s mental age had long passed the adolescent phase, and he wouldn¡¯t get angry over a word or two. He dealt with the boredom with a few perfunctory remarks. Levis had already strolled around ande back. ¡°Dirty, messy, and poor,¡± he shook his head incessantly, ¡°Liszt, I¡¯vee to understand your need for food ¨C Fresh Flower Town is more hard-pressed than any other town I have seen.¡± ¡°Indeed, but I will make it prosperous,¡± Liszt affirmed. ¡°With the ck Tulip? Then let¡¯s talk about that¡­ starting with assimtion. Greater Elf, Little Minor Elf, and the six Elf Bugs. Tulip Castle will pay three thousand jin of wheat, two thousand jin of barley, five hundred jin of wheat flour, a thousand jin of pig iron, thirty barrels of beer, and seeds of various crops,¡± Levisid out the deal. After a thorough inventory, Liszt didn¡¯t haggle and epted the trade. Load after load of supplies were carried into the castle¡¯s warehouse, quickly filling up what had been a somewhat deste space. The grain alone was enough to feed the castle for half a year, while the pig iron and wrought iron could be used to forge tools and armor. The seeds were specifically requested by Liszt for nting in Fresh Flower Town. Without Elf Bugs, the barrennd could only be fertilized with manure, hoping it would be effective. As for now, the small town was actually not that dirty anymore ¨C feces were collected daily and then sold to the castle. Liszt had the manure distributed to the hamlets for fertilizing the fields. With little time and quantity, besides Peanut Hamlet, other ces had not seen any noticeable effects yet. ¡­ The atmosphere at lunch was good, with Goltai providing an excellent banquet mood, full ofughter and conversation. After the meal, Levis and Liszt discussed the cultivation and sale of the ck Tulip, ¡°Father¡¯s intention is to buy out the cultivation and sale of the ck Tulip in one go. As a reward, you could receive a thousand Gold Coins. At the same time, you can also nt them in Fresh Flower Town and sell them to Tulip Castle.¡± ¡°That won¡¯t do, the ck Tulip is the cornerstone of Fresh Flower Town¡¯s development. I won¡¯t give up a continuous source of revenue for a mere thousand Gold Coins.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a thousand Gold Coins, not a small sum. I don¡¯t know if Fresh Flower Town could make that much in fifty years of taxes.¡± ¡°If I mass-produce Magic Potions, perhaps in a few years, just with the ck Tulip, I could make over a thousand Gold Coins annually. Magic Potions are scarce, and there¡¯s never a surplus in the market.¡± ¡°You should know, without the family¡¯s channels, you couldn¡¯t transport ck Tulip out of Thorn Ridge.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I want to talk to father, or to you, brother, about cultivation and sales¡­ I can provide seeds for Tulip Castle, but I must take a certain percentage of the profits from all ck Tulips grown.¡± ¡°You mean, we do the nting and you sit in the castle counting Gold Coins?¡± Liszt picked up the tea cup, responding at a leisurely pace, ¡°Essentially, yes.¡± Chapter 26 - 0026: The Big Business of 2000 Gold Coins a Year Chapter 0026: The Big Business of 2000 Gold Coins a Year Trantor: Henyee Trantions Editor: Henyee Trantions ¡°I suspect you¡¯ve gone mad, asking for the moon,¡± Liszt raised his voice in dissatisfaction. ¡°Patience, big brother,¡± ¡°Fine, I¡¯m all ears. Give me a reason to agree to such absurd terms. Liszt, my dear brother, you should understand that the ck Tulip is important to the Tulip Family, but it is not indispensable. We already have three types of tulip magic potions.¡± ¡°I¡¯m well aware of that, and I¡¯m also aware that the magic power held by the ck Tulip is superior to the potions of the other three varieties. It¡¯s suitable to be the mainstay of our family.¡± Magic potions are a magical but also highly troublesome matter¡ªthey need to be cultivated by elves in order to propagate. Without the elves¡¯ cultivation, their offspring will gradually lose magic power and degenerate into ordinary nts. But this does not hinder their value. Preparing magic potions, forging magic equipment, practicing magic and Dou Qi¡ªall of these are inseparable from magic potions. The Coral Ind Knight Academy has even established a special course on magic potions to study these magic elixirs. When an Earth Knight reaches a teau in their training, they rely on magic potions to strengthen themselves and strive to be a Sky Knight. Every Sky Knight is a potion guzzler, not knowing how many magic potions they have consumed before obtaining the Advanced Dou Qi. Without the support of the family¡¯s tulip magic potions, Li Weiliam would have hardly been able to break through and be one of the few Sky Knights in the Duchy of Sapphire.¡± So Liszt knew very well the incalcble value of magic potions¡ªhis brother, the exceptionally talented Earth Knight, wouldn¡¯t miss out on the ck Tulip. Pausing for a moment, Liszt said leisurely, ¡°My talents are poor; bing a Sky Knight is almost too much to hope for, but you, big brother, have talentsparable to our father when he was young. I think, with a continuous supply of magic potions from the ck Tulip, your path to bing a Sky Knight will be much smoother.¡± He nced at Li Vera once more, ¡°It¡¯s the same for sister. I believe the Sky Knight title is far more valuable than a thousand gold coins, isn¡¯t it? I truly hope that both my brother and sister can be Sky Knights; the Tulip Family needs you to carry on its legacy. As for me, I just want to earn some money to improve my living conditions.¡± Talking about Sky Knights made Liszt take a short, sharp breath. He became an Earth Knight at thirteen, and at twenty-one, everyone said he could be another Tulip Sky Knight like his father. But he alone knew the enormous chasm thaty between an Earth Knight and a Sky Knight¡ªpouring all the resources of the family into it might still not be enough to lift him there. Moreover, there was another brother with equally exceptional talents, Lidun Tulip. Lidun¡¯s maternal family was just a minor nobility, hardly worth mentioning, but one had to admit, his mother, the current Countess, definitely had influence over his father. As a result, nearly half of Tulip Castle¡¯s resources had been allocated to Lidun¡ªcausing Liszt indescribable pain and even resentment towards his father. Shouldn¡¯t the family focus all its resources on helping him be a Sky Knight? Why waste resources! Narrowing his eyes slightly, he said in a deep voice, ¡°If you truly supported me, Liszt, you wouldn¡¯t have proposed such harsh terms.¡± ¡°Then how about I put it another way, I¡¯ll only partner with my brother and sister in the business of the ck Tulip? Surely father won¡¯t mind one magic potion nt.¡± The subtext of Liszt¡¯s words was to bypass Tulip Castle and thereby Lidun. In the future, the output of the ck Tulip would be shared only between the three siblings. That half-brother Lidun, who was quite arrogant and looked down on Liszt, had not spared Liszt his disdain. Liszt didn¡¯t hesitate to trick him. After thinking for a moment, Liszt asked, ¡°Is Li Vera also involved?¡± ¡°I hadn¡¯t nned on it before, but since Liszt has invited me, why not?¡± Even though Veracked the talents of Liszt, her desire for the Sky Knight title was just as strong, ¡°and don¡¯t forget, I also have an elf.¡± ¡°Fine, let¡¯s talk about how to split the profits.¡± ¡­ After several probes andpromises, the three siblings sessfully reached an agreement. Once the seeds of the ck Tulip were harvested, they would be cultivated near Coral City with the help of the Tulip Great Elf. Once a new batch of seeds was harvested, widespread nting would begin in Coral City, Falcon Town, and Fresh Flower Town. For the first three years, all ck Tulip Magic Potions would be handled by Levis. Liszt would then take a share of the profits¡ªat a rate of thirty percent in Coral City and twenty percent in Falcon Town¡ªording to market prices. After three years, the ck Tulips from Falcon Town would no longer be managed by Levis. Li Vera would handle them alone, giving Liszt a twenty-five percent share. After ten years, Liszt would stop taking a share. ¡°Currently, the annual profit from the golden Tulip Magic Potion at Tulip Castle is about five thousand Gold Coins. The ck Tulip should be able to surpass that, assuming it¡¯s seven thousand Gold Coins. My annual share could be around two thousand Gold Coins, which is far more worthwhile than a one-off payment of a thousand Gold Coins,¡± Liszt contemted after signing the official agreement. He had originally thought that taking a twenty percent share of the profits would suffice, but Levis, thinking Liszt naive due to his youth, nned to buy him out with a one-time payment of a thousand Gold Coins. So, out of retaliation, Liszt raised his share to thirty percent. ounts should be settled clearly among siblings, not to mention Liszt didn¡¯t feel they were close siblings at all¡ªbeyond the blood in their veins, they had almost no connection. With the agreement reached, there seemed to be a new understanding between the siblings. Outside the Castle, the peasants were still busy reiming wastnd. ¡°What, you n to nt crops all around the Castle? Wheat or barley?¡± Li Vera asked, standing by the Window and looking into the distance. ¡°I n to nt alfalfa, preparing to raise horses here.¡± Levis approached, ¡°Raise horses? Are you nning to form your own Knight Order?¡± ¡°I hope to put together a Knight Squad. The Magical Beasts of Thorn Ridge are a significant threat, and people fall victim to them every winter. The town doesn¡¯t even have anyone who knows Dou Qi¡­ Brother, may I have a word?¡± Liszt suddenly had an idea. The two men moved to a separate, quiet room. ¡°What¡¯s the matter, all so secretive?¡± ¡°I remember that Coral Ind didn¡¯t have many people when I was a child, and they were all brought back by father¡¯s fleet from other inds, right?¡± ¡°That¡¯s correct. When father was ennobled as an Earl, Coral Ind only had a few thousand natives, and the poption was traded in from outside. What else did you think? Ny percent of the people on Coral Ind are the serfs of our family.¡± ¡°Then has brother considered continuing to trade in poption?¡± ¡°Continue trading in poption?¡± Levis scrutinized Liszt, ¡°Can Fresh Flower Town even support more people? I¡¯m doubtful this declining town can support us, let alone others. Or are you nning on trafficking people somewhere else?¡± Trading in poption was not a respectable affair, but nobles always needed people fornd remation. Essentially, many nobles would be involved in the trade of poption to some extent. ¡°Fresh Flower Town is indeed small, so I¡¯ve been preparing to develop Thorn Ridge, and that requires a lot of manpower. With the output of the ck Tulip, I believe we can sustain for a while, and by that time, Fresh Flower Town can be developed to at least not be inferior to sister¡¯s Falcon Town,¡± Liszt said half-truthfully. Gathering grain, building walls, and iming kingship in due course¡ªit was clear in his mind. Chapter 27 - 0027: A Barbecue Party Chapter 27: A Barbecue Party Trantor: Henyee Trantions Editor: Henyee Trantions ¡°Trafficking people isn¡¯t out of the question, our family¡¯s fleet sets out to trade by sea every year, but for just a few dozen or a hundred people, it¡¯s not worth taking the risk,¡± ¡°Five thousand.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I need five thousand people.¡± ¡°Five thousand people, you sure you can handle that?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Levis narrowed his eyes, ¡°I¡¯ll consider it when I get back.¡± Returning to the living room, no one brought up the subject of human trafficking again, and the atmosphere at the afternoon tea was lively, thanks to Goltai¡¯s enthusiasm. The caravan would stay overnight at Fresh Flower Town, with most of the knights and retainers lodging in town. Levis and Li Vera, along with their personal servants, would stay in the castle. Butler Old Carter was especially busy that day. ¡°Tom, where¡¯s Jessie? I need his help!¡± His legs, not quite nimble, ached from climbing the stairs so many times; he wiped the sweat from his forehead and entered the kitchen, ¡°Isn¡¯t Jessie helping in the kitchen?¡± ¡°Jessie should be transporting the horse fodder. With dozens more horses in the castle, we don¡¯t have enough fodder to feed them.¡± Tom carefully ced a sack of flour next to the stove. ¡°When he¡¯s back, have him find me in the storehouse, I need manpower to move the food that arrived at the castle today into the cer for storage.¡± ¡°Okay, Mr. Carter.¡± Kitchen maid Eileen, while washing the vegetables, looked up, ¡°Mr. Carter, do you need my help?¡± Before Carter could answer, Cook Abbie scolded, ¡°You can¡¯t even finish your work in the kitchen, still have time to help others, what about it, Eileen, you want to jump ship?¡± Carter spread his hands, ¡°Eileen, you probably can¡¯t be of help.¡± ¡°I understand¡­ God knows how long I have to stay in the kitchen today, it¡¯s so hot and stuffy here, my clothes are soaked through, Mrs. Abbie has made the stove too hot.¡± ¡°Oh, is that so! Are you the chef or am I the chef, letting you cook dinner for the lord¡¯s distinguished guests?¡± ¡°You are the chef.¡± ¡°Then shut your little mouth and work quietly!¡± The murmuring in the kitchen didn¡¯t stop for a moment. Carter had already walked out; the kitchen was too hot, and he felt oppressed in his chest, not sure if it was heatstroke ¨C summer had not yet arrived, but the weather was getting hotter. He pulled out a handkerchief, wiped his face, and leaned against the wall to catch his breath. Morson Paddy Field came towards him, carrying a bucket of water. Seeing Carter¡¯s state, he asked with concern, ¡°Are you feeling unwell, Mr. Carter?¡± ¡°How could I be unwell, it¡¯s just a bit hot, that¡¯s all.¡± ¡°Is it, but you look pale, maybe you¡¯re too stressed. Today, the castle is full of guests, and you¡¯ve been working hard everywhere.¡± ¡°How could I be stressed, Mrs. Morson? I have seen livelier asions at the Earl¡¯s vi. I can handle this,¡± Carter tucked away the handkerchief, ¡°Are Young Master Levis and Miss Li Vera¡¯s rooms ready?¡± ¡°Miss Li Vera¡¯s personal maid has keptining about the falling dust from the walls or the worn-out bedsheets.¡± ¡°We can¡¯t decide the quality of the utensils, let¡¯s not be rude in the details of our work, besides, real nobles won¡¯t hold grudges because of this.¡± ¡°All of the Tulip Family are true nobles,¡± Mrs. Morson nodded, ¡°Mr. Carter, are you sure you don¡¯t need to rest a bit?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me.¡± ¡°The Earl is a good man; he certainly wouldn¡¯t want to see you overworked.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not overworked. In fact, I¡¯m enjoying this. It¡¯s not often that we have guests at the castle; I rarely get a chance to show my worth. Alright, I¡¯m off to organize the storehouse. Just yesterday I wasining that the food was running low, and today we have so much that it won¡¯t all fit in the storehouse.¡± The castle was small, with little in the way of entertainment. After finishing afternoon tea, a group of knights prepared to hunt at Thorn Ridge. Liszt dly consented, and also invited Levis and Li Vera to join the hunt. ¡°With so many Earth Knights, it would be best to catch all the magical beasts in Thorn Ridge in one fell swoop,¡± he thought to himself. ¡°Even if we can¡¯t kill the magical beasts, familiarizing ourselves with the terrain of Thorn Ridge is also good.¡± He donned his armor neatly. Mounting his horse, this time he rode a Fire Dragon Horse, his coordination with the Li Dragon Horse was still not enough, affecting his strength. He didn¡¯t bring Thomas along, only Marcus and four Retainer Knights: ¡°Thomas, take good care of my Li Dragon and also, don¡¯t forget to feed Douson on time; it¡¯s growing, and can¡¯t go hungry.¡± ¡°What is Douson?¡± Li Vera asked. ¡°A dog.¡± ¡°You have a dog now? What breed?¡± ¡°A Fierce Earth Dog.¡± ¡°Fierce Earth Dog? A magical beast?¡± ¡°Yes, a Fierce Earth Dog cub, captured by Teacher Marcus in Thorn Ridge,¡± Liszt casually said. ¡°An Earth Knight, a ck Tulip, peanut worms, a Fierce Earth Dog cub, and a wild horse with divine speed, Liszt, have you been blessed by the god of fortune? I¡¯m a bit jealous of you.¡± ¡°I can only say, country life is colorful.¡± ¡°Falcon Town is also in the countryside, but it¡¯s not as colorful as Fresh Flower Town.¡± ¡°That¡¯s because you, sister, often stay in Tulip Castle and have neglected the countryside life.¡± ¡°If you want, you can continue to stay in Tulip Castle, father doesn¡¯t intend to drive you away,¡± Levis said as he rode over and chipped in. Liszt considered this mere courtesy: ¡°I like Fresh Flower Town, it¡¯s very free here, you can do whatever you want.¡± ¡°Including nting grass by the castle gates,¡± Levis pointed out the serfs who were tending alfalfa and joked, ¡°In the future, your castle can be called ¡®Steed¡¯s Castle¡¯.¡± Such a small castle couldn¡¯t possibly be named. Liszt raised his whip: ¡°Let¡¯s go, the sun is already nting west, if we can¡¯t get deep into Thorn Ridge, we¡¯ll probably have to turn back.¡± The Fire Dragon Horse ran in ordance with his will. He wanted to lead the group of knights into Thorn Ridge, at least to hunt a few magical beasts¡ªhe was going to conquer Thorn Ridge sooner orter, incorporating this hill and forest into the territory of Fresh Flower Town. The more magical beasts they killed now, the less danger in the future. Unfortunately. This hunting trip, they only caught normal wild animals. Magical beasts were much smarter than wild animals; sensing the surging Dou Qi inside the Earth Knights, they had hidden themselves early on. Even so, the prey they caught was enough to hold a grand barbecue party. Nobles, knights, and servants gathered together,ughing incessantly amid beer and cream. ¡°Wow, Mr. Barbecue, give me another rabbit leg,¡± the Tulip Great Elf flew around cheerfully; elves can live without eating, but they can still digest food. Thomas, who was busy barbecuing, quickly handed over a roasted rabbit leg, seasoned and ready to eat, to the Great Elf. Next to him, two Little Minor Elves, without asking, snagged two slices of roast meat for themselves. ¡°Xiangxiang, you¡¯re eating too fast, chew more to appreciate the taste of the food,¡± Liszt said, tearing at a rabbit head in his hand with a smile. Elves were too adorable; just looking at them could lift one¡¯s spirits. Especially while eating his favorite barbecue¡ªof all the foods in this world, probably only barbecue was to his taste. ¡°I like to eat in big bites.¡± Xiangxiang was covered in grease as she ate, then gently shook her body like a little dog shaking off water, flinging all the grease away, leaving herself clean without a single stain. Chapter 28 - 0028: The Tulip Castle in Blood Chapter 28: The Tulip Castle in Blood Trantor: Henyee Trantions Editor: Henyee Trantions The night had deepened, after the barbecue party ended, the knights headed to the town to rest. Liszt and Li Vera each entered their rooms, and Old Butler Carter, instead of taking red wine, took a ss of apple juice and entered the study. ¡°My lord, you seem very sober and haven¡¯t drunk to excess.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± he epted the apple juice, took a light sip, and savored its fresh fruit vor. The alcohol content in beer could only upset one¡¯s stomach, hardly enough to intoxicate. Under the candlelight, Carter¡¯splexion looked unnatural. Liszt had noticed this during the day, ¡°Mr. Carter, are you feeling unwell?¡± ¡°I am quite alright, my lord.¡± ¡°You must speak up if there¡¯s anything wrong. Don¡¯t force yourself. Though the castle cannot do without a butler at the helm, your health is more important. Please take good care of yourself.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± Old Carter was almost moved to tears. ¡°Tomorrow, once the Elf Bugs havepleted their assimtion, I will apany the caravan to Coral City. I may be away from Coral Ind for a few days, so please see to the affairs of the castle in my absence.¡± ¡°Please rest assured, my lord.¡± ¡°Indeed, there¡¯s nothing to be assured of. Aside from a few Elf Bugs, ensure that Douson and the Li Dragon are well taken care of. Also, visit the ck Tulip for me every day, and make sure the construction of the stables outside the castle does not halt. I hope to be able to settle the Alfalfa Bugs upon my return.¡± Duty always came first. After a brief chat, they returned to sleep, and the night passed just like that. The next morning, the eight Tulip Spirit Bugs hadpleted the assimtion of the ck Tulip, and the caravan departed immediately. Liszt rode atop a Fire Dragon Horse, with Marcus and Thomas apanying him. The castle was entrusted to Carter, the town to Goltai, and his four Retainer Knights were to cooperate with them. ¡°Teacher Goltai, upon my return, I expect to see the patrol team range from Thorn Ridge to the East Coast.¡± ¡°As you wish, I will train them well,¡± Goltai said with ease. ¡°Then, I¡¯m off. Oh, and on my way back, I will bring some Juniper Wine.¡± ¡°Wow, that¡¯s awesome!¡± From atop his Fire Dragon Horse, Liszt looked back. At the castle gate, Butler Carter stood with a servant, silently watching them off. No longer hesitating, Liszt gently kicked the horse¡¯s belly, and the Fire Dragon Horse immediately sprang forward, catching up with the caravan. He was somewhat excited. His predecessor was very familiar with Coral Ind, but he, in the strictest sense, was leaving Fresh Flower Town for the first time to witness the outside world. A medieval world wrapped in magic power, a nobility system ruled by knights. After leaving Thorn Ridge, thend he stepped upon was mostly under the direct jurisdiction of an Earl, with only a few towns granted by the Earl to Barons, and a handful of even smaller viges and hamlets as fiefs of Honored Knights. The entire Coral Ind had only one enfeoffed Viscount, who was a follower of the Earl since the beginning, Jonas Shattered Stone. Beyond Coral Ind, there was another small ind, held by another of the Earl¡¯s Viscount followers, Trick Weed. On Coral Ind, there were six cities in total¡ªonerge and five small¡ªCoral City at the foot of Tulip Castle was thergest. North Valley City, Birch City, Elm Forest City, and Serpent Spear City all belonged to the Earl. Shattered Stone Castle along with its affiliated Shattered Stone City belonged to Viscount Jonas. To get from Fresh Flower Town to Coral City, it was necessary to pass through North Valley City and Birch City. However, the caravan did not stop in the two small cities. After a quick meal in the manor of North Valley City, it headed straight for Coral City. By three in the afternoon, when the hooves trod into a sea of flowers, Coral City was before them. All the flowers were various kinds of tulips. Most were for magic potions, while a few were ornamental nts¡ªthe tulips cultivated by the Tulip Family in the Duchy of Sapphire were famous far and wide. The sea of flowers undted with the slopes of the hill. To the left of the road was Coral City, with its towering city walls, abutting the sea with its bustling docks. From a distance, Liszt could see that on the docks, several ¡°advanced¡± two-masted sailing ships were moored. This world had slowly transitioned from the age of oars to the age of sails. It was with sailboats that the original conquerors of the Duchy of Sapphire came from the continent to these inds and established this ind nation. Only sailboats traversed the seas. ¡°What a pity, sails are probably the endpoint of ships, since there is not enough steel to foster an age of armored warships or even steamships.¡± Liszt sighed lightly to himself and withdrew his distant gaze, turning to the right side of the road. To the right were mountain ranges, with steep cliffs on the side facing the sea and gentle slopes on the other. Tulip Castle was built upon the cliff. A wide stone-paved road stretched from the gates of the castle all the way down to Coral City at the foot of the mountain. The tall castle stood like a banner, soaring at the highest point of Coral Ind. Sharp tower spires pierced the blue sky. The thick rocks blended into the mountains, solemnly and majestically surrounded by flowers, disying the robust grandeur of an impregnable fortress. In just ten years, the Tulip Family had built such a tall and sturdy Tulip Castle on Coral Ind¡ªduring which several hundreds of serfs had died from overwork. Even today, the castle was still expanding bit by bit. Nobles¡¯ glory was always built atop bloodshed¡ªthis was merely an earl¡¯s castle, and it was said that the castle of the Sapphire Duke took a hundred years to build. Beneath the cliff of the duke¡¯s castley piles of serf corpses, several tens of meters deep. ¡°It looks like it¡¯s ashen gray, but in reality, it¡¯s bloody red. I¡¯d rather live in the small castle in Fresh Flower Town¡ªthere, at least my heart can rest easy.¡± Liszt¡¯s mood was heavy. Following behind his brother and sister, he made his way to the familiar yet strange castle. Halfway there, they encountered a group of knights exiting the castle. The leading knight respectfully greeted Levis, ¡°Young Master Levis, I hope you had a smooth journey.¡± ¡°The journey went smoothly, Captain Mickey,¡± Levis replied, bowing in return. Captain Mickey paid his respects to Li Vera as well, ¡°Miss Li Vera, I hope you had a smooth journey.¡± ¡°A smooth journey, Captain Mickey.¡± It was then that Captain Mickey turned to Liszt, with the same impable courtesy, ¡°Young Master Liszt, wee home.¡± ¡°It¡¯s been a long time, Captain Mickey,¡± Liszt replied, bowing. The knight before him was the captain of the knight squad stationed at Tulip Castle, responsible for the security of the castle. Mickey himself was a baron, with his family managing hisnds, while he served at Tulip Castle. Escorted by the knights, they soon arrived at the main entrance of the castle. Butler Louis stood at the entrance, eagerly weing the three siblings with a warm smile on his aged face, ¡°Oh, what a joy it is to see the descendants of the lord return to the castle like weary birds to their nests.¡± ¡°Grandpa Louis, it has been too long. You¡¯re still as robust as ever,¡± Liszt said as he handed off the reins of his Fire Dragon Horse to a servant and greeted Louis. Louis must have been at least sixty years old by now, originally serving as a personal attendant to Liszt¡¯s grandfather. Now serving as the butler of Tulip Castle, even earls would show him utmost respect¡ªthis was a man who had dedicated his life to the Tulip Family, and he deserved such honor and status. Chapter 29 - 029: The Conversation Between Liszt and the Earl Chapter 29: The Conversation Between Liszt and the Earl Trantor: Henyee Trantions Editor: Henyee Trantions ¡°Two months without seeing each other, Master Li Te, you seem even more spirited than before. How is everything in Fresh Flower Town?¡± Louis asked with a smile. ¡°All is well.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good to hear. The Lord has mentioned you several times; he is also very concerned about your life now.¡± Would Coral Ind¡¯s Count really be concerned about Liszt¡¯s life? Liszt was skeptical. If the Count truly cared about Liszt, he wouldn¡¯t have sent him off to a dpidated town like Fresh Flower Town. Returning to his family home, Liszt did not feel any trepidation at being near his hometown. The soul within him came from a distant other world, and those memories of his predecessor were nothing more than scenes of a movie, unable to affect his current emotions. His connection with the Tulip Familycked the deep bonds of kinship; everything felt more like a ¡°game,¡± in which he was stepping into the role of Liszt. The bustling servants in the castle, upon seeing the young masters and miss, all bowed and paid their respects. The only members of the Tulip Family residing here were the Earl, the Earl¡¯s wife, Levis, Lidun, and Li Vera, who often returned to live here; however, there were more than two hundred servants. And the servants had almost no spare time, busy from morning till night. Their actual job, in summary, was to maintain the luxurious life of the nobles. ¡°I need to take a bath; I can¡¯t stand the smell on me,¡± said Li Vera as she entered the castle and turned to leave. ¡°If father asks for me, tell him I¡¯ll be there shortly.¡± Levis acted as though he was the master of the castle: ¡°Liszt, do you also need to take a bath first? Your room has been kept for you by father, including clothes you didn¡¯t take with you, which servants meticulously manage.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not as obsessive about cleanliness as my sister. I¡¯ll wait here for father. Brother, if you have affairs to attend to, please go ahead; I don¡¯t need to be entertained.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true, the castle is also your home. Well then, I must discuss the ck Tulip matter with Teacher Frank ¨C cultivation, sales, and medicine production, all of which he is managing for me. And also the Elves, they need to be properly settled; these delicate creatures can¡¯t be neglected even the slightest bit,¡± Levis replied. Levis left as well. Marcus followed a male servant to take care of the horses, and now only Liszt and a few male servants who greeted guests were left in the living room. He stood with his hands sped behind his back, admiring the crystalmps on the stone columns¡ª the quantity of crystals and gemstones in a castle represented the wealth of a noble family, as most gemstones came from dragons. In Liszt¡¯s homnd, the role of gemstones was probably to look pretty. Here, gemstones are natural vessels of magic power, containing mystical forces, essential in the creation of magic items. The crystalmp on the stone column in front of him was one such magic item, made from low-grade crystals, it could stay lit continuously until the magic within the crystal was depleted¡ªthen it could be recharged by a magician or knight. This cycle would repeat until the crystal wore out, bing amon stone. ¡°Is a crystalmp without any carved patterns really worthy of such prolonged admiration?¡± Apanied by the tap-tap of boot heels on the ground, someone spoke from behind Liszt. Liszt turned around and saw, on the stairs leading to the second floor of the castle¡¯s living room, the lord of Tulip Castle¡ªa middle-aged man with pale gold hair, and a pair of not-so-pretty gray-green eyes, which contrasted starkly with the sapphire blue eyes of the three siblings. An ordinary face, with nothing special about it. Blending in with the crowd, Li Weiliam Tulip would probably not stand out at all. Yet he was the master of Coral Ind, a Sky Knight who earned the tile of Earl through his own efforts. Levis and Li Vera resembled their father more than their mother, making them not particrly good-looking, with only their sapphire blue eyes inherited from their mother. Liszt, however, had inherited his mother¡¯s looks, excessively handsome. ¡°Perhaps I¡¯m just too ustomed to lighting candles, it takes some time to get used to the glow of a crystalmp.¡± ¡°What, are youining about life in Fresh Flower Town?¡± Li Weiliam stood on the stairs without continuing down. ¡°Life in Fresh Flower Town is exceptionally free, I am very satisfied, Father.¡± Liszt bowed respectfully, performing a salute, ¡°Your body remains as robust as ever, the surging Dou Qi is almost spilling out.¡± ¡°Your Dou Qi has also increased, that is good, content with a humble life, withoutints, that is good as well.¡± Li Weiliam nodded, ¡°Where are your brother and sister?¡± ¡°They are busy, they willeter.¡± ¡°Come with me to the study.¡± Li Weiliam turned and climbed the stairs. Liszt followed closely upstairs and entered the Count¡¯s study, arge room with one whole wall lined with bookshelves filled with many thick leather-bound books¡ªall sprayed with deodorant and fragrance, devoid of the distinctive smell of leather paper. Opposite the bookshelf by the window, a mahogany desk was also piled with plenty of books. Pop! The Earl uncorked a bottle ofst year¡¯s Crescent Moon Wine and poured into two tall crystal cups, the amber-red wine swirling in the sses like blood, crystal clear. He picked one up and handed it to his third son, the Earl seemed somewhat surprised, ¡°Two months of independent living seems to have tempered your disposition.¡± The Liszt of the past was not at ease in his presence, their rtionship awkward, but the Liszt now seemed very calm. ¡°Thank you,¡± Liszt epted the wine, ¡°Understanding the responsibilities of andlord, I needed to change.¡± ¡°A positive change.¡± ¡°I think so as well.¡± After a few exchanges, both father and son found that there was little of familial warmth to discuss. So, the Earl raised his cup and took a sip of the wine, awkwardly changing the subject, ¡°Is the matter of the ck Tulip settled? How much did Levis pay you?¡± ¡°Tulip Castle is responsible for cultivation and sales, I have a share in the profits for the next ten years, thirty percent, just in cooperation between me, Levis, and Li Vera.¡± The Earl pondered for a moment, ¡°Just you three siblings in cooperation?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°You should not have left Lidun out, he is your brother too.¡± ¡°He¡¯s still young, isn¡¯t it good for him to be under Father¡¯s wing? My brother, sister, and I are adults, cooperation is a natural thing.¡± Liszt smiled slightly, not trying to exin or clear his thoughts¡ªLidun looked down on him, and he hardly esteemed Lidun. It seemed only now he remembered to ask, ¡°What about the Earless and Lidun? I haven¡¯t seen them.¡± ¡°The Earless took Lidun to Serpent Spear City. It¡¯s Lidun¡¯s uncle¡¯s birthday today.¡± The Earless came from a Baron family on Coral Ind, which resided in a small town near Serpent Spear City. After that, another silence followed. Liszt did not inherit the father-son affection with the Earl and could not chat like strangers, finding it hard to gauge the appropriate level of interaction, preferring to speak less. The Earl was somewhat unustomed to Liszt¡¯s current demeanor, more like a conversation between equals than the previouspliance, missing the feeling of being able to scold. It was only after a while that he said, ¡°Dinner is some time away, you may walk around or go to Coral City to see your friends.¡± ¡°No, thank you, I would like to stay in the study and read.¡± ¡°You never seemed so fond of reading before.¡± The Earl finished his wine and stood up to leave, ¡°If you want to read, I¡¯ll have someone prepare a cartload for you, to take back when you return to Fresh Flower Town.¡± Chapter 30 - 030 Lady Penelope’s Disfavor Chapter 30: Lady Penelope¡¯s Disfavor Trantor: Henyee Trantions Editor: Henyee Trantions History does not exist; it can only be spected upon through various knight¡¯s novels, to understand the customs and social development of the past. This is Liszt¡¯s recognition of the matter. He also doesn¡¯t know the origin year of this world¡¯s humankind. What is certain is that the Duchy of Sapphire has been established for one hundred and fifty years. Last year, a grand anniversary celebration was held, which left an impression on Liszt. There are many knight¡¯s novels in the country about the Sapphire Family, and some of them record that the Sapphire Family has a thousand years of heritage. As for the Tulip Family, there is no such thing as a family tree. What Liszt knows is about his great-great-grandfather, who was his grandfather¡¯s grandfather¡¯s father¡ªat that time, there was neither a Tulip Great Elf nor a Tulip Lesser Spirit in the family, so the surname Tulip didn¡¯t exist either. Their original surname was ¡°Tile,¡± indicating they were originally justmoners. ording to the family history passed down from father to son, the great-great-grandfather possessed extraordinary strength and followed a noble to serve the newly-founded Sapphire Family. He made achievements in war and was ennobled as an Honored Knight. From then on, the family entered the ranks of the nobility. In the generation of his great-grandfather, the family became Barons; in his great-grandfather¡¯s generation, they became Viscounts; and in his grandfather¡¯s generation, they obtained a Tulip Lesser Spirit. It was after Li Weiliam inherited the title that the little minor elf evolved into a Greater Elf, and the family surname was changed to Tulip. A few yearster, Li Weiliam became a Sky Knight with illustrious wartime achievements and was ennobled by the Sapphire Duke as Coral Ind¡¯s Count. To signify the family¡¯s rise to the upper ranks of nobility, the Serpent Script ¡°Li (L)¡± in Li Weiliam¡¯s name became the prefix for the names of subsequent generations. Every descendant would carry the Serpent Script L to honor the founder of the family. They might be named ¡°Li XX,¡± ¡°Li X,¡± or even ¡°Li XXX,¡± ¡°Li XXXX¡±¡­ How many ¡°X¡±s there could be depended on the mood of the person naming the child. Liszt understood that this ¡°Li L¡± probably amounted to a ¡°n¡± name outside of the surname. His mother¡¯s family also had this tradition but used the character ¡°Mei (M)¡± instead. Therefore, the Tulip Family, when counting both past and present, only has a history of six generations, spanning around one hundred and fifty years. Beyond that, no one knows who the ancestors were. ¡°Progenitor, distant ancestor, great ancestor, esteemed ancestor, great-great-grandfather, great-grandfather, grandfather, father¡­ A noble Earl family that, rather than having eighteen generations of ancestors, only remembers six; truly, it is a barbarous age.¡± Liszt dismissed this with disdain, for without history, how can one talk of heritage? In his homnd, his own family can trace its ancestry with precise names back to the time of the Ming Dynasty. As for tracing bloodlines, it can go back even further, to the time of the Yellow Emperor. ¡°And then there are these knight¡¯s novels that boast about the Sapphire Family; they¡¯re all nonsense. The family¡¯s thousand-year heritage is told in a myriad of bizarre and fanciful origins. Some say it started in the southern part of the Steel Ridge Kingdom, some say it migrated from st Furnace Fortress Kingdom, and others from the faraway Blue Dragon Empire¡­ If these novels are really self-congrattion of the Sapphire Family, then they¡¯re not very conscientiously done.¡± He would like to sort out a rough history of this world but feels there is little hope. The farthest back in history that any knight¡¯s novel he has read goes is a book titled ¡°Dull-headed Knight and the Red-tailed Fire Dragon.¡± This novel tells a story taking ce ten thousand years ago in the Neverfall Empire¡ªbut Liszt has verified that the Neverfall Empire has been in existence for no more than three thousand years. The Neverfall Empire is also the country with the longest reign on the continent. Many kingdoms were established with the friendship of dragons, and would decline with the dragons¡¯ death or departure, or even vanish midway through a dragon-ying war, which was considered normal. At the beginning of the Duchy of Sapphire¡¯s founding, there was such a dragon-ying battle. In that battle, the Sapphire Dragon almost got killed by the invaders from the Eagle Kingdom and was unable to gain a foothold on the vast continent. Fleeing, the dragon¡¯s blood stained a mountain range blue, where countless sapphires formed, bing an important mineral range for the Steel Ridge Kingdom¡ªthe Blue Blood Mountain. Although the dragon survived, the first Sapphire Duke was severely injured and had to withdraw from the continent, founding his nation on an ind far away. Of course, this part of the history is Liszt¡¯s own deduction. In the knight¡¯s novels that worship the Sapphire Family, the origin of Blue Blood Mountain is due to the Sapphire Dragon wounding the White Maw Iron Dragon of the hostile Eagle Kingdom, and its blood dyed the mines. As to why the blood of a White Maw Iron Dragon can create a mountain range with sapphires, that is a matter of opinion. Fooling themon people is enough; there¡¯s no need to go into great detail. ¡­ Knock knock knock, the sound of knocking at the door. ¡°Come in,¡± Liszt lifted his head from a book titled ¡°Fire Attribute Dou Qi Development Guide.¡± The person who entered was the castle¡¯s deputy butler, Silva, a man just over forty. He was Louis¡¯s deputy and the predetermined sessor as the family¡¯s steward. ¡°Young Master Liszt, your grandmother, Lady Penelope, has arrived. She¡¯s in the drawing room, chatting with Young Master Levis and Miss Li Vera,¡± he said. ¡°Grandmother is here? I¡¯ll be there shortly.¡± Liszt rubbed his forehead, feeling somewhat annoyed¡ªhis grandmother, after all, did not look kindly upon him. The disdain from his father was more about disappointment, but now, after returning with a changed demeanor, the Earl no longer showed any dislike, clearly pleased with his transformation. But his grandmother was different; she did not look kindly upon Liszt simply because he reminded her of Melissa, her daughter-inw. Penelope lived in a small castle in Coral City and chose not to live with her son due to one reason¡ªher discord with her daughter-inw, Melissa. Liszt, who looked very much like his mother, became an outlet for Penelope¡¯s frustrations. But no matter how annoyed he was, he still needed to go downstairs and pay his respects. ¡°Grandmother, you¡¯re here. Seeing you in good health brings me great peace of mind.¡± ¡°Oh, look who it is!¡± The wrinkles on Penelope¡¯s face were quite pronounced; she was approaching her sixtieth year. ¡°Liszt, if you didn¡¯t speak, I might have thought that Melissa hade to oppose me again. That beautiful face¡­ Thank God, she¡¯s gone to heaven to enjoy her peace, and this old woman dares to visit her son¡¯s castle.¡± Liszt sat down quietly, his face expressionless, saying nothing. Why bother humoring someone who disdained him? They rarely saw each other anyway. It was best to just treat her as a stranger and maintain a superficial respect. Li Veraughed and said, ¡°Liszt, when Grandma heard you were back, she rushed to the castle. Usually around this time, she spends hours praying for the family.¡± Penelope turned her head away from Liszt, muttering under her breath, ¡°I didn¡¯te just to see him.¡± Could this be grudging respect after all? Liszt thought to himself that Lady Penelope probably did love her grandson. It was just habit for her to attack Liszt, who bore a strong resemnce to Melissa¡ªover a decade of habit. Whether it was love or disdain, it didn¡¯t matter much to Liszt. He just wanted to be a quietly handsome man. ¡°Your sister said that Fresh Flower Town looks even more rudimentary than imagined, almost like a small vige?¡± Lady Penelope inquired. ¡°It is indeed a bit rudimentary. However, it¡¯s more suitable for grand development. I already have ns for developing Fresh Flower Town.¡± ¡°Look at that, such a grand manner of speaking. That¡¯s a bit more like our Tulip Family¡¯s temperament. Don¡¯t always imitate Melissa¡¯s calm, superior demeanor as if you¡¯re born better than others. It¡¯s bad enough you look so much like her; if you inherit her temperament as well, that would truly be the death of me, a cloud that I could never shake off.¡± Liszt did not respond. He didn¡¯t have many memories of his mother, as she passed away due to illness when he was very young. Lady Penelope continued to ramble,menting Melissa¡¯s faults. Essentially, her message was the daughter of the Marquis looked down on me, opposed me at every turn, and you must not inherit her ws. Chapter 31 - 0031: Shit Road of Coral City Chapter 31: Shit Road of Coral City Trantor: Henyee Trantions Editor: Henyee Trantions The past between Melissa and Lady Penelope had be an old tale within the Castle. Lady Penelope criticized Melissa for not being able to stand her. Backed by the Marquis, she was untouchable and had to move out of Tulip Castle. Li Si Te, however, felt that, in truth, Lady Penelope was too harsh¡ªit had been over ten years, and she was still incessantlyining. Moreover, in those ten years since Melissa¡¯s death, Lady Penelope still hadn¡¯t been able to move in, because she was now at odds with the new Earl¡¯s wife. ¡°You¡¯re lucky to havee back today; the Baron¡¯s daughter isn¡¯t in the Castle, or I would have been the first to turn around and leave. That woman has a kind of odor on her that makes me ufortable. Only your father could tolerate her. Now the whole Castle is filled with her scent, and I can¡¯t stand to stay for a moment,¡± Li Vera sat beside Lady Penelope and, hearing this, clung to her arm, swapping her usual assertiveness for a coquettish tone, ¡°Grandmother, if you dislike Tulip Castle, you cane to my Falcon Town; I have a very beautiful manor there, and a hot spring that you¡¯re sure to love.¡± ¡°My dear girl, as a nobledy, you must possess proper bearing. Look at yourself, neen years old and you still haven¡¯t found a suitable other half. This is because you¡¯re notdylike enough.¡± ¡°Grandmother is right, Li Vera; you need to learn to be ady, not to ride horses and bear arms like us,¡± Levis teased, and then said to Lady Penelope, ¡°Grandmother, if you think the Castle has a bad odor, I can put out more air fresheners.¡± ¡°This isn¡¯t something air fresheners can fix. Two women in session entering our home have already drained me. I don¡¯t want to visit the Castle unless absolutely necessary,¡± Lady Penelope said before turning her head to speak to the Butler, Louis, who stood at the ready, ¡°Louis, you will help me pass these words along to the Baron¡¯s daughter, right?¡± Her words carried a provocative undertone. Louis smiled amicably, ¡°Madam, as you know, I much prefer to keep my lips sealed.¡± ¡°Boring Louis, ever so dull from youth to old age,¡± she said. Ever since Lady Penelope entered the Castle, the entire conversation revolved around her. Of course, about eighty percent of the conversation was also dominated by her. Li Si Te could only offer an awkward yet polite smile. It wasn¡¯t until the Earl returned from outside and announced that the dinner could start that Li Si Te was released from that highly ufortable atmosphere. A banquet at Tulip Castle was obviously iparable to one held in a small Castle in Fresh Flower Town. Simply in terms of the number of guests, there was noparison. At tonight¡¯s banquet, basically all the Nobles in the Castle were seated, including the Earl¡¯s family, family tutors, the Knight Captain, and a few Earl followers who were guests at the Castle, amounting to sixteen Nobles in total,prising Honored Knights, Barons, Viscounts, and Earls. With Lady Penelope at the banquet, there was no chance of a dull moment as she kept the conversation flowing at all times. Li Si Te focused on enjoying the food, and although he never quite ustomed himself to the Western style of eating, it was delectablepared to the rough fare in Fresh Flower Town. He did not participate much in conversation and few sought him out for a chat, thus, just like in the memories of his previous life, he became an invisible presence in the Castle. However, in the past, he had wanted to interject but found no opportunity. Now, he simply had no interest in doing so, for after all, he was but a transmigrator using another¡¯s body; he couldn¡¯t immerse himself in the Tulip Family and could only stand by as an observer, calmly dealing with everything and keeping a low profile, doing what was appropriate for the era while focusing on his own development¡ªperhaps, one day, he could live freely, without the need for secrecy. The day after the banquet ended, Li Si Te awoke early because he and his siblings were to set sail with the fleet to visit their ailing grandfather, Marquis Merlin Taro, on Red Crab Ind. ¡°Convey my sincerest regards,¡± the Earl also got up early and had breakfast with his three children. As a son-inw, he should have visited in person, but his current status was that of an ex-son-inw, estranged from the Long Taro Family, making it inconvenient to visit anymore. Lady Penelope had already returned from her walk, her tone deste, ¡°Levis, Li Vera, Liszt, send my regards to Marquis Merlin as well. I remember him as a handsome and elegant noble, strong and outstanding. But a few years have passed, and he has fallen ill to the point where he can no longer work, even stepping down from his position as captain of the Court Fleet.¡± ¡°Birth, aging, sickness, and death are the naturalws of the universe, mother, you shouldn¡¯t dwell on it.¡± ¡°Are you trying to tell me that I¡¯m also a damned old hag?¡± ¡°Why would you think that, when I am hoping that you live past a hundred years old?¡± ¡°From the two women you married, it¡¯s clear you can¡¯t wait for me to die so you can have some peace. No one to bother you from doing whatever you want on Coral Ind.¡± The Earl could only put on an awkward yet polite smile. Liszt, with Marcus and a castle servant following behind, carrying his luggage, bid farewell and together the siblings headed to the dock, a part of Coral City. Calling it a city, Liszt preferred to think of it as a ¡°gianttrine,¡± with the sour smell of fermenting feces pervading every street and alley. For this reason, the Tulip Family¡¯s production of richly fragrant Tulips, that were widely popr with city dwellers. The citizens who were out and about would pin a Tulip on their chests to neutralize the nauseating odor on the streets. Putting aside the smell of feces. In terms of grandeur, Coral City could notpare to even a small county town in Liszt¡¯s hometown. There were no tall buildings or mansions, just sporadic wooden houses next to stone ones, expanding constantly along streets of varying widths. Shops lined the streets, and hurried pedestrians inevitably stepped on various fecal matter¡ªresidents always liked to dump their waste on the road. If it was just a pile of dog feces, one could of course choose to sidestep it. But if an entire street was covered in dog feces, the correct approach was to frown and tread upon it. Thus,yer uponyer of feces, through constant trampling, merged with the road surface, creating the city¡¯s unique ¡°shit roads,¡± naturally reeking. Why was sanitation so appalling? Because themoners were too busy making a living to care about cleanliness; nobles lived in castles on the edge of the city and didn¡¯t care about the filth. The only constion was that Coral City was just an ind city with a limited poption. The amount of feces produced, weathered by nature, was still bearable. If it were arger city, it might well have drowned in its own excrement. ¡°Could it be that the Elf¡¯s abilities limit their vision, leaving them unable to think of using feces as fertilizer for farming?¡± Liszt pondered while looking at Coral City, his imagination running wild, ¡°Perhaps I could collect all of the ind¡¯s feces and haul them to Fresh Flower Town, and on the outskirts of town no, on the outskirts of the town, build a few biogas digesters.¡± He understood the principle of biogas digesters, but using biogas for lighting or cooking was a bit tricky. After simple fermentation to use as fertilizer was the quickest method; the barren soil of Fresh Flower Town,parable to loessnd, was indeed in dire need of fertilization. ¡°But the transportation is inconvenient, hauling a load of feces by carriage would cost more than the feces themselves better forget it, don¡¯t pollute my Fresh Flower Town. It¡¯s best if the town¡¯s feces are produced and consumed locally.¡± Chapter 32 - 0032: The Twin-Masted Schooner at Sea Chapter 32: The Twin-Masted Schooner at Sea Trantor: Henyee Trantions Editor: Henyee Trantions The city isn¡¯t worth the anticipation, only the castle is worth looking forward to¡ªnobles do care about hygiene, with bathrooms and toilets avable, and servants to carry feces and trash outside the castle walls. Since no one knows to use feces as fertilizer for fields, it is randomly discarded in the wild, naturally dposing. Effectively using feces as fertilizer would definitely reduce the dependence on elves¡ªonly reduce, because elves also have the ability to improve crop traits. The twin-masted ship sails on the azure sea, with Coral City gradually disappearing from view, and the towering Tulip Castle beginning to sink below the horizon. Could this perhaps prove that this world is also spherical? Liszt would asionally ponder about the world he had traversed to, unable to draw any conclusions due to theck of information. ¡°My Lord, what are you looking at?¡± Marcus walked over. ¡°The sea, the azure sea, conceals countless treasures.¡± ¡°I grew up by the sea since I was a child, and don¡¯t have such wonderful imaginations about the sea. There are sea monsters in the sea, and maybe some fish, but there are also fish in rivers andkes, and they¡¯re not dangerous. The wealth of the continent is the real abundance, inexhaustible. The glory of knights and nobles is also contested on the continent.¡± The Duchy of Sapphire is an archipgo nation, but has never given up on conquering the continent, organizing Knight Orders every few years to fight for mineral resources. That has created batch after batch of nobles. The Tulip Family also prospered from this, and Marcus often dreamt of going to the continent to fight in wars, hoping to be granted the title of an Honored Knight for his achievements. Now determined to serve Liszt, he naturally tried to entice him every so often. Liszt still looked at the profound sea, not caring for the ¡°continental wealth theory,¡± thinking that battlefields were so dangerous, why go there? It¡¯s better to be a quiet ruralndlord, to do missions, to farm, to advance step by step steadily. If it were just a mere traversal, he didn¡¯t think he could stand out among the natives, but with the help of the Smoke Mission, bing strong was just a matter of time. As for what the Smoke Mission was, the secret would be unraveled one day. ¡°Teacher Marcus, I heard that there arerge undeveloped inds beyond the archipgo of the Grand Duchy?¡± ¡°Yes, I have chatted with some old sailors, there are indeed arge number of inds beyond the archipgo, but those inds are situated in the deep sea, where storms are frequent, and there are many hidden reefs, making it difficult for ships toe and go, without much value for development.¡± ¡°Perhaps.¡± Liszt responded nomittally. Leaving other things aside, as long as the deep-sea fishing industry is developed, the wealth of the sea will gradually reveal itself, and at that time, thepetition for inds will probably not be less than that fornd. He was not capable of that now, being just a small town¡¯sndlord, he would focus on developing further. ¡°Set sail! Navigate to the front side!¡± ¡°Set sail! Navigate to the front side!¡± Boisterous shouts from the crew came from below the mast, as a southerly wind had risen, blowing from the stern, rustling. The captain decisively ordered the sailors to set sail to catch more wind. The advent of sailing ships allowed humans to venture into greater areas of the sea. The ships of the Duchy of Sapphire were all sailing ships, but they were all equipped with horizontal sails, without the appearance of longitudinal sailboats yet. The advantage of horizontal sails is that they¡¯re fast with the wind, but the disadvantage is that they are almost ineffective against the wind, requiring oars to row. With the wind at their back, the fleet raised their sails, forming a triangr formation on the sea, a spectacr sight. Departing in the morning, they arrived at Red Crab Ind by evening. Red Crab Ind is ten timesrger than Coral Ind, and Long Taro Castle is not by the sea but on the mountainside in the center of the ind. Thus, after disembarking, Liszt and hispanions had to stay overnight in the port city of Sea Crab City, then switch to a carriage the next day, and it would take another day to reach Long Taro Castle. The practice of training pigeons to send and receive letters had not yet developed, and pigeons probably wouldn¡¯t be able to carry the weight of thick paper. However, because there had already been arrangements for knights to send messages, stating that youths from the Tulip Family would visit shortly, servants at Long Taro Castle¡¯s branch estate in Sea Crab City were specially assigned to wait for them. After receiving Liszt and his party, they immediately arranged for them to stay in the guesthouse, sparing them the dirty amodations of the city. After dining in the evening, Liszt took a bath andy down in bed. He was a bit seasick. Back home, he was used to airnes and trains, and sincerely found seafaring quite ufortable. Fortunately, his predecessor was an inder with decent swimming skills, which helped him somewhat ovee the problem, so he wasn¡¯tpletely incapacitated by seasickness. ¡°As an inder, yet subject to seasickness, Liszt, I must say you¡¯re losing face for the Tulip Family. I thought you had matured, but it turns out you¡¯re still so ipetent; it really reminds me of the cowardly acts you used tomit, my foolish little brother.¡± Li Vera appeared in Liszt¡¯s room at some point without his notice. No knocking. This gave Liszt a start, as he was examining his Smoke Serpent Script¡ªoften taking it out to see if there were any new insights. But he quickly calmed down, realizing that Li Vera seemed unable to see the Smoke Serpent Script. It was something only he could see, so there was no worry of leaking secrets. ¡°You forgot to knock.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t knock? That¡¯s not important,¡± Li Vera said, crossing her arms and ring at Liszt as she expressed her disdain. ¡°To me it¡¯s important. You didn¡¯t respect my privacy, and besides, it¡¯s very udylike to do so. Nobles preferdies, dear sister.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need to change myself to please any noble! Besides, Liszt, when did I ever need your advice? If we weren¡¯t on Red Crab Ind right now, I would truly teach you a lesson and make you understand that bing an Earth Knight means nothing!¡± Liszt had been bullied by Li Vera since childhood. He believed the fundamental reason was Li Vera¡¯s jealousy of his appearance¡ªwhich could make most women feel ashamed of their looks. ¡°Did youe here just to tell me that I¡¯m still quite weak?¡± ¡°I just wanted to see the pathetic sight of you being seasick.¡± ¡°Well, you¡¯ve seen it, so could you please leave now?¡± Li Vera shot him an angry look before turning and walking away. Liszt got up and locked the door. At neen, she was still a young woman, and her behavior was indeed puzzling. Not that it mattered much, as the Li Vera in his memories was always blunt, or rather recklessly frivolous. The Earl oftenmented that he and Li Vera should exchange temperaments. One more delicate than girls, and the other wilder than boys. As hey back down, Liszt found himself unable to sleep and started thinking about trivial matters, ¡°Five months ago, I made a visit to Long Taro Castle for the holiday season. At that time, Marquis Merlin wasn¡¯t on the ind as he was serving as a captain in the Court Fleet; it¡¯s been about four or five years since west formally met.¡± Given the nobility¡¯s monogamous system, families often weren¡¯t very prosperous. Marquis Merlin had one son and two daughters. His youngest daughter, Melissa, had passed away, and his second daughter, Melinda, married Viscount Rnd Pinecone, a follower of the Marquis. There was only one heir, the eldest son, Mesiro Taro, who also had only one son, Meioubao Taro. ¡°Cousin Meioubao seems to be nearly twenty-five and still unmarried? Is it because he¡¯s pursuing the Sapphire Duke¡¯s daughter? This princess of the small state is said to be quite the social butterfly.¡± The Grand Duchy, a vassal state of an empire or kingdom, is ruled by a Grand Duke at its highest rank. Strictly speaking, they are not kings, so their daughters cannot be called princesses. Moreover, the new Sapphire Duke, being unable to be a Dragon Knight, had his rank downgraded to Duke. In the system of nobility, the ranks of Prince, Grand Duke, and Duke are on the same level, but one can only be addressed as Prince or Grand Duke upon bing a Knight; otherwise, one holds the title of Duke. However, rules are rigid, people are flexible; within the Duchy of Sapphire, all nobles refer to the ruler as the Grand Duke, and naturally his daughter is regarded and pursued as a princess. With malice, Liszt thought to himself, ¡°If Meioubao does marry the princess, he might well find out the children aren¡¯t his heh heh.¡± Chapter 33 - 0033: The Lord of Long Taro Castle Chapter 33: The Lord of Long Taro Castle Trantor: Henyee Trantions Editor: Henyee Trantions The rocking carriage jostled Liszt to the brink of sleepiness. From Sea Crab City, he had endured a bumpy ride to Redstone City, where he spent a night. By dawn, after another two hours of travel, they finally saw Long Taro Castle standing halfway up the mountain. Long Taro Castle was almost four times the size of Tulip Castle, with arrow towers that soared to a height of one to two hundred meters. Its location on the mountainside almost merged the castle with the mountain range. Liszt had once traveled from his hometown, Earth, to visit Neuschwanstein Castle in Europe. The majesty of Neuschwanstein Castle wasparable to Tulip Castle, save for thetter¡¯s precipitous cliffs. However,pared to Long Taro Castle in front of him, Neuschwanstein seemed modest in scale. Long Taro Castle alone bore the grandeur rivaling The Lord of the Rings¡¯ White City. Below the castley a city. The carriage didn¡¯t need to go through the city, taking a rather steep mountain road directly towards the castle instead. Midway, it was spotted and approached by the Knight Squad of Long Taro Castle. Learning that they were rtives of the Tulip Family, the Knight Squad immediately escorted the carriage to the castle. And one knight sprinted up the mountain to inform them ahead of time. Thus, when the carriage arrived at the castle¡¯s entrance, the heir to Long Taro Castle, the three siblings¡¯ cousin Meioubao Taro, was already awaiting them with servants. ¡°Levis, Li Vera, Liszt,¡± said Meioubao Taro, who was handsome and graceful, with sapphire-like eyes shining exceptionally bright, ¡°I received the letter and have been waiting a long time. Was your journey smooth?¡± Liszt had to admit. This cousin, both in looks and demeanor, was quite outstanding, almost on par with himself. Standing together, he looked more like a brother to Liszt than Levis did. ¡°Cousin Meioubao, everything went smoothly.¡± ¡°Cousin, you¡¯ve be even more beautiful thanst year.¡± ¡°Thank you for thepliment, cousin, butpared to your handsome features, it always feels like mockery,¡± Li Vera said half-jokingly and half-seriously to Meioubao Taro. Meioubao Taroughed heartily, ¡°I can¡¯t refuse this, right, Liszt?¡± The second part was addressed to Liszt. Liszt gave a slight smile. Finally, he confirmed that Li Vera had been teasing him all these years out of jealousy for his looks: ¡°Cousin speaks the truth.¡± ¡°Haha, indeed, heroes sharemon views. Let¡¯s go inside the castle. Father is overseeing this quarter¡¯s tax collection on foreignnd and has yet to return. Grandfather is recuperating his health but was very pleased to hear of your arrival.¡± ¡°How is grandfather¡¯s health now?¡± Meioubao Taro sighed, ¡°Grandfather¡¯s illness is aplication arising from the recurrence of an old injury. It fluctuates; sometimes it¡¯s better, sometimes worse. The Grand Duke has already sent the Court¡¯s physician to treat him ¡ª I believe he will recover.¡± In the opulent bedroom, sitting on the bed was the master of Red Crab Ind, one of the seven marquises of the Grand Duchy, former captain of the Court Fleet, the most venerable person in Long Taro Castle. Merlin Taro. He was a septuagenarian, his pale, wrinkled face still retaining its long-cultivated dignity, but fail to conceal the frailty brought on by age and illness. Even as a former Sky Knight capable of leaping into the air, he was not immune to the ravages of time. His sapphire-blue eyes had already turned cloudy, not to mention a head of white hair. Hey quietly against the headboard, with a low tea table on his quilt-covered legs,boriously writing with an ink-dipped quill on a sheet of thick paper. The age spots on his face were particrly noticeable. ¡°My lord, Young Master Sun has already brought the three young masters and miss of the Tulip Family into the castle,¡± the butler, almost as old as Marquis Merlin himself, didn¡¯t bear to disturb him and spoke in an especially soft voice. Marquis Merlin¡¯s pen tip hesitated slightly, then he continued writing, not lifting his head, ¡°Melissa¡¯s children? Then let theme and visit this old man, half buried in the grave.¡± ¡°My lord, you are only temporarily indisposed, and you will recover soon. You¡¯ve said that you would live to a hundred, ousting that old scoundrel Marquis Wace from next door,¡± the butler said. ¡°Ha ha, I also threatened the Grand Duke¡¯s Sapphire Dragon, saying that if it didn¡¯t make me the Dragon Domain Landlord, I would ughter it. However, it was to no avail; this time, I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ve lost to that old undying fellow,¡± Marquis Merlinughed heartily, quickly finishing thest few words, and put down his pen. The servants attending beside him immediately carried away the tea table. The old butler supported the marquis, leaning him towards the head of the bed to sit morefortably. He then bent down to straighten the red tie at the marquis¡¯s chest. A servant brought a bronze mirror. Other servants handed over water, towels, and hair clips, serving the marquis in turn. The marquis meticulously groomed his appearance, quickly transforming from a frail old man back to a figure of authority, and then, he waited. Hearing familiar footsteps outside the door, his murky eyes couldn¡¯t help but shine a bit of light. Which was quickly concealed again. Meioubao was leading the three siblings, and they had already walked into the bedroom. Levis took the lead, with Li Vera and Liszt quickly following to the bedside, addressing Marquis Merlin with the courtesy of juniors, ¡°Grandfather, Li Vera, Liszt, and I havee to visit you. Father also asked me to extend his sincere regards and hopes that you will recover immediately to restore the splendor belonging to the master of Long Taro Castle.¡± ¡°Your father is thoughtful,¡± the marquis nodded lightly, ¡°Did you have a smooth journey?¡± ¡°It was smooth.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good to hear. Since you havee to visit your grandfather, stay for a few days at Long Taro Castle.¡± ¡°Yes, grandfather.¡± The marquis¡¯s gaze moved past Levis and Li Vera, settling on Liszt, with a reminiscent look in his eyes, ¡°Liszt, you¡¯vee of age.¡± ¡°Yes, mying-of-age ceremony was on the ninth of March this year.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve heard that your father has titled you a baron; which town is it?¡± ¡°Fresh Flower Town.¡± ¡°Hmm, not even able to allocate a viscountcy, it seems Earl Li Weiliam has been quite unsessful,¡± Marquis Merlinmented bluntly, then his tone became wistful again, ¡°I wasn¡¯t there for youring-of-age ceremony; Melissa will surely me me. Seeing you is like seeing Melissa standing right before me.¡± Meioubao echoed, ¡°Grandfather, Cousin Liszt indeed resembles Aunt Melissa so much. When I was a child and met Aunt Melissa, I thought that the Long Taro flowers were truly the most dazzling in the Grand Duchy.¡± ¡°I can hardly remember my mother; I can only look up to her through the portraits at Tulip Castle,¡± Liszt said, indeed he had no memory of his mother. Liszt had been only two years old when Melissa passed away; what could a two-year-old child remember? There were portraits of Melissa in the castle, but he didn¡¯t often look at them. Besides, even if they were portraits, they lost much in their veracity, making it difficult to capture the true elegance of the person. It was a cause for regret. The marquis¡¯s emotions were quickly reined in, ¡°It¡¯s been over a decade, but sometimes it feels like just yesterday You must be tired from your journey. Meioubao, take your cousins to rest. I want the young men and women to be full of vigor at the luncheon. Also, if time permits, hold a ball tomorrow night; make it a lively one for the young people.¡± Chapter 34 - 0034 Little Minor Elf’s Saliva Chapter 34: Little Minor Elf¡¯s Saliva Trantor: Henyee Trantions Editor: Henyee Trantions ¡°Chirp.¡± ¡°Chirp.¡± Down the corridor of the castle, a strange chirping could be heard. Liszt, who had nned to rest until noon before attending the banquet, pushed open his room door and saw, not far away, a little blue minor elf dancing around a pir in the corridor. A few maids were attending to the minor elf. Seemingly noticing Liszt, the minor elf fluttered over in a swoosh, hovering about a meter in front of him. It curiously sized up Liszt with its big eyes, asionally letting out a ¡°chirp,¡± with no indication of what it meant. ¡°Young Master Sun Liszt,¡± a maid approached him and greeted respectfully. Liszt asked, ¡°What kind of minor elf is this?¡± ¡°It is a Thick-Leaf Grass Minor Elf, just turned three years old,¡± replied a maid with a lovely face, who boldly took two nces at Liszt with her brown eyes. There was an inexplicable spiciness in her gaze. Liszt didn¡¯t notice her looking at him, and he stretched out his hand to lightly gesture towards the Thick-Leaf Grass Minor Elf, ¡°Does it have a name?¡± The minor elf tilted its head, clueless: ¡°Chirp?¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t have a name. There are many minor elves in the castle, and we just refer to them as Cordyceps. However, this Thick-Leaf Grass Minor Elf is the naughtiest one of all. That¡¯s why several maids need to follow it around to prevent it from causing mischief and trouble,¡± the maid answered. Elves are magical creatures nurtured by nature, most are quite docile, but there are always some with tricky and quirky temperaments. ¡°What trouble can it cause?¡± Liszt felt it was much ado about little, a minor elf only needed one maid to follow it, yet several maids were attending to it, which seemed like they were cking off. But before the maids could exin. The hovering minor elf suddenly pursed its lips at Liszt and then¡ªstter, it spat saliva right onto Liszt¡¯s face. It was so sudden that even with his Earth Knight reflexes, he didn¡¯t react in time. By the time Liszt regained hisposure, the minor elf was already ¡°chirp,¡± ¡°chirp¡±ughing away as it flew into the distance. ¡°Young Master Sun Liszt, the Thick-Leaf Grass Minor Elf is very naughty, often spitting at guests of the castle. We are terribly sorry. We hope you won¡¯t take it to heart,¡± said the maid with the spicy gaze. Turning to herpanions, she said, ¡°Quickly follow the Thick-Leaf Grass, don¡¯t let it disturb anyone else. I¡¯ll take Young Master Sun Liszt to wash his face.¡± Having said that, she elegantly extended her hand to guide him: ¡°Young Master Sun Liszt, please allow me to fetch water for you to wash your face, as an apology for the Thick-Leaf Grass Minor Elf¡¯s behavior.¡± ¡°All right.¡± Liszt had nned to just wipe it off, considering the minor elf to be a not filthy creature, and he didn¡¯t mind its saliva. But since the maid had offered, he decided to use the water to wash his face again. Once the wash basin was brought over, the maid wrung out the towel and proceeded to wipe Liszt¡¯s face. ¡°Thank you, but I¡¯ll do it myself.¡± ¡°It is our duty as maids.¡± ¡°For things like washing my face, I prefer to do it on my own,¡± Liszt coughed, fully aware that high society was used to indulgence, with servants attending to all their personal needs, but he would never get ustomed to it. After wiping his face. He handed the towel back to the maid. Her eyes shining, the maid asked: ¡°Would you like to wipe again?¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s all right.¡± A fleeting look of disappointment crossed the maid¡¯s face as she picked up the basin and stood up to leave: ¡°Then I¡¯ll take my leave Oh, Young Master Sun Liszt, my name is Anna, and I would be more than willing to serve you if you require.¡± Liszt smiled faintly, ¡°Okay, Anna.¡± In that moment, with his forehead just damp from water and a stray wet lock of hair, he became even more charming by a fraction. The maid was obviously dazzled by Liszt for a moment, then she lowered her head and quickly exited the room. Once she left the room, She felt her heart pounding furiously in her chest, and a faint blush rose on her cheeks. ¡°What are you doing?¡± suddenly a questioning voice came from beside her. It was a male servant, assigned to Liszt as his personal attendant in the castle, responsible for his daily personal care. He had just gone to fetch some milk tea for Liszt from the kitchen and returned to find Annaing out of the room, still carrying the basin¡ªcaring for guests was his job! ¡°Young Master Sun Liszt needed to wash his face, so I attended to him.¡± ¡°Is that so? It doesn¡¯t seem like it¡¯s the maids¡¯ turn to do that, Anna. Don¡¯t do anything that would disgrace Long Taro Castle,¡± the male servant said sternly, his voice filled with menace. Anna kept walking: ¡°Lyskey, you¡¯re not the butler. You have no say in what I do!¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll tell the butler!¡± ¡°I¡¯m just doing my job, what you choose to report is your business.¡± After Anna hadpletely disappeared around the corner of the corridor, Lyskey snorted coldly: ¡°A bunch of bitches!¡± After cursing, he quickly masked his anger with the proper solemn and dignified demeanor befitting of a male servant, along with aposed and graceful appearance. He knocked on the door: ¡°Young Master Sun Liszt, I have brought you the milk tea you requested.¡± ¡°Come in.¡± Anna returned to the group tending to the Thick-Leaf Grass Minor Elves. The maids immediately started chattering: ¡°Anna, did you touch Young Master Sun Liszt¡¯s face?¡± ¡°Is Young Master Sun Liszt¡¯s face really smooth and delicate? Did your face turn red and your heartbeat speed up at that time? Is he as handsome as Young Master Sun?¡± ¡°Lucy touched Young Master Sun Liszt¡¯s face a few years ago when she washed it for him, even though he wasn¡¯t an adult yet, he was already so handsome.¡± Anna shook her head, her voice tinged with disappointment: ¡°No, Young Master Sun Liszt washed his own face; he doesn¡¯t like maids washing his face for him.¡± ¡°How could that be? Could it be that he like Viscount Ophius, likes likes men?¡± ¡°That shouldn¡¯t be, I saw Young Master Sun Lisztst year; he was staring at Sister Luya¡¯s butt.¡± ¡°Sister Luya¡¯s butt is indeed nice to look at; I¡¯m jealous.¡± ¡°Then you need to pat it every day; otherwise, you have no butt at all.¡± ¡°By the way, Young Master Sun Liszt is of age now, he should have received his title, right? What rank is he now? I think he¡¯s a Viscount. The Tulip Family¡¯s Coral Ind, I¡¯ve heard, is quite arge ind.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. If Miss Melissa were still alive, with the Earl backing her, he would definitely be a Viscount. But the Earl of Coral Ind has remarried, and Young Master Sun Liszt¡¯s situation might be quite awkward now.¡± ¡°I really want to gofort him.¡± ¡°Stop dreaming during the day. Do you, a maid, need to worry about noble affairs? I advise you all toe to your senses and do your jobs as maids well. Ugly ducklings won¡¯t turn into swans; ducks will only sire ducks, and swans will sire swans.¡± ¡°So what? I¡¯ve decided to stay unmarried for life, like Mrs. Fini. Aren¡¯t I allowed to create a romantic love encounter for myself?¡± As she spoke, the maid propped her chin in her hands, lost in daydreams: ¡°A down-on-his-luck noble from afar, handsome and dashing riding a great horse, falls in love with a castle maid while she sweeps Because of family and societal pressures, they must part, a deep kiss before dawn, and then they separate. Oh my, I¡¯m about to tear up.¡± Chapter 35 - 0035: The Knight’s Quality of Self-Reliance Chapter 35: The Knight¡¯s Quality of Self-Reliance Trantor: Henyee Trantions Editor: Henyee Trantions The maidservant¡¯s thoughts and feelings were unknown to Liszt. He had never considered, like most nobles, having an irresponsible fling in someone else¡¯s castle. His body was only sixteen years old, newly matured. ording to thews of his hometown, one was considered an adult at eighteen and could marry at twenty-two. For now, it was best to focus on growing, without dwelling on unnecessary thoughts that could sap his energy. His former self might have been useless, but the current Liszt had confidence in striving for the title of Sky Knight. After all, hisprehension was not bad, and he had the help of the Smoke Mission. Perhaps one day he might even ride a dragon and be a Dragon Knight. The pinnacle ofbat power in this world was the Dragon Knight, an existence that could destroy the heavens and the earth. ¡°I must keep training in ¡®Fire Dragon Drill¡¯ and ¡®ming Wave¡¯. Although I can avoid going to the battlefield, it is essential to constantly practice the skills necessary for self-defense.¡± The lunch banquet at Long Taro Castle was a family meal, and the number of people attending was notrge. The Mesiro couple was away overseeing tax collection, leaving only two masters in the castle¡ªgrandparent and grandchild. ording to the rules of Long Taro Castle, the Knight Captain did not dine in the castle, and Meioubao¡¯s family tutor had already left to take an official position in town. So, sitting around the dining table were only the grandparent, grandchild, and the three siblings. Marquis Merlin was in a wheelchair, unable to walk easily. The castle¡¯s meals were a notch above those at Tulip Castle, as evidenced by the bread on the te, which was the highest quality white bread. Liszt picked up a piece of white bread, took a light bite, and enjoyed the soft, buttery, melt-in-your-mouth texture¡ªhardly like bread at all, more akin to cake. The wine was from Raz Manor¡¯s cer, a vintage even finer than Crescent Moon Wine. As each dish was unveiled¡ªpudding roast beef, golden salmon with sauce, avocet eggs, yolk sauce jellied rock lobster, roast goose with lettuce sd, cheese meat pies, asparagus leaves, lobster sauce trout¡ªthe abundance of food was on par with Tulip Castle¡¯s major festival banquets. However, the rich variety of food was contrasted by a rather stiff atmosphere. The Marquis was a serious man who once wielded great naval power, possessing a strong presence. Levis and Li Vera were restrained in front of the Marquis, speaking cautiously. Liszt also felt some restraint, for in his heart he didn¡¯t see these ¡°ancient people¡± as anything special, yet he couldn¡¯t feel at ease with strangers. So it was even more important to focus on enjoying the delicious food. Especially the yolk sauce jellied rock lobster. Very tasty. He had finished one te and had called for another. ¡°Rock lobster is a product of the Red Crab Ind waters. Our family¡¯s fleet rarely goes out fishing; it¡¯s mostly some fishermen who take the risk to harvest them. The yield is not high, and almost all of it is sent to the castle,¡± Meioubao exined in between bites of bread. ¡°If you like it, I can arrange to prepare a batch of live lobsters for you.¡± ¡°It may be difficult to transport them. From Long Taro Castle to my Fresh Flower Town is quite the distance. I would need a day and a half¡¯s travel to Red Crab Ind, a day by boat, and another half day to get to Fresh Flower Town. Considering overnight stays and other dys, it would take at least five days to return.¡± ¡°Rock lobsters are actually quite easy to keep alive. Just dab them with water every day. They have the blood of the Aquatic Monster Exquisite Lobster, a sea creature, and are not easy to die.¡± Sea creatures, or magical beasts of the sea. Liszt, naturally, would not object: ¡°Then I thank you.¡± ¡°No need for formality,¡± Meioubao smiled. Among the three siblings of the Tulip family, he felt closer to Liszt¡ªpossibly a case of like recognizing like, or birds of a feather flocking together. Handsome people always seem to befriend other handsome people. Hearing their conversation, the Marquis suddenly said, ¡°Liszt, tell me some stories about Fresh Flower Town.¡± ¡°Grandfather, life in Fresh Flower Town is actually quite unremarkable.¡± ¡°Every aspect of local customs and living environment can be discussed.¡± ¡°Well, the town has fewer than two thousand people. It all started with the discovery of a new variety of Tulip, so my father moved his subjects and built Fresh Flower Town. Now, the main crop is wheat, and thend is quite barren, with little tax revenue. But fortunately, a new variety of Tulip magic potion has sprung up in the town, bringing prospects for new development.¡± ¡°A new variety of magic potion, that certainly is good news.¡± The Marquis inquired, ¡°For this magic potion, did Tulip Castle pay a substantial amount of Gold Coins?¡± ¡°It was a profit-sharing arrangement. The town can¡¯t nt too much, so I reached an agreement with my brother and sister to grow it together, but they have to give me thirty percent of the profits.¡± ¡°Hmm, that¡¯s a very interesting cooperation, worth far more than a lump sum of Gold Coins. Liszt, you¡¯ve inherited not only Melissa¡¯s beauty but also the shrewdness of the Long Taro Family.¡± The shrewdness of the Long Taro Family was well-known in the Grand Duchy. The reasony with the Marquis¡¯s father, the previous Marquis, who at that time was only an Earl. Given the Grand Duchy¡¯s urgent need for funds to arm the Knight Order for an expedition to the continent to fight for mineral resources, the Earl dispelled his fortune to support the Sapphire Duke¡¯s endeavor, eventually securing Red Crab Ind and the position of Marquis. Now, the annual revenue from Red Crab Ind probably far exceeds what the Earl had spent from his family wealth. An exceptionally valuable deal. ¡°Fresh Flower Town is just a small town, I need to make money to maintain the expenses of the Castle.¡± ¡°Self-reliance, that is a quality of a proper Noble.¡± Courage, politeness, loyalty, self-reliance Nobles preach a whole list of virtues, among which self-reliance is the most hypocritical. Essentially, they are a group of Vampires squeezing themon folk, and from birth, they probably don¡¯t even know what a hoe looks like. Of course, the self-reliance the Marquis speaks of probably means ¡°relying on oneself to squeeze others,¡± rather than asking for handouts from family. After the lunch came the dinner. After the dinner was rest, and then another lunch the next day; after lunch, Meioubao got busy, because per the Marquis¡¯s instructions, he nned to hold a grand ball that evening, gathering the young Nobles of both sexes from nearby towns. A Noble¡¯s ball could simply be seen as a matchmaking event. Especially those second and third sons of Nobles, who are most enthusiastic about such balls. The eldest son can inherit his father¡¯s title, with no worry of finding a match for marriage, but second and third sons need to strive on their own to marry a rich and beautiful woman so they can continue to enjoy a Noble¡¯s life. Otherwise, generation after generation, they will end up as ordinary Knights and fall out of the Noble ss. Noblewomen also look forward to balls. Not every youngdy can marry the eldest son of a Noble; they too need to target those potential Noble heirs and exert their charm. ¡°Liszt, you need to get ready!¡± Meioubao, along with his personal servant, brought over a pile of dresses, ¡°These are all ones I¡¯ve never worn. You and I are about the same size; they will definitely fit you.¡± ¡°Cousin, there¡¯s no need to try them on one by one, I think the one I¡¯m wearing is quite nice,¡± Liszt replied. ¡°No, we must strive for perfection. Think about it, the notices I had the Knights send out on fast horses yesterday will have reached at least thirteen small towns, whose Nobles received invitations and will be able to attend the ball. There will be many beautiful youngdies waiting for you, seeking to form a blissful union and a beautiful encounter.¡± ¡°I am still young, I am not in a rush to marry,¡± Liszt said somewhat speechlessly. How had he never noticed before how keen his cousin was on ying matchmaker? ¡°You should be dressing up my sister instead. She¡¯s at the right age for marriage. And my brother, he needs to find a suitable mistress candidate for Tulip Castle.¡± ¡°They don¡¯t need my reminders. Levis had borrowed many suits very early on, and Li Vera has been dressing up since this morning, haven¡¯t you noticed?¡± ¡°Have they?¡± Liszt asked. Indeed, Liszt hadn¡¯t noticed, busy reading books from the Long Taro Castle¡¯s library in his spare time, and at meals, he was preupied with his food. Chapter 36 - 0036: Miss of the Salmon Family Chapter 36: Miss of the Salmon Family Trantor: Henyee Trantions Editor: Henyee Trantions The tailored tailcoat, wavy hairstyle, and the reluctantly applied bright powder on his face made Liszt, fresh out of the dressing room, dazzling to behold. ¡°Perfect!¡± Sir Meioubao patted Liszt on the shoulder, ¡°You will be the center of attention for all thedies at the ball tonight.¡± ¡°I have no such intention, perhaps in a few years I will be very keen, but for now, sorry cousin, I have no ns to get to know any nobledies.¡± ¡°Words spoken against one¡¯s true feelings, those I will not believe. Rest assured, Liszt, the best thing in life is to meet the right person at the right time, don¡¯t just leave it to fate, you have to seize the opportunity.¡± ¡°Is that why you, my cousin, are still unmarried after all these years?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t shift the subject to me; we are talking about you now.¡± Liszt shook his cuffs. Sir Meioubao was rather good to him, and he actually wanted to tell his cousin that instead of chasing the Sapphire Duke¡¯s socialite daughter with the possibility of elevating the Long Taro Family by recing old with new, it would be better to sincerely find a noblewoman to marry. But the words reached his lips and he held them back. This situation surely involved the will of the Marquis¡ªthe Long Taro Family prided itself on its astuteness; perhaps they aimed to move further up the socialdder. Once someone married the Sapphire Duke¡¯s daughter, their family¡¯s status would be unbreakable. He was merely a Baron from a small town in the country and should not harbor the ambitions of a Marquis while eating coarse bread. After getting all dressed up, he followed Sir Meioubao to the hall where the ball was to take ce. Nobles were arriving in twos and threes, chatting leisurely in the hall and enjoying the beverages prepared by the servants. ¡°Sir Meioubao, you finally deign to show up?¡± a noble with a wine ss in hand approached. ¡°There¡¯s no rush, the ball hasn¡¯t started yet, Matil.¡± Matil nced at Liszt, ¡°And who is this?¡± ¡°My cousin, his father is Coral Ind¡¯s Count.¡± ¡°Oh, from the Tulip Family, nice to meet you for the first time, I am Matil Nustinger.¡± ¡°Liszt Tulip.¡± Liszt kept a polite smile but wasn¡¯t very enthusiastic. He wasn¡¯t a noble keen on socializing and was at the ball rather reluctantly. But then, he had no choice but to endure, and, with Sir Meioubao¡¯s introductions, got acquainted with the young nobles from Red Crab Ind. They were basically followers of the Long Taro Family¡ªnobles enfeoffed by the Marquis and utterly loyal to him. One interesting aspect of the nobility system was, The nobles enfeoffed by the King were the King¡¯s vassals, and the lesser nobles enfeoffed by a noble were that noble¡¯s vassals. However, the lesser nobles were not the King¡¯s vassals, nor did they have to be loyal to the King. For example, Earl William Lee of Coral Ind was a noble conferred by the King and a vassal of the King, but Liszt was not. He only needed to be loyal to his own father. And after a century when his father passed away, he would have to be loyal to his brother, Levis. ¡°Have you taken a fancy to any pretty youngdy? If so, let me know, and I can be your matchmaker. Don¡¯t hold back.¡± After greeting a round of guests, Sir Meioubao returned to Liszt¡¯s side, ¡°Look at your brother; he haspletely adapted to the ball¡¯s scene and has already charmed the daughters of three Viscounts.¡± Following his gaze, one could see the average-looking Levis, who had said something to make a youngdy burst intoughter. ¡°And your sister, she¡¯s being courted as well.¡± Over by Li Vera, two male nobles wereughing and chatting with her¡ªshe wasn¡¯t very beautiful, but with a little inquiry, it would be clear that Li Vera held a Barcy, which to those Honored Knights or nobles unable to inherit their family¡¯s title was a prime marriage prospect. Once married, they could go on enjoying noble status. Liszt lifted his cup of fruit wine and clinked it with Sir Meioubao¡¯s, ¡°Wishing them all the happiness, and as for me, cousin, you really needn¡¯t worry.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Really.¡± ¡°Alright, but I will still keep an eye out for a suitable youngdy for you.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need for that,¡± Liszt said speechlessly. His cousin was overdoing it. Was he really so keen on ying matchmaker? However, Sir Meioubao shrugged slightly and whispered to him, ¡°Actually, this is Grandfather¡¯s wish. He knows that you¡¯re not highly regarded in the Tulip Family and hopes you cane to Red Crab Ind. Besides, I need a helping hand too. The Long Taro Family¡¯s numbers aren¡¯t flourishing; I have no siblings, you know. I really hope you all cane.¡± Liszt felt that Sir Meioubao was speaking earnestly. By his conversion of measurement units, Coral Ind was roughly the area of a prefectural city, about ten thousand square kilometers. Red Crab Ind was ten timesrger than Coral Ind, around one hundred thousand square kilometers. This area wasparable to provinces like Jiangsu and Zhejiang. With no roads and transportation relying on horse-drawn carriages, therger the area, the harder it was to manage. Moreover, with nobles operating in a decentralized manner, an increase in small nobility could lead to more chaotic territorial management and even destabilize the ruling family¡¯s foundation. After pondering, to say he wasn¡¯t tempted would be untrue; Fresh Flower Town really had little development value. Moving to Red Crab Ind for development, the Long Taro Family would at least have to offer him a higher status¡ªViscount, giving him a fiefprising a small town. Yet, to achieve this goal through marriage, Liszt was resistant, ¡°Let nature take its course, cousin. If there¡¯s someone I like, I won¡¯t miss out, but don¡¯t force me if there isn¡¯t.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± As nightfall descended, the dance began. Soft piano music flowed from the fingertips of a pianist, creating a suitable atmosphere for the event. As the host, Sir Meioubao danced the first number with the daughter of a viscount, then stepped aside to signal everyone to freely choose their dance partners. Liszt sat in a corner, watching young men and women dance gracefully in the center of the ballroom. He made no move. He had already observed all the female attendees¡ªtall, short, plump, slim, beautiful, and in¡ªand had formed an impression of each, but sadly, none caught his fancy. Even though a few mature women fit his aesthetic standards, their age was a barrier¡ªhe was, after all, only sixteen. At this age, many nobles already began to indulge in pleasures. But it was not yet the age for marriage. The time when men turned twenty and women eighteen was the restless season for wedlock. His gaze wandered over the crowd, resting nowhere in particr. Then, after a moment, an invisible mist began to emerge, coalescing into twisted Serpent Script. ¡°Task: Fresh and tender alfalfa, not only loved by cows but also by horses, is fundamental for setting up a horse field and is the first step in building achievements. Please arrange Cordyceps for the Alfalfa Bug. Reward: Three wild corn stalks.¡± The task had been present for several days, and he was slightly anxious. ¡°After several days¡¯ dy, the alfalfa should have grown by now. I can probably arrange it for the Alfalfa Bug when I get back Wild corn, I wonder what it looks like. Its yield should at least be several times more than that of wheat.¡± While he pondered the task, An oriole-like pleasant voice suddenly reached his ears, ¡°Hi, Liszt, may I sit here?¡± The mist disappeared abruptly. Liszt came back to his senses to see a seventeen or eighteen-year-old girl who looked somewhat like Mary Crawley, the Earl¡¯s oldest daughter from ¡°Downton Abbey.¡± Wavy xen hair, a pointed nose, deep-set eyes, and thin lips that seemed to always carry a smile. Quite striking, more than an eight out of ten. Sir Meioubao had introduced her to him before; she was the youngest daughter of a viscount, named Asina Salmon, and her family was famous for their Salmon. Liszt showed a gentle smile and extended his hand to gesture, ¡°Lovely Miss, any seat would wee you.¡± Chapter 37 - 0037 You Can Come to My House as a Guest Chapter 37: You Can Come to My House as a Guest Trantor: Henyee Trantions Editor: Henyee Trantions ¡°I didn¡¯t see you dance,¡± Asina sipped her juice, asking, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you join in?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not very skilled at dancing, so it¡¯s nice just to quietly appreciate others¡¯ dance moves.¡± ¡°Then you should dance even more. The steps are simple, and you¡¯d learn after a few tries.¡± Asina blinked her eyes, her face full of expectation, ¡°If you want to learn, I can teach you.¡± With thedy taking the initiative, Liszt couldn¡¯t very well refuse bluntly; he could only stand up and extend his hand: ¡°May I have the honor of this dance with you?¡± ¡°The honor is mine.¡± Asina extended her hand to Liszt and stood up smoothly. And so, Liszt led Asina to the dance floor, and with the apaniment of a soothing piano melody, he wrapped his arm around Asina¡¯s waist, their left hands sping, and they began to dance together on the floor. The social dances of the nobility always had very simple steps. Liszt had never danced them himself before, but his predecessor had quite a lot of experience. ¡°You don¡¯t dance stiffly; it seems you were fooling me before,¡± Asina said with a smile as they danced. ¡°Perhaps it is an exceptional performance this time.¡± ¡°Is that so? Then I believe you.¡± After a moment of silence, Asina asked again, ¡°I¡¯ve never been to Coral Ind. In fact, I¡¯ve never left Red Crab Ind. Is Coral Ind far from Red Crab Ind?¡± ¡°Not very far, about half a day¡¯s sail. If there¡¯s a tailwind all the way, it might only take half the time.¡± ¡°What does Tulip Castle look like?¡± ¡°It¡¯s built on the cliffs along the shore, much smaller than Long Taro Castle, but the surrounding hills are covered with tulips, in a riot of colors.¡± ¡°That must be very beautiful. If I get the chance, I would like to visit Tulip Castle.¡± ¡°There will be an opportunity.¡± ¡°Do you live at Tulip Castle?¡± ¡°I grew up there, but I¡¯ve already moved to live in my own town now.¡± ¡°Right, I heard Sir Meioubao say that you¡¯re now enfeoffed as a baron, in Fresh Flower Town?¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± ¡°There must be many beautiful flowers there. Is the castle where you live also surrounded by flowers?¡± ¡°It might disappoint you, but there are only about a dozen acres of tulips, the rest is nted with wheat. As for around the castle, well, I¡¯m in the process of nting grass and building a horse ranch, and I might raise some dairy cows too.¡± Liszt spoke indifferently, sensing that Asina might be inquiring about his background. Perhaps the girl was attracted by his handsome appearance and wanted to be the Baroness of Liszt? It would be best to nip any such notions in the bud, he thought, and after a pause, he continued, ¡°Hmm, the town is quite remote. We don¡¯t have enough wheat or milk, and even vegetables can¡¯t be had regrly. Even with gold coins, it¡¯s difficult to buy meat because a mountain range, with magical beasts in it, cuts us off, and merchant caravans are unwilling toe in.¡± Asina opened her mouth in surprise: ¡°Are you an Earth Knight?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve just recently been promoted and am still practicing the Dou Qi Manuscript.¡± Liszt, over one meter eighty in height, looked down and could see Asina¡¯s expression, stiff with difort. She was barely one meter sixty. Probably the gap between ideals and reality was causing her distress. Anyone seeing Liszt for the first time would certainly take a liking to him; women, in particr. But once they understood Liszt¡¯s background, most would keep their distance. A baron from an unimportant, impoverished, remote town, with poor Dou Qi aptitude, might well end up selling his estate and wandering to some otherndlord¡¯s domain. Managing an estate is no simple matter; many of the smaller nobility go bankrupt and end up as family tutors or knight captains. Goltai was one of them. Even the great Nobles could go bankrupt and lose their estates if they mismanaged their businesses. ¡°Next, I suppose it¡¯s time to let go, signaling the end of the dance,¡± Liszt thought. However, Asina did not let go. Her somewhat stiff expression quickly returned to her previous gentle smile: ¡°Your father, the Earl of Coral Ind, wouldn¡¯t just ignore Fresh Flower Town, would he?¡± ¡°My rtionship with my father isn¡¯t very harmonious, possibly because my brother and sister are too outstanding.¡± ¡°But I think your demeanor is more outstanding. When you stand next to Sir Meioubao, you look very much like a pair of close brothers.¡± ¡°I take after my mother more.¡± ¡°Your mother must have been a graceful and noble baroness.¡± ¡°Actually, I don¡¯t remember what she looked like; she passed away when I was two.¡± ¡°Sorry, I shouldn¡¯t have brought it up.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± The two then stopped talking and danced the entire piece with their waists embraced. During the rest, he returned to his seat, and to his surprise, Asina followed him over. Then she sat down beside him and continued to make conversation: ¡°My home is in White Fish City. The castle doesn¡¯t have a name. I also have an older brother who is married. He married Sister Lidia from Viscount Zavier¡¯s family. They met at the ball in Long Taro Castlest year.¡± ¡°Hmm, no wonder I didn¡¯t see your brothere today,¡± Liszt replied somewhat perfunctorily. ¡°He and Sister Lidia have a good rtionship and rarely attend social balls anymore,¡± Asina said, blinking, ¡°My father is very hospitable, Liszt. You¡¯re wee to visit my home if you have the time.¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid I won¡¯t have the time. My grandfather is recovering, and I must return to Coral Ind tomorrow.¡± ¡°When will youe again then?¡± ¡°Not until the holidays.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± As the piano music started up once again, Liszt danced another dance with Asina. He then excused himself, saying the dance floor was too stuffy, and declined Asina¡¯s hope to continue dancing with him. After making a round in the castle, he returned to find the ball approaching its end. With the music stopping, Sir Meioubao represented the host in announcing the end of the ball. The nobles, in groups of threes and twos, either went directly home by carriage if they lived near or, if they were from farther away, were led by the servants to the rooms prepared in the castle. Liszt also prepared to return to his room. Asina found him again, merely saying, ¡°Good night, Liszt.¡± ¡°Good night, Asina.¡± Before he went back to his room, Meioubao visited: ¡°Liszt, did you enjoy chatting with Asina?¡± ¡°We just danced twice.¡± ¡°I can tell that Asina is quite interested in you. What do you think?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have any thoughts.¡± Seeing Liszt was serious, Meioubao nodded: ¡°Alright, I understand. Have a good rest. Oh, and grandfather said he wants to give you an adult gift tomorrow. He regretted not being there for youring-of-age celebration and hopes to make up for it a little.¡± ¡°Grandfather is too kind.¡± ¡°Right, good night.¡± ¡°Good night.¡± Late into the night, Liszt was still awake, pondering what the Marquis would give him as his adult present¡ªit should be something not too shabby given it¡¯sing from a Marquis. ¡°Maybe it¡¯s a magic longsword?¡± Among nobles, especially when elders give gifts to the younger generation, it ismon to give weapons, signifying that a knight¡¯s honor must be earned with a de or spear. A Marquis would at least give a magical weapon, wouldn¡¯t he? Magical weapons are incredibly precious, and he had never owned one, so the more he thought about it, the more excited he became. His excitement, to no small extent, also included Asina¡¯s enthusiasm¡ªinside and out, she seemed to radiate that she fancied Liszt and wished to be a baroness. It¡¯s always pleasing to be liked, especially by a rather prettydy. Always a reason to be happy. Chapter 38 - 0038: The Crimson Blood Sword Set with Gemstones Chapter 38: The Crimson Blood Sword Set with Gemstones Trantor: Henyee Trantions Editor: Henyee Trantions The next morning, Liszt, with slightly dim undereye circles barely visible, had already packed his luggage. And he enjoyed a breakfast in his room¡ªa spread of bread, fried eggs, pastries, jam, milk, honey, and coffee. After Levis and Li Vera had also packed up, the three siblings prepared to bid farewell to the Marquis. The Marquis, having risen early and seated in his wheelchair, was writing something. ¡°Did you sleep well?¡± the Marquis stopped writing, lifted his head, and looked at the three tall siblings, ¡°I heard you all enjoyedst night¡¯s ball immensely.¡± Levis replied with a smile, ¡°A veryfortable evening, Grandfather. The ball hosted by our cousin was delightful, and we met many nobles and finedies, some of whom I was quite taken with.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good, while you¡¯re young, follow your heart and take action.¡± After a brief chat, the three siblings expressed their desire to depart, and the Marquis did not insist on them staying. Instead, he said to Liszt, ¡°I missed witnessing youring of age ceremony, so to make up for that regret, I have a gift for you. Meioubao, bring the prepared gift over to Liszt.¡± Meioubao quickly entered, carrying a long box. Seeing the box, Liszt immediately understood and guessed correctly that the Marquis¡¯s gift was indeed what elders most liked to give to their younger rtives¡ªa weapon. ¡°What kind of magic weapon might it be?¡± he wondered in eager anticipation. Meioubao handed over the box, ¡°Liszt, your grandfather is giving you the Crimson Blood Sword, in hopes that you will ze a trail and shine bright as a knight.¡± ¡°The Crimson Blood Sword?¡± Liszt opened the box, and instantly, a bright snow-white knight¡¯s two-handed sword caught his eye. The slender de, guard, and hilt all came together in an ensemble reminiscent of a German two-handed sword. Where the guard and hilt met, a fiery red gemstone was conspicuously inset. Just by looking, one could feel the magic power emanating from the fiery red gem, circting endlessly along the de. One could even see fine, blood thread-like red traces emerging on the de¡¯s surface. No wonder it looked snow-white but was named Crimson Blood Sword. Most importantly, this wasn¡¯t just a magic weapon, but something even better¡ªa gemstone weapon! ¡°A ruby?¡± Li Vera saw the red gemstone at the intersection of guard and hilt, and was immediately shocked, her eyes revealing deep envy and jealousy. A normal magic weapon would cost around a hundred gold coins. But a gemstone weapon could be worth thousands of gold coins, ten times that of a magic weapon. Just this Crimson Blood Sword might be worth several years of tax revenue from a wealthy small town. Her Falcon Town was roughly equal to a small prosperous town, and after scrimping and saving for years, could barely afford a gemstone weapon¡ªbut she would never give up her luxurious life, so there was a very high chance she¡¯d never be able to afford one. With jealousy in her heart, and characteristic straightforwardness, she voiced her thoughts, ¡°Grandfather, you¡¯re ying favorites with Liszt. You only gave me a dress for mying of age gift.¡± ¡°Wasn¡¯t a Little Minor Elf given to you by thed from Coral Ind, and didn¡¯t he also bestow you with the title of Baroness? But Liszt couldn¡¯t enjoy that. Coral Ind¡¯sd can y favorites, but I can¡¯t?¡± the Marquis spoke as if it were the most natural thing, also revealing his dissatisfaction with Coral Ind¡¯s Count. Liszt, who had scored a bargain, quickly ingratiated himself, ¡°Thank you for the gift, Grandfather. I¡¯ll cherish the Crimson Blood Sword and keep its brilliance untarnished.¡± A gemstone weapon, which could immediately be sold for one to two thousand gold coins¡ªhow delightful¡ªbut of course, he wouldn¡¯t sell it. The ruby iid on the Crimson Blood Sword clearly had fiery attributes, which would assist his cultivation much more effectively than using magic potion ingredients. A Dragon produces nothing but the finest goods. With the Crimson Blood Sword in tow, Liszt prepared to return home under the watchful eyes of Meioubao and arge group of servants. His brief stay at Long Taro Castle thus came to an end. He felt no great reluctance to leave, after all, there were piles of matters waiting for him back in Fresh Flower Town, and no nest was as cozy as one¡¯s own. Just as he was about to board the carriage, someone suddenly called out to him, ¡°Liszt, wait!¡± Turning around, he saw Asina. ¡°Miss Asina, good morning.¡± ¡°Good morning.¡± Asina was a bit out of breath, probably from running over from the castle, ¡°Are you leaving now?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Levis, who had gotten on the carriage but then stepped out again, suddenly chimed in, ¡°If there were a beautiful girl looking forward to my return, I¡¯d rather not go back.¡± Liszt turned his head and shot him a re, ¡°Brother, please get on.¡± Levis shrugged, ¡°Miss Asina, you two talk.¡± ¡°Thank you, Sir Levis.¡± With space left for Liszt and Asina, Asina fidgeted with the hem of her dress, ¡°Won¡¯t you stay a few more days?¡± ¡°There are many matters waiting for me to deal with in town.¡± ¡°Then will youe to visit White City?¡± Her eyes were filled with anticipation. Liszt smiled as he declined, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I have no reason to visit your house; I do not know your father, and we have no social ties.¡± The interactions between nobles always required an excuse, one could not simply visit without cause. ¡°You coulde to see me,¡± Asina said, and then lowered her head, the meaning couldn¡¯t be clearer¡ªif a man was unmarried and a woman was unmarried, a visit implied only one kind of rtionship. Liszt sighed inwardly. Feeling that his next words might hurt this sweet youngdy¡¯s heart, but he had to say it, ¡°Miss Asina, I appreciate your affection for me, but, I have never considered the possibility between us. Please, do not dwell on me; someone as beautiful as you will surely have many suitors better than I.¡± Asina¡¯s eyes quickly dimmed, but soon, she bloomed into a smile again, ¡°Thank you for your honesty, Sir Liszt, I wish you a safe journey.¡± ¡°Thank you, take care,¡± Liszt spoke, then turned and entered the carriage. The coachman cracked his whip, and the horses, pulling the carriage, sped down the mountain. On the gravel-paved road, there was no dust, only the sound of the wheels clinking and ttering. ¡°Liszt, you rejected the overture of a noble youngdy with such a cold heart,¡± Li Vera remarked with a hint of an indefinable emotion, probably doubt over her brother¡¯s character, soft as she thought he was, to be able to turn someone down. ¡°If there¡¯s no feeling, why should I force myself and harm both parties?¡± He looked back through the carriage window and saw Asina still standing at the castle gate, her petite and exquisite figure d in a dress fluttering in the wind. She was brave, but he simply couldn¡¯t ept her feelings. He felt like reflecting on this for a good ten minutes. But Li Vera¡¯s scoff broke the mood, ¡°Who needs feelings for a noble union?¡± ¡°If that¡¯s the case, why don¡¯t you just randomly pick someone with good conditions to marry?¡± ¡°Because I do not wish to be a vassal. Even in marriage, it must be he whoes to Falcon Town! Or, they must have the charm to make me give up Falcon Town and move into their castle. If I were to meet such a person, even if I gave my all to them, what would it matter?¡± Li Vera said proudly. Liszt chose not toment. A few momentster, Li Vera stretched out her hand, ¡°Let me see the Crimson Blood Sword.¡± Beholding the masterfully crafted Crimson Blood Sword and the vibrant ruby set in it, Li Vera¡¯s envy was undisguised, ¡°Why is Grandpa so good to you? A gemstone sword, I might never even be able to afford to use in my entire life! Liszt, it¡¯s a waste on you. Give it to me, and I¡¯ll give you a hundred Naldas in return!¡± ¡°No deal.¡± Chapter 39 - 0039: Information of the Formless Dragon Chapter 39: Information of the Formless Dragon Trantor: Henyee Trantions Editor: Henyee Trantions Three dayster, Li Si Te returned to Coral Ind¡¯s Fresh Flower Town. It was Tulip Castle¡¯s Knight Squad that escorted him back to Fresh Flower Town, apanying Li Si Te and Ma Ku Si were two down-on-their-luck nobles, descendants of nobility, yet themselves without inherited titles, only addressed as Knights. They were friends introduced by Goltai. Lured by the promise of double wages, they came to Fresh Flower Town to take up official posts. ¡°Li Si Te, wee back, you were gone just over a week, and I started missing you,¡± Goltai greeted the town¡¯sndlord with slightly exaggerated enthusiasm. His warmth was extravagant yet thorough. ¡°And there¡¯s Ma Ku Si, the Baron¡¯s loyal knight. Seeing you both in fine attire, I knew at once that your journey went smoothly.¡± ¡°Haha, look who these two are, Isaiah and ir, my old friends. Seeing you arrive with the Baron fills me with immense joy, evidently you have chosen Fresh Flower Town.¡± Next, a banquet was prepared in the small castle to feast the Knight Squad that escorted Li Si Te and his group. Before the banquet began. Li Si Te couldn¡¯t care less about being travel-worn; he quickly cradled the Jade Box with the Alfalfa Bug to the newly finished castle¡¯s front paddock. The ground was already a lush green, the alfalfa sprouting rapidly, almost summer now, and the temperature would also promote their growth. ¡°Little guy,e on out.¡± The chubby Alfalfa Bug, adorned with purple patterns, was quite beautiful. Unlike the lethargic Tulip Bug, it was full of energy, opening its mouth to spit out the Cordyceps. In almost fast-forward, a single alfalfa nt sprouted and grew rapidly in the middle of the paddock. Larger and sturdier than ordinary alfalfa, it bloomed with purple flowers directly. ¡°Don¡¯t forget to install fences around it, to prevent the horses from destroying the growth of the Cordyceps,¡± Li Si Te instructed his personal servant, Thomas. Elf-rted matters were directly managed by the castle; there was no need for the town officials or serfs to intervene. ¡°Rest assured, my lord, I¡¯ll start building the fence right away.¡± By the time Li Si Te returned to the castle. Butler Carter greeted him: ¡°My lord, the banquet has been properly prepared; you may take your seat.¡± ¡°Then let us begin.¡± The banquet at Fresh Flower Town Castle was worlds apart from the feasts Li Si Te had partaken in a few days earlier, but he preferred the current atmosphere, for among all those seated, he was the most honored. ¡°Firstly, I¡¯d like to thank Lord Layden and the honored knights for their escort along the way, I raise a toast to you all.¡± ¡°Baron, you¡¯re too kind,¡± the knights lifted their sses in unison. Emptying a pint of beer, servants immediately refilled it, and Li Si Te raised his second ss: ¡°This one, to wish Isaiah and ir a joyful life in Fresh Flower Town.¡± ¡°Thank you, Baron, for your blessings; we hope to contribute to the development of Fresh Flower Town.¡± ¡°Lastly, a toast to my teacher Goltai, who managed all affairs in my absence.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what I should do, Li Si Te, as long as there are fine wines to drink daily, I¡¯m willing to stay forever drunk in Fresh Flower Town,¡± Goltaiughed heartily. ¡°Sober to govern Fresh Flower Town, well-supplied with food and wine at meals,¡± said Li Si Te. ¡°Of course, work and fine wine go hand in hand.¡± ¡°Haha.¡± In the harmonious atmosphere, lunch was earnestly finished. After seeing off the Knight Squad, Liszt returned to the castle for a midday rest. Lying on the bed and concentrating for a moment, the familiar Smoke Mission promptly arrived. The Serpent Script finally altered, ¡°Complete the mission, reward three wild corn nts.¡± Suddenly, the smoke transformed, and a new mission was released. ¡°Mission: As a Landlord, taking care of Elves is your inescapable responsibility. Have you forgotten the Little Wheat Elf Bug? Its abilities can produce more food for yournds. Please arrange Cordyceps for the Little Wheat Bug. Reward: Information about the Formless Dragon.¡± ¡°Information about the Formless Dragon? What kind of reward is that?¡± An audacious idea suddenly sprang to Liszt¡¯s mind, ¡°Could it be that the Smoke Mission is preparing to reward me with a Dragon? That shouldn¡¯t be right, it¡¯s too much of a thrill, a Dragon! A being that suppresses the fate of a nation. However, what does Formless Dragon mean? Invisible? A Dragon without shape?¡± ording to the memories of his predecessor, Dragonse in three main types. One type is the Gemstone Dragon, such as the Duchy of Sapphire¡¯s own Sapphire Dragon, which can produce Sapphires. The Crimson Blood Sword, gifted to Liszt by Marquis Merlin, with its set Ruby, is also produced by a Gemstone Dragon and possesses magical power. Another type is the Metal Dragon. In the Knight¡¯s Novel, the White Maw Iron Dragon that fought against the Sapphire Dragon is a Metal Dragon that can produce iron ore. In terms of numbers, Metal Dragons are moremon than Gemstone Dragons, particrly the Iron Dragon subgroup about which Liszt has heard quite a bit through various Knight¡¯s Novels. Lastly, there are the Elemental Dragons, such as the Fire Dragon and the Water Dragon, which are very difficult to tame and possess intense magical elements, causing astonishing destruction. They often destroy towns and injure numerous people. They tend to be the targets of Dragon yers in Knight¡¯s Novels¡ªhumans are a peculiar animal, worshipping Dragons yet also wanting to y them. ¡°Gemstone, Metal, Elemental which category would the Formless Dragon belong to?¡± Liszt couldn¡¯t fathom. He decided to ask others. He summoned Butler Carter, ¡°Mr. Carter, have you ever heard of a Formless Dragon?¡± Carter thought for a moment, ¡°I have not, my lord.¡± The afternoon. Apanied by his Retainer Knights, he went towards the town to seek Goltai and his two friends, incidentally seizing the opportunity to stumble upon a clue about the reward of three wild corn nts. ¡°A Formless Dragon?¡± Goltai stroked his chin, ¡°I seem to have heard about it from somewhere. Isaiah, ir, do you remember?¡± Isaiah and ir reflected carefully but shook their heads in unison. In the end, after half an hour of recollection, Goltai still couldn¡¯t remember whether he had ever heard of the Formless Dragon, ¡°One gets muddled with age, Liszt, I¡¯m sorry. Perhaps I¡¯m mistaken. I may have wasted your time; I may not have heard of a Formless Dragon at all.¡± ¡°That¡¯s alright. By the way, Teacher Goltai, how have you arranged Isaiah and ir¡¯s duties?¡± ¡°I oversee the government affairs, Isaiah is in charge of finance, and ir handles legal and foreign matters.¡± ¡°Since there are arrangements in ce, I leave the development of Fresh Flower Town in your three hands,¡± Liszt did not linger in town. He was confident he could foster the growth of Fresh Flower Town, but that was limited to conveying his intentions to subordinates like Goltai to realize the specifics of the work. For him to take matters into his own hands would firstly go against the Noble system¡ªnobles that work the fields are not considered Nobles, and those who dine with Serfs are even less so. Secondly, arranging matters himself might not achieve the desired effect, instead wasting energy. For example, why should he personally conduct a census when he could have Servants do it instead? Having finally crossed over into nobility, not to indulge but to toil away was equivalent to needlessly burdening himself. Back in the Castle, Liszt pondered, ¡°Since the reward is information about the Formless Dragon, it implies that I won¡¯t receive the reward beforepleting the mission, right? In other words, nobody knows what the Formless Dragon is, and probably someone wille forward to tell me after Iplete the task?¡± Immediately, he left the Castle without dy and hurried towards Little Wheat Vige¡ª the Little Wheat Bug awarded by the Earl was waiting for him to arrange the Cordyceps. Chapter 40 - 0040: Why Wild Corn Looks Like This Chapter 40: Why Wild Corn Looks Like This Trantor: Henyee Trantions Editor: Henyee Trantions Just as Liszt had properly settled the little wheat bug¡¯s cordyceps, suddenly the steward Gejir from Little Wheat Vige told him something, ¡°Lord Landlord, I don¡¯t know if I should mention it.¡± ¡°What is it, please tell me.¡± Liszt¡¯s eyes lit up, thinking that the other party might be about to reveal information about the formless dragon to him. Yet, Gejir said, ¡°Lord Landlord, I¡¯ve found three very strange nts on the wastnd of Little Wheat Vige. They¡¯re exceptionally tall, about two to three meters, and lush green. Our chickens are very fond of eating their leaves.¡± ¡°It¡¯s corn!¡± Liszt immediately realized that the lead given by the steward wasn¡¯t about the formless dragon, but about three wild corn nts. He promptly ordered the steward to take him there¡ªcorn, the anticipated corn. However, once they arrived before the wild corn nts, Liszt was plunged into confusion. ¡°Gejir, how long ago did you find these three nts?¡± ¡°It¡¯s been three months now.¡± ¡°Have they always looked like this?¡± ¡°Yes, Lord Landlord.¡± Liszt habitually touched the Crimson Blood Sword hanging at his waist. He had kept the sword with him at all times; the magic power of the ruby constantly stimted his fire attribute Dou Qi, nourishing and growing it. In other words, with the sword, he was always in training. Eat a little more magic potion in the future, and it wouldn¡¯t be impossible to be a Sky Knight. He kept examining the three wild corn nts. The corn in front of him wasn¡¯t a single straight stalk with a few leaves and a bunch of flowers on top, with one or two ears of corn in the middle. Instead, it was a messy cluster of several stalks, each tipped with a bunch of flowers, and where the ears of corn should¡¯ve been growing in the middle, there were a few tiny toothpicks. The toothpicks were segmented, each segment was a grass seed. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me wild corn looks like this. This isn¡¯t corn; it¡¯s wheat!¡± Deep down, Liszt was hurt. He knew very well that the three wild corn nts were these three nts in front of him. But he couldn¡¯t ept it. What happened to therge, plump ears of corn that were promised? ¡°This is simply grass for livestock to eat Ah, I remember now, these three wild corn nts should probably be called Mexican corn grass?¡± Liszt, who had experience growing crops in his hometown, recalled that someone in the vige had nted a certain pig grass, which was fed to pigs, known as Mexican corn grass. It was said to be a very high-yield forage, particrly favored by pigs, cows, and sheep. ¡°That must be it. If it were real corn, there would be no need to use the word ¡®wild¡¯ before it, as it seems corn does not have wild varieties, it¡¯s the result of millions of years of human cultivation.¡± With this understanding, he could only sigh inwardly and console himself, ¡°At least I¡¯ve obtained a high-yield variety of forage, not a loss.¡± Heposed his disappointed feelings. Liszt put on a noble¡¯s restrained and subtle smile anew, ¡°Gejir, based on my judgment, this grass is called corn grass, and it¡¯s a highly productive forage that livestock are fond of. Chickens, ducks, geese, pigs, cows, and sheep all like to eat it. From now on, you need to take good care of it; I need its seeds.¡± ¡°Yes, Lord Landlord! Gejir will make sure to protect the corn grass, not allowing any serf or any livestock to get close to it!¡± ¡°Very good. I will inform Teacher Goltai, and when the timees, he will make further arrangements. You just wait to cooperate.¡± ¡°Yes, Lord Landlord.¡± After onest look at the Mexican corn grass, Liszt took a deep breath and lifted his riding crop, ¡°Let¡¯s go back!¡± The cement of the little wheat bug¡¯s cordyceps went very smoothly, and thus the peanut bug, alfalfa bug, tulip bug, and little wheat bug had all been adequately settled. Only the cement of the thorn bug was still uncertain, and the millet fields for the millet bug were still being nned. Nevertheless, the elves would be given the best care. On the way back, Liszt bumped into Marcus, who was on his way to see him at the castle. ¡°Teacher Marcus, what¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°My lord, I heard from Sir Goltai that you were inquiring about the Formless Dragon?¡± ¡°Oh, you know about the Formless Dragon?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve heard of it,¡± Marcus said seriously. ¡°It was mentioned in a knight¡¯s novel that had been torn in half, a book I read when I was very young. I don¡¯t know the name of it.¡± ¡°Is that so? How was the Formless Dragon described in it?¡± Liszt knew that the reward forpleting the Little Wheat Bug task hade. Marcus exined, ¡°The novel said that apart from the Gemstone Dragon, Metal Dragon, and Elemental Dragons, there is another type of dragon called the Sacred Dragon. The Formless Dragon is a type of Sacred Dragon; it is transparent, and no one can see its form. Wherever it goes, it brings endless disasters.¡± ¡°Disasters? Then why is it called a Sacred Dragon?¡± ¡°Because it can produce a very special gemstone.¡± ¡°A special gemstone? It should be categorized with the Gemstone Dragons then, right? And what¡¯s this special gemstone, does it possess any different powers?¡± ¡°This gemstone is rted to a legendary piece of equipment. Have you heard of a Space Ring, my lord? It¡¯s a small ring that can hold a lot of things.¡± This world also has Space Rings? Liszt searched his predecessor¡¯s memories but hadn¡¯t heard of it. He then said, ¡°No, so, do Space Rings really exist? Or rather, can the gemstones produced by the Formless Dragon be used to craft Space Rings?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know whether Space Rings exist or not, and even if they do, they would be priceless treasures that only true Nobles could possess,¡± replied Marcus. ¡°The knight¡¯s novel I read indeed stated that wherever the Formless Dragon went, in addition to endless disasters, it would also leave behind gemstones it produced. Whoever found them would possess a Space Ring.¡± ¡°What happened then?¡± ¡°That¡¯s all there was.¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t the book contain any more information about the Formless Dragon?¡± ¡°No, and I believe it¡¯s just a story fabricated by people. You know how those novels that inspire our knightly glory are often just full of fabrications by the authors with their eyes wide open.¡± Marcus hade specially to tell Liszt this information, but clearly, he didn¡¯t believe in the existence of the Formless Dragon himself. Liszt couldn¡¯t confirm or deny this and continued to ask, ¡°Then, are there any other Sacred Dragons?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, the book was missing half, and the part I read only introduced the Sacred Dragon, solely focusing on the Formless Dragon.¡± After Marcus left. Liszt still didn¡¯t understand. What exactly was the meaning of the task reward, the information on the Formless Dragon? Was it simply to inform him through a task that he now had knowledge of the Formless Dragon? Or did it imply that there was a Formless Dragon nearby that he could go and capture? Or perhaps it meant that a Formless Dragon was going to attack Fresh Flower Town, and he should be on guard? Of course, there was also the possibility that a Formless Dragon mighte to deliver equipment, maybe even a Space Ring? While pondering, the smoke in front of him appeared again. ¡°Taskpleted, reward: Information on the Formless Dragon.¡± After a twist in the air, a new task was issued: ¡°Task: The sudden appearance of wild corn in Little Wheat Vige has caught your attention, hasn¡¯t it, my lord? You need to consider why wild corn is growing in Little Wheat Vige. Perhaps there is more wild corn nearby. Please find the original habitat of the wild corn. Reward: New information on the Formless Dragon.¡± Quickly, Liszt focused his attention on the reward for the new task. ¡°Again with information on the Formless Dragon, what in the world is this, how much information about the Formless Dragon are they going to tell me?¡± Chapter 41: To Get Rich, Build Roads First Chapter 41: To Get Rich, Build Roads First Trantor: Henyee Trantions Editor: Henyee Trantions Liszt regarded the issue with calm objectivity, freeing himself from the unrealistic fantasies about dragons and came to believe that the so-called information about the Formless Dragon was likely not a rewarding discovery. ording to his previous deductions: First, the Smoke Mission was doing science outreach¡ª but this made no sense at all; as a ¡®golden finger¡¯, it shouldn¡¯t be this boring. Second, there might be a Formless Dragon nearby that could be captured¡ªif this were true, it would definitely be explosive news; however, Liszt had no power to capture a dragon. Those nations possessing dragons often captured them as youngsters since adult dragons were too difficult to handle. But even a young dragon would be too much for all the knights of Coral Ind to ovee. Third, a Formless Dragon had traveled thousands of miles to deliver equipment¡ªLiszt didn¡¯t believe his dragon fate was that good yet. Fourth, it was possible that a Formless Dragon was about tounch an attack on Fresh Flower Town. The fourth deduction was undoubtedly the most likely since dragons attacking human viges and towns was no longer big news, or else the profession of ¡®Dragon yer¡¯ wouldn¡¯t havee into existence. In most knight¡¯s novels, Dragon yers were celebrated protagonists, second only to Dragon Knights. Essentially, in a satisfactory knight¡¯s novel, the protagonist was bound to be a Dragon Knight or y a dragon, and then he would undoubtedly marry a beautiful Princess. ¡°So, the rewards for these two missions are telling me that I have to resist a dragon and strive to be the protagonist of a knight¡¯s novel, Dragon yer Liszt?¡± Liszt looked into the mirror and chuckled, ¡°Then, if the big dragon is gone, where is the princess?¡± Feeling somewhat conflicted, he worried that his spection mighte true while also feeling that such an event couldn¡¯t possibly happen. After much thought, he decided there was no need to borrow trouble. First, he wouldplete his mission and see what clues the final mission rewards would provide before making a decision. If there really was an invasion by a Formless Dragon, and he couldn¡¯t hold it off, that didn¡¯t mean he couldn¡¯t request help. The moment he delivered this news to the Sapphire Family, he believed it wouldn¡¯t be difficult to exchange for a Marquis title¡ªthe highest rank that could be conferred by the duchy. He called over Goltai, and immediately delegated the task: ¡°This type of Corn Grass wouldn¡¯t appear out of nowhere, it¡¯s definitely with the birds or wind that the seeds have been blown over. Teacher Goltai, mobilize all the idle farmers to search between the hamlets, we must locate more Corn Grass.¡± Goltai didn¡¯t quite understand the importance of the task: ¡°Liszt, is this type of Corn Grass very important?¡± ¡°Of course, it is highly nutritious fodder, even more suitable for use in horse farms and dairy operations than alfalfa grass¡­ Anyway, nting a variety of fodders allows livestock to grow quicker.¡± ¡°If it¡¯s that valuable, I will arrange for people to search right away, we won¡¯t miss a single corner.¡± As they were talking, Liszt suddenly noticed a group of people marching in formation outside the castle, passing by the gate, heading towards Thorn Ridge in the south. ¡°Teacher Goltai, is that the new Patrol Team?¡± ¡°Yes, your Retainer Knights have been really helpful. At first, the bastards in the Patrol Team wouldn¡¯t take orders from me as the Administrative Officer, but after a few fights, they quickly learned to curb their tempers.¡± ¡°Well done, discipline is the first priority for the Patrol Team, Teacher Goltai, we need to continue strengthening our control over them. I have several ideas that need to be realized¡­ The Patrol Team needs to take on the security management of the town and the hamlets, with the town paying them, uniform dress codes, uniform behavioral standards.¡± Liszt outlined some broad ideas, nning to build the Patrol Team into a police station, initially responsible for public security, and eventually, to also take over the management of civil registration. This way, he could thoroughly know everything about the town, and any individuals with suspicious identities wouldn¡¯t be able to settle in Fresh Flower Town. ¡°However, there are not many Gold Coins in the town, and Isaiah hasined to me more than once that without Gold Coins, he can¡¯t do anything.¡± Gold Coins, Liszt¡¯s castle didn¡¯t have many either; previously the butler had reported that there were roughly one hundred and fifty left. However, the castle now is very ¡°affluent¡±: just Li Si Te¡¯s Crimson Blood Sword alone is worth a thousand or two Gold Coins, not to mention the profits from the ck Tulip Industry each year, as well as arge amount of materials obtained through assimtion. ¡°I will allocate fifty Gold Coins from the castle¡¯s treasury for the development of the town, and this portion of Gold Coins will be deducted from the town¡¯s retained tax revenue each year.¡± ¡°Fifty Gold Coins, Li Si Te, that¡¯s a lot¡ªI¡¯ve looked into it, and the town¡¯s annual tax revenue is a mere fifteen Gold Coins.¡± ¡°Fifty Gold Coins is not much, Teacher Goltai. Inform Isaiah and ir that Fresh Flower Town is entering a busy period, and they need to be prepared.¡± ¡°As you wish!¡± The development of Fresh Flower Town was something Li Si Te was indeed serious about. He was already working on drawing a map of the town¡ªan abstract and rudimentary terrain map that essentially depicted Fresh Flower Town as a right-angled triangle. The two perpendicr sides were Thorn Ridge, and the hypotenuse was the East Coast. The town was located at the center of the triangle, with the castle near the right angle, and the dairy farm and Barley Hamlet upying the other two corners. ¡°To be rich, build roads first,¡± he said, holding a quill pen and emphasizing the dirt road from Thorn Ridge to the town. ¡°This main road¡ªI need to turn it into a gravel road. There¡¯s no cement, but there is plenty of sand. The East Coast hasrge quantities of sea sand, which can be hauled here for road construction.¡± Then there are the muddy paths between the farms, all of which can be paved with sand. However, paving with sand alone is not the best choice, as it¡¯s hard to drain and gets into shoes, spreading sand everywhere. Unfortunately, there aren¡¯t many stones near Fresh Flower Town to mix with the sand, so they¡¯d have to make do with sand roads for now¡ªit¡¯s still better than muddy roads that be unusable when it rains. Road construction is a major affair, as is farming. Elves can influence crop growth, but you can¡¯t rely solely on elves. Before the arrival of elves, the farmers of Fresh Flower Town still had to till theirnd. ¡°Scientific farming has only taken the first step, making the vigers aware of the need to fertilize crops. But that¡¯s not enough. We also need to create a batch of farming tools to increase the productivity of the farmers, so they can cultivate more fallownd for crops. I¡¯ve exchanged a bunch of iron from Tulip Castle and Falcon Town and can contact the smithy.¡± These two matters are urgent, but their effects won¡¯t be seen immediately. Yet another matter could bring immediate rewards¡ªsea harvesting. On the back of a Fire Dragon Horse, Li Si Te gazed at the endless sea, the unique briny scent of the seawater filling his nostrils as the waves beat against the shore, sparkling in the sunlight and filling his vision with little stars. Thomas led Douson around, allowing it to frolic on the sandy beach. Douson was growing rapidly, almost daily, and was now the size of a country mutt. It was not known whether it was because of the good diet, but it already showed signs of magic power flowing within. It might not need to reach adulthood before it could cast magic. Li Si Te nned to intensify its training to prevent an overly wild nature and potential harm to people. ¡°My Lord, is there anything of note along the East Coast? There are no deep-water bays here, not suitable for a dock,¡± Marcus said as he watched the waves, still not seeing the wealth of the sea. Li Si Te pointed to the rocks asionally visible beneath the sea waves. ¡°Teacher Marcus, do you see those rocks? They are covered with food. When the tide is out, we can have the farmers go and pick up these foods¡­ Compared to the freshwater fish we usually eat, these are the real seafood.¡± Chapter 42: The First Seashore Foraging in Fresh Flower Town Chapter 42: The First Seashore Foraging in Fresh Flower Town Trantor: Henyee Trantions Editor: Henyee Trantions ¡°The tide is starting to recede, my lord,¡± Thomas tugged at Douson, speaking to Liszt. ¡°Hand Douson over to me, and you, along with Tom and Jessie, go search for the seafood as I have instructed you,¡± Liszt took the leash from Douson. Douson kept trying to dash outward, chasing the waves. Liszt suddenly shouted, ¡°Quiet, Douson!¡± Douson did not listen. Liszt dismounted and stretched out his hand, pressing Douson into the sands, making it unable to move, andmanded loudly, ¡°Douson, be quiet!¡± ¡°Woof woof¡­¡± Douson let out two confused barks, struggling in futility, and eventuallyy down obediently. Then Liszt slowly let go of his hand. Douson tried to struggle and dash outward again. Liszt repeated the process of pressing it down and issuingmands for it to be quiet. After several attempts, Douson finally stopped moving, and at that moment, Retainer Knight Karl hurriedly brought over a piece of bacon, which Liszt rewarded to Douson, ¡°Quiet and you¡¯ll get to eat meat, understand, Douson?¡± ¡°Woof woof.¡± Douson frantically tore at the bacon, gobbling it up. Before leaving home, Liszt had specifically instructed Thomas not to feed Douson, for only hunger could engrave a deep memory in animals, better forming a conditioned reflex and achieving obedience training. ¡°Lord, you have a great talent for taming magical beasts, and I can foresee that Douson will be a qualified domestic magical beast in the future.¡± ¡°Of course, it will. If it can¡¯t achieve that, I will have it ughtered halfway through. The smoked Fierce Earth Dog meat we hadst night was quite delicious. I¡¯ve hardly ever had magical beast meat like that in Long Taro Castle.¡± Therge Fierce Earth Dog had not been sold for its meat; all had been left at the castle to cure and dry. ¡°It was indeed a delicacy, and eating it, one could feel the magic power nourishing the body,¡± Marcus had also dined at the castlest night. After training Douson for a while, Liszt handed him over to Karl and then rode his horse to the beach where the tide had receded, to check on how the servitors were doing. At this time, Thomas, Tom, and Jessie, each wearing a pair of thick leather gloves and carrying buckets, wielded hammers and shovels, busily at work. Thomas was responsible for flipping rocks, searching for seafood under and on top of them. Jessie took charge of digging through the sand, looking for seafood buried beneath it. Tom, on the other hand, picked up various stranded seafood that hadn¡¯t made it back to the sea in time. ¡°Teacher Marcus, do you know the corrtion between the tides and the moon at night?¡± asked Liszt, in a good mood. Marcus shook his head, ¡°I do not know.¡± ¡°The moon keeps moving, and it attracts the seawater, causing tides to rise or fall. Of course, the sun does the same, but it¡¯s much further away and doesn¡¯t have as strong an attraction as the moon.¡± ¡°I do not understand these things you know, my lord,¡± Marcus politely admitted. Marcus was already being courteous. The moon and the sun can attract seawater? If it was someone else, he would surely have spat in their face, calling it nonsense. Then he would have countered, saying you im the moon and sun attract seawater, so why don¡¯t they pull us humans up into the sky too? In that case, everyone could fly, and we could all be Sky Knights, so stop deceiving me forck of education. Seeing Marcus¡¯ expression, Liszt found it uninteresting¡ªignorant natives. After his reflection, he thought to himself, ¡°Since the moon here can also cause tides, does it indicate that this world is indeed a? If I sail along the Sea of Azure Waves continuously, can I make a circle around the ande back to this ce? If that¡¯s true, perhaps one day I could dispatch a fleet for a trip around the world?¡± The thought was distant, and Liszt did not dwell on it further. He rode up to where Tom was. Tom promptly saluted, ¡°My lord.¡± ¡°Continue with your task, I¡¯m just taking a look,¡± Liszt saw at a nce that Tom¡¯s bucket contained ms, conchs, starfish, crabs, sea cucumbers, ms and seaweed, as well as creatures simr to sea centipedes and sea cockroaches. However, sea cockroaches and sea centipedes could run away, asionally spilling out of the bucket. So Tom had to go and pick them up again, all thumbs. ¡°These two kinds of bugs that run are not seafood, they can be thrown away,¡± Liszt reminded him. ¡°Oh, okay, okay, Master,¡± Tom busied himself throwing away the bugs, sweating profusely as if he was nervous about thendlord being present, always trying to catch them but failing. Not far off, Thomas, who was moving rocks, saw Tom¡¯s clumsy actions and turned around, smirking with pride¡ªhe was the only one of the castle¡¯s three male servants who was outstanding enough to be the proper sessor to the butler. As for Jessie, who was digging in the sand, he had spent half the day without catching a single razor m or shrimp that thendlord had mentioned; aimlessly digging, he didn¡¯t realize he was supposed to follow the small holes the seafood uses for breathing. ¡°What a couple of good-for-nothings!¡± he thought to himself. Therefore, he happily wielded his hammer, tapping it under the rocks, knocking off ms, sea cucumbers, and oysters, asionally also picking up a few small crabs. ¡°The oyster meat needs to be removed like this.¡± Thomas took his hammer and shattered an oyster shell, then scooped out the soft flesh inside. Before leaving, Lord Landlord had mentioned that the flesh of oysters was delicious. Thomas didn¡¯t find those soft and unattractive things particrly tasty, but he was meticulous in carrying out the instructions of Lord Landlord. It was hardly any effort at all. On the exposed rocks after the tide had receded, there were oysters and sea cucumbers everywhere. In just two hours, Thomas had filled the two buckets he brought with him, one of which was entirely filled with the oyster meat he had harvested. Looking over at Tom, his bucket might have been full, but thendlord had told him several times not to pick certain things, yet he still did. Even though it was the same kind of bug, he thought they were different. That was just too silly. As for Jessie, he might as well be ignored, having dug himself into a sweaty mess with barely more than the bottom of his bucket covered. A few plump shrimp¡ªthendlord had called them mantis shrimp¡ªand a few razor ms that looked like sticks, apparently called bamboo ms. He put down his bucket full of oyster meat, stuck out his chest, and awaited Lord Landlord¡¯s inspection. Mounted on his horse, spending most of his time under the coconut trees enjoying the cool breeze, Liszt noticed noon was approaching and the sunshine growing blistering hot, so he called an end to this foraging experiment. He rode over and examined each bucket. ¡°Tom, you still need to put in more effort to distinguish between pests and seafood, not everything found by the sea is edible. If it¡¯s poisonous, it could kill someone,¡± he said. Ashamed, Tom lowered his head and responded, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Master, I¡¯m too dumb and couldn¡¯t make out the difference.¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright, Tom, it¡¯s normal tock experience on your first foray into foraging; don¡¯t feel so guilty about it,¡± Liszt consoled him, then turned to Jessie¡¯s bucket, ¡°Hmm, Jessie, your hard work is visible to me, but obviously, you¡¯ve not applied the methods I taught you.¡± ¡°Master, I dug hard, but as I dug, the holes would just disappear,¡± Jessie said in a flustered manner. ¡°You need to dig following the direction of the holes,¡± he instructed. ¡°I¡­ I can stay and keep on digging here, Master, I¡¯m sure I can fill the bucket,¡± Jessie offered. ¡°If you stay here, then there¡¯s nobody in the castle to fetch water, Jessie. I¡¯m not ming you. It¡¯s not an easy task to dig for mantis shrimp and bamboo ms,¡± Liszt exined. Finally, Liszt walked over to Thomas¡¯s bucket, one full of oyster meat, and the other also brimming with crabs, sea cucumbers, and more. ¡°Well done, Thomas.¡± ¡°Thank you for thepliment, Master, it¡¯s my duty, and I give my all in service to you,¡± Thomas beamed. Liszt responded with a smile befitting a noble, acknowledging Thomas¡¯s efforts¡ªhe was well aware of Thomas¡¯s ambitions, as Butler Carter had already informed him. As andlord, he was not concerned, for Thomas¡¯s ambition extended no further than bing the castle¡¯s butler. If he truly had the ability, and Old Carter was no longer up to the task, what harm would there be in letting Thomas be the butler? No servant could turn his world upside down. Chapter 43: Seafood Feast in the Castle Chapter 43: Seafood Feast in the Castle Trantor: Henyee Trantions Editor: Henyee Trantions Carrying a pile of seafood and returning to the castle, Liszt did not immediately have the kitchen prepare it. These seafood items indeed resembled those from his memory, but whether they were edible or poisonous still needed to be verified. The verification process was simple: Marcus took a few of the town¡¯s scarce hunters to set traps on the outskirts of Thorn Ridge and captured several wolves and wildcats, among other carnivorous animals. The wolves and wildcats locked in cages were starving. When the seafood was thrown in, the beasts voraciously gobbled it up. Then, the cooked seafood was given to another group of animals. After waiting for a day, by the second day, aside from two animals that died after eating a certain type of sea urchin, the other creatures were still lively, showing no signs of poisoning. ¡°This indicates that the vors of the sea here are quite simr to Earth¡¯s seafood, except for the sea urchins. We¡¯ll remove the sea urchins, and the rest of the edible seafood will be used to create specimens for the serfs who harvest the sea to reference,¡± he said. After some thought, Liszt was not in a hurry to have people harvest the seafood. He needed to make others understand that seafood was delicious, not something distasteful. Many kinds of seafood can be eaten raw, but Liszt did not rmend eating them this way; he always felt that consuming too much seafood could lead to infection by parasites within. Without any medical facilities, infection by parasites meant waiting for death. So he called over Cook Abbie Spoon, ¡°Mrs. Abbie, let me show you how to prepare seafood. See this crab? Use a brush to clean it thoroughly, then steam it directly; same with this shrimp¡ªclean it well, then boil it in in water.¡± ¡°Look at this m; you can use it to make soup or stir-fry it directly. And these oyster meats are actually edible raw, but I don¡¯t eat raw seafood, so you¡¯ll need to boil it in water or stir-fry them. We have plenty of oyster meats here, which I call oysters. If there are any leftovers, they can be dried and used to produce oyster sauce by boiling the dried oysters,¡± he exined. Oysters, scientifically known as Ostreidae, are a type of shellfish. They are a delicacy. Back in his hometown, Liszt was very fond of eating oysters because they are rich in zinc¡ªzinc ys an important role in the development of human secondary sexual characteristics; having trace amounts of zinc in the blood makes one more vigorous¡­ Therefore. Oysters would undoubtedly be an essential delicacy on the Baron¡¯s dining table. Fortunately, Fresh Flower Town was situated by the sea and had not been overharvested by humans, so the sea was teeming with oysters, and there was no need to worry about zinc deficiency. The sixteen-year-old Liszt, still in a period of rapid growth, needed to eat more to grow stronger. After teaching Mrs. Abbie Spoon how to prepare the seafood, Liszt did not expect the first time he tasted seafood in this world to be memorable, or rather, he had already experienced it¡ª at Long Taro Castle, fishermen had found rock lobsters from the sea. As an archipgo nation, the Duchy of Sapphire had quite a few fishermen. The serfs, driven by necessity, naturally sought food from the sea and discovered the deliciousness of seafood. However, due to inconvenient transportation and ack of information, the ways to enjoy seafood from the different inds could not be shared. On Coral Ind, the Tulip Family had not yet finished reiming wastnd and had no incentive to exploit the sea. That¡¯s why the subjects of Fresh Flower Town had never thought of harvesting seafood for the past ten to twenty years. ¡°Mrs. Abbie cooking seafood for the first time would probably fail even at steaming crabs properly; she could only continue to explore how to cook the most vorful dishes and slowly improve her cooking skills.¡± Indeed. At lunchtime, at the castle¡¯s dining table, Liszt ate the familiar seafood but could not find the familiar taste. The crabs were oversteamed, the shrimps overcooked and mushy, the oysters stir-fried too tough, and the m soup was full of sand. However, he still enjoyed it quite a lot¡ªit was much more appealing than his usual bread with roast meat. Marcus, Goltai, Isaiah, and ir apanied Liszt at the seafood feast. ¡°Delicious!¡± Marcus simplymented, and then buried himself in the shrimp and crab. Isaiah smiled, ¡°Tasty!¡± ir gave a thumbs up, ¡°A rare delicacy!¡± The most exaggerated was Goltai, who initially disliked the oysters for their ugly appearance and couldn¡¯t bring himself to eat them. But once he tasted them, he couldn¡¯t stop. He cleaned his te in no time and then ordered two more servings. After a sip of hoppy beer and a bite of oysters, his face full of wrinkles lit up with happiness, ¡°I remember now, I remember now.¡± ¡°Remember what?¡± Liszt expertly cracked open a crab shell. ¡°When I was young, I visited a small ind called Flying Fish Ind. I had these¡­ oysters at a local¡¯s home. I got drunk that night and ate a pile of oysters, had a marvelous evening. After sobering up and leaving Flying Fish Ind, I never found that delicious taste again, until now.¡± ¡°Then eat more, maybe another wonderful thing will happen tonight,¡± Liszt said with a smirk. He already knew Goltai had found a young girl in town, only sixteen or seventeen¡ª if she hadn¡¯t willingly chosen to follow Goltai, Liszt would have definitely stopped this cradle-snatching behavior. Goltaiughed, ¡°Who knows, but I¡¯ve already fallen in love with oysters.¡± Isaiah and ir chuckled knowingly. They were all adults, understanding the implication of the words. Even Marcus¡¯s eyes lit up with expectation, and he turned to start eating oysters. Upstairs in the living room, nobles and knights were indulging in the delicious seafood, while downstairs in the kitchen, the servants were equally enjoying the pleasure that seafood brought. ¡°These shrimp are really good. If I hadn¡¯t tasted them myself, who would¡¯ve thought something so ugly could be so delicious?¡± Eileen Four Fingers devoured them with relish. Abbie disapprovingly said, ¡°Youngdy, don¡¯t eat so rudely, you¡¯re practically like a boy.¡± ¡°I¡¯m just a kitchen maid, why can¡¯t I eat like this? At home, I always ate this way. Mr. Carter never said anything about it.¡± Carter elegantly sliced his oysters, as the butler, he always strived to ensure all his actions, including dining, were befitting of a noble butler¡¯s demeanor. He also expected other servants to as much as possible conform to noble etiquette. Upon hearing this, he said, ¡°Eileen, you¡¯ve seen Miss Li Vera¡¯s personal maid, perhaps you should learn how she dines.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to learn from her, holding a fork and knife so daintily. One might think she¡¯s some nobledy. Miss Maisie¡¯s manners have even been praised by the master, but she doesn¡¯t eat that way.¡± Maisieughed, ¡°I grew up in the vige; no one taught me how to dine elegantly, but I¡¯m learning from Mrs. Morson now. She worked at Tulip Castle, where the maids know more noble etiquette than many nobledies.¡± Morson Paddy Field pinched the shrimp head and squeezed out the meat, ¡°That¡¯s because nobles have the right to break the rules, while we servants must strictly follow them, or face harsh criticism and punishment.¡± Eileen suddenly mored, ¡°The master would never punish the servants, Tom broke a vase in the castle yesterday, and the master didn¡¯t even scold him.¡± ¡°The master is kind; I will definitely not break anything next time,¡± Tom said with a respectful expression on his face. As Thomas ate his scooped oysters, he snorted with disdain, ¡°That¡¯s not certain. Clumsy Tom, breaking a vase is just the beginning. You¡¯ll break more things in the future, the master should just ban you from going upstairs.¡± Chapter 44: Lord Landlord Wants to Establish a New Settlement Chapter 44: Lord Landlord Wants to Establish a New Settlement Trantor: Henyee Trantions Editor: Henyee Trantions The banquet ended. ¡°I n to build a new vige on the East Coast to settle some serfs as fishermen for coastal fishing,¡± Li Si Te said. nters are busy during the nting season, but once the crops are nted, they be idle. Li Si Te felt this was an unreasonable allocation of human resources. It would be better to reassign some nters to focus on developing nearshore fisheries, no, coastal fisheries. Now without boats, even if we wanted to fish nearshore, we couldn¡¯t do it. ¡°Such delicious food, we should indeed catch more. However, Li Si Te, the town¡¯s poption is too small, we don¡¯t even have two thousand people. The agricultural production of each vige can¡¯t do without thebor of serfs.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll figure something out about the poption,¡± Li Si Te didn¡¯t borate. In fact, he had already discussed with Levis, using the shared profits from the ck Tulip as payment, to buy serfs from Levis¡ªthe Earl¡¯s fleet went out to trade and could load quite a few serfs on the return journey. These serfs mighte from war-torn inds or from the continent. Goltai seemed to have understood, ¡°Since you¡¯ve said so, I will start nning for the new vige immediately.¡± ¡°Baron, what will the new vige be called?¡± Isaiah asked. ¡°Let¡¯s call it¡­ Oyster Vige,¡± replied Li Si Te. Li Si Te had high expectations for Oyster Vige. He hoped that, once the vige was established, it could transform a group of serfs into fishermen, continuously harvesting seafood, providing food for Fresh Flower Town, and offering a material basis for future construction¡ªone where the residents of Fresh Flower Town could hibernate at home during winter to reduce food consumption. With sufficient food, the cold of winter wouldn¡¯t matter at all. Arge amount of construction could begin in winter. In the evening, Goltai came to the castle again, ¡°Li Si Te, Corn Grass has been found! The Patrol Team finally did something worthwhile. They discovered a bunch of grass simr to Corn Grass at the edge of Thorn Ridge, southwest of the town.¡± ¡°Take me to see it,¡± said Li Si Te. Before dark, Li Si Te personally saw therge expanse of Corn Grass, mixed among other wild grasses. They appeared much shorter than the three wild corn nts in Little Wheat Vige, probably due to poor nutrition. Li Si Te took a tour and felt somewhat disappointed. This was probably indeed the original habitat of Corn Grass, but there was no sign of Elf Bug nurturing¡ªwithout the Elf Bug, the development of Corn Grass would be hard to thrive. And it also couldn¡¯t improve the variety gradually with the help of the Elf Bug to be more like a corn cob. ¡°Guard it well and be sure to collect the seeds carefully. Later, when we clear the fields in town, choose a suitable ce and nt some to provide new varieties of forage for the horse farm and dairy farm,¡± Li Si Te instructed. At night, after bathing, Li Si Te read in his study. Before his eyes, the Smoke Serpent Script condensed: ¡°Taskpleted, reward with new information on the Formless Dragon.¡± Suddenly, the smoke twisted, and a new mission was released, ¡°Task: Fisheries have been scheduled by the Landlord, and a group of serfs will soon be driven to the sea. It¡¯s a Landlord¡¯s essential skill to drive the people, but sustainable development is more important. Please update the equipment for the fishermen. Reward: Arge patch of Smoked Grass.¡± ¡°Arge patch of Smoked Grass, what is that, tobo?¡± Li Si Te mused. Updating the equipment for fishermen was a simple task. Even if the Smoke Mission wasn¡¯t assigned, he would have done it anyway. One can¡¯t expect fishermen to fish with their hands if theyck tools. After the tide receded, the rocks became extremely sharp, able to cut a finger with just a careless slip. The task reward was no longer the information about the Formless Dragon, which somewhat relieved Li Si Te (Liszt) and made him start to look forward to what Smoked Grass might be. Smoking was fashionable among nobles, and the Tulip Family had nted many tobo nts and even had a Tobo Minor Elf. ¡°So, Smoked Grass probably isn¡¯t tobo, since there were tobo seeds among the seeds traded from Tulip Castle. I could nt them anytime I wanted.¡± Li Si Te (Liszt) decided not to dwell on it, certain that he would eventually find out what Smoked Grass was. He waved his hand to disperse the Smoke Serpent Script and continued reading. The Earl had kept his word; upon Liszt¡¯s return, he was gifted a cartload of books. Now, he was reading an autobiographical novel called ¡°The Adventure of Ranger Griffe¡±. The story was told from a first-person perspective, recounting the experiences of an Earth Knight named Griffe as he journeyed through the Maple Leaf Duchy. The story was amusing, although Liszt thought many parts of it were simply the author¡¯s wild fantasies¡ªlike having an affair with the wife of an Earl, eloping with a Marquis¡¯s daughter, or conversing with the Duke of Maple Leaf in high spirits. Such experiences were certainly not for someone who wasn¡¯t even an Honored Knight, let alone a fallen noble descendant. However, the author must have been someone with a wealth of experience, as he described many customs different from those in Coral Ind, along with the decadent lives of nobles and numerous hearsay stories. Quite interesting. Li Si Te (Liszt) enjoyed novels that provided both stories and knowledge. ¡°Hm?¡± As he read, the story abruptly shifted to a chapter on a dragon-ying battle, in which Griffe arrived at a town being invaded by an invisible entity. The town¡¯sndlord had fled, and the townspeople were unable to resist; at that moment, Griffe decided to save the suffering people. After observing, he concluded that it was a Formless Dragon¡ªthough the book didn¡¯t exin how he observed and came to that conclusion. ¡°The Formless Dragon is a mystical Giant Dragon that hides in another world; only the most courageous and upright knights can see it. I¡¯m not courageous enough. If I want to see it, I must muster my courage! I need to find it and confront it, to discover its weakness!¡± Thus, Griffe went off to meet his end before the Formless Dragon, got beaten to the point of vomiting blood, but it was also because of this that he saw the Formless Dragon. ¡°Ah, what a beautiful dragon it was, like a flowing crystal, colorless, its entire body transparent. I spat out a mouthful of blood, and it passed right through its body; yes, I could not touch it. I am very despondent because I may never be able to ride it.¡± Li Si Te (Liszt) admired Griffe¡¯s brazenness; nearly killed by the Formless Dragon, yet stillmenting the fact that he couldn¡¯t ride a dragon. Fortunately, Griffe was still somewhat self-aware. ¡°I knew it wanted to kill me. I couldn¡¯t see its eyes, I could only see a blurry mass of water, but I knew it aimed to end me, I could sense its emotions. I had forgotten life and death, and in thatst moment, all I wanted was to take a couple more puffs of a cigarette. Oh sorry, I was out of tobo leaves, so I just grabbed a handful of grass nearby and chewed it to fight the craving.¡± At this point, Li Si Te¡¯s (Liszt¡¯s) brows twitched. He continued to read on. ¡°Later, I found out that the grass I grabbed was called Smoked Grass, simr to tobo but with a unique vor, akin to my socks that I¡¯d worn for either sixteen or twenty-six days without washing. I almost threw up; yes, that moment sessfully cured me of my addiction to smoking, I swore never to smoke again!¡± ¡°I¡¯ve had a smoking addiction for seventeen years, since my father liked to roll his own tobo leaves. He used to ask me, ¡®Hey, Griffe, do you smoke¡­¡¯¡± The nextrge section was all about his remembrances of his father teaching him to smoke. Li Si Te (Liszt) read on, frustrated: ¡°Stop beating about the bush, I want to see how you y the dragon!¡± Chapter 45: The Friendship Harvested from Smoked Grass and Cows Chapter 45: The Friendship Harvested from Smoked Grass and Cows Trantor: Henyee Trantions Editor: Henyee Trantions Fortunately, after a recollection of more than five hundred words, Griffe finally got back to the main storyline of dragon ying. ¡°I had to ensure that I truly meant it when I initially swore to quit smoking. It¡¯s just thatter on, I forgot because I was astonished by the actions of the Formless Dragon. My God, it actually snatched the Smoked Grass out of my hands, devoured it, and I think it must have mistaken the taste due to not having bathed in years.¡± ¡°Sorry, I spoke ill of the Formless Dragon. In fact, we became friendster on. Because it ate my Smoked Grass and didn¡¯t kill me, and I, in exchange for a bundle of Smoked Grass and two cows, gained the friendship of the Formless Dragon. Honestly, the Formless Dragon isn¡¯t that big, only slightlyrger than a house.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve seen the Bronze Dragon of the Duke of Maple Leaf, which is a beautiful Metal Dragon nearly thirty meters in length. The Formless Dragon looked like its child, oh, but dragons don¡¯t have children.¡± ¡°We had a pleasant afternoon together. In the evening, it came up to me, shook its body, and then a gemstone just fell into my hands. It flew away, but it left behind its gemstone¡ªa gem norger than a fingernail, which I¡¯ve since worn on my finger.¡± ¡°Haha, now you know where my Space Ring came from. Countless noble Sirs were willing to give up everything for this ring, but I wouldn¡¯t trade it because it¡¯s a testament to the heartfelt friendship between me and the Formless Dragon!¡± With that, the Formless Dragon chapter came to an end. Griffe quickly moved on to the next story¡ªthe battle of wits with the Headless Knight. When Li Si Te (Liszt) quickly flipped through the novel, which was only about fifty thousand words long, no further information about the Formless Dragon appeared, not even the Space Ring, which was only mentioned that one time. It was as if Griffe only wrote about the Formless Dragon when he remembered it, and after finishing, he forgot all about it. ¡°It seems that this reward is just the knowledge of the Formless Dragon recorded in ¡®The Adventure of Ranger Griffe¡¯¡­ Only the brave and upright can see the Formless Dragon, so there¡¯s probably no chance for me, being neither brave nor upright.¡± He was very self-aware. However, he seriously doubted the truth of this information. How could one rely on intangible and vague virtues like courage and integrity to determine whether one can see a Formless Dragon? ¡°This story always feels like a spin-off of ¡®only pure-hearted maidens can see unicorns¡¯.¡± Many female protagonists in knight¡¯s novels are noble daughters who ride unicorns. Li Si Te (Liszt) had read a few, all of which staunchly imed¡ªonly the pure, beautiful, naive, and kind virgin girls could be epted by unicorns. As for whether unicorns, these legendary creatures, exist, Li Si Te (Liszt) was skeptical. He was skeptical about unicorns and the same went for the Formless Dragon. Especially the bizarre setting that only knights with courage and integrity can see the Formless Dragon. Still, he quickly caught a piece of useful information: ¡°Griffe used Smoked Grass to fend off the Formless Dragon¡¯s ughter. Later, he mentioned exchanging a bundle of grass and two cows for the Formless Dragon¡¯s gemstone. My current Smoke Mission rewards me with Smoked Grass. It seems it¡¯s still part of the chained missions.¡± First, the reward was information about the Formless Dragon. Then new information about the Formless Dragon was rewarded. Now, they want to reward me with Smoked Grass that the Formless Dragon loves to eat. All are interconnected rewards, like unlocking arge chain mission, so the target of the mission can easily be inferred¡ªthere may truly be a Formless Dragon that will invade Fresh Flower Town. ¡°Cows?¡± Li Si Te (Liszt) thought of another link, ¡°The dairy farm seems to have two old cows that can no longer produce milk, but the castle has plenty of food, and they haven¡¯t been used to entertain guests yet. Perhaps, these two old dairy cows are what I need to prepare for the Formless Dragon¡¯s dinner?¡± The information is still not clear enough, preparations remain insufficient. Li Si Te (Liszt) felt that the most urgent task was to continuepleting missions to gain more details about the Formless Dragon chain mission, making it easier to devise a response strategy. Ding dong. A knock on the door. ¡°Pleasee in.¡± Butler Old Carter came in carrying an oilmp, ¡°My lord, it¡¯s gettingte. You should rest early.¡± ¡°I was just about to go to bed.¡± Liszt closed the book and put it back on the shelf, frowning slightly due to the unpleasant smell on his hands, ¡°Mr. Carter, by the way, light another box of air freshener in the study. I really can¡¯t stand the strange smell of these thick parchment papers.¡± The carriage of books given by the Earl this time brought arge amount of fishy smell, although Liszt had already lighted air fresheners, it still couldn¡¯t be masked. There was no such thing as the snow-white and clean paper. There was only yellowed, hardened parchment with a longsting stench. This type of paper was made from the inneryer of animal hides, peeled off whole and specially tanned. It was expensive to produce, difficult to preserve, and inconvenient for writing. Liszt truly wanted to hurry up and produce white paper to rece this thick parchment, but he also understood now was not the right time. For one thing, white paper wasn¡¯t an urgent necessity. Secondly, there were no copyrightws, and nobles could seize paper-making technology at any time. Just as he hadn¡¯t started researching horseshoes, saddles, or cement, simrly, he had the rough structure of a longitudinal sailboat in his mind. Once invented, it would definitely promote the development of the Age of Exploration. The most important reason was¡ªthey had no people. The entire town had 1,990 people, no, 1,991 people¡ªto be precise. Recently two elderly had died in the town, and four babies were born, with one sumbing early on. Of these 1,991 people, excluding the elderly and children withoutbor capabilities, only about 1,500 were capable of working, which was already quite fortunate. They needed to farm, repair roads, and now they had to build Oyster Vige. Soon, a group of people would also need to be allocated to sew gloves, cast hammers and spades, and produce fishing gear for fishermen. As for Liszt himself, he was also very busy. He must continually practice his magic. ¡°Fire Dragon Drill¡± and ¡°ming Wave¡± had already been mastered, but required time to be proficient. After obtaining the Crimson Blood Sword, he became even more diligent in his cultivation, hoping to break free from the earth¡¯s bonds and soar into the skies. Carter lit the air freshener. He blew out a candle and said, ¡°My lord, should the castle hire a few more servants?¡± ¡°Is there a shortage of manpower?¡± Liszt asked in surprise. Ten servants to attend to his needs should be enough. However, Carter spoke solemnly, ¡°Little Wheat Bug, Peanut Bug, Tulip Bug, Alfalfa Bug¡ªthey are all good critters, but their cordyceps need a man-servant to inspect and care for them daily. These tasks were assigned to Jessie. Now that corn nting has begun, and soon Thorn Bugs will also need to be settled, Jessie is overwhelmed with work.¡± After a pause, he continued, ¡°Douson, Li Dragon Horses, Fire Dragon Horses, and the other horses all require people to care for them. The seafood in the castle, before Oyster Vige is constructed, also needs to be gathered by the servants. Moreover, the kitchen with the increased variety of dishes, Mrs. Abbie has alreadyined about being unable to cope.¡± The castle, the city, and the towns had many ovepping functions. However, the castle leaned more towards self-sufficiency in agriculture, while the town managed the entire territory and collected taxes. Liszt was not satisfied with this system, feeling it hindered the development of productivity, with the biggest obstacle being the castle¡ªa distorted monster controlling all elves and firmly bounding the greatest productive forces. After all, the castle¡¯s primary function was to provide a luxurious life for nobles, not to liberate productivity. Understanding this, yet without much desire to change it¡ªafter all, he was a noble himself! ¡°Since there is ack of manpower, Mr. Carter, you¡¯ll be responsible for recruiting new servants.¡± ¡°Very well, my lord.¡± Chapter 46: Hiring Male and Female Servants Chapter 46: Hiring Male and Female Servants Trantor: Henyee Trantions Editor: Henyee Trantions ¡°Big Lily, where¡¯s Little Lily?¡± ¡°What¡¯s the matter, Old Yab? Little Lily is feeding the chickens in the yard.¡± Big Jasmine was a middle-aged woman, with a hunchbacked spine marked by years of hardbor. Old Yab¡¯s wrinkled face beamed with a smile, ¡°It¡¯s good news, Lord Landlord¡¯s castle is hiring new servants. Butler Mister Carter said they¡¯re looking to hire three male servants, one female servant, and one kitchen maid. Big Lily, Little Lily could apply for the maid position.¡± ¡°Really? Is Lord Landlord truly hiring new maids? Is this true? That¡¯s fantastic.¡± Big Lily sprinted into the house. ¡°I have to go tell Little Lily.¡± ¡°Go quickly,¡± said Old Yab, and by the time he finished speaking, Big Jasmine had already vanished from sight. He chuckled, shaking his head, and muttered, ¡°I¡¯ve got to go spread the good news to everyone. In the castle, ah, they can drink milk every day, such a wonderful life awaits the children, they¡¯re so lucky.¡± Before long, all 48 serf households of Barley Hamlet knew of the news. ¡°What great news, I was justining that Malfoy doesn¡¯t have more fields to sow, and we can only go and clear newnds. He¡¯s strong and hardworking, eats a bit too much maybe, but he¡¯s sure to do well as a male servant.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not a sure thing, Parker is more industrious and also polite. I think he could definitely get hired.¡± ¡°Is the news for real, that Lord Landlord would hire servants from the countryside?¡± ¡°It¡¯s what Old Yab said, and he¡¯s been helping make tools for Lord Landlord at the smithy these past few days. Could his words be false?¡± ¡°Old Yab certainly has craftsmanship skills, but can he still lift a hammer?¡± ¡°He doesn¡¯t need to do it himself, there will be apprentices arranged by Lord Landlord to do the hammering. Rememberme-footed Peter? He became an apprentice in the smithy, and Lord Landlord pays him a copper coin every day as wages!¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t the smithy owned by the Old Drunkard?¡± ¡°The Old Drunkard sold the smithy to Lord Landlord long ago, ho ho, for three Naldas!¡± ¡°Three Naldas, my goodness, Lord Landlord is so generous!¡± Good news always flies swiftly from ear to ear, like birds with wings. In the yard where she was feeding chickens, Little Lily¡¯s face flushed with excitement, ¡°Mama, can I¡­ can I really apply to be a maid?¡± ¡°It¡¯s news from Old Yab, he wouldn¡¯t lie to us. Little Lily, you must prepare well. Just getting into the castle means you¡¯ll have a good life ahead,¡± said Big Lily joyously. ¡°But¡­ would Lord Landlord choose me?¡± ¡°Have confidence in yourself, Little Lily. You are Barley Hamlet¡¯s most outstanding girl, hardworking and capable; you¡¯re Mama¡¯s pride. Of course, you could also consider the role of the kitchen maid, Lord Landlord is hiring for that position too, and no one can wash vegetables as clean as you.¡± ¡°Hmm, I know what to do now, Mama,¡± Little Lily said, determination shining in her eyes. For the promise of a better future, she had to disy exceptional qualities to be hired as a castle maid. Without a father, her Mama struggled to raise her and her two brothers in extreme poverty. Now grown up, she had to start taking on responsibility for her family. The seventeen-year-old girl clenched her fists in silent resolve. In the smithy, Liszt watched as several older cksmiths and their apprentices busily crafted iron blocks. Using iron blocks obtained through trade with ck Tulips, Liszt had used them for making agricultural tools, starting with equipment for fishermen. Shovels, hammers, awls¡ªwith these three pieces of equipment, fishermen could harvest seafood. The seafood resources on the East Coast of Fresh Flower Town, untouched and unpolluted, included abundant shellfish and crabs, which could be easily caught without the need for advanced techniques. ¡°Teacher Goltai, has the selection for the fishermen already started?¡± Liszt received the handkerchief passed by Marcus and wiped the sweat from his forehead. He had be ustomed to the services of a personal manservant, and, as long as there was no physical contact, he enjoyed having someone to pour tea and water for him. Goltai had no choice but to take out his own handkerchief to wipe his sweat, ¡°Your requirements have been conveyed, Clerks are doing the publicity in each hamlet. We¡¯re only taking the elderly, women, and some not yet grown-up children as fishermen.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, it¡¯s like that, seaweed harvesting doesn¡¯t require much strength, just patience. It¡¯s a reasonable allocation of human resources to have the less efficient farming households go seaweed harvesting. However, you must do the publicity well; poisonous seafood must not be touched, and raw seafood must not be eaten.¡± The medical and health methods in this world are extremely undeveloped. Nobles cultivate Dou Qi and rarely fall ill, so there¡¯s no motivation to study medicine. Liszt also doesn¡¯t know medicine; all he could do was to focus on prevention for his subjects¡ªpromoting hygiene, drinking boiled water, and eating cooked food. ¡°They are lucky to have met you, Liszt; you have a unique charm,¡± Goltai ttered him. A regr young Noble, puffed up with a fewpliments, would probably be conceited. Liszt, with the soul of an adult and well-established principles, couldn¡¯t possibly get dizzy from a few ttering words; he simply ordered, ¡°Don¡¯t stop the forging of iron, but don¡¯t let the few cksmiths get too tired either. Adjust their wages from five copper coins to six copper coins, and apprentices to two copper coins.¡± Apprentices doing odd jobs, one copper coin a day. Master smiths wielding the hammers, five copper coins a day. These were the wages Liszt had offered previously, which were quite generous. Now a financially strong Baron, he no longer cared about exploiting themon folk for those few copper coins. Bear in mind that his Crimson Blood Sword at his waist was worth a thousand or two Gold Coins. That¡¯s tens of thousands of silver coins, or over ten million copper coins. Besides, the entirety of Fresh Flower Town was his. There was no difference between the subjects having money and him having money¡ªhe could adjust the tax rates anytime he wanted, however he wanted to collect them. ¡°Six copper coins a day, hmm, lucky cksmiths,¡± Goltai muttered to himself. Then he walked into the smithy¡¯s forging room and shouted, ¡°cksmiths, Lord Landlord has just decided to raise your wages from five copper coins a day to six copper coins a day, and apprentices can now get two copper coins a day. Work hard, the generosity of Lord Landlord is beyond your imagination!¡± ¡°Wow!¡± ¡°Six copper coins a day?¡± ¡°Long live Lord Landlord!¡± ¡°Praise Lord Landlord, Old Jack will forge iron for Lord Landlord all his life!¡± ¡°Apprentices can also get two copper coins a day; oh my, my parents will be overjoyed.¡± Laughter and chatter filled the smithy,ints about the heat evaporated, and everyone worked hard to repay the generous Lord Landlord Liszt. Hearing the cheers inside, Liszt shook his head. He may have a kind heart, not wishing to exploit the serf ss, but isn¡¯t he also using slight benefits to drive the productivity of the serfs? Rather than exploitation, he preferred creation, rational allocation of production resources, and boosting working efficiency. That¡¯s how to make perfect use of the less than two thousand people in the town. ¡°Master, are you going back now?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go to the Tailor Shop to check on the gloves, towels, and masks being sewn for the fishermen; I hope they are all qualified products.¡± Liszt mounted the Fire Dragon Horse and lightly flicked his whip. Chapter 47: The Revolution in Clothing Chapter 47: The Revolution in Clothing Trantor: Henyee Trantions Editor: Henyee Trantions ¡°Lily¡¤Bathing Basin, Wendy¡¤Big Toe, Jim¡¤Bull Dung, Parker¡¤Red Nose, John¡¤Doorknob, after the selection, you five will have the opportunity to work in the castle.¡± After three consecutive days of trial training, Butler Carter finally announced the three men and two women who met his standards for selecting servants, to be the new male and female servants of the castle. The remaining seven or eight trial participants asked unwillingly, ¡°Mr. Carter, please give me another chance, I will do better!¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but once a decision is made, it cannot be changed. However, you don¡¯t need to worry. For these three days of trial training, each of you will receive apensation of three copper coins, based on the standard of a kitchen maid. Moreover, your excellence is already remembered by me, and should the castle need to recruit servants again, I will definitely consider you first.¡± The ownership of the Castle Servants, strictly speaking, lies in the hands of Liszt. But they are notpelled to work without payment; they receive a wage, which servants can save to spend on food, drink, and clothing, or send back to their families. The wages of the castle are one copper coin a day for a kitchen maid or male servant assistant; two copper coins a day for a maid or male servant; three copper coins a day for the first male servant or Cook; and four copper coins a day for a male or female Butler. Aside from the solitary Carter and Morson, the other servants in the castle choose to send their wages back home to support their families. Furthermore, servants can apply to buy their freedom if they be too tired of working¡ªthat is, to return to a free status. Of course, the decision to ept or reject the buyout rests with the Noble. The young men and women who were not selected left the castle disappointed; losing the chance to work in the beautiful castle was a major blow to them. The five who were selected were beside themselves with excitement. ¡°Oh my God, I¡¯ve been chosen!¡± ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m staying in the castle?¡± ¡°Mother, I made it!¡± Carter watched the five neers with a smile, remembering his own youth when he came from a struggling Serf family and was selected by a castle, then under the Viscount Family, to be a Servant. He started as a lowly male servant assistant and gradually became an excellent servant. As the Tulip Family experienced leapfrog growth, he was sent by the Earl to manage the family¡¯s other estates and castles in different towns. Until Liszt came of age, he followed and became a Butler. The years had left deep marks on his face, and he could hardly recall the jubnce he felt when he first became a servant. For decades, he had worked in the castle, his rtives having passed away many years ago. There were regrets, but also happiness. Now his greatest wish was to apany Liszt until the day the sun no longer rose, then to choose eternal rest. ¡°Young gentlemen,dies, please be quiet,¡± he said, gesturing with his hand for the new recruits to tone down their excitement, ¡°I am about to announce your positions.¡± Lily and the others quickly calmed down. ¡°Lily¡¤Bathing Basin, Mrs. Abbie is very pleased with you. Your job will be as a kitchen maid, hmm, Eileen Lady will show you the ropes for a while so you can quickly assist Mrs. Abbie.¡± Little Lily immediately nodded rapidly like a pecking chicken, ¡°I will be familiar with the kitchen duties as quickly as possible.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good to hear, but also don¡¯t put too much pressure on yourself. Mrs. Abbie¡­ is outspoken, but once you get used to her, you¡¯ll find she is a good person.¡± Carter was somewhat concerned for the young girl, wondering if she could withstand the blower-like booming voice of Abbie¡¤Spoon. He continued with the announcements, ¡°Wendy¡¤Big Toe, Mrs. Morson will show you what you need to know as a maid.¡± ¡°Yes, Mr. Carter.¡± ¡°Then, Jim¡¤Bull Dung, Parker¡¤Red Nose, John¡¤Doorknob,¡± Carter looked at the three youngds with vegetable stains on their faces. ¡°Mr. Carter,¡± all three puffed out their chests, trying their best to appear more elegant. Carter was pleased with the attitude of the three, preferring obedientds like these over troublemakers like Thomas: ¡°In the time toe, I will get you quickly acquainted with the work of a manservant. Soon, you¡¯ll be busy not just within the castle, but outside it as well.¡± He looked up at each of the new servants: ¡°You are not only representing yourselves but also the image of the castle. Well-dressed, civilized in conduct, you must familiarize yourselves with noble etiquette quickly, and say aplete goodbye to theziness that came with being a serf. Understand, gentlemen,dies?¡± ¡°Understood, Mr. Carter!¡± ¡°Now, each of you has half a day off to go home and share this good news. From tomorrow, you will live in the castle.¡± ¡°Mr. Carter, congrattions, you will soon be a head butler,¡± Mrs. Morson said to Carter after the new servants had eagerly gone home to report the good news. ¡°Mm, it feels good,¡± Carter replied with a rare yful smile, ¡°I must live a bit longer to prevent Thomas from taking over. I don¡¯t want to see him enjoying this feeling.¡± ¡°I think Thomas would rather stay by the master¡¯s side, he is indeed smarter than Tom and Jessie.¡± With a hint of incoherence, Carter said, ¡°The master has inherited the courage of the Tulip Family and the shrewdness of the Long Taro Family; sometimes, it might be better to be a bit dumber than smarter in front of the master.¡± Saying this, he suddenly cocked his head to listen, then said, ¡°Hoofbeats, the master is back. I must go to wee him.¡± ¡°Go ahead, Butler Carter, both dumb and smart.¡± Carter tilted his head. He had already formed a tacit understanding with Morson, and two such understanding butlers were what kept the castle in perfect order. Stepping to the door, riding atop a Fire Dragon Horse, the tall, handsome Liszt came galloping back, the golden sunlight casting a glow on his slightly curly xen hair as if it was a flowing mass of gold. ¡°The master is like a born noble, he has all the attributes of a noble,¡± Carter thought to himself. The body bent slightly, ¡°Wee home, master.¡± ¡°Mr. Carter, have the new servants been chosen?¡± Liszt handed the reins to Thomas and undid the cravat around his neck, tired of the stuffy noble attire, especially in the summertime. The noble clothing of the Grand Duchy was inspired by continental styles. Female nobles typically wore long gowns with a crinoline underneath; they would also pad their buttocks, making the whole gown stand up like a pyramid. Li Vera never wore such attire; she preferred male noble clothing. A full set of male noble clothing, called ¡°ck¡¤Abaie,¡± included a tailcoat-like outer coat ¡°ck,¡± a vest ¡°Gile¡± to be worn underneath, and tight knee breeches ¡°Best¡±. Of course, it also included long boots and stockings. Furthermore, male nobles had to wear essories around their necks that symbolized noble authority. For everyday household wear, a cravat sufficed; for going out on business, they needed to wear a tie-like ¡°Cravat,¡± which Liszt referred to as a scarf; during grand ceremonies, they wore ¡°Ruff,¡± arge disc encircling their neck, which Liszt called a pleated cor. Undoing the cravat, he immediately felt the hot air from inside his clothing escaping through his neck, prompting Liszt toin: ¡°I need to start a revolution against clothing!¡± Chapter 48 - 0048: Monkeys That Steal Coconuts Chapter 48 Chapter 0048: Monkeys That Steal Coconuts Trantor: Henyee Trantions Editor: Henyee Trantions Ties, shirts, vests, undershirts, boxer shorts, suits, dress pants, gentleman¡¯s hats, leather shoes¡ªLiszt had a whole series of clothes he wanted to produce. But he couldn¡¯t be so innovative, after all, he was just a Baron from the countryside. If one day he became the ruler of a country, then he could freely reform and set trends. For now, he had to endure the cumbersome outfits to maintain the so-called noble dignity. ¡°My lord, I have given the servants half a day off, starting tomorrow, they will devote themselves to working for the castle.¡± ¡°Hmm, arrange it as you see fit.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Sweating profusely, Liszt wasn¡¯t too interested in small talk, ¡°Mr. Carter, have someone prepare my bathwater, this kind of weather isn¡¯t too kind to people.¡± ¡°As you wish,¡± Carter hurried to instruct the maids to prepare the bathwater. Nowadays, the small castle always had bathwater ready because the servants all knew their lord was an exceptionally clean noble. It was normal for him to bathe once a day, usual to bathe twice, and he even bathed three times in a single day on asion. It would only be abnormal for him not to bathe for a day. After taking a bath, he changed into home clothes, loose robes. This type of robe was a kind of pajama¡ªthe nobles here knew that it was ufortable to always wear tight formal wear, so they modified pajamas to serve as home wear. Liszt still found it cumbersome and ufortable to wear. During summer, he most liked to wear short-sleeve shirts and T-shirts, so he rolled up the sleeves of his robe to expose his forearms. Although this wasn¡¯t in line with noble etiquette, within the confines of the small castle, who would dare to question his minor transgression? The countryside did have its advantages. ¡°My lord, it¡¯s a pity we don¡¯t have ice; otherwise, I could make you a ss of ice sugar water to relieve the heat.¡± ¡°Even at Tulip Castle, there isn¡¯t much ice to squander in the summer. I can bear this difficulty, but, unfortunately, I¡¯ll miss being able to drink chilled beer again.¡± He wasn¡¯t fond of drinking, and his present consumption at banquets was due to his predecessor¡¯s love for alcoholbined with the need for social interaction. But he exclusively enjoyed drinking chilled beer during the hot summer, which was refreshingly cold to the core. As the height of summer was fast approaching, each day was hotter than thest. He remembered that at Coral Ind, during the hottest days, eggs could cook on the ground, likely reaching forty degrees. Every year, a good number of serfs would die from the heat. ¡°I¡¯ve heard that saltpeter can be used to make ice, but it¡¯s hard toe by. It seems Coral Ind doesn¡¯t have a saltpeter mine, and even if it did, I wouldn¡¯t recognize one¡­ I remember reading that the earthen wall corners of rural houses, stables, and toilet corners are rich in saltpeter, but Fresh Flower Town is all wooden houses, and there are no toilets¡­¡± The technology to make ice with saltpeter was basically impossible for Liszt to replicate. He could only do like other nobles: store ice in an icehouse during winter and use it during summer, ¡°Mr. Carter, don¡¯t forget to remind me to build an icehouse this winter.¡± ¡°Of course, my lord.¡± Dinner. As usual, he invited Goltai, Marcus, Isaiah, and ir¡ªonly these four people from Fresh Flower Town had the privilege to dine at the same table as Liszt. ¡°Liszt, the nning for Oyster Vige isplete. Tomorrow, the first group of fishermen from Oyster Vige, d in the new gear you¡¯ve prepared for them, will head to the East Coast to officially fish. They are all old men, women, and children, foolish and impulsive. These past two days, they¡¯ve already started collecting shells at the seaside.¡± Once the news spread that the lord personally served seafood at the banquet, themoners began to imitate him, ready to catch seafood for themselves. They always followed the actions of their lord. Liszt spoke gravely, ¡°Teacher Goltai, you must ensure proper safety guidance. I do not want any civilian to be in danger from eating seafood. As officials of the town, you must take this matter seriously. The poption is the most important productive force in Fresh Flower Town.¡± Perhaps in his heart, he still found it somewhat incredulous. However, having understood Liszt¡¯s attitude, Goltai and the others nodded without hesitation, indicating they understood. ¡°So, tomorrow, if you have time, apany me to Oyster Vige to see the effect of the fishermen¡¯s first experience of gathering at sea. At the same time, you should actively promote every kind of seafood that can be caught, as well as those that cannot be harvested. Moreover, you must teach them how to preserve seafood.¡± ¡°Baron, we have already organized clerks to repeatedly emphasize this point. Moreover, the seafood in the castle has been sampled by every clerk, and they are very enthusiastic about it.¡± ¡°Good.¡± On the next day, considering the timing of the low tide, Liszt, apanied by the Retainer Knights, arrived at Oyster Vige. There were no houses in Oyster Vige just yet; only a barren area not far from the beach had been leveled, which wouldter be used for building wooden houses. At that time, around two hundred elderly, weak, women, and children were turning over every rock and shoveling through the sand on the t beaches of the East Coast, carrying baskets or buckets. Many of them did not have gloves, shovels, hammers, or other tools; they were working entirely with their hands¡ªthe productivity of the tailor shop and smithy in town couldn¡¯t keep up. ¡°Lord Landlord!¡± Seeing Liszt, the fishermen greeted him with bows. Liszt nodded slightly in response, riding the Fire Dragon Horse, patrolling around. Gathering from the sea was hard work, exposed to blistering wind and burning sun, but the workload was not veryrge. Thus, the fishermen, who often had a reputation for being somewhat idle, were buzzing with enthusiasm, busy and happy regardless of their experience. After watching for a while, Liszt felt unbearably hot and promptly took shelter under the coconut trees. Looking up at the tall coconut trees, he felt something was amiss. Then, it dawned on him: ¡°There are no coconuts!¡± He turned and asked a clerk standing by: ¡°Do these trees not bear fruit?¡± ¡°They do bear fruit, Lord Landlord. These are Fragrant Coconut Trees. Their fruit is called Fragrant Coconut Fruit. But when the fruit is very small, it gets picked by the monkeys from Thorn Ridge.¡± ¡°Monkeys?¡± ¡°Yes, a type of greyish-yellow monkey. We call them Fruit Thief Monkeys. They are quite ferocious and sometimes even descend in groups to ravage the crops in the fields.¡± ¡°Fruit Thief Monkeys¡­¡± Liszt nodded but did not speak. He suddenly remembered a news story he had read. It seemed that in some Southeast Asian countries, there was a tradition of training monkeys to pick coconuts. Coconut trees are very tall, and it¡¯s difficult for humans to climb, but monkeys can easily scale them to pluck the coconuts¡ªif the town could train a group of Fruit Thief Monkeys, maybe they could develop the coconut industry. Of course, he was still not sure whether these Fragrant Coconut Trees were real coconut trees¡ªFresh Flower Town in winter was buried under snow for more than two months; real coconut trees would have frozen to death by now. ¡°How does the Fragrant Coconut Fruit taste?¡± ¡°Once I picked up a Fragrant Coconut Fruit dropped by the Fruit Thief Monkeys, it had a lot of milk-like juice inside, tasting sweet and sour¡ªquite delicious.¡± Liszt¡¯s cravings were ignited. The East Coast had many Fragrant Coconut Trees; if they could be protected, many Fragrant Coconut Fruits could be harvested. They couldpletely be treated as a kind of beverage, perhaps even developing into a local specialty. He cast his gaze toward the distant Thorn Ridge. ¡°Sooner orter, Thorn Ridge must be taken. All threats to Fresh Flower Town must be eradicated!¡± The Fruit Thief Monkeys could be used to train in fruit picking. Chapter 49: The Forgotten Dou Qi Secret Technique Chapter 49: The Forgotten Dou Qi Secret Technique Trantor: Henyee Trantions Editor: Henyee Trantions Magical beasts can be trained, so naturally a few monkeys can be trained as well. For knights possessing Dou Qi, there is no difference between a wild beast and a small cat or dog. However, currently in Fresh Flower Town, there are only five people with Dou Qi¡ªLiszt, Marcus, Goltai, Isaiah, and ir. Each has their responsibilities, and it¡¯s impossible for them to be beast trainers. ¡°It seems, it¡¯s time to select a few physically strong young men from the townspeople and teach them Dou Qi to be my Retainer Knights.¡± As for the Retainer Knights, as long as he could afford them, Liszt could even form a Knight Order. However, due to the financial and material constraints of the castle, at most he could maintain a dozen or so Retainer Knights, forming a Knight Squad. This had been his n all along. The greatest use for this Knight Squad would be to eradicate the magical beasts in Thorn Ridge and incorporate it into Fresh Flower Town, making it part of his domain. ¡°Once the food supply from Oyster Vige stabilizes and the castle¡¯s tax revenue bes steady, I will immediately begin training the Retainer Knights.¡± The four Retainer Knights, including Karl Ironhammer, do not know Dou Qi, and their potential has been wasted, not worth cultivating. The new Retainer Knights should be cultivated from young men, teaching them to practice Dou Qi and be true knights. He was enjoying the cool breeze while pondering over the grand ns for development. Beside him, Goltai couldn¡¯t stop using his handkerchief to wipe his sweat; every day, he had to wear the neat three-piece attire of a noble, and he was hot to death: ¡°Liszt, the fisherman¡¯s inspection of the sea isplete, and everything is progressing smoothly. Shouldn¡¯t we head back now?¡± Liszt was also very hot. This weather really wasn¡¯t suitable for going out. Upon hearing this, he nodded, ¡°Indeed, let¡¯s return.¡± He wasn¡¯t a delicate person, but why subject himself to difort when he could enjoyfort. As andlord, in control of all the life-and-death authority in the territory, there was no need to show off some ¡°people-loving¡± or ¡°dedicated¡± qualities. Bloodline and Dou Qi were the foundation of a noble. On the way back, Liszt took the opportunity to inspect the road construction in each vige. There was plenty of sand from the sea, but transporting it was difficult; themon people could only use buckets and basins to carry the sand, which was inefficient. But no matter what, the road was taking shape. It was while passing Fresh Flower Farm that a sudden stench wafted over from a distance, prating Liszt¡¯s nostrils, almost making him vomit with nausea. The Fire Dragon Horse beneath him also kept sneezing, looking like it couldn¡¯t bear it. ¡°Ah, it¡¯s too stinky, what is this smell!¡± ¡°Who created this strange smell?¡± A few Retainer Knights, just like him, were covering their noses, wishing they could vomit on the spot. ¡°Is someone cleaning out a toilet?¡± Liszt remembered his childhood experiences of cleaning out toilets in the countryside, that fragrance wafting everywhere; the current smell was even stronger, but he quickly realized, ¡°Fresh Flower Town doesn¡¯t have toilets, nor has it built septic tanks, the picked-up manure shouldn¡¯t smell like this.¡± So, pinching his nose, he said to a Retainer Knight, ¡°Karl, you four go and investigate where this smell ising from.¡± A momentter, Karl returned, pinching a de of grass, ¡°My lord, the source has been found.¡± He lifted the grass in his hand, ¡°It¡¯s this grass. A few kids on the farm were messing around and broke a lot of it on a wastnd, unaware that this grass could emit such a disgusting stench.¡± As he spoke, a stronger stench entered Liszt¡¯s nostrils,ing from the grass in Karl¡¯s hand. Liszt endured the foul smell, but his eyes shone: ¡°This grass covers arge area?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Good, very good! Karl, immediately go inform Goltai to protect this patch of grass. Do not allow anyone to approach, and especially don¡¯t damage it!¡± Confused but the Retainer Knights still followed the order. Liszt gave hismand, feeling in high spirits. His personal servant Thomas couldn¡¯t help asking, ¡°My lord, why do you feel happy about such a smelly grass?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t understand, this grass has great uses.¡± He returned to the castle, and while taking a cool bath, he checked the Smoke Serpent Script, wanting to see if the task had been updated¡ªhe had thought that the task wouldn¡¯t be consideredplete until all the fishermen had been outfitted with new gear, but now, the task reward of ¡°arge patch of Smoked Grass¡± was obviously in hand, indicating that the task had beenpleted. Indeed, after the smoke came out, the Serpent Script updated, ¡°Taskpleted, reward: arge patch of Smoked Grass.¡± A momentter, the Smoke Serpent Script changed to: ¡°Task: The newly cultivated millet fields have been sown with seeds; the Millet Bug is eager to breathe the fresh air, it¡¯s a brave little fellow, please ce Cordyceps for the Millet Bug. Reward: The forgotten Dou Qi Secret Technique.¡± ¡°The forgotten Dou Qi Secret Technique? Not a Dou Qi Manuscript, but a Secret Technique, which suggests that the reward is just a powerful move?¡± Liszt spected. A manuscript contains methods for refining and using Dou Qi, as well as various Dou Qi moves. A Dou Qi Secret Technique, inparison, refers to a rtively powerful move, somewhat simr to the Ultimate Mystery Technique in a Dou Qi Manuscript, which can be understood as a powerful move. However, due to obscure and ndestine traditions, coupled with the great difficulty in learning, it is very hard for a minor noble to pass down secret techniques from generation to generation. The Tulip Family has no tradition of passing down secret techniques, and the Red Crab Ind Marquis Family, which has not been around for long, also doesn¡¯t have any. Only the old Marquis Families may possess one or two secret techniques. But it¡¯s undeniable that the value of a secret technique is immense¡ªthe Ultimate Mystery Technique is the strongest move in each Dou Qi Manuscript, but its power is naturally limited by whether it¡¯s an intermediate or advanced manuscript; for a Secret Technique, however, the stronger the Dou Qi, the more powerful it bes. Liszt was quite pleased with this, ¡°Not bad, not bad at all, although I do not like fighting, having a secret technique by my side will greatly enhance mybat ability and reduce the likelihood of encountering danger.¡± ¡°Just don¡¯t know what the Dou Qi Secret Technique will be, but I¡¯ll know soon enough.¡± So far, none of the tasks in the Smoke Mission have been overly difficult, basically being the daily work Liszt would have to do anyway¡ªjust the same this time: the millet fields were cultivated in order to settle the Millet Bugs, and whether or not there was a task, Liszt would have taken care of it. After that, he pondered another question, ¡°Could this task still be part of the chain of tasks from the Formless Dragon series?¡± Three dayster, the fishermen of Oyster Vige were able to go to the open sea to catch seafood steadily, and each time they would harvest arge quantity of seafood. A portion of the seafood quickly made it to themoners¡¯ tables, recing the fishermen¡¯s need for bread and allowing the town¡¯s grain food supply to be conserved as much as possible. But much of the seafood had nowhere to be stored. ¡°Liszt, we must think of a solution, the East Coast has too much seafood, and the fishermen¡¯s catch is already more than can be eaten, it could spoil at any time,¡± Goltai found Liszt and started to fret. Liszt was rather speechless at this, ¡°If it can¡¯t all be eaten, then find a way to dry the seafood and preserve it¡­ Now is not a good season for making dried goods, summer and autumn would be more suitable¡­ If it¡¯s not the season for dried goods, then stop fishing. The seafood isn¡¯t going to disappear in the sea.¡± Without cold storage or sufficient quantities of salt for curing, drying is the best way to preserve food. Now the weather is too hot, making dried goods prone to spoge, so it would be better to catch less seafood, only catching as much as can be eaten, which would also prevent overfishing of the sea. Having made his point, Liszt spoke with a slightly stern tone, expressing his dissatisfaction, ¡°Teacher Goltai, I am thendlord, and you are the official. I need you to manage Fresh Flower Town for me, not toe to thendlord at the first sign of trouble, understand?¡± Goltai gave a sheepish smile, ¡°Of course I understand, Liszt, believe me, I won¡¯t make this kind of mistake so easily again.¡± Chapter 50: The Invasion Reward of a Dragon Chapter 50: The Invasion Reward of a Dragon Trantor: Henyee Trantions Editor: Henyee Trantions The wooden houses in Oyster Vige had not yet been built, but the fishermen¡¯s fishing work was progressing smoothly. The construction of roads in the hamlets and towns wasn¡¯t fast, but it went on every day. The low-yielding, low-nutrient two-leaf clover at the dairy farm had beenpletely eradicated and reced with high-yielding, nutritious alfalfa. The ten dairy cows really liked the new grass, and their milk production had significantly increased. Outside the castle, in the horse paddocks, the alfalfa was also thriving, though there had been no mares impregnated yet, as the Li Dragon Horses hadn¡¯t entered their mating season. The peanuts in Peanut Hamlet were growing well, and the peanuts near the Millet Cordyceps were almost ready to harvest, with the prospect of yielding two crops a year. The ck tulips at Fresh Flower Farm had begun to bear fruit, in the form of small, dry capsules, although they hadn¡¯t yet split open. Once they did, there would be many ky seeds that could be propagated inrge numbers. Influenced by the Tulip Bug¡¯s cordyceps, this ck tulip had produced over thirty fruits. It was estimated that a single harvest could propagate several mu ofnd. The Greater Elf Xiangxiang at Tulip Castle would then continue the breeding process, and within half a year,rge-scale nting would be achievable. If it were the normal cultivation method, it would take several years to scale up, which showed the capabilities of the elves. However, while elves were a strong helping force, they also represented a limitation, confining humans from visually cultivating nts and researching fertilizers, still using the primitive sh-and-burn agriculture to this day. Liszt was changing the agricultural methods of Fresh Flower Town¡ªevery hamlet had begun to poprize the use of manure, wood ash, and pond mud aspost. Little Wheat Vige was still nting wheat. With the assistance of the Little Wheat Bug, it was feasible that the wheat yield could increase by twenty to thirty percent. Meanwhile, the three corn grasses were being tended by a dedicated person. However, more corn grass was nted in Barley Hamlet, cultivated by the serfs of Barley Hamlet and collecting pasture seeds. Barley Hamlet used to grow barley and oats primarily, but the recent millet fields were cultivated on the newly reimednd of Barley Hamlet. Due to the cultivation of corn grass, there was a severe shortage of serfs. Mushroom Hamlet and Tomato Hamlet remained at the same scale without significant changes. The biggest changes were in town; no more filthy manure, and no one dared to litter in the streets¡ªan edict strictly enforced by Liszt. With a patrol team checking daily, anyone caught littering would face harsh whipping¡ªa punishment preserved selectively by Liszt among the various tortures nobles inflicted onmoners. Initially, Liszt thought to adopt the police system of public security detention, but then realized that mere detention without physical punishment would be like a holiday for the serfs. No work to do, and still receiving food and drink every day. Thus, corporal punishment was inevitable. ¡°I have allocated fifty mu of wastnd for nting millet, which is the limit the Millet Bug can influence. Right now, Barley Hamlet can¡¯t meet the nting needs, and it¡¯s difficult to transfer serfs from other hamlets¡ªOyster Vige has already taken some, so for now there are only ten mu of millet fields,¡± Goltai exined to Liszt. Today, they were here to settle the Millet Bug. The millet had already sprouted, a greenyer stretching over the ten mu of newly reimednd that had been fertilized with farm manure. ¡°Ten mu it is for now. After the harvest of oats and barley, we¡¯ll switch to nting millet. Without an Elf Bug, growing barley and oats isn¡¯t cost-effective,¡± Liszt nodded and said. He then began to settle the Millet Cordyceps. The Millet Bug¡¯s cordyceps were golden millet, so its color was a bright, beautiful yellow that dazzled the eyes. ¡°Little guy,e on, breathe some fresh air,¡± he coaxed. The Millet Bug was indeed a brave little thing, crawling out of the jade box and with an open mouth, it spat out the cordyceps, nting them in the center of the field, which had been fenced off. It quickly grew with the wind, turning into a nt of golden milletden with grains. With this, another task waspleted. Six Elf Bugs had been settled, with five Elf Bugs already in ce, leaving only thest Thorn Bug. Liszt, feeling ted, rode his horse and began to concentrate. The Smoke Serpent Script twisted rapidly before his eyes: ¡°Complete the task: Reward Dou Qi Secret Technique ¡®Eye of Magic Power¡¯.¡± The content then changed, posting a new mission: ¡°Mission: Allpanions have been properly settled, except for the Thorn Bug, whichcks a new home. As the Landlord, you cannot waste the productivity of any Elf Bug. Please settle the cordyceps for the Thorn Bug. Reward: Invasion of the Formless Dragon.¡± Apanied by a review of the new mission¡¯s content, the prideful mood that had just filled him quickly shattered. Had it not been for the presence of retainers and servants around, he would have jumped up and cursed, ¡°A Smoke Mission, are you kidding me? Can the invasion of a Formless Dragon even be considered a reward?¡± ording to the information obtained earlier, a Formless Dragon might leave behind a priceless Space Ring. But, one must still be alive to obtain it! A single dragon could easily destroy a town. Liszt had no desire to test whether he could send a Formless Dragon away with two old dairy cows and a bundle of Smoked Grass. As he saw it, one should enjoy the treatment one¡¯s capabilities allow. If he were the lord of Coral Ind, he would even try luring the Formless Dragon at the cost of losing a city. Unfortunately, he only had Fresh Flower Town. If the dragon merely rolled over, he estimated the town would be gone, and he would be penniless, let alone lead a luxurious noble life. In an instant, he even decided to give up on the Thorn Bugs, neverplete the mission, and not trigger the invasion of the Formless Dragon as a reward. However, after calming down, he couldn¡¯t reconcile with giving up. The Smoke Mission seemed only to be pushing at an open door, bringing something that should have already been in his path. Without this gentle push, who knew how difficult it would be for him to develop further ¡ª and he had already be dependent on the expedient benefits brought by the Smoke Mission, receiving a reward for eachpleted mission; it felt too wonderful. All the way to the castle, his mind was made up. ¡°Do it, it¡¯s just a Formless Dragon!¡± ¡°The Smoked Grass has been prepared, and the dairy cows are ready. If worsees to worst and Fresh Flower Town is destroyed, I¡¯ll just go to Tulip Castle and shamelessly beg for another inheritance.¡± ¡°The Earl can¡¯t possibly watch his own son starve to death!¡± For the Space Ring, and even more for the Smoke Mission, Liszt was going all in. Once he had made up his mind, the next step was to make full preparations. For this. He spent a whole night in the castle¡¯s study, burning the midnight oil to design a n. He didn¡¯t let anyone participate; keeping the secret of the Formless Dragon to himself was better, as more people could mean more confusion. And if he did manage to obtain the Space Ring, there was also the risk of it being leaked and stolen. The Space Ring deserved to be called a Divine Artifact. ¡°Prepare for defeat before expecting victory, survival is of utmost importance.¡± This was the core thought in Liszt¡¯s n-making; no matter what, he must ensure his own safety above all. He looked at the sketch he drew of Fresh Flower Town, thought for a long time, and circled the dairy farm, ¡°Here, will be the battlefield for the invasion of the Formless Dragon. Leave the dairy cows as bait, and bring all the Smoked Grass here, piling it up at the dairy farm to attract the Formless Dragon¡¯s attention.¡± ¡°As for the fight, it¡¯s impossible to fight. No one can defeat a dragon, let alone think about ying a Formless Dragon.¡± ¡°It¡¯s said that dragons have Dragon Breath, a special magic substance that is sprayed out of their mouths, stuff like mes, acid, or poison. Half of a dragon¡¯sbat power relies on its Dragon Breath. Therefore, the ground is very dangerous, and we must dig underground tunnels so we can escape instantly from in front of the Formless Dragon.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not likely that a dragon will dig up the earth just to catch a few bug-like humans.¡± ¡°Then, I probably won¡¯t be able to see the Formless Dragon, and I suppose no one in Fresh Flower Town will be able to see it either. To ensure I know the Formless Dragon¡¯s exact location, I should spread ayer of flour over the dairy farm. If it walks, it will leave footprints¡­ But then again, do dragons need to walk? Don¡¯t they fly?¡± Liszt scratched his head, trying to figure out how to spot the Formless Dragon. But no matter how he thought about it, he had no idea how to see an invisible dragon. In irritation, he punched the table. Crack. The impact of his fist caused the candle to fall, the wax oil immediately flowing down the table and onto a corner where a knight¡¯s novely. mes engulfed the Knight¡¯s Novel in an instant. Chapter 51: The Eyes That Peep into Magic Power Chapter 51: The Eyes That Peep into Magic Power Trantor: Henyee Trantions Editor: Henyee Trantions After much effort, the mes were extinguished, but the knight¡¯s novel had already been scorched to a yellowish-brown exterior. This was a knight¡¯s novel called ¡°The Vulture Knight Stephan¡¯s Expedition,¡± which, to be exact, resembled more of a chronicle. It narrated the experiences of Stephan Vulture, a Sky Knight who rode on the back of a Dragon Breed Magic Beast Vulture and soared through the skies, as he expanded the territory for st Furnace Fortress Kingdom. The story was quite dry, but the content was detailed. Among the many fabricated knight¡¯s novels, this one stood out as a breath of fresh air. Liszt had read it three times already and felt that eighty to ny percent of the story was true. Even now, the Vulture Family might still exist within the st Furnace Fortress Kingdom. ¡°What a pity, a good book ruined. Next time I go to Tulip Castle, who knows if I¡¯ll be able to get a new one,¡± Lisztmented as he held the charred novel. Good books are hard to find. Suddenly, his brows raised, noticing the burnt cover partially peeling away to reveal a glittering golden color, as though there was a hiddenyer within the cover. With a flick of his finger, the cover started to ke and fall off in pieces, revealing the golden color inside. ¡°Indeed, a hiddenyer!¡± Liszt¡¯s disappointment was reced by surprise, ¡°This must be one of the so-called forgotten Dou Qi secret techniques!¡± Earlier that day, havingpleted the Little Wheat Bug mission, he received his mission rewards by nightfall; everything was so natural. After rubbing away the coverpletely, he found nestled within it a gold-leaf paper the size of the palm¡ª not truly paper, as Liszt discovered after examining it. It was made of gold in a foil-like thinness. The paper was embossed with tiny, dense characters and an illustration of the Dou Qi cirction within the human body. ¡°Magic Eye Dou Qi Secret Technique ¨C Stephan Vulture,¡± was written at the top of the gold leaf inrger Serpent Script. ¡°Indeed, a Dou Qi secret technique. Magic Eye, could it be the hereditary secret technique of the Vulture Family? Looking at it, the novel I obtained seems extraordinary, probably the only one of its kind. The weight of this gold leaf alone is equivalent to a gold coin; it¡¯s unlikely they¡¯d include one in every copy.¡± After finishing his thought, he shifted his gaze from the gold leaf to the bookshelf in the study: ¡°Among these books, there¡¯s information about the Formless Dragon, there¡¯s ¡®The Eye of Magic¡¯¡ªcould there be something else hidden within?¡± To test his theory, he sliced a cut along the cover of each novel. But no other hiddenyers were found. Clearly, this was the only Dou Qi secret technique. ¡°¡®The Eye of Magic¡¯ has intricate content, involving remarkablyplex and intricate Dou Qi cirction, much moreplicated than the ultimate mystery techniques found in Dou Qi manuscripts¡­ It might be challenging to learn.¡± Liszt was confident in his own aptitude. He had quickly learned and was close to mastering both ¡°me Wave¡± and ¡°Fire Dragon Drill.¡± He was also preparing to learn archery from Marcus¡ªpreferring ranged attacks to closebat. ¡°Should I postpone learning ¡®The Eye of Magic¡¯?¡± As soon as the thought urred, it was dismissed when he read the final description of ¡°The Eye of Magic¡± on the gold leaf. The description read, ¡°The Eye of Magic allows one to see through the cirction of magical power; even the invisibility spells of Grand Magicians cannot conceal their form under The Eye of Magic.¡± In that moment, he understood that this Dou Qi secret technique was still part of the chain missions, in preparation for confronting the Formless Dragon: ¡°Is this telling me that once I master ¡®The Eye of Magic,¡¯ I will be able to see the Formless Dragon?¡± Therefore, what Liszt was to do next became clear. He first repeatedly tested the scent of the Smoked Grass, finding that the juice it exuded had a potent, piercing smell, although not as strong as when it was burned. He had someone cut a batch of Smoked Grass to dry and built a ¡°Beacon Tower¡± at the dairy farm, solely to burn the Smoked Grass and attract the Formless Dragon. Beneath the Beacon Tower, he began the construction of an underground tunnel which would serve as a hiding ce. Meanwhile, around the Beacon Tower, cows would be tethered, and before the invasion of the Formless Dragon, their bodies would be smeared with the juice of the Smoked Grass. On a mound of earth a short distance from the Beacon Tower, Liszt likewisemanded his men to excavate a tunnel, the entrance of which was disguised as a bunker. In his n, he would hide here, constantly monitoring the invasion of the Formless Dragon. Upon sighting the Formless Dragon, he would instruct his servants to ignite the Smoked Grass at the Beacon Tower, and then the servants would take shelter in the underground passage. He, on the other hand, would watch the Formless Dragon feast to its heart¡¯s content, until it flew away, and then he woulde over to search the ground, to see if the Formless Dragon would leave behind any of its gemstones. Standing on the mound where the tunnel was being dug, Liszt¡¯s mind was still contemting, ensuring that nothing was overlooked. ¡°If it really is aboutpleting missions, and rewards start to be distributed, it means that after I ce the Thorn Bugs, the Formless Dragon wille to Fresh Flower Town¡­ Is it the Smoke Mission that controls the Formless Dragon, or is it merely a coincidental guide? Can I try cing Thorn Bugs at any time, and the Formless Dragon will invade Fresh Flower Town whenever I do?¡± How mystical. There was temporarily no answer. What he had to do was to strive toplete every Smoke Mission and grow stronger. ¡°Liszt, digging from here to that Thorn Forest is no simple task, and I still do not see the significance of doing this,¡± Goltai directed the civilians, excavating the tunnel ording to Liszt¡¯s instructions. ¡°You do not need to know, Teacher Goltai. It is not a matter of mistrust, but rather a secret of my own. You merely need to take everyone from the dairy farms, on the day I inform you, and have them stay elsewhere for a day.¡± ¡°Well then, Fresh Flower Town is your territory, and no one dares to defy your wishes, of course, I will do as told.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± ¡°So, you really intend to ce the Thorn Bug within that Thorn Forest? That forest isn¡¯t veryrge, not an ideal ce for cement.¡± ¡°I have my reasons.¡± ¡°Hmm, well, it doesn¡¯t matter, after all, the Thorn Bug is just a useless Elf Bug, it doesn¡¯t affect agricultural development.¡± ¡°Every Elf Bug has its unique usefulness; it¡¯s just that we haven¡¯t discovered it yet. Perhaps, one day, you will find that Thorns can also give birth to Magic Potions.¡± ¡°Haha, I hope so.¡± The project was advancing with great urgency, and no one understood why Liszt wanted to do this, but no one dared to resist either. In Fresh Flower Town, there was basically no one who would dare to stop Liszt from doing anything he wanted, including murder and arson. The tunnel was dug day by day. He began to practice ¡°The Eye of Magic¡± in the Castle, a Dou Qi Secret Technique that was quiteplex, but with his keen understanding, he soon fumbled his way to the trick of it. To put it inly, it was about using the eyes as a bridge to resonate one¡¯s Dou Qi with the Magic Power of the outside world. Magic Power is a rather fantastic force, constantly emitting vibrations, which he preferred to call the radiation of Magic Power dispersal. Receiving radiation, using the eyes as radar, that was the principle of ¡°The Eye of Magic,¡± a secret technique of a nonbative nature. After five days of continuous study, Liszt finally mastered the final technique for channeling Dou Qi, casting the Eye of Magic for the first time. In that moment, looking at his own eyes in the mirror, the sapphire blue pupils seemed to swirl, countless stars flowing within the rotating pupils, mysterious and profound. Eerie and beautiful. ¡°These eyes of mine, could they bewitch any young girl?¡± He turned his gaze toward the Window, where Marcus was teaching four Retainer Knights Dou Qi. They had passed their prime, but with diligent practice, they still had the potential to refine their Dou Qi. At that moment, Marcus in his field of vision appeared as a cyan silhouette. A little distance away, Douson, who was struggling with a rock, appeared as a faint yellow shadow. ¡°Wind Attribute Dou Qi¡¯s Marcus, Earth-Attribute Magic Power¡¯s Douson, this is the scene seen through the Eye of Magic¡­ Will it truly be effective against the Formless Dragon?¡± Chapter 52: The Unceasing Growth of Ambition Chapter 52: The Unceasing Growth of Ambition Trantor: Henyee Trantions Editor: Henyee Trantions The ¡°Eye of Magic¡± was somewhat draining on his Dou Qi, Liszt found that after straining to sustain it, he could only maintain it for five minutes at a time. Otherwise, not only would his Dou Qi fail to keep up, but his eyes would also feel sore and irritated. However, whenever the Dou Qi inside him waspletely drained, a warm breath would emanate from the Crimson Blood Sword strapped to his waist, replenishing his depleted Dou Qi. The rubies produced by the dragon contained magical powers. When he focused the ¡°Eye of Magic,¡± he could see that the rubies shone with a blood-like light, swirling gently as if they were a vortex. ¡°If I can see the magic in the gemstones, I should also be able to see the magic in the dragon. During this time, I will seize every moment to practice so that I can use the ¡®Eye of Magic¡¯ at will.¡± Unsheathing the Crimson Blood Sword, Liszt was filled with a spirited determination. The time for ¡°dragon ying¡± was fast approaching. ¡°Goltai, what do you think the Baron means by digging an underground tunnel here?¡± Isaiah was counting on his fingers, figuring out how many copper coins to distribute to the serfster. Liszt nevermandeered serfs for free, he always paid them a certain remuneration. That¡¯s why the serfs were always eager to sign up for all kinds of production and construction. The drive of interest plus the authority of the Lord were invariably sessful. ¡°To be honest, I¡¯m as clueless as you are,¡± Goltai said as he puffed on his pipe, looking as if he had no stake in the matter. ¡°Liszt hase of age. He¡¯s no longer the timid youth in Tulip Castle. Often, I cannot fathom what he¡¯s thinking. I have no idea what Fresh Flower Town will turn into.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not what you said in your letter. You mentioned that Fresh Flower Town is flourishing.¡± ¡°If I hadn¡¯t said that, would you havee? Besides, isn¡¯t Fresh Flower Town flourishing now¡­ at least we have seafood to eat every day, don¡¯t we?¡± ¡°I admit, the fishing for seafood was an innovative approach, and the collection of manure was also a significant measure. But what are we doing today? Digging a tunnel underneath the farm, is this meant for storing hay or what?¡± Goltai removed his pipe, tapping out the ashes, ¡°Stopining, ir never gripes. That is why with every dinner, Liszt always drinks an extra ss with him.¡± ¡°That¡¯s because he¡¯s old now and just wants to find a noble to rely on, to live out his years without worry, no ambition left.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not so young yourself.¡± ¡°But I hope one day to rejoin the noble ranks. I must strive for my son¡ªhe¡¯s too dim-witted and will never marry into nobility.¡± Isaiah rubbed his head in distress. ¡°I originally came here hoping to find a chance to go to battle. You said that Liszt was full of great ambitions.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not certain, but you could talk more with Marcus. That guy used to desire nobility more than anyone, but he quickly pledged his loyalty to Liszt,¡± Isaiah narrowed his eyes, ¡°I will.¡± Soon it was evening, and time to distribute the wages. Isaiah checked the list, handing out copper coins to each working serf, ¡°Next, Alewa **it.¡± ¡°Sir, that¡¯s me, that¡¯s me.¡± The serf with the unfortunate name, Alewa, rubbed his palms in glee as he received two copper coins from the clerk. That was enough for eight big chunks of ck bread! But he had no intention of buying bread; his wife had joined Oyster Vige and went out to sea daily to catch seafood. Besides delivering their share to the castle, they could enjoy seafood at home. After having seafood abundantly these past days, he felt a surge of strength in his body, and his stamina at night had doubled to a whole six seconds. His wife praised his vigor, encouraging him to eat more seafood. He was preparing for a third child, so earning more copper coins now meant sending the child to the smithy as an apprenticeter¡ªthe Lord Landlord had said that a serf with a skill would be put to good use. ¡°Praise the Lord Landlord!¡± After tucking away the copper coin, iwa couldn¡¯t help but pray inwardly. He liked his currentndlord for the days were getting better, no worries about going hungry, and he could even save some copper coins, ¡°I just don¡¯t know why Lord Landlord wants to dig holes here?¡± He was a serf of the dairy farm, responsible for feeding the cows. He used to worry andin to his wife, fearing he might lose his job, maybe Lord Landlord no longer wished to keep cows, otherwise, why would he dig holes in the cow farm. But his wife scolded him severely: ¡°If you¡¯re not raising cows, you could raise horses; if not horses, you could repair roads; if not roads, you could grow millet. Lord Landlord is a great man, who makes it easy for the elderly, women, and children to work and to eat their fill. Damn it, stop yourining, you must believe in the Lord Landlord!¡± iwa obeyed his wife, so he quickly changed his mind. He felt that Lord Landlord, no matter where he dug holes, was a greatndlord, and what the holes were for didn¡¯t matter¡ªhow could themoners understand the thoughts of a noble lord. Practicing the Eye of Magic, supervising the construction of the project, had be Liszt¡¯s main task over these past few days. Over the course of several days, all preparations for the dairy farm had beenpleted. The beacon tower was ready, the bunker disguised, the passages walked through multiple times with no obstructions. The smoked grass was harvested and piled on the beacon tower, ready to be ignited at any moment. Young cows were kept not far away for feeding, while Old Hua and Old ck, two aged dairy cows, were tied at the edge of the beacon tower. Liszt had also made several trips from the Thorn Forest to the bunker, to ensure that after he nted the cordyceps, he could immediately hurry to the bunker. The bunker had a U-shaped passage linking to another refuge. If the Formless Dragon did not leave Fresh Flower Town as expected, after feasting on the cows and grass, he would immediately retreat through the U-shaped passage to the refuge, then block the passage. The refuge had breathing holes connecting to the outside, and many food and drinks were stored. This would at least ensure his safety. He dared not be careless when dealing with a dragon. Walking through the dairy farm, Liszt was inspecting the quality of the construction project for thest time. It wasn¡¯t a big project, so the progress was swift, the quality satisfactory, and everything was built ording to his wishes without skimping. ¡°I am starting to like this world, this era.¡± He climbed up the beacon tower, surveying the entire dairy farm: ¡°A word from thendlord, and everyone is busy. Before, I managed a small team of five in thepany, and even faced opposition from troublemakers. Here, no one dares to question my words, not even Goltai or Marcus.¡± Power, for a man, is an irresistible desire. A person who has never experienced power may not find it wonderful; but once they have tasted it, the allure bes addictive and impossible to resist. The identity of the Baron of Fresh Flower Town was something Liszt could no longer give up. At the same time, the ambition in his heart was growing continuously; Fresh Flower Town was too small to satisfy his thirst for greater power. Fortunately, it was just ambition, as reason governed his thoughts, rooted in the policy of ¡°umte grain widely, build walls high, and proim kingship slowly,¡± he plotted his course. ¡°Princes and generals have no predestined kin.¡± Chapter 53 - 53 The Invasion of the Formless Dragon Chapter 53 The Invasion of the Formless Dragon Trantor: Henyee Trantions Editor: Henyee Trantions Early June, dry and tinder. The early morning sun rose, sweeping away the coolness and recing it with heat that wouldst all day. d in ck Magical Beast Leather Armor with the Gemstone Weapon, the Bloodsword, hanging at his waist, and sapphire-colored eyes sparkling with exuberance, the handsome face wore a solemn expression. Awakened early to heedmands at the Castle, Goltai looked at the Landlord of Fresh Flower Town in front of him, and for a moment, he was lost in thought¡ªeven Coral Ind¡¯s Count did not possess the aristocratic charm that Liszt exuded at that moment. When ites to looks, out of a perfect score of one hundred, Liszt could earn ny-nine, the one point less being a precaution against pride. Good looks can¡¯t be eaten, but they do bring happiness. Every morning, when he looked at himself in the mirror, Liszt always started the day in a good mood. His personal servant, Thomas, meticulously smoothed out the wrinkles on Liszt¡¯s leather armor, as maintaining the appearance of nobility was a servant¡¯s main duty. ¡°Teacher Goltai, ording to the original n, relocate the households of the cow farm to other settlements and enforce a full-day lockdown. No resident of the town, for whatever reason, may leave their home. The patrol team is to suspend patrolling and wait for mymand in the administration building until the lockdown is lifted,¡± Liszt ordered. ¡°Understood, Liszt. I will carry out the order right away,¡± Goltai replied. Goltai turned around and rode out the door. All the townspeople were perplexed by the Landlord¡¯s decision, but obedience was ingrained in their bones. Once themand was given, Fresh Flower Town quickly fell silent. The silence was like the deep sleep of night, punctuated only asionally by the barking of a dog. Not many could afford to keep a dog, so these few sounds were inconsequential. The sun continued to climb in the east, and Liszt personally fitted the Fire Dragon Horse with a bridle, forbidding it from making any noise: ¡°Mr. Carter, do you remember what I said?¡± ¡°Master, you said that today we need to shut the castle gate tightly, keep Douson and the horses confined, and try to keep them as quiet as possible. If there is danger, take all the servants to hide in the cer and do not venture out until the master returns. Only then can the castle resume its regr operations,¡± replied Carter. ¡°Good, that¡¯s right,¡± said Liszt. Worry etched Carter¡¯s face: ¡°Master, is there danger on this journey?¡± ¡°A little, but I have made all necessary preparations, so don¡¯t worry about me, Mr. Carter.¡± On the side, Thomas hesitated before speaking: ¡°Master, you really should take me with you. I may not be skilled in many things, but I could buy you some time if we¡¯re in danger.¡± ¡°I¡¯m pleased to hear you say that, Thomas, but it¡¯s not necessary.¡± Liszt raised his riding crop and gently tapped the horse¡¯s hindquarters, and the Fire Dragon Horse dashed out like a streak of me. The wind whistled past his ears as the horse¡¯s hooves kicked up clouds of dust. On the roads of the town, not a single pedestrian could be seen, evidently having received themand to stay dutifully at home. With a heart full of turbulent emotions, he galloped all the way to the cow farm. Wearing a mask, Liszt climbed up the Beacon Tower. He nned to have a servant light it, but to minimize the risk of leaking information, he decided to do it himself. On the Beacon Tower, there were two jars filled with ground Smoked Grass Juice. Shading his eyes from the sunlight, he looked around, then without further hesitation, he opened the jars and poured the liquid over two old dairy cows below. The pungent odor spread rapidly. The cows thrashed wildly, trying to escape, but the ropes were tied tightly, leaving them only to endure the irritation in agitated suffering. Even with the mask, Liszt nearly vomited from the smell, but he bore the urge and quickly set the Smoked Grass hay alight on the Beacon Tower until the mes rose high. He leaped down swiftly. Mounting the equally restless and fleeing Fire Dragon Horse, he headed straight for the Thorn Forest. Upon reaching the Thorn Forest, he tied up the Fire Dragon Horse, took a deep breath to suppress the feeling of nausea, and looked around to make sure everything was perfectly safe. Then, from his bosom, he took out a Jade Box containing Thorn Bugs. ¡°Man proposes, God disposes. Sess or failure rests on this move.¡± Opening the box, he said to the plump Thorn Bug inside, ¡°Come on, little fellow, make yourself at home.¡± They were inplete ord. The Thorn Bug crawled onto his hand, opened its mouth, and spat out Cordyceps, whichnded in the small shrubbery and quickly took root and sprouted. Meanwhile, Li Si Te (Liszt) had already swiftly ducked into the tunnel, bent over and running towards the bunker. By the time he got inside the bunker, the Thorn Cordyceps should have grown sufficiently. He forced himself to calm down, focus his mind, and summon the Smoke Mission. The smoke twisted for a moment, forming Serpent Script. ¡°Taskpleted, reward: the Formless Dragon¡¯s invasion.¡± Seeing the taskpleted, he didn¡¯t wait for the new mission to be issued; he simply wiped away the smoke. He circted his Dou Qi, employing the Eye of Magic, and looked up into the sky. The thick smoke from the burning Smoked Grass, swaying as it rose with the gentle breeze. Even inside the bunker, he could smell that half-year unwashed sock odor, a persistent nausea-inducing stench. Without a telescope, he could only rely on his own sight. Below the Beacon Tower, two old dairy cows seemed to be choking from the smoke, incessantly drooling white foam, which made Li Si Te extremely worried that they might be smoked to death before the Formless Dragon appeared. Seconds and minutes passed. Just as the Eye of Magic¡¯s duration was nearing its limit, he still had not spotted any trace of the Formless Dragon. ¡°Logically, once the task isplete, the reward should appear synchronously, just a matter of timing before ites into my possession. So why hasn¡¯t the Formless Dragon invaded Fresh Flower Town yet?¡± ¡°Could there be a dy in the appearance of the reward?¡± ¡°If the information about the Formless Dragon is true, it should be attracted by the Smoked Grass as soon as it appears.¡± His eyes grew more and more tired, and just as he felt he couldn¡¯t hold out any longer and was about to disperse the secret technique, suddenly, next to the smoke column of the Smoked Grass and facing the sunlight, a faint shadow in the sky caught Li Si Te¡¯s attention. The shadow was initially very small and faint, but then it began to erge, eventually forming a light grey dragon shape. A pair of massive wings and a streamlined body. It circled around the smoke column as it descended. His heart thundered: ¡°The Formless Dragon!¡± ¡°It really is the Formless Dragon!¡± Li Si Te clenched the Crimson Blood Sword, attempting to keep the scarce Dou Qi remaining in his body running, continuing to support the Eye of Magic as he observed the Formless Dragon. This was his first encounter with a dragon! The dragon that represented the world¡¯s ultimate power! Even though he could see only the magic power on the dragon, not the dragon itself, he was still so excited that his blood boiled: ¡°Just like described in ¡®The Adventure of Ranger Griffe,¡¯ the Formless Dragon isn¡¯trge. Compared to a thatched hut, it¡¯s only about the size of a single house, with wings that would perhaps span two to three houses.¡± But that proud demeanor exuded an unrivaled majesty. Despite being quite far away, Li Si Te could still feel his body tensing in response to the dragon¡¯s might¡ªthis was Dragon Might! It was said that wherever a dragon went, all living beings would submit to it. ¡°It¡¯sing down along with the smoke from the Smoked Grass¡­¡± Li Si Te¡¯s Eye of Magic had copsed, his body couldn¡¯t sustain the Dou Qi Secret Technique any longer, and the form of the Formless Dragon disappeared without a trace. But without a doubt, the information provided by the Smoke Mission was correct; the Formless Dragon liked the smell of Smoked Grass. Rubbing his sore and swollen eyes, Li Si Te looked with his naked eyes towards the direction of the Beacon Tower. He couldn¡¯t see the Formless Dragon, but themotion there indicated that the Formless Dragon was wreaking havoc¡ªthe smoke was scattered every which way, the old dairy cows were prostrate on the ground crying piteously, and in a moment, even the Beacon Tower began to copse with mes roaring up. ¡°Woooooah!¡± An eerie, piercing, goosebump-inducing howl rose amidst the mes¡ªthat was the voice of the Formless Dragon. Chapter 54: A Legend Forever Chapter 54: A Legend Forever Trantor: Henyee Trantions Editor: Henyee Trantions ¡°Moo¡­¡± Old Hua let out a mournful bellow and copsed in a pool of blood. Clenching the Crimson Blood Sword, Liszt, peering through the fortress¡¯s window, once again activated the small amount of Dou Qi he had just recovered and cast the Eye of Magic. His vision transformed, and beside the me, a greyish-white Formless Dragonposed of magic power was tearing into the old dairy cow, bite by bite. It had already devoured Old ck whole and was now savoring Old Hua, asionally lifting its head to look around alertly while eating. Its shape was indistinguishable from the depictions of giant dragons Liszt had seen in books. A standard Western dragon¡¯s form, just slightly more slender. It had four limbs, but its wings did not fold up when walking on the ground. The wings were somewhat like those of a bat, with an arm-like structure inside where fingers were spread to support the spread of the wing membranes. When the fingers spread, the wings would open; when the fingers closed, the wings would contract. However, because the wings were structured like arms, they couldn¡¯t fold tight like a bird¡¯s. But they could fold, simr to the bending of an elbow, and in the middle of the wings at the palm bones¡¯ position, there was an extra finger that grew out, resembling a hook or a sickle. The Formless Dragon used the hook of its wings to slice the flesh and bones of the dairy cow, then grabbed the shredded flesh with its two small forelimbs and stuffed it into its mouth. The tail was very long, much longer than what was typically shown in dragon illustrations. There were horns on its head, not just a pair or a single one, but a whole row of varying lengths¡ªIt is said that dragon horns are a symbol of power and that scepters, which Kings carry during grand ceremonies, are often made from dragon horns. However, in Liszt¡¯s Eye of Magic vision, the most concentrated magical power on the Formless Dragon¡¯s body wasn¡¯t in its horns or its heart. But in its teeth¡ªthe dragon teeth. The magic power of each dragon tooth was exceptionally clear. Counting them, there were forty-two in total. Besides the four huge fangs, the rest of the teeth were also quite sharp. ¡°It is said that a dragon¡¯s soul resides in its teeth; extracting the soul of a giant dragon and using the teeth to forge a divine weapon, then infusing the soul into it, can create the most powerful weapon.¡± For an instant, Liszt was heartfully tempted to kill the Formless Dragon on the spot and pluck out all its teeth. Of course, it was just a thought. ¡°Hurry up and eat, then leave quickly,¡± Liszt dispelled the Eye of Magic and continued observing the dairy farm. The Formless Dragon was not eating quickly, which allowed him to calmly replenish his magic power and call forth the Smoke Mission to check the new quests that he hadn¡¯t had the chance to view before. ¡°Quest: The Formless Dragon has appeared in Fresh Flower Town. Prepare its favorite Smoked Grass and the beef it loves to eat the most. For the remaining time, wait quietly until it is satiated and leaves. That¡¯s all you can do. Please avoid the invasion of the Formless Dragon. Reward: The Form of the Formless Dragon.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already done what needed to be done; this mission can bepleted while lying down,¡± he thought, focusing his attention on ¡°The Gift of the Formless Dragon,¡± ¡°What could the gift be?¡± He was fairly certain in his heart. For the next while, Liszt quietly observed the Formless Dragon, casting the Eye of Magic when his Dou Qi recovered and watching indirectly with the naked eye when it was depleted. About half an hourter, the fire had long been extinguished, and the two cows were reduced to scattered skeletons on the ground. Liszt noticed the alfalfa on the ground fluttering in the wind and immediately used the bit of Dou Qi he had just regained, enduring the soreness and swelling of his eyes to once again cast the Eye of Magic. Within his field of vision, the Formless Dragon had already soared into the sky, flying in the direction of the East Coast outside Fresh Flower Town, getting farther and farther away until Liszt¡¯s Eye of Magic dissipated. ¡°It¡¯s gone¡­¡± Liszt felt a whirlwind of emotions. There was relief after tension, a sense of loss after beautiful things had departed, anticipation of an imminent reward, and a feeling of aplishment frompleting a dragon invasion. ¡°Wait a bit longer to prevent the Formless Dragon from returning.¡± He stayed in the bunker for nearly half an hour longer, then he cast the Eye of Magic to meticulously search the area, confirming there were no traces of the Formless Dragon. He pushed open the camouged cover above the bunker and stepped out. Facing the scorching sunshine, he stretched mightily, ¡°My first close encounter with a dragon has ended just like that.¡± He still didn¡¯t know what kind of dragon the Formless Dragon was, but as long as it was a dragon, it was an incredible being¡ªespecially since this was a Sacred Dragon capable of invisibility. The word ¡°sacred,¡± to some extent, implied the extraordinary nature of this kind of dragon. Back in Thorn Forest, he checked on the Thorn Cordyceps, which were growing well. After releasing the Fire Dragon Horse from its reins, he suddenly realized that the mare was covered in dung and urine¡ªshe must have been scared senseless by the Dragon Might of the Formless Dragon. Fortunately, the saddle was clean. Riding the Fire Dragon Horse, he set off towards the dairy farm, but the horse refused to go anywhere near the Beacon Tower, even when Liszt whipped her. ¡°Dragon Might¡­ no, even the scent of a dragon can scare you like this? To think you have the blood of a Low-Level Magical Beast, the zing Steed,¡± Liszt said helplessly, dismounting to walk. He couldn¡¯t smell the scent left by the Formless Dragon because his nose was full of the lingering Smoked Grass odor. The other eight dairy cows on the farm had vanished; he hoped they hadn¡¯t run deep into Thorn Ridge, for if they had, they would certainly have be a feast for the Magical Beasts. At the ruins of the Beacon Tower, Liszt searched carefully, not overlooking any patch of ground. He even took a hoe and turned over the soil¡ªpartly to look for the Formless Dragon¡¯s gift and partly to destroy any footprints of the Formless Dragon, eradicating all traces of it. An innocent man harbors no guilt; possessing a gemstone invites trouble. He had to be cautious. ¡°Found it!¡± Momentster, under a piece of cow bone, Liszt found what he wanted¡ªa transparent gemstone. It wasn¡¯t big, about the size of a fingernail cover, much smaller than the baby fist-sized Ruby iid in the Crimson Blood Sword. It alsocked dazzling color, somewhat simr to a diamond, clear and translucent, with an irregr ttened multi-faceted shape, capable of refracting sunlight into tiny sparkles. Somewhat inexplicably, a slogan came to Liszt¡¯s mind. ¡°A diamond is forever, a gem to be passed down for generations.¡± Indeed, it was good material to make a ring with, but he did not verify right away whether the space was real or fake. He carefully packed it away and continued to search the ground, hoping to find a second one. Unfortunately, after turning over every area within fifty meters where Formless Dragon footprints could be found, he couldn¡¯t find a second one. He didn¡¯t give up and activated the Eye of Magic to search again but still had no luck. ¡°It seems the so-called reward really is just this one gemstone.¡± Wiping the sweat from his forehead, his leather armor dirtied and his noble demeanor somewhat diminished, Liszt¡¯s face was nevertheless radiant with a brilliant smile, ¡°Regardless, the chapter with the Formless Dragon has ended, Fresh Flower Town is safe.¡± He entered a thatched cottage of a viger¡¯s home to cool off and check his new mission. ¡°Missionpleted, reward: gemstone of the Formless Dragon.¡± ¡°Mission: The tomatoes nted by John Bian Dan, a grower in Tomato Hamlet, are of better quality, yield more, and grow faster than those of the surrounding growers. As andlord, how could you not find out the reason? Reward: one Elf Bug.¡± Chapter 55: Exploring the Gemstone Space Chapter 55: Exploring the Gemstone Space Trantor: Henyee Trantions Editor: Henyee Trantions ¡°The reason why John Bian Dan¡¯s tomatoes are bothrge and good is very simple, because in his tomatoes, a Tomato Worm is being nurtured!¡± Upon reading the task and the reward given, Liszt made the judgment above. Tomatoes are the main vegetable here, and without the Elf Bug, the tomato production in Fresh Flower Town isn¡¯t high. Now that a Tomato Worm is finally about to be born, it¡¯s truly a cause for celebration, ¡°After returning, I¡¯ll investigate the Tomato Worm right away, we must ensure nothing goes wrong with its nurturing process.¡± He stretched out his left hand, holding the Formless Dragon gemstone in his palm. The light was flickering. Liszt took a deep look, clenched his hand shut, and tucked the gemstone close to his body. Then, he left the farmer¡¯s house, mounted his Fire Dragon Horse, and departed from the dairy farm¡ªthe matter had concluded, and all traces of the Formless Dragon had vanished. A momentter. Butler Carter came out with the servants to greet him at the Castle gates, ¡°My lord, knowing you have returned safely puts my mind at ease,¡± he said, exhaling a long breath of relief. ¡°No need to worry, what could happen to me?¡± Liszt nodded, ¡°Thomas, go to the town and inform Teacher Goltai that the confinement is lifted, and let Fresh Flower Town return to its original order. Mrs. Morson, prepare the bathwater, I¡¯m covered in sweat and in need of a good bath.¡± ¡°As you wish, my lord!¡± The oppressive atmosphere was swept away, and the Castle suddenly bustled with activity. Thomas rode to town with the news, Tom had the new manservant busy feeding horses and tending to Douson, the maids needed to doundry, and the kitchen was busy preparing lunch. Just for Noble Liszt, fifteen servants had to work nonstop to ensure Liszt could enjoy everything. He bathed frequently, but never for more than five minutes at a time, that was Liszt¡¯s principle. He changed into his home clothes and went to his study, locking the door behind him. He took out the Formless Dragon gemstone and began to study it. Just by appearance, it was impossible to divine any mysteries about the gemstone. Even with the Eye of Magic activated, he could only see countless specks wandering in the gemstone¡¯s magic vortex; aside from the different colors, the Formless Dragon Gem under the Eye of Magic didn¡¯t differ much from the Ruby on the Crimson Blood Sword. ¡°So, how is it connected to the Space Ring?¡± ¡°Or rather, how do I open the space inside the gemstone? Do I need to perform a blood oath, or should I infuse it with magic power?¡± Performing a blood oath required self-harm, which Liszt was somewhat apprehensive about, so he first tried to channel his Dou Qi into the gemstone¡ªwhen his Dou Qi made contact with the gemstone, he immediately felt a subtle connection akin to forming a contract with an Elf Bug being rapidly established, and then the gemstone began to vigorously absorb his Dou Qi. After absorbing about one-tenth of the Dou Qi from his body, the gemstone stopped absorbing, and the subtle connection had expanded into an invisible portal. Following the sensation connected by Dou Qi, Liszt suddenly discovered he could sense a space that was neitherrge nor small. The space was irregrly spherical, with no clear distinction of top, bottom, left, right, nor the cardinal directions, surrounded by ¡°walls,¡±¡ªthe unknown sturdy structures like walls had no gaps and were indestructible. ¡°Overall, it¡¯s like a sphere, about five meters in diameter, which is roughly the size of a studio apartment,¡± Liszt¡¯s eyes looked intently at the shining gemstone in his hand. Yet, his mind was simultaneously able to feel this space. A very wondrous sensation. He found that this state could continue as long as he had Dou Qi to replenish, keeping the magic power to maintain the open portal constantly present, with consumption that was not significant, roughly equivalent to the speed at which his body naturally recovered Dou Qi. He tried cutting off the supply of Dou Qi. Soon, the gateway to the space dissipated, the marvelous feeling in his mind vanished, and the spherical space disappeared without a trace, ¡°Relying on Dou Qi, or magic power to open the space, it consumes magic power to maintain the space opened, and once the magic power is cut off, the space immediately closes. The gemstone of the Formless Dragon is indeed a Space Ring.¡± It¡¯s the right size to be made into a ring. More importantly, it requires a constant supply of magic power, and the hand is the best position for supplying Dou Qi. ¡°However, I don¡¯t n to set it in a ring; it¡¯s too ostentatious, and I don¡¯t need to use it all the time for now. For safety, I should make it into a pendant and hang it in front of my chest.¡± The Space Ring is a priceless treasure, especially for the Nobles, as it¡¯s too important for hiding secrets. But for Liszt, there wasn¡¯t much of value to store in the Space Ring at the moment, and it wasn¡¯t an urgent need for him. Honestly, if he could get a Greater Elf, he would definitely trade the Space Ring without hesitation¡ªthe Space Ring is good, but not as important as increasing productivity. In any case, research must continue. He reopened the Space Ring and began trying to store things inside, which wasn¡¯t difficult for him. After some simple exploration, he understood the method of storing things¡ªwrapping them with magic power. Left hand holding the Space Ring, right hand releasing Dou Qi to envelop the object he wanted to store, a book. In an instant, the book disappeared from the table and appeared inside the Space Ring. It seemed to move ording to his will; he could make the book appear anywhere he wanted in the space, and so he joyously stored all the books in his study into the Space Ring, floating and stacking them as if there was a bookshelf there. The books remained motionless in the space, not moving in the slightest. ¡°Is this like a vacuum environment?¡± He lit a candle, then stored the candle inside, and what he saw was incredible¡ªthe candle remained lit and motionless. He distributed a bit of Dou Qi to maintain the gateway, moving the candle and bringing the me close to a book. Though the me was tilted by the cover, it neither went out nor ignited the book¡¯s cover. It was as if everything that entered the space becamepletely and utterly still. ¡°Is it that even the movement between atoms has been halted?¡± Liszt tried to exin it scientifically but soon gave up. Although this world seemed to have a scientific foundation, anything rted to magic power had already gone beyond the scope of science¡ªthere was nothing scientific about the Space Ring. Enveloped in Dou Qi, with a thought, he retrieved the candle. Only then did the me continue burning. After several experiments, Liszt could confirm that the interior of the Space Ring was rtively still. ¡°I wonder what would happen if live creatures were ced inside?¡± He wanted to try, but his Dou Qi had already been depleted. Opening the space consumes magic power, storing things consumes magic power, retrieving things also consumes magic power. With his Earth Knight¡¯s level of Dou Qi, it was still a bit stretched. For lunch, Goltai, Marcus, and others came over. ¡°Teacher Goltai, has the order in the town been restored?¡± Liszt sat in the main seat, cutting a piece of roast meat with a knife; he had already adapted to the style of Western dining. Goltai took a sip of beer, ¡°Just a morning¡¯s confinement had no impact on the town. But Liszt, two cows are missing from the dairy farm.¡± ¡°So, the eight cows havee back?¡± ¡°Yes, they actually ran out from Thorn Ridge, which is crazy. Instead, we just found the carcasses of two old cows.¡± Goltai was obviously curious about the situation but didn¡¯t dare to ask since Liszt had previously said not to ask or think about what happened at the dairy farm. Liszt still had no intention of exining, ¡°Well, let the farmers take the bones of the old cows back for stew. Fill in the tunnel there, and restore the dairy farm to its original state.¡± Goltai shrugged, ¡°As you wish.¡± Chapter 56: The Bright Prospects of Tomato Hamlet Chapter 56: The Bright Prospects of Tomato Hamlet Trantor: Henyee Trantions Editor: Henyee Trantions After lunch, Liszt said to Goltai, ¡°There¡¯s a farmer in Tomato Hamlet named John Bian Dan whose tomatoes are especiallyrge and fine. Let¡¯s go take a look together and see what interesting factors there might be.¡± Goltai was puzzled, ¡°Liszt, how did you know about that?¡± ¡°By paying attention and listening to what others say, Teacher Goltai, a qualifiedndlord can¡¯t be ignorant about his territory; one must be mindful of all aspects.¡± ¡°Okay then.¡± Goltai still couldn¡¯t figure out why he didn¡¯t know what was going on in town, yet Liszt did¡ªperhaps Liszt had arranged for surveince personnel in town? Considering the secretive actions from that morning, as well as the tunnel excavation matters, he felt that he had to work earnestly since every move of his surely fell under Liszt¡¯s scrutiny. This was not a good sign, as it meant he could lose thendlord¡¯s trust at any time. ¡°Lord Landlord, this is John Bian Dan,¡± the clerk introduced, pointing to a simple-minded serf. John Bian Dan hastily brought his wife and two children to kneel before Liszt, ¡°Lord Landlord.¡± At the same time, he was extremely nervous; he had no idea why thendlord was seeking him out. If it had been the previous tax-collecting knight who had sought him, he might have wet himself out of fear, for no good ever came from a visit by a noble. However, since Liszt arrived in Fresh Flower Town, he had a very good reputation, so John was just nervous. Indeed. Thendlord of Fresh Flower Town gave him a gentle smile and said, ¡°Don¡¯t be nervous, John. I¡¯ve heard that your tomatoes are the best, is that right?¡± ¡°Yes, yes, Lord Landlord,¡± he replied. ¡°Why are they the best, do you know the reason?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, Lord Landlord, but this season, my tomatoes have been getting better and better. The freemen in town, they all like to buy tomatoes from my farm. Even Mrs. Abbie from your castle has praised my tomatoes as the best,¡± said John with considerable pride. For serfs, no praise could be more gratifying than an acknowledgment from the castle. Liszt dispensed with further questioning and went straight to the point, ¡°In that case, take me to your tomato field.¡± Following John Bian Dan, they quickly arrived at the vast tomato fields of Tomato Hamlet. Unlike wheat which is sown overrge areas, tomatoes were nted in small, segmented plots. John¡¯s allocated tomato plot was situated right in the center of Tomato Hamlet, and it was noticeably better than the others. Of course, no matter whose plot it was, it all belonged to Liszt. ¡°Lord Landlord, these are my tomatoes,¡± John said, his face lighting up with enthusiasm, ¡°The town officials taught us how to farm, and every day I go to dig pond silt and collect manure to fertilize them, and they¡¯ve been growing better and better.¡± The tomato seedlings in the field were all robust, and it was impossible to tell which one might be nurturing an Elf Bug. However, today¡¯s Liszt had his own way of discerning. He swiftly activated his Eye of Magic and focused on the tomato field. Very quickly, he found one seedling where a faint, greenish magic power was circting¡ªsurely a Cordyceps. ¡°I think I¡¯ve figured it out,¡± Liszt dismissed the Eye of Magic and turned to Goltai, ¡°This is a sign of an Elf Bug being nurtured, Teacher Goltai. You have work to do again. Protect John¡¯s tomato seedlings, especially this one; it will be a Cordyceps.¡± ¡°Oh, my goodness, is this true? Another Elf Bug is to be born in our little town?¡± Goltai eximed, ¡°The glory of knighthood lingers on you, Baron. Fresh Flower Town is on the rise! Rest assured, I will protect this lovely little fellow and let it breed in peace.¡± Following along, Marcus also expressed his amazement and praise, ¡°To nurture two Elf Bugs in such a short time, my lord, you truly are beloved by the glory of knighthood!¡± He felt his loyalty to his following was worthwhile. Every sign indicated that Liszt was no ordinary minor Noble. His temperament, his ideas, and especially his fortune, all pointed to something greater. And as for fortune¡ªsometimes, fortune is more important than strength. Liszt smiled faintly. With the Smoke Mission around, surprises were never far off. He remained calm and announced in a gentle tone, ¡°The Tomato Elf Bug is about to breed and bring forth life; its existence will bring a brighter future to Tomato Hamlet. To reward John Bian Dan for his consistent attentive care, I¡¯ve decided to gift him a Gold Coin.¡± ¡°Lucky Serf.¡± Goltai couldn¡¯t hide his envy. His sry was ten copper coins a day, and it took over three months to save up one Gold Coin¡ªprovided he abstained from wine and meat. ¡°Elf Bug?¡± ¡°A Gold Coin?¡± ¡°Lord Landlord rewarded me with a Gold Coin?¡± Long after Liszt had left with his entourage, John still felt dizzy, as if in a dream. He had merely been growing tomatoes, and now, as if by magic, he had produced a Gold Coin? To know that a Serf, after a year of toiling in the fields, might save less than a silver coin, in a lifetime might never see a Gold Coin, yet now he owned one. ¡°Daddy, Daddy, let me see the Gold Coin, wow, I¡¯ve never seen a Gold Coin!¡± his eight-year-old son mored, trying to snatch the coin from his hands. John finally snapped to his senses, holding onto it tightly and giving his son a stern look, ¡°Get lost, a Gold Coin isn¡¯t for you to touch!¡± He turned to his wife, shaking as he handed it over, ¡°Annie, look, a Gold Coin, given to me by the Lord, we¡¯re rich! We have a Gold Coin!¡± Annie was equally trembling, out of excitement, ¡°Oh my, John, is this real? Am I dreaming?¡± ¡°You¡¯re not dreaming, I¡¯m not dreaming either, this is real, handed to me by Lord Landlord himself! Annie, we¡¯re wealthy now!¡± ¡°Oh ha ha, oh ha ha, our family is rich now!¡± their four-year-old daughter cheered, pping her little hands. ¡°Dad, let me see the Gold Coin quick!¡± his son continued to reach for the coin. John paid his son no heed, focusing instead on discussing excited future prospects with his wife, ¡°Thank heavens, thanks to the glory of the Knight¡¯s favor upon Lord Landlord, our Fresh Flower Town will only get richer.¡± Annie took the Gold Coin and rolled it in her palm, a soft expression spreading across her in face, ¡°John, we could use this Gold Coin to buy our freedom as Freemen!¡± ¡°Buy our freedom as Freemen?¡± John shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t want to.¡± ¡°Why not? Didn¡¯t you always want to be a Freeman and leave Fresh Flower Town to live in another vige?¡± ¡°That was because we could never get enough food in Fresh Flower Town, but Annie, what about now? We have seafood, incredibly cheap seafood, one copper coin buys a pile of ms. Look at Karl and Lucy, they¡¯ve put on weight! That we can fill our bellies in Fresh Flower Town is all thanks to Lord Landlord, and so is this Gold Coin!¡± With the fervor of a zealot, he spoke, ¡°I believe Lord Landlord will make Fresh Flower Town even better, I want to farm for Lord Landlord all my life! Annie, will you support me?¡± ¡°You¡¯re the head of the family, John; you decide, and I¡¯m used to life in Fresh Flower Town as well,¡± Annie responded with a smile, ¡°I¡¯ll go prepare dinner; how about we have white bread tonight?¡± ¡°Ha ha, of course, I miss the soft and sweet white bread from our wedding anniversary.¡± Their little daughterughed and pped, ¡°Oh oh oh, we¡¯re having white bread tonight!¡± The oldest son started to whine, ¡°Mom, let me see the Gold Coin, Mom¡­¡± Chapter 57: Selection of the Young Knight Chapter 57: Selection of the Young Knight Trantor: Henyee Trantions Editor: Henyee Trantions ¡°Complete the mission, and be rewarded with a Tomato Elf Bug.¡± ¡°Mission: The territorycks the protection of knights and is always on the brink of danger. The four Retainer Knights are useless, but more seeds await discovery. Seafood has brought nutrition, please select suitable youths for knight training. Reward: an unhatched Magical Beast Egg.¡± The serpent script formed by smoke slowly dispersed. Liszt came back to his senses, the mission in Tomato Hamlet was easilypleted. In fact, all the Smoke Missions were not difficult, it was just a process of taking advantage of the situation. ¡°An unhatched Magical Beast Egg, huh? That would mean they¡¯re giving me another flying magical beast,¡± Liszt nced at Douson, whoy sprawled at his feet panting like a dog to cool off, and suddenly envisioned a grand scene. Leading Dahuang with the left hand, brandishing the skies with the right. The old me indulges in the wild ways of youth. Without a big yellow dog or an eagle, he had even more ferocious magical beasts. Douson, the Fierce Earth Dog, had been trained to react onmand,unching into attacks, biting, sitting, lying down, jumping, and climbing at a mere gesture from Liszt. Training Douson was easier than a dog, for it was smarter. But Douson, the Fierce Earth Dog, had yet to sessfully cast the magic it could master¡ªRock Spike. ¡°I know how to train dogs but not eagles. I wonder if this soon-to-be pet magical beast bird will be smart and easy to train. If it can¡¯t be tamed, I¡¯ll have no choice but to roast it.¡± As he mused, Liszt couldn¡¯t help but stretch out his tongue and lick his lips involuntarily. Chicken rearing in Fresh Flower Town was rare, mostly forying eggs, and even getting a chicken to eat was not easy, let alone more elusive ducks and geese. Now, he truly ¡°yearned deeply for a taste of bird¡±. In Thorn Ridge, game was plentiful, and Marcus was an excellent archer, easily shooting down a few birds. However, he, too proud and aspiring to be a noble, wouldn¡¯t degrade himself to a hunter¡¯s level with ease. For nobles, hunting was a pastime; for him, it was demeaning his status. For Liszt, this was a bizarre concept, but for someone like Marcus, it was his life¡¯s pursuit. So, Liszt felt it was inappropriate to casuallymand Marcus to hunt birds just to appease his own cravings. ¡°Originally, I hadn¡¯t nned on forming a Knight Squad so soon; there are too few freemen, hardly enough superior seedlings. But since the mission is issued, let¡¯s do it. Boys aged between ten and sixteen in the town, there should be a few hundred of them. Select twelve, and form a small team for now.¡± A Knight Squadprises twelve members: one Captain, one Deputy, and ten knights. Large nobles establish their own Knight Academies, selecting children from a young age to train, eliminating batches until the qualified remain to be theirndlords¡¯ Retainer Knights and join the Knight Order. Marcus was such a knight, sent to the Knight Academy at a very young age by his father. Sons of barons and Honored Knights also train at the Knight Academy, including Liszt, who had attended it. Without such foundations, Fresh Flower Town could only pick a few healthy youths and awkwardly form a not-quite-right Knight Squad for training. A skilled woman cannot cook without rice, and Liszt had no other choice but to make do andplete the Smoke Mission for now. ¡°My Lord, you wish to select new Retainer Knights and form a Knight Squad?¡± Thomas, having learned of Liszt¡¯s intent at the evening banquet, became immediately excited. ¡°With the abundance of food in Fresh Flower Town, we don¡¯t need to be cautious. The Patrol Team is unreliable; they are but ordinary people. Karl and the others have yet to produce any Dou Qi, so I need new strength to secure Fresh Flower Town¡¯s safety¡­ Winter is only half a year away.¡± As Liszt spoke, he blinked, ¡°Actually, I will inevitably make a move on Thorn Ridge; they are an obstacle to the development of Fresh Flower Town. Teacher Marcus, I need you to oversee the selection and training of the Knight Squad.¡± The Earl had not set boundaries for the town, so he naturally had the option to annex Thorn Ridge. Thomas immediately performed a knightly salute, saying earnestly, ¡°Please rest assured, Lord Landlord, Marcus will surely select suitable Knight Cadets and properly train them!¡± ¡°I will have Teacher Goltai fully cooperate with you to train them excellently, Teacher Marcus.¡± ¡°As you wish, my lord!¡± As Marcus left the castle with his head held high and chest out, his manner was that of a seasoned Earth Knight, without reservation. Since arriving in Fresh Flower Town, he had always been sulking, as the only things he could do every day, aside from protecting Liszt, were drilling the four Retainer Knights, including Karl. He had witnessed Liszt¡¯s wisdom and luck and understood Liszt¡¯s spirit and ambition. He decided to serve andy in wait for the opportunity to establish merits and make achievements. Having also seen the ¡°wealth of the sea¡± that Liszt spoke of, his belief grew even stronger. Nevertheless, he had always been somewhat awkward, unsure of the role he could y in the little town. At the very least, for a few years, Liszt would not enter the battlefield¡ª without knights, what use was there to go to battle? He was eager to clear Thorn Ridge, but as a single Earth Knight, he knew it was impossible. It was quite a regret, akin to ¡°having no way to serve one¡¯s country.¡± Now, the opportunity had finally arrived. Liszt had decided to form a Knight Squad, taking the first step towards establishing merits and making his mark. Marcus could hardly wait to pick out the most suitable Retainer Knights, train them into a fighting force, and clear out Thorn Ridge. He wanted to be ready for battle when the Grand Duchy started the next war. That night, he obtained the census list of Fresh Flower Town¡¯s inhabitants from Goltai. He picked out all the boys between the ages of ten and sixteen and the next day sent the four Retainer Knights to bring these boys from their homes. The sun scorched the earth as two hundred and thirty-three boys of varying heights and builds stood tall, seriously and earnestly. Their eyes were filled with longing, nervousness, worry, fear, and aspiration, for they all had been informed that the Lord Landlord was preparing to select Retainer Knights. They all understood the meaning of being a Retainer Knight, and even if they didn¡¯t, their parents and neighbors would tell them what it entailed. There were two types of Retainer Knights. One kind, like Karl Ironhammer and Rom Barrel, primarily served as ¡°Retainers,¡± with a serf¡¯s status, sold to the nobles, whose main tasks were to apany the nobles on travels and, when on the battlefield, to carry the equipment, doundry, cook, and so on. The other kind was like Marcus, whose main role was to ¡°fight¡± as a Retainer Knight. They were usually freemen and their main task wasbat. Many sons of minor nobles also went to other nobles¡¯nds to serve as Retainer Knights, learning thebat skills of a knight and the etiquette of the nobility. Afterpleting their training, they would either return home to inherit their titles or go to the battlefield to establish merits and achievements. Essentially, Retainer Knights were the nobility¡¯s reserves, a preliminary qualification. Even serfs, once chosen as Retainer Knights and having made meritorious deeds, would have their freeman status restored, and if they earned further merits, they could even be granted noble titles. Even without many merits to their name, following the nobles meant not worrying about food and drink, and they could save money to help support their families. Therefore, All the youths stood straight, each trying to present themselves in the best light, hoping to be chosen as a Retainer Knight¡ªthey all understood that this was an opportunity to change their fate, perhaps the only one they would get in their lifetime. Mounted on a dun horse, Marcus looked at each young boy and could vaguely see his own past self. Many years ago, hadn¡¯t he too gone through such a selection, picked by the Knight Captain of an Earl. Of course, at that time, he had already studied for two years at the Knight Academy. The foundation of these boys before him was zero. Chapter 58: Learning Magic by Force Chapter 58: Learning Magic by Force Trantor: Henyee Trantions Editor: Henyee Trantions Liszt did not disturb Marcus¡¯s selection process, and he did have the intention of performing some basic drill training like marching in step and keeping soldiers aligned. However, the existence of Magic Power and Dou Qi magnified individual strength so tremendously that discipline could notpensate. Elite Earth Knights like Marcus could fight a hundred ordinary Retainer Knights with ease. Even as a novice Earth Knight, Liszt could take on twenty or thirty ordinary Retainer Knights as long as his Dou Qi was sufficient. Regr Retainer Knights wouldn¡¯t be able to get close to him and would only be able to deplete his Dou Qi first. As a former instructor at the Knight Academy, Marcus had his own methods of training novice Knights. So. It was too hot, and Liszt stayed inside the castle, training Douson. ¡°Sit, Douson!¡± Now as big as arge dog, upon hearing themand, Douson immediately sat down on the ground, panting and looking up at Liszt. Liszt threw him a piece of jerked meat and then rubbed Douson¡¯s head. He used the Eye of Magic Power. He could see that Douson¡¯s Magic Power was already abundant. ¡°Theoretically, Douson has arge amount of Magic Power. Having been well-fed and taken care of in the castle, his development has been rapid, and he¡¯s reached the level where he can cast spells. Unfortunately, without the guidance of a mature Fierce Earth Dog, he probably doesn¡¯t know how to control the Magic Power within his body. Should I guide him a little?¡± With the Eye of Magic Power to observe, Liszt was confident that he could guide the release of Douson¡¯s Magic Power. But there was the risk of danger, and the possibility of identally killing Douson was hard to predict. Hesitationsted but a moment before he quickly made a decision, ¡°I won¡¯t do the guiding. If the umtion of Magic Power bes too much and Douson cannot vent it, he could suffocate just the same. Rather than that, it¡¯s better to teach him magic earlier. Even if he dies, not much food would have been wasted¡­ and most importantly, our emotional bond isn¡¯t deep yet.¡± Before the transmigration, Liszt had kept dogs, and when they died of old age and sickness, it pained him for a long time. Now he didn¡¯t easily form emotional attachments to pets anymore. Half of a person¡¯s suffering stems from emotional investment. An adult¡¯s soul and mind act with the knowledge to cut losses in a timely manner. ¡°Come here, Douson.¡± He waved his hand and Douson immediately came trotting over, tail wagging. ¡°Woof woof, bark bark!¡± Truth be told, the Fierce Earth Dog was simply arger version of an Earth dog, with behaviors and a temperament close to that of dogs. Perhaps this was also why they were named Fierce Earth Dogs¡ªessentially Earth dogs, just a bit more temperamental. ¡°I will now teach you magic!¡± Liszt soothed the Fierce Earth Dog, calming it down, and used the Eye of Magic Power to continuously observe the flow of Magic Power within its body. Magic and Dou Qi are both forms of Magic Power. The distinction lies in the fact that Magic is Magic Power refined by Magicians from outside elements, while Dou Qi is Magic Power refined by Knights themselves. This is why Magicians can control a variety of Magic attributes, one moment conjuring a fireball, the nextpressing a water arrow; whereas Knights can only control the Dou Qi of their own attribute. As for the Magic Power of Magical Beasts. Half is refined from within and half absorbed from the environment, the recovery rate surpassing that of human Magicians and Knights. In terms of releasing Magic Power, Magicians simply need to guide the elements in the air tobine and form various spells. Knights, on the other hand, require weapons to infuse the Dou Qi and prevent it from dissipating into the air. ¡°Magical Beasts certainly can¡¯t learn theplex casting techniques and esoteric magical knowledge of Magicians, so their spellcasting is more akin to an instinctual bodily response¡­ If I guide its Magic Power to vent, it should naturally release Rock Spike¡­ Shouldn¡¯t it?¡± Just like Knights releasing Dou Qi. Knight typically channel their Dou Qi through their hands, and Liszt thought, ¡°Which part of his body should Douson use to cast spells? His paws?¡± Both paws shouldn¡¯t work, since it needs to walk on them¡ª I¡¯ve never heard of a knight releasing Dou Qi with both feet. Suddenly, he remembered when he had first arrived at Fresh Flower Town and encountered the Wind de Wolf at Thorn Ridge, which released magic¡ªWind de¡ªfrom its mouth. ording to the structure of animal limbs, their most appropriate ce for releasing magic should be the mouth. ¡°So, I need to channel Douson¡¯s magic power into its mouth and then break the bonds, which shouldn¡¯t be difficult¡­ I remember my predecessor was rather dumb, but he encountered no difficulty when releasing Dou Qi for the first time.¡± As he thought this, his hands were already in motion, pressing down on Douson, and his Dou Qi burst forth, guiding Douson¡¯s internal magic power. ¡°Whimper!¡± Douson, feeling as if it were on fire, struggled wildly, but as it was still just a pup of a few months old, it couldn¡¯t break free from the restraints of the Earth Knight. It could only be baptized with Liszt¡¯s Dou Qi. His fire attribute Dou Qi, with its searing and explosive nature, was equivalent to giving it a sauna bath at several hundred degrees. The dog¡¯s eyes turned red instantly. Its body temperature also rose rapidly, steaming hot. ¡°I seem to have forgotten that my Dou Qi is of the fire attribute, which seems unsuitable for guiding¡­ But what¡¯s done is done, sess or failure hinges on this attempt.¡± With a sharp effort and coordinating with a shout, he eximed, ¡°Douson, release your magic power!¡± Bang-dong! The Eye of Magic saw Douson¡¯s internal magic power concentrate at the location of its mouth under his guidance and push of his Dou Qi. Then, with an explosive-like sound, the magic power suddenly burst open somewhere in Douson¡¯s mouth, like piercing a water-filled balloon. What followed was a moment of witnessing a miracle. Out of the grass nearby, three giant, bamboo shoot-shaped rock spikes emerged, each as thick as an adult¡¯s thigh, sharp at the tip like a needle, measuring at least one meter in length. ¡°Beautiful!¡± Lisztughed loudly: ¡°Well done, Douson, you¡¯ve learned a magic spell!¡± Looking at the rock spikes, he felt extremely proud. This magic move was perfect for sneak attacks and ambushes. Just thinking about it, all he needed to do was shout, ¡°Douson, release your magic power,¡± and rock spikes would instantly invade the enemy¡¯s defenses. The scene was simply too beautiful for words. Suddenly, the voice of his personal servant, Thomas, came from behind: ¡°Master, Douson seems to be injured.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± It was only then that Liszt noticed Douson, nownguishing on the ground with arge amount of blood flowing from its mouth¡ªits mouth had practically exploded. Fortunately, upon closer inspection, Douson had only suffered superficial injuries from the discharge of magic power, without damage to its bones and muscles. Itsnguishing was more a result of the excessive release of magic power, causing depletion within its body. Once he understood the situation, Liszt was able to rx. He said to Thomas, ¡°This is the danger thates with magic¡­ Why do you think those mysterious magicians are so rare and not liked by everyone? It¡¯s because their magic experiments are always fraught with danger; explosions can happen at any time. They don¡¯t understand the scientific essence and yet they foolishly try to control the rules.¡± These words sounded more like he was talking to himself. Thomas didn¡¯t understand and asked curiously, ¡°Master, have you seen a magician before?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Then you are truly great, Master. You have never seen a magician, yet you taught Douson magic. Praise the Master!¡± Thomas eximed with the awe of a zealot. Liszt smiled faintly. This trifle was hardly worth mentioning. He took out a handkerchief and wiped his hands, ¡°Thomas, take good care of Douson, bandage its wounds, and make sure to mash up its food before feeding.¡± ¡°Yes, Master.¡± Chapter 59 - 59 Ultimate Mystery Technique Inferno Slash Chapter 59 Ultimate Mystery Technique Inferno sh Trantor: Henyee Trantions Editor: Henyee Trantions Force had taught Douson how to release magic, leaving Liszt with a great sense of aplishment. ¡°After all, I am someone who understands science.¡± Experimenting, conducting more experiments, that was the foundation of science, just as he had simply figured out the state of the Space Ring¡ªmotionless, able to store ordinary items, but not living creatures; the Space Ring would immediately annihte the soul¡ªLiszt believed the soul was a kind of material motion that, once halted, ceased to exist. He also repeatedly put things in and took them out, experimenting with the consumption of magic power. For now, using the Space Ring consumed a bit too much power. Busy and fulfilled, life was very fulfilling. But over the next two days, he began to feel bored. The Elf Bugs were all well settled and didn¡¯t need his attention; agriculture and fisheries were thriving, needing no concern; road construction was slow but orderly, houses in Ganhai Tun were starting to dig foundations; the candidates for the Knight Squad were undergoing Marcus¡¯s trials, not requiring his attention. He hadpletely fallen into the lifestyle of most nobles¡ªboredom had set in, leaving him to invent tasks for himself. If he were near a city, he could host balls or banquets, or go hunting to expand his noble connections. But Fresh Flower Town was quite isted, and there were only four people qualified to dine with him; he couldn¡¯t possibly prepare banquets for them every day. So, Liszt decided to find himself something else to do. He nned to conquer Thorn Ridge ahead of schedule. ¡°Thorn Ridge is the biggest obstacle for Fresh Flower Town; it must be opened up, otherwisemunication with Coral City is difficult, and I¡¯m almost blind here.¡± Understanding the importance of information exchange as someone with a modern mindset, Liszt was acutely aware. He had discussed human trafficking with Levis but couldn¡¯t be sure that Levis was really taking it seriously. Counting the days, the Tulip Fleet should be almost ready to return, and if Levis forgot to make arrangements by the next trade voyage, it would be at least three months before another opportunity arose. For the fleet to trade at sea, it had to pass through quite a few inds, taking at least three months for one trip. Missing this opportunity would dy the development of Fresh Flower Town for another three months, and although time wasn¡¯t pressing for him, Liszt still didn¡¯t want to waste it. ¡°Magical Beasts, difficult to deal with for now, because they canunch surprise attacks in the forest at any moment. But if I clear all the trees in Thorn Ridge, can the Magical Beasts still defeat Marcus on an open field? Besides, I¡¯m not a vegetarian, and even if I were, my Crimson Blood Sword still thirsts for blood!¡± A gemstone weapon, against low-level Magical Beasts, is definitely a great advantage. Perhaps it couldn¡¯t cut through hair as if it were butter, but the embedded ruby, resonating with the power of magic and Dou Qi, could at least double Liszt¡¯sbat ability. ng! He drew the Crimson Blood Sword, gripping it tightly with both hands, a two-handed sword suitable for shing while on horseback. The silver-white de gleamed with cold light. ¡°Heart of the Fire Dragon Drill!¡± Liszt uttered softly, swinging the sword forward with both hands. The Ultimate Mystery Technique of ¡°Fire Dragon Drill¡± activated, with mes rising on the Crimson Blood Sword and surging forward; the air itself was scorched, making explosive crackling sounds. It was originally a move designed for unison between rider and horse, but Liszt, through recent study, could now perform it solo. And he could channel the attack in one direction, without harming himself. Sheathing the sword, he stood tall. The mes in the air dissipated and everything returned to calm, only the still scorching temperature indicating that someone had just used a powerful move. He exhaled lightly, ¡°With that strike, if there had been a Wind de Wolf in front of me, it would already be dead.¡± The ¡°Fire Dragon Drill¡± was now thoroughly mastered. He was no longer just a novice Earth Knight; he already possessed the power to fight, onlycking real battle experience. He nned to continue studying ¡°ming Wave¡±, a Dou Qi Manuscript suitable for a Knight¡¯s charge in groupbat, requiring coordination with a mount. Three out of four Retainer Knights were assisting Marcus in selecting the Knight Squad. Only Gray Scythe remained standing by his side. ¡°Gray, carry my Knight Spear, I want to practice spearmanship on horseback.¡± ¡°Yes, my lord!¡± He went to the stables. The lush alfalfa stretched endlessly, its growth most vigorous near the Alfalfa Cordyceps. This meadow was upied by the Li Dragon Horses, and other horses dared not graze here. asionally, Fire Dragon Horses would stealthilye to take a few bites but would get bitten and chased away if the Li Dragon Horses discovered them. The Li Dragon Horses that were not in heat paid no attention to whether the others were male or female. ¡°Master, are you nning to ride a horse? Do you need me to bring the horse gear?¡± Tom, returning with water, saw that Liszt had no manservant following him and hurried over to ask. ¡°No need, you go about your business.¡± ¡°Yes, Master.¡± Liszt whistled sharply, and in a sh, a pure ck stallion came galloping as if riding the wind¡ªit was the dragon-blooded Li Dragon Horse. Its shoulder height was at least 1.9 meters, even taller than Liszt¡¯s stature. Therefore, mounting it required a leap onto its back. Such a tall and majestic horse truly warranted a magnificent rider. Without reins, saddle, or stirrups, the temperament of the Li Dragon Horse simply would not allow itself to be bound by such gear. Liszt didn¡¯t insist either, as he now possessed the physical attributes of an Earth Knight, and his equestrian skills were bing increasingly exquisite. With his exquisite horsemanship, he could achieve a perfect unity with the horse without relying on any gear. ¡°Li Dragon, cooperate with me well,¡± Liszt said as he patted the neck of the Li Dragon Horse and took the Knight¡¯s Spear handed to him by Gray. The spear, nearly three meters long, required immense strength to wield. Forged from fine steel, the Retainer Knights polished and maintained it daily, so it gleamed with a silver shine. ¡°Hmph!¡± The Li Dragon Horse, as if showcasing its strength, reared up, lifting its front hooves off the ground and trumpeting towards the sunlight. It then carried Liszt around the paddock, his control seamless whether at a sprint, sudden halt, jump, or pivot. Meanwhile, Liszt, on horseback, took the opportunity to perform the ¡°ming Wave¡±. The Knight¡¯s Spear was too long to wield like a one-handed sword, but following the rhythm of the Li Dragon Horse, each movement was forceful and powerful. ¡°Inferno sh!¡± Liszt bellowed, rallying all his Dou Qi into the Knight¡¯s Spear, which shone with intense energy as if fueled by the Li Dragon Horse¡¯s will in a mad leap. The Dou Qi ignited the air, and the entire Knight¡¯s Spear seemed aze. With a horizontal sweep from the soaring horse¡¯s back, crimson and golden mes rained down, scorching the alfalfa to cinders in an instant upon touching the ground. Hum! The Li Dragon Horsended and steadied itself as Liszt drove the Knight Spear into the ground at an angle to stabilize the chaotic Dou Qi within his body. The Inferno sh was the ultimate mystery technique of the ¡°ming Wave¡±, consuming a tremendous amount of energy but capable of wiping out dozens of enemies in one strike during a charge. Especially with the Li Dragon Horse¡¯s immense strength, lightning speed, and ferocious nature, this technique could be performed to its fullest effect. This was something he could not achieve in cooperation with the Fire Dragon Horses. ¡°It¡¯s a pity that you are to be a prime stud horse, and I cannot ride you into battle¡­ Of course, it¡¯s also unlikely that I would personally go into battle.¡± Dismounting, Liszt patted the Li Dragon Horse¡¯s nk, signaling it to graze freely as he changed his whistle to call forth the Fire Dragon Horse. Riding the Fire Dragon Horse, he headed back towards the castle. ¡°Gray, go call Teacher Goltai over.¡± ¡°Yes, my lord!¡± A momentter, Goltai arrived at the castle: ¡°Liszt, what is it?¡± ¡°I n to cut down the trees in Thorn Ridge, shrink the habitat of the Magical Beasts, and clear the path obstructing Fresh Flower Town¡¯s development,¡± Liszt dered with an air of confidence. Goltai frowned: ¡°Cutting down trees could lead to encounters with Magical Beasts; isn¡¯t that too risky?¡± ¡°With Teacher Marcus and me personally providing protection, as long as we don¡¯t encounterrge numbers of Magical Beasts, there¡¯s basically no danger since we¡¯ll be fighting in an open area. Besides, Magical Beasts in Thorn Ridge are rare. I¡¯m not nning to cut down all the trees, just the ones along the sides of the road.¡± First, to cut down a part, graduallypressing the living space of the Magical Beasts, and then, when everything was ready, to finish the job in one fell swoop. That was Liszt¡¯s n. Chapter 60: Gao Ertai’s Psychological Struggle Chapter 60: Gao Ertai¡¯s Psychological Struggle Trantor: Henyee Trantions Editor: Henyee Trantions ¡°Li Si Te¡¯s actions are bing more and more frequent, and there isn¡¯t a moment of rest throughout the day, Isaiah, I haven¡¯t had a good night¡¯s sleep for a week now.¡± Goltai, in the town¡¯s administrative housing, fanned himself vigorously with thick parchment to cool himself down: ¡°I originally thought thating to Fresh Flower Town would be an easy job, but it has nearly exhausted me.¡± ¡°Clearly, officials without ambition are not what Li Si Te expects,¡± Isaiah, busy with his fingers calcting this quarter¡¯s taxes and without looking up, said, ¡°Goltai, you should make yourself more diligent, afortable life will erode a knight¡¯s fighting spirit.¡± ¡°It seems that you¡¯ve grown to like life in Fresh Flower Town just like ir, I remember when you first arrived, you had endlessints.¡± ¡°I was indeed very disappointed when I first arrived, it was dpidated, crude, and there were hardly any people,¡± Isaiah moved his fingers, which had gone somewhat numb from doing arithmetic, ¡°But after getting used to it, I find that Fresh Flower Town has an unprecedented vitality. I¡¯ve talked to Marcus about it; he says that Li Si Te is a noble unlike any other.¡± ¡°Indeed, he is unlike any other,¡± Goltai spread his hands. ¡°So I think, Marcus¡¯s aspiration to be a noble lies with Li Si Te, and perhaps here is also where I can revive my family¡¯s hopes.¡± ¡°It looks like you¡¯re serious.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t keep being mediocre. For the sake of my foolish son, I must pull myself together.¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s about time to pull yourself together. I¡¯m going to check on the construction progress of the houses in Oyster Vige. The entire town is short-staffed now, I need to rack my brains on how to organize a Lumberjack Team.¡± Despite his words, Goltai did not head to Oyster Vige after leaving the administration; instead, he returned to his residence in the town. It was a two-story building, formerly the residence of the Tax Knight¡ªthe Castle could only be inhabited by thendlord, and even if it was vacant, ordinary people could not move in. ¡°My Lord, you¡¯re back. Is work over for the day?¡± A young girl dressed in a coarse linen dress hurried over to help Goltai take off his coat. Goltai¡¯s hands inappropriately touched the girl¡¯s buttocks: ¡°Work is never done, but life goes on.¡± The girl¡¯s face flushed red: ¡°If you don¡¯t go to work, won¡¯t Lord Landlord me you?¡± ¡°I was Li Si Te¡¯s teacher, the town¡¯s administrative officer, I have the right to give myself a half-day off¡­ Freya, I¡¯ve missed you, I can¡¯t focus on my work.¡± Saying so, Goltai embraced Freya, kissing her cheek, and then pushed the girl toward the bedroom. Freya quickly wrestled free, panicking, ¡°My, my Lord, it¡¯s still daytime.¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong with daytime? Recently, there¡¯s been too much oyster-eating, not enough time at night,¡± Goltai selectively forgot that every evening, he could still onlyst once, and not more than thirty seconds at a time. Freya looked somewhat panicked, seemingly searching for a topic to divert the conversation: ¡°You seem to be in a bad mood, is it because of the advisor issue?¡± ¡°Of course I¡¯m not in a good mood, he¡¯s thendlord, he has the right tomand me to work for him, even if it¡¯s from morning to night, non-stop. But I¡¯ve been in Fresh Flower Town for three months now, and I still haven¡¯t been given the position of advisor. Damn it, who else here is qualified to be an advisor besides me?¡± Goltai hit the wall of the house hard, his tone filled with indignation: ¡°I¡¯m starting to regreting to Fresh Flower Town!¡± Freya¡¯s expression changed: ¡°My Lord, do you, do you intend to leave here?¡± ¡°Not for now, Freya, it is you who make me linger, unwilling to leave.¡± Goltai embraced Freya again, kissing her. Freya pushed him away forcefully. Goltai¡¯s face suddenly darkened: ¡°Freya, what do you mean by that!¡± Freya took a deep breath, allowing herself to smile again: ¡°I know you¡¯re unhappy, you¡¯ve been preupied these past few days, I guess you want to return to Coral City, a muchrger city than Fresh Flower Town, countless times more prosperous¡­ I want to tell you, my Lord, that Freya will stay in Fresh Flower Town, to raise your child. Please don¡¯t worry.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Goltai¡¯s face changed and changed again. ¡°I¡¯m pregnant.¡± With a soft utterance, all of Goltai¡¯s expressions froze on his face. It took him a long while toe to his senses, ¡°You¡¯re pregnant?¡± ¡°Mhm.¡± Freya touched her own stomach, and even though it was still t, she could feel a strong little heartbeat throbbing within. During the conversation, she suddenly started to retch. No longer doubting, Goltai knew that Freya was indeed pregnant, but he didn¡¯t know whether to be thrilled or shocked¡ªhe had a wife and children in Coral City, his children were grown and married, and he even had a grandson who was born the year beforest¡ªhe was only here seeking an affair to fill his loneliness. He had never thought such a day woulde. ¡°Oh heavens, Freya, I mean, I¡¯m very confused right now, sorry, I don¡¯t know how to face this news.¡± Goltai stammered. Freya just smiled, ¡°It¡¯s alright, my Lord, I know that as a serf like me, there is no better tomorrow. I am very grateful to you for giving me some fairly happy memories, and I will raise him on my own, he will grow up healthy and strong¡­ I just hope, when you leave, can you grant him freeman status?¡± ¡°Freeman?¡± Goltai fell into hesitation and conflict, while Freya just smiled at him. After a moment, he took a deep breath and finally made a decision, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Freya, I have let you down¡­¡± Freya¡¯s smile quickly faded. But the next thing Goltai said brought a brighter smile to her face. ¡°I hesitated just now, which I shouldn¡¯t have¡ªI promise you, I will not, at least not now, leave Fresh Flower Town. I want to see him born, to tell him his father¡¯s name, Goltai Mast¡­ I think I know what to do now, I¡¯ve never really immersed myself in Fresh Flower Town.¡± Goltai drew Freya into his arms, with warmth and not lust, ¡°Because I¡¯ve been a noble, ustomed tofort rather than struggle, Iined about Liszt not offering me a consultant position, yet I never worked hard. But now, I must work hard and earn back some noble glory, for our child!¡± ¡°Is this true, my Lord?¡± Freya¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Of course, I promise it, by my knight¡¯s honor!¡± A moment of tenderness. Goltai broke free from the tender trap and donned his own ck Abaie, striding out of the house¡ªthis time he was truly inspecting the housing construction in Oyster Vige. At night, another small feast was being held in the castle. Before the feast started, Marcus, ir, and Isaiah were idly chatting, while in the study, Goltai was reporting his work progress to Liszt. ¡°The main road from Thorn Ridge to the town is now half-built, we have plenty of sand, but we¡¯re running short on stones. I¡¯ve started drafting robust serfs to form a Lumberjack Team and will also break up the stones from Thorn Ridge to transport for road construction. If the stone supply from Thorn Ridge is ample, the sandy roads between the viges could also be paved with gravel.¡± ¡°That¡¯s an excellent n, carry it out just like that, Teacher Goltai,¡± Liszt nodded in approval. It wasn¡¯t just the n that was appealing but also Goltai¡¯s attitude. In the past, Goltai would attend each feast only in body to eat and drink and to crack witty remarks, never taking the initiative to talk about work. Today was a bit unexpected, as he proactively reported on his work. As thendlord, of course, he favored subordinates who were keen on their jobs, rather than those who only mooched food and drink. Chapter 61: Boiled Peanuts and Hops Chapter 61: Boiled Peanuts and Hops Trantor: 549690339 ¡°Peanuts for the main dish tonight?¡± Marcus expertly shelled peanuts, wondering aloud. Wheat might be the top choice for staple food, but its yield was generally low, so peanuts and peas had to fill the gap. ¡°How do they taste?¡± Liszt inquired, for he had no boiled peanuts before him. He didn¡¯t fancy boiled peanuts, so as the master of the castle, Cook Abbie had specially made him porridge with oats. As for everyone else, they weren¡¯t so fortunate. ¡°They¡¯re tender and appropriately mushy, just a bit nd and tasteless,¡± hemented. Goltai chimed in, ¡°That¡¯s just how boiled peanuts taste. They¡¯re nice for a change, to spice up the pte once in a while, but you¡¯ll get tired of them if you eat them often. However, tonight¡¯s peanuts arerger than usual¡ªdid you notice?¡± It dawned on Marcus, ¡°Has the harvest from Peanut Hamlete in?¡± ¡°This is the first batch, from the peanuts grown near the cordyceps. The yield is thirty percent higher than usual, and the growing cycle has been shortened by a month. The castle won¡¯t be short of peanuts this year. I think Mrs. Abbie should find time to make more peanut butter. Spread on bread, it stays fragrant all day.¡± In Fresh Flower Town, none was a greater gourmet than Goltai, the Honored Knight who always had endless things to say about food and drink. Liszt smiled faintly, ¡°Pair it with juniper wine, and it would be perfect.¡± ¡°Oh, Liszt, you really get me, haha.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a pity the juniper wine we brought back from Coral Cityst time has all been drunk up.¡± ¡°To be honest, I really didn¡¯t want to hear that.¡± ¡°In fact, there¡¯s even more disheartening news,¡± Liszt said, sipping his oatmeal porridge slowly, ¡°The stock in the wine cer is at rock bottom. Mr. Carter advises against drinking any more red wine, or we won¡¯t have enough for the festivals in the second half of the year. And as for beer, the ones made with hops are almost finished. We¡¯re left with only the sour-tasting ones.¡± ¡°Good heavens, that can¡¯t be true, can it.¡± Liszt did not respond. Butler Carter, attending behind at the banquet, answered on his behalf: ¡°The weather is turning hot, and beer is being consumed inrge quantities. Without trading caravansing and going, we cannot produce our own hopped beer. If it weren¡¯t for the Earl¡¯s recent convoy, which brought many barrels of beer, the castle would be running even lower on the sour beer by now.¡± Goltai frowned deeply, ¡°I think we should really build a dock and purchase hops directly from Viscount Trik.¡± Unfortunately, the East Coast of Fresh Flower Town was all t sandy beaches with no deep-water ports for constructing a dock. As for Viscount Trik, he was a follower of the Coral Ind¡¯s Count, full named Trik Lycra, and he owned a separate small ind¡ªBeer Ind. There, a magnificent castle stood¡ªBeer Castle. The Lycra Family¡¯s beer, renowned for its use of hops, was a best-seller on severalrge inds. Beer was the mostmon type of alcoholic beverage in the Grand Duchy,ing in two varieties: hopped and unhopped. Hops, a species of the Lycra genus, yed a significant role in beer¡ªthey imparted a refreshing aroma, bitterness, and preservative qualities to it, promoted good foam formation which helped rify the wort, and the strong hop vor bnced the natural sweetness of the malt and stimted appetite. Beer without hops quickly turned sour and was hard to swallow. The hopped beer on Coral Ind was exclusively brewed by the Lycra Family, and it was this industry that allowed them to afford the famed Beer Castle. ¡°A dock is out of the question; that¡¯s why I want topletely clear the roads through Thorn Ridge. Only then can trading caravans enter Fresh Flower Town¡­ We don¡¯t have the Tax Knights anymore to protect the tradersing and going,¡± said Liszt, then turning to Marcus, ¡°Teacher Marcus, has the selection for the Knight Squad not finished yet?¡± Setting aside the boiled peanuts he was holding, Marcus replied, ¡°Tomorrow is thest selection date. I already have some preliminary choices, but their physical conditioning is still too poor. Only two meet the entrance standards of the Knight Academy.¡± ¡°Perhaps it¡¯s because they¡¯re not getting enough to eat, but now that the Knight Squad is being provided for by the Castle, I believe their physical condition will see significant improvement.¡± ¡°Then I can stop worrying about the food and focus on training.¡± ¡°Yes, make sure they master Dou Qi as soon as possible. Fresh Flower Town should not only have five knights capable of Dou Qi. Going forward, we will rely on knights for many things.¡± Unexpectedly, Liszt saw the Lumberjack Team the very next day. He had thought that Goltai would need at least two or three days to pull together healthy serfs for the work, but today brought a surprise. Mounted on his horse, Goltai personally led the Lumberjack Team to gather on the main road outside the Castle. In total, there were thirty strong serfs, but only half of them had either a new or old axe in hand, and the team had only two saws, both brought from home by the carpenter¡¯s son. Iron was scarce. The metal was controlled by nations with dragons, and it was very difficult to obtain. This was also why the Duchy of Sapphire often organized its knight orders to wage war on the continent and plunder mineral resources¡ªthe iron mines of the Grand Duchy were mostly seized from the Eagle Kingdom and then transported bit by bit to each ind by sea. In Fresh Flower Town, many serfs had to work with wooden, stone, and bone utensils. It was a different scene from the orderly and solemn one he had imagined. The group of strong serfs wore thick anxiety on their faces¡ªthe Landlord demanded they fell timber in Thorn Ridge, a dangerous task. If they encountered a Magical Beast, their wives might have to remarry. ¡°Teacher Goltai, didn¡¯t you tell them that I would send protection?¡± ¡°Of course, I informed them, but they are still trembling.¡± Liszt nodded, understanding, ¡°Words are pale.¡± While they were speaking, a team shouting slogans ran over from the riding ground to the Castle. Four knights followed and supervised, with Marcus leading the way. ¡°My lord!¡± Marcus dismounted and saluted Liszt. ¡°Why thirty?¡± ¡°They will escort the lumberjacks. Based on today¡¯s performance, I will make the final selection for my squad. Their physiques are about the same, and their minds aren¡¯t too dull. Now, thest criterion is an examination of courage. A knight cannot be without courage,¡± Marcus exined. Hearing this, Goltai said, ¡°Liszt, won¡¯t you say something before we set off?¡± Liszt nodded, of course he needed to say a few words for the asion. Majestically attired in his ck beast armor, he rode his Li Dragon Horse and slowly approached the front of both teams. With a solemn expression, Liszt swept his gaze over each person in the teams and spoke out loud, ¡°Fellow citizens, I am your Landlord, Liszt Tulip.¡± He paused, suddenly finding himself at a loss for words. He still hadn¡¯t quite mastered the skill of showing off, and after a moment, he decided to omit the lengthy, provocative speech and simply said withposure, ¡°Today, you will chop down the trees of Thorn Ridge for me, clearing the path between the town and the outside world, and I, will protect your safety!¡± Words are pale, and facing the still uneasy serfs, he simply raised his riding crop lightly, and the Li Dragon Horse lifted its forelegs and let out a skyward roar. As the horse hooves hit the ground, Liszt had already taken the lead on horseback. ¡°Forward!¡± Chapter 62 - 62 Monkeys and Birds Start Fighting Chapter 62 Monkeys and Birds Start Fighting Trantor: 549690339 ¡°Puff out your chest, and muster your spirit!¡± Marcus¡¯s roar echoed through the forests at the edge of Thorn Ridge, his riding whip cracking sharply from time to time. Thirty young boys, gripping wooden sticks, nervously surveyed every corner of the forest. They could hear the calls of various birds and beasts deep within the woods; among those calls might have been the roars of magical beasts. For boys who had grown up on terrifying tales of magical beasts, every extra moment spent here felt like a chill down their spine as if a magical beast could pounce and sink its teeth into them at any moment. Tony was one such fearful boy. Clenching the wooden stick tightly, he leaned against arge tree, his calves trembling slightly. Last winter, a Wind de Wolf attacked Little Wheat Vige, devouring two serfs and causing him to have nightmares for several nights. Now, those nightmares resurfaced in his mind, and he prayed incessantly. ¡°Please don¡¯t let it eat me¡­¡± He kept ncing at the adults who were chopping wood outside, as if that would make him feel safer. Suddenly. There was a loud snap above his head. Without notice, Marcus had ridden his horse over to him, his whipshed against the trunk, stripping away the bark. ¡°Tony, I told you to watch the forest, not the lumberjacks!¡± ¡°Yes, yes, Mr. Marcus.¡± ¡°Show your manliness, and do not disappoint me or Lord Landlord,¡± Marcus said coldly. Tony quickly responded loudly, ¡°Yes, I will not disappoint Mr. Marcus, nor will I disappoint Lord Landlord!¡± Marcus then rode away. Seeing him go, Tony breathed a sigh of relief. He feared this cold and ruthless Earth Knight; during the past few days of selection, he had received his fair share ofshings. Realshings, where each strike immediately left a bloody welts on his body. If it weren¡¯t for the chance to be a Retainer Knight and the opportunity to change his fate, he wouldn¡¯t want to face Marcus, let alone confront magical beasts here. What he didn¡¯t know was that Marcus had shaken his head as he left. This Earth Knight had already written him off. A knight who could not face his own fears, who could not ovee the pressures of the environment, held no potential in his eyes. To Marcus, amoner bing a Noble was only possible through a baptism of blood and fire. If one was not prepared, it was better to go home early and farm in peace. Otherwise, they might end up as corpses under the hooves on a battlefield. Moving continuously through the woods, Marcus not only monitored every movement but also assessed the boys. The morning passed without incident, and he had more or less decided on the twelve members of the squad. So, at noon. He reported his selections to Liszt, ¡°Lord, Philip Wool, Zavier Dung, Jacob Sole, York Baldy, Wayne Haystack, Zachary Pinky, York Cobbler, Evan Handkerchief, Sean Redface, Tracy Hunchback, Mullen Crotch, Theodore Rottensock; these twelve boys will be your Retainer Knights.¡± ¡°Zavier Dung, sounds a bit like the brother of the servant Jim Bull Dung; York Baldy, York Cobbler, with the same name, one as Big York and the other as Little York then¡­ Well, inform their families that from this moment, these twelve boys will be excused from production, supported by the castle.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The Knight Squad¡¯s selections had been decided, and at noon, Liszt found a moment to summon the Smoke Mission. Indeed, the mission had beenpleted and updated. ¡°Complete the mission, reward the hatching Wind Falcon.¡± ¡°Mission: Besides drift bottles, the seaside might also bring unexpected surprises. Now, there¡¯s a sailing ship carrying surprises drifting toward the East Coast. Please find and rescue the distressed ship. Reward: A portion of poption.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± Liszt didn¡¯t immediately pay attention to the reward of the Wind Falcon. Because he saw ¡°poption,¡± which is what Fresh Flower Town is currentlycking the most. The small town has less than two thousand people, not even as many as a slightlyrger vige in his hometown. Without poption, as andlord, he couldn¡¯t unfold any ns; what he desired most was poption. ¡°A poption reward rted to a ship in distress, does this mean a ship carrying poption is about to drift to the East Coast?¡± Thinking of this, Liszt eagerly called for Goltai. ¡°Liszt, what do you need?¡± ¡°I just realized, the fishermen of Oyster Vige face the sea where there are numerous sea monsters, which is very dangerous and must be taken seriously.¡± ¡°Sea monsters¡­ shouldn¡¯te to the shore, right?¡± Goltai was somewhat skeptical. Sea monsters indeed posed a danger and frequently attacked ships, but they rarely came to the shore. Once the tide went out and they were stranded, it could lead to their certain demise. His mind not really on the conversation, Liszt emphasized, ¡°We can¡¯t be careless about even a bit of danger. Inform the patrol team immediately; they must focus on patrolling the East Coast during this period. Report any unusual activity to me. Hold the line for a while, and if truly no sea monsteres ashore, then readjust the focus of the patrol.¡± ¡°All right, I¡¯ll go inform them.¡± Once Goltai left, Liszt finally had the mood to pay attention to the reward for the previous mission¡ªthe egg of the Wind Falcon. He had heard about the Wind Falcon; it was a type of falcon magical beast, considered a low-level magical beast, often appearing by the sea, feeding on fish from the sea. Being a small animal, it rarely infringed on humans, andparatively speaking, was less dangerous, but that didn¡¯t mean it was weak. On the contrary, it had strongbat abilities. It could release magic¡ªWind de. This magic was the same as that of the Wind de Wolf, but as a falcon, it had the natural advantage of flight, allowing it to strike from almost any direction. In other words, it could use hit-and-run tactics, wearing down its opponent without taking damage. ¡°So where is my Wind Falcon?¡± Liszt cast his gaze towards therge trees being cut down, alert in his heart, ¡°Could it be hiding in one of the trees that is about to be chopped down?¡± If there was indeed a Wind Falcon, the threat would be tremendous. He quickly called for Marcus, ¡°We can¡¯t just watch out for the terrestrial beasts in the forest; we must also be vignt of the sky, as there may be flying magical beasts here.¡± Marcus took down the bow and arrows from his back, holding them firmly in his hands, ¡°Lord,pared to ground beasts, flying magical beasts have more fragile bodies, and my arrows are always ready for them!¡± His confidence infected Liszt. ¡°I had wanted to learn archery from you but never had the free time.¡± ¡°Lord, you can learn anytime.¡± ¡°Hmm, once I¡¯m through this busy period, I will start learning archery,¡± Liszt decided. Learning archery was a must, as ranged attacks suited his nature, eliminating the enemy from afar. Closebat was too crude and came with a high risk of injury. As andlord who came to this world, he was supposed to enjoy life, not suffer. In the afternoon, Liszt kept looking up at the trees, hoping to find out which one held his reward. However, as the sun set in the west, Goltai rushed over, bringing unexpected news, ¡°There¡¯s a Fragrant Coconut Tree at Oyster Vige that is currently the scene of a major battle between monkeys and birds.¡± Chapter 63: Rich Spoils of War Chapter 63: Rich Spoils of War Trantor: 549690339 The battle between monkeys and a young bird. Goltai quickly described the scene in detail; it was actually a group of Fruit Thief Monkeys attacking an eagle: ¡°That bird built a nest on the Fragrant Coconut Tree, and it seems there are bird eggs in the nest¡ªthe monkeys have stopped stealing fruit and have started stealing bird eggs instead.¡± He took it as an amusing story. However, Liszt mounted his horse and announced on the spot, ¡°Logging is over for today. Everyone leave Thorn Ridge. Teacher Marcus,e with me to Oyster Vige.¡± Without a doubt, that bird was a Wind Falcon, and what was lying in the nest were eggs awaiting hatching. That was his mission reward. At the Lord Landlord¡¯smand, the Lumberjack Team immediately stopped working and started heading back to town along the half-built gravel path. Liszt, leading Marcus and four Retainer Knights, raced ahead to Oyster Vige. Upon reaching the East Coast, they saw the Patrol Team surrounding a Fragrant Coconut Tree. There was arge pile of monkey corpses under the tree. ¡°Lord Landlord!¡± The Patrol Members saluted one after another. Liszt looked up at the crown of the Fragrant Coconut Tree, which stood dozens of meters high, with the lowest branches as high as a four-story building and the highest, as tall as twenty stories. The tree in front of them was the tallest; it grew at a sixty-degree angle toward the sea, and looking up, the crown was almost a small point. At that moment, the crown was bustling with activity, chickens flying and dogs jumping erratically, and asionally the body of a monkey would fall, dead on impact. Even if they didn¡¯t die from the fall, their bodies could be seen covered in cuts as if sliced open by des. ¡°There is a Magical Beast up there; these wounds look to be caused by Magic Wind des,¡± Marcus cautioned, lifting the body of one of the Fruit Thief Monkeys. Liszt casually pointed, ¡°It¡¯s the Wind Falcon. These monkeys are attacking its nest; there should be its eggs inside. The battle is fierce. Teacher Marcus, do you have a way to retrieve the eggs? This could very well hatch into a new Wind Falcon.¡± ¡°So, it¡¯s a Wind Falcon,¡± Marcus said, suddenly realizing, then frowned, ¡°Climbing the tree would be easy, but with a group of Fruit Thief Monkeys and a Wind Falcon up there, it would be very dangerous. A Magical Beast defending its nest is the most ferocious, and the Fruit Thief Monkeys themselves are a fierce wild beast too.¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s wait, perhaps they¡¯ll both suffer losses,¡± said Liszt, somewhat uncertain. If it was a mission reward, it should not be difficult to obtain. Otherwise, getting bird eggs from a group ofbat-capable Fruit Thief Monkeys, or from abat-capable Wind Falcon, would be an impossible task. And so they waited for about fifteen minutes. The number of monkey corpses grew, and the Patrol Members gleefully collected the bodies. These were choice game, and though they couldn¡¯t eat them¡ªsince everything in the territory belonged to the Castle, and thus to Liszt¡ªit was certain the Lord Landlord would reward them with something. After some thought, Liszt told the Patrol Team, ¡°Collect the dead Fruit Thief Monkeys, finish off the gravely wounded with one stroke, and tie up those with minor injuries. I want them alive.¡± He hadn¡¯t forgotten his earlier n to train the Fruit Thief Monkeys to climb trees and pick Fragrant Coconut Fruit. ¡°Yes, Lord Landlord!¡± Suddenly, Marcus spoke up, ¡°Lord, be careful, the remaining monkeys are trying to flee!¡± As soon as he finished speaking, Liszt saw about a dozen Fruit Thief Monkeys rapidly descending the trunk of the Fragrant Coconut Tree. And behind them, arge bird, nearly plucked bare, pping its wings in pursuit. ¡°Marcus, join me in intercepting the Wind Falcon, and all Patrol Members stop the Fruit Thief Monkeys. Don¡¯t let a single one escape. Capture them alive if possible!¡± When the snipe and m grapple, it¡¯s the fisherman who benefits. Seizing such an opportunity, Liszt made an immediate decision. ¡°Yes!¡± Faced with the chance to kick someone while they were down, the Patrol Members were excited, each drawing their weapons and positioning themselves under the tree. Marcus took out his bow and arrows, ready to draw and shoot at a moment¡¯s notice. Liszt himself drew the Crimson Blood Sword he carried, the Gemstone Weapon boosting his confidence immensely. In the blink of an eye. The remaining Fruit Thief Monkeys had already scrambled down the trees, and the Patrol Members rushed up, howling and swinging wildly. After putting up a desperate fight, the monkeys were exhausted and barely put up any resistance. They ran around aimlessly like headless flies, unable to do anything but get beaten. With a few hits from the spears, the monkeysy on the ground, unable to move. Elsewhere, a molting Wind Falcon was chasing after a Fruit Thief Monkey when Liszt suddenly charged over on horseback, the Crimson Blood Sword zing with mes. He unleashed the Ultimate Mystery Technique, Inferno sh. A torrent of fire rained down, and although the Wind Falcon deftly dodged, it still got caught in the firestorm, igniting its few remaining feathers. But after the attack, the Wind Falcon sensed the danger and let out a long screech, pped its wings vigorously, and flew towards the sky. Liszt couldn¡¯t let it escape, and roared, ¡°Marcus!¡± Marcus was already prepared, he released his grip, and the bowstring snapped forward, propelling two arrows side by side. Apanied by a sharp, piercing whistle, they plunged into the body of the Wind Falcon, burying the arrowheadspletely, blood spraying the sky. The Wind Falcon staggered and plummeted onto the sandy beach. When thest Fruit Thief Monkey was knocked to the ground by a spear and then swarmed by the Patrol Members, taken alive on the spot, the battle between the monkeys and the small bird ended with no victor. All were imed by the fisherman Liszt. After a quick count. There were a total of forty-six Fruit Thief Monkeys, with thirty-nine dead or fatally injured by finishing blows, leaving seven with minor injuries, all of which were bound. The body of the Wind Falcon was collected, its size not muchrger than that of an earth dog. An agile Patrol Member carefully climbed to the crown of the Fragrant Coconut Tree, found the nest, and pulled out a bird egg slightly smaller than a pineapple. ¡°Lord Landlord, there really is a bird egg!¡± The Patrol Member, excited, presented the egg to Liszt. Liszt took the bird egg in his hands, and before he could begin to admire it, the egg suddenly made a soft cracking sound. ¡°Lord, the bird egg is hatching!¡± Marcus was astonished. Liszt was also stunned, thinking to himself that the Smoke Mission was indeed formidable. He had only just picked up the egg, and it was already starting to hatch. As he was lost in thought, the cracking sounds continued, and after a moment, the shell was pecked open, revealing a naked, ugly bird head, its mouth open, making unpleasant ¡°gacking¡± sounds. The bird head¡¯s huge eyes looked at Liszt, crying out as if begging for food. Liszt coughed lightly, ¡°Teacher Marcus, what does a young Wind Falcon eat?¡± ¡°It should¡­ eat small fish and shrimp, I suppose?¡± ¡°Then, Patrol Members, go to the fishermen¡¯s homes in Oyster Vige and bring back some small fish and shrimp. Remember, they must be alive.¡± He vaguely remembered from ¡°Man and Nature¡± that there were sea birds feeding their chicks, holding squirming small fish in their beaks, evidently, these were live fish. However, he also seemed to recall that some birds would eat the small fish and shrimp and then bring them back up to feed to their chicks. In any case, feeding them live prey was the first thing to do. Today¡¯s bounty was already substantial, and it wasn¡¯t as if he particrly cared about one small Magical Beast¡ªa young bird. With the major pest of Fruit Thief Monkeys dealt with, they could freely pick the Fragrant Coconut Fruits, and even had ¡°workers¡± for the harvest; therge Wind Falcon carcass was also a rich resource for Nalda, whether it was sold or eaten, it was a great supplement. And then there was the mission soon to bepleted, which would reward the town with scarce poption. ¡°What a wonderful day!¡± Watching the young Wind Falcon gobble up the small fish and shrimp, Liszt felt especially content, ¡°Teacher Marcus, let¡¯s return to the Castle together. Tonight, we continue the feast. Hmm, barbecue Fruit Thief Monkeys!¡± Chapter 64: There is a Juan Fu in the Castle Chapter 64: There is a Juan Fu in the Castle Trantor: 549690339 ¡°Caw! Caw!¡± ¡°Caw! Caw!¡± ¡°Caw! Caw!¡± In the castle¡¯s study, an unpleasant bird call was heard from time to time. The fledgling Wind Falcons were quite ugly, covered only with fine down that was so thin it was almost invisible, and curled up tightly against the skin, making them look like plucked chickens. Compared to the streamlined bodies of adult Wind Falcons that roamed the skies, they were worlds apart. Yet Liszt liked them very much, after all, they were flying Magical Beasts. There was already a Fierce Earth Dog in the castle, which he asionally took out for a walk, decking it out with a few Rock Spikes for a pleasing sight. If he could add a Wind Falcon to the mix, it would be absolutely cool to summon a Wind de whenever he felt like it. Unfortunately, falcons don¡¯t imprint on their owners and Liszt hadn¡¯t figured out how to train it yet. For now he could only feed it. He had already had the castle¡¯s maids sew a pair of leather gloves; he had seen videos of people doing falconry before, and they all wore a pair of leather gloves for the falcon to perch on. There seemed to be some sort of toy as well, which they threw to attract the falcon and then reeled it back in. Once the toy was back, the falcon would just circle nearby and not fly away. ¡°When I have time, I need to research this toy, or perhaps go to Coral City to inquire if there are any hunters skilled in birdkeeping, and find out how they tame birds.¡± The dinner was roasted Fruit Thief Monkey meat. It didn¡¯t have the tenderness of roasted beef and was slightly fibrous, making it tough to tear. However, perhaps due to their frequent consumption of Fragrant Coconut Fruit, the monkey meat had a faint scent of coconut milk after roasting, which was a unique taste different from ordinary roasted meat, and it proved very popr among the people at the banquet. ¡°If the meat of the Fruit Thief Monkey could be made a bit more tender, it would certainly be a delicacy. I suggest that the town could rear them inrge quantities,¡± Goltai said with his mouth full of grease. Liszt was much more elegant, as he didn¡¯t choose to eat the roasted Fruit Thief Monkey meat and simply watched others enjoy their meal: ¡°Being able to breed them inrge numbers is a good thing; that¡¯s also my decision. But eating their meat is not a good idea, for monkeys have higher intelligence and should be trained to climb trees and help fruit farmers with their work.¡± ording to the theories from his hometown, humans and monkeys had amon ancestor and both belonged to the primate family. This world didn¡¯t have such a concept; humans were humans, with no evolution involved. Besides dragons and elves, all other creatures were considered inferior to humans¡ªeven in the eyes of many, dragons and elves were only slightly more magical creatures and couldn¡¯tpare to humans. There had been instances of eating dragons¡­ eating elves¡­ and even cannibalism was not unheard of. So he didn¡¯t eat, but he didn¡¯t stop others from eating either. Isaiah curiously asked, ¡°Sir, can monkeys really be trained well enough to help fruit farmers with their work?¡± ¡°Of course, it¡¯s the same as training dogs and horses,¡± Liszt was so certain because he had seen plenty of monkey performances. He had also read a news article saying that in Mysia or Thand, local people trained monkeys to climb trees and pick coconuts. A fruit farmer who had mistreated his monkey ended up dead after the monkey, in a fit of rage, pelted him with wild fruits. Now, since the ownership of the Fruit Thief Monkeys belonged to Liszt, once trained and handed over to the fruit farmers, he was sure no one would dare to mistreat them. It was unlikely that the same situation of monkeys killing their owner would ur. ¡°If the Fruit Thief Monkeys are really trained well, that will be an interesting sight. I¡¯ve never thought we could make monkeys work for us,¡± ir said,ughing heartily as if he could already see the image of monkeys picking fruit. Liszt said with a smile, ¡°In that case, the task of training the Fruit Thief Monkeys will be your responsibility, ir.¡± ¡°Er, okay, I think I can handle it.¡± That¡¯s when Marcus suddenly asked, ¡°Sir, how should we deal with the carcass of the Wind Falcon? Do I need to make another trip to Coral City to sell it?¡± The Wind Falcon was a Low-Level Magical Beast, and it wouldn¡¯t be a problem to sell it for about a dozen Gold Coins. If it had been before, Liszt would certainly have sold it to purchase living supplies. But now, the town was not short on money to spend, as the ie from the ck Tulip was enough to support his noble lifestyle for decades. Feeling wealthy and powerful, Liszt said on the spot, ¡°No need to sell it. Let the meat dry, and someday we¡¯ll host a Wind Falcon barbecue party. As for the other parts, Teacher Marcus, do you have any good suggestions for their use?¡± ¡°Bird bones are hollow, especially the Wind Falcon¡¯s bones, which contain wind attribute magic power. The joint bones can be made into signal whistles for sending messages, and they produce a very loud sound. Larger bones could be turned into tools; they¡¯re light and strong, better than iron tools. Moreover, its feathers are excellent materials for making arrows,¡± said Marcus, quickly nning the use of every part of the Wind Falcon¡¯s body: ¡°You are about to learn archery, so you will need a batch of arrows.¡± Liszt asked, ¡°Does anyone in the town know how to make arrows?¡± Marcus immediately replied, ¡°I do. I make my own arrows.¡± ¡°Thank you for your hard work, Teacher Marcus,¡± said Liszt, lifting his cup filled with hop-vored beer, ¡°This drink is to honor you, and thank you for those two arrows this afternoon. They secured the Wind Falcon, otherwise, it would have been a great menace.¡± ¡°It¡¯s my pleasure to serve you!¡± Marcus, with a hearty gesture, raised his cup of hop-less beer and drained it in one gulp. The bonfire had died, and the stars filled the sky. Goltai, Marcus, and the others had already returned. The servants busied themselves cleaning up after the feast, while Liszt was holding a cup of milk tea brought by Butler Carter¡ªhe had a habit of drinking a cup of milk tea before bed. The rich nutrition of the milk was urgently needed by his body, being sixteen, an age for growth. ¡°Master, your bath water is ready,¡± announced the servant. ¡°How is the young Wind Falcon doing?¡± ¡°It¡¯s still squawking a lot, but we have fed it plenty of little fish and shrimp. It¡¯s certainly not hungry. However, Master, that little bird¡­is quite ugly.¡± ¡°I agree with you. Let¡¯s go and see this little fellow. If it¡¯s going to squawk all night long then take it outside; I don¡¯t want to be woken up in the middle of the night,¡± said Liszt, handing his empty cup back to Carter, and walking inside the castle. Whenever he encountered servants working, they would stop and bow to him respectfully. This sensation was very pleasant. He was bing more and more ustomed to his noble identity, aligning his mindset and loyalty with the noble ss¡ªif anyone dared to shake the foundation of the nobles¡¯ power, it would mean crossing Liszt! ¡°Good night, gentlemen,dies,¡± he said with an impable, standard noble smile, ¡°I hope you all have sweet dreams until the morning.¡± ¡°Thank you, Master.¡± Soon, Liszt had ascended to the second floor, which was his private area. Carter pushed open the door to the study. The previously quiet room immediately filled with an unpleasant squawking¡ª¡±caw caw,¡± ¡°caw caw,¡± ¡°caw caw.¡± ¡°No matter how many times I hear it, it still sounds unpleasant,¡± remarked Liszt, looking at the unsightly, curly-feathered little bird in a nest padded with some straw. ¡°Mr. Carter, what do you think we should call it?¡± ¡°There is a ¡®Douson¡¯ outside the castle, found in the forest and shivering all over. Maybe this little bird found on the Fragrant Coconut Tree, shaking all over, could be called ¡®Shivery Coconut¡¯?¡± Even though Carter misunderstood the meaning of ¡°Douson,¡± Liszt stillughed: ¡°Mr. Carter, you are bing more humorous. However, I don¡¯t like the name Shivery Coconut. It looks like it has curly, fine feathers, and I hope it will be lucky enough to live to the day it soars¡­ Let¡¯s call it ¡®Juan Fu¡¯.¡± ¡°Hmm, Juan Fu¡­ Master, I think that name sounds nice.¡± Chapter 65: A Leaky Sailing Ship Chapter 65: A Leaky Sailing Ship Trantor: 549690339 The next morning, Liszt took Juan Fu¡¯s bird¡¯s nest and hung it on the windowsill of the castle. On one hand, he wanted to let it bask in the sun, and on the other, he had had enough of the bird¡¯s squawking. Something odd happenedst night, as the bird unexpectedly started calling in the middle of the night. At this moment, Juan Fu, having just consumed some small fish and shrimp, was full of energy, crawling around in the nest and continuously emitting ¡°gah gee¡± sounds. Outside the castle, in the doghouse, Douson poked his head out, drooling as he stared at Juan Fu on the windowsill. ¡°Woof woof!¡± Seeing Liszte out, it immediately started wagging its tail happily, pulling on its chain cor with a nging sound¡ªLiszt was truly raising a dog, having always used a dog chain from its puppyhood. He unfastened the chain and held it in his hand. Douson instantly spread his legs and ran wildly, with the time Liszt took him for a walk every day being perhaps the happiest moment of his day. Leading Douson to the horse field, Liszt began training. When Douson was smaller, he generally trained once a day, now the frequency had been reduced to once every three days. He had sessfully taught Douson not to harm people or cast magic without amand, as well as not to eat things at random and not to chase the horses in the field. Of course, except for the Li Dragon horses, the other horses would avoid Douson. ¡°Sit down, Douson!¡± The previously lively Douson immediately squatted down, tongue out, looking at Liszt, barely distinguishable from a regr mutt. Liszt threw a small ball made of leather: ¡°Fetch it, Douson.¡± Douson instantly dashed out like an arrow, then jumped and twisted 180 degrees in midair, sessfully catching the leather ball and dashing back to ce it in Liszt¡¯s hand. ¡°Very good.¡± He rewarded Douson with a small piece of dried meat. Next, they repeated several training exercises, including casting the magic Rock Spike, until Douson was so tired he was panting. Then, Liszt reattached the chain and handed it to Thomas, ¡°Take him back.¡± ¡°Yes, m¡¯lord.¡± Considering the sun¡¯s position, Liszt thought that the lumberjack team should be arriving soon. However, it wasn¡¯t the lumberjack team that arrived, but a patrol member. ¡°Lord Landlord, urgent report!¡± ¡°Speak.¡± ¡°An askew sailboat has drifted to the East Coast, with people onboard waving gs. Sir Goltai believes it to be a distressed ship. He is organizing a rescue party and asked me to report to you immediately.¡± Upon hearing the news. Liszt¡¯s spirit was lifted. He immediately said to the patrol member, ¡°I¡¯ll head over now. Tell Goltai to make sure to rescue the ship, especially the people on board.¡± By the time Liszt, dressed in his ck¡¤Abbieye and apanied by four Retainer Knights and Earth Knight Marcus, arrived at the East Coast, he saw a group of people on the beach pulling on ropes, dragging a sailboat, not too big yet not too small, towards the shore. Among those pulling the ropes, there were also several unfamiliar faces. ¡°Lord Landlord.¡± Isaiah, who was in charge of orchestrating the boat-dragging work, bowed in respect. Goltai also rushed over from the seaside, ¡°Liszt, these are refugees from Little Papa Ind. They fled by boat from Little Papa Ind, intending to seek asylum on Da Pa Pa Ind, but encountered a storm that damaged the ship, forcing them to drift along the sea breeze to Coral Ind and run aground on the East Coast.¡± Liszt nodded. He had heard of Little Papa Ind and Da Pa Pa Ind. At that moment, an elderly man with a somewhat hunched back approached him and, while still at a distance, initiated a prostrate salute, ¡°Respected Baron of Fresh Flower Town, a person in distress, Bunier Zhen Dan, presents his sincere greetings and expresses his deepest apologies for disturbing your nobility.¡± ¡°Zhen Dan?¡± Liszt had heard many unusual surnames, but still found the name Zhen Dan to be peculiar. ¡°My Lord, my family has been collecting sea swallow eggs for the Lord of Little Papa for generations.¡± The assurance of agricultural yields was difficult, and in many ces, food was scarce. Fear and ignorance of the ocean meant that the fishing industry was almost undeveloped. Meanwhile, serfs, driven by the need to survive, had to find ways to provide food to ensure the luxuries of the nobility in the castle. Among these, sea swallow eggs became one source of food. The sea swallow is a type of sea bird rted to gulls, and it usually builds its nest on seaside cliffs. Collecting sea swallow eggs is a life-threatening task that requires climbing cliffs hundreds of meters high and fighting against the protective sea swallows safeguarding their eggs. It is indeed no small feat for these serfs to have survived and left descendants. ¡°Understood,¡± Liszt extended his hand, signaling Bunier to get up, ¡°Why did you flee from Little Papa Ind?¡± ¡°Little Papa Ind was attacked by a group of pirates; the castle fell, and the fate of the Lord of Little Papa is unknown. We had no choice but to seize the pirates¡¯ ship to escape from Little Papa Ind. We originally nned to take refuge on Da Pa Pa Ind but encountered a severe storm. The ship nearly capsized, and we finally ended up on your Lordship¡¯s territory.¡± Liszt frowned involuntarily, ¡°Little Papa Ind was attacked by pirates?¡± Little Papa Ind is the family territory of the Little Papa Viscount. If he remembered correctly, the current lord was named Vincent Xiao Pa Pa. That family, along with the Viscount Gena Da Pa Pa from Da Pa Pa Ind, were part of the same family a hundred years ago¡ªthe Pa Pa Family¡ªknown for their finely sewn handkerchiefs. Later, one branch inherited the family title, and the other gained recognition on the battlefield¡ªboth bing viscounts¡ªso one changed its surname to Da Pa Pa, and the other to Xiao Pa Pa. ¡°The pirates looted the castle andmitted ughter on the ind. We had to flee.¡± ¡°What have you decided to do now?¡± Liszt looked toward the damaged sailing ship, its sails torn, the ship¡¯s body battered with several holes. The ship had already been pulled to the shore, and a group of bent figures were helping each other disembark, ¡°Will you continue to seek refuge on Da Pa Pa Ind or stay in Fresh Flower Town?¡± In Bunier¡¯s cloudy eyes, a glint of hope suddenly flickered: ¡°My Lord, might we¡­ may we reside in Fresh Flower Town?¡± This was a poption reward for a task, and of course, Liszt wouldn¡¯t miss the opportunity: ¡°Stay, and I can grant you the status of serfs. In Fresh Flower Town, there¡¯s a lot of uncultivatednd I can assign for you to farm. A serf skilled in a craft can be highly valued. Whether you stay or go, report to Sir Goltai.¡± The ship was damaged and stranded; they had no way to leave. Besides, what difference does it make between going to Da Pa Pa Ind and staying in Fresh Flower Town? Therefore, after a brief discussion with the other refugees, Bunier reported to Goltai, and they all decided to stay, bing true serfs of Fresh Flower Town and pledging loyalty to Liszt. Since they had be serfs, it meant that these people, including the broken ship, were Liszt¡¯s assets. ¡°Teacher Goltai, take a census of the newly joined serfs¡¯ identities, then allocate them to various settlements. Also, clean the sailboat thoroughly; I want to know what¡¯s in it. A ship seized from pirates is bound to have some weapons on it, right?¡± Goltai was eager, ¡°Rest assured, Liszt, not even a loaf of bread can be hidden by these serfs, and I¡¯ll present before you a clear ount of everything they¡¯ve brought along with every detail about them¡­ all in half a day¡¯s time.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t forget about this ship. If it can be repaired, fix it.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Chapter 66: Brainstorming at the Dinner Party Chapter 66: Brainstorming at the Dinner Party Trantor: 549690339 Banquet. It seemed that banquets were held every day in the castle¡ªfor the nobility, eating and drinking were simply part of daily life. ¡°Little Papa Ind has encountered pirates, Teacher Marcus, are pirates prevalent in the Duchy of Sapphire?¡± Liszt asked while eating roasted meat. Marcus pondered before answering, ¡°If speaking solely of reports about pirates, nearly many small inds have experienced the scourge of pirates, but there might be another reason at y.¡± ¡°What reason?¡± ¡°These pirates, they are very likely to be in disguise. Not every noble family can manage to run a prosperous industry. When they face the brink of bankruptcy, risking danger bes a shortcut to their self-salvation. Particrly among those nobles with grievances, some might even assume the identity of pirates to plunder their adversary¡¯s wealth.¡± Hearing this brutal information. If it were the sixteen-year-old of the past, he might feel too upset to ept it¡ªthe notion that nobles, who pride themselves on their noble lineage and possess countless virtues, could stoop to moonlighting as pirates was inconceivable. But the current Liszt only furrowed his brows slightly, and soon rxed them, ¡°Fortunately, Coral Ind has a strong Knight Order, and Fresh Flower Town has not faced the danger of pirates for the time being. However, we must be prepared for potential threats. Teacher Marcus, the Knight Squad must be well trained.¡± ¡°Rest assured, Baron, I will devote all my efforts to training the Knight Squad, turning each one into a qualified battle knight,¡± Marcus assured. Liszt then turned to inquire of Goltai, ¡°Teacher Goltai, report the information about the new serfs now, during the meal. I find it the most suitable time to talk about official matters.¡± ¡°If you wish, let¡¯s discuss it now.¡± Goltai signaled a servant to fetch his coat, and pulling out a thick piece of parchment from the pocket, he unfolded it, ¡°There are a total of fifty serfs. In fact, they were originally freemen, so they smartly chose to escape when the pirates attacked.¡± Little Papa City on Little Papa Ind had fifty residents who owned their own properties. The rtionship between a freeman and andlord was more like that of a tenant and andowner, while serfs were considered ves. For the nobility, serfs were ¡°one of their own,¡± whereas freemen were ¡°outsiders.¡± Whenever wars broke out betweenndlords, they would choose to protect their serfs, as they are their assets. Freemenck such protection; if they die, they have iting, and it also serves as a chance forndlords to make some extra profit. So, being a freeman had its advantages and disadvantages, and not everyone wanted to be one. Some freemen from Little Papa City, upon seeing the defeat of Little Papa Viscount, knew they could be killed and robbed by the ¡°pirates¡± at any moment, and hurried to flee. They smartly chose to seize ships, taking advantage of the pirates still fighting in the castle, capturing a sailing boat. Unfortunately, having only a captain skilled in steering but no experienced sailors, they eventually lost control during a storm. ¡°So, none of them knows how to farm; they are all freemen with crafts,¡± Liszt was very satisfied with this, as craftsmen were more important than mere farmers to the development of his territory. Peasants could be bought as ves at any time in the future, but craftsmen were hard toe by. ¡°cksmiths, coopers, embroiderers, tailors, bakers, brewers, shoeshiners, carpenters, dyers, soap makers, tanners, confectioners, salt workers, locksmiths, chefs, and their families, oh, and an innkeeper and a horse merchant, as well as a few small merchants who sell on the streets.¡± ¡°What is Bunier¡¯s profession?¡± Liszt recalled the old man who had spoken to him during the day. ¡°He is a soap maker, proficient in creating various kinds of soaps with floral fragrances.¡± ¡°Excellent, I have had enough of using soapwort powder for bathing; it¡¯s best to have him quickly make soap from it.¡± As someone who insisted on bathing daily, Liszt had a great demand for soap,menting that there was not an abundance of it in the castle, only some soapwort powder¡ªthe powdered fruit of the soapwort nt. Soapwort powder indeed could clean, but it was also troublesome to use and did not feel pleasant during the washing process. In fact, Liszt knew of a more straightforward cleaning item¡ªsoap. This is a type of soap made from a mixture of pig pancreas and wood ash, which is quite simple to produce. Just crush the pig¡¯s pancreas and mix it with the wood ash to create the most basic pancreas soap. Unfortunately, no one in Fresh Flower Town raises pigs¡­ He sliced off a piece of roast meat, forked it, and dipped it into some ketchup. The roast meat paired with ketchup tasted good. After swallowing, he took a sip of seafood soup and then contentedly wiped his mouth with a napkin, ¡°The work arrangements for the new serfs should be discussed between Mr. Carter and Teacher Goltai. Suitable individuals can be assigned to the town to help establish shops specifically for manufacturing what the castle needs.¡± With too few residents in the town, there obviously wasn¡¯t much demand. As the Landlord, he had to unabashedly enjoy all this. Only in this way could these craftsmen be of use in a short time. Carter bowed and said, ¡°Yes, my lord, I will consult with Mr. Goltai.¡± Having finished discussing the new serfs, Liszt moved on to another official matter, ¡°The efficiency of the Lumberjack Team still needs to be improved, but now there¡¯s a new problem. There are often other matters that distract Teacher Marcus and me, and during those times, the protective force of the Lumberjack Team is virtually non-existent, which is very dangerous.¡± ¡°But indeed, we can¡¯t find more forces to defend against the Magical Beasts of Thorn Ridge.¡± ¡°Therefore, I think we need a way for the Lumberjack Team to be able to protect themselves even if they encounter Magical Beasts,¡± Liszt said calmly. No one immediately answered, they were all pondering. Liszt wasn¡¯t in a hurry and continued to eat his dinner. In fact, he was testing those present; he already had an idea, one that had a strong possibility of dealing with the Magical Beasts. This idea originated from the Smoke Mission. After the morning¡¯s sea rescue, he hadpleted the mission. ¡°Missionplete, reward: fifty new people.¡± ¡°Mission: The danger in the depths of Thorn Ridge could ur at any moment, putting the Lumberjack Team in a precarious situation. As the Landlord who possesses a patch of Smoked Grass, you ought to use your resources wisely to ensure the safety of your people. Please defend against one attack from Magical Beasts. Reward: Miniature Ore Deposit.¡± The mission had made it quite clear that Smoked Grass could be used to defend against Magical Beasts. The odor of Smoked Grass was something Liszt found quite striking; not all Magical Beasts might be able to tolerate it, especially those with particrly sensitive noses. Therefore, he nned to make simple ¡°Magical Beast Repellent Incense¡± from Smoked Grass, to be lit in case of an encounter with a Magical Beast. He was determined to secure the ¡°Miniature Ore Deposit.¡± But he didn¡¯t directly share his n, hoping instead that someone woulde up with the idea themselves; otherwise, there was always this nagging feeling of nurturing a group of freeloaders. After a moment, nobody hade up with a good solution. This left Liszt quite disappointed. Just as he was about to reveal his own n, Isaiah suddenly said, ¡°Baron, perhaps we could use fire! Beasts are afraid of fire. Among the trees we fell are pines, which burn very easily. We could keep burning the cut branches and leaves continuously. This way, the Magical Beasts would be scared away!¡± Chapter 67: Flame, Trap, and Smoked Grass Chapter 67: me, Trap, and Smoked Grass Trantor: 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 mes.¡± Marcus contemted, ¡°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 firessted for a full quarter of an hour. Then ir 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 nt,¡± Goltai immediately began to gesticte 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, almosting 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, ¡°mes, traps, and smoked grass¡ªthree 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 epted themand. 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 nting scale of smoked grass. Teacher Goltai, you will need toe up with a n and enforce it as soon as possible.¡± ¡°The wastnd we¡¯re reiming might not be enough,¡± Goltai hesitated, ¡°There is a serious shortage of serfs. We didn¡¯t have many serfs to begin with, and Oyster Vige 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 therge number of seeds you traded for, sweetheart cabbage, turnips, onions, coriander, and such; they all need serfs to nt them. I think we need at least one thousand more serfs.¡± Without agricultural tools, the method of reiming wastnd was sh-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 nted. ¡°With mechanized nting, a dozen people could nt all the fields of Fresh Flower Town,¡± Liszt often dreamed of leading Fresh Flower Town into the farming mode of the American farm owner, withrge 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 juste up with a n, divide up the fields, and when we have enough hands, we can start nting.¡± ¡°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 heavybor 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. asionally, bird calls could be heard from the depths of the woods, with no sense of danger¡ªonly a scene bustling with activity. But Liszt was not the least bit rxed. The Smoke Mission¡¯s prompts were clear¡ªmagical beasts would raid the lumbering site. He just didn¡¯t know when the attack would happen. ¡°Magical beasts, huh. Since I¡¯vee 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 de 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 ¡ª 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 zed 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 ¡ª 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 ¡°ng¡± 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 hade. Liszt tightly gripped the hilt of the Crimson Blood Sword, with the gemstone blue color of his pupils swirling like whirlpools¡ªhis 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,e back!¡± Liszt drew his Crimson Blood Sword with a ng, calling out loudly, ¡°Fifty meters ahead, there are three magical beasts!¡± Chapter 68: The Routine from Three Wolves Chapter 68: The Routine from Three Wolves Trantor: 549690339 A low-level Magical Beast, Marcus could contend with one and find an opportunity to kill it. But three, if he charged blindly, he would only be dismembered. Marcus didn¡¯t have time to ponder how Liszt knew there were three Magical Beasts, he immediately reined in his horse to return. At the same time, with fast dexterity, he returned the Spear to its ce on the horseback, and with a reverse hand, took down the bow and arrow, and bent the bow to load the arrow, firing four arrows in quick session toward the bush fifty meters away. Although the arrows all missed, their effect was clear. Suddenly, a Wind de Wolf leapt out from one of the bushes, its gaze coldly fixed on Marcus. It didn¡¯t attack rashly, merely looking on coldly, watching as the serfs of the Lumberjack Team gathered toward a pile of fire. Karl and the other Retainer Knights pulled out the dried Smoked Grass leaves distributed to them, ready to throw into the fire at any moment, to create a pungent smoke from the burning leaves, designed to scare away the Magical Beast. Liszt rode the Li Dragon Horse, joined Marcus, and confronted the grey Wind de Wolf. ¡°Sir, are you sure there are three Magical Beasts?¡± ¡°Quite sure,¡± Liszt held the Crimson Blood Sword, still not dissipating the Eye of Magic, ¡°There is one in that clump of bushes to the left of this Wind de Wolf, and another one in the bushes to the right rear side. It obviously wants to attract our attention, allowing the other two to sneak attack.¡± Marcus bent the bow to load another arrow, ¡°Wolves are cunning and cautious by nature, I¡¯ll flush them out!¡± Two arrows were shot, but there was no movement in the bushes. In a situation that should have been tense, Liszt suddenly felt likeughing. These three Wind de Wolves thought they could y tricks on him, believing that by hiding in the bushes they would go unnoticed, but under the watch of the Eye of Magic, they had nowhere to hide. ¡°That one on the left, move a meter to the left below the bush. The one on the right rear side, move one and a half meters to the right.¡± Upon hearing this, Marcus. Immediately drew another arrow, this time not two with one bow, but a single arrow, aiming for the bush on the left. Thwack! Awooo! A sound of flesh splitting open, followed by the pained howl of the Wind de Wolf, and the shaking of the bush. The Wind de Wolf, with an arrow in its shoulder de, fled, tucking its tail and quickly disappearing into the depths of the forest. The Wind de Wolf that served as a distraction also turned and ran. Only the Wind de Wolf hidden in the right rear bush remained, perhaps still hoping tounch a sneak attack. But the next moment. An arrow grazed its back and flew past, startling it, and no longer daring to hide, it bolted out of the bush, silently turning to flee. After just a few exchanges of arrows, without even needing to use the Smoked Grass, the three Wind de Wolves vanished without a trace. The Eye of Magic could no longer see the traces of magic power, Liszt called up the Smoke Mission to see the updated content, and with slight regret waved his hand, ¡°The Wind de Wolves havepletely fled, stand down the alert, continue with the lumber work.¡± They hadn¡¯t managed to leave a single Magical Beast behind, nor had they a chance to show off. But it was good that the mission wasplete. ¡°Missionpleted, reward: Miniature Saltpeter Mine.¡± ¡°A Saltpeter Mine?¡± Metal and gemstones came from Dragons, as for other mineral substances, they all originated from thend itself. Some time ago, Liszt was stillining about theck of saltpeter for making ice, unable to enjoy even a chilled beer in the height of summer. It was unexpected that he¡¯d now be rewarded with a Saltpeter Mine, quite considerate indeed. ¡°However, isn¡¯t it too wasteful to use saltpeter to make ice? I remember saltpeter is one of theponents of ck gunpowder,¡± he reflected briefly and recalled the form of ck gunpowder he had learned in high school physics¡ªcharcoal, sulfur, and potassium nitrate (saltpeter). Now that a use had been found for the saltpeter, it was a pity sulfur hadn¡¯t been ounted for. ¡°Let¡¯s just use it to make ice first. The days are getting hotter and hotter. Without ice blocks to cool down, without chilled beer, life simply isn¡¯t worth living.¡± As his thoughts churned, the Smoke Serpent Script began to transform. ¡°Mission: The crisis of the magical beast invasion has been resolved. It is time to go all out in logging, widen the roads of Thorn Ridge, and re-integrate Fresh Flower Town into the trade of Coral Ind, winning development opportunities. Reward: a new species of mushrooms.¡± ¡°A new species of mushrooms?¡± Liszt immediately thought of Mushroom Hamlet: ¡°Could it be that magic potions are going to grow in the mushroom sheds of Mushroom Hamlet, just like the ck Tulips?¡± Mushrooms are a very important ingredient in noble cuisine. In terms of ssification, they are categorized as mushrooms, which people of this world call Abandoned Cordyceps¡ªmeaning nts abandoned by Elf Bugs. Because they can¡¯t produce a single Elf Bug. In this world, even a weed could potentially give birth to Elf Bugs, the only exception being mushrooms which can¡¯t produce them, leading some to question whether they are nts at all. However, they do contain many varieties of magic potions, and only nts can grow into magic potions, which again ces them in the nt category. In the end, no definite conclusion had been formed. The knowledge Liszt possessed told him that mushrooms are fungi¡ªbut in this world, whether they¡¯re fungi or nts doesn¡¯t really matter; this isn¡¯t a world that speaks of science. ¡°Although they can¡¯t produce Elf Bugs and hence supernaturally increase yield, as mushrooms, they grow very fast under appropriate conditions. If we indeede across a new variety of magic potion mushrooms, that would be enormously good news. It would mean that Fresh Flower Town had gained a new local specialty.¡± The ck Tulip could have be a specialty, but he had only one Tulip Bug and couldn¡¯t scale up. Therefore, it would be best to cooperate with Tulip Castle. But it¡¯s different with magic potion mushrooms. Without the need for help from Elf Bugs, they could expand their nting scale on their own, making them an excellent choice for a local specialty. Just the addition of one type of magic potion mushroom might draw an endless stream of merchant caravans. At least, Levis and Li Vera would certainly not miss out on a new magic potion¡ªfor the dream of bing a Sky Knight, they both aspired to be filled with potions. ¡°Logging! I will supervise the logging every day during this period. We must open up the roads of Thorn Ridge as soon as possible!¡± Liszt decided, excited. In the scorching heat of summer, as it became unbearable, he had been preparing to return to the castle earlier. Now revitalized, he immediately had Thomas pack food from the castle so they could enjoy a pic right at the logging site¡ªa precaution in case the Wind de Wolves decided to return. They had just finished their pic. On the nearby road, there suddenly came the clip-clop of horse hooves, and several knights galloping with a whoosh. It seemed that they had spotted the Lumberjack Team, and headed straight to the logging site. Karl and four Retainer Knights immediately went to greet them and then brought the knights over to Liszt. ¡°Baron,¡± said the knight leading them, a familiar face to Liszt, Lord Layden, a Knight Captain of Tulip Castle, who gave a Knight¡¯s salute, ¡°Lord Layden sends his regards.¡± Lord Layden had been the one to escort Levis and the others for the assimtion tradest time. Liszt returned the Knight¡¯s salute: ¡°Sir Layden, we meet again. What brings you here this time?¡± ¡°In five days, on June 26, it is the Festival of Sailing. The Earl has sent me to convey a message that all members of the Tulip Family wille to Fresh Flower Town to celebrate the Festival of Sailing with you.¡± Chapter 69: The Mysterious Disappearance of the Saltpeter Mine Chapter 69: The Mysterious Disappearance of the Saltpeter Mine Trantor: 549690339 Sea Festival. Li Si Te had almost forgotten about it. In the Duchy of Sapphire, the two most important festivals were the New Year Festival and the Sea Festival. The New Year Festival is a customary celebration of the entire continent, marking the end of one year and the beginning of another. Almost every country¡¯s nobles andmoners alike would celebrate the New Year. The Sea Festival, however, is unique to the Duchy of Sapphire, celebrating the first sea voyage of the Sapphire Family¡ªafter the failure of the Dragon ying Battle, the Sapphire Family was forced to migrate to the archipgo to establish their own nation. To gloss over the background of failure, the day of sailing was proimed as a day of great embarkation in pursuit of dreams. Commoners might prefer the New Year, a festival passed down through countless generations. But the Sea Festival was an annual celebration that the nobles of the ind nations had to partake in. ¡°Thank you, Sir Layden, for the effort in delivering the message.¡± ¡°It¡¯s my duty, Baron.¡± ¡°How are my grandmother, my father, as well as my brother, sister,dy, and Lidun doing?¡± ¡°All is well.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good to hear.¡± After chatting with Layden about the recent circumstances of Tulip Castle, Liszt inquired about the return of the Tulip Fleet and, without realizing it, had already returned to the castle. Layden and his party had not yet had lunch, so he immediately instructed the kitchen to prepare a meal and entertain them. ¡°Baron, is Fresh Flower Town nning to clear all the trees of Thorn Ridge?¡± Layden asked, puzzled by the extensive logging he had witnessed these past two days. ¡°The n is to clear them all, to eliminate the Magical Beasts¡¯ habitats. However, we currentlyck sufficient manpower. For now, we can only clear the trees on both sides of the road, creating open areas to reduce the risk of Magical Beast attacks.¡± ¡°That¡¯s indeed a good strategy. The Magical Beasts in the forest are terrible, but those in the open fields are just slightly stronger wild animals.¡± For knights with horses, open areas prevent surprise attacks by Magical Beasts, and even magic can be avoided. Moreover, horses can run so fast that Magical Beasts may not be able to catch up. Knights couldunch a charge in open fields, merging with their horses to employ various Dou Qi Manuscripts. Maintaining the etiquette and courtesies between nobles. After lunch, Layden and his party took their leave. Liszt then needed to make arrangements: ¡°Mr. Carter, in three days, the Tulip Family wille to the castle to celebrate the Sea Festival with me. I¡¯m not very fond of such noisy asions, so I¡¯ll leave the arrangements to you.¡± ¡°Rest assured, sir. I attended many Sea Festivals at Tulip Castle in my youth. The scenes of Butler Louis hosting the festival banquets are deeply etched in my memory. Now, with an abundance of seafood and Magical Beast Meat in the castle, we can hold a perfect banquet, despite slightlycking in beverages.¡± ¡°I remember among the new serfs, there is a brewer?¡± ¡°Yes, his name is Frank Dregs. However, he can only brew fruit wines and doesn¡¯t know how to make white wine, red wine, or beer. Moreover, we don¡¯t have any hops.¡± Liszt frowned, ¡°We don¡¯t have any beer with hops at all?¡± ¡°There¡¯s half a barrel in the cer. It¡¯s your lordship¡¯s only little indulgence, and I¡¯m somewhat reluctant to take it out,¡± Carter said regretfully, as Liszt had be the most important figure in his heart. ¡°Then don¡¯t take it out,¡± Liszt blinked. Carter responded with a knowing smile, ¡°I thought so too.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a pity I forgot to have Layden convey a few messages to Levis when he left, asking Levis to help me purchase some wines and ingredients¡­ In the end, the root cause is still the obstructed roads. Otherwise, the castle¡¯s Gold Coins should be spent, not left to mold.¡± ¡°Perhaps you could instruct Mr. Marcus to deliver the message?¡± ¡°No, Teacher Marcus has more important matters at hand; the Lumberjack Team needs his supervision, and the Knight Squad needs his training. If the Sea Festival is modest, then let it be modest. It wouldn¡¯t be a bad thing for Father Lord to see Fresh Flower Town¡¯s poverty.¡± A crying baby gets the milk. If the Earl sees that Fresh Flower Town doesn¡¯t even have hops beer, would his conscience not ache? Carterughed, ¡°My lord, you¡¯re bing more open-minded.¡± Liszt smiled faintly, ¡°I¡¯ve recently read a knight¡¯s novel, which contains a little poem¡ªWhen life deceives you, do not feel sad, do not be in a hurry! In gloomy days, one needs to be calm; believe, joyful days wille! The heart forever longs for the future; yet now is often mncholic¡­¡± Everything is but a moment, everything will pass. And what has passed will be fond memories. The Earl did not ce much importance on his third son, Liszt; it was hardly a significant issue. Thus, although life could sometimes be modest and strained, the current Liszt remained optimistic. Compared to mostmoners and minor nobles, Fresh Flower Town¡¯s living conditions were already quite perfect. Being able to eat white bread every day was a dream beyond reach for many. In the following days, the town was still buzzing with construction¡ªbuilding roads, cutting wood, and building houses in Oyster Vige. The serfs, with the copper coins paid by Liszt, worked enthusiastically even in the hot weather, which couldn¡¯t dampen their spirits. The castle was just as bustling, with Butler Carter busy directing the servants to clean inside and out and to decorate the castle. Cook Abbie Spoon, with her mighty voice, had Eileen and Little Lily, the two kitchen maids, spinning around, bustling between various ingredients. Marcus led the Knight Squad in protecting the Lumberjack Team and practicing the basics of Dou Qi. Goltai, Isaiah, and ir were also working diligently. Only Liszt was somewhat troubled¡ªhe couldn¡¯t find where the tiny Saltpeter Mine was! The mission was alreadypleted, but the reward of the Saltpeter Mine had yet to be discovered. No one reported to him the finding of any unusual stones, nor was there any abnormal situation that warranted his attention. For three consecutive days with no clues, Liszt was quite vexed. It was not that the Saltpeter Mine was of great value. Apart from using it for making ice, he didn¡¯t know what else saltpeter could be used for at the moment. It was the situation that was not optimistic, making him worry whether there was a problem with the Smoke Mission. The rewards for previous missions nearly always reached him on the same day. ¡°Could it be that my ¡®golden finger¡¯ is about to leave me?¡± At night, lying in bed looking at the Mushroom Hamlet mission still pending, he was truly worried. Thankfully. The worry onlysted until the fourth day. That day, after Goltai led the Lumberjack Team into Thorn Ridge to work, another team followed them¡ªthe rubble transport team, responsible for breaking down the stones of Thorn Ridge and moving them to the sides of the road for paving. While constantly searching for stones to smash, they suddenly discovered a pile of stones embedded on the earth¡¯s surface, apanied by arge amount of white crystalline substance. At first, they thought it was salt, which is very important in daily life, so the serfs were very happy finding something good meant the Lord Landlord would reward them. However, after a simple taste test, they realized the white substance had not the slightest saltiness, but instead, a bitterness. Despite this, they still scraped off a lot of the white material and presented it to Goltai for verification. Unable to identify it, Goltai reported the situation to Liszt. Looking at the white crystalline powder in his hand, Liszt honestly couldn¡¯t tell whether it was saltpeter, but he knew an experiment would reveal the truth. Chapter 70: Cheers for Ice Cold Beer Chapter 70: Cheers for Ice Cold Beer Trantor: 549690339 Potassium nitrate dissolved in water absorbs a great amount of heat, which is the principle behind ice-making with saltpeter. Thanks to his past experience of reading novels, Liszt knew quite a bit of suchmon knowledge. Moreover, he was aware that potassium nitrate could be reused. ¡°Saltpeter is a magical substance that dissolves in water and then chills the water until it freezes,¡± Liszt directed the servants to pour the white powder into a basin of water. Then, they watched the powder gradually dissolve. Tom dipped his fingers into the water and cried out in amazement, ¡°My lord, my lord, the water, the water has really cooled down, it¡¯s so cold!¡± Goltai pushed Tom aside, curious yet hesitant, but eventually dipped his fingers into the water too, ¡°It is indeed much cooler than before, Liszt. Is this a magician¡¯s doing? I once saw a magician proficient in ice magic who would make a fortune by creatingrge quantities of ice blocks during summer.¡± However, after a brief wait, the water had only cooled and had not frozen. ¡°Liszt, why hasn¡¯t it turned to ice?¡± ¡°Teacher Goltai, making ice with saltpeter isn¡¯t as simple as throwing in a bit of powder; what we¡¯ve done now is just to prove that it is indeed saltpeter,¡± Liszt said with a light smile. ¡°Now, gather all these pieces of saltpeter while breaking the rocks, and bring them all into the castle, without missing a single one.¡± ¡°Alright, I look forward to the moment you produce ice blocks. Having ice during the summer is the true mark of noble luxury.¡± Tomorrow is the Sea Festival, and the castle will host a banquet. Night fell. Looking at the amount of saltpeter powder collected in a day, enough to fill a wooden barrel, an excited Liszt instructed the servants to begin the real process of making ice with saltpeter. Saltpeter dissolved in water absorbs heat and turns the water to ice. But the brine directly resulting from melting saltpeter is toxic, so it was necessary to prepare arge tub and a copper basin with good thermal conductivity. Water was put into both the tub and the basin, then the copper basin was ced inside the tub. They poured the saltpeter into the water of the tub, waiting for it to dissolve and absorb heat, turning the water into ice. As there was a substantial amount of saltpeter powder prepared, the cooling effect of the dissolution was exceptionally strong. In no time at all, the water in the tub slowly began to solidify, and eventually, even the water in the copper basin began to freeze. ¡°It¡¯s frozen!¡± ¡°It really has frozen!¡± ¡°A miraculous scene; this is the method of legendary alchemists!¡± Marcus, Goltai, Isaiah, and ir, who were watching from the side, all marveled. In their minds, ice belonged only to winter, and nobles who built ice cers could enjoy the refreshing effect of ice in the summer. But an ice cer was a luxury, and only wealthyndlords could organizerge teams to harvest ice blocks from rivers andkes in the winter. For fallen nobles like Goltai, they could only scrape a few ice blocks each year at Tulip Castle to get a taste. Marcus, ir, and Isaiah did not even have the privilege of tasting summer ice. Liszt was just as thrilled, he had heard of ice-making with saltpeter before, but this was his first time undertaking the task. Seeing water turn to ice with his own eyes was indeed a stunning experience. ¡°My lord, it¡¯s turned to ice,¡± Thomas said as he circled therge tub, his eyes sparkling. ¡°Cut the ice,¡± Liszt nodded with a reserved noble smile on his face, calm andposed as hemanded, ¡°Cut the ice blocks into small pieces. Tonight, every gentleman anddy will be able to have a small piece of ice.¡± Carter said softly, ¡°My lord, ice is too precious, perhaps the servants don¡¯t need any?¡± ¡°Not to worry, Mr. Carter, do as I say,¡± Liszt replied. ¡°Yes, my lord. Your generosity is deeply appreciated on behalf of all the servants,¡± Carter bowed deeply, recognizing the fortune of serving a generous noble master. Having said that, he directed Thomas to bring the ice blocks in the copper basin to the kitchen to begin cutting them. Liszt then called for Tom, ¡°Preserve this tub of ice water well. Tomorrow, when the sunes up, take it out to evaporate, not a single drop should go to waste.¡± Goltai was puzzled, ¡°Liszt, what¡¯s the rationale here, these ice blocks should just be used as they are, why do we need to let them melt?¡± ¡°The saltpeter directly melts the condensed ice; of course, it can be used, but it cannot be eaten. After drying out the water content, it bes saltpeter again, and then it is repeatedly used to make ice.¡± ¡°Is saltpeter really that magical?¡± ¡°It¡¯s much more magical than you think,¡± Liszt thought to himself¡ªif he found sulfur, he would now dare to mix ck gunpowder. Perhapspared to yellow gunpowder, ck gunpowder strictly speaking isn¡¯t even considered an explosive, but it¡¯s still a mmable and explosive high-explosive material. Suitable for making some homemade bombs, its power wouldn¡¯t be weaker than the magic released by low-level magical beasts. When used in low-level battles, it can still achieve an element of surprise. Of course, in a world where dragons, elves, and magic power exist, ck gunpowder doesn¡¯t have any decisive advantage. The dishes at the banquet weren¡¯t very rich; Liszt couldn¡¯t afford to treat Goltai and the others to avish meal every day, as the castle¡¯s supplies ensured his own extravagant lifestyle. Even the alcoholic drinks were poor, all of them sour beers without hops. But the party atmosphere was buoyant because everyone¡¯s cup contained a few pieces of ice. As the ice melted, it turned the beer in their cups ice cold. A gulp refreshing the drinker instantly, cooling the heart, an absolute delight in this increasingly hot weather. ¡°Liszt, I propose, for the sake of the iced beer, let¡¯s toast!¡± Goltai happily raised his cup. Liszt picked up his cup in response, ¡°Then to the iced beer, cheers.¡± ¡°Cheers!¡± Gulp gulp, the sound of gulping down beer resonated at the dining table. The kitchen. Above the dining table. Eileen stirred the ice cubes in her te with her spoon, making ttering noises. Mrs. Abbie Spoon couldn¡¯t help scolding, ¡°Eileen, stop making that unpleasant noise, eat the ice cubes gifted to you by the master quickly!¡± ¡°Rather than eating the ice cubes, I prefer watching them melt. Mrs. Abbie, don¡¯t you feel the temperature has dropped in the kitchen today?¡± Eileen Four Fingers continued to stir the ice, then looked towards the seat beside her at Lily Bath Touch, ¡°Little Lily, do you feel it?¡± ¡°Of course, everyone¡¯s te has ice cubes.¡± As she spoke, Little Lily stuck out her tongue and licked the ice cube on her spoon; she didn¡¯t want to eat it all at once. The ice cubes didn¡¯t have much taste, but they were cool and feltfortable, making all the heatiness in the body fade away. Abbie said angrily, ¡°Little Lily, I won¡¯t allow you to speak to Eileen during meals. Your clumsy hands and rude way of eating will only bring shame to our kitchen!¡± ¡°Cough cough.¡± Butler Carter bit the ice cube in his mouth forcefully, even though he was already in his fifties, his teeth were still strong, ¡°Mrs. Abbie, they are still children; let them have some slight indiscretions during meals.¡± ¡°Mr. Carter, it¡¯s not that I don¡¯t listen to you, but you shouldn¡¯t indulge them, or they will be unruly. Being clumsy is disappointing enough, and if they can¡¯t even learn a bit of etiquette, they will stay in the kitchen for a lifetime, unable to be maids upstairs,¡± Abbie said earnestly. Carter and Morson exchanged nces; they both knew that Abbie was a kind-hearted person who was tough on the outside but soft on the inside. But obviously, Eileen was not convinced, ¡°Mrs. Abbie, I don¡¯t even want to go upstairs. It¡¯s notfortable at all, you have to be so careful you can¡¯t even leave a footprint. I want to be a cook in the future; I like working in the kitchen.¡± ¡°You can forget about it!¡± Abbie red up immediately, ¡°As long as I¡¯m in the kitchen, you¡¯ll never be a cook, little girl, remember not to offend me!¡± ¡°But you will get old one day.¡± ¡°Even if one day I¡¯m so old that I can¡¯t do my job, the cook is still me, and you have to listen to what I say!¡± Chapter 71 - 071: The Festive Atmosphere of the Sea Festival Chapter 71: The Festive Atmosphere of the Sea Festival Trantor: 549690339 Before dawn had broken, Butler Carter¡¯s voice was already echoing up and down the castle. ¡°Tom, brace yourself!¡± ¡°Thomas, prepare Lord Liszt¡¯s festive attire without a single mistake, ck Abbieye!¡± ¡°Mrs. Morson, there¡¯s dust on the second-floor window. Have the maids clean it immediately. We can¡¯t give our soon-to-arrive guests the impression ofziness.¡± ¡°Good heavens, why does the kitchen have the oysters out in the sun? Take them away quickly¡­ No, no, no, Eileen, absolutely not today!¡± ¡°I need to see the water in the castle¡¯s tank spilling over, but Jessie, you won¡¯t be carrying water, let John and Parker do that. You need to hurry and inspect all the cordyceps. Even on festival days, we can¡¯t neglect what¡¯s most important!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t bring the entire thing out to sun. You should break it up¡ªsmall chunks of ice will sun more easily.¡± Carter took out a handkerchief, wiped the sweat from his forehead. It was indeed a busy day, and he still had a pile of precious crystal tableware to polish, but he had to sort out the trivial matters first. He watched the newly arrived manservant Jim, struggling to move the water tank used for making ice the day before out into the sun. He couldn¡¯t help but tell him to use his head. Jim was tall and quite clever, but only green in experience. Upon hearing Carter¡¯s words, he immediately started apologizing, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Mr. Carter, I didn¡¯t think of that. I¡¯ll break up the ice blocks right now and put them in a few buckets and basins.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t spill it, inside there is¡­ saltpeter, the Lord specifically mentioned it¡¯s very valuable.¡± ¡°Rest assured, Mr. Carter.¡± After making his rounds around the castle, Carter went up to the second floor, just in time to see Thomas carrying ck Abbieye into Liszt¡¯s bedroom. He followed and knocked on the door to enter. ¡°My Lord, you¡¯ve awoken quite early today.¡± Liszt was donning his detested clothes and the particrly ufortable ruff ¡°Ruff¡± with Thomas¡¯s assistance. His mood was a bit sour for a moment, ¡°With all themotion in the castle, I found it a bit difficult to sleep.¡± Carter suddenly bowed, looking somewhat uneasy, ¡°I apologize, it was apse in my work, disturbing Your Lordship.¡± Liszt was just a bit groggy from waking up, but seeing Carter apologize, his little irritation quickly dissipated. It wouldn¡¯t do to have this old man, faithful to him, bear the brunt of this small urrence, ¡°It has nothing to do with you, Mr. Carter, don¡¯t me yourself. It¡¯s the seafest today, I had to rise early.¡± Carter breathed a sigh of relief. Thomas cast a sidelong nce, somewhat disappointed¡ªhe had quite looked forward to seeing the Lord chastise the butler. After dressing, Liszt had a quick breakfast, then mounted his Fire Dragon Horse, ready to take a tour of the hamlet¡ªtoday was the festival, and even if only the nobles celebrated, it was still important to share joy with themon folk, to savor their support andpliments. By this time, he had already spotted Goltai, also in festive attire. And Marcus, ir, and Isaiah, dressed rather formally. These three were not yet nobles with titles. ¡°Baron, Goltai offers you festive greetings.¡± ¡°My Lord, Marcus offers you festive greetings.¡± ¡°Baron, Isaiah offers you festive greetings.¡± ¡°Baron, ir offers festival greetings to you.¡± The four of them greeted Liszt in turn, meticulously performing the nobility etiquette. Liszt responded with noble courtesy as well, ¡°Happy holidays.¡± Then came his four retainer knights, and twelve squire knights, who each stepped forward to salute and offer their holiday greetings. Finally, the castle servants,ying aside their work, led by Carter, also offered their festival greetings. As he walked through the town with Goltai and the retainer knights, phrases like ¡°Lord Landlord, XXX offers you festival greetings¡± continuously came from both sides of the road, with freemen kneeling on one knee, and serfs kneeling on both knees. The authority of the nobility was continuously consolidated within such rituals, sinking deeply into people¡¯s hearts. Once themoners had grown ustomed to kneeling, the foundation of rule would be unbreakable. ¡°My lord, good news.¡± While patrolling Tomato Hamlet, Liszt encountered Jessie Asanobu, who had been promoted from assistant manservant to manservant, now earning a wage of two copper coins a day. ¡°Jessie, what¡¯s the good news?¡± ¡°I just checked the cordyceps in Tomato Hamlet and found that the Tomato Elf Bug has already been nurtured.¡± ¡°Is that so, this indeed is good news.¡± Liszt was delighted; the seventh elf bug hade to the castle. He directly led the patrol team to John Bian Dan¡¯s tomato fields. The cordyceps in the middle was notably tall, bearing red tomatoes. On one of its small yellow flowers, a plump, all-red elf bug basked leisurely in the sun. John Bian Dan watched nervously beside the elf bug, his duty to protect it for thendlord from any harm, and to prevent it from being contracted by anyone else. Only thendlord was qualified to contract an elf bug. And only those who possessed Dou Qi or magic could establish a contract. ¡°Lord Landlord, John Bian Dan offers you festival greetings.¡± ¡°Happy holidays, John.¡± Liszt briefly greeted him and then approached the bug, sprinkling a bit of Jade Powder to attract it. He then rubbed a little Jade Powder on his fingertip and reached out to the little one. The Dou Qi at his fingertip circted, the charm of magic power and Jade Powder working together, and the bug bit down without hesitation. A fleeting sensation of a heart-to-heart connection passed, and the Tomato Elf Bug had established a contract with Liszt. Goltai looked on enviously at the elf bug, chuckling joyfully, ¡°Today really is a day of celebration, as if the elf bug chose to nurture today to offer you, Liszt, its festival greetings.¡± If only his own domain had an elf bug, perhaps he would not have ended in bankruptcy. ¡°It is a clever elf bug, I can feel it,¡± Liszt smiled and turned to John Bian Dan, ¡°John, the tomato field where the cordyceps stands will still be cultivated by you. Remember not to harm the cordyceps; it¡¯s the most important existence in Tomato Hamlet.¡± ¡°Rest assured, Lord Landlord, John is willing to give his life to protect it!¡± He spoke with great excitement; the tomato fields near the cordyceps were high-yielding and high-quality, meaning he could keep enough tomatoes after paying his taxes. For him, a prosperous life had taken off ever since Liszt rewarded him with a Nalda. ¡°It will get better and better.¡± ¡°I want to grow tomatoes for the Lord Landlord all my life!¡± As he watched the patrol team depart, his gaze focused on the noble and invible silhouette, his heart surged with emotion: ¡°May the glory of the knight forever favor the Lord Landlord.¡± Chapter 72 - 0072: The Earl Visits Fresh Flower Town Chapter 72: The Earl Visits Fresh Flower Town Trantor: 549690339 The Earl¡¯s caravan appeared at Thorn Ridge around ten in the morning. Learning from thest time when the caravan had reached close to the Castle before being noticed, the Patrol Team had been wandering on the road of Thorn Ridge early on. By now, arge number of trees had been felled on both sides of the road. The logs had not been removed yet; they were spread out on the ground, looking like ayer of flooring, undoubtedly providing great visibility for humans and reducing the risk of Magical Beast attacks. However, the job was not yet finished. The woodcutting was still underway, and Liszt was nning to set up two barricades to block the paths of the Magical Beasts. Although wooden barricades have zero restraining effect on Magical Beasts, the beasts, still having the minds of wild animals, would most likely turn back upon encountering them rather than destroy them. With the notification from the Patrol Team, Liszt, along with Goltai and others, went to meet this enormous troop¡ªconsisting of only five horse-drawn carriages but apanied by a whole Knight Squad. Pristinely dressed, with weapons shining bright, this Knight Squad had originally followed the Earl in continental warfare. Many Knights, due to their military merits, were ennobled and left for their territories to enjoy the beautiful life of anded gentry, then another batch of novices from the Knight Academy filled their ces, Maintaining the integrity of the Knight Order. The Earl didn¡¯t travel by carriage; he rode upon his beloved Panther Horse and didn¡¯t wear festive attire but was d in armor¡ªI suspect he purposely wore military attire to avoid the ck Abaieye, especially the disc-like Ruff, which could smother someone with prickly heat, particrly during the summer. In the heat of summer, the Ruff isn¡¯t so friendly to people. No one likes wearing a scarf in the summer. ¡°Father, Sir Liszt extends his festive greetings to you.¡± Noble etiquette still needed to be observed. ¡°Happy holiday,¡± Li Weiliam responded, then looking towards the nearby Castle with a touch of emotion, ¡°More than ten years, and this little Castle has not changed much¡­ No need for formalities, let¡¯s go directly to the Castle, the weather outside is too hot, your grandmother needs to cool off sooner.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Liszt led the way at once. A momentter, the caravan stopped at the Castle¡¯s gate; all the servants, under the direction of Carter, stood ready on both sides to wee the distinguished guests. Goltai approached with exaggerated fanfare, ¡°My Lord Earl, seeing you fills Goltai with such excitement! You seem even more splendid than a few months ago, despite my weakened Dou Qi, I can still feel the immense pressure emanating from you, the pressure of a Sky Knight!¡± Li Weiliam enjoyed such ttery andughed, ¡°Goltai, yourplexion looks even healthier. How is life in Fresh Flower Town?¡± Only then did Goltai shake out his clothes and bow deeply, ¡°Goltai presents his festive greetings to you, my lord. Life in Fresh Flower Town is vibrant and thriving; I enjoy working here.¡± While conversing, the voice of Lady Penelope could be heard from behind, ¡°The dust was so heavy on the way, I need water to clean up. Going on a long journey feels like enduring a nightmare, wishing for it to end but having to press on regardless.¡± ¡°Grandmother, Sir Liszt offers his festive greetings to you.¡± ¡°Happy holiday,¡± Lady Penelope, assisted by her personal maid, entered the Castle and nced around, ¡°It¡¯s hard for you, living in the countryside, enduring such a straitened lifestyle¡­ The only thing I might envy is the smell of this little house, the scent of the rural soil.¡± Then, she added, ¡°It¡¯s morefortable to me than the smell of Tulip Castle.¡± ¡°If you find itfortable, why not stay a few more days?¡± ¡°I couldn¡¯t possibly, my servants at home don¡¯t know how to care for my Flowers. I¡¯d go mad if I didn¡¯t see them for even one day.¡± Following Lady Penelope was a middle-aged woman, dressed in glittering finery, her tall Bird Lady Hat adorned with various feathers¡ªthis kind of hat, originally called the Bird Lady Hat, symbolizes ¡°the sky¡± and can only be worn by the wife of a Sky Knight. Itter became a trend that during festivals, all noblewomen would wear various extravagant and bizarre hats. In addition to her conspicuous hat, the woman also exuded a fox-like charm¡ªespecially her eyes. Liszt, inheriting the memories of his predecessor, had the deepest impression of those eyes. Back then, Liszt always felt that those eyes were constantly observing in secret without showing any signs. Yet, when she smiled, they carried the sweet vor of the girl-next-door. The present-day Liszt, upon seeing those eyes again, could easily conclude that they were fox eyes. Slightly narrow, with upturned corners, they would curve into crescents when she smiled. ¡°Madam, Liszt presents his festival greetings to you,¡± he said with a faint smile on his face, demonstrating the impable etiquette of a noble as a matter of routine, even if his heart loathed it, his expression was still nothing but warm and cordial. ¡°Happy festival, Liszt. You¡¯ve grown taller,¡± the middle-aged woman replied with a smile. She was the current Countess, Lady Marie Lova. In her hand, she was holding a very young boy. The boy was clearly disdainful of the castle environment, showing only a forced semnce of respect while performing his courtesies: ¡°Brother Liszt, Lidun offers his festival greetings to you.¡± ¡°Happy festival.¡± Liszt responded indifferently and continued speaking to Lady Marie, ¡°Madam, please take Lidun inside the castle to rest. I will go and greet my brother, sister, and Sir Layden and the others.¡± Levis and Li Vera had been to Fresh Flower Town more than once. So after exchanging festivite greetings with each other, they entered the castle. Liszt then went on to greet the nobles who followed in the procession¡ªthese were lesser nobles serving at Tulip Castle, mostly Honored Knights and also a Baron, who was the Knight Captain of Tulip Castle, Miki. The leader of the Coral Ind Knights was personally held by Li Weiliam. As the captain, Miki was responsible for the regr training of the Knight Order and the security of Tulip Castle, effectively acting as the actual leader. After the formalities were over, the castle became even more lively. Because there were too many people, there was arge gathering of nobles upstairs and even more knights downstairs; fifteen servants were simply not enough. Fortunately, the Earl himself had also brought many servants along with plenty of food and drinks¡ªproving that they understood the countryside had little to offer. Consider it a pic here. Carter, acting as the butler, naturally tookmand of all the servants, even in the presence of Silva, the deputy butler of Tulip Castle. ¡°Carter, if there isn¡¯t enough food in the castle, don¡¯t bother, the Earl has brought enough food from Tulip Castle tost several days,¡± said Silva, younger than Carter, perfectly attired in a tailcoat, standing among the servants, he was every inch a noble of high status. Carter used to be just a butler at a manor castle. When interacting with Silva, the deputy butler, he had to follow the other¡¯smand. But now, he represented Liszt. So he couldn¡¯t help but puff out his chest, making himself look more spirited: ¡°Thank you for the Earl¡¯s consideration, but even without the food from Tulip Castle, the town can still offer a variety of delicious cuisine. We have prepared a feast, Mr. Silva. I¡¯ll take it from here.¡± Chapter 73 - 0073: A Successful Banquet Chapter 73: A Sessful Banquet Trantor: 549690339 ¡°ck Tulip, truly beautiful.¡± Li Weiliam caressed the sole ck Tulip with a gentle expression. The rise of the family had relied on the Tulip, and naturally, he had a special affection for it. Lady Penelope also gently touched the purple-ck bloom, ¡°Having a new variety of Magic Potion, and it being a Tulip at that, is a sign of the family¡¯s continued prosperity. I originally thought Liszt was not a lucky one, but now it seems he is the luckiest one in the Tulip Family.¡± ¡°We should promote the ck Tulip vigorously, for the sake of the family,¡± Lady Marie said, seemingly offhand. Following behind Lady Marie, Lidun said with a trace of naivety, ¡°It¡¯s really pretty, Father, can I have a ck Tulip too? I want to nt it on my bedroom windowsill so I can see it every day.¡± ¡°There will be a chance, Lidun,¡± Levis cut off Lidun¡¯s words directly, looking at the harvested capsule and then questioning Liszt, ¡°Have you already harvested a batch of seeds?¡± ¡°A total of thirty-five mature capsules, each with roughly thirty seeds. I think, entrusted to Xiangxiang for cultivation, we should be able to nt on arge scale within half a year.¡± ¡°Of course, Xiangxiang¡¯s speed in cultivating Tulips is top-notch among Greater Elves.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll hand over the seeds to youter.¡± ¡°Good.¡± The two of them chatted briefly and settled the matter of nting the ck Tulip without leaving room for others to interject¡ªthe brothers were united in their views, willing to include Li Vera but certainly not Lidun. Not raised by the same mother, they naturally didn¡¯t have the same priorities. The Earl nced at Lady Marie and Lidun. Then looked at Liszt, who now stood much taller than himself, and ultimately said nothing. Lady Penelope whispered quietly in Li Vera¡¯s ear, ¡°The two boys already have their own opinions. Just look at Li Weiliam¡¯s face, it¡¯s truly delightful.¡± Although she whispered quietly, everyone was gathered close, and there was no semnce of privacy. Li Weiliam could only pretend not to hear, saying to Liszt, ¡°Fresh Flower Farm has fallen into disrepair. After I discovered the Tulips here, I nted a sea of Tulips and hope you can restore the scenery of that time.¡± ¡°Reviving Fresh Flower Farm has always been part of my ns.¡± ¡°I can see that, you really understand how to be apetent Landlord. Fresh Flower Town exudes a thriving atmosphere, I hope it continues.¡± After seeing the ck Tulip, as the day grew too hot, the group returned to the Castle. In the horse field outside the Castle, Li Weiliam saw the Li Dragon Horse. As a Sky Knight, his eye for horses was quite astute; just one nce was enough to see that the Li Dragon Horse was more magnificent than his own Panther Horse. ¡°What bloodline is it?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Liszt did not reveal the Dragon bloodline, for once mentioned, the Earl would certainly snatch away the Li Dragon Horse¡ªa Dragon Breed Horse was of immense importance to Nobles. ¡°Perhaps it carries the bloodline of an Intermediate Magical Beast. If you can breed a herd of equally magnificent horses, I¡¯ll buy a batch from you to rece the Knight Order¡¯s mounts.¡± ¡°That could take a long time.¡± Li Weiliam looked at Liszt with a meaningful nce, ¡°Don¡¯t be in a rush, time is on your side.¡± Inside the Castle. The servants had already prepared the banquet, and after a brief wash, it was time to enter the formal banquet stage. The footmen carried dish after dish on tes, cing them in front of each noble guest. Carter employed all his skills to direct the team of servants in an orderly fashion. The Earl¡¯s brought food did not cause any stir¡ªit was what they ate regrly. However, as seafood was served, what should have been a nd banquet hit a peak of excitement, with many appetizing dishes that they had never tasted before. ¡°What is this?¡± Lady Penelope, guided by a maid, dug a m out of its shell, took a bite, and found it fresh, smooth, and delectable, a taste distinctly different fromnd dishes that blossomed on the taste buds, ¡°Hmm, very delicious, so soft I almost don¡¯t need to use teeth.¡± ¡°ms, a type of seafood abundant by the sea, are very tasty in flesh. They are not only very delicious but also can prevent the onset of some diseases.¡± Li Vera, following the maid¡¯s method, peeled a shrimp: ¡°And what is this?¡± As the host, Liszt continued to exin, ¡°Mantis shrimp, or perhaps it¡¯s more interesting to call them peacock shrimps, their vor is fresh, sweet, tender, and smooth, delicate and soft, not at all inferior to the rock shrimps from Long Taro Castle. It¡¯s a pity we are now in summer, if it were spring, the breeding season for peacock shrimps, the taste would be even more delicate and delicious.¡± ¡°So, they are all from the sea¡­ seafood?¡± ¡°Yes, Fresh Flower Town doesn¡¯t have any special products, so to improve our recipes, we must look to the Sea of Azure Waves on the East Coast. Fortunately, there are countless delicious seafood waiting to be developed.¡± Seafood is an important food source. Not many nobles have noticed this yet, but perhaps after today¡¯s banquet, Coral Ind might experience a seafood development craze¡ªor perhaps not, as the ocean is far less important in the eyes of the nobles than thend. Sometimes, what restricts development is not vision. But inertia. Liszt discovered this among the incessant praises for the seafood. While the Earl and others highly appreciated the seafood, they preferred to buy it from Fresh Flower Town rather than catch it themselves. Perhaps, in their view, it wasn¡¯t proper to waste serfs who should be farming on bing fishermen. ¡°Naturally, I can supply seafood for Tulip Castle. In fact, as you have seen, I am opening the route through Thorn Ridge, and once it is through, I will organize a caravan from Fresh Flower Town to go back and forth to Coral City. We will regrly sell the goods produced in Fresh Flower Town.¡± The Earl took a sip of red wine and nodded, ¡°Once the restriction of Thorn Ridge is lifted, Fresh Flower Town might also develop into a prosperous town¡­ Like your sister, train a group of knights, for the glory of nobility is always fought for on horseback.¡± After the seafood. Another delicious dish was served, dried meat of the Wind Falcon. It was also thest main course, using magical beast meat as the finale of the main dishes, a fitting climax. Watching the guests enjoy their meal with noints made Carter, the butler, stand proudly beside the banquet. Everyone used to think Fresh Flower Town was a poor and shabby town, where thendlord was forced to live on poor food in a simple life. But this banquet demonstrated Fresh Flower Town¡¯s affluence. An affluent noble is a dignified noble. And his diligent direction of the servants¡¯ efforts perfectly reflected the aristocratic demeanor of the castle, convincing anyone who might have seen Liszt as a ¡°country baron.¡± Here in Fresh Flower Town, was a ce blessed with the glory of knights. ¡°Master, may we serve the dessert now? Mrs. Abbie has already prepared a sufficient amount of ice cream.¡± ¡°Then bring it forth.¡± Chapter 74 - 0074: The Popularity of Ice Cream Chapter 74: The Poprity of Ice Cream Trantor: 549690339 ¡°Ice cream, what is that dessert?¡± True to her nature as a girl, as soon as the word ice cream came from Carter¡¯s mouth, Li Vera immediately took note and asked, ¡°Is it a dessert made of ice?¡± Carter gestured to a servant to bring the ice cream from the kitchen, then exined to everyone, ¡°Ice cream is a very delicious frozen delicacy, a special product of Fresh Flower Town Castle Kitchen, made from a unique recipe that is perfect for cooling off in the summer and as an excellent dessert after a meal. It¡¯s a great creation thought up by the master.¡± ¡°Sounds like some sort of frozen cheese.¡± Lady Penelope remarked with a bit of disdain, ¡°I¡¯m not fond of cheese; it would make me feel nauseous all afternoon.¡± Levis shrugged his shoulders, ¡°I don¡¯t like cheese either, perhaps I could have a cup of frozen juice instead.¡± ¡°Ice cream is not cheese, try it first, and I believe you will fall for the charm of ice cream, a food that is full of temptation,¡± said Liszt dismissively. ¡°You¡¯re knowledgeable about gourmet food as well?¡± Lady Marie asked with a smile, ¡°A dessert personally made by a noble, I must try it.¡± Initially, the earl was just eating the roast meat on his te. Upon hearing Lady Marie¡¯s words, his face turned slightly grim, and he spoke with greater seriousness, ¡°Liszt, you¡¯vee of age and been granted your ownnd; you should be focusing on developing Fresh Flower Town and attaining knightly glory. Focusing on food is not in keeping with noble etiquette; the kitchen is a ce for servants!¡± Nobles absolutely never enter the kitchen, as it was deemed a ce for lower-ss individuals. Liszt took a casual sip of chilled beer, not minding the earl¡¯s scolding, ¡°Father, ice cream is just an idea, and Mrs. Abbie made it based on this idea. As a noble, all I need to do is taste it and offer suggestions on the vor.¡± Saying so, he smiled at Lady Marie, ¡°If you like itter, you could praise Mrs. Abbie; she is a dedicated and diligent cook.¡± ¡°I would be happy to.¡± Marie smiled. She then lowered her head to cut the seafood on her te, and her smile quickly faded. In the short time of a few sentences, the servants had already brought out cups of colorful ice cream on trays, arriving beside each noble to ce the ice cream on the table. The cups were valuable crystal cups. Crystal is often an essory mineral to dragon gems and, if of good quality with magic power, can be used to makemps; with poorer quality and no magic power, it is often crafted into various crystal vessels and bes a symbol of noble status, power, and wealth. The castle had twenty crystal goblets. Normally used in banquets to hold red wine, they were now being used to hold ice cream. ¡°Hmm, this is ice cream? It looks pretty and smells great,¡± Li Vera said as she picked up the cup of ice cream and examined it carefully. Inside the cup, there were three round balls. One pink, one light yellow, and one light green. On top, there were also two tiny purple wild berries. She then nced at the cup beside Levis, which also contained three balls, but in the colors of light yellow, pink, and dark brown. Essentially, there were only four colors: pink, light yellow, light green, and dark brown. It was just that the colorbination of the balls differed from one person¡¯s cup to another¡¯s. Carter spoke with grace, ¡°Lords,dies, young masters, and misses, there are four vors of ice cream. The pink is strawberry, the light yellow banana, the light green matcha, and the dark brown chocte. You can choose different ice creams ording to your own taste preferences.¡± ¡°It¡¯s very cold.¡± Captain Mickey said, holding the cup without hurrying to taste it, but rather asking curiously, ¡°Liszt, are they made of ice? If I remember correctly, Fresh Flower Town doesn¡¯t have an ice cer. Forgive my curiosity, but I cannot fathom how the ice cream is made.¡± ¡°Indeed, Fresh Flower Towncks an ice cer, but that doesn¡¯t mean we have no ice,¡± said Liszt, looking into everyone¡¯s curious eyes without any intention of hiding the truth, ¡°I found a very small saltpeter mine in the town. I remember reading a knight¡¯s novel that said saltpeter could be used to make ice, and hence, Fresh Flower Town had ice.¡± ¡°Saltpeter? Making ice?¡± The Earl looked at the increasingly unfamiliar Liszt, and couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Is this the work of a magician?¡± ¡°While magicians can make ice directly, saltpeter ice-making is a kind of¡­ natural phenomenon. Saltpeter dissolves in water, absorbing heat, and that can turn the water into ice.¡± ¡°Magical saltpeter, may I see it?¡± ¡°Of course, you can, but I¡¯m afraid that¡¯s not possible today, as the saltpeter has been used up. It takes so much saltpeter to turn a small amount of water into ice, and Fresh Flower Town has only a tiny saltpeter mine. Mining all the saltpeter, we can¡¯t make two buckets of ice in a day.¡± ¡°As Captain Mickey sighed, ¡°That¡¯s really a shame.¡± Li Vera spoke up directly, ¡°Liszt, give me enough saltpeter for a bucket of water, and I¡¯ll give you gold coins!¡± ¡°Try the ice cream and see if it suits your taste, sister,¡± Liszt said, awkwardly changing the subject. This sister had been addicted to stealing his toys since she was little; she wanted every good thing for herself. Li Vera red at Liszt. This brother, who she could bully when they were young, had grown up enough to ignore her. ¡°Even if only making two buckets of ice each day, it¡¯s quite remarkable. Tulip Castle can¡¯t open the ice cer and take out ice every day, and in the summer, ice is more expensive than gold coins,¡± Marie turned her head toward the Earl, ¡°Dear, saltpeter could perhaps be developed into an industry, you know, those nobles are always eying our ice cer in the summer.¡± The Earl scooped up a ball of ice cream with a spoon and said without looking up, ¡°Magical as saltpeter is, two buckets of ice a day are barely enough for Liszt¡¯s own use, not of great value.¡± As he spoke, he tasted a scoop of the chocte-vored ice cream, and his eyes lit up instantly, ¡°A very unique texture.¡± Levis joined the conversation, ¡°It is indeed delicious. It¡¯s called ice cream, isn¡¯t it? I like this strawberry vor of ice cream. It¡¯s creamier than frozen cheese but not so cloyingly sweet, more fluffy, melts in the mouth just right.¡± ¡°I prefer the matcha vor,¡± said Li Vera, who had already eaten her light green ball of matcha-vored ice cream. ¡°It makes a good dessert after a meal, especially after a summer banquet,¡±mented Captain Mickey. The delicious ice cream instantly conquered everyone¡¯s taste buds. There was only one person at the table shaking her head, Lady Penelope: ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m not ustomed to such a taste. It doesn¡¯t feel like food at all to me. Mr. Carter, I¡¯d like a ss of iced sugar water instead.¡± ¡°Grandmother doesn¡¯t like it? I do. Mr. Carter, another cup of ice cream for me, please. I want both chocte and banana vors,¡± Lidun said, having already polished off a cup of ice cream. Ice cream was just an after-dinner dessert. Liszt ¡°invented¡± it merely to enjoy a cold treat in the summertime¡ªnot being able to drink iced beer all day long, but one could eat ice cream any time. However, at today¡¯s banquet, ice cream had truly stolen the show. Aside from Lady Penelope, as well as the disinterested Captain Mickey and the Earl, everyone else was conquered by the taste of the ice cream. The fourrge portions of ice cream made by Mrs. Abbie were eaten up in no time. Eventually, the luncheon ended with the deliciousness of the ice cream. Busily directing the servants to clean up after the meal, Carter stood up straight in the hallway, his tense moodpletely soothed, and upon running into Butler Xi Er Wa, he smiled broadly, ¡°Mr. Silva, thanks to the food brought by His Lordship, the gentlemen enjoyed the luncheon immensely.¡± Chapter 75 - 0075: The Serf of Twenty Silver Coins Chapter 75: The Serf of Twenty Silver Coins Trantor: 549690339 Ice cream brought the festival banquet to a climax and nicely soothed the sultriness brought about by the hot weather. But although the banquet was over, the nobles lying in their chairs, digesting their food, were still discussing ice cream. Li Vera was the most enthusiastic among them, having fallen deeply in love with the taste of ice cream. ¡°Liszt, tell me, how is ice cream made?¡± ¡°Let Mrs. Abbie tell you. I only provided the idea, shepleted all the other steps.¡± Liszt had no intention of keeping it a secret. If he could produce ice on arge scale, then he would definitely need to keep the ice cream recipe safe as a means of amassing wealth. But without the ability to produce ice inrge quantities, it was impossible to make ice cream on the same scale, let alone transport it long distances for sale. Keeping the recipe to himself was of no use. Of course, extorting Li Vera was still necessary. ¡°I will tell only you the ice cream recipe, and it must not be revealed to others. Additionally, as part of a fair trade, you surely can¡¯t expect to get my things for nothing, can you?¡± ¡°What do you want?¡± ¡°Pig iron or wrought iron.¡± ¡°A hundred pounds of pig iron, that¡¯s all I can give you. If you ask for more, I would rather not have the ice cream recipe.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine.¡± Getting anything was better than nothing, and Liszt understood the bnce¡ªgiving something away for free was foolish generosity, and the other party might even think you¡¯re a fool; demanding too much was always not good, especially since they were siblings by blood, who could support and look out for each other. Having struck this little deal, he felt somewhat sentimental. He remembered his ¡°youthful¡± self on Earth, when he had made ice cream by hand to win over the girl he liked. Although he did not win her heart, he did learn the skill to make ice cream, which, looking back, was not learned in vain. ¡°It would be great if I could produce ice on arge scale. Making ice cream is still troublesome. If I made popsicles instead, I could definitely make a fortune¡­ even just making ice could be lucrative.¡± The ice cream recipe was sold to Li Vera. But when it came to Levis, he gave it away for free. ¡°Brother, how many more days before the Tulip Fleet returns?¡± ¡°If we go by the usual timing, they should be back at Coral City¡¯s docks in about a week.¡± Levis, lighting up a cigar, added, ¡°Are you talking about the ve trade?¡± ¡°Yes, I hope to buy a batch of serfs on the next voyage of the Tulip Fleet.¡± Having got the recipe, Levis was easy to talk to: ¡°Okay, but what price can you offer?¡± ¡°Ten silver coins per serf?¡± ¡°That was the old price. Now there¡¯s no fighting within the Grand Duchy, and serf trading is not somon, hard toe by.¡± ¡°But I heard not long ago that the lord of Little Papa Ind was killed by pirates, and his territory was lost.¡± ¡°The Sapphire Duke is very angry about this, and the news has spread throughout the principalities, demanding cooperation to surround and trap these pirates. However, the pirates disappeared without a trace after wiping out Little Papa Ind. Some believe this is not a group of pirates, but rather a lord in disguise. Da Pa Pa Ind has offered a reward of three hundred gold coins for pirate clues.¡± Levis briefly mentioned the reaction caused by the pirate attack on Little Papa Ind, then continued, ¡°Except for this incident, things have been calm within the Grand Duchy. ve trading will require looking further afield, preferably on the borders where the Eagle Kingdom and the Steel Ridge Kingdom are at a standoff.¡± ¡°Name a price; if it¡¯s eptable, I will agree.¡± ¡°Twenty silver coins per serf, it can¡¯t go lower than that, otherwise there¡¯s no profit for me,¡± Levis offered his price, ¡°Another thing, if the number of serfs is toorge, I need the gold coins paid now, or I won¡¯t be able to exin it to our father on the ounts.¡± Liszt considered for a moment and then nodded in agreement, ¡°A hundred gold coins, upfront, to bring back five hundred serfs for me.¡± ¡°Straightforward.¡± ¡°I have one condition. These five hundred serfs should mainly be young people, buy more female serfs if possible, and if there are any who have a particr skill, prioritize purchasing them.¡± ¡°You mean serfs who are cksmiths, tailors, tanners, that sort of thing? That won¡¯t be easy; artisans are usually freemen, and thews of all countries protect them. It¡¯s hard to trade them as casually as serfs.¡± The various aspects of a city¡¯s operation depend on the freemen, which is why they are protected by statew. Liszt clenched his teeth, ¡°I¡¯ll add twenty more gold coins. Out of the five hundred serfs, at least a hundred should be artisans.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± With aching heart, he paid Liszt one hundred and twenty gleaming Nalda Gold Coins. Looking at the shriveled purse, Liszt felt somewhat wistful. Originally, he had about one hundred and fifty Gold Coins, but after continuously paying the wages of the civilian workers, he had already spent quite a few Gold Coins. Now, there were only sixteen Gold Coins left in his purse, which could run dry at any moment. Fortunately, the passageway through Thorn Ridge was about to be cleared, allowing merchant caravans to be established, and the seafood from Fresh Flower Town could be sold in Coral City. He believed that the delicious seafood could surely create decent wealth for him. After discussing the matter of the serfs, Levis suddenly brought up saltpeter: ¡°Liszt, can¡¯t the production of ice using saltpeter be scaled up?¡± ¡°I wish it could, but unfortunately, it cannot.¡± ¡°You can mine more saltpeter deposits.¡± ¡°Brother, it¡¯s not about me wanting to mine; there simply aren¡¯t enough saltpeter deposits in Fresh Flower Town for me to exploit. I can give you some saltpeter powder and raw ore from when we mine it for you to try finding more. Maybe there are other saltpeter deposits on Coral Ind.¡± ¡°Alright, I will look for them. You might not have realized that if you can make ice during summer, you can definitely earn a lot of Gold Coins,¡± Levis said, taking a puff of his cigar. ¡°Once I find a saltpeter deposit, I won¡¯t let you down. Have you noticed that Lady Marie is urging father to get involved in the ice-making with saltpeter?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve noticed,¡± Liszt understood. ¡°Luckily, father doesn¡¯t care much for ice-making with saltpeter. In the summer, he mostly goes to The Court to serve as the Grand Duke¡¯s coachman, where there are innumerable Ice Blocks to enjoy. There are many ice cers on Blue Dragon Ind¡ªthe biggest one, they say, is like a maze. There were workers transporting Ice Blocks who got lost and ended up freezing to death right there.¡± Liszt didn¡¯t say anything. The grandest Noble he had ever seen was Merlin Taro, and beyond that, he had no idea what life was like for a Noble family with a Dragon. After digesting their meal, the Sun had begun to tilt westward. The Earl and his entourage prepared to leave; if they did not set off now, they would have to travel at night. Before departing, the Earl rode on his horse with Liszt following on his own steed. ¡°Fresh Flower Town is very nice; I hope you continue to maintain your ambition. However, merely bing apetent Landlord is not enough. The rise of the Tulip Family was due to military achievements. The Grand Duke is young and strong, and he has never extinguished the me of expansion. So, if you want to step out of Fresh Flower Town, do not give up the pursuit of a Knight¡¯s glory.¡± Wouldn¡¯t it be faster to make me a Viscount? Liszt felt somewhat critical in his heart. The Earl obviously did not like him, yet he yed the stern father figure, which felt a bit off: ¡°I understand.¡± Afterward, neither of them spoke again, just riding quietly. A momentter, the Earl nced at the Li Dragon Horse that Liszt was riding: ¡°That¡¯s a fine horse. Take good care of it; it will be a Landlord¡¯s most importantpanion.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± Then the two returned, the Earl rejoining his convoy. Carter, apanied by servants, stood at the gates of the Castle, respectfully seeing off their esteemed guests. Liszt bid farewell to everyone one by one. ¡°Grandmother, be careful getting on the carriage.¡± ¡°My little boy, if Fresh Flower Town isn¡¯tfortable for you,e back to Tulip Castle. Although it doesn¡¯t smell great there, you should find everything you need,¡± said Lady Penelope, looking back. ¡°I¡¯ll visit Tulip Castle often.¡± Li Vera embraced him and said, ¡°A hundred pounds of iron, when will youe to Coral City to get it?¡± ¡°I will.¡± Lady Marie, pulling along Lidun who was sullen at not being able to ride a horse, just smiled at Liszt and said goodbye. Captain Mickey and the other Knight guards disyed standard Knight etiquette. Like Li Vera, Levis also embraced Liszt, probably to show brotherly love in front of the Earl: ¡°Liszt, the doors of Tulip Castle are always open to you.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± The convoy set off slowly, and Liszt watched them go. Chapter 76 - 0076: Three Merchants of the Town Chapter 76: Three Merchants of the Town Trantor: 549690339 By the time the caravan had left Fresh Flower Town, the castle had once again regained its tranquility, although there was arge pile of dishes, wine sses, and the like that needed cleaning, and the small garden outside the castle had been trampled beyond recognition by the knights. But Carter could easily organize the servants to clean up at a leisurely pace. The castle had fifteen servants, which was more than enough. ¡°Teacher Goltai, the festival will be over soon, and we need to pull ourselves out of the festive mood. The construction of the town must not stop; we must continue to expand the lumberjack team and the stone-breaking team, and the fence-building team, as well, and strive to open the passageway sooner.¡± Goltai was still savoring the moment, ¡°As you wish.¡± He had been in his element at this banquet, engaging in lively conversation with the Earl, feeling a level of enjoyment he hadn¡¯t experienced in many years. ¡°Fresh Flower Town made quite the impression,¡± he described today¡¯s luncheon, with its dazzling array of seafood and the ice cream so refreshing it tingled the tongue. However, Liszt had a different thought. That evening, he had a private drink of red wine with Carter, ¡°Mr. Carter, I had intended to show the impoverished side of Fresh Flower Town, perhaps in exchange for some aid from Tulip Castle. identally, we threw a grand banquet with seafood, ice cream, Magical Beast Meat¡ªthere¡¯s simply no excuse to pretend poverty now.¡± Carter said with a smile, ¡°My lord showcased his charm. Your performance at the banquet won people¡¯s affection. If I were a knight, I might have just stayed in Fresh Flower Town to follow you.¡± The other meaning of a noble ¡®showing off wealth¡¯ was to demonstrate power and attract followers. Viscount Trick Lygrass was drawn by the Earl¡¯s charm and became a follower. He helped the Tulip Family and took part in the Grand Duchy¡¯s pioneering wars, eventually establishing the significant estate of Coral Ind¡¯s Count. ¡°But no knights stayed behind, did they.¡± ¡°I believe the seeds have been sown, perhaps one day they will suddenly blossom into flowers.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a very philosophical phrase, Mr. Carter, for that, let¡¯s have a toast.¡± ¡°To your health, my lord.¡± A gulp of red wine soothed his throat, Liszt asked, ¡°How much food did my father bring today?¡± ¡°A fair amount of various foods, though most were consumed during the banquet. The surplus consisted mainly of beer and fine wheat flour, along with some seasonings¡ªfennel, ginger, pepper, licorice, as well as salt, and sugar.¡± ¡°How much wheat flour and beer do we have?¡± ¡°There are about five hundred pounds of fine wheat flour and thirty barrels of beer.¡± The fine wheat flour was clearly intended for Liszt to make white bread. He was slightly lost in thought¡ªhe could feel that the Earl still had fatherly love for him. Some details could reveal it. For instance,ing to Fresh Flower Town for the festival was a gesture of closeness; if he truly didn¡¯t care about Liszt, there would be no need to visit this remote town for the celebration. Deliberately ying down the importance of saltpeter at the banquet could be seen as protection for him, especially since Lady Marie specifically mentioned that the Saltpeter Mine deserved development. Now he had also brought a lot of extra food for him. ¡°Could the Earl also be one to rebuke with his words but benefit with his actions? This is a bit troubling.¡± He was somewhat uneasy in his thoughts. If the Earl¡¯s family had nothing to do with him, he could easily maintain a gentleman¡¯s detached style of interaction, leisurely living his own life. What he feared most was being entangled in family affection. He didn¡¯t know how to deal with it, whether to embrace this affection ording to his current identity or to keep his individuality and maintain a distance. ¡°Is this the bond of kinship, that every person is inescapably ensnared by this?¡± Having drained the red wine in one gulp, he decided not to dwell on these troublesome thoughts anymore¡ªjust let things take their course¡ªneither initiating nor rejecting. Shaking off his reverie, he asked, ¡°Mr. Carter, has the seafood gifted in return to Tulip Castle been sent out?¡± ¡°It has already been delivered to Mr. Silva, all of it top-quality dried seafood.¡± ¡°Very good, one good turn deserves another.¡± He set down his wine ss. Carter too finished his red wine, put away both sses, bent slightly in a bow, ¡°Lord, you should rest early, I wish you a good night, I will take my leave now.¡± ¡°Good night, Mr. Carter, have sweet dreams.¡± In the following days, all was monotonous and calm. Liszt, apart from supervising the lumbering work, was also paying attention to another matter¡ªthe training of the Fruit Thief Monkeys. Initially, seven Fruit Thief Monkeys that were not seriously injured had been captured alive; all of them pulled through and regained their health. However, two of them were left with limps, and climbing trees was no longer much of a possibility for them. The remaining five were handed over to the hunters of the town for training. With ropes, whips, and fruitsbined in use, they quickly subdued the arrogant Fruit Thief Monkeys, getting them to climb trees and enter cages onmand. ¡°Three female monkeys, four male monkeys, I believe by the second half of the year, there will be ten Fruit Thief Monkeys.¡± The monkeys generally have two litters a year, but usually only one offspring per litter. Liszt looked on at the increasingly obedient Fruit Thief Monkeys with satisfaction, ¡°With no damage from the Fruit Thief Monkeys, this year¡¯s Fragrant Coconut Fruit can mature. I believe in one or two months¡¯ time, we¡¯ll be able to drink fresh and sweet coconut juice.¡± The Fragrant Coconut Fruit was not seasonal; besides winter, it bore fruits continuously throughout the other seasons. ¡°It seems Coral City doesn¡¯t sell Fragrant Coconut Fruit. Perhaps, if developed well, this could be another specialty of Fresh Flower Town. What a pity, though, that no Fragrant Coconut Tree Elf Bugs have been nurtured.¡± As he envisioned the future of the Fragrant Coconut Trees, the hunters had already begun training the Fruit Thief Monkeys to pick fruit. Faux fruits were tied to the tree branches for the Fruit Thief Monkeys to pluck; if they seeded, they were rewarded with a peanut. Those who refused got whipped. The monkeys couldn¡¯t escape, for they were tethered by ropes around their necks¡ªdare to run, and they¡¯d be pulled back and whipped. ¡°Remember this, animals can hold grudges and pitch fits as well. As long as they work diligently, there¡¯s no need tosh out with the whip without good reason. I will administer these whips on anyone I find beating Fruit Thief Monkeys without cause,¡± he emphasized with a serious expression. He certainly didn¡¯t want a rebellion of Fruit Thief Monkeys that could potentially kill several fruit farmers. ¡°Rest assured, Lord Landlord. We dare not forget any of your instructions,¡± replied the hunters, who were taking on dual roles and understood they would soon transition from being farmers to fruit growers, using the Fruit Thief Monkeys forbor. They were all delighted. Had it not been for the need of training, they would have been loath to use the whip¡ªa Fruit Thief Monkey to a fruit grower was like a horse to a knight. Leaving the Fruit Thief Monkeys behind, he returned to the castle and summoned a few of the new serf merchants. ¡°Old Geronte, Sherlock, Abagon, were you all merchants on Little Papa Ind?¡± Liszt repeated the question for confirmation. ¡°Yes, Lord Landlord.¡± ¡°Is there a merchant named Poliuxigin on Little Papa Ind?¡± Old Geronte replied, ¡°Lord Landlord, there are only the three of us who deal exclusively in smallmodities on Little Papa Ind. I can call out the name of everyone in the city, but there is no one named Poliuxigin.¡± ¡°All right, I was just asking.¡± Liszt gave Old Geronte an appreciative look. The implication in the words ¡°I can call out the name of everyone in the city¡± showed his significance. ¡°I¡¯ve called you here today to establish a merchant fleet belonging to the castle, and I hope to entrust you three with its management.¡± Chapter 77 - 077: The Milk Tea Gets Better and Better Chapter 77: The Milk Tea Gets Better and Better Trantor: 549690339 The management of caravan trade, Liszt had no intention of letting the townsfolk organize it spontaneously; he nned to establish a merchant group exclusive to the Castle. Without the drive and ideas for reform and innovation, he simply followed the practice of most nobles, managing his own domain. Old Geronte was elected as the head of the merchant group. Abagon and Sherlock assisted from the sidelines. ¡°The only product you can currently trade in is seafood, and I hope that from Coral City onwards, the seafood from Fresh Flower Town can gradually begin to be sold in all cities,¡± Liszt said. ¡°As you wish, Lord Landlord.¡± ¡°So tell me, how do you n to sell the seafood? It¡¯s a new thing, most people haven¡¯t eaten it before and will obviously fear it.¡± After a brief moment of thought, Old Geronte replied, ¡°Lord Landlord, we can advertise along the streets, iming that even the Earl raves about the seafood. I believe countless subjects will flock to the food praised by the Earl.¡± This was leveraging a celebrity¡¯s name for hype, not creative but very effective. Sherlock added a suggestion to Old Geronte¡¯s method: ¡°We can also first make contact with most of the noble families¡¯ kitchens, offering them free samples of seafood to taste.¡± ¡°Coral City has arge number of freemen who are also potential buyers of seafood. We can set up stalls in the streets and cook seafood for free, allowing the passing freemen to taste. I believe it won¡¯t be long before everyone in Coral City knows the delicious taste of seafood,¡± Abagon suggested. Liszt felt that both methods were good: ¡°It seems you already have aplete notion of how to do business. Once the road through Thorn Ridge is finished, you can start trading.¡± Old Geronte hesitated for a moment before speaking, ¡°Lord Landlord, we have no carriages, how will we transport the seafood to Coral City?¡± ¡°After the road is finished, I will buy several carriages first thing,¡± Liszt mused, remembering that there were still sixteen Gold Coins in the Castle, and a standard carriage suitable for hauling goods with a cargo cover was one Gold Coin apiece. He could buy six; any more would not be feasible, as there weren¡¯t enough horses to pull the carriages. After sending off Old Geronte and the others, Liszt sighed softly. He had thought the Castle¡¯s Gold Coins were sufficient, but now he saw they were far from enough. Five hundred serfs had cost him one hundred twenty Gold Coins, and in order to grow the town to a poption of five thousand, he would need at least another six hundred Gold Coins. To reach a poption of ten thousand, almost two thousand Gold Coins would be necessary. ¡°Otherwise, should I sell the Crimson Blood Sword? To Levis or Captain Mickey? It¡¯s too expensive for them, but they might afford a price of a thousand Gold Coins, right?¡± However, when he gripped the Crimson Blood Sword hanging at his waist, the gentle touch of Magic Power made it impossible for him to decide. This was a Gemstone Weapon. Produced by Dragons, it symbolized power. And it matched his Dou Qi attribute, so even if he became a Sky Knight in the future, the Crimson Blood Sword would still befit his status. ¡°I can only develop things slowly. Hopefully, this year, relying onpost for farming, Fresh Flower Town will have a good harvest. Alongside the Elf Bug I brought and the ones bred here, the tax revenue for the next quarter might exceed fifteen Gold Coins?¡± The taxes for this quarter had already been submitted to the Castle. After Isaiah¡¯s careful calction, the various crops and handicrafts collected this spring were worth around seven Gold Coins. In previous years, the tax revenue in spring was usually around three Gold Coins. There was virtually no tax revenue in the winter, about four in the summer, and around seven in the fall¡ªless than fifteen for the whole year. With the Elf Bug this year, relying onpost for farming, and seafood fishing, Liszt was confident that the summer tax revenue could reachst year¡¯s annual level. By autumn, the tax revenue would certainly be even higher, and surpassing Falcon Town governed by Li Vera wasn¡¯t impossible. ¡°My Lord, your milk tea is ready,¡± Butler Carter, holding a freshly brewed cup of milk tea, entered the study. A cup of milk tea before bed each night was Liszt¡¯s habit. ¡°Thank you.¡± Taking the milk tea, Liszt, who was already a bit thirsty, drank it right away, downing half of the perfectly-tempered drink in one gulp. His tongue lightly licked the dab of milk tea froth on the edge of his lips, and with slight hesitation, he asked, ¡°Mr. Carter, is today¡¯s milk tea still brewed by Mrs. Morson?¡± ¡°Yes, my lord, is there a problem with the way the milk tea was brewed today?¡± Carter became a bit nervous. Liszt shook his head, ¡°There¡¯s no problem with the brewing, but I always feel that Mrs. Morson¡¯s skill is getting better and better, the milk tea is bing more and more delicious.¡± ¡°I will convey yourpliment to Mrs. Morson, I believe she will be very happy.¡± On the first day of July, the afternoon sun waszy, and the clouds asionally concealed the sun as if a naughty child stealthily covered apanion¡¯s eyes. The weather wasn¡¯t too hot, and there was a breeze blowing. Liszt, inspecting the woodcutting work, stood on the other side of Thorn Ridge, with a handsome smile on his face, he solemnly announced, ¡°The trees within a distance of one hundred meters on both sides of the road have all been chopped down, the Lumberjack Team has done a very good job inpleting my orders, and as thendlord, I express my respect to you.¡± Respect was just a matter of lip service. Next, it was still themoners¡¯ turn to continue working, ¡°Clearing the road through Thorn Ridge means that Fresh Flower Town will now be connected with the outside world, no longer secluded in the corner of Coral Ind. Now anyone can go out and take a look. However, to further strengthen road safety, we must insist on finishing the fence.¡± He paused, then said, ¡°Therefore, the original Lumberjack Team will not be disbanded for the time being, but will go directly to constructing the fence,pletely isting the forests on both sides of Thorn Ridge outside of the fence.¡± The wood needed for the fence was sourced on-site; there was arge amount of felled timber just lying on the ground. The best timber was transported to the castle for storage, the second-best timber was hauled to build homes in Oyster Vige, the next best for the fence construction, and the leftover scraps were taken by themoners to burn for cooking. The opening of the road was a moment worth celebrating. Liszt gathered Goltai, Marcus, Isaiah, and ir to arrange the following tasks. First was naturally the issue of the merchant caravans; after purchasing carts, seafood trade had to start immediately; second was procurement, Liszt nned to spend hisst ten Gold Coins to purchase a batch of scarce food, including hops beer; then was to advertise to merchant caravans from various cities in Coral Ind, telling them that Fresh Flower Town was now open for ess. The castle¡¯s merchant caravans were responsible for therge trades entrusted by Liszt, generally not involving too much trade betweenmoners. Merchant caravans from other regions entering Fresh Flower Town would enliven the atmosphere of the small town, bringing wealth and a cirction of goods for daily life. ¡°Lastly, there¡¯s one more point to note, Fresh Flower Town will wee freemen to settle here by lowering taxes, make sure to spread this news in every city,¡± Liszt now longed for more poption, not at all concerned about the bit of tax revenue, as the development of the domain was the first priority. The others busied themselves with carefully noting down Liszt¡¯s orders. Marcus suddenly said, ¡°My lord, I n to take a day off to bring my family to live in Fresh Flower Town.¡± Upon hearing this, Isaiah let out a long sigh, ¡°My foolish son probably doesn¡¯t want toe to Fresh Flower Town; he¡¯s used to loafing around in Coral City.¡± ir, however, cheerfully said, ¡°Then I will also bring my family over on the way. Life here is somewhat monotonous, but the air is fragrant.¡± Goltai gave an awkward smile, ¡°Liszt, I also want to bring my family here, but¡­ Freya is already pregnant, I¡¯m unable to handle it well.¡± Liszt solemnly said, ¡°Teacher Goltai, although keeping mistresses is amon indulgence of nobles, it¡¯s ultimately immoral. I have no intention of telling you to stop immediately, especially since Freya is already pregnant. So, in Fresh Flower Town, just treat Freya as your wife.¡± After a moment of contemtion, he added, ¡°If her child is a boy, I hope he could be one of my Retainer Knights in the future.¡± ¡°Your generosity shames me, my lord, Goltai is willing to serve you!¡± Goltai stood up, walked over to Liszt, and bowed earnestly. This was the same form of loyalty shown by Marcus before, true allegiance. Chapter 78 - 0078: Small Town Real Estate Planning Chapter 78: Small Town Real Estate nning Trantor: 549690339 ¡°Completion of the task, reward: a new variety of mushrooms.¡± ¡°Task: Being a knight requires not only courage and wisdom but also sufficient survival skills to maximize the significance of one¡¯s life. Please learn Marcus¡¯s full set of archery skills. Reward: ck Pearl of the Deep Sea.¡± With the lumberjacking at Thorn Ridge passpleted, the Smoke Mission was timely updated. The new variety of mushrooms was evidently growing somewhere in Mushroom Hamlet, soon to be discovered, and Liszt had enough patience to wait for it. ¡°The ck Pearl of the Deep Sea, what is that?¡± He was somewhat puzzled, but pearls were not cheap on the market and were popr essories among the nobles; ck pearls should be even more valuable and could sell for a lot of money. He had been so poor recently that he was almost unable to pay his workers, and the thought of money consumed him. ¡°To learn archery from Marcus has been on the agenda for quite some time. So from tomorrow on, I shall officially start learning archery¡­ but tomorrow seems impossible since Marcus will be visiting Coral City to pick up his family. Let¡¯s start the day after tomorrow then, first having the caravan go to Tulip Castle to purchase a bow and arrows for me.¡± On Coral Ind, only a few noble families were permitted to sell weapons. Liszt didn¡¯t need to be troubled by this, for he could simply make his purchase at Tulip Castle, since he was a direct member of the Tulip Family. Early the next day. The newly formed Fresh Flower Town caravan, led by Old Geronte, with three merchants, six drivers, and seven youths, drove six nags from the castle toward Coral City. Each horse carried several packs of seafood, along with pots and firewood, for boiling the seafood on-site. Marcus rode his dun horse, apanying the caravan and incidentally serving as its escort. The training of the Knight Squad was temporarily handed to the Retainer Knight Karl Ironhammer¡ªhe was the only one who had felt the Dou Qi and was on the verge of mastering it. The other three Retainer Knights had shown no signs of Dou Qi to date. As for the Knight Squad, the young men had been eating well and training hard, muscles starting to bulge on their bodies. The two with the best physical fitness who met the entrance standard of the Knight Academy, Philip Wool and Zavier Bull Dung, had started to feel the Dou Qi and could cultivate it at any time. ir also followed the caravan, on his way to pick up his family and settle them in Fresh Flower Town. For Goltai and Isaiah, whose families either did not wish toe or could not conveniently do so, they continued to keep the town¡¯s administration running, with plenty of work to do¡ªroads were still under repair, houses in Oyster Vige were still being built, and fallow fields were continuously being cultivated. Moreover, a new important task had also begun to be nned. ¡°Teacher Goltai, Isaiah, the town needs to be renned. Probably tomorrow, Marcus and ir¡¯s families will be arriving, so please make sure their housing arrangements are in order as soon as possible. They alle withrge families, so they can¡¯t continue to reside in the temporary administration buildings.¡± ¡°Rest assured, Your Lordship, I had already considered thisst night and rented two houses next to the temporary administration buildings for Marcus and ir¡¯s families to stay in temporarily,¡± Goltai spoke with increasing respect, having decided to follow Liszt because of his soon-to-arrive illegitimate child. Following meant he became a subject of Liszt. It was no longer merely a rtionship of noble ranks and teacher-student affections. ¡°I am pleased that you have anticipated my thoughts,¡± Liszt expressed satisfaction with Goltai¡¯s current attitude, ¡°Now, let¡¯s continue discussing the town nning. In about three months, a group of five hundred serfs and freemen will be settling in Fresh Flower Town. We will need to build more houses in each settlement, and the town itself must be expanded.¡± Goltai had long known that Liszt intended to engage in the ve trade, and upon hearing this, he directly asked, ¡°How will these civilians be allocated? How many serfs will there be?¡± ¡°If all goes well, there will be four hundred serfs to replenish the farming poption in the various hamlets. One hundred freemen, most of them craftsmen, will be allotted some workshopnd in the town as needed.¡± He spread out the rudimentary map of the town. On the only existing street, Liszt drew another line across it with his finger, ¡°We¡¯ll build another road to give the town a cross-shapedyout.¡± ¡°This is no small project, and three months may not be enough.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll build first and worryter,¡± said Liszt, who wasn¡¯t an expert with exact budgets or long-term nning, and many of his decisions were made on the fly. ¡°The streets must be built wide, and the four areas split by the cross should have designated purposes: the west for amercial district where we¡¯ll eventually have a trading center and a vegetable market.¡± The development of social systems in this world was quite primitive, and cities resembled densely packed shanties with no concept of nned districts. But Liszt refused to ept this standard: ¡°To the south, we¡¯ll have the workshop district for things like mills, ughterhouses, and smithies to be relocated to this area. The north will be designated for serf residences, and the east for freemen. Furthermore, to the west of themercial district, closer to the castle, we¡¯ll n a residential area for nobles.¡± It was highly hical to ssify people into hierarchical statuses. Yet such was the way of the social system; nobles couldn¡¯t possibly live alongsidemoners, and freemen didn¡¯t mix with serfs. After pondering Liszt¡¯s words, Goltai couldn¡¯t help but express his admiration, ¡°My lord, your ideas are truly unique; they¡¯ve opened my eyes to new possibilities in city building. By categorizing areas this way, even the most distant merchants won¡¯t struggle to find ces to do business.¡± Isaiah was a bit slower to catch on, but, understanding the value of city nning after hearing Goltai¡¯s exnation,mented, ¡°This has indeed been an eye-opener for me. Fresh Flower Town will be a pearl of Coral Ind!¡± Liszt smiled faintly, ¡°There¡¯s one more crucial point¡ªthere must be plenty of toilets. I cannot stand to see anyone defecating or urinating in the town, even if they¡¯re only three years old!¡± He added, ¡°We need to hang signs on every shop and on each conspicuous toilet sign, and ce markers at the entrances of roads. Whoeveres to Fresh Flower Town in the future must follow the rule against relieving themselves in the streets!¡± He felt strongly about this. Just a few days ago, during the Sea Festival, the knights apanying the Earl had defecated more than a dozen times around his castle in just one afternoon! For many knights, such behavior was normal¡ªwhen they needed to defecate, they simply did so. But Liszt would not allow it. He didn¡¯t want to be strolling through the stables and, by happenstance, step in excrement. As natives, Goltai and Isaiah didn¡¯t care much about such matters, as they too had frequently relieved themselves wherever they pleased. However, Liszt had given the order. They nodded in agreement, ¡°Rest assured, my lord, we will prioritize the hygiene of the town.¡± Suddenly, Liszt recalled another matter, ¡°Right, Isaiah, my Knight Squad¡¯s young men can¡¯t recognize a single word. I wish to hire you as a literacy teacher for the Knight Squad, to teach themmon writings, and at the very least, they should have the ability to read.¡± There was no Knight Academy in Fresh Flower Town, so he had to hire a teacher himself. To this, Isaiah didn¡¯t hesitate, ¡°Isaiah is willing to serve.¡± Chapter 79 - 0079: Crooked-neck Bob’s Mistake Chapter 79: Crooked-neck Bob¡¯s Mistake Trantor: 549690339 The trade caravan didn¡¯t return that evening, but waited until the following afternoon to make their way back to Fresh Flower Town. Out of the six horse-drawn carts, two were filled with goods, while the other four carried Marcus, the ir family members¡ªsix nags, all quite exhausted. Each pulling a cart alone seemed a bit too much of a burden. ¡°My lord!¡± Marcus dismounted and bowed in greeting, with arge group of people quickly descending from the cart behind him. ¡°Teacher Marcus, if I remember correctly, you don¡¯t have that many family members, do you?¡± Liszt counted carefully; just Marcus¡¯s family alone amounted to 22 people. ¡°My two sisters and their families are also willing to follow me and settle in Fresh Flower Town,¡± Marcus replied. ¡°They live in poverty in Coral City, mainly because they have too many children. Even though I help them out often, it¡¯s still tough to provide for even basic needs.¡± Liszt nodded; he was always weing of more people. Then members of the ir family also paid their respects. The irs weren¡¯t as numerous¡ªjust his wife with four children. Their eldest son had just gotten married not long ago and had no children of his own yet. He instructed Goltai to arrange for the settlement of the two families. Only then did Liszt begin to inquire about the business of this trade caravan. Old Geronte spoke with some nervousness, ¡°Lord, we didn¡¯t sell much seafood. Half of it was given away for free tasting to the citizens of Coral City. In fact, many who tasted it said the seafood was delicious, but one man broke out in red spots all over his body and suffered from vomiting and diarrhea after eating it, which caused the other citizens to be fearful of seafood.¡± Abagon added, ¡°If it weren¡¯t for the patrol team hearing that the trade caravan belonged to you, Lord Landlord, we might have had all of our goods confiscated this time.¡± Seafood allergy? Liszt pondered. Some people are indeed allergic to seafood, but none of the residents of Fresh Flower Town had shown any allergic reactions to it, which made him think that seafood from the Different World wouldn¡¯t cause allergies. He hadn¡¯t expected that there would actually be people who are allergic to seafood. ¡°Such an incident is indeed unexpected, but don¡¯t feel pressured. Only a very few individuals will experience physical reactions from eating seafood. But these are rare cases, and once they stop eating, they¡¯ll recover quickly. Next time you sell seafood, remember to make this clear.¡± ¡°Yes, Lord Landlord.¡± ¡°Did you procure everything I needed?¡± ¡°Thick paper, powdered milk, hops for beer, red wine¡­ we got all of those, but we didn¡¯t find the pig pancreases you asked for. The few butchers¡¯ shops in Coral City didn¡¯t keep any. I¡¯ve already made arrangements with them to save pig pancreases for us, so we can buy them next time we go.¡± Pig pancreases are used for making pancreatin, which is soap. The castle currently uses soap powder, ground from the fruit of the soap pod tree. Among the new serfs, there was a soap maker who could add flower petals to the soap powder to make scented soaps. But scented soap production isplex; the soap maker Buniercked the equipment, and thus far, had not managed to produce any. Thus, Liszt wished to make pancreatin himself. After reporting the situation, Old Geronte prepared to hand over the money from the sale to Liszt, who of course wouldn¡¯t handle money directly, as it would be beneath him. He picked up the cup on the table and said indifferently, ¡°Mr. Carter, please take care of the handover with Old Geronte. From now on, you and Old Geronte will be in charge of the castle¡¯s purchasing.¡± ¡°As you wish, sir,¡± Carter willingly took on the task. After enjoying a meal at the castle, Liszt did not inquire further into the arrangements for Marcus¡¯s and ir¡¯s families, entrusting the matter entirely to Goltai. As thendlord, his most important job was to enjoy himself. ¡°Sir, there is a minor issue at Mushroom Hamlet; I wonder if you¡¯d be interested in hearing about it.¡± Mrs. Morson, with Maisie helping to clean the study, spoke to Liszt, who was passing the time with a knight¡¯s novel. Mushroom Hamlet? Liszt¡¯s thoughts instantly turned to the reward for his quest, a new variety of mushroom, ¡°What happened at Mushroom Hamlet?¡± ¡°The mushrooms used in the castle are mostly picked from Crooked-neck Bob¡¯s ce, his mushrooms are the freshest and most tender. But these past few days, Bob has been looking troubled. A kind of bright red mushroom appeared on the racks where he grows his mushrooms. He shovels off a batch, and another batch grows back.¡± Before he had finished speaking. Liszt had stood up from his chair and walked out of the study without looking back, shouting from upstairs, ¡°Thomas, prepare the horse!¡± Thomas, who had been getting ready to sleep, hurried out of the room and quickly went to prepare the horse. Carter also walked over quickly, ¡°Master, do you need to go out for something important tonight?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a very important matter, I need to make a trip to Mushroom Hamlet. Inform Goltai for me.¡± He suddenly remembered something, turned around to the housekeeper still in the study, and said, ¡°Mrs. Morson,e with me to lead the way to Crooked-neck Bob¡¯s ce.¡± A momentter. Thomas had the horses ready. Holding torches and under the moonlight, they set off toward Mushroom Hamlet. Jessie, the manservant, rode to the town to call on Goltai and the four Retainer Knights who served Liszt, to meet up with Liszt in Mushroom Hamlet. Mushroom Hamlet was in an uproar for a while. Crooked-neck Bob was extremely nervous. Mrs. Morson knocked on his door and told him that Lord Landlord was going to his mushroom greenhouses. He thought there was a problem with his mushrooms, and the Lord Landlord wasing to hold him ountable. As a serf responsible for farming for thendlord, failing to cultivate properly could mean a whipping. ¡°Bob, don¡¯t be nervous, the master is kind; this is not a mistake made on purpose by you, he will not punish you easily.¡± ¡°Mrs. Morson, is this true? You must plead for mercy for me from Lord Landlord, please, I beg of you!¡± Bob was still nervous. By this time, Liszt was already inside his mushroom greenhouse. Thomas followed closely behind, holding a torch. ¡°Master, what are you looking for?¡± ¡°The thing I was looking for, I¡¯ve found it already.¡± Liszt¡¯s pupils swirled like whirlpools, and tiny specks of starlight twinkled as if within the vast universe, in his field of vision, the rotten wood used to grow mushrooms had pale red traces of magic power, outlining the shape of one mushroom after another. Dispelling the Eye of Magic, and aided by the torchlight, he saw the thing that was emitting magic power¡ªit was the bright red mushrooms. They looked a bit like Positive Red Mushrooms, dotted among the vast expanse of regr mushrooms. It was obvious that the surrounding mushrooms were already wilting, but this red mushroom alone was growing very fresh and vibrant. ¡°It¡¯s indeed a magic potion mushroom.¡± Liszt wanted tough heartily because the magic power of such mushrooms revealed a red color; it was a hue characterized by the Fire Attribute of magic, ¡°I have the Fire Attribute Dou Qi. For me, these red mushrooms are an excellent tonic!¡± Sky Knights are essentially potion-philes, hardly able to push through to higher realms of Dou Qi with their own bodies without arge amount of magic potion supplements. ¡°Thomas, have Mrs. Morson bring Bob over.¡± When Bob stood before him, anxious and unsure, he said with a smile, ¡°You are Bob, aren¡¯t you? Don¡¯t be nervous.¡± Bob was so frightened that he knelt down, continually kowtowing, ¡°Lord Landlord, I¡­ I have erred, I spoiled the mushroom ingredient, I¡­ please, forgive me, Lord Landlord!¡± ¡°Bob, please get up. Not only will I not punish you, I will reward you.¡± Chapter 80 - 0080: Start Learning Archery Chapter 80: Start Learning Archery Trantor: 549690339 Crooked-neck Bob was so excited he couldn¡¯t sleep all night. Lord Landlord not only did not me him, but also rewarded him with ten silver coins! This was like a pie falling from the sky, and moreover, Lord Landlord told him to find a way to expand the cultivation area of the red mushrooms¡ªhe had given them a name, calling them me Mushrooms¡ªand preferably rece all the mushrooms with me Mushrooms. The more he nted, the more rewards he would receive in the future. ¡°Quiet! John from Tomato Hamlet got a Gold Coin reward from Lord Landlord!¡± His wife, disliking Bob¡¯s excessive excitement, couldn¡¯t help but pour cold water on him. Bob didn¡¯t care at all: ¡°What do you know? The reward is only ten silver coins now because Lord Landlord needs me to figure out the me Mushroom cultivation ingredients. I, Bob, am the best mushroom grower in Mushroom Hamlet; once I figure out the ingredients, Lord Landlord said, there will be more rewards!¡± He looked forward with longing: ¡°Definitely more than John¡¯s one Gold Coin! Maybe¡­ it will be two Gold Coins? Oh, what a marvelous moment, to have two Gold Coins!¡± ¡°But you must first figure out the ingredients, and if you can¡¯t, Lord Landlord might take back the ten silver coins and have you whipped!¡± ¡°Of course, I will figure it out¡ªI¡¯m going to do it right now!¡± Finding the right cultivation ingredients for the me Mushroom would certainly not be left to Bob alone to figure out; Liszt had already discussed with the hastily arrived Goltai and gathered all the skilled mushroom growers from Mushroom Hamlet to investigate together. Whoever could figure out the recipe would be rewarded. Liszt, now down to just a few Gold Coins, would not be stingy. He wanted to use the magic of money to stir up the residents¡¯ enthusiasm for new things, rather than continue the stale, inherited ways of farming. ¡°Teacher Goltai, ssify the cultivation ingredients of the me Mushroom as Fresh Flower Town¡¯s top-secret information that must not be disclosed to anyone. In the future, all ces growing me Mushrooms should be restricted areas, essible only with Castle authorization,¡± said Liszt seriously. The Magic Potion of ordinary nts needs the cooperation of Elf Bugs, which makes them difficult to replicate. For example, the Magic Tulip can basically only be grown by the Tulip Family. Even if outsiders steal the seeds, without the Tulip Elves¡¯ cultivation, the nts would inevitably degrade into ordinary tulips within a generation or two. Mushroom Magic Potions, on the other hand, can be continuously propagated. If outsiders steal the spores and ingredients and do a little research, they would be able to mass cultivate them. Goltai understood the importance of the matter: ¡°Rest assured, my lord, I will discuss with Isaiah a set of confidentiality measures to ensure that there is absolutely no chance of the me Mushroom cultivation method being leaked.¡± ¡°Even more care is needed; this is a Magic Potion mushroom and no amount of vignce is too much.¡± ¡°Understood,¡± Goltai nodded, then sighed with emotion, ¡°In just a short time, Fresh Flower Town has changed dramatically, with two Elf Bugs nurtured and two kinds of Magic Potions born. Thisnd is definitely the favored ce of Knight¡¯s Glory, my lord, you must certainly be the inheritor of Knight¡¯s Glory!¡± Knight¡¯s Glory is the slogan most cherished by the Nobles. This world has a very medieval style, but it hasn¡¯t developed a nearly all-ruling religion. This might be because humans can cultivate themselves to be invincible and free from illness and disaster. Thus, they scorn ¡®gods¡¯ or even have a sense of ¡®I am a god¡¯. The belief of the Nobles is only in Knight¡¯s Glory! The cultivation of Dou Qi and the constant striving to be more powerful Knights bring them everything! Of course, there are exceptions; Magicians definitely do not believe in Knight¡¯s Glory¡ªrumor has it, they believe in ¡°knowledge.¡± Liszt calmly looked at the moonlit night. If there truly was Knight¡¯s Glory, he believed that he was indeed blessed by Knight¡¯s Glory¡ªgifting him a beautiful life experience. ¡°I hope one day to ride a dragon.¡± Marcus arrived at the castle early. Starting today, he would teach Liszt archery. ¡°My archery technique is called ¡®Multi-Arrow,¡¯ which is an advanced extension of ¡®Basic Archery.¡¯ It focuses on controlling multiple arrows rather than the power of the arrows. Right now, my lord, youck basic archery skills, so you cannot learn ¡®Multi-Arrow¡¯ yet. You must start with ¡®Basic Archery¡¯ first.¡± As he spoke, he handed over a bundle of arrows. ¡°These are?¡± Liszt had a bow and arrows bought from Tulip Castle, which included a hard bow suitable for an Earth Knight, and he had also been given one hundred birch wood arrows. ¡°These are made of Wind Falcon feathers and oak from Thorn Ridge, Falcon Feather Arrows, all custom-made by me, totaling twenty-four. Within these, six are Falcon Tail Arrows made from the tail feathers of a Wind Falcon; to differentiate, I¡¯ve painted a red circle on the shaft. Falcon Tail Arrows have better bnce than Falcon Feather Arrows.¡± Marcus said with some regret, ¡°It¡¯s a pity that most of the Wind Falcon¡¯s feathers were destroyed by monkeys, otherwise, I could have made arge batch of Falcon Feather Arrows, which are much better than themon bird-feather arrows on the market. The subtle magic power in the feathers can make the arrows fly faster and more steadily.¡± The Wind Falcon had fought a chaotic battle with monkeys, and all its feathers were torn to shreds, and then Liszt had unleashed a powerful spell that burned many of them. Being able to fix and craft twenty-four Falcon Feather Arrows was not an easy feat. However, Liszt did not ept the Falcon Feather Arrows: ¡°I haven¡¯t learned archery yet and do not need Falcon Feather Arrows for now. Please keep them, Teacher Marcus. When it¡¯s time to clear out the Thorn Ridge Beasts, we will rely on Teacher Marcus¡¯s precise archery skills.¡± Marcus did not refuse: ¡°Yes, my lord!¡± Then came the time for teaching. As a Divine Archer, Marcus had a profound understanding of archery and a clear teaching approach. Liszt quickly immersed himself in learning to shoot. As an Earth Knight, his physical condition was robust. He could continuously draw the bow and shoot arrows, which made learning archery much easier than for ordinary people. ¡°The Smoke Mission requires me to learn all of Marcus¡¯s archery techniques, which means it¡¯s not enough just to learn ¡®Basic Archery,¡¯ I must also learn ¡®Multi-Arrow¡¯¡­ I need to speed up my learning progress, otherwise, this mission willst too long.¡± For this reason, Liszt even put his Dou Qi training on hold. He devoted himself entirely to archery. Therefore, on the castle¡¯s riding grounds, there was a shadow that sped back and forth, Liszt practicing shooting arrows from horseback at various erected targets. He learned very quickly, and after a day, he could already stand still and shoot at the target¡¯s center, with nine out of ten arrows hitting the seventh or eighth ring¡ªthe Earth Knight¡¯s control over his body allowed him to enhance muscle memory faster, helping him discover more precise shooting techniques. Two dayster, he was able to hit the target with five out of ten arrows while shooting from horseback. On the fourth day. Liszt continued to the riding grounds to practice mounted archery, but a shameful act urred on the grounds¡ªthe Li Dragon Horse mounted the Fire Dragon Horse, gyrating for more than four minutes before dismounting and acting nonchntly, lowering its head to graze. ¡°Hmm, the riding grounds are about to face a passionate season. Perhaps I should reduce the frequency of the trade caravan¡¯s travels and bring over all the female nags for the Li Dragon Horse to mate with¡­ Although nags are of poor quality, crossbreeding with a trace of dragon blood, their offspring will definitely be much stronger than the nags.¡± Chapter 81 - 0081: Groom One-Eyed Barton Chapter 81: Groom One-Eyed Barton Trantor: 549690339 The Li Dragon Horse is a dragon breed horse, and to develop a Li Dragon Horse herd, the quality of the mares cannot be too poor. The Fire Dragon Horse is the most suitable mating partner, but as there is only one fire Dragon Horse, any battle-ready horse can be brought in for breeding. Marcus¡¯s mount, the dun horse, is one such battle-ready breed, though it is a stallion. The horses of Goltai, Isaiah, and ir are all capable of battle and, moreover, are mares¡ªmares are usually not easily sent into battle, are more docile, and suitable for the kind of nobility or noble descendants who are not very fond of entering battle. ¡°I think we will be out of horses to ride very soon,¡± Goltai looked at his mount, which was being passionately whipped by the Li Dragon Horse, with an indescribable expression on his face. The most crucial point was that this mare was clearly not in heat, and it was being forcibly mounted by the overpowering Li Dragon Horse. This was Liszt¡¯s perverse taste; his mount, the Fire Dragon Horse, had already been despoiled by the Li Dragon Horse, so the mounts of others were naturally not spared. Marcus had a smile on his face. It was unclear if he was taking pleasure in Goltai¡¯s mount being overpowered or if he was looking forward to a future with herds of horses in Fresh Flower Town. He simply said, ¡°Even pregnant mares can be ridden, with about 11 months of gestation. They can be ridden for the first seven months, but after that, riding should be reduced. Also, avoid intense, long-distance sprinting, which could increase the risk of miscarriage for the mare.¡± Marcus was quite knowledgeable about horses, but he was not the most knowledgeable person about horses in Fresh Flower Town. The most knowledgeable about horses was One-Eyed Barton, a serf who had drifted from Little Papa Ind; he had once transported horses for the Pa Pa Family, traveled to the south, ventured into the north, drunk water behind toilets, and encountered many kinds of horses. ¡°Lord Landlord, I have never seen a more magnificent horse than the Li Dragon Horse. It must possess extraordinary lineage,¡± One-Eyed Barton was around forty-five years old, with a bushy beard and one blind eye while the other squinted into a slit. To test his expertise, Liszt had him inspect the Li Dragon Horse. ¡°So, what lineage do you think it has?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve seen horses with low-level magical beast lineage, like the Fire Dragon Horse the Lord Landlord often rides, which is of a low-level magical beast lineage. I¡¯ve also seen crossbred horses resulting from the mating of an intermediate magical beast, the ck Nightmare Horse, with ordinary horses, a new breed cultivated in the horse fields of the st Furnace Fortress Kingdom.¡± As Barton spoke, he shook his head: ¡°But that breed does not possess the spirit and majesty of the Li Dragon Horse¡­ It is taller than the Li Dragon Horse, but itcks the look and vitality. So I specte that its mixed lineage must be higher than that of an intermediate magical beast¡­ Perhaps it is from an advanced magical beast, but I cannot be certain.¡± His high estimation of the Li Dragon Horse¡¯s lineage was still not close enough, for this was a dragon breed horse. Liszt, with ns he did not intend to reveal, remained low-key and asked One-Eyed Barton several more questions about horses, to which Barton responded verypetently. So he directly said, ¡°Barton, tell me your surname.¡± One-Eyed Barton¡¯s face darkened: ¡°Lord Landlord, Barton was once an orphan without a surname, raised by a horse merchant. Later, Lord Little Papa bought Barton from the st Furnace Fortress Kingdom, and I have been trafficking horses for Lord Little Papa ever since.¡± ¡°Is that so.¡± Liszt nodded, ¡°Have you ever been married?¡± ¡°No.¡± Not being married implied that having a surname was rather irrelevant¡ªhad he been married and had descendants, some legacy would be needed, and perhaps at that time, Barton might change his name to Barton the Cyclops? ¡°In that case, you will no longer need to till the fields. I hire you as the castle¡¯s stableman, specifically responsible for managing the stables and caring for the castle¡¯s horses.¡± Barton happily kowtowed: ¡°Barton will take good care of your lordship¡¯s stables!¡± A stableman¡¯s role was not simply that of a horse caretaker, but also a servant belonging to the castle, who would not need to worry about food and clothing as long as they did not make any missteps. In the aristocratic system, servants y a crucial role, bearing the burden of all the work in the castle and maintaining its internal operations. Essentially, servants can be divided into five categories: upstairs servants, Retainer Knights, downstairs servants, kitchen servants, and outdoor servants. Upstairs servants include tutors, family doctors, andpanions for the elderly nobles; they generally do not reside in the castle but are allowed to dine with the nobles upstairs. Retainer Knights involve those retainers who carry out menial tasks on the battlefield and those who apany inbat, with their own families. Downstairs servants epass the butler, male servants, and maids, who are the main workforce of the castle and live downstairs. Kitchen servants are servants who work in the kitchen. Beyond that are the outdoor servants; this is a general term because it includes coachmen, foresters, gamekeepers, doorkeepers, gardeners, etc. They usually reside in separate houses outside the castle and do not work in the castle on a daily basis but maintain horses, grow flowers, and hunt for the castle. If it is a Noble, the servants will be further subdivided. The hall greeters, meal servers, wine stewards,undry attendants, chief house officers, personal valets, secretaries, wardrobe attendants, Horse Tamers, Dog Trainers, jesters, harpists, drummers, flutists, and so on¡ªin short, nobles can hire a specific servant for any task they need. Formoners, bing a servant is a matter worth mentioning. Inparison to serfs, servants clearly enjoy a morefortable life and lighter work. And among nobles, it ismon for lesser nobles to serve as servants to the greater ones. For instance, Goltai, a downtrodden Honored Knight, serves as a tutor in the Liszt household. Even the Earl of Coral Ind, a Sky Knight who holds the power of life and death over the ind, takes pride in serving as a stable hand for the Sapphire Duke. The longer Liszt lived in the countryside castle, the more he felt that there was no equality among people. ¡°First, take good care of the Li Dragon Horse, Barton; it has worked hardtely, and I do not wish to see it copse one day under some mare,¡± Liszt said gravely, looking at the tirelessly working Li Dragon Horse. Barton inspected the horse¡¯s mouth through the gap as it opened its mouth: ¡°This is still a young stallion, a bit of restlessness is normal, and as the weather gets hotter, its rut will gradually subside over time. However, we must regte the number of times it mates with each mare.¡± ¡°The top priority is to ensure the Fire Dragon Horse is impregnated.¡± ¡°Understood, Lord,¡± Barton quickly fell into the role of a horseman, addressing Liszt as Lord. In order for the Fire Dragon Horse to be pregnant as soon as possible, Liszt had decided against riding the Li Dragon Horse and the Fire Dragon Horse; he switched to a nag and continued practicing archery. By mid-July, when he could move swiftly on the nag and hit all the targets, never straying too far from the bullseye, Marcus announced that his ¡°Basic Archery¡± training wasplete and he could begin studying ¡°Multi-Arrow¡±. All in all, it had only taken him a week. Therefore, he was very confident about learning ¡°Multi-Arrow¡±, hoping to have it mastered by the time August arrived. ¡°Lord, your ice cream,¡± Thomas presented a cup of fragrant ice cream. Liszt, diligently practicing archery even in the scorching heat, took the ice cream and ate it voraciously. A refreshing chillness spread from his head to his toe, an indescribably delightful sensation. Without the aid of ice cream, cold beer, or chilled juice, he would never practice archery in the sweltering summer heat. Fortunately, the Miniature Saltpeter Mine mining had concluded, yielding a total of three hundred catties of saltpeter, enough to produce ample daily ice for the castle. At night, blocks of ice would also be ced in Liszt¡¯s study and bedroom to cool the temperature. With ice, this summer was not too hard to bear. Chapter 82 - 0082: The Most Difficult Task Chapter 82: The Most Difficult Task Trantor: 549690339 ¡°Multi-Arrow¡± contains no content about Dou Qi cultivation and does not belong to Dou Qi Manuscripts, but it does belong to Dou Qi techniques. Any knight of any attribute of Dou Qi can practice it. It¡¯s divided into three levels: Double Arrow, Triple Arrow, and Multiple Arrow, plus one Ultimate Mystery Technique? the Multi Shadow Arrow. Riding on a yellowish-gray horse, Marcus meticulously demonstrated the ¡°Multi-Arrow¡± he had practiced on the horse track and then exined each shot in detail. ¡°There are five ways to use the Double Arrow, but the one I use most often is to shoot two arrows at once, which simply means releasing two arrows to hit a single target. The next is the crossing of the two arrows, which involves firing two arrows side by side and using magic power to guide them to collide mid-air, thereby changing their course. The remaining Double Spiral Arrow, Double Chain Arrow, and Double Speed Variation Arrow are not very practical.¡± Riding on a horse, controlling the horse and controlling the double arrows, is indeed difficult. Therefore, Marcus meant that as long as one masters both the Double Arrow Released Together and the Double Arrow Crossing, one can be called a Divine Archer, undefeated on the battlefield. The other types of archery can only be effective when carefully considered on the ground. He continued, ¡°The Triple Arrow is essentially an advancement of the Double Arrow, with the principles of Three Arrows Released Together, Triple Spiral Arrow, Triple Chain Arrow, Triple Speed Variation Arrow, and Triple Random Shot being the same, but with higher control requirements. The Multiple Arrow is the same, with Multiple Arrows Released Together, Spiral Shadow Arrow, Multiple Chain Arrows, Multiple Random Shots, and Multiple Arrow Crossing requiring even stronger control.¡± Only after dismounting was Marcus able to perform the Triple Arrow and Multiple Arrow one by one. After emptying the arrows in the quiver, he shook his head, unsatisfied with his archery, ¡°The Triple Arrow can be mastered while stationary, but the Multiple Arrow can¡¯t be. It¡¯s too difficult. And thatst Ultimate Mystery Technique, the Multi-Shadow Arrow, takes me at least a quarter of an hour to prepare before I dare to shoot it.¡± A person¡¯s hand. One arrow is stable to hold; two arrows are not bad; three arrows can be managed, fitting exactly between three fingers, one arrow per gap. But more arrows are problematic, requiring two arrows to be held in each finger gap, a tremendous difficulty, let alone needing to distribute magic power to guide each one. Earth Knights don¡¯t have such delicate control over Dou Qi yet. The retainer plucked each arrow from the target and handed them back to Marcus. Marcus let out a long breath, easing his tense emotions, ¡°My lord, I¡¯m not so good at controlling more than three arrows at a time, and now the Ultimate Mystery Technique is even harder to master. That¡¯s why I split it into two shots, one with three arrows, which can just about achieve the effect described in ¡°Multi-Arrow¡±.¡± He pulled three arrows from the quiver, ¡°The first three arrows are shot with a gentle force, allowing them to be lobbed at a low speed. The next three arrows are shot with a swift force, to shoot them at high speed in a t trajectory, striking the first three arrows, thus uniting the speed of all six arrows and confusing their flight path, creating an illusion-like effect.¡± Having said that. He bit the three arrows in his mouth and then pulled out three more arrows to shoot immediately. The instant he released them, the three arrows soared diagonally upwards. With a very quick motion, he ced the three arrows from his mouth into his hand, drew his bow again immediately, and this time, he stretched the bowstring almost to a full moon. As the arrows were shot, they made a sharp hissing sound as they broke through the air. ¡°Whiz!¡± ¡°Whiz!¡± ¡°Whiz!¡± In midair, the three fast arrows flew on a t trajectory, hitting the arrows thrown in front of them just right. In an instant, the six arrows began spinning in the air. To the naked eye, it seemed as if dozens more arrows suddenly appeared, shooting chaotically at three targets. It happened in a blink of an eye. Before Liszt could even blink, the illusions scattered, leaving only the six arrows that hit the center of the targets. Five of them were embedded straight in the targets, but one arrow flew past. ¡°Still can¡¯t fully control the trajectory of all six arrows,¡± Marcus said somewhat disappointedly. But Liszt apuded, ¡°Teacher Marcus, your archery skills are already amazing. Let¡¯s start practicing quickly. I can¡¯t wait to perform the Multi-Shadow Arrow.¡± In truth, his heart was a bit bitter; Marcus¡¯s archery skills were profound. He had thought it was just a routine of two or three arrows, something to casually learn without seeking deep expertise, learning it was enough. But now he realized that without mastering Double Arrow or Triple Arrow, it was probably impossible to learn Multi-Arrow, let alone the Ultimate Mystery Multi-Shadow Arrow. ¡°This is probably the most difficult Smoke Mission I¡¯ve ever encountered¡­¡± It¡¯s already past mid-July, and he sincerely doubted he would be able to learn ¡°Multi-Arrow¡± by the time August arrived. Though it felt very challenging, he decided to set aside his mental burden and focus on learning archery. One day, he would master the intricate ¡°Multi-Arrow¡±. Just as the Earl had said during the Sea Festival, ¡°Don¡¯t be impatient, time is on your side.¡± He was only sixteen years old. There were decades of long life ahead of him. Fresh Flower Town was thriving every day, with no crisis too big to handle, allowing for a lifestyle of ease and pleasure. The dream of Dragon Riding couldn¡¯t be achieved in haste. In the blink of an eye. August had arrived. During this past half-month, Liszt had been furiously practicing archery and had sessfully mastered Triple Arrow, now beginning to move towards Multi-Arrow. The mares in the horse pasture were mostly pregnant now, and the Li Dragon Horse had grown significantly thinner, tirelessly toiling day and night. Even with dragon blood, it couldn¡¯t endure endlessly. ¡°Sir, the alfalfa in the horse pasture has reached its support limit. Currently, the town has a total of fifteen horses, all grazing in the pasture, with five stallions and ten mares. Apart from the three elderly mares that have lost their reproductive ability, the other seven, including the Fire Dragon Horse, are pregnant,¡± One-Eyed Barton said, ¡°With so many pregnant mares, the Li Dragon Horse is about to strain itself, so they need a lot of nutrition. Relying solely on the pasture¡¯s grass is definitely not enough.¡± ¡°As long as the horses are well cared for, say whatever you need,¡± Liszt was very concerned about the horses¡¯ welfare. ¡°For their health and nutrition, they need better concentrated feed such as oats, barley, and wheat bran. If we could also have peanuts and peas, that would be excellent,¡± These foods were not inferior to whatmoners ate, and even exceeded them¡ªin quantity, at least, as one horse¡¯s daily ration was equivalent to that of three adults. Liszt did not refuse at all; he readily agreed to One-Eyed Barton¡¯s request, ¡°Okay.¡± He also had the confidence to agree, because since the road through Thorn Ridge had been cleared, Fresh Flower Town¡¯s merchant teams could now travel unimpeded for business. Currently, their main trade was in seafood, which had started to open up the market. Tulip Castle was the main purchaser, buying seafood worth half a Gold Coin every three days. The citizens of Coral City had also begun to enjoy the taste of seafood, purchasing simrly every three days, generating another half a Gold Coin in sales. Then there were the numerous lesser Nobles residing in Coral City, as well as those nearest to Fresh Flower Town in North Valley City and its citizens, adding up to one Gold Coin worth of seafood every three days. This meant that Fresh Flower Town¡¯s merchant teams could earn two Gold Coins every three days. An average of 67 Silver Coins a day, with the cost of seafood and travel being almost negligible, this was pure profit. Of course, Liszt had not seen any Gold or Silver Coins himself, as the merchant teams had earned a little, he would order the purchase of items needed for the Castle¡ªsalt, sugar lumps, fabric, spices, soap, beer, and so forth. And specially ordered pork pancreas. He even had the merchant teams buy ten piglets, delivering them to the Serfs of Barley Hamlet to raise for ughtering during New Year. Chick and ducklings were not in season to buy; colts, calves, andmbs were too expensive to afford; for now, the livestock business had to rely on the town¡¯s own produce. ¡°This time the merchant team brought back¡­¡± After finishing the transaction with Old Geronte, Carter returned to the Castle to report to Liszt. ¡°Mr. Carter, I have a question,¡± Liszt, who had little interest in such intricate ounts, held his teacup, his brows furrowed in thought, ¡°Why does Mrs. Morson manage to give me¡ªa feeling that the milk tea tastes better than yesterday, every single day?¡± Chapter 83 - 0083: The Chance to Change Destiny Chapter 83: The Chance to Change Destiny Trantor: 549690339 Why does the milk tea taste better day after day? Liszt had noticed this for over half a month now, initially thinking that it was the improved skill of Mrs. Morson from Morson Paddy Field, but it was not possible for the skill to improve noticeable every single day. ¡°In fact, my lord,¡± Carter said, ¡°the desserts made with creamtely have also tasted better. Mrs. Morson and Mrs. Abbie think it might have something to do with the dairy cows on the farm. Both Dahei and Dahuang are pregnant with calves, and the quantity and quality of the milk have been on the rise.¡± ¡°Pregnancy can improve the quality of milk?¡± ¡°It¡¯s probably because the dairy farm has started to cultivate alfalfa. Compared to the previous two-leaf clover, alfalfa is more nutritious. I have visited the dairy farm, and the condition of the eight cows is very good, especially the three younger ones who have grown quickly and are nearing milking age.¡± ¡°Good, once the calves grow up, the castle won¡¯t be short of milk.¡± Liszt emptied his cup of milk tea in one gulp, ¡°This time, we must keep the calves that are in the cows¡¯ bellies alive.¡± The gestation period for dairy cows is about nine months, and to maintain milk production, they must be pregnant again soon after giving birth. So, a dairy cow can basically give birth to one calf per year. But due to limitations in nutrition, sanitation, disease, etc., not all calves can grow into dairy cows, and there¡¯s a high probability of them dying young. In this era, even human childbirth carried a substantial risk of infant mortality. Even if nobles had robust health and ess to doctors for treatment, it was impossible to ensure a hundred percent survival rate for infants. In more than a decade of breeding at the dairy farm, they had managed to raise only ten cows. Now that two older cows had been eaten by the Formless Dragon, only eight remained, but the pasture was sufficient to support a few more. Milk was an essential food for nobles, just as important as bread and beer. Liszt couldn¡¯t do without milk. He loved drinking milk tea. A cup of fresh milk in the morning and one cup of brewed milk for lunch and dinner, topped off with another cup of milk tea before bed. The nutrition from four cups of milkpensated for the energy he expended practicing Dou Qi every day¡ªknight¡¯s Dou Qi originated from the body; without nutrition, where would the Dou Qie from? He wiped the milk tea foam from his lips with a handkerchief. Suddenly, Liszt really wanted to invent pearl milk tea. However, there were no purple sweet potatoes or pumpkins on Coral Ind, so he couldn¡¯t produce ¡°pearls.¡± Therefore, he could only continue to drink milk tea without any additives¡ªwhen he first came to the castle, the milk tea brewed by Mrs. Morson was not just a mix of milk and tea, it also contained minced meat, eggs, salt, sugar cubes, sd, and more, which Lisztter forcefully eliminated. Restoring the original vor of milk tea. After finishing his milk tea, he cheerfully said, ¡°When the castle¡¯s ie improves, I n to raise more dairy cows. I aim to give every servant and retainer in the castle a cup of fresh milk every day.¡± Carter responded with a smile, ¡°You are always so generous.¡± A little kindness can ensure the enduring loyalty of servants, but the main reason was that he wanted to improve the nutritional treatment of the Knight Squad. The next morning. He continued practicing ¡°Multi-Arrow¡± at the horse track, no longer requiring Marcus¡¯s guidance. Marcus was training the Knight Squad not far away; Rom Barrel, Gray Scythe, and Auden Insole, three Retainer Knights, were also training with the squad. Only Karl Ironhammer was no longer training with the squad but had returned to Liszt¡¯s side¡ªhe had sessfully practiced Dou Qi and be an Apprentice Knight. The Dou Qi was very weak, and Marcus had judged that there was no potential left to tap into. But Karl was already more than satisfied, grinning ear to ear these past few days. Having Dou Qi meant being strong and healthy, it also meant being of great use. ¡°Karl, your Dou Qi talent was developed toote, and this is as far as you go. Once the Knight Squad training is up to standard, and you stay to be my Retainer Knight, it¡¯s hard to get a chance to improve. Therefore, I n to have you work in town,¡± Liszt said while practicing archery and talking with Karl. Karl was not young anymore and had already taken a wife and had children in Coral City. He said solemnly, ¡°My lord, Karl is willing to follow you forever!¡± ¡°I know your loyalty, but the position of retainer is not suitable for you. With your strength,peting with the young men of the knight squad would be very disadvantageous.¡± ¡°My lord, I¡­¡± Karl also understood that he was no match for the young men of the knight squad. Among them were two youths, Philip Wool and Zavier Bull Dung, who had cultivated Dou Qi earlier than him, and both the abundance and recovery speed of their Dou Qi surpassed his; the remaining ten youths had all developed a sense of Qi and were close to obtaining Dou Qi, with ample time to strive towards bing Earth Knights. He felt a bit panicked. Not being a particrly clever person, he became bewildered about his future for a moment. Liszt sighed inwardly. He wasn¡¯t unkind or hard-hearted, but the position of Retainer Knights wasn¡¯t a ce for sentimentality¡ªthey needed to protect their own safety and could not afford to be careless: ¡°Go to the Patrol Team. The Patrol Team is made up ofmon people, and they need an Apprentice Knight to oversee their security work.¡± ¡°Yes, my lord.¡± Karl felt somewhat disheartened. The Patrol Team was nowhere as glorious as the retainer knights of andlord. Liszt noticed Karl¡¯s disappointment and said indifferently, ¡°I will bestow upon you the status of a freeman and appoint you as the Defense Officer of Fresh Flower Town, assisting Goltai in managing the town¡¯s security, with the Patrol Team under your directmand. This position is important, do not let me down, Karl.¡± His expression shifted from disappointment to surprise in an instant. Karl bowed deeply, ¡°Thank you for the promotion, my lord. Karl is willing to serve you for life!¡± In the afternoon, the news that Karl had been promoted to a freeman and appointed as the Defense Officer of Fresh Flower Town spread throughout the entire stableyard. During a break in the knight squad¡¯s training, Marcus came over to give Liszt archery guidance. They chatted casually as well. ¡°My lord, Karl¡¯s story has made the knight squad train even harder, especially Rom, Gray, and Auden who are pushing themselves to the limit.¡± ¡°Dou Qi changes fate; it used to sound more like a slogan. But giving them a living example will make them realize that this is not just a slogan, but a tangible opportunity,¡± Liszt said as he shook his sore wrist. Even he himself was striving to be stronger. Marcus, however, remarked, ¡°It is you, my lord, who bestows upon them the opportunity to change their fate.¡± The statement was irrefutable; Liszt acknowledged it. Then changing the subject, he drew four arrows and practiced the ¡°Spiral Shadow Arrow¡± from the Multiple Arrow technique, making the four arrows follow a spiral trajectory¡ªthis was a preliminary skill for the Ultimate Mystery Multi-Shadow Arrow, with a key technique of how to create the illusion effect of the arrows. Two arrows were mped between his index finger, and two between his middle finger. Drawing the stiff bow to its full arc, he aimed at a target not far in front of him. Suddenly, he released his grip, and the four arrows shot out one after another with magic power spreading out around them, driving the arrows to spin in the air. Regrettably, the magic power dispersing one of the arrows was directed incorrectly, breaking the formation of the arrows. The airflow shattered, affecting the other three arrows, leading all four to miss the target. ¡°Stillcking a bit,¡± Liszt put down the bow and arrows, recalling where he had gone wrong¡ªthe study of archery was vast, involving control over the bowstring¡¯s force, direction of the arrows, bncing magic power, as well as ounting for wind resistance and gravity. Marcus watched thending trajectory of the arrows, his eyes shining. ¡°My lord, your archery talent has already surpassed many. I started learning archery at your age, but it took me three whole years just to get started in ¡®Basic Archery.¡¯ After bing an Earth Knight and nearly fifteen years of practice, I reached my current level of archery, and you are quickly catching up.¡± Chapter 84 - 0084 When will the task be completed? Chapter 84: When will the task bepleted? Trantor: 549690339 This isn¡¯t ttery. Liszt himself felt that his talent was extraordinarily potent. Perhaps his body, by nature, had strong lineage, superior genes, far surpassing those of ordinary people. Now with a soul that surpassed the era¡¯s thinking, his grasp of principles allowed him a clearer touch on the essence of cultivation. Others learned archery, perhaps solely through practice and experience. In their minds, there was no conception of air resistance, parabolic trajectories, inertia, or Newton¡¯s threews of motion. Yet he could, through some simplews of physics, discern the trajectory of an arrow¡¯s flight and thus more quickly master how to shape muscle memory to rapidly learn archery skills. What hecked was just control over technical details. Analyze failure. Improve technique. Bend the bow and shoot arrows again. Liszt felt that such pure cultivation, once one delved into it, was also a kind of painful yet joyful indulgence. ¡°My lord, I¡¯m nning to take a day off to buy my family out of serfdom and bring them to live in Fresh Flower Town,¡± Karl said, having sessfully handed over the position of defense officer, and following the afternoon¡¯s briefing for the patrol team, attended the evening¡¯s banquet in the castle for the first time. He was nervously fidgety with excitement. Liszt, biting into a piece of bread, replied, ¡°I approve your leave. Go ahead and bring your family to live here, Goltai will ensure your work is managed well¡­ By the way, do you have enough money to buy their freedom?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve saved up enough, Rom and the others lent me some. There are only four people in my family, my parents and younger brother and sister, and the money I have is just enough to buy out their serf status.¡± ¡°If it¡¯s not enough, don¡¯t hesitate to speak to me, whether you need an advance on your sry or a low-interest loan.¡± Karl, formerly a retainer knight, had family members who were serfs of the Tulip family. Now that he had obtained freeman status, he wanted to free his family from serfdom. As a follower of a noble, he now had enough power to protect his family. Goltai raised his ss to Karl in celebration, ¡°ir and Marcus¡¯ families have settled into their new lives and are doing very well; your family will do the same.¡± Karl downed his beer in one go, excitedly saying, ¡°Fresh Flower Town will only get better, the glory of the knights shines upon this ce, shines upon the lord!¡± ¡°I agree!¡± Marcus, too, raised his ss and drained his beer. ir and Isaiah also raised their sses to drink heartily. Goltai, who had a taste for good wine, finished his ss, eagerly waited for the servant to refill it, and then promptly raised his ss again, ¡°In that case, let¡¯s drink another round to Fresh Flower Town, to our lord!¡± One ss of wine was downed. Then Goltai added, ¡°Karl,e back soon. In three days, a caravan from North Valley City wille to Fresh Flower Town. The patrol team needs to supervise the entire process and promote the rules of Fresh Flower Town to them.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll return as quickly as I can, without dy to the work,¡± Karl assured. ¡°Douson, release the magic!¡± Outside the castle, Liszt held Douson¡¯s leash, issuing themand. Douson immediately followed the direction of his pointing finger, opened his mouth to roar, and in an instant, a rock spike emerged from the ground. After Liszt led Douson away, a male servant immediately came over, shovel in hand, to dig the rock spike out of the ground. This kind of rock spike was created by the earth attribute magic power solidifying the soil into a hard stonepound. It was extremely hard, with the toughness of granite. Every day Douson could produce many such rock spikes, then the male servants would collect them and use them for paving roads. Liszt had requested the construction of a stone road between the castle and the town¡¯s main street, passable even on rainy days; otherwise, it was impossible to go out when it rained. At the moment, this road was already forty meters long. ¡°Douson, up!¡± Liszt continued to train Douson. He had specifically bought all the wild rabbits caught by hunters, and these rabbits were materials for Douson¡¯s training. The wild rabbits ran rapidly on the ground, making various abrupt stops and changes in direction. Even if Douson was a magical beast, hailed as the King of Thorn Ridge, catching up to a wild rabbit still took considerable effort. It chased the rabbit around the riding ground for about a kilometer before finally pinning the rabbit to the ground and biting down on its neck. It killed the rabbit. Douson flung the rabbit carcass to one side. It no longer ate raw food, its mouth spoiled by Liszt, only consuming cooked meals. ¡°Ga ji!¡± On Liszt¡¯s left hand, which was cloaked in a leather glove, perched a fluffy big bird, Juan Fu, a young Wind Falcon. Still unable to fly, it had quite a loud voice, squawking ¡°ga ji,¡± ¡°ga ji¡± all day long, and had a huge appetite too, consuming several fish in one meal. Hearing Juan Fu¡¯s squawk, the cheerful Douson immediately turned around, then rushed beside Liszt, drooling at Juan Fu¡ªit certainly wanted to eat a bird, to taste its vor. ¡°Ga ji!¡± ¡°Ga ji!¡± Juan Fu pped its wings, seemingly eager to attempt flying. Once thisyer of down fell out, reced by flight feathers, it would probably be ready for its first flight. Liszt felt slightly troubled, as birds yearn for the sky and are hard to keep grounded. Yet without any sign of recognizing an owner, and with nobody on Coral Ind adept at taming birds, ¡°Stop squawking, or I¡¯ll make you into a red-cooked dish,¡± said Liszt nonchntly as he passed Juan Fu to Thomas, who hastily caught it with his gloved hand, fearing it might fall and be prey to Douson. Now roughly the size and weight of a sausage, Juan Fu was somewhat heavy for Thomas to hold with one hand. Liszt, sympathetic to his struggle, said, ¡°Take it back to the nest.¡± ¡°Yes, Master.¡± By the time Thomas returned after delivering Juan Fu, Liszt had already exhausted Douson with training: ¡°Lead Douson back and tie it up, I¡¯m going to start practicing archery.¡± ¡°Yes, Master.¡± Seeing this, two robust youths rushed over to pass Liszt his bow and arrows: ¡°My lord, your bow and arrows.¡± They were Philip Wool and Zavier Bull Dung, members of the Knight Squad who had cultivated Dou Qi and were no longer required to train daily with the squad, beginning their duties as Retainer Knights. epting the bow and arrows, Liszt quickly entered his zone, practicing Multiple Arrow. Now, he onlycked mastery of Spiral Shadow Arrow; he had sessfully learned the other four techniques but wasn¡¯t very proficient yet. ¡°Today, I aim to master Spiral Shadow Arrow, and I¡¯ll start practicing Multiple Phantom Arrow tomorrow!¡± From morning until afternoon. Sweat streamed down time and again. Finally, as the sun set in the west, he sessfully executed Spiral Shadow Arrow. Four arrows spiraled through the air, instantly creatingyers of illusions, eventually all striking the target. ¡°Phew!¡± He breathed a sigh of relief. Rubbing his wrist, he decided to call it a day with archery: ¡°In another week, I should be able to master Multiple Phantom Arrow.¡± Thinking this, he summoned the Smoke Mission and habitually nced over it. But this nce revealed that the Serpent Script had transformed. ¡°Missionplete, reward: ck Pearl of the Deep Sea.¡± ¡°Mission: A trade caravan is soon to arrive at Fresh Flower Town, the first since the Landlord¡¯smencement. Ensure the trade¡¯s total proceeds reach at least 3 Gold Coins to attract the caravan for future visits. Reward: Drifting Bottle.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± Liszt was puzzled, ¡°When did I actuallyplete the mission? I clearly haven¡¯t mastered the Ultimate Mystery Multi-Shadow Arrow?¡± Suddenly, it dawned on him. That time when practicing ¡°Multi-Arrow¡±, Marcus¡¯s Multiple Phantom Arrow had one stray from the target. ¡°Does this mean that Marcus hasn¡¯t mastered the Ultimate Mystery Technique either? He shot in two sequences and still missed one, so he doesn¡¯t qualify as having mastery? So, do I only need to learn the earlier Double Arrow, Triple Arrow, and Multiple Arrow toplete the mission?¡± Without a doubt, that had to be the case. It was an unexpected blessing, which Liszt dly epted, then shifted his focus to the rewards and new mission: ¡°The ck Pearl of the Deep Sea? The Drifting Bottle? Is there any connection between them?¡± Chapter 85 - 0085: The Self-Recommended Captain Chapter 85: The Self-Rmended Captain Trantor: 549690339 The task was easy to aplish. He didn¡¯t need to pay attention to how much the residents of the town traded, as he had already decided that the castle would directly purchase any goods above three Gold Coins. Recently, seafood had started to turn a profit, and the East Coast had be a constant stream of Gold Coins for the castle. His money pouch had sessfully stopped deting and was slightly recovering; he now had about five Gold Coins saved. ¡°Old Geronte, I¡¯ve called you here because I have a task for you. Tomorrow, a merchant convoy from North Valley City wille to Fresh Flower Town. I¡¯m giving you three Gold Coins, and you must spend them all, purchasing anything you can.¡± Old Geronte was astute, ¡°Lord Landlord, are you using the allure of Gold Coins to entice the merchant convoy toe again next time?¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± ¡°Old Geronte understands, I will see to it that it¡¯s done.¡± ¡°Good, you may go now.¡± ¡°Yes, Lord Landlord, I wish you a good night.¡± As Old Geronte turned to leave, he saw Bunier at the castle gate and greeted him, ¡°Bunier, has the Lord Landlord also summoned you?¡± ¡°Oh, no, I made some soap and brought it to the castle specially.¡± Bunier shook the bag he was holding, ¡°Did the Lord Landlord call for you about the merchant convoy¡¯s matter for tomorrow?¡± Old Geronte said with a hint of pride, ¡°Of course, I¡¯m the leader of the castle¡¯s merchant convoy, and the Lord Landlord trusts me.¡± ¡°I¡¯m envious of you, but I must be going now.¡± Bunier passed Old Geronte and, led by a servant, entered the castle to see Liszt. He bowed respectfully and handed the soap to the servant. ¡°Finally, the soap is made, and we no longer have to buy those soaps from Coral City, where they charge two silver coins for materials that inly cost a copper coin.¡± Liszt picked up a bar of soap, feeling that Bunier¡¯s craftsmanship was decent and not much worse than the soaps bought from Coral City, ¡°You¡¯ve worked hard, Bunier.¡± ¡°It¡¯s Bunier¡¯s fortune to work for Lord Landlord.¡± ¡°I have another task for you.¡± ¡°Lord Landlord, pleasemand me.¡± Liszt said, ¡°I¡¯ve heard of a form, mixing pig pancreas and wood ash¡ªbasically these two materials¡ªto create a soap that is more potent in cleaning than soapberry. It¡¯s called ¡®fat soap.¡¯¡± The term ¡®pancreas¡¯ didn¡¯t sound pleasant, so Liszt simply described it as ¡®fat soap,¡¯ since it was a new concept with no contention over naming rights. ¡°There is something better than soapberry? Lord Landlord, can pig pancreas also clean and remove stains?¡± asked Bunier, surprised. ¡°That¡¯s the case, but I can¡¯t remember exactly how to mix them. Therefore, I¡¯m handing over the task of making fat soap to you, hoping that you can quickly figure out how to create a bath soap using pig pancreas and wood ash. Once you¡¯ve seeded, I will reward you handsomely.¡± Bunier quickly replied, ¡°It is Bunier¡¯s fortune to work for Lord Landlord. Please be assured, Lord Landlord, that Bunier will make the fat soap as soon as possible.¡± ¡°Hm, don¡¯t forget to keep making the regr soap as well; we cannot run out of soap in the castle.¡± ¡°Rest assured, Lord Landlord.¡± The rewards for the Smoke Mission arrived quickly. The next morning, Liszt received a report that the fishermen from Oyster Vige had found a stranded giant sea creature on the East Coast. A sea monster, the ck Pearl of the Deep Sea, Liszt immediately realized and set off for the East Coast. By the seaside, he saw the stranded sea monster, apanied by a putrid smell. ¡°Lord, do you recognize this kind of sea monster?¡± Goltai and the others had rushed over early, but they did not recognize what species the stranded sea monster was. Liszt looked closely and saw that the sea monster was some kind of mollusk, extremelyrge, at least over ten meters long. It had tentacles, soft and entwined together, and upon examining its body, which resembled a squid andy spread out on the sand, he noticed signs of decay that made it hard to discern what it looked like alive. He used the Eye of Magic and discovered that there was no flow of magic power in the body of the sea monster. Strictly speaking, this was just some sort of marine animal, not a sea monster. ¡°It might be a type ofrge squid, not a sea monster,¡± Liszt fanned away the air in front of his nose, as the putrid smell of the decaying squid was extremely foul. ¡°I wonder if it¡¯s edible?¡± ir suddenly asked. Goltai made a face of aversion, ¡°I can hardly stand the smell, let alone eat it. I think it¡¯s not seafood; it¡¯s a monster! Maybe it¡¯s poisonous, or it might even have eaten people in the sea. I¡¯ve heard of a kind of sea monster that entangles ships, and this squid has ¡®hands,¡¯ so it definitely could entangle ships as well.¡± Whether or not it was poisonous or had eaten people, Liszt would not consider it seafood. Something rotten should just be thrown away. But thinking of the ck Pearl of the Deep Sea, which might be rted to thisrge squid, he ordered, ¡°Teacher Goltai, find some people to dissect thisrge squid to see if there¡¯s anything interesting inside. If there¡¯s nothing, chop it up and throw it into the sea to avoid creating a stench.¡± Goltai began organizing fishermen toe and dissect therge squid. Liszt then rode his horse towards the beached sailboat not far from the beach; this damaged sailboat, with a few holes, had already been repaired by carpenters. When the tide went out, they would move it back into the sea, and after the tide rose again, it could basically sail back out¡­ It¡¯s just that, while they had a captain who could steer, theycked qualified sailors. ¡°Lord Landlord, Kostor sends his regards to you.¡± While Liszt was admiring the sailboat, his Retainer Knights Philip and Zavier stopped a fisherman. The fisherman knelt on the ground in a hurry, shouting loudly. Kostor? Liszt remembered the name, turned his horse around, and said to Thomas following behind, ¡°Let hime here.¡± Kostor was a tall, middle-aged man with a sun-baked, weather-beaten face: ¡°Lord Landlord, Kostor sends his regards to you.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve already said that once,¡± Liszt looked at him with a critical eye, ¡°Stand up to talk. If I¡¯m not mistaken, you are the captain of this ship, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Lord Landlord still remembers Kostor, I am honored,¡± Kostor stood up and respectfully said, ¡°I used to work for Lord Little Papa as the captain of the Flying Number, a three-masted sailing ship that could reach 3 knots speed with the wind. This sailboat is even more outstanding than the Flying Number; it can reach 5 knots with the wind.¡± Knot was a unit of speed, and Liszt wasn¡¯t quite sure how fast a knot really was. But he knew that the fastest ship in the Tulip Fleet could reach 7 knots. It was said that the fastest sailing ships in the Court Fleet could reach a speed of 10 knots. Kostor looked up at the sailboat, his eyes filled with inexplicable emotion. ¡°Lord Landlord, don¡¯t you wish to see it return to the sea?¡± ¡°Do you want to captain this ship again?¡± Liszt looked with interest at Kostor, who clearly seemed ready to offer himself for the role. ¡°But Fresh Flower Town doesn¡¯t have a single sailor.¡± ¡°They can be trained. I started out as a sailor, traversing the seas year-round. I know how to train qualified sailors. If Lord Landlord trusts me, you only need to give me twenty people; within three months, I can train them into qualified coastal crew members, and within a year, they should be able to sail in distant waters!¡± Liszt looked at him, ¡°Fresh Flower Town doesn¡¯t have an appropriate seaport; how will you train the sailors?¡± ¡°We do, Lord Landlord, Fresh Flower Town has a ce that is very suitable for building a seaport! The terrain is t, the water is deep, and it can amodate medium-sized ships and below!¡± Chapter 86 - 0086: The Unopenable Tridacna Chapter 86: The Unopenable Trida Trantor: 549690339 Kostor crouched on the sand, tracing a rough outline of the East Coast shoreline with his finger, and then circled a spot at one end of the coastline, ¡°Lord Landlord, this here is a suitable ce for the construction of a harbor.¡± Liszt understood this crude map. Strictly speaking, the location of the harbor was no longer within the boundaries of Fresh Flower Town. The cow farm marked the northernmost boundary of Fresh Flower Town, while further northy the section of Thorn Ridge that extended to the sea. And the site Kostor mentioned was where Thorn Ridge met the sea. ¡°Thorn Ridge is made up of low hills with t roads running through it, and in recent times, I¡¯ve scouted the entire East Coast. I found that from this position, Thorn Ridge begins to fork, forming a t valley. Right by the sea is a deep-water harbor, which I¡¯ve personally dived to explore. The terrain and roads are both suitable for the construction of docks.¡± ¡°You dared to go deep into Thorn Ridge?¡± Liszt was somewhat surprised. Kostor¡¯s tone was somewhat fervent, ¡°Since taking refuge in Fresh Flower Town, I have always wanted to set sail again. But without a harbor or docks in Fresh Flower Town, I couldn¡¯t settle. So, I explored farther¡­ I was lucky, encountering no Magical Beasts, only some wild beasts, and I found some Smoked Grass.¡± As he spoke, he suddenly knelt down again, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Lord Landlord, I went to the Smoked Grass field and picked up leaves that had fallen to the ground. Please penalize me.¡± Smoked Grass belonged to Liszt. Even naturally fallen leaves were his property, and picking them up was considered theft by anyone, let alone a serf. ¡°Stand up first, we¡¯ll talk about your actionster.¡± Liszt indicated for him to stand again and speak, ¡°You¡¯re quite bold, not only daring to enter Thorn Ridge but also to venture into the sea alone. It seems that neither Magical Beasts nor Sea Monsters can stop the love for the sea in your heart.¡± ¡°I love the sea!¡± Kostor took a deep breath, gazing toward the Sea Waves. ¡°I grew up by the sea, and as a youth, I sailed with ships. I¡¯ve spent more time at sea than onnd. I¡¯ve seen the long horn of the narwhal piercing the surface, which is a tooth growing from its mouth; I¡¯ve witnessed mirages of wealthy cities at sea, unattainable however I chased; I¡¯ve heard enchanting songs from within the fog, the singing of Sea Serpents¡­¡± After a pause, he swallowed hard and spoke earnestly, ¡°I love sailing, I love moving across the sea, Lord Landlord, Kostor hopes to steer your sailboat and engage in maritime trade for you.¡± A brief exchange. Liszt could tell that Kostor was a person of insight, intelligence, action, and adventurous spirit. If he had been in the era of great European voyages, such a man might have be an explorer like ¡°Columbus¡±. Clearly, those who harbor dreams are worthy of respect. His talents were wasted in Fresh Flower Town. ¡°Kostor, I hereby appoint you Captain of the Fresh Flower Vessel.¡± He looked down at him from his position of authority. ¡°You may recruit your own Sailor Apprentices and train them in sailing skills along the East Coast.¡± ¡°Fresh Flower Vessel?¡± ¡°That¡¯s the name of the sailboat; I named it the Fresh Flower Vessel. It¡¯ll be the first ship of Fresh Flower Town!¡± Kostor was overjoyed, ¡°Lord Landlord, when do you n on constructing the harbor, and when do you n to set out for maritime trade? Just give me one year, and I will train a crew of qualified sailors!¡± ¡°You are not to enter Thorn Forest again until I have cleared all the trees of Thorn Ridge. There¡¯s no need for you to worry about the harbor; I will build the docks when the timees. There is no sry for the position of Captain at the moment; you need to be self-reliant, perhaps by charging tuition fees¡­ Of course, you can choose to apply to be a teacher, teaching my Knight Squad about sailing.¡± Marcus teaches Dou Qi, Isaiah teaches literacy, and now with Kostor teaching sailing, Liszt highly values the education of the Knight Squad. Even if only a few of this group turn out to be exceptional, they can be qualified instructors for Liszt to train the next batch of Knight candidates. The oue couldn¡¯t have been better. Kostor knelt on both knees and paid his respects, ¡°Lord Landlord, I am willing to apply for the teacher position!¡± ¡°Then, Captain, introduce me to the Fresh Flower Vessel.¡± The Fresh Flower Vessel was a two-masted schooner evidently much smaller than a three-masted one. It could barely be used for oceanic trade. Within the Tulip Fleet, there were quite a few two-masted schooners. They were most suited for sailing within the archipgo, where they would not encounter severe ocean storms, greatly increasing their safety. It had no cannons. If it encountered a Sea Monster, fleeing was the only option; however, while there were often stories of Sea Monsters attacking ships, in reality, such attacks were rare. While they were admiring the Fresh Flower Vessel, the fishermen dissecting therge squid corpse suddenly shouted. The news quickly reached Liszt. It turned out the fishermen had extracted arge shell creature from the squid¡¯s stomach. ¡°A shell shaped like a wave¡± and rger than a human¡± were the descriptions given by the Clerk rying the message about this shell creature. Liszt immediately disembarked from the Fresh Flower Vessel. He understood, within this shell creature, there must be a ck Pearl of the Deep Sea. When he saw the shell creature for himself, he realized in an instant, ¡°This is a Trida!¡± The huge shell, the wave-like design, and the colorfully splendid mantle all dered its identity¡ªa Trida. In Liszt¡¯s homnd, the Trida was the world¡¯srgest shell creature. Its shell could be made into a gemstone and was extremely valuable; the flesh was also particrly delicious. On the table at his former home, there was a vase made from the shell of a Trida. Of course, that was a small Trida. The enormous Trida before him had at least a two-meter diameter, estimated to weigh over five hundred kilograms. The shell was tightly closed, and it was unclear whether it was still alive; the splendid mantle appeared to have been digested by the squid, exhibiting spots and signs of peeling. ¡°Lord, what kind of shell creature is this, do you know?¡± Goltai circled the Trida incessantly. ¡°Trida, a kind ofrge shell creature.¡± While speaking, he utilized his Eye of Magic to examine the Trida closely but did not detect traces of magic power. It seemed to be just an ordinary Trida, not a Sea Monster. ¡°Open it, I want to see if there are any pearls inside the shell.¡± ¡°Pearls? Can Tridas also produce pearls? I always thought that only the pearl oysters in Tranquil Lake could produce pearls.¡± Tranquil Lake was a vastke on Blue Dragon Ind and a property of the Sapphire Family. One of its special products was pearl oysters bred in theke. They were a type of small Sea Monster, or Water Monster, that lived only in freshwater and could produce pearls. The pearls had a hint of magic power with a mild Water Attribute that could calm the mind. They were decorations favored by Nobles. Many well-breddies wore a string of pearl nes around their necks. Liszt pointed at the Trida, ¡°Open it up and we¡¯ll know if there are any inside.¡± Goltai hurriedly organized the manpower, prepared to pry open the shell of the Trida, but the group struggled for a long time and still couldn¡¯t open the hard shell of the Trida. ¡°My goodness, have you not eaten enough!¡± Goltai looked on incredulously, ¡°A shell has exposed your true feeble nature?¡± ¡°Mr. Goltai, this thing is too sturdy, our levers have broken,¡± someoneined. ¡°I guarantee it¡¯s like a stone, seamless, and simply impossible to open,¡± another assured. ¡°Maybe we should build a fire under it. When I eat oysters, I always roast them, and they open on their own.¡± Chapter 87 - 087: Bring in a Princess Bed Chapter 87: Bring in a Princess Bed Trantor: 549690339 The shell of the Trida was extremely difficult to pry open, and the fishermen were helpless without the right tools. Liszt didn¡¯t insist, as long as the ck Pearl was inside, it couldn¡¯t escape. After the giant Squid was dismembered and its rotting body was thrown into the sea, Liszt ordered that the Trida be carried back to the Castle to be studied slowly. The immense Trida had a strange shape. Along the way, it attracted the curious gazes of many townsfolk, and upon reaching the Castle, all the servants came out to observe, having never seen anything so peculiar. ¡°Teacher Marcus, what do you think is the best way to open it?¡± Marcus pondered for a moment and said, ¡°Its strength is formidable, the two shells are tightly fixed together, but since its outer shell is irregr with many crevices, we could insert a stick to pry it open. A regr wooden stick won¡¯t do; we need a thick iron bar, although, we probably don¡¯t have such an iron bar.¡± Iron was precious, no one would forge a thick iron bar specifically for prying open the shell of a Trida. ¡°Perhaps we could use fire to burn it,¡± Carter suggested. ¡°The shell is too thick, fire would hardly damage it,¡± Liszt refuted, and besides, there was a ck Pearl inside. Thest thing he wanted was for it to be overheated¡­ ¡°Use hooks. We can hook one on each shell and then use horses to pull them apart, thus opening its shell,¡± Marcus finally thought of a crude method. However, it proved effective. When two horses pulled on their respective ropes, almost snapping them, they eventually managed to pry apart the shell of the Trida. The now vertical Trida looked like a blossoming flower, not widely open, but enough to locate its ¡°bands,¡± the muscles used to close its shell. Marcus gripped his greatsword, his strength surging forth as he cut through one of the bands. Snap! The horses straining against the shell prompted the Trida to split into two halves, no longer able to close. Liszt¡¯s gaze was already on a group of protrusions on the inner wall of the Trida, where the pearls were nestled, round and plump. ¡°Cut it open, but be careful. The pearls inside are wrapped in it, don¡¯t scratch them.¡± ¡°Yes, my lord!¡± Marcus personally wielded the knife, cautiously slicing through the membrane of the protrusion, and when he cut open thergest one, a shiny ck Pearl was revealed, asrge as a washbasin. ¡°There are more beside it, cut them all open and extract them,¡± Liszt said excitedly. He hadn¡¯t figured out what these ck Pearls were for yet, but finding suchrge ck Pearls was unimaginable. If these were auctioned in his homnd, they would certainly fetch an astonishingly high price. After Marcuspleted the cutting, a total of sixteen ck Pearls of varying sizes were extracted. Thergest was the one the size of a washbasin. Following that were two nearly the size of basketballs; then three about the size of a sea bowl; and finally, a bunch of smaller ck Pearls the size of apples, oranges, and ping-pong balls. After cleaning them, Liszt cradled thergest ck Pearl and suddenly felt traces of Magic Power flowing within it. He quickly used his Eye of Magic, and then, he saw a whirlpool-like profound Magic Power inside the ck Pearl. It was a light blue in color, indicative of Water-Attribute Magic Power. ¡°It actually has Magic Power?¡± Before, when he had used the Eye of Magic to observe the Trida, he hadn¡¯t detected the slightest trace of Magic Power. Little did he know, the ck Pearls themselves possessed Magic Power. ¡°My lord, these ck Pearls, they seem to have Magic Power?¡± Marcus also noticed something was amiss, butcking the Eye of Magic, he wasn¡¯t certain. ¡°There is indeed magic power here.¡± Li Si Te became lost in thought as he handled the ck pearl, recalling a knight¡¯s novel he had read. In one of these novels, it was mentioned that the song of a sea serpent could calm a raging storm, and there was a great knight who captured a sea serpent and turned it into a piece of magic equipment. This equipment allowed ships to sail steadily through storms without being affected. What exactly a sea serpent was, no one could say for sure. Some swore they had heard the song of a sea serpent¡ªKostor had just mentioned he once heard a sea serpent sing¡ªbut there were no records of what a sea serpent truly was. Most people believed that sea serpents were nothing more than tales spun by sailors. This story had no connection to the ck pearls. What sparked Li Si Te¡¯s imagination was the idea of a sea serpent transformed into equipment that sheltered ships from storms. ¡°Could these ck pearls also be turned into magic equipment to withstand storms? After all, they are magic items with water-attribute magic power, and the magic power is very rich, nearly rivaling that of gemstones produced by dragons. Suppressing sea storms might be uncertain, but making magic equipment should be feasible.¡± Without a magician, it was impossible to study the ck pearls. Li Si Te thought there might be other uses¡ªfor example, as an air conditioner. ¡°Teacher Marcus, Mr. Carter, everyone, do you feel the air has gotten much cooler?¡± Marcus took a moment to feel it: ¡°I don¡¯t feel the coolness, but there seems to be more moisture in the air. It must be the ck pearls condensing the water vapor around us.¡± ¡°Regardless, they are valuable items. How much do you think they could sell for if we put them on the market?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve seen a fist-sized white pearl before, and I heard that one could go for at least five gold coins. I guess ck pearls of the same size should fetch about ten gold coins? As for thergest ck pearl, my lord, I cannot estimate its value; it¡¯spletely new.¡± ¡°It has a very rich magic power, definitely worth more than white pearls, but the castle isn¡¯t in need of money at the moment. We¡¯ll have to think more carefully about its price,¡± Li Si Te was not very satisfied with Marcus¡¯s valuation. He felt that even if the ck pearls were priced at twice the value of white pearls, they would still be undervalued; their worth was probably far greater than imagined. So he said to Carter, ¡°Mr. Carter, please move them to my study.¡± He himself kept a ck pearl the size of a ping-pong ball in his hand, carefully ying with it. ¡°Yes, master,¡± replied Carter. A momentter, Carter came back to ask, ¡°Master, what about the opened Trida shell? Can we eat its flesh?¡± ¡°I think so¡­ Well, let Douson try it first. If it¡¯s poisonous, we¡¯ll just throw it away.¡± ¡°And the two shells?¡± ¡°Clean the inner walls of the shells thoroughly. I want to see if there¡¯s any jadeite formation.¡± Jadeite Trida is a prized jewel in Li Si Te¡¯s homnd, one of the seven treasures of Buddhism. In the West, Trida, pearls, coral, and amber are considered the four major organic gemstones. Jadeite Trida, the whitest substance in the world, is formed through the jade-like transformation of the inner walls of a Trida shell. ¡°Such arge Trida should have some jadeite parts, shouldn¡¯t it?¡± But Li Si Te soon realized his mistake, as the tremendous Trida shell had no signs of jadeite on its inner walls. It was only then that he remembered; a living Trida couldn¡¯t undergo jadeite formation. Jadeite formation required time, much like the gestation of jade¡ªit was the product of millions of years of umtion and sculpting. Jadeite Trida formed when a dead Trida was buried in sand, slowly turning into jade over millions of years. Without jadeite formation, the shells could not be crafted into gemstones, yet Li Si Te had a wildly imaginative idea: ¡°Mr. Carter, what do you think would happen if we made it into a bed?¡± As he spoke, he imagined the animated films from his childhood¡ªthe Disney animations where the mermaid princess always slept inside a shell. Chapter 88 - 0088: What is the Value of the Black Pearl? Chapter 88: What is the Value of the ck Pearl? Trantor: 549690339 The Trida shell was huge, over two meters long and almost as wide, and while Liszt was still growing and now nearly reached a height of one meter eighty-five, he could still fit inside the clean Trida shell to sleep if he wished. Of course, that suggestion was just a casual remark. The shape of the Trida shell was too peculiar, its form like that of a great wave, not suited to be crafted into a bed. He had the Trida shell ced at the castle¡¯s entrance as a giant sculpture. It had to be said, the hollowed-out, cleaned Trida shell had quite an aesthetic appeal. Having dealt with the Trida, Liszt returned to the study to examine the ck Pearls. Carter had moved all the ck Pearls into the study, but now, apart from the small ck Pearl in Liszt¡¯s hand, the other ck Pearls were invisible¡ªthey had been stashed away by Liszt in a Space Gem near his chest, as he chose to keep valuable items close to his person. So when Carter brought in a ss of juice, he eximed in surprise, ¡°My lord, I clearly ced the ck Pearls on the shelf over there, where have they gone?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve hidden them, no need to be astonished,¡± Liszt replied. ¡°Alright then.¡± Carter did not probe further about where Liszt had hidden the ck Pearls. As the butler, he didn¡¯t need to know. His role was simply to serve the lord well and manage the daily affairs of the castle. Sipping the juice. After exploring for half a day. Liszt gradually gained a basic understanding of the ck Pearls, ¡°They are rich in Magic Power, nearly as much as the gemstones produced by dragons. However, unlike gemstones that provide a continuous supply of Magic Power, the Magic Power of the ck Pearls seems to require manual replenishment. I don¡¯t have Water-Attribute Magic Power, so I can¡¯t replenish them.¡± The ping-pong ball-sized ck Pearl he was toying with in his hand constantly emitted ripples of Magic Power. This ripple was utterly different from that of a Dragon Gem. He distinguished between the two using terms he could understand: ¡°Dragon Gems are more akin to forming a stable maic field with Magic Power, which does not dissipate. ck Pearls, on the other hand, are like a radioactive element, continuously emitting Magic Power, and over time, you can feel the loss of their Power.¡± So, in essence, ck Pearls were many levels inferior to Dragon Gems. A Dragon Gem could easily fetch seven to eight hundred Gold Coins, while as Marcus had said, a ck Pearl might only sell for a dozen or so Gold Coins. ¡°However, who knows what exorbitant price a basin-sized ck Pearl could fetch! I believe those nobles, as insane about collecting treasures and antiques as they are, would be willing to pay with Dragon Coins,¡± Liszt mused. A Dragon Coin was worth ten thousand Gold Coins, and only particrly wealthy nobles could afford them. With that thought. He became unsettled, ¡°I always feel that the reward for the Smoke Mission this time is the most substantial¡­ The content of the reward isn¡¯t particrly rich, but it¡¯s akin to being given money, tangible and real.¡± So far, he hadpleted eighteen missions, without fathoming the pattern for their appearance, nor the rules governing the rewards. But most of the mission rewards were very valuable. If one were to gauge, magical beast rewards like Douson and Juan Fu were probably worth over a hundred Gold Coins; productivity rewards like Elf Bug might be valued at a thousand or two thousand Gold Coins, as the Elf Bug was indeed magical and rare, but its ten-year lifespan was a significant limitation. As for ck Tulips, me Mushrooms, Dragon Breed Horses, they would probably fetch around a Dragon Coin in value; for a Dou Qi Secret Technique like ¡°The Eye of Magic¡±, it was definitely worth three thousand Gold Coins; and as for items like Corn Grass, Smoked Grass, a Miniature Saltpeter Mine, or fifty serfs, while challenging to quantify, were also very valuable. As for the information about the Formless Dragon, that was in a ss of its own. The most valuable were the gems of the Formless Dragon, gems that contained their own space, priceless treasures. However, these rewards either needed a long time to fully disy their value or due to various constraints, couldn¡¯t demonstrate their worth, or were simply so valuable that possessing them was a crime, such as Space Gems, which could not be revealed for fear of attracting disaster. But the current ck Pearls were different. They were highly valuable; the sixteen ck Pearls of varying sizes could fetch at least tens of thousands of Gold Coinsbined. Crucially, they could be sold separately, as they were not a set but individual entities. ¡°Should I sell it, sell it, or sell it?¡± Liszt pondered for a moment before deciding to take out a ck pearl the size of a sea bowl to test the waters of the market. Yesterday, Carter mentioned to him that August 19th was Levis¡¯s birthday and asked what gift was needed. He was to attend the birthday party at Tulip Castle. ¡°Just get some high-grade seafood as a gift. It would be a good opportunity to ask if he has any intention of buying ck pearls. The Tulip Family all have Water-Attribute Dou Qi, so they should be interested in ck pearls¡­ They could get a magician to help forge a magic equipment. By then, they could also help me understand how exactly ck pearls can be used.¡± No one is better than a magician at studying magic items. It¡¯s uncertain if there are any magicians on Coral Ind, but the Tulip Family can definitely make contact with one. If the price is right, Liszt is prepared to sell a few ck pearls first and gather some gold coins, then hand them over to Levis to continue purchasing serfs for him. He also ns to buy more pig iron and wrought iron and give them to the smithy to make farming tools. He was not satisfied with the efficiency of the serfs farming in the town. Since he couldn¡¯t get oxen for plowing and the research on plows needed time, his only option was to make more shovels and hoes so all the serfs could turn the soil and farm more efficiently. This way, some could be freed to work in other trades. ¡°If a good price is gained, buy some calves, foals,mbs, and higher quality feed for the pregnant mares.¡± ¡°If convenient, the castle could be refurbished a bit, preferably with a heated kang, as winter is on its way. In an era without central heating, you have to rely on a heated bed for warmth.¡± Deep nning is probably what describes Liszt. Summer had just started not long ago, and he was already considering the challenges of living in winter. The merchant caravan from North Valley City arrived at Fresh Flower Town before eight o¡¯clock in the morning. After more than eight months, a merchant caravan had once again entered Fresh Flower Town. Usually, caravans followed the Tax Knight, visiting once every quarter except for winter, which meant three times a year. Each time a caravan arrived, the town celebrated as if it were the New Year. This time was no exception. The grand caravan quickly attracted all the residents of the town, who almost all stopped their work to watch. After finishing his morning exercises and not touching his bow and arrows again, Liszt took a bath and returned to the castle. Standing at the window, he could see the bustling crowd in the town. Especially the jesters who had set up a stage and started performing farces, attracting the majority of the town¡¯s residents. The sound of theirughter and cheers could even be heard from the castle. ¡°Maisie, go call for Mr. Carter,¡± he said to the maid Maisie, who was cleaning. ¡°Yes, my lord.¡± Soon, Carter hurried over, ¡°My lord, you called for me?¡± ¡°The town is very lively today. Tell everyone in the castle that if they want to take the day off, they can go ahead. There¡¯s no need to stay in the castle. Go to the town to watch the farce or buy some snacks to rx.¡± ¡°You are truly a generous noble. I will pass on your message to the servants.¡± ¡°That includes you, Mr. Carter.¡± Carter chuckled, ¡°I don¡¯t need to, my lord. Let the younger servants enjoy your generosity. The castle needs someone to watch over it, and you should not be without the attendance of your servants.¡± Chapter 89 - 0089: Able to Raise a Pony Chapter 89: Able to Raise a Pony Trantor: 549690339 ¡°Mrs. Abbie, Little Lily and I are nning to go to town to see the clown show, would you like to join us?¡± Eileen moved therge chunk of trida meat out of the basket to dry outside the castle. Douson ate arge piece of trida meat yesterday and not only was he fine, but he was also full of energy and vigor. So, trida meat is edible. ¡°Oh, heavens! Why would the master be so generous to give you a day off?¡± Mrs. Abbie busily arranged various seasonings on the stove, ¡°If you like your job as maids, you should stay in the kitchen obediently; there is a big pile of work to do every day.¡± ¡°Mr. Carter said that the master instructed that only a fried steak is needed for lunch and that we servants may eat beans and bread. It does not require much work,¡± Little Lily said while moving the trida meat as well. A single trida weighs over five hundred pounds; after removing three hundred pounds of the shell, there is still over two hundred pounds of meat. ¡°Mr. Carter, like the master, always indulges you young servants who are not earnest in your work. This is not the kind of benevolence that befits a qualified butler. Back in my younger days, the kitchen was busy all day long, and not a moment was spared idle ¡ª that¡¯s the proper work attitude for a kitchen maid.¡± ¡°Cough, cough.¡± The sound of Carter¡¯s cough came from the doorway; unbeknownst to them, he had already arrived: ¡°Although I can understand your dedication to work, Mrs. Abbie, don¡¯t always tense up. Go and take a stroll in town with the young ones; it¡¯s a rare asion when the merchant caravanes.¡± ¡°Sorry, Mr. Carter, I didn¡¯t mean to offend you,¡± Mrs. Abbie felt a bit embarrassed, having been caught speaking ill behind someone¡¯s back. ¡°No problem, in fact I take your calling me kind as apliment. Go on, join Eileen and Little Lily to see the clown show in town. The thought of those clowns makes even meugh.¡± ¡°That won¡¯t do, I have to prepare the master¡¯s lunch.¡± ¡°Then make sure to return before eleven o¡¯clock, it¡¯s nine now, you still have two hours to roam around the town.¡± ¡°I¡­¡± Before Mrs. Abbie could refuse, Carter cut her off: ¡°Consider it a work task I¡¯ve assigned to you, have a good two hours of fun.¡± ¡°Haha, good on you, Mr. Carter,¡± Eileen happily took Mrs. Abbie¡¯s arm, ¡°Come on, Mrs. Abbie, I can¡¯t wait to see the clowns.¡± Little Lily took Mrs. Abbie¡¯s other arm: ¡°Yeah, yeah, let¡¯s go!¡± Mrs. Abbie reluctantly began to walk out: ¡°I don¡¯t want to go shopping, but it¡¯s best I keep an eye on you two, to prevent you from getting carried away and forgetting toe back to work¡­ Also, wait a moment, I need to change into a new set of clothes; I can¡¯t go out looking like this, it would be unseemly for the castle.¡± Carter watched with a slight smile as therge and the two small ones made amotion. Compared to working in the Earl¡¯s country estate castle, life in this small-town castle was a bit busier, but so much more lively. The youthful exuberance of the young people gave him an inexplicable surge in energy, making him feel as if he were growing younger instead of older with the passing year. He heard footsteps. Turning his head, he saw Mrs. Morson: ¡°Have Maisie and the others already gone to town to shop?¡± ¡°Yes, and Tom and Thomas went together as well. Mr. Carter, aren¡¯t you going with them?¡± ¡°Mrs. Abbie, Eileen, and Little Lily are changing into their clothes; they¡¯ll soon head to town to see the clown show, and I think you should join them. As for the castle, I¡¯ll stay to serve the master. You know, with even Thomas gone, there must be a manservant to attend to him when he requests water.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll stay as well, you can call me if you need anything.¡± ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t want to join in the fun?¡± ¡°At my age, I should be avoiding crowds, not seeking them out.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t say that, Mrs. Morson, I feel as if I¡¯m getting younger the more I live,¡± Carter dered, puffing out his chest to seem more spirited. ¡°Yes, young Carter.¡± ¡°Annie, have we already sold more than half of the tomatoes?¡± John Bian Dan walked up to his family¡¯s stall. The stall was situated on the southwest side of the small town, where arge, t area had been cleared out for visiting caravans to set up and conduct their business and trade. There were also a few wooden outhouses ced around the area. The Patrol Team and the town clerks repeated the announcement over and over, ¡°Lord Landlord has decreed that no one is allowed to relieve themselves in public, vitors will be fined and whipped! If you need to use the facilities, follow the arrows to the outhouses outside. The symbol with a circle on the bottom and an arrow pointing up () indicates the men¡¯s toilets, while the symbol with a circle on top and a cross beneath () is for the women¡¯s toilets¡ªdon¡¯t mix them up!¡± John had long since be ustomed to this rule. It had been a long time since he had defecated in the street; at home, they had prepared a chamber pot, storing up the collected waste. Onceposted, it was used directly as fertilizer for the tomato fields¡ªthis was the agricultural magic taught by Lord Landlord. Farms that used this magic fertilizer saw a harvest increase of twenty to thirty percent! There used to be town officials who organized the purchase of human waste. Now they could no longer collect it, as every household kept their waste to fertilize their own farnd. After the harvest, the kind and generous noble Lord Landlord took taxes proportionally, rather than the Tax Knights of the past, who seemed to want to take all of a serf¡¯s harvest for themselves. Ever since Lord Landlord arrived, John felt not just his own life, but also the lives of his neighbors and surroundingmunity, had improved dramatically. Of course, he was the luckiest one. Because Lord Landlord awarded him a Nalda for the tomato worms nurtured by the tomatoes he cared for! ¡°John, aren¡¯t you going to work on the housing project today?¡± Annie asked curiously, as her husband usually worked there when there wasn¡¯t much farm work, earning a copper coin a day. ¡°The housing crew is off today, nobody wants to work on this day; they¡¯ve alle here¡­ to themercial district,¡± John said, pointing to a ce not too far away. ¡°Look, that¡¯s Wenger, he¡¯s also taking his son shopping.¡± ¡°Alright then, go and check out theedy show. Once I¡¯ve sold the tomatoes, I¡¯lle and watch theedy too. It¡¯s been a long time since I¡¯ve seen one.¡± John didn¡¯t leave but said, ¡°Oh, Annie, when I wasing over from there, I saw someone selling kittens. I want to buy one. You know, now that we have grain stored at home, rats are starting to be more frequent. These filthy thieves always nibble at our food!¡± ¡°Really, someone¡¯s selling kittens? Then wait here for me, I¡¯ll finish selling the tomatoes and we can go buy a kitten together. We have to choose one that¡¯s really good at catching rats.¡± After hesitating for a moment, John added, ¡°Actually, I also want to buy a pony. I want little Jack to learn how to ride from an early age so he can join Lord Landlord¡¯s Retainer Knights sooner.¡± ¡°Oh my, John, do you even know how much a pony costs!¡± ¡°Fifty silver coins, but, Annie, it¡¯s a pony!¡± John exined eagerly, ¡°If we miss this chance, who knows when we¡¯ll be able to get a horse. I hope to grow tomatoes for Lord Landlord for a lifetime, but little Jack doesn¡¯t like it; he wants to be a Retainer Knight.¡± ¡°But John, you have to understand, we can afford fifty silver coins, but a pony needs to eat a lot every day¡ª a single horse would consume the food of several people. Can we afford to feed it?¡± ¡°I can!¡± John said with conviction, ¡°Our tomato field at home is the best and always brings us a steady ie. I can also work. I asked the Steward of the construction crew, he¡¯s assistant to Lord Isaiah. He told me there will be more and more work in the town in the future, as Lord Landlord has ambitious ns to rejuvenate the town. As long as I keep working, we can afford to keep the pony!¡± ¡°Are you serious, John?¡± ¡°Of course, trust me, Annie.¡± Annie, looking into her husband¡¯s resolute eyes, ultimately didn¡¯t have the heart to say no, ¡°Alright, but you have to promise me that we won¡¯t be dragged down by the pony, okay?¡± ¡°I promise!¡± Chapter 90 - 090: Attitude Toward Life Chapter 90: Attitude Toward Life Trantor: 549690339 Liszt had not intended to disturb the bustling atmosphere of the town, but in the end, he couldn¡¯t help himself and made a trip to themercial district, followed by watching aedic performance. It was nothing but clowns juggling on stage, breathing fire, or doing somersaults. To him, none of this was fresh at all, yet the residents of Fresh Flower Town pped joyously. It made Liszt so inclined that he wanted to get on stage and show them a trick from ¡°Three Immortals Returning to the Cave,¡± to let these Different World inhabitants experience the charm of ancient Chinese cultural traditions. Of course. That was just a thought, as a noble could not afford to do something that would diminish his status. Moreover, in a world where magicians exist, magic tricks don¡¯t seem all that miraculous. After watching one y, he left themercial area and headed to the town¡¯s administrative office, not wanting to make the townspeople ufortable¡ªthe presence of theirndlord meant they couldn¡¯t rx, they were even afraid to speak loudly. Even though he had left, he continued to pay close attention to the matters of the caravan. He was listening to Isaiah report the prices of goods brought by the caravan, especially those rted to the production and daily necessities, which were all of concern to him. ¡°A pony costs at least fifty silver coins, isn¡¯t this price too high?¡± he asked with a frown. One should know, he and Levis traded ves, and a serf cost only twenty silver coins. ¡°Indeed, it is expensive, Baron. Coral Ind is far from the maind andcks appropriate grazing areas, so horse breeding is always limited, meaning the price of horses remains high. Even the horses from Blue Dragon Ind are priced simrly. On the maind, a pony might only cost a few silver coins.¡± Ind nations, all being inds, naturally do not suit for grazing and horse breeding. Liszt understood this principle, but did not want to ept it at the moment¡ªhe had given Old Geronte three Gold Coins, originally thinking he could buy arge number of goods. Now it seems, just six ponies would deplete the funds. ¡°How many young animals have the caravan brought?¡± he inquired, somewhat disappointed. He had wanted to acquire all the young livestock the caravan brought, but now that seemed an extravagant hope. Apart from him being able to purchase, it was likely that the ordinary residents couldn¡¯t afford to either. ¡°Five ponies, two calves, threembs, eight piglets, six puppies, and five kittens. Plus, there are ten rabbits.¡± ¡°I gave Old Geronte three Gold Coins, and it looks like it¡¯s no help, not enough to buy several animals.¡± At this moment, he desperately wanted to sell the ck Pearl, exchange it for money to buy livestock¡ªmeat was the most nutritious food, and he hoped to eat meat every day, excluding seafood. If the territory doesn¡¯t raise livestock, where can he, thendlord, get meat to eat every day! ¡°Three Gold Coins may not buy many livestock, but they can buy many other goods, as the caravan has brought many specialties from other regions.¡± ¡°But I had told Old Geronte to prioritize purchasing horses. Just five ponies would consume two Gold Coins and fifty silver coins, using up all the funds of the castle.¡± Liszt thought of the two Gold Coins he still had. Perhaps, he would have to spend them today to secure some livestock. Isaiah, however, said with a smile, ¡°Baron, ording to the trade records I checked, Old Geronte only bought two ponies. The other three were purchased by others.¡± ¡°Who?¡± ¡°John Bian Dan bought one, and you must remember him.¡± ¡°So it was the farmer who grows tomatoes. I awarded him a Gold Coin, and evidently he could afford it. The other two?¡± ¡°The ir Family bought one, and Marcus also bought one, with Goltai lending him the money.¡± Liszt¡¯s mood brightened from gloom to sunshine, having bought all the horses. Although they were not owned by the castle, as long as they remained in Fresh Flower Town, that was good enough. He could requisition those horses at any time if needed. But he soonughed at himself again. He realized his perspective had been too narrow, focusing only on the livestock brought by the caravan, whereas, after selling the ck Pearl for money, he could purchase animals in other cities¡ªthat had been his n all along. With Gold Coins, was there anything he couldn¡¯t buy? ¡°Isaiah, how much do you think the caravan¡¯s transactions will amount to today?¡± ¡°I guess about six Gold Coins.¡± ¡°With a transaction volume of six Gold Coins, I believe many of the merchants in the caravan are already nning their next visit.¡± ¡°Of course, merchants are like flies; wherever there¡¯s money to be made, you will always see them swarming,¡± Isaiah said, with an inherent disdain in his voice. This was the unparalleled sense of superiority that the Noble ss held towardmoners, coupled with a desire to keep themoners in check. Nobles did not allow any ss to shake their ruling position. Sometimes, merchants made Nobles feel they were being challenged¡ªthey sometimes even had more wealth than Nobles. Money talked, and it was not umon for near-bankrupt Nobles to marry off their daughters to merchants or to take merchants¡¯ daughters as wives to retain their Noble status, a humiliating affair. Liszt smiled.Y0u can read sh0rt, t0uching, and r0mantic st0ries ab0ut c0uples, as well as children¡¯s st0ries f0r free 0n sitest0rys . c0m His thoughts about the merchant ss were consistent with those of the Nobility¡ªboth support and suppression were necessary. Back at the Castle. It was time for lunch. Although he had instructed the kitchen that he only needed a steak and nothingvish, the meal presented was as usual¡ªwith meat, vegetables, mushrooms, seafood, milk, and white bread. ¡°Mrs. Abbie didn¡¯t go out shopping?¡± ¡°Sir, Mrs. Abbie did go out, but she returned to the kitchen after half an hour. Perhaps she isn¡¯t ustomed to the bustling town or can¡¯t let go of her work in the kitchen. She is too dedicated, always busy,¡± replied the servant. ¡°You should tell her that I¡¯m not considering a raise for now, so she doesn¡¯t need to work herself to the bone. She should have her own life.¡± Although he had adapted to his Noble status and had even grown to love it, Liszt still held on to modern virtues; he hoped that even servants could have lives of their own, not dedicating every moment to their Landlord. Life should be about more than just work; it should include joys and sorrows,ughter, and family. Carter served Liszt throughout the meal, and said, ¡°For the Cook, the kitchen is life. For the servants, the Castle is life. Sir, you don¡¯t always have to worry about us. The Sun climbs from east to west every day; servants hustle from morning to night¡ªlife is about everyone doing their part.¡± His words carried a philosophical weight. Liszt was left speechless. His ideas were still at odds with the era; he pursued freedom at his core, yet the concept of ss hierarchy was deeply ingrained in everyone in the Different World. If servants didn¡¯t work, would they still be servants? If Nobles didn¡¯t enjoy luxuries, would they still be Nobles? Therefore, Liszt had no intention of arguing or correcting Carter¡¯s words. On the contrary, he felt a twinge of guilt, yet deep down, he felt quite pleased¡ªif everyone thought this way, the life of a Noble would be even more stable andfortable¡ªsuch good citizens! Just after finishing lunch, ready to y with Douson and Juan Fu, then take a nap, Goltai suddenly rode in from the town and handed a metal bottle shaped like a wine bottle directly to Liszt: ¡°Baron, please look at this. The fishermen from Oyster Vige found it by the seashore. They thought it was made of gold, but I have checked and it doesn¡¯t seem to be gold.¡± Chapter 91 - 0091: The Unopenable Bottle Chapter 91: The Unopenable Bottle Trantor: 549690339 The Metal Bottle had a shape somewhat like those used for packaging high-end rice wine, distinctively different. Its color was a golden yellow, close to the color of a Gold Coin, but a bit more toward brown. There were engraved patterns on it, withplex designs wrapping around some images. It looked like abstract depictions of the Sun and arge tree, along with bows, a type of harp, a bear, and an eagle in flight. In general, this Metal Bottle was just like the exquisite art pieces Nobles loved to collect. ng, ng, ng. He tapped his fingers on the Metal Bottle, producing a peculiar sound, not one that metal should make¡ªmore akin to the sound of stic. But it was clearly observable that this brownish-yellow bottle was indeed made of metal; it had the tactile sensation you¡¯d expect of metal. ¡°Teacher Goltai, what metal do you think this is?¡± Liszt shook the bottle. It seemed to be empty inside, with no movement. Goltai spread his hands: ¡°Gold, silver, copper, iron, it¡¯s none of the metals I¡¯ve seen before, I apologize for my inability to determine what it is.¡± ¡°It has no opening?¡± ¡°It appears to be a single piece. At the ce where the opening should be, I¡¯ve checked closely, there are no seams, and it cannot be twisted open.¡± Liszt tried it himself, indeed it could not be twisted open¡ªthe mouth of the bottle had no cap and was firmly in one piece: ¡°What do you guess is inside?¡± ¡°A bottle of fine wine?¡± ¡°Wishful thinking doesn¡¯t alwayse true, Teacher Goltai, I don¡¯t think there¡¯s any liquid inside.¡± Goltaiughed heartily: ¡°Ha ha, one can always fantasize a little before it gets opened.¡± Liszt handed the bottle to Carter, instructing him to ce it back in his study: ¡°Keep it safe for now. When I find the time, I¡¯ll take my time figuring out how to open it.¡± ¡°Yes, my lord.¡± After Carter had left, Liszt gestured for Goltai to take a seat wherever he liked. He inquired, ¡°How¡¯s the trade with the merchant caravan going?¡± ¡°It¡¯s going smoothly. Ever since you started developing Fresh Flower Town and providing plenty of paid job opportunities, the townspeople have gradually had extra money to spend at the merchants¡¯ stalls and pick out some small items. Nearly half of the merchandise the merchants brought has been sold, and even on the stage for the pstick y, a few copper coins have been thrown.¡± pstick ys are generally funded by the merchant caravan, who offer free performances to attract customers. Only if the audience is sufficiently amused would they toss coins onto the stage, rewarding the hardworking clowns. Fresh Flower Town was poor, and its residents, despite likelyughing themselves to the point of stomach aches, would be reluctant to throw even a single copper coin. Unexpectedly, there were indeed people who actually tipped the pstick performers. ¡°Who threw the copper coins?¡± ¡°I only saw one person throw copper coins, and that was your kitchen maid, Eileen Four Fingers.¡± Eileen Four Fingers? Liszt had little contact with this kitchen maid, barely seeing her once a day¡ªthe status of a kitchen maid was very low, they were prohibited from going upstairs, appearing in the first-floor hall, and especially showing themselves before the Noble lord¡ªhe just knew roughly about Eileen from what Butler Carter had mentioned, that she was a straightforward and lively young girl. ¡°Young people are always very generous,¡± hemented so. Goltai really wanted to say that you too are young, only sixteen, and not even as old as the young maid. Yet he did not speak out. The current Liszt held a maturity and steadiness usually found in middle-aged men, almost letting people forget his slightly youthful face when interacting with others. ¡°Perhaps this is the talent thates with Noble blood,¡± Goltai often thought this to himself. When he first followed Liszt to Fresh Flower Town, he simply wanted to snag a consultant position for free food and drink. At his age, he had no illusions about reviving a family business or restoring Noble glory. What he didn¡¯t expect was for Liszt to change Fresh Flower Town, and change his mindset of just getting by day-to-day. Freya¡¯s pregnancy was just a catalyst, Goltai was well aware. At the end of the day, it was still Liszt¡¯s will that determined the actions of those around him, otherwise, there was actually no need to pay such close attention to a mere bastard. Which noble didn¡¯t have several bastards out there? For the sake of family harmony, many noble bastards could only remain serfs their entire lives. ¡°Teacher Goltai.¡± Seeing Goltai a bit distracted, Liszt couldn¡¯t help but speak up to remind him. Goltai immediately sat up straight and replied, ¡°What would you like to say?¡± ¡°Regarding the trade caravan, as an official, you must supervise every transaction to ensure no duplicitous merchants exploit the civilians, and also prevent the patrol team and clerks from recklessly taking things from the caravan.¡± ¡°Rest assured, I emphasize this daily.¡± ¡°Ensure that the promotional work is done well, advertise that Fresh Flower Town wees outsiders to settle here and offers the most favorable taxes. Also, inform the people of the caravan about what Fresh Flower Town ns to develop next, show them the ns for themercial district, workshop area, and residential areas, so they can see the bright future of Fresh Flower Town.¡± ¡°As you wish!¡± After sending off Goltai, Liszt didn¡¯t immediately go to rest; instead, he went straight to his study and yed with the metal bottle on the desk. This drift bottle piqued his interest. He focused for a moment and summoned the Smoke Mission. ¡°Complete the mission, reward Sea Drift Bottle.¡± ¡°Mission: A bottle that cannot be opened, words that cannot be understood, do not indicate an unsolvable problem but rather a disparity in knowledge. The old tanner at the Tanners¡¯ Shop, blind and feeling his health declining, might be willing to trade a certain book in exchange for a son. Mission Reward: An unknown book.¡± As expected, the metal bottle picked up by the fisherman was a reward from the Smoke Mission. The transaction mission involving three Gold Coins for the merchant caravan had beenpleted some time ago. However, seeing the new mission, Liszt couldn¡¯t help but show a wry smile on his face, ¡°A bottle that can¡¯t be opened, does that mean I can¡¯t open the drift bottle? Words that can¡¯t be understood, does that mean there¡¯s a piece of paper inside, possibly in a foreignnguage? But what in the world is thistter part of the mission about, giving the old tanner a son?¡± If the man¡¯s wife were still in the bloom of youth, graceful and enchanting. Liszt wouldn¡¯t mind giving the man a son and a metaphorical hat. But he had thoroughly reviewed the data on the town¡¯s craftsmen during a previous census. He remembered this old tanner, who was actually a widower without kin. He hade to Fresh Flower Town ten years ago by begging and had since settled down, picking up his tanner¡¯s craft again. For such a person, how was he supposed to ¡®give¡¯ him a son? ¡°Give a son¡­ perhaps my thoughts are a bit off-track, let¡¯s have someone investigate the old tanner first.¡± He shook the bell and called for Carter. ¡°Master.¡± ¡°Mr. Carter, send a message to Teacher Goltai asking him to investigate the old tanner in the town. I need a detailed report; if the man is facing any difficulties, help him out along the way.¡± Upon hearing this, Carter responded, ¡°Master, perhaps you should ask Jessie. He¡¯s quite familiar with the old tanner.¡± ¡°Jessie?¡± Jessie Asanobu was once a male servant assistant in the castle and has now been promoted to male servant, mainly responsible for running external errands for the castle. A short whileter, Jessie, who was ying in the town, was called back. ¡°Master, you were looking for me?¡± Even as a servant, he still felt awkward in front of Liszt, unsure of where to ce his hands. Liszt directly asked, ¡°You¡¯re quite familiar with the old tanner? Tell me about him.¡± ¡°Are you talking about Uncle Phil? I met Uncle Phil when I went to the Tanners¡¯ Shop to have my shoes repaired. Uncle Phil is blind, which makes his work very inconvenient, and now his health is deteriorating, so I often visit him to help out with some things.¡± ¡°Have you heard that the old tanner wants a son?¡± Chapter 92 - 0092 The Old Tanner’s Collection Chapter 92: The Old Tanner¡¯s Collection Trantor: 549690339 ¡°Uncle Phil wants a son?¡± Jessie was first taken aback, then nodded his head, ¡°It seems so, I¡¯ve heard himin that he doesn¡¯t have a son to take care of him when he¡¯s sick.¡± Liszt looked at Jessie. Then he suddenly asked, ¡°Jessie, if I remember correctly, you¡¯re an orphan, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Yes, my lord, I was raised in the welfare institution of Coral City, grateful for the Tulip Family¡¯s generosity, which allowed us orphans to survive,¡± Jessie said devoutly. The welfare institution was an organization where nobles gathered orphans, asmoners often had idents that left children without care. To disy their benevolence, some wealthy nobles would establish welfare institutions on their family domains to gather orphans, who would then work directly for the castle when they grew up. Jessie was such an orphan. ¡°Is the Old Tanner at the Tanners¡¯ Shop now?¡± ¡°Yes, my lord, I was thinking of inviting Uncle Phil to go shopping with me, but he didn¡¯t want to.¡± ¡°Then Jessie,e with me to see the Old Tanner, I have some business with him.¡± ¡°Yes, my lord, I will prepare the horses for you at once.¡± In the castle¡¯s stable yard, there was a rudimentary rest area where Philip and Zavier always stayed as Retainer Knights; they did not have the luxury of enjoying holidays. Seeing Liszt mount the Fire Dragon Horse, they each mounted a nag and followed him. Heading toward the Tanners¡¯ Shop. In every small town, there were generally Tanners¡¯ Shops, where tanners made leather, sewed fur coats, and mended shoes. There were specific crafts, including helmet tanners, armour tanners, vest tanners, drumhead makers, bag craftsmen, utensil tanners, and mostmonly, shoe tanners. The Old Tanner in Fresh Flower Town, Phil, was a shoe tanner. In big cities, shoe tanners were often wealthy freemen because handcrafting a pair of leather shoes required a lot of money. However, in small towns, the treatment of shoe tanners was poorer, as few could afford leather shoes. Thus, the Tanners¡¯ Shop could only barely make ends meet¡ªmost serfs and freemen wore wooden shoes or straw sandals. Of course, even more people went without any shoes at all. ¡°Is that you, Jessie?¡± The Old Tanner¡¯s somewhat hoarse voice came from the table, as he fumbled to mend a pair of shoes. Even though his eyes were blind, his hands remained deft. Jessie quickly said, ¡°Uncle Phil, it¡¯s Lord Landlord who hase, and Lord Landlord has some business with you.¡± ¡°Ah, Lord Landlord, Old Phil sends his regards to Lord Landlord,¡± the Old Tanner got up hurriedly from his chair, bowing respectfully, his hands trembling nervously, just asmoners do when they see a Lord. Liszt surveyed the narrow, gloomy Tanners¡¯ Shop, noticing its signs of neglect and disrepair, as it was so dpidated that the roof allowed glimpses of the sun above. Just like the Old Tanner himself, it bore signs of age and decay. ¡°Old Phil, don¡¯t be nervous, I¡¯m just here to have a chat with you.¡± The Old Tanner¡¯s cloudy eyes showed no change in emotion. But Liszt felt that the man¡¯s hands had quickly stopped trembling¡ªnot because his nerves had been calmed, it appeared more like he had stopped putting on an act, as the earlier trembling was probably feigned. This was easy to understand; after all, nobles enjoyed seeingmoners tremble before them. The aged man had long learned to cope with life: ¡°Lord Landlord, it is an honor for Old Phil to have a chat with someone as noble as you.¡± ¡°You settled in Fresh Flower Town as a beggar ten years ago, so where are you originally from?¡± ¡°I was born on Dodo Ind, Lord Landlord.¡± ¡°Dodo Ind?¡± ¡°It is an unlorded wild ind, even further north of Coral Ind. The ind is home to a kind of Dodobird that can¡¯t fly and cries out as if saying ¡®dodo¡¯. There¡¯s also a particrly tall type of tree with a terrible name, the Human Skull Tree, and its fruits are known as Human Skull Fruit.¡± ¡°Human Skull Tree?¡± ¡°Yes, Lord Landlord, those fruits are white and from a distance, look just like human skulls. But they taste really good. The natives of the ind satisfy their hunger with Human Skull Fruits; even Dodobirds eat them, but Dodobird meat is particrly nasty. Life on the ind is extremely hard.¡± A Dodobird that sounds like ¡°dodo.¡± It reminded Liszt of the dodo bird that had be extinct on Earth. He wondered if the Dodobirds here were the same species as the dodo birds on Earth. ¡°So, how did youe to Coral Ind from Dodo Ind? You were born on Dodo Ind, so you should be a native there. Where then did the inhabitants of Dodo Ind originate from?¡± Liszt asked. Around the Duchy of Sapphire, there are still many undeveloped inds, and Dodo Ind must be one of them. ¡°I am a native of Dodo Ind. I don¡¯t know where we came from. Ever since I can remember, we all lived on Dodo Ind. Then when the volcano erupted, many Human Skull Trees were destroyed, and without food, we had no choice but to cut down trees to make canoes and drift along the sea¡­ It was during that time that I drifted to Hot Spring Ind and became an apprentice at the Tanners¡¯ Shop.¡± What followed was that Hot Spring Ind was caught in wars, and he was sold into very to Coral Ind as a serf. A Baron on the ind bought him, but after the Baron went off to war with the Earl, he never returned, all Domain Elves died, serfs feared punishment and started to flee. The Old Tanner also fled. Through twists and turns, he arrived in Fresh Flower Town. ¡°Back then, all the serfs were spreading rumors that the Baron had died in battle because a Retainer Knight who was of serf origin betrayed him. The followers were furious and decided to ughter all the serfs on the domain to avenge the Baron,¡± the Old Tanner said, with a sigh perhapsmenting his past ignorance. It was a low-level rumor; nobles value their serfs highly. The correct course of events should be¡ªwhen the Baron died without an heir, thendlord he followed, which is Coral Ind¡¯s Count, reimed all the rights to the domain, including the serfs. All in all, the Old Tanner¡¯s life wasn¡¯t dramatic nor was he a ¡°man with a story¡±; even his blindness urred naturally while he was in Fresh Flower Town. The only thing close to a story was his identity as a native of Dodo Ind. Liszt carefully inquired about Dodo Ind and found out it was just a tiny ind, with fewer than three hundred natives living on it, ultimately devastated by a volcanic eruption. Apart from the surviving few Human Skull Trees, there likely wasn¡¯t any value in developing it. He was somewhat disappointed. He had assumed that a person specifically mentioned in the Smoke Mission would have some mystery about them, but it turned out to be just an ordinary native. He still nned to continue the mission to get the book as a reward¡ªbringing Jessie along was to set him up with the Old Tanner as a son¡ªa fatherless, motherless orphan, with a widower who had no children; they both got along well and should easily form a father-son contract. But suddenly, he had a bold idea. ¡°Why should I follow the stepsid out by the Smoke Mission? I¡¯m not its puppet. I can simply ask the Old Tanner for the book directly, instead of relying onpleting a mission to get the book!¡± The Old Tanner couldn¡¯t possibly have many books, Liszt thought. So. He simply said, ¡°Old Phil, I heard you have a collection of books, don¡¯t you? I would like you to sell them to me.¡± Given themand by the Lord Landlord, the Old Tanner dared not refuse and immediately agreed, ¡°Yes, Lord Landlord, I do have a collection of books, but there is only one. I will present it to you right away.¡± Having said that, he stooped his back and, with Jessie¡¯s support, took a wooden box out of a cab full of leather shoes. ¡°Jessie, the book is in the box, quickly give it to the Lord Landlord.¡± Jessie opened the box, took out a very thick book, and handed it to Liszt. Liszt scanned it and saw that it wasn¡¯t printed but hand-written, with Serpent Script and another foreignnguage on the cover. He didn¡¯t recognize the foreignnguage. But he did recognize the Serpent Script ¡°Philip, Scion of the Sun¡¯s Diary¡±. Chapter 93 - 093 Descendants of the Sun Chapter 93: Descendants of the Sun Trantor: 549690339 Serpent Script, themon script used in the Steel Ridge Kingdom, is also used in its vassal state, the Duchy of Sapphire. In addition to Serpent Script, there are variousnguages and scripts on the continent, such as the Wind Language of the Eagle Kingdom, the Rock Script of the st Furnace Fortress Kingdom, the High Speech of the Neverfall Empire, the Dragon Language of the Blue Dragon Empire, and so on. Liszt¡¯s predecessor did not speak foreignnguages, and therefore, he did not recognize the other strange script on the page¡ªactually, on closer inspection, it was less like writing and more like twisted drawings of little people. ¡°¡±Philip, Descendant of the Sun¡¯s Diary¡±, quite a strange title,¡± he mused curiously. ¡°Old Phil, whatnguage is this other script?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, Lord Landlord, the truth is I am illiterate. This book is a relic left by a native of Dodo Ind. He was my good friend; we were in the same canoe, but he died at sea, leaving only this book behind. I have kept it as a memento.¡± ¡°So it is a keepsake with sentimental value. In that case, I will return it to you after I finish reading it.¡± ¡°No, no, no, Lord Landlord, Old Phil is honored that you appreciate his collection. Old Phil hopes that you will ept it. Thank you, Lord Landlord, my Tanners¡¯ Shop is doing much better business now.¡± ¡°All right, I¡¯ll buy it.¡± ¡°Old Phil would like to offer it to you, Lord Landlord, to express my respect.¡± ¡°I ept your respect, but I will still give you a reward.¡± Liszt returned to the castle with the diary. He asked Carter to take out three silver coins and give them to Jessie. Even if a book was very expensive, it wouldn¡¯t be worth three silver coins, but after all, it was an item with sentimental value: ¡°Jessie, give these three silver coins to Old Phil as a payment for the book. Also, tell Old Phil that I like his story very much and that he is wee to add anything else at any time.¡± ¡°Yes, master.¡± After Jessie left, Liszt did not immediately open the book. Instead, he summoned the Smoke Mission. A momentter, a wisp of smoke appeared before his eyes, twisting into a Serpent Script passage. To his surprise and apprehension, the Serpent Script was no longer the usual sentences. It was changing. ¡°The mission has changed.¡± The Serpent Scriptsted for a few seconds; the smoke gradually twisted and formed new Serpent Script: ¡°Mission: Unlike other cordyceps that safely enjoy nourishment, the Thorn Cordyceps looks out in solitude. It has survived eight years and is about to age, but still, it is unwilling to give in. Please supplement nutrition for the Thorn Cordyceps. Mission reward: new species of Thorn.¡± The apprehension in his heart settled, leaving only surprise. He had been a bit adventurous and wanted to have a bit of a spat with the Smoke Mission, dering that he was not just a puppet that could be led around. Yet, in his heart, he was actually worried that in doing so, he might lose the Smoke Mission¡ªwhether it was a golden finger or some hidden maniptor, it was an existence he could not refuse. Besides, there was no need to refuse. Up to this point, the Smoke Mission had been all benefit and no harm, helping him develop rapidly¡ªeven if there was a hidden hand behind it all, it was probably one he could not resist. If it could not be resisted, then might as well enjoy it. So much so that some base thoughts still wandered in his mind: ¡°If I can ride a dragon, what does it matter if I sell these hundred-plus pounds to the hidden maniptor. As long as I can enjoy wealth and rank, hidden maniptor, I am willing to be yourckey!¡± There was no response. Sometimes, the Smoke Mission had a very low presence. Now it seemed. He might have a tiff with the Smoke Mission, but it would not quibble with him in return, continuing as usual. And it also proved that those mission rewards weren¡¯t concocted out of thin air by the Smoke Mission. They already existed. At most, the Smoke Mission went with the flow, lightly nudging the threads of cause and effect, tilting the trajectory of time a little. Like a breeze that gently moves the crests formed by destiny¡¯s long river, whether they twist left or drift right, they eventually fall back into the water, returning to serenity. ¡°Perhaps one day, I will understand the meaning behind the existence of the Smoke Mission¡­ but for now, I¡¯m just going to enjoy the golden finger,¡± he concluded with an epting mindset, shaking off thoughts that troubled theyman. All that remained was pure joy. The reward for the new mission included a familiar term, ¡°new species.¡± There were two instances of ¡°new species¡± tasks before. The new species of Tulip brought the Magic ck Tulip, and the new species of mushroom, the Magic me Mushroom. What kind of Magic Potion will this new Thorn species bring? ¡°Not enough nutrients, huh? Tomorrow, I will have the serfs transport over the preparedpost to replenish the Thorn Cordyceps with nutrients!¡± What¡¯s somewhat regrettable, however, is that the Thorn Bug has already lived for eight years, meaning it has only two years of life remaining. ¡°It seems, I need to find a way to acquire another Thorn Bug¡­ Tulip Castle seems to have a young Thorn Bug; I should buy it back when I have the chance.¡± Thorn is just a weed-like small shrub; therefore, Thorn Bugs aren¡¯t very useful, and the price shouldn¡¯t be too high. He waved his hand to disperse the Smoke Serpent Script. Liszt returned his attention to ¡°Philip, Scion of the Sun¡¯s Diary¡±: ¡°Philip, Descendant of the Sun, that surname carries a bit of dominance. My Retainer Knight is also named Philip, but his surname ¡®Wool¡¯ pales inparison¡ªtruly, the difference between a domestic chicken and a Phoenix.¡± Flipping to the first page revealed a very abstract drawing of the Sun. Because it was handwritten, the Sun wasn¡¯t very round, and the surrounding Light was smeared in triangr shapes, with various haphazard lines inside the Sun. It looked like the scribbling of a seven-year-old child. Below the drawing was a passage in Serpent Script, perhaps a poem. ¡°My grandfather has such a tattoo on his back.¡± ¡°He said his father¡¯s back was also tattooed with the same pattern.¡± ¡°I asked him why my father¡¯s back wasn¡¯t, and neither is mine.¡± ¡°He said our ancestors have abandoned us, we can no longer bear the pattern of the Sun.¡± ¡°I do not understand what it means.¡± ¡°My grandfather said we were exiled from our homnd to a sinfulnd, and it would take five hundred years before we could return.¡± ¡°After five hundred years, a great ship sailing in the sky, shining under the Sunlight, will bring us back.¡± ¡°Five hundred years have passed, but the Sky Ship has note.¡± Reading this poem, Liszt found it very interesting. The description in the poem seemed to say¡ªthe author¡¯s ancestors were a group of criminals, exiled to Dodo Ind for five hundred years? They tattooed the Sun¡¯s pattern on their backs to signify their lineage. But after five hundred years, the promised Sky Ship to take them back did note. So, assuming they were abandoned, the author¡¯s grandfather no longer gave tattoos to his son. ¡°Is this how the ¡®Descendants of the Sun¡¯ came to be¡­¡± ¡°If the records are true, the natives of Dodo Ind should be the descendants of the Nobles on the maind. Only Nobles, especially those of the royal lineage who err, would be exiled; minor Nobles who err would simply be killed. Without the custom of recording their history, probably in a hundred years, the royal family would have forgotten about these exiled descendants.¡± The first page contained a drawing and a poem. The second page offered an introduction. ¡°My name is Philip, I¡¯m twenty-six this year, just returned from working on foreign inds. I do not n to go out again. Although the outside world is flourishing, life is tough. I n to stay on Dodo Ind, and marry Valissa. I will have my own son, whom I will raise. I am a Carpenter, able to build a big house for him to live in!¡± ¡°Starting from today, I will record every day; that way when I grow old, unlike my grandfather, I won¡¯t forget his stories and even where we came from. My son, because of my journal, will understand his father, and the interesting experiences I¡¯ve had.¡± ¡°However, I don¡¯t have much card stock or ink, so I must write sparingly. Hmm, write smaller, and even less.¡± ¡°Philip, Descendant of the Sun.¡± Chapter 94 - 094: The Last Entry of the Diary Chapter 94: The Last Entry of the Diary Trantor: 549690339 ¡°Year 119 of the Grand Duchy, February 15th.¡± This is the starting date of the first diary entry in ¡°Philip, Scion of the Sun¡¯s Diary.¡± ¡°The current year is 151 of the Sapphire Grand Duchy, which means this diary began thirty-two years ago?¡± Liszt calcted briefly. The Duchy of Sapphire had no official calendar of its own and did not use the calendar of the Steel Ridge Kingdom. The concept of history was not popr in the Different World; generally, people had no thoughts about the past¡ªthere was no idea of learning from history. Thus, the Duchy of Sapphire did not even have a National Day. Sea Outing Festival and the New Year Festival were the most important holidays. Sometimes the national anniversary celebration would be held on the Sea Outing Festival; other times it would be scheduled on the New Year Festival, and sometimes it would be celebrated on a random day, ording to the wishes of the Sapphire Duke. Liszt concluded that the concept of ¡°nationalism¡± had not taken root. The subtlety of the feudal nobility system lies in the structure of Knight vassge, the greatest essence of which is¡ªmy subject¡¯s subjects are not my subjects; my lord¡¯s lords are not my lords. For example, Liszt¡¯s master was Coral Ind¡¯s Count, not the Sapphire Duke. Therefore, as a subject of the Earl, he had no obligation to pay attention to the Sapphire Duke; the Sapphire Family had nomands over him. To him, his true nation was Coral Ind, not the Duchy of Sapphire. If he were to feel love, it would be for Coral Ind, with no need to love the Duchy of Sapphire. All Nobles were Landlords, even the King was merely arger Landlord. Of course, a widespread sense of nationalism could not form. That¡¯s why only Noblesmemorate the Sea Outing Festival,moners simply don¡¯t care. In Fresh Flower Town, Liszt¡¯s birthday celebration was definitely more important in the hearts of the residents than the Sea Outing Festival¡ªLord Landlord grants mend, as if a parent. Who is the Grand Duke, can he be eaten, steamed or braised? HIs thoughts digressed. Liszt continued to read the diary. ¡°Clear skies, climbed trees to pick fruit, ten Human Skull Fruits; cut down three trees; dug foundations, preparing to build a house. Organized the knowledge taught by my grandfather, in the Sun Script ¡®X¡¯ represents ¡®me,¡¯ I am a Descendant of the Sun, my ancestors spoke Sun Script.¡± This ¡°X¡± represented a very twisted character. It wasplex, it looked like a painting, seeming like a little person with wings, carrying some kind of tool, dancing exuberantly. ¡°A single word is like a painting, which country¡¯s writing is this, it¡¯s too bizarre. I guarantee, with such writing, one wouldn¡¯t learn five hundred characters even by the age of a hundred!¡± Liszt eximed. Of course, it was an exaggeration, but indeed, the so-called ¡°Sun Script¡± was veryplex. Many subsequent pages of the diary contained inconsequential records of daily life¡ªpicking fruits, cutting wood, building houses, trading items with someone, seeing certain wild animals. But at the end of each diary entry, a Sun Script character was recorded. I, father, mother, grandpa, grandma, big, rice, soil, sky, earth, horse, flower, individual, ten, painting, above¡­ For some words, Philip provided specific exnations, such as rice being a certain kind of cereal grain, horse referring to a unicorn, and flower referring to a sunflower, which he had never seen, only heard from his grandfather,mon things to their ancestors. ¡°Unicorn? Could such legendary creatures really exist?¡± Liszt doubted. He even doubted the Sun Script itself, which just seemed like various little drawings; he didn¡¯t believe these depicted some kind of writing¡ªperhaps it was just Philip¡¯s grandfather, bored and concocting it himself, to fool his silly grandson. A thick diary. Most of it was Philip¡¯s mundane daily routines on Dodo Ind and Sun Script lessons. asionally, he would recall his time working on other inds¡ªmeeting a noble¡¯s daughter, a very kind youngdy, who taught them themoners¡¯nguage. Philip proudly stated that he learned the fastest and gained the young nobledy¡¯s favor, even reaching the point of eloping. Unfortunately, as documented in a certain diary entry¡ªhis affair with the youngdy was discovered by her mother, who wanted to kill him. With the nobledy¡¯s help, Philip then escaped that ind. He didn¡¯t mention the name of the ind, saying he did not want to sully the nobledy¡¯s reputation. Apart from these details. The diary asionally mentioned Philip¡¯s ancestors¡ªmainly stories his grandfather had told him. Such as, the ancestors raising a troop of magical dragons with two heads, the ancestors once shooting down the sun from the sky, the ancestors drawing extraordinary powers from well water, the ancestors living in cities grown from trees, the ancestors befriending wolves, bears, eagles, and tigers, the ancestors immersed in music. His grandfather referred to the ancestors as¡ªChildren of the Sun. ¡°So the question arises, why would the Child of the Sun shoot down the sun? Patricide?¡± The stories were fragmented and vague. Mainly because Philip¡¯s writing was very sinct. He worried he didn¡¯t have enough ink or thick leather paper to write on; theter entries became sparser, even reaching the point where he recorded his diary every few days¡ªhalf of the thick leather paper had been used, perhaps he realized that this diary could not record every trivial matter in his dull life. ¡°One might as well rename the book to ¡°Private Tutoring Records of the Sun Script¡±.¡± Liszt prepared to close the diary, having found no connection between it and the unopenable drift bottle. He thought he might as well smash the metal bottle. To see what exactly was inside it. But just as he was closing the book, since he was closing it from back to front, thest page closingst, something caught his eye from the periphery¡ªthis page was not nk. He casually flipped it open. To discover there was another diary entry, or perhaps an essay. ¡°My will.¡± ¡°Grandfather told me upon his departure, should one day a golden bottle be found upon the sea, it was a letter written to us by our ancestor. Our ancestor had mastered a method of sending letters across the sea, the magic-powered bottle would travel across the ocean guided by our bloodline. A smear of blood is all it takes to open the bottle and retrieve the letter inside.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t believe it, but, my descendants, if one day youe across it, remember to send a reply.¡± This was Philip, Descendant of the Sun¡¯s ¡°will,¡± which is why it was ced at the end of the diary. After reading it, Liszt waspletely unsettled. The bottle Philip mentioned must be the one the fisherman had found by the seaside, now sitting on his desk. ¡°Does this mean that Philip and his grandfather¡¯s stories are actually true, that they really are descendants of some exiled noble family? Is the Sun Script real too?¡± He recalled the prior mission. It mentioned an ¡°unopenable bottle, iprehensible script,¡± needing a book to guide one! Without a doubt, it was this book. Picking up the drift bottle, Liszt walked straight out of the study. ¡°Master, are you going out?¡± ¡°Off to the Tanners¡¯ Shop. Mr. Carter, you stay at the castle, let Jessiee with me. By the way, has Jessie returned?¡± He remembered that he had sent Jessie to deliver silver coins. ¡°Not yet; he probably went to the town to watch theedy y again, you know, young people always like to join in the fun.¡± ¡°Never mind, no need to look for him. I will take Philip and Zavier to the Tanners¡¯ Shop.¡± Having said that, he hurriedly left the castle, took two Retainer Knights, and dashed straight for the Tanners¡¯ Shop. Chapter 95 - 095: The Thorn Bug’s Desire Chapter 95: The Thorn Bug¡¯s Desire Trantor: 549690339 ¡°Old Phil, cut your finger; I need you to smear blood on this bottle,¡± Liszt said unequivocally. Philip was dead, and who knew how many of the indigenous people of Dodo Ind remained¡ªthis old tanner was probably one of them. As for whether he had the bloodline of the ¡°Descendant of the Sun,¡± Liszt did not know. All he could do was try. Although the old tanner did not understand why, he mustply with themands of Lord Landlord. He pricked his finger with a needle, squeezed out the blood, and smeared it on the beautiful golden bottle. Liszt had already deployed his Eye of Magic. He was intently observing the metal drift bottle. The moment the blood touched the bottle, his vortex-like pupils suddenly expanded as he witnessed a miraculous scene¡ªthe blood seemed to activate the magic of the metal bottle, which flowed along the engraved patterns, quickly outlining the lines of the sun, a big tree, a bow and arrow, a lyre, an eagle, and a bear. A manposed of lines emerged from the bottle, taking up a bow and arrow, shooting at the sun. A womanposed of lines also emerged from the bottle, picking up the lyre and gently ying it under the big tree. The eaglended on the man¡¯s shoulder, the bear snuggled up to the woman, and the magic lines on the body of the bottle were lively and vivid. Suddenly, the sun pierced with arrows fell, and a well made of lines emerged, spouting a fountain that shot straight up to the mouth of the bottle. Pop! A crisp sound. All of the lines formed by magic dissipated, leaving no trace of magic on the metal bottle; and where there had been no seam before, the mouth of the bottle cracked. Liszt gently pulled and the cap came off. He turned the mouth of the metal bottle down and shook it, and out fell something rolled up into a small stick. It was a very delicate, thin piece of leather paper, which Liszt unfolded. On it was a line of hieroglyphics¡ªno, more precisely, a line of Sun Script. Liszt remembered seeing these drawings but could not discern their meaning. His heart was full of puzzles waiting to be solved. Yet outwardly, he was in no hurry. He rolled the paper back up and nced at the old tanner, ¡°Old Phil, are you rted to Philip?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, Lord Landlord, maybe I am. Philip once said, he said we were all exiled criminals of some sort,¡± replied the old tanner. In fact, they should be rtives. Looking at the old tanner¡¯s hunched figure and aged expression, Liszt felt he was meant toplete thest mission issued by the Smoke Mission¡ªto at least give Old Phil a son, or rather, to at least facilitate a kinship contract between him and Jessie. It was the right thing to do, both morally and to aid in his mission. ¡°Old Phil, what do you think of Jessie?¡± ¡°Jessie is a good boy; he always helps me with chores, diving, sweeping¡­ Thanks to him, the Tanners¡¯ Shop smells much better,¡± the old tanner replied. ¡°Do you know Jessie is an orphan?¡± ¡°I¡¯m aware,¡± said the old tanner. ¡°Have you ever thought that the two of you could form a contract of kinship?¡± ¡°What? This¡­¡± The old tanner was evidently a bit flustered, ¡°Jessie is a servant of the castle, and I¡¯m just an old tanner. He could have a better life; I wouldn¡¯t want to hold him back. Lord Landlord, Jessie is a sensible child. He likes his work at the castle, and he works hard. I will tell him not toe here anymore, so he won¡¯t be distracted from his duties.¡± He thought that his rtionship with Jessie had displeased Lord Landlord. ¡°You misunderstood me; I don¡¯t me Jessie at all. It was merely a suggestion,¡± Liszt suddenly felt that getting involved in such trivial matters ofmoners wasn¡¯t befitting of his noble status. Why should andlord concern himself with such trifles of the popce? He stood up, ready to leave the Tanners¡¯ Shop, saying, ¡°Decide for yourselves. I will inform Mr. Carter to oversee it.¡± To be or not to be, it was just a suggestion. After returning to the castle, Liszt casually mentioned his task to Carter and then set aside these misceneous matters to start working on the trantion of the message from the drift bottle. With ¡°Philip, Descendant of the Sun¡¯s Diary,¡± he found the corresponding meanings for the figures in the drawing one by one. Soon, he had finished tranting the message. ¡°The tower has copsed, Tree City is burning, XX has perished, and the Child of the Sun will ascend with the mes. Children who are lost abroad, you are now free.¡± The ¡°XX¡± is a series of Sun Script, but there was no corresponding exnation in the diary, and its style was rather abstract. Liszt couldn¡¯t make out its specific meaning, but he could roughly guess that it should represent the dwelling ce of the Child of the Sun¡ªperhaps a country or possibly a continent. That is to say, the drift bottle brought bad news. ¡°The Child of the Sun, which country¡¯s nobility calls themselves that?¡± Liszt had read knight¡¯s novels, not a thousand, then at least one hundred, but none contained any record of the Child of the Sun. Stroking the parchment in his hands. He suddenly felt that this country might not be on this continent: ¡°The parchment on the continent is made of thick animal hide, not easily preserved, and not convenient to write on. But this parchment in my hand doesn¡¯t seem to be made of animal hide. It¡¯s very thin; such technology hasn¡¯t appeared on this continent yet, right?¡± But apart from the continental countries, the Duchy of Sapphire was the first to venture out to the sea and establish their nation. Immediately afterwards. Liszt came up with a possibility: ¡°Could it be that the Child of the Sun is not a human from this continent, but from beyond the Sea of Azure Waves?¡± Fresh Flower Town¡¯s East Coast faces the Sea of Azure Waves, and on the other side of it lies the legendary Devil¡¯s Sea, where no one can navigate. Legends are not entirely credible. If this Different World is also a, then byparison to Earth, perhaps the so-called Devil¡¯s Sea is just arger ocean. On the other side of the ocean, there might be another continent. Separated by an impassable ocean, perhaps there are also humans living on another continent. ¡°Well, there¡¯s too little information to make any effective judgments. For the time being let¡¯s assume that there¡¯s a continent on the other side, and a group of humans called the Child of the Sun.¡± Liszt reined in his spective thoughts, ¡°For now, I have neither the capability to unravel this perplexing mystery.¡± He put the metal drift bottle into the Gemstone Space without closing the lid¡ªjust in case he couldn¡¯t open it. The thin parchment as well as ¡°Philip¡¯s Diary of the Descendants of the Sun¡± were also ced in the Gemstone Space. ¡°Now, it¡¯s time to focus on the Thorn Bug!¡± The Thorn Bug, eight years of age, unwilling to die alone in solitude, wanted to struggle onest time. Liszt could feel that this Thorn Bug was indeed somewhat different from the other Elf Bugs. He went to the Worm Room that Carter was taking care of and saw the Thorn Bug deep asleep in its box¡ªElf Bugs could sleep 24 hours a day. An intermittent telepathic connection kept Liszt constantly aware of his own Elf Bugs. ¡°Little fellow, I can feel the deep weariness within you, as well as your desire for evolution. Even though I know the chances of you evolving are slim, I am still willing to help you to the best of my abilities. Not for the Magic Medicine Thorns or toplete the Smoke Mission,¡± he said as he gently touched the grey-white body of the Thorn Bug. The Thorn Bug seemed to sense Liszt¡¯s presence and opened its little ck sesame seed-sized eyes, turning its head to look at Liszt. Among the seven Elf Bugs, it was the ugliest one, with a duller colorpared to the vibrant colors of the other Elf Bugs, and its body was also thinner and had a harder skin¡ªElf Bugs nurtured by shrubs and trees always seemed rougher than those nurtured by herbaceous nts. Its ck eyes gave away no discernible expression. But Liszt could still feel the Thorn Bug¡¯s closeness and docility towards him. ¡°I have instructed Goltai to stop supplying thepost to the farms for the near future. As long as your Cordyceps can absorb it, it will be prioritized for your use,¡± he said. Chapter 96: Lawbreakers Must Be Severely Punished Chapter 96: Lawbreakers Must Be Severely Punished Trantor: 549690339 Thorn Cordyceps was located at the edge of Thorn Ridge, close to the dairy farm, within a not-sorge area of Thorn Forest. Thorn Ridge got its name from the abundance of short thorn bushes that surrounded it. However, the thorn bushes rarely grew inrge clusters, typically appearing as small patches here and there. Liszt had investigated this and theorized that one possible reason was that thorn bushes are shrubs¡ªwithout a significant main trunk and tend to stay low to the ground in clumps. More urately, the area should be called a thorn bush thicket. Clinging to the edges of a forest of tall trees, the lofty canopy blocked out the sunlight, limiting the shrubs¡¯ growth. ¡°The Thorn Bug¡¯s restlessness might stem not only from inadequate nutrition but also perhaps due to the limited expanse of the Thorn Forest; the trees overshadow the spread of the thorn bush thickets.¡± To the south of the Thorn Cordycepsy the dairy farm. Liszt would not possibly shovel away the pasture grass to nt the utterly worthless thorn bushes. Therefore, he nned to organize another lumberjack team to fell the trees surrounding the thorn bush thickets, enabling the thorns to expand outward. The more thorn bushes there were, the wider the range the Thorn Bug could influence, the more pheromones it could collect, and the greater the possibility of evolution¡ªalthough he understood that the Thorn Bug¡¯s chances of evolving were next to none. The variety of thorns was too limited, making the collection of pheromones challenging. The likelihood was too low. ¡°Even though I can¡¯t discern the true essence of Elf Bug evolution, it often seems that the more nt varieties a cordyceps belongs to, the greater the potential for the Elf Bug to evolve. The extent to which nts grow also increases the chances of the Elf Bug¡¯s evolution.¡± This was evidenced by experience. The Tulip Family had managed their operation for generations, amassing a considerable variety of tulips, and with these varieties, they had cultivated the Greater Elf Xiangxiang, along with three Little Minor Elves and eight Elf Bugs. Of course. It wasn¡¯t to say that the Thorn Bug had no chance of evolving whatsoever. One should always harbor dreams, for what if they were actualized? ¡°I¡¯ll do what I can, and the rest is up to the Thorn Bug itself, to see if it truly harbors any discontent and wishes to challenge its fate.¡± After patting the Thorn Bug, Liszt left the Worm Room. Around four in the afternoon, the leader of the North Valley City Caravan came to the castle to bid Liszt farewell. The leader was a middle-aged man with arge beard named Gabriel, who gave a deep bow: ¡°Honorable Baron, under your governance, Fresh Flower Town has emanated a dazzling light. I thank you for your generosity and kindness; the caravan has spent a wonderful day in Fresh Flower Town, and now, Gabriel bids you farewell.¡± ¡°Are you satisfied with the caravan¡¯s trade in the town?¡± Liszt asked with a smile. ¡°Very satisfied, Baron. The faces of the caravan members are brimming with the joy of their gains. We sold much more goods than imagined and also acquired some of the specialties of Fresh Flower Town. Personally, I am very fond of the business district environment, now that we are free from the trouble of dung.¡± ¡°So, Gabriel, does the caravan have ns for when it might visit again?¡± ¡°Not yet, but I think, now that the road through Thorn Ridge is safe, the caravan won¡¯t wait too long. Perhaps in a month, we will return,den with goods, to trade in Fresh Flower Town.¡± ¡°Fresh Flower Town wees the caravan¡¯s visit at any time.¡± ¡°I thank you, Baron!¡± Gabriel bowed and left the castle. Returning to his team, which had already packed up their wares in the business district and was setting off at a leisurely pace, the horses pulled carts one by one along the road paved with a mix of pebbles and sand. Illuminated by the glow of the setting sun in the west, they made their way toward Thorn Ridge. They arrived with cargo in abundance. They left withughter and cheerful voices in abundance. And the delightful sound of Gold Coins, silver coins, and copper coins clinking against each other. A momentter. Old Geronte came to report the shopping situation this time, three Gold Coins in total. Apart from two small ponies, there was a pile of things, all handed over to Butler Carter, to be stored in the castle¡¯s cer. Liszt did not like these worldly affairs and went directly to the stable to see the small ponies. In the stable, the two small ponies, which seemed to be newly born not long ago, were very shy and hid in the corner of the stable, not daring to run around. They were both very ordinary Nags, one with a reddish-brown coat and the other with a brownish-yellow coat. Even without knowing how to judge horses, Liszt could tell that they were not fit for the battlefield. ¡°Are they mares or stallions?¡± ¡°One mare, one stallion, my lord,¡± Jim, who was feeding the ponies, answered. ¡°Take good care of them, don¡¯t let the other horses bully them.¡± ¡°Yes, my lord.¡± Afterward, Liszt took another turn through the separate enclosure, a few pregnant mares were eating bran and peas, not showing any change yet. The Fire Dragon Horse, seeing his arrival, affectionately approached and stuck its head out of the fence. Liszt patted it, looking forward to the foal it would bear, wondering if it would be as majestic as the Li Dragon Horse. Perhaps with the blood of a Magical Beast mixed in, its foal might be even more majestic than the Li Dragon Horse. The banquet. A celebration of the caravan¡¯s sessful transactions at Fresh Flower Town, it was also a moment to report on work. ¡°Baron, the total transactions amounted to 7 Gold Coins, 63 silver coins, and 12 copper coins. ording to the low tax rate incentive scheme you have established, with the fixed stall tax and twenty-plus-one fluid tax, a total of 18 silver coins and 15 copper coins were collected¡­¡± Isaiah reported the details of the tax collection. The caravan transactions would certainly be taxed. Generally,ndlords¡¯ taxation of foreign caravans was a standard ten percent, meaning one-tenth of the total transaction valium. Some more demandingndlords might adopt a standard of one-fifth. However, at Fresh Flower Town, Liszt had significantly reduced the tax rate to attract caravans. He set two standards. One was the fixed stall tax; after paying a silver coin for the stall, no matter how much money you made, there would be no additional taxes. The other was the twenty-plus-one fluid tax; that is, not paying ording to the stall but extracting one-twentieth of the total transaction amount as tax. This gave merchants a choice; if they believed their transactions could exceed twenty silver coins, they would save more by paying the fixed tax. If not reaching twenty silver coins, it was more economical to pay the fluid tax. Considering the situation in Fresh Flower Town, themercial tax collection was minimal, and Liszt did not intend to get rich from this aspect. ¡°There¡¯s no need to add thismercial tax to the castle¡¯s ounts; use it directly for the construction of themercial district. Aim toplete the construction of stalls, parking spaces, livestock spaces, as well as inns and toilet facilities promptly. Also, the wells and sewers must be nned together. While there is plenty of time, I hope the work will bepleted as soon as possible.¡± ¡°Rest assured, my lord,¡± Goltai nodded in agreement. ¡°Karl, tell us about today¡¯s security issues.¡± ¡°Yes, my lord!¡± Karl was not attending the banquet for the first time, but he was still nervous, ¡°The Patrol Team generally performed well. We apprehended thirteen merchants for urinating and defecating in public, who were then punished with whipping; additionally, a thief was caught and redeemed by Gabriel. Among the townspeople, two were caught for theft, and three for coercive trading.¡± Liszt asked, ¡°Did you tell the caravan leader Gabriel that the first time a thief is caught, they can be redeemed with a fine, but if caught a second time, they will be detained and demoted to hardbor in the territory?¡± ¡°I have already notified Gabriel. He said that after returning, he would reprimand the thief, and the next time the caravan returns, absolutely no one will vite your lordship¡¯s rules,¡± Karl hesitated, then continued, ¡°My lord, how shall we punish the five criminals from the town?¡± ¡°Freeman or Serf?¡± ¡°Among the crimes of theft and coercive trading, there is one Freeman each, and the remaining three are Serfs.¡± Liszt looked towards Goltai. Goltai immediately said, ¡°My lord, you ce great importance on caravan transactions, and despite repeated publicity, there are still bold civilians who disregard the regtions. They must be severely punished! I think, the Serfs should receive fiftyshes, with all their possessions confiscated; the Freeman who stole should receive tenshes and a tenfold fine. If unable to pay the fine, they should be demoted to Serfdom.¡± ¡°Proceed as you suggest,¡± Liszt consented. The town had no realws; his will was thew. Those who did not abide by his will had to ept punishment¡ªbreaking thew knowingly made the crime one degree worse. Chapter 97 - 0097: The Constant Failure of Flame Mushroom Cultivation Chapter 97: The Constant Failure of me Mushroom Cultivation Trantor: 549690339 Before dawn the next day, the serfs from each hamlet were busy scooping up fermented manure from the cesspits. The serfs carried this manure toward the dairy farms. The disbanded Lumberjack Team also regrouped and arrived early at the Thorn Cordyceps Shrubbery, escorted by the Knight Squad. Marcus, carrying a quiver of Falcon Feather Arrows, scoured the shrubbery to ensure no Magical Beasts lurked nearby, before turning to nod at Goltai. ¡°Sir, the area is secure,¡± he said. ¡°Good,¡± Goltai turned around and shouted at the serfs, ¡°Focus and get to work! You¡¯ve taken the Lord Landlord¡¯s copper coins, and anyone caught cking off will be whipped to death by me! Remember, do not touch the Thorns; all other trees, without exception, must be cut down.¡± The serfs responded in unison. Then they began to cut down trees. They did not know why they were there to cut trees, but they followed the town officials¡¯ orders and also received a reward of two copper coins for a day¡¯s work. Before long, the manure-carrying team arrived, and Goltai hastily directed the serfs to fertilize the Thorn bushes. Finance Officer Isaiah followed, tasked with calcting each serf¡¯s pay. After tallying the number of workers, he recorded the data on thick parchment. Stretching leisurely, he conversed with Goltai, ¡°What do you think the Baron is nning with such care for the Thorn Bugs?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, but there must be a purpose to what he does,¡± Goltai replied. ¡°Goltai, you¡¯ve be more and more invested in Fresh Flower Town,¡± Isaiah noted. ¡°Why not? With its booming development, I¡¯ll probably spend the rest of my life here. It¡¯s good to see it prosper. A barren countryside is unbearable, but in a prosperous one, there¡¯s plenty to discover,¡± Goltai said. ¡°Of course, nobody likes poverty.¡± ¡°For the Lord, and for ourselves, we must strive forward, Isaiah,¡± Goltai said, ncing at his old friend, who had recently be enamored with the idea of following Liszt. ¡°I think¡­ yes.¡± The town officers, Goltai, ir, Karl, and Marcus, had all be followers of Liszt. As the only official who hadn¡¯t yet pledged allegiance, Isaiah naturally felt the pressure. Goltai didn¡¯t say much more; it was ultimately Isaiah¡¯s own decision. ¡°Isaiah, let¡¯s check the Thorn Cordyceps Shrubbery to see if there are any unusual Thorns. The Lord mentioned that the Thorn Bugs have been restlesstely, perhaps due to changes in the shrubbery.¡± ¡°What are we waiting for? I¡¯ll have to search carefully. If I find a Magic Medicine Thorn¡­ well then. By the way, have the ingredients for cultivating me Mushrooms in Mushroom Hamlet been researched?¡± Goltai spread his hands helplessly, ¡°It¡¯s not so easy. Various ingredients have been tested to cultivate me Mushrooms, all to no avail. If it weren¡¯t for Crooked-neck Bob¡¯s mushroom shed still growing me Mushrooms, we might have botched it entirely. The Lord ces high importance on me Mushrooms; I don¡¯t even know how to report on this,¡± Goltai said. The cultivation of me was in a predicament. Goltai had mobilized all Mushroom Hamlet cultivators, distributing me Mushroom seeds for them to grow. Unfortunately, all attempts ended in failure¡ªallegedly, Crooked-neck Bob had be obsessed, staying in his shed day and night, watching the me Mushrooms grow, but unable to fathom why, after renting with new ingredients, they failed to thrive and the seeds died. ¡°Perhaps I should tell the Baron. He might have some good suggestions,¡± Isaiah suggested. ¡°Why do you say that?¡± ¡°Goltai, don¡¯t you think the Baron is knowledgeable? He knows a lot. His vision is broader than all of ours; he can see the vast world that we cannot,¡± Isaiah said. ¡°Is that how you see the Lord?¡± ¡°Actually, it was Marcus who said that. This Retainer Knight, who aspires to be a Noble, holds the Baron in high regard,¡± Isaiah conveyed. After contemting for a moment, Goltai replied, ¡°Perhaps I really should report to the Lord. The matter of the me Mushrooms isn¡¯t something with which I can afford to becent.¡± He wanted to prove himself to earn an advisory position. But he was even more aware that if he screwed up with the me Mushrooms, Liszt might well kill him¡ªthe importance of Magic Potions to a Landlord was something anyone couldprehend. At noon, Liszt went for a round in the Thorn Cordyceps Shrubbery to inspect the progress and casually inquired about any unusual varieties of Thorn that might have been discovered. The officials had not made any progress, and even when Liszt used his Eye of Magic, he did not see any aberrant Thorns. He had now confirmed that the Smoke Mission could not create reward items out of thin air, the rewards were things that truly existed in this world, and as long as one was willing to dig, they could obtain the reward items even without going through the mission. This gave him great choice. He could choose toplete the mission, allowing the Smoke Mission to deliver the reward items to him effortlessly andfortably. He could also choose to bypass the mission, directly obtaining the reward items, to ¡°refresh¡± new tasks. He even thought that perhaps the mission could fail, but he didn¡¯t know what kind of ¡°punishment¡± would follow a failure, whether it would be the reward items being kept from him or some other additional punishment. Or, he wondered if new tasks would be avable after a mission failure? ¡°Perhaps one day, I could try to see the consequences of mission failure, but if it¡¯s possible toplete, I should still try to do so to avoid creating adverse oues,¡± he mused. He shook his head. Liszt was no longer troubled. Since there were no anomalies with the Thorns to be discovered, he could only wait toplete the mission to acquire new varieties of Thorns. Goltai approached, ¡°Lord, there seems to be a problem with the cultivation of the me Mushrooms.¡± ¡°What problem?¡± Liszt immediately became anxious. ¡°We have assigned me Mushroom seeds to all the serfs who nt regr mushrooms, but not a single one has sessfully cultivated a living me Mushroom. It seems that me Mushrooms can only grow in Crooked-neck Bob¡¯s mushroom shed. However, we can¡¯t find any differences between his mushroom shed and the others.¡± Almost a month had passed. The me Mushrooms still hadn¡¯t been sessfully cultivated. Liszt felt there must be a significant issue at hand. In fact, he had been monitoring the situation all along but wanted to give the serfs time to solve it¡ªthe Lord couldn¡¯t be expected to toil every day. To his surprise, a month had gone by. None of the distributed me Mushroom seeds showed any signs of life. Logically, the cultivation of mushrooms is quite rapid; once the spores germinate, they can usually grow from mycelium to fruiting bodies in just a few days, ready for harvesting in less than two months. However, the me Mushroom seeds (the mycelium) simply couldn¡¯t survive, no matter the variety of substrates and environments the serfs tried. Without specialized researchers, Liszt could only ask Goltai to lead the way to Mushroom Hamlet for an on-site investigation. To see if he could deduce some reasons with his knowledge. Arriving at Mushroom Hamlet. He saw Crooked-neck Bob, with bloodshot eyes and an exhausted appearance beyond recognition, kneeling on the ground, trembling all over, ¡°Lord Landlord, Bob is a waste, unable to cultivate the me Mushrooms alive in a month.¡± Liszt did not me Bob. He merely asked Bob in detail about the process of cultivating the me Mushrooms. After listening, he cast his gaze over the me Mushrooms and used the Eye of Magic, wanting to identify the root of the problem. He looked at the few me Mushrooms growing in the mushroom substrate and then at the me Mushroom seeds prepared in the new substrate. He noticed something puzzling. Normally, the Magic Power in a me Mushroom is a process of congealing. This included the me Mushroom seeds produced by it, which also continually condensed Magic Power. But after inoction, the me Mushroom seeds in the new substrate could not condense Magic Power and instead slowly dispelled Magic Power. ¡°What could be the reason for this?¡± Chapter 98 - 098: Speculation on the Cultivation of Flame Mushrooms Chapter 98: Spection on the Cultivation of me Mushrooms Trantor: 549690339 The dissipation of magic power was something Liszt could see, even though he wasn¡¯t a magician and couldn¡¯t delve into the essential reasons behind its loss. But as a transmigrator with a scientific mind, he had his unique insights. ¡°What¡¯s the biggest difference between the mushroom cultivation substrate for Fragrant Mushrooms and the new substrate?¡± ¡°ording to Crooked-neck Bob, the growing conditions for most mushrooms are roughly the same, with slight differences in temperature, humidity, and nutrient ratios at most.¡± ¡°But the fact that me Mushrooms can grow in the Fragrant Mushroom substrate indicates they don¡¯t reject it outright. We¡¯ve been experimenting with the new substrate for quite some time, trying all kinds of ratios, yet still unable to help me Mushrooms thrive. It mustn¡¯t be an issue with the substrate.¡± ¡°If it¡¯s not an issue with the substrate, then what is it?¡± A momentter. He formted a hypothesis¡ªthe most significant difference between the Fragrant Mushroom substrate and the new substrate is that Fragrant Mushrooms grow on the former! Mushroom Hamlet had cultivated Fragrant Mushrooms for many years with no other mushroom species invading, yet me Mushrooms emerged, suggesting that me Mushrooms could be a mutant variety of Fragrant Mushrooms. This mutation might not result in an entirely new species but rather a coexisting variety during the growth of Fragrant Mushrooms. Mushrooms are fungi. Fungi are always full of surprises. The mycelium of Fragrant Mushrooms and me Mushrooms might entangle with and promote each other¡¯s growth. Therefore, he said, ¡°Teacher Goltai, please inform the serfs involved in the cultivation to try intermingling the me Mushroom spores with those of the Fragrant Mushrooms to see if it works.¡± ¡°Intermingling the cultivation?¡± Goltai didn¡¯t quite understand, but he did as instructed. Crooked-neck Bob, upon hearing Liszt¡¯s words, was greatly energized, ¡°Lord Landlord, Bob will try intermingling the cultivation right away, I must cultivate me Mushrooms for Lord Landlord!¡± ¡°This Fragrant Mushroom shed, remember not to mess with it at all, don¡¯t destroy the environment needed for the growth of me Mushrooms,¡± Lisztter emphasized sternly. It was alright if the me Mushrooms took a bit longer to cultivate; he wasn¡¯t yet at the stage where he needed to rely on magic potions to increase his Dou Qi. But if he ended up killing all the me Mushrooms, he would go mad. In the blink of an eye, five days passed. Liszt would visit the Thorn Cordyceps Shrubbery every day to check on the progress of fertilization and logging. The Lumberjack Team was experienced, and especially after the Smithy made a batch of sharp axes, the efficiency of cutting trees increased significantly. Arge circle of trees around the shrubbery waspletely cut down. Basically, all the trees within the region that could be affected by the Thorn Cordyceps were felled. The Fire Dragon Horse calmly ate various weeds; it was pregnant, but it didn¡¯t show, and riding it was still normal. ording to Marcus, riding it for a few more months posed no problem. In its box, the Thorn Bugy on jade powder,fortably wriggling. Over these days, Liszt could distinctly feel the Thorn Bug¡¯s spirits were high, constantly in a state of excitement. That was abnormal as, typically, the emotional fluctuations of Elf Bugs are very small¡ªafter all, no matter how magical an Elf Bug is, in essence, it is still just an insect; one could not expect it to exhibit human-like emotions. ¡°Could this little fellow really be wanting to evolve?¡± No sooner did the thought arise than he swiftly extinguished it, for the likelihood of sess was too slim. Greater hopes lead to greater disappointments, so it was better not to indulge in unrealistic fantasies. At that moment, ir, responsible for supervising the work, came over. ¡°My Lord.¡± ¡°Have you made any discoveries?¡± ir hesitated a bit but then spoke up, ¡°I don¡¯t know if I¡¯m making a big deal out of nothing, but around the shrubbery, many young Thorn shoots have sprung up like grass from the soil, already reaching about half a finger in length.¡± His eyebrows raised. Liszt followed ir to inspect these Thorn seedlings. Indeed, on the clearednd where trees had been cut down, tender but lively Thorn seedlings were poking through piles of fallen leaves. The Thorns weren¡¯t like any variety found on Earth, being merely a type of spiny shrub that, at most, grew to a person¡¯s height, non-toxic, not flowering, and not fruiting, propagating by continuously extending roots to sprout new seedlings. To be exact, Thorns were considered weed-trees, with Thorn Bugs being merely wild Elves. The wilderness jungles, untraveled by man, always be home to a small number of naturally bred elves. But the wild vegetation is messy and the soil poor, which means the probability of breeding Elf Bugs is very low. This chance is far less than with species that humans have been cultivating over a long period, which produce a greater number of Elf Bugs. Moreover, the varieties of Elf Bugs found in the wild are hard to guarantee. They might be a weed or a poisonous fruit tree, with rtively low utility value. The greatest use of a Thorn Bug bonded by humans is to construct a hedge. Especially for the Nobles, who nt a hedge around the perimeter of their estates to separate themselves frommoners. In Fresh Flower Town, the Thorn Bug really doesn¡¯t have much use¡ªthe space outside the castle has all been converted into a racecourse, with absolutely no need for any hedge to act as a barrier. Regardless, since it¡¯s an Elf Bug, Liszt still decides to cultivate it. ¡°Did all these thorn seedlings just sprout up in thest two days?¡± He gently pulled out a seedling. It was tender, but there wasn¡¯t the slightest trace of Magic Power flowing within it. ¡°I didn¡¯t pay much attention at the start,¡± ir shook his head, ¡°It wasn¡¯t just me, none of the serfs noticed either, as if they had all grown overnight.¡± Liszt inspected the situation carefully. Indeed, these were not the ¡°Magic Medicine Thorns¡± he had imagined but merelymon thorn saplings. He still decided to summon the Smoke Mission to check on the situation. When the smoke twisted into Serpent Script, he finally understood¡ª¡±Complete mission, reward: fast-growing thorn species.¡± This meant that the mission to nurture the Thorn Cordyceps had beenpleted. It was disappointing that he didn¡¯t receive Magic Medicine Thorns as a reward, just a fast-growing type of thorn. ¡°A fast-growing thorn species, what do I need this for?¡± Liszt sighed in his heart, recognizing that not every Smoke Mission would bring a sizable reward. He didn¡¯t dwell on it and turned his attention to the newly issued mission. ¡°Mission: Without the devastation of the Fruit Thief Monkeys, the Fragrant Coconut Trees have finally borne ripe Fragrant Coconut Fruit. However, the fruit from one of the trees seems different. Please find out why. Reward: an Elf Bug.¡± Having read the mission, the sense of disappointment he felt just before was quickly smoothed over, and he became excited. Why was the Fragrant Coconut Fruit different? Because it was nurturing a Fragrant Coconut Tree Elf Bug! The familiar pattern and familiar rewards shifted Liszt¡¯s gaze away from the thorn seedlings. He said to ir, ¡°Don¡¯t stop fertilizing the shrubbery, but the logging work can be scaled back, shifting focus to fence building. Keep a careful eye on these thorn seedlings and record their growth.¡± ¡°As you wish.¡± Momentster. Liszt had arrived at Oyster Vige. The construction of houses in Oyster Vige was not rapid, barely managing to amodate a few hundred serfs. No longer haphazardly built, the houses are arranged neatly into blocks, following the sketch personally nned by Liszt. Near the sea in the block, a huge za is reserved. In the za, a small hill made of colorful seashells symbolizes the specialty of Oyster Vige¡ªseafood. On the East Coast beach, stands a clump of tall Fragrant Coconut Trees, among which, one near Oyster Vige has a slightlyrger house and yard beneath it¡ªthe Fruit Thief Monkey Training Ground. A few of the best serfs at training Fruit Thief Monkeys live here; they have been freed from the fields and seawater to focus on training and raising Fruit Thief Monkeys, bing the honored¡ªFragrant Coconut Fruit Farmers. ¡°Lord Landlord!¡± Upon seeing Liszt, several Fragrant Coconut Fruit Farmers knelt and paid their respects. ¡°Stand up everyone. You¡¯ve been training the Fruit Thief Monkeys for quite some time now. Can they climb trees and pick fruit yet?¡± Chapter 99 - 0099: The Unique Fragrant Coconut Fruit Chapter 99: The Unique Fragrant Coconut Fruit Trantor: 549690339 The East Coast stretches for several kilometers, and there are a total of 171 Fragrant Coconut Trees of various sizes. The smaller Fragrant Coconut Trees might be only a few meters high, and there are even some that have just sprouted. Thergest Fragrant Coconut Tree, which was the site of the battle between the Wind Falcon and the Fruit Thief Monkeys, is nearly sixty meters tall and leans towards the sea. Liszt rode his Fire Dragon Horse and took shelter under the shade of the tallest Fragrant Coconut Tree. He guessed that if there truly was an Elf Bug, it would definitely be in this ¡°Tree King¡±. Cordyceps are generallyrger, stronger, and more vigorous than ordinary nts. If it had been before, he would have had to search each tree one by one to be sure of the Cordyceps. Now it was different; he just needed to deploy the Eye of Magic and look up at the top of the sixty-meter-tall Fragrant Coconut Tree. A few changes appeared in his field of vision. Faint traces of pale blue Magic Power circted in the foliage at the top, not very clear, but certainly enough. ¡°There are traces of Magic Power, just as I thought, this Fragrant Coconut Tree has be Cordyceps. My eighth Elf Bug is about to arrive! However, this Elf Bug has climbed quite high,¡± Liszt thought for a moment and then decided not to investigate personally¡ªclimbing trees was really not bing of a lord¡¯s dignity. He turned to look at a farmer next to him, ¡°You¡¯re Jiggs, the steward of the Fruit Thief Monkey Training Ground, aren¡¯t you?¡± Jiggs nodded hurriedly, ¡°Yes, Lord Landlord.¡± ¡°Can you climb trees?¡± ¡°I can.¡± ¡°Then climb this tree for me. Be careful not to damage the bark. Go up and take a look for me to see if there is something unusual about the Fragrant Coconut Fruits.¡± ¡°Yes, Lord Landlord.¡± Jiggs immediately set to work, climbing hand over foot toward the crown of the tree. He was not as agile as the Fruit Thief Monkeys, but he was steady enough, gradually making his way to the foliage. Momentster, Jiggs climbed down and began to report, ¡°Lord Landlord, it¡¯s very strange. There¡¯s a Fragrant Coconut Fruit that looks like it¡¯s fully ripened, smells very sweet, and it¡¯s veryrge, oh, about the size of a basin.¡± The size of a normal Fragrant Coconut Fruit is about that of a sea bowl. Now that a basin-sized Fragrant Coconut Fruit has appeared, there¡¯s no doubt that an Elf Bug is hidden inside. Liszt smiled, ¡°Jiggs, remember this, the tree is Cordyceps, and my Elf Bug is growing inside its Fragrant Coconut Fruit. You guys must guard this tree for me, not allowing anyone to touch the Fragrant Coconut Fruits, and you must go up each day to observe. If the Fragrant Coconut Fruit cracks open, notify the Castle immediately, do you understand?¡± ¡°My goodness, an Elf Bug? Incredible!¡± Jiggs was overjoyed and replied eagerly, ¡°Please rest assured, Lord Landlord. Jiggs will definitely guard the Elf Bug!¡± He nodded lightly. Liszt concentrated his mind and summoned the Smoke Mission. He felt somewhat lightheaded; he had justpleted a Smoke Mission half an hour ago, and now, he had finished another one¡ªthis efficiency couldn¡¯t be too high. Just as expected. The Serpent Script formed by the smoke said, ¡°Missionpleted, reward: Fragrant Coconut Tree Elf Bug.¡± Suddenly, a new mission appeared, ¡°The new-style milky bread brought by the trade caravan has sparked an inspiration in Reynard, the baker. He wants to make a new kind of bread, perhaps adding some meat would be a good idea, but he¡¯s distressed that he can only sell ck bread. Please help him realize the development of a new bread. Reward: Sunken Ship Treasure.¡± ¡°Sunken Ship Treasure?¡± Liszt¡¯s eyes gleamed at the sight of the word ¡®treasure¡¯; there¡¯s nothing more exciting than discovering treasure and gaining an unexpected fortune. A task that must bepleted. ¡°Reynard wants to make a new type of bread, with a bit of meat? Is he nning to invent meat-floss bread?¡± In this world, the culinary realm is still at a very primitive stage of food processing¡ªroasting meat, roasting fish, boiling eggs, boiling meat, frying steaks, tossing sds; sauce was invented, and everyone likes to spread it on everything they eat; milk is only used to make cheese and pudding, and they also like to stuff it with minced meat. The worst is their fondness for bakingplete ingredients into a batter¡ªthe respectable name for it: ¡°Pie!¡± Mrs. Abbie was previously very skilled at making a dish called mushroom pie, the specific method being¡ªmix flour with sugar and oil into a paste, then sprinkle the whole mushrooms into it, stuff it into the oven, and bake it till done¡ªwith that, a mushroom pie was ready to eat. Liszt really couldn¡¯t get used to these ¡°pies,¡± always feeling like it was an insult to his taste buds. Even to his intelligence. But many times, he had to endure the torment of this dark cuisine and deeply regret why he didn¡¯t go to New Oriental to learn how to be a chef before. Eight hundred stainless beds, two hundred¡­ Bread is the staple food of the Different World, from the king down to serfs, they all eat bread. Except nobles eat white bread, and the poor eat ck bread. The nobles¡¯ requirements for food are definitely aspirational, but s, the chefs¡¯ talents are limited, and after so many years, white bread is still white bread, ck bread is still ck bread. ¡°How do you make meat floss bread?¡± Liszt tried to recall the meat floss bread he had eaten, ¡°It seems like it¡¯s just bread with some meat floss sprinkled on top? But, how is meat floss made?¡± He couldn¡¯t figure it out. He quickly gathered his thoughts, gave a few instructions to the fruit farmers, mounted his horse, and left Oyster Vige. The retainer knights had already gone to inform Goltai that Liszt wasn¡¯t too concerned about the protection work for the Fragrant Coconut Tree Cordyceps. He was ready to head straight for the town¡¯s bakery, to inspect the lives of themon people. The bakery was in the most conspicuous position in town, a rare two-story wooden building. The first floor sold bread, and the second floor was the residence of the baker¡¯s family. The bakery provided two main services, one was naturally selling various kinds of ck bread, the other was to bake bread on behalf of others. Not all serfs could afford ck bread, they would more oftene to use the bakery¡¯s oven, bringing their own various bran and other ingredients to bake ck bread. Reynard was a freeman, and also the richest freeman in town, it was said that his family wealth amounted to as many as five gold coins. The undisputed richest man in Fresh Flower Town. However, some said the Old Drunkard was the richest man, as he had sold his smithy to thendlord for three gold coins, and despite his love for fine wine, his excellent cksmithing skills still brought him a great deal of wealth. At the moment, Reynard stood watching the baking oven, waiting for a new batch of bread toe out, but his mind was wandering. He was one of the few people in town who could regrly taste white bread, and the cream bread brought by the caravan a few days ago, he bought a bit and tasted its unique and wonderful vor. It also made him realize that bread could be made even more delicious. ¡°Could I make better-tasting bread?¡± In the past, he wouldn¡¯t have thought about it because even if he made it, no one in town could afford it. But now it was different, the road to Thorn Ridge had been opened, and the castle¡¯s caravans went on trade missions almost every three days. He could definitely follow the caravans to sell his own bread outside¡ªas long as he could get to North Valley City, where many nobles resided. ¡°And, I could also sell to Lord Landlord.¡± Reynard thought of the day the caravan arrived, when he met Mrs. Abbie and chatted with her, learning that she could only make the simplest white bread, ¡°Lord Landlord must be tired of the monotonous white bread by now, most of the cream bread was bought by the castle.¡± Just at that moment. He suddenly heard his wife shouting loudly, ¡°Reynard,e out quickly, Reynard, are you listening, thendlord, Lord Landlord is here!¡± Chapter 100: The Development of New Bread Chapter 100: The Development of New Bread Trantor: 549690339 In the bakery, Liszt saw the plump Reynard. Without showing much concern for his serfs or adopting a friendly demeanor, he went straight to the point, ¡°Reynard, how long have you been baking bread?¡± ¡°I started baking bread as soon as I arrived at Fresh Flower Farm, Lord Landlord, It¡¯s been eighteen years,¡± Reynard said respectfully, ¡°My mother was once a kitchen maid at Tulip Castle, and she taught me the skill of bread-making. I followed her here when Coral Ind¡¯s Earl started the Fresh Flower Farm in Fresh Flower Town.¡± The developmental history of Coral Ind is hard to trace, with ims that people were already living on the ind even before the Sapphire Duke came overseas to establish the kingdom. Later, the Sapphire Duke dered Coral Ind property of the kingdom and sent officials to govern it. By the time Li Weiliam Tulip was granted the title of Earl of Coral Ind for his military service twenty years ago, Levis was just two years old, and both Li Vera and Liszt had not been born yet. In those years, the Earl massively purchased serfs to popte and cultivate the wastnds of Coral Ind. Eighteen years ago, new Tulips were discovered in Fresh Flower Town, prompting the Earl to cultivate Fresh Flower Farm there. At its height, the Tulips reached two hundred acres in size, and the small castle was also constructed during that time. The following year, which is seventeen years ago, as increasingly more serfs gathered at Fresh Flower Farm, Fresh Flower Town was built. Reynard, transitioning from a baker who made bread exclusively for Fresh Flower Farm, became the town baker and settled down here. Life in the small town was hard, but Reynard quite enjoyed it. In a blink, eighteen years passed. He had be the wealthiestmoner in Fresh Flower Town. Liszt then asked, ¡°Have you always made ck bread?¡± ¡°asionally, I also make white bread, especially during festivals, and, well, whenmoners get married, they also order some white bread from me.¡± ¡°How is your skill in making white bread?¡± ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t know, Lord Landlord,¡± Reynard said, a bit embarrassed and with his head bowed, ¡°But, Mrs. Abbie from the castle has tasted my white bread, and she said it was delicious.¡± Aside, Reynard¡¯s wife suddenly interjected, ¡°Lord Landlord, Mrs. Abbie also said she wanted to coborate with Reynard on researching milky bread, which she mentioned you¡¯re quite fond of.¡± ¡°The Lord Landlord didn¡¯t ask you a question, who gave you permission to speak!¡± Reynard red at his wife and then quickly apologized, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Lord Landlord, Reba is a foolish woman, she meant no disrespect to your authority.¡± Liszt didn¡¯t mind. He wasn¡¯t the kind of noble prickly to the touch, unable to ept the slightest offense¡ªbesides, he didn¡¯t feel that Reba¡¯s interjection was an affront at all. On the contrary, he was pleased that Abbie seemingly was coborating with Reynard about creating milky bread. He always supported culinary research, so he smiled and said, ¡°Reynard, the castle needs bread with better taste. Since you and Mrs. Abbie aremunicating, that¡¯s good, create more bread with different vors. Don¡¯t worry about not being able to sell them, as long as they¡¯re tasty, the castle will purchase them inrge quantities.¡± Reynard was overjoyed. This was exactly what he wanted, and he immediately epted the order, ¡°Please rest assured, Lord Landlord, I will surely work with Mrs. Abbie to develop milky bread and many more wonderfully vored new breads.¡± ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to it.¡± Liszt stood up, adding another suggestion, ¡°I like adding a bit of meat to the bread, but roasted meat is too dry and hard, which doesn¡¯t go well with bread. Maybe you could try to make the meat very tender, almost as if it were mixed with the bread, that might taste good.¡± ¡°Reynard will remember that!¡± Reynard and Mrs. Abbie would likely need at least ten days to half a month to bake meat floss bread or any other new type of bread. There was no way they would finish this task before Liszt attended Levis¡¯s birthday party. The date was rapidly approaching August 16th. Only three days were left until Levis¡¯s birthday, after which he would turn twenty-three. By that age, the Earl and Melissa had already conceived Li Vera. However, Levis still hadn¡¯t found a suitable match for marriage and remained single. Honored Knight Layden from Tulip Castle had sent the invitation for Levis¡¯s birthday party. Upon receiving the invitation, Butler Carter got busy with the preparations for the gift, ¡°My lord, are we really just going to use seafood as the birthday gift?¡± He asked with some uncertainty, as Liszt had instructed him that giving some seafood as a gift would suffice. But seafood was the cheapest food in Fresh Flower Town, cheaper even than ck bread ¡ª it was found everywhere on the East Coast, not only collected by fishermen but even serfs would pick up some shells to eat. Liszt, engrossed in his book, didn¡¯t even lift his head, ¡°Mr. Carter, besides seafood, what else do we have in Fresh Flower Town that¡¯s worth offering as a specialty?¡± This rhetorical question left Carter speechless. The remote little town truly had no special produce worth boasting about, but he still tried to think of something, ¡°My lord, perhaps we could send some wild fruits from Thorn Ridge.¡± ¡°No, no, no, I have been poisoned by wild fruits before. Although I am now able to differentiate between the types of wild fruits, there is still a risk.¡± ¡°I apologize, my lord, it was thoughtless of me.¡± ¡°That¡¯s nothing. After all, the castle picks a lot of wild fruits every day, we¡¯re used to it. I just feel that gifting wild fruits isn¡¯t a good sign.¡± Liszt had upied his predecessor¡¯s body and memories because of wild fruits, so of course, he wouldn¡¯t disregard them. He had ordered people to pick and test all the wild fruits from Thorn Ridge and eventually identified two poisonous kinds ¡ª including the ck Date Fruit that had poisoned his predecessor, a fist-sized, slightly purplish-ck fruit. All other wild fruits were edible. However, whether there were more poisonous wild fruits deep within Thorn Ridge was not something he could guarantee. Those fruits were picked by the braver serfs from the edge of Thorn Ridge. The small town also had some fruit trees, but not many, with just a few fruits scattered here and there. Liszt had already ordered the collection of various wild fruit seeds, nning to nt them en massee spring next year, but regrettably, he couldn¡¯t ensure a high germination rate. Without the Elf Bug, the growth of wild fruit trees was bound to be a challenge; the serfs had thought of nting them but couldn¡¯t make them thrive. The castle¡¯s wild fruits could only be picked from Thorn Ridge for the time being. With wild fruits ruled out as a birthday gift, Carter didn¡¯t know what else to give, something more appropriate than seafood. But then Liszt remembered, ordinary wild fruits from Thorn Ridge might not be suitable, but there were plenty of Fragrant Coconut Fruits on the East Coast, ¡°Calcting the time, the Fragrant Coconut Fruits should also be ripe by now. Mr. Carter, contact the fruit farmers and pick a bag of Fragrant Coconut Fruits. We¡¯ll pair them with the seafood as our gift.¡± ¡°Yes, my lord.¡± August 19th. Early in the morning, Liszt dressed in leather armor and strapped on the Crimson Blood Sword, setting off with his retainer knights just as the sun began to rise, facing the gentle breeze. Heading to Tulip Castle. Chapter 101 - 101 Levis’s Birthday Party Chapter 101: Levis¡¯s Birthday Party Trantor: 549690339 Walking on the main road of Thorn Ridge. Liszt felt quite satisfied. When he first arrived, this road made people anxious, constantly worrying about a magical beast jumping out. Now, the open view made it so that no one worried about the attacks of magical beasts. The original dirt road had also been transformed into a new gravel road, though it was still bumpy. Marcus rode a dun mare that was pregnant, half a horse length behind Liszt¡¯s Li Dragon Horse. He was fully armed, fearless in the increasingly warm weather, carefully inspecting every move around him. He was not only Liszt¡¯s home tutor for knight lessons but also the knight assigned by the Earl to protect Liszt¡ªsome countries would call such a knight a Chief Knight, but the Grand Duchy did not have this system. Following behind Liszt and Marcus was Karl Ironhammer, the town¡¯s defense officer. He did not need toe, but still volunteered to protect Liszt¡ªperhaps he was simply taking this opportunity to visit Coral City to see the sights, and to disy his loyalty? Riding alongside Karl and scattered on both sides were Philip Wool and Zavier Bull Dung, two young Retainer Knights with not bad talents, having taken the lead in cultivating Dou Qi in the squad. Further behind was Rom Barrel, who had also sessfully cultivated Dou Qi just the day before yesterday. As one of the first four to serve as retainers to Liszt, Rom practiced diligently and finally made progress. Liszt immediately appointed him as the captain of the Patrol Team, assisting Karl inmanding the team. Unfortunately, the other two of the initial four retainers, Gray Scythe and Auden Insole, had still not managed to cultivate Dou Qi. Marcus had given up teaching the two, as their talents were too poor and they had missed the opportunity during their youth; there was no hope. Liszt asked them to serve as assistants to officials, one assisting the Legal Officer ir, and the other assisting the Finance Officer Isaiah. To his own people, Liszt was still sentimental, providing them with quite decent statuses. At the end of the team were four young knights, who were part of the Knight Squad and had followed after Philip and Zavier to cultivate Dou Qi. They too were reassigned closer to Liszt to serve as Retainer Knights. As for the other members of the Knight Squad, they were still practicing diligently in the town. In addition, there was Servant Thomas. The entire team consisted of eleven people and eleven horses in total. The horses¡¯ hooves raced, kicking up clouds of dust. Since there were quite a few pregnant mares in the team, they did not travel very fast, but they still arrived at Tulip Castle, surrounded by a sea of tulip flowers, around 10:30 in the morning. ¡°Oh, my dear brother, you have finallye; I¡¯ve been waiting for you here for a long time,¡± Levis, dressed in festive ck Abbieye, wore a noble¡¯s proper smile on his face. He spread his arms, weing Liszt. A very enthusiastic wee ceremony. Liszt dismounted and spread his arms as well, and hugged Levis: ¡°Dear brother, I wish you a happy birthday.¡± ¡°Thank you for your wishes.¡± Liszt gestured to Thomas and the Retainer Knights behind him, ¡°Bring up the gift I¡¯ve prepared.¡± The gift was presented and handed over to Butler Xi Er Wa following behind Levis. ¡°What is it? It¡¯s a big package; it seems you didn¡¯t hold back on the expense,¡± said Levis, letting a servant open it¡ªording to customs here, gifts were to be unwrapped on the spot. The gifts inside the bag were beautifully packaged. First was a coconut the size of a sea bowl wrapped in cloth, looking very high-ss with a faint scent of coconut milk drifting through the air. ¡°This is Fragrant Coconut Fruit. The coconut milk inside is very sweet. Open it and take a sip, and you will know how sweet and delicious it is,¡± Liszt exaggerated. In fact, it was only slightly better tasting than ordinary coconut water on Earth. However, the fruit from which one could directly drink the liquid was unique. Levis became curious indeed, ¡°Coconut milk? This kind of fruit contains milk inside?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°It¡¯s simply magical; I can hardly wait to have a taste,¡± Liszt turned to look at the other side of the bag, where everything was neatly packed in small bags, ¡°What are these?¡± ¡°They are seafood.¡± ¡°Seafood?¡± ¡°Brother, don¡¯t think of them as anything ordinary, these seafood are all hauled in by fishermen, the most precious of the catch. Especially the aged oysters¡­¡± Liszt leaned in and whispered into Levis¡¯s ear, ¡°It can keep you up all night, indulging in whatever you wish to do.¡± Levis¡¯s eyes lit up, ¡°Really? This is too precious, thank you, Liszt, my dear brother, this is the best birthday gift I have received.¡± He wasn¡¯t married yet, but then again, who made a rule that an unmarried noble can¡¯t have a bevy of mistresses? After securing the gift, the two brothers walked into the castle side by side. The great hall of the castle was already filled with nobles of all ranks. Apart from two Viscounts who sent their sons, the rest of the Barons and Honored Knights had made the effort to be present. After all, Levis was the heir of Coral Ind, the future Earl of Coral Ind, and their next lord paramount. ¡°It¡¯s quite lively.¡± Liszt had to maintain a standard noble smile, greeting the nobles who hade to attend the birthday feast, not fond of these masked social interactions. Yet as a member of the nobility, to uphold the dignity of nobles, such asions were indispensable. Once he finished making rounds with his greetings. He was ready to go and pay his respects to the Earl. But upon asking, he learned from Levis that the Earl had already left Coral Ind: ¡°A messenger from the Grand Duke brought orders, all directndlords are to head to Blue Dragon Ind to discuss this year¡¯s Pioneer Mandate. In fact, I have been training the Knight Order, ready to follow Father to the maind at any moment.¡± The Pioneer Mandate was an order the nobles of the Duchy of Sapphire were most enthusiastic about. The order was simple: to heed the call of the King of Steel Ridge Kingdom, head to the maind, and plunder wealth, especially minesgold, silver, copper, iron, aluminum, and all manner of gemstones were targets of contention. The Steel Ridge Kingdom and the Eagle Kingdom were sworn enemies; both had ughtered each other¡¯s dragons. Thus, nearly every year, arge-scale war would erupt, with both sides scrambling to snatch minerals. The Duchy of Sapphire was a vassal state of the Steel Ridge Kingdom, not very strong, but it posed a significant threat with maritime raids. Years ago, the Earl had prated deep into the hearnd of the Eagle Kingdom, capturing an iron mine in one fell swoop and taking away at least two hundred thousand tons of iron ore. It was said that the ships hauling the iron ore were as numerous as ants moving house. Such a massive loss enraged the King of the Eagle Kingdom, who dispatched a Dragon Knight to intercept the fleet, only to be blocked by a Dragon Knight of the Steel Ridge Kingdom. It was also that battle where Marquis Merlin Taro, the captain of the Court Fleet, recognized the potential of Li Weiliam and arranged the marriage of his daughter, Melissa, to him. This story was one that Liszt had heard since childhood¡ªwhenever the nobility reminisced in feasts, they would always bring up this tale, ttering the Earl. Unfortunately, since that battle, the Eagle Kingdom began to take their coastal defenses seriously, and there had been no opportunity to achieve such a glorious victory since. Every year, the blood of a batch of knights was spilled, only to bring back a modest amount of metal and gemstone mines. ¡°Brother, you¡¯re going to battle too?¡± Liszt was somewhat surprised. ¡°Yes, I am already twenty-three; although I have not married, I am old enough, and if I don¡¯t go into battle, it would tarnish my reputation.¡± Liszt shook his head, feigning regret, ¡°I don¡¯t have a qualified Knight Squad, not even a chance to go to battle. I really wish I could fight alongside you, brother, and win the glory of a knight.¡± In truth, he had no desire for battle. How nice it would be to peacefully farm at home¡ªthere were so many uninhabited inds overseas. Why not develop those rather than go to the maind and risk life and limb? Chapter 102 - 0102 The Fatty of the Lycra Family Chapter 102: The Fatty of the Lycra Family Trantor: 549690339 The Earl and Lady Marie had already left Coral Ind, heading to Blue Dragon Ind. Lady Penelope sent her blessings, but she did note to Tulip Castle herself. Therefore, without the constraints of thendlord and the olddy, the atmosphere at Tulip Castle¡¯s luncheon was quite lively, especially among the young nobles, who were busy socializing and bonding joyfully. Liszt inevitably had to participate. Many nobles knew that the Earl did not ce much importance on this third son with less impressive talents, but regardless, Liszt¡¯s lineage was undeniably noble¡ªhis paternal bloodline was that of an Earl, and his maternal bloodline was that of a Marquis, with no deviation for three generations, belonging to the direct line of descent. ¡°Liszt, it¡¯s been so long since I¡¯ve seen you. Now that the road to Thorn Ridge has been cleared, why not visit my Mudbrick Town?¡± ¡°Brooke, I¡¯ll make time to visit Mudbrick Town. It only takes two hours from Fresh Flower Town to Mudbrick Town. And you are also wee to visit Fresh Flower Town. I¡¯ll treat you to the finest seafood.¡± ¡°I will definitely go. I love seafood, especially oysters.¡± ¡°Of course, everyone loves oysters.¡± ¡°Haha.¡± After the sumptuous main course of the luncheon came the dessert. Liszt saw the ice cream, andpared to the four vors avable in the small town, Tulip Castle had as many as eight vors. Ice cream had not yet be widespread. So this time, the dessert astonished all the nobles, but there weren¡¯t many who inquired about the ice cream recipe, as ice was not something that minor nobles could afford. The only exceptions were the sons of two Viscounts, who approached Liszt with the request to buy the recipe, as their families could afford ice. Liszt was not polite about it. For the son of Viscount Shattered Stone City, Brandon Brokenstone, he quoted a trade price: ¡°Three hundred pounds of pig iron, and the recipe is yours.¡± This price was double what he had offered his sister Li Vera; outsiders should not expect to get his favorable price. Brandon gritted his teeth: ¡°Deal!¡± Then Liszt gave a price to the son of Viscount Beer Ind, Aubrey Lycra: ¡°One hundred and fifty barrels of hop-vored beer.¡± The heir of the wealthy Lycra Family did not hesitate in the slightest: ¡°No problem, as soon as I return, I¡¯ll have the fleet carry an extra fifty barrels of beer. Have your merchant caravan wait for the trade in Coral City.¡± ¡°Refreshing.¡± Liszt was very pleased; an ornate but impractical recipe had been sessfully traded for quite a lot of goods. But the next moment, he almost changed color. Because Aubrey suddenly said: ¡°By the way, Liszt, I¡¯m nning to catch seafood around the beaches of Beer Ind to sell to others. What do you think?¡± His face still wore a smile. Internally, he wanted nothing more than to kill Aubrey, but Liszt just casually asked, ¡°Seafood? Why has the Lycra Family taken an interest in seafood? Haven¡¯t the hop fields already brought enough wealth to the Lycra Family?¡± ¡°Who wouldin about earning too many Gold Coins, right?¡± Aubrey, very portly with a bulging belly akin to someone in their tenth month of pregnancy, clearly had been well-fed from childhood, ¡°Seafood is a great thing, especially oysters, endlessly delightful. The seafood business of Fresh Flower Town has made me envious.¡± Currently, only Fresh Flower Town on Coral Ind was engaging inrge-scale fishing and selling the seafood externally. The profits were substantial, bringing in nearly a Gold Coin a day. Just a few days ago, Liszt had boldly purchased three more wagons, adding to the previous six, for a total of nine wagons continuously trading seafood. Now, they had been divided into three merchant teams; Old Geronte personally led one back and forth between Coral City and Tulip Castle; Abagon led one toward Birch City; and Sherlock led another toward Serpent Spear City. Given the current sales momentum, two to three Gold Coins a day in the future was not an issue. He had been preparing to dominate the seafood market on Coral Ind, but unexpectedly, someone new came out of the blue. Aubrey actually wanted to get involved in the seafood business. If it had been some minor noble like an ordinary baron wanting to get into the seafood business, Liszt wouldn¡¯t have mindedining to the earl, letting the other party understand that you can¡¯t afford to offend the noblest bloodline on Coral Ind. However, the Lycra Family was different¡ªthe Viscount Beer Ind was one of the earliest followers of the earl, with notable meritorious services, making it difficult to pressure someone with power alone. If he were the heir to the earl, the Lycra Family certainly wouldn¡¯t dare to overreach, but the key point was that he was only the Baron of Fresh Flower Town. He squinted slightly. Liszt instantly contemted various countermeasures in his mind, but outwardly he remained as calm as the wind, ¡°Is that so? It seems that the seafood market on Coral Ind will be much livelier in the future.¡± With augh, Aubrey said, ¡°Liszt, sorry for the misunderstanding, I have no ns to sell seafood on Coral Ind. That¡¯s your business, and for the sake of our friendship, I wouldn¡¯t want to ruin it.¡± His words caught Liszt a bit off guard. The two of them hardly had any friendship; Aubrey was probably in histe twenties, a bosom friend of Levis. Surprisingly, Aubrey did not intend to get involved in the seafood market of Coral Ind at all. ¡°Not selling seafood on Coral Ind, then what do you mean?¡± ¡°Our family has a few decent channels that can sell to other inds. The seafood market was your first discovery; Coral Ind naturally belongs to you. I don¡¯t want topete maliciously with a friend,¡± Aubrey spoke with a tone of sincere candor. If Liszt were a bit less experienced, he might have been genuinely moved. No wonder the Lycra Family could monopolize the hop trade, knowing the times and when to advance or retreat; it¡¯s hard not to be sessful. He picked up his wine ss and raised it as a signal, ¡°To our friendship, cheers.¡± ¡°Of course, cheers to our friendship.¡± The seafood business, a false rm. But Liszt wasn¡¯t going to assume that the seafood market was now secure; today¡¯s friendly approach from Aubrey made it clear to him¡ªwealth stirs people¡¯s hearts. If at first the seafood was merely a novelty item for the nobility to taste, Now, he feared that the profit from the seafood business had been thoroughly researched by the nobility, at least one Gold Coin a day, and possibly even more in the future. Just think, one Gold Coin a day, over three hundred Gold Coins a year¡ªif one could earn three coins a day, wouldn¡¯t it amount to over a thousand coins a year? How is that any different from robbing people! It¡¯s almost equivalent to half a year¡¯s tax revenue from a small city. If minor nobles still respect Liszt¡¯s bloodline and dare not act recklessly. Then his sister, Li Vera, was probably already calcting how to snatch this business away¡ªLiszt was very clear about his sister, she wasn¡¯t the kind to dote on her younger brother; taking Liszt¡¯s toys had been her favorite pastime when they were children. Besides, Lidun and Lady Marie could be eyeing the opportunity as well. Catching seafood was not challenging at all. ¡°No, I can¡¯t be careless!¡± As the luncheon ended, Liszt was still pondering, ¡°Perhaps, I should bring Levis over and partner with him.¡± Levis, Li Vera, Lidun, and Lady Marie were all far from being kind and faithful people. But Levis after all was the heir to the earl, the futurendlord of Liszt; by winning over Levis, this business would be secure. ¡°I should offer shares to Levis, and coborate with him privately, not with Tulip Castle. He would likely agree. With Tulip Castle now having to share half its resources with Lidun, Levis must be anxious. If there¡¯s a chance to do business without Lidun, he won¡¯t miss it.¡± Chapter 103 - 0103: Brothers Discuss Collaboration Chapter 103: Brothers Discuss Coboration Trantor: 549690339 ¡°Liszt, look, I¡¯ve nted ten acres of ck tulips!¡± Greater Elf Xiangxiang, flying amidst the sea of tulips, with rows of yet-to-blossom tulips trailing behind her. Under the ring sun, the rows of tulips looked somewhat droopy. In the middle of the day, it¡¯s not just people who feel lethargic, nts do, too. Only the elves remained so effortlessly spirited and lively. ¡°Woo wah!¡± ¡°Woo wah!¡± Two Little Minor Elves followed behind Xiangxiang, uttering some nonsensical noises. Elves are not social creatures, but elves of the same kind can y together and even share knowledge about different nt species with each other. These two Tulip Lesser Spirits were Xiangxiang¡¯s entourage. Tulip Castle always hoped that these two Little Minor Elves could break through their constraints and evolve into new Greater Elves. ¡°nted at the end of June, and it hasn¡¯t even been two months, they¡¯ve already formed buds,¡± Liszt strolled between the rows, looking at the buds of ck tulips about to bloom, feeling excited, roughly in another month, these tulips would turn into one Gold Coin after another, flowing into his pocket. Xiangxiang held her pretty head high, proudly saying, ¡°Of course, these are the tulips I nted. Every single seed has sprouted under my care.¡± That expression clearly said, ¡°Hurry up and praise me.¡± Liszt smiled and praised, ¡°Xiangxiang is incredible.¡± ¡°Hehe, I am incredible!¡± Xiangxiang rolled twice in the air. ¡°Woo wah!¡± ¡°Woo wah!¡± The two Little Minor Elves mimicked Xiangxiang¡¯s movements and also did somersaults in the air. ¡°Liszt, these ck tulips are growing very well, filled with abundant magic power, and they have no obvious attribute distinctions. They are more outstanding than the two magic potions controlled by Tulip Castle. Magicians have alreadye to ce orders,¡± Frank, the family tutor of Levis, apanied Liszt. ¡°They will be the new cornerstone of Tulip Castle, further strengthening the family, and brother will rely on them to continue father¡¯s legacy and be a Sky Knight.¡± ¡°Ipletely agree with you, Levis has exceptional talent, and there is no doubt he will be a Sky Knight.¡± By that time, Xiangxiang had been causing a ruckus for a while, flying up to Liszt and saying with a grin, ¡°I will help Levis break through, and when that timees, I want to carry him flying, just like I did with you when you were little!¡± When Liszt and the others were children, Xiangxiang loved to grab them and fly up into the sky. Watching the little tykes scream in fright. But once they got used to the high altitude and stopped crying, Xiangxiang lost interest in flying with them. A sprite with a rather wicked sense of humor. Liszt recalled these scenes and felt a warm fondness; Xiangxiang loved to y and cause trouble but never intended to harm them. Because of the contract, she had be very close to the bloodline of the Tulip Family. ¡°Memories are deep-seated, it¡¯d be best if you could scare Levis into crying again.¡± Xiangxiang said with regret, ¡°Ah, now I can¡¯t scare Levis into crying anymore, and once he bes a Sky Knight, it will be even harder to make him cry. By then, he would be able to conquer the skies.¡± The reason they are called Sky Knights is that they have mastered Advanced Dou Qi. When they release their Dou Qi, they can briefly soar into the air. Even though they can¡¯t fly as freely as birds, a short leap ensures they can quickly strike anything or anyone within several hundred meters. After touring the ck tulip fields, Levis had already seen most of the nobles off. Those who remained were those with a good rtionship with him. Liszt was also getting ready to leave; he did not n to stay overnight at Tulip Castle, so he directly called Levis to the study to discuss matters. ¡°Liszt, is there something that can¡¯t wait until evening to discuss? There are still many people in the living room that I need to entertain.¡± ¡°Brother, I don¡¯t n to stay here overnight. After discussing matters with you, I¡¯ll head back.¡± ¡°So urgent?¡± ¡°There¡¯s a lot going on in the town that¡¯s waiting for me to handle.¡± ¡°Alright, what did you want to talk to me about? You¡¯ve already visited the ck Tulip ntation with Teacher Frank. As for the ve ships, we¡¯ll have to wait at least another month before they return.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not about those things; I have something else to discuss with you.¡± Liszt wanted to talk about seafood, but he felt that saying it outright wouldn¡¯t have much impact. He needed toy the groundwork first, to whet Levis¡¯s appetite before discussing the seafood investment. After some thought, he began, ¡°I¡¯vee up with a new magic potion.¡± ¡°What?¡± Levis eximed in surprise, ¡°You have a new Tulip magic potion?¡± ¡°Not Tulips, mushrooms. me Mushrooms, a kind of magic potion mushroom.¡± Liszt was very pleased with Levis¡¯s expression. ¡°How about a partnership, dear brother?¡± ¡°Partnership! We¡¯re blood brothers, the best partners, aren¡¯t we?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± ¡°So how do you propose we partner up, the same way as with the ck Tulip? A personal partnership with me?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t like the idea of allowing Lady Marie and that kid Lidun to have all the benefits, so it¡¯s still a partnership with you, brother. However, this time, I only n to sell the finished me Mushrooms to you. You¡¯ll be the me Mushroom vendor, not involved in their cultivation.¡± Lisztid out the nned partnership. me Mushrooms, he intended to turn them into a specialty of Fresh Flower Town, not directly selling the cultivation technique. ¡°That¡¯s not right, how many me Mushrooms can Fresh Flower Town produce? You should sell me the cultivation technique, and I¡¯ll handle the production. Wouldn¡¯t it be great to share the sales profits?¡± ¡°I¡¯m in desperate need of Gold Coins to buy serfs; otherwise, I¡¯d be open to profit sharing. If you can give me five thousand Gold Coins right away, I could even sell you the cultivation technique for me Mushrooms outright, without any subsequent profit sharing. You would only need to help sell the me Mushrooms I produce in the future.¡± ¡°Five thousand Gold Coins?¡± Levis sighed, ¡°I can¡¯t evene up with a thousand right now, let¡¯s stick to selling the finished product.¡± Without much haggling, the partnership was thus agreed upon. Liszt then asked, ¡°Brother, have you found the Saltpeter Mine yet?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯ve searched every city, and no one has discovered such a mineral. You really are a lucky guy¡­ Why do all the good things happen to you?¡± ¡°Maybe it¡¯s because good people get good rewards.¡± ¡°Haha.¡± ¡°By the way, brother, I have another business proposition I want to partner with you on.¡± Levis¡¯s eyes sparkled: ¡°What kind of business?¡± His suddenly matured younger brother had already brought him many surprises. Just the ck Tulip and me Mushrooms alone had increased his chances of bing a Sky Knight by twenty percent, filling him with confidence in bing a potion maker. ¡°The seafood business. I¡¯ve prepared to set up caravans in every city on Coral Ind to sell seafood. But fishing isn¡¯t a skillful job, sooner orter someone wouldpete for that hard-earned money. So, I¡¯m nning to give you a twenty percent stake, and you help me get an exclusive seafood selling ordinance on Coral Ind.¡± He nned to monopolize the seafood business and legalize it, directly cutting off the possibility for others topete. ¡°The seafood market is not small, I¡¯ve heard you¡¯re making quite a few Gold Coins a day?¡± Levis said casually. ¡°I don¡¯t know where you heard that, but I¡¯m not even making one Gold Coin a day right now. Perhaps when all the cities start selling, I could make two Gold Coins a day?¡± Liszt yed poor and then threatened, ¡°If you don¡¯t help me, I¡¯ll have to ask Father for help. I just want to earn some hard-earned cash to buy white bread to eat, brother.¡± Perhaps the Earl really didn¡¯t hold Liszt in high regard. But if Liszt truly pleaded, the Earl would probably not refuse, after all, it was a business Liszt had developed. ¡°Fine, but I want a thirty percent stake. The ordinance cane out tomorrow. Father left me in charge of all of Coral Ind¡¯s affairs while he¡¯s away,¡± Levis said with a smile, drawing on his cigar. Greed! Liszt inwardly despised him but said aloud, ¡°Alright, thirty percent it is.¡± As he spoke, he took a handkerchief out of his pocket, unfolded it, and gently ced the fist-sized ck Pearl that was wrapped inside it on the table: ¡°Brother, take a look at what this is.¡± Chapter 104 - 104 – Within the Book Lies a Beauty as Jade Chapter 104: ¨C Within the Book Lies a Beauty as Jade Trantor: 549690339 ¡°What is this?¡± Levis picked up the ck Pearl and weighed it in his hand, ¡°Is there Magic Power inside? It feels like there¡¯s Water Attribute Magic Power.¡± ¡°Indeed, there is Magic Power, it is a pearl.¡± ¡°A pearl?¡± Levis shook his head, ¡°Don¡¯t think I haven¡¯t seen pearls before. I have handled numerous pearl decorations that have passed through my hands. I once took a boat trip over Tranquil Lake on Blue Dragon Ind and even personally dug out pearls from Pearl Oysters. Those were white and not nearly this big.¡± ¡°This is a ck Pearl, excavated from another kind of shell, the Trida.¡± ¡°Trida? Is it also a product of Fresh Flower Town?¡± Levis caught on to the key point, the produce from Fresh Flower Town was just too abundant. ¡°Actually, it was a giant Squid carcass that the Sea Waves brought in, and inside the carcass, there was a Trida, and inside the Trida, the ck Pearl was found. Brother, whether it is a pearl or not, what do you think of its value? A Water Attribute Magical treasure, it is more precious than White Pearls.¡± ¡°Are you giving it to me?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be so greedy, I have already given you your birthday gift. This ck Pearl is a personal treasure that I carry with me, it helps me calm my restless emotions¡ªthe effect is tens of times that of White Pearls. I want to know if you¡¯re interested in buying it. You know, I am of Fire Attribute Dou Qi, whereas you are of Water Attribute Dou Qi.¡± ¡°That is true,pared to White Pearls, the sensation of this ck Pearl is much morefortable to me. How much are you nning to sell it for? A White Pearl of the same size on the market would go for a few Gold Coins. I¡¯ll give you ten Gold Coins for it, how¡¯s that?¡± ¡°Ten is too few.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not few, Liszt. No matter how much it calms the emotions, it¡¯s still just a decoration.¡± ¡°Perhaps Magicians could craft it into Magic Equipment. It has outstanding Magic Power storage, suitable for crafting Magic Equipment. My Fresh Flower Town doesn¡¯t have any Magicians, but I¡¯m sure you have contacts with some. Why not have a Magician craft a piece of Magic Equipment for you?¡± Levis shook his head: ¡°If its Magic Power were richer, it could indeed be crafted into Magic Equipment, but it doesn¡¯t have enough Magic Power, and it would be difficult to craft into effective Magic Equipment.¡± ¡°Cough, in fact¡­¡± Liszt finally revealed his true intentions, gesturing with his hand the size of a Sea Bowl: ¡°I have another ck Pearl this big, and it is filled with rich Magic Power, absolutely suitable for crafting Magic Equipment. Water Attribute Magic Power naturally suits you, brother.¡± ¡°Arger ck Pearl? That big?¡± Levis was no longer passive. A fist-sized ck Pearl was indeed a rarity, at most an interesting decoration, but a Sea Bowl-sized ck Pearl was a different story. If there really was a pearl that big, plus it was filled with dense Magic Power, it would definitely be excellent material for Magic Equipment. Those Magicians, craving for such rarity, would pay a high price for the chance to study it. ¡°Five hundred Gold Coins, I¡¯ll sell you the ck Pearl.¡± ¡°I need to see the ck Pearl first.¡± ¡°Fine.¡± Liszt called Servant Thomas to fetch the Sea Bowl-sized ck Pearl that Marcus had brought. Momentster, the slightly irregrly shaped colossal ck Pearl wasid on the desk in the study. Running his hands over the massive ck Pearl. Levis¡¯s eyes shone continuously. More knowledgeable than Liszt, he understood the value of such a treasure, so he made his offer: ¡°One hundred Gold Coins, I¡¯ll take it. This novelty, despite having dense Magic Power, can¡¯t guarantee real developmental value. I can¡¯t risk buying something unusable.¡± His reasoning was sound. Liszt himself could not be sure that the ck Pearl could really be crafted into Magic Equipment. But some haggling was still in order, and after several back-and-forths, the ck Pearl was sold at the price of two hundred eighty Gold Coins. Additionally, the fist-sized ck Pearl that he also had with him was included as part of the deal. After the trade. Counting the Gold Coins with satisfaction, Liszt said with a smile: ¡°Brother, once you have crafted the Magic Equipment, let me know. I would like to see what uses it has¡­ This is also my first encounter with a ck Pearl.¡± Once its uses are confirmed, the remaining ck Pearls could be appropriately valued. ¡°No problem.¡± As he was preparing to leave the study, Liszt suddenly remembered something and asked, ¡°By the way, brother, has Tulip Castle acquired any new books recently?¡± ¡°Not at all. When did you start to like reading so much? I¡¯d rather drink until dawn than stay in that study, looking at all those dizzying words.¡± ¡°There¡¯s a lot of interesting knowledge hidden in books.¡± ¡°Knowledge?¡± Levis scoffed, ¡°Liszt, are you thinking of switching careers to be a magician? That¡¯s not a good idea. I deal with those magicians often, and they¡¯re all a bunch of bizarrely behaving maniacs, always talking about knowledge and exploration. The knight¡¯s honor is only ever taken on horseback!¡± Liszt hastened out of the study. There¡¯s a golden house in the book, there are beauties in the books. As a cultured man, he didn¡¯t want to stoop to the other¡¯s level. The coboration was confirmed. Liszt took leave of Levis and left Tulip Castle. However, he didn¡¯t head straight back, but took the path towards an independent castle next to Coral City¡ªthat was Lady Penelope¡¯s residence, and during a trip to Coral City, he couldn¡¯t fail to visit his grandmother. The castle was covered with climbing ivy. It added an ancient air to the castle, along with an inexplicably eerie touch. There was a tform on the second floor of the castle, filled with various flowers and nts. Besides socializing with nobility, Lady Penelope¡¯s life revolved mostly around these flowers and nts. Watering the nts while chatting, ¡°You came out from the castle so soon. Didn¡¯t Levis keep you for dinner to continue celebrating?¡± ¡°I declined. There are many matters in Fresh Flower Town that cannot do without me.¡± ¡°Apetentndlord always keeps himself busy. As long as a person is busy, he will feel fulfilled, effectively preventing a fall into degeneracy. Your father has been busy alongside your grandfather since he was a child, which is why he was able to be an earl before turning thirty.¡± Lady Penelope turned around and continued watering the flowers, ¡°It¡¯s just too bad that since marrying two troublesome daughters-inw, he has never been able to advance further¡­ I just wish your brother would be a bit clearer in his mind, but that little rascal is also muddled. The youngest daughter of Marquis Roderick is quite a handful.¡± Marquis Roderick, one of the seven marquises of the Grand Duchy, served in the Blueblood Knight Order, deputymander. No wonder Levis is still unmarried; it turns out he has set his sights on a marquis¡¯s daughter. ¡°Cousin Meioubao is deeply in love with the Little Princess, and brother harbors affection for Marquis Roderick¡¯s daughter. It seems they both have quite the intentions.¡± ¡°You¡¯re the same.¡± ¡°Me?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t think that because I¡¯m old, I can¡¯t hear news about you, Asina Salmon, right? Li Vera told me, she¡¯s a very cute girl, utterly admiring you, and yet you rejected her. She is a viscount¡¯s daughter. Although selling fish might be rather crude, having gold coins can just as well buy white bread, can¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Heh heh.¡± Liszt didn¡¯t want to say much. Lady Penelope continued to ramble on about ¡°young people not understanding things,¡± but soon she shifted her attention to one of her flowers. ¡°Oh, heavens have mercy, my Dragon Hollyhock is really going to die!¡± Chapter 105 - 0105: I’ll Take the Sick Dragon Hollyhock Chapter 105: I¡¯ll Take the Sick Dragon Hollyhock Trantor: 549690339 Dragon hollyhock, said to be a close rtive of the eggnt, bears small, edible, ck berries that are quite tasty. When he was younger, there were many wild dragon hollyhocks growing in the fields and Liszt loved to eat them. He wasn¡¯t sure if the dragon hollyhock in Lady Penelope¡¯s flowerpot was the variety he was familiar with. But upon hearing that the nt was sick, he immediately stepped forward out of habit and used the Eye of Magic to take a look at the dying dragon hollyhock. At that nce, he seemed to see a faint trace of magic power flowing, but it was just a sh and soon disappeared. Which made him extremely surprised. The presence of magic power meant that this dragon hollyhock was no ordinary nt. ¡°Could it be about to give birth to an elf bug?¡± Liszt thought excitedly, but he kept hisposure and continued to examine the dragon hollyhock. This dragon hollyhock was on itsst breath, its leaves yellowing and its roots showing ck spots. It had a few buds that looked like they were about to wither away. However, under the scrutiny of the Eye of Magic, he soon discovered the magic power flow again, very faint and sporadically visible. It was so subtle that one wouldn¡¯t notice it without careful observation. He was almost certain: ¡°It¡¯s highly unlikely to be a magic potion nt; it¡¯s very possible that the dragon hollyhock is about to give birth to an elf bug.¡± ¡°Poor dragon hollyhock, I don¡¯t know what disease it has caught, but it¡¯s been a week, and it hasn¡¯t been revived. Watching it wither day by day, just like I grow older day by day, is truly distressing,¡± Lady Penelope kept prattling and spraying the dragon hollyhock with clear water. ¡°Grandmother, you are in good health and there are no signs of aging,¡± Liszt said in a light-hearted tone, ¡°Since you feel sad watching the dragon hollyhock, why don¡¯t you give it to me to take care of? Maybe the climate in Fresh Flower Town will revive it. If it doesn¡¯t, I will bring you a new pot of dragon hollyhock.¡± ¡°I am pleased that you think so, Liszt. Take good care of it.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Just like that, a pot of dragon hollyhock possibly harboring an elf bug was in Liszt¡¯s hands. Anxious to arrange for the dragon hollyhock, Liszt quickly took his leave and met with his retainer knights, hastening back to Fresh Flower Town. By the time he reached Fresh Flower Town, It was the afternoon, with the sun about to set. The sky was streaked with a red glow, a saying goes: ¡®No travel with a morning glow, a thousand miles with an evening one.¡¯ It would be another splendid sunny day tomorrow. Without taking a break, Liszt immediately ordered Goltai: ¡°Teacher Goltai, mobilize all the serfs to search for dragon hollyhock. Dig them up and bring them to the horse field. Remember to dig them up with the soil attached to the roots to avoid damaging them.¡± Taking advantage of the lingering daylight, he quickly found a few wild dragon hollyhocks near the horse field. He then moved the sick dragon hollyhock out of the flowerpot and nted it beside the wild dragon hollyhocks. He ordered people to bring manure, which was poured near the roots of the dragon hollyhock. As each wild dragon hollyhock was excavated and nted around the sick one, they formed a small dragon hollyhock field. ¡°My Lord, we¡¯ve gathered all the dragon hollyhocks we could find before nightfall. The sun has set now, and the serfs can no longer see to find more. I will have them continue the search tomorrow,¡± ¡°That will be fine.¡± Candles andnterns shone. Goltai curiously looked over the dragon hollyhock field and asked, ¡°What¡¯s the use of these dragon hollyhocks?¡± Many knew that the berries of the dragon hollyhock were edible, but they were too small and produced too little to be of significant culinary value. Thus, no one cultivated them, and most of them grew wild at the edges of fields. Typically, only children would enjoy searching for the berries of dragon hollyhock. ¡°There may be significance, but it¡¯s too early to be sure. Regardless, have all the dragon hollyhocks you can find tomorrow transnted here.¡± ¡°As you wish.¡± Back in the castle. Waiting for dinner. Liszt leaned back in the chair in the living room, opened a fragrant coconut fruit, and sipped the coconut milk, relishing its taste and rxing his body. Riding all day, despite his strong Earth Knight constitution, had still left him with a hint of fatigue. However, his mood was good, and he felt a tad excited. The worries about the seafood market were resolved. With the seafood sales from Coral Ind alone, he could support hisvish noble lifestyle. The sales channel for me Mushrooms was in ce, just waiting for the serfs to solve the cultivation technology issues. There was still a month to go before the harvest season for the ck Tulips. The sale of the ck Pearl had brought in two hundred and eighty Gold Coins, nicely alleviating the castle¡¯s financial strain. He was ready to buy a few more horses and several carriages to expand the caravan, aiming to establish the seafood business in every small city as soon as possible, reaching a scale of daily sales over three Gold Coins. Of course, these were all predetermined ns. What truly excited him were the Dragon Kui Elf Bugs. Apart from the four Elf Bugs the Earl gifted him at the feudal ceremony, and one more as a reward for discovering the ck Tulip, the remaining Peanut Bugs, Tomato Bugs, and Fragrant Coconut Bugs were all found through the Smoke Mission. Only this potential Dragon Kui Bug was a personal discovery, which gave him a great sense of achievement. It proved that even without relying on the Smoke Mission, he could still find opportunities of his own¡ªalthough it seemed that without the Eye of Magic, it would have been very difficult to discover the secrets of the Dragon Kui, and the Eye of Magic, after all, was brought by the Smoke Mission. In the end, it seemed he still relied on the light of the Smoke Mission. ¡°No matter how you put it, this is a good omen¡­ Maybe in the future, I can often casually use the Eye of Magic to look for Elf Bugs that might be hiding in any nt!¡± In his original perception, Elf Bugs were extremely rare. The Tulip Family, working on Coral Ind for twenty years, had only obtained a little over a hundred Elf Bugs, which indicated a very low chance of encountering them. But in Fresh Flower Town, this small ce, in just half a year, three Elf Bugs had already been discovered. Put a step outside, and he has brought back a Dragon Kui Elf Bug. This could no longer be described as mere good luck. ¡°It can probably be confirmed that actually, the gestation rate of Elf Bugs is not low, but due to environmental restrictions, arge number of Elf Bugs may have been ¡®miscarried¡¯.¡± Without the Smoke Mission, the Peanut Bug would have died long ago, and the helpless serfs could not have provided the nutrition needed by the Peanut Bug. The Tomato Bug might have had a chance to gestate, but it might also have been directly picked by John Bian Dan, taking the biggest tomato and unknowingly eating the unborn Elf Bug. As for the Fragrant Coconut Bug, it¡¯s hard to say, but with its high position and the threat of the Fruit Thief Monkeys, it might also have been doomed. Even the current Dragon Kui Bug, without the Eye of Magic to spot its traces, was destined to die, with no chance of emerging into the world. ¡°Now that I have the Smoke Mission and the Eye of Magic, the Elf Bugs I can discover will surely keep pouring in. With these Elf Bugs, farming and umting wealth are bound to happen!¡± After dinner, Liszt summoned the three leaders of the trading team to the castle. He assigned them the matters of the seafood trade. Coral City, Birch City, North Valley City, Elm Forest City, Serpent Spear City, and Shattered Stone City make up the six cities of Coral Ind, and trade routes have been opened to five of them, with only Shattered Stone City being too far away for trade. Fresh Flower Town was situated at the northeastern tip of the ind, and Shattered Stone City at the southwestern tip, more than a hundred kilometers apart. ¡°Tomorrow, Tulip Castle will issue a seafood sale decree, which only we from Fresh Flower Town can obtain,¡± Liszt said with his hands sped behind his back, looking out at the night scene through the window. The nights of Fresh Flower Town were still without many lights. Against the pitch-dark background, the stars were unusually bright, shining brilliantly. A faint Milky Way was visible across the sky, suggesting that this Different World still belonged to the Milky Way Gxy. He continued, ¡°The seafood market is my exclusive domain, so make sure to take advantage of that. I want you to set up a fishing team near Coral City, catch seafood directly from the nearby beaches, and sell it externally.¡± Chapter 106: A Tour of Inspection of the Territory Chapter 106: A Tour of Inspection of the Territory Trantor: 549690339 The East Coast is only a few kilometers long, and although there is an abundance of seafood distributed along it, overfishing could exhaust the area¡¯s resources in no time. Liszt was unwilling to engage in such destructive practices. He nned to implement a fishing moratorium in Fresh Flower Town, or at the very least a closed season during the hottest period of summer when fish are breeding and growing vigorously, to ensure the protection of marine resources. Of course. The closed fishing season was just a temporary measure. Once Thorn Ridge was conquered and a dock was built in Deepwater Bay, he would promote nearshore fishing. The seafood resources by the coast were meager and had to be protected, but the marine resources off the coast were more than enough for the entire Coral Ind. Now, without docks, fishing boats, or fishermen, they could only develop the coastal fishery. ¡°Isaiah, I entrust you with the supervision of the establishment of Coral City¡¯s fishing team; I hope you can prepare everything as soon as possible. For each trade route¡¯s maintenance and the selection of responsible persons, Old Geronte will assist you from the side. Spread them out quickly. I will provide fifty Gold Coins for warehouse rental and the purchase of carts and horses.¡± ¡°Yes, Baron.¡± Isaiah took themand. Soon, they discussed the construction n for the caravan. It was divided into two parts. One part was to form the ¡°Fresh Flower Caravan,¡± stationed in Coral City, with Old Geronte as the caravan leader and Abagon as the deputy leader. Old Geronte mainly managed the ¡°Coral City-Birch City¡± trade route, the ¡°Coral City-Elm Forest City¡± trade route, the ¡°Coral City-Shattered Stone City¡± trade route, and the ¡°Coral City-Serpent Spear City¡± route. Abagon was in charge of the ¡°fishing team¡± and the ¡°Castle Procurement Team,¡± where the procurement team would buy whatever the castle needed and take it back. The other part was to establish the ¡°Thorn Caravan,¡± with Sherlock as the caravan leader, focusing on the regrmerce between Fresh Flower Town and North Valley City. Each caravan had its focus. But both were important: one specializing in the seafood business to provide Fresh Flower Town with Gold Coins, the other focusing on everyday trade to supply Fresh Flower Town with all kinds of life necessities. Waking up early. Exercising the body, practicing Dou Qi. Liszt wasn¡¯t as diligent as he used to be when he had the archery tasks, leisurely times often lead to subtle degeneration, and the luxury of the nobility erodes the fighting spirit. ¡°Douson, release magic!¡± After walking the dog and watching the servants smash the Rock Spikes to pave the road, he felt: ¡°Still, the life of cockfighting and dog walking is more enjoyable.¡± The progress on ¡°Douson Avenue¡± has reached sixty meters; it should bepleted smoothly by the end of the year. Well-fed and well-trained, Douson, though still not a fully grown Fierce Earth Dog, was already stronger than its mother had been, casting magic both quickly and urately, and executing Liszt¡¯smands to the letter. It had be a very goodbat assistant, a loyal guardian. ¡°Ga ji!¡± ¡°Ga ji!¡± From the castle windowsill, the shrill cries apanied by a familiar melody weed Liszt back. It was Juan Fu singing at the top of its lungs. The Wind Falcon¡¯s feathers were turning darker, and they had grown longer than when it was a chick, its longing to fly stronger every day. As a result, Liszt tied its feet with a rope. He hadn¡¯t yet decided how to train Juan Fu. It was likely he would kill it for its meat to avoid any trouble. After securing Douson, Liszt went to the Dragon Kui Field. The wild Dragon Hollyhocks he had nted the previous night were a bit wilted, not yet well adapted to the new soil environment. The Dragon Hollyhock that possibly harbored the Elf Bug was even worse than it had been yesterday; it seemed far weaker. On the brink of wilting. He used his Eye of Magic to observe carefully, noticing the bud of the Dragon Hollyhock was still flickering with Magic Power: ¡°I hope it doesn¡¯t die; otherwise, it¡¯s all been for nothing.¡± I have done everything I could, now all that¡¯s left is to leave it to fate. In the town, there were many wild Dragon Hollyhocks that were being transnted one by one. It took a whole day, but almost all of the town¡¯s wild Dragon Hollyhocks were moved to the Dragon Kui Field, covering a whole acre. The serfs kept watering, fertilizing, and weeding, striving to use the most careful care to ensure the Dragon Hollyhocks would survive. ¡°Lord, you really should take a look at the Thorn Cordyceps Shrubbery yourself, the Thorns there have undergone a transformation overnight, they¡¯ve already grown to half a person¡¯s height,¡± ir said, gesturing with his hands to indicate the rapid growth of the Thorn species. In just a few days, the Thorn seedlings were rapidly bing Thorn trees. But he was also a bit puzzled, ¡°However, my lord, I can¡¯t think of any use for them; they don¡¯t bear fruit and can¡¯t be used for timber. Perhaps we could nt Thorns along both sides of the fences lining the roads at Thorn Ridge. That way, wild beasts, even Magical Beasts, would likely detour and not dare to tread carelessly.¡± ¡°It¡¯s indeed a use¡­ let¡¯s first cultivate the shrubbery,¡± Liszt could not think of a better use either. After that, he inspected the situation of the Fragrant Coconut Tree Cordyceps and the cultivation of the me Mushrooms. The Fragrant Coconut Tree Cordyceps were still gestating, with not much happening. The cultivation of the me Mushrooms, however, brought him a pleasant surprise. ¡°Your wisdom and insight are truly astonishing, my lord. After your guidance, the serfs in Mushroom Hamlet mixed the Fragrant Mushrooms with the me Mushrooms, and the me Mushrooms have sessfully grown! I don¡¯t understand it, but the me Mushrooms really do require Fragrant Mushrooms to grow alongside them,¡± Goltai excitedly pointed at the me Mushrooms that had started to develop from the mycelium into fruiting bodies. The admiration from his subordinate gave Liszt a sense of achievement. He replied with a mild smile, ¡°Once we find out the reason, the next step is to cultivate me Mushrooms on arge scale. Teacher Goltai, we need to expand Mushroom Hamlet as much as possible. If the ingredients for cultivating the me Mushrooms are not sufficient, have the Caravan procure them from outside.¡± He spoke with emphasis, ¡°I need Magic Potions!¡± ¡°As you wish, I will squeeze every bit of strength out of the serfs to cultivate an ample amount of me Mushrooms. The beautiful red mushrooms will bring unimaginable wealth to Fresh Flower Town!¡± ¡°It¡¯s necessary to squeeze, but their treatment can¡¯t be scant. Tell all the Mushroom Hamlet serfs that as long as they can cultivate enough me Mushrooms, the taxes on the apanying Fragrant Mushrooms will be halved directly!¡± ¡°My God, those contemptible serfs will be ecstatic, you truly are the embodiment of benevolence,¡± ¡°Of course, I am a benevolentndlord, but,¡± Liszt¡¯s tone changed, ¡°you must also tell those serfs that if anyone iszy, if anyone carelessly damages the me Mushrooms, I will make them understand that nobles are not only generous and benevolent but also wield whips that can y their skin.¡± Goltai nodded, ¡°Certainly, it¡¯s very necessary for them to understand this point!¡± People are not machines, uniformly diligent; there are always some who are idle andzy. After barely scraping by, they don¡¯t want to do a bit more work. Liszt did not like suchmoners¡ªhis thinking had be that of a qualified nobleman. Watching the figure of Lord Landlord leaving, Crooked-neck Bob felt downhearted. ¡°A Nalda¡¯s reward, my God, it was actually that old man Nash who got it! That old bachelor, how could he possibly cultivate the me Mushrooms before me!¡± he muttered resentfully. It wasn¡¯t a grievance aimed at Liszt; he did not have the courage for that. He was cursing Nash, simply because once the cultivation of the me Mushrooms seeded, Liszt bestowed awards based on merit, and the first to research the appropriate ingredients was Nash. As a result, Liszt awarded Nash a Gold Coin. Everyone in Mushroom Hamlet envied and resented Nash, especially Bob, who had been determined to win this reward. After swearing for a moment, Bob put aside his resentment and clenched his fist, ¡°Lord Landlord said, at the first harvest of the me Mushrooms, whoever¡¯s me Mushrooms are the biggest, best, and most plentiful, can still get a reward! This time, I, Bob, must get the reward and show everyone that I grow the best me Mushrooms!¡± Chapter 107: Correcting the Attitude of the Knight Squad Chapter 107: Correcting the Attitude of the Knight Squad Trantor: 549690339 Another day. The sun rose in the east. In the horse field, Liszt shouted, ¡°Multiple Phantom Arrow!¡± Six arrows emitted a fierce whooshing noise as they chased one another in the sky, colliding in an instant, then scattering in disarray, without formation. Only two arrows had struck the target a hundred meters away. ¡°Failure,¡± he shook his head. It was the expected result ¡ª another failure. His current level of archery was not sufficient to wield the essence of ¡°Multi-Arrow¡± ¡ª Multiple Phantom Arrow. Having not touched bow and arrow for several days, his skill had even regressed slightly. Just as sailing against the current, if you do not advance, you will fall back, and the practice of Dou Qi techniques was the same. Fortunately, he was already quite adept at the most basic part of ¡°Multi-Arrow¡±, the Double Arrow. On the battlefield, for an Earth Knight to effectively execute the Double Arrow, that was enough. ncing over at a distance, Marcus was training the Knight Squad. Just yesterday, another young member had developed Dou Qi, bing one of his Retainer Knights. Out of twelve members, half had be Apprentice Knights with Primary Dou Qi. Once all of them developed Dou Qi, It would be time to set out to clear Thorn Ridge. ¡°Before this winter, we must take Thorn Ridge!¡± Liszt didn¡¯t disturb Marcus¡¯s teaching. He handed his gear to a Retainer Knight and rode back to the Castle at a leisurely pace. Take a bath. Prepare for breakfast. Butler Carter stood to the side and reported, ¡°My lord, Baker Reynard and Mrs. Abbie have sessfully created a new type of bread in town. Would you like to try it now?¡± ¡°Oh? The bread is ready? Bring it quickly.¡± The new bread did not resemble the meat floss bread he had envisioned, but was round like a bun. The surface was cracked, revealing a creamy filling oozing from within. ¡°What kind of bread is this?¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t have a name yet; it¡¯s waiting for you to name it, my lord. Mrs. Abbie said it¡¯s made with flour, eggs, and cream¡­ separated into inside and outside parts. The outer part is a bit more of a hassle to make, but the baked cracks are quite attractive,¡± exined Carter, detailing the process of making the new bread. Liszt had already picked one up and taken a bite. Instantly, the creamy taste mingled with the bread¡¯s aroma in his mouth, tantalizing his taste buds, far more delicious than in white bread. This taste, this appearance. Liszt directly said, ¡°Mr. Carter, tell Mrs. Abbie and Reynard to call it ¡ª Pineapple Bread!¡± ¡°Pineapple Bread, a very vivid name.¡± ¡°From now on, rece the white bread in my breakfast with Pineapple Bread, but there¡¯s no need to change my lunch and dinner. Contact Sherlock, let Thorn Caravan try to coborate with Reynard and see if they can market Pineapple Bread in North Valley City,¡± Liszt instantly nned the sales strategy for Pineapple Bread. After some thought, he continued, ¡°Also, tell Reynard and Mrs. Abbie that as a reward for inventing the new bread, give each of them¡­ ten silver coins, and tell them to continue to innovate. The more varieties of bread vors, the better.¡± He had initially wanted to award each person a Gold Coin. Having recently made money from selling ck Pearls, he felt flush with cash and generous. But a reward of a Gold Coin would be on a par with the rewards for discovering the Elf Bug and cultivating Magic Potions, which would be too extravagant. It was just bread to satisfy a craving, not worth too much of a reward. So he amended it to ten silver coins. Carter left. He slowly savored the Pineapple Bread, very satisfied that he hadn¡¯t been overly generous: ¡°You never know how expensive household supplies are until you run a household. Even the Lord¡¯s house doesn¡¯t have endless supplies.¡± Gradually, A wisp of smoke appeared before him, twisting and writhing, forming into a strand of Serpent Script. ¡°Complete the task, reward: Sunken Ship Treasure.¡± A momentter, the text dispersed, and the smoke regathered to set forth a new mission: ¡°Mission: Captain Kostor has been quite troubledtely. Since he began teaching the Knight Squad in sailing, the instruction has proved challenging as the young knights look down on the knowledge of sailing. Please correct their attitudes. Reward: Mutated Thorn.¡± ¡°So, the Sunken Ship Treasure is finally within reach¡­ The Knight Squad unwilling to learn about sailing? It seems that the rewards from the task and the new mission might be linked. Probably, only Captain Kostor could locate the Sunken Ship Treasure.¡± He shook the bell and called his butler, who hadn¡¯t gone far, back. ¡°My lord.¡± ¡°Send someone to bring Captain Kostor here, I have some questions for him.¡± ¡°Yes, my lord.¡± About half an hourter, Kostor hurried to the castle: ¡°Apologies, Lord Landlord, I was diving near the shore and got dyed.¡± ¡°Diving?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been training my aquatic abilities and underwater fighting skills. Even though I am not a knight, I still desire to be able to fight.¡± ¡°How¡¯s the Knight Squad¡¯s learning progress with you recently?¡± ¡°This¡­¡± Kostor hesitated. ¡°Speak your mind.¡± ¡°Your Retainer Knights have a very unfriendly attitude toward the study of sailing. They are not even keen on learning to swim, let alone instructing them in sailing. They always have the saying ¡®Knights rely on warhorses, not sailboats¡¯ on their lips. Moreover, Mr. Marcus upies much of the knights¡¯ time.¡± Liszt immediately understood. Although Marcus had been subdued by him and started to follow and show loyalty, understanding that the sea could also yield wealth, deep down he still esteemed the glory of knights and the charge of warhorses, thinking that vessels were merely a means to transport them tond battles and there was no need to learn sailing. Thus, he passed his views to the Retainer Knights and even encroached on Kostor¡¯s teaching time. Regarding Marcus, Liszt sighed slightly ¡ª changing a person¡¯s identity is simple, but changing a person¡¯s mindset is somewhat difficult. Fortunately, he could exercise the authority of andlord. He immediately summoned Marcus and the whole Knight Squad to assemble at the entrance of the castle. Liszt began to lecture them, ¡°Starting today, all of you will spend half of your time learning about sailing with Captain Kostor. Within three days, you must learn how to swim. Those who can¡¯t will receive fiftyshes. A weekter, I will quiz you on your sailing knowledge, tenshes for every question you fail!¡± The young men wanted to speak but stopped themselves. Liszt did not pay them any heed but called Marcus into the study: ¡°Teacher Marcus, you should know why I have summoned you.¡± Marcus solemnly said, ¡°My lord, I do not believe that knights need to be distracted by learning to sail. Indeed, we need to travel by ship across the ocean to the maind. Letmon sailors handle the vessel while we knights concentrate on fighting; the Coral Ind Knights have always operated in this manner.¡± His words were sensible. Knights are part of thend forces, and Liszt was asking them to serve as a navy, naturally, they were unwilling. However, Liszt had his own thoughts, ¡°How many of these Knight Squad members do you think can be Earth Knights? Or when will they be Earth Knights?¡± ¡°I think, by the age of twenty, some people should be able to be Earth Knights, Philip and Zavier possess noteworthy talents,¡± Marcus answered. ¡°Only two¡­ I have worked hard to train them, and I can only reap two Earth Knights. So, can they form a Knight Squad and head to the maind battlefield?¡± ¡°Ready to fight to the death for you, my lord!¡± ¡°I appreciate the sentiment, but that would be a foolhardy act borne out of impetuosity. Fresh Flower Town is still developing. I have purchased arge number of serfs; in the future, I will select vigorously, choosing suitably outstanding youngsters for training. But now, what I need are instructors with various basic skills, not experts inbat who are useless for anything else.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Teacher Marcus, some members of this batch of the Knight Squad will be the backbone of the Knight Order, while others will steer ships in the future, transporting my knights to the maind topete for mines¡­ Division ofbor, each performing his own duty. Do you understand what I¡¯m saying now?¡± Liszt¡¯s expression was indifferent, but his eyes were stern. Marcus took a deep breath, knelt on one knee, lowered his head, and responded earnestly, ¡°Marcus has misunderstood your will, my lord, and passively resisted your arrangements for the Knight Squad. I await your punishment!¡± Chapter 108 - 0108: The Highly Poisonous Purple Thorns Chapter 108: The Highly Poisonous Purple Thorns Trantor: 549690339 With a month¡¯s pay docked, Liszt administered a simple punishment to Marcus. His main goal was to assist Kostor inpleting the Smoke Mission, so he required the members of the Knight Squad to learn to swim within three days. Swimming would definitely involve going into the sea, which could potentially lead to contact with the Sunken Ship Treasure¡ªhe was very eager to find out what the Sunken Ship Treasure contained. Was it filled with Gold Coins, or dazzling jewels? Or perhaps it hid a Dragon Egg. ¡°However, one wonders, do Dragons really hatch from Dragon Eggs?¡± The origins of Dragons in the Knight¡¯s Novels were diverse and conflicting; there has never been an urate answer. He had asked the Earl, but even the Earl didn¡¯t know where Dragons came from. It remained an unsolved mystery. The Knight Squad soon started their swimming lessons, but Liszt did not go to inspect; it was not toote toe back once there was a clue about the Sunken Ship Treasure. He was on his way to the Thorn Cordyceps Shrubbery, where the reward for the new mission was the Mutated Thorn. He wanted to check if he could obtain the reward early¡ªthe previous Rapid Growth Thorn was not a Magic Potion, but this time, the Mutated Thorn was very likely to be one! The thorns were as tall as half a person, and they covered arge area. But, disappointingly, after deploying the Eye of Magic Power, he did not detect any traces of Magic Power. ¡°No Magic Potion¡­ Perhaps because the mission is not yetplete, so the Magic Potion has not sessfully mutated?¡± He summoned the Smoke Mission and found it was still iplete. Which meant that the attitudes of the young men had yet to be corrected. ¡°Ideological education alone is not enough; it seems I must make a trip to the seaside to see exactly who is resisting the nautical teachings.¡± He turned to Servant Thomas and said, ¡°You return to the Castle and bring my whip, thene find me at the seaside.¡± ¡°Yes, Master.¡± Ideological education by mere words is not very effective. One has to use the whip, so that they may unite spirit and flesh in excruciating pain and remember the lesson. Crack! Crack! With a dark expression, Liszt whipped two young Knights who feared the water ferociously¡ªthe inhabitants of the small coastal town on the ind were actually afraid to get into the water. Faced with the choice of whip or seawater, the two young Knights eventually chose the seawater. Under Kostor¡¯s instruction, when they started to paddle with a doggy stroke, Liszt summoned the Smoke Mission and finally saw a change. ¡°Complete the mission, reward Poisonous Mutated Fast-Growing Thorn.¡± ¡°Mission: The newly nted Dragon Hollyhock seems to be ill-adapted to the soil of Fresh Flower Town. Despite being well-nourished, it cannot quickly absorb the nutrients. Its gentle Magic Power is trickling away; it may be dying soon. Please help it gather Magic Power. Reward: One Elf Bug.¡± The Dragon Hollyhock was added to the Smoke Mission. Liszt was sure that it was indeed gestating an Elf Bug, but the problem was severe: ¡°It is not adapting to the local soil and is unable to absorb sufficient nutrients; its Magic Power is fading, which suggests that the Elf Bug is at risk of miscarriage¡­ How can I help it gather Magic Power? It is not a Douson that can release Magic by being stimted.¡± He was stumped by this problem. At this moment, Kostor, who was teaching the Knight Squad how to swim, suddenly swam back from the sea and began shouting loudly, ¡°Lord Landlord, Lord Landlord, I¡¯ve discovered a sunken ship!¡± He hurried over to Liszt: ¡°A sunken ship! It¡¯s the wreckage of a sunken ship, buried halfway in the sand, just a short distance ahead in the sea!¡± ¡°A sunken ship?¡± Liszt¡¯s thoughts were reeled back in and quickly reacted, ¡°Captain Kostor, salvage it.¡± ¡°I need manpower to assist.¡± ¡°I will have Goltai support you. How long will it take for you to bring it up?¡± ¡°Please rest assured, the location of the sunken ship isn¡¯t very deep¡ªwhen the tide goes out, it¡¯s only about five meters deep. At that time, I can dive and wrap up the wreck so the people on shore can pull the ship out of the mud directly.¡± ¡°When will the tide go out today?¡± ¡°It should be after three o¡¯clock in the afternoon.¡± ¡°Get ready.¡± The countdown for the Sunken Ship Treasure had begun; a weight was lifted from his heart. Unable to salvage for the time being, Liszt returned once more to the Thorn Cordyceps Shrubbery. He was searching for the poisonous mutated fast-growing thorns¡ªthe reward for the Smoke Mission. ¡°Mutated and poisonous, does that mean these thorns are toxic?¡± ¡°They can be referred to as Rapid Growth Poison Thorn.¡± Still not a Magic Potion. Sort of disappointing. But Liszt felt that perhaps the reward was much more than that, ¡°This seems to be a chain mission¡ªa chain mission about the evolution of Thorn Bugs. It started with the reward of Rapid Growth Thorn, and now a Rapid Growth Poison Thorn has appeared. This thicket of thorns is bing more and more interesting.¡± Returning to the shrubbery, he didn¡¯t use the Eye of Magic again. He had used the Eye of Magic to search for Magic Potions in the morning; now, he wanted to find the toxic thorns. Faced with arge expanse of thorny shrubbery and not knowing what the Rapid Growth Poison Thorn looked like, he felt at a loss where to start. He could only mobilize his Retainer Knights, ¡°Look for thorns that are out of the ordinary. Remember, do not touch them carelessly; they could be poisonous.¡± The six Retainer Knights took the order and began searching in the thicket. Liszt, along with his personal servant Thomas, also searched. This search took several hours. They searched the shrubbery three times back and forth, eating meals delivered by servants¡ªof course, Liszt himself didn¡¯t search for long, as he had long since hidden in the shade of a nearby wild fruit tree, enjoying ice cream brought by a servant, watching others work. Finally, under the scorching sun in the afternoon, a serf sent to find the distinctive thorns discovered a particr thorn bush. This thorn bush blended into the thicket, not bearing the usual small spines on a green stem, but having a stem with purple stripes. The purple stripes lent it a touch of mystery, and each small spine was also purple, growing upon the purple stripes. ¡°Could this be the Rapid Growth Poison Thorn?¡± Liszt decided to test it. He had someone bring over a rabbit raised in the Castle and then used the small spine on the purple stripe to cut open a wound on the rabbit. The spine broke off instantly, releasing a purple liquid that mixed with the rabbit¡¯s wound. A momentter. The rabbit convulsed and fell to the ground, dead. ¡°Tsk, tsk, tsk, my Lord, this thorn is highly toxic; the rabbit didn¡¯tst even a quarter of an hour. If it were a human who got scratched by such a spine, I¡¯m afraid they wouldn¡¯t survive either,¡± remarked ir, who had been responsible for recording the growth conditions of the Thorn Cordyceps Shrubbery, in astonishment. Liszt was satisfied with the experiment, ¡°Reward this serf with ten silver coins.¡± The serf left with many thanks. The other serfs also left with thanks; although they did not receive a reward, each got a copper coin for their work¡ªearning a copper coin for less than two hours of easybor was such fortunate work. Looking at this nt of Rapid Growth Poison Thorn, Liszt had already thought of how to use it, ¡°ir, I have a new task for you.¡± ¡°At yourmand.¡± ¡°Cultivate a batch of Rapid Growth Poison Thorn vigorously. In the future, I want to nt it along the paths of Thorn Ridge and decorate my castle with formidable hedges.¡± ir took the order, ¡°As you wish.¡± Chapter 109: Five Large Trunks Chapter 109: Five Large Trunks Trantor: 549690339 East Coast. The tide had receded, leaving the beach, soaked in seawater, with plenty of shells, starfish, crabs, and other seafood behind. Fishermen had already started to harvest the seafood. Liszt sat on his Li Dragon Horse. He watched arge group of people busily working on the sandy beach with bare feet, connecting ropes and twisting almost all the ropes from the town into one thick cord. Captain Kostor had dived to locate the sunken ship and tied the rope around the dragon bone of the wreck. After swimming back, he gestured to everyone, ¡°Pull! It¡¯s ready to pull!¡± Dozens of serfs, like the Volga River boat trackers, stepped heavily and instantly tensed the ropes tight. Under Teacher Goltai¡¯smand, they shouted and mustered their strength: ¡°One, two, three!¡± One, two! Three! The shouts came in waves. The rope tightened against their shoulders, rxing and tightening with the rhythm of their bodies. They pressed their feet deeply into the sand with each step, leaving firm imprints. Among them were old men past their prime and young boys, all engaged in the same task. Their clothes ragged, skin darkened by the sun, hair stered to their foreheads, sweat dropping steadily. They really resembled the Volga boat trackers. But they were not. Liszt had seen Repin¡¯s famous painting ¡°Buks on the Volga¡± in his Chinese textbook. The boat trackers in the painting, who dragged ships along the river all year round, were depicted as numbed by life¡¯s hardships. Yet, the temporary workers from Fresh Flower Town had smiles on their faces, even under the scorching sun. Because for this job tracking the boats, each person could earn a copper coin. The generous and kind Lord Landlord hade from the grand Tulip Castle to this ce, bringing them plenty of food and the clinking of copper coins, and even silver coins and Gold Coins! Life had never felt so hopeful. ¡°One, two, three!¡± ¡°Work harder!¡± Goltai shouted, ¡°Youzy bunch, didn¡¯t you eat anything?¡± At sea, Captain Kostor continually dived and resurfaced, calling out loudly, ¡°Give it more strength, the body of the ship has been pulled out! A little more force, and we¡¯ll have the bow out!¡± A few cycles of the chant settled. Then Kostor shouted, ¡°Sess! The sunken ship has been sessfully pulled out from the mud and sand!¡± With the ship now pulled out, the boat trackers worked with even greater ease, dragging the battered sunken ship effortlessly onto the beach. This ship, covered in green algae, was barely recognizable in its original form, with only one mast remaining, and even that was broken. The hull was riddled with holes, and crabs asionally crawled out from inside. ¡°My lord, the sunken ship has been hauled up!¡± Goltai eximed excitedly. Captain Kostor also approached, ¡°An old-style schooner, by this form, it should be a hundred-year-old vessel. Lord Landlord, it must be a ship from the Duchy of Sapphire. A hundred years ago, only the Grand Duchy had the capability to build schooners.¡± Liszt rode around the wreck on horseback, ¡°A hundred-year-old shipwreck, then, is it a merchant ship? Or a warship?¡± ¡°It should be a merchant vessel, the cabin is sealed for transporting goods.¡± ¡°Well, what are we waiting for? Teacher Goltai, have people dismantle this hundred-year-old merchant ship. I want to see what¡¯s left in its cargo hold.¡± ¡°As you wish!¡± Building a ship is hard, but dismantling it is swift. Momentster, the cabin was smashed open. Patrol Members crawled inside and pulled out some fabric soaked and spoiled by seawater and debris of grains. It seemed to be a merchant ship that dealt in textiles and food, its fate unknown as it rested at sea¡¯s bottom. ¡°Can it be that sunken ship treasure is simply these few things?¡± Liszt expressed disbelief. And sure enough. A Patrol Member suddenly cried out, ¡°There are chests, here are several chests, intact and undamaged, the locks are still unopened!¡± ¡°Hurry up and move the chest out!¡± ¡°Give me a hammer; the chest is stuck in the ribs of the ship, and I have to break the wood to get it out.¡± After some effort, a total of fiverge chests were dragged out of the sunken ship¡¯s hold and ced on the sand. Captain Kostor circled the chests, sizing them up for a few moments beforeing to a conclusion: ¡°Lord Landlord, these seem to be made of redwood, solid and durable, and have obviously been treated for waterproofing. There must be valuables inside.¡± Liszt smiled, ¡°In that case, have them transported to my castle¡­ Right, everyone involved in the salvage operation will be paid double. Captain Kostor who discovered the sunken ship, thus, he will be rewarded with a Gold Coin.¡± He had not yet seen what was inside the chests. He started handing out rewards directly, aiming to encourage his subjects to discover and explore, to bring him more good things. At the same time, the Gold Coin was to encourage Captain Kostor to recruit more Sailor Apprentices, to see if he could indeed build up a qualified crew. The fiverge chests, each as big as a desk, were neatly ced in the castle¡¯s hall. The locks appeared to be cast from brass and had rusted over time. Carter stood guard over the chests, preventing the servants from getting close. As a result, the maids and manservants could only crowd at the entrance of the hall, curiously eyeing the chests. ¡°Debbie, what do you think is in there, could it be mermaids?¡± ¡°Maybe it¡¯s a Siren, there are Sirens at sea.¡± ¡°The chest is quite old; even if there were mermaids or Sirens inside, they would have turned to bones long ago.¡± ¡°That might not be the case. I¡¯ve heard that mermaids can live for hundreds of years!¡± ¡°I bet it¡¯s all Gold Coins inside, no, Dragon coins! A whole chest full of Dragon coins could buy the whole of Fresh Flower Town.¡± ¡°Jim, use your brains to think about this, even if you sold the entire Fresh Flower Town, including you and me, it wouldn¡¯t fetch a few Dragon coins! A chest full of Dragon coins could buy the whole of Coral Ind!¡± Carter turned around and scolded the chattering servants, ¡°Have you forgotten the etiquette of the nobility? Do your own jobs and pay no attention to what doesn¡¯t concern you, understood?¡± Mrs. Morson also came downstairs from the upper floor and cast a nce at the female servants, her gaze settling on Maisie: ¡°The cleanliness of the lord¡¯s study is uneptable, there are still crumbs in the corners. Maisie, this is your negligence, you need to clean it again.¡± ¡°Yes, Mrs. Morson.¡± Maisie nodded in response and hurried to get her cleaning tools. After the reprimands from the two butlers, the servants dared not misbehave and went back to their respective posts. Only Carter and Morson were left in the hall. ¡°Has the master not returned yet?¡± ¡°The master went to the Dragon Kui Field; the Dragon Hollyhocks there are not doing well, he is trying to find a solution.¡± ¡°I have seen that Dragon Hollyhock, and indeed, it¡¯s not in good shape. Mr. Carter, do you think it can survive?¡± ¡°I believe it can,¡± Carter replied with a faint smile. ¡°Because the master will save it. The glory of knighthood watches over Fresh Flower Town and, even more, over the master.¡± Liszt did not know that his butler trusted him so much. At that moment, he was staring at the Dragon Hollyhock, which was nearly devoid of life, frowning, pondering how exactly to help it gather Magic Power: ¡°The mission says ¡®Moisture-like Magic Power¡¯ is being lost, does it mean that the Dragon Kui needs more Water-Attribute Magic Power? In our town, only Marcus and I possess Attribute Dou Qi, but it is Fire Attribute and Wind Attribute.¡± Suddenly. An idea shed through his mind. He thought of the ck Pearls; in his Gemstone Space, there were fourteen Water-Attribute ck Pearls: ¡°Perhaps, I can grind the ck Pearls into powder and sprinkle it at the base of the Dragon Kui, allowing it to absorb the Water-Attribute Magic Power itself¡­ I¡¯m not sure if this is the right approach, but it¡¯s the only usible method for now.¡± Better to try and fail than to do nothing at all. He immediately took out a fist-sized ck Pearl, ground it into powder, and buried it at the base of the Dragon Hollyhock. ¡°Whether it lives or dies, let¡¯s leave it to the fate of the Dragon Kui.¡± He mounted his horse and hurried back toward the castle, where five chests filled with treasures waited for him to open them. Chapter 110 - 0110 Vanishing Alchemy Chapter 110: Vanishing Alchemy Trantor: 549690339 The chests varied in weight. The lock was very sturdy. But this could not stop Liszt from using just one sword imbued with Dou Qi to cut through the copper lock of the lightest chest. The lock broke, and the chest opened. No one else was in the hall; Butler Carter had sent them all away, and he himself had stepped outside¡ªthere might be valuable treasures inside the chest; as a servant, he should not be concerned. Too many people, too much chatter. Liszt was very pleased with Carter¡¯s actions. Even though he trusted Carter¡¯s loyalty, he couldn¡¯t trust that all servants were loyal; in case they saw treasures that weren¡¯t meant to be seen, and talked about them outside, that would invite trouble. Wealth should not be unted. This principle must be understood. ¡°This chest is very light, quite different from the others, what could it contain? Or is it empty?¡± Liszt reached out and slowly lifted the lid. Immediately, a blinding light nearly dazzled his eyes¡ªthe chest was filled with intensely reflective white metal ore, which scattered the lighting in through the window all over the ce. He blinked. Getting used to the scattered light, he then took a closer look at the white metal ore in the chest. He took out a piece and weighed it in his hand. It hardly had any weight, but the feel of it was definitely metallic, cool and extremely hard. ¡°This is¡­¡± He had never seen such a light metal before; in his knowledge, metals were generally very heavy. Of course, he also knew of one metal that was very light, lithium, lighter than water by half, able to float on the surface. But even lithium was heavier than the metal ore in his hand now. It felt as if he wasn¡¯t holding a piece of metal ore, but a piece of foam. He squeezed hard, but the metal ore did not budge. When he tried to cut it with a sword, he could not make a dent in it, only a faint scratch. ¡°It¡¯s definitely not foam, and it¡¯s not stic,¡± he looked at the ore in his hand, recalling the knight novels he had read, the corners of his brows lifting slightly, gradually breaking into a smile, ¡°I think I have guessed what this metal is. It¡¯s as light as nothing, hard as iron¡­ It¡¯s a magic metal¡ªmithril!¡± In this world, metal was the same: gold, silver, copper, iron, aluminium, and so on. But there were also several special metals, which had an affinity for magic power, were very good conductors of magic, and were essential materials for making magic equipment. To date, there were three known types of magic metals¡ªmithril, fine gold, and mountain copper. Mithril as light as nothing, fine gold indestructible, mountain copper unbreakable. These three kinds of magic metal also originated from dragons, and it was said that the Neverfall Empire had a Mithril Dragon. In the knight novels, the ¡°Silver Knights¡± who often appeared to follow the protagonist into battle were all equipped with a set of brilliant mithril magic armor that made them swift as the wind. ¡°Mithril is very valuable, more precious than gold¡ªa chest full of mithril ore is worth at least one dragon coin!¡± Liszt couldn¡¯t help but lick his lips. The treasure¡¯s reputation was well-deserved! He quickly used a Space Gem to store all the mithril ore, leaving behind an empty chest. Just this chest full of mithril ore could be considered a rich haul. However, he had no intention of selling it; he would keep it to craft equipment when he needed it in the future. Touching the Crimson Blood Sword at his waist, he felt that it must contain a small amount of mithril¡ªthe magic conduction ability exceeded that of ordinary fine steel weapons. Even without a Dragon Gem embedded, a weapon alloyed with mithril was at least a magic weapon. ¡°Now, let¡¯s see what¡¯s inside the second chest,¡± Liszt lifted his sword and gently severed the rusty copper lock, lifting the lid. A foul odor assaulted him. He nearly retched. Inside were neatly stacked books, and the stench of the aged paper and binding was overpowering. Holding his breath. Liszt saw the book on top, inscribed in handwritten Serpent Script¡ªRudolf¡¯s Alchemy Diary. ¡°An alchemy diary?¡± His gaze flickered slightly. The alchemist probably belonged to the profession of legend, possibly equivalent to a chemist, or perhaps a Taoist alchemist? Legends said they could turn ordinary stones into gold through magical alchemy, and whoever mastered the mystery of alchemy could possess wealth to rival nations. In knight novels, alchemists appeared quite frequently. It¡¯s just that many who imed the title of alchemist in reality never showcased any real alchemical skills¡ªthey were merely swindlers, tricking others for food and drink. Liszt, who had studied physics, didn¡¯t quite believe that the art of alchemy existed. Of course. In this Different World, where magic existed, who knew if alchemy were real? Like now, he had just seen a diary boldly iming the title of ¡°Alchemy.¡± ¡°Could it really contain records of alchemical techniques? Is this the rhythm of bestowing upon me the art of alchemy? Am I about to ascend to the peak of life so soon?¡± Liszt felt his heart rate begin to elerate. The career of an alchemist shouldn¡¯t be much less than those top-tier existences such as Dragon Knights, Dragon Domain Landlords, Archmages, and Dragon yers¡ªas having money meant one could do whatever they wanted. However, just as he was about to touch the book, the seemingly clear script in ¡°Rudolf¡¯s Alchemy Diary¡± suddenly shattered and dispersed into powder. Liszt¡¯s fingers passed right through the dust, grabbing at nothing. ¡°I¡­¡± A string of curses almost escaped his thoughts. In the blink of an eye, the entire box of books turned to dust. A light touch was all it took for them to crumble, rendering any lettering unrecognizable and their forms forever lost. The wind blew in from the window, whisking away the powder along with a foul smell. Stunned for quite a while, Liszt finally regained hisposure, clutching his chest, almost vomiting blood: ¡°My alchemy!¡± The thick leather-bound books had decayed with age. The diary that contained the secrets of alchemy had also turned to ashes. His heart was in agony. Even though he doubted the existence of alchemy, the slim possibility that it might be real had slipped through his fingers, and the sense of loss struck a heavy blow to his spirit. The chest that should have been filled with treasures of knowledge had turned into a pile of useless g. A sigh escaped him. He forcibly suppressed his difort: ¡°Forget it, fortunees to those who have it, and those who don¡¯t, it¡¯s not meant to be. Who knows if the diary really contained alchemy. It was an unexpected find anyway, and losing it won¡¯t shake my determination. A box of mithril ore is valuable enough.¡± Afterforting himself, he cautiously drew his sword and opened the third chest. Inside were books as well. Lying on top were the covers of five books. Liszt learned his lesson and did not touch them directly, instead carefully memorizing the covers of each book. ¡°Beast Guide of the Steel Ridge Kingdom,¡± ¡°Close Encounters with the Multi-horned Magic Rhinoceros,¡± ¡°Tales of the Glittering Gold Tower,¡± ¡°The Colorful Mushrooms of the Red Monkey Forest,¡± ¡°The Rainy Night Thriller at Fox Manor.¡± The covers of these books were not written in Serpent Script by hand, but printed, clearlymercially published works. ¡°Glittering Gold Tower? Red Monkey Forest? Fox Manor?¡± He had never heard of these ces, but he could be sure that all three locations were within the Steel Ridge Kingdom. Only Steel Ridge and its vassal states used Serpent Script. Including the aforementioned Rudolf who wrote the alchemy diary¡ªthey must all be from the Steel Ridge Kingdom. He cautiously reached out to touch the books, hoping to turn a page. But it was still a failure. As soon as the books were touched, they immediately turned to powder and could not be preserved. ¡°What a shame, two boxes of books, a wealth of knowledge, all gone.¡± Liszt shook his head, turning his gaze to thest two chests, ¡°Are these two chests also filled with books?¡± Chapter 111 - 0111: Gemstones, Crystals, and Magic Jade Chapter 111: Gemstones, Crystals, and Magic Jade Trantor: 549690339 Thest two chests were not filled with books. To Liszt¡¯s surprise, one chest contained a variety of jades, the other various crystals, ¡°Jades and crystals, the value of these two chests, will definitely not be lower than that of the mithril ores!¡± He picked up a milky white jade. The regret of the vanished books was somewhat diminished. Jades and crystals can be considered types of gemstones. However, their origins are entirely different. Jadees from the earth and, like saltpeter and sulfur, is a naturally formed mineral. Crystals, on the other hand, originate from dragons. They are associated mineral stones produced alongside a dragon¡¯s gemstones. Dragons can produce gemstones, and gemstones possess extraordinary magic power. But gem mines are rare, and moremon are the associated crystal mines surrounding the gemstones¡ªthe topaz is apanied by yellow crystals, the ruby by red crystals. Crystals also contain magic power, butpared to gemstones, the magic power in crystals is rtively sparse. Nobles like to carve drinking cups out of crystal, and in Liszt¡¯s castle, there is a set of such crystal goblets used for entertaining distinguished guests. Crystals are alsomonly used to make magic lighting fixtures which can brighten both day and night until the contained magic power ispletely consumed. All reputable castles have crystalmps. Crystals are also an ideal essory for noblewomen, who can add quite a bit of grace to their demeanor with a crystal ne. Jades originating from the earth, also known as magic jades, are stones that also have magic power. However, the magic power they contain has already highly integrated with the stone itself, making it difficult to utilize for creating magic items. But jade is the best food for elves. During the transnting period for cordyceps, the elves relied on nibbling on jade to sustain life; when contracting elf bugs, jade is also used as bait; and using jade to make containers for elves to live in increases the probability of their evolution. Therefore, the value of jade is not cheaper than that of crystal. Opening the Gemstone Space. He put a chest full of jade and a chest full of crystals into it, shook the bell to summon the butler, ¡°Mr. Carter, I have stored the treasures in the chests, most of which are severely damaged and ancient, with only some slight residues left. Have someone move and dispose of them.¡± He had carefully examined the chests that contained books, and not a single legible word remained as the books werepletely rotted. This is a disadvantage of parchment paper, which cannot be preserved for too long. Liszt believes that theck of historical records in the different world is definitely rted to parchment paper. During its production process, the paper undergoes an ¡°acidification¡± process to allow for smooth writing. But acid-prone substances are likely to undergo chemical reactions, making them difficult to preserve for a long time. That is how he understood it. ¡°Despite the regrets, overall, this sunken ship treasure has made me a fortune, which is great!¡± Liszt thought to himself. His mood gradually became morefortable. So for that evening¡¯s dinner, he had the kitchen host a barbecue party. Goltai, Marcus, and others all attended. They knew that Liszt had made a hefty gain that day, but wisely refrained from asking about the specifics of the treasure. For three consecutive days. Liszt was monitoring the situation with the dragon hollyhocks. The transnted wild dragon hollyhocks had already adapted to the new soil environment and began to show signs of life. Their green leaves were vibrant, those that were flowering continued to bloom, and those bearing fruit continued to fruit. Only the dragon hollyhock nurturing an elf bug remained in a deathly state, with its magic power intermittent, feeling as if it could die at any moment. Yet, it did not die; it just remained there, stiff and still. On the Smoke Mission, there had been no change, meaning that the mission had not beenpleted. ¡°The magic power of the ck Pearl should be sufficient, I can see traces of magic power emanating beneath the soil¡­ I can¡¯t exert any more strength. Little Dragon Hollyhock insects, whether you can survive or not, it¡¯s up to your own will to live.¡± This Smoke Mission could only involve waiting¡ªwaiting for the Dragon Hollyhock to die, marking the mission¡¯s failure, or for the Dragon Hollyhock to revive, signaling the mission¡¯spletion. Liszt stood up. Looking towards the direction of the Castle, a yellowish-gray horse was galloping toward the Castle. ¡°It¡¯s Marcus returning,¡± he mounted his Li Dragon Horse and rode back to the Castle, where he happened upon Marcus standing at the gateway. ¡°Teacher Marcus, was your trip sessful?¡± ¡°All went well, my Lord. Tomorrow, crystal craftsman Brad will arrive with the Fresh Flower Caravan¡¯s transport team to serve you in Fresh Flower Town for a month.¡± ¡°Well done, Teacher Marcus.¡± Liszt nodded. After obtaining arge quantity of crystals, the idea of crafting a telescope began to take shape in his mind¡ªss was the most suitable material for telescopes, but ss-making was ratherplicated. Liszt did not yet have the capability to produce ss, so he had to use crystal to make the lenses. Transparent white crystal, when polished to a smooth finish, made crafting of a telescope rather simple. In Coral City, there were craftsmen who specialized in making crystal ornaments, and while these craftsmen might not be able to create crystalmps, grinding concave and convex lenses would certainly not be beyond their expertise. ¡°For the telescope¡¯s lenses, should they be concave or convex?¡± Liszt had forgotten some of the physics knowledge. He just remembered that a monocr telescope consisted of two lenses, and the distance one could see changed as they were extended or shortened. Hiring a crystal craftsman for a month should enable him to produce a quality telescope. Crystal craftsman Brad. Arrived as scheduled the next day. He was a middle-aged man with a bald head and tworge mustaches, his voice booming: ¡°Respectful Baron of Fresh Flower Town, Brad greets you.¡± ¡°Brad, do you know why I hired you?¡± ¡°Mr. Marcus mentioned that you wish for me to create several crystal artifacts for you.¡± ¡°Right, I need you to make a batch of mirrors.¡± Liszt handed him several pieces of white crystal, which were deposits that often apanied sapphires. As for which Dragon produced the sapphires, Liszt did not have this knowledge¡ªinformation about Dragons was plentiful but often vague. Those nations possessing Dragons tended always to shroud them in mystery. ¡°Is this white crystal? I can feel the magic power it contains.¡± Brad was a frence craftsman and also an Apprentice Knight; he possessed Dou Qi¡ªa craftsman who worked with gemstones and crystals had to possess Dou Qi. Liszt unfolded a sheet of thick paper: ¡°I need you to craft these pieces of white crystal into mirrors of this design, with an extremely smooth surface. Moreover, their thickness must be consistent throughout, without any variations, and the shape must remain circr. The mirrorse in two sizes, but their thickness can vary.¡± The paper disyed diagrams of convex and concave lenses. Uncertain of what focal length of convex or concave lens would be suitable for assembling into a telescope, Liszt simply decided to have the crystal craftsman produce several of them, and he would experiment with differentbinationster on. ¡°As you wish, my Lord.¡± ¡°Then make yourself at home in Fresh Flower Town. If you can finish grinding the batch of mirrors ahead of schedule, you are free to leave earlier. The sry will still be the Gold Coin previously agreed upon.¡± Crystal craftsmen belonged to the higher end of the artisan spectrum, and they generally earned a good ie. Earning twenty or thirty Silver Coins per month was quite normal. If Liszt wanted to employ them, he had to offer a more substantial reward. In the days that followed, Brad meticulously began grinding the concave and convex lenses. Chapter 112: Respect for the Maid Chapter 112: Respect for the Maid Trantor: 549690339 The telescope was still being ground. The Dragon Hollyhock was still half-dead. The Fragrant Coconut Tree Elf Bug was still incubating. The Thorn Cordyceps Shrubbery¡¯s Rapid Growth Poison Thorns were sprouting new shoots every day. Homes in various settlements were still being built sporadically, and houses were also under construction in the four districts of the town, with roadwork never ceasing. On the Douson Avenue of the castle, construction persisted daily. Shooting arrows, practicing spears. Merging horse and man, charging into battle. Liszt¡¯s life was fulfilling every day. Mrs. Abbie¡¯s culinary skills evolved rapidly, not only could she make pineapple buns, but she also learned to cook a few new dishes¡ªthe Thorn Caravan traveled to and from North Valley City daily, procuring supplies needed for the castle. With gold coins, anything was attainable. ¡°Quietly nurturing¡­ It¡¯s been almost half a year since I came to this world. I haven¡¯t done anything earth-shattering or made any radical developments. However, under my guidance, Fresh Flower Town has still entered a path of rapid development. Although the territory may still be barren, at the very least, it has taken on a new face.¡± Once he had only Goltai and Marcus as aides by his side. Now Goltai served as the Administrative Officer, Marcus as the interim Knight Captain, Isaiah as the Finance Officer, ir as the Legal Officer, and Karl Ironhammer as the Defense Officer; Old Geronte led the Fresh Flower Caravan as its captain, with Abagon as his deputy, and Sherlock captained the Thorn Caravan; Kostor was the captain of the Fresh Flower Vessel. A team had begun to take shape. The Elf Bugs grew from four, the Tulip Bug, Millet Bug, Alfalfa Bug, and Thorn Bug, to seven with the addition of Tomato Bug, Little Wheat Bug, and Peanut Bug, and two more were awaiting birth, the Fragrant Coconut Bug and the Dragon Kui Bug. The number of horses in town, including those belonging to the newly arrived officials and their families, had grown from fifteen at the start to seven pregnant mares, the purchase of two foals, and eight nags. There were also twelve carriages allocated to the caravans. The grass at the horse farm was no longer sufficient; it had be necessary to purchase fodder from outside. In addition. Magic Potion, Smoked Grass, Fruit Thief Monkeys, seafood¡­ The only slow development was the poption, from the initial 1991 people to now 2074, an increase of just 83 people. However, by the end of September, five hundred serfs would be transported here to add to thebor force. ¡°The greatest gains are actually all within me,¡± Liszt leaned back in his chair, leisurely sipping a cup of milk tea without any additives. Behind him stood a fruit tree outside the castle, a green apple tree with a low yield, small fruits, and a tart taste. At least it could provide a bit of green shade. He felt pleased. Perhaps Mrs. Morson¡¯s cooking skills had improved, or maybe the quality of the pregnant cows¡¯ milk had increased, but regardless, the milk tea was bing tastier by the day. So much so that after drinking it, he could feel the nutrients in the milk tea making his body exceptionallyfortable and invigorating his spirit. It swept away the lethargy of the scorching summer days. ¡°Douson is a good guard dog, Rock Spike is very powerful in attack, and Juan Fu could probably be kept for meat. The Space Gem is the most priceless treasure, the value of the Mithril Mine, Jade, Crystal, and ck Pearl should be calcted in Dragon coins. The Crimson Blood Sword is a gemstone weapon, along with the Drift Bottle from the Child of the Sun.¡± His personal wealth, if really assessed and measured, was probably unparalleled in Coral Ind. ¡°I also learned the Dou Qi Secret Technique¡ªthe Eye of Magic. Although I don¡¯t know why the Bald Vulture Knight, Stefan, hid the Eye of Magic in a book, I should thank him. This assistive Dou Qi Secret Technique far surpasses any other powerfully destructive Dou Qi Secret Techniques.¡± Douson was frolicking all over the ce. ¡°Woof woof!¡± Thomas followed behind it, pulling on the leash, sweating profusely. Given Douson¡¯s current strength, Thomas, just an ordinary person, really couldn¡¯t hold on to it. Liszt shifted his gaze away from Douson. He nced at the small garden beside the castle. There, a maidservant was collecting the meat jerky that had been drying in the garden. Her ck-and-white maid uniform was quite pleasing to the eye. ¡°Is that Little Lily?¡± Liszt, who was somewhat distant, couldn¡¯t make out the maid¡¯s facial expression but could tell it was her from her figure. Little Lily, the kitchen maid, was the tallest among the maids in the castle, standing at probably one meter seventy. He remembered the first time he saw Little Lily, the seventeen-year-old girl was just a skinny, dry stick. Perhaps it was from eating and living well in the castle and the ensuing rxation, but it was clear now that she had developed breasts and her buttocks were a bit perkier than before. ¡°The youngdy has blossomed, indeed. The sight of a maid at work is truly a delight to the eyes.¡± After reflecting on this, he redirected his gaze and began to circte the Dou Qi within his body¡ªjust moments ago, there was some restlessness, as if wanting to express respect to the maid. His body was also developing rapidly. He had shot up in height, and he estimated that he must now be about one meter eighty-three tall. Earth Knight Marcus was a standard one meter eighty-six, and standing beside him, Liszt was now almost the same height. The Earl was about one meter eighty-one tall, and histe mother Melissa was said to be a tall beauty. Thus, Liszt surmised that he might still grow taller, surpassing Marcus wouldn¡¯t be a problem, and maybe he could even reach one meter ny? The restlessness was hard to smooth over. Liszt simply stood up, drew the Crimson Blood Sword hanging at his waist, and began to practice the ¡°Fire Dragon Drill¡±. Time flew, and it was suddenly September. The Earl had returned from Blue Dragon Ind and had summoned all his followers to gather at Tulip Castle. As the newly ennobled Baron of Fresh Flower Town, it was only natural for Liszt to attend. The Coral Ind faction was not particrlyrge. In total, there were two viscounts, sixteen barons, eighty-two Honored Knights, in addition to one Hereditary Viscount (Levis) and a few life barons. A life peerage is a non-hereditary title that allows for equivalent status and privileges withoutnd and cannot be passed down. Some countries have established them, while others have not. In the Duchy of Sapphire, life peerages are generally granted to adult heirs of great families¡ªthey havee of age but their fathers are still alive, so it is not their turn to inherit. Some may even be over forty years old without having inherited, which can be somewhat awkward. Hence, life peerages were introduced. Of course, some magicians, skilled craftsmen with contributions, and even merchants of considerable wealth might also be granted life peerages. ¡°The Grand Duke has already issued the Pioneer Mandate. After autumn, we will act in coordination with Steel Ridge Kingdom to attack the coastal regions of Eagle Kingdom,¡± Levis informed Liszt with urate news upon encountering him, ¡°Father has decided to ept the mandate and participate in this war.¡± ¡°Are you going as well?¡± Liszt asked. ¡°Of course, I have to go. This is a test for me; I need to prove that I can carry on Father¡¯s will and be favored by the glory of knighthood,¡± Levis said, not nervous but excited, ¡°The Grand Duke has arranged for Father to cooperate with Marquis Roderick, and I will act as the liaison officer, coordinating the actions between the two knight orders.¡± ¡°Marquis Roderick?¡± Liszt recalled that Lady Penelope had mentioned that Levis was pursuing the man¡¯s daughter, ¡°What¡¯s the name of the marquis¡¯s daughter?¡± Levis¡¯s eyes shimmered with the light of spring: ¡°Loria, Loria Gold Wheat Ear!¡± Chapter 113 - 0113: The Role of the Black Pearl Chapter 113: The Role of the ck Pearl Trantor: 549690339 The surnames of the great nobility are always very elegant. Even within marquis families, the Long Taro Family¡¯s surname ¡°Long Taro¡± is a step below that of the Golden Wheat Sheaf Family¡¯s ¡°Golden Wheat Sheaf¡± in terms of ss. This is also a disy of heritage. The surname of the Golden Wheat Sheaf Family, just decades ago, was still ¡°Golden Wheat.¡± This is a powerful family, and the reason their surname is not ¡°Barley¡± or ¡°Little Wheat¡± is that their family not only has a Little Wheat Greater Elf but also a Barley Greater Elf. Before the Grand Duchy of Sapphire was established, the Golden Wheat Family had already risen by trading in grain. Later on, following the Sapphire Family, they established a nation and became one of the earliest Marquis families in the Grand Duchy. However, much like the Pa Pa Family, which split into Small Pa Pa and Big Pa Pa, the Golden Wheat Family also went through a division decades ago. The branch that had the Little Wheat Greater Elf, for their military achievements, was ennobled as Earls and changed their surname to ¡°Golden Wheat Grain.¡± The branch that had the Barley Greater Elf inherited the title and changed their surname to ¡°Golden Wheat Sheaf.¡± Every change of the surname. Signifies the development of the family, the elevation of bloodlines, and the alteration of status. ¡°If one day, I also cultivate a Tulip Great Elf, and rely on military achievements to be ennobled as an Earl. Then, following noble custom, perhaps the Tulip Family might change its name to ¡®Red Tulip,¡¯ and I to ¡®ck Tulip¡¯¡­ Liszt ck Tulip?¡± Sometimes, Liszt would indulge in such idle fancies. ¡°Then, dear brother, may your wishese true,¡± Liszt said with a smile as he wished his brother well after learning the daughter of the marquis¡¯ name. ¡°I will seed. Unlike Cousin Meioubao, Loria and I have been in correspondence for half a year already, I know she has taken notice of me. What I need to do now is to outperform the otherpetitors with excellent deeds. Cousin Meioubao is simply having a one-sided crush, the princess has¡­ many guests.¡± Levis said, not forgetting to tease Meioubao in the process. This cousin, well, he is beyond reproach in character, appearance, and family background, but he happens to be smitten with a flirtatious princess. Liszt actually had a good impression of Meioubao, so he did not join Levis in teasing: ¡°By the way, brother, the ck Pearl I sold youst time, have you had it crafted into magic equipment?¡± ¡°It has been sessful. The magician carved special magic runes on it, and then it became an item capable of silencing the wind.¡± ¡°Silencing the wind?¡± ¡°The water-attribute magic power within the ck Pearl can suppress the flow of wind, especially silencing Wind System Magic. I saw with my own eyes a Wind de released by a magician dissipate aftering within five meters of the ck Pearl. Though it¡¯s a bitrge, when hung on a warhorse, it can defend effectively against stealth attacks by Wind Dou Qi.¡± He looked at Liszt and continued, ¡°Especially for someone like your Marcus, a knight with Wind Dou Qi who loves to practice archery, vainly trying to use Dou Qi to control arrows for a fatal surprise attack. Now, when facing elite Wind Dou Qi Earth Knights, I don¡¯t need to be anxious.¡± ¡°It seems the ck Pearl is quite useful; I feel like I sold it too cheaply.¡± ¡°Two hundred and eighty gold coins is not a small amount; it can only silence the wind after all. If it could silence all magic power, then it would truly be valuable.¡± Levis leaned in closer, ¡°Do you have any more ck Pearls? As far as I know, a pearl oyster can produce several pearls, and Tridas should be the same; you must still have ck Pearls.¡± Liszt responded with a question instead of an answer: ¡°It can silence the wind, with a range of up to five meters?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Such capability sparked a flurry of thoughts in Liszt¡¯s mind. What he sold to Levis was a ck Pearl the size of a sea bowl, capable of enveloping a radius of five meters, silencing all wind. If reced with two ck Pearls the size of a basketball, how much area could they silence? And what about that one the size of a basin, how much area could it silence? It was likely to cover a radius of dozens, if not hundreds, of meters. Such an ability might, on the battlefield, merely avoid the sneak attacks of Wind Dou Qi. But if applied to sailing, just think about it, if the Fresh Flower Vessel were equipped with a ck pearl the size of a washbasin that silenced the wind around the entire ship, it would essentially never encounter a storm. Sailing the seas would then be like walking on t ground¡ªeven if it couldn¡¯t calm the surges, silencing the wind would greatly reduce the threat. As for whether a ship could sail if the wind was silenced¡­ aren¡¯t there oars? If a storm was encountered, just take out the ck Pearl, and when there¡¯s no storm, put it away again. There¡¯s always a way to solve the problem. In an instant, he made his decision, ¡°ck pearls as big as washbasins or basketballs, absolutely cannot be sold. They are a must-have item for arming my own fleet in the future!¡± So he replied with an indifferent tone, ¡°Of course, I have some more. I originally nned to keep them as collectibles. ck pearls are not so easily obtained treasures.¡± ¡°Sell me another one.¡± ¡°You want another one?¡± ¡°Yes, I n to make it into a new piece of magic equipment and then give it to Loria¡­ What do you think, isn¡¯t that a thoughtful and sincere gesture?¡± Liszt casually said, ¡°Women generally have no resistance to jewelry, I think it¡¯s a good idea. How much are you willing to spend? I have one ck pearl about the same size as the one I sold you, as well as a few smaller ones.¡± ¡°Two hundred and eighty Gold Coins.¡± The price was the same as the previous ck pearl, and Levis quoted the same price. ¡°To silence all winds with such a function, you can¡¯t get it for two hundred and eighty Gold Coins,¡± Liszt said unhurriedly, as it was now a seller¡¯s market. It was time to raise the price from the ground up. After some back-and-forth haggling. Finally, another ck pearl was sold by Liszt at the price of four hundred and thirty Gold Coins. ¡°Liszt, your heart is as ck as those merchants.¡± ¡°Whether my heart is ck or not is not important. What¡¯s important is that you can show Loria your crimson heart, right?¡± The Earl announced the Pioneer Mandate during the midday banquet. He then began to summon his followers to join him in the military campaign¡ªamon urrence, as every year or two, a Pioneer Mandate would be called. So in one afternoon, all the followers were rallied. Among them, the Earl himself would dispatch the most elite Coral Ind Knights, consisting of ten Knight Squads totaling one hundred and thirty people, along with a temporarily assembled garrison Knight Order, fifteen Knight Squads totaling one hundred and ny-five people. His followers would send out twenty-six elite or ordinary Knight Squads, totaling three hundred and forty-two people. All together, six hundred and sixty-seven knights were mixed into four Knight Orders. The Earl himself would lead the elite Coral Ind Knights, while Levis also acted as the liaison officer and led one of the mixed Knight Squads, Viscount Trick Lygrass led another, and Jonas Rubble Viscount led thest one. ¡°Rest for three days, gather all knights in Coral City in three days, and set sail to Golden Ind by ship, to act together with Marquis Roderick¡¯s Knight Order,¡± the Earl announced in full military attire, hand on sword, his grey-green eyes seemingly glowing, his words resonating with authority. All the nobles participating in the war. Each of them covered their left chest with one hand and performed the knight¡¯s salute, ¡°We follow you, my lord!¡± Liszt stood in the corner; he was not participating in the battle¡ªFresh Flower Town couldn¡¯t even muster a single Knight Squad. A regr Knight Squad indeed didn¡¯t need all members to be Earth Knights, but they at least had to possess Dou Qi. Of the twelve young knights, six had not yet developed Dou Qi. Chapter 114: The Conservation of Cordyceps Chapter 114: The Conservation of Cordyceps Trantor: 549690339 The Earl was very busy, Liszt merely took a moment to greet him and offer his blessings before leaving Tulip Castle and returning to Fresh Flower Town. Before departing, the Earl solemnly said, ¡°Fresh Flower Town is developing quite well, I have been paying attention. Train your Knight Squad, I hope that in next year¡¯s Pioneer Mandate, you and Levis can fight side by side.¡± ¡°I am looking forward to it as well.¡± Liszt responded with these words. Yet in his heart, he was nomittal¡ªengaging in battle was out of the question, he would never partake in battle in this lifetime. ttery wasn¡¯t his forte, only farming, could he maintain his way of life. However, no one could predict the future. He would not be cooped up in Fresh Flower Town forever, remaining a countryside Baron. Riding dragons was a major life goal, while owning his own small ind was a minor one. To possess an ind as a fief, he would at least need to climb to the rank of Viscount, which would require some effort. During the return journey, the Li Dragon Horse galloped. He zoned out slightly while on horseback. The excitement of the nobles at the Pioneer Mandate banquet had indeed infected him¡ªthe nobles might be parasites, but their thirst for glory was very pure. To fight, to charge, to risk their lives for wealth and honor. ¡°Will I really not go to war? But without warfare, how else can I advance in rank? Rebel? Without the power to y a dragon, rebelling is tantamount to suicide.¡± You can¡¯t treat the Sapphire Family¡¯s Sapphire Dragon as an ornament. That is a top-level power in this world, akin to a nuclear weapon; it is best not to test it. ¡°Earning merit on the battlefield is the most effective way to advance¡­ A Lord does not need to lead the charge, let the knights do the fighting and killing, it is still possible to ensure one¡¯s safety. In the worst-case scenario, being captured and ransomed back is a bit embarrassing, but preserving one¡¯s life is most important.¡± ¡°Perhaps I could follow the path of a typical Noble¡¯s second son, and court a noble damsel?¡± Some nobles who only had daughters, their ranks would certainly be inherited by the daughters, as the Grand Duchy recognizes Baronesses. Such noble damsels are the best marriage prospects for second sons of nobles. Some noble damsels, pampered by their parents, would already have their own fiefdoms and be hereditary nobles, like Li Vera. They too would be prime marriage prospects for second sons of nobles. ¡°Unfortunately, in the Duchy of Sapphire, suitable noble damsels are after all in the minority¡­ There are many noble damsels at the ranks of Honored Knights and Barons, but noble damsels at the rank of Viscounts, Earls are very rare. The archipgo itself isn¡¯t veryrge, with only seven Marquises and a little over twenty Earls.¡± Besides, there was a very realistic problem¡ªnoble damsels aspired to marry higher ranking noble heirs, not just any minor nobility. ¡°I am handsome, my father is an Earl, my grandfather is a Marquis, and I have been granted a Baron¡¯s fief. Amongst the second sons, I am probably a verypetitive candidate, let me think about which single Viscount damsels in the Grand Duchy are suitable for marriage¡­¡± After some thought, he couldn¡¯te up with a single one. All nobles hope to have a son to inherit their rank. Nobles with only a daughter are very rare. The battlefield is too dangerous, and Baronesses are too scarce, Liszt then considered a third way to achieve rank¡ªby making a significant contribution. If he could contribute the art of paper-making to the Sapphire Duke, maybe he could fish for an Earl¡¯s, or even a Marquis¡¯s rank. ¡°But ranks conferred for contributions are lifelong ranks without fiefs. This method is utterly uneptable.¡± The more he thought about it, the less feasible it seemed. He gave a self-deprecatingugh, feeling resignated, ¡°Rather than going through all this trouble, it would be better to hope for the Earl and Levis to¡­ stop, I feel like such thoughts shouldn¡¯t arise, after all, they are dear blood rtives.¡± After returning to Fresh Flower Town. Liszt fell back into the leisurely rhythm of life. The Earl was too pressed for time with war duties and couldn¡¯t even hold his September 14 birthday party on Coral Ind, so there was no need for Liszt to worry about diplomacy and he could devote himself to developing the town. The Dragon Hollyhock was still half-dead, but as long as it hadn¡¯t died, it indicated that the Elf Bug had a will to survive. Hope remained. What brought him joy was the Fragrant Coconut Tree, as farmer Jiggs came to report that a Fragrant Coconut Fruit had cracked open. Instead of coconut milk flowing out, a plump, milky-white Elf Bug had crawled out. He brought Jade Powder and a Jade Box. Liszt hurried to Oyster Vige and personally climbed the several dozen meters high Fragrant Coconut Tree to see the long-awaited Fragrant Coconut Tree Elf Bug¡ªit was very plump, fatter than any Elf Bug he had on hand, and also exceptionally white, as if it were faintly glowing. It appeared as though it had just bathed in milk. ¡°Little guy,e on, my treat, have some Jade Powder.¡± He sprinkled Jade Powder on the Fragrant Coconut Fruit to tempt the Elf Bug. A newly born Elf Bug, acting on instinct, was quickly attracted by the magic power contained in the Jade Powder. It began to gobble up the Jade Powder in big bites. Next, all Liszt needed to do was to smear his finger with Jade Powder and stretch it out to the mouth of the Elf Bug. A bite down. The contract wasplete. The pleasure of a heart-to-heart connection closely linked him with the Fragrant Coconut Tree Elf Bug, sharing joy and sorrow. Having put the Fragrant Coconut Bug into the Jade Box, Liszt rewarded the farmers who had been patiently taking care of the Fragrant Coconut Bug, giving each person a silver coin, ¡°Jiggs, you all must continue to take good care of this Cordyceps, understand?¡± ¡°Understood, Lord Landlord.¡± Back at the castle, he handed the Fragrant Coconut Bug over to Carter to be ced in the Worm Room. Carter was very happy but also expressed his concerns, ¡°My lord, we now have eight Elf Bugs, and the castle servants may not be able to take adequate care of each Cordyceps. Do you think it is necessary to hire new servants to specifically care for the Cordyceps?¡± This question reminded Liszt. Indeed, no one in Fresh Flower Town would dare to defy him, let alone destroy his Cordyceps. But it¡¯s always the unexpected that happens¡ªif amoner went mad and cut down the Cordyceps; or if an animal identally ate the Cordyceps¡ªdon¡¯t expect fences to stop everything. ¡°Your concern is very reasonable, but I don¡¯t n to hire servants for watching the Cordyceps. Instead, I n to set up a formal team to guard them,¡± he said. No sooner had he thought it than he acted, immediately calling Goltai, Marcus, and Karl Ironhammer. ¡°My lord.¡± ¡°Teacher Goltai, Teacher Marcus, Karl, I¡¯ve called you here because I have more and more Elf Bugs, and the Cordyceps are distributed all over the town. They need better protection.¡± ¡°Do we need to assign more Patrol Members to frequently patrol the Cordyceps, my lord?¡± ¡°Merely patrolling is not enough. I need dedicated, long-term protection. Do you have any good ideas?¡± Liszt had ns in mind, but he didn¡¯t reveal them. To hint but not divulge¡ªthis is the Controlling Path of those in high positions. Goltai thought for a moment and said, ¡°Currently, the protection for Cordyceps relies mainly on castle servants for care, local farmers for supervision, Patrol Team for inspection, and fences for istion. Perhaps we can train more Patrol Members to specifically patrol the Cordyceps.¡± Marcus was more straightforward, ¡°The Knight Squad could take over patrol duties.¡± Last came Karl, ¡°My lord, I think we can arrange for Patrol Members to stand guard around the Cordyceps. Currently, we have twenty Patrol Members overseeing the town, which is not necessary; we can spare eight Patrol Members to protect the Cordyceps, ensuring they are guarded at all times.¡± ¡°Karl¡¯s suggestion aligns more with my thoughts, but we don¡¯t need Patrol Members for the job; that¡¯s a waste of manpower. Select sturdy serfs from each vige, arrange them to guard the Cordyceps in shifts, and have the town administration pay their sry, one copper coin a day,¡± he said after a pause. Then he continued, ¡°In addition, Teacher Marcus, arrange for members of the Knight Squad to teach the guarding serfs some basicbat skills.¡± Chapter 115 - 0115: Thorn Chain Quest Chapter 115: Thorn Chain Quest Trantor: 549690339 Rom had been very excitedtely; he thought he would end up like Auden and Gray, unable to cultivate Dou Qi and ultimately abandoned by Mr. Marcus. Being abandoned and bing a useless person without Dou Qi was a terrifying prospect. He, along with Karl, Auden, and Gray, all of serf origins, had been employed as Retainer Knights for Baron Liszt. However, Karl had now be an Apprentice Knight and the Defense Officer of Fresh Flower Town, leading a Patrol Team of twenty men and basking in sess. When meeting Karl, he would have to address him as Mr. Karl. The change in status brought immense pressure to him, a suffocating urgency as if the giant hand of fate was choking his throat, trying to strangle his hopes for progress. He was terrified of achieving nothing, so he practiced diligently not only during Marcus¡¯s lessons but also on his own, with reckless abandon. Eventually, he sessfully cultivated Dou Qi, Primary Dou Qi, and became an Apprentice Knight. His wish fulfilled, his earnest and hard practice bore fruit¡ªLord Landlord appointed him as the captain of the Patrol Team, assisting Karl in maintaining the town¡¯s security. His status was not equal to Karl¡¯s, but Rom was already very satisfied, his talent being not as outstanding as Karl¡¯s and having taken many more days to cultivate Dou Qi. He should rightly take a ce beneath Karl. The Patrol Team originally had a captain, who was just an ordinary person and was very resentful about his arrival. However, Rom taught him how to behave with just a few easy punches. ¡°Strength, with just Primary Dou Qi, I already possess the power that ordinary people cannot hope to match. How much more powerful could an Earth Knight be with Intermediate Dou Qi?¡± Before obtaining Dou Qi, his understanding of knights was not very clear. He only knew that knights were strong, but how strong they were and how marvelous Dou Qi was, he had no idea. Now that he had acquired Dou Qi, he fully understood the tremendous qualitative change Dou Qi brought to knights. ¡°Earth Knight¡­ I have no hope of attaining Intermediate Dou Qi in this lifetime. However, Lord Landlord has already given me a chance to change my fate, and I, Rom Barrel, will seize it! In the future, I will ensure my son starts practicing Dou Qi from a young age!¡± He was not yet married, but already many girls in town had shown their affection for him. An Apprentice Knight was still very appealing. ¡°My son will be an Earth Knight like Mr. Marcus! Then, he will have the hope of reaching out to join the Nobles!¡± For a bright tomorrow. Rom diligently did his job every day, never shirking his Patrol duties, and took great satisfaction in his role as the team captain. What Rom didn¡¯t know, however, was that his hard work had all been noticed by Liszt. Liszt did not like mundane affairs; dealing with the various day-to-day issues of the town was not his style. He did not wish to be a Han Xin skilled at leading soldiers but rather a Liu Bangpetent at leading generals. Thus, he appreciated subordinates who worked diligently. Rom was one such diligent subordinate. ¡°Rom, in light of your performance, I have a new mission for you.¡± ¡°Pleasemand, my lord!¡± ¡°You and Karl have both be Apprentice Knights capable of handling responsibilities on your own, so I n to establish the position of ¡®Worm Affairs Officer¡¯ in Fresh Flower Town, under which there will be a ¡®Bug Guard Team.¡¯ Members will be selected from the strongbor force of each post. You will serve as the Worm Affairs Officer, and your task will be to lead the Bug Guard Team in protecting the Cordyceps.¡± After much thought, Liszt decided to establish the Bug Guard Team as a separate entity. This team¡¯s basic temte was roughly equivalent to a militia organization, an augmentation to the Patrol Team. With an increasing influx of people to Fresh Flower Town, it would be impossible to maintain security with just the Patrol Team. Thus, the Bug Guard Team would be an integral part of the security forces. Patrol Team police station. Bug Guard Team militia barracks. Knight Squad Army. Such was the thought process of Li Si Te, the sessor of borrowing ideas; his notions always tended to fit this mold. Rom immediately knelt on one knee, performing the knight¡¯s salute, ¡°Rom wishes to follow Your Excellency¡¯s footsteps for life!¡± His body trembled slightly, a sign of excitement, never having imagined that opportunities to change his fate woulde one after another. Now, he officially stepped into the ranks of the officials. Being an official wasn¡¯t formally a social ss, but assuming such a role indicated that one had entered the ranks of the ¡°nobility reserves.¡± When he left the castle, he was still somewhat dazed, feeling as if his body was afloat, ¡°Serving Your Excellency is a moment deeply graced by knightly honor in my life, Rom!¡± Perhaps it was Li Si Te¡¯s heartfelt care for the Elf Bugs that was sensed. Just two days after the establishment of the Bug Guard Team, he saw the Dragon Kui Cordyceps in the Dragon Kui Field regaining a hint of vitality in their leaves, and the previous ck spots had also dissipated a great deal. ¡°Has it pulled through?¡± Li Si Te hastened to summon the long-missed Smoke Mission. Without any surprise, the Smoke Serpent Script had changed, ¡°Complete the task, reward one Dragon Kui Elf Bug.¡± ¡°Indeed, Dragon Hollyhocks nurture Elf Bugs; this is my ninth Elf Bug, very good¡­ although I am unsure of what use the Dragon Hollyhocks are.¡± The berries of the Dragon Hollyhock are edible, but only as a snack; even with the boost from the Dragon Kui Bug, it¡¯s unlikely for it to yield many berries. Better than nothing, at least it is an Elf Bug. Smoke twisted, issuing a new task, ¡°Task: The long overdue heavy rain is about to visit Fresh Flower Town, the homes of the residents of the territory are mostly in disrepair, unable to withstand the torrential rain, as a Lord how can you sit idly, please repair the territory¡¯s houses. Reward: Mutated Thorn.¡± ¡°Another reward of Mutated Thorn?¡± pondered Li Si Te, ¡°This is the third task about Thorns, it seems to be a chain of tasks! The previous Formless Dragon chain task rewarded a Space Gem, I wonder what good thing this series of tasks will reward?¡± He had a vague guess? Thorn Minor Elf! ¡°Could it be the Thorn Minor Elf?¡± Not being certain, Li Si Te still forcefully suppressed the notion, harboring no hope to avoid disappointment, and should it truly be awarded, it would be an immense surprise. For now, just strive toplete the task at hand. ¡°Repairing houses, it seems it¡¯s time for another all-hands-on-deck battle.¡± He immediately convened all the officials of the town, arranging the housing repair work of the territory, ¡°This summer there has scarcely been any rainfall, which is unusual. I specte that there might be strong stormsing in the next few days. Most houses in Fresh Flower Town are old wooden huts, which are very unsafe.¡± ¡°The new houses are already under construction, as for those serfs, just let them fix their wooden huts themselves.¡± Goltai couldn¡¯t help but look down on serfs. ir appeared to be brown-nosing, ¡°The most in need of repair is the castle, where Your Excellency resides, should be even safer and more beautiful.¡± ¡°The castle¡¯s repair work can wait until after the autumn harvest when thebor force is idle. Now, each of you assign the tasks, and make sure every damaged wooden hut is properly reinforced. All civilians, regardless of whether they are serfs or freemen, must ept the work arrangement.¡± After a pause, Liszt said, ¡°All civilians will receive nopensation and must work for free to repair their own huts. However, the materials for repairing the huts will be provided by the Castle, as a benefit I bestow upon the residents.¡± ¡°You are truly generous. I will arrange this immediately and ensure that all the wooden huts are repaired within a week.¡± Chapter 116: Dismantling One’s Own Wooden Hut Chapter 116: Dismantling One¡¯s Own Wooden Hut Trantor: 549690339 Clip-clop, clip-clop. Horse hooves crunched over the gravel path, the Li Dragon Horse arching its neck, its ck mane fluttering in the wind. This main road had been under construction for over two months, with an average of 180 civilian workers maintaining it daily, each paid a copper coin a day. Meaning, this road cost 180 copper coins every day, amounting to over ten thousand copper coins, roughly 1 Gold Coin in two months. Sometimes, the cost of manpower is astonishingly cheap. Rocks brought in from various ces were smashed into pieces the size of fingernails, neatly spread over the ground, mixed with the sands from the East Coast, giving the whole road a clean and tidy appearance. Without cement, stepping on gravel and sand, one would invariably get them unknowingly into their shoes. ¡°It¡¯s a pity that Thorn Ridge is just a hillock with plenty of small stones; they are too small to even cut into bs. Otherwise, building the main road with stone bs would be more beautiful,¡± thought Liszt with some regret. The town was truly barren, with its surrounding resources extremely scarce. He had now sold ck Pearls twice, his purse bulging with over five hundred Gold Coins. But he couldn¡¯t immediately convert it into resources¡ªlivestock couldn¡¯t be bought inrge numbers due to theck of pasture; too few hands for more construction; roads couldn¡¯t be repaired often due to a shortage of stone; and not enough tools to cultivate barren fields. Just like today, the whole town was busy refurbishing wooden houses. Thus, there were no workers for the road. Under the supervision of the Patrol Team and Clerks, themoners began inspecting their own wooden houses for soundness. Those with cracked beams were to report for recement, those with holes in the roof were to report for patching, those with loose windows were to report to have them secured, and those with decaying corners were to report for repair¡ªthemoners were very enthusiastic. Because Lord Landlord provided the repair materials. This made themoners feel like they had gotten a great deal, and not reporting it would be a huge loss! ¡°Perhaps, I should start making bricks. If stone is insufficient, bricks will suffice,¡± Liszt mused as he witnessed the fervent renovation battle of wooden houses. Stonemasons and carpenters are the construction workers of the Different Worldmoners live in wooden houses, nobles in stone castles. In Fresh Flower Town, only Liszt¡¯s castle was constructed with rock masonry and glued with glutinous rice. The value of glutinous rice was very precious; the Elf born from glutinous rice was called ¡°Wall Elf.¡± Its valuey not in its edibility but its strong adhesive quality. Without cement, walls were bound either with mud or glutinous rice. Fortunately, the Tulip Family had a Glutinous Rice Minor Elf, so the castles built by the Earl were extravagantly bonded with glutinous rice. Such castles, much stronger than those bonded with mud, could also be built very tall. Take Liszt¡¯s castle, for instance. Removing its pointed rooftop, it could continue to be extended several floors higher. ¡°The turning process of brick making has almost no technical content. Once suitable y is found, qualified bricks can be made¡­ However, you need to build a brick kiln for firing bricks and that requires coal, or at least charcoal. Without experimentation, it¡¯s hard to produce qualified bricks.¡± Liszt, who enjoyed reading and pondering in his free time, knew quite a lot. He understood the production of ice from saltpetre, y brick firing, handmade papermaking, ck gunpowder forms, primitive concrete, distilling spirits, pancreas forms, telescopes, ss firing, and even grenade-making once ck gunpowder was sessfully mixed. Additionally, things like waterwheels, plows, windmills¡ªhe could exin the basic principles after a bit of tinkering. But to turn knowledge into physical objects is no simple feat. The biggest constraints were materials and manpower. Ice making with saltpetre required saltpetre; had he not found a Miniature Saltpeter Mine, ice making would remain an idle boast; the same went for ss firing, which needed quartz sand and soda ash. Quartz sand likely required finding a quartz vein, which he remembered as somewhat translucent rock. But what exactly is soda ash, is it soda? He remembered that a bit of alkali was needed when making porridge, and there might be a small amount of alkali in wood ash, but where could he obtain the pure soda for ss firing? ck gunpowder, besides saltpeter, also requires sulfur. Cement needs limestone. ¡°Strictly speaking, I seem to still not know what sulfur and limestone look like, right?¡± Liszt suddenly realized a very serious problem. He only knew saltpeter could produce ice, quartz could burn ss, limestone could make cement, and sulfur could make explosives. But what do limestone and sulfur look like? He only knew before that saltpeter was white, mentioned in many books, found in toilets and corners, and it was only after the Smoke Mission hinted about a Miniature Saltpeter Mine that he was able to find saltpeter. If he were to look for a saltpeter mine himself, he feared he might go grey-haired without finding any. ¡°Limestone sounds like amon type of rock, maybe rted to marble or granite? As for sulfur, should I try looking around a volcano crater? They say that volcano craters smell of sulfur.¡± At this moment, Liszt felt that. The real him was far more ignorant than he imagined: ¡°This is somewhat embarrassing¡­ but I¡¯m definitely sure where to find the soil for making bricks!¡± Theoretically, brick-making requires y, the kind that can be fired into red bricks. But if one doesn¡¯t aim for very high quality, most soils can be used to make bricks, with any slightly sticky soil being quite decent material. There¡¯s plenty of such soil in Fresh Flower Town. ¡°Once the mission ispleted, I¡¯ll gather a bunch of serfs to make bricks for me. I want them to build houses for me.¡± He intended to build greenhouses for me Mushrooms, toilet facilities, pens for pigs, horses, cattle, sheep, and factory buildings. Then, perhaps, a ser field, a basketball court, and recruit a team of professional yers toe over for matches. ¡°Still, I¡¯ll need to take time to find quartz, limestone, and soda ash. The uses of cement and ss are very extensive.¡± Then he suddenly thought, ¡°Actually, I am a noble. Enjoying life should be what I¡¯m supposed to do. Why am I always thinking about inventing things and conducting research?¡± He was once a liberal arts student. Not a science student. He studied Information Management at college. ¡°Life is so beautiful, I don¡¯t want to be a magician.¡± As he rode his horse, lost in his thoughts. On a nearby street, a loud crash was heard as a wooden house unexpectedly copsed. Liszt raised his hand to block the sunlight, looking in that direction, a crowd buzzing with excitement. He thenmanded the Retainer Knights, ¡°What happened there? Go and ask.¡± The Retainer Knight quickly brought over a Patrol Member who was supervising the scene. The Patrol Member knelt on the ground and answered Liszt¡¯s question, ¡°Lord Landlord, it was the loud-voiced Hunte who tore down his own wooden house.¡± ¡°He tore down his own wooden house?¡± ¡°Yes, we saw Hunte with a stick, striking his own house forcefully, breaking several supporting pirs, and then the house copsed, burying Hunte inside. However, he wasn¡¯t crushed to death but merely broke an arm.¡± ¡°Why did he tear down his own wooden house?¡± ¡°Uh, Hunte heard that Lord Landlord¡¯s castle would provide materials for house repairs, so he wanted to rece his wooden house¡­¡± Chapter 117 - 0117 The Torrential Rain at the End of Summer Approaches Chapter 117: The Torrential Rain at the End of Summer Approaches Trantor: 549690339 Insolent peasant! Upon hearing the report from the patrol member, the thought shed across Liszt¡¯s mind¡ªit was as if someone had bumped right into thendlord¡¯s head¡ªseeking to take advantage of thendlord himself. However, he didn¡¯t immediately take the patrol member¡¯s word for it. ¡°Sean, go and question Hunte¡ªwhether it was he himself who dismantled his wooden hut,¡± he ordered. ¡°Yes, my lord!¡± Retainer Knight Sean returned quickly, and along with him came Goltai. The answer was affirmative: Hunte, upon hearing that the materials for the repairs of wooden huts would be paid for by the castle, immediately boasted that he would rece every single piece of wood of his own hut. Then, in tragically misced enthusiasm, his hut copsed. ¡°Teacher Goltai, what do you think should be done?¡± Liszt asked without anger on his face, only inquiring calmly. ¡°The vilemoner should be beaten to death alive!¡± Goltai responded loudly, ¡°My lord, the freemanmoner Hunte harbors malicious greed, he even dares to covet what is sacred and invible to the castle. He should be punished severely. In my opinion, we should demote him to a serf and administer a hundredshes!¡± There were quite a few civilians watching nearby. Hearing Goltai¡¯s words, they couldn¡¯t help but shrink their necks. Being demoted to a serf wasn¡¯t terrifying, but a hundredshes could kill a person. Some of the civilians had also tampered with their own wooden huts, trying to gain some advantage. Upon hearing this, their legs nearly buckled with fear. The sudden longing for greed faded in their hearts, as they stealthily stepped towards their homes, intending to stuff back the tampered wood¡­ To be honest, a hundredshes seemed a bit harsh. The crime did not warrant death. Still, Hunte¡¯s actions had displeased Liszt considerably¡ªhe worked hard to lead Fresh Flower Town towards prosperity, yet some people did not appreciate it and even sought to take advantage. This kind of attitude could not be encouraged; it had to be nipped in the bud. ¡°Considering that his arm was broken by the incident, let¡¯s keep a record of theshes for now. Once he has recovered, we shall conduct the fiftyshes in two separate sessions,¡± he decided. He nced at the anxious civilians around him and told Goltai, ¡°Make sure the publicity is done well, I don¡¯t want to discover a second person whomits a simr act.¡± ¡°As you wish, my lord!¡± A cruel smile appeared on Goltai¡¯s face, ¡°I will make these foolishmoners understand what is more important: a few pieces of wood, or their very lives.¡± After such amotion, Liszt had no interest in continuing the inspection of the wooden hut maintenance. He turned his horse around and headed back to the castle. The Dragon Kui Cordyceps in the Dragon Kui Field were gradually recovering, and the magic power could now flow steadily through the cordyceps. ck spots and withered leaves were slowly regaining their green vitality. After inspecting the Dragon Kui, Liszt rode around the riding range for a while. Finally, he returned to rest under the green apple tree. Carter, carrying a set of keys and just out from locking the cer, approached. His pace was slow, disying the serene confidence of the elderly. His clothes were always impable: a bit worn but ironed to smooth perfection, not a thread loose nor excessively wrinkled. ¡°My lord, you do not seem to be in the best of spirits,¡± he observed. ¡°It seems my mood is written all over my face.¡± ¡°Is there anything I can help you with?¡± Carter asked with a gentle smile, instantly imparting a sense of warmth. Liszt motioned for Thomas to bring Carter a stool, then said, ¡°Mr. Carter, do you think I am apetentndlord?¡± ¡°I have never doubted that for a moment. You have the bravery of the Tulip Family, and the nobility ofpassion, fairness, humility, and honor. You are always blessed with the glory of knighthood.¡± ¡°Has there been any change in Fresh Flower Town in the past six months?¡± ¡°The change is significant. I remember when I first came to Fresh Flower Town, the expressions on the faces of the townspeople were numb. Now, it¡¯s as if they¡¯ve been reborn. I¡¯ve seen many smiling faces here, more than in any other ce. Everyone is grateful for your kindness, my lord.¡± ¡°Not everyone.¡± Li Si Te picked up an ice-cold fruit juice and took a sip. The cooling sensation spread from his throat to his belly and then throughout his body. ¡°Today, I met amoner who wanted the castle to repair his new house for free. He demolished his old wooden house without the slightest consideration for the kindness I had bestowed upon him.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not worth getting angry over such amoner. The lowlymoners are different from the honorable nobles; they are always full of vices.¡± ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll ept your reasoning.¡± Li Si Te put aside the slight displeasure in his heart, ¡°In fact, Teacher Goltai¡¯s whip has already soothed my anger.¡± Perhaps he hadn¡¯t even noticed it himself. He was increasingly adopting the standpoint of the nobility in considering matters. As a transmigrator, Li Si Te still couldn¡¯t defy the heavens and change the grand era. Little by little, he became part of it, betraying the ideas ofmunism and falling on the side of the exploitative ss. He was not far from bing a qualified native. But to this, he had his own rebuttal, ¡°My dream is to ride dragons, not to change the world!¡± The great battle of repairing wooden housessted for a full five days. It couldn¡¯t continue any longer because on this day, the north wind howled, and dark clouds shrouded the sky. The alfalfa grass on the horse farm swayed with the wind, unable to stand upright even for a moment. The castle servants were busy installing wooden boards over the windows to keep out the wind and rain. If he had the money, Li Si Te could have used crystals to carve ss panels to install on the windows, just like in Tulip Castle. But he wasn¡¯t that extravagant. The box of crystals was reserved for making magic items in the future. For now, the castle windows relied on removable wooden boards for protection. In addition, each window had a curtain woven from straw, which could normally shield from sunlight and mosquitoes. But not now, as the strong winds outside would tear the curtains to shreds. Once the boards were installed, the already dim light in the castle grew even dimmer. Carter quickly had the servants light candles in the study, living room, and other rooms to restore brightness inside. Now that Li Si Te had a fairly sufficient amount of money, a few extra candles could be lit¡ªthey lit five or six in the study alone. ¡°Mr. Carter, don¡¯t worry about wasting them. I need my room to be bright enough. Reading in dim light is very harmful to the eyes,¡± Li Si Te held a novel, idly flipping through it. He had already read all 182 books in the castle¡¯s library at least twice. Generally, a book had tens of thousands of words at most, and only a few thousand words at the least. He greatly admired the authors of these knight novels for being able to weaveplex andplete stories in just a few thousand words. And they had to include dragons, princesses, knight orders, kings, wars, feasts¡­ otherwise, no noble would buy their books. Nobles wouldn¡¯t buy books, and these down-on-their-luck nobles, who made up stories, would starve to death¡ªmake no mistake, those who chose writing were mostly destitute nobles. Commoners couldn¡¯t write at all. ¡°My lord, looking at the weather now, there will be a heavy downpour today.¡± ¡°A downpour would be good. The ponds in Fresh Flower Town are nearly dried up and desperately need replenishing with rainwater.¡± ¡°Just hope it doesn¡¯t damage the crops and affect this season¡¯s tax revenue,¡± Carter said, lifting a wooden board to peek at the gloomy sky outside, expressing his concerns. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. The castle is not short on food, nor is the town. The East Coast is Fresh Flower Town¡¯s dining hall,¡± Li Si Te said nonchntly. He leaned back in his chair, his gaze not focused on the knight¡¯s novel in front of him. Instead, he was looking at a wisp of smoke that twisted into a line of Serpent Script: ¡°Missionpleted, reward: Mutated Fast-Growing Thorn Species.¡± Chapter 118 - 0118 Dirty Things in the Sunken Ship Chapter 118: Dirty Things in the Sunken Ship Trantor: 549690339 The storm approached with fury, and as Fresh Flower Town was swayed by strong winds and sand filled the sky, there was a moment when suddenly the entire world fell silent. Then,rge raindrops pattered against the spires of the castle, as if a bucket of water had been overturned, sshing everywhere upon hitting the ground. From the doghouse, came the loud barking of Douson. Downstairs, in one of the rooms, Juan Fu was also making a ¡°cluck, cluck¡± noise. Outside and inside the castle, there were two different worlds. If one listened closely, Liszt could hear the servants in the kitchen downstairs chatting together¡ªwith the storm hitting, there was nothing to do but to chat. Mr. Carter¡¯s footsteps meandered upstairs and downstairs; he was always on the move, checking every aspect of the castle. He ran into Mrs. Morson, who was inspecting the maid¡¯s cleaning, and they seemed to exchange a few words, evaluating the performance of the male and female servants. The two butlers were conscientious and diligent. Yet the fifteen servants did not always get along so pleasantly. Thomas¡¯s attitude towards the male servants was particrly nasty, but as he was Liszt¡¯s personal manservant and held a high position, no one dared to say much. Not only did he often pick on the male servants and asionally speak ill of them, but sometimes he was not so respectful to Carter either. Carter could not understand why Liszt would tolerate someone as unpleasant as Thomas¡ªThomas ruined the familial harmony among the castle servants. But it can only be said, Carter and Liszt had different statuses and thus looked at things from different perspectives. Carter tried to fill the castle with harmony and love. But Liszt did not wish for that¡ªif the servants united, it would make him, the master, ufortable. Just imagine, if a servant made a mistake and all the servants, being too friendly, helped to cover it up, they could easily fool Liszt. Without Thomas, the shit-stirring stick, the servants would be increasingly indulgent. With Thomas keeping an eye out and picking faults, the servants would work with trembling fear. Superiors always have to nt a few confidants within the lower ranks; it¡¯s justmon sense, something even schoolteachers know when they cultivate students adept at snitching. Liszt chose not to eavesdrop on how the servants were chatting. His expression turned slightly stern. His thoughts wandered: ¡°Do phantoms really exist in this world?¡± In his younger years, the bedtime stories passed down by word of mouth mentioned specters. It was said that these were souls that had left their earthly shells after death, without consciousness, aimlessly wandering. Almost no one had truly seen a phantom. He rummaged through all of the memories of his former self, and on Coral Ind, he had never heard of anyone encountering a phantom. Among the hundred-plus knight¡¯s novels he had recently read, a few mentioned phantoms, but mostly they were rare side characters with low frequency, just like vampires, werewolves, and mine zombies. Before, he wouldugh it off when reading; it didn¡¯t seem important. Now, the reason he was thinking about phantoms again was due to the Smoke Mission which reminded him of them. ¡°Mission: An old, run-down sunken ship, weathered by the seaside winds and sun, but passing fishermen often feel a chill down their spine, as if something in the ship is watching them, keeping them from approaching. Please find out the reason. Reward: A piece of broken bone.¡± The sunken ship hiding five treasure chests was not something Liszt had people chop up for firewood. He felt that the sunken ship could barely be considered a tourist attraction, so he left it at Oyster Vige to add to its historical depth. He even nned to one day have it well-maintained when he found the time. But this sunken ship, it turned out, still held secrets. ¡°What could be inside a sunken ship? When the patrol team searched for the treasure before, they turned the whole ship inside out. Besides some fabrics, grain residues, and five chests, there wasn¡¯t anything else¡­ Or is there something that¡¯s hard to see?¡± He could easily let his mind wander¡ªghosts, dirty things, sunken ships, ghost ships, and eventually to the specters of legend. Crack! Boom! A sh of light streaked past outside the castle, followed by a thunderous boom of lightning. The wind picked up again, apanied by the sound of the pouring rain, isting the castle from everything outside. Walking to the window, he lowered a nk of the shutter and watched the rain curtains that seemed to connect the sky and earth. Liszt felt a sense of destion as if he was isted from the world. Loneliness welled up inside him as he abruptly realized he had been in this world for half a year, transitioning from a world of technological civilization to one of magic and Dou Qi. It was neither good nor bad. Back in his hometown, the standard of living had been higher, but he was just a miserable, overworked drone. Here, the living standard was rtively poor, but he was an all-powerful noble with Dou Qi to strengthen his body, making him immune to hundreds of ailments. ¡°Comparatively speaking, I prefer my life now, and I like the sight of maids bustling in front of me¡­¡± The corners of his mouth lifted slightly in a smile; he was not overly concerned. Soon his thoughts returned to the Smoke Mission. ¡°If there really is a specter in the sunken ship, then it needs to be eradicated soon to prevent endangering the lives of the fishermen¡­ The mission reward is a segment of broken bone, but what does that have to do with the specter?¡± He really wanted to go to the sunken ship right now, find out the reason andplete the mission. But the rain outside was too heavy, making it hard to travel. He could only stay in the castle, bored and waiting. However, the wait sted for three days. The relentless rain of varying intensity flooded the entire town. Fortunately, they had carried out maintenance on all the wooden houses beforehand, and the patrol team braving the rain had not found any copsed houses. The cordyceps were also safe, even the most fragile Dragon Kui Cordyceps, which remained intact due to proper protection. Nevertheless, the three days of heavy rain still imed two lives. An elderly serf who went out to pick vegetables slipped and never got up again. Another was a mother of three who braved the rain to collect seashells on the beach; she fell ill after returning and died. ¡°Collecting seashells on the beach?¡± Upon hearing Teacher Goltai¡¯s report, Liszt was struck with a thought: ¡°Could it be rted to the sunken ship?¡± He immediately asked, ¡°Teacher Goltai, has the body of the deceased woman been examined for anything unusual?¡± ¡°Examining the body, I¡¯m sorry, sir, I did not examine the body. I thought it was just a serf who died of illness, which is quitemon.¡± Perhaps Liszt was being too sensitive. But he still decided to personally inspect the dead woman¡¯s body: ¡°Teacher Goltai, we must remain alert. Lately, some fishermen have reported that there is something seriously wrong with that sunken ship, like there¡¯s some kind of dirty thing there. I suspect that this woman¡¯s death might have something to do with the sunken ship.¡± ¡°The sunken ship?¡± Goltai was puzzled. He hadn¡¯t heard such news, but since Liszt mentioned it, he couldn¡¯t ignore it¡ªhe believed that Liszt had many informants in Fresh Flower Town, and nothing could escape Liszt¡¯s attention. ¡°Then, my lord, shall I arrange for it now? Do you want to go check the body together?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go together.¡± Chapter 119 - 0119: The Cold Magic Power in the Dragon Bone Chapter 119: The Cold Magic Power in the Dragon Bone Trantor: 549690339 A grand procession rode on horseback, sshing through puddles of water. Retainer Knights and personal servants crowded around Li Si Te, with officials like Goltai and Marcus closely following behind. Compared to the meager entourage of a few kittens at the beginning, now their presencemanded the air of being ¡°attended from front to back.¡± Actually, there was no need for so many people to follow within the town. But Li Si Te still preferred it this way¡ªhe really enjoyed the noble style. His entourage was still not as grand as that of the Earls or even his brother Levis, who were always followed by a Knight Squad, so he needed to work on growing his team. It would be best if he could bring along Douson and Juan Fu as well. Leading with one hand and lifting with the other. ¡°My lord, the roads of Fresh Flower Town are better than those of Coral City,¡± Isaiah praised sincerely; ¡°In Coral City, every rainy day feels like a city of manure, with feces floating in the streets making one nauseous. Here, there isn¡¯t any feces, not even mud.¡± The main roads were gravel, mostly free from mud. The paths between the hamlets were made of beach sand, there would be some mud, but not much. Goltai¡¯s timely, cheerfulughterplimented him, ¡°Without the lord¡¯s wisdom, there would be no such wonderful environment in Fresh Flower Town. Before, I couldn¡¯t appreciate the benefits of road construction, but now they are gradually unveiled before my eyes. I hope that in the future, every road will be built with gravel.¡± Li Si Te smiled. He didn¡¯t show any signs of pride¡ªthis was nothing; wait until he introduced concrete, then there would be something truly astonishing. The sky hadn¡¯t clearedpletely yet and there was still a light drizzle. He wore arge ck cloak over his armor and rode a pure ck Li Dragon Horse. At first nce, he appeared rather foreboding. If not for his handsome face and a few strands of light golden hair on his forehead adding liveliness, he could probably pass as a Ringwraith from The Lord of the Rings. A whileter, the party arrived at Barley Hamlet where the woman who died of illness was a serf of the vige. Her body was still in her home. ording to the funeral customs of the Duchy of Sapphire, after death, the body was to be buried directly into the ground. But due to the heavy rain these past few days, they couldn¡¯t bury her. The diseased woman¡¯s three children, two of whom were already adults, led by their stolid father, knelt on the ground to wee Li Si Te¡¯s arrival. The purpose of his visit was exined by a retainer on his behalf. Li Si Te only needed to approach the body and inspect it. Marcus and Goltai had examined the body first, but neither could see any problems with it. Then Li Si Te personally conducted an inspection. Facing the dead was a first for him, and he was slightly nervous inside, but he controlled himself well and didn¡¯t reveal any emotions. Observing with the naked eye, he saw nothing unusual about the body, but when he used his Eye of Magic, a sh of ck magic power passed over the body. Upon closer examination, the ck magic power disappeared again. Li Si Te chose to trust his eyes. He observed quietly and after about a minute, another sh of ck magic power flickered within the body and then vanished. ¡°My lord, did you observe anything?¡± asked Marcus. ¡°There¡¯s something wrong with the body. I felt signs of magic power on it, she didn¡¯t die from normal disease, but from some kind of filth.¡± Goltai eximed in surprise, ¡°Is there really such filth? What could it be, if it was from the sunken ship, could it be phantoms? There are legends of ghost ships on the sea. The sunken ship we found, it wouldn¡¯t be a ghost ship, would it?¡± ¡°Whether it is or not, we will find out after checking¡­ Right, about this body, what do you think should be done with it?¡± ¡°To be safe, it should be burnt.¡± Here, there was no concept of ¡°the dead are the most important¡±, nor any Tomb Sweeping Day for ancestor worship. After death, people were usually buried simply, especially themoners. Once dead, wrapped in a straw mat, buried in a deep pit, there were no further concerns. Even somemoners were unwilling to dig a single pit, opting instead to throw the bodies of their loved ones into the mountains or water, which was entirely possible. So when Goltai proposed to cremate the bodies, the dull husband of the deceased woman had no objections. On the contrary, there was a vague sense of excitement. Because Liszt had given the man apensation of ten silver coins through Goltai. The debris from the shipwreck had killed the woman, and ultimately, the mey with Liszt himself, for it was he who forbade others from dealing with the shipwreck¡¯s remains. Though he was andlord, he would face no punishment. The ten silver coins were also afort to his own conscience. A momentter. A fire. The body burned to ashes in the mes. Watching the remnants after the burning, Liszt breathed a sigh of relief upon not discovering any traces of dark magic power. It proved that even contamination could be cleansed with fire. After dealing with the body. The group hurriedly rushed to Oyster Vige, arriving near the sunken ship. Before Liszt could get close, Marcus called out to stop him, ¡°My lord, the sunken ship is dangerous. You should stay away, and leave the inspection to us.¡± Goltai also spoke with righteous indignation, ¡°Indeed, my lord, you shouldn¡¯t put yourself in danger. Mr. Marcus is an Elite Earth Knight, he can surely handle the sunken ship.¡± As he spoke, he stood beside Liszt with no intention of approaching the shipwreck. It seemed the shipwreck had been washed by heavy rain, as much of the seaweed and other attachments on its surface had been washed away, revealing the mottled wooden nks and the corroded metal brackets. This was not arge ship; it was much smaller than the Fresh Flower Vessel and severely damaged, with the ship¡¯s cabin almost entirely visible from the outside. Marcus led the members of the Knight Squad to surround the shipwreck, ready to enter the cabin for inspection. Suddenly, Liszt said, ¡°Teacher Marcus, there¡¯s no need to go to such trouble. This sunken ship definitely has issues. Just smash it, dismantle it, and inspect each nk to prevent any idents.¡± He did not intend to keep the contaminated shipwreck as a sightseeing spot anymore. Thus, violent dismantling was the safest and quickest method. Naturally, Marcus wouldn¡¯t refuse and immediately led his men to split open the shipwreck; the nks and iron frames were dismantled piece by piece and piled up on the beach. During this process, Liszt intermittently employed the Eye of Magic. Just as two Retainer Knights were carrying a broken dragon bone, Liszt suddenly saw a flicker of dark magic power at the break of the dragon bone. Magic power usually has color. For instance, fire attribute magic power is mostly red, and water attribute magic power is mostly blue, which bes especially clear when it manifests as Dou Qi. However, this is not absolute, as some magic powers represent multiple mixed attributes and can have a variety of bizarre colors. Some that do not exhibit any specific attribute can also disy various colors. Even Archmages who have delved deep into the study of magic cannot unravel the essential mystery of magic power. What ck magic power represents. Liszt did not understand. But he knew that he had likely found the reason for the problems with the sunken ship, ¡°Teacher Marcus, examine this dragon bone carefully. I can feel traces of magic power.¡± With Liszt¡¯s warning, Marcus quickly picked up the dragon bone, touched it with both hands, and observed and felt it closely. Momentster, Marcus¡¯s eyes shone with light; he felt the magic power too: ¡°My lord, there is indeed a problem. I feel a cold magic power!¡± Liszt spoke with a deep tone, ¡°Smash this dragon bone open. I want to see what¡¯s hiding inside it!¡± Chapter 120 - 0120: A Very Plump Specter Chapter 120: A Very Plump Specter Trantor: 549690339 The ship¡¯s keel is a main load-bearingponent at the bottom center of the ship, extending from bow to stern. Once they discovered the broken keel had issues, it was easy to identify the unusual aspect of the keel¡ªMarcus found that the keel was not one solid piece, but had traces of being pieced together. Following the seams, they disassembled the keel and split it neatly into two halves. Inside the separated keel, embedded like in a casting mold, was a bone about a meter long, with one end fractured and the other end being the joint part. It was covered in dense carvings of magic runes. ¡°What bone is this?¡± ¡°There are magic runes on it, it must be the work of a magician!¡± ¡°This is a piece of magic equipment.¡± ¡°The bone is huge, could it be from a magical beast? Do intermediate magical beasts have bones this big, or could it be from an advanced magical beast?¡± Looking at the bone, Goltai and the others chattered away in confusion. Liszt¡¯s pupils, deep like whirlpools, could see through his Eye of Magic that dense magic power was circting within the bone. The magic power seemed to want to burst out, but it was firmly sealed by the magic runes on the bone, unable to break through. Only at a few slightly dimmed rune sites was a bit of magic power leaking out. Just then. Marcus reached to pry the bone out of the dragon bone. But as soon as his hand touched the bone, the magic runes suddenly lit up one by one, then with a swish, the lit runes quickly extinguished. A dark light burst forth from the bone, heading straight for Marcus¡¯s face. Marcus reacted quickly, tossing aside the dragon bone and rolling on the ground. His posture might not have been graceful, but he moved swiftly; as he rolled, he drew his sword and unleashed his Dou Qi in a counterattack against the dark light. Boom! The dark light was sessfully blocked. In midair, it suddenly dissipated, forming a faintly glowing humanoid figure with only an upper body, its lower half fluttering like ragged cloth. Its facial features were unclear, but it could be seen as the shape of a woman¡ªwith breasts, very full. It had two hands hanging by its sides, with long, slender palms that even had dimly glowing nails, at least ten centimeters long. ¡°Protect the lord!¡± Marcus roared loudly. The Retainer Knights, facing such a bizarre scene for the first time, were somewhat panicked, but still quickly formed a circle around Liszt, each drawing their spears, tense as they watched the hovering humanoid form. Goltai stepped back two paces and swallowed, his voice trembling, ¡°What¡­ what is this?¡± ¡°A specter!¡± Liszt had been eagerly anticipating specters, and now that he saw a real one, he felt not the slightest bit nervous; indeed, there was even a hint of excitement in him. He found this world growing more interesting by the moment. It was not just magic and Dou Qi, and not just dragons and elves, but also various mystical existences¡ªspecters had now been verified as real, so might the vampires, werewolves, unicorns, and sirens depicted in knight¡¯s novels also exist? What about giants and dwarves, who had also appeared in knight¡¯s novels? Did they exist? And even those called elves, but are humanoid beings with intelligence like humans¡ªdo they exist? ¡°A specter?¡± Goltai shrieked. ¡°Is it really a specter? Specters exist? Incredible, Marcus, you must be able to kill the specter, right!¡± Marcus stood tensely opposite the specter. It wasn¡¯t exactly a standoff, since the Specter, after its failed attack on Marcus and revealing itself, just floated in mid-air like this, stupidly motionless. If not for the slight fluctuation in its body and the faint glow it emitted, it really looked like a slide in a projector. ¡°I can¡¯t guarantee I can kill it, I¡¯ve never seen a Specter before, it has no body, just a bunch of light,¡± Marcus said cautiously, his hands clutching the Knight¡¯s Sword. Liszt, protected by the crowd, was still casting the Eye of Magic. He discovered that the magic power in that bone seemed unrted to the Specter; there wasn¡¯t much magic power in the Specter¡¯s body. Because whether it was the Eye of Magic or the naked eye, what they saw of the Specter was a dim shadowy figureposed of a half-body shape. He quickly recalled all the information about Specters he knew. Specters didn¡¯t seem to be any vicious ghost or monster; in the Knight¡¯s Novels with recorded encounters, the protagonist would deal with them easily, with no detailed battle descriptions. Even in bedtime stories, Specters were just treated as a curious phenomenon, not as a harmful entity. Just as Marcus was growing impatient and about to attack the Specter¡ª a spark of inspiration came from nowhere. Liszt suddenly thought that if a Specter could parasitize inside a Dragon Bone, it was somewhat simr to the Djinn in ddin¡¯s Lamp. He then brushed against his chest inside the cloak, having already taken out an unknown metal Drift Bottle from the Space Ring. He tossed it to Marcus. ¡°Teacher Marcus, try to see if you can trap the Specter inside,¡± he said. It was just a whimsical idea, somewhat fantastically inspired. But astonishingly, when the bottle came into Marcus¡¯s hands, the Specter abruptly charged at Marcus, and before Marcus could swing his sword to intercept it, the Specter had swiftly entered the Metal Bottle. ¡°Uh¡­¡± Liszt was somewhat stunned. He never imagined that he would actually capture the Specter, it was simply inconceivable. But when Marcus walked over cautiously, holding the bottle, Liszt quickly masked his surprise with a look of serene tranquility and handed the bottle cap to Marcus. Marcus quickly sealed the bottle cap on. Several threads of magic power shed, the Metal Bottle and cap bing one, leaving no visible seam. ¡°Lord, your Magic Bottle,¡± Marcus said respectfully, handing it over. He was finding it more and more difficult to fathom the Landlord he followed, as if everything was in thetter¡¯s control. The Specter from the sunken ship was captured without anyplications. Liszt took back the bottle and tucked it under his cloak, avoiding others¡¯ gazes, and directly sent the bottle into the Gemstone Space¡ªhe certainly didn¡¯t wish to be in close contact with the Specter. It was better to send it to the static confines of the Gemstone Space and wait until he had verified the information about Specters before conducting further research. ¡°But speaking of which, that Specter, it¡¯s at least 36D,¡± he mused. The Metal Bottle could only be opened by the bloodline of the Sun Descendant. The only source of blood for now was from Old Tanner at the Tanners¡¯ Shop. Old Phil the Tanner and the servant Jessie had not yet formed a contract as father and son, but their interactions remained close, as good as if they were father and son. Since Old Phil was getting on in years, Liszt only collected a small amount of his blood in a Jade Bottle, without asking for more. He also brought plenty of food for Old Phil aspensation. ¡°Jessie, take good care of Old Tanner. I¡¯ve taken a bit of his blood¡ªit¡¯s just for research, and I have no intention of harming him. The other servants can take over more of his work at the Castle; I¡¯ll have Mr. Carter make the arrangements. Most importantly, you must take good care of Old Tanner,¡± he instructed. ¡°Yes, master,¡± Jessie nodded. Next to them, Old Tanner said, ¡°I am honored to be able to contribute to Lord Landlord.¡± Liszt smiled slightly, ¡°It¡¯s good you think so.¡± In the future, he woulde regrly to collect blood until he had enough to open the Metal Bottle an unlimited number of times. Chapter 121 - 0121: Dragonbone Stabilizer and Bloodline Fruit Chapter 121: Dragonbone Stabilizer and Bloodline Fruit Trantor: 549690339 The shipwreck incident was resolved satisfactorily. The Smoke Mission was consequentlypleted. ¡°Missionpleted, the reward is a piece of a broken skeleton.¡± Undoubtedly, the item awarded for this mission was therge bone found within the dragonbone, carved with magic runes. Naturally, the bone was part of Liszt¡¯s collection, and its purpose was not yet clear¡ªit could basically be determined that this bone was a piece of magic equipment. ced within the dragonbone of ships, it likely rted to sailing equipment. Thereafter, Captain Kostor, the most knowledgeable about sailing in Fresh Flower Town, rified Liszt¡¯s confusion about the bone, ¡°Lord Landlord, this bone is indeed a piece of magic equipment. It¡¯s called a ¡®Dragonbone Stabilizer,¡¯ and it can make the ship¡¯s dragonbone more stable, thus making the ship sturdier. But its most significant function is the deterrence of sea monsters.¡± ¡°Dragonbone Stabilizer? Deterrence of sea monsters?¡± Captain Kostor spoke fervently, ¡°Most Dragonbone Stabilizers are made of the skeletal remains of high-level dragonkin magical beasts because they contain the bloodline of dragons. When stimted by magic power, it can produce a faint Dragon Might, thereby scaring away sea monsters¡­ Lord Landlord, this Dragonbone Stabilizer was custom-made for the Fresh Flower Vessel!¡± The skeletal remains of a high-level dragonkin magical beast. In terms of hierarchical distribution, high-level dragonkin magical beasts are even rarer entities than Greater Elves. On the inds of the Duchy of Sapphire, such high-level dragonkin magical beasts are seldom found. In fact, even advanced magical beasts are scarce within the nation, and only a single intermediate magical beast, the Purple Sand Crocodile, is currently present on Coral Ind. This bone was extremely precious and had been carved with runes by a magician. Liszt immediately infused his own Dou Qi into the Dragonbone Stabilizer, and the magic runes on it gradually lit up. Momentster, it had be a glowing bone staff. A faint, heart-throbbing pressure began to emanate from the staff. Liszt had experienced this pressure before when facing the Formless Dragon; the Dragon Might made it hard for his Dou Qi to circte. However, the Dragon Might from the staff was much weaker and did not affect his Dou Qi cirction¡ªthis was Dragon Might amplified by magic runes, and after all, dragonkin magical beasts are not true dragons, with a diluted bloodline. ¡°It¡¯s somewhat of a letdown, such Dragon Might is somewhat weak in its influence.¡± ¡°Not at all weak, Lord Landlord. I¡¯m covered in goosebumps, and I feel as if I¡¯m suffocating. Those sea monsters, regardless of size, would definitely flee as far as they could upon sensing the Dragon Might.¡± That made sense. The majesty of a dragon wasn¡¯t just something humans understood; as the natural enemies of magical beasts and sea monsters, sensing the presence of a natural predator, they would invariably flee. This Dragonbone Stabilizer was a treasure. Liszt handed the Dragonbone Stabilizer to the Retainer Knight to hold and told Captain Kostor, ¡°I¡¯ll keep it for now, and if the Fresh Flower Vessel ever sets sail, I¡¯ll decide then whether to install it on the ship.¡± Captain Kostor was somewhat disappointed but still bowed respectfully, as he dared not question the decision of thendlord. ¡°By the way, Captain Kostor, since the sunken ship had a Dragonbone Stabilizer, why doesn¡¯t the Fresh Flower Vessel have one?¡± Liszt suddenly thought of a question. ¡°The technology to craft Dragonbone Stabilizers has been lost with the fall of the Cohen Marquis Family. I once saw a sea vessel passed down from the Cohen Marquis Family and that was when I learned what Dragonbone Stabilizers were. It was a unique magic equipment manufacturing technology mastered by the magicians of the Cohen Marquis Family.¡± The key to the Dragonbone Stabilizer¡¯s technology was probably in the magic runes carved on its surface. The Cohen Marquis were the founding marquises of the Duchy of Sapphire, among the first followers of the Sapphire Duke a hundred years ago. However, the Cohen Marquis Familyter seemed to have be embroiled in a court coup and afterward¡­ they were no more. This matter was not recorded officially, and over the span of more than a hundred years, there weren¡¯t many left who cared for the Cohen Marquis. There were too many nobles lost to history; it is the living who are worth socializing with, whereas the dead are forgotten. The magicians who mastered the technology. They must have also be a speck of dust in history along with the Cohen Marquis. ¡°What a pity, the Dragonbone Stabilizer has a huge impact on sailing¡­ If we want to sail toward the Devil¡¯s Sea, the Dragonbone Stabilizer could definitely y a significant auxiliary role. If we could find a dragon¡¯s skeleton to make the stabilizer, I¡¯m afraid even the fiercest sea monster would turn tail and flee.¡± It is said that the Devil¡¯s Sea has great storms and huge sea monsters, with no ships able to sail upon it. However, Liszt was very curious about the Devil¡¯s Sea, or rather, about whaty beyond the sea, ¡°Sooner orter, I¡¯ll hire a magician to research the Dragonbone Stabilizer Technique for me.¡± Tounch the great age of sea exploration! There are still many secrets left to unravel. Why would a specter be hiding inside a Dragonbone Stabilizer, how did the specter kill that woman, why would the specter enter a metal bottle, and whether it could continue to survive in the Gemstone Space. What state of existence it holds, who it was while alive, what it looked like, and why it boasts a magnificent 36D. All are questions. However, Liszt did not continue to ponder at the moment. A new mission was waiting for him. ¡°Mission: After the torrential rain, Thorn Ridge is more replete with magic power than ever before. A solitary magic potion nt is nurturing a fruit that can change the bloodline of a magical beast; perhaps a new intermediate magical beast is about to be born, and a crisis is looming over Fresh Flower Town. Please solve the crisis. Reward: A Bloodline Fruit.¡± The Bloodline Fruit is not a species of nt. It is a rather special existence among magic potions, an anomaly produced by an ordinary nt, but it cannot reproduce, even with the help of a corresponding elf. When the fruit gathers enough magic power and matures, it¡¯s the moment the nt dies. The fruit is called the Bloodline Fruit, a highly condensed embodiment of magic power, capable of stimting the bloodline evolution of wild beasts and magical beasts¡ªIt¡¯s said that wild beasts can gather magic power and be magical beasts after eating the Bloodline Fruit; low-level magical beasts that consume it inrge amounts can evolve into higher-level beasts. The Bloodline Fruit cannot be cultivated and is extremely precious. Moreover, it¡¯s something one may encounter by chance but cannot seek out. After maturation and falling to the ground, the magic power begins to fade, and in about a few minutes, it will devolve into an ordinary fruit. Many nobles are searching for the Bloodline Fruit, to raise domesticated livestock-type magical beasts¡ªThe Fire Rabbit is a small magical beast that has been artificially bred using the Bloodline Fruit, specially raised for consumption. Of course. The magic power of the Bloodline Fruit is astonishing, and after consuming it, there have been quite a few wild beasts and magical beasts that died from being ¡°over-nourished.¡± Seeing this mission, Liszt was anything but calm, ¡°I must obtain the Bloodline Fruit; otherwise, if an intermediate magical beast evolves in Thorn Ridge, Fresh Flower Town will suffer. I don¡¯t want to live under the shadow of an intermediate magical beast at all times!¡± An intermediate magical beast can contend with a human Sky Knight and, with thick skin and flesh, are generally not something a Sky Knight can deal with. The purple sand crocodile in the shallow waters to the south of Coral Ind has been discovered for many years and is still living well. It¡¯s not that the Earl doesn¡¯t want to hunt it but that the risk is too great. If the Earl gets killed by the purple sand crocodile in retaliation, the loss would be more than the gain. It¡¯s better to leave the shallow water area for the Purple Sand Croli to reproduce and thrive, and there¡¯s no need to take risks as long as they do not overstep the boundary. An Earl¡¯s family with extensive estates can afford to set aside an area to raise magical beasts. But Liszt cannot afford this; once an intermediate magical beast evolves in Thorn Ridge, there will be no peace for Fresh Flower Town. ¡°Teacher Marcus, the Knight Squad has been training for several months, it¡¯s time to start eradicating the magical beasts of Thorn Ridge and eliminate all threats!¡± Chapter 122 - 0122: Taking Douson to Attack Thorn Ridge Chapter 122: Taking Douson to Attack Thorn Ridge Trantor: 549690339 ¡°As you wish!¡± Marcus saluted solemnly, his eyes bright and spirited, ¡°Knights need the baptism of blood and fire toplete their essential transformation. The time hase for the members of the Knight Squad to face their trial!¡± Knights are born to fight! This was Marcus¡¯s belief. Now, he had convinced himself to lie low in Fresh Flower Town, waiting for the great battle to arise, to seize noble glory. But that didn¡¯t mean his ardor had cooled. Conquering Thorn Ridge was a fixed n, and he had always been looking forward to it. Liszt, too, had not been idle. After bulking up his purse, he began stockpiling weapons. Now, he had umted a whole fifteen sets of knight¡¯s full body armor and weapons. One set of knight¡¯s equipment included a warhorse, a Knight¡¯s Spear, a Knight¡¯s Sword, a round knight¡¯s shield, a full suit of armor, as well as horse armor, in addition to weapons like war hammers and ils. It wasn¡¯t about fine craftsmanship but about meeting the standards for the battlefield. To have one full set of equipment neatly arranged would cost as much as five Gold Coins. The war hammer and il, as siege defense weapons, could be omitted from the purchase. However, extra Knight Spears must be prepared. In battle, it¡¯s very easy for a Knight to break his spear during a charge, and typically each Knight needs to be equipped with three Knight Spears. A Knight is indeed a great spender of gold. The cost of food to train the body, the expense of the equipment, and the upkeep of both the equipment and the warhorse all require money. A Baron with a small town as his fief could only maintain a Knight Squad by diverting all his resources. The once-impoverished Fresh Flower Town simply couldn¡¯t afford a Knight Squad. But now, with the daily profits from the seafood business, Liszt could finally cultivate his own Knight Squad. ¡°My lord, I heard you want to exterminate the beasts of Thorn Ridge. Karl Ironhammer is willing to lead the Patrol Team and join the clearing sequence!¡± Karl, the town¡¯s Defense Officer, rushed to the castle upon hearing the news. Soon after, Rom Barrel, the Worm Affairs Officer, also hurried to the castle: ¡°The Bug Guard Team is mostlyprised of serfs; their fighting power is almost nil. But Rom is willing to serve as your Retainer, my lord, and fight for you in Thorn Ridge!¡± Thebat abilities of Karl and Rom were simrly weak. Liszt was very satisfied with this sentiment, ¡°Your loyalty and courage areforting to me. However, the affairs of Fresh Flower Town need your attention. You don¡¯t have to join me in clearing out the beasts of Thorn Ridge. Just ensure the defense affairs of Fresh Flower Town are handled well. In case any beasts flee into our town, I will need you to stand and fight.¡± ¡°As you wish!¡± ¡°We swear to defend Fresh Flower Town to the death!¡± Then Goltai, ir, and Isaiah, one after another, came forward to pledge their loyalty and requested to join the battlefield. Liszt encouraged them as well, but letting this group of unskilled fighters onto the battlefield would be more of a hindrance than a help. The mission was urgent, and Liszt had prepared early. As soon as the sky cleared and the roads were still muddy, he nned to set off. With Thomas¡¯s assistance, he donned a ck Magical Beast Leather Armor, equipped with his Gemstone Weapon Bloodsword, and stepped out of the castle. His boots tread upon the alfalfa of the paddock that still had some puddles, and with a whistle, the Li Dragon Horse grazing in the distance galloped over. Philip and Zavier, the two Retainer Knights, walked up one after the other, carrying Liszt¡¯s gear. They didn¡¯t bring the Knight¡¯s Spear, only two Knight¡¯s Swords, and a round Knight¡¯s Shield, because the uing battle would be in the woods, and the long Spear would not be suitable for charging. Of course, there were also bows and arrows. Liszt¡¯s archery skills were second only to Marcus¡¯s. ¡°Sir, here is your Smoked Grass Fire Stone Package,¡± Thomas handed over several small packets wrapped in thick paper, which contained dried smoked grass and flint. In an emergency, just rubbing the flint at the top of the packet would ignite the paper, releasing the stench of the smoked grass. It was believed this could save a life at a critical moment. Eliminating the possible crisis at Thorn Ridge was certainly important, but preserving one¡¯s life was even more so. However, the Smoked Grass Fire Stone Package was just a decoy; in his Gemstone Space, he hadrge bundles of smoked grass ready to be thrown at any moment, potentially burning to hold off the beasts¡¯ killing intent. He slung his bow and arrows, mounted the horse. Suddenly, Liszt saw Douson beside the doghouse, wagging its tail at him. His eyes lit up, Douson had be adept at releasing Rock Spikes and, strong and well-built, itsbat capability was certainly not much inferior to an Earth Knight¡ªmaking it an excellent assistant. Most importantly, it had been trained to be very obedient and was utterly loyal to him. ¡°Thomas, bring Douson over here.¡± ¡°Are you taking Douson onto the battlefield?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Thomas untied the rope, and Douson dashed over to the side of the Li Dragon Horse in an instant. The Li Dragon Horse was very familiar with Douson and showed no sign of tension. Douson did not attack the Li Dragon Horse but simply wagged its tail nonstop. ¡°Douson, follow me.¡± Liszt spurred his horse forward, and Douson hurriedly followed, extremely obedient. Everything was ready. When he reached the intersection of the main road and the horse track, Marcus was already waiting with the Knight Squad, ready to set out. Goltai and others stood there as well, seeing off the Knight Squad as they departed for battle. Douson was in no way daunted by the scene, mixing in with the group, calm and collected, closely following the Li Dragon Horse. ¡°My Lord, Douson has really distinguished itself,¡± Marcus remarked appreciatively. ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯ve brought it to Thorn Ridge. In Thorn Ridge, it has a natural advantage and may be able to provide unexpected assistance.¡± ¡°Indeed, for the sake of the fief, the castle, and for you, my Lord, it too should make its contribution,¡± said Marcus, cing his right hand over his chest and bowing to Liszt, ¡°I am willing to charge into battle for my Lord!¡± The other Retainer Knights followed suit, saluting one by one. ¡°I am willing to charge into battle for my Lord!¡± Liszt¡¯s expression turned serious. His sapphire eyes under the helmet swept over his Knight Squad, full of vim and vigor: ¡°Let us set out, to Thorn Ridge!¡± The Li Dragon Horse strode forward mightily, and the rest of the horses followed suit, closely surrounding Liszt in their midst. There was no dust. Only the ssh of water. The Knight Squad moved along the waterlogged road, gradually drawing away amid the blessings of Goltai and others. Old Carter, the butler, with other servants, stood at the castle gate, gazing at the retreating backs of the knights. His face showed nervousness, relief, and anticipation. He ced his hands over his chest and called out loudly, ¡°May the knights¡¯ glory watch over the master; the master will surely returnden with endless glory.¡± ¡°Yes, Mr. Carter, we all believe that to be true,¡± Mrs. Morson said gravely. In the nearby stables. One-Eyed Barton muttered softly with a pipe in his mouth, ¡°The master¡¯s Knight Squad has too mixed a collection of horses; they should keep a group of ck horses to look more impressive¡­ However, the master is truly of the Tulip Family lineage; his radiance is undeniable. May the knight¡¯s glory shine upon him forever!¡± The Knight Squad had already gone far. Goltai, Isaiah, and ir walked together toward the town. ¡°The threat of Thorn Ridge seems soon to be resolved,¡± Goltai said lightly. Isaiah¡¯s face showed some worry: ¡°Magical Beasts aren¡¯t so easy to deal with, Goltai. Do you really think the Baron can take care of those beasts that are so good at hiding?¡± ¡°I have a lot of faith because Liszt is much moreposed than you think. Don¡¯t see him as a mere sixteen-year-old. He is apetent Landlord and a capable Knight. I¡¯ve seen his archery; it is already on par with Marcus. His side-sword is a Gemstone Weapon gifted by Marquis Merlin.¡± ir said cheerily, ¡°The Lord is a Son of Glory watched over by knightly radiance. Thorn Ridge isn¡¯t a difficulty, just a whetstone to sharpen his de.¡± He looked back at the sandy path, now void of any figures, and spoke with a slightly frivolous tone: ¡°When the Lord returns, it will be the time for the evening party¡¯s bonfire to be lit.¡± Chapter 123 - 0123: Another Fierce Earth Dog Chapter 123: Another Fierce Earth Dog Trantor: 549690339 Liszt decided that he would spend the uing period amongst the thorns. He publicly dered that he was going to eradicate the magical beasts of Thorn Ridge, and indeed he prepared to do so, but his most essential goal was to snatch that Bloodline Fruit. An exhaustive search was indispensable. ¡°All game that can be hunted must bepletely eradicated. Thorn Forest is destined to be cleared, and there¡¯s no need to keep the beasts!¡± Marcus was themander of the Knight Squad. He scolded the Retainer Knights loudly, ¡°Wayne, Evan, you two idiots who can¡¯t even muster Dou Qi, are responsible for gathering the bodies of the beasts. Pile them up and hang them on trees, do you understand? We are going to take all this food with us when we return!¡± This was a ruthless strategy. In Liszt¡¯s n, apart from the wild fruit trees, all other trees in Thorn Ridge would be felled. Not only would the magical beasts be killed off, but all wild beasts as well. The area wouldter be transformed into farnd, stones would be extracted for road construction, and timber would be used for building houses and fueling fires. Environmental protection was nonexistent. Liszt¡¯s hand rested on the Crimson Blood Sword hilt, and his pupils asionally turned into spinning vortices as he used the Eye of Magic to locate the lurking positions of the magical beasts. This was his biggest reliance for eliminating the Thorn Ridge Beasts. Although Marcus did not know about the Eye of Magic, a mysterious Dou Qi Secret Technique that Liszt possessed, he vaguely guessed that Liszt had the ability to see through magic power¡ªbeing andlord from the Tulip Family with some secret methods was nothing out of the ordinary¡ªthus he was equally confident. Douson was probably the most fearless one; it was his first time visiting Thorn Ridge, and the entire dog trembled with excitement, darting back and forth, thoroughly enjoying itself. ¡°Douson, be quiet!¡± Liszt gently called out. In the field of view of the Eye of Magic. Douson was yellow, Marcus was cyan, and the other Retainer Knights were vague gray-white Dou Qi, their Dou Qi properties not yet disyed. Rustling sounds. A hare jumped out of the bush. Marcus did not move, but a Retainer Knight who had developed Dou Qi charged forward on his horse, piercing lightly with his longsword, and thus impaled the hare. The motion was fluid and smooth, aided by Dou Qi and the relentless practice of knightly drills, this twelve-year-old Retainer Knight was already agile, far surpassing an adult. The longsword quivered, and the body of the hare was thrown to the back of the group. Wayne, who had not yet developed Dou Qi, hurriedly caught the hare¡¯s body, pulled out a rope, bound the hare¡¯s feet together, and hung it behind the horse. There were already several small animals¡¯ carcasses hanging behind the horses, with thergest being a roe deer. In this way, the Knight Squad swept through the morning without encountering a single magical beast, but they did hunt arge number of wild animals. Once a certain number was reached, the carcasses of the animals were bundled up and hung in the trees¡ªthis prevented most wild beasts from stealing the carcasses. The town was not short of food. Some of this game would be cured or smoked for the castle¡¯s stores; some would be distributed to subordinates and their families as a way to win their hearts. The leftovers that couldn¡¯t be eaten would be sold at the seafood shop, a castle business aimed at providing seafood to the popce¡ªthe prices for the game were already set by Liszt, just slightly more expensive than ck bread. This allowed the residents of Fresh Flower Town to have a taste of the game from Thorn Ridge. It was a kind of welfare gifted by thendlord. Liszt was a good man, or so he always considered himself. The serfs thought the same; never had there been andlord who treated their serfs so well. Lunch consisted of barbecuing game in the middle of Thorn Ridge, with the Retainer Knights bringing spices for the food. After cleaning, they sprinkled the spices, skewered the meat on sticks, and cooked it right there. The mes quickly roasted the meat, tender inside and crisply charred outside. The savory aroma spread, whetting appetites and sessfully attracting nearby beasts, which then became targets for the Retainer Knights to practice their swordsmanship¡ªover the course of the morning, the knights¡¯ sword skills improved rapidly, with hands-on experience helping them grow quickly, bing neither panicked nor clumsy. ¡°We¡¯ll probably need three days to thoroughly search the southern part of Thorn Ridge. It¡¯s inevitable that some will slip through the. Without food in the forest, they are likely to spill over to Fresh Flower Town,¡± Marcus said while eating his roasted meat, contemting the consequences of their military operations. Liszt did not ask the Retainer Knights for help with roasting the meat. He roasted a deer thigh by himself, cutting slits in the meat with his dagger, sprinkling it with seasoning, and brushing on several moreyers of oil. He cooked it over a high fire until the skin was golden brown, and the oil and seasonings had thoroughly prated the flesh. This skill, he had tested a few times in the castle, to great sess¡ªa Noble might not enter the kitchen, but it wasmon to grill meat oneself in the wild since it was considered a refined pleasure. ¡°Before I set off, I had already instructed Teacher Goltai to tell the residents of Fresh Flower Town not to leave their homes unnecessarily in the near future and to go out in groups when they had to work. After this period passes and the Lumberjack Team cuts down all the wood in Thorn Ridge, Fresh Flower Town will bepletely worry-free.¡± With his dagger, he prodded the deer thigh. It felt like the meat was roasted enough. He blew on the golden skin and took a gentle bite as if into a crispy cookie¡ªthe skin was crunchy. The meat was tender and easy to tear apart, its aroma bursting hot on his tongue. It was so hot that Liszt felt like spitting it out but couldn¡¯t bear to because it was too delicious. He ate the meat while exhaling. ¡°Delicious!¡± In his heart, he praised himself fiercely. After nibbling half of the deer thigh, he remembered that he should be observing his surroundings for any lurking Magical Beasts. The moment he used the Eye of Magic, he immediately noticed a yellow Magic Power-formed Fierce Earth Dog to the left front of the campfire¡ªif Douson hadn¡¯t been snuggled at his feet, he would have thought it was Douson! ¡°Teacher Marcus, do you see that thick tree trunk to the left?¡± he mentioned to Marcus without any change of expression, putting down the deer thigh and reaching for his bow and arrows on his back. Marcus¡¯s brows lifted: ¡°I see it. Is there something afoot, my lord?¡± ¡°In the bushes to the left of the trunk, there¡¯s a Magical Beast hiding. It could be a Wind de Wolf or a Fierce Earth Dog,¡± Liszt hadn¡¯t been able to directly identify which Magical Beast it was. Marcus nodded. He became serious. He turned and made a few simple hand signals to the Retainer Knights nearby¡ªthis was amon battlefieldmunication method among knights, as they couldn¡¯t always rely on shouting¡ªthe signals meant to be on guard, that there was an enemy nearby in the direction he was pointing, and to pass the message around to each other. Without a sound, all the Retainer Knights got the signal. Each of them held their weapons and began to move slowly, surrounding the area of the bushes. Douson seemed to sense the tense atmosphere, suddenly standing up with its fur slightly bristled. Liszt reassured him in a soft voice: ¡°Don¡¯t panic, Douson, wait for mymand.¡± Only then did Douson restrain its urge to charge, its dog eyes darting everywhere, sniffing the smells in the air¡ªbefore, it was only busy smelling the roasted meat. The was set. Liszt and Marcus exchanged nces, each raising their bow, with two arrows set to the string, aiming at the bushes. With a loudmand, ¡°Fire!¡± The two men instantly released the arrows from their bows, with four arrows shooting toward the bushes from different directions. Marcus, unaware of the exact location of the Magical Beast, had arrows that were slightly off, but Liszt¡¯s were on target, aimed precisely at the head of the Magical Beast. Thwack! As expected. Only one of Liszt¡¯s arrows hit, striking the Magical Beast¡¯s back¡ªas it quickly reacted in a critical moment, twisting its body to dodge the dangerous attack. With that move, the Magical Beast jumped out of the bushes, an arrow sticking out of its back¡ªnot too deeply. It lunged directly at the nearest Retainer Knight. Still daring to counterattack. ¡°It¡¯s a Fierce Earth Dog!¡± Marcus raised his bow again, shooting first at the position where the Fierce Earth Dog was charging to save the life of a Retainer Knight. Liszt also raised his bow to shoot, while simultaneously giving amand, ¡°Douson, target the prey, cast Magic!¡± Chapter 124 - 0124: The End of the King of Thorn Ridge Chapter 124: The End of the King of Thorn Ridge Trantor: 549690339 Fierce Earth Dog, the King of Thorn Ridge, a powerful low-level Magical Beast. It is very likely rted by blood to Douson¡ªDouson¡¯s mother had died, but its father was probably the very same one before them. Despite the possibility of kinship, it did not stop Douson fromunching an attack under Liszt¡¯smand. Magic Power sprayed from its mouth, crossing the gap in space to urately converge at the designated location, forming the Earth Attribute magic¡ªRock Spike. Whoosh! The Rock Spike burst from the ground beneath the Fierce Earth Dog¡¯s belly, nearly skewering it through. The Fierce Earth Dog quickly sidestepped, dodging the Rock Spike with agility and continuing its evasion as it also avoided the four arrows shot at it. Then, it adjusted its stance and charged at the Retainer Knight once more. The Retainer Knight, having caught a moment to breathe, was ready to defend, propping up his round knight¡¯s shield in front of him. But he suddenly heard Lord Landlord¡¯s bellowingmand in his ear, ¡°Zachary, roll!¡± His body involuntarily followed the voice¡¯smand, falling to one side and rolling twice on the muddy ground. In their knight training sessions, Marcus had repeatedly ingrained the concept of ¡°Lord above all¡± in their minds. As for themands from Lord Landlord, there was absolute obedience. Therefore, Zachary didn¡¯t need to think with his brain; his body had developed a conditional reflex to act upon Liszt¡¯smands. This time, obeying themand saved his life. Where he had been just a moment before, a thick Rock Spike shot out from the ground. Had Zachary not moved, the Rock Spike would have pierced through his body, likely impaling him in a critical area. Cold sweat broke out in torrents. Zachary swallowed hard and felt even more grateful towards Lord Landlord for the life-saving warning. However, there wasn¡¯t much time for gratitude, as the Fierce Earth Dog, missing its strike, charged at him again, seemingly fixated on biting and hunting him down to the death. ¡°My Lord, you shoot the arrows, I¡¯ll charge!¡± Seeing that the arrows could not hit the Fierce Earth Dog, Marcus called out loudly. Liszt had no objections to such amand¡ªat that moment, he was fully embodying a qualified archer, understanding that dealing damage from the rear was the logical choice. Besides, he also had tomand Douson to cast spells and remind the Retainer Knights to dodge the Rock Spikes. The task was heavy. In the chaotic battlefield, there was an order. The Fierce Earth Dog was indeed fierce, and the Rock Spikes appeared unpredictably, but under the observation of Liszt¡¯s Eye of Magic, every move it made was revealed. Aside from scratching an unwary Retainer Knight, the other Rock Spikes had not achieved any sess. About ten minutes of skirmishing. The Magic Power of the Fierce Earth Dog had plummeted to a low ebb, and based on Douson¡¯s daily spellcasting experience, Liszt understood that the Fierce Earth Dog would have difficulty casting Rock Spike again in the short term. He abruptly drew his Crimson Blood Sword, ¡°Charge, finish it off!¡± His steed, the Li Dragon Horse, lifted its head proudly, galloping furiously, rushing towards the Fierce Earth Dog that was now surrounded and with no escape. Douson also charged with him; it did not understand the concept of kindred cruelty¡ªLiszt¡¯smand was its code of conduct. Two Earth Knights. Ten Apprentice Knights, plus two for chores. Fourteen men against a Magical Beast whose Magic Power was exhausted; the oue was inevitable. All knights practiced coordinated attack patterns, secure in their positions, leading to Marcus taking the brunt of the assault head-on while Liszt found an opportunity to strike. ¡°Heart of the Fire Dragon Drill!¡± The Crimson Blood Sword, inbination with the Ultimate Mystery Technique of the ¡°Fire Dragon Drill¡±, was unmatched in momentum, fully enveloping the cornered Fierce Earth Dog. mes filled the sky, the manifestation of Liszt¡¯s explosive Dou Qi. Howl! The Fierce Earth Dog let out continuous pitiful wails. The King of Thorn Ridge, under the humans¡¯ hunt, could only end in bitterness. ¡°It didn¡¯t take much effort, and it fell.¡± Liszt calmly sheathed his Crimson Blood Sword, waiting for the mes to die down, to see the grim fate of the Magical Beast he had just killed by his own hand. But just when everyone rxed a bit. Before the mes could dissipate, a charred silhouette suddenly burst forth, breaking through the ckened encirclement. It was the Fierce Earth Dog that was supposed to be killed by Liszt¡¯s powerful move. It was covered in wounds, even giving off a faint scent of roasted meat, but it still had the ability to run. ¡°Pursue!¡± How could Liszt tolerate his prey running away just as it reached his mouth? The Knight Squad didn¡¯t bother tidying up their barbecue setup; they all pursued. Douson was particrly eager, leading the chase after the scorched Fierce Earth Dog. ¡°My lord, be careful, we might encounter other Magical Beasts.¡± Marcus¡¯s mood was quite gloomy, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect a Fierce Earth Dog to be so tricky, feigning death and escaping. It was also my negligence, without confirming the death of the Magical Beast, one must never let their guard down, they are cunning!¡± ¡°Magical Beasts are indeed cunning, but it won¡¯t survive, its body is nearly burnt to a crisp!¡± Liszt¡¯s morale was still high, unaffected. On the battlefield, he did indeed fear death and instinctively hid behind others. But once he set his mind to something, he would give it his all to aplish it. If he said he would hunt down a Fierce Earth Dog, then he definitely wouldn¡¯t allow it any chance to catch its breath. With the Eye of Magic, he could already discern the timings of when Magical Beasts released magic, which meant he no longer faced any magic from Magical Beasts that could be fatal to him. A Magical Beast without magic is no different from a wild beast! Thorn Forest, there was nowhere in it Liszt couldn¡¯t go! Momentster. The fleeing Fierce Earth Dog finally stopped running. It stood in front of a nt, gasping for breath, with burnt wounds bleeding profusely. It turned to look at Douson, who was closing in, and the many Knights following behind, as if making a decision. Its gaze shifted to a golden, fist-sized fruit hanging on the nt¡¯s branches. The dog leaped towards the fruit, attempting to consume the golden treasure. However, a sharp whooshing sound came from behind. In the next instant, the Fierce Earth Dog felt its body being propelled by a force, inadvertently leaping half a meter further forward. Its mouth grazed the golden fruit, missing its bite, and uponnding, pain engulfed its body, and it could no longer hold on. It died. A short distance behind it, Liszt put down his bow and arrow, letting out a sigh of relief. ¡°What a tough creature, it really could run¡­ Fortunately, I arrived just in time.¡± Through the Eye of Magic, he had already spotted the magic-infused fruit, the Bloodline Fruit. Clearly, it had not yet matured and would be a waste if consumed by the Fierce Earth Dog now. Next to the dead body of the Fierce Earth Dog, Douson crouched down, its dog eyes fixed intensely on the golden fruit as drool flowed like a waterfall. It too was drawn to the allure of the Bloodline Fruit. ¡°Douson, stop drooling!¡± Liszt scolded, calling Douson back from reaching towards the Bloodline Fruit. ¡°Woof, woof!¡± Douson immediately wagged its tail at Liszt, constantly ncing at the golden fruit, clearly trying to please Liszt in hopes of getting a taste of the Bloodline Fruit. ¡°Hold your horses, it¡¯s not ripe yet.¡± Liszt dismounted, scanned the surroundings to ensure there were no other Magical Beasts nearby, and then turned his attention back to the Bloodline Fruit. The nt was unidentified, likely belonging to some kind of fern. Bearing just one golden Bloodline Fruit, it appeared rather striking. The fruit was very beautiful, round and full, not only was the color a dazzling golden hue, but there was also a translucent quality just beneath the skin. It didn¡¯t give off any fragrance, nor did it seem to radiate magic power outward. However, in the field of vision granted by the Eye of Magic, it contained a substantial amount of magic power within. It was almost at a solidity level. ¡°Is this¡­ a Bloodline Fruit?¡± Marcus, who had just finished dealing with the Fierce Earth Dog¡¯s body and checking the terrain around, approached Liszt and immediately eximed in a low voice. Chapter 125 - 0125: The Turning Point of Douson’s Destiny Chapter 125: The Turning Point of Douson¡¯s Destiny Marcus understood the value of the Bloodline Fruit¡ªnobles often were willing to spend thousands of Gold Coins for the location of a Bloodline Fruit. If it weren¡¯t for the risk of failure associated with the Bloodline Fruit, its value might have been measured in Dragon coins. He was both excited and relieved, ¡°Thankfully, we started the campaign to clear out the Thorn Ridge Beasts early. Otherwise, by the time the Bloodline Fruit was ripe for the picking, this Fierce Earth Dog might have further evolved and be even harder to hunt down.¡± It was for this very reason that Liszt had initiated the early purge of Thorn Ridge. He reached out and touched the Bloodline Fruit,menting that it wasn¡¯t edible for humans, ¡°It seems like this Bloodline Fruit will soon mature. The Fierce Earth Dog originally wanted to gamble on this chance, but now it belongs to me.¡± ¡°My lord, treasures like these, once mature, will surely attract the Magical Beasts of Thorn Ridge. These beasts have acute senses; they must be lurking nearby, waiting for the Bloodline Fruit to ripen,¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that just perfect,¡± Liszt had a stroke of inspiration, ¡°We can use the Bloodline Fruit as bait, wait at ease, and set up traps around the area.¡± ¡°I will lead the Knight Squad to set the traps right away!¡± Marcus said, exhrated. Before entering Thorn Ridge, the Knight Squad was well-prepared, bringing plenty of ropes, shovels, and traps. The knights had also learned a lot from hunters¡ªthe knights¡¯ everyday work not only involved charging into the battlefield but also hunting Magical Beasts in the forest. Marcus was an expert. He had set numerous loops along the frequent routes of the Magical Beasts; such loops wouldn¡¯t stop the beasts but could effectively hinder their movements when triggered unexpectedly. The sess of the hunt still relied on him and Liszt¡¯s offensive capabilities. By the time all traps were set, it was already evening. During this time, Liszt was by the side of the Bloodline Fruit the whole time, waiting for it to mature. He was also contemting whether to feed the Bloodline Fruit to Douson or the Li Dragon Horses. Douson was a Low-Level Magical Beast that might evolve into an Intermediate Magical Beast after eating it. Of course, it might also fail to evolve, but dying an explosive death was unlikely. Li Dragon Horses were Dragon Breed Beasts that might evolve into Low-Level Dragon Breed Magical Beasts after eating the fruit. Here too, there was a possibility of evolution failure, even a risk of exploding to death. ¡°Better to give it to Douson. Li Dragon Horses are extraordinarily rare Dragon Breed Beasts charged with the responsibility of proliferating their species. They cannot afford any loss,¡± Liszt decided after careful consideration. As for Juan Fu in the castle, he was outright ignored. The sun set in the west. The campfire was lit once again. Liszt took the front leg of the Fierce Earth Dog from a retainer, skewered it on a stick, and prepared to roast it for his dinner. His physical strength grew day by day, and his Dou Qi climbed ever higher. At the stage of an Earth Knight, his progress was incredibly rapid, iparable to that of a Common Earth Knight. The reason was simple: he ate well! While talent is key to training, the essence of it is the absorption and utilization of nutrients. If every meal was Magical Beast Meat, even a pig could be a Magic Power Pig. Without enough to eat, even those with exceptional talent could not cultivate Dou Qi. ¡°Woof woof!¡± Douson barked at him, drooling, coveting the Magical Beast Meat in his hands. Liszt patted Douson¡¯s big head, ¡°You can¡¯t eat this. It might be your father¡¯s meat, or if not your father¡¯s, then perhaps your uncle¡¯s or maybe your brother¡¯s¡­ anyway, it¡¯s likely rted to you.¡± Fratricide was already cruel enough, but cannibalism was beyond the pale ethically. So Douson only got a roasted hare. Then he drooled as he watched Liszt tucking into the Fierce Earth Dog¡¯s leg while nibbling on the skinny rabbit. ¡°Don¡¯t be envious, your delicacy is right here,¡± Liszt pointed at the Bloodline Fruit, a significant opportunity for Douson, ¡°Look, the Magic Power is almost tangible. It¡¯s about to mature, probably tonight. Douson, conserve your strength; I hope that after tonight, you can be an Intermediate Magical Beast.¡± An Intermediate Magical Beast was a match for a Sky Knight. Moreover, a well-trained Magical Beast was imperative on the battlefield, owning an Intermediate Magical Beast was like having a Sky Knight as a retainer, one without ambition. Poised for glory on the battlefield, the owner of a Middle-Level Magical Beast only needed to await a rise in rank. ¡°Can Douson evolve?¡± Liszt wondered internally. He was unsure. There were all sorts of powerful Magical Beasts in the world, but on Coral Ind, the Magical Beasts were mostly Low-Level ones, with only a single Purple Sand Crocodile. The Fierce Earth Dog was known as the King of Thorn Ridge, but it was still essentially a Low-Level Magical Beast. Whether it was an opportunity to rewrite its bloodline or simply a waste of a Bloodline Fruit on a failed evolution was hard to predict. ¡°My lord, would you like to rest for a while?¡± Marcus asked, returning from his patrol. ¡°No need, staying up asionally is not a big deal.¡± Time passed. The night grew deeper. Apart from the asional crackling of the campfire, Thorn Ridge was left with only the sound of the wind and the unnamed chirring of insects, punctuated by the asional calls of small animals. Douson had already sprawled at the foot of Liszt, snoring evenly. Liszt leaned against the trunk, his spirit still fairly vigorous, watching the bloodline fruit. After a long time, his gaze suddenly sparkled with vitality, and his spirit lifted, ¡°It¡¯s about to ripen, I can feel it. The magic power is about to dissipate from the bloodline fruit. It¡¯s reached the critical point!¡± He kicked Douson, waking him up. He also called out to Marcus, ¡°Teacher Marcus, the bloodline fruit is ripening. Have the knights stay alert, and be careful of possible magical beasts!¡± ¡°Is it ripening?¡± Marcus¡¯s expression was serious as he quickly alerted the Knight Squad to get ready. Just at that moment. The bloodline fruit suddenly fell, spreading an overpowering fragrance swiftly. It had ripened! Liszt quickly picked up the bloodline fruit and stuffed it into Douson¡¯s mouth, ¡°Eat it quickly, Douson, eat it!¡± The bloodline fruit onlysted for a few minutes. Wasting a moment would mean losing some of its magic power, reducing its effect significantly. Douson understood this was something good. His mouth opened, and he gulped down the bloodline fruit in one swallow. Meanwhile, Liszt, who was utilizing the Eye of Magic, had already noticed several shadows of magic power rapidly approaching. ¡°Marcus, we are under attack! Magical beasts, to the east, southwest, and northwest!¡± Crack! Crack! The traps were the first to act, entangling two of the magical beasts. Marcus charged forward, leading the way toward the beast to the east, a familiar one, the Fierce Earth Dog! It turned out that the Fierce Earth Dogs of Thorn Ridge weren¡¯t limited to just Douson¡¯s family. A burst of Wind Attribute Dou Qi furiously unleashed, and the Fierce Earth Dog, whose hind legs were caught in ropes, was struck before it could react. It immediately retaliated with Rock Spike, forcing Marcus to dodge in a frenzy, unable to kill the Fierce Earth Dog for the moment. The magical beast from the southwest was also caught in the ropes. Several Retainer Knights roared as they attacked. Liszt drew his Crimson Blood Sword and nced at this beast, a boar-shaped one. In Thorn Ridge, there¡¯s only one kind of boar-shaped magical beast, the Thunderfang Boar that once attacked Fresh Flower Town in the winter. It was a Thunder Magic Beast, its teeth capable of releasing Thunder Magic ¡ª Lightning sh. Boom! Without hesitation, the Thunderfang Boar unleashed Lightning sh, lighting up the woods with a bolt of lightning. ¡°Dodge! Get close! Raise shields! nt swords! Release Dou Qi!¡± Liszt issued fivemands in one breath. The Retainer Knights reflexively retreated, gathered together, raised their shields, and nted their longswords in the ground, releasing their Dou Qi, which clung to their round shields. Boom! The lightning struck the round shields like a whip, instantly sending two Retainer Knights flying. ¡°Ah!¡± ¡°Ah!¡± Two screams of agony. Chapter 126 - 0126: The Formidable Elite Earth Knight Chapter 126: The Formidable Elite Earth Knight The screams were heart-wrenching. But after the two Retainer Knightsnded, they managed to struggle to their feet, evidently without serious harm. Their good response had neutralized the powerful magic¡ªthey had all practiced resisting routines for the Magical Beasts they might encounter at Thorn Ridge. The Thunderfang Boar was one of them! Falling back was to wait for the exhaustion of Lightning sh; Thunder Magic was the most draining, its force weakened with distance, and the Thunderfang Boar would also have a rather long preparation time when releasing Lightning sh. Moving closer was to disperse the Lightning sh¡¯s attack on a single target. Raising shields was to erge the area affected by the lightning, protecting the body. nting the sword was to channel the force of the Thunder Magic directly into the ground. Releasing Dou Qi was to use it to neutralize the remaining force of the Thunder Magic involved. Indeed, two Retainer Knights had been sent flying, but managing to have a group of Apprentice Knights sessfully neutralize a powerful magic strike was a sessful strategy. ¡°All units, obey orders, hit-and-run attack! Tie down the Thunderfang Boar, wait for mybined strike!¡± Marcus finally spared a moment of attention from the Fierce Earth Dog¡¯s Rock Spike attack and hurriedly issuedmands to the Retainer Knights. He was themander of the battlefield, tasked with overseeing the entire situation. ¡°My lord, there¡¯s another Magical Beast!¡± ¡°Leave this one to me!¡± Liszt¡¯s voice was cold. He had the Eye of Magic, which made him safer than the others, ¡°It¡¯s just a Serpent Type Beast!¡± The Crimson Blood Sword was imbued with Fire Attribute Dou Qi, mes slowly igniting. He had already charged toward the serpent-like monster to the northwest¡ªThorn Ridge had no record of such a serpent-type monster, but regardless of the record, Liszt had to face it. Douson could no longer be relied on. After consuming the Bloodline Fruit, it had be listless on the ground, seemingly caught in deep sleep. ¡°Fire Dragon Stab!¡± With the Eye of Magic locking on the target, Liszt did not hesitate tounch his attack. The Crimson Blood Sword turned into a bloody arrow, aimed straight at the serpent-like monster¡¯s vital spot. That spot was clearly where the magic converged, visible to his Eye of Magic. Strike a snake at its vital spot, it was the snake¡¯s weakest area, and a solid hit meant certain death. The Serpent Type Beast appeared to sense the fatal threat, as its thick body, wide as a bowl, twisted, dodging the attack while opening its mouth to spew magic power. Liszt leaped into the air, dodging the Magic Attack. At the spot where he had jumped, a dark whirlpool formed, quickly corroding the dry grass and dead leaves on the ground to sludge. ¡°Dark Magic Whirlpool! It turns out to be a Shadow Snake!¡± he quickly identified the species of the serpent-like monster he was hunting¡ªit was a Shadow Snake. The Shadow Snake was a Dark Attribute Magical Beast. It tended to live in swamps or dark, damp woonds, capable of releasing the spell ¡°Dark Magic Whirlpool.¡± The Dark Attribute¡¯s magic power inherently carried a corrosive effect; once hit by the Dark Magic Whirlpool, it could instantly corrode a human¡¯s body to nothingness. This was a very malicious creature, but its body was quite frail. If it were Marcus, he might well have been caught off-guard, legs severed by the Shadow Snake, left to be devoured by it. But it was facing Liszt now, dodging the magic with ease, and the remaining time was a matter of how to kill it cruelly. ¡°Heart of the Fire Dragon Drill!¡± He started with a powerful move, a rain of fire raining down on the Shadow Snake, which coiled into a ball, not even getting the chance to cast spells. A lion still uses its full strength to fight a rabbit, Liszt never believed in conserving energy in a fight, his style was either to stay back and attack or to go the front line and bombard fiercely. Ssh! The mes ignited the scales of the Shadow Snake. Scorched by the burn, the Shadow Snake kept rolling in agony, trying to extinguish the mes. Whether it was the heat of the mes affecting its judgment, the snake released magic wildly. A small area was hit with three Dark Magic Whirlpools in quick session, all of them missing Liszt by a wide margin. Facing such an irrational Shadow Snake, Liszt let out a relieved smile, raised the Crimson Blood Sword high, and aimed for the vital seven inches of the snake before bringing it down with a mighty swing. Crack! With one strike, the Shadow Snake was cleaved in two. The lower half writhed in madness, while the upper half could not twist and turned, its mouth still opening and closing. No more magic could be released. All that was left for it was death. ¡°Huh¡­¡± Liszt exhaled a heavy breath, momentarily at a loss. Once considered useless, he had now easily killed a Magical Beast. While the Shadow Snake wasn¡¯t very strong, it was still a Low-Level Magical Beast with strengthparable to that of an Earth Knight. Yet in his presence, it only had the chance to be beaten, notsting more than ten moves before being cut in two: ¡°It seems I¡¯ve grown this strong, almost like an Elite Earth Knight.¡± Indeed, with the Eye of Magic to see through illusions and the Crimson Blood Sword to enhance his power, it was clear that Liszt had be stronger. His reflections were brief, for in the next moment, not waiting for the bifurcated Shadow Snake to stop squirming, he mounted his horse with the Crimson Blood Sword in hand, charging towards the Thunderfang Boar¡ªsome Magical Beasts required fighting on foot, and others were better dealt with on horseback. The Thunderfang Boar, massive and thick-skinned, required the power of a warhorse to hunt. ¡°Charge!¡± Rider and steed became one, Dou Qi bursting forth, the Crimson Blood Sword slicing through the air with a piercing whine. As he charged into the fray, the Thunderfang Boar was about to release magic, only to be sent flying by Liszt¡¯s ¡°Inferno sh,¡± blood scattering on the spot, and its magic thwarted and kept at bay. The thick-skinned Thunderfang Boar was not seriously harmed, however, and started to charge at Liszt with grunts of defiance. But after only two steps, it was sent flying once again, this time by Marcus who had just dispatched the Fierce Earth Dog, charging in unison with the horse despite his injured left leg, blood flowing freely from a gash caused by a Rock Spike. However, this did not hinder his mounted charge. ¡°Sir, let¡¯sbine our attacks!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take the left, you take the right, one round of charging each. Follow mymand and don¡¯t let it cast any magic!¡± ¡°Alright!¡± After a brief exchange, Liszt initiated another round of charging, knocking the Thunderfang Boar off its feet once again. Before the boar could rise, Marcus charged again, knocking the still unsteady beast back to the ground. Two Elite Earth Knights, alternating rounds of attack. As their teamwork grew more seasoned, the Thunderfang Boar lost its chance to stand up again. It couldn¡¯t release its Lightning sh, and so it could only bellow in frustration as more and more gashes were cut into its flesh, quickly soaked with its own blood, then stained ck by the mire on the ground. The Retainer Knights, exhausted by the Thunderfang Boar¡¯s antics, lit torches one by one, surrounding the battlefield to prevent the boar from breaking through and escaping. Watching the two Earth Knights toy with the Thunderfang Boar, their blood surged with excitement, wishing it were they who were in the fray, tormenting the beast. After at least a dozen charges back and forth. Marcus¡¯s warhorse was too tired to lift its feet any longer, and the Li Dragon Horse was also heaving with heavy breaths. It was then that the Thunderfang Boar finally ceased its intive grunts, lying on the ground, breathing in far more than it could breathe out. ¡°It¡¯s finally dead.¡± Liszt breathed heavily. The Thunderfang Boar was not much of a threat to Earth Knights¡ªit moved clumsily and unleashed its magic slowly, making it easy to dodge. But its hide was too thick, and they could only wear it down softly and slowly till its death. Marcus¡¯s face was pale, his left leg bleeding quite a bit, sapping his strength, but he still managed to shout first, ¡°Everyone, don¡¯t just stand there, clean up the battlefield, we¡¯re preparing to leave!¡± After saying this, he dismounted, ready to tend to his wound. However, Liszt suddenly spoke in an urgent tone, ¡°Teacher Marcus, we¡¯re in trouble. One, two, three, four¡­ a total of seven beasts, converging on us.¡± Chapter 127: Douson’s Big Battle Against the Wind Blade Wolf Chapter 127: Douson¡¯s Big Battle Against the Wind de Wolf It was the Wind de Wolves. These cunning creatures didn¡¯te to snatch the Bloodline Fruit right away but showed up after a big battle, hoping to benefit from the fisherman¡¯s fortune. The previous three Magical Beasts had already kept the team in disarray. Now facing seven all at once, and at night with their conditions not being ideal, it was very difficult to defeat this group of Wind de Wolves. ¡°Sir, we should retreat.¡± Marcus directly took out the Smoked Grass Fire Stone Package he had distributed: ¡°Fighting at night is very disadvantageous for us, traps won¡¯t stop the pack of wolves, and my left leg is injured, preventing me from unleashing my full strength. Let¡¯s light the Smoked Grass now, I¡¯ll use ¡®Multi-Arrow¡¯ to cover your retreat, and we¡¯ll retreat toward the main road.¡± Liszt was decisive: ¡°Okay!¡± When it¡¯s time to act, do it with zeal; when it¡¯s time to run, do it just as decisively. The flint had not yet struck. A piercing wolf howl shattered the eardrums: ¡°Awoo, awoo, a-w-o-o-o-o-o-o¡­¡± Liszt turned his head and saw Douson, who had been lying on the ground unconscious, had at some point stood up, thrown back its head, and was howling at the sky. Its body seemed to inte like a balloon, muscles bulging under its fur, eyes bloodshot, and teeth bing even more ferocious and sharp. He quickly employed the Eye of Magic. Liszt saw that Douson¡¯s earthy magic power was rising like mes, giving the impression of a fiery fierce beast: ¡°Douson!¡± Douson, hearing Liszt¡¯s call, turned its head, showing a moment of confusion in its eyes. The next moment, a familiar scene shed by, and Liszt¡¯s order echoed in its ears: ¡°Attack the prey!¡± Instinctively following the direction of Liszt¡¯s finger, it charged out. There, were two Wind de Wolves. Seeing Dousoning, they hastily retreated, but by then, Douson¡¯s speed had be so fast, it caught up with the Wind de Wolves in just two steps, and opened its mouth to release magic. Arger Rock Spike shot out from the ground, impaling one of the Wind de Wolves, its bellypletely torn open, with intestines and blood spilling out. ¡°Woo-awoo¡­¡± the Wind de Wolf howled in agony. The other six Wind de Wolves charged over, pouncing toward Douson, starting a battle without any prelude. The Wind de Wolves¡¯ Wind des flew chaotically, slicing through branches and trunks, and tearing furrows in the ground. Douson¡¯s Rock Spikes fired precisely with each shot leaving marks on the Wind de Wolves. It was like a tiger entering a flock of sheep, unrivaled in ferocity, with the Wind de Wolves trying to bite Douson, only to be swatted away. Even when bitten, it was only superficial, as its muscles, inted like balloons, allowed it to effectively avoid the Wind de Wolves¡¯ sharp teeth. Then it would turn around and bite back, and the Wind de Wolves couldn¡¯t stand it, yelping and jumping away. Blood sttered, magic flew. The battle between wolf and dog was extremely fierce. ¡°Has Douson evolved?¡± Marcus asked, his hand trembling slightly while holding the Smoked Grass Fire Stone Package, the scene was indeed spectacr, a Fierce Earth Dog taking on six Wind de Wolves by itself. Liszt¡¯s breathing was slightly hurried, he had seen the look in Douson¡¯s eyes just now, as if it didn¡¯t recognize him anymore. There even seemed to be a bloodthirsty hostility lurking, the innate instincts of a wild beast, and he had no doubt that Douson might attack him at any moment. Fortunately, at the critical moment, he didn¡¯t panic, and his mind remained clear. He quickly gave the order to attack, redirecting Douson¡¯s attention. As he expected. Douson¡¯s response to his order was a conditioned reflex, subconsciously charging out, attacking the Wind de Wolves. What he hadn¡¯t expected was for Douson to take on six alone without falling behind in the least. ¡°I don¡¯t know, its magic power is very violent, maybe it¡¯s evolution, maybe it¡¯s not evolution. Either way, it needs to vent!¡± said Liszt, his tone calm but with an undertone of indifference, ¡°Teacher Marcus, Douson seems to be influenced by the Bloodline Fruit, bing wildly beastly. Be prepared to take it down.¡± If Douson really bes unrecognizable and attacks himter, he will not hesitate. Marcus nodded heavily, drawing his bow and arrow, and while retreating to the vicinity of the intact traps, he paid close attention to the scene of the fierce battle between the dog and the wolves, ¡°Understood!¡± The Retainer Knights stood in formation, protecting Liszt in the center. Quietly waiting. The battle did notst long. The wildly peerless Douson found an opportunity, impaling a Wind de Wolf with a Rock Spike, breaching the perimeter of the wolf pack, and then began his ughter. He violently grabbed a Wind de Wolf and before it could twist its body to flee, another Rock Spike emerged, piercing through the wolf. It was far more proficient in using magic than the Wind de Wolves, and the Rock Spike was already a spell suited for stealth attacks, having been trained by Liszt for a long time. One by one. The Wind de Wolves were cruelly impaled by it. And the frenzied aura on its body gradually subsided, and when it was about to kill thest Wind de Wolf, it ran out of magic power and failed to release another Rock Spike. It watched helplessly as the Wind de Wolf escaped disaster and fled into the distance without looking back. For a moment, it gasped for air, forgetting to give chase. But the next moment. Four sharp arrows flew, pinning the severely wounded Wind de Wolf to the ground. It was Liszt and Marcus acting together, catching one that slipped through. After shooting the fleeing Wind de Wolf, the two of them bent their bows to notch another arrow, taking aim at Douson. They did not shoot. Liszt gently called out to the panting Douson, ¡°Douson, sit.¡± Douson paused, its bloodthirsty eyes flickering, as if it no longer understood Liszt¡¯smand or recognized who Liszt was. It just gasped for air, staring at Liszt and the others, without any movement. Liszt maintained his archery stance. His heart was filled with mixed emotions. Having raised it for nearly half a year, even though it wasn¡¯t as a pet, he had grown fond of it. He didn¡¯t want to turn into strangers and then have to kill Douson by his own hand¡ªa loss that wasn¡¯t just a Bloodline Fruit, but so much more. Time ticked by slowly. Liszt¡¯s mood also darkened bit by bit. However, at that moment, Douson slowly sat down and barked at him twice with a ¡°woof woof.¡± In an instant, his spirits lifted, and Lisztughed out loud, beckoning, ¡°Douson,e back!¡± Douson immediately wagged its tail, limping over to him. Dismounting, he touched Douson¡¯s fur, and Douson cooperatively stuck out its tongue, licking Liszt¡¯s palm. Its eyes had lost their bloodthirsty crimson and returned to their usual liveliness and vibrancy. Marcus smiled and turned to shout, ¡°Clean up the battlefield, collect the prey, let¡¯s head back!¡± The Retainer Knights were relieved from the tension of the battle, chatting andughing as they picked up the bodies of the magical beasts, packing and hanging them on the horses. After this battle, it¡¯s likely that no magical beasts will be left on the southern side of Thorn Ridge¡ªThorn Ridge had been divided into two disconnected sections by the main road, with a fence constructed,pletely separating the north from the south. ¡°How¡¯s the leg injury?¡± Liszt inquired. While bandaging, Marcus replied, ¡°It¡¯s just a superficial wound, the bones are fine. Sir, has Douson evolved? Has it be an Intermediate Magical Beast?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, it looks¡­ bigger than before.¡± Chapter 128 - 0128 Glory Belongs to Lord Landlord Chapter 128: Glory Belongs to Lord Landlord Douson had indeed grown a bitrger, mainly because his muscles had developed quite a bit, and it seemed as if they were inted by the magic power of the Bloodline Fruits, giving a somewhat swollen appearance. ¡°Teacher Marcus, have you ever seen an intermediate magical beast?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Me neither.¡± Intermediate magical beasts were not something just anyone could encounter, just like how Coral Ind only had one Sky Knight, the Earl, and only one intermediate magical beast, the Purple Sand Crocodile. These weren¡¯t crocodiles kept in zoos that one could visit with a ticket purchase; the magic of intermediate magical beasts wasn¡¯t limited to just one single type. ording to the records of Tulip Castle. The Purple Sand Crocodile was a water-attribute magical beast, which had released three types of magic during a skirmish with the Knight Order. These were ¡°Water Arrow Barrage,¡± ¡°Water Wave Shield,¡± and the extremely powerful ¡°Waterfall,¡± capable of summoning waves over ten meters high on drynd which could even crush an Earth Knight to death. Therefore. Liszt couldn¡¯t be sure whether Douson had evolved into an intermediate magical beast or not. At least from the current state of affairs, Douson hadn¡¯t undergone much change, and even in a berserk state, it had no overwhelming advantage over the pack of Wind de Wolves¡ªthe dense and numerous wounds on its body were proof of that. ¡°Regardless, the Bloodline Fruits should bring about some changes to Douson; subtly and gradually, they will make it stronger.¡± Liszt reassured himself in his heart, trying not to worry too much. The Knight Squad had been cleaning up for quite a while and still hadn¡¯t managed to deal with the corpses of the magical beasts. Mainly because the Thunderfang Boar was simply toorge, estimated to weigh as much as a full-grown hippopotamus, close to 3 tons. No horse, no matter how strong, could carry the Thunderfang Boar. There were also two Fierce Earth Dogs, seven Wind de Wolves, and one Shadow Snake; today¡¯s haul was immense. ¡°Let¡¯s send some of the magical beast corpses back first, then bring the caravan¡¯s wagons. This Thorn Forest still has many more animal carcasses to be collected,¡± Marcus thought aloud. Liszt had no objections to this, as mundane matters like these he couldn¡¯t be bothered to contemte. Right now, he only wanted to return to the castle, take a good bath, and then get some sleep. On the way back, he summoned the Smoke Mission. ¡°Complete the mission, reward one Bloodline Fruit.¡± ¡°Mission: You have initiated an attack, determined to eradicate Thorn Ridge, to create a peaceful new environment for Fresh Flower Town. So gather your determination and ughter all magical beasts in Thorn Ridge. Reward: Traces of the Li Dragon Horse Herd.¡± The new mission gave Liszt a burst of energy. The reward was actually the traces of the Li Dragon Horse Herd¡ªan existence he had always suspected might not be a solitary one. Logically, there shouldn¡¯t be horses on the ind, but who could guarantee that there really was no horse herd? After all, this was a world full of magic power. Unexpectedly, the Smoke Mission provided a direct clue. There were indeed Li Dragon Horse Herds. This was a Dragon Breed Horse, its value goes without saying. ¡°I was nning to rest after clearing out the southern Thorn Ridge and finding the Bloodline Fruit. Now it seems I can¡¯t rest. I must press on and finish the extermination work, to wee my Li Dragon Horse Herd!¡± The moon had long since set. The stars in the sky twinkled brightly. Under the starlight, Liszt and his Knight Squad, bearing a full harvest, returned to the castle. Lamps were lit in the castle, and the butler, Old Carter, had been waiting all along, not knowing when the lord of the castle would return. Following Liszt¡¯s instructions before leaving, there was no need to wait if he wasn¡¯t back by nightfall. Yet he still rose from bed from time to time, going to the window to look outside. Then, he saw the torches. ¡°The master is back,¡± Carter felt an inexplicable relief, then quickly dressed and knocked on Mrs. Morson¡¯s door, ¡°Mrs. Morson, the master is back, wake the maids and prepare the bathwater for the master. Have the kitchen rush to prepare ate-night meal, the squad has already reached Douson Avenue.¡± ¡°Alright, Mr. Carter, I¡¯ll get up right now,¡± Mrs. Morson responded. Carter quickly roused the servants one by one, and then continuously litmps, awakening the entire castle from darkness¡ªhis lordship loved light; he always said not to worry about wasting candles, now that they had money! Lights in the castle rapidly brightened. The returning master on horseback felt exceptionally at ease. Liszt couldn¡¯t help but think of a song¡ª¡±Stars light up, illuminating my doorstep, guiding lost children to find their way home.¡± It didn¡¯t seem quite fitting, so he thought of another short poem¡ª¡±The steady cadence of my horse¡¯s hooves is a beautiful mistake; I am not a homeer, but a passerby¡­¡± Alright. Neither was very fitting. Unable to find the right words to describe his feelings at the moment, he was simply excited. When he reached the castle gate, the servants were already lined up, waiting to greet him. ¡°Knightly honor favors us! Lord, seeing you return safely brings me peace of mind,¡± Carter said. ¡°No need for concern, Mr. Carter; it was just a hunt in the forest, and there were no dangers,¡± Liszt replied with a light smile. ¡°Tom, take my retainer knights and drive out the merchant¡¯s wagon. Later we¡¯ll head back to Thorn Ridge to haul all the game we¡¯ve hunted¡­ You¡¯ll be busy tonight.¡± ¡°As you wish, Lord, I¡¯ll take care of it now,¡± Tom responded. Carter, seeing the knight squad return with the carcasses of the game, understood that it would be a sleepless night: ¡°Serving his lordship is our honor.¡± ¡°Has Mrs. Abbie prepared thete-night snack?¡± ¡°The kitchen has started working; I¡¯ve had Mrs. Abbie prepare portions for the entire knight squad.¡± ¡°Good, when we return, we must drink heartily and celebrate today¡¯s bountiful harvest,¡± Liszt said without dismounting his horse. ¡°Thomas, lead Douson over there; it¡¯s injured and needs to be bandaged.¡± ¡°Your wish is mymand, Lord,¡± Thomas replied. Gazing at the game that had been unloaded, Liszt went on, ¡°Mr. Carter, inform Teacher Goltai that he cane and divide this batch of game. Reserve a portion for the castle, distribute another portion to the families of officials and retainer knights, with the rest to be supplied to the seafood shop at the price of seafood.¡± The game being discussed was just beasts. As for magical beasts, they definitely couldn¡¯t be handled the same way¡ªLiszt wasn¡¯t that generous yet. Except when hosting banquets, when he would allow his subordinates to enjoy a little extra, the meat of magical beasts was exclusively for him. After two trips, all of today¡¯s spoils had finally been brought back. Piled in front of the castle like a small hill. The great hall on the first floor was bustling with activity. It was a rare moment, transcending the noble hierarchy, where thendlord and retainers sat together at the same table. Tonight¡¯ste-night snack wasparable to a holiday feast¡ªLiszt had the kitchen prepare an entire Shadow Snake into steaks, and each official and retainer received arge piece of steak. Meat from a magical beast, rich in magic power, was a great tonic that they normally couldn¡¯t afford. Seizing this opportunity, everyone devoured their share, wishing they could even lick the tes clean. Outside in the castle, Douson also received arge piece of steak. ¡°Knightly honor watches over Fresh Flower Town, it watches over Lord Landlord, with courage and wisdom going hand in hand! I propose, let us raise a ss together, to Liszt, who is favored by knightly honor, glory be to Lord Landlord!¡± Teacher Goltai, holding a ss filled with juniper wine, took charge of the banquet¡¯s atmosphere. Fostering interaction and enhancing the mood were among his specialties. The others lifted their sses and shouted in unison, ¡°Glory be to Lord Landlord!¡± Sitting at the head of the table, Liszt¡¯s face was not the formic noble smile, but one of excited joy, savoring the atmosphere. He lifted his ss and dered loudly, ¡°The glory is mine, and I am with all of you!¡± Chapter 129 - 0129 Rapid Growth Spiky Thorn Chapter 129: Rapid Growth Spiky Thorn Though they aimed to conquer all of Thorn Ridge in one fell swoop, they still rested for two days, mainly because the members of the Knight Squad had some minor injuries, including Marcus, whose leg had sustained a graze. Having Dou Qi, they recovered from minor injuries very quickly. Two days were enough to relieve the fatigue in their bodies and let the wounds scab over. Liszt, unharmed, woke from a night¡¯s sleep feeling reinvigorated and adjusted to optimal condition. He was in high spirits, racing his horse across the training field and rigorously practicing ¡°Fire Dragon Drill,¡± ¡°ming Wave,¡± and ¡°Multi-Arrow.¡± Thisbat experience had granted him ample experience. He felt that the Dou Qi within him had surged significantly. Originally a tender noble, a newbie among the Earth Knights, he now solidified his foundation and took a great stride toward bing an Elite Earth Knight. Compared to Marcus, he was almost on par¡ªthe experience was stillcking, and so was the amount of Dou Qi, but with the Eye of Magic and the Crimson Blood Sword, the oue of a real fight was uncertain. ¡°I think in a one-on-one duel with Marcus, it should be an even split!¡± he estimated. Turning to look at Douson who, with glossy fur, was frantically running around the training field seemingly bursting with endless energy, he started to strategize: ¡°With Douson¡¯s help, Marcus is definitely no match for me. In fact, I believe that Douson alone could be an even match for Marcus.¡± It wasn¡¯t yet clear whether the Bloodline Fruit had caused any evolutionary changes in Douson. Regarding this knowledge, there was still too little. But there was no question that the amount of Douson¡¯s magic had increased tremendously; it used to be able to cast Rock Spike only about ten to twenty times a day, but now could cast it from morning till dusk. While it might not reach fifty times, thirty-five times was absolutely within reach. Because of this, the progress on Douson Avenue¡¯s road construction had greatly elerated. ¡°Douson, cast the magic!¡± Whoosh! A Rock Spike rose from the ground, one and a half timesrger than the ones Douson used to cast. The amount of rock produced in a day was equivalent to three to four days¡¯ yield in the past, making it resemble a mini ¡°Rock Young Dragon¡±¡ªording to a knight¡¯s novel called ¡°Mercenary World,¡± dragons in their youth looked somewhat like dogs. Overall, Douson, having gotten a taste of blood, had more than doubled in strength, but it was still far from reaching the power of an Intermediate Magical Beast. Its recovery ability, however, had increased dramatically, and the wounds on its body were about to healpletely. ¡°Looking at Douson¡¯s current performance, it wasn¡¯t a waste of the Bloodline Fruit after all, at least, it¡¯s much better than if the evolution had failed.¡± About this clean-up, he was satisfied. The Shadow Snake¡¯s hide was excellent lining material for leather armor. There were some signs of fire damage, but overall, it was rtively intact and could at least sell for ten Gold Coins. As for the two Fierce Earth Dogs, one was entirely charred and could only be kept for Liszt to eat; the other had its furrgely shed by Marcus, so it couldn¡¯t fetch a high price. The internal organs could be sold to magicians, but mostly they were kept for personal consumption since the castle wasn¡¯t in urgent need of the money. The tworge tusks of the Thunderfang Boar were excellent forging materials, especially suitable for creating Magic Equipment, with one tusk worth at least five Gold Coins. The hide was also great for making leather armor and could sell for around ten Gold Coins. The meat and bones could either be kept for consumption or sold. Selling them for seven or eight Gold Coins wouldn¡¯t be difficult. With a massive physique and tough hide, the Thunderfang Boar was valuable all over. The other prizes were the seven Wind de Wolves¡ªsince they were hunted by Douson, the wounds were small and the fur was mostly intact, making it feasible to sell each for over ten Gold Coins without issue. If estimated, this batch of magical beasts could bring Li Si Te at least a hundred and thirty gold coins. ¡°The Southern Thorn Ridge has probably been cleared out, but there are likely still many magical beasts in the Northern Thorn Ridge. We can harvest another hundred or more gold coins. Clearing out Thorn Ridge not only yields magical beast meat and materials to exchange for gold coins but also sharpens the Knight Squad and reduces the threat to the town. It¡¯s a profitable deal.¡± The math was sound, but the magical beasts were a one-time bounty; once killed, they were gone. The Thorn Forest of Thorn Ridge would also disappear¡ªhe had already ordered Goltai to reorganize the Lumberjack Team to make Thorn Ridge a thing of the past. In addition, ir was preparing to form a tree-nting team to nt two types of thorns, Rapid Growth Poison Thorn and Rapid Growth Spiky Thorn, around the periphery of Thorn Ridge. The rapid-growth thorn species grew incredibly fast. With enough moisture and fertilizer, they could grow more than ten centimeters overnight. The Rapid Growth Poison Thorn, after cultivation, already covered several acres. Its roots could be dug up at any time for transntation elsewhere. The ¡°Rapid Growth Spiky Thorn¡± had been discovered not long ago as a reward from the Smoke Mission¡ªa spiny, fast-growing, mutant thorn variety whose branches were covered in dense clusters ofrge and small spikes, quite terrifying. These two types of thorns, used as hedging, posed little threat to humans, as a few shovelfuls could clear a path. But wild beasts and magical beasts would surely despair. ¡°Actually, now that the tall trees of the Thorn Forest have been chopped down, and magical beasts can no longer inhabit it, we don¡¯t need thorns for defense. However, to let others know that Thorn Ridge is Fresh Flower Town¡¯s territory, I¡¯ll still nt a circle of thorns.¡± During the fief distribution, the Earl dered Fresh Flower Town to be Li Si Te¡¯s territory. But the official boundaries of Fresh Flower Town were not clearly defined, and likewise, Thorn Ridge had previously been an independent hazardous area unimed by any other town. After Li Si Te took over Thorn Ridge, it became de facto territory of Fresh Flower Town, an exploitation of loopholes that was perfectly legitimate. ¡°The area of Thorn Ridge, added together, is at least the size of Fresh Flower Town. This means my territory will double in size and at least half of thatnd can be cultivated into farnd!¡± Concerning his somewhat bandit-like actions, Li Si Te felt not a hint of shame, but rather quite pleased with himself. If he did this after Levis inherited the earldom, he might face a bacsh¡ªnobles value theirnd highly, and not even brothers are allowed to take advantage of it. But currently, the Earl was his father. A son capitalizing on loopholes and going to great lengths to secure Thorn Ridge, taking a little advantage was hardly a matter for censure. All things considered, his father was unlikely to squabble with his son over what was originally ¡°useless¡±nd. Taking a sip of fresh coconut milk, Li Si Te counted the days on his fingers. ¡°Today is September 14th. The Earl¡¯s birthday is on September 19th. He has already led the Coral Ind Knights to charge into battle on the maind, so there won¡¯t be a birthday party¡­ By the end of this month, the Tulip Fleet should be back, and the five hundred serfs I purchased will arrive¡­¡± He nned to spend a week topletely turn over Thorn Ridge, exterminating all the magical beasts. The trees would all be cut down within a month, and once the serfs arrived, he would swiftly cultivate thend into farnd, managing to nt a crop of winter wheat before winter set in. ¡°Five hundred serfs are not enough. After selling the magical beast materials, I¡¯ll pull out some gold coins from the seafood business, amass six hundred gold coins, and buy an additional two thousand five hundred serfs!¡± Previously. Five hundred serfs, including a hundred craftsmen, cost one hundred and twenty gold coins. By that ratio, six hundred gold coins could buy exactly two thousand ordinary serfs and five hundred craftsmen. ¡°I wonder if I can get a discount on serfs with this Pioneer Mandate. Once Frank, Levis¡¯s confidant, returns, I need to have a good talk with him¡­ Wars always bring countless refugees. Maybe I could even buy some knights who can¡¯t pay their ransoms and directly establish my own real Knight Squad.¡± Chapter 130 - 0130: A Strange Scream Chapter 130: A Strange Scream Two days flew by, and the Knight Squad set forth once again, heading towards Thorn Ridge up in the north. The sessful annihtion of the Southern Thorn Ridge sent the team¡¯s morale soaring, and a hint of ferocity now tinged the tender faces of the Retainer Knights. However, the main force of the extermination team was neither the Retainer Knights nor Marcus or Li Si Te (Liszt). It was Douson. It had be belligerent and full of vigor, almost tireless. From a tiny squirrel to the Low-Level Magical Beast, the Ice Tree Frog, none were spared from its ravages. Especially toward the Ice Tree Frog, a Low-Level Magical Beast with an affinity for ice, which perched on tree branches and cast the magic ¡°Ice de¡± at Douson in a wild bombardment. But Douson even taught itself to climb trees. Despite the Ice Tree Frog¡¯s frantic leaping, it was still pounced on by Douson, killed in just a few bites without even using Rock Spike. The King of Thorn Ridge¡¯s imposing manner was already taking shape. ¡°Douson, even if not an Intermediate Magical Beast, is not far from it. Sir, itsbat power is growing stronger, and I feel that it is still growing and getting stronger.¡± Marcus watched as Douson carried the Ice Tree Frog in its mouth, wagging its tail excitedly, and cheerfully ced its trophy next to the Li Dragon Horse. He couldn¡¯t help but express his sincere admiration. Keeping a fighting Magical Beast that was also loyal and brave proved immensely practical. Liszt, delighted, tossed out a fried meat strip as a reward for Douson¡ªDouson was quite picky with its mouth, not eating raw food; it preferred fried delicacies the most. ¡°At first, I thought the Bloodline Fruit had failed, unable to change its bloodline, and it was still a Fierce Earth Dog. But now, we can¡¯t jump to conclusions so easily. Teacher Marcus, have you noticed that after two days in Thorn Ridge, Douson¡¯s size has grown even bigger?¡± ¡°Indeed, it has grown quite a bit. Now Douson is as big as an adult tiger.¡± An adult Fierce Earth Dog could at most match the size of a leopard, but now Douson had reached the size of a tiger and was still growing. Liszt waved his hand, and Douson bounded out again, continuing its hunting endeavors. ¡°No matter what, Douson is only half a year old, not yet mature, but it¡¯s already this strong. Once it matures, I am afraid there won¡¯t be any opponents below the rank of Intermediate Magical Beast.¡± The growth rate of Magical Beasts was generally fast, but Douson¡¯s was clearly faster. Back in the Castle, Liszt had never skimped on providing well for it, serving up plenty of fish and meat. Compared to ordinary Magical Beasts that survived on raw food in the forest, Douson had always consumed cooked meals, making nutrient utilization much higher. In less than three months, it could cast magic, and within half a year, it could struggle against adult Magical Beasts. After consuming the Bloodline Fruit, its body and magical powers exploded, easily subduing Low-Level Magical Beasts. Once Douson matured, among the Magical Beasts of Coral Ind¡ªexcept for the Purple Sand Crocodile¡ªthere would likely be none that could rival Douson. While they were speaking, Douson encountered another Magical Beast. It was a massive Thunderfang Boar, with four smaller Thunderfang Boars trailing behind it. It was very possible that it was family to the one encountered in Southern Thorn Ridge. Confronted with Douson, the big boar was quite ferocious, but Douson was far craftier than imagined, skillfully circling around and biting the little boars to death. It did not confront the big boar head-on. Only when the big boar¡¯s magic, Lightning sh, was cast so much that its magic power was depleted did Douson begin to throw Rock Spike, teasing the big boar. Finally, seizing the opportunity, it knocked down the Thunderfang Boar, finished it off with a Rock Spike through the boar¡¯s neck, and sent the whole boar family packing. Marcus held his bow and arrows without much chance to use them: ¡°The timing of magic release was just right. Douson¡¯s wisdom is high, and Sir, your training has been very effective.¡± Liszt was equally idle: ¡°It really is smart. Magical Beasts rely on instinct, but it relies on its brain.¡± He was increasingly pleased with Douson. With Douson around, the extermination tasks were as easy as leisure activities. Marcus didn¡¯t let the Retainer Knights sit idle. When they encountered a lone Wind de Wolf, he summoned Douson back and then allowed Liszt to arrange for the Retainer Knights to surround and attack the Wind de Wolf: ¡°This is an old and weakening Wind de Wolf; it has started to shed, likely having been expelled from its pack. I¡¯ll leave this one to you.¡± Ultimately, with three Retainer Knights injured, ten Retainer Knights worked together to corner and kill the Wind de Wolf. The prey was hung up on the tree. The team continued to delve deeper. As the sea was soon in sight, it meant that the northern part of Thorn Ridge was about to be cleared, with not much to show for it. Just five Thunderfang Boars¡ªone big and four small¡ªa single Ice Tree Frog, and a single Wind de Wolf, barely six magical beasts in total. Plenty of wild beasts had been hunted, but Liszt had no interest in those. Having grown ustomed to the meat of magical beasts, he considered the meat of wild beasts to be of inferior quality. ¡°It¡¯s a pity, the Thorn Forest is about to disappear, leaving Fresh Flower Town with no environment for magical beasts to dwell in. If we want to eat magical beast meat in the future, we¡¯ll have to go out and buy it.¡± The clearing of Thorn Ridge would supply enough magical beast meat for about half a year¡¯s consumption. After that would be over, he¡¯d need to spend quite a sum to buy magical beast meat for consumption. Marcus saw the brighter side, ¡°Once Thorn Ridge is turned into farnds, the castle¡¯s tax revenue will increase substantially, and thendlord will naturally be able to buy magical beast meat with gold coins. Moreover, by that time, the sale of ck Tulip and me Mushroom magic potions will also bring in a considerable ie. Fresh Flower Town will be more and more prosperous.¡± ¡°Still, we need to open up more sources of ie. In the future, we¡¯ll need to do more than just feed ourselves; we¡¯ll also have to train a Knight Squad.¡± The sess in hunting magical beasts made Liszt¡¯s ambition grow, ¡°I hope that by the next Pioneer Mandate, my knights can bring me true glory. Andlord needs morend!¡± Marcus¡¯s eyes shone brightly, ¡°I am at your service, my lord!¡± ¡°Woof woof!¡± Douson suddenly barked, interrupting thendlord and knight¡¯s pleasant anticipation. Liszt took advantage of the situation to utilize his Eye of Magic, scanning the surroundings. Then, he spotted signs of magic power; a magical beast was lurking not far away. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect to find a magical beast so close to the sea. Douson, attack.¡± Onmand, Douson dashed out like an arrow, charging straight at the magical beast. Clearly, he had sensed the presence of the magical beast even before Liszt had. Liszt and the others followed at a leisurely pace. They could hear Douson¡¯s intermittent barking and another dog¡¯s yelping. ¡°It seems there¡¯s still a Fierce Earth Dog,¡± Marcus deduced from the sound that the magical beast was a Fierce Earth Dog. ¡°That¡¯s normal. For Fierce Earth Dogs to reproduce on Thorn Ridge, there can¡¯t be just two or three of them. In fact, I think it¡¯s possible there are more that slipped through the¡ªThorn Ridge must have more than one Shadow Snake, more than one Ice Tree Frog, and there might even be Wind Falcons nearby.¡± After a pause, Liszt added, ¡°Of course, I can¡¯t be certain. Eighteen years ago, when Fresh Flower Town wasn¡¯t yet built, this ce was all forest, cleared once by the Coral Ind Knights. Shadow Snakes and Ice Tree Frogs might be from that time¡­ after all, magical beasts can live for quite a few years.¡± Magical beasts live longer than ordinary wild animals. Theoretically, they could still be alive today. Fierce Earth Dogs, Wind de Wolves, and Thunderfang Boars had all found mates to continue their species; Shadow Snakes and Ice Tree Frogs were likely to be extinct, but their bloodlines might persist, as they could breed with wild animals. There¡¯s not necessarily reproductive istion between magical beasts and the wild animals of their kind. Magical beasts forcing themselves on wild animals and producing magical beast offspring is amon urrence¡ªLiszt¡¯s mount, the Fire Dragon Horse, is the offspring of a zing Steed and an ordinary horse. The proliferation of species always ebbs and flows. Sometimes they evolve, sometimes they regress; magical beasts won¡¯t always stay magical beasts. Suddenly. Liszt felt something was amiss; he couldn¡¯t hear Douson¡¯s barking anymore, only the painful howls of the other Fierce Earth Dog. But there was something strange about the howls¡ªwhile they were certainly piteous, the breath behind them remained strong and sustained, not like the cries that would be expected from a creature being hunted by Douson. Chapter 131 - 013: The Bound Birthing Machine Chapter 131: Chapter 013: The Bound Birthing Machine As Liszt approached on horseback, he witnessed a rather shocking scene. Douson was actually riding on the Fierce Earth Dog, which prompted Liszt to grimace disdainfully. He turned his head and asked, ¡°Teacher Marcus, Douson should only be about half a year old, right?¡± ¡°When we found Douson, it hadn¡¯t even opened its eyes yet, it was definitely newly born not long ago. Thus, Douson won¡¯t be thatrge; it definitely isn¡¯t a year old yet, at most seven months.¡± ¡°A seven-month-old dog can do this kind of thing?¡± Marcus rarely smiled and said, ¡°My lord, dogs are definitely different from humans; for Douson¡¯s age, it is indeed a bit early, but it¡¯s not umon. It can only be said that Douson has developed well, and with the stimtion of the Bloodline Fruit, it should have reached full maturity.¡± Liszt had raised dogs back in his hometown, but that was when he was a child. Besides, no one really cared about the rural mutts. Hearing Marcus¡¯s exnation, he also let go of his surprise. Standing not too far away, he enjoyed an action-packed show. ¡°My lord, should we take this opportunity to shoot this Female Tyrant Earth Hound dead?¡± Marcus picked up his bow and arrow, eager to try, at this moment the Female Tyrant Earth Hound was a living target. ¡°Don¡¯t!¡± Liszt immediately stopped him. ¡°Teacher Marcus, figure out a way to capture this Female Tyrant Earth Hound alive and keep it in the castle. Now it seems that Douson hase of age and can reproduce. Perhaps I can obtain a group of Fierce Earth Dogs.¡± ¡°But the Female Tyrant Earth Hound is already wild and dangerous.¡± ¡°Then tie it up, secure it with iron chains, dere the surrounding twenty meters as a forbidden zone and build a Rock wall around it. After it gives birth to a batch of puppies, then take the puppies away¡­ In any case, Fierce Earth Dogs are not abundant on Coral Ind, and Douson ultimately needs a female dog.¡± ¡°That¡¯s one way to do it.¡± Marcus nodded, then turned around and told the Retainer Knights, ¡°Bring out the. Jim, York, take the tree on the left, Philip, Sean, take the one on the right, Zavier, Tracy, take the one at the back¡­ When the Fierce Earth Dog tries to escape, immediately it!¡± The knights immediately approached cautiously and climbed up the trees, each holding one end of the, ready to cast it. About twenty minutester. The two Fierce Earth Dogs naturally separated. The Female Tyrant Earth Hound turned to flee at once, but Marcus, who was prepared, immediately ordered, ¡°Ready the!¡± The knights immediately threw the ropes in their hands, and arge enveloped the Female Tyrant Earth Hound. It was fast, but not faster than the knights who were prepared. It was directly covered by therge. In a panic, it released Magic, with Rock Spikes piercing the ground one after another, but these Rock Spikes only pushed the up and couldn¡¯t pierce through it. It struggled to run but got increasingly tangled in the until it was tightly bound and unable to move. Rock Spikes protruded everywhere until, exhausted of its Magic Power, it couldn¡¯t break free. ¡°Woof woof!¡± Douson simply watched from the side, neither pouncing to attack nor walking away. It only barked at the Female Tyrant Earth Hound from time to time, with unclear intent. ¡°It should have run out of Magic Power, go down and tie it up, first muzzle it,¡± Marcus tested a few times, concluding. Very soon, the Female Tyrant Earth Hound was tied up securely, especially its mouth. Even if it regained Magic Power, it couldn¡¯t easily use Magic. ¡°Woo woo¡­¡± The Female Tyrant Earth Hound, with its mouth and limbs bound, kept growling angrily, but its fate was already sealed¡ªto be Douson¡¯s toy, a breeding machine for Fierce Earth Dogs. ¡°Woof woof!¡± Douson wagged its tail, circling and barking around the Female Tyrant Earth Hound, seeminglyforting it. ¡°That must be thest Magical Beast, right?¡± Liszt silently summoned the Smoke Mission, using it to judge the situation, as it was the most direct manifestation. However, the Smoke Serpent Script showed no change. ¡°Mission: You haveunched an attack, determined to eradicate Thorn Ridge to create a peaceful new environment for Fresh Flower Town. So keep up the momentum and ughter all the Magical Beasts of Thorn Ridge. Reward: Li Dragon Horse Herd¡¯s tracks.¡± He frowned slightly, ¡°Are there more Magical Beasts?¡± Having thoroughlybed through Thorn Ridge, with the help of the Eye of Magic, he reasoned he should have found any Magical Beasts within his field of vision. It seemed that some Magical Beasts had managed to evade the purge while his Eye of Magic was recovering. ¡°My lord, we¡¯re nearing the seashore, should we go back?¡± Marcus asked. Liszt pondered for a moment, then said, ¡°No rush, keep going forward, let¡¯s take a look at the seashore. I heard from Kostor that there is a deepwater port nearby, which is perfect to check out. We can start nning sooner and get a dock built for Fresh Flower Town.¡± ¡°As you wish.¡± The team continued its journey. Douson, enticed by beauty, lost interest in hunting, and circled the bound Fierce Earth Dog for the entire trip. Fortunately, the journey was smooth, with only a few wild beasts seen before they reached the seashore. After walking along a difficult rocky path by the sea, they arrived at the location Kostor had mentioned. It was a hundreds-of-meters-wide rocky beach, with rocky mountains on both the left and right. Only the middle part wasden with rocks of various sizes, which could be cleared out to create a t area with a little effort. Kostor had not lied. Arge port could not be built here, but there was no problem constructing a medium or small-sized dock. After walking around among the rocks, Liszt immediately had a n in mind: ¡°On our way back, we¡¯ll head straight towards the Cow Farm, find a t path first, instruct the Lumberjack Team to start clearing trees from this spot as soon as possible, and open up a road to this ce. The stones near the dock could be hauled back for road paving.¡± ¡°Here will be the starting point for Fresh Flower Town¡¯s future,¡± he gestured around the rocky beach. Chapter 132: A Great Step in Exploring the Universe Chapter 132: A Great Step in Exploring the Universe Because the task had not beenpleted yet, Liszt returned to the castle to regroup for a day before continuing his journey with Douson and the Retainer Knights toward Thorn Ridge. He was determined to hunt down thest of the escaped preypletely. The Female Tyrant Earth Hound was still tied up. To wear down its ferocity, Liszt, synthesizing everyone¡¯s opinions, decided to starve it for three to five days so it couldn¡¯t use magic to harm people. Meanwhile, the Thorn Caravan had been arranged to order cages from North Valley City. Its fate was destined to be spent in a cage for thetter half of its life. Perhaps one day, when it became ustomed to its new life and was content to follow Douson, it might regain its freedom. ¡°Douson should be able to handle it. After all, he was almost an Intermediate Magical Beast!¡± Liszt was very confident in this regard. The Fierce Earth Dog might not be a gregarious Magical Beast, but submission to a stronger being was a consistent trait in Magical Beasts, especially given that they were a pair, one male, and one female. ¡°Woof woof!¡± Douson, who was chasing his tail in the distance, felt a bit dizzy. Still so young! ¡°Now that she has be your wife, it¡¯s time to give her a name¡­ She is a Tyrant Earth Hound, and she is your wife, so let¡¯s call her ¡®Earth Matron¡¯!¡± Liszt took naming seriously, ¡°Douson, do you approve of this name? If you do, bark twice.¡± ¡°Woof woof!¡± Douson, still chasing after his tail, indicated approval. Entering Thorn Ridge once again. Douson, without Earth Matron to draw attention, regained his majestic presence as the King of Thorn Ridge and continued on his way, constantly seeking out animals to hunt¡ª all were solitary beasts, the ones that had slipped through the during the previous hunt. What a pity. Another three days passed. Liszt had not found any Magical Beast and felt that his Eye of Magic had be proficient enough to cast it seamlessly, maintaining it for 24 hours a day. Yet, he still saw no signs of magic, as if the Magical Beasts had hidden underground to hibernate. But the time waste summer and early autumn; hibernation was not possible. ¡°So, where are the escaped fishes hiding?¡± Liszt, riding on a Li Dragon Horse, looked towards the bustling Lumberjack Team cutting down trees not far away and felt somewhat perplexed. Withoutpleting the task, the clues he wanted pertaining to the Li Dragon Horse Herd wouldn¡¯t surface¡ª probably the clues were hidden within the Thorn Forest, but even after sweeping the area twice there were no leads. There were only hopes pinned onpleting the mission. If they couldn¡¯t be found, they simply couldn¡¯t be found. Eventually, Liszt could only give the order, ¡°Teacher Marcus, you lead the Retainer Knights to continue training in Thorn Ridge, protect the Lumberjack Team well, and if you encounter any Magical Beasts that can be fought, fight; if not, flee.¡± ¡°Yes, my lord!¡± The Smoke Mission was a troublesome problem. It dampened the spirits. However, in these few days, there was some good news: the Crystal Craftsman sessfully polished the concave and convex lenses needed, a total of twenty pieces. Liszt experimented with randombinations and found that a convex lens paired with a concave lens could make a telescope, as could two convex lenses, though thetter resulted in an inverted image. He naturally chose tobine the convex and concave lenses and instructed the cksmith at the Smithy and the carpenter at the Carpenter¡¯s Shop to jointly craft the telescope tube. The tube was about one meter long, and after the lenses were fitted, the magnification was not very high, but Liszt was very satisfied and named it the ¡°Liszt Telescope.¡± At night, he aimed the telescope at the moon in the sky. After fine-tuning the distance between the lenses, the unevenly dark areas on the moon were instantly captured in his eyes. However, what struck Liszt as odd was that the moon he saw was surrounded by a faint halo¡ª Liszt, with superficial knowledge of astronomy, quickly recognized it. ¡°The atmosphere!¡± ¡°This moon actually has an atmosphere!¡± ¡°If it has an atmosphere, could it be inhabited by intelligent life?¡± he suddenly thought. This world had all sorts of wondrous myths about the moon. Some legends say that the royal family of the Neverfall Empire came from the moon. Some say the Elf King resides on the moon. Others im the moon is the homnd of dragons. Even more legends suggest that at the summit of Mount Mgao Ding, the central mountain range of the continent, there is a magic teleportation array that leads to the moon. Whoever could reach the top of Mount Mgao Ding and activate the magic teleportation array would master the endless wealth on the moon¡ªthis legend is somewhat like the myth of Chang¡¯e flying to the moon. Everyone knows it¡¯s not true, but they still yearn for it deep down. Magic Teleportation Array¡ªsaid to be a colossal magic researched by ancient magicians that could traverse time and space, it had long been lost to history, only remaining in legends. Mount Mgao Ding is the highest mountain range on the continent, unscble by mortals at tens of thousands of meters high. Even riding a dragon, one could not reach the highest peak; the endless storms at the mountainside, more frightening than the strongest wind system magic, could shred both man and dragon into pieces. As for the name ¡°Mgao Ding¡±, it is tranted from a foreignnguage, to be exact, from an ancientnguage called ¡°Moon Language.¡± Thenguage of the Moon Empire from long ago is no longer used by any nation. Still, many countries have incorporated or even directly adopted certain words from the Moon Language. The term Mgao Ding, when tranted, means ¡°Knight of the Moonlight.¡± Some interpret Mount Mgao Ding to signify the knight that guards the Moon Empire. Others contrive it to mean the knight guarding the magic teleportation array that connects to the moon. Regardless, ¡°Mount Mgao Ding can lead to the moon¡± is a legend known by everyone. ¡°So, are these legends true or false? To judge this Different World by Earth¡¯smon sense is no longer appropriate. Whether the moon really has ¡®people¡¯ is uncertain!¡± Liszt, who was once a steadfast atheist, had be an agnostic. This world had no worship of gods but was filled with all sorts of bizarre legends, which was very conducive to the development of agnosticism. Despite not fully understanding the moon¡¯s content. During that evening¡¯s banquet, Liszt still loudly announced, ¡°The invention of the Liszt Telescope is a significant step for mankind in exploring the universe. It will lift the veil of the cosmos and reveal it to the eyes of us all.¡± He was excited about his discovery and wanted to share the joy with the people. However, when his subordinates eagerly took turns to view the moon through the telescope, their feedback was somewhat disappointing. Goltai muttered while looking at the moon, ¡°Is this the moon? It does seem quite beautiful. Is it a round cake? Why are there no dragons or the Elf King?¡± ir said softly while observing the moon, ¡°The moon¡¯s light is too dim, much weaker than the sunlight. Some ces seem almost extinguished.¡± What he referred to as extinguished were the areas with heavier shadows on the moon, perhaps like the ins or the seas on Earth¡¯s moon. The Liszt Telescope¡¯s magnification was still not enough, managing only to erge by thirty-plus times, hence their observation of the moon was not clear, especially with the atmosphericyer in the way. Isaiah did not look at the moon; he wanted to see the stars, but under the moon¡¯s backdrop, barely any stars were shining. After viewing the moon, Marcus remained calm, ¡°My lord, why are we looking at the moon?¡± Ignorant natives! Liszt¡¯s originally excited mood hadpletely dissipated, leaving him with a sense of loneliness as though he was the only sober person among a crowd of drunkards. Fortunately, he was skilled at adjusting his attitude, and his noble demeanor quickly returned him to tranquility. With a polite smile, he said, ¡°It can not only observe the moon but also distant objects. With this telescope, distant scenes can be captured as if they are before your very eyes, and you can use it to observe magical beasts.¡± Marcus¡¯s eyes suddenly sparkled, ¡°Indeed! My lord, you truly are the glorious Son of Glory favored by the knight¡¯s honor. The Liszt Telescope, indeed, is a great invention!¡± Chapter 133 - 0133 Good Afternoon Gao Ertai Chapter 133: Good Afternoon Gao Ertai The Liszt Telescopees in two types, long and short tube. The long tube is used for observing the moon, with magnification reaching over thirty times; the short tube is the portable telescope that he intended to create for the Knight Squad, which can be extended with a maximum magnification of around fifteen times. Twenty concave and convex lenses could only assemble one long tube and three short tubes, with the remaining lenses failing to meet the standard. He tossed the lenses to Carter, ¡°Mr. Carter, have a look and see which pair of lenses can magnify the image. You can use it to read books when the timees.¡± Carter was old and his eyesight was somewhat poor; giving him a magnifying ss, wouldn¡¯t that be delightful? One long tube was kept in the castle; three short tubes, of which Liszt carried one with him, Marcus¡¯s Knight Squad received one, and Karl¡¯s Patrol Team got one. With that, the distribution wasplete. Liszt had originally nned to retain the crystal craftsman Brad with a high sry, but thetter refused without hesitation¡ªFresh Flower Town was indeed booming, butpared to Coral City, the difference was still vast and could not attract these freemen artisans of good social standing. The same was true for Isaiah¡¯s family. Isaiah¡¯s family had visited Fresh Flower Town to see him, but when Isaiah urged them to stay, they refused without hesitation¡ªhis son even bluntly said, ¡°What a joke, there isn¡¯t even a brothel here!¡± Goltai¡¯s family also visited Fresh Flower Town, stayed for two days, and then left. Being nobles, their children and grandchildren were living a decent life and had no desire to reside in the countryside. His wife did n to settle in Fresh Flower Town, but Goltai refused, with a lofty reason that Fresh Flower Town was too barren and he did not want his wife to suffer. In reality, he was afraid she might discover the existence of Freya¡ªFreya¡¯s belly was already swelling. ¡°Lord Landlord, I heard that you¡¯ve invented a telescope that can see great distances?¡± Captain Kostor, upon hearing the news, hurriedly came to the castle. ¡°I wonder if the Fresh Flower Vessel could be equipped with a telescope? We need excellent visibility at sea, and a telescope would be of great help to us.¡± A very reasonable request. Liszt was somewhat torn. The telescope suitable for navigation was probably this one long-tube ¡°Liszt Telescope¡± in the castle, but this was his equipment for exploring the universe. After thinking for a moment, he said, ¡°Captain Kostor, you go back and train your sailor apprentices first. The lumberjack team will soon clear the path to the dock, and Fresh Flower Town¡¯s own dock is about to be established. You can familiarize yourself with the surroundings of the dock first. As for the telescope, there will be one.¡± Sending Kostor away, Liszt, with a bit of heartache, took out a crystal and handed it to Thomas, ¡°When the Fresh Flower Town transport team returns, give it to the person in charge. Tell him to ask Brad the crystal craftsman to carve two sets of 3 and 17 lenses.¡± Lenses number 3 and 17 were the types used to assemble the long tube. To Liszt, the matter of the telescope was more like a yful hobby. After figuring it out and ying with it for a while, he actually lost interest in telescopes¡ªhe could not discern any secrets of the universe¡¯s movement from constantly observing the moon and stars. So, He took Douson out to inspect the work of the lumberjack team, taking it as an opportunity to rx. North of the dairy farm, a vast area of thorn bushes, this was a region covered by Thorn Cordyceps. In addition to the regr thorns, the predominant type was the rapid growth variety¡ªincluding the Rapid Growth Poison Thorn and Rapid Growth Spiky Thorn¡ªwhether the Thorn Bug chain task would have a follow-up was uncertain. The thorny bush stretched northeast to where the lumberjack team was working. The site was bustling with activity. Smoke billowed. Countless serfs were sweating as they cut downrge trees. Some wielded axes to chop through trunks, others sawed off branches with saws, some hacked at leaves with machetes, and still, others piled up the trunks and branches, then carried away the leaves to burn on the spot. The burning of piles of debris served not only to intimidate wild beasts and magical beasts but also to umte ash for future use aspost when cultivating wastnd. Clerks and patrol members constantly weaved through the serfs, frequently scolding and cursing them in order to urge them to work diligently. Goltai, Isaiah, ir, and Karl eachmanded arge group of serfs, maintaining order at the site. Marcus, leading the Knight Squad, patrolled the perimeter seriously. Upon seeing Liszt¡¯s arrival, Goltai hurried over, ¡°Lord Landlord, good afternoon.¡± ¡°Good afternoon, Teacher Goltai,¡± Liszt greeted, ¡°A quarter of the town¡¯s poption must be here chopping trees. How long do you think it will take to clear all the trees in Thorn Ridge?¡± ¡°If we had enough tools, we would only need twenty days, no, perhaps only two weeks. But we¡¯re short on tools, Lord Landlord. Many people are sharing one axe, one saw, one machete. It¡¯s terribly inefficient. Even though the serfs are enthusiastic in responding to your call, they¡¯re still not able to work to their full potential.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already instructed the Fresh Flower Caravan to purchase tools from various cities. Ironware is too expensive, bone utensils too fragile¡­ I hope my father can plunder a batch of iron ore; otherwise, Coral Ind¡¯sck of iron will remain unresolved.¡± Without metal, without gemstones, even the number of elves was sparse. One of the reasons nobles were keen on contending for the maind, rather than peacefully staying on their inds, was oftentimes out of necessity. If they had the foresight of a prophet, perhaps they would develop technology to make up for this shortfall, but they didn¡¯t, so plundering resources from the maind topensate was their only solution. Why had the Eagle Kingdom been repeatedly harassed by the Sapphire Kingdom? Because they had the White Maw Iron Dragon, capable of producing arge amount of iron ore. Iron is perhaps the most utilitarian metal of all. As such, as soon as the Steel Ridge Kingdom called for warfare, the Sapphire Duke instantly issued the Pioneer Mandate, and the nobles swarmed forth¡ªburn everything, kill everything, loot everything. asionally, Liszt would think, ¡°Why do I always feel that the Duchy of Sapphire is like the pirates of a Different World?¡± They took advantage of having established a nation overseas, with a developed fleet, to brazenly attack kingdoms on the maind, seizing and fleeing. They repeated this script yearly, quite contentedly. Although not very technical, it still seeded each year, and the Earl had been to the maind countless times. Bit by bit, they umted such a substantial heritage for Coral Ind. ¡°Lord Landlord, because of the lumbering job, the construction of the town and the roadworks have temporarily ceased. Autumn harvest is approaching, and we may be short on workers in Barley Hamlet and Little Wheat Vige.¡± ¡°Once we determine the harvesting date, we can assign workers to go back, there¡¯s no hurry,¡± Liszt suddenly thought of something and nced at Goltai, ¡°Teacher Goltai, how long have you been with me in Fresh Flower Town?¡± Goltai was startled, then replied, ¡°Lord Landlord, you were bestowed the Baron of Fresh Flower Town on March 9th, we set off the next day, and we arrived in Fresh Flower Town that same afternoon. Today is September 23rd, which means it has been six months and two weeks.¡± ¡°Six and a half months, time flies.¡± ¡°But today¡¯s Fresh Flower Town is absolutely not the same as it was six months ago; it radiates vigorous vitality everywhere.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, I am very satisfied with the development of Fresh Flower Town,¡± Liszt, riding his Li Dragon Horse, walked slowly through the world unfolding before him, now a part of him, ¡°The change in thinking pleases me the most, Teacher Goltai. Six months ago, you used to mor for alcohol all day, now you know to finish work before drinking, even dying your drink for work.¡± Goltai gave an embarrassed smile, ¡°As one grows older, a person tends to ck off. Fortunately, I came to Fresh Flower Town, where I found the confidence and drive of my youth once again.¡± ¡°I am d to see these changes in you.¡± Liszt looked into the distance and said, ¡°In a few days, a group of five hundred serfs will arrive, and I need you to prepare a cement n. It¡¯s not just a matter of arranging for the serfs individually but requires an overall coordination, a blueprint for the future of Fresh Flower Town¡ªas an advisor.¡± Upon hearing the word ¡°advisor.¡± Goltai¡¯s pupils suddenly widened. Chapter 134: The New Consultant of Fresh Flower Town Chapter 134: The New Consultant of Fresh Flower Town The Duchy of Sapphire follows the system of the Steel Ridge Kingdom. Knights are led by the Knight Commander, while officials are headed by consultants. As Liszt¡¯s family tutor, Goltai, after the implementation of the Feudal system, was designated by the Earl to apany Liszt to Fresh Flower Town, what he sought was the position of consultant. After all, no matter how nicely one puts it, a family tutor can¡¯t change the fact that he is part of the servitude. Marcus was the same, also a family tutor, yet still a Retainer Knight in status, belonging to the servant hierarchy. Even Goltai himself was a noble, although the lowest-level Honored Knight, while he was not even a noble, just one of the better-off among themoners. ¡°Lord, are you going to appoint me as the consultant of Fresh Flower Town?¡± Goltai was still a bit incredulous. Having been there for half a year, Liszt had never mentioned the role of a consultant, and he had almost given up hope. Unexpectedly, fortune fell from the sky, and without warning, he was appointed as a consultant. ¡°What¡¯s the matter, Teacher Goltai, do you not wish to take up the position?¡± ¡°Willing, of course, I¡¯m willing, how could I not be, haha.¡± Goltai was invigorated, his face abloom with joy, ¡°I am always ready to serve you, my Lord. I will take part hands-on in governing Fresh Flower Town and will definitely live up to the responsibilities of a consultant without any ck.¡± Liszt said, ¡°I have been observing your recent work attitude. You are my family tutor, and I trust you. Fresh Flower Town is my only fief, and it is also the foundation for my quest for honor. Its importance goes without saying, and I hope you will take it seriously.¡± Goltai put away his bright smile, ced his left hand over his chest, and performed a solemn Knight¡¯s salute, ¡°As you wish!¡± ¡°Fresh Flower Town is in your hands now, my consultant.¡± ¡°I am honored to serve you, my Lord!¡± There was no grand appointment ceremony; Fresh Flower Town was just a small rural town, and thus simply and inly, a consultant, akin to the head of the town, was chosen. Strictly speaking, a consultant was only slightly more prestigious than an Administrative Officer, and Goltai¡¯s actual power had not increased much¡ªconsultants could appoint town officials, which might sound powerful, but the Castle was just next door, and no official¡¯s appointment could possibly avoid Liszt¡¯s notice. However, his ie had greatly increased. His former sry of ten copper coins a day had risen to twenty. His ie increased, and he could buy lots more fine wine or some furniture for his little family with Freya. ¡°Congrattions, Consultant Goltai!¡± Isaiah and the others congratted Goltai one after another. Goltai was full of pride, hisughter incessant, ¡°For Baron Liszt, for the favor of Knight¡¯s honor, and for the future of us all, let us together build Fresh Flower Town into a more prosperous and wealthy ce!¡± A man revived by good news has a spirited glow. Goltai, now a consultant, threw himself into his work with boundless enthusiasm for the next two days. In addition to managing specific affairs, he did not forget Liszt¡¯s instructions and made aprehensive n for the future of Fresh Flower Town. For this, he made a request during the evening banquet. ¡°My Lord, I¡¯m nning to conduct another census of the town, no, it should be called a town¡¯s resources survey. First, we should calcte the acreage of farnd, properly n the agricultural structure of Fresh Flower Town, so that, when the five hundred serfs arrive, we can quickly arrange for them to farm. Secondly, we¡¯ll investigate the trade situation of the caravans and organize craftspeople to run their shops rationally.¡± Waving his little fork, he spoke passionately without concern for noble etiquette, ¡°The caravans passing through our town are growing in number. The Fresh Flower Caravan and the Thorn Caravan can sell our town¡¯s produce outwards. Our business district will soon flourish, bringing a great many Gold Coins to the Castle!¡± ¡°That¡¯s a good line of thinking, Consultant Goltai. Make this n more detailed and then submit it to me for review.¡± ¡°Yes, my Lord.¡± Outside the town office. Kostor was pacing back and forth, asionally greeted by passing civilians whom he responded to one by one. Now, Kostor was a town celebrity, not because he had been the first captain of Fresh Flower Town¡¯s first vessel, the Fresh Flower Vessel, but because of his tireless quest for knowledge. He had tried to recruit nearly every young son of the households: ¡°Young man, you¡¯ve got spirit,e learn to sail with me!¡± Even the young bachelors were approached: ¡°There are more men than women in Fresh Flower Town, you won¡¯t find a wife here. Better to learn to sail with me; there¡¯s a world full of women out there. One voyage, and you couldnd a hard-working, big-bottomed woman to bear you many sons.¡± Most people just sneered at Kostor¡¯s recruiting efforts. The ¡°continental mindset¡± brought by the nobles had given the narrow-minded civilians a natural fear and ignorance of the sea. So, after countless rejections, Kostor had managed to recruit only ten bachelors and twelve young men to learn sailing with him, bing Sailor Apprentices. And this was free education; if he charged tuition, probably no one woulde, and he¡¯d have to subsidize their lunches from time to time. If it hadn¡¯t been for the Lord Landlord¡¯s fixed payment for the Teaching Knight Squad¡¯s sries, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to recruit even one apprentice. His yearning for the sea stopped Kostor from feeling discouraged; he remained enthusiastic, training these Sailor Apprentices of various ages. But for the past couple of days, not a single Sailor Apprentice had turned up. Kostor was bing frustrated. Clip-clop-clip-clop. The sound of horseshoes on the gravel road rang clearly. He immediately went to meet him; the town¡¯s consultant was back: ¡°Consultant Gao Ertai!¡± ¡°Ah, Captain Kostor, what can I do for you?¡± Goltai looked travel-worn, his face turned somewhat purple from the sun¡¯s exposure. ¡°My apprentices have all gone to chop wood, Consultant Gao Ertai, they need to study sailing, not to be diverted to irrelevant tasks like chopping wood.¡± ¡°Sorry, Kostor, but chopping wood is not irrelevant. It¡¯s an order directly from the Lord Landlord, vital for the future development of Fresh Flower Town. Your sailing business, it can wait a few days, especially since you don¡¯t need to set out to sea. Consider it a vacation for yourself¡ªI wish I had time for one.¡± Goltai didn¡¯t take Kostor seriously, wanting only to send him away¡ªthe town has enough trouble farming, let alone having spare time for sailing. However, he underestimated Kostor¡¯s determination. Once Kostor mentioned that ¡°the Lord Landlord hopes to develop the sailing business,¡± he stuck to Goltai relentlessly, following him everywhere, even if Goltai went home. Pressured, Goltai finally agreed to apromise. ¡°I can let you take back the twelve young Sailor Apprentices to continue their training with you, but the adult apprentices must chop wood.¡± ¡°Agreed!¡± Kostor responded eagerly, satisfied to have secured the twelve young apprentices. ¡°One more thing, the youngsters will help at the chopping site, earning two copper coins every two days. You will have to cover this loss.¡± ¡°Oh my, I don¡¯t have the money!¡± ¡°Would you have the youngsters earn nothing then? Their parents will have a word with you about that, Kostor.¡± ¡°The sailing business is for the glory of the Lord Landlord; should the town stand by and watch? The town should pay for this!¡± After a fresh bout of stubborn haggling, Goltai finally promised that during the woodcutting campaign, the apprentices¡¯ lost wages would be subsidized by the town. Only then did Kostor board the Fresh Flower Vessel contentedly. Facing the twelve apprentices, he called out loudly, ¡°At high tide, the Fresh Flower Vessel will sail towards the docks of our future. For the next few days, we will spend our time around the docks!¡± Chapter 135 - 0135: Kostor’s Carrot and Stick Approach Chapter 135: Kostor¡¯s Carrot and Stick Approach ¡°Ready¡­ all ready¡­ tack with the wind!¡± ¡°Tighten the braces!¡± ¡°Keep downwind, heading downwind!¡± ¡°Prepare to lower the sails!¡± ¡°Oar room, row on the port side!¡± ¡°Raise the fore-and-aft sail!¡± The waves gently undted across the sea as the Fresh Flower Vessel slowly sailed with the current, intermittently stopping, circling, or turning. Captain Kostor¡¯s voice, with the effect of a loudspeaker, continuously rang out over the entire ship, issuing variousmands. Twelve sailors busied themselves in a frenzy, controlling therge ship. Considering the size and tonnage of the Fresh Flower Vessel, twelve sailors were simply not enough to operate it; the fullplement was thirty sailors. The tasks meant for thirty people were being carried out by merely twelve youths, all novices at that, so the pressure was imaginable. Consequently, the ship¡¯s voyage was intermittent, never able to smoothly head towards the target. But regardless. Under themand and instruction of Kostor, the Fresh Flower Vessel still managed to sail north, bumpily along the coastline, towards the dock area. Half a dayter, the instructional voyage sessfully reached its destination. This was a rocky beach. The Fresh Flower Vessel moored briefly in the bay for a lunch break, while also taking the opportunity to train the sailors in swimming lessons. ¡°The coast is not as people say, with sea monsters eating humans; this is not the habitat of sea monsters! Sea monsters live in the deep sea, and coastal voyages hardly ever encounter them¡­ Of course, with bad luck, even sunbathing on the shore could end with a sea monster crawling over to devour you.¡± Kostor tried to dispel the Sailor Apprentices¡¯ fear of deep waters, but his rhetoric was clearly inadequate, making them even more afraid to enter the water. Swimming at the beach could cause them half a day¡¯s nervousness, let alone this Deepwater Bay. ¡°Captain, we already know how to swim,¡± a Sailor Apprentice said softly in defense. ¡°Is deep water the same as shallow water? Absolutely not, you need to ovee your fear of the azure seawater; it could save your lives at a critical moment!¡± ¡°How is that possible? We are on the ship; we would definitely not run into the water for no reason.¡± ¡°Idiots! While sailing on the ocean, sea waves often sweep sailors overboard into the sea. If you can¡¯t swim, you won¡¯t even have the time to wait for rescue!¡± ¡°But, captain, I am just here to be a Sailor Apprentice, I have no ns to go out to sea.¡± ¡°You have no such ns, then why are you learning to sail? Do you think I, Kostor, am easy to fool?!¡± Kostor suddenly became furious, pointing at the Sailor Apprentice¡¯s nose and bellowing, ¡°I am appointed by Lord Landlord as the captain of the Fresh Flower Vessel, and in the future, I will sail out to trade for the Lord Landlord. You are the first batch of sailors! You might fool me, but do you dare fool the Lord Landlord?¡± The Sailor Apprentices nodded timidly in agreement. They felt as though they had boarded a pirate ship. Kostor also gave up on trying to persuade them with kind words, and instead threatened them directly, ¡°I have been given full authority by the Lord Landlord to be responsible for all maritime affairs, and the Lord Advisor of Fresh Flower Town must cooperate with me. Remember, anyone who dares to evade or disobey mymands, I will hand you over to Lord Karl¡¯s Patrol Team!¡± Hearing the name of the Patrol Team, the youths became even more frightened. The Lord Landlord was indeed noble and untouchable, but it was said he was the embodiment of kindness, so they were not afraid, only awestruck. However, the Patrol Team had an illustrious reputation for fierceness¡ªLiszt always wanted to build the Patrol Team to be a police station with the motto ¡°police and citizens as one family,¡± but it was hopeless. The existence of physical punishments like flogging ensured that fear was inevitable. Karl was meticulous in enforcing the regtions, repaying the Lord Landlord¡¯s trust byshing at anymoner who made a mistake. No mercy was shown with the whip. Thus, mention of the Patrol Team made people change color with fear. Seeing the expressions on the boys¡¯ faces, Kostor was quite pleased. Having swung the big stick, he now began to dangle the carrot, ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid of the sea. The sea and thend are the same. We can farm onnd, so we can sail on the sea. Going out to sea is the best decision you¡¯ve ever made. Beyond the sea lies endless wealth, and women with huge chests and even bigger butts!¡± ¡°Really¡­ are there really women with big butts?¡± a boy overcame his fear and swallowed hard. ¡°Of course. I once visited an ind that had just ended a war, where women stood in lines, and everyone could take their pick. I chose a woman with the biggest butt¡­¡± Kostor said, reminiscing. ¡°And then what, Captain?¡± ¡°Then?¡± ¡°Yeah, Captain, what happened next with that big-bottomed woman?¡± ¡°Later,¡± Kostor licked his lips, ¡°I gave her three copper coins when in fact, two would¡¯ve been enough for afortable night. But I gave her one extra copper coin. Those towering peaks provided an unparalleled experience. I swear they could bury your head inside and suffocate you!¡± Kostor gestured arge circle with his hands. A veryrge circle. Sorge that it left the boys speechless. Gulp. Gulp. The boys swallowed hard, one after another. ¡°Alright, break¡¯s over. Time for lessons,ds! If you want a woman with surging waves, then learn well following my instructions. Once you be qualified sailors, you too can spend two copper coins for a marvellous night! Now, jump into the water, swim!¡± The boys suddenly overcame their fear. They rushed into the sea, crying out excitedly. Kostor took a wooden sk out of his bosom, uncorked it, and savored a sip¡ªhe knew what these boys wanted, after all, he¡¯d been young once too. After a sip of liquor, he returned to the captain¡¯s quarters and carefully took out a one-meter-long cylinder from a chest¡ªthis was the telescope that Lord Landlord had sent via a servant yesterday, fitting out the Fresh Flower Vessel with his very own telescope. It was this telescope that informed him of Lord Landlord¡¯s view on sailing! ¡°He craves the sea more than any Noble!¡± Kostor felt his future was bright; a Noble who longed for the sea would undoubtedly support his voyage. It was also for this reason that he had the confidence to go to the administration office and nag Lord Advisor Goltai relentlessly to reap benefits. Cradling the telescope, he walked onto the deck. The swaying deck was, to him, steadier thannd. He lifted the telescope to his eyes and began to look into the distance, where everything afar seemed to suddenly appear before him. It was an amazing transformation, incredibly astonishing. ¡°Only such an exalted Noble as Lord Landlord could craft such a miraculous item!¡± He observed the distant sea surface for a while, the thick smoke from Thorn Ridge, a few sea birds walking on the rocky beach, and then the sheer cliffs of the rocky mountains on the shore. Suddenly. His brow furrowed slightly as he noticed what appeared to be a cave on a cliff face washed by the sea at the rocky mountains, ¡°A cave? The cliffs here aren¡¯t high, could they have caves? Is that a rock cave? I seemed to have seen a sea bird flying out just now; could there be Sea Swallows?¡± Sea Swallows are a type of gull that builds nests on seaside cliffs, and their eggs are highly sought after by Nobles. To the extent that some Nobles would specifically send Serfs to risk their lives to collect Sea Swallow Eggs. ¡°Sea Swallow Eggs are an indispensable delicacy on the Noble¡¯s table. If I discover a collective nesting ce for Sea Swallows and offer it to Lord Landlord, he will surely be delighted, then reward me handsomely!¡± he felt the excitement growing, ¡°With that, I¡¯ll have the money to attract more Sailor Apprentices!¡± Chapter 136 - 0136: Simultaneously Releasing Two Rock Spikes Chapter 136: Simultaneously Releasing Two Rock Spikes For the sake of the Sea Swallow Eggs. After Captain Kostor and the other young menpleted their swimming lessons, they immediately set sail, steering the Fresh Flower Vessel unsteadily towards the cave. As they approached the cave, which was not far away, they could clearly see its appearance¡ªit was not very big, as the mountain ridge was not high, and the t entrance of the cave resembled arge mouth. The inside wasn¡¯t deep either; they could see clearly into the cave with just a nce. Especially since Captain Kostor was using a telescope, his view was even clearer, ¡°Oh, my God! There are bones!¡± He saw several decaying human skeletons lying inside, as well as various tattered items, and even the wreckage of a small boat. ¡°Drop anchor!¡± ¡°Launch the canoe!¡± He shouted, preparing to disembark in the canoe to get a closer look at what exactly was inside the cave. The Castle. The nearby Dragon Kui Fields. Liszt was inspecting his Dragon Hollyhocks. ¡°It¡¯s about to be born, Mr. Carter, my ninth Elf Bug,¡± he said, caressing the soon-to-bloomrge flower bud, using the Eye of Magic to see clearly. A pale blue magic power was converging from all around the Dragon Hollyhock¡¯s branches and leaves towards the special flower bud, nurturing the Dragon Kui Elf Bug. ¡°It is indeed a knight¡¯s glory that watches over us! We all thought it wouldn¡¯t survive, but it has stubbornly held on. My lord, Mr. Goltai says you are the Son of Glory, and I firmly believe that. It¡¯s your glory that has shone upon the Dragon Kui Elf Bug!¡± ¡°Perhaps, I am indeed very lucky.¡± The title of Son of Glory, like ¡°Descend of the star of literature¡± from his hometown on Earth, was a descriptive honorific. Liszt didn¡¯t know if he was the Son of Glory or the son of something else, but the Smoke Mission had brought him luck far beyond the average person, which probably qualified as the ¡°knight¡¯s glory that watches over us.¡± He didn¡¯t dwell on this point. He simply ordered, ¡°Make sure to check on it often, and notify me immediately once the Dragon Kui Bug is born.¡± ¡°Rest assured, aside from nighttime, a manservant from the Castle wille check on the Dragon Kui every hour,¡± Carter replied. ¡°That reminds me, is it time to water the Earth Matron?¡± ¡°It was nearly one o¡¯clock in the afternoon when we set off, now it indeed is time for watering,¡± Carter responded. ¡°Then let¡¯s head back.¡± Returning to the Castle, Liszt led Douson along with the servants to begin the watering. The Fierce Earth Dog, named Earth Matron, now had a specially made iron cage located about 500 meters from the Castle. Centered on the cage, a foundation was being dug twenty meters around, with ns to build a three-meter-high wall. The top of the wall would have inclined shields installed to prevent Earth Matron from escaping. However, the Earth Matron hadn¡¯t eaten for three days. Liszt waited to be present to oversee the situation, instructing the servants to give it a little water to prevent it from dying of thirst. ¡°Woo!¡± Seeing someone approach, the Earth Matron lying on the ground weakly got up, ring fiercely at Liszt and his party. Its violent temper was clearly unmitigated. ¡°Woof woof!¡± Douson sprinted over, circling the iron cage and wagging his tail enthusiastically, barking at the Earth Matron. Earth Matron, however, had no affection for Douson, turning its head to re at Douson and continuing to emit low, threatening growls. ¡°Hasn¡¯t the feeding device arrived yet?¡± Liszt nced at the cage and asked Thomas, who was following behind, ¡°The posts aren¡¯t even in ce yet, the work is too slow.¡± The feeding device was a special contraption designed for the Earth Matron¡¯s feedings. After all, the Earth Matron was not like Douson, it could be violent and injure someone at any moment. To prevent this, they kept it caged. But it still needed to be fed ¨C they couldn¡¯t really let it starve. Hence, they designed a set feeding device, which allowed them to feed the Earth Matron from outside the wall using a system of ropes that slid food into the cage. At the same time, the cage was movable. Once there was a significant umtion of feces, they would drag the cage, along with the Earth Matron away. After cleaning the ground, they would pull it back into ce. It soundsplicated. But in reality, it¡¯s quite simple; just a basic application of a few ropes. In order to design his future army of Fierce Earth Dogs, Liszt put in a lot of effort. ¡°It doesn¡¯t have any magic power left. The fact is, even Magical Beasts can¡¯t gather magic power when they are starving,¡± thought Liszt. A Magical Beast¡¯s magic power is half produced by its body and half absorbed from the outside. But when starving, not only can the body not produce magic power, it alsocks the strength to absorb it from the surroundings, rendering itpletely useless¡ªthus highlighting the importance of nutrition for training. ¡°Thomas, give it water.¡± ¡°Yes, Master,¡± said Thomas carefully carrying the bucket of water to the side of the Fierce Earth Dog¡¯s iron cage, his movements shaky even though he had done this a few times before. ¡°Woo-woo!¡± The Earth Matron roared at him with increased volume in its deep growl. Thomas¡¯s hands trembled violently, spilling half of the water he scooped up. When he tried to pour the water into the cage, the Earth Matron stuck its head out again, and all the water ended up spilling. He lowered his head and hurriedly apologized: ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Master.¡± ¡°Keep feeding it. The Earth Matron can no longer cast magic; it¡¯s now equivalent to a wild dog. Remember that,¡± said Liszt. ¡°Yes, Master.¡± The second time, with preparation, Thomas finally managed to pour the water into the basin. After the Earth Matron roared for a while and saw that it couldn¡¯t scare Thomas, it began to drink. After the Earth Matron finished drinking, Douson was already anxiously circling outside. It had acquired a taste for it. Liszt cleared his throat and said, ¡°Thomas, bring over that iron cage.¡± Two cages were prepared: one for the Earth Matron to live in, and one to hold Douson. In fear of the Earth Matron escaping, the cages would be connected together before opening their doors. Since the process had been done once the day before, Douson cooperated and crawled into the smaller cage, which Thomas and other servants pushed to the front of therger cage¡¯s door. The iron door of the cage was pulled out, and the two cages were connected. Douson quickly darted in and pounced on the Earth Matron, starting to violently thrust. The Earth Matron, having starved for three days, was truly unable to resist. Half an hourter, it was all over. The Earth Matrony in the cage, its dog eyes half-closed, dully looking at the sky divided into sections by the bars, clouds drifting freely in the distance. On the other hand, Douson was full of energy, carefree and frolicking in the horse field, getting it on every day, utterly blissful. Its body grew stronger, a strength that could be felt every day. The muscles were no longer as swollen as they were at first, slowly reverting to the normal physique of a Fierce Earth Dog, a slightly overweight streamline form. But its current body length and height had clearly surpassed that of a grown tiger. Its magic power was also on the rise, now able to cast Rock Spike forty-five times a day. Liszt became increasingly convinced that Douson might indeed have a chance to evolve into an Intermediate Magical Beast. Thus, he improved its diet, almost exclusively feeding it Magical Beast Meat¡ªthis was akin to feeding Douson gold coins, as its daily intake surpassed that of seven Lisztsbined. ¡°A diet costing at least one Gold Coin per day, Douson, you must not let me down,¡± Liszt murmured to himself, then gave an order, ¡°Douson, cast magic!¡± ¡°Woof!¡± As it ran, Douson let out an instinctive bark and simultaneously cast magic. Pfft! Pfft! Two Rock Spikes shot up from the ground in front of it. ¡°Hm? Two Rock Spikes released at the same time?¡± Surprised by the sight, Liszt noted that simultaneously casting two spells was equivalent to a brand-new type of magic. Only Intermediate Magical Beasts are capable of casting multiple spells! Before Liszt could snap out of his surprise, Butler Carter¡¯s voice came from behind him: ¡°Master, Captain Kostor requests to see you. He says he has found a treasure in a cave near the docks.¡± Chapter 137: The Galloper Island Discovered by the Rat Chapter 137: The Galloper Ind Discovered by the Rat ¡°A treasure?¡± Liszt got excited as soon as he heard it. He immediately called over Kostor, who was waiting in the castle, ¡°What kind of treasure is it?¡± ¡°Lord Landlord, it¡¯s a sailing route to an ind. During the trial voyage of the Fresh Flower Vessel, I discovered a cave not far from the dock, which contained human skeletons. Upon examination, it was found that they were horse traders who had be trapped in the cave and died. Before their deaths, they left the location of their horse trading¡ªit¡¯s on that ind!¡± Horse traders? Liszt quickly associated this with the Smoke Mission¡ªthe tracks of the Li Dragon Horse Herd. He abandoned his ns to continue researching the new magic cast by Douson and immediately said, ¡°Take me to the cave, I want to investigate personally!¡± As he prepared to depart, he took the opportunity to summon the Smoke Mission and discovered that it had undergone changes. ¡°Missionpleted, reward: tracks of the Li Dragon Horse Herd.¡± ¡°Mission: The Magical Beasts have beenpletely exterminated, Fresh Flower Town has never been safer. As thendlord, it is time to make a big move for Fresh Flower Town to achieve leapfrog development, what does it matter if the environment is destroyed, please level the Thorn Forest. Reward: Mutated Thorn variant.¡± The Magical Beasts werepletely exterminated. The Thorn Bug chain mission also resumed. Liszt felt that today was truly a day of celebration, onlycking magpies chattering on the branches. And soon enough, he understood how the mission waspleted¡ªRetainer Knight Sean, bringing a dead Shadow Snake to the castle. The Shadow Snake had killed three serfs. ¡°The lumberjack site was in chaos for a while, but under the suppression of Teacher Marcus, Consultant Gao Ertai and other nobles, the serfs were put back to work in lumbering,¡± Sean reported the scene at that time. The burning bonfires did not scare the Shadow Snake away. It attacked three serfs in session and was ultimately killed by Marcus with a bow and arrow. Afterwards, the serfs were thrown into panic, and although they were suppressed, their work efficiency inevitably wavered. ¡°Sean, tell Teacher Marcus to continue to strengthen the protection of the lumberjack team.¡± Although the Magical Beasts had been exterminated, Liszt could not clearly tell others, so he could only continue to reinforce protection, ¡°Also, tell Consultant Gao Ertai to give ten silver coins to each family of the deceased serfs.¡± At that moment, silver coins were the best way to console them and the best way to encourage the serfs to work hard¡ªthey were more persuasive than any threat or words of encouragement. ¡°Yes, my lord,¡± Sean took the order and left. Liszt put on his Magical Beast Leather Helmet and armor, apanied by his personal servant Thomas and Rom Barrel, who had been notified toe as a retainer¡ªafter all, thendlord could not go out without retainers. ¡°Lord Landlord, actually you can also reach the cave bynd, but it requires crossing over mountains and climbing a steep cliff. Taking the Fresh Flower Vessel is the most convenient option,¡± Kostor said as he bowed to Liszt, starting tomand theunch of the Fresh Flower Vessel. Raising the anchor, rowing, hoisting the sails. Changing direction, they sailed slowly on the sea. With the experience of a previous voyage, the young sailors performed quite well. They greatly increased their previous travel speed, reaching the vicinity of the cave in about twenty minutes. They put down a canoe, and Kostor led Liszt and the others into the cave. The cave was very damp, almost level with the rising tide of the sea surface, so it was asionally pushed in by the seawater. But deeper inside, it was dry. It was now the afternoon, with the sun already behind the mountains, so the light no longer shone inside, making the cave seem somewhat dark. Thomas lit the prepared wax candlenterns early, adding brightness to the cave. ¡°Lord Landlord, here¡¯s the wreckage of a small boat. Looking at its design, it seems to be a tender carried by arge ship. Washed repeatedly by the seawater, only a little bit of the wood is left,¡± Kostor said, as he turned the boat wreck over, and the wreck fell apart, scattering the wood chips on the ground. Then, he walked to a few skeletons: ¡°Three sets of human skeletons in total. I¡¯ve checked them, and they are rtively intact, without losing too many bones. They had weapons with them, bone swords. The bones are very hard, but not in the shape of a Knight¡¯s Sword, so they should be a group of rats.¡± Knights, as the name implies, were mounted warriors. Knights were the main force in warfare, aponent of the army; wars betweenndlords were essentially charges between knights. However, not all who practiced Dou Qi chose to be a knight¡ªknighthood was a product of the nobility system, and there were still some who chose to remain outside this system. These people were smugglers, outcasts, members of a despicable ss. They did not obey the rule of thendlords, did not engage in production, were free and loose, and took part in professions that went against the nobility system¡ªthieving, robbery, smuggling, pimping, or epting employment for assassination, ve trading, and so on. These people were naturally referred to as¡ªrats. But they called themselves¡ªrangers. ¡°Rats, huh.¡± Liszt wasn¡¯t particrly moved; he was no stranger to rats, as he often had to work with them when he and Levis were involved in ve trading. The nobility reviled and belittled these people as rats, but that didn¡¯t stop them from cooperating with rats. After all, there were many dirty deeds that nobles couldn¡¯t undertake personally, so they needed the rats to do it for them. The pirates that roamed the Duchy of Sapphire were also considered rats¡ªessentially disguised nobles. Or one could say. Rats were just another skin of the nobles¡ªordinary people couldn¡¯t afford the nutrition needed to practice Dou Qi, only nobles could breed rats. Liszt believed that the Tulip Family also had their own rats. Being the second son of an earl, he simply wasn¡¯t privy to that information. ¡°Is there anything else preserved that shows their identity?¡± Liszt picked up a bone sword and asked. This bone sword should have been forged from the skeleton of a magical beast, with a more curved shape, vastly different from the long, straight knight¡¯s sword, and was more suitable for close-quarterbat. Due to long-term natural corrosion, the bone sword no longer had any traces of magic power. ¡°Their clothes and bundles have all rotted away. The moisture here is too great; nothing could be preserved. Only these serpent scripts etched into the cave walls have survived,¡± Kostor pointed to the walls of the cave and said. Thomas brought the candlentern up close. Illuminated the serpent script on the cave wall. The script was blurred, divided into two major segments, with only parts recognizable. ¡°I am heavily injured, close to death, Sweet¡­ as a traitor¡­ a mole, the Green Light¡­ attempted to scuttle¡­ they took away the galloper, but he underestimated me¡­ I killed him. Can¡¯t make it out of here¡­ cliffs are too steep, the horse¡­ the message on its back, you might stille in time.¡± ¡°Galloper¡­ Ind¡­ nautical chart¡­ my family, tell Morrie, I love her Casper of the Iron¡­ .¡± The? represents the individual serpent characters that are unclear, while the ¡°¡­¡± indicates entire segments of the script that are illegible. With some guessing and deduction, one could barely make out the content of these two passages. After pondering momentarily, Liszt understood the gist¡ªthere was a mole among the horse merchants, seemingly called Sweet, who scuttled arge ship intending to take the gallopers. Casper turned the tables and killed him, but Casper got severely injured, and before dying, he sent the horse away with a tied message on its back. Then he left a nautical chart. Considering the rewards from the Smoke Mission, Liszt realized, ¡°Clearly, these rats discovered the ind where the Li Dragon Horse Herd lived. They must have been rats working for the Tulip Family¡­ My Li Dragon Horse is that galloper sent away by Casper!¡± With this realization, his gaze couldn¡¯t help but turn to the nautical chart next to the serpent script. The carvings on the nautical chart were very deep, obviously, Casper had applied a great deal of force while inscribing it. Even as the serpent script nearby was nearly eroded beyond recognition, the nautical chart remained clear. Chapter 138 - 0138: Black Horse Island Fiefdom Conquest Chapter 138: ck Horse Ind Fiefdom Conquest Understood the significance of the treasure. Liszt suppressed his excitement and asked calmly, ¡°Captain Kostor, can you understand this nautical chart?¡± ¡°Lord Landlord, this nautical chart is a standard one and there are no overlyplicated contents. It seems that the rat himself was not proficient in navigation, so I can fully understand the routes on the chart,¡± Kostor said confidently. The twisted, abstract, and bizarre symbols on the nautical chart posed no challenge to him. ¡°So, is the ind where the galloper horses live far from Coral Ind?¡± ¡°Judging from the nautical chart, the ind is about one hundred and thirty kilometers north of Coral Ind. With the Fresh Flower Vessel¡¯s speed of 5 knots, it would take approximately fourteen hours to reach Galloper Ind, barring currents and storms,¡± Kostor calcted, using his fingers before replying. Liszt¡¯s math was not bad. From Kostor¡¯s exnation, Liszt estimated roughly that one knot was less than two kilometers per hour, making the Fresh Flower Vessel¡¯s speed about nine kilometers per hour. That¡¯s even slower than the speed of riding a bicycle. He vaguely remembered that the narrowest point of the Taiwan Strait was only one hundred and thirty-five kilometers wide. This meant that the distance between Coral Ind and Galloper Ind was the width of the Taiwan Strait. ¡°Captain Kostor, when can the Fresh Flower Vessel set sail for Galloper Ind?¡± ¡°Lord Landlord, if it¡¯s just about setting sail, the sailor apprentices are alreadypetent enough, as Galloper Ind isn¡¯t that far and falls within the coastal navigation range. However, the sailorsck experience and would be helpless in the event of a storm, which makes the likelihood of an ident quite high.¡± ¡°How soon can we set sail if we train intensively?¡± ¡°If Lord Landlord allows me to recruit thirty sailor apprentices and we train every day without fail, within a month, I can make the Fresh Flower Vessel sail to Galloper Ind!¡± Liszt made a quick decision: ¡°I will have Consultant Goltai fully support you. In one month, we head for Galloper Ind¡­ Give the ind a name; call it ck Horse Ind.¡± Kostor was excited, ¡°I am honored to serve you, Lord Landlord!¡± ¡°Make a copy of this nautical chart, then erase the drawings on the cave walls.¡± Afterpleting these tasks, the Fresh Flower Vessel returned home. Nighttime. The castle¡¯s evening banquet summarized the day¡¯s work; it had be routine. Liszt was not a stingyndlord and didn¡¯t mind his subordinates freeloading in the castle¡ªit was also a method of winning people over. ¡°My lord, if the clue left by the rat is real, we must take control of ck Horse Ind as soon as possible to prevent other powers from upying it. Then we must quickly earn military achievements, obtain a fief, and mark ck Horse Ind as your territory. Horse resources are more important than any resource!¡± Marcus spoke seriously. Considering the Duchy of Sapphire had many deserted inds, meritoriousndlords could choose their own deserted inds as fiefs. Without being granted a fief, all the deserted inds in the Sea of Azure Waves theoretically belonged to the Sapphire Duke¡ªthey could choose to operate them in secret, which was an unspoken rule. However, once the Duke designated a deserted ind as a fief for a certainndlord, they were obligated to vacate it immediately. But such secret operations of deserted inds were rare. Firstly, nobles didn¡¯tcknd for farming, what theycked were elves and metals; secondly, it was very difficult to ensure that the management of a deserted ind would remain a secret. Once operated to a certain extent, the Duke might forcibly grant the ind as a fief. In principle, all produce from the ind would be the property of anotherndlord. Therefore, the secret operation of a deserted ind was more trouble than it was worth. For example, ever since the Tulip Family obtained Coral Ind, they had been cultivating it for twenty years, and still, a third of thend remained uncultivated. In Fresh Flower Town, before Liszt¡¯s arrival, much of thend was wastnd, uncultivated¡ªup to the present, many ces were still wastnd, not to mention Thorn Ridge awaited development. ¡°The information must be kept secret, everyone who knows must be severely warned, else ck Horse Ind will surely be taken by other lords,¡± Goltai spoke just as seriously. He and Marcus were very clear about the importance of warhorses to nobles, especially the Li Dragon Horse breed with its exceptional bloodline, which yed a crucial role in enhancing a knight¡¯s power on the battlefield. It could be directly said. During a charge on the battlefield, an Elite Earth Knight on a nag might not necessarily defeat a Common Earth Knight mounted on a Li Dragon Horse. ¡°Then, the information is limited to those present, as well as Captain Kostor, Rom, and my servant Thomas,¡± Liszt said agreeably, ¡°When the sailor training isplete, they and their families will move directly to live on ck Horse Ind¡­ of course, first we need to see what the conditions on ck Horse Ind are like.¡± Goltai spoke optimistically: ¡°ck Horse Ind, able to breed such godly steeds as the Li Dragon Horse, must be a t, green ind. I think its area is definitelyrge, maybe even enough to amodate an earl.¡± Liszt cut off a piece of Magical Beast Meat, swallowed it, and seemed to mention in passing: ¡°No matter its size, it is destined to be my ind¡­ Consultant Goltai, you must actively cooperate with Kostor in training the sailors, meeting their needs as much as possible.¡± ¡°I understand!¡± Preparations to secretly approach the Li Dragon Horse Herd of ck Horse Ind began. The work of the Lumberjack Team remained mboyant, with hundreds of people collectively felling trees, and despite the limitations of their tools, meaning individual efficiency might not be high, overall progress was swift. In just five short days, about a third of the trees at Thorn Ridge to the north were cut down. Arge area of Thorn Forest around the docks had beenpletely cleared, with only a few wild fruit trees remaining. Toplete the new Smoke Mission, it would take roughly half a month more, and there was no use in hurrying. Since Goltai became a consultant, his enthusiasm for work soared, taking initiative so much that Liszt often found himself with nothing to do. As a result, training Juan Fu became his current research topic. Juan Fu¡¯s feathers grew increasingly stiff, and its inner Magic Power more abundant. If it weren¡¯t for the chain tied to its legs, it might have already been learning to fly. ¡°Old Geronte, is there really not a single falconer to be found on the vast Coral Ind?¡± ¡°Lord Landlord, I have had the people of the Fresh Flower Caravan inquire in every city and even small towns, and indeed, no artisans skilled in falconry have been found,¡± replied Old Geronte, the captain of the Fresh Flower Caravan, who hade to the castle to report. ¡°Keep looking.¡± ¡°Yes, Lord Landlord.¡± After sending off Old Geronte, Liszt rubbed his forehead. Although Juan Fu¡¯s ¡°caw caw¡± was annoying, it was still a Magical Beast raised from a young age, and it would be a pity to just keep it around to ughter for meat. But he did not dwell on Juan Fu for long. The Dragon Kui Manservant, who took care of the Dragon Kui, reported good news upon returning: ¡°Master, the Dragon Kui Elf Bug has been born!¡± Rushing to the Dragon Kui Field, Liszt saw the pitch-ck, glossy Dragon Kui Bug, which resembled a ck gemstone¡ªvery interesting. With just a simple lure of Jade Powder, the Dragon Kui Bug bit onto Liszt¡¯s finger,pleting the contract. His ninth Elf Bug finally settled in the castle. Yet the good news did not stop there. As he returned to the castle, a knight who had rushed from Coral City brought him important news¡ªthe Coral Ind Caravan had returned, and Levis¡¯s family tutor, Frank, was asking him toe to Coral City to receive five hundred serfs. Chapter 139 - 0139: Five Hundred Serfs Arrive Chapter 139: Five Hundred Serfs Arrive The arrival of the serfs invigorated the small-town officials, as there was currently a shortage ofbor. Liszt had made preparations to head to Coral City to take charge of these five hundred serfs. Although the weather was still somewhat hot at the end of summer and the beginning of autumn, the sun was no longer so scorching, and wearing the noble¡¯s ck¡¤Abbieye could still be tolerated. He no longer needed to ride a horse. The castle had just purchased a brand-new four-wheeled carriage. The servants carefully adorned it, attaching a g on top embroidered with a purple-ck tulip. The Tulip Family had their own g, a bright red tulip. It represented the kind of tulip that had birthed their first Tulip Bug, but sadly, despite evolving into a Little Minor Elf, it had died of old age. The current Tulip Great Elf was bred from a Magic Tulip. Now that Liszt had been enfeoffed, he was no longer a formal member of the Tulip Family, so the red tulip g was no longer suitable for use. So, he had chosen the ck Tulip as his own g. The gs of the caravans of the Fresh Flower and Thorn merchants bore the ck Tulip. On Coral Ind, this was probably already familiar to everyone. Seeing a ck Tulip g meant it was Liszt, the third son of the Earl¡¯s family, the Baron of Fresh Flower Town, who had recently garnered much attention. ck Tulip. That was the name of this brand-new carriage. The coachman driving the carriage was One-Eyed Barton. There weren¡¯t many horses, so his workload was light. He took the opportunity to drive the carriage, which also allowed him to visit Coral City and see the world. ¡°My lord, following your instructions, I¡¯ve selected the healthiest Dragon Hollyhock nt, dug it out with the soil, and ced it in a pot. Look, it has green fruits and ripe ck ones, and it continues to flower. Thedy will surely like it.¡± ¡°Very good, water it and put it in the carriage,¡± Liszt signaled. The Dragon Kui Bug originated from Lady Penelope¡¯s Dragon Hollyhocks, so to show some appreciation, Liszt prepared a new pot of Dragon Hollyhocks for the olddy. It was an act of reciprocity. It was also an opportunity to show off his abilities, given that the olddy always found fault with him¡ªfor being too handsome! ¡°My lord, are you taking Douson with you?¡± ¡°Take Douson around for a spin; it¡¯s now my loyal guard, and the Earth Knights are no match for it anymore,¡± Liszt said proudly. He was very satisfied with Douson. The Bloodline Fruits weren¡¯t wasted; it could now release several Rock Spikes at the same time. At its most, it had managed to release six Rock Spikes at once. After synthesizing the opinions of Marcus, Goltai, and others, everyone agreed that Douson was now an Intermediate Magical Beast! It might be weakerpared to those capable of crushing the Coral Ind Knights like the Purple Sand Crocodile, making Douson somewhat of a rookie. But an Intermediate Magical Beast was still an Intermediate Magical Beast. It had transcended the shackles of a Low-Level Magical Beast, able to cast two spells¡ªRock Spike and ¡°Multiple Stone Spikes.¡± Moreover, it had room to grow; after all, it was only seven months old. It mightprehend more magic as it continued to grow. With Douson, he could virtually do as he pleased on Coral Ind. Carter, observing the majestic and robust Douson, teased, ¡°Taking it away is good, so it doesn¡¯t keep hovering around the Earth Matron. Mr. Marcus said the Earth Matron is almost due to be pregnant, and they shouldn¡¯t mate anymore.¡± ¡°Indeed, Douson is presently growing, so it shouldn¡¯t exhaust itself,¡± Liszt said seriously. ¡°Additionally, concerning the Earth Matron, from now on, she must be provided with ample nutrition¡­ If it¡¯s confirmed she isn¡¯t pregnant, we will cut off the supply and wear down her ferocity, as necessary.¡± Having starved for so many days, eating only asionally, and still being overpowered by Douson made for a rather difficult existence for the Earth Matron; her fierceness was gradually being eroded. When Liszt and others approached, it no longer chose to roar but was left only with fear. No matter how smart a Magical Beast is, it is still ultimately a kind of wild beast. The tactic of boiling a frog in warm water was entirely capable of instilling fear in the Earth Matron towards Liszt and others. Even if it regained its strength in the future, it would not dare to rebel against them ¡ª just like circus lions, whipped by their trainers from a young age. They don¡¯t dare to escape, nor to rebel,pletelycking the demeanor of a king of beasts. Given the Earth Matron¡¯s swiftpliance, Liszt was struck with many inspirations. Gradually, he started to form a vague n, which he intended to implement on Juan Fu. This Wind Falcon that kept getting fatter with each meal was about time to experience some hardships. He dressed himself and the carriage was prepared. Goltai also arrived with Isaiah, ir, and Rom Barrel, along with a few clerks. They came to join in the reception of the serfs. At the same time, Marcus arrived, ¡°My lord, don¡¯t you need the Knight Squad to follow?¡± ¡°No need, Teacher Marcus, the work of the Lumberjack Team is equally important.¡± A brief farewell. The caravan set off. Even with the robust physique of an Earth Knight, Liszt still found riding in a carriage far morefortable than on horseback. All the windows were open, and the breeze blew through as they swayed and jostled on the journey, nearly lulling him to sleep. During the trip, Douson also tried to get into the carriage for somefort, but Liszt kicked him out resolutely. ¡°A dog that doesn¡¯t run alongside the carriage wheels but wants a ride, where¡¯s the sense in that!¡± The main reason, however, was that Douson was simply too big. Once inside the carriage, Liszt would have no room to stretch his legs. Moreover, the dog¡¯s weight was close to eight hundred pounds, which left the two nags pulling the carriage panting heavily once he boarded. Leaving the road of Thorn Ridge, they entered the ubiquitous dirt roads of Coral Ind. The dust was immense. Douson, running behind the caravan for a while, turned into a dust shaker, prompting Liszt to hurriedly put on a mask and draw the curtains of the windows. At around ten in the morning, the caravan smoothly arrived at Coral City. ¡°Consultant Goltai, you go with ir and Isaiah to discuss the handover with Mr. Frank. I¡¯ll go visit my grandmother first.¡± ¡°As you wish, my lord.¡± They then parted ways, with the carriage continuing towards the independent small castle beside Coral City. When the servants of the castle saw the ck Tulip banner fluttering on the carriage, they knew who had arrived, and the butler quickly led the servants to greet them at the door. ¡°Master Liszt, I am so pleased to see you.¡± ¡°And my grandmother?¡± ¡°The olddy is inside the castle, chatting with Miss Li Vera. Earlier today, Miss Li Vera arrived at the castle to keep the olddypany.¡± ¡°My sister is here too?¡± Liszt wasn¡¯t surprised. Because he had already noticed a carriage parked at the entrance to the castle, bearing a g with a special design, that was Li Vera¡¯s carriage. The design on the g, which she had created herself ¡ª supposedly an abstractbination of a hot spring, birds, Tulips, and a Baroness ¡ª was lost on Liszt. As he entered the castle, he spoke to the manservant Tom, ¡°Take good care of Douson, and don¡¯t let it injure anyone indiscriminately.¡± ¡°Understood, my lord.¡± Tom, holding Douson¡¯s leash, seemed a bit tense. It was Thomas¡¯s job to look after Douson before. Today, Thomas had to stay close to Liszt, so the task fell to him. His strength was not enough to restrain Douson, he could only barely manage. Fortunately, Douson was well-trained and obedient. If Lisztmanded it not to wander, it would not. ¡°Look, look, who hase.¡± When they saw Lady Penelope, there was no need for Liszt to greet her first, as the olddy had already called out, ¡°Li Vera, I told you, this boy must have some private dealings with that boy Levis. The caravan has just returned, and he couldn¡¯t wait to get here.¡± Chapter 140: Sherry of Bull Horn Academy Chapter 140: Sherry of Bull Horn Academy ¡°Grandmother, you have a pair of eyes that can see through everything,¡± Liszt said with a smile. The dealings between him and Levis were not particrly secretive, and it wasn¡¯t difficult for those who wanted to know to find out about them. At least the Earl was definitely aware of their ve trade n, and as he wished, he could find out about anything happening on Coral Ind anytime. Li Vera, watching the increasingly extraordinary Liszt, was very dissatisfied, ¡°Liszt, the Fresh Flower Caravan¡¯s seafood business has reached my Falcon Town!¡± ¡°Then congrattions, Sister, the residents of Falcon Town can enjoy delicious seafood now,¡± he replied. ¡°I will organize the serfs to harvest seafood themselves. Although you and Levis have monopolized the seafood market, otherndlords will also organize their serfs to harvest seafood. Your good business won¡¯tst long!¡± Liszt, sitting in his chair, didn¡¯t mind Li Vera¡¯s childish provocation, ¡°Seaside towns, of course, can harvest their own seafood since they have the right to do so. But Coral Ind is sorge, and not every small town is beside the sea, nor does every stretch of beach have abundant seafood.¡± In fact, the Fresh Flower Caravan no longer had to work hard to catch seafood. They simply cooperated with thendlords of the coastal towns, allowing thesendlords to catch the seafood, and then the Fresh Flower Caravan would buy it and sell it to the cities. Each small town¡¯s specialty seafood was different, and the Fresh Flower Caravan held the mostplete variety of seafood, enabling them to buy at low prices and sell at high ones. As the nobles andmoners of Coral Ind gradually grew ustomed to having seafood on their tables, revenue had risen from the initial estimate of three gold coins a day to four coins a day. After paying Levis his share and covering the caravan¡¯s expenses, more than three gold coins a day were pure profit. With the seafood market, Liszt was able to join the ranks of Coral Ind¡¯s wealthy. This was a profit that made people envious. Li Vera was green with envy but understood that Liszt had confidence¡ªhe had already satisfied Levis. On Coral Ind, the two most influential people were the Earl and Levis. The Earl was Levis¡¯s father and obviously would notpete with his son¡¯s property, and Levis, having received shares, had issued seafood permits. Now, no one could take away Liszt¡¯s lucrative business. She had no choice but to awkwardly change the subject, ¡°You came over early in the morning, what for?¡± ¡°I came to bring Grandmother flowers,¡± Liszt said with a slight smile, then turned to his personal servant Thomas, ¡°Go bring the potted nt from the carriage.¡± ¡°Yes, Master.¡± Soon, a potted Dragon Hollyhock was brought in by Thomas. ¡°Ah, it¡¯s Dragon Hollyhock,¡± Lady Penelope realized, ¡°This is the Dragon Hollyhock I gave you. Have you taken good care of it? That¡¯s not right, it¡¯s not the same nt I gave you¡­ Did that Dragon Hollyhock die? What a pity, it still couldn¡¯t escape wilting.¡± ¡°Grandmother, don¡¯t be sad. That Dragon Hollyhock is still alive and well, and moreover, very healthy, much healthier than the average Dragon Hollyhock,¡± he responded. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Lady Penelope beckoned her servant to ce the Dragon Hollyhock on the balcony, ¡°Stop beating around the bush, Liszt, just speak inly. Talking in this convoluted way reminds me of Melissa. I have convinced myself that you have your father¡¯s shadow, despite having Melissa¡¯s face.¡± Lady Penelope, the depth of her grudge against Melissa, was still profound. Liszt had no memories of his mother nor knew the tone of her voice when she was alive, but he could guess that his way of speaking appeared somewhat ¡°mysterious¡± and maybe even a bit distant. This was unavoidable since, after all, he was not the original Liszt and couldn¡¯t invest too much emotion. So, he continued to smile, ¡°The Dragon Hollyhock you gave me wasn¡¯t sick, it was just nurturing an Elf Bug. Now, the Dragon Kui Bug has been born.¡± At the news of the Elf Bug, both Lady Penelope and Li Vera were taken aback. Lady Penelope was sincerely pleased, having forgotten her annoyance at Liszt¡¯s manner of speech, she heaped praise upon her grandson, ¡°The glory of the knights favors you, Liszt, you are the luckiest of the Tulip Family. Take good care of the Dragon Kui Elf Bug, receive it as a gift from me.¡± ¡°I am deeply moved by Grandmother¡¯s gift, and I will prepare a thoughtful present for you on your birthday this year,¡± Liszt expressed. Seeing that Li Vera was about to speak. Liszt, who had no interest in the adolescent girl, had already stood up, ¡°Grandmother, I¡¯ve arranged to meet with Mr. Frank, so I won¡¯t stay here any longer. I hope to have lunch in the castle at noon.¡± ¡°Go on, lucky boy, I¡¯ll have the kitchen make your favorite pan-fried egg pancakes,¡± she said. ¡°Mr. Frank.¡± ¡°Baron Liszt, you look even more mature now, but still as handsome as before,¡± said Frank, whose hairline was already close to the center of his head and had an unsightly red nose, ¡°My Sherry, just back from Bull Horn Academy, has been talking nonstop about wanting to see Brother Liszt.¡± ¡°Sherry is back?¡± It took Liszt a moment to recall that Sherry was Frank¡¯s younger daughter. In his childhood memories, Sherry was his little follower, only a year younger than him, which meant they could y together. But then Liszt went to the Knight Academy, and Sherry was sent by Frank to Bull Horn Academy, and they had not met since. As for Bull Horn Academy, it is located on Iron Hoof Ind. Iron Hoof Ind is the fief of the Marquis of Bull, a member of the Sapphire Lineage. His ancestor was the Sapphire Duke¡¯s favorite youngest son, who, having juste of age, was made the Earl of Bull; after the establishment of the kingdom, the ind was directly granted as a fief, and he was promoted to Marquis. The Bull Marquis Family built the Bull Horn Academy, originally to train maids for The Court. Gradually, nobles big and small sent their daughters to Bull Horn Academy to learn ¡ª nobledies with a Bull Horn Academy education were highly sought after for noble marriages. Thesedies were deemed cultivated for studying etiquette, needlework, household management, music, and reading and writing at the academy. Of course, not all nobledies went to Bull Horn Academy, Li Vera being one of them. He couldn¡¯t be sure if it was just an illusion. Liszt always felt that Frank couldn¡¯t help but bring up Sherry every three sentences, as if he were trying to sell her to him. ¡°Perhaps, I have now be the most sought-after eligible young noble on the ind,¡± he thought to himself, but he had no thoughts about Sherry at all; in his memories, Sherry was a little chubby girl. After Frank had pushed the agenda for a while and saw that Liszt did not respond enthusiastically, he gradually returned to the main topic. ¡°Your officials and servants are taking inventory,¡± he said. Five hundred serfs were gathered in small groups on a plot ofnd not far from the harbor. Most of them looked sickly, it was unclear whether they were ill or simply seasick. Goltai and others, along with the clerks, were counting the number of serfs and calcting the ratio of men to women, as well as the number of craftsmen. After a rough tally, they quickly returned to Liszt¡¯s side. ¡°My lord, a total of four hundred and seventy-six serfs¡­¡± Frank casually exined, ¡°Serfs are transported from far away, and it is inevitable that some get sick or fail to limate during the journey. The fleet initially purchased five hundred and ten serfs, and we lost a total of thirty-four people.¡± He sighed inwardly. Liszt nodded in acknowledgment¡ªhe was well aware that the trade of serfs inevitably involved death. ¡°Teacher Goltai, have the Fresh Flower Caravan cooperate to move these serfs to Fresh Flower Town for settlement as soon as possible,¡± he instructed. Chapter 141: The Magician of Coral City Chapter 141: The Magician of Coral City Four hundred and seventy-six serfs, about two-thirds of whom were females, along with quite a few infants and children. The elderly also made up a considerable portion, while there were very few able-bodied men¡ªon the serf trade market, able-bodied men were regarded as excellentborers, and their price was much higherpared to the elderly, children, and women. To anotherndlord, the quality of these serfs would be considered very poor. Aside from skilled artisans being valuable, women and children were a burden, and the artisans were all elderly, which was very uneconomical. But Liszt did not have anyints in his heart¡ªwomen could marry the bachelors of the territory and help mitigate the gender imbnce in Fresh Flower Town; with proper nurturing, children and infants could be future knight candidates; and old artisans possessed exquisite skills and couldpletely train arge number of apprentices. Of course. Able-bodied men were equally important to Fresh Flower Town, whether for farming or for constructing roads and docks, as they required strongbor. Therefore, on the surface, Liszt still had to voice aint, ¡°Mr. Frank, the quality of these serfs is not very good. Women were specifically requested by me, so having more is not a problem, but there are too many children, and the artisans are all older folks. Isn¡¯t this somewhat deceiving me?¡± ¡°Oh, Baron Liszt, I wouldn¡¯t dare deceive the blood of the Tulip Family,¡± Frank said with a smile. ¡°This batch of serfs was assembled by the fleet from various serf markets, the able-bodiedborers were bought up by others early on. You know, without war, there aren¡¯t high-quality serfs.¡± ¡°So, now, with the fleet setting sail once again, we should be able to purchase high-quality serfs, right? The Steel Ridge Kingdom has already gone to war with the Eagle Kingdom, and my father and the others have already entered the battlefield.¡± Frank¡¯s eyes flickered, ¡°You want to continue the serf trade¡­ Oh yes, the seafood market has brought you arge amount of gold coins.¡± ¡°You are very aware of the profits from the seafood market, aren¡¯t you, Mr. Frank,¡± Liszt did not y poor, especially since the other party had always been helping Levis to collect dividends, ¡°I will put together a sum of gold coins as soon as possible, hoping the fleet can bring me another batch of serfs.¡± ¡°There should not be a problem; the Tulip Fleet always conducts business when setting sail. Now that the war has started, the serf trade is an even better deal. So, how many serfs are you nning to buy?¡± ¡°One thousand, including two hundred skilled artisans.¡± ¡°One thousand serfs, ording to the price, would need two hundred and forty gold coins.¡± ¡°The serf trade was difficult before, and I could ept the higher prices, but now during the war, if serfs are still so expensive, I cannot ept that, Mr. Frank.¡± ¡°War or not, the serf trade is always filled with risks¡­¡± After some haggling back and forth. They finally agreed on the price of two hundred and ten gold coins. After taking out the gold coins he had saved by cutting expenses, and also shifting funds from the trade convoys, and handing them to Frank, Liszt¡¯s smile was not so amiable anymore¡ªfacing another period of frugality, the feeling of an empty purse was ufortable, especially after getting used to spending moneyvishly. Liszt declined Frank¡¯s invitation to have lunch together under the pretense that ¡°Little Sherry really wants to see you.¡± Instead, he had his lunch at Lady Penelope¡¯s castle. Lady Marie from Tulip Castle had also sent servants to invite him, but he did not go as he was not well acquainted with Lady Marie. Li Vera stayed there too, and at the dining table, she kept asking Liszt, ¡°Your Fierce Earth Dog has grown so big, how many gold coins to part with it, just say the price!¡± What an international joke. Although Douson had not unleashed any magic, and others were unaware of its abilities, one could tell by its form that it was extraordinary. It could not be measured in gold coins! Liszt responded coolly, ¡°Dear sister, Douson opened its eyes to see me as the first person, it recognizes no one but me. Even if you used dragon coins, you can¡¯t win its affection, so give up on this foolish thought.¡± Hearing ¡°foolish,¡± Li Vera¡¯s face darkened, ¡°You¡¯re bing more and more arrogant now, daring to disregard even your sister¡¯s words.¡± Liszt, with a knife in his left hand and a fork in his right, leisurely sliced his steak, ¡°I¡¯m merely stating a fact. Please remain rational.¡± Lady Penelope seemed to appreciate the dominant change in Liszt and, against her usual stance, spoke in his favor, ¡°Li Vera, please eat like ady and stop trying to take what¡¯s in Liszt¡¯s hands. If you want something, you can certainly choose a suitable husband from among so many excellent nobles to fulfill all your desires.¡± ¡°Grandmother, you don¡¯t love me at all now.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve all grown up, my girl, and youds as well. Your grandmother is getting senile and only hopes that you three siblings will get along harmoniously, and by the way, take care of little Lidun, letting the Tulip Family¡¯s bloodline flourish and develop.¡± The lunch was far from harmonious. After the meal, Li Vera, fuming with anger, drew her sword and blocked Liszt¡¯s path, ¡°Like a warrior, fight me. I want to prove that you are still that cowardly Liszt!¡± Before Liszt could respond, Douson, who had been lyingzily to one side, suddenly broke free from Tom¡¯s grasp and charged towards Li Vera. It moved with the momentum of a tiger descending a mountain, roaring deeply and stirring up a whirlwind. In that moment, Li Vera¡¯s face was instantly drenched in cold sweat. She felt enveloped by a strong intent to kill. It was the kind of deadly threat one feels when facing an irresistible force, a threat to one¡¯s life¡ªlike when she was seven and whipped a fiery horse, which then charged at her, mouth open to bite¡ªexcept now she was a distinguished Earth Knight, but just as helpless to resist. ¡°Come back, Douson!¡± With a calmmand from Liszt, the charging Douson abruptly halted and no longer lunged forward. However, the fierce glint in the eyes of the beast still flickered menacingly, its gaze fixed on Li Vera with a viciousness that suggested it might pounce and devour at any moment. ¡°It is a Magical Beast from Thorn Ridge. Even though it acknowledges me as its master, its ferocity isn¡¯t so easily subdued. I apologize for frightening you. I have other matters to attend to; I¡¯ve made an appointment. Dear sister, we shall talk another time,¡± he said, with a faint smile. Then, leading Douson, he left the castle. Li Vera¡¯s face turned ashen, and she stood rooted to the spot, no longer attempting to verbally assert herself. The attack from Douson that she had just witnessed had truly frightened her¡ªafter all, she was but a flower raised in a greenhouse. On the balcony of the castle, Lady Penelope, watering her new Dragon Hollyhock, undoubtedly witnessed the whole scene unfold at the castle gates. She simply muttered, ¡°That¡¯s more like it. Girls should act like girls, boys like boys. Melissa and Marie, these two simpletons, certainly don¡¯tck the ability to bear children.¡± Liszt did not deceive Li Vera. He indeed had an appointment, or rather, needed to find someone. He went directly to a small town near Coral City, and as he saw the dpidated state of the town, his brow furrowed slightly, ¡°Rom, is this the ce?¡± ¡°Yes, my lord, this is the ce, Moss Town. I¡¯ve been to this small town before,¡± replied Rom Barrel. ¡°Whose fiefdom is this town?¡± ¡°It was once the fiefdom of a baron, whoter went bankrupt. It was reimed by the Earl and has not been assigned since.¡± ¡°It is indeed here. I have found the white-tipped, two-story building that Goltai mentioned.¡± Liszt gestured with his hand, ¡°Let¡¯s go. It¡¯s time to meet this magician, sir.¡± Chapter 142 - 0142: Eye of Truth and Exploring the World Chapter 142: Eye of Truth and Exploring the World ¡°Who are you looking for?¡± The wooden door of the small building opened, and a teenager dressed in ck with hair like a bird¡¯s nest and deep-set eyes poked his head out. He looked at the group of people in front of him, plus a huge dog, and asked cautiously. ¡°Does Mr. Grandini live here?¡± Thomas stepped forward, maintaining proper etiquette, and asked gently, ¡°Our master, the son of Coral Ind¡¯s Count and the Baron of Fresh Flower Town, Liszt Tulip, wishes to meet with him to inquire about some matters of magic.¡± ¡°Ah, wait a moment.¡± The youth was startled for a second, then shut the door abruptly. After a moment, the door swung open entirely, and the emaciated, shriveled figure of the youth appeared: ¡°The teacher invites the Baron inside; the others, please wait outside.¡± Liszt nodded, ¡°You all stay outside.¡± ¡°Sir¡­¡± Rom wanted to say something. Liszt gestured to him, on Coral Ind, even the secretive magicians had to give face to the Tulip Family. Entering the small building, a strange smell drilled into his nostrils, not a stench of life, but more like the odor emitted from some chemical substances. This made him frown involuntarily. The room was quite gloomy, with various cluttered ¡°equipment¡± visible, some metallic vessels, others made of jade and crystal. There were numerous bottles and jars, and even a wax candle burning in an iron kettle, within which a green liquid was boiling¡ªthe strange smell was probably emanating from there. The room was incredibly messy, even the pathways were barely wide enough to walk. ¡°The teacher is upstairs, he is waiting for you.¡± The youth seemed somewhat dull, and while he looked at Liszt with the nervousness of meeting a stranger, hecked the fear and reverence for nobility. Perhaps following a magician for too long had caused him to lose his awe of nobility¡ªa significant reason magicians were unpopr: this group of individuals who believed in ¡°knowledge¡± dismissed the authority of nobility, convinced that knowledge was the only truth in the world, not the brute force revered by the nobles. The stairs creaked and groaned, but as they ascended, the light grew brighter. Then Liszt saw the magician, Grandini Truth¡ªa man with a hooked nose, blue eyes, and brown hair, around forty years old, his figure shrouded in arge cloak. He was sitting in a chair, engrossed in a book. Upon seeing Liszt, he closed the book and ced it amidst the clutter on his desk. Liszt had a keen eye and saw that the cover read ¡°Alchemical Spections on Iron¡ªDedicated to His Excellency Grand Magician Dembaba Truth,¡± with a drawing beneath it. It was a triangle with an eye inside. ¡°Baron Liszt,pared to your brother, Viscount Levis, you more closely resemble a graceful nobleman,¡± Grandini stood, taller than Liszt, his frame just as thin beneath his cloak. His voice was hoarse, as if he hadn¡¯t spoken in a long time. ¡°Mr. Grandini, you have met my brother?¡± ¡°Of course, I have had a few coborations with Viscount Levis. Please make yourselffortable; I don¡¯t stand on ceremony here with the pretentious niceties of nobility.¡± Liszt found a rtively clean stool: ¡°Noble etiquette isn¡¯t pretense; it¡¯s cultivation.¡± Grandini mocked, ¡°Cultivation¡ªis it about learning how to cannibalize others more elegantly?¡± ¡°If that¡¯s how you must understand it, it¡¯s not wrong.¡± Liszt felt some resentment towards Grandini¡¯s attitude, having grown ustomed to the reverence that came with nobility, but he had to admit there was some truth in the other¡¯s words¡ªthe world was indeed dog eat dog, ¡°Your surroundings here aren¡¯t very pleasant.¡± ¡°Of course, it can¡¯t bepared with a castle; I am but a humble magician, with all my energy and resources dedicated to exploring the truth of the world.¡± Exploring the truth of the world, that¡¯s the rallying cry of magicians. All magicians discard their worldly surnames and uniformly adopt the surname ¡°Truth.¡± As for that triangle and eye on the book, it¡¯s called the Eye of Truth. The magicians discovered that the triangle is the most stable form of deconstruction and that the world is alsoposed of triangles¡ªmatter, spirit, and magic power. And they are the eye within the triangle, endlessly exploring every truth. ¡°May I ask how to cast a spell?¡± ¡°There is no difference between magic and Dou Qi. As a knight, why care about magic or Dou Qi? They are both ways of harnessing magic power.¡± ¡°Alright, let¡¯s change the subject. How many magicians are there on Coral Ind?¡± Liszt asked casually. He hade to visit the magician that day out of slight purpose but more out of curiosity. ¡°You¡¯d get a clearer answer from Levis than from me. I can only tell you that within Coral City, there are only three magicians that I¡¯ve been in contact with.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t magicians often gather for meetings and exchanges?¡± ¡°The path to exploring the world is one of solitude; magic power is the embodiment of Truth. Only by listening quietly can you understand the knowledge it wants to tell you!¡± Liszt continued to ask a few more questions. Until he annoyed Grandini, ¡°Baron Liszt, did you visit me just to ask these ignorant questions? If so, please leave immediately. Do not waste my time; my time is dedicated to the great Truth, not to chatting with you!¡± ¡°Of course it¡¯s not just to ask questions¡ªI also want to find you for a coboration.¡± ¡°Speak quickly if you have something to say.¡± If it weren¡¯t for the prior insight into Grandini¡¯s temperament from Goltai, Liszt felt that this disrespectful fellow should be dragged out and fed to Douson¡ªalthough, of course, Douson might not eat him, as it preferred cooked food, or maybe needing a roast first with a sprinkle of cumin on top. ¡°You¡¯ve helped the Tulip Castle, or other nobles, craft magic equipment before, haven¡¯t you?¡± ¡°You want me to help you craft magic equipment?¡± Grandini became slightly interested, calming down a bit in his tone, ¡°My skills are definitely impable. Even your father has asked me to repair a few pieces of magic equipment.¡± Liszt was straightforward. He took out a fist-sized ck pearl he had prepared and ced it on the table: ¡°Do you recognize this?¡± ¡°A ck pearl, you actually have one of these things?¡± ¡°Have you seen a ck pearl before?¡± ¡°Of course, Levis had also brought a ck pearl before. Crafting magic equipment, it must be a specialty product of your Tulip family. It is more abundant and gentle in magic power than the white pearls from Blue Dragon Ind, and it¡¯s a good path to wealth.¡± ¡°So the ck Pearl Magic Equipment in Levis¡¯s hand was also crafted by you. Since that¡¯s the case, I¡¯m not going to beat around the bush. This kind of ck pearl, ifrger in size and with more abundant magic power, could you craft it into magic equipment capable of suppressing storms at sea?¡± ¡°Howrge?¡± Liszt, ying it coy, gestured the size of a basketball: ¡°How about a ck pearl this big?¡± Grandini furrowed his brow in concentration, pondered for a moment, and said, ¡°I need to see the actual object to determine whether I can craft equipment powerful enough to suppress storms. But I believe that as long as the quality meets the standard, the crafting process isn¡¯t a problem. I am a magician, with twenty years of experience in practicing magic runes and formations!¡± Within the magic practice hierarchy. A Magic Apprentice is equivalent to an Apprentice Knight, a Magician to an Earth Knight, a Grand Magician to a Sky Knight, and an Archmage to a Dragon Knight. Grandini Truth is a Magician. Chapter 143 - 0143: Strong Desire for Knowledge Chapter 143: Strong Desire for Knowledge ¡°The item is in my castle; after all, it¡¯s a valuable item. If you ept the cooperation, you can go to Fresh Flower Town,¡± Liszt said, still not trusting the magician. He himself did not have enough strength, and merely relying on the prestige of the Tulip Family might not be enough to deter the other party. If the other party ran off with the ck pearl, there would be nowhere to find them. However, Grandini shook his head, ¡°Do you think that making a piece of magic equipment is an easy task? If your ck pearl is really big enough and of high quality, it will need more materials to be forged into suitable magic equipment¡­ In a countryside ce like Fresh Flower Town, you can¡¯t even buy the raw materials!¡± ¡°I have two caravans, whatever materials are needed, they can be delivered promptly,¡± Liszt said, unperturbed by others looking down on Fresh Flower Town as the countryside. He had the heart of a fierce tiger and naturally maintained a calm demeanor, ¡°Moreover, Mr. Grandini, won¡¯t you listen to what kind ofpensation I can offer?¡± ¡°Oh, whatpensation are you willing to give?¡± ¡°Viscount Levis has you make ck pearl magic equipment¡ªhow much is he paying you¡­ Give me a true figure, I can always go and ask Mr. Frank.¡± ¡°Fine then, nobles are really cunning. I can¡¯t fool you. Viscount Levis is paying three gold coins, that¡¯s just the artisanal fee; he provided all the raw materials himself. But his ck pearl is only this big. If you have a muchrger ck pearl, the price won¡¯t be so cheap.¡± ¡°In fact, I don¡¯t have gold coins.¡± ¡°No gold coins?¡± Grandini red, ¡°Baron Liszt, are you mocking me?¡± Liszt said evenly, ¡°But I have a ck pearl, don¡¯t I?¡± Grandini¡¯s eyes quickly lit up, ¡°Oh, so you are nning to use this ck pearl to pay for the services?¡± ¡°You think too highly. Do you know how much a ck pearl is worth? This ck pearl is worth at least two hundred gold coins. With that amount, I could hire a grand magician to make magic equipment for me,¡± Liszt said, spinning the ck pearl in his hand, ¡°Of course, if you want to earn it, it¡¯s not that hard.¡± Clearly, the ck pearl was attractive to Grandini; he licked his lips, ¡°State your terms.¡± ¡°First, help me make the ck pearl that suppresses storms, providing the raw materials yourself. Second, teach me magic, provide me with knowledge and books. Third, I have some crystals, you help me make them into crystalmps. The remaining value of this ck pearl can be considered my sponsorship for your pursuit of the Truth.¡± To Liszt, the ck pearl itself wasn¡¯t of high value¡ªin Coral Ind, aside from Levis, nobody would likely be a fool enough to buy it. ¡°You want to learn magic?¡± Grandini was surprised, ¡°That¡¯s not typical for your nobility. Moreover, magic and Dou Qi are mutually exclusive. Are you willing to give up your noble status to be a magician?¡± Dou Qi refines the magic power within oneself, while magic draws on the magic power around oneself. Despite both being magic power, in cultivation, they repel each other¡ªthere have been nobles who considered practicing magic, but it is difficult to seed. This is like how magic requires the mind to remain rational and clear at all times, yet Dou Qi demands a state of passionate fervor. Cultivating both magic and martial arts could lead to a split personality. Liszt spoke, ¡°I simply wish to understand the principles behind the casting of magic.¡± As a soul with the scientific literacy of the 21st century, it was only natural that he possessed a strong desire to learn about this Different World filled with magic power. He had already encountered and begun to practice Dou Qi; his understanding of Dou Qi was quite profound, yet he knew nothing about magic. Getting close to a magician, understanding magic, was something he had always wanted to do. With the territory development now on the right track and having a certain ability to protect himself, he could pursue understanding more information about the outside world at his own volition. ¡°It seems you are a noble with a strong curiosity. Well, I¡¯ll take this ck pearl,¡± Grandini said after a moment of thought, agreeing to the terms. ¡°I hope you have a pleasant time in Fresh Flower Town for the next while. Oh, by the way, in Fresh Flower Town, I have houses for you to stay in, and you can transport the necessary materials and equipment to Fresh Flower Town through the Fresh Flower Caravan.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t n to stay in the countryside for long. Once the magic equipment is made and you understand what magic is, I¡¯ll return. Moss Town is only a quarter-hour¡¯s journey from Coral City, and the city¡¯s prosperity makes it hard to leave.¡± He walked to the window and looked in the direction of Coral City. In his eyes, the city piled with waste was a symbol of prosperity. With a nce from the corner of his eye, he saw a line of people waiting outside the small building and the huge Douson, ¡°Is that your pet? A Fierce Earth Dog magical beast? Why is it so big? I don¡¯t remember Fierce Earth Dogs ever growing thatrge.¡± ¡°Because it eats well.¡± Magician Grandini Truth needed time to prepare before he could rush to Fresh Flower Town. Liszt led his people back in advance. Meanwhile. In Coral City, near Tulip Castle, within a two-story small building with a garden, Frank had just finished his nap. He came downstairs to the living room and sat down on a chair. A servant immediately brought him tea. He was a noble, an Honored Knight, with his own fief, a small vige. Compared to bankrupt and fallen nobles like Goltai, his fief was rtively prosperous, bringing him nearly ten gold coins in surplus each year, plus his sry as a tutor for the Levis family, life was quite delightful. ¡°Has thedy and the young miss not returned from walking in the flower fields?¡± ¡°They have returned. They are taking a cool break in the little garden.¡± After a short while, his wife and daughter returned to the house. ¡°Frank, have you woken up?¡± the middle-aged woman dressed in the currently fashionable hoop skirt asked, despite the heavy makeup she couldn¡¯t conceal the fact that she was aging, ¡°Do you still have to work for Tulip Castle this afternoon? Sherry wants you to apany her back to the manor; she left her clothes in the wardrobe.¡± Frank looked at his daughter, ¡°I remember you brought many outfits, and you bought some on Iron Hoof Ind as well, aren¡¯t they enough?¡± ¡°But I forgot to bring a ck long dress, I really like it, daddy,¡± Sherry swayed her slender waist. ¡°Let the servant go back and fetch it. I don¡¯t have time, my dear,¡± Frank spread his hands, addressing both his daughter and exining to his wife, ¡°Levis is still on the battlefield. I¡¯m responsible for all his properties, and the Earl has given him partial authority to govern Coral Ind, which also falls under my responsibility.¡± ¡°I understand, now is a great opportunity for you to make a name for yourself, but I hope you can make some time to pay more attention to Sherry. She is already fifteen.¡± Fifteen meant the age to start socializing. Noble girls were expected to marry around the age of sixteen or seventeen. Frank looked at his increasingly beautiful daughter and felt very satisfied, ¡°Of course, I know. Sherry is already a big girl. In fact, this morning, I was worrying about her future. There are not many suitable nobles for Sherry on Coral Ind, and I want her to have the best happiness.¡± His wife¡¯s interest piqued immediately, ¡°What did you worry about? Have you found someone for her?¡± Sherry also gazed expectantly at her father. As a noble youngdy, socializing was a skill she had to learn, discussion of marriage was never something to be shy about. At Bull Horn Academy, how to choose a suitable noble and get married had already be a public course. Chapter 144 - 0144: Ivan’s Numbing Journey Chapter 144: Ivan¡¯s Numbing Journey ¡°Liszt.¡± Frank pronounced the name, ¡°Baron of Fresh Flower Town, the third child of the Earl, Sherry, you must remember him, as a child you always used to y following him around.¡± ¡°Is it Brother Liszt? Of course, I remember.¡± Sherry blinked, and a somewhat childish but handsome face emerged hazily in her mind. Liszt had been very handsome since he was young. However, she had left Coral Ind to study at Bull Horn Academy for several years. Due to inconvenient shipping, she didn¡¯t even return home during festivals, and her memories of Liszt had gradually faded. At that time, she wasn¡¯t of the age to be infatuated with the opposite sex, so naturally, she didn¡¯t retain a clear memory of any particr ymate. ¡°What do you think of Liszt?¡± Frank inquired. Sherry shook her head, ¡°Father, I¡¯ve only met Liszt when he was twelve, a mere child. Now that he¡¯s an adult, I have no idea what he¡¯s turned into.¡± ¡°Indeed, we should find an opportunity for you two to meet.¡± At this moment, Frank¡¯s wife asked, ¡°It seems that Liszt isn¡¯t much valued by the Earl, his fief is even the most remote Fresh Flower Town.¡± ¡°Indeed, Liszt isn¡¯t highly regarded by the Earl. The Earl, relying on his own determination, established Coral Ind and wishes for his children to be bold and forward-thinking,¡± Frank said. ¡°But regardless, he is of the Tulip Family¡¯s bloodline, and to receive his fief upon reaching adulthood is not a treatmentmonly enjoyed by the secondary sons of nobility.¡± ¡°It¡¯s just the Earl¡¯s kindness, and he is a diligent father, even Li Vera has been granted a baronial fief,¡± his wife said enviously. Li Vera had significant influence among the nobledies of Coral Ind, a Hereditary Baroness, a rarity in the entire Duchy of Sapphire. ¡°The reason the Earl doesn¡¯t value Liszt much is that Liszt¡¯s talents aren¡¯t outstanding, and he has a soft nature. But from my recent interactions, Liszt has transformed, carrying an authority with his gentleness, and he is bing increasingly mature. The Earl even went to Fresh Flower Town to celebrate the Outing Festival, and that is a sign.¡± ¡°A sign of what?¡± ¡°What else could it be but a sign that a son has regained his father¡¯s trust? The Earl is still in his prime, and naturally, he hopes to attain more knightly glory with his sons.¡± ¡°Really? But he hasn¡¯t been on the battlefield while Levis has already been there.¡± ¡°It¡¯s just a matter of time, he carries the blood of both the Tulip and Long Taro Families.¡± Frank felt his wife was narrow-minded like a minor country noble, so he simply spoke directly to his daughter, ¡°Sherry, Liszt has been preparing his own Knight Squad and has purchased a batch of armed Knight Squad equipment from the Tulip Castle.¡± No praise has more convincing power than action itself. A country lord who owns a Knight Squad is, of course, extraordinary. Sherry¡¯s eyes brightened, ¡°Father, Mother, when can I meet Brother Liszt? I feel that I have my own discerning eyes.¡± ¡°Our Sherry is smart and beautiful, of course, you have your own discerning eyes. Father will soon find you an opportunity.¡± Footsteps faltered. Exhausted and hungry. Ivan wiped the sweat from his forehead and looked with a numb gaze at the equally numbpanions beside him. Their clothes were filthy and reeked, their hair tangled into knots, and the dust on their faces could not hide the pale and jaundiced skin. The group was indistinguishable by age or gender, even the cries of babies were feeble and weak. ¡°Hurry up, if you don¡¯t want to be whipped, keep your spirits up and keep up with the group!¡± the Clerk, holding a whip, shouted loudly. Every now and then, he snapped the whip in the air, producing a sharp crack. Ivan shuddered, his head, slightly dizzy, suddenly cleared, and his heavy steps quickened. Just a moment ago, one of hispanions had been whipped by the Clerk, tearing their clothes and leaving them crying out in pain. ¡°Crack!¡± Another crack of the whip. Ivan lowered his head, gritting his teeth, trying to hasten his pace. He was terrified of the whip. On the ship, apanion from the same small town who slept in a corner, had been beaten to death by the first mate with that very whip. The dying wails had caused him to have nightmares for several nights in a row. In dreams, it was a nightmare. In reality, it was also a nightmare. He missed the days of toiling in the fields on the ind, where although he might go hungry, and knights with whips wouldsh serfs who couldn¡¯t pay their taxes. But most of the time, he could move freely and chat with others. He could even go to the town, just to catch a glimpse of the beautiful baker¡¯s wife. However, one day, everything changed. He heard the cries of knights shouting and killing, followed by a group of bloodstained knights, who came to his vige and drove them out. Some people didn¡¯t want to go and were killed; those who didn¡¯t want to be killed had no choice but to follow them. It was this day that he left his homnd, starting his endless, bumpy nightmare. He was taken to a market where everyone sold was a serf just like him. Locked in cages, eating a bit of spoiled ck bread, dazed and confused. Serfs were taken away continuously, and new ones were constantly brought in. Then, he was taken away too. He followed a group of strangers onto a big ship, not understanding thenguage spoken there, and not daring to speak with others. To his surprise, there was someone on the ship who recognized him, from the same town. ¡°It¡¯s the Sapphire People!¡± hispanion told him. He instantly thought of the legend of the ¡°barbarians.¡± Every year, barbarians from the seas woulde to the Eagle Kingdom to raid and plunder; they all came from the Duchy of Sapphire across the sea. ¡°The people on the ship are Sapphire People, we¡¯ve been sold to barbarians! The ones who captured us are mercenaries, they¡¯re even worse than rats!¡± hispanion said bitterly, ¡°I swear! One day, I¡¯lle back, find these mercenaries, and kill them all!¡± Ivan didn¡¯t respond. Hispanion¡¯s words terrified him. He had been farming since he was young and had never killed even a chicken¡ªhe did not have chickens¡ªonly nobles killed serfs, serfs would never dare to kill anyone. Unfortunately, not long after hispanion had sworn his oath, he was beaten to death with a whip. With no one else to talk to, Ivan continued living the nightmare from which he could not awaken. He had never been on a ship before, and the seasickness was almost fatal. After several days like this, today, he finally set foot onnd, arriving at apletely foreign ce. He couldn¡¯t understand a word spoken here. He didn¡¯t even know where he was being driven to. He was confused about tomorrow, not knowing what he was holding on for, not even knowing what holding on meant. He just followed wherever the whip drove him, never thinking about death, nor understanding what joy in life was. His legs had gone numb for what felt like the umpteenth time. He heard the clerk waving his whip again, shouting something. He couldn¡¯t understand, but the line slowly came to a halt. When the others stopped, so did he, finally able to give his legs a moment of rest. He saw that others began to sit down. He followed suit and sat down. Nobody spoke; on the ship, all were forbidden frommunicating, and he had grown ustomed to silence. He lifted his head, his gaze falling on a female serf not far ahead who was preparing to nurse her child, lifting her tattered clothing to reveal her shriveled breast and cing it in the baby¡¯s mouth. The baby sucked vigorously, unsure if it could draw even a drop of milk. If this had been in the past, Ivan would certainly have salivated and greedily peeked at the woman¡¯s breasts, he was still young and had never touched a woman¡¯s hand, let alone those swollen breasts. But in this moment, there was no allure to be found in breasts, and he had not the slightest urge to think about such things¡ªhis stomach was so empty his intestines felt like they were knotting up. The sun moved overhead, it was noon. Chapter 145 - 0145: Teaching of Three Serpent Script Vocabulary Chapter 145: Teaching of Three Serpent Script Vocabry Ivan sat on the ground and soony down like others, trying to rest as much as possible to regain a little strength. He didn¡¯t know where he was going or how much longer the journey would be. tter, tter. The sound of carriage wheels turning came through. Ivan didn¡¯t get up, just slowly turned his head with the least amount of effort to look in the direction of the sound. He saw a line of carriages with gs fluttering on them. The gs were blue with embroidered purple-ck flowers. He recognized these banners as symbols of nobility. Of course, he didn¡¯t know to which noble the g belonged. As he watched the caravan without any particr thought, the familiar sound of whips cracked again. His body sprang up as if fitted with springs, and he instinctively rose from the ground and stood up¡ªnot just him, but everyone did the same, stumbling to their feet. The clerk was brandishing his whip and shouting something loudly. Ivan couldn¡¯t understand. But he quickly did, as someone shouted in the windnguage of the Eagle Kingdom, ¡°Line up everyone! Follow the clerk¡¯smands and form a line behind each carriage! No talking, no moving around, stand properly!¡± Ivan began to panic. He didn¡¯t know how to line up and had never done so; seeing others move, he moved too. Then he got a kick on his behind from one of the clerks, who was cursing iprehensibly at him. It seemed that the clerk had noticed the bewilderment on his face. The clerk dragged him over and shoved him behind a serf, all the while cursing. Then he went to pull over another serf. The disorganized group soon formed six awkward lines under the clerk¡¯s direction. The Sapphire person who spoke the windnguage walked to the front of the lines, had a brief conversation with a few who seemed to be nobles, then addressed the many serfs, ¡°You will be fed twice a day, traveling from afar to Coral Ind, soon heading to your future home, Fresh Flower Town!¡± Like the others, Ivan numbly watched the speaker, showing little reaction. The speaker continued, ¡°The Lord of Fresh Flower Town is the great bloodline of the Tulip Family, Baron Liszt, and he will be your master from now on! Remember your future home, Fresh Flower Town, remember your future master, Liszt Tulip, a great descendant of the Tulip Family!¡± Thest few sentences were shouted with vigor and authority. However, the serfs below remained calm. The speaker didn¡¯t care at all; he waved his arms and his grizzled hair tousled in the wind, ¡°Remember, from now on, you need to speak the Serpent Script of the Duchy of Sapphire. Of course, you are just a bunch of serfs, and no one cares if you can speak Serpent Script. But you need to remember these three terms: Fresh Flower Town, Tulip, and Lord Landlord!¡± ¡°Now, follow me and recite these three words!¡± he shouted, ¡°Pronounce these words correctly, and you will enjoy a wonderful lunch. Understand?¡± Lunch, in a sh, stirred the silent and numb line into action. The starved serfs could not resist the temptation of lunch¡ªthey had been fed only twice a day on the ship, once in the morning and once in the afternoon, the rest of the time spent lying still. A bold serf, trembling, responded, ¡°Understood, my Lord.¡± ¡°Good, now start following me¡ªFresh Flower Town¡­¡± ¡°Fresh Flower Town.¡± ¡°Louder, Fresh Flower Town!¡± ¡°Fresh Flower Town!¡± Ivan felt he was too hungry to speak, but for the approaching lunch, he still mustered the scant strength left in his body to shout along with the others, ¡°Fresh Flower Town.¡± The phrase wasn¡¯t hard to pronounce. It was easy to learn. After shouting it a few times, he even felt a bit excited, having learned a foreignnguage. ¡°Very good, it seems you have mastered the term Fresh Flower Town, now follow me¡ªTulip¡­¡± ¡°Tulip.¡± ¡°It¡¯s Tulip, idiot. Don¡¯t curl your own tongue, say it again¡ªTulip¡­¡± ¡°Tulip.¡± ¡°Louder, Tulip.¡± ¡°Tulip!¡± ¡°Although it¡¯s not standard, remember it. Here, everything on thisnd belongs to the Tulip Family! Your lord is the bloodline of the Tulip Family!¡± instructed the person who could speak the Wind Language. ¡°Next, you need to understand how to express your loyalty when you see your lord. You must first kneel.¡± A few serfs, upon hearing the instruction to kneel, immediately knelt down. The other serfs followed suit and knelt as well. In an instant, all six teams were kneeling. The speaker was taken aback; he was no Liszt and didn¡¯t dare to have the serfs kneel before him, so he quickly stepped aside, ¡°Idiots, I didn¡¯t tell you to kneel now. Never mind¡­ Kneel to the ck Tulip banner on the carriage as if you were in the presence of Lord Landlord. Now, follow me and say¡ªLord Landlord¡­¡± ¡°Lord Landlord.¡± Ivan knelt on the ground, joining the crowd and shouting, trying his best to straighten his tongue. After a few repeats. The person speaking Wind Language ran to a group that looked like nobles nearby and spoke in Serpent Script, ¡°Mr. Goltai, is this manner of teaching eptable?¡± Wearing ck¡¤Abbieye¡¯s attire, Goltai nodded, ¡°The teaching before today¡¯s lunch ends here. Let the serfs fill their stomachs first. Fresh Flower Town isn¡¯t so poor that they can¡¯t afford a meal. Old Geronte, you have worked hard. We¡¯ll still need your trantion for making arrangements for the serfs.¡± Old Geronte smiled, ¡°Serving Lord Landlord is Old Geronte¡¯s honor and pleasure. Then I¡¯ll tell them it¡¯s time to eat.¡± Then, addressing the serfs who were still kneeling on the ground, ¡°You may rise now. Continue to stand in your teams. We will now start distributing lunch, one by one, everyone gets a share. No snatching is allowed! Otherwise, the clerk¡¯s whip won¡¯t be merciful.¡± Upon hearing Old Geronte¡¯s words, The fluttering hearts of the serfs swiftly turned to surprise¡ªthey really had lunch! And then, as the carts opened, one by one, they received types of food they had never seen before, served on bread tes, handed to them. There were no cutlery like knives or forks, only food and bread tes. Ivan received his portion, he recognized the bread te; he often used bread tes and after some time, he would cook them so he could continue eating. On the bread te, there was a half piece of dark bread and then a lot ofrge, small, round, t things. He couldn¡¯t help reaching out to touch them; they were very hard. Yet he didn¡¯t know how to eat it. Fortunately, he always did what others did. He saw others eat the dark bread, and some had already opened those things and eaten the soft content inside. So, holding his bread te, he sat on the ground, first biting fiercely into the dark bread. Then following others¡¯ lead, he also opened that thing, which was quite easy to do because it already had cracks. A simple tug with his hands and it split apart. A strange, alluring scent quickly reached his nose. After swallowing the bread, Ivan, seeing several others eat, finally mustered the courage to take a bite. It was very soft, almost melting in his mouth. He didn¡¯t know what it was, but it tasted pretty good, so he stopped fussing and focused on eating his portion. Maybe it was because he had been hungry for so long that in just a short while, he had already eaten all the food. When thest shelled item went down, it was almost the first time in his life he felt what ¡°full¡± meant. Just at that moment, Old Geronte¡¯s shout reached Ivan¡¯s ears once more, ¡°It looks like you¡¯ve all eaten your fill. You¡¯re a bunch of lucky fellows, remember this feeling. From today on, in Fresh Flower Town, as long as you work hard for our great Lord Landlord, you will eat like this every day, eat until you¡¯re full!¡± ¡°Ah!¡± Ivan heard someone nearby gasp in astonishment. He, too, felt shocked¡ªTo eat like this every day, to eat until full! His mind buzzed nk, with only one thought left: ¡°Fresh Flower Town, food.¡± Chapter 146 - 0146: Offering Loyalty to the Landlord Chapter 146: Offering Loyalty to the Landlord The second day after returning to the castle, the four hundred and seventy-six serfs who had camped out in the wilderness overnight finally made their way to Fresh Flower Town. Having had a few full meals, the serfs¡¯plexions were still poor, but at least there was a significant improvement in their spirits. In the afternoon. As the sun began to set in the west, all the serfs lined up on the main thoroughfare of Fresh Flower Town, silently waiting. Liszt, riding on the back of a Li Dragon Horse and escorted by the Knight Squad, arrived in front of the lines. Thomas, leading Douson, followed suit, now making a point of taking Douson with him when going out¡ªa bit of a man depending on his dog for status. ¡°Lord, the quality of these serfs¡­ is very poor,¡± Marcus remarked with a frown after scanning them. ¡°True, there are very few able-bodied serfs, but there are many children who can be well trained to be potential knights in the future,¡± Liszt replied simply. During this conversation, Goltai had alreadye forward: ¡°Lord, the serfs have finally made it to Fresh Flower Town, and not a single one is missing.¡± ¡°Well done. The losses at sea are unavoidable, but on Coral Ind, I do not wish to see any further loss.¡± ¡°So, Lord, shall we now start arranging for them to kneel before you and pledge their loyalty?¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s fine.¡± When serfs meet theirndlord, they need to pledge loyalty, which is a form of servitude. Old Geronte, having received instructions from Goltai, turned towards the serfs and shouted in Wind Language: ¡°Lowly serfs, before you stands the great bloodline of the Tulip Family, the Landlord of Fresh Flower Town. Now, kneel before Lord Landlord, and pledge your loyalty!¡± In an instant. The serfs knelt to the ground, and in the newly learned, awkward Serpent Script, they called out: ¡°Lord Landlord!¡± It was not very orderly, but their voices were loud. The cries of nearly five hundred people, even if they were just a group of ragged, varying heights, malnourished, and weak serfs, still carried a kind of overwhelming momentum. Such scenes had be routine for Liszt. In Fresh Flower Town, kneeling and shouting to him happened every day. So, he merely looked over this group of serfs with a smile on his face, all of whom buried their heads deeply in the ground, not daring to look directly at their future master. A momentter. Liszt, having prepared his lines, spoke up: ¡°I ept your loyalty. From now on, you are part of Fresh Flower Town. Work hard for me, and you will receive my protection and a stable life.¡± He then nced at Old Geronte, the interpreter. Old Geronte got the message and tranted: ¡°Lord Landlord has epted your loyalty. Lord Landlord tells you that from now on you are part of Fresh Flower Town. Work hard for Lord Landlord, and you will receive his protection and can live a stable life in Fresh Flower Town. Do you all understand?¡± ¡°Understood.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Thank you, Lord Landlord.¡± ¡°I will work hard.¡± The serfs responded sporadically. Many people still did not know what to say and were just kneeling. Seeing this, Liszt said, ¡°Old Geronte, let them stand up.¡± And so. The brief serf reception ceremony came to an end. Liszt did not linger and returned directly to the castle. Marcus continued to lead the Knight Squad back to Thorn Forest to guard the Lumberjack Team. Goltai and other officials began to get busy, as they had to arrange the living and working conditions of these four hundred and seventy-six serfs in a short time. Fortunately, the town and the various settlements already had many wooden houses built. Themercial district, workshop area, and residential area, not yetpleted, also have many wooden houses that can provide temporary shelter. There is certainly no shortage of food, with bread and vegetables perhaps in short supply, but seafood is abundant. If that¡¯s not enough, a few more trips out to sea by fishermen from Oyster Vige will be sufficient. ¡°We need toplete the distribution of serfs as quickly as possible; the autumn harvest is fast approaching,¡± Goltai said loudly. ¡°The resource survey is not yetplete. There are too many women, children, and elderly among the serfs. The original arrangement n is no longer appropriate; we need to make adjustments,¡± Isaiah replied. ir looked at the serfs squeezing into the wooden houses to prepare for the night and said with a chuckle, ¡°Let¡¯s set aside the small children and nursing women for now. The other able-bodied serfs could all be sent to Thorn Ridge. Let them transport timber or stones and be responsible for road repair.¡± Goltai interjected, ¡°That¡¯s an irresponsible distribution n.¡± ¡°I mean, let¡¯s not make arrangements for now until the resource survey isplete. Then we can makeprehensive ns,¡± ir rified. ¡°Hmm, that is a solution. It is indeed difficult to make arrangements in a short period, and we can¡¯t just feed them for nothing. It¡¯s better to send them to the lumberjack team,¡± Goltai conceded. During dinner, Goltai ryed ir¡¯s suggestion to Liszt. In response, Liszt agreed and added, ¡°Try to arrange easy tasks for the artisans. Among the serfs who are physically weak or sick, do not assign any work to them. Let them rest and recover.¡± He valued the artisans the most among this batch of serfs. The skills of artisans are the technology of this world and an indispensable part of a prosperous domain. Suddenly thinking of something, he said, ¡°Stay up a bitte tonight andpile a list of the artisans, especially what skills they possess. I will have the castle¡¯s servants assist with recording. I want to see it first thing tomorrow morning.¡± In today¡¯s Fresh Flower Town, Liszt¡¯s word wasw. By the next morning, after he had walked the dog and got up, a thick list on parchment paper was alreadyid out on the dining table. After a bath and changing intofortable clothes, he then sat down at the table to enjoy breakfast. It was time for Carter to instruct the male servant to bring breakfast. A cup of creamy fresh milk, a pineapple bun and a milk-vored bread, a fried egg, arge piece of fried Magical Beast meat, a vegetable sd, and several pieces of fruit. This was his standard breakfast. Worth at least a dozen or more silver coins, especially the Magical Beast meat, which was quite valuable. But after all, he had recentlye into money. As a hidden rich man on Coral Ind, he was not willing to skimp on himself. He had never been one for frugality; if he could enjoy life, he would make sure to do so. He took a big gulp from the ss of milk. ¡°The milk produced by the castle itself tastes better. I think the climate and environment in Fresh Flower Town are definitely suitable for raising dairy cows.¡± He licked the milk froth from the corner of his lips and made his judgment. ¡°Sherlock has already bought three calves. Currently, the pasture is upied by horses, and there is no room to raise more dairy cows, my lord,¡± a servant informed him. Liszt affirmed with conviction, ¡°Once Thorn Ridge is developed, the dairy cattle farm will definitely be expanded, at least doubled. I want to raise more dairy cows!¡± Because of the increasingly delicious milk tea, he had specifically looked into the dairy cattle farm and found no reason that could ount for the improved milk production quality of the cows¡ªit certainly wasn¡¯t the earlier spection that the cows had entered gestation. Compared to the milk from other cows outside, one could clearly taste the difference in quality. The milk from the dairy cattle farm in Fresh Flower Town was not only creamy but also more refreshing. Lisztter surmised that it could be due to the new variety of forage, Corn Grass. But after feeding them separately, it turned out to be unrted to Corn Grass. Therefore, he concluded that the climate of Fresh Flower Town was suitable for breeding dairy cows. He bit into a pineapple bun. Liszt then turned his attention to the thick parchment on the table, casually flipping it open to examine the information about the artisans. Chapter 147 - 0147: A Major Work in Sociology Chapter 147: A Major Work in Sociology Anyone engaged in technical civilian work other than farming was called a craftsman. Craftsmen, relying on their own skills, ran their own shops and could be called artisans. Therefore, most artisans were freemen while most craftsmen were serfs. In Liszt¡¯s understanding, these people, if given time to develop and manage their businesses independently, would be the bourgeoisie. However, based on his knowledge of Different World¡¯s society, craftsmen evolving into capitalists was temporarily impossible, as Nobles wouldn¡¯t allow it. If one were to refer to medieval Europe on Earth, With the progression of the industrial revolution, artisans who mastered the means of production either umted these means and evolved into capitalists or lost them and became workers. Here, craftsmen had existed for a very long time, and they were still craftsmen. No capitalists had emerged, nor had there been arge workforce. No matter how they developed, they were vassals of the Nobility¡ªthe absolute difference in individual strength provided by Dou Qi Cultivation allowed Noble Knights to firmly hold all the power without fear of being overthrown by a new ss. Of course, between different kingdoms and cities, the development of the ss of craftsmen varied to some extent. There was no fixed hierarchy. Liszt summarized it simply. Craftsmen could roughly be divided into four grades: ¡°Family,¡± ¡°Master,¡± ¡°Craftsman,¡± and ¡°Worker.¡± Master Technician, Master. The craftsmen at this level generally lived in big cities. They were high-status freemen and had reached the level of minor nobility. Examples include Architects, Shipbuilders, Carriage Makers, Goldsmiths, Jewelry Masters, Casting Masters, and Drillers, who were top craftsmen in their respective trades. Architects were responsible for building Castles,rge buildings, and Mage Towers; Shipbuilders specialized in designing and building ships; Carriage Makers produced carriages, mine carts, and chariots; Goldsmiths crafted Gold Coins, silver coins, copper coins, and even Dragon coins; Jewelry Masters designed precious jewelry and carved Crystals, Jade, and even gemstones. Casting Masters could manufacture various fine equipment, and Drillers were able to dig mines. In Coral Ind, only Architects, Shipbuilders, Carriage Makers, and Casting Masters existed¡ªthere were no Goldsmiths, Jewelry Masters, or Drillers. Craftsman Craftsman. This level of craftsman constituted the backbone of the craftspersonmunity. They were the most basicyer in big cities, permeating various industries, and formed the foundation of a city or territory¡¯s prosperity. Most of them were freemen, free to either run shops or sell their skills. Stonemasons, Carpenters, cksmiths, Tanners, and Tailors were the most basic five upations of craftsmen, as well as the most numerous. Stonemasons built structures, Carpenters made furniture, cksmiths forged tools, Tanners tanned hides, and Tailors made clothes. In addition, Bone Craftsmen, Paper Craftsmen (thick paper), Locksmiths, Shoemakers, Coopers, Crystal Craftsmen, Jewel Craftsmen, Gem Craftsmen, Jade Craftsmen, Soap Makers, Brewers, Bakers, Barbers, Chefs, Confectioners, Spice Makers, and Salt Makers were all at the craftsman level. Worker¡ªWorker. These craftsmen also formed the backbone of the craftspersonmunity but were predominantly found inrge numbers within a Landlord¡¯s estate. Most of them were serfs and virtually indistinguishable from farming peasants, only engaged in slightly technical work. Embroiderers, Weavers, Dyers, Salt Workers, Confectioners, Millers, Miners, Sailors, Ship Workers, and Laborers, among others, were all workers. Additionally, individuals like innkeepers, small merchants, grocery shop owners, Horse Merchants didn¡¯t possess craftsmanship skills, but they were in charge of the distribution of craftsmanship with a status generally equivalent to that of a craftsman, which is to say, ordinary freemen. Atst, Family, Grand Master. This level is basically not considered a craftsman, but should be called an artist. Novelists, Minstrels, Pianists, Painters, Court Musicians, Sculptors, Singers, and so on, most of them belong to the noble ss. Without inheritable titles, they develop their own artistic cells and move among the nobility, enjoying a high-quality lifestyle. If one has to further define it, magicians who make magic equipment and ¡°Iron Knights¡± who forge various weapons would also be considered craftsmen. But they are either outside the system or are nobles themselves. ¡°Not a single technician, few craftsmen, mostly just workers, I feel like the money spent is somewhatcking,¡± Looking at the list on thick parchment in his hand, Li Si Te couldn¡¯t help but feel a tinge of regret. He had wanted craftsmen, but among the serfs he bought, there were mostly workers. Clearly, these craftsmen were leftovers picked by others, or rather, Levis¡¯s subordinates were only willing to buy cheap craftsmen¡ªamong the serf trades, a craftsman¡¯s price was clearly a bit higher than that of a worker, not to mention a technician. No one would sell technicians, craftsmen, workers, and peasants for the same price. ¡°In any case, having a group of skilled workers can barely add a few industries to Fresh Flower Town¡­ I can make my own sugar, soap, textiles, even sun-dry salt from seawater, or make paper using traditional methods, or develop other industries,¡± Li Si Teforted himself. It¡¯s not just constion; skilled workers are still valuable. He asked Thomas to bring a quill, ink, and nk thick parchment, and he began to write and draw. He nned to consider which industries these craftsmen could develop, how many workshops could be added to the town¡¯s workshop district. However, while writing, he moved from the development of handicraft industry to the study of social systems. ¡°If I wanted to, I could be a sociologist!¡± He categorized the entire social system of the Different World. Social upperyer¡ªNoble Landlords. Upper middleyer¡ªMagicians pursuing truth, officials and knights without titles, and indispensable artists. Middleyer¡ªTechnicians with irreceable skills, knights turned mercenaries in their downfall. Lower middleyer¡ªServants in castles, craftsmen with productive technologies, merchants handling the cirction of goods, workers serving asborers, rats scurrying in the shadows. Social loweryer Serfs who nt fields, beggars who can¡¯t even be serfs. ¡°Very clear, crystal clear.¡± He bit into a big chunk of Magical Beast Meat, chewed, and swallowed, ¡°If I could borate further, the responsibilities that each socialyer bears in society, and the mobility betweenyers, I could probably write a magnum opus on sociology, and get it published.¡± This was just an idea; he hadn¡¯t fallen so low as to need to write books for a living¡ªthat was something for destitute noble offspring. Moreover, works of sociology would not sell well. You have to write Knight¡¯s Novels. To y dragons, to make a pact with the Elf King. The best start would be a down-and-out Prince, apanied by a Little Minor Elf, casting adrift at sea for a romantic night with a Siren, followed by a few days of dalliances in a Marquis Manor with a noblewoman, before single-handedly defeating an evil Dragon, or riding a Dragon, with the Little Minor Elf breaking through to be the Elf King. Ultimately, the hero saves the beauty and marries the beautiful Princess recognized by the Unicorn. With these elements in ce, it would essentially be a best-selling Knight¡¯s Novel, which those fond of fantasies would be very willing to pay for. After finishing breakfast. Li Si Te collected the thick parchment he had written on, and nced out the window at the now high Sun, ¡°When Granney arrives, maybe I can discuss sociology with him.¡± Chapter 148 - 0148: Fresh Flower Town Resource Survey Chapter 148: Fresh Flower Town Resource Survey Granney Truth¡¯s letter was delivered to the castle by the Fresh Flower Caravan. He postponed his arrival time. There was a shortage of materials for making the ck Pearl Magic Equipment, which required some time to prepare. Approximately in mid-October, he would head to Fresh Flower Town. ¡°Wasting my time, I should have chosen another magician to visit!¡± Liszt wasn¡¯t very pleased when he saw the letter. He felt that the magician wasn¡¯t giving him due respect. Preparing the materials took over a week, which implied a low efficiency andck of dedication, bordering on perfunctory. However, the magicians he had ess to were few. Such creatures always lived reclusively, leading a semi-hermitic life, seldom making contact with ordinary people. If Liszt weren¡¯t a member of the Tulip Family, perhaps Granney wouldn¡¯t have agreed to meet him¡ªthe nobles probably wouldn¡¯t let a magician settle in their city anyway, for they were prone to causing explosions every now and then, which was frightening. He threw away the letter. Liszt no longer cared when Granney would arrive. Now in Fresh Flower Town, the resource survey and the logging campaign were underway simultaneously. Even though Goltai devoted himself as an advisor, there was still an overwhelming amount of work causing trouble for Liszt. He had his own troubles too. Standing in front of the castle window, he frowned at Juan Fu, who was shackled by the legs. ¡°Garrulous!¡± ¡°Garrulous!¡± Juan Fu kept making noise, continuously pping his fully-feathered wings. With eyes turning into vortexes, Liszt unleashed the Eye of Magic. To him, Juan Fu appeared as a fat bird made of green magic power. ¡°Juan Fu has reached the stage where it needs to release magic power. In a few days, it might not need my guidance to cast magic¡­ Eating too well is also a burden. Should I reduce its food? This bird eats as much in one meal as a servant does in three.¡± Juan Fu wasn¡¯trge; curled up, it was about the size of a dog. But being a Magical Beast, its appetite far exceeded that of ordinary birds: ¡°To keep feeding it like this is just not cost-effective.¡± Without finding a falconer, Juan Fu will always be a wild Magical Beast, whose main use is to be killed for meat or selling materials for Gold Coins. Shaking his head, Liszt decided not to kill it for the time being. Having taken care of it for so long, they had grown familiar with each other. No matter how he teased it, Juan Fu wouldn¡¯t bite him, only dodge. It didn¡¯t like to be touched by anyone. ¡°There¡¯s still some friendship between us.¡± The life in Fresh Flower Town was busy and orderly. The resource survey presided over by Goltai was soonpleted. The data was summarized and sent to the castle, sparking spirited discussions at the dinner party. ¡°ording to the lord¡¯s instructions, a portion of the serfs in the town who work in agriculture will be transformed into specialized workers. The farming serfs will get interest-free loans from the castle. The loans will not pass through the serfs¡¯ hands but will be delivered to them in the form of farming tools, along with guidance for scientific farming,¡± Goltai read passionately from his lengthy dissertation. The resource survey was his performance project, naturally filled with enthusiasm. ¡°The current resource survey results for Fresh Flower Town are as follows, Peanut Hamlet¡­¡± Peanut Hamlet? Peanut Fields covering 100 acres, including one Peanut Elf Bug; Corn Grass Fields covering 20 acres; about 500 acres of uncultivated wastnd, mostly overgrown with weeds; a residential area covering 20 acres. Mushroom Hamlet Mushroom sheds covering 80 acres; a mixture of Mushroom and me Mushroom sheds covering 30 acres; about 800 acres of uncultivated wastnd, mostly overgrown with shrubs; a residential area covering 30 acres. Barley Hamlet Barley Fields covering 50 acres; Oat Fields covering 50 acres; Rye Fields covering 150 acres; Corn Grass Fields covering 30 acres; Millet Fields covering 50 acres, including one Millet Elf Bug; about 500 acres of uncultivated wastnd, mostly overgrown with weeds; a seaside beach covering 1800 acres, with some Fragrant Coconut Trees; a residential area covering 50 acres. Little Wheat Vige Little Wheat Fields covering 500 acres, including one Little Wheat Elf Bug; a pig farm with 12rge fat pigs; about 300 acres of uncultivated wastnd, mostly overgrown with weeds; a residential area covering 50 acres. Tomato Hamlet? Tomato Fields covering 80 acres, including one Tomato Elf Bug; Vegetable Fields covering 20 acres; about 40 acres of uncultivated wastnd, mostly overgrown with weeds; a residential area covering 60 acres. Oyster Vige A seaside beach covering 4600 acres, with some Fragrant Coconut Trees and one Fragrant Coconut Tree Elf Bug; a Fruit Thief Monkey Training Ground, housing 7 Fruit Thief Monkeys, of which 3 females are pregnant; a residential area covering 30 acres. Dairy Farm Alfalfa Grasnd covering 150 acres, housing 11 dairy cows, of which 3 females are pregnant; Thorn Forest covering 180 acres, including one Thorn Elf Bug; about 300 acres of uncultivated wastnd, mostly overgrown with shrubs; a seaside beach covering 1700 acres, with some Fragrant Coconut Trees; a residential area covering 15 acres. Fresh Flower Farm Tulip Fields covering 200 acres, including 15 acres of St. Dence Tulips, 10 acres of William I Tulips, 20 acres of ck Tulips, the rest being wastnd; about 500 acres of uncultivated wastnd, mostly overgrown with shrubs and weeds; a residential area covering 20 acres. The town Amercial district covering 40 acres; a workshop district covering 80 acres; a serf residential area covering 150 acres; a freeman residential area covering 120 acres; a noble residential area covering 80 acres; a government building covering 10 acres. Most are nned areas, with the current housing footprint being very small. The Castle? Alfalfa Grasnd covering 120 acres, including one Alfalfa Elf Bug, housing 22 horses, of which 7 mares are pregnant; Dragon Kui Field covering 5 acres, including one Dragon Kui Elf Bug; the castle itself covering 20 acres; about 400 acres of uncultivated wastnd, mostly overgrown with shrubs and weeds. The entire town¡¯s cultivablend is roughly 5165 acres, with about 8100 acres of seaside beach, and approximately 775 acres upied by buildings, including small rivers, ponds, roads, totaling about 15,000 acres ofnd? as for the standard of this ¡°acre,¡± Liszt was also unclear,cking aparison. If his body had traveled through time, with himself as a reference, it would have been easy to understand the local system of measurements. Unfortunately, he traveled through souls, unclear whether now,pared to his past self, he was a giant or a dwarf? but it no longer mattered, as he had gotten used to the units of measurement here. ¡°Fresh Flower Town roughly covers 15,000 acres and Thorn Ridge about 13,000 acres, total that¡¯s 28,000 acres, which is the size of my territory¡­ hmm, I also need to count the nearly 5000 acres of beach revealed at low tide. Then, I have 33,000 acres ofnd.¡± A small town of 33,000 acres was already one of therger towns on Coral Ind. He had even taken the time to draw a detailed topographical map of Fresh Flower Town, the map might not bepletely urate, but the basic framework should be correct. There were mountains, and water, with clear roads. His gaze traveled across the map, quickly moving to the north side of Thorn Ridge: ¡°From here on out, it¡¯s all low shrubs, and further out,rge tracts of uncultivatednd that nobody has developed. Should I include this piece ofnd as well?¡± After some thought, he decided against it. Swallowing Thorn Ridge was greedy enough; it was better to make a fortune quietly. Being too greedy and grabbing morend might backfire, possibly displeasing the Earl and Levis. ¡°Right now, the wastnd of Fresh Flower Town hasn¡¯t been fully cultivated. I should develop low-key and steadily. I have the Smoke Mission; there¡¯s no need to take risks. The old saying still applies: amass provisions, build high walls, and proim kingship at a slow pace. I¡¯m sixteen this year; I¡¯ll set a small goal for myself ¡ª by the age of twenty, I want to own an ind of my own!¡± In his mind surfaced the information about ck Horse Ind. This nurturing ground for the Li Dragon Horse Herd hadn¡¯t yet been uncovered, but its allure had already left Liszt enchanted. Chapter 149 - 0149: Silently Approaching the Dou Qi Bottleneck Chapter 149: Silently Approaching the Dou Qi Bottleneck ¡°Taskpleted, reward: Mutated Quick-Growing Thorn Species.¡± The slowly shifting smoke before Liszt¡¯s eyes brought him a sense of satisfaction. Starting with the extermination of Magical Beasts to the middle of October, after nearly a month of cutting, the Lumberjack Team had finally chopped down every tree on Thorn Ridge. The once lush but not overly dense woods had turned into bare, undting slopes of soil. If there were environmental organizations here, they would undoubtedly lodge a serious protest against Liszt¡ªusing him of destroying vegetation and causing soil erosion, crimes against humanity¡ªbut unfortunately, this was Liszt¡¯s territory, and he could do whatever he wanted. Besides, with Coral Ind lush and thriving, what did a few trees matter! In a world with Elves, there was no fear ofnd desertification. Moreover, there was no industrial development here; whether on the inds or the continent, no matter how poor the soil, at least 70% of thend was covered by forests. At least 95% was covered by vegetation, whether it be farnd or weeds, there was never a shortage of nts. Therefore, Liszt never paid attention to environmental protection. ¡°Mutated wood? What does that mean?¡± It was the reward for the Thorn Bug chain quest; previous rewards had been for thorn mutations with spikes or poison¡ªboth spikes and poison were easy to understand. But now the wood aspect was a bit baffling, ¡°Does wood¡­ could it be about the quality of the timber?¡± His sharp mind quickly rotated: ¡°Trees differ from each other; some are suited for making furniture and are exorbitantly priced, while some are not even good enough for paper production¡­ Does Mutated Quick-Growing Thorn Species mean that the wood properties of the thorns have changed?¡± Ordinary thorns were useful for nothing more than hedges. They could neither bloom nor bear fruit, and were not particrly hard, quite a useless feature. ¡°I can¡¯t figure it out by thinking alone, I need to see the actual item and research this ¡®Rapid Growth Wood Thorns¡¯ to determine its value,¡± Liszt named the new thorn variety in the blink of an eye. At that moment. The smoke before him also transformed into a new chapter. ¡°Task: Themercial district of Fresh Flower Town is gradually prospering, but the workshop area has been idle for a long time andcks enough workshops to support it. Craftsmen should not waste their talents on cutting trees and farming. Please build three new workshops to increase town prosperity. Reward: Bottleneck of Dou Qi.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± Liszt¡¯s eyes widened; he saw the odd reward of ¡°Bottleneck of Dou Qi.¡± But in his heart, there was no surprise, only excitement, ¡°My first task¡¯s reward was the sublimation of Dou Qi, which enabled me to break through from Apprentice Knight to Earth Knight smoothly. This time, it¡¯s the Bottleneck of Dou Qi, does this mean I am about to be an Elite Earth Knight? It must be!¡± Knights are categorized as Apprentice Knights, Earth Knights, Sky Knights, and Dragon Knights, ording to the levels of Dou Qi: beginner, intermediate, advanced, and Dragon Dou Qi. Within Earth Knights, one can roughly divide them into two stages¡ªCommon Earth Knights and Elite Earth Knights. Those who¡¯ve just broken through to Earth Knight are Common Earth Knights; during this time, if you continue to train, the total amount of Dou Qi in your body will slowly increase. Liszt was in this stage, feeling the growth of his Dou Qi every day. When the total amount of Dou Qi reaches its peak and stops increasing, it signifies reaching the level of an Elite Earth Knight. At this stage, it is very difficult to increase the total amount of Dou Qi through mere cultivation alone. Many knights are confined to this stage, unable to advance further, only continuously developing their technical use of Dou Qi. As they age, around their fifties, their physical functions will start to decline, the total amount of Dou Qi will gradually decrease, and they will regress from Elite Earth Knights back to Common Earth Knights. Now in his forties, Marcus was still at the peak of his physical abilities. In another decade or so, he would likely begin to decline, and his strength would greatly reduce. This was the urgent reason he yearned for distinction on the battlefield¡ªhonors needed to be gained early so that he could enjoy them when old. Half of the Elite Earth Knights shared Marcus¡¯ mindset. Honors. Yet, there were some Elite Earth Knights who were not in a rush to achieve distinction. Instead, they preferred to continue enhancing their own strength, such as Levis and Li Vera. However, relying solely on cultivation was no longer very effective. At this time, a copious amount of magic potions was needed to stimte the body¡¯s functions and continue to increase the amount of Dou Qi until the quantitative change led to a qualitative leap, breaking through to be a Sky Knight. One Sky Knight could easily handle a hundred Earth Knights. If they had good mounts to cooperate with them, they became killing machines on the battlefield, constantly collecting honors. ¡°Afterpleting this task, will I officially step into the phase of an Elite Earth Knight?¡± Liszt still found it hard to believe, ¡°Originally, I thought it would take at least three to five years of cultivation to enter the ranks of the Elite Earth Knights. Unexpectedly, in just over half a year, I¡¯vepleted this process.¡± The more he thought about it, the more excited he became. It was as if he could see himself radiating with the light of a genius from top to bottom. ¡°To construct three new workshops in the workshop district is too simple. Currently, there are six workshops in the district: a smithy, tanners¡¯ shop, mill, carpenter¡¯s shop, tailor shop, and locksmith store¡­ ording to the current number of craftsman serfs, I can build a soap-making workshop, a brewing workshop, and a cooperage.¡± The soap-making workshop had a soap maker, Bunier, who had drifted from Little Papa Ind. He could not only make scented soaps but also undertook the task of making lye soap arranged by Liszt. Though he hadn¡¯t finalized the ultimate lye soap form, he had produced a barely usable lye soap. A soap-making workshop would be his reward, and after all, it would earn money for Liszt. The brewing workshop had among the artisans who had drifted from Little Papa Ind a brewer named Frank Dregs who could make fruit wines; there were also two purchased serfs who knew how to brew rice wine and beer, respectively. Now, Liszt had a good rtionship with the heir of the hops family, Aubrey Lycra, whom he contacted frequently through letters and could obtain hops at a rtively low price for his own beer brewing. Not aiming to make a profit, a brewing workshop could barely sustain itself if it produced for its own consumption. As for the cooperage, among the purchased artisan serfs, there were several coopers¡ªamon skillbining woodworking and cksmithing. Barrels were indispensable in daily life, so there would be no problem with sales once the cooperage was built. Even without the task, he had ns to construct a cooperage. ¡°The only question is, does a cooperage count as a workshop? It should be considered a handicraft workshop, right?¡± Liszt pondered in uncertainty, not clear on whether establishments like cooperages and tailor shops should be ssified as shops or workshops. ¡°If it doesn¡¯t count, I¡¯ll just build an additional workshop, which will need to be built sooner orter¡­ maybe a peanut processing workshop. Boiled peanuts, five-spiced peanuts, fried peanuts, salt-and-pepper peanuts, sauce-vored peanuts, peanut butter¡ªI¡¯ll produce whatever can be produced. Fresh Flower Town shouldn¡¯t be directly selling raw agricultural products.¡± The value of raw agricultural products was too low. At the very least, they needed to undergo initial processing before being sold. Thinking of this, he immediately summoned Goltai, who was growing visibly busier day by day, ¡°Consultant Goltai, I need to see results in the development of the workshop district. Arrange to start construction on the soap-making workshop, brewing workshop, cooperage, and peanut processing workshop immediately, with direct investment from the castle.¡± Chapter 150 - 0150: The Thorn of Ironwood Quality Chapter 150: The Thorn of Ironwood Quality As for the current stage, the workshops and stores in Fresh Flower Town, aside from the few primitive ones opened by freemen, essentially all had to be established by Liszt himself¡ªhe didn¡¯t mind monopolizing all the industries in Fresh Flower Town since this was his own territory. When he said to build a workshop, a workshop could be built. However, Goltai had doubts, ¡°Lord, the soap making workshop can be handed over to Bunier, the brewing workshop has Frank, Bording, and Huntera, and there are many coopers for the cooperage¡­ But what about the peanut processing workshop, what is it for, and who should it be handed to?¡± ¡°It¡¯s about taking the harvested peanuts and processing them simply. They can be sold cooked with the shells, roasted, or as shelled peanuts, can be made into peanut butter, and perhaps new and unique peanut recipes can be developed. The goal is to turn ordinary peanuts into delicious peanuts, just like turning ordinary bread into pineapple buns,¡± Liszt exined. ¡°Who will make these delicious peanuts?¡± ¡°Among the serfs we bought, aren¡¯t there some who have served as chefs in other castles? My castle doesn¡¯t need that many chefs for now, so let these people research how to make tasty peanuts¡­ Remember this, Consultant Goltai.¡± ¡°Please go on,¡± Goltai said. ¡°The agricultural products from Fresh Flower Town are priced very low and don¡¯t have much trading value. But after our initial processing, they can be sold at a good price, and we can even purchase agricultural products from outside to process. I hope Fresh Flower Town can be a center for processing agricultural products,¡± Liszt said. There was no word in Serpent Script equivalent to ¡°initial processing.¡± Liszt could use Serpent Script to create a word with a simr meaning, then provide a brief exnation. Goltai understood, ¡°So, it¡¯s like Tulip Castle rarely sells whole Magic Tulips, but instead processes them into finished magic potions for sale, right?¡± ¡°You have understood correctly.¡± ¡°Then I will go and arrange this now.¡± After Goltai left, Liszt soon departed from the castle as well. He hurried to the Thorn Cordyceps Shrubbery to look for the Rapid Growth Wood Thorns. Standing amidst the shrubbery and looking around, apart from this patch of shrubs, only bare slopes could be seen in the distance. In the shrubbery, Rapid Growth Poison Thorns and Rapid Growth Spiky Thorns were artificially separated, each upying arge area. ¡°Lord Landlord!¡± The two Bug Guard Members guarding the Thorn Cordyceps hurriedly came forward to greet him; they were serfs from the dairy farm selected by Rom due to their robust physique to be Bug Guard Members and received a decent part-time sry. Liszt asked, ¡°Since you¡¯ve been stationed at this shrubbery, have you noticed any unusual thorns?¡± He had specifically instructed Rom to tell the Bug Guard Members here to pay close attention to the growth of the thorns and to immediately report any special ones they found. The members hesitated, ¡°Lord Landlord, I¡¯m not sure if they are unusual thorns or not.¡± ¡°Oh, what¡¯s the situation?¡± ¡°There is a patch of thorns¡­ they have be¡­ very thick,¡± one member said. ¡°Very thick? Show me,¡± Liszt instructed. The Bug Guard Member quickly led Liszt to a patch of thick thorns. The thorns here, with their color and spikes, were just ordinary, but each one was about twice as thick as a regr thorn. This was a distinct difference, yet the Bug Guard Member didn¡¯t realize it was worth reporting¡ªsimply a pig-brained oversight. Of course. Liszt understood that the intelligence ofmon people was indeed limited. He said, ¡°Cut down this thorn.¡± The Bug Guards were not equipped with iron tools, only rtively cheap bone weapons. They hastily pulled out their bone knives and swung them ferociously at the thorns. These small shrubs weren¡¯t difficult to cut down, especially since they were still in their juvenile phase. The Bug Guard Members, full of confidence, believed they could sever the thorns with a single strike, showing their bravery in front of Lord Landlord. However, to their embarrassment, when the bone knives struck the trunk of the thorn shrub, they produced a crisp ¡°ng¡± and were repelled, leaving behind only a shallow mark. ¡°Uh.¡± The two Bug Guard Members grew a bit panicked, swinging their bone knives again with great force. But each chop only left shallow marks on the trunk of the thorn shrub, and after a dozen or so strikes, they hadn¡¯t managed to create a split as wide as a thumb. Instead, the edges of their bone knives were already chipping away. On the verge of breaking. ¡°Stop, Thomas, hand them my Knight¡¯s Sword to cut with,¡± Liszt¡¯s eyes shone with understanding. He had probably figured out the nature of the mutation that the Rapid Growth Wood Thorns had undergone. Receiving the Knight¡¯s Sword. The Bug Guard Members continued chopping, still unable to sever the thorns quickly, but thankfully the Knight¡¯s Sword was crafted from fine steel and was extremely sturdy. Relying on constant chopping and grinding, they finally managed to sever a thorn as thick as a wrist. They then chopped off its smaller branches, turning it into a bare thorn rod. Panting heavily, they handed it over to Liszt. Holding the thorn rod in his hands, Liszt could feel its weight. ¡°It¡¯s heavy, very solid, and the texture is extremely hard. If I¡¯m not mistaken, its wood has likely mutated in the direction of ¡®ironwood¡¯.¡± Ironwood, as the name implies, is wood as hard as steel. On Earth, many kinds of wood are called ironwood, such as ironbirch, mangrove, and phoebe, which are harder than steel, sink in water, aren¡¯t affected by insects, and can¡¯t even be pierced by nails. Many ships, vehicles, special buildings, and even aerospace parts are made from ironwood. The current Rapid Growth Wood Thorns hadn¡¯t reached the standard of ironwood yet. But their ¡°rapid growth¡± characteristic determined their value. Even if they didn¡¯t meet the ironwood standard, they were still far superior to regr wood and better than steel. ¡°Given this quality, Rapid Growth Wood Thorns are practically steel that grows on its own!¡± There were trees with ironwood qualities in Thorn Ridge, such as rockwood, stonewood, and others, but they were rare and grew slowly. It took hundreds of years for them to mature, and cutting one meant one less left. Rapid Growth Wood Thorns could mature in a short time, their value was so great that even Liszt found it hard to imagine. ¡°Compared to the previous poison and spiky mutations, these are nothing! This is the true treasure among thorns. My Thorn Bug, well done, you¡¯ll get an extra treat tonight. Feast on the Jade Powder!¡± The chained tasks reward from the Thorn Bug¡¯s influence had led to such a mutation. He felt increasingly certain that there was a chance for the Thorn Bug to evolve into a Thorn Minor Elf. ¡°I¡¯ve decided!¡± Emotions stirred, he could no longer contain his thoughts: ¡°I¡¯ll nt all 180 acres of shrubbery directly affected by the Thorn Cordyceps with Rapid Growth Wood Thorns!¡± The ordinary Rapid Growth Thorns, Rapid Growth Poison Thorns, and Rapid Growth Spiky Thorns should either be relocated or cut down directly. They shouldn¡¯t take up the influence of the Thorn Cordyceps. The Li Dragon Horse raced. Returning to the castle like the wind. He nned to immediately call Isaiah, the newly appointed Administrative Officer, to ren the Thorn Cordyceps Shrubbery. However, as the wind cooled his mind, he immediately realized a key problem: ¡°The Thorn Bug is still umting power for its evolution, and the chain tasks aren¡¯t over yet. The Rapid Growth Thorns could still mutate.¡± Now, if he cut down the ordinary Rapid Growth Thorns, it would be hard to generate new mutations. ¡°No, I can¡¯t cut down all the ordinary Rapid Growth Thorns. Ironwood can wait. There¡¯s no rush. Right now, the most important thing is to let the Thorn Bug continue to develop, to let the Rapid Growth Thorns continue to mutate¡­ However, the name ¡®Rapid Growth Wood Thorns¡¯ needs to be changed. Let¡¯s call them ¡®Rapid Growth Iron Thorns¡¯ instead!¡± Chapter 151 - 0151: The Thorn Bug’s Fat Pupa Stage Chapter 151: The Thorn Bug¡¯s Fat Pupa Stage The discovery of Rapid Growth Iron Thorns was as significant to Fresh Flower Town as a catalyst to a chemical reaction, or an athlete taking a stimnt. Although they would still have to wait for the Thorn Bug chain mission to be fullypleted before they could start nting on arge scale, it didn¡¯t hinder him from bringing the trunks of the Rapid Growth Iron Thorns back, and during the dinner, he gathered the officials of the town to study and discuss its uses. ¡°If it can grow to two meters high, it can be used to build houses, it¡¯s much harder than the fir wood we use, and I bet that houses built with it would be safe and sound in a storm.¡± ¡°ir, you¡¯re not considering everything, wood has to not only be firm but also waterproof, termite-resistant, and rot-resistant.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯m missing anything, look howpact its wood is, it¡¯s nearly the same as the rockwood cut by the Lumberjack Team, and rockwood never gets bugs,¡± ir countered, speaking of rockwood, which is a tree known as rock tree that likes to grow in rock crevices. Rockwood is precious, a two-hundred-year-old rock tree can fetch a price of fifty silver coins. They only found fewer than ten rock trees when they cleared Thorn Ridge, of which only three were two hundred years old; the rest were younger. Another type of wood of the same nature as rockwood is stonewood, which is also extremely rare. Goltai came up with an idea, ¡°Let¡¯s sink it in water, if it sinks, it means it¡¯s almost like rockwood, if it doesn¡¯t, then it¡¯s not as good.¡± ¡°Right, let¡¯s try it.¡± So the servant brought over a basin of water. After some effort, they took a section of the trunk and threw it into the basin, and the trunk sank straight to the bottom. Seeing this, ir said proudly, ¡°Look, everyone, I never tell a lie, Rapid Growth Iron Thorns are as excellent as rockwood!¡± The usually quiet Marcus also spoke up, ¡°Its texture is sturdy and the trunk is straight, it¡¯s suitable for making Knight Spear shafts, and also for arrow shafts, it should be more suitable than birch wood.¡± Ordinary Knight Spears¡¯ shafts and arrows¡¯ shafts are all made of birch wood. Coral Ind¡¯s Birch City specializes in nting birch trees and producing birch wood for weaponry. The Tulip Family even has a Little Minor Elf of the birch tree. ¡°If it is really better than birch wood, we can supply Tulip Castle with it, I am sure the Earl would like better spear shafts and arrow shafts.¡± ¡°Especially since it can grow rapidly, this advantage is incredible. A rock tree only grows to the thickness of a palm in two hundred years, and this one is just a young sprout and it¡¯s already as thick as a wrist.¡± ¡°I seem to see a bush of gold coins.¡± ¡°Haha, it¡¯s a tree that bears gold coins.¡± ¡°Who would have thought the most useless thorns would turn out to be the most useful wood.¡± The banquet was filled withughter and good spirits, all expressing anticipation for the morrow of the Rapid Growth Iron Thorns. After Liszt and others had finished their discussion, they raised their sses, full of high spirits, ¡°We can¡¯t be sure it¡¯s a money tree yet, but you can keep an eye on it and study it, to unearth its full valuepletely. If it really is a money tree, we¡¯ll have to nt it on arge scale, it would be best to nt Rapid Growth Iron Thorns everywhere on Thorn Ridge where thend can¡¯t be cultivated.¡± Everyone raised their sses and responded loudly, ¡°As you wish, my lord.¡± After dinner, Liszt, slightly inebriated, walked around the castle¡¯s estate and yed with Douson for a while before nning to return to the study to read. He was preparing to learn a new foreignnguage¡ªWind Language, thenguage of the Eagle Kingdom. Old Geronte, a well-traveled man who knows both Serpent Script and Wind Language, is the only one in Fresh Flower Town for now; therefore, he temporarily handed the management of the Fresh Flower Caravan to Abagon. He himself returned to Fresh Flower Town to serve as a trantor, coordinating the officials in managing the new 476 serfs, and also undertaking to teach Wind Language. Mastering a foreignnguage is indeed somewhat useful. However, Old Geronte was too busy with tasks to teach individually, so he contributed a notebook from his early years of learning Wind Language to Liszt. In this notebook, there were records of rather everyday Wind Language and how to pronounce them using Serpent Script. Learning is tedious, and although interesting at first nce, after two days, his patience wore thin. While passing by the Worm Room, he simply went in to tease his Elf Bugs. All nine Elf Bugs were kept in onerge box. It was like raising silkworms, except these ¡°worms¡± were colorful andpeted in beauty. He reached in and touched each one; Elf Bugs had smooth exteriors which felt nice to the touch. Some were lethargic, not moving at all, while others were energetic, roaming about, including the Thorn Bug. The gray-white Thorn Bug was not exactly eye-catching, originally the least conspicuous among the group of Elf Bugs. But now, he always felt that this Thorn Bug stood out from the rest. ¡°This is¡­¡± The effect of alcohol made his brain react a bit slow. After pausing, he suddenly jerked awake, ¡°It¡¯s gotten fat, the Thorn Bug has gotten fat! It¡¯s obviouslyrger than the other Elf Bugs! This is a signal of evolution!¡± Tulip Castle bred over a hundred Elf Bugs. He often yed with Elf Bugs as a child, even witnessing firsthand two of them break through into Little Minor Elves. The biggest change in Elf Bugs before their breakthrough was ¡°getting fat,¡± a phenomenon usually referred to as the Fat Pupa Stage. Little Minor Elves, unlike butterflies, do not undergo metamorphosis by cocooning; they simply get fat directly. During the process of getting fat, Elf Bugs slowly decay and age. If unlucky, they simply die of old age and turn to dust. If lucky, one day, the Little Minor Elf will break through its exterior and emerge, spreading its wings to fly. ¡°It¡¯s the Fat Pupa Stage!¡± Liszt was now fully sober, his entire body overtaken by tense emotions that mingled with a hesitant excitement. The Fat Pupa Stage was indeed a signal of evolution but also a signal of death. Elf Bugs wouldn¡¯tst long at this stage; at most, one to two months. Failure meant death; there was no third option. ¡°Only one or two months left. This little time might not even be enough toplete the Thorn Bug¡¯s chain tasks. I must help it!¡± The plump Thorn Bug scuttled around the box non-stop. From time to time, it would lift its head and gaze at Liszt with eyes like ck sesame seeds, expressing affection. At the same time, Liszt could feel a restlessness in its emotions¡ªperhaps a longing and impulsion for evolution. Counting them up, it had already affected four types of mutated thorns. No detailed documentation exined the impact of Elf Bugs on nts, but Liszt was convinced it definitely had to do with the Elf Bugs¡¯ moods. The thorns had been extremely violenttely, continuously mutating. ¡°How am I to help it?¡± ¡°Provide it with nutrition, fertilize the Cordyceps every day?¡± ¡°Expand the area of the thorn bushes?¡± ¡°These seem likemon methods. They may be effective for evolution but not determinative¡­ The chance of evolving mostlyes down to luck.¡± Adequate nutrition, to arge extent, is capable of breeding Elf Bugs, but it cannot ensure their breakthrough. After much thought, it seemed that only the Smoke Mission might truly help the Thorn Bug. ¡°I mustplete the Thorn Bug¡¯s chain tasks as soon as possible, starting with the ¡®Bottleneck of Dou Qi¡¯ task at hand. Starting tomorrow, I will personally supervise the construction of the workshop!¡± His mind was made up. Liszt let go of his tension and smiled as he watched his Elf Bugs, especially the Thorn Bug. The decisive moment that would determine fate had arrived: ¡°Little guy, you need to work hard.¡± As if sensing Liszt¡¯s encouragement, the Thorn Bug propped up half its body, locking eyes with Liszt with its sesame-seed eyes, full of emotion. It was brimming with confidence! Chapter 152 - 0152: The Conscience Represented by Mung Bean Soup Chapter 152: The Conscience Represented by Mung Bean Soup ¡°My lord, why are you in such a hurry to have the four workshops built?¡± ¡°I want to see results sooner.¡± On the empty lot of the workshop area, Liszt led Douson while inspecting the construction of the workshops. Consultant Goltai, who was in charge of the construction, was somewhat baffled. Just this morning, Liszt issued a new order demanding that the four workshops bepletely built within five days. Because of this, he had to gather even more serfs to participate in the construction. The whole construction site was bustling with activity. It was now autumn, and the temperature was gradually bing less hot than in the summer, but they were still sweating profusely while working. ¡°Tell the workers building the workshops that if they finish within five days, their sry will be doubled, and if they finish within four days, their sry will be tripled,¡± Liszt said, unconcerned by a few more copper coins. He cared only about whether he couldplete the task ahead of schedule. ¡°Oh lord, the serfs will go mad,¡± eximed Goltai, before spreading his hands, ¡°But it¡¯s impossible to build the workshops in four days. Workshops aren¡¯t wooden huts; they need skilled people to construct them.¡± Liszt indifferently said, ¡°Then make them more crudely, as long as they can produce, that¡¯s enough. I don¡¯t expect the workshops to bring me much ie, as long as they can assure the supply to the castle, that would be considered good.¡± One must not overestimate the skills of the serfs. But neither should one underestimate their pursuit of money. When they are driven, they can work night and day to cobble together the four workshops¡ªthe quality might not be guaranteed, but Liszt was not pursuing quality at the moment, only speed. Even if the workshops turned out to be defective, it didn¡¯t matter. The goal was just toplete the task. Compared to the evolution of the Thorn Bugs, these were secondary concerns. Goltai didn¡¯t understand Liszt¡¯s thinking, but he was just a consultant. All the power of thend was bestowed by Liszt, so he could only ept, ¡°I will properly motivate these serfs. I dare not guarantee four days, but within five days, there will definitely be four workshops appearing in the workshop area.¡± ¡°Complete this task, Consultant Goltai, and I will reward you with a few bottles of juniper wine, a cer-aged vintage purchased directly from Tulip Castle.¡± ¡°Oh lord, cer-aged juniper wine, that is utterly tantalizing. I haven¡¯t had juniper wine from Tulip Castle¡¯s cer in years! Ha-ha, I will supervise the construction of the workshops day and night for the next few days. Please rest assured, my lord!¡± He straightened out the attitudes of the officials and workers. Only then did Liszt lead Douson back the way they came. Halfway there, he directly mounted Douson¡¯s back, using it as a mount¡ªDouson had been rapidly growing recently, already weighing over a ton. Tigers, in front of Douson, could only be considered slightlyrger cats. The explosive power contained within its body could tear tigers and leopards apart. Even without using magic, it could stand at the top of Coral Ind¡¯s food chain. At first. Liszt riding it made it somewhat unwilling, but after a beating, it obediently served as a mount. Carrying a person hardly affected its movements Upon reaching Douson Avenue, Liszt gave themand: ¡°Douson, multiple stone spikes!¡± Douson opened its mouth wide, let out a roar, and then, on the sections of the road that had been nned but not yet constructed, seven thick stone spikes burst forth with a ¡®pfft, pfft¡¯ sound. ¡°Good boy!¡± Patting Douson¡¯srge head, Liszt was very satisfied and continued with themands: ¡°Keep it up, Douson, multiple stone spikes!¡± ¡®Pfft, pfft!¡¯ Another six stone spikes broke through the ground. ¡°Well done, little guy. Come on, stone spikes!¡± Pfft! With just a single Rock Spike thrusting out, Douson had already grasped the difference between a Rock Spike and Multiple Stone Spikes. A piece of jerky as a reward. Liszt rubbed Douson¡¯s chubby neck and continued the training, ¡°Douson, bigger, make it bigger, Rock Spike!¡± Pfft! A Rock Spike emerged. ¡°Bigger, Rock Spike!¡± Pfft! Another Rock Spike appeared. ¡°Not good enough, Douson, no jerky reward. Bigger, only thenes the jerky, understand?¡± Liszt teased Douson by waving the jerky in front of it, but didn¡¯t let it eat, making clear that its performance wasn¡¯t up to par. He trained it bit by bit like this. Only when the Rock Spike became thicker did Liszt stuff the jerky into its mouth, repeating themand, ¡°Bigger, Rock Spike,¡± to indicate that only arger Rock Spike would earn a reward. Douson was smart, but since they didn¡¯t speak the samenguage, he could only use conditioning to make it understand variousmands. Such training was repetitive and tedious. But when Douson mastered a newmand, Liszt felt a great sense of aplishment because his ultimate goal was to train Douson to cast a greater variety of magic. ¡°Douson is definitely an Intermediate Magical Beast, but it still falls short of a Purple Sand Crocodile. As a postnatal evolved Intermediate Magical Beast, its aptitude is certainly inferior to that of innate ones. How topensate depends on how I, as its master, train it and use techniques to offset itsck of natural talent.¡± He reveled in personally training a powerful Intermediate Magical Beast. However, the Roadwork Team following behind wasn¡¯t as thrilled. As Douson¡¯s Magic Power soared and it produced arge number of Rock Spikes, the team¡¯s workload greatly increased. Hammers pounded continuously, smashing the Rock Spikes to pieces and spreading them out on Douson Avenue¡ªan incredibly strenuous task, since Liszt demanded that each piece of rock shouldn¡¯t be bigger than a wine bottle cap. The serfs responsible for breaking the rock had to hammer constantly, even reducing the stones to dust. Only in this way could the road they built be smooth. Seeing the sweaty, dust-covered serfs of the Roadwork Team, Liszt felt somewhat sentimental¡ªhe had it far too easypared to them. Reincarnation was a skill, and evidently, he had done it quite well. ¡°Have Mrs. Abbie prepare some mung bean soup and send it to the serfs of the Roadwork Team, a bowl for each,¡± Liszt instructed as Butler Carter approached. ¡°Your mercy will astonish them.¡± ¡°As long as they work hard for me, I¡¯m never stingy with rewards and benefits. In Fresh Flower Town, I want everyone to be able to earn their living through work, have enough to eat, stay warm, and live healthily even when winteres,¡± Liszt proimed with high-sounding words, his vision ahead of the times. Merely exploiting serfs is a very low-level form of exploitation. Motivating the serfs¡¯ productivity is what truly maximizes the exploitation ofborers to gain more surplus value. He was a man who had read through Karl Marx¡¯s ¡°Das Kapital¡±. As for the conscience of a capitalist¡ªhadn¡¯t he already given them mung bean soup? What more could they want! So many people building one road, the wages paid on time, and only twelve hours of work a day, that was already quite kind. Any other Landlord might make the serfs learn from Xu Sanduo; not spending a copper coin, picking up rocks to build the road themselves. Riding on Douson. Liszt continued training, depleting all of Douson¡¯s Magic Power to create arge batch of Rock Spikes to be used as materials for the road. Only then did he leave the construction site, heading straight to where the Earth Matron was imprisoned¡ªas a reward for Douson. Chapter 153 - 0153: The Earth Matron Who Refused to Mate Chapter 153: The Earth Matron Who Refused to Mate After Liszt left. The serfs, busy with their work, began to whisper amongst themselves. ¡°Lord Landlord¡¯s pet is so formidable, I don¡¯t even dare to look at it. When it roars, my whole body trembles,¡± one serf said in amazement as they watched the Fierce Earth Dog¡¯s retreating figure. ¡°Of course, the Fierce Earth Dog is the King of Thorn Ridge, only the great Lord Landlord could tame it.¡± ¡°Yes, Lord Landlord is a noble graced with the glory of a knight, with a single sword he can subdue any Magical Beast. This winter, we no longer have to fear the Magical Beasts eating people.¡± ¡°Thorn Ridge, ah, who would¡¯ve thought we would chop down all the trees there.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a pity my family isn¡¯trge enough, and I don¡¯t have enough tools, otherwise I would definitely reim ten more acres of wastnd¡­ The officials in town said, the more you farm, the more grain you get to keep! My son is reaching the marrying age next year, I need to prepare enough food and a house for him, otherwise, he won¡¯t be able to get a wife.¡± ¡°Hey, Old Brown, has your son found a girl willing to be with him?¡± ¡°Of course, I asked Captain Grantaire of the Fresh Flower Caravan, and he promised he¡¯d find a girl who speaks Wind Language for my son, right, with a big butt!¡± ¡°It¡¯s the new serfs Lord Landlord recently purchased, I heard theye from the Eagle Kingdom, is that right?¡± ¡°Only the Eagle Kingdom speaks Wind Language, but here in Coral Ind, Lord Landlord will have them speak Serpent Script. By the way, Old Brown, why don¡¯t you find one? Among the newly purchased serfs, there are several older women who would be a perfect match for you, to help you with housework and farming.¡± Old Brown smiled bashfully, ¡°Heh heh, I¡¯m on the lookout.¡± ¡°Those women from the continent can¡¯t speak Serpent Script, if Old Brown marries one, the two would only be able to gesture.¡± ¡°As long as they can lie in bed, it doesn¡¯t matter if they can¡¯t talk, as long as they can perform the motions, haha.¡± ¡°Old Brown¡¯s good days areing.¡± ¡°Praise Lord Landlord!¡± ¡°Praise Lord Landlord, life in Fresh Flower Town is getting better and better.¡± The serfs had a simple way of thinking, life was better than before, all thanks to Lord Landlord, so they must praise Lord Landlord and farm more, work harder for him. Walls, iron cage. After losing her freedom, the life of the Earth Matron was confined to this small piece ofnd. From initial resistance to gradual eptance, now the times when Douson came to visit were her happiest and most exciting moments. Even faintly, she had started to like these peaceful days, her days filled with eating and sleeping, asionally getting up to mate, enjoying Douson¡¯s fierce thrusts. ¡°Woof woof!¡± The sound of Douson¡¯s bark, drawing nearer from afar. The Earth Matron lying on the ground sleeping immediately got up and went to the edge of the cage, responding with a bark: ¡°Woof woof!¡± Momentster, the gate to the enclosure opened, and the two Fierce Earth Dogs saw each other. Liszt was still riding on Douson¡¯s back, leisurely approaching the cage, now entering Earth Matron¡¯s magic release range. However, Earth Matron did not release any magic; she almost forgot about Rock Spike. Her conditioning was simple. Release magic¡ªfood is taken away. After a few days, the Earth Matron was left with the impression that each time she released her magic, she would go hungry. If she didn¡¯t release magic, food would appear. So, it no longer released its magic. The instincts of the beast told it that eating was far more important than magic. However, it was only because Liszt relied on the Dou Qi Secret Technique, Eye of Magic, that he dared to approach so casually. The castle servants who fed the Earth Matron did not dare toe in. They moved the cage, allowing Douson to enter the iron cage for a rendezvous with the Earth Matron. What should have been a smooth mating process encountered a problem: the Earth Matron could ept Douson¡¯s affection but firmly resisted, forbidding Douson¡¯s request to mate. ¡°What is this?¡± Liszt had a sh of insight, ¡°Could it be that the Earth Matron is pregnant?¡± A pregnant female would resist mating; of course, a female not in heat would do the same. However, the Earth Matron was supposed to be in heat, and it hadn¡¯t been resisting mating before. Anyway, since the Earth Matron was resisting, it meant that it either was no longer in heat or was already pregnant and no longer suitable for forced mating ¡ª previously, Douson mated with it every day but failed to impregnate it, because the Earth Matron wasn¡¯t in heat ¡ª heat involves the ovtion of animals. Without eggs, how could it be pregnant. ¡°Douson,e out,¡± Liszt knocked on the cage. Douson didn¡¯t want toe out and only after several urges did it reluctantly step out. ¡°It seems I need to go to Coral City to buy some femalerge wolves to bring back; otherwise, Douson¡¯s vigorous energy won¡¯t have any outlet, which is not a good thing.¡± Continuously holding back without proper diversion is not conducive to healthy development, ¡°I just don¡¯t know if Douson can produce offspring with therge wolves.¡± The thought was quite exciting. Perhaps they could breed a batch of magical beast bloodline wolf-dogs, simr to the quality of the Fire Dragon Horse. ¡°Douson is an intermediate magical beast, its bloodline is stronger, the mixed-breed magical beast pups will certainly be strong, and if selectively bred and reared over time, they might be an excellent breed of hunting dogs or work dogs¡­ If it¡¯s really possible, then I¡¯ll build a dog farm to cultivate an army of wolf-dogs.¡± He was lost in wonderful spection. A servant rushed in to report, ¡°My lord, the magician from Coral City has arrived at the castle with the Fresh Flower Caravan.¡± ¡°Go back.¡± Liszt turned around, riding the Douson who looked back three steps at a time, returning to the castle. The people from the Fresh Flower Caravan were busy unloading goods and moving them into the castle¡¯s cer, while another carriage parked on Douson Avenue. A tall, thin man in a ck cloak stood in front of the carriage, gazing at the nearby town. Beside him was a thin little boy also d in a cloak. This was none other than the magician Grandini Truth and his magic apprentice. ¡°Mr. Grandini, wee to Fresh Flower Town.¡± Despite Liszt¡¯s dissatisfaction with the bted arrival of the magician, his face still wore the standardized noble smile. Grandini flipped back his cloak, revealing disheveled brown hair: ¡°The roads of Fresh Flower Town are quite good, actually paved with stones; I thought they would be muddy. Baron Liszt, constructing stone roads costs quite a few Gold Coins, even if a Noble needs to maintain appearances, why waste it on a road?¡± As he spoke, his gaze was fixed on Douson. Now Douson, wherever it went, became the focus of attention ¡ª its massive body and formidable presence had an astonishing effect. ¡°Tsk, tsk, such a fine Fierce Earth Dog, majestic and extraordinary, truly fitting of the title King of Thorn Ridge, it¡¯s far superior to low-level magical beasts. Possessing it is your good fortune.¡± ¡°No, following me is its good fortune,¡± Liszt extended his hand to gesture, ¡°Let¡¯s talk inside the castle; Mr. Carter has already prepared teas and drinks.¡± Grandini did not move, his eyes still intently looking at Douson: ¡°Baron Liszt, I wonder if I might have the honor to study this Fierce Earth Dog? Perhaps I could pay to buy it from you. You should know, the value of a magical beast lies in the Magic Equipment it can produce.¡± Liszt¡¯s smile turned cold: ¡°Heh, you¡¯re thinking too much.¡± Chapter 154 - 0154: Correct Your Work Attitude Chapter 154: Correct Your Work Attitude I want to buy Douson. I want to turn Douson into magic equipment. Liszt felt he should release Douson¡¯s leash, then let it teach Granney how to be a decent person, for an Intermediate Magical Beast was not something a magician could simply touch. In the castle living room, host and guest sat down respectively. Perhaps it was the prestige brought by the ¡°hermit¡± title, or maybe because magic possessed a certain allure, but magicians held quite a high status in society, belonging to the upper-middle ss, with the privilege of entering the second floor of the castle. ¡°Is this the famous ice cream from Tulip Castle I¡¯ve heard so much about, invented by you?¡± Granney was instantly drawn to the ice cream with its varied colors as the servant brought it over. Ice cream is a luxury food¡ªmaking a small amount of ice cream requires a significant amount of ice, which ordinary people simply couldn¡¯t afford. Granney had only heard of it, never tasted it. ¡°Try it. Outside of Fresh Flower Town, only Tulip Castle, Falcon Town, Beer Castle, and Shattered Stone Castle offer this frozen delight,¡± Liszt said. He had sold the recipe to four people: Levis, Li Vera, Aubrey Lycra, and Brandon Brokenstone. Other nobles wanted to buy it but were too reluctant to spend the money. Taking a cup, Granney tasted it, ¡°Hmm, is this ice from nature, not made by magic? Interesting. How is it made?¡± ¡°The ice cream recipe is quite valuable.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need the recipe for the ice cream. What I want to know is where does the icee from? Baron Liszt, don¡¯t tell me your castle is so small that it has an ice cer underneath.¡± Creating ice with saltpeter was not a secret worth keeping. But the tone of Granney¡¯s inquiry made Liszt ufortable, so he responded indifferently, ¡°Mr. Granney, I invited you to Fresh Flower Town to craft equipment and teach me rted knowledge about magic, not for me to teach you. I hope you can adjust your attitude.¡± Granney scooped another mouthful of ice cream, oblivious, ¡°Seeking the truth is our magicians¡¯ nature. It is still hot weather; even Ice System Magic is hard to cast, let alone making ice by natural means. This is a significant discovery, and I hope you can teach me.¡± ¡°Teaching knowledge costs money.¡± ¡°How many gold coins?¡± Judging by Granney¡¯s demeanor, he was indeed willing to pay in gold coins for the information on the saltpeter ice-making process. Liszt¡¯s eyes gleamed with a new idea, ¡°I¡¯m not short of gold coins. If you want to know how I make ice, it¡¯s simple: work diligently for me during this period, and afterpleting the work, I will naturally teach you the principles of ice-making.¡± Granney frowned, ¡°I hate working with unresolved questions.¡± ¡°Therefore, under the premise of ensuring quality,plete the work as soon as possible, and you¡¯ll be rid of your doubts sooner,¡± said Liszt bluntly. He had already figured out how to deal with magicians; there was no need to be considerate, just scold them directly¡ªhere in Fresh Flower Town, magicians couldn¡¯t stir up trouble. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s talk about the work. Which ck pearl do you need me to craft into magic equipment?¡± ¡°Thomas, go fetch my ck Pearl from the study, it¡¯s in the cab.¡± Just moments ago, he had entered the study, taken out the basketball-sized ck Pearl from the Gemstone Space, and ced it in the cab, to mislead any observers. Thomas quickly brought the ck Pearl over. He ced it on the table. This ck Pearl wasn¡¯t a regr spherical shape; it was rather lopsided and didn¡¯t look very appealing. But that was Liszt¡¯s aesthetic. To Granney, who had never seen arger ck Pearl, it was perfect: ¡°Incredible, incredible. A ck pearl itself is incredible, but to actually have one sorge!¡± He caressed the ck Pearl with his hand, ¡°Abundant water system magic power, as if cing me upon the great sea, it must have been born in the deep ocean, oh, it also has this historic heaviness to it, I feel like it has existed for hundreds of years!¡± ¡°Do you think it can be made into magic equipment for suppressing storms?¡± ¡°Of course, it¡¯s even more outstanding than I imagined, a top-quality material for making magic equipment¡­ However, the materials I brought are probably not enough, I need to purchase more.¡± ¡°You¡¯re leaving now?¡± ¡°No, no, no, there¡¯s no need to leave, I¡¯ll write a letter and have Charley go buy it, it¡¯s just that some auxiliary materials arecking, the core materials are not in short supply.¡± Charley was that skinny magic apprentice. Granney was efficient at work, immediately asking for paper and pen to start writing a letter. He addressed it to a fellow magician, asking him to help purchase materials, and then handed the letter to Charley to be taken to Coral City by the Fresh Flower Caravan when they set off. The fellow magician lived near Coral City. ¡°Baron Liszt, I need a separate workspace to create a piece of magic equipment, especially with such a prime material, it will take a long time.¡± ¡°There are many newly built houses in town, you can pick one,¡± said Liszt as he rose to his feet, ¡°I¡¯ll take you to the town now to choose your room.¡± Granney did not bring a horse, and astonishingly, he could not ride one. So a manservant had to take him by horse. Upon reaching the town. Granney¡¯s eyes never stopped scanning. He sawrge plots of nnednd, including drainage ditches, curbs, and green strips. Although not built yet, the areas were already parceled out. Some houses had been torn down, reced by neat rows of new ones. There weren¡¯t many pedestrians. At this time, most people not busy with farming were at the docks, moving rocks. Only in the workshop area were crowds of serfs bustling about. ¡°There¡¯s¡­ no¡­ manure?¡± He looked for a long time before expressing his surprise. ¡°Defecating in public is prohibited in Fresh Flower Town, there are toilets here, and all residents must use the facilities,¡± answered Goltai, who had just arrived, ¡°Mr. Granney, long time no see, I hope you like Fresh Flower Town, the environment here is even more beautiful than that of Coral City.¡± ¡°I must admit, the streets are clean, but in terms of prosperity, this ce is too remotepared to Coral City.¡± ¡°It depends on how you define it, brothels, gambling houses, and taverns¡ªnone exist in Fresh Flower Town, life is more peaceful. After all, Fresh Flower Town is just a small settlement,¡± shrugged Goltai, ¡°Once ustomed to its tranquility, you¡¯ll definitely fall in love with it, although admittedly, nights with nothing to do can indeed be hard to bear.¡± Freya was already over four months pregnant, and they couldn¡¯t do that, so Goltai¡¯s nightlife was limited to his hand. Liszt could not help but admonish, ¡°Take good care of Freya, Consultant Goltai.¡± If he didn¡¯t remind him, who knows, this guy might start flirting with some town girl again. Goltai chuckled, ¡°Of course.¡± After walking around the small town. Granney did not choose any of the houses here: ¡°My work requires quiet, Baron Liszt, the noise of construction in the town is too disturbing, not suitable, please provide me with a more secluded house.¡± He enjoyed bustling cities, but his work required silence, hence he lived hidden away in the dpidated Moss Town. ¡°In that case, Consultant Goltai, in one of the new houses in Little Wheat Vige, pick out a separate house for Granney to serve as his residence and studio,¡± said Liszt. ¡°As you wish,¡± replied Granney. Chapter 155 - 0155: The Incarnation of the Mundane Truth Chapter 155: The Incarnation of the Mundane Truth All the materials and items were moved into the new house, and thus Mr. Grandini settled down in Fresh Flower Town. The noon banquet was held in the castle by Liszt to entertain Grandini, where nobles and would-be noble sses gathered in numbers, yet the atmosphere of the banquet was somewhat mediocre. The magician wasn¡¯t as unsociable as imagined. Of course, he couldn¡¯t be described as witty and humorous either; often, it was Goltai and others entertaining themselves, with Grandini merely eating and drinking, more like a self-absorbed creature. The materials for crafting the ck Pearl were not yet sufficient. Therefore, after the banquet ended, starting from the afternoon, Grandini¡¯s work mainly focused on teaching¡ªalthough he also had the task of crafting Crystal Lamps, he needed the cooperation of a crystal craftsman, as the magician wasn¡¯t skilled in carving crystals. The Fresh Flower Caravan had already gone to invite the crystal craftsman Brad, who would probably arrive the day after tomorrow, if he wasn¡¯t too busy. ¡°Magic, just like Dou Qi, is a form of magic power,¡± Grandini started without any fuss, ¡°The world is triangr; matter is one corner, spirit another, and magic power the third. This is our magicians¡¯ understanding of the nature of the world, and the source of magic. Specifically, as it rtes to ourselves, the caster is matter, the power from meditation is spirit, and thebination of matter, spirit, and magic power creates magic.¡± ¡°What about knights, then?¡± ¡°As I said, magic and Dou Qi are alike¡ªmagic power, the releaser, and spiritual power create various Dou Qi manuscripts. The difference between magicians and knights is that knights regard themselves as the triangle, while magicians integrate themselves into therger triangle of the world.¡± As he spoke, he asked, ¡°Do you understand?¡± Liszt nodded as if he really got it, ¡°A triangle, huh? The most stable structure.¡± In fact, he didn¡¯t understand at all¡ªwhatrge triangle, small triangle. Then. Grandini continued to talk about his triangle theory, like how Taoism believes the universe is divided into the five elements of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth, and Buddhism generalizes that matter isposed of earth, water, fire, and wind. Magicians believe the world is divided into spirit, matter, and magic power. A very broad cognition, its correctness unknown, and the content extremely dull. Grandini wasn¡¯t a good teacher either, and his speech was even more tedious. An afternoon of repeating the same triangle theory nearly put Liszt to sleep several times. Finally, he couldn¡¯t bear it anymore and interrupted, ¡°Mr. Grandini, I¡¯ve already understood the triangle theory, you can skip it. What I want to know now is how magic is released and why magic power is divided into different properties like water, fire, earth, wind, lightning, light, ice and darkness. Also, I¡¯d like to witness real magic.¡± Grandini frowned. Being interrupted during a long lecture was very disappointing. Luckily he still knew that Liszt was his patron, so he raised his left hand, his fingers slightly spread, and quickly rubbed together a fireball. The fireball appeared out of thin air, from a tiny me to a fist-sized fireball. With a fierce push of his hand, the fireball shot out of the castle window and exploded in mid-air not too far away. ¡°Fireball Technique, the most basic of the Fire System magic.¡± ¡°Do it again,¡± said Liszt, narrowing his eyes, bringing forth the Eye of Magic Power. He wanted to observe closely¡ªhe had observed a Magical Beast releasing magic, where magic power condensed in its body and was expelled from its mouth, naturally forming magic. Grandini nodded. Raising his hand, he once again created a fireball. Liszt watched very clearly this time¡ªGrandini had only a small amount of magic power inside him, chaotic and colorless. The moment he cast the Fireball Technique, the magic power in his palm quickly turned red, bing Fire Attribute Magic Power. Then, speckles of red magic power in the air were attracted by the magic power in his palm, coalescing into a ball and forming the fireball. Pop! The fireball exploded outside the castle. In the vision of the Eye of Magic Power, that fiery attribute magic power dissipated with a roar as if it never existed. He had a rough idea of the process of casting magic. However, he still didn¡¯t understand why magic could gather into a fireball, as the Eye of Magic couldn¡¯t observe the force that caused the magic power to condense. Perhaps, as Grandini had said, it was the power of the spirit. Like him, a single thought could drive the Dou Qi within his body to circte ording to his will. Why it followed his thoughts was a mystery. At this moment, Grandini continued to manipte the magic. ¡°Meditate, to build a bridge between your spirit and the magic power,¡± his voice was somewhat ethereal, his gaze fixed on the palm of his hand, his whole being immersed in a certain state, ¡°Magic power is a third existence outside of the material and spiritual realms. It has emotions. Feel them, befriend them, and they will serve you.¡± Gradually, A gray-brown substance, which was magic power materialized as soil, began to appear in his palm. The soil sphere slowly grewrger, and his voice continued to drift: ¡°Meditation is an essential step in building the bridge. Only when your spirit is in a state of calm can you touch the existence of magic power. It is everywhere, jumping for joy. Once you find them and make friends with them, you can obtain magic, and then, understand the world!¡± Finally, the soil sphere expanded to the size of a fist and then gradually solidified, turning into a rock with distinct edges and corners. Grandini didn¡¯t stop, continuing to cast magic,pressing and solidifying the rock over and over again until it emitted a cracking sound, and only then did he stop. With a flick, the rockpletely shattered. But unlike the fireball from before, the shattered rock didn¡¯t disappear; it remained as debris: ¡°Flying Rock Technique, an Earth System Magic, as low-level as the Fireball Technique. However, I can¡¯t master it very well. I specialize in Water System and Fire System Magic, and I have a slight understanding of Wind and Earth Systems but am not proficient.¡± ¡°Lightning, Ice, Darkness then?¡± ¡°I have not delved into these four systems of magic and cannot cast them.¡± ¡°But I¡¯ve heard that magicians can master and cast magic of every type.¡± ¡°If I can get closer to Truth and be a Grand Magician, maybe I will have enough energy to study Lightning, Ice, and Darkness Magic. But right now, I am far from the Truth, and my spirit is not broad enough to be proficient in both Water and Fire Systems is already pushing it.¡± ¡°What is an Archmage like?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t know?¡± Grandini lifted his head, his hooked nose tilting upward: ¡°Archmages are incarnations of Truth walking in the secr world, beings that magicians look up to. Baron Liszt, why do you think I would understand Archmages? Even you, do you understand what a Dragon Knight is?¡± Faced with such a question, Liszt couldn¡¯t argue¡ªhe had always thought that Dragon Knights were simply knights who rode on dragons. However, the Advanced Dou Qi of a Sky Knight was just one level below Dragon Dou Qi, the legendary Dou Qi shared with dragons. As for what Dragon Dou Qi was, not even his noble rtives and friends, like Marquis Merlin, a veteran Sky Knight, knew what it was. All the noble knights dreamed of bing Dragon Knights. But knights who possessed dragons were lofty beings, out of reach for themon man¡ªeven the King who had dragons, such as the Sapphire Duke, likely had no idea what being a Dragon Knight felt like. The first Sapphire Duke was a Dragon Knight, but the current Sapphire Duke was merely the dragon¡¯s partner and caretaker. No chance for dragon riding. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s change the subject. Why did the rock condensed from magic power continue to exist?¡± He asked a question that had puzzled him for a long time. Chapter 156 - 0156: Chronicles of the Dragon Lance Chapter 156: Chronicles of the Dragon Lance ¡°You mean these residues?¡± Granney poured the rock fragments in his hand onto the table, ¡°They¡¯re just ordinary stone residues, devoid of any magic power.¡± ¡°So, why is that?¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t the rocks formed by the agglomeration of magic power disappear?¡± Granney stirred the fragments on the table with his hand, ¡°Your question is too broad, just like questioning how dragons can produce gemstones and metals, and why elves can cultivate nts, it concerns the essence of the world. I can only tell you my understanding.¡± ¡°Please do.¡± ¡°Spirit, material, magic power, they form a triangle.¡± ¡°Of course, you¡¯ve told me many times.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not immutable, or rather, spirit and material can have a dual influence on magic power. Spirit can influence magic power into bing material, and material can also affect magic power to generate spirit¡­ Casters, with their own spirit, create magic, forming material; materialbined with magic power, in turn, forms¡­¡± He paused before continuing, ¡°Dragons, elves, that¡¯s how I believe they came to be.¡± Liszt nced at Granney, somewhat surprised by this fresh idea¡ªdragons and elves originating from thebination of magic power with material. Before Liszt could voice his doubts, Granney exined on his own: ¡°This is just spection, Baron Liszt, not based on a foundation of Truth, so it¡¯s best forgotten after hearing it. I will not admit that this set of ideas originated from me. Magicians pursue truth and despise lies.¡± He nodded. Liszt did not dwell on it and changed the subject: ¡°I¡¯ve seen the Elf Bug¡¯s reproductive process many times, yet I know nothing of a dragon¡¯s breeding. Do you know?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know about dragon breeding, I¡¯m just a magician, I¡¯ve never even seen a dragon,¡± Granney¡¯s tone carried a hint of regret, ¡°However, I can rmend you a book, ¡®Dragonce Chronicles: Dragons of Autumn Twilight¡¯ by the great Archmage, Odom Truth. It has a detailed introduction to dragons.¡± ¡°Do you have the book with you?¡± ¡°No, in fact, I don¡¯t own the book. I only browsed through it when I was young, serving as a magic apprentice under my teacher. It was part of my teacher¡¯s collection, and in his quest for Truth and greater knowledge, he has travelled to the maind. I haven¡¯t seen him for many years.¡± Without the book, Liszt could only ask Granney to narrate its contents to him. Speaking a few words for money, Granney naturally wouldn¡¯t refuse and immediately recounted what he remembered. ¡°Young dragons before the age of one hundred are the easiest to capture. It is said that most Dragon Knights cultivate a bond during the dragon¡¯s youth, enabling dragon riding. From one hundred to eight hundred years old, adult dragons reach their peak period for producing gems and mineral deposits, with dragon blood, dung, saliva, breath, scales, and might, all capable of infecting the surroundings and forming mineral deposits.¡± After eight hundred yearse the elderly dragons. Most elderly dragons leave their dwellings during this time to head for the ¡°Valley of Dragons,¡± a mythical ce. ¡°Some say the Valley of Dragons is in the Devil¡¯s Sea, others say it¡¯s in the Whirlpool Sea, and there are those who say it¡¯s on Mount Mgao Ding, but no one has seen it; it¡¯s a legendary ce. Dragons bury themselves in the Valley of Dragons. They do not die but rather be one with the world, to be reborn as dragons after countless years.¡± Dragons are categorized into three types. Elemental Dragons, Gemstone Dragons, Metal Dragons. Metal Dragons can infect metal ores like gold, silver, copper, iron, aluminum. ¡®Dragonce History: Dragons of Autumn Twilight¡¯ records twenty-three types of Metal Dragons. ¡°Brass Dragons, Bronze Dragons, Purple Copper Dragons, White Copper Dragons, White Maw Iron Dragons, Malleable Cast Iron Dragons, Grey Iron Dragons, White Heart Iron Dragons, ck Heart Iron Dragons, Golden Dragons, tinum Dragons, Silver Dragons, Mercury Dragons¡­ These are roughly the types of Metal Dragons I remember.¡± Gemstone Dragons can infect gemstone mines and are broadly categorized into blue, red, yellow, and green. Like the Sapphire Dragon, Ruby Dragon, and others such as the Azure Sapphire Dragon, Crimson Gem Dragon, Light Green Emerald Dragon, etc. The gemstones produced by the Gemstone Dragons possess extraordinary magical powers and are even more valuable than those of the Metal Dragons. However, their production is not as high as that of the Metal Dragons. Most of the Elemental Dragons are Evil Dragons, embodiments of the elements themselves. A Fire Dragon can infect a volcano, a Water Dragon can infect a swamp, a Wind Dragon can conjure storms, an Earth Dragon can raise mountains, and so on. ¡°Archmage Odom Truth once battled a Wind Dragon, his blood drenched the entire in. Now that ce is called Windhowl Valley, located in the Neverfall Empire, where fierce winds blow endlessly throughout the year. Countless magicians who specialize in the Wind System aspire to visit Windhowl Valley, to feel the magic power engraved by the Wind Dragon.¡± Liszt was brimming with interest, ¡°How many years ago did this happen?¡± ¡°Based on the era in which Archmage Odom Truth lived, it should have been about four thousand years ago, at that time, the Neverfall Empire didn¡¯t even exist.¡± The Neverfall Empire has a history of only three thousand years. ¡°For four thousand years, the magic power of the Wind Dragon in Windhowl Valley has not dissipated?¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s the power of Dragons. They possess the ability to change the world. Unfortunately, even Archmages find it difficult to peer into such mysteries.¡± Granney shook his head, his regret apparent. Liszt was equally astonished. He had read many Knight novels that described dragons, all of which seemed to be made up¡ªportraying dragons as nearly divine creators, yet with intelligenceparable to that of a small dog. The records left by Archmages are very credible, and the magic power of the Wind Dragon has indeed not dissipated in four thousand years. This revtion left him dazzled and eager to rush to Windhowl Valley immediately to observe with his own Eye of Magic, to discern what was different about the Wind Dragon¡¯s magical power. After a moment. His eyes flickered slightly as he casually asked, ¡°Mr. Granney, in the Knight novels I have read, some authors have mentioned a category of dragons beyond the Elemental, Metal, and Gemstone ones, known as Sacred Dragons?¡± ¡°I have heard of Sacred Dragons too, but ¡®Dragonce History: Dragons of Autumn Twilight¡¯ makes no mention of them; that¡¯s just nonsense spun by novelists. I don¡¯t like reading Knight novels; they¡¯re all made up, they defy Truth and are lies!¡± Granney said with disdain when it came to Knight novels. ¡°Can you tell me about Sacred Dragons? I¡¯ve only read about one kind in a book, the Formless Dragon.¡± ¡°Those authors invented five kinds of Sacred Dragons,¡± said Granney, his disdain didn¡¯t prevent him from being well-informed: ¡°The Immortal Dragon, which represents life, grants one eternal life¡ªvery fake; The Twilight Dragon, which represents time, can stop time, I don¡¯t see the use of that; The Jade Dragon, representing dreams, can enter into dreams. I¡¯ve seen jade, it¡¯s a kind of gemstone, what does that have to do with dragons?¡± He continued his disdainful remarks. Liszt, however, listened very earnestly. ¡°The Formless Dragon, representing space, can produce Space Rings, akin to a ring that can hold many things¡ªa concept as ridiculous as my cup holding an elephant; andstly, the Smoke Dragon, representing destiny. ording to the Knight novels I¡¯ve read, it¡¯s described as a wisp of smoke¡ªI find that imaginative.¡± After he finished talking about the five Sacred Dragons, Granney concluded with scorn: ¡°No one has ever seen a Sacred Dragon with their own eyes, and no country possesses such dragons. They are just figments of the imagination by those who have never seen a dragon¡ªdreamt up in their dreams at night¡­ There¡¯s nothing more to discuss, let¡¯s continue talking about magic.¡± ¡°Of course,¡± responded Liszt absentmindedly. However, inside his head, a gigantic wave had already surged. The Smoke Dragon, representing destiny! A wisp of smoke! The Smoke Mission! Chapter 157 - 0157: The Fate Choice of the Smoke Dragon Chapter 157: The Fate Choice of the Smoke Dragon Seven months ago. Liszt awoke from the darkness,prehended his situation, and epted the memories of his predecessor, knowing thetter could see the smoke from a very young age. But back then, the smoke was too faint to see clearly. It wasn¡¯t until he had transmigrated and merged with this body that he could truly see what the smoke was made of; it turned out to be a text-formed task. When he first saw the content clearly, he was really startled. If you could call it a golden finger, the smoke formed Serpent Script, not Chinese characters. If you said it wasn¡¯t a golden finger, both thenguage style and the task content were familiar to Earth¡¯s style. He could only convince himself that before a transmigrator did anything, the golden finger acted first. Then he epted the existence of the Smoke Mission, guessing that behind the faint outline, there must be some schemer or conspiracy. However, this time, upon hearing Mr. Grandini describe the five Sacred Dragons, he found there was one representing fate¡ªthe Smoke Dragon. It brought him a tremendous shock. ¡°Perhaps, this golden finger of mine, this Smoke Mission, is not some kind of conspiracy?¡± There was no indication that the Smoke Mission had any ulterior motive or was driving him towards some sort ofyout. From beginning to end, the Smoke Mission simply issued some simple tasks. And then rewarded him with things that already existed but were extremely easy to miss. This manner of awarding. Upon reflection, it had a strong vor of destiny¡ªwhether it was a brush past or an embrace, both are different trajectories of fate. Ordinary people cannot change the trajectory of fate, or rather, their fate¡¯s trajectory is unknown, chaotic. But with the help of the Smoke Mission, Liszt¡¯s destiny¡¯s trajectory included an added element of choice. Granney continued to prattle beside him, expounding endlessly on matters of magic. Liszt was already lost in his thoughts, entering his own inner world. He lowered his head, looking at his own body: ¡°Representing fate¡­ a puff of smoke¡­ Could it be that residing in my body is a Smoke Dragon? Because of the Smoke Dragon¡¯s infection, I have been granted the right to choose my fate?¡± Unlike Granney¡¯s denial of the Sacred Dragons. He believed in the definite existence of Sacred Dragons¡ªthe Formless Dragon had eaten two cows in front of him and left behind a Space Gem, an undeniable fact. If the Formless Dragon existed, why couldn¡¯t the Smoke Dragon exist? The Immortal Dragon, Twilight Dragon, Jade Dragon, they definitely all existed; they might be transcendental beyond belief, but dragons and elves were already incredible creatures. No matter how inconceivable, what of it? This was a worldpletely different from Earth, a remarkable world filled with magic. His thoughts continued to soar. He tried to find traces of the existence of the Smoke Dragon. ¡°If it were to be said that the Smoke Dragon resides in my body, it¡¯s not impossible, since I often see the Smoke Mission. But the smoke could only form Serpent Script, it never formed the shape of a dragon, nor has it evermunicated with me¡­ It¡¯s very likely I haven¡¯t actually obtained it, but rather am just influenced by it?¡± ¡°Ordinary animals can be infected by dragons to be dragon seed animals. Although there have never been any dragon seed humans, it¡¯s possible that my predecessor, as a child, was identally infected by the Smoke Dragon and became a Smoke Seed person.¡± Thinking this way. He didn¡¯t know whether to feel fortunate or regretful. Fortunate because others rarely encounter dragons, while he hade into contact with two, each leaving behind precious gifts¡ªthe Smoke of fate control and the unique Gemstone Space. Regretful because the close encounters with the two dragons didn¡¯t make him a Dragon Knight, nor did it earn him the friendship of the dragons. ¡°Baron Liszt.¡± ¡°Baron Liszt!¡± Granney¡¯s calling voice brought Liszt back from his reverie: ¡°What?¡± ¡°I was introducing magic, were you even listening attentively!¡± Mr. Grandini was quite displeased, ¡°Learning magic requires maintaining focus, and on the path to pursuing truth, despite the loneliness and dullness, only the joy of acquiring knowledge can fill your soul from emptiness to fulfillment!¡± ¡°Sorry, I just wanted to understand a bit about magic, not to learn it,¡± Liszt suppressed his cluttered thoughts and squeezed out a formic smile, ¡°Without a nap, I¡¯m a bit sluggish, how about we end today¡¯s lesson here and continue tomorrow. Thomas, please show Mr. Grandini around, let him have a look at Fresh Flower Town.¡± ¡°Certainly, my lord,¡± Thomas extended his hand with perfect gentlemanly grace, ¡°This way, please, Mr. Grandini.¡± Grandini nced at Liszt and showed a look of disdain: ¡°Truth is bing more and more distant from you.¡± Having said that, he strode out of the castle. After Grandini left. Liszt stayed alone in the study, looking out the window, lost in thought amid Juan Fu¡¯s ¡°caw,¡± ¡°caw¡± calls. Smoke Dragon. Smoke Mission. Destiny. Many thoughts flickered back and forth. The smoke in front of him twisted and changed forms, but the text remained constant: ¡°Mission: Themercial district of Fresh Flower Town is gradually prospering, but the workshop district has been unupied for a long time, stillcking sufficient workshops to support it, and craftsmen should not waste their talents on chopping wood and tilling the fields. Please build three new workshops to increase the town¡¯s prosperity. Reward: A breakthrough in Dou Qi.¡± No matter how hard he tried to focus his attention, attempting tomunicate with the ¡°Smoke Dragon¡± behind the smoke, the content of the Serpent Script remained unchanged. He could notmunicate with the Smoke Dragon that may or may not exist within him. He also could not change the Smoke Mission; the so-called choice of destiny was merely an additional option. It was like a scenic area building a road; you can choose to build a straight path from the front gate to the back gate. The Smoke Mission, on the other hand, would hint at where there are attractions, allowing you to take a detour to include them. But if you want to build a toilet or a parking lot, sorry, there¡¯s no function for that. ¡°So now, there are four possibilities for the things happening to me.¡± First, as a child, he had close contact with a Smoke Dragon, was influenced by it, and became a person of the Smoke Dragon seed, possessing some ability to choose his destiny. Second, the Smoke Dragon is snoozing somewhere in his body, and the scattered wisps of smoke form the Smoke Mission, allowing Liszt to steal a part of destiny. Third, the Smoke Dragon might just be a young dragon, weak in power, hiding away and biding its time to grow. Fourth, he might be overthinking, and the Smoke Mission has nothing to do with the Smoke Dragon¡ªit¡¯s just a transmigrator¡¯s golden finger privilege. The first, second, third, and fourth possibilities are all viable, but there is too little information to determine which one is more likely. He tried hard to recall the memories of his childhood, trying to find a node¡ªa moment of close contact with the Smoke Dragon. There was a high probability that he hade into contact with the Smoke Dragon. ¡°Since having memories, the ces my predecessor visited were not many. Red Crab Ind was one, where he only moved around the vicinity of Long Taro Castle, the rest was on Coral Ind. He visited every city on Coral Ind, every year going on vacation with the Earl, staying a few days in the castles¡¯ guesthouses in various cities.¡± There were no waves, just an ordinary noble second son¡¯s life, always in and insipid. Half an hourter, he gave up on recalling. He also gave up on contemtion: ¡°Well, whates wille, if I am fated with the Smoke Dragon, someday we shall meet face to face. Do what I must, and let destiny decide the rest¡­ If it truly represents destiny¡¯s Smoke Dragon, I believe it is meant to be!¡± He stretched himself. The thoughts about the Smoke Dragon, he buried deep within his heart. Chapter 158 - 0158: Release of Meditation Model Rune Chapter 158: Release of Meditation Model Rune For the following two or three days, Liszt¡¯s schedule was packed. In the morning, he would cultivate his Dou Qi, train Douson, and supervise the workshop; in the afternoon, he focused on studying magic, particrly the spells mastered by the magician Granney. This magician was proficient in Fire and Water System Magic, had a slight understanding of Wind and Earth System Magic, and knew nothing of the magic of lightning, ice, darkness, and the like. ¡°The difficulty of cultivating magic is far greater than that of cultivating Dou Qi.¡± ¡°The steps of casting magic are meditation, model, runes, and release.¡± ¡°Meditation is to summon spiritual power to connect with magic power; the model is to mobilize the connected magic power and form a bridge between the internal and external magic power; runes are used to repair the model and strengthen the channels for magic power¡¯s ingress and egress; release ¨C when the bridge isplete and the channels are secure, with spiritual power as the guide, magic can be cast.¡± ¡°Each spell has a fixed model and runes, and it takes time to master them. For example, I can instantly cast the Fireball Technique and Water Arrow Spell because I have cast them thousands of times, imprinting the details of the magic in my body and brain, and can naturally release them.¡± ¡°But for the Earth System¡¯s Flying Rock Technique and the Wind System¡¯s Wind de Spell, I must spend time constantly adjusting the model and supplementing the runes to cast them smoothly.¡± ¡°There are many spells I have mastered that require secrecy; I can only show you the Fireball Technique, Water Arrow Spell, Flying Rock Technique, and Wind de Spell.¡± ¡°Every magician is also a Casting Master of Magic Equipment; actually, the principle is very simple. Making magic equipment is just carving a casting model. The core material can be seen as a rough casting model, while supplementary materials are the runes that fill in the model¡­ Additionally, materials from Magical Beasts are a good source of runes.¡± ¡°That Fierce Earth Dog of yours is quite extraordinary, I bet that if you ughtered it and added it to a ck Pearl, I could even create a piece of Magic Equipment that rivals a Little Elf Weapon!¡± Granney said this with a gleam in his eyes. Little Elf Weapons, more precious than gemstone weapons. As the name implies, Little Elf Weapons are forged with the blood of Little Minor Elves ¨C their blood, imbued in the weapon, can endow it with miraculous magic power. Although all the kingdoms have enactedws to prohibit the ughter of Minor Elves, the use of Minor Elves in forging weapons is a persistent issue. After all, some Minor Elves are of little use in agricultural production. ¡°Don¡¯t bring up Little Elf Weapons anymore,¡± Lisztmented with deep loathing, finding Elves to be beautiful beings that shouldn¡¯t be treated this way. ¡°Furthermore, don¡¯t even think about Douson. Otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t mind letting Douson have some ¡®intimate contact¡¯ with you.¡± Granney sneered at Liszt, his eyes filled with contempt. He probably thought Liszt was a hypocrite, as many Nobles spoke against elf ughter but secretly used the ¡®useless¡¯ Minor Elves to forge Elf Weapons ¨C not just Little Elf Soldiers, but also Greater Elf Warriors and even Dragon Elf Weapons. He licked his lips: ¡°So, you¡¯re saying you¡¯re willing to let me study that Fierce Earth Dog, Douson?¡± ¡°Granney, I advise you not to think like that. Douson is very dangerous.¡± ¡°Magical Beasts are all dangerous.¡± ¡°It¡¯s especially dangerous,¡± Liszt warned lightly, and after work was done, if the other party was still not dissuaded, he would not mind letting Douson loose for a while. ¡°Let¡¯s talk about that ck Pearl. I want you to design a control device during the manufacturing process, allowing it to be switched on and off freely.¡± If the ck Pearl was always suppressing the storm, clearly, relying on paddles alone wouldn¡¯t be enough for long-distance voyaging. When there are no severe storms, the effects of the ck Pearl would be sealed. Then, when a storm came, it would be unsealed. Granney thought for a moment: ¡°No problem, that¡¯s easy. I already have aplete idea on how to make an exquisite piece of Magic Equipment, and in fact, I can hardly wait. Add another Douson to it, and the ck Pearl will be even more outstanding!¡± He circled back to the topic. Liszt picked up the cold drink on the table, ignoring him. Granney waited momentarily, then seeing the awkward silence, added, ¡°I saw a walled area near the Castle, there is a Fierce Earth Dog inside. Using it should suffice.¡± ¡°Impossible.¡± ¡°Then, what about this Magical Beast that¡¯s chirping away, the Wind Falcon, right? It could be worth a try.¡± Juan Fu? Liszt was about to refuse when he suddenly paused. Juan Fu was a mystery when it came to training; he had even thought of using hunger as a means to train it. But after all, it was a bird, and if let loose, it would immediately fly away. The falconer was nowhere to be found, and if Juan Fu stayed in the Castle, it would only be good for disy, and perhaps for meat before it learned the Wind de Spell. ¡°Do you know any falconers?¡± ¡°You want to tame it?¡± ¡°This wind falcon was picked up from an egg, it recognizes people, butcks training. It can¡¯t even cast magic.¡± ¡°It¡¯s best to ughter it, its materials as a wind system magical beast make for better rune-assisting agents in supporting the ck Pearl, suppressing storms.¡± ¡°I want to know if you recognize a falconer.¡± Granney was silent for a moment before slowly nodding: ¡°I do know one, but I still suggest that you ughter it to use as auxiliary material for the ck Pearl.¡± Under Liszt¡¯s persistent questioning, he finally revealed the name of the falconer¡ªElkerson True, another magician residing in Coral City. Knowing the existence of the falconer, Liszt was eager to invite him over, so he forced the reluctant Granney to write an invitation letter, since the two magicians knew each other. ¡°Juan Fu¡¯s fate has taken a turn.¡± He was in high spirits. What remained was to see when Elkerson True would arrive. When the letter was sent out, the crystal craftsman Brad happened toe to Fresh Flower Town to work with Granney on carving crystalmps. It was also that very night, the fourth night of the workshop¡¯s construction, that Goltai rode his horse at a gallop to the castle to report to Liszt: ¡°Sir, the workshop has beenpletely finished!¡± ¡°Very good, finished in four days, exceeding expectations! Consultant Goltai, as I said, triple the wages of the serfs who worked on it.¡± ¡°As you wish. Do you need to inspect the workshop personally?¡± ¡°No need.¡± Liszt didn¡¯t have time to inspect it; he had already started calling for the Smoke Mission. ¡°Complete the task, reward: the bottleneck of Dou Qi.¡± ¡°Task: No matter how many candles are lit, the flickering mes can hurt the eyes. Since you are already ustomed to staying upte, take care of yourself and find a new stable light source. Please install ten crystalmps in the castle. Reward: Mutated Thorn.¡± Taskplete, a new task appeared¡ªthe anticipated chain mission. ¡°Another mutated thorn, it seems I was very prescient not to cut down the Rapid Growth Thorn Bug,¡± Liszt¡¯s mouth curved into a smile. Every time hepleted a Thorn Bug chain mission, it increased the chances of the Thorn Bug¡¯s evolution into a little elf. ¡°Ten crystalmps, a task purely of benefits. I need to urge Granney and Bradter to hurry up and finish making the crystalmps.¡± Suddenly, his attention shifted, focusing on himself: ¡°The bottleneck of Dou Qi, when will ite? I don¡¯t seem to have reached the bottleneck; the Dou Qi inside me is still slowly growing.¡± After feeling it for a moment, he called for Butler Carter: ¡°Mr. Carter, for tonight¡¯ste-night snack, ask Mrs. Abbie to fry up an extra batch of magical beast meat steaks, I¡¯m feeling a bit hungry.¡± Have a big meal, get a good night¡¯s sleep, and quietly await the arrival of the bottleneck. Chapter 159 - 0159: Elite Earth Knight Liszt Chapter 159: Elite Earth Knight Liszt I don¡¯t know if it was because I ate too much Magical Beast Meat at once. I felt stuffed. Tossing and turning at night, I just couldn¡¯t fall asleep. In the separate room at the corner of the second floor, the asional ¡°gagging¡± sound from Juan Fu added to my irritability. Normally, I couldn¡¯t say that I fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow, but usually, I would fall asleep after turning over once. Tonight, however, I was unusually excited. ¡°It¡¯s only been a little over half a year, but I¡¯m about to reach a Dou Qi bottleneck. It somehow feels too fast.¡± I was pondering. Pondering why I could shorten the cultivation time. In terms of the total amount of Dou Qi in my body, I am now definitely no less than Marcus. I eat well and have a noble lineage; there¡¯s no reason I should be worse than Marcus, whoes frommoner stock¡ªDou Qi cultivation is rted to nutrition, but noble families, with their continuously optimized gics, are indeed stronger thanmoners in many aspects. As a child, Liszt was very much favored by the Earl because of his appearance, at least until the age of ten. Even with a stepmother, he nevercked for anything in his upbringing. After turning ten, the Earl grew gradually disappointed with him, and my treatment might have suffered a bit, but I was never mistreated. Therefore, Iid a very solid physical foundation from a young age. I justcked a bit of insight and, before adulthood, didn¡¯t manage to break through Primary Dou Qi. But when I had my transmigration, body and soul merged, and I achieved breakthrough in one fell swoop, bing an Earth Knight. Just over half a year more, and I was set to advance to an Elite Earth Knight. ¡°Putting it that way, it seems quite natural. Good foundation, high aptitude, good nutrition¡ªfaster cultivation speed is normal.¡± But I always had the feeling that my cultivation progress was too fast. There must be something I was overlooking. Suddenly, a thought crossed my mind, ¡°Could it be because of the Smoke Dragon¡¯s influence that I¡¯m affected?¡± But I quickly dismissed that idea, ¡°That shouldn¡¯t be the case. My predecessor had the Smoke Mission since he was young, and his cultivation wasn¡¯t notably fast. He didn¡¯t even manage to be an Earth Knight.¡± ¡°So, what other factors could be promoting it?¡± ¡°Magical Beast Meat?¡± I¡¯ve been eating a lot of Magical Beast Meat, especiallytely. Every meal seems to involve it. If I weren¡¯t young with a fast metabolism, I would probably be so over-nourished that I¡¯d have nosebleeds. ¡°Levis¡¯s diet is certainly no worse than mine, and he only joined the elite ranks at the age of twenty, two years ago.¡± ¡°Li Vera¡¯s diet is also good, always scrounging meals and drinks in the Castle, and yet she still hasn¡¯t be an elite.¡± ¡°On the other hand, Lidun, that little guy, is only twelve this year, and Lady Marie has been boasting everywhere that her son is about to break through as an Earth Knight¡­ If that¡¯s true, his talent is stronger than Levis¡¯s and might just fall a bit short of mine. No wonder half of Tulip Castle¡¯s resources are nted towards him.¡± My train of thought became a little erratic, with all kinds of things about Tulip Castle floating through my mind. When I had first transmigrated, I wish I would never have to deal with Tulip Castle again to avoid awkward encounters. As time went on, and I became more integrated into the identity of Liszt, the position of Tulip Castle in my heart subtly changed¡ªI began to care about the matters of Tulip Castle, seeing myself as a member of the Tulip Family. Or perhaps. Deep down, I harbored the ambition of taking charge of Tulip Castle. Growing and developing my own farm was joyful, but it couldn¡¯tpare to inheriting family property. ¡°Perhaps Lidun is the one the Earl pins his hopes on the most now. For his sake, he doesn¡¯t hesitate to divide the resources intended for Levis¡¯s cultivation, giving half to Lidun. Otherwise, no matter how influential Lady Marie¡¯s pillow talk might be, it wouldn¡¯t sway him. This Earl, forged on battlefields, is not the type to be easily cowed.¡± The foundation of the Tulip Family¡¯s earldom was built by Li Weiliam with spear and sword. ¡°He is in his prime, his Dou Qi as a Sky Knight at its peak, and he certainly harbors ambitions of advancing even further. He never misses the Grand Duke¡¯s Pioneer Mandate every year.¡± Liszt recalled his interactions with Li Weiliam. Thetter¡¯s vast Dou Qi gave a sharp and unmatched impression. The Earl¡¯s Dou Qi is of the Water Attribute, and generally, Water-Attribute Dou Qi gives off a gentle and amodating feeling, but his was sharp. There¡¯s no doubt that personality ys a part. Liszt, with his Fire Attribute Dou Qi, should be impetuous and fervent, but hees off as mild and soothing as a spring breeze¡ªthis is the influence of his personality¡ªhe doesn¡¯t even want to go to the battlefield, only preferring to shrink back in Fresh Flower Town, farming, farming, farming, and still farming. How fierce can he get? He didn¡¯t like Marcus and Lidun, this mother and son pair, and neither did he, so he quickly stopped thinking about them. He thought of his sister, Li Vera, the somewhat chuunibyou neen-year-old spinster whose talent wasn¡¯t weak, and who had made a breakthrough to be an Earth Knight before adulthood. Yet, several years had passed, and she still hadn¡¯t be elite. This is rted to the physical constitution of women, as the cultivation of female knights is generally weaker than that of male knights. It is said that the world has yet to see a Female Dragon Knight. ¡°Li Vera and Lidun don¡¯t haveparative characteristics¡­ Based on Levis¡¯s situation, my advancement to the elite sequence this time will certainly startle everyone. He prides himself on being a genius, an elite at twenty, but what is that before me¡ªa sixteen-year-old elite? In the Duchy of Sapphire, that¡¯s hardlymon!¡± He didn¡¯t think the bottleneck in Dou Qi was artificially elevated by the Smoke Mission¡ªthe rewards were merely a catalyst, and touching the bottleneck of Dou Qi was achieved through his own umtion. ¡°Aside from being a genius, there must be other influencing factors.¡± Lying in bed, he turned from side to side. He pondered deeply into the night. Then a spark of inspiration struck him: ¡°Could it be the milk? Three cups of milk in the morning, noon, and evening, and another cup for supper, four cups of milk a day, plus various dairy products¡ªsuch abundant nutrition!¡± He had previously thought it was the delightful climate of Fresh Flower Town that made the milk from the cows so delicious, but clearly, that was wishful thinking. Even if the climate were agreeable, the milk wouldn¡¯t undergo an ongoing improvement in taste¡ªafter all, these were not cows in their firstctation. The dairy farm had been raising cows for over a decade¡ªif the quality of milk were high, it should have been discovered long ago. Granney¡¯s mention of the Smoke Dragon earlier that day had given him much to think about. ¡°The Formless Dragon caused havoc at the dairy farm¡ªcould its Dragon Might have somehow affected the cows?¡± The more he thought about it, the more usible it seemed, ¡°The continuous improvement in the taste of the milk indicates something¡ªthat the lineage of these cows is changing, and they are quite possibly already Dragon Breed Cows!¡± Milk Flower, Milk Yellow, and Milk ck were all pregnant, and the improvement in the taste of their milk indicated an enhancement in their bloodlines. Perhaps as regr cows, they have limited aptitude and can¡¯t transform into Dragon Breed Cows, but it¡¯s very likely that their unborn calves will inherit the blood of the dragon and be true Dragon Breed Cows. He simply sat up. His heart was tumultuous. Dragon Breed Cows sounded incredibly rare and of immense value. ¡°Starting tomorrow, I must focus on the dairy farm and provide the cows with rich pastures, especially the three pregnant ones¡ªthey must be well taken care of, to ensure the smooth delivery of their calves!¡± There was no chance of sleep now. He forced himself to calm down and began to cultivate Dou Qi. Dou Qi was continuously generated in the cells of his limbs and torso, converging in his meridians. Maintaining this cultivation, he trained all the way until the next morning. When the Sun rose and the first ray of sunlight streamed in, Liszt suddenly opened his eyes, and at that moment, he felt the ¡°fullness¡± within his body and the surging Dou Qi in his meridians. He was both mentally exhausted and exhrated: ¡°I¡¯ve touched the bottleneck of Dou Qi, and now, I have indeed be an Elite Earth Knight.¡± Chapter 160 - 0160: Preparing to Become a Medicine Jar Chapter 160: Preparing to Be a Medicine Jar The sun rose in the east. Chained Doussan paced back and forth, tugging at its chain, waiting for Liszt to take it for a walk. At the castle¡¯s dining table, Liszt perused Grandini Truth¡¯s collection of books while enjoying breakfast. The meal was asvish as ever, but he was particrly savoring the milk. Whether it was psychological or if he could truly taste a difference, what was once simply delicious milk now revealed an extraordinary quality. It¡¯s no surprise it¡¯s from Dragon Breed Cows! ¡°Mr. Carter, have someone inform Consultant Goltai that I¡¯d like him toe to the castle after nine o¡¯clock.¡± ¡°Yes, my lord.¡± ¡°Also, tell Mrs. Morson that from now on, every morning, I want two cups of milk and two cups of milk tea in the evening.¡± ¡°As you wish.¡± Having emptied his cup of milk in one gulp, Carter took the cup to find Mrs. Morson to brew another. Liszt closed the ¡°Sixteen Minor Skills of Enhancing Fireball¡± he was reading and leaned back in his chair, nning his next moves. He nned to join the elite ranks. Just by consuming meat and milk, it was unlikely that his Dou Qi would improve significantly. At this point, magic potions were needed to expand the body¡¯s cellr capacity for generating Dou Qi, steadily increasing his total amount of Dou Qi. When he reached the threshold of his body¡¯s capacity to store Dou Qi, an abrupt increase could trigger a qualitative change, allowing for a breakthrough. ¡°Starting today, I¡¯m going to be a potion guzzler.¡± Liszt did not know how Sky Knights became Dragon Knights, but he was clear about how Earth Knights became Sky Knights. His father was a Sky Knight and had shared his breakthrough experience with his sons and daughters without reservation. It boils down to consuming potions! ¡°The ck Tulips from the first three years all have to be handed over to Levis to take care of, which is a tricky matter. However, the me Mushroom¡ªI can keep it for my own use. me Mushrooms possess the fire attribute magic power, making them excellent ingredients for magic potions that enhance Fire Attribute Dou Qi,¡± he thought of Grandini, ¡°Grandini is proficient in fire system magic; I could ask him to make the magic potions.¡± Magic potions here refer to both nt magic potions. And the refined magic potions. Most nt magic potions have chaotic attributes and can aid in enhancing various attributes of Dou Qi. A few nts, like the me Mushroom, have clear attributes that can be used to create targeted magic potions, and their enhancement effects are much better than those of the chaotic magic potions. One is general-purpose, the other specializes; their value is not easy topare. But to Liszt, the me Mushroom-derived magic potion was the most suitable potion for him. Magicians certainly knew how to make magic potions¡ªmagic equipment and magic potions were the two crafts that allowed magicians to enter the upper echelons of society. Otherwise, magicians alone, not subjected to the power constraints of the nobles, would have long been suppressed by the knights In this world, whether in numbers or in strength, knights hold an absolute advantage. Archmages are said to stand at the pinnacle of power just like Dragon Knights and can go head-to-head with a dragon, but they stand no chance against a Dragon Knight. The synergy between a dragon and its knight isn¡¯t simply additive; it¡¯s a qualitative leap. Therefore, knights are mainstream, while magicians are fringe. Liszt¡¯s thoughts drifted, but he quickly refocused and continued his musings: ¡°Although Grandini has a stubborn personality and is a bit slow, he¡¯s still within the range of normal intelligence. Perhaps, I could persuade him to settle in Fresh Flower Town¡­ He likes Coral City, probably because of the brothels there. I could find him a wife.¡± Magicians are typically single, giving up worldly constraints in their pursuit of truth. But magicians are also human, and solving problems on their own doesn¡¯t hold the same appeal as discussing them with others. ¡°No matter what, I need to make money. Only with money can I buy more magic potions.¡± He felt a tinge of regret for giving the entire ck Tulip share for the first three years to Levis. At that time, he thought it would be at least three years before he¡¯d reach the bottleneck of his Dou Qi. Otherwise, the self-production and self-sale of magic potions would save me a sum of money. There are too many expenses. Once we run out of magical beast meat, if we want to maintain the training speed, we¡¯ll have to buy more from outside, which is a huge expenditure. Whether it¡¯s the cost of magic potions or magical beast meat, it¡¯s difficult for a typical small-townndlord to sustain. Even with the seafood business, Liszt cannot guarantee that he can keep up. There¡¯s no way to tighten the belt any further; the only solution left is to think of ways to increase revenue. Workshops must be built inrge numbers, aiming to turn Fresh Flower Town into a center for agricultural product processing. ck Horse Ind also needs to be conquered as soon as possible. The trading business of Li Dragon Horses will definitely bring in arge amount of gold coins. At the same time, the construction of the knight squad must be elerated. A territory without the protection of knights is not in a healthy state. ¡°Luckily, I have dragon breed milk cows to provide me with rich nutrition and alleviate the food pressure.¡± A few cups of dragon breed cow milk a day are at least equivalent to the nutritional intake of magical beast meat. Of course. The premise is that they really are dragon breed cows. After walking the dog. Goltai had alreadye to the castle. Without a doubt, he had received another task from Liszt to improve the milk cow farm¡ªa task highlighting Liszt¡¯s asional unorthodox approach, something Goltai had grown ustomed to. ¡°As you wish, the cows on the dairy farm will definitely enjoy the same treatment as your Li Dragons!¡± Having sent Goltai on his way, Liszt rode his horse with his retainers straight to Little Wheat Vige to inspect the work progress of Granney and Brad and urge them toplete their tasks as soon as possible. Twelve retainer knights, roaring as they followed behind him, formidable as dragons. After the lumberjack team had leveled Thorn Ridge, the tasks of Marcus and the retainer knights ended, with the retainer knights returning to Liszt¡¯s side to guard thendlord. As for Marcus, he had been tasked with training the children brought by the serfs. Currently in Fresh Flower Town, among the local and purchased serfs, there are three hundred fifty-four children aged three to ten. Marcus needed to sort them into groups based on gender, age, physique, intelligence, and so on. Liszt would then arrange for suitable instructors to train these kids¡ªto ensure future loyalty to him, they must be Earth Knights, and training must start from childhood. ¡°Lord Landlord!¡± The patrol members guarding outside Granney and Brad¡¯s house immediately saluted upon seeing Liszt. Magic apprentice Charley opened the door and instinctively shrank back, ¡°Baron, do you, do you wish toe in?¡± The once ill-mannered Charley now held a heightened reverence for Liszt¡ªsimply because Liszt had scared him with Douson, making him wet his pants. Since then, Charley didn¡¯t dare show any disrespect in Liszt¡¯s presence. ¡°Is your teacher working?¡± ¡°Yes, the teacher is currently crafting the second crystalmp.¡± Once inside the house, Liszt quickly spotted the busy Granney and Brad. Brad was already carving the fifth crystal while Granney had just finished amp. He urged, ¡°Speed up the progress, Mr. Granney, Brad, I¡¯m fed up with the flickering candlelight and urgently need the crystalmps.¡± Chapter 161 - 0161 Apple Table Meeting Chapter 161: Apple Table Meeting He took the finished crystalmp with him. Once back in the castle, Liszt ordered his servants to install the crystalmp in his study. Themp, made of white crystal, emitted a soft white light, reminiscent of natural light, although not as intense as sunlight. Just one crystalmp was as bright as ten candles. ¡°It¡¯s about as bright as a 50-watt incandescentmp, which is still not strong enough. It would be better to install two more.¡± Three crystalmps in a room is the most suitable level of brightness¡ªany more is ring, any less too dim. These crystalmps could remain lit for several years on end. They could also be designed to be switched on and off at any time, but that would require high-level craftsmanship, which is not cost-effective. The value of crystal is indeed high, but the price is not uneptably so. With hundreds of crystalmps illuminating Tulip Castle from morning till night, it is a beacon of light that never falls into darkness. Many nobles like to use crystal for their tableware. After being enfeoffed, Liszt also received a set of exquisite crystal tableware. Although its magic power had been exhausted, it still highlighted his ss when entertaining honored guests. ¡°I need to also install a crystalmp in the bedroom, then put on ampshade. That way, I won¡¯t need to turn off themp¡ªjust closing thempshade will be like turning off the light.¡± He was ustomed to sleeping in the dark; he couldn¡¯t sleep with the light on. He directed the servants to adjust the position of the crystalmp. Making a quick calction in his head, he estimated that at Granney¡¯s pace, it would take another three to five days to make ten crystalmps. Tenmps could at most sustain five rooms, but he had no intention of adding more; taking out so much crystal at once would be a bit ostentatious. Better to keep a low profile. After all, threemps for the study, two for the living room, two for the dining room, two for the bedroom, and one for the bathroom should be sufficient for his use. ¡°Master, Mr. Marcus has arrived and is waiting for you in the living room,¡± Carter approached to inform him. ¡°Did Teacher Marcus mention what it is about?¡± ¡°He hase to report on the knight training of the serf children.¡± Liszt pondered for a moment, then said, ¡°Have someone notify Karl Ironhammer and Rom Barrel toe here. Also, summon my twelve Retainer Knights; I want to hold a meeting.¡± He went downstairs. And met with Marcus. ¡°My lord, Marcus offers his greetings to you.¡± ¡°Good day,¡± Liszt, while letting Thomas adjust his necktie, replied, ¡°Teacher Marcus, let¡¯s talk under the apple tree. I have also invited others to join us in a meeting to discuss knight training.¡± The apple tree was a wild fruit tree not far from the front of the castle. There were stone benches and a wooden table beneath the tree where Liszt often read books or contemted. Regrettably, during this season, the apples had already ripened and fallen. Thus, he momentarily could not emte Newton, getting hit by a falling apple and then contemting and formting the epoch-makingw of universal gravitation. Next year, once apples grew on the tree again, he would definitely ponder astronomy, physics, magic and Dou Qi under it. ¡°Apples are wonderful, three apples can change the world.¡± Liszt sat down and smiled, gesturing towards the apple tree. Marcus was puzzled, ¡°Apples are indeed tasty, but how can they change the world?¡± ¡°Do you know how humanity came to be?¡± ¡°We are the rulers of nature, born alongside this continent, my lord.¡± Alright, watching Marcus answer seriously, Liszt suddenly found it boring; this Earth Knight was not one to exhibit humor. So, he cut to the chase, ¡°There is a legend that the first two people ate an apple and created the humans of today.¡± Marcus asked, ¡°Then why is it that three apples changed the world?¡± Temptation in the Garden of Eden, gravity, the iPhone¡­ Liszt regretted starting this topic and had to ther, ¡°Later, someone ate an apple and cultivated Dou Qi, someone else ate an apple and created magic. Of course, these are just legends I¡¯ve read in knight novels; those authors have quite the imagination.¡± ¡°Those magicians? They can¡¯t change the world; the world belongs to the knights!¡± A moment of thering followed. Karl and Rom had already arrived, and the Retainer Knights had formed a circle under the apple tree. Looking at Marcus, Karl, and Rom sitting upright and the Retainer Knights standing straight, Liszt suddenly thought of King Arthur and his round table meetings. This fictional ancient British king liked to have meetings with his knights around a round table, and Europeans wrote many stories about King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. The Japanese also produced many works about King Arthur. ¡°If one day in the future I were crowned king, would this table under the apple treee to be known by posterity as the Apple Table, the Apple Table Conference? Would Marcus, Karl, Rom, and this group of elders be called the Apple Table Knights? Or perhaps just the Apple Knights?¡± His thoughts were fleeting. He spoke earnestly, ¡°Teacher Marcus, has the sorting of the serf children finished?¡± ¡°Yes, my lord, out of three hundred and fifty-four children, twenty-six were excluded due to deformities or an inability to train, leaving three hundred and twenty-eight¡ª169 boys and 159 girls. Following your instruction, I have separated the girls into one group and divided the boys into passing and failing groups.¡± ¡°The girls¡¯ group will be trained by Rom,¡± Liszt decided on the spot, ¡°The purpose of the training is to keep them physically fit, making it easier to assign them jobs in the future. If there are any exceptionally talented individuals who can develop Dou Qi, we¡¯ll make special arrangements.¡± Rom immediately stood up to take the order, ¡°As you wish, I will rigorously train this group of girls!¡± Training women to develop Dou Qi was not the mainstream; at least mostndowners choosing knights would opt for boys. However, it wasn¡¯t fixed; there were also quite a fewndlords who trained female knights¡­ Liszt¡¯s sister, Li Vera, trained a group of girls to form a women¡¯s knight squad, although she also trained many more boys. Liszt¡¯s training of girls wasn¡¯t about forming a knight squad. It was because he wished for women to also increase their strength to undertake hardbor in the future, or rather, to take on farming entirely, freeing up the malebor force. Men could work in workshops, or do more physically demanding jobs like building roads, bridges, and ships. An even more crucial point was that with a stronger female constitution, the difficulties of childbirth would lessen and the baby survival rate would greatly improve. Besides, there was another reason¡ªif a few outstanding female knights emerged, they could be taken on as Retainer Knights, and if they were fair and beautiful, they could be adjusted to serve as personal guards, which would be delightful. ¡°The failing group will be trained by Karl.¡± Liszt put aside his private thoughts and continued, ¡°The training of the failing group, like the girls¡¯ group, is about building physical strength, preferably to cultivate Dou Qi. In the future, among this group, those with Dou Qi can join the Patrol Team or the Bug Guard Team, while those without it can build roads and bridges.¡± Karl stood to ept themand, ¡°As you wish!¡± ¡°Lastly, I¡¯ll entrust the passing group to Teacher Marcus for training; they are the candidates for the future Land¡¯s Guard Knights. Philip, Zavier, you Retainer Knights will take turns assisting Teacher Marcus to train the passing group¡­ I think the passing group should be further divided into smaller groups by age to train separately.¡± Marcus nodded, ¡°We can divide them into one group for those under six years old, mainly focusing on etiquette and basics; one group for those between six and eight years old, mainly cultivating Dou Qi and loyalty; and one group for those over eight, primarily training courage and mounted charges.¡± Chapter 162 - 0162: Falconer Elkerson Chapter 162: Falconer Elkerson As the meeting progressed, the number of participants gradually increased, with Goltai, Isaiah, ir, as well as Old Geronte and Kostor joining in. The content ranged from training serf children to future nning for Fresh Flower Town, all of which were included. By the time the sun was at its zenith at noon, the Apple Table Meeting concluded sessfully. The meeting resolved to establish the Knight Academy of Fresh Flower Town, because the territory was only a small town, so the academy kept a low profile. The academy was merely an informal appetion rather than a permanent institution. Everyone involved in training knights would also serve as an instructor and receive a sry of two copper coins per day. The first batch of eight instructors was as follows. Ettiquette Instructor ¨C Goltai Mast, responsible for training serf children in loyalty to theirndlord. Knight Squad Instructor ¨C Marcus Wheel, responsible for training the potential candidates of the Knight Squad, i.e., the serf children who passed. Patrol Team Instructor ¨C Karl Ironhammer, responsible for training the potential candidates of the Patrol Team, i.e., the serf children who did not pass. Bug Guard Team Instructor ¨C Rom Barrel, responsible for training the potential candidates of the Bug Guard Team, i.e., the girls¡¯ group of serf children. Administrative Instructor ¨C Isaiah Moss, responsible for teaching serf children administrative skills. Serpent Script Instructor ¨C ir Steel-Nail, responsible for teaching serf children how to read and write Serpent Script. Wind Language Instructor ¨C Grantaire Short Bench, responsible for teaching serf children how to read and write Wind Language. Marine Affairs Instructor ¨C Kostor Hoofprint, responsible for teaching serf children nautical knowledge. The meeting also readjusted the duties and sry regtions of Fresh Flower Town¡¯s provisional officials. Among them, consultants received twenty copper coins per day, affairs officers received ten copper coins per day, and assistant affairs officers received five copper coins per day. The list is as follows. Consultant and Diplomatic of Fresh Flower Town ¨C Goltai Mast, overseeing all affairs of Fresh Flower Town, including diplomatic affairs. Administrative Officer and Legal Officer ¨C Isaiah Moss, responsible for the administrative affairs and legal matters of Fresh Flower Town. Assistant to the Administrative Officer ¨C Auden Insole. Finance Officer ¨C ir Steel-Nail, responsible for the financial affairs of Fresh Flower Town. Assistant to the Finance Officer ¨C Gray Scythe. Defense Officer ¨C Karl Ironhammer, responsible for Patrol Team affairs. Worm Affairs Officer ¨C Rom Barrel, responsible for Bug Guard Team affairs. Marine Affairs Officer ¨C Kostor Hoofprint, responsible for nautical affairs. It was anticipated that separate Legal Officers, in charge of legal penalties, and Diplomats, in charge of external affairs, would be appointed, but there were no suitable officials for the positions at that time. Whether it was Old Geronte or Captain Kostor, they were acting in official capacities whilst still being serfs. They needed to umte enough merit for Liszt to release them from serfdom and convert them into formal officials. Therefore, their remuneration was granted ording to serf standards, much lower than that of formal officials. Even so, both were so excited that they prostrated themselves on the ground, kissing the tips of Liszt¡¯s leather shoes. For them, this was an opportunity given by Liszt to rewrite their destiny and a window bestowed upon them towards nobility¡ªas long as the futurendlord continuously achieved glory, they as following officials would naturally receive rewards. Even if they could not, their descendants would have a higher starting point to strive for noble glory. ¡°The glory of knighthood watches over Fresh Flower Town, over Lord Landlord, and over each and every one of us.¡± Goltai was very excited at the luncheon. The more prosperous Fresh Flower Town became, the more it highlighted his importance as a consultant and his power. He was not worried about facing challengers that would shake his status since only nobles could serve as consultants, and in Fresh Flower Town, there was no other noble besides Liszt. At least for a few years, this pattern was unlikely to change. The excited Goltai, almost getting drunk on beer, ttered effusively, ¡°Under the leadership of Baron Liszt, the prosperity of Fresh Flower Town is just around the corner. Let us raise a toast to the Baron!¡± ¡°A toast to the Lord!¡± As for Gao Ertai¡¯s bootlicking, Liszt was naturally immune and remained unaffected. Fresh Flower Town had already passed the difficult initial stage and was now in a phase of high-speed development. With the help of the Smoke Mission, his vision was beyond the likes of Gao Ertai. After the noon banquet, the officials returned to their posts. Liszt asked Captain Kostor to stay behind, ¡°Captain Kostor, how is the sailor training progressing?¡± ¡°It¡¯s about to bepleted. I have already started trial sailing. Just waiting for a big storm at sea to test the sailors¡¯ adaptability, and then we¡¯ll be ready to set sail for ck Horse Ind!¡± Kostor replied excitedly. ¡°I need not repeat the importance of ck Horse Ind, make sure to keep the training confidential.¡± ¡°Lord Landlord, rest assured, I haven¡¯t spoken a word about ck Horse Ind in front of the sailors.¡± ¡°Well done, keep up the good work.¡± ¡°Yes, Lord Landlord!¡± The sun was setting in the west. Time flew by, and an afternoon passed just like that. Liszt had just returned from inspecting the Thorn Cordyceps Shrubbery, when he happened to meet his servant Tom, who was looking for him: ¡°Sir, the Fresh Flower Caravan transport team has brought back a magician named Mr. Elkeson Truth. He¡¯s waiting for you at the castle.¡± ¡°I know.¡± This magician was a falconer invited by Mr. Granney Truth. When Liszt arrived at the entrance to the castle, he just so happened to see the other party wearing the distinctive ck magic cloak,pletely enveloping his body¡ªtruth be told, Liszt had always been curious why magicians liked to wear ck cloaks. He had worn a ck cloak too, but he also had red, gray, and blue ones. ¡°Baron Liszt, Mr. Elkeson True pays his respects to you,¡± Elkerson, showing more courtesy than Granney, bowed slightly. Liszt returned the courtesy: ¡°Mr. Elkeson, wee to Fresh Flower Town.¡± ¡°The town is beautiful, quiet and peaceful. I am delighted to be here to work. By the way, where is Mr. Granney Truth? I received his invitation letter.¡± ¡°He is making crystalmps.¡± Once inside the castle, the servants brought tea, and Liszt went straight to the point, ¡°I heard you are a falconer, and I especially asked Mr. Granney to invite you to help me train a magical beast, the Wind Falcon. It¡¯s time for its trial flight, but it still doesn¡¯t know how to release the Magic Wind de.¡± Elkeson replied calmly, ¡°First of all, I must rify that I have never trained falcon-type magical beasts, only ordinary falcons. It¡¯s hard to guarantee whether I can train the Wind Falcon.¡± ¡°Just do what you can to train it. If it really doesn¡¯t work out, it¡¯s not a problem. Mr. Granney happens to want to use the materials of the magical beast to make a piece of magic equipment for me,¡± Lisztughed, ¡°If the training is sessful, I will provide you with two gold coins as payment. Even if it fails, there will still be a gold coin as payment.¡± ¡°You are very generous,¡± Elkeson was satisfied with the offer, ¡°I will do my utmost.¡± Compared to magicians like Granney who are stubborn, rigid-minded and fail to grasp the situation, Elkeson was an excellent conversationalist. Ample knowledge, an interesting demeanor, a tone tinged with respect, and a strong, iron-like cadence made Liszt feel favorable towards him. The refined iron cadence popr in high society was certainly more pleasing to the ear than the clumsy local speech of Coral Ind. It¡¯s not that one fears unfamiliar goods, but rather fearsparing goods and finding them wanting. As they talked, Liszt began to regret¡ªhe should have directly invited Elkeson earlier, instead of spending a fist-sized ck Pearl to invite Granney. Chapter 163 - 0163: The Cruel Eagle Torture Training Chapter 163: The Cruel Eagle Torture Training ¡°Such a beautiful creature¡­ The eagle is a majestic flier, and the falcon is the same; even eagles and falcons raised from birth yearn for freedom, rather than being a loyal dog.¡± Mr. Elkeson admired the Wind Falcon perched on the windowsill, clucking his tongue in amazement. Outside the castle, Douson, tethered by a chain, suddenly sneezed for some reason. ¡°Do you mean to say that eagles and falcons can¡¯t bemanded?¡± Liszt furrowed his brow, his idea was to train the Wind Falcon to be as loyal and obedient as Douson. ¡°They can be close to the person who feeds them, but there¡¯s no way to force them to recognize a master except by subjugation. Taming an eagle or falcon essentially involves applying constant external force to force it to change its natural habits as a bird of prey.¡± ¡°How do you change it, and how do you train it?¡± ¡°Endurance!¡± ¡°Endurance?¡± ¡°Yes, enduring is the most important step in subduing the proud nature of eagles and falcons. By preventing them from sleeping and keeping them hungry, you canpletely shatter their spirit and change their habits. Only then will they hunt prey in the designed manner and not flee after being set free.¡± Mr. Elkeson, with many years of falconry experience, expounded on this in front of Liszt. He exined all details including the tools used for training, the steps involved, as well as different approaches for various eagles and falcons. Later, he nned to take forty days to summarize the training methods for the Wind Falcon, aiming to break its spiritpletely and turn it into a puppet on strings for the falconer, thereby achieving total subjugation. After hearing this, Liszt felt an inexplicable difort. Especially concerning the methods used for taming. Enduring¡ªto prevent the eagle or falcon from sleeping and thus break its spirit; Starving¡ªby wrapping twine around meat, causing the eagle or falcon to eat and then clean its stomach, followed by the removal of the twine to maintain a state of hunger; Restrain¡ªcing a hood over the bird¡¯s eyes so it wouldn¡¯t dare escape even when untethered; Hobble¡ªtying strings to its legs so it couldn¡¯t extend its legs to hunt. The entire training process was nothing but an endless torture for the bird of prey. He couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Mr. Elkeson, is an eagle or falcon trained this way still an eagle or falcon?¡± The ever-talkative Mr. Elkeson paused abruptly, thenughed and said, ¡°Baron Liszt, an eagle or falcon is just a wild beast. When humans tame wild beasts, they either eat them, ride them, or use them for farming, treating them all as tools. Falconry is merely a moreplex way of using a tool.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t there a rtively more humane method?¡± Liszt did not consider himself to be of the tender-hearted sort, as he had treated the Earth Matron quite cruelly. But Juan Fu was different from the Earth Matron, Juan Fu had been cared for bit by bit by him and was not just any magical beast. Besides, it was also a reward from the Smoke Mission, with a not-somon cachet. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, my lord,¡± said Mr. Elkeson calmly, ¡°I understand your thoughts. Indeed, the means of falconry can be cruel, butpared to the rewards, what is a little cruelty? The Wind Falcon is merely a magical beast. If you do not tame it, it will eventually rebel and escape, only causing you trouble.¡± Thinking about it, after a moment, Liszt tucked away that shred of kindness in his heart and replied, ¡°Fine, from tomorrow on, Juan Fu will be in your hands for training.¡± ¡°I will need your cooperation as well, ideally five hours a day, to train with me. Only by doing so can it truly submit to you.¡± Juan Fu was still chirping away on the windowsill. Completely unaware that its fate was about to plummet. Liszt took a deep breath, suddenly changing his mind, ¡°Mr. Elkeson, how about we wait another two days? Help me make the crystalmps first. Mr. Grandini alone will have a hard time finishing the crystalmps quickly.¡± He half wanted Juan Fu to enjoy two more days, and half wanted to elerate the progress on the Thorn Bug chain mission. ¡°If you truly need it, I¡¯d be happy to serve you.¡± In the evening. Mr. Elkeson met with Mr. Grandini. He greeted him warmly, ¡°Grandini, I¡¯m delighted to see you again. It¡¯s been half a year since ourst meeting. I¡¯ve wanted to visit Moss Town several times, but kept being dyed by other matters.¡± Mr. Grandini, however, was cold-faced, ¡°If Baron Liszt didn¡¯t need a falconer, I wouldn¡¯t have bothered writing to you.¡± ¡°It seems you have quite a prejudice against me, which is truly regrettable. Baron Liszt hopes that we can work together to finish making all the Crystal Lamps as soon as possible.¡± ¡°Work together with you? You must be joking!¡± Baron Liszt, who had been letting the two magicians introduce themselves, saw that things were about to be unpleasant, so he said, ¡°Mr. Grandini, rest assured that you will not be shorted on yourpensation. I simply hope to elerate the production of the Crystal Lamps, for the ck Pearl Magic Equipment needs to be made as soon as possible.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think working with him will speed up the progress. Not every magician knows how to make Magic Equipment.¡± Mr. Elkeson maintained his smile, ¡°Lord Grandini, I acknowledge your craftsmanship is excellent, but please do not belittle me. Even if my skill is not as good, we¡¯re only making Crystal Lamps after all, and it¡¯s verymon for two people to coborate on such a project. Besides, Baron Liszt has said that he will pay my sry separately, so it won¡¯t take away from your business.¡± Seeing that Mr. Grandini was about to speak again. Baron Liszt said impatiently, ¡°Enough, this matter is settled. Now, let¡¯s begin the banquet to wee Mr. Elkeson, with hopes that he¡¯ll enjoy his uing days in Fresh Flower Town.¡± Mr. Elkeson, still smiling, bowed in thanks, ¡°Thank you for your hospitality. I¡¯ve taken a stroll around Fresh Flower Town and have already fallen in love with its beautifulndscape and people, as well as its thriving atmosphere.¡± Look at that. The way he spoke made even Baron Liszt blush. He had assumed all magicians were like Mr. Grandini, but now he knew that there were indeed magicians with the elegance of nobles. When the banquet began, town officials joined in. The atmosphere became even livelier, with Mr. Elkeson¡¯s wit, humor, and erudition quickly winning everyone¡¯s favor. Mr. Grandini, however, kept a cold face throughout the entire event, focusing solely on his own eating and drinking, and not fitting in with the festivities. In the following two days. With Mr. Elkeson¡¯s involvement, the making of the Crystal Lamps indeed sped up, and by the morning of the third day, they sessfully finished making ten Crystal Lamps. All of the Crystal Lamps had been installed in the castle. ¡°Mr. Grandini, next, let¡¯s quickly forge the ck Pearl Magic Equipment,¡± said Baron Liszt, who was in fact already regretting choosing to have him make the Magic Equipment. Still, maintaining a basic level of integrity was necessary, so he did not show any significant emotional change towards Mr. Grandini. Mr. Grandini, with his usual indifferent expression and a hint of pride in his eyes, said, ¡°What do you n to name it? It¡¯s certainly going to be an exquisite piece of Magic Equipment. It deserves a name that reflects its character, so as not to waste my Magic Equipment crafting skill!¡± ¡°Calming Sea Pearl, I¡¯ve already thought of it.¡± ¡°Calming Sea Pearl?¡± Mr. Grandini, after pondering for a moment, replied without courtesy, ¡°It¡¯s a mediocre name. How about ¡®Eye of the Storm¡¯ instead? It has a stronger presence and fits its role better than Calming Sea Pearl.¡± Eye of the Storm? Calming Sea Pearl? Deep down, Baron Liszt had to admit that the name Mr. Grandini came up with was indeed more impressive than his own, but he was displeased with Mr. Grandini¡¯s attitude, ¡°It will be called Calming Sea Pearl, no, Calming Sea Divine Pearl!¡± Chapter 164 - 0164: The Key to the Evolution of the Thorn Bug Chapter 164: The Key to the Evolution of the Thorn Bug Having dispatched the clueless Granney, Liszt closed the door and, in the brightly lit study, he waved his hand, summoning forth the Smoke Mission. ¡°Complete the task, reward: Magic Potion variable rapid growth variety of Thorn.¡± ¡°Magic Potion!¡± Seeing these two Serpent Script characters, Liszt¡¯s pupils dted instantly. The long-desired mutation was now a reality, for indeed, a Magic Potion had been cultivated from the Thorns! Not cutting down the ordinary Rapid Growth Thorns in the beginning was truly a wise choice; no matter how practical the Rapid Growth Iron Thorns were, they couldn¡¯tpare to the importance of a Magic Potion. Especially now, as he had entered the Elite Earth Knight Sequence, it was precisely the time he needed a Magic Potion. It was like a timely rain, pouring refreshingly through his heart, utterly exhrating. The smoke slowly transformed in front of his eyes, forming new Serpent Script: ¡°Mission: A chain outbreak of five varieties of mutant Thorns is the Thorn Elf Bug expressing its desire for evolution,unching a firm attack against fate. As its contracted master, you should lend a hand, please provide new varieties of Thorns for the Thorn Bug. Reward: A Little Minor Elf.¡± At this point, Liszt¡¯s pupils dted once again. ¡°A Thorn Bug chain mission, finally at thest link. My first Little Minor Elf will be a Thorn Minor Elf! I originally thought it the least likely to evolve sessfully, but unexpectedly, it¡¯s the first to evolve¡­ The new Thorn variety isn¡¯t avable in Fresh Flower Town; it seems I need to go outside to find it.¡± With that thought, he did not hesitate for a moment. He directly called over his Retainer Knights, Philip and Zavier¡ªthe two Apprentice Knights who had been the first to cultivate Dou Qi and the most likely to break through to be Earth Knights; Liszt was focusing on training them. ¡°Philip, Zavier, I have a task for you.¡± The young faces, now tanned dark, no longer held a wooden expression but rather a resolute one: ¡°We are at your service, my lord!¡± ¡°Philip, make a trip to Coral City. Tell Captain Abagon to mobilize all the routes of the caravan to look for Thorns, not ordinary Thorns, but unusual varieties within them.¡± Philip promptly replied, ¡°Understood!¡± ¡°Zavier, apany the Thorn Caravan on a trip, the same mission, to find unusual Thorn varieties. Also, when leaving, stop by and call for Teacher Marcus.¡± ¡°As you wish.¡± Zavier quickly brought Marcus, who had been training the serf boys, over. ¡°My lord, you called for me?¡± ¡°Come with me.¡± Liszt led Marcus straight to the Worm Room on the second floor, pointing out the increasingly plump Thorn Bug, ¡°Teacher Marcus, you are the person I trust the most. Take a look at these Elf Bugs, do you notice anything?¡± Marcus seldom saw Elf Bugs. But that did not mean he was unfamiliar with Elf Bugs. As someone who aspired to be a Noble, he had made it a point to inquire about matters rted to Elf Bugs. Therefore, when he saw the Thorn Bug, he was stunned: ¡°My lord, this Thorn Bug¡­ has it entered the Fat Pupa Stage?¡± ¡°The emergence of four consecutive varieties of mutant Thorns has made my Thorn Bug no ordinary bug. It has a strong desire to evolve. I can already feel its urgent craving to evolve. So, I want to help it. I need you to make a trip to Tulip Castle, as well as to the Beer Castle and Shattered Stone Castle.¡± ¡°My lord, what¡¯s the task you¡¯re entrusting me with?¡± ¡°Get in touch with them to inquire about Thorn Bugs. I suspect all three ces have Thorn Bugs; Tulip Castle alone has two more. If they also have control over unusual varieties of Thorns, negotiate for me. I want to bring my Thorn Bug to assimte these Thorn varieties.¡± Thomas nodded in agreement, then furrowed his brows and asked, ¡°My lord, do you think the Thorn Bug could possibly break through to be a Little Minor Elf?¡± ¡°Why not? Maybe the odds are low, but nothing is absolute. Even if there¡¯s only the slightest possibility, I will not give up. I need a Thorn Minor Elf to care for my Rapid Growth Iron Thorns, understand?¡± ¡°Understood, I¡¯ll set off at once.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll write three letters for you to take with you.¡± Marcus set off with the three letters. Liszt wasn¡¯t idle either. After greeting Douson and Elkerson, who was preparing to train Juan Fu, he set off toward the thorn shrubbery. He was searching for a new variant of magic potion rapid growth thorn, which he called Rapid Growth Magic Thorn. Rapid Growth Thorn, Rapid Growth Poison Thorn, Rapid Growth Spiky Thorn, Rapid Growth Iron Thorns, Rapid Growth Magic Thorn¡ªthe benefits brought by the Thorn Bug were already rich and were now on the verge of a breakthrough. The future profits that thorns could bring would be even richer. Riding on the back of a Li Dragon Horse, he suddenly thought of a very serious question, ¡°Now that I have a Little Minor Elf, I can probably choose to change my surname, right?¡± Some nobles would change their surname for their elves. Usually, they would change their surname after acquiring a Greater Elf, to dere their family¡¯s glory. But since Greater Elves were rare, many smaller nobles followed suit; upon acquiring a Little Minor Elf, they would change their surname¡ªafter all, Greater Elves lived two hundred years and Little Minor Elves lived one hundred years, both of which could prolong the glory of a family for several generations. The Tulip Family began in the era of the earl. The Tulip Lesser Spirit evolved into the Tulip Great Elf, and the surname changed from ¡°Tile¡± to ¡°Tulip.¡± The Lycra Family of Beer Castle had a Lycra Minor Elf and directly changed their surname to ¡°Lycra.¡± The Shattered Stone Family from Shattered Stone Castle also had a Little Minor Elf but did not change their surname. Perhaps they harbored ambitions to wait for a Greater Elf before changing the surname, or perhaps they were too modest to use a Little Minor Elf as their surname. ¡°In any case, I can now change my surname to Thorn¡­ Liszt Thorn¡­ It doesn¡¯t sound as noble as Liszt Tulip, never mind, I won¡¯t change it. I¡¯ll continue to bear the surname Tulip and maintain some distance from Tulip Castle so that I can still benefit from the Earl in the future.¡± He arrived at the Thorn Cordyceps Shrubbery. Bug Guard Members came forward to salute. He simply used the Eye of Magic to observe the thorns. The Thorn Cordyceps were the most conspicuous with their abundant magic power. Momentster, Liszt discovered a new trace of magic power in a corner of the shrubbery and determined the location of the Rapid Growth Magic Thorn. The Rapid Growth Magic Thorn was not conspicuous. On the contrary,pared to the surrounding Rapid Growth Thorns, it was even smaller. This smallness was not because it was in the seedling phase but rather because the entire nt had a dwarfed appearance. Judging by its form, it had definitely grown for more than a month, with branches fully spread out, but the height only reached the lower leg. ¡°The chaotic, attribute-less magic power is like that of the ck Tulip, not bad at all. With this, I have a new magic potion avable to use¡­ Most importantly, this is a rapid growth variant of the magic potion, practically a Gold Coin production line!¡± He touched the Rapid Growth Magic Thorn. Its thorns were very small and rather blunt, posing virtually no harm. Beside it was a Rapid Growth Spiky Thorn, whose thorns glinted coldly, as if ready to kill at any moment. ¡°I need to protect this Rapid Growth Magic Thorn. Clear out all the other varieties of thorns, from top to root, to make room for its growth.¡± Having confirmed the n for cultivating the Rapid Growth Magic Thorn, he faced another concern: ¡°The Rapid Growth Magic Thorn needs Thorn Bugs to increase production, as does the Rapid Growth Iron Thorns, how should I allocate them?¡± One can¡¯t have both the fish and the bear¡¯s paw. His only hope was for the Thorn Bug to break through into a Thorn Minor Elf soon and affect arger range of thorns. Standing up, he looked across over a hundred acres of Thorn Cordyceps Shrubbery, envisioning an endless supply of magic potions and high-quality wood. ¡°The Sea of Thorns is a bit exaggerated; The Land of Thorns is a bit mundane; The Forest of Thornscks creativity¡­ I might as well call this shrubbery the Thorn Garden. I¡¯ll tend to it as I would a garden!¡± Chapter 165 - 0165: Flame Mushroom Magic Potion Collaboration Chapter 165: me Mushroom Magic Potion Coboration ¡°Oh, my God!¡± When Goltai received the notification and hurried to the Thorn Garden, he immediately opened his mouth wide and exaggeratedly described, ¡°I can¡¯t believe this is real, Magic Medicine Thorns? I thought Fresh Flower Town was the ce where the knight¡¯s glory shone, but now I realize that this ce is more like the birthce of the knight¡¯s glory!¡± ¡°The birthce of knight¡¯s glory? I like the sound of that, Consultant Goltai, and there might be even more surprises that you can¡¯t imagine,¡± Liszt said mysteriously. With the existence of the Smoke Mission as a golden finger, everything here was to be expected. Dragon! Smoke Dragon! A dragon that could found a nation, bringing such benefits, is nothing. ¡°Are there more surprises?¡± ¡°Of course, you will know soon,¡± Liszt referred to the evolution of the Thorn Bug, believing that soon, they would receive news of a new variety of thorns, and after that, the assimtion of the Thorn Bug. What would be gained then was a miraculous Thorn Minor Elf. He didn¡¯t tell Goltai; Goltai couldn¡¯t keep secrets. Regarding the evolution of the Thorn Bug, he wasn¡¯t nning to announce it until it was sessful, letting only Marcus in on it. Liszt had great trust in Marcus; his family had already settled in Fresh Flower Town. He swiftly changed the subject. Liszt said, ¡°Teacher Goltai, this Thorn Garden canmence with transntation and nning. My idea is to transnt the Rapid Growth Spiky Thorn and Rapid Growth Poison Thorn to the edge of Thorn Ridge, to enclose Fresh Flower Town and prevent invasions from magical beasts or thieves from outside.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a significant project,¡± Goltai said with a troubled look, ¡°It might not be feasible in a short period, as the autumn harvest is upon us, and I¡¯m organizing serfs to reap this year¡¯s crop.¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s wait until after the autumn harvest to arrange for the Thorn Garden. But for now, around the Rapid Growth Magic Thorns, someone must immediately arrange for the removal of the ordinary thorns, allowing the Magic Medicine Thorns to grow and breed,¡± said Liszt. ¡°As you wish.¡± A momentter. Worm Affairs Officer Rom Barrel, who was inspecting the cordyceps, also hurried over. Liszt had to give another set of instructions: ¡°The protective measures for the Thorn Garden must be strengthened, with at least a squad of four Bug Guard Members on guard, divided into eight-hour shifts, with three squads rotating.¡± ¡°Understood!¡± ¡°Also, I will purchase severalrge drums to be ced in the wooden hut where the Bug Guard Members keep watch. In case of any situations, they should beat the drums as a signal,¡± said Liszt. After making proper arrangements, he reluctantly left the Thorn Garden. Back at the castle. Mr. Elkeson True had already designed aplete set of tools for training Juan Fu, including an eagle hood, eagle tether, eagle water bottle, eagle gloves, eagle creance, falcon stand, bait, and other equipment. All these were made to precise measurements ording to Juan Fu¡¯s body shape. It wasn¡¯t too expensive, but neither was it cheap¡ªaltogether, it cost a gold coin. ¡°Baron Liszt, for the next period, we must enter the stage of training the bird through sleep deprivation. You must refrain from feeding Juan Fu. The rest, leave to me, preventing it from sleeping. Eventually, it will submit its proud head to youpletely,¡± advised Elkeson. ¡°I understand,¡± said Liszt. Liszt reached out and petted Juan Fu. Although Juan Fu didn¡¯t bite Liszt, it dodged his touch, as it didn¡¯t like anyone touching it. In the following time, the training of Juan Fu began. Having moved out of the castle and confined to a separate falcon room, Elkerson watched Juan Fu closely, recording all the detailed data about him. It must be said, this witty and humorous magician, instead of performing his duties as a magician, found it interesting to take on the role of a breeder. ¡°Mr. Elkerson, which systems of magic are you skilled in?¡± ¡°Earth System and Water System.¡± ¡°I have a curious question, how did you embark on the path of a magician?¡± Elkerson reflected, ¡°Baron Liszt, Ie from a family of serfs. As it happened, my teacher passed by Serpent Spear City on his way to the small town where I lived, to select some nts; he needed an assistant and chose me. Afterward, he asked if I wanted to join him to explore the truth, and I agreed.¡± ¡°So, you are from Serpent Spear City.¡± ¡°My family were originally serfs from Midway Ind, but when I was very young, because Viscount re angered Marquis Deep Throat, re was exiled to an uninhabited ind. Thus, my family and I came to Coral Ind and settled down in Serpent Spear City, but my parents have passed away, and I¡¯m on my own now.¡± The Marquis of Deep Throat Ind, full name Wace Pineapple Green, is one of the seven marquises of the Grand Duchy. The long-forgotten Viscount of Little Papa Ind, whose brother, the Viscount of Da Pa Pa Ind, is a noble vassal of Marquis Deep Throat. As for Midway Ind, Liszt had not heard of it before, and knew nothing about Viscount re. However, in earlier years, when the Tulip Family received their fief on Coral Ind, they bought arge number of serfs from various ces; Elkerson was likely bought as a serf to Coral Ind at that time. They made small talk for a bit. Suddenly, Liszt asked, ¡°Mr. Elkerson, do you know Fire Attribute magic?¡± ¡°I am not proficient in it, but I can definitely do it.¡± ¡°In that case, I have a batch of Fire Attribute magic potions; could you make them into magic power potions for me?¡± Liszt decided to entrust the creation of magic power potions to Elkerson. Elkerson¡¯s brows raised slightly, and he chuckled, ¡°I would not refuse a task that brings in money. On the path to seeking truth, I am always in need of gold coins; knowledge neveres for free.¡± Magicians like to mess around with vials and jars, studying various types of explosions and dangerous things. All of these materials must be purchased with gold coins. As a ss existing outside the feudal system, if they want to earn gold coins, they have to work on their own ¡ª making magic potions, crafting magic equipment; those specializing in the Ice System might even make and sell ice blocks. Of course, some magicians choose to join the feudal system. For example, they serve as court magicians or magic advisors for nobles, enjoying the patronage of a noble. But magicians like Elkerson and Granney, of their level, certainly cannot enjoy such patronage and must work on their own to earn money to purchase knowledge and explore the truth. At Tulip Castle, there is a magician specializing in the cooperative production of magic potions, living a reclusive life withoutcking money. These two could only take on odd jobs, living a semi-secluded life. ¡°Then, I entrust the magic me mushrooms I have to you for processing. I will build a me Mushroom Processing Workshop at Mushroom Hamlet and n to have a long-term cooperation with you, how does that sound?¡± He had intended to keep Granney around, but now, he felt that Elkerson was a better choice. Elkerson seemed hesitant, ¡°To stay in Fresh Flower Town for a long time?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to stay here all the time; the production of me mushrooms is limited. If you could take out a week every month, that would be enough to process all of the me Mushroom magic potions.¡± ¡°In that case, I am willing to cooperate,¡± Elkerson nodded, then voiced his confusion, ¡°Baron Liszt, why don¡¯t you cooperate with Tulip Castle?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it the same if the products are made first? There is no loss due to transportation costs and perhaps that could even earn a little more.¡± Liszt narrowed his eyes, choosing not to tell the truth. He had been very conspicuoustely, making quite an impression on Coral Ind. Too much rigidity can lead to copse, so moderation is key in everything. As for joining the Elite Earth Knight Sequence, it¡¯s best kept to himself. Chapter 166 - 0166: Juan Fu’s Miserable Bird Life Chapter 166: Juan Fu¡¯s Miserable Bird Life Elkerson oversaw the construction of the me Mushroom Processing Workshop and stewed falcon Juan Fu every day. Granney threw himself into the making of the Calming Sea Pearl wholeheartedly. Goltai and other officials presided over the autumn harvest work of Fresh Flower Town. Themoners of the town also joined the harvesting teams, reaping wheat, barley, rye, leveling wastnd, picking wild fruits, gathering vegetables, and collecting Tulip pod fruits. After autumn, the long Ice Snow winter will set in, and all the crops in Fresh Flower Town will cease to grow. ¡°Master, these are the freshly picked Dragon Kui from today,¡± Butler Carter brought over a te of dark little fruits. With the boost from the Dragon Kui Bugs, the yield of the Dragon Kui Field surged, harvesting a te of fruits every day. These things indeed tasted good, but eating too much was notfortable, Liszt only tasted them asionally, and the rest were given to his subordinates. Ever since the outbreak of the Thorn Bugs. The Dragon Kui Bug had be the most chicken-ribbed among the Elf Bugs. The output of Dragon Kui was low and couldn¡¯t be sold in bulk, only serving as a taste improver. However, taking the example of the Thorn Bug, Liszt would not underestimate the Dragon Kui Bug, who knew when it might have a big outbreak and trigger a set of chain tasks, evolving into a Dragon Kui Junior Elf. ¡°You should try some too.¡± ¡°Thank you, Master.¡± After eating a few Dragon Kui fruits, Liszt asked, ¡°We¡¯re approaching the end of October now, and in two more months, it will be winter. Has the warehouse started preparing for food storage?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already entrusted Captain Abagon and Captain Sherlock to be ready at any time to purchase the newly harvested wheat.¡± ¡°Relying on just wheat isn¡¯t enough, sorghum, beans, salt, sugar, etc., all need to be purchased, even in winter, I don¡¯t want the dietary conditions at the Castle to decline,¡± said Liszt, who did not want topromise, ¡°I will notify Consultant Goltai to build a warehouse near the Castle specifically for storing winter supplies.¡± Suddenly. He thought of something, ¡°Right, remember to remind me to hire people to build an ice cer in Fresh Flower Town when the timees.¡± ¡°Yes, Master.¡± Saltpeter ice-making was indeed convenient, readily avable, and recyble. Unfortunately, there was some loss in the process, and now, out of more than three hundred pounds of saltpeter powder, only over two hundred and sixty pounds were left, a loss of nearly forty-fifty pounds. In another year and a half, ice-making would no longer be possible. A new Saltpeter Mine was sought in vain. So, at the end of the day, it was essential to dig arge ice cer to preserve the ice from winter, for use in the following year. Warehouse, ice cer, falcon stand, dog kennel, dog prison (Earth Matron), apple desk, stables, Trida shell, Liszt discovered that the Castle, which was supposed to stand alone on a hillside surrounded by green grass, was quickly bing encircled by various illegal buildings. ¡°No, the warehouse and ice cer have to be built in a faraway ce; the dog kennel will be moved to the entrance of the Castle; the falcon stand can be relocated to the Castle¡¯s top tform, built into a third floor in the form of a loft. Apple desks, apple trees, and Trida shells can be considered as scenery, the stables need to be moved further away.¡± The reason for leaving open space around the Castle. Is to set up a ring of safety zones where one cannot hide their form, to prevent assassins from sneaking in. ¡°Not only the illegal buildings need to be moved, but a ring of hedges should be nted, and a moat should be dug as a part of the Castle¡¯s defense. If funds and materials permit, the Castle walls, especially the entrance, should be fortified, preferably into a bridge-style gatehouse.¡± With the terrain advantage, the gate of the Castle can be built at a high position, connected to the outside by a bridge, under which people can directly walk. This would make it difficult for attacking forces to charge inrge numbers of knights at the same time, ensuring the Castle could not be taken down in a short period. To win time for reinforcements from allies. Speaking of which, it was unlikely that Fresh Flower Town would be attacked, after all, Liszt was the son of an Earl, and the blood of the Tulip Family was a banner on this ind. But just in case of an encounter with Pirates, just in case the pirates insisted on attacking, a well-defended Castle could be a lifesaver. ¡°To thoroughlyplete the castle, a considerable sum of money is needed. I am indeed very wealthy, with countless fixed assets¡­ but as for liquid funds, even though the seafood business lends support, it still falls short of the mark, which is a headache,¡± A castle that could bear one¡¯s own name. It should at least sustain an independent life within its walls, with ample food, solid defenses, and a water source. Perched atop a cliff, Tulip Castle had a spring; even if soldiers surrounded it, it could at least hold out for half a year to a year¡ªin this regard, the castle in Fresh Flower Town wascking. Without a water source, water had to be drawn from the town¡¯s well. ¡°Should I seize the opportunity to sell some mithril, crystals, and jade? Get a few thousand gold coins for them first!¡± The high-value items he could sell externally were a box of magic power mithril, a box of dragon¡¯s mine crystals, and a box of magic power stones jade. And the remaining dozen or so ck Pearls. ck Pearls were of immense value, especially therge ones the size of washbasins or basketballs, instrumental for navigation, while smaller ck Pearls could be made into personal defense ornaments. Selling them now would be very disadvantageous, as Trida were notmonly found. Especially suchrge Trida. The remaining mithril, crystals, and jade were also valuable but unseble items he equally couldn¡¯t bear to part with. ¡°Forget it, let¡¯s not think about these things anymore; it¡¯s not yet time for me to lie back and enjoy,¡± ¡°I still have to strive!¡± As these thoughts came to him, he felt his blood stir, unable to stay put in the castle. He simply took his retainer knights and the ever-growing Douson on a casual stroll¡ªvisiting the Dog Prison to see the seemingly pregnant Earth Matron, allowing Douson to cozy up to it; going to the cow farm to see the pregnant three cows, feeling the little calves inside their bellies that were likely to be Dragon Breed Cows. Heading to the Fruit Thief Monkey Training Grounds in Oyster Vige, watching the obediently trained Fruit Thief Monkeys climbing trees to pick Fragrant Coconut Fruits, and also the three female monkeys with swollen bellies. Visiting Little Wheat Vige to see the 12rge, fat pigs in the pig farm; by winter, these big fat pigs would be ready for ughter. And the growth of every piece of Elf Cordyceps. As such, the day came to an end. Then, in the blink of an eye, Three days had slipped past in a blur. With no news of a new Thorn Bug speciesing in, Liszt had been cooperating with Elkerson in training Juan Fu. Juan Fu, having not eaten or drunk for three days, had be hoarse from crying, unable to sleep, its eyes bloodshot red. Upon seeing Liszt, its cries were even more pitiful. ¡°Gah-jee!¡± ¡°Gah-jee!¡± Its regal appearance had disappeared, leaving only a disheveled, oversized fat bird. Seeing that Liszt did not feed it any food after calling for quite some time, Juan Fu seemed to have run out of energy and plummeted from the Falcon Stand. Liszt was just about to go help it up. But Elkerson stepped in to stop him: ¡°Baron Liszt, now is the perfect opportunity to break Juan Fu¡¯s spirit. Do not interrupt; otherwise, it will take even more time to wear it down.¡± ¡°It hasn¡¯t submitted yet in this state?¡± ¡°No, it has not bowed its head, so it does not count as being subdued.¡± ¡°Alright, you continue to tough it out with the bird,¡± Liszt shook his head, nced at Juan Fu rising from the ground, and turned to leave. Walking far away, he could still faintly hear the pitiful cries of Juan Fu. ¡°Gah-jee¡­¡± Chapter 167 - 0167: Fly Free, Juan Fu Chapter 167: Fly Free, Juan Fu At the end of October, the weather turned cool. The atmosphere in the castle became more and more oppressive, mainly because its master, Liszt, was growing increasingly irritable. Fresh Flower Town was thriving, with more than four hundred new serfs quickly integrating and the autumn harvest yieldingrge amounts of food each day, stacking the storehouses full. In such an atmosphere, he should have been happy. However, the news ryed by the caravans left him quite restless, his tone slightly gloomy, ¡°Abagon, the Fresh Flower Caravan covers so many small towns¡¯ seafood businesses and has built such a vastwork of information, yet you haven¡¯t even found one different species of thorn?¡± Abagon knelt on the ground, trembling with fear. The words of an angry Elite Earth Knight, the extremely dissatisfied attitude of a Domain Overlord, put him under immense pressure. ¡°Lord Landlord, I¡¯m sorry, Abagon has disappointed you. I¡¯ve already had everyone in the caravan put out the word¡ªanyone who can provide a new species of thorn will receive a handsome reward, but all the thorns that have been delivered aremon varieties, none meeting your requirements.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve searched the entirety of the area covered by the Fresh Flower Caravan?¡± ¡°Birch City, Elm Forest City, Serpent Spear City, Shattered Stone City, and the surrounding small towns¡ªhave all been searched. To continue searching, we would need to go to the viges beneath the towns.¡± ¡°Then go to the viges, one by one, ask, one by one, search,¡± Liszt¡¯s temper was not really directed at Abagon, but regardless, he was irritable, ¡°You can directly retain one-tenth of the Fresh Flower Caravan¡¯s funds to use in the search for new species of thorn.¡± Abagon replied cautiously, ¡°Yes, Lord Landlord, I will search diligently!¡± Grantaire had been promoted, and he had only just been given the opportunity to be promoted to captain of the Fresh Flower Caravan. He certainly didn¡¯t want to be ipetent and then be sent back by Liszt to farm again. ¡°Go on, get to work.¡± Liszt waved his hand, signalling Abagon to leave. Then he sat down in his chair, rubbing his temples with his hands. Not only had the Fresh Flower Caravane up empty-handed, but Sherlock¡¯s Thorn Caravan had likewise turned up nothing, having just been scolded by him. He had thought that it would be a simple matter for the caravans spread across Coral Ind to casually inquire and find a new species of thorn, but it turned out to be not so easy. ¡°The caravans have offered a handsome reward for finding a new species of thorn, and themoners who hear about it will surely search frantically¡­ theck of results for several days suggests a strong possibility that Coral Ind truly has no new species of thorn¡­ now, I can only wait for Marcus¡¯s news.¡± He had instructed the caravans and Marcus to look in two different directions. It was all to discover more species of thorn, to enhance the chances of the Thorn Bug¡¯s breakthrough, the more pheromones gathered, the greater the possibility of evolution. ¡°If Marcus also brings no good news, where should I go to search?¡± With no leads on Coral Ind, he could only search other inds. As a minor noble, his social circle wasrgely limited to Coral Ind. Earls are nobles directly enfeoffed by the Grand Duke, and most of the surrounding inds are ruled by Marquises and their followers, with rtionships to Coral Ind that are not very cordial. It was frowned upon for followers of differentndlords to make casual contact with each other. However, there was one ind he could enter and exit freely¡ªRed Crab Ind. Liszt was a legitimate descendant of the Long Taro Family bloodline, and his mother was the daughter of the master of Long Taro Castle, one of the seven great Marquises of the Grand Duchy on Red Crab Ind, Marquis Merlin Taro. When he had visited Marquis Merlin, he had once been recruited by the sparsely popted Long Taro Family. ¡°If I were to ask Grandfather Merlin, no, if I just ask Cousin Meioubao for help, I should be able toplete the task.¡± The vast Red Crab Ind, when considered, is equivalent to a province in China, could it really not produce a few different species of thorn? Perhaps in the hedges of Long Taro Castle, there are several different species of thorn. At that thought. His irritation subsided slightly, ¡°If one day I can¡¯t make it on Coral Ind, I will go to seek refuge at Long Taro Castle. I believe Grandfather would at least arrange for me a Viscount¡¯s domain.¡± However, with Red Crab Ind¡¯s extensive family and businesses, it might not be as easy as Coral Ind. No matter how close a cousin is, they can never be as close as immediate family. Suddenly, his thoughts turned to Asina Salmon, and his mood inevitably warmed slightly, ¡°It¡¯s been months, I wonder if Asina has held hands with another noble¡­ Ah, I remember the running under the sunset that afternoon, that was my fleeting youth.¡± He had quite a fondness for this noble youngdy who had brazenly confessed her love to him. But soon. The pleasant memory was shattered by a piercing howl. The sound came from the falcon room outside the castle, an expression of torment from Juan Fu. Just as his irritation began to subside, it surged back up. He rose to his feet, walked out of the castle, and approached the falcon stand. Mr. Elkerson was sitting opposite, his eyes red with bloodshot veins. Seeing Liszt arrive, he hurriedly said, ¡°Baron Liszt.¡± ¡°Mr. Elkerson, has Juan Fu not yet submitted?¡± ¡°The pride in this Wind Falcon¡¯s heart is beyond my imagination,¡± Mr. Elkerson exined with some embarrassment. He believed the harrowing falconry step he¡¯d thought all but assured hade to aplete standstill. The Wind Falcon, Juan Fu, would rather starve to death than bow his head. Liszt suddenly noticed traces of red blood at Juan Fu¡¯s beak. ¡°Has it vomited blood?¡± ¡°Yes, due to prolonged starvation, its body is now in danger. If it fails several more falconry sessions¡­ I apologize, Baron Liszt, this is something I¡¯ve never encountered with regr hawks or falcons.¡± ¡°So, Juan Fu might starve to death?¡± ¡°There is that possibility, but also a possibility that after a few more days, it might bow its head. As you know, after all, magical beasts are just wild animals; they will sumb to the threat of death. At that time, after several training sessions, it will be your qualified pet.¡± ¡°Ca¡­¡± the blood-vomiting Juan Fu on the falcon stand let out a pitiful and mournful cry. But its gaze didn¡¯t hold a shred of submission; it remained defiant. Looking into its eyes, Liszt felt as though he could see its disdain for fate. Fate. Perhaps it was an aftereffect from the Smoke Dragon, but he often found himself associating everything with fatetely, almost veering towards the prophetic; always contemting cause and effect, fate and destiny. Thankfully, the materialistic values rooted in him from childhood still stood guard. ¡°I think Juan Fu will not submit to anyone,¡± Liszt shook his head. The Wind Falcon was not a caged bird; from a young age, he could see Juan Fu¡¯s yearning and longing for the sky, ¡°Mr. Elkerson, let¡¯s stop the training here. I need you to devote more effort to the development of me Mushroom Magic Potion.¡± ¡°What?¡± Mr. Elkerson was stunned. ¡°Baron Liszt if we give up now, all the effort put in previously will be in vain, and there will likely be no second chance for falconry as it matures.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll pay you as if you¡¯vepleted the job,¡± Liszt decided to be wilful just this once, the beautiful imagery of controlling the falcon in each hand was best left to the imagination. As he spoke, he untied the ropes binding Juan Fu on the falcon stand. He personally brought meat and water to feed Juan Fu. As a magical beast, Juan Fu had strong recovery abilities, regaining much of its vitality in just half a day. ¡°Fly, Juan Fu!¡± He opened the door of the falcon room and gave Juan Fu a push. Clearly unustomed to the situation, Juan Fu turned its head to look at Liszt, its eyes flickering with confusion. But after a moment¡¯s hesitation, it finally pped its wings and hopped off the falcon stand. Flying. Thud. It fell down. However, it quickly discovered its inborn instinct for flight amidst the failure. With one final leap from the ground, pping its wings, shedding two feathers, it sessfully soared into the sky. ¡°Caw!¡± Leaving behind a final call, without looking back, it vanished into the expanse of blue sky and white clouds. Chapter 168: The Evil Scientist Chapter 168: The Evil Scientist ¡°Master, Juan Fu has flown away.¡± ¡°I know.¡± ¡°You must be feeling quite upset right now.¡± ¡°Of course, these damn magical beasts. Next time I catch one, I should just make soup out of it!¡± Lisztined bitterly, ¡°I fed it, gave it freedom, raised it for so long, and still couldn¡¯t tame it. It just flew away like that. It just goes to show that magical beasts and wild beasts are really not much different.¡± ¡°Woof woof!¡± Douson in the doghouse lodged its protest. After venting his frustration on Juan Fu, Liszt turned around; there was no sign of anger on his face. ¡°Mr. Carter, has the Thorn Caravan not purchased the female mastiff yet?¡± ¡°ording to Sherlock, we need to contact the Fresh Flower Caravan; North Valley City does not have a suitable female mastiff for Douson¡¯s¡­ size,¡± Carter said carefully, choosing his words. ¡°Hurry it up, otherwise Douson will go crazy sooner orter. I¡¯ve noticed it¡¯s been looking at those horses in the stables with a strange gleam in its eye.¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± To keep Douson from going mad, Liszt could only train it vigorously: ¡°Douson, Rock Spike!¡± Pfft! A thick rock spike pierced the earth¡¯s surface. ¡°Douson, Multiple Stone Spikes!¡± Pfft, pfft, pfft¡­ pfft! A cluster of thick rock spikes pierced the earth¡¯s surface. ¡°Casting magic quite skillfully, Douson really is an outstanding magical beast. Baron Liszt, Douson must be at the intermediate magical beast level now,¡± said Mr. Elkeson, who had just woken up from a nap, as he walked over from a distance, eyes sparkling while looking at Douson, ¡°Such a magnificent creature, calling it the King of Thorn Ridge is no longer fitting.¡± He already knew that Douson had consumed a Bloodline Fruit. Liszt stroked Douson¡¯s big head: ¡°Among intermediate magical beasts, it¡¯s probably one of the weaker ones, especially since it can only cast Rock Spike. Multiple Stone Spikes barely counts as a new kind of magic, but after all, it¡¯s just a superposition of Rock Spike, the essence has not changed.¡± Douson turned its head and licked Liszt¡¯s hand with its tongue. Immediately, its hand was covered in saliva. The personal servant hurriedly took out a handkerchief and handed it to Liszt to wipe his hand. Mr. Elkesonughed, ¡°It¡¯s still not quite a mature magical beast, and itsprehension of magic isn¡¯t very extraordinary. Even for us magicians, mastering a single type of magic takes a long time to refine, let alone a magical beast. As it ages, it will self-learn the power granted by its bloodline and discover how to unleash new magic.¡± ¡°I hope so,¡± said Liszt, not dwelling on it, ¡°At least for now, Douson has no natural predators on Coral Ind. In the future, I will train it to adapt to the battlefield and help me achieve glory.¡± ¡°You will, like the Earl, attain numerous dazzling glories.¡± Liszt smiled faintly, ¡°I think so too.¡± This was not boasting. This was confidence. A noble must have both a desire and confidence for glory; humility is only seen as timidity or ack of ambition. Regardless of what Liszt really thought, on the surface, he must always appear ready for battle, ready to earn des. Only this way would his subordinates follow him. Life is but a y, all dependent on acting. As a soul of an experienced adult, coupled with the noble education received from childhood, his acting skills were undoubtedly masterful. After performing for a bit, he asked, ¡°Mr. Elkeson, how is the progress on the production of the me Mushroom Magic Potion?¡± ¡°The agents are being mixed and tested, and I believe we will soon enter the production phase. me Mushrooms are a very excellent magic potion, extracting magic power to create the potion is not difficult.¡± ¡°Then proceed with production as soon as possible.¡± In the past few days, Liszt had firmly settled into the phase of an Elite Earth Knight. He had also tried to continue his training without the aid of Magic Potions. However, it proved that his talent was not exceptional, as he was still confined by the limitations of Dou Qi and unable to increase the total amount of Dou Qi inside his body. Usually, Elite Earth Knights who cannot afford the Magic Potions turn to honing their Dou Qi cirction skills instead. By continuously tempering these skills, one can also improve their strength, and meticulously refining their understanding of Dou Qi manuscripts can lead to more than a minor increase in power. A single Elite Earth Knight is capable of dueling seven or eight Common Earth Knights without a problem. As a wealthy upstart, Liszt wasn¡¯t in a hurry to refine his Dou Qi cirction skills. He had already mastered two Dou Qi Secret Techniques, ¡°ming Wave¡± and ¡°Fire Dragon Drill,¡± and had partial mastery over ¡°Multi-Arrow.¡± Moreover, another Dou Qi Secret Technique, ¡°The Eye of Magic,¡± had reached a high level of aplishment. Coupled with the Li Dragon Horse and the Crimson Blood Sword, his personal strength far surpassed Marcus¡¯s and was undoubtedly a top figure among Elite Earth Knights. If one were to include Douson, perhaps he could even give the Earl a run for his money. ¡°It should¡­ be possible¡­ I guess.¡± He had never seen a Sky Knight fight with all their might, nor had he witnessed their formidable charge on the battlefield, so he could only make an estimate. After all, it was said that the stronger Low-Level magical beasts could even spar with Sky Knights. Douson, now an Intermediate Magical Beast, could give the Earl a hard time with just its fierce Rock Spike magic. With Liszt shouting support from the sidelines¡ªno,manding the battle¡ªit should be possible to hold their own. The development of the territory was on the right track. There was no need for Liszt to do anything in particr. So most of the time, he found things to do for himself. At sixteen, his youthful body was bursting with energy, which he could either use to endure tedious training or find something else to upy himself. He decided to inspect the progress of the Calming Sea Pearl¡¯s creation. In the new house in Little Wheat Vige, Granney led the Magic Apprentices, living almost without showing his face, even eating meals in the studio. On this point, Liszt had to admit that Granney was more dedicated than Elkeson: ¡°Both are magicians, but the two seem to beplete opposites. One is arrogant and paranoid, the other is witty and humorous. Elkeson is better at socializing, while Granney is focused on work. Another thing, Granney seems to have a deeper well of knowledge?¡± If another young indigenousndlord had to choose, they probably would find Elkeson¡¯s wit and humor far superior to Granney¡¯s dullness, but Liszt appreciated Elkeson¡¯s mannerisms while understanding the need to analyze rationally¡ªaside from detailed falconry techniques, Elkeson¡¯s other areas of expertise seemed quite superficial. Especially in terms of professional knowledge, far from as solid as Granney¡¯s. ¡°Baron, the teacher is busy. He asked that you not disturb him,¡± the magic apprentice Charley said cautiously, afraid that his teacher¡¯s temper might irritate Liszt. Gathering his thoughts, Liszt replied, ¡°I¡¯m just here for a visit. I won¡¯t disturb your teacher. Take me inside.¡± ¡°Well¡­ okay, but please speak softly. The teacher needs quiet for his work, and he hates being interrupted. I¡¯ve been scolded by him many times for that.¡± They entered the inner workshop of the room. The light from the Crystal Lamps illuminated the workbench¡ªGranney had his own Crystal Lamp fixtures, designed like a deskmp, a very clever idea. The desk was cluttered with arge number of materials and tools. Next to it were many stoves with pots and basins of various sizes boiling on them, containing liquids of different colors. The strange mix of odors was ufortable to smell. Granney was hunched over the table, carving runes into a basketball-sized ck Pearl with a fine engraving knife. His brown hair was a mess, stained with who knows what, speckled with multiple colors. His magic cloak was dyed like a camouge uniform, giving him an oddly viinous mad scientist vibe. Completely absorbed. Too busy to pay attention to Liszt. Chapter 169 - 0169: Fresh Flower Town Specialty Fresh Flower Soap Chapter 169: Fresh Flower Town Specialty Fresh Flower Soap Liszt watched silently for a moment. Without saying a word, he left Granney¡¯s workshop¡ªhe simply couldn¡¯t understand what Granney was doing. ¡°Take good care of your master, especially be careful with those bottles and jars boiling on the stove, and make sure they don¡¯t explode. Personal safety is far more important than work,¡± he specifically cautioned Charley before leaving. He really feared that Granney would suddenly cause an explosion. In magicians¡¯ research idents, nine out of ten times involved explosions¡ªthe forms of explosion included, but were not limited to various out-of-control violent magic. Why are there so few magicians in this world? One reason is that the inheritance of magic is secretive and doesn¡¯t involve taking on many apprentices. Another reason is dying from various magical experiments and explorations. No matter how much a knight struggles with Dou Qi, at most they harm or disable themselves, but a magical explosion could kill both the master and the apprentice. It¡¯s no pity if a magician is killed by an explosion. But if his Calming Sea Pearl is destroyed, that¡¯s a severe loss. This Calming Sea Pearl was to be equipped on the Fresh Flower Vessel, which was about to undertake its first long-distance voyage to explore ck Horse Ind. He also had another Calming Sea Pearl the size of a basketball and one the size of a washbasin; these two were reserved for future new ships. Especially the one the size of a washbasin. In the future, when he went to sea, this massive ck pearl would be his standard equipment. A normal small-sized ck pearl could dispel the wind within a five-meter radius; the Calming Sea Pearl, ording to Granney¡¯s estimation, could disperse the wind within a hundred and fifty-meter radius. But even if the wind is dispersed, the sea waves will continue to churn, and the ship will still be in danger, albeit to a much lesser extent. The ck pearl the size of a washbasin, if made into a Calming Sea Pearl, might be able to disperse the wind within a three hundred-meter radius. Thus, even if the waves are enormous, without the wind¡¯s boost, the force would be greatly reduced, and the threat to ships would significantly diminish. Leaving Granney¡¯s workshop. Liszt rode his horse to the town¡¯s workshop area to inspect the three newly built workshops. Inside the Soap Making Workshop. Soap Maker Bunier was producing soap while training several apprentices¡ªthe apprentice system was something Liszt had enforced, prohibiting serfs from hoarding their skills and rewarding those from the castle who produced apetent apprentice. With the introduction of this system, craftsmen and workers became much more serious about training apprentices. He had previously bought the old cksmith¡¯s smithy in town. He gave the old cksmith several Gold Coins, an amount he could never have earned in his lifetime, hoping that he would train a group ofpetent cksmith apprentices. Still, after several thousand pounds of iron had been cast, not a single apprentice had learned the cksmith¡¯s skills. This infuriated Liszt. The cksmith was a freeman, essentially only needing to pay taxes, not subject to thendlord¡¯s personal constraints. But still, Liszt found an opportunity to give him a thorough punishment. The delightful taste of being whipped left a deep impression, and now the old cksmith earnestly trained his apprentices, as if he was desperate to impart all his knowledge. So. There had to be carrots, but there also had to be sticks. A carrot and a stick were required to implement the will of thendlord effectively. ¡°The production of Fresh Flower Soap is stable, while the output of regr soap is limited by the supply of pig pancreas and the waste from experimenting with forms,¡± Bunier reported to Liszt, who was visiting his progress. ¡°Hmm, continue your research. The current soap is nearly asfortable to use as Fresh Flower Soap.¡± Soap was made from the pods of the Soap Pod Tree, mixed with flowers, and its cleansing effect was average, but it was very expensive to produce, especially on Coral Ind where the Soap Pod Tree was scarce. Only the nobles could afford soap. Soap (also known as lye soap) was made by mixing wood ash with pig pancreases, though other animal pancreases might also work. Its production cost was rtively low, and it cleaned very effectively. However, as it stood, the quality of the soap that Bunier was developing still needed improvement. Therefore, the current soap workshops were operating at a loss, with production capacity only able to supply the castle and a portion of officials and their families. At this moment, Bunier suddenly said, ¡°Lord Landlord, while I was researching the soap form, I had an idea. What if I mixed scented soap with lye soap? Could it create a better soap? So I tried it, and found that the kneaded soap took shape quickly, and the usage was very smooth, but I don¡¯t know if this is the soap you wanted.¡± Mixing scented soap with lye soap? Liszt felt the idea was brilliant, ¡°Is that so? Show me the kneaded mixed soap and fetch a basin of water.¡± ¡°Yes, Lord Landlord.¡± Bunier quickly dispatched an apprentice, who brought out a te of light pink mixed soap. The soap was pressed into t oval shapes, three pieces in total, which looked rather rough. Another apprentice came over with a basin of water. Liszt dipped his hand in the water, thenthered up with the mixed soap and rubbed it, immediately creating lots of suds. The soap in his hand was very slippery, and it seemed to clean quite effectively. Especially after washing, his hands felt very clean and there was a faint fragrance. Although this was not the soap he had seen before, the effect was already close to the Safeguard he remembered. ¡°What is the production cost of it, and what is the ratio of scented soap to lye soap?¡± Liszt asked. ¡°About one piece of scented soap can be mixed with three pieces of lye soap to make four pieces of mixed soap. However, I think it might save more to directly grind the pods of the Soap Pod Tree into powder; about one piece of mixed soap could be produced at the cost of forty copper coins.¡± ¡°The cost of scented soap is one silver coin, right?¡± ¡°It¡¯s even more than one silver coin. The bought soap powder is too expensive.¡± The cheapest scented soap costs two silver coins each, which is two hundred copper coins, with the soap powder costing one silver coin, giving a total cost of at least one hundred and ten copper coins. If the cost of the mixed soap could bepressed to forty copper coins, it could be sold at the price of two silver coins, undermining the existing scented soap market. Even without using soap powder. Directly buying scented soap and making it into mixed soap, increasing the cost to one silver coin, would still yield a profit. ¡°Bunier, you¡¯ve done well. The mixed soap is better than I imagined. You can continue researching the lye soap slowly, but the workshop will start making mixed soap immediately¡­ It needs a catchy name. Do you have any suggestions?¡± Liszt was confident in the mixed soap¡ªthe feel of it while washing and its cleaning effect were both better than that of scented soap. Even someone as picky as he was thought it was good, and other nobles would surely be impressed. Nobles were always willing to spend money on items that improved their quality of life. ¡°Lord Landlord, it¡¯s under your guidance that I was able to develop the mixed soap. It should be you who names it,¡± Bunier said respectfully. People get more artistic in their speech as they age. Liszt was very pleased with Bunier¡¯s response: ¡°Then let¡¯s call it Fresh Flower Soap. I will make it a specialty of Fresh Flower Town. Bunier, and your apprentices, you must keep the form for Fresh Flower Soap a strict secret.¡± ¡°Rest assured, Lord Landlord!¡± ¡°Do your work well. I have rewards for any invention that brings in profit. Although the lye soap hasn¡¯t been perfected, the Fresh Flower Soap is passable. Bunier, your reward is ten silver coins, and twenty copper coins for each of your apprentices.¡± ¡°Thank you, Lord Landlord!¡± Bunier and his apprentices expressed their thanks, brimming with happiness. Liszt was also very pleased. Although he couldn¡¯t say the Fresh Flower Soap would bring in profitsparable to the seafood business, he was confident of crushing the current scented soap market, and perhaps even exporting it to distant inds. The most important thing was that the transition of Fresh Flower Town from agriculture to manufacturing was beginning to show results. Chapter 170 - 0170: The Leader is in Need of a Secretary Chapter 170: The Leader is in Need of a Secretary The Soap Making Workshop is soon to bring in good profits. The peanut processing workshop is also about to yield decent profits. Among the newly purchased serfs, several chefs were assigned to study tasty peanut recipes. They have already developed peanut butter, peanut brittle, salt and pepper peanuts, and deep-fried peanuts, which are sold in small batches by the Thorn Caravan. The response has been very good, and many nobles who have tasted these delicious peanuts have expressed their desire to purchase inrge quantities next time. The peanut yield of Fresh Flower Town is insufficient, as are the workers. The head of the peanut processing workshop, Chef Lucas, has entrusted the Thorn Caravan to purchase shelled peanuts from North Valley City. ¡°Well done,¡± Liszt gave only verbal praise before leaving. The entire peanut processing workshop was his idea; these people were mere executors, devoid of creativity. He preferred to use gold coins, silver coins, and copper coins to encourage creativity and discovery, to establish models, rather than to encourage hard work¡ªbecause the serfs were supposed to work hard in the first ce. Thest stop was the Brewing Workshop. Frank Dregs could brew fruit wine, Bording could brew rice wine, Huntera could brew beer, and now all were busy brewing, striving to produce as soon as possible to earn ie for the workshop. Unfortunately, there was no one in the workshop who knew how to brew spirits or make grape wine. Ordinary grape wine is no different from fruit wine. But craft grape wine requires high levels of expertise and careful selection of grapes. The technology for dry, semi-dry, sweet and semi-sweet varieties of grape wine is all different. Only the Tulip Castle on Coral Ind possessed the technique for sweet grape wine brewing; their Crescent Moon Wine was sweet and sharp, famous throughout the Grand Duchy. The Raz Manor cer red wine that Liszt had tasted at Long Taro Castle was an exquisite example of dry grape wine. These techniques were closely guarded secrets held exclusively by the big nobles. It was the same with spirits. As distites, the production process for spirits is even moreplex, monopolized by the big nobles. Spirits like juniper wine were not always avable for purchase. Therefore, the Fresh Flower Town¡¯s Brewing Workshop could only brew some simple fermented wines. After inspecting the workshop, Liszt began to ponder, ¡°If I remember correctly, distilled spirits are made only by adding the step of distition to fermented wines¡­ It seems to involve using the difference in vaporization temperature between alcohol and water to purify the alcohol, and repeated distition yields high-proof spirits.¡± Because he did not enjoy drinking, his research in this field was limited. He had read about distition in many novels before; it seemed straightforward, so he had some vague recollection of it. ¡°Perhaps, I could get the Brewing Workshop to research distition techniques. It¡¯s possible they could produce spirits and add another specialty to Fresh Flower Town,¡± he thought. Rice wine is a type of alcohol fermented from grains. Spirits are also essentially brewed from grains. Liszt wondered if distilling rice wine could result in spirits. So he called over three brewers, ¡°I have a task for you. Remember, this task is highly confidential, and if anyone should leak it, their entire family will be whipped to death!¡± The three brewers¡¯ buttocks tensed, and they all responded, ¡°We swear to keep the secret of the task!¡± ¡°Good. I have obtained a form, which ims that spirits are derived by distilling rice wine. By heating rice wine, turning it into steam, then directing that steam elsewhere to cool it into water, the water in the rice wine is removed, and what remains is the spirit¡­ Try to figure it out several times and strive to brew Fresh Flower Town¡¯s spirits as soon as possible!¡± The three brewers were somewhat confused by the exnation. However, they promptly responded, ¡°Please rest assured, Lord Landlord, we will brew spirits as soon as possible.¡± The task was assigned. Liszt felt another special product from Fresh Flower Town beckoning him, and he even thought of a name for it at this moment: ¡°Let¡¯s call it Fresh Flower Brew. Yes, it shoulde in different sses. The low-alcohol Fresh Flower Brew could be known as a five-year vintage, while the higher-alcohol ones could be referred to as ten-year, even twenty-year vintages, or we could have a hundred-year cer aged variety, or why not five hundred years¡­¡± Suddenly, he remembered that the Duchy of Sapphire had only a history of a little over one hundred and fifty years since its establishment, and before that, the ind was probably only inhabited by monkeys. ¡°Forget the five-hundred-year vintage. Why not just make a vintage as old as the country itself? Just say that in the year the nation was founded, a brewer came to Coral Ind and personally made a barrel of wine¡­ There¡¯s only one barrel, but we can produce a barrel every year, just like the ¡¯82 Lafite that¡¯s been drunk for so many years and never seems to run out.¡± Thinking of wine sales, many ssic examples immediately sprang to his mind. But he also saw the risks: ¡°In such a lucrative industry as liquor, it¡¯s hard to ensure security without strong backing. We must cooperate with Tulip Castle.¡± Business would be easy with the Tulip Castle¡¯s banner flying overhead. As an Earl granted his title by the Grand Duke, Li Weiliam Tulip was most certainly one of the high-ranking figures in the Duchy of Sapphire. Moreover, he also served as the Grand Duke¡¯s horseman, having close contact with him every year. Liszt didn¡¯t mind having to share profits with Tulip Castle to fly its g¡ªit was indeed bing clearer to him the more he integrated into this world, the importance of noble connections. Levis, Li Vera, and even Lidun¡ªall of them, no matter how much they might scheme against each other, were family. In times of crisis, they could provide help. The Viscount of Little Papa Ind was wiped out, and the separated Viscount of Da Pa Pa Ind was still actively inquiring, urging the Grand Duke to find the murderer. Liszt certainly hoped that the Tulip Family could grow strong, bing a formidable tree that shielded against wind and rain. The Li Dragon Horse moved so smoothly that there was hardly any feeling of motion. Astride his horse, Liszt could think things through very well. His mind raced from one idea about profit sharing to another: ¡°Speaking of monkeys, perhaps I could hype up some ¡®Monkey Liquor¡¯? It doesn¡¯t matter if Monkey Liquor actually exists, what matters is the gimmick.¡± Nobles love extravagance. Extravagance not only epasses wearing gold and silver or owning gemstones and prestigious horses but also includes art and the pursuit of rare novelties. Monkey Liquor would certainly be considered a rare novelty. ¡°However, there are few nobles with deep roots¡ªmost are simply nouveau riche, not rich beyond three or four generations, including the Tulip Family, which has only risen to prominence in recent generations. They might not necessarily fancy something like Monkey Liquor; they are probably more interested in gemstones and Gold Coins.¡± In any case, he could start by generating some buzz when selling the fruit wine. Afterward, Liszt inspected a few other shops and workshops. For the moment, Fresh Flower Town¡¯smercial districtprised only a bakery, a grocery store, and a barber. The workshop district had just a Smithy, Tanners¡¯ Shop, Locksmith Store, Tailor Shop, Cooperage, the newly built Brewing Workshop, Soap Making Workshop, and Peanut Processing Workshop. Manypleted wooden houses stood vacant. If not for the numerous Serfs paving roads, constructing buildings, and nting grass, Fresh Flower Town would look like a ghost vige. The addition of four hundred and seventy-six Serfs, distributed to the various settlements to farm thend, didn¡¯t make much of an impact. The hundred or so skilledborers who had been eagerly anticipated were mostly workers unable to independently support a shop or workshop; they could only go to work in the fields temporarily, wasting their artisanal skills. ¡°For the time being, themercial district can only serve as a marketce to amodate the asional caravans that pass by,¡± he said, looking at the empty houses with a sense of contemtion. ¡°We need to focus on developing the workshop district first. After establishing it as a center for production and processing, we could then drive the growth of themercial district.¡± He gestured towards themercial district. He very much wanted to discuss how to build this or that here, but when he turned around, he saw that only Servant Thomas and a few Retainer Knights followed behind him. They were all men of simple tastes. His ambitions to borate grand ns were promptly stifled. ¡°A leader¡¯s inspection usually entails local officials and people gathering around, or at the very least a couple of secretaries should follow me with little notebooks, ready to jot down whatever I say¡­¡± Chapter 171 - 0171: The Continuous Growth of Ambition Chapter 171: The Continuous Growth of Ambition ¡°Secretary¡­¡± Liszt felt a sense of loss, as he did not have a secretary. He was unable to realize the privileged ss¡¯s ideal of a leisurely life ¡°the secretary handles the affairs, and if there is nothing to do, one does the secretary¡± without either shame or agitation. In fact, he didn¡¯t even have a personal maidservant¡ªunder the societal system of enforced monogamy, regardless of nobles having mistresses everywhere and illegitimate children being born in bunches, this system was still observed. It was not an official system. It was a social convention that had be customary. To ensure the continuity of monogamy, female nobles could only have female personal maids, and male nobles could only have male personal servants, to prevent the disruption of monogamy under the guise of personal servants. He had explored the origin of this social trend, eventually surmising that it probably stemmed from the queenly system of the Moon Empire. This long-vanished empire, much like ancient Rome in Europe, had cultural and institutional influences that deeply affected the entire European continent, even though the Roman Empire was destroyed by barbarians. The Moon Empire, being the strongest empire of its time, had cultural influences that persisted as well. Most countries now incorporate the Moon Language into their ownnguages, to a greater or lesser extent. Including the ssification of knights and the rtionship betweenndlords and vassals, all were derived from the Moon Empire. The queendom was also preserved. Many countries have had women serve as kings. The Duchy of Sapphire had yet to see a queen, but the monogamous system was inherited nheless. ¡°The Moon Empire¡­ I wonder what it was like,¡± Liszt mused. As a small townndlord with quite some free time, Liszt enjoyed reading knights¡¯ novels. Countless times he hade across references to the Moon Empire¡ªknights would always encounter relics of the empire in some ces, then acquire treasures, and immediately be overwhelmingly powerful, challenging the heavens, the earth, and the air. Due to theck of a tradition of recording history, most of the information about the Moon Empire was passed down orally. This method of information transmission had a high distortion rate of 99%, making the Moon Empire a legendary kingdom in tales, infinitely beautiful and amazingly prosperous. It became much like how Europeans regarded ancient Greece or how Confucius spoke of the ancient sage kings¡ªadorned in all manner of praises, these legends reced truth to be what people recognize as authentic history. ¡°It¡¯s troublesome not to have historical records¡­ I really fear that after reading too many knight novels, I might start believing their nonsense,¡± said Liszt, shaking his head. He stopped pondering these confusing matters. His study of history was meant not only to satisfy his curiosity but more so to learn from the past about power y and to deliberate on the great trends of the world¡­ However, he figured it was best to steer clear of nonsensical histories. He returned to his regret about theck of a secretary. He felt he needed to expedite the training of a group of female Retainer Knights as his personal guards; otherwise, his future speeches and guidance wouldck atmosphere and passion. After inspecting the buildings in town, he returned to the castle. He entered the study directly, took out thick parchment and a quill, and prepared to reorganize his nning thoughts for Fresh Flower Town. ¡°If Fresh Flower Town is to be developed into an economy primarily based on the initial processing of agricultural products, then the currentyout of the town must be re-nned, and trade routes also need to be adjusted. Land transportation is nowhere near as efficient as sea transportation, and sailing directly to Coral City by sea saves much more in terms of transport capacity,¡± he noted. He first drew a rough map of Coral Ind. In the study of the Earl at Tulip Castle, there hung a map of Coral Ind, which overall looked like a twisted figure ¡°8.¡± In the northeastern corner was Fresh Flower Town, and in the narrow part in the middle of the ¡°8¡±y the deepwater port, beside which Coral City was built. From Fresh Flower Town to Coral City, due to the terrain, it was impossible to take a straight line. The route had to pass through North Valley City and Elm Forest City, forming a ¡°z¡± shape and wasting a lot of time. ¡°Fresh Flower Town is in a remote location, so the dock must be built quickly to open up sea transportation;nd transportation should be supplementary, and a checkpoint could be set up at the entrance to Thorn Ridge. In this way, Fresh Flower Town¡¯s main areas would be divided into the dock, the small town, and Thorn Ridge, each responsible for trade, processing tasks.¡± He wrote several pieces of Serpent Script in the workshop district of the small town. They were ns for workshops to be constructed¡ªsugar refinery, spice workshop, textile workshop, leather workshop, paper mill, tofu workshop, and dried Tulip flowers workshop, as well as a shoemaking shop, bone craftsman shop, and so on. At the dock, he also wrote about workshops nned to be built¡ªbrick factory, cement factory, pottery kiln factory, salt drying field, ss workshop, and others. Near the Thorn Ridge checkpoint, there were also ns for workshops¡ªwoodworking workshop, abattoir, horse market, and so on. Some of these workshopscked enough craftsmen to support them, while others were waiting for technology development, but in Liszt¡¯s ns, these were all things that could be achieved through hard work. However, soon. He lost interest in writing again. ¡°Kostor has already reported that the Fresh Flower Vessel is ready to sail at any time. Now we are just waiting for Granney to finish making the Calming Sea Pearl, and then we can explore ck Horse Ind.¡± Once ck Horse Ind is seized, future efforts would focus on it. The importance of Fresh Flower Town would undoubtedly decline a lot. Especially when he earned military des and turned ck Horse Ind into his fief, he would surely need to hand over Fresh Flower Town, much like the Tulip Family gave up their originalnds to settle in Coral Ind. ¡°Once I have enough financial and material resources to solve the issues of paper, cement, tofu, ss, and other technologies, by that time, I fear I will already be Viscount ck Horse Ind.¡± The birth of the Thorn Minor Elf was imminent, and once there was a Minor Elf, a steady stream of financial power would ensue, making it effortless to arm a Knight Squad. Charging into battle and establishing achievements wouldn¡¯t be difficult at that time. Instead ofboriously researching technology, it may indeed be better to focus solely on umting Minor Elves. The Lycra Family and the Shattered Stone Family both obtained the title of Viscount by relying on their respective Minor Elves. As the son of an Earl, as long as he made achievements in battle, the Earl had no reason not to grant his son the title of Viscount. At that time, ck Horse Ind could be marked as his own territory¡ªnobles can exchange their merits for barren inds. If he managed to perform outstandingly in battle and caught the eye of the Grand Duke, it was not impossible that the Grand Duke himself would grant him his fief. Bing a direct vassal of the Grand Duke would be more impressive than being a vassal of a Marquis or Earl. His rise in rank would be much faster¡ªthe rulers always prefer to promote new nobles to counterbnce the old ones. ¡°But if I be a vassal of the Grand Duke, I¡¯ll have to be independent of the Tulip Family, won¡¯t I? Then perhaps I will be Viscount Liszt Thorn of ck Horse Ind?¡± Of course, this possibility was small¡ªjust a Baron, and it would take a significant aplishment to be noticed by the Grand Duke. Besides, with his background as a vassal of an Earl, the Grand Duke generally would not overstep boundaries to win over another¡¯s vassal. Especially since the Earl and the Grand Duke had a good rtionship, he would not be recruited lightly. ¡°No matter what, ck Horse Ind is going to be mine, and the Li Dragon Horse Herd must not be touched by anyone!¡± To get ck Horse Ind, one must achieve merits and receive a title. Liszt set down his quill and looked out of the window. In the distance, on the horse field, a few horses grazed leisurely on the grass: ¡°The battlefield is a ce where people die¡­ When the timees, I¡¯ll see if I can find a position like Levis, acting as a liaison, working in logistics, and picking up some military honors.¡± He paused. With a determined tone, he spoke to himself, ¡°But, the Knight Squad must be trained as quickly as possible, I must also elerate my Dou Qi cultivation, and Douson¡¯s training must be intensified!¡± Once a person has ambition, many thoughts begin to change unconsciously. Chapter 172 - 0172: The Final Link of the Thorn Bug Chapter 172: The Final Link of the Thorn Bug Having just transmigrated to this world, Liszt felt he needed to keep a low profile, content to be a rural baron and solve the basic problems of food, clothing, and shelter. As the quality of his life improved, his ss stance underwent a betrayal, and he began to flock to the noble knight system, but he didn¡¯t want to go to battle; he only wanted to focus on development. Now, Fresh Flower Town was fast developing, and the Thorn Minor Elf was about to be born. His thoughts changed again, the impulse for glory, the longing for an ind of his own, steadily deepened. The idea of not wanting to go to battle was reced by the desire to engage inbat, manage logistics, and mix in the pursuit of military achievements. He was bing like a true noble. Being swallowed by this world, or rather, actively integrating into this world, into the knight system. ¡°Some people are proletarian warriors,mitted to the liberation of all mankind for their entire lives. I admire such people, but I will never imitate them,¡± Liszt¡¯s mind was still clear. Integrating into the world was not passive; it was the result of his active choice, ¡°My life goal is to ride dragons, to be my own master.¡± He wanted to be a king, not a vassal. With the existence of the Smoke Mission and the modern knowledge in his head, coupled with the societal system¡¯s ascending channels, he had enough confidence to achieve his grand life goals. He walked to the window. Juan Fu, who used to like ¡°cawing¡± messily on the window sill, was no longer there. A feeling of nostalgia shed in his eyes, then passed. He then set his sights on the distance. Just as Juan Fu didn¡¯t want to be a pet, he also didn¡¯t want to be a servant, not even for the king. He could ept being corrupted and decayed by the noble life, but he would not allow his knees to kneel to anyone other than heaven, earth, or his parents. The road is tortuous, the future is bright: ¡°First set a small goal for myself, find a secretary, cough, no, be a viscount!¡± The knight system of this world has a medieval style, with its core revolving aroundndlords, vassals, andnd. Although the social customs and cultural production have a huge gappared to medieval Europe on Earth. The production forces are centered around dragons and elves, also different from Earth¡¯s production forces. But essentially, it¡¯s a deformed European medieval serfdom. An economic system established by feudalndlords on theirnds, exploiting serfs in a very cruel manner ¡ª serfs and freemen possess virtually no means of production, because the real means of production, dragons and elves, are firmly monopolized by the nobility. This system, the exploitation is very strong. Butpared to the Dark Ages established by the barbarians on the corpse of the Roman Empire, and the serfdom of western Tibet with the legend of ¡°The Drum of A-Jia¡±, this world¡¯s feudal serfdom is much milder. At least serfs andmoners have a slim chance of climbing upward. Dou Qi is like the ancient Chinese imperial examinations ¡ª most people can¡¯t afford to take the exams, but there are always a few civilians who can change their fate by relying on the exams. In this world, most people can¡¯t get enough to eat and have no spare nutrition to cultivate Dou Qi, but there will always bendlords who select civilians with good physical quality to train. With Dou Qi, after a few generations of umtion, it¡¯s not difficult to cultivate an Earth Knight. Fight for a few more generations, with a bit more opportunity, and one couldpete for a noble title ¡ª the Tulip Family followed such a path to sess. Judging from the surname ¡°Tile¡± of the ancestors, it can be inferred that they were probably freemen or serfs, in any case, they had nothing to do with nobility. The great-great-grandfather had superhuman strength and was chosen by the nobility to be trained as a Retainer Knight, serving the newly established Sapphire Family. umting merits in several wars, he was ennobled as an Honored Knight, thus stepping into the noble ss. From there, it was a few generations of hard work, by the great-grandfather¡¯s generation bing a baron, the great-grandfather¡¯s generation bing a viscount, and ultimately, in Li Weiliam¡¯s generation, bing an earl under the Sapphire Duke. The surname was also changed to the noble ¡°Tulip¡±. ¡°However, when ites down to it, it¡¯s all about mutations!¡± As the saying goes, the rich rely on technology, and the poor rely on mutation ¡ª Dou Qi, a mysterious existence, requires nutritional umtion. Without nutrition and still wanting to be stronger, one would need to resort to physical mutation. For example, the superhuman strength of the Tulip Family¡¯s great-great-grandfather is a kind of mutation ¡ª it was probably just more physical strength, whichter generations contrived as superhuman strength. ¡°Now, I no longer need to rely on mutation; I can rely directly on technology.¡± Technology is nutrition; technology is a magic potion. Arriving at the me Mushroom Processing Workshop, Liszt saw the magician who was smoking: ¡°Mr. Elkeson, has my me Mushroom Magic Potion already been made?¡± ¡°Sorry, not yet, but I¡¯ll be able to finish them soon, you won¡¯t have to wait too long,¡± Elkeson replied. Having the leisure to smoke instead of working annoyed Liszt slightly, but he didn¡¯t show it: ¡°Do you have any finished magic potions? Give me those first.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± He quickly carried out arge box, inside which were magic potions wrapped in cloth strips. Liszt unwrapped the cloth from a magic potion to reveal a crystal tube as long as a thumb and as thin as a little finger, containing a light red viscous liquid. Such a small tube would sell for at least one gold coin. ¡°Baron Liszt, you can try its effects. Although I am not the designated magician for creating magic potions for Tulip Castle, I am still confident in my potion-making skills,¡± Elkeson said with a flick of his cigarette ash, proudly. Liszt nodded. He opened the stopper of the crystal tube, observed it for a moment with the Eye of Magic, and then tilted his head back to drink the entire magic potion in one gulp. Like jelly, it poured straight into his mouth without a single drop left. It dissolved upon entering his mouth. He immediately felt a me-like magic power rise in his belly and surge toward his limbs and bones. The entire surgested a full three minutes before gradually subsiding. Liszt¡¯s eyes gleamed; he felt the total amount of his long-stagnant Dou Qi jump up by arge margin. He couldn¡¯t help but exim, ¡°That was exhrating!¡± ¡°I¡¯m d you¡¯re satisfied.¡± ¡°Mr. Elkeson, I won¡¯t disturb your work then. If you have any needs, just let me know, and I will try my best to fulfill them,¡± Liszt said, then, leading Douson and carrying a box of magic potions, returned to the castle. Starting today, the path of potion jars officially begins. A dayter. After being away on business for several days, Marcus finally returned to Fresh Flower Town. And he brought the news Liszt cared about most: ¡°My lord, I have aplished the task without dishonor!¡± ¡°How did it go, did you find new species of Thorns?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve contacted both Tulip Castle and Shattered Stone Castle without finding any new Thorn species. Only Beer Castle on Beer Ind has them. Viscount Trik said he is always ready to wee you to Beer Castle for a visit, and Sir Aubrey has sent a letter for you as well.¡± Aubrey was Trik¡¯s son and the heir to Beer Castle. He had established a good rtionship with Liszt through the seafood business. Upon hearing there were new Thorn species on Beer Ind, Liszt let out a long sigh of relief: ¡°In that case, it looks like I need to take the Thorn Bug to Beer Ind.¡± However, Marcus replied, ¡°You certainly can go, but it¡¯s also not necessary. I have already brought the new Thorn species back, and we can nt them directly in Fresh Flower Town.¡± Liszt was greatly touched by such considerate actions; this was what a qualified subordinate looked like, knowing how to relieve their leader¡¯s worries: ¡°Is that so? Then let¡¯s nt them quickly. The Thorn Bug¡¯s Fat Pupa Stage is more than half over; it urgently needs assimtion!¡± A short whileter. Not far behind the castle, the new Thorn species was already nted. After watering and fertilizing, Liszt ced the Thorn Bug on it. Chapter 173 - 0173: Waa Waa Little Minor Elf (First Update, Please Subscribe) Chapter 173: Waa Waa Little Minor Elf (First Update, Please Subscribe) The Thorn Bug in its Fat Pupa Stage had already grown to three times the size of the other Elf Bugs, and its once glossy skin gradually dimmed as if it had aged. And indeed, that was the case, because the Fat Pupa Stage meant evolution, as well as death. Within just a month or two, if it could not break through its own constraints and evolve into a Little Minor Elf, it would use up its remaining vitality and turn to dust. ¡°It has already sensed the pheromones of the new variety of thorn!¡± Liszt picked up the Thorn Bug from the Jade Box, deeply connected by the Mind Connection, and could profoundly feel the Thorn Bug¡¯s emotions at that moment. Those wereplex emotions filled with excitement, anxiety, fear, and courage¡ªemotions that ordinary Elf Bugs definitely would not possess. It was only during evolution that it could grow. The new variety of Thorn was just a Thorn that exhibited a variation in the color of its branches and leaves, and wasn¡¯t much different from themon Thorns. Regardless, When the Thorn Bugnded on a branch of Thorn, its originally sluggish movements suddenly quickened, as it swiftly climbed along the trunk of the Thorn. It had no legs, only small fleshy protrusions, but however it climbed on the trunk, it would never fall off. This magical creature was capable of defying physicalws, moving through the air. Especially when it wanted to climb from one Thorn to another, it did not need to touch the ground at all but instead wriggled through the air effortlessly, bridging the gap between two Thorns to collect the pheromones from the next Thorn. After arranging for the Retainer Knights to stand guard and patrol, Marcus had already hurried over. He looked anxiously at the Thorn Bug, ¡°My lord, can the Thorn Bug¡­ seed?¡± ¡°Of course, it can!¡± Liszt¡¯s lips suddenly curved into a handsome arc, smiling as brightly as the March sun, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Teacher Marcus, the Thorn Bug has already seeded¡­ I can feel the restlessness inside it, that¡¯s a brand new power brewing, it¡¯s evolving!¡± In fact, this was imperceptible. The reason he was so certain was that the Smoke Mission was emerging right before his eyes. ¡°Complete the mission, reward one Thorn Minor Elf.¡± Due to Marcus¡¯s interruption, the Smoke Serpent Script quickly dissipated, as if nothing had appeared before him. Sometimes, Liszt felt that there was no smoke at all; the reason others couldn¡¯t see it was simply a projection of ¡°fate¡± in his mind¡ªotherwise, the Smoke Dragon must have visited Earth, or else why would they disy it in the form of missions, in a style familiar to Liszt. Just like the Formless Dragon couldn¡¯t be seen, and only those with ¡°integrity and courage¡± could see it. The smoky form of the Smoke Dragon was likely simr to the Formless Dragon, both being a special existence beyond Magic Power. The other Immortal Dragons, Jade Dragons, Twilight Dragons, probably exist in some special forms as well. This also made it easy to exin why the Sacred Dragon was just a legend¡ªpeople couldn¡¯t see their true form. Even themon Tri-Element Dragons, and the Elves. Were also special existences in themselves. At this moment, the skin of the Thorn Bug turned grey at a visible rate, its shinepletely faded, and its once firm skin was now covered with wrinkles, as if it had arrived at the end of its life in an instant. But its emotions were intensely exhrated, filled with indescribable joy and happiness. Using the Eye of Magic, Liszt could see the Chaotic Magic Power inside it bubbling like boiling water, then the bubbles burst, and some unseen changes urred. As if blown up by the boiling bubbles of Magic Power, the Thorn Bug¡¯s body continued to grow. The bigger its body became, the more its appearance decayed and aged. The more tumultuous its excitement surged. The surge was so stimting that Liszt felt a wave of excitement himself, almost wishing to burst into song. Marcus, beside him, couldn¡¯t experience this excitement, but seeing the Thorn Bug inte like a balloon, his eyes shone keenly, clenching his fists tight, sweating for the Thorn Bug¡¯s evolution. Time seemed to stretch on endlessly. But the wind only needed to brush through Liszt¡¯s forehead a few times, stirring his pale golden, slightly curled hair, before the Thorn Bug had already inted into a thick, gray, andrge insect as wide as a calf. The setting sun dyed the clouds at the edge of the sky red. In the distance, the barking of Douson could be heard, followed by the Earth Matron in the Dog Prison, responding with barks of her own. The castle bathed in the afterglow of the sunset, as if it had been coated with ayer of golden brilliance, making it hard to distinguish the windows from the rock walls; only the silhouette of a spire¡¯s rooftop was clear. The tranquility of twilight, at this moment, was especially distinct. Liszt continued to use the Eye of Magic, staring intently at the Thorn Bug; he had witnessed the birth of Little Minor Elves in Tulip Castle before. But those memories had grown distant, and since he was just a boy then, they weren¡¯t deeply imprinted. Now, the clear process of the transformation of the Elf Bug into a Little Minor Elf unfolded before his eyes. Suddenly, as if understanding each other telepathically, Liszt whispered two words, ¡°It¡¯s here.¡± That moment. There was the sound of paper being torn¡ªs. The gray, withering outer shell of the Thorn Bug split open, and then a delicate, fair little hand emerged from beneath the skin of the Thorn Bug, followed shortly by a palm-sized white Little Minor Elf who burst through the Thorn Bug¡¯s skin and jumped out. In the blink of an eye, the white Little Minor Elf opened its translucent wings at its back and flew up into the mid-air. ¡°Wow!¡± ¡°Wow!¡± The crisp shouts, like those of a three-year-old child, echoed in the air, circling around Liszt. The flight wasn¡¯t fast, but the movements were graceful and agile, tumbling countless times. ¡°Wow!¡± ¡°Wow!¡± One could feel that cheerful mood, even without any Mind Connection, just by listening to its shouts. Liszt¡¯s gaze was firmly locked on the figure of the Thorn Minor Elf, and a warm smile spread across his lips. He finally had a Little Minor Elf that was bound to him by contract, blood, and a shared heart. He did not disturb the Thorn Minor Elf¡¯s emotional release. He could feel the little creature¡¯s joy after sessfully evolving. Turning his attention to the ground, he knelt down and touched the shed skin of the Thorn Bug gently with his hands. The molt swiftly turned to dust and dissipated with the breeze, leaving not a trace behind. He didn¡¯t see clearly how the Elf Bug had evolved into a Little Minor Elf beneath that skin. It was just a surge of magic power, followed by a transformation into a Little Minor Elf; so brutally simple and operating beyond logic. When he came to his senses again. The Thorn Minor Elf had finished expressing its emotions andnded on his shoulder, holding onto his hair with one hand to stabilize its body, and gazing at the world withrge, curious eyes as it looked back at Liszt, who had turned his head to see it. Its eyes were veryrge, unlike human eyes¡ªck and shiny, as if it wore cosmetic lenses. ¡°Wow.¡± ¡°Come here.¡± Liszt reached out his hand, and the Thorn Minor Elf immediately climbed onto it, hugging one of his fingers. Upon closer inspection, one could see on top of its round little head a tiny sprout of a thorn; a normal thorn, signifying that it had been born from an ordinary Thorn Bug. Its little hands and feet were chubby. Very exquisite. As if they could pinch out water. Underneath was bare, with no distinction of gender. ¡°Teacher Marcus, how is my Thorn Minor Elf?¡± Liszt said with a proud smile. Marcus expressed sincere admiration, ¡°Beautiful!¡± Chapter 174 - 0174: Opportunity in the Eyes of the Earth Knight (Second Update, Please Subscribe) Chapter 174: Opportunity in the Eyes of the Earth Knight (Second Update, Please Subscribe) The importance of Little Minor Elves goes without saying; even in Tulip Castle, acquiring a Little Minor Elf is a festival worthy of grand celebration. Therefore, after the birth of the Thorn Minor Elf, Liszt quickly gathered officials like Goltai. To have a meeting in the castle. ¡°Waaah!¡± ¡°Waaah!¡± ¡°Waaah!¡± The Thorn Minor Elf, flying chaotically around the living room, undoubtedly attracted everyone¡¯s attention. It was bold and not at all afraid of people. With Liszt¡¯s indulgence, it seemed determined to turn the entire castle inside out to inspect its new home. And the little thing was quite fierce. Thomas, who had been serving tea, blocked its path, and the little one immediately bared its teeth at him and waved its palm, apparently ready to p him right there. To give Thomas a big smacking. Although the anticipated smack didn¡¯t happen because Thomas dodged just in time, it still held its head high and strutted about in front of Thomas, blustering for a while. As if to say, ¡°I rule my domain, wretched ve, open your dog eyes wide!¡± In fact, it was nearly so. Liszt could sense its thoughts; the Thorn Minor Elf was indeed expressing its discontent toward Thomas. Because of its contract with Liszt, it had taken the castle as its own home. Apart from Liszt, everyone else was an unwee presence. These unwee people, however, had no self-awareness and werevishly praising the Thorn Minor Elf in the living room. ¡°Its beauty is like the stars in the sky; I can think of no better words to describe it!¡± Goltai eximed with animated gestures. ¡°Its arrival just proves what I¡¯d said before, that Fresh Flower Town is not only a ce blessed with the glory of knights, but also the birthce of knightly glory!¡± ¡°It¡¯s not only a Little Minor Elf, but also one that brings endless wealth. Rapid Growth Iron Thorns, Rapid Growth Magic Thorn, under its care, will be treesden with Gold Coins.¡± Marcus spoke sinctly: ¡°The Thorn Minor Elf will carry the journey of your glorious path, Lord!¡± Praise was unceasing. The Thorn Minor Elf indeed deserved such praise¡ªit could cultivate a type of Magic Potion, a type of lumber, its strategic value was almost as significant as the Little Minor Elves associated with food crops. Liszt beckoned with his hand. The Thorn Minor Elf that had been flying all over the ce obedientlynded on Liszt¡¯s shoulder, yawning: ¡°Waaah.¡± It was probably tired from ying. Liszt swept a nce over his sycophantic followers and slowly began to speak, ¡°There will be plenty of time for praise in the future. Now, I want to know how we are to hold the celebration.¡± ¡°Lord, please entrust the hosting of the festivities to me, I am best at this,¡± Goltai said without reluctance. ¡°Then tell me, how do you n to celebrate?¡± ¡°Every time Tulip Castle obtains a Little Minor Elf, it invites the nobles to a banquet. As the Baron of Fresh Flower Town, a blood of the Tulip Family, you can invite the nobles from North Valley City to the banquet. Also, family members within Tulip Castle and the Baron of Falcon Town should be invited,¡± Goltai began by determining who should be invited. Then he continued, ¡°To celebrate the Thorn Minor Elf, all themoners in the territory should participate. I think we should give them a day off¡­ um, never mind, we should not give a day off. It¡¯s the busy harvest season now, and all the projects are short of workers, givingzy serfs a holiday is simply unforgivable.¡± And so, a holiday for themoners vanished in a sh. Work while celebrating, that will do. Upon hearing this, ir added, ¡°Perhaps, we should give each serf a copper coin, as a token of Lord Landlord¡¯s care.¡± ¡°Is it really necessary to treat serfs like that?¡± Goltai, who always held themon ss in contempt, didn¡¯t think highly of the idea. Liszt settled the matter firmly, ¡°That¡¯s decided then, each serf will receive a copper coin, freemen will enjoy a day off, and as for you all, on the day of celebration, wages will be doubled.¡± ¡°Double the wages, hmm, that¡¯s a good idea.¡± Goltai quickly nodded and praised. ¡°Thank you, my lord, for your generosity!¡± Karl, Rom, and others quickly expressed their gratitude; they liked following a lord who was generous. With a slight smile, Liszt was pleased with his subordinates¡¯ reactions. Throwing money around wasn¡¯t merely an act of pretense at generosity; in a deeper sense, he was using the distribution of money to stimte the cirction of goods in Fresh Flower Town. As a modern soul from the 21st century, he had, more or less, be acquainted with many theories about economics. After all, he could feel the effects of intion every day, with rising prices, currency devaluation, ever-increasing sries, yet finding oneself further from affording a house. It was through these direct experiences that he slowly began to understand and pay attention to the country¡¯s economic policies, learning about concepts like stimting consumption. The purpose of stimting consumption wasn¡¯t merely for the sake of consumption itself, but to stimte demand, which in turn could drive the development of various industries. As the saying goes, money only produces actual value when it is in cirction. If Liszt were to hoard all the Gold Coins like other lords, storing them in his own warehouse, then his territory would never move beyond the primitive agricultural stage. The tenants would never go hungry, but they also wouldn¡¯t be well-fed; let alone think about purchasing goods or wanting to start small businesses or side jobs. With money in hand, therees the desire to consume, and only then can the territory begin to thrive. Ultimately, the territory would transition from a primitive agricultural stage to one of handicraft and processing industries, thus ushering in a continuous stream of wealth¡ªnot without negative impacts, of course. Once the tenants had money, their hearts would itch with desire. They would not be as blindly loyal anymore. But Liszt believed, as long as he firmly controlled the military machine of the Knight Order and periodically culled a few of the pigs that got rich first, there would be no ripples in his territory¡ªafter all, it was a world ruled by personal strength, where wealth only had meaning under the protection of power. ¡°Consultant Goltai, please continue,¡± Liszt said. ¡°As you wish, my lord,¡± Goltai tempered his excitement to appear less money-loving, ¡°Thest, and most important point of the celebration, is that you should announce the recruitment of followers during the festivities!¡± Liszt¡¯s brow raised, mulling over the suggestion, ¡°Recruit followers?¡± ¡°Yes, everyone is aware of the importance of elves to nobles. Having a Little Minor Elf signifies that you, my lord, will undoubtedly advance further and achieve more glory. Now is the perfect opportunity to gather followers¡ªthere will always be people like myself, like Marcus, like ir, like Isaiah, who wish to follow in your footsteps!¡± Why celebrate the acquisition of a Little Minor Elf? Partly, of course, it is joy, but on the other hand, it¡¯s to boast, to show off the Lord¡¯s formidable strength, and to attract knight vassals. In this world, though the noble and freeman sses have nurtured many Earth Knights, only a minority can secure fiefs and noble titles. The rest tirelessly seek opportunities to be nobles. ¡°With the Thorn Minor Elf, I am the opportunity for these Earth Knights,¡± Liszt realized in an instant. With the birth of the Thorn Minor Elf, his influence was bound to soar. He would leap from being a country Baron to the future Viscount of The Guardian City! A Viscount, who either owns his own ind or city, has already be a high-ranker among nobles. Chapter 176: 0176: Gao Ertai’s Art (Fourth Update, Additional for 400 Subscriptions) ¡°Old madam, you look even younger than when Ist saw you,¡± Goltai eximed with exaggerated praise. Lady Penelope replied happily, ¡°No, I¡¯m old, I¡¯ve already heard Greg calling me from another world, to roam Tahiti City with him once again.¡± Greg Wafers, the father of the Earl, grandfather to Liszt, and Viscount of Tahiti City. In his hands, the family acquired their first Tulip Lesser Spirit, and began to collect various kinds of tulips, thus breeding more Tulip Spirits. Greater Elf Xiangxiang waster cultivated, thereby founding the Tulip Family lineage on Coral Ind. Yet, in the end, Greg died on the battlefield. The very Tulip Lesser Spirit he had contracted with also perished. Fortunately, he had contracted only that one Tulip Lesser Spirit as a memento. The other spirits were transferred to Li Weiliam uponing of age, thus ensuring the Tulip Family lineage did not end. Just as now, Li Weiliam had already transferred the spirits to Levis¡ªpreparing himself for the possibility of sacrifice on the battlefield. As the future Earl, Levis¡¯s participation in battle was more of a formality. The heirs of nobility need to prove to the world they are worthy of inheriting the title. Otherwise, followers yearning for noble glory might be disillusioned with a leader who offers no prospect of such honor. Being the contract holder of all the spirits of the Tulip Family, his safety was of course a top priority. For if he were to die, those spirits and the cordyceps would also perish; even if by some miracle any survived, they would be greatly weakened¡ªlikewise, spirits couldn¡¯t be repeatedly released from contracts and transferred to others without causing significant harm to their vitality.
An Elf Bug, in its lifetime, can only be released from a contract once. That is to say, it can only contract with two people. A Little Minor Elf can only be released from a contract three times over its lifetime. That is to say, it can only contract with four people. A Greater Elf can only be released from a contract seven times over its lifetime. That is to say, it can only contract with eight people. A Dragon Elf¡­ information about this is notmonly known to the public and is monopolized by the great nobles. Elf Bugs have a ten-year lifespan, which makes them particrly suitable for enfeoffment to one¡¯s followers. Little and Greater Elves, due to an increased number of allowable contract transfers, are more suited for family inheritance. But contracts must nevertheless be conserved, typically only transferred upon theing of age of an heir, with the father¡¯s approval. Lady Penelope mentioned Greg whom Goltai had never met. Still, he followed her lead in conversation, ¡°I believe that even though the old senior may miss you in another world, he would surely want you to stay here, to continue watching over the Tulip Family¡¯s lineage as they grow strong and healthy.¡± With those words, The olddy was very pleased, ¡°That¡¯s right, I must refuse him, I want to see the Earl¡¯s four children grow up strong, they¡¯re all such worrisome youngsters.¡± ¡°In fact, it¡¯s because you care so much that you feel they need worrying about¡ªas members of the Tulip Family lineage, each of them is outstanding among their fellow young nobles!¡± Goltai praised liberally, ¡°The Baron Liszt I serve is no exception, the glory of knighthood constantly shines upon him!¡± Lady Penelope sighed, ¡°Liszt is indeed a fortunate young man, he has grown up.¡± ¡°¡®Fortunate¡¯ doesn¡¯t suffice to describe the Baron, he has inherited the Earl¡¯s excellent qualities and is destined to be a distinguished and greatndlord. I¡¯vee to visit you today at the Baron¡¯s behest, to invite you to the Little Minor Elf¡¯s Birth Celebration held the day after tomorrow in Fresh Flower Town.¡± ¡°Little Minor Elf¡¯s Birth Celebration?¡± ¡°Yes, a Thorn Bug evolved into a Thorn Minor Elf. It not only brought us joy but also endless wealth, as we now have Magic Medicine Thorns and Iron Wood Thorn. If you witnessed it with your own eyes, you would surely fall in love with this Little Minor Elf, its beauty is dazzling!¡± Even Lady Penelope, who had weathered many storms, was still astonished by the news, ¡°Is this true, Goltai? Liszt has his own little Minor Elf, and it can even cultivate Magic Potions and Iron Wood Thorn?¡±
¡°It¡¯s true!¡± ¡°This is indeed a pleasant surprise, worthy of the Tulip Family¡¯s offspring,¡± Lady Penelopeughed heartily. ¡°I¡¯ve started to take quite a liking to Melissa now; her children have never disappointed me.¡± ¡°Lady Melissa has brought the glory of the Long Taro Family to Coral Ind, and the Baron hasbined the honor of two noble families into one,¡± he said. Goltai was proficient in the art of ttery, especially when dealing with an elderlydy; all it took was praising her grandchildren.
After chatting for a full half-hour, Goltai took his leave. His next destination was Tulip Castle¡ªwhere, this time, his ttery found no asion to shine. After handing over Liszt¡¯s invitation to Lady Marie and briefly inquiring about the reason, the temporary mistress of Tulip Castle sent him on his way with a smile. One could not discern what she was thinking upon hearing the news. ¡°No wonder she¡¯s the Earl¡¯s wife, herposure is beyond my grasp¡­ The task Liszt entrusted to me cannot bepleted,¡± Goltai shook his head as he left Tulip Castle. Liszt had instructed him to observe Lady Marie¡¯s expression closely after delivering the message. Goltai understood what Liszt was looking for, but the result was disappointing¡ªLady Marie showed no sign of surprise, shock, jealousy, or anger. Fortunately, this task was just a bit of Liszt¡¯s mischief. It wasn¡¯t mandatory. Momentster. He showed up at the home of Levis¡¯s family tutor, Mr. Frank. The two tutors were not strangers to each other. However, Goltai¡¯s position had previously been much lower; he had only been a family tutor for a baron in the countryside, while Frank was the future Earl¡¯s tutor. Now, things had changed. After stating his purpose and feeling that Frank was finally treating him as an equal, the conversation became much more polite. ¡°Consultant Goltai, please convey my regards to Baron Liszt. On November 5th, I, along with my wife and Sherry, shall attend the Little Minor Elf¡¯s birth celebration in Fresh Flower Town,¡± Frank said.
¡°Of course, on behalf of the Baron, I thank you for your attendance,¡± Goltai replied. ¡°Then let¡¯s have a simple lunch here today. It¡¯s been many years since west drank together. I have a bottle of Juniper Wine that I¡¯ve treasured for a long time.¡± Having missed out on a meal at Tulip Castle, Goltai had nned to find a meal here and so did not decline: ¡°Wow, Juniper Wine! Although I¡¯m in a hurry to get back and invite other nobles to the celebration, it seems my legs can¡¯t carry me any further at the moment. Thank you for your hospitality, Mr. Frank!¡± At lunchtime. Frank¡¯s family and Goltai were seated separately as host and guest. At the table, the bright young girl Sherry asionally asked about Liszt, ¡°Uncle Goltai, has Baron Liszt named the Thorn Minor Elf yet?¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem so, perhaps he will announce the name of the Thorn Minor Elf during the celebration.¡± ¡°Can his Wind Falcon fly now?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, the Wind Falcon has already returned to the blue skies. The Baron does not wish to restrain its proud spirit.¡± Frank¡¯s wife eximed in surprise, ¡°Letting go of a Magical Beast just like that? Isn¡¯t that a waste? It must be worth a lot of Gold Coins!¡± Goltai had also quietly criticized the decision to release a veritable fortune¡¯s worth of Gold Coins, but outwardly, he appeared unconcerned, ¡°Fresh Flower Town is no longer what it used to be; a few Gold Coins are of little consequence.¡± Chapter 177: 0177: The Focus Among the Nobles (Fifth Update, 600 Subscriptions Bonus Chapter) Cloudy weather, a hint of autumn coolness. The autumn harvest in Fresh Flower Town had beenpleted. This year, with the improvement brought by the Elf Bug, the wheat yield was bountiful, resulting in a fifty percent increasepared to previous years. The farmers of Little Wheat Vige beamed with radiant smiles¡ªtaxes were reduced, yield was up, and with plenty of grain stored, there was no need to worry about hunger in the uing winter. Those who nted oats and rye were also pleased, as the use of manure, pond mud, and wood ash as fertilizers increased the yield by ten to twenty percent overst year. Today, the serfs in the town were still toiling, yet their faces were adorned with joyful smiles. It was the celebration of the great Lord Landlord¡¯s acquisition of the Thorn Minor Elf. Everyone supported and adored this scion of the Tulip Family because, under his leadership, Fresh Flower Town had its first glimpse of a hopeful future. Moreover, there was a copper coin festival bonus. ¡°Praise the Lord Landlord, praise the Thorn Minor Elf, Fresh Flower Town will be even better tomorrow!¡± ¡°With the Thorn Minor Elf, the Lord Landlord will win even more glory, and the honor of the knights will favor Fresh Flower Town! My nephew Philip has already be a Retainer Knight for the Lord Landlord, and he will follow him to achieve many honors!¡± ¡°Will Philip be an Earth Knight?¡± ¡°Certainly.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not guaranteed; he¡¯s just a serf. The title of Earth Knight is but a pipe dream for him.¡± ¡°Bob, that¡¯s just jealousy speaking because your son got eliminated. You¡¯re envious of Philip! Philip and Zavier have already won the Lord Landlord¡¯s favor. Their future is bright!¡±
If they had the leisure to quarrel, it proved that these serfs weren¡¯t busy enough¡ªthere was still room to push them further. Meanwhile, the castle servants were too busy to even speak. Butler Carter wiped the sweat off his forehead with his handkerchief over and over. After sessfully hosting the sea festival banquet, he had experienced a grand event, but he was still extremely nervous. Today there was no food brought from Tulip Castle by any earl. All of the banquet ingredients had to be prepared by the castle itself. For this, he had made extensive purchases of ingredients two days prior, and bought all kinds of food avable in North Valley City. Liszt never skimped on the castle¡¯s expenses, so Carter felt confident relying on the castle¡¯s wealth to make this banquet a sess. ¡°Mrs. Abbie, free up a cauldron for Lucas as soon as possible; he needs it for two dishes.¡± ¡°Tom, let Jim handle the water-fetching. Take Parker and John and tidy up thewn at the castle gates right now; guests will be arriving soon.¡± ¡°Mrs. Morson, I need your help. The dining room setup is not up to standard. The master does not advocate for us to use the symbol of the ck Tulip, so the curtains must be reced with the red Tulip emblem that we brought from Tulip Castle¡­ we are one family with Tulip Castle.¡± ¡°Jessie, Jessie, where are you? I need you to run an errand, go tell Bob the baker about today¡¯s bread quantity and variety. Here¡¯s the list I¡¯ve written, give it to him.¡± ¡°We will have many guests today, and their horses will stay around the area. Barton, make sure to take good care of them.¡± The bustling of the castle servants did not affect the master of the castle, Baron Liszt. He got up as usual, and then he took his dog for a walk. Juan Fu had flown away, and Douson was now his only pet. Holding a cane made from Rapid Growth Iron Thorns, he strolled along Douson Avenue. Pointing the tip of the cane towards the sides of Douson Avenue, which were close topletion, he casually spoke, ¡°Douson, Rock Spike.¡± Pfft. A sturdy Rock Spike burst forth from the earth. The cane pointed to the other side and another Rock Spike appeared. He continued to point, and Douson kept on releasing Rock Spikes, almost instantaneously without pause. Soon, two dense rows of Rock Spikes adorned both sides of Douson Avenue, resembling trees standing in a line¡ªone after another, creating a rather aesthetic look.
Importantly, after the festival, workers would shatter these Rock Spikes to pave the road. ¡°Good morning, my lord!¡± Goltai, dressed in festive attire with a ruff circling his neck, looked as though everything below his head was stuffed into a jar. ¡°Good morning, Consultant Goltai.¡± ¡°Your Douson seems to have grown a bit more.¡±
¡°It hasn¡¯t reached adulthood yet, and it looks like it will continue to grow.¡± Liszt patted Douson¡¯s shoulder, bing more and more satisfied with the Fierce Earth Dog. He was no longer able to easily reach Douson¡¯s head. With his own height, using the continental standard leather tape measure, Liszt was measured to be one hundred eighty-five centimeters tall. The straight stretch length from head to tail of Douson was four meters twenty-six; the shoulder height of the forelimbs was one meter forty-one, and the rear limbs were one meter twenty-five; in a natural state, the head height was one meter ny-seven. Compared to themon tigers on Coral Ind, Douson was obviously three sizesrger. Ordinary humans weigh around one hundred thirty kilograms, the tigers of Coral Ind about five hundred kilograms, and Douson¡¯s weight had already reached one thousand three hundred kilograms. In terms of canines, Douson was truly a giant. ¡°It will continue to grow, good heavens, will it be thergest Magical Beast on Coral Ind?¡± Goltai said in an exaggerated tone, sounding surprised. In fact, he was just coordinating with Liszt to show off Douson. Knowing full well that the other party was just buttering him up, Liszt still willingly fell for it, ¡°It might not be thergest Magical Beast. You must know that the weight of the Thunderfang Boar is several times that of Douson. Butpared to the sole Purple Sand Crocodile, if Douson fought with it, it could probably end in a draw.¡± The Purple Sand Crocodile had thick skin and was resistant to beatings and had rich magical tactics, while Douson only knew Rock Spike, but was quick on its feet. Of course, as both were Intermediate Magical Beasts, without a realparison, no one could guarantee which one was stronger. Time, location, and people would all affect the oue of the battle¡ªthe Purple Sand Crocodile was just a dumb Magical Beast, while Douson had the backing of Fresh Flower Town. Goltai praised, ¡°Being able to fight with a Purple Sand Crocodile is already an incredible achievement. Originally, the Earl couldn¡¯t even kill the Purple Sand Crocodile. Granted, it¡¯s because the Earl did not value the Purple Sand Crocodile much, but it¡¯s enough to show the horror of an Intermediate Magical Beast. Douson will be Fresh Flower Town¡¯s strongest guardian!¡±
¡°It¡¯s just that it has a big appetite.¡± Lisztined with a smile. In the past, one meal for Douson was enough for his seven meals; now, one meal for Douson was enough for his seven days of meals. The key was that Douson was picky, it wouldn¡¯t eat ordinary food at all, it had to be chicken, fish, meat, eggs, and asionally some tomatoes or wild fruits to supplement vitamins. If you switch to a countryside noble. They simply couldn¡¯t afford to raise Douson. Even Liszt had some regrets, ¡°I should not have cut down the forest on Thorn Ridge at the beginning. It should have been kept as Douson¡¯s cafeteria, preserving those wild animals and Magical Beasts.¡± This was but a happy worry. After a while, Isaiah, ir, Marcus, and others gradually arrived at the castle, each changing into festive attire, ck¡¤Abbieye. Even the two magicians put on tailcoats to attend the celebration. Liszt took a bath and also changed into his own ck¡¤Abbieye. Noble clothing was very intricate, and under Thomas¡¯s care, it took him a full quarter of an hour to get dressed properly. The clothes felt a bit tight, but thankfully the weather had turned cool and he didn¡¯t feel too stuffy. ¡°My lord, ck¡¤Abbieye was born to be designed for a noble like you. It entuates your exalted elegance,¡± Thomas praised sincerely. Indeed, that was the case. When the nobles of North Valley City arrived one by one, standing amidst the gathered nobility, all wearing ck¡¤Abbieye, Liszt seemed to stand out in any crowd, having the effect of being the center of attention.
Handsome in feature, tall in stature, noble in presence, and with a gently mild smile. Men felt shamed upon seeing him, while women wept. Chapter 179: 0179: Its Name is Jela (7th release, additional for 1000 subscriptions) The Thorn Minor Elf¡¯s entrance was not as shocking as one might expect. In fact, the sleepy little fellow paid no heed to these nobles but merely sat on Liszt¡¯s shoulder, nodding off. It had just been born, full of curiosity about everything, and stayed upte causing a ruckusst night, which left it a bit out of sorts. But this didn¡¯t prevent the nobles from praising the Thorn Minor Elf with loud apuse, casting looks of envy, jealousy, admiration, and desire at Liszt and the little elf on his shoulder. The apuse clearly disturbed the Thorn Minor Elf. It suddenly flew up, facing the pping crowd with a fierce expression, waving its fists, and cried out loudly, ¡°Wah, wah, wah!¡± Obviously, this didn¡¯t intimidate anyone; instead, the apuse grew more vigorous. The lively little elf clearly delighted the crowd more than a dozing one. ¡°It¡¯s so beautiful.¡± ¡°A beautiful creature.¡± ¡°I swear I can see it shimmering with the glow of gold coins.¡± ¡°The glory of the knight shines upon the Tulip Family; Baron Liszt inherits the nobility of the earl!¡±
¡°Exquisitely beautiful, just as cute as those little elves at Tulip Castle.¡± Seeing that its intimidation was ineffective and these humans were still buzzing loudly, the Thorn Minor Elf became furiously angry. It stretched out its little pink fists and opened its chubby little palms, letting out a loud ¡°Wah!¡± Suddenly, streaks of light shed by. Heading towards the people. The light rapidlynded on many people¡¯s clothes, sprouting green, tender shoots at a visible pace, which started to grow and branch out. ¡°Oh, my goodness!¡± ¡°It¡¯s seeds from the elf!¡± ¡°The Thorn Minor Elf has sprinkled seeds on our clothes!¡± The nobles quickly stood up, pping off the tender shoots from their clothes, causing chaos at the banquet for a moment. Just then, Liszt suddenly spoke, ¡°Come back, little one!¡± Instantly, the Thorn Minor Elf pursed its lips and, somewhat reluctantly, flew back to him,nding back on Liszt¡¯s shoulder. The growth of the shoots on the nobles¡¯ clothes also ceased. Which they removed with their hands, Soon cleaning them off entirely. Since she was close to Liszt, Lady Penelope wasn¡¯t sprinkled with seeds. Sheughed at the minor elf, ¡°Such a mischievous little one, reminds me of the earl¡¯s elves, a few of them are just as naughty.¡± ¡°I like such little elves; they¡¯re wilder, more enterprising.¡± Li Vera chimed in. Her clothing had been sprinkled with a few seeds, but she quickly pped them off without damaging her garment. ¡°If I had a minor elf, I¡¯d be willing to be fooled by it every day,¡± a baron from North Valley City quipped, shaking his cor. ¡°Minor elves won¡¯t fool their own masters; they just like to y.¡± ¡°Mischievousness shows that it¡¯s full of life.¡±
After Liszt and the others tidied up their clothes and sat down again, he smiled apologetically but insincerely, ¡°I¡¯m very sorry, it has just been born and is still a little temperamental about being disturbed by strangers. I have restrained it now; please forget the earlier prank and let us continue the banquet.¡± The nobles all expressed that they didn¡¯t mind. Whether they truly didn¡¯t mind was not important. Goltai cleared his throat and continued presiding over the celebration, ¡°Our mischievous protagonist, as everyone has already seen, is without a doubt a vibrant Little Minor Elf, a treasure bestowed upon Fresh Flower Town and Baron Liszt by the glory of the knights!¡±
¡°So, what is its name?¡± asked a nobledy suddenly. ¡°What¡¯s its name¡­¡± Goltai looked towards Liszt. Liszt took over the topic, ¡°It¡¯s called J, this name signifies¡ªthe rise of Thorn, the prosperity of Thorn begins with it.¡± ¡°J?¡± The crowd savored the name. ¡°Good name, it fits the temperament of the Thorn Minor Elf very well.¡± ¡°Indeed, it¡¯s a good name, albeit a bit feminine, but since Little Minor Elves have no gender, any name would do.¡± ¡°J, is this how it¡¯s written¡­ Je, such strange Serpent Script, but it¡¯s quite interesting, a name full of character.¡± Everyone thought the name was fine, even if they found it unpleasant internally, they would still outwardly consider it fine. Only Lady Penelopeined, ¡°J? It sounds like names such as Marie, Melissa, can you change it, Liszt?¡± Sitting beside her, Lady Marie revealed a smile that was both awkward and politely restrained. Liszt too felt embarrassed; Melissa was his mother, and this old grandmother really did spare no one¡¯s dignity. He could only say, ¡°Grandmother, J likes its own name.¡± ¡°Wah!¡±
The Thorn Minor Elf, sensing Liszt¡¯s call in his heart, cried out to him. ¡°If you like it, then that¡¯s fine,¡± said Lady Penelope without insisting further, perhaps she was just taking the opportunity to express some opinion of her own. The introduction of the Thorn Minor Elf J heightened the atmosphere of the celebration. It was also about time for dinner, and after Carter sought confirmation, he signaled the servants to bring out drinks, pouring a ss of red wine or fruit wine for each guest. Liszt picked up the red wine in front of him, looked around, and slowly began, ¡°Thank you all for attending the naming ceremony for Fresh Flower Town¡¯s Little Minor Elf¡­ The birth of the Little Minor Elf signifies something we all understand, especially one backed by a Magic Potion¡­ My father and brother are already on the battlefield, extending the glory of the Tulip Family.¡± The nobles watched the young, handsome baron. Listening intently. Liszt¡¯s speech was mediocre at best,cking literary grace, but he was simply sending a signal: ¡°I, Liszt Tulip, as a bloodline of the Tulip Family, enjoy the family¡¯s protection and am also obliged and determined to seize glory for the family!¡± He paused. Then, raising his voice, he said, ¡°Fresh Flower Town may be just a small town, but with the Thorn Minor Elf, the ck Tulip, the me Mushroom, and the Rapid Growth Magic Thorn, everything is within sight. And I will recruit a group of followers to help me manage Fresh Flower Town and form a Knight Squad to charge into battle!¡± After a moment of thought. He added, ¡°Fresh Flower Town has the capability to seize glory from the battlefield, have you seen the Fierce Earth Dog at the Castle gate? It¡­ has eaten the Bloodline Fruit and evolved into an Intermediate Magical Beast! And it, it¡¯s utterly loyal to me; it will be my most important partner on the battlefield!¡± Intermediate Magical Beast!
This was the first time Liszt had publicly announced the bloodline level of Douson. In an instant, he heard the surrounding nobles sharply inhaling through their teeth at the dinner table. An Intermediate Magical Beast did not hold as much value as a Little Minor Elf, this wasmon knowledge. But, if such a beast existed as a pet, it was a different matter entirely. At the very least, its importance was equivalent to half a Sky Knight and could be considered a weapon on the battlefield! The significance of this Intermediate Magical Beast was nearly on par with that of a Little Minor Elf. ¡°Douson is an Intermediate Magical Beast?¡± Li Vera eximed in disbelief, then breathed a sigh of relief. Any shame she felt for being humiliated by an Intermediate Magical Beast silently dissolved away. Chapter 182: 0182: Maggie Praises Lord Landlord (Tenth update, additional for 1600 subscriptions) Liszt had observed the simply tamed Earth Matron. For some reason, he thought of the unruly Juan Fu, feeling a vague regret. Perhaps if he had not been softhearted and had persisted a little longer, Juan Fu would have submitted. After all, Juan Fu and the Earth Matron were nothing but Magical Beasts, and as Magical Beasts, there was no dignity to speak of. In a trance, Wisps of smoke appeared before his eyes, coalescing into a sequence of Serpent Script. ¡°Mission: Autumn hase, can Winter be far behind? Fresh Flower Town, soon to be nketed in Ice Snow, will fall into istion. Wheat, as an indispensable staple, cannot becking. Please stockpile a hundred tons of wheat to steady the hearts of the serfs through the winter. Reward: The goodwill of the serfs.¡± Stockpiling a hundred tons of wheat wasn¡¯t difficult. With the help of Little Wheat Bugs, this year¡¯s harvest in Little Wheat Vige was bountiful, reaching a yield of nearly two hundred and forty catties per mu, totaling five hundred mu of wheat with a harvest of a hundred and twenty thousand catties, which tranted to sixty tons. ¡°Just purchasing an additional forty tons willplete the mission. The Thorn Caravan and the Fresh Flower Caravan are already buying up newly harvested wheat from everywhere.¡± Liszt came back to his senses and looked at the simple mission but couldn¡¯t guess why there was such a reward as ¡°the goodwill of the serfs.¡± He even disdainfully thought, ¡°Do I need the goodwill of serfs? As long as they work diligently to build my territory and indulge my luxurious lifestyle, that¡¯s enough.¡± Compared to other Landlords, his treatment of serfs was already quite merciful. Other Landlords could beat serfs, or even kill them without seeing any rebellion. Therefore, in Fresh Flower Town, his position as Lord was very secure. Under the Knight system, Nobles didn¡¯t need popr sentiment, just matching strength to gain everything.
The mission reward, however useless it seemed. But to get to the next mission, Liszt still had toplete it¡ªeven if it were an easy task, he would have stockpiled winter supplies even without the mission. Thinking this, he waved his hand lightly, erasing the Smoke Mission. His gaze returned to the Earth Matron. Since the Retainer Knights were outside the Dog Prison, he directly took out a piece of jerky from the Space Gem on his chest and fed it to the Earth Matron. Douson, seeing the jerky, wanted to snatch it without any regard for its rtion to the Earth Matron. ¡°Back off,¡± Liszt ordered Douson away, watching as the Earth Matron wolfed down the jerky. After enjoying the jerky several times, the Earth Matron surprisingly wagged its tail at him. It seemed that it was bing domesticated. ¡°Dogs really are the friendliest to humans. Compared to the undomesticated and pointlessly kept Juan Fu, Douson and the Earth Matron are much better. Adding a litter of Little Fierce Earth Dogs in the future will be perfect¡­ When I go to battle, I¡¯ll unleash the dogs. With Douson leading the charge, it will be a sight most splendid to behold!¡± He could already envision rows of Rock Spikes and their violent output. After walking the dogs. On his return to the Castle, Butler Carter had already led the servants in tidying everything up, and the gifts from the guests had been ounted for and stored away in the Castle¡¯s vault. Nobles usually gave food or iron as gifts, as these resources were scarce, making them ideal for gift-giving. However, the bits and pieces acquired from gift exchanges wouldn¡¯t make one rich¡ªafter all, Liszt would have to give gifts in return when other Nobles held events in the future. ¡°My Lord, do you need to check the ounts?¡± ¡°No need,¡± he replied. Liszt was not a miser who counted his wealth and possessions every day. After chatting briefly with Carter, he returned to his upstairs study to calm his mind, preparing for today¡¯s potion consumption. He opened the me Mushroom Magic Potion and downed it in one gulp. Suddenly, magical power spread like fire. Taking advantage of this force crashing everywhere, he kept circting his Dou Qi, allowing his body to expand and amodate the magical power, then nurturing his own Dou Qi.
He likened this process to filling a cup with rocks. Amon Earth Knight cultivates by filling the cup with small stones, but no matter how full it gets, there are always gaps. An Elite Earth Knight relies on constantly shaking, rubbing the rocks together to make the gaps tighter. An Elite Earth Knight using the drug regimen fills the cup with Magic Potion instead of sand. He was now repeating such a process. The difficulty wasn¡¯t great, but it required a continuous supply and persistent patience.
¡°Once you start taking a Magic Potion, don¡¯t stop, at least not intermittently. Otherwise, the Dou Qi created by the Magic Potion will continuously recede, eventually falling back to the level of amon Earth Knight. But you can¡¯t take it too frequently either. You have to find the right bnce for your body, a push-and-pull.¡± This was the wisdom the Earl had imparted to his sons, how to take drugs properly to make the most of them. The Earl himself had taken drugs for a full ten years to break through the shackles of his body, transforming his Intermediate Dou Qi into Advanced Dou Qi. This precious experience would be the Tulip Family¡¯s most core secret, not to be disclosed to anyone but direct descendants. He quietly refined the magical power of the Magic Potion, assaulting his own Dou Qi. Liszt simultaneouslypared his own experience with the secret teachings of the Earl to authenticate each other. He needed to find the right bnce for his body. The Earl had said, ¡°Everyone has a different way of taking Magic Potions. You need to judge ording to your own body and grasp the bnce.¡± If you exceed that bnce, you not only waste the Magic Potion but also damage your body. If you don¡¯t reach that bnce, you waste time and increase the body¡¯s resistance to the potion, a loss-making deal. ¡°Not every wealthy Elite Earth Knight can be a Sky Knight by relying on Magic Potions¡­ otherwise the Nobles would never see a day of decline¡­ A clever mind, sharp senses, and a fearless heart are all qualities a Sky Knight must have.¡± The predecessor had etched these words deeply in his heart, hinting at a fierce tiger lurking within. But what the predecessorcked most was probably insight, so everything turned out to be a boon for the current Liszt. The festive days passed, and life in Fresh Flower Town continued.
The carts that transported wheat were filled with the new harvest and brought to the granary not far from the Castle. To fulfill the task he called ¡°securing the serfs,¡± he had Karl Ironhammer lead the Patrol Team to extensively proim ¡ª this year¡¯s harvest is bountiful, the Lord Landlord loves his people, stocking up on wheat, no worries for winter. In previous years, winter was an indelible grey memory for the residents of Fresh Flower Town. This year, the residents of Fresh Flower Town enjoyed the mostfortable living they ever had, already full of hope for the winter, not to mention Liszt¡¯s promation, leaving no single serf fearful of the uing cold season. ¡°This year will be easy to get through, Maggie, don¡¯t worry,¡± Mrs. Harriet, a farmwife from Barley Hamlet, said to the frail little girl at the table. The little girl Maggie was a serf purchased from the Eagle Kingdom. Having studied Serpent Script with Old Geronte, she was still not very proficient, so she was somewhat confused: ¡°Mrs. Harriet, what?¡± ¡°Full, tummy,¡± Harriet kindly patted Maggie¡¯s little head, pointed at the bread, then at her stomach, and said with a smile, ¡°Lord Landlord is kind, this winter, everyone can have a full tummy, we will have a very happy winter without hunger or Magical Beasts.¡± She spoke while using gestures and sessfully made Maggie understand. The little girl nodded incessantly and replied in still-imperfect Serpent Script, ¡°Lord Landlord, kind, great, Maggie praises Lord Landlord!¡± Chapter 183: 0183: Maggie Has an Older Sister Who is a Magician (First Update) Chapter 183: Maggie Has an Older Sister Who is a Magician (First Update) After lunch, Maggie diligently took care of cleaning up the tes, her slight body bustling about like a Little Minor Elf. ¡°Let me do that, Maggie. You should go take a nap now. You have to follow Lord Rom for training this afternoon, remember to perform well in the training ss,¡± Mrs. Harriet said, fond of Little Maggie. She didn¡¯t have a daughter and genuinely treated Maggie, who was staying at her house, as her own. Because Mrs. Harriet spoke so quickly, Maggie could only understand a few words in Serpent Script like ¡°nap,¡± ¡°Lord Rom,¡± and ¡°training.¡± But she was smart and guessed at Mrs. Harriet¡¯s intention, promptly replying in Serpent Script, ¡°Training with Lord Rom is easy, Maggie is happy, three meals! Fresh Flower Town, great!¡± Shemunicated sessfully through abination of speaking and gesturing. Mrs. Harriet smiled wistfully, ¡°Fresh Flower Town wasn¡¯t always like this. Back then we could only eat twice a day, and in winter, just once. It was Lord Landlord who brought us everything, making Fresh Flower Town great, now we can eat three meals a day.¡± In times of scarce resources, eating twice a day was the norm formoners, while three meals a day was the standard for nobles. When Maggie was in the Eagle Kingdom, living in the countryside, she and her family also ate twice a day. Being able to have three meals a day in Fresh Flower Town was a huge blessing. She was still young and hadn¡¯t been assigned farm work yet. All she had to do every day was attend training sses and textile sses. The training sses taught some basic physicalbat skills, and the textile sses were taught by serfs who were dyers and spinners, passing on dyeing and textile skills. Maggie learned earnestly.
Because she knew skills were very precious. In her hometown, learning a skill cost a lot of money before someone was willing to teach it. Compared to the intangible prospects of building up strength and developing Dou Qi, she preferred to be a spinner. By the time she finished her textile sses and returned to the house where she was staying with Mrs. Harriet, dinner was just about ready. Butpared to other days, the atmosphere at home seemed more solemn. Harriet¡¯s husband sat on a stool with a serious expression. Mrs. Harriet¡¯s estranged son and daughter-inw also rushed over. It wasn¡¯t until the bread and seafood were served that Maggie understood what day it was¡ªthrough the gestures of Harriet¡¯s daughter-inw¡ªit was the anniversary of Harriet¡¯s daughter¡¯s death. Mr. and Mrs. Harriet once had a young daughter, but she fell ill in winter and, coupled with not having enough to eat, died three years ago. She was only slightly older than Maggie at the time of her death. This was also why Mr. and Mrs. Harriet were willing to take in Maggie as a lodger. The next day, Mr. and Mrs. Harriet even invited Lord Grantaire from the town to their house. Through Grantaire, theymunicated with Maggie, ¡°Maggie, Mrs. Harriet wants to form a contractual mother-daughter rtionship with you.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Maggie was caught off guard and didn¡¯t know how to respond. Old Geronte said gently, ¡°What¡¯s in the past has already happened, don¡¯t think too much about it. Now that you¡¯vee to Fresh Flower Town and your family has died, why not form a contractual mother-daughter rtionship with Mrs. Harriet? It would be convenient for support, and they can even help you buy back your serf contract, restoring your Freeman status.¡± This was incredible news. Since the Harriet family ran the town¡¯s general store and had no worries for food and clothing, they were among the wealthier ones. By forming a contractual rtionship with them, Maggie knew she would have a promising future. But for some reason, she felt somewhat reluctant, ¡°Lord Grantaire, I have rtives¡­ I still have a sister.¡± Old Geronte furrowed his brow; he had checked Maggie¡¯s personal information and had not found any of her rtives among the serfs. ording to Maggie herself, her parents had been killed by mercenaries. ¡°You still have a sister? Where is she? Why didn¡¯t you mention her before?¡± ¡°I¡­ My sister left home several years ago,¡± she said she¡¯de find me after she learned magic¡­ My sister wille back for me. Learn magic?
Could it be that she was chosen by a Mr. Truth to be a Magic Apprentice? This thought flickered through Old Geronte¡¯s mind, but he didn¡¯t take it seriously. Even if Maggie¡¯s sister had be a magician, the likelihood of her traveling the great distance to Coral Ind to find her sister was slim to none. Besides. She might have died in one of the explosions already. The profession of a magicianes with a high probability of explosions.
He assumed Maggie was just a bit shy and embarrassed, so he told her to take a few days to think about it. The Harriet couple and their family didn¡¯t bring it up again, continuing the previous amiable atmosphere. But Maggie couldn¡¯t calm down for a long time. Meanwhile. In the Eagle Kingdom, many miles away, war raged on. The Steel Ridge Kingdomunched a major invasion, forcing the Eagle Kingdom to resist. Dragon Knights roamed everywhere to support the battlefield. Meanwhile, in the hintends of the Eagle Kingdom, the Duchy of Sapphire¡¯s troops, like locusts, desperately scoured the coastal border castles, plundering wealth and minerals. Against this backdrop of turmoil, a warship flying the Red Tulip g slowly approached the harbor. The lighthouse at the harbor also flew the Red Tulip g. Needless to say. This was naturally a stronghold that the Tulip Family, had taken on the coastline of the Eagle Kingdom. The Tulip Family¡¯s servants had already met with the ship¡¯s crew to sort out the goods, all special products of the Duchy of Sapphire. They were fighting and robbing on one hand, and trading and smuggling on the other, without any dy. The entire seaport bustled with people busily loading, unloading, and transporting goods non-stop. ¡°Is this the Tulip Family¡¯s sea vessel?¡± In a shabby tavern on the dock, a female mercenary with a scarf covering her face looked out the window, holding a wine ss, and asked. She was speaking Wind Language. In front of her was a sly-looking fellow who greedily nced at the mercenary¡¯s chest bulging against her leather armor and replied sleazily, ¡°Of course, this dock and most of the surrounding castles have already been upied by Sea Wave Sword Saint Li Weiliam. The Red Tulip has be a nightmare for many nobles.¡±
¡°Are Li Weiliam¡¯s ships always engaged in ve trading?¡± ¡°Heh, the Sapphire People are all a bunch of serf traders. It¡¯d be strange if they weren¡¯t trading ves.¡± ¡°When will the fleet return?¡± ¡°That depends on how fast you mercenaries can catch serfs. If you¡¯re quick, maybe you can trade a bunch of serfs this month.¡± ¡°For your troubles.¡± The female mercenary casually flicked her fingers, and a shiny silver coin flew into the air, spinning beforending neatly on the table. She left without looking back. The sly fellow grabbed the silver coin in an instant, licked his lips greedily, picked it up, held it in his palm, andughed brightly, ¡°If you need more information, my lord mercenary, juste to Old Fort Tavern and ask for me, Three-Eared Goldie¡­ Eh, where did she go all of a sudden?¡± By the time he looked up, the female mercenary was nowhere to be seen in the tavern. But he didn¡¯t care, fondling the silver coin in his palm with satisfaction. Earning a silver coin for a few words was a solid deal. Chapter 184: 0184: Baffling Goodwill (Second Update) Chapter 184: Baffling Goodwill (Second Update) ¡°I wonder how father and brother are faring in the Eagle Kingdom¡¯s wars, and how much profit they¡¯ve gained this year,¡± Liszt thought, having finished one session of the¡±Fire Dragon Drill¡±and the¡±ming Wave¡±. He picked up his bow and arrows and began to practice the¡±Multi-Arrow¡±again. After beginning his life of taking potions, he, an Elite Earth Knight, had been feeling his blood surge with enthusiasm these past few days, almost desperate to charge into battle and demonstrate his formidable strength. It was as if someone had suddenly struck it rich. While reason dictated that he should keep a low profile, emotionally, he definitely wanted to show off a bit. ¡°Once I delve into the Dou Qi Manuscript a bit more, I must challenge Marcus to a fight¡ªarmed with the Crimson Blood Sword and my Li Dragon Horse, even if my experience falls short, and my Dou Qi cirction techniques are inferior to Marcus, I can still fight and win!¡± Confident in his equipment topensate for what hecked in strength, his confidence was boundless. Of course, any such duel had to be carried out in private. If Liszt happened to lose by a mischance, as long as the parties involved kept silent, it would naturally not affect his image. Thinking this way, his emotions in his training intensified even further. cing his hand on the bowstring, he shot out two sharp arrows side by side. Guided by his Dou Qi, they collided in midair, altering their flight path slightly, and shot straight toward two targets a hundred meters away, ten meters apart from each other. Bang Bang! Two crisp sounds.
Liszt looked up to see that the arrows had hit dead center in the thick targets a hundred meters away, one arrow in each target, with uncanny precision. His vision had greatly improved thanks to his long-term use of the Eye of Magic. Combined with ¡°Multi-Arrow¡±, he could effortlessly hit any target he aimed at; not to mention piercing a leaf at a hundred paces, even a thousand paces was not too difficult. The only issue was that at such a distance, the Dou Qi infused into the arrows would dissipate in midair, and the arrows would have to rely solely on their kic energy to fly. Both their attacking power and their trajectory would be greatly diminished. ¡°Many Earth Knights practice the¡±Multi-Arrow¡±, but few have the talent of a Divine Archer. Marcus is one, but I have even more talent.¡± In Fresh Flower Town, Liszt enjoyedparing himself to Marcus to gauge his own strength. ¡°With my proficiency in the Double Arrow alone, I¡¯ve definitely surpassed Marcus!¡± Sweating with exertion, he continued to practice ¡°Multi-Arrow¡±. He had not yet mastered the Ultimate Mystery Multi-Shadow Arrow, but he had achieved a transcendent mastery of the most basic Double Arrow. Drip Drip. The sound of the merchant caravan¡¯s wagons approached from afar, transporting the newly purchased wheat past the castle and straight to the granary. Officials had already gathered arge group of serfs waiting for work to start transferring the wheat into the storage. Every face bore a smile. Although the food stored in the castle was Lord Landlord¡¯s private stock, when the castle had food, the serfs naturally benefited¡ªat the very least, the Lord would not levy the serfs¡¯ meager winter reserves. In previous years, the knights who collected taxes in Fresh Flower Town were like vampires at the end of fall, almost wishing to drain the serfs of all their grain. The caravan transferred all the wheat into the storehouse. ¡°There must be a hundred tons of wheat, right?¡± Liszt had just finished practicing the¡±Multi-Arrow¡±and watched as the caravan began its return journey. A thought crossed his mind, and he summoned the Smoke Mission on horseback. ¡°Missionpleted, reward: the goodwill of Serf Maggie.¡± The goodwill of Serf Maggie? That sounded like a female serf. Befuddled, Liszt turned to Servant Thomas riding behind him and instructed, ¡°Go find out if there¡¯s a serf named Maggie¡­ Don¡¯t make a big deal out of it, just inquire about her situation.¡±
Thomas immediately set off to make inquiries. Liszt walked towards the castle, all the while continuing to specte about the content of the mission reward, ¡°What exactly does the goodwill of a serf mean? Could it be that there is something amiss with this serf, or perhaps she has some talent that I¡¯m supposed to unearth¡­ The name is feminine, so it¡¯s a female serf, or perhaps¡­¡± A thought suddenly struck him. In an excited moment, he considered, ¡°Is it possible that the Smoke Mission noticed how attentive I have been to my secretary these past few days and is now telling me that there is a beautiful female serf in Fresh Flower Town who I could take on as a secretary?¡±
That idea seemed far-fetched. But what if it were true? Luckily, he still had some sense about him and reined in his thoughts when he saw the new mission. ¡°Mission: The sailors have been thoroughly trained, and the captain is full of ambition. The Calming Sea Pearl is about to bepleted, and the onlyrge ship in Fresh Flower Town, the Fresh Flower Vessel, is gearing up for its maiden voyage across the vast ocean towards the stars. Please personallyplete the Fresh Flower Vessel¡¯s first voyage. Reward: Li Dragon Horse Herd.¡± The mission reward was not unexpected. ck Horse Ind had already been assessed to be home to the Li Dragon Horse Herd. But the content of the mission made Liszt somewhat irritably surprised, ¡°To personally undertake the maiden voyage? Even with the help of the Calming Sea Pearl, it¡¯s dangerous for Kostor and his crew to take to the sea. How irresponsible of the Smoke Mission to ask me to risk myself like this!¡± His original intention was to have Marcus and the others make a trip to ck Horse Ind first to scout the danger. He would set off only after ensuring safe sailing andnding on the ind. Upon further consideration, he relented, ¡°Actually, I don¡¯t have to go. My subordinates could discover the Li Dragon Horse Herd and im the reward in advance, and the mission would change regardless¡­ But I¡¯ll make the trip anyway. If I prepare properly before sailing and minimize the risk, there shouldn¡¯t be any problems.¡± The group of refugees from Little Papa Ind had managed to drift to Coral Ind, a thousand miles away, under Kostor¡¯smand. The Taiwan Strait, which only separated Coral Ind from ck Horse Ind, should not be difficult to navigate with a trained crew. Having made up his mind, Liszt no longer hesitated and quickly found Kostor, ¡°Captain Kostor, I am prepared to apany the journey to ck Horse Ind. During this time, make sure you and my Retainer Knights coordinate well.¡±
¡°Please rest assured, Lord Landlord, I will definitely ensure your safety!¡± After expressing his stance, Kostor asked, ¡°Lord, may I know when the Calming Sea Pearl will bepleted?¡± ¡°Noter than three days.¡± ¡°Then, please have your Retainer Knights spend as much of the next three days as possible training on the Fresh Flower Vessel, to ensure they can protect you at the first sign of danger.¡± ¡°That¡¯s settled,¡± Liszt suddenly thought, ¡°How about I take Douson on the voyage as well? What do you think?¡± Kostor pondered carefully before responding, ¡°Douson is and-based Magical Beast. On its first voyage at sea, it¡¯s certain to get seasick. Even with three days of continuous training, it might not ovee seasickness.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s try it out first and see if Douson gets seasick.¡± He had never before considered embarking on the maiden voyage to ck Horse Ind himself, let alone taking Douson along. But Douson was definitely meant to follow him into battle in the future as the most suitable bodyguard. So, regr sea voyages were essential, and it was only right to start training early to prevent seasickness. Not being one to be indecisive, the very next day, Liszt led Douson onto the Fresh Flower Vessel. Once aboard, Douson¡¯s curiosity was apparent as it ttered about on the deck, jumping here and there, each leap making the Fresh Flower Vessel tremble on the sea surface. A creature weighing over a ton had such formidable power. However, Douson was afraid of water and would not dare get close to the ship¡¯s side. Whenever Liszt pulled it closer to the rail, Douson refused to move, its eyes not daring to look down at the sea from the ship¡¯s side. Especially when the Fresh Flower Vessel left the makeshift dock made from a few nks of wood tied together. Out at sea, with the ship riding the wind and waves, Douson¡¯s normally lively nature deted, lying morosely on the deck, not daring to budge.
It also kept whining intermittently with, ¡°Woo woo¡­ woof woof¡­ woo woo¡­¡± Chapter 187: 0187: Speculation on Alchemy (Fifth update, 10,000 coin reward celebration 2) Chapter 187: Spection on Alchemy (Fifth update, 10,000 coin reward celebration 2) This chapter is an additional reward for ¡°Snow Broken Thousand des¡± reaching ten thousand rewards. ¡°Sir, Douson has adapted well and is no longer afraid of the rocking of the ship. It can now walk freely on the deck,¡± at the bow, Marcus looked at Douson, his eyes shining. It was an expression filled with longing. An Intermediate Magical Beast, paired with a Thorn Minor Elf, would undoubtedly propel Liszt to the position of Viscount. And he, following by Liszt¡¯s side, charging into battle, the title of Honored Knight was within easy reach as well. The aspiration to nobility of his family¡¯s previous generations weighed on Marcus, who in turn ced his hopes on Liszt. Liszt¡¯s reliance was on Douson and J. Liszt did not respond, only tentatively pointed at the sea and gave an order, ¡°Douson, Rock Spike!¡± Douson opened its mouth and spat out. Suddenly, a not so thick pir of rock appeared on the sea surface, which had barely emerged before it sank into the sea and disappeared. ¡°Woof woof!¡±
To its own Rock Spike, instantly submerged, Douson expressed confusion. Liszt patted itsrge head and then turned to Marcus, ¡°Creating something from nothing, albeit restricted by the environment, the Rock Spike is much smaller than onnd, but the change in the nature of the magic power it represents is still awe-inspiring. I¡¯m beginning to believe in the Triangle Theory that Granney mentioned.¡± Mind, Magic Power, and Matter, the three could be converted. In his heart of hearts, he was not enthusiastic about this theory, but there was no better theory to exin it. However, Marcus clearly was not one to explore the mind: ¡°Dragons can produce metals and gemstones, Elves can increase nt yield, these are naturalws. Douson can create rocks, just like Magicians can conjure fireballs. I think that¡¯s natural.¡± ¡°Then do you believe in the existence of Alchemists?¡± ¡°Alchemists?¡± Marcus thought for a moment and said seriously, ¡°I don¡¯t know, but I do not wish for their existence. The glory of a Knight can be obtained from a charge into battle. Gaining by alchemical means without working for it would only lead to our downfall.¡± Liszt sighed. Marcus was clearly not the right person to talk to, as his mind was solely focused on the glory of Knights and the honor of Nobles. ¡°I believe that Alchemy does exist, the method of turning stones into Gold Coins sounds simplerpared to creating something from nothing¡­¡± he said briefly, having already lost the interest to chat. Just gazing at the green waves on the sea, his thoughts wandered. ¡°All the material for making Gold Coinses from Golden Dragons that produce gold. If someone could master the secret of how Golden Dragons infect gold, perhaps they could grasp the secret of Alchemy.¡± At that thought, he remembered the two boxes of books he had collected when salvaging the Sunken Ship Treasure. Included was a book about Alchemy. Unfortunately, upon touching it, the book turned directly into ashes, which was a great regret for him. It made his heart ache whenever he thought about it, and at times, he wondered if keeping the book in a Gemstone Space and then reading it would preserve it¡ªthe Gemstone Space could stop the decay of matter, maybe the pages could be turned. Upon further reflection, it seemed unlikely. Putting a candle in it, the me would be distorted upon contact; putting in a book, upon touching it, would it not still shatter?¡ªperhaps it was possible to scrape off the decayed pagesyer byyer to obtain some content. Too bad he hadn¡¯t thought of that at the time. Suppressing his regret about Alchemy, his thoughts jumped to the Dragonbone Stabilizer stored in the Gemstone Space.
This bone from a Dragon Breed Magic Beast, originating from the sunken ship, could not be set in the Fresh Flower Vessel due to theck of a Shipbuilder, thus failing to exert its effect of driving away Sea Monsters. ¡°Once I have enough money, I¡¯m going to build a brand-new, epoch-making longitudinal sailboat, and then I¡¯ll embed this Dragonbone Stabilizer into it.¡± The morning sun had already climbed high.
The sea breeze was blowing, with a force of about three or four levels. It was a northwest wind, perfect for the Fresh Flower Vessel to sail downwind, and its speed had already surpassed 5 knots. After everything had stabilized, Kostor came out of the captain¡¯s cabin and reported to Liszt, ¡°The ship¡¯s speed has reached 5 and a half knots. If we maintain this, in thirteen hours, the Fresh Flower Vessel will arrive at ck Horse Ind.¡± ¡°You¡¯re the expert in this area, so I¡¯ll leave everything to you. Just ensure a safe voyage. If we encounter a storm, remember to use the Calming Sea Pearl. I am going to rest now, keep me informed if anything happens.¡± The Fresh Flower Vessel was only a medium-sized merchant ship. So the cabins were not spacious. Thomas set the fruit he had brought on the table, excused himself, and left to see Douson. Liszt was the only one left in the room. He took out a me Mushroom Magic Potion from his Space Gem and started his daily task of potion consumption. Upon ingesting the potion, the searing Magic Power spread out, assaulting his limbs and bones. Silently, he circted his own Dou Qi, guiding this magic force evenly throughout every part of his body. Compared to the people of this world, he had a much clearer understanding of his body¡¯s structure, including those meridians which could amodate the cirction of Dou Qi¡ªancient Chinese culture had always spoken of meridians. Liszt had once studied meridians, but on Earth, they were considered unproven. Here, meridians were real, the pathways and channels for the cirction of Dou Qi. As Magic Power stimted growth, Dou Qi was produced, and the total amount of Dou Qi inside his body increased little by little, everything going exceptionally smoothly, which immersed Liszt in the process. He couldn¡¯t help but feel, ¡°I really am a genius.¡±
¡°ording to the experience taught by the Earl, coupled with Levis¡¯s verification, Elite Earth Knights often feel various diforts in their bodies during the early stages of consuming potions. This is due to the aftermath caused by the shock of Magic Potions on the body, requiring a long period to adapt and find the bnce point.¡± Suddenly opening his eyes, he mused to himself, ¡°Why don¡¯t I feel that way? Taking the me Mushroom Magic Potion works quickly, but why isn¡¯t there any difort in my body?¡± He quickly deduced why his cultivation was progressing so smoothly. ¡°I know the theory of meridians in Chinese medicine, and by drawing upon it, I can more easily master the details of the cirction of Dou Qi meridians and find the bnce point¡­ These two theories of meridians indeed have many simrities.¡± ¡°I understand the structure of the body clearly, and I can adjust the way Dou Qi circtes at any time ording to the structure of the body.¡± ¡°Moreover, my mental strength is probably stronger than that of an ordinary knight, after all, I am a transmigrator. My soul has absorbed the soul of my predecessor and even has an unclear rtionship with the Smoke Dragon. Therefore, my control over Dou Qi is as easy as moving my arms, without any obstructions or stagnation.¡± Knowledge is power. The Earl, Levis, and others probably only knew about the heart, liver, spleen, lungs, kidneys, bones, muscles, and fat in their bodies. This world¡¯s research on the microscopic level doesn¡¯t exist at all; they don¡¯t even know what bacteria and cells are, let alone atoms or electrons. Nobody cares about medicine or physics; they all focus on Dou Qi and Magic. ¡°It¡¯s not entirely nonexistent. Magicians are somewhat like a variant of scientists, only their research is focused on Magic Power,¡± Liszt smiled slightly, ¡°And me, with the knowledge of two worldsbined, plus decent innate talent, it isn¡¯t too much to call myself a genius.¡± It was as if he could see Sky Knights beckoning to him. After basking in his pride. With the rationality of an adult, he quickly calmed his heart and continued cultivating his Dou Qi.
Until there was a knock on the door, and Thomas called from outside, ¡°Milord, it¡¯s time for lunch. Would you like to dine now?¡± Chapter 188: 0188: The First Night on Black Horse Island (First Update) Chapter 188: The First Night on ck Horse Ind (First Update) Sailing is extremely boring. Liszt had to maintain the dignity of a noble and couldn¡¯t mingle with the sailors or retainer knights, so after lunch, he took a nap and continued to practice Dou Qi in the afternoon. He practiced for the entire afternoon. The Fresh Flower Vessel arrived around half-past one in the afternoon at the location marked on the sailing map, but ck Horse Ind was nowhere to be found, forcing them to continue searching at sea. It took nearly three more hours to pinpoint the exact location of ck Horse Ind. ¡°This sailing chart is off by a whole ten kilometers, those rats¡¯ knowledge of sailing must have gone to the dogs!¡± Kostor gnashed his teeth in fury. Had it not been for good luck, they might not have found ck Horse Ind even by nightfall. ¡°Don¡¯tin, the fact that we found ck Horse Ind is fortunate,¡± Liszt was quite optimistic, even feeling somewhat unsatisfied; he was growing increasingly fond of the sensation from indulging in medicine and cultivating, ¡°Are we now looking for a ce tond?¡± ¡°Yes, my Lord, ck Horse Ind is, after all, an undeveloped wastnd, and we need to find a suitable spot tond. The ind¡¯s outline is muchrger than I imagined, possibly asrge as Beer Ind. This area is all beach, making it difficult tond.¡± He pointed toward the ind¡¯s horizon outside the window. ¡°As big as Beer Ind?¡± ¡°It¡¯s just my estimate, but it should not be too different.¡±
Liszt was pleased with such conjecture; the size of Beer Ind was just right for a viscount¡¯s fief. If it were toorge, it would be divided and shared with other nobles; too small, and it would be a disadvantage. Not too big, not too small¡ªjust right. They circled half of it. Just as the sunset began to plummet towards the sea level, they finally found a suitablending spot. The Fresh Flower Vessel approached slowly, dropped anchor, lowered the lifeboats, and except for a few sailors tasked with guarding the Fresh Flower Vessel, everyone else took the lifeboats ashore. The shore was piled with rocks, simr to the dock at Fresh Flower Town. Looking around, the vegetation on the ind was not lush, with only a few sparse trees in the distance. Mostly weeds. Some hares and deer in the distant weed patches watched Liszt¡¯s group warily, especially the tall and formidable Douson. From a distance, they could not sense Douson¡¯s intermediate magical beast aura, but its appearance alone indicated that Douson was not to be trifled with. ¡°Teacher Marcus, we will first explore along the coastline. We have about an hour before it gets dark. Once it¡¯s dark, we¡¯ll return here and spend the night on the Fresh Flower Vessel,¡± Liszt instructed. ¡°Yes!¡± No horses were brought along, so everyone was on foot, except for Liszt, who could ride on Douson. Douson¡¯srge frame made riding it morefortable than a horse. Many knights, especially powerful ones, were no longer limited to riding horses and had switched to various strong dragon breed beasts and magical beasts. For instance, the bearer of the Dou Qi Secret Technique ¡°The Eye of Magic¡±, Steve Vulture, rode a Dragon Breed Magic Beast Vulture, soaring through the skies. The personalbat strength of a Sky Knight was superior to a knight¡¯s charge, so their mounts entuated individualbat capabilities. Ordinary knights relied on shoulder-to-shoulder charges to form a powerful surge of Dou Qi; hence their mounts emphasized uniformity, making horses the most suitable. Although riding a dog might not sound very elegant, Liszt did not seem out of ce at all on Douson¡¯s back. On the contrary, having an intermediate magical beast as a mount made everyone envious, subtly elevating his image even further. Grasping Douson¡¯s ck fur, he secured himself in ce. Liszt¡¯s mind went nk for a moment, and during that brief interval, he summoned the Smoke Mission. The smoke coalesced, forming Serpent Script: ¡°Missionplete, reward Li Dragon Horse Herd.¡± Unquestionably, once the Fresh Flower Vessel had moored, the long sea voyage was alreadypleted; it didn¡¯t require a return voyage to be consideredplete. For a moment.
The smoke shifted and changed. A new task was immediately issued. ¡°Task: You have set foot on newnd, and as andlord determined to pioneer and develop, how can you allow ck Horse Ind to be so neglected and unmanaged? Please establish a temporary outpost on ck Horse Ind and station one hundred serfs there. Reward: A few decayed bones.¡± ¡°A temporary outpost?¡±
¡°A few decayed bones?¡± Liszt quickly recalled a previous Smoke Mission about specters, in which the reward was a piece of a broken skeleton. It was eventually identified as a Dragonbone Stabilizer made from the bones of a high-level dragonkin magical beast. ¡°So, what are these ¡®few decayed bones¡¯?¡± He didn¡¯t bother guessing too much. Regarding the Smoke Missions, Liszt could sometimes be quitezy, for as long as he couldplete the tasks, the rewards would always arrive in his hands by coincidence. ¡°Establishing a temporary outpost is already in the n; it¡¯s a giveaway question.¡± The team walked only a few miles. They found that the rocky coast had disappeared, reced by a sandy beach. ¡°The spot where we anchored likely belongs to the transition area between east and west, with most of ck Horse Ind¡¯s east side being sandy beaches and the west side consisting of rocky cliffs,¡± Kostor, who often sailed out to sea and had visited many inds, could deduce the situation of the entire ind from its details. ¡°Looking towards the center of the ind, there are no undting high mountains, mostly gentle slopes.¡± He squinted his eyes, taking a careful look into the distance, and added, ¡°My lord, I¡¯ve noticed that ck Horse Ind is quite round.¡± ¡°Quite round?¡± ¡°Yes, the topography of this ind is continuous, at least the side we are on is continuous; what¡¯s on the opposite side is yet to be known. Perhaps we could sail around the ind tomorrow to fully observe the shape of ck Horse Ind.¡± Liszt looked up at the sunset already vanishing at the horizon and said, ¡°Then let¡¯s wait until tomorrow. The current situation is unclear; let¡¯s return to the Fresh Flower Vessel for now.¡± That night passed without incident, and nothing unusual urred either.
Liszt wasn¡¯t very ustomed to sleeping on a ship; the repetitive sound of sea waves crashing and the mixed snoring of sailors and retainer knights in the cabin made it difficult for him to fall asleep. Douson stood guard outside his door. Dogs snore too, so Douson¡¯s snoring, resembling bubbles, wasn¡¯t unusual. Liszt himself never snored and liked a very quiet environment for sleeping. Unable to sleep, he simply sat up and took out a crystalmp, cing it on the table. The crystalmp, purchased from Granney, was very convenient for carrying and use, equivalent to a shlight. With the light on, he continued to take out objects to fiddle with from the Gemstone Space¡ªthere was the Crimson Blood Sword, worn at his waist during the day and stored in the Gemstone Space at night; bows and arrows, a set of Fine Steel Knight Equipment, and three Fine Steel Knight¡¯s Spears for emergencies; Mithril Mine, crystal, jade, all neatly piled up. There were also the ck Pearl, Dragonbone Stabilizer, telescope, drift bottle, and Smoked Grass. Plus arge pile of food including plenty of milk, eggs, roasted meat, vegetables, fruits, bread, and various seasonings. In the Gemstone Space where materials remained static and unspoiled, food could be kept for as long as desired. With these supplies, he could be thrown onto a deserted ind and livefortably for months¡ªhe even packed a few bars of Fresh Flower Soap. Also, the thirty me Mushroom Magic Potionspleted by Elkerson were in the Gemstone Space as well. ¡°Not easy at all, umting little by little, I¡¯ve built up a substantial foundation.¡± He rearranged his possessions with satisfaction, put the Space Gem close to his body,y on the bed, and began counting sheep. He didn¡¯t know how much time had passed when he finally couldn¡¯t resist fatigue and fell asleep.
Chapter 189 - 0189: This is the Li Dragon Horse Herd (Second Update) Chapter 189: This is the Li Dragon Horse Herd (Second Update) Circling the ind, it turned out just as Kostor had spected, ck Horse Ind is an irregrly shaped oval ind. There are no natural harbors for sheltering from the wind, and the most suitable ce for a seaport is the Rock Pier where they dockedst night. However, it is difficult to dockrge ships there, because the water is not deep enough for a medium-sized merchant ship like the Fresh Flower Vessel, it was a bit of a struggle. When the sun began to release its heat, everyone gradually ventured deeper into the hintends of ck Horse Ind in search of the Li Dragon Horse Herd. The ind had few trees and the hills were not very steep, so the view was wide-open, allowing clear visibility for great distances. Marcus used his monocr telescope all the way, searching for traces of the herd without expending much effort, and soon found what he was looking for. ¡°My lord, this is horse dung, the Li Dragon Horse Herd is nearby!¡± he eximed excitedly, bending over to use a stick to turn over a clump of small ck ball-shaped objects in the bushes. Knight¡¯s familiarity with horse dung certainly surpasses knowing how many moles are on their wife¡¯s body. Liszt was just as familiar with horse dung, and upon hearing that, he looked up at the gentle hill in front of him: ¡°They should be on the other side of the slope, let¡¯s go around.¡± Douson the Dog took the lead, carrying Liszt, and stepped into a delicate trot. Marcus and the others, without mounts, could only follow with a jog. A momentter, the group sessfully crossed over the weeds and came to the other side of the hill. No telescope was needed to see a herd of ck wild horses on the distant slope, leisurely grazing, quite contented. ¡°The Li Dragon Horse Herd!¡± ¡°They¡¯re all ck, they must be Li Dragon Horses!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t rush over there, first observe carefully and count how many horses there are,¡± Liszt said calmly, pulling out a telescope and looking towards the Li Dragon Horse Herd. Through the lens, horse after horse, no less majestic than the Li Dragon Horse at the castle, seemingly unaware of their presence, was simply busy eating grass and frolicking about. One, two, three¡­ there were exactly thirty-seven ck horses. Though a small herd, it was a significant discovery for Liszt, because every single ck horse here might be a Dragon Breed Horse! After Marcus had counted the horses, his excitement was hard to contain: ¡°My lord, there are thirty-seven in total, nine of which are foals, and the remaining twenty-eight are enough to arm two squads of knights!¡± ¡°Teacher Marcus, you can now have one of them,¡± Liszt said. ¡°Thank you, my lord!¡± Marcus could hardly wait to go capture and tame a ck horse, but to avoid startling the herd, he said, ¡°There must be a horse king among these wild horses, my lord, it should be up to you to tame the horse king personally, then the rest of the Li Dragon Horses won¡¯t run away.¡± The term ¡°horse king¡± is a colloquial way to refer to the leader among a herd of wild horses. Typically, the bravest stallion leads and protects the herd. Taming the horse king would lead the other horses to naturally follow its lead, effectively meaning the entire herd would be tamed. ¡°Are you sure which one is the horse king?¡± Liszt asked eagerly, as the horse king would naturally belong to him; only andlord is entitled to ride the king. ¡°It¡¯s simple, we scare the herd, and the one leading them will be the king,¡± Marcus suggested. The task of intimidation went directly to Douson, and upon his appearance, the aura of an Intermediate Magical Beast immediately spooked the Li Dragon Horse Herd. Then they stopped grazing and turned to run. ¡°Did you see clearly which one it is?¡± ¡°I saw clearly, my lord, the horse king is that ck horse with a hint of violet on its forehead. It has the longest mane and is the tallest among them, I feel it¡¯s even more majestic than your Li Dragon Horse,¡± Marcus said. ¡°Let¡¯s first survey the terrain around us, and once the herd has calmed down, we shall encircle them and I shall personally tame the horse king!¡± Liszt dered. The Li Dragon Horse Herd was already a sitting duck, requiring no excessive vignce. The location he was in was slightly to the south of the center of the ind, on the north slope of the highest hill, which served as the grazing ground for the Li Dragon Horse Herd. The pasture was extensive, stretching from this hill to another, including the valleys in between¡ªall sparsely wooded grasnds. ¡°This is a natural pasture, where I have found four types of high-quality forage, my lord, please look¡­¡± Marcus was like a connoisseur when it came to pastures. ¡°This is Sheep Grass, most suitable for sheep; it¡¯s not abundant, but very nutritious; this is Needle Grass, horses¡¯ favorite food, although its growth here is a bit weak; this is Alfalfa, which can¡¯t grow without Elf Bugs; and this is Ice Grass, an excellent forage, but unfortunately it¡¯s also not thriving, with nts tending to be short.¡± The grasnds on ck Horse Ind have the potential to be a top pasture, with a very rich variety of forages. However, thend is barren andcks Elf Bugs for care, resulting in generally poor growth of the forages. This is likely why the Li Dragon Horse Herd only numbers thirty-seven, as the pasture can¡¯t support more wild horses. The team continued to explore. They made their way to the northeastern part, almost to the center of ck Horse Ind, and climbed the highest hill, barely able to glimpse the full expanse of the ind. The oval-shaped indcked great undtions, with the highest hill being the one beneath their feet, estimated to be no more than three hundred meters above sea level. There were also three other shorter hills. The four hills were distributed in a ¡°¿Ú¡± shape, forming the topography of the ind. ¡°Let¡¯s mark these down for now: Sheep Grass Hill, Needle Grass Hill, Alfalfa Hill, and the Ice Grass Hill beneath our feet,¡± Liszt irresponsibly named the four hills. Standing atop Ice Grass Hill, one could see that on the slopes of Needle Grass Hill, the Li Dragon Horse Herd had once again started to graze leisurely. The range of the grasnd stretched from Sheep Grass Hill to Needle Grass Hill and bisected Alfalfa Hill. From Alfalfa Hill to the slopes of Ice Grass Hill, misceneous trees became more frequent and pastures gradually decreased. ¡°Cut down all these misceneous trees and cultivate forage, to expand the scale of the Li Dragon Horse Herd.¡± Liszt already envisioned a magnificent scene of Li Dragon Horses racing back and forth between the four hills in the future. Of course, now was not the time for daydreaming; he and Marcus discussed briefly, nning how to tame the lead stallion. It wasn¡¯t rocket science. They simply divided the Retainer Knights and sailors they had brought into four groups, approaching the Li Dragon Horse Herd from four directions to induce a situation where the horses could neither advance nor retreat, causing panic and breaking their formation. Then Liszt would charge directly at them, mount the lead stallion, and begin taming¡ªtaming a horse was a piece of cake for an Elite Earth Knight. Thus. An hourter. Liszt was hugging the neck of the lead stallion, letting it buck and jump wildly, carrying him in a frenzied dash all over the hillside. A contest of strength between man and horse. He even had the mind to hum a song, ¡°Spin, leap, I close my eyes¡­¡± After another half an hour, the lead stallion showed no sign of slowing down, still running wildly over the hills. Compared to his initial taming of Li Dragon Horses, the stallion was evidently stronger and more patient. But the oue was still submission. In time, the lead stallion lowered its proud head, allowing Liszt to ride andmand it. ¡°Congrattions, my lord, for obtaining an even more majestic steed!¡± ¡°Indeed, it¡¯s stronger and taller than the Li Dragon Horse,¡± Liszt took the handkerchief from Thomas, wiped off his sweat, and threw it back, unable to hide the excitement in his voice. He kept stroking the lead stallion¡¯s neck, ¡°See the purple-red hair on its forehead? Does it not resemble a sh of lightning?¡± With a slight smile, He dered, ¡°This lead stallion of the Li Dragon Horse Herd shall be called Lightning!¡± Chapter 191: 0191: Traveling with the Giant Beast (Fourth Update, 10,000 Coins Reward Celebration 4) Chapter 191: Traveling with the Giant Beast (Fourth Update, 10,000 Coins Reward Celebration 4) This chapter is an additional reward for ¡°Fantasy Reaper 11¡± reaching its milestone. The water shimmered, and a gentle breeze blew. Today was not a day for strong winds, so the speed of the Fresh Flower Vessel was not fast. The sailors in the paddle room had started to row, speeding up the journey. Having a manservant bring a stool, Li Si Te sat at the bow of the ship, enjoying the seascape. Dousony at the ship¡¯s side, a voyage that allowed it to sessfully ovee its fear of the ocean. From the initial terror at the sight of deep blue seawater to now gazing idly at the waves, its adaptability was astounding. In the near future. It would be a qualified sailor, no, a water dog. Dogs usually know how to swim, and the Fierce Earth Dog was a dog too, so Li Si Te was certainly going to make it learn to swim. The waves tumbled. The Fresh Flower Vessel was moving away from ck Horse Ind.
There were scattered small inds around ck Horse Ind, which perhaps could not really be called inds, but just barely coral reefs¡ªa single wave could submerge thempletely. Some of the islets had trees growing on them, while some were just sand and stone. ¡°The scenery is truly beautiful, with the azure sea, blue sky, seagulls, and sandy beaches, but there are no Fragrant Coconut Trees. If it were on Earth, ck Horse Ind and the nearby reefs could definitely be developed into a resort not inferior to the Maldives¡­ Unfortunately, the Duchy of Sapphire is an archipgo in itself, and the local nobles are inders with no interest in enjoying beach scenery.¡± The nobles were all busy raiding the Eagle Kingdom. ¡°I wonder how much wealth the Earl and Levis have plundered¡­ And when will the Tulip Fleet return to port? With the expected number of serfs, the return should be quite swift.¡± Thinking of a thousand serfs. Li Si Te¡¯s heart swelled with heat. With more than two and a half thousand serfs in hisnd, there were not enough hands to even cultivate the fields of Fresh Flower Town, and now there was also the need to develop ck Horse Ind, further increasing the shortfall ofbor. This shortage stalled many of his ideas, restricting him to slowly farming and slowly umting Gold Coins, preventing him from bing rich overnight. ¡°Magic Potions are needed to sustain my use; with the amount I¡¯m consuming right now, relying solely on me Mushrooms isn¡¯t enough. Even adding Rapid Growth Magic Thorns is insufficient, and the earnings from ck Tulips also have to go towards buying Magic Potions.¡± ¡°Without the substantial ie from Magic Potions, there aren¡¯t many profitable businesses¡­ The seafood business can only be maintained for another half year before it probably needs to be wrapped up. Any noble with a bit of sense is secretly fishing for seafood, just not selling it publicly¡­ And I have no idea when Fresh Flower Brew will be ready.¡± The current new moneymaking project is the soap produced by the Soap Making Workshop. Bunier Zhen Dan is rushing to improve the manufacturing process, preparing forrge-scale production and early market entry¡ªLi Si Te hopes that Fresh Flower Soap will dominate the Coral Ind market within three months, and then, through cooperation with Tulip Castle or the Beer Castle, he could tap into the outer ind markets. With the quality and cost of Fresh Flower Soap, if handled well, it could be a pir industry of Fresh Flower Town. ¡°First make money with Fresh Flower Soap, then use that money to buy serfs. Once I have arge number of serfs, I can create more industries, earn more money, and then buy even more serfs¡­ After full preparation, I¡¯ll gain recognition on the battlefield to elevate my nobility, growing stronger continuously like a rolling snowball.¡± He began to daydream. Viscount, Earl, Marquis, Duke, and then Dragon Riding! But right after indulging in fantasies of Dragon Riding, as the Fresh Flower Vessel rocked, everything suddenly seemedckluster: ¡°Indeed, it¡¯s poverty that limits my imagination. The meaning of life, the goal of struggle, is still just Dragon Riding, with no other pursuits.¡± At that moment. From nearby, an rmed shout of a sailor rang out: ¡°Leviathan!¡±
¡°It¡¯s a Leviathan!¡± ¡°My God, we¡¯ve encountered a Sea Monster!¡± ¡°We are going to be eaten by Leviathan, argh!¡± ¡°Woof Woof!¡±
¡°It¡¯s all over!¡± Leviathan? Upon hearing this, Liszt did not react immediately, not knowing what Leviathan was. But soon after, Kostor¡¯s loud roar reached his ears, ¡°Don¡¯t panic, don¡¯t panic, just do your job! This is not Leviathan, it¡¯s just arge Sea Beast, they are very friendly and never harm sailing ships!¡± Perhaps Kostor¡¯s words had a calming effect. The sailors were no longer in a panic. Thomas also calmed down from his disarray and hurried to Liszt¡¯s side, ¡°Lord, we have encountered arge Sea Beast!¡± ¡°I saw it.¡± Liszt had already stood up, calming down Douson, whose fur was bristled and who was barking incessantly, and looked towards the left side of the Fresh Flower Vessel. There, a sea beast with huge pectoral fins emerged from the sea surface, tumbling once on the sea before diving back in, stirring up wild surges of waves. It was some kind of whale, he recognized it immediately. It was a Sea Beast, not a Sea Monster, as the Eye of Magic had not observed any signs of magical power. Therge Sea Beast was simr to the Humpback Whale he had read about in ¡°Man and Nature¡±. Those huge pectoral fins, if they pped against the Fresh Flower Vessel, would probably disassemble it on impact. However, it did not approach the Fresh Flower Vessel but was moving forward, parallel to the ship, not too far away.
¡°My lord!¡± Marcus rushed over eagerly, followed by the Retainer Knights, who had felt the danger ande to protect Liszt. But this was not a danger. Liszt quickly suppressed his nervousness facing the colossal creature, put on a carefree demeanor, and gestured towards the Humpback Whale, ¡°It¡¯s magnificent, and vast, such a close encounter with arge Sea Beast is rare, Teacher Marcus, gentlemen, let¡¯s sit down and watch together.¡± ¡°Lord, do you want to take shelter in the cabin first?¡± Marcus asked worriedly. ¡°This is a Sea Beast, don¡¯t worry, Captain Kostor has told us about the Sea Beasts, they are very friendly,¡± Liszt said with a smile, calm and graceful. He earned admiring looks from the Retainer Knights ¡ª as expected of the Lord Landlord, graced by the glory of knighthood, the embodiment of courage! Reassured by Liszt¡¯sforting words, Marcus bowed respectfully, his body rxed, and, joinining Liszt, began to marvel at the rare and spectacr scene before them. Traveling with a giant beast! However, thepanionship was brief. The Humpback Whale seemed to lose interest in the Fresh Flower Vessel, or perhaps it had juste to the surface to breathe. Following a roll over the sea, its huge body submerged into the water andpletely disappeared. After the wave passed. The sea surface became calm again. Douson¡¯s bristled fur rxed, his Kryptonian dog eyes darting around the sea as if still searching for the sight of the Humpback Whale. Captain Kostor left his cabin in a hurry and hurried to the deck, breaking the still lingering atmosphere of the Humpback Whale¡¯s grand silhouette, ¡°Lord Landlord, that was arge Sea Beast, often spotted by sailors at sea. They are actually very friendly and rarely attack ships, sometimes even escorting them.¡±
¡°I know, it certainly showed no hostility,¡± Liszt acknowledged Kostor¡¯s words, and asked, ¡°I know that the gigantic creatures that appear at sea are called Sea Beasts, but what exactly is Leviathan?¡± Just now, he had clearly heard many sailors shouting about Leviathan. Kostor replied, ¡°Leviathan is a type of Sea Monster, just a legend among sailors, said to be arge Sea Serpent that preys on ships, but I have never seen one¡­ and thankfully so, otherwise I wouldn¡¯t have lived to see the Sun rise again.¡± Chapter 193: 0193: The Changing Heart of a Young Girl (First Update) Chapter 193: The Changing Heart of a Young Girl (First Update) ¡°The master is a real noble!¡± In the kitchen, Eileen Four Fingers, the kitchen maid, proudly said to Maggie, her apprentice, ¡°Little Maggie, you will fall in love with this castle. I have never seen a noble more gracious than our master. His grace is innate, a kind of grace we can only look up to!¡± ¡°Yes, Sister Eileen,¡± Maggie nodded earnestly in agreement. In reality, Eileen had spoken too quickly, and Maggie had only understood part of it¡ªabout the master being noble. ¡°Don¡¯t add too much flour, or the pineapple bun won¡¯t taste good,¡± Eileen stopped Maggie from pouring more flour. ¡°Our kitchen has many kinds of new bread, all invented in coboration between Mrs. Abbie and Boss Reynard¡ªbread that the master likes.¡± She then whispered in Maggie¡¯s ear, ¡°Every day Mrs. Abbie makes bread of various vors, and if the master doesn¡¯t eat them, we get to have some.¡± Maggie eximed in surprise, ¡°Ah, the master, servants eat, good bread?¡± Her Serpent Script was halting and she had to use gestures to make herself understood by Eileen. ¡°Humph, you¡¯lle to understand the master¡¯s kindness and generosity in time,¡± Eileen asserted. Indeed, Maggie came to understand that very night when she got a small piece of the pineapple bun during dinner. The Lord Landlord had entertained two guests that evening, prompting the kitchen to bake plenty of bread. When there was an abundance left over, each servant got a small share. Compared to the dark bread, this distinctive white bread was simply the most delicious food Maggie had ever eaten in her life. ¡°Little maids, little manservants,e along, be careful of snakes on the road after dark,¡± called out a Patrol Member, who was responsible for escorting the young apprentices back to their host families after dark.
Following behind the Patrol Member, Maggie felt incredibly safe. She knew the warnings about snakes were just to scare the children. Savoring the delicious taste of the pineapple bun, she silently praised the master over and over in her heart. Then, she suddenly remembered she had eaten her pineapple bun and had forgotten to save some for Mrs. Harriet¡¯s family. Although her boarding was a mandatory arrangement by the town administration, Mrs. Harriet¡¯s family had been genuinely kind to her. ¡°Should I¡­ sign a contract of mother and daughter with Mrs. Harriet?¡± Maggie wondered, returning to an issue she had been troubled by for several days. As a nine-year-old girl, whose parents had been killed by mercenaries, she naturally longed for a new family in her grief. But, deep in her heart, she still held on to memories of her sister¡ªa sister ten years her elder, tall and with curly hair. She always remembered when her sister left home, saying, ¡°Maggie, when Ie back, I¡¯ll teach you magic. We¡¯ll be magicians together, magicians who can cast fireballs!¡± At that time, her sister was fifteen and their parents had forced her to marry ame old man from the vige. The very next day, she had decisively run away from home. Her sister had always been the idol she admired the most. ¡°Maggie, you¡¯re back,¡± Mrs. Harriet greeted her warmly as she arrived back in town, unaware of how long the walk had been. ¡°Oh, yes, Mrs. Harriet, you don¡¯t need to, pick me up every day,¡± Maggie managed tomunicate. ¡°It¡¯s no trouble,e on in,¡± Mrs. Harriet invited her. Night fell. A crescent moon formed in the sky. As Maggiey in bed, she thought of Mrs. Harriet¡¯s family¡¯s kindness, of the castle¡¯s delicious food, and somehow, her sister¡¯s features from her childhood started to blur and be distant in her mind, and certain decisions quietly rose to her heart. ¡°If Mrs. Harriet asks me again, I¡¯ll agree to it¡­ She¡¯s like my mother.¡± The morning air was refreshing, Liszt greedily took a few extra breaths. Then he began his daily practice and dog-walking routine before inspecting his territory¡ªhe didn¡¯t like to socialize, and several nobles from North Valley City had sent him invitations to birthday banquets and noble gatherings. He generally just sent gifts in return, without attending in person¡ªa form of keeping a low profile. After all, the designated heir to Coral Ind was his brother, Levis.
It wasn¡¯t convenient for him to get too close to other nobles. The Li Dragon Horse, holding its head high, trotted on the gravel path, unaware that its status was on the verge of copse. Perhaps it would understand when ck Horse Ind came into existence that a king is a king, be it yesterday or tomorrow¡ªyour lord is always your lord. ¡°The towncks stonemasons to carve and polish stones; otherwise, we could pave the roads with stone bs, just like those at the castle.¡± Apanying Liszt was Isaiah, who was also acting in his capacity as the administrative officer, reporting on the progress of various projects in Fresh Flower Town.
¡°Paving with stone bs is a massive undertaking; the manpower of the town should be allocated to more pressing matters.¡± ¡°Yes, my lord, the autumn harvest has already beenpleted, as have the road construction and building projects. I am arranging for the serfs to focus on reiming the wastnd in each territory. Once the next batch of one thousand serfs arrives, we should be able to take over these fields smoothly. By next spring, we can begin sowing directly.¡± ¡°How¡¯s the expansion of the me Mushroom greenhouses going?¡± ¡°An additional 20 acres have been expanded, bringing the total to 50 acres. The serfs have mastered the cultivation techniques for me Mushrooms, and the current yield has doubled from the initial levels. In a month¡¯s time, with the new greenhouses producing, we can expect the yield to double again,¡± Isaiah happily replied. But he also expressed his confusion, ¡°Only, my lord, are the revenues from the me Mushroom Magic Potion Workshop directly recorded in the castle¡¯s books, bypassing the town administration?¡± ¡°They bypass it, but issues regarding the taxation and welfare of the Mushroom serfs will be uniformly arranged by the town administration, and subsidization will then be handled by the castle.¡± me Mushroom Magic Potions had all gone into Liszt¡¯s stomach, and to date, nobody had discovered he had be an Elite Earth Knight. Isaiah didn¡¯t ask further; it was normal for thendlord not to want anyone to meddle with magical potions. The group, without realizing it, had arrived at the Thorn Garden. The Thorn Cordyceps had grown into a four-meter-tall Thorn Tree, lush and eye-catching. Two-thirds of the surrounding area was encircled by Rapid Growth Magic Thorns, and one-third by Rapid Growth Iron Thorns. Only a small area was left to themon Rapid Growth Thorns as a token of remembrance. Whether new varieties of thorny mutations would be born was still an unknown. Without waiting for Liszt to ask, Isaiah spoke up, ¡°My lord, the Thorn Garden originally spanned 180 acres, but with J¡¯s birth, I¡¯ve already had people fence off 800 acres for the Thorn Garden¡¯s expansion. ording to the current ratio, one-third will be Rapid Growth Iron Thorns, and two-thirds will be Rapid Growth Magic Thorns.¡± He then pointed toward Thorn Ridge, ¡°The Rapid Growth Spiky Thorns and Rapid Growth Poison Thorns have already started being transnted towards the edge of Thorn Ridge. Due to a shortage of serfs, currently, only fifty serfs are responsible for transnting the thorns. I¡¯ve calcted their workload; by the onset of winter, we should be able toplete the transnting for one-third of the path with thorns.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t rush the work with Spiky Thorns and Poison Thorns; just nt as much as we can.¡± With Iron Thorns and Magic Thorns at his disposal, Liszt no longer ced much value on Spiky Thorns and Poison Thorns.
Especially the Spiky Thorns. They were of little use, except perhaps for preventing the intrusion of chickens, ducks, and geese. The Poison Thorns were highly toxic and could be extracted to create poison. This poison could then be applied to ded and pole weapons or arrowheads for use in warfare. Chapter 194: 0194: Highly Acclaimed Fresh Flower Soap (Second Update) Chapter 194: Highly Acimed Fresh Flower Soap (Second Update) ¡°Wah!¡± ¡°Wah!¡± Havingpleted his inspection of the territory, Liszt saw J teasing and provoking Douson. This lively and active Little Minor Elf, who enjoyed flying in and out of the castle, had an extremely domineering temperament. Anyone who dared to block its path would get punched. It could also spread seeds. This must be some sort of ¡°wood¡± or ¡°nature¡± magic, able to rapidly make seeds germinate and then entangle someone. What sprouted seemed to be Rapid Growth Spiky Thorn; the huge wooden spikes could pierce someone to death¡ªof course, it had never pierced anyone, as Liszt forbade it from spreading seeds at will. The magic looked terrifying, but it could only deal with ordinary people. A knight with Dou Qi could easily activate their Dou Qi to destroy the germination of the seeds. Therefore, a Little Minor Elf¡¯sbat power was generally very weak, almost negligible¡ªeven an ordinary person, in a fit of rage, could take it by surprise and kill it. However, J did not consider itself weak at all, its domineering temperament remained unchanged, and then, it naturally encountered another creature with a fiery temper¡ªDouson. The first time Douson saw J, it was very curious and wanted to lick the smooth and shiny J with its tongue. Unexpectedly, this enraged J, who waved its hand to scatter seeds, giving Douson quite a fright. Not knowing how to activate its internal magic, it could only watch helplessly as the thorns bound it, yelping in pain. But after all, it was an intermediate-level magical beast with thick skin, so it didn¡¯t sustain any injuries after the pain.
After shaking off the thorns, it chased J around everywhere. One small creature and onerge creature thus became enemies, tearing into each other on sight, with no possibility of peaceful coexistence. A few dayster, Douson was the first to submit, as its magic couldn¡¯t harm J, and it couldn¡¯t fly, so it could only be kited by J¡ªof course, it might have been letting J win, knowing that J had a good rtionship with Liszt. Nevertheless, J did not let it go, always finding ways to tease and toy with it. Scattering a handful of seeds, inducing sprouting, J gave Douson a taste of bondage art. When Liszt returned. He saw J teasing Douson once again, covering Douson in thorns that rapidly sprouted and twined around Douson¡¯s body, quickly turning the big ck dog into a big green dog. Douson, however, had no reaction. It just called out weakly to Liszt: ¡°Woof, woof.¡± ¡°J, stop it!¡± Liszt red at the Thorn Minor Elf, and only then did it reluctantly suspend the growth of thorns,nding directly on top of Liszt¡¯s head. Yawning, it decided to go to sleep just like that. Liszt, unforgiving, pulled J down, handing it to Thomas: ¡°Put it in the jade box, and send it to the Worm Room to sleep.¡± ¡°Wah!¡± ¡°Wah!¡± J was unwilling. Liszt red again, using mentalmunication to let it understand that resistance would mean a beating. Finally, the Thorn Minor Elf obedientlyy in the jade box, ready to sleep¡ªafter all, most of their time was spent sleeping, since their true form was a Cordyceps. Removing the thorns from itself. Dousony on the ground feeling aggrieved, expressing its pitiful state to Liszt. ¡°An intermediate magical beast that can¡¯t even defeat a minor elf is simply useless!¡± Liszt kicked it lightly and said, ¡°Off you go, go whine to your wife¡­ But first, let¡¯s take you to the dog field.¡± In the dog field, after a vigorous session, Douson sessfully regained its lively nature.
But Liszt felt somewhat regretful. The dog field manager, Old Difo, shook his head and said, ¡°Lord Landlord, I¡¯m afraid Douson doesn¡¯t have the capacity to impregnate these female dogs. Normally, several female dogs are in heat and should get pregnant easily, but there¡¯s been no sign.¡± ¡°If there¡¯s no sign, then leave it be, take good care of them.¡± Ordinary low-level magical beasts typically can breed with their wild counterparts. By the intermediate level, however, gic mutations have generally led to reproductive istion.
At least Douson should have be reproductively isted from wolves and dogs. ¡°Good thing we have Earth Matron around.¡± Seeing Douson getting cozy with Earth Matron, any regret Liszt felt in his heart quickly turned to anticipation. Looking forward to the future army of Fierce Earth Dogs, ¡°The question is, will the offspring of Douson and Earth Matron be intermediate magical beasts or low-level magical beasts?¡± This thought reminded him that ever since he arrived in Fresh Flower Town. The town had entered its breeding season¡ªafter the townspeople¡¯s lives stabilized, more and more chose to have children; Earth Matron was pregnant, the dairy cows were pregnant, the Fire Dragon Horses were pregnant, even the Fruit Thief Monkeys were pregnant; Goltai¡¯s lover Freya was showing more and more, and he heard Marcus was busy quarreling with his wife. It seemed he was the only one still single. He shook his head. Liszt stopped dwelling on it and continued to train Earth Matron, tempting her with dried meat to follow hismands. The study, bright with the glow of the crystalmp. A few knight¡¯s novelsy on the desk as Liszt absentmindedly flipped through them, asionally jotting something down on a piece of thick paper. A knock on the door. Carter came in with a cup of milk tea: ¡°Master, Mrs. Morson¡¯s brewed milk tea, I have ced it on the desk for you.¡±
Liszt, without looking up, continued to scribble, ¡°All right.¡± ¡°Mr. Bunier wishes to update you on the progress of the Fresh Flower Soap production.¡± ¡°Let him in.¡± Momentster, Bunier Zhen Dan entered the study, led by Carter. Knowing that Liszt disliked idle talk, he spoke directly after bowing, ¡°Lord Landlord, I havepleted the revamped production process for the Fresh Flower Soap, and we can start mass production. With the current pace of the Soap Making Workshop and enough raw materials, we can produce fifty bars of Fresh Flower Soap a day.¡± ¡°Then what are we waiting for? Start tomorrow and produce at full capacity,¡± Liszt ordered. After sending Bunier away, Liszt summoned Sherlock from the Thorn Caravan, ¡°Have you tried the Fresh Flower Soap from the Soap Making Workshop yet?¡± ¡°Not yet, Lord Landlord.¡± ¡°It¡¯s very effective. You can try it once and summarize its benefits. I will give you a batch of Fresh Flower Soap to distribute for free to all the nobles of North Valley City, so they understand the benefits of Fresh Flower Soap. Afterward, work together with Abagon to devise a sales strategy for it.¡± ¡°Rest assured, Lord Landlord, Sherlock knows what to do.¡± Liszt sipped from the freshly brewed second cup of milk tea, ¡°I have high hopes for the Fresh Flower Soap. I hope you can break into the market quickly,pletely edge out the ordinary soaps until we monopolize Coral Ind¡¯s soap market.¡± Sherlock hesitated, as if he wanted to say something. Liszt gestured for him to speak freely. ¡°Lord Landlord, the soap business has always been a major industry under Baron Henderson of Serpent Spear City. Selling Fresh Flower Soap will inevitably impact Baron Henderson¡¯s business. Should we give him a heads-up?¡±
If Liszt remembered correctly, Baron Henderson had gone to the battlefield along with the Earl. Even if the other party hadn¡¯t joined the battle, Liszt saw no need to be concerned about him. As the son of an Earl, conducting legitimate business was his prerogative, and no one could justifiablyin. If Baron Henderson went bankrupt as a result, that would be due to hisck of business acumen in managing his territory and could not be med on Liszt. And if Henderson did me him, Liszt wouldn¡¯t be afraid; he dared toe, Liszt dared to unleash Douson. Of course. Leaving no room for survival might be going a bit too far. After all, Henderson had made contributions to the Tulip Family before. Liszt thought it over and decided he could develop Henderson into a raw material supplier for Fresh Flower Town, ¡°Sherlock, coordinate with Abagon, and once Fresh Flower Soap has crushed Henderson¡¯s business, tell him when he has nowhere to turn, that he can specialize in providing soap powder for Fresh Flower Town.¡± Chapter 198: 0198: Forcibly Cultivating Corn Grass (First Update) Chapter 198: Forcibly Cultivating Corn Grass (First Update) ¡°Abagon is much bolder than Sherlock and has a vision and spirit of struggle,¡± said Liszt as he considered his ns for cross-sea trade. ¡°Once Captain Kostor is skilled in navigation, I intend to have Abagon take charge of it.¡± In the castle¡¯s study at night. Liszt and Butler Carter each held a ss of red wine, savoring it slowly while casually discussing the past, present, and the future. Carter¡¯s hair had turned even whiter, but his spirit was much better than when he first arrived in Fresh Flower Town: ¡°Lord, isn¡¯t it a bit too soon to engage in cross-sea trade?¡± ¡°For now, we are just utilizing the external trade channels of Tulip Castle and Beer Castle, while simultaneously building our own channels for Fresh Flower Town. It¡¯s not an urgent quest to take over these channels,¡± Liszt replied with a slight smile. ¡°Fresh Flower Town is only temporary. In the near future, I will have my own city or ind.¡± He took a sip of his red wine and continued, ¡°I can¡¯t always be under the protection of the family wings. My father may not mind, but Levis, Lidun, they will always have something to say.¡± ¡°So your sight is set on much more, my lord. Please forgive my shortsightedness.¡± ¡°Looking ahead is one aspect, but doing well in the present is also important. I need you to remind me of this often, Mr. Carter.¡± The master and servant ttered each other in a harmonious atmosphere. After a while, the conversation turned to Fresh Flower Soap.
Carter expressed his amazement: ¡°I was very surprised to hear your conversation with Mr. Abagon; I didn¡¯t expect Fresh Flower Soap to be so popr and capture such a vast market.¡± ¡°Its poprity is not surprising,¡± Liszt responded calmly. In truth, the technical content of Fresh Flower Soap was not that high, and its cleaning capability wasn¡¯t extraordinary. However, adding certain substances from pig pancreas and wood ash indeed gave the Fresh Flower Soap many appealing qualities¡ªsmoothness,ther, and a tightening effect on the skin. It was enough to outshine ordinary soaps with mediocre cleaning effects. Those ustomed to ordinary soap would find a huge contrast when they switched to Fresh Flower Soap. Cleaned well, one¡¯s whole being would naturally shine anew. For the nobles, this was enough reason to ditch their regr soap for Fresh Flower Soap. As for the fact that using Fresh Flower Soap also stirred their husbands¡¯ desires, apart from Lady Gelta, others probably didn¡¯t realize it. Naturally. Under deliberate promotion by the Fresh Flower Caravan, the reputation of Fresh Flower Soap began to spread from North Valley City to the entirety of Coral Ind. Coral City, always the barometer of fashion, was particrly influential. The cost to produce Fresh Flower Soap wasn¡¯t low; it wasn¡¯t feasible to give a bar to every noble for a trial. Abagon hadn¡¯t adopted Sherlock¡¯s strategy of casting a wide but instead targeted his approach precisely. ¡­ ¡°Miss Sherry, this is a gift from Baron Liszt, my lord, for you¡ªtwo bars of Fresh Flower Soap made in Fresh Flower Town. It surpasses normal soap and suits your stunning beauty and noble temperament perfectly,¡± said the gift bearer. ¡°Ah, is it from Brother Liszt? Thank you!¡± Sherry eximed joyfully as she epted the gift and noticed an apanying sheet of thick paper. On the thick paper was written in Serpent Script by Liszt himself. ¡°Dear little Sherry, I am busy with many affairs in Fresh Flower Town and cannote to see you in Coral City. Thus, I send you these two bars of special Fresh Flower Soap, wishing beauty to always be by your side¡ªyours, Brother Liszt.¡± ¡­ ¡°Esteemed madam,¡± Abagon greeted Lady Penelope respectfully. ¡°Abagon, the leader of the Fresh Flower Caravan, right? Did Liszt send you?¡± Lady Penelope said as she met with Abagon. ¡°Baron Liszt misses you greatly, and he sent me to bring you two bars of Fresh Flower Town¡¯s special Fresh Flower Soap, hoping you would like it,¡± Abagon said respectfully. ¡°The Baron mentioned that if you enjoy it, you need only send word to the caravan, and we will provide Fresh Flower Soap for you free of charge.¡± ¡°Special Fresh Flower Soap? Just a kind of soap?¡± Lady Penelope wasn¡¯t like the young girl Sherry; a flicker in her eye and she understood everything. ¡°That boy is getting shrewder, no wonder he looks like Melissa, that woman. Such cunning truly befits the grandson of Marquis Merlin.¡±
Abagon gave an awkward smile without responding. It wasn¡¯t his ce toment on a noble, especially his own lord. Lady Penelope said, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ve epted the gifts. If they truly are good, I¡¯ll speak well of him. At the very least, this old face of mine still knows many people.¡± ¡°Once again, I bid you farewell, Abagon takes his leave.¡± ¡­
The Fresh Flower Soap was undoubtedlypleting its assault on the soap market. For Sherlock and Abagon, it was a matter of great importance, but for Liszt, it was just another way to make money. He simply gave some instructions to his subordinates and then put it out of his mind. Now, he had a new task. This very afternoon, the smoke had changed. ¡°Complete the mission, reward: five decayed bones.¡± Without guessing, it was clear that Marcus and his people on ck Horse Ind had finished building a temporary stronghold and had settled in a hundred serfs. A new task was immediately born. ¡°Mission: To feed the herd of horses, arge number and variety of grasses are needed. ck Horse Ind is currently not suitable for nting more grass, so why not cultivate Corn Grass in Fresh Flower Town to increase nutrients for the ck Blood Treasured Horse herd? Please cultivate 100 acres of Corn Grass. Reward: one Elf Bug.¡± A mission rewarding an Elf Bug was definitely one to bepleted, as each Elf Bug was a treasure. But upon seeing the content of the mission, Liszt frowned deeply and called over the steward of Barley Hamlet, ¡°Gejir, how many acres of Corn Grass do we have nted in Barley Hamlet right now?¡± ¡°Lord Landlord, we have a total of thirty acres of Corn Grass,¡± he replied. ¡°If Corn Grass is nted now, can it sprout and safely overwinter?¡± ¡°This¡­¡± Gejir hesitated a bit, ¡°Lord Landlord, Gejir has not taken care of Corn Grass during the winter and does not know if it can overwinter.¡± ¡°Then how many Corn Grass seeds have you harvested?¡±
¡°The seeds have all been handed over to the administration, probably several hundred pounds. A lot of the Corn Grass was directly cut down for grazing, and only a small part was used for seed saving.¡± Liszt looked at the weather outside. It was nearlyte autumn, and the weather was no longer warm. Such climate was not suitable for nting crops, but with the Smoke Mission at hand, it could not be ignored. Otherwise, it would be hard to ensure the birth of an Elf Bug¡ªhe was certain in his heart that this was a Corn Grass Elf Bug, but whether it could be cultivated was hard to say and depended on the progress of the mission. No matter how difficult, he had to force the duck onto the perch and continue. He immediately ordered, ¡°Immediately plough seventy acres ofnd, expand the Corn Grass fields to a hundred acres, Gejir, hurry.¡± ¡°Yes, Lord Landlord, Gejir will arrange for everyone to start ploughing the new fields right away,¡± he responded. The task began here. Meanwhile, Liszt also took the time to inspect the Corn Grass fields of Barley Hamlet, constantly using his Eye of Magic, trying to find signs of an Elf Bug being nurtured. As long as he found signs of the Elf Bug, even if the mission failed, he was confident he could nurture the Elf Bug into existence. Unfortunately, he saw no signs of magic, this Corn Grass field was just ordinary Corn Grass, without a single nt appearing special in any way. He sighed and consoled himself, ¡°I just hope that in this weather, the Corn Grass can sprout and let meplete the mission.¡± ¡­ The next day, the Fresh Flower Vessel returned home.
Marcus brought him a new piece of news concerning the rewards for the missions. After sending the servants away and closing the doors of the study, he spoke gravely, ¡°Baron, we found the remains of an unknown animal in a valley on the ind. Most of the bones had shattered, but fiverge bones remained. Each as thick as a person¡¯s height and half-buried in the rocks in the ground.¡± Chapter 199: 0199: Maybe the Bone of the Dragon (Second Update) Chapter 199: Maybe the Bone of the Dragon (Second Update) ¡°What do you think those bones are from?¡± Liszt asked curiously. A normal person¡¯s height would be around one meter seventy, meaning the diameter of each of those five bones exceeded one meter seventy. It could be imagined how long they must be and howrge the skeleton they formed. Marcus nced at the room door as if ensuring no one was eavesdropping behind it, then spoke carefully, ¡°I think they might be dragon bones!¡± ¡°Dragon bones!¡± Liszt was suddenly startled, but then he suppressed his surprise and excitement, voicing his doubts, ¡°If they are dragon bones¡­ was there any sign of mineral deposits in that valley?¡± ¡°Well¡­ it seems no mineral deposits have been discovered. We¡¯ve excavated the bones, dug several meters deep until rock stopped us, and found no ores like metals, nor any signs of crystals or gemstones.¡± ¡°Is that so? Dragons can infest their surroundings. If the remains were of metal dragons or gemstone dragons, ck Horse Ind would likely be a minefield. Since it hasn¡¯t turned into a mine, these bones should not be from a metal dragon or a gemstone dragon.¡± Marcus spected, ¡°Perhaps they are the remains of elemental dragons?¡± ¡°Elemental dragons are also unlikely. I¡¯ve talked with Elkerson; he has seen a book written by an archmage, which mentioned that the magic power of elemental dragons lingers for a long time, simrly infesting the surroundings. The Windhowl Valley in the Neverfall Empire was formed after a battle with a wind dragon, and to this day the winds still roar.¡± After several such discussions.
The species of the bones in life had half the possibility of being dragons ruled out. ¡°Could they be left by a super dragonkin magical beast?¡± Marcus proposed another possibility, ¡°I¡¯ve only heard of high-level dragonkin magical beasts, but an advanced magical beast, no matter howrge, wouldn¡¯t likely have a bone diameter of one meter seventy¡­ thus, I specte it¡¯s a super dragonkin magical beast, but that seems to be a creature of legend.¡± The ssification of magical beasts: low-level, intermediate, advanced, and super. In fact, the distinction between advanced magical beasts and super magical beasts is quite vague. This is because there haven¡¯t been enough observations of individuals, and no standard as to whether the categorization should be based onbat ability or size. Basically, humans do not wish to provoke powerful magical beasts. Moreover, it¡¯s rumored. In the Duchy of Sapphire, not a single super magical beast exists. The maind is infinitely vast, and it¡¯s only in knight¡¯s novels that super magical beasts frequently appear. Even the Earl, who invades the Eagle Kingdom every year and is well-travelled, has never heard of a super magical beast residing anywhere in the Eagle Kingdom. Let alone a super dragonkin magical beast. At the level of a super magical beast, the bloodline is already incredibly powerful, and the chance of being infected by dragons seems purely theoretical. After much discussion, the two of them were unable toe to any conclusion and could only guess what creature those five massive bones might have belonged to. ¡°Tomorrow I¡¯ll go to ck Horse Ind myself to see what is so peculiar about these five bones!¡± ¡­ When he said he would go, he went. After instructing the town officials to ensure the serfs in Barley Hamlet cultivated the corn grass, Liszt took a ship directly, taking Douson and Marcus with him, heading for ck Horse Ind. A half-day¡¯s sailing went smoothly, bringing them to their destination. A simple dock had already been constructed out of wood, floating on the water¡¯s surface and swaying slightly as they walked on it. As for Douson, he had to be transported by wooden boat due to his excessive weight that the floating dock couldn¡¯t bear. Uponnding, they saw a row of brand-new wooden houses erected not more than a hundred meters from the dock. There were serfs clearing away rocks and weeds in the area. A very rudimentary base.
But it signified that Liszt had now firmly nted one foot on ck Horse Ind. Without dy, taking advantage of the time left, he headed straight for the valley where the fiverge bones had been found. En route, he happened to meet with the herd of ck Blood Treasured Horses. The Horse King was somewhat unfamiliar with Liszt, but once Liszt mounted it, they quickly became ustomed to each other. Carrying Liszt, they continued to sprint and loop back throughout the journey. On the way, Marcus took the opportunity to report to him the findings from the past few days¡¯ exploration of ck Horse Ind. ¡°There are no Magical Beasts on the ind, or at least none have been found yet, only some small carnivorous and herbivorous animals. Thergest animal is the ck Blood Treasured Horse. The vegetation is also quite monotonous; trees are rare, consisting mostly of misceneous ones that no one recognizes, with few branches.¡±
He pointed to a tree by the road. This was the misceneous tree he mentioned, with a very straight trunk and branches high up, which were not lush. It bore neither flowers nor fruit, was not very tall, and its leaves were already turning slightly yellow, seeming to be a deciduous tree. Utterly ordinary. Marcus continued, ¡°There are many weeds on the ind. Apart from the forage in the grasnds, the rest aremon weeds which the ck Blood Treasured Horses do not eat. Removing them would be the best choice.¡± Finally, he added, ¡°My lord, I am currently drawing a map of ck Horse Ind, but it has not yet beenpleted.¡± Liszt suddenly asked, ¡°Have you chosen a ce for building the castle?¡± ¡°Not yet, the indcks defensive terrain. There are no high hills, nor steep terrain. It is not possible to build a castle as precipitous as Tulip Castle, and it may not evenpare to the terrain of Beer Castle. I think, if we are to build a castle, it can only be built on t ground, with thickened walls and a moat excavated for protection.¡± Not every castle can rest against a cliff; most are built on t ground. Liszt was just casually inquiring. Soon, under the setting western sun, the group arrived at the valley where the five bones had been located, situated between Ice Grass Hill and Needle Grass Hill. Because the weeds were deep and the bones buried deep as well, they were hard to spot. ¡°I was riding ck Fiend to survey the terrain when I found these remains and these five bones,¡± said Marcus, patting his mount, ck Fiend, and walking into the center of the valley where the weeds had been cleared. Behind him was a newly dugrge pit, with a huge grey-white broken bone diagonally embedded deep into the ground at the center of the pit.
Around it were four more bones poking out a section and numerous bone fragments scattered all around. It was as if some creature had perished here and, over time, weathering had caused most of its bones to decay, leaving only these five bones still erect¡ªthough they must have decayed too, for the reward of the Smoke Mission explicitly mentioned that these were five decayed bones. Dismounting. Approaching therge pit and stepping on the rocks at its bottom, Liszt advanced step by step towards the bone. The closer he got to the bone, the more he felt his own insignificance, as if standing before a giant stone column. He reached out and touched the bone¡¯s surface; it was as hard as rock. When he knocked on it, it emitted a sound simr to that of stone. He used his Eye of Magic to examine the five bones and the scattered bone fragments. No trace of magical power was found. ¡°This bone must have fossilized, right?¡± But he quickly shook his head in denial¡ªfossils were fused with the rock, and this bone clearly had a part that was exposed to the outside. ¡°Teacher Marcus, have you tested the bone fragments on the ground?¡± ¡°They are hard, suitable for making fine Bone Utensils,¡± Marcus replied sinctly. The term ¡®fine Bone Utensils¡¯ was enough to illustrate the quality of the bones, indicating they were at least of a quality corresponding to that of Low-Level Magical Beast bones. ng, ng, ng! Liszt knocked on the bone again. For a moment, he was left shocked and confused, clueless as to what use the reward of the five bones from the Smoke Mission could be for him.
¡°Could it be that it knows my territory is short on iron and wants me to break these down to take back and forge a batch of fine Bone Utensils?¡± Chapter 201: 0201: The Fallen Fire Dragon (Fourth Update, Alliance Hierarch additional update 3/22) Chapter 201: The Fallen Fire Dragon (Fourth Update, Alliance Hierarch additional update 3/22) Before Liszt transmigrated, he was quite obsessed with the American drama ¡°Game of Thrones,¡± which featured an impressively majestic architecture¡ªthe Wall. With the help of Giants, humans built this wall spanning 300 miles long and 700 feet high made of ice and snow. Initially very interested in the Wall, he looked up a lot of information and knew that the Wall¡¯s prototype was a cliff formed by basalt columns in the western part of d. Thus, he learned about the grand spectacle of basalt columns that only nature could form. Irnd¡¯s Giant¡¯s Causeway, America¡¯s Devil Tower, Scond¡¯s Fingal¡¯s Cave, and the columnar jointing forest at Gaozi Mountain in Nanjing¡¯s Luhe are all typical basalt columns. It¡¯s hard to believe that these neatly arranged columns originated from volcanic eruptions. When volcanoes erupted magma, which then cooled and formed basalt with air pockets, it progressively contracted, and cracks created very regr geometric shapes. In most cases, they would form hexagons, as if they were machined by someone. ¡°These are basalt columns, without a doubt!¡± As the excavation of therge pit continued, the appearance of the basalt columns was unveiled bit by bit. One after another, the orderly hexagonal columns revealed their true faces. Kostor, who followed behind Liszt, suddenly eximed, ¡°I remember now, my lord, I remember! I¡¯ve seen this type of rock on an ind!¡± ¡°What ind?¡±
¡°An uninhabited desert ind I came across on my way to Deep Throat Ind. The entire ind was dense with columns, the same shape as the ones here.¡± Kostor¡¯s words corroborated Liszt¡¯s judgment. The rocks under their feet were indeed basalt columns, a geological structure formed by volcanic eruptions. Looking back at the huge skeleton, he suddenly thought of a possibility. He pondered silently, ¡°Perhaps my previous judgment was wrong, these are not the remains of just any dragon, maybe these are the remains of a Fire Dragon!¡± A Wind Dragon could form Windhowl Valley, with its perennial gales. Naturally, a Fire Dragon could form a volcano. ¡°If it was a Fire Dragon that fell here in itsst moments, with its magic power, it would certainly have caused a volcanic eruption, and the body of the Fire Dragon would have been engulfed by the volcano. As time passed, perhaps after tens of thousands of years, the magic power of the Fire Dragon gradually dissipated, and the volcano died out. The upperyer gradually weathered away or was buried by wind-blown soil, forming what is now ck Horse Ind.¡± ck Horse Ind does not look like it was formed by a volcano. But Liszt felt it made a lot of sense that this ce might have been deep sea originally, but due to the Fire Dragon¡¯s fall and the constant volcanic eruptions,yers uponyers built up, finally breaking through the seawater to emerge above the surface. ¡°If I were to dive right now, to look at the base of ck Horse Ind beneath the seawater, I might find a huge volcanic shape. What¡¯s exposed of ck Horse Ind is just a part of the volcano crater.¡± ¡°Quite a resemnce indeed, the ¡®mouth¡¯-shaped distribution of Ice Grass Hill, Needle Grass Hill, Alfalfa Hill, and Sheep Grass Hill form a low-lying valley, fitting the structure of a volcano crater. The position of the bones, between Needle Grass Hill and Ice Grass Hill, not far from the volcano crater, suggests that perhaps the remains of the Fire Dragon were brought out by a volcanic eruption.¡± With this thought, even if the Eye of Magic didn¡¯t observe any Fire Attribute Mana, Liszt started to feel the Fire Attribute Dou Qi within him be restless, as if the Fire Attribute magic power here was very active. Of course, it was an illusion. After calming down, he did not find such a sign, and the restlessness of the Dou Qi returned to calm. ¡°I might be overthinking it. After tens of thousands of years of erosion, probably nothing is left of the Fire Dragon except for these few bones.¡± Dragon! Fire Dragon! Liszt stood up, stepping on the basalt columns, and approached the bones.
He reached out and touched the rough surface of the bone, his heart filled with too manyplex and inexpressible emotions that he wanted to vent, ¡°I am fated with dragons, Formless Dragons, Smoke Dragons, Fire Dragons;mon folk rarely witness one, yet I have encountered them one after another. It seems my life is destined for dragon riding in the skies.¡± Unfortunately, it wasn¡¯t a Metal Dragon or a Gemstone Dragon that had fallen here, leaving no metal or gemstone deposits behind. But on second thought, it¡¯s reasonable, for if it were a Metal Dragon or Gemstone Dragon, without continuous volcanic eruptions, ck Horse Ind would probably be nothing but a patch of silt at the bottom of the sea. No matter how rich the deposits, Liszt wouldn¡¯t be able to touch them. Everything one sees has a reason behind it.
He then thought, ¡°If the Fire Dragon has fallen here and it wasn¡¯t killed, then the existence of the Valley of Dragons could probably be ruled out¡­ ¡®Dragonce History: Dragons of Autumn Twilight¡¯ records that old dragons will all fly to the Valley of Dragons.¡± There was nothing but oceans here, no Valley of Dragons. At that moment, Marcus, who was in charge of supervising the work, came up with an idea, ¡°Baron, I¡¯m wondering, since there are five bones embedded in these rocks, does it mean that there might be more bones that are also embedded in the rocks? Maybe the parts exposed above ground have decayed into fragments?¡± ¡°That makes sense. It seems we need to thoroughly clean up this area¡­ the Burial Ground.¡± Liszt suddenly felt that the name he¡¯d impulsivelye up with had style, ¡°This ce will be called the Burial Ground. If the workforce has some free time, they should level the ground directly to see how many bones they can collect.¡± The bones of the Fire Dragon, even though decayed, were still very hard and made excellent materials. The uing Bone Craftsman Shop wouldn¡¯tck appropriate raw materials. ¡­ Having figured out the origin of the bones in the Burial Ground, Liszt felt there was no need to investigate further. So, the next morning, he set out from ck Horse Ind under the glow of the rising red sun. Of course, he took a bunch of bone fragments with him on the way back. He needed to continue pondering what else these bones could be used for besides making bone utensils¡ªusing Dragon Bones to make farming tools for serfs seemed like a tremendous waste. After returning to Fresh Flower Town, he met Elkeson True again. The Magician hade to Fresh Flower Town to prepare the next batch of Magic Potions for me Valley. Inspired, Liszt handed him a bone fragment, ¡°Mr. Elkeson, I¡¯ve recently discovered some ruins and found a few bone pieces. Could you help me study them to see what creature they belong to and what uses they might have?¡± The bones, decayed for tens of thousands of years, even if they exposed the secret of the Dragon Bones, were not a matter of concern.
What was important was to understand their function. Elkeson took the bone fragment and nodded, ¡°Rest assured, when I have time, I will study it. Also, Baron, I¡¯ve brought the batch of writings by Magicians that you asked me to procure. There are fifty-six books in total. As for the Knight¡¯s novels, you can have the merchant convoy purchase them.¡± Liszt greatly thirsted for knowledge. He wanted to write ¡®Dragons Fight in the Wild,¡¯ a chronicle, and needed a wealth of information to giarize¡­ cough cough, I mean, a wealth of information to reference. Magicians, in their pursuit of truth and rejection of lies, tend to write books with more genuine content, which also spans a broad range and holds great reference value. ¡°Thank you very much. I will have Mr. Carter pay for the books as soon as possible.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not in a hurry. I trust your reputation,¡± Elkeson said with a smile. Chapter 202: 202: Alchemy is a Hot Research Topic (Fifth Update, Alliance Hierarch Extra 4/22) Chapter 202: Alchemy is a Hot Research Topic (Fifth Update, Alliance Hierarch Extra 4/22) Magic books are different from knight novels. Knight novels are stories created by destitute nobles in order to earn a living, aimed at a wide audience, and strive to be interesting, refreshing, and bizarre. Magic books closely resemble research papers, primarily consisting of magicians¡¯ research reports and experimental notes. The majority of magic books are quite unreadable, some even disorganized and logically chaotic. Moreover, the printing quality is rtively poor, and many magic books are even circted as handwritten manuscripts ¡ª as not many people are willing to buy them, naturally, there¡¯s no money to pay the publisher for printing. The fifty-six magic books sent by Elkerson. Twenty-one of them are manuscripts. ¡°¡®Rudolf¡¯s Alchemy Diary of Eighteen Venoms from Red Viper Ind Snakes ¡ª Slite Truth,¡¯ does this kind of book really have any reading value?¡± He flipped through the manuscript in his hand and felt a bit cheated ¡ª such a book actually cost two silver coins, ¡°Well, let¡¯s consider it a manual on snake venom.¡± After flipping through a few pages, he lost patience and stuffed the book into the Gemstone Space. He continued to open the next manuscript. ¡°Fredo¡¯s Fireball Technique,¡± a book about how to release the Fireball Technique and improve the process of casting it. The author, Fredo Truth, was only a Magic Apprentice, and the only spell he knew was the Fireball Technique. The book recorded over one hundred attempts he made in various casting directions to expand his Fireball Technique.
In the end, he seeded in improving the Fireball Technique ¡ª allowing it to be conjured by rubbing the back of the hand. He called this improvement a groundbreaking progress, believing that he would inevitably usher in the era of magic. Unfortunately, this was a secondhand book, with another magician¡¯s review at the end. This magician disdainfully left ament, ¡°When you advance to be a magician, you will understand that any part of the body can serve as a medium for casting spells, the only difference is that casting with the palm is faster.¡± ¡°So, is this book just a negative example?¡± Liszt was quite speechless and chucked it directly into the Gemstone Space. Flipping back and forth, most handwritten magic books contained rather entric experimental material with little value, better suited for propping up a table leg. When he flipped to thest manuscript, his eyebrows instantly raised. The book was titled ¡ª ¡°Kennedy¡¯s Alchemy Diary.¡± ¡°Another alchemy diary!¡± Liszt immediately thought of the Sunken Ship Treasure he had obtained, ¡°In that box back then, there was also an alchemy diary, which seemed to be called ¡®Rudolf¡¯s Alchemy Diary¡¯, and it also had a handwritten Serpent Script cover. It seems that was also a handwritten magic book.¡± Composing himself, he began to read through the diary. The author was a newly advanced magician who tried many methods to guide Magic Power, attempting to turn a rock into gold under the influence of Magic Power. For this, he even melted down his own seven Gold Coins to observe the differences between the gold and the stone, but he still failed to discover the method of transmutation. Thus, this too was a book of continuous failures, a negative example. Closing the book, Liszt stood up and went to the me Mushroom Processing Workshop to find Elkerson: ¡°Do all magicians like to study alchemy?¡± Elkerson put down his work and exined, ¡°Baron Liszt, the Triangle Theory is a recognized truth among magicians, so we always hope to find the most direct evidence to prove the validity of this theory. Transmutation is the best evidence.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Because the process of transmutation can be divided into two phases. First, the physical rock is transformed into spirit by the aid of Magic Power, and then, the spirit is converted back into the physical form of gold through Magic Power. Hence, transmutation would strictly verify the correctness of the Triangle Theory, which is one of the lifelong ideals we magicians pursue.¡± ¡°In that case,¡± Liszt felt a bit conflicted, ¡°has the research on transmutation ever been sessful?¡± ¡°I do not know, but many magicians believe that in ancient times, there were real alchemists who could transmute rocks into gold.¡± ¡°Why must one choose to turn stones into gold? If the goal is to verify the triangr theory, couldn¡¯t the same be done by refining other things?¡± Elkerson smiled, ¡°Baron Liszt, your understanding might be slightly off. Alchemy is just a generic term. Turning stones into gold is just the popr amongst them. As magicians conducting experiments need a lot of money, we all like to research turning stones into gold in hopes of amassing sufficient wealth.¡±
With a somewhat helpless shrug, he continued, ¡°But that doesn¡¯t mean no one has tried to refine other items; it¡¯s just that there has never been a sess story¡­ When I had just advanced to the rank of magician, I also chose to research alchemy, but in the end, I gave up.¡± I roughly understood what alchemy was all about. Feeling somewhat disappointed, Liszt went on to ask, ¡°So, do many magicians write an alchemy diary?¡± ¡°Yes.¡±
¡°Alright then, continue with your work, I won¡¯t disturb you further.¡± He was just about to leave when he turned back around, ¡°The bone fragments I gave you, have you looked into them?¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t had the chance to study them yet.¡± ¡°Study them as soon as possible, I¡¯m very curious about these fragments.¡± ¡°Of course, as soon as I have some free time.¡± He shook the crystal tube in his hand, indicating that he needed to make the me Mushroom Magic Potion first. ¡­ Upon returning to the castle, Liszt felt a pang of mncholy. The frustration that had sprouted from the decay of ¡°Rudolf¡¯s Alchemy Diary¡± dissipated. It turned out that magicians all liked to fuss with alchemy and write alchemy diaries. If it had truly been perfected, it wouldn¡¯t be disseminated in the form of handwritten copies. That magician would instantly be an untouchable, hallowed figure in the hearts of all magicians, on par with the sun. Even Dragon Knights would likelye to blows over him. The knot in my heart unraveled. There was certainly a feeling of relief throughout my body, but this also suggested that alchemy was probably nothing but a fairytale dream. The endless stream of magicians tirelessly researching alchemy without getting any useful information showed the difficulty of the art¡ªovernight riches remained a dream. For me, it also meant the shattering of a dream.
After a moment of internal conflict, I quickly adjusted my mindset, ¡°Forget it, I¡¯m not a magician, why obsess over learning alchemy?¡± He casually tossed ¡°Kennedy¡¯s Alchemy Diary¡± into the Gemstone Space. He continued flipping through the next magic book. The manuscripts were all read, only printed books remained. There are three possibilities for a magic book to be printed. One is that the author is wealthy and pays for the printing himself; another is that the book is valuable, and magicians are willing to buy it; and the third is that the book is interesting, and nobles are willing to buy it. ¡°Wild Elf Bug Market Selling Prices,¡± ¡°The Blind Wind de Wolf King,¡± ¡°How to Safely Pass Through Midoro Mangrove Forest,¡± ¡°Observations from the Hignd White Tower ¡ª Carrick Truth¡±¡­ Clearly, these magic books were of much higher quality than the manuscripts. Liszt held ¡°Wild Elf Bug Market Selling Prices¡± with great interest. The author was a magician living in the capital of Steel Ridge Kingdom, the City of Steel, which had arge wild elf trading market. Every day, magicians would go to the market to observe those wild elves. ¡°Interesting, a single Venus Flytrap Spirit Worm is actually priced at three thousand six hundred gold coins, because the City of Steel is overrun with mosquitoes and flies, with Venus Flytraps in high demand.¡± Chapter 203: 0203: Liszt’s First Battle (First Update) Chapter 203: Liszt¡¯s First Battle (First Update) The price of Elf Bugs generally fluctuates around one or two thousand Gold Coins, with some of the less valuable ones going for just a few hundred Gold Coins, and the higher-priced depending on the species. The highest on record in the books is the Red Holy Fruit Elf Bug, fetching a price of five thousand eight hundred Gold Coins. The reason is that the Red Holy Fruit is a highly valuable Magic Potion ingredient, and to expand its cultivation, one must rely on the Red Holy Fruit Elf Bug. Considering that Elf Bugs only live for ten years, achieving such a high price is inconceivable. If there is a market for Elf Bugs, there simply isn¡¯t one for Little Minor Elves. They are treated as family heirlooms, passed down from generation to generation. Even the least valuable weed Little Minor Elf wouldn¡¯t be sold by anyone, for their sheer beauty alone is considered priceless. In summary, ¡°Market Selling Prices of Wild Elf Bugs¡± is a book of Magic that holds referential value. The next dozens of printed Magic Books are also good and have referential value. He nned to read them slowly, in no hurry, as ¡°Dragons Fight in the Wild¡± couldn¡¯t be written in a day. He remembered his identity, as a Landlord who aspired to Dragon Riding, not as a Noble brought so low as to live off writing novels. Practicing Combat Skills, taking drugs to enhance Dou Qi. Walking the dog, Douson, and visiting the Earth Matron. Inspecting Thorns, and examining workshops. Only after his daily itinerary waspleted would he pick up his pen to write history. asionally inspired, he would also return to his study room to jot down his ideas.
These days, his energies were mostly spent on the Corn Grass fields. The serfs from Barley Hamlet were busy tilling the fields and sowing Corn Grass seeds, while Liszt would continuously hover around the already thriving Corn Grass, employing the Eye of Magic to observe signs of Elf Bugs breeding. He believed that once any Elf Bugs were breeding, he would be the first to know. ¡­ By the end of November, it seemed that a cold wave had struck, causing the temperature in Fresh Flower Town to plummet suddenly. The servants in the castle had switched to newly tailored work outfits. The male servants continued to wear traditional tailcoats, exemplifying gentlemanly elegance. The female servants, however, had ordered thetest popr Coral City version of the improved maid outfit¡ªwith a headband known as a ¡°Katsushika,¡± a ck long skirt with a loose fit, covered by a white cinched one-piece apron, paired with white stockings and two ck round-toed leather shoes. Simple yet not in, cheeky yet adorable. Liszt liked it very much. Watching the maids every day with their brooms, rags, and dusters cleaning was a pleasure. Especially the former kitchen maid, Little Lily, Lily¡¤Bathing Basin, who, due to her outstanding performance in the kitchen, Mrs. Morson had promoted to maid cleaning upstairs, often working in front of Liszt. Her previously scrawny body, with the improvement in living standards, had blossomed. At the flowery age of sixteen, her charm fully unfolded. With a protruding front and curvy back, coupled with a decent face, Liszt couldn¡¯t help but show his respect. Sometimes, he had very beastly thoughts. In the castle, he was the only master; he could do whatever he wished¡ªwhy not pounce? But he managed to quell his restlessness, channeling that urge into the drive for training his Dou Qi. ¡°Fire Dragon Drill¡± and ¡°ming Wave¡± were deeply memorized, each move executed without hesitation. His proficiency in ¡°Multi-Arrow¡± also gradually improved, mastering the Double Arrow realmpletely, and he was not far from mastering the Triple Arrow realm. The Multiple Arrow realm was just slightly out of reach, and as for the Ultimate Mystery Multi-Shadow Arrow, he was almostplete. ¡°When I finish the Multi-Shadow Arrow, that will be the moment when ¡®Multi-Arrow¡¯ fully surpasses Marcus,¡± Liszt said, holding his bow and arrow with a sharp gaze, staring at the target a hundred meters away. With three arrows mped in his left hand and three more in his mouth, he calcted, ¡°Wind speed¡­ humidity¡­ gravity eleration¡­ attachment force of Dou Qi¡­ Calctionsplete, shoot!¡± The whistling generated wind. The three arrows were like three parallel rays of Light. His hands moved continuously, plucking the three arrows from his mouth and again cing them onto the bowstring, drawing the bow and releasing.
Six arrows followed one after another, weaving in and out of each other due to different speeds, quickly intertwining and performingplex collisions, simultaneously changing direction, altering the angle of flight. Then, six arrows, as if released at the exact same time, hit the dead center of the target, sinking in steadily, the arrowheadspletely disappearing. ¡°No misses!¡± Liszt suddenly started, then instantly beamed with joy, ¡°No misses, I¡¯ve mastered the Multiple Phantom Arrow! My archery, has surpassed that of Marcus! I, Liszt Tulip, have now ascended to the rank of a Divine Archer!¡±
After the surprise had faded, a unique sense of unbeatable loneliness arose¡ªhe had be abat force of another level in Fresh Flower Town, an umon Earth Knight. Even across the entirety of Coral Ind, he was among the top ten knights. ¡°I¡¯m afraid Levis is no match for me now, he¡¯s just a pampered Elite Earth Knight. Although I¡¯ve never been on a battlefield, my archery is exceptional.¡± Divine Archer, a title which signified hisbat power far exceeded that of a regr knight. However, considering Levis was gaining experience on the battlefield, he decided to still use Marcus as a benchmark. An Elite Earth Knight like Marcus represented the majority of knights who couldn¡¯t afford Magic Potions, with their only means to increasebat power being to continuously refine theirbat skills. ¡°My Dou Qi quantity already far surpasses Marcus, my archery is ahead of him, and I also have the Crimson Blood Sword to amplify the power of the Dou Qi Manuscript.¡± With a ringing sound, he drew the Crimson Blood Sword. Liszt looked up at the sky at a forty-five-degree angle and murmured softly, ¡°Such a Marcus, I would take on ten of him.¡± Marcus was still away at ck Horse Ind, unavable for a match, but there were still two Earth Knights in Fresh Flower Town, Rondo Waterpot and Lasse Steelyard. ¡°Join me for a realbat training session, Rondo first.¡± ¡°Yes, Baron!¡± Rondo replied solemnly; he was older than Liszt and thus not very nervous. On the contrary, he looked somewhat rxed. After all, in everyone¡¯s estimation, it had only been a little more than half a year since Liszt had broken through to be an Earth Knight. Granted, with the support of Douson, his prestige was immense, but his ownbat ability was probably quite limited, even if mounted on a divine steed. Nothing to fear. ¡°Are you ready, Rondo?¡±
¡°Baron, I am ready to begin at any time!¡± ¡°Then, Lasse, you be the judge!¡± ¡°Yes, Baron. Rondo, please listen to mymand,¡± Lasse announced loudly. ¡°In the name of a knight¡¯s honor, ready, begin!¡± At themand, Liszt and Rondo, a hundred meters apart, each steered their mounts and began their charge. At this moment, Rondo was rxed; he wasn¡¯tcking in realbat experience. On the other side, Liszt was somewhat tense; it was, after all, his first time in abat practice, and his body was a bit stiff. Taking a deep breath. He swung the Knight¡¯s Spear, and as they were about to brush past each other, he thrust out forcefully: ¡°Fire Dragon Sweep!¡± Boom thud! mes suddenly surged on the Knight¡¯s Spear, the move fierce. It collided violently with Rondo¡¯s Knight¡¯s Spear, and then the mes dissipated, with both spears rebounding off each other. Rondo swayed slightly in the saddle, but quickly steadied himself. Liszt didn¡¯t sway, but his hand holding the Knight¡¯s Spear almost twisted from the recoil. Because of his nervousness, he hadn¡¯t controlled his strength properly, and half of the recoil was due to his own excessive force. ¡°A mistake.¡± He understood clear as day, annoyed by such a rookie blunder, but it did much to dissolve his nervousness, ¡°Rondo¡¯s strength is much weaker than I expected, or rather, my own strength far surpasses his!¡± An Elite Earth Knight against a Common Earth Knight should indeed exhibit an overwhelming momentum. Realizing this. He let go of any nervousness and bellowed, ¡°Again!¡±
The Li Dragon Horse, in tune with his heart, spun around and, as one with Liszt, charged towards Rondo once more. Chapter 204: 0204: Both of You Come at Me Together (Second Update) Chapter 204: Both of You Come at Me Together (Second Update) Boom thud! The Knight¡¯s Spear collided again, Rondo felt his hands starting to tremble, the force transmitted from the spear was unexpectedly immense, and there was a scorching heat. Just two shes, and he had already understood that he had underestimated the young Landlord of Fresh Flower Town. ¡°Is this the disparity of bloodlines, he¡¯s only sixteen, and I am already twenty-one, yet I can barely withstand his two thrusts,¡± Rondo thought with a chill in his heart, and even a sense of despair was rising. As an illegitimate child, the only thing he took pride in, was his Noble bloodline. But this very point of pride, in front of Liszt, had no reason for pride at all, the other was the son of an Earl, with the bloodline of a Sky Knight, and also the grandson of a Marquis. ¡°Once more, once more!¡± Liszt¡¯s shout snapped Rondo back to reality, he quickly pulled his horse back, restrained the trembling of his arms, and braced his spear for the attack. The easy-going attitude was gone, reced by nothing but caution and bitterness. As an Earth Attribute Earth Knight, Rondo had always been adept at defense, for someone of his same level, defeating him in a short time was somewhat troublesome. But facing Liszt, he seriously doubted he could block the third spear thrust. And indeed, it was true, when the two Fine Steel Spears collided, he felt an overpowering force hit him, followed by a high temperature like raging fire, forcing him to lose grip on the spear.
ng! The Knight¡¯s Spear flew high into the air, and Rondo himself was sent flying, the sky spinning violently above him. His mind hadn¡¯t caught up by the time his body heavily mmed onto the ground, causing his internal organs to be violently shaken, with a breath stuck in his chest. Staring dazedly at the sky, he didn¡¯t stand up for quite a while, not understanding how he was defeated in just three thrusts. On the other side, Liszt shook his head. He felt Rondo¡¯s strength diminishing with each thrust, and by the third, it was barely withstanding the hit. He hadn¡¯t even used half of his strength yet he had sent Rondo flying; if he had put in his full effort, the thrust would have pierced a hole through Rondo¡¯s body, skewering him on the spear. Since the fight had not been satisfying, he turned his gaze towards Lasse: ¡°Lasse, your turn!¡± Lasse¡¯s scalp numbed, he watched clearly how Liszt sent Rondo flying with three thrusts, understanding that he was no match, but he had to ept the challenge: ¡°Lasse challenges Baron!¡± The two riders crossed paths. Dou Qi burst forth, fiery mes surged, and in the midst of the ming Dou Qi, Lasse was sent flying like a kite with its string cut, following in Rondo¡¯s footsteps. And moreover, Liszt had only put forth the first thrust. ¡°I¡­¡± Lassey on the ground, wanting to say something, opened his mouth, but no words came out. After a moment, both Rondo and Lasse recovered from the shock, and looked towards Liszt with eyes no longer on the same level, only respecting the strength of the more powerful. Liszt¡¯s bloodline was more noble than theirs, his status higher, and his strength greater; apart from reverence, they had no other choice. ¡°I am stronger than I imagined, all this time I¡¯ve underestimated myself.¡± He was inwardly pleased. On the surface, Liszt did not reveal this, a grown man¡¯s soul knows how to restrain his emotions. He merely stated indifferently: ¡°Since leaving the Knight Academy, I have yet to engage in realbat training, neither of us showed our full strength just now. This time, you twoe at me together, let¡¯s train once more!¡± ¡°Yes, Baron!¡± the two replied in unison. A two-on-one battle began, with double the attacksing his way, Liszt was initially thrown into disarray. But the gap in strength was too clear, after two rounds of charges, he adapted to the double attacks, wielding the Fine Steel Knight¡¯s Spear, creating mes that filled the sky. ng! ¡°` ng!
After the two strikes, Rondo and Lasse were sent flying again, crashing heavily onto the ground. Neither was adequate enough to pose a threat to Liszt. Once they got up, Liszt did not show any joy of victory; he still wore his standard noble smile, ¡°Today¡¯s training ends here. You two have just arrived at Fresh Flower Town andck sufficient members to practice with. For now, hone your own Dou Qi. If you wish to enter the battlefield, you indeed fall short.¡± Both had somewhat harbored the mentality of picking up beans, thinking that due to theck of people in Fresh Flower Town, pledging allegiance early would allow them to pick some achievements. However, today¡¯s training made them realize that without sufficient strength, no good oues await them anywhere they go. Putting aside their frivolity, they responded earnestly, ¡°Yes, Baron!¡±
They had not yet chosen to pledge loyalty, nor had Liszt epted them. Whether a rtionship of following and fealty could be established in the future depended on their performance¡ªbased on their current one, Liszt really did not think much of the two. Of course, he did not outright reject them. He nned to wait for Marcus¡¯s return and test his own strength against him. Marcus¡¯sbat power was clearly at the level of Coral Ind¡¯s elite knights¡ªthe Earl specifically assigned him to protect Liszt and to serve as his family tutor, valuing this very aspect. Thus, Marcus could be used as a benchmark. ¡­ The session dispersed. Everyone returned home. This battle- might not have been very satisfying, but the process was invigorating. After bathing, Liszt leaned back in the living room chair, recalling the details of the fight, thinking about what could be improved. Being good at summarizing and deducing allowed him to better identify and improve upon his deficiencies. As he reminisced, he might have been somewhat distracted. Smoke Mission silently emerged and quickly caught Liszt¡¯s attention, ¡°Missionpleted, reward: one Corn Grass Elf Bug.¡± A reward without surprise, a Corn Grass Elf Bug without surprise.
¡°It seems that the task of tilling one hundred acres of Corn Grass has beenpleted. Quite good, the Corn Grass Elf Bug, my tenth Elf Bug¡­ no, still the ninth, as the Thorn Bug has already evolved into a Thorn Minor Elf.¡± He waved his hand. A new Smoke Mission had already been posted. ¡°Mission: Haven¡¯t had enough of grilled meat and seafood? As a noblendlord, how can your dietary nutritionck poultry, fish, meat, and eggs? With this year¡¯s abundant harvest, please raise over a thousand chickens in Fresh Flower Town to provide enough eggs and chicken meat. Reward: Special ore vein.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°Special ore vein?¡± Liszt was overjoyed, ¡°The reward is an ore vein? Thest rewarded ore was a super small Saltpeter Mine; this time it is a special ore vein. I wonder what kind of ore it will be¡­ Right, could it be rted to the Basalt Columns?¡± He made the connection that it probably had to do with ck Horse Ind¡¯s main body formed by the Basalt Columns. Whatever the special ore vein was, it could be buried within these Basalt Columns. No matter what it was- As long as it was an ore vein, it had to be secured: ¡°Raising chickens, just one thousand chickens. Distributed among the serf families, each household raising about ten chickens is enough!¡± Chapter 208: 0208: Captain Swann the Female Mercenary (First Update) Chapter 208: Captain Swann the Female Mercenary (First Update) ¡°` Wiping away the ve girl¡¯s tears with a thumb, the owner of the hand spoke in a hoarse voice, ¡°Get up.¡± The ve girl lifted her head and saw a face covered by a bandana, with disheveled hair and a dirty bandana, but the eyes that were exposed shone so brightly she could hardly keep hers open. She was d in a leather armor that had seen better days; its edges frayed from wear. Arge sword, its hilt wrapped in tattered cloth, hung on her back. As she squatted down, her pressed chest touched her knees, nearly stretching the worn edges of the leather armor to their breaking point. After helping the ve girl wipe her tears, she stood. Tall in stature. Her somewhat scruffy attire revealed a wild and extraordinary temperament, which quickly reminded the ve girl of the group that had stormed into the vige, killing, looting, and separating her from her family to be sold on the serf market. The serfs in the marketce said that the group was a band of infamous mercenaries. And the woman before her looked just like a mercenary. ¡°Ah.¡± Startled, the ve girl seemed to muster some strength, struggling to rise from the ground, and she stammered an apology, ¡°I¡¯m, I¡¯m sorry, my lord, I didn¡¯t mean to fall.¡± The female mercenary looked at her, and her hoarse voice came forth again, ¡°You did nothing wrong; why apologize.¡± ¡°I¡­¡± The ve girl didn¡¯t know how to respond and felt like crying again in her panic.
¡°Come with me.¡± The female mercenary spoke in an unquestionable tone and turned to leave the cabin, with the ve girl hesitantly following. She bowed her head, not even daring to glimpse the mercenary¡¯s retreating figure. The female mercenary seemed to be heading towards the canteen. On the way. She suddenly said in her hoarse voice, ¡°A girl must learn to be strong, especially when walking alone.¡± The ve girl didn¡¯t know how to respond, but it seemed the female mercenary didn¡¯t expect an answer as they quickly reached the canteen. The mercenary pushed through the crowded serfs, bringing the ve girl to the serving window and shouted, ¡°Fatty Jack, get her a te of food!¡± ¡°Ah, right away, Captain Swann.¡± In the midst of speaking, the female mercenary had already turned, ready to leave. The ve girl stood woodenly at the window, unsure whether to get food or follow the mercenary. It was not until Fatty Jack served her a semi-liquid meal on a wooden te, stuffing it in her arms, ¡°Here you go, I don¡¯t know what got into Captain Swann¡¯s head, helping serfs get food.¡± Holding the fragrant food, the ve girl felt tearsing on again, this time tears of happiness. She had never had such a full te of food in her daily life. In a voice as faint as a mosquito¡¯s, she whispered a thank you, not sure if it was to Fatty Jack or to Captain Swann. But as she squatted in a corner of the deck, eating the mixture of beans and flour, she etched the name ¡°Captain Swann¡± deep in her heart¡ªshe didn¡¯t understand the Serpent Script spoken between the mercenary and the sailor serving food but remembered only the way Fatty Jack had pronounced the mercenary¡¯s name. ¡­ ¡°Does Captain Swann have a soft spot for little ve girls?¡± On the foredeck, the female mercenary was enjoying the sea breeze, when the second officer approached and inquired with self-presumed grace. ¡°And if I do, is that a problem?¡± ¡°Of course not. On the contrary, such actions are heartwarming. It¡¯s clear that behind Captain Swann¡¯s toughness, there lies a woman¡¯s tender heart.¡± The female mercenary didn¡¯t take up the conversation, just continued to gaze out at the seawater, lost in thought.
The second officer, not willing to give up, added, ¡°I¡¯ve seen you help several little ve girls like that. Do you see a reflection of yourself in them? People always reminisce about their past selves. Did you have a childhood like that? Sorry, I don¡¯t mean to bring it up, just want to understand you, Captain Swann, better.¡± A momentter. ¡°` Just when the second mate thought he had failed to strike up a conversation, the female mercenary, gazing at the seagulls above the ocean, slowly began to speak, ¡°I have a sister, I haven¡¯t seen her for four years. If she¡¯s still alive, she¡¯d be about the same age as that little female servant.¡±
¡°Hm, I see, being separated from family is indeed¡­¡± He didn¡¯t get to finish. The female mercenary suddenly changed her tone, impatiently saying, ¡°Now that I¡¯ve satisfied your curiosity, can you piss off?¡± ¡°Ah, don¡¯t be like that, Captain Swann, I know you¡¯re not in a good mood,¡± the second mate said, reaching out his hand to pat her shoulder, ¡°I just want tofort you, or maybe, lend a shoulder for you to¡­¡± But before his hand could touch her shoulder. The female mercenary swung her elbow abruptly, sending the second mate flying two meters away: ¡°Piss off!¡± ¡°You!¡± The second mate was angry. What met him was the female mercenary¡¯s icy stare and her hoarse voice: ¡°If you don¡¯t want to die, don¡¯t bother me. A few corpses thrown overboard at sea¡ªI doubt the captain would care.¡± Swelling with anger, the second mate had to swallow it down, rubbing his chest, reluctantly walking down from the deck. After he entered the sailors¡¯ quarters, he was immediately teased by a bunch of disheveled sailors: ¡°Look at that, Spike, a prime example of biting off more than you can chew!¡± ¡°Ha-ha, you really thought you could hit on Captain Swann with that pockmarked face of yours, hrious.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t lose heart, Spike, you held out two minutes longer than Fox.¡± ¡°Fair¡¯s fair, Spike didn¡¯t make it past five minutes, you lost the bet, pay up!¡±
¡°To celebrate Spike¡¯s glorious failure, I¡¯ve decided to take another swig of watered-down juniper wine, ha-ha.¡± ¡­ The crudeughter of the sailors filled the cabin. The female mercenary didn¡¯t hear it; shey on the railing of the deck, looking at the ship ploughing through the waves, her thoughts drifting far away: ¡°Coral Ind¡­ Fresh Flower Town¡­ Little Maggie¡­¡± Meanwhile. At the ce she was longing for. Inside the castle, Butler Carter, with his grizzled hair, approached thendlord who wasposing the historical epic ¡°Dragons Fight in the Wild¡± and said, ¡°My lord, there¡¯s something that you would be happy to hear.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± asked Liszt, who was writing about the ¡°ancient battle between the evil Fire Dragon and the mighty Dragon Knight on the Sea of Azure Waves,¡± without even raising his head. ¡°The castle¡¯s trainee maid, Maggie, has just entered into a contract of mother and daughter with Mrs. Harriet from the grocery store.¡± Upon hearing it was about Maggie. Liszt finally put down his quill, reluctantly, and asked with raised eyebrows, ¡°So, what does the Harriet family n to do? Take Maggie back and end her training?¡± Maggie was a clue involved with the Smoke Mission, and he had gone through the trouble of concocting excuses just to bring Maggie closer to him. He wasn¡¯t willing to let Maggie go that easily. Carter¡¯s answer eased his mind: ¡°Of course not, my lord. Working at the castle is an immense honor formoners. The Harriet family wouldn¡¯t pass up such an opportunity.¡±
¡°Then, Mr. Carter, please convey my congrattions to Maggie. By the way, will she being to train this afternoon?¡± ¡°She didn¡¯t ask for leave, so she should be here for her normal training.¡± ¡°Hmm, add a piece of grilled steak to her dinner.¡± ¡°As you wish.¡± Chapter 209: 0209: The First Snowfall of Winter in Fresh Flower Town (Second Update) Chapter 209: The First Snowfall of Winter in Fresh Flower Town (Second Update) ¡°` December 13, early morning. For the monkeys at the Fruit Thief Monkey Training Ground, this year¡¯s first snowfall came along with new members. The monkeys ordered by Lord Landlord hadn¡¯t been delivered yet, but the three pregnant female monkeys had already given birth in session, producing a total of four infants, one of which was twins. Perhaps Fresh Flower Town really is a ce blessed with the glory of knights, for all four baby monkeys survived. They could just see Fresh Flower Town¡¯s first snow, mixed with the howling north wind. ¡°Squeak, squeak!¡± ¡°Squeak, squeak!¡± The troop of monkeys celebrated the arrival of the flying snow in their ownnguage. When the snow fell, the Fragrant Coconut Trees would stop growing, and the Fragrant Coconut Fruits would no longer ripen¡ªthey knew this very well, as they stole the Fragrant Coconut Fruits all year round. No more ripening of the fruits meant that they wouldn¡¯t have to work this winter. What a pity. Such a thought wasughable. Early in the morning, Jiggs, the steward of the training ground, took out fake Fragrant Coconut Fruits and began the day-to-day training. ¡°Lord Landlord will buy more monkeys, and when they arrive, this group of Fruit Thief Monkeys will serve as a model for the new ones. So, everyone, you must train well and make the Fruit Thief Monkeys exemry!¡± Jiggs shouted loudly, enjoying his leadership and authority at the training ground.
The other fruit farmers had to listen to him. ¡°The female monkey I train can¡¯t be trained today; she needs to feed her children.¡± ¡°Then you¡¯ll clear the snow.¡± ¡°Why clear the snow? Every year we don¡¯t clear it and just stay inside where it¡¯s better,¡± one of the fruit farmers said dismissively. Jiggs immediately snapped, ¡°Straighten up your attitude! Consultant Gao Ertai has already decreed across the town that all farms and workshops must clear the snow in front of their doors and work areas, and after that, clear the umted snow on the nearby roads! You fool, do you dare to disobey even the orders of Consultant Gao Ertai?¡± The fruit farmer certainly didn¡¯t dare disobey, but heined about Jiggs, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you say so earlier? If you had, I wouldn¡¯t have let the snow umte in the training grounds!¡± Comints aside, he honestly took the broom he had made at the farm and started sweeping the snow. It was only a night¡¯s snow, so it wasn¡¯t too thick, and could be swept away with a broom. Just like at the Fruit Thief Monkey Training Ground, as soon as dawn broke, all of Fresh Flower Town began a massive campaign of snow clearing. Patrol Members knocked gongs and drums, going from house to house urging the serfs to wake up and clear the snow¡ªthe roads had to be cleared first to avoid dying the carriages and postponing the construction projects of the domain. This winter was destined to be anything but peaceful. In the Castle and the administrative offices, there had already been several meetings to n the construction projects for the winter. ¡­ ¡°Ah!¡± Stretching, Liszt felt a bit reluctant to leave his warm bed. It had started snowing the night before, and the temperature had dropped to the point where thick clothes were needed, so he had already covered himself with a quilt¡ªalthough an Earth Knight is somewhat resistant to heat and cold, no one would foolishly endure the cold when they could have a warm bed instead. But still, he managed to resist the allure of his cozy bed with his strong will, got up, and opened the door. Outside, the male and female servants were already waiting early. Servant Thomas was there to help him dress, while the maid was responsible for cleaning the room. ¡°Good morning, my lord,¡± Thomas said, holding the armor and bowing.
Little Lily, carrying a bucket and holding a duster and mop, also bowed to Liszt, ¡°Good morning, my lord.¡± ¡°` ¡°Good morning,¡± Liszt had already gotten used to having someone help him get dressed, and after carefully grooming himself in the mirror, he hurried out of the bedroom to walk his dog.
Before he even left the house, he heard the ¡°woo woo¡± sounds of Thorn Minor Elf J, who had flown out from the Worm Room and followed him out the door. Liszt smiled and patted J¡¯s tiny head, ¡°J, I¡¯ll take you to see the snow.¡± ¡°Woo woo!¡± J¡¯srge eyes shimmered with curiosity, for it had never seen snow before. This was the first time it had witnessed snow since its birth. As soon as they exited the castle gates, it flew around excitedly, asionally ying with the snow umted on the ground, trees, and windows. ¡°Woof woof!¡± Douson stood at the entrance of his doghouse, equally excited, barking away. It was also his first encounter with snow. However, he must have had enough of itst night; probably it was because he saw Liszt that he knew he could run around and y, which made him excited. He unleashed Douson. The Intermediate Magical Beast raised as a guard dog darted off in a sh, wagging its tail and ying crazily in the snow. Thump! A small snowball hit Douson¡¯s head, with J mimicking Liszt and throwing a snowball. But its hands were too small, and the snowball even smaller, hitting Douson without him feeling a thing. Seeing Douson ignoring him, J was immediately furious, ready to scatter seeds. But Liszt, connected through mind connection, sensed its emotions and immediately stopped its actions, ¡°J, y with the snow, don¡¯t scatter seeds everywhere.¡± If it had the energy to be naughty, he might as well take it to Thorn Ridge to nt trees.
Then he himself made an extrarge snowball and hurled it, hitting Douson squarely on the forehead. The hit left Douson stunned, looking around, not knowing who had struck him. A few secondster, his attention drifted and he began to roll in the snow again. The snow was thin, so when he pressed his body onto it, the snow melted away, revealing the alfalfa underneath. He said he was rolling in the snow, but he was actually rolling in the grass. A childish behavior, but considering he wasn¡¯t even a year old, it was quite normal for him to be immature. Leaving Douson and J to y in the snow, Liszt started his daily Dou Qi cultivation routine. A day¡¯s nning is in the morning, and a lifetime¡¯s nning is in diligence; refining Dou Qi is a meticulous process. To be a flying Sky Knight and achieve sainthood through the sword, he needed to sweat diligently. Afterpleting the Dou Qi cultivation session, he returned to the castle for a bath and changed into his formal noble clothes. He asked the servants to move the dining table next to the window, leisurely eating breakfast while enjoying the view of the servants shoveling snow. This tranquility, only found in the countryside, was something he couldn¡¯t enjoy before crossing through, of course, the bustling charm of modern civilization was also something this backward world couldn¡¯tpare with. Sometimes he would introspect and ask himself, if given the choice now, would he prefer to return to his original life or stay and be a noble. In the first two months after arriving in Fresh Flower Town, he would have chosen to return. Now, he would unhesitatingly choose to stay and continue the unfinished business of dragon riding. ¡°It¡¯s just that I kind of miss the soy milk and fried dough sticks, as well as the rice porridge and steamed buns¡­ Wait, why don¡¯t I ask Mrs. Abbie and Reynard from the bakery to ¡®invent¡¯ steamed buns?¡± Both are wheat flour-based food, after all, wheat flour doesn¡¯t just make bread. Steamed buns, dumplings, flower rolls, potstickers, wontons, noodles, pancakes, fried dough sticks, sweet rice balls, siu mai, ramen ¨C these are allmon wheat flour foods. Although Liszt was originally from the south and didn¡¯t eat much wheat-based food,pared to having bread every day, dumplings and steamed buns were definitely more to his taste.
Having realized this, he couldn¡¯t help but recall a ssic quote from Sister Xianglin. ¡°I am so foolish, truly¡­¡± Chapter 212: 0212: Dugu Seeking Defeat (Fifth Update, Alliance Hierarch Added Update 10/22) Chapter 212: Dugu Seeking Defeat (Fifth Update, Alliance Hierarch Added Update 10/22) Bang thud! ng crash! The fine steel-forged knight¡¯s spears, apanying the charge of two elite earth knights, bent and deformed. Every collision sparked mes and emitted piercing sonic booms, as if they would break at any moment. Even if they didn¡¯t break, the two spears were on the verge of being scrapped and needed to be remelted and recast. Liszt¡¯s fire attribute Dou Qi enveloped him like a war god in mes, while Marcus¡¯s wind attribute Dou Qi coiled around him like a drifting cloud. Lasse and Rondo, watching from a distance, saw the collision of fire and fog. The fog was on the defensive, the fire on the offensive, and the sky was alight with fiery clouds. ¡°Marcus is an elite earth knight, but the Baron has managed to match him blow for blow, each charge overpowering Marcus¡ªI can¡¯t believe it!¡± Rondo eximed, eyes wide with shock. Lasse smiled bitterly, ¡°I knew the Baron was strong, that I couldn¡¯t take a single charge from him, but I didn¡¯t expect him to be this powerful. Not even Marcus is his match.¡± ¡°Perhaps, this is what talent is,¡± Rondo sighed, ¡°The Earl who founded Coral Ind was a knight of formidable talent himself, and his offspring¡ªSir Levis, Baroness Li Vera, and Lidun¡ªhave all shown exceptional talent since childhood. We thought the Baron was the least gifted, but it seems he was just biding his time for a sudden burst.¡± ¡°Maybe it also includes hard work. Every morning, we see the Baron training with his Dou Qi in the horse field.¡±
At this point, the two looked at each other and fell silent¡ªwhat is there to say when those more talented than you are also working harder? At that moment, the two distant figures charged for the sixth time. The mes remained fierce, but the clouds became thinner. As the knight¡¯s spears collided, the explosive mes overwhelmed the feeble fog. Two horses, one ck and one yellow, crossed paths. Marcus was thrown from his mount and crashed heavily to the ground, his knight¡¯s spear breaking in two. Neigh! The Li Dragon Horse reared, letting out a shrill whinny. Liszt, holding his bent knight¡¯s spear in one hand, panted heavily. Six consecutive charges had drained him significantly, even with the physique of an elite earth knight. But his spirits were lifted, and he gasped out, ¡°Teacher Marcus, I have won.¡± Marcus struggled to his feet, confused for an instant, then his gaze steadied, and he breathed heavily as well, ¡°Sir, your strength surpasses my imagination. Even though your charging experience still needs improvement, all that¡¯s left is refinement over time. May victory always be with you from now on!¡± ¡°I had an advantage with the horse,¡± Liszt said modestly. ¡°Even without the Li Dragon Horse, I wouldn¡¯t havested long; my Dou Qi volume is far behind yours,¡± Marcus said. He seemed about to ask something, then swallowed his words¡ªlikely wondering if Liszt had be an elite earth knight. Marcus didn¡¯t ask, and Liszt didn¡¯t n to tell. Dismounting, he signaled to his retainer knights to take away the damaged spears and spoke to Marcus, ¡°I¡¯ve proven my capabilities in battlefield charges, but I hope to spar with you using longswords tomorrow.¡± Charging was more aboutpeting in Dou Qi, while sword fighting relied more onbat skills. Marcus nodded, ¡°Why not make it at dusk? I¡¯ll have recovered my Dou Qi by then, and I need to go out to sea early tomorrow.¡± ¡°All right!¡± During the conversation, Rondo and Lasse had approached, congratting Liszt. Through this battle, Liszt understood the gap between an earth knight and an elite earth knight. Assessing the abilities of both men based on Marcus¡¯s strength, he had a clear understanding: ¡°My battle with Teacher Marcus was enlightening; in the future, you two should consult with him often.¡± ¡°Yes, Baron!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go have a cup of milk tea together.¡± Liszt led the way towards the apple tree. Four cups of milk tea were quickly served, freshly brewed with cow¡¯s milk. The cows were now producing a lot of milk, yielding several buckets a day.
Aside from catering to banquets and Liszt¡¯s personal consumption, a cup of fresh milk was awarded to children who trained earnestly in knightly lessons. Even so, there was still plenty of milk left every day, and the serfs at the dairy farm would mix flour with milk to make powdered milk. The powdered milk, once entirely seized by Tulip Castle, now all entered Liszt¡¯s castle to be stored. Whether eaten during the low season for milk production or sold, it represented an ie. ¡­
In the afternoon, the sun came out briefly before hiding again, and then the heavy snow began to fall like goose feathers. Such conditions would continue throughout the entire winter. Thanks to the nutritional supply from the milk tea, Marcus¡¯s Dou Qi recovered faster than expected, so the practical swordfight was held earlier than nned. Liszt didn¡¯t use the Crimson Blood Sword, as using it would probably have allowed him topletely overpower Marcus. He chose a Fine Steel Longsword, a two-handed sword, and Marcus was equipped with the same¡ªhowever, Liszt still donned Magical Beast Leather Armor, while Marcus could only wear ordinary leather armor. The Landlord and his followers certainly couldn¡¯t enjoy the same treatment. There was no idle talk. Nor did they let Rondo and Lasse watch on this time. The two faced each other at the far end of the riding ground, swords in hand against the backdrop of the falling snow, each as determined as ever. Liszt, who aspired to be the me Sword Saint, no longer felt stage fright in these training bouts. He unleashed his Dou Qi, seemingly without any cost, each strike with the full force of his intentions. ¡°Dragon Flight!¡± Puh-chi, his Fine Steel Longsword thrusted upwards, sending forth a jet of me, as if a Fire Dragon were soaring. ¡°Wind Whirlpool!¡± Marcus spun his Fine Steel Longsword, Dou Qi swirling around it, creating a whirlpool with the motion of his de that engulfed Liszt¡¯s me Attribute Dou Qi. ng!
The Fine Steel Longsword, stripped of its Fire Attribute Dou Qi by Marcus¡¯s de, was struck with the still-encircling Wind Attribute Dou Qi, releasing it in an instant and nearly knocking Liszt¡¯s sword out of his hand. He held on tight, just barely maintaining grip. ¡°Huh!¡± ¡°That was close!¡± Liszt¡¯s palms sweated, realizing that sword fighting feltpletely different from charging into battle¡ªMarcus in front of him was like a hedgehog, tightly guarded, leaving nowhere to attack, and would counter-thrust whenever he had the chance, causing him significant difort. Thus, they continued to exchange blows, shing over twenty times. Neither able to ovee the other. Marcus, with his seasoned experience, focused primarily on defense, asionally sneaking in attacks during the transition between Liszt¡¯s old and new Dou Qi streams, making it excruciating for him. However, Liszt¡¯s foundation was strong, with a high total amount of Dou Qi and a quick recovery rate, so he barely managed to hold on. One fierce, the other cunning. The number of exchanges neared thirty, and then both their Dou Qis could no longer keep up with their consumption. After ten more exchanges, they ultimately ended up in a draw. They both leaned on their Fine Steel Longswords, gasping for breath in the midst of the heavy snowfall. ¡°Teacher Marcus, did you go easy on me?¡± Liszt suddenly asked, feeling that it was somewhat exaggerated for someone with almost zero swordfighting experience like himself to have fought Marcus to a draw.
Before the swordfight, he was proud and thought that he would resolve the battle with Marcus within ten minutes. At the beginning of their exchange, Marcus¡¯s sneak attacks had startled him, and he was afraid that one careless move would lead to Marcus turning the tables on him. As the battle wore on, he found he couldn¡¯t prevail over Marcus, but Marcus¡¯s counterattacks also lost their sharpness and seemed unable to turn the tide against him, which led to a stalemate. He felt that toward the end of their exchange, Marcus had held back. But Marcus shook his head, his breaths choppy, making his wordse out staggered: ¡°In the first ten exchanges, my lord¡­ With your relentless and upromising attacks, I indeed had¡­ I indeed had the opportunity to defeat you. But my lord¡¯s rate of improvement is astonishing. Later on, I couldn¡¯t find any opportunity for a sneak attack.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Liszt suddenly felt his waist wasn¡¯t sore, his legs weren¡¯t aching, and even his breathing steadied¡ªindeed he was a prodigious talent with an amazing aptitude! Chapter 213: 0213: Volcanic Glass Experiment (First Update) Chapter 213: Volcanic ss Experiment (First Update) Charging and sword fighting with Marcus benefited Liszt greatly. Though one could improve on their own by working behind closed doors, it was also essential to match moves with others¡ªtheck of realbat experience made it difficult to determine the advantages or disadvantages of the techniques developed in solitude. And such realbat also gave Liszt a clearer understanding of his own strength. ¡°Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be in peril.¡± He believed that if he were to cross swords with Marcus again, whether in a charge or a sword battle, he couldpletely overpower his opponent. ¡°An Elite Earth Knight on a potion regimenpletely crushes one who focuses onbat skills. Having money really does let you do as you wish.¡± Therefore. The biggest takeaway from these days of continuousbat was not how to fight technically. It was that one must always make money for potions. ¡°Before long, the Rapid Growth Magic Thorns will be ready for harvest. I¡¯ll have Elkerson turn them into Magic Potions to augment the me Mushroom Magic Potion, speeding up my potion regimen!¡± His eyes were aze with understanding of the essence of knightly practice, ¡°And the Magical Beast meat¡ªI must eat several pounds a day even if it means borrowing money!¡± Knock knock knock. Carter¡¯s voice came from outside the door: ¡°My lord.¡±
Putting his thoughts aside, Liszt tucked the thick paper with ¡°Potion, Meat, Milk¡± written on it into the Magic book he had been readingtely and replied, ¡°Come in.¡± ¡°The merchant caravan has returned, bringing with it child serfs among the serfs. Mr. Isaiah asks for your instructions on how to deal with this batch of serfs.¡± ¡°Have him arrange it ording to the original n.¡± ¡°Yes, my lord.¡± Carter took out a letter from his chest and handed it to Liszt, ¡°There¡¯s also a letter from the caravan, written by Consultant Goltai.¡± Goltai did not return with the caravan; there were still many serfs waiting outside who needed him to arrange amodation for the night. So he sent a letter with the caravan, providing an update on the handover of the serfs. Reading the letter, it detailed the number of serfs. There were originally one thousand serfs ordered, including two hundred craftsmen, but only eight hundred thirty-six serfs and one hundred forty-four craftsmen survived the journey to Fresh Flower Town. The loss was much greater than the quota Liszt had given. ¡°Frank has guaranteed that he willpensate us with one hundred additional serfs and twenty craftsmen on top of the next sale.¡± The letter recorded the oue of Goltai¡¯s haggling with Frank. This was followed by a transaction of three hundred Gold Coins. Frank did not agree because he had received a letter from Levis. It mentioned that the war would cease with the onset of winter, and the Earl was gathering the resources plundered, ready to retreat back to the country. Frank wanted to wait for Levis¡¯s return before deciding whether to continue the serf trade. ¡°The Earl ising back?¡± After reading the letter, Liszt couldn¡¯t help but calcte the time. It was December, and the Earl had left in September. He had been out campaigning for nearly three months, which wasn¡¯t very longpared to the years when he would even spend holidays abroad. ¡°I just don¡¯t know if this year¡¯s harvest will be rich. As the Eagle Kingdom is a major producer of iron, if we can plunder more iron ore, I can buy a batch for weapon forging¡­ aiming to equip a Knight Squad as soon as possible and, perhaps next year, follow the Earl to the battlefield to scavenge some spoils.¡± ¡­ Liszt dined alone that evening. The town officials were busy taking in the children serfs, cing the ones without family directly into the homes of Fresh Flower Town¡¯s serfs. Children with rtives were temporarily ced in new houses in the residential area, waiting for their parents to arrive before arranging their living situation. The food was distributed to the serf¡¯s homes early on, then prepared by the serfs, and delivered into the hands of these children. Extra clothing and bedding were borrowed from the serf¡¯s homes to keep these children warm. These items would be returned to each serf¡¯s household once the castle procured new clothes. There were also many children who had caught colds or were struggling to adapt to the new environment, necessitating the assignment of old and stable serfs to take care of them, to prevent any deaths.
The snow fluttered on this night, but Fresh Flower Town was destined to be bustling. Tomorrow would be just as busy, as over eight hundred serfs, looking to integrate into the life of Fresh Flower Town, would need time. The biggest barrier among them was thenguage issue, as the here spoke Serpent Script, while most of the new serfs spoke Wind Language¡ªfortunately, an earlier group of new serfs had already learned basic Serpent Script and could facilitatemunication. After dinner, Liszt went for an inspection of the town. Seeing the emaciated children shivering in the cold wind, being directed by the officials to greet him, he felt ufortable¡ªthis was a direct sh of two worldviews.
A sigh in his heart. After showing his face, he went straight back to the castle, with no mood to linger. Upon returning to the castle, he went straight upstairs, where he happened to see the maid, Little Lily, bending over to clean. Her improved version of the maid¡¯s uniform stretched her skirt, revealing a pair of straight white pantyhose over her long legs. Under the cover of her skirt¡¯s hem, there was a round curve, worthy of respect. Hearing the footsteps, Little Lily quickly turned around, stood in the corner of the wall, and let Liszt pass: ¡°My lord.¡± ¡°Carry on,¡± said Liszt, regretfully retracting his gaze and entering his study to stabilize his emotions for three minutes before picking up a piece of volcanic ss from the table. He had studied it for a while before his noon rest. No matter how he circted his Dou Qi, he couldn¡¯t prate the volcanic ss toe into contact with the mana locked within the bubbles. This Fire Dragon Magic Power was trapped in the bubbles as if utterly solidified, not allowing a hint to escape. However, after some exploration, he nheless discovered something. The Fire Attribute Mana surrounding the volcanic ss was distinctly more agitated, as though drawn by the Fire Dragon Magic Power inside the bubbles. This resembled a maic field¡ªdespite being separated by the volcanic ss, unable to make contact, it could still cause the Fire Attribute Mana to be restless. That¡¯s why Marcus could sense its magic power. ¡°Based solely on this characteristic, it seems suitable for manufacturing magic equipment.¡± He mused silently: ¡°If there were arge number of volcanic sses aligned together, could they form a magic array? Then could it incite a riot of Fire Attribute Mana within the magic array, creating an environment rich in Fire Attribute Mana? If a magician were ced inside, could they effortlessly conjure fireballs?¡± This seemed somewhat pointless. So, he was more inclined to smash open the volcanic ss and release the Fire Dragon Magic Power within. However, once released, the consequences of this distinctly Fire Dragon Mana were uncertain.
¡°Could it infect the surrounding environment, for instance, starting arge fire?¡± He couldn¡¯t be certain, but obviously, his study was not the right ce for such a release, as the bookshelves held many decorative books, too valuable to be burned. Daytime would be better. Armed in armor, he could find an open space to release the Fire Dragon Magic Power. But then he thought that might be overreacting¡ªjust a few bubbles in a piece of volcanic ss, how much mana could they store, how strong a reaction could they produce. After a moment of indecision, he chose not to smash the volcanic ss. He contemted several possibilities and potential uses, leaving the verification for the following day. Chapter 214: 0214: The Insanely Cool and Awesome Little Fire Dragon (Second Update) Chapter 214: The Insanely Cool and Awesome Little Fire Dragon (Second Update) The next morning dawned. Havingpleted the Dou Qi cultivation ss, Liszt continued his research into volcanic ss. He first took a piece of volcanic ss to the wastnd near the castle and smashed it. As the ss shattered along with the bubbles, the Eye of Magic observed the Fire Dragon Magic Power directly escaping. The very next moment, Liszt was greatly startled. The escaping Fire Dragon Magic Power coiled together and right before his eyes, it condensed into the form of a tiny dragon! Its wings spread and pped up and down, its figure ethereal as if it could be dispersed by the wind at any moment, zigzagging back and forth in the air, truly resembling a small red dragon in flight. ¡°This¡­¡± Liszt had never imagined that the magic power of a dragon could undergo such a mysterious transformation. He quickly remembered what Granney Truth had exined about the triangr theory, saying that he believed dragons and elves originated from thebination of magic power and matter. Now that he thought about it, there really seemed to be such a possibility, or even more likely, that dragons purely originated from magic power¡ªthe essence of the Fire Attribute magic power gave birth to essence, and the essence then condensed into a Fire Dragon¡ªotherwise, it was impossible to exin why, after so many years of evolution, the Fire Dragon¡¯s magic power could still form a small Magic Little Fire Dragon. After some thought. While the Magic Little Fire Dragon was still drifting in the air, untouched by the snowkes that were unable to extinguish its light, Liszt directly reached out with his hand, covered in Magical Beast hide, toward the Magic Little Fire Dragon.
As soon as he touched it. Boom! With an explosive sound, the Little Fire Dragon burst on the spot, turning into a ball of me that instantly blew his glove to shreds. A sharp pain in his palm, his skin singed by the sshing mes, almost charred the outeryer. Even though it didn¡¯t char, it still left two painful blisters in his palm, burning intensely. ¡°Hiss, quite powerful,¡± Liszt used his hand to burst the blisters, gritting his teeth, and circted his Dou Qi to soothe the pain from the injury¡ªKnight¡¯s Dou Qi has the effect of warming the body and healing wounds. The Eye of Magic hadn¡¯t been dismissed. He was still observing. The exploded Fire Dragon Magic Power quickly condensed again, forming a new Magic Little Fire Dragon. Judging by its size, it had hardly changed from the previous one. This unscientific situation caught Liszt off guard. He felt that this Magic Little Fire Dragon was like the persistent winds of Windhowl Valley and would remain lingering indefinitely in the wastnd near the castle. If a Serf were to identally touch the Little Fire Dragon while passing by, there might instantly be an explosion. While not excessively dangerous, it could still char the skin or cause a body full of blisters. ¡°Wait until I find something to absorb the Fire Dragon Magic Power.¡± He nced at the shattered volcanic ss on the ground; it seemed that during the volcanic eruption, the high temperature had burned the dragon¡¯s magic power encapsted in liquid magma. Now that it had cooled and solidified into ss, it was unable to encase anything. Suddenly. He thought of something, ¡°Why don¡¯t I have a Crystal Craftsman carve the volcanic ss into a bottle or a jar? Then use it to capture Fire Dragon Magic Power and store it? This volcanic ss obviously has an effect in blocking Fire Dragon Magic Power; it¡¯s a natural storage container.¡± With this thought, his worries dissipated. He resumed his study of the flying Magic Little Fire Dragon. The flight trajectory of the Little Fire Dragon was not fixed, but it seemed bound by some invisible limits, keeping it within a certain range. That range seemed to be where the first Little Fire Dragon had been crushed by Liszt, the area where the Fire Dragon Magic Power burst and spread. Dismissing the Eye of Magic. The Little Fire Dragon immediately disappeared from view. Upon invoking the Eye of Magic, the Little Fire Dragon naturally appeared, slowly pping its wings to fly. It made turns and flew back and forth within a fixed range, its demeanor utterly carefree.
Liszt used the Fine Steel Longsword he carried to touch it, and the sword passed directly through the Little Fire Dragon¡ªor rather, the Little Fire Dragon passed directly through the sword. There was no collision or reaction between them. ¡°Why is there no reaction?¡± After a moment of thought, he considered a possibility and immediately began to circte his Dou Qi, imbuing the Fine Steel Longsword with it, and touched the Little Fire Dragon once again. Boom!
A sudden explosion. Sparks flew in all directions, visible without the need for the Eye of Magic. Momentster, everything calmed down. In the view provided by the Eye of Magic, another Little Fire Dragon appeared. This time, its range of movement was limited to the scope of the new explosion¡ªa circle with a radius of fifty centimeters. Its size and the total amount of its magic power remained unchanged. There was no visible loss. ¡°It really defies science. Why is there no decrease in energy after exerting effort, and the magic power is still so plentiful? This shares a curious simrity with the properties of the Dragon Gems.¡± Gems produced by dragons also possessed seemingly infinite magic power, but even infinity would eventually run out one day. This Little Fire Dragon might explode thousands or hundreds of times before beingpletely extinguished. ¡°Right, can it fly underground?¡± As soon as he thought of it, Liszt waited for the Little Fire Dragon to fly as close to the ground as possible before he reached out with the Fine Steel Longsword to touch it. Boom! It exploded again. This time, the center of the explosion was only ten centimeters from the ground. When the new Little Fire Dragon formed, it indeed flew toward the ground. The moment it touched the earth, the remaining snow on the surface melted instantly, and the damp ground dried up at a rate visible to the naked eye. Soon, the Little Fire Dragon flew out from the ground again, flew for a short while, and then dove into the earth once more. As it was only the size of a palm, each time it could only dry a small spot, but after several times, the dried area underwent further changes. The parched soil gradually turned ck and appeared scorched.
He lured the Little Fire Dragon away with an explosion, dug up the scorched earth, and tapped on it, finding it as hard as a brick. ¡°A brick?¡± In an instant, a stroke of inspiration struck from above, entering his mind, ¡°The Magic Little Fire Dragon is essentially firing bricks; I couldpletely use it to bake bricks, pottery, and porcin. Once I have plenty of Fire Dragon Magic Power, this will be countless times more powerful than a high-temperature furnace!¡± And it caused no smoke pollution, nor did it require physical fuel. An idea that came in a sh made him ecstatic. ck Horse Ind must have a fair amount of Volcanic ss scattered about. If he could concentrate the Fire Dragon Magic Power together and build a kiln with Volcanic ss, he could continuously produce bricks. The same could be done for pottery and porcin. ¡°They say that baking bricks and ceramics requires different temperatures, which I canpletely control by separating the Fire Dragon Magic Power,¡± he mused. ¡°The magic power of an entire Fire Dragon can ignite a whole volcano, and a portion of the Fire Dragon Magic Power can be used to bake bricks!¡± His thoughts diverged, and more ideas emerged, ¡°It¡¯s not only for baking bricks, I couldpletely use the Little Fire Dragon to build a furnace for boiling steam and then invent a steam engine¡­ It seems a bit difficult to make a steam engine, but wouldn¡¯t it be easy to boil water or heat a kang with it in minutes?¡± ¡°This is not like being rewarded with a mine, it¡¯s like being given a pile of energy!¡± Considering the nearly forty Smoke Missions he had seen so far, the value of Volcanic ss was second only to that of the Space Gems. If utilized and developed properly, it could even surpass Space Gems. He forcibly suppressed his excitement and watched the flying Little Fire Dragon intently, clenching his fists tightly. Then another possibility urred to him, ¡°Maybe the magic power of the Fire Dragon could¡­ infect creatures, spawning new Dragon Breed Beasts?¡± Chapter 216: 0216: Face-to-Face Peeping (4th Update, Alliance Hierarch Extra 12/22) Chapter 216: Face-to-Face Peeping (4th Update, Alliance Hierarch Extra 12/22) ¡°` The footprints continued to the castle entrance, then disappeared. No one noticed this, not even the Retainer Knights patrolling around the castle in the heavy snow. In the castle kitchen, Mrs. Abbie¡¯s voice was so loud that it could be heard even in the great hall. Butler Carter was wiping the fixtures and ornaments on the walls and shrugged when he heard the noise. ¡°She is always so rude, why can you tolerate her?¡± Thomas asked mockingly while arranging the hall¡¯s stools. Carter didn¡¯t like Thomas, not only because Thomas disrespected his authority as the butler, but also because Thomas always enjoyed speaking ill of others. He replied gravely, ¡°Because she is Mrs. Abbie, because the master loves the delicious food she makes, and so do the servants.¡± ¡°I guess that¡¯s true, if she didn¡¯t have those cooking skills, she would have been fired by the master long ago.¡± ¡°Not necessarily, the master is a noble gentleman of kind quality, he would offer Mrs. Abbie a new position.¡± ¡°The master is too kind to the servants if you ask me. Jessie, Tom, Eileen should all be sent away, they are just useless.¡± ¡°You had better not let the master hear that. Everyone is doing their job, they have done no wrong, and they should not be called useless.¡± Thomas snorted disdainfully, ¡°Any other person would do better than them!¡±
Just then, Mrs. Abbie¡¯s soprano voice came from the kitchen, ¡°Damn it, Eileen, where are the vegetables I asked you to wash? If you dy the master¡¯s dinner, I will ¡®kiss¡¯ your butt with my boot!¡± Then Eileen¡¯s loud rebuttal followed, ¡°I¡¯m washing the beans, which you instructed!¡± ¡°Oh, is that so, can¡¯t you be a bit more swift and wash both the beans and the vegetables?¡± ¡°Do you know how many beans there are? Maggie, tell Mrs. Abbie, I think her eyes have gone blurry!¡± ¡°Good heavens, are you trying to rebel, Eileen!¡± The quarrel in the kitchen provided material for Thomas, who hummed disdainfully, ¡°This is what you call everyone doing their job? The fact is, useless is as useless does.¡± Carter ignored him and simply said, ¡°Have you set up the tables and chairs upstairs? Today¡¯s dinner will be earlier, don¡¯t dy it.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t Tom and Jessie in charge of setting up the tables and chairs?¡± ¡°They are responsible for delivering food to the town, so I¡¯m entrusting this task to you.¡± ¡°Heh!¡± Thomasughed mockingly but went upstairs anyway. Being just a valet, he had to follow Butler Carter¡¯s orders. However, the argument in the kitchen did not stop. Mrs. Abbie was still in full blow-dryer mode, continuously roaring, while Eileen was still huffing and puffing with retorts. But the work in the kitchen proceeded in an orderly fashion, not stalling due to the quarrel, with even the trainee maids sticking to their tasks unfazed. Everyone had gotten used to the strange rtionship between Mrs. Abbie and Eileen, sometimes they were like enemies, other times like mother and daughter. Maggie had gotten used to it, too. She wielded a broom, responsible for sweeping up the rotten vegetable leaves on the floor, which could be given to the serfs to feed the chickens. ¡°Maggie, do you want some?¡± The argument had just stopped when Eileen, who was in charge of washing vegetables, suddenly pulled out a handful of shriveled peanuts from a corner and offered them to Maggie as if nothing had happened. ¡°No thanks, Sister Eileen, I have some, haven¡¯t eaten yet.¡± She also pulled out a handful of shriveled peanuts from a corner. There was a peanut processing workshop in Fresh Flower Town that bought a lot of shelled peanuts every day. The plump peanuts were suitable for making various peanut snacks and peanut butter to sell to trading caravans. The leftover shriveled peanuts were then divided and given to castle servants as snacks. Working in the castle certainly came with some perks that ordinary people couldn¡¯t enjoy.
Eileen put the peanuts back in her pocket and said, ¡°The peanuts taste the best when fried. After the dinner party, once Mrs. Abbie leaves the kitchen, we can fry them ourselves.¡± ¡°Mrs. Abbie wouldn¡¯t allow it.¡± ¡°` ¡°As long as she doesn¡¯t find out, don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll scrub the pot clean, and she won¡¯t notice.¡±
¡°But, Mr. Carter, if she finds out, she will, punish you.¡± ¡°It¡¯s no big deal, it¡¯s just using the pot to fry some peanuts. Mr. Carter won¡¯t me me. He¡¯s like thendlord and never treats us servants harshly, even though I¡¯m just a kitchen maid.¡± ¡°Well, okay then.¡± Maggie licked her lips, having taken a liking to the delicious snack of fried peanuts after trying them once, which was much tastier than the dinner the servants ate every day. ¡­ The bathroom. Liszt stood beside the bathtub, constantly measuring the area of the bathtub and the bathroom with a measuring tape. After collecting the data, he went straight to the study, took out some thick paper and began to sketch and design what he called the bathtub hot spring. The Little Fire Dragon was not a safe energy source. One must ensure that it can be used for heating while also taking safety precautions; it was a mentally taxing design that the cksmiths and carpenters of Fresh Flower Town definitelycked the brains and insight to create. ¡°It seems to be the threews of thermodynamics or some kind ofw that determines the three properties of heating water¡ªconvection, conduction, and radiation. Radiation I won¡¯t need for now, but conduction and convection are the most suitable methods. With conduction, as long as one part of the bathtub is heated, the whole bathtub¡¯s water can be warmed up.¡± Thinking and thinking. His brain felt a bit messy; the content from junior high school physics had mostly been returned to the teacher. But he did know one thing, whether it¡¯s heating from the bottom of the bathtub and allowing the water to convect, thus hot water rises and cold water falls. Or heating the water from the side of the bathtubs so that the temperature continually transfers to the other side, there needs to be a tank isted from the bathtub to heat the little dragon.
¡°I can¡¯t let the Little Fire Dragon heat all the time, after the bath, I need to put it away so the volcanic ss tank must be crafted by the craftsman immediately¡­ When carving, how to release the bubbles inside is a troublesome issue.¡± He propped his hand on the desk, bored, and tipped his chair back on two legs. Then he casually picked up a piece of volcanic ss. Activating the Eye of Magic, he prepared to observe the Magic Power within the bubbles again, considering how to work with the craftsman to extract the Fire Dragon Magic Power. However, after he activated the Eye of Magic, his gaze fell upon the study by the Window, and he was startled. His hand shook, and the volcanic ss was thrown away, the chair toppled over as well. Fortunately, his reflexes were quick, and with a twist, he stopped his falling body and steadied himself against the desk. Then he forcibly directed his gaze to the volcanic ss on the ground, rather than looking at the Window¡ªthe ce where a Magic Power-formed figure appeared, leaning against the wall. It was clearly a full-chested woman, arms folded across her chest, and her gaze seemed to be fixed on Liszt. The sudden appearance of a Magic Power figure in his study, where he thought he was absolutely safe, had the potential to scare someone to death with its surprise. Thankfully, Liszt managed to disguise his surprise with themotion of his awkward fall. He didn¡¯t alert the Magic Power figure, which only changed its position and continued to lean against the wall, watching Liszt. ¡°What is this? What is this thing?¡± Liszt bent down, cautiously picked up the volcanic ss, and forced himself to stay calm, pondering what this suddenly appeared Magic Power figure could possibly be. By the time he straightened up.
The panic that followed the scare had swiftly settled, and his brain had regained its cunning, immediately recalling the reward from the Smoke Mission¡ªthe Thief that spies on the Landlord. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Please encourage with rmendation tickets and monthly tickets~ Chapter 218: 0218: Deserving of an Oscar (First Update) Chapter 218: Deserving of an Oscar (First Update) If a thief suddenly emerged, even if she were a woman, Liszt would find an opportunity to eliminate her¡ªhow could he let someone who threatened his own life to grow fond of him? But as the reward for the Smoke Mission. Eliminating her would be like throwing the reward away, after all, the Smoke Mission had already given a ¡°hint¡±¡ªthe serf Maggie. The apprentice maid Maggie was the key to unlocking the reward, the key to having control over this female mercenary or female magician. As for how to use the key to open the treasure chest, it certainly wasn¡¯t about capturing Maggie and threatening the other party. The best way would likely involve love. ¡°Maggie has already formed a contract of mother and daughter with Mrs. Harriet from the general store; counting that, this female mercenary is practically half a Fresh Flower Town¡¯s person!¡± Since she was one of his own people, Liszt¡¯s mood suddenly brightened. And he began contemting how to best y his cards¡ªMaggie and his personal reputation. At this moment. The female mercenary had already stated who she wanted to take away, ¡°I want to bring a maid from the castle with me, does the Baron agree?¡± ¡°A maid from the castle?¡± Liszt pretended to ponder for a moment before speaking, ¡°There are sixteen maids in the castle, which one would you like to take away?¡± ¡°Eileen.¡±
¡°Eileen Four Fingers?¡± Liszt looked at the female mercenary in surprise; he hadn¡¯t expected her to y mind games with him. If he hadn¡¯t already spected, he would have been fooled, ¡°Why take Eileen away? Give me a reason to agree to it.¡± ¡°She¡¯s just a maid, what reason do you need. Baron, if you want to test whether my sword is sharp, I don¡¯t mind letting you find out.¡± ¡°My sword hasn¡¯t rusted either.¡± Liszt stood his ground as he met the bright eyes of the female mercenary. He was half performing, half confident. With Douson, with the Crimson Blood Sword, as an Elite Earth Knight. As long as she was not a Sky Knight, she would have no advantage over him. With confidence, he could perform at ease¡ªshow the Landlord¡¯s affection for his people, his own tough side, disy the nobility image that met themon people¡¯s expectations¡ªin a knight system, equality does not exist, brave and merciful Lords are the incarnations of justice. The worn leather armor of the female mercenary clearly indicated her lower social status. A momentter. She indeed took a step back, ¡°Eileen is my sister, is that reason enough?¡± ¡°Your sister?¡± Liszt smiled, ¡°If it¡¯s true, I will call her over for you to identify in person. I have no opposition to family reunions. In fact, you could have approached me directly as her rtive. Eileen applied for the maid position herself in Coral City, it¡¯s her own choice to stay or leave.¡± ¡°She doesn¡¯t know she has a sister like me.¡± ¡°Sorry, that reason does not hold. Eileen¡¯s parents are in Coral City working the fields for Tulip Castle. I don¡¯t think she would suddenly have a thief, mercenary, or magician for a sister. Therefore, until Eileen confirms it herself, I cannot let you take her away.¡± ¡°What if I insist on taking her away?¡± ¡°It seems my actions have led to a misunderstanding.¡± Liszt suddenly ced his hand on the hilt of the Crimson Blood Sword, speaking earnestly, ¡°Serfs work for their Lord, and the Lord protects the safety of his serfs. This is the knightly honor I live by. I don¡¯t allow, and you shouldn¡¯t think of taking away anyone from Fresh Flower Town!¡± This series of actions was full of momentum, the words spoken with passion, resonating with conviction. Paired with his handsome face, the sense of justice was overwhelming. Of course, there was the suspicion of trying a bit too hard¡ªa Lord with such a strong sense of justice seemed somewhat grandiose and empty. Across him, sitting on the chair, the female mercenary¡¯s bright eyes were glinting, not responding to Liszt¡¯s righteous rebuke for a moment. Just when Liszt was about to feel awkward, she finally spoke slowly, ¡°You¡¯re different from the other Lords I¡¯ve killed, Baron. I will stay in Fresh Flower Town for a few days to see what makes you different from the other Lords.¡±
She then stood up, roughly one meter seventy-five tall, quite tall. Liszt narrowed his eyes. He felt that whether he let her go out or stopped her from leaving would not be a good solution¡ªthe key point, he couldn¡¯t gauge the other party¡¯s strength. It certainly wouldn¡¯t be weak.
If the strength was insignificant, the Smoke Mission wouldn¡¯t need to be so formal in considering her as a type of reward. As she arrived at the door of the study, ready to open it, Liszt stood up and followed her, ¡°I don¡¯t know why you are targeting Eileen, but I must warn you not to attempt to harm Eileen. Do not have any ill intentions in Fresh Flower Town, and, leave your name.¡± ¡°Swann.¡± The female mercenary smiled, unconcerned with Liszt¡¯s threat. It wasn¡¯t a standard female name; probably an alias, Liszt guessed. Thomas, who was arranging the living room, saw Liszt follow a female mercenary out and was stunned. He then came forward to greet, ¡°Master.¡± Liszt said, ¡°Thomas, escort this uninvited guest, Miss Swann, out of the castle. Also, inform Consultant Goltai that she can be amodated in a new house in town.¡± Feeling that such an enticement was too deliberate, he added, ¡°Her board and lodging costs should be the same as for the foreign merchants.¡± Although Thomas was puzzled about how such a woman in that attire appeared in the castle, he still respectfully epted themand, ¡°Yes, Master. Miss Swann, please follow me.¡± After Swann left the castle with Thomas. Butler Carter, filled with confusion, asked, ¡°Master, I haven¡¯t seen Miss Swann enter the castle, I¡¯ve been dusting in the hall the entire time.¡± ¡°She climbed over the wall to get in,¡± Liszt stood at the doorway, watching Swann¡¯s figure disappear down the road, ¡°I will tell you about her origins when the time is right. For now, pay more attention to the servants in the castle, especially the maids. If they have any grievances, they should be resolved promptly.¡± Carter, of course, did not ask further, ¡°As you wish, Master.¡± ¡°By the way, Mr. Carter, call Eileen to my study, I have some questions for her.¡± Since the female mercenary imed she came for Eileen, he had to act ordingly.
Eileen hurriedly came to the study. ¡°Master, did you call for me?¡± ¡°Eileen, how many siblings do you have in your family?¡± ¡°I have two younger brothers.¡± ¡°No sisters? Or any cousins?¡± ¡°No, Master.¡± ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t have any, like a sister who was given away to someone else when she was a child?¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t know about that, but my mother was only seventeen when I was born, so I don¡¯t think there would be another sister.¡± Therefore, the possibility that Swann was Eileen¡¯s sister was essentially eliminated; she was just being cunning. Liszt felt a great relief, his tone became even more amiable, ¡°How is the work in the kitchen going?¡± ¡°Everything is going well, Master.¡± ¡°Good to hear, if anythinges up, you can report directly to Mr. Carter. You should take good care of the young maids in training in the kitchen, as their elder sister, don¡¯t let them be mistreated.¡± ¡°Of course, I will.¡± With the conversation over, he sent Eileen away.
Liszt carefully went over his response after encountering Swann, feeling that there were a few details that were not well managed, with some small ws, but overall, he had handled things quite well. There was no inappropriate enthusiasm, no deliberate hostility. The courage and benevolence that needed to be shown were also disyed, achieving an amiable demeanor as if bathed in the spring breeze. Worthy of an Oscar¡­ or at least a Golden Rooster. Chapter 219: 0219: A Choice in Line with Interests (Second Update) Chapter 219: A Choice in Line with Interests (Second Update) The mercenary Miss Swann will stay in Fresh Flower Town for a few days to observe. This is a good sign, indicating that she has already taken a liking to Fresh Flower Town and to Li Si Te (Liszt). The following few days will be crucial for solidifying that good impression. Of course, there is also the possibility that the good impression could turn into a bad one. But the probability is small. Li Si Te (Liszt) is confident about this point: ¡°The current Fresh Flower Town is clean and sanitary, with wide roads, and themoners have houses to live in, clothes to wear and food to eat, and even a little surplus; the Patrol Team is no longer a gang of riffraff, and while it may not be safe enough to leave one¡¯s doors unlocked at night, at least there are no thefts urring.¡± Although the town is rural and not bustling, it has seen significant improvements under nearly half a year of governance. This undoubtedly adds many favorable impressions. ¡°Trafficking serfs is indeed a disgraceful act, but practically all nobles traffic in ves, and it¡¯s not just me doing it. Moreover, the serfs whoe to Fresh Flower Town do not suffer; they are allocated houses, clothing, and food, and evennd, and their quality of life might have even improved. This, at the very least, won¡¯t be a mark against me,¡± Such is the nature of the social system. The mercenary Miss Swann ims to have killed many a baron, though it¡¯s hard to tell truth from falsehood. But she must understand that what Li Si Te (Liszt) has done already makes him one of the better nobles. ¡°And there¡¯s an even more important point. Maggie¡¯s life in Fresh Flower Town is very good, and she has regained a sense of family¡­ She and Mrs. Harriet have formed a mother-daughter contract, which is nothing short of a stroke of genius!¡± Thinking of this, Li Si Te (Liszt) felt there was no reason he couldn¡¯t keep the well-built female mercenary around.
Inw and morality, a contract mother and daughter are no different from a real mother and daughter. If the mercenary Miss Swann wants to take Maggie away, she must first sever their mother-daughter rtionship. But the key is, would Maggie be willing? Li Si Te (Liszt) had been paying close attention to Maggie and knew that Mrs. Harriet truly treated her like a daughter. The heart of the young maid had already melted. Maggie is not a cold-hearted little girl. If she knows gratitude, she will surely not want to make Mrs. Harriet sad. ¡°Therefore, I need to discreetly send someone to give Mrs. Harriet a hint. When the critical momentes, she should retain Maggie. Then, using Maggie¡¯s influence, retain the mercenary¡­ On Eileen¡¯s side, we must also continue to strengthen the feelings, letting the maids feel the love of the castle and the warmth of therge family atmosphere.¡± Finally. Using his experience from the many failures he had with pursuing girls in the past, he made the most important decision: ¡°Women are emotional creatures, and maybe Fresh Flower Town has a myriad of advantages that the mercenary doesn¡¯t quite appreciate. However, a warm-hearted initiative out of pure goodwill could make her see things differently.¡± At that evening¡¯s banquet, only Goltai and Isaiah came along, with others continuing to organize the new serfs. Without waiting for the dishes to be served, Goltai asked, ¡°Lord Landlord, what exactly is Miss Swann¡¯s status? I have arranged for her a new residence in the noble living area. Is that appropriate?¡± ¡°She may be an enemy, or she might be a friend; it all depends on her choices,¡± Li Si Te (Liszt) did not directly disclose her identity. He continued, ¡°Consultant Goltai, pass the word to Karl and Rom, tell the Patrol Team to keep an eye on her movements, prohibit her from approaching the me Mushroom Processing Workshop, the Soap Making Workshop, and the Brewing Workshop. The Bug Guard Team needs to safeguard the Cordyceps, especially those in the Thorn Garden.¡± ¡°Your words have confused me a bit,¡± Goltai shrugged, ¡°but I will heed your wishes and remind Karl and Rom as instructed.¡± Li Si Te (Liszt) then turned to Isaiah and said, ¡°With the arrival of new serfs, their clothing, food, and housing need to be properly arranged. I will have the merchant convoy make an urgent purchase of more quilts and cotton clothes. Do not worry about spending money, the most important thing is to take good care of the serfs¡¯ daily needs, to make them feel that the winter in Fresh Flower Town is as warm as home.¡± Goltai patted Isaiah¡¯s shoulder and winked, ¡°Yes, it¡¯s important to make the serfs feel the warmth of home. And Miss Swann, she should also witness this scene and feel the warmth of Fresh Flower Town.¡± Isaiah was no fool; he quickly grasped the essence, ¡°Of course, with a benevolent Lord Landlord like yourself, Fresh Flower Town is a warm home for all themoners here.¡± Liszt smiled as he raised his cup, ¡°Cheers.¡± ¡°Cheers.¡± ¡­ He went to sleep in the night. Using the Eye of Magic, he carefully checked the castle once more, making sure there were no mercenary women lurking. Liszt then led Douson to the castle hall and let it sleep there. And watched with his own eyes as Carter locked the castle gates.
Only then did he lock his bedroom door andy down on the bed. He couldn¡¯t fall asleep, his mind preupied with thoughts of the female mercenary, Swann. He hadplex feelings about this ¡°thief who peeped at thendlord.¡± Due to the Smoke Mission, he naturally felt that subduing her would fulfill the reward¡¯s intent. But the information revealed in Swann¡¯s words had not failed to impact his senses¡ªiming to have killed many barons, this was a clear stance against the nobles. Liszt was also a noble, and his ¡°arse decided his head,¡± he would never allow anyone who tried to shake the rule of nobility to exist.
¡°Swann is Maggie¡¯s sister, so she should be from the Eagle Kingdom, and the barons she killed should also be from the Eagle Kingdom. I hope this is the case¡­ If she killed people from the Sapphire Kingdom, then I should definitely not leave her alive¡­ Actually, I¡¯ve been too hasty.¡± He turned over and continued to think. ¡°I should investigate her background first and then decide whether to subdue her. The Smoke Mission has already influenced my judgment, I need to contain this dependency!¡± He originally thought the Smoke Mission was the conspiracy of some puppet master behind the scenes, unable to resist such a maniptor. But now, guessing that the Smoke Mission was the doing of the Smoke Dragon, a mere grasp of destiny, that gave him the right of independent choice. ¡°One¡¯s destiny should be in one¡¯s own hands, not bing a puppet. ept what benefits me, discard what harms me.¡± His restless thoughts slowly smoothed over, ¡°No matter how beautiful the face beneath Swann¡¯s veil, as long as she doesn¡¯t align with my interests, I absolutely cannot keep her! Even if for Maggie¡¯s sake, she wouldn¡¯t harm Fresh Flower Town or threaten my rule, I must send her away.¡± Of course, all these were assumptions. Having seen her for the first time, it was hard to judge whether this person who imed to be Swann was telling the truth or not. Her identity and background were also hard to guess. Learning from Maggie, her sister went to study magic; from Swann¡¯s attire, one could infer that she was a mercenary trained in Dou Qi; yet she was capable of Invisibility Technique, which, though the principle was unclear, must be a sort of magic; moreover, the description in the Smoke Mission referred to her as a thief. So whether she was a knight or a magician, it was unknown. Whether she was a mercenary or a thief, also unknown. Touching the Crimson Blood Sword beside his bed, Liszt hadpletely calmed down, ¡°Let things take their course, I can¡¯t decide whether shees to Fresh Flower Town or not, but I must decide whether she can stay or not!¡±
The Crimson Blood Sword was not for decoration¡ªit could truly kill and draw blood! Chapter 223: 0223: Applying to Stay on My Own (First Update) Chapter 223: Applying to Stay on My Own (First Update) That day. Maggie didn¡¯t go with Paris, and remained living in Mrs. Harriet¡¯s house. Paris also had her lunch at Mrs. Harriet¡¯s ce. Liszt didn¡¯t immediately dig deep to interrogate Paris about her background. It was like fishing with a long line, where the line cannot be tight at all times, as it could snap due to a big fish¡¯s struggle. What needed to be done was to rx it asionally, and then tighten it again, constantly trembling, wearing out the big fish¡¯s strength, and finally pulling it ashore. Lord Landlord¡¯s life was quite boring. Therefore, Liszt had plenty of time to enjoy this method of manipting people¡¯s hearts. Andlord who couldn¡¯t manipte people¡¯s hearts wasn¡¯t a qualifiedndlord. Whether it was using the temptation of benefits, the seduction of honor, or even the threat of binding, these were all means of maniption. After lunch, he met with Old Geronte again and told him, ¡°Go remind Mrs. Harriet that keeping Maggie from leaving is actually quite simple. Just let her sister Paris stay in Fresh Flower Town as well.¡± Old Geronte, now an official of the town, was full of energy, ¡°Lord, perhaps it would be better if I spoke to Dennis about it and let Dennis remind Harriet.¡± Dennis was Mrs. Harriet¡¯s husband. ¡°That works.¡± Old Geronte took the order and left.
In the afternoon, Liszt thought Maggie would take the day off to apany her sister. However, to his surprise, Maggie came to the castle to start her apprenticeship with the other young maids and young manservants. ¡°Mr. Carter, call Maggie here.¡± ¡°Yes, Sir.¡± After Maggie arrived, Liszt directly asked, ¡°Maggie, why don¡¯t you go spend time with your sister? You can take the day off.¡± ¡°Lord, I want to work, work, stay in Fresh Flower Town¡­ I don¡¯t want to leave.¡± Maggie was both happy and troubled. Her long-desired sister had indeed appeared, but she didn¡¯t want to leave Mrs. Harriet¡¯s family, nor this beautiful town, and thepassionatendlord. She might have been young, but she had seen thendlord of her hometown, sitting atop a tall horse, frequently using a whip tosh at the serfs. Once, her father had been harshly whipped ten times by Lord Landlord. But in Fresh Flower Town, she had never seen Lisztsh anybody¡ªeven if there wereshings, they were officials punishing the misbehavingmoners¡ªin her simple view, apassionatendlord deserved to be followed by everyone. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Maggie. As long as you don¡¯t want to leave, both Mrs. Harriet and I will let you stay. Go back and spend time with your sister now; I¡¯ll have Mr. Carter give you half a day off.¡± ¡°Lord, can I really stay?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Hmm!¡± ¡­ Maggie happily took her leave to find her sister. The two sisters strolled around Fresh Flower Town all afternoon. Maggie shared the peanuts she had fried in the castle kitchen, and then Paris gave her a pendant. The pendant wasn¡¯t very pretty because it didn¡¯t have gemstones or crystals hanging from it, but two wrinkled leaves, onerger than the other. ¡°Keep it with you, Maggie, and don¡¯t ever lose it.¡± ¡°What kind of leaves are these, sister?¡± ¡°Therge leaves with wavy edges are oak leaves, while the small elongated ones are mistletoe leaves,¡± Paris exined. ¡°Mistletoe is a nt that parasites on oak trees. It represents hope and abundance, while the oak symbolizes strength and resilience.¡±
Maggie understood and tucked the pendant into her clothes. ¡°Sister, are you going to leave?¡± ¡°Maggie,e with me, let¡¯s go home.¡± Maggie hung her head, ¡°But Mom and Dad were killed, and our vige was destroyed. What is there to do if we go back?¡±
¡°This¡­ I will protect you,¡± Paris struck a pose with her arm bent and bicep flexed. ¡°You have to believe in your sister¡¯s strength. Even though I¡¯m not a magician, I am more powerful than one.¡± ¡°But I think Fresh Flower Town is quite nice. Lord Landlord will protect us, and besides, I have a new mother now. Mrs. Harriet is my mother.¡± They still had dinner at Mrs. Harriet¡¯s house that evening. Paris once again brought up the idea of taking Maggie away. This time, Mrs. Harriet, who had been tipped off, quietly asked, ¡°Paris, why are you so insistent on taking Maggie away with you? She¡¯s just a nine-year-old girl; how can she adapt to a nomadic lifestyle?¡± ¡°I will take good care of her, Mrs. Harriet.¡± ¡°Of course I know that, you¡¯re her sister, but have you considered¡­¡± ¡°Considered what?¡± ¡°Staying in Fresh Flower Town,¡± Mrs. Harriet said with a smile. ¡°If you¡¯re not in a rush to leave, you could stay in Fresh Flower Town, couldn¡¯t you? I¡¯ve lived here for twenty years, it¡¯s peaceful and undisturbed. My son grew up and got married here, and he will soon have children. Maggie can grow up here, too.¡± Paris had never thought of this. But after a moment¡¯s pause, she found the proposal indeed interesting ¨C she had traversed great distances to Coral Ind with the aim of saving her sister sold into bondage, but now her sister was living well. What then was the meaning of rescuing her, and why insist on taking her sister away? ¡°I will consider it, Mrs. Harriet, thank you for your hospitality.¡± That night, Paris didn¡¯t bring up taking Maggie away again. She still lodged in the noble district, and of course, Liszt very generously waived her lodging fee ¨C he had been kept fully informed about the progress between Paris and Maggie through Old Geronte and others. Knowing that the situation had stabilized.
¡°Probably tomorrow or the day after, Paris will actively request to stay¡­ if she has no pressing reason to return to the outside world,¡± Liszt mused. But to Liszt¡¯s surprise, Paris came to visit the castle the same night. This time, she didn¡¯t use invisibility to sneak in but instead presented herself openly and was asked by Carter to wait in the hall. When Carter knocked on the door of the study to ask for instructions, Liszt, who was reading, nodded calmly, ¡°Let here to the study, and while you¡¯re at it, make two cups of milk tea.¡± Shortly after, Carter led Paris in. Once seated, she got straight to the point without any preamble, ¡°Baron, I was a thief mercenary in a Mercenary Corps within the Maple Leaf Duchy, and although I¡¯ve left, I still retain the status of a registered mercenary. I wonder if you would need to hire a mercenary to work for you.¡± The Maple Leaf Duchy, like the Duchy of Sapphire, is one of the vassal states of the Steel Ridge Kingdom. ¡°You mean to say, you n to stay in Fresh Flower Town to take care of Maggie?¡± Liszt nodded. ¡°Well then, first, make aplete self-introduction. You said you¡¯ve killed nobles, and I am a noble, so I need to ensure that your stay in Fresh Flower Town won¡¯t cause trouble.¡± ¡°Rest assured, I¡¯ve indeed killed a fair number of nobles, and I¡¯m wanted in the Maple Leaf Duchy, but no one wille all the way to this remote ind country to trouble me,¡± said Paris bluntly as she picked up the milk tea and took a sip. ¡°It tastes very good, definitely produced by top-quality cows¡­ If you want to hear my story, there¡¯s nothing to hide. To avoid an arranged marriage, I left home at fifteen in search of a magician to learn magic.¡± Chapter 224: 0224: Sacrificing the Evil Dragon’s Black Dragon Childe (Second Update) Chapter 224: Sacrificing the Evil Dragon¡¯s ck Dragon Childe (Second Update) The fifteen-year-old girl wanted to learn magic, but magicians were hard toe by. When she finally inquired about a magician¡¯s secluded address after much investigation, the magician asked her if she had any money; of course, she had none. So, the magician refused and said, ¡°If you have no money, what magic are you trying to learn? Scram!¡± Paris was not discouraged; she continued to search for a magician. After being rejected by three magicians, she finally seeded in bing an apprentice to a female magician. However, this female magician used her as ab rat, and after enduring the unbearable pain of a ¡°pain deprivation¡± magic experiment, she fled. She left with injuries all over her body, having learned no magic. Hunger and cold pressed upon her; she also fell ill and nearly died, but then she was saved by a group of thieves living in the sewers, and she became a thief herself. She thought she could only survive in filth as one of the rats, stealing to live. But, unexpectedly, she got involved in a significant event. Paris recounted calmly, ¡°In the Red Maple Mountain of the Maple Leaf Duchy, there resides an evil dragon, a Light Dragon. It turned the entire Red Maple Mountain into a mirage, making it impossible for anyone to find its exact location.¡± Because of this evil dragon, everyone in the cities near Red Maple Mountain moved away. It was then that the Court Grand Mage of the Maple Leaf Duchy had an idea: he wanted to steal the mysterious power of the Light Dragon. ¡°He read from some Magic Book that under certain conditions, humans killed by dragons could be ghostly apparitions known as White Dragon Wraiths. So, with the nobles¡¯ support, he lured arge number of rats with the promise of dragon¡¯s blood, aiding him in creating White Dragon Wraiths.¡±
Her beautiful face showed a hint of hatred: ¡°And I was one of the rats deceived by the dragon¡¯s blood. If it weren¡¯t for an ident, I would probably be dead.¡± ¡°So, you didn¡¯t die but instead became a White Dragon Wraith?¡± Liszt was astonished. It was the first time he¡¯d heard that people killed by dragons could turn into specters. Wasn¡¯t this the same in nature as the ancient saying ¡°bing a tiger¡¯sckey¡±? But Paris shook her head. ¡°A real White Dragon Wraith is a ghostly existence. Do I look like a specter to you? ¡­ That Grand Magician didn¡¯t know that a thief had stolen his research notes, so we came to our senses. But it was toote¡ªthe Light Dragon revealed itself right in front of us.¡± The Light Dragon, of medium size, appeared and disappeared intermittently. Markings of interest to the Light Dragon had been engraved on the rats by the Grand Magician¡ªa type of indelible passive magic that extracted the resentment of the dead andbined it with the mysterious power of the Light Dragon, attempting to congeal the White Dragon Wraith he desired. The rats were killed off one by one, but the White Dragon Wraith never materialized. ¡°While fleeing to avoid capture by the Light Dragon and the Grand Magician, we contemted our options. The thief who had stolen the notes came up with a way to reverse the magic marking: voluntary sacrifice to be a living White Dragon Wraith¡­ Ultimately, we achieved it, we became living White Dragon Wraiths.¡± ¡°Living White Dragon Wraiths?¡± Liszt¡¯s eyes roamed over Paris, as he couldn¡¯t understand this state. Paris seemed to understand Liszt¡¯s thoughts. She held out her left hand, rolled up her sleeve, and revealed a stretch of fair arm that was dazzling to the eyes. However, in the next moment, the fair arm suddenly stood out with bulging veins, and scales began to emerge from the flesh one by one. The hand at the front end gradually twisted from human to the w of a beast: ¡°Humanity has never seen dragonkin, for a dragon¡¯s power corrodes everything about a person. This corrupting force is what magicians call ¡®Wraith,¡¯ and the White Dragon Wraith is the ultimate result of human corruption.¡± The Eye of Magic was deployed. Liszt could see that Paris¡¯s left hand was brimming with vibrant magic power, even drawing the free-floating magic from the air and umting it on her arm, forming a faint ck mist. ¡°The true White Dragon Wraiths are white, ghost-like entities. We willingly offer ourselves up, to be corroded by the dragon¡¯s power in order to survive. As the corrupting power grows stronger, it will eventually consume us, turning us into real White Dragon Wraiths¡­ or perhaps we¡¯ll simply die.¡± Paris withdrew the transformation, and her arm returned to its previous fair appearance. Liszt couldn¡¯t shake the memory of that monstrous, ferocious arm, which had left a shadow over his heart. He couldn¡¯t help but exim with both amazement and pity, ¡°Is this corruption irreversible?¡± ¡°Yes, whenever we use the dragon¡¯s power, the corruption deepens. So, if I don¡¯t carelessly use the power that can counter both Sky Knights and Grand Magicians, I could probably live another ten years.¡± Paris sighed, appearing to have no regrets or sadness, ¡°We call ourselves ck Dragon Acolytes.¡± She paused, then suddenly added, ¡°I think, if I were to unleash all of my power, even a Sky Knight could be gravely injured.¡± This superfluous remark had a clear meaning¡ªit was a warning to Liszt to consider carefully how to treat her, not to act recklessly just because his father was a Sky Knight.
Perhaps he was too engrossed in the story. Or perhaps he had never considered acting on his desires, Liszt simply marvelled, ¡°Are you sure, with the power of a wraith unleashed, you could really gravely injure a Sky Knight?¡± ¡°Of course, otherwise how could we have killed that Court Grand Mage back then.¡± ¡°You killed the Grand Mage?¡±
¡°There were four of us ck Dragon Acolytes who survived. Risking our lives, one w each, we tore the Court Grand Mage to shreds.¡± Parisughed, ¡°After that, we killed a bunch of nobles who deceitfully sent rats to die and even formed a mercenary corps, until the Maple Leaf Duchy sent out Dragon Knights¡­ We took our revenge, left the mercenary corps, and each sought refuge.¡± Paris and the others were wanted by the Maple Leaf Duchy. After hiding for a while, the Steel Ridge Kingdom and the Eagle Kingdom broke out in new warfare, and she quietly returned to her homnd. That led to the events in Fresh Flower Town. After hearing the story. Liszt pondered for a full quarter of an hour before speaking, ¡°Paris, if I understand correctly, you didn¡¯t indiscriminately kill nobles? And if you don¡¯t use your wraith¡¯s power, you can live for about ten years, but if you do use it, you can unleash the power to kill a Sky Knight? Lastly, you are only wanted by the Maple Leaf Duchy and haven¡¯t killed anyone else in the Duchy of Sapphire?¡± Paris nodded. Liszt then asked, ¡°So, what¡¯s the deal with your Invisibility Technique?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a part of the abilities inherited from the Light Dragon. It allows me to adjust the light around my body to be invisible, just a small trick.¡± After speaking, she took a sip of her milk tea, ¡°I¡¯ve finished exining my identity, so, what other doubts do you have?¡± ¡°Trust takes time to build.¡± Liszt decided not to probe any further and said, ¡°Considering your strength and special abilities, I would like to hire you as my bodyguard to ensure my personal safety. If you ept, I am willing to pay you one Gold Coin per month for your services.¡± ¡°I can ept the position as bodyguard, but one Gold Coin is not enough. I also need arge house, preferably with a garden; I want to restore Maggie¡¯s Freeman status, and I want an Earth Knight to teach her how to cultivate Dou Qi; I also want a horse, and preferably two servants.¡± ¡°Stop!¡± Liszt replied calmly, ¡°I¡¯m hiring you to work, not to enjoy yourself. I¡¯ll offer one Gold Coin, restore Maggie¡¯s Freeman status, and give you a house in the noble residential area. As for the rest, you¡¯ll have to sort it out yourself!¡±
Chapter 225: Taking Down Paris’s Arrogance (Third Update, Alliance Hierarch Additional Update 17/22) Chapter 225: Taking Down Paris¡¯s Arrogance (Third Update, Alliance Hierarch Additional Update 17/22) In the castle¡¯s grass field. Paris brandished her great sword, sending Rondo flying with a swift response. Waiting his turn for the rotation battle, Lasse felt a tingling on his scalp, ¡°Baron, where did this female mercenarye from? She¡¯s incredibly violent.¡± ¡°How would you rate her strength?¡± asked Liszt, watching the battle with pride. ¡°Rondo couldn¡¯tst five rounds, and my strength is simr to his¡­ Her strength must be at least that of an Elite Earth Knight.¡± Lasse spoke honestly, though feeling it made him sound weak, he quickly added, ¡°But in a battlefield situation, it¡¯s hard to say. Her fighting style isn¡¯t suited for charging.¡± Liszt agreed with this assessment, as Paris¡¯s fighting style was close-quarters and quick strikes, making her very effective in sword fighting but hard to judge in a charge. However, he was only hiring a protector, and excellence in sword fighting was sufficient. He then said to Lasse, ¡°After Rondo¡¯s defeat, it¡¯s your turn.¡± Lasse took a deep breath, drew his fine steel longsword, and with a resolved expression, he charged forward. Five roundster, just like Rondo, he was sent flying. Having defeated two Earth Knights in a row, Paris hardly seemed out of breath. The power of the wraith greatly enhanced her physical capabilities beyond those of an Earth Knight imbued with Dou Qi. Earth Knights could unleash the power of their Dou Qi Manuscripts, but Paris, with magic power inside her, couldn¡¯t use Dou Qi, for she held a special magic power belonging to Light Dragons. It granted her the ability to alter the surrounding light, cloaking her body behind it. In battle, she would manipte magic power to twist and tug on the light, often causing confusion for her opponents, who could only manage to exhibit seventy to eighty percent of their abilities. p p p! Liszt pped his hands, satisfied with Paris¡¯s strength, and he believed she was indeed worth a high sry of one gold coin per month, ¡°Splendid fight. Rondo, Lasse, you worked hard¡ªit was toughpeting in a sword fight, which isn¡¯t your forte. Take a good rest, have some milk tea¡­ Paris, it¡¯s hard to imagine how wonderfully you wield such a two-handed great sword.¡± Hiring Paris as his guard wasn¡¯t an impulsive move, nor was Liszt inexplicably smitten with her beauty¡ªin fact, that terrifying monster arm of hers had left a deep impression on him, disrupting many of his pleasant fantasies, making it impossible for him to see Paris as a beautiful woman anymore. The reasons he hired Paris were manifold. Firstly, it was a form of reward for the Smoke Mission, which he couldn¡¯t bear to pass up; secondly, as a ck Dragon Childe, she held secrets about dragons that Liszt was curious about and hoped to study by keeping her close; thirdly, there were extenuating circumstances to her killing a noble, a blotch that could be cleared; and fourthly, with Maggie in Fresh Flower Town, it was unlikely Paris would pose a threat, so it would be a waste not to retain such strength. Lastly, there was his instinct¡ªhe sensed that Paris wasn¡¯t a very shrewd woman. She had a mboyant style, relying on her modest abilities. She was seriously trying to save her sister, yet she couldn¡¯t resist bursting into the study to check out a handsome guy. Taking into ount her background, her iplete magic education, being used as ab rat, turning to thievery, and ultimately being tricked into a suicidal mission. And how she lowered her worth bying to him after being swayed by his smooth talk. No matter how you looked at it, she didn¡¯t seem like a sage. It¡¯s not good for women to be too shrewd, and even worse for powerful women to be shrewd. Someone like Paris, with great strength but average intelligence and not much cunning, was actually more reassuring. ¡°Baron, don¡¯t you want toe down and test my strength yourself?¡± On the other side, Paris, oblivious to beingbeled as ¡°brainless despite her brawn,¡± nonchntly swung her sword as tall as a person, issuing a challenge. Facing such provocation, Liszt remained emotionally unmoved. Still, he smiled and said, ¡°You can rest now.¡± He had no equal in Fresh Flower Town, and sparring with Paris seemed like a good idea. The Eye of Magic could see through the Invisibility Technique, just the thing to humble her pride. ¡°Two Earth Knights, who don¡¯t even measure up to elites, didn¡¯t even tire me,¡± Paris said disdainfully. Lasse and Rondo had already gone to rest by the apple table and didn¡¯t hear this insult. Liszt wasn¡¯t pretentious either; he patted Douson on the head, asking it to stay put, and then slowly approached Paris. He slowly drew the Crimson Blood Sword¡ªhis opponent was a ck Dragon Wraith, imbued with dragon power, and so was he with the Crimson Blood Sword, so it wasn¡¯t an advantage either way. ¡°By the way, Paris, I have a question for you. Does a confrontation like this consume your lifespan?¡± ¡°As long as I don¡¯t transform, it¡¯s just normal consumption. Otherwise, wouldn¡¯t I be useless, dying years earlier with every skirmish?¡± Paris held her sword with both hands; her previously rxed expression had been reced with solemnity. She felt the surging Dou Qi emanating from Liszt. Much stronger than Lasse and Rondo from before. Facing this handsome, high-status, and quite capable Noble Landlord, she still felt somewhat inferior. That was the overall societal atmosphere¡ªmercenaries and thieves belonged to the lower-middle sses of society, while nobles were the true upper ss. One could despise the hypocrisy of the nobility or avenge oneself by killing a noble, but given the chance, everyone wanted to be a noble. No matter the background, in the face of nobility, one felt inferior. There was no snowfall; the sun hung in the sky, its gentle warmth melting the snow on the grasnd. The alfalfa grass underfoot insted well against the mud. Boots trod upon it, feeling soft. Liszt did not use the Eye of Magic; he intended to first experience Paris¡¯s battle technique of Light and Shadow Tug, also showing weakness to the enemy. ¡°Great Fire Wave!¡± The technique from the ¡°Fire Dragon Drill¡± Dou Qi Manuscript burst forth, the Crimson Blood Sword seeming to beposed of mes, its amplification effect greatly increasing the power of Liszt¡¯s Dou Qi Manuscript. Just with this opening move, Paris was forced to use Light and Shadow Tug to counter the fiery Longsword. For a moment, Liszt¡¯s vision blurred as Paris¡¯s figure seemed to move instantaneously, stepping back. Instinctively, he wanted to adjust the trajectory of the Crimson Blood Sword. But he forcefully suppressed the urge. He still attacked the original spot. ng! The Crimson Blood Sword was blocked by a great sword, and Paris¡¯s figure reappeared in the same ce, only having shifted a step to the right, so Liszt¡¯s attack still missed. In the following rounds, no matter how hard Liszt tried to control his sight, he still could not capture Paris¡¯s true form. This unpredictable Light and Shadow Tug was truly troublesome. If it weren¡¯t for his own powerful attacks and the wide reach of his Fire Attribute Dou Qi which had explosive properties, forcing Paris to carefully defend, he might have been quickly overwhelmed by her. But it was precisely this strange way of fighting that caused Liszt¡¯sbat experience to steadily increase, slowly learning to predict her movements and to attack where Paris would step next. Gradually, he turned the tide, beginning to press Paris into a firm defense, unable to counterattack. ¡°Your physical condition is about the same as Marcus¡¯s. Without Light and Shadow Tug, I could defeat you at any moment!¡± Liszt¡¯s mind cleared, having discerned Paris¡¯s true level, and so he no longer held back, quickly deploying the Eye of Magic. The next moment, a figureposed of magic exposed Paris¡¯s movement through Light and Shadow Tug. The Dou Qi burst from the Crimson Blood Sword, and he furiously struck towards Paris¡¯s retreating position, unleashing the Ultimate Mystery Technique: ¡°Heart of the Fire Dragon Drill!¡± To her astonished gaze, the Crimson Blood Sword, enveloped by the explosive Dou Qi, struck her through the thick great sword and sent her flying. He elegantly twirled the sword. The Crimson Blood Sword was sheathed back into its scabbard. Liszt restrained the impulse to gasp for breath, walked over to the fallen Paris, extended his hand, and pulled her up, smiling, ¡°I¡¯ve now understood your strength. Without unleashing the power of the ck Dragon Wraith, relying on Light and Shadow Tug, you¡¯re slightly better than the average Elite Earth Knight.¡± Chapter 228: 0228: Bathtub Hot Spring and Fire Dragon Brand Air Conditioner (First Update) Chapter 228: Bathtub Hot Spring and Fire Dragon Brand Air Conditioner (First Update) The productivity in the Different World was indeed weak, and scientific literacy frighteningly low, but this system of absolute authority a Landlord held over his domain allowed Liszt to work with great efficiency. After Marcus transported back the volcanic ss ore, he quickly had the Fresh Flower Caravan invite the crystal craftsman Brad to start polishing these volcanic sses. And he began his own experiments. First was the experiment on releasing and collecting Fire Dragon Magic Power. How to release the magic power contained within the bubbles of the volcanic ss ore was discussed with Goltai and Marcus, and they decided to adopt a drilling method. This meant drilling holes into the bubbles of the volcanic ss so that the volcanic ss would not need to be shattered to release the Fire Dragon Magic Power contained within. Brad, unaware of the full picture, was assigned the drilling task. After releasing the Fire Dragon Magic Power, it gathered together, forming a Magic Little Fire Dragon that was invisible to the naked eye. The next step was to recollect this Magic Little Fire Dragon and infuse it into the vessels carved from volcanic ss. As for how to carve the vessels, Liszt ordered, and Brad got to work. Since there was no need for exquisite carving, the work progressed very rapidly, thanks to Brad¡¯s dextrous hands. The irregr volcanic ss, under his carving, turned into variously shapedponents. Then theponents were assembled, and the gaps were filled and glued with volcanic ss powder, thus creating a watertight ss vessel, a cylindrical jar as thick as an arm¡ª the Fire Dragon Jar. To verify the sealing properties of the Fire Dragon Jar, Liszt purposely released a bit of Fire Dragon Magic Power into it. He sealed the jar.
Not a trace of Fire Dragon Magic Power leaked; the property of the volcanic ss countered the Fire Dragon Magic Power, preventing it from solidifying or escaping. ¡°Next is to fill it with magic power to use as an energy source,¡± Liszt said, handing a diagram of a ss vessel¡¯s construction to Brad. Brad looked at it for a long time, not understanding: ¡°Baron, what is this? Could you exin it in detail, please?¡± ¡°Can¡¯t see clearly? It¡¯s arge syringe. See this outer cylinder here? This is the syringe cover. This elongated rod with a pot lid on the front is the syringe plunger. The plunger and the cover must fit tightly to ensure a good seal, so that by pushing on the plunger, the contents of the syringe can be squirted out through the needle at the front,¡± exined Liszt. Since no one here used syringes, it took Brad quite some time to understand the structure of the bucket-sized syringe designed by Liszt. Next came the carving and assembling toplete thisrge syringe. Thergest piece of volcanic ss was only as big as a basketball, so the syringe needed to be pieced together with a lot of material. Brad had been carving crystals for many years and had extraordinary skills; because the hardness of volcanic ss was far less than that of crystal, he was able to work very quickly. In two days, he fashioned therge syringe with interlocking connectors. Liszt took therge syringe and began the next phase of the experiment. He put the cover of the syringe over the Magic Little Fire Dragon, which had solidified to half the height of a person, and pressed down. As the Magic Little Fire Dragon was dispersed, some of the magic power also entered the syringe. Then he quickly covered it with the plunger that resembled a pot lid, and a syringe ¡°filled¡± with Fire Dragon Magic Power was created. He inserted the needle into the Fire Dragon Jar through a round hole, then pushed the plunger, continuouslypressing the magic power inside the syringe and injecting it into the Fire Dragon Jar. A small amount of Fire Dragon Magic Power leaked from the gap. But the majority of the magic power was sessfully poured into the Fire Dragon Jar. Repeating this process over and over, he soon packaged all the released Fire Dragon Magic Power into three Fire Dragon Jars. In the vision of the Eye of Magic, when the Fire Dragon Magic Power within the Fire Dragon Jar condensed to a light from red shifting to gold, no more Fire Dragon Magic Power could continue to be bottled, reaching its limit. A rough estimate suggested that one ton of volcanic ss ore could release about the amount of Fire Dragon Magic Power contained in two Fire Dragon Jars. Marcus brought with him about six tons of volcanic ss ore, so it was possible to fill twelve Fire Dragon Jars: ¡°Brad, make me twenty of these standard jars, another fiverger jars, and twenty smaller jars,¡± he instructed. Twelve standard Fire Dragon Jars were used to encapste the Fire Dragon Magic Power, with the remaining eight set aside as spares. The fiverger and twenty smaller Fire Dragon Jars were also meant for backup. He then gestured to therge syringe, which, like the Fire Dragon Jar, was actually called a Dragonfire Syringe: ¡°Furthermore, for this model of syringe, make two more, and then another two of a smaller size.¡± ¡­
Brad continued to craft ss vessels. Liszt, on the other hand, continued his research into Fire Dragon Magic Power. With the Dragonfire Syringe and the Fire Dragon Jars, he was able to freely move, divide, and recover the Magic Little Fire Dragons. His research found that a Magic Little Fire Dragon the size of a palm could boil a bathtub of cold water. A Magic Little Fire Dragon half the size of a palm could keep a bathtub of water at forty degrees Celsius in subzero temperatures, which was just right for bathing. However, the bathtub hot springs had separate bathtubs and heating tanks, so it was optimal to ce a Magic Little Fire Dragonrger than half the size of a palm in the heating tank.
After five days, the Castle sessfully had its very own bathtub hot springs. That very evening, Liszt soaked in the bathtub for over an hour. Only when he felt he was close to dehydration did he reluctantly leave the bathtub hot springs. He loosened the valve of the heating tank and the hot water flowed out continuously, carried away by the servants with buckets. The leftover bathwater could be taken downstairs by the servants for their baths¡­ Opening the window of the bathroom and also the lid of the heating tank, Liszt did not reim the Little Fire Dragon but let it fly around in the heating tank. The heating ability of the Magic Little Fire Dragon on the air was not very strong, so even if left unattended, it wouldn¡¯t burn down the bathroom. Moreover, he had his bedroom covered with a box, in which a small Magic Little Fire Dragon was ced. Simr to heating, it kept the room temperaturefortably around twenty-four to twenty-five degrees Celsius. Adding a basin of water to prevent dryness, the bedroom became as warm as spring. Fire Dragon Brand Thermostat Air Conditioner. ¡°Mr. Carter, these boxes have all been set up with Magic Arrays. Tell the servants in the Castle that they mustn¡¯t touch them carelessly. When dusting, they can only wipe the outside of the boxes,¡± he said. ¡°Understood, my lord,¡± replied Mr. Carter. Admiring his work from the past few days, he couldn¡¯t help but feel sentimental: ¡°The modernization of the Castle has made initial progress, with lights, air conditioning, overhead heaters¡­ If I could get the Ice Dragon¡¯s Magic Power, I could make a refrigerator; if I could get the Wind Dragon¡¯s Magic Power, I could make an electric fan¡­¡± Thinking of the Wind Dragon, he suddenly remembered that in the Neverfall Empire¡¯s Windhowl Valley, there was indeed Wind Dragon Magic Power. ¡°I wonder if volcanic ss can encapste Wind Dragon Magic Power?¡± he pondered. Unfortunately, the Neverfall Empire was on the other end of the distant continent; even setting out on a Li Dragon Horse, it would probably take half a year.
Beyond this, he didn¡¯t know of any other locations where the Dragon¡¯s residual Magic Power might be found. Probably only upon its death, or when injured and bleeding, would a Dragon leave behind residual Magic Power ¡ª the Formless Dragon that passed over Fresh Flower Town and ate two cows left behind nothing but a Space Gem, without any trace of Magic Power. Thus, with the bathtub hot springspleted, it was time to move on to the Smoke Mission, which required the construction of two bathhouses. Chapter 229: 0229: Cheers for a Hot Shower (Second Update) Chapter 229: Cheers for a Hot Shower (Second Update) ¡°` The bathhouse needed to burn hot water, a lot of it. In this era, humans burned wood to heat water:moners used firewood, nobles used charcoal, and there were no records of coal use¡ªcoal was likely not a product of dragons, as it is neither a metal nor a gemstone. It seemed that no humans knew about this mineral called coal, at least not in the Duchy of Sapphire. There were also no records of other fossil fuels like oil or natural gas. ording to Liszt¡¯s spection, given the existence of saltpeter mines and the fact that volcanoes could erupt basalt, it didn¡¯t make sense that coal, oil, and natural gas didn¡¯t exist. But that was also uncertain. After all, all metal ores originated from dragons, and there were no naturally formed metal ores; therefore, the absence of naturally formed coal and oil wasn¡¯t surprising. In short, firewood and charcoal were the primary sources of fuel. Firewood consisted of dry tree branches and straw, while charcoal was made by ipletely burning wood, removing moisture and impurities, leaving a solid fuel. Burning firewood caused smoke due to moisture, and it couldn¡¯t burnpletely; charcoal, however, was smokeless, burnedpletely, and was lighter. But firewood was cheap, and charcoal was expensive. After Fresh Flower Town cut down the trees at Thorn Ridge, they stockpiled arge amount of timber. Besides the wood used for construction, many of the inferior pieces were turned into charcoal for exclusive use by the castle. Themoners picked up a lot of dry wood to take home and store for cooking fires. Since the bathhouse was aimed atmoners, they certainly couldn¡¯t afford charcoal.
So, with no other choice avable, they had to burn firewood, but heating arge pool of hot water and maintaining its temperature would consume an enormous amount of firewood. It wasbor-intensive, a waste of resources, and environmentally damaging. After Liszt obtained the Magic Little Fire Dragon, he decided to take things to the next level and build a ¡°Magic Bathhouse.¡± Natural and pollution-free, it didn¡¯t consume energy and savedbor, providing round-the-clock service. The design of the men¡¯s bath was primarily in the shape of a hot pot¡ªthe center was fenced off for the Magic Little Fire Dragon to heat the water, with the surrounding area as a pool for soaking. With Douson¡¯s stone columns, building the bath wasn¡¯t difficult. They dug pits,id down stones, and secured wooden nks for waterproofing, quickly constructing the bathing pools. Next, they filled them with water, and Liszt personally released the Magic Little Fire Dragon, continuously adjusting the amount of magic power. Eventually, they determined that a bucket-sized Magic Little Fire Dragon was needed to heat the water in a pool to forty degrees Celsius. With that aplished, they built wooden structures around the pools, and the construction of the two bathhouses waspleted. The entire process took no more than five days. On December 16, they officially opened for trial operation¡ªfree of charge every day from six in the evening until midnight, with a five-minute bathing time limit. From eight in the morning until six in the evening, it was open for a fee, costing one copper coin per person, with no time limit. Liszt had his own bathtub hot spring, so naturally, he didn¡¯t care for the public bathhouse. But Goltai and others had been eyeing the bathhouse early on. Such bathhouses for bathing were only found inrge cities. Coral City barely counted as a big city, but it was far from being metropolitan, so it didn¡¯t have any bathhouses¡ªordinary bathhouses that used firewood for heating were extraordinarily expensive. ¡°Mmm,fortable, sofortable it reaches the bones.¡± Goltai sat in the hot pot bath, soaked by the warm water, moaning infort, almost wanting to shout out loud. Bathing in warm water on a cold day was indeed a supreme luxury. The men¡¯s bathhouse was located in themercial district, with a conspicuous sign¡ªFresh Flower Town Public Men¡¯s Bathhouse. The women¡¯s bathhouse was situated between themon residential area and the office district, also bearing a conspicuous sign¡ªFresh Flower Town Public Women¡¯s Bathhouse. Karl also specifically recruited a few female patrol members to be responsible for the bathhouse¡¯s security maintenance, to prevent peeping toms from spying on the bathingmoner women. At this moment, Paris was lying in the bath with her sister Maggie, enjoying the soaking in warm water. ¡°It¡¯s sofortable, sister.¡± ¡°Indeed, it¡¯s veryfortable. I never thought that in such a small rural town, we could bathe in suchfortable hot water,¡± she said contentedly as she scrubbed the dirt off her body, having not taken a serious bath during her long travels, ¡°Eating delicious food every day, working so easily, and being able to soak in hot water, living in a clean and tidy house, Maggie, your sister has fallen in love with this ce.¡± ¡°Yeah, Maggie loves Fresh Flower Town too,¡± Maggie paddled around in the pool trying to swim, then ran back to help her sister scrub her back, all the while chanting, ¡°Praise the Lord, praise the noble Lord Landlord of Fresh Flower Town!¡±
They enjoyed the pleasure of having their backs scrubbed. ¡°` Paris squinted her eyes, feeling sofortable that she wanted to sleep, and couldn¡¯t help but express her agreement, ¡°Baron, Baron is truly extraordinary.¡± With Liszt¡¯s deliberate concealment, nobody asked exactly how such arge pool of water was heated.
On the first trial business day, during the daytime, not many people came to bathe. Becausemoners had already gotten used to not bathing, some even didn¡¯t take a single bath throughout the entire winter. Moreover, bathing cost a copper coin, and they weren¡¯t foolish. With that money, it was better to heat water at home for a body wipe and save enough to buy fourrge ck loaves of bread to eat for several days. However, after six o¡¯clock in the evening, the number of peopleing to bathe swelled substantially. Civilians returning from work at construction sites and wastnds formed long queues, not wanting to miss out on anything free. Luckily the pool wasrge, and the allotted time was only five minutes, which was just enough for everyone to bathe. After just one round, the water in the pool turned ck, with a thickyer of mud and grime floating on top. The serfs didn¡¯t mind and enjoyed the hot water soaking with giggles andughter. Bathhouse workers shouted loudly, ¡°This is the great Lord Landlord¡¯s benefit for themon people. The happiness you are enjoying is all thanks to the Lord Landlord!¡± Thus, the serfs responded loudly and in turns, ¡°Praise to the Lord Landlord!¡± After washing up, there were workers loudly proiming, ¡°The great Lord Landlord has bestowed upon you hot water!¡± ¡°Praise to the Lord Landlord!¡± ¡°Lord Landlord is so great.¡± ¡°Great Lord Landlord, great Fresh Flower Town.¡± All sorts of slogans relentlessly poured from the serfs¡¯ mouths, including those new serfs who stumbled through the Serpent Script, ¡°Praise to the Lord Landlord.¡± This was Goltai¡¯s idea, a rather forceful propaganda-like brainwashing tactic.
Liszt didn¡¯t oppose it¡ªhe believed that themon people should naturally be grateful to him, as Fresh Flower Town was the only ce in Coral Ind with a bathhouse open to freemen and serfs. Although his original intention for establishing the bathhouse was toplete the Smoke Mission, he thought good deeds should be praised and extolled. Right? ¡­ At the banquet, after having bathed anding over to freeload a meal, the buoyant Paris couldn¡¯t help but praise, ¡°The public bathhouse of Fresh Flower Town is a noteworthy achievement, Baron,¡± Liszt, cutting his steak, responded indifferently, ¡°I bestow upon my subjects food, cotton clothes, copper coins, and jobs, and even hot water for bathing. No one is more suited to be andlord than I am.¡± Goltai immediately stood up, raising his ss high and shouted, ¡°To the hot baths, to Fresh Flower Town, a toast to the great Baron Liszt!¡± ¡°A toast to the great Baron Liszt!¡± Seeing everyone lifting their sses, Paris couldn¡¯t continue to eat and drink in peace and followed suit, lifting her ss, ¡°A toast to the great Baron Liszt.¡± Liszt raised his ss towards his followers and subordinates, smiling in acknowledgment, ¡°I stand with you all.¡± Every time such a situation arose at a party, it left him thoroughly pleased. It was also the reason he favored Goltai as an advisor for the town, as at least in the aspect of leading the ttery, Goltai¡¯s performance deserved extra points. But getting too full of oneself wasn¡¯t good. After all, as a rational adult with just a hint of wine on his lips, he thought to himself, ¡°I need a Loyal Minister.¡±
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª With burst releases at five in the morning for ten consecutive days, Old White hasn¡¯t asked for votes in a long time. Now, with the new book¡¯s monthly vote rankings being unstable, I ask everyone who has votes to cast them for Old White to solidify a position in the top ten of the monthly votes! Chapter 230: 0230: Crooked-neck Bob’s Oversight (3rd Update, Alliance Hierarch Added 20/22) Chapter 230: Crooked-neck Bob¡¯s Oversight (3rd Update, Alliance Hierarch Added 20/22) The establishment of the bathhouse elevated the Lord Landlord¡¯s prestige to a higher echelon. Soaking in steaming hot water while winter snow flutters down undoubtedly leaves asting impression. ¡°Two bathhouses only consumed half a jar of Fire Dragon Magic Power, the usage isn¡¯t much,¡± Liszt said. Liszt punctured all of the volcanic ss bubbles and released and collected all of the Fire Dragon Magic Power, filling a total of thirteen Fire Dragon Jars. Two bathhouses, plus the castle¡¯s bathtub hot spring, the bedroom and study¡¯s Fire Dragon Brand Air Conditioners, barely consumed half a jar of magic power. The remaining Fire Dragon Jars were enough for him to build a brick factory, a ceramic factory, and even a steam turbine ship¡ªof course, he needed to take things step by step. The days might seem boring for the most part, but in fact, he was very busy. He had thought about the brick factory for several months and still hadn¡¯t found time to start construction. After all, a Lord Landlord couldn¡¯t possibly do the work of sifting soil and firing bricks himself; it all had to be created by officials leading the serfs. ¡°Missionpleted, reward: Cheerful Cold me Mushroom.¡± Once the bathhouses were built and opened for business, the Smoke Mission waspleted, and the reward was issued. The mission also updated with a new one. ¡°Mission: Havingbored for a year, even a Lord Landlord needs to rx. Enjoy the uing holiday, contemte the development paths for next year, expand social rtionships, or do nothing at all, waiting for the holiday season to end. Reward: Unknown reward.¡± Seeing thetest mission. Liszt didn¡¯t know how to react to this; this didn¡¯t seem like a mission at all. The requirement for the mission was to rx, to do nothing.
¡°Could it be that the Smoke Mission thinks I¡¯ve worked too hard this past year?¡± Thinking it over, Liszt felt somewhat embarrassed. Indeed, he had done plenty, transforming Fresh Flower Townpletely. However, regarding effort, he was probably the most rxed among the transmigrators, spending sixty percent of his time on enjoyment, excluding sleep. At least twenty percent of that time was spent on food and drink¡ªholding feasts nearly every day, with the asional lunch banquet as well. ¡°People take food as their heaven; indulging in food and drink isn¡¯t excessive,¡± he mused. ¡°Moreover, as an Elite Earth Knight with aspirations, I indeed need a lot of food for nourishment,¡± he quickly consoled himself for his eating and drinking habits. ¡°In less than a year, I¡¯ve progressed from an Apprentice Knight to starting my Dou Qi Cultivation with the aid of elixirs, and my advancements are enough to prove the importance of eating well.¡± Eating and drinking were not about decadence or corruption. It was a part of the Knight¡¯s Dou Qi Cultivation. While eating and drinking every day, he never skipped his practice. Early in the morning, he would begin training with the Dou Qi Manuscript, and upon returning to the castle, he would take Magic Potions. He wouldn¡¯t im to be diligent, but at least he was diligent. Cultivation was about knowing when to advance and when to rx, not about toiling 24 hours a day to get a return: ¡°After all, taking elixirs is the royal road to a Knight¡¯s training.¡± This principle was taught by the Earl to his sons. Liszt took it as a maxim. Then, he turned his head and unpleasantly asked the other side of the apple tree, ¡°How many bags of egg rolls is that now for you? When I¡¯m deep in thought, please go farther away and don¡¯t make any noise to interrupt my train of thought. Understand, Paris the Guard?¡± ¡°Uh.¡± Paris, with her mouth full of egg rolls, silently turned and walked away. The egg rolls she was eating were made of a batter mixed with flour, egg liquid, white sugar, baked into thin sheets, spread with butter, and then rolled into tubes. This was not Liszt¡¯s invention, but a new snack independently created by the bakery owner Reynard and just recently hit the market. It was hand-made and not cheap, so it didn¡¯t sell very well. To encourage this new invention, Liszt had the castle buy batches of egg rolls every day, but while this snack was quite pleasant asionally, it became tiresome after repeated consumption. So the egg rolls either went to the servants as a perk or were distributed to the subordinates during a banquet, and Liszt himself didn¡¯t eat much of them.
Paris was quite fond of egg rolls, and one-third of those bought had ended up in her stomach. Looking at her figure, she had only been in the castle for about ten days, but there were already signs of further weight gain. ¡°Hopefully she doesn¡¯t turn into a fatso, as that would greatly affect the visual experience.¡± He leaned back in his chair, basking in the rarely-seen sun, feeling rather content. Now Paris was a beautiful sight to behold, each with their own charm like the castle¡¯s maid, Little Lily. One was a spirited female warrior, the other a shy and delicate maid, but they shared one thing inmon: protruding bosoms, perky buttocks, slim waists and long legs¡ªLiszt favored this type of figure.
However, it was limited to mere appreciation. ¡°Woah!¡± ¡°Woah!¡± Not far away, Thorn Minor Elf J was teasing the intermediate magical beast, Fierce Earth Dog Douson. This was a bad habit of J¡¯s that she couldn¡¯t seem to kick, and over time, Liszt couldn¡¯t be bothered to intervene, and Douson had resigned to its fate. After all, J¡¯s thorns couldn¡¯t pierce its defenses, and once J grew tired of the teasing, she would naturally give up. Plop. The remaining snow on the apple tree fell onto the apple table. Liszt immediately stood up, ¡°Thomas, prepare the horse and notify the retainer knights; I¡¯m going to Mushroom Hamlet.¡± ¡°Yes, Master.¡± As he walked along Douson Avenue, he said to Paris, who was still eating egg rolls, ¡°No practical training today. You should head back¡­ With the festival approaching, it¡¯s best that you go to North Valley City and purchase a proper suit of leather armor for yourself. Wearing what you have now, others might think the castle is too poor to afford its guards¡¯ pay.¡± Paris was still in her worn leather armor, a state that she found eptable, but the nobles cared a great deal about the neatness of their attire. ¡°This is the hypocrisy of the nobility, the sheen of clothes cannot conceal the stains of the heart,¡± she muttered under her breath, though she did not object to buying new clothes¡ªwho could resist the allure of new garments? Liszt shouted over to J, who was still causing a ruckus, ¡°Go to sleep, J.¡± Sensing Liszt¡¯s indomitable mood, J protested with a couple of ¡°Woah, woah¡± sounds but obediently flew towards the castle. Douson, feeling the world had finally quieted down, quickly ran up to Liszt, sticking out its tongue and wagging its tail, trying to look endearing.
It knew that when Liszt behaved like this, he would venture out, and then it could frolic freely. Thomas led the Li Dragon Horse over. The retainer knights also arrived on horseback. Liszt mounted the horse and gave themand, ¡°Move out, to Mushroom Hamlet.¡± The horses¡¯ hooves kicked up the snow on the ground as they galloped past, taking a shortcut off the main road and arriving directly at Mushroom Hamlet. The fifty acres of dedicated mushroom greenhouses and the mixed nting of mushrooms and me Mushrooms over another fifty acres meant that even though Mushroom Hamlet had limited farmingnd, its ie was high. Mushrooms were an indispensable option on the dinner table. The expanded cultivation of the me Mushrooms, constantly turned into magic potions, supplied Liszt¡¯s addiction to the drugs. Therefore, his interest in Mushroom Hamlet was only second to that of Thorn Garden. At the moment in Mushroom Hamlet, serfs were busily inspecting their greenhouses. Just yesterday, Lord Landlord hade for an inspection and subsequently ordered the serfs to check for any hazards in the greenhouses and to pay attention to any issues arising from the cultivation of the me Mushrooms. ¡°Discovered any problems?¡± Upon arrival, Liszt directly inquired with the steward of Mushroom Hamlet. He had inspected the merged greenhouses of mushrooms and me Mushrooms the previous day but hadn¡¯t found the Cheerful Cold me Mushroom, which was a reward from the Smoke Mission. The steward cautiously replied, ¡°Lord Landlord, several serfs¡¯ greenhouses have pirs that are riddled with insect damage. We¡¯ve applied to the administration for carpenters to rece them with new ones¡­ Additionally, Crooked-neck Bob¡¯s me Mushrooms have mostly died because he forgot to close the door and they froze.¡± Chapter 231: 0231: The Endless Zambrotta (Fourth Update, Alliance Hierarch Added Update 21/22) Chapter 231: The Endless Zambrotta (Fourth Update, Alliance Hierarch Added Update 21/22) Hearing the steward¡¯sint. Waiting on the side, Crooked-neck Bob immediately knelt on the ground with a thump, sobbing uncontrobly, ¡°Lord Landlord, Bob didn¡¯t mean it, it was the strong wind that night that blew open the door of my greenhouse¡­ Please, Lord Landlord, forgive me, Bob will never let the strong wind blow the door open again!¡± Looking at Bob¡¯s grief-stricken performance, Liszt had an impression of him. Initially, the me Mushrooms had grown in his greenhouse and even thought to be defective, a lot were dug up. Liszt remembered that, since Bob was unable to make the me Mushroom cultivation ingredients, he had only rewarded him with ten silver coins, with more rewards given to Nash, who figured out the nting ingredients. ¡°This Crooked-neck Bob has a fate with me Mushrooms,¡± he thought. He thought about it, didn¡¯t punish him for now, but brought people into his me Mushroom greenhouse. Looking around, indeed, many of the me Mushrooms here were withering, nowhere near as good as those in other me Mushroom greenhouses. The loss was neither big nor small. Crooked-neck Bob, still kneeling on the ground, hurried in, and seeing Liszt carefully observing every patch of me Mushroom ingredients, he continued sobbing, ¡°Lord Landlord, although¡­ although many me Mushrooms have died, there are still some¡­ some me Mushrooms that survived, sir!¡± He didn¡¯t need to tell Liszt, who had already seen them. On several patches of me Mushroom ingredients, scraggly and sparse, many me Mushrooms were indeed growing. Liszt already had a suspicion in his heart and approached for a closer look. He found that these remaining me Mushrooms had a stark difference from normal ones¡ªthe color of the me Mushrooms was no longer bright red, but had turned a dark red as if they had lost color.
However, after using his Eye of Magic, he discovered that the dark red me Mushrooms contained a much stronger trace of Magic Power than normal me Mushrooms, almost gleaming with a blinding red light. In other words, although these me Mushrooms appeared to have been damaged by wind and cold, leading to poor appearance, their inner Fire Attribute Mana was even more vigorous. ¡°Cheerful Cold me Mushrooms, it must be these me Mushrooms!¡± Liszt was ted¡ªthe reward for the Smoke Mission was right before him, ¡°Cheerful coldness indicates that the me Mushrooms do not fear the cold of wind and snow, and because of some mutation, they gather Fire Attribute Mana more abundantly.¡± This was undoubtedly a me Mushroom of much higher quality than normal, capable of concocting higher-grade Magic Potions. He immediately issued an order: ¡°Give Crooked-neck Bob tenshes as a warning; if he is negligent again in the future and causes damage to the me Mushrooms, it will be more than just tenshes.¡± After Crooked-neck Bob was harshlyshed ten times, his backside was blooming in welts. Liszt then directed Thomas to hand over ten silver coins to Bob: ¡°Fortune from misfortune, Crooked-neck Bob, although your me Mushrooms have suffered severe damage, you have also consequently bred a new variety of me Mushroom. I will name it the Ice Snow me Mushroom, and these ten silver coins are your reward.¡± Bob, tears and snot streaming down his face, immediately forgot the pain in his behind and reached out for the silver coins: ¡°Ah, thank you, Lord Landlord, praise the great Lord Landlord!¡± Liszt then issued a new order: ¡°Whoever figures out the proper ingredients for the Ice Snow me Mushrooms will receive a reward of one Gold Coin.¡± Like the reward for the me Mushroom ingredients before, one Gold Coin was enough to stir up the ambition of all the serfs. After he left. Mushroom Hamlet was indeed abuzz. Countless serfs were rubbing their hands in eagerness, ready to make big moves. Especially Nash, who had received one Gold Coin as a reward before. This old bachelor, with that Gold Coin, not only got himself a wife but also built two new me Mushroom greenhouses, bing a major cultivator in Mushroom Hamlet. Upon hearing the Lord Landlord¡¯s reward, he loudly proimed to the people around him: ¡°If I could figure out the me Mushroom ingredients, I can figure out the Ice Snow me Mushroom ingredients as well. This Nalda Gold Coin, old Nash has got it in the bag!¡± ¡°That¡¯s not necessarily true!¡± ¡°Exactly, you just got lucky to receive Lord Landlord¡¯s rewardst time, this time it¡¯s my turn!¡± ¡°Old Nash, you should focus on dealing with your little wife instead of letting her put a green hat on you. When ites to researching ingredients, you must look at me.¡± Crooked-neck Bob, who had been whipped, was not to be outdone: ¡°Last time I lost to Old Nash, but this time it will definitely not happen again. The me Mushroom is grown in my greenhouse, the Ice Snow me Mushroom too, the reward from Nalda should belong to me! Damn Old Nash!¡±
¡­ In the afternoon. Inside the castle¡¯s study. Pacing a bit uneasily, Zambrotta fidgeted with the tips of his toes.
Then he took a deep breath, trying to rx himself, ¡°This study room is as warm as spring without any burning charcoal, Baron, Fresh Flower Town is full of surprises, and so is your castle.¡± Behind the desk, Liszt leisurely held a cup of milk tea and asked with a smile, ¡°Then, Mr. Zambrotta, what do you guess is the reason for the study room¡¯s warmth?¡± ¡°I guess it¡¯s magic,¡± Zambrotta replied solemnly. He had learned from Goltai that Liszt valued his extensive knowledge and broad experience, knowing today¡¯s meeting was a sort of assessment. If he couldn¡¯t exhibit enough merits to impress the other party, his trip would be in vain. For the sake of revival, for the sake of living, he must treat it seriously: ¡°Moreover, I suspect that this magic is also present in the public baths. Probably a type of Fire System Magic that heats the water temperature and the temperature in the room. This method is unbelievable; I¡¯ve only heard that it¡¯s possible for magicians in the court to achieve such a feat.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± Liszt neither confirmed nor denied, then continued to ask, ¡°Have you been to many countries?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve been to the Steel Ridge Kingdom and its seven subordinate nations. When I was young, what I loved most was traveling around the continent, but due to limited finances, I only toured around the Steel Ridge Kingdom.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve heard that there¡¯s an evil dragon in the Maple Leaf Duchy; do you know about it?¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s a Light Dragon that has been residing on Red Maple Mountain for a hundred years. Many warriors have attempted to y it, seeking the title of Dragon yer to stand alongside Dragon Knights. But as you know, dragons possess boundless strength; most of the warriors ultimately¡­ end up as dragon dung.¡± ¡°Is the Light Dragon hard to deal with? Given that the Duke of Maple Leaf is a Dragon Knight, why doesn¡¯t he y this evil dragon?¡± ¡°The Duke¡¯s dragon is just a Malleable Cast Iron Dragon, which can¡¯t even find the hiding ce of the Light Dragon. There¡¯s essentially no hope of ying the Light Dragon¡­ In fact, there are quite a few evil dragons on the continent, but most evil dragons are Elemental Dragons, which are stronger inbat than Metal Dragons and Gemstone Dragons.¡±
Basically, Gemstone Dragons and Metal Dragons are production units, while Elemental Dragons arebat units. ¡°Could you introduce me to the local customs and culture of the Steel Ridge Kingdom and its subordinate nations?¡± Liszt asked in a gentle tone, feeling that Zambrotta indeed possessed a wealth of knowledge. Bowing slightly, Zambrotta got up: ¡°As you wish, Baron.¡± Momentster, the study was filled with Zambrotta¡¯s relentless narrative. Having traversed these countries himself, his ounts were more convincing and clear-cut than the fabricated stories found in Knight¡¯s Novels, also more interesting. Chapter 233: 0233: The Taste of Distilled Liquor is Incredibly Poor (First Update) Chapter 233: The Taste of Distilled Liquor is Incredibly Poor (First Update) The night before departure. Baron Liszt had made a special trip to the brewing workshop in the workshop district, where brewers Frank Dregs, Bording, and Huntera had been fiddling with distilling spirits for over a month. Yet the results had never been delivered to the castle. ¡°So, after all this time, besides continuing to make beer, rice wine, and fruit wine, you still haven¡¯t managed to produce spirits?¡± He asked with a displeased expression. Compared to Levis¡¯s home tutor Frank, the Brewmaster Frank Dregs was the one in charge of the brewing workshop, and he answered uneasily, ¡°Lord, we have figured out the method and principle of distition, but the spirits we distilled don¡¯t seem to have the right taste of white spirits.¡± ¡°Bring out the spirits you¡¯ve made.¡± Quickly, the spirits they had distilled were presented before Liszt. Frank exined, ¡°Following the method you provided, Lord Landlord, we found that in the distition process, the alcohol from the fermented wine evaporates first, leaving behind water. Duplicating the distition should yield white spirits, yet every time we distill it multiple times, there are always odors of stench, sourness, astringency, and saltiness.¡± Liszt took a small taste of the white spirits. Although he did not like drinking white spirits, he had tasted the juniper wine in the castle. Compared to juniper wine, the white spirits brewed in Fresh Flower Town had a very bad taste and a strange vor. He could discern some stinky and sourness, and the aroma of the drink was also very faint, feeling as if the alcohol content was not high.
¡°You¡¯ve repeatedly distilled and this is the strength of the spirits you ended up with?¡± ¡°There are stronger spirits, but, that might¡­ might not be wine anymore.¡± ¡°Bring it out.¡± Even stronger spirits were quickly brought forth, and Liszt almost choked with just a slight taste. The drink was not only spicy but also had a heavy stench and a rotten vor. This was definitely a problem with the fermentation or distition process. Seeing Liszt¡¯s reaction, all three brewers, Frank included, stood aside ufortably, looking ashamed. Distilling white spirits was not a highly difficult task, and yet after a month of research with guidance from Liszt¡¯s ideas, they still couldn¡¯t produce a satisfactory white spirit. ¡°An astonishing work efficiency!¡± A surge of frustration swelled within him, yet he could not vent it. The three before him were the only brewers in Fresh Flower Town. If they had any real talent, they wouldn¡¯t have been sent to Fresh Flower Town. They were probably just the leftover craftsmen, so he couldn¡¯t hope for more. After venting with one sentence, Liszt managed to contain his anger, ¡°Forget it, continue to refine the process¡­ First, bottle some of the low-strength spirits; I will take them with me.¡± In the end, he did not punish the three. At least the distilled spirits had indeed been distilled, and sooner orter, a way to remove the strange taste would be found. To brew a special product of Fresh Flower Town ¨C the Fresh Flower Brew. Having Thomas carry the bottled spirits, Liszt returned to the castle, still nning to take this semi-finished white spirit to Tulip Castle. Not as a gift, but rather as a lure for Levis, painting a grand vision for the other party. Given the business of white spirits, a venture bound to be highly profitable, his trip to Tulip Castle was sure to grant him top-tier guest treatment and gain a share of ironware and iron ore. ¡­ The next morning.
The servants bustled about, moving gifts from Fresh Flower Town onto the carriage. Rondo and Lasse, along with the Retainer Knights, were warming up. They had confirmed they would follow Liszt to Coral City. The Liszt of today was extraordinary, and setting out without a proper entourage wouldn¡¯t be fitting for his status. Servant Thomas led Douson, the Intermediate Magical Beast, which was part of Liszt¡¯s disy of prestige. Another servant, Tom, held a beautiful Jade Box in which slept Thorn Minor Elf J. Her birth was destined to be the center of attention, and the messenger knight had made it clear that the Earl wished for Liszt to bring J to Tulip Castle so he could see the newest member of the Tulip Family.
To the Nobles, Elves were akin to family members. Goltai also arrived early, but unfortunately, he had no part in this affair, as Liszt hadmanded him to stay behind in Fresh Flower Town. He felt deeply regretful being unable to join thevish feast, but the matters he needed to worry about were far more serious than missing out on any feast¡ªhis wife and children wereing to Fresh Flower Town to celebrate the yearly festival. If things went poorly, his affair with Freya and their illegitimate child in her belly would be exposed. The Sun rose in the east. Fresh Flower Town, enveloped in ice and snow, became exceptionally bright. ¡°Mr. Carter, I don¡¯t know how many days I will stay at Tulip Castle, so I¡¯m entrusting the estate to you,¡± Liszt, impably dressed in ck¡¤Abbieye, was entuated with an almost noble aura. ¡°My lord, rest assured.¡± Carter led the remaining servants, watching as Liszt set off on his journey. Mounting his horse, Liszt rode his Li Dragon Horse to the front of the procession. Behind him, Paris, who had donned a new set of leather armor and bore a great sword on her back and wore a face cloth, rode on horseback following him. As a guardian, she naturally had to ensure Liszt¡¯s safety on such an asion. The party set off with great momentum. On the main road from Fresh Flower Town to Thorn Ridge, the journey was smooth with stone-paved roads, and the snow had been shoveled away by town residents. But beyond Fresh Flower Town, the path turned into a mire of muddy roads that contrasted sharply with the earlier route. Fortunately, everyone either rode horses or traveled by carriage, and none were on foot, allowing them to maintain a swift pace. Enjoying the snowy scenery along the way, outside of Fresh Flower Town, where the snow was thickest, upon leaving North Valley City and entering Elm Forest City territory, snow became hardly visible, leaving only the muddy roads.
Around ten in the morning. The procession entered Coral City, where the faint stench already reached Liszt. Luckily, he was prepared and had fastened plentiful dried Tulip flowers to his chest. This was the red Tulip, with a rich aromatic scent. In Coral City, both fresh and dried Tulips were hot sellers, as even those who lived there year-round could hardly get used to the constant unpleasant odor. Thankfully, the convoy was merely passing through, heading straight for Tulip Castle. The majestic Tulip Castle was surrounded by a sea of flowers, with multicolored Tulips fluttering in the cold wind. On the southern slope, one could see arge area of purple-ck Tulips, the expanded Magic Potion ck Tulips that now dominated thergest area of the flower sea. The Coral of the Tulip Great Sprite Xiangxiang was among these ck Tulips. Ascending the slope, Tulip Castle¡¯s guard knights soon came to wee the convoy. They led the team to the grand entrance of Tulip Castle and handed them over to the castle¡¯s servants for reception. Butler Louis was now needing the aid of a walking stick to move about. But every time the Earl¡¯s offspring returned to the castle, he personally greeted them at the gate¡ªafter all, he had watched these young Tulips grow up with his own eyes. ¡°Every day, as I see the rise of the Sun, I am reminded of the Earl¡¯s offspring, like the rising of red suns. But the happiest thing is to see all of you return to the castle like weary birds flying home.¡± The old man¡¯s words, like reciting poetry, were full of various metaphors and rhetoric. As Liszt dismounted, he greeted with a smile, ¡°Grandpa Louis, you¡¯vee out to meet us in person again. How have you been feelingtely?¡±
Chapter 234: 234 Tulip Family’s Family Dinner (Second Update) Chapter 234: Tulip Family¡¯s Family Dinner (Second Update) ¡°Young Master Levis and Young Master Lidun are at the Knight Academy, and Miss Li Vera is apanying the elderlydy to watch aedy in Coral City. They do not know of your arrival today and will probably not be back until noon,¡± Louis led Liszt up to the upper floors of Tulip Castle. The celebration banquet was not scheduled for today; all members of the Knight Order had returned to their territories to deal with their respective affairs, and the banquet was set to take ce the day after tomorrow, on December 23. Therefore, Tulip Castle was not very lively at the moment, with only a few hundred servants busy at work within the castle. Rondo, Lasse, Paris, and others, who were not nobles, could not ascend the floors and had to wait downstairs. ¡°Master Liszt.¡± ¡°Master Liszt.¡± The servants in Tulip Castle greeted him with a bow as they saw him. They quickly passed the living room and saw Lady Marie having tea. She was listening to a report from the deputy butler, Silva, probably dealing with the management of Tulip Castle¡¯s properties. ¡°Mydy, may I offer my greetings,¡± Liszt said politely, his voice revealing a hint of unfamiliarity. Lady Marie responded warmly, ¡°Liszt, howe you¡¯re here today? Your brothers and sister have not yet returned. You should have informed us earlier so that I could prepare.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need for special preparations. I will stay at Tulip Castle for a few days. Today, I just missed my father and brothers too much, so I came early.¡±
¡°Oh, is that so? You must have a lot to say to your father. Go on; he¡¯s in the study.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± After bidding farewell to Lady Marie and arriving at the study, the doors were already open; servants had informed the Earl of Liszt¡¯s arrival. There were not only the Earl in the study but also several strangers, who could be identified as officials from Coral Ind based on their attire and the way they stood in the study. These officials were all minor nobles. The Earl, looking over from behind his desk, said to the group of officials, ¡°You may leave now. I won¡¯t keep you for lunch; I am hosting a family banquet.¡± ¡°Yes, my lord,¡± the officials took their leave. They also greeted Liszt, ¡°Master Liszt, long time no see.¡± ¡°Good to see you,¡± Liszt replied with a smile, not recognizing any of them. He had spent most of his time at the Knight Academy beforeing of age and truly didn¡¯t know who these officials were. Once the officials left and the servants also departed, closing the door behind them. Seeing the Earl again, Liszt felt differently¡ªIt was challenging to truly establish a father-son rtionship when the blood connection was there, but their souls had previously been unconnected. However, that didn¡¯t stop him from reconsidering how to position his rtionship with the Earl from both a benefit and a familial perspective. In simple terms, Liszt¡¯s sense of identification with the Tulip Family had increased. His predecessor was timid and liked to evade, feeling invisible and overlooked by everyone. However, through just a few encounters, Liszt noticed some previously overlooked details. Lady Penelope, who constantly grumbled about not liking him, actually cared a lot about her grandson; his sister, who always bullied him, had never gone too far; his greedy brother mostly targeted Lady Marie and Lidun and hadn¡¯t really gone after Liszt. Lady Marie and Lidun might look down on Liszt, but they maintained a superficial politeness on the surface. Just now, the brief exchange with Lady Marie gave Liszt the impression that she had be somewhat warmer¡ªprobably recognizing that Liszt would not be mediocre in the future, she had to reconsider how to handle their rtionship¡ªeven if they couldn¡¯t be close, she needed to try and be as friendly as possible. What surprised Liszt the most was actually the Earl himself. This powerful Sky Knight, the Sea Wave Sword Saint Li Weiliam Tulip, was not as indifferent to his second son as the predecessor¡¯s ¡°memory¡± had suggested. He wore a smile as he measured up the increasingly dashing Liszt. He extended his hand, motioning for him to sit down and talk.
¡­ The predecessor always felt that the Earl was disappointed in him, especially since at theing-of-age ceremony, he had been made a baron of the most remote small town, and was given only four Elf Bugs. The gap was colossalpared to Li Vera¡¯s allocation ceremony. This once affected the transmigrator Liszt¡¯s feelings.
He felt that the Earl surely did not value his second son, but after digesting the memory imprints of his predecessor and analyzing with an adult¡¯s rationality, he thought that it might not be so simple¡ªthat if the Earl truly did not care, he could have made Liszt an almost noble with no title at all. Many nobles¡¯ second sons ended up in such circumstances, with no fief and no title. But the Earl had given him the title of Baron and a small town fief, just that the location was not great and materialpensation was less. This was far from neglect, in fact, it showed more consideration than many other nobles¡¯ second sons received. Even after the allocation, on the first Sea Festival, the Earl brought his family to celebrate in Fresh Flower Town. ¡°There was probably some disappointment because he had ced great hopes on him¡­ The remote fief and baron title were perhaps meant to let his predecessor lead a quiet life¡­ Having a title meant not needing to struggle on the battlefield. The town could sustain basic needs, but was insufficient for forming a knight squad, let alone fighting in a war.¡± These thoughts swiftly crossed Liszt¡¯s mind, but he couldn¡¯t be sure. Familial affection was not his forte. ¡°Father, upon receiving news of your safe return, the weight in my heart was quickly lifted, and seeing you well fills me with joy,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯ve caused you to worry,¡± the Earl smiled. ¡°This Pioneer Mandate expedition concluded somewhat hastily, and the gains were modest, but fortunately, your brother has matured a great deal after experiencing a war.¡± ¡°Is my brother safe as well?¡± ¡°Yes,pared to his former impetuosity, he is now more polished and steady¨Cmost importantly, he has established his own prestige.¡± There was nothing that made a father happier than seeing his heir mature, ¡°When I returned to Coral Ind, I immediately heard news about you.¡± Liszt smiled. The Earl took out some high-quality red wine from the cab and poured a ss for himself and his second son, ¡°A cause for celebration, indeed. So, where is your J?¡±
¡°My servant is looking after her,¡± Liszt replied. The Earl rang a bell to call a servant, and Liszt quickly said, ¡°Please inform my valet to bring J over.¡± The servant took the order. The Earl then asked, ¡°Would you prefer to hear stories from the battlefield first, or talk about the developments in Fresh Flower Town?¡± ¡°I¡¯d like to hear the stories from the battlefield first,¡± said Liszt without any hesitation. Surprised for a moment, the Earl said with a sigh, ¡°Indeed, the warmth of a castle can restrain one¡¯s ambitions. A fledgling needs to keep trying to fly¡­ As for the war stories, Levis would probably talk your ear off for a day and a night, so I won¡¯t bother. Let us y a strategic game simtion instead.¡± A strategic game simtion was an early form of war chess used to simte military scenarios. A thick leather map depicting the coastal region of the Eagle Kingdom was spread out, and crystal pieces symbolizing castles, knights, and Sky Knights were ced one by one. The game could now begin. Chapter 237: 0237: Liszt’s Friends (Fifth update, bonus for 2000 subscriptions) Chapter 237: Liszt¡¯s Friends (Fifth update, bonus for 2000 subscriptions) After Li Vera and Lady Penelope returned from watching theic y, a long-missed family banquet began at Tulip Castle. They chatted about interesting things, teased about war and peace, and while the atmosphere was not overwhelmingly harmonious or filled with familial warmth, it was not bad either. Especially Lady Penelope and Lady Marie, who would asionally throw veiled barbs at each other, livening up the ambiance. The Earl, seated in the middle, seemed somewhat embarrassed. The age-old topic of mother-inw and daughter-inw discord was a headache for men in any world. Compared to his former invisibility, Liszt had gradually adapted to his role and was no longer unnoticed. He could participate in a range of topics and was bing more and more adept at this sort of noble social interaction¡ªsometimes, when a person burrows too deeply into their own narrow view, they feel as if the whole world has turned against them. But once theye out, they find that the world is still there, steadfast and loyal. ¡°Is this a specialty from Fresh Flower Town?¡± asked the Earl as he munched on crispy peanuts paired with Juniper Wine, enjoying thebination more and more. ¡°Peanuts prepared this way are quite delicious.¡± ¡°These are crispy peanuts,¡± Liszt exined while eating, ¡°I¡¯ve brought many vored peanut snacks, though most are more suitable as a light snack.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t think there were other ways to eat peanuts besides boiling them. Does Tulip Castle purchase this kind of food?¡± the Earl asked Lady Marie. ¡°If you like them, we can buy some. It seems that Liszt¡¯s Fresh Flower Caravan sells these peanut snacks in Coral City?¡± ¡°Yes, basically wherever there¡¯s a Fresh Flower Caravan, these products are avable.¡±
The Earl nodded, ¡°Then let¡¯s buy more. I find the taste agreeable, especially after drinking. Having a few peanuts feels veryforting.¡± The peanuts had caught the Earl¡¯s attention. The exquisite new-style bread from Fresh Flower Town was also presented on the table, winning everyone¡¯s favor. Coupled with the egg soup and scrambled eggs that the chefs at Tulip Castle had learned to make under Mrs. Abbie¡¯s guidance, as well as seafood which had be a luxury the nobility of Coral Ind couldn¡¯t acquire, the food supplied by Fresh Flower Town covered one-third of the banquet. Levis, nibbling on a hamburger with chunks of meat¡ªa Fresh Flower Town innovationmented, ¡°Liszt, you have a great chef. I never knew that bread and eggs could be turned into such distinctively vored delicacies.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a pity these foods don¡¯t have muchmercial value, otherwise, I could be richer than Viscount Trik.¡± Commoners do not pursue the variety of food, and nobles prefer their own chefs to learn cooking rather than buying ready-made food¡ªthe main point being that the ingredients for these foods are not monopolized and are verymon, within the capacity of everyone to gather. Viscount Trik of Beer Ind owns the Lycra Minor Elves, monopolizing the hops (lycra), which are essential for brewing beer, making him the sole supplier of premium beer. Egg soup, scrambled eggs, seafood, peanuts¡ªall theyck is a creative twist. These foods are more about Liszt satisfying his own pte, inspiring Mrs. Abbie to invent them and, incidentally, making a bit of profit before others learn the methods. The real business potential lies in industries that have a monopolistic nature. For example, businesses monopolizing raw materials like beer, techniques like soap and spirits, and future developments like cement, ceramics, ss, and white paper¡ªthese are where Liszt¡¯s hopes lie. ¡­ After afternoon tea, Liszt took a stroll around Coral City. First, he had visited the Knight Academy to meet with familiar students and reconnect with feelings that had gradually drifted apart. He also took the opportunity to disy his ambition, hoping these future Earth Knights would consider him when choosing a lord to follow. Then, he stopped by the Frank household and chatted with little Sherry for an hour. The friendships of youth still mattered and couldn¡¯t be treated too heartlessly. After that, he visited a few friends in Coral City. They were all young nobles, mostly younger sons¡ªbefore reaching adulthood, those boys destined to inherit earldoms were fond of following Levis. Thus, most of Liszt¡¯s friends, like him, were also younger sons¡ªnowadays, the nobles set to inherit were still following Levis, while the younger sons who couldn¡¯t inherit looked up to Liszt. ¡°Sir Liszt, are you nning to form your own knight squad?¡± In a small noble estate, a young man named Rick asked Liszt, who sat in the seat of honor, ¡°I saw Rondo, has he be your retainer?¡±
¡°Not finalized yet, but it¡¯s close. After the festival season is over, I will seriously consider forming a knight squad. Fresh Flower Town already has the capacity to arm a knight squad. It¡¯s likely that both Lasse and Rondo will formally pledge their loyalty to me once I form the squad,¡± replied Liszt. ¡°Then, may I follow you? I¡¯d like to join your knight squad; I want to go into battle!¡± Rick asked eagerly. ¡°Have you already be an Earth Knight?¡± Rick¡¯s tone was a mix of pride and modesty, ¡°Yes, just a month ago, though it¡¯s a bitte, I am already neen this year.¡±
¡°Of course, I¡¯d be happy to have you consider following me. However, I hope that after the festival season, you can live in Fresh Flower Town for a while, like Rondo. Then, once I form my knight squad, you can make a decision.¡± Liszt didn¡¯t immediately agree, still adhering to the principle that knights choose their lords as much as lords choose their knights. Another young man, not fully grown, followed with a question: ¡°What about me, can I follow you? I haven¡¯t yet broken through to be an Earth Knight.¡± His name was Nemo, the son of an Elite Earth Knight who had not been granted a title. Liszt smiled, ¡°You certainly can¡¯t join the knight squad, but if you are willing toe to Fresh Flower Town as an officer, I¡¯d wee you. Everyone present is wee toe to Fresh Flower Town; you are among my few friends.¡± A few months ago, he would not have bothered with these friends. After all, they were the friends of his former self, not his own. ¡°But, isn¡¯t Fresh Flower Town already staffed with people like Goltai and Isaiah? Are there still officer positions we could hold?¡± asked Nemo. ¡°Do you really think I¡¯ll spend my entire life in Fresh Flower Town?¡± ¡°Oh, sorry, Sir Liszt, I didn¡¯t mean that. Of course, you will be a Viscount Lord, it¡¯s inevitable, everyone is so sure of it,¡± Nemo said apologetically. ¡°No need to apologize, Nemo. Bing a Viscount is my goal, as is having my own ind or city estate. To achieve this goal, I need a group of loyal followers, and if you are inclined, I¡¯d be happy to wee you to Fresh Flower Town.¡± ncing at the dusk-darkened skies, he stood up, ¡°I need to return now. There is a banquet at Tulip Castle that I must attend. Tomorrow evening, I will host a banquet at Tulip Castle, inviting everyone here and friends from the Knight Academy to join.¡± Rick said loudly, ¡°I will be there on time, Sir.¡± ¡°I will too,¡± said Nemo and the others in turn. Liszt nodded, put on the cloak handed to him by Servant Thomas, left the noble estate, and under the escort of Retainer Knights, headed back to Tulip Castle against the cold wind.
Chapter 238: 0238: Extravagant Performance (First Update) Chapter 238: Extravagant Performance (First Update) The banquet was not grand; it consisted of the Earl summoning the officials of Coral Ind while Levis invited his subordinates to gather and chat. After the banquet, Liszt found an opportunity and went with Levis into his study. ¡°Brother, how are your skills at tasting spirits?¡± Liszt took a bottle filled with Primeval Floral Brew from the servant¡¯s hand, unscrewed the cap, poured a ss and pushed it in front of Levis, ¡°Try this spirit and give me an evaluation.¡± ¡°I¡¯m quite good at evaluating liquor, hmm, what kind of spirits is this, and where did you get it?¡± He picked up the ss, sniffed it, ¡°It tastes awful, there¡¯s a rancid smell, it looks like inferior spirits. The diluted spirits I drank during the war in Eagle Kingdom were better than this!¡± Having said that, he put the ss to his lips and sipped just a bit, ¡°It¡¯s sour,cks strength, this liquor is really poor quality.¡± He put down the ss and said no more; his meaning was clear without words. Liszt¡¯s expression remained unchanged as he continued to ask, ¡°Brother, how much do you think a bottle of this spirit could sell for?¡± ¡°How much per bottle?¡± Levis squinted, ¡°Liszt, don¡¯t tell me, is this spirit brewed in Fresh Flower Town?¡± ¡°As you said, this is exactly the self-brewed spirits, Fresh Flower Brew, that I am studying. Although it¡¯s not yet sessfully brewed and the quality of the obtained spirits is very low, but anyway, I have already researched the technology for distilling spirits, haven¡¯t I.¡± Upon hearing this. Levis¡¯s eyes lit up, and he couldn¡¯t wait to speak, ¡°What? You¡¯ve already researched the technology for distilling spirits? Oh my God, Liszt, don¡¯t lie to me, okay, do you know how valuable the technology for distilling spirits is? In the Grand Duchy, there are only five kinds of spirits, with three in the hands of a Marquis and two in the hands of the Grand Duke.¡±
The Earl considered Levis mature for having been on the battlefield. But at this moment, Levis was still the same Levis, his impatient eyes reddening, ¡°Even our grandfather hasn¡¯t mastered the technology for distilling spirits!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be too surprised, brother. It¡¯s just the business of spirits. Compared to magic potions, the business of spirits is nothing,¡± Liszt responded nonchntly. ¡°It¡¯s nothing!¡± Levis breathed heavily, ¡°Of course, magic potions are valuable, but they are barely enough for our own use. Tulip Castle¡¯s magic potions are needed by our father, by me, and perhaps Lidun will take a part in the future, and Li Vera, she will definitely have the nerve to take some away!¡± With the magical powers of the Tulip Great Elf, the ck Tulip can produce arge amount of magic potions, but there are many who rely on these potions. Indeed, the business of the ck Tulip was signed by the three siblings. But once the power of the Greater Elf is used, the share that must be handed over to the Earl can¡¯t be lessened by a bit, leaving Levis at most to consume all the increased revenue. As he spoke, he said with some envy, ¡°I¡¯m not as lucky as you, with intermediate magical beasts, the ck Tulip, me Mushroom, and Magic Medicine Thorns all for your own personal benefit!¡± ¡°It seems you don¡¯t make much money from magic potions, brother.¡± ¡°Of course, I don¡¯t, not a single Gold Coin. All the money from my other business is thrown into magic potions. Do you know I wince every time I take a bottle of magic potion¡­ and you are not an Elite Earth Knight, you can¡¯t understand the pain and pleasure of an Elite Earth Knight.¡± His expression was almost contorted. ¡°So, you¡¯re really short of money, brother.¡± ¡°Asking knowingly.¡± ¡°What if I am willing to share the spirits business with you, brother?¡± Liszt cast the bait he had prepared, simply tossing it out¡ªtruly tired of continuing the charade. Levis¡¯s exaggerated expressions and tone were all an overblown act, unconvincing at heart. He probably guessed something about the situation as soon as Liszt asked him to taste the spirits¡ªLevis was never a fool, advancing to Earth Knight status as a youth, hailed as a genius. If it were an outsider, Liszt might have had to feign politeness. But since it was his own brother, he decided to be upfront. Indeed, upon hearing Liszt¡¯s words, Levis immediately dropped his exaggerated act and adopted an eager tone, ¡°What, Liszt, are you saying you want to share the white liquor brewing technology with your brother?¡± ¡°The value of the white liquor brewing technology has been made clear to me by my brother. Before I split from the family, it doesn¡¯t matter who holds it, but if the dayes when I do, I¡¯ll be sure to hand over the white liquor brewing technology to you first. My idea is that I¡¯ll handle the brewing, you take care of the sales, and we split the profits fifty-fifty¡­¡± After some haggling.
The brothers had essentially settled on their method of cooperation. Levis would provide protection for the white liquor business, supply the necessary raw materials for brewing, and handle external sales, taking sixty percent of the profits; Liszt was responsible for brewing the white liquor, taking forty percent of the profits¡ªa 60/40 split, which Liszt was quite satisfied with. It was normal for the distributor to take therger share, especially since they also provided protection. If one day, the two brothers truly parted ways. The cooperation would cease, and the technology would be shared.
¡°As of now, the white liquor brewing technology is still being improved. There¡¯s some time before we can truly brew a qualified white liquor. Most importantly, we urgently need a batch of iron tools for the brewing equipment, but Fresh Flower Town is extremely short on iron. I hope you can help me solve this problem.¡± ¡°So, you¡¯re eyeing the spoils of this battle?¡± Levis stroked his chin, knowing that if he wanted a part of the white liquor business, he would have to cough up a big favor. ¡°Iron has always been one of the most coveted spoils of war, and we didn¡¯t bring back much ore this time. I don¡¯t have much to allocate¡­ Three thousand catties of iron ingots is all I can spare.¡± ¡°Three thousand catties, that should be close enough.¡± ¡°Don¡¯tin about it being too little, this three thousand catties will be enough to make Viscount Trick and Viscount Jonas green with envy. Oh right, I forgot to ask you¡ªwhy has the production of Fresh Flower Town¡¯s Magic me Mushroom stopped?¡± Liszt pondered for a moment before replying, ¡°I want to stock up on magic potions.¡± ¡°Ah?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be surprised, brother. Although I¡¯m not as gifted as you, with J, I yearn to reach further. Even if I might fail, I still want to try my hand at it, then I¡¯ll be content.¡± Liszt said, half in earnest, half in jest, but no one knew he was already an Elite Earth Knight. ¡°What about the ck Tulip and Magic Medicine Thorns?¡± ¡°The ck Tulip will continue as usual, I¡¯ll supply it to you; I n on stockpiling the Magic Medicine Thorns.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a real shame¡­ I find it difficult to dissuade you from trying, just as with Li Vera; I can¡¯t stop her willfulness. However, I still hope you¡¯ll consider it more. If you change your mind,e back to me for a partnership. As your brother, you must trust that I may take advantage of anyone else but not of you.¡± ¡°Of course, I have unwavering faith in this.¡± Then, the two turned to the topic of serf trading. With the white liquor business as a foundation, neither was too nitpicky, and they quickly struck a deal to purchase two thousand five hundred serfs for five hundred Gold Coins. ¡°I¡¯ll give you the Gold Coinster.¡±
¡°Just make sure to deliver them before the fleet departs,¡± Levis didn¡¯t ask where Liszt had got so many Gold Coins from. He was finding his own brother more and more iprehensible. Gone were the naivety and timidity, reced by shrewdness and generosity. As Liszt took leave, Levis couldn¡¯t help but think, ¡°Liszt hase of age, and Fresh Flower Town can no longer contain his ambition. From the way he speaks, he¡¯s even considered splitting from the family¡­ Is he confident he can reach our father¡¯s stature?¡± Chapter 239: 0239: The Earl’s New Toy (Second Update) Chapter 239: The Earl¡¯s New Toy (Second Update) Gold Coins. Liszt didn¡¯t have many of these, his current liquid assets amounted to just about a hundred or so gold coins. Indeed, Fresh Flower Town had been making a decent profit from the Fresh Flower Caravan trade and the taxes were increasing day by day. However, the expenditures for the domain were also growing daily. Just Liszt¡¯s own food and drink expenses were such that a month would hardly pass without spending several tens of gold coins. The various exotic foods were cheap, the cost of ingredients andbor were very affordable. What was expensive was the magical beast meat, he had be a carnivore who could not do without magical beast meat at every meal¡ªif it weren¡¯t for the domain being able to produce magic potions on its own, his personal consumption would be even more terrifying. Domain development was even more expensive. If ck Horse Ind were to be fully developed, it would inevitably be a huge money sink, and it would be difficult to see any returns within at least a year or two; the development of Fresh Flower Town was basically on the right track, but the investment in it was by no means small. It might seem bustling with nearly nine months of development, but Liszt had poured at least a thousand gold coins in it before and after. If it weren¡¯t for the Smoke Mission, he didn¡¯t dare to imagine how little he could achieve. Therefore. This time, Liszt would have to rely on the rewards from the Smoke Mission again to cover the shortfall of five hundred gold coins. After thinking it over, he decided to visit the earl tomorrow and exchange some mithril for a batch of gold coins. ¡­
The next day dawned. The sun failed to rise promptly, so it seemed a bit gloomy. The earl was already up, feverishly writing at his desk in his study¡ªthese past few days he had been very busy, needing to sort out the distribution of the spoils of war. ¡°Liszt, you¡¯re up early,¡± the earl indicated for Liszt to find a chair to sit, ¡°Levis didn¡¯t keep you up, talking about war stories all night?¡± ¡°Actually, brother¡¯s eloquence still needs work, he¡¯s far from being able to talk nonstop for a whole day and night.¡± ¡°Alright, he indeed doesn¡¯t have the talent of a diplomatic. Would you like something to drink? Wine or coffee?¡± Speaking with his son felt stiff without something to drink. A father-son rtionship could never reach the level of heartfeltmunication that existed between mother and daughter. ¡°Do you have milk? I don¡¯t want to drink wine or coffee this early in the morning.¡± Liszt could not do without milk, with Dragon Breed Cow¡¯s milk temporarily unavable, he could only drink regr milk. When a servant brought over freshly brewed milk, Liszt could clearly sense that the quality of the milk from Tulip Castle¡¯s cows was far inferior to that from the cows in Fresh Flower Town. Even if the cows from the dairy farm weren¡¯t turned into Dragon Breed Cows, they had definitely undergone some mutation. ¡°Thesest few days, I¡¯ve been bathing with Fresh Flower Soap, and it truly is very nice to use. This industry should bring you quite a profit,¡± the earl said. ¡°One or two gold coins a day, about the same as the initial seafood business, but now the seafood trade is almost halted, the profits are not as good as before. Fresh Flower Soap, hindered by limited production, can¡¯t expand to other inds for the time being, which keeps my funds in a very tight state.¡± ¡°The development of Fresh Flower Town has surprised many, including me, so don¡¯t put too much pressure on yourself.¡± Pressure. There was no such thing as pressure. Liszt felt that his daily life really did not have any pressure, indulging in eating and drinking, practicing martial arts and writing, horseback riding, walking dogs, ying with Little Minor Elves, and overseeing the domain. asionally, if he had an inspiration, he would have the serfs implement it, otherwise, he would follow up on the Smoke Mission. Apart from enjoying himself, he was still enjoying himself. Of course, a life of such decadence needed to be kept low-key. So he joked, ¡°There¡¯s still pressure. To achieve my desire to ride a dragon before the age of thirty, I need to work tirelessly at all times.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡±
The Earl momentarily failed to adjust to the humor, ¡°Don¡¯t aim too high and miss.¡± Liszt nodded, ¡°Actually, I wish to be a Sky Knight soon. Hearing from my brother about your battle with Count Figo, I am greatly yearning for it.¡± This ambition was much more realistic, and the Earl easily epted it, ¡°I hope that all four of you siblings can aim to be Sky Knights. The Tulip Family strives for progress in every generation. The knight¡¯s spirit of enterprise can nevere to a halt; use pressure as a driving force for effort.¡± ¡°I understand. Now that I am of age, things that were once unclear to me are now fully understood,¡± said Liszt, suddenly remembering something. ¡°That¡¯s right, Father Lord, apart from bringing some specialties and delicacies from Fresh Flower Town to Tulip Castle, I also prepared a special gift for you and my brother.¡±
¡°Oh, what gift?¡± ¡°A telescope.¡± Liszt took out a beautifully crafted retractable monocr telescope from his pocket and handed it to the Earl, showing him how to use it, ¡°This is a retractable monocr telescope. ce this small eyepiece before your eye, yes, just like that, then point therger objective lens towards the window.¡± After the Earl did as instructed, he was startled at the first nce, ¡°Oh my, the tulip flower sea appears to be right before my eyes!¡± ¡°You can pull the telescope¡¯s objective lens tube further out, yes, like that, it can extend even longer.¡± ¡°They¡¯re getting closer. Do they move, or is this magic?¡± The Earl, holding the telescope, excitedly watched the distant scenes, ¡°I can see Silva, he¡¯s got a cigarette in his hand, and is looking for a ce to smoke ¨C a hand-rolled cigarette using fire grass, not a me striker.¡± With the telescope in hand, the Earl began spying, while outside the castle, deputy butler Silva had no idea that his minor act of smoking had been caught by the Earl. The excited Earl couldn¡¯t stop for quite some time. Liszt was very satisfied with the effect of the telescope, but Silva¡¯s smoking habit suddenly sparked a thought ¨C should he invent matches? The fire-making tools in this world consisted of ¡°fire grass,¡± which could be rubbed together to create fire, and ¡°me strikers,¡± made from fire grass material¡ªneither as convenient as matches. Lighters are more advanced, more convenient. But Liszt didn¡¯t think he could invent a lighter, it was too technologically advanced. As for matches, there was no technical challenge, the only problem being that match heads are made with phosphorus as the igniter. If he remembered correctly, they used red phosphorus, coating it on both the match head and the striking surface of the matchbox separately.
Strike them together when needed, keep them apart when not, dubbed safety matches. ¡°Phosphorus¡­ I do have quite an understanding of it,¡± Liszt thought silently. Firstly, in rural farming, a fertilizer called phosphate fertilizer is indispensable; secondly, it¡¯s said that the discovery of the phosphorus element came from alchemy, when a guy dreaming of alchemy identally produced phosphorus from urine; thirdly, he had learned in his middle school geography ss about a country named Nauru, where bird droppings umted, creating phosphate mines. Lastly, the legendary will-o¡¯-the-wisp is said to be bone phosphorus burning in the air. ¡°So, to get phosphorus, I have to deal with excrement?¡± Liszt was rather helpless. He did not want to be like TFBOYS, ¡°It¡¯d be best to find bird droppings, perhaps on an ind with many sea birds, there might be a phosphate mine¡­ Even if I can¡¯t extract phosphorus, I can use it as fertilizer, phosphate fertilizer.¡± After carefully recalling his knowledge about phosphorus twice, the Earl finally put down the telescope, still in awe, and said, ¡°Liszt, where did you get such a telescope?¡± Chapter 240: 0240: Yet the Earl had seen through it all (Third update, bonus for 2200 subscriptions) Chapter 240: Yet the Earl had seen through it all (Third update, bonus for 2200 subscriptions) ¡°This was my invention,¡± Liszt dered. ¡°Your invention?¡± ¡°Yes, after a shipwreck was discovered off the coast of Fresh Flower Town, some treasure was salvaged, including a few crystals. I invited a crystal craftsman and a magician to carve crystalmps for me. Then I discovered, when crystal is ground into lenses and two are stacked together, they can actually magnify the view.¡± Of course, Liszt had fabricated the story, but the Earl didn¡¯t probe into the veracity of his tale. For him, how the telescope was invented wasn¡¯t important; what mattered was why it could see at a distance and what else it could do. ¡°No wonder many say that you have been favored by knighthood¡¯s glory this past year,¡± the Earlmented as he caressed the wooden tube of the telescope, ¡°Do you recognize its value?¡± ¡°I believe it can be used in warfare. If we can observe the enemy¡¯s movements from afar, it should be of great assistance.¡± ¡°With the charge of the knights, if coordinated with a telescope, we could capture the movements of enemy knight orders more swiftly, seizing the most opportune moment to strike. Its value can be trivial, even negligible¡ªa head-on charge of arge-scale knight order is straightforward. But it can also be immense.¡± As someone with years of experience in leading charges, the Earl had his own insights: ¡°For small knight squads engaging inbat, maneuverability is crucial. With a telescope, whether for ambushes or counter-ambushes, we could gain the upper hand¡­ In yesterday¡¯s battle simtion game, if I had had a telescope, your various ambush tactics would have beenpletely ineffective.¡± Liszt nodded and then added, ¡°If I had used a telescope, I could have achieved even more brilliant tactical results.¡± ¡°Hmm, that¡¯s also not wrong to say.¡±
¡°Therefore, the value of the telescope can be substantial. I believe it¡¯s most fitting to present it to you as a gift.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve grown up,¡± the Earl remarked wistfully, his eyes filled with satisfaction, which he quickly concealed, ¡°The significance of the telescope is immense; we must keep its secret safe from outsiders!¡± ¡°As of now, I¡¯m probably the only one who knows the secret of the telescope¡¯s interior,¡± Liszt recalled something suddenly. ¡°Oh yes, the crystal craftsman, Brad, if he were so inclined, could likely understand the principle of the telescope since he ground the lenses himself.¡± ¡°In that case, we cannot leave this crystal craftsman to his own devices.¡± ¡°How about you give him and his family to me? As for the principle of the telescope, I can present it immediately to Tulip Castle,¡± Liszt proposed, struck by an idea. The fact that Brad and his family were freemen didn¡¯t matter; no one could defy the Earl¡¯s wish to arrange who would be sent to Fresh Flower Town. Not one to fuss over such trifles, the Earl said, ¡°I¡¯ll have Jacob take care of itter.¡± Jacob was the Earl¡¯snd advisor. Pleased with the telescope, the Earl offered more favorable terms before Liszt could even speak: ¡°I heard that you obtained three thousand pounds of iron ingots from Levis¡¯s hands?¡± The Earl was well aware of the sons¡¯ maneuvers, and his openness was not without the intent to admonish. This was because Levis and Liszt would not include Lidun in their y, a clear alienation that the Earl was unwilling to see among his sons. ¡°Yes, I improved the brewing process for ordinary fermented wine and made semi-finished white spirits. I hoped to coborate with my brother for sales, and the three thousand pounds of iron ingots was a token of my brother¡¯s goodwill.¡± ¡°That you¡¯re willing to share the technology for white spirits shows that you are not only favored by knighthood¡¯s glory but also have a big-picture perspective and long-term ns. I am filled with expectations for your future. I will also allocate an additional ten thousand pounds of iron ingots from the spoils of war aspensation for the telescope technology.¡± The Earl¡¯s generosity was indeed vast! Liszt was thrilled. ¡°Thank you, Father!¡± As a rare resource, ten thousand catties of iron could craft many iron implements, of great worth. While most iron uses might be for armor and weapons, for Liszt, iron was one of the fundamental materials of industry, irreceable by wood. Even though Liszt had Rapid Growth Iron Thorns that possessed the quality of ironwood. After expressing his gratitude, Liszt called a servant and brought out five ores of mithril he had specially prepared, taking them into the study. ¡°Father, this is one of the treasures I found in the sunken ship. I wish to exchange them for some Gold Coins. The financial situation in the territory is quite strained,¡± he said. ¡°Mithril?¡± The Earl, of course, was familiar with this ore and immediately identified it. He in fact armored an elite Knight Squad with Mithril Armor. ¡°These five pieces of mithril, mixed into Iron Ingots, can nearly forge ten suits of Mithril Armor, with considerable value.¡± He gave Liszt a meaningful look. Liszt met his gaze openly¡ªhe understood the Earl¡¯s implication. Fresh Flower Town had many fine goods to offer; the benefits retrieved from the sunken ship were likely not limited to these pieces of mithril and some crystals he had mentioned earlier¡ªbut he knew the Earl would hardly rob his own son of his little private property.
¡°One piece of mithril for a hundred Gold Coins, how about that?¡± ¡°Of course, I am grateful for your generosity, Father.¡± ¡°Five hundred Gold Coins could buy two thousand five hundred serfs. That¡¯s almost more than the poption of Fresh Flower Town. Are you sure Fresh Flower Town can support them?¡± asked the Earl with a smile. A chill went down Liszt¡¯s spine.
He had a feeling that this smile bore a deeper meaning than the look before, almost as if the ¡°Earl had already seen through everything.¡± Under that smile, Liszt felt as though all his secrets were exposed¡ªhe had reason to guess so, with the Earl¡¯s grasp over Coral Ind, wanting to know something wasn¡¯t difficult. ¡°Could he already know about the existence of ck Horse Ind?¡± The thought crossed his mind, then Liszt suppressed it; whether he knew or not, he would y ignorant. Developing a deserted ind was not a heinous act, and as long as the Earl was unaware of the ck Blood Treasured Horse¡¯s existence, even if ck Horse Ind was discovered, it wouldn¡¯t matter. At least for now, the Earl seemed oblivious to the ck Blood Treasured Horse; otherwise, no matter that Liszt was his son, he would unceremoniously seize them. In the face of immense profit, noble ties were inconsequential. Moreover, how could seizing the herd and thenpensating Liszt with some Gold Coins possibly shake the father-son rtionship, especially when the Earl wouldn¡¯t even need to seize them himself? If he deployed a bit of family propaganda, the spit from Lady Penelope, Lady Marie, Li Vera, and Levis alone could drown Liszt. In fact, considering benefits, contributing the ck Blood Treasured Horse to the Earl might not be such a bad idea. But Liszt was reluctant¡ªonce the herd reached the hands of the Tulip Family, who knew how many years it would take before he could get a share to arm his Knight Squad. As a future Dragon Knight with grand aspirations, what was his was his; he didn¡¯t want to give it to anyone, nor let anyone take it. And the family resources should rightfully support him in achieving his grand ideals and revitalizing the family. Pushing aside his wild thoughts, Liszt acted as if he hadn¡¯t noticed the Earl¡¯s hidden meaning. ¡°The development route for Fresh Flower Town is slightly different from the traditional agricultural route; I need arge poption.¡± Chapter 241: 0241: The Deceased and the Ennobled (First Update) Chapter 241: The Deceased and the Ennobled (First Update) That evening, Liszt hosted a feast for his friends at Tulip Castle, a total of fifteen people. They were all descendants of knights who could not acquire an earldom or Apprentice Knights currently studying at the Knight Academy. Among them, the ones Liszt valued most were two Earth Knights: Rick Trace, who had previously said he would follow him on the noble estate, and Griffin Haystack, an orphan. Griffin¡¯s Dou Qi attribute was Lightning, and he had just turned twenty. Hisbat ability was decent, but his only w was a stutter. Nobles pay attention to their appearance and also to their bearing. One can be ugly but not disabled; a stutter is categorized as a disability. Therefore, Griffin was never selected for the Knight Order of Coral City and was deeply saddened by this for a long time. Liszt¡¯s predecessor even mocked Griffin for it. Butter, when he found Griffin to be a good, honest person, he gradually felt a sense of camaraderie¡ªof course, maybe he hoped to have a disabled person by his side to set himself off. Now, Liszt was very satisfied with Griffin. Being honest and hard-working, and seeing himself as a ¡°kindred spirit,¡± Griffin could be said to be a most suitable candidate for a follower, with assured loyalty. Besides Rick and Griffin, the rest were Apprentice Knights. They might suffice as officials, but fell far short of the requirements for a Knight Squad. ¡°By my count, with Marcus, Lasse, Rondo, Rick, and Griffin, I already have five members for the Knight Squad. If I can gather seven more, I can form a team,¡± Liszt considered quietly in his room, where he had lived for over a decade, after sending off his drunken friends. Knight Squads work as units, able to practicebined strike techniques, mixing Dou Qi into a single force.
Having a Knight Squad is what grants the right to enter the battlefield. As for Liszt himself, he could entrust his safety to Douson and the hired Paris¡ªbelieving that the explosive power of one man and one dog could save him from disaster, even if he were chased by a Sword Saint. ¡°Besides, I am the Earl¡¯s son; logistics work is my duty!¡± If Levis could engage in logistical work on the battlefield, there¡¯s no way he could lose to Levis; he must seize the logistics work for himself. ¡­ The next day was the celebration banquet. All the nobles from near and far of Coral Ind rushed to Tulip Castle, and together with their servants, the ce was as noisy as a marketce. The members of the Knight Order who participated in the battle and had no noble rank¡ªcertain they would not be receiving one this time¡ªcollected their Gold Coin rewards and promptly returned home to their families. Seven knights without titles were left behind. These seven had distinguished themselves greatly in the battle and could be knighted as Honored Knights. They were all immersed in immense joy, eager for the knighting ceremony to begin immediately. In fact, there were another three knights eligible for knighthood, but they were followers of two Viscounts and thus could not attend the celebration banquet hosted by the Earl. At that moment in Tulip Castle, there were three Viscounts¡ªTrick Weed, Jonas Shattered Stone, Levis Tulip. Sixteen Barons, including Liszt Tulip; seventy-six Honored Knights, and with the newly promoted seven, there were eighty-three. ¡°If I remember correctly, the Earl had eighty-two Honored Knights before. It seems we lost six Honored Knights on the battlefield this time,¡± he noted. The sacrifice of knights was quite normal, and the loss of Honored Knights was not rare. The death rate for Barons and higher-ranking nobles decreased¡ªthe role of a Landlord is tomand his following of Knights. It is the followers who are supposed to fight to the death in dangerous charges; the Landlord certainly wouldn¡¯t lead the charge himself. Just like Liszt, when forming his Knight Squad, he never intended to count himself as part of it. He had his own reasons for not participating in battle. Mounted on Douson, he was a rearguard presence: ¡°With me here, no need for panic. Charge!¡± he would say. ¡°` It¡¯s said that there are two types of charismatic leadership¡ª¡±follow me¡± and ¡°go for me.¡± Leaders who say ¡°follow me¡± can win the support and love of their subordinates, thus unleashing greatbat power; still, Liszt always chose ¡°go for me.¡± How can the life of a rusticpare with that of a noble! Leaders who say ¡°follow me¡± are often already etched on monuments, while those who say ¡°go for me¡± are always your leaders!
¡°In fact, this statement isn¡¯t very precise. There should be three types ofndlords.¡± The first type says, ¡°Everyone, follow me, and we¡¯ll share the benefits.¡± The second type says, ¡°Everyone, go for me, and we¡¯ll share the benefits.¡± The third type says, ¡°Everyone, go for me, and I¡¯ll keep all the benefits.¡± ¡°I most aspire to be the third type ofndlord, but for now, I¡¯ll settle for the second type.¡± ¡­
The knighting ceremony before the victory banquet was lively, with seven new Honored Knights holding the medals symbolizing their Honored Knighthood, their eyes brimming with hot tears. There is a vast chasm betweenmoners and nobles, often requiring the effort of several generations to bridge. But once they have a title, even if they die on the battlefield, their descendants will inherit the title, an honor that is hereditary and unshakeable¡ªunless there are no offspring or a grave mistake is made that rarely leads to deprivation of the noble title. ¡°I pledge to serve you to the death, my lord!¡± The seven Honored Knights knelt on one knee, solemnly performing the standard knightly loyalty ceremony to the Earl. The Earl sat in the main seat, epting their homage, and spoke words of encouragement and caution, essentially meaning¡ª I hope you will serve me diligently in the future. I have bestowed upon you your titles, and I can also take them back. Maintain a humble attitude, adhere to the knightly virtues, and don¡¯t disappoint me. After the knighting ceremony, the atmosphere instantly peaked. The Honored Knights were drinking and boasting downstairs, while the Barons, Viscounts, and Earls were doing the same upstairs. Whether they had earned their stripes in battle or not, everyone was drinking heartily. Liszt still wasn¡¯t ustomed to such boisterous banquets andpsed into silence. He only raised his ss when others toasted to him, exchanging a fewplimentary words¡ªLiszt¡¯s identity was no longer just that of the Earl¡¯s useless son but that of a Viscount on the rise. Even Baron Henderson, who had loudly cursed Liszt for his greed in the territory, sought an opportunity to offer Liszt a pleasing smile and a toast, rather thanining to the Earl. ¡°Baron Liszt, I wish Fresh Flower Town a prosperous business.¡± One does not strike a smiling face; Liszt simply responded, ¡°I also wish your territory a prosperous business.¡± Baron Henderson wanted to say something more, but he opened his mouth and said nothing. Instead, he drained his ss in one gulp, smiled ingratiatingly again, and returned to his seat.
The most eye-catching young generation at the banquet. Was not Liszt, but his brother Levis. This time on the battlefield, though Levis was in charge of logistics andmunication, seeing blood and killing enemies had made him a qualified heir in the eyes of the Earl¡¯s followers. With the Earl being too austere, barely wetting his lips with his drink, the followers naturally focused their attention on Levis. Liszt was merely affected by the fallout. But even with his reticence, his efforts to remain unnoticed, by the end of the victory feast, he was thoroughly intoxicated. As the servants helped him to bed, his hazy mind harbored a single thought, ¡°Someday, I will also rise to the rank of Earl. It will be me urging others to drink, with no one daring to coax me to drink!¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A new week, please vote for me~ ¡°` Chapter 242: 0242: Brad’s New Life (Second Update) Chapter 242: Brad¡¯s New Life (Second Update) After a good night¡¯s sleep, the Dou Qi within had dispelled the symptoms of his hangover, and Liszt returned to his lively and vigorous self. He proposed his departure to the Earl, ¡°The annual festival is just two days away, I need to return to Fresh Flower Town to attend to some estate matters.¡± ¡°Perfect timing, I was about to send someone to notify you about something,¡± the Earl said. ¡°Please speak, Father.¡± ¡°Last night, ships from Coral Ind arrived; the vice butler of Long Taro Castle came aboard one of them, bringing a letter from your uncle Mesiro. The letter mentions that your grandfather¡¯s health has not recovered and this year is likely to be thest time he celebrates the festival. Thus, your uncle hopes that you and your siblings can celebrate the festival at Coral Ind.¡± The end of Marquis Merlin¡¯s life¡­ Liszt felt an inexplicable sadness. He was very fond of the Marquis who had once gifted him the Gemstone Weapon Bloodsword, not to mention the emotional connection from the memories of his former self. ¡°When do we depart?¡± ¡°You¡¯ll return to Fresh Flower Town today,e back here tomorrow, and the day after, you all will set sail together. Two days of sailing will get you there just in time for the festival,¡± the Earl determined the schedule. ¡°Understood.¡± ¡­ ¡°Finally, time to go back!¡± Paris stretched and perked up, ¡°I¡¯ve started to miss the egg rolls of Fresh Flower Town already; heaven knows why Coral City doesn¡¯t have egg rolls!¡±
¡°Not every ce is called Fresh Flower Town,¡± Liszt quipped as he donned his cloak and mounted his Li Dragon Horse. The ck warhorse, ck Magical Beast Leather Armor adorned with a bright red cloak, with the hood not worn over his head, revealing his short light golden hair that fluttered in the cold wind. He could dazzle a whole crowd of youngdies and spinsters alike. ¡°Young Master Liszt is just too handsome!¡± The maids cleaning outside the castle gates blushed at the sight of him. They might be imagining some sort of Mary Sue or Tom Sue story. Paris overheard the maids¡¯ whispers and rolled her eyes, but when she saw Liszt on horseback, waving goodbye to Lady Penelope, Li Vera, and Lady Marie, she too was struck with vertigo, overwhelmed by a towering Tom Sue aura that invaded her entire being. ¡°No man should be this handsome!¡± Riding all the way and arriving at Fresh Flower Town, snowkes were still falling from the skies of the town, the snow on the ground wasn¡¯t much. The main road was well-cleared; during the days Liszt was away, the officials and serfs of Fresh Flower Town had obviously not cked off. After returning to the castle, the officials immediately came to report their work. ¡°Consultant Goltai, these people are Brad¡¯s family; they¡¯ve moved to Fresh Flower Town. You are to arrange housing for them. Also, Philip, send for Brad. I have some matters to assign to him.¡± After Liszt spoke, he added another question, ¡°Have the iron ingots the caravan brought back been handed over?¡± ¡°The iron ingots have been stored in the castle¡¯s warehouse, and without your instructions, they have not been given over to the smithy to forge.¡± ¡°Keep three thousand jin of iron ingots in the warehouse, take ten thousand jin out and give them to the smithy. Make a batch of construction tools and woodcutting tools as much as you can. The harvesting of the Rapid Growth Iron Thorns will be a big problem in the future.¡± ¡°As you wish.¡± Soon, the crystal craftsman Brad, who was carving volcanic ss vessels, hurried over to the castle. Then he learned from his family that the Earl had ordered their relocation to Fresh Flower Town to be Liszt¡¯s subjects¡ªa life to be lived in Fresh Flower Town hereafter. Brad¡¯s heart was in turmoil, going from afortable city dweller to a small-town bumpkin. But he dared notin, for this was the Earl¡¯smand. On Coral Ind, no one dared to defy the Earl¡¯s will, not even the noble lords. Seeing Brad¡¯s reluctance, Liszt was in a good mood and offered a rare constion, ¡°Brad, don¡¯t worry about your future life; the wonders of Fresh Flower Town will exceed your imagination.¡± ¡°I¡­ Lord Landlord, I¡¯m not worried about living,¡± Fresh Flower Town is very beautiful, and the food is delicious¡ªI know all that. But I¡­ I¡¯m worried about my job; I can¡¯t get any crystal carving work here, oh heavens, I feel like I might starve to death.¡± The more he thought about it, the sadder he became, almost crying. ¡°I¡¯ve told you, don¡¯t worry about your livelihood, and there¡¯s even less need to worry about work. You just need to work for the castle, for me. I can assure you of your ie, it won¡¯t be less than what you earned in Coral City.¡±
Brad was a craftsman level artisan, and Liszt valued him highly because he could not only carve crystal but also volcanic ss¡ªthis meant that future ss carving could entirely be entrusted to Brad¡ªss was a product that Liszt was bound to research eventually. After offering a few simple words offort, he quickly grew impatient; even the most skilled craftsmen were justmoners in his presence. A few kind words if he felt like giving face, or a direct whipping if he didn¡¯t: ¡°Isaiah, remember to build a crystal workshop in the workshop district and let Brad take charge.¡± ¡°As you wish.¡±
The town¡¯s affairs were not too few, yet not too many either. At least, the annual festival of Fresh Flower Town had to be organized¡ªit was a celebration enjoyed by every country. The town also needed a festival so that the denizens could rx and strengthen their sense of unity. Goltai, as the consultant, could manage this year¡¯s annual festival for him; Marcus could be sent to ck Horse Ind to preside over the festival there. With Isaiah, ir and others taking care of the territorial engineering projects, he felt at ease. Moreover, he had decided to let Zambrotta start his duties ahead of schedule, first serving as the town¡¯s legal officer and assisting Isaiah with the management of the construction projects. Lasse and Rondo, the two Earth Knights, were inly sent home for the holiday¡ªafter all, they had not officially followed him yet. This way. The report concluded. He dismissed the officials. Liszt began dealing with the castle¡¯s private matters, instructing Butler Carter, ¡°I must return to Tulip Castle tomorrow, for this year I will spend the annual festival at Long Taro Castle on Red Crab Ind. Hence, I won¡¯t be back for at least ten days to half a month; preparations must be made. Mr. Carter, look after the castle for me.¡± ¡°Of course, your will is my guide to action,¡± Carter replied elegantly. ¡°Then help me choose gifts first. What gifts shall I bring for grandfather, uncle, and cousin? With Levis and Li Vera taking the lead, there¡¯s no need for me, a mere country baron, to spend too much. It¡¯s best to bring some special products¡ªthe Fresh Flower Soap is quite good, and the oyster sauce as well!¡± Oyster sauce was the specialty of Oyster Vige, with half of the Fresh Flower Caravan¡¯s seafood business revolving around selling oyster sauce.
The nobles of Coral Ind needed oyster sauce for their cooking. It was very fitting as a gift, especially since men, in particr, would like the effects of oyster sauce. With oyster sauce and Fresh Flower Soap as the foundation, Carter helped to select a few more supplementary gifts,pleting the list of presents. They then discussed issues like how to care for the Elf Bugs. Suddenly, Carter remembered something, ¡°My lord, there¡¯s a matter I¡¯m unsure how you wish to arrange.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°When Old Difo from the dog kennel came to check on the Earth Matron, he said she might give birth within the next half a month. I wonder how you n to handle it?¡± ¡°Did he give an exact time?¡± ¡°He can only estimate broadly. Should I have Old Difo called over?¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± Liszt nodded, the Fierce Earth Dog whelps in the Earth Matron¡¯s belly were magical beasts he held in high regard, essential for the future Fierce Earth Dog army. Chapter 243: 0243: Goose Feathers Sent Thousand Miles (Third update, bonus for 2400 subscriptions) Chapter 243: Goose Feathers Sent Thousand Miles (Third update, bonus for 2400 subscriptions) The Earth Matron¡¯s status in Fresh Flower Town could be described as pitiful. Ever since she was captured, she had not only been used as Douson¡¯s breeding machine but had also been confined to a secret room. Her ferocity had long been worn away, leaving only subservience. This was the destruction of life, the erasure of nature. If there were animal protection organizations on the ind, Liszt would definitely be nailed to the pir of shame, subjected to the spitting and cursing of thousands. Unfortunately, there were none on the ind, and humans had no sympathy for Magical Beasts¡ªweren¡¯t Magical Beasts born to be killed for their meat and to earn humans Gold Coins? The snow was thick in Dog Prison these days; no one hade to clean it. Although it was true that the Earth Matron no longer released magic, having almost forgotten the existence of Rock Spike, to ordinary people, she was still a huge threat. ¡°Lord Landlord, it, it really won¡¯t kill me?¡± Old Difo followed Liszt shakily into Dog Prison. ¡°I, I, I think I¡¯ll just look at it from outside the Dog Prison.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be nervous, Old Difo, with me here, what are you afraid of?¡± Liszt said gently. ¡°This time I want you to observe from up close, to have a clear idea of the approximate time of delivery for the Earth Matron¡­ Don¡¯t be nervous, look, I¡¯m already standing here. Has the Earth Matron made any dangerous moves?¡± Old Difo wanted to step forward, but his legs wouldn¡¯t obey: ¡°Lord Landlord, sir, a pregnant beast, when approached by strangers, will be enraged.¡± ¡°The Earth Matron will not.¡± ¡°I, I¡­¡± Snap!
Out of patience, Liszt kicked Old Difo¡¯s rear with his boot: ¡°If you¡¯re told to step forward and observe, then do it. Otherwise, go directly to my Retainer Knights and receive a hundredshes!¡± A hundredshes could beat a strong man to death. Kicked into a stumble, Old Difo finally overcame his fear of the Earth Matron and began to carefully inspect her condition around the cage. The Earth Matron turned her head to watch Old Difo, her mouth slightly open, emitting a low growl. Liszt casually threw a piece of jerky into the cage, and the next moment, the growling Earth Matron began wagging her tail and chewing on the jerky. Douson reached out its w from outside the cage, eager to snatch the jerky; it had never known the concept of pity for the fairer sex. After a moment. Old Difo gave his conclusion based on his observations: ¡°Lord Landlord, judging from the change in the Earth Matron¡¯s physique and the moisture in her private area, she is not yet ready to give birth. She probably needs another half month of gestation. However, I can¡¯t guarantee it; she might also give birth prematurely.¡± Generally, dogs can give birth after two months of pregnancy. The Earth Matron is a Magical Beast, so her gestation period is somewhat longer, but, being a dog, it wouldn¡¯t be much longer. Old Difo, who had raised dogs for many years, was experienced with the gestation and birthing periods of ordinary dogs, but he could only guess when it came to a Magical Beast and couldn¡¯t be sure. Liszt had a rough idea in his mind. His biggest concern was the offspring the Earth Matron would give birth to; it shouldn¡¯t see anyone else but him when it opened its eyes¡ªthe reason Douson was so loyal was that it had seen Liszt upon opening its eyes. If the Earth Matron gave birth in ten days, then Liszt could make it back from Red Crab Ind before the young pups opened their eyes. Otherwise, he would miss the moment the pups opened their eyes. By that time, the pups would likely see the Earth Matron first. Even though they could be trained from a young age, loyalty could not bepletely assured. Liszt did not like this kind of uncertain loyalty¡ªwhile humans could be bound by interests or kinship, it was difficult to control Magical Beasts other than through recognition of their master. Take Marcus, for example; his family is all in Fresh Flower Town. Liszt trusts him greatly because the cost of Marcus¡¯ betrayal is so high that it¡¯s almost more than he can bear. Essentially, these officials and knights find it very difficult to betray on Coral Ind under the Tulip Family. Consider Paris as well. The fact that she has a sister, Maggie, as a restraining factor means as long as Mrs. Harriet¡¯s family can establish an unbreakable bond with Maggie, it¡¯s also very hard for Paris to betray. Of course, there is still a risk of her betrayal, and establishing real trust will take time. As a ck Dragon Childe, she possesses great research value, which makes it worth the risk for Liszt to keep her by his side¡ªto study her slowly in the future. After instructing the servants to clean Dog Prison thoroughly, Liszt, with Douson on a leash, reluctantly parted from Earth Matron. ¡­
He could only stay in Fresh Flower Town for one night. Since the Fresh Flower Vessel was still docked at ck Horse Ind, Liszt couldn¡¯t retrieve his Calming Sea Pearl, which made him ufortable¡ªit was high time he asked Grandini Truth to forge another Calming Sea Pearl. Without it, he always felt a bit unsafe at sea. Upon reaching Tulip Castle, he met Ranieri, the deputy butler of Long Taro Castle. Ranieri had exquisite curly hair and the most fashionable steel lingo of high society, even more standard than Liszt¡¯s: ¡°Young Master Liszt, Ranieri sends his greetings.¡±
¡°Mr. Ranieri, how is my grandfather¡¯s health?¡± ¡°The old master can get out of bed and walk now, but he sustained serious injuries when he was young, leaving behind a chronic condition that Advanced Dou Qi can¡¯t heal. This has significantly dragged down the old master¡¯s health,¡± said Ranieri gravely. As an old Sky Knight, Merlin Taro had fought in many battles when he was young, resulting in countless injuries. While Dou Qi can certainly heal physical wounds, injuries that seriously affect the internal organs are hard to heal with Dou Qi, which is more suited for external wounds. ¡°I believe in my grandfather¡¯s incredible strength, enough to ovee any chronic condition and regain his health.¡± ¡°Thank you for your blessing; we all think so.¡± After exchanging greetings with Ranieri, Liszt found Levis and Li Vera to inquire about their gift arrangements. As the heir to Tulip Castle, Levis naturally had a pile of gifts, all very high-end, including precious gifts from an earl to his father-inw. The gifts from Li Vera were much lighter¡ªsmall but thoughtful presents. As a female noble, no matter how small the gifts she offered, no fault could be found. ¡°Let me see your gifts, Fresh Flower Soap and Fresh Flower oyster sauce? And what are these, egg rolls, bread, and longevity noodles?¡± After checking the gifts for Liszt, Li Vera asked, ¡°What are longevity noodles?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a very long noodle. Oh, I forgot you don¡¯t know what noodles are yet. Noodles are a new food invented by Mrs. Abbie. A long strip of dough boiled in water, topped with condiments, and served with a couple of eggs makes a very delicious meal. Besides, the length of the noodles signifies longevity.¡± ¡°It¡¯s very creative; I¡¯m envious that you have a chef like Mrs. Abbie. My chef can only make bread and can¡¯t even learn to fry an egg. But don¡¯t you think these gifts are too light? Your grandfather once sent you a gemstone weapon. Are the gifts you¡¯re sending worth a Gold Coin?¡± ¡°Probably¡­ worth two Gold Coins,¡± Liszt admitted, feeling ashamed after Li Vera pointed it out. These gifts, while called local specialties, could also be seen as cheap local goods if seen less favorably. After thinking it over, he added, ¡°I¡¯ll throw in a ck Pearl as well.¡± A fist-sized ck Pearl can be made into defensive Magic Equipment worth over a hundred Gold Coins. With this addition, his gifts had both sentimental value and worth, no longer embarrassing.
¡°You have so many nice things.¡± Li Vera said with a hint of envy, ¡°If your grandfather feels your sincerity, maybe he¡¯ll send you another piece of gemstone equipment. What he gives me is always thetest fashion for nobledies¡­ I can make my own clothes!¡± Chapter 244: 0244: Devil Cloud Strikes (Fourth Update, Additional for 2600 Subscriptions) Chapter 244: Devil Cloud Strikes (Fourth Update, Additional for 2600 Subscriptions) The sailing ships of Red Crab Ind boasted sails that could block out the sun itself. They bore the massive emblem of a ¡°Sapphire,¡± the symbol of The Court, representing the nobility and authority of the Sapphire Family. ¡°This ship is enormous, muchrger than those of the Tulip Family,¡± Paris said as she saw such a huge ship for the first time, filled with wonder. Without regard for his noble image, Liszt sat on the deck¡¯s stairway at the bow, leaning against the soft fur on Douson¡¯s belly. The strong sea breeze tousled his meticulouslybed pale golden hair incessantly. ¡°This is The Court¡¯s swift sailing ship, fast enough to reach 10 knots with the wind behind it. My grandfather oncemanded The Court navy, a position of high authority that garnered immense trust from the Grand Duke; he was gifted several swift sailing ships upon his retirement.¡± The Long Taro Family was known for its shrewdness and were unwavering followers of the Grand Duke. Back when Marquis Merlin¡¯s father was still an Earl, he had spent his entire fortune to support the war efforts of the previous Grand Duke. It ultimately earned him the title of Marquis and the vast Red Crab Ind. Upon the ascension of the new Grand Duke, he especially relied on Marquis Merlin tomand The Court navy. One must understand that for the Duchy of Sapphire, whose power extends across the sea, the navy is indispensable, underscoring the Grand Duke¡¯s reliance on Marquis Merlin. Unfortunately, Marquis Merlin fell ill and currently no longer holds a position at The Court. As for Liszt¡¯s uncle, Mesiro Taro, although also a Sky Knight, he did not inherit Marquis Merlin¡¯s valor. The family¡¯s magic potions had artificially boosted him until, at the age of thirty-five, he finally broke through to Advanced Dou Qi. At this age, Li Weiliam already leveraged thebat power of a Sky Knight to establish his own branch on Coral Ind.
Despite Mesiro¡¯sckluster talent, it was said that his cousin Meioubao had promising abilities. At only twenty-five, he was already nearing the threshold of a Sky Knight and could break through at any moment. One cannot deny the truth. At the level of wealth umted by a Marquis Family, even a pig could be molded into a Sky Knight. Although there might be a gappared to a naturally gifted individual like Li Weiliam, who consumed potions for his abilities, ensuring the family¡¯s continuation was undoubtedly secured. With extra effort in nurturing the next generation, the family could always maintain its evesting prosperity. ¡°You¡¯re called Paris?¡± Li Vera, who had appeared on the deck at some point, greeted Liszt with a smile, and then struck up a conversation with Paris. ¡°Yes, Baroness Li Vera.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not a local of Coral Ind? Your ent is very different from those here.¡± ¡°I¡¯m from the Eagle Kingdom.¡± ¡°A serf?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m a mercenary.¡± ¡°Hmm, there are many mercenaries on the maind. How did youe to Coral Ind and end up in the employ of my brother?¡± ¡°I came by ship. My sister was sold to Fresh Flower Town, and I tracked her here, then epted the employment of Baron Li.¡± ¡°How are yourbat skills?¡± Li Vera suddenly felt an urge to test Paris. Liszt watched quietly from the side as Li Vera attempted to win over Paris, offering noment, just a faint smile as he idly scratched Douson¡¯s itch. He actually wanted to see if Li Vera could coax Paris to switch sides, viewing it as a perfect opportunity to test Paris¡¯s loyalty. After ncing at Liszt, who was focused on grooming Douson¡¯s fur, Paris turned back to Li Vera and said, ¡°I am an Elite Earth Knight, Baroness Li Vera. Do you wish to challenge me?¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t reached the elite level yet. It would be great to learn somebat skills from you!¡± ¡°As you wish!¡± Thereupon, the two drew their longswords and began to duel. A noisy sh of metal ensued until Li Vera¡¯s longsword was knocked out of her hand, marking the end of the encounter. It was clear that Paris had held back.
She hadn¡¯t even used the maneuver ¡°Light and Shadow Tug,¡± defeating Li Vera, who possessed Dou Qi, simply through superior physical prowess. After thepetition, Baroness Li Vera openly praised Paris, chatted idly with Liszt for a while, and then left the bow to return to her cabin without directly expressing her intention to recruit Paris¡ªBaroness Li Vera had indeed be more restrained than before and no longer tried to snatch the good things in front of Liszt¡¯s face. ¡°Your sister is far inferior to you in strength,¡± Paris suddenly said. ¡°She was promoted to an Earth Knight before she came of age and is considered a very talented genius among female knights,¡± Liszt smiled calmly and said, ¡°But my talent is even more exceptional.¡±
Paris turned away, not picking up on Liszt¡¯s words. ¡­ After the female mercenary left, aside from a few sailors working on deck, only Liszt and Douson remained. Douson was toorge and did not like to stay in the cabin, so Liszt did not return to his either, continuing to apany Douson on deck to enjoy the breeze. Sailing at sea was an extremely boring affair. Liszt dozed off, his mind wandering aimlessly. He thought about his journey to Long Taro Castle and whether he would see Asina Salmon again, the beautiful girl who had left a deep impression on him. But he was too shy to inquire about Asina¡¯s recent situation with the deputy butler Ranieri, considering Asina¡¯s age, it would be hard for her to remain single. After all, she wasn¡¯t someone as picky as Li Vera. ¡°It wouldn¡¯t be right to say that Asina isn¡¯t picky either. Choosing me out of the crowd at the ball shows that she has very high standards when ites to selecting a partner,¡± he mused. He was fantasizing about Asina seeing him again and expressing her love anew. Suddenly, he heard the startled cry from the lookout at the top of the mast: ¡°It¡¯s the Devil Cloud!¡± Immediately following, the lookout blew the horn. The low, prating sound of the horn instantly awakened everyone on the ship from their slumber, sending them scurrying out of their cabins. Liszt, of course, understood the meaning of the horn¡ªit signified that the ship was in danger. He quickly stood up, grabbing Douson, and nervously scanned his surroundings. Upon looking, he saw dark clouds rolling in on the horizon of the ship¡¯s forward course.
It was the tumult of dark clouds, interspersed with shes of lightning, bearing down in a crushing line towards them. ¡°The Devil Cloud!¡± ¡°It¡¯s the Devil Cloud!¡± The sailors cried out in rm until they were silenced by the captain¡¯s voice: ¡°Don¡¯t panic! Take down the sails! Drop the bow anchor immediately, and get the stern anchor ready.¡± The voice was not particrly loud, but the well-trained sailors immediately calmed their agitation and began expertly lowering the sails. A group of strong sailors operated the winch, casting the wooden bow anchor. Driven by the anchor, the huge wooden chain emitted a screeching friction noise as it rapidly sank to the seabed. Lacking iron, the anchors were made of wood. Though they were wooden anchors, they were made of ironwood, which sinks as soon as it touches water. The weight of a single wooden anchor could be as heavy as half a ton. Once submerged, the massive dragging force immediately caused the sailing ship to halt and anchored it in ce on the sea surface. Liszt¡¯s heart was somewhat panicked. As he hadn¡¯t brought the Calming Sea Pearl, he was already feeling uneasy, and now they truly encountered danger at sea. It would be all too easy for the vast sea to swallow a few people. Seeing Levis rushing towards the captain¡¯s quarters, he followed, just in time to hear Levis¡¯s bellowing: ¡°What is the Devil Cloud?¡± The captain took out a sk, took a swig of liquor. Steadying himself, he said, ¡°Gentlemen nobles, there is no need for rm, it is just a sea storm, in my life I have encountered more storms than white bread I¡¯ve eaten. The Giant Crab was once a Court sailboat, with a massive tonnage capable of withstanding a storm. It can definitely hold its own against the Devil Cloud!¡±
Hearing his nonchnt exnation, everyone settled down a bit. But Liszt, with his acute observation, noticed that the captain didn¡¯t seem as rxed as he portrayed, and pressed, ¡°Captain, tell us, what exactly is the Devil Cloud?¡± Chapter 245: 0245: Marquis Cohen’s Ghost Ship (Fifth Release, Bonus for 2800 Subscriptions) Chapter 245: Marquis Cohen¡¯s Ghost Ship (Fifth Release, Bonus for 2800 Subscriptions) Out on the vast sea, sea monsters are a topic that seafarers cannot avoid, but beyond the sea monsters, various storms and disasters are also an eternal topic of discussion. In addition to these, ghost ships, sirens, and so on, are also frequently mentioned by sailors. The Devil Cloud belongs to a tale thatbines both storms and ghost ships, the origins of which Liszt is not unfamiliar with. The captain pointed at the rolling ck clouds on the distant horizon and the lightning within them, and spoke with undeniable fear, ¡°The Devil Cloud¡­ it is transformed from the resentful spirit of Marquis Cohen!¡± ¡°Marquis Cohen?¡± Liszt quickly recalled that in his gemstone space, there was a Dragonbone Stabilizer. ording to Captain Kostor of the Fresh Flower Vessel, the Dragonbone Stabilizer Technique originated from the Magician of the Cohen Marquis Family. However, with Marquis Cohen¡¯s involvement in a court coup, the family was ruined, and the technique was lost. ¡°The Ghost Ship Captain Marquis Cohen, once the unrivaled King of the Sea of Azure Waves, legend has it that he ventured into the Devil¡¯s Sea and acquired the Devil¡¯s power!¡± As the dark clouds and lightning drew closer, the captain trembled while saying so. In this world, there are no legends of gods, but there are legends of devils. The sea beyond the Sea of Azure Waves is known as the Devil¡¯s Sea because, ording to legend, it is where devils roam, and even Dragon Knights dare not traverse the Devil¡¯s Sea. However, Levis, growing impatient, scolded, ¡°What nonsense! Marquis Cohen was just a marquis from a hundred years ago whomitted heinous crimes and was executed in a prison on Blue Dragon Ind!¡± The captain let out a hollowugh, which felt foreboding, ¡°But¡­ there truly have been sailors who¡¯ve seen a ghost ship within the Devil Cloud, flying the Goat Head g of Marquis Cohen. That goat head burns with green mes and can transform into a skull that sucks out all of a person¡¯s blood!¡±
¡°Molodo!¡± Ranieri, the deputy butler who had just arrived, immediately intervened upon hearing his words, ¡°Stop your absurd tales. These noble guests have infinitely more knowledge than you. Keep your ghost stories to scare yourself! Hurry up and find a way to get through this storm!¡± After finishing, Ranieri turned to the three siblings and said, ¡°My apologies, Young Master Sun, Miss Sun, Captain Molodo has a penchant for making up wild stories. He surely has a way to get through this storm¡­ let him stay in the captain¡¯s quarters tomand the sailors against the storm. You all go ahead and rest in the cabin.¡± Liszt had no desire to rest, for he wanted to understand more about the Devil Cloud as mentioned by Captain Molodo. But Levis, who was persuaded that Molodo was spouting nonsense, had already left first. Liszt thought for a moment and felt it wasn¡¯t appropriate to disturb Molodo during hismand, so he reluctantly followed out of the captain¡¯s quarters. Once in the cabin, Ranieri had the servants bring some coffee and exined, ¡°Young Master Sun, Miss Sun, please forgive Captain Molodo¡¯s ramblings. He was once the finest captain on Red Crab Ind,manding a sailboat and escaping from what was believed to be a deadly whirlpool. However, heter suffered a setback when his son died in a storm ident.¡± A melodramatic story came from Ranieri¡¯s lips. Five years ago, the Ranieri family was harmonious and happy, with a handsome and charismatic only son whose dream was tomand a sea vessel across the Sea of Azure Waves just like his father did. Pursuing this dream, the young man started as a sailor, worked his way up to first mate, and finally got the chance tomand a vessel on his own. However, three monthster, the sea vessel did not return, and only two sailors from the ship managed to escape back. They imed the ship encountered a devil hiding within a storm cloud, a ghost ship that flew the g of the Cohen Marquis Family, and swallowed their sea vessel. Ranieri¡¯s son was devoured by the devil, and they, unconscious on a nk, were rescued by a passing merchant ship. ¡°Since then, Molodo has been convinced that the Devil Cloud will eventuallye for him, seeing any storm cloud as the arrival of the Devil Cloud¡­ He has a high standing on the ship, and the sailors are all personally trained by him. He says it¡¯s the Devil Cloud, so the sailors cry out Devil Cloud.¡± Levis frowned after listening and said, ¡°Mr. Ranieri, if Molodo has already be a madman, why does Long Taro Castle still allow him to continue as a captain?¡± Ranieri responded with an awkward tone, ¡°His experience is an irreceable treasure. At sea, he always ovees the storms; no one is better suited to be a captain than he is. When the old master was still fit to fight, he would embark on every expedition overseas on Molodo¡¯s ship, and they were always victorious.¡± Only then did Levis raise an eyebrow but said nothing further, after all, Molodo was a meritorious captain of Long Taro Castle. asional folly is not enough reason to be cast aside. Liszt, looking at his now calm brother and sister, still felt uneasy and promptly walked out the door, ¡°I feel a bit suffocated, I¡¯m going up to see what¡¯s happening.¡± ¡°Baron, do you feel anxious?¡± Paris followed him out.
As he stroked Douson¡¯s fur, Liszt did not speak. Instead, he used the Eye of Magic to observe the dark clouds and lightning almost pressing down upon them. It was like a towering ck wall roaring and severing the connection between this sea area and the world, isting the fast sailing ship from everything else. The sight of the sky split between ck and white made one tremble. Through the vision of the Eye of Magic, the ck clouds and the rising and falling lightning seemed to hint at magic power presence, but it also looked like it was just a magical reaction caused by lightning. When lightning shed, a trace of magic appeared; when it ceased, the trace vanished. ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem to be the magic of a ghost ship, just the lightning stirring the free-floating magic power.¡± Liszt had seen thunder and lightning before and had noticed that lightning could provoke magical phenomena.
If there were a ghost ship, just as he could detect the 36D Ghost hidden within the Dragonbone Stabilizer, the Eye of Magic would undoubtedly reveal the magic of the ghost ship. The absence of any sign meant this was not some Devil Cloud, but simply a pure storm. He could rx his emotions. But his heart was still tense and annoyed, ¡°I should have brought the Calming Sea Pearl with me! When I return, I must ask Grandini Truth to craft a Calming Sea Pearl for me! No, I should turn thergest ck Pearl into a Calming Sea Pearl! I hate storms!¡± His anxious emotions were swiftly repressed. Touching Douson¡¯s fur, he said inwardly, ¡°Douson has learned to swim, I could ride it adrift at sea¡­ It can also release Rock Spikes in the water, killing ordinary sea monsters shouldn¡¯t be too difficult.¡± However, he quickly remembered a problem. He immediately instructed his Retainer Knight Philip, ¡°Go inform Sir Layden to remember to have someone guard the life rafts. If there¡¯s no issue, then fine, but if there is, we must ensure we control the life rafts.¡± ¡°Yes, my lord!¡± Suddenly, he thought of Paris standing right beside him, having heard his self-centered words, she would surely despise him and his loyalty would decrease. But his mind worked very fast, turning his head, he directly said to an as yet nonplussed Paris, ¡°If the storm capsizes the shipter, remember to stick close to me and don¡¯t wander off. There are only a few life rafts on board; they cannot save many. I don¡¯t want you to suffer an ident.¡± Confused, Paris immediately felt moved, ¡°I¡­ understand¡­ Thank you, but I should be the one protecting you.¡± ¡°Surviving is the only way to have a chance to protect me.¡±
At this very moment, the Oscar statuette seemed to be waving at Liszt. Chapter 246: 0246: Green Flame in the Darkness (First Update) Chapter 246: Green me in the Darkness (First Update) You jump, I jump! (If you jump, then I jump.) Back then, Little Lizhi stood on the ship¡¯s bow, bewitching countless ignorant young girls. Liszt always thought, what¡¯s so touching about that? It¡¯s just cheating, depicted as though it were as intense as a thunderous strike igniting the earth. But at this moment, looking at Paris, who was so moved that she stammered, he suddenly understood that women really are a different species from men. After uttering that sentence just now, he got goosebumps; it was truly disgusting. He found it hard to imagine how he could say it with even a slight hint of emotion. The most crucial point was that Paris actually believed it and was touched, her eyes bing tender. ¡°The Controlling Path is profound and vast¡­ Speaking to men about honor and interests can be effective. But for women, interests and honor are secondary; emotions are what truly matter,¡± he reflected. At this moment, many realizations dawned on Liszt. Practice brings true knowledge, and his understanding of women had ascended a level. And he immediately realized why in his past life he¡¯d always hit a wall when chasing after girls, even though he had personally made ice cream for them¡ªhe had failed to win their favor. The reasons were simple, two in fact: Not handsome enough, and not good at sweet-talking. Now, not only was he handsome, but he had also learned how to sweet-talk: ¡°The loyalty of the female mercenary toward me has probably risen by ten points. If the full value is one hundred, it should be around seventy by now.¡±
The lingering atmosphere vanished in an instant, as the ck thunderclouds with lightning shes had approached. The sky darkenedpletely, with only the flicker of lightning shining. ¡°Let¡¯s go, back to the cabin!¡± ¡°Mhm.¡± Douson was also pulled into the cabin. In the cabin, Levis and Li Vera received the notice, and the three siblings exchanged nces, instantly sharing their thoughts¡ªshould danger arise, the life rafts would be allocated by them. If necessary, all the sailors on this ship could be sacrificed. A pang in his conscience, Liszt sat down and sighed inwardly: ¡°I hope nothing really happens. It would be best to arrive at Red Crab Ind safely.¡± Crack! Boom! A bolt of lightning struck just outside the window, and the dark clouds enveloped the fast-moving ship, heralding the full assault of the tempest. The fierce winds howled, apanied by the pitter-patter ofrge raindrops, and the once-stable ship started rocking wildly in the waves. Liszt, with one hand braced against the wall, calmly looked out the window. The darkness was imprable, with no light to be seen save for the shes of lightning. It was as if a giant mouth was swallowing the whole ship. Faint shouts from the sailors could be heard on deck as they struggled to control the ship, preventing it from capsizing in the fierce wind. At sea, wind and waves are the main causes of idents, and experienced captains know how to navigate through them. At this time, the waves weren¡¯t that high, but the wind was very strong, and together with the rain, it pped the fast-moving ship around like a toy. The sister and brothers, who rarely experienced storms, grew tense for a while. Then, realizing that though the ship rocked and its bow and stern rose and fell, there was no sign of it capsizing, they began to rx. Looking out the window, they saw no sign of any Ghost Ship. ¡°Molodo was indeed talking nonsense; there¡¯s no Ghost Ship of Marquis Cohen.¡± Levis said with disdain. ¡°Did Marquis Cohen really die in the prison on Blue Dragon Ind?¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s no secret. After Marquis Cohen¡¯s involvement in the failed coup, he was immediately imprisoned by the Grand Duke. Once all of his family members had been captured, he was secretly executed in prison. The Sapphire Family didn¡¯t create their present glory by being kind and merciful.¡± Levis spoke with a tone of admiration. He held the Sapphire Family in high esteem. ¡­ It seemed just as Levis had said, this was only amon storm. Half an hourter, the clouds still enveloped the sky, but the lightning had ceased, and both the heavy rain and fierce winds had gradually settled, as the swift sailboat regained its stability.
¡°The storm has finally passed,¡± Li Vera stretched her back. But before she could finish her sigh of relief, the lookout who had climbed to the top of the mast blew the horn once again, its deep sound spreading through the gloomy environment, giving off a sinister feeling. ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡± No excessive words were needed, the continuous sound of the horn made everyone¡¯s heart sink sharply, all understanding the gravity of the situation¡ªthe storm had stopped, but the danger had not passed. There must be a new threat approaching. Normally, they might think of a sea monster, but having been haunted by the Devil Cloud,
everyone felt a sense of foreboding as though they had encountered the Devil Cloud itself. That feeling became reality. Suddenly a sailor cried out: ¡°Ah, light! Light! Light! It¡¯s the green light of the ghost ship!¡± Liszt and the others quickly climbed from the cabin to the foredeck, then towards the darkness in the distance where a green glow was moving, heading in this direction, flickering as if truly a wraith of mes. Others could only see a wraith of mes. Using the Eye of Magic, Liszt saw signs of magic power, faint green magic outlining the vague shape of a tattered sailboat. ¡°It¡¯s really a ghost ship!¡± He shuddered violently. To say he was surprised was not quite right; he had seen specters before, and had even a ck Dragon Childe with ties to wraiths by his side; specters were not a legend but a very real existence. Nheless, he was very tense, as encountering a ghost ship on the vast sea spelled unmistakable danger. ¡°The spectral vessel of Marquis Cohen, could it actually be real?¡± Levis, swallowing his saliva, was equally tense beside him. No one keeps theirposure when facing the imusible sight of a ghost ship; even Douson, the Intermediate Magical Beast, sensed the unease in the air, his fur standing on end as he growled softly. At that moment, Levis¡¯s guard, Honored Knight Captain Layden stepped forward: ¡°Do not panic, Sir Levis, Baroness Li Vera, Baron Liszt, we knights possess Dou Qi, even devils can be beheaded by our des! Gather all knights, prepare for battle against the ghost ship!¡± ¡°Philip, Zavier, you lead the Retainer Knights and follow Captain Layden into battle!¡± Liszt made a swift decision. Soon, a fighting teamposed of knights and Retainer Knights was assembled.
Under Sir Layden¡¯smand, everyone drew their weapons, prepared to face the ghost ship drawing closer, whose decaying, damaged, and spotty hull could now be seen clearly along with the Ram Head g hanging from the mast, engulfed in green mes¡ªas Captain Molodo had said, this was the ghost ship of Marquis Cohen. ¡°Baron, be careful!¡± Paris drew her greatsword, guarding in front of Liszt, her tone grave, sensing the threat of the ghost ship. Her inner turmoil was intense, her hand clenching white as she held onto Douson¡¯s leash. But on the surface, Liszt still maintained hisposure, forcibly appearing calm: ¡°It¡¯s just a ghost ship, it might not have been strong while alive, let alone in death. My Crimson Blood Sword has yet to taste fresh blood; it seems it couldn¡¯t wait for the battlefield, so let¡¯s use phantoms to whet its de instead!¡± ng! The Crimson Blood Sword was drawn, and the Dou Qi within him stirred, ready forbat. Creak, sizzle, creak¡­ The ghost ship, drawing ever closer, stirred not a single wave on the sea surface, yet it made a grating noise of decay as it bore directly towards the swift sailboat¡¯s bow, without any intention to evade, just charging straight ahead. Chapter 247: 0247: Overlapping Worlds (Second Update) Chapter 247: Ovepping Worlds (Second Update) The sky was still shrouded in dark clouds, with not a single ray of light. Only the ghost ship flickered with dots of greenish ghost fire, and the Goat Head g was aze with mes, illuminating parts of the sea. ¡°Hard to port! Turn! Turn!¡± Marquis Molodo¡¯s voice pierced the quiet, followed by the ratcheting sound of the ship¡¯s wheel turning. But despite this noisesting for a while, it was still impossible to feel the fast sailboat turning around. ¡°We¡¯ve been hexed by the devil, Captain, we can¡¯t turn the ship!¡± ¡°There¡¯s no wind, no waves, even rowing won¡¯t get us anywhere!¡± ¡°It¡¯s over, it¡¯s truly the Devil Cloud, it¡¯s Marquis Cohen¡¯s Ghost Ship,ing to take vengeance on us!¡± ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have peeked at Lady Gaia bathing in the tavern, truly, I knew I¡¯d face retribution!¡± The sailors were already petrified. Marquis Molodo was also out of options, the fast sailboat was as if under a freezing spell, motionless, waiting for the collision with the ghost ship. ¡°Douson, Multiple Stone Spikes!¡± Liszt, seeing the Captain was out of options, suddenly decided to strike first, pointing at the ghost ship and giving Douson themand.
Douson, very nervous duergely to the atmosphere, had no idea what the ghost ship opposite was, and upon hearing Liszt¡¯smand, immediately spewed magic from his mouth. Pfft! Pfft! Pfft! Several Rock Spikes protruded from the ghost ship¡¯s deck one after another, but unexpectedly, these Rock Spikes did no damage to the ghost ship; instead, they fell directly off the deck, and you could even hear them plunging into the sea with a ssh, ssh. ¡°This¡­¡± Liszt wanted to say this was unscientific. But after seeing dragons, elves, specters, and ck Dragon Wraiths, what else could be scientific? Perhaps, in this fantastical Different World, the existence of such things was scientific, merely inexplicable by science. In a daze. Some sailors had begun to scream, clutching their heads, some even wetting themselves from fear; the Captain slumped in the cabin, his bottle of wine wobbling, wanting to drink but unable to lift it to his lips; even the normally brave Li Vera gripped her longsword, shouting shakily: ¡°Don¡¯t!¡± Unable to resist! Everyone watched helplessly as the ghost ship, with an unavoidable posture, collided head-to-head with the fast sailboat, bit by bit. ¡°Hold tight!¡± ¡°Prepare for boardingbat!¡± Captain Layden raised his Knight¡¯s Longsword and bellowed, ¡°Knights, summon your courage and charge with me!¡± His disy was worthy of a knight¡¯s stature, fearless and valiant. However, the atmosphere wasn¡¯t as he imagined; the collision never came. The decaying ghost ship simply passed through the fast sailboat, like a mist, without any physical presence. ¡°Uh¡­¡± With his Knight¡¯s Sword raised, Captain Layden was somewhat dumbfounded. At that moment, the previously tense Levis suddenly burst with courage: ¡°Liszt, Li Vera, gather around me! Captain Leo, organize the knights to hold the deck. We¡¯ll stay right here and collide with these damn phantoms. Knights with Dou Qi are invincible in battle!¡±
Liszt gripped his Crimson Blood Sword tightly, quickly joining Levis: ¡°I was just thinking of fighting side by side with my brother and sister!¡± As he spoke, he deployed the Eye of Magic in his eyes. He could see the ghost ship burning with green ghost fire, its structure outlined by magic, slowly engulfing the fast sailboat. Or perhaps not engulfing, but passing through like a phantom. In the blink of an eye, the decayed hull was already rushing towards him. The decayed wooden hull was tattered, and one could even smell the stench of rot.
It looked very real, but this ghost ship had already ¡°swallowed¡± several sailors who failed to dodge in time. Their cries for help could still be heard as they sat on the deck calling out for salvation. Creak! The grating sound burst through the eardrums as the Eye of Magic, pushed beyond its limits, copsed in an instant. Liszt and the others were also swallowed by the ghost ship, and everything in front of them seemed to change in an instant. He was no longer standing on the deck of the once-fast sailing ship, but on the crumbling deck of the ghost ship. The surrounding area was shrouded in mist, and he couldn¡¯t see Paris, Levis, and the others who were just beside him. But that was only what the naked eye could observe. It was as if he were trapped on the ghost ship; he even extended his foot to probe a hole in the deck, and indeed he could actually slip his foot in, meaning he truly was standing on the deck of the ghost ship. ¡°Why is this happening?¡± Suppressing his anxiety, he thought rapidly but could not understand why one moment he was standing firmly on the deck of the fast sailing ship, and the next he was on the deck of the ghost ship, stepping on it and hearing the creaking as if the boards would break at any time¡ªvery real, not an illusion. ¡°Levis!¡± ¡°Li Vera!¡± He called out, but there was no answer, only the creaking of the wooden boards. ¡°Douson!¡± ¡°Paris!¡±
All without response. The mist was swirling, the light dim, and even the will-o¡¯-the-wisps he could see earlier were now gone: ¡°Have I been trapped inside the ghost ship? Why is this happening, are my senses experiencing an illusion? Or have matter and spirit twisted at this moment?¡± The triangr theory believed by magicians surfaced in his mind; he remembered what Granney had said about the theory¡ªthe constant transformation of matter, magic power, and spirit. But the Crimson Blood Sword was still in his hands; he refused to believe that so many people and the vast fast sailing ship could be transformed so swiftly. ¡°I must be having an illusion!¡± ¡°Yes, an illusion!¡± Rubbing his eyes fiercely, the feeling of fatigue seemed to have subsided a bit. He immediately cast the Eye of Magic again. In a sh, everything around him underwent a drastic change. He saw where hispanions had gone; their human shapes outlined by magic power had not strayed far. They were just spinning in ce, even brandishing weapons to fight, engaged in infighting. He saw Levis, desperately swinging his sword at the air in front of him. He saw Li Vera, holding her sword and trembling. He saw Captain Layden, who had chopped down an Apprentice Knight to the ground. Then, he spotted Paris, right behind him, less than a meter away. Douson was over there too, but Paris and Douson hadn¡¯t noticed each other. Paris held her knights¡¯sword and vigntly surveyed her surroundings, while Douson kept opening his mouth, apparently barking. At that moment, the movement of a magic power figure alerted Liszt¡ªthe subject had fallen from the deck into the hold of the ghost ship. Which meant, even though these people, including himself, were plunged into illusions. The ce they were in was no longer the fast sailing ship but indeed the ghost ship, for only the ghost ship would have such a decayed and hole-riddled deck.
Without the time to ponder the reasons, Liszt moved straight towards Douson and then pped him hard on the back: ¡°Douson!¡± Douson turned and snapped, shooting a Rock Spike. Luckily, Liszt was prepared, he twisted away and continued to p Douson while constantly calling out: ¡°Douson! Have you even forgotten your master?¡± But Douson seemedpletely unresponsive, his dog eyes confused as he continued to recklessly release Multiple Stone Spikes. It wasn¡¯t until Liszt took out a piece of jerky, found the opportunity to stuff it into his mouth, that Douson finally bit down hard on the jerky, then shook his head, his dog eyes regaining rity. Seeing clearly the person in front of him was Liszt, he held the jerky and barked joyfully: ¡°Woof woof!¡± Chapter 248: 0248: Bursting Human Faces (Third update, bonus for 3000 subscriptions) Chapter 248: Bursting Human Faces (Third update, bonus for 3000 subscriptions) After awakening Douson, Liszt¡¯s tense mood greatly eased. The phrase ¡°man with his dog¡± might sound a bit offputting, but having Douson by his side really broughtfort. ¡°Woof, woof!¡± Douson devoured the jerky in two bites and started barking again; it still couldn¡¯t see its surroundings clearly, seeing only the misty fog all around. Liszt too couldn¡¯t see the environment clearly; he could only infer his situation through the magic lines outlined by the Eye of Magic. However, the Dou Qi Secret Technique of the Eye of Magic copsed once when the Ghost Ship switched the real scene. As a result, his eyes were still fatigued. Just after awakening Douson, he couldn¡¯t persist and had to dispel the Eye of Magic. Once the Eye of Magic was dispersed, the boundaries between reality and illusion blurred once again, going round and round on the deck, unable to contact anyone else. ¡°What exactly is my current state?¡± ¡°How exactly does the Ghost Ship cause such effects, far beyond mere illusions?¡± He tried to grope his way toward Paris¡¯s location based on memory, but regrettably, after walking dozens of steps and crossing several holes in the deck, he still hadn¡¯t reached Paris. Only Douson was following behind him. Since Douson had been awakened by the jerky, it didn¡¯t fall back into delusions. Liszt firmly held the leash in his hand. Feeling that this wasn¡¯t secure enough, he tied one end of the leash to the belt of his pants to prevent himself from letting go of Douson¡¯s leash if he fell into delusion again. Maybe it was because he had been nervous too many times, but now, although the situation was unknown, he seemed to have adapted to it, and his mind had returned to its calmest state.
¡°A dragon¡¯s magic power infects the surroundings, producing treasure; an elf¡¯s magic power affects crops, making nts thrive; Douson¡¯s magic can create rocks, and my Dou Qi can burn detached from my body. All these things show that magic power exists, not only can it create out of nothing, but it also has unbelievable effects.¡± He looked closely at the rolling mist around him. He felt that he was touching the essence of what was happening with the Ghost Ship, ¡°So essentially, this Ghost Ship belonging to Marquis Cohen is also a disy of magic power? To say it¡¯s illusory, it sure is illusory, because it¡¯s just made up of magic power; to say it¡¯s real, it certainly is real, because magic power can affect reality.¡± The more he thought about it, the more he felt that this conjecture was correct. But it seemed that knowing the principle was of no use; those who were trapped on the Ghost Ship were still trapped. ¡°I should wait for my eyes¡¯ fatigue to ease, then cast the Eye of Magic again. Without the Eye of Magic within the bounds of the Ghost Ship, I can hardly move an inch!¡± The recent copse of the Eye of Magic made him feel as if he was suffering bacsh, causing his eyes to fatigue. Ever since he hadpletely mastered the Eye of Magic, he had been able to perform the Dou Qi Secret Technique continuously without experiencing fatigue. As he circted his Dou Qi to recover from the eye fatigue, he sighed silently, ¡°I hope not everyone is dead.¡± They were supposed to go to Red Crab Ind for a joyful festival, and perhaps obtain some good things from Marquis Merlin, but they encountered the almost impossible Ghost Ship. Such rotten luck. Anxiousness won¡¯t make hot tofu cook faster. He didn¡¯t immediately cast the Eye of Magic, still waiting for his eyes to recover from fatigue. After a while, with continuous restoration from his Dou Qi, his eyes became spirited again, with not a hint of fatigue. ¡°That¡¯s more like it!¡± In an instant, he cast the Eye of Magic, and the vision shrouded in mist changed once more. The outlines of the ship and the shadows of people drawn by magic reappeared. Comparing his memory, he first found Li Vera trembling, being chased in circles by an Apprentice Knight. Bang! Thud! Liszt kicked the Apprentice Knight away and then grabbed Li Vera, ¡°Wake up, Li Vera!¡± Ssh! Ssh! pping her own face twice, Li Vera still didn¡¯t wake up. Having no other choice, Liszt directly dragged her and stuffed her into a cabin of the ghost ship¡­ Without anyone to chop at her, he let her cause amotion in the cabin first.
After rescuing Li Vera, Liszt didn¡¯t stop for a moment and, with quite an effort alongside Douson, captured Levis, dragging him into a cabin as well. The groggy Levis couldn¡¯t muster thebat strength of an Elite Earth Knight. With his brother and sister rescued, he nned to drag Paris into a cabin next. But Paris was far more skillful than the others, and despite Liszt and Douson throwing punches at her, they still couldn¡¯t restrain her, and she even showed signs of transforming. Seeing this, Liszt simply left her be. With herbat strength, she probably had no equal on this ship.
¡°To wake these people, we¡¯ll probably have to deal with the ghost ship!¡± For Liszt, who possesses the Eye of Magic, a ghost ship without phantoms posed no threat. ¡°Come on, Douson, to the ce with the brightest magic power!¡± Leading Douson, they headed straight for the ce where the magic power of the ghost ship was most concentrated. This ghost ship, with its green magic power, formed vague outlines, among which were three distinct centers of magic concentration. One was at the top of the mast with the Goat Head g, where magic mes zed fiercely. Another was at the bow, where the figurehead was a depiction of the Sapphire Dragon. People from the Duchy of Sapphire believed that the Sapphire Dragon could suppress all the sea monsters of the Sea of Azure Waves and protect the safety of the sailors. Only now, with green mes burning on the figurehead, it looked less like a dragon and more like a bat. Thest, and also Liszt¡¯s intended destination, was in the middle of the ship¡¯s cabin. While not as powerful as the Goat Head g or the Dragon Bow Figurehead, it seemed like the heart of the entire ghost ship, with every trace of magic power outlining the ship starting from there. ¡°Woof woof!¡± Douson¡¯s massive body struggled to follow Liszt, moving through the decaying wood towards the middle of the cabin. The creaking sounds below their feet kepting, as if the wooden nks could snap underfoot at any moment¡ªDouson really shouldn¡¯t have been brought down here, as the cabins and passages below were too narrow. It wasn¡¯t suitable for Douson to move freely, but with Douson by his side, Liszt felt bold enough to walk alone on the eerie and terrifying ghost ship. ¡°We¡¯re almost there!¡± A few more steps and they would reach the cabin chamber where the magic radiance was most vibrant. But at that moment, the previously silent ghost ship, where only the sound of wooden nks was heard, suddenly echoed with a faint whisper. Unclear.
But Liszt was certain he wasn¡¯t having auditory hallucinations since Douson, too, pricked up its ears, looking in the direction from which the voice came: ¡°Woof, woof!¡± ¡°Douson, hush!¡± Liszt calmed Douson. He listened intently. The voices were intermittent but were indeeding through, vague and incoherent, only catching a few disjointed words: ¡°Chase¡­ death¡­ Andite¡­ loyalty¡­ Mom¡­ home¡­ magic¡­ save¡­ Curtis¡­ madman¡­ no¡­¡± And these words were obviously not spoken by one person; it was a group of people shouting in disorder. ¡°Andite? Curtis? They sound like two names.¡± As Liszt muttered these names to himself, suddenly, on the wall outlined by magic in front of him, a ghostly pale face appeared. The face seemed to be shouting at Liszt, or just shouting to itself: ¡°No!¡± This unexpected sight startled Liszt so much he instinctively swung his sword, plunging the Crimson Blood Sword into the face, the Fire Attribute Dou Qi exploding and shattering the magic shaping the face. The face vanished, and the shouting stopped. Withdrawing the Crimson Blood Sword, Liszt¡¯s face was cold: ¡°Come on, Douson, let¡¯s see what¡¯s ying tricks and conjuring a bunch of low-grade phantoms!¡± Chapter 250: 0250: Exiled Lands in the Mist (Fifth Update, 80,000 Votes Bonus Chapter) Chapter 250: Exiled Lands in the Mist (Fifth Update, 80,000 Votes Bonus Chapter) ¡°Who are you, and why do you disturb my eternal slumber!¡± A female magician made of green light, her cloak also burning with a faint green glow, made it impossible to discern her figure or face. One could only sense that she was a petite woman, her voice ethereal and wavering, which felt especially sinister in such surroundings. Liszt had seen a 36D Ghost before, so the appearance of this ghostly form didn¡¯t frighten him. He found it interesting that a person really could exist in the form of a soul and still retain independent consciousness. He put away his Fine Steel Battle Axe and drew the Crimson Blood Sword, summoned his Fire Attribute Dou Qi within him, ready to counterattack at any moment. Only then did Liszt speak, ¡°Are you Curtis Truth?¡± ¡°Curtis¡­¡± The specter of the female magician lowered her head as if recalling something, and after a while, she looked up, the green ghostly light in her eyes twinkling, ¡°That was my name before I exiled myself. Knight, why do you disturb my eternal slumber!¡± Self-exile? Liszt was a bit confused; he hadn¡¯t opened the ¡°To Prince Annuette¡ªThe Truth of Curtis¡± magic book. Thinking about it now, it might be a sort of ¡°suicide note¡± written as a book. ¡°It was not I who wished to disturb your eternal slumber. In truth, you disrupted my travels. My ship encountered a storm at sea and then your Ghost Ship came alongside, pulling me onto this inexplicable phantom vessel.¡± ¡°Ghost Ship¡­¡± The spectral female magician fell into thought again; probably her mind wasn¡¯t very sharp after such a long slumber. Judging from the time Duke Andite ascended to power, it must have been over a hundred years, ¡°Goat Number has be a Ghost Ship, Annuette¡­ Uncle Cohen¡­¡± The green light flickered as the specter of the female magician submerged into memories of the past, her voice growing even more distant.
Liszt, however, didn¡¯t care for the mood, rudely interrupting, ¡°Stop, just wait a second, my friend has been enchanted by the Ghost Ship and is still on deck, fighting amongst themselves. Can you first lift the Ghost Ship¡¯s enchantment?¡± ¡°I have exiled myself. Goat Number bing a Ghost Ship is not within my control¡­ Huh?¡± The previously ethereal voice of the spectral female magician suddenly became sharp, ¡°My resting ce, you, damn you, you actually destroyed my resting ce!¡± ¡°Uh, the resting ce you¡¯re talking about, is it that wall with the magic runes carved on all four sides?¡± ¡°Damn it, those were set up as a cursed Magic Array using the souls of the entire ship¡¯s crew as casting materials for my self-exile and slumber!¡± The spectral female magician trembled with rage, her whole body illuminating in green light, causing the entire Ghost Ship to rock and shake with her trembling. The rotten wood fell off piece by piece, as if it could shatter at any moment. ¡°Using the souls of an entire ship¡¯s crew as casting materials?¡± Liszt¡¯s scalp tingled. He hadn¡¯t expected that the female ghost before him, in life, was such a ruthless Grand Magician. No wonder among those faces, some were cursing her as a madwoman. ¡°To die and then drag a ship full of people to share a fate worse than death, Curtis, you open my eyes!¡± ¡°I let them die because they deserved to die. On Goat Number, there were either traitors who betrayed Annuette or followers willing to sacrifice everything for him!¡± Her matter-of-fact tone was incredibly irritating. He had no interest in arguing with the spectral female magician any longer, and hemanded bluntly, ¡°Enough, we can chat about this nonsenseter. Now, you need to lift the Ghost Ship¡¯s control over my friend. If you refuse, I¡¯ll dismantle this Goat Number right here and make sure you haven¡¯t got a ce to stand!¡± ¡°Where did you bring my resting ce to? It was constructed from the remnant souls of dragons, the Soul Submerged Wood cannot possibly be destroyed by you, where did they go!¡± ¡°Burned.¡± ¡°Burned? Impossible!¡± ¡°Really burned, otherwise where could they have gone.¡± Liszt, while holding the Crimson Blood Sword, thought of extracting useful information. Only by knowing the purpose of the so-called Soul Submerged Wood could he ckmail the spectral female magician. ¡°Burned!¡± The specter of the female magician trembled violently, and the Ghost Ship shook continuously along with her, creaking incessantly, as if it could fall apart at any moment, ¡°Since they¡¯re burned, then you might as well go die!¡± She suddenly transformed into a streak of green light, lunging at Li Si Te. Li Si Te quickly unleashed the Fire Attribute Dou Qi within his body, raised the Crimson Blood Sword, and swung a Great Fire Wave. The Dou Qi burned with mes and exploded instantly as the ghost female magician pounced.
Boom! The ghost female magician was instantly sted into pieces, reformed into magic runes one by one, spinning in the air, and then condensed back into the image of Curtis Truth. With a resentful glow, she red at Li Si Te without pouncing again, ¡°You haven¡¯t burned the Soul Submerged Wood; you can¡¯t burn the Soul Submerged Wood. Since my soul willingly exiled itself, it has fused with the Soul Submerged Wood. If you burn the Soul Submerged Wood, I¡¯ll also vanish, instead of continuing to exist!¡± ¡°It seems you have regained your sanity,¡± Li Si Te still held the Crimson Blood Sword, highly alert, ¡°Indeed, the Soul Submerged Wood wasn¡¯t burned, and it¡¯s in my hands. If you want it back, then first lift the curse from the Ghost Ship and let mypanions regain consciousness.¡±
Li Si Te¡¯s Eye of Magic had already seen that the people on the deck were still walking in circles, asionally attacking each other. Quite a few had already fallen. ¡°Return the Soul Submerged Wood to me, or all yourpanions will die,¡± the ghost female magician¡¯s voice returned to its previous chilling tone. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, I only have to dismantle this Ghost Ship and find a way to rescue them myself,¡± Le Si Te ordered Douson directly, ¡°Douson, Multiple Stone Spikes!¡± Pfft! Pfft! Douson¡¯s Rock Spikes fired wildly, thick Rock Spikes impaled the Ghost Ship, leaving wood chips everywhere. It could then be seen that the Rock Spikes dropped into the sea one by one, as if the wood of the ship was just an illusion that didn¡¯t exist. But in fact, many nks were broken by the Rock Spikes, and those broken nks could not be restored. ¡°Woof woof!¡± For quite some time, Douson had been eager to act but had no orders. Now that he had them, he couldn¡¯t contain himself; his Rock Spikes pierced wildly as if they cost him nothing. The extent of the violence far exceeded Li Si Te¡¯s. Under its violent piercing, the Ghost Ship soon began to make unbearable cracking sounds, as if its dragon bone structure was breaking. Then the ghostly outline of the ship, drawn by magic power, began to dim slowly. Watching the Ghost Ship being damaged little by little. The ghost female magician¡¯s chest heaved violently, and she could not restrain herself, her voice chilling again, ¡°Stop your dog, and I¡¯ll tell you how to break the Ghost Ship¡¯s Exiled Mist.¡±
¡°Exiled Mist?¡± ¡°Between reality and illusion lies the origin of magic power, the exilednds of the soul! The Ghost Ship, sailing upon the seas of the Exiled Lands, takes away everything it encounters,¡± the ghost female magician said irritably, ¡°You wouldn¡¯t understand the exnation. Now, do as I say!¡± ¡°Go on.¡± ¡°The figurehead at the bow is the gatekeeper to reality, while the Goat Head g on the mast is the marker of the Exiled Lands. Remove that g and ce it upon the dragon head of the figurehead, it will guide the Ghost Ship out of the Exiled Lands and back to the real world. At that time, you will also be free from the Ghost Ship.¡± ¡°And what about you?¡± ¡°Return to me my Soul Submerged Wood, and let me continue my self-exile¡­ I brought disaster upon Annuette and Uncle Cohen; only by my soul¡¯s eternal exile can I find the best destination and redemption.¡± At this moment, the ghost female magician. The face under the hood, which was originally unclear, suddenly became visible. It couldn¡¯t be described as beautiful or ugly, after all, it was only a semnce of light, but the face of light showed a look of devotion. Chapter 251: 0251 Treacherous Heart and the Pain of Losing My Love (First Update) Chapter 251: Treacherous Heart and the Pain of Losing My Love (First Update) ¡°` Thump thump thump! Liszt hurriedly left the cabin and came onto the deck, kicking aside two knights who were fighting each other and rushed straight for the mast. He felt that what Curtis had said was true; after all, the Soul Submerged Wood was in his hands and he possessed the ability to dismantle the ship, so the other party dared not y tricks. The mast was tall, but for an Elite Earth Knight, it was easy to climb. At the top of the mast was the Goat Head g, which fluttered without wind. The green me was not the g burning, but the goat head¡¯s emblem itself aze. It was unclear how it was made, for the goat head looked like an actual goat head, not just a painting. ¡°Remove the Goat Head g and ce it atop the dragon figurehead at the bow of the ship, and thus the door to the real world shall be opened,¡± he reached out, preparing to remove the g. But suddenly, he felt a tightness in his heart. The caution he had always exercised reminded him, ¡°Why do I so readily believe Curtis? She is an evil magician capable of using the souls of an entire crew of sailors as casting materials! Her words cannot be trusted at all!¡± He nced below. He quickly suppressed his urgent emotions and allowed his will to sink into the Gemstone Space, deciding to first open the magic book ¡°To His Highness Annuette¡ªCurtis the Truth¡± in an attempt to find some answers within this testament.
The first page. Two lines of green luminescent Serpent Script, written with some unknown pigment. ¡°My eternal love Annuette, is all still well with you?¡± ¡°Making this decision, just for a chance to meet you in the Exiled Lands, might be a descent into eternal damnation. How can two guilty souls, stained with the blood of countless living beings, bear all this sin.¡± The words were somewhat mystical and carried a faint pretentious air of a female poet. He didn¡¯t quite understand them. The second page. It was a preface-like text. ¡°Upon hearing the terrible news of Uncle Cohen, my heart grew as cold as ashes. Due to the sinful thoughts of Annuette and myself, our entire family was dragged into this burial¡­ Perhaps we should have calmly epted this brief but beautiful love, rather than covet immortality and steal the power of the Sapphire Dragon.¡± ¡°The n of the Dragon Domain Landlord has already failed, and Annuette¡¯s soul has been exiled. Losing my love and then my family, this world has already lost all meaning to me. Maybe I should continue to study the notes of the Ancient Mage and transform myself into a Lich, roaming between life and death.¡± ¡°If I could walk freely in the Exiled Lands, perhaps I could meet Annuette again; then all this torment and pain would be meaningful!¡± He flipped through this page and the concept of the ¡°Lich,¡± a strange existence, made a round in Liszt¡¯s thoughts. He had no time to think further as he turned to the third page. The third page was strange. It contained a drawing of a triangle with an eye in the center, the Eye of Truth, representing a magician¡¯s recognition and exploration of the world. But at each corner of the triangle, there were additional terms. At the top corner, it said ¡®matter,¡¯ with ¡°Alchemist,¡± ¡°Vampire,¡± ¡°Necromancer¡± written beside it; on the left corner, it said ¡®magic power,¡¯ with ¡°Magician,¡± ¡°Druid¡±; and on the right corner, it said ¡®spirit,¡¯ with ¡°Wizard,¡± ¡°Sorcerer,¡± ¡°Prophet,¡± ¡°Subus,¡± ¡°Shaman.¡± Beneath the Eye of Truth, there was another term¡ªKnight. ¡°`
A carelessly written line of Serpent Script followed: ¡°Heretics, like beasts, defile Magic Power, brutishly cycling Dou Qi, stifling the living space of magicians! If the age of magic arrives one day, burn all the knights, let the magicians rule the world, and seek the Truth!¡± If this was written by Curtis herself, it meant she was a fanatical believer in magic. This was veering towards heretical religious thoughts, not good, not good. Liszt inherently detested the term ¡°heretic,¡± and his gaze lingered on the words alchemist, wizard, and druid for a few seconds before he chose not to dwell on them and continued flipping through the pages.
Starting from the fourth page, the contents turned into research notes, all on a single topic¡ªthe repeated experiments on the possibility of soul separation. From what Liszt had nced over, it seemed that in ancient times a wizard had developed the ¡°Life Box Technique.¡± By entrusting their soul into the Life Box, they could be a Lich that transcended life and death, the real and the surreal, achieving an inconceivable state. Such records were indistinguishable between true and false. Curtis was mainly repeating this technology to verify the method of separating the soul. She started with experiments on small animals, then gradually moved to humans, and ultimately to fellow magicians. By the sixteenth page, she hadpleted the experiment, confirming that the soul could indeed be separated and exist briefly, but it must be entrusted in something that resonates with the soul. From page seventeen onward, she embarked on the second research topic¡ªthe experiment and creation of Life Boxes. Twenty-five full pages were dedicated to the experimental notes on this topic. Like a genius, on the forty-second page, Curtis sessfullypleted the Life Box experiment, discovering Soul Submerged Wood that could be used as a Life Box to store souls, as well as the Magic Array for storing souls¡ªthe Self-Exile Magic Array. ¡°Is this the thing, the four walls I cut down and took back? Using this kind of Magic Array, can I strip the soul out and exile it into the Soul Submerged Wood?¡± Time waits for no one, he didn¡¯t have the time to ponder, so he quickly flipped through the pages, seeking the content rted to the Ghost Ship. After flipping through about thirty more pages and skipping four smaller research note topics on Lich¡¯s Life Boxes, finally, on page seventy-four, he saw a ship drawn with great detail¡ªa three-masted galleon with the Goat Head g clearly visible on the mainmast¡ªthis was Goat Vessel, before it became the Ghost Ship. The subsequent twenty-six pages all pertained to the modification of Goat Vessel, or rather, the setting of Magic Arrays. Curtis expanded the Life Box Technique to the entire ship, imprisoning all the souls of the crew aboard to protect her own Life Box. ording to herst words inferred in the will, this ship would gradually erode the boundaries between real and surreal with the Magic Array and eventually breach into the Exiled Lands.
Exiled Lands. Magicians believed that at the edges where Magic Power, matter, and spirit transformed into each other, there existed a ce where time and space were indefinable, eternity and transience reflected upon each other, allowing only the souls to wander. That ce was the Exiled Lands. Those whomitted heinous crimes were usually exiled to the Exiled Lands by the nobles. inly speaking, it meant casting some kind of magic to let a person die peacefully. However, magicians believed that the souls of such deceased would enter the Exiled Lands. Curtis¡¯s ultimate goal was to use Goat Vessel to break open the barrier between the Exiled Lands and the real world and send her soul into it. But what she didn¡¯t expect was for Goat Vessel to turn into the Ghost Ship, lingering between the Exiled Lands and the real world, failing to deliver her soul into the Exiled Lands. ¡°Woman,pletely mad, gone mad for love? One death wasn¡¯t enough; she had to doom countless others!¡± Liszt felt his skin crawl and was secretly rmed, ¡°The Goat Head g affixed to the dragon figurehead isn¡¯t leaving the Exiled Lands but heading towards them. This woman still wants to harm me!¡± Luckily, he was quick-witted and had flipped open this book of Magic Books. ¡°So, if I want to return to the real world, I must first destroy the Goat Head g and the figurehead!¡± Chapter 252: 0252: The Messenger of Justice, Li Si Te (Second Update) Chapter 252: The Messenger of Justice, Li Si Te (Second Update) ¡°` The Goat Head g and the ship figurehead, both made from special materials as magic equipment, were hard for Liszt to part with when it came time to destroy them. He simply wrapped them in his Dou Qi, pulled out the Goat Head g, and tossed it into the Gemstone Space; then he dismantled the Sapphire Dragon from the figurehead and threw it into the Gemstone Space as well. The originally not sorge Gemstone Space was almost filled to the brim after this frenzied stuffing. With the suppression of the Goat Head g and the Sapphire Dragon ship figurehead gone, the fog that enveloped the Ghost Ship gradually dispersed, and the people trapped within the mist were about to awaken. The nks were rotting, aging visibly fast. ¡°It¡¯s finally over,¡± Liszt sighed in relief, wrapping his arms around Douson¡¯s neck, savoring the enormous sense of aplishment. But suddenly, a sharp screech from the spectral mage reverberated in his ears, ¡°No! Damned knight! You¡¯ve destroyed the Goat Vessel! No! You cannot destroy the Goat Vessel!¡± Liszt stood on the decaying deck. Indifferent to Curtis¡¯s screaming as the fog slowly thinned out. He was immensely curious about Curtis, this type of ¡°Lich¡±, and was filled with curiosity towards the ¡°Dragon Domain Landlord n¡±, and even wanted to slowly study the Ghost Ship beneath his feet. However, his opponent was very cunning; without any means of keeping the bnce, staying would be suicide.
So. ¡°You¡¯d be better off dead, not wreaking havoc in the Exiled Lands¡­ not harming souls.¡± ¡°No!¡± The piercing scream resonated from the cabin, as if it could perforate the eardrums. ¡°Knight, no! Do not destroy the Goat Vessel, do not destroy my Soul Submerged Wood!¡± Her voice was both dismal and shrill, ¡°Knight, please stop! I will offer my Life Box, knight, take my Life Box!¡± ¡°Your Life Box is already in my hands, those pieces of Soul Submerged Wood.¡± Liszt scoffed coldly, at this point, the wicked magician still daring to deceive him, was simply insulting his intelligence. ¡°No!¡± the spectral mage screamed, ¡°That is just where my soul slumbers in exile, it¡¯s where I self-exile my soul. Before reaching the Exiled Lands, I need the Soul Submerged Wood to protect the integrity of my soul! My Life Box, I give you my Life Box, it¡¯s the key to my returning to the real world!¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± The shrill screams lingered in his ears, feeling as if the other party was still trying to deceive him. But with the Ghost Ship about to copse, ording to the records in ¡°To Prince Annuette¡ªThe Truth of Curtis¡±, even with the existence of the Soul Submerged Wood, she couldn¡¯t maintain her ¡°Lich¡± state once the Ghost Ship was lost; her soul would copse and she would die¡ªit was one with her. It made no sense for her to be ying tricks at such a critical moment. With this thought, he tugged Douson and went back down into the cabin. There he saw the spectral mage, whose body¡¯s green light was unstable, trembling as if it might dissipate at any moment. ¡°Where is your Life Box?¡± The spectral mage red hatefully at Liszt, extended her left hand, and thrust it violently into her own chest. At that moment, as if her chest was being torn apart, green light shone through, and she slowly drew out her hand. Clenching it into a fist, she rapidly presented it before Liszt, opened her fingers, and on her palm quietlyy a blue gemstone ring. ¡°Take it, quick. Put the figurehead and the Goat Head g back. The Goat Vessel is about to copse!¡± The Crimson Blood Sword lifted the Sapphire Ring. After making sure there were no traps, Liszt picked it up and took a look, seeing nothing special. ¡°This thing is your Life Box? Don¡¯t deceive me.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no time to deceive you. This is the token of love Annuette gave to me¡­ I have no grudge against you; I don¡¯t even know you. All I want is to enter the Exiled Lands with my full consciousness intact, to search for Annuette¡¯s soul!¡± After speaking, the spectral mage fell silent, merely watching Liszt quietly. ¡°If I crush it, will you die?¡±
¡°No, my soul is anchored in the Soul Submerged Wood, the Life Box is just the key, ensuring I can return to the real world, that I won¡¯t get lost in the Exiled Lands.¡± ¡°If I repair the Ghost Ship, what about my friends?¡± ¡°` ¡°`
¡°The Ghost Ship is already close to copse, unable to continue sailing in the Exiled Lands, it will no longer interfere with the real world, and soon it will vanish at the edge of the Exiled Lands and the real world.¡± ¡°I have repaired the Ghost Ship, are you sure you will leave immediately, without causing further disturbance?¡± ¡°You return my Soul Submerged Wood to me, and I will disappear along with the Ghost Ship right away. Without the Soul Submerged Wood, my soulcks an anchor, and entering the Exiled Lands, I¡¯d lose myself and be a Specter¡­ I just hope you can protect my Life Box, it¡¯s my only hope of returning.¡± ¡°I understand.¡± Liszt turned, swiftly putting the Sapphire Ring into his Space Gem, then left the cabin without looking back, neither promising nor refusing. Watching Liszt¡¯s retreating figure, the nearly formless phantom woman magician¡¯s eyes shed with a ghostly light. She seemed to be holding onto hope for the future, to follow the Ghost Ship into the Exiled Lands and find her true love, Annuette Sapphire. However, after waiting for a moment, she saw that the Ghost Ship was still copsing, the rotted nks finally splitting apart, barely revealing another three-masted schooner. She suddenly realized. ¡°No!¡± She shouted loudly, ¡°No! No! No! Damn Knight! You lied to me!¡± ¡­ Standing on the deck, watching below as the deck alternated between that of a rotting Ghost Ship and a sturdy, fast sailboat. The enveloping mist had dispersed, the shadow of the Ghost Ship was gradually fading, and the disappearing schooner was bing real.
Or rather, he had gradually returned to the real world from the realm of illusion. Around him, Paris, Captain Layden, and others were slowlying to their senses, looking puzzled at everything before them ¨C blood was everywhere, and amidst the chaos between reality and illusion, many had died. Fortunately, Levis, Li Vera, who were pulled into the cabin by Liszt, Paris, Captain Layden, and the Deputy Butler Ranieri were all unharmed. Liszt¡¯s two manservants, Tom and Thomas, were wise enough to lie down and y dead, so they were not ughtered by the Knights. But he also saw the bodies of his three Retainer Knights, Sean Redface, York Baldhead, and Theodore Rottensock; the three young men had neither the chance to show their vigorous vitality nor would they ever again on the open sea. ¡°No! No! No! Damn Knight! You lied to me!¡± The mournful screams of Curtis faintly reached his ears. Yet he felt no sympathy in his heart, thinking coldly, ¡°Such a wicked and perverted magician, death is your destiny; don¡¯te out and harm others again! I, Liszt Tulip, have a line of justice in my heart!¡± In the distance, the dreadful screams faded away. ¡°No!¡± ¡°I will curse you! You damned Knight!¡± ¡°Ah!¡± With Curtis¡¯sst scream, the Ghost Ship violently shattered into dust, blown away by the sea breeze, vanishing without a trace.
The dark clouds above quickly dispersed, and the sun behind them cast its light anew. After carefully checking his surroundings and making sure that there were no traces of Curtis left, Liszt dispelled his Eye of Magic, smiling lightly, ¡°Curse me? Do you even know my name?¡± Just then. The awakened Paris saw Liszt and with a surprised tone asked, ¡°Baron, are you all right?¡± Chapter 253: 0253: A Bit of Trivial Work (Third Update, Bonus for 200 Monthly Votes) Chapter 253: A Bit of Trivial Work (Third Update, Bonus for 200 Monthly Votes) The Ghost Ship was like a fleeting illusion, here one moment and gone the next. Aside from Liszt and Douson, no one knew what had transpired aboard the Ghost Ship. Only the bodies on the deck silently told the tale of the recent horrific encounter. The sailors who had survived the ordeal, along with the Retainer Knights, began to clear away the bodies of the deceased. The sudden appearance of the Ghost Ship had imed the lives of twenty-three people¡ªsailors, retainers, and servants alike¡ªwith many more injured. Fortunately, none of the four nobles on board had been harmed. Whether Captain Layden lived or died didn¡¯t matter, but nothing could happen to the Liszt siblings. Should an incident ur, not only would Marquis Merlin be enraged, but Li Weiliam would be as well. And then, more than just a few people would die. ¡°Liszt, what do you think?¡± Levis¡¯s voice pulled Liszt back from his trance. He was still pondering the melodramatic love between Curtis Truth and Annute Sapphire. The woman, mad with love, had actually managed to resurrect the ancient wizardry and transformed herself into a Lich, neither alive nor dead, while also creating the legendary Ghost Ship. Now that the Ghost Ship had copsed, the Goat Head g, the Sapphire Dragon Ship Figurehead, Soul Submerged Wood, and the Sapphire Rings were still in his Gemstone Space. Constant reminders that the Ghost Ship had not been an illusion. No one had anticipated encountering a Ghost Ship; it was far more unforeseen than sea monsters or storms. So, the somber Butler Ranieri asked the siblings whether to continue to Red Crab Ind or to immediately return to Coral Ind.
Coming to his senses, Liszt asked indifferently, ¡°Brother, sister, what do you think?¡± Levis frowned, ¡°I¡¯m leaning towards returning. The festive atmosphere is gone, and too many people have died. But this year might be Grandfather¡¯sst New Year, and if we¡¯re not by his side, it would leave him with great regret. Since we¡¯re unharmed, let¡¯s continue onward¡­ Li Vera, what is your opinion?¡± ¡°You decide,¡± Li Vera¡¯s face was still somewhat swollen. Faint handprints could be seen, which were the result of Liszt trying to wake her up. Of course, she knew nothing about this. Liszt did not disclose the secret of the Ghost Ship. The matter involved a courtly coup from a century ago¡ªwhy attract trouble by revealing it? Besides, revealing it might also expose his own secrets. It was easier to regard it as a bewildering, bizarre encounter like everyone else. After all, no one knew the true nature of the Ghost Ship. When they were shrouded in fog, they were already trapped in a delusion, unable to see or hear. Even as the Ghost Ship copsed and Curtis emitted his final, harrowing scream, they took no notice. Once Levis had made up his mind, the fast sailboat continued on towards Red Crab Ind. Captain Molodo had not died, and the remaining sailors were just enough to navigate the vessel; the voyage was not greatly affected. But the atmosphere aboard the ship was no longer as cheerful as before¡ªthe previously attention-seeking Li Vera, perhaps having seen her own vulnerability, used illness as an excuse to hide in her cabin and lick her wounds; Levis and Captain Layden were busy dealing with the dead on board. Ranieri was visibly worried, while the appearance of the Ghost Ship had nothing to do with him, the incident certainly did him no favors. Liszt, still apanied by Douson, was catching the breeze on the deck. His expression, too, was somewhat distant. To others, it was merely a dreamlike experience, but he had deeply undergone the secrets of the Ghost Ship. Now, many questions surfaced in his mind; a world he had thought was merely about dragons, elves, knights, and magicians, was now revealed to include the Ghost Ship, liches, and more. And then there was that book of magic, ¡°To Prince Annuette¡ªThe Truth of Curtis,¡± which documented a variety of exotic professions such as Druid, Necromancer, Vampire, Sorcerer, and Prophet, as well as something named the Exiled Lands and the Dragon Domain Landlord¡¯s n. It sounded far from simple. ¡°I hate these chaotic existences; isn¡¯t it enough to just cultivate Dou Qi with peace and stability? Why bother with all these messy magics!¡± A vacant gaze fell upon the deck, where several Retainer Knights were binding bodies. Paris stood guard beside Liszt, and upon seeing his daze, followed his gaze to the bodies.
Then she asked, ¡°Baron, are you upset about Sean, York, and Theodore?¡± ¡°Hm?¡± Liszt returned to his senses, Sean, York, Theodore? He had only just remembered that these three were his Retainer Knights; their deaths were indeed saddening, although at that moment, he was merely thinking about the Ghost Ship.
He nodded faintly, his tone filled with destion, ¡°They were still young, not yet adults. I thought this was going to be an easy journey, but it took their lives.¡± ¡°No one wants to see such idents, but you have done well enough. It is their fortune to have followed a kind Landlord like you,¡± Paris said. Done well enough? What have I done for these three? Liszt was a little confused about what was going through Paris¡¯s mind, but he clearly felt her attitude towards him bing closer and more gentle. If it had been before, he might have secretly been delighted, for winning people¡¯s hearts was that simple. However, having seen Curtis¡¯s madness for love, he shuddered abruptly and thought that with women, or to be precise, female subordinates, one should maintain an appropriate distance to avoid ying with fire. Although women like Curtis were rare, who could guarantee that he would not encounter another Curtis. ¡°I¡¯m ashamed, I¡¯ve only done a trivial amount of work.¡± ¡­ The green me of the Goat Head g solidified, and the green me of the Sapphire Dragon Ship Figurehead did the same. Everything was still inside the Gemstone Space. Liszt really wanted to take them out and see what changes might ur, but he didn¡¯t take the risk. For the remainder of the voyage, he appeared as disinterested as everyone else. In fact, he was always flipping through the Magic Books in the Gemstone Space, especially the one written by Curtis Truth, which he had only skimmed through before.
Now was the time for careful appreciation. Not being a magician and reading the experimental content written by a Grand Magician was like reading an arcane book. Many things were confusing, even with some illustrations for exnation. Most importantly, the book primarily recorded how to transform a magician into a Lich. Liszt had no intention to be a Lich, an existence neither human nor ghost. ¡°The transformation of the Ghost Ship is also quite interesting. Perhaps one day, with the help of a magician, I could also create a Ghost Ship and see what the Exiled Lands look like¡­ Unfortunately, this book doesn¡¯t record the Dragonbone Stabilizer Technique. Maybe Curtis had mastered that technique.¡± The Dragonbone Stabilizer Technique belonged to Marquis Cohen; his family¡¯s magicians could embed the bones of dragons, sub-dragons, or dragon beasts into the keel of ships to ward off sea monsters. Liszt was very envious of this technique, but unfortunately, it had been lost. The only person who might have mastered it, Curtis, had been killed by him directly. ¡°Never mind, I have the Longitudinal Sailboat Technique. In the future, I might be able to create ships even more suitable for sailing.¡± Chapter 254: 0254: Douson Supports Li Si Te’s Face (Fourth Update, 400 Monthly Tickets Extra) Chapter 254: Douson Supports Li Si Te¡¯s Face (Fourth Update, 400 Monthly Tickets Extra) On the day before the festival, the three siblings finally arrived at Long Taro Castle, escorted by the Knight Squad from Red Crab Ind. The news of the encounter with the ghost ship had also been rushed to Marquis Merlin¡¯s ears by a fast horse. ¡°Levis, Li Vera, Liszt, seeing you all safe and sound has finally put my mind at ease. You have no idea how worried I was when I heard about the ghost ship,¡± he said. Meioubao rode out from Long Taro Castle a great distance to meet the three siblings and kept saying, ¡°Grandfather, Father, and Mother have all been extremely worried about you. If we had known that you would encounter something as incredible as a ghost ship, we should have sent the family¡¯s fleet to fetch you.¡± Whether it was noble pleasantries or genuine emotion, Meioubao¡¯s gestures touched the three siblings. The unpleasantness of encountering the ghost ship dissipated quite a bit¡ªsuch a disaster was not something that could be predicted or prevented by human efforts; one could only consider it bad luck and there was no need to take anger out on others. Besides, they themselves had not suffered any damage. The atmosphere once again returned to its usual harmony. At the entrance of Long Taro Castle, Liszt saw his uncle and aunt. His uncle Mesiro was a tall and slender man, handsome and dashing, bearing some resemnce to the portrait of Melissa in Tulip Castle. His aunt, despite the crow¡¯s feet at the corners of her eyes, still had the air of a noblewoman. ¡°Young Liszt, you have grown up, inheriting all of Melissa¡¯s good qualities. You¡¯re even more handsome than your cousin,¡± his aunt said kindly. Liszt bowed in thanks; he was oftenplimented for his looks. Meioubao spread his hands and said, ¡°Mother, please, could you refrain from praising others in front of your son? It¡¯s a blow to my confidence.¡±
Mesiro, seeing that everyone had greeted each other, said, ¡°Don¡¯t stand outside talking;e in. Your grandfather is waiting for you. He¡¯s heard about the ghost ship and is worried about you.¡± They entered the magnificent Long Taro Castle. Naturally, the three siblings went to see the master of the castle first, Marquis Merlin, one of the seven marquises of the Grand Duchy. Marquis Merlin, leaning on a cane, was walking along the castle¡¯s corridor; the former Sky Knight looked no different from an ordinary elderly man. ¡°Grandfather!¡± the three siblings called out. Marquis Merlin pushed away the servant who was about to support him, his face as stern as ever, ¡°Hm, you¡¯ve arrived. I¡¯ve heard about the ghost ship. Didn¡¯t get the scare of your lives, did you?¡± ¡°Of course not, with longsword in hand and Dou Qi within, even a ghost ship couldn¡¯t faze us,¡± Levis boasted, though it couldn¡¯t really be considered boasting. He had shown enough bravery in the face of danger on the ship, and that deserved recognition. At least Liszt felt acknowledgment for Levis; in that moment, Levis had not only not fled but had also been very concerned about the safety of his sister and brother, bearing the responsibility of an older brother. ¡°Well said, with Dou Qi, a longsword, a war horse, and a spear, a knight will be unbeatable,¡± Marquis Merlin extended his hand and pped heavily on Levis¡¯s shoulder, ¡°It¡¯s a pity that in my nearly forty years roaming the Sea of Azure Waves, I never encountered a ghost ship, which I regret profoundly.¡± Where others feared to tread, Marquis Merlin felt regret. Different levels of strength indeed provide different perspectives, and perhaps for Marquis Merlin, a ghost ship was not such a remarkable encounter. At his stature, his understanding of the world was certainly much deeper. After he spoke, he turned to Mesiro and said, ¡°Have you made arrangements to send out the fleet from Red Crab Ind and the Knight Order to patrol the seas, to find and capture the ghost ship, if possible, or destroy it if not?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already informed Count Sharke to lead the investigation and have invited Grand Magician Okdo to apany him.¡± ¡°Do not hesitate in any way. Patrol the sea area between Red Crab Ind and Coral Ind thoroughly! Annihte any pirates or ghost ships you find. I don¡¯t care whether it¡¯s a natural disaster or a sinister plot; Long Taro Castle¡¯s wrath must be vented!¡± the Marquis said dispassionately. Mesiro hastened to nod, ¡°Father, please rest assured, I will definitely instruct Count Sharke with care.¡± ¡°No, have that boy Sharkee to see me first.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± After making arrangements for the Ghost Ship, the Marquis then said to the three siblings, ¡°Forget about the Ghost Ship and celebrate the festival well at Long Taro Castle. Tomorrow, your Aunt Melinda wille over with her two boys. When young people gather together, they always find joy.¡±
¡°Okay, Grandfather.¡± The aunt came over and informed, ¡°The living room has been arranged with tea and snacks; Father, take the children to the living room to chat. It is very cold in the hallway.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t treat me as if I¡¯m useless; my Dou Qi is still boiling.¡± Although the Marquis Merlin said this, he did not refuse the suggestion and returned to the living room surrounded by his three grandchildren. Sipping on warm milk tea, they chatted about family matters.
The aunt was a talkative noblewoman, always dominating the conversation, inquiring about the developments of each of the three siblings. Liszt inevitably mentioned his Fresh Flower Town. He briefly described some developments of the town, such as the production of Fresh Flower Soap, the refining of seafood oyster sauce, and the birth of Thorn Minor Elf J. Marquis Merlin liked hearing about these matters and said solemnly, ¡°Having a Little Minor Elf that produces Magic Potions, Liszt, is a gift from the Knight¡¯s glory, but it requires effort on your part as well. Being a Sky Knight is not just your brother¡¯s goal; you should have this goal too.¡± ¡°Grandfather, I understand, of course. My talent is indeed so-so, but my vision is not narrow,¡± replied Liszt. At this time, Meioubao suddenly interjected, ¡°Grandfather, you might not know that Liszt has also brought an Intermediate Magical Beast; it is his pet monster!¡± ¡°An Intermediate Magical Beast as a pet?¡± ¡°It is Douson, a Fierce Earth Dog I have been feeding since it was little. It identally ate a Bloodline Fruit and evolved into an Intermediate Magical Beast, but it can only cast one kind of magic,¡± exined Liszt. ¡°Bring it over for me to take a look.¡± Because Marquis Merlin had difficulty moving around, Liszt directly had Servant Thomas bring Douson to the living room. Fortunately, the living room in Long Taro Castle was quiterge, so Douson¡¯s enormous figure was not conspicuous here. ¡°Woof Woof!¡± Douson came to Liszt¡¯s feet, wagging its tail obediently. It had learned to ignore all humans, freely entering any scene. ¡°What a huge ck dog,¡± eximed the aunt in surprise. As a fitting noblewoman, ustomed to a life of luxury, except for eating Magical Beast Meat, she probably rarely saw wild Magical Beasts. ¡°It¡¯s bigger than a tiger and actually obeys like a dog. Liszt, how did you tame it?¡± With a slight smile, Liszt replied, ¡°I raise it like a dog. If it doesn¡¯t obey, I whip it; if it does, I reward it with dried meat.¡±
¡°Raising a Magical Beast like a dog is incredible, Liszt. You make me lose all my awe of Magical Beasts,¡± Meioubao said exaggeratedly. Mesiro nodded in agreement, ¡°Judging from its size, it is indeed a qualified Intermediate Magical Beast, much bigger than a regr Fierce Earth Dog.¡± On Coral Ind, no one was more favored by the Knight¡¯s glory than Liszt. ¡°He is a lucky fellow,¡± Levis said enviously, sternly holding back his longing as he looked at Douson. Marquis Merlin only nced at Douson briefly; he had seen countless Magical Beasts, including many Advanced Magical Beasts. But he held Liszt¡¯s beast rearing methods in high regard. ¡°You have some good ideas about raising Magical Beasts. Sometimes we overstate the cunning and danger of Magical Beasts when in fact they are just wild animals that know a bit of magic¡­ You should train it more on how to cooperate with Knights. In the future on the battlefield, it can exert a powerparable to that of a Sky Knight.¡± Chapter 256: 0256: The Inner Struggles of Meioubao (First Update) Chapter 256: The Inner Struggles of Meioubao (First Update) In the afternoon, Count Sharke came to Long Taro Castle to inquire about the sea expedition to exterminate pirates and the Ghost Ship. Liszt and his siblings needed to provide some clues to him to facilitate the confirmation of the Ghost Ship¡¯s matters. ¡°I don¡¯t like Sharke.¡± Meioubao, who hade to call on Liszt, whispered, ¡°In fact, I dislike both of the earls from Red Crab Ind, especially Sharke.¡± Liszt, having just woken up, asked curiously, ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Theyck reverence for Long Taro Castle.¡± Liszt nodded. He understood; to put it bluntly, it was because Uncle Mesiro¡¯s strength was not enough to establish sufficient prestige. As the next Marquis of Red Crab Ind, hecked the charisma to convince his followers. Meioubao continued, ¡°This year, grandfather¡¯s health has not been good, and Red Crab Ind did not respond to the Grand Duke¡¯s Pioneer Mandate, there has been some dissent, and I know Sharke is the source of that noise.¡± A momentter. Liszt met with Count Sharke, whose full name was Sharke Cauliflower, his surname derived from the Cauliflower Greater Elf he owned. With a tall and imposing figure, his voice was also very loud when he spoke.
Following Meioubao¡¯s hint, during the questioning, Liszt particrly paid attention to Count Sharke¡¯s attitude and found that he still held much awe for Marquis Merlin. However, he disyed some slight disrespect toward Mesiro and Meioubao, or rather, it wasn¡¯t disrespect; he simply treated their statuses as equal. His conversation with Mesiro had nock of politeness but also did not convey the sense that Mesiro would be his futurendlord. He ced both of their positions on the same level. And as for Meioubao, that was purely a condescending manner typical of an elder. No wonder Meioubao was displeased; no one likes their follower assuming the posture of an elder, even though Meioubao was not yet the Marquis of Red Crab Ind but merely an heir to the heir. However, in the knightly system, Meioubao was the master, and Sharke was the subordinate; the master-servant rtionship was clear. ¡°No wonder when I first came to Red Crab Ind, Meioubao came to win me over; the ind¡¯s power structure is clearly one of a weak master and strong servants¡­ Once Grandfather Merlin passes away, Uncle Mesiro will likely be unable to control the situation on Red Crab Ind.¡± When a lord cannot control his own followers, The oue can be very embarrassing; it is inevitable that followers will drift away from a lord who cannot retain them. Such a lord would certainly be the biggest joke among the nobility. Liszt suddenly understood why his cousin, despite knowing that the Grand Duke¡¯s youngest daughter had a poor reputation, still pursued her persistently. It may have been an attempt to use the princess¡¯s influence to suppress the group of followers on Red Crab Ind. Being short-handed is not a good thing for a noble family. ¡°So should I consider developing on Red Crab Ind? With my current trajectory, securing a viscountcy is guaranteed. If I show strengthter on, uncle and cousin might rely on me even more, and advancing to earl would be a piece of cake,¡± Liszt wavered, tempted by the shortcut. Better to learn to curry favor than to exchange one¡¯s life for a noble title on the battlefield. Although that was the case, he was not yet ready to give up his operations on ck Horse Ind and switch to Red Crab Ind. And the effect of lending a helping hand during prosperity is far less significant than offering aid in desperate times. He suddenly pictured a scenario. If he had be a Sky Knight and had received the title of viscount, but his father was still an earl, how could he surpass his father and be an earl himself? At that time, he would either be a direct enfeoffed earl of the Grand Duke or follow a marquis who could bestow an earldom. By then, his uncle¡¯s family, struggling to support Red Crab Ind, would likely beg him toe¡ªby that time, the treatment as an earl would be many times better than going to Red Crab Ind now. Thinking this way felt a bit like betraying family ties. But amongst nobles, kinship always gives way to interests. Liszt was equally aware that if he couldn¡¯t demonstrate his value, the Long Taro Family would definitely not make any sacrifices for him.
¡°Of course, right now, I¡¯m probably thinking too much. This time around, the Long Taro Family hasn¡¯t started to woo me yet¡­¡± In thought. Count Sharke had already understood the cause and effect regarding the Ghost Ship, and immediately paid respect to Marquis Merlin, saying, ¡°Please rest assured, my lord. As soon as the festive season is over, I will lead the fleet and the Knight Order to sweep the seas around Red Crab Ind, and shut the mouths of those who gossip about it!¡± ¡°Very well, I look forward to your performance.¡±
Sharke gave another bow, nodded to Mesiro and Meioubao, and left with big strides. ¡­ The new year¡¯s festival is the first day of each year, January 1st. On this day, everyone in all the countries chooses to put down their work and celebrate the arrival of the new year. Waking up early in the morning, while it was still dim outside. Lying in bed, Liszt called upon the long-missed Smoke Mission, ¡°Mission: After a year of hard work, evenndlords need to rx, enjoy the uing new year¡¯s festival, contemte the path of development for theing year, broaden social rtions, or simply do nothing and wait for the festival to end. Reward: Unknown reward.¡± The reward is unknown, and the mission has still not beenpleted; it probably needs today to pass. Around 10:30 in the morning. Liszt was amusing that Thick-Leaf Grass Minor Elf who liked to spit, while Anna, the maid who once helped him wipe his face, kept making secret overtures to him. At this time, a servant from the Long Taro Castle came to inform him that a new guest had arrived. The new year¡¯s festival is a family holiday. Without needing to ask, Liszt knew that it was his aunt¡¯s family visiting Long Taro Castle today. Indeed, at the castle gate, Liszt, along with his brother and sister, met his mother¡¯s sister, Melinda Taro, the second daughter of the marquis. And her husband, Viscount Rnd Pinecone of Longtail City, and their two sons, Russell Pinecone and Rolie Pinecone. There was also Russell¡¯s wife, and their daughter, who had just turned one and was wrapped up like a cotton ball.
Russell and Rolie are Liszt¡¯s first cousins. The order of age among the cousins is roughly: 25-year-old Meioubao Taro, 24-year-old Levis Tulip, 22-year-old Russell Pinecone, 20-year-old Li Vera Tulip, 19-year-old Rolie Pinecone, and 17-year-old Liszt Tulip¡ªeveryone ages a year when the new yeares. Russell¡¯s daughter is the only younger rtive of Liszt. ¡°Aunt, uncle, Liszt greets you, happy new year,¡± Liszt greeted them first before speaking. He didn¡¯t have a strong memory of these rtives in his former life. Since Melissa¡¯s death, Li Weiliam¡¯s social dealings with Red Crab Ind had be increasingly infrequent, so the three siblings would at most visit Marquis Merlin and seldom went to see their aunt. ¡°Happy New Year, Liszt. You¡¯ve grown so much, and you¡¯re so tall,¡± Melinda was a plumpdy of nobility, unfortunately not inheriting the good looksmon in the Long Taro family. And it seemed her luck wasn¡¯t great either, just like Melissa, she and her sister both married viscounts. But Li Weiliam advanced to an earl early on, whereas Rnd Pinecone remained a viscount. Even in his former memories, the aunt¡¯s two sons appeared to be even more useless than ¡°himself.¡± Quietly using the Eye of Magic. Liszt observed that indeed, the total Dou Qi of the two cousins was only about the same as Li Vera¡¯s, not reaching the level of an Elite Earth Knight. Chapter 257: 0257: Sky Knight’s Training Journal (Second Update) Chapter 257: Sky Knight¡¯s Training Journal (Second Update) Both sons were no good. Viscount Rnd, who had the appearance of a middle-aged uncle, was no genius either. As a follower of Marquis Merlin and married to Marquis Merlin¡¯s daughter, one would think he had ess to plenty of resources. Yet, after all these years, he remained merely an Elite Earth Knight. He had no hope of being promoted to an earl. Just as one cannot be a Grand Duke without being a Dragon Knight, one cannot be an earl without being a Sky Knight. However, one could have a hereditary right for three generations, which means that if an earl¡¯s descendant is not a Sky Knight, they can still inherit the earldom, but if they fail to produce a Sky Knight after three generations, then, unfortunately, they must be demoted. Originally, there was also the rule that one cannot be ennobled as a baron without being an Earth Knight. ording to the rules, once Liszt came of age, he would not be able to obtain the title of baron as he had not advanced to Earth Knight. However, since Earth Knights had be dime a dozen, provided one had sufficient nutrition, it was rare for someone not to achieve Earth Knight status. This rule was not written into the enfeoffment system of the Duchy of Sapphire, and the nobles did not care about it either. When the earl conferred the title upon Liszt, nobody dared to utter a word of dissent. ¡°Liszt, why didn¡¯t your fathere?¡± Viscount Rnd suddenly asked. The question was rather gauche; Li Weiliam had remarried, and Marquis Merlin was no longer his father-inw, so how could he join the celebration? Liszt merely smiled and responded, ¡°My father has stayed on Coral Ind, and there are many matters in the territory that require his attention; he really couldn¡¯t get away.¡± Viscount Rnd was about to ask another question.
Aunt Melinda interrupted directly, saying, ¡°Your two cousins often talk about you. You used to y together as children, and now that you¡¯ve all grown up, you meet less often.¡± ¡°Liszt, how have you grown taller than Levis? You¡¯re very robust and already an Earth Knight? That¡¯s impressive!¡± Cousin Russell said enviously as he thumped Liszt¡¯s chest. He was built like his aunt, somewhat short and stocky, and must be the straightforward type; his ent was not quite standard, tinged with a bit of dialect. Liszt enjoyed dealing with straightforward people. Before he could speak, Russell went on, ¡°Come, let me introduce you. This is my wife, Cassie Broli. Her uncle is Count Sharke. And this is our daughter, Rossi, she just turned 2 years old.¡± Cassie Broli? Her uncle is Sharke Broli? Liszt smiled and greeted the gentledy warmly, then enthusiastically lifted the little ball of fluff that was Rossi, ¡°Hi, Rossi, say¡­ ¡®Happy New Year, Uncle Liszt.¡¯ Rossi obviously had no such intention and immediately pouted and started wailing. Liszt, startled, quickly handed Rossi back to the servant who had been holding her before. Li Veraughed, ¡°You need to realize that being handsome is of no use with little children.¡± ¡­. Marquis Merlin¡¯s descendants were all in attendance. During the luncheon, the elderly master of Long Taro Castle, in high spirits, drank a few extra sses. It was unclear whether it was the alcohol that made him livelier or if he had prepared beforehand, but starting with Meioubao, he called his grandchildren one by one into the study. Liszt, being the youngest, naturally went inst. ¡°Grandfather.¡± ¡°Sit.¡± The clear enunciation and the murky yet sharp gaze proved that Marquis Merlin was not drunk. The old butler brought in two cups of coffee and casually closed the door to the study. ¡°You¡¯ve given me quite a surprise, Liszt,¡± the words from Marquis Merlin startled Liszt, ¡°Thest time you were here, you were just a Common Earth Knight, yet now, you have be an Elite Earth Knight. Such rapid progress is quite rare.¡±
Without denial, Liszt curiously asked, ¡°Grandfather, how did you figure it out?¡± ¡°When I was young, I defeated even the Grand Duke with my Knight¡¯s Sword, so seeing through your level of Dou Qi is nothing to be surprised about.¡± Marquis Merlin¡¯s voice was not loud, but his words always carried an air of dominance, mentioning casually that he had even defeated a Grand Duke. ¡°It¡¯s strange when I talk about it. After moving to the countryside, my diet wasn¡¯t as good as it was at Tulip Castle, but I felt as if a light had suddenly turned on. I broke through to be an Earth Knight almost immediately upon arriving at Fresh Flower Town. Recently, I felt like I touched the bottleneck of Dou Qi, so I started taking Magic Potions.¡± Of course, the Smoke Mission could not be revealed, so Liszt had no choice but to make up a story.
It wasn¡¯t entirely made up, though. The umtion from an Earth Knight to an Elite Earth Knight had indeed been quite natural for him, even surprising himself when he found out. What should have been years of grinding was shortened to mere months. ¡°Perhaps living in Tulip Castle was oppressive for you. Those magicians are fond of speaking about the theory of spiritual and material transformation, aren¡¯t they? The power of the human spirit can indeed influence one¡¯s body. Melissa died too soon, and your father failed to take on the responsibility of looking after you, which truly wore down your talent.¡± While speaking, Marquis Merlin unapologeticallyuded himself, ¡°Li Weiliam had strong talent, and the bloodline of Long Taro Castle is even more noble. All three of you siblings have inherited your parents¡¯ good traits, but you inherited the most, and rightly so, you are the most gifted! In you, I see the shadow of my youthful self.¡± Liszt maintained a smile. After boasting for a while, Marquis Merlin asked, ¡°Is the wealth of Fresh Flower Town sufficient to support your need for Magic Potions?¡± ¡°Currently, there are three kinds of Magic Potions growing in Fresh Flower Town. Although the output isn¡¯t high, I¡¯m not at the stage where I need arge amount. With some effort, it¡¯s enough.¡± ¡°You have a Little Minor Elf that produces Magic Potions; training it will be of great help to you. You also have an Intermediate Magical Beast, that Fierce Earth Dog should be cultivated with effort; it will be a goodpanion for you.¡± ¡°I think so too.¡± ¡°Having advanced to an Elite Earth Knight in such a short time, it¡¯s right to be cautious, but you don¡¯t have to be too modest. Strength dictates everything. Don¡¯t forget that you have the support of the Tulip Family and the Long Taro Family behind you. You should let everyone witness your boundless future¡­ The reason I married Melissa to your father was because he was fearless.¡± Li Weiliam, who back then was still a Common Earth Knight viscount, took a daughter of a marquis for his wife, which would have been difficult without any boldness. Liszt was somewhat moved. His own behaviour had indeed been quite ¡°low-profile,¡±cking the ostentatiousness or fervor of youth. However, the thought was fleeting. His modesty was not due to ack of strength, but because he had too many secrets. He preferred to progress step by step; he disliked taking risks.
¡°Grandfather, I have a clear vision for my future, I know what I should do.¡± Marquis Merlin looked at Liszt with some surprise and nodded, ¡°Good, it¡¯s rare for a young person to have such a mentality. I¡¯m even more optimistic about your future.¡± He picked up a thin booklet from the table and tossed it to Liszt, ¡°I believe your future achievements will surpass your father¡¯s. These are some insights from my years of Dou Qi Cultivation, you can take them for reference.¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Rolling on the floor begging for votes~ Chapter 258: 0258: Infinite Potential Dragon Dou Qi (Third Release, 800 Monthly Votes Bonus) Chapter 258: Infinite Potential Dragon Dou Qi (Third Release, 800 Monthly Votes Bonus) Marquis Merlin Taro¡¯s insights into Dou Qi cultivation are of immense value, at least they could be considered family heirlooms. After all, in his prime, Marquis Merlin was one of the leading Sky Knights of the Duchy of Sapphire, known as the Gale Sword Saint. Sky Knight is a level in Dou Qi cultivation. Sword Saint is a title granted to exceptionally powerful Sky Knights, not every Sky Knight is entitled to the title of Sword Saint. For instance, Liszt¡¯s uncle Mesiro is just a Sky Knight, and no one would call him by a Sword Saint title. Only those Sky Knights who excel in swordbat may be bestowed with the honorific of Sword Saint. ¡°Thank you, Grandpa.¡± Liszt happily epted the notes from Marquis Merlin. His father was the Sea Wave Sword Saint, from whom he could seek enlightenment at any time, and now he had acquired the cultivation insights of the Gale Sword Saint. Once he advanced to be a Sky Knight, he would have no shortage of experience to draw upon. The only regret was that he possessed the Fire Attribute¡¯s Dou Qi, while his grandfather had the Water Attribute, and Marquis Merlin had the Wind Attribute. An individual¡¯s Dou Qi attribute is rted to lineage and physique. Liszt¡¯s brother and sister both had Water Attributes, and his grandfather, uncles, and cousins had Wind Attributes. He was the only one with a Fire Attribute, which was somewhat unexpected but not unusual. It¡¯s just that neither family had ever produced a Sword Saint with a Fire Attribute, so in terms of cultivation experience, there was a slight shortfall. ¡°If you ever feel constrained in Fresh Flower Town, the doors of Red Crab Ind are always open for you,¡± Marquis Merlin said calmly. Liszt nodded seriously, ¡°I appreciate your trust, Grandpa.¡±
Marquis Merlin caught his grandson¡¯s gaze and understood his intentions, ¡°Should there ever be a day when the Long Taro Family¡¯s rule over Red Crab Ind faces instability, I hope you and your siblings can extend a helping hand to Meioubao¡­ My greatest disappointment with your uncle is not hisck of talent but his scarce progeny, which falls far short of your father¡¯s.¡± Mesiro had only one son. The Earl had four children with two wives, three sons and a daughter, and whether he had mistresses or illegitimate children, Liszt was not quite sure. But in terms of procreation, he certainly surpassed Mesiro. ¡­ After leaving the study, Liszt did not return to the living room to chat with rtives. Although he hade to terms with his identity, he still preferred a rtively quiet environment, not to mention the Sword Saint¡¯s notes in his hands, which he was eager to peruse. The notes were unnamed, entirely in handwritten script, with sloppy handwriting and numerous corrections. One could easily imagine that these were written by Marquis Merlin recently, after stepping down as themander of the Court Fleet, probably beginning to summarize his life. At twelve, an Earth Knight, at fifteen, an Elite Earth Knight, and at twenty-two, a Sky Knight. In the Sword Saint¡¯s notes, Marquis Merlin first recalled his own cultivation journey, a prodigious tale that quite possiblybeled him as a genius among geniuses, even more distinguished than Li Weiliam Tulip, the twenty-five-year-old Sky Knight. However, Marquis Merlin came from a Marquis Family and had resources piled up since his childhood. Compared to Li Weiliam, who came from a Viscount family, Merlin¡¯s talent was not necessarily stronger. There are three tiers of Sky Knights. Ordinary Level Sky Knights, Sword Saint Level Sky Knights, and those hailed as reserve Dragon Knights, the Completion Level Sky Knights who were always prepared to ride a dragon. By thirty-nine, Marquis Merlin was already a Completion Level Sky Knight. ¡°Unfortunately, I do not have a dragon, nor can I find one to ride, my life as a Dragon Knight is hopeless,¡± Marquis Merlin wrote in the notes, without much regret in his words, because at least he could make light of Grand Duke Andrew Sapphire, ¡°But the Grand Duke has a Sapphire Dragon, and he cannot ride it either, not receiving the dragon¡¯s recognition, hisplete Dou Qi is of no avail.¡± Although he had never ridden a dragon, he had indulged in fantasies about Dragon Knights. ¡°It is said that Advanced Dou Qi of the Completion Level is already the ultimate point of Dou Qi, only bybining with the mystical power of dragons can one produce the incredible Dragon Dou Qi. A type of Dou Qi that exceeds the limits of magic power and possesses infinite potential. Unfortunately, the Grand Duke is too stingy, having refused my requests to read Duke Anderson¡¯s ¡®Dragon Knight Dou Qi Manual¡¯ countless times.¡± ¡°Dragon Knight Dou Qi Manual?¡± Liszt¡¯s emotions surged; he wished he could snatch the manual right away.
Take a look at what a Dragon Knight is, what Dragon Dou Qi is. The current Grand Duke Andrew Sapphire should be a Completion Level Sky Knight who hasn¡¯t ridden a dragon. However, he holds the ¡®Dragon Knight Dou Qi Manual¡¯ from the First Grand Duke and is presumably the only person in the entire Duchy of Sapphire who knows how to ride dragons. Liszt felt that he would eventually need to have a thorough discussion with him on the subject of dragon riding. He shook his head, casting aside the many distractions. He began to read Marquis Merlin¡¯s true insights into Dou Qi cultivation. The Apprentice Knight stage was only briefly mentioned, and there wasn¡¯t much boration on the Elite Earth Knight stage. It was vastly different from the experience provided by the Earl, which was all about consuming potions, more potions, vigorously consuming potions¡ªat most, providing some rational advice for consuming potions.
What was detailedly described was the Dou Qi cultivation of Sky Knights. But Liszt timely stopped himself: ¡°I need to focus on mastering the Elite Earth Knight stage now; I mustn¡¯t aim too high and only build on solid foundations first.¡± He stored the Sword Saint¡¯s Notes in the Gemstone Space, left the room, and returned to the living room where the lively chatter continued. ¡°Liszt, what gift did your grandfather give you?¡± Cousin Rolie shouted as soon as he saw Liszt, appearing more animated than the simple Russell. ¡°What¡¯s your gift?¡± ¡°Grandfather gave me a gemstone equipment!¡± Rolie triumphantly pulled out a pendant from his chest, embedded with a yellow gemstone, ¡°This is a Topaz from the Topaz Dragon. It can make my Dou Qi more solid; even an Elite Earth Knight can¡¯t break through my firm Dou Qi!¡± Envy! Any piece of gemstone equipment was worthy of envy. Liszt praised it appropriately: ¡°I¡¯m really envious. Gemstone equipment, it¡¯s so beautiful!¡± Rolie immediately grinned from ear to ear. Whether a weapon or an essory, a piece of gemstone equipment was valued at over a thousand Gold Coins. As a second son with no title to inherit, a thousand Gold Coins was like a windfall. Liszt then inquired about everyone else¡¯s gifts. Surprisingly, Marquis Merlin had given out three volumes of Sword Saint¡¯s Notes, to Meioubao, Levis, and himself. Russell, Rolie, and Li Vera each received a piece of gemstone equipment. Levis spoke with a smile: ¡°Including yours, the three volumes of notes were all personally written by grandfather, and the content is the same, of course, typos differ.¡±
¡°Actually, grandfather only needed to write one volume; the rest you could have copied yourselves,¡± Rolie said proudly, believing that the value of the gemstone equipment far exceeded a manual that could be borrowed and copied. ¡°Rolie, don¡¯t talk nonsense,¡± Aunt Melinda chided Rolie, her smile a bit unnatural. Viscount Rnd held his cup, taking a sip as if to camouge. Those a bit sharp understood Marquis Merlin¡¯s intention¡ªnot holding out hope for the younger generation, he gave them something of real value, gemstone equipment, while for those he had expectations, he gave a manual for cultivation. Chapter 259: 0259: The Grand Magician’s Blessing (Fourth Update, Bonus for 1000 Monthly Tickets) Chapter 259: The Grand Magician¡¯s Blessing (Fourth Update, Bonus for 1000 Monthly Tickets) I had thought that a family banquet would mark the end of this somewhat uninteresting festival and I would receive my reward. Bute evening, an unexpected delight arrived. ¡°Marquis Merlin, long time no see,¡± said a middle-aged to elderly man donned in an exquisite magic cloak, with three gemstone rings of different colors on his hand. They were light yellow, pale red, and blue. ¡°Mr. Grimmand, what brings you here instead of staying at The Court?¡± Marquis Merlin was somewhat surprised by his arrival. ¡°I bring blessings from the Grand Duke.¡± ¡°The Grand Duke is thoughtful. Let¡¯s begin, Mr. Grimmand.¡± With a slight smile, Grimmand raised the hand adorned with the three rings high into the air. The next moment, the radiance from the rings intersected with each other, shooting beams straight into the night sky which was quickly darkening. These beams were magic power, and they suddenly exploded hundreds of meters above. Boom! The red beam ignited vast swaths of mes, like clouds of fire. Boom!
The blue beam whipped up masses of water, churning in the sky like ocean waves. Boom! The purple beam burst forth with streaks of lightning, zigzagging between the mes and water, emitting tremendous thunderous roars. Boom! Finally, the green beam exploded, turning into a massive windstorm, mixing up the mes, water, and lightning into shapes that constantly shifted above Long Taro Castle. This magical scene made everyone in Long Taro Castle look up at the sky in awe, admiring the magical spectacle. Even the distant cities could see the magical spectacle above Long Taro Castle and were astounded. About a quarter of an hour passed. The magical spectacle gradually dissipated, sparing a few raindrops, and everything returned to tranquility. ¡°Marquis Merlin, I have delivered the Grand Duke¡¯s blessings,¡± said Mr. Grimmand with a slight bow, calmly speaking. Marquis Merlin returned the gesture, his tone somewhat wistful, ¡°Although it was but a showy disy of magic with no practical use, I have received the Grand Duke¡¯s sentiment. Thank you, Mr. Grimmand, for the arduous performance. Please join me for the festival¡¯s dinner.¡± ¡°I am most honored.¡± Apanied by Marquis Merlin, Grimmand nodded to Mesiro and others before entering Long Taro Castle. By this time, Liszt had inquired about the man¡¯s identity, and Meioubao exined in detail: ¡°Grimmand Truth, a Grand Magician in service at The Court, excels in magic of the six elements¡ªwind, water, fire, earth, lightning, and ice¡ªbut his forte is designing magic equipment, especially magic rings.¡± ¡°The three rings he wears on his hand?¡± Liszt inquired further, recalling how he had duped Curtis Truth out of the Life Box, which was a sapphire ring, though he had not discovered anything special about it. Its design was simr to the magic rings worn by Grimmand. It could well be a magic ring. Meioubao nodded, ¡°Indeed, those are definitely three magic rings. They leverage the power of the Dragon Gem to amplify a magician¡¯s magic power. Because of the different engravings of magic runes, they¡¯re not of much use to us knights, but for magicians, they are treasures beyond value.¡± Hearing they were of little use to knights, Liszt couldn¡¯t help but feel a bit disappointed.
It seems Curtis¡¯ Life Box and the Magic Runes on the Sapphire Ring were also exclusively carved for magicians. He couldn¡¯t use them, so he had no choice but to collect them as keepsakes. Suddenly, an idea shed through his mind, ¡°Why not pry the sapphire out of the ring, scrape off those Magic Runes, recarve them, and have someone forge a Gemstone Weapon? I already have my suitable Crimson Blood Sword; it would be best to forge another suitable for the charge¡ªa Gemstone Lance.¡± He even had a name in mind, the Blue Blood Lance, to match the Crimson Blood Sword. As for the Life Box function of the Sapphire Ring, Curtis¡¯ soul had been extinguished along with the copse of the Ghost Ship, so it was needless to say unnecessary.
¡°However, if this Sapphire Ring is exposed now, could it lead to any associations? Besides, can a gemstone that has already been used be recycled?¡± Unknown. He had just had the idea, and quickly he returned to the dining room for the New Year¡¯s dinner. On the dining table, rich high-end food, luxurious crystal tableware, and vintage wines from deep in the cers, all showcased the wealth of the Long Taro Family. Grand Magician Grimmand and Marquis Merlin were having a lively conversation, asionally sharing some not-too-private court secrets. The youths also toasted each other, wishing for smooth sailing in the new year. The servants wereing in and out nonstop, taking away the barely touched tes of food and bringing in new various dark dishes. 2-year-old Rossi somehow started fussing, iling his little hands and directly knocking the crystal tableware off the table, shattering it on the floor. The servants of Long Taro Castle smiled as they cleaned up the broken tableware, and nobody at the table cared. Liszt, even after a year, still hadn¡¯t grown to like the dark cuisine, so he ate very elegantly, and even had time to reflect to himself, ¡°The rich feast upon meat and wine while the poor freeze to death outside their gates.¡± The luxury of Long Taro Castle permitted crystal tableware to be casually smashed. The price of one piece of crystal tableware might be enough for amoner to subsist on dark bread for a year. Lagging productivity meant it was hard for themoners to have enough to eat or to stay warm, even the serfs of Long Taro Castle who had countless Elves assisting with agriculture still had to struggle to survive. Despite their fields¡¯ high yields, it also meant burdensome taxes, after all, it was to maintain the lifestyle of Long Taro Castle. The food, the utilities, the clothes, and even the equipment of the armed knights, all production came from the peasants¡¯ farming.
¡°What are you thinking about, daydreaming?¡± Li Vera was sitting next to Liszt, leaned over and whispered, ¡°Are you thinking about your subordinates, like that mercenarydy attendant who wears a veil?¡± After arriving at Red Crab Ind and recovering from the mental trauma on the Ghost Ship, Li Vera took an interest in Paris and often sought out the maid mercenary to bond. She really wanted to enlist the maid mercenary. Liszt didn¡¯t interfere¡ªif she could persuade her, he¡¯d consider it a loss. Upon hearing this, he elegantly sliced his grilled Magical Beast meat, and replied with casual indifference, ¡°No, I¡¯m pondering world peace.¡± ¡°Haha.¡± Li Veraughed, ¡°Liszt, I¡¯ve never realized you could be so humorous.¡± Lisztughed too, somewhat self-deprecatingly, ¡°One should do something meaningful in life, and wishing for world peace is meaningful. Of course, we need to understand to set a small goal that can be achieved first.¡± ¡°What is your small goal?¡± ¡°For example, I want to ride a dragon first.¡± ¡°Haha!¡± Li Vera burst intoughter. Cousin Russell from the side alsoughed loudly, ¡°Yes, I also want to set a small goal, I want to ride a dragon too.¡± Theughter even drew the attention of Grimmand who was having an enjoyable chat with Marquis Merlin, ¡°Who wants to ride a dragon? I can introduce him to the Grand Duke, his court has the only dragon in the country.¡±
Chapter 260: 0260: The Elf of the Sea (Fifth Update, Additional Chapter for 1200 Monthly Votes) Chapter 260: The Elf of the Sea (Fifth Update, Additional Chapter for 1200 Monthly Votes) Dong, dong, dong! The midnight bell of Long Taro Castle struck twelve, marking the official end of January 1st in the year 152 of the Sapphire Calendar. Lying in bed, Liszt called forth the Smoke Mission with a heart brimming with anticipation. As the festival drew to a close, the mission was indeedpleted. ¡°Complete the mission, reward: the sprite of the sea¡ªa Siren.¡± ¡°Hm?¡± ¡°This is¡­¡± All drowsiness vanished from Liszt, reced by excitement that had yet to explode: ¡°The sprite of the sea? A Siren? Isn¡¯t that a creature from legends!¡± Sirens, legendary creatures of the ocean, appeared in knight novels only second to mermaids in frequency. In most knight novels, Sirens are depicted as benevolent creatures with the upper body of a woman and the lower body of a sea serpent. In a few knight novels, Sirens are portrayed as malevolent beings that lure and kill sailors at sea. Unlike mermaids, the romantic figures of the sea in knight novels, and unlike the evil devils of the sea in folk tales¡ªthe Nagas, or the Fishmen, the hybrid creatures created by ancient magicians as mentioned in some magic books.
Sirens hold widespread appeal among sailors. Many sailors would swear by their souls that during certain voyages, they heard ethereal singing over the sea that intoxicated them. Quite a few even imed that when their ships were lost at sea, it was the Sirens¡¯ singing that guided them to the right direction. Liszt held no doubts about the existence of Sirens ¨C what¡¯s so surprising about them when Phantom Ships had already made their appearance? Whether it be mermaids, Nagas, or Fishmen, he did not doubt their reality either. On the contrary, he was extremely excited. In the knight novels, most Sirens possessed the beautiful upper human body of a woman and had melodious singing voices. The Smoke Mission referred to the Siren as a sprite of the sea, which clearly meant that a real Siren was a benevolent creature with extraordinary power. ¡°A Siren, they actually mean to reward me with a Siren. I wonder what it actually looks like¡­ how beautiful it is, and whether it possesses reproductive organs like a human?¡± He stroked his chin, his expression somewhat lecherous. After pondering for quite some time, he was still unable to conceive what the creature might look like: ¡°Probably not the normal structure of a human, considering the lower body is that of a sea serpent¡­ Perhaps, it might be structured like a dolphin?¡± He had once heard stories about humans and dolphins in the news. It is said that dolphins are one of the few animals that engage in acts of love, just like humans. ¡°Enough!¡± Liszt stopped his lewd imaginings, preferring to believe that Sirens had no gender. The Smoke Mission used the term ¡°sprite of the sea,¡± and sprites were thought to be creatures without gender. He tried to order his chaotic thoughts. Liszt summoned the Smoke Mission again; he hadn¡¯t yet checked what the new mission was. ¡°Mission: As the new year begins, Ice Snow still nkets Fresh Flower Town, but new life is already being nurtured. The birth of the Female Tyrant Earth Hound is imminent. In order to foster futurebat strength, please feed the Tyrant Earth Hound pups with Fresh Flower Town¡¯s special cows¡¯ milk until they open their eyes. Reward: Mutated Fierce Earth Dog.¡± ¡°Mutated Fierce Earth Dog?¡± Liszt¡¯s mind snapped back to normal: ¡°Feed them with Dragon Breed Cow milk until they open their eyes? Does it mean that if I feed Douson and Earth Matron¡¯s offspring with Dragon Breed Cow milk, they will mutate? And perhaps even evolve directly into an Intermediate Magical Beast like Douson himself?¡± He held high hopes for the offspring of Earth Matron. Now it seemed there was a substantial chance of nurturing these Tyrant Earth Hound pups into Intermediate Magical Beasts. Thinking of an army of Intermediate Magical Beasts in the future, such a luxurious lineup¡ªwouldn¡¯t they just unleash a flurry of Rock Spikes, decimating even the Blueblood Knight Order of the Sapphire Duke?
At this thought, he couldn¡¯t wait to set out and return to Fresh Flower Town to care for the soon-to-be-born Tyrant Earth Hound pups. But he couldn¡¯t just yet; there was a social dance in two days he needed to attend, arranged by Marquis Merlin. His aim was to find suitable marriage partners for the three siblings and cousin Rolie. Marquis Merlin was getting on in years, probably bored and had started to y the matchmaker. Levis was indifferent; he still pursued the daughter of Marquis Roderick. Li Vera was filled with anticipation, and Rolie was even more impatient. Before Liszt updated the mission, he also eagerly anticipated it¡ªhe wanted to see Asina Salmon again, the first girl in this world to express affection for him, leaving a deep impression on him.
But now, he just wanted these two days to be over quickly so he could hurry back home. ¡°I miss my Siren.¡± ¡­ ¡°Paris, how many egg rolls did you actually bring? Why haven¡¯t you finished them after so many days of eating?¡± Afterpleting his Dou Qi practice in the downstairs garden, Liszt encountered Paris, who was idly wandering about. This ck Dragon Childe was named his protector, but in reality, she had nothing to do in Long Taro Castle and spent her days aimlessly wandering. Either she was forcibly dragged off by Li Vera for sparring and rtionship building. ¡°There¡¯s not much left, luckily. If I stay in Long Taro Castle any longer, I¡¯ll starve,¡± she said. ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re talking about starving to death?¡± Liszt¡¯s gaze swept over her curvaceous figure, feeling it was much more voluptuous than before. ¡°A polite suggestion, try to eat fewer snacks. You could get fat, which would greatly affect your performance.¡± Being looked over by Liszt like this, Paris suddenly felt a warm flush on her face, her eyes flickered away, and her tone became much softer: ¡°Baron, do you prefer thinner girls?¡± ¡°Hm?¡± Thinking to himself ¡°trouble,¡± Liszt then seriously said, ¡°No, I only like myself.¡± After saying this, he tugged at the ruffled cor of his Ruff, stepped forward with his long legs, and turned to enter Long Taro Castle. Leaving Paris with her mouth open, not knowing what to say.
¡­ The ball began at five o¡¯clock in the afternoon. It was not yet time. Many carriages were parked at the entrance, and young nobles were already arriving at Long Taro Castle one after another, with men and women dressed in splendid attire, showing off like peacocks. Liszt was also transformed. The tailored ck¡¤Abaie perfectly entuated his temperament. The fabric of his attire had a red base with the pale gold Long Taro emblem of Long Taro Castle embroidered on it. This was a tradition among nobles, who would often embroider their family emblem on their clothes as decoration. As the clothes belonged to Long Taro Castle, the Long Taro emblem was naturally embroidered. Overall, he exuded an imposing aristocratic air. Thevish attirebined with his tall stature, his mature and stable temperament, and his handsome face meant that wherever he stood, he was the inadvertent center of attention. Just like now. He stood by the window in the corridor, where a servant carrying drinks spotted him from afar and came over: ¡°Master Liszt, would you like something to drink?¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Liszt took a ss of champagne.
Champagne, a type of wine, is most favored during celebrations. However, genuine champagne is hard toe by. ording to thews of the Duchy of Sapphire, only champagne brewed on Blue Dragon Ind can be called real champagne; the rest can only be termed as wine. The champagne from Blue Dragon Ind had a very low production, reserved only for nobles of Earl rank and above. Whether it tasted good or not, Liszt was unsure; he disliked drinking. He swirled the golden champagne, took a light sip, and the faint sweetness mixed with the strong fruit aroma was refreshing. Yet, he had no interest in savoring it, his gaze directed towards the newly arriving carriages. Chapter 261: 0261: The Receiver and the Narcissist (First Update) Chapter 261: The Receiver and the Narcissist (First Update) The carriage stopped, and a servant helped ady in a magnificent gown alight; she wore a Bird Lady Hat, a favorite among the noblewomen, adorned with a colorful bird feather standing tall and very eye-catching. What was once the signature hat of the Lady Sky Knight had now be the favorite of themon nobility. However, Liszt did not recognize this noblewoman. ¡°Liszt, why are you hiding here, I¡¯ve been looking for you for a long time,¡± the voice of Cousin Meioubao came from behind him, ¡°What are you looking at by the Window?¡± He walked straight up to Liszt and looked outside, perfectly overlooking the carriages in front of Long Taro Castle, ¡°Hmm, you¡¯re not trying to suss out in advance which lovelydy is worth the effort, are you? Indeed, viewed from this angle, the ¡®height¡¯ is very clear.¡± The ¡®height¡¯ he referred to was the impressive silhouette when seen from the front and the profile. ¡°Not at all, just feeling it¡¯s too stuffy in the hall.¡± ¡°I understand.¡± ¡°What do you understand?¡± Meioubao clinked his ss of red wine against Liszt¡¯s champagne flute, ¡°You¡¯re waiting for that beautiful Asina from the Salmon Family, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Not at all,¡± he replied half-heartedly before suddenly asking, ¡°Is sheing this time too?¡±
¡°You said you weren¡¯t looking forward to it, did you? Liszt, when you rejected Asina back then, why do you care about her now?¡± Liszt didn¡¯t beat around the bush and said directly, ¡°Maybe it¡¯s because it feels significant to me; I seldom attended such balls on Coral Ind or had an invitation from a female noble of my own age to visit her home. At the ball on Red Crab Ind, Asina was the first to recognize how outstanding I was.¡± ¡°No wonder.¡± As if a nerve had been struck. Meioubao suddenly stopped teasing and instead, with a touch of mncholy, said, ¡°A man should find a woman who understands him¡­ If she doesn¡¯t understand him, I can¡¯t imagine what the future life would be like.¡± Liszt ventured, ¡°Are you talking about Princess Ang?¡± ¡°Yes, Ang Sapphire, the brightest pearl on the Grand Duke¡¯s Crown, and if all goes well, she¡¯ll be the future mistress of Red Crab Ind.¡± Duke Andrew had two sons and two daughters; Ang was the youngest daughter. ¡°Have you confirmed your rtionship with her?¡± ¡°Not me and her, but my grandfather and the Grand Duke have sealed our rtionship.¡± He drained the ss of wine in one gulp, throwing the ss back onto the servant¡¯s tray with a ¡°Go away.¡± The servant hurriedly bowed and left. Meioubao rested his hands on the window ledge, ¡°Do you know why I chased after her so desperately without a single response, only to have a definite rtionship now?¡± Liszt watched him, waiting for the rest of the story. ¡°Grimmand Truth, I naively thought he truly came with the Grand Duke¡¯s blessing, but the truth was¡­¡± he suddenly turned around and patted Liszt on the shoulder, ¡°Grandfather says your future is immeasurable, and we share the same blood; I have nothing to hide from you.¡± ¡°Please tell me, cousin,¡± Liszt had already guessed. Sure enough, Meioubao¡¯s telltale disclosure was almost exactly as he had surmised¡ªhe had be the fall guy. Of course, Princess Ang would certainly note with her child in tow. Even as the Grand Duke¡¯s most beloved daughter, she could not bring a child into a marriage with an heir to a Marquis. This was not only a vition of the morality under the knight system but also an immense disgrace to the Marquis Family. Therefore, Princess Ang, several months pregnant, was forced to have an abortion. ¡°Her reputation was dreadful, I knew that much already, as long as there wasn¡¯t too much of a scandal, let bygones be bygones. But what¡¯s unforgivable is that the father of that aborted child¡­ his¡­ his¡­ was nothing but a street performer!¡±
If her reputation was already tarnished, it wouldn¡¯t matter who the father of the child was. But as a noble, a member of the natural ruling ss, Liszt could very well understand Meioubao¡¯s feelings. Nobles could fool around with each other, but never withmoners, especially not nobles of such high birth as the daughter of a duke. A street performer was as low as a serf, so it was no wonder Meioubao was furious. Swirling his champagne, Liszt took a careful look at Meioubao and then had another thought. Perhaps Meioubao was not angry because the princess had dallied with a street performer, but rather because the news had leaked out¡ªit was clear to the Long Taro Family that the princess had conceived with a street performer, which meant the affair was no secret on Blue Dragon Ind.
¡°Perhaps in Meioubao¡¯s eyes, Long Taro Castle has started to look green, sickeningly green.¡± He suppressed the urge to gloat over the misfortune. He pondered for a moment. He decided tofort Meioubao, ¡°Life isn¡¯t always smooth sailing. Although Princess Ang doesn¡¯t meet the moral standards of a nobledy, she is still the mistress Long Taro Castle needs the most. Compared to the harmony of marital life, what are those pre-marital incidents, really?¡± As he said this, Liszt suddenly recalled his own views on romance. In his youth, he had hoped to save his first time for the girl he chose; as a young man, he thought it didn¡¯t matter if it was the first time or not; in his early adult years, he felt the past wasn¡¯t important; as he matured, he believed that what mattered was mutual love. Reaching the cusp of thirty without having found someone, he just wanted to settle with whoever came along. The struggle between man and life is such that if you take a step back, life moves forward a step. It was perhaps just a grumble. Meioubao soon freed himself from the fury of having to take up the unwanted legacy, already resigning himself to the role of the scapegoat: ¡°Let¡¯s go, let¡¯s chat in the hall. All the young nobles from Red Crab Ind are here today; perhaps you¡¯ll find someone satisfactory.¡± Only then did he remember, ¡°I¡¯ve been so caught up in my own affairs, I forgot to tell you, don¡¯t wait for Asina; she won¡¯t be attending the ball. She fell in love with a baron at the Sea Festival dance and is likely to be a baroness by next year.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Liszt responded tly, as if indifferent. In fact, his heart tightened severely inside, a feeling of difort that he couldn¡¯t put into words. The effort he had put into repressing the schadenfreude he felt towards Meioubao popped like a balloon.
Meioubao being forced to take up the unwanted legacy wasughable indeed, but wasn¡¯t his own long-standing self-love just asughable? ¡°I assumed too much. Among the nobility¡­ there¡¯s no such thing as love at first sight, and what¡¯s more, it was just a fleeting encounter at a ball; perhaps she forgot about me right after it ended.¡± All of a sudden, His enthusiasm waned. The social ball that was supposed to stir some excitement, especially with the anticipation of seeing Asina, suddenly felt empty. The thought of the so-called social dance being nothing more than a union of noble interests, showing off their assets, and selecting suitable matches to continue their family lineage made his previously restless heart settle back down, and a standard noble smile returned to his face. Chapter 262: 0262: Liszt’s Piano Pieces (Second Update) Chapter 262: Liszt¡¯s Piano Pieces (Second Update) The ball, as expected,cked the presence of Asina Salmon. Levis and Li Vera merged into the crowd, eagerly engaging in conversation with the nobility of both genders. Meioubao still wore a smile, strenuously maintaining the dignity of Long Taro Castle¡¯s host. He was very good at this kind of work. Liszt was his usual self, neither taking the initiative nor refusing; if someone came over to exchange pleasantries, he would casually chat along. Although he had never thought ofing to Red Crab Ind to make a name for himself, why refuse the opportunity to broaden his connections? The pianist yed a beautiful melody. Couples twirled through the dance floor, one pair after another. Laughter rose continuously from every corner, a clear sign of enjoyable conversations. Meioubao made a round, attended to all the nobledies and gentlemen, and then, with a ss of wine in hand, took a seat next to Liszt. ¡°More tiring than having fought a charge,¡± he gasped for breath. ¡°It¡¯s a good thing I¡¯m just a baron, not obliged to speak a word with each and every man and woman here.¡± ¡°They are all followers of Long Taro Castle,e from afar in hopes of exchanging words with me; I can¡¯t bear to let them down.¡± It was unclear whether this statement was self-mockery or self-satisfaction.
He suddenly asked, ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to dance?¡± ¡°Those who invited me are not of interest to me.¡± ¡°Then take the initiative and invite someone; such proactivity is what a gentleman noble should possess.¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t decided yet whom I might like to invite.¡± ¡°Your way of thinking is quite peculiar. If it were me, I would invite every beautifuldy in turn; it¡¯s not like you can only dance once. If youe across someone suitable, find a corner for a heartfelt talk, then the trip here wouldn¡¯t be in vain. Who knows, if the conversation goes well, you might even lead her home as thedy of the house.¡± Liszt was still reserved, ¡°Isn¡¯t that a bit too hasty?¡± Meioubao shook his head, unable to understand his own cousin, ¡°Since you don¡¯t feel like dancing, can you y the piano?¡± ¡°I guess¡­ a little.¡± Liszt himself didn¡¯t know how to y an instrument¡ªnot any kind of instrument. But his predecessor, as a member of the nobility, had learned the piano. He barely remembered a few pieces. Nobles love music, and the piano is the most popr instrument, especially at balls. Without piano music to set the mood, how could one create an enchanting atmosphere? Many down-and-out nobles relied on ying the piano to maintain their high-society lifestyle, even bing the distinguished guests of noble women. ¡°Get ready, we¡¯ll each y a pieceter,¡± Meioubao said. He beckoned a servant, ¡°Go tell the pianist toe down after this piece. Liszt and I are going to y the piano.¡± ¡°Yes, young master.¡± ¡°Have you thought about what piece you¡¯re going to y? I¡¯m nning on ¡®Elly by the Water.¡¯ It¡¯s my favorite piano piece with a beautiful melody and a touching story. Do you like it?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to y the piano, and besides, I¡¯ve never heard of this piece.¡± ¡°Heavens, you¡¯ve never heard of it? It¡¯s a masterpiece by Czerny Windmill,posed for a story he experienced personally! Eurie Ellie, the mythical Gorgon with snaky hair¡ªwhen Master Czerny traveled through the st Furnace Fortress Kingdom, heid eyes on Eurie Ellie by the water, and in that moment, he turned to stone!¡± ¡°Turned to stone? So, he died?¡± ¡°You trulyck any sense of artistry! It¡¯s a rhetorical device. Czerny didn¡¯t literally turn into stone, but the beauty of Eurie Ellie petrified him metaphorically¡ªnot that her gaze physically turned him to stone. What he saw might not have been Eurie Ellie; it¡¯s just a metaphor.¡± Meioubao spoke of the piano piece animatedly, his face alight with excitement, ¡°Eurie Ellie is a creature of legend and does not exist. Legend has it she had three sisters, all Gorgons, all beautiful yet deadly. Master Czerny saw a woman by the water and felt her beauty was like poison, petrifying him. Do you understand now?¡±
¡°I suppose I understand,¡± Liszt replied carelessly. ¡°Then, prepare yourself, you¡¯ll go on stage to y a pieceter. Only art can make people forget their worries, trust me.¡± He left Liszt a very artistic silhouette as he got ready to perform on stage. It seemed that Liszt¡¯s ignorance had scared him. During his performance, he intentionally used his Dou Qi to amplify the volume and started by telling the backstory of ¡°Elly by the Water¡±, before he began to y.
One had to say, his piano performance skills were very superb, the melody sometimes soothing and sometimes passionate, truly immersing people in scenes like ¡°I see Eurie Ellie,¡± ¡°I have turned into stone,¡± ¡°Her beauty leaves me breathless.¡± The piece concluded. The nobles, who were immersed in the music, began apuding one after another. Meioubao elegantly stood up, bowed slightly to express his gratitude, ¡°Next, my cousin, Liszt Tulip, will perform the following piano piece for everyone.¡± ¡­ Liszt really wanted to smash Meioubao¡¯s head with a hammer. He had absolutely no desire to y any piano piece. Indeed, almost all nobles would learn instruments like the piano to augment their noble demeanor. The former Liszt had often yed the piano, but the current Liszt was a musical ignoramus, with a preference for pop music! Since he had crossed over into this world, he had not touched any musical instrument again. The piano techniques from his former life¡¯s memories had be unfamiliar, asking him to perform would be an embarrassing spectacle. He didn¡¯t know whether this was Meioubao¡¯s way of seeking revenge¡ªgiven that during their previous conversation by the window, he had probably exposed his schadenfreude attitude, since at that moment, he genuinely felt likeughing. But. At this moment, the feeling of being awkward simply did not exist. His current mindset was somewhat detached from worldly concerns; he never intended to find love at this ball, so if he was going to embarrass himself, so be it. Having adjusted his mindset and with a smile on his face, Liszt made his way to the stage one step at a time.
Sitting in front of the piano, he swept his hands across the keys, producing a neat sequence of notes. He looked down at the piano keys,pared them with his predecessor¡¯s memories to locate the corresponding keys for do, re, mi, fa, so,, si, and then a melody of a song popped into his head, swiftly figuring out how to y it. Just like Meioubao, he too nned to give a prelude monologue. He channeled his Dou Qi to boost his own volume, ¡°It¡¯s a very ancient legend¡­ Long, long ago, in the forest kingdom of a distantnd, there lived a brother and sister, each with a special ability. The brother¡¯s eyes could see far into the distance, and the sister¡¯s ears could hear sounds from afar; they grew up together, sharing joy and sorrow.¡± Liszt¡¯s voice was very maic. There was no sense of abruptness when he recited the monologue; on the contrary, it was easy for people to be drawn into his story. ¡°In their free time, they would run to the mountain, the brother gazing into distant kingdoms and sharing the wonders he saw with his sister; the sister listening to the messages carried by the wind and singing heavenly songs to her brother¡­ They fell in love, threw off all constraints, and reveled in their love.¡± ¡°But society would never allow their love to exist. No matter how hard they tried, they still lost to the moral shackles. To prove their evesting love for each other, the brother blinded himself, and the sister blocked her ears, unable to receive the blessings of others, what good were those abilities.¡± ¡°Many yearster, a foreign musician heard this poignant and moving love story, deeply touched. Overwhelmed by emotions, heposed a soul-stirring melody. I happened to hear this melody, and could not help but feel deeply moved; how can the fate of the siblings not evoke deep sighs and emotion!¡± ¡°Unfortunately, I did not retain the entire melody nor the full song. I can only share with everyone what I remember of the melody and the song.¡± Bang! Bang bang! Liszt¡¯s hands caressed the piano, firmly pressing the keys, beginning to y that piece. With its simple, brisk melody gaining momentum, a touch of faint sorrow seemed to mingle within the brisk rity. His singing voice, too, blended with the melody, drifting above the dance floor in Chinese that no one could understand: ¡°Two Tigers, Two Tigers, running fast, running fast¡­¡±
Chapter 264: 0264: You Know I’ve Never Been a Part of It (First Update) Chapter 264: You Know I¡¯ve Never Been a Part of It (First Update) Duniko aptly threw a flirtatious nce at Liszt, ¡°So, you¡¯ve deceived everyone.¡± ¡°How can it be called deception? Every piano piece has a beautiful story behind it. Does it matter which stories are true and which are fabricated?¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter?¡± ¡°A story just offers a tiny touch of sentiment, but it¡¯s the melody that truly moves the heart.¡± ¡°Is that so? Unless you cane up with a story better suited to ¡®For Alice,¡¯ I won¡¯t agree with you.¡± When it came to making up stories, Liszt was quite adept, but he didn¡¯t agree to Duniko¡¯s ¡°request.¡± Perhaps he could invent a tale, y up to the Earl¡¯s daughter, and engage with Duniko in a story beyond the story. Maybe, given his temperament and charm, it would be normal to win over Duniko. But there was no need for that. He didn¡¯t like deliberately seeking favor. Maybe he was just in love with himself all along, or perhaps he was only interested in Duniko¡¯s outer beauty andcked that impulsive drive to pursue. ¡°There¡¯s no romantic tale, just a piano teacher who fell in love with his student, and a little tune born out of passion,¡± Liszt said casually. Duniko cast another seductive nce, ¡°Like you¡¯re filled with passion right now?¡±
Liszt didn¡¯t catch on immediately, ¡°What?¡± It was only when Duniko gently rubbed his thigh with hers that he suddenly realized his admiration had been too obvious. With two lifetimes of experiencebined, hecked the shyness of youth, ¡°You know it¡¯s hard to maintain a calm disposition in the presence of a beautifuldy, especially one as exceptionally beautiful as you.¡± He slightly retreated his body to cool down the warmth. Yet Duniko took a big step forward, pressing her body closer, ¡°I ept yourpliments. No one has ever expressed their admiration for me so candidly.¡± ¡°Hmm,¡± Liszt suddenly found himself at a loss for words. Perhaps no more words were needed. They could just dance quietly, bodies close, swaying gently to the rhythm of the piano. As their gazes met and the corners of their mouths turned up slightly, maintaining a consistent smile seemed adequate. Duniko also ceased to speak, following Liszt¡¯s steps in a gentle rhythm. The piano piece ended. The two did not separate immediately, continuing to embrace each other, waiting for the second piano piece. However, halfway through the piece, Duniko suddenly asked, ¡°Would you like to step outside for some fresh air?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Liszt released the hand around her waist and took Duniko¡¯s hand, quietly leaving the bustling dance floor. The sky outside waspletely dark, only the lights of Long Taro Castle remained bright. In the corridor outside the hall, servants hurried past. Neither of them spoke again, just held hands and headed toward a secluded corner, where they could see couples tightly embraced in the nooks of private alcoves. In a corner where the crystalmp¡¯s light was rtively dim. They stopped in one such spot. ¡°The air is fresh outside, and you can breathe in the chill of winter,¡± Liszt said, with one hand on the window sill and the other still holding Duniko¡¯s, ¡°Miss Duniko, you¡¯re dressed rather lightly today, aren¡¯t you cold now?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not cold, in fact, I feel a bit warm,¡± Duniko said, looking at him, then suddenly suggested, ¡°Call me Duniko.¡± ¡°Duniko.¡± Liszt gazed at Duniko¡¯s long eyshes and her delicately made-up face and couldn¡¯t help but lower his head. Standing about 1.7 meters tall, Duniko quietly rose on her toes, lifting her face, and gently closed her eyes.
No need for an excess of words to describe the moment. The next second, Liszt¡¯s lips met with softness. They remained clutched together until they nearly suffocated. A sparkling thread stretched between them, reflecting the light of the distant castle. Duniko wrapped her arms around Liszt¡¯s neck, unwilling to let go, her gaze intense. Here is the tranted text:
Liszt hurriedly said, ¡°My room is upstairs.¡± ¡°Hold on tight.¡± Bend down. Hook arms. Liszt picked up Duniko sideways from the bend of his legs, activated his Dou Qi, and with legs springing like coils, he swiftly walked through the corridor, up the stairs to the fourth floor of the castle. He bypassed the servants who greeted him in the hallway without a response, heading straight to his own room. The door wasn¡¯t locked. At Long Taro Castle, the fourth floor was the living area of the master. ck! The door shut with a foot, and all was understood without words. ¡­ When Liszt awakened from his sore back and stiff waist, the morning sun had already risen, a rare clear and sunny day. He sat up and saw the woman beside him still deep in sleep, her blonde hair scattered across the pillow. There was a slightly unpleasant smell in the room. Shaking his head, Liszt still felt a tinge of surrealism. A rendition of ¡°For Alice¡±, two intimate dances, several deliberate or idental flirtations, all led to a wild night. Recalling the fervent heat ofst night, he suddenly felt bewildered; in other words, he had wholly surrendered his first time in this new life.
Perhaps he had been too loud getting out of bed. The sleeping Duniko suddenly woke up, and seeing Liszt getting dressed, she greeted him groggily, ¡°Hi, Liszt. What are you doing?¡± ¡°Getting up.¡± Liszt, having put on his pants and bare-chested, showed his perfect inverted-triangle physique as he walked to the bedside, bent down, and kissed Duniko¡¯s forehead. ¡°Don¡¯t you want to sleep a bit longer?¡± ¡°Can¡¯t sleep anymore.¡± Duniko stretched out her hand and drew a circle on his chest. ¡°You could call a castle maid to help you dress.¡± ¡°On the battlefield, there won¡¯t be any servants to help me dress; I prefer to do it myself. Only theplicated ck Abaie would be dressed by servants.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll call my maid in, and I¡¯ll get up too.¡± Ringing the bell, summoning the maid, Duniko with the help of the maid picked out a new outfit and got dressed. Liszt also got dressed with the help of the maid into his ck Abaie. Castle servants then brought washing utensils, attending to both of their morning grooming. When the maids left with the wash utensils, only Liszt and Duniko remained in the room. Duniko threw herself at him enthusiastically, wrapping her arms around Liszt¡¯s neck. ¡°Kiss me, as if it¡¯s thest time.¡± ¡°Mmm¡­¡± After they separated, Duniko spoke breathlessly, ¡°I love the way you y ¡®To Alice¡¯. I love your conversation and demeanor. You have a distinctive look in your eyes. In them, I saw ambition beyond the reach of others and a solitude that doesn¡¯t fit with the rest of the world.¡±
Such keen perception. Lisztughed it off. ¡°I guess you also saw a dragon since my greatest ambition is Dragon Riding.¡± ¡°I look forward to the day you ride a dragon. If that dayes and I¡¯m not yet old, you¡¯re wee toe kiss me again¡­ At the dance, so many men invited me, but I chose only you. My dear Baron, they will be jealous of you, just as those women were jealous of me when I took you away.¡± So intimately. Liszt was unsure whether his feelings toward Duniko were of admiration or just a moment of passion. He gently pulled away the hand that was around his neck: ¡°I guess there must be many broken hearts in Long Taro Castle, but yeah, I¡¯ve never been involved, so I wouldn¡¯t know.¡± After speaking, he opened the room¡¯s door: ¡°Let¡¯s go, let¡¯s go downstairs for breakfast. I¡¯m leaving here today.¡± Chapter 265 - 0265: There Are So Many Castles in the World (Second Update) Chapter 265: There Are So Many Castles in the World (Second Update) ¡°Good morning, dear Duniko,¡± Cousin Meioubao was up early and greeted the two who came down for breakfast with a smile. ¡°Good morning, Brother Meioubao,¡± Duniko always addressed Meioubao as brother, showing the closeness between their families. Meioubao then, behind Duniko¡¯s back, gave a thumbs-up and mouthed ¡°well done¡± before saying, ¡°Liszt, I¡¯m d to see that you¡¯ve grown up.¡± Such an obvious and brash jest nearly made Liszt want to roll his eyes. But what was done was done, and since Duniko had been quite open about it, there was no need for him to be squeamish. He merely changed the subject, ¡°Have Levis and Li Vera gotten up yet?¡± Li Vera had gotten up early. Levis was a bitte; the night before, he had, unsurprisingly, been holding hands with a certain noble maiden, talking about life and aspirations deep into the night. After breakfast, the carriage from Long Taro Castle was ready. Marquis Merlin, leaning on his cane, came to the castle¡¯s entrance to personally see his grandchildren off. Not just the three Liszt siblings were leaving today, but Aunt Melinda¡¯s family was also returning home. ¡°Grandfather, you must take good care of yourself. I¡¯lle to visit you again in a little while,¡± Liszt said with some reluctance. But Marquis Merlin wasn¡¯t particrly touched, ¡°Don¡¯t act like a woman. If you¡¯re going to leave, then just leave.¡± The rtives said their goodbyes. Liszt saw Duniko, standing with Meioubao and smiling at him, and without waiting for Liszt to say anything, Duniko walked over and hugged him. It was nothing too over the top. A simple hug among nobles that represented their friendship, as for what kind of friendship, it was in the eye of the beholder. ¡°I thought you would y ¡°For Alice¡± for me before you left,¡± she said. ¡°It¡¯s a bit of a rush; if you¡¯d like to hear it, I¡¯ll y it for you the next time Ie to Red Crab Ind.¡± ¡°Will you practice it so that you¡¯re proficient?¡± ¡°If I have the time.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll ever forgetst night¡¯s events for a long time, Liszt, dear.¡± ¡°We will always have the memories of Long Taro Castle,¡± Liszt replied with a smile, indeed a period worth reminiscing about for a long time. If at this moment, Duniko had given a tender and heartfelt plea for him to stay, he might have been ready to stay regardless of everything. Not caring about Duniko¡¯s past, just wishing to stay by her side from now on. He had learned the libertine ways of nobility, yet deep down, he carried the traditions of a Chinese man. s, after only a brief exchange of sweet nothings, Duniko waved him off with an insouciant gesture. Without any dithering or dragging. Unwilling to appear more affected than a woman, Liszt nodded calmly and boarded the carriage. The coachman raised his whip and with a loud ¡°hup,¡± the procession began to move slowly. Li Vera pulled her head back into the carriage. Looking at Liszt, who seemed a bit dazed, she chuckled, ¡°Why don¡¯t you take onest look at your thorny rose? My dear brother, you were quite the show-stealerst night, your ¡®For Alice¡¯ enchanted so many noble maidens that they wanted to spend the night in your room, even Duniko was swept off her feet.¡± ¡°It¡¯s just basic tactics,¡± he replied. After a moment of thought, Liszt leaned out to take onest look at Long Taro Castle, now gradually receding in the distance. There were many people at the door; there were many nobles leaving today. He could no longer find the figure of Duniko Hyacinth, so with a touch of disappointment, he sat back inside the carriage. He rested his hands behind his head, leaning against the cushion behind him. He didn¡¯t know what he was pondering, but he couldn¡¯t help mutter, ¡°There are so many castles in the world, and inside those castles so many barons. Yet she managed to make her way to my side.¡± Losing the beautiful fantasies he had about Asina Salmon, he¡¯d acquired wonderful new experiences brought on by Duniko Hyacinth. Liszt felt a strong fondness for Red Crab Ind. Of course, the bigger change was in his mindset. It was as if he had been reborn. After a night of frenzied baptism, he had trulye of age, both in soul and body, from the inside out. ¡­ Sapphire Calendar, Year 152, January 6th, at the port of Sea Crab City, clear skies. Boarding a sea vessel at the port, this time, the Long Taro Family had employed a swift sailing ship and four ordinary double-masted sailing ships as escorts to take the three siblings back to Coral Ind. The Ghost Ship incident made Long Taro Castle take no chances. Count Sharke had already led the fleet from Red Crab Ind to patrol the vast waters between Red Crab Ind and Coral Ind, clearing out pirates and searching for Ghost Ships. Standing on deck. The caress of the chilly sea breeze freed Liszt from his pleasant reminiscences; his attention temporarily shifted to another matter. ¡°Where will the Sea Serpent be waiting for me?¡± Definitely in the sea, since it is a Sea Serpent, after all. Perhaps he would hear the Sea Serpent¡¯s song during the voyage and then be able to find it. However, he still had no clue how to obtain the Sea Serpent. In the legends, kind Sea Serpents would use their songs to save people but never show themselves, hiding from humans. On the other hand, evil Sea Serpents would use their songs to bewitch people and then kill them. In short, except for Knight¡¯s Novels, no human had ever encountered a Siren. However, even on the ship where he¡¯d wake from sleep from time to time, as the fleet neared the waters around Coral Ind, he still hadn¡¯t heard any sea songs, nor had any strange urrences taken ce. Not until hended on the dock of Coral City. There were no signs of the Siren. ¡°It seems that the Siren might be waiting in the waters near Fresh Flower Town, no, maybe around the waters of ck Horse Ind, waiting for me to im it. I just don¡¯t know how to im it, whether it would require some kind of contract like with a Little Minor Elf.¡± He rested for a night at Tulip Castle. Equipped with a batch of specialties from Long Taro Castle and a batch from Tulip Castle, Liszt couldn¡¯t wait to leave the next morning, returning to Fresh Flower Town which he had been away from for over a week. Snow nketed everything in white. The roads were muddy. In terms oftitude, Coral Ind should be much higher than Red Crab Ind, so the climate is a bit colder. But to this day, Liszt hadn¡¯t figured out whether this world was spherical or if it had a North or South Pole. As for the exacttitude and longitude of Coral Ind, it was even more of a mystery. And there was one thing that puzzled him. He had observed the position of the Sun and found that the Sun¡¯s elevation was nearly the same in both summer and winter, not very off. This suggested that the location of Coral Ind didn¡¯t have much of a changing angle with the Sun. Or perhaps, the¡¯s rotation and orbit didn¡¯t have a tilt. ¡°It¡¯s a shame there¡¯s no astronomer to solve these mysteries for me, to understand what kind of environment lies under my feet.¡± He remembered the ancient legends of the Moon Empire, where a profession known as ¡®Astrologer¡¯ existed, and it¡¯s said the reckoning of years, months, and days was passed down from the Astrologers of the Moon Empire. Sadly, with the fall of the Moon Empire, many technologies, discoveries, and inventions from that era had been lost. They had be but snippets of fantasy in Knight¡¯s Novels. ¡°My lord, we¡¯ve arrived at Thorn Ridge,¡± Thomas¡¯s voice interrupted Liszt¡¯s daydreaming. Indeed, ahead the serfs could be faintly seenboring in Thorn Ridge. In this winter of dancing snowkes, only the serfs of Fresh Flower Town, well-fed and strong, had the energy to go out and work. All at once. A feeling of ¡®returning home¡¯ emerged from within him. A golden nest, a silver nest, none as good as one¡¯s own dog nest; in Fresh Flower Town, he was the supreme Landlord! ¡°Woof woof!¡± Douson must have felt the same. Chapter 269: 269: Sorrow Mixed with Longing and Resentment (First Update) Chapter 269: Sorrow Mixed with Longing and Resentment (First Update) Liszt, after loading the Fresh Flower Vessel with cargo, set sail for ck Horse Ind. So far, the Fresh Flower Vessel had made more than ten trips between Coral Ind and ck Horse Ind without encountering a single storm, so the Calming Sea Pearl had never been used. However, having the Calming Sea Pearl on board gave the crew plenty of confidence, and Liszt felt at ease. ¡°When I get back, I¡¯ll ask Elkerson if he can make a Calming Sea Pearl¡­ Never mind, I¡¯ll just go to Granney. Granney has a lot of experience, and although his temper is a bit annoying, for the sake of the Calming Sea Pearl¡¯s quality, it would be best to have him make it.¡± Liszt stood at the bow of the ship, scanning his surroundings. He hoped to encounter his own Siren during the voyage. Unfortunately, by the time the Fresh Flower Vessel reached the dock named ck Horse Port, there was still no sign of the Siren. ¡°What on earth is going on, has my Siren been swallowed up by the Smoke Mission?¡± He was no longer able to remain calm; casting aside those inexplicable fantasies about love and color, the intrinsic value of the Siren was absolutely immense. With a Siren, a ship would definitely never lose its way at sea again. After unloading the cargo, night had fallen, and it was toote to survey the waters around ck Horse Ind; Liszt went straight to find King of ck Blood Treasure Horses Lightning. Lightning, seeing him, affectionately lowered its head and rubbed against his arm, not forgetting the master who had once conquered it, carrying Liszt as they sped through the snowkes. ck Horse Ind was also covered with ice and snow, and in the grasnd between the four hills, only the parts near the valleys seemed to have geothermal heat, with no snow umtion, revealing the pastures that were still growing. The ck Blood Treasured Horses were quietly grazing there.
Perhaps because they had seen so many people, they were no longer afraid of humans and acted as if they didn¡¯t see them. The burial ground between Needle Grass Hill and Ice Grass Hill was also covered with snow, but the pits and uneven ground where volcanic ss and Dragon Bone fragments had been excavated were faintly visible, as well as those five tall Fire Dragon Bones. These bones had notpletely decayed and surely still held significant value. s, Liszt could neither take them away nor preserve them, and could only let them be battered by the wind and rain. ¡°When the dayes that ck Horse Ind can be fully revealed, I must invite a Magician to help me study these five Fire Dragon Bones¡­ But first, I need to recruit a Magician follower; any secrets about the Fire Dragon Bones should be kept as confidential as possible.¡± One must always be cautious with any secrets rting to Dragons. Never underestimate the people here and their great desire for Dragons. Even he, a transmigrator, could not resist the allure of Dragons. Marcus had already created a rough map of ck Horse Ind¡¯s topography, not being a professional cartographer, so the map was very simple, showing only the basic terrain. Ice Grass Hill, Needle Grass Hill, Sheep Grass Hill, and Alfalfa Hill formed a broken ring mountain range of a volcanic crater; inside were the grasnds and the Burial Ground, and outside werends of rocks and weeds. The dock and harbour town were located to the direct south of ck Horse Ind. Around the periphery of ck Horse Ind, there were a few islets. In the southwestern waters, three small inds of several hundred acres each were scattered, which Liszt named respectively as Mangrove Ind, Rocky Ind, and Sandy Beach Ind. Because Mangrove Ind was densely covered with mangrove forests; Rocky Ind was full of weathered Basalt Columns; Sandy Beach Ind was quite t, all sand, with just a few scattered Fragrant Coconut Trees. Beyond the three major small inds were scattered reefs, most of which were exposed during low tide and submerged during high tide. ¡°The Siren I¡¯m looking for is probably between the shores of ck Horse Ind and these islets.¡± Liszt looked at the rough map, contemting. So the next day, just as dawn began to break, he led Captain Kostor and others to start sailing around ck Horse Ind. ¡°Your Excellency, apart from ck Horse Port, in the northwest corner of ck Horse Ind, there¡¯s a body of water suitable for a dock. The water¡¯s depth may notpare to ck Horse Port, but its breadth is very suitable for anchoring ships,¡± Captain Kostor said, directing the Fresh Flower Vessel while doubling as a guide. Liszt nodded, ¡°We will consider developing a new dock in the future, but for now, ck Horse Port is sufficient.¡± Walking intermittently and visiting the inds along the way, it took a whole day to finally circle around ck Horse Ind and check all the coastlines and surrounding reefs. No Siren! Resting at night in a newly constructed house in the port town, Liszt tossed and turned, unable to sleep, feeling frustrated and irritable, ¡°Did I look in the wrong direction? Why is there no Siren? Where has my Siren gone!¡±
He didn¡¯t sleep well all night. But he didn¡¯t get discouraged and continued to lead the Fresh Flower Vessel in search of the Siren in the waters around ck Horse Ind. This time he searched in farther waters, starting with the three small inds distributed in a triangr pattern. Because it was difficult to dock, they all took a wooden canoe to paddle ashore. The Mangrove Ind was densely wooded, with the kind of mangrove that could grow in seawater. Mangroves are a general term, much like how a thicket is not only thorns but also other small shrubs. The mangrove forest also contains many other types of nts, not just mangrove species.
The variety of tree species in the mangrove forest is numerous, and just the mangrove nts themselves have many varieties. However, Liszt didn¡¯t recognize any of them, and even the well-traveled Captain Kostor only knew a few, and those were more colloquial names, such as mangrove bark, autumn eggnt, sea lotus, and chicken ws, among others. The mangrove forest, with its well-developed root system, seemed to grow in seawater,pletely hiding the interior of the ind. Unable tond, Liszt then used the Eye of Magic, paddling the wooden canoe around. He didn¡¯t detect any signs of magic power, there were neither Sirens nor Magic Potions and Elf Bugs in this stretch of mangrove forest. Rocky Ind was even more clear at a nce, there was nothing. Lastly was Sandy Beach Ind, where the entire ind was covered in white sand. Stepping on the white sand afternding from the wooden canoe, he only felt that the view of the blue sea and the white sand, coupled with a few tall Fragrant Coconut Trees, was so beautiful, it seemed like a paradise on earth. However, Liszt had no mood to appreciate the scenery. He made a round and left with a cold expression. ¡°My lord, do you wish to continue the search?¡± asked Captain Kostor, looking at Liszt¡¯s expression with caution. Never before had thendlord, although always dignified and imposing yet very mild-mannered, shown such a chilling face. ¡°Search!¡± Liszt pressed down his irritation and said gloomily, ¡°If we don¡¯t find it, we won¡¯t go back. We will continue searching at night!¡± Perhaps they couldn¡¯t find the Siren during the day because it liked to hide during the day ande out at night. Indeed. They found nothing during the day. The Fresh Flower Vessel went to the dock to replenish some lights and other supplies and continued to search at sea. The weather cleared that night, and a bright moon rose from the sea, driving away the darkness and casting broken beams of light dancing with the waves. Liszt stood at the bow of the ship, not feeling the slightest bit sleepy.
As he passed by inds and reefs, he used the Eye of Magic to observe the magical traces around the inds and reefs, attempting to find the existence of the Siren. The first half of the night passed in a sh, and the moon of thete night was about to set. As he was about to give up, agitated by the fruitless search, Liszt¡¯s ears twitched. A barely audible song reached his ears. When he perked up and listened carefully, he could no longer hear it, as if it was a mere illusion. But he didn¡¯t believe it was only that, because the faint song was filled with longing and grief, with sadness andment; just hearing it once stirred sadness in his heart. This was no ordinary illusion. He took a deep breath, struggling not to shout out loud for fear of startling the singer, ¡°It¡¯s my Siren!¡± Chapter 270: 0270: Shivering in the Shell (Second Update) Chapter 270: Shivering in the Shell (Second Update) A momentter. The Fresh Flower Vessel came to a quiet halt, and that faint singing voice finally reached Liszt¡¯s ears once again. He couldn¡¯t understand thenguage of the singing, the word pronunciation was very strange, but it sounded noble, looking down upon all living beings. Only now, the singing voice was easily filled with sadness and pain. ¡°It¡¯s a female voice, the Siren is a female, if it has a gender,¡± he listened silently, not rushing to search for her, fearing he might identally scare the Siren away. At the same time, he carefully distinguished and sought the direction from which the singing voice came. Eventually, he determined the direction of the singing voice to be to the front left, where there seemed to be several reefs connected together. He used his Eye of Magic to look, but because the distance was too far, he saw nothing. ¡°Captain Kostor, set sail in this direction toward that reef,¡± Liszt said. ¡°Yes, my lord!¡± The Fresh Flower Vessel resumed its voyage, cutting through the sea¡¯s sparkle under the light of the setting moon. It was unclear whether the sound of the vessel was too loud, drowning out the singing, or if the Siren had discovered the Fresh Flower Vessel and stopped singing. Liszt could no longer hear that sorrowful and moving singing voice, and as for the sailors, they heard nothing at all. The sails billowed with the wind, and the oars moved in unison. The Fresh Flower Vessel rapidly approached the reef.
Liszt¡¯s Eye of Magic constantly worked, sweeping back and forth over the reef, still seeing no signs of magic. However, he guessed that the Siren was here, for this was the only area with reefs¡ªif the Siren didn¡¯t need the reefs to live and could drift anywhere in the ocean, then he would just have to ept it. Finding a Siren that could move anywhere in the vast sea would be a challenge of hellish difficulty. ¡°Lower the boat, I want to personally search this area of the reef,¡± said Liszt after some thought, decisively embarking on the boat to start searching in the shallows within the reef. The boat navigated between the shallow reefs. Liszt¡¯s Eye of Magic kept observing, and finally, when surveying near the middle of a rock, he saw a faint trace of magic in the shallow waters by the rock. That speck of pure white light was so alluring in the night. ¡°Over here, quickly, row this way!¡± The sailors rowed furiously, and the boat, like a swift arrow, shot toward the rock. The closer they got, the clearer the pure white magic radiance became in the vision of the Eye of Magic. He could now see the exact location of the light, nestled among the broken stones in the rocky waters. Waves kept crashing against the surrounding rocks. The boat¡¯s progress became difficult. But with Liszt¡¯s guidance, they managed to inch closer to the source of the magic radiance. Atst, they were just fifty meters away. The Eye of Magic could clearly see that it was a humanoid creature curled up into a ball. Strangely, there seemed to be a faint halo around the humanoid creature, the shape of which looked like a seashell. It was very faint and hard to see clearly, especially when the waves crashed and the halo flickered in and out of sight. ¡°Lord Landlord, we can¡¯t move any further, the boat is grounded on the rocks below,¡± a sailor said. ¡°Get into the water directly.¡± Assured by Liszt that there were no sea monsters around, he jumped off the boat, as the water here was already very shallow. Below the surface were various pebbles and stones, making it hard to stand firmly, plus the moonlight couldn¡¯t illuminate the bottom, making the going very difficult. Fortunately, Liszt was prepared; he took out a Crystal Lamp akin to a deskmp, which could barely illuminate a small part of the water surface, as well as the stones on the seafloor. Stepping on the stones, avoiding pitfalls, he let the seawater wash over his legs and waist. He led a few sailors, groping their way forward bit by bit. When they were less than ten meters away, he could clearly see what the magic radiance was.
In the vision of the Eye of Magic, there was an enormous shell, inside whichy a shaking, magic creature curled up into a ball. A clear female silhouette was visible, yet there were other, fainter magical outlines around her. On the creature, there were also wings and fins. Fin-like ears jutted out from behind her ears and fin-like wings extended from her back; her legs merged with the faint magic radiance around her ankles, making her feet indistinguishable. The entire shell emitted a faint magic radiance. He ceased using the Eye of Magic.
The white shell, stark in the light of the crystalmps,y stranded between two broken stones. ¡°My Siren!¡± Liszt¡¯s heart raced with excitement, his mental fatigue disappeared in an instant, and his previous irritation quickly dissipated as he whispered to himself, ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid, I am actually a good person.¡± Atst. He approached the shell. It was a very standard scallop-shaped shell, with a diameter of about three meters. The surface showed radiating wave-like patterns, a perfect symmetrical structure without any other color¡ªpure white. ¡°What a beautifulrge shell!¡± Captain Kostor, following behind Liszt, eximed in awe. The sailors also marveled, ¡°My God, it¡¯s so big!¡± ¡°So beautiful!¡± ¡°To think there¡¯s such arge shell here, it¡¯s even bigger than the trida shell at the entrance of Lord Landlord¡¯s castle.¡± Liszt¡¯s brows raised in annoyance, not wishing these people to disturb him, he ordered, ¡°Captain Kostor, take your men back and bring arge. Later, we¡¯ll pull the shell onto the ship.¡± He was definitely taking the Siren with him; since the Siren lived inside the shell, it was necessary to take the shell along as well. ¡°Yes, my lord,¡± Kostor quickly scolded the sailors and returned to the Fresh Flower Vessel to retrieve a. Once everyone had left. Liszt rapped on the shell, ¡°Hey, can you hear me speaking?¡±
His Eye of Magic observed the trembling Siren inside the shell, who wrapped her arms around her legs, curling up even tighter, clearly hearing Liszt¡¯s voice. Liszt paused for a moment. Making his voice sound gentler, he continued, ¡°You should be able to hear me talking. I am just a human passing by, a Noble Landlord, and these reefs are part of my territory. I heard your song; it was sad and painful. Is there anything I could do to help you?¡± He wasn¡¯t sure if the Siren could speak Serpent Script, but he had to trymunicating first. After all, she was a spirit of the sea and should be treated with gentleness. If it had been a Sea Monster, he wouldn¡¯t have hesitated to pry open the shell and kill it. But with the Siren, who had a feminine silhouette and an apparently graceful figure, he couldn¡¯t be so rough. ¡°Don¡¯t be scared, I really just want to help you. My name is Liszt Tulip, Lord of Fresh Flower Town. I am andlord who believes in peace. I think whether they are humans, elves, or Sirens, we¡¯re all part of nature and should live in harmony, not harm each other.¡± He proceeded to talk non-stop about his peace ideologies. This seemed to work, as the shivering Siren finally rxed a bit. She turned her head as if to respond to Liszt. However, at that moment, Kostor and the others came back, shouting, ¡°Lord Landlord, we¡¯ve brought the!¡± Startled by themotion, the Siren curled up tightly once again. Liszt¡¯s face darkened as he turned to Captain Kostor and the others, barely containing his anger, he said in as low a voice as possible, ¡°Shut up, stand still, no, move back¡ªgo back a hundred meters!¡±
Chapter 271: 0271: Dulu Miqita’s Pursuit (Third Update, 2200 Monthly Votes Additional) Chapter 271: Dulu Miqita¡¯s Pursuit (Third Update, 2200 Monthly Votes Additional) Another round of grandiose sweet nothings. The shivering siren finally rxed again, but she still hesitated for a good while, not until almost dawn did she make a sound. If it wasn¡¯t for Liszt constantly observing her with the Eye of Magic, he might not have known she had spoken. ¡°You¡­ hello¡­¡± The voice was extremely soft. But it was very pleasant and lively, as if just listening to this voice could dispel all troubles and leave only a good mood. Liszt felt this way too, instantly cheered up: ¡°Hello, my name is Liszt Tulip, what¡¯s yours?¡± It took a while for the siren to speak again: ¡°Tanaxistie papni Sino Liukateya Forekus Buniseis¡­ Cassandra Akerloydes.¡± ¡°Pfft!¡± Liszt almost couldn¡¯t hold back, the siren¡¯s name was a good hundred letters long, and particrly tricky to pronounce. It made his head spin, and he didn¡¯t remember a thing. He only remembered thest name, which seemed to be Akerloydes. ¡°Um, I¡¯ll just call you Ake, if that¡¯s okay. You are a siren, aren¡¯t you, Ake?¡± Liszt chose to forget that long string of names and asked gently.
¡°Ake¡­¡± The siren had stopped trembling inside the shell, but she was still curled up in a ball, her voice still as fine as a mosquito¡¯s, ¡°Human, Ake is¡­ a sea sprite¡­ who sings.¡± A sea sprite? Liszt raised an eyebrow, if he wasn¡¯t mistaken, sea sprites and sirens referred to the same species in some knight novels. However, those called sea sprites were generally evil creatures, while those referred to as sirens were generally benevolent. But this siren in front of him didn¡¯t seem evil. Probably siren was just a misnomer for sea sprite amongst humans. Regardless, he had gained the initial trust of the sea sprite Ake, so he continued the conversation: ¡°Ake, may I know why you have ended up here? Your song sounded very sorrowful, what happened to you? You can tell me. I¡¯m a powerful warrior, and I can help you.¡± Ake was in the shell. Looking up, as if sizing up Liszt, after a long wait, she said, ¡°Ake was¡­ chased by¡­ Dulu Miqita¡­ It wants to¡­ eat¡­ Ake, Ake is scared¡­ scared to go back to the sea.¡± Her voice was very pleasant, but her Serpent Script was somewhat nonstandard and faltering. ¡°What is Dulu Miqita?¡± ¡°Dulu Miqita¡­ big sea monster¡­ six-headed sea serpent, it eats sea sprites¡­ Ake is scared of it.¡± A six-headed sea serpent? That sounded quite terrifying. Liszt thought that the strongest fighter he had by his side was Paris, followed by Douson. Paris was still in Fresh Flower Town, and Douson was left at the harbor town; he had no one to fight by his side. Moreover, facing a sea monster at sea was not a wise choice. So after a moment¡¯s thought, inspiration struck him, and he immediately said: ¡°Ake, stay here. What will you do if Dulu Miqita finds you?¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Ake curled up all at once, ¡°Ake is scared¡­ Dulu Miqita wants to eat Ake¡­ Ake hides¡­ Dulu Miqita will find Ake¡­¡± ¡°Yes, Dulu Miqita could find you at any time. Sea monsters are very dangerous in the ocean.¡± Hearing him mention Dulu Miqita repeatedly and bringing up the possibility of it finding her, the sea sprite grew even more scared, shaking with fear, almost to the point of crying: ¡°Ake¡­ scared¡­¡± Feeling the time was ripe. Liszt said loudly: ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid, I, Liszt Tulip, the Landlord of Fresh Flower Town and ck Horse Ind, will not allow any sea monster to harm a sea sprite here. To ensure your safety, Ake, I¡¯ll take you to my territory to find you a suitable refuge.¡± ¡°Ake¡­ scared¡­¡± The sea sprite still did not haveplete trust in Liszt. Undaunted, Liszt continued: ¡°Ake, do you know about the glory of a knight?¡±
¡°The glory of a knight, Ake knows, the honor of man¡­ is like¡­ the spirit of the sea¡­ The sea serpents are children sheltered by the spirit of the sea,¡± she said. What the spirit of the sea was, Liszt did not know, but since the other party understood the glory of a knight, this would be easy to trick, no, tomunicate with. ¡°I, Liszt Tulip, swear by the knight¡¯s honor, I will protect Sea Sprite Ake from the harm of the sea monster Dulu Miqita!¡± Without any hesitation, the vow was made.
Liszt never intended to harm the sea serpent; it was a precious gift awarded to him forpleting the Smoke Mission, and he was more than ready to cherish it. How could he allow her to be injured, ¡°Ake, I¡¯ll take you to refuge first. One day, I will y Dulu Miqita, so you can safely return to the sea, okay?¡± In this world, humans always talk about the glory of a knight, as if it¡¯s an invible honor. But there are no shortage of knights that boast about honor and perform sordid deeds in secret. However, for Sea Sprite Ake, this conduct was full of justice and sincerity, and unnoticed, she slightly opened a crack in the shell. Crouching inside, she twisted her body and stealthily peered out through the gap. Liszt was half-kneeling on a rock in the water. His clothes were wet from seawater, and his light golden hair bathed in the first glimmer of dawn, with a faint smile on his face that could melt all ice. His sapphire-colored eyes, as if they contained countless rotating stars, could captivate any woman¡¯s heart. Ake observed for a long time, quietly closed the shell, and spoke, ¡°Human, Ake thanks you.¡± ¡°Call me Liszt.¡± ¡°¡­Liszt.¡± ¡°So, Ake, can you swim to the ship yourself, or shall I call my subordinates to help you aboard?¡± ¡°Ake can swim,¡± said Ake. The giant white scallop floated up from the water, slowly surfacing like a small boat. Faint magic power could be seen swirling around the scallop, driving the currents.
Liszt held back his pride and stood up, saying, ¡°Ake, I¡¯ll lead the way, follow me onto the ship. I will take you to Fresh Flower Town, which is very safe.¡± The sea serpent gave no response. But the scallop slowly followed behind him. Kostor and the others, who stood a hundred meters back, watched with wide-open mouths as Liszt brought back the enormous shell, but didn¡¯t dare to speak. When Liszt drew closer, he simply said, ¡°Row the boat, slowly.¡± He boarded the wooden boat, looked back, and saw that the scallop seemed hesitant, not daring toe closer. He reassured her gently, ¡°Ake,e here.¡± Only then did the scallop slowly approach and stayed beside the wooden boat, this sea serpent was indeed very timid. Liszt did not tell the sailors what ¡°Ake¡± was, he merely urged them to row, and soon they had brought the scallop alongside the Fresh Flower Vessel. Touching the smooth surface of the shell, he said, ¡°Ake, I will get you onto the Fresh Flower Vessel. It¡¯s very safe on the ship, don¡¯t be afraid.¡± There was no response from inside the shell, but it did not leave either, which was as good as consent; it seemed the sea serpent was reluctant to speak in front of other humans. Only then did Liszt rx. He directed the sailors to cast the cargo, allowing the scallop to swim into it, and they pulled hard to lift the scallop aboard. One could see the sea serpent inside the shell, curling up immediately after leaving the water surface and shivering with fear at the sight of these strangers. He had not nned to let anyone know what was inside the shell. Liszt instructed the sailors in their tasks; once the shell was hoisted aboard, he ordered directly, ¡°Take the shell to my room, and let¡¯s set sail.¡±
Chapter 272: 0272: Merging with Seawater (Fourth Update, 2400 Monthly Votes Plus) Chapter 272: Merging with Seawater (Fourth Update, 2400 Monthly Votes Plus) Liszt stroked his chin. He was considering how to conceal the existence of Sea Sprite Ake. Sea sprites were different from magical beasts and sea monsters; they were miraculous creatures that, if discovered, would undoubtedly be targets of a scramble. Their charm may not match that of dragons, but it wasn¡¯t far off. Dragons were real creatures, whereas sea sprites were beings of legend, imbued with various malevolent or benevolent fantasies. One should not underestimate the nobles¡¯ curiosity, nor the magicians who sought truth. ¡°So, I must disguise Ake¡¯s identity, wlessly. Fortunately, Ake hides in the shell and hasn¡¯t spoken; no one knows of her existence. I can announce that I found a shell-like sea monster, which should keep people from paying any attention to Ake.¡± Sea monsters and magical beasts were simr, the difference being that magical beasts lived onnd while sea monsters lived in water. Like the pearl oysters bred by the Sapphire Family in Tranquil Lake, which were a type of sea monster, it wouldn¡¯t be surprising for Liszt to catch a shell-like sea monster. Having rified this, Liszt felt at ease. He nced into the shell again; Sea Sprite Ake had stopped shivering, but was still curled up, never rxing her vignce. ¡°Ake.¡± Liszt tapped the shell, a giant m with a three-meter diameter that took up most of the room on the Fresh Flower Vessel.
¡°¡­Liszt.¡± ¡°Can you live without the sea?¡± ¡°Ake¡­ there is seawater in the shell.¡± ¡°You speak Serpent Script. Where did you learn it? Have you ever been to ces where humans live?¡± Liszt was curious, and he also saw conversation as a way to open up Sea Sprite Ake¡¯s heart. So far, he still didn¡¯t know what Sea Sprite Ake looked like. From the vision of the Eye of Magic, it seemed she had a form not unlike a human¡¯s but with additional fins and wings. She might be a bit shorter than an average woman of one meter sixty, roughly the height of a one meter fifty-five woman. But her figure was shapely. ording to the golden ratio, with a slender waist, full breasts, prominent buttocks, and long limbs. He remembered in knight novels, some authors described sea sprites as having the beautiful upper body of a woman and the hideous lower body of a giant sea serpent, others wrote that sea sprites had blue-colored skin, and there were knight novels depicting sea sprites with scale-covered green skin. Liszt was very curious. But he wouldn¡¯t ask so directly for a look; after all, he already had the sea sprite in hand and could look whenever he wanted in the future. ¡°Ake likes¡­ listening to the talking on passing ships¡­ on the sea. Ake knows a lot¡­ about the Sapphire Kingdom¡­ there¡¯s a very, very big¡­ Sapphire Dragon.¡± Ake¡¯s tone was filled with joy when she spoke of the Sapphire Dragon; clearly, even sea sprites couldn¡¯t resist the charm of dragons. ¡°Yes, the Sapphire Dragon is the symbol of the Duchy of Sapphire. My father has seen the Sapphire Dragon with his own eyes; it is a magnificent dragon the color of sapphires, as wless as a crystalline blue gemstone. Just one distant nce was enough for him to feel the incredible power of the Sapphire Dragon.¡± ¡°Ake likes¡­ dragons, dragons are the most beautiful¡­¡± Upon hearing this, Liszt smoothly transitioned to talking about dragons. He knew of many, Elemental Dragons, Gemstone Dragons, Metal Dragons, and even Sacred Dragons. He spoke so engagingly that Sea Sprite Ake,pletely forgetting her fear, could not help but sneak a peek outside through her shell¡¯s crevice multiple times, ncing at Liszt before closing the shell again. When the dragon topic was nearly exhausted, Liszt added, ¡°By the way, Ake, I¡¯ve heard many sailors say that sea sprites¡¯ singing can guide those ships lost at sea. Is it true?¡± ¡°Mm¡­ Ake has guided some¡­ by singing, singing human songs¡­ hehe.¡± Ake appeared to recall something and evenughed. This was a very good sign. Proof that Sea Sprite Ake was gradually opening up.
¡°Sea sprites are indeed kind creatures, just like Ake¡¯s singing that brings joy to the heart¡­ Ake, are you hungry now, would you like something to eat?¡± ¡°Ake is a little hungry.¡± ¡°What do you like to eat?¡± ¡°Ake likes¡­ fruit from the trees by the sea¡­ falling into the sea¡­ Ake loves picking them up to eat.¡±
Liszt had plenty of fruit, his Gemstone Space was stored with fruits, where everything was static, and there was no worry about food spoiling. That¡¯s why he would stock up on a lot of supplies, to prevent the inconvenience of not finding good food when outside. Right away, he took out apples, raspberries, grapes, peanuts, oranges, and other fruits from the Gemstone Space: ¡°Ake, I have a lot of fruit here for you to eat.¡± By this time, it was already daybreak, and the rising sun slowly brightened the cabin. With an expectant heart, Liszt saw Ake hesitate for a moment then opened the shell. No longer just cracking a crevice, but slowly opening uppletely, the light shining in, revealing Sea Sprite Ake¡¯s appearance fully before Liszt¡¯s eyes. What a beauty it was! First to catch his eye was the white skin tinged with a delicate pink, smooth as if that of a newborn, as pure as the ocean, and as wless as a fragile gemstone. It was mermaid skin with human traits, but its delicateness and whiteness far surpassed that of humans. Just seeing this fair skin, Liszt couldn¡¯t help but want to bite into it, to taste the vor. Then, his gaze was attracted to her exquisite face. Dainty features, full of exotic charm, apanied by waist-length sapphire blue hair and a pair of sapphire blue eyes. Such beauty was beyond the reach of humans, and Liszt could only crudely rate her an eleven out of ten. The most peculiar was her ears, not shaped like human ears, but from the root of the ear gradually turning from flesh-colored to water-colored, then sprouting spiny fin-like pale blue ears. These ears were not solid, but actually made of water. Liszt could clearly see that her sapphire blue hair yed over these fin-like ears. Simrly, there was a pair of spiny fin-like wings growing out of her back, probably at the shoulder de position, small in size, more like fins than wings. His eyes moved away from the fins, and Liszt noticed her neck, pale and slender.
Then his gaze fell upon her chest. Round and firm. The most marvelous thing was she wore no clothes but had ribbon-like water flowing in front of her chest, which was clearly water but didn¡¯t look transparent, perfectly concealing her bust. Below that was a t belly, with a waist that could be gripped in a handful, and a delicate navel. From the navel downwards, another ribbon-like water flow concealed, blocking the most mysterious triangle area from Liszt¡¯s reveries. She nced shyly at Liszt and slowly stood up. In the shell was pale blue seawater, and those water ribbons covering her vital parts extended from the seawater in the shell, wrapping around her body. Her legs were long and straight, without a single w. The seawater slowly flowed down. Liszt couldn¡¯t help but follow the droplets, from her thighs to her knees, then looked towards her calves. Where there should have been bare feet below the calves, like her ears, the color gradually shifted from flesh to water, blending entirely into the seawater. It looked as if she had no feet, as if grown into the water. ¡°Irresistibly beautiful!¡± Chapter 273 - 0273: Ach at Forty-One (First Update) Chapter 273: Ach at Forty-One (First Update) ¡°A sight too beautiful to behold!¡± Facing the true form of Sea Sprite Ake, Li Si Te couldn¡¯t help but express his amazement. Of all the magical creatures he had encountered, the ones that had profoundly touched his soul were the Formless Dragon,posed of magic power, and the Tulip Great Sprite Xiang Xiang at Tulip Castle. In terms of beauty, the Formless Dragon probably didn¡¯t count, for it possessed the beauty of strange strength, or perhaps¡­ fierceness. Only Greater Elf Xiangxiang couldpare with the Sea Sprite in beauty. But the Greater Elf did not have a human figure, just a human-like form; its beauty was a pure kind of beauty. The Sea Sprite, almost indistinguishable in appearance from humans, had a beauty that was more breathtaking. It was the kind of beauty that resonated from the soul, devoid of any eroticism¡­ At least Li Si Te was certain that at this moment he truly had no such thoughts. He didn¡¯t feel any disrespect, nor did he entertain any such ideas. He even felt that the Sea Sprite¡¯s beauty was surreal, or was a kind of beauty that should not be sullied by the mortal world. Any profane thought would be an unforgivable sin. As they admired each other. Sea Sprite Ake nced again at Li Si Te, and he understood her look. He slowlyposed his emotions and showed a warm smile, then pushed the te of fruits on the table towards the side closer to the seashells, ¡°Eat whatever fruit you like, they are all washed and very clean.¡± Saying so, he himself picked up an apple and took a bite. Eating alone is not asfortable as eating together, and Li Si Te¡¯s gesture was very considerate. After seeing Li Si Te bite into the apple, Ake boldly reached out with her slender arm and picked up a raspberry with her long fingers. After another nce at Li Si Te, she ced the raspberry into her dainty mouth and began to eat. ¡°How does it taste?¡± ¡°Mm¡­ delicious.¡± ¡°If it¡¯s delicious then eat more, I have lots of fruits here. In my domain Flower Town, there are many fruit trees; you can eat fruit every day, just so you don¡¯t get tired of it.¡± ¡°No¡­ Ake likes fruits¡­ likes them most.¡± As they chatted and ate fruit, the atmosphere gradually rxed. The Sea Sprite seemed not to be very old and still possessed a pure innocence. Within a short conversation with Li Si Te, she opened up her heart simply andughed away her previous tension and fear. However, as they conversed, Li Si Te discovered a very awkward problem. Although Ake¡¯s key body parts were covered by water currents, she still seemed very exposed, hardly different from being unclothed. He had thought that he wouldn¡¯t have any improper thoughts, but when he looked down, he realized that he had unintentionally pitched a tent, which meant that he did, in fact, have some respect. ¡°Ake, do you need to wear clothes?¡± ¡°Humans¡­ wear clothes, Ake does not¡­ Ake is a child protected by the spirit of the sea,¡± Sea Sprite Ake seriously replied. Perhaps for Sea Sprites, clothing was merely a human thing, and they had no need for them. They are the sprites of the sea, much like Minor Elves and Greater Elves; elves also do not need to wear clothes¡­ Of course, elves neither have chests nor figures, nor reproductive organs, so it doesn¡¯t matter if they wear clothes or not. ¡°Uh.¡± Li Si Te paused for a moment. He said nothing more; if she didn¡¯t wear clothes, then so be it. He was nning to hide Sea Sprite Ake away from others anyway, so there was no need for her beauty to be concealed by clothes¡ªnot that he liked to see her unclothed, but he didn¡¯t want to constrain Ake¡¯s nature. After Ake had finished a raspberry, he asked, ¡°Ake, how old are you?¡± Ake tilted her head, as if pondering, ¡°I was born¡­ not long ago¡­ I have seen forty-one snowy winters¡­ I should be forty-one years old, yes, Ake is forty-one years old.¡± Forty-one years old? Are you calling that not long after being born? ¡°So how long do you guys live?¡± Li Si Te asked, feeling ufortable without understanding this, ¡°We humans have a lifespan of less than a hundred years, and I¡¯m only seventeen this year.¡± ¡°Seventeen, so young, hee hee.¡± Ake first ¡°mocked¡± Li Si Te¡¯s age, then pondered seriously, ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ I haven¡¯te of age yet¡­ Sea serpents¡­ can grow legs when they mature.¡± ¡°Does that mean you truly don¡¯t have legs right now?¡± ¡°Mhm.¡± ¡°That¡¯s so magical, I can¡¯t imagine how beautiful you will be when you grow legs.¡± Words of praise never tire ady, even if she¡¯s a sea serpent. Ake was quite pleased. She had a bit of a small appetite, seemed to really like eating raspberries, but stopped after only a few, ¡°I¡¯m full, Li Si Te.¡± Then she yawnedfortably. ¡°Are you tired?¡± ¡°A little.¡± ¡°Then you sleep for a bit. This vessel will dock at ck Horse Port to resupply, then head straight back to Fresh Flower Town. You can settle down in Fresh Flower Town for a long time, the town has a very beautiful beach, and calm bays.¡± Li Si Te had many questions he wanted to ask. But he didn¡¯t think bombarding her with all of them at once was a good way tomunicate. Now that they had found the sea serpent Ake, there was no need to rush. Building a rtionship takes time¡ªit was different from the fiery passion he had with Duniko, and not the kind aimed at building the bonds of trust¡ªLi Si Te hoped to keep the sea serpent Ake by his side forever. ¡°Mhm, Ake¡­ sleep for a bit.¡± Saying this, the sea serpent Ake sat down, her body soaking in the seawater inside the shell. This seawater was not ordinary seawater. In the vision of Li Si Te¡¯s Eye of Magic, it emitted a faint Magic Radiance. It could be said that the entire seawater and shell were part of the sea serpent Ake. It was simr to how cordyceps are part of an elf. The shell and seawater were probably like the sea serpent¡¯s cordyceps, simr to a personal magical treasure. ¡°Rest assured and sleep. In my domain, Dulu Miqita cannot harm you.¡± Li Si Te said with a smile, watching the shell slowly close andpletely encase the sea serpent Ake inside.¡± ¡­ The Fresh Flower Vessel docked at ck Horse Port in the morning sunlight. Li Si Te disembarked and quickly instructed Marcus on some matters before directly sailing back to Fresh Flower Town. He had no desire to linger any longer; he just wanted to return to the castle and settle down the sea serpent Ake. The ship sailed on the vast sea. Douson stood guard outside the cabin, while Li Si Te stayed in the room. Looking at the pristinerge shell, he pondered silently, ¡°Where should I ce Ake? Judging by Ake¡¯s condition, she seems able to stay onnd for extended periods, just needing to go into the sea regrly to replenish the shell¡¯s seawater.¡± Li Si Te definitely didn¡¯t want to leave the sea serpent in the sea. Not to mention the sea monster Dulu Miqita, whose whereabouts were unknown¡ªif someone were to scare off the sea serpent, he¡¯d be devastated to the point of spitting blood. But keeping the sea serpent in the castle felt like a form of imprisonment, and he couldn¡¯t possibly stay in the castle all the time to apany her. ¡°It¡¯s a pity I can¡¯t take Ake with me¡­¡± Shaking his head, he decided to take off his shoes and lie down on the bed to rest as well. Staying up all night wasn¡¯t too exhausting for an Elite Earth Knight, but since there was nothing to do: ¡°When we get to Fresh Flower Town, I¡¯ll ask Ake what she thinks before making arrangements.¡± Chapter 274 - 0274: The New Residents of the Castle (Second Update) Chapter 274: The New Residents of the Castle (Second Update) Upon waking up, they had already arrived at Fresh Flower Port. Stirred by the noise of the Fresh Flower Vessel docking, Sea Sprite Ake woke up from her shell, stretchedzily, and then quietly cracked open a slit, ¡°Li Si Te, have we arrived?¡± ¡°We have. I will take you to visit my castle first.¡± ¡°Castle¡­ The ce wherendlords live¡­ I¡¯ve heard of it, with many princes and princesses dwelling in the castles, and there¡¯s beautiful¡­ love.¡± Hearing that Li Si Te would take her to the castle, Ake felt somewhat uneasy but also filled with excited anticipation, wondering about the stories of castles she had heard in the past. Perhaps they were the beloved fantasies ofmoners, filled with the poignant and elegiac, emotive love stories between princes and princesses. ¡°There are no princes or princesses in my castle, only myself as thendlord, the male and female servants, and many Elf Bugs and the mischievous Thorn Minor Elf J.¡± ¡°Minor elf¡­ so pretty, I have seen them¡­ a long, long time ago, by the seaside.¡± ¡°Which seaside?¡± Li Si Te¡¯s eyes lit up as he inquired. ¡°I do not know; it must be far away¡­ I was chased by Dulu Miqita and ended up here¡­ I have forgotten¡­ where that was.¡± What a pity. If Sea Sprite Ake could provide the exact location, Li Si Te would certainly have set sail to try to capture a seaside minor elf ¨C in this world, there are many wild Elf Bugs, but wild minor elves are extremely rare, for evolving from an Elf Bug into a minor elf requires an abundance of pheromones. With the Elf Bugs alone, it¡¯s hard to gather enough pheromones to ovee other difficulties and evolve. ¡­ The workers at the dock had already begun unloading the cargo. Captain Kostor came to ask Li Si Te about how to transport therge shell. ¡°Let me think for a moment, Captain Kostor, please wait for a while,¡± Li Si Te said, sending Kostor away before questioning the sea sprite again, ¡°Ake, can you make your shell a bit smaller? It¡¯s toorge, there are no suitable carriages to transport it.¡± ¡°Ah, Ake cannot¡­ The shell has been this size since Ake was born, it has always protected Ake¡­ from being eaten by sea monsters.¡± Ake had the ability to control water currents, allowing her to swim through the sea in her shell. However, once onnd, the shell couldn¡¯t move at all. As for Ake herself, before she grew legs, she couldn¡¯t leave her shell. Because she and the special seawater inside the shell were one and the same, just like an Elf Bug that has yet to mature and fall from cordyceps. ¡°Then I willmand people to dismantle the carriage body and transport the shell. After you have visited my castle, I will find a way to settle you in safely, away from the threat of Dulu Miqita.¡± From within the opened shell, Sea Sprite Ake revealed a sweet smile, ¡°Hmm¡­ thank you, Li Si Te.¡± Li Si Te bowed gracefully, ¡°It¡¯s my honor to protect the beautiful Ake.¡± He turned and left. He immediately ordered his subordinates to dismantle a valuable carriage body, retaining only the carriage frame. This way, the three-meter diameter shell could be ced on the frame and secured with ropes. Under the curious gaze of officials like Goltai who hurried over, Li Si Te rode Douson, personally escorting therge shell along the gravel road, securely transporting it to the castle. ¡°Continue with your own work, do not gather here; it¡¯s just arge shell picked up from the sea, simr to the previous Trida,¡± Li Si Te scolded those officials like Goltai whose curiosity got the better of them. He had the shell ced in the great hall of the castle. Now a new problem arose ¨C the three-meter diameter shell was light in weight ¨C the shell, along with the seawater inside and Sea Sprite Ake, were not much heavier than two or three people ¨C but due to itsrge size, it was very difficult to move into the second floor of the castle. ¡°Sigh, I neglected many problems earlier, my mind has turned to mush¡­ Amodating Ake in the castle is quite challenging, my castle is too small.¡± If it were Tulip Castle, it would be very easy to prepare a special room for the sea sprite on the upper floor. But the castle in Fresh Flower Town was just a nameless small castle, with only two stories, and the passages and stairways were extremely narrow, so therge shells simply couldn¡¯t fit through. Putting it downstairs and living on the same floor as the servants was even less appealing to Liszt. It was selfishness that made him lose his reason, wanting to monopolize Ake¡¯s beauty, and of course, Ake did indeed need to be kept secret. Once faced with the issue, he regained some semnce of rationality after calming down. He let Carter take the servants out of the hall first, then he knocked on the shell. The shell opened, and Ake, filled with curiosity, carefully observed the castle¡¯s hall: ¡°Liszt, this is a castle¡­ such a beautiful castle, Ake has arrived at a human castle.¡± ¡°Actually, the upstairs is even more beautiful, that¡¯s where I live. This floor is for the servants. But the stairway is too narrow; I can¡¯t get you up there.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Ake looked disappointed. Liszt¡¯s heart softened and suddenly, he had a bright idea, ¡°How about this, I¡¯ll build a two-story wooden house outside the castle. You can live in the upper part, and I¡¯ll break through the wall between the wooden house and the castle. That way, you can visit the second floor¡­ Yes, let¡¯s do that.¡± As someone who was action-oriented, Liszt didn¡¯t hesitate to call Isaiah over and issued his orders. He pointed to the north side of the castle¡¯s Worm Room, ¡°Isaiah, arrange for the workers to build a two-story wooden house at this spot, connected to the castle.¡± ¡°My lord, are you nning to keep the Shell Sea Monster on top of the wooden house?¡± Isaiah asked curiously, as it was hard to ignore the immense shell. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s a very interesting shell. I think there might be pearls inside, so let¡¯s raise it for now and see.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t shells supposed to be kept in water?¡± ¡°If it stays in water, it might run away. I still need to do some research. We know too little about sea monsters. It¡¯s a great opportunity for observation, don¡¯t you think?¡± The advantage of being a noblendlord was that his word wasw. Once Liszt made a decision, no matter how peculiar it was, his subordinates would faithfully carry it out. Isaiah bowed respectfully, ¡°As you wish.¡± ¡­ During the construction period, the shell parked in the hall never opened. It only opened when Liszt brought fruit for Ake. Using construction as a reason, the castle stopped hosting banquets. Liszt still dealt with official duties, practiced Dou Qi, and went out on inspections every day, but he had stopped writing ¡°Dragons Fight in the Wild,¡± the history book series of his lifetime. This period demanded soothing the Sea Sprite Ake, who was somewhat uneasy about the new environment, to make it feel more at home. The beauty of the sea sprite was one aspect, but more importantly, with a sea sprite, one would not get lost while sailing the high seas. Besides, after questioning, he also learned that sea sprites can predict storms, sense sea monsters, and perform some water attribute magic. Therefore, the significance of Sea Sprite Ake was immense, having strategic value. Three days¡¯ time. The illegal construction of the Shell Wood Tower¡ªwaspleted sessfully, and therge shell was smoothly hoisted up. The passage that connected to the Worm Room was opened, and Sea Sprite Ake and Minor Elf J became neighbors. ¡°Wu wa!¡± J was very irritable towards strangers, but towards Sea Sprite Ake, it showed intense curiosity and a cordial affinity. It circled around the shell. When the shell opened, it stared curiously at Sea Sprite Ake: ¡°Wu wa, wu wa!¡± ¡°Hello, J¡­ My name is Ake, I¡¯m a sea sprite.¡± Ake extended her hand, and J, tilting its head and making a few meaningless sounds,nded in her palm. The sea sprite cradled the elf. Liszt watched this scene from the side, feeling quite regretful that he didn¡¯t have a camera to capture this beautiful moment. Chapter 275: 275: Six Heads, Four Types of Magic (Third update, bonus for 2600 monthly tickets) Chapter 275: Six Heads, Four Types of Magic (Third update, bonus chapter for 2600 monthly tickets) The sea sprite Ake moved into the castle and, with Thorn Minor Elf J¡¯spany, she found the new environment agreeable. Although she preferred the ocean, it was home to Dulu Miqita, the six-headed sea monster sea serpent. The castle was safe. ¡°When I find a way to deal with Dulu Miqita, you¡¯ll be able to return to the ocean,¡± Lisztforted her. Enjoying delicious fruits and thepany of minor elves and Elf Bugs, Ake was very happy, ¡°Liszt, thank you¡­ you are a good person.¡± He was handed a good-guy card. Liszt didn¡¯t mind, everything was in order, and he felt at ease and cheerful. Now, the news of the most noble Landlord of Fresh Flower Town adopting a Shell Sea Monster gradually spread. However, the news did not cause much of a stir, Goltai and others had seen the shell before, as ity in the castle¡¯s hall for a full three days, a pure white giant m. At first nce, it was considered a novelty, but after seeing it frequently, it wasn¡¯t much of a sensation. After all, everyone in Fresh Flower Town had eaten shellfish seafood; aside from its size, they found nothing special about the Shell Sea Monster that Liszt hade to possess. Not to mention, they had initially seen that huge Trida shell that produced ck Pearls. As long as Ake did not open the shell, it was impossible for ordinary people to witness the sea sprite¡¯s beauty, nor would they associate the shell with a sea sprite.
¡°Baron, I think that Shell Wood Tower is truly unsightly, it doesn¡¯t match the castle¡¯s style at all,¡± said Paris, who asionally visited the castle and no longer carried a roll bag, to Liszt. ¡°When the enterprise of Fresh Flower Town is on the right track, I will build a bigger castle; then, we can discuss the aesthetics of the castle,¡± he replied. He said so, but he would not build a castle in Fresh Flower Town, at most patching and mending. The castle of the future would be built on ck Horse Ind; he had previously considered cing it on Ice Grass Hill. But now it seemed best to choose a location with cliffs by the sea, allowing direct ess to the ocean, more suitable for the residence of a sea sprite. It wasn¡¯t right to keep a sea sprite locked up in a room forever. But ck Horse Ind had no real cliffs, only some rocky coasts. ¡°Forget it, don¡¯t think about it for now, the time for building a new castle is still far off¡­ at least wait until the port town on ck Horse Ind develops, then there will be financial support for building my castle.¡± A castle worthy of a name, the construction cost would definitely be in the thousands of Gold Coins, and it would require argebor force and a lot of time toplete. The matter of the castle was far away. Right now, the pressing issue in front of Liszt was a huge problem that urgently needed resolution¡ªthe sea monster Dulu Miqita. If hade from distant seas chasing after the sea sprite Ake and clearly was now lurking in the waters between Coral Ind and ck Horse Ind, without assurance that it wouldn¡¯t suddenly attack the Fresh Flower Vessel. Liszt inquired carefully of Ake. Ake showed another one of her abilities, controlling the seawater inside the shell to create the likeness of Dulu Miqita, forming a six-headed sea serpent made of water. The realistic form of the six-headed sea serpent had short and stout bodies with six slender heads. It released four types of magic with its six heads, and through Ake¡¯s demonstration with seawater, Liszt had determined they were Water Arrow Barrage, Water Wave Shield, Water Whirlpool, and Strong Water Column. The magic Water Arrow Barrage and Water Wave Shield were also used by the Purple Sand Crocodiles on Coral Ind. There were four magics, each of moderate strength. ¡°So, Dulu Miqita could generally be ssified as an intermediate sea monster,¡± Liszt made the determination with a serious expression. If an Intermediate Magical Beast like the Purple Sand Crocodile could roam freely on Coral Ind, then the intermediate sea monster Dulu Miqita could naturally do the same in the sea. Not to say that Liszt had no way to deal with it, even his father Li Weiliam would have been unable to handle it as well. He could only sigh inwardly: ¡°I can¡¯t beat it, even if I lure it into a small river, it would be difficult to deal with an intermediate magical beast that can release four types of magic¡­ I can only hope that it won¡¯t find the sea sprite Ake and will leave this area on its own¡­ I have to tell Captain Kostor to be as careful as possible when sailing.¡±
At this moment, he sorely wished for the lost Dragonbone Stabilizer Technique of the Magic Goat Family. But s, after flipping through the magic book ¡°To Prince Annuette¡ªThe Truth of Curtis¡±, reading all the content carefully, there was no record of the Dragonbone Stabilizer Technique. ¡°` ¡°I wish we had managed to extract the Dragonbone Stabilizer Technique from Curtis before killing him,¡±
it¡¯s toote for regrets. We can only ask Goltai to be extra careful and minimize the number of sea voyages wherever possible. Regaining hisposure, he asked again, ¡°Ake, what magic can you perform?¡± ¡°Ake can¡­ control the shape of seawater and the flow of seawater,¡± she said, capable of only these two magics, which might not even be considered magic. Simr to how an Elf can manipte nts, this is likely an innate power, ¡°When Ake reaches adulthood¡­ I can gain incredible abilities.¡± ¡°What kind of incredible abilities?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ but every Sea Serpent, upon reaching adulthood¡­ has magical abilities. We are born from the sea¡­ the Spirit of the Sea shelters us as we grow¡­ granting us these abilities.¡± ¡°Have you seen any other Sea Serpents?¡± ¡°No¡­ but Ake¡­ can sense them¡­ in the vast ocean.¡± Sea Serpents are born and raised by the sea, without parents or any social gathering instincts. However, Ake is an underage Sea Serpent, and the information she can get from the sea is limited. All alone, she vaguely lived on the seas, avoiding Sea Monsters, listening to ships, and softly singing. If not for the destinyid out by the Smoke Mission, Liszt might have never been able to encounter such a beautiful creature. One could only imagine the Siren¡¯s song like those sailors. But now, she is living in the Castle, more beautiful and magical than in the legends. ¡­
The eight little Blizzard Beasts were eagerly drinking milk, growing nicely though it would still be a while before they could open their eyes. ¡°They consume so much, sir, your share of the milk is about to be depleted by them,¡± Mrs. Morson took great care in making sure the Blizzard Beasts were drinking the milk. The maid Maisie was diligently cleaning the rooms. ¡°If there¡¯s not enough fresh milk, use the powdered milk we have in storage,¡± ¡°We can buy fresh milk from North Valley City, sir. Can we feed the little Blizzard Beasts with it?¡± ¡°No, we will only use the milk produced by Fresh Flower Town¡¯s cows. Mrs. Morson, you must ensure strict control. I require milk only from Dahua, Dahuang, Dahei, Little Hua, and Little ck, these five cows. Only their milk is qualified to feed the Blizzard Beasts, understand?¡± When the Formless Dragon invaded, Fresh Flower Town had eleven cows; two ageing cows were eaten. Among the remaining cows, Zhuangzhuang is a bull and it is hard to say whether or not he was infected; Naihua, Naihuang, and Naihei are not yet mature, and this year they might just be ready for breeding; Little Hua and Little ck are young dairy cows with modest milk production, but just about meeting the standard for Dragon Breed Milk quality. The main producers of the bountiful Dragon Breed Milk are the mature cows: Dahua, Dahuang, and Dahei. ¡°Understood, sir,¡± Mrs. Morson nodded but then voiced her concern, ¡°However, Dahuang, Dahei, and Dahua are in theter stages of pregnancy, and their milk production is starting to decrease.¡± ording to the dairy farmers¡¯ predictions, these three cows are expected to give birth around May. As they need to ensure the health and survival of the calves within their wombs, these cows are secreting less and less milk, with the milk production expected to pick up again once the calves are born. After giving it some thought, Liszt gritted his teeth and said, ¡°First, use the powdered milk in storage for feeding. If that¡¯s insufficient, my share of milk will be allocated to the Blizzard Beasts ¡ª feed them with it until they open their eyes.¡±
At most, half a month more. These Blizzard Beasts would open their eyes soon. By then, with a more stable foundation, there would be no need to continue feeding them Dragon Breed Milk. He decided to endure for a while ¡ª the appetites of these little Blizzard Beasts are astonishingly huge! ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª In this new week, for those who have monthly tickets or rmendation tickets, please cast them for Old White~ Chapter 277: 0277: Getting High on the Scientific Method (First Update) Chapter 277: Getting High on the Scientific Method (First Update) Night. Basking in the warmth of a Fire Dragon Brand Air Conditioner, Liszt took out a me Magic Potion and a Thorn Magic Potion from the Gemstone Space. The me Magic Potion was a magic potion made from me Mushrooms, and the Thorn Magic Potion was made from Rapid Growth Magic Thorns. To facilitate differentiation, he used simple and clear terms. First, Liszt consumed the Thorn Magic Potion, waited a moment, and then consumed the me Magic Potion. He then closed his eyes and began to circte his Dou Qi, mobilizing the strength of his limbs and bones to absorb the magic power of the potions. At the same time, he was constantly reflecting on the different effects brought about by the different consumption methods of the two potions¡ªthe difference in physique caused even the same potion to have different effects and consumption methods for different knights. To find the most suitable method of consumption is to be twice as productive with half the effort. How to find the best way? This requires time and continuous experimentation. Liszt had already consumed three doses of the Thorn Magic Potion and had some preliminary understanding of its effects. He was adjusting the dosage and interval of consumption between it and the me Magic Potion to carry out the correct testing of the potions. After about twenty minutes. Liszt slowly opened his eyes and sensed the total amount of Dou Qi inside his body, which had quietly climbed another notch, and he revealed a relieved smile. The refreshing feeling of sensing one¡¯s strength improve every day is something most people would find hard to experience.
¡°The cultivation of an Elite Earth Knight is like a ¡®pharmacology study,¡¯ constantly trying out different methods of consuming magic potions to make the body absorb the magic power more easily and to break through the total amount of magic power that cells in various body parts can hold,¡± he thought and had already taken out paper and a pen to start filling in a chart. This chart recorded different effects resulting from different dosages and intervals of magic potion consumption. Once he had consumed it multiple times, by turning the data in the chart into a curve graph, it would be very easy to determine the optimal method for consuming magic potions. This was a scientific approach. Science is about induction and summarization. In contrast to the average knight who haphazardly tries out potion consumption methods, taking more some days and less on other days, Liszt¡¯s scientific approach was simple, quick, efficient, and urate: ¡°Even though I don¡¯t understand the fundamental principle behind Dou Qi cultivation, as a transmigrator, my knowledge and mastery of cultivation are definitely far beyond that of the natives.¡± He believed that not even the emperor¡¯s son could necessarily find a suitable potion consumption method faster than he could. ¡°My confidence in advancing to a Sky Knight before the age of twenty-two is solid.¡± The quill did not stop. Liszt then took out another piece of thick paper, also with a chart, which was aparative data chart,paring the differences between consuming potions in rooms with air-conditioning and those without. Because of the cold weather in winter, when Liszt consumed the potions, he chose to do so in his study, enjoying the warmth of the Fire Dragon Brand Air Conditioner. However, on the first day, he noticed some problems¡ªhis potency seemed somewhat increased when consuming the potions. At first, he didn¡¯t pay much attention to it, as the effect was always good whenever he consumed potions in the study. But when he visited Tulip Castle and then Long Taro Castle, he clearly felt that consuming potions outside was not as effective as at home. Thisparison made him aware that the environment must have yed a role. He easily thought of the Fire Dragon magic power present in the study. So he began to record the different effects of consuming potions in environments with Fire Dragon magic power and those without. Over the past few days of observation, he had recorded quite a bit of data, and there were clear differences between consuming potions inside and outside the study. ¡°With the bonus of Fire Dragon magic power, the effect of my me Magic Potion consumption increases by about 6.5% to 9.2%¡­ I have only consumed the Thorn Magic Potion three times so far, so I cannot yet determine the increase, but there should be an effect¡­ I guess the benefit of Fire Dragon magic power is to stimte my Fire Attribute Dou Qi.¡± He could feel that within the radiation range of the Magic Little Fire Dragon, his Dou Qi inside his body seemed more lively. At the same time. The size of the Magic Little Fire Dragon also determined the effect of the amplification. Under the premise that it wouldn¡¯t burn people to death, Liszt had once made a Magic Little Fire Dragon as big as a water tank, using up an entire Fire Dragon Jar¡¯s capacity of magic power. The result was that when he consumed a me Magic Potion, the effect was amplified to about 10.4%.
Compared to the palm-sized Magic Little Fire Dragon, which could achieve a 7% amplification, the water tank-sized Magic Little Fire Dragon, with twenty times the magic capacity, only increased the amplification effect by one point forty-eight times, making the improvement not very significant. Moreover, the water tank-sized Magic Little Fire Dragon could almost cook him alive, making it impossible to concentrate on consuming the potion. Therefore, after considering everything, he still chose to consume the magic potion in his study room. The temperature was just right, and it wouldn¡¯t cause him to be distracted while taking the potion, so he could remain focused and calm from beginning to end. ¡­
The potion consumption continued, and the records were kept in a chart. In a sh, two weeks had passed since he returned to Fresh Flower Town on January 9th, and it was now January 24th. The eight Blizzard Beasts had grown robust, grabbing and fighting over milk during feeding times, and their eyelids often twitched, which was a sign they were about to open their eyes. Liszt started to feed them himself and prohibited others from entering the room. Sea Sprite Ake lived in the castle, ying with Minor Elf J and enjoying the fruits, not appearing too gloomy, except for the asional replenishment of seawater. That just meant taking her to the seaside and letting her soak in the seawater for two hours. At that time, there was only Liszt by the seaside, standing on the snowy rocks, watching Ake dive and frolic in the ocean; his mood was as bright as the sun in the sky. Over the past week and more, he had already inquired all information about Sea Nixie Ake. Sea-bred and sea-nurtured, the sea nymphs, rightfully called the elves of the ocean, have a birth process that is ingeniously simr to that of elves. One is the essence of nts condensing, and the other is the essence of seawater condensing. One can manipte Cordyceps and affect the growth of nts; the other can manipte their own shells and the seawater within them, as well as control the surrounding seawater. However, elves need to evolve from Elf Bugs, growing until they reach a Greater Elf with the intelligence of an adult human; sea nymphs start with nearly adult intelligence. The growth of legs below their knees over time signifies maturation, with the appearance of two feet indicating adulthood, although their lifespan is unclear. Ake is just an underage sea nymph, growing up alone in the ocean, where the ¡°sea would tell¡± her some information; the rest she learned by listening to human ships. Forty-one years allowed her to learn Serpent Script. But she still retained the innocence and pure goodness of elves. ¡°Ake¡¯s habitat may be between Golden Ind and Nend Ind; she has seen many ships with gs that appear like wheat sheafs. Those are the gs of the Golden Wheat Sheaf and Golden Grain Families.¡±
The Golden Wheat Sheaf is a Marquis Family with Golden Ind as its territory, while the Golden Grain is an Earl family with Nend Ind as its territory. The two families split a few generations ago, with both having gs featuring a curved wheat sheaf that looks quite simr. Liszt¡¯s brother, Levis, seems to have started a rtionship with Marquis Roderick¡¯s daughter, Loria Gold Wheat Ear¡­ He hadn¡¯t gone out of his way to learn about it, and most of the time, he was only concerned with his own matters. After swimming in the sea for two hours. Sea Sprite Ake obediently came ashore, although recently there had been no sightings of Intermediate Sea Monster Dru Miktita, but he couldn¡¯t guarantee it had left the area. ¡°Liszt, I¡¯ve replenished my seawater; let¡¯s hurry back, J must be getting impatient,¡± said Ake, now speaking Serpent Script more fluently and showing a livelier personality, with no reservations towards Liszt. Stretchingnguidly, her elegant curves and pale skin dazzled Liszt¡¯s eyes. Heposed himself, ¡°Let¡¯s go, home.¡± Chapter 278: 0278: The Ultimate Fresh Flower Brew in Wine (Second Update) Chapter 278: The Ultimate Fresh Flower Brew in Wine (Second Update) The time for the Blizzard Beasts to open their eyes was drawing near. As if to celebrate the uing arrival of the Blizzard Beast Legion, the head of the Brewing Workshop, Frank Dregs, ran all the way to the castle roaring with excitement, to report to Liszt. ¡°Lord Landlord, we¡¯ve distilled pure white spirits!¡± ¡°Distilled?¡± Liszt rejoiced inwardly but remainedposed on the surface, ¡°How is the quality of the Fresh Flower Brew?¡± ¡°Compared to the Juniper Wine you left in the brewing workshop, there might be some differences in taste. The Fresh Flower Brew isn¡¯t as strong but is smoother on entry, each has its own merits.¡± ¡°Softer than Juniper Wine, if it truly meets the standards, I will reward you handsomely.¡± A group of people quickly made their way to the Brewing Workshop, where Frank had the apprentices bring out the freshly brewed white spirits. Severalrge barrels full, each containing white spirits more valuable than silver. There was no faking the white spirits inside the barrels; it no longer had that foul or sour smell. ¡°We adopted pot distition, and found while the first distition was strong, the taste wasn¡¯t good; not until we refilled the ingredients and started the second distition did we produce white spirits with a very pure taste, free of impurities, reaching a quality suitable for sale.¡± Liszt tasted the white spirits from the second distition. He found that upon entry, it reached the spiciness of white spirits. After tasting for a moment and recalling the taste of Juniper Wine, he instantly felt each had its own merits, unable to say which was better or worse. ¡°Go call for Goltai.¡± He turned andmanded Servant Thomas.
Shortly after, Goltai hurried over: ¡°Lord, is the Fresh Flower Brew ready? Oh my, I can hardly wait to taste it!¡± Seeing Goltai¡¯s drunken demeanor, Liszt reprimanded him unsatisfiedly: ¡°Aren¡¯t you tasting the Fresh Flower Brew every day?¡± The town¡¯s advisor¡¯s greatest passion in life was to drink and boast. Before the sess of the Fresh Flower Brew, the poor quality of the spirit was evident, but still, he would head to the Brewing Workshop after work every day to scrounge some low-quality spirit, drinking himself into a stupor before heading home to sleep. ¡°Heh heh.¡± With an awkwardugh, Goltai offered no rebuttal. Pointing to the newly brewed high-quality spirit, Liszt spoke: ¡°You are an expert in tasting, try this andpare it with the Juniper Wine, and give me aprehensive analysis.¡± ¡°As you wish, Lord!¡± Goltai eagerly grabbed a jug, tilted his head back, and took a swig of the Fresh Flower Brew¡¯s raw spirit, then swayed back and forth with his eyes closed. After some moments, he opened his eyes, sparkling with excitement: ¡°Lord, by the knight¡¯s glory! The Fresh Flower Brew can certainly match the Juniper Wine, offering apletely different taste that is just as intoxicating!¡± Following that, he took a sip of the raw spirit topare the differences between Juniper Wine and Fresh Flower Brew. One was strong, with a spicy taste but a heavy kick that was quick to go to one¡¯s head; the other was slightly less intense, but had a smoother taste, lesser kick, and didn¡¯t go to the head as easily. ¡°I think, once the Fresh Flower Brew is on the market, it will sell better than Juniper Wine because it doesn¡¯t give as much of kick and allows nobles to drink from before the banquet until after it has started. Juniper Wine can¡¯tst that long; the Fresh Flower Brew can suit more nobles, even those nobledies!¡± In the end. Goltai was already half-drunk, holding the jug with his thumb raised: ¡°To me, the Fresh Flower Brew is one notch below the Juniper Wine, but for more nobles, it¡¯s a cut above, truly top-notch!¡± Listening to his extensive analysis. Liszt gained a rough understanding that Juniper Wine was akin to Russian vodka, strong and pungent; Fresh Flower Brew was simr to Beijing¡¯s erguotou, not quite as strong but soft. An old drunkard might choose vodka for the sheer kick, but more people would ept erguotou, suitable for family banquets. ¡°Erguotou? It seems Fresh Flower Brew is made using the second distition, could this be its true meaning?¡± Liszt pondered for a moment. Not being a frequent drinker, he had too little knowledge of spirits. He turned to ask Frank, ¡°Is there a grading for Fresh Flower Brew, ording to my method, divided into several grades?¡± ¡°Following your idea, we set the pure second distition as the highest grade; the blend of the first distition and the second distition is the second grade; the first distition alone is the third grade; the blend of the third and the second distitions is the fourth grade; and the third distition alone is the lowest grade.¡±
Frank and others divided the grades meticulously, obviously after Liszt¡¯s previous scolding, they strived to do their best work before daring to report back to the castle. ¡°Bring out the lowest grade Fresh Flower Brew, let Consultant Gao Ertai have a taste.¡± Having had too much of the highest grade from the second distition, when Goltai tried the lowest grade from the third distition, he almost spat it out, ¡°The taste is tooplex. It¡¯s just a little better than the previous Fresh Flower Brew, it should not hit the market.¡± After that, Goltai tasted the other grades as well, with mixed reviews. The first three grades could be sold as liquor, while thest two were not up to standard.
Liszt understood now. With the top three grades of liquor, Fresh Flower Brew was a huge sess, and the Brewing Workshop would be thergest source of gold coins for Fresh Flower Town, as well as a cornerstone for Liszt¡¯s career development. ¡°From now on, the Brewing Workshop is a top secret of Fresh Flower Town; no idle persons are permitted to enter at will. Patrol members are dispatched to guard the area 24 hours a day, isted from other workshops. The brewers with technical know-how must be strictly protected¡­ Consultant Goltai, can you hear me clearly?¡± ¡°Rest assured, my Lord, I¡¯m just slightly tipsy, I heard your instructions very clearly, I¡¯ll certainly give the Brewing Workshop the utmost priority¡­ *hic*.¡± Goltai swayed a little and ended the conversation with a hup. Upon seeing this. Liszt, not trusting him, summoned Administrative Officer Isaiah and handed over the tasks to him. Subsequently, Liszt began offering rewards, ¡°I promised you that as long as the Fresh Flower Brew meets the standards, there would be gold and silver coins. Now, Frank Dregs, Bording, and Huntera, I will reward each of you with a Gold Coin, and each apprentice involved in the brewing will get twenty silver coins!¡± ¡°Praise Lord Landlord!¡± ¡°We thank Lord Landlord for your generous reward!¡± The brewers and apprentices, receiving the gold and silver coins, proceeded to thank him excitedly. Liszt continued with encouragement and reminders for them to work diligently; future benefits would not becking. Brewing was simple, but creating a qualified spirit was much more challenging than one might imagine. Fortunately, under his guidance on ¡°distition technology,¡± the brewers finally produced real spirits. ¡°Actually, I should be the most rewarded¡­ Ah well, let¡¯s just keep my contribution concealed. Why botherpeting for a little honor with a few serfs?¡± Having praised himself internally, Liszt immediately took action to prepare theunch of Fresh Flower Brew.
First, he sent someone to notify Levis. The Fresh Flower Brew business needed substantial support from Levis to quickly expand production capacity, open sales channels, and rapidly recoup investments. As the town¡¯sndlord, he was in dire need of money! Chapter 280: 0280: Three Skies of One Family (Fourth Update, 2800 Monthly Votes Plus) Chapter 280: Chapter 0280: Three Skies of One Family (Fourth Update, 2800 Monthly Votes Plus) ¡°So you¡¯re saying all those ¡®decades-old¡¯ and ¡®century-old¡¯ wines are a hoax?¡± ¡°Not a hoax, but a marketing tactic.¡± ¡°But Fresh Flower Brew is just freshly made liquor, it hasn¡¯t gone through any aging process.¡± ¡°How much do you think Fresh Flower Brew¡¯s taste differs from Juniper Wine? Since there isn¡¯t much difference, why can Juniper Wine be called a multi-year aged cer wine?¡± ¡°Because it really is a wine that¡¯s been aged in a cer for many years.¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± Liszt suddenly felt like Levis was really naive, ¡°The quality of Juniper Wine forms because of cering and aging, and Fresh Flower Brew¡¯s quality is not inferior to it, so it can also be considered cered and aged. There¡¯s no conflict. Moreover, we¡¯ve clearly defined three distinct grades to reflect the difference in status, which will solidify the standing of nobles at all levels.¡± ¡°Do you really think this is better?¡± ¡°Of course, no one knows how we brewed it, we say it¡¯s a century-aged wine, and so it is!¡± ¡°Wooden and ceramic bottles are simple enough, but jade bottles, might they be too expensive?¡± ¡°You could make fewer jade bottles of Fresh Flower Brew, factor in the value of the jade bottle into the sales price, or you could use crystal bottles for packaging, all to reflect the ss of Fresh Flower Brew. You could even carve a bottle out of gemstones and have father give it to the Grand Duke for promotional purposes.¡± ¡°Give it to the Grand Duke?¡±
¡°Of course, if the Grand Duke drinks Fresh Flower Brew, what grounds would the nobles have to refuse it?¡± ¡°The Grand Duke has his own liquor industry, he doesn¡¯t need our liquor as a tribute.¡± ¡°It¡¯s just to have the Grand Duke taste it. As long as Fresh Flower Brew isn¡¯t sold on Blue Dragon Ind, it won¡¯t threaten the Grand Duke¡¯s liquor industry. Wouldn¡¯t the Grand Duke give father some face?¡± As a Sword Saint and the founder of the Tulip Family, Li Weiliam Tulip was definitely one of the high-level individuals in the Duchy of Sapphire. The Grand Duke would certainly want to win over such a rising power to bnce the old Marquis Families. As long as Li Weiliam made clear the distribution range of Fresh Flower Brew, there would be no conflict at all. If the Grand Duke is greedy and doesn¡¯t want the Tulip Family to encroach on the liquor market of the Duchy of Sapphire. It¡¯s not a big deal ¡ª they could just sell Fresh Flower Brew to the Steel Ridge Kingdom or even the Eagle Kingdom. Smuggling liquor is amon business for many fleets and caravans. It¡¯s just a matter of how much they sell. Levis was still pondering. On this end, the family tutor, Mr. Frank, reminded, ¡°Levis, offering tribute to the Grand Duke, whether sessful or not, won¡¯t affect our interests; using Baron Liszt¡¯s packaging suggestion would only cost a little extra. If it fails, we can simply return to selling Juniper Wine. It¡¯s eptable.¡± ¡°If that¡¯s the case, let¡¯s give it a try.¡± At this point, Liszt and Levis had discussed the Fresh Flower Brew business thoroughly; the rest was up to their respective subordinates to manage and operate. Landlords need not get their hands dirty. ¡°When I came here, I heard your Dorson produced offspring, eight Little Fierce Earth Dogs?¡± Levis quickly shifted his focus, ¡°Let me see them quickly, these are offspring of an Intermediate Magical Beast!¡± ¡°Sorry, brother, they haven¡¯t opened their eyes yet, and it¡¯s not suitable for them to see people.¡± ¡°They haven¡¯t opened their eyes yet!¡± Levis eximed, ¡°They haven¡¯t opened their eyes? Liszt, are we really brothers? I¡¯ve never let you down, brother!¡± There was no need for further words. Liszt already understood Levis¡¯s meaning, who wanted a Little Blizzard Beast. But he would definitely not give one, even if the other party offered to buy it, he would not sell. ¡°Brother, although these are offspring of an Intermediate Magical Beast, their mother is just amon Fierce Earth Dog, and Dorson hadn¡¯t fully evolved at that time. So, there¡¯s a high probability that this batch of offspring will be Low-Level Magical Beasts¡­ Wait for the next batch. If the next litter turns out well, I¡¯ll definitely sell you some.¡± After several rejections, seeing Liszt¡¯s firm attitude, Levis was quite dissatisfied.
But for the sake of the next batch of puppies, he had no choice but to hold back, ¡°So it¡¯s settled then, the next batch of Little Fierce Earth Dogs, you have to sell me a few!¡± ¡°Sure,¡± Liszt nodded, which was as good as a promise. Most of it is bluff. Never mind how it will be sold or how many will sell¡ªthe matter of whether Earth Matron can even be pregnant again is doubtful. The higher the bloodline of a magical beast, the more difficult it is to breed. Dorson, havingpleted its growth into an intermediate magical beast, is questionable if it can impregnate the Earth Matron once more after its bloodline transformation.
Perhaps these eight Little Blizzard Beasts are the only offspring that Dorson, as a Fierce Earth Dog, can leave behind. ¡­ The luncheon. The drink of choice was Fresh Flower Brew. Levis seemed to be either too excited about the forting profits of the spirits business or upset about not acquiring the Blizzard Beasts¡ªeither way, he drank too much and lost sense of direction. Clutching Liszt¡¯s shoulder with a face full of alcohol breath, he slurred, ¡°Liszt, I¡¯m starting to envy you¡­ er¡­ you left Tulip Castle, the glory of a knight has favored you, everyone is starting to call you Son of Glory¡­ I am always confined in the castle, Lidun, that brat, Lidun¡­¡± Liszt was rather helpless in the face of Levis¡¯s drunkenints. To keep the family¡¯s dirtyundry from being aired, he sent everyone at the banquet away. Levis rambled on with a slew of drunken gibberish about how the Earl favored Lidun over him, how his resources were being plundered, how great the pressure of being a Sky Knight was, how his luck wasn¡¯t as good as Liszt¡¯s, how Taya was pregnant, but for Loria¡¯s sake, he had to abort the child¡­ Then. He suddenly copsed onto the table with a thud. Liszt called for the servants to help Levis onto the carriage, without insisting he stay overnight at the castle: ¡°Mr. Frank, please take good care of Levis.¡± ¡°Rest assured.¡±
At this point, Captain Layden, who was in charge of escorting Levis, came over. ncing at Rondo under the apple tree, he sighed and said, ¡°Baron Liszt, please take care of Rondo in Fresh Flower Town.¡± Rondo Waterpot was his illegitimate son. Even though he had been acknowledged by the family, they still couldn¡¯t offer much support. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to talk with Rondo, Captain Layden?¡± ¡°There is no need,¡± Layden Pot bowed, ¡°I must escort Sir Levis back to Tulip Castle first. When I have time, I hope to be a guest in Fresh Flower Town.¡± ¡°You are always wee.¡± The carriage set off, and Levis, who arrived with high spirits, left in a drunken stupor, but in a sense, it was a sessful visit¡ªthe Fresh Flower Brew business was a massive boost for both him and Liszt. Standing in front of the castle window. Liszt sipped thest cup of Dragon Breed Milk. The remaining sting of alcohol stirred in him a surge of ambition: ¡°With the spirits business, Levis will probably advance to Sky Knight. As for me, I will definitely be a Sky Knight, and then, with the Tulip Family having three Sky Knights, the Earl would find it hard not to be promoted to Marquis.¡± If father and sons took the battlefield together, as long as they didn¡¯t face a Dragon Knight, victory would be assured. They would umte great military exploits and sooner orter be promoted to Marquis. ¡°However, the Marquis Family is not my end goal, but simply a resting point on my journey to Dragon Riding. Given my talent and insight, plus the wealth brought by the development of mynds, bing a Sky Knight before the age of twenty-two is highly feasible. Then, spending another five to six years to perfect Sky Knight skills before seeking out a clue to find dragons.¡± Find a dragon, mount it!
A small life goal then would be achieved. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª All owed updates have now been repaid, and Old White is now debt-free~ Chapter 281: 281: Cultivating a Water Mage (Fifth Update) Chapter 281: Cultivating a Water Mage (Fifth Update) The workshop area had a separate, huge factory district nned for the expansion of the Brewing Workshop. The Carpenter¡¯s Shop, Smithy, Bone Craftsman Shop, and Cooperage organized by officials worked together from dawn to dusk, rushing to make brewing equipment. Even the Brad family, who ran the Crystal Workshop but could only carve Volcanic ss all day, received a new task to carve some key equipment positions with Volcanic ss. The town was bustling, yet the Castle remained as peaceful as ever. Only, on the shelves in Liszt¡¯s study were additional bottles filled with Fresh Flower Brew, not for drinking, but kept as mementos. These were the true original liquor of the Fresh Flower Brew. Afterpleting today¡¯s Knight training lesson, Liszt took a bath in the bathroom and then went to the Worm Room. He chatted with Sea Sprite Ake and, by the way, enjoyed the beautiful scenery. Recently, Sea Sprite Ake had be fascinated by all kinds of books. Since she couldn¡¯t read, Liszt often taught her. It wasn¡¯t clear if it was a racial talent, but she learned very quickly and soon remembered arge amount of Serpent Script, allowing her to read independently. She especially loved to study those Magic Books, and was extremely curious about magic. At the moment.
The Shell was open. Minor Elf J was soaking in the Seawater, a part of what belonged to Ake. Liszt touched it with his hand, finding it not much different from ordinary seawater, probably just warmer andcking the usual chill of seawater. It was hard to imagine that these waters would eventually grow Ake¡¯s legs. ¡°Liszt, you¡¯re here.¡± ¡°Yeah, Ake, are you still reading books?¡± ¡°I¡¯m looking at ¡®Fredo¡¯s Fireball Technique.¡¯ This Magic Apprentice, Fredo Truth is so funny, he actually rubbed a Fireball Technique from the back of his hand, hee hee, so silly.¡± Ake closed the book, revealing a sweet smile. J, with eyes closed, only opened them upon hearing Liszt speak, nced at Liszt, and continued soaking in the seawater, enjoying the warmth blissfully. Behind her, nine Elf Bugs of various colors swam in the seashell sea as well. No guessing needed; it was J who had thrown the Elf Bugs in. ¡°It is pretty funny, but magicians are all humans with some unusual ideas.¡± Liszt poked J¡¯s belly with his hand, only to have J scurry away, ¡°They¡¯re in the Shell there, they aren¡¯t disturbing your reading, are they?¡± ¡°Not at all, J and the insect babies are very quiet.¡± ¡°Only around you are they quiet. Outside, J is the top bully of Fresh Flower Town.¡± Hearing someone speak ill of her, J protested, poking her head out of the Seawater and crying out ¡°Wah¡± to object. But after being red at by Liszt, she tucked her head back in again and continued to bathe. After chatting for a while. Ake suddenly lifted her hand, ¡°Liszt, is this how magic is released?¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± She spoke while seeming to gather Magic Power, ¡°Imagine a bridge between the spirit and Magic Power, get familiar with them, experience them. I can only get along with Water Attribute Magic Power; they¡¯re like many gentle little babies that will heed my call.¡± Then, something unexpected happened to Liszt. On her delicate hand, she was truly gathering a ball of water bit by bit. The ball of water slowly twisted, then elongated into the spiral shape of an arrow. ¡°I¡¯ve read a book about the Water Arrow Spell, and I think the magic principles recorded in the book are very simple. It seems very easy for me to do.¡± That crystal-clear Water Arrow looked so vivid and real.
Using the Eye of Magic, Liszt observed that the Magic Power of the Water Arrow originated from the free Magic Power in the air, not from Ake¡¯s own Magic Power. This was the Magic released by magicians, unexpectedly taking shape in the hands of a Sea Sprite. ¡°Ake, release the Water Arrow Spell outside the window.¡± ¡°Oh.¡±
Ake obediently pushed with her hand, and the water arrow shot out like a real sharp arrow, flying out of the window and finally disappearing into the horizon, ¡°Hee hee, the water arrow flew out, Li Si Te, have I learned the Water Arrow Spell?¡± ¡°You have learned it!¡± Liszt¡¯s eyes gleamed, as he had already overestimated as much as possible the role of the sea sprite, feeling that she was a strategic aid to theunch of his age of navigation. But now, it must be revised, for the sea sprite could not only y an important role in navigation, she also had the potential to be a magician. A Water Mage. At this moment, an irresistible idea arose in him, to cultivate the Sea Sprite Ake into a Grand Magician of the Water System, or even a Water Mage. With her talent for self-learning, it seemed that bing a Water Mage was not an impossibility. In his excitement, he couldn¡¯t help but reach out and stroke Ake¡¯s deep blue hair, ¡°I will collect all the Magic Books that record Water Magic, you can immerse yourself in studying Water Magic, and in the future strive to be a Sea Sprite Magician.¡± ¡°Can Ake be called a Magician?¡± ¡°Of course, as long as you work hard.¡± ¡°Mm!¡± ¡­ One good piece of news followed another. Fresh Flower Brew was sessfully created, the Sea Sprite Ake learned magic, and then, after Liszt had been feeding the little Blizzard Beasts for most of a month, they finally opened their eyes one after another at the end of January.
The first person they saw was Liszt, and that first nce represented recognition of their master. Perhaps this so-called recognition of master was not to the extent of unwavering loyalty, but it meant the eight little Blizzard Beasts all regarded Liszt as the person closest to them, in the role of a father or mother. With slow training and cultivation, they would, like Douson, follow Liszt¡¯smands. ¡°What should their names be?¡± Liszt found himself in a bit of a predicament. There were eight in a row, all with ck fur and more or less the same size, chunky and not easy to distinguish. In fact, Liszt had already forgotten the order in which they were born. In the end, recalling how he treated Douson, Liszt decided to craft a cor for each of the eight Blizzard Beasts. Every cor was adorned with a namete. The colors of the nametes had to be different so that at a nce one could tell which was which and not call them by the wrong names. He also decided to raise the Blizzard Beasts separately; having raised dogs before, he knew all too well the horrors of a litter of puppies. Once they go mad, they could wreak havoc. Raised separately, trained separately, until all the Blizzard Beasts could obeymands, then brought together to undergo military-style training. To prepare for the battlefield in the future. ¡°My lord, all four kennels have been covered with cotton pads, ready for the Blizzard Beasts to move in. The dog cors you ordered to be made have also been delivered from the Tanners¡¯ Shop, eight sets in total,¡± Butler Carter walked into the room, reporting. ¡°Then let¡¯s move them today, clean the entertainment room thoroughly, especially the smell must be cleared away, it¡¯s too offensive.¡± ¡°I will instruct Mrs. Morson to handle it.¡± Carter continued, ¡°Then, what names would you like engraved on the nametes for the eight Blizzard Beasts you wish to make?¡± ¡°Wait until I think of them,¡± Liszt replied.
¡°Yes, sir.¡± As the servants began to carry the eight little Blizzard Beasts one by one into the four kennels set apart in different locations, Liszt waved his hand calling out the Smoke Mission. ¡°Complete the mission, reward eight Intermediate Magical Beast Blizzard Beasts.¡± Seeing the Smoke Serpent Script clearly, Liszt smiled faintly. Indeed. Fed with Dragon Breed Milk, the Blizzard Beasts had stabilized their foundations and be Intermediate Magical Beasts! Chapter 282: 0282: Full Body Armor Crushes Poisonous Bees (First Update) Chapter 282: Chapter 0282: Full Body Armor Crushes Poisonous Bees (First Update) ¡°Mission: Due to the Fresh Flower Vessel¡¯s reduced trips to sea, ck Horse Ind is in short supply of the necessary wood for construction. Marcus decided to cut down the scattered trees on the ind but encountered lethal poisonous bees. Please eliminate the bee nests to prevent more people from being stung to death. Reward: One Elf Bug.¡± Smoke Serpent Script gently flowed before his eyes, its content already etched into Liszt¡¯s mind. ¡°Very good, finally another reward that¡¯s an Elf Bug!¡± Since obtaining the Corn Grass Elf Bug, he hadn¡¯t harvested any Elf Bug for two full months. This certainly had to do with the arrival of winter, when most nts stopped growing, but Liszt felt a deep sense of regret. Elf Bugs were an indisposable productive force for the Lord Landlord. Now, finally, a new mission had appeared, and the reward was an Elf Bug. ¡°I wonder what kind of Elf Bug it is, the clues for the mission aren¡¯t many¡­ Whatever it is, let¡¯s get rid of the bee nest first!¡± Liszt was brimming with fighting spirit. Removing the bee nest wasn¡¯t difficult, considering that knights had full body armor. During the time when Fresh Flower Town made a killing selling seafood, Liszt had managed to save up for twenty sets of knight equipment. Among them was fine steel armor that covered one from head to toe. Once suited up, no matter what kind of poisonous bee, crazy bee, or killer bee came at him, they would all be swatted to death. ¡°I just hope not too many serfs die.¡± Far away on ck Horse Ind, Marcus had the same thought. After returning from ck Horse Ind on the Fresh Flower Vessel, he immediately reported to the Landlord, ¡°My Lord, I regret to inform you that there have been killer bee nests on ck Horse Ind which have imed the lives of sixteen serfs to their stings. I n to bring back several full body armors during this trip and eradicate the poisonous beespletely!¡±
He brought back a few dead bodies of the poisonous bees. Each poisonous bee was the size of a thumb, and there were evenrger Queen Bees guarding them. Even as an Elite Earth Knight, Marcus didn¡¯t dare to approach the beehives lightly. He had to keep his distance and seek the protection of the knight¡¯s full body armor. ¡°I¡¯ll go with you to ck Horse Ind to see for myself what these killer bees look like,¡± Liszt said in a deep voice. Not only did he want to find the Elf Bug, but he also wanted to check if there was honey in the killer bee nests. If there was honey in the hives, it would undoubtedly be top-quality honey. Honey is a top-tier ingredient in noble cuisine, but no one keeps bees. Instead, they send serfs to gather wild honey, and every year arge number of these honey-gathering serfs get stung to death by various bees. There aren¡¯t many beehives in Fresh Flower Town. Even if there were, he wouldn¡¯t send serfs out to gather honey; he wasn¡¯t cruel enough to exchange serfs¡¯ lives for delicacies. Liszt decided to go along. Marcus had no objections. But he had other matters to report: ¡°The issue that arose during the tree cutting is not only due to the unexpected bee attacks, but also due tox management. The serfs were skiving off, going far away to relieve themselves, which led to their deaths from bee stings. My Lord, the port town needs more management personnel!¡± ¡°I understand, I¡¯ll arrange for it as soon as possible.¡± As an action-oriented Landlord, once a problem arose, he immediately set out to solve it. After a brief period of consideration, he summoned Griffin Haystack and Lasse Steelyard. Griffin was an orphan and a friend of Liszt¡¯s from the Knight Academy; Lasse was ofmoner descent, with his family having moved to Fresh Flower Town. Looking at the two Earth Knights, Liszt asked solemnly, ¡°Lasse, Griffin, can I trust you?¡± Griffin replied without hesitation, ¡°Baron, I came to Fresh Flower Town to follow you, and I¡¯m ready to follow your lead at any time!¡± ¡°I¡¯m also ready to follow at any time!¡± Lasse wasn¡¯t to be outdone. ¡°Then, I need to send you to a ce for a task ¨C you might not return to Fresh Flower Town for a very long time. Lasse, you have to take your family with you¡­ You probably won¡¯t be able toe back to Fresh Flower Town for two or three years. Would you still be willing?¡± Lasse, puzzled, asked, ¡°Baron, what duty are you assigning us that would warrant such a long absence, and why must my family join as well?¡±
¡°Indeed, it¡¯s a duty, it¡¯s not dangerous but it¡¯s a bit hard work, and it requires confidentiality. As for the nature of the duty, I can¡¯t tell you,¡± Liszt looked at them, ¡°but I can assure you that there will be ample rewards for your efforts.¡± Griffin, upon hearing this, immediately said, ¡°Baron, I am willing!¡± Lasse hesitated briefly then nodded in agreement, ¡°Since Lasse has decided to follow the Baron, naturally I will obey the Baron¡¯s arrangements!¡± Liszt nodded, ¡°Then, from today on, you are officially part of my Knight Squad!¡±
This was an eptance of their allegiance. Griffin and Lasse instantly realized, knelt on one knee, and performed the solemn Knight¡¯s gesture of fealty and loyalty, ¡°We swear to serve you, my lord!¡± ¡°Rise, pack your belongings, andmunicate sufficiently with your families. Gather at Fresh Flower Port first thing tomorrow morning.¡± ¡°Yes, my lord!¡± ¡­ The next day. The Fresh Flower Vessel, riding the wind and waves, arrived at ck Horse Ind in the afternoon. It was only then that Lasse and Griffin learned they had been dispatched to work on a deste ind, and that this ck Horse Ind would be the future domain of Lord Landlord. ¡°From now on, my Knight Squad¡¯s training will be conducted on ck Horse Ind. Lasse, Griffin, Teacher Marcus will serve as the captain of the Knight Squad, responsible for the daily training of the Knight Squad. The construction of the port town will also be led by him. Construction needs to be meticulous, and training must be persistent,¡± Liszt exined. ¡°Yes, my lord!¡± Knights are capable of fighting on horseback as well as serving as officials off horseback. Without much dy, Liszt, along with three Earth Knights, hurried to the location of the poisonous bees. All four were d in fine steel full body armor, riding their mounts, even their eyes shielded by iron-wire-mesh visors. With such airtight gear, exterminating the poisonous bees was a breeze. Leaving Douson and the horses at a distance, Liszt and his men walked towards the bee nest. ¡°My lord, it¡¯s just ahead,¡± Marcus pointed to a nearby location, ¡°Do you see thatrge tree? The hive is on its branches, quite huge and clearly visible.¡±
¡°I see it. Let¡¯s go, we¡¯ll aim to kill all the poisonous bees before nightfall.¡± The Earth Knights¡¯ pace was swift, and shortly after they arrived at the base of the tree, puzzled as to why those serfs who came to relieve themselves had to run so far. To take a shortcut and risk their lives, it was truly speechless. ¡°Buzzzz!¡± The poisonous bees had already spotted the four neers. Without hesitation, they called theirrades and began an offensive attack. The thumb-sized poisonous bees darted around vigorously, but their efforts were futile against steel defenses. The four Earth Knights circted their Dou Qi and swung their longswords, swatting one after another of therge poisonous bees. Especially Liszt, being the strongest Elite Earth Knight with fire attribute Dou Qi, which had explosive properties. Every time he executedbat skills, the mes that filled the sky would burn swathes of poisonous bees to death. The hive was veryrge, at least one and a half times the height of a man. Tens of thousands of fearless poisonous bees flew out, swarming toward the four men, but it was in vain, they fell as lifeless bodies under the sword, dropping to the ground. ¡°My lord, I¡¯ll climb up and chop down the hive!¡± Griffin, with thunder attribute Dou Qi and a longsword crackling with lightning, though only a Common Earth Knight, possessed an extremely ferociousbat strength. He used his hands and feet nimbly and climbed the branches with ease. The poisonous bees surrounded him inyers, but they couldn¡¯t stop his actions. He drew his longsword, aimed at the base of the branch, and began hacking away, breaking the entire branch and causing it to fall to the ground with the hive. Four Earth Knights.
They surrounded the fallen hive, frantically ughtering the poisonous bees. The battle was fierce. Chapter 283: 283: Natural Adhesive Glue (Second Update) Chapter 283: Natural Adhesive Glue (Second Update) ¡°` The species of poisonous bees was unknown, and nobody cared about exactly what type of poisonous bees they were, as Dou Qi burst forth in spurts and limbs flew chaotically. When the sunset was about to fall below the horizon, almost all the poisonous bees had perished. Even the beehive was split open, and the hidden bee queen was found and directly pinched to death. Only a small number of poisonous bees flew away. ording to bee behaviors, they would likely linger around here for a few days until they were sure the beehive no longer existed before they wouldpletely leave. ¡°Teacher Marcus, remember to warn all serfs not toe over to this area,¡± ¡°Understood, my lord,¡± At this moment, Lasse suddenly shouted, ¡°My lord, it¡¯s honey, there is honey inside this beehive!¡± ¡°Is there really honey?¡± Liszt lifted his visor and looked through the broken face of the beehive that Lasse had pried open. Indeed, he saw golden, glistening honey, exuding a faintly tempting sweet fragrance. He pried deeper with his hand and discovered that many honebs contained whitervae. These were bee pupae. They were about as thick as an index finger and as long as a thumb, plump in size.
Seeing these white bee pupae almost made Liszt drool; he had tasted stir-fried bee pupae before, which were savoury, crispy, and delicious. Moreover, bee pupae contained high protein, low fat, various vitamins, and trace elements, making them a very nourishing ingredient. Now, this beehive, a person and a half tall, could yield at least ten pounds of bee pupae. There was food! ¡°Lasse, Griffin, lift the beehive and carry it back! The honey and bee pupae inside are all good stuff, I want them,¡± ¡°Yes, my lord!¡± The two of them said so and began to move the beehive, but they could not lift it, their faces turning beet red with the effort. ¡°Haven¡¯t you eaten?¡± Marcus asked incredulously. An Earth Knight¡¯s strength, although not boundless, was at least several times that of an average adult. Lifting a poisonous beehive that weighed less than five hundred pounds should not have been so strenuous. At thisment, Lasse¡¯s face turned even redder. He exerted all his strength, and his Dou Qi ran wildly, finally causing the beehive to wobble. Griffin, who was lifting with him, suddenly discovered the problem, ¡°Captain Marcus, it seems like the beehive is stuck to the trunk of the tree here, as if glued by something. No wonder we cannot move it.¡± ¡°Stuck?¡± Liszt also went over to inspect the part where the beehive and the tree trunk were connected and indeed saw, as Griffin had said, some white substance tightly bonding the two, which could not be pulled apart, ¡°Could it be the sap secreted by the tree, with such strong adhesive properties?¡± Following the white substance upward, it originated from where Lasse had previously cut off a branch, leaving a lot of sap, which had flowed down here and then dried and solidified. It seemed even stickier than 502 glue. ¡°Glue¡­ solidified¡­¡± Liszt felt that this substance was very unusual and, if utilized, could have a wide range of potential uses. At that moment, Marcus had already drawn his Fine Steel Longsword and aimed it at the bonded area, striking with his sword. ng! ng! ng! Three strikes in a row only cracked a small slit into the white material, showing no signs ofing apart.
¡°` ¡°Chop a few more times with your Dou Qi, Teacher Marcus,¡± Liszt indicated for Marcus not to stop and to continue swinging his sword to test the strength of the sap¡¯s adhesion. Marcus did as told. He surged his Dou Qi, and a cyan light clung to the longsword. Targeting the white substance, he struck fiercely¡ªcrack! This strike finally split the white material apart,pletely detaching the wasp nest from the tree trunk: ¡°What is this thing so hard that I had to use all my strength to cut it down?¡±
¡°It¡¯s the sap that¡¯s flowing down from the tree. Teacher Marcus, Lasse, Griffin, we might have found something even better,¡± Liszt said, pointing at the tree in front of them with a smile. The tree was a kind of ordinary mixed tree that Liszt had studied when hended on ck Horse Ind for the second time in search of dragon bones. The trunk was straight, and the branches were high up and not lush, bearing no flowers or fruit, nor did it grow very tall. When he had first arrived before the New Year, the leaves were only slightly yellow, but now they had turnedpletely yellow. The conclusion he had reached then was that it was a deciduous tree, quite ordinary, probably suitable for timber use. He had even nned to cut down all the mixed trees near the pasture to expand the cultivation area of the grass once he had enough hands. Now it seemed fortunate that he hadn¡¯t cut them down, for trees that could secrete such a potent glue were clearly gifts from nature. The sun was setting in the west. Liszt was in no rush to return, as there were no magical beasts on the ind, and hence no dangers. ¡°Griffin, chop at the tree trunk with your sword.¡± ¡°Yes, my lord!¡± With one strike, the tree bark split open. About a minute passed, and then a white sap started to ooze from the split. Liszt collected some with a stick and then stuck it to the tree trunk, asionally shaking it to judge the speed of the sap¡¯s adhesion. Exposed to the air for about five minutes, the sap began to solidify. Once solidified, it was nearly indestructible. ¡°The effect is very strong. Do you see its use?¡± he asked proudly, with a hint of showing off¡ªthis tree¡¯s sap was undoubtedly a natural adhesive, and judging by its durability after congealing, it was definitelyparable to rubber, essentially a hybrid of rubber and 502 glue. The importance of rubber was unquestionable, and the uses of 502 glue were also very significant. Thebination of the advantages of both clearly made a more valuable natural glue.
However, the trio of Marcus didn¡¯t quite realize this point so quickly, hence they seemed a bit confused. Griffin even replied earnestly, ¡°Maybe it can glue two things together? It seems a bit troublesome, my lord. The serfs might end up gluing their axes to the tree trunks when cutting down trees.¡± ¡°Cutting trees?¡± ¡°That, my lord, aren¡¯t you nning to cut down all the trees on the ind to expand the grasnd area?¡± ¡°That was the old n, but now it has changed, we need the pastures, but we need these trees even more!¡± Liszt stated definitively, ¡°It seems you did not understand what I just said; the sap of this tree is a good thing, a very good thing. In my view, it¡¯s more valuable than gold.¡± ¡°More valuable than gold?¡± ¡°The sap can be used directly as a glue to bond things. For example, when a cooper makes a barrel, with this glue, simply sticking two nks together would make a perfect seal that won¡¯t loosen or leak. It would seem a waste to use it just for barreling, it might be suitable for bonding weapons.¡± Liszt calmed his excitement and continued, ¡°Of course, we first need to determine its properties: its durability, whether it¡¯s fire-resistant or water-resistant, how to collect and store it, and so on¡­¡± As he said this. He suddenly remembered that the Smoke Mission had beenpleted and that his Elf Bug was due to arrive. While letting Marcus and the others study the properties of the natural glue, he silently summoned the Smoke Mission. However, he found that the content of the mission hadn¡¯t changed, and the task of clearing the wasp nest had not yet beenpleted. ¡°It seems that I need to wait until all the wasps have flown away and the danger ispletely removed for the task to be consideredplete, but this tree and this mission¡­¡± Looking at the trunk and thinking about the mission, he felt there might be a connection between the two: ¡°Could it be that my tenth Elf Bug is rted to this type of tree?¡± He quickly activated his Eye of Magic and began to examine the big tree before him. As his gaze moved to the canopy at the top of the trunk, a sh of magic power flitted across his field of vision.
Chapter 284: 0284: Rubber Tree Elf Bug (Third Update) Chapter 284: Chapter 0284: Rubber Tree Elf Bug (Third Update) A sh of magic light passed by, a pale yellow that seemed to belong to Earth Attribute magic, right at the crown of therge tree. This tree wasn¡¯t very tall, Li Si Te could clearly see its crown, where the magic was emanating from a treetop that had grown arge round bulge. There was no doubt that inside it housed an Elf Bug. Which meant, this tree, was Cordyceps! Realizing this, Li Si Te immediately felt a pang of distress. Lasse had cut off a robust branch, and Griffin had shed a wound into the trunk, they were basically making things difficult for his own Elf Bug. ¡°Teacher Marcus, Lasse, Griffin, this tree is Cordyceps,¡± he touched the somewhat rough bark, ¡°My Elf Bug is inside, gestating. I can feel its presence. You must protect it well, and when it¡¯s born, I wille back to make a contract with it.¡± ¡°There really is an Elf Bug?¡± Lasse clicked his tongue in amazement. Marcus, however, was not surprised at all, knowing Li Si Te¡¯s keen vision: ¡°My lord, rest assured, I will arrange for someone to patrol this tree at all times. Once the Elf Bug is born, I will immediately inform you!¡± Griffin spoke with excitement, ¡°Lasse, you just chopped off a branch of the Cordyceps, and I made a cut on it! Our lord really is the Son of Glory, blessed with knightly radiance. Fresh Flower Town has gained another Elf Bug!¡± It was unclear whether he was excited about the Elf Bug or the fact that he had cut into the Cordyceps. Regardless. The three of them, who were initially unclear about natural glue, now paid serious attention because of the gestating Elf Bug. For them, a nt capable of nurturing an Elf Bug was valuable. In their eyes, Elf Bugs were a symbol of nobility, an embellishment of power. Li Si Te looked at the Cordyceps Tree in front of him, feeling very pleased: ¡°Although the beehive has imed the lives of sixteen serfs, leaving me heartbroken, there is gain for every loss. We have acquired a new crop and an Elf Bug thanks to that. I now bestow upon this tree the name ¡®Rubber Tree¡¯!¡±
This Rubber Tree was different from the rubber trees on Earth, it was just borrowing the name. The impending Elf Bug would then be known as the Rubber Tree Elf Bug. Night had fallen. After collecting some rubber samples and carrying the poisonous beehive, they also collected some of the bees¡¯ corpses, and headed back. Upon returning to the port town, they immediately found wooden nks to make a box, and put the beehive into the box. ¡°Teacher Marcus, the bees¡¯ poison sacs can be collected. By concentrating the bee venom and refining it, we may obtain a potent poison,¡± Li Si Te suggested. Speaking of poisons, the Rapid Growth Poison Thorn of Fresh Flower Town was truly toxic. Its prickly thorns would cut the skin and cause ulceration and scarring, but wouldn¡¯t kill a person. However, when refined and tempered on the de of a weapon, even ordinary beasts would convulse upon being struck, if not entirely incapacitated. Even when used against magical beasts with magic power, it could deal a serious blow, weakening the magical beast for a short period and causing its recovery abilities to decline significantly for a long time thereafter. It would have a simr effect on knights as well. Using poison wasn¡¯t a noble deed; it vited the chivalrous values of knights who favored straightforward charges. But a toxin that merely caused weakness was tolerable; war naturally called for diverse strategies, and one couldn¡¯t rely solely on fiery passion. The loser is the viin, and the victor the king; only the victor has the right to disy noble virtues. The loser faces death, bankruptcy, or servitude as a serf, anyway, far removed from nobility. Marcus understood this principle and nodded immediately: ¡°I will have people collect all the bee carcasses, extract the poison sacs and refine the toxins.¡± ¡°Good.¡± ¡­ The next morning, Li Si Te took a boat back to Fresh Flower Town, leaving Marcus and the others to continue overseeing the construction of the port town. The first thing he did upon returning to the castle was to order the servants to clean up the beehive: ¡°Mrs. Abbie, have your people pick out all the bee pupae from the beehive, and then scrape off the honey¡­ first experiment on small animals to see if it¡¯s toxic. If not, it¡¯s to be included in my recipes.¡± ¡°Oh my god, what a huge wasp nest, sir, you can look forward to enjoying delicious bee pupae. When I was a kid, I often dug up wasp nests to find those cute, tasty pupae to cook with. And this honey, look, look, it¡¯s just so golden and tempting!¡± Mrs. Abbie circled the massive poison bee nest, inspecting it excitedly from every angle. Sinceing to the castle in Fresh Flower Town, under Liszt¡¯s deliberate and inadvertent guidance, she had be a top-ss chef renowned far and near. Everyone said, ¡°Mrs. Abbie is so skillful and creative,¡± ¡°Mrs. Abbie¡¯s dishes are astonishing,¡± ¡°Mrs. Abbie¡¯s mind is full of delicious food,¡± which greatly pleased her.
She had thrown herself into the innovation of developing new dishes and there was no stopping her. As a result, the castle not only hired a serf who was a chef to be her assistant but also employed two new kitchen maids. The chef was Julia, a serf bought from the Eagle Kingdom, who had no surname. The two kitchen maids, Oly and Kelsey, were also serfs bought from the Eagle Kingdom, without surnames.
Unlike the Duchy of Sapphire, many serfs in the Eagle Kingdom didn¡¯t have surnames. They cultivated thend generation after generation, with little mobility, essentially not needing surnames. For example, Paris and Maggie, the sisters, didn¡¯t have surnames; Bording and Huntera, who assisted Frank Dregs in winemaking, also didn¡¯t have surnames. Whereas in the founding history of the Duchy of Sapphire, arge number of serfs were bought, and to facilitate census and strict control of the serfs, all were forced to take surnames. Noble vocabry was not allowed to be used, which directly resulted in the surnames of themoners being a mishmash of lowly words. Before bing a noble, Liszt¡¯s ancestors¡¯ surname was the lowly word ¡°Tile.¡± Only after rising alongside the Tulip Great Elf did the surname change to the noble word ¡°Tulip.¡± While Mrs. Abbie was busy fussing with the poison bee nest, Liszt began training the eight Little Blizzard Beasts, following his instructions, new nametes had already been hung on each of the Blizzard Beasts¡¯ necks. ¡°Storm, me,e!¡± ¡°Woof woof!¡± ¡°Whoo!¡± Using jerky as an enticement was the quickest way to strengthen the bond. The chubby Blizzard Beasts couldn¡¯t resist the jerky and quickly pounced on Liszt, licking both his hands and the jerky. Storm had a green namete on its neck, and me had a red one. Following the method summarized when training Douson, he practiced with the two Little Blizzard Beasts. He continued on to the other three dog kennels.
Rock wore a yellow namete, Surge had a deep blue namete; Thunder had a purple namete, Light had a white namete; Ice Snow wore a light blue namete, and Shadow had a ck namete. The names of the eight Blizzard Beasts corresponded to the eight magic attributes of wind, fire, earth, water, thunder, light, ice, and shadow. It didn¡¯t mean much and didn¡¯t fit their physical characteristics; it was merely for differentiation. After running through a round of training, an hour and a half had passed, and Liszt took the milk tea handed over by the butler and drank it down in one go, ¡°The workload is too much, training dogs is such a waste of energy and time!¡± He had a premonition that as the Blizzard Beasts grew up, he would probably have no spare time left to write ¡°Dragons Fight in the Wild.¡± ¡°It looks like it¡¯ll really have to be a history book series for my lifetime.¡± Chapter 285: 0285: A Series of Loyalties (Fourth Update, 3000 Monthly Votes Plus) Chapter 285: Chapter 0285: A Series of Loyalties (Fourth Update, 3000 Monthly Votes Plus) After training the dog, the sky hadpletely darkened, and the castle was in the midst of preparing the evening¡¯s dishes. Liszt went upstairs to have a chat with Sea Sprite Ake, a routine he had established. Talking with the innocent and lively Ake was a way to rx his mind. ¡°Liszt, look, I¡¯ve copied ¡®Fredo¡¯s Fireball Technique¡¯, and now I can also create water arrows on the back of my hand,¡± Sea Sprite Ake said happily. She conjured a water arrow on the back of her hand and, with a gentle push, the water arrow flew out of the window like a sharp bolt. Learning magic was like getting a new toy for her, full of nothing but joy: ¡°Look, look, not only can my right hand create water arrows on the back, but my left can do it too, hehe, next I n to try creating them with my knee. What do you think of that idea?¡± Apart from amazement, Liszt didn¡¯t know what to say. It wasn¡¯t difficult for a magician to create fireballs with different parts of their body, but it was still technically challenging for Magic Apprentice Fredo Truth to do it with the back of his hand. After all, Magic Apprentices could not bepared with Magicians, especially in terms of mental control, they were far too weak. That Sea Sprite Ake could use both hands to create water arrows on the back, and learn it within a few days, was astonishing: ¡°Ake, how did you think of using your knee to create water arrows?¡± ¡°The Truth seniors who wrote the magic books said that the most important thing for magicians is to have imagination and creativity. Ake noticed that no one used their knees to cast spells. If Ake seeds, I can also write a book, umm, it will be called ¡®Acherloides Truth¡¯s Water Arrow Technique¡¯, hehe.¡±
¡°Yes, Ake, you already qualify to write a book. It seems you have a profound understanding of the Water Arrow Spell. I will need to find more books on Water Magic for you as soon as possible.¡± The inheritance of magicians is rather secretive, and aside from simple basic magic, which has specific magic books for introduction and mutual discussion of new casting methods, there are no books passing down Advanced Magic. It¡¯s like the Dou Qi Secret Technique of the knights and the cultivation secrets of the Sky Knights, which are incredibly hard toe by. The Tulip Family, despite years of hard work, did not possess even a single Dou Qi Secret Technique. Had it not been for the guidance of the Smoke Mission, Liszt would never have obtained ¡°The Eye of Magic¡±. ¡°It seems like I need to have a serious talk with Elkerson.¡± In Liszt¡¯s view, Elkerson was a magician who highly valued enjoyment, and therefore, there was a good chance of obtaining magical inheritance from him, as long as one was willing to pay. For the sake of Ake¡¯s path as a Water Mage, Liszt gritted his teeth and was willing to bear the cost. After all, Ake¡¯s strength ensured greater security for sailing. Imagine, with a Water Mage apanying the journey, there would be no fear of any Sea Monsters. Even if Ake did not have the talent to be an Archmage, advancing to the level of a Grand Magician was still a formidablebat power. Hearing what Liszt said, Ake nodded happily: ¡°Thank you, Liszt.¡± ¡°Ake, why don¡¯t you call me brother?¡± In three seconds, Liszt decided to bind the future Water Mage with the bonds of kinship. Ake tilted her head, pondering seriously: ¡°But Ake is already forty-one years old, and you, Liszt, are only seventeen.¡± ¡°You¡¯re a sea sprite, and I¡¯m a human, so you can¡¯t count age like that. I¡¯m already an adult human, and you¡¯re a minor sea sprite, so you should call me brother.¡± ¡°Oh, okay, brother.¡± ¡°You¡¯re such a good girl, Ake. Here brother has a gift for you¡ªa ck Pearl that you can use to study the Magic Runes and Magic Arrays written about in the magic books.¡± Liszt took out a fist-sized ck pearl and handed it to Sea Sprite Ake. He had harvested a total of sixteen ck pearls from the Trida giant ms. A ck pearl the size of a wash basin was still lying quietly in the Gemstone Space, waiting for the right moment to be crafted into a Calming Sea Pearl. Of the two basketball-sized ck pearls, one had already been made into a Calming Sea Pearl, and the other was soon to be made into another one. ¡°`
Three sea-bowl-sized ck pearls, unused. Ten ck pearls about the size of a fist, two sold to Levis, two ground up to treat Dragon Hollyhock, one given to Marquis Merlin, one given as payment to Grandini Truth for calcting rewards, and one more given to Ake, leaving three remaining. Holding the ck pearls. Ake smiled radiantly, ¡°Wow, such beautiful ck pearls, I can feel many water attribute magic elements, as gentle as little babies holding hands, just like¡­ just like a natural magic array. Thank you, brother, I will study the ck pearls carefully, and learn magic runes and magic arrays!¡±
¡°Study hard, I still have a few ck pearls, and when the timees, you can help me make them into magic equipment.¡± ¡°Mhm, Ake will work hard!¡± The sea sprite clenched her little fists, her expression invigorated, a stark contrast to the cautious demeanor she had when they first met, now lively and adorable. One couldn¡¯t help but reach out and tousle her deep blue hair. He truly hoped that Ake would make progress quickly so that she could help make the Calming Sea Pearl. After all, the costs for all the materials requested by Grandini Truth to make a Calming Sea Pearl were astronomical. Thest Calming Sea Pearl had cost him a fist-sized ck pearl. Poking J, who was stubbornly nestled within her shell. Liszt left the room. The castle¡¯s banquetmenced. In Fresh Flower Town, covered with snow and ice, there were not many lights at night, hence work ended rtively early. Only the Brewing Workshop continued to operate through the night. ¡°Baron, I¡¯ve heard that Lasse and Griffin have sworn loyalty to you and have been assigned to carry out missions?¡± Rondo Waterpot suddenly asked before the banquet began. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Rondo hopes to follow the Baron!¡± ¡°I ept your allegiance.¡± Liszt was not surprised by Rondo¡¯s request and responded directly. Thereafter came the ceremony of a knight swearing fealty, officially establishing the rtionship between the follower and thendlord.
This meant that Rondo¡¯s fate was now in Liszt¡¯s hands, and in turn, Liszt would bring him greater glory. With Rondo leading the way, Rick Trace, Nemo, and others also dered their allegiance to Liszt. Among the officials of Fresh Flower Town, Isaiah, who had not yet followed Liszt, took this opportunity to request to follow as well. Fresh Flower Town was no longer the remote rural town it used to be, and Liszt was no longer the timid second son of the Earl. Fresh Flower Town was bound to rise alongside Liszt, and everyone understood that not following him now would put them at a disadvantageter, as more people would gather around him. After all, the early followers would certainly be held in higher esteem by thendlord than the new ones. Seeing the young people one by one perform the knight¡¯s loyalty ceremony, Zambrotta, who was not young anymore, hesitated. He came to Fresh Flower Town seeing the potential in Liszt, hoping to leverage Liszt¡¯s rise to reim noble glory. However, such hasty allegiance was not what he desired. As a former Honored Knight, he had his moments of glory and remembered well the distinction between himself and themon folk. Even stripped of his title and reduced to amoner, he still held on to his pride. Coupled with his talent for learning and his arrogance, he was reluctant to lower his status easily. However, the current situation no longer allowed for his aloofness. Not following today would surely be noted by Liszt: ¡°Since I¡¯m going to follow sooner orter, I might as well be straightforward about it. Liszt is certain to emte the Earl¡¯s glory and be one of the new Nobles, I can¡¯t miss this opportunity!¡± Making up his mind, he immediately knelt on one knee: ¡°Zambrotta wishes to swear loyalty to the Baron!¡± ¡°`
Chapter 286: 0286: The Secret Magic Trade (Fifth Update, 10,000 Coins Reward Celebration 1/2) Chapter 286: Chapter 0286: The Secret Magic Trade (Fifth Update, 10,000 Coins Reward Celebration 1/2) This chapter is a bonus update for the ¡°Wastnd Ranger Apocalypse Legend¡± with a reward of 20,000 Gold Coins. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª All the town officials pledged allegiance, and there were no outsiders left in Fresh Flower Town. Of course, apart from the unity of the people being stronger than before, there didn¡¯t seem to be much change. Whether now or before, as the son of an earl, Liszt¡¯s authority had never been shaken. The atmosphere at the banquet was merry. As thendlord, he inevitably drank a few extra sses of Fresh Flower Brew, the specialty of Fresh Flower Town, and felt slightly tipsy. When the banquet ended, he held back Mr. Elkeson, ¡°Mr. Elkeson, please wait a moment.¡± ¡°Baron, what instructions do you have for me?¡± ¡°If I remember correctly, you are skilled in Earth System and Water System magic.¡± ¡°Indeed, you have a good memory.¡± ¡°Then, I would like to purchase some spellcasting knowledge of the Water System magic from you.¡± Seeing Mr. Elkeson furrow his brows slightly in hesitation, Liszt added, ¡°It¡¯s indeed a bit abrupt and impolite to propose buying magic from a magician, but please believe that I am merely curious about magic, and I will pay an adequate amount of Gold Coins.¡± Mr. Elkeson pondered for a moment.
He looked around to make sure there were no eavesdroppers nearby before hesitantly speaking, ¡°Baron, as you know, I am not a sanctimonious or obsessive magician, my love for Gold Coins far exceeds my quest for Truth. I am very willing to assist you in obtaining Magic Books and produce Magic Potions, but selling magic couldpletely ruin my reputation.¡± ¡°Nothing about our transaction of magic will leak from my side. You also needn¡¯t worry about an unidentified magician suddenly appearing. I myself will not learn magic, as I am well aware of the dangers of a knight learning magic.¡± ¡°Given that, I am willing to sell magic.¡± ¡°If the price is right, I need all the Water System magic you possess.¡± ¡°Are you not interested in the other types of magic?¡± Since selling one type of magic was the same as selling multiple, Mr. Elkeson naturally hoped to sell more, ¡°I am proficient in Earth System and Water System, and I have some knowledge in Wind System, Fire System, and Ice System as well. Currently, I have mastered sixteen types of magic. If you purchase them all, Baron, I could offer a discount.¡± Originally, Liszt had only intended to purchase Water System magic. But after hearing what he said, it seemed like a good idea to buy all of them¡ªafter all, who knows if they might be useful in the future. ¡°First, determine the price of the magic. If it¡¯s reasonable, I will buy all of it. If the price is too high, I am only willing to buy the Water System magic. Although I am andlord, I am the head of arge household with limited spare Gold Coins for frivolous spending, as you well know.¡± Liszt started bargaining. He wasn¡¯t prepared to let Mr. Elkeson name an outrageous price, as Coral Ind was not home to the only magician. ¡°The four spells that a Magic Apprentice can master, Water Arrow Spell, Flying Rock Technique, Fireball Technique, Wind de Spell, can be learned from Magic Books,¡± Mr. Elkeson said. ¡°I mainly have mastery over spells at the magician stage, including Water System¡¯s Water Arrow Barrage, Water Wheel Wall, Water Bullet, Water Whirlpool; Earth System¡¯s Rock Spike, Earth Wall, Rolling Rock, Rock Cannon, Earth Elevation tform; Fire System¡¯s Great Fireball, Fire Wall, Dancing Fire Snakes; Wind System¡¯s Light Body Skill, Multiple Wind des, and Ice System¡¯s Ice de; and Rock Grenade at the Grand Magician stage.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the price?¡± ¡°For the magician stage, one spell costs two Gold Coins. The Grand Magician¡¯s Rock Grenade costs twenty Gold Coins. In total, that is¡­¡± he counted on his fingers twice, ¡°fifty Gold Coins in total. This is an absolute bargain, even if I were to exchange spells with fellow magicians, the cost would not be any lower.¡± Frankly, the price wasn¡¯t too expensive. ¡°` Still, Liszt felt a pinch in his heart as he shelled out fifty Gold Coins at once; his liquid assets were not abundant. After pondering for a moment, he said, ¡°Let¡¯s hold off on the Rock Grenade for now. I¡¯ll buy your fifteen spells for thirty Gold Coins¡­ However, I can promise that as long as you can bring more spells, I will continue to purchase them at today¡¯s prices. You should believe in my potential for growth, buying spells is not difficult for me.¡± Elkeson nodded in agreement, slightly disappointed not to have sold the Rock Grenade for twenty Gold Coins, ¡°Of course, Baron, your future is as vast as the sea. Then, I shall return to write the casting methods for the spells, and if you have any questions, feel free to ask me directly.¡± Liszt took out thirty Gold Coins and handed them to the other party: ¡°A pleasure doing business with you, Mr. Elkeson.¡± He was not afraid that the other party would run away with the money as this was Coral Ind.
¡°A pleasure doing business, Baron.¡± ¡­ With the motivation of Gold Coins, Elkeson delivered the written casting methods for four Water System spells to the castle the next day and continued to write the remaining spells. Liszt handed them directly to the Sea Serpent, ¡°Ake, I have found four new spells for you. These are spells that only magicians can grasp, and I don¡¯t know if you can learn them right away. If you can¡¯t master them, then meditate more to strengthen your spiritual power.¡±
¡°Mm-hmm, thank you, brother. Ake will definitely work hard to learn and strive to be a Sea Serpent Magician, hehe.¡± ¡°By the way, it¡¯s your day to replenish water at the sea, don¡¯t rush to read the spells, let¡¯s go y at the beach for two hours.¡± ¡°Yes! Ake indeed needs to change the seawater in her shell, this water isn¡¯t fresh anymore.¡± Ake stirred the seawater in her shell with her hand, which still looked crystal clear. It was unclear how the Sea Serpent determined whether the water was fresh or not. At the seaside. Snowkes drifted down, as winter had not yet ended, expected to cease snowing in mid-February. This strange world¡¯s climate and hydrology are vastly different from Earth¡¯s. For example, Liszt recently discovered an important piece of information: in Fresh Flower Town during winter, the lengths of day and night are equal ¨C neither longer days and shorter nights nor vice versa. This corroborates his previous assumption. If this world is a, then it does not have an axial tilt in its rotation or revolution. He also reviewed some Knight¡¯s Novels, which seemed to imply that the whole continent experienced winter and summer at the same pace. As for temperature variations, the countries in the southern part of the continent are often depicted in the Knight¡¯s Novels as not having snowy weather; there¡¯s even one novel that talks about the far South of the continent. It mentions there¡¯s a country called me Country, where the weather is steaming hot all year round. ¡°Does this suggest that the southernmost tip of the continent is close to the¡¯s equator? In other words, is it possible that the continent where I am located is just a part of the northern hemisphere of a and not the entirety of the world?¡± The Sea Serpent Ake was thoroughly enjoying her bath in the sea, asionally emitting tinklingughter. J soared above the coast, watching Ake, and every now and then shouting, ¡°Wow.¡±
Dousony in the snowy ground, with Storm and me crawling all over it. It was unclear whether it realized these two puppies were its offspring, but it tolerated their climbing and biting. Liszt, on the other hand, continued to ponder astronomical geography. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, this suggests that the continent¡¯s southernmost point is near the equator, but the northernmost point is far from the North Pole, making it not a veryrgendmass¡­ Although it feels vast in actual area, the total area of the continent may well exceed thend area of Earth.¡± Chapter 287: 286: Incredible Area (First Update) Chapter 287: Chapter 286: Incredible Area (First Update) The units of measurement in this world are not the same as those on Earth. As a soul-transmigrating transmigrator, he didn¡¯t bring any items that could be used forparison to determine whether this was a world of giants or ants. He could only deduce the breadth of this world based on the proportions of his own body. ording to his research, his height had grown to about 1.87 meters, making him the tallest person in the Tulip Family. Assuming that he and his Earthly self are the same size. Coral Ind is roughly equivalent to the area of a prefecture-level city in China, with an average area of 10,000 square kilometers; Red Crab Ind isparable to the area of a medium-sized province, with an average area of 100,000 square kilometers; then, the Duchy of Sapphire has more than ten inds the size of Red Crab Ind, including the muchrger Blue Dragon Ind. All the indsbined have an area of approximately 2 million square kilometers, roughly a fifth the size of China. The Duchy of Sapphire is just a remote archipgo on the edge of the continent and is likely smaller than other duchies and grand duchies. Its suzerain, the Steel Ridge Kingdom, has seven vassal states, and theirbined area already exceeds that of China; and the area of the Steel Ridge Kingdom itself is twice asrge as all its vassal statesbined. That is to say, the area of the Steel Ridge Kingdombined with its vassal states is equivalent to the size of the Asian continent¡ª45 million square kilometers. The rival of the Steel Ridge Kingdom, the Eagle Kingdom, has a slightly smaller area and one fewer vassal state, with a total area of about 30 million square kilometers; the neighbor of the Steel Ridge Kingdom, the st Furnace Fortress Kingdom, isrger and has more vassal states, totaling over 60 million square kilometers in area. The total area of these three kingdoms, along with some deserted inds nearby, exceeds the sum of Earth¡¯snd area¡ª149 million square kilometers.
But these three kingdoms are just tucked away in the northeastern corner of the continent. The entire continent¡¯s area is probably twenty times the size of the three kingdomsbined, after all, the area of any single empire on the continent isrger than several kingdoms put together. In thisnd, Liszt clearly knew, there were three existing empires¡ªNeverfall Empire, Blue Dragon Empire, and Kushan Imperial. Earth¡¯s surface area seems to be 500 million square kilometers, this continent¡¯s area is almost 3 billion square kilometers, equivalent to thebined surface area of six Earths. It sounds unbelievable. But that is indeed the case, thend is so vast that for the Sapphire Duchy, which is located in the northeastern corner of the continent, news from states on the other end of the continent relies not on rumors but legends¡ªlegends say that the emperor of the Neverfall Empire has been on the throne for two hundred years, legends say that in the Neverfall Empire there is a Windhowl Valley where storms rage year-round. A continent of 3 billion square kilometers. It took Liszt a long time to ept this fact. However, based on his recent collection of data on day and night duration, seasonal changes, continental temperature variation, and more, there are even more incredible facts awaiting verification. ¡°If I haven¡¯tpletely forgotten my high school geography knowledge, the information at hand suggests that this continent is just a small piece ofnd in the Northern Hemisphere, it hasn¡¯t even crossed the equator, nor has it approached the pole?¡± Across the equator, the temperature of the continent would gradually decrease, but the hottest countries are at the southernmost tip of the continent, suggesting it hasn¡¯t crossed the equator. Nearing the pole, not to mention the ice and snow, the sun should be hovering around the horizon, but now the sun is just slightly tilted above the head, which means it¡¯s still far from the pole. ¡°The position of the continent may even be between the tropical and temperate zones, not even entering the frigid zone¡­ after all, the sun is always above the head, never very nted.¡± He felt. Based on Earth¡¯s geographic location, that would be roughly equivalent to the Southeast Asia region. ¡°So, if I¡¯m living on a sphere, just how big is this sphere?¡± With his limited imagination, he was unable to unravel theplex equation of ¡°given the surface area of a sphere, find its volume,¡± so he couldn¡¯tpare it to Earth, ¡°Is there anothernd beyond this continent?¡± In the legends of the Duchy of Sapphire, beyond the Sea of Azure Waves lies the Devil¡¯s Sea, where devils roam. Even Dragon Knights cannot cross the Devil¡¯s Sea, it seems that besides the continent, the rest of this world is an endless ocean. No one knows what lies beyond the sea, nor is anyone curious. The vast and boundless continent is enough to captivate the gaze of all nobles. Liszt still remembered that when he once marveled at the endless wealth of the sea, Marcus was quite dismissive, only thinking of making a name for himself on the continent.
Looking back now, the difficulty of developing the sea is immense, let alone crossing the Devil¡¯s Sea, even navigating within the Sea of Azure Waves is fraught with danger at every moment. Ghost Ship, Dulu Miqita¡­ He suddenly remembered again, ¡°That¡¯s right, I almost forgot about ¡°Philip, Descendant of the Sun¡¯s Diary¡±, that descendant of the Child of the Sun who shares the same lineage as the old tanner, must havee from another continent, cast away to this ce¡­ So there must definitely be new continents, and with them, new ¡®human¡¯ civilizations.¡± That Drift Bottle, which stores a 36D Ghost for the sole purpose ofmunication, the craftsmanship in its making and the miraculous use of magic, all show that ites from a highly developed magic society.
Thinking thus. He pulled out the Drift Bottle from the Gemstone Space, feeling its special metallic texture and admiring its exquisitely carved patterns, which he had done countless times. He had also spected innumerable times, but in the end, he hadn¡¯t figured out anything. ¡°Maybe one day, the Smoke Mission will release another task rted to the Child of the Sun, and then I¡¯ll be able to make use of this Drift Bottle. Speaking of which, I¡¯ve collected so much of the old tanner¡¯s fresh blood over the past half a year, enough to open the Drift Bottle hundreds of times, right?¡± Whenever he had some free time, he would ask the old tanner for some blood. Then he would have Jessie send many tonics to the old tanner, fearing that he might die from excessive blood loss. Perhaps it was because regr bleeding was beneficial to his health, or maybe the tonics had an effect, but the old tanner seemed to be getting younger as he lived. Liszt even heard Butler Carter mention that the old tanner had discussed with Jessie whether he should find a wife¡ªmaybe with some effort, he could even have a son. Liszt did not interfere with this. On the contrary, he hoped that the old tanner could find a wife, and better yet, produce offspring, so that he could collect more blood from the descendants of the Sun and open the Drift Bottle repeatedly. After fiddling for a moment. He put away the Drift Bottle. Liszt casually took out a piece of rubber to study. The rubber from the Rubber Tree; he nned to meticulously explore and figure out all of its properties. First was its hardness¡ªthe rubber, once set, was as hard as the marble used to build castles; second was its fire resistance¡ªme had no effect on it, it waspletely fireproof like stone.
Water-resistant, it did not change when immersed in water and also reacted chemically with practically none of the liquids Liszt could find. It had an extremely strong adhesive quality, but since it had already set by the time he brought it back, he could only determine that when it was stuck to wood, it was almost fused with the wood as one. Yet it was very light, almost the same as stic. ¡°Based on the data I have now, this variety of rubber could at least serve as an alternative to cement¡­ but it¡¯spletely unusable as cement, considering how little rubber a single Rubber Tree can produce!¡± Chapter 288: 287: A Sudden Grapple and Slam (Second Update) Chapter 288: Chapter 287: A Sudden Grapple and m (Second Update) New models of rubber still required a lot of data analysis, and a method for collecting and preserving rubber also needed to be found. Although he was a man of action, he was not impetuous, but rather he paid great attention to personal pleasure. Only after satisfying his personal enjoyment would he consider striving for improvement. ¡°Baron, your Retainer Knight Philip Wool has returned from Tulip Castle and brought back a message¡ªMiss Li Vera has expressed her discontent with the Fresh Flower Soap you sent as a birthday gift,¡± Butler Carter reported in a serious manner. Fresh Flower Soap had be Liszt¡¯s standard gift. He smiled slightly, ¡°I am reminding her that personal hygiene is very important. Fresh Flower Soap is not cheap; she can easily wash with one and toss it away.¡± The soap making workshop in Fresh Flower Town gradually expanded its scale, sessfully crushing Baron Henderson¡¯s soap business and forcing him to switch to supplying washing powder. That is to say, Fresh Flower Soap had already taken over the Coral Ind market. Moreover, under the leadership of merchants Sherlock and Abagon, they cooperated with Tulip Castle and Beer Castle respectively, shipping far and wide to other inds, with the market expanding day by day. The exquisite Fresh Flower Soaps easily oupeted the old-fashioned soaps, thus profits were continuously increasing. Even in winter, when bathing was less frequent, a profit of five Gold Coins per day was still achievable. In the present situation, where the seafood business hadpletely slumped and Fresh Flower Brew had yet to hit the market, the castle was wholly reliant on the ie from Fresh Flower Soap. As for the peanut processing workshop and the small town¡¯s taxes, the revenue was minimal. What surprised Liszt was that, even in the cold winter, the two public baths could bring in dozens of silver coins in revenue each day. Merchants from other ces, as well as nobles from North Valley City, would rather travel by carriage to Fresh Flower Town just for a hot bath.
Some people would stop over in Fresh Flower Town. Because there were so many people stopping over, themercial district specially allocated two two-story wooden houses in the name of castle-owned businesses¡ªone to serve as a hotel, the other as a restaurant, and there were ns to open a pub as well. The poprity of the small town was growing, which also began to thrive the businesses of themoners. Reynard¡¯s bakery could sell all kinds of bread every day; the Old Tanner from the Tanners¡¯ Shop hired four apprentices to help and pass on the craft; the general store was busy to the point where Harriet¡¯s family, including Maggie, had to help in sales. Even those selling eggs, vegetables, and wild fruits always managed to empty their baskets. More and more merchant caravans came to do business in Fresh Flower Town, and the purses of the more than two thousand serfs in the territory were bulging, with their desire to spend growing. Even theedy troupe from North Valley City would oftene to perform in Fresh Flower Town and receive quite a few tips. At least when Liszt watched the performance, he would always toss up a few silver coins¡ªhe purely spent money to hire theedy troupe for a performance to enrich the leisure life of the town¡¯s residents. He even specifically ordered the square in the small town to have several gigantic snowmen built. Those huge snowmen, as tall as a three-story wooden house, could be clearly seen from inside the castle, and the town¡¯s children loved to run around them. The snowmen had a name, called Snow Treasure. ¡°What are you doing, Paris?¡± When Liszt walked out of the castle, he saw the female mercenary also building a snowman, seemingly trying to replicate the snowman in the town square. ¡°The castle is too monotonous; it should have a Snow Treasure.¡± ¡°Have youpleted your Serpent Script teaching lesson for today?¡± ¡°Today is Sunday, ording to the rules you made, we can take a day off every Sunday,¡± Paris earnestly continued piling up the snowman, although it looked quite ugly. ¡°Since you¡¯re idle with nothing to do,e and have a fight with me.¡± ¡°Can we not fight? Without transforming, I¡¯m no match for you at all, Baron. It¡¯s meaningless for you to fight with me,¡± Paris responded. ¡°That¡¯s not appropriate to say. I¡¯m now prepared to use a Fine Steel Longsword and not restrain your Light and Shadow Tug anymore, earnestly depending on basic strength to refine mybat prowess,¡± Liszt stated. Paris stood up, ¡°As you wish!¡± In the open snowy field.
Liszt, holding a Fine Steel Longsword, didn¡¯t use the Eye of Magic, and fought earnestly against Paris. The effect of Light and Shadow Tug was quite evident. Without the boost from the Crimson Blood Sword, he found himself floundering at times. But the benefit of long-term medicine use became apparent, even without the Crimson Blood Sword, he still had ample Dou Qi to rectify mistakes. ng! The Fine Steel Longsword collided with Paris¡¯s Greatsword, sparking mes. The great strength bestowed upon Paris by the ck Dragon Childe was dissolved by Liszt¡¯s Dou Qi, and this collision resulted in a draw. The subsequent shes still did not determine who had the upper hand. Without using Dou Qi Secret Techniques and Gemstone Weapons, Liszt was on par with Paris, who did not transform, with theirbat power being almost at the same level.
Liszt was panting heavily. He was not so talented that he could rapidly break through in a single battle and defeat an opponent of the same level. Paris across from him was also gasping for air, her full chest heaving, and her hands holding the greatsword began to tremble, ¡°Again!¡± ng! The Fine Steel Longsword shed with the greatsword once more. This time, Liszt¡¯s hand holding the Fine Steel Longsword suddenly emitted a slight cracking sound, and in the next moment, half of the de spun and flew away. Paris raised her eyebrow upon seeing this and charged without hesitation. She harbored the thought of seizing the moment to crush Liszt in one fell swoop. ¡°My sword is actually not as sturdy as Paris¡¯s greatsword, this is bad!¡± Liszt thought anxiously, as he certainly did not want to lose to Paris. In the recent livebat drills, he had been utterly dominating Paris and had grown ustomed to victory. However, having been bullied for so long, Paris naturally knew that her chance was rare, and this was the moment to turn the tables on Liszt. ¡°Hyah!¡± The greatsword whistled fiercely, forcing Liszt, who was holding onto half a broken sword, to continuously retreat. Facing such a dangerous situation, Liszt slowly calmed down, his mind cleared and he furiously thought about how to respond.
Suddenly! He thought of a n. As Paris raised the greatsword once more, preparing to swing, he did not back down but moved forward, like a nimble leopard, rushing towards the wide-open Paris. His hands sped around her waist and he forcefully executed a bear hug takedown. Knightlybat almost never saw such close-quarters fighting. Paris was too slow to react, and Liszt managed to take the initiative and get close. By the time she thought to counterattack, she was already falling to the ground with Liszt. Due to inertia, the two rolled like tumbling gourds. To prevent Paris from retaliating, Liszt held on very tight, forcing Paris to be unable to twist her body, and her greatsword was thrown away as well. After five or six rolls, they stopped. The fight also came to a stalemate, with Liszt holding Paris, unable to attack further, and Paris unable to strike back, with neither side able to do anything to the other. However. Just as Liszt felt the body he was holding soften, he suddenly realized he was being pressed down by Paris. Her full chest was right against his head, arge area of roundness and sticity pressing continuously against his face, almost suffocating him. ¡°You¡­ can let go of me now.¡± Paris¡¯s voice was unusually soft. Liszt, not the least bit embarrassed, maintained his original posture, ¡°How about a draw?¡±
¡°Whatever you want.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± He then let go. Paris propped herself up with her arms and rolled off him. The air became fresh again, and Liszt took deep breaths. Looking at the blushing Paris, who seemed to want to stand up butcked the strength, he said, ¡°If my Fine Steel Longsword hadn¡¯t suddenly broken, this live duel would have ended in a moreposed draw, with no need for such a disgraceful struggle.¡± Chapter 289 - 288: Douson’s New Magic (Third Update, 100k Recommendation Tickets Added) Chapter 289: Chapter 288: Douson¡¯s New Magic (Third Update, 100k Rmendation Tickets Added) Brushing the snow off his body, Liszt had recovered his usual elegance. Despite a lingering hint of having been suffocated on his face, his gaze was exceptionally clear. A vigorous battle was enough to dispel the restlessness stemming from physiological urges. He picked up the greatsword that Paris had dropped on the ground and found that, despite many collisions, the de had not worn at all: ¡°Your greatsword, the craftsmanship is exquisite. We¡¯ve fought over a dozen times, and I¡¯ve never seen it damaged; it must be more than just fine steel.¡± Paris took back her greatsword, with traces of flush still on her beautiful face and the sound of her slightly panting breath exuding a uniquely feminineziness. Her eyes sparkled brightly: ¡°This greatswordes from the collection of a viscount in the Maple Leaf Duchy. I¡¯m not sure about the level of its craftsmanship, but it caught my eye, so I took it.¡± After all, as a female thief, she spoke of pilfering as if it were only natural. ¡°Hmm.¡± Liszt noticed the sweat on her face and that the thin undershirt inside her leather armor was also damp with sweat. So, he said, ¡°The fight¡¯s over, go back and take a bath and change your clothes. Don¡¯t catch a cold in this weather¡­ I need to change as well, let¡¯s go.¡± As soon as he had turned around, he heard Paris call out, ¡°Baron.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Liszt turned back to look at her. Paris sheathed her greatsword behind her back and shed a brilliant smile, her voice as sweet as syrup: ¡°Thanks for your concern, you¡¯re a good person.¡± Pfft! Liszt received his second ¡®nice guy¡¯ card. Of course, these were real nice guy cards, representing a genuinely nice person. He waved his hand and, without looking back, walked away nonchntly. He left Paris standing there, biting her lip, her eyes conveying an alluring gaze as she watched his figure for a while before following. ¡­ In the castle¡¯s bathhouse. He was soaking in the indoor hot spring while casually calling forth the Smoke Mission. He discovered that the Serpent Script transformed by the Smoke Serpent Script had changed: ¡°Missionpleted, a Rubber Tree Elf Bug is awarded.¡± The killer bees had flown away for good, the danger dered over. Then. Another transformation urred, and a new mission appeared. ¡°Mission: Douson has been feeling itchytely. It senses that its magic power is ready to burst forth and seeks release but doesn¡¯t know how to do so. Releasing Rock Spikes doesn¡¯t relieve the urge, and as its master, it¡¯s your duty to solve this problem for Douson. Reward: a new magic for Douson.¡± ¡°Hm!¡± Liszt¡¯s eyebrows twitched. He instantly realized that Douson was beginning toprehend a second kind of magic. The previous Rock Spikes, or Multiple Stone Spikes, could only be considered a single type of magic, just like the Purple Sand Crocodile that mastered Water Arrow Barrage would surely release the sole Water Arrow Spell as a precursor skill. ¡°Douson¡¯s second magic, does it require my help? But I have no research on Earth System Magic¡­ The handful of Earth System Magic spells that Elkerson sent could be used for reference, perhaps. Earth Wall? Rolling Rock? Earth Elevation tform? Or the Rock Grenade I didn¡¯t purchase?¡± After bathing, he immediately pulled out the thick vellum where the spells of these Earth System Magic were recorded and memorized their theories in detail. He prepared to assist Douson in verifying each one to determine which it wouldprehend. ¡°If it¡¯s an Earth Wall, have the serfse and pile up some walls; if it¡¯s Rolling Rock, have the serfs push stones to roll on the ground, or they could simply roll snowballs; if it¡¯s Earth Elevation tform, they can also pile up snow for Douson to grasp the concept.¡± It was impossible for Douson to understand the principles behind spells; he could only follow its instincts and offer a spark of inspiration. Having nned everything, he immediately sprang into action. The simplest task was to roll a snowball, something even the servants in the castle could do¡ªTom, Thomas, Jessie, Parker, Jim, and John took turns pushing the snowball across the meadow, making it roll continuously. Liszt led Douson, incessantly urging it to cast magic. But no matter how grand the scene of rolling snowballs was, Douson could still only cast Rock Spike. After half an hour of back and forth effort, there was no sign of a new magic breakthrough. ¡°The n failed, switch to the Earth Elevation tform,¡± Liszt ordered his servants to start piling the snow to construct a series of tforms. The Earth Elevation tform magic involved using Earth System Magic Power to raise and lower the ground. Whether it was because the imitation wasn¡¯t urate enough, or because this wasn¡¯t the magic Douson was meant toprehend, the servants, sweating profusely from the effort, watched as Douson continued to cast only Rock Spike. ¡°The n failed again, switch to Earth Wall!¡± Earth Wall and Earth Elevation tform were simr in nature; they involved raising and lowering the ground to form a wall made half of rock and half of mud, capable of blocking some attacks. Casting this spell was quite a drain on one¡¯s magic power, andpared to Rock Spike, significantly more challenging. Serfs toiled to dig several walls¡ªstill, it didn¡¯t trigger any reaction from Douson. A day went by, and Douson hadn¡¯tprehended anything. On the second day, Liszt repeated the process, but Douson still had no breakthrough. Sometimes it seemed like Douson was on the verge of casting a new spell, but after struggling for a long time, it would still only produce a Rock Spike. Without inspiration, it always failed at thest hurdle. Just as he pondered how to help Douson grasp a new magic, J somehow got out. She didn¡¯t continue soaking in the Sea Sprite Ake¡¯s shell but instead started crying out ¡°woo wa,¡± ¡°woo wa,¡± picking up snow from the ground, forming it into small snowballs, and hurling them at Douson. Feeling slighted by Liszt¡¯s excessive closeness to Douson in the past two days, she was quite displeased. So the snowballs served as her weapon of choice. Douson was hit by the little snowballs but showed no reaction; it simply didn¡¯t care about J¡¯s feeblebat ability. It was precisely this disregard that suddenly enraged J. Forgetting Liszt¡¯s ban, she raised her hand and scattered seeds, with thorns quickly sprouting among Douson¡¯s fur. In just a moment, they wrapped Douson into a bundle. Liszt didn¡¯t intervene; he felt somewhat frustrated by the notion of ¡°sparing the rod, spoiling the child,¡± having taught Douson for three days without it grasping any magic. He found it foolish. So the arrogant J started her onught, the rapidly growing thorns painfully pricking Douson, causing it to howl in pain. Expecting Liszt to help stop J, but seeing him unconcerned, Douson couldn¡¯t endure any longer and leapt up in pursuit of her. But J could fly, and however high it jumped, it couldn¡¯t bite her. Seeing there was no solution, Douson became extremely agitated, its dog eyes nearly bloodshot, Rock Spikes thrusting chaotically. Liszt thought the lesson was almost sufficient and was about to stop J from continuing her ravage. Suddenly, Douson opened its dog mouth, and a surge of magic power shot out, condensing into a rock mass in the air and whistling straight toward J. The triumphant J, terrified by the flying rock, shuddered violently and fell straight out of midair. The rock grazed over its head and violently exploded mid-air, flinging stones and kicking up a spray of snowkes. This was evidently a new spell¡­ Douson had indeed cast a new magic; though it missed, it furiously lunged forward again, mouth open, ready to tear J apart on the ground. ¡°Stop, Douson!¡± Liszt hurriedlymanded, for J was his treasure. Deep-seated obedience halted Douson instantaneously, its gaze fixed on the J just an arm¡¯s length away, growling fiercely. Liszt quickly rushed over, picked up J, and assured himself that J wasn¡¯t hurt before he breathed a sigh of relief, then turned to look at the still menacingly growling Douson. He smiled. Chapter 290 - 0289: The Moving Grenade Launcher (Fourth Update, 10,000 Coins Reward Celebration 2/2) Chapter 290: Chapter 0289: The Moving Grenade Launcher (Fourth Update, 10,000 Coins Reward Celebration 2/2) On his palm. ¡°Wuu wah.¡± J whined pitifully, trying to gain Liszt¡¯s sympathy. But Liszt¡¯s gaze was all on Douson, as he had a servante over to help tear off the thorns from Douson¡¯s body. His mood was quite uplifted; in the dangerous situation just moments ago, Douson had sessfully released a brand new type of magic. It actually formed rocks in the air that could explode upon flying. ¡°Could this be the Rock Grenade that Mr. Elkeson possesses, which only a Grand Magician can master?¡± Mr. Elkeson had the spell model for the Rock Grenade, but he himself could not cast spells, requiring the mental control of a Grand Magician to release magic of this level. The new magic of Douson was very likely a more advanced type of magic. ¡°Woof woof!¡± Douson barked at Liszt. It was probably using Liszt of shielding the mischievous Thorn Minor Elf J, but Liszt wasn¡¯t going to punish J. Instead, he ordered J to immediately return to the Worm Room and not toe out. Then, he took out a few pieces of dried meat and tossed them to Douson as afort and reward for learning the new magic. Once Douson finished the dried meat, he immediately gave themand, ¡°Douson, cast the magic!¡± Douson opened its mouth. A Rock Spike burst out from the ground in the distance. ¡°Not that one¡ªit¡¯s the new magic you just learned. Come on, aim here and release it!¡± Liszt pointed to mid-air. Douson looked confused for a good while before spitting out magic power, whoosh, a rock about the size of a basin rapidly formed and exploded shortly after. He had already sent for Mr. Elkeson. ¡°Mr. Elkeson, what do you think of the new magic Douson has mastered? Which Earth System magic is it?¡± Elkeson eximed in surprise, ¡°This is a Rock Grenade, a very powerful Earth System Magic. Douson truly deserves to havepleted the bloodline metamorphosis of an Intermediate Magical Beast. It has sessfully mastered the Rock Grenade that can only be learned by a Grand Magician! However, its Rock Grenade is a bit weak. I saw a Grand Magician cast it once; the rock formed was as big as a water jar.¡± ¡®Weak¡¯ was probably because Douson was still unskilled. Once it mastered it with skill, the Rock Grenade could be greatly improved. Now, Douson finally had an attack that could target the sky; it would no longer be passively getting hit by the Sky Knights and could instead take the initiative to attack. Just think¡ªa briefly airborne Sky Knight jumps up to attack, and Douson fires directly. A few Rock Grenades could certainly repel the attack of the Sky Knights. ¡°Well done, Douson, starting today we have a new training program. Follow mymand¡ªDouson, Rock Grenade!¡± Douson looked dumbfounded. It took a long time before it spit out a Rock Grenade. It had yet to form a conditioned reflex to themand for the Rock Grenade; that would take time. But, regardless, Douson now truly had the fighting power of an Intermediate Magical Beast and could contend with the Sky Knights. Riding on Douson, Liszt was spirited, his heart filled with boundless pride, ¡°Now I can strut around on Coral Ind; surely no one will raise objections.¡± He even thought. With thebat power of Douson and the potential future of the eight Little Blizzard Beasts, why would he need a Knight Squad? He could directly lead an army of Blizzard Beasts into battle¡ªof course, thends couldn¡¯t do without the support of the Knight ss, after all, Blizzard Beasts had huge appetites, and without the development of thends, they couldn¡¯t be sustained. Just the feeding and drinking for nine Blizzard Beasts cost over a hundred Gold Coins a month. ¡°Besides, on the battlefield, a Knight Squad would also be needed to take care of the Blizzard Beasts, guiding them to participate in the battles. Relying solely on mymand, the scene would look very ugly¡­ However, I should probably be able to join the Earl in battle with this year¡¯s Pioneer Mandate,¡± he contemted. The desire to achieve merits was already stirring within him. ck Dragon Childe Paris provided close protection while Douson was the main damage dealer, and with the assistance of a Knight Squad on the side, as well as the care of the Earl and Levis, who incidentally took over the logistical defense work, they should be able to earn enough merits with minimal risk. Bit by bit, by the age of twenty, he should be able to rely on his military achievements to be granted the title of Viscount and turn ck Horse Ind into his own fiefdom. With his own ind and the help of Smoke Mission,bined with the knowledge and vision of a transmigrator, he couldn¡¯t say how brilliant the future would be, but he was sure to ride a dragon! ¡­ ¡°Taskpleted, reward: new magic for Douson ¨C Rock Grenade.¡± ¡°Task: Carpenter Karasko has fallen deep in thought. He has helped the Brewing Workshop make many novel wooden tools, which have brought him too much inspiration, and made him realize that he does not enjoy making tables and chairs every day; he yearns to create, please give him some guidance. Reward: Mutation of the Rubber Tree Elf Bug.¡± Teach Douson the new magic. The task was immediatelypleted. But the newly released task surprised Liszt, ¡°Does Carpenter Karasko aspire to be a Lu Ban? I¡¯ll give him a few creative ideaster; I can¡¯t do the Wooden Ox or Zhuge Repeating Crossbow, but I can still suggest rocking chairs, drawers, unicycles, and curved ploughs¡­ but what does the mutation of the Rubber Tree Elf Bug mean?¡± A direct mutation into a Minor Elf? Liszt felt it was unlikely; he had never heard of a nt directly giving birth to a Minor Elf. But apart from mutating into a Minor Elf directly, what other kinds of mutations could there be? He pondered for a long time without any clues and decided not to think about it anymore. Complete the task first. ¡°Karasko, right? I admire craftsmen with creativity the most,¡± Liszt immediately ordered someone to look up information on Carpenter Karasko and quickly received feedback. Karasko was a serf bought from the Eagle Kingdom, currently working in the Carpenter¡¯s Shop. He was not an exceptionally skilled craftsman and was considered an ¡°oddity¡± in the Carpenter¡¯s Shop. Other carpenters would take care of their own lives after work, but he had almost no life outside of work, spending all day staring nkly at wood. Sometimes he would even pick up wood and randomly craft strange things. For this, the town officials would scold him whenever they inspected the Carpenter¡¯s Shop. ¡°It seems that the limitations of the era have confined his thoughts, not giving him a proper environment to let his imagination fly,¡± Liszt thought to himself. He quickly took his Retainer Knights and hurried to the Carpenter¡¯s Shop, wanting to personally inspect Karasko¡¯s carpentry work. Inside the Carpenter¡¯s Shop, sawdust was flying everywhere. After the serfs gave their respects and were scolded by the Steward to continue their work, Liszt went straight to Karasko: ¡°Where are your woodworking creations that you¡¯ve done in your spare time? Show them to me.¡± ¡°L-Lord Landlord¡­¡± Karasko was half nervous and half not fluent in thenguage, stuttering through some Serpent Script. ¡°Don¡¯t be nervous, Karasko,¡± Liszt said gently. In the town, he always presented himself as noble, gentle, and merciful. Those roles of ying the bad guy were left to other officials. Feeling the kindness of Lord Landlord, Karasko finally rxed andid out his spare time woodworking creations one by one. Stools with five legs, chairs with backs on all sides, tables with triangr tops¡­ The only thing that remotely looked decent were several teacups shaped like sea bowls. This wasn¡¯t creativity; it was a missing screw in the brain. Liszt finally understood why the inspecting officials scolded Karasko; if not for the Smoke Mission, he too would have started scolding. How did hee up with chairs with backs on all sides? How was anyone supposed to sit in them, as a baby crib? A triangr tabletop, surely not afraid of someone being impaled? But since there was the Smoke Mission, he encouraged him with a smile, ¡°Karasko, I can see you have lots of ideas.¡± Chapter 292: 0291: Pianist Deep in the Heart (First Update) Chapter 292: Chapter 0291: Pianist Deep in the Heart (First Update) Dong, dong, dong, dong, dong¡­ Slim, powerful fingers danced across the piano keys. ¡°To Alice¡±, the melodious tune, began to rise slowly, notes leaping at the fingertips as the graceful body wrapped in a gauzy veil shimmered in the glow of the furnace, as if coated in ayer of golden sheen. Dong, dong, dong! Thest few notes fell. Duniko Hyacinth released her hands and let out an imperceptible sigh all at once. Behind her, a maid holding an evening gown spoke softly, ¡°Miss, don¡¯t you want to attend tonight¡¯s banquet? Sir Richard is waiting to dance the first dance with you.¡± ¡°I am only eighteen years old, Luya, do you understand? I am only eighteen, and I don¡¯t want to get married so soon. Why does this Richard act like an old man, starved for affection for fifty years, clinging to me, clinging to the Hyacinth Family? Can¡¯t he wait a few more years? He hounded me before the festival, and he¡¯s back at it again after the festival!¡± ¡°Miss, Sir Richard is deeply devoted to you.¡± ¡°Oh, what a joke, it¡¯s just an alliance between families, with no foundation of feelings.¡± Hyacinth tore off the gauzy veil, leaving her shapely bodypletely exposed, and allowed the maid Luya to help her change, ¡°Besides, he doesn¡¯t meet my aesthetic standards.¡± The maid Luya asked, ¡°What kind of noble do you favor, miss?¡±
¡°Elegant, detached, handsome, one who can y beautiful piano melodies¡­ Music can express the soul, and only those without so much self-interest can y tunes that touch the heart.¡± ¡°Are you talking about Baron Liszt, miss? You now y ¡®To Alice¡¯ every day. But the master seems unhappy. He is very angry about what happened at Long Taro Castle; you should try to avoid making the master angry.¡± ¡°He is courting favor from the Pineapple Green Family, everyone thinks the Long Taro Family is in decline, so he is eager to find a new support. But I don¡¯t want to fulfill his wishes, Brother Meioubao will get through the hard times, and the Long Taro Family will still be the rulers of Red Crab Ind.¡± Duniko Hyacinth got dressed in her undergarments, her hair was put up, regaining the elegant grace of a noble young woman, her face filled with nostalgia, ¡°I just wanted to visit Long Taro Castle to clear my mind, and then, I met Liszt. His nonchnt way of ying piano was a freedom I had never seen before.¡± ¡°Yes, Baron Liszt is even a bit handsomer than Sir Meioubao.¡± ¡°I had the most delightful night of my life at Long Taro Castle, Luya, you have no idea how strong he is, and¡­ how heartless!¡± ¡°No wonder you can¡¯t forget him, ying ¡®To Alice¡¯ every day.¡± ¡°No, I will forget him, I forgot him the moment he left Long Taro Castle. I just want to change parts of ¡®To Alice¡¯. There are many ws in this piece, as if it were improvisation¡­ I guess it was Liszt improvising, I can tell from the way he was so indifferent at the ball.¡± ¡°Then why don¡¯t you write to him and ask?¡± ¡°I¡­¡± Duniko paused abruptly, ¡°I took the initiative once, I don¡¯t want to do it a second time. I am the rose with thorns of Red Crab Ind, not a humble foxtail.¡± The evening gown was ready. Duniko looked at herself in the crystal mirror, still as beautiful as a blooming rose. She took a deep breath and put on the standard smile of a noble young woman, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± ¡­ ¡°Rubber Tree Elf Bug Triplets?¡± Seeing the reward for the Smoke Mission, Liszt found it unbelievable. He had never heard about Elf Bugs having twins or triplets. As the essence of nt gestation, Elf Bugs are always born singly. At least, in the information he possessed, there had never been mention of twin or triplet Elf Bugs, not even in those absurd Knight¡¯s Novels, where no author dared to venture so far as to depict Elf Bug multiples. ¡°This mutation really is¡­ exhrating!¡± Whether there had been elf bugs with multiple sprites before or not, the result now is thrilling. I thought there was only one, but suddenly, I got three of them.
It¡¯s like a promotional sale: buy one, get two free. ¡°Just in time, now that rubber has been analyzed to be increasingly important. With three elf bugs, rubber tree cultivation can be greatly enhanced, and the rubber output will increase as well.¡± This was a very good mutation, and Liszt was very satisfied with the result. He suppressed his excitement and turned his attention to the new task at hand.
¡°Task: A performance of ¡®For Alice¡¯ will spread the fame of the Piano King Liszt across Red Crab Ind, and also make a certain young girl¡¯s heart flutter. You might think a one-night passion is the conclusive period, but perhaps there¡¯s a chance for an encore. Please write a letter to Duniko Hyacinth. Reward: A melody from memory.¡± He read the content of the Smoke Serpent Script carefully. Liszt¡¯s recent surprise was quickly reced by a sense of absurdity: ¡°What the hell is this!¡± Piano King Liszt? When Liszt had touched the piano at Long Taro Castle, he indeed had imagined his piano ying astonishing the world, but he never intended to actually be the Piano King. Moreover, after a night of romance with Duniko, although he asionally reminisced about the moment of passionate union of body and spirit, he had not considered stirring things up with her again. What also depressed him was that the reward for the task was just a melody from memory. What significance did that hold? He wished he was seeing things incorrectly. But the Smoke Mission was written in clear, unmistakable Serpent Script, engraved with content he could not ignore. Indeed, the task was to write a letter to Duniko and then receive a certain tune, which could be the melody of a popr song or perhaps a piano piece. In his previous life as an IT worker, he had a period where he liked to code while listening to ¡¯70 Famous Piano Works of the World¡¯, always looping that ylist. A momentter. He rxed his emotions. He epted the reward from the Smoke Mission, no matter how useless, and would move on to the next task when it came; he also epted the contents of the task, seeing no reason not to have another go with Duniko.
He was just pondering. ¡°Why does the Smoke Mission issue such peculiar content and dull rewards: ¡®The Smoke Mission originates from the Smoke Dragon, it¡¯s the power of destiny driving all this¡­ What does destiny represent? The birth of elves in the territory, sea serpent encounters, invasions by formless dragons, Paris¡¯s infiltration ¡ª all are events that could happen or not.¡± But in the end, they did happen and were grasped by Liszt in the form of tasks. There were other tasks that seemed to be tied to the residents¡¯ desires, like Kostor wanting to sail, Reynard wanting to bake, Karasko wanting to be a craftsman, and even Douson wanting to release magic. Then there were those things the territory already possessed, like the Miniature Saltpeter Mine, the fragments of Fire Dragon Bones, and the magical beasts of Thorn Ridge, and so on. ¡°So, the triggering of the Smoke Mission, or rather, the triggering of destiny, has three ways ¡ª the first is what I already have around me, which destiny guides me to obtain; the second is situations that may or may not ur, which destiny guides me to acquire or cause to happen; the third is that the desires and thoughts of people can also pull at destiny?¡± Thinking this far. He looked at himself in the mirror once more: ¡°There¡¯s no great surprise in wanting an encore with Duniko after having savored the vor¡­ And deep down inside, am I actually harboring a pianist?¡± Chapter 293 - 0291: Sealing a Letter with Pine Rosin (Second Update) Chapter 293: Chapter 0291: Sealing a Letter with Pine Rosin (Second Update) ¡°` The piano, an instrument that requires exquisite craftsmanship to produce, it is unknown when exactly it was invented. Many people believe that the piano originated from the Moon Empire¡ªa civilization that disappeared thousands of years ago, whose historical truths have long been distorted to the point that anything and everything can be attributed to the Moon Empire. Self-proimed nobles cannot live without music. And among all forms of music, it is the piano that nobles value the most, with many of them learning to y from a young age; for instance, the former Liszt spent no small amount of time at the piano. His sister, Li Vera, yed the piano well, and his cousin Meioubao was even more of a piano enthusiast. Even some of the lesser nobles would scrimp and save to buy a piano for entertainment. Many younger sons of noble families, with no hope of inheriting a title and fearful of the battlefield, would turn their attention to the piano, practicing hard to master its y and be pianists. After bing pianists, they could continue to mingle in high society. It¡¯s not umon for pianists to attract the favor of noble youngdies with their charm. Famous piano performers, even within the court, receive considerable attention. And those pianists who canpose their own pieces are without exception called masters, weed by nobles everywhere they go, along with furtive nces from youngdies. Liszt enjoyed such treatment with his performance of ¡°For Alice¡± at Long Taro Castle. The nobility¡¯s craze for pianos directly spawned a group of Iron Knights whose profession is to make pianos¡ªIron Knights are Dou Qi practitioners who craft magical weapons, gemstone weapons, and other equipment. They do not go into battle or practicebat skills, devoting themselves instead to forging weapons, regarded as advanced cksmiths. Those Iron Knights who make pianos are known as Piano Knights. Only families of at least Marquis status have the financial ability to train a Piano Knight capable of making a qualified piano¡ªevery piano is equivalent to a magic weapon. The cheapest piano costs at least ten Gold Coins. As a result, many pianists start with second-hand pianos. There were several pianos at Tulip Castle. Unfortunately, the Earl did not give any of them to Liszt, so after traversing to this world, Liszt did not discover the ¡°Piano King Liszt¡± thaty deep within his soul. ¡°Could it be that the piano piece I yed freely at Long Taro Castle has released the Piano King within me, prompting this Smoke Mission?¡± He had already adjusted his emotions, epting his fate calmly, without joy over gains or grief over losses. The most important thing was to figure out a way toplete the mission. ¡°How should I write to Duniko? As a friend, or as a lover? Or should I just scribble something to get this Smoke Mission over with?¡± He pondered for a moment. Going back to the study, he unfolded a sheet of thick parchment and began dipping a quill in ink: ¡°Dear Duniko¡­¡± ¡°I wonder if you are still practicing ¡®To Alice¡¯? Returning by ship, the surge of the ocean helped me organize the score, but the tossing cabin and the mor of the waves always disrupted my grasp of the melody, perhaps there was also the unrest of parting ying a part.¡± ¡°Back in Fresh Flower Town, far from the hustle and bustle and breathing in the chilly air amidst the snow, my mind finally cooled down. Although the score had already been sent to Long Taro Castle with Butler Ranieri and then handed over to you, I still tried to y those melodies again.¡± While writing this, he couldn¡¯t help pulling out a thick piece of parchment covered in musical notes from the desk. This was what he had rewritten after returning to Tulip Castle. After many performances, he finally unearthed the details of ¡°For Alice¡± from deep within his memory. The scores he had promised to send to Meioubao and Duniko were hastily written while he was being jolted on the sea. Far from perfect. When he left Tulip Castle, he chose not to send the more perfect version of ¡°For Alice,¡± probably feeling it unnecessary since he didn¡¯t have to rely on the identity of a pianist to enhance his noble demeanor. So the score remained on his desk, gathering dust. Looking at the forceful characters inscribed above, he felt as if he were recalling the wild euphoria of that night once again. In terms of beauty, Duniko was far outshone by the Sea Sprite Ake, yet the flirtatious allure Duniko possessed¡ªblightless and innocent¡ªwas something that the guileless Akecked. One made you feel that desecration was a sin, the other made you want to sin. Knock, knock, knock. A knock on the door broke the silence, it was Butler Carter, ¡°My lord, are you avable?¡± His thoughts retreated, and Liszt replied, ¡°Please,e in.¡± Carter came in with a cup of milk tea, ¡°This is the milk tea Mrs. Morson just brewed, with just a pinch of fine honey added. If you like it, I will tell Mrs. Morson to continue brewing it this way.¡± ¡°Let me try it first.¡± Liszt took the cup and took a sip. Compared to the fresh milk he had before, the milk tea with honey was undoubtedly more delicious. This fine honey had been scrapped out of a destroyed ho¡¯s nest on ck Horse Ind, totaling twenty pounds, toxin-free and incredibly aromatic and sweet. It was stored in severalrge jars andbeled ¡°For the Master¡¯s Use Only.¡± And those honeybee pupae, after Mrs. Abbie stir-fried them with oil, salt, and seasonings, most of them were devoured by Liszt¡ªhalf eaten on the spot, and the rest stored in the Gemstone Space for a chew whenever he pleased, utterly delightful. At this moment, he finished the milk tea. The delightful taste stimted his taste buds, and Liszt couldn¡¯t help but drink down the rest in one go, ¡°Delicious, the sweetness is just right, Mr. Carter. Please convey to Mrs. Morson to measure the spoonfuls for the tea as she did today¡¯s cup.¡± ¡°Yes, my lord,¡± Carter said before taking the cup and leaving. Liszt continued to bury his head in his desk, writing a letter, the quill never pausing. ¡°¡­Now I have filled in the details for ¡®For Alice,¡¯ and I think it should be ced upon the piano rack of Miss Duniko who understands music best, apanying your slender fingers as they turn into beautiful notes.¡± ¡°I think I¡¯ve heard your touching piano y, lingering in my ears, as pure as moonlight.¡± ¡°Sending my regards!¡± ¡°Yours sincerely, Liszt.¡± He set down the quill, picked up the thick paper and shook it to speed up the drying of the ink. Then after checking it twice and feeling that the wording was eptable¡ªnot too unfamiliar, yet not shamelessly enthusiastic¡ªhe merely stated the reason for writing and did not suggest meeting again. Men can do anything in a moment of impulse. But with reason, they know better what to choose and forsake. He certainly couldn¡¯t abandon the affairs of Fresh Flower Town and travel thousands of miles to Red Crab Ind just to have a fling with Duniko. If it weren¡¯t for the absurd content of the Smoke Mission, he probably would never contact Duniko again. Passion is not love. As a Noble, one must be able to pick up and let go. ¡°I wonder what Duniko will think when she receives the letter¡­¡± Liszt folded the thick paper, took out an envelope, and tucked it inside. On the envelope, he wrote ¡°To be opened by Duniko Hyacinth,¡± ¡°Sender Liszt Tulip.¡± Then using a me Striker, he lit a candle and took a scoop from the box of rosin on the table, taking a few small pieces of rosin and cing them over the candle me to melt. When the rosin turned into a liquid, he poured it evenly over the seal of the envelope. Just as it was about to set, he took out his personal seal, a rectangr stamp bearing half of his name ¡°Lis¡± in Serpent Script, and pressed firmly onto the rosin, leaving a distinct mark. Havingpleted all this, he called over Retainer Knight Philip, ¡°Have this delivered to Tulip Castle first thing tomorrow morning, hand it to Sir Levis and ask him to send it on my behalf.¡± ¡°As you wish, my lord.¡± Chapter 294 - 292: Running Under the Sunset is Youth (Third Update, 10,000 Coins Reward Celebration) Chapter 294: Chapter 292: Running Under the Sunset is Youth (Third Update, 10,000 Coins Reward Celebration) This chapter is a reward for ¡°Reading too many books¡±. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª The letter had been dealt with, but the Smoke Mission had not been updated. Clearly, it would only be consideredplete once it reached the hands of Duniko Hyacinth. The next morning, Liszt heard that Philip had already gone to Tulip Castle to deliver the letter. Liszt felt inexplicably mncholic, not knowing whether it was right to follow the instructions of the Smoke Mission and to stir up Duniko¡¯s emotions. However, Duniko did seem quite suitable for a lover, passionate when involved, and decisive in parting. The mncholy was fleeting. Soon, he returned to his usualposed state of mind¡ªletting things take their natural course. With his noble status, handsome appearance, and exceptional inner qualities, his life was destined to be pursued by countless women. Rather than being spoiled for choice, why not leave it all to fate to decide. ¡°When sober, I sit before the flowers; when drunk, I sleep beneath them.¡± Raising his hand to shield his eyes, he gazed at the rising sun in the east and saw a vision of his younger, more innocent self, like the snow on the castle meadow, gradually melting away. Turning into streams, flowing towards the town¡¯s rivers, and then out to sea, never to return. He also seemed to see his immature self, holding homemade ice cream in the afternoon sun, waiting downstairs, but the ice cream had already melted on the concrete. He never did see the one who was toe down the stairs. These experiences, spelled ¡°life¡± but read ¡°Luther,¡± probably signified growth. Today, the sun was shining and the skies were clear. Winter had not yet passed, but spring was already restless. Liszt first trained Douson, having it continuously release Rock Grenades, achieving coordination that was as easy as pointing a finger. Then he went to train the Eight Tiny Ones. Storm, me, Rock, Surge, Thunder, Light, Ice Snow, and Shadow, the eight little Blizzard Beasts with imposing names, did not receive his warm treatment solely because of their adorable looks. If they performed well, they were rewarded with jerky and milk; if they did not, they were punished. Just as he had trained Douson in the past, the carrot and stick was the right approach. After training the Blizzard Beasts. Liszt began his own Dou Qi cultivation for the day. He had mastered ¡°ming Wave¡± and ¡°Fire Dragon Drill¡± to perfection. He was considering whether or not to cultivate another Dou Qi manuscript. In the end, he decided not to take on a new Dou Qi Manuscript, for biting off more than one could chew was unwise, especially since he was still practicing ¡°Multi-Arrow¡±. The bowstring was drawn into a full moon. The Dou Qi d arrow flew in a T formation upon his release, striking the bullseye of a target two hundred meters away in the blink of an eye. ording to Teacher Marcus¡¯s teachings, an Earth Knight only needed to master the basics of two arrows released together and two arrows crossing to be a sharpshooter and showcase their formidable strength on the battlefield. But Liszt was not satisfied; he had now sessfully turned Three Arrows Released Together into a basic skill. With a flick of his hand, three arrows would fly, never missing within two hundred meters. Next, he nned to train the Three Spiral Arrows into a basic skill. The spiraling arrows were more unpredictable and would also be more lethal. ¡°Outside are the Blizzard Beasts, with rockets from Rock Grenades filling the sky, and Imand from the center. Plus, with the Multi-Arrow, how many Earth Knights would probably not even get close to me.¡± Strength, after all, is more reassuring when controlled personally. The entire morning, he was immersed in cultivation, honing hisbat skills and scientifically consuming potions. After noon, he inspected his domain and saw how Sea Sprite Ake was doing with magic research, and also teased J, who was angry about being grounded. Not long after. A servant came to report, ¡°Master, Mr. Marcus has returned and is waiting for you in the hall.¡± ¡°Is that so, please ask Teacher Marcus toe to the study.¡± ¡°` A momentter. He saw Marcus, ¡°Is everything on ck Horse Ind progressing smoothly?¡± He gestured for Marcus to sit down before speaking. With a cup of milk tea brought by the servant in his hands, Marcus replied, ¡°Currently, everything is going well. With the assistance of Lasse and Griffin, the management of the serfs has been notably effective. The main streets and houses of the port town have beenpleted, and we are now preparing to build the warehouse district for ck Horse Port.¡± ck Horse Port is an important harbor for the construction of ck Horse Ind; all materials must go through ck Horse Port, so arge warehouse district is essential. ¡°This time, bring more flour with you, and hurry to build the mill. I expect that in a while, the fleet selling serfs from Tulip Castle will return. Out of the two thousand five hundred serfs, I will relocate a thousand to the port town.¡± ¡°Understood, my lord!¡± Marcus was excited at the prospect of the arriving serfs. Currently, working with just a few hundred people was highly inefficient, and he missed the sense of rapid progress made during the united effort back in Fresh Flower Town. After finishing the discussion about the construction of the port town. The topic quickly shifted to the rubber trees and those three Elf Bug triplets, which Liszt was eagerly anticipating. ¡°My lord, the Cordyceps from the rubber tree is growing well. Following your instructions, I have had people pour plenty ofpost beside the roots. The cut branches have started to heal, and the split bark as well. There hasn¡¯t been any wilting of branches and leaves.¡± After Liszt returned by boat thest time, he had Kostor carry a considerable amount ofpost specifically for fertilizing the rubber trees. Elf Bugs gestated in the wild often die prematurely due to malnutrition, and he certainly didn¡¯t want such idents to ur on his territory. ¡°As soon as the Elf Bugs are bred, rush back to Fresh Flower Town and inform me immediately.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± ¡°Have you counted how many rubber trees there are on ck Horse Ind?¡± ¡°That task falls to Lasse. He has traversed the entire ind where there are trees and hase up with an exact number¡ªthere are a total of five hundred and seventy-three mature rubber trees, and there are also some immature ones scattered among the shrubs, which he couldn¡¯t tally, but the total number should exceed one thousand.¡± One thousand rubber trees is not arge number. ¡°How¡¯s the research on rubber from the rubber treesing along?¡± ¡°My lord¡­ we have verified that rubber is not toxic. I have caught some snakes, rabbits, wild chickens, and roe deer, and after ingesting rubber, they all behaved normally. Moreover, the rubber didn¡¯t solidify in their stomachs. We¡¯ve been collecting the rubber in wooden barrels, and after sitting still, the surface forms ayer of solid, but the rubber inside remains liquid.¡± ¡°Have you brought back the rubber?¡± ¡°Without harming the rubber trees, we have gathered a total of ten barrels of rubber that have all been brought back. We¡¯ve sealed them in wooden barrels, and if you knock open the thin hard shell on the surface, you can pour out the liquid rubber inside.¡± ¡°Good, have it transported to the castle immediately. I want to conduct the experiments myself.¡± Liszt¡¯s mood brightened. Before, he was worried about how to collect and store the rubber, but Marcus had already found a way. The servant promptly set out to fulfill themand. Liszt then remembered something else, ¡°By the way, have you extracted the bee toxin?¡± ¡°It has been extracted.¡± Marcus carefully ced a small tauguan he¡¯d brought with him on the desk, ¡°My lord, this jar contains all the bee toxin. Through my testing, the toxicity of the bee venom is extremely strong, ten times more so than the poison from the Rapid Growth Poison Thorn. A single drop can kill a deer.¡± The deer is not arge animal, but nor is it small. A drop of bee toxin can kill a deer, meaning it can at least seriously harm a human, which confirms its severe toxicity¡ªno wonder those sixteen serfs were all stung to death just for beingzy and taking a break to defecate. It¡¯s considered highly poisonous. Such potent poison naturally must be kept in Liszt¡¯s private collection. Whether it¡¯s used for poisoning weapons in the future or for some other nefarious deed, it is good to be prepared. ¡°` Chapter 295: 0293: The Frenzy of the Ice Flame Potion (Fourth Update) Chapter 295: Chapter 0293: The Frenzy of the Ice me Potion (Fourth Update) Sea Sprite Akey on a rocking chair cushioned with beast hide, gently swaying her body. The chair, custom-made to suit Liszt¡¯s size, seemed somewhat toorge for Ake, who was only one meter and fifty-five centimeters tall. Instead of staying in her shell, she had dragged along a long ribbon of seawater andy down on the rocking chair. Without legs, she couldn¡¯t leave the vicinity of her shell. Fortunately, she could control seawater, stretching it out into a ribbon, or else she wouldn¡¯t have been able to leave the shell at all. It was a strange visual experience: having no legs, with everything below the ankles gradually turning into seawater. Liszt had always been puzzled by what that sensation might feel like. He sat next to Ake and eventually couldn¡¯t resist asking, ¡°Ake, do you feel anything below your ankles?¡± ¡°Yes, brother, this seawater is part of Ake¡¯s body. Although it¡¯s not as clear as the sensation from the flesh and bone part of Ake, it still feels.¡± she replied. ¡°Really? May I study it?¡± Liszt asked with a gentle smile, ¡°My curiosity is just too strong.¡± Ake shyly lowered her head and then sneaked a peek at Liszt, ¡°Mmm, if brother likes, Ake will let brother study it, hehe, humans probably haven¡¯t seen a real sea sprite.¡± Permission granted. Liszt certainly didn¡¯t stand on ceremony. He immediately squatted down and touched Ake¡¯s ankles, which felt delicate, smooth, and stic, like holding a mass of bone and flesh made from water. He seemed to detect a faint aromatic scent at the tip of his nose, Ake¡¯s body fragrance.
The delicate touch swayed Liszt¡¯s mind for a moment, but he quicklyposed himself and began to study earnestly. The area where the flesh and seawater gradually transitioned felt a bit like a gtinous substance. After using the Eye of Magic, he could see that the mana in this part of Ake¡¯s body was very active, far surpassing the magic power within the rest of her body. ¡°Ake, if your ankles were severed from the water ribbon, what would happen?¡± he inquired. After pondering seriously, Ake answered, ¡°Ake would probably feel very ufortable and get hurt because Ake hasn¡¯t matured yet and can¡¯t leave the shell.¡± Well, Liszt abandoned that idea. ¡°What about when I touch the water with my hand? What do you feel?¡± ¡°It feels like brother¡¯s hand, yes,¡± Ake responded. ¡°It¡¯s the same sensation as when J and the Insect Baby swim in the water. Hmm, how can I exin it? The seawater is a part of Ake, but it¡¯s not exactly Ake¡¯s body. It¡¯s simr to what brother mentioned about the rtion between Elves and Cordyceps.¡± Even so, Liszt still had no idea what that sensation was like. Harming Cordyceps would cause injuries to Elves, and severe damage might even threaten their lives. However, most Elves could survive even if their Cordyceps died. They would endure and nurture new seeds, eventually developing into new Cordyceps nts¡ªthough greatly weakened, at least they would stay alive. Suddenly, Ake asked, ¡°Brother, do you think sea sprites are a kind of Elf?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, but even if sea sprites are Elves, they would be Elves of the sea, not like J,¡± Liszt replied while caressing Ake¡¯s calf, enjoying the even moreforting texture, ¡°You see, Ake, your body is almost the same as a human¡¯s, but J¡¯s body is different.¡± ¡°Uh-huh,¡± Ake nodded, ¡°J is like a piece of soft jade, while Ake and brother are both made of flesh and blood.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why you can master magic.¡± Having had his fill of touching, Liszt finally let go of Ake¡¯s legs and stood up to stroke her enticing azure blue hair, ¡°How¡¯s your Water Arrow Barrageing along? Any progress?¡± ¡°Not yet, but Ake has found the reason,¡± Ake said excitedly. ¡°This book, ¡®Detailed Concepts of Magician Advancement,¡¯ has very meticulous records. It turns out the reason Ake¡¯s Water Arrow Barrage failed was that there were no Magic Arrays formed inside the body¡­ A magician needs to engrave magic in the form of Magic Arrays within their body.¡± Liszt had studied magic books, but he only flipped through them roughly, not delving in deeply, ¡°Do any of these magic books teach about Magic Arrays?¡± ¡°There are many. Magicians love writing research notes on Magic Runes and Magic Arrays,¡± Ake replied with a radiant smile, ¡°Brother, it won¡¯t be long before Ake bes a true magician!¡± ¡°I¡¯m always looking forward to it.¡± ¡­ Under the apple tree.
There was a rocking chair swaying back and forth, with Liszt sitting on it,zily enjoying the sunlight. The date had already passed February 15th, and as expected, just like the serfs native to Fresh Flower Town had said, the winter would disperse by mid-February each year. Several days of clear, sunny weather had melted most of Fresh Flower Town¡¯s snow, and although the temperature was still below zero, it was certainly worth going outside to bask in the sun. He rarely let the Eight Tiny Ones and Douson out together.
Perhaps due to a father-son instinct, the Eight Tiny Ones were very clingy to Douson, chasing him all around the castle. To the servants of the castle, the dangerous and terrifying intermediate magical beast had bemonce, and sometimes they even forgot that the Blizzard Beast was an intermediate magical beast, treating them merely as a pack of dogs. ¡°Baron, you seem quite at ease,¡± said Mr. Elkeson, d in a magic cloak, as he walked over. ¡°Please, take a seat, Mr. Elkeson.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve finished concocting the magic potion from the Ice Snow me Mushrooms. Surprisingly, these me Mushrooms that thrive in cold, possess Fire Attribute Mana that can¡¯t be matched by ordinary me Mushrooms. Please inspect this potion first,¡± he said, handing over a crystal vial. The golden-red liquid swayed within the crystal tube. This was Fresh Flower Town¡¯s fourth magic potion following the ck Tulip, Common me Mushroom, and Rapid Growth Magic Thorn¡ªmade from the Ice Snow me Mushrooms. The greenhouse cultivation technique for Ice Snow me Mushrooms had already been researched by serfs driven by Gold Coins. After initiating a mass effort, they had cleared fifty acres for mixed greenhouses, nting Ice Snow me Mushrooms. Liszt hoped to harvest another crop of Ice Snow me Mushrooms before the weather warmed up. This magic potion thrived in the cold and couldn¡¯t be cultivated in hot weather, making it a seasonal potion. Every year, it could only be nted for about two or three batches during the three-month winter period. However, its potent Fire Attribute Mana and the trait of growing in winter could wellpensate for the magic potion yield during the cold season. After all, the growth of various magic potions slowed down or even stopped during winter. After drinking the magic potion from the crystal tube, Liszt immediately felt a me Ascension inside his belly¡ªseveral times stronger and hotter than the me Mushroom Magic Potion, nearly making him cry out. The Fire Attribute Mana tumbled inside his body, wildly stimting his cells to expand and absorb the frenzied mana. If there had been a thermometer, Liszt felt that his body temperature must have reached at least sixty degrees by now!
This burst of mana came quickly and left just as fast. Two minutester, everything returned to normal. After collecting his thoughts, he felt that his Dou Qi had greatly increased. The effect was indeed ferocious. ¡°That was invigorating, Mr. Elkeson. How many more potions can you make?¡± ¡°Unfortunately, the Ice Snow me Mushrooms are in short supply. As it stands, we can only make three more Ice me Potions.¡± Ice me Potion was the abbreviation for the Ice Snow me Mushroom Magic Potion. Hearing Mr. Elkeson¡¯s words, Liszt felt a bit disappointed. The potion was excellent, but there was just too little of it. He thought he should store the Ice me Potion. It would be better to save it for when the effects of the me Magic Potion and Thorn Magic Potion began to wane, and then use the Ice me Potion for a new surge and stimtion. Taking potions scientifically was the way to ensure optimal use and double the results. Chapter 297: 0295: The Strain of Work Without Documentation (First Update) Chapter 297: Chapter 0295: The Strain of Work Without Documentation (First Update) ¡°` After sending off Aubrey and his party, the town returned to its tranquil state once more. ¡°Fresh Flower Soap, Fresh Flower Brew, gourmet food, and now ironwood¡ªthe specialties of Fresh Flower Town are growing in number.¡± Li Si Te sat in his study, flipping through the records of public affairs sent by Goltai, quietly sipping his milk tea. With a profit of five Gold Coins per day from Fresh Flower Soap, as long as the technology isn¡¯t stolen or counterfeited, he could continue to monopolize the market and gradually expand the scale with the channels of Tulip Castle and Beer Castle. ¡°No one should know the technology form of Fresh Flower Soap in the short term.¡± Soap Maker Bunier Zhen Dan was continuously refining the form for Fresh Flower Soap. Compared to the initial Fresh Flower Soap, the present version, although still primarily made of soap powder, pancreas, and nt ash, now included several additional auxiliary materials. These enrich the variety of Fresh Flower Soap and improve its cleaning effect. Even if inferior counterfeit soaps appeared on the market, they wouldn¡¯t pose much of a threat to Fresh Flower Soap. Li Si Te picked up his quill, dipped it in ink, and wrote down the number ¡°10¡± on a nk piece of thick parchment. He hoped that Fresh Flower Soap could reach a daily profit of ten Gold Coins. If that were achieved, there would be no more worries about feeding the Castle and the Blizzard Beasts. ¡°So, the worry that the Blizzard Beasts would eat me out of house and home was an unfounded fear. As a transmigrator, I do have some goods in store; a casual move can bring in a substantial profit,¡± he thought with some pride. Fresh Flower Soap was now the pir industry of Fresh Flower Town.
Gourmet food is also a pir, although it doesn¡¯t make much money, it greatly enhances the reputation of Fresh Flower Town. Now, who on Coral Ind doesn¡¯t know that Fresh Flower Town has the most delicious food? However, reputation is not very important to nobles; at most, it makes people notice Fresh Flower Town and Li Si Te. Li Si Te himself didn¡¯t ce much emphasis on it. He developed these foods for his own stomach. What he truly valued was the uing white alcohol business: ¡°Next, whether we eat meat or drink porridge depends on the impact of this wave of Fresh Flower Brew.¡± The expansion of the Brewing Workshop hadn¡¯t beenpleted yet. The Brewers sent by his brother Levis had already arrived and were learning brewing techniques under the tutge of Frank Dregs and others. The family members who came along had settled in Fresh Flower Town. Thirteen thousand pounds of iron had been transported in two batches, and batches of corn and other brewing materials had also been delivered. Wooden bottles, ceramic bottles, and jade bottles were being crafted. Levis¡¯s family tutor, also named Frank, often followed the convoys back and forth, supervising the progress of the Brewing Workshop. Clearly, Levis was more anxious than Li Si Te¡ªLevis had taken some Fresh Flower Brew base and traveled through all the nobles in the six cities of Coral Ind, inviting them to taste the new brew. Pre-orders had piled up on the desk. In about a week, the first batch of Fresh Flower Brew could be produced and then packaged for the market. The quill paused for a moment. Li Si Te forcefully wrote down the number ¡°50¡± on the thick parchment, hoping that after dividing the profits, the daily business of Fresh Flower Brew could fifty Gold Coins. But he furrowed his brows slightly. He crossed out ¡°50¡± and reced it with ¡°100¡±, considering white alcohol as a luxury item here, a consumable luxury sought after by nobles in their daily lives. As long as he could capture the markets of Coral Ind and Red Crab Ind, making a hundred Gold Coins a day should be achievable. If he could also take over Golden Ind and Nend Ind, the profits would be even greater. By then. ck Horse Ind could forge ahead with full-scale development, instead of the current situation where he had to stealthily send a few hundred serfs who toiled night and day, barely managing to build a few streets and rows of houses. Once the Rubber Tree Elf Bugs were in ce, Li Si Te nned to immediately expand the nting area of the Rubber Trees. After the spring, the grazing fields for ck Blood Treasured Horses would also need to be expanded.
¡°` ¡°` This requires arge workforce and it¡¯s impossible without money. Thinking of this, he couldn¡¯t help feeling fortunate, ¡°Thank goodness I have the Smoke Mission, which has already rewarded four types of magic potions. The revenue from the ck Tulips is used to pay for the current construction of Fresh Flower Town and ck Horse Ind, barely enough. me Mushrooms, Ice Snow me Mushrooms, and Rapid Growth Magic Thorns, I¡¯m keeping for my own use.¡±
The ck Tulip could bring in about four or five hundred Gold Coins each month, which would almost immediately be invested in town construction, not even getting a chance to warm up. Now is the early stage of expansion and burning money. Just buying food every month costs over a hundred Gold Coins¡ªthe price of grain is astonishingly high, especially in winter. The noblendlords on Coral Ind can barely manage to feed themselves, let alone sell any grain. ¡°This winter, arge amount of farnd needs to be reimed. I hope that Fresh Flower Town¡¯s grain can achieve self-sufficiency¡­ no, if it can fulfill three-quarters of the food requirements, I¡¯ll be satisfied, after all, there aren¡¯t enough Elf Bugs to amplify the harvest. For the remaining quarter, I¡¯ll have to buy with money.¡± Now is the time to tighten one¡¯s belt and work hard, for only through enduring hardship can one emerge superior to others. Yet Liszt felt that he must first ensure his own quality of life, so¡­ the expenditure for the castle is nearly catching up to the standards of a Viscount Lord. It¡¯s precisely because of hisvish spending on food and drink that he¡¯s been able to quickly advance to an Elite Earth Knight and rapidly increase his Dou Qi reserves. Those nobles with excellent bloodlines make it to Sky Knight in their twenties, and isn¡¯t that also achieved through good nutrition? Eating Magical Beast Meat like bread and drinking Magic Potions like water, even a pig could fly¡ªhis uncle Mesiro is the living proof of this, with mediocre talents and yet still trained by Marquis Merlin into a Sky Knight. He yawned. Liszt had no patience to look at these government records anymore. He tossed his quill into the inkwell, ¡°Why do I need to know how much money is spent and earned each day? I only need to ensure that there¡¯s enough money for spending, to meet the needs of my life and training, and then to keep getting stronger!¡± He stood up and left the study. He ordered someone to call Paris, ready for a real fight to sweat it out.
¡­ After a satisfying battle, he feltpletely rxed. At noon, his appetite was wide open, and he ate an extra te of scrambled eggs with tomatoes, then took afortable nap. Just after waking up, Liszt received good news. Marcus had returned to Fresh Flower Town aboard the Fresh Flower Vessel. He hurried to the castle, ¡°Lord, the Elf Bugs of the Rubber Tree have been born! Incredibly, there are three Elf Bugs, an unheard-of urrence! Lasse, Griffin, and I checked every two hours, and when it was my turn early this morning, I personally witnessed three Elf Bugs emerge one after the other!¡± He emphasized that he had personally climbed the tree to check, fearing that Liszt wouldn¡¯t believe him. Liszt had already known this, so he showed no surprise, merely nodding calmly, ¡°I know, Teacher Marcus. Triplets of Elf Bugs are indeed miraculous, but not impossible. As soon as the Fresh Flower Vessel is finished unloading and loading cargo, we will set sail immediately.¡± Surprised by the Landlord¡¯s reaction. Marcus also suppressed his excitement and regained hisposure, ¡°Yes, Lord!¡± Normally, the Fresh Flower Vessel would not sail at night, as nighttime navigation carried great risks. However, due to the urgency about the Elf Bugs, as soon as the Fresh Flower Vessel was loaded in the afternoon, Liszt urged Kostor to set out. Splitting the seawater, the spray sshed. They sailed at full speed towards the setting sun. Marcus was describing the scene he had witnessed, ¡°They were three ivory-colored Elf Bugs, identical, smooth like milk. One was crawling in front, two followed behind, moving lively from one branch to another. They looked very lively.¡±
¡°` Chapter 298: 0296: The Arrival of the Iron Wood Era (Second Update) Chapter 298: Chapter 0296: The Arrival of the Iron Wood Era (Second Update) ¡°` Night had fallen, and the Fresh Flower Vessel had sailed in quite a circle before it finally located ck Horse Port. ¡°ck Horse Port needs a lighthouse, my lord. Navigating at sea at night by the stars might allow us to identify our direction, but it doesn¡¯t help to urately find the port,¡± Kostor said, after docking the boat. ¡°Let¡¯s talk about itter. I don¡¯t have an architect at the moment, and it¡¯s not time to reveal ck Horse Ind just yet.¡± He disembarked. Without any further ado, Liszt mounted Douson and headed straight for the location of the Rubber Tree Cordyceps. The crystalmp illuminated the path, and he effortlessly followed the small trail that had been trodden through the bushes to his destination. He used the Eye of Magic. He saw the three Elf Bugs, motionless on a tree branch. Without wasting words, he began climbing the tree. For an Elite Earth Knight, climbing a tree was a piece of cake, and he easily reached the branch where the Elf Bugs were perched. In the light, three plump, ivory-colored Rubber Tree Elf Bugs lined up in a row. It was unclear whether they were sleeping or not. They were almost pure white, even their eyes, and without careful scrutiny, it was hard to tell which end was the head and which the tail.
The fingers were long, about as thick as a thumb. They resembled caterpirs, but were prettier and more delicate, as if they were living creatures carved from jade. Even though Liszt could see Elf Bugs in the Castle every day, he still marveled at their beauty and the incredible artistry of their creator. ¡°Little guys, no more sleeping, how about some Jade Powder for a midnight snack?¡± He spoke softly, and then proceeded with the usual routine, smearing Jade Powder in front of the Elf Bugs to entice them awake and begin licking the Jade Powder. Next, he applied Jade Powder on his own finger and extended it toward the mouth of an Elf Bug. A gentle nibble. He contracted one Elf Bug. A gentle nibble. He contracted another Elf Bug. A gentle nibble for the third time. With thest Elf Bug contracted, he had sessfully bonded with the trio of Rubber Tree Elf Bug Triplets, establishing a soul-connected ownership rtionship. ¡°Come, onto my hand.¡± He stretched out his hand to catch the three chubby Elf Bugs and he felt something very peculiar in his mind¡ªa sense of having three ovepping, fuzzy emotions appearing in his head, perfectly in sync. Their emotions were exactly the same and the feedback they gave Liszt was also the same. They climbed from his hand to his shoulder. And followed Liszt as he left the Cordyceps. ¡°Congrattions on contracting with new Elf Bugs, my lord!¡± Marcus, Lasse, and Griffin, who had gathered around, congratted him one after another. Liszt ced the Elf Bugs into the Jade Box held by a servant, smiling at the congrattions, ¡°It¡¯s been hard work for you guys guarding the Elf Bugs recently. I brought a barrel of Fresh Flower Brew base. You guys share it.¡± ¡°Thank you for your generosity, my lord!¡± ¡°I should thank you for your hard work in building ck Horse Ind.¡±
After exchanging a few pleasantries, they soon arrived at the port town. He would rest for the night, and tomorrow Liszt would return to Fresh Flower Town. There was no need for his presence on ck Horse Ind any longer. ¡°Marcus, Lasse, Griffin, the contracting of the Rubber Tree Elf Bugs isplete, but I do not n on moving the Rubber Tree Cordyceps. The environment there is quite suitable for the growth of Rubber Trees. If you find the time, you can organize a group of serfs to relocate the scattered Rubber Tree saplings to the vicinity of the Cordyceps and n out a Rubber Tree garden.¡± ¡°Yes, my lord.¡± ¡­
The following day, Liszt got up very early in the morning because he wanted to share a bond with his mount Lightning and take it for a spin. He left under Lightning¡¯s reluctant gaze. ¡°` Sitting at the bow. Gazing at the sea, he had believed it would be another monotonous voyage, but the white clouds floating in the sky that day strangely stirred his heart, as if countless sparks of inspiration were bursting forth. It was a familiar melody that quietly surfaced in his mind, lingering around his ears. Without hesitation, he quickly took out heavy parchment and ink, picked up a quill, and, using Douson as a support, began to record the notes. Momentster, as the melody gently dissolved in his ears, the parchment was filled with dense musical notes. ¡°It¡¯s ¡°Castle in the Sky¡±¡­¡± He shook the heavy parchment, the sh of brilliance in his mind had extinguished, but his heart still resonated with the excitement of recording the notes. The melody that appeared in his ears was indeed the widely known ¡°Castle in the Sky¡±,parable to ¡°For Alice¡±, or rather, it should be called ¡°With You¡±. It was the ssic work of the master musician Joe Hisaishi, the theme song of Hayao Miyazaki¡¯s ssic animated film ¡°Castle in the Sky¡±. The fame of this piece had even surpassed that of the film itself. He carefully put away the hastily recorded music, then invoked the Smoke Mission. The Serpent Script transformed remarkably: ¡°Taskpleted, reward: Melody of ¡°With You¡±.¡± This meant Duniko Hyacinth had received the letter he had sent, and at the same time, the Smoke Mission opportunistically unearthed that segment of melody from his memory.
¡°The power of fate is indeed magical, to even bring memories to the surface¡­ I wonder when it could reward me with the memory rted to cement? I should have seen and studied how to make cement, but now I only remember a vague principle: limestone mixed with y, finely ground then calcined in a kiln.¡± He hadn¡¯t yet figured out what limestone looked like, nor had he found y. Cement development, temporarily powerless. If the Smoke Mission could dig out his memory, presenting images of limestone and y he had seen, he would easily be able to find limestone and y byparison. ss was the same. His thoughts were fleeting. The Smoke Serpent Script changed swiftly: ¡°Task: The Rapid Growth Iron Thorns have matured, and the carpenter at the Carpenter¡¯s Shop has epted the impact of the new invention; it is time to decisively drive the Iron Wood Era of Fresh Flower Town. Please build a woodworking workshop and produce modern furniture. Reward: Three wild tea trees.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± He saw the reward content¡ªwild tea trees. It was known that there was ¡°tea¡± in this world, which was necessary for making milk tea, but this ¡®tea¡¯ was prepared from a kind of fruit known as the Red Tea Tree. After the fruit was dried and fermented, it could be used to make milk tea. There were Red Tea Trees on Coral Ind, and Tulip Castle even had a Red Tea Tree Elf Bug, yet Liszt had never heard of tea made from fruit. He had also tried to brew the leaves of the Red Tea Tree after frying them, but found the taste too bitter and astringent to drink, and the fruit-infused tea had an odd vor. This Red Tea Tree was clearly not the tea tree from Earth, and ording to the information in the Knight¡¯s Novel, there were no tea products to be directly brewed; he once thought that no such nt as the tea tree existed here.
Unexpectedly, he was now being rewarded with wild tea trees. ¡°It must be in some corner of ck Horse Ind! Tea trees are great, as drinking tea can be beneficial for health maintenance, especially for its ability to clear greasiness, aid digestion, and act as a diuretic¡­ If I remember correctly, in ancient China, tea leaves were strategicmodities like salt and iron, particrly in trade with northern nomadic tribes.¡± Nomadic tribes mainly consumed meat, which was too greasy and hard to digest without tea to offset it. Hence the Tea-Horse Exchange, trading strategic resources like horses for tea leaves. Even America¡¯s independence could be said to have been sparked by tea¡ªthe Boston Tea Party, in protest against the Tea Act, directly ignited the mes of the Revolutionary War. The importance of tea was thus evident. Liszt¡¯s situation was simr; he ate too much meat, especially Magical Beast Meat which was greasier and harder to digest than regr meat, and the digestive effect of milk tea was limited. With the help of tea leaves, he could better absorb the nutrients of the Magical Beast Meat. This applied to most nobles. ¡°One can imagine, tea leaves will be another major specialty of mine!¡± His spirits lifted: ¡°Once I return, I¡¯ll immediately build a woodworking workshop, bringing the Iron Wood Era to Fresh Flower Town as soon as possible!¡± Chapter 299: 0297: In the Name of Truth (Third Update, 10,000 Coins Reward Celebration 1/2) Chapter 299: Chapter 0297: In the Name of Truth (Third Update, 10,000 Coins Reward Celebration 1/2) This chapter is a special reward update for ¡°Fantasy Reaper 11¡±. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Not only did he have to build a woodworking workshop, but the apanying logging field and wood warehouse also needed to be constructed, located near the Thorn Garden; he already had it all nned out. In the Thorn Garden, influenced by J, three-quarters of the nts were magic potions, one-quarter were Thorn Ironwood, and a few were regr Rapid Growth Thorns. Themon Rapid Growth Thorns were the source of various mutated thorns; he still hoped they could produce new mutations. The surrounding area of the Thorn Garden, Thorn Ridge, would have all areas unsuitable for farnd nted with Thorn Ironwood. He would only leave a small section to nt Rapid Growth Spiky Thorn and Rapid Growth Poison Thorn to ensure they wouldn¡¯t be extinct. The Fresh Flower Town of the future could actually be renamed Thorn Town. ¡°Wuwah!¡± ¡°Wuwah!¡± After returning to the Castle, J immediately came to greet them. When Liszt took the Rubber Tree Elf Bug Triplets out of the Jade Box, it rushed forward, grabbed one, and continued to cry, ¡°Wuwah! Wuwah!¡± ¡°J, put it in the box inside the Worm Room, don¡¯t damage it!¡± Liszt hastily called out.
Fortunately, J knew how to handle them with the necessary gentleness. It yed with the Elf Bug but never dared to harm them because it understood very clearly that Liszt would not allow it. This was the power of the contract, making it irresistible. The three Rubber Bugs were somewhat panicked. After being calmed by Liszt, they settled down slightly and began to crawl around in the box sprinkled with Jade Powder, asionally bumping into other Elf Bugs to greet them. Being triplets, they were in sync, although it didn¡¯t seem to have any use, but at least it increased Liszt¡¯s number of Elf Bugs to twelve. The initial excitement had subsided, and he began to contemte, ¡°I own Rubber Bug Triplets, but not three Rubber Tree Cordyceps¡­ so, have I made a profit or a loss?¡± In general, it was a loss. After all, he had to spend three portions of Jade Powder to raise them, but their range of influence as Rubber Tree Cordyceps was no different from that of a single Elf Bug. No! That¡¯s not right! Suddenly, he blinked, ¡°You can¡¯t say there¡¯s no difference. At least for now, the influence range of the Rubber Tree Cordyceps is unknown; maybe it¡¯s three times that of ordinary Cordyceps. Moreover, giving birth to three at once might increase the sess rate of evolving Little Minor Elves in the future by threefold?¡± Staring at the Rubber Bug Triplets crawling leisurely, he felt this mutation definitely wasn¡¯t just a in increase in number. It must have something magical about it; it just hasn¡¯t been discovered yet. Unable to figure it out, he set the thought aside. Walking through the corridor, he went to chat with Sea Sprite Ake. Ake was still unable to sessfully cast Water Arrow Barrage. She was fully dedicated to inscribing the Magic Array, a very serious and diligent attitude, almost always holding Magic Books and studying. Sometimes Liszt thought, don¡¯t turn the innocent and pure Sea Sprite into someone crazy like Curtis Truth. After all, most magicians were a bit off in the head. ¡°Ake, take a break, don¡¯t tire yourself out.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not tired at all, brother. Ake will soon be sessful in inscribing the Magic Array for the Water Arrow Spell, hehe. And then Ake will be Magician Ake¡­ Oh right! Brother, should Ake change her name? It seems magicians should all have the surname Truth,¡± Ake pondered seriously. Liszt couldn¡¯t help but smile, ¡°Acherloides Truth, huh? Sounds very imposing.¡± Ach shook her head, word by word she said, ¡°No, it should be Tanaxistie papni Sino Liukateya Forekus Buniseis¡­ Cassandra Acherloides Truth.¡± Upon hearing this long string of names, Liszt couldn¡¯t help but twitch the corner of his mouth¡ªwhy on earth would a little sea monster, who was born and raised in the sea and had never even seen her own people, want to give herself such a long name.
He hadn¡¯t even recovered from the shock of the name when, Ach giggled andughed out, ¡°Hehe, let¡¯s just listen to brother and go with Acherloides Truth.¡± It turned out that what she had said before was just a joke. He vigorously ruffled her hair. Liszt sighed in his heart, the little sea monster who used to shiver in fear had learned to joke¡ªtime really was a butcher¡¯s knife, and he should protect her even more, to not let the tainted society affect Ach¡¯s purity.
¡­ The construction of the woodworking workshop progressed rapidly. The town had as many as five carpenters, who brought along a group of carpenter apprentices, and under their guidance, hundreds of serfs worked tirelessly for several days to build the woodworking workshop near Thorn Garden. The primitive mud workshop featured no technical content whatsoever. A lumberyard was also casually set up, with a few shacks erected, then Rapid Growth Iron Thorns were sawed into sections and cut into nks inside. The lumber warehouse was even simpler, merely an area demarcated with a few poles erected, then thorn branches and wheat straws were woven into a roof and secured on the poles, bing a lumber warehouse. Those Thorn Ironwoods that were not yet cut were temporarily carried to the warehouse for stacking. After thepletion of the woodworking workshop, Liszt also finished the design drawings for a few wooden furniture pieces. ¡°This is the drawing of a drawer, look closely, when making cabs and tables, remember to add drawers, and fully use your imagination for the styles¡­ This is a curio shelf, which is very different from a bookshelf, bookshelves are for books, curio shelves are for valuable items, withpartments of various sizes.¡± Like rocking chairs, drawers and curio shelves were other types of new furniture that Liszt had chosen, preparing to introduce them to nobles. In fact, he could also consider baby cradles, but the babies of the poor couldn¡¯t afford iron wood cradles, and babies of nobles had servants to care for them, so they didn¡¯t need a special cradle, which made inventing one pointless. Once all the carpenters had received the drawings, Liszt took out a new type of practical living ware he had only recentlye up with: ¡°This is called a clothes rack, as the name implies, it¡¯s used for drying clothes¡­¡± As a noble, he didn¡¯t have to wash or dry clothes, as all that was done by servants.
However, he did appreciate watching the castle¡¯s best-shaped maid, Little Lily, hang clothes. He noticed that the clothes were simply draped over ropes to dry and when collecting clothes, especially a gown like ck Abbieye¡¯s, they were also draped over wooden racks, which easily left creases at the waist. In other words, there were no clothes hangers. Clothes hangers today are generally made of wire. With iron being scarce in the Duchy of Sapphire, iron hangers were out of the question. Polished smooth wooden hangers, with their rounded support parts, wouldn¡¯t damage the shoulders of clothes, and were the best choice for hanging gowns, while also being very easy to source. Clothes racks, rocking chairs, drawers, curio shelves. The woodworking workshop would gradually introduce them. But while these were all new types of furniture that would inevitably spark a home living revolution, Liszt didn¡¯t expect them to bring in much profit, because carpenters working for nobles from other regions could take a few nces and probably know how to copy them. What would be needed to capture the market were the quality of Thorn Ironwood. Ironwood qualitybined with lower prices made such household products definitely the favorites of the middle and lesser nobles. By that time, the woodworking workshop could both produce household items and provide Tulip Castle with ironwood-quality weapon shafts and arrow shafts. The Iron Wood Era of Fresh Flower Town was fast approaching. J¡¯s name would also resound all over Coral Ind. Chapter 300: 0298: The Fratricide of Father and Son in Tulip Castle (First Update) Chapter 300: Chapter 0298: The Fratricide of Father and Son in Tulip Castle (First Update) The woodworking workshop will need a few more days before it can begin operations. Liszt was now focusing on the soon-to-beunched Fresh Flower Brew, having visited Tulip Castle and brought a barrel of the brew to the Earl. ¡°Is this the Fresh Flower Brew?¡± the Earl tasted it and nodded, ¡°You have made me see you in a new light, Liszt. The liquor trade is more profitable than the Magic Potion business; it¡¯s a lucrative industry.¡± ¡°The Fresh Flower Brew business still needs the protection of Father.¡± ¡°Of course, I am your father¡­ Fresh Flower Brew has shown me many possibilities. Perhaps it will be the greatest aid for the Tulip Family to climb thedder of power.¡± The Earl clearly saw the hidden profits behind the liquor business, ¡°Levis, Li Vera, you, and Lidun are all blood of our family.¡± It felt like the Earl¡¯s next words were leaning towards splitting the liquor profits equally. Liszt interjected directly, ¡°Father, I thought my brother had already reported to you about the coboration model for Fresh Flower Brew.¡± He nced at Levis, who stood beside him, as he spoke. ¡°Of course I reported it, how could Fresh Flower Brew smoothlyunch on Coral Ind without Father¡¯s approval?¡± Levis quickly said, ¡°The result of my discussions with Father was that I would give twenty percent of the profits to the Tulip Family as a fee for using the channels, with the remaining split between the two of us brothers.¡± Out of the total profits, Liszt was to take forty percent, with the remaining sixty percent for Levis. Now it seemed that Levis also held only forty percent, handing over twenty percent to Tulip Castle. From Levis¡¯s attitude.
Liszt roughly understood and smoothly said, ¡°I also think such profit distribution is reasonable, although as the heir to Tulip Castle, my brother can use the channels freely, we still haven¡¯t split our estates with Lidun, so we should take care of our brother and leave twenty percent for Tulip Castle.¡± ¡°Just like you said, Liszt, Lidun is also my brother. How could I not take care of him? Twenty percent of the profits are for Father to cultivate Lidun, I won¡¯t have anyints.¡± The two brothers. One by one, they confirmed the profit distribution, blocking any space for the Earl to interject. Perhaps, as a father, he felt the Fresh Flower Brew was too valuable and that arger share of the profits should be redistributed. But to Levis and Liszt, this was out of the question. Even Li Vera and the others were not willing to share it, let alone Lidun, their half-brother from another mother. On this point, the brothers were resolute. The Earl sat behind his desk, looked at Levis, then at Liszt, and saw that both appeared calm as if nothing had happened. A look of gloom appeared on his face. He drank the Fresh Flower Brew in his cup in one gulp. Then, cing the cup down with force, he said, ¡°Should I feel proud and gratified at your shrewdness? From minor nobles to major Nobles in just twenty years. Have you really inherited the ambition I hoped for? Why has Tulip Castle, like all great Nobles, begun to exude a scent of decay?¡± ¡°Father, I am diligently practicing every moment, looking forward to earning my merits on the battlefield just like you,¡± Levis said solemnly, with his left hand on his chest. Liszt had no desire to exin. He didn¡¯t need to exin anything. The development of Fresh Flower Town was proof enough. He even had the mood to jest, ¡°Like wine that improves with age, perhaps decay is just an exquisite presentation of nobility.¡± ¡°Liszt, I am not joking with you,¡± the Earl said, looking at his increasingly blurry second son. Suddenly, he felt his paternal authority was faltering, ¡°The old you wouldn¡¯t joke either. I¡¯mforted by your growth, but I do not wish for it to make you lose some¡­ familial love.¡± The young Liszt used to be very afraid of his father. But the current Liszt treated the Earl more as an equal ¡ª between father and son, no matter how much they argued or created a ruckus, there was nothing to fear, as the Earl could not possibly break his own son¡¯s legs. Therefore.
He expressed his view directly, ¡°Father, you might see sharing between siblings as familial love, but I think holding an invincible Sword in my hand to protect my siblings is also a kind of familial love.¡± ¡°I think Liszt makes a lot of sense,¡± Levis agreed deeply. The Earl fell silent for a moment. He poured another ss of Fresh Flower Brew for himself and one for both Levis and Liszt. Lifting his ss, he offered a slight toast, ¡°I hope you both remember what was said today. Furthermore, decay is not a trait befitting a Noble!¡±
The atmosphere rxed. Liszt picked up his ss. He pretended to drink it down with gusto, but he really didn¡¯t like drinking clear spirits. After finishing his drink, Levis suddenly said, ¡°Father, what about the top-grade Fresh Flower Brew for the Grand Duke¡¯s tribute?¡± ¡°I will need to enter The Court for a spring session in a few days. I will bring along the¡­ Century Aged Tulip you¡¯ve concocted.¡± And so, the brief confrontation in the study came to an end, with the brothers preserving their interests. Walking along the corridor, Levis heaved a long sigh of relief, ¡°You don¡¯t live in Tulip Castle, so you might not be aware. After Fresh Flower Brew came out, Lady Marie acted crazily, performing several crying dramas in front of father, and I almost couldn¡¯t hold on. Thankfully, what you said today convinced father.¡± ¡°The influence of pillow talk is indeed tricky to handle, I understand.¡± The master of Tulip Castle was Li Weiliam Tulip. Levis was just the heir. But Lady Marie and Lidun held special positions; they were destined never to be masters of the Castle. Therefore, they had to find ways to gain more advantages before Levis could inherit the Castle. Selfishness is the way of the world.
While it¡¯s not right to think too ill of others, it¡¯s also unwise to regard them as saints. How Lady Marie conducted her pillow talk behind the scenes was unknown to Liszt. He only needed to know one thing, to defend his own interests¡ªif he gave in today, he might give in even more tomorrow. The once meek and bullyable Liszt. Now, he had to adopt a new image, to show everyone that Liszt was not one to be trifled with. If pushed too far, he would unleash Douson and stir up a greatmotion. Apart from the Earl, perhaps no one on Coral Ind could stop Douson. Therefore, ¡°I can swagger around Coral Ind, and that¡¯s no jest.¡± ¡­ The famous Fresh Flower Brew, finally hit the market before March, sans the queues for purchase that were not a fad here just yet. The pre-ordered lists have already been ced on the desk in Levis¡¯s study. All Liszt had to do was pull over the Fresh Flower Brew, then bottle it by type before handing it over to Levis¡ªhe didn¡¯t even need to know who bought the Brew, just count the number of bottles, and his share of the profit was secured. Of course, he calcted using the wholesale price. The freight cost differed from region to region, altering the retail price, but that was none of Liszt¡¯s concern. He simply handed over to Levis at the rate of five silver coins for a wooden bottle, fifty silver coins for a ceramic bottle, and ten gold coins for a Jade Bottle.
Just this batch, sold a total of two hundred and ten wooden bottles, twenty-six ceramic bottles and eight Jade Bottles¡ªthe Shattered Stone Castle and Beer Castle each purchased four Jade Bottle Fresh Flower Brews. The total value exceeded one hundred and three gold coins, roughly enough for the ind¡¯s Nobles to drink for a week. ¡°It¡¯s a pity that the Earl forced the Fresh Flower Brew to be sold to Tulip Castle at cost before departing for Blue Dragon Ind. Otherwise, Tulip Castle¡¯s consumption of liquor could have matched the total sales of all the minor Noblesbined,¡± Liszt reflected with slight disappointment as he pocketed his forty gold coins share. This was just the sales from Coral Ind. The next target was to distribute to Red Crab Ind. Chapter 301: 0299: It’s Not My Fault for Trafficking Slaves (Second Update) Chapter 301: Chapter 0299: It¡¯s Not My Fault for Trafficking ves (Second Update) The export of Fresh Flower Brew will still need some preparation time, as the current production cannot meet demand, and the consistency of quality is still slightlycking. March had just arrived, and following Earl¡¯s journey to Blue Dragon Ind to attend The Court meeting, he took the opportunity to promote the finely packaged Fresh Flower Brew in Crystal Bottles embedded with gemstones to the Sapphire Duke. Levis also left Tulip Castle, heading to Golden Ind as per the agreement to visit the Golden Wheat Sheaf Family. To confirm his marriage to the daughter of Marquis Roderick, Loria Gold Wheat Ear. The task of selling Fresh Flower Brew was handed over to Frank. Liszt also entrusted the sales work to Goltai. With the direction for Fresh Flower Brew set, the remainder of the task was naturally delegated to subordinates; his own important work was training dogs and practicing cultivation. In the blink of an eye, the sun was zing on the 5th of March. On this day, the Tulip Caravan¡¯s ships returned, and the two thousand five hundred serfs purchased by Liszt also arrived with the ship, with the handover arranged at Fresh Flower Port. Ever since Fresh Flower Town had its own dock, there was no need to go through the transfer via Coral City¡¯s dock. ¡°Two thousand five hundred serfs, plus the losses from thest ve trade, number a total of two thousand seven hundred¡­ The losses this time might still be substantial, but the quality is good, with quite a few craftsmen mixed among them,¡± Frank, following the fleet to Fresh Flower Town, handled the transfer of serfs. As for the arrangements for the serfs, the town had long been prepared.
Thus, there was not much chaos, and bilingual receptionists proficient in Serpent Script and Wind Language, under the direction of town officials, quicklypleted the tally of serf numbers, skill screening, and recording of identity information. ¡°A total of two thousand two hundred twenty-six serfs, among them thirty-seven might be terminally ill and beyond help¡­¡± Goltai returned to the house at the dock. Reporting to Liszt. Upon hearing this, Frank immediately began calcting with his fingers, ¡°Then, we¡¯ll count on two thousand one hundred¡­ two thousand one hundred eighty-nine serfs, with a total loss of¡­ loss of¡­ loss of¡­¡± He calcted twice, finding it somewhat difficult, and didn¡¯te up with an answer. Liszt, adept at arithmetic operations, had already silently figured out: ¡°A loss of five hundred eleven serfs.¡± ¡°Oh, right, right, right, a loss of five hundred eleven serfs,¡± Frank spread his hands, not embarrassed by his poor arithmetic. The people here generally weren¡¯t good at math. He also did not harbor any negative emotions about the high number of deaths, saying with a smile, ¡°If you continue the serf trade, you canpensate for the losses in the next transaction, um, you can supplement three hundred serfs, and the other¡­ more than two hundred serfs, consider them as normal losses.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± Liszt nodded. The death of over five hundred people due to the ve trade had begun to numb him, but he still felt somewhat choked up¡ªwithout the trade, there would be no harm, but how else could he develop his territory and achieve his dragon riding ambitions without buying serfs? He could only apologize to the souls of the deceased. Being born into this dog-eat-dog world was a sorrow in itself. Momentster, he put away any pretense of crocodile tears or true feelings. Stepping out of the house, he looked at the bustling dock square. The serfs were being sorted. Karl Ironhammer of the Patrol Team was selecting strong men among them to form a new patrol squad. Rom Barrel did the same, selecting sturdy men left over from Karl¡¯s choices to join his Bug Guard Team, and then distributing them one by one to the various farms to cultivate thend and guard the Cordyceps. Earth Knight Lasse Rondo and Rick Trace, meanwhile, took responsibility for selecting robust youths and grouping all the children, who wouldter begin their Dou Qi Cultivation. On their way to Fresh Flower Town, they had endured torment, but upon setting foot on thisnd, they would start anew. Butler Carter and Mrs. Morson also led the Castle¡¯s servants in choosing from among the serf throng, mainly picking suitable servants and young children. Li Si Te¡¯s Castle would eventually expand to be a named Castle, and at that time, many servants would be needed. ¡°Mrs. Morson, females who look clever and moderately pretty, under the age of twenty, can also be selected, around ten or so. The Castle needs a group of maids who can handle heavy chores, the current few of you can¡¯t attend to everything thoroughly,¡± Carter instructed.
Mrs. Morson nodded, ¡°I understand, I¡¯ll choose the qualified maids.¡± The clerks bustled about,manding the serfs, bringing food and water, and arranging for those serfs left over to be sent to various farms. At present, only those serfs assigned to farming were arranged, craftsmen and workers were also allocated to farm work. It would not be until there were suitable positions avable that they could be relieved from farmbor and return to their old trades, utilizing the skills they possessed.
Li Si Te climbed onto a rock, surveying the port scene, without anyone following him, except Douson. Suddenly, Douson¡¯s nose twitched, and he barked at the empty air beside him. ¡°It¡¯s me, Douson.¡± Someone¡¯s voice came out; Douson still roared uneasily until Li Si Te stroked his neck, calming him down. Without turning his head, he asked, ¡°Why are you invisible?¡± ¡°Nothing much, just didn¡¯t want to show up¡­ My sister was probably sold to Fresh Flower Town in the same way initially,¡± said ck Dragon Changeling Paris. ¡°Maggie was lucky. She was part of the first batch of serfs purchased by Fresh Flower Town. It wasn¡¯t the peak season for the ve trade then; each serf was a treasure, so they received fairly decent care on the ship. These serfs are less fortunate, many packed together, and if they got sick, they could only be thrown into the sea.¡± Paris, still invisible, spoke in a somber voice, ¡°Baron, why do such things as the ve trade, so devoid of conscience, happen?¡± ¡°Because they haven¡¯t met andlord who treats his people well. At least in Fresh Flower Town, they will definitely not suffer any further harm,¡± Li Si Te said offhandedly. He was a participant in the sin, so there was nothing good to say; all the me was cast onto others. By the way, he beautified himself; while otherndlords were evil-doers, he was the incarnation of justice, thendlord who brought hope to the serfs. Perhaps it was ack of intelligence. Though Li Si Te couldn¡¯t see, Paris still nodded approvingly, ¡°For them, it is indeed lucky toe to Fresh Flower Town. Here, life doesn¡¯t need to worry about food and clothing, nor fear of mercenary plunders¡­ I havee to like the peaceful life here.¡± ¡°But it won¡¯t always be peaceful. Soon, I will head to the battlefield to fulfill the truth in my heart,¡± Li Si Te said, touching the Crimson Blood Sword at his waist.
The ruby iid on the sword flickered, the crimson carrying a strange allure. The setting sun¡¯s glow shone on his handsome face, making it seem especially sacred and just, with sapphire blue pupils that could rival real sapphires. He proimed loudly, ¡°My horse, my sword, my spear, my knights, will scatter my ideals of justice and unt my knightly way.¡± Paris was spellbound, unable to utter a word. Chapter 302: 0300: Peanut Nougat (Third Update, 10,000 Coins Reward Celebration 2/2) Chapter 302: Chapter 0300: Peanut Nougat (Third Update, 10,000 Coins Reward Celebration 2/2) This chapter is a special update for ¡°The Fifth¡± 10,000 reward. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª The sun had set. The lord of dazzling radiance, the ruler of Fresh Flower Town, Liszt Tulip, had returned to the castle. On the rocky pier area, Paris still stood in the cold wind. She tried to dispel his tall and straight figure from her mind, but it clung on persistently. On the contrary, the more she attempted to chase it away, the more memories flocked to fill in his silhouette. Eventually, the figure turned around, revealing a face more handsome than any woman¡¯s. His sapphire eyes were deep and captivating; his short, light golden hair fluttered in the wind, along with the corners of his mouth that always wore a gentle smile. The curve of his lips was so pleasing to the eye. She thought back to the first time she saw him, her effort to appear calm, which was amusing; the first actualbat training when his naive but swiftly maturing swordsmanship astonished everyone; the first time he went out to sea, the cold wind on his face as if he was detached from the world, which was heartbreaking. And more recently, tumbling in the snow, the almost intimate contact of his face against her chest, which would wet her nkets whenever she thought of it at night. Even now, upon recalling it, she couldn¡¯t help but blush fiercely, ¡°What to do, it seems I can no longer extricate myself¡­¡± It felt as if something was pressing against her chest, making it hard to breathe.
The moon rose from the sea surface, and the cold moonlight poured down on the world. She had involuntarily released her invisibility. Her voluptuous figure, now visible again, emitted a burning heat. After a long while. It was as if she remembered something, she suddenly turned around and slipped into the shadows. Leaving only a murmur carried away by the wind: ¡°Pity, he is a noble, and I am just¡­ amoner¡­¡± ¡­ In this world. The gap between nobles andmoners. Was clearly recorded on the thick parchment in Liszt¡¯s hands at this moment. Like a series of inventory lists, every name represented a piece of merchandise. The final list of serfs had just been delivered by Goltai. There were no noteworthy details among regr serfs and workers, but what he was mainly concerned with was the craftsmen list. Not a single technician or master level craftsman was on the list; no one would sell those who possessed such advanced skills. ¡°There are quite a few cksmiths, a full five of them, but it¡¯s a pity I don¡¯t have that much iron for them to work with¡­¡± Liszt caught sight of the cksmith quotas first thing. The Eagle Kingdom had Iron Dragons, and was rich in iron ore, so naturally, it had many cksmiths. Three stonemasons, who were in dire demand in both Fresh Flower Town and ck Horse Ind. The rocks produced by Douson every day had piled up into a small hill, and the construction of bridges and roads was inseparable from the stonemasons. Four carpenters, just as Fresh Flower Town was set to build the Iron Wood Era; the addition of four carpenters would elerate this process. The Iron Thorn quality was very tough, making the carpenters¡¯ work slow, which could bepensated by having a greater number of them to address the issue of low efficiency. Two tanners, one specializing in making leather goods, the other in tanning leather. Together with the old tanner Phil Descendant of the Sun who was skilled in crafting leather shoes, the leather industry of Fresh Flower Town could be said to have been established. Three tailors, which was very timely. With a poption nearing five thousand, the consumption of clothes in Fresh Flower Town was on the rise, needing more tailors to mend and make clothing. These five professions were among the mostmon in the craftsman ss.
Thus, there were quite a few people. In addition, two bakers and three chefs were also popr craftsmen and would be a part of the culinary culture of Fresh Flower Town, driving the development of the food industry. In the remaining list, there were no more duplicate craftsmen. One bone craftsman could be sent to the Bone Craftsman Shop to speed up the process of grinding Fire Dragon Bone Fragments by the ice Bone family, one locksmith, perhaps, could rece all the serfs¡¯ house locks, and one cooper, as the consumption of buckets is on the rise, arrived just in time.
One brewer, who could brew beer and rice wine, was a perfect addition to the brewing workshop, and one barber could relieve the busy work of the town¡¯s barbers. Last but not least, there was one spice maker and one sugar maker left. ¡°A spice maker? Fresh Flower Town doesn¡¯t produce spices, and I haven¡¯t heard of anyone growing spices on Coral Ind either, so her usefulness isn¡¯t great. Maybe she can be hired into the castle kitchen to coborate with Mrs. Abbie on some culinary research,¡± he mused, already deciding on the female spice maker named Saisi Mi to be Mrs. Abbie¡¯s assistant. Counting up, Mrs. Abbie already had two assistants, Julia with a chef background and Saisi Mi with a spice maker background, along with three kitchen maids, Eileen Four Fingers, Oly, and Karxi, and several junior maids training in the kitchen. It was arge team, all capable of being employed to open a big hotel. ¡°Why not add one more baker? That way, Mrs. Abbie wouldn¡¯t even have to bake the bread herself and could focus on researching stir-fries for me!¡± He thought of the hometown dishes he longed for, graduallying to life, and couldn¡¯t help but clench his fists. He was moved by his own wise decision. ¡°Let¡¯s hire this female baker named Alia into the kitchen. Then, Mrs. Abbie in charge of culinary development, Julia cooking, Alia baking, and Saisi Mi handling the spices¡­ my castle¡¯s kitchen will be the source of this world¡¯s culinary delights!¡± The spice maker¡¯s job was neatly arranged. Liszt¡¯s gaze settled on thest craftsman, the sugar maker named Calum. Sugar is an indispensable food seasoning. I don¡¯t know if this world has sugarcane, but in the Duchy of Sapphire, there¡¯s no sugarcane; sugar mainlyes from the cultivation of sweetroot vegetables, which are somewhat simr to a mix of earth¡¯s beets and sugar canes, containing arge amount of sugar in their roots. Fresh Flower Town had a small cultivation of sweetroot vegetables, used as a pte change.
To take it for sugar making, one would need the help of sweetroot beetles, as well as a sugar maker. However, upon seeing Calum¡¯s detailed introduction, he realized he had been mistaken, for Calum was not a sweetroot vegetable sugar maker but a malt sugar maker. The making of maltose wasn¡¯t too different from brewing. Cereals like wheat, barley, glutinous rice, and millet, once fermented and then sharified, could produce maltose. ¡°Great, with a malt sugar maker, maybe I could develop a series of candy delights¡­ Instead of recruiting him into the kitchen, I¡¯ll build a malt sugar workshop right away. That¡¯s right, it could partner with the peanut processing workshop to produce nougat. I remember clearly, nougat is made from peanuts and maltose!¡± Delicious nougat, with its rich milky vor, abundant nuts, and maltose that grows more fragrant as you chew. I believe once nougat is produced, it will open up a significant market. Even if copied, it can still solidify Fresh Flower Town¡¯s position in the culinary scene. And, what¡¯s crucial, is that Liszt rather liked eating nougat. Peanut nougat, brimming with sweet memories from childhood. Such a tasty candy must by all means color the New World. After reviewing the list, he summarized, ¡°There are many ordinary craftsmen; among the special ones, the spice maker and sugar maker are unexpected delights.¡± He set aside the list of craftsmen. At that moment, a knight swiftly rode toward the castle.
Chapter 303: 0301: Unhesitating Rejection (Fourth update, bonus for 110,000 recommendation votes) Chapter 303: Chapter 0301: Unhesitating Rejection (Fourth update, bonus chapter for 110,000 rmendation votes) ¡°Dear Li Si Te.¡± ¡°Having received the new edition of the score for ¡®F¨¹r Elise,¡¯ I was so excited that I almost went mad, wishing I could sprout wings and fly to your side to y it for you. Or to hear you y it for me with that unrestrained attitude, just like that day in the ballroom when I watched you y those wonderful notes.¡± ¡°You know how much I yearn for the memories left at Long Taro Castle.¡± ¡°I have already packed my luggage to go to Coral Ind, Fresh Flower Town, in search of you. My maid Luya can vouch for me, for she was in charge of the packing.¡± ¡°But my father has stopped me, because I am about to marry the son of a Marquis, with whom I have no emotional foundation. This is my fate, from which I cannot escape. From the moment I was born a woman of the Hyacinth Family, I knew that this day would eventuallye, to ept the nurture of the family and be a tool for family alliances through marriage.¡± ¡°Yet, I still hope to see you again before getting married, to indulge in a moment of passion, to dance gracefully to the sound of ¡®F¨¹r Elise.¡¯¡± ¡°Dear, you wille, won¡¯t you? You know I am waiting for you here.¡± ¡°Eagerly awaiting.¡± ¡°Yours, Duniko.¡± The knight who was rushing to the castle brought such a letter to Li Si Te, sent from Red Crab Ind by Duniko Hyacinth. After reading the letter, he fell into a silent contemtion.
Duniko obviously still harbored old feelings for him, and theplete version of ¡®F¨¹r Elise¡¯ he sent had intentionally provoked her, igniting her passion all at once. She even wanted toe to Fresh Flower Town to y the piano and dance. Thinking of the stimting scene from that night, a sudden fire ignited in his heart, full of respect, and he almost wanted to immediately take a boat to Red Crab Ind to rekindle their past romance with Duniko. However, he did not do so. ¡°Let it remain a memory, the passion without feelings has passed, this is not the life I want.¡± If he wanted passion, Fresh Flower Town was not without it. Paris, Little Lily¡ªthey were women of good looks and figure, and he could indulge if he wished to. There was no need to go to Duniko. Therefore, after putting down the letter, he did not reply, nor did he n to go to Red Crab Ind, but instead slipped the letter into a knight¡¯s novel that he was certain he would never read again. ¡°It was my fault for taking the initiative, sorry Duniko.¡± The passion had faded, and not even the Smoke Mission could hold it. Moreover, he did not have the time to go, for in four days, it would be March 9th, meaning he would turn seventeen years old. Last year on March 9th, he was ennobled as a Baron, and the next day he ate the poisonous fruit from Thorn Ridge andpletely changed from the inside out. ¡­ ¡°Master, this is the luncheon menu listed by Mrs. Abbie, please review it.¡± Butler Carter had already begun preparing for the birthday party. For him, each banquet was a battleparable to a knight¡¯s charge, requiring full preparation. Li Si Te simply nced at it and handed it back: ¡°Just arrange it ording to this menu, it¡¯s only my seventeenth birthday, not a significant one, and there¡¯s no need to invite anyone. It¡¯s just a gathering with the followers from the town to celebrate. Mr. Carter, keep it casual.¡± Butler Carter smiled: ¡°Your birthday, Master, is the most important festival for us.¡± Li Si Te smiled and did not say anything more. It was both a ttery and a truth; in the castle, he was the most important person, and all the servants lived their lives around him. ¡­ ¡°Brother, is it almost your birthday?¡±
¡°Yes.¡± In Shell Wood Tower, the intrigued Sea Sprite Ake asked, ¡°Will there be many people gathering for the birthday party? It must be a very interesting event.¡± ¡°Does Ake remember her own birthday?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Ake tilted her head, ¡°I¡¯m not sure, I only remember that when I first woke up, I was inside a shell, and then I was so hungry, I went to find something to eat, and that¡¯s how I began to live in the ocean. Whenever I had the chance, I would listen to the sailors speaking on the passing ships.¡±
¡°Then, let¡¯s take the day we met as Ake¡¯s birthday, how about that?¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s January 11th, no, January 12th, it was already past midnight on that day.¡± Ake remembered it very clearly, so her birthday was set on January 12th, ¡°Ake is already looking forward to her birthday next year. Will Brother celebrate it for Ake?¡± Liszt said, ¡°We must celebrate it. By that time, Ake will have be Acherloides Truth.¡± ¡°In fact, Ake can already be called a true magician now,¡± Ake suddenly said slyly, stretching out her hand, as two water arrows miraculously appeared. She aimed at the window and gave a gentle push. The two water arrows instantly transformed into over a dozen water arrows, shooting into the sky and disappearing from sight. Only magicians were capable of mastering the Water Arrow Barrage, which she had already learned how to use, and she did so effortlessly, without needing a charging process. Liszt had seen Granney and Elkerson perform magic, and while skilled magic was also quick, there was still a rather noticeable charging up. Those less adept at magic required even more time to charge. That was also a factor as to why magicians couldn¡¯t win against knights, who ruled the world; by the time a magician had readied their spell, a knight had already charged in close. But for Ake, the Water Arrow Barrage was practically instantaneous. This made him curious, ¡°Ake, do you not need to charge when you release magic?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need to,¡± she replied, ¡°Ake has engraved the magic array into my body, so I can release water arrows at any time through the magic array, very easily and simply.¡± ¡°That must be the so-called genius magician,¡± was the only way Liszt could understand it.
If other magicians found out, they would probably die of shame; the magic that took them several years to master, for Ake, it was merely a few days of pondering. Instant casting sounded as natural as can be for her, summoning countless water arrows with just a wave of her hand. The only downside was that Ake could only attune with water system mana and was unable to learn other types of magic. It made herbat abilities seem somewhat monotonous. However, considering she was a sea creature, the ocean was her vast stage, and specializing in water system magic was actually an advantage. ¡°Study hard, Lady Acherloides Truth, being a magician is just the beginning of exploring the truth. The future is still vast, and you can appreciate the true extraordinariness of magic only after bing a grand magician. By that time, you might not need my help, and you could y Dulu Miqita yourself.¡± ¡°Yes, Ake will definitely be a powerful grand magician and defeat Dulu Miqita!¡± That being said. Dulu Miqita had not appeared between Fresh Flower Town and the waters of ck Horse Ind and had likely left the sea long ago due to the sea serpent, making it untraceable before returning to its own habitat. ¡­ Time flies as swift as an arrow; in the blink of an eye, the day of the birthday arrived. His sister Li Vera had the retainer knights deliver a batch of vegetable seeds. The climate in Falcon Town was pleasant and the soil rtively fertile, which was great for nting vegetables. This gift was quite modest, perhaps because she was still put out by the fresh flower soap birthday gift Liszt had given her. Lady Penelope, his grandmother, sent a potted nt, perhaps hoping that since Thorn Ridge had nurtured the Dragon Hollyhock Bug, she was expecting Liszt to produce another.
However, after examining the potted nt, Liszt found no signs of magic power. His brother Levis had his family tutor Frank deliver a piece of magic equipment, a me Bracelet. Made with red crystals carved and linked together, it contained red crystals with fire attribute mana, which could amplify the fire attribute Dou Qi. It was a rather valuable birthday gift, probably prepared before he left for Golden Ind. But what surprised Liszt the most, Was the gift from the Earl, and considering that the Earl had left long before, it was probably prepared by Lady Marie ¡ª a brand new piano was delivered by carriage. Chapter 304: 302: Celebrating with Creatures (Fifth update, 3600 monthly votes bonus) Chapter 304: Chapter 302: Celebrating with Creatures (Fifth update, 3600 monthly votes bonus) ¡°If a piano appeared in the scene, I would sing for you,¡± This was not the melody that floated in Liszt¡¯s mind, yet it was incredibly fitting. When the servants carefully carried the piano upstairs to the study and had a professional pianist tune its strings for tension. The constant trembling sounds of the strings made Liszt feel as if many inspirations blossomed, bombarding his brain, chafing at his fingertips. An upright piano, a household model, of medium size. Made by the Court¡¯s esteemed Piano Knight, Kruse Bin Iron, in the spring of the year one hundred and fifty-one, priced at one hundred and twenty-eight Gold Coins. One meter five in length, sixty centimeters in depth, and one meter twenty-eight in height. Cast from a mix of rock wood and Fine Steel, the strings made from top-grade bowstring materials, derived from Magical Beast furs. The body of the piano painted in a dark purple hue, exuding a faint scent of solid wood. Lacking the grandeur and status of a grand piano, but among upright pianos, it was a high-end product. Compared to the rudimentary pianos that small Nobles often bought for a dozen or so Gold Coins, this model was sufficient toplement his current status. Leaning against the wall. Bringing over a stool, Liszt directly sat in front of the piano, his itching hands involuntarily falling onto the keys. ¡°Ding!¡± The crisp sound emerged, the vibrancy felt as the action struck the strings.
With just this one sound, he felt a tremor throughout his body, as if his Soul was being elevated. The pianist within Liszt was getting restless. ¡°For Alice¡±, ¡°With You¡±, and many other famous piano pieces he had heard were ringing in his ears simultaneously. His fingers ached to transform into dancing Elves, prancing upon the keys. However, he did not, as there were too many inspirations. It seemed somewhat blocked, and no rhythm came to mind, so after touching the keys, he got up and left the study. Today was his birthday, and even Marcus, Lasse, and the Griffins had returned from ck Horse Ind. As early as this morning, Fresh Flower Town had sunk into the festive spirit, with officials busily sending warmth on behalf of Lord Landlord to all the subjects of the territory¡ªtwo copper coins each. Even on regr holidays where warmth was shared, at most one copper coin was given, but now with Fresh Flower Brew on the market, and Lord Landlord flush with cash, hevished a considerable sum, doubling it! ¡°Wishing our Lord Landlord eternal youth!¡± ¡°May Lord Landlord ride dragons soon!¡± ¡°May the great Lord Landlord forever be favored by knightly glory!¡± ¡°Praise to our Lord Landlord, happy birthday to you!¡± Even those Serfs who had just arrived at Fresh Flower Town and were still limating to their new lives were shouting in unison, ¡°Praise¡­ to our Lord Landlord¡­¡± Clerks and Patrol Members, as they distributed money home by home, also proimed to everyone, ¡°To celebrate our Lord Landlord¡¯s birthday, today, all the poultry and livestock in town shall receive extra feed!¡± Every household¡¯s chickens, the guard dogs of the dog runs, the Fruit Thief Monkeys at the training grounds, the milk cows at the dairy farms, the horses of the Castle grounds, the fat pigs of the pig farms, and even the assorted dogs and sheep raised by the Serfs, could all feel the festive atmosphere and were part of the birthday celebrations. Mrs. Morson entered the Worm Room, scattering a thickyer of Jade Powder in the nests of the Elf Bug: ¡°My adorable little ones, it is the master¡¯s birthday today, and you too must offer your praises to him.¡± The maids also brought in various fruits, carefully cing them on the table inside the Shell Wood Tower; they didn¡¯t know why they were doing this but could only guess the master wanted to feed the Shell Sea Monster. Every servant knew that a Shell Sea Monster was kept in the Castle. When cleaning, they were anxious, fearing the shell would suddenly open and gobble them up¡ªthat¡¯s why, even when strange noises emanated from the wood tower, they pretended not to hear anything¡ªit was probably the sound of Sea Sprite Ake¡¯s failed magical experiments. Often, new Magic could easily fail, but fortunately, it was Water Magic, and even an explosion posed no real danger. At most, water would be sshed all over the room.
¡°Thomas, Tom, Jessie, don¡¯t forget to increase the Magical Beast Meat for Douson, the Earth Matron, and the Eight Tiny Ones,¡± Liszt instructed the male servants before the noon banquet began. His army of Blizzard Beasts naturally joined the celebration, enjoying improved meals. ¡°Yes, my lord.¡± At high noon, all the followers had arrived.
Butler Carter came over, ¡°Lord, may we begin the feast now?¡± ¡°Begin!¡± Immediately, the guests took their seats and exquisitely prepared food began to arrive, emitting tempting aromas. However, for drinks, only a few bottles of Fresh Flower Brew were brought out by the servants. A small cup was poured for each person. Liszt, smiling yet with a serious tone, said, ¡°We must not let my birthday dy the normal work of the territory. Therefore, one cup of Fresh Flower Brew per person will suffice for the lunch, and no one is allowed to drink more.¡± Drinking could lead to neglecting duties, and the work arrangement for the serfs was not yetplete; it was not a time for excessive celebration. Goltai seemed very disappointed; he loved the atmosphere of drinking at feasts the most. But the theme of the banquet was determined by Liszt¡¯s will. Once the Fresh Flower Brew was poured for everyone, led by Goltai, the followers all shouted in unison, ¡°We wish the Lord eternal youth and the constant favor of knightly glory! Glory forever belongs to you!¡± ¡°Glory belongs to me, and I am with you all!¡± Liszt raised his cup, looking around at the increasing number of his followers with high spirits, and drained it in one gulp. The spiciness of the liquor seeped into his heart and lungs, instantly lifting his spirits immeasurably. It was not in vain that he had strived for a year; Fresh Flower Town, once a remote backwater, was finally brimming with vitality. He was quite moved.
¡°Woah!¡± J suddenly flew over, snagged the steak from his te, and began to gnaw on it wildly. After two bites, perhaps finding it not to her taste, she threw it back onto the te and then leaned over the soup bowl, gulping down the egg soup lustily. The mood he had just been fostering waspletely disrupted by the little creature. He smiled and didn¡¯t me J. Since today was a celebration with the people and all living beings, she naturally had to be included as well. Without alcohol to boost spirits, the banquet was still filled withughter and cheer, but the eating was quick; in less than half an hour, all the dishes had been finished. Wiping his mouth, without keeping the followers for long, Liszt directly announced the end of the banquet. The workers who needed tobor went back to work, as their daily wages weren¡¯t meant for cking off. He kept Marcus, Lasse, and Griffin behind, and after Butler Carter brought tea and closed the door to the study, he said, ¡°A thousand serfs have been handed over to Consultant Goltai to select, and he¡¯s chosen five hundred so far. When you return, transport them to ck Horse Ind.¡± ¡°Yes, my lord.¡± ¡°Recently, buying grain has be increasingly difficult, and the bread supply may decrease. Remember to look for seafood on the beaches of ck Horse Ind to get through this period.¡± ¡°Rest assured, my lord, we have already found two beaches abundant with seafood.¡± ¡°I have great confidence in Teacher Marcus¡¯s work,¡± Liszt smiled reassuringly. ¡°The Fresh Flower Brew has gone on sale, and from what we can see, it¡¯s selling well. Fresh Flower Town¡¯s finances will be very ample, and it¡¯s time for ck Horse Ind to undergo vigorous development. Once the training of this batch of serfs isplete, I will send another group of officials to assist you. I hope you can shoulder the heavy responsibility!¡±
The three stood up and bowed, ¡°We are honored to serve you, my lord!¡± Chapter 305: 303: Overwhelming Force with a Single Stroke (First Update) Chapter 305: Chapter 303: Overwhelming Force with a Single Stroke (First Update) After the nap. He jingled a bell to summon a servant, who brought him a cup of milk tea. Li Si Te (Liszt) sat in front of the upright piano, his emotions had calmed down, and the explosive inspirations had all dissipated, leaving only tranquility. The sheet music of ¡°For Alice¡±y on the stand. He was about to y a piece, to feel the sound quality of the new piano, and at the same time, to refine his personal sentiments. His fingers touched the keys, and familiar rhythms immediately awakened, as if driven by an internal force, his hands began to y on their own, and notes blossomed one after another. The simple yet wonderful melody echoed in the study, and the thick walls provided excellent soundproofing, allowing him to immerse himself in his own world, to indulge as he pleased. At the end of the piece, an intoxicated expression lingered on his face. A momentter. He awoke from his reverie and began to reminisce about the previous experience, ¡°Compared to the grand piano of Long Taro Castle, the sound quality is much worse, and it¡¯s notparable to the grand piano of Tulip Castle either. But the upright piano also has its advantages, reducing sound quality also covers up many technical ws.¡± A grand piano can hit about 14 times per second, but an upright piano can only achieve 7 hits per second. It doesn¡¯t feel as smooth as a grand piano, and the sound isn¡¯t as rich, the contrast between loud and soft isn¡¯t clear enough.
Of course, if you¡¯re not a professional, you probably can¡¯t tell the difference between an upright and a grand piano. Li Si Te (Liszt)¡¯s former self was half a professional, and it seemed he himself also had the talent of a pianist, thus he could acutely feel the difference. It was quite a pity, the Earl hadn¡¯t gifted him a grand piano. ¡°I was being greedy, even the cheapest grand piano costs hundreds of gold coins, and with that money, one could buy quite a lot of magic potions. The Earl, though wealthy, is not one to spend money recklessly.¡± Li Si Te (Liszt) soon came to terms with this, feeling overjoyed simply to have his own piano. He took a sip of milk tea and reced the sheet music. It was the ¡°With You¡± he had posed¡± on the ship, this sheet music was simr to ¡°For Alice¡±, both very simple kinds, with his performance technique inherited from his predecessor and a good pianistic atmosphere cultivated, it should have been enough to reach the standard of an amateur level ten, sufficient to handle simple pieces. ¡°In my name as Li Si Te (Liszt), the Piano King, ying pieces of amateur levels four or five is a piece of cake!¡± Dong! He pressed the keys forcefully with his fingertips and began to y, a melody infused with faint mncholy wafted through the air. In a sh, Li Si Te (Liszt) felt as if he was back on that sea voyage, reliving the moments of blossoming inspiration under the blue sky and white clouds, the poignant melody also encapsting longing, advancement, aspiration, and unyielding determination. Well aware that tragedyy ahead, he still charged forward without hesitation. Dong dong dong dong. The final key was struck, and Li Si Te (Liszt) felt nearly moved to tears by the beautiful performance. Music touches the heart, and the piano, being the king of instruments, is especially enchanting. At this moment, he finally believed that he had the talent of a pianist, that within him resided the Piano King. Dong! He yed it again, and then again. Not until he had yed ¡°With You¡± and ¡°For Alice¡± wlessly did he stop. He felt as if after the baptism of music, his dusty soul was transparent again. He nced out the window. The sunset was exceptionally bright. ¡°Time for my medicine.¡±
The thick paper was spread out on the desk and the quill was inserted into the inkwell, as Li Si Te (Liszt) fetched two Thorn Magic Potions and one me Magic Potion from the Gemstone Space. The crystal hourss on the table was turned over. As the sand began to fall, he immediately consumed the first Thorn Magic Potion. The gentle Chaotic Magic Power fermented within him and spread out, giving him a sense of swelling. Opening his eyes, he maintained the conversion of Magic Power into Dou Qi while circting it through his meridians, quietly observing the hourss. When five minutes¡¯ worth of sand had trickled down, he suddenly opened a me Magic Potion and downed it in one gulp.
The surging Fire Attribute Magic Power exploded instantaneously; enveloped by the Chaotic Magic Power, it seemed to create a certain chemical reaction, generating an even greater, more surging Magic Power that battered every cell in his limbs and bones. His face reddened, sweat beaded on his forehead, and his body felt a vaguely tearing pain. For a full ten minutes, the pain abated slightly. He nced at the hourss and silently opened the second Thorn Magic Potion, consuming all of its contents. The chaos of the Magic Power surged again, covering his body that had been battered by the me Magic Potion, and solidifying the effects produced by the previous potion consumption. When his body returned to its optimal state, half an hour¡¯s worth of sand also passed through the hourss. The setting sun was about to dip below the horizon. ¡°Ah, so refreshing.¡± Feeling the total amount of Dou Qi climbing higher every day, Liszt¡¯s lips curled into a smile as he began to ink down today¡¯s potion-consumption insights and record data. ¡°Some fine-tuning of the timing is needed, along with a redistribution of the dosage for the me Magic Potion. Reducing the volume of each potion a bit will ensure the least loss for the greatest gain.¡± Recordingplete. He pulled out another piece of heavyweight paper and plotted all the data on a coordinate system with X and Y axes, drawing a curve to precisely measure the direction for subsequent adjustments. Quite a brain drain. Just the coordinate systems drawn for variousparisons numbered eleven, but the final results drawn from these eleven variableparisons were highly urate. He was nearly at the point of deducing the optimal potion-consumption n his body could withstand. Compared to when he had just be an Elite Earth Knight, his total amount of Dou Qi had already increased by one and a half times. He felt like he could take on two Combat Skills-oriented Elite Earth Knights¡ªsuch was the strength of a potion-consuming Elite Earth Knight. Combat Skills focused purely on honing technique.
Potion-consumers merely needed to keep spending money. ¡°No matter how much you train for ten days, it¡¯s not as good as one potion-consuming session: ¡®This must be the so-called ¡°mighty force that ovees skilled maneuvers,¡± where a physically strong person can defeat ten skilled warriors. An Elite Earth Knight who consumes potions daily can defeat ten Elite Earth Knights who can only ponder Combat Skills.¡¯¡± Moreover, Liszt wasn¡¯t just a potion consumer; he was still honing his own Combat Skills. ¡°ming Wave¡± and ¡°Fire Dragon Drill¡± he had fully mastered. ¡°Multi-Arrow¡± too was nearly perfected, and even the Ultimate Mystery Technique Multi-Shadow Arrow, which Marcus had not managed to master, he could execute wlessly. Training talent, potion-financed wealth, diligent perseverance¡ªhe was without theck of any aspect. He stood up, put away the heavyweight paper, and stood in front of the window with his hands sped behind his back, gazing at the distant clouds lit with the glow of fire: ¡°How far am I from bing a Sky Knight?¡± Unknown. All he knew was that continuing to consume potions was the right path! Walking out of the study, he saw the maid Little Lily bending over to clean the corridor, with her ample bottom sticking out as if inviting more picking. Hearing the sound of the door opening, Little Lily hurriedly stood up and curtsied to Liszt: ¡°Master.¡± The young girl appeared ever more slender and graceful. Liszt was in a good mood and wore a mild smile on his face: ¡°You¡¯ve been working hard.¡± ¡°Ah, Master, Little Lily is very happy working in the castle, it¡¯s not hard at all.¡± She hurriedly spoke, her face bearing a sincere smile.
Life in the castle, this timest year, was something she couldn¡¯t have even imagined. Abundant, warm, respectable¡ªit was like a fairytale dreame true. Chapter 306: 304: Return to River Castle (2nd Update) Chapter 306: Chapter 304: Return to River Castle (2nd Update) The castle had ten more maids and ten more manservants. Eight maids were responsible for cleaning the castle¡¯s exterior: Omira, Lucy, Lopa, Ros, Wenna, Glemy, Monica, Belli, and there were also two kitchen maids, Jessica and Anna¡ªit¡¯s worth mentioning that Eileen Four Fingers received a promotion, although she still worked in the kitchen. She had worked for the castle for a full year and was supposed to be promoted to a formal maid. But she loved the kitchen and wished to stay there. Thus, she became a formal kitchen maid, with her wages rising from one to two copper coins per day, the same as Mrs. Abbie¡¯s three kitchen assistants. Of the ten manservants, five were manservant assistants: Isido, Morris, Harris, Sam, and Alger¡ªthey were given all the heavy and rough tasks in the castle. The other five were handed over to One-Eyed Barton, the coachman, to be trained to tend to the castle¡¯s horses, dogs, forests, gardens, and cordyceps. Altogether, there were forty servants, and the castle could no longer amodate them all. Therefore, the newly arrived male and female servants were all arranged to stay in a corner of the town¡¯s civilian residential area, specifically designated as the castle servants¡¯ living quarters, separated by a wall. In addition, the castle also had forty intern girls and boys. Once they grew up, by which time the castle with Liszt¡¯s name should bepleted, they would be qualified servants. Just like the development of the town, the training of servants was an integral part of the nobility¡¯s upbringing.
Seeing the contented smile on Little Lily¡¯s face. Liszt felt the same satisfaction. All these people were living life around him, and being able to bring stability and happiness to those close to him was naturally a very fulfilling matter. ¡°Little Lily, go inform Butler Carter to lead the manservants to move the piano to the Worm Room,¡± he said. ¡°Yes, Master,¡± she replied. Little Lily hurried down the stairs, leaving behind a graceful figure. Liszt watched as she disappeared around the stairwell corner and chuckled softly: ¡°The beauty of youth in her prime, I wonder if she will choose to stay in the castle like Mrs. Morson, remaining unmarried for life, or decide to get married and have children at some point?¡± Although manservants and maids were servants of the castle, they could still get married. However, many maids did not wish to choose marriage; marrying meant having children, and having children meant losing their jobs. It was very hard to return to work in the castle once they had children. Manservants, on the other hand, had no such concerns; their earnings were enough to support a wife and children, and by leveraging rtionships, they could even arrange for their children to work at the castle. Landlords usually trusted the offspring of the castle¡¯s old folks more. There were also many manservants who remained single, Butler Carter being one of them. Sometimes, Liszt found it difficult to understand their way of thinking, dedicating their whole lives to the noblendlords. As of thetest information reported by Butler Carter, there had yet been no development of private affairs between any of the manservants and maids in the castle. When Liszt initially discussed with Butler Carter and established the castle¡¯s regtions, there was no prohibition against manservants and maids dating; it was just that they were not allowed to let their rtionships interfere with their work, nor were they permitted tomit lewd acts within the castle. Soon. Butler Carter led the manservants to move the upright piano into the Worm Room. The room most suitable for the cement of the piano was actually the entertainment room, which could be converted into a practice room with a little renovation. But Liszt didn¡¯t want a separate practice room, as a practice room without grand pianos would seem too shabby. He ced the piano in the Worm Room. ying the piano without an audience was a lonely affair; not only were there numerous Elf Bugs in the Worm Room, but there was also the Thorn Minor Elf J and the Sea Serpent Ake who truly understood music. The Sea Serpent was moremonly known as the Siren because of her enchanting voice. Ake had once hummed a bad from the Duchy of Sapphire into Li Si Te¡¯s ear on azy afternoon, that nightingale-like melodious singing made him linger on, and he almost felt as though he had entered the world described by the song, half-awake, half-dreaming, not knowing where he was.
¡°Brother, is this the piano?¡± the sea sprite hovered in front of the piano, her ankles connected to the seawater, as the seawater buoyed her in midair. A few strands of water obstructed the view into the mysterious area, further provoking the imagination, making one want to peer into the secrets. He momentarily gathered his wits before shifting his gaze to the piano, ¡°This is an upright piano, if you wish to learn, I can teach you how to y.¡± ¡°Mhm, Ake wants to learn,¡± she quickly nodded, but then hesitated, ¡°Let¡¯s not learn now, Ake still has to study magic, so many spells await exploration, hoping Ake can be a Grand Magician one day sooner.¡±
Ake had her own ideas, Li Si Te had no intention of insisting. He was just practicing piano nearby, repeatedly ying ¡°For Alice¡± and ¡°With You¡±, trying to regain the ying technique left by his predecessor as soon as possible. Perhaps it was his exceptional talent, just like his rapid progress in practicing the Dou Qi Manuscript, his piano proficiency was also improving swiftly. The memory of his fingers, called out by music. Before he knew it, Ake¡¯s singing had already begun, softly, as if apanying the piano. ¡°Look, how beautiful the ocean is! How thrilling the emotions! Look, the scenery of nature, how intoxicating!¡± ¡°Look, the berry farm beside the hillside, filled with lipstick-red raspberries, fragrance spreading everywhere, warmth filling every corner.¡± ¡°But you said ¡®goodbye¡¯ to me, abandoning your lover forever, leaving your homnd forever, do you really have the heart not to return? Please don¡¯t abandon me, don¡¯t let me suffer again!¡± ¡°Return to River Fort,e back!¡± This was a very widely circted folk song from the Steel Ridge Kingdom, the story described the berry farm workers in a region called River Fort, hoping their lovers who had left their hometown would return. The author was already unknown. Some say it was the berry farm workers, their husbands off to war, singing out of longing; some say it was a minstrel collecting local tales, who abandoned a heartbroken girl and penned this poem; others say it was thendlord of River Fort, whose wife ran off with someone else, and in immense pain, he created this ¡°Return to River Fort¡±.
The Duchy of Sapphire was a vassal to the Steel Ridge Kingdom; basically, whatever was popr in the Steel Ridge Kingdom would eventually be popr here as well. ¡°Return to River Fort¡± was no exception. In Ake¡¯s singing, Li Si Te gradually felt that his piano ying was not powerful enough to apany her. The sea sprite¡¯s singing belonged to the ocean, not to a small room, not to be apanied by an amateur-level piano yer on an upright piano. However, Li Si Te still tried hard to maintain it. Even under the pressure of the sea sprite¡¯s singing, his ying technique gained a noticeable, epiphany-like growth. He poured his emotions into the piano ying, his fingers linked with his ears, his body swaying with the rhythm. Bang! Bang bang! With thest note struck, Ake¡¯s singing also happened to stop. His mood was exhrated, his ying skill skyrocketed, as if he had already be a master. He couldn¡¯t help but grasp Ake¡¯s slender fingers and kissed the back of her snow-white, delicate hand passionately yet gracefully, ¡°This was a wonderful coboration, Ake.¡± Ake blushed, her eyes like pools of water, she responded softly through her nose, ¡°Mhm.¡± Chapter 308: 0306: New Fire Dragon Brick Factory (Fourth update, additional for 4000 monthly votes) Chapter 308: Chapter 0306: New Fire Dragon Brick Factory (Fourth update, additional chapter for 4000 monthly votes) ¡°For instance, if Mbapp¨¦ made a mistake, wouldn¡¯t directly bringing him to Fresh Flower Town suffice? As long as it¡¯s not murder, rebellion, rape, or other heinous acts, I should be able to save him,¡± Liszt thought to himself. Still, he was puzzled, what kind of error would cause Coral Ind¡¯s renowned architect, who continues to buildrge structures for the Tulip Family, to be cast away? He even considered some unsavory possibilities, but given Mbapp¨¦¡¯s advanced age, he likely couldn¡¯t do anything too terrible. ¡°Therefore, I¡¯ll first have Abagon use the eyes of the Fresh Flower Caravan to pay more attention to Mbapp¨¦ and see what unfolds.¡± One hand on the brick factory, the other waiting for a mistake. Liszt quickly arranged it. He himself also cut back on his recent degenerate lifestyle and began to dive into his ambitious endeavors. He now had several research topics in hand, for instance, how to write annals like ¡°Dragons Fight in the Wild¡±, how to scientifically consume Magic Potions, as well as the analysis of rubber properties, plus the technical research of Fire Dragon brick-burning. Analysis of rubber properties. It had him writing content of over a dozen thick parchments.
From all aspects, the new type of rubber produced by the Rubber Tree, except forcking the softness and sticity of Earth¡¯s rubber, was in all other respects a perfect adhesive¡ªlightweight, sturdy, quick-setting, fire-resistant, cold-resistant, waterproof, insect-proof, non-toxic, odorless, shape-retaining, and impermeable to water and air. Buckets bonded with rubber worked surprisingly well, eliminating worries about poor cooperage leading to leaks. Liszt had also tested items bonded with rubber against Magic Power Attacks and discovered a very pleasant fact¡ªthat rubber wasn¡¯t significantly reactive to Magic Power. Against Magic and Dou Qi attacks, it only bore the brunt of the physical impact. A frenzied Dou Qi me known as ¡°Great Fire Wave,¡± when used against a damaged Shield bonded with rubber, inflicted damage that was uniformly distributed and did not cause the rubber-bonded area any greater harm. ¡°That is to say, rubber could be an excellent material for repairing weapons¡­ I could recycle some of the damaged weapons from the battlefield and repair them with rubber. They should be able to regain 90% of their quality,¡± After discovering this secret, Liszt ranked rubber alongside ck Blood Treasured Horse as a material of strategic importance. Recently, he began experimenting with additives to rubber¡ªthat is, using rubber as an additive to test various physical effects. First was water. The rubber in its liquid state could dissolve in water, and after stirring, it became a turbid white liquid¡ªrubber water. Rubber water wouldn¡¯t solidify, but after sitting for half an hour, it would gradually rify and ayer of rubber solid would precipitate at the bottom of the container. He had also tried adding sand to rubber water, or rather, stirring sand into rubber water. The miraculous result quickly appeared before his eyes. Arge lump of sand solidified. It solidified like rock into one piece, and even hammering it with an Iron Hammer would not break it. Its hardness was alreadyparable to the granite used in constructing Castles, far surpassing the effect of concrete after it set. ¡°So, have I now obtained the long-desired¡­ new-type lightweight effective quick-setting concrete?¡± The follow-up experiments hadn¡¯t started yet. But he had already thought about what would happen if he mixed rubber water with metals, gravel, sawdust, earth, and so on. Maybe the era of bricks was not yet upon us, and the era of reinforced concrete had already arrived¡ªthe only downside was that the output of rubber was too low to be used as casually as cement. Expanding the scale of Rubber Tree cultivation was imperative. For now, he set aside the experiments with rubber water and began to prepare for the Fire Dragon brick-burning experiment.
¡­ He ordered the serfs to collect soil from different parts of Fresh Flower Town, including the yellow y from the seaside, the red sandy soil beside the river channel, the brownish soil from the wastnd, and the ck g soil from the Thorn Ridge area. After mixing with water, he began to shape the mixture into brick nks, and then handed them over to the Magic Little Fire Dragon for firing. Unlike normal furnace fire, the Magic Little Fire Dragon¡¯s trajectory could directly calcine from the inside. So the speed and effectiveness of brick firing were significantly enhanced.
Half an hourter, the bricks had been fired into shape. Li Si Te first tried quenching them with water to cool them down. Then, the ck g soil bricks from Thorn Ridge snapped and broke apart; although the red sandy soil bricks from beside the river channel did not break, they showed several cracks. Faced with this situation, Li Si Te didn¡¯t immediately dere the failure of the ck g soil and the red sandy soil. He continued to fire a second batch. This time, he opted for natural cooling. After cooling, the four types of bricks showed varied results. The seaside yellow y bricks were somewhat distorted in shape; the Thorn Ridge ck g soil bricks did not break again but were full of cracks and crumbled when tapped. He tested the hardness of the other three types of bricks and found that the red sandy soil bricks were also not usable, crumbling with a firm tap. The brownish soil from the wastnd performed the best, with shapesrgely intact and the hardness almost reaching that ofmon rocks. ¡°So, brownish soil should be the main raw material for brick-making, but I still need to experiment with the firing of mixed soils.¡± After two days of exploration. He finally settled on using four-fifths brownish soil mixed with one-fifth yellow y. The blended soil that came out had a nice viscosity and could be used as the y for brick-making. The fired bricks were grayish-brown and slightly less hard than rocks. But they were also lighter in weight. Since the Magic Little Fire Dragon fired them from the inside out, bricks could be shaped into various forms, not only for making bricks but also for producing tiles, and even stone bs and culverts. With the raw materials sorted out, the next step was how to build a kiln. He couldn¡¯t remember what a red brick kiln looked like or understood the working principle, but it all came down to using fire. Kilns on Earth burned coal, but he would use the Magic Little Fire Dragon directly, so the structure and design of the kiln should be redesigned.
¡°Once the Magic Little Fire Dragon is released, it¡¯s difficult to recall it¡­ And it¡¯s not easy to get the bricks out of the furnace after they are fired; maybe I¡¯ll need to enlist stonemasons to construct a stone wheel cart that can be pushed.¡± The rough shape of the new-style kiln was already forming in his mind. A single kiln could be designed to be the size of a room, with several rows of kilns lined up next to each other. Inside the kiln, ce the Magic Little Fire Dragon, and at the bottom of the dragon¡¯s activity area, design a stone wheel cart that can be pushed back and forth. After loading the cart with brick nks, the serfs would push the cart into the kiln with force. Once the bricks were fired, they would pull the cart out with force, quench it with water to cool it down, unload the bricks, and restack the nks. A simple and fast cycle. The stone wheel cart would have to be veryrge. ¡°Fortunately, I have rubber water, otherwise it would be impossible to manufacture a satisfactory stone wheel cart¡­ Without iron, industrial development is indeed severely restricted.¡± With enough iron, one could simply weld together iron carts, which would be more convenient and faster. But without it, stone had to suffice. His thoughts were all rified. He also began drawing the design blueprints. Finally, Li Si Te had time to look up at the white clouds in the sky, ¡°The brick factory should be built on ck Horse Ind¡­ It doesn¡¯t use fuel for brick firing, and since the scale will be quiterge, it could easily expose the secret of the Fire Dragon Magic Power. Fresh Flower Town doesn¡¯t really need bricks, but the construction on ck Horse Ind does.¡±
Chapter 309: 307: Unknown Magic Books (5th Release, 10,000 Coins Reward Celebration) Chapter 309: Chapter 307: Unknown Magic Books (5th Release, 10,000 Coins Reward Celebration) This chapter is an additional update donated by ¡°bittertree¡±. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª- When Marcus returned by boat once again, Liszt, who had just finished inspecting the pottery workshop with Goltai, held a secret meeting with Marcus. ¡°This is the design for the brick factory. Take a look, can you understand it?¡± The blueprint of the Fire Dragon Brick Factory was fairly descriptive. Liszt had been drawing many designstely and they were no longer so abstract. However, Goltai and Marcus still couldn¡¯t understand the blueprint as they were unaware of the secrets of the Fire Dragon¡¯s magical power, making it hard for them toprehend a kiln that did not burn fuel. Liszt simply exined, ¡°You can think of it as a magic array, an array that concentrates fire attribute mana.¡± He drew a circle in the nk space of the kiln: ¡°Here is the effective range of the magic array. The stone wheel cart pushes the bricks to this position, and the fire attribute mana begins to calcine the bricks. In short, build a kiln on ck Horse Ind ording to the blueprint first, and I will set up the magic arrayter.¡± ¡°Yes, my lord!¡± After discussing the brick factory, Liszt suddenly asked, ¡°Teacher Marcus, did youe across any special trees when you were transnting rubber trees on the ind?¡± He wanted to inquire about those three wild tea trees. ¡°Special trees?¡± Marcus was puzzled, ¡°My lord, there are indeed some trees on the ind whose species we can¡¯t identify. However, to say they¡¯re special, there doesn¡¯t seem to be anything remarkable about them.¡±
¡°After you return, mark all the trees whose species you can¡¯t identify. I will take a look myself¡­ Since there are magical trees like the rubber trees on the ind, there may be other trees just as magical¡­ In addition, I have already researched the properties of the rubber produced by the rubber trees.¡± He shared his notes on rubber quality: ¡°The importance of rubber can now be said to have surpassed that of magic potions.¡± ¡°Truly amazing,¡± Goltai muttered as he flipped through the notes, expressing wonder. Then he added, ¡°My goodness, its effect in building houses is as miraculous as sticky rice.¡± Mortar made from cooking sticky rice is the most important binding material in castle construction. Castle walls constructed with sticky rice mortar can stand for hundreds of years. A noble¡¯s castle not built with sticky rice mortar would be considered inferior. Especially in this world, sticky rice mortar has properties that resist magic, so magic and Dou Qi cause much less damage to the walls. The properties and effects of rubber water are indeed simr to those of sticky rice. Marcus also marveled, ¡°At first, I didn¡¯t think it would be useful, but now, looking at it again, it is indeed a precious resource as you predicted, my lord!¡± ¡°Knightly glory favors us; I knew my lord was the Son of Glory. Otherwise, how could there be so many marvelous treasures born in Fresh Flower Town and ck Horse Ind?¡± Goltai quickly ttered. Liszt smiled slightly. It was not that he was the Son of Glory but rather because his Smoke Mission was influencing the power of destiny. These rubber trees, magic potions, Rapid Growth Iron Thorns, and so on¡ªall grew naturally. Truly, it should be attributed to this magical world. While these nts and animals are quite simr to those on Earth, they exhibit extraordinary characteristics in many aspects. The influence of magic power on this world manifests in every aspect. Those seemingly familiar things¡ªwho can guarantee the sparks that will collide when theybine with magic power? The sticky rice that can build castles is certainly not ordinary sticky rice. The tea trees used for making milk tea are also definitely not ordinary tea trees. Rubber with thebined benefits of cement and superglue is naturally not ordinary rubber. ¡­ In the midst of Liszt¡¯s busy efforts for the brick factory. News from Abagon of the Fresh Flower Caravan stirred his interest¡ªa troubling event had taken ce. Jomaya Bangtu, the apprentice who had been studying under the architect Mbapp¨¦ for many years, was used of adultery with Mbapp¨¦¡¯s daughter-inw, resulting in his dismissal from the architectural team and subsequent imprisonment. Unsurprisingly, given Mbapp¨¦¡¯s influence, it was certain he would bribe the prison officials to kill Jomaya¡ªif that was indeed his intention.
¡°Committing adultery with his teacher¡¯s daughter-inw, truly a man of despicable character¡­ Yet, having studied architecture under Mbapp¨¦ for years, his skills should be sufficient to work independently. The so-called reward for the Smoke Mission must refer to Jomaya Bangtu,¡± Liszt surmised. He then instructed Earth Knight Rondo Waterpot to make a trip to Tulip Castle. He ordered, ¡°Contact Mr. Frank and have him extract a man from prison for me, Jomaya Bangtu. Don¡¯t be stingy with the expenses, just charge it to the castle¡¯s ount.¡± With his current partnership with Levis, asking Frank to handle a task was trivial. Moreover, it was just the matter of taking a prisoner.
No matter how esteemed architect Mbapp¨¦ was, he was merely amoner; on Coral Ind, the Tulip Family¡¯s word wasw. Ten Mbapp¨¦s couldn¡¯t stop them if they wished to save Jomaya. ¡°However, we must still give Mbapp¨¦ some respect. Tell Frank to let the prison give Jomaya a good thrashing, but not to kill him. Then send him over to Fresh Flower Town,¡± Liszt added. ¡°Yes, my lord!¡± Rondo epted themand and left. ¡­ In only a day and a half, Jomaya Bangtu, whose posterior was nearly whipped into quarters, was brought by carriage to Fresh Flower Town. ¡°Jomaya, you should have died in prison. Remember, it is our lord, the Landlord of Fresh Flower Town, Baron Liszt, who saved you. You know what you need to do next?¡± Rondo said indifferently. Enduring the pain, Jomaya replied weakly, ¡°Jomaya understands, I will not dare to err again, and I will work earnestly for Lord Landlord hereafter!¡± ¡°The lord admires your architectural skills. From now on, you will workfortably in Fresh Flower Town, and your family will also be brought here,¡± Rondo informed him. ¡°Yes, Jomaya will work hard, grateful for Lord Landlord¡¯s life-saving grace.¡± He was sent off for treatment. Liszt did not meet with him immediately; an apprentice architect, even one of apetent standard, did notmand much attention. He summoned the Smoke Mission; as expected, once the reward was secured in advance, the mission changed.
¡°The task has changed.¡± ¡°Mission: The Fresh Flower Vessel travels back and forth between Fresh Flower Town and ck Horse Ind, braving all weather. Yet, sea voyages bear risks, especially at night, where theck of a lighthouse can lead to a loss of direction. Please construct a lighthouse on ck Horse Ind. Reward: A magic book.¡± After reading the mission details, Liszt suddenly found himself in an awkward position, realizing that he indeed needed to value Jomaya¡¯s expertise. A lighthouse was clearly a sophisticated structure, one that the stonemasons and carpenters of Fresh Flower Town were incapable of constructing properly. ¡°Let Jomaya heal a bit more before summoning him to meet me¡­ The reward for the task is a magic book, that¡¯s rather intriguing. Thest time the reward involved a book, it was about the Formless Dragon and the Dou Qi Secret Technique ¡°The Eye of Magic¡±. So, what could this magic book be? A powerful magic spell to provide to Ake?¡± No one in his territory could perform magic, except for Sea Sprite Ake, who was diligently studying Water Magic. The magic book reward was most likely rted to her. ¡°What kind of magic could it be?¡± Chapter 310: 0308: Merlese’s Magic Apprentice (First Update) Chapter 310: Chapter 0308: Merlese¡¯s Magic Apprentice (First Update) Liszt¡¯s sources for magic books had three channels. One was to purchase from the bookstore in Coral City every time the Fresh Flower Caravan came; another was to obtain magic books for internal exchange from Elkerson; and thest was tomission the caravan from Tulip Castle to buy books from abroad. The reward for the task was very likely to be within one of these three channels. Thinking this way, he felt somewhat indignant, as even without this task, the magic books would still end up in his hands. It felt like taking off one¡¯s pants to fart, an unnecessary act. Nheless, a task that needed to be done had to be done. ¡­ Coral City, a certain small town nearby. At the decrepit hut in the forest, Elkerson True enveloped himself in a cloak, standing at the doorway of the hut. With a creak, the door opened, and an aged woman with dark green hair opened the door. She, too, was wearing a magic cloak, but it was filthy and clearly hadn¡¯t been washed for a long time. ¡°You¡¯vee, Elkerson.¡± ¡°Yes, Merlese Your Excellency,¡± Elkerson said, repressing a frown and attempting to hold his breath; the smell inside the hut was too odd, ¡°Why isn¡¯t it your magic apprentice opening the door instead, requiring us to bother you to do so?¡± ¡°Clumsy and useless waste, he has already been turned into a pile of fertilizer for nting flowers,¡± said Merlese Truth indifferently while recounting the private murder.
Elkerson tugged at the corner of his mouth, wanting tough but unable to do so. He could only change the subject, ¡°Your friend, has he brought you new magic books?¡± Merlese let out a cold smile, ¡°Of course, he did. What about you, Elkerson, have you prepared the gold coins you swindled from Lord Little White?¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t deceived Baron Liszt, it was just a normal business transaction.¡± ¡°Heh, I¡¯ve noticed you frequent the Songbird Tavern more than you have the entirest year,¡± Merlese licked her dry, cracked lips, pondering something, her gaze flickering, ¡°Young people should exercise restraint, not indulge themselves upon earning money; the path to Truth requires solitary exploration.¡± ¡°Thank you for your advice, Your Excellency Merlese. If there¡¯s nothing else, I would like to receive the magic books first. I have some other matters to attend to.¡± ¡°Come with me.¡± Upon entering the hut, Merlese pointed to a wooden chest: ¡°Here are the new batch of magic books, no duplicates, a total of fifty-one, I¡¯ll charge you three Gold Coins.¡± ¡°Last time, a chest of magic books only cost two Gold Coins.¡± ¡°Prices have gone up,¡± Merlese smirked sinisterly, ¡°Since you can swindle more money from Lord Little White, why care so much about a small sum of one or two Gold Coins?¡± ¡°Your Excellency Merlese, please don¡¯t spread baseless rumors, my business dealings with Baron Liszt have always been open and above board, with no underhand short-changing.¡± ¡°Heh, take your lies to deceive the Specters, three Gold Coins, not one less.¡± ¡°You¡¯re practicing extortion, fifty-one magic books for three Gold Coins, I can hardly bear such a price.¡± Despite the haggling, Elkerson ultimately paid three Gold Coins with great reluctance in the end. He appeared deeply aggrieved as he gestured to a magic apprentice who had apanied him to carry the chest away, and with a quick ¡°farewell,¡± left the malodorous forest hut. On the way back. The magic apprentice curiously asked, ¡°Teacher, there was a strange smell in Your Excellency Merlese¡¯s hut ¡­ she looked very sloppy.¡± ¡°Not every magician is as cultured as I am, nor is every magic apprentice as fortunate as you to have a teacher who loves peace¡­ Your Excellency Merlese¡¯s magic apprentices tend to change every month; there¡¯s always some naive youngster who thinks magic is some kind of noble existence.¡± ¡°Ah, Your Excellency Merlese is that harsh with her magic apprentices, needing to get rid of one every month?¡±
¡°Get rid of?¡± Elkersonughed as if he had heard a joke, ¡°Ha ha, Hans, you should learn to speak less, or it will betray a seriousck of knowledge.¡± However, he did not continue to exin. He left behind a puzzled youth, struggling to carry the box, following closely behind him. Back in his residence, Elkerson dismissed Hans to meditate, then began to organize the books in the box. Merlese had sold him the books for three gold coins, which was indeed steep, but he could re-categorize the books, taking out ones with higher value separately.
¡°Quinn¡¯s Minotaur Conjecture? Hmm, this oddity that Merlese considers useless should fetch a nice price. Baron Liszt likes this kind of¡­ uninhibited imagination,¡± he selected the book and set it aside. He then picked out a few more, such as ¡°Kamchatka¡¯s Giant Footprints: An On-Site Verification¡±, ¡°Rondo Truth¡¯s Travels in the Brass Grand Duchy¡±, ¡°Analysis of the Principle of Magic Turning Frogs into Sheep¡±, and so on. Finally, he came across a¡±Secrets of Sea Serpent Aquatic Monsters¡± and after closely reading a few pages, he said, ¡°This probably won¡¯t fetch a good price, it¡¯s just some dry notes on the habits of aquatic monsters. Baron Liszt wouldn¡¯t like this sort of dull notes.¡± So he threw the book back into the box. The books in the box were sold separately, with no bargaining. Looking at therge stack of organized books, heughed, ¡°These should sell for five, maybe six gold coins¡­ But next time I need to contact a new magician to buy books. Merlese, that old witch, is just too greedy¡­ It¡¯s a pity that the magic casting schemes I want are so hard toe by.¡± Once you get the taste for it, selling magic, something despised by the magical world, you find it hard to stop. Especially since the recent payment for the Fresh Flower Brew, where Baron Liszt directly paid twenty gold coins to purchase the Rock Grenade spell schema. Netting twenty gold coins in one go, Elkerson quickly fell in love with the sensation. ¡°Next, I need to expand mywork, and make contact with magicians from the outer inds.¡± ¡­ Liszt was not concerned with Elkerson¡¯s business methods. He of course knew that whether it was buying magic books or refining magic potions, Elkerson was bound to make a handsome profit, but that¡¯s the nature of a technological monopoly. Paying any magician for work required sufficient technical fees.
Unless he personally trained a magician¡ªperhaps the future Sea Sprite Ake could help refine magic potions, but she was not yet up to the task. For now, he could only pay with money. The ie from the second batch of Fresh Flower Brew was swiftly in hand, a full two hundred gold coins. The nobles of Coral Ind quickly adopted a taste for Fresh Flower Brew¡ªnot that they had a choice, as the sale of Juniper Wine had been banned on the ind. With ample gold coins, he didn¡¯t care about the bit of money given to Elkerson. He felt wonderful every day. The iron wood thorn products of the carpentry workshop were also gradually making headway in the market. The iron wood grade quality, just slightly more expensive than ordinary wood products, was quickly favored by the lesser nobles, and orders flowed in continuously. Clothes racks, rocking chairs, drawer cabs¡ªthese three types of modern furniture were also quite popr, earning a good number of orders. All the carpenters in the small town were so busy they had to have their meals delivered, working from dawn till dusk making various wooden items, which were then sold throughout Coral Ind via the caravan. ¡°Fresh Flower Town is now thriving, Charles, you should be able to feel it,¡± said Zambrotta, serving as the diplomat of Fresh Flower Town while entertaining a noble. An Elite Earth Knight with a Thunder Attribute. Charles Trap, an Honored Knight with a title. He was an outsider and a wandering stranger who didn¡¯t fit in with the nobles of Coral Ind, powerful, yet unable to find a ce of his own.
Chapter 311 - 0309: Beware of being deceived (Second update) Chapter 311: Chapter 0309: Beware of being deceived (Second update) There was a group of nobles. They followed their Lord into battle, only for the Lord to die on the battlefield. The fiefcked an heir and was directly annexed by the superior Lord. However, the superior Lord refused to recognize thended rights of this group of followers of the deceased Lord. Consequently, theirnds were stripped away, leaving them with nothing but an empty noble title. And there was a group of impostors. What they were best at was forging their own noble identities, such as a bankrupt Honored Knight, a Baron¡¯s follower whose Lord had died, or a Viscount wrongfully deprived of hisnds. In short, they possessed so-called noble statuses, fabricating all sorts of fallen backgrounds. The state¡¯s vast territory and backward transportation made it very difficult for ordinary nobles to verify these impostors upon encounter. Thus, when dealing with such ¡°nobles,¡± their approach was to extend a courteous reception once or twice but never to truly acknowledge the other¡¯s noble status. Charles Trap was one such noble. Originally a follower of Count Feirn, who fell on the battleground of the Eagle Kingdom seven years ago, leaving no offspring to inherit the title, his Lord, Marquis Wace Pineapple Green, reimed the fief ording to thews of the Grand Duchy. He refused to recognize the legitimate rights of Count Feirn¡¯s followers to thend. Marquis Wace believed that it was the failure of his followers that led to Count Feirn¡¯s death, and thus, he stripped them of all theirnds. Charles was deprived of hisnds, and he harbored resentment, thinking Marquis Wace too greedy. He left Pineapple Green Family¡¯s domain of Deep Throat Ind and wandered to Coral Ind. Li Weiliam Tulip did not take Charles¡¯s word for it¡ªhe was not familiar with Feirn, and even less about his followers. Therefore, on Coral Ind, Charles became a marginalized man. He could join the battlefield, might be inducted into a mixed Knight Order, but even after fighting desperately, he still couldn¡¯t earn much merit. The Earl simply didn¡¯t care about such an Elite Earth Knight; his elite Knight Order was made up of Elite Earth Knights. The two Viscounts were also unwilling to share their merits, much less with an outsider, a knight ¨C and possibly an impostor. As a result, Charles wasted seven years and gained nothing. He began to set his sights on Fresh Flower Town. Initially, he wrote to Goltai, recounting old times, after all, they were both dispossessed nobility. Now, he simply came in person to Fresh Flower Town, making his intentions clear as day. Yet, Liszt did not see him and only arranged for Zambrotta to receive him¡ªLord Landlord of Fresh Flower Town, too, was cautious, fearing that if the other party were truly an impostor, his lifetime reputation could be ruined in an instant. Dealing with a knight of unknown origin required caution. In his former life, Liszt had heard of many high provincial officials who were deceived by imposters, shaming themselves all the way to their grandmother¡¯s house. When the time for the banquet came, he kept Zambrotta back. He inquired about the reception of Charles, ¡°What do you think of Charles?¡± ¡°My Lord, from what I know of Charles, his strength is indeed formidable, but as for his identity¡­ Many strong knights prefer to take shortcuts. If they can impersonate nobles and attain glory without fighting on the battlefield, why would they risk their lives there? As you know, not every Elite Earth Knight can obtain a noble status,¡± replied Zambrotta. ¡°I need some more objective information,¡± said Liszt. Zambrotta was indeed worldly-wise and had a knack for amusing conversation; however, he had one bad habit¡ªhe liked to talk broadly about theories without getting involved in practical matters. Good at abstract ideas, butcking in practicality. After clearing his throat, Zambrotta answered, ¡°I¡¯ve heard that he used to fight quite bravely in the battlefield a few years ago, but in thest two years, his performance started to be mediocre. He tries too hard to fit into the circle of nobility, often overexerting and appearing too deliberate. When I received him today, I could feel that he was too anxious.¡± ¡°Too anxious?¡± ¡°Yes, he kept bringing up Lord Landlord yourself during our conversation, which made me feel that his intentions were too strong, and he was always trying to hide something,¡± Zambrotta tried to sound more earnest. ¡°We can clearly see the purpose of his visit to Fresh Flower Town, but he seems to think that we can¡¯t.¡± To put it crudely, it¡¯s as if ¡°he wants to y the harlot but also erect a memorial archway.¡± Liszt understood and responded, ¡°Then continue hosting him without agreeing to anything. Let him hang for a while to see clearly what he needs to do, and then I¡¯ll meet with him again.¡± First, dismantle the other party¡¯s facade. Then, engage in an honest meeting to discuss the intertwined interests of following and being followed. ¡­ In the following days, Liszt became very busy, as he went to ck Horse Ind. The sparks of inspiration from the inventor surged, prompting him to order others to carry Jomaya Bangtu on a stretcher, personally overseeing the construction of the kiln at the Fire Dragon Brick Factory. ¡°I brought you here, not just to have you guide the stonemasons in building the brick factory¡¯s kiln but also to hope you will learn about the help rubber water provides to construction,¡± he said to Jomaya. Then he entered a simply constructed kiln, took out a Fire Dragon Jar filled with Fire Dragon Magic Power, and released the magic power. After several adjustments, he sessfully confined the activity range of the Magic Little Fire Dragon within the calcination space of the kiln. He then instructed the stonemasons to use rubber water to bond a stone wheeled cart together, testing the push and pull effect. He personally led people to find the right brown-red soil and yellow y soil on ck Horse Ind, mixing them into a y material. Using a wooden brick mold filled with the mixed y, a rectangle of brick nk was formed with the press of a wooden board. The hundreds of serfs might have been somewhat dull, but they followed orders unconditionally, without needing to ask why, and went straight to work. So the pace was quick. A cart of brick nks was already stacked up. ¡°One, two, three!¡± Chanting the count, the serfs exerted their strength together and pushed the stone wheeled cart into the kiln, starting the calcination. This would take some time. Liszt then went to the other side where Jomaya was observing the serfs mix rubber water with the beach¡¯s sand and stones, then pile up a new brick factory¡¯s kiln. ¡°What do you see?¡± ¡°Lord Landlord, this rubber water is really incredible. It¡¯s faster than glutinous rice juice which needs at least one day to solidify and a week to bepletely firm. You asked me to build a lighthouse, and I originally estimated it would take a month toplete. Now it seems, maybe it will only take a few days!¡± Jomaya eximed. Building a lighthouse was no easy task. It first required choosing a perilously high location, usually atop cliffs or reefs, involving not just the transport of materials but also significant danger. The stone construction would also need to solidify for a long time, and building arge lighthouse was even more challenging. But with the fast-setting effect of rubber water, the construction time would be reduced significantly, and it was no difficult task to build a lighthouse in a short time with massive umtion of manpower and materials. Liszt didn¡¯t n on building arge lighthouse. He only intended to build a small ten-meter-tall lighthouse on the nearby Rocky Beach of ck Horse Port. Once equipped with a Crystal Lamp, a range of two or three kilometers would be sufficient. Moreover, the lighthouse would only be lit when the Fresh Flower Vessel navigated at night¡ªalthough ck Horse Ind was not on a sailing route and was only discovered by the Rats by ident, if one or two ships happened to pass by, a lighthouse shining all night would undoubtedly expose ck Horse Ind¡¯s coordinates. Now was not the time to expose ck Horse Ind. But even if it were exposed, Liszt wasn¡¯t particrly concerned¡ªThe Earl was on the rise, and the Grand Duke, even if aware, would not rashly assign ck Horse Ind and annoy his own ¡°groomsman¡±; Liszt himself was also on the rise, and as long as he kept the secret of the ck Blood Treasured Horse, the Earl would not vex his own son. In the meantime, The first batch of bricks had been fired. Chapter 312 - 0310: Spring Tea Harvesting and Frying (Third Update) Chapter 312: Chapter 0310: Spring Tea Harvesting and Frying (Third Update) Ssh water for cooling. Great plumes of smoke rose from the grayish-brown bricks as a serf, wearing gloves, removed a few and handed them to Liszt, Goltai, and Marcus. ¡°Test the hardness.¡± ng, ng! Two hammer strikes shattered the brick. ¡°The hardness is mediocre, the level of firing is not enough, let¡¯s try another kiln.¡± Liszt said calmly, as this batch of bricks obviously did not meet the quality of his experiments. The next batch took an extra ten minutes to fire, a full half hour before leaving the kiln. After cooling with water, the hardness of the grayish-brown bricks met the standards, hardly inferior to the hardness of granite. Jomaya Bangtu felt the hardness and weight of the bricks on a stretcher, and couldn¡¯t help but exim again, ¡°Lord, with bricks of this uniform shape, constructing any building would be very convenient. Compared to those fragile ceramics, the hardness of the bricks is just like stone.¡± ¡°As long as they¡¯re useful, that¡¯s good. As for the remaining brick kilns, I¡¯ll leave their design andmand to you. Once the brick factory construction isplete, start working on the lighthouse immediately.¡± Without Jomaya¡¯s early arrival, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to produce quality bricks at this point andplete the task, encountering Jomaya only after sessful brick manufacturing. However, the Smoke Mission had changed, with Jomaya arriving ahead of time, and he had begun preparations for the lighthouse construction, significantly shortening the task¡¯s time frame. Liszt turned and asked Marcus, ¡°Teacher Marcus, have you chosen a location for the lighthouse yet?¡± ¡°Captain Kostor and I have inspected the site in person, and we¡¯ve decided to build it one mile west of ck Horse Port. Thend there is high, with a good viewing angle, the lighthouse will be very clear from the ships. Additionally, the surrounding Rocky Beach will not obstruct walking, making transportation of building materials very convenient.¡± ¡°Then we¡¯ll construct the lighthouse at that location, Consultant Goltai, continue to oversee the brick factory construction.¡± ¡°As you wish, Lord Landlord.¡± With the construction supervision tasks assigned to Goltai, Liszt, along with Marcus, Lasse, and Griffin, mounted his steed Lightning andmenced another task of their journey on ck Horse Ind¡ªsearching for wild tea trees. Trees were already scarce on the ind. Most of them were rubber trees. Therefore, trees of indiscernible varieties were very rare. It took only a day for Liszt to find the reward from the previous Smoke Mission, three wild tea trees. These three wild tea trees, growing closely together on the northern slope of Ice Grass Hill, were clearly visible at a nce. These shrub-type tea trees weren¡¯t very tall, at just about two meters. With numerous branches in a wild, disorderly fashion, these treescked the neatness of those cultivated by humans. It was March, and the buds of the wild tea trees had just started sprouting, slightly different from the tender buds of tea trees in Liszt¡¯s memory, with less distinct serrated edges and less pronounced bud heads. They were not as refined as the domesticated tea trees. In tea picking, particrly spring tea, one could pick single buds, as well as one bud with one leaf or one bud with two leaves. A single bud is just the newly emerged bud, not yet formed into a young leaf; one bud with one leaf is when a bud has grown into a young leaf; one bud with two leaves is when two buds have grown into young leaves. Some people enjoy drinking the single buds, where typically forty thousand buds are needed to produce one pound of single buds. The undeveloped single buds have a freshness that isn¡¯t fully expressed, a slight bitterness, and are not resistant to multiple infusions. Yet, those who like them savor the buds¡¯ delicate fragrance and sweetness, as well as the noble ambiance they evoke. The first and second leaves are rathermon, well-developed with plenty of amino acids and vitamins, and the aroma of the tea is also sufficient. However, when brewed, they do not have the visually pleasing aspect of the ¡°stand-up-like-a-needle¡± form seen in single buds, and the rich vor of the teacks a few threads of elegance. Premium Longjing tea, for instance, is made from the roasting of single buds. Liszt had no familiarity with this knowledge; before his transmigration, he was just an ordinary wage earner, consuming more beverages than tea. His understanding of tea came from pervasive advertisements on video websites, learning aboutrge-leaf teas, small-leaf teas, the numerous processing steps, and how aged experts personally supervised production. ¡°If I¡¯m not mistaken, these three trees should be called tea trees,¡± Liszt said, standing in front of the wild tea trees, speaking indifferently. Full of curiosity, Marcus asked, ¡°ck tea trees? My Lord, ck tea trees don¡¯t quite look like this. Their leaves have a slightly reddish, plump shape, and they bear fruit.¡± ¡°This is¡­ a green tea tree,¡± Liszt said. ¡°I read in a magic book that green tea trees arepletely different from ck tea trees. Their young buds can be picked and roasted to be brewed directly into tea, which is very beneficial for health.¡± ¡°Green tea tree?¡± Marcus chewed over the name of the tree without saying much more; he understood that he did not possess the extensive knowledge of Liszt¡ªthe youngndlord, who was well-read and knew many things. The rubber tree was the best example: without the Lord Landlord¡¯s wisdom, they would have missed something of tremendous importance like rubber. Without any dy, Liszt gave a direct order to gather a group of female serfs to pick the young buds of the three green tea trees. Regardless if they were single buds or one bud with one or two leaves, or even with three or four leaves. Pick first and talkter. Of course, with his middle school biology knowledge, he knew that tea picking should focus on the tips of the tea tree. This is because of the apical dominance in nts¡ªtop buds grow first and suppress the growth ofteral buds. After the top buds are picked, theteral buds will grow, and the growth of the tea tree will not be affected. Nearly fifteen hundred serfs were now working on ck Horse Ind. There were also many female serfs. Griffin called for twenty of them and brought severaldders to pick the top buds of the green tea trees. Watching the serfs at work, Liszt suddenly thought of a legend about tea picking¡ªthe Lip Tea. The story goes that there is a kind of tea leaf picked by virgins using their mouths, imbued with the unique fragrance of virgin saliva. After being roasted, the tea is further processed by being ced near the bosom of virgins for vor infusion, resulting in newly produced tea that is fragrant and fresh, carrying the unique scent of virginity¡ªa tea called Lip Tea. The legend is not credible; at least Liszt did not believe it. If the virgins picking the tea happened to resemble the unattractive character Feng Jie, he doubted anyone would be willing to drink such Lip Tea. In two hours, the serfs had picked most of the top buds, which wasn¡¯t a lot, roughly two pounds. With the two pounds of tender leaves and buds, Liszt was ready to catch a boat back to Fresh Flower Town¡ªthe work on ck Horse Ind was under the watchful eyes of Goltai and Marcus, so there would be no problems. Just before departure, Goltai looked at him wistfully, ¡°My Lord, Freya is nine months pregnant and could give birth at any time, yet I can¡¯t be by her side.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, once the lighthouse construction is finished, you cane back¡­ Consultant Goltai, Fresh Flower Town is important, but so is the development of the port town on ck Horse Ind. It needs you to maintain things for a while longer; Teacher Marcus simplycks experience.¡± With things as they were, Goltai could only rally his spirit: ¡°Rest assured, my Lord, I will diligently n the development of the port town!¡± Afterforting Goltai, The Fresh Flower Vessel set sail, cutting through the waves under the blue sky and over the azure sea. Looking at the basket containing two pounds of fresh tea leaves, he couldn¡¯t help but wonder, ¡°I don¡¯t know how many pounds of dry tea these will make, or what the vor will be like when brewed?¡± Chapter 313: 0311: Sword Defeated by Veteran Elite Earth (Fourth Update) Chapter 313: Chapter 0311: Sword Defeated by Veteran Elite Earth (Fourth Update) A pound of fresh tea was fried into about two ounces of dry tea. Mrs. Abbie, following Liszt¡¯s instructions, continuously stir-fried the tea leaves on low heat with her palms until, after about an hour, the leaves had be curly and dried out, signalingpletion. Since he didn¡¯t know the appropriate temperature or what the tea should look like when done, Liszt stored the leaves in the Gemstone Space to keep them fresh. He only took out a pound of fresh tea for the experiment. After the fried tea leaves were spread out to cool, the next day Liszt tried brewing a cup. Watching the curly, dried leaves slowly unfold in the crystal cup with the infusion of hot water, as ifing to life, and seeing the tea¡¯s color gradually turn a light yellow-green, he felt sure that sess was waving at him. Indeed it was. After the tea had cooled down a bit, he immediately began to taste it. Upon the first sip, the familiar taste of tea exploded on his taste buds. He was moved, his eyes even bing a bit misty: ¡°Tea, I have tasted you! This is truly tea¡­ Although it¡¯s a bit bitter and the quality isn¡¯t very good, it is undoubtedly tea!¡± Two ounces of dry tea could brew about ten cups.
In the Gemstone Space, there was still a pound of fresh tea, which could be made into about four ounces of dry tea, equaling about forty cups of tea. ¡°If I drink one cup a day, I can only drink for forty days. After three months, I should be able to pick the summer tea, another forty cups; seems like I can pick again in autumn, another forty cups. That is to say, I can drink one hundred and twenty cups of tea in a year!¡± Liszt thought about it and felt that this wasn¡¯t the right calction. If all the tea leaves were drunk, what would he doter on: ¡°I should focus on cultivating tea trees, but¡­ who can tell me, how do you nt tea trees?¡± Is it through the cutting method? Or perhaps through direct seeding? He wasn¡¯t very familiar with this, and did not recall ever hearing about tea trees flowering and fruiting. ¡°Forget it, let¡¯s wait and see if tea leaves will flower and bear fruit. If they do, I¡¯ll collect the seeds and begin sowing next year; if not, I¡¯ll use the cutting method to nt green tea trees next year.¡± Savoring the pure taste of the tea. Liszt had already decided to cultivate tea trees on ck Horse Ind, even if he didn¡¯t spread tea culture, he should nt a tea garden and fry tea for his own consumption. A cup of tea was finished. He wasn¡¯t sure if it was just his imagination, but he felt noticeably lighter, as if the greasiness from all the meat he had eaten was dissipated by the tea. At dinner, he had a great appetite and ate an extra piece of magical beast meat. ¡­ After a few days of airing out. Through Zambrotta, Liszt knew that the Honored Knight who hade to Fresh Flower Town had gone from initial anxiety but restraint to just irritability, and now to full disappointment. Liszt decided to meet Charles Trap. Regardless, on Coral Ind, the nobles still recognized his title of Honored Knight, and etiquette must not be neglected. ¡°Sir Charles, how have you found your stay in Fresh Flower Town these few days?¡± Liszt asked with a noble¡¯s standard smile, under an apple tree that had just started to bud and was preparing to bloom, rocking in a rocking chair. The weather was agreeable today, very sunny and pleasant.
Charles sat up straight on a stool. Liszt¡¯s reception reignited his previously disappointed heart: ¡°Baron, Fresh Flower Town has a great future!¡± ¡°Many have said so, including my father and my grandfather, Marquis Merlin.¡± Liszt appeared quite casual, and not boastful on purpose, ¡°When I first came to Fresh Flower Town, it was just like many other small towns without andlord, living in privation.¡± ¡°It was your arrival that brought happiness to the civilians of Fresh Flower Town.¡± Charlesmended earnestly. ¡°A person¡¯s fate, ah, must certainly rely on their own struggle, but also consider the historical process¡­ Sorry, you might not understand what history is.¡±
Liszt picked up his milk cup, gesturing for Charles to have some milk as well. He took a sip to moisten his throat. He continued, ¡°The development of Fresh Flower Town is not just due to my leadership, but also the support from Tulip Castle, the ve trade, seafood, Fresh Flower Soap, Fresh Flower Brew. The market isrge but one has to integrate into it to see the broader world. So, Sir Charles, what do you see?¡± ¡°I¡­¡± Charles didn¡¯t understand what Liszt was talking about for a moment. Actually, it was just a pretense of mystery. Liszt didn¡¯t give him time to think deeply and simply said, ¡°I heard you are a veteran Elite Earth Knight with exquisitebat skills and great strength. Recently, my talent has begun to show, and I have defeated more than one Elite Earth Knight, so why not have a sword duel for practice?¡± ¡°Since Baron is interested, Charles is willing to apany Baron in a sword duel practice.¡± ¡°This will be a realbat practice, go all out. I can defeat Elite Earth Knights, I¡¯m not joking.¡± Liszt drew a Fine Steel Longsword and walked onto the grass field. Now considering going into battle, he would not miss the opportunity to spar with an Elite Earth Knight. Charles, about forty years old, took the Fine Steel Longsword handed over by a manservant, and his demeanor abruptly changed. A strong aura emanated from him, even more imposing than Marcus¡¯s. One with Fire Attribute Dou Qi, the other with Thunder Attribute Dou Qi, they were ready to sh. ¡°Great Fire Wave!¡± Liszt made the first move with a fierce attack, typical of his style. Beating the master with wild punches, he didn¡¯t care how exquisite thebat skills were, he relied on his abundant Dou Qi fueled by potions tounch a strong offense. Charles¡¯s sword shed with lightning, swiftly cutting through the sky-full of fire Dou Qi and aiming straight for Liszt¡¯s head.
Precise and ruthless. With just that move, Liszt dared to assert that Charles was stronger than Marcus, stronger than Paris when she wasn¡¯t transformed. But, just this level couldn¡¯t scare Liszt off. His blood boiled even more fiercely, Dou Qi exploding out as if he wanted to release it all at once: ¡°Fire Dragon Sweep!¡± ng! The swords collided, sparks flying everywhere, not just fire sparks but electric ones as well. Liszt¡¯s body, wrapped in Fire Attribute Dou Qi, was still hit by some Thunder Attribute Dou Qi, making the affected areas feel slightly numb. But it hadn¡¯t reached the point of affecting his movements. ¡°Fire Dragon Roll!¡± Another huge burst of Dou Qi exploded, and Liszt came on even more aggressively, pressing Charles in the fight. His rough-looking attack style was actually nuanced, always on the lookout for Charles¡¯s counterattacks. Incorporating feints with reality and asionally sneaking in a clever attack. With such a ferocious fighting style, he caught Charlespletely off guard, gradually wearing him down. Charles wanted to counter, but was surrounded by a sea of mes, unsure of where to strike back. Despite his solid defense, he felt incredibly frustrated, feeling that he was not facing an Earth Knight, but a domineering Sky Knight. However. Being a veteran Elite Earth Knight who had fought on many battlefields, his eyes were bright, searching for any chance to counterattack.
He believed! Violent attacks neverst long. Yet this principle was ineffective against Liszt, who suddenly bellowed, ¡°Inferno sh!¡± His Fine Steel Longsword turned into a fanning rain of fire, wildly assaulting Charles. Just as Charles had barely withstood the explosive attack, there came another roar: ¡°Heart of the Fire Dragon Drill!¡± This time, the Fine Steel Longsword transformed into a fire dragon, gathering up the scattered Fire Attribute Mana from the Inferno sh around it, and charged madly. With one thrust, the Dou Qi-illusioned giant fire dragon crashed heavily into Charles. Bang! Charles¡¯s solid defense crumbled like paper, unable to hold any longer. His longsword flew out of his hand, and the front of his leather armor was heavily struck by the fire dragon, sending him, like the longsword, flying into the air. He somersaulted several times before crashing to the ground heavily. Seeing stars, he was disoriented when he slightly recovered from the dizziness. He suddenly realized a red-hot Fine Steel Longsword was positioned at his neck. The tip of the sword was scorching hot, as if it could sear his skin at any moment. The person holding the sword, standing with his back to the sun, had an unclear face, but his figure highlighted by the light was tall and imposing, involuntarily invoking a sense of submission. ¡°I¡­ lost.¡±
Chapter 314: 0312: Vampire Dracula (Fifth Update) Chapter 314: Chapter 0312: Vampire Drac (Fifth Update) Defeating Charles Trap seemed like amonce matter to Liszt. Just as most who rely on performance-enhancing drugs can defeat those who rely solely onbat skills, money indeed can do as it wishes. But, as Liszt¡¯s opponent, Charles found this difficult to ept; he was over forty years old and had been unable to defeat a youth of seventeen. It was an oue he never expected before the livebat training. The most crucial point was the utterck of resistance¡ªbeing dominated from beginning to end, a situation quite embarrassing. Yet the longsword, emitting a scorching heat, was already at his neck, and Charles had to admit that he truly was defeated, beaten by a young person. This should have been a matter of shame and anger. Taking into ount Liszt¡¯s identity, he quickly came to terms with it. Heir to the Tulip Family and inheritor of the Long Taro Family¡¯s bloodline, such a high-born noble should naturally possess such strength. In the end, he could only sigh and say sincerely, ¡°I¡­ have lost.¡± ¡°There are more than one Elite Earth Knights defeated by my hand; you need not be too concerned. Amongst the Elite Earth Knights, your strength is not bad, and the paralyzing effect of your Thunder Attribute Dou Qi is quite threatening,¡± Liszt said indifferently. In reality, he¡¯d only had friendly spars with Marcus and Paris. It wasn¡¯t really about who won or lost; they weren¡¯t fighting to the death.
But at the Earth Knight level, sword duels were rare, with group charges being the main strategy. Liszt did not n to enter the battlefield for duels anytime soon; he focused more on archery. Learning the ¡°Multi-Arrow¡± technique from Marcus, he had already surpassed the teacher. If it were a battlefield showdown, he¡¯d definitely rely on shooting arrows from the outskirts. ¡°Baron, your strength is formidable. Charles is both convinced and in awe. The bloodline of the Tulip Family is one of the noblest I¡¯ve seen,¡± said Charles as he got up, his words half ttery and half heartfelt, ¡°The only thing separating the Tulip Family from a Marquis Family is time.¡± Liszt tossed his fine steel longsword to the servant and took a handkerchief to wipe his hands, ¡°One should attain a peerage sooner rather thanter; time is the enemy of us all.¡± Charles felt this deeply: ¡°Yes, feeling as enemy to time is indeed terrifying.¡± As an Elite Earth Knight like him, with no hope of breakthrough and no money to spend on drugs, he feared his physical capabilities would start to decline in a few years. That was why he was eager to look for opportunities: ¡°Baron, if you need support on your glorious road to peerage, Charles is willing to charge forward on your behalf!¡± He was prepared to follow. However, Liszt considered, ¡°I am but a Baron, the second son of an Earl. The members of my Knight Squad are knights struggling against their fate, just like me. They have no choice but to fight for glory. What about you? You have so many options, whye to Fresh Flower Town?¡± Of course, because Fresh Flower Town offered opportunities. But Charles knew that such an answer was not what Liszt wanted. Just as knights choose andlord to follow,ndlords also choose suitable followers. He needed to prove to Liszt that he was a worthy follower. But how to prove it, he didn¡¯t quite understand at the moment, ¡°Baron¡­¡± ¡°Do not be hasty, Sir Charles. Time is indeed our enemy, but it can also help us to clearly recognize what we want. You can go back first, take some time to think about what you want and what you can achieve. Then we can talk about following,¡± suggested Liszt. In the end. Charles still left Fresh Flower Town with regret and confusion, as well as a glimmer of hope. ¡­ Under the apple tree. The new conversation partner had turned to Zambrotta, ¡°Sir, you refused to ept Charles¡¯s followership?¡±
¡°No, but I didn¡¯t ept it either. I told him to go back, understand himself, and thene back,¡± Liszt said while sipping his milk tea, ¡°That was just an excuse to send him away. In fact, I haven¡¯t decided whether or not to ept his followership. As you¡¯ve said, his identity is an obstacle.¡± To take an Elite Earth Knight as a follower would actually be quite good. But there was the fear that the other party might be a noble with a fake identity, and if one day they were exposed by fraudsters, it wouldn¡¯t just be Charles who would lose face, but Liszt more so¡ªthe pitiable Noble Landlord deceived by a scammer. Zambrotta nodded, somewhat emotionally, ¡°The very noble title he values most is what¡¯s hindering his path to knightly glory.¡±
¡°Perhaps one day he¡¯ll figure it out and abandon his title for the sake of striving for glory,¡± Liszt chuckled, thinking it unlikely, and changed the subject, ¡°Where did we leave offst time? Was it the Duke of the Rose Duchy¡¯s Count Drac, who was mistaken for a vampire?¡± ¡°Yes, he secluded himself in Blood Castle and never partook in social gatherings among the nobles. He was once the most glorious Sky Knight of the Rose Duchy, even the granddaughter of the Duke of Rose was smitten with him.¡± Talking politics wasn¡¯t Zambrotta¡¯s strong suit, but in storytelling, he was always able to narrate engagingly, ¡°As the Earless sumbed to a deep slumber, Count Drac also became dark and entric. Hence, people said he had made a pact with the devil, turning himself into a vampire, hoping to revive the Earless.¡± ¡°I guess that Earless must have been remarkably beautiful,¡± Liszt guessed. ¡°When I passed Blood Castle, I lingered for a long while, yet rarely heard others discuss the Countess¡¯s appearance, and even the identity of the Earless was elusive¡­ quite regrettable,¡± said Zambrotta. Vampire and werewolf tales were widespread. However, a living Earl being mistaken for a vampire was quite amusing. This provided Liszt with a lot of inspiration, and he felt the urge to write the historical epic ¡°Dragons Fight in the Wild¡±¡ªperhaps he could invent an ancient great war between humans and vampires. The vampires retreated, blending into humanity. Perhaps even amongst us. ¡­ Unfortunately. The writing n for ¡°Dragons Fight in the Wild¡± was dyed once again. He barely managed to settle the matters with the carpentry workshop and the brick factory and hadn¡¯t had a few days of leisure when he received notice from the Tulip Castle¡¯s Knight that the young heir of the Golden Wheat Sheaf Family had visited Long Taro Castle. Levis apanied the return and informed Liszt to attend to the guest.
As fellow noble heirs, they naturally had to socialize with each other. Liszt had no choice but to arrange affairs in Fresh Flower Town and spent a few hours ying by the sea with the Sea Sprite Ake. He then led his standard mount¡ªa Blizzard Beast Dousen¡ªapanied by his Personal Guard, ck Dragon Childe Paris, and set off for Tulip Castle the next morning. ¡°Sigh, nobles are really keen on socializing, always finding ten thousand reasons to gather and feast¡­ I don¡¯t aspire to live such a life,¡± hemented. Sitting in the carriage adorned with the ck Tulip Banner, Liszt boredly gazed at thendscape outside the window. Forests, shrubs, wastnds, farnds, sparsely scattered cottagesposing a vige¡ªthis was an era with significantly backward productivity, full of primordial customs. When the carriage entered Coral City, the bustling crowds almost seemed to pull him back to the dirty and chaotic streets of the medieval ages. Yet, as they traveled up the hillside nketed with a sea of tulips towards the grand and majestic Tulip Castle, What struck him was the light of civilization. The lives of the nobility and themoners were two different worlds. Liszt stepped out of the carriage, and seeing the old Butler Louis greet him, he felt immensely fortunate to be a noble. Chapter 315 - 0313: I’ll Definitely Help You With This (First Update) Chapter 315: Chapter 0313: I¡¯ll Definitely Help You With This (First Update) ¡°Liszt, you must help me!¡± Before even meeting the Golden Wheat Sheaf Family, Levis rushed over and pulled Liszt into a corner of the hall, speaking with some urgency, ¡°Whether my brother¡¯s marriage can be happy falls on your shoulders!¡± What did that mean? Liszt didn¡¯t catch on at first, even wondering if there was something wrong with Levis physically, needing him to stand in. But the next moment, Levis gave his own answer: ¡°Loria has some resistance to Marquis Roderick¡¯s arrangements, and she didn¡¯t show a good face to me during my trip to Golden Ind. Although the marriage is settled due to pressure, she might back out at any time.¡± ¡°Why? With your status, you are definitely a qualified marriage match.¡± An earl¡¯s heir in his ascendant, the future heir to Coral Ind, with talent of his own too, an Elite Earth Knight, ready to break through as a Sky Knight ¨C an ideal match for many noble maidens, that was Levis. ¡°Because she has a bastard sister!¡± Levis said through gritted teeth, ¡°Who always instigates Loria to defy Marquis Roderick and pursue true happiness. I really want to kill her! But I can¡¯t, Loria is very close with her sister, I must win over Rona Sally!¡± Rona Sally Golden Wheat, Loria¡¯s younger sister, had just turned sixteen this year. Liszt inquired, ¡°So what do you need me to do?¡± ¡°Win over Rona Sally!¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Conquer her, just as you did at Long Taro Castle. With your looks, winning over a sixteen-year-old girl should be easy¡­ If the two sisters marry us brothers, it would make a ssic love story that could be written into a knight¡¯s novel.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, brother, I refuse,¡± Liszt said bluntly, ¡°I have no intention of getting married, at least not for now.¡± ¡°You will eventually need a noble wife to apany you for life. Rona Sally is an excellent choice, the daughter of a marquis ¨C you won¡¯t get a better marriage prospect than this.¡± ¡°Sorry, I prefer to let things take their natural course, I don¡¯t like to force matters of status.¡± ¡°I really can¡¯t fathom your thoughts!¡± Levisined, then added, ¡°But no matter what, you must help me win over Rona Sally¡­ My dear brother, for your brother¡¯s happiness, you wouldn¡¯t refuse, right?¡± He had put it that way. Liszt couldn¡¯t refuse, unless he wanted to ruin Levis¡¯s marriage: ¡°Of course, I will try to win over Rona Sally.¡± Being too handsome, sometimes¡­ is also a kind of trouble. Seeing Liszt nod, Levis then took him upstairs to the second-floor hall, where there was something like a family tea party in progress. Around the round table spread with various fruits and pastries sat Lady Penelope, Lady Marie, Li Vera, Lidun, and two unfamiliar young people. One was a male, quite handsome, around twenty years old. The other was a female, with brown-ck hair,rge eyes, a pure face ¨C like a fairy. Thedy¡¯s dress fitted her perfectly, her extraordinary beauty instantly reminded Liszt of Deborah Silva, a Brazilian model he had once followed online. On a scale of ten, she could score an 8.5, almost equal to Duniko Hyacinth¡¯s rating. ¡°Roger, Rona Sally, let me introduce to you, this is my dear brother, Liszt Tulip. He is currently the Baron of Fresh Flower Town, but on Coral Ind, everyone knows that Liszt¡¯s future is boundless, he is the glory of the Tulip Family.¡± In front of others, Levis gave Liszt a lot of face, turning a country baron into the light of Coral Ind. He then introduced to Liszt: ¡°This is Roger Golden Wheat, the son of Marquis Roderick, the heir of Golden Ind, Loria¡¯s brother; and this is Rona Sally Golden Wheat, Loria¡¯s sister, the most beautiful flower of Golden Ind.¡± ¡°Sir Roger, it¡¯s a pleasure to meet you,¡± Liszt said with a smile. ¡°Likewise, it¡¯s a pleasure to meet you, Sir Liszt,¡± Roger responded with a standard nobleman¡¯s smile, using the customary courteous phrases. Liszt looked toward Rona Sally, and from the moment they met, he had decided that, for the sake of his brother¡¯s happy marriage, he must lend a hand, ¡°Miss Rona Sally, it¡¯s a pleasure to meet you.¡± ¡°Hello, Sir Liszt,¡± Rona Sally responded with slight reserve. After the greetings were exchanged. Liszt took off ck Abaie¡¯s coat and handed it to a servant to hang on the rack, then he took his seat. He wasn¡¯t in a hurry to join the conversation, merely smiling and listening quietly. The topics were tedious ¡ª just some nobles¡¯ anecdotes or mutual tteries about the prosperity of each other¡¯s families. Throughout the luncheon, he barely said much, certainly not because he couldn¡¯t get a word in, but purely out of disinterest. Discussing trivial noble anecdotes wouldn¡¯t make him appear witty or conversational; in fact, he only needed to maintain a presence as beautiful as the flowers beside him. The presence of a noble with his aura evidently raised the overall caliber of the gathering by a great margin. Confidence endowed him with charm; no one could overlook the Liszt of today. As lunch ended and afternoon tea began, Rona Sally approached Liszt to strike up a conversation, ¡°I heard from Levis that ¡®To Alice¡¯ is a wonderful piano piece you heard in a distantnd?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know if Levis has told you the story behind ¡®To Alice,¡¯ the heart-wrenching, sincere love between a brother and sister¡­ I heard someone y this piece, but it was iplete, so I added and altered some of the melodies myself.¡± ¡°Then you must be a talented pianist; I tried ying ¡®To Alice¡¯ several times, it sounds so perfect, it¡¯s almost wless.¡± ¡°Almost wless means there are still some minor ws, Rona Sally. May I discuss with you where the ws might be and how to correct them?¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid my skills might not be enough to offer you a better suggestion.¡± ¡°That¡¯s alright, it¡¯s just a mutual exchange. On the piano, I am but a novice. I have a decent grasp of melodies, but I don¡¯t often y the piano, so I need someone who can y proficiently to work with me.¡± Liszt extended an invitation, inviting Rona Sally to the piano room. The Tulip Castle¡¯s piano room wasrge, housing several grand pianos. The servants quickly lifted the covers, brought in tea, and fetched a score of ¡®To Alice¡¯, cing it on the stand. Liszt sat at the piano, his hands gently caressing the keys, the touch of the grand piano iparable to that of his upright piano. ¡°I will y it through first, to familiarize myself with the melody,¡± he stated. Rona Sally smiled and said, ¡°I look forward to your performance.¡± Dong! Without further ado, he began to y like a focused concert pianist, seemingly there only to discuss the piano. His long, powerful fingers danced across the ck and white keys, his whole demeanor merging seamlessly with ¡®To Alice¡¯. He had been emanating a calm aura before. Now, it seemed as if a stream of warm affection was flowing from him. Suppressed and led by the singing of the Sea Sprite Ake, his current technique in ying was masterful, at least for ¡®To Alice¡¯ and ¡®With You¡¯. Ding dong, ding dong, ding dong ding¡­ The crisp notes fluttered through the empty piano room; the slightly chilly atmosphere gradually warmed, the charm of music at work. And the radiance that Liszt exuded. Seated on the stool, her legs together, knees touching, Rona Sally maintained her dignifieddylike posture, her eyes lighting up as she watched Liszt¡¯s shoulders move with the rhythm. Chapter 316 - 0314: The Embrace of a Stumble (Second Update) Chapter 316: Chapter 0314: The Embrace of a Stumble (Second Update) The man ying the piano always brings a feeling called ¡°romantic¡± to women. This is the charm of music, as well as the cultivation of culture. When nobles regard the piano as an essential possession, ying the piano bes synonymous with the best of noble temperament. If, in addition, the man ying the piano is handsome and dashing, that¡¯s even more romantic. The piece ended. Liszt waited for the notes topletely settle in the piano room before turning his head and looking at Rona Sally, who was immersed in the music, ¡°Miss Rona Sally, my performance was not very good, I¡¯m embarrassed.¡± ¡°Just call me Rona Sally.¡± She smiled sweetly. ¡°But I think you yed brilliantly, really. I¡¯ve always thought there were a few minor details that weren¡¯t quite right. But now I see it wasn¡¯t a w in the score but rather in how I didn¡¯t know what technique to use.¡± Liszt raised his eyebrows. Rona Sally continued, ¡°After hearing your performance, I now know that ¡®To Alice¡¯ truly is a wless existence.¡± ¡°Nothing in the world is wless¡ªyour belief that it is is because you¡¯ve learned how to appreciate it,¡± Liszt stood up and extended his hand toward Rona Sally, ¡°Come, try ying it as well. Perhaps you¡¯ll have a burst of new inspiration and find its ws for me.¡± She reached out her hand and ced it in Liszt¡¯s, letting him pull her up. Rona Sally felt the atmosphere was so good at the moment that she sat in front of the piano with a smile on her face, ¡°If I don¡¯t y well, don¡¯tugh at me.¡± ¡°Nobody wouldugh at a beautifuldy.¡± Liszt sat down, picked up a cup, took a sip of the coffee he didn¡¯t particrly like, and assumed a listening posture. Rona Sally took a deep breath. Her not-so-prominent chest quivered slightly, fully revealing her slender figure. Her side sitting posture was dignified, back straight, with an impabledylike demeanor¡ªgood manners cultivated from childhood in a household of nobles. The sound of the piano started, different from Liszt¡¯s style. Each note was yed correctly, but there was somethingcking in liveliness, as if yed deliberately for uracy¡ªit was apparent to Liszt after just a short segment that Rona Sally¡¯s piano level was technically solid and skilled, but truly not gifted. What he heard was not the youthful tenderness of ¡°To Alice,¡± but rather like a schoolchild overwhelmed by homework. Honestly, the level of her ying was a stark contrast to the image of Rona Sally. From what Levis had described, Rona Sally often encouraged Loria to pursue a free marriage. It was hard to imagine someone ¡°longing for freedom¡± could produce such rigid piano ying. When the music ended, The contrast was striking. Rona Sally clearly recognized her issue, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Liszt. I was too nervous while ying.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t feel that way. Indeed, there were two melodies that were a bit stiff, but the rest was quite good, skillful, not a single note misced.¡± ¡°Do you really think so?¡± Rona Sally asked, hopeful, ¡°My piano teacher said I¡¯m not good at expressing my emotions through the piano. But I love ying the piano; it makes me feel like a bird flying.¡± Liszt thought for a moment. It was difficult to praise the ying with a clear conscience, so he replied, ¡°I think you¡¯recking a spark of collision, like there¡¯s something missing in your life, some crazy act?¡± ¡°Would rebelling against my parents count as a crazy act?¡± ¡°Every rebellious young person resists their parents, but those are not the kind of sparks I¡¯m talking about¡­ Have you ever thrown caution to the wind and just ridden a horse at full speed? Instead of having afternoon tea, why not ride a horse and have a good run? That¡¯s what rxation is,¡± Liszt suggested a new leisure. Riding horses, having tea, hunting, ying the piano¡ªthose aremon diversions for nobles. He really didn¡¯t want to listen to Rona Sally y the piano¡ªRona Sally was a fine listener but not a good performer. Ever since he awakened the soul of a pianist, his appreciation for music had ascended dramatically. Though he needed to please Rona Sally to help Levis, he saw no need to torment his own ears. The youngdy nodded gently, ¡°Then let¡¯s go riding.¡± ¡­ Liszt rode on a Li Dragon Horse. Rona Sally rode a brownish-yellow steed from Tulip Castle, which clearly had a much lesser pedigree than the Li Dragon Horse, and appeared uneasy in its presence. North of Tulip Castle, along the slope, was a vast grasnd perfect for a full gallop. As the two horses took off, Rona Sally¡¯s brownish-yellow steed clearly couldn¡¯t match the speed of the Li Dragon Horse and fell behind by a length, and that was with Liszt slowing down. He gently kicked the Li Dragon Horse¡¯s belly, drawing closer to Rona Sally, and shouted against the wind, ¡°From here, further north, is the Rocky Beach by the sea. Rona Sally, when you ride, you must let loose and chase the source of the wind! Only then can you, like the horses, be one with nature.¡± ¡°Go!¡± The Li Dragon Horse elerated. ¡°I understand now, go!¡± Rona Sally too urged her brownish-yellow steed to chase continuously. The wind howled in her ears, a friction of freedom, casting off the restraint of being a nobledy, and letting her spirit soar through the air, which felt extraordinarily liberating. She tilted her head and, through strands of hair tousled by the wind, she watched the handsome rider ahead on horseback who asionally turned back to sh her a smile. Suddenly, she felt that the moments in life worth looking forward to were not when a prince on a white horse slowly led his steed over. Instead, it was when a dark horse prince unexpectedly arrived to sweep you off your feet. Thump, thump, thump¡­ Her heartbeat quickened. She watched the Li Dragon Horse gradually widen the gap and, with a flick of her riding crop, shouted, ¡°Go!¡± The brownish-yellow steed, pained by the whip, broke into a wild gallop, but it still couldn¡¯t catch up with the speed of the Li Dragon Horse, making her anxious as she continued to press it to run faster. As they streamed across the grasnd and entered a rocky wastnd with loose stones, the brownish-yellow steed suddenly stepped on an unstable rock and stumbled, falling over. Caught off guard, Rona Sally was violently thrown to the ground. She let out a sharp scream, ¡°Ah!¡± ¡°Woah!¡± Upon hearing the scream, Liszt immediately reined in the Li Dragon Horse, and with a swift turn, he galloped towards Rona Sally. Dismounting, he knelt on one knee to help her up, and asked with gentle urgency, ¡°Where are you hurt, Rona Sally?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not hurt, just a bit sore from the fall.¡± Rona Sally had trained in Dou Qi, and after flexing her wrist to make sure she was not injured, but only clothed with some soil, she said with a touch of embarrassment, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I was too impatient with my horse.¡± ncing at the side, the brownish-yellow steed seemed to be injured, lying on the ground without getting up, yet its manner of nibbling grass suggested otherwise. But it was obviously not suitable for riding again. Seeing the Retainer Knights had not yet caught up, Liszt carried Rona Sally, ¡°Let¡¯s share one horse for now.¡± He said, gracefully mounting the horse, and ced Rona Sally on the back of the Li Dragon Horse. Encircling Rona Sally¡¯s waist. He nudged the Li Dragon Horse¡¯s belly and spoke, ¡°If you¡¯re not in a rush to go back and change clothes, let¡¯s stick to the original n and head to Rocky Beach by the sea first.¡± Rona Sally shifted her position. Feeling her heartbeat quicken from being held in an embrace, she pretended to be calm and responded, ¡°I¡¯m fine, Liszt.¡± ¡°Go!¡± One horse, two riders, continued to gallop in the sunset. When the Retainer Knights arrived, aside from the horse still lying and eating grass, they saw only the retreating figures of Liszt and Rona Sally, fading towards the seaside. Chapter 317: 0315: This is How a Lord Landlord Should Be (Third Update) Chapter 317: Chapter 0315: This is How a Lord Landlord Should Be (Third Update) ¡°` As Liszt rode the Li Dragon Horse along the shoreline, holding Rona Sally in his arms and admiring the sunset, he had to admit, he didn¡¯t know what to do next. His original intention was just to help Levis, to leave a good impression on Rona Sally, so she wouldn¡¯t coax her sister into pursuing freedom and would settle down to marry Levis. But after the horse stumbled, the two of them ended up riding together. The contact between front chest and back, coupled with the beauty of the sunset sinking into the sea, made the atmosphere unconsciously turn ambiguous. He felt the slight trembling of the petite body in his arms, could even listen to her quickening heartbeat, and the breaths growing heavier and heavier. Suddenly, as if by some telepathic connection, Liszt gently turned her shoulder. She obediently twisted her upper body around, tilting her neck backward, closing her eyes. Liszt leaned forward, looking at her longshes, with no formalities, he wrapped his hands around her slender waist, pulling her into his embrace, and then kissed her red lips fiercely. Sucking. Entwining. Finding the position somewhat awkward, he suddenly broke the intensely entwined lips and tongues, quickly picked up Rona Sally, and ced her sideways on the horseback.
¡°Ah¡­ Mm¡­¡± Rona Sally didn¡¯t have time to exim before her outcry was muffled, reduced to a faint hum through her nose. The passionate kiss was like practising a difficult piano piece, requiring all his strength to match, with his mind void of any thought but the warmthing from the contact, moving ceaselessly through their clothes, so tantalizing that he wanted to resist but couldn¡¯t bear to do so. They lost themselves in the primitive, natural bliss. Allowing the red sunlight to strive in elongating their shadows. ¡­ In the distance. Retainer Knights of two nobles gathered together, watching the entwined figures from afar, none daring to approach, silently dismounting and leading their horses to graze. Zavier Dung patted Philip Wool on the shoulder and whispered, ¡°Lord Landlord is incredible.¡± ¡°What?¡± Philip was somewhat puzzled. Zavier jerked his chin and said, ¡°I mean his charm, Lord Landlord¡¯s charm is unbeatable.¡± ¡°Yes, Zavier, you¡¯re right, everyone in Fresh Flower Town respects and adores Lord Landlord, he is truly a Son of Glory, the knightly honor that favors him shines as brilliantly as the sun.¡± ¡°Er, I wasn¡¯t talking about that.¡± Philip blinked, ¡°Then what were you referring to?¡± ¡°Haven¡¯t you seen what Lord Landlord is doing?¡± Zavier said in an astonished voice, ¡°Who is that with him? It¡¯s the young miss from the noble Golden Wheat Sheaf Family, unreachable like a star in the sky. But now, she¡¯s in our Lord Landlord¡¯s arms, enjoying his passion.¡± ¡°That sounds normal to me.¡± Philip looked towards the distant shore where Liszt and Rona Sally had dismounted and were walking hand in hand among the rocks, ¡°Lord Landlord is like the sun, and the miss from the Golden Wheat Sheaf Family is like a star; isn¡¯t it natural for the sun and star to be together?¡± ¡°Er¡­¡± Zavier suddenly found Philip¡¯s words to be quite reasonable and was left speechless. He wanted to say that it should be surprising! After all, their Lord Landlord was merely a country Baron, while she was from the Golden Wheat Sheaf Family, destined to be ady of the nobility. Yet within half a day, she had fallen into the Lord Landlord¡¯s hands. However, upon thinking again, the future of Lord Landlord was bound to be bright, his status equally noble, so why couldn¡¯t he kiss and hold hands with the miss from the Golden Wheat Sheaf Family?
They had seen at Long Taro Castle, a youngdy from an Earl¡¯s family adjusting Lord Landlord¡¯s cor with deep affection at the moment of farewell. ¡°` He had also seen that formidable, beautiful female mercenary, looking at Lord Landlord with eyes full of deep love. From the moment he had been chosen as a Retainer Knight, he felt as if Lord Landlord was glowing, radiating the knightly glory, and he firmly believed that following Lord Landlord would bring him under the many gazes of glory.
Therefore. Looking again at the noble couple strolling hand in hand on Rocky Beach, he couldn¡¯t help but think how harmonious they were, as if it were only natural: ¡°Lord Landlord should indeed be like this.¡± Suddenly. He remembered the mercenary Paris: ¡°Thank goodness she didn¡¯te along, or, seeing Lord Landlord with the miss of the Golden Wheat Sheaf Family, her heart might have broken. But after all, she¡¯s just a mercenary; she should understand that Lord Landlord isn¡¯t someone someone of her station could aspire to.¡± Nobles,moners, the stark disparities of status are etched into everyone¡¯s mind. Without a sweeping movement of enlightenment, those chains of thought can never be erased¡ªyet, the transmigrator Liszt, who should have hoisted the g of reform, had already degenerated into one of the nobles, sweetly dreaming of a dragon-riding life, with no time for reform. ¡­ The setting sun finally sank beneath the sea, leaving only a faint afterglow, a trace of brightness remaining. Holding Rona Sally¡¯s hand and looking at the excited smile of the sixteen-year-old girl, he couldn¡¯t help but smile himself, ¡°Dear, it¡¯s time to go back.¡± ¡°Mhmm.¡± Rona Sally hopped down from a rock, rushed at Liszt, and hugged his arm, seemingly wanting to hang from him, tilting her head back, her big eyes blinking, ¡°But I don¡¯t want to go back yet.¡± Liszt leaned down and kissed her desirable red lips again. The girl had passed her initial awkwardness, her hands moved from his arm, reached upward to embrace his neck, stood on tiptoes, and began to respond eagerly to Liszt¡¯s kiss. She was a bit over one meter sixty, appearing somewhat short in front of Liszt who was over one meter eighty-five. They broke the kiss.
Composing himself, Liszt released his hands still wandering on Rona Sally¡¯s body, took her small hand again, and repeated, ¡°We should head back.¡± ¡°Mhmm.¡± Rona Sally, rewarded with a kiss, didn¡¯t throw any tantrums and nodded obediently. A whistle. The Li Dragon Horse grazing in the distance galloped over, Liszt supporting Rona Sally¡¯s waist, hoisted her up, then swiftly mounted himself. He encircled the girl¡¯s slim waist and spurred the horse into a gallop. By the time they rushed back to Tulip Castle, it was already dark, and guided by moonlight, they chatted yfully, stopping at the castle gate. After helping Rona Sally off the horse, Liszt did not hold her hand again. This wasn¡¯t the passionate moment after a dance where indulgences could be excused, he had to maintain some of the nobility¡¯s decorum. ¡°Is that Douson?¡± Rona Sally eximed upon seeing a huge dog approaching. ¡°Yes, would you like to pet him?¡± Liszt gestured, and Douson came over wagging his tail, letting Rona Sally stroke his glossy ck fur. He caught a glimpse from the corner of his eye of his guard Paris, peeking out from a window on the first floor of the castle and then retreating. He didn¡¯t mind, only saying with a smile to Rona Sally, ¡°Douson is about to be one year old, I was lucky to have met him when he was younger.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never seen such a gentle Intermediate Magical Beast, Liszt, will you ride it into battle?¡± ¡°Of course, it will be my battlepanion,¡± he affirmed. Rona Sally looked up at him with her big eyes, bright and twinkling, ¡°You have a great future ahead, and I hope to see you gain even more glory in the near future.¡±
¡°There will be such a day,¡± Liszt nodded, ¡°Come, Grandpa Louis is already waiting for us at the door.¡± Chapter 318: 316: There Is Only One Rule (Fourth Update) Chapter 318: Chapter 316: There Is Only One Rule (Fourth Update) The banquet found Liszt returning to his reticent self. However, this time, there were always youngdies who approached him for conversation, ¡°Liszt, can we visit Fresh Flower Town tomorrow? I believe it must be very beautiful.¡± ¡°Of course, if you wish to go, Fresh Flower Town is always weing to your visit,¡± Liszt responded with a smile, slicing a piece of steak and eating it with elegance. On the other side, Roger Golden Wheat, also elegantly enjoying his steak, cast a smile towards Rona Sally and then nced at Liszt. Without saying anything, he raised his ss to clink with Levis¡¯s and savored the Crescent Moon Wine in small sips. Meanwhile, Lady Penelope yed with the fried egg on her te while silently exchanging nces with her granddaughter, Li Vera, seated next to her. Then, she said to Rona Sally, ¡°There¡¯s nothing remarkable about Tulip Castle for those from Harvest Castle. It¡¯s good for young people to go out and get some fresh air if they feel bored. Fresh Flower Town is a nice ce, if not for the bumpy carriage ride, I would go there often to enjoy the scenery.¡± ¡°Old madam, will you and Li Vera join us tomorrow?¡± ¡°Oh, no, I am old and prefer to stay in my own house, quietly watching the ivy cover the whole wall. My ivy is thriving; it might even give birth to an Elf Bug. Let me tell you, Rona Sally, my potted nts have really produced an Elf Bug before, and Liszt knows it best.¡± Rona Sally suddenly became interested, ¡°What kind of Elf Bug was it?¡±
¡°A Dragon Kui Bug, the Dragon Kui potted nt was sick. I took it away, intending to rece it with a new Dragon Kui for grandmother, but to my surprise, it bred an Elf Bug, and then grandmother gave it to me as a gift.¡± ¡°Wow, that¡¯s such a heartwarming story. I really wish my grandmother would also give me a potted nt that could breed an Elf Bug.¡± Liszt, however, sighed seriously, ¡°But since then, each holiday, grandmother just gives me a potted nt and tells me¡ªLiszt, please cherish this nt, maybe it hides an Elf Bug!¡± ¡°Ha ha.¡± The people at the banquet burst intoughter, especially Rona Sally, whoughed with delight. A not-so-humorous brief joke was, to her, the funniest deadpan joke in the world. This made Liszt feel quite embarrassed, having made herugh so hard with his simple teasing. What if he had told a few genuinely interesting tales, would she need artificial respiration? The banquet ended in a bustling atmosphere. Liszt left the still-chatting dining room to go downstairs and see Douson, having heard Douson barking outside earlier. Now when Douson went out, he was looked after by the manservant Tom. Thomas was the head manservant, handling everything before and after for Liszt; Tom was the second manservant, doing the same for Douson. ¡°Tom, what happened to Douson just now?¡± Liszt saw Douson lying on the ground chewing on a bone, seemingly without any issues. ¡°Master, Douson saw a Doberman earlier, but after a few barks from Douson, the Doberman got scared and ran away.¡± Well, maybe Douson just wanted to befriend the Doberman, but the Doberman clearly didn¡¯t entertain such a thought. Liszt rubbed Douson¡¯s neck, stood up, and left, ready to return to the Castle. At that moment he heard a rustle nearby, yet couldn¡¯t see anyone. ¡°Paris?¡± No one on either side. Paris revealed herself, ¡°Baron.¡± ¡°Haven¡¯t gone to rest yet, is something the matter?¡± Liszt asked in a gentle tone. Paris opened her mouth, and said softly, ¡°The young miss from the Golden Wheat Sheaf Family is very beautiful.¡± Liszt nodded, ¡°You mean Rona Sally? Indeed, she is beautiful.¡± ¡°So, will she be thedy of Fresh Flower Town, I apologize, Baron, I¡¯m just a bit curious,¡± Paris said somewhat awkwardly.
ncing at Paris, who had be increasingly womanly after regaining her figure, Liszt suddenly felt a heavy pressure, as the world was filled with so many wonderful things, tempting him to fall into decadence. Fate was ever so fickle, preferring to entangle all simple emotions together, making one owe debts everywhere. He looked up at the stars in the sky. Blinking.
Tonight there is no moon, only these twinkling stars. Drawing back her gaze, she said calmly, ¡°Perhaps it will, perhaps it won¡¯t, you know, I have never thought about these things. I like to let things take their natural course, just like you don¡¯t know whether it will be sunny or rainy when you wake up in the morning, but no matter what the weather is, it¡¯s a new day, embrace it, and that¡¯s all.¡± Having said that, he patted Paris on the shoulder, ¡°Good night, Paris.¡± Without waiting for Paris to respond, he went straight into the castle. Paris was left behind, chewing on the words ¡°let things take their natural course.¡± She was a ck Dragon Childe with only ten years left to live, and life, for her, was also about letting things take their natural course. With a wry smile, she no longer dwelled on the sadness in her heart, returned to her room, took out a book, and slowly started reading under the light of the crystalmps in the corridors of Tulip Castle. One day Liszt had said, ¡°You should learn to read and write,¡± and so she began to study Serpent Script, despite finding it extremely difficult. ¡­ Just as she returned to the corridor of the dining hall, she saw that everyone had alreadye out. ¡°Liszt, Roger and I are nning to go to the study to discuss some matters, you and Li Vera apany Rona Sally,¡± Levis said. ¡°Alright.¡± After Roger and Levis left, Li Vera, helping Lady Penelope, said, ¡°I¡¯ll take Grandmother home first, you guys go and have a cup of tea.¡± With that, she also winked at Liszt. In the blink of an eye, the bustling crowd dispersed, but Lady Marie, having sent Lidun to do his homework, did not leave. As thedy of the castle, she couldn¡¯t be rude.
Liszt didn¡¯t want to stay with Lady Marie any more than necessary, and asking a servant to pick up a bottle of ck¡¤Abaie from the rack, he asked, ¡°Rona Sally, would you like to take a walk outside?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯d like that very much,¡± she replied. ¡°Then Lady Marie, would you care to join us for a walk?¡± Liszt asked. Lady Marie smiled, ¡°You two go ahead, I¡¯m not ustomed to walking at night, but it¡¯s cool outside. Rona Sally, Liszt, remember to ask the servants to bring an extra coat, don¡¯t catch a cold.¡± ¡°Thank you for your reminder, Lady Marie.¡± ¡­ A walk was just a walk. At most, holding hands, hugging a few times, and kissing. About an hourter, Liszt was leading Rona Sally back to Tulip Castle. ¡°My dear, I¡¯m too excited today, I¡¯m afraid I won¡¯t be able to sleep tonight,¡± Rona Sally said reluctantly as he was about to take her back to her room. ¡°Rest well, I¡¯ll take you to Fresh Flower Town tomorrow.¡± ¡°So it¡¯s settled then.¡± ¡°Of course.¡±
The servant stood at the door, and Liszt did not leave Rona Sally with a farewell kiss, but simply waved his hand and turned away eegantly. In her room, Rona Sally remained seated on the edge of her bed, smiling dazedly for a long time after Liszt¡¯s departure, until a maid informed her that Master Roger had arrived. ¡°Brother.¡± ¡°Did you have fun today?¡± Roger asked, having drunk a bit, his face still slightly flushed. Rona Sally was a little shy, but still said boldly, ¡°Yes, brother, I had a lot of fun today.¡± ¡°Well, as long as you¡¯re happy,¡± Roger leaned against the wall, raising an eyebrow, ¡°but I have to remind you of something, as a woman of the Golden Wheat Sheaf Family, you need to understand some truths¡ª¡¯There are nows, no restrictions, just one rule: never fall in love.''¡± Chapter 319: 0317: The Prince Turns into a Frog (Fifth Update) Chapter 319: Chapter 0317: The Prince Turns into a Frog (Fifth Update) ¡°` ¡°I don¡¯t want to go to Fresh Flower Town anymore, dear. Let¡¯s just take a stroll around Coral City.¡± After breakfast in the early morning, when Li Si Te invited Rona Sally to visit Fresh Flower Town, he received an unexpected response. The girl, who the night before had been so passionate she¡¯d wanted to give her body and soul to Liszt, stood by his side today as distant as if separated by a vast sea. Liszt could not fathom it. Why had there been such a change from yesterday to today, just over the course of one night? He simply concealed the slight disappointment in his heart, smiled, and remained as gentle and sunny as ever, ¡°Then let¡¯s go to Coral City. I haven¡¯t been to the city for a long time.¡± The servants brought two specially-made dried tulip flowers, the rich fragrance of which was enough to mask the pungent smell of Coral City. Even the boots were changed, reced with high-soled long boots to avoid stepping on anything disgusting. Shopping in the city. It was not a great choice, at least for Liszt. He wasn¡¯t ustomed to the aromatic wafts of stench. However, it seemed that many nobles could tolerate such an environment. Probably because they grew up ustomed to the city being just that way, dirty and foul-smelling.
The carriage bore the g of the red tulip, and as it moved through the streets of Coral City, every peddler, serf, and freeman would halt and bow in respect to the carriage. In Coral City, the Tulip Family was seen as kings by themoners, an untouchable authority. Pulling back the carriage curtain, Liszt pointed at various shops along the street and incessantly shared both interesting and dull stories with Rona Sally. After making a round through Coral City, they went to visit Lady Penelope at her castle to have a chat with the grandmother about her precious potted nts. In between, Liszt took a bathroom break. Lady Penelope took Rona Sally¡¯s hand and said, ¡°I haven¡¯t met your sister Loria, but I like you, Rona Sally. I can imagine what Loria must be like. I hope you can alsoe to like Coral City and Tulip Castle and convey to your sister this olddy¡¯s expectations.¡± ¡°I will, mydy.¡± ¡°Liszt is an excellent young man. His grandfather, Marquis Merlin, holds him in high regard. He will be the pride of the Tulip Family. When I saw you and himing down from the carriage holding hands, I felt as if I beheld a match made in heaven,¡± Lady Penelope prattled on. As one ages, one tends to enjoy gossiping about the young. Rona Sally forced a smile, then, tinged with a trace of dejection, asked, ¡°Mydy, should a woman always sacrifice her own life for her family?¡± ¡°Hmm, that¡¯s a serious question,¡± Lady Penelope made a deliberate face, ¡°My crush, when I was young, was not Liszt¡¯s grandfather. But when Liszt¡¯s grandfather died, I truly wanted to follow him. Thankfully, I persevered.¡± ¡°Were you also in a marriage of alliance?¡± ¡°Yes, as a nobledy, you either meet a Prince Charming at a ball, or await the family to arrange a Frog Prince, hoping he¡¯ll turn into a handsome, tall human prince after turning around.¡± She touched the green gemstone ring on her finger, ¡°If he can¡¯t be a human prince, you¡¯d better pray you have enough sweet memories tofort yourself.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know how to choose¡­¡± Rona Sally frowned, clearly distressed. ¡°Then throw caution to the wind, and just love,¡± Lady Penelope said liberally, ¡°My girl, at least once in your life, you ought to forget yourself for someone. Don¡¯t seek an oue, don¡¯t ask to apany them on their journey, don¡¯t longing for past possessions, and even don¡¯t demand that he loves you. You just hope that during the most beautiful years, you meet him.¡± ¡°Grandmother, whom are you hoping to meet?¡± Liszt returned to the living room and caught thest few words Lady Penelope said. ¡°Certainly not you, you little rascal.¡± After chatting a bit more. Lady Penelope started shooing them away, ¡°Off with you, off with you. I know you young people have no patience for an old woman¡¯s ramblings. Go on, I didn¡¯t n on keeping you here for lunch.¡± Leaving the little castle.
Strolling down the countryne, Rona Sally said, ¡°The olddy is really adorable, and it¡¯s so much fun to be with her.¡± ¡°Yes, she has her wisdom and her ¡®sharpness,''¡± as long as her old feud with my mother doesn¡¯t always involve me, I quite enjoy chatting with her.¡± ¡°Feud?¡± ¡°Yes, like in every great family, it is always difficult for the mother of the male head of the household to get along with his wife.¡±
¡°It seems to be the case; my mother often quarrels with my grandmother over trivial things.¡± ¡°Perhaps that¡¯s just life.¡± In the countryside paths of March, the wild grass had already grown out, lush and green, feeling soft underfoot. The Retainer Knights, along with male and female servants, followed not far behind, giving space to the man and woman. When two people of opposite genders are together, the ambiance easily drifts into flirtation. The sunlight wasn¡¯t too dazzling and was not enough to make the early spring heat up. Suddenly. Rona Sally stopped in her tracks with an ¡°ouch.¡± ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°I stepped in dog poop.¡± She moved her foot, revealing a half-dried lump of dog feces precisely squashed by her riding boot. ¡°Scrape it off on the grass roots beside you.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t this just bad luck? I didn¡¯t have any problems stepping in anything in the city, but I end up stepping in it on a country path.¡± ¡°That means you have good luck.¡± Rona Sally looked up, curiosity in her eyes, ¡°Why is stepping in dog poop considered good luck?¡± ¡°On¡­ some ind, the locals believe that stepping in dog poop brings good fortune; they call it ¡®poop luck,''¡± Liszt said offhandedly. In fact, in this world, there was no such saying as ¡®poop luck¡¯; stepping in poop was just a normal everyday urrence.
¡°So, will I have good luck today?¡± Rona Sallyughed, ¡°Like, perhaps, finding a wonderful love?¡± As she spoke, she paused, her bright eyes gazing at Liszt, filled with bold affection and full encouragement. Setting aside the dog poop incident, the whole atmosphere was quite pleasant, even the gentle sunlight was just right. With just one more step, there would be endless possibilities. Liszt also stopped, reaching out to smooth a stray lock of Rona Sally¡¯s hair behind her ear. He sighed softly in his heart. There are some things you hope will happen, others you fear will happen, but more often than not, it¡¯s about whether you choose to let them happen. ¡°Miss Rona Sally.¡± ¡°I¡¯m listening.¡± ¡°Some are superficial, others are all glitter on the surface but trash inside,¡± he said, pointing to the spot where she had stepped in the poop, and smiled, ¡°One day you will meet someone as dazzling as a rainbow. When you meet them, you¡¯ll feel that everyone else is just insignificant.¡± A momentter. Rona Sally held her head high with a touch of pride and said, ¡°The rainbow I meet will appear in my room at midnight!¡± Chapter 320: 318: Laputa: Castle in the Sky (First Update) Chapter 320: Chapter 318: Laputa: Castle in the Sky (First Update) Some people are superficial, some people are all glitz and no substance; one day, you will meet someone as dazzling as a rainbow, and after you meet that person, everyone else will seem like fleeting clouds. ¡­ Rona Sally leaned against the window. Gazing at the vast, azure sea outside, she could almost hear the words Liszt once whispered to her at the height of their deepest affections. It was already the second morning, and after breakfast, Roger Golden Wheat, who should have stayed another day, excused himself from Tulip Castle, citing urgent business matters. Lady Marie and Levis tried their best to persuade him to stay, but ultimately, luggage was packed. Liszt sat at the breakfast table, elegantly savoring his meal from beginning to end, bidding farewell with a smile, without a single word of persuasion. If he had said anything, Rona Sally didn¡¯t know whether she would have stayed regardless of everything, even if Roger urged her to leave. Roger said, never fall in love. Lady Penelope said, at least once, you should forget yourself for someone else. She could easily do what Lady Penelope said, let go of restrictions and enjoy. But she found it very difficult to do what her brother said, not to fall in love.
¡°Are you trying to tell me that you are all glitz and no substance?¡± She waved her hand gently, wiping away the moist tear from the corner of her eye, ¡°But how do you know, why aren¡¯t you someone as dazzling as a rainbow? Do you know how many nobles on Golden Ind have pursued me? But after seeing you, those people became fleeting clouds.¡± She bit her lower lip. She lifted her head, trying to appear as calm as possible, ¡°It¡¯s a pity I was born on Golden Ind, a woman of the Golden Wheat Sheaf Family, and you are just a country baron, even with a bright future ahead, right now you are still weak¡­ Thank you for the happiness we shared, I look forward to seeing you again, Liszt!¡± The sea breeze howled. The ship sailed into the vast, blue yonder. ¡­ Tulip Castle. Liszt stayed in the piano room, not touching a single key for half a day. Until Li Vera walked in, ¡°Why are you hiding in the piano room but not ying the piano? I saw your Retainer Knights and your dog haven¡¯t left, which is strange. You usually don¡¯t like to stay in Tulip Castle for long¡­ Is it because of the beautiful and enchanting Miss Rona Sally, my affectionate and cruel brother?¡± ¡°Cruel?¡± Liszt asked lightly. ¡°Why not cruel? You stir the strings of a girl¡¯s heart, yet leave her to wait in agony at night. A single word could warm a heart, yet you always refuse to ask her to stay; isn¡¯t that cruel?¡± ¡°You are well-informed,¡± he noted. Li Vera smiled proudly, ¡°Of course, with so many servants and retainers in Tulip Castle, they are all my informants. Did you think that after I was granted my own fief, this ce would be Lady Marie¡¯s territory? Impossible!¡± Liszt couldn¡¯t deny it. Honestly speaking, this ce is now the domain of the Earl, and in the future, it should be Levis¡¯s domain. It really has little to do with Li Vera. ¡°I have to admire you, Liszt, with your sickeningly sweet good looks and decent demeanor, you always manage to attract any nobledy of high standing. At Long Taro Castle, a single error-ridden piano piece was enough to bed Duniko Hyacinth; here, just by riding a horse, you¡¯ve captured the heart of Miss Rona Sally Golden Wheat.¡± ¡°Why do you stay in Tulip Castle all day? Doesn¡¯t your own domain need governing?¡± Liszt noticed that Li Vera had reverted to her adolescent ways. He was not in a good mood.
It was probably because of the wrong beginning paired with the wrong end, breathlessness, chest tightness, unable to ept. But the way things turned out was beyond his expectations. He should not have agreed to Levis¡¯s request to help him woo Rona Sally, needlessly creating so many ripples. In fact, with Roger present, Loria would surely be the future mistress of Tulip Castle without a hitch. However, from the moment the horse stumbled, things had already be irretrievable. ¡°Actually.¡±
He really wanted to confide in someone, and Li Vera was a somewhat suitable choice, ¡°I had nned to practice diligently, to present her with a newlyposed piano piece, and then to tell her a story about ¡®Castle in the Sky¡¯¡­ But time was limited, and who could have expected Roger to leave right after breakfast?¡± ¡°Perhaps he feared you would cause his sister to fall.¡± Li Vera¡¯s tone was slightly gentle, ¡°In the eyes of the Golden Wheat Sheaf family, women are merely tools for forging connections. Since they had already made ties with Coral Ind through Loria, naturally, they wouldn¡¯t want to leave another behind. By the way, what is the story of ¡®Castle in the Sky¡¯?¡± ¡°It¡¯s to charm little girls; you wouldn¡¯t like it.¡± ¡°What about the pianoposition? You can actuallypose piano pieces? y it for me, quick.¡± Liszt stood up and left the grand piano, ¡°I find you really have a lot of leisure time. Sorry, but I¡¯ve lost my inspiration and can¡¯t y anything. Let¡¯s talk about it next time. It really is gettingte; I should return to Fresh Flower Town. I haven¡¯t been practicing earnestly these past few days, which is not proper for a knight.¡± He had just shaken off the slightly huffy Li Vera. Levis, who hade back from the send-off, now sought him out to speak. ¡°Liszt, truly worthy of being my own brother. Do you know? Roger dared not stay longer in Tulip Castle. He¡¯s afraid if Rona Sally doesn¡¯t leave today, she¡¯ll never be able to leave. Haha, I enjoy seeing him at a disadvantage. The women of the Golden Wheat Sheaf family should all marry into Coral Ind!¡± ¡°You¡¯re happy that Roger is angry? Aren¡¯t you worried he¡¯ll ruin your marriage with Loria?¡± ¡°He¡¯s not like the naive Rona Sally. No matter how upset he is, he won¡¯t stop the alliance between Golden Ind and Coral Ind. Besides, it was on your own merit that you won Rona Sally¡¯s heart. Who can find fault with that?¡± said Levis indifferently, ¡°I really envy you for having such a handsome face.¡± He was of average looks, and despite brandishing his status as the Earl¡¯s eldest son, he frequently faced rejection. After all, not every noble youngdy would be dazzled, enticed by the title of an Earless. It was the handsome nobles like Liszt, whom they preferred, appealing to their desire for a brief escapade rather than evesting love. ¡°Being handsome has its own troubles.¡±
Liszt didn¡¯t wish to dwell on the topic. He refused to admit that he had be one of the many licentious nobles, for he believed he had a heart full of feelings¡ªafter the passionate encounter with Duniko, he would have been willing to marry her if she had asked, regardless of any past; after spending time with Rona Sally, he feared that too many emotions might encumber a finedy. Perhaps this was the true face of nobility¡ªdesire and advantage at a crossroads. Every person was sacrificing or indulging for the sake of benefit. Therefore. After much deliberation, he still believed that he should shift his focus away from romantic entanglements and prepare seriously for the great endeavor of Dragon Riding, aiming to be a Dragon Domain Landlord! ¡°By the way, brother, when do you n to marry Loria?¡± ¡°I had a pleasant talk with Roger, especially after tasting Fresh Flower Brew. He won¡¯t allow Loria to act recklessly. Our wedding will take ce this September,¡± Levis stated excitedly. Liszt nodded, ¡°Then you should settle down as well and manage this marriage earnestly.¡± ¡°Marriage of course requires serious management, as it concerns the future development of Coral Ind, and must be approached with gravity. However, that doesn¡¯t mean one can¡¯t enjoy pleasures outside of marriage,¡± Levis said, winking, ¡°There¡¯s an underground ball next week, held in Serpent Spear City. I¡¯ll take you there to see for yourself!¡± ¡°No, I want to go home.¡± Indulgence without responsibility for a single night¡ªhe needed time to heal his deeply wounded spirit. How could he possibly attend such a depraved gathering? ¡­
The sound of horse hooves hastened and Fresh Flower Town came into view. On the gravel road of Thorn Ridge, a caravan caught up with a carriage bearing no insignia. The carriage pulled to the side, and Elkerson stepped down, removing his hood, and gestured a greeting to Liszt¡¯s coach. Chapter 321: 0319: The Death of The Swan of Saint-Saens (Second Update) Chapter 321: Chapter 0319: The Death of The Swan of Saint-Saens (Second Update) ¡°Quinn¡¯s Minotaur Conjecture¡±? In a town called Quinn in the Brass Grand Duchy, they found the rotting carcass of a Minotaur. Are Minotaurs real creatures?¡± Liszt casually flipped through a few of the magic books brought by Elkerson and happily paid for them. To encourage Elkerson to pick out useful books for him, he adopted a strategy of buying uninspiring books by the box and valuable books individually. Among this batch of books, there were indeed a few that were quite good. So, he paid a total of seven Gold Coins. Just the money he spent on books each month could amount to a dozen or twenty Gold Coins¡ªnow that he had money, he didn¡¯t care about this expense. It was like subscribing to a few newspapers back on Earth. Most of the magic books, he would not bother to read. Because truly¡­ they had no value. Just like now, he no longer felt like reading most Knight¡¯s Novels. His taste had been spoiled by one bizarre, grotesque story after another. Besides, ¡°Dragons Fight in the Wild¡± had been indefinitely suspended, even his interest in searching for information had vanished. The number of books on his shelf kept increasing, yet the number he read dwindled. On the other hand, Sea Sprite Ake read books with relish. Those boring, tedious notes on magic experiments, in her eyes, seemed like heart-stirring gold and jewels. The naive and cheerful Little Sea Monster was almost turning into a bookworm.
To prevent this from happening, he yed the piano by her side and often took her out to sea to have fun, meanwhile discussing magic with her to keep her from getting bored. ¡°Brother, Ake has learned a new spell, look quickly.¡± She stretched out her hand, and a water bullet instantly formed, shooting towards the window and exploding with a bang in mid-air. ¡°This is Water Bullet. The principle is simr to the Water Arrow Spell, but the power is much greater, and it uses less Magic Power.¡± ¡°Hmm!¡± Liszt had already been astonished by her talent for magic, so he nodded cidly and said, ¡°Keep it up, strive for the greatness of a Grand Magician.¡± ¡°Yes, Ake will work hard!¡± Every conversation with Ake was like a psychological counseling session, healing all negative emotions. It made him forget about the desire, interest, passion, and chaos that urred in the named Castle. He brewed a cup of Biluochun tea. It was a tea brewed from the leaves of the Green Tea Tree, named Biluochun because of the slightly curled leaves: ¡°Ake, try my tea-making skills. This is a new beverage, and besides me, probably only you in the world can taste it.¡± ¡°Thank you, Brother.¡± Ake picked up the transparent Crystal cup and took a sip. Immediately, her face changed, eximing, ¡°Brother, it¡¯s so bitter. Ake doesn¡¯t like it!¡± ¡°The bitterness leads to sweetness. Try it again, and you¡¯ll find the fragrance of the tea lingering between your lips and teeth.¡± However, after two more sips, Ake still cried out that it was bitter, ¡°It¡¯s not tasty at all, Brother. Ake doesn¡¯t want to drink tea. Ake likes to drink juice.¡± ¡°Alright then.¡± Liszt regretted that his first sharing of tea ended in failure. He didn¡¯t mind Ake¡¯s saliva and directly drank the remaining half cup of tea himself. He couldn¡¯t bear to pick more leaves from the three tea trees that were to be used for breeding. He couldn¡¯t afford to drink one cup a day; he could only save as much as possible. Ake again floated on the surface of the shell, earnestly reading her book, undisturbed by the world¡¯s distractions. He set down the teacup. Liszt walked over to the piano. His emotions surged, as if a swan had risen on theke of his heart, dancing elegantly. Then another swan flew in, joining in the graceful dance. Soon after, two more swans appeared, all dancing together.
He savored the feeling in his mind, and his hands involuntarily struck the keys, pulsating with rhythm. One note after another blossomed from the upright piano, like a bouquet of vibrant red roses unfurling, forming four dancing swans. Ake closed the book in her hands, staring at Liszt in wonder. Unaware, Liszt was immersed in ying the piano, surrounded by four dancing swansposed of rhythmic notes. Suddenly, one swan let out a mournful cry, its wing broken. It copsed onto the piano, bloodstaining the keys red as if Liszt was ying with blood.
Then, another swan followed with a mournful cry, its wings snapping, as blood dyed the entire piano red. In the end, thest two swans flew away in terror, one to the left, the other to the right, leaving behind the blood-red piano and its owner, Liszt, who continued to strike the keys, allowing the notes to dance in the blood. The swans that were to die had died, those meant to fly had flown, all turning into nothingness. The room was still that same worm room. J was dozing off, Ake cocked its head to one side, listening, and only Liszt sat before the upright piano, elegantly ying the ck and white keys, his fingers like ten little minor elves leaping. Until the final note ended. Liszt swiftly grabbed the paper and pen on the piano, dipped it in ink, and with the most abstract and hurried scribbles, recorded all the melodies in his head. Just three short pages. In an instant, they were filled. Comparing them to the melody that still lingered in his ears, he corrected a few erroneous notes, and finally transcribed this new piece. With a pen, he wrote in the nk space, the title ¡°Saint Sa?ns-Swan-Piano Solo.¡± In 19th century Paris, France, there was a not-so-famousposer, Saint Sa?ns, who created the symphonic work ¡°Carnival of the Animals¡± for fun. Since many of its melodies were malicious alterations of others¡¯ work without permission, they were never published. Only one piece, ¡°The Swan,¡± had been performed publicly, which paradoxically became Saint Sa?ns¡¯ signature piece and a timeless ssic, depicting the swan¡¯s graceful and noble swimming in the water, her lonely and unapproachable yet profoundly sacred figure. Liszt did not know why.
Inspiration had suddenly burst forth, and without relying on the Smoke Mission, he recalled this melody on his own. After a thought, he scratched out the ¡°Saint Sa?ns¡± in Serpent Script and wrote a new title: ¡°Liszt-Swan-Piano Solo,¡± earnestly adding it to his own collection of piano scores. Previously, he already had ¡°Liszt-With You¡± and ¡°Liszt-To Alice-Rearrangement¡± in his piano repertoire. ¡°To Alice¡± had already been adapted with a backstory credited to someone else¡¯s creation, making it impossible to use it directly as his ownposition, so he only included it under the guise of revision and arrangement. ¡°By ident, I¡¯ve be a piano master,¡± he mused. ¡­ The following day after returning, The Fresh Flower Vessel also returned to port, bringing good news: the main body of the lighthouse wasplete, ready for the instation of the crystalmps. These crystalmps were specially made to harness the magic power within the crystals through a magic array, releasing it as light. Unfortunately, the light from the crystalmps was not very bright. Whether it could reach two or three kilometers away was uncertain. When arriving at ck Horse Port, Jomaya Bangtu, who had been whipped so brutally he couldn¡¯t walk, was now able to hobble around with a cane. ¡°Lord Landlord, rubber is truly miraculous. By using rubber water to mix with sand and stone, the construction of the lighthouse far exceeded expectations. Moreover, once solidified, its sturdiness isparable to sticky rice mortar. Coupled with the gray bricks you guided us in firing, we saved a great deal of time in selecting materials, so we built it in five days!¡± He pointed at the ten-meter-high lighthouse on Rocky Beach, his voice carrying a hint of pride. He had lived in the shadow of his teacher Mbapp¨¦, but now he could finally build independently.
The lighthouse was neitherrge, tall, nor thick. The lower half was mainly constructed of piled rocks, while the upper half predominantly featured brickwork. The seams between the stones and bricks were not very neat, but the structure wasplete. ¡°Teacher Marcus, I entrust this crystalmp to your care. When the Fresh Flower Vessel needs to sail back at night, have someone light it on the lighthouse, and if there¡¯s no need for navigation, take it down,¡± he instructed. ¡°Understood, my lord!¡± With that, the lighthouse was finished. Liszt quickly began checking the Smoke Mission. ¡°Missionplete, reward: the magic book ¡®Secrets of Sea Serpent Aquatic Monsters.¡¯ Chapter 322: 0320: Investigation of Elkerson (Third Update, 10,000 Coins Reward Celebration 1/3) Chapter 322: Chapter 0320: Investigation of Elkerson (Third Update, 10,000 Coins Reward Celebration 1/3) This chapter is an extra update in thanks for the ¡°Autumn Viewing of Cherry Blossoms¡± event. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª The Secrets of Sea Serpent Aquatic Monsters? ¡°It¡¯s actually not a book on powerful magic, but just a popr science book about sea monsters?¡± He was about to feel disappointed at being rewarded with an irrelevant book. Suddenly, he noticed the phrase ¡°Sea Serpent Aquatic Monsters¡± on the title of the magic book, and his heart skipped a beat. Sea Serpent Aquatic Monsters immediately made him think of Dulu Miqita, the Sea Sprite Ake that was being pursued¡ªa gigantic sea serpent with six heads. Then he remembered the Formless Dragon¡¯s chain missions, which also involved magic books. At this moment, he had a strong premonition that the crisis had always been lurking around him: ¡°Maybe this time, it¡¯s the chain missions of Dulu Miqita. That intermediate level Sea Monster, Dulu Miqita, might never have left this sea area and is hiding in the shadows, watching us!¡± It was very likely. Otherwise, there was no need to reward him with a science book about sea serpents. However, faced with the threat of Dulu Miqita, he was only tense for a moment before rxing. He had dealt with the incursion of Formless Dragon; facing another intermediate-level sea monster wasn¡¯t going to be a big deal.
With the help of the Smoke Mission, dealing with this Sea Serpent shouldn¡¯t be too difficult. The power of fate is not to be taken lightly. Moreover, sea monsters can only live in the deep sea. If it dares toe to the shallow waters, it¡¯s asking for death. The present-day Fresh Flower Town, the present-day Liszt, has long since ceased to be weak. ¡°I¡¯ll be more cautious during this period,plete more Smoke Missions quickly, gather more information about Dulu Miqita, and im the rewards from the chain missions¡­ Finally, resolve the hidden danger!¡± As thoughts flickered. A new Smoke Mission was released. ¡°Mission: Browse through the magic books brought by Elkerson. Do you feel that every book is stained with the pitiful screams of magic apprentices, those are the helpless and desperate cries after their souls have shattered, please cleanse the injustice from the magic books. Reward: A set of research notes.¡± The injustice of magic apprentices? Liszt¡¯s brow furrowed as he considered, ¡°What does this mean? Could it be that Elkerson has killed many magic apprentices to obtain these magic books? Surely not, Elkerson doesn¡¯t seem like a murderer, and even if he killed magic apprentices, would that allow him to obtain the magic books?¡± His intuition made him doubt that Elkerson would casually kill magic apprentices. But his rationality told him that he must carefully scrutinize Elkerson, and not trust anyone easily: ¡°If Elkerson really is a murderer, and I need to cleanse the injustice from the books, does that mean I have to kill Elkerson¡­ I¡¯d better return to Fresh Flower Town first, then make the next n!¡± On Coral Ind, arbitrary killing is strictly forbidden; this is a rule issued by the Earl. Even nobles cannot kill at will outside their territories, and even within their territories, arbitrary killing will be punished by the Earlndlords indeed have absolute jurisdiction over theirnd, but behavior that oversteps the morality of nobility, the higher lord will naturally teach you a lesson. Of course, nobles usually cherish their serfs and do not kill without reason, and higher lords do not interfere with what their followers do within their ownnds. There¡¯s no need to quarrel with one¡¯s followers over the lives of a fewmoners. However, magicians are not nobles, and if they dare to harm lives wantonly, nobles are bound to take action. Liszt greatly appreciated Elkerson, who was polite and not rigid, a fine coborative partner. But as a noble, if he discovered Elkerson murdering at will, he would not be lenient. After resting for the night. The next day, he sailed back to Fresh Flower Town. During the voyage, Liszt was no longer bored as he had previously been. Goltai, who returned with him on the ship, was always bragging incessantly. Whereas he kept using his telescope to look around, ensuring that Dulu Miqita wasn¡¯t stealthily approaching. At sea, dealing with an intermediate-level sea monster was not easy.
He had already prepared that if he encountered Dulu Miqita, he would not resist. He would stop the ship and drift, retract the Calming Sea Pearl, and let Dulu Miqita wreak havoc while he hid in a wooden boat, barely surviving. Moreover, he would cover himself with the juice of Smoked Grass, waiting for Dulu Miqita¡¯s rampage to end before rowing home. This is not cowardice. It is helplessness. He had no choice but to return to Fresh Flower Town, but encountering Dulu Miqita in the vast sea without preparation meant resistance was merely a quick death.
However. Without Sea Sprite Ake on board, Dulu Miqita might not be interested in the Fresh Flower Vessel¡ªafter all, it had sailed back and forth dozens of times without running into Dulu Miqita, indicating that sea monsters had little interest in ships. In the midst of tension. He safely returned to Fresh Flower Town. Liszt headed straight for the castle and searched through the magic books brought by Elkeson True. Some of the books he was sure contained no ¡°harmful¡± content had been given to Sea Sprite Ake to read, while others were left on the bookshelves in the study. ¡°During this time, I have only received two boxes of books from Elkeson, and the reward should be in there.¡± He searched quickly, and soon a copy of ¡°Secrets of Sea Serpent Aquatic Monsters¡± was found tucked away in an inconspicuous corner of the bookshelf. He hadn¡¯t seen this book before; it was likely that Butler Carter had organized it and ced it on the shelf. Before he started to read it, he called for the guard Paris. ¡°Baron, are you looking for me for something?¡± ¡°A small task, I hope you can help me with it, you know I like magic books.¡± ¡°Of course, everyone in town should know that the Baron likes to read.¡± ¡°These books were procured by Elkeson True on my behalf, but now I suspect that there might be some issues with their provenance. I would like you to help me investigate in secret and make sure they were acquired through legitimate means,¡± said Liszt, not wanting to directly question Elkeson. For one, he didn¡¯t want to alert the suspect, and for another, in case it was a misunderstanding, it would be awkward.
¡°It¡¯s an easy task, I willplete it as soon as possible, Baron.¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s talk about the remuneration for your task.¡± Paris suddenly smiled, ¡°It is just a minor task, consider it free of charge. After all, I¡¯ve already drawn some gossip from local officials for taking money without working.¡± ¡°Gossip?¡± Liszt raised an eyebrow, it seemed some were not pleased with his sry arrangements, ¡°I will put a stop to this kind of gossip.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need, Baron, I don¡¯t mind it,¡± Paris said. After saying this, she excused herself gracefully and left to carry out the task for free. However, Liszt did not forget what she had mentioned and immediately called for Butler Carter, ¡°Mr. Carter, are you aware of anyints from people in town about Paris¡¯s sry being too high?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, my Lord, I haven¡¯t noticed anything about that.¡± ¡°Pass this on, when the servants go out, don¡¯t forget to listen to what the town officials have been saying. If there¡¯s any discordant content, inform me immediately.¡± ¡°Yes, my Lord.¡± After giving instructions to Butler Carter, Liszt nned to investigate slowly. When he was alone in the study, he picked up the milk tea from the table, his expression unreadable. He just mumbled to himself, ¡°I am a very reasonable person, as andlord I have never let down those who follow me¡­ If there are issues, they can be raised directly with me, but questioning my decisions behind my back is not what a qualified subordinate should do.¡±
Chapter 324 - 0322: Li Si Te Slays the Snake (Fifth Update, 10,000 Coins Reward Celebration 3/3) Chapter 324: Chapter 0322: Li Si Te ys the Snake (Fifth Update, 10,000 Coins Reward Celebration 3/3) The matter of the Serpent Blood Fruit was entrusted to his own merchant caravan, as well as the one from Tulip Castle. He also wrote to the fat Aubrey Lycra from Beer Castle, asking him to help inquire about and purchase a batch of Serpent Blood Fruit. After doing all this, he waited for news about the Serpent Blood Fruit while also awaiting the investigation results from Paris, and he pondered how to hunt Dulu Miqita. ¡°Dulu Miqita hase hunting after the Sea Sprite Ake; that means Ake is the best bait¡­ But I can¡¯t let Ake get harmed, so luring Dulu Miqita in the sea is not an option,¡± he mused. Luring it onnd was the only option. To precisely lure Dulu Miqita, Ake¡¯s identity as a sea sprite was indispensable. In Liszt¡¯s mind, Ake was very important; he had to ensure the sea sprite¡¯s safety: ¡°Perhaps I could lure Dulu Miqita onshore, but how to do that onnd? Or rather, how does Dulu Miqita pursue the sea sprite Ake? What does it rely on for tracking?¡± He walked into the Worm Room. He asked Ake. Ake tilted his head, pondered for a moment. And replied, ¡°Brother, Ake isn¡¯t very sure, but in the sea, I can never shake off Dulu Miqita. Perhaps it¡¯s by the scent Ake leaves in the seawater, just like a hunting dog can track its prey through the scent in the air, maybe Dulu Miqita can track Ake through the seawater.¡± It could basically be assumed that Dulu Miqita was tracking in this way. ¡°Ake, I n to hunt Dulu Miqita,¡± Liszt said. ¡°This may need your cooperation, to lure Dulu Miqita out of the sea.¡± ¡°Can brother defeat Dulu Miqita?¡± Even though Ake meant no disrespect, the question still wounded Liszt¡¯s pride. He couldn¡¯t help but raise his voice, ¡°As long as the preparation is thorough, it¡¯s merely an intermediate-level sea monster, defeating it will be as easy as turning my hand over!¡± ¡°Ah, brother is so amazing,¡± Ake pped his hands. ¡°Brother, what does Ake need to do, just go directly into the sea to lure it?¡± ¡°Going into the sea is too dangerous, though I need to use you to lure Dulu Miqita, your safety is the most important,¡± Liszt stroked Ake¡¯s azure hair. ¡°I n to widen a river trench near the shore around Fresh Flower Town, and you¡¯ll wait upstream in the trench, luring Dulu Miqita into the river!¡± The sea was the sea monster¡¯s home field. Liszt couldn¡¯t possibly defeat an intermediate-level sea monster on the sea, even a juvenile one, so luring Dulu Miqita ashore was the most crucial part of the n. However. He suddenly recalled reading in ¡°Man and Nature¡± that sea serpents could go ashore, the documentary had exined that sea serpentsy eggs on sandy beaches. That meant, Dulu Miqita could possibly move freely onnd as well. After all, a sea serpent is still a serpent, and serpents can crawl. But on second thought. Sea monsters live in the deep sea and are supposedly adapted to life there; their movement onnd would definitely be greatly restricted. So no matter what, he still had to lure Dulu Miqita ashore. He took out some paper and a pen, and sketched a rough outline on the table. He simply traced the coastline and the river. He circled an area upstream of the river, ¡°Ake, this is your position. Once Dulu Miqita follows the river up, I will cut off its escape route from here. I¡¯ll have Douson release Rock Spikes around here, filling the area with dense, solid Rock Spikes to restrict Dulu Miqita¡¯s movement.¡± As he exined to Ake. He continued to sketch and correct, refining the hunting n: ¡°Dulu Miqita is roughly eight meters long, short and thick in form, and by proportion, its body diameter could exceed forty centimeters, so the distance between the Rock Spikes needs to be less than forty centimeters¡­ Rock Spikes are merely obstacles for sea monsters, we¡¯ll need more restraints, like preparing fishings.¡± The table was filled with dense drawings and text. It makes the n sound quite marvelous. However, whether it¡¯s Rock Spikes, ships, or clogging the waterways, they are all but ordinary barriers. They can restrict the movements of Dulu Miqita but cannot inflict serious damage. Liszt didn¡¯t believe that in front of Dulu Miqita, who knew four types of water magic, he, Marcus, Griffin, Lasse, Rondo, Rick, and Paris¡ªseven Earth Knights¡ªcould easily kill an intermediate-level sea monster. If Paris transformed into the ck Dragon Childe, it might be possible. But once she transformed and fought, she would likely face death. To exchange her life for Dulu Miqita¡¯s, Liszt was not willing. Not to mention that Paris was an important bodyguard for him on the battlefield in the future, just spending so many days together, he couldn¡¯t be indifferent enough to sacrifice her. Perhaps seeing the furrowed brow of Liszt, Ake suddenly said, ¡°Brother, Ake is a magician, Ake can also join the fight.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to take action. When you be a Grand Magician, then I¡¯ll bear to send you into battle. For now, focus on learning your magic,¡± Liszt replied with a smile. Paris certainly couldn¡¯t fight to the death, but she could be a safety lock in the hunt for Dulu Miqita. If the hunting operation failed, in a critical moment, Paris could save both herself and the bait, Sea Sprite Ake. A brief transformation wouldn¡¯t cost her much lifespan. In other words, hunting Dulu Miqita had some risk for Liszt but didn¡¯t involve a life-threatening danger. He needed to focus on how to deliver a heavy blow to Dulu Miqita. ¡°Woo wa!¡± ¡°Woo wa!¡± The awakened J, running over to lie on Liszt¡¯s hair, disrupted his train of thought. But she also brought him new inspiration¡ªperhaps he could let J nt some Thorns on Dulu Miqita¡ªforget it, he was afraid it would kneel down if scared by Dulu Miqita¡¯s magic. After all, Douson¡¯s Rock Grenades had terrified J. ¡°Right, Little Minor Elves are not of much use, but I have a dragon!¡± His eyes suddenly lit up, ¡°I almost forgot I have Fire Dragon Magic Power. Gathering all the Magic Power of the Fire Dragon together, I should be able to form a giant Fire Dragon covering an area of dozens of meters¡­ With the power of a great Fire Dragon, burning from the inside out, it can definitely burn Dulu Miqita alive.¡± The Magic Little Fire Dragon was not fast in moving. First, he had to restrict the movements of Dulu Miqita. How to restrict it was already covered with methods such as Rock Spikes, ships, clogging water channels, and more. He quickly added another point, ¡°Rubber water could be used, pouring arge amount of rubber into the river channel, turning the river water into rubber water. Paired with Rock Spikes, ships, and silt, within a few minutes, we should be able to stick Dulu Miqita in ce, thoroughly fixing its movements and leaving it to the great Fire Dragon to burn.¡± The movement had to be restricted, and the next step was to limit Dulu Miqita¡¯s magic. This would likely rely on the allure of the Serpent Blood Fruit, confusing its four heads, disrupting the thinking of the four brains. ¡°Right, the Smoke Mission that Paris is currently carrying out, the reward seems to be a research notebook, which might contain methods for restraining Dulu Miqita?¡± For a full two hours. He stayed in the Worm Room, going back and forth to refine the hunting n, basically strategizing the main process. And he was fully confident when he gave the n a codename¡ªOperation Cut Snake. There was Liu Bang of the past, who started a rebellion by killing a snake. And now there was Liszt Cut Snake¡­ Cut Snake¡­ Cut Snake¡­ in any case, it was to cut the snake! Seeing Liszt unfold his brows, Ake couldn¡¯t help but ask curiously, ¡°Brother, have you thought of a way? Can we kill Dulu Miqita?¡± ¡°It¡¯s only an intermediate-level sea monster,¡± Liszt put away the Cut Snake Operation strategy, and smiled lightly, ¡°Don¡¯t take it too seriously. Continue with your magic studies, and when I¡¯m ready, Dulu Miqita will be roasted Sea Serpent meat.¡± Chapter 325: 0323: Things That Must Be Done (Sixth release, seeking monthly pass) Chapter 325: Chapter 0323: Things That Must Be Done (Sixth release, seeking monthly pass) The existence of Dulu Miqita is a threat, a threat that should be dealt with as soon as possible. Therefore, after Liszt had nned out the Snake-ying Operation, he immediately mounted his Li Dragon Horse and galloped to the northern outskirts of Thorn Ridge, where he remembered there was a small river. The river meandered around, surrounded by shrubs. The terrain wasn¡¯t tooplicated, but it was undting, with high and low areas. Liszt searched carefully and had roughly sketched out a n for the riverbed. This area didn¡¯t belong to Fresh Flower Town, but the surroundingnd was barren, so he didn¡¯t need to inform anyone. He called over Goltai directly, ¡°I need you to gather the serfs and widen this river to two meters, with a depth that reaches just over the knees.¡± ¡°My lord, why are you excavating this river? It doesn¡¯t seem to be within the territory of Fresh Flower Town.¡± ¡°I n to hunt an Intermediate Sea Monster in this river.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Intermediate Sea Monster. There is one lurking in the seas near Fresh Flower Town, most likely a Six-Headed King Serpent.¡± Liszt released the information. It gave Goltai quite a scare, ¡°Inte¡­ Intermediate Sea Monster? Six-Headed King Serpent? My lord, this¡­¡±
¡°You don¡¯t need to be nervous. You won¡¯t be the one to hunt it; I will handle it myself. You just need to follow the setup I¡¯ve arranged and set traps here.¡± Goltai looked at Liszt¡¯s calm demeanor and couldn¡¯t help but try to convince him, ¡°My lord, you need to be cautious. An Intermediate Sea Monster is as powerful as an Intermediate Magical Beast. Even the Earl doesn¡¯t wish to clear out the Purple Sand Crocodile on Coral Ind, so this Six-Headed King Serpent requires even more careful handling!¡± ¡°To let the Six-Headed King Serpent ravage the seas of Fresh Flower Town at will? It could attack the Fresh Flower Vessel at any time and cut off Fresh Flower Town¡¯s connection with ck Horse Ind. We are under threat every day until it¡¯s hunted down.¡± Seeing that Goltai was about to say more. Liszt interrupted him directly, ¡°I know what you¡¯re worried about. I will make full preparations to hunt the Six-Headed King Serpent. If it turns out to be impossible, I will report to my father and leave it to him to handle.¡± ¡°My lord, I think you should report to the Earl now, considering¡­¡± ¡°Let me try first. If I can¡¯t beat it, then I¡¯ll give up.¡± Seeking help from the Earl was indeed an option, but the Earl might not be able to handle Dulu Miqita. Should the hunt seed, all gains would inevitably end up in the Earl¡¯s pocket, and there was also the risk of exposing Sea Sprite Ake. Moreover, at the moment. Even without any external assistance, he was confident in trying to hunt with the current strength of Fresh Flower Town. On top of that, with the rewards of the chain missions from the Smoke Mission, he had a very good chance. Should he fail, he would then seek help from the Earl. Once decided, he would not waver. He directly ordered Goltai, ¡°Keep the news about the Intermediate Sea Monster within the ranks of the town officials; not a single word should leak out. For the excavation of the river, consult with Isaiah and carry it out under another pretext, andplete the work quickly.¡± With no other choice. Goltai could only ept the order, ¡°As you wish, my lord!¡± Quickly, the news spread among the officials of Fresh Flower Town. When a luncheon meeting was held, a heated discussion broke out. Liszt onlyid out his decision at the beginning, then sat in the chair and watched with cold eyes. His will was unwavering. The rest was up to the officials¡¯ decisions. You may have opinions, you may vehemently disagree, but when he makes the final decision, no one is allowed to be passive. Just like the idle gossip about the ongoing investigation, Liszt hoped that through several acts of authority, he would instill his own majesty deep into the hearts of the people. His future was boundless.
However, training a qualified group of followers and a Knight Squad was a long and arduous task. After the arguments had subsided, and he had eaten his fill, Liszt spoke slowly, ¡°You may keep your opinions, but¡­¡± He looked around the room, and seeing that no one was speaking, he was very satisfied with the atmosphere, ¡°I have decided to hunt the Six-Headed King Serpent. What you need to do is cooperate with the task and offer supplementary opinions to improve the hunting n¡­ Gao Ertai, I have given you the information on the Six-Headed King Serpent. Discuss this at the office meeting and report back to me this evening.¡± ¡­
After the lunch banquet. Liszt still felt like taking a nap. Just as he awoke from his nap, Paris, who had gone out to investigate Magic Books, returned. ¡°Mission aplished.¡± She said with ease, ¡°I¡¯ve found out about the Magic Books. Elkerson is not an issue. The issue is with another Magician he coborates with for book purchases, Merlese Truth.¡± ¡°Merlese Truth?¡± Liszt had not heard this name before. ¡°She lives in a small town not far from Coral City, has been in seclusion for many years, and has connections with some Magicians from the outer inds. The channels through which she acquires her Magic Books are genuine. What¡¯s abnormal is the way she treats her Magic Apprentices¡­ I happened to encounter her while I was investigating¡­¡± Paris frowned, a look of disgust appearing on her face, ¡°She yed her own Magic Apprentice alive and continued conducting research while peeling off the skin.¡± Then, she spread her hands, ¡°I almost killed her, but after interrogating her, I learned she had killed hundreds of Magic Apprentices using various methods¡­ So I couldn¡¯t hold back. I broke both her arms, and then¡­ I¡¯m sorry, Baron, she bled out and died.¡± Listening to Paris¡¯s words, Liszt was also shocked. To have killed hundreds of Magic Apprentices through methods such as ying was truly cruel, not much different from the Phantom Ship¡¯s Curtis Truth. No wonder even the Smoke Mission was disturbed. So he merely said lightly, ¡°Next time don¡¯t kill people on a whim. Since this time it was an idental death and she deserved to die, let it go¡­ Did she leave behind any books or research notes of some sort?¡± ¡°I knew you would need these things, so I¡¯ve brought them all back, along with a pile of misceneous casting materials, and it seems there is also some Magic Equipment.¡±
Checking the carriage. There were a total of six pieces of Magic Equipment, some for amplifying Magic and others for protection. Liszt immediately divided them, giving half to Paris and keeping half for himself, ¡°Take these three pieces of protective Magic Equipment as a reward for your task. I¡¯m keeping the ones for amplifying spells.¡± He nned to give the amplifying Magic Equipment to Ach, arming him further. Paris epted the three protective items without ceremony, ¡°Thank you. I¡¯ll give them to Maggie for protection.¡± He ordered the servants to move the remaining pile of casting materials to the warehouse, and then carried the Magic Books collected by Merlese, along with her experimental notes, to his study. He then spoke to Paris who was about to leave, ¡°I will soon have a n to hunt an Intermediate Sea Monster, the Six-Headed King Serpent. I hope you can participate when the timees. If the hunt fails, please ensure my safety.¡± ¡°That¡¯s my job, Baron.¡± Paris smiled. Lately, she had returned to the carefree demeanor she had when she first arrived in Fresh Flower Town, ¡°But you really are bold, daring to hunt an Intermediate Sea Monster. Isn¡¯t it nice to just enjoy life?¡± Liszt touched the Crimson Blood Sword at his waist, ¡°Some things you must do. The Six-Headed King Serpent has already threatened the development of my territory and the safety of my people. I must eliminate this threat.¡± Chapter 326: 0324: Murder Notebook and Dragon Bone Calcination (First Update) Chapter 326: Chapter 0324: Murder Notebook and Dragon Bone Calcination (First Update) Whether it¡¯s for the reward of the Smoke Mission or for the safety of the shipping routes to Fresh Flower Town and ck Horse Ind, Dulu Miqita must die. After Paris left, Liszt directly summoned the Smoke Mission. ¡°Complete the mission, reward: the research notes of Merlese Truth.¡± The few notebooks that he had packed and brought back from Merlese¡¯s cabin in the woods were the rewards for the Smoke Mission, and the real prize within them was for Liszt to find. He returned to the study and, before opening the notebooks, reviewed the new Smoke Mission. ¡°Mission: Recently, many outsiders have chosen to settle in Fresh Flower Town, which shows that Fresh Flower Town¡¯s charm has bloomed on Coral Ind, but the increase in outsiders also brings risks. Please root out three hidden rats. Reward: The Assault of the Six-Headed King Serpent.¡± ¡°Hmm,¡± Liszt muttered, feeling surprised, ¡°This chain mission has only gone through two links, and it¡¯s already entering the final showdown? The reward seems a bit small, and it doesn¡¯t give enough sense of security.¡± The chain mission of the Thorn Minor Elf J was the longest, with a total of six Smoke Missions before J was born. For the Formless Dragon chain mission, including the final gain of the Space Gem, there were also six Smoke Missions. However, Liszt soon reconciled with the thought: ¡°The two previous missions, plus this one, and possibly another during the final battle, make four missions in total. For an Intermediate Sea Monster like the Six-Headed King Serpent, that¡¯s quite up to par. After all, it cannot bepared with J and the Space Gem.¡±
Hunting an intermediate sea monster is a prize of much lower rank than acquiring a minor elf. One can imagine that the day the Smoke Mission decides to involve a Greater Elf, it might distribute many more Smoke Missions, perhaps more than ten. If it decides to involve a real Dragon, maybe there would be over fifty Smoke Missions, or even more. After all, dragons are the most noble of beings. ¡°From the look of it now, the secret to dealing with the Six-Headed King Serpent must be hidden within Merlese¡¯s notes,¡± Liszt opened a notebook and began to read. He wasn¡¯t in a hurry to tackle the task of rooting out the rats, waiting until everything was ready and choosing an appropriate moment to root them out. He had just flipped to the first page of the first notebook. And his eyebrows shot up. Because on the first page of the notebook was drawn a goat¡¯s head, its familiar shape immediately reminded him of the Goat Head g on the Ghost Ship, ¡°This is the emblem of the Magic Goat Family, howe it appears in Merlese¡¯s research notes? Could it be that she is a remnant of the Magic Goat Family?¡± The Magic Goat Family had two legacies, one primarily trained in knighthood, and the other in magic. After the failure of the coup at The Court, both were eradicated. Now encountering this goat head emblem again on a magician from Fresh Flower Town, and considering the cruelty of this Merlese Truth, who tortured and killed over a hundred Magic Apprentices. Liszt couldn¡¯t help shaking his head, ¡°They really seem like one family. Curtis Truth was cruel enough to use living people as sacrifices, while Merlese Truth tortured Magic Apprentices, with the same degree of brutality. No wonder the Magic Goat Family back then, in order to help Annute¡¯s longevity, even dared to target the Sapphire Dragon.¡± The content of this notebook mainly contained records of magic casting and refinement, essentially the insights and experience that Merlese had in meticulously practising her own magic. From beginning to end, it had no rtion to the Six-Headed King Serpent. However, it included detailed experiences in casting the Water Magic Water Wheel Barrier, which could be passed on to the Sea Sprite Ake for reference to elerate his learning process. He put down this notebook. He opened the second research notebook. The cover and pages were severely damaged, indicating that Merlese consulted them frequently. The first page bore a hand-drawn goat symbol and a scrawled line of Serpent Script. ¡°Only in death during the release of passion can the purest soul be stripped away.¡±
He didn¡¯t understand the meaning of this sentence. He turned directly to the second page, and the more Liszt read, the more rmed he became. The page shockingly detailed how Merlese had killed all the magic apprentices. What was terrifying wasn¡¯t the act of murder itself but her method and motive¡ªshe was studying souls. She began her research when she was young, trying various methods to strip human souls. For example, she might suddenly kill a magic apprentice at the climax of mating and then begin to strip their soul; she also tormented apprentices to the brink of death before killing them to strip their souls.
She believed that when a person was in a state of abundant emotion, their soul was most easily stripped away and at its purest. Liszt nearly forced himself through the difort in his scalp and heart as he finished the research notebook. Then he could confirm that the reward for the Smoke Mission was the content of this notebook¡ªMerlese had invented a potion extracted from blood, named Soul Disturbing Agent. She had never seeded in stripping a soul away but did find a substance of grudge in the blood of dying people; after purifying it, she created the Soul Disturbing Agent. It could plunge a person¡¯s soul into chaos. Not lethal, but it could easily dull a person¡¯s intellect; however, the Soul Disturbing Agent was ineffective against those with strong mental strength. People like Earth Knights and magicians, who have strong mental strength, would just feel dizzy for ten days to half a month after being injected with the Soul Disturbing Agent and could recover on their own. ¡°So this is the reward for the Smoke Mission, a Soul Disturbing Agent to confuse the mind of the Six-Headed King Serpent? Intermediate sea creatures probably don¡¯t have weak mental strength, perhaps, it is targeting the two immature snakeheads?¡± Closing the research notes, he quickly went to the castle¡¯s storeroom. Merlese¡¯s relics that he had brought back were not yet sorted out thoroughly. After rummaging around, he saw eight crystal tubes filled with Magic Potion enter his view; under the detection of ¡°The Eye of Magic¡±, they emitted a luminous green light, almost the same as the soul light he saw on the Ghost Ship. Apparently, these were the Soul Disturbing Agents. He packed up the crystal tubes. Liszt thought for a moment and decided to finish reading the remaining three research notebooks. One chronicled her study of magic arrays, which he could give to Ake to study; another documented her bizarre experiments, which were somewhat referential. Thest one recorded the manuscript for the magic book she was preparing to publish, with even the name decided¡ª¡±Different Kinds of Bone Handling Techniques¡ªMerlese Truth¡±.
The manuscript was still unfinished. But to Liszt¡¯s surprise, it contained records on the treatment of dragon bones. ¡°Dragon bones are part of a dragon, containing the magic power of the dragon. The biggest difference between dragon bones and other bodily tissues is that dragon bones are rted to the soul. It is said that the soul of a dragon resides in its teeth, so weapons made from dragon teeth are the divine arms Knights most covet, Dragon Tooth Soldiers.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have the means to purchase dragon bones, but based on my research on Dragon Beast bones, I infer that dragon bones are the source of Dragon Might. If you have a little understanding of the past of the Duchy of Sapphire, you¡¯d know there once was a technique known as Dragonbone Stabilizer¡­which activates the Dragon Might within the Dragon Beast skeleton through a magic array.¡± ¡°Actually, there is an even quicker method: smash the dragon bones and calcine them with fire, and the Dragon Might will be released quickly. Of course, the Dragonbone Stabilizer Technique can continue to stimte the Dragon Might, while calcining the dragon bones will release all the Dragon Might at once. If you all want to experience Dragon Might, you may wish to burn some dragon bones.¡± Chapter 327 - 0325: Hope of Fresh Flower Town (Second Update) Chapter 327: Chapter 0325: Hope of Fresh Flower Town (Second Update) ¡°` ¡°Calcining Dragon Bones have this effect?¡± If verified to be true, then the huge pile of Fire Dragon Bone Fragments that he had collected would be extremely useful. Liszt, an action-oriented person, immediately began the experiment. He lit a bonfire. Threw in a few Fire Dragon Bone Fragments, then, he began to wait for the Dragon Might to emerge. However, half a day passed, the bonfire was almost out, and he didn¡¯t feel the anticipated Dragon Might. He stirred the charcoal ashes with his Longsword, only to discover that the Fire Dragon Bone Fragments were merely charred on the surface, without much change. ¡°Is it due to insufficient me, or are the bones not shattered enough?¡± He then ordered a servant to bring a tin box, ced charcoal inside, poured some grease, and began to light it. The temperature in the center of such mes was extremely high; he continued to smash the Fire Dragon Bone Fragments into even smaller pieces, scattering them into the furnace. Yet, half a dayter, there was still no production of Dragon Might. ¡°Is Merlese¡¯s conjecture wrong, or are the Fire Dragon Bone Fragments in my handspletely decayed, unable to stimte any Dragon Might?¡± ¡°Or is it ineffective to burn the Fire Dragon Bones with fire? After all, it¡¯s a Fire Dragon, an expert in ying with fire.¡± Thinking this, he took out the only Dragonbone Stabilizer from the Space Gem. The Dragonbone Stabilizer Technique had been lost with the fall of the Magic Goat Family; this sole remaining bone of a Dragon Beast ostensibly had no more use. ¡°Dragon Bones can stimte Dragon Might, and the bones of a Dragon Beast can also slightly stimte it; while the Dragonbone Stabilizer is still rtively fresh, why not give it a try?¡± He hesitated no more, directly knocking off a small piece from the Dragonbone Stabilizer. He tossed it into the rekindled fire pile. A momentter, a faint breath burst forth from the fire, instantly causing Liszt¡¯s skin to break out in goosebumps, his heart tightened, immediately reminding him of the Dragon Might he felt when the Formless Dragon hade by. Compared to that time, this Dragon Might was very faint, very weak, but it was indeed Dragon Might. Aftersting a short while, this faint Dragon Might had slowly dissipated. Liszt extinguished the fire and returned to the Castle. His mood was somewhat excited, ¡°Indeed, Merlese¡¯s guess was correct, calcining Dragon Bones can release Dragon Might. The Fire Dragon Bone Fragments might not produce Dragon Might due to decay, or resistance. Only the Dragon Beast bone from this Dragonbone Stabilizer can still release some Dragon Might¡­ I wonder if it can intimidate Dulu Miqita.¡± He had already decided. Tobine Serpent Blood Fruit, Soul Disturbing Agent, and Dragon Might, a triple disturbance to disrupt Dulu Miqita¡¯s magic casting. ¡°With this, restrictive measures prepared, magical disturbance measures ready, and the finishing move, Magical Grand Fire Dragon also set, hunting Dulu Miqita only awaits the trap¡¯s proper arrangement.¡± ¡­ Serpent Blood Fruit was not difficult to purchase. The Fresh Flower Caravan bought a batch of Serpent Blood Tree nt Pots from Coral Ind, a total of twenty-two pots; due to the season, none had flowered or fruited yet. They resembled young pepper nts, about as tall as two palms. ¡°Quite regrettable, Lord Landlord, there were no Serpent Blood Fruits for sale on Coral Ind, we only managed to purchase some nt pots,¡± reported Abagon. ¡°Continue to purchase, buy all the Serpent Blood Tree nt Pots that can be found.¡± Liszt gave themand indifferently, not much concerned with the oue from the Fresh Flower Caravan. Tulip Castle¡¯s caravan hadn¡¯t returned yet; it was unsure if they¡¯d acquired any Serpent Blood Fruits, but the caravan from Beer Castle had already sent a batch of Serpent Blood Fruits through Fresh Flower Port, roughly a thousand catties. Serpent Blood Fruit is a dry fruit; several inds in the Duchy of Sapphire have many venomous snakes, so localndlords hoard Serpent Blood Fruits. The trade channels of Beer Castle¡¯s caravan wereplex, making it easy to contact these minorndlords. ¡°` With an ample supply of Serpent Blood Fruits, every part of the n was now in ce. When Marcus returned to Fresh Flower Town by ship, Liszt directly instructed him, ¡°Teacher Marcus, I need you to make another trip to ck Horse Ind and bring back Griffin and Lasse. The Earth Knights will y a principal role in this hunt against the Six-Headed King Serpent, and we need to start training ahead of time.¡± Upon hearing Liszt¡¯s decision, Marcus did offer a few words of persuasion. Butpared to Goltai¡¯s downcast spirit, his eyes sparkled with a greater sense of fighting spirit. ¡°My Lord, your n is perfect. I believe Douson should take on a more significant role. Although Douson is not yet fully mature, the Six-Headed King Serpent is also not fully grown; maybe Douson could put up a direct and tough fight against it. Acting as our main force, you also need to seize this opportunity to train itsbat abilities,¡± he suggested. Liszt nodded. ¡°Indeed, Douson should definitely engage in a good fight. Being raised in the yard may dull its wild instincts.¡± ¡°Also, if you intend to use a bow and arrow to inject a Soul Disturbing Agent, disrupting the Six-Headed King Serpent from casting magic, why not have the Apprentice Knights join the battle with bows and arrows? Your collection includes a highly toxic bee venom. With arrowheads dipped in poison, I believe they could inflict considerable damage on the King Sea Serpent.¡± ¡°That¡¯s an excellent addition,¡± Liszt acknowledged. Many hands make light work, and after exchanging ideas with Marcus, the n for the serpent hunt was more thorough. ¡­ At the end of March. Spring plowing had rolled out its magnificent prologue. Aside from the one thousand and five hundred people working on ck Horse Ind, Fresh Flower Town had over three thousand inhabitants. Hundreds of serfs were digging river traps under the guise of ¡°clearing water channels.¡± The remaining serfs, the majority of them, were engaged in cultivation, striving to seed all the cultivated farnd within the boundaries of Fresh Flower Town and Thorn Ridge. Thepost umted over the winter was also being continuously spread into the fields. All the serfs were equipped with a full set of agricultural tools¡ªfrom bone spades, bone hoes, bone knives to wooden buckets, wooden basins, carrying poles¡ªwhich greatly improved work efficiency. Having returned from inspecting the river traps, Liszt, with Zambrotta, ir, Nemo, and other town officials, continued to oversee the spring plowing activities. Monster hunting was important, as was spring plowing. Standing on the ridge of the fields and observing the serfs working with their backs to the sky, he gave an important directive: ¡°The development of Fresh Flower Town has note easy. As town officials, you must value this highly and ensure you manage this spring plowing mission well. The town¡¯s reimed wastnd must not be abandoned.¡± ¡°Yes, my Lord!¡± the officials responded in unison. ¡°Goltai and Isaiah are in charge of the river channel excavation, so the tasks they should have assumed will start with ir. You all must take over their responsibilities.¡± ¡°Yes, my Lord!¡± Afterward, Liszt, apanied by the officials, went on to inspect each garrison and meet with the stewards to hear about the progress of the spring plowing. Although he did not adopt an approachable posture by going into the fields to talk amiably with the serfs, the image of Lord Landlord cing importance on agriculture was already established. No one dared to ck off when it came to spring plowing. In fact, without this posture, the serfs would not bex; most of them had already lived through hard times. After arriving in Fresh Flower Town, the kind Lord Landlord, ample food and clothing, job opportunities everywhere where one could earn money, and thebor distribution system that rewarded hard work gave them hope. ¡°This year, I¡¯m going to cultivate twenty acres of farnd, all nted with wheat!¡± an excited new serf, watching the Lord and his party depart, said to himself, ¡°My wife and children have died of starvation. I am still young. If I earn money, I can remarry and have a bunch of children!¡± The serfs who had been sold had almost all lost their families. After oveing their grief, they longed to start new families. And the great, benevolent, noble Lord Landlord had given them a visible opportunity. ¡­ Riding on the back of a Li Dragon Horse, Liszt looked out and saw the town enveloped in a light called ¡°progress,¡± and he couldn¡¯t help feeling his spirits soar: ¡°This is thend I strive to develop!¡± Chapter 331: 0329: The Fragrant Smell of Snake Meat Wafts Over (First Update) Chapter 331: Chapter 0329: The Fragrant Smell of Snake Meat Wafts Over (First Update) Marcus¡¯s arrows were not ordinary arrows. They were improved Falcon Feather Arrows and Falcon Tail Arrows, with Iron Wood Thorns as the shaft and Dragon Bone as the arrowhead, bnced with the feathers of the Magical Beast Windfalcon. The best set of arrows in Fresh Flower Town. He pulled out two arrows wrapped with Soul Disturbing Agents, aiming at one of Dulu Miqita¡¯s immature snake heads¡ªa mature snake head¡¯s mental strength must be strong, with better resistance; an immature snake head, however, was the best target for disruption. A single Soul Disturbing Agent would definitely drive it insane. Hitting the writhing snake head was difficult, but fortunately, he had eight good arrows to try with. Pff! Seizing the right moment, he released the bowstring, and the arrow, guided by Dou Qi, shot towards an immature snake head. Unfortunately, these two arrows merely grazed past the snake head, missing their target. But he remained calm and unhurried, as though he were facing an ordinary beast instead of an Intermediate Sea Monster. For the time being, Dulu Miqita posed little threat to him. Because Douson had already pounced. This increasingly mature Intermediate Magical Beast Blizzard Beast, long trained by Liszt, had developed intelligence far beyond that of ordinary magical beasts. It understood the essence of hit-and-run tactics, enemy advance I retreat, slippery positioning, and would use Multiple Stone Spikes whenever there was a chance.
Not only did it put Dulu Miqita in a difficult position, but it also continuously attracted Dulu Miqita¡¯s intermittent magical firepower. A barrage of Water Arrows fired at the hill, sending mud flying everywhere. A swing of the de of Water, but what it struck was only Douson¡¯s afterimage. A snake and a dog managed toe to a temporary standoff, and it even looked as if Douson had the upper hand. As soon as Dulu Miqita showed the slightest sign of recoil, Douson would rush up and use Multiple Stone Spikes to block its movements; whenever Dulu Miqita unleashed magic in retaliation, Douson would crazily jump about and flee. It was quite the enhanced version of a rural pastime¡ªdog fighting a water snake. When attacked, a snake would first coil itself up in defense rather than turn and flee, and Dulu Miqita was no different. But a coiled-up Dulu Miqita was a perfect living target for Douson¡¯s stone spikes. Moreover, the disruption froms, silk lines, and arrows prevented it from sessfully casting a Water Wave Shield. Water Wave Shield is a defensive magic that summons a giant shield made of water, which condenses like waves over the surface of the body, able to dissolve a great deal of attacks. Without its Water Wave Shield, the strength of the juvenile Six-Headed King Sea Serpent was greatly reduced. Pff! Just as its attention was drawn by Douson, two more arrows shot out, urately hitting one of the immature snake heads, even striking it in the eye area. The Soul Disturbing Agents were injected instantly, and in the next moment, that snake head started thrashing wildly,shing about like a whip, and even took a fierce bite at the adjacent snake head. Seizing such an opportunity, Marcus fired two arrows at once, sessfully hitting another of Dulu Miqita¡¯s immature snake heads. He had two arrows left and boldly fired two more, this time targeting mature snake heads. Unfortunately, they missed their mark due to the chaotic twisting of the snake heads, shooting into the air instead. Two snake heads fell into confusion, frenziedly tearing at the mature snake heads, causing the four mature snake heads to panic. They immediately stopped coiling, preparing to leave. However, Liszt certainly wouldn¡¯t let such an opportunity slip by and directed Douson to attack again, tangling intensely with it. Elsewhere. The Apprentice Knight responsible for smelting Dragon Beast bones had already raised a zing fire, crackling as it smelted the Dragon Beast bones. In a moment, a formidable Dragon Might began to rise from the mes, radiating in all directions. The Dragon Might was fierce. Dulu Miqita, which had been frantically and fearfully fleeing, was so terrified that it fell t. Unable to move.
But unexpectedly, Douson also shook in fear, not daring to attack, wasting a prime opportunity. The knights were well-prepared, some continuing to kick up dust, others to dump soil, trying to speed up the solidification of this shallow river section and freeze Dulu Miqita in ce. From a distance, the scent of the simmering Serpent Blood Fruit also began to drift over. It seemed that this scent stimted the two still-crazed immature snake heads, causing them to stir into action again, biting the four mature snake heads until they were miserable, and rendering thempletely unable to cast any magic. ¡°Get up, Douson! Get it done!¡± Liszt kicked the trembling Douson, this unreliable mongrel. ¡°Douson, Multiple Stone Spikes!¡±
Douson was kicked awake, still shaking, but managed to release a set of Rock Spikes, fiercely stabbing into Dulu Miqita, nailing it in ce. The sludge mixed with rubber began to harden, the tangled ships, and silk threads also tightened more and more. Liszt knew the opportunity hade and immediately roared, ¡°Marcus, get ready!¡± After speaking, he immediately threw out a Fire Dragon Jar. Marcus¡¯s ordinary arrows shot the Fire Dragon Jar flying in mid-air, shattering it with one shot; Liszt kept throwing Fire Dragon Jars, and he continued shooting arrows. In the short time when Dragon Might burst forth, all twelve Fire Dragon Jars exploded in mid-air, and the Volcanic ss Vessels Brad painstakingly crafted were smashed to pieces. There was no heartache. The Eye of Magic was cast. Liszt saw the Fire Dragon Magic Power merge together, forming a huge Magical Grand Fire Dragon that dived towards Dulu Miqita, which was starting to recover. Boom! Passing through it, the severely wounded Dulu Miqita screamed a piercing ¡°hiss,¡± its body bouncing like a rubber band, blood spilling everywhere, leaping out of the mud pit, and escaping into the stone forest. ¡°All of you, fall back, retreat beyond forty meters!¡± Only Liszt could see the Magical Grand Fire Dragon, so the burden of stopping Dulu Miqita could only be carried by him and Douson. Pointing in the direction Dulu Miqita was fleeing to, hemanded: ¡°Douson, Multiple Stone Spikes!¡± The Dragon Might came and went quickly, Douson had already regained hisposure and upon Liszt¡¯smand, opened his mouth and released Multiple Stone Spikes, fiercely stabbing into Dulu Miqita, stopping its escape. This dy allowed the Magical Grand Fire Dragon to dive again, fiercely searing Dulu Miqita. The two crazed snake heads twisted wildly, not sure if they were attracted by the scent of the Serpent Blood Fruit, causing havoc to its thoughts.
This made Dulu Miqita twitch a few times, unable even to run away. Phut! Multiple Stone Spikes were released again. Boom! The Magical Grand Fire Dragon dived again, and the range of forty meters had be the desperate distance for Dulu Miqita; the disruption of the Soul Disturbing Agent, the continuously bleeding wounds, and the Stone Spikes stuck in its body¡ªperhaps even including the arrows tainted with bee venom¡ªwere all iming its life. When the Magical Grand Fire Dragon dived for the fourth time. Dulu Miqita¡¯s tightly stretched four snake heads finally went limp, life rapidly slipping away, magic power in its body slowly dissipating. A faint scent of snake meat began to spread. Liszt, who had been observing using the Eye of Magic, made a quick decision, directing Douson to charge forward: ¡°Douson, quick, bite its tail and drag it away!¡± Douson, already ustomed to Liszt¡¯splexmands, lunged forward, bit into Dulu Miqita¡¯s snake tail, and started dragging it outside. ¡°Paris, you too,e and help drag it!¡± Taking advantage of the interval in which the Magical Grand Fire Dragon flew away, the two of them with one dog sessfully dragged the dying Dulu Miqita beyond forty meters. ¡°My lord! The Six-Headed King Sea Serpent isn¡¯t dead yet, be careful!¡± Marcus circled around and ran over, saw Liszt personally dragging Dulu Miqita, and couldn¡¯t help but shout.
¡°It¡¯s not going to live, Teacher Marcus. You all go over there and get the Serpent Blood Tree nt Pot I prepared. I¡¯m going to use the serpent blood to nourish them!¡± Although the blood of an Intermediate Sea Monster could certainly be sold for money, in view of the Smoke Mission reward hint, he still thought it was more worthwhile to use the serpent blood to cultivate Sprite Bugs. Because the reward was ¡°an unknown number of Sprite Bugs,¡± maybe¡ªjust maybe¡ªhe could cultivate more than one Serpent Blood Fruit Sprite Bug! Sprite Bugs, that¡¯s the biggest gain of this battle! Chapter 332: 0330: Inventorying the Spoils of War (Second Update) Chapter 332: Chapter 0330: Inventorying the Spoils of War (Second Update) ¡°` The Serpent ying operation was aplete sess, and the huge thrill was written on everyone¡¯s face as they all gathered around the six-headed King Sea Serpent, marveling at its enormity and ferocity. Bucket after bucket of serpent blood was quickly collected in water buckets. Liszt didn¡¯t want to waste it, pouring it onto the Serpent Blood Tree nt pots, but there was too much blood, and the pots couldn¡¯t hold it all. He wanted to maximize benefits, ¡°Transport the serpent blood in carts, along with the Serpent Blood Tree nt pots, and immediately take them back to the castle. And take my shells back to the castle as well!¡± He stood up and looked at the huge corpse of the Six-Headed King Sea Serpent. Due to the roasting by the Magic Grand Fire Dragon, parts of it were nearly cooked. So, selling it for a good price might be difficult¡ªafter all, he had never heard of selling materials from a magical beast or sea monster after they had been cooked. ¡°As for the corpse of the Six-Headed King Sea Serpent, drag it back to the castle, then break it down into materials to see if there are any valuable parts that can be sold; the rest, store as food,¡± Liszt announced his decision on handling the corpse. Suddenly, he felt it was necessary to give a speech and to inspire his followers, ¡°In hunting the intermediate Sea Monster, the Six-Headed King Sea Serpent, everyone gave their all. I¡¯ve seen your courage and sacrifices. Now, the spoils of war are here, and everyone will get to enjoy them, that¡¯s my decision!¡± Raising his voice, he scanned the surroundings. Liszt dered loudly, ¡°Hunting an intermediate Sea Monster is just the beginning; in the future, more honors and glories await us to im! And remember, the glory is mine, and I am with you!¡±
¡°Swear allegiance unto death to the Lord Landlord!¡± shouted an astute Apprentice Knight, loudly and passionately. It was Zavier. Immediately after, everyone, including the Earth Knights, began shouting with fervor, ¡°Swear allegiance unto death to the Lord Landlord!¡± The chants echoed repeatedly, and with the Six-Headed King Sea Serpent¡¯s corpse as backdrop, it seemed especially enthusiastic and wild. Liszt was pleased with the scene. Of course, he took note of Zavier¡¯s shrewdness. The shouting gradually ceased. Then he resumed a serious expression, ¡°Now, let¡¯s clean up the hunting site, take all the materials we can carry, and head back!¡± He then rushed to the Sea Sprite Ake, instructing the Apprentice Knights to lift the shells out of the pond and onto the tbed carts to be taken back to the castle, and then returned to the Shell Wood Tower. When they, along with the immense corpse of the Six-Headed King Sea Serpent, returned to the town, Fresh Flower Town immediately erupted with excitement. Curious civilians flocked together, crowding around to catch a glimpse of the intermediate Sea Monster¡¯s corpse¡ªmany of them had never seen even a low-level Magical Beast in their lifetimes, let alone the stuff of legends, an intermediate Sea Monster. Of course, Douson and the Eight Tiny Ones were exceptions. The whispers and private conversations were incessant, groups of two or three marveling and discussing. ¡°What kind of Magical Beast is this, it¡¯s terrifying!¡± ¡°It¡¯s not a Magical Beast, it¡¯s a Sea Monster, a big Sea Monster, one that eats ships!¡± ¡°Good heavens, how long is it, and it has so many heads.¡± ¡°The Knight¡¯s glory shines upon us, thanking our great Landlord for ying such a fearsome beast, may the Knight¡¯s glory forever shine upon Fresh Flower Town.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not a Magical Beast; it¡¯s a Sea Monster!¡± ¡°I heard the Lord Landlord killed the Sea Monster with a single sword strike!¡± ¡°Intermediate Sea Monster, it¡¯s an intermediate Sea Monster, as powerful as our Lord Landlord¡¯s Douson.¡± ¡°It can spew terrifying magic, whipping up huge sea waves to smash anyone it encounters. My brother took part in the sea monster hunt, he saw with his own eyes the Lord Landlord riding Douson, killing this giant sea serpent!¡± ¡°` ¡°There is no magical beast or sea monster that Lord Landlord cannot y.¡±
¡°It¡¯s worth at least a hundred Gold Coins!¡± ¡°Ha ha, Old Bok, are you joking? This is an intermediate sea monster, take a good look, it can sell for a thousand Gold Coins!¡± ¡°Its snake skin can be made into the finest leather armor; even an Earth Knight hacking at it won¡¯t leave a mark.¡± ¡°I really want to taste some snake meat.¡±
¡°You¡¯ll be burst open by the flesh of the sea monster, there is so much magic power in it that it will tear your body to shreds, just like a scarecrow in the field.¡± ¡°Ah, that¡¯s too terrifying.¡± At such moments, Liszt should havee out to show himself and receive the worship and cheers of the citizens of Fresh Flower Town. But he didn¡¯t; instead, he simply sent the town officials to drive away the civilians gathered around the body of the Six-Headed King Serpent. He had more important things to do¡ªorganizing the Space Gem. There was too much stuff inside, already filled to the brim. Now, he had to store the unusable Serpent Blood and take out some every day to water the Serpent Blood Fruits. Without anticoagnts to remove clotting factors, blood is difficult to preserve; once it coagtes, the contained magic power will quickly dissipate. The Grand Magician who wrote ¡°Secrets of Sea Serpent Aquatic Monsters¡± would irrigate with Serpent Blood in one go, as it was difficult to catch a living Sea Serpent. But Liszt had a Space Gem, which could store this Serpent Blood indefinitely. Fine Steel Knight Suit, Drift Bottle containing a 36D Ghost, Mithril Mine, Jade, Crystal, ck Pearl, Smoked Grass, Volcanic ss, Fire Dragon Bone Fragments; Sapphire Magic Ring, Goat Head g, Sapphire Dragon Ship Figurehead, Soul Submerged Wood, some Knight¡¯s Novels and Magic Books. A vast array of food, drinking water, and other living supplies, bee venom and thorn poison, as well as essential camping gear for journeys. A Gemstone Space the size of half a room simply couldn¡¯t amodate any more items¡ªit was only possible to clear out some items¡ªhe removed some camping gear, books, bone fragments, volcanic ss, and the knight suit, cing them in the study room. Only then was he able to fit in ten barrels of Serpent Blood. ¡°There¡¯s still a bit of space left. After processing the body of the Six-Headed King Serpent, the surplus Magical Beast Meat can be put in there to be used slowly¡­ This is the body of an intermediate sea monster; the nutritional value of its meat is far superior to that of low-level magical beast meat, and it should be enough tost me a very long time.¡± He had no intention of giving away even a morsel of the Six-Headed King Serpent meat.
After all, it would be a waste to feed it to his followers¡ªonly the potion-addicted Elite Earth Knights could make the most of the magical beast meat. He nned to reward the followers who participated in the battle with Gold Coins. If there was excess snake skin, it could be distributed amongst the Earth Knights¡ªone piece each to stitch into a piece of leather armor. A piece of intermediate sea monster level armor would be the absolute best way to win people¡¯s hearts. But, three secondster. ¡°Never mind, they didn¡¯t put in much effort, ny percent of the credit should go to myself. Giving them the armor to wear is a waste¡­ I¡¯ll just reward them with more Gold Coins. I believe the knights¡¯ love for Gold Coins is greater than anything, after all, Gold Coins can buy everything.¡± Between a boss distributing oil bonuses and a boss handing out cash bonuses, everyone would undoubtedly choose cash. Cash represents the power of self-disposition. Furthermore, the body of the Six-Headed King Serpent is entirely a treasure, and Liszt didn¡¯t even want to sell it; he knew that even with Gold Coins it would be tremendously difficult to buy materials from the body of an intermediate sea monster¡ªCoral Ind used to have one Purple Sand Crocodile, a testament to the rarity. ¡°A snake¡¯s whole body is a treasure, and so is the Six-Headed King Serpent, it¡¯s all a treasure. I¡¯ll eat everything edible! Anything inedible and unusable, I¡¯ll consider whether to sell it to magicians then.¡± The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone! Chapter 333: 331: The Triplets Special Abilities (Third Update, 10,000 Coins Reward Celebration 2/3) Chapter 333: Chapter 331: The Triplets¡¯ Special Abilities (Third Update, 10,000 Coins Reward Celebration 2/3) This chapter is an ¡°Adolph0812¡± grand reward addition. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Dissected materials were sent to the warehouse bit by bit before Liszt moved them into the Gemstone Space little by little. He quickly filled the Gemstone Space once again, yet there was still a lot of snake meat that couldn¡¯t fit inside. The great sea snake, at eight meters long with a robust build, weighed nearly two tons. The snake meat that couldn¡¯t fit was immediately ordered by Liszt for Mrs. Abbie to take the team and salt ¡ª this would cause some loss of the magic power contained in the meat, but at least it would not rot. The snake skin was somewhat damaged. Because of the huge size of the entire Six-Headed King Sea Serpent, it was still possible to make aplete set of leather armor, which was an excellent material for protection. The skin alone could sell for at least a thousand gold coins, but Liszt intended to keep it to make his armor, as he wasn¡¯t short on money. Besides snake blood, snake skin, and snake meat, there were also snake galldder, snake oil, snake viscera, snake tendons, snake bones, snake teeth, and snake venom. Basically, there was nothing unnecessary. ¡°So I¡¯ve decided to utilize this Six-Headed King Sea Serpent as my personalbat reward, without selling it externally,¡± he said, announcing his final decision to Consultant Goltai, Knight Teacher Marcus, and Butler Carter, ¡°Consultant Goltai, Teacher Marcus, calcte an appropriate gold coin reward for the knights who participated inbat.¡±
¡°Yes, Baron!¡± No one declined, followers fought alongside theirndlord for the rewards. ¡­ There was still some time before the feast. Themoners who had gathered in front of the castle had been driven away, but the tale of the greatndlord who cut down an Intermediate Sea Monster with his sword was likely to circte around the town for ten days to half a month without stopping. Once the Fresh Flower Vessel returned to ck Horse Ind, themoners there would continue discussing it. Furthermore, when the merchant convoys came again, this story would spread widely across Coral Ind¡ªLiszt ying the serpent! Ignoring that the Six-Headed King Sea Serpent was still immature and hade ashore, ignoring Douson¡¯s significant involvement, ignoring the knights¡¯ fric assistance, ignoring the substantial initial investment. The protagonist of the story was always only one person¡ªthe Baron of Fresh Flower Town who cut down an Intermediate Sea Monster with a single sh! Meanwhile, all nobles woulde to understand that the time for Liszt¡¯s rise was imminent, perhaps right after this year¡¯s Pioneer Mandate was issued! With the ability to kill an Intermediate Sea Monster, he was more than ready to enter the battlefield and vie for glory. But at this moment. The reputation of Liszt¡¯s serpent-ying was still limited to Fresh Flower Town. The Six-Headed King Sea Serpent was quickly dissected, with arge amount of material hidden in Liszt¡¯s Space Gem. He reserved aplete snake head, nning to pickle it into a specimen and hang it above his own seat, disying thendlord¡¯s authority. Like an Earl who has a seat covered with a Giant Barbarian Bear hide. Hunting an Intermediate Magical Beast or Sea Monster was indeed a lifetime¡¯s achievement. Moreover, he set aside some of the snake meat baked by the Magical Grand Fire Dragon for tonight¡¯s Serpent Meat Feast ¡ª despite deciding to monopolize the spoils of war, he could still generously let his followers taste what an Intermediate Sea Monster was like ¡ª the fact that the snake meat had been injected with a lot of bee venom wasn¡¯t a problem, as the chefs were adept at detoxifying, given that much Magical Beast Meat is poisonous. The Serpent Blood Tree nt Pot, watered with snake blood, had already been moved to the castle¡¯s gardens. Waiting to nurture Sprite Bugs.
¡°Baron, I¡¯m heading back,¡± Paris stretchedzily, her figure exceptionally pleasing to the eye, ¡°I loafed around all day, never expecting hunting an Intermediate Sea Monster to be so simple¡­ those strange but highly potent bottles and jars of yours were too powerful, the Six-Headed King Sea Serpent had no way to resist.¡± That was the magic power of the dragon; intermediate sea monsters, of course, couldn¡¯t resist it. Liszt smiled faintly, ¡°Don¡¯t forget toe to the banquet for snake meat.¡± ¡°I definitely won¡¯t miss such a good opportunity,¡± Paris nodded and turned to leave.
Withdrawing his gaze that admired her departing figure, Liszt returned to the second floor of the castle, took a bath to remove the sweat and bloodstains from his body, and decided to check the rewards for the Smoke Mission. ¡°Missionpleted, reward an unknown number of Serpent Blood Fruit Elf Bugs.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Liszt was surprised, ¡°It¡¯s still an unknown number of Elf Bugs, only now it¡¯s specified they are Serpent Blood Fruit Elf Bugs. Could it be that even the Smoke Mission can¡¯t confirm how many Serpent Blood Fruit Elf Bugs I¡¯ll raise¡­ or does this mean, there¡¯s a possibility that I won¡¯t raise any Elf Bugs at all?¡± He quickly reasoned out the factors, ¡°Perhaps the choice of fate is in my hands. If I stop raising them, then not a single Elf Bug will be born, and if I continue to raise them, I might raise multiple Elf Bugs?¡± But then, upon further thought, he was confused again. ¡°How did the previous mission rewards n to deliver the Serpent Blood Fruit Elf Bugs into my hands? If I don¡¯t irrigate the Serpent Blood Fruit with snake blood, there¡¯s no way to raise Elf Bugs. Smoke Missions surely can¡¯t conjure Elf Bugs out of thin air to give to me, what exactly is the logic here?¡± Smoke Missions won¡¯t create rewards out of thin air, this much is certain. They merely use the power of fate to manipte the threads of various causes and effects, turning a random oue into an inevitability. ¡°Could it be that the Smoke Mission actually involves my own thoughts within the realm of fate?¡± Liszt pondered, this logic seemed correct; after all, he spected that the Smoke Mission itself was a manifestation of the power of fate, radiating out through his own mind. However, this exnation felt a bit far-fetched. Thinking it over from every angle, and finding no better exnation, he gave up and began focusing on the new task at hand. ¡°Mission: The excessive harvesting of rubber has brought considerable damage to the rubber tree forest. The vitality of the forest needs time to recover, but the Rubber Tree Elf Bug Triplets seem to have other ideas. Discover their unique ability. Reward: One Elf Bug.¡±
It was another task rted to the Rubber Tree Elf Bug Triplets. Could this be a chain of missions? Doubt shed through Liszt¡¯s mind, but as he saw the content of the reward, which was yet again one Elf Bug, he thought, ¡°Is it that spring has arrived, and the season to harvest Elf Bugs has begun? Can I, through the Smoke Mission, furiously breed new Elf Bugs? I wonder which Elf Bug it will be this time, perhaps a new Rubber Tree Elf Bug?¡± The task rted to the rubber tree rewarded a Rubber Tree Elf Bug. The logic was clear. He even thought something rather sly: perhaps the triplets could ¡°mate¡± with each other, breeding new Rubber Bugs ¡ª and this could be their special ability. The possibility was small, but what if it was true? After bathing, drying off, and changing into fresh clothes, Liszt was still pondering the special ability of the Rubber Bug Triplets, ¡°If I¡¯m not mistaken, when treating the rubber tree forest, the triplets will disy their special ability¡­ I need to visit ck Horse Ind soon, to collect back the Magical Grand Fire Dragon and incidentally restore the operation of the brick factory.¡± He ruffled his hair, fixing his hairstyle. He headed straight for the Worm Room. Ake had been sent back earlier, but he hadn¡¯t had the time to visit her ¡ª or perhaps hadn¡¯t figured out how to face her. Dulu Miqita had been hunted down, and the sea was no longer a danger to the Sea Sprite Ake. What reason could he have to keep her locked up in the Shell Wood Tower, confined to this narrow room that was almost like a prison cell? Admittedly, he could keep Ake as the most precious private collection.
Yet Liszt could not deny that she was a high-intelligence creature just like himself; keeping her like that was too inhumane. Chapter 334: 0332: Giving Ach a Big House (4th Update, 10,000 Coins Reward Celebration 3/3) Chapter 334: Chapter 0332: Giving Ach a Big House (4th Update, 10,000 Coins Reward Celebration 3/3) This chapter is a bonus update sponsored by ¡°Yang Yun Fei¡±. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Sea Sprite Ake was sitting on the rocking chair, and her graceful body swayed gently along with it. The rounded parts concealed by the water drifted and changed shape, first rocking upwards, then downwards, followed by a slight tremble. Upon hearing the sound of the door opening, she did not move, just peeked through the curtain. She had little awareness for self-protection because Liszt had decreed that the servants could only enter the Worm Room at set times to clean. The only one who coulde in freely at any other time was Liszt. ¡°Brother,¡± Ake smiled immediately when she saw who it was, her eyes turning into beautiful crescents. She put down the Magic Books she was holding and stood up. Below her ankles was still seawater, gently lifting her. At a height of about one hundred and fifty-five centimeters, she appeared exceptionally petite and delicate, with fair, tender skin, straight, slender legs, and a head of silky azure hair flowing like water. The Creator¡¯s masterpiece made Liszt, no matter how many times he had seen it, couldn¡¯t help but be captivated.
¡°Ake, still reading?¡± Liszt walked over and, out of habit, ruffled her hair. The Thorn Minor Elf J, who was bathing in a seashell, seized a line of dialogue: ¡°Woo-ah!¡± She was greeting him. But Liszt ignored her. ¡°Ake is studying Merlese Truth¡¯s research notes, delving into the Magic Water Wheel Barrier. I feel I¡¯ve thoroughly understood it and should be able to learn it soon,¡± Ake said happily. ¡°Oh yeah, Brother, Ake saw you dissecting Dulu Miktita, hehe, I¡¯m not scared at all anymore!¡± As of now, Ake had already mastered three types of Water Magic: the Water Arrow Spell, Water Arrow Barrage, and Water Bullet, and she was about to learn the Water Wheel Wall. Since she began her contact with Magic, it had been less than three months in total¡ªher talent was almost unparalleled in Liszt¡¯s experience. Many Magic Apprentices couldn¡¯t even cast the most basic Magic after two to three years, not to mention bing Magicians. ording to Elkerson, Magic Apprentices were typically chosen from young people between the ages of ten and fifteen. Those who became Magicians before the age of twenty were geniuses, able to challenge the realm of Grand Magician due to their profound understanding and insight into Magic. Bing a Magician after the age of twenty meant that one¡¯s affinity for Magic Power wasn¡¯t sufficient, or their grasp of Magic was weak, and they might spend their whole lives at the Magician level. Elkerson, Granny, and a few other Magicians on Coral Ind had all be Magicians after the age of twenty. Of course, human Magicians could study any type of Magic, which was fundamentally different from Ake, who could onlymune with Water-Attribute Magic Power. Perhaps they couldn¡¯t keep up with Ake¡¯s pace in specializing in a single system, but in a battle of the same rank, Ake certainly couldn¡¯t defeat a human Magician. Anyway, as long as it was in the ocean, Ake¡¯s specialization in Water Magic would not be a disadvantage. Liszt sat on the chair and said in a rxed tone, ¡°Since I promised I would kill Dulu Miqita for you, I will definitely do it.¡± Ake looked at him with adoring eyes: ¡°Mhm, Brother is so amazing!¡± Liszt smiled calmly, ¡°Just average.¡± After chatting for a while. We got to the point. Despite not wanting to open his mouth again, Liszt decided to ask, ¡°Ake, now that Dulu Miqita has been hunted and the sea has be safe for you, do you want to go back to living in the ocean?¡± He had thought Ake would be thrilled to return to the sea.
But she pursed her lips, looking wronged, ¡°Does Brother want to send Ake away?¡± ¡°How could that be? You are my sister, you know, you¡¯re my family. And Ake is so cute, how could I bear to send you away.¡± Liszt took her soft, boneless little hand, ¡°I¡¯m just worried that you might find it stifling to stay in the castle, and right now, without legs, you can¡¯t live like normal humans.¡± Ake looked down at her own seawater below the ankles, ¡°Ake will grow legs soon.¡± ¡°Once you have legs, you¡¯ll be able to live like a human and then living in the castle won¡¯t expose your identity as a sea serpent. You are the elf of the ocean, in my eyes the brightest pearl. Humans, however, are the mostplicated of creatures and there will always be those who cruelly treat beautiful things.¡±
¡°Mhm, Ake knows, many books have written about it, how bad people harm elves, and some books even depict sea serpents as bad creatures,¡± Ake nodded. ¡°So, until youe of age, you must protect yourself well and not let anyone discover your sea serpent identity. In the castle, I can protect you, and I will always protect you until the end of my life¡­ but I respect your wishes more, would you like to live in the castle, or do you want to live in the sea?¡± After some thought, Ake suddenly asked, ¡°Brother, after Ake grows legs, can I stille back to the castle and live with Brother?¡± ¡°Of course, didn¡¯t I tell you? You are my sister, it¡¯s only natural that you live with me,¡± Liszt said righteously. To him, Sea Serpent Ake was his personal belonging; her leaving was out of the question. However, living in the castle carried a significant risk of exposure. If her sea serpent identity were exposed, it might bring colossal trouble. Liszt didn¡¯t want to risk it before he had the capability to protect Ake. ¡°Then, then¡­ then Ake will live by the seaside in Fresh Flower Town,¡± Ake finally made a decision. As an elf born and raised in the ocean, she naturally longed to live there, ¡°But, Ake doesn¡¯t want to leave Brother at all, Ake still wants to learn magic, wu wu, Ake is so sad.¡± As she spoke, her big eyes suddenly became moist, and tears were about to fall. ¡°Wu wa!¡± ¡°Wu wa!¡± J flew over andnded on Ake¡¯s shoulder, trying to wipe her tears. Even under their heart-to-heart connection, it resented Liszt for upsetting its Sea Monster Miss, ¡°Wu wa!¡± At this moment.
The atmosphere was very warm. Ake¡¯s true emotion touched Liszt deeply, and he realized that efforts were always rewarded. He couldn¡¯t help but open his arms and embrace Ake, saying gently, ¡°Ake, you don¡¯t have to be sad, I will build a big house by the sea and give it to Ake. Later, I will often stay there as well.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Ake lifted her head from Liszt¡¯s embrace, her expression quickly turning to joy. ¡°Of course, building a big house right on the beach of Oyster Vige, half submerged in seawater, half floating above the water. You can continue studying magic in the house, and I can practice Dou Qi by the sea too!¡± Amid Ake¡¯s expectant gaze, Liszt indulged in the vision. With rubber, building a house was simple. Wait for low tide to mix rocks with rubber water to pour the foundation and the rock tform, ensuring it can withstand the beating of the waves. On top of the tform, use Iron Wood Thorn to build the house, or have the Fresh Flower Vessel bring a shipload of bricks, or even use rocks from Thorn Ridge to construct it. The house would be built quickly, a mansion to secure a beauty. Holding Ake in his arms, Liszt had no ulterior motives, only anticipation for the future life¡ªtaking medicine to the tune of a sea monster¡¯s song should be a very refreshing experience. Chapter 335: 0332: Snake Meat Banquet (Fifth Update, Alliance Hierarch Extra 3/18) Chapter 335: Chapter 0332: Snake Meat Banquet (Fifth Update, Alliance Hierarch Extra 3/18) Solving the living problem of Sea Sprite Ake. Liszt¡¯s mood was now nothing but exhrated. Before the banquet started, Goltai and Marcus had already tallied the rewards for the participating knights. Excluding Liszt and Paris, a total of seven Earth Knights were awarded ten Gold Coins each; sixty-two Apprentice Knights were awarded one Gold Coin each; participating construction and logistics officials were awarded one silver coin each. A total of one hundred and thirty-seven Gold Coins were awarded. Liszt directly made additions to this scheme. Among the Earth Knights, Marcus Wheel, for his toils and great efforts, was awarded twenty Gold Coins; Paris could not be treated specially and was awarded ten Gold Coins; Charles Trap, for his valiant leading charge, was awarded fifteen Gold Coins; among the Apprentice Knights, Zavier Dung, for his clever performance, was awarded two Gold Coins. In the logistics list, town officials Goltai and Isaiah each had their reward increased to five silver coins, while other officials were increased to two silver coins. So, the total amount of rewards increased to one hundred seventy Gold Coins. Compared to the Intermediate Sea Monsters that could sell for thousands of Gold Coins and after deducting the cost of material and human resources, as well as Liszt¡¯s personal contribution, these rewards were enough to satisfy all the participating personnel. When the rewards were announced, everyone participating in the banquet danced with excitement¡ªjust one battle reward was equivalent to several years of their workpensation.
Therefore, war was always the best way for knights to make a fortune. The knights who were itching for action wished they could go to battle tomorrow to strive for merit and gain benefits. This sentiment was fully unleashed during the subsequent feast. A variety of dishes and plenty of alcohol instantly ignited the castle¡¯s atmosphere. Fresh Flower Brew, Crescent Moon Wine, beer with hops, as well as fruit wine and rice wine¡ªwith Goltai hosting, the banquet was never dull. Liszt, sitting in the seat of honor, was toasted and excessively ttered with almost every bite he took. Before the hunt, many people were half-doubtful about his decisions; after the hunt, no one dared to question Liszt¡¯s decisions, only endless respect flowed. ¡°Wow!¡± ¡°Wow!¡± J, who loved joining in the fun, would never miss such an asion. With eating and drinking, she added much merriment to the chaotic banquet. When the delicious serpent meat was served, and each person received a portion, the atmosphere of the banquet peaked. The meat of Intermediate Magical Beasts, Sea Monsters, was something none here could taste in a lifetime without the glory brought by Liszt, yet now everyone had a small piece. Knife and fork in hand. Goltai, trembling with excitement, eximed, ¡°Oh my God, touched by the glory of knighthood, I never imagined I¡¯d one day eat the meat of an Intermediate Sea Monster, I¡¯m as happy as if I¡¯m dreaming.¡± Isaiah restrained his excitement and spoke with a sincere tone, ¡°Following Lord Landlord, dreams are sure toe true, eating the meat of an Intermediate Sea Monster, I had no doubts this day woulde. I just didn¡¯t expect it toe so swiftly,ing to Fresh Flower Town was the best decision of my life.¡± ¡°This is just a beginning,¡± Marcus cut off a small piece of serpent meat, put it in his mouth, and chewed carefully as if it were dragon meat, ¡°Following our Lord, countless glories beckon us¡­ mmm, it¡¯s so delicious, never has any food made me want to cry!¡± Charles, who had joined Fresh Flower Town just two days before, took several deep breaths before he started to cut with his knife and fork, ¡°No imagined beginning canpare to this one!¡± Watching his followers, each enjoying their meal while expressing their feelings as if conducting a ceremony. Liszt just found it somewhat amusing; he had over a ton of Six-Headed King Serpent meat in his Gemstone Space, enough for him to eat for half a year. However, when he tasted the serpent meat, it was unexpectedly good¡ªa bit like the Seven-gill Eel, chewy and not the slightest bit fishy, just pure deliciousness. Compared to thend serpents he had eaten before, this meat was much more tender and smooth. And whereasnd serpents were mostly small and bony, the bones of the Six-Headed King Sea Snake were very thick and easy to removing, leaving nothing but delicate chunks of meat. Eating it proved especially convenient.
Even though they were reluctant to finish it off, everyone quickly devoured the snake meat, wishing they could lick the tes clean to not waste a single bit of nutrition. After the snake meat was gone, a flood of ttery ensued. ¡°Knightly glory shall forever watch over Fresh Flower Town!¡± ¡°Knightly glory shall always be with Lord Landlord!¡±
That evening¡¯s banquet saw almost everyone drunk, causing a ruckus untilte into the night when the group of drunken revelers were finally sent back to their own homes. Even Li Si Te himself waspletely inebriated, forgetting his usual routine of bathing and copsing into bed, falling into a deep sleep. ¡­ A robust physique and abundant Dou Qi. One night was enough to sober up and condition his body to its optimal state. A new day had many tasks awaiting, the first of which was to collect Fire Dragon Magic Power. In a single night, the riverbed had been thoroughly solidified by the dumped rubber, now in aplete mess. Upon seeing this, Liszt felt a pang of regret, ¡°I should¡¯ve never used rubber. Not only did it fail to trap Dulu Miqita, but it also damaged the vitality of the rubber trees. Now I feel pained at the thought of harvesting some rubber to build a big house for Ake.¡± The ground had bepacted, nearly baked into stone by the Fire Dragon Magic Power. The previously flowing river had turned into a dammedke, water umting and spreading around, with the original riverbed nowhere to be found. The Rock Spike forest still stood; these stones would eventually be broken down by serfs and carried away. Rock was an important building material, a daily product from Douson. Gathering the Fire Dragon Magic Power bit by bit, he filled a spare Fire Dragon Jar, spending the entire morning toplete the task, not a trace of residual Fire Dragon Magic Power to be seen. Afternoon. He used snake blood to water the Serpent Blood Fruits for the second time. The Eye of Magic observed, but did not find any signs of Elf Bug gestation. Afterwards, Liszt took Ake along with the Rubber Bug triplets and set sail for ck Horse Ind aboard the Fresh Flower Vessel¡ªIt was time for Ake to start her life in the sea; she could no longer stay in the castle. In the foreseeable future, many nobles would likely visit Fresh Flower Town, seeking news about the Intermediate Sea Monster.
If she stayed, there was a high chance she would be discovered. ¡°Ake, can you swim fast enough to keep up with the Fresh Flower Vessel?¡± Liszt asked. ¡°Brother, Ake swims really fast. The Fresh Flower Vessel is slow, and Ake can outswim it with just a bit of effort,¡± she replied. And so, Ake entered the sea, following the Fresh Flower Vessel. To facilitate contact, Liszt had small horns made for both of them, so they could signal each other by blowing the horns whenever they wanted to find one another. As the Fresh Flower Vessel sailed across the ocean, Liszt would lie on the gunwale, watching the sea surface, asionally spotting Ake¡¯s shell moving swiftly beneath the seawater. It was like a white submarine. She would sometimes breach the surface, and he could even hear Ake blowing her horn from within her shell. He would then blow his own horn in response. With a light and happy heart, they reached ck Horse Ind by nightfall. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª J: Oh my, wow, monthly tickets~ Chapter 336: 0333: Tri-Phase Force (First Update) Chapter 336: Chapter 0333: Tri-Phase Force (First Update) Worked through the night to distribute the Fire Dragon Magic Power into the brick factory¡¯s furnaces. The brick factory had six furnaces in total, all of them were lit, but they used just two Fire Dragon Jars worth of Fire Dragon Magic Power. There was no longer any real need to produce traditional bricks, since there were many Basalt Columns on the ind, and just one to two meters below the ground there was nothing but hard rock. There was no shortage of stone materials. Besides, when it came to building houses, wood was still the preferred material, as wooden houses were a great time saver. The six working furnaces were mainly used for testing new types of y building materials¡ªselected workers with a ir for brick-making were researching te, culverts, tiles, and other materials, striving to find the most suitable y and produce quality materials. te could be used for paving roads, and Liszt had long been dissatisfied with the gravel roads in Fresh Flower Town. Smooth te roads were indeed the standard for nobles. Culverts could be used for drainage in sewer systems and for bridge construction and water supply systems¡ªnot yet necessary, but he would certainly need aprehensive sewer system when the time came to construct his new castle. Tiles were used forying on the roofs of tile-covered houses. Traditional wooden house roofs were constructed with thatch, straw, and thorn branches, which would leak during heavy rains. Roofing with tiles greatly reduced the chance of leaks and also prevented thatch from being blown about on windy days.
¡­ The secondary function of the furnaces was to produce charcoal. Charcoal was a fuel widely used by nobles, and with these Fire Dragon furnaces, just neatly stacking the wood and igniting it for a moment was enough to burn off the impurities, then quickly dousing it with water to cool down, leaving behind charcoal. Every time the Fresh Flower Vessel returned to Fresh Flower Town, it brought back a ship¡¯s worth of charcoal. Charcoal burned with Fire Dragon Magic Power was of high quality, environmentally friendly, smokeless, and burnedpletely¡ªboth the Fresh Flower Caravan and the Thorn Caravan had already begun selling these charcoals in small batches. Once the workers mastered the technique of charcoal production, it would increase yet another specialty product. ¡­ Last of all, Liszt was in the process of setting up a ¡°Calcination Technology Experimentation and Development Group¡±, nning to use the Fire Dragon furnaces to diligently delve into calcination technology. Bricks, pottery, porcin, ss, cement, and lime¡ªall were products of calcination. Although right now, Liszt only knew how to calcine bricks, pottery, porcin, ss, cement, and lime were all in line for future research. In short, The brick factory was just a front, its true essence was¡ªthat of a Calcination Research Center. ¡­ The next morning, Liszt picked up the bugle, mounted Douson, and headed straight for the Rocky Beach beneath the lighthouse, where he then sounded the bugle. Before long, arge white conch shell emerged on the surface of the sea, followed by the sound of the bugle in response. After exchanging greetings, Liszt then began a new day¡¯s work, taking the triplet Rubber Bugs to the oak forest. He intended to study the unique abilities of the triplets, to restore the vitality of damaged Rubber Trees. The Cordyceps were now intact, with all previous cuts healed. He ced the triplets on a Rubber Tree with several notches cut into it and, through the contract of mentalmunion, let the triplets heal the Rubber Tree. ¡°Come on, you three little ones, try to heal the Rubber Tree and help it regain its vitality,¡± he said.
With the Eye of Magic in use, he observed their actions closely. The three Rubber Bugs lined up, began to move on the trunk of the Rubber Tree, and then two of them moved apart, climbing to the other side of the trunk. ¡°Huh, these three little guys, they actually separated on their own without any external force?¡± Liszt expressed his surprise. Unless someone picked them up and separated them, as long as they were ced on the ground, they would crawl together, then line up and act in unison.
This kind of initiative to separate had never urred before. However, before Liszt had finished expressing his amazement, the Rubber Bugs positioned in a triangr formation on three sides of the tree trunk suddenly quivered with magic power. A ripple of shock waves radiated out from them, spreading in all directions. Through the Eye of Magic, the shock waves spread out in circles as magic wave patterns, touching a Rubber Tree and igniting its magic power, outlining its shape. Then, with that Rubber Tree as the center, new magic wave patterns emanated. The patterns spread farther and farther, and soon the whole Rubber Tree forest was a series of spreading magic wave patterns. The intense visual impact left Liszt speechless. He had never known that magic could be used this way. As his gaze shifted from the fading magic wave patterns, the damaged parts of this Rubber Tree had rapidly healed under the stimtion of magic. In a few minutes, as the magic wave patterns gradually disappeared, all the damaged Rubber Trees werepletely restored. There was no sign they had ever been cut. ¡°Incredible!¡± Liszt checked each Rubber Tree one by one, finding each perfectly intact, ¡°This is almost like a cheat ability!¡± Suddenly. Through their mental connection, he felt the exhaustion of the three Rubber Bugs; after releasing such a miracle, they seemed very tired. He quickly had his personal servant bring the Jade Box, collected the triplets inside, and sprinkled them generously with Jade Powder, allowing them to thoroughly recuperate. Now.
These three Rubber Bugs had be Liszt¡¯s treasures. He had initially felt that three Rubber Bugs for only one Cordyceps was too wasteful. Now he realized that Elves, such magical creatures, should not be surmised bymon sense; they always bring astonishment. Having put away the Elf Bugs, Liszt suddenly wondered, ¡°I wonder if the Rubber Trees outside the garden have also been repaired?¡± So he rode Douson to the pasture, switched to the King of ck Blood Treasure Horses, Lightning, and started to inspect the Rubber Trees scattered across the ind one by one¡ªthe young Rubber Trees had all been transnted to the garden, and the muchrger ones, which couldn¡¯t be moved, were left to grow wild. However, there was a bit of regret. On the first wild Rubber Tree he checked, the cut was very clear, and it had not received treatment from the Rubber Bug triplets. This indicated that the peculiar ¡°magic¡± released by the Rubber Bug triplets only affected Rubber Trees within its range or, in other words, Trees within the area where the magic waves could ovep had the healing effect. Rubber Trees beyond this range could not enjoy the enhancement of the Rubber Bugs. They were left to fend for themselves. ¡°In that case, does that mean we would need to use the Tri-Phase Force on every single wild Rubber Tree?¡± He referred to the Rubber Bugs triplets¡¯ ability as Tri-Phase Force. If it really had to be done that way, it would exhaust the triplets to death. However, the Smoke Mission seemed to only require the discovery of the triplets¡¯ special ability and did not demand the repair of the Rubber Trees, so Liszt directly summoned the Smoke Mission. The swirling smoke formed a piece of Serpent Script. ¡°Taskpleted, reward one Apple Tree Elf Bug.¡±
Indeed, upon discovering the Tri-Phase Force of the Rubber Bug triplets, the task was alreadyplete, and the reward was astonishingly an Apple Tree Elf Bug. The first thing Liszt thought of was the apple tree not far from the Castle gate. The Apple Desk beneath the apple tree was where he oftenmunicated with his Knight followers, ¡°It must be this apple tree that nurtured the Elf Bug, which is very interesting. Now, the apple tree truly has exceptional symbolic meaning¡­ It might be another tale of knightly glorying my way.¡± Chapter 337: 0334: The Sudden Second Little Minor Elf (Second Update) Chapter 337: Chapter 0334: The Sudden Second Little Minor Elf (Second Update) The gestation of the Apple Tree Elf Bug made Liszt¡¯s imagination soar, bringing to mind an endless stream of stories. Before long, this would be another topic of avid conversation at noble banquets throughout Fresh Flower Town and even Coral Ind, following tales of the Blizzard Beast Dousen, the Thorn Minor Elf, and the Six-Headed King Serpent. And perhaps, countless yearster. The world would have transformedpletely. Archaeologists digging up a piece of wood from underground might solemnly tell the youth, ¡°This is a branch of the very apple tree that changed the world! The Holy Dragon Knight, the Dragon Domain LandLord, the Thorn Emperor, the Sea Monster King, the Rubber Master, the Dog Master¡­ all sat under the apple tree nted by Liszt Tulip himself, dominating the world¡¯s patterns.¡± Under the curious gazes of the young, an archaeologist, clutching an ancient book ¡°Dragons Fight in the Wild¡±, would chant like a minstrel, ¡°The Thorn Emperor, Liszt. His mandate from heaven, for longevity and prosperity¡­¡± ¡­ All of this was nothing but a wild fantasy conjured up by Liszt. In fact, as soon as the new mission was released, he forgot these fantasies, opened his mouth wide in shock, unable to utter a word¡ªthe happiness hade too suddenly! ¡°Mission: With the increasing business between ck Horse Ind and Fresh Flower Town, a single Fresh Flower Vessel is no longer sufficient for the bustling transport demands. As the Landlord, it¡¯s your duty to solve this issue, please purchase a medium-sized sea vessel. Reward: One Little Minor Elf.¡±
He could scarcely believe what he was seeing. So, he closed his eyes and rubbed them fiercely before summoning the Smoke Mission again. The reward for the mission still read ¡°One Little Minor Elf¡± and not ¡°One Elf Bug¡±, a genuine Little Minor Elf, all for purchasing a new ship. To obtain it! ¡°It¡¯s a bit¡­ hard to ept, so sudden¡­ Why don¡¯t I need five or six chained missions to get a Little Minor Elf?¡± Liszt always felt that with the nature of Smoke Missions, it would be difficult to directly lead to a Little Minor Elf. Because Smoke Missions can¡¯t conjure rewards out of thin air. It is through the power of destiny that it threads the needle, presenting the reward. Needless to say, to lead to a Little Minor Elf, it would need to change countless Threads of Destiny. However. After he took a deep breath and calmed down, he realized he had fallen into a misconception. For the power of destiny, it doesn¡¯t need to lift a rock; it only needs to find a fulcrum, and with a gentle lever, it can change the whole rock, or even lift up an Earth. ¡°If there is a Little Minor Elf around Fresh Flower Town or ck Horse Ind, couldn¡¯t it be levered by the Smoke Mission and then presented as a mission reward?¡± With this thought, everything suddenly became clear. After all, the Smoke Mission had once drawn in even a Formless Dragon; the wonders of the power of destiny were evident from this alone. As his initial excitement slowly settled, Liszt steadied his emotions, turned his horse around, and headed straight for the port town. He couldn¡¯t wait to spend another moment on ck Horse Ind; he wanted to return to Fresh Flower Town, and then, using the channels of Tulip Castle, obtain a new vessel. ¡°Teacher Marcus, I¡¯m entrusting you with the affairs of ck Horse Ind, the Rubber Trees in the Rubber Garden have recovered and can be harvested again, organize the serfs to collect some rubber as soon as possible, I need to construct a house in Fresh Flower Town.¡± ¡°Yes, my Lord.¡± There was nothing else to instruct. Seeing it was still early, he ordered Captain Kostor to set sail again, heading back to Fresh Flower Town. The call of the small horn sounded. And was swiftly met with the response of horn calls.
Liszt, seated at the prow of the ship, spotted a white shadow surfacing beneath the vast ocean¡ªthat was Ach catching up. Resting on the back of Dousen, his thoughts ran wild like an untamed horse, racing freely. ¡°I don¡¯t know what kind of minor elf it is.¡± ¡°It should be a wild minor elf; none of my elf bugs seem to show any signs of evolution.¡± Among his twelve elf bugs, eight were bred sessively within thest year and hadn¡¯t had much time to develop, showing fewer signs of breakthrough. Liszt had assimted them with a batch of crops and collected pheromones, but needed time to grow.
The other four elf bugs, the millet bug, little wheat bug, tulip bug, and alfalfa bug, were gifts from the earl. There was also a thorn bug, which had already evolved into Minor Elf J. ¡°The millet bug, little wheat bug, alfalfa bug, and tulip bug probably have no potential for evolution, none of them are of particrly outstanding quality.¡± So, the new minor elf was very likely a wild one. Being wild, its breed was hard to ensure, and most likely it was a minor elf of little use¡ªbecause most nts in the wild are difficult to tame, and those that are truly valuable have been domesticated by humans and cultivated on arge scale long ago. Of course, no matter what kind of useless minor elf it was, even if it was just a weed minor elf, to Liszt, it was still a possession¡ªat least weeds could be used forndscaping. His thoughts soared. He still couldn¡¯t guess the breed of the minor elf or how to obtain it. He then reined in his thoughts and began considering the special ability of the rubber bug triplets he had discovered today¡ªTri-Phase Force. This could definitely be considered a type of magic. ording to different properties. Humans ssified magical power into eight attributes: water, fire, earth, wind, lightning, light, ice, darkness, but magical power clearly didn¡¯t possess only these eight attributes; there were many more chaotic properties, which do not show as any attribute. Liszt had seen in knight novels and magic books, where elf magic power is referred to as natural magic power. Or, it could also be called wood-based magic power. Because it can control nts.
J¡¯s method of sowing thorn seeds could be considered a kind of wood-based magic; therefore, the rubber bug triplet¡¯s Tri-Phase Force should also be ssified as wood-based magic. Actually, some people also considered dragon magic power as a new magic attribute¡ªmetal attribute magical power. A metal dragon, needless to say, can produce metal at any time, naturally can be ssified as metal attribute magic power. Gemstone dragons, although not producing metal but gemstones, produce them in the same way as metal dragons, and therefore are also referred to by a few humans as metal attribute magic power. Elemental dragons, even though their magical power has attributes such as water, fire, earth, wind, their ability to infect the surroundings is obviously different from regr magic power, and it can also be reluctantly ssified as metal attribute magic power. By that rationale, sacred dragons would also be metal attribute magical power. ¡°Wood attribute represents nature, metal attribute represents infection and creation, the division always seems far-fetched, as if one has to categorize different types of people into four categories: tall, short, fat, thin,¡± Liszt shook his head, unsupportive of such ssification. Fire dragons should belong to the fire attribute. Why ssify it as metallic attribute? Just like sea serpents, those like Ach possess unique magical power, but her innate affinity is water attribute, so she should be ssified as a water attribute creature. Fire dragons also have extraordinary magical power, but they release fire attribute mana and should naturally be grouped as fire attribute creatures. ¡°In summary, magical power has myriad extraordinary expressions, one needn¡¯t be fixated on which exact attribute it is¡­ Tri-Phase Force is magical in its formation of magic.¡± It¡¯s still unclear. Whether this is unique to rubber bugs or if triplet-type elf bugs all have this trick. Liszt believed that in the future, he would still obtain such types of elf bugs. ¡°With Tri-Phase Force, my rubber garden will be able to cut a batch and use Tri-Phase Force to repair immediately. Once the rubber bug triplets have rested sufficiently, cut another batch and repair again¡­ a cycle without end, my rubber will be inexhaustible!¡±
Chapter 339: 0336: Blizzard Beast Procession (4th Update, Alliance Hierarch Extra 5/18) Chapter 339: Chapter 0336: Blizzard Beast Procession (4th Update, Alliance Hierarch Extra 5/18) Liszt focusedpletely on overseeing the construction of the Sea View Vi, even conducting dog training by the seaside. He only attended to his sister, Li Vera, when she came to visit, reluctantly parting with a small piece of snakeskin to sell to her to make armor, for fifty Gold Coins. It was akin to giving it away at half price. With a piece of Intermediate Sea Monster¡¯s snakeskin in hand to make armor, Li Vera happily left. He then continued to oversee the construction of the Sea View Vi, a two-story structure. Both stone and wooden houses were built quickly¡ªthere was no denying the overwhelming effect of rubber. Jomaya Bangtu, who had been promoted to the sole Architect of ck Horse Ind, dedicated himself to realizing Liszt¡¯s imaginative ideas. Liszt was not an Architect, so he never considered any mechanical structures. Jomaya, however, needed to consider carefully whether the arrangement of every wall could bear the weight of the upper stories¡ªfortunately, it was just a two-story vi. Additionally, there was an elevated wooden walkway that stretched all the way from the Sea View Vi to an area that would not be submerged even at high tide. Constructed entirely of Iron Wood Thorn immune to water damage and bound together with rubber, it soared above the beach, effectively a bridge hundreds of meters long. Watching the Sea View Vi take shape bit by bit, the words ¡°Rich and capricious¡± inevitably came to Liszt¡¯s mind.
Such a vi would requirebor and materials that ordinary Nobles could hardly afford, but Liszt¡¯s own territory was rich in resources¡ªrubber, iron wood, stone, sand¡ªall practically cost nothing, and paying Serfs just a couple of copper coins per day for their work. Furthermore, using rubber to build a house was an absolute luxury. A strategically valuable material like rubber should not primarily be used for building bridges, roads, or houses. By the time the Sea View Vi waspleted, it was already mid-April, and the Magic Power within the eight tiny ones was growing abundant, ready to unleash Magic at any moment. This time, with their father Douson present as a model, there was no need for Liszt to guide them in releasing Magic. But it was still essential to train them strictly in discipline and obedience during their Magic release. ¡°Storm, me, Rock, Surge, Thunder, Light, Ice Snow, Shadow, line up!¡± Liszt stood on the beach, conducting today¡¯s Blizzard Beast lineup training. The eight tiny ones immediately lined up side by side, looking expectantly at Liszt. Liszt was pleased with their current speed of lining up, now able to queue in order in a very short time. ¡°All present, sit!¡± The eight tiny ones promptly sat down, sticking their tongues out, waiting for the nextmand. ¡°Starting with Storm, count off!¡± ¡°Woof!¡± ¡°Woof!¡± ¡°Woof!¡± ¡°Awoo awoo!¡± ¡°Woof!¡± ¡°Woof!¡± ¡°Woof!¡±
¡°Woof!¡± Seven of the Blizzard Beasts barked urately as ¡°Woof,¡± but one of them let out a nonsensical howl instead, which annoyed Liszt: ¡°Surge, step forward!¡± Surge immediately stepped out with drooping ears. Liszt ordered with a cold face, ¡°Stand aside!¡±
Surge dared not defy and could only run to the sand beach on one side with his head dropped in dejection, looking aggrievedly at Liszt as he started giving each of the other seven Blizzard Beasts a strip of dried meat. Desiring it, drool flowed from its mouth, but it dared not protest at all, for that would bring more severe punishment. Further away, Douson was lying on the sand soaking up the sun, cuddled next to it was Earth Matron. Nowadays, Earth Matron had beenpletely tamed and could asionally be brought out for some fresh air, but it had missed the best period for training. Now it was unable to followmands and could only just be led by humans without hurting anyone¡ªor, to be blunt, it was merely a breeding tool for Douson. The great wolf dogs at the dog park had been isted from reproduction with Douson. Earth Matron was thest hope. However, it seemed that Earth Matron should also have been isted from reproduction. After giving birth to the Eight Tiny Ones, it had mated with Douson several times, and to much regret, there had been no movement in its belly. If one wishes to continue breeding Blizzard Beasts, one might have to defy ethics and resort to inbreeding, allowing the five males and three females of the Eight Tiny Ones to mate with each other, or even involve Douson in the process. On Earth, many purebred dogs were bred through inbreeding, mating sons to mothers, daughters to fathers, or siblings to each other, or even grandfathers to granddaughters, to maintain the purity of their lineage. Liszt had watched documentaries that talked about this, and the vast majority of purebred dogs have serious health problems. That¡¯s why from the start, Liszt had no intention of practicing inbreeding. The breeding of wolf dogs at the dog park was for them to vent their animal desires, as for reproductive istion, maybe there would be a way to deal with that in the future. After two hours of training. He announced the dismissal of the Eight Tiny Ones, and the male servants behind him each led two Blizzard Beasts back to the castle, tying them back in their kennels. Earth Matron was also taken away; Dog Prison had been dismantled, and it now had its own new kennel.
Only Douson could stay and follow Liszt, its obedience deeply ingrained in its brain. It hardly ever hurt people rashly, so it was rarely tied up with chains anymore. Following the elevated wooden path, Liszt went straight into the Sea View Vi. On the rocking chair in the second-floor wooden house, Sea Sprite Ake was engrossed in a magic book. Hearing the noise, she looked up and greeted with a sweet smile, ¡°Brother, you¡¯re here.¡± ¡°How has life in the sea been these past few days?¡± ¡°A little ufortable; still, living inside a house is morefortable,¡± Ake said earnestly. ¡°Before, in the sea, I used to hide in a shell by myself. Now with a house, it¡¯s like I own my little world. Thank you, brother, for giving Ake a big house!¡± Perhaps that¡¯s just how women are, with a natural fondness for houses. It could also be the appeal of civilization¡ªthe first humans also lived outdoors, in caves, until civilization developed and no one wanted to live in caves outdoors anymore. ¡°Have you mastered the Water Wheel Wall?¡± ¡°Yes, brother, look.¡± Ake put down the magic book, and with a light wave of her hand, a circr water disk appeared in front of her, spinning like a wheel, ¡°The fast-spinning water can form a strong defensive shield, capable of blocking intense, instantaneous impact forces.¡± Liszt drew the Crimson Blood Sword and tested the strength of the Water Wheel Wall, finding it indeed very strong, and it also had sticity, pushing the Crimson Blood Sword outward. From his experience, he estimated that it would take at least a specialbat skill to break through this Water Wheel Wall. Ake, ever more the schr, continued to exin, ¡°Based on the information summarized from the magic books Ake read, the Water Wheel Wall and Water Whirlpool are dposed forms of a higher-level magic, the Water Wave Shield. Ake is already learning the Water Whirlpool, and after mastering that, she will be almost ready to study the Water Wave Shield.¡± ¡°Impressive, my Ake,¡± Liszt gave a thumbs up. The once-na?ve little Sea Monster was now on her way to challenge bing a Grand Magician.
He didn¡¯t disturb Ake¡¯s study of magic but set up a Magic Little Fire Dragon nearby. Seaside houses tend to be damp, so he intended to use the heat effect of the Magic Little Fire Dragon to dispel the moisture and keep the room dry. It was also to create a good environment for potion consumption¡ªlimited to one room only. After all, the Magic Little Fire Dragon was akin to a heater, and with summer approaching, it could be overwhelmingly hot. After consuming the potion and recording the data, feeling refreshed, Liszt bid farewell to Sea Sprite Ake and returned to the castle for lunch. Ake, who had been looking at magic books for a long time, stretched, ate a few raspberries, and then returned to her shell to swim into the sea. She enjoyed swimming in the sea in the afternoon to cleanse her body and spirit. In a daze, she had already swum to the edge of an ind filled with mangrove forests. Chapter 341: 0338: Tide-Calling Mermaid Princess Nami (First Update) Chapter 341: Chapter 0338: Tide-Calling Mermaid Princess Nami (First Update) The light green Mangrove Minor Elf was indeed found by Ake on Mangrove Ind. ¡°When Ake was ying on Mangrove Ind, I discovered this little girl. She¡¯s so tiny and cute, just like J. But she¡¯s very timid. I threw her some fruit to eat, and she hesitated for a long time before picking it up. Then she gradually came closer to me and even bit my finger,¡± Ake recounted her encounter with the Mangrove Minor Elf in detail. ¡°At that time, Ake suddenly realized that I was forming a contract with the little girl, allowing me to understand what she was thinking¡­ Brother, is this the contract between humans and elves? Can Sea Sprites also form contracts with elves?¡± Ake asked. ¡°You contracted with it?¡± Liszt asked in surprise. It was indeed a perplexing situation, as this Minor Elf was a reward from the Smoke Mission given to him, yet it unexpectedly formed a contract with Sea Sprite Ake. Even though Ake also belonged to him personally, not having contracted it himself left a somewhat unsavory taste. However, he quickly put aside his personal feelings, nodded, and said gently, ¡°Generally, elves only contract with humans, but that doesn¡¯t mean they can¡¯t contract with other creatures, after all, this magic contract wasn¡¯t invented by humans. So it¡¯s not surprising that a Sea Sprite can contract with an elf.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Ake tilted her head: ¡°But I don¡¯t know how to take care of an elf. Brother, how about I release the contract with the little girl and you contract with her instead? Her Cordyceps is a mangrove tree, located in the center of Mangrove Ind. The surrounding trees bear many small fruits, which are quite tasty.¡± He was momentarily tempted. Liszt immediately declined: ¡°Since she took the initiative to contract with you, it means she has a connection with you. I don¡¯t need to waste her contract count. Yours and mine are the same¡­ Did you bring any of the mangrove fruits?¡±
¡°I brought some.¡± She motioned with her hand, and the seawater in the shell immediately lifted a handful of pale yellow fruits into Liszt¡¯s hand. The fruits carried no magic power and were simply ordinary, with awkward shapes about the size of a thumb¡¯s nail. He pinched one and chewed it twice in his mouth, tasting a faint sweetness and sourness, quite delicious indeed¡ªit could be treated as a type of fruit. This was possibly the greatest value of the Mangrove Minor Elf at present. One could only hope to encounter the Magic Medicine Mangrove in the future or to discover a more valuable mangrove variant. ¡°Ake, have you named her?¡± Liszt asked while looking at the Minor Elf who was peeking curiously out from Ake¡¯s hair. Unlike J¡¯s rugged and carefree image, it looked more delicate and exquisite, its color translucent like jade. On its head were two small green leaves and a tiny red flower. Itsrge eyes blinked, radiating innocence. The sound it made was like a little girl muttering to herself: ¡°Jigu.¡± No wonder Ake referred to it as a little girl: ¡°Brother, Ake has thought for a long time but still can¡¯t decide on a name. Why don¡¯t you name her?¡± ¡°I will?¡± Liszt did not refuse, pondered for a moment, and had an idea: ¡°Let¡¯s call her Nami.¡± ¡°Nami?¡± ¡°Yes, this name signifies the call of the tides.¡± ¡°Nami¡­ Mm, we¡¯ll call her Nami; it¡¯s a lovely name,¡± Ake said as she pulled the Mangrove Minor Elf from her hair and ced it on her palm. ¡°Little girl, from now on, your name is Nami, do you understand?¡± The little elf gave a timid call: ¡°Jigu.¡± epting her new name¡ªNami. ¡°Ake, since Nami is now your contracted Minor Elf, take good care of her. I will send you a Jade Box and some Jade Powder to feed her. Then, each time you visit the Mangrove Forest, pay attention to the attributes of the Mangrove Cordyceps and work out the functions of those mangroves.¡± The Sea Sprite nodded: ¡°Ake understands. Nami will definitely help brother and fulfill the elf¡¯s intended role.¡± She had read many books and knew the value of elves to humans.
¡°Wait here for a moment; I¡¯ll bring over J so she can meet Nami,¡± Liszt said. ¡°Okay.¡± Momentster, the sound of horse hooves approached, and Liszt returned with J. Upon seeing Ake, J was overjoyed, making constant ¡°woo-wah,¡± ¡°woo-wah¡± noises. It had been several days since it saw the Sea Monster Miss.
At that moment, Nami poked her head out from Ake¡¯s hair again. Suddenly, The two little elves met for the first time. J was stunned for a moment, pping her wings and staring nkly at Nami, not sure what to think. It wasn¡¯t her first time seeing another of her kind, as she had seen them before at Tulip Castle. Nami, on the other hand, was meeting another of her kind for the first time and appeared somewhat delighted. She wriggled out of the hair and stood on Ake¡¯s shoulder, waving at J and making eye contact. She greeted softly, ¡°Coo.¡± After about a dozen seconds, J reacted and flew towards Nami. Liszt watched the two little ones interact with a smile, thinking such a scene was a true delight. However, the next moment, his smile abruptly ended. Just as J flew up to Nami, she raised her little hand and gave Nami a fierce p on the head: ¡°Wham!¡± The emotion was intense. Liszt immediately sensed that she was telling Nami to get lost. Nami was dumbfounded by the p and tumbled off Ake¡¯s shoulder, but luckily Ake reacted in time, creating a stream of water to catch Nami. Landing on the stream, Nami cried out with a ¡°Coo.¡± ¡°J!¡±
Liszt hastilymanded, ¡°Stop that!¡± After hearing Liszt, J put her hands on her hips and strutted midair, calling out ¡°Wham¡± to Liszt and then ¡°Wham¡± to Ake as if to show off her prowess. It wasn¡¯t until she saw Liszt¡¯s re, That she pouted and flew back onto his shoulder, no longer daring to misbehave. Meanwhile, Ake was already holding Nami, whisperingforting words: ¡°Don¡¯t cry, Nami. J didn¡¯t mean it; she¡¯s usually very cute. I believe you two can be good friends.¡± This was not a pleasant meeting. After Ake¡¯sforting, Nami stopped crying, but she hid in the hair and didn¡¯te out again; she was truly timidpared to J¡¯s boldness. ¡°Take good care of Nami ¡­¡± Liszt didn¡¯t know what else to say, so he simply took J and headed back. Along the way, J inevitably faced reprimands and punishment, being sentenced to three days without leaving the Worm Room. If she hit another little elf again, the punishment would be doubled. Faced with such discipline, J seemed downhearted all the way; she was too lively, and confinement was a nightmare to her. Moreover, the Worm Room nowcked the warm shells for taking baths. ¡­ By the time they got back to the Castle, Town Government Official Isaiah had just arrived: ¡°My lord, do you have any orders?¡±
After handing J over to Butler Carter to take to the Worm Room, Liszt said, ¡°I n to expand the cultivation of 500 acres of Corn Grass. Take a look at any wastnd that can be farmed, and arrange for the Serfs to begin ploughing immediately. It¡¯s already past the spring ploughing season, and we need to finish as soon as possible.¡± ¡°We already have 280 acres of Corn Grass, and ording to the n at the beginning of the year, there is enough for Fresh Flower Town¡¯s use. Why do we still need to cultivate an additional 500 acres?¡± ¡°Because I n to expand the scale of cattle and horse farming,¡± Liszt answered. ¡°As you wish,¡± Isaiah said, epting themand. Mrs. Morson had brewed some milk tea, which Carter brought over to Liszt. He took a sip of the fragrant milk tea, and the turbulent emotions within Liszt were well soothed¡ªno matter what, the second little elf of his domain was now in hand. Nami, the Mangrove Minor Elf. Chapter 342: 0339: High-Quality Milk Source Region (Second Update) Chapter 342: Chapter 0339: High-Quality Milk Source Region (Second Update) Just like with Ach, Liszt had no intention of revealing Nami¡¯s true potential. Although the true benefits from the Smoke Mission were not known to others, the part that had been exposed was already frightening enough. To reveal more would stretch beyond what could be exined by the glory orded to a knight. He was a cautious man and would continue to keep a low profile. For instance, now. Hiding in the castle¡¯s flower garden, he quietly watered twenty potted Serpent Blood Tree nts with the blood of the Six-Headed King Serpent. When more than half of the serpent blood was used up, magic reactions ured in four of the potted Serpent Blood Tree nts, sessively nurturing the birth of the Serpent Blood Fruit Sprite Bugs. ¡°Another four Sprite Bugs, this year feels like it¡¯s going to be a bountiful harvest,¡± Liszt stopped pouring serpent blood over the potted Serpent Blood Trees that had nurtured Sprite Bugs. From now on, he just needed to fertilize diligently and provide enough nutrition for the Sprite Bugs, without wasting anymore serpent blood. The remaining serpent blood was mainly poured over the other sixteen potted Serpent Blood Trees. However, after continuously watering for two more days, there was still no reaction from the other potted Serpent Blood Trees. After one more day of watering, still no reaction.
¡°It seems that the Serpent Blood Trees which should have nurtured Sprite Bugs have already done so; continuing with the ones that haven¡¯t wouldn¡¯t make any difference,¡± Liszt took measures to cut his losses in time, decisively keeping about one-fourth of the remaining serpent blood. He stored it away for the next usage. In his mind, perhaps after a few years when the Serpent Blood Fruit Sprite Bugs begin to evolve, the serpent blood coulde in handy again, helping them transform once more. However, he suddenly thought¡ªyears from now, he might already be riding a dragon. If hunting down a sea monster serpent would be a piece of cake, why keep this serpent blood and waste space in the Gemstone Space? So. He decided to split the serpent blood in two parts: one part to continue watering one of the Serpent Blood Tree pots to see if a new Sprite Bug could be nurtured; the other part for consumption. The blood of an Intermediate Magical Beast is a great tonic, significantly enhancing the effects of consuming Magic Potions. Recently, he had found the most reliable method for consuming potions¡ªtaking the least amount of potions for the maximum effect. Along with eating the flesh of an Intermediate Magical Beast, his Dou Qi volume steadily climbed higher, almost breaking through new levels every day. ¡°Now, I have increased my Dou Qi volume by two-thirdspared to when I hunted the Six-Headed King Serpent! Speaking of which, I could probably take on four Marcuses by myself now, right?¡± Marcus had be the standard unit by which he measured his own strength, perhaps it could be casually referred to as ¡®the strength of four Marcuses¡¯? This method of calction was unscientific, but there wasn¡¯t a better reference avable. On Coral Ind, there weren¡¯t many Elite Earth Knights capable of standing up to him in a potion-binging battle, only Viscounts like Jonas and Trick who were probably stronger than Liszt as they were representatives of the old potion-bingers. Besides them were a few knights from the Coral Ind Knights¡¯ elite Knight Squad who could match Liszt evenly¡ªthey were half potion-binger, halfbat skills. After that, his brother Levis and the heir to Shattered Stone Castle, Brandon Brokenstone, were also potion-bingers, but their strength was definitely inferior to Liszt¡¯s. Not every Elite Earth Knight in the potion-binging circles could afford the cost of Magic Potions. Those who could afford it, like Levis and Brandon, certainly had not mastered the scientific method of potion-binging, nor did they have Dragon Breed Milk and Intermediate Magical Beast meat to supplement their diet. ¡°I¡¯ll look for an opportunity to spar with the elites from the Knight Order soon, to test mybat strength.¡± Under the apple tree, in the rocking chair. Liszt canceled his Eye of Magic, the apple tree in front of him had already confirmed the nurturing of a Sprite Bug, located right above the apple desk in the branches among the flowers. This made Liszt believe that the birth of this Apple Bug was most likely influenced by his presence every moment. ¡°Magic, matter, spirit¡­ roughly the triangle theory that magicians study.¡± He didn¡¯t quite understand it, nor did he have the desire to understand it.
I just needed to understand that I already had seventeen Sprite Bugs¡ªone Peanut Bug, one Alfalfa Bug, one Tulip Bug, one Millet Bug, one Little Wheat Bug, one Tomato Bug, one Fragrant Coconut Bug, one Dragon Kui Bug, one Corn Grass Bug, three Rubber Bugs, four Serpent Blood Fruit Bugs, and one Apple Bug. From the original four Sprite Bugs, a yearter I had two Little Minor Elves, seventeen Sprite Bugs, and nine Intermediate Magical Beasts. I was quite satisfied with this harvest¡ªeven Tulip Castle, from the Viscount era to now, had only umted one Greater Elf, twelve Little Minor Elves, and over a hundred Sprite Bugs. A town¡¯snd, a year¡¯s time, to achieve such aplishments, there was nothing to be dissatisfied with.
I moved my wrist, stood up, and said, ¡°Philip, give me my bow and arrows.¡± ¡°Yes, my lord!¡± Retainer Knight Philip Wool immediately handed over the bow and the arrows. Standing under the apple tree, I aimed at the distant target and began to practice ¡°Multi-Arrow¡±; by now, not only was I a powerful Elite Earth Knight, but I was also a skilled Divine Archer. I knew the principle ¡°Excellencees from diligence, sloth from yfulness.¡± For the growth of my strength, I needed to practicebat skills and archery every day, making them instinctive to me. ¡­ April just passed in a continuous series of harvests. The weather grew increasingly hot, spring seedlings sprouted quickly, and by the time May arrived, the serfs had already rented 500 acres of Corn Grass; the Smoke Mission was quicklypleted as well. ¡°Forpleting the mission, you are rewarded with four Dragon Breed Cows.¡± Meanwhile. The good news from the Cow Farm rapidly reached the Castle; one of the three cows, Dahuang, first gave birth to a healthy little calf, a female that could produce milk. Excited, I circled the little calf, looking at her from left to right.
On the third day, Dahei also began to give birth; it was carrying twins and had some difficulty. It took half a day of work to sessfully deliver the calves, one male and one female. Then, the following week, Dahua who had been quiet, gave birth to the fourth Dragon Breed Cow, a small female calf. I personally named the four Dragon Breed Cows¡ªthree female calves named Young Flower, Young ck, Young Yellow, and the male calf named Strong Strong. Inheriting the tradition of the Cow Farm, Young, Milk, Little, Big, Old, along with Strong, Stout, the five stages correspond to five different designations, quite distinctive. I also instructed the serfs of the Cow Farm. ¡°From now on, the cows of the Cow Farm will be divided into three grades. The first grade is the most outstanding, which are these four calves. You have to nurture them with the best feed and most careful care; the second grade are the original nine cows, which also require attentive care; the least are the newly purchased cows, treat them ordinarily.¡± ¡°Yes, Lord Landlord, your orders are our goals for work,¡± said the skinny old steward of the Cow Farm. He was skinny and gaunt, trying to suck up but not quite managing it, and spoke in a dry tone. He was very skilled at delivering calves, personally bringing all four little calves into the world. For this, I rewarded him with four silver coins, to honor his contribution during the delivery of the calves, one silver coin for each sessful delivery. So, for the past week, he had been quite ted. Leaving the Cow Farm, I could already envision the future pastures filled with herds of Dragon Breed Cows¡­ By that time, all the milk in my diet would be reced by Dragon Breed Milk. Rich in nutrients. The growth of my Dou Qi as swift as flight.
Chapter 345: 342: Black Pearl Aquaculture (5th Update, Alliance Hierarch additional update 9/18) Chapter 345: Chapter 342: ck Pearl Aquaculture (5th Update, Alliance Hierarch additional update 9/18) Magic Medicine Liszt understood well. However, with the added meaning of ¡°auxiliary,¡± it became somewhat obscure and impressive. ¡°To understand from the literal meaning, ¡®auxiliary¡¯ means to help. So, does it mean that when made into a magic potion, it can aid in the digestion of magic power, or does it mean that it can help other magic potions to grow? Or does it imply that when mixed with other magic potions to create a new potion, the effect would be better?¡± This was impossible to deduce. Liszt could only wait; he nned to cultivate more new varieties of auxiliary magic potion Dragon Hollyhock, which would take some time. Even with the boost from the Dragon Kui Bug, it would still be two to three months before he would see results. He repressed his curiosity about the auxiliary magic medicine. He reviewed the new mission. ¡°Mission: Sea Sprite Ake, Acherloides Truth, has discovered a magical coral reef that is submerged at high tide and emerges as a circr reef at low tide. It teems with Tridas, whose shells contain numerous ck Pearls. Why not harvest some? Reward: One piece of magic equipment.¡± ¡°Hmm!¡± This mission made Liszt¡¯s eyes light up, Ake had actually discovered a coral reef, which was home to Tridas capable of producing ck Pearls.
It quickly reminded him of the Trida he had salvaged near the shorest year. Although not a sea monster, it could produce ck Pearls with magical properties. He had thought it was a Trida from the deep sea bottom, identally washed ashore. Unexpectedly, they originally lived in the coral reefs near Fresh Flower Town. Without a doubt. This kind of Trida could develop into an industry¡ªthe ck Pearl industry. The Sapphire Family had a Tranquil Lake on Blue Dragon Ind, where they raised low-level sea monsters, Pearl Oysters, which produced arge quantity of White Pearls every year. These were sought after by noblewomen as fine jewelry, with certain calming and soothing effects. ck Pearls had better effects, wererger in size, and could easily rece White Pearls. He quickly arrived at the Sea View Vi. He blew the horn, summoning Ake, who had been swimming in the ocean. ¡°Brother.¡± Ake emerged from a shell, with Mangrove Minor Elf Nami sitting on his shoulder, the minor elf having be Ake¡¯spanion for swimming through the sea and was no longer a stranger to Liszt. ¡°Ake, have you discovered a coral reef?¡± ¡°Brother, you already know? Ake just found that coral reef yesterday. When the tide goes out, they emerge above the water, looking like a veryrge circrke. Many shells live inside, a bit different from Ake¡¯s own shell¡ªsimr to the Trida shells at the entrance of brother¡¯s castle.¡± After hearing this, Liszt said, ¡°Ake, these are Tridas, and they can produce ck Pearls. It¡¯s the kind of ck Pearl I gave you before, a very precious material for magic equipment, and it can develop into the ck Pearl industry. I would like you to rify the exact location of the coral reef and determine its distance.¡± ¡°Ake knows, from here, it¡¯s about southeast, nearly thirty kilometers away from the shore,¡± Ake replied. Thirty kilometers, that is about a two-hour journey for the Fresh Flower Vessel. After waiting for the Fresh Flower Vessel to return, and timing the low tide, Liszt directly ordered Captain Kostor to set sail, following the direction Ake pointed out. Along the way, Ake would asionally surface, guiding Liszt¡¯s course with his own trajectory, which Liszt then ryed to Kostor. Finally, at three o¡¯clock in the afternoon, they saw the coral reef that had already emerged above the water. It was shaped a bit like China¡¯s South China Sea Huaguang Reef. Now with the tide out, the circr reef was exposed, and the white sands, developed from corals, had all weathered into finesse. Stepping on it was very soft. ¡°My lord, who would have thought there could be such beautiful coral reefs around Fresh Flower Town? It¡¯s unbelievable.¡± Even Captain Kostor, who had spent years at sea, had never seen such lovely inds and reefs. Seagulls circled overhead, and the azure seawater was divided by the ring-shaped reef; the deep blue of the oceany outside, while within was a light bluegoon. Near the sandy shores, the vivid colors of the corals were clearly visible. Captain Kostor deduced from the colors that thegoon was only about ten meters deep¡ªquite shallow.
Since Ake had already explored and confirmed that there were no sea monsters here, Liszt directly ordered his men to dive for Trida. Before long, sailors were emerging, one after another, cradling small Trida. These were ones that grew near the coast, with thergest being no bigger than a washbasin. When they pried one open, they indeed found ck pearls inside, but they were only the size of a fingernail¡ªsmall ck pearls. The magic power inside them was also very dim.
Despite this, Captain Kostor couldn¡¯t help eximing, ¡°My lord, are¡­ are these Calming Sea Pearls? Why are they so small?¡± He knew that the Calming Sea Pearls aboard the Fresh Flower Vessel were made from ck pearls. He had participated in the Trida harvesting before and remembered clearly that even the smallest ck pearl was the size of a fist. ¡°Of course, small Trida will only have small ck pearls. There are alsorger Trida in thisgoon, and once they are harvested, we can collectrger ck pearls.¡± ¡°Can we harvest ck pearls as big as the Calming Sea Pearls?¡± Captain Kostor¡¯s eyes sparkled. ¡°It¡¯s difficult, who knows whether there are any super-sized Trida living inside.¡± Liszt shook his head. He had sent Ake to observe thegoon, and thergest Trida they found had a diameter of only one and a half meters. Compared to the nearly three-meter diameter Trida back at the castle, it was half the size. The bigger the Trida, therger the ck pearls they could nurture, after all, it takes a long time for small ck pearls to grow to the size of a washbasin. It was also unknown whether that super-sized Trida grew up in thisgoon or not. ¡°You lead the sailors to search forrger Trida. Return these small ones to continue growing, and we will harvest a batch ofrge ones.¡± ¡°As you wish.¡± Captain Kostor immediately led people to dive and search forrge Trida. The exposed coral reefs did not seem toorge, and looking across thegoon, it felt like a distance of five or six kilometers. Nearly oval in shape, thegoon was about twenty to thirty square kilometers in area. It was somewhat smaller than Fresh Flower Town. While it was easy to find Trida, searching forrge ones was not. After half a day of diving, the sailors had only found tworge Trida with a diameter exceeding one meter. They hauled them up with ropes and fishings, and it was almost dark by then.
¡°This should count aspleting the mission, having collected a batch of ck pearls, right?¡± Liszt called out the Smoke Mission and saw that the task description hadn¡¯t changed. Unsure whether it was because the ck pearls were still in the shells of the Trida or because they didn¡¯t collect enough, he then instructed the sailors to drag a few smaller Trida they had found previously onto the ship as well. Only then did he announce they would return. Back at the castle, the first thing he did was open these Trida shells, but to their disappointment, the tworge Trida shells only contained five fist-sized ck pearls. The smaller Trida shells only had some fragmented small ck pearls, none even the size of a ping pong ball. ¡°It seems that my dream of creating Calming Sea Pearls from ck pearls to arm the fleet will have to be put on hold¡­ Finding three ck pearls suitable for making Calming Sea Pearls in the beginning was really just luck.¡± Heposed himself. He summoned the Smoke Mission again, and this time, the Smoke Serpent Script finally changed. ¡°Missionpleted, reward: one Soul Storage Vessel.¡± Chapter 346: 0343 Conflict Involving Little Wheat Bug (First Update) Chapter 346: Chapter 0343 Conflict Involving Little Wheat Bug (First Update) ¡°Soul Storage Vessel? It sounds like a very mysterious item, a jar that stores souls; it feels like something an Evil Magician would concoct.¡± Liszt pondered. Anything rted to the soul is never devoid of evil. Previously, during the great battle with the Ghost Ship, he had obtained the Soul Submerged Wood from Curtis Truth, tainted with the resentment of countless people¡ªafter all, it was made through the sacrifice of an entire ship¡¯s crew; the Soul Disturbing Agent obtained from Merlese Truth was also extracted from the blood of the dead. The triangr theory of magic power, materials, and spirit inherent to magicians naturally pushes them toward the exploration of the spiritual realm¡ªthe soul. Liszt, too, wanted to know the meaning of the soul, but he was more keen on living afortable life. He was now pondering in what manner this Soul Storage Vessel would present itself before him, ¡°Currently, there are two magicians in town, Elkerson is making Magic Potions, and Granney has been invited by me to redesign the new Calming Sea Pearls, to be equipped on the soon-to-beunched Thorn Number.¡± So he guessed. The Soul Storage Vessel would eithere from Elkerson or Granney. As for how he would obtain it, it was still unclear. But if neither of them offered it up voluntarily, he would make a thorough inquiry, unwilling to let his reward fall into someone else¡¯s hands.
In the midst of thinking. The Smoke Serpent Script had already morphed. ¡°Mission: The wheat leaves in Little Wheat Vige turned yellow and withered, right near the Little Wheat Elf Bug¡¯s Cordyceps; despite the farmers¡¯ desperate efforts to water and pile onpost, it was ineffective, and even burned a batch of wheat seedlings. As the Landlord, it¡¯s incumbent on you to solve the problem. Reward: An Elf Bug.¡± After reading the mission, Liszt understood that a new Little Wheat Bug was about to emerge in Little Wheat Vige. Indeed, with the arrival of spring, everything came to life, and the Elf Bugs of Fresh Flower Town were also nurturing new life. The wilting of the wheat leaves must be due to the Elf Bugs requringrge amounts of nutrients during their nurturing period, yet even with the farmers¡¯ desperate fertilization, they could not prevent the wheat leaves from continuing to yellow and wither. ¡°Why is this happening?¡± As inspiration sparked in his mind, he swiftly arrived at the Worm Room on the second floor. In therge box where the Elves lived, J monopolized the central position, with a dozen Elf Bugs crawling around it pointlessly. asionally licking up some Jade Powder. Living quite a cozy life. Yet among them, there was a discordant Elf Bug¡ªthe Little Wheat Bug. At the moment, it appeared quite restless and through the heart-mind contract connection, Liszt could feel its inner world. Though not quite clear, the message was adequately conveyed. It was agitated and even developed a slight hostility due to some matters. ¡°Little guy,e here.¡± He extended his hand, inviting the Little Wheat Bug to crawl onto it. At that moment, the sleeping J suddenly woke up, snatched the Little Wheat Bug from Liszt¡¯s hand, and put it back into the box: ¡°Wah!¡± There was no special meaning, just mischief. You¡¯re immediately met by Liszt¡¯s stern Finger-Flick Magic, sulking in the corner with its head covered: ¡°Wah, wah¡­¡± ¡°You better behave yourself, I¡¯m going to take care of your hide soon!¡± Liszt picked up the Little Wheat Bug again, not before dropping a harsh threat. ¡°Wah!¡± J protested, not believing it was being mischievous. Liszt pointed at it: ¡°Mind your hide!¡±
¡°Wuwaa!¡± ¡°Wuwaa!¡± ¡°Wuwaa!¡± Amid J¡¯s protests, Liszt left the Worm Room and hurried towards Little Wheat Vige. Just as he arrived, he saw Isaiah discussing something with the serfs in the field.
After the exchange of greetings, Liszt knew they must be dealing with the wheat seedlings turning yellow, but he still couldn¡¯t help asking, ¡°What are you doing?¡± Isaiah quickly replied, ¡°My lord, there¡¯s been an issue with the wheat seedlings in Little Wheat Vige, particrly near the cordyceps. The leaves are gradually yellowing, and it started just a couple of days ago. At first, I thought there was an issue with the cordyceps, but they¡¯re still healthy. I even asked Mr. Carter, and he told me the Little Wheat Bugs are healthy as well.¡± He then wondered if it was a nutrient deficiency, even contemting if it could be rted to the incubation of Elf Bugs. But using fertilizer did not help, leaving him puzzled, ¡°If I cannot resolve this, I was preparing to seek your counsel, my lord, as I am powerless to face this situation.¡± Agricultural anomalies in Fresh Flower Town should be reported directly to the Castle. Because every anomaly might rte to the incubation of Elf Bugs, but after many false rms, Liszt canceled this protocol¡ªthe urrence of anomalies in farming is toomon and most of them have nothing to do with Elf Bugs. Apart from the alerts provided by the Smoke Mission, not once was there an extra harvest. ¡°I have understood.¡± Liszt did not me Isaiah. Without the help of the Smoke Mission, his own management of the town would not necessarily be better than Isaiah and the others¡¯, especially in the face of this special situation, ¡°I think a new Little Wheat Bug has been born here, but its location is somewhat conflicting, right near the Little Wheat Cordyceps¡­ so, the two Little Wheat Bugs arepeting, causing the yellowing of wheat around them.¡± Friction between Elves is indeed rare, but it does not mean that they are all friendly towards each other. The p J gave Nami is clear evidence of that. The existing Little Wheat Bug clearly does not have friendly intentions toward the uing one, hence the current problem. Liszt took a simple approach to resolve it, ¡°Little fellow, retrieve your cordyceps.¡± The anxious Little Wheat Bug couldn¡¯t resist Liszt¡¯s thought.
It quickly aimed at its cordyceps and spat out a mouthful of Magic Power. Then, the cordyceps reverted its growth at a visible speed, quickly turning back into a wheat seed and being swallowed by the Little Wheat Bug. ¡°I will move the Little Wheat Cordyceps elsewhere. You all must manage this wheat field carefully. If there are excess nutrients, use less fertilizer, if there¡¯s a deficiency, apply more. Watering and weeding must be done diligently. Don¡¯t let my second Little Wheat Bug die young.¡± ¡°Rest assured my lord, I will personally supervise the serfs in caring for this wheat field.¡± The Elf Bug¡¯s cordyceps would at most affect a range of a hundred acres or so. Therefore, in another wheat field, Liszt chose a rtively good spot and allowed the Little Wheat Bug to spit out its cordyceps again. The seed touched the ground. Growing visibly once more, it quickly turned lush green and sprouted ears of wheat. The ears were green, and they would remain perpetually in that almost-ripe state. The magical cordyceps, never a normal nt, resembles the incarnation of Magic Power more than anything else. After moving its cordyceps, the Little Wheat Bug felt waves of exhaustion. Cordyceps are not supposed to be moved frequently, for every casting by an Elf Bug takes a heavy toll on its vitality. Fortunately, Jade Powder can repair this damage. After a while, it would be lively and invigorated once again. ¡°If it weren¡¯t for the new Little Wheat Bug, I definitely would not have moved the cordyceps. While vitality can be restored, there is no direct evidence to show that moving the cordyceps won¡¯t damage the Elf Bug¡¯s evolution probability,¡± Liszt said, stroking the Little Wheat Bug¡¯s golden yellow body with a trace of apology, ¡°Little fellow, I hope this doesn¡¯t affect your evolution.¡± Chapter 347: 0344: Aladdins Lamp (Second Update) Chapter 347: Chapter 0344: ddin¡¯s Lamp (Second Update) The probability of an Elf Bug evolving into a Little Minor Elf is very low, out of twenty or so Elf Bugs, maybe only two or three will evolve, and there¡¯s a high chance of evolution failure. As for whether the probability of evolution is rted to the transntation of Cordyceps, Liszt is not clear. There is no evidence to suggest a connection between the two. When J was still a Thorn Bug, its Cordyceps were nted in Tulip Castle, and it was only after migrating to Fresh Flower Town that it began to evolve and sessfully did so. Although the assistance of the Smoke Mission yed a part, it at least shows that Cordyceps can still evolve sessfully after relocation. ¡°Perhaps for Elf Bugs, the transntation of Cordyceps is like¡­ the Tri-Phase Force of the Rubber Bug triplets?¡± Liszt suddenly thought. The Tri-Phase Force should be considered a kind of magic, and it shouldn¡¯t affect the evolution of the Rubber Bugs, otherwise, the Smoke Mission¡¯s exploitation of their abilities would be betraying Liszt. This doesn¡¯t align with the usual style of the Smoke Mission. ¡°The Rubber Bug triplets recover after using the Tri-Phase Force and resting for a while, the Elf Bugs also recover after transnting Cordyceps and resting. Maybe for Elf Bugs, this is like a magician casting spells, definitely consuming a bit of energy, but mainly serving as training?¡± To exercise control over their ¡°magic¡± by constantly releasing the Tri-Phase Force, through constantly transnting Cordyceps? This spection doesn¡¯t seem very reliable, the Tri-Phase Force can be exined as being ¡®strengthened by training,¡¯ but how could transnting Cordyceps be considered training? Which Elf Bug would bother moving its own Cordyceps back and forth¡ªfor a nt, isn¡¯t it supposed to just quietly grow in the field?
¡°The essence of Elf Bugs lies in their Cordyceps, so transnting Cordyceps should be considered harming their foundation; the Tri-Phase Force probably isn¡¯t¡­¡± Liszt could only judge so. At least as for the Rubber Bug triplets, their current condition is very good, showing no negative effects from having used the Tri-Phase Force once. He waved his hand. The Smoke Mission surfaced. It was still the original mission, notpleted by the transntation of Cordyceps. ¡°Probably because the withering incident in the wheat fields isn¡¯tpletely fixed, the mission can¡¯t be consideredplete, so I¡¯ll wait another two days to see if that¡¯s the case.¡± ¡­ After resolving the conflict with the Little Wheat Bug, Liszt primarily kept his attention on Elkerson and Granney. These two magicians showed no signs of handing over the Soul Storage Vessel. One was steadily making Magic Potions and cracking jokes at banquets, while the other was engrossed in crafting the Calming Sea Pearl to the point of not wanting to bath, and their apprentices were working obediently, showing no unusual behavior. No other channels had any information about the ¡°vessel¡± either. This made Liszt¡¯s mood somewhat depressed; watching the two magicians eat and drink at the banquet, he was not very cheerful, ¡°It seems like they¡¯re not going to hand over the Soul Storage Vessels unless I force them to.¡± Just as he was considering what method to use to force them to surrender the Soul Storage Vessels. The situation took an unexpected turn the next day. Bug Guard Members came to report that a horn had sounded by the sea¡ªthis was the signal formunication between him and Sea Sprite Ake; he had told the Bug Guard Team in charge of the Fragrant Coconut Tree Cordyceps to report to him as soon as they heard the horn. So¡­ He knew Ake was looking for him, as she generally wouldn¡¯t sound the horn unless there was something important, preferring to quietly stay in her room reading and studying magic. After rushing to the Sea View Vi, Ake somewhat frantically said, ¡°Brother, Ake found an unconscious human in the sea, and I don¡¯t know how to deal with her.¡± Following the direction of Ake¡¯s pointing hand, Liszt saw a pale woman lying on the bed in the wooden house on the second floor. She looked almost like a corpse, and her soaking wet clothes were obviously a Magic Cloak¡ªthis is the standard attire of a magician, which means this unconscious female is a magician.
Then. He saw a pot, simr to a teapot, on the bedside cab. ¡°Soul Storage Vessel?¡± Liszt¡¯s inspiration burst forth. He realized his previous spections had been misguided. Perhaps it had nothing to do with Elkerson and Granny. The clue guided by fate was right before his eyes, embodied in this unconscious magician. ¡°Ake, what¡¯s the deal with this teapot?¡± ¡°It was hidden in her clothes, and it was in the way, so Ake took it out and put it on the table,¡± Ake said nervously. ¡°Brother, is she already dead?¡±
He checked her breathing; it was very steady. ¡°She is not dead,¡± Liszt touched his chin, feeling that the magician¡¯s unconsciousness was unlikely caused by drowning since a drowning person¡¯s breathing wouldn¡¯t be this normal. He then touched her heart, and its beating was also very steady. ¡°Seems like she didn¡¯t drown but is merely unconscious. The town doesn¡¯t have a doctor, only a few old people who know how to brew herbal medicine. I will ask them toe take a look, and Teacher Marcus should also know a bit about how to save people,¡± Liszt said to Ake. ¡°You should step out for a second.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Ake returned to his shell and swam back to the sea. Liszt ordered the Retainer Knights to summon people immediately, and he continued to stay by the side of the female magician. Watching the unconscious magician, he felt helpless¡ªhe didn¡¯t know how to save someone; he only knew the theory behind mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, which didn¡¯t seem to be necessary since she was breathing on her own. After all, she was breathing. So he picked up the teapot from the cab and began to study it. It appeared to be a copper teapot, yet it was clear its purpose wasn¡¯t for holding tea. The Duchy of Sapphire didn¡¯t use teapots at all. Because the real tea was owned by Liszt alone. Others only drank milk tea brewed in cups from the fruits of the tea tree, with no need for a teapot. ¡°Looks a bit like themp from ddin¡¯s Lamp in ¡°One Thousand and One Nights¡±?¡± While handling the copper teapot, Liszt couldn¡¯t help but rub it. Expecting a blue smoke-formed Djinn to suddenly emerge. To grant him three wishes.
However, nothing appeared. He shook the teapot; nothing was inside, and there was no lid. It was a single piece; probably only the spout served as the mouth of the vessel. ¡°So, is it really a Soul Storage Vessel?¡± Even after using the Eye of Magic, he couldn¡¯t see any trace of magic power; it seemed like amon piece of teaware. A teapot carried by a magician couldn¡¯t possibly be an ordinary object. But Liszt had no leads. He set down the teapot and carefully examined the unconscious magician. Her paleplexion made her look almost like a dead person. Her appearance was average, with some freckles on her face. Her hair was brown, with a height of probably around one meter sixty-five, neither fat nor thin. Since no one else was around, with no need to be concerned, he began to search the magician¡¯s clothes with his hands, hoping to find something else that could prove her identity. In the end, he only found a pendant around her neck. The pendant had a silver coin hanging from it¡ªnot a coin that could be used for trading, but a light, silver-colored, round metal coin, feeling somewhat like mithril to the touch. The front was engraved with a triangr pattern and an eye in the center, the symbol of magicians, the Eye of Truth. Under the Eye of Truth triangle, there were several wavy lines, likely representing water. The back was engraved with a tiny Serpent Script: ¡°May your voyage in search of Truth be surrounded by the ocean of knowledge, Chris Truth.¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Please consider giving some monthly and rmendation tickets to encourage! Chapter 348: 345: Acks Coming of Age Date (Third Update, Alliance Hierarchs Additional Update 10/18) Chapter 348: Chapter 345: Ack¡¯s Coming of Age Date (Third Update, Alliance Hierarch¡¯s Additional Update 10/18) ¡°So, is her name Chris Truth, or is the person who gave this silver coin called Chris Truth?¡± Liszt pondered, ying with the silver coin. Starting with the word ¡®wish,¡¯ indicates it¡¯s a friend¡¯s blessing, suggesting the silver coin was given to her by someone else. Therefore, ¡®Chris Truth¡¯ could be interpreted in two ways, one being the real name of this unconscious magician, the other being her friend¡¯s name. But normally when friends offer blessings and leave names, they use a ¡®¡ª¡¯ as a symbol of continuation, and there¡¯s no such symbol on the silver coin. This line of Serpent Script is written on the back of the silver coin in three lines of Serpent Script, so it doesn¡¯t need a symbol, which makes it impossible to determine whose name it actually is. Of course. The above were merely Liszt¡¯s fleeting thoughts; the name of the person didn¡¯t really matter, as the silver coin couldn¡¯t solve any identity issues. ¡°For the time being, I¡¯ll assume your name is Chris.¡± Liszt stuffed the pendant back around her neck. But he had no intention of returning the copper kettle. ording to the prevailing Lord¡¯sws, items that drift ashore from the sea belong to the local Lord, as the Lord owns everything on thend¡ªeven the magician Chris could be ssified as an enemy intruding on the territory illegally, and the Lord had the right to arrest her.
However, like most Lords¡¯ territories, Fresh Flower Town was open to the outside, and they wouldn¡¯t hold anyone ountable as long as they didn¡¯te with malicious intentions. This copper kettle could serve as a reward for saving a life. He was a Lord who reasoned and followed the rules. ¡°My Lord!¡± Marcus had arrived, along with some elderly people. Liszt pointed at the bed, ¡°Aatose magician drifted ashore by the sea, Teacher Marcus, take a look and see if you can awaken her¡­ and you folks as well, see if there¡¯s some herbal remedy that can treat someone in aa.¡± After a brief observation, Marcus shook his head, ¡°My Lord, I can¡¯t see what her problem is; she doesn¡¯t seem like someone who has drowned.¡± The elderly were even more clueless; they only knew how to use some simple herbs to treatmon ailments. In this world filled with Magic Power, Knights with Dou Qi could constantly condition and improve their constitution, so it was rare for them to fall ill; as a result, medical science was quite undeveloped. Once a peasant fell seriously ill, it essentially meant waiting for death, with no chance of recovery. Liszt, on the other hand, did have ideas about developing medicine, but he had no leads to follow. For peasants, rather than spending high medical costs on treatment, it was more practical to practice Dou Qi. After all, with good food, drink, and diligent practice, one would certainly develop Dou Qi, while there wasn¡¯t such a high chance of cure for illnesses. An elderly man trembled as he said, ¡°Lord Landlord, maybe this young magiciandy is just too weak. She might naturally wake up once her body recovers.¡± ¡°That¡¯s possible,¡± Liszt nodded. To the butler, he said, ¡°Thomas, give every elderly person a copper coin aspensation for the interruption to their work.¡± It was appropriate to offerpensation to the nearly senile folk who had to make the trip. ¡°Yes, my Lord.¡± ¡°Ah, thank you, Lord Landlord!¡± The elderly left with copper coins in high spirits, while Liszt was still discussing with Marcus, ¡°A magician has drifted ashore, Teacher Marcus, do you have any guesses.¡± ¡°Magicians have weak bodiespared to our knights, they are no different from the average civilian. So, I don¡¯t think she could have been soaked in the sea for too long, and she doesn¡¯t show any signs of drowning. I suspect she might be a magician from Coral Ind, or a magician brought by a passing ship.¡± Liszt said, ¡°Although I don¡¯t know how many magicians there are on Coral Ind, none of the exposed magicians match her physical features. She looks quite young, probably not over twenty-five years old. It¡¯s impossible for the ind to have such a young magician.¡±
¡°Maybe she¡¯s a magic apprentice?¡± ¡°A magic apprentice?¡± Liszt thought for a moment, ¡°That¡¯s possible¡­ Then, what could be the reason she fell into the sea and how did she manage to drift here sessfully?¡± ording to Ach¡¯s description, Chris was picked up from the sea, floating on the surface in her clothes ¡ª which defied physics, the Sea of Azure Waves isn¡¯t the Dead Sea, it couldn¡¯t make a person float. ¡°I can¡¯t exin it, but I think we definitely need to strengthen our guard over her. Magicians are dangerous elements,¡± Marcus said sternly, his dislike for magicians was no secret.
He always had an unfriendly countenance towards Elkerson and Granney, Let alone a magician with an unknown origin. After considering for a moment. Liszt decided to move her to the residential area, find a house to arrange for special care, and have the Patrol Team watch her closely. As soon as the other party woke up, they were to notify him immediately. Then, he used a horn to call Ach over, ¡°I have taken the unconscious magician to the town for care, Ach. Human magicians are quite dangerous, they have an impulsive curiosity towards unknown creatures. It¡¯s best you don¡¯t interact with magicians before youe of age.¡± ¡°Hmm, Ach understands,¡± the Little Sea Monster sounded disappointed. ¡°It¡¯s a pity that Ach¡¯s legs just won¡¯t grow. I can¡¯t live with my brother and lead a life like a human.¡± ¡°The day wille,¡± Liszt crushed her hair. Suddenly, he had an inspiration. He had Ach sit on a chair, then took out a leather tape measure to measure the length of Ach¡¯s legs. ¡°Based on your description, you were all seawater below the knee when you were born, and after forty-one years, only the area below the ankles remains seawater. If we assume your growth rate remains steady, we can estimate how many more years it will take for you toe of age by the proportion of your legs.¡± ¡°Ah, can we really do that, brother?¡± Ach¡¯s eyes sparkled with small stars in an instant. It was not clear whether she was delighted at the prospect of knowing when she woulde of age or impressed by Liszt¡¯s profound knowledge. Liszt smiled, lifting Ach¡¯s little calf. He ced one end of the leather tape measure on her knee, stretched it to her ankle, and measured forty-one centimeters, ¡°Assuming the length of your foot is generally proportional to human body ratio, I estimate your foot is about twelve centimeters long. So, we can set up a linear equation¡­ no, it¡¯s not thatplicated; you grow about one centimeter a year.¡±
Forty-one years, forty-one centimeters of leg length. About twelve centimeters of foot length remained, meaning Ach had about twelve years left to reach adulthood. Ach¡¯s little face fell immediately, ¡°Brother, does that mean Ach needs another twelve years toe of age?¡± Liszt also felt disheartened, ¡°Essentially, if there are no surprises and the reasoning is correct, and your feet don¡¯t grow faster than your legs. Then indeed, in twelve years, you will reach adulthood¡­ Of course, if your feet are smaller, maybe it will take ten years or even less.¡± Ach¡¯s height was at most one meter fifty-five, her feet wouldn¡¯t be veryrge, perhaps they would be like bound feet. But no matter what, she still needed around ten years or so to grow up¡­ In ten years, Liszt would be twenty-seven years old. It was alright, he could just barely hold on to his title as a young man. The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone! Chapter 349: 0346: Who Am I, Where Am I (Fourth Update, Alliance Hierarch Additional Update 11/18) Chapter 349: Chapter 0346: Who Am I, Where Am I (Fourth Update, Alliance Hierarch Additional Update 11/18) ¡°Ach, perhaps for a sea serpent, a decade is just a fleeting moment,¡± reflected Liszt, having not only calcted Ach¡¯s adulthood but also estimated the length of its life. Forty-one plus twelve equals fifty-three. Reaching adulthood at the age of fifty-three, andparing it to human adulthood at sixteen and a lifespan of a hundred years, the lifespan of a sea serpent is roughly three hundred and thirty years. A greater elf lives for two hundred years, while a dragon elf lives for five hundred years, with the lifespan of a sea serpent falling somewhere between. Three hundred and thirty years; with one generation every twenty-five years, humans might have nurtured more than a dozen generations. If Liszt hadn¡¯t be the Dragon Domain Landlord, perhaps it would have been the son of his grandson¡¯s grandson¡¯s grandson attending Ach¡¯s funeral. Thinking about it that way, it was quite amusing. ¡°Humans have only a hundred-year lifespan, can Ach live for three hundred and thirty years?¡± Ach asked, somewhat perplexed, ¡°But, brother, Ach doesn¡¯t want to live that long. Mmm, it¡¯s fine as long as Ach lives as long as brother.¡± Liszt pinched her little hand and kissed it gently, saying softly, ¡°This is just an estimation; perhaps you could live longer, or you might not live up to three hundred years. Let the future decide the matters of the future. Sooner orter, I am going to be a Dragon Knight and ride a dragon, and bing the Dragon Domain Landlord wouldn¡¯t be bad either, as it could mean living for four or five hundred years.¡± Ach let Liszt hold her hand with a giggly smile, ¡°Mm-hm, brother can be the Dragon Domain Landlord, so both Ach and brother can live for hundreds of years!¡± ¡°Once I be a Dragon Knight and Dragon Domain Landlord, I will take you to explore this world¡­ I don¡¯t want to be a Grand Duke or a King,¡± Liszt remarked. A dragon can subjugate an entire kingdom, hence a Dragon Knight may choose to create a nation, but not all Dragon Knights enjoy founding nations, as many simply relish the rank of Grand Duke while still asionally waging war for the kingdom. It¡¯s quite normal for a kingdom to have several Dragon Knights.
Especially those Dragon Knights provided with dragons by a kingdom are bound to serve the kingdom. Liszt couldn¡¯t decide what kind of dragon he would ride in the future, but at least being a ruler of a nation was not so attractive¡­ If he had several dragons, he could give one or two to his descendants to let them enjoy the pleasures of being a king. When leaving the Sea View Vi, Liszt felt his blood boiling with fervor: ¡°No matter what, I am destined to ride a dragon and be the Dragon Domain Landlord in this life, for the sake of longevity!¡± In the past, he did not envy eternal life, feeling that a hundred years was enough to live a splendid life. Now he looked forward to longevity, because this world was too vast, with far too many ces worth exploring and precious things worth cherishing. ¡­ Theatose magician still hadn¡¯t awakened, and to prevent her from starving to death in her sleep, Liszt ordered people to feed her a bit of ordinary-quality milk every day. Sustaining her life. He himself continued his research on the copper teapot, and could basically determine that this was a Soul Storage Vessel¡ªsince there were no other sources of information about the Soul Storage Vessels, and he had even asked Elkerson and Granney, who knew very little about souls and nothing at all about Soul Storage Vessels. ¡°So, how do you use this Soul Storage Vessel? I poured Dou Qi into it without eliciting any abnormal reaction.¡± ording to the Smoke Mission exnation, it is a piece of Magic Equipment. If it is Magic Equipment, it should be stimted by magic power, thus activating it, but there was no reaction at all. Its spout is an opening through which water can be poured, but even if it¡¯s filled with boiling water, there is still no response. Just like a real teapot without a lid. ¡°However, the spout is too narrow to brew tea,¡± he noted. Having no choice, Liszt took the copper teapot for Elkerson to examine to see if he could give any hints. After examining for a while, Elkerson shook his head, ¡°Baron, I can see there are traces of magical engraving; it definitely has some kind of Magic Array inside. Unfortunately, I¡¯m not sure how this Magic Array operates and I can¡¯t activate it either.¡± Let Granney judge again. Granney¡¯s exnation was simr, ¡°It must have been created by a Grand Magician, with exquisite craftsmanship, especially the carving of the magic runes, which is a style I have never seen before¡­ Baron Liszt, since you don¡¯t know its purpose, why not let me study it? I am very interested in it.¡± ¡°Sorry, but I still have use for it.¡± A reward from a mission, and magic equipment rted to souls, how could he possibly hand it over to an outsider?
Carrying the copper teapot, he returned to the castle. Liszt was somewhat puzzled, ¡°Neither Elkerson nor Granney could exin this Soul Storage Vessel. It¡¯s likely that no magician on Coral Ind could exin it. If Merlese had not died, she might have been able to shed some light, given her research on souls¡­ Speaking of souls, I seem to have a 36D Ghost.¡± A specter is also a form of soul. A drift bottle can contain a specter; this Soul Storage Vessel, obviously, should be able to contain souls even more so.
¡°Should I try it?¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s give it a try!¡± Once he made up his mind, Liszt did not hesitate. He found a shady ce and took out a drift bottle made of an unknown metal, smearing it with a bit of Old Tanner Fi¡¯el¡¯s blood. Under the vision of the Eye of Magic, countless magic lines emerged on the bottle, forming picture after picture, depicting a bizarre and alien world. The next moment, the bottle opened. A wisp of ghostly light shot out, and the 36D Ghost floated above the bottle. There was a moment of dy, then, as if waking up, the ghost, with its long-nailed hands, immediately charged at Liszt. However, Liszt simply raised the Crimson Blood Sword, its de shrouded in Fire Attribute Dou Qi, and the specter was so frightened that it remained utterly still. ¡°Quite obedient.¡± Marcus had been able to frighten a specter before, so naturally, Liszt was not afraid. He casually lifted the copper teapot and pointed its spout at the specter. Yet the specter just sat there, dumbfounded, without any reaction. ¡°No use?¡± Liszt shook the copper teapot vigorously, but still failed to attract the specter inside. This was not what he expected. Resolute, he directly pushed the copper teapot against the specter¡¯s body. This was like breaking a broken pot. Unexpectedly, it did indeed provoke a reaction. As soon as it touched the shadowy, ethereal body of the ghost, the copper teapot burst forth with a brilliant light, swallowing the 36D Ghost in an instant. The next moment, it returned to its normal appearance.
But Liszt knew the soul had been stored inside, as the weight of the copper teapot increased slightly. He shook it, and it felt as if there was a little more water inside, just a little. Yet this slight change was still distinctly perceptible to an Elite Earth Knight. He gently tilted the spout of the teapot, pouring outward. No water came out; what poured forth were wisps of smoke. The smoke rose and soon took the shape of a young girl¡ªno longer in the form of a 36D Ghost but a clear-faced girl. Her eyes, though made of smoke, were very lively and expressive, first looking around in confusion. Then her gaze settled on Liszt, and she slowly spoke, ¡°Who am I, where am I, and who are you?¡± Chapter 350: 0347: Dragon Beast Sailboat and Goat Assembly (First Update) Chapter 350: Chapter 0347: Dragon Beast Sailboat and Goat Assembly (First Update) 36D had turned into a young girl, but still possessed the 36D bust size. When she was the 36D Ghost, her facial features were almost indiscernible, but now they were very clear, bearing a vague resemnce to Curtis Truth, and quite beautiful. However, her style waspletely the opposite; Curtis always had a gloomy Lich-like presence, surrounded by green light, which was very ufortable. In contrast, this misty figure radiated a white light, appearing somewhat holy. ¡°You can¡¯t remember who you are?¡± Liszt looked at the Soul Storage Vessel in his hand, feeling it was incredible. With just an inhtion and exhtion, the once fierce and terrifying specter had transformed into holy light. It seemed that the Soul Storage Vessel was definitely Divine Artifact-level Magic Equipment. Moreover, it really bore some resemnce to ddin¡¯s Lamp, at least the girl¡¯s body, which was like a puff of smokeing out of the spout of a teapot. The upper half of her body was humanoid, while the lower half remained as smoke. The girl lowered her eyelids, seemingly in thought. Liszt didn¡¯t disturb her. In fact, he had some spections.
The 36D Ghost originated from the Dragonbone Stabilizer, from a sunken ship of the Magic Goat Family, containing five chests of treasure. Two chests held Magic Books, and the others contained crystals, jade, and mithril. The fact that such cargo could be transported indicated the sunken ship was no ordinary vessel, but likely an important one belonging to the Magic Goat Family. Thus, the identity of the girl sealed within the stabilized Dragon Bone of such a ship was not hard to deduce; she should be rted to the Magic Goat Family. The more he thought she resembled Curtis, the more it supported Liszt¡¯s guess that she might be from the Magic Goat Family, or even someone whose soul had been stripped by Curtis and sealed within the Dragonbone Stabilizer. ¡°The Magic Goat Family¡­¡± A family lost in the rivers of time, yet time and again entangled with Liszt. He didn¡¯t know whether to feel honored or unlucky. He also thought of Merlese Truth, who was killed by Paris, and who seemed to have connections with the Magic Goat Family; her research notes were all marked with the goat symbol. And the Magician, Chris, who was in aa, whether she too was rted to the Magic Goat Family was uncertain, yet the Soul Storage Vessel appeared to be the work of an Evil Magician like Curtis. A moment of contemtion. The girl, looking somewhat absent-minded, raised her head and looked at Liszt again, ¡°I can¡¯t remember¡­ It seems I¡¯m no longer a human, right? Do I look like I¡¯m in a soul state?¡± ¡°Yes, you are currently in a soul state, but slightly different from any other soul I have seen; they all exist in the form of light. Whereas you are more like a smoke form, and previously, you were a Specter sealed within the Dragonbone Stabilizer.¡± Liszt shook the Soul Storage Vessel in his hand, and following the smoke from the mouth of the teapot, it immediately started to quiver. This, in turn, caused the girl¡¯s entire body to tremble, as if wavering like ripples on water, yet it didn¡¯t seem to make her feel ufortable. She just stared nkly at the Soul Storage Vessel, looking at the smoke that connected to her body. Murmuring to herself: ¡°Dragonbone Stabilizer¡­ Dragon Beast Sailboat¡­ Truth¡­ Magic Goat¡­ Who am I¡­ Who am I exactly?¡± Dragon Beast Sailboat? Liszt¡¯s ears perked up upon hearing a new term. He guessed that this must be the name of the sailboat itself that used the Dragonbone Stabilizer Technique, the unique technology of the Magic Goat Family ¡ª the Dragon Beast Sailboat. When he heard her mention the ¡°Magic Goat,¡± it was quite evident; she indeed was from the Magic Goat Family. Liszt interrupted her troubled pondering, ¡°I think I can give you a hint. The Dragon Beast Sailboat is likely the exclusive type of sailboat mastered by the Magic Goat Family, and as for you, you might be someone from the Magic Goat Family.¡± ¡°I¡¯m from the Magic Goat Family?¡± The girl seemed touched by a memory, yet she couldn¡¯t recall anything, ¡°Do you know anything more?¡± Liszt raised an eyebrow, ¡°Do you know Curtis Truth?¡± ¡°Curtis!¡± The girl¡¯s face drastically changed, her expression full of panic, and her body made of smoke and light started to flicker, ¡°It¡¯s her! It¡¯s her! Curtis Truth, that terrible woman! She¡¯s the one who killed me! She massacred the ¡®Goat Assembly¡¯; anyone who didn¡¯t obey hermands was killed by her!¡±
Suddenly, she clutched her head and wailed in pain, ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t kill me¡­ I¡¯m Virginia, I¡¯m your sister¡­ don¡¯t kill me, Curtis¡­¡± It was unclear if the pain was too much, or if time had simply run out. She turned back into a wisp of smoke, returning to the Soul Storage Vessel. When Liszt shook it, he could feel the bit of liquid inside, but nothing would pour out no matter how he tried. Having no other choice, he stored the Soul Storage Vessel in the Gemstone Space¡ªliving things put into the Gemstone Space would soon have their souls extinguished and thus die, but a soul could avoid extinction if it took refuge in an object. The Drift Bottle had been in there for a long time, and the 36D Ghost was still normal, so the Soul Storage Vessel likely had a simr function.
Of course, it was also possible that it didn¡¯t have that function, and Virginia might have extinguished right away¡­ He hadn¡¯t considered that possibility. He returned to the castle. He took out a piece of thick parchment and wrote down the three Serpent Script phrases: ¡°Dragon Beast Sailboat,¡± ¡°Virginia Truth,¡± and ¡°Goat Assembly¡±: ¡°The ¡®Goat Assembly¡¯ is probably an organization of magicians, and Virginia might be Curtis¡¯s biological sister, possibly in possession of the Dragonbone Stabilizer Technique.¡± As for the grudges and grievances of those days, Liszt no longer cared¡ªit was nothing more than a sappy story about a woman mad with love, who betrayed her own family. Regardless of justice or evil, it was all irrelevant to him; he was more interested in the Dragonbone Stabilizer Technique. On the vast sea, the chances of encountering a Sea Monster were indeed not high, but should it happen, using the Dragonbone Stabilizer to release Dragon Might would definitely increase the chances of survival considerably. ¡­ Virginia Truth couldn¡¯t be tipped out of the Soul Storage Vessel, and Chris Truthy on the bed, never waking up. Before he knew it, May was drawing to an end, and the weather officially entered the scorching summer days. Good news followed one after another. First were the four Serpent Blood Tree nt Pots, from which the Elf Bugs had sessively emerged, biting Liszt¡¯s finger and bing his contract Elf Bugs. Four Serpent Blood Fruit Bugs, all a light white base color with a red stripe on their bodies, were very beautiful. Liszt had transported the Serpent Blood Fruit Bugs to ck Horse Ind, nting them on a newly reimed wastnd there¡ªSerpent Blood Fruit attracted snakes, and since there were no venomous snakes on ck Horse Ind, there was no danger of attracting poisonous ones. The only precaution was to not attract Sea Serpent ss Sea Monsters.
Following the Serpent Blood Fruit Bugs, the Apple Bugs also sessfully emerged. The apple tree that had be Cordyceps grew more robust and lively, producing a plethora of little green apples this year. Unfortunately, that was their extent; they would no longer grow¡ªwhether it was spring, summer, autumn, or winter, they remained in that state. Many of the lesser nobles especially enjoyed going into the forest to find Elf Bugs during winter; if they were lucky, they could discover a green Cordyceps among a vast expanse of withered trees. Of course, the probability was very low as the distribution of wild Elf Bugs was quite sparse. In the winter on ck Horse Ind, Marcus and others had searched several times to no avail, without discovering any Cordyceps. The light green Apple Bug was now lying in Liszt¡¯s palm, chubby and cute, resembling a lush and tender piece of soft jade. ¡°As I do not n to transnt this Apple Tree Cordyceps, therefore, Mr. Carter, you should contact Administrative Officer Isaiah to transform the surroundings of the castle into an apple orchard,¡± Liszt decreed. Butler Carter bowed in response, ¡°As you wish, my lord.¡± Chapter 351: 0348: I Need to Lie Down a Bit Longer (Second Update) Chapter 351: Chapter 0348: I Need to Lie Down a Bit Longer (Second Update) Not long after the birth of the Apple Bug, Liszt¡¯s eighteenth Elf Bug was also about to arrive. The yellowing leaves in the wheat field had finally recovered to lush green under the meticulous care of the serfs, and among them, a tall wheat seedling stood out with its exceptional growth. It had condensed Magic Power, bing a Cordyceps. The Smoke Mission, too, had conveniently changed: ¡°Complete the mission, reward: one Little Wheat Elf Bug.¡± Liszt was very pleased with the birth of the Little Wheat Bug, for wheat was among the most important of grain crops. A Little Wheat Bug, capable of increasing wheat yield, generallymanded a price of over four thousand Gold Coins on the market. ¡°Before the festival season, it took me nearly half a year to harvest five Elf Bugs: Peanut Bug, Dragon Hollyhock Bug, Tomato Bug, Fragrant Coconut Bug, and Corn Grass Bug; after the festival season, in less than half that time, I¡¯ve already harvested nine Elf Bugs: Little Wheat Bug, Apple Bug, three Rubber Bugs, and four Serpent Blood Fruit Bugs.¡± Although the variety might not be rich, the quantity was certainly plenty, especially the Rubber Bugs and Serpent Blood Fruit Bugs, which came in droves. Just a few days ago, the Rubber Bug exerted Tri-Phase Force for the second time, restoring the nearby Rubber Trees in the rubber ntation to their optimal state, greatly enhancing both the speed and amount of rubber harvested. The Port Town had already begun using liquid rubber to construct houses and roads. This would be the first modern town under Liszt¡¯s rule. The Smoke in front of him slowly drifted, forming new Serpent Script content: ¡°Mission: Perhaps in your hasty search, you have not discovered the significance of the Silver Coin Pendant, it is no meremon silver coin, it has received the blessing of Magic Power, and perhaps it can awaken a magician in aa. Reward: A down-on-his-luck Magician.¡±
A light brightened before his eyes. Without hesitation, Liszt went to visit theatose Magician in the town. ¡°Stay outside the door, do not disturb me while I heal the Magician.¡± After dismissing the manservant and Retainer Knights, he went straight to the bedside, looking at Chris, who was being meticulously cared for by several women. When she was first pulled up, herplexion was pale without a trace of color, like a dead person. Now, however, she was quite rosy, although her looks were still of ordinary rank, with Liszt only able to rate her a passing score of 6 out of 10. The Silver Coin Pendant was still around her neck. When he had previously examined it, he had noticed nothing unusual about the silver coin, other than perhaps that it was made from a particrly unusual material, possibly the feather-light Magic Metal Mithril. Now that the Smoke Mission had mentioned it, he used his Eye of Magic to scrutinize it carefully and attempted to infuse it with Dou Qi. The moment Dou Qi was infused, a few runes of Magic Power shed brightly on the silver coin. Subsequently, a Magician¡¯s chanting sound began, akin to celestial music, yet he couldn¡¯t understand the content of the song, which was merely a repetition of a few sybles. ¡°Is this the Moon Language?¡± Liszt tried to capture the melody, ¡°ording to several Magic Books, Magicians from the Ancient Moon Empire were all able to perform blessing spells. Could this melody be one such blessing spell?¡± The Moon Empire was the ¡°source¡± of all civilizations in the nations. Magicians also took pleasure in uncovering magic from the era of the Moon Empire, delighting in studying the Moon Language and advocating that all nationalnguages were inherited from it, with many words being variants of the Moon Language. Now, the blessing spell in Moon Language began to resonate. It indeed sounded very pleasant. Liszt found himself somewhat entranced, but he continued to observe the Silver Coin with the Eye of Magic, its Magic Power runes acting like the strings of a musical instrument, with each vibration producing a tone of the Moon Language. Gradually, the Magic Power in the air seemed to respond to the blessing spell, rippling and converging like water waves. ¡°` Eventually, the converging magic power began to wash over the unconscious magician. A long whileter. The blessing spell dissipated, and the luster of the silver coin also faded gradually. Despite Liszt¡¯s efforts to inject Dou Qi, he couldn¡¯t trigger a new blessing spell. At that moment, the magician, who had been unconscious for over a week, let out a light cough.
¡°Cough, cough.¡± She hadn¡¯t woken up yet, but her eyelids were fluttering. Liszt straightened his ck¡¤Abaie and disyed an appropriately noble smile, thinking to himself, ¡°Though using the magician I already had in my possession as a reward for the Smoke Mission is a bit sly, being able to awaken Chris quickly is still quite good.¡± ¡­
The dim world had no end. She felt her body was full of fatigue, her head as if it had been struck by a hammer, unable to concentrate, weak, ufortable, exhausted, and dizzy. With no escape, she could only keep wandering in the dimness, growing more tired and helpless with each passing moment. Just then, a faint voice reached her ears. It was like a spring of clear water pouring over her body, drenching herpletely, seeping through her from head to toe. Her clouded consciousness also began to clear, and amp suddenly lit up in the dark world, marking the exit. She ran with all her might toward the exit¡¯s light, using every ounce of her strength. No longer wishing to sink into the boundless gloom, she finally reached the exit, where the light was bright enough to dazzle her, making her involuntarily close her eyes. But still, she rushed through without a second thought. A brand new world unfolded before her eyes ¨C a simple wooden hut. There were no extra decorations, yet there was a handsome man with eyes as blue as gemstones, wearing the highest form of a smile, gazing at her faintly. Their eyes met, as if seeing into each other¡¯s souls. ¡°Ah¡­¡± She made a sound, but her voice was terribly hoarse. ¡°You¡¯re awake,¡± the handsome man said with a slightly maic, pleasant voice, questioning her. Such elegant demeanor, such tender voice, and eyes that saw through to the soul, it was like a dream, making her feel as if she had escaped a nightmare and entered a spring dream: ¡°I¡­¡± Her voice was still very raspy and unable to convey aplete thought. In fact, her entire being was still in a daze, not fully conscious. ¡°I¡¯m pleased you¡¯ve woken up. You might still be unclear about what happened, but after I rescued you from the sea, you¡¯ve been unconscious for almost a week now,¡± the handsome man said with a smile that seemed to clear the gloom away. ¡°You don¡¯t seem to bepletely recovered yet. I¡¯ll have someone take care of you, and we¡¯ll talk more when you¡¯re alert.¡±
Then, he turned and left. Shortly after, a few women dressed asmoners came in. They roughly helped her up, one of them vigorously wiping her face with a towel and asking, ¡°Magician miss, are you feeling better now?¡± Another was braiding her hair with enough force to pull it out, while also speaking, ¡°When the great and benevolent Lord Landlord rescued you, your hair was a mess. I¡¯m not sure how you usually do your hair, so I just tied it into a ponytail for now.¡± ¡°I¡­¡± She was truly at a loss for words from being fussed over so much but finally gritted her teeth and managed to say, ¡°Can I lie down a bit longer? I¡¯m feeling a bit dizzy.¡± Chapter 354: 0351: A Calm Mindset (Fifth update, Alliance Hierarch additional release 14/18) Chapter 354: Chapter 0351: A Calm Mindset (Fifth update, Alliance Hierarch additional release 14/18) The dragon-ying event was tied to the fate of the family, but whether it urred or not, Coral Ind was powerless to prevent it. Therefore, Li Si Te couldn¡¯t afford to be too anxious. It also concerned his future, and he needed to think through how to exin and respond, in order to better negotiate with the Earl and reach an oue favorable to himself. It wasn¡¯t rational to hastily throw out an issue without distinguishing its truth. Having drunk a cup of milk tea, his mood still couldn¡¯t be calmed; the news brought by Chris Truth indeed came as quite a shock. At this moment, he suddenly remembered that the Smoke Mission should have already beenpleted, so he called out, ¡°Complete mission, reward: Magician Chris Truth.¡± Sure enough. The just awakened and not particrly beautiful magician Ms., was the reward for the Smoke Mission. Just like thest Smoke Mission¡¯s reward was the Thief Paris, these belonged to the ¡°character¡± rewards. More urately, they were opportunities for an intersection with the corresponding characters that would prove beneficial. To grasp the mission reward still required Li Si Te to make personal efforts. ¡°It¡¯s a pity, Paris was beautiful and had a good figure, Chris is just mediocre¡­¡± he shook his head, feeling that this wasn¡¯t the time to think about such things. Before his eyes, the Serpent Script fluctuated. A new mission quickly issued: ¡°The news brought by Chris Truth has made you feel deep unease; this stems from the fear due to being weak. As a great Lord, please ovee the restlessness deep within, and calm your own state of mind. Reward: A melody from memory.¡±
¡°It¡¯s true I¡¯m a great Lord, but why is the reward another melody? Could it really be trying to cultivate me into the Piano King?¡± Li Si Te was not very satisfied with the reward. Indeed. ying andposing piano music added greatly to his personal charm, attracting the favor of numerous women. But he would rather be a strong Knight through his own efforts, be the focus of everyone¡¯s attention, and ultimately realize his dream of Dragon Riding. Piano music was meaningless to him. However, the mission was already issued, and he had no reason to refuse¡ªmastering a couple more piano pieces would enhance his social capabilities in the future and elevate the essence of his nobility. Returning to the mission, how to ovee the restlessness deep inside and calm his own state of mind? A very good way was to y the piano. He went to the Worm Room and sat in front of the piano. In the past, he had the Sea Sprite Ake to listen to his piano ying or to apany his singing. Now, he could only y for the Elf Bugs. ¡°Wuuah!¡± And there was Minor Elf J, sitting atop the piano, yawning in boredom,pletely uninterested in music. In the past, it even jumped on the keyboard to dance while Li Si Te was ying, and only after several applications of Finger-Flick Magic did it start to behave a bit. His fingers lightly brushed the keys. Taking a deep breath, Li Si Te began to y slowly, the recently learned ¡°Yuri Ely by the River.¡± He had heard it yed by Meioubao at Long Taro Castle and found it pleasing to the ear, even though he felt it was slightlycking in rhythmic changes but still a ssic piano piece. The Piano Master Czerny Windmill and Eurie Ellie by the river exchanged nces, turning into stone. He yed slowly, unlike Meioubao¡¯s style of ying; at home, he usually improvised, ying in whatever way feltfortable without concerning himself with too many details. After one rendition, he then yed ¡°For Alice,¡± and switched to ¡°With You.¡± The sound of the piano made J more and more sleepy until it finally copsed at the top of the piano, falling into a deep sleep. Liszt found himself increasingly immersed in his piano ying, his mood bing ever brighter. He realized how much he truly enjoyed the piano, as each time he yed, his spirits were instantly uplifted, as if there were no trouble that piano music couldn¡¯t resolve. If there was, then he would simply y two pieces. At some point, a hazy mist seemed to naturally form before his eyes, shaping itself into Serpent Script. ¡°Missionpleted, reward: the melody of ¡°Canon in D Major¡±.¡± His fingers had already begun to strike a new sequence of keys, unleashing the notes of an exceedingly ssic piano piece. It was a canon, where one melodic line faithfully followed another throughout eight chords, culminating in a final phrase where the notes converged.
The piece concluded. Liszt quickly took out the pen and paper he had prepared earlier, dabbed the ink, and hastily jotted down the melody. He reyed it several times while the inspiration was still fresh to identify any errors and dissonances, and made corrections topose aplete version of ¡°Canon in D Major¡±. He then wrote down the name ¡°¡±Canon in D Major ¨C Liszt¡±¡± and added it to his collection of piano pieces. ¡­
The piano music soothed his emotions, leaving him rxed and rational. It made it easier for him to consider how to face the potential crises ahead: ¡°In fact, from the beginning, I¡¯ve overlooked something, that the Earl and the Grand Duke are not one and the same. Admittedly, in the Duchy of Sapphire, with the Earl¡¯s Coral Ind fiefdom holding significant power, if something were to happen to the Grand Duke, the Earl would likely be implicated.¡± Packing away the piano music, he returned to his study and continued to ponder: ¡°But the first to be affected would be the Sapphire Family, and the Tulip Family, with their smaller size, could more easily change direction¡­ No matter who attempts to swallow up the dragon-less Duchy of Sapphire, the Tulip Family could simply choose a new allegiance.¡± Of course. Switching allegiances isn¡¯t a matter of pride, and their treatment would ordingly diminish, but the wise know to adapt to the times. There¡¯s no need to stay blindly loyal to a potentially falling Sapphire Family. The Earl, being a Sky Knight of the Sword Saint Level,manded a band of Elite Earth Knights. This fighting strength was quite significant, not to be easily disregarded. Unless faced with an overwhelming army, it was unlikely that anyone would eradicate the Tulip Family ¨C Coral Ind, an offshore isle, hardly seemed worth the major nobles on the maind dispatching an entire Knight Order¡­ if dragons were sent, that would be a different story. If indeed a country were to use dragons against an Earldom. Liszt felt that his family might as well eat, drink, and then just sit and wait for death. ¡°So, with the towering figures of the Sapphire Family to weather the storm, I don¡¯t need to worry too much. All I have to do is wait for the situation to unfold. The Earl would likely do the same, making early preparations to seize an opportunity, whether the dragon-ying seeds or fails.¡± That night, he managed to sleep quite soundly. Early the next day, before dawn had broken, Liszt was already up. He donned his leather armor, girded the Crimson Blood Sword, mounted his Li Dragon Horse, and led the Blizzard Beast Dousen, ready to set out for Tulip Castle. He also notified Paris, asking her to bring Chris Truth with her to Tulip Castle. On the way. There was no need for him to guide it, as the Li Dragon Horse instinctively knew the way to Tulip Castle, so atop the horse¡¯s back, he began to examine the new Smoke Mission.
¡°No one can predict whether the road ahead is fraught with thorns or smooth sailing, but one must always be prepared to face difficulties. The robust finances of Fresh Flower Town are more than sufficient to support a Knight Squad. Let them be your followers, to clean your de. Reward: a forgotten Dou Qi Secret Technique.¡± Chapter 355 : 0352: The Resentment of Five Jin of Snake Meat (First Update) Six newly recruited Earth Knights had gone through a period of adjustment without causing too many issues that dissatisfied Liszt. However, Liszt nned to consider their allegiance after a full three months. Now that the Smoke Mission had issued a task in advance, with a reward as valuable as a Dou Qi Secret Technique, he had no reason not toplete it. "After I return, I will have these six follow me." The sunrise had yet to break the eastern sky, and the early summer morning still carried a lingering chill, while Liszt''s thoughts flickered rapidly: "No one can predict whether the path ahead is full of thorns or a smooth journey... Does this mean that even the Smoke Mission cannot influence the Threads of Destiny tied to the Sapphire Dragon?" On second thought, that seemed incorrect. If the Formless Dragon could be influenced, there was no way that the destiny thread of a Gemstone Dragon would be thicker than that of a Sacred Dragon. "Perhaps it''s a matter of distance?" He suddenly realized, "Up to this point, I have undertaken sixty Smoke Missions,pleting fifty-seven of them, with only three changing... the Old Tanner''s hidden books, the Thief spying on the Landlord, and the founding of the Fire Dragon Brick Factory... Out of all the tasks, fifty-nine were rted to Fresh Flower Town or ck Horse Ind, with only one concerning Duniko Hyacinth." In other words, the range within which the Smoke Mission could influence the Threads of Destiny was all within Liszt''s territory. The only exception, Duniko, who had shared a bed with him, was undeniably also influenced by that unhealthy rtionship, however slight the pull on her thread might have been. As three months had passed since Liszt gave up on going to Red Crab Ind to find her, there were no more ties, and the Threads of Destiny had likely already snapped. "So, it was because the Formless Dragon stayed near Fresh Flower Town that it was affected by the Smoke Mission, or perhaps by the Power of Destiny of the Smoke Dragon. But with the Sapphire Dragon located on the distant Blue Dragon Ind, the Smoke Mission simply cannot involve it?" These were only spections, without any concrete conclusions. After all, Liszt wasn''t even sure whether the smoke he saw was left by the Smoke Dragon. If it was, was he some form of a Dragon Wraith, or a Dragon-Bred human? Moreover, looking at cases where Dragons infected beasts, Dragon bloodlines didn''t seem to possess the magical attributes of Dragons. Beasts infected by the Fire Dragon, Water Dragon, or Metal Dragon were just ordinary Dragon Breed Beasts¡ªsome exceptionally majestic, but that was about it. They wouldn''t turn into fire horses from Fire Dragon infection or into water horses from Water Dragon infection. And certainly not into smoke horses from Smoke Dragon infection¡ªby the same logic, if Liszt were infected by the Smoke Dragon, he would at most be a small dragonkin, not what he appeared like now. As for Dragon Wraiths, The White Dragon Wraiths were a special form of existence where ghosts were created bybining Magic Power with the Soul after death by a Dragon; ck Dragon Wraiths willingly dedicated themselves and were then corrupted by a Dragon''s Magic Power. Liszt was certainly not a ghost and had never offered himself willingly, so he was likely not a Dragon Wraith either. "So, did the Smoke Dragon die and its power entered my body? The key question is, who could kill a Smoke Dragon that represents fate... ording to some Knight''s Novels and Magic Books, when a Dragon is near death, it flies to the Valley of Dragons, whose location is unknown." Therefore, it was improbable for the Smoke Dragon to have died naturally and then had its power attach to Liszt''s body¡ªbut it couldn''t be ruled out either, since even the Fire Dragon had died and decayed on ck Horse Ind, reduced to a pile of bones. Regardless, All these divergent and logical thoughts leading to spections had been considered by Liszt more than once. Still, ultimately, there was too little evidence to prove anything. ... His thoughts fluctuating along the way, he arrived at Tulip Castle by eight o''clock in the morning. Levis was just about to leave the house and was surprised to see Liszt''s arrival: "My brother, why have youe today, and so early at that? What time did you leave Fresh Flower Town?" "I set off before dawn. Where is Father?" "Father is practicing his morning exercises in the flower garden on the back hill. Do you have a matter to discuss?" "Very serious business, brother. Please go and call father back. I will wait for you in the study," Liszt said gravely. "What is it? Tell me first." "More serious than anything you could guess." Liszt didn''t want to talk about it outside the study and simply urged Levis to hurry and summon the others. He then led Chris into the Earl''s study first. Butler Louis was sick. Now Tulip Castle was in the hands of Vice-Butler Silva, who personally brought in two cups of milk tea¡ªmilk tea was the only drink Liszt enjoyed at Tulip Castle. "Please have a seat, Chris. Don''t be nervous. My father is not too strict," Liszt reassured her as he could see her nervousness. Chris nodded and sat down, "Baron, I''m just a bit worried that this might involve you and the Tulip Family behind you¡­ You saved me, and I don''t want you to suffer misfortune because of me." "Coral Ind is remote, and information doesn''t flow smoothly. As long as you don''t reveal your identity, nobody will recognize you, and no one will connect you with that incident. As for my father and brother, the more they know, the better they can deal with danger." "Yes, as long as I can help the Baron." "Have some milk tea. You seem not to have fully recovered yet." "Thank you." The wait wasn''t long. Soon the Earl''s voice could be heard from outside the door: "¡­I would really like to know what kind of matter would bring a son, who hunted a one-ton serpent but only gave five pounds of its meat to his father, to seek his own father." Liszt, who was drinking milk tea, couldn''t help but cough. It wasn''t that he was stingy. He simply couldn''t bring himself to part with it¡ªmiddle-grade sea monster meat was priceless, each piece of snake meat was a part of his future strength. "Cough, cough." He hadn''t stopped coughing yet. The Earl had already pushed the door open and entered the study. After ncing at Liszt and Chris, who wasn''t in her magic cloak but dressed like an ordinary person, he walked straight to the desk, "Speak up, Liszt, my dear son, what do you have for me?" Levis closed the door tightly and then asked, "Liszt, are you sure¡­ thisdy, whose name we have yet to ask, should remain in the study?" "Her name is Chris Truth. She is a magician, and the source of the newses from her." Liszt ignored the Earl''s earlier jibe about the "five pounds of snake meat" and said solemnly, "Brother, please check again to make sure there''s no one outside or near the window eavesdropping." "That careful?" Finding himself being ordered about by Liszt, Levis felt a bit awkward, but still took the task seriously and checked again. The Earl had already helped himself to a ss of red wine and took a small sip, "Put an end to your secretiveness. Speak inly. What news does Her Excellency Chris bring?" "The Marquis of Bull might be nning to assassinate the Grand Duke''s Sapphire Dragon, no, he might have already done so. At least a week and a half have passed since Chris brought the message; it could be two weeks¡­ She was pursued by Grand Magicians in the open sea and cast into its depths using Permafrost, eventually drifting to Coral Ind." Chris and others fled Iron Hoof Ind by sea but did not know where they were headed. After being overtaken by the Grand Magicians, she sank into the sea. Drifting with the current, she arrived in the waters of Fresh Flower Town five dayster¡ªenough time to assume the Marquis of Bull would strike within that period, to avoid dyedplications. After that, Chris was unconscious for nine days. Nine days were enough time to discern the oue of ying a dragon. Upon hearing this, Levis burst into a wryugh, "Assassinate the Grand Duke''s dragon? Liszt, and Miss Chris, do you realize how foolish that decision is?" Chapter 356 : 353: The Atmosphere Returns to Harmony (Second Update) Assassinating a dragon was indeed a very foolish decision. However, to assassinate a dragon with meticulous nning filled people with awe and terror. "Father, brother, I cannot guarantee that this information is true, I can only ry the news brought by Her Excellency Chris, for you to analyze... The assassination n of the dragon originated more than thirty years ago. The remnants of the Magic Goat Family lurked within the magicians'' organization, the Goat Assembly, and they probably used Lich transformation techniques to make contact with the Former Marquis of Bull." Subsequently, Liszt ryed the news brought by Chris and his own summarization of deductions,ying it all out. After he finished speaking, Levis still refused to believe it, "This is too preposterous, assassinating the Sapphire Duke''s dragon is not something a sane person could conceive. Dragons represent the pinnacle of the world''s power. Even a sub-dragon or a dragon beast is not something one could casually hunt down." His words held a certain logic. Just as there was an immeasurable gap between Sky Knights and Dragon Knights, there existed an immeasurable gap between magical beasts and dragons. Sky Knights and Grand Magicians were mighty; they could hunt down Intermediate Magical Beasts and even Advanced Magical Beasts. But between Advanced Magical Beasts and dragons, therey Super Magical Beasts, High-Level Dragonkin Magical Beasts, and Super Dragonkin Magical Beasts¡ªthree tiers of separation. It was hard to imagine anyone being able to ovee so many levels and kill a dragon that underpinned the fate of a nation. Therefore, the Marquis of Bull''s dragon assassination n seemed like a tasteless joke. The earl didn''tugh; he looked at Chris, "You are a magician from the Goat Assembly, then, do you know a magician named Weber Truth?" "He is one of the lead Grand Magicians of the Goat Assembly; we call him Instructor Weber. He''s responsible for guiding new members to join." "What about Worrent Truth?" "Another lead Grand Magician. It was he and my teacher, Olivie Truth, who were responsible for hunting down us young magicians who knew the secrets," Chris answered with some pain. The earl nodded and said to Liszt, "Escort Her Excellency Chris to rest, and thene back so we can talk more." "Yes, Father." ... After Liszt had escorted Chris out. Levis couldn''t wait, saying, "Father, you can''t possibly believe the news Liszt brought is real. I have never believed a word said by that magician Chris from beginning to end." "Don''t be hasty, Levis," the earl sipped his wine, his expression stern, "I''ve met Weber Truth and Worrent Truth on one asion. They are the two Grand Magicians worshipped by the Marquis of Bull... As for the Goat Assembly, I have heard of this magicians'' organization; it originated from the exterminated Magic Goat Family." "Is that so? Maybe Chris just appropriated the name ''Goat Assembly'' to concoct a plot. Magicians love engaging in such things!" "What could possibly be on Coral Ind that merits a magician''s scheme? Who would immerse themselves in seawater, unconscious for nine days, just to get close to a baron? Or to approach me through Liszt?" the earl said, his expression returning to calm, "The odds are nine out of ten that it''s true. I understand the Marquis of Bull; he would definitely go mad in pursuit of immortality." "Father, do you think this is true? Would the Marquis of Bull really assassinate the Grand Duke''s dragon?" "Is there a problem with that? It''s just the killing of a dragon. If no one had the guts, how would the world have ever seen the rise of heroes with the title of Dragon yer?" "Dragon yers are heroes because they kill Evil Dragons. But murdering the Grand Duke''s dragon is an atrocious act," Levis countered. "If he seeds, who will care whether he killed a good Dragon or an evil Dragon... Levis, I hope you can calm yourself. As the heir of Coral Ind, you''re not asposed as your brother Liszt." "I... I just find it hard to believe this fact." "Belief is not important; what you need to learn is to distinguish the primary from the secondary," the Earl said. "Liszt brought this news solemnly. He cannot tell if it''s true or false, and neither can I. But that doesn''t prevent us from discussing the impact it would have on the Family and on Coral Ind if it were true." Levis wanted to say something, then gave up: "Yes, Father." "Tell me your thoughts, what impact would the Marquis of Bull hunting the Sapphire Dragon have?" "It would be a disaster. Without the Sapphire Dragon, our country could no longer exist; the Sapphire Family would be destroyed, and all the smaller families, including ours, that depend on the Sapphire Family would be doomed too," Levis grew increasingly anxious as he spoke, "Father, if it''s true, we must prepare!" "Your analysis is still notprehensive enough. The Marquis of Bull''s assassination of the Dragon could end in three oues¡ªfailure, sess, and something in between. Each oue will bring a different situation we need to deal with, and how should Coral Ind position itself in such scenarios?" Levis fell into deep thought; he was only a young man in his twenties who had not yet married. ... Meanwhile. Liszt had already handed Chris over to Paris and quickly returned to the study, finding a ce to sit down. The Earl asked, "Did you arrange everything?" "I left her with my guard, Paris. You can rest assured, Father. Paris is trustworthy and will not make a mistake," Liszt knew what the Earl wanted to ask. The Earl, however, seemed to recall something odd and said, "Although I don''t think inheriting your mother''s looks is an advantage for a male noble, it often has certain benefits... Still, young people should learn self-restraint." Liszt didn''t understand what he was getting at but nodded anyway. The Earl changed the subject and added, "But you shouldn''t be too restrained either; five pounds of snake meat is truly too little!" "Father, the meat of an Intermediate Sea Monster is just a novelty for you, but for me, it is a huge help. It''s critical for my future and reaching greater heights... Actually, I''ve brought gifts for you, Brother, and for Lidun as well¡ªarmors made from the skin of the Six-Headed King Serpent for each of you," Liszt said calmly. He had to admit, five pounds of snake meat was not overly generous, but hunting the Six-Headed King Serpent had taken a lot of effort, and the meat, which was an excellent ingredient for pairing with medicines, was something he truly didn''t want to share. So, he simplypensated with the snake skin armors. Upon hearing about the snake skin armors, and even with a share for Lidun, the Earl finally expressed satisfaction: "Learning to control your desires and understanding trade-offs is good progress. As a father, I can understand your urgent desire for improvement in strength; you wasted too much time when you were young." "I''m d you understand. Being born into the Tulip Family with the least talent really troubled me a lot." "But knightly honor favors you more," Levis interjected. A few words and three armors resolved the apparent rift between father and son. The harmonious atmosphere of the family returned as they began to discuss the myriad issues arising from the Marquis of Bull''s assassination attempt on the Dragon. Chapter 357 : 0354: Breath Decay (Third Update, Alliance Hierarchs Additional Update 15/18) The pressure from the assassination of the dragon incident was quickly dispelled amidst the yful banter between father and son. Levis was no longer tense, Liszt appeared more rxed, and the Earl even felt in the mood to pour each of his sons a ss of Crescent Moon Wine. Then the three of them analyzed the impact of the assassination of the dragon as if they were looking down from God''s perspective. The analysis was quite straightforward. Assuming the dragon-ying incident was real and had already urred, there would be three oues¡ªthe Sapphire Dragon killed by the Marquis of Bull, leading to the copse of the state, with Coral Ind needing to seek a new direction; the Marquis of Bull''s rebellion crushed and the Sapphire Dragon unharmed, where Coral Ind just needed to await orders from the Grand Duke. There was also anotherpromise situation¡ªthe Marquis of Bull''s assassination attempt failed but the Sapphire Dragon was injured. In such a case, the Duchy of Sapphire wouldn''t copse immediately, but it was certain that various forces from within and without would be surging; figuring out the right course of action for Coral Ind within this tumult would be vexing. Now, they discussed each scenario separately. "If the dragon is killed, we must abandon the Sapphire Family without hesitation! Perhaps rallying around the Marquis of Bull would be the correct choice if he can be a Lich," Levis stated his thoughts regarding the first scenario. As for humans turning to Liches, that was unimportant. Yet the Earl was shaking his head, "Liszt, what do you think?" "I''m not optimistic about the Marquis of Bull bing a Lich. Immortality without power is just courting death. Those kings and grand dukes certainly won''t mind riding dragons to capture him, treating him as an excellent experimental material... If he really bes a Lich, he would definitely hide and barely cling to life." From the moment the Marquis of Bull staked everything on assassinating the dragon, he was out of the game in the Duchy of Sapphire. Liszt continued, "The eventual fragmentation of the Duchy of Sapphire is inevitable; the question is who will take over these inds¡ªSteel Ridge Kingdom, Eagle Kingdom, or perhaps both sides will have concerns and leave this ce in chaos. Without the dragon''s protection, pirates will certainly run rampant." The dragon represented the pinnacle of power and order as well. Without the dragon, people''s ambitions would probably swell far beyond expectations. Levis asked, "Are you suggesting that we choose a Kingdom to pledge allegiance to?" "Yes, I''m leaning towards the Steel Ridge Kingdom, since it is our suzerain Kingdom after all." "The marquises will be more popr. We are just an earl''s family; if we switch sides, we might be demoted to viscounts. Even if we retain our earldom, it will cost a great deal of wealth." "The inds need us to maintain them; the Kingdom won''t be too excessive. Perhaps we will have to pay ten to twenty percent of taxes as protection money, but overall, it''s worth it to avert a crisis, especially since we''ve lost the dragon''s protection." The Earl nodded, "Your analysis makes some sense, but you''ve overlooked one point¡ªeven without the Sapphire Dragon, the Sapphire Family still holds immense wealth. They can use this wealth to trade with any country for protection. In the future, the Sapphire Family might well be a marquis family for some Kingdom." He looked at his two sons, "And we can continue to follow the Grand Duke. Support in difficult times often means loyalty, and a loyal noble will be appreciated by mostndlords; that would be the time to choose a better liege." Levis and Liszt were eager to change allegiances at the earliest opportunity. The Earl, however, hoped to spruce up appearances first, then hold out for a better offer. "We need to unite. If the nobility of the Duchy of Sapphire are scattered, they will be easily manipted," Liszt added. "Red Crab Ind would be the best ally, and Golden Ind can also be brought into the fold. We may be somewhat poor as ind nobles, but governing the inds necessitates our involvement." ... The discussionsted the entire day. By evening, they had settled on a basic framework¡ªto pretend ignorance on the surface while secretly sharpening their weapons, preparing to send out troops, protect themselves, or escape at a moment''s notice. Meanwhile, the Earl sent out his men to closely gather intelligence. Logically, by this time, news would be in transit and they would soon know how to choose their response. "After returning, quickly integrate your Knight Squad; this crisis is also an opportunity. Since you''ve chosen to strive for glory, the battlefield is the most suitable way," the Earl said with deep meaning. "I''ve neglected you before, but now I hope that we, father and son, can fight side by side." Liszt bowed solemnly, "I await the moment at all times." The Earl didn''t know what to say next, only patting Liszt''s shoulder heavily, "If your mother saw you today, she would be proud of you." "Thank you." "Go and rest well, there''s nothing to be nervous about. Nobles have their own ways of survival and won''t be greatly disturbed by the life or death of a single dragon. The strength we hold in our own hands is the foundation for standing in this world. Grip your spear tightly and fear no difficulty!" "I will heed your teachings." ... Returning from Tulip Castle to Fresh Flower Town. Although Liszt had temporarily put aside the dragon ying affair, he did not rx his efforts. Despite his limited strength, he still needed to prepare for emergencies, so he immediately informed the six Earth Knights, "I hope toplete the Knight Squad''s integration as soon as possible, and you six can start making your own choices now." "We are ready to charge for you, my Lord!" Without any hesitation, the six immediately chose to follow him. Thus, the Knight Squad of Fresh Flower Town was officially formed. Liszt had a private conversation with Marcus, "Teacher Marcus, please start the actualbat training as soon as possible. Perhaps very soon, we will be heading to the battlefield." "Is the Pioneer Mandate going to be issued earlier this year, my Lord?" "Perhaps." Marcus''s eyes lit up, "I understand!" Afterpleting the Knight following phase, the Smoke Mission was also deemedplete. When he returned to the study, which was recently stocked with a new batch of Knight novels, he summoned the Smoke Mission. "Missionplete, reward Dou Qi Secret Technique ''Breath Decay''." "Breath Decay?" Liszt harbored a doubt, leaning towards it being an effect simr to the concealment of one''s own aura. He felt that this Dou Qi Secret Technique was hidden amidst the batch of Knight novels he had recently acquired. However, he wasn''t in a hurry to search for it, preferring to wait for the release of a new mission. "Mission: The serf girl Emily, who follows the training of the girls'' group, is always clumsy and never learns the embroidery lessons well, often receiving punishment from the embroidery teacher. Therefore, she prefers Knight sses that help her gain confidence. She is even able to cultivate Dou Qi faster than the boys. Please arrange her training reasonably. Reward: Douson''s new magic." "I''m about to learn Douson''s third kind of magic?" Liszt received the good news, and with the impending battle, Douson would be his greatest helper. With the acquisition of new magic, Douson''sbat power was set to increase further. The only pity was that the Eight Tiny Ones were still young and slow at learning magic, hardly resembling Intermediate Magical Beasts. Douson at the same stage had already learned Rock Spike through explosive mouth skills under Liszt''s guidance¡ªIt seemed the Eight Tiny Ones needed more intensive coaching. His thoughts fleeting, he called for Servant Thomas, "Go to the administration and get a file on a girl from the female training group named Emily. Also, inquire about her life and study situation and report back to me in detail." "Yes, master." Thomas went on his way. Only then did Liszt take a new book from the shelf, opening the covers one by one, beginning his search for his new Dou Qi Secret Technique "Breath Decay". Chapter 358 : 0355: Air Capture Record (Fourth Update, Alliance Hierarchs Additional Update 16/18) One hour. Two hours. Three hours. When Liszt had sliced open the covers of all the knight''s novels on the shelves, he found that none were like "The Vulture Knight Stephan''s Expedition" of years past, with golden parchment hidden inside the cover, upon which the Dou Qi Secret Technique "The Eye of Magic" was recorded. "Why is this happening? Could it be that ''Breath Decay'' isn''t hidden within knight novels? If not, then how did ite into my hands?" He pondered hard but couldn''te up with an answer. Suddenly, a thought struck him, "The locals of Fresh Flower Town definitely wouldn''t know any Dou Qi Secret Techniques, not even the Tulip Family possesses such techniques; the serfs that were bought surely don''t know any Dou Qi Secret Techniques either¡ªthey are just a group ofmoners... But Chris is not a local, she might know!" His follower, Charles Trap, wasn''t a local either, but if he truly knew Dou Qi Secret Techniques, he wouldn''t be in such a sorry state. Paris wasn''t a local either, but since she had never practiced Dou Qi before, she most likely wouldn''t possess any secret techniques. Otherwise, given the rtionship Liszt felt he had with Paris, she would have presented them to him with both hands. Therefore. He went straight to Chris''s living quarters, which were arranged next to Paris''s, both in the noble living area. "How are you resting?" Liszt asked gently. "Much better, thank you for your concern, Baron," Chris replied, having donned her magic cloak and currently holding a magic book for reading¡ªa book that Liszt had lent to her. He had already signed a contract with Chris, officially hiring her as his magical consultant. Liszt had originally nned to pay her. But Chris refused and decided to work for Liszt withoutpensation as a way to repay the debt of saving her life. Of course, all her basic needs such as food, clothing, lodging, and traveling expenses had to be funded by Liszt, as well as supporting magic books, experimental materials, and so on from the castle¡ªthis situation left Liszt quite perplexed, wondering whether he had acquired a free magician, or she had acquired a free patron? Luckily, the talent of Chris Truth was promising. She had advanced to magician at the age of seventeen, and there was hope for her to aim for the rank of Grand Magician in the future. She was proficient in the Water, Fire, and Wind Systems of magic and had a slight understanding of the Earth and Lightning Systems. Since she had long been engaged in theoretical research, she wasn''t very skilled in making magic equipment, but her potion making was very adept, having relied on her potion making for ie at the Goat Assembly. "I should have let you rest for a few more days, considering that your body hasn''t fully recovered, but as you know, the situation I am facing is somewhat tense." "I understand, Baron. Pleasemand me for any work you have," she responded. "Currently, Fresh Flower Town is cooperating with two magicians, Elkerson and Granney; Granney is responsible for making magic equipment for me, asionally visiting... Elkerson makes magic potions for me, and I n to transfer his duties to you," said Liszt. He had already nned to have Elkerson focus solely on collecting magic books and acquiring magic through various channels, so there was no longer a need for him to stay in Fresh Flower Town making magic potions. He believed that second-hand books and magic trade would be enough to fill his coffers abundantly. Chris nodded, "I am very skilled at making magic potions. There will be no problem." "By the way, do you happen to know what auxiliary magic medicine means?" Liszt asked, thinking of his auxiliary magic medicine Dragon Hollyhock, whose seedlings had yet to sprout, so research had not yet begun. "Sorry, Baron, I haven''t heard any knowledge about such magic potions." "It doesn''t matter. Someone told me that my Dragon Hollyhock has mutated and it has be a variety of auxiliary magic medicine, but it hasn''t grown up yet. When they mature, I hope you can help me research what the effects of auxiliary magic medicine are." "Of course." ``` "The town currently has ck Tulips, Rapid Growth Magic Thorns, Common me Mushrooms, and the auxiliary magic medicine Dragon Hollyhock. In winter, we can also grow Ice Snow me Mushrooms, totaling five types of magic potions. Your job is not an easy one. Have you considered selecting some children from the town to be your magic apprentices?" "If I need to, I will choose magic apprentices. Baron, the inheritance of truth requires a lot of energy toplete, and I may not be suitable for it yet... I haven''t recovered from the shock of myst magic apprentice''s death; she was killed in an explosion during an experiment." It seems being a magic apprentice is indeed a high-risk upation. He decided not to beat around the bush anymore, "Chris, you work at the Goat Assembly, have you evere across any knightly Dou Qi secret techniques?" "Dou Qi secret techniques?" Chris thought carefully, then shook her head, "No, I rarely have contact with knights. The closest I ever got was probably being chased by one." "Really none?" "None." Liszt pressed down the disappointment in his heart and continued with a smile, "Then, can you tell me the casting scheme of the Spring of Water from the six Water System spells that you know? I have always had a great interest in studying magic." He actually had no interest in it. But Sea Sprite Ake was very interested. She had already learned the Water Arrow Spell, Water Arrow Barrage, Water Wheel Wall, Water Bullet, and Water Whirlpool, and started studying the Water Wave Shield¡ªa spell only a Grand Magician could master. However, due to her insufficient proficiency in magic arrays and magic runes, her progress in learning the Water Wave Shield was slow. Another spell like Spring of Water could enhance Ake''s foundation. In fact, Liszt was also preparing to have Ake write down all the difficulties she encountered while studying magic and have them solved through him by Chris. Effectively finding Ake a teacher. "Baron, you don''t need to be so polite. You are my lifesaver; justmand me if you need anything. I will organize the casting scheme for the Spring of Water right away and hand it over to you." "Mmm, I might ask you for some knowledge rted to Water System magic in the future." "I am willing to provide answers for you." "For any needs in life, just let me know. If possible, I will try my best to satisfy them. Consider Fresh Flower Town your home and start a new life here." Chris''s eyes shone brightly, "Yes, Baron." ... Returning to the study, Liszt continued to ponder where he might obtain the Dou Qi secret techniques. Logically speaking, if he didn''t seek them out, the Dou Qi secret techniques would probably appear on their own soon, but he had grown ustomed to coborating with the Smoke Mission to proactively obtain his rewards¡ªknowing that the Dou Qi secret techniques were within reach yet unable to obtain them was quite distressing. He annoyedly downed a cup of milk tea to calm his mood. He casually flipped open a magic book on the desk, titled "Cavendish''s Air Capture Records," which were the research notes of a great magician named Cavendish Truth. The book documented Cavendish''s research on air, which he believed differentiated magic by itsbination with substances in the air. This book was valuable, not because of the experimental content¡ªactually, the content was dull and tedious, with no research results, as Cavendish thought that air wasposed only of fine dust and free magic power, without even considering the vital elements required for breathing. The real valuey in Cavendish''s detailed record of the entire process of preparing his Mage Tower, including the necessary materials, their prices, the manufacturing of experimental equipment, and the efficiency of potion production. This gave Liszt a very clear reference for the experimental costs of magicians, potentially reducing the likelihood of being swindled by unscrupulous magicians in the future. Of course. Now when he opened this book, it wasn''t to read it, but to consider a possibility, "Why couldn''t the Dou Qi secret techniques be hidden inside the covers of magic books?" ``` Chapter 360 : 0357: Female Follower (First Update) Having obtained "Breath Decay", Liszt immediately decided to practice it. Now that he hadpletely mastered "ming Wave" and "Fire Dragon Drill", and had basically mastered "Multi-Arrow", and his "The Eye of Magic" had be even more transcendent, pondering over these Dou Qi manuscripts and Dou Qi secret techniques would not significantly improve his strength. It was better to practice "Breath Decay" to conserve his resources. At the same time. Thomas had returned with the organized documents to report, "My lord, this is the dossier on the serf girl Emily from themissioner''s office." Emily, from the Eagle Kingdom, was an orphan with both parents deceased, and her brother had also died. She was eleven years old this year and was the first girl in the girls'' group to cultivate Dou Qi, even quicker than most of the boys in the qualifying group. She performed excellently in knight training, but she still needed to attend embroidery sses. Moreover, she performed poorly in her embroidery sses¡ªshe couldn''t even thread a needle properly. "Emily isn''t getting along well with her foster family, mainly because she does not do household chores and thinks all day about bing a female knight, which leads to frequent scolding. After knight training sses, she''d rather stay in the Knight''s Square than go home early," said Thomas. After reviewing the dossier. Liszt basically understood that this girl named Emily yearned for the life of a knight, "Call Rom over, and have Emily brought along as well." "Yes, my lord." Before long, Rom and Emily both rushed over, with Rom standing to the side after paying his respects. Liszt''s gaze was entirely on Emily, the eleven-year-old girl who was around one and a half meters tall, and although her face was immature and her body frail, her eyes were bright and full of life. Her deep eye sockets and high nose bridge gave her a somewhat exotic appeal¡ªrtive to the people of the Duchy of Sapphire and the Eagle Kingdom. Perhaps she would be quite beautiful when she grew up. However, herrge bone structure contrasted with her skinny frame, making her appear somewhat disproportionate, likely due to theck of flesh on her body. "Your name is Emily, I heard you don''t like being an embroiderer?" Emily wasn''t meeting Liszt for the first time, but it was her first time speaking so closely with Lord Landlord, which made her a bit nervous. Still, she mustered her courage and replied in a tender yet firm voice, "Yes, Lord Landlord, Emily does not like to be an embroiderer. Emily hopes to be a knight!" "Ambitious, but do you know that for a woman, bing a knight requires far more effort than it does for all others?" "Emily knows, but Emily is not afraid!" Seeing Emily''s determination, Liszt couldn''t help but smile, "Then do you know that the resources spent to train a female knight exceed those required to train a male knight? If I spend a lot of resources to train you as a knight, do you know what you should do?" "I..." Emily was somewhat at a loss, being just an eleven-year-old child, but she quickly regained her resolve, "If Lord Landlord trains Emily, Emily is willing to serve Lord Landlord for life, and will not retreat a step even if it costs her life!" "Hmm." This precocious response somewhat astonished Liszt. Indeed, she was a child capable of attracting the Smoke Mission and pulling on the Threads of Destiny, a bit extraordinary; he nodded in approval, "I am satisfied with your answer, Emily. Since you have chosen a difficult path, as your Landlord, I will give you a chance to change your fate, hoping you will keep your promise." "Yes, Lord Landlord, Emily is willing to follow the lord and charge forth for the lord!" Emily, with her young frame, mimicked the adult knights and performed the grand salute of a follower¡ªkneeling on one knee, right hand on her chest, leaning forward ny degrees while bowing, head lowered, gazing at the ground. Liszt walked over and lifted her up, "I ept your allegiance, Emily." By the time Emily climbed up, she excitedly stood straight, and he smiled, saying, "You are my youngest follower and also my first female follower. I wish that in the future, you may be a glorious knight, chasing honor shoulder to shoulder with me¡­ For now, you will train with Maggie." Maggie, the object of envy among all the serf children because her sister was the personal guard of Lord Landlord. She received specialized knight training every day and was making rapid progress. Emily nodded excitedly, "Yes, sir!" Liszt then turned to Rom, "Rom, please arrange for Emily''s training personally. Also, tell her foster parents to treat Emily better. From now on, she does not need to attend any more embroidery sses; she should focus entirely on knight training." "Yes, sir!" "All right, you may go now," Liszt indicated for everyone to leave, then he said to his personal servant, "Go and call Paris over." Calling over Paris was simply to inform her that her sister Maggie was going to have apanion for her training. It was somewhat wasteful for Maggie to enjoy the knight training alone, and training with apanion was often better than alone, if nothing else, for having a good point of reference. Paris replied, "I have no objections. In fact, I am happy to see that Maggie will have apanion. She has been getting increasinglyzy with her knightly drills¡­ But I am surprised, Baron, that you would ept an eleven-year-old girl as a follower." "It was her longing look filled with desire for knighthood that moved me. I believe that someone with such a gaze will not lead an ordinary life in the future. Perhaps, among my followers, there will emerge a female Sky Knight," Liszt said with a smile. In actuality, it was the Smoke Mission he believed in, not Emily herself. Paris smiled, "I wish her luck." "How is your Dou Qi cultivation progressing?" "I have not found a clue yet. The power of the ck Dragon Childe always manages to assimte the little Dou Qi that I have painstakingly refined." "Perhaps you are taking the wrong approach. Dou Qi originates within a knight, but you already have the power of the ck Dragon Childe within you, which is a conflict in itself¡­ You could consult with Chris, learn magic, use the ck Dragon Childe''s power to harness Light System Magic. Maybe that''s more reasonable." Invisibility Technique is one of the Light System Magic disciplines; many Grand Magicians study Invisibility Technique. And Paris, after acquiring the power of the ck Dragon Childe, soon developed her own Invisibility Technique. "Hmm, when my cultivation of Dou Qi is dered a failure, I''ll turn to magic," she said. ... After Paris left, Liszt concentrated for a moment, and smoke slowly emerged. "Missionpleted, reward Douson with new magic - Rock Wall." "Rock Wall?" He stood in front of the window, just in time to see Douson ying with the Eight Tiny Ones in the sunset. Suddenly, Douson opened his mouth, and a rock wall burst forth frantically from the apple tree grove of the estate, obstructing the path of the Eight Tiny Ones. Facing a rock wall that was three meters high, ten meters wide, and twenty centimeters thick, irregr and twisted. The Eight Tiny Ones barked excitedly, nonstop. And Douson, as if he had found a new toy, continued raising rock walls, turning the originally beautiful apple garden into chaos with walls everywhere. "Quiet, Douson!" Liszt couldn''t help but shout out loud. Chapter 361 : 0358: The Courts Sailing Ship Arrives (Second Update) Rock Wall isn''t a lethal magic, but its usefulness in group battles is very apparent, whether for blocking or for defense, it''s a valuable spell. Rock Spike, Rock Grenade, Rock Wall¡ªDouson''s training needed to be renned to amodate newmands. However, the pressing matter wasn''t training Douson, but toplete the new Smoke Mission. "Mission: News from afar is soon to arrive, an earth-shattering scheme may unfold into reality, no one can predict, but as a Landlord, one must stay armed and be ready for battle. Prepare forbat and await the moment the message is delivered. Reward: The breeding of the Green Caterpir." This was the new mission content. The reward was the peculiar "breeding of the Green Caterpir"; he wasn''t clear on what the Green Caterpir was. After inquiring many people, nobody knew what it was. It sounded like some kind of caterpir, but generally, caterpirs were pests, so why would it be a reward? "Could it be like a silkworm? Spinning green silk?" This question could only be answered afterpleting the mission. What concerned him was the content of the mission¡ªprepare for battle. "The Smoke Mission hasn''t provided exact news, meaning whether the dragon-ying urs and the oue of it are still unknown. But I should confirm Fresh Flower Town''s battle sequence for heading into the battlefield and be ready to join the fight at any time," Liszt thought deeply about his own strength. He and Douson were a pair, so when heading into battle, he would undoubtedly bring along Douson. Now, Douson''s strength could bepared to a newly knighted Sky Knight, with three magic skills: the main attack "Rock Spike", the control skill "Rock Wall", and the ranged assault skill "Rock Grenade"¡ªno apparent weaknesses. Combined with Liszt''s Eye of Magic and archery, they were an extremely powerful offensive tform. Paris should be brought to the battlefield, not to fight, but to unleash a burst at a critical moment, to handle any fatal crisis. Then there was the Knight Squad,prising two Elite Earth Knights and ten Common Earth Knights, not outstanding but should be capable of supporting roles. Essentially, this was all of Fresh Flower Town''sbat ability. In terms of equipment, the Knight Squad had a full set of Fine Steel Knight Suits armed by him, as well as arrows made from Thorn Ironwood and Thorn Poison¡ªnot too great, but not too bad either. And there were Telescopes to peek into the forefront. "My Knight Squad will follow the Coral Ind Knights and take on logistics and support tasks... Once we really enter the battlefield, I''ll think about how to make decisions. The battlefield changes rapidly, so one can only adapt ordingly," Liszt pondered. ... "I didn''t expect to enter the battlefield so soon. Don''t worry, Baron, I will ensure your safety," Paris said with a smile. Liszt replied with a smile as well, "With my current strength,bined with Douson, as long as we don''t encounter a Sky Knight of the Sword Saint Level, it''s not too dangerous. I will fight alongside my father and brother, so it would be difficult toe across a Sky Knight... If we really face an irresistible force, then you can step in." He paused and added, "Be cautious about using your transformation. You have a whole youthful future to look forward to; save me if you can, and if not, escape on your own." It''s impossible to predict how a person will react when faced with danger. Liszt was simply preparing for the worst scenario. As someone who had lived in peaceful times and then crossed over to this Different World where knights charged into battle, it was natural for him to be nervous about the battlefield. Or perhaps, without experiencing the baptism of blood and fire, he couldn''t transform his mentality and set his spirit free. Marquis Merlin had told him that young people should be passionate. Unfortunately, he wasn''t young and rarely had moments of passion, being cautious and considering all aspects was his style. Paris, who had directly faced the Light Dragon, said with ease, "Within the scope that my life allows, I won''t let you, Baron, fall into danger." It seemed as if an atmosphere was brewing. They exchanged a knowing smile, and then Paris bid farewell and left the study. ... Within the Sea View Vi. Ach, the Sea Serpent magician, was still earnestly learning magic. She hadpletely immersed herself in the world of magic, unable to extricate herself. She spent most of her time in the Sea View Vi, continuously paging through magic books, soaking up various kinds of magic knowledge like a sponge. "Brother, you''re here." "Yes, I came to see how Ach is doing." Every time he saw Ach, Liszt was in a good mood, "And also to check on Nami." The Mangrove Minor Elf was sleeping on the table. It rubbed its eyes, saw Liszt, and whispered "jee" as a greeting. Then it continued to sleep soundly. Unlike the active Thorn Minor Elf J, most elves actually prefer peace and spend most of their lives sleeping¡ªafter all, they are born from nts, and nts stay in one ce for their entire lives. "Does brother want to hear Ach sing?" Ach put down her magic books and asked with wide eyes. Liszt would naturally not refuse. So, a beautiful and melodious song quietly began to y. It was a popr folk song from the Duchy of Sapphire, and when sung by Ach, it sounded celestial. Compared to ying the piano, it could soothe Liszt''s restless mood more quickly, making him feel at ease. After singing. Liszt habitually reached out and ruffled Ach''s sapphire blue hair, and Ach giggled and nestled into Liszt''s arms. She liked to snuggle there, feeling very warm... even though the weather was getting hotter. "Ach, I might have to travel far away. I hope that during my absence, you will continue to study magic diligently, striving to be a Grand Magician as soon as possible." "Where is brother going?" "I don''t know, I might go to the battlefield, or I might not have to leave Fresh Flower Town. In any case, you should study hard." "Mm, Ach is studying hard every day. It won''t be long before Ach bes a Water System Grand Mage. Then in the sea, Ach will no longer have to worry about being hunted by Dulu Miqita. If Dulu Miqita ever thinks about eating Ach, I''ll use magic to fight them!" ... At the beginning of June, the zing sun scorched the earth. That day, Coral City Port weed a swift three-masted ship flying the Sapphire Dragon Banner. After docking, news had already reached Tulip Castle. Earl William Lee personally hurried to the port to greet this ship representing the Court. The people from the ship had disembarked and were waiting at the port. Upon seeing Earl William Lee and his party arrive, a knight d in silver-white armor at the forefront rode forward: "Earl William Lee, I am Boski Pansey, captain of the seventh Knight Squad of the Blueblood Knight Order. Ie bearing orders from the Sapphire Duke!" "Good day, Captain Boski. What message has the duke brought?" "This is a letter personally written by the duke." Boski took out a ck-sealed letter from his breast and handed it to Earl William Lee with gravity, "The orders are within the letter!" Taking the letter, Earl William Lee already anticipated the unfolding of certain events, but he remainedposed as he offered his hand: "Captain Boski, please apany me to Tulip Castle to rest." "Thank you, my lord." Chapter 363 : 0360: Becoming the Knight Orders Commander (First Update) "The Grand Duke''s Dragon must have encountered some problem, that''s my father''s spection," said Liszt calmly. "He believes that, given the Grand Duke''s temperament, if the Sapphire Dragon were unharmed, he would never have issued an order to suppress the Marquis of Bull. The Grand Duke would have directlymanded the Sapphire Dragon to annihte everything on Iron Hoof Ind as a deterrent to his enemies." After rushing to Tulip Castle, Liszt encountered his brother Levis, who was busy receiving the continuously arriving nobles. Taking the opportunity, Levis told him what had happened¡ªthe Sapphire Duke had sent a letter, summoning all his followers to assemble at Iron Hoof Ind to annihte the Marquis of Bull. "Have you deduced what exactly has happened to the Sapphire Dragon?" Liszt asked with a steady gaze. "At the very least, it''s injured... The knight who came to inform us is a viscount from the Blue Blood Alliance, and he was very tight-lipped. I wasn''t able to extract any useful information from him." "So, is father nning to proceed with the original n and follow the Grand Duke''smand to join the suppression?" "When the situation is unclear, that''s the most appropriate course of action. Father is already inmunication with several marquises and earls, and after reaching Bull Horn City, we''ll carefully consider how to proceed with the second step. However, the war is essentially set in stone. Liszt, you''re only seventeen; are you really nning to go to war?" He felt a bit displeased. As someone who had been called a "prodigy" and as the family''s heir since childhood, he had only gone to battle at twenty-three, and now seventeen-year-old Liszt was about to go to the battlefield. Liszt was unaware of what Levis was thinking; he simply said indifferently, "As a noble''s second son, the only chance to change my fate is through war... I don''t have much time to waste." "Alright then." ... The meeting convened at dusk. Earl Li Weiliam Tulip announced the Grand Duke''s orders and immediately began arranging which knights would be deployed. "Everyone will go to war. Bring yourselves and your followers. All Earth Knights who are not old, weak, sick, or disabled must appear on the battlefield." He looked around at all the nobles. "My n is to form six Knight Orders, one elite Knight Order and four regr Knight Orders that will directly participate in the war, and one more to patrol within the ind, to garrison and defend the security of Coral Ind." Six Knight Orders, six Commanders. Coral City Advisor Jacob was appointed as the Commander of the defensive Knight Order, to stay behind and ensure the safety of Coral Ind. Of the remaining five Knight Orders, four Commanders had already been selected. Li Weiliam himself naturally led the elite Knight Order, while Jonas, Trick, and Levis, the three viscounts, each led one Knight Order. Now only thest Knight Order''smander was needed. "Earl, please allow me to lead it," Liszt said without much hesitation or conflict. "Although this is my first time on the battlefield, I have an Intermediate Magical Beast as a pet, withbat power on par with an ordinary Sky Knight. I believe I am fully capable of leading a Knight Order to vie for glory." Li Weiliam looked over the attendees. "Is there anyone else who intends to volunteer as a Knight Commander?" Indeed, several barons who were elite Earth Knights had been eager to try, but after Liszt volunteered, they immediately backed down. Not to mention that Liszt had already been hailed as a future viscount; just by virtue of being Li Weiliam''s son, it would be very difficult for anyone to contest with him. After all, no one would be foolish enough to think that they ranked higher in the Earl''s eyes than Liszt, even though he was Lady Marie''s brother. Lady Marie''s brother was also an Elite Earth Knight and had inherited a baron''s title; his prestige on Coral Ind was not insignificant. He was very keen on securing the position of Knight Order Commander, it being the best position to earn military honors, but now, he could only look at Liszt with resentment. He dared not vie for the position anymore ¡ª Liszt was known to set his dog on people. He always brought Douson with him whenever he left home, as if worried others wouldn''t realize he owned an Intermediate Magical Beast. Of course, the benefits of doing so were quite apparent. No objections were raised during the meeting, so Liszt smoothly became the new Knight Order Commander. The meeting then began discussing how many Earth Knights eachndlord could dispatch to participate in the war and then allocate them subjectively among the five Knight Orders. Evidently, the Knight Order led by Liszt was not very attractive, as not many nobles were willing to join, and the response was sparse. He didn''t mind. He wasn''t even that concerned about his own Knight Squad¡ªonly Douson was his greatest reliance. Ultimately, it was the Earl who made a forceful arrangement, "Captain Layden, you are an experienced and prudent Elite Earth Knight; you will lead a Knight Squad to assist Liszt in decision-making. Cobalt, Nash, both of you lead your Knight Squads and join Liszt''s Knight Order as well." Captain Layden had always been the Knight Captain of Coral Ind''s elite Knight Squad, which meant the Earl had directly supplemented Liszt''s Knight Order with an elite Knight Squad. Cobalt and Nash, on the other hand, were established Barons, each with their own Knight Squads, including Elite Earth Knights among their followers. In addition, since each Knight Order had a fixed ten Knight Squads but there was still an extra Knight Squad, the Earl made a grand gesture by slotting it into Liszt''s Knight Order¡ªthus, Liszt''s Knight Order ended up with eleven Knight Squads, totaling one hundred and forty-two people. The Earl looked deeply at his son, "Liszt, please remember that all the glory of these Knights is tied to your person." Liszt replied calmly, "I stand with the Knights!" The Knight Orders were distinguished by color. The Earl led the Red Knights, Levis led the Yellow Knight Order, Jonas Shattered Stone led the Grey Knight Order, Trick Weed led the Green Knight Order, and Liszt led the ck Knight Order. All was agreed upon. The Earl stood up, announcing solemnly, "My followers, you have two days to prepare. At 10 a.m. on June 7th, all Knight Orders must assemble at Coral Ind Port. May the glory of knighthood bless us all and may we fight side by side on the path to glory!" Everyone, including Liszt, stood up and solemnly saluted with their right hand to their chest, "Ready to charge for our lord!" ... The meeting concluded, and they had a simple dinner at Tulip Castle. They returned to their ownnds overnight. Liszt, regardless of it being one o''clock in the morning, quickly gathered all the Earth Knights and town officials for a midnight meeting. The meetingsted only half an hour since everything that needed to be prepared had been ready; it was merely a repetition. After taking care of these matters, he took a bath andy down in bed. He called forth the Smoke Mission. Unsurprisingly, as soon as he secured the position of Knight Commander, the mission waspleted: "Missionpleted, reward: settlement of the Green-headed Duck." "Not sure where the Green Caterpir and the Green-headed Duck are, I''ll send someone to look for them in Fresh Flower Town tomorrow. If they can''t be found there, they''re probably on ck Horse Ind...There''s no time to search ck Horse Ind; I''ll leave Goltai in charge of it. Whether it''s the Green Caterpir or the Green-headed Duck, neither is likely to be an impressive reward." He clenched his fist, "War is now my utmost priority!" The smoke shifted, forming new Serpent Script. "Mission: War has arrived! Serving as a Knight Commander has paved the way for your path of glory; now lead your Knight Order to set foot triumphantly on Iron Hoof Ind''s port, and start the steps of your own war! Reward: The awakening of Virginia Truth." "Virginia Truth?" Liszt suddenly remembered that this referred to the Magic Goat Family girl who used to be the 36D Ghost and had regained her appearance. After cing her into the Soul Storage Vessel, he had almost forgotten about her. Chapter 364 : 0361: The New Ethnic Group of Mangrove Island (Second Update) He pulled out the Soul Storage Vessel and tilted the spout of the teapot to pour, but no smoke came out, indicating that Virginia Truth had not yet awakened. Without giving it much thought, he continued to sleep. The next day. The entire day was busy with preparations for logistical support to the battlefield. Besides the Knight Squad, Liszt would also bring Paris, Douson, and eight Retainer Knights to serve him on the battlefield. When going out to fight,undry and cooking were unavoidable, and these tasks could not possibly be done by himself, so they had to be entrusted to the Retainer Knights. Additionally, he had to bring along a few town officials for a special mission¡ªrelocating serfs. Once the siege of Iron Hoof Ind began, they would certainly conquer castles one by one, and the serfs belonging to those castles would be spoils of war. Liszt would never allow these serfs to flee and end up in the pockets of the Sapphire Duke to be redistributed to other Nobles. He had discussed with the Earl and his brother a long time ago about renting the family''s sea ships for the transportation of serfs. If there ever was a chance to take serfs to the seaport to board a ship, he would absolutely not be polite. ck Horse Ind had a vast expanse of wastnd, even Fresh Flower Town still had plenty of fallownd not fully cultivated. Serfs were truly scarce. These serfs were different from those in the Eagle Kingdom, as they spoke the samenguage; after being captured, they could be directly put to work without the need for an adjustment period or limatization. "Remember to bring enough provisions, especially tbreads, breadsticks, and jerky," Liszt checked the supplies on the carriage. When a Landlord called upon smallerndlords to join the fight, they would not prepare supplies for these littlendlords, only for their own Retainer Knights¡ªMarcus, Charles, and others were nominally followers, but in fact, before they received Noble titles and domains, they were only Retainer Knights under Liszt. "My lord, we''ve brought 1,500 tbreads, 1,000 breadsticks, and 800 pieces of jerky, enough for everyone to eat for a month," replied Marcus. tbread was a creation Mrs. Abbie made at the direction of Liszt, easy to carry and store, suitable for the needs of marching and warfare. tbread saved more space than traditional breadsticks carried during war marches in this world. tbread, breadsticks, and jerky would constitute the main food during war. Of course. The Knights would not only eat these items; once they conquered the next Castle, they could eat whatever they wanted. These tbreads, breadsticks, and jerky served more as emergency rations, just in case. To fight a war supported by the spoils of war was the essence of Knightlybat. After meticulously checking the supplies to ensure nothing was overlooked, Liszt reorganized his Gemstone Space once again¡ªhe took out some items that he wouldn''t need and stored them in the Castle''s warehouse, such as Mithril, Jade, and Crystals. And refilled it with food. Together with the earlier chunks of Six-Headed King Serpent meat, this food would be enough for him to eat for a year; he would definitely not starve to death. Afterward, he went to the Magic Workshop located in Mushroom Hamlet¡ªoriginally called the me Mushroom Processing Workshop, a ce Elkerson used for making Magic Potions. Now his work had been reced by Chris, and the workshop''s name had also been changed to Magic Workshop¡ªall the Magic Potions produced in Fresh Flower Town were processed here. "Chris, are my Magic Potions ready?" he asked. Chris moved out a prepared box: "Baron, I finally managed to finish making these Magic Potions before you set off to war... However, I must say, the Mr. Elkeson you previously cooperated with, his method of making Magic Potions was really rudimentary and wasted too much Magic Power." "His potion-making skills are poor?" "Not to say too poor, but rtively inferior. It''s possible he had little experience in making Magic Potions, wasting at least 20% of the Magic Power," Chris said. She was quite a talented Magician, advancing to the next level at the age of seventeen, while people like Elkerson did not advance until they were in their twenties. Moreover, what Chris was most proficient in was Magic Potion production, so it was quite normal for her to increase the efficiency of Magic Potion use by 20%. Liszt smiled and said, "Thankfully I have you to help me now, otherwise the thought of myrge batches of magic potions being lost in the production process, and perhaps even being embezzled, would not be a happy one." "If I could break through to be a Grand Magician one day, the efficiency of magic potion production could continue to improve. For now, it has basically reached the saturated utilization rate that a magician can master." "Do your best. During my absence, feel free to make any requests to the castle." "I understand, Baron." All the magic potions were packed into the gemstone space. Even though he was headed out to war, he still did not want to interrupt his potion consumption routine. The practice of Dou Qi was like sailing against the current; if you don''t advance, you will fall back. Now, with the Dou Qi Secret Technique "Breath Decay" to augment the effects of the magic potions, breaking Merlin Taro''s record of bing a Sky Knight at twenty-two should not be difficult. "Who knows, I might be a Sky Knight at eighteen and ride a dragon at twenty!" Liszt ambitiously thought. By evening. He made another trip to the Sea View Vi to bid farewell to Ach. However, he unexpectedly received news about the Green Caterpir and the Green-headed Duck from Ach, "Brother, a bunch of ducks and caterpirs havee to Nami''s house." "Ducks and caterpirs? What do they look like?" "The caterpirs are a bit like Elf Bug babies, about as long as a finger, and their bodies are covered with fluffy fur, not like insect fur but more like animal fur; the ducks have gray bodies, green heads, and are as big as swans. They can also spit water jets, and are low-level magical beasts that love eating caterpirs the most." Clearly. The reward for the Smoke Mission hadnded on Mangrove Ind. The Green Caterpirs bred on Mangrove Ind, hence attracting the low-level magical beasts, the Green-headed Ducks, that prey on them. The use of the Green Caterpirs was not very clear¡ªit''s possible that their green fur could be used to make clothing like animal fur¡ªbut the meat of the magical Green-headed Ducks was definitely an excellent food source. Liszt''s eyes lit up. With his current archery skills, hunting low-level magical beasts would be an easy catch. At that moment, Ach added, "Brother, those ducks love toy eggs everywhere, and they have alreadyid a lot of eggs on the ind. They seem to never incubate the eggs, as I haven''t seen any ducklings." "Duck eggs?" Magical Green-headed Ducks wereying eggs on the ind. This meant that if he picked them up, he could directly hatch Green-headed Ducks and then artificially rear them. Much like Tulip Castle''s method of raising low-level magical Fire Rabbits for food, satisfying the castle''s great demand for magical beast meat¡ªeven if he couldn''t incubate the eggs, they would definitely be a delicious delicacy. After thinking for a bit, he said, "Ach, could you and Nami collect these duck eggs and put them inside the Sea View Vi...never mind, don''t bother collecting them. Let''s talk when I get back." It was summer now, and he estimated that these duck eggs probably couldn''t be stored for long. By the time he returned from Iron Hoof Ind, they would likely be spoiled. It would be better to let the Green-headed Ducks proliferate on the ind by themselves¡ªif these duck eggs didn''t require incubation and the ducklings could hatch on their own, it would only serve to increase the poption of Green-headed Ducks. Leaving the Sea View Vi, Liszt was in high spirits. Now that his territory had Blizzard Beasts, Green-headed Ducks, and the ck Pearl Trida, which was not a Sea Monster, it was as if he had gained control of three special magical beast resources. He felt full of high ambition, "I hope to distinguish myself quickly in this war and be soon granted the title of Viscount of ck Horse Ind!" Chapter 366 : 0363: Covered with Dried Tulip Flowers (First Update) Draped with stars and crowned with the moon, chasing the morning dew, the fish-belly white of the eastern horizon gradually turned into a red sky. By the time the red sun rose from the eastern skyline, the troop had already arrived at the Coral City Port. The port had already gathered many knights, as well as their retainers. "Captain Layden, I''ll leave the assembly of the ck Knight Order to you," said Liszt as he saw Layden Pot, entrusting the task of assembly to him. He then proceeded to discuss with Levis the allocation of his own ships. The Tulip Family owned about fifty sea vessels, half of which were twin-mast cargo sailing ships; the remaining halfprised two-thirds twin-mast ordinary sailing ships and one-third twin-mast fast sailing ships. There were only two triple-mast ships, one being the Tulip¡ª a triple-mast ordinary sailing ship, and the other being the Coral¡ª a triple-mast cargo sailing ship. Liszt certainly would not be assigned the triple-mast ships. He was allocated a twin-mast fast sailing ship, two twin-mast ordinary sailing ships, and one twin-mast cargo sailing ship. The cargo ship was used to transport food and water, ordinary ships for the retainer knights and horses, and the fast ship for nobles to ride in. Of course, Liszt had privileges¡ªhis knight squad and retainer knights also rode on the fast ship, serving him, even the Li Dragon Horse was ced on board. Paris stayed next door, with Douson standing guard at the door. Personal safety reached the highest level. After he had negotiated with Levis which four ships belonged to the ck Knight Order, the Earl had alreadye over and, after delivering a speech at the port, took the lead to board the triple-mast ship Tulip. Afterward, one by one, the sailing ships left the port. In the rising sun, the Knight Order of Coral Ind set sail, heading toward Iron Hoof Ind. ... Sailing was boring. However, this time Liszt was somewhat busier, as he had to straighten out the Knight Order, so he kept gathering the one hundred and forty-two knights of the ck Knight Order on the ship. Charging together in training was impossible, but establishing various battlefield signals and slogans among one another, and building a simple trust, was feasible. At the same time, it was a period to establish authority, as there were two other seasoned Barons on the ship besides him¡ªCobalt and Nash. After a simple sword fight on the deck, they had to admit that even without relying on Douson, the intermediate magical beast, they were no match for Liszt. Even two against one, they could not defeat Liszt. "Knight Commander, are you sure you have not be an Elite Earth Knight?" asked Cobalt, very dejected after their sound loss in a two-against-one. Liszt smiled faintly, neither denying nor confirming, "Thebat power of a knight is not entirely based on the level of Dou Qi. All you need to know is that my strength is sufficient to shoulder the responsibilities of amander. Follow me into the charge, and the glory on the battlefield will definitely belong to our Knight''s Spear!" He had already begun practicing "Breath Decay". But he had not yet seeded in his practice, and the effect had not been shown; the Dou Qi in his body was still continuously dissipating outward. Before obtaining the Dou Qi secret technique, he thought this kind of waste was normal, but with the secret technique, seeing the Dou Qi dissipate made him ufortable¡ªit was not just a little waste of Dou Qi; it was a waste of his strength, a waste of his gold coins. Cobalt was thoroughly convinced, "Of course, I would not dare to doubt it now." Nash also replied, "With the Knight Commander''s mighty strength, I am even more confident in seizing glory; I will definitely follow themander''s footsteps closely." Status, strength, bothpletely suppressed. No one in the ck Knight Order dared to defy Liszt, so in just a short four-day journey, he had already sessfully grasped the authority of the entire Knight Order. There were no more voices of dissent. ``` ... Encountering neither storms nor sea monsters, the expedition fleet from Coral Ind arrived safely at the Bull Horn City Port, now flying the Sapphire Dragon Banner, on the night of the fourth day. The vanguard Knight Squadnded at the port. After a brief reconnaissance, they confirmed that the port was indeed upied by the Knight Order of the Grand Duke. Consequently, a series of g signals were sent from the Tulip, and all the ships began to dock one after another, with five Knight Orders swiftly assembling at the port. Liszt, d in fine steel armor with a fine steel round shield in his left hand and a fine steel Knight''s Spear in his right, also had the Crimson Blood Sword hanging at his waist. The lining of his armor was made from the skin of the Six-Headed King Serpent, making its defense unparalleled. Mounted on his Li Dragon Horse, the unity of horse and rider exuded an imposing aura. He rode around the assembled ck Knight Order, his face solemn beneath his lifted visor, his sapphire-colored pupils shimmering under the torchlight. Once he was certain that all the knights had found their positions in the rows, he suddenly snapped his visor down and bellowed, "All units, close your visors and follow me!" "Click!" "Click!" "Click!" The crisp sound of metal fasteners echoed as over a hundred and forty knights in orderly rows quickly shut their visors,pletely encased in their armor. Following Liszt, they moved from the port towards Bull Horn City. Bull Horn City is a major city on Iron Hoof Ind and one of the renowned cities in the Grand Duchy of Sapphire, famous for the Bull Horn Academy at its edge. This academy supplies servants to The Court year-round, and numerous noble maidense here to learn needlework. It is also for this reason that many single nobles linger in Bull Horn City, hoping to court a well-borndy from the academy. However, the once-busy Bull Horn City was now almost devoid of civilians, with well-armored knights being the main figures on the streets. The knights stationed in Bull Horn City coordinated with the Earl and amodated the Knight Orders from Coral Ind in amon district. "Knight Commander Liszt, the Earl has informed me that after you set up camp, you and the othermanders are to go to Bull Horn Castle for a weing banquet," a knight ryed the message. "I understand," he replied. He then called over to Captain Layden, "See to it that amodations are arranged for each knight." Layden was not put off by Liszt''s delegating attitude; on the contrary, he relished the temporary authority, raising his voice as he directed the knights to their lodging. Liszt instructed his Retainer Knights, "Ensure my room is thoroughly cleaned, call for water to wash the floor and furniture, and spread dried Tulip flowers liberally to dispel this nauseating stench!" ustomed to the fragrant air of Fresh Flower Town, he struggled to endure the foul odor of excrement mixed with urine in the city. Paris, who stood nearby, coughed. Liszt casually added, "Also clean the room for Paris''s guard and sprinkle it with dried flowers as well." Paris gave a small curtsy, "Thank you, Baron," her face unable to hide her amusement. "Paris will apany me to the banquet to ensure my safety. Zavier will take care of Douson, and Philip will look after the horses," Liszt briefly ordered. Having left the encampment of the ck Knight Order, he headed towards the area where the Yellow Knight Order was stationed. It so happened that Levis had also finished arranging his knights and was ready to set out with a few retainers. After a short wait for Viscounts Jonas and Trick, the four Knight Commanders made their way together to Bull Horn Castle. To attend the weing banquet. ``` Chapter 367 : 0364: Bull Hooves, Bull Tail, and Bull Horns (Second Update) The Sapphire Duke was not in Bull Horn City. In fact, the Duke had not left Blue Dragon Ind at all, and the one who came to oversee the encirclement campaign on Iron Hoof Ind was his eldest son, Anthony Sapphire. This 32-year-old heir to the Grand Duchy had already reached the level of a Sky Knight of the Sword Saint Level, and was gradually taking over the management of the Blueblood Knight Order from the Duke. If nothing unexpected happened, he would be the Sixth Duke¡ªbut now it was hard to say, as the unexpected had already urred. He was stationed in thergest coastal city to the southwest of Iron Hoof Ind¡ªBull Hoof City. "The port of Bull Hoof City is thest stop for the Pioneer Mandate each year. We must prevent the Marquis of Bull from fleeing from Bull Hoof City and also defend against any possible intervention from the Eagle Kingdom. Therefore, the First Prince must personally take charge," Levismented after mingling in Bull Horn City''s castle before returning to his seat. Iron Hoof Ind is known as the barrier of the Duchy of Sapphire, being the ind closest to the maind. It only takes six days to sail from Iron Hoof Ind to the coast of the Eagle Kingdom. As the nearest seaport facing the maind, Iron Hoof Ind is where the fleets carrying out the Pioneer Mandate replenish their supplies before heading to the maind. For this reason, the ind was granted to a branch of the Sapphire Family, and has been controlled by the Bull Family. Unfortunately, it is now the once most trusted Bull Family that is rebelling against the Sapphire Family, led by none other than the current Duke''s closest partner andrade in arms¡ªAndy Sapphire. Liszt did not walk back and forth as he was not very keen on mingling, and as a follower of Coral Ind''s Count, he was also not suitable to interact with nobles from other inds. "So, who is in charge of Bull Horn City?" "Marquis Glendenton," Levis replied, his expression not very pleasant, "the leader of the Blue Blood Alliance, the deputymander of the Blueblood Knight Order, the father-inw of the eldest princess." Glendenton Red Maple Leaf, one of the seven Marquises of the Grand Duchy, with his domain in Red Maple City. The Red Maple Leaf Family is one of the two major Marquis Families in the Blue Blood Alliance, and the Grand Duke''s eldest daughter, Princess Annie Sapphire, is married to Glendenton''s son, the future Marquis of Red Maple City. Levis nced toward the young man in the hall, surrounded by others, his demeanor quite arrogant: "See that? That''s Glendenton''s son, just an ordinary Sky Knight propped up by his family and magic potions. Look at how smug he is, as if he''s the next Dragon Knight." The tone was one of discontent. Clearly, Levis''s interaction with the other party was not so pleasant. The Blue Blood Alliance and thended Nobles have never been on friendly terms. Even a Marquis in the Blue Blood Alliance only has one castle; even a Viscount who is andlord owns either a small ind or a city. One depends on the Sapphire Family, akin to a servant, wealth entirely reliant on plunder and rewards; the other follows the Sapphire Family, akin to a vassal, almost a little king in his own domain. They could never really get along. Thankfully. The noble knights of the Blue Blood Alliance did not give Levis much face, but the noble knights of thendlord Nobles frequently greeted Levis. Even Liszt received quite a few greetings. Momentster, Liszt caught sight of the Earl, trailing half a step behind an elderly Noble and a middle-aged Noble. He understood that the elderly Noble must be Marquis Deep Throat¡ªWace Pineapple Green; the middle-aged one was the Marquis of Red Maple City¡ªGlendenton Red Maple Leaf. There were also several Nobles walking shoulder to shoulder with the Earl, likely all bearing the title of Earl. As this group of Nobles entered the hall, the Knights who were previously busily engaged in conversation quickly returned to their seats, and the room fell silent in an instant. Marquis Glendenton unhesitatingly walked to the main seat, d in bright silver armor, with deep wrinkles that made him look exceedingly stern, "Tonight is the wee banquet for Earl Li Weiliam Tulip of Coral Ind. With the arrival of Earl Li Weiliam, the battle array of Bull Horn City is now fully assembled. The war begins next!" He paused. He continued, "After the banquet tonight, starting tomorrow, each Knight Order will be assigned their own direction of attack, waiting for the troops from the other ports to assemblepletely. Together, we willunch an offensive and sweep Iron Hoof Ind! We must fulfill the Grand Duke''s wrath and annihte everything of the Bull Family!" "Furthermore, everyone must take note that all spoils of war from Iron Hoof Ind are prohibited from private trafficking. These are the internal resources of the nation and must be personally allocated by the Grand Duke! Should anyone break the rules, do not me my longsword for drinking their blood!" Having said this, Marquis Glendenton waited for everyone to digest the information briefly before he continued speaking. "Now, let the banquet begin!" ... Sitting in his ce. Liszt was very unhappy in his heart; he had made full preparations, intending to transport a batch of serfs back to Fresh Flower Town. He didn''t expect that before the battle even began, his n to plunder serfs was already blocked. This made him dissatisfied with the Sapphire Duke¡ªwishing the horse to run, yet not wanting the horse to eat grass. In addition, the dishes served were not to his taste, so he felt no joy throughout the wee banquet. His enthusiasm for the war cooled rapidly. Now, the only reason that sustained his drive was the path of achieving military merit¡ªhe still needed to secure the Viscount title of ck Horse Ind as soon as possible. After the banquet, people returned to their barracks. The Earl summoned Liszt and others to a room for a brief meeting, "Marquis Glendenton is known for his iron fist. You must restrain any acts of private plundering... There will be spoils of war, and after the struggle ends, you will not miss what you deserve, so do not cken." Jonas asked, "Earl, what exactly is the current situation? I''m still unclear about it." It was not just Jonas who was unclear; Liszt was equally in the dark, knowing only that the Grand Duke had issued an order to besiege, and so the Knights of Coral Ind hurried to assemble in Bull Horn City. After a moment of consideration, the Earl said, "Judging from the information revealed by Marquis Glendenton, the Sapphire Dragon is wounded and temporarily unable to mobilize, and the Grand Duke is healing the Sapphire Dragon. After the Marquis of Bull and his party initiated the attack, they have fled Blue Dragon Ind and holed up back on Iron Hoof Ind." The situation was somewhat perplexing, and the Earl could only simplify it to one clue, "So what we need to do now is follow themand, sweep Iron Hoof Ind... and believe that the situation will soon be clear." Although the overall picture was still unclear. But everyone felt somewhat relieved, knowing that the Sapphire Dragon was not dead, meaning that the Duchy of Sapphire would not be unstable for the time being. The siege of Iron Hoof Ind would continue without overthinking. ... However, just as everyone was confident and pondering how to crush Iron Hoof Ind, suddenly shocking bad news arrived. Second Prince Angus Sapphire, stationed in another port city, Bull Tail City, was ambushed by the elite Knight Order of Marquis of Bull due to a rash attack. Three hundred knights of the Blueblood Knight Order, along with eight hundred knights of the fief, werepletely obliterated. Only Prince Angus himself managed to escape back to Bull Tail City with the desperate protection of his guards. "The Wrath Knight Order, under the directmand of the Marquis of Bull, is attacking Bull Tail City, attempting to breakthrough from Bull Tail City. The First Prince has already issued an emergency secret order, calling for reinforcements from each city to support Bull Tail City!" The messenger was a Sky Knight, who descended from the sky¡ªhe was a true "Sky" Knight, mounted on an Ashen Hawk, a low-tier Magical Beast that could be tamed. Chapter 368 : 0365: Assault on Mane City (Third Release, 10,000 Coins Reward Celebrating 1/4) This chapter has been sponsored by "Redemption" with a donation of 40,000 coins, and there are three more chapters to follow. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª In this strange world, the mounts of knights are not only horses, especially after bing Sky Knights, as horsebacks can no longer confine them. Thus, various magical beasts have entered the eyes of Sky Knights. Compared to wild beasts, magical beasts have a rtively higher intelligence and a great potential to be tamed, understanding the concept of submission to the strong. When the Earl came to Coral Ind, he took an interest in the Intermediate Magical Beast, the Giant Barbarian Bear that lived on the ind and wanted to tame it as his mount. Of course, the end result was failure. The Giant Barbarian Bear did not be a mount but instead a chair. Since then, the Earl had been searching for a magical beast mount, but none caught his eye, making him a Sky Knight without one. As for his son, Liszt. He had long owned a magical beast mount, not just one, but nine Intermediate Magical Beasts¡ªof course, outsiders did not know that the eight tiny ones were all Intermediate Magical Beasts, even if Liszt renamed them Blizzard Beasts, many still believed that Douson was the one and only Intermediate Magical Beast. And the eight tiny ones were just low-level magical beasts mixed with some Intermediate Magical Beast bloodline. After all, they had no prompt from the Smoke Mission. The messenger Sky Knight before them descended from the back of a massive Ashen Hawk, his silver-white Mithril Armor highlighting his status¡ªthe Hemp Eagle Knights. The Ashen Hawk is a flying magical beast domesticated by the Sapphire Family. The Grand Duke selects outstanding knights from the Blue Blood Alliance, grants them Ashen Hawk mounts, and forms a knight order. In theory, this knight order is more elite and powerful than the Blueblood Knight Order, but due to limited numbers, it has never been full, with only a peak of just over forty members at its most. Nowadays, the Hemp Eagle Knights only have twenty-five members. "The visitor is Boaten Tricolor Violet, the father of Boski Pansey, the Earl of Rainbow City, and the captain of the Greyhawk Squad, one of only two knight squads in the Hemp Eagle Knights," Levis whispered an introduction to Liszt, standing beside him. The twenty-five members of the Hemp Eagle Knights, aside from the leader, form exactly two knight squads, one named Greyhawk and the other Hemp Eagle. The news that Boaten brought forced Marquis Glendenton to make a decision: "Marquis Wace, I hope you will lead your knight order tosupport Second Prince His Highness at Bull Hoof City!" Marquis Wace said, "Then the battle situation in Bull Horn City is left to you." "Rest assured, since Andy''s personal knight order has already headed to Bull Hoof City, we will quickly take over the Bull Horn City area! The Grand Duke''s wrath will not be dyed by any counterattack," Marquis Glendenton''smand wrinkles deepened. "Earls, look at this map, each of you choose a direction, andplete the purge!" A massive map was spread out. It was a bit abstract, but already precise down to every city''s subordinate towns. Liszt and the others could only watch the decision-making; soon Earl Li Weiliam chose arge city as his main attack direction¡ªBull Hair City. Bull Hair City is a fief of an Earl, Sned Celery. Back at the encampment. Earl Li Weiliam immediately held an internal meeting: "Apart from Bull Hair City, Sned only has three small cities, and his strength is merely that of an ordinary Sky Knight. I will lead the Red Knights to contain Sned and the knights of Celery Fort. You quicklyplete the purging of the three small cities, and join forces with me to attack Celery Fort." After a moment of thought. He made further arrangements: "Jonas goes to Little River City, Trick to Green Shade City, Liszt to Mane City, Levis is responsible for roaming support... If there are no problems, start preparing your equipment now. Once I gather intelligence on the rebel defenses with the other earls and determine the attack schedule, we will directly advance towards Bull Hair City!" ... No need for too much tactical arrangement. In this world, battles are determined by the charge of knights, at most with the addition of ambush tactics and counter-ambushes. Therefore, gathering intelligence was fairly easy, and without a long wait, the war had already been triggered. Following the predetermined decision, Liszt led the ck Knight Order, apanying the Earl to Bull Hair City. Upon reaching the territorial border, the Earl rode up to Liszt and first instructed Layden, "Protect Liszt well!" Layden solemnly responded, "I am willing to be Baron Liszt''s shield, my lord!" The Earl nodded his acknowledgment, then with aplex look in his eyes toward Liszt that conveyed worry and relief, he finally spoke calmly, "Fight on your own, be careful and cautious." Liszt took a calm breath, "Victory is in sight!" Without any overly sentimental words, the Earl waved his hand, and the five knight squads scattered immediately. Liszt lightly kicked his horse, and the Li Dragon Horse burst forward like an arrow, leading the ck Knight Order toward Mane City. More than one hundred and forty Earth Knights, plus over thirty Retainer Knights, totalled one hundred and eighty horses, trampling the earth under the scorching sun. The knights, armor, and horses, with theirbined weight, were like a tank. The dust they kicked up hung in the air like haze, long unable to settle. "Mane City''s terrain is fairly open, and since there is no Viscount Lord, the difficulty of sweeping through is not great. We''ll start the sweep from Dry Grass Town and push all the way to take over Mane City. Execute all knights, ultimately clearing the entire city to meet up with the Earl at Celery Fort." Liszt led the ck Knight Order forward, discussing battle strategies with Layden, Cobalt, Nash, Marcus, and others while replenishing their water supplies. "The knights in the small town have probably heard the news and have hidden inside Mane City to defend it." "That''s perfect, we''ll take care of them all at once in Mane City!" Liszt galloped on his horse, hiding his excitement about the uing war, reced with calm. In all of Bull Hair City and the three small cities under its jurisdiction, there was only Sned, amon-tier Sky Knight. Once this knight was targeted by Li Weiliam, there was no one left in Bull Hair City who could stand against Douson''s knights. Even if Sned employed a strategy to lure the tiger away from the mountain and ambush Liszt, Paris and Douson would join forces to block him. Therefore, he had nothing to fear. Of course, being careful and cautious was essential. While speeding along, he would asionally take out a telescope to carefully observe his surroundings. The route chosen avoided woods, instead traversing open terrain. The charging Knight Order could reach a speed of 40 kilometers per hour. The whole army set off in the morning, the Knight Order split up at noon, and by less than four in the afternoon, the ck Knight Order had arrived at the predetermined destination¡ªDry Grass Town. Seeing a group of unfamiliar knights charging toward the town, the serfs of the small town threw down their hoes and bone spades in panic, hiding inside their dpidated thatched cottages, daring not to show their faces. Liszt ordered, "Marcus, take a team to the town to find the local officials and gather information." Marcus obeyed themand, returning in less than ten minutes. "My lord, I have found out. There are no Feudal Nobles in Dry Grass Town. The closest Feudal Noble is ten kilometers away at Boar Town, which is a territory of a Baron." "Ten kilometers, just a journey of one or two dozen minutes, let''s go, to Boar Town!" The ck Knight Order did not stop for a moment, continuing on to the next town. Fifteen minutester, the sound of their horses'' hooves entered Boar Town. However, under the glow of the setting sun, the town was very quiet, with no resistance encountered. After capturing a few townspeople and questioning them, the situation became clear. Ten days ago, the Baron of Boar Town had already packed up his belongings and fled his ramshackle little castle, leaving it deserted without even a servant left behind. Let alone a single grain of food. Chapter 369 : 0366: I Have a Secret (Fourth Update, 10,000 Coins Reward Celebration 2/5) This chapter is a "kazenoiro" reward update. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª In front of the empty and dpidated small castle. There was only one serf responsible for looking after the castle, trembling as he answered, "Noble, noble sirs, all the nobles from Mane City have gathered in Mane City on the orders of Earl Celery Fort. The butler of the castle gave me ten copper coins, asking me to watch over the castle so that no one would steal the fresh flowers from the garden." After listening to the serf. Liszt furrowed his brows in deep thought, "As expected, knowing that arge army is approaching, all the nobles have begun to band together in resistance... Apart from Mane City, there are hardly any knights in this area." He made a quick decision, "The closest to Mane City is Honey Town, about twenty kilometers away, which we could reach in half an hour. We will station ourselves in Honey Town!" "Sir, isn''t that too close to Mane City?" Layden reminded. "Maintain vignce at night, I actually hope that they will abandon the castle andunch a surprise attack on us. If not, we will rest for the night and then directly assault the castle first thing in the morning; with Douson here, their castle won''t hold for many minutes. Destroy the castle, eliminate the knights of Mane City, and then swiftly move forward!" Douson''s Rock Spike was almost the quickest magic for dismantling a castle, unless there were anti-magic materials in the castle. After exterminating the knights of Mane City and joining forces with the Earl to wipe out Count Sned''s Celery Fort, they would be able to swiftly advance to the next major city. Iron Hoof Ind has only eleven major cities in total. The three port cities of Bull Hoof City, Bull Horn City, and Bull Tail City had already been upied. Iron Hoof City, where the Marquis of Bull resides, is easy to defend but hard to attack, but amongst the remaining six major cities, each conquest meant seizing a significant achievement. In truth, exterminating Iron Hoof Ind was not a difficult task. Although the Marquis of Bull was capable ofunching surprise attacks that could injure the Sapphire Dragon, it involved preparations of over thirty years, and even at his strongest, he was only a marquis. His strength was limited. The Grand Duke had already called all his followers to besiege from all major ports. Without any external factors interfering, this battle was a great opportunity to seize achievements. Moreover, the Wrath Knight Order, which was directly under the Marquis of Bull, had already gone to fight the Second Prince. The area around Bull Horn City theoretically represented an abandoned battlefield. If they did not seize achievements now, when would they? "The only thing to watch out for is the magician from the Goat Assembly. The ties between the Marquis of Bull and the group of evil magicians from the Goat Assembly are very deep... However, these nobles who follow him may not necessarily have any connections with the magicians," Liszt dered his decision before allowing others to discuss briefly. In the end, they all agreed on his decision and hurried towards Honey Town. Honey Town was only two kilometers away from Mane City, practically a chargeable distance. As the red glow of twilight spread across the western sky, the ck Knight Order had already blocked the main exit roads out of Honey Town. The town had no knights stationed in it. Liszt gave the order directly, "Begin the purge, drive the serfs away, but do not harm them indiscriminately!" No matter what, his soul belonged to a modern person, and he was far from regarding human life with indifference. Trading in serfs was already the greatest evil he couldmit against themon people. "Yes, Lord!" The ck Knight Order quickly dealt with the serfs in the town, driving them out of the castle''s perimeter, and then began to set up camp around the castle¡ªof course, some serfs were brought over to help the knights with tasks such as pitching tents, collecting firewood, carrying water, and digging soil. The knights had searched the town inside and out, and by the time they returned, the camp had already been established. "Sir, there must be a number of rats from Mane City among the serfs, sent to gather information. Unfortunately, we only caught two, and their kind must have already taken the news of our arrival to Mane City," Captain Layden reported. "No matter, I had intended for the people of Mane City to know... Tonight they will either be on tenterhooks and not get a wink of sleep, or they will organize a sneak attack. Either way, it won''t change the oue on the battlefield... We are here to conquer and besiege!" Having finished his stern deration. Liszt then said, "Bring the two rats here." The rats were quickly brought forth, having already suffered physically, so theycked any resolve and started spilling everything they knew right away: "Respected knight, Mane City has nearly one hundred and thirty Earth Knights, with the strongest being Baron Moray, an Elite Earth Knight. They all stationed within the Castle." Another rat hurried to say, "The Castle is on a hill slope, easy to defend but hard to attack, and they have abundant water and food supplies. Now Baron Moray and other lords are building Rock walls, preparing to make a stand within the Castle... They might not n to attack." "Why wouldn''t they consider attacking or fleeing but instead choose to make a stand?" Liszt inquired. "Perhaps they dare not leave their territory on their own. Once they leave, it would be akin to fleeing, which would incur severe punishment," the first rat replied. Yet the other rat shook its head and said loudly, "Noble knight, Parker is willing to trade significant secrets for my freedom." "Speak, if it truly is a significant secret, I wouldn''t mind letting you go," Liszt signaled Marcus with his eyes, and the Earth Knight dragged the first rat away. Parker the rat sighed with relief, "It''s like this, I have a brother in Bull Hair City, a rat like me; he got involved with a maid named Tracy from Celery Fort. Once, while they were doing their business in the storage room, they overheard a Magician who had arrived at Celery Fort, secretly discussing matters with Earl." This Magician informed Count Sned that the Marquis of Bull needed him to hold the Castle and dy the advance of the army. He promised that after the sess of the matter, he could be granted a new Marquis title for his service, and even if Sned were to fall in battle, his son would inherit the Marquisate. "Earl''s son is serving in the Wrath Knight Order, which is under the Marquis. So, the Earl quickly agreed to the Magician''s proposal to hold Celery Fort," Parker the rat recounted everything in detail. "Have they mentioned what would constitute a sess?" "I do not know, noble knight, I''ve divulged everything I know. These are all things my brother bragged about after drinking, saying that sleeping with Tracy is like sleeping with a future Marquis''s maid," Parker finished speaking and then couldn''t help asking, "Knight, you promised to grant me my freedom, and I swear I''ll leave Mane City without looking back." "Of course, I''ll grant you your freedom right now. Marcus, take him out," said Liszt, giving Marcus a knowing look. A momentter, Marcus brought the other rat over and said, "Sir, Parker has now been grantedplete freedom," emphasizing the word "freedom." In this world, to be alive, is to be bound by many things at any given time. Liszt looked at the remaining rat, "Your aplice Parker has traded his freedom for a secret. Now, if you too have a secret worth enough, you might gain your freedom." The rat hesitated: "Sir knight, I... I... Ah, yes, I''ve got it, I have a secret!" "What secret?" "The Elf Bug, sir! In the barley fields belonging to Baron Moray outside Mane City, a Barley Bug is being nurtured, and Baron Moray couldn''t move it elsewhere, he could only raise it outside... But, but, it''s been several days, and I don''t know if the Barley Bug has been nurtured sessfully." A Barley Bug in the middle of nurturing? Liszt''s brow quirked, having received an unexpected surprise. Chapter 370 : 0367: Low-Level Dragon Breed Magical Beast (First Update) He did not rush to investigate whether the Barley Bugs in the barley fields had hatched. Liszt chose to stay in Honey Town, rest for the night and directly assault the castle tomorrow, "Don''t forget to strengthen the vignce! Layden, split the ck Knight Order into three groups, each standing guard for four hours in rotation! Marcus, lead the Knight Squad to inspect the warning barriers again!" Unlike other Knight Squads, the squad from Fresh Flower Town not only had to learn how to charge but also had to learn about traps, sailing,nguages, and other knowledge. Actually, Liszt wanted to nurture his Knight Squad into a special forces unit. Layden organized the Knights and Retainer Knights for the watch, while Marcus took his men to check the guard devices. During this busy time, Paris suddenly approached, "Baron, I''m prepared to scout out the castle in Mane City to find out the internal situation of the stronghold." As a ck Dragon Childe of a Light Dragon. She could turn invisible using the ability to tug at light and shadow, which was an excellent reconnaissance skill. Naturally, Liszt was willing for her to make a trip to the castle, knowing both ourselves and the enemy ensured victory in every battle. However, he did not immediately agree, "The castle of Mane City must have received news of our attack by now, and they will definitely defend every aspect rigorously. Wouldn''t it be too dangerous for you to scout out?" "Please trust my skills. As long as they don''t possess abilities like yours, Baron, no one will find me. Even if they do, they can''t keep me. I''ll be back soon, and if possible, I might even kill a few leading knights along the way." This wasn''t bragging; Paris had such abilities. However, Liszt shook his head, "The power of Mane City isn''t strong, there''s no need for your intervention. Just carefully find out whatever you can and do not put yourself in danger... You know, I wouldn''t want anything to happen to you." As he spoke, he patted Paris''s shoulder with his hand. At once, a blush crept onto Paris''s face, "I understand." Liszt''s mouth curved into a pleasing arc as he spoke calmly, "Moreover, I need to use the knights of Mane City for practice. This is my first time leading the Knight Order into battle, and finding a suitable whetstone isn''t easy." "Mhm." Paris looked up at Liszt, "Baron, I will be back soon." With that, her figure had already vanished from sight, the sound of her footsteps spreading into the distance, eventually blending into darkness, elusive as ever. Liszt remained standing there, lost in thought for a moment. "I''ve only made armor from the skin of the Six-Headed King Serpent for myself, and there''s still plenty of skin left. I should make a set for Paris... Additionally, I should find an opportunity to forge the Mithril I have collected into Mithril Armor to equip my Knight Squad... It''s a pity I don''t have a cksmith capable of forging Mithril." Mithril, as a magic metal, demanded highly precise forging techniques beyond the capabilities of a normal cksmith. Immediately after. He summoned the Smoke Mission. Ever since setting foot on Iron Hoof Ind. The Smoke Mission had already indicated, "Missionpleted, reward avable: the awakening of Virginia Truth." Virginia, residing in the Soul Storage Vessel, was ready to be brought forth, but the timing was not right, and Liszt did not bring her out ¡ª she was of little help on the battlefield, but once she mastered the Dragonbone Stabilizer Technique from the Magic Goat Family, she could answer questions once he returned. Now, the smoke swirling before his eyes formed new Serpent Script with a new mission. "Mission: Without taking the initial steps, there is no journey of a thousand miles. As a Dragon-Riding Landlord with aspirations to reach the four corners, please showcase your prowess on the battlefield. Only by personally ying an enemy of equal rank can you stand out and earn greater glory. Reward: One Low-Level Dragon Breed Magical Beast." "A Low-Level Dragon Breed Magical Beast!" Excitement surged in Liszt''s heart, "I wonder what kind of Dragon Breed Magical Beast it will reward me with. In the Duchy of Sapphire, Dragon Breed Magical Beasts are rare specimens. A Low-Level Dragon Breed Magical Beast won''t be much worse off than an Intermediate Magical Beast... And if it can be bred inrge quantities, it''s even more valuable!" ording to some enthusiasts who rated the preciousness of mythical species, excluding legendary creatures such as Sea Serpents/Nixies and Vampires, The first tier ¡ª Elf Kings and Dragons; The second tier ¡ª Super Dragonkin Magical Beasts, also known as Sub-dragons; The third tier ¡ª Dragon Elves; ``` Fourth rank ¡ª High-Level Dragonkin Magical Beast, also known as High-Level Dragon Beast; Fifth rank ¡ª Greater Elf; Sixth rank ¡ª Super Magical Beast; Seventh rank ¡ª Intermediate Dragon Breed Magical Beast, also known as Intermediate Dragon Beast; Eighth rank ¡ª Advanced Magical Beast; Ninth rank ¡ª Little Minor Elf; Tenth rank ¡ª Intermediate Magical Beast; Eleventh rank ¡ª Low-Level Dragon Breed Magical Beast, also known as Low-Level Dragon Beast; Twelfth rank ¡ª Dragon Breed Beasts; Thirteenth rank ¡ª Elf Bug; Fourteenth rank ¡ª Low-Level Magical Beast; Fifteenth rank ¡ª Magical Beast breed creatures, that is, wild beasts mixed with a bit of magical beast lineage. In Fresh Flower Town and ck Horse Ind, Liszt already had two kinds of Dragon Breed Beasts, the ck Blood Treasured Horse and Dragon Breed Cows, as well as an Intermediate Magical Beast Blizzard Beast and a Low-Level Magical Beast Green-headed Duck. To count it all, there was also the ck Pearl Trida, which should be considered a Magical Beast breed creature, no, it should be said a Sea Monster Shell. Each one is an industry worth developing vigorously. Of course, they all need time to mature, and without several years of cultivation, they temporarily cannot explode with much value. "I wonder if the Low-Level Dragon Beast rewarded from the Smoke Mission could be developed into a breeding industry, but in any case, in this battle to clear Mane City, I must personally kill an Elite Earth Knight!" Liszt did not have a bloodthirsty desire, nor did he like killing people. But since it''s war, one must be prepared for life and death situations. From the moment he chose to step onto the battlefield, killing became apulsory course, and in fact, he adapted quite well¡ª the two rats were just one practice, since they chose to spy on the ck Knight Order, they were the enemy. He would definitely not mercifully let rats go, allowing them to take the news back to Mane City. ... About an hourter. Liszt was practicing "Breath Decay" when he heard familiar footsteps, causing him to look up at the door. Knock knock knock. The sound of knocking came, apanied by Paris''s voice, "Baron, it''s me." "Come in." As Paris entered, he immediately asked, "Did you encounter any danger?" "Not at all, the castle in Mane City is indeed very tense, but none of their knights could detect my presence," replied Paris with a hint of pride, then added, "It seems they do not n to defend the castle to the death. I discovered they were digging tunnels leading towards Mane City." "They''re preparing to flee at any moment?" "I think they might be bolder than we imagined. I have seen that Baron Moray and overheard his secret conversation with other knights. They''re nning to gather through the tunnels in Mane City, and when you lead the Knight Order to attack the castle, they willunch an assault from Mane City." Liszt nodded, "That''s a very good n... You''ve worked hard, Paris." "It''s just a small matter." "You must be tired; get some rest early." "Good night, Baron." ``` Chapter 371 : 0368: The Clash of the Knight Torrent (Second Update) Nameless Castle, located on a hillside surrounding Mane City, was at some distance from the city. ording to Baron Moray''s n, if they could quietly gather inside the city during the ck Knight Order''s attack on Nameless Castle and then charge with all their might in a concerted effort with the castle''s defenses, perhaps there really was a chance to break through the ck Knight Order. The reason knights were so powerfuly in the fact that when they charged, all the knights'' Dou Qi would merge into a single force, releasing a tremendous power of attack. It was almost invincible. This was why knights could rule the world. Of course, with Douson as his reliance, Liszt wasn''t worried in the least about Baron Moray''s stealth attack n¡ªbecause perhaps before they even finished gathering, Douson, who was capable of instant cast magic, might have already taken down Nameless Castle. However, now that Paris had discovered the enemy''s n, Liszt quickly decided to turn the tables. He feigned an attack on the castle but was actually using a telescope to observe Baron Moray''s stealth attack in advance. Taking advantage of the moment before the enemy couldunch their charge, the ck Knight Order would make the first move. Face the battle head-on, sharpening sword des! Pursue the maximum casualty! To prevent any knights from taking the chance to flee, they might have to pursue and kill. ... The night passed in peace, and the knights on watch detected no nocturnal attack from the enemy. By the next day before dawn, fires were lit for cooking, and as the sky showed the first light of dawn, the ck Knight Order had already finished gathering. Liszt, d in fine steel armor, drew the Crimson Blood Sword, and pointed to the sky, "Let''s go!" A rumble! The horses, adorned in armor and carrying knights, surged like a flood of tanks. They raced towards Nameless Castle, crushing the earth beneath them and kicking up billowing clouds of dust that blotted out the sun. Such amotion was naturally discovered by the time they approached the hillside. Through the telescope, Liszt also saw the reaction of Nameless Castle¡ªclosing the gates, shuttering windows, and the knights in armor bing archers, standing behind the crentions of the castle, aiming at the ck Knight Order. This was a stance for a staunch defense. With the defensive advantage of the castle, it was very difficult for knights without siege equipment to quickly take down a castle, even a nameless one. However, after activating his Eye of Magic, Liszt clearly saw that the magic power in these archers was faint; they were not Earth Knights after all. Just a group of Apprentice Knights. "The Elite Earth Knights aren''t defending, but instead letting Apprentice Knights hold the defense. Arrows without Dou Qi attachments are no threat to Earth Knights... It looks like Baron Moray intends to deceive me, and he himself is quite decisive and has already begun to gather from underground passages for a stealth attack against me, huh?" Liszt was a bit surprised; he had expected the other side to at least resist for a while, to gauge the difference inbat strength, and to pretend to defend for some time, repulse a few attacks, and then arrange a stealth attack. Looking at the situation now, the other side had no ns of this sort and had directly initiated a stealth attack: "If it were an average person, they might indeed be caught off guard." After all, who would have thought that the attack would start without even a probe. Unfortunately for them, Liszt was no average person, and he immediately issued amand, "Archers, fire a feint attack!" The knights proficient in archery immediately stepped forward, and under the leadership of Captain Layden, began a suppressive shooting around the castle. Earth Knights could now attach Dou Qi to their arrows, making them quite potent, at least chipping off arge chunk of stone with each hit at the castle. However, since it was just a feint, the speed, strength, and frequency of their shots were low. On the battlements of Nameless Castle, the Apprentice Knight archers were quietly retaliating with even less force, posing no threat. Liszt sat astride his Li Dragon Horse, quietly enjoying this pretense of an attack and defense, watching the arrows hit the outer walls of the castle, shattering stone after stone, and felt particrly at ease. Douson was panting. Stimted by the scene of battle or not, it let out a couple of noises towards Liszt. Liszt patted itsrge head, "Easy, Douson, no rush tearing down the castle." On the other side. Marcus had been holding the telescope, observing every move within Mane City. Thanks to Paris providing the direction at the end of the passage, he was able to easily monitor the movements inside Mane City. "My lord, I''ve spotted knights gathering inside Mane City!" "Keep me updated on the movements of Mane City," Liszt instructed before turning to address the other Knight Squad captains, "Maintain formation, and be ready to charge at any moment!" "Yes, my lord!" Liszt wasn''t kept waiting. Momentster, Marcus eximed, "My lord, knights are charging out from Mane City, heading straight toward us¡ªnearly a hundred of them!" A hundred knights, that was almost all of the Earth Knights from the Nameless Castle. Liszt instantly raised his Knight''s Spear, crying out, "All troops, attack! Follow me in the charge!" No need for further words, the ck Knight Order, already in formation, roared down the hillside. He himself was also in the charging ranks of the knights. ording to the original n, he did not intend to join the charge but only tomand Douson to support the knightly force, using Douson''s magic to hinder the opponents. However, the atmosphere of the battlefield affected his mood at that moment. Fired up, he joined the charge of the Knight Order along with Douson. When a warhorse surged forward at a speed of sixty kilometers per hour, one''s body rose and fell on horseback, and their Dou Qi circted as swiftly as blood. The Knight''s Spear clutched in his hand had be an extension of his body, and Liszt unleashed the ferocious Dou Qi of an Elite Earth Knight. The ck Knight Order charged down from the hillside just as the attacking Knight Legion was also beginning their charge. The ones caught off guard were no longer the ambushed ck Knight Order but the counter-ambushed knights of Mane City. Nevertheless, the charge hadmenced; nobody could stop, and the expressions under their visors remained unseen. Two torrents racing at high speed were about to collide. Countless glows of Dou Qi burst forth, mingling and entwining, converging into one force that drew all knights in, fusing into a single entity. Within this entity, Liszt became an arrowhead, his wild Fire Attribute Dou Qi spreading all around him as if he bathed in mes. Surrounded by the mes, he still retained a clear mind, cautiously judging the distance at which the two Knight Orders would soon collide. Once the opponents entered that range. He suddenly bellowed, "Douson, Multiple Stone Spikes! Don''t stop!" Sputter! Sputter! Sputter! Douson opened his mouth and spat continuous magic, countless Rock Spikes, as if guided by sight, bursting forth precisely from below each knight. Evading a lone Rock Spike might not be difficult for a prepared Earth Knight on t ground, but this was during a charge. "Ahh!" "Ahh!" Immediately, several fast-charging knights, with their warhorses impaled by the Rock Spikes piercing through, took a heavy fall. The knights following closely behind, unable to dodge in the blink of an eye, could only trample over their fallenrades to continue the charge. The relentless barrage of Rock Spikes, causing only minor damage, significantly disrupted the charging formation of the Knight Legion. Without giving them any chance to realign, the ck Knight Order, led by Liszt, charged fiercely. His Knight''s Spear, filled with raging Fire Attribute Dou Qi, thrust harshly, and an Earth Knight who was too slow to dodge, before he could even raise his shield, was brutally pierced in the chest by Liszt. The Fine Steel Armor only slowed the strike for a fraction of a second before being instantly prated. The long spear brutally skewered the knight''s body, lifting him into the air and hurling him away. A mere flick. And Liszt had imed the first head on the battlefield. Chapter 372 : 0369: Raising the White Flag (Third Update, 10,000 Coins Reward Celebration 3/5) First kill! No rewards. The Li Dragon Horse leapt high, jumping over the enemy horse that had fallen to the ground and charged towards another warhorse. Carried by his Dou Qi, Liszt struck and killed instantly. His spear, not breaking, continued to thrust towards another Earth Knight. This Earth Knight seemed to have quick reflexes, forcibly twisting his body to dodge the spear and avoiding being impaled. He was merely grazed by the shaft of the spear and fell from his horse. But dead or fallen, the result was the same, and there was no need for Liszt to switch to the Crimson Blood Sword for the coup de grace. Douson had already charged over and crushed the Earth Knight''s head with his paw. Douson, being an Intermediate Magical Beast, now weighed over two tons. The force of his dog paw wasparable to a millstone, crushing everything including the helmet into pieces. Liszt did not concern himself with the knight whose head had been crushed by Douson; he continued his charge while simultaneously scanning his surroundings with his peripheral vision. The ck Knight Order had caught the Mane City Knight Legionpletely off guard, and the chaos wrought by Douson''s magic only plunged them further into disarray, allowing the ck Knight Order toplete their encirclement. Countless Knight''s Spears thrust into the panicked enemy ranks. The flustered Mane City Knight Legion not only trampled their own men but failed to demonstrate their charge''s strength as well. Their collective Dou Qi had already dispersed in the mayhem, each fighting for their own. So their Knight''s Spears failed to impale even a single knight from the ck Knight Order. The situation was one-sided. Filled with pride, Liszt searched for a third Earth Knight to assassinate. With the support of Douson and the Rock Spikes constantly disrupting the enemy formation, he faced no real resistance. Moreover, he was an Elite Earth Knight enhanced by potions, his body surging with Dou Qi, frequently unleashing "ming Wave". In just a brief encounter, a third of their hundred-strong knight legion had fallen. At this time, the Divine Archers besieging Nameless Castle also joined in, shooting arrows from the periphery of the charging knights. Their urate arrows continually reaped lives. Douson. Archers. Charging knights. Under this triple assault, the Mane City Knight Legion was instantly on the brink of annihtion, unable to even flee. They were relentlessly charged by the ck Knight Order, who after impaling their foes, immediately wheeled their horses around for a second charge, followed by a third. They reaped heads as though cutting down wheat. Liszt was the wildest of the group, as he remembered he still had a Smoke Mission toplete¡ªto personally y an enemy of the same rank, an Elite Earth Knight. He wasn''t certain if the first one he killed was an Elite Earth Knight, so he had to act fast to kill more Earth Knights. He was bound to encounter an Elite Earth Knight eventually. Reaping wildly, after his Knight''s Spear broke from consecutive kills, he immediately switched to the Crimson Blood Sword and killed another. After three charges, he found no more enemies around him. Unsatisfied, he drew his bow from behind and began to reap the fallen, not yet dead Earth Knights on the ground, and indeed he collected a few more heads. At this moment. There were no standing knights left from Mane City on the battlefield, and the ck Knight Order continued their charges,pleting a spectacr massacre¡ªDouson''s contribution was indispensable. His formidable Intermediate Magical Beastbat strength was fully disyed, especially in his effective disruption of the enemy''s charging formation. Compared to human magicians who need time to prepare their spells, magical beasts release magic instantly with a mere breath. After all, a significant portion of a magical beast''s source of magic poweres from within itself, whereas magicians must gather it from the air. The speed of their spellcasting is not on the same level. Even a Grand Magician well-versed in Earth System magic would struggle to disrupt a charging formation so smoothly. "I surrender!" A Earth Knight lying in a pool of his own blood on the ground began to wail in pain. Because he realized that Liszt had already aimed his bow at him¡ªunder normal circumstances, knights can choose to surrender and then let their family orndlord pay for their ransom. If no one redeems them, they be serfs, working for the person who captured them to repay the debt. Nobles adhere to this rule; they rarely kill captives, as ransoming captives requires arge sum of money, which is more profitable than killing. However. Liszt''s arrows still pierced through the throat beneath the knight''s helmet, because the Grand Duke''s fury was fierce, and he directlymanded that there be no captives, that the traitors be unforgiven¡ªthe most crucial point was that these knights were not Expedition Knights; once captured, theirnds and wealth would be taken by the Grand Duke. There simply was no money for their redemption. "Huff." Confirming that there were no living knights left, Liszt finally put down the bow and arrows in his hands, his gaze coldly sweeping over the blood-soaked battlefield. A full hundred or more Earth Knightsy in pools of blood. The wails of horses and the stench of blood in the air intertwined, painting the brutality of war. It was Liszt''s first charge, his first kill, his first victory; he didn''t know what he was feeling inside. Raised under the red g, he had never killed a man, let alone a chicken. But after crossing into this world, since his first hunt of a Magical Beast, he finally began to hunt his own kind. As the adrenaline slowly faded, he felt the urge to vomit. But he knew he could not vomit, as his image of bravely killing the enemy would instantly copse; as a noble, as a knight, his disy of being fearless inbat could not falter. "Commander, all enemy knights have been in!" Captain Layden rode over on horseback, his body smeared with plenty of blood, but none of it was his own. "What are our casualties?" "No one is dead, only two knights are severely injured and have lost their ability to fight." "Leave the severely injured knights in the care of the retainers, send out two squads of knights to guard the tunnels exit in Mane City!" Liszt, resisting the urge to vomit,manded coldly, "Everyone else, follow me toy siege to the castle!" The Li Dragon Horse began to gallop once more, the sun zing down, the warm wind blowing on his face, allowing him a slight escape from the effects of killing. He needed a release! Perhaps because his attention had been redirected back to the war, he no longer thought about the human limbs on the ground, or the blood of his own kind on his hands; he just wanted to take down Nameless Castle¡ªin fact, ever since he had killed a rat, he hadpletely immersed himself in the moral dilemmas of this world. War, it was the destiny of a knight! Blood, it was the noble''s wine! ... Seeing the Knight Legion of Mane City wiped out in their failed sneak attack, the defenders of Nameless Castle werepletely panicked, with only a few dozen Earth Knights daring to show their heads. However, just when Liszt, with Douson in tow, was about to dismantle Nameless Castle, a window of the castle opened, and a white g was extended outwards. White stood for purity, purity meant having nothing, having nothing signified a total loss, a total loss... and thus, surrender. This was the g of surrender. Soon, the castle gate opened, and the knights, having taken off their armor, walked out dejectedly, one of them shouting, "Howard Woodstick, representing all the nobles of Mane City, surrenders to the noble conqueror!" Then, the group of knights knelt on one knee, indicating their submission. This left Liszt, who was ready to vent his frustration by demolishing the building, momentarily stunned. ording to the Grand Duke''s orders, no captives were to be epted, so he killed every enemy knight with a coup de grace after the charge. But those knights who came out to surrender, unarmed and unarmored, put him in a difficult position. To kill? Or not to kill? Chapter 373 : 0370: Dividing the Spoils of War (First Update) ``` Seeing Liszt seemed hesitant, Captain Layden approached and reminded in a low voice, "Commander, the Grand Duke''s order is to ept no captives." As long as the Grand Duke''s dragon was not dead, he remained the sole authority of the Duchy of Sapphire. Liszt, of course, would not have a "conscience" attack and release these men. From the very moment they resolved to resist, it became an oue of life or death¡ªtraitors are unforgivable. It was their fault for following the wrongndlord and for failing to turn back in time. His gaze swept over the group of people kneeling on one knee. He spoke slowly, "Captain Layden, give each of them a chance to write a final letter, surrender the Elf Bug, and then let them end their own lives. Cobalt, Nash, take control of the castle, clear any threats, and we will rest here for a day. Marcus, you lead the Knight Squad to patrol the surroundings with me." He no longer concerned himself with the fate of these surrendering knights and how they would end their own lives. Liszt headed straight for the barley fields on the other side of the castle. ording to the rat''s intel, an Elf Bug was gestating in the barley field¡ªhe nned to secretly contract this Elf Bug as his personal spoils of war. Since no one else knew about this Elf Bug, swallowing it posed no problem. The barley field was easy to find. Casting the Eye of Magic and scanning the area, he quickly found the Cordyceps being protected within. Within the huge barley ears, Magic Radiance abounded. The Barley Bug had not yet been born, but it should be soon, probably within the next day or two. Finding the Elf Bug but unable to take it away immediately was frustrating for Liszt. He was also eager to get to Bull Hair City to meet up with the Earl, to jointly raid Count Sned''s Knight Order, and to seize glory. There was no time to linger here. However, since he was not nning to leave today, it was still possible to wait. He thought, "If by tomorrow morning, the Barley Bug has matured, I will contract it immediately; if it has not by then... then I will leave Marcus to station here temporarily to care for the wounded until the Barley Bug matures, then dig up the Cordyceps and bring it with us." Digging up the Cordyceps would be troublesome and might harm the Cordyceps itself. The best approach would be to award it to a subordinate for contracting, and then have the Elf Bug relocate the Cordyceps itself. Elf Bugs could be given as rewards to followers. But typically, nondlord wanted to do this. Because Elf Bugs only have two chances for contracting. After andlord has contracted once and then released it, the Elf Bug could only be contracted one more time, which would significantly decrease its value. The Elf Bugs sold in the market are all wild ones that have not been contracted before. This Barley Bug clearly met the criteria for an award¡ªbut Liszt was not willing to award it to a subordinate. He would rather give his subordinates arge amount of Gold Coins to buy an Elf Bug than let go of one he had encountered himself. "Philip, you lead two retainers to keep watch here, and pay close attention to the birth of the Barley Bug." "Yes, my lord." Having inspected the Cordyceps, Liszt quickly led the Knight Squad back to the castle, which by then had already been adorned with the ck Tulip Banner. Captain Layden greeted him, "Commander, all knights from Mane City havemitted suicide. A batch of civilians from Mane City havee to drag the bodies away for burial. We''ve started tallying the castle''s stores; there''s plenty of food and water, but no Elf Bug." "No?" "Yes, these knights had received word in advance and transferred the Elf Bugs to their own wives and children early on. And their wives and children¡ªwe did not inquire, as the Elf Bugs can no longer be contracted a third time." Liszt nodded. These knights had obviously prepared early. It''s unclear how many promises the Marquis of Bull had made to persuade them to take the risk of opposing the Duchy of Sapphire and die defending Iron Hoof Ind. Normally, other than the die-hard followers of the Marquis of Bull, the nobles should have surrendered early and weed the royal forces. ``` After all, the Grand Duke has a dragon. Perhaps, just as the rat''s message indicated, significantndlords like Count Sned had their offspring by Marquis of Bull''s side; their wealth was likely already transferred to Iron Hoof City. They could only pledge allegiance and dared not betray the Marquis of Bull¡ªbetrayal would leave them with nothing. One could only pin their hopes on an unending stream of glory after "the matter" was aplished. Liszt didn''t know how these knights thought, nor did he want to. He came here for the sole purpose of achieving merits. Landlords like Count Sned''s determined resistance provided an excellent opportunity to vie for glory. He had already dispatched two Earth Knights at breakneck pace to Bull Hair City, to report to Earl Li Weiliam the intelligence he had gathered¡ªthat magicians were secretlymunicating with Count Sned, discussing a significant matter, and promising Count Sned''s promotion to Marquis after its sessful conclusion. As for what this grand matter was, that was still unclear. He would let the Earl worry about that. Walking into the Nameless Castle with Captain Layden, he was immediately assaulted by a mix of excrement and urine, making him feel nauseated. The castle must have housed too many people, resulting in the unbearable stench. It was like a massive castle-sized toilet. "Have someone immediately clean the third floor where I''ll be staying!" ¡­ The third floor was continuously washed with water to cleanse the filth from the corridors and rooms. While the faint odor couldn''t be dispelledpletely, it was tolerable enough to reside in questionably, and Liszt sat behind a desk that once belonged to some noble. He listened to reports about the spoils of war from Captain Layden and others. As a small city, Mane City did not boast a vast treasure, especially since the elves had long been moved away. After some consideration, he issued an order, "Divide the gold coins equally; remember, let every knight keep their own mouth shut and hide their share of the gold coins well." This act of privately dividing the spoils of war was in defiance of the Grand Duke''s orders. However, Earl Li Weiliam had previously mentioned that the plundering of spoils should be "restrained," but it wasn''t strictly forbidden¡ªsuch actions couldn''t be stopped. Why would knights exert themselves in a war without benefits? After all, they were responsible for their own equipment, logistics, including their own lives. Nobody would believe that after handing over the spoils to the Grand Duke, they would get their fair share¡ªthe Grand Duke was sure to favor the Blue Blood Alliance. Captain Layden replied with a smile, "Sir Commander, all knights understand; when they benefit, they''ll keep their mouths tightly shut." Liszt nodded, "Rece the weapons we lost from Mane City''s stores, and replenish our food supplies from here... Oh, and call Marcus for me." Marcus arrived promptly. Liszt gestured for him to close the door before he spoke, "Teacher Marcus, I have a task for you. Go to Mane City and search for craftsmen. Ordinary craftsmen aside, we must find craftsmen of high calibre, especially those not avable in Fresh Flower Town, such as Paper Craftsmen, Salt Makers, and the like." Marcus asked, "Sir, can we take these craftsmen with us?" "Tell them, once Iron Hoof Ind falls, everyone will bear the Grand Duke''s wrath for their treachery. Fresh Flower Town, however, can offer them better sanctuary... And as for taking them away, with the sea so vast, we''ll always be able to get them on a ship." Taking arge amount of goods off the ind without going through a port was challenging. But taking away a few craftsmen, including their families, wasn''t very difficult. Marcus epted the task, "As you wish!" Chapter 374 : 0371: Little Minor Elf Swift Shadow Bow (Second Update) Sitting in the study and looking out to the environment different from Fresh Flower Town, Liszt again found himself entwined in a moment of repulsion at the idea of "killing." In the end, he used his reason to ovee his chaotic emotions, focused his mind, and summoned the Smoke Mission. "The task: forpleting the mission, you will be rewarded with a Low-Level Dragon Beast Landwalker Bird." Clearly. Among the Earth Knights that Liszt had killed, there was an Elite Earth Knight, so the task was deemedplete. However, he was a bit puzzled, "What is a Landwalker Bird? It feels like it''s some low-level dragon beast simr to an ostrich?" Whether it was like an ostrich or not. A Low-Level Dragon Beast was a highly valuable prize, "I wonder how this Landwalker Bird will be my reward." He only nned to stay in this castle for one day. However, after a search of the surroundings, there was no trace of the Landwalker Bird to be found, but Liszt was not in a hurry. As long as it was a reward from a Smoke Mission, the right opportunity would always appear to tug at the Threads of Destiny and intersect with the Landwalker Bird. He began checking the new tasks, and his eyes lit up after reading the content. "Task: The first battle is won, the loser will pay with everything, and the victor will take it all. Complete a thorough search of the castle in front of you, and all that is obtained will belong to the spoils of war, including the treasures in the underground vault. Reward: a Little Elf Soldier." "A Little Elf Soldier?" This was a weapon whose name sounded interesting but was actually very cruel in practice, as it required the killing of a minor elf and soaking in its blood to create a Little Elf Soldier. After absorbing the Magic Power in the elf blood, the Little Elf Soldier would undergo special property changes. In terms of value, a Little Elf Soldier might sell for 1 Dragon Coin, which is tens of thousands of Gold Coins. But the act of turning an elf, such a beautiful creature, into a weapon was extremely cruel. Liszt would never do such a thing, but he wouldn''t give up on a Little Elf Soldier that had already been made, "Scouring the castle, the spoils of war are not all mine; they must be stored and handed over to the Grand Duke... It doesn''t hinder me from taking away the most valuable things. It seems that the Little Elf Soldier is in the underground vault." He immediately called Captain Layden, "Did you find an underground vault while you were cataloging the castle?" Captain Layden shook his head, "We only found a storage room filled with flour and jerky; we didn''t find any underground vault." "I suspect there is an underground vault in this castle; have your men search carefully and notify me immediately upon finding it." Having subordinates to direct, Liszt didn''t need to search on his own. Soon. Captain Layden excitedly reported back, "Commander, your guess was incredibly urate. We indeed found the underground vault!" The vault was right next to the entrance of the underground passage, disguised as a wooden wall. However, once the wooden wall was dismantled, behind it was a sturdy stone door with a special secret lock, and the knights were looking for the key. "Sir, we haven''t found the key yet." "No need to search anymore, break it open!" Liszt doubted if these knights had brains at all. They were all Earth Knights with Dou Qi, and it wasn''t their own castle to worry about, so they should just forcefully dismantle it. With Liszt''s reminder, two Earth Knights immediately brought several broken Knight Spears, infused them with Dou Qi, and began frantically dismantling the stone door. Even the most robust stone door would crumble under the relentless assault of Earth Knights. A dark passage leading deep underground was quickly revealed. Liszt had someone bring torches and shone them down the passage, where rough stone walls were visible all around. There didn''t seem to be any signs of traps, and with the castle''s rough construction work, it didn''t look likely to have any. An Earth Knight was sent in as the vanguard, with Liszt closely following. The passage turned out to be much shorter than expected; after turning a corner, they arrived directly at the underground vault, which wasn''t veryrge¡ªjust a small storage room. On the walls of the storage room, several rows of holes had been chiseled out, holding eight wooden chests. "Open a chest and take a look," Lisztmanded. An Earth Knight promptly pulled out a wooden chest, smashed the lock with a Knight Spear, and lifted the lid. Instantly, silver coins glittered dazzlingly under the torchlight¡ªone after another¡ªa chest full of silver coins appeared. Judging by the number, there were at least a few thousand silver coins. Equivalent to several dozen Gold Coins. "Storing silver coins in chests?" Liszt was somewhat speechless. Normally, chests hidden in secret rooms should contain gold. However, the Earth Knight was very excited, "Commander, can we divide up these silver coins?" "As long as you can carry them away, I don''t mind if you divide them up." "Thank you, Captain, for your generosity. It''s truly admirable," the Earth Knight wished he could immediately grab a handful of silver coins and stuff them into his clothes. But he restrained himself, pulled out the second chest, and opened it again. It was still a chest full of silver coins. Four chests in a row, all filled with silver coins, it was unclear what sickness afflicted the castle''s owner that they didn''t exchange them for gold coins, which might not have even filled half a chest. Instead, they used silver coins to fill four chests. If it had been gold coins, each knight could easily walk away with a few and be done. Now, they had to fill their pouches with silver coins to be able to carry them away. There were four chests left on the wall. They didn''t contain silver coins, nor gold coins, nor copper coins, but armors. "Captain, this set of armor is very light, it must not be ordinary fine steel armor!" The Earth Knight passed the armor to Liszt. Liszt felt it, the armor indeed was very light and thin, yet its hardness was not at all inferior to the fine steel armor he wore. This made his eyes twinkle: "It''s Mithril Armor!" "Congrattions, Captain!" The Earth Knight immediately started ttering. Without a doubt, as they had divided the gold and silver coins, Liszt should receive the better spoils of war, and this set of Mithril Armor was definitely not bad. Out of the four chests, there were three sets of Mithril Armor. Liszt was very satisfied. One set of Mithril Armor was worth at least the equivalent of seven or eight sets of fine steel armor, which he unhesitatingly epted with a smile. Thest chest. It only contained one bow, with emerald green limbs and silver-white strings, clearly in the style of the popr cavalry straight pull bow from the Duchy of Sapphire¡ªsomewhat simr to the English Longbow. The length was about one meter one, and the limbs'' arc wasn''t veryrge; it didn''t have the curved ends of a recurve bow. Strictly speaking, this kind of straight pull bow was not exactly Liszt''s favorite; he knew that the development of bows would eventually yield to recurve andpound bows. But the straight pull bow was simpler to construct and less likely to lose its internal stress, making it easier to maintain and tame. Picking up the longbow, he pulled the strings, which were very stiff. Without using Dou Qi, Liszt could hardly pull it, but he quickly circted the Dou Qi within his body, drew the longbow open, and then released it. "Twang!" The power that the strings and limbs generated upon returning to their original state could be felt through the vibration of the air. "A very strong bow!" After trying it, he felt that he should discard his old hardwood cavalry bow, as this emerald green longbow was worthy of his superb archery skills. Moreover, he had already guessed that this longbow was the Little Minor Elf awarded forpleting the Smoke Mission. Holding the bow, he said, "This bow and these three sets of Mithril Armor belong to me, the silver coins are yours to divide." "Yes, sir!" ... Back in the study, he carefully examined the emerald green longbow in his hand and discovered that there was fine Serpent Script carved into the limbs, which he inspected under the light from the window. The Serpent Script was clearly written as "Little Minor Elf ¡¤ Swift Shadow Bow"¡ªthis was the standard naming convention for Little Elf Soldiers, "Little Minor Elf" indicated it was soaked in the blood of Little Elf Soldiers, "Swift Shadow Bow" was its true name. He took out an arrow. Circting his Dou Qi, he drew the Swift Shadow Bow. Liszt didn''t use "Multi-Arrow", relying only on the bow''s innate power, he released the string. Whoosh! The sound of cleaving air rose. The arrow shot forth like a ray of light, instantly hitting arge tree not far from the castle, with the shaft burying itself in the trunk. With a smile at the corners of his mouth, Liszt was satisfied with the power of the bow and arrow: "Worthy of being called the Swift Shadow Bow, the speed of drawing the bow could be called swift, and the speed of the arrow could be described as a shadow. This is probably the special property change it obtained from the magic power in the Little Minor Elf''s blood... This Little Elf Soldier is more precious than my Crimson Blood Sword!" Chapter 376 : 0373: Capturing the Landwalker Bird (First Update) Since it was a fledgling, things should have been easy, with Douson''s magic "Rock Wall," it would''ve beenpletely possible to block the path, and then they could capture it as if catching a turtle in a jar. However, Liszt did not choose to do so. Seeing the Landwalker Bird still lingering, unwilling to leave, he suddenly realized that the bird must be seeking something, "It appeared because of the breeding of the Barley Bugs, does this mean it feeds on Elf Bugs? That''s somewhat uneptable, although Elf Bugs aren''t as valuable as low-level Dragon Beasts, raising them is simply horrifying." Using Elf Bugs as food, even feeding dragons seemed tremendously extravagant, let alone a low-level Dragon Beast. Furthermore, given the scarce production of Elf Bugs, the fact that the Landwalker Bird had grown sorge and was still alive was truly unbelievable¡ªhe deduced that the Landwalker Bird was merely interested in the Elf Bugs. "Perhaps I can lure it with something else?" Thinking so, he had someone bring dried meat and threw it over. The Landwalker Bird startled by the dried meat hid in the bushes, but soon came out again, approached the dried meat cautiously, pecked at it, but did not eat. "Doesn''t eat meat?" Liszt had someone throw bread and fruits and found indeed the Landwalker Bird ate a little, but with little interest, still looking longingly at the Elf Bugs held in the hands of the Retainer Knights. "My lord, this odd bird probably wants to eat the Barley Bugs," Marcus stated bluntly, "Just shoot it down, keeping it is a destruction to the Elf Bugs." "Don''t be hasty, let me try again," Liszt disagreed. He did not believe the Landwalker Bird rewarded by the Smoke Mission was there to eradicate the abundant Elf Bugs on his territory. After pondering, he decided to test the effect of Jade, maybe this low-level Dragon Beast would like to eat Jade too. He threw a piece of Jade near the feet of the Landwalker Bird. The Landwalker Bird pecked at the Jade, indifferent. The dried meat didn''t work, bread and fruits didn''t work, and neither did Jade, Liszt frowned instantly, "Could this bird really want to eat Elf Bugs?" "My lord, shoot it!" Marcus proposed again. Douson also barked "Woof Woof", showing its impatience as well. But Liszt still chose to try luring it, after all, it was his reward, and it had to be treated "gently." However, half an hourter, the assortment of items thrown in front of the Landwalker Bird remained untouched, still failing to lure it. At this point, he could no longer remain gentle. With a cold face, he directly gave themand, "Douson, Rock Wall!" Boom! Douson charged forward and spat out magic, a ten-meter long Rock Wall precisely cast behind the Landwalker Bird. "Geda!" The Landwalker Bird squawked and took off running, its movements light and agile, it bypassed the Rock Wall on the left side. Yet before it could escape, Douson released another Rock Wall¡ªthis Intermediate Magical Beast, under Liszt''s training, had greatly improved intelligence and knew how to utilize magic, cooperating in the hunt. However. Everyone had underestimated the speed and agility of the Landwalker Bird, this low-level Dragon Beast that resembled a long-necked Grand Duke chicken, could leap high on the spot like a flea, and whenever the path was blocked by a Rock Wall, it would leap high over it. After all the hassle, they couldn''t even touch a feather. The Knight Squad had already circled around the bushes, trying to enclose it, but they failed to do so, and even when Lisztmanded to shoot with arrows, they still missed it. Busy and sweating, the Landwalker Bird remained unharmed, hopping and jumping chaotically. "My lord, there''s something wrong with this bird, it is no ordinary beast," after several failed attempts at shooting arrows, Marcus said with a dark face. Liszt waved his hand, no longer wasting energy, and dered the n to encircle the Landwalker Bird a failure, "Indeed, it''s extraordinary, since we can''t block it, let''s all stop." Fortunately, the Landwalker Bird seemed to be toying with them. It could have taken the chance to flee, but it stubbornly didn''t, as if it was ying a game of hide and seek with them. One could imagine that the allure of the Barley Bug was very strong, otherwise it wouldn''t have risked staying here. The knights stopped, and Douson alsoy on the ground, panting with his tongue out. It had chased the most ferociously, but no matter how many barriers the Rock Wall ced, it just couldn''t catch up to the Landwalker Bird. All it could do was pant with its tongue out in an awkward yet dignified manner, pretending that the heat was affecting its performance. As they stopped their pursuit, so did the Landwalker Bird. It hopped onto a Rock Wall, looking at Liszt and the others dryly, as well as the Jade Box in their hands filled with Barley Bugs. The best method now was to use the Barley Bug as bait to lure the Landwalker Bird into a trap. But Liszt couldn''t bear to do it¡ªgiven the speed and agility of the Landwalker Bird, if it ate the bait but still got away, that would be quite embarrassing. Moreover, to lose a Barley Bug for an unclear and undecided usefulness of the Landwalker Bird, he found it hard to judge whether it was worth it or not. Suddenly, an idea shed through his mind, and he thought of a new n. He had Marcus fetch some rope and make a few hunter''s nooses, casually tossing them on the ground. Then, he picked up the Jade Box, opened the lid, and shook it in his hand to draw the Landwalker Bird''s attention. The yellow-orange Barley Bug immediately attracted the Landwalker Bird''s cries of "Karlo," "Karlo." Liszt quickly closed the lid. He turned around, took out the Barley Bug and ced it in another Jade Box, discreetly passing it to Marcus. Then he turned back, holding the empty Jade Box, and ced the Jade Box in the center of the rope trap area. Then he slowly retreated to a position ten meters away, where he and Marcus and the others each held a rope, waiting quietly. "Karlo!" The Landwalker Bird clearly didn''t understand what the ropes on the ground were, its intellect hadn''t evolved to that point yet. So after anxiously pacing back and forth, unable to resist the craving for the Barley Bug, it hesitantly approached the Jade Box, retreated halfway, and then finally couldn''t help but dash toward the Jade Box. When it stepped into the trap, Liszt shouted fiercely, "Pull!" Several Earth Knights pulled their ropes, most of theming up empty, but Griffin''s rope sessfully entangled the Landwalker Bird''s ws, instantly tightening. This sudden turn of events shocked the Landwalker Bird, and as it desperately tried to flee, the rope yanked it forcefully, causing it to tumble to the ground. At that moment, Douson, like a ck... brick, ferociously pounced on it, pinning it down the moment it managed to rise, its bulky body preventing the Landwalker Bird from moving. "Douson, no biting!" Liszt hastilymanded. He didn''t want the reward they had worked so hard for to be killed by Douson''s bite. Douson instinctively obeyed themand, not biting down, but rather holding down the struggling Landwalker Bird, his heavy body making it unable to move. Then the Knight Squad members rushed over, each using the rope to tie the head, the legs, the wings, binding the Landwalker Bird tightly. They had sessfully caught a Low-Level Dragon Beast. "It''s so plump!" Charles Trap said while tying, touching the Landwalker Bird''s belly and clicking his tongue in awe, "My lord, this bird is enough to feed us for several days!" Liszt, stroking the dinosaur-like head of the Landwalker Bird, was very satisfied with this hunt, "Eating it is out of the question, I want to tame it to be my mount!" During the encirclement, the Landwalker Bird had shown the qualities of an excellent mount. Chapter 377 : 0374: The Temptation of Magic Potion (Second Update) The capture of the Landwalker Bird was sessful, and as dusk approached, Liszt dismissed the curious members of the Knight Order and began to ponder how to tame the Landwalker Bird. This was not a horse that, upon defeating it, one could simply ride it. It was a low-level Dragon Beast, perhaps not yet mature, but its magic power was already abundant. Through the Eye of Magic, Liszt could see the blue magic radiance, indicating that it was a Wind System low-level Dragon Beast. Wind System Magical Beasts were generally known for their incredibly fast running speeds, a fact that the Landwalker Bird''s performance had proven. "It can''t yet cast magic; otherwise, the capture would have been much more difficult." "But how to tame it? Without the emotional bond and conditioned reflexes forged from rearing it from a young age, it''s impossible to tame it quickly like I did with the Earth Matron. Especially considering its current state of hostility towards me, it''s even harder to subdue," Liszt mused as he stood in a pen, observing the Landwalker Bird huddled in a corner. The Landwalker Bird had been unbound, but was confined in a warehouse converted into a pen within the castle. At first, when Liszt entered, the Landwalker Bird had tried to attack him, but after a few punches imbued with Dou Qi from Liszt, it shrank back into its corner and dared not meet Liszt''s gaze directly. This allowed Liszt to study it in peace. Using the Eye of Magic, he observed the magic power within the beast''s body to see what differed from typical Magical Beasts: "There''s no doubt that this peculiar bird is the low-level Dragon Beast Landwalker Bird, the reward from the Smoke Mission. It seems to be in its fledgling stage, with magic power that appears somewhat stagnant and incoherent." When it came to researching Magical Beasts, Liszt dared to consider himself the foremost expert on Coral Ind. After all, he spent all day studying the Blizzard Beasts. He had an entire set of experiential notes on Douson''s transformations, and now he also had extensive notes on the Eight Tiny Ones, understanding clearly the changes in the magic power within Magical Beasts. He also had a mass of observations and records on Elves'' magic power, and even that of Sea Serpents. Therefore, he quickly identified some traits in the Landwalker Bird''s magic power that were different from typical Magical Beasts. "Its magic power seems to fall somewhere between that of Magical Beasts and Elves. Analyzing the rate of dissipation, its magic power decays much slower than that of Magical Beasts. Could this situation be judged by the degree of solidity of the magic power itself?" Liszt spected internally. He had summarized the properties of magic power from different species. The magic power of Dragons was undoubtedly the most wondrous, able to be inscribed for a long time without dissipating. The Fire Dragon on ck Horse Ind, despite being dead for who knows how many years, still had magic power that could manifest as a Magic Little Fire Dragon. The degree of solidity was very high, nearly perpetual. The magic power of Elves was undeniably second only to that of Dragons. Through the Cordyceps, they released magic power that constantly affected the surrounding flora. Although it couldn''t be inscribed for the long term, it could slowly imbue the environment. While different from the Dragons'' magic power in terms of solidification, the effect was simr. The magic power of Magical Beasts was definitely a bit inferior, solely leading to the activation of magic spells. Byparison, human Dou Qi was the most pathetic, as it was constantly dissipating, virtually impossible to stop - despite this, the utilization of Dou Qi by humans could not be said to be poor because it held endless possibilities for executing various Combat Skills. Dragons were like the epitome of solidified magic power, even representing certain rules. Humans were naturally devoid of magic power and incapable of storing it for extended periods, yet they had an endless array of cultivation methods to refine magic power (as Dou Qi is a form of magic power). It was as though they were two extremes. Liszt even had a bold guess, "The infinitely variable Dou Qi, whenbined with the most wondrous magic power, might spark an extraordinarily delightful chemical reaction? Perhaps this is why Dragon Knights are invincible in the world?" There wasn''t too much theoretical evidence to support his conjecture. The existence of Dragon Knights was a phenomenon currently inexplicable. He shelved his thoughts and focused on the magic power of the Landwalker Bird: "It seems that magic power has reached a critical point, which reminds me of when Douson evolved, stimted by the Bloodline Fruit... Could it be that this Landwalker Bird is also on the verge of metamorphosis? Does it hope to use the Elf Bug''s magic power as a breakthrough?" The more he thought about it, the more likely it seemed. Otherwise, there was no exining why the Landwalker Bird, even while surrounded, kept a longing gaze fixed on the Elf Bug. "What a pity, I won''t use Elf Bugs to feed the Landwalker Bird." Every Elf Bug not only represents its underlying value but also embodies beauty. He thought of J and wondered if the Thorn Minor Elf, after losing his restraint, might rebel within the castle. "If I can''t use Elf Bugs, how can I stimte the metamorphosis of the Landwalker Bird?" Liszt stroked the Space Gem and pulled out a vial of Thorn Magic Potion, "Could a magic potion have the same effect? The stimtion of external magic power should be able to rece the magic of an Elf. It''s worth a try." In fact, there was no need for further conjecture. As soon as he took out the Thorn Magic Potion, the Landwalker Bird reacted, its body tensed up, and its eyes fixated on the crystal tube in Liszt''s hands. "Cluck!" "You want this?" "Cluck!" "Let me ride you, and I''ll give it to you." "Cluck!" The Landwalker Bird dodged Liszt''s approach, but its gaze remained on the Thorn Magic Potion. Liszt thought for a moment, took out a small Jade Box, poured out a bit of the Thorn Magic Potion, and offered it to the Landwalker Bird. The bird looked at Liszt''s outstretched hand, pecked quickly, snatched the Jade Box away, then threw back its head and drank the tiny bit of magic potion that was less than the size of a fingernail cap. After drinking it, it extended its tongue and licked the Jade Box until it was nearly broken before reluctantly tossing it aside and calling out to Liszt again, "Cluck!" "Want more? If you want more, let me ride!" After several temptations, the Landwalker Bird, sumbing to allure, finally allowed Liszt to seize the opportunity and mount it. Its broad, plump body was very suitable for riding, and its thick feathers were extremely soft, especially the patch on its neck and back, which was just like a natural saddle. The Landwalker Bird, upon being ridden by Liszt, immediately wanted tosh out. However, the next moment, it quickly steadied itself and allowed to be ridden because Liszt already had the remaining half-tube of Thorn Magic Potion close to its mouth. The allure of the Thorn Magic Potion was irresistible to it. It grabbed the crystal tube, tipped it back to drink the potion, then cleaned the tube thoroughly, contentedly calling, "Cluck!" It temporarily forgot that it still bore a person on its back. "Good, just like that. Ride, and you get a potion. Got it?" Liszt smiled smugly, taming a low-level Dragon Beast was just that simple. Unlike a simple beast or Magical Beast, the Landwalker Bird exhibited higher intelligence, which precisely made it very susceptible to temptation. Riding meant a magic potion. If you want the potion, you have to be ridden. Simple logic quickly imprinted on its clever mind. Riding the Landwalker Bird around the enclosure a few times, once he found that it had adapted to being ridden, Liszt shouted outside, "Thomas, open the door to the enclosure." The door was opened. The Landwalker Bird burst out in a sh, shaking Liszt on its back, showing signs of a wild outburst. Liszt hastily took out a new vial of Thorn Magic Potion and instantly stabilized the Landwalker Bird. He then used the potion to guide it to change direction and head back toward the enclosure. Finally, after another vial of Thorn Magic Potion was used up, the Landwalker Bird obediently entered the enclosure. "Sessfully tamed!" Liszt left the enclosure smiling, looking at the reluctant Landwalker Bird and feeling good: "Sess in acquiring a low-level Dragon Beast as a mount, a few more training sessions, and it should bepletely tamed... The only issue is having to use magic potions to tame it, which is a bit costly." Chapter 381 : 0378: The Conclusion of Sword Challenge in Little River City (First Release) From the moment the castle wall was breached by Douson, a massacre was inevitable. Viscount Jonas, who had been holding his breath, stormed to the front lines in a frenzy. Nearly two hundred Earth Knights from the following two Knight Orders charged powerfully into the castle, killing anyone they encountered. The castle, built beside the river and without a name, became the arena for a gory battle. Countlessbat skills burst forth within the castle grounds. Liszt, choosing not to attack, continued to dismantle the castle with a well-rested Douson, not stopping until half of the castle wall had copsed. Such a gaping breach could no longer stop the onught of the Knight Order, and a climax of the battle was in sight. At that time, Liszt waved his hand, signaling for all remaining Earth Knights to follow suit and squeeze into the castle. He too drew out his Crimson Blood Sword and leaped towards the castle. The situation was already decided, so getting a share of kills wasn''t bad. Or rather, it wasn''t so much about getting kills as it was about decisively crushing the enemy to mitigate the losses of his own Knight Order. "Great Fire Wave!" With a silent incantation, he effortlessly executed abat skill. His me-wrapped Crimson Blood Sword easily cleaved through the armor of an enemy Earth Knight, leaving a deep, bone-exposing wound. With another standard attack, he instantly killed a Common Earth Knight, whose face still bore the marks of youth. In fact, among all the knights on the battlefield, his face was equally youthful. Advancing and killing as he went, he quickly prated deep into the castle. There, on a walkway, he saw Viscount Jonas engaged in an evenly matched duel with an opponent. No one else could even get a strike in. Observing the attire of the man, Liszt instantly deduced that he was facing the master of the Nameless Castle, Viscount of Little River City, also an old Elite Earth Knight. Perhapscking a bit in heritage, as his castle didn''t even have a name, but the strength was considerable. Viscount Jonas, who had sustained light injuries, was unable to subdue him. "Quick battle, quick decision!" Liszt had no concern for a fair one-on-one duel, and the battlefield didn''t concern itself with fairness either. As he lifted his Crimson Blood Sword, he immediately executed the ultimate mystery technique of the "Fire Dragon Drill" ¡ª the Heart of the Fire Dragon Drill. He cut into the battle decisively. With the support of Liszt, Jonas attacked the Viscount from both sides. With Liszt''s help, the scale of the battle instantly tipped. A minuteter, the opposing Viscount, running out of stamina, stumbled, and both Liszt and Jonas''s eyes lit up as their longswords simultaneously pierced the gaps in the Viscount''s armor. Squelch! Squelch! The Dou Qi erupted, especially Liszt''s Fire Attribute Dou Qi, which exploded inside the Viscount, severely damaging his internal organs. "Ah!" The Viscount screamed loudly and could no longer maintain his stance, kneeling to the ground, dying of wounds. He had died, making such a tragic scene. Liszt found it distasteful and kicked the Viscount''s body over before stepping over the corpse to support more of the localized fighting. Jonas also roamed around to provide support, the Elite Earth Knight who followed the potion-flowing method fought impressively, achieving effects akin to reaping crops. Twenty minutester, the sounds of battle within the castle began to subside. Half an hourter, there were no more scenes ofbat. The siege of the castle thus concluded. Without much fanfare. "Count the casualties." Shaking off the dried blood from his Crimson Blood Sword, he stepped out of the castle, breathing in the fresh air outside¡ªinside the castle was thick with the stench of blood and decay. A momentter, Captain Layden approached: "Commander, a hundred and forty knights of the ck Knight Order joined the battle¡ªnine fell, seventeen severely wounded; sixty-nine of the Grey Knight Order¡ªeleven fell, twenty-one severely wounded. In this battle, a total of one hundred and five Earth Knights were killed, along with numerous Apprentice Knights." The ck Knight Order had sacrificed nine knights, including one of Liszt''s followers, Leslie Pile of Dead Leaves, who had not been following him for long. Among the seriously injured knights was another follower of Liszt, his former ssmate Rick Trace. This neen-year-old son of a minor noble had just advanced to an Earth Knight and was still quite naive. He had been seriously wounded as soon as he charged into the castle and hadin on the ground groaning for half a day until he was discovered after the battle had ended. In fact, it''s rare for knights to be killed in one blow in battle; most of them are severely injured and lose theirbat capability. After the battle ended, the casualties were either captured as prisoners or rescued by theirpanions, so the rate ofbat loss wasn''t very high. However, this time the Grand Duke refused to take prisoners. Any knight on the losing side who didn''t die was finished off, leading to the total annihtion of the knights from Nameless Castle. "Sigh." The battle at Mane City, zero battle losses; the battle at Little River City, nine men perished. Liszt knew that sacrifices in battle were inevitable, but he still felt ufortable upon hearing the numbers and asked, "Captain Layden, what should be done with the people who sacrificed their lives on the battlefield?" "Cremation, may they return to the glory of knights." "Then let''s go with cremation." "Yes, Commander!" ... Treating the injured, looting the castle, resting and rxing. Leaving these tasks to his subordinates, Liszt and Jonas stayed in the highest room of the castle, drinking freshly brewed coffee, and summarizing the battle losses. Jonas''splexion was not very excited, even a bit pale: "The battle was harder than I imagined. I''ve be ustomed to the style of warfare in the Pioneer Mandate, and I''m somewhat unustomed to siege warfare. This has led to the Grey Knight Order suffering heavy losses and now verging on copse." Previously, the knights charged headlong, and the Grey Knight Order, unprepared, suffered severe damage to half of its knights; this time, in the siege, they lost nearly thirty more men. Now only thirty-seven knights remain fit for battle. "Viscount Jonas, what is the style of the Pioneer Mandate?" inquired Liszt. "The Pioneer Mandate is oriented towards plunder. We follow the Earl from city to city, looting the resources we desire; we rarely engage in siege warfare. To prevent their precious resources from being plundered, the knights in the castles have toe out and battle us, which gives us the opportunity to charge." In open-field charges, with the Sea Wave Sword Saint Li Weiliam at the helm, Coral Ind''s Knight Order was very formidable. Moreover, they specifically targeted the weaker opponents. Those areas under established marquis and earl, Li Weiliam hardly ever touched. They would strike swiftly and move on like the wind, always achieving victory. Furthermore, local mercenary forces would take advantage of the chaos to loot the poption and then conduct business secretly with the knights of the Duchy of Sapphire, by trading serfs. Therefore, in the Pioneer Mandate wars, the excess resources looted were not taken away but were disposed of on the spot. Human hearts always surrender to profit. Jonas had be ustomed to open-field charges in the Pioneer Mandate and had rtively less experience with siege warfare. Using his old approach led to significant losses in this battle. "If it hadn''t been for you and Douson arriving in time, I''m afraid I couldn''t have taken Little River City''s castle at all; a lifetime of glory charging into battles might have beenpletely lost here!" Thinking of the dreadful oue, Jonas''s robust body trembled slightly. Perhaps everyone, including the earls, had in one way or another underestimated the differences between this war and the Pioneer Mandate¡ªthe followers of the Marquis of Bull didn''t care about the gain or loss of the territory resources; they only cared about whether they could hold onto the castles and resist the Grand Duke''s retribution. Liszt''s face was stern, but inside he felt rather at ease, "If glory is lost, then we''ll take it back. Now that we have taken over Little River City''s castle and all the knights have been dispatched, we''ll set out for Green Shade City first thing tomorrow morning. Together with Viscount Trik and Viscount Levis, we will take over the Green Leaf Fortress of Green Shade City!" Green Shade City also has a viscount, a very well-established one, with a castle that has a name¡ªGreen Leaf Fortress. Chapter 382 : 0379: The Great Battle of Green Leaf Fortress (Second Update) Green Leaf Fortress was farrger and sturdier than Nameless Castle. However, under the suppression of the ck, Yellow, Blue, and the remaining Grey Knight Order, Douson still spent half a day in dismantling one of the castle walls. Next was a swarm of knights from the four Knight Orders rushing in. Liszt, Trick, Jonas, and Levis, four elite Earth Knights who indulged in drug use, formed an ultra-luxuriousbination. They bulldozed their way through, and in less than an hour, the siege of Green Leaf Fortress was over. This time, by assembling elite knights from four different Knight Orders, the casualties were fewer. The ck Knight Order lost just five knights in battle and had ten seriously injured. After three battles, out of the one hundred and forty-two knights in the ck Knight Order, fourteen had died, twenty-nine were seriously injured, leaving ny-nine knights still capable ofbat. Besides military honors and Liszt''s previous gains, there were not many spoils of war to be privately divided¡ªjust some gold coins. Most resources had been moved, especially valuable goods, which were taken by the knights'' rtives to Iron Hoof City¡ªMarquis of Bull had long been prepared for the assassination of the Sapphire Dragon and the subsequent retaliation from the Grand Duke. That very night. The four Knight Orders, with their coin pouches bulging with gold, met up with the Earl. "You''ve all worked hard," the Earl hosted a feast at the camp to wee themanders of the four Knight Orders. However, there was no drinking¡ªjust a hearty meal. Jonas wore a look of shame, "I''m sorry, my lord, I''ve disappointed you!" "Indeed, your performance was disappointing, Jonas," the Earl said. "Count Sned is just an ordinary Sky Knight, and his followers are far below you in quality. If it had not been for Liszt''s support, your casualty rate would have far exceeded that of the opponent, and that''s during a charge on t ground!" Jonas knelt on one knee, silent. The Earl waved his hand, "You''ll have to bear the consequences of this mistake yourself, but now, you still have a chance to make amends. Merge the Grey Knight Order into the ck Knight Order and serve as Liszt''s deputy." Jonas did notin, "Yes, my lord!" Liszt didn''t mind. He wasn''t bothered by Jonas sharing a piece of the pie because he was the one who led the Knight Order, and all credit had to go through him before being distributed to the members of the Knight Order. In the knighthood system, Great Lords are only ountable to Minor Lords and their directly affiliated knights. All military achievements of a Knight Order or Knight Squad led by a Minor Lord are credited to that lord. When the Great Lord distributes rewards to the Minor Lord, the Minor Lord then calctes how to share these rewards with his knights. Now, Jonas''s rewards would also be calcted by Liszt. "My lord," he replied aloud, "with Viscount Jonas''s assistance, the ck Knight Order can take on more tasks." His mind was already making calctions. The more the ck Knight Order distinguished itself, the greater the likelihood of him being granted the title of Viscount. As long as he became a Viscount, all was well¡ªhe could extract funds from Fresh Flower Town as rewards for his knights. Even if this meant incurring some debt in the short term, the ownership of ck Horse Ind was the most crucial oue. The Earl understood Liszt''s intentions. He nodded, "Douson will be very useful, the ck Knight Order naturally needs to take on more tasks... Now, let''s n the capture of Celery Fort. We rest for a day and thenmence the siege right away! Be the first toplete the purge of Bull Hair City!" ... Bow and arrow suppression. Douson released Magic Stone Grenades and Rock Spikes. The whole day was spent repeating this routine, and Li Weiliam rode his warhorse, surveying the area below the fortress, ready to charge without hesitation towards Sned should he dare show his face and engage him in a fierce battle. Once Douson''s magic power was exhausted, the knight order would retreat. After Douson had recovered, the knight order would charge again and continue the suppression with arrows. Back and forth with this torment, the knights of Celery Fort could only watch helplessly as Douson dismantled the castle, bombarding it from windows and other spots. Each rock grenade st would create cracks in the walls, and in less than two days, they would surely take down an entire wall, leaving Celery Fort wide open. So the battle situation was as expected, and by the following morning, Count Sned of Celery Fort could no longer endure it. Seizing the moment when Coral Ind''s knight order retreated to rest, he quickly led his knights out andunched a charge. Unfortunately, his every move was anticipated. They were constantly under surveince with telescopes, and the every action of Celery Fort was monitored. "The time for a decisive battle has arrived!" Sea Wave Sword Saint Li Weiliam raised his longsword high, with one yellow and one green gemstone shining brightly on it: "Charge!" The knight order of Celery Fortunched a charge, and the knight order of Coral Ind also charged forward¡ªCelery Fort had roughly three hundred knights, while Coral Ind had about five hundred knights, a significant disparity in strength. Sned was an ordinary level Sky Knight, while Li Weiliam was a Sword Saint Level Sky Knight. This battle, from the moment Douson joined the fight, had its conclusion already written. A southwesterly wind blew, rolling up clouds of sand that enveloped the sky, and the two cavalry torrents rapidly approached each other. The thundering sound of hooves on the ground made it seem as though an earthquake had erupted within miles around, scaring all wild beasts and birds into fleeing in all directions, leaving only the uniform charge cries echoing across the battlefield. "Charge!" "All troops, attack!" Liszt, riding a Li Dragon Horse, charged shoulder to shoulder with Douson. Facing such a deluge, he couldn''t help feeling that an individual was insignificant; it was only through merging into one that the knight order became a true war machine. Various Dou Qi diffused and mixed, concentrating the spirit of every person into one. That surging mixture of Dou Qi connected to the Dou Qi within each knight, boosting their bursting force by at least twenty percent. Clutching the knight''s spear in his hand, Liszt''s body rose and fell with the gallop of the Li Dragon Horse, and suddenly, three lines from "The Song of the Great Wind" came to mind. "When the great winds stir and clouds fly, my might spreads far and I return to my homnd. Who can bring forth the valiant to guard all sides!" The spears were about to sh. He quickly focused and gave themand, "Douson, Multiple Stone Spikes!" Douson''s magic power hadn''t fully restored but unleashing Multiple Stone Spikes several times was not strenuous. Rock spikes like bamboo shoots burst forth in an instant, disrupting the formation of the knight order facing the ck Knight Order. Their connected Dou Qi scattered. The enemy knights lost their power enhancement, and their charge stumbled. Meanwhile, the ck Knight Order, with Liszt and Jonas at the forefront and the ferocious behemoth Douson adding two tons of Multiple Stone Spikes, tore through the opponents'' defense in an instant, like three sharp knives plunging into the chest, beginning to gut them. Ssh! The knight''s spear pierced through an Elite Earth Knight. The two cavalry torrents collided in a moment, with blood and flesh flying, Dou Qi and horses in a deadly dance. After breaking a knight''s spear, Liszt immediately switched to another, and if there was no time to switch, they used their shields or drew their swords. In just a few breaths, the ck Knight Order, with the help of Douson, prated the enemy''s formation. Turning their horses around, the unified Dou Qi didn''t scatter but immediatelymenced a second charge. Just at that moment, a thunderp sounded in the sky. Distracted, Liszt momentarily lost focus and looked up to see a mass of emerald green and a mass of pale purple light colliding violently in the sky. Thunder roared, lightning shed, and a downpour began. Li Weiliam battled Count Sned a hundred meters in the air, their surging Dou Qi blooming, altering the weather itself. Chapter 383 : 0380: Sky Knight Bows Out (Third Update, 150,000 Recommendation Tickets Bonus Chapter) Thunderstorms mingled but did not affect the knight''s charge on the ground. Liszt, eager to im the glory, immediately charged toward another Knight Order after routing the one opposite him, taking advantage while Douson could still cast Multiple Stone Spikes a few more times, to defeat more knights and expand the victory. Five hundred against three hundred, they already had the advantage in strength. Added to Douson''s impact, the charge was utterly one-sided, and the eradication of Celery Fort''s knights was just a matter of time. Liszt, covered in blood, no longer knew how many Earth Knights he had sent flying with his Knight''s Spear. Douson was right by his side protecting him, and Paris, with her Light and Shadow Tug ability, was ready to rush into the battlefield to rescue him whenever necessary. Therefore, his fighting was aggressive and unrestrained. Such ferocity,bined with his Dou Qi''s attribute, unleashed tremendousbat power. When all his Knight''s Spears had broken, he nced over the battlefield. The knights of Celery Fort were in disarray, being surrounded and cut apart in repeated charges by the Coral Ind Knights. "Jonas!" He yelled aloud. Jonas, who was fighting fiercely, turned around with bloodshot eyes, his reason barely holding on: "What''s up!" "You takemand, I''m going to assist the Earl!" After saying that, Liszt spurred his horse and galloped away from the main battlefield, with Douson following close behind. Having transferred themand, on his way to assist the Earl, he quickly switched to the Swift Shadow Bow. However, he did not head towards the two Sky Knights inbat, but towards his own camp. Approaching the camp, he shouted as he rode: "Open Loki''s cage!" The Retainer Knights guarding the camp hastily opened the cage holding the Landwalker bird. With a whistle from Liszt, the Landwalker bird Loki hopped over and carried him on its back. "Take good care of my horse!" After the brief order, Lisztmanded, and the Landwalker bird dashed towards where the Sky Knights were fighting¡ªSky Knights can briefly move through the air, posing a great threat to Liszt. Fortunately, the equally adept jumping Landwalker bird could effectively dodge the Sky Knights'' attacks. With it joining the battle, he had ayer of security. On his way, he blew a new whistle, and soon, another whistle was heard not far away¡ªit was Paris responding. Having taken high altitude security precautions, the Landwalker bird also brought him to the ce of the battle where the Sea Wave Sword Saint Li Weiliam was suppressing Count Sned. Count Sned had the Thunder Attribute, his body flickering with lightning, yet Li Weiliam''s Water Attribute held a gentle beauty, as if the soft could ovee the hard, with mist always able to deflect the other''s bolts of lightning. "Earl, I''m here to lend you a hand!" Liszt shouted as he drew his bow and released his arrows, starting with the "Three Arrows Released Together" that he had already mastered. The three finely shot arrows flew in a chi character pattern, and under the Swift Shadow Bow''s boost, covered a hundred meters almost instantly to strike at Count Sned. Having trained in "Multi-Arrow", Liszt had already mastered Double Arrow and Triple Arrow, while Multiple Arrow and the Ultimate Mystery Technique still needed more practice. But since he could use Triple Arrow at will, it was enough to dere a significant achievement. At first, Count Sned did not take Liszt seriously¡ªriding a strange bird did not change a mere Earth Knight''s weakness. Not being able to fly, it was difficult to harm Sky Knights. However, the speed of the Three Arrows Released Together still startled him. Almost in the blink of an eye, the arrows were before him, forcing him to retract his longsword to block them. One misstep, and he faced Li Weiliam''s relentless assault, like wave upon wave of an unending sea! Then, to his misfortune, he discovered Liszt shooting three sharp arrows from another direction, in sync with Li Weiliam''s offensive. They were as swift as lightning. "An Earth Knight dares to interfere in the battle; I''ll finish you first!" Enraged, Sned frantically activated his Thunder Attribute Dou Qi to increase his speed, abandoning Li Weiliam to turn and go after the "backstabber" Liszt. Li Weiliam chased closely and warned, "Be careful!" No reminder was necessary, as Liszt was careful enough. "Douson, stop him!" Douson, who was standing beside him, lunged ferociously at Sned. The Intermediate Magical Beast''s might was ferocious; it spat out a Rock Grenade, forcing Sned tond and dodge, effectively blocking his assassination attempt. Facing Douson, simr to but muchrger than a Fierce Earth Dog, Sned chose not to confront it head-on but to continue seeking a path to chase after Liszt. Yet when he looked up, Liszt, who had been close by just moments ago, had already hopped away on the strange bird with a long neck and long legs, bounding hundreds of meters away. This distance left no chance for further pursuit. For both Li Weiliam and Douson were simultaneously lunging at him. "Sned, did you really think you could kill another in my presence!" Li Weiliam descended from the sky, his longsword''s gemstones bursting with brilliant light, conjuring a massive sea wave that enveloped Sned. "Heave!" Sned rose up to counterattack, his longsword wrapped in numerous streaks of lightning, wildly striking at the sea wave. Water sshed everywhere, sparks flew in all directions. The ground around them turned into a marsh, but most of the green grass within was scorched, emitting wisps of yellow smoke. Before Sned could catch his breath, the earth beneath him cracked open and a rock spike headed straight for his rearmost parts, scaring the hair on his head to stand, and raising his armor by an inch. In a panic, he leapt away, narrowly dodging the sneak attack of the rock spike. But at that moment, the sound of wind whooshed by his ears, and three sharp arrows flew toward him, targeting his neck, cheek, and chest, forcing him to bend rapidly, draw his sword, and parry, deflecting the three sharp arrows. The onught seemed relentless. The strikes from Li Weiliam''s longsword left him with no room to dodge, and a spark erupted from his chest''s armor as he was struck by a formidable force and sent flying. Thud! Blood sprayed out through the eye holes of his helmet; he was injured. Strike while the enemy is down! Li Weiliam, Liszt, and Douson once again joined forces to attack. Sned simplycked the strength to fight against Li Weiliam, not to mention facing the Intermediate Magical Beast Blizzard Beast and the archer Liszt of superior skill, he had no ability to contend. No more than three exchangester, Li Weiliam had struck him with two swords. As hended, another rock spike from Douson grazed his calf. He also endured a midair arrow from Liszt, and although it failed to pierce through his armor made of unknown material, the Dou Qi explosion on the arrow still blew him off bnce. "Li Weiliam! I''ll remember you!" Sned roared furiously, madly churning his Dou Qi, turning to ascend into the air with the intent to flee. However, no one would allow it! Li Weiliam''s eyes were piercing, his longsword stirring up endless sea waves, dragging Sned back into the fray and pressing him back down to the ground. Meanwhile, Liszt also bellowed, "Douson, tear and bite him!" At the same time, he drew six arrows, biting three in his mouth and cing the other three on his bowstring. He executed the Ultimate Mystery Technique of "Multi-Arrow"¡ªMultiple Phantom Arrow! He released the first three arrows in a spiraling flight, thetter three arrows swiftly chasing them and colliding mid-air, changing each other''s trajectories with the Dou Qi attached to them. No one could capture the changed trajectories of the arrows; it was as if six arrows had be a hundred, filling the sky with their shadows. Assaults like sea waves from the Sword Saint, and the frenzied tearing and biting of a wild beast. Sned couldn''t focus his attention, couldn''t see the trajectory of the arrows, and couldn''t rise into the air again, naturally unable to dodge this Ultimate Mystery Technique''s attack. In the next moment, his vision blurred, his longsword hesitantly lifted to block, the arrow shadows vanished, yet he blocked nothing. In an instant. Sharp pain in his left knee as all six sharp arrows hit the same spot; though they didn''t prate due to the armor''s protection, they caused a profound dent in the armor at that single point from the concentrated burst. The explosive Dou Qi caused severe damage to his knee, nearly twisting it off. His entire leg went numb, even lifting it was difficult. When he looked up again, he saw Douson opening his huge maw, biting down on him. "Get lost!" He mustered his Thunder Attribute Dou Qi and fiercely shed with his sword, pouring all his strength into this pinnacle of precise technique, and Douson couldn''t dodge in time; he was struck directly in the shoulder and flew backward screaming. But that was also Sned''sst defiance. Thud! Sea Wave Sword Saint Li Weiliam''s longsword plunged through his chest, piercing the front and backyers of the armor, creating a through-and-through: "Even at death''s door, you dare resist!" Chapter 386 : 0383: Dousons Special Armor (First Update) The value of the Sky-Cleaving Greatsword was hard to judge. Considering the gemstone settings, the price difference between sapphires and rubies was not significant. Seen purely as a gemstone weapon, it was on the same level as the Crimson Blood Sword. Compared to the Earl''s longsword, which had two gems embedded, there was quite a gap¡ªsetting a single gemstone was manageable, but embedding two required much more skill to coordinate without interference between the stones. However, the Sky-Cleaving Greatsword was not a standard gemstone weapon. The hilt was carved with a magic array, a feature of magic equipment, which, with the blessing of the array, allowed it to better leverage the power of the sapphire. In addition, the sword''s de was made from the bones of an intermediate magical beast mixed with magic metal fine gold. This material was significantly better than the fine steel of the Crimson Blood Sword, which had been mixed with mithril. "In my opinion, its value might be a bit less than the Swift Shadow Bow, but more upscale than the Crimson Blood Sword," Liszt had already decided to rece his Crimson Blood Sword with it. As for the Crimson Blood Sword, he nned to keep it as a spare weapon in the Gemstone Space. ... After the meeting was over. Liszt quickly oversaw the allocation of battle achievements for the ck Knight Order, mainly distributing magic equipment. There were a total of eleven pieces of magic equipment, and he picked out two for himself. One was an Amplification Bracelet that could slightly enhance the level of Dou Qi. After recing the Crimson Blood Sword with the Sky-Cleaving Greatsword, he needed a piece of magic equipment to rece the function of the Crimson Blood Sword. The bracelet, which could boost Dou Qi, had a slight effect, but it was better than nothing. The other was a Stabilizing Ring, worn on the thumb, which could stabilize the Dou Qi in the hands when shooting an arrow, thereby improving archery precision. He wasn''t very reliant on this magic equipment. But since he had acquired them, why not use them? Even if they weren''t used, it would be good to keep them in the Gemstone Space as a collection. All knights participated in the allocation of this batch of resources, which could be privately divided: Gold Coins and magic equipment, as well as a fewmon Dou Qi Manuscripts. A clerk recorded the distributed resources, and after returning to Coral Ind, these pre-distributions would be taken into ount when allocating battle achievements. Subsequently. Liszt began his new task¡ªtraining thendwalker bird Loki. This was a critical period for taming. Thendwalker bird was on the verge of transformation, its magic power ready to burst forth at any moment. Thus, Liszt nned to quickly establish a conditioned reflex with Loki, solidifying their riding rtionship. Previously, thendwalker bird had already helped him participate in Sky Knight battles effectively. Next, he wanted to charge into battle shoulder to shoulder with thendwalker bird. Ordinary warhorses charged at around 60 kilometers per hour, which was precisely the mostmon speed at which andwalker bird could run, and it could maintain this pace for most of the day. He tamed Loki untilte into the night and then personally fed it before returning to the castle. He couldn''t sleep yet, as he had to take potions and practice "Breath Decay"¡ªregardless of how difficult the conditions were, his training routine could not be neglected. In fact, the conditions weren''t too difficult; everything he needed¡ªmagical beast meat, magic potions, dragon breed milk¡ªwas all stored in the Gemstone Space. Not long after taking the potions, just as he was about to take a bath, someone knocked on his door. "My lord, the armor for Douson has been crafted, but Douson doesn''t want to wear it," entered Zavier, a retainer knight with a quick wit, who was held in high esteem by Liszt. "Let me have a look." Arriving at Douson''s tent, it was gnawing on arge bone, while a few retainer knights stood by, holding the armor. They dared not force Douson to wear the armor as it was unwilling. Now that Liszt had arrived, soon Douson was forced into dog armor. The armor protected its neck and upper body, which were the most vulnerable to attack. As for the helmet, they didn''t create one for Douson. Firstly, there was no cksmith to forge a suitable helmet, and secondly, the helmet might have interfered with Douson''s magic casting. Dressed in the dog armor, Douson felt ufortable and constantly tried to take it off. Liszt had an idea. Thinking back to the initial teaching of the new magic "Rock Wall" to Douson¡ªsimtion, demonstration¡ªhe found a rock and smashed it in front of Douson. Douson looked on, puzzled, and decided to lower its head to continue gnawing on its big bone. Quickly, Liszt put a set of fine steel armor, dismantled by half, atop the rock and struck it again. With two ngs, the rock, protected by the armor, did not shatter. He shook the rock in front of Douson, repeating the routine, trying to get Douson to understand that armor could protect it. Nevertheless, Douson still refused to wear the armor. After persisting for an hour, and the night having grown deep, it still refused to wear the dog armor. Just when Liszt was getting impatient, Douson suddenly opened its mouth, and the next moment, ayer of cracked rock quickly surfaced on its body, wrapping itself¡ªonly partially, as most of its torso remained uncovered. "Hm!" Liszt raised an eyebrow, "Good, it seems the magic you''ve learned canpletely rece this set of dog armor, so... Douson, take a few steps to try it out!" The cracked rock armor, distributed across the neck, forehead, shoulders, back, and thighs, looked like it was adhering to the body, not hindering movement as it cracked or contracted with its steps. "Woof woof!" Douson barked proudly, showing off its new armor. Liszt hammered the rock armor, finding it very sturdy, and unlike ordinary rock, it seemed to have reached a crystalline level. Under the illumination of candlelight, it even had a faint translucency. With effort, he could break off a piece. Then, he thrust violently with a spear, and with a loud thump, the rock was sent flying but didn''t immediately crack. "With the force I just used, even fine steel armor would have been pierced, but the rock didn''t crack. Its hardness is almost catching up with mithril armor!" Liszt was quite astonished. He then summoned the Smoke Mission. "Complete the mission, reward Douson with new magic¡ªFirmstone Armor." "Firmstone Armor? I remember now, Elkerson mentioned that within the Earth System magic, there is a spell that only a grand magician can master, called Firmstone Armor. It can arm oneself like armor, defending against attacks, many grand magicians proficient in Earth System magic like to research Firmstone Armor." However, very few grand magicians sessfully learned this magic¡ªof course, magicians were already rare to begin with. "My Douson is growing stronger." He used Eye of Magic to gauge the level of magic power consumption and found that Douson''s magic power had thinned significantly, suggesting that Firmstone Armor was highly demanding of magic power, and he couldn''t help patting the rock on Douson''s body, "Douson, take it off, can you remove it?" He made several gestures. Douson quickly understood, shaking its body as if shaking off water, and the yellow-gray rocks were flung in all directions, not a single one remaining. "Very good, now let''s learn a newmand¡ªDouson, Firmstone Armor!" Liszt decided to strike while the iron was hot and get Douson ustomed to its new magic as quickly as possible. Lest it forget. Chapter 387 : 0384: Time for Iron Hoof Island to End (Second Update) The Firmstone Armor was very consuming of magic power. From Liszt''s observations, if Dou Qi releasing a Rock Spike required 1 point of magic power, releasing a Rock Grenade required 5 points of magic power, and releasing a Rock Wall needed 7 points of magic power, then releasing Firmstone Armor would need at least 20 points of magic power. "This probably has to do with the degree of condensation of the rock, the rock of the Firmstone Armor is almost to the point of crystallizing into gemstones; whereas the rocks of the Rock Wall, Rock Grenade, and Rock Spike are just rock." A quantitative change leads to a qualitative change. The more magic power consumed, the higher the quality of the rock can be. With this set of Firmstone Armor, Dou Qi will have an even more explosivebat power in the future, capable of charging into enemy lines and defending towers effortlessly. Having trained until midnight, Dou Qi was already good at understanding themand "Dou Qi, Firmstone Armor," and only then did Liszt yawn and go back to sleep. He too was exhausted today, a charge taking a heavy toll on his physical strength. Before falling asleep, he suddenly missed Fresh Flower Town¡ªthe elves, Sea Sprite Ake, the servants in the castle, and the Little Wheat Bug he hadn''t managed to bond with, as well as the Eight Tiny Ones he was unsure had learned to use magic or not. Cultivating an army of Blizzard Beasts was a dream he never gave up on. In a trance. A phantom Smoke Serpent Script slowly emerged in front of him. "Mission: a knight hastily flying is bringing new messages, how tomorrow''s battles willmence is unknown, but you also have the chance to be one of the flying knights, please assist Landwalker bird Loki in mastering the method of releasing magic. Reward: Loki''s magic." This was the new Smoke Mission. Its content was explosive; it meant for Liszt to be one of the flying knights, and he couldn''t help but feel a surge of excitement, "It''s about time Loki released some magic, what kind would it be? ording to the Smoke Serpent Script, will Loki be able to fly soon? Is it not a flightless bird?" Flightless birds, such as ostriches, emus, and kiwis, are adept at running but cannot fly. The Landwalker bird fits the profile of a flightless bird well, with long legs that allow high-speed running, a hefty body, and wings so short they can be practically ignored. It''s hard to imagine how it could fly. "Perhaps it''s just a fledgling and when it matures its wings will grow, turning into something like a Red-crowned Crane?" Liszt thought to himself. Wading birds, with a pair of long legs, like to live by the water and search for food in the water or mud, with birds such as cranes, storks, snipes, and bustards falling into this category. The Landwalker bird, with its features, could barely wade in the water relying on its long legs. "No!" Liszt suddenly remembered, the long legs of the Landwalker bird are covered with feathers, and having feathers makes it difficult to walkfortably in water, it will not be a wading bird. So, thinking it over, Liszt still had no idea how the Landwalker bird was supposed to fly, and moreover, its very name, Landwalker bird¡ªwhy would it fly? ... The next day, he continued to rest at Celery Fort. The Earl was still waiting for the next war instructions from Marquis Glendenton, while Liszt continued to tame the Landwalker bird and attempted to help it learn to cast magic. His rtionship with the Landwalker bird was not as close as with Dou Qi, making it difficult to infuse Dou Qi and guide the flow of magic power. Therefore, he could only do some superficial work, stimte the Landwalker bird''s magic power a bit, letting it be vented out toplete the basic casting of magic. The difficulty is somewhat high, so sess has not yet been achieved. However, Liszt did feel one change: as Loki''s magic power became more abundant, its running speed, endurance, and jumping power had all seen substantial improvement. It was clearly still maturing, and once it was fully grown, its capabilities were likely to be even more formidable¡ªafter all, it was a low-level Dragon Beast with the bloodline of a dragon. Landwalker bird. The leisure time passed just like that. He didn''t get to rx for long, as at dusk, a messenger knight dispatched by Marquis Glendenton arrived at Celery Fort, delivering new orders, "Earl Li Weiliam, the Marquis orders you to lead the Knight Order immediately and set out for Bull Ridge City to the west. He needs to see your arrival by the morning after next." "Why the urgency?" The Earl frowned. "It''s a full day''s march from Bull Hair City to Bull Ridge City; this is forcing us to travel at night." "I don''t know the reason, as the Marquis did not reveal it, but when I departed, the Marquis himself was also leading the Knight Order toward Bull Ridge City. ording to the marching time, if we are to arrive at Bull Ridge City by the morning after next, the Marquis will also need to march through the night." Marching at night is not a good decision, as it is the most susceptible time for an ambush. But when an order is given, it must be executed. The Coral Ind Knights, having rested for a day, were back in peak condition. Leaving behind some of the injured to continue garrisoning Celery Fort, the Earl immediately led his knights to break camp and head west. Naturally, Liszt was no exception. Riding the Landwalker bird, he led the ck Knight Order along with the rest of the troops as they set out. They hastened on their way. Both the men and their mounts were exhausted but had safely arrived at Bull Ridge City, where the forces of Glendenton had just barely made it as well. Armies from several other Earls had also only just arrived shortly before. "The First Prince has taken Iron Hoof City, which the Bull Family has cultivated over generations, and even Bull Castle has been upied. However, no battle took ce¡ªBull Castle was already empty. A month before the assassination incident, the rebel Andy had already transferred the people from Bull Castle overseas." Glendenton Red Maple Leaf, with a solemn expression and more pronounced creases on his face, said: "The vast majority of the riches on Iron Hoof Ind, along with the seed of various noble families, have all fled overseas, possibly to the Eagle Kingdom or the Steel Ridge Kingdom¡ªit''s impossible to know." "Then, Marquis, is the Marquis of the Bull still on Iron Hoof Ind?" "That is why I have called you here." Glendenton unfolded a map of Iron Hoof Ind and drew a circle with his hand around arge area between Bull Tail City and Bull Ridge City, "The Wrath Knight Order was repelled by the reinforcing Knight Order that arrivedter and retreated into this area. All the exits to the sea are blocked; they can only continue to hide!" He looked around at the Earls gathered in a circle and said in a cold tone, "Our task is to find the Wrath Knight Order, the rebel Andy, and those sinister magicians from the Goat Assembly! The Grand Duke''s directive is to find them and kill them on the spot, we don''t need any survivors!" Then, Glendenton presented the information he had on the Wrath Knight Order and the Goat Assembly, including theposition of their members. Next, he assigned tasks: "Bull Rump City, Bull Tendon City, these two major cities, along with the nine smaller cities under them, we''ll primarily search these four smaller cities... Earl Li Weiliam, you need to lead the Coral Ind Knights to search Snow Pear City thoroughly, not missing any trace..." Tasks were distributed. Finally, Glendenton said, "The Grand Duke''s wrath will burn for a long time, until the entire Bull Family is destroyed, no matter where they hide! Now, our job is to annihte their main forces, shatter the backs of the rebels... It''s time for Iron Hoof Ind to draw the curtain." He paused. He attempted to smile to lighten the mood, but his deeply etched creases only made his expression seem grimmer, "A new order will be established on thisnd, gentlemen, and all have an opportunity!" Chapter 388 - 0385: Ground Glider (Third Update, 10,000 Coins Reward Celebration) This chapter is a special reward update for "Lone Swan¡¯s Night Flight". ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª The meeting ended. Li Weiliam found Marquis Glendenton in private and asked, "Have you received any feedback regarding the second wave of assassination attempts on the dragon that Sned disclosed?" "Fake news. Do you think the Marquis of the Bull, already trapped on Iron Hoof Ind, has the strength left to assassinate the Sapphire Dragon?" Marquis Glendenton denied directly. Thinking it over, that did indeed seem to be the case. To injure the Sapphire Dragon once already lived up to the Marquis of Bull¡¯s thirty-year ns. Another assassination attempt would imply that the Sapphire Family¡¯s efforts on Blue Dragon Ind had been in vain. Unless the Sapphire Family was raising pigs, they would not allow the assassin to target the dragon twice. ... The battle at Bull Ridge City didn¡¯t take much effort, the castle there, nestled against the mountains and by the water, was very sturdy; yet under the assault of numerous Sky Knights, it stood no chance, and was taken down within half a day. After settling into the castle, with a brief rest, Li Weiliam led the four Knight Orders from Coral Ind, left the castle, and began the search toward Snow Pear City. In order to find the hidden Wrath Knight Order and the magician from the Goat Assembly, Li Weiliam personally searched through each small town. The Knight Orders were not split up in order to prevent being ambushed¡ªas everyone knew that tremendous war exploits were hidden in this area; however, the Marquis of the Bull was not an opponent who could be easily subdued. Carelessness could lead to an oue like that of the Second Prince, assaulted by the Wrath Knight Order and the entire army annihted. With telescopes equipped, danger could be avoided in advance. Thus, Liszt wasn¡¯t particrly concerned about finding the Wrath Knight Order; he was just repeatedly guiding the Landwalker Bird, urging it to unleash magic. Although it had already reached the critical point of magic power exhaustion, it still hadn¡¯t learned any magic. This made Liszt question how wild magical beasts mastered magic in the wild without being taught; it seemed that for a long time, they wouldn¡¯t be able to use magic. "Gee-da!" Loki¡¯s cry sounded like a mix of a chicken and a duck¡¯s call. Now, well-fed and frequently running, its magic power and physical strength were abundant; it no longer required the Thorn Magic Potion to continue stimtion... In fact, Liszt was running low on his supply of Thorn Magic Potion, and there wasn¡¯t even enough for his own consumption. "Speed up, Loki!" "Run at full speed!" "Gee-da!" "Gee-da!" The Landwalker Bird, prompted by Liszt, put forth all its strength and had already surpassed 200 kilometers per hour, still elerating. The wind howled past Liszt¡¯s ears, and he had to lean down and hold tightly to Loki¡¯s neck to minimize his wind resistance, adjusting his movements to keep up with Loki¡¯s rhythm. As an Elite Earth Knight, his riding skills were excellent, so after a few adjustments, he was well integrated into the rhythm of Loki¡¯s running steps. By this point, Loki could cover dozens of meters in a single stride. To call it running was an understatement; it was more like skimming along the ground. The surrounding scenery had lost its shape, turning into streaks of afterimages, swiftly receding backward. "Gee¡­ da¡­" Loki¡¯s calls, altered by the force of the wind, were bing indistinct. But Liszt could feel its exhration; this was a speed it had never achieved before. "At least 250 kilometers per hour!" Liszt slightly raised his head, watching the scene ahead with just as much excitement; the faster Loki ran, the higher its value proved to be. Although itsbat prowess wascking, its performance in skirmishing and pursuing was unmatched, even by Dragon Breed Horses like the ck Blood Treasured Horse. "Clip-clop¡­" As Loki ran, it suddenly started to leap, jumping very high with each stride. The repeated leaps baffled Liszt for a moment¡ªwhy switch to leaping when it was running just fine? However, the next moment revealed the difference. This time, Loki¡¯s leap didn¡¯t result in a brief hover beforending. Instead, it seemed as though a whirlwind supported it, allowing it to glide less than five meters off the ground. This glidested a full dozen seconds before Loki touched down. Then it leaped again, gliding through the air. Utilizing the Eye of Magic, Liszt noticed that with each jump, a portion of magic power was drawn from Loki¡¯s body. It was unmistakably casting a spell! "This is... the Light Body Skill; a spell that any magician who studies the Wind System would know. It gathers the Wind System magic power to lift the body or heavy objects, reducing their weight." It wasn¡¯t an overlyplex spell, and its power was limited, butbined with Loki, it was almost like divine assistance. Under high-speed running and leaping, Loki was essentially gliding close to the ground. With the addition of the Light Body Skill, gliding became a basic maneuver. "Loki, leap!" hemanded. "Clip-clop!" Loki responded with the Light Body Skill spell. Then it leaped high, bouncing up like a rubber ball from the ground, with the height increasing continuously. Only when thendscape below shrank did its momentum slow, hovering for a dozen seconds before slowly descending. Landing was gentle, as the Wind System magic power significantly lightened Loki¡¯s weight. "At least ten meters, more than the height of a three-story building!" Liszt was exceptionally proud; although Loki was still far from flying, it was no longer bound to the ground. It could be called a flying mount, albeit reluctantly. "As expected, I¡¯ve be a Sky Knight." On the way back. Smoke Serpent Script wafted before his eyes: "Missionpleted, reward: Loki magic¡ªLight Body Skill." It was immediately reced by new Serpent Script: "Mission: The search for the Wrath Knight Order and Goat Assembly is underway. This might be the downfall of the Marquis of Bull, but no one knows the final oue. Please wait patiently for the war to end. Reward: Unknown Award." "Another waiting mission with an unknown reward... Last time it was waiting for the festival to end, this time it¡¯s waiting for the war to conclude... Is there anything inmon?" Liszt couldn¡¯t discern anything particrly special about these types of missions. He didn¡¯t bother to dwell on it, instead anticipating: "I wonder what the unknown reward will be this time. The reward for the festival was Sea Sprite Ake. Will it be a creature from legend this time? A unicorn as a symbol of purity, a mermaid as enchanting as a sea serpent, or perhaps a Greater Elf... At the very least, a beautiful Vampire woman would be nice." By the time he returned to the camp stationed in the small town. Discover exclusive tales at NovelBin.C?m Before he even had time to take a sip of water, he immediately received a notification to attend a meeting. He quickly learned the topic of the meeting; his uncle Mesiro had sent a secret messenger with news for the Earl and his son: "The Grand Duke¡¯s dragon must be in serious trouble. From our channels at The Court, we¡¯ve learned that the Grand Duke has left with his dragon, and his whereabouts are unknown." "Unknown whereabouts?" "Yes, no one has spotted where the Grand Duke has gone, including many within the Sapphire Family." Li Weiliam frowned deeply, "Tell me in detail about the situation on Blue Dragon Ind, especially the dragon-ying incident!" Chapter 390 - 0387: The Legend of the Dragon Elf (First Update) With the conclusion of the battle at Bull Rump City, the siege of Iron Hoof Ind reached a clear stage. The trace of the Wrath Knight Order was also discovered around thest major city, Bull Tendon City, which had not been parceled out and still belonged to the Marquis of Bull. Not only did the Wrath Knight Order appear around Bull Tendon City, but magicians from the Goat Assembly also swaggered into the city to select various magic materials. They made no attempt to avoid the encircling knight orders that were soon to besiege Bull Tendon City. They were fearless. "The Hemp Eagle Knights have locked down the Marquis of Bull¡¯s location." After the meeting, Li Weiliam summoned his followers and announced the final battle n set by the Second Prince, "All knight orders will immediately break camp and head to Bull Tendon City to join the First Prince andplete the encirclement of Milk Lake." Liszt took a deep breath, "Earl, is this the final battle?" Li Weiliam looked at his second son, who had been frantically iming credit in the recent two battles, and felt extremely gratified, "Yes, this is indeed the final battle!" After this battle ended, perhaps, the Tulip family might advance even further. No matter what, it was always a pleasure to see one¡¯s son grow up at such a chaotic juncture. ... Ten kilometers away from Bull Tendon Cityy a hugeke called Milk Lake. In the center of theke stood a towering Solitary Ind, upon which was a castle, not too grandiose but slightlyrger than Tulip Castle ¡ª Juniper Castle. The name of the castle originated from the dense shrubs and small trees on Solitary Ind ¡ª the junipers. The fame of Juniper Castle was known throughout the Duchy of Sapphire, for it was the ce where the precious cer-aged spirit, "Juniper Wine," was produced. There was an obscure rumor that the Bull Marquis Family had a Dragon Elf with a lifespan of five hundred years, the Juniper Dragon Spirit, which specialized in brewing wine. This Juniper Dragon Spirit was a gift from the First Grand Duke to his favorite youngest son. It then became the Bull Family¡¯s heirloom. If the rumor was true, then the Duchy of Sapphire would have a total of two Dragon Elves ¡ª the Sapphire Family also had an Oat Dragon Elf. Because Dragon Elves were so rare, scarcely more numerous than dragons themselves, few people knew what Dragon Elves actually looked like. Liszt did not know either. "I¡¯ve gathered information about Dragon Elves, and the most reliable theory is that in order for an elf to evolve into a Dragon Elf, it needs the help of a dragon." "A dragon¡¯s help?" Paris rode a Li Dragon Horse alongside Liszt as they set out with the knight order. Now that Liszt could mount a Landwalker Bird and charge at will, he lent Paris the Li Dragon Horse, so she could be quicker ining to his aid when necessary. "Or it can also be described as an ¡¯infection,¡¯ which is my own spective conclusion," Liszt said. "Just like Dragon Breed Beasts and Dragon Breed Magic Beasts, dragons can probably ¡¯infect¡¯ a Greater Elf, which then uses the dragon¡¯s miraculous power to transform and be a Dragon Elf." "Is that so? I¡¯ve heard that Dragon Elves are servants to dragons." "That¡¯s one theory. Dragon Elves are very friendly with dragons and enjoy living around them. I¡¯ve seen some magic books that mention Dragon Elves appearing around evil dragons. However, there are also a few magic books and knight novels that suggest another interesting idea." "What idea?" "Dragon Elves are servants to dragons, but when a Dragon Elf evolves into an Elf King, the dragon will be its steed, subject to itsmand." "Baron, does the Elf King really exist in this world?" This was an interesting question. Most people might refute such a statement, believing the Elf King to be merely a legend, since from ancient times to the present no one had ever seen the Elf King, nor was there an urate description of him¡ªsome said the Elf King was asrge as a forest, others said he could ride dragons. However. Liszt replied, "He exists, the Elf King exists in this world." "Really? What does the Elf King look like?" Paris asked with keen interest. "I have not seen him, so I cannot answer." His reliance was because the creatures of legend, one after another, appeared before his very eyes. First specters, then dragon wraiths, followed by liches, and soon sea serpents... Therefore, should the Elf King one day appear before him, he would not be surprised at all. This world is not Earth. It doesn¡¯t necessarily have to adhere to the theory of species evolution. Paris did not dwell on whether the Elf King existed or not. Her thoughts shifted quickly, "Baron, why is the Marquis of Bull not called the Marquis of Iron Hoof Ind, or why doesn¡¯t he change his name to Andy Juniper?" ording to the ennoblement system, the correct title for a noble is the fief followed by the rank¡ªfor instance, Li Weiliam Tulip¡¯s title is Coral Ind¡¯s Count; Liszt Tulip¡¯s title is Baron of Fresh Flower Town. Only the Marquis of Bull had the title Marquis of Bull and not Marquis of Iron Hoof Ind. "It is a remembrance," Liszt knew the interesting story behind it, "Before the Sapphire Family came to this sea area to establish a nation, they were in some ce on the continent. Back then, the youngest son of the First Grand Duke had a nickname, Little Bull. When he was first ennobled, he was made Earl of Bull." Afterward, when the Sapphire Family founded the nation, Little Bull was promoted to Marquis of Bull, with Iron Hoof Ind as his fief. Possibly not wanting to change this intimate rtionship, the title of Marquis of Bull continued; as for the surname, it was more or less for the same reason, to emphasize the closeness to the Sapphire Family, the surname had always been Sapphire. Of course, it could also be that the Marquis of Bull didn¡¯t actually have a Juniper Dragon Elf. Without a Juniper Dragon Elf, naturally, he could not bear the surname Juniper. ... After a day¡¯s march, they reached the shores of Milk Lake. The Knight Order that was besieging Iron Hoof Ind had sessfully rendezvoused, firmly surrounding theke, ready tounch the final strike at any moment. Liszt was also making his final preparations; the entire campaign to besiege Iron Hoof Ind boiled down to thisst battle¡ªif he missed this opportunity, it would be difficult to im any battle honors. Up until now, the news of the death of the Sapphire Dragon had not arrived, nor had the possible invading troops from Eagle Kingdom. The battlefield became increasingly clear, and the Marquis of Bull was inescapable doom. A cloth dampened with a bit of special resin, and he slowly wiped the Sky-Cleaving Greatsword; these maintenance tasks helped reduce weapon wear and tear and extended their lifespan. Any weapon would wear down with constant use and ultimately be scrap. Even a divine weapon forged from the teeth of a dragon would decay over time; only the rate of decay varied. "Baron!" A messenger knight arrived, "The Earl asks that you get ready, in half an hour, please follow him to the banquet." "I understand." Half an hourter, Liszt, wearing Mithril Armor, apanied by his father Li Weiliam and brother Levis, headed toward the First Prince¡¯s tent to take part in the evening¡¯s banquet¡ªeven in war, one could not stop the nobility from dining and drinking, and even wine cups were set out on the table. Was this to be a bout of unrestrained revelry before the battle front? Fortunately, the First Prince had not lost his senses. The first thing he said when presiding over the banquet was, "Everyone is limited to one beer only, to moisten your parched throats. After the war ends and the fury of the Sapphire Family has been vented, I will drink heartily with all of you!" Chapter 391 - 0388: The Defensive Barrier of Juniper Castle (Second Update) At the banquet. Liszt saw various nobles, most of whom held higher ranks than himself, or were noble heirs without a title yet. "Marquis Wace Pineapple Green of Deep Throat Ind, Marquis Roderick Gold Wheat Sheaf of Golden Ind, Marquis Ramirez White Glutinous Rice of Leather Ind, Marquis Glendenton Red Maple Leaf of Red Maple City¡­" Liszt counted the attending marquises to reinforce his impression of them. In the Grand Duchy, there were seven marquises in total¡ªfour of whom were present here. Read new chapters at NovelBin.C?m The other three marquises were unable to attend. Marquis Merlin Taro of Red Crab Ind had retired and was residing at home; Marquis Andy Sapphire of the Bull had be a rebel and was now besieged; as for thest marquis, Marquis Nesta Big Flower Hydrangea of Quicksand City, he was assisting Lady Sarette in purging the court¡¯s servants. The arrangement of the seven marquises had solidified since the ession of the fifth Grand Duke and had remained stable to this day. "Perhaps in a few days, there will only be six marquises left," Liszt thought, finding little appetite for the coarse food before him¡ªhe still preferred Mrs. Abbie¡¯s cooking. He then observed the First and Second Prince. To be precise, these two were sons of a duke, not actual princes, but just as the daughters of the Sapphire Duke were referred to as princesses, so too were they called princes. Crown Prince Anthony Sapphire, aged thirty-two, was known as the Ice Seal Sword Saint; Second Prince Angus Sapphire, aged twenty-seven, was known as the Ice Spring Sword Saint. One was a veteran Sword Saint and the other, a newly minted one. To be recognized as a saint with the sword at such ages meant they both were quite talented. Both brothers bore a strong resemnce to each other, yet neither could be deemed handsome. The Crown Prince appeared more amiable, exuding an inviting warmth; the Second Prince, perhaps due to the annihtion of the Knight Order, maintained a perpetually cold expression, unapproachable to strangers. "From what my cousin has mentioned, Anthony and Angus only became Sky Knights after turning twenty. Their talents are indeed good, but not particrly outstanding. With the backing of the unlimited resources of the Sapphire Family, true prodigies would likely have be Sky Knights before reaching adulthood." Liszt had only be an Earth Knight aftering of age and was now seventeen years old; he hoped to be a Sky Knight before he turned twenty. Though he started from a disadvantage, he was now ying with a cheat¡ªdestined to win at the finish line. Especially when he saw the Crown Prince mingling and toasting with the nobles, basking in their ttery, Liszt couldn¡¯t help but feel ufortable, malice creeping into his thoughts: "Perhaps the Sapphire Dragon is already dead, and the Grand Duke is in a state of chaos, yet his son here is still merry as can be." He picked up the juice in front of him and took a sip. He also tried the medium-done steak, suddenly feeling poignant: "Having a banquet at a time like this seems inappropriate. Marquis of the Bull won¡¯t just sit back and wait for doom; he must be plotting something¡­ It seems in this battle, I need to be extra cautious and not recklessly charge forward." Those who scheme to y dragons are definitely no pushovers. When facing soft targets, one must strike decisively, but when dealing with tough ones, learning to be humble is key. The steak was not particrly delicious, but the juice tasted good. He drained half the cup in one go and felt somewhat satiated by the meal, nning to supplement with some Six-Headed King Serpent meat back home. Looking at the nobles still engaged in mutual adtion and toasting. He suddenly had another thought: "If the Duchy of Sapphire really descends into chaos, could I seize the opportunity to obtain the ¡¯Dragon Knight¡¯s Dou Qi Secret Manual¡¯ from the Sapphire Family?" "Dragon Knight¡¯s Dou Qi Secret Manual," written by the First Grand Duke, was passed down to his descendants for cultivation, with the hope that some would be Dragon Knights. Regrettably, in the hands of the Sapphire Family, no new Dragon Knights had emerged to date. Liszt knew that he was a man destined to ride dragons, so the significance of this "Dragon Knight¡¯s Dou Qi Manual" for him was immense. In this region of the sea, it was probably the only book on how to ride dragons. ... Juniper Castle was surrounded by Milk Lake, preventing knights from charging. But this did not stop them. The next morning, serfs from Bull Tendon City were driven to fell trees from the surrounding forests, and logs were brought to Milk Lake one by one, fastened into rafts, and cast into the waters. Countless rafts piled up, quickly encasing the edge of Milk Lake. Layer uponyer of rafts could easily bear the weight of charging cavalry. Though theke was vast, it could not hinder the busyness of numerous serfs. Bit by bit, the surface of Milk Lake shrank visibly, as if covered by fabric, spreading towards the Solitary Ind where Juniper Castle stood. "The Marquis of Bull has no reaction, and the guards of Juniper Castle do not seem overly panicked," reported Li Weiliam from atop a nearby hill, putting down his telescope. Liszt also lowered his telescope, "Father, I think the Marquis of Bull is nning something big." "Maybe he¡¯s given up on himself, Liszt. You need to think more positively," Levis said with a rxed expression. "With the army bearing down on him, the Marquis of Bull can¡¯t resist. From the beginning, when he tried to assassinate the Sapphire Dragon, he was gambling with his own life. Now, it¡¯s clear he¡¯s lost." "Don¡¯t be too optimistic." The Earl nced at Levis and said, "When dealing with the Golden Wheat Sheaf Family, remember to think critically, weigh issues from all angles carefully, and don¡¯t let love cloud your judgment." These past days, Levis had been frequently visiting the tent of Marquis Roderick, eager to disy his good qualities before his future father-inw since he would not settle until he wed Loria Gold Wheat Ear. Levis defended himself, "Father, you worry too much. My aim is to actively form ties with the Golden Wheat Sheaf Family to prepare for any potential future problems." "It¡¯s good to form connections proactively, but don¡¯t make it obvious, and certainly don¡¯t be a pawn in someone else¡¯s hands. Learn to conceal your intentions," the Earl remarked with a tinge of sentimentality. "Both of my sons are outstanding, yet so very different; Levis, you mingle too eagerly, while Liszt, you neglect to do so." Liszt smiled confidently and nonchntly, "That¡¯s because I have more faith in my own strength, far more reliable than unpredictable connections. Besides, brother can handle the socializing; I will follow in the footsteps of Father and my brother." The future Dragon Knight was unconcerned with establishing noble rtions at the moment. Li Weiliam shook his head slightly, feeling somewhat helpless; his sons were both exceptional yet had their own strong opinions and no longer listened to him attentively. ... Three days passed, and on July 10th, the sun shone brightly. Milk Lake waspletely covered by the rafts, and the Crown Prince no longer hesitated, announcing the attack on Juniper Castle. Earth Knights assembled in the form of a Knight Order to besiege the castle; the Sky Knights soared into the sky for precision strikes. A grand battle was about to unfold. However, upon Solitary Ind where Juniper Castle stood, a faint light suddenly blossomed, followed by rings of barrier-like ripples appearing in the sky above the entire ind, seemingly inverting arge bowl over the castle. The Earth Knights could not breach the barrier. The Sky Knights could only cause the barrier to shake erratically. "It¡¯s merely a defensive Magic Array; the magicians of the Goat Assembly can only create such an obstacle!" Crown Prince Anthony drew his longsword, pointing skyward with passion, "All hear mymand! Charge with me, attack the magic barrier, and crush it!" Boom! The torrent of knights once again surged, fiercely colliding with the ripple-like luminescent barrier. Chapter 392 - 0389: The Era of Knights (Third Update, 10,000 Coins Reward Celebration 1/2) This chapter is a bonus update sponsored by "Meow Xiaomei". ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Riding on the back ofndwalker bird Loki, Liszt didn¡¯t exert much effort, just gently brandishing the knight¡¯s spear as if swimming, stabbing at the halo barrier. Magic is a truly marvelous existence¡ªof course, anything rted to magic power, whether it is creatures, magic, or Dou Qi, is extremely miraculous. Certain bizarre materialsbined with a magician¡¯s runes can activate magic power to form magic arrays with special properties. The halo barrier before him was such a magic array, simr to the water system magic Water Wave Shield, but notposed of water. After deploying the Eye of Magic, the colors of the halo were not very clear, signifying chaotic magic power. "It appears to be a type of mixed magic array." While lightly prodding like swimming, he had ample energy to observe the halo barrier ahead; he could see the colors of magic power on the halo, some dim and some bright, the contrast delineating awork of nodes akin to a spiderweb. Among them, there were several thick lines connected to different spots on the ground. "If I cut off these nodal lines, it should be possible to destroy the halo barrier," Liszt¡¯s eyes brightened as he decided to test his theory. He rapidly signaled with his g, "Change formation, attack the direction I lead!" Boom! Charging ahead solo... on his bird, he attacked the nodes of the magic powerwork, followed by knights of the ck Knight Order charging one after another. Every collision seemed to have little effect, but Liszt clearly saw that with each attack, the thick magic power line faded a bit more. The continuous assault almost led to the magic power lines being dimmed to the point of copse by the ck Knight Order. Just at that moment, from within the halo barrier, a resonant horn st followed by the dull thudding of hooves resounded. A knight order d in red helmets, red armor, and riding red horses, surged out from Juniper Castle, charging down the slope of Solitary Ind toward the direction of the ck Knight Order. This was none other than the Wrath Knight Order, the elite knights of the Marquis of the Bull¡ªactually the most powerful knight order of Iron Hoof Ind, who had entirely annihted the three hundred knights of the Blueblood Knight Order under the Second Prince, as well as eight hundred knights from the domains ofndlords such as Marquis Ramirez White Glutinous Rice. Iron Hoof Ind, located at the southwestern corner of the Grand Duchy, the closest to the maind, is hailed as the barrier of the Grand Duchy. The Wrath Knight Order is the barrier within the barrier. Its reputation spread far and wide. Seeing the Wrath Knight Order sally forth, Liszt¡¯s heart tightened as he realized his attacks on the halo barrier and disruption of the nodes had been detected by the opponent¡¯s magicians. He would not engage with the Wrath Knight Order; these knights were carefully trained elite earth knights by the Marquis of the Bull, many of whom were under the substance influence, and even their mounts were not ordinary warhorses. Even with Douson¡¯s assistance, breaking their formation would be challenging; the ck Knight Order had no chance of victory. Therefore. Seeing the Wrath Knight Order sally forth, he quickly changed his g signals, leading the ck Knight Order to avoid the nodes and "swim" elsewhere. At the same time, he called out loudly, "The Wrath Knight Order hasunched an attack! The magic array won¡¯t hold for long, attack swiftly! Eradicate the Wrath Knight Order!" Discover exclusive tales at NovelBin.C?m His roar caught the attention of many knights. The Second Prince, who was overseeing the battlefield, also noticed, and he promptly led the Blueblood Knight Order, which had been reassigned under his banner, towards the Wrath Knight Order. This was his chance for revenge! The tide of knights surged forward! Just as the red and silver knight orders were about to sh, suddenly the red Wrath Knight Order halted in its tracks. The silver knight order came to an immediate stop in front of the halo barrier as well. Separated by the barrier, they faced off against each other. "What a pity they didn¡¯t keep charging. A few more charges, and the magic array would have certainly copsed!" Far off, Liszt, who was still pretending to swim, saw the two opposing knight orders refusing to budge, couldn¡¯t help but curse the Second Prince for being a coward. He seemed all bluster as if intent on revenge, yet it ended in a stare-down. He had no choice but to deploy the Eye of Magic again and look for another node to fiercely assault. Simrly, it wasn¡¯t long before another Wrath Knight Order, wearing red helmets, red armor, and riding red horses, charged toward Liszt¡¯s location. This time, they were met by the knight order of the Long Taro Family, resplendent in golden-colored armor, with Liszt¡¯s cousin Meioubao Taro leading the vanguard. A flicker in his gaze, Liszt spurred his mount to gallop over, "Sir Meioubao." "Baron Liszt," Meioubao was confronting the Wrath Knight Order across the halo barrier and couldn¡¯t help but nce at Liszt riding the strange bird. Once Liszt drew near, he whispered, "I¡¯ve noticed something. Earlier, when I was attacking the halo barrier over by the Second Prince, the Wrath Knight Order directly charged at me. Then, after I attacked the halo barrier here, another Wrath Knight Order quickly charged over. Both these spots must be critical nodes of the entire halo barrier." If it were someone else, he wouldn¡¯t reveal such information to avoid exposing the secret of his Eye of Magic. But Meioubao was his cousin, with whom he had a good rtionship, so even if there was a suspicion that Meioubao was hiding a secret, he wouldn¡¯t delve too deeply. Moreover, Liszt didn¡¯t mind giving Meioubao the credit for breaking through the halo barrier¡ªgiven the threat of the Wrath Knight Order, he didn¡¯t dare to rashly attack the nodes anyway. "Is that so?" Meioubao was half-doubtful. "Try it and you¡¯ll know. I¡¯ll cover for you from the side! If sessful, the Long Taro Family will surely be credited with the first merit in the conquest of Juniper Castle." "Okay, I¡¯ll give it a try!" Having confirmed his betrothal to the Grand Duke¡¯s younger daughter, Meioubao couldn¡¯t hide his desire to prove himself. Upon hearing what Liszt said, he went along with it. "Charge!" The Elite Knight Order, d in mountain copper armor, instantly rushed towards the halo barrier. Opposite them, the Wrath Knight Order also initiated a charge with a do-or-die spirit. However. The Long Taro Family¡¯s Knight Order still mmed harshly against the halo barrier¡ªthere were so many knight orders here that Meioubao didn¡¯t worry about his own safety. The Wrath Knight Order couldn¡¯t intimidate him, and moreover, the actions of the opponents further confirmed Liszt¡¯s words; there was something wrong with this part of the barrier. Boom! A united burst of Dou Qi, using the knight¡¯s spears of the front-rank knights as outlets, mmed fiercely into the halo barrier. The next moment, the halo barrier, which had been intact, suddenly flickered violently a few times as if it might copse at any moment, but ultimately it stabilized. But that slight change made Meioubao realize that Liszt was right! He raised his knight¡¯s spear high and turned his horse¡¯s head: "Continue the charge!" In the distance, the First Prince, seeing the flickering of the halo barrier, likewise shouted excitedly, "The magic array can¡¯t hold out much longer! All knight orders, charge at full force, to tten Juniper Castle!" "tten Juniper Castle!" "tten Juniper Castle!" "tten Juniper Castle!" The attack on a node triggered a domino effect,pletely exploding the pace of the battlefield as the knight orders besieging Juniper Castle began more ferocious charges. It seemed they already knew it was an effort in vain. The two hastily arriving Wrath Knight Orders, without looking back, turned around and returned to Juniper Castle. Just as they had gotten back to Juniper Castle, Meioubao had already led his elite knights in three charges,pletely breaking the halo barrier, causing a chain reaction where the entire halo barrier shed violently. And then itpletely dissipated. The multitude of knight orders eximed: "Charge!" "Charge!" "Charge!" Liszt, mingling within the troops, called out the slogan calmly and unhurriedly, but was keen not to rush for a position in the front. Just then. The numerous knight orders had just stepped onto the shores of Solitary Ind when the sky suddenly darkened overhead, followed by thunder, lightning, howling gales, and a torrential assault of hailstones, fireballs, rocks, and water jets from Juniper Castle as the center, firing madly. "Magicians of the Goat Assembly!" With a roar, the First Prince brandished his sword and soared, directly towards a rock falling from the sky: "Foolish, ignorant! This is the era of knights!" Boom! His sword, swathed in Dou Qi, struck, and the rock shattered into pieces. The First Prince¡¯s figure stood tall in mid-air, his ck cloak fluttering fiercely, his presence unrivaled. Under his leading example, one Sky Knight after another burst out from the ranks of the knight orders, soaring into the sky, and began a relentless bombing of Juniper Castle! The outpouring of Dou Qi whirled the free-floating magic power in the air into shreds, and all magic slowly broke down! Chapter 394 - 0391: Mesiro Takes Action (First Update) Lich. This term, or rather this type of artificial creature, originated from ancient times, possibly beginning in the Moon Empire¡ªyes, it seems that everything in this world is eventually connected to the Moon Empire, as if there was only one human nation in the ancient era, which was the Moon Empire itself. In some Magic Books of magicians, the Moon Empire is described as a realm in pursuit of magic, and thus gave birth to a wide variety of magical professions. Just as recorded in the book he obtained from the Ghost Ship, "To His Highness Annuette¡ªCurtis Truth," surrounding the triangr symbol of the Eye of Truth, there were professions like Alchemist, Vampire, Necromancer, Magician, Druid, Wizard, Sorcerer, Prophet, Subus, Shaman, and others. All these professions have been obliterated by the river of history, with only magicians continuing to exist. ording to the information that Liszt summarized and searched, liches originated from the wizards of the Moon Empire, who were roughly magicians studying soul techniques. An ancient wizard invented the Life Box Technique that could harbour souls and turned himself into an undying lich. Afterward, there was a brief flourishing period for liches. Of course, immortality hardly exists¡ªbecause in this era, there are no longer any signs of liches¡¯ existence. Those ancient liches have long since turned into mere dust between heaven and earth, and even dragons cannot live forever, so how could these artificial creatures grasp the secret of immortality. It was probably just a technique for extending one¡¯s lifespan. "But now it seems that the lich transformed by Andy Sapphire is somewhat unusual... Compared to the lich form of Curtis Truth, Lich Andy appears to be very formidable... His height is that of two men, and even the greatsword in his hand is emanating blue mes." Liszt, watching the Marquis of Bull conversing with the Crown Prince at the breach in Juniper Castle, grew nervous. He had guessed that the Marquis would certainly have a contingency n, but the oue turned out to be the Marquis smoothly transforming into a lich, and with an unrivalled manner, appearing before everyone. The battlefield fell into a stunned silence. Crown Prince Anthony, standing on the ground, looking up at the towering Lich Andy, said sharply, "Liches are nothing but relics discarded by time, and there is no one in the world who is immortal; the same applies to you. Andy, your act of self-deception cannot intimidate anyone!" "Hahahaha, suchughable words." Lich Andy gently swung the greatsword in his hand; the sword had a striking design, with a de resembling a piece of bone, and the hilt, forged out of metal, topped with a bull¡¯s head. The pair of bull horns acted as the sword guard, and the blue mes burned coldly, "I am not just trying to scare you, because, I¡¯m about toe kill you!" Boom! Lich Andy suddenly leapt down from Juniper Castle, causing the ground to tremble slightly under hisnding. The Crown Prince couldn¡¯t help but feel a sense of fear, but he quickly roared, "All knights, throw your spears and shoot your arrows at this lich! Sky Knights, follow me to besiege him!" "Do you really want to oppose me?" Lich Andy, seeing the knights around him preparing to attack, immediately spoke out loud, "I have be a lich and have taken the power of the Sapphire Dragon, my very existence proves the Sapphire Dragon¡¯s death, and yet, do you still choose to be buried with the Sapphire Family!" His words instantly caused the movements of the knights to hesitate. The dragon ying incident had urred, and now with the Marquis transforming into a lich so sessfully, there was no doubt that he had stolen the power of the Sapphire Dragon. But then, what had be of this dragon that repressed the nation? Everyone would certainly have doubts in their minds. However, the Crown Prince quickly rebutted, "How dare you covet the power of the dragon. The Sapphire Dragon is safe and sound. Soon, it will recover from its injuries and eliminate the scum who dare to challenge its majesty!" Having said that. The Crown Prince charged directly at Lich Andy. At this moment, Liszt truly admired this heir to the duke, who not only did not retreat in such a situation but also charged forward without hesitation. Seeking to directly influence the judgment of the surrounding knights with his example. In contrast, the Second Prince beside him did not immediately rush out with the Crown Prince. This newly acimed Sword Saint was hesitant and wavering in his heart. "This battle is going to be tough." Liszt certainly felt the urge to retreat as well. He did not know how strong the lich transformed by the Marquis was, but the sess of the Marquis easily led one to specte on the safety of the Sapphire Dragon, hence causing hesitation. Just like now, only the Crown Prince was charging forward alone. Even the Second Prince began to waver. The scales of victory had already tipped toward the Marquis of the Bull, and the new Lich Andy. Once the Crown Prince¡¯s assault tested Andy¡¯s immense strength, it was likely that a huge change would ur on the battlefield. Thinking of his own retreat nned long ago, Li Si Te couldn¡¯t help but mock himself inwardly, "Nobles are the best at seeking fortune and avoiding disaster." But the next moment. He realized his understanding of nobles was still very superficial. From their ranks, following right after the Crown Prince, another Sky Knight charged out, d in golden armor and wielding a golden greatsword. This ostentatiously dressed figure was none other than his uncle¡ªwho, in Liszt¡¯s opinion, was considered as "useless" among the nobility and had only reached the rank of an ordinary Sky Knight by relying heavily on magic potions. Mesiro Taro. "Hmm?" His gaze locked, he was momentarily unable to respond. And there wasn¡¯t time to respond, for he soon discovered that his father, Sea Wave Sword Saint Li Weiliam, was following right behind Mesiro, being the third one to charge out. Then, one after another, Sky Knights surged forth, including the Second Prince, all heading toward Lich Andy. Seeing such a scene, Lich Andy couldn¡¯t help but curse loudly, "Foolish ants! It seems you really don¡¯t understand your current actions, it¡¯s likemitting suicide!" Boom! The greatsword emitting blue mes was raised and then lightly swept across, sending a fan-shaped wave of blue shock impact that rapidly struck many Sky Knights. Instantly, the Sky Knights were sent flying backward as if they were small boats capsized by waves. Li Weiliam was among those retreating, yet he was not injured¡ªmerely struck by a great force, causing his ribs to ache slightly. Catching his breath, he charged forward again, right beside the also retreating Crown Prince. He nced at the Crown Prince, and the Crown Prince looked back at him. Without any verbal or eye contact, the two quickly rejoined the fray. This was going to be a difficult fight! Thunder, hail, stone shards, Wind des, mes, waves¡ªthe magic power in the air was pulverized into sludge by the Knights¡¯ own Dou Qi, disying a variety of phenomena, except for the rarer Light Attribute Dou Qi and Dark Attribute Dou Qi. The other six attributes of Dou Qi were disyed in the sky. In such a wild onught, Lich Andy roared angrily, the greatsword emitting blue mes actually blocked the group assaults, and he even had the strength to counterattack. Phut! The de emitting blue mes suddenly pivoted, and a Sky Knight ofmon strength who couldn¡¯t dodge in time was brushed across the chest by the greatsword, blood sttered and rapidly evaporated. "Ah!" The Sky Knight screamed as he retreated. He couldn¡¯t even withstand a single sword strike from Lich Andy. The vastness of the gap was chilling. The Earth Knights surrounding Juniper Castle didn¡¯t dare to join the battle, as this was a fight among the highest echelon of Knights¡ªLich Andy seemed like a creature made of magic, but hisbat style was still that of a Knight. Mingling among the Knight Order, Li Si Te raised his Swift Shadow Bow several times, only to put it down again. With the Earl entering the fray, the Tulip Family¡¯s stance was quickly determined. The Coral Ind Knights had no choice but to fight... But this battle was no longer at a level an Elite Earth Knight like him could participate in, even sneak attacks with arrows would be difficult. "Andy with the ¡¯Pleasure of me¡¯ is too strong. This feeling, it¡¯s like we¡¯re going to lose." Chapter 395 - 0392: Pillaging the Study of the Marquis of Bull (Second Update) In the game of World of Warcraft, the Lich King Arthas possesses a divine artifact known as Frostmourne. The Marquis of Bull now wields a simr greatsword that bursts with blue mes, easily reminding Liszt of another divine artifact, "Pleasure of me". Of course. The sword doesn¡¯t bear this name, but its majesty is in no way inferior. Fighting alone against dozens of Sky Knights, the Marquis of Bull¡¯s support consists only of seven or eight Sky Knights from Juniper Castle. Yet even so, the Marquis of Bull holds the upper hand, his blue-me-bursting greatsword grievously wounding a Sky Knight from time to time. "How could ants understand the might of a Lich!" With a fierce grin, the Marquis of Bull shed out with his sword. One of the Sky Knights, unable to dodge in time, had his arm severed on the spot, rendering himpletely useless as he screamed and fell to the ground. Fortunately, he was quickly rescued by the knights on the ground, who rushed over just in time to save his life, although his ordeal was just the beginning. A minuteter, another Sky Knight was seriously injured; his waist almost bisected by the greatsword that burst with blue mes. If it were not for the Advanced Dou Qi that forcibly stopped the bleeding, he likely would have died already. "Sir Captain, what should we do?" Captain Layden was visibly agitated. The situation on the battlefield was beyond what they, the Elite Earth Knights, couldprehend. Liszt signaled him to keep calm and directly ran towards Levis¡¯s direction: "Sir Levis!" "Baron Liszt." Levis, leading the red and yellow Knight Orders, likewise stood his ground, but his expression matched Captain Layden¡¯s, lost and anxious. "Are you nning to run away?" "What?" Levis shrieked before lowering his voice, "Have you gone mad? Father is fighting out there!" He still had family ties and reason, not terrified by the battlefield. Liszt took a moment to soothe his own tension before saying, "We can¡¯t help in the battle with the Sky Knights, but Juniper Castle is right in front of us. Since father has already decided to fight, we must not remain idle!" Levis immediately gestured dismissively: "If you have a n, just spit it out. We don¡¯t have time for your hesitations!" "Very well, you must immediately round up the Knight Orders. We shall avoid the main battlefield and continue our assault on Juniper Castle!" Liszt spoke calmly. His tense emotions did not cloud his judgment. On the contrary, his thoughts were more active. He looked at Levis, who seemed to cling to a lifeline, and dered loudly, "We need to advance or retreat together with father, which means we must have an unshakable belief in victory. Thus, the glory of taking Juniper Castle must not be lost! You go and contact the Golden Wheat Sheaf Family, and I¡¯ll get in touch with the Long Taro Family!" "Can we take down..." Liszt cut him off directly: "Nonsense, can¡¯t you see the gap in the castle wall? Everyone charge together, and any castle can be ttened! Hurry and gather everyone!" "Alright!" Levis clenched his teeth fiercely and followed Liszt¡¯s arrangement. The two brothers, one to the left and one to the right, started rounding up the leaderless Knight Orders¡ªthe Sky Knights were all off fighting Lich Andy, and no one was paying attention to the insignificant Juniper Castle anymore. However. Liszt saw clearly that Juniper Castle was the key. For two reasons, the first being the Lich had a Life Box¡ªording to Curtis Truth¡¯s situation at the time, the Life Box wasn¡¯t fatal, merely the coordinates for her return from the Exiled Lands, but it wasn¡¯t necessarily the same for Andy Sapphire; perhaps his Life Box was his Achilles¡¯ heel. The second reason was that taking Juniper Castle could at least disturb the Marquis of Bull¡¯s state of mind, as it was his stronghold. Inside, there might be plenty of wealth, as well as numerous magicians from the Goat Assembly, all representing military achievements. The coordination was very smooth, and Meioubao immediately nodded, "I understand. I¡¯ll go coordinate with the other families. With our strength, we can directly capture Juniper Castle!" Experience tales at NovelBin.C?m About five minutester, the battle in the sky reached a fever pitch with as many as ten Sky Knights seriously wounded. Marquis of Bull was also hit several times, his armor damaged and emanating more blue mes. At the same time. Under the leadership of the knights from the Long Taro and the Golden Wheat Sheaf Families, the Knight Orderunched a renewed charge toward Juniper Castle. The Elite Earth Knights climbed up the breaches, fiercely shing with the Wrath Knight Order. With theirndlords battling in the skies, the Earth Knights on the ground naturally dared not cken. Especially the heirs to the families, wishing to alleviate the pressure on their fathers, were eager to capture Juniper Castle immediately. Liszt was mixed in with the charging troops, not being too high-profile, nor coveting this bit of military merit¡ªsince the coordinated attack originated from him, he would definitely notck his share of the honors; moreover, the First Prince had already acknowledged his other contribution in the siege earlier. He had enough of the limelight. As long as they won the war, the title of Viscount was assuredly within reach. If he was too prominent now, should the Marquis of Bull casually strike down at him, he wouldn¡¯t even know how he died. A massive battle was raging in the skies and at the castle. Surrounding Juniper Castle, epic moments of the battle intensified, and after fifteen minutes, finally, the Knight Order broke through the blockade of the Wrath Knight Order and stormed into Juniper Castle. The massacre of the people within the castlemenced. "Vermin! How dare you!" Marquis of Bull, noticing the turn of the battle at Juniper Castle, turned and roared furiously, about to charge over to intervene. But he was entangled by the First Prince and other Sky Knights. As they got ustomed to Marquis of Bull¡¯s strength, the Sky Knights stopped suffering casualties and managed to stabilize their positions, holding Marquis of Bull back. The First Prince even soared into the sky, bellowing, "Knights, tten Juniper Castle, I am with you!" "tten Juniper Castle!" "tten Juniper Castle!" Chanting the slogan, the Knight Orderunched an even more frenzied assault. Liszt also shouted a few times, leading Jonas and other Elite Earth Knights into the castle. He didn¡¯t go in any specific direction but searched for Marquis of Bull¡¯s study. In his view, the importance of knowledge far exceeded any other wealth in the castle. With the Eye of Magic activated, he could calmly avoid powerful opponents. The Elite Earth Knights blocking the way were simply bypassed, engaging only the weaker Common Earth Knights. Soon, he burst into the third floor of the castle and found the location of the study. "Jonas, guard the door. I need to find something!" "Make it quick!" There were bookshelves in the study with neatly arranged books, but Liszt did not bother to search through them, as they were mostly for show, just like the ones in his bookshelves at Fresh Flower Town. He searched on top of the desk, where the most important manuscripts and the ones Marquis of Bull perused often would surely be. Indeed, there was a stack of books on the desk. Atop the stack, Liszt caught a glimpse of a title¡ª"A Night with Miss Havana in the Piano Room." Without a second thought, he stuffed the whole stack into the Gemstone Space along with a few other books from different corners of the room, again without even looking at them. A silver-white knight¡¯s armor was hanging on the wall; he did not hesitate to take it down and put it into the Gemstone Space as well¡ªif armor was stored in this study, it was certainly not ordinary armor. Then, without looking back, he left the study, "Jonas, I didn¡¯t find anything good, let¡¯s go search Marquis of Bull¡¯s bedroom!" He remembered that the Advanced Dou Qi Manuscript, "Thousand Thunderstrike Sky sh," was found by a knight on the bedside table of Count Sned. Chapter 396 - 0393: I Will Return (Third Update, 10,000 Coins Reward Celebration) This chapter is "Sky Sword Dance" special bonus update. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Strictly speaking, Juniper Castle is just a holiday castle for the Marquis of Bull, it can¡¯tpare with Bull Castle of Iron Hoof City at all, so there aren¡¯t many valuables here. Those treasures should have been moved overseas with another son of the Marquis of Bull and his grandson. There wasn¡¯t much to find in the bedroom; even the bedside cab, when opened, contained only sundry items and no books. However, hanging above the bed head, on the wall, was a portrait that appeared to be of the Marquis of Bull¡¯s wife, a middle-aged woman. Around her neck hung a ne. Within the vision of the Eye of Magic, the pink gemstone embedded below this ne was actually real. He easily prised out the gemstone and stowed it in the Gemstone Space. After another careful look that revealed no items imbued with magic power, he hurried out, his voice as calm as ever, "All empty, there¡¯s nothing of value left in this castle!" "This is just a refuge for the Marquis of Bull, there surely wouldn¡¯t be any wealth," Jonas said as a matter of course. "Let¡¯s go, we¡¯re on to find the magicians of the Goat Assembly!" Jonas eximed excitedly, "Great! Killing a Grand Magician should be enough to cover the losses of this trip!" The merit from downing a Grand Magician was enough to offset the battle losses of the Grey Knight Order. The two immediately led the Elite Earth Knights in search through the castle, and upon encountering knights of the Wrath Knight Order, they immediately surrounded them and shed wildly. The castle was filled with the scent of blood, and the floors at every level were nearly drowned in it. Your journey continues at NovelBin.C?m From the third floor to the first floor, they found no trace of the magicians from the Goat Assembly, and just as Liszt¡¯s frown creased his brow, Paris¡¯s voice reached his ears, "Baron, follow me!" Liszt immediately led his knights, following the invisible Paris. Others might not see Paris, but he could. Under Paris¡¯s guidance, they quickly reached a deeper area in the castle, a in storage room. However, one wall of the storage room was adorned with a huge goat symbol that seemed to glow faintly. Liszt used his Sky-Cleaving Greatsword to lift the curtain-like symbol, behind which was a glittering Magic Array. Behind the Magic Arrayy a dark passage that stretched downward into the earth. "Liszt, these Goat Assembly magicians probably escaped through this passage!" Jonas furrowed his brow while tossing over a chair. Crack! The chair disintegrated upon contact with the light strands of the Magic Array. Liszt, meanwhile, knocked on the wall where the Magic Array was mounted, and the wall emitted a metallic nging sound, "It¡¯s a wall poured with metal; unless the castle is demolished, it¡¯s hard to remove the Magic Array. Given its magical intensity, it can¡¯t be broken in a short time either." "This is troublesome!" "Let¡¯s attack and give it a try!" Liszt wasn¡¯t ready to give up, as catching a few Grand Magicians would be a tremendous triumph. But the next moment, he changed his mind. A loud boom resonated, and the castle trembled as if it might copse at any moment. Then came the angry roar of the Marquis of Bull, "A bunch of ants, dare destroy my castle, you¡¯re asking for death... Out of the way! Ramirez, you damned insect, just wait a few more minutes, I assure you, you¡¯ll be a corpse, feeding your damned worms!" Boom! Boom! Boom! The castle continued to shake as the Marquis of Bull found an opportunity to charge in, fending off the siege of Sky Knights while ughtering the Earth Knights. Paris quickly surveyed the situation and hurriedly said in Liszt¡¯s ear, "Baron, the Marquis of Bull has broken in!" He reluctantly nced at the stable magic array, waved his hand, and gave an order, "We must move quickly, leave the castle, the Marquis of Bull has alreadye back, it¡¯s too dangerous to stay here!" The thought of the Marquis of Bull fighting alone against a group of Sky Knights sent a shiver down the spines of the Earth Knights as they silently followed Liszt to find an exit and quietly left Juniper Castle. At that time, surrounding the outside of Juniper Castle, there were stillrge numbers of Knight Orders wanting to charge into the castle, but they had no opportunity. Liszt returned to the ck Knight Order waiting outside and mounted hisndwalker bird Loki, rushing to find Levis and Meioubao. Not seeing either of them, he directly ordered the knights who followed the two, "Go into the castle and find them! It¡¯s suicide for them to stay inside with the Marquis of Bull being extremely dangerous!" "Understood, Baron Liszt!" After all this, Liszt finally breathed a sigh of relief. With the battle having reached this point, he felt he had done his utmost and could no longer influence the oue of the battle, "Now it depends on whether these Marquises and Earls can defeat Lich Andy... I hope Earl William is safe." No matter what, Li Weiliam was his greatest support. ... Boom! Crash! Juniper Castle was already riddled with holes, and the battle between the Sky Knights and the Lich was still ongoing. As injured Sky Knights were carried out of the castle one by one, the Marquis of Bull¡¯s furious roars gradually subsided. But soon, there was another tremendous roar. It pierced everyone¡¯s eardrums. "No!" "My son!" "Antus!" With anger, sorrow, and boundless hatred, the Marquis of Bull roared as he charged out of the window, his huge figure in ck armor now battered and tattered, blue mes leaking out of every crack, the mes dimmed considerably. It was anyone¡¯s guess whether the mes were his body or an illusion of magic power. "I will remember every one of you!" he turned and with one sword thrust, a blue shockwave erupted from the sword, repelling the pursuing Sky Knights. In his other hand, he was holding a person¡ªit was his son, Hurricane Sword Saint Antus Sapphire, his body limp, devoid of life. "Stupid betrayer Andy, you will embrace death just like Antus!" the First Prince, with two obvious wounds on his body but high in fighting spirits, shouted, "You don¡¯t even deserve to be exiled to the Exiled Lands!" Boom! Boom! Several more Sky Knights, having rested, soared into the sky and then plummeted to attack the entangled Marquis of Bull. The Marquis of Bull gasped and roared, "Wait until I fully master the Sapphire Dragon¡¯s power, no one below Dragon Knights can stop me then. At that time, I wille to reap your heads!" With that, he leapt into the air and flew high up into the sky, speeding away in the distance, ready to escape. His speed was like a bolt of lightning, far exceeding that of all the Sky Knights. He left behind only one sentence, "I will be back!" "The Marquis of Bull has fled!" Liszt inexplicably breathed a sigh of relief. If the Lich could not find his Horcrux, killing him would likely be difficult, and he might even risk dying once to severely injure most of the Sky Knights. Now that he had fled, at least for the short term, he would no longer be a threat. But before Liszt could catch his full breath, the Marquis of Bull, who had fled to the skies, returned at the same speed and crashed to the ground in front of everyone still in shock, the blue mes on his body flickering, nearly extinguished. Chapter 397 - 0394: A Stunning Entrance (Fourth Update, 160,000 Recommendation Votes Special) "Cough cough..." Continue your story on NovelBin.C?m The dust settled, and Marquis of the Bull coughed weakly, unable to get up. Sky Knights formed a circle around him, but everyone¡¯s focus had shifted from the Marquis of the Bull to the dark clouds in the northwest. There. A flying creature, resembling both a bird and a bat,zily approached, and many hearts raced with recognition of its trajectory and silhouette. Including Liszt¡¯s. "This..." Levis¡¯s astonished cry echoed in the ears: "It¡¯s a dragon!" The approaching creature indeed had the outline of a dragon, simr to the Formless Dragon Liszt had once seen. "Dragon!" Someone suddenly yelled out loud. Immediately, cheers erupted in waves: "It¡¯s a dragon!" "Sapphire Dragon!" "The Grand Duke has finally arrived!" "The dragon is still alive!" The First Prince surrounding Marquis of the Bullughed heartily, "Sapphire Dragon, the symbol of authority for the Sapphire Family, it¡¯s still alive! Traitor Andy, your doom hase!" "No... cough cough... how can this be... my power... is draining away... How can the Sapphire Dragon... still be alive!" The Marquis of the Bull¡¯s words were interrupted by fear, the blue mes on his body wavering and dissipating in the direction of the dragon¡¯s approach. Second Prince lifted his visor, looking crazed. "It¡¯s Father! Ha ha, Father rides the Sapphire Dragon!" He suddenly raised his longsword, aimed directly at the Marquis of the Bull: "The humiliation you forced upon me, today, I shall reim it all! Ha ha!" "Impossible... impossible... impossible..." The Marquis of the Bull, not even ncing at the Second Prince, stared with zing blue eyes at the ever-growing figure in the sky, "A familiar magic power... it¡¯s really it... impossible... why didn¡¯t the Sapphire Dragon die!" Following his gaze, everybody looked up at the fully revealed Sapphire Dragon. But unlike the Sapphire Dragon of their imagination, this one was grotesque, its skin and muscles were decayed inrge patches, with muscles turned inside out at the rotting wounds, and in some ces, the decay was so severe that bones were visible. A pale blue light emitted from the exposed bones, adding to its horror. A dragon, not counting the two wings. Has four legs, two shorter front legs, and two thicker hind legs. However, not only was the Sapphire Dragon¡¯s body decaying, but one of its front legs was also broken, and another hind leg was reduced to bones shining with blue light. The wings that it pped were tattered, the membranous parts of the flesh-wings riddled with holes bothrge and small, resembling a bup garment rotted over many years. Despite its scales that shone like an elf¡¯s crystal luster, the blue was clear and seemed made of jade, it was still the ugliest dragon Liszt had ever seen. Just like... "Just like it has been doused in sulfuric acid, how did it be like this?" Liszt swallowed, his skin crawling with goosebumps, just like when he first saw the Formless Dragon. Douson¡¯s hair stood on end, and Loki¡¯s feathers did the same. The horses of the surrounding Knight Order became restless, and would have bolted if not for the knights holding them. Different from the previous encounter with the dragon¡¯s magical silhouette, this time Liszt saw a real dragon, the Sapphire Dragon that suppressed the Grand Duchy of Sapphire: "Levis had described to me, the Sapphire Dragon was an incredible creature that embodied both beauty and power." But the Sapphire Dragon before his eyes was a dragon whose appearance had been utterly ravaged. "Was it caused by Marquis of Bull¡¯s sneak attack, or did something go awry when the Sapphire Duke was healing it?" Doubt circled in his mind. The next moment. The Sapphire Dragon had already descended from the sky, wrapped in strong winds,nding on a clearing left by the dispersing Sky Knights, directly opposite the Marquis of Bull lying on the ground. This dragon, standing on its two feet and supporting its frame, was about the height of a four-story building; even with its wings folded, its wingspan was probably more than fifty meters, and it still appeared as massive as a building. It was many timesrger and its Dragon Might many times stronger than the Formless Dragons Liszt had seen before. The pressure was so intense that Liszt felt as though he was suffocating. However, he still endured the difort and used the Eye of Magic to observe thended Sapphire Dragon in another way. Inside its body was a vigorous blue light, but it wasn¡¯t Water-Attribute Magic Power. There were huge discontinuities on the surface of its Magical Power, with each one corresponding to a festering wound. What should have been a beautiful gemstone creature now seemed chaotic and disordered because of these discontinuities. It looked down at the Marquis of Bull on the ground, who was in a panic, and fiercely opened its mouth wide to bite down. Liszt could clearly see the same blue light inside the body of the Marquis of Bull, and these lights flew towards the Sapphire Dragon like visible threads, quickly converging and healing the discontinuities in its magical power. Just as the Sapphire Dragon was about to bite the Marquis of Bull, an authoritative voice rang out, "Sapphire, be still and patient." The next moment. The Sapphire Dragon stopped its mighty jaw and roared unwillingly. The roar sounded like thunder from the heavens, mixed with the faint calls of a great elephant, a strange yet fierce bellow. Bang Thud! A silhouette jumped down from where the Sapphire Dragon¡¯s neck met its back,nding on the ground, s shining in silver-white armour, a blue cape, and xen hair. The figure was not particrly tall or short, uncovered by a helmet, leaving his ordinary face visible. With just a brief nce, Liszt felt an overwhelming pressure almost akin to that of the Sapphire Dragon washing over him. It felt like a pair ofrge hands had mped around his throat, once again giving him a sensation of suffocation. "Huff!" Liszt forcefully circted his Dou Qi to drive away the ufortable feeling. Meanwhile, under the leadership of the First Prince, all the Sky Knights had already knelt on one knee, loudly hailing, "Grand Duke!" Following suit, including Liszt, the Earth Knights also knelt on one knee, "Grand Duke!" On the entire battlefield, the only standing human was the Sapphire Duke himself. He nodded gently, his face adorned with a faint smile, "Gentlemen, please rise. It seems I have arrived just in time. You have sessfully vented my rage." As the knights stood up, he looked towards the Marquis of Bull, whose expression was dazed as if unable to ept reality, the smile disappeared, turning to calmness, "Andy, my once most trusted partner,rade, and kin, I never imagined we would meet in such a manner." "Why isn¡¯t the Sapphire Dragon dead!" the Marquis of Bull asked nkly. Shaking his head, the Sapphire Duke didn¡¯t speak a word; he simply walked towards the Marquis of Bull and squatted before him, seemingly letting out an imperceptible sigh. He extended his left hand, suddenly opened it, and his fingertips transformed into beast-like ws, which he then plunged fiercely into the Marquis of Bull¡¯s chest. "Ah!" The Marquis of Bull screamed. Unperturbed, the Sapphire Duke pulled forcefully, extracting a sapphire gemstone about the size of a fist from his chest cavity. His hand returned to normal. With the sapphire in hand, he ordered indifferently, "Tie him up." The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone! Chapter 398 - 0395: The Grand Duke’s Dragon Might (First Update) The Marquis of Bull was shackled, bound by metal handcuffs and shackles. After the Sapphire Duke extracted the sapphire from his chest, his body rapidly withered away, with his armor nearly falling off. The blue mes gradually disappeared, turning into faint green light that emerged from the gaps in the armor, just like Liszt had initially seen in Curtis Truth. "This is probably the true appearance of the Lich, the faint green glow of the soul. The blue mes of the Marquis of Bull before were the result of the Sapphire Dragon¡¯s power being conferred upon him." Liszt nced at the listless Lich Andy, then paid him no more heed. Activating his Eye of Magic, he repeatedly scanned the rotting Sapphire Dragon, overlooking no detail of its body, from head to tail, from outside to inside. The Grand Duke quickly stuffed the sapphire into the mouth of the Sapphire Dragon. The Sapphire Dragon opened its mouth and inhaled, and the sapphire entered its belly, vanishing from sight. Afterwards, its eyes, as tough as krypton, continued to stare at the Marquis of Bull, or to be precise, at the blue-ming greatsword that had fallen to the ground. The blue fire on the sword had already extinguished, revealing a white de. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om A knight picked up the greatsword and presented it to the Grand Duke. The Grand Duke fondled the de. The Sapphire Dragon became inexplicably irritable, its broken front limb shaking violently. In the next moment, the Grand Duke already held the great sword up to the mouth of the Sapphire Dragon. The dragon inhaled and swallowed the sword into its belly. Opening its mouth, it let out a roar of dragon song, spread its wings fiercely, and with its hind legs pounding on the ground, it leapt into the sky amidst a raging wind and flew away without looking back. The dark clouds had already scattered from the sky, and the sunlight shone on its broken body, making it glitter with splendid sapphire blue, shining brilliantly. Transforming into a blue dot, it finally disappeared in the sky. From its appearance to its departure, it took no more than five minutes, yet its figure was firmly imprinted in the hearts of all the knights, making every one of them boil with blood. Riding dragons, it is definitely the lifelong achievement every knight dreams of. Most knights might never see a dragon in their lifetime, but these ten thousand or more knights were fortunate, almosting into zero-distance contact with the only known dragon within the territory of the Duchy of Sapphire. The Grand Duke didn¡¯t say anything appropriate to the asion. After sending off the Sapphire Dragon, he went straight into the dpidated Juniper Castle and convened his direct followers to discuss the aftermath of the war at Juniper Castle. As for the others, they rested outside, pitched camp, and incidentally cleared the battlefield. As a smallndlord, Liszt naturally didn¡¯t need to be busy; he gathered with Levis, Jonas, and Trick to chat idly about the topic of the Sapphire Dragon. Levis had seen the Sapphire Dragon, and he could discern the changes in the Sapphire Dragon more clearly. "This is quite different from the Sapphire Dragon I saw on Blue Dragon Ind. At that time, the Sapphire Dragon was d in exquisite scales, like a giant sapphire¡­ I wonder what it went through to be what it is now, still majestic but with a bizarre appearance." "It must be Marquis of Bull¡¯s assassination attempt that caused the Sapphire Dragon to be gravely injured and disfigured," Liszt said. "Did you notice the rtionship between the Grand Duke and the Sapphire Dragon?" "Are you talking about Dragon Might?" Trick keenly observed this point, "The Sapphire Dragon is gone, but the Dragon Might it possesses is still stimting my skin." "The Grand Duke has Dragon Might as well." "Then he..." The three of them didn¡¯t continue the topic. This wasn¡¯t the appropriate asion to discuss the ruler of the nation, and they quickly moved on to talk about the war. Jonas spoke with a hint of regret: "It¡¯s a pity that I didn¡¯t manage to kill a Grand Magician; my merit isn¡¯t enough topensate for the losses of the Grey Knight Order." "But we¡¯vepleted the encirclement of Iron Hoof Ind, and the Grand Duke¡¯s Dragon is alive and well. The Duchy of Sapphire will soon be able to flourish again, and in the future, Earl will lead us to continue to expand the continent," Trick consoled. "Earl, together with Lord Mesiro, followed the First Prince into battle. This time, our achievements in war may far exceed our expectations!" The Marquis of Bull made a shocking appearance and used the news of the Sapphire Dragon¡¯s death to shake the besieging knights. Mesiro was the first to attack with the First Prince, and Li Weiliam was the second. The facts proved that their gamble was a sess, and this unhesitant loyalty was worth more than a glorious victory in battle. Jonas suddenly said excitedly, "Do you guys think that Earl, because of this war, might be promoted... to be the new Marquis of the nation?" Trick contemted. Levis rubbed his palms together, starting to waver with apprehension. "That, that shouldn¡¯t be likely, right?" Liszt nced at his brother and thought he was getting carried away. He couldn¡¯t help but interrupt his fantasy, "Indeed, that¡¯s not possible. The Marquis of Bull is just a Marquis. All nobles in the country are involved in the attack, and without creating resources or new territories, how could one be granted a Marquisate?" The veteran Marquises all followed the Grand Duke of old to the continent, snatched up a great number of resources, and supported the Duchy of Sapphire before they were promoted. Currently, it¡¯s just an internal rebellion. Unless Li Weiliam leads the Knight Order alone and obliterates Iron Hoof Ind, there won¡¯t be any chance of ruing the merits to be a Marquis. After analyzing the reality, he offered Levis a glimmer of hope: "But our father will definitely be a strong contender for the next Marquis in the eyes of the Grand Duke and the First Prince. As long as he umtes sufficient merits, his ennoblement as a Marquis is as good as done." For such a loyal follower, thendlord has no reason to suppress. Given equal conditions, Li Weiliam is definitely one step closer to that achievement. For andlord, sometimes a follower¡¯s loyalty is more important than strength. Suppressing his undue greed, Levis regained his rity of mind and couldn¡¯t help saying to Liszt, "Regardless, once you return, you should be the new Viscount." Trick and Jonas both nodded in agreement. Liszt¡¯s contributions were evident¡ªduring the battle at Bull Hair City, it was thanks to Douson¡¯s siege efforts and his assistance with Li Weiliam in ying Count Sned; at Bull Ridge City, he scraped together some kills, and the same at Bull Rump City, though the merits were not significant; however, at Bull Tendon City, also known as Juniper Castle, his role was crucial. The breach in the walls of Juniper Castle was caused by Douson¡¯s destruction, and the First Prince personally acknowledged this contribution. Initiating the coordination of the Knight Order¡¯s attack on the castle was Liszt¡¯s suggestion, demonstrating not just merits but also loyalty¡ªnot everyone has the guts to oppose the Marquis of Bull, who has be a Lich. The only regret was not breaking the Magic Array and killing a few Grand Magicians. Now that the battlefield has died down, it¡¯s uncertain who will capture the escaping Grand Magicians. All things considered, the title of Viscount is virtually in Liszt¡¯s grasp. Suddenly. Levis thought of a question: "If the First Prince remembers you, it¡¯s very likely he will recruit you as one of his followers. Liszt, would you ept the First Prince¡¯s ennoblement?" For followers like Jonas and Trick, it would be challenging to change allegiances. But in cases like Liszt¡¯s, as a second son directly descended from thendlord¡¯s bloodline, changing allegiances is easy, and the family would support such behavior. However, Liszt just shook his head, "I n to choose an uninhabited ind near Coral Ind as my domain." "Are there still uninhabited inds near Coral Ind?" Levis asked curiously. "We¡¯re already at the northeasternmost corner of the Grand Duchy. Father said it took him a long time to find a suitable Earl¡¯s domain. Other than Viscount Trick¡¯s Beer Ind, he didn¡¯t find any new inds." "There will always be some, the Sea of Azure Waves is so vast." Discover more stories at NovelBin.C?m ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A new week, asking for rmendation tickets! Chapter 399 - 0396: The End of the Iron Hoof Island Campaign (Second Update) The conference at Juniper Castlested a full two days. Explore stories on NovelBin.C?m During these two days, the knights from various domains had gradually left, and the knights from Coral Ind also left Juniper Castle on July 12, by order of the Earl. "Levis, you lead the Knight Order back to Bull Horn City first and meet up with the fleet of our family. Once the meetings here are over, I will head directly to Bull Horn City," he ordered. "Yes, Father." After the Earl left the Knight Order and returned to Juniper Castle, Liszt chased after him and asked a question, "Father, there shouldn¡¯t be any major problems if I look for a few craftsmen in the cities along the way and take them with me, right?" "The Knight Order of the Grand Duke has already taken over the major cities, so don¡¯t do that¡­ We are currently discussing military exploits, and it would be best to follow the rules. It¡¯s not worth spoiling the glory that should be yours over some trivialities," the Earl advised. "Your Viscount title can be secured through this battle; that¡¯s what matters most." Theoretically, as and-owning Earl, William could grant anyone the title of Viscount. However, in practice, he only held the rights to divide his ownnds and to suggest and make deals for the ennoblement of new territories¡ªofficially speaking, this means that if he were to carve out a piece ofnd from Coral Ind to grant a title to a follower, The Court would not interfere at all, even if he created ten Viscounts, as long as there wasnd to be divided. But Coral Ind is only sorge; amodating two Viscounts has already required carving out a lot ofnd, and sectioning off an entire city would destabilize Tulip Castle¡¯s finances. At this point, it would be necessary to trade for new territories from the Grand Duchy to grant titles to followers. Thepensation needed for such a trade is military exploits. The Court reserves the right to inspect and review the ennoblement of knights, and if a knight doesn¡¯t meet The Court¡¯s criteria for ennoblement, The Court has the right to refuse newnd trades. Followers¡¯ military exploits can be umted as material rewards, or as a tally of exploits. Wait for an appropriate method to cash in on those military exploits. William hadn¡¯t increased the size of his domains in years,pensating for military exploits with material rewards because the demands for new territories were high. Unless he could umte enough military exploits to be promoted to Marquis and obtain arger ind as a domain, using exploits to exchange for a new small ind would be neither worthwhile nor meaningful. "Are my military exploits sufficient?" "They are sufficient. The First Prince is very satisfied with the performance of the Long Taro Family and the Tulip Family, and he had many good words to say, including about you. If you are willing, you could even be a follower of the First Prince, but I know, you¡¯re developing a new ind?" William revealed. Indeed, he had already learned about Liszt¡¯s project on ck Horse Ind. Liszt nodded, without denying, "I want ck Horse Ind as my fief. The ind is roughly two thousand square kilometers, which is about the same as the territory of a small city." "ck Horse Ind, eh? It will soon be reality." "By the way, Father, can I keep Fresh Flower Town for a long time? It¡¯s just a small town, and I can offer the family additionalpensation as if it were a long-term lease," he ventured. William took a moment to consider, "That¡¯s possible, we¡¯ll discuss thister, I have to get back to the meeting." After the Earl left. Liszt was still contemting the details of his ennoblement. He had studied the knightly ennoblement system quite thoroughly. In this knight-dominated world, the ennoblement systems of different countries are essentially simr in nature¡ªthey are all inherited from the Moon Empire¡¯s system, wherendlords haveplete ownership of theirnds. But there are many differences in form. The ennoblement system of the Duchy of Sapphire differs from the vassal Kingdom of the Steel Ridge Kingdom¡ªthe Steel Ridge Kingdom¡¯s feudal system is one of ovepping domains, while the Duchy of Sapphire utilizes an ind exchange feudal system. ... Fiefdom ovep. This refers to the ability to continuously acquire territories and stack them together. For example, a knight, after bing an Honored Knight, receives a small vige as his fiefdom, and then, after achieving military distinction, is promoted to Baron and receives a small town as his fiefdom. Hence, his titles would be "Baron of Some Town" plus "Honored Knight of Some Vige," possessing two separatends. In this way, his eldest son could inherit the title of Baron of Some Town, while his second son might be able to inherit the title of Honored Knight of Some Vige. Of course, most of the time the eldest son gets all the titles, and the second son goes off to fight wars, write novels, y the piano, court nobledies¡ªthe misfortunes of the younger son are probably one of the reasons why monogamy is practiced among the nobility. Having too many wives means there would be more younger sons, and the imbnce of fief distribution would intensify conflicts, leading to the copse of the knight system. ... Ind exchange. This is a special feudal policy of the Duchy of Sapphire, meaning that a noble can only own one ind or one city; territories do not stack. For example, a knight, after bing an Honored Knight, receives a small vige as his fiefdom, and then, after achieving military distinction, is promoted to Baron and receives a small town as his fiefdom. However, he can only choose the town as his fiefdom and must give up the original vige fiefdom, retaining only the highest title of "Baron of Some Town." But there¡¯s a considerate strategy to ensure that the benefits of the territory are notpromised¡ªthe original fiefdom can be retained for a harvest period of three to five years, to transfer wealth such as elves and poption from the territory. When the Tulip Family still bore the name Wafers, Liszt¡¯s grandfather, Greg Wafers, was the Viscount of Tahiti City on an ind near Blue Dragon Ind. After Li Weiliam inherited the Viscount title, he distinguished himself and became an Earl, choosing Coral Ind and retaining the three-year harvesting period of Tahiti City by paying taxes. After transferring the family¡¯s assets, three yearster, Tahiti City was reimed by The Court. This system was adopted because the Duchy of Sapphire is an archipgo nation. With many inds, limitednd, and difficult maritime transportation, it would cost nobles a fortune to connect two fiefdoms far from each other, so they might as well focus on a single ind. Thus, the ind exchange system was born out of necessity. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om However, systems are static, but people are dynamic. Liszt wants to lease Fresh Flower Town long-term, and as long as he pays, there is no reason for Li Weiliam and Levis to disagree¡ªafter all, they¡¯re family. "Fresh Flower Town is where my career began, and most of the rewards from the Smoke Mission originate from there, it may have special significance, I cannot bear to give it up." Fresh Flower Town is hisnd of dragon prosperity. Even though this world does not pay much attention to the concept ofnds of dragon prosperity, Liszt is still somewhat influenced by geomancy and has a preference for such ces. Even without considering thend¡¯s auspiciousness, Fresh Flower Town also holds the majority of his hard-earned achievements, making it difficult to let go so easily. Most importantly, the Formless Dragon has graced this town. This is one of the Dragon¡¯s clues, and perhaps one day the Formless Dragon will visit the town again, then Liszt could have a proper encounter with it, striving to ride it one day and be a Dragon Knight. Wouldn¡¯t that be wonderful! ... Li Si Tended on Iron Hoof Ind, Bull Horn City, on June 11th, and returned to Bull Horn City on July 14th. The Iron Hoof Ind campaign, which took an entire month, finally came to an end. Liszt could rx and lie in bed, enjoying the post-war tranquility. Once the Earl arrives, he could begin the journey home. Chapter 401 - 0398: Research Notes on Dragons (Fourth Update, 1000 Monthly Tickets Extra) ``` Seventeen books in total, sixteen of which are erotic novels of the same type as "A Night with Miss Havana in the Piano Room," each cover opened to reveal, still, no Dou Qi Secret Techniques. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om "Who would have thought the Marquis of Bull would be such a person." Liszt¡¯s face fell as he pinned all his hopes on thest book, which had no title. Its cover was yellow, adorned only with a circr disc pattern. The disc was outlined in ck lines, divided into three concentric circles: inner, middle, and outer. The inner circle had a rice character-like division: at the tip of each line extended a symbol, all of which were connected to form the inner circle. Based on his experience, Liszt guessed that these eight symbols represented the eight magic attributes: wind, fire, water, earth, lightning, light, ice, and darkness. This was a book about magic power¡ªpossibly a book of magic. The middle circle was simple, with wedge-shaped symbols arranged in session to form the circle. The wedge-shaped symbols were both repeated and unique, not resembling any known script, so Liszt couldn¡¯t understand their meaning. The outer circle was interesting and quiteplex. It wasposed of dragons, twistedly interlinked, forming arge circle. The entire disc was hand-drawn with ink, meticulously and precisely, especially the circles which were exceptionally round. It was evident that the person who drew this disc, or rather wrote this book, was definitely a magician. Only a magician would have the patience and energy to study all kinds of strange symbols. He flipped open the pages. The title page was an article, not in the familiar Serpent Script, but in Wind Language. Serpent Script consists of lines that entangle like small snakes, while Wind Language is characterized by continuously curling closed lines. Fresh Flower Town had long conducted Wind Language education, and by now, Liszt was able to read the basics of Wind Language. The title of the article on the title page read¡ªTo the respected Prince Alonso Xianki. "Alonso Xianki?" Liszt raised an eyebrow. He hadn¡¯t heard this name before, nor did he know from which noble family the surname Xianki came. But the title "Your Highness" was reserved exclusively for members of the royal family and children of dukes. "Not a surname from Eagle Kingdom¡¯s royal family, could it be a prince from one of the Eagle Kingdom¡¯s vassal states?" He didn¡¯t dwell on the surname and continued to read. "When I look up at the night sky, whates to mind are the words once spoken by the great Karvasi Truth Mage¡ª¡¯Don¡¯t look down at ants; look up at dragons. Conquering ants is something even a child can do; conquering dragons means you have transcended the mundane.¡¯" "Magicians are unable to bond with dragons and harness their magical power, but conquering dragons has always been our aspiration. In the distant era of the Moon Empire, the great Ancient Magicians ughtered eight Elemental Dragons and used their blood to inscribe the ¡¯Dragon Disc¡¯ Magic Array, attempting to probe the truth of the world." "That tumultuous experiment resonates in the heart of every magician; whenever I think of such an incredible and magnificent act, I feel it is only right for humanity to rule the world." "Admittedly, now is the era where knights have taken over the reins of power from magicians and now rule the world, Your Highness, you are a genius knight. But apart from Dragon Knights, it is still us magicians who have the most knowledge about dragons. I once worked in the Mage Tower of the great Lafeite Truth Mage, and saw vast volumes of books all about dragons." "I have read numerous books on dragons and also conducted close-range studies of the Earth Dragons, the Evil Dragons of the Rupture Mountains. These incredible creatures are truly the essence of magical power¡ªaside from elves, there is no other creature that can match their radiance." "Therefore," "Please allow me to exin to you the Silver Moon Assembly¡¯s progress in dragon research, hoping it will benefit you in bing a Dragon Knight¡ªSaithwen Truth." That was all there was on the title page. ``` ``` More precisely, this was a letter written in the form of a book. In the subsequent pages, the magician named Sethwen Truth recorded a substantial amount of research work from the Silver Moon Gathering, all revolving around dragons. It was quite evident that this magician was skilled at organizing the text, dividing everything into four major chapters for discussion. The first chapter was about the study of dragon habitats, noting down some rumors about the birth of dragons, as well as stories rted to dragon knights riding dragons and dragon yers ying dragons. The content was fairly mixed, with many unconfirmed rumors. Besides the dragons raised by the kingdom, how dragon knights discover wild dragons remains a mystery. The second chapter focused on the diet of dragons, documenting what each dragon species favored and how food is transformed into minerals and excreted. It also described the impact of different foods on the minerals dragons excrete, as well as their excretion habits and frequency. The third chapter dealt with dragon reproduction, exploring how dragon might, dragon breath, dragon scales, dragon dung, and dragon saliva can be transformed into metals, gemstones, and the like. The data recorded in the aforementioned three chapters weren¡¯t extensive, consisting more of spection and excerpts from research notes of magicians from various countries and eras. The fourth chapter concerned dragon bloodline infection. This chapter contained the bulk of information, with records of four advanced dragon beasts, seven intermediate dragon beasts, and twenty-six low-level dragon beasts, as well as over fifty types of dragon breed beasts. There was a notable absence of research on super dragonkin magical beasts, that is, sub-dragons¡ªthe magicians of the Silver Moon Gathering were skeptical of the existence of sub-dragons. Dragons are also known as flying dragons. Super dragonkin magical beasts are also known as sub-dragons. Advanced, intermediate, and low-level dragonkin magical beasts are also referred to as dragon beasts. And then there are dragon breed beasts. The hierarchy of dragon bloodlines, as proposed in the book, brought forth an intriguing notion. The magicians of the Silver Moon Gathering surmised that dragons infecting beasts and magical beasts was akin to a reproductive desire¡ªdragons are genderless and, when excited, would release the magic power within their bloodline, infecting beasts and magical beasts to create dragon breeds. "So, dragon beasts and dragon breed beastse about in this manner? Genderless dragons, depending on their level of excitement, decide whether to infect beasts?" Liszt thought of the dragon breed cows on the dairy farm: "So, that means when the Formless Dragon was given delicious beef to eat, coupled with the irresistible scent of Smoked Grass, it got excited. Then it released the magic power in its bloodline, infecting the cows at the dairy farm!" He found this exnation quite usible. Otherwise, it would be hard to exin why, despite dragons roaming everywhere, dragon breed beasts and dragon beasts were still quite rare¡ªbloodline infection must have specific conditions, and heightened emotions could be one of them. He closed the book. Liszt carefully put it away. Although it wasn¡¯t the Dou Qi secret techniques, dragon ying manuals, or any anticipated content about stealing dragon magic power experiments that he had imagined, it still had instructional value, deepening his understanding of dragons. ... In the pouring rain, the earl arrived at Bull Horn City without any issues. Stay updated via NovelBin.C?m After resting for a night, on the morning of July 16th, the heavy rain had be a drizzle, and the ships from Coral Ind began their return journey. Without holding an umbre, Liszt stood at the bow of the ship, watching the coastline of Bull Horn City gradually disappearing into the misty haze, feeling stirred: "I can finally go home, Fresh Flower Town, my elves, and Ach..." ``` Chapter 402 - 0399: Distribution of Merits from the Iron Hoof Island Campaign (First Update) The journey from Iron Hoof Ind to Coral Ind takes four days, time enough for the knights of Coral Ind to conclude the distribution of military merits. Liszt was also distributing the military merits of his knight order. Following the principle of reward based on contribution, he was the one with the most merits in this battle; even the Earl thought that Liszt¡¯s merits were about to catch up with his own¡ªwithout any surprises, the Earl was the one with the greatest merits in every battle that Coral Ind participated in, not only because of his strength, but also because of the bonus of his lordship status. "The Grand Princess presides over the military merit meeting, with the principle being mainly to distribute materials, trying to minimize the enfeoffment of titles. Because the First Prince spoke on your behalf, you will be able to receive a Viscount title, making you the only noble to be promoted to Viscount this battle." n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om Liszt was somewhat surprised, "Am I the only one?" It felt a bit too high-profile, but what he was enjoying was the thrill of being uniquely distinguished. "Many Sky Knights have merits surpassing yours, but they are either Marquises, Earls, or already Viscounts... It¡¯spletely impossible for them to be promoted from Viscount to Earl based on the merits of this battle... Among the Barons, you have the greatest merits, so your promotion to Viscount is only natural." "Then, Father, what kind of price do I have to pay?" "After you receive the Viscount title, you will have almost no share in the distribution of materials, so you need to provide additional subsidies to the knights who fought alongside you." "I understand," Liszt nodded, it was only to be expected. A Viscount¡¯s title already belonged in the middle ranks of the nobility, an identity that no amount of gold coins could buy. A fully owned ind or city was definitely a heritage that a family could pass down for hundreds of years. In other words, he had to pay out of his own pocket topensate the knights who had made achievements. Thepensation he calcted for military merits afterward relieved him because, in every aspect, he had secured the majority of the merits. Without Douson, the ck Knight Order definitely would not have achieved glorious merits, which meant thepensation standards weren¡¯t high. "Altogether, it¡¯s about six thousand gold coins. Subtracting the spoils that have already been privately dealt with, I probably have to pay four thousand gold coins." Four thousand gold coins was within an eptable range, just a little more than half a year¡¯s profit share from Fresh Flower Brew. Indeed, the Swift Shadow Bow he received was worth about three or four thousand gold coins. All in all, although he didn¡¯t gain the right to loot spoils of war, obtaining the Viscount title was enough to make him satisfied. Suddenly, he thought, "Now that I¡¯ve been promoted to Viscount, can any of my followers be promoted?" After thinking about it. It seemed that nobody had achieved remarkable merits, and since this was their first battle, it was inappropriate to promote too quickly. At most, he could consider Marcus Wheel and Charles Trap as candidates for observation, waiting to see how they performed in the next battle. However, whenever he thought about his followers achieving merits and the need to distributend, he always had an unease: "The enfeoffment system... I feel great obtainingnd ownership, but it¡¯s very upsetting to give it to others. Should I make some small changes to the structure of the enfeoffment system?" With the size of ck Horse Ind, in normal circumstances, enfeoffing two or three Barons and a dozen Honored Knights would be quite reasonable. But he didn¡¯t want to enfeoff anynd at all: "Perhaps, I can take reference from the enfeoffment systems of ancient China, with nominal enfeoffment and remote enfeoffment?" Nominal enfeoffment was simr to the life peerages in this world, but life peerages are not hereditary, whereas nominal enfeoffment can be inherited. There would be no fief ornd, just enjoying the stipend paid by the court. Remote enfeoffment involved the court designating a certain area as the fief or assigning a certain official position as a status; however, the person does not administer the fief or actually execute the official duties, but merely holds the title in name only. Whether it¡¯s an honorary title or a remote fiefdom, both are meant to confer ample honor, but in reality, no actualnd grants are made, as allnd still belongs to the royal court. This system cannot be said to be advanced, but in the feudal era, it had a very good effect on strengthening centralized power and was conducive to national unity. While Europe remained perpetually fragmented, China managed to maintain unity, which was not without institutional reasons. Soon, he lowered his profile, "Now is not the time to deal with the feudal system. I am but a minor noble, and keeping a low profile while developing is the way to go. First, let¡¯s adapt to the feudal system. Perhaps my followers, seeing that the development of mynds is unsatisfactory, will actively seek to change the status quo?" With the perspective and intelligence of a modern person, and the assistance of the Smoke Mission, Liszt would undoubtedly unlock the maximum value of thend in his hands. In the hands of his followers, it would probably still revert to the simple farming ways of the average noble, where natural disasters could lead to bankruptcy in an instant. If it were otherndlords and their followers, there would be no issue with this sort of feudal arrangement, as it was how everyone lived. But in Fresh Flower Town, on ck Horse Ind, when the followers saw Liszt¡¯snds bing more and more prosperous, they would definitely have many thoughts. "By that time, with just a little guidance from me, I¡¯m afraid they will proactively integrate into the new system without me having to suggest it." ... Calcting the achievements of battle made the voyage less tedious; Liszt discussed the matter of military exploits with his fellow knight followers almost daily, ensuring that everyone¡¯s grievances were satisfactorily addressed. Meanwhile, he would also have a drink with his father and brother, discussing the direction of the family. "The Grand Duke hasn¡¯t mentioned what happened between him and the Sapphire Dragon, but there have definitely been changes with both the Sapphire Dragon and the Grand Duke... It¡¯s unknown whether he has be a Dragon Knight, a Dragon Domain Landlord, or some other entity... His rage has not subsided." Li Weiliam briefly recounted the meeting at Juniper Castle for his two sons to consider. He continued, "The Grand Duke¡¯s clear-out of Iron Hoof Ind has a very specific objective; he wants to take possession of Iron Hoof Ind. Then, using Iron Hoof Ind as a reward, he ns to grant the title to three more Earls; Iron Hoof Ind could barely amodate three Earls living together." Iron Hoof Ind, owned by the Marquis of Bull, is the secondrgest ind after Blue Dragon Ind, almost three times the size of Red Crab Ind of the Long Taro Family. If Red Crab Ind can amodate one Earl, then naturally, Iron Hoof Ind can amodate three. "Does that mean, Father, that you have a chance to vie for an Earldom?" Levis¡¯s eyes zed with excitement, "With three Earl candidates, the odds are good! Then, our Tulip Family will be an Earl¡¯s family!" Your next journey awaits at NovelBin.C?m "It¡¯s not three candidates; it¡¯s five candidates," Li Weiliam said excitedly, restraining himself from showing it, "Two morerge cities will be carved out from Blue Dragon Ind to grant to two more Earls, joining the Blue Blood Alliance." The Earls of the Blue Blood Alliance certainly won¡¯t have asfortable lives as Feudal Earls, but an Earl is still an Earl, with benefits far greater than those of a Count. Liszt wasn¡¯t enticed by the Earldom; he furrowed his brow, "Does this mean that the Grand Duke is preparing tounch an even fiercer war?" "Correct. As soon as Steel Ridge Kingdom goes to war with Eagle Kingdom, the Grand Duke will immediately issue Pioneer Mandates, actively expanding resources to replenish the national deficit caused by the Marquis of Bull." "A policy of aggressive militarism... Can the Duchy of Sapphire sustain such frequent warfare?" Liszt asked calmly, "The battle for Iron Hoof Ind has already taken a significant toll on the Coral Ind Knights, more than the losses in previous Pioneer Mandates; we need time to recover." Li Weiliam smiled slightly, not concerned about Liszt¡¯s worry, "The Grand Duke is preparing to open up the integration of war captives; in the future, we¡¯ll be able to recruit prisoners of war from the Eagle Kingdom into our Knight Order." Chapter 403 - 400: Return to Coral Island (Second Update) As a Grand Duchy that started from the serf trade, besides the original followers, most of the civilians and the knights born from civilians in the Duchy of Sapphire actually originate from the serfs who were once plundered or purchased. With generations living through it, these descendants of serfs havee to identify with the identity of the Duchy of Sapphire. However, to continue to strengthen this sense of identification, the reigning Grand Dukes have refused to ept prisoners of war¡ªthe loyalty and identity recognition of captured knights are obstacles. Moreover, theck of knights among the domestic nobles means that once the gates are opened, arge influx of prisoner knights would lead to a loss of national identity. Without this sense of identification, a nation is no longer a nation; noble rebellions could ur at any time. Just like Liszt, who grew up on Coral Ind, it was estimated that there were just over a thousand Earth Knights; each time a Pioneer Mandate mobilized the Earth Knights, only about five or six hundred would be involved. In the battle against Iron Hoof Ind, the mobilization of Earth Knights reached a peak of seven hundred, which was the limit. However, casualties among the Earth Knights amounted to two hundred, especially the Grey Knight Order led by Viscount Jonas, which suffered more than half in losses¡ªfortunately, the Earth Knights were remarkably resilient and survived serious injuries, or the losses would have been even greater. Once the release of the prisoners was allowed, one can imagine how many foreign Earth Knights the Earls would recruit to replenish their forces. The treatment of foreign Earth Knights would definitely be far lesser than that of local ones, but as long as they could be assured not to revolt, recruiting the foreign Earth Knights would quickly be mainstream. Once Coral Ind was filled with foreign knights, it goes without saying that thoughts would quickly change. The knights might continue their loyalty to the Tulip Family, but they would have no good feelings towards the Sapphire Family that waged the wars. The sense of national identity would rapidly copse. As one of the major nobles, Li Weiliam was not blind to this situation, yet he still readily epted it. The reason was simple; as long as his power as a noble remained intact, the loss of national identity mattered little to him. The one truly shaken would only be the authority of the Sapphire Family. Liszt couldn¡¯t help but ask, "Why would the Grand Duke make such a decision?" "Because the Grand Duke doesn¡¯t care," he replied confidently. "He¡¯s convinced he can suppress any situation. You can judge this from the Dragon Might emanating from him... In fact, I suspect that the Grand Duke may have alreadypleted the most crucial dragon riding process, using the Marquis of Bull¡¯s assassination attempt on the dragon as an opportunity." The Earl paused, "He may have already be a Dragon Knight, and he¡¯s dissatisfied with the Grand Duchy¡¯s seclusion." Speaking of Dragon Knights, the Earl gazed outside the cabin, lost in thought. Levis added, "Moreover, the internal instability requires that the Grand Duke strengthen morale through war and warn other nations not to think that the Grand Duchy of Sapphire is in decline." My father and brother make a reasonable analysis. Liszt said no more, but he always felt that the Grand Duke was like trying to quench thirst with poison. After returning to his room, he quietly reflected for a moment, "If the Grand Duke¡¯s aim to boost morale is beneficial to me, I can use the opportunity to earn more military exploits and expand my own power; if the Grand Duke is quenching thirst with poison, by the time the country copses, I would probably already have the power to protect myself, so it still won¡¯t affect me." Even more so, he thought. If the country doesn¡¯t unravel, how can I seize the opportunity to rise? And how can I grab the "Dragon Knight¡¯s Dou Qi Secret Manual"? ... The morning of July 21st. After four days of drifting, the fleet formally returned to Coral Ind. Knowing that the Knight Order that went off to battle hade back, Tulip Castle buzzed with excitement, which had been missing for a long time. Lady Marie, along with Lidun, the castle¡¯s butler, and servants, received them on the castle hillside road. Lady Penelope and Li Vera set out from the small castle in Coral City to wait on the road as well. The nobles from Coral City, hearing the news, also rushed over in a frenzy. The sky had just cleared after the rain. There were still some puddles on the stone-paved road, but that did little to damper the weing crowd¡¯s enthusiasm. The cheers could be heard from afar. Liszt rode on a Landwalker Bird, clothed in a simple undershirt with a leather armor on top, the Sky-Cleaving Greatsword hanging at his waist, and the Swift Shadow Bow on his back. It was difficult to find the right words to describe his appearance other than handsome and dashing¡ªalways mindful of his appearance, he took great care to groom himself regrly, even on board the ship. Maintaining cleanliness and dryness every day not only made him appear sharp to others but also boosted his confidence significantly. Continue reading at NovelBin.C?m Douson¡¯s wounds had healed, and returning to the familiar Coral Ind, it was in good spirits, darting around the Knight Squad, now shooting forward, now looping back. However, Loki seemed listless; it might have been a bit seasick. Fortunately, the robust recovery abilities of low-level Dragon Beasts allowed it to maintain its basic riding capabilities. "This is the treatment for a hero¡¯s return. I used to stand in the weing ranks, but now I have grown fond of this triumphant feeling," Levis said, also buoyant in spirit, riding alongside Liszt. "Seeing the homnd safe, a sense of aplishment fills my chest. Perhaps this is the knight¡¯s mission." These were heartfelt words. Knights fought for their territory, while the denizens supported the knights, each with their own life and path,plementing one another. Liszt nodded, "I hope we can see the cheering wee teams time and time again." "We will!" The knights walked on the road where Tulip Castle and Coral City diverged. Most would continue towards Coral City, disband on the spot, and each return to their own home. Nobles like Liszt with titles would head to Tulip Castle to enjoy the first feast upon their return. The Earl, at the front of the procession, dismounted as soon as he saw Lady Penelope, and briskly walked up to give her a deep bow, "Mother, I¡¯ve caused you worry!" "My son, Li Weiliam Tulip, I knew you would triumph with every return!" Levis and Liszt also dismounted and quickly approached Lady Penelope, "Grandmother." "Strongds of the Tulip Family, seeing you return safely, I can once again settle the anxious heart back into my stomach," Lady Penelope said, embracing them with relief. "Despite braving the elements and enduring hardship outside, you clearly took good care of yourselves; still as hearty as ever." The family members exchanged greetings and expressed their concern for each other. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om Even though he had integrated into this world, into the Tulip Family, Liszt still felt ufortable, but he restrained his emotions well and was fully invested in the moment. After the greetings, the group reassembled and continued walking towards Tulip Castle. Liszt sent Retainer Knights to Fresh Flower Town to send messages of safety and nned to return in the afternoon, without spending the night in Tulip Castle¡ªhe was really missing Fresh Flower Town and couldn¡¯t wait to rush back to thend that truly belonged to him. "Baron, I¡¯d like to return to Fresh Flower Town first, I miss my sister dearly," Paris said to Liszt, riding on her Li Dragon Horse. Liszt did not refuse, "You may." Back on Coral Ind, he no longer needed Paris¡¯s close protection. ... Luncheon. After mourning the fallen knights, the atmosphere quickly heated up; knights were ustomed to departures with each campaign, and those who returned alive inevitably chose to celebrate wholeheartedly. The banquet was in high spirits when Levis suddenly stood up and pped his hands, "Ladies and Gentlemen, I need to announce this¡ªthe Iron Hoof Ind campaign was a glorious victory, and on Coral Ind, a new Viscount will be born¡ªmy brother, Liszt Tulip!" The apuse thundered. Liszt nodded in acknowledgment to those around him. Once the apuse died down, Levis smiled and continued, "Three days from now, a title-conferring ceremony will be held at Tulip Castle. Let¡¯s all witness Liszt¡¯s glorious moment together!" Everyone raised their sses, "To Viscount Liszt, cheers!" "To Liszt, cheers!" "To Viscount, cheers!" "My glory, I wish to share with you all." Raising his ss, Liszt saw all the nobles around him raising their sses in his honor, and he swirled his ss in front of him with a smile. Then he tilted his head back and drained the spicy Fresh Flower Brew. The liquor flowed down his throat, exhrating and liberating. Chapter 404 - 0401: My Fresh Flower Town (Third Update, 1200 Monthly Votes Additional) "Prepare to receive your honor at the ennoblement ceremony in three days," "I understand, Father," After the luncheon, Liszt did not dy and left Tulip Castle for Fresh Flower Town straight away. He had drunk quite a bit and felt slightly tipsy, yet he could still maintain rity. Thendwalker bird Loki had recovered well; its soft feathers and broad back provided afortable seat for Liszt. He exhaled a breath of turbid air and summoned the Smoke Mission¡ªstrangely enough, while he was rapidly moving on the back of thendwalker bird, the swirling Smoke Serpent Script remained fixed in front of him. "Complete the mission, and you shall be rewarded with the revival of decaying dragon bones," Upon seeing the reward content, he unconsciously furrowed his brow. It took a while before his eyes widened, staring at the now-changed Smoke Serpent Script for a new mission, "Mission: Sea Sprite Ake Loides has umted arge number of unresolved magic-rted questions which are crucial to her understanding of magic and the enhancement of her own magic power level. Please solve them. Reward: One Water System Grand Mage." His eyes were on the Serpent Script. Yet his mind was on the previous mission reward, "Revival of decaying dragon bones?" He wondered if it was the alcohol that dulled his mind, because it took considerable effort to get his thoughts spinning, "Dragon bones? Revival? Decaying? Is it talking about those five Fire Dragon bones at the Burial Ground on ck Horse Ind?" The five decaying dragon bones at the Burial Ground had long been exposed to wind and sun. Liszt knew they were anything but ordinary, but he had always been unclear about their particr significance. Now it seemed that these five dragon bones were finally about to undergo some change. "What does revival imply?" He pondered the reward for the Smoke Mission, a bit puzzled. Taking the literal meaning, it should mean a revival as in "spring returns to the earth and all thingse back to life": "Do the reviving decaying dragon bones mean that these bones wille back to life, like withered trees springing back to life?" Readtest chapters on NovelBin.C?m "Does this type of dragon bone revival merely concern the bonesing back to life, or..." he suddenly entertained a bold thought, "could the Fire Dragon that died countless years ago also graduallye back to life along with the revival of the bones? Can dragons resurrect from the dead?" He had never heard of such a possibility. Liszt entertained another idea, "Or perhaps it¡¯s not about the Fire Dragoning back to life; maybe a new Fire Dragon is being nurtured, relying on the residual magic power within the decaying dragon bones?" He remembered a legend. Elderly dragons would leave their homes at the end of their lives and fly to the legendary Valley of Dragons to slumber: "Maybe mature dragons return to the Valley of Dragons because they seek a ce to prepare for their resurrection from death?" As dragons do not have genders and do not give birth, their origin has always been a mystery. This led Liszt to specte¡ªresurrection and cyclical rebirth. After much contemtion, he couldn¡¯te up with a better oue. He then restrained himself from fantasizing too much, "It¡¯s just the revival of five bones; don¡¯t rashly link it to dragons... Perhaps the Smoke Mission is simply hinting that the Fire Dragon bones can be used for shipbuilding... I haven¡¯t had a chance to ask Virginia if she knows the Dragonbone Stabilizer Technique." No more thoughts about dragons. The five Fire Dragon bones needed his inspection upon his return. His attention shifted back to the new Smoke Mission. The mission hinted that Ake had umted a plethora of magical questions in need of resolution, followed by a reward of a Water System Grand Mage¡ªthis was easy to understand: Ake was about to advance to the rank of a Grand Mage in the Water System. "Not bad, she has not disappointed me. Ake has be a Grand Magician in less than half a year; her talent is terrifying... In a few more years, she may indeed have a shot at challenging the title of Water Mage," The sun baked the earth. The Landwalker bird kicked up gusts of wind as it ran, keeping Liszt cool and gradually sobering him up with the continuous dissipation of Dou Qi, as his brain became refreshed and alert once again. As the sun neared setting, Thorn Ridge, densely nted with Rapid Growth Iron Thorns, came into view. And on the gravel-paved main road, there was already a weing party waiting for him. The moment Liszt spotted the group, they too noticed Liszt and his entourage. Suddenly, cheers erupted. Even though they were still hundreds of meters away, one could clearly hear the shouts of "Viscount, Lord!" The messaging Retainer Knight had already spread the news of Liszt¡¯s imminent promotion to Viscount. It was easy to imagine how excited and effervescent the town officials, led by Goltai, would be. Everyone knew Liszt¡¯s future was bright, but no one expected him to be a Viscount within a year. Clip-clop, clip-clop. The sound of horse hooves thundered past as the troop entered the main road of Thorn Ridge. The weing party was indeed led by officials including Goltai, along with arge number of the town¡¯s residents, crowded at the roadside, craning their necks in anticipation to catch a glimpse of the great Lord Landlord. "Oh, the knight¡¯s glory has been bestowed upon us, unbelievable!" Goltai eximed in his characteristic exaggerated tone, shouting loudly, "Great Lord, Viscount Liszt! Goltai offers you the highest regards!" The other town officials standing behind him greeted Liszt with various weings and ttery upon his return. The residual glow of the setting sun fell on Liszt¡¯s face, making his already handsome and extraordinary presence even more tall and impressive. In a warm voice, he said, "I ept your regards, let¡¯s head back to the castle first." "Yes, my Lord!" Thus, the group surrounded Liszt and walked towards the castle with him as the center of attention. Loki was also the focus¡ªits colorful feathers andrge yet slightly odd stature amazed the ordinary folk¡ªin a world where Magical Beasts roamed, people¡¯s aesthetics were not limited to cats and dogs. The stranger and more powerful the creature, the more it was pursued with human frenzy. "That¡¯s our Lord Landlord, even such a terrifying big bird is his mount!" the townspeople running behind the groupmented, whispering to each other as they ran. "It might be an Intermediate Magical Beast, you know. The Lord Landlord¡¯s Douson is an Intermediate Magical Beast, and he¡¯s also in the Intermediate Sea Monster, the Six-Headed King Serpent." The townsperson running alongside nodded in agreement, finding it usible, "Exactly, if it wasn¡¯t Intermediate, the Lord Landlord wouldn¡¯t be interested!" n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om "The Lord Landlord has be a Viscount, do you think North Valley City will be given to the Lord Landlord?" "Don¡¯t know, maybe the Lord Landlord can get an ind like that Viscount from Beer Ind." "Ah, when the Lord Landlord first came to Fresh Flower Townst year, I said he was a born Noble and would eventually achieve countless honors!" Amidst these whispers¡ª Liszt did not overhear, as the officials around him, eager to offer their ttery, werepletely unaware that he was not in the mood to hear theirpliments right now. All he wanted was to get back to the castle and enjoy a cup of fresh milk tea brewed by Mrs. Morson. "Mrs. Morson must already be brewing the milk tea. She knows my favorite is the one made with Dragon Breed Milk, and even if she forgets, Mr. Carter will remind her!" After a year of living together, servants like Carter and Morson felt like family. Before Liszt even set foot on Douson Avenue, he suddenly raised his head to look forward. Apanied by a "Wow" cry, the familiar Thorn Minor Elf J flew over undting high and low. It seemed ted to see Liszt andnded directly on his head. Elves are creatures full of emotion, and the contract made J and him all the more intimate. "Little one, have you torn down the castle yet?" Liszt called J to his palm and continued to ride the Landwalker bird towards the castle. "Wow!" In an unguarded moment, J suddenly raised its hand, and a pale green light emitted, sprinkling over Loki¡¯s head. Chapter 405 - 402: Rebellion of the Blizzard Beast (First Update) "J, stop!" Liszt reprimanded the still mischievous J, and before the thorns had time to grow, he plucked the green thorn sprout from Loki¡¯s head. The green light on top of the head flickered and vanished in an instant. Loki, not understanding the reason, let out a meaningless cry: "Lok-da!" And continued to walk. Douson Avenue had been renovated to be even smoother, with apple orchards growing lush on both sides of the road, bearing no fruit this year since they were recently transnted. But the Apple Tree Cordyceps was covered with green apples, clearly having grown at least twice its size. Its branches and leaves spread out, providing a cool shade. Under the tree, tables, benches, and rocking chairs were neatly arranged. "Wow!" "Wow!" J flew up to the apple tree, clutching a green apple and swinging it; the apple didn¡¯t touch the ground, but it clearly had be J¡¯s ything, as she liked to swing on it. They soon arrived at the castle entrance. Butler Carter was there with all the castle servants, lined up on either side of the door by gender, looking at the tall and handsome Liszt as he leapt down from the back of the Landwalker bird. Carter stepped forward immediately and with a familiar, deep, steely voice said, "My lord, wee home." Mrs. Morson also represented the maids, smiling as she said, "My lord, wee home." "Yes, home atst." He had intended to express his triumphant emotions further, but a burst of barking interrupted the mood of the scene. Eight glossy ck dogs swarmed over, rushing towards Douson and Liszt: "Woof woof!" Read thetest on NovelBin.C?m It was the Eight Tiny Ones. In just over a month¡¯s time without seeing them, the eight Blizzard Beasts had grown a lot, nowrger than big wolf dogs. "Woof woof!" Douson, perhaps because the separation had been a bit long, wasn¡¯t too fond of his sons¡¯ approach and barked a few times to chase them away. On the other side, btedly, came the Earth Matron, calling out to Douson: "Woof woof!" Douson immediately rushed over enthusiastically, mingling with the Earth Matron, wagging its tail excitedly. Now, both the Earth Matron and the Eight Tiny Ones could move freely. "Storm, me, Rock, Surge, Thunder, Light, Ice Snow, Shadow, line up!" Liszt ordered sternly. However, the Eight Tiny Ones were too busy frolicking to pay any heed to hismand. They even started growling at the Landwalker bird Loki, attempting to attack the long-legged, long-necked, fat bird. Loki hopped around, dodging the Eight Tiny Ones¡¯ harassment. "Lok-da!" "Lok-da!" The scene turned into a chaos of chickens flying and dogs leaping, an unruly mess, and the sense of triumph that had just been conjured was utterly destroyed. The servants rushed to control the Eight Tiny Ones, but with so many people and excitement today, the Eight Tiny Ones were overstimted and impossible to restrain. Even one of them, Surge, opened its mouth to release a Rock Spike, attacking Loki. Loki was adept at running but not at fighting, so he could only passively take the hits: "Lok-da!" At the critical moment. Liszt shouted with a grim face: "Douson!" Douson instantly left the Earth Matron and charged over, "Woof woof!" "Get these eight crazy dogs down for me!" Liszt made a subduing gesture, paired with amand, which immediately made Douson understand what it needed to do. Turning around and pouncing fiercely, Surge, the one who barked the loudest, was pped by Douson and rolled over, stopping to lie on the ground, whining and whimpering, not daring to move. After subduing Surge, Douson continued to violently subdue Rock, Light, and Ice Snow, finally getting the eight tiny ones to behave, all lying on the ground, not daring to move¡ªthey still had obedience towards Douson due to their blood rtion and the fear of a stronger being among their own kind. "Someone take these eight crazy dogs, and Earth Matron too, tie them all up, and leash them to their respective kennels," Liszt was somewhat angry, "No training for over a month and it¡¯splete chaos. It looks like the castle has been tormented by them during this period, Mr. Carter, has anyone been injured because of them?" After all, they are magical beasts, which be very hard to control once they go wild. When Liszt had set out on his campaign, he thought his training had been very effective, and that the eight tiny ones would listen to the servants who fed them, but now it seemed this was not the case. Mr. Carter sighed, "Today is the day your lordship returns in triumph, and I had not intended to report these matters. In fact, in the second week after you left on your campaign, the eight Little Blizzard Beasts started to be restless. Over the following two weeks, they sessively learned to release Rock Spikes, making them very hard to manage." So these eight Blizzard Beasts were locked up in their kennels, no longer allowed out. However, a few days ago, they sessfully escaped from prison and started ravaging the area, taking the castle as their center, and even rushed into the residential area of the town yesterday, injuring several people. "Stableman Barton was stabbed in the leg by a Rock Spike, and although his life was saved, he has been left with a permanent disability in that leg. Several members of the town¡¯s Patrol Team were also injured and became disabled. If it weren¡¯t for the magician Lady Chris Truth¡¯s intervention, there might have been even more casualties." "My oversight," Liszt breathed out a cloud of murky air, "See to it thatpensation for Barton and the injured patrol members is generous. Do not be stingy about the damage the Blizzard Beasts have caused outside the castle; draw up a list of all the losses and have the castlepensate for them directly. Also, build a separate shack for Loki." "Yes, my lord." He then turned and said to Goltai and other officials, "I am quite fatigued today. The banquet will proceed as normal, no official business will be discussed. Tidy up the affairs of Fresh Flower Town and report them to me in detail tomorrow... Also, prepare to gather four thousand Gold Coins, which I urgently need." Three dayster would be the day he was promoted to Viscount. Starting with Viscount, he would officially join the ranks of the middle Nobles. At that point, the finances between the Castle and the estate needed to be gradually separated to prevent confusion in the ounts¡ªbecause a Viscount has the power to grant Nobility, which is tantamount to establishing a simple bureaucratic system. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om Goltai replied, "As you wish, Baron!" "Then you may all disperse. I will join all of you to drink and chat about the Iron Hoof Ind campaign during the banquet," Liszt dismissed the crowd directly, preparing to set aside all vexing matters and rest for a while. Only after confirming that all the Blizzard Beasts were locked up in their kennels and Loki had adapted to the new environment did he enter the Castle. Mrs. Morson brought him brewed milk tea and handed it to him. He drank it all in one gulp. The familiar taste, the familiar feeling, quickly smoothed over his irritation from the rebellion of the eight tiny ones. He had intended to hide in the study, using deep thought to adjust back to life in Fresh Flower Town. However, he quickly remembered that he had not yet visited Sea Sprite Ake toplete the task. So he got on Loki and rushed to the seaside. The Sea View Vi had been taken care of in his absence; he entered the room and blew the horn. There was no response for a long time. Ake was probably not nearby and might have gone to other ces, "I¡¯lle back in the evening." ... Unable to find Ake, Liszt went directly to the Magic Workshop; he had run out of Magic Potions and needed to replenish them now, or else he would interrupt the potion-taking process. Even though stopping for a while wouldn¡¯t cause too much of a problem, he still hoped his path of cultivation could be as perfect as possible. "Baron, congrattions on your victorious return," The host of the Magic Workshop, Lady Chris Truth, had grown ustomed to life in Fresh Flower Town, and the delicious and plentiful food had made her gain a bit of weight. Liszt smiled slightly, "It was only a battle that was destined to be won." Chapter 406 - 0403: Appearance of the Dragonbone Stabilizer Technique (Second Update) After retrieving the recently stockpiled magic potions from the magic workshop, Liszt returned, ready to continue ingesting drugs. The castle¡¯s kitchen was busy preparing for a banquet, and Butler Carter was ready to report on recent work, but Liszt declined, "We¡¯ll talk about it tomorrow, I don¡¯t want to discuss work today." He wasn¡¯t a workaholic; after fighting for over a month, he just wanted to rx. "Please have Mrs. Morson make me another cup of milk tea, I want to rest in the study for a while. If the saltpeter powder fromst year can still be used, make some frozen fruit juice; if not, take some crushed ice from the ice cer." "Yes, my lord." A momentter, the milk tea was served, but the frozen fruit juice would take some time to prepare. Suddenly, Liszt asked, "Is Mr. Elkeson in Fresh Flower Town?" "Mr. Elkeson visited a week ago; if needed, I can notify the caravan to ry the news of your return," replied Butler Carter. "Please do so." "Very well." Once the frozen fruit juice also arrived, Liszt closed the door of the study, savoring the frozen fruit juice to fight off the heat. It was now July, the hottest month of the year, and life would be unbearable without ice. He sat in a rocking chair, swaying back and forth, letting his thoughts drift. But soon, he became bored. He decided to take out a soul storage vessel shaped like a teapot from the gemstone space: "Virginia Truth has been awake for a long time; I¡¯ve been busy with the war and haven¡¯t had the chance to talk to her again." Now that he had free time, it was the perfect opportunity to chat and have Virginia contribute the Dragonbone Stabilizer Technique. He tipped the teapot, and a stream of smoke formed into light was poured out, quickly taking on the shape of a human¡¯s upper body, indeed the previously seen Virginia Truth, the specter with the majestic 36D. "We meet again, Virginia. Should I address you as Miss Virginia, or perhaps as Your Excellency?" Liszt said, watching as rity returned to Virginia¡¯s eyes. "It¡¯s as if I was in a very long dream... Sir, since you already know my identity, I am a magician from the Magic Goat Family, Virginia Truth, dead from an ident." Virginia gave a slight bow and then looked at her body, "Was I previously sealed in a Dragonbone Stabilizer?" "Yes, I salvaged you from a sunken Dragon Beast Sailboat," Liszt said. Virginia nodded, calmly replying, "I remember now; it was Curtis Truth who killed me... My memory was lost thereafter, but I believe I was stripped of my soul by the evil hands of Curtis Truth and sealed within a Dragonbone Stabilizer... Thank you for freeing me from perdition, sir." Liszt smiled, "I am Liszt Tulip, Baron of Fresh Flower Town, soon to be Viscount ck Horse Ind." "Viscount Liszt... How is the Magic Goat Family doing? Have you heard of my sister, Curtis Truth? She should have unified the Goat Assembly by now... Is Prince Annuette Sapphire well?" Virginia asked tentatively, probably thinking she hadn¡¯t been dead for long. He cleared his throat. Liszt felt a bit reluctant to tell this poordy about her plight but knew there was no point in lying, so he still said, "The Magic Goat Family, about a hundred years ago, was exterminated by the third-generation Sapphire Duke for their involvement in a court coup." "What?" The magicianposed of smoke and light trembled, her radiance flickering on and off. Just when Liszt thought she was about to faint again and retreat back into the soul storage vessel, her body finally stabilized, although her tone was still one of shock and disbelief, "Over a hundred years ago? Viscount Liszt, are you deceiving me?" "I have no need to deceive you. You are merely a remnant soul residing in my soul storage vessel. In fact, I have little curiosity about events from over a century ago. The Magic Goat Family is like a ship that sank into the sea, which might have remained unknown if it hadn¡¯t suddenly been stumbled upon." "Over a hundred years... forgotten... this..." Virginia took several sharp breaths, even in her soul state, the violent rise and fall of her chest was clearly visible, "I apologize, Viscount Liszt, I... I¡¯ve lost myposure. I didn¡¯t realize I had been asleep for a century." "It¡¯s alright." n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om "Could you tell me, if you know, what exactly happened to the Magic Goat Family?" Such a request was not excessive, and Virginia in her soul state was a good confidant to talk to about the past. Once they were better acquainted, he could glean the Dragonbone Stabilizer Technique from her, "To aid Prince Annute, your sister Curtis, along with Marquis Cohen, decided to seize the lifespan of the Dragonstone Dragon." "They wanted to make Prince Annute the Dragon Domain Landlord?" "Yes, but their n fell short. The second-generation Grand Duke discovered their plot and personally put an end to the Magic Goat Family. The Grand Duke himself was injured in battle and abdicated in favor of the third-generation Grand Duke, Andite... By the way, is Andite Annute¡¯s older or younger brother?" "Younger." "The third-generation Grand Duke exiled Annute¡¯s soul, and your sister Curtis probably escaped. Instead of seeking revenge, she delved into lich experiments, ultimately transforming herself into a lich and sacrificing a vast number of magicians and civilians to turn the Goat Vessel into a Ghost Ship bound for the Exiled Lands." "Lich... Ghost Ship... Exiled Lands..." Virginia murmured to herself, "She really was a terrifying woman, dragging the entire family into a grave for her own love." "This is just some basic information I know. Now, as Curtis¡¯s sister, could you tell me about the circumstances of that era?" Virginia nodded, her gaze sinking into reminisce. After a long pause, she began to recount the story of the Grand Duchy of Sapphire from over a hundred years ago¡ªa flourishing era when the Duchy of Sapphire was vigorously developing its sea trade, and the Magic Goat Family was following the trend. After the Sapphire Family developed the Three-Masted Ship Technique, the Magic Goat Family went on to invent the Dragonbone Stabilizer Technique and founded the Goat Assembly, an organization of magicians. The initial purpose of the Goat Assembly was to nurture magicians for the family and to participate in the construction of Dragon Beast Sailboats. "My father was Cohen Magic Goat, a marquis of the Grand Duchy. Curtis was my cousin; she grew up with me and was the pride of our family with her magical talent¡ªshe became a Grand Magician at the age of sixteen... Her romance with Prince Annuette was blessed by everyone." Virginia¡¯s voice was somber and fleeting, "As for me, I was just an inconspicuous member of the family, arranged marriages and shipbuilding were probably all there was in my life... I had never left the City of Thousand Sails, where I grew up, lived, and worked. Studying magic was the happiest time for me, until one day, Curtis came." "She ordered all of us to stop our work and assist her in some cruel experiments and to secretly research the Sapphire Dragon... We didn¡¯t want to, and my teacher ousted her from the Goat Assembly... Then she massacred those of us who did notply, and I could never imagine she would turn on me." And then. Virginia¡¯s story came to an end¡ªshe died. "So, you know the Dragonbone Stabilizer Technique?" Liszt asked. "Yes." Chapter 407 - 0404: Private Magic Advisor (Third Update, 1400 Monthly Votes Additional) "So..." Liszt hesitated for a moment. He originally nned to slowly familiarize himself before inquiring about the Dragonbone Stabilizer Technique, but then he felt there was no need for suchplexities when dealing with merely a remnant soul in his possession. Thus, he paused and directly asked, "Could you hand over the Dragonbone Stabilizer Technique to me?" Virginia was taken aback for a moment, "I can... However, Viscount Liszt, hasn¡¯t the Dragonbone Stabilizer Technique been disseminated in over a hundred years? I remember at that time my family had already conducted a technology exchange with the Sapphire Family. We acquired the technology to build three-masted sailboats, while the Sapphire Family received the Dragonbone Stabilizer Technique." n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om "There was a technology exchange?" Liszt was slightly surprised by her readiness, "I¡¯m not very clear on the shipbuilding technology possessed by the Sapphire Family, but I hope to build my own technological reserves and eventually construct Dragon Beast Sailboats. Thank you for giving the Dragonbone Stabilizer Technique to me." "It¡¯s nothing, I should thank you for releasing me from my downfall, allowing me a moment of freedom... It¡¯s just a pity, things have changed, the Magic Goat Family has been gone for over a hundred years." "What do you n to do next?" "I... don¡¯t know." The atmosphere grew a bit silent, and the mage made of smoky light, with a lifelike expression, revealed her perplexity. To the memories she possessed, she had just been killed by Curtis, her thoughts still stuck in an era from over a hundred years ago; but the reality was that the Magic Goat Family had vanished into thin air, and she became an isted remnant soul. In this world, not a single person she knew existed anymore. The stark contrast left her confused and at a loss. Liszt also didn¡¯t know how tofort her, so he asked, "What does it feel like to live inside a Soul Storage Vessel?" He prepared to defuse the awkward atmosphere with a research-oriented attitude. He was also curious to understand what it was like for Virginia to exist in a state of soul. The independent existence of the soul, to Liszt before his crossing, seemed utterly impossible, but now he had to ept this reality and expand his own knowledge reserves. The physicalws of this world were very different from those of Earth. Virginia, snapping out of her daze, thought for a moment and replied, "It¡¯s like entering sleep, feeling as though many dreams keep emerging, but once Ie out, I can¡¯t remember any of it." Liszt couldn¡¯t fully grasp that state but had a basic understanding. It was probably simr to entering a state akin to "hibernation." He then asked, "So with your current soul state, how long can you stay outside?" "I could stay a bit longer, I don¡¯t feel tired yet." "Let¡¯s do this: for now, you can serve as my private magical advisor. I¡¯ll keep you by my side, and when there¡¯s a chance, you can look at the outside world... You have plenty of time to ponder over your next steps in life. After all, you may exist in this way for a very long time." "I understand," Virginia didn¡¯t refuse, "Thank you, Viscount Liszt." Liszt smiled faintly and asked, "Then in this state, can you touch objects that exist in reality? Like this book, can you turn its pages?" Virginia was then floating above the desk, bending down to gaze at the knight¡¯s novel named "Mad Sword Saint Shamate Sunflower." She slowly reached out to touch the book. However, her hand could not truly make contact with the physical object: "I... I seem unable to do it." "Using your spiritual power?" Liszt suggested, remembering that specters could attack people, which meant they must have the ability to make contact with physical entities. Moreover, both Lich Curtis Truth and Lich Andy Sapphire, who were in a simr soul form, could manipte physical objects. He didn¡¯t know how Virginia¡¯s current state differed from that of a lich, nor why her soul could exist while the souls of other deceased could not. These were research topics for his future, and if he had the time, energy, and strength, he would seek to understand it all. Following Liszt¡¯s advice, Virginia began to try to flip through the book using her spiritual power. Magicians would all train their spiritual power. Perhaps they wouldn¡¯t necessarily have a significant advantage over knights since knights also practiced daily to control Dou Qi with their thoughts, butpared to ordinary people, a magician¡¯s spiritual power was extremely strong. At first, Virginia stared for quite a while without any movement from the knight¡¯s novel. But, as Virginia began to shimmer with light, the book fluttered from beginning to end like it was caught in a gust of wind, and the other knight¡¯s novels on the table also started flipping through their pages. However, this force onlysted for less than ten seconds before disappearing, and everything returned to calm. Virginia looked exhausted, gasping for breath, "Viscount Liszt, I feel very tired. I can barely hold on." "Your mental control needs training. Once you¡¯ve practiced, you should be able to use your thoughts to move some objects." Liszt evaluated, then added, "Since you¡¯re tired, go rest in the soul storage vessel... By the way, can youe out of the soul storage vessel by yourself?" "I don¡¯t think so. After I go in, I feel like I fall asleep, and I can¡¯t do anything." "Hmm." Watching Virginia turn back into a wisp of smoke and retreat into the soul storage vessel, Liszt was very satisfied with the effect of this special magic equipment, especially the part where the soul couldn¡¯t leave on its own. He stored it in the gemstone space. The banquet then began. ... The atmosphere at the banquet was quite lively. In the dining room on the first floor, town officials, members of the knight squad, Paris, and Chris were all present. Like at Tulip Castle, they began with a moment of mourning for the two fallen Earth Knights, before moving to mingling and boasting with each other. The participating members of the knight squad were all eager to brag about their performances on the battlefield, iming all sorts of feats like skewering four enemies with one spear thrust, killing an elite Earth with a turnaround spear, breaking a long spear with a great sword to take a head, or shooting down an enemy¡¯s throat amidst chaos. Of course, while boasting about themselves, the Earth Knights did not forget to butter up their superior,uding Liszt¡¯s battlefield prowess. "The lord is invincible!" "With the lord riding on andwalker bird and leading the Blizzard Beast, no one dared to face him in the charge." "He was like a beam of light, guiding us forward!" Liszt sipped his beer with a detached air, not saying much; he never enjoyed being overly active at parties. At Tulip Castle, many nobles were constantly toasting, making it hard not to respond. Here, he was the onlyndlord, and everyone else was a follower ¨C so he could minimize the number of times he drank. Or, like most leaders, he could take just a light sip. The banquetsted until eleven o¡¯clock at night. After the guests dispersed, Liszt informed Butler Carter, then left the castle and headed towards the sea. He was prepared to find the Sea Sprite Ake, help her with her magic problems,plete the Smoke Mission, and receive the reward. Chapter 408 - 0405: The Feasibility of Raising Magical Beasts (First Update) The sea view vi was equipped with crystalmps, which Liszt had installed for the convenience of the sea sprite Ake to read books. When he arrived at the sea view vi and pushed open the door, he clearly smelled a faint fragrance in the room, which was the familiar body scent of Ake. However, Ake was not in the room, certainly considering Liszt¡¯s arrival as that of a castle servanting to clean the room and hiding herself. Liszt stood by the window and blew a small horn. In a short while, through the Eye of Magic, he saw a giant shell swimming over from the sea and entering the room on the first floor. Then, the shell crack opened slightly, and upon seeing Liszt standing at the top of the stairs, it quickly openedpletely, revealing Ake wrapped in a water band at the crucial parts. The sea sprite was still so beautiful and lively. "Brother!" Ake shouted excitedly, the sea water in the shell carrying her directly towards the top of the staircase, and she plunged into Liszt¡¯s arms: "Ake missed brother so much!" As he held the soft figure in his arms, Liszt felt like he was embracing arge elf. The fullness of her chest was pressing against him, and even with the barrier of the water band soaking his clothes, he could still feel a suffocating pressure. He could not help but hold Ake a little tighter and carried her back to the study. It was a while before Ake let go of her hands, containing her excitement, and blinked herrge eyes, smiling at Liszt. "It¡¯s been a long time, Ake." "Yeah, yeah, Ake has been looking forward to brother¡¯s return every day. Does brother think of Ake every day too?" "Of course, thinking of Ake every day, Ake is so cute." Liszt rubbed her blue hair, and she immediately burrowed into his arms like a kitten, sitting with him on a chair. Or rather, Liszt sat on the chair, and Ake sat in his arms. Her petite stature of no more than one meter fifty-five, when in the arms of Liszt who was over one meter eighty-five, indeed made her seem like a little cat. But although Ake was petite, her body was curvy and well-proportioned, which unavoidably led to some inappropriate thoughts. Liszt felt somewhat feverish himself. But he quickly harbored righteous thoughts: "Ake is just a sea sprite who doesn¡¯t quite understand human emotionalmunication, she is not yet of age, I should not indulge in fantasies." Despite the embrace making it difficult not to imagine some parching scenarios, he still restrained his impulse. He chatted with Ake about some amusing anecdotes from the battle of Iron Hoof Ind, boasting about his own brilliant valor. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om Then he got down to business: "Ake, how has your magic progressed while I¡¯ve been away?" "Ake has already fully mastered the magician-level water magic¡ªWater Arrow Barrage, Water Wheel Wall, Water Bullet, Water Whirlpool, Fountain of Water can be cast instantly... But the Water Wave Shield, which can only be mastered by a grand magician, Ake has been unable to release it." Ake said with some frustration. The Water Wave Shield was provided by Chris Truth; although she was not a grand magician, because she had a grand magician as a teacher, she mastered several advanced magic casting methods. Liszt naturally obtained the casting method effortlessly and passed it on to Ake. "Tell me the difficulties you¡¯ve encountered, I will consult with other magicians," Liszt said. The town now not only had Chris, the magician from the Goat Assembly but also Virginia Truth, a private magic consultant. Coming from the Magic Goat Family, this magician would likely have extensive knowledge. Ake left Liszt¡¯s embrace and took a book from the study cab, handing it to Liszt: "Brother, Ake has recorded all the questions she doesn¡¯t understand in this notebook." Taking the notebook, Liszt flipped through it casually, the handwriting in the first half was crooked and ugly, but as he reached thetter half, the handwriting became more and more graceful, with many special magical symbols also drawn. It had to be said that Ake¡¯s magical talent was brilliant, and so was her talent for drawing. "I will consult with other magicians and help you solve these as soon as possible." Putting away the iprehensible notebook, Liszt asked another question, "Ake, where¡¯s Nami, not following you?" Nami is a mangrove minor elf. Ake said with a smile: "Nami is at Mangrove Ind, there are now many little ducklings hatched on Mangrove Ind, Nami likes them very much. Every day she catches green caterpirs to feed them and even sleeps with the ducklings." "How many adult Green-headed Ducks are there on Mangrove Ind, and how many just hatched?" "There are twenty-five adult ducks, and forty-four ducklings have hatched. There are also many eggs that haven¡¯t hatched yet." Hearing that there were so many, Liszt was excited¡ªthe Green-headed Duck was a Low-Level Magical Beast, a source of arge amount of Magical Beast Meat. "Won¡¯t those Green-headed Ducks attack Nami?" "Not at all. The adult ducks are just looking for Green Caterpirs to eat on Mangrove Ind. They don¡¯t care about their own eggs and the ducklings that hatched; it¡¯s Nami who is feeding the ducklings." "Are those eggs hatched by the adult Green-headed Ducks?" Ake shook his head: "No, they cracked open by themselves after basking in the Sun." It was clear that Magical Beast Green-headed Ducks are not ordinary ducks; they don¡¯t need to be incubated. "Do they only eat Green Caterpirs?" "They also go to the shore to eat small shrimp and crabs, and they eat the leaves of the Mangrove Forest and wild berries." After listening to Ake¡¯s detailed description, Liszt basically understood that Green-headed Ducks were omnivorous, Low-Level Magical Beasts that could be domesticated. Artificial breeding was highly feasible, but the breeding of Green Caterpirs must also be managed artificially, as it was the Green Caterpirs that attracted the Green-headed Ducks to settle there. Of course. Feeding techniques would certainly require some time to explore, as these were Magical Beasts capable of spitting Water Arrows, which was very dangerous. "So, Ake, do you often go to that Coral Reef? Have you found anyrger Trida in ck Pearl Lake?" Liszt inquired further. The Coral Reef was the coral reef that submerged during high tide, the surrounding waters of which he had named ck Pearl Lake; naturally, the Trida that produced ck Pearls were named ck Pearl Trida. "I often go there to y, but there aren¡¯t anyrger Trida in ck Pearl Lake. I¡¯ve looked into them when they open their mouths; there are no veryrge ck Pearls. All of them are much smaller than the ck Pearl brother gave to Ake," Ake said, conjuring a ck Pearl the size of a fist as if by magic. Holding the ck Pearl, she said, "Ake has been practicing Magic Array construction with ck Pearls recently." "Good, apart from learning to cast Magic, try to work on researching Magic Arrays. Aim to not only be able to fight in the future but also to produce Magic Potions and manufacture Magic Equipment." "Hm!" ... Leaving the Sea View Vi, it was already midnight. He had intended to hand over Ake¡¯s Magic Notes to Chris for solutions, but considering the time, he decided not to disturb her as she might already be asleep. Early the next morning. He had a servant send the Magic Notes to Chris: "Tell Chris to try toplete the solutions as soon as possible. If there are parts that she cannot answer, just skip them." Liszt would ask Virginia about the parts Chris couldn¡¯t solve. Afterwards. He was having breakfast while listening to Butler Carter¡¯s report on the Castle¡¯s activities over the past month. There were no problems requiring his intervention, so he could skip over them. After breakfast, he gathered knights such as Marcus and Consultant Goltai to set sail towards ck Horse Ind. ck Horse Ind was already ready to be disclosed to the public, but first, it had to wee and measurement by The Court Envoy and the Tulip Fort Envoy to ensure it was suitable to be a Viscount¡¯s titled ind. On this trip, Liszt was going to handle the secrets on the ind that couldn¡¯t be exposed¡ªmore importantly, he wanted to inspect the revitalized Fire Dragon Bones on-site. Chapter 409 - 0406: Can’t Hit the Fire Dragon Bones (Second Update) Burial Ground, in the afternoon. Liszt walked among the five huge Fire Dragon Bones, constantly using the Eye of Magic to observe the magical feedback of the bones. He saw no sign of magic. The so-called resurrection of dragon bones by the Smoke Mission showed no signs; these five decayed dragon bones still looked the same as ever. He dismissed the Eye of Magic and observed the dragon bones with his naked eye. Geographically, from ck Horse Ind, the Burial Ground was located between Ice Grass Hill and Needle Grass Hill, roughly to the due east of the ind. "If I take this number one dragon bone beside me as the starting point (0,0) of the coordinate system, with the eastward extension as the x-axis and the northward extension as the y-axis, with twenty meters to a scale. Then, the number two dragon bone is located at (-2,3); the number three dragon bone at (4,5), the number four dragon bone at (8,3), and the number five dragon bone at (11,4), with the closest distance between numbers one and two being seventy-two meters." As Liszt examined, he plotted the coordinate system on thick parchment. The five dragon bones, positioned on the coordinate system, could roughly be connected to form a pentagon shaped like a sword de: "Is there some special reason for this shape or for this distribution of bones? Or is it just because the volcano erupted at random, scattering the bones to these five points?" It seemed to be a random scatter without a special reason. He packed up the parchment and climbed to the top of the number one dragon bone, which had been weathered into a t horizontal surface at the break. The bone was originally covered with soil and weeds, but now the weeds had been cleared away to reveal the fine patterns of the dragon bone itself. ording to normal skeletal structures, bones are hollow, but the Fire Dragon¡¯s bones were not. "Or rather, the location of the bone marrow inside its bones has been filled with some substance," Liszt squatted on the broken surface and looked closely; one could see a division line between the bone and the marrow. Like the growth rings in a book. "The Fire Dragon Bones haven¡¯t turned into fossils and are still bony in nature, including therge fragments previously transported to Fresh Flower Town, which are real bones. Those bone fragments didn¡¯t contain the substance that marrow transforms into... What exactly has the marrow in these five dragon bones turned into?" He wanted to chip off a piece for research. But the Dragon Bone was too tough to be chipped open, and strangely, the echo seemed a bit too loud. He stopped, and the echo disappeared instantly. When he struck the bone hard, the echo surged again. "Something¡¯s not right!" He immediately used the Eye of Magic again, looking around in a circle; no magical traces were found. He struck the bone again, and at that moment, along with the surging echo, a magical pattern, like lightning, appeared beneath his feet on the dragon bone¡ªred magic power, intertwining like blood vessels within the dragon bone, shing by in an instant. "There¡¯s a situation!" He struck once more, seeing even more clearly the fire-red magic power within the dragon bone emerge, thick and thin, convoluted like roots. He turned his head to look at dragon bone number two nearby; when struck again, the second dragon bone also disyed a mass of densely intertwined fire-red fments that shed over the bone. Looking towards the distant bones three, four, and five, every time he struck bone number one, they too would sh red magic fments. The echo expanded ordingly. And as Liszt continued to strike, the twinkling of these fire-red threads became brighter and brighter, as if they would ignite at any moment. He inexplicably thought of the sensation of turning the crank on a tractor from his childhood. With the eleration of the crank¡¯s rotation, the ignition of the cylinder increased, eventually apanied by billowing ck smoke, and the tractor ignited sessfully. So, his chisel danced on the Fire Dragon Bone like the needle of a sewing machine. In his view through the Eye of Magic, the fire-red magic fments grew brighter with each pass until atst they almost zed into arge fire. The temperature in the surrounding air was also rising progressively. "Just a bit more effort, and I would have ignited these five dragon bones!" His heart surged with excitement as he increased the pace of his work. However, just as the mes were about to catch, the fine steel chisel snapped with a crack. The fiery red threads on the fire dragon bones also extinguished instantly. All his efforts were in vain. Suppressing his frustration, Liszt took out a bone hammer made from fire dragon bone fragments from the Gemstone Space and continued to hammer away at the bones. But after he had also broken the bone hammer, the fire dragon bones still failed to ignite. "There must be something missing, perhaps fire dragon magic power?" he stopped hammering and sat on the fire dragon bones to think, his wrist already numb and sore, requiring a rest. After he had rested, he took out his stock of fire dragon jars¡ªaside from the supply used for the Fire Dragon Brick Factory, there was still quite a lot of fire dragon magic power that had not been put to use. He released a small amount of fire dragon magic power onto the fire dragon bones. He quickly discovered¡­ As the fire dragon magic power touched the fire dragon bones, it instantly turned into numerous fiery red magic threads and was devoured by the bones. After the fiery threads vanished, no Magic Little Fire Dragons flew out. After watching for a while, Liszt was certain of one thing: "Has my precious fire dragon magic power just gone to waste like that?" Unwilling to ept this, he took out another bone knife and continued to strike the fire dragon bones. However, the result was the same as before¡ªthe fiery red threads grew brighter and brighter until the bone knife broke, and still, the fire dragon magic power did not ignite: "Could it be that I need to keep feeding it fire dragon magic power?" It seemed the fire dragon bones werecking a kind of "fuel," much like a tractor without oil. No matter how much you try to crank a tractor with no oil, it won¡¯t start up. But still¡­ For Liszt to use fire dragon magic power as fuel, adding it to these five seemingly useless fire dragon bones, felt somewhat reluctant. After all, the uses of fire dragon magic power were so immense¡ªcurrently, the Fire Dragon Brick Factory relied entirely on fire dragon magic power to operate, and the raw material ratios for bs, conduits, and pottery had already been figured out. They could be fired into finished products. The conduits and bs from the Fire Dragon Brick Factory directly elerated the construction speed of ck Horse Ind. The streets of the port town were already paved with bs, and the drains were covered with conduits¡ªneat and smooth, showing none of the backwardness and primitiveness typical of a small town. Once you step away from the Fire Dragon Brick Factory, the feeling of backwardness hits you in the face. "The Fire Dragon Brick Factory is one of the few industrial lights on my territory, and I must ensure its smooth operation... The current stock of fire dragon magic power could barely be used as ¡¯fuel¡¯ for the addition... Besides, we could continue to mine the underground volcanic ss and extract new fire dragon magic power." He made a decision right then: while ck Horse Ind was still undeveloped, he would first clear thend and mine all the volcanic ss and fire dragon magic power. The entire underground of the ind was made of basalt columns, with gaps filled with lots of volcanic ss¡ªit should be possible to mine plenty of fire dragon magic power. "Igniting the five dragon bones should be nearly enough, right?" He looked at the dragon bones in front of him and released all the remaining fire dragon magic power. As the bones rapidly absorbed the magic power, he struck for thest time. Unfortunately, the result was still the same¡ªall his efforts had been in vain, unable to ignite the magic power. "Regardless, the five fire dragon bones have clearly revived. The next step is to keep mining fire dragon magic power and add it as fuel! When it finally ignites, what will it breed... could it really be a Fire Dragon Cub?" Liszt swallowed his saliva, feeling his heartbeat quicken. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om He quickly dismissed this unreliable fantasy. Chapter 411 - 0408: The Shortage of Craftsmen (First Update) It was a Green-headed Duck. A very plump andrge Green-headed Duck, about the size of a wolfhound, with shiny, oily green feathers on its head. It didn¡¯t fly, but instead, waddling through the mud, came from the ind toward the shore. "My lord, it¡¯s a... very plump wild duck!" Marcus quietly took off his bow and arrow, preparing for the hunt, "Take it on board, smear it with oil and char, we can change up the vor." Influenced by the castle, he had also be a part of those who appreciate fine food. Liszt raised his hand to stop Marcus, "This is not a wild duck, it¡¯s a Low-Level Magical Beast called a Green-headed Duck, capable of shooting water arrows. Let¡¯s observe for a while and see how many Green-headed Ducks are on the ind." "Low-Level Magical Beast?" Marcus raised an eyebrow, much more cautious now. Perhaps a Low-Level Magical Beast wasn¡¯t much of a threat to Liszt, an Elite Earth Knight well-equipped and adept at consuming magic-enhancing substances, but it still posed a threat to him, an Elite Earth Knight focusing on Combat Skills. This Green-headed Duck had been living leisurely on Mangrove Ind for over a month without encountering any danger, so its vignce had greatly diminished as it strolled around looking for food. It seemed to notice a Green Caterpir on the branch of a mangrove tree, so it snapped its beak, releasing a water arrow and urately hitting the Green Caterpir. The Green Caterpir was knocked down by the water arrow, and the duck walked over slowly, bit the caterpir. Its t beak trembled rapidly a few times, then spit out the caterpir, or rather, the green hairs of the caterpir, eating only its flesh. After finishing one caterpir, it waddled away to look for more Green Caterpirs. Only then did Liszte out from behind the mangrove where he was hiding, "Green-feathered Ducks havee to Mangrove Ind, which is good news. Let¡¯s look around for the eggs of the Green-headed Ducks, these Magical Beasts don¡¯t like making nests, so their eggs are scattered everywhere." Before he finished speaking, Marcus shouted, "My lord! Here¡¯s an egg!" A pale greenrge egg, probably three times the size of a normal duck egg. Liszt used his Eye of Magic to see the pale blue Magic Power flowing inside; undoubtedly, this was a fresh egg of the Green-headed Duck. After spending an hour The group roughly searched the entire Mangrove Ind, not only finding twenty Green-headed Duck eggs but also several plump Green-headed Ducks. However, the whereabouts of the forty or so hatched ducklings were unknown. Liszt did not find them, and they were probably hidden by the Mangrove Minor Elf Nami. Because when Liszt found the Mangrove Cordyceps, he had seen Nami hiding in the mangrove bushes, not greeting him, probably a bit apprehensive of the Retainer Knights following Liszt. So, Liszt did not force her to show herself either. There was no need to tell everyone about the treasure like an Elf; it¡¯s better to enjoy it privately. "Carefully hold the Green-headed Duck eggs; let¡¯s head back!" Liszt specially took another look at Nami¡¯s Mangrove Cordyceps and felt it was just an ordinary mangrove without much use. So, he didn¡¯t pay too much attention to it and returned directly to the Fresh Flower Vessel. Having collected enough samples, it was possible to try breeding Green Caterpirs and Green-headed Ducks back in Fresh Flower Town. Once the technology was fully mastered, the breeding scale could be expanded on ck Horse Ind¡ªGreen-headed Ducks would definitely be a high-value Magical Beast industry in Liszt¡¯s hands. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om On the ship. Lisztmanded the Retainer Knights toy the eggs on the deck, padded with cloth, so that the sunlight could continuously shine on them, to avoid dying their hatching. "Consultant Goltai, make sure to figure out the breeding techniques for green caterpirs and green-headed ducks as quickly as possible," "As you wish." "I also need you to quickly arrange for the seven craftsmen I brought back," Liszt remembered, initially he had asked Marcus to search for craftsmen in Mane City and then have them sent directly to the seaside to secretly join the fleet. In total, there were seven craftsmen and their families. He had nned to continue searching for craftsmen, but unfortunately, the Earl had called a halt to it. He did not want to risk losing what¡¯s important over something trivial, so the only craftsmen he could bring back were these seven. "Fred Ginch¡¯s job is easy to arrange, I will set him up with a specialized drilling team," Goltai said, a bit excited, "His arrival is very important to ck Horse Ind. It¡¯s difficult to get water in the harbor town, and the nearby rivers have too little flow, so drilling wells for water is a must." Fred Ginch was the only one among the seven craftsmen to have reached master level, and he was a driller¡ªan essential profession for the territory¡ªnot one who drills for oil, but for water wells. His surname also originated from drilling; "Ginch" is a wooden tool used to stabilize well walls. It could be said that Fred¡¯s relocation to ck Horse Ind had resolved the ind¡¯s water source issue. Goltai continued, "Paper craftsman Lavaigne can have a thick paper workshop built for him so we can produce our own thick paper; shoe craftsman ton can set up a shoe store in Fresh Flower Town, and I believe the business should be passable; the two carving artisans can be arranged to work with the carpenters in the woodworking workshop to carve furniture; umbre craftsman Gomez can also prepare an umbre shop." "I recall there was also a gelding artisan?" Liszt inquired. "Yes, Gelding Artisan Dwight," Goltai answered, revealing his increasingfort with his role and diligence at work, "I asked him yesterday, and he can castrate cows and horses. He once gelded horses for the nobles of Mane City, and those warhorses all stemmed from his gelding. With the batch of crossbred horses about to be born in the stables, all future gelding work for the grown horses can be handed over to Dwight." By calction, The pregnancy of the Fire Dragon Horse mares had reached eleven months; it was time for them to give birth. This was the first batch of horses mixed with the bloodline of the ck Blood Treasured Horse¡ªLiszt wasn¡¯t sure about their quality, but he held high hopes for them. Purebred herds of ck Blood Treasured Horses would take decades to cultivate and develop, making it challenging to equip the Knight Order. However, they could continue to breed and produce mixed breeds. As long as the mares could keep up, these crossbred horses could expand in scale in a short period, easily arming the Knight Order¡ªLiszt was now Viscount ck Horse Ind and could support an Earth Knight Order of over a hundred people to fight for him. Driller. Paper Craftsman, Shoe Craftsman, Umbre Craftsman, Carving Artisan, Gelding Artisan. These seven selected craftsmen could somewhatpensate for the industries that Fresh Flower Towncked, but to properly develop ck Horse Ind, more craftsmen were needed¡ªpot menders, vinegar brewers, butchers, scale makers, salt workers, de sharpeners, pen makers, bamboo weavers, mold makers, wax workers, ink makers, etc. Evenedians and other performers were necessary as part of the cultural enrichment. ¡­ Back in Fresh Flower Town, the green-headed duck eggs continued to bask in the sun. Liszt then took a trip to the Magic Workshop to inquire about Chris¡¯s progress on the Magic Notes. To his surprise, it had only been a day, and she had already solved all the questions. "My lord, the magician who posed these questions is very clever, but his experience is immature. It seems as if he is groping in the dark; many of his basic understandings are incorrect. I have temporarily finished answering the questions in this Magic Notes. If you need it, I can write a more detailed basic magic textbook to give to you," Chris offered dutifully. Seeing Liszt as her benefactor or as a patron of magic research, Chris was verymitted. Liszt certainly wouldn¡¯t refuse, "Then I¡¯ll have to trouble you. It¡¯s for a young rtive of mine, a sister who doesn¡¯t like to practice Dou Qi but is instead very interested in magic." Chris smiled and said, "If she has any questions, she cane and ask me anytime. I shall share all I know." Chapter 412 - 0409: A High-Profile Appearance (Second Update) Presenting the Magic Notes solved by Chris to the diligent Ach, the Smoke Mission was immediatelypleted, "Mission aplished, reward: Water System Grand Mage Acherloides Truth." "Indeed, Ach is about to break through to be a Grand Mage... But then again, how exactly is the distinction defined between a Grand Magician and a Magician?" Liszt was puzzled by this point. Magic, unlike Dou Qi, did not have a hierarchy of low-level, intermediate, advanced, and Dragon Dou Qi, so he wasn¡¯t clear about the differences between a Grand Magician and a Magician besides the variety of magic they mastered. Nor could anyone clear up this confusion for him. So far, the only Grand Magician he had seen was at Red Crab Ind, the Court Grand Mage Grimmand Truth, who set off fireworks for Marquis Merlin. They had shared a drink at the banquet, but their chat did not exceed two sentences. Chris obviously had been in contact with Grand Magicians, as her teacher was a Grand Magician. However, her teacher had not told her the significance of being a Grand Magician too early¡ªprobably treating her as cannon fodder for the Goat Assembly, not intending to teach her further magical knowledge. "Once Ach breaks through to be a Grand Magician, I¡¯ll study it thoroughly. Perhaps I can summarize some data, which could be used to enlighten Chris and help her break through to be a Grand Magician as well... In this way, I¡¯ll have two Grand Magicians... Magicians are indeed evil, but I¡¯m sure these two wouldn¡¯t harm me." Liszt¡¯s impression of magicians was not very good. Granted, a knight¡¯s cultivation could not do without magicians to supply Magic Potions and create Magic Equipment. But the magicians¡¯ obsession with Truth made them irreverent, alwaysmitting terrifying acts¡ªcausing explosions was one thing, but even daring to mess with dragons¡ªThe Grand Magician of the Maple Leaf Duchy using a Light Dragon to transform a White Dragon Wraith; the Grand Magician of the Goat Assembly, even using a Sapphire Dragon to transform a Lich. As a noble Knight and a member of the ruling ss, Liszt naturally condemned the magicians, "Anarchy!" And decided in his heart that if he couldn¡¯t keep a firm grip on the magicians, he would not allow them to live on his territory. In the Sea View Vi, Ach was studying the book earnestly, his face sometimes puzzled, sometimes delighted,pletely immersed in solving the Magic Notes. Liszt sat aside, contemting new Smoke Missions. "Mission: There are not many moments in a person¡¯s life that are worth engraving in memory. For a Knight, promotion of rank is definitely such a memorable moment. Approach this ennoblement ceremony with your utmost fervor, and enhance your noble prestige. Reward: Bursting Elf Bugs." "Bursting Elf Bugs, what does that mean?" he pondered, "Does it mean another Elf Bug is about to evolve? Or does it mean that my territory is about to breed a new batch of Elf Bugs?" Whichever it was, both were rewards that excited him. Currently, he had two Little Minor Elves and neen Elf Bugs¡ªwealth beyond madness for a Baron, and even for a Viscount it was a substantial fortune. Yet Liszt was not satisfied; his life goal was not to be just a minor Viscount, so he needed to umte Elves continuously. "Approach the ennoblement ceremony with utmost fervor, enhance my noble prestige... I was nning to keep it low-key, but it seems I must make a grand gesture now." His grand gesture was to lead avish entourage the next day en route to Tulip Castle. The Landwalker bird Loki was his mount; Mithril Armor, a Sky-Cleaving Greatsword, a Swift Shadow Bow, paired with a bright red cloak embroidered with ck Tulips; the Blizzard Beast Dousen leading the Eight Tiny Ones who were taught a lesson and returned to their trembling days, followed closely behind; on the back of the Li Dragon Horse was his Personal Guard, ck Dragon Childe Paris. Following them were ten Earth Knights from Fresh Flower Town, along with a host of Retainer Knights and officials waiting to witness his ennoblement. It was as if he had brought out his entire following¡ªonly stopping short of cing J and Nami on his shoulders, and choosing neen servants to carry the Elf Bugs. Such an ostentatious entrance, galloping all the way to Tulip Castle, drew countless gazes. Having made a deliberate detour through Coral City, he had drawn countless citizens to the streets, sparking widespread discussion, "That¡¯s the Earl¡¯s most outstanding son, the new Viscount!" "Magical Beasts, so many Magical Beasts! The Magical Beast dog that nced at me just now scared me so much that I nearly wet my pants¡ªit had such a terrifying gaze!" "The one riding on the giant bird, that¡¯s the Viscount, with a noble aura as admirable as the Earl¡¯s, invoking respect from within one¡¯s heart." "The Tulip Family¡¯s lineage is so noble, their glory unceasing." Themoners¡¯ envy and admiration went unheard by Liszt as he roared away from Coral City and sped toward Tulip Castle. Escorted by the guard knights, he headed straight to the gates of the castle. Nobles who hade to attend the ennoblement ceremony walked out of Tulip Castle one after another to wee Liszt¡¯s arrival. "Viscount Liszt, congrattions, tonight will be your solo show," said Trick Weed as he came forward. "Glory belongs to all the knights who will be ennobled tonight," Liszt responded with a smile. Besides him, there were several other Honored Knights receiving their titles tonight, all veteran Earth Knights who had umted military exploits over several battles, earning their noble titles. For these knights ofmon birth, today marked a day of transformation, the moment of glory they had long dreamed of. The ten Earth Knights from Fresh Flower Town had not been ennobled, for they had not yet umted enough military merits, nor did they possess Liszt¡¯s talents and background. "Viscount, Aubrey sends his regards," said the once jovial fat man who had been on friendly terms with Liszt. Now, he dared not speak to Liszt as an equal, standing respectfully beside his father and bowing deeply in greeting. Liszt was inwardly moved, but even more so, he was proud. Yet, his face remained as warm as a spring breeze, with the standard noble smile, "Aubrey, you¡¯ve gained a lot more weight. Visit me in Fresh Flower Town or ck Horse Ind when you¡¯re free." "As long as you¡¯re not busy, I always look forward to visiting ck Horse Ind." Jonas Shattered Stone and his son also came to greet him, but their approach was not very warm¡ªthe Iron Hoof Ind campaign had resulted in losses for Jonas that did not bnce out with his gains, causing him silent distress. No sooner had the greetings been exchanged than Levis appeared, wrapping an arm around Liszt and proiming loudly, "Liszt, wee the true master of Tulip Castle for tonight¡¯s festivities!" The remark was mostly polite, but it was also tinged with genuine pride for Levis. After the pleasantries. He swiftly changed the subject, "Liszt, is this your Blizzard Beast?" "Yes, they¡¯ve grown up, and I took this opportunity to bring them out, to prepare them for future battle training," Liszt snapped his fingers, and Dousen immediately led the eight tiny ones to gather around him, "I¡¯m nning to form a Blizzard Beast siege team." "I have regrets," said Levis in a tone of envy andint, "I really should have snatched a few Blizzard Beasts back then. Dousen is too eye-catching on the battlefield! By the way, has that Female Tyrant Earth Hound gotten pregnant again? Don¡¯t forget, you promised me half of the next litter from the Fierce Earth Dogs!" n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om "I said I would share a few with you, but not half. Of course, as long as they can keep reproducing, I¡¯d be more than happy to share them with the family... However, it¡¯s somewhat regrettable that the Female Tyrant Earth Hound has not be pregnant," Liszt expressed his disappointment genuinely. Reproductive istion had broken his dream of building an army of Blizzard Beasts. Chapter 413: Chapter 0410: Viscount Black Horse Island (Third Update, 1800 Monthly Votes Additional) "I vow to serve you unto death, my lord!" In the Tulip Hall, where the knighthood ceremony had already begun, impassioned, exhrating, trembling roars echoed. Five Earth Knights who had umted enough military merits held the medals symbolizing the rank of Honored Knights, tears brimming hotly in their eyes. Generations of effort had finally borne fruit in their time, a glory bestowed upon them, a pride like no other. It brought to mind the days of old. The ancestors of the Tulip Family, too, came frommon stock, and even earlier forebears might have been serfs unknown to any nation. The great-great-grandfather, endowed with divine strength, returned alive from the battlefield and was made an Honored Knight, his title hereditary and indisputable. From there, step by step, the family grew and expanded to be the present day Earl family. Being an Honored Knight was a new starting point for noble evolution. Although the road ahead was not without challenges, and they could fall in battle at any time, they now had a clear path¡ªto continue their father''s cause, to pioneer and enterprising.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om The five new Honored Knights solemnly performed the standard knight''s oath of allegiance to the Earl, who sat in the ce of honor. The Earl serenely epted their fealty. Then, The knighthood ceremony quickly moved into its true climax. The Earl''s Retainer Knights, holding the Metal Civilization Staff symbolizing power and the Viscount Medal symbolizing glory, stepped into the hall and stood to the side. Another Retainer Knight held Li Weiliam''s sword. The Earl stood up from his seat. Taking two steps forward, he spoke in a deep voice, "My son, and my follower, Liszt Tulip. I shall repay courage with honor, loyalty with love, and betrayal with vengeance. Let the knight''s glory be witness!" Liszt stepped forward, knelt with both knees on the ground following the customary procedure, straightened his body, and calmly looked at the Earl, devoid of any joy or sorrow. The Retainer Knight holding the sword gave it to the Earl, who took it smoothly. Laying the de of the longsword on Liszt''s left shoulder, he dered solemnly, "In light of your performance on the battlefield, your fearless charge and disregard for life and death, you have achieved magnificent glory and brought considerable military achievements to Coral Ind..." The de lifted, shifting to the right shoulder, "Now, I, as Coral Ind''s Earl, name you my Viscount, the Lord of ck Horse Ind, with all authority over ck Horse Ind, to foster knights and ride for me!" The sword was passed back to the Retainer Knight, and the Earl picked up the Metal Civilization Staff that symbolized power, and solemnly handed it to Liszt. Liszt took the staff with both hands and nted it firmly on the ground. ng. The metal struck the floor, emitting a dull sound. Using the staff to support himself, he stood up and bowed, performing the knight''s oath of allegiance, "I shall manage ck Horse Ind, foster knights, and ride for my lord." Li Weiliam nodded slightly, picking up another medal shaped like a shield. About the size of an infant''s palm, it was a brass medal with a muted yellow-brass color. The front was engraved with patterns and designs that symbolized the Viscount, resembling a Tulip upon closer inspection. The back was inscribed with "ck Horse Ind" in threepact Serpent Scripts. The craftsmanship was far from exquisite, rather rough to the eye. But it was the noble proof of noble status. "From now on, you shall walk the earth as a Viscount. Commoners seeing you shall perform a kneeling salute, your peers shall address you by your title. And I, your Lord Li Weiliam Tulip, shall affectionately call you by your name...Liszt Tulip!" The Earl ced the Viscount Medal on the front of his chest. At once, The nobles gathered in the hall cried out in unison, "Viscount Liszt!" Followed by the knights without titles, who bowed reverently and called out, "Viscount, my Lord!" Adorned with the Viscount Medal and holding the Metal Civilization Staff, Liszt turned around. Scanning the room with an air of confidence, he affirmed that he had be the fourth Viscount on Coral Ind and the third to receive a titled fief. Thus, the brief yet thrilling ceremony concluded, the due honor had been received. Next came the celebration banquet. "Liszt, I am proud of you," the Earl approached him, raising his ss, "I hope that in the times toe, you manage ck Horse Ind well, achieve greater glory, and make the Tulip Family known throughout the world because of your name." "Father, I will constantly remind myself, to tirelessly strive for glory." Levis also approached with a ss in hand, "I hope we brothers continue to fight side by side, striving together for the glory of the Tulip Family." "Of course!" Following that, his advisor Goltai, came over beaming with joy, lifting his ss high, "To my lord, the glory of the Tulip Family, the ruler of ck Horse Ind, Liszt, I offer the most loyal respects!" Marcus and the others hurried over, toasting to Liszt. Drinking heartily from the Fresh Flower Brew, tonight Liszt decided to open his arms wide, turning away no one, "I stand with all of you!" ... "I am proud of you, my boy," Lady Penelope embraced him and offered her grandmotherly blessing as Liszt prepared to depart at dawn. "Thank you, grandmother." Li Vera also gave him a hug, "Well done, my dear brother, you always bring us surprises." Lady Marie and Lidun also came to bid farewell, at least outwardly very enthusiastic, and he responded with a warm smile. Then, he listened to his instructions in the Earl''s satisfied smile, "When the envoy from the Courtes to measure ck Horse Ind, I will have Advisor Jacob apany him. This is yournd, from now on, manage it well. If there are difficulties, ask the family for help." "I will, father." "Get ck Horse Ind in good order soon, and your castle too. I''d like to have a room there." "Grandmother, you, Lady Marie, Levis, Li Vera, Lidun, will all have a room in my castle, and are always wee to visit ck Horse Ind." The Earl patted Liszt''s shoulder, looking up at his son who was even taller than himself, his smile clear, "Go on then, I know you''re eager for the matters of ck Horse Ind." Liszt nodded, mounted thendwalker bird Loki, and prepared to set off. Just then Lady Penelope called out, "Oh,d, wait a moment, I have one more potted nt to give to you. A young knight favored by knightly honor, it might bring you good luck." As she spoke, her personal maid struggled to bring over a potted nt nearly half a person tall. On the tree hung several purple-red, oval-shaped fruits. Liszt was rather helpless about his grandmother''s habit of gifting potted nts, as not every potted nt could nurture an Elf Bug. Nevertheless, he smiled and had the retainer knights move the potted nt onto the carriage. Then the procession set off, truly walking thend of Coral Ind with the stature of Viscount ck Horse Ind. Now in the entire Coral City, there was no one who did not know the new Viscount had been granted his title, Liszt''s name was no longer passed around as the second son of the Tulip Family, but as Viscount ck Horse Ind. Thendwalker bird was very steady beneath him; he could summon the Smoke Mission at will. The smoke curled up, forming a long section of Serpent Script. At first nce, it seemed as if the mission was not yetplete, but upon closer inspection, Liszt found that the mission had indeed beenpleted. It was just that the rewards were astoundingly generous. "Missionpleted, reward one Fig Elf Bug, Smoked Grass Elf Bug, Green Tea Tree Elf Bug, Pea Elf Bug, ckberry Elf Bug each." Chapter 416: Chapter 0413: Namis Apple (First Update) Having entrusted the production of the Fire Dragon Horses to One-Eyed Barton, Liszt returned to the castle. Before dinner, he squeezed in some time to y the piano again. The impulse of a Piano King had probably faded, but he still enjoyed ying the piano very much. Listening to the music, he purified his soul. At the banquet, his followers got wildly drunk to celebrate his sessful ennoblement of ck Horse Ind. "I really wish I could be carefree like them..." Liszt envied them, who could eat and drink without worrying about the future. He felt somewhat depressed because before the meal began, the Finance Officer ir reported to him, "My lord, the 4,260 Gold Coins you requested to be raised, considering Fresh Flower Town and ck Horse Ind''s finances, even moving all the business funds and tax revenues, we''ve only managed to gather 1,350 Gold Coins." "How long would we have to mortgage the future earnings of Fresh Flower Brew to extract enough Gold Coins from Tulip Castle?" "I''ve calcted it, considering the current production scale and market sales of Fresh Flower Brew, which have only partially spread to Coral Ind and Red Crab Ind, while still in negotiation with Golden Ind, the monthly profits are around 600 Gold Coins... It would take about six months of mortgaging to withdraw enough Gold Coins." "Then let''s mortgage it." "But my lord, if we mortgage the future ie of Fresh Flower Brew, the territory''s construction will immediately fall into difficulty in this half year... We don''t have sufficient funds to support the construction of ck Horse Ind, and relying solely on the ie from Fresh Flower Soap, the carpentry workshop, and ck Tulip, we cannot sustain it," ir said helplessly. Fresh Flower Town was simply too thinly capitalized, and Liszt''s eagerness for rapid development meant that the capital chain was always on the brink of copse. "Don''t worry, let''s first mortgage the ie from Fresh Flower Brew. I''ll figure out a way for the remaining Gold Coins," Liszt reassured him, but his heart bled. He knew that he had to sell off personal assets again. So. While his followers drank merrily, he couldn''t bring himself to join in¡ªhe didn''t want to and didn''t like drinking. Holding a ss of iced juice, he sipped it slowly, his thoughts upied with how to make money: "Fresh Flower Town is so rich in resources, with a bunch of Elves enhancing production, but... it still can''t keep up with my consumption. The most profitable Magic Potion is just enough for my own use... It''s difficult to support an Elite Earth Knight addicted to Magic Potions." In this world, as long as one was well-fed and not of too poor aptitude, one could generally train to be an Earth Knight. But an Elite Earth Knight who insisted on daily use of Magic Potions was not something everyone could afford. ck Horse Ind was not yet developed, so Liszt''s revenue all came from Fresh Flower Town. It was only with the help of the Smoke Mission and the development of products like Fresh Flower Brew and Fresh Flower Soap that a small town could support his continuous Magic Potion consumption. Gold Coins were the greatest obstacle to a Knight''s progress. "Maybe sell the rubber. ck Horse Ind hasn''t been fully developed, and doesn''t use much rubber. Such a fine product, Tulip Castle should need it, and it could fetch a good price." Following Magic Potions and ironwood, the most important agricultural output of the territory was the versatile rubber. Certainly, the milk of the Dragon Breed Cows was also an important output, but it was not suitable for publicity and best used for internal supply. In fact, he could also sell the stored Mithril, Jade and Crystal, but these were consumable resources, easy to sell but hard to acquire, and he was reluctant to sell them again. "That settles it, sell the rubber." ... After the banquet. He made a trip to the Sea View Vi. These past few days, Ach had hardly gone swimming, instead, he was earnestly reviewing notes and studying magic, almost immersed in it. It made Liszt feel a hint of neglect. "Brother, Ach feels close, very soon I''ll be able to grasp the key information and make a breakthrough to be a Grand Magician! To help Brother navigate the seas!" Thankfully, she was just too engrossed in her magic studies and not really neglecting Liszt. "Hard work is a given, but don''t stay up toote. Rxing more can make your brain clearer and more effective than burying yourself in magic books all day," "Mhm, Ach understands," Even so, her eyes still couldn''t leave the magic books. Liszt didn''t disturb her any further and began to y with Nami. The mangrove minor elf hadn''t fed the ducklings on Mangrove Ind today but had followed Ach to stay at the Sea View Vi. "Chirp," Nami was sitting on the table with an apple she had bitten into in her hands, a gift from Liszt, and she liked eating apples very much.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om "Nami, do you like the mangrove forest?" "Chirp, chirp," Nami took another bite of her apple, then blinked herrge eyes at Liszt, who couldn''t tell if she understood his words. "Based on the living habits of the mangrove forest, I n to nt mangrove forests by the seaside in Fresh Flower Town and ck Horse Ind to create a habitat for green caterpirs and green-headed ducks." He was ostensibly talking to Nami, but he was actually pondering to himself, "Green caterpirs cannot be bred in ordinary forests." Green-headed ducks might be kept in cages, but to breed them properly, they can''t do without green caterpirs. The green caterpirs of Mangrove Ind definitely couldn''t support therge-scale breeding of green-headed ducks. "Chirp." Nami nced at Liszt, then looked down at therge apple in her hands, and then, somewhat reluctantly, offered the big apple to Liszt, "Chirp." "Haha, I won''t eat it, you eat," Liszt pushed the apple back, then stroked the small green leaf and little red flower on Nami''s head. The emerald Nami was exceptionally pleasing to the eye. Originally, her main use apart from looking good was that the mangrove could produce a kind of fruit that tasted faintly sour and sweet, not particrly delicious, and its use was unclear. However, as the food chain rtionship between the green caterpirs and green-headed ducks was established, the use of the mangrove forest began to emerge. The mangrove forest couldn''t do without Nami''s mangrove cordyceps, not to mention Nami also reared ducklings. After ying for a while, Liszt left the Sea View Vi. ... The next morning, he took the Fresh Flower Vessel to ck Horse Ind, which now basically traveled back and forth between ck Horse Ind and Fresh Flower Town every day. Captain Kostor was both transporting goods and using the voyages to train his crew. Once ck Horse Ind entered a rapid development phase, Liszt would have to assemble a floti to serve his own territory. "Teacher Marcus, Isaiah, what do you think of thisnd for building a castle? I hope to build a waterfront castle, half submerged in the water and half standing by the shore," standing on the rocky shore to the east of the port town, Liszt asked his followers for their opinions. "The castle is closely linked with the city, my lord. Have you decided to build the port town into a port city?" "The size of ck Horse Ind is too small; a port city is very necessary. Other than the current ck Horse Port, there is only one more harbor suitable for construction in the northwest," Liszt said, "In terms of shipping routes and distance, building a city at the port town is most suitable." "Then I have no objections to the castle being built in this current location... However, my lord, perhaps we could build the castle entirely on shore to prevent attacks from marine creatures." "No!" Liszt said emphatically, "I love a seaside castle!" Chapter 417 Chapter 0414 Brads Work Dilemma (Part Two) Liszt nned to build a modern castle. With rubber and ironwood, many ns could be realized¡ªof course, there was no money to build a castle now, and he would have to live in a cash-strapped situation for a few days. This did not hinder him from nning the location of the castle''s construction, as well as its footprint, floor height, and other requirements. An attached castle was generally the tallest building in a city. Fresh Flower Town''s Nameless Castle only had two floors; most unnamed castles stood between two and three floors in height. Named castles were mostly four floors high, and many viscounts and earls would build four-story castles. Beyond the four-story main body, there might be an even taller spire for vignce and defense. Tulip Castle was a four-story castle, but it looked particrly majestic as it was built ording to the mountain terrain. Nobles generally chose steep and rugged terrains for their castles, easy to defend and hard to attack. The most magnificent castle Liszt had ever seen was Long Taro Castle, which seemed to merge with the mountain range, a miracle of rock masonry five stories high. "In the future, this Rocky Beach will be the site for the castle''s construction; to the east and north, the castle''s anciry buildings will be constructed in session; to the south, a stone road connecting to the port city will be built. And the nning of the port city, I hope, can be between that of arge city and a small one," he said. By the way, Liszt also outlined his thoughts for his new city. Typically, andlord''s city construction would develop organically, gradually umting poption and slowly expanding in size. This led to cities appearing chaotic and filthy, with sewage and excrement flowing everywhere. Liszt did not wish his city to be another so-called excrement city. Sewers, toilets, and septic tanks were essential facilities he required for building a new city and town. Separating themercial district, workshop area, and residential zone was another principle he advocated for city nning, as only such a city could be called the light of civilization. ... Nighttime. Liszt called forth the Smoke Mission, "The location for the new castle has now been decided, this ce is definitely the right one." Fate''s threads moved, smoke twisted into trails like little snakes, forming a message in Serpent Script, "Complete the mission, reward: Advanced Dou Qi Manual ''Rising Sun ze''."n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om The Advanced Dou Qi Manual had arrived; it was probably being stored at Tulip Castle now. He immediately turned his attention to the new mission. "Mission: Crystal craftsman Brad is unemployed, and all the volcanic ss stocked in the town has been carved into vessels, leaving his crystal workshoppletely idle. As andlord, it is your responsibility to solve his employment issue. Reward: Mutated Variety Corn Grass." "Mutated Variety Corn Grass?" Corn Grass was currently being cultivated as fodder on arge scale, covering an area of 300 acres. Frequently harvested, it provided nutrition for the ck Blood Treasure Horses and Dragon Breed Cows. Liszt thought to himself, "Could the mutated variety of Corn Grass develop towards a magic potion? Or toward¡­ corn?" Corn Grass is not corn. Experience tales with empire ording to Earth''s taxonomic ssification, corn was domesticated from wild Corn Grass millennia ago by humans, and only in modern times has it turned into the grain corn with the big ears. This suggests that there is some connection between Corn Grass and corn ears, and in this world full of magic power, it is not impossible for Corn Grass to mutate into corn. Compared to the fodder attribute of Corn Grass, the grain attribute of the corn ear is the real divine artifact. "I remember not only that corn is a high yield crop butpared to other grains, it is the simplest to grow¡­" Liszt recalled some of the videos about Africa he had seen. Africans love to grow corn because it can be directly sown into the fields without weeding or fertilizing, waiting until the harvest season when the wild grass withers. They then find that the corn has managed to produce ears! Corn could be processed into cornmeal, from which they made their staple food "xi ma" ¡ª simr to corn pudding, which could be eaten by pinching it with one''s fingers. "If only we could really mutate corn. ck Horse Ind is huge, and I don''t have enough serfs to cultivate it. But with corn, all you need to do is nt it and then leave it be. Come harvest time, the yield might not be high, but it''ll be better than other crops that can be taken over by weeds and end up with no grains at all." This was a wonderful expectation. In order to obtain the possible corn cobs, Liszt decided to seriously solve the issue with Brad''s employment. Brad was a crystal craftsman, making a living by carving crystal items. He had a good ie in Coral City, belonging to the wealthy ss among themoners. However, due to the secrecy of the telescopes, he was sent by the Earl to Fresh Flower Town, bing one of Liszt''s subjects and settling there. Now there was no need to make telescopes, nor volcanic ss vessels, so he was idle all day long. "I had originally nned to have Brad make ss in the future, but it seems ss won''t be figured out anytime soon... Even if it is, ss seems to be very brittle and difficult to carve; it appears that ss is ''blown'' into shape," Liszt recalled from his memories of ssmaking. The red-hot ss, after being blown and inted, then hand-molded, forms ss goods like wine sses, tea cups, jars, etc. Moreover, there seems to be another method of ttening, pressing molten ss into t pieces to be used as windowpanes. Unfortunately, neither of these two manufacturing methods seems to have anything to do with Brad''s profession. It''s not like they could have him abandon his expert carving skills to deal with high-temperature ss solutions. As for finished ss, it doesn''t require further carving. "Should I have him learn other carving arts?" Liszt thought next. But he quickly dismissed the idea, as the craftsman''s trade is generally passed down through the generations -- a type of profession where the son follows in the father''s footsteps. It would be very difficult for Brad to change to other forms of carving. His thought processes had be rigid; it was clear when he was asked to carve volcanic ss that he was quite reluctant. Besides, the art of crystal carving also requires constant practice to maintain proficiency. "Why not just give him another batch of crystal to keep him busy, after all, once the castle ispleted, arge number of crystal items will be needed for decoration. By the time he finishes carving this batch, it will be about time to mine new volcanic ss, keeping him busy... Those five revived Fire Dragon bones are still waiting for my rescue." Having made a decision, he could rest easy and sleep. ... Early the next morning. Riding thendwalker bird Loki, he headed to the pasture and switched to the King of ck Blood Treasure Horses ¡ª Lightning. Actually, he no longer needed such ordinary Dragon Breed Horses as mounts, but in order to show that the Landlord and his following Knights were united, he still had to have a fine horse ¡ª even the Sapphire Duke kept a Blue Blood Treasure Horse as a mount, often charging into battle with his Knights. Lightning was the link between Liszt and his Knights. "Giddy up!" Apanied by the Retainer Knights, he dashed straight to the green tea trees on the north slope of Ice Grass Hill. The green tea was still being picked vigorously this season. The tea leaves that had been fried could satisfy Liszt''s personal drinking needs. Using the Eye of Magic, he could easily see that the biggest green tea tree in the middle had already nurtured an Elf Bug, "Karl, this green tea tree has nurtured an Elf Bug. Protect it, and as soon as the Elf Bug is born, notify me immediately." "The glory of a Knight favors us!" Karl Ironhammer responded with excitement, "Please rest assured, my lord, I will protect the green tea tree cordyceps carefully and prevent the Elf Bug from any harm!" Chapter 418 Chapter 0415 The Trafficker Elkerson (Third Update, 2200 Monthly Votes Additional) Returning from ck Horse Ind, good news kepting. First, a civilian family discovered their peas growing bigger and bigger and reported it to the authorities; Lisztter confirmed the presence of Pea Bugs within them. Then a Patrol Member found a ckberry bush with unusuallyrge ckberries in the wild, which Liszt also confirmed as Cordyceps. With that, the rewards from thest Smoke Mission had been fulfilled¡ªcontract with Smoked Grass Bug had been sealed, and the identification of Cordyceps included the Fig Bug, ckberry Bug, Pea Bug, and Green Tea Bug. Following close on the heels of these events was news delivered by a messenger knight from Tulip Castle, "Viscount, Sir Meioubao from Red Crab Ind Yam Fort visits Tulip Castle, and the Earl requests your presence to receive him." "Cousin is here?" Liszt was surprised and then nodded to acknowledge, "Sir Meioubao visits Tulip Castle¡ªdid he mention a reason?" "I''m not sure, Viscount." "Alright, go rest and have a ss of juice." "Thank you, Viscount." By evening, Liszt had not immediately headed to Tulip Castle; he nned to go the next day. As for the reason Meioubao came by, Liszt did not specte since he would find out tomorrow. In the evening, he still made his usual visit to see the Sea Sprite Ake who could break through to be a Water System Grand Mage at any moment. Unfortunately, Ake was not at the Sea View Vi tonight. Blowing the horn received no reply. "I don''t know where Ake has gone off to; never mind, let''s head back." Not having seen Ake, he could only return and only upon arriving back at the Castle, did he learn that Mr. Elkeson True hade. "Viscount, I have not been able to arrive at Fresh Flower Town in time to offer my congrattions." "Mr. Elkerson, long time no see." Liszt gestured for Elkerson to take a seat at his leisure, "It''s been several days since I returned, and I have been a bit anxious waiting for your magic books." "I went on a trip to an outer ind to connect with magicians I had known before in search of new magic and magic books. This time I''ve brought an entire cartload of magic books and seven new casting schemes," Elkerson said excitedly, knowing well that he could make a tidy profit once more. Liszt''s mouth twitched subtly in response. He was now so poor he was close to having to sell his assets. The thought of spendingvishly again on magic books and casting schemes was causing him pain. But for Ake''s future, as well as for the advancements of Chris, He decided to purchase these magic books and casting schemes regardless. "Luckily, I still have a little private money left, enough to cover this expenditure," Liszt paid a total of sixty-two Gold Coins from the Castle''s money pouch. Where Elkerson got magic like "Waterfall" and "Permafrost," which only Grand Magicians could master, was anyone''s guess. Just these two magic books cost forty Gold Coins. "Waterfall" was suitable for the future Water System Grand Mage Ake to practice, and "Permafrost" was suitable for Chris, who was proficient in Ice System magic. Once the transaction wasplete, Elkerson did not immediately take his leave. Instead, he looked mysteriously around, ensuring the servants had departed before saying, "Viscount, have you ever heard of the Dragon Soul Soldier?" "Dragon Soul Soldier?" Liszt shook his head; he had never heard of such a thing. Mr. Elkeson exined, "Legends say dragon souls reside within their teeth, which is why Dragon Tooth Soldiers wield some of the finest divine weapons. However, they aren''t considered the best weapons. Another legend speaks of extracting a dragon''s soul and infusing it into a special de to create a Dragon Soul Soldier, the ultimate weapon." "Is there such a im?" "I''ve heard it mentioned," Mr. Elkeson said with a smile. "Viscount, I was chatting with a few magician friends on the outer inds during the Iron Hoof Ind battle, so I know very little. Could you enlighten me with some details? Then I''ll summarize and share some information I have with you." On trading information, Li Si Te nodded, "What details do you wish to know?" "The battle between the Grand Duke and the Marquis of the Bull." It was no secret, Li Si Te remarked, "The Marquis of the Bull became a powerful Lich, shrouded in blue me, standing two or three times taller than an average person, wielding a big sword that oozed blue fire. He was strong, fought off a group of Sky Knights, yed several, and fled Juniper Castle." Unfortunately, he encountered the Grand Duke riding a dragon, got pped back, something pulled out from his chest, and was then taken away. Mr. Elkeson realized, "So the n was half a sess." "What n?" "Have you, Viscount, heard of the Goat Assembly?" "I''ve heard of the Goat Assembly. The Marquis of the Bull, along with the Evil Magicians from the Assembly, executed a dragon ying plot, but ultimately failed and fled," Li Si Te nced at Elkeson, curious to see his expression when ''Evil Magician'' was mentioned. To his disappointment, Elkeson seemed unperturbed by thebel, "The news I received indicated that the Goat Assembly coborated with the Marquis of the Bull with the aim of creating a Dragon Soul Soldier. The Marquis needed the power of the Sapphire Dragon to transform into a Lich, while the Assembly sought to steal the Sapphire Dragon''s soul." "From your magician friends?"N?v(el)B\\jnn "Yes, those magicians often organize exchanges, trading spellcasting materials, and such events tend to reveal some information. I was there to buy magic books and spell ns, and identally overheard this news, thinking it might be useful to you, Viscount." Regardless of the veracity of this information, Li Si Te was rather appreciative of Elkeson''s conduct. "The news isn''t very useful. Both the Marquis of the Bull and the Goat Assembly have been destroyed, and the Grand Duke''s dragon is unharmed... However, living in the countryside does lead to outdated information. In the future, as you seek out magic books and spell ns, keep an ear out for any valuable news for me." He then added, "I willpensate you ordingly, based on the value of the information." "I would be pleased to serve you, Viscount." Elkeson''s eyes narrowed into a happy smile; he had fallen from a magician who revered truth to a merchant solely focused on money. "By the way, Mr. Elkeson, tell me more about the Dragon Soul Soldier." "Honestly, I don''t know much. My colleagues always act so mysteriously, telling half-truths, or adding their assumptions to the little they know... They believe the Grand Duke''s dragon had its soul extracted, and the magicians from the Goat Assembly have already taken the dragon''s soul to create a Dragon Soul Soldier. As for what it looks like, nobody knows." The truth is, not just the Dragon Soul Soldier, but also the Dragon Tooth Soldier, remain unknown. These are all just legends. The best weapon known to actually exist, at least to Li Si Te, was a Greater Elf Warrior, a divine weapon steeped in Greater Elf blood, the Sapphire Duke''s sword. The name of that sword was the Wailing Cage Sword. Discover hidden tales at empire ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª My condition hasn''t been great recently, preventing me from unleashing my full potential. For those of you feeling a book drought, you might want to check out three greatpleted novels: "Heavy Truck War Car at The Apocalypse," a sci-fi, Transformers-inspired rise, "Reboot High School First Year," a rxing tale of writing anew upon returning to high school, and "The Legend of the Dragon Suit," a story of bing a star from humble beginnings. Chapter 419 Chapter 0416 Water Wave Shield under the Moonlight (First Update) Why a Greater Elf Warrior weapon called the Wailing Cage Sword is so named remains a mystery. But its value is absolutely enormous, after all, it requires soaking in the blood of a Greater Elf¡ªwhether the blood is from an enemy Greater Elf or an elderly one, the value is still expensive. Beneath the weapons of Greater Elf Warrior rank are Dragon Bone Weapons, weapons made from dragon bones¡ªLiszt highly suspects that the great sword of the Marquis of Bull that spews blue mes is a Dragon Bone Weapon. Coincidentally, the left foreleg of the Sapphire Dragon is broken off, and much of its power has been stolen by the Marquis of Bull. The clues match. Furhter down are Little Elf Soldier weapons, followed by Gemstone Weapons, followed by Magic Equipment¡ªthe value of Magic Equipment varies, depending on the value of the materials used to craft it. If it is made from materials of Advanced Magical Beasts or even Super Magical Beasts, its value can certainly be on par with Dragon Bone Weapons. Above the Greater Elf Warrior weapons, the most likely weapons to exist are the Dragon Tooth Soldier weapons and Dragon Elf weapons, and now there is also the Dragon Soul Soldier weaponry informed by Elkerson. "Perhaps in the future, even ''Elf King''s Weapons'' may appear and be legendary," Liszt thought to himself. The Elf King is evolved from a Dragon Elf, and though only existing in legend, no one knows its appearance, abilities, or value. But it might be reality, as long as there''s a possibility of existence, there''s the possibility it could be in, bled, and its blood used to soak weapons. He even thought, "Using dragon teeth as the main material for the weapon, infusing it with the soul of a dragon, and then soaking it in the blood of an Elf King, could it be an ultimate, unparalleled Divine Artifact? I really hope that one day I can forge such a unique Divine Artifact, gallop across the continent on the back of a dragon, and explore this world." In this world filled with magic power, there are countless hidden secrets waiting to be discovered. Of course, Liszt is still very weak at present, and his range is limited to a few inds, so he must proceed step by step, very steadily. One day, the dream will be realized. ... Under the illumination of the Crystal Lamps, the study was bright. Liszt flipped open the covers of magic books one by one, and if opening a hundred book covers could earn him the Bronze achievement "Cover-Sliding Maniac," he probably had be a Gold-level "Cover-Sliding Maniac." "No." "No." "No¡­" "Well, I didn''t find any Dou Qi secret techniques in this batch of magic books, I can sleep easy now." Liszt piled the books into a stack, waiting for tomorrow to ssify them into story type or research type, keep the story type, and send the research type directly to Chris and Ake, "I just wonder what they will think when they see the opened covers." He left the study. He had the servants prepare the bathwater, took a quick bath, and then went to the bedroom to sleep. However, just as he fell asleep, many miles away at ck Pearl Lake, on a coral reef exposed at low tide, a huge white shell slowly swam upwards from the depths. In the moonlight. The white shell slowly opened, and the silhouette of a young girl slowly unfolded, propped up by the seawater within the shell, and soon she was floating above the sea surface. With her back to the moon, she quietly hovered in midair. A clear voice pierced the tranquility of the night at ck Pearl Lake, "Let meditationmunicate with magic power, use magic power to build a bridge, the bridge extends into a pathway; at the end, surrounded and escorted by countless runes, there is magic!" The girl slowly raised her left hand. Her fingers spread apart, a faint blue light gathered at her fingertips, forming a shield with wrinkles the size of a bowl''s mouth. The wrinkled surface slowly expanded outwards in the shape of water waves, creating arger arc. That faint blue light, along with the moonlight, illuminated the girl''s face, revealing her to be the sprite of the sea¡ªSea Sprite Ake. At that moment, Ake''s face was full of devotion, her gaze was especially firm and serious, and traces of sweat were seeping from her forehead, showing she was exerting great effort. "Let the magic power boil inside the body, let the runes constrain them into a magic array, magic, is born within the magic array!" "Ake will definitely seed!" The sea nymph bit down on her teeth and tried hard to release the magic, "Brother is so looking forward to Ake bing a Water System Grand Magician, Ake absolutely cannot disappoint Brother... In the name of Acherloides Truth, Water Magic, Water Wave Shield,e forth!" Whoosh! The seawater around the seashells trembled, sshing countless waves. Apanied by Ake''s final crisp shout, the arc-shaped water wave light in front of her abruptly expanded, bending and extending left and right, finally closing up to form an egg-shaped sphere of light, enveloping Ake within. "Ah!" Ake eximed in surprise, then unable to contain her joy: "Ake has done it, the Water Wave Shield that only a Grand Magician can master! Hehe, Ake finally overcame the cognitive barriers of a magician,pleted a deep understanding of the magic array, and advanced to be a Water System Grand Magician!" She sank into the sea from the surface like this, with the Water Wave Shield continuously surrounding her. Without the need for much magic power to sustain it, the light shell couldst continuously until the magic array that maintained it copsed, which would likely be nearly half an hour. Swimming swiftly, and then recing the Water Wave Shield once along the way, she supported the Water Wave Shield and returned to the Sea View Vi. Wanting to share the good news with Liszt, but looking at the pitch-ck night sky, she suddenly thought, now it was the middle of the night: "s, I can''t share the joy with my brother, how annoying." ... The next morning, early on. After Liszt walked the dog, Brad was already waiting in the castle: "Lord Landlord, do you have any orders for me?" "I hear you''ve been idle recently, I just happen to have a task for you, I need a set of exquisitely carved crystal tableware, to reflect the prestige of a Viscount. I will have Mr. Carter take out the crystal tableware from the castle for your reference. You must carve this new set of tableware to perfection." "Yes, Lord Landlord." Although he hadints in his heart, Brad still respectfully epted his new task in front of Liszt. The problem that troubled Brad was thus easily resolved. This set of crystal tableware would take him nearly a month to carve, and after a month when volcanic ss began to be mined, his work would be even busier. Having sent Brad away, Liszt directly called out the Smoke Mission.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om "Complete the mission, reward: Mutated Variety Corn Grass." "Mutated grain variety, has it really be corn cobs?" Liszt expressed his surprise and then instructed a servant to pass the message to the Administrative Officer Isaiah in the town hall to halt the harvesting of Corn Grass. He would go to Tulip Castle to meet with Meioubao himself upon their arrival and would personally find the corn cobs to arrange for cultivation. To provide a new food source for the territory. At this moment, he looked at the next Smoke Mission: "Mission: As andlord, one only needs to manage one''s own majesty well, but to achieve leapfrog development, one cannot avoid hard work, please carefully consider the positioning of Fresh Flower Town, and make an industrial transfer n. Reward: Mutated Variety Corn Grass." "Hmm?" "More Mutated Variety Corn Grass?" Chapter 420 Chapter 0417 Green Lush Hat (Second Update) I wasn''t sure what the new mutated variety of Corn Grass was. On the way, Liszt had been contemting the industrial transfer of Fresh Flower Town. Even without the prompts from the Smoke Mission, the idea of industrial relocation had crossed his mind. The future would certainly revolve around the development of ck Horse Ind. His vision for Fresh Flower Town was clear: it was to serve as a trade hub for Coral Ind and a location for cooperative industries. He nned to relocate some industries with advanced intellectual property to ck Horse Ind, within his own sovereign territory. Once he roughly mapped out his n, he had arrived at Tulip Castle and soon met his cousin, Meioubao Taro. After exchanging pleasantries, he learned the reason for Meioubao''s visit¡ªhis engagement to Ang Sapphire, the youngest daughter of the Grand Duke, had been set for August 17th, which also happened to be Ang''s neenth birthday. "Congrattions, Cousin," Liszt offered his good wishes. Meioubao smiled, "Actually, there''s not much to congratte. After shedding singlehood, longing for the life I have now will not be easy." "Indeed, especially since the other party is the Little Princess." "Now that I''m engaged, your brother Levis also engaged to Marquis Roderick''s daughter, it leaves only Li Vera and you... Now that you''ve be a Viscount, it''s time to consider a Viscountess," Meioubao''s matchmaking tendencies were still not subdued, even after arriving at Tulip Castle and taking such concerns to heart. "I''m not in a hurry; time is on my side," Liszt interrupted promptly. He genuinely had no thoughts of marriage or children at present. He nned to wait until he was at least twenty-five or twenty-six before considering such matters. "True, you are in the ascendant phase of knighthood''s glory, and your future looks very bright. Do you know what Grandfather said about you three, father, and sons?" "Oh, what did Grandfather say?" "Grandfather said Uncle could be the new Marquis in the Grand Duchy." Meioubao nced around, making sure no one was eavesdropping, "He said Levis could barely hold on to his achievements, but you... you might be the new glory of the Grand Duchy''s younger generation if your strength can improve faster." "I only advanced to Earth Knight after bing an adult. Although I''ve now be an Elite Earth Knight, does Grandfather really think so highly of me?" Liszt felt curious. His performance was extraordinary, but it still paled inparison to real geniuses. After all, those geniuses became Earth Knights before reaching adulthood. Meioubao shrugged, "Grandfather said that he saw a strong confidence in your eyes, not the conceitmon to geniuses but a calm confidence that you believe you can achieve greatness through effort. Honestly, I admit your eyes are bright, but not as bright as mine." "Confidence and how bright someone''s eyes look aren''t quite the same thing, are they?" By then Levis hade over, "Meioubao, Liszt, what are you two discussing?" Liszt replied with a smile, "Cousin and I areparing whose eyes are brighter, which shows who has more confidence." "Hmm, is that so? Well, then I''m definitely in first ce," Levis dered with an air of self-evidence, "Liszt can be second. As for Meioubao, after marrying the Little Princess, he''s likely to live a dim and unilluminated life... Ang is not easy to deal with." "I won''t bring shame to the Long Taro Family. Just you watch; once Ang moves into Long Taro Castle, she will only be thedy of the house, and I... I will be the absolute master of Long Taro Castle." Regarding this,N?v(el)B\\jnn Liszt harbored doubts in his heart¡ªhe wasn''t the kind to maliciously specte about others'' characters, but Ang Sapphire''s reputation was truly poor. Looking at Meioubao, who was still caught in the joy of his impending marriage to the princess, he silently prayed, "I hope Cousin Meioubao''s hat doesn''t turn green." ... Meioubao had no ns to stay long in Tulip Castle, as many nobles still awaited his personal invitations; therefore, on the next day, July 25th, he left Coral Ind. "Ang is very sociable, she keeps in touch with many daughters of the great Nobles, don''t worry, I will keep an eye out for you and strive to introduce you to a suitable nobledy to help you manage the castle," he said before leaving, still not forgetting to continue ying the role of matchmaker. "Thank you." Liszt said thanks, but inwardly he was speechless¡ªdare he marry a nobledy introduced by Ang! Birds of a feather flock together; Given Ang''s open lifestyle, it was hard to believe that the nobledies who socialized with her were very conservative. After seeing off Meioubao, Liszt soon received his reward for the Smoke Mission¡ªthe previous reward had been the Advanced Dou Qi Manual "Rising Sun ze". This Advanced Dou Qi Manual was, in fact, brought over by Meioubao; the Earl''s so-called trade of manuscripts meant trading with Long Taro Castle. "Don''t set your sights too high, Liszt, keep this Advanced Dou Qi Manual safe, and in a few years when you''ve advanced to a Sky Knight, then study it. At this stage, what you need is to earnestly consolidate your foundations... Right, I''ve been meaning to ask, when did you advance to an Elite Earth Knight?" the Earl queried in the study, speaking to Liszt alone. This secret couldn''t be kept¡ªprobably exposed during the battle at Iron Hoof Ind, as his valiant fighting style, overpowering strength, clearly weren''t things a Common Earth Knight could achieve. "About a few months ago," Liszt replied humbly, "After exterminating the forces at Thorn Ridge, I gained arge amount of Magical Beast Meat, enough for me to engage in Dou Qi Cultivation. Moreover, I feel like my talent has begun to unfold, and perhaps I can make a push to surpass everyone and be the first Sky Knight." The Earl''s mouth hung open. It took a moment before he said, "Your talent is indeed different from ordinary people. Seventeen-year-old Elite Earth Knight, a year earlier than your brother, maybe you really do have a chance to be the first to advance to a Sky Knight... However, I hope that between father and son, we can have moremunication." Liszt smiled awkwardly. Perhaps he had been too overly cautious, treating the family of this body with wariness; in fact, he could afford to be more capricious¡ªadopting the unreasonable stance of "my talent is unique". He wanted to make amends. So he said, "Maybe I''ve been holding my breath; I couldn''t beat my brother or sister when I was younger. Now I want to achieve surpassing them to prove myself... Bing a Sky Knight faster is the way to prove that my talent is not inferior to theirs." "I understand. Maybe in the past, the pressure I put on you was too much, not only did it not help you, it may have suppressed your talent," the Earl, led by Liszt''s words, began to find reasons in himself, "Fortunately, assigning you to Fresh Flower Town, the impoverished environment unleashed your talent." "Arriving at Fresh Flower Town indeed gave me a new perspective." "Now that you''ve be Viscount ck Horse Ind, work hard on managing your own industries. The trade of Fresh Flower Brew, supported by Tulip Castle, should suffice for your daily expenses... I believe you can surpass Levis and be a Sky Knight earlier, after all, you carry the noble bloodline of Melissa and me!" Chapter 0418 Earl Suffers a Provocation (First Update) Liszt didn''t argue when the Earl attributed his sess to the noble lineage he and Melissa shared. One must always give the other party some respect. He changed the subject, "Father, how do you n to deal with the sales of rubber?" "I tested the rubber you provided yesterday. It is indeed an extraordinary item, more impressive and versatile than glutinous rice juice," the Earl said thoughtfully, then continued, "Tulip Castle has acquired quite a bit of supplies in the Iron Hoof Ind campaign, so we''re not heavily reliant on gold coins. I can purchase a batch of rubber to relieve some of your pressure." "Rubber is a specialty crop of ck Horse Ind, with a low yield. Moreover, harvesting rubber does significant damage to the rubber trees, so it won''t be cheap." "More expensive than glutinous rice?" Glutinous rice is a type of cereal that can be eaten, but its juice is more useful in the watering of castles. The Marquis of Leather Ind, Ramirez White Glutinous Rice, built his family''s wealth on glutinous rice. "I think it would certainly be more expensive than glutinous rice, because rubber can also be used for building. The quality of construction is no worse than that of glutinous rice juice, and in terms of speed, hardness, and adhesiveness, it is even slightly superior. But rubber is not only good for building; it can bond any object, be it for shipbuilding or armor repair, it can be used for everything!" This kind of treasure, if he weren''t in dire need of money, Liszt would never want to part with it. The Earl looked at Liszt and asked with puzzlement, "Just how many treasures are you hiding on your ck Horse Ind?" "Um, well, there are indeed some special products," Liszt replied indifferently, "The main thing is that the development work has been done well. For example, the rubber from rubber trees might be considered just sap by most people, without exploring its uses." In his heart, he was very pleased because his domain had too many special products. In terms of crops¡ªrubber, the infinitely possible adhesive, Thorn Wood of ironwood quality, Fragrant Coconut Fruit that can be consumed directly, Green Tea Trees not yet nted on arge scale, Smoked Grass that can attract Formless Dragons, and Corn Grass which might be corn cobs. Stay connected with empire In terms of magic potions¡ªthe ck Tulip, a symbol of the domain g, me Mushrooms, and Ice Snow me Mushrooms grown from mushroom farming, Magic Medicine Thorns that can grow quickly among thorns, and Dragon Hollyhock, a type of auxiliary medicine recently started being farmed on arge scale. In the field of animal breeding¡ªGreen Caterpirs and Green-headed Ducks would be major specialties, ck Pearl Trida is also a fine specialty, ck Blood Treasured Horses need no mention of their value, Dragon Breed Cows are simrly precious, and if the breeding difficulties could be ovee, the Blizzard Beast should be considered a specialty. In the industrial sector¡ªThe Fire Dragon Brick Factory''s products are all specialties, including tes, culverts, bricks, and other fired products under development like ceramics, ss, cement, lime, etc.; distilled liquor Fresh Flower Brew, bathing products Fresh Flower Soap, and future white paper as well. In terms of culinary delights¡ªthere''s no need to mention much, as Fresh Flower Town has always been known as the source of Coral Ind''s delicacies, with countless dishes spreading from there. Where others would kill for just one specialty product, Liszt is troubled by having too many, unable to develop them all, leaving many specialties unattended.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om Thus, with so many specialty products in Fresh Flower Town and ck Horse Ind, he still finds himself so poor that he can barely afford books. "To find treasures, one must first have treasures that genuinely exist..." The Earl took a deep breath to suppress his jealousy toward his son, "How many elves do you have now?" "Um, well," Liszt pondered, considering how to answer. The Earl, dissatisfied, said, "Do you still need to hide things from me?" "I have 24 Elf Bugs... and also 2 Little Minor Elves." "2 Little Minor Elves?" "One is J, whom you''ve seen; the other is an insignificant Mangrove Minor Elf," he said humbly. Now, Nami is not without use, as her abilities are essential to the breeding of Green-headed Ducks. The Earl was taken aback for a moment. Then he sighed, "I remember when I ennobled you, I only gave you four Elf Bugs, andter, when you discovered the ck Tulip, I rewarded you with another Elf Bug, meaning, you''ve found neen Elf Bugs on your own? And two Little Minor Elves?" "The origins of the Elf Bugs are somewhatplicated. Two Elf Bugs were born from the potted nts my grandmother gave me; I contracted a Barley Bug outside the Nameless Castle in Mane City; Father, you remember the Six-Headed King Serpent, don''t you? Following the records in a Magic Book, I cultivated four Serpent Blood Fruit Bugs with its blood." Liszt calcted, "Leaving those aside, the number of Elf Bugs born in the domain is not many, only thirteen... and J was an evolution of the Thorn Bug you gave me." Which is to say, the number of elves that were born within the Fresh Flower Town and ck Horse Ind itself is thirteen Elf Bugs and one Little Minor Elf. "Thirteen and you still think that''s few? Since I took over Coral Ind, in twenty years of cultivation, a total of just over two hundred Elf Bugs have been born, only about ten a year!" The Earl tried to keep his emotions steady, "The key is, I have never discovered any wild Little Minor Elves." Liszt wanted to say something to lighten the mood. But the Earl interrupted him directly, "I used to think ''Knight''s Glory'' was just a slogan to inspire people, but now I believe it truly exists, and it clearly favors you... Go back, do not let down the ''Knight''s Glory'' that has been bestowed upon you, I look forward to your future!" He quickly sent Liszt away without even intending to discuss the pricing of rubber. When the door closed. The study fell silent. The Earl leaned fully into the chair and his gaze slowly drifted to a space and time unknown, whispering, "Melissa, the son you were most worried about has grown strong enough to take flight at any moment... it''s just that this boy is too cunning. Marquis Merlin wrote to me telling me that he was already promoted to Elite Earth Knightst year..." The voice faded into obscurity. After a while, he raised his volume slightly, "From Common Earth Knight to Elite Earth Knight, it only took half a year... His domain has several Magic Medicines, and he even shelters a Magician who specializes in making Magic Medicines... Our son might just outshine me in my youth!" ... "Actually, I should have been more discreet and not provoked the Earl," Riding on the back of the Landwalker Bird Loki and recalling the Earl''s near breakdown scene, Liszt shook his head and sighed, "Forget it, tomorrow I''ll have Goltaie over and have a good talk with Levis and Frank, aiming to negotiate a fair price to ease the finances of the domain." The tremendous properties of rubber were in for all to see, and he was not worried about getting a good price. Upon returning to his domain, before he had time to inspect the Corn Grass fields, he received a report from the office¡ªSerf Old Bore found that in his field of Corn Grass, there was a patch that was very odd, with huge tassels growing on the top. Isaiah further exined, "My lord, we are unable to determine whether this patch of Corn Grass is incubating Corn Grass Bugs. They look rather unusual, but their number is too great, a good twenty or so Corn Grass nts, all sprouting huge tassels... It''s unlikely that so many are all incubating Elf Bugs at once." "Tassels growing on top?" Liszt furrowed his brow; this was not quite what he had envisaged for corn cobs. Chapter 0419 Emilys Little Pony (Second Update) Arriving at the cornfield, Liszt saw the flowering heads of the corn grass, and indeed, there was arge, fluffy tassel at the top of the human-height corn grass. In the view of the Eye of Magic, there were no signs of magic power, meaning this was either the nurturing of Elf Bugs or simply a mutation of the ordinary corn grass. "Are the tassels at the top of the corn grass mentioned in the Smoke Mission hint referring to a grain mutation?" he pondered. The mutated state of the corn grass didn''t seem to be evolving into the type of corn he had in mind, "It rather seems to be evolving into sorghum, doesn''t it?" It had to be said that this patch of corn grass indeed resembled sorghum. Only the tassels of the corn grass were yellow. "Take good care of this patch of corn grass, don''t harvest them. Wait for them to mature before assessing what they really are," Liszt instructed before leaving the cornfield. Whether the corn grass had mutated into corn or sorghum needed more time to confirm, but his mood was somewhat deted since sorghum wasn''t a high-yield crop. He still held out hope for corn cobs. Experience new tales on empire However, hope remained, "Once I''ve nned the industry transfer, there will be new mutated varieties of corn grass waiting, perhaps those will be the real corn cobs." Back at the castle, good news came immediately. One-Eyed Barton, responsible for delivering the foals, helped the Fire Dragon Mare give birth to a healthy colt. It was a male foal with a coat that was abination of ck and red, looking very majestic, though still very weak, trembling as it walked. "Master, this colt has an excellent lineage, it''s fantastic. It has inherited its mother''s quiet grace and its father''s robust physique, and it will surely be an exceptional warhorse when it grows up," Barton said excitedly. "Very good!" Liszt, equally excited, tried to reach out to pet the little colt hiding by the side of the Fire Dragon Mare. Although he no longer needed such a mixed-blood mount, warhorses were undoubtedly a noble''s wealth. There were norge horse farms on Coral Ind, and a qualified warhorse would cost several Gold Coins. Nevertheless, it was a celebration that after the Iron Hoof Ind campaign, many knights had switched to better mounts¡ªthe spoils of war could not be taken away, but no one could stop them from changing their equipment. It could be said that Liszt''s knights, both Earth Knights and Retainer Knights, had amassed a set of Fine Steel armor and robust warhorses from the battlefield. This equipment was not included in the military exploits and belonged to the knights'' private distributable property. "Barton, take good care of it, and the other mares will also give birth soon. Make sure this batch of foals is well looked after," Liszt ordered. But Barton said, "Master, you should arrange for knights toe and tame this batch of foals as soon as possible." "Tame them now? They''re too young. Start taming them when they''re two or three years old." "Master, actually the best time to tame a foal is right after it''s born¡­ In the first few months of a foal''s life, that''s when we can most influence its growth. Before I was sold to the Duchy of Sapphire, I began raising horses and saw many knights on the maind prefer to train newly-born foals." "Is that so?" Liszt was mildly surprised; he had never heard of this. For knights who possess Dou Qi, any spirited horse could be tamed, so there was little systematic training of horses. Like how Liszt had tamed the Li Dragon Horse and Lightning, just get on their back, subdue them, and the rest was a slow process of bonding which wasn''t considered poor. However, Barton''s opinion also served as a reference. Training a foal from a young age would make it more ustomed to interacting with humans, so he decided to give this foal to his only female follower, the young girl Emily, for taming. "My lord, may I have this foal?" Emily, returning from training in the Knight''s Square, was called to the castle stables and asked excitedly. Liszt nodded, "Of course, you can try taming it. By the time it grows up, you will also be of an age to join the charge." He had been keeping an eye on Emily''s training and discovered that she indeed had an extraordinary talent. Compared to Paris''s sister Maggie, Emily had made terrifying progress, leaving Maggie far behind¡ªeven with Paris desperately helping her sister by providing lots of meat, even some Magical Beast Meat. Therefore, Liszt''s expectations for Emily''s future were growing. Perhaps he really could cultivate a female Sky Knight as his follower. Thinking of this prospect was quite exhrating. "Thank you, my lord, Emily swears allegiance to you unto death!" Having received the beloved foal, Emily''s youthful face wore a solemn expression. "I ept your loyalty, Emily," Liszt said with a smile. So that afternoon, Emily didn''t return home and instead stayed at the stables to bond with the pony, giving it a pleasant name¡ªSara. There was nothing spectacr about a little girl taming a horse. Liszt returned to the castle and brewed a cup of tea. Just as he was preparing to read a book and pass the time, Butler Carter knocked and entered, "My lord, Consultant Goltai, apanied by the town officials, hase to report on their work." "Is today the work report day?" Liszt pulled out a schedule from his desk and nced at it. The schedule was outlined boldly with ink. ...N?v(el)B\\jnn Morning 6:00 to 6:30¡ªWake up, wash up. Morning 6:30 to 7:30¡ªWalk the dog, feed the dog, feed the birds, feed the horses. Morning 7:30 to 8:00¡ªHave breakfast. Morning 8:00 to 10:00¡ªPracticebat skills on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday; practice archery on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. Morning 10:00 to 11:30¡ªTrain Douson and the Eight Tiny Ones. Morning 11:30 to 12:30¡ªHave lunch. Afternoon 12:30 to 1:00¡ªRead, drink tea, digest. Afternoon 1:00 to 1:30¡ªNap. Afternoon 1:30 to 3:30¡ªRead on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday; patrol the domain on Tuesday and Saturday; listen to officials'' work reports on Thursday. Afternoon 3:30 to 4:00¡ªy the piano. Afternoon 4:00 to 6:00¡ªTake medicine, cultivate Dou Qi. Afternoon 6:00 to 7:30¡ªFree time, asionally conduct livebat drills. Evening 7:30 to 8:30¡ªHave dinner. Evening 8:30 to 9:30¡ªVisit the Sea View Vi to watch the sea. Evening 9:30 to 10:30¡ªRead, drink tea, summarize the day. Evening 10:30 to the next morning 6:00¡ªSleep. ... He mostly arranged his life ording to this schedule. Of course, the timing wasn''t always fixed, and the number of times it was interrupted by unexpected events was many. He could count the days he strictly followed the schedule on one hand. He put the schedule back and said, "Then please show them into the study." "Yes, my lord." Footsteps followed, and Goltai along with other officials streamed into the study, each finding a stool to sit on. Half an hour was plenty for them to report on their respective responsibilities¡ªin fact, there were rarely any significant issues, since governance matters were often discussed during the evening banquets. Afterward, Liszt threw out his topic for discussion, "What are your thoughts on Fresh Flower Town''s industry transfer to ck Horse Ind?" Chapter 0420 Light System Mage (Third Update, 2400 Monthly Votes Additional) "ck Horse Ind has be my territory, and I can openly carry out development and construction, while Fresh Flower Town is only rentednd... Although the Tulip Family will not reim it, industries that need to be transferred should still be transferred, to align with future territorial nning," Liszt spoke from a strategic height. "For now, only one new town is nned on ck Horse Ind, Harbor Town, which is designed as a port city and will be the central city of ck Horse Ind in the future; of course, if Fresh Flower Town can develop, I don''t mind turning it into a city of trade." "If Fresh Flower Town only undertakes trade business, then there''s no need to overly develop the nting industry here," Goltai said, following Liszt''s tone. Isaiah added, "Workshops that produce raw materials should also be relocated to ck Horse Ind, and livestock, cattle, and horses should be moved there as well." Zambrotta then said, "Considering the agricultural nning of ck Horse Ind, Fresh Flower Town should still retain some nting and breeding for daily needs, and some basic foreign trade raw material production, keeping it in Fresh Flower Town can save on the cost of shipping." The former Noble, now ustomed to abstract concerns, had be much more practical. "Then, you all must formte an industry transfer n for me as soon as possible; within three days, I need to see itpleted," Liszt set a deadline, "Additionally, I will appoint a batch of new officers to take posts in Harbor Town on ck Horse Ind... You may choose to stay or go to Harbor Town." He then added, "The choice is yours, I will not insist." Although he did not insist, any follower with a bit of sense naturally knew that taking a post in Harbor Town would lead to more important roles. Therefore, without much hesitation, they were all willing to take up positions in Harbor Town on ck Horse Ind. "Since that is the case, Consultant Goltai, you will leave your position as advisor to Fresh Flower Town and go to ck Horse Ind to serve as the advisor for Harbor Town; Finance Officer ir will be transferred to Harbor Town to serve as Administrative Officer; Isaiah will continue to serve in Fresh Flower Town and take on the responsibilities of an advisor; Zambrotta will also stay in Fresh Flower Town, but also take on the role of a Diplomat on ck Horse Ind..." Landlords usually leave advisory positions to Noble followers. Apart from Liszt in Fresh Flower Town, only Goltai was an Honored Knight, therefore, by his reassignment as the advisor for Harbor Town, no one could assume the advisory role for Fresh Flower Town. Administrative Officer Isaiah, at most, could take on the advisory responsibilities but was not able to directly assume the role of an advisor. However, with hard work, he would eventually be rewarded by Liszt with the title of Honored Knight, achieving a transformation frommoner to Noble¡ªthough it may take a very long time;pared to ennoblement through martial achievements, other achievements made ennoblement much more difficult. ... In the evening, during his free time, Liszt intended to look at some Magic Books he hadn''t had the chance to examine yet, but Paris sought him out. "Viscount, I have some issues and would like to ask for your help," she said. "Please speak," Liszt was sitting by the apple table under the Apple Tree Cordyceps, swaying in his rocking chair, enjoying the evening breeze that dispersed the day''s heat.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om A clear ss of green tea rested on the table. "I''ve failed at practicing Dou Qi and cannot resist the erosion of the Light Dragon Magic Power in my body, so following your suggestion, I began to learn Magic from Chris," Paris said, not without distress. "I unexpectedly discovered I''m quite sessful in meditating on Magic, particrly the Light Attribute Magic Power which has a high affinity for me. But Chris only knows one Light System Magic, sh Magic, which I''ve already mastered, and there is nothing else to learn." Your adventure continues at empire "So you n to have me help you find some Light System Magic?" "Yes, among the people I know, you are the only one, Viscount, who has the capability to help me," Paris said frankly. Liszt got up, picked up his teacup, and took a sip of the now-cool tea, saying, "It is indeed very difficult to find Light System Magic, but rest assured, I will help you find some Light System Magic casting ns as soon as possible... Does this mean, you intend to change your path to be a Light System Mage?" "I hope I can sessfully transition. I vaguely feel that once I''m able to control the Light Dragon Magic Power inside me with Magic, the erosion of my body by the Light Dragon Magic Power will be greatly reduced, and maybe I will be able to live a little longer." "This is truly exciting news, Paris," Liszt said with a clenched fist and a sincere expression, "No matter what, I will help you transition into a Light System Mage, allow you to ovee the erosion of Light Dragon Magic Power, and have the freedom to enjoy life like a normal person." "Thank you," she responded. "Do we need to say thank you to each other?" Liszt smiled. Paris met Liszt''s gaze, then a flush of red swiftly crept up her cheeks, and she awkwardly turned her head away, "Then I''ll leave everything in the hands of Viscount, I... have something else, I must take my leave." The person had already walked away. Liszt still reminisced about the charming turn of Paris''s head. It was undeniable that this female ck Dragon Childe had a dynamic beauty that was pleasing to the eye. However, his feelings for Paris were limited to admiration, without any deliberate pursuit of more, respecting each other''s spiritual independence. Often like this, there would be a taste of close friendship. It could perhaps be called a tonic rtionship. As for how future feelings might evolve, he was unclear, with no real direction¡ªindeed, other than the clear goal of Dragon Riding, he was quite muddled about what exactly he wanted for himself. Especially in matters of the heart, just going with the flow. He had been moved. The confession from Asina Salmon left him in turmoil, nearly unable to contain himself; the passionate night with Duniko Hyacinth gave him the impulse to make a lifelongmitment; the warm kiss andte-night invitation from Rona Sally Golden Wheat made him waver between hesitation and regret. The beauty and wlessness of Sea Sprite Ake made him harbor endless protective and possessive desires; and Paris''s carefree attitude and asional naivety often led to shared knowing smiles. But none of this matched the head-over-heels love he imagined. Not having met the "right person after looking in the eyes," nor experiencing a tumultuous or do-or-die love, sometimes Liszt would ask himself, "Besides myself, can I fall in love with another person?" No answer. He had a servant bring paper, pen, and envelope resin, unfolded the paper and wrote a letter that said, "Elkerson, contact your Magician friends, help me acquire Light System casting schemes, ten Gold Coins for a standard Light System Magic, forty Gold Coins for Light System Magic that only a Grand Magician can master." Except for sh Magic and Invisibility Technique, Paris had already learned them. After writing the letter, he melted the resin, poured it onto the envelope''s seal, and before it solidified, he pressed his newly carved stamp onto it with force. The stamp bore the "Liszt" Serpent Script mark. He called for Retainer Knight Zavier and handed him the envelope, "Go to Coral City and find Elkerson, give him this letter." Zavier, skilled at ttery and now Liszt''s most trusted among the Retainer Knights, immediately replied with respect, "Yes, my lord!" The Retainer Knight left. Liszt reclined back into his rocking chair, gazing at the sunset sky, his eyebrows slightly raised, "Water System Mage Ake... Light System Mage Paris... Human Mage Chris... how many more Magicians can I collect?" Chapter 0421 Tri-State Magic Array (Fourth Update, 2600 Monthly Votes Additional) Speaking of water mages, Liszt immediately thought that Ach should also be promoted to Grand Magician. Nevertheless, he waited until the banquet was over before he went to the sea view vi. The crystalmp light had been burning all night, and tonight, the beautiful shell girl was reading under the light. "Brother!" Ach, familiar with Liszt''s footsteps, didn''t hide in the room but awaited his arrival with reserved excitement, "You''re here." "I haven''t seen you in a few days, Ach, and you seem to have changed a bit?" Liszt always felt that Ach now had a different air about her, more so than when he saw her a few days ago. "Ach really has changed." The sea serpent twirled joyfully, like a fairy under the moon, her curvaceous figure making Liszt''s mouth go dry, "Brother, can you guess what changes have happened to Ach, please?" Has she developed? Of course, that was unlikely. Liszt''s eyes sparkled, "Ach, have you been promoted to a Water System Grand Mage?" "Mmm!" A touch of pride showed on Ach''s little face, and she then extended her hand and slowly conjured a water wave shield to envelop herself, "I just learned it two days ago, and I''m still not very proficient. The casting difficulty is quite high for these advanced spells, requiring prolonged preparation." "Let me test the defense of the water wave shield." Liszt couldn''t wait to draw his Sky-Cleaving Greatsword and aimed a fierce chop at Ach''s water wave shield. There was no Dou Qi attached, it was merely a in chop. When the sword de touched the water wave shield, it felt like chopping into a kind of chopping block, sinking in a little bit before meeting a great resisting force, unable to prate any further. He lifted the sword de, and the water wave shield was intact. "I''m going to infuse Dou Qi now, be careful, Ach." "Mmm." Fire Attribute Dou Qi surged powerfully within him. Now, Liszt''s consumption of magic potions had be smoother, and his Dou Qi naturally more abundant. mes danced upon the Sky-Cleaving Greatsword as he chopped fiercely at the water wave shield once more, and a dull thud rang out from where the sword de touched the shining light of the shield. The water wave shield violently oscited and flickered but firmly blocked Liszt''s close-range hefty strike. Sheathing the Sky-Cleaving Greatsword, he nodded, "The defense of the water wave shield is quite good. Based on my attack just now, it would probably take dozens of chops to break the water wave shield. If I were to unleash my strongest attack, it would still require at least five or six hits to break it, very powerful." Of course, facing the charge of a band of knights, a magician probably couldn''t maintain it. But when ites to a duel or hunting magical beasts, a magician wrapped in a water wave shield could virtually annihte the opponent... assuming the magician had time to don it. Ach canceled the water wave shield and asked eagerly, "Brother, is Ach very powerful now?" "Of course you''re powerful, but you stillck advanced offensive magic. Your next step should be to learn Waterfall," Liszt said as he stroked her azure hair. "Ach has already started learning Waterfall, but advanced magic is hard to learn. There''s too much content to grasp, and I can''t perform it instantaneously." "You''re already doing great. Normally, Grand Magicians can''t even instantly castmon spells," Liszt consoled her, then asked, "By the way, Ach, after your promotion to Grand Magician, did you notice any changes in your body, in your magic power or spellcasting? Or rather, what''s the difference between a Grand Magician and a Magician?" ... The difference between a Grand Magician and a Magician had always been something Liszt was curious about. Now that Ach had advanced, she could finally give Liszt a glimpse into the qualitative change, and as she continued to share her experiences, it became clearer to him. Essentially. Magicians rely on meditation to harness magic power, then use that power to create runes, which form a magic array. Magic is the manifestation of magic power constrained within a magic array. Magic apprentices only know about meditation, or use magic power to form the simplest of runes, andplete the simplest magic arrays¡ªbasic magic. Spells such as the Water Arrow Spell, Flying Rock Technique, Fireball Technique, Wind de Spell, sh Magic, etc., and they may not even realize that the magic they''re casting is a magic array. Magicians have mastered runes well enough to form magic arrays within themselves and release more advanced magicmon magic like Water Arrow Barrage, Rock Spike, Light Body Skill, Great Fireball, et cetera. This represents a solidified understanding of magic. Explore more stories with empire And Grand Magicians, they''ve broken through cognitive barriers regarding magic arrays, deeply understanding the rtionship between magic runes and the arrays, and extending to the essence of the rtionship between magic and magic power. Once they grasp thisyer of rtionship, they can manipte the runes to induce moreplex changes in the magic array, evolving to unleash more powerful spells¡ªadvanced magic. "Ach, do you think my understanding is correct?" Liszt summarized the content Ach had mentioned, and reflected, "Basic magic is like an embryonic form of a magic array,mon magic is like the static form of a magic array, and advanced magic is the dynamic form of a magic array?" The embryonic form of a magic array¡ªMagic Apprentice. The static magic circle¡ªMagician. The dynamic magic array¡ªGrand Magician. That is Liszt''s understanding of magic, in a nutshell. Ach pondered for a moment, then nodded, "Brother, your summarization is quite vivid, and it''s essentially correct. However, regarding the understanding of dynamic magic arrays, there should be an additional point. Ach is a Water Mage, so when releasing Water System advanced magic, the form of the magic array undtes like flowing water." "If the dynamic form of advanced Water Magic is like flowing water, does that mean the dynamic form of advanced Fire System magic is like a me burning?" "It''s highly likely." After understanding this, Liszt had a good grasp of the principles of a magician''s practice. He patted Ach''s hair and said, "It''s very hard to find advanced Water Magic spellcasting methods, and you might not have more advanced Water Magic to learn for a while. However, you can start researching practical applications of magic arrays." "Do you mean making magic equipment and extracting magic potions?" "Yes." "Mm-hmm, Ach will study hard to help brother make magic equipment and magic potions!" Ach shook her bracelet on her wrist, a gift from Liszt that could amplify casting range. Armed with Ach''s insights, Liszt immediately set to work on writing a book about magic. He named the book Three-Phase Magic Array and Reality Interaction Theory. The title was grand, but the content was straightforward¡ªit simply summarized the three stages of a magician''s magic from Ach''s perspective,paring the magic array in magic with that in magic equipment, and ventured into some discussions about the application of magic arrays.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om It wasn''t filled with detailed theories, just some general talk. He nned for the book to be thirty thousand words long. This book wasn''t intended for public distribution, just meant to be given to Chris Truth for her to read, andter, when other magicians faced issues with advancing, they could also refer to this book. "Once I finish writing it, I''ll have Ach proofread it for typographical errors... Who would''ve thought that I, a knight in my own right, would actually write a book on magic." "Magic''s loss is sure, for not having me study it." Chapter 0422 Why Work So Hard (Fifth Update, Additional Chapter for 2800 Monthly Votes) In three days, Liszt was busy writing his book "Three-Phase Magic Array and Reality Interaction Theory". At the same time, the officials in the acting administration had already drafted the industrial transfer n. The n established that within a year, all Elf Cordyceps would gradually be relocated to ck Horse Ind for protection. nts like Tulips, Thorns, me Mushrooms, and Dragon Hollyhock, which are ingredients for Magic Potions, will also be progressively moved for cultivation on ck Horse Ind. Fresh Flower Town would only retain ordinary crops, relying onpost for irrigation. As for workshops, the Bone Craftsman Shop, Magic Workshop, Crystal Workshop, Brewing Workshop, and Soap Making Workshop, all would be moved to the Port Town. Most of the craftsmen would also relocate to the Port Town, leaving the shops and workshops of Fresh Flower Town to the apprentices. The n was detailed. Liszt didn''t have much to add, obviously agreeing with the n and delegating its implementation to the officials. He was more concerned with the Smoke Mission. "Complete the mission, reward: Oily Mutated Variety Corn Grass." "Hmm?" Seeing the Serpent Script for "oily", a look of disappointment shed across Liszt''s eyes, "Isn''t this just corn cobs? Oily mutated variety, is it going to turn into soybean oil or sesame oil, or will itpete with peanut oil?" The oil currently consumed in the castle was extracted from soybeans and peanuts, both of which Liszt could ept, and he had no more particr demands in terms of taste. Therefore. Oily Corn Grass was not really a reward to get excited about. He turned to the new Smoke Mission: "Mission: Resurrecting Fire Dragon Bones¡ªhave you forgotten that the parched dragon bones need the nourishment of magic power? Only then can they nurture a result that makes your heart flutter. Please organize the serfs to mine 10 tons of volcanic ss. Reward: Agitation of the Rubber Bug." After reading it, he immediately had an inkling: "Volcanic ss, Fire Dragon Bones... it seems like something good is about to be born. I mustplete this mission quickly, no matter what!"n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om "Only." "Why is the reward the agitation of the Rubber Bug, not the agitation of the Corn Grass Bug? I always thought the previous two missions were linked tasks rted to the Corn Grass Bug." Based on his understanding of the Smoke Missions, continuous rewards of the same type indicated the arrival of a chain mission. Therefore, the previous two rewards of mutated Corn Grass had led him to anticipate that perhaps the Corn Grass Bug was about to evolve, much like J''s evolution before. But then, suddenly, the reward for the mission became the agitation of the Rubber Bug. "What exactly are these triplets agitated about? Could they be preparing to evolve? It shouldn''t be possible; they''ve only been born for half a year... So, what are they agitated about?" He could only wait until the Smoke Mission waspleted to observe the Rubber Bug triplets¡ªwho at the moment were residing peacefully in the castle, calm in both mind and action, showing no signs of abnormality. With a trace of disappointment, Liszt went to check the Corn Grass fields, in search of Oily Corn Grass. However,pared to the previous corn and sorghum, Oily Corn Grass was harder to find. After setting the serfs from Barley Hamlet to search for two days, they still hadn''t found the Oily Corn Grass he was hoping for. His only choice was to issue an order: "To expand the cultivation area of Corn Grass, harvesting of Corn Grass is prohibited for one month. Wait for the Corn Grass seeds to mature before considering the harvest." Strictly speaking, the administration hadn''t immediately nned to expand Corn Grass cultivation, but the officials had grown ustomed to Liszt''s asional arbitrary decisions. And so, the Corn Grass was protected. They could slowly search and wait for the appearance of Oily Corn Grass. ... As time flies, the mares in the stables gave birth one after another. The first batch of mixed-breed foals with ck Blood Treasured Horse lineage was born. On the other side, the Fig Bug, ckberry Bug, and Pea Bug had also been born, and news hade from ck Horse Ind that the Green Tea Bug had been born as well. Liszt had made a trip to ck Horse Ind. While overseeing the mining of volcanic ss, he also contracted the Green Tea Bug. With that, he officially owned 24 Elf Bugs. The newly contracted Fig Bug, ckberry Bug, and Pea Bug had been brought to ck Horse Ind and nted in the agricultural area nned by the port town. These areas would gradually be turned into vast farnds. Find exclusive stories on empire Not only these Elf Bugs. The Alfalfa Cordyceps from the grasnds outside the castle had also been relocated to the expansive grasnds at the center of ck Horse Ind; the four Serpent Blood Fruit Bugs and their cordyceps had been nted early in the subsidiary agriculturalnd of the port town, and arge Serpent Blood Fruit orchard had been nned; the Fragrant Coconut Tree Cordyceps had also been moved to Sandy Beach Ind, a subsidiary ind of ck Horse Ind. The Fragrant Coconut Trees in Fresh Flower Town were distributed in long strips along the beach, which limited the influence of the cordyceps, so Liszt simply relocated them to Sandy Beach Ind. Sandy Beach Ind was full of Fragrant Coconut Trees and was notrge in size, fitting perfectly within the area of influence of the Fragrant Coconut Tree Cordyceps. Most of the other cordyceps would need to wait until the harvest at the end of autumn, or until the farnd on ck Horse Ind was ready, to be relocated. "Sir, we have collected arge number of mangrove saplings from Mangrove Ind and are now transporting them to the mouth of the Red River for nting. The breeding of Green-headed Ducklings is also underway with hand-feeding. With Green Caterpirs as feed, the ducklings are growing well," ir, who had be the Administrative Officer of the port town, respectfully reported. The Red River was thergest river on ck Horse Ind. Its name had no special significance, decided simply because of the nting of mangroves. It originated from Ice Grass Hill, passed through the Burial Ground, and eventually flowed toward the eastern sea, forming a small delta at the mouth, piled with silt. Mangroves thrived in the muddy estuary, making it possible to develop a new mangrove forest there. "Till thend as quickly as possible and then breed the Green Caterpirs. These bugs are treasures," Liszt said. ir agreed wholeheartedly: "Yes, the green fur of the Green Caterpirs is more suitable for weaving nkets than the wool of the gazelles from Eagle Perch Mountain. It can be used as food for Magical Beasts and also for making clothing. It''s extremely valuable." The green fur of the Green Caterpirs might not look appealing in color, but it was very suitable for making clothes, warm andfortable. ir continued to report: "However, there is a severe shortage of serfs in the port town. Sir, we need to continue purchasing serfs, preferably five thousand or even ten thousand at a time. The vastnd on ck Horse Ind can absorb these serfs, and with the Knight Squad formed, the serfs would not be able to resist our rule." Liszt did not respond to that remark, but instead asked, "How is the sale of rubber going?" "Currently, we have dealt with Tulip Castle, Shattered Stone Castle, and Beer Castle. The price is double that of glutinous rice, and the response is not bad, barely enough to cover the gold coins needed for the territory... But the production of rubber is still too slow, even with the Rubber Bugs recovering. The stock is shrinking day by day, and soon we won''t have enough for ourselves." When it came to gold coins. Liszt felt annoyed: "Let''s just endure this period for now." Despite having piles of good things and the tremendous potential of his territory, which promised immeasurable achievements in the future, he still couldn''t change the current embattled situation¡ªhe was poor! Every time he came to ck Horse Ind and looked at the empty plot for the future castle, he would feel heartbroken¡ªcontemting over five hundred different design schemes, but all could only be drawn on heavyweight paper. Out from the range of ck Horse Ind. The gloomy mood brought on by poverty hadn''t yet recovered when Butler Carter brought another worry: "My lord, you will soon be attending the wedding of Sir Meioubao and the Little Princess. What do we need to select as a gift? Should we prepare the gift ording to the standard you set for Young Master Levis''s grand wedding?" "Mr. Carter, what do you think if I only send a few bars of Fresh Flower Soap and a few bottles of Fresh Flower Brew as gifts, would that be eptable?" Carter showed an embarrassed yet polite smile, "That is..." Chapter 0423 The Gift Must Be Given (First Update) Fresh Flower Soap and Fresh Flower Brew obviously couldn''t be considered the main gifts, as it would greatly diminish Liszt''s stature, who was now the Viscount of ck Horse Ind, a mid-tier noble. Moreover, the person getting married was his own cousin with whom he had a good rtionship. Specialties, food, resources, these three things fundamentally make up the gifts exchanged between nobles in this era. "Aside from gourmet food, the specialties of Fresh Flower Town include Fresh Flower Soap and Fresh Flower Brew, and I''ll definitely choose a good amount of these three. As for resources, I can gift a few small ck Pearls, and pick some Jade, Crystal, and Mithril respectively. The total value of the gifts should properly convey my sentiments." Interactions among nobles, especially big nobles, tend to be quite generous. Liszt was rather helpless but he had no choice but to give a gift, and it couldn''t look shabby either; he could only painfully gather a batch of resources: "If I don''t get married soon, it seems unlikely that I''ll be able to recover these gifts... With the custom of gift-giving, it doesn''t seem like I have many opportunities to receive gifts either." As a bachelor, he had neither weddings nor funerals to organize, nor asions to celebrate a longevity, at most he could celebrate a birthday. After giving it some thought. He instructed the butler, "Mr. Carter, I''ll prepare a batch of precious gifts myself, please help me choose some supplementary gifts, preferably some novel specialties, mainly delicious food." "Yes, my lord." And with that, the matter of the gifts was mostly settled. Splurging was inevitable, but Liszt was willing to pay that price. Not to mention that Meioubao had treated him quite well, just the Sword Saint''s Notes given to him by Marquis Merlin were worth reciprocating ¡ª he often read it and hadmitted it to heart. The experiences summarized by the Sword Saint at the Completion Level were invaluable. He rose to his feet and went out the door, mounting the now fully recovered Fire Dragon Horse, and headed for the Magic Workshop in Little Wheat Vige. At the Magic Workshop, Chris was extracting Magic Potions while teaching Paris magic. "Viscount." "How is the magic learning progressing?" "Paris has shown outstanding affinity for Light System Magic; what shecks are only casting ns. Despite this, she has already started working on the Magic Array... Thanks to you for bringing the ''Three-Phase Magic Array and Reality Interaction Theory'', it has opened the door for me to advance to Grand Magician." "Is that so, you''re about to advance?" Chris Truth said modestly, "I am trying, but I can''t guarantee when I will seed." "Chris is remarkably skilled in magic, and she is also an excellent teacher," Paris praised without reservation. "I''ve learned a lot of magic knowledge following her... Viscount, you know I''m not fond of reading, and Chris always exins magical knowledge to me like she''s telling a story." "Hmm, teaching students in ordance with their aptitude, that''s indeed a very good method." Liszt suddenly asked, "Chris, which field of Advanced Magic are you focusing on to be your pathway to bing a Grand Magician?" Chris shook her head, "I haven''t made a choice yet, currently there are casting ns for Water, Fire, Earth, Wind, and Ice High-Level Magics, any of which could be the breakthrough point." The magics brought by Chris and Elkersonbined, amounted to seven kinds of Advanced Magic¡ªWater System''s Water Wave Shield, Waterfall; Earth System''s Rock Grenade, Rock Wall; Fire System''s Resist me Ring; Wind System''s Tornado; Ice System''s Permafrost. Actually, Paris'' innate abilities obtained through the Light Dragon Magic Power, "Light and Shadow Tug," could be categorized as an Advanced Light System Magic¡ªInvisibility Technique. However, this was her instinct,cking a systematic casting n. Paris suggested, "I think, Chris, you could learn Permafrost. It''s so hot right now, by mastering Permafrost you could ce arge block of ice in the Magic Workshop for cooling." "I can already create Ice Blocks with my regr Ice Freezing Spell, Paris," Chris rejected Paris'' suggestion. "I can make ice cream on my own workbench; for a Magic Technician who isn''t biased towards any particr system, summer isn''t too difficult... Ice System Magic is quite challenging, I should choose a simpler Advanced Magic." Liszt suggested, "I suggest choosing the Water System or Wind System as the breakthrough point, as the Duchy of Sapphire is an archipgo nation where sailing is an importantponent. The use of advanced Water System and Wind System magic is significant." "Then I will choose the Wind System. If Viscount brings me along when sailing, I can help speed up the journey," Chris quickly decided. And she cast a covert nce at the strikingly handsome Liszt. As a magician who esteemed the Truth and was prepared to dedicate herself to it, she had no intention of continuing with the secr institution of marriage. Instead, she was prepared to devote her finite life to the infinite study of magic. However, it didn''t prevent her from working for a lord who made her heart flutter, frequently seeing his confident smile was enough to console her during the lonely nights¡ªno matter if it''s a man or a woman, as long as one has hands, one could fend for oneself. Thus. After a brief chat with the two "Lis''", Liszt got down to business, "Chris, how much of this batch of magic potions have youpleted? I''m about to leave for Red Crab Ind to attend a wedding and need a batch of magic potions as backup." "I''vepleted the majority, enough for you, Viscount, to use for a week," she replied. "I will depart in three days. Can you prepare two weeks'' worth for me by then?" he asked. "Yes," she said. "Then I''ll leave it to you," he said.N?v(el)B\\jnn Chris smiled, "You''re too polite, Chris is always willing to serve the Viscount." ... Three dayster, a well-prepared Liszt set off for Tulip Castle with his Retainer Knights. Riding thendwalker bird Loki, he led the Blizzard Beasts Storm and me. Douson, together with Rock, Surge, Thunder, Light, Ice Snow, and Shadow, stayed in Fresh Flower Town. He was now consciously training the discipline of the eight tiny ones during outings. As Intermediate Magical Beasts, they must adapt to various environments and maintain absolute obedience to Liszt. Only in this way could hemand the Blizzard Beast Squad at will and sweep through the enemy forces on the battlefield of the knights'' charge. No one yet knew that they were all Intermediate Magical Beasts, but they would learn soon. At that time, the name Liszt would once again astound everyone¡ªwith nine Intermediate Magical Beasts as pets, military exploits would be within easy reach, and the title of Earl was almost assured. Read exclusive content at empire As long as his strength could break through to that of a Sky Knight¡ªthe Grand Duchy''s regtion stated that an Earl must be a Sky Knight and if for three generations none can be Sky Knights, the title would be revoked. A noble''s strength was explicitly linked to their title. "Liszt, have you prepared my birthday gift?" Levi''s asked after a hug at Tulip Castle, "This time I''m afraid I won''t be able to celebrate my birthday at Tulip Castle. I''ll either celebrate at Long Taro Castle or on the way back." His birthday was on August 19th. The wedding date for Meioubao was August 17th, just two days apart. "Oh, I forgot. Since we can''t hold a birthday party, let''s just skip it then. You can make up for it with a grand birthday party next year," Liszt suggested somewhat gloomily. Levisughed, "The birthday party can be skipped, but I must definitely receive the gift." Chapter 0424 Earls Quality Green Tea (Second Update) The entire Tulip Castle household set off, including the Earl, Lady Marie, Levis, Li Vera, Liszt, and Lidun. Only Lady Penelope stayed behind due to ill health. "Lucky Liszt, take this potted nt with you and tell that handsome young fellow at Meioubao that my nt has given birth to two Elf Bugs." Lady Penelope earnestly told Liszt before leaving. She already knew her fig potted nt had bred Fig Bugs, so she was now doubly concerned about her potted nts and truly believed they were treasures. "Of course, I believe my cousin will be delighted to receive your potted nt; perhaps he too will be blessed with an Elf Bug," Levis had a servant take the potted nt. He sneakily used the Eye of Magic to check the nt and found no trace of magic power. Lady Penelope said with an air of expectation, "It depends on his luck. If he is favored by the knight''s glory as you are, he is certain to get an Elf Bug. If he doesn''t get one, it''s not because my potted nt isn''t precious enough, but because he isn''t favored by the knight''s glory." Liszt offered a faint smile. At that moment, Li Vera came over, "I just can''t help but feel envious of you; why do you always have luck that others don''t? I looked through all of grandmother''s potted nts and couldn''t tell which might give birth to Elf Bugs, yet in your hands, they continually produce them." "You know, I am blessed by the knight''s glory; I am the Son of Glory." He had now learned to shamelessly toot his own horn; being high-profile on Coral Ind wasn''t a mistake. After a moment of thought, Li Vera sighed, "I won''t be surprised the day you be an Earl." "Neither will I." "You''ve really grown up; I can''t find a trace of your childhood self anymore." "It''s still there; after all, I''ve always been this handsome since I was young." "Heh." ... The ship sailed across the vast ocean. Liszt spent his idle time at the bow of the ship, setting up a deck chair, a parasol, brewing a cup of green tea, and arranging a te of fruit. Enjoying the cool breeze on his face. "You really know how to enjoy yourself," said the Earl, emerging from the ship''s cabin to the deck, where he found Liszt lounging in his chair. He couldn''t help feeling a pang of jealousy, thinking that his son''s life seemed different from his own. "It''s too hot and the cabin is too stuffy. Better toe out and enjoy the sea breeze," Liszt stood up and instructed his personal manservant, "Thomas, bring over a chair." "Yes, my lord." "Tom, brew a cup of green tea for the Earl." "Yes, my lord." Thomas quickly brought over a chair for the Earl to sit in, and Tom prepared a cup of green tea, cing it on a side table. Both the table and the chair were products of the woodworking workshop that Liszt had brought specially. The Earl''s gaze fell upon the scene behind Liszt. Storm and me were fast asleep, snoring heavily. "Are they descendants of Douson?" "Yes, one is named Storm and the other me." "Do they take after Douson or the Fierce Earth Dog?" the Earl asked casually. Liszt casually replied, "They''re probably more like Douson." "It''s not bad to keep a few low-level magical beasts¡­ Wait, what did you just say? Their lineage is closer to Douson''s?" The Earl immediately stood up, walked over to the sleeping Blizzard Beasts, and reached out to pet one of them, Storm. Storm''s alertness wasmendable, as it immediately opened its eyes and, seeing the unfamiliar Earl, made to rise and bite. But Liszt promptlymanded, "Storm, lie down and don''t move!" A momentter. The Earl''s astonishment had not lessened: "This truly is the behavior of an Intermediate Magical Beast. Its magic power dissipates very quickly, surpassing the scope of Low-Level Magical Beasts... If this is the case, with Douson having eight offspring, doesn''t that mean there are eight more Intermediate Magical Beasts?" "It''s almost safe to say that, but neither Douson nor the Eight Tiny Ones are powerful Intermediate Magical Beasts. However, tearing down a castle should not be difficult for them." After a good while. The Earl returned to his own chair and slowly began, "Liszt, do you realize what this means?" "It means that once they grow, even Sky Knights could be besieged to death; or during a Knight Order charge, they could hold off several knights... Does it also mean that, perhaps even before my promotion to Sky Knight, I could achieve glorious military exploits and even satisfy the military exploits required to be granted the title of Earl?" "Under ideal conditions, indeed it could be so. Maybe by that time I''d still be an Earl, and you would already have the chance to start a new family line." "I''ve never thought about starting a new family." "Starting a new family is nothing special, it''s just a change of surname, a part of Noble honor. Both the Golden Wheat Sheaf and Golden Wheat Grain families, despite being offshoots, are as close as ever," the Earl said. "If you be the new Earl, I would be very pleased to see you start a new family."n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om Liszt still couldn''t quite understand this world''s perception of honor, hence he uttered a meaningless, "Hm." The Earl didn''t know how to continue. Nine Intermediate Magical Beasts, a force like this, so long as no idents ur, challenging for the title of Earl would definitely not be difficult, and charging for the title of Marquis would just be a matter of time. He prided himself on his strong talent, having fought his way from Viscount to Earl, and he even harbored hopes of charging towards the rank of Marquis, always full of pride. Though he was looking forward to each of his offspring achieving greater things, he knew deep down that of his daughters and three sons, the one with the most hope to surpass him was Lidun. This was also the reason he wasn''t fullymitted to piling resources onto Levis for the Sky Knight challenge. He had ced the hopes of "hoping for his son to be a Dragon" on his youngest son. Hence, for a small mistake in the past, he directly stripped Lidun''s family tutor, the Honored Knight Zambrotta, of his title¡ªhe was very expectant of Lidun''s future development, if indeed Lidun''s talents were extraordinary. Experience new stories on empire If father and son joined hands in their efforts, the charge toward the rank of Marquis would be stable. If Lidun''s performance upon maturing was unlike his childhood, it wouldn''t be toote then to fully support Levis, stacking Magic Potions and advancing to Sky Knight. So his consistent belief was¡ªLevis could maintain what has been achieved, while Lidun represented hope. As for Liszt, the more he grew, the less promising he became, from a beacon of hope to a disappointment, and eventually, when he was indifferently granted his own fief, he became the most failed creation in the Earl''s heart. Yet, it was this overlooked son who was now showing momentum that surpassed his own. A seventeen-year-old Elite Earth Knight was not particrly outstanding¡ªbut Liszt had be an Earth Knight only after reaching adulthood and had been promoted to elite status in just over half a year; this talent was terrifying enough. His strength was already formidable. Even more incredible was his luck. The Earl didn''t want to list examples to prove how greatly Liszt was favored by knightly glory, he breathed deeply, lifted the teacup on the table, and took a sip of green tea. Upon tasting, he immediately frowned: "What is this tea? Why is it so bitter?" Liszt exined, "This green tea is brewed from the leaves of the Green Tea Tree, which indeed tastes bitter at first, but after lingering for a moment, you can taste the freshness and fragrance on your lips and teeth." "Is that so." The Earl savored carefully, indeed sensing the taste of green tea, which was not just bitter, but behind the bitterness was a very novel vor. Just like his current mood¡ªinitially shocked by Liszt, feeling the bitterness, but after epting it, filled with a sense of achievement of surpassing the blues. Chapter 0425 (Third update, 10,000 coins reward celebration 1/2) This chapter is a bonus update for "bittertree" and their 20,000-coins reward; another update will follow tomorrow. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª "The green tea is quite nice, the more I drink, the more vorful it bes. Is this also a specialty product from your territory?" the Earl asked after finishing a cup and having it refilled. Liszt replied, "I discovered three green tea trees on ck Horse Ind, and I''m thinking of ways to expand the nting scale. Fortunately, a green tea bug emerged among them, which greatly reduced the difficulty of cultivating green tea trees." "Can you just pick the leaves of the green tea tree and brew them in water?" "They need to be roasted to remove the raw taste and to allow more nutrients from the tea leaves to infuse into the water, which makes the tea especially tasty." "It does have a rich vor; I like this taste." The Earl looked at Liszt with a knowing expression, "A cup of green tea after a nap seems to greatly relieve the heat." "When I return, I''ll send a batch of tea leaves for you to brew, Father." "How many cups will it make?" asked the Earl with a smile. Liszt, without any embarrassment, answered seriously, "Morning tea, afternoon tea, evening tea¡ªthree cups a day, and each cup can be brewed three times. However, drinking that often seems excessive; too much green tea isn''t good. So brewing two cups, six times a day, is more appropriate." He continued, "If we calcte 5 grams per cup, that''s 10 grams a day, 300 grams a month. Father, leave the provision of tea leaves for your consumption to me. Once I develop the green tea nting industry, everyone in Tulip Castle will be able to enjoy green tea." Of course, by that time, he would charge for the tea leaves. While they were chatting,n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om Levis also stepped out of the cabin and joined the tea tasting¡ªa good thing Liszt brought plenty of tea leaves. However, unlike the Earl, Levis didn''t have the same earnest approach to tea tasting. After a few sips, he still couldn''t get used to it: "What''s so good about such a bitter drink?" "Bitter first and sweetter; Brother, you need to taste it carefully." "I have tasted it, but it''s bitter indeed. You should add some milk, sugar cubes, or maybe a bit of minced meat or egg to bnce the taste," Levis suggested. "Its vor should be appreciated as is, to fully experience the character of green tea. Brother, your life is too impetuous. Drinking tea requires patience. If you don''t take the time to experience it, you''ll never discover the sweetness behind the bitterness. It''s like life itself¡ªyou attend too many parties and social events and often overlook the essence of life." "Oh heavens, Liszt, have you be a minstrel now? Advising me on how to live my life? Sorry, but my life is much more exciting than you imagine. And, I don''t like drinking this... green tea," Levis shook his head. Liszt wasn''t annoyed. It was like ying the lute to a cow. "Actually, I''m relieved to hear that. The green tea trees have a low yield of tea leaves right now; supplying them for my and Father''s consumption is already difficult. If you also liked tea, Brother, I really wouldn''t know what to do," he said. After a while, Liszt shifted the topic: "Cousin is already married, so when is Brother''s wedding with Loria Gold Wheat Ear going to take ce?" "It will be set at the beginning of September, before the Pioneer Mandate begins. Levis will marry Loria," the Earl stated. With two wedding ceremoniesing up, Liszt was rather helpless at the thought of the expenses: "It''s as if it''s been agreed upon¡ªMeioubao in August, Levis in September... Father, when will you start worrying about Li Vera?" he asked, showing rare concern for his sister. "Li Vera is too picky, I don''t know what kind of noble she wants to marry. I''ll see if she makes a suitable choice; if not, in a couple of years, I''ll choose a partner for her," he responded. As nobility with a title, Li Vera actually wasn''t worried about finding a match. So Liszt just asked casually, his interest lying more in this year''s Pioneer Mandate: "Is the Grand Duke still waiting for the Steel Ridge Kingdom and the Eagle Kingdom to go to war? He has not asked about the dragon-ying incident in our country, what impact does it have on the outside world?" The battle for Iron Hoof Ind had been concluded for a month. The feedback from foreign countries should have reached the Grand Duchy by now. The Earl said, "The specifics are not very clear, but probing is inevitable. Steel Ridge Kingdom will likely send an envoy to visit Blue Dragon Ind tomunicate with the Sapphire Family... The Pioneer Mandate this year will reflect the will of the Grand Duke as well as the positions of the various kingdoms." "When do you think the Pioneer Mandate will be issued?" "Noter than October." "Hmm." "What''s the matter, do you n on participating in the Pioneer Mandate again?" "Yes, I hope to continue participating. Although the strength of my territory is still rather weak, my personal strength is not. I also have Douson, and at the very least, I can take over the logistics... Most importantly, my territory is in dire need of serfs, and I hope to purchase more from the Eagle Kingdom." The Earl nodded, "That''s fine, you can join me this year, and have Levis stay in Tulip Castle." Levis interjected eagerly, "I look forward to going into battle as well, father." "You need to stay with Loria, and, it would be best if you can produce the fourth generation of the Tulip Family as soon as possible, to ensure the continuity of the family''s property." Lady Penelope was the first generation, the Earl was the second, Levis was the third, and his son would naturally be the fourth. Such matters did not require shyness, so Levis nodded and replied, "I will work hard with Loria to try to have an heir as soon as possible." "In addition, you need to properly manage your mistresses and illegitimate children, understand?" said the Earl suddenly. "Oh heavens, father, are you perhaps mistaken? I do indeed know several women, but I definitely do not have any illegitimate children." "There''s no need to exin to me. You must understand Loria''s status as a Marquis''s daughter; she will not tolerate your mistresses and illegitimate children taking even half a step into Tulip Castle." "I understand." The private lives of the Nobles often involve various mistresses and illegitimate children. However, when the Great Nobles intermarry, it is difficult to tolerate the involvement of illegitimate children in the family, especially within families where the bride''s side is a strong Noble house. Illegitimate children can only end up outcast, struggling against the injustices of the world on their own. Drifting at sea for one day and one night. Finally reaching Red Crab Ind. The Deputy Butler Ranieri of Long Taro Castle had been waiting early at the port of Sea Crab City to receive the Tulip Family''s delegation. By the time they reached Long Taro Castle, it was the afternoon of August 15th, with only a day and a half left before the wedding at Meioubao. Your adventure continues at empire "Li Weiliam!" "Mesiro!" On the road outside Long Taro Castle, Mesiro personally greeted the Earl and his group, expressing great enthusiasm. Clearly, the Tulip Family, with its burgeoning growth, was a powerful ally of the Long Taro Family. The two Earls who were followers of Marquis Merlin were also in the weing party¡ªSharke Cauliflower and Durant Hyacinth. After a warm and boisterous round of pleasantries. Liszt was just another inconspicuous person within the crowd exchanging courtesies; he demonstrated his grace by greeting everyone, then stood to one side. ncing at Durant Hyacinth, he was Duniko Hyacinth''s father. Clearly, Duniko''s excellent genes were inherited from her father, a handsome, middle-aged man who also possessed a refined and elegant demeanor. His style was quite different from that of the more domineering Earl Sharke standing beside him. Mesiro, Li Weiliam, Sharke, Durant. The four Sky Knights standing together made Liszt very pleased to find that although his father had the most ordinary appearance, his presence was the most dazzling. It stemmed from his Advanced Dou Qi that was harmonious inside and out, constantly radiating a robust aura that influenced the senses of those around him. Chapter 0426 Better to see once than hear a hundred times (first update) The grey-white walls of Long Taro Castle were adorned with an abundance of flowers, branches, and ribbons, making the majestic castle look especially sacred.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om Two huge banners fluttered high on the castle''s highest spire. One was the abstract "Chang Yu" banner of the Long Taro Family, and the other was the Sapphire Family''s Sapphire Dragon Banner, rustling in the wind. These temporarily hung massive banners represented the family marriage alliance. In the vast area before the castle gate, countless servants were busy arranging the wedding site, with squads of knights interspersed among them, and even officials-looking figures were participating and gesturing orders. "These are professional servants from the Court and Internal Affairs officials, as well as knights from the Blueblood Knight Order. They are not only taking over the wedding process but also responsible for the defense, as the Grand Duke will personally attend the Little Princess''s wedding with Meioubao," Mesiro Taro exined. Upon hearing this, Earl Li Weiliam''s brows furrowed slightly, and his expression quickly turned cold, "It''s understandable that the Blueblood Knight Order is taking over the defense, but why isn''t the wedding process conducted ording to the traditions of Long Taro Castle? This is Long Taro Castle''s ceremony of weing its mistress, even if she is the Grand Duke''s daughter." Durant and Sharke did not join the conversation. Mesiro also felt somewhat embarrassed, "It''s my father''s wish, hoping to show more respect to the Little Princess." "The Long Taro Family''s contribution of more knights'' glory is the respect for the Grand Duke and the Little Princess, not this way," Earl Li Weiliam was very dissatisfied with the Court interfering with Long Taro Castle''s etiquette, "I need to talk with Marquis Merlin. Mesiro, is your father in the castle?" "I will take you to find my father, Durant and Sharke, please entertain the guests for me." With that, the two hurried into the castle to find Marquis Merlin. Lady Marie and Lidun followed the deputy butler to the guest lounge. These two had rather special identities; they were considered rtives of Long Taro Castle by status, but they had no blood connection, and it was even a bit awkward. Levis, Li Vera, and Liszt, the three siblings, didn''t treat Long Taro Castle like someone else''s home. They found a butler and inquired, "Where is Cousin Meioubao?" "Master Meioubao has gone to Matsutake Castle. The First Prince has already escorted the Little Princess to reside in Matsutake Castle, waiting for the wedding toe," said the butler. "Miss Melinda''s family has also gone with the young master to Matsutake Castle to take care of the Little Princess''s daily life." Matsutake Castle is another castle of the Long Taro Family. "Should we rush over there or stay in Long Taro Castle?" Liszt asked. "It''s just a two-hour ride on horseback from Long Taro Castle to Matsutake Castle; we might as well hurry over. I haven''t seen what the Little Princess looks like yet," Li Vera said excitedly. Levis shook his head, "I need to stay here. Father is very unhappy with the Court arranging the wedding process for the Long Taro Family. I might be needed to lend a handter. You go ahead and send my regards to the First Prince." Afterward. Liszt and Li Vera set off for Matsutake Castle together. When they arrived at Matsutake Castle, the sun was about to set, and the entire castle was guarded by knights of the Blueblood Knight Order, barring outsiders from entering. The siblings waited outside for nearly ten minutes. Only then did they see Meioubao hastilying to greet them, "Li Vera, Liszt, you''ve arrived? Didn''t you rest at Long Taro Castle, howe you came to Juniper Castle?" "We heard that Aunt Melinda''s family and Cousin You are all here, and that the First Prince and Little Princess have already moved into Matsutake Castle, so we came over," Li Vera said eagerly. "Where is the Little Princess, cousin? Hurry, take me to visit the Little Princess. I can''t wait to meet my future sister-inw." Meioubao smiled, "Follow me." Upon entering the Matsutake Castle, it was necessary to first pay a visit to the First Prince¡ªeven though Liszt and Li Vera were not vassals of the Sapphire Family, they only needed to be loyal to their father, Earl Li Weiliam. "Your Highness the First Prince, I am pleased to see you again," Liszt bowed and paid his respects, neither pretending to be aloof nor deliberately lowering his stance. The First Prince clearly remembered Liszt, "The only knight promoted during the Battle of Iron Hoof Ind, Liszt, I''m also d to see you." After a few simple courtesies, Liszt and Li Vera took their leave. Given the great difference in status and the absence of a vassal rtionship between them, indeed, there wasn''t much they could talk about. Following Cousin Meioubao, they proceeded to the second floor of the castle, and in the piano room on the second floor, they met Aunt Melinda and Cousin Russell''s wife, Cassie Broli. Of course, there were also several other young, eye-catching,vishly dressed noble debutantes. "Everyone is here, so please wait a moment to chat," Meioubao said loudly. Drawing everyone''s attention, "Please allow me to introduce... This is my cousin, the daughter of Earl Li Weiliam, Li Vera Tulip, Baroness of Falcon Town; and my cousin, the second son of Earl Li Weiliam, Viscount Liszt Tulip of ck Horse Ind, and incidentally, his viscounty is a reward for his military service." Family shadow and merit-based enfeoffment are two different concepts. One represents identity, the other represents potential. While being a second son might be somewhat awkward, gaining recognition through one''s own efforts is more noteworthy¡ªwho doesn''t favor a stronger knight? Upon entering the room, Liszt felt the gaze of these noble debutantes brighten when they looked at him. When Meioubao introduced him as a knight ennobled for his military service, their eyes brightened yet again. "I''ve heard of you, Liszt, the new Viscount who was promoted during the Battle of Iron Hoof Ind and has tamed an Intermediate Magical Beast," a noble debutante said quickly, her eyes roaming over Liszt. Even though he wasn''t dressed in mboyant ck Abbieye attire, wearing only a simple suit of leather armor, he still had an outstanding presence. Seeing that the debutante had already spoken, Meioubao proceeded to introduce her to Li Vera and Liszt, "This is Miss Grasutti Red Maple Leaf, the sister of the Red Maple City Marquis." Red Maple City Marquis Glendenton Red Maple Leaf was precisely Liszt''s immediate superior during the Battle of Iron Hoof Ind. As Marquis Glendenton was the husband of Grand Princess Annie Sapphire, it was natural for his sister Grasutti to be best friends with the Little Princess. "Pleased to meet you, the lovely Miss Grasutti," Liszt said with a smile and a bow, though against his better judgment, as Grasutti was not particrly beautiful in his eyes. In Liszt''s opinion, she would be considered quite ordinary. Meioubao continued, "This is Sndo Dahlia Hui Lan, the daughter of the Quicksand City Marquis, and she is already spoken for... This is Joanna..." He introduced several noble debutantes in session, all offspring of Nobles. Birds of a feather flock together, and it was only the offspring of Nobles who could bepanions to the Little Princess. Finally, Meioubao approached a beautiful woman sitting at the piano, took her hand, and introduced her with emphasis, "Li Vera, Liszt, need I continue... Ang Sapphire, my fianc¨¦e, the future Lady of Long Taro Castle, and your future sister-inw." "Pleased to meet you, Your Highness," the siblings said, smiling and paying their respects. The Grand Duchy''s most famous socialite, finally met in person, and soon to be family as well. Chapter 0427 Escape from Matsutake Castle (Second Update) "Li Vera, Liszt, greetings." Ang Sapphire exhibited a noble-like smile, brimming with the grace of ady. She appeared to be about twenty-one, fair-skinned, attractive, and well-rounded¡ªnot the epitome of beauty, but she certainly conformed to Liszt''s aesthetic preferences. Moreover, her tone and demeanor were the epitome of elegance. It was hard to believe that this was the same person alleged to be the infamous socialite known for her openness, or rather, licentiousness. Of course, judging by appearances is wrong, and Liszt didn''t let any of his thoughts show. After exchanging greetings with the myriad of noble young women, he sat next to Aunt Melinda, not wishing to be the center of attention. He spoke little, allowing his sister, Li Vera, to quickly engage with thedies. He simply exchanged pleasantries with Meioubao. The cousin was in a state of excitement, constantly ncing over at Ang while talking. Eager to join in the conversation. Before long, several noble young women broached the subject of the piano¡ªamon topic amongst them. Meioubao dered his favorite piece to be "Yuri Ely by the River". That didn''t resonate with anyone, but Sndo Dahlia Hui Lan countered, "My favorite is "For Alice". It''s simple, pure, like the first time one meets someone they like¡ªthe subtle joy and impulse." "Do you know, it was I who poprized that piano piece," Meioubao chimed in smoothly, "I sent it to Master Hannibal, andter his apprentice performed it all over the country, making "For Alice" renowned nationwide. But guess, where did the piece originate from?" "Where did ite from?" Sndo asked eagerly. "There is a heartbreaking love story behind it, but let''s have Liszt tell everyone. Both the original and the revised versions stemmed from him!" All eyes turned to Liszt in an instant. This left Liszt quite speechless, as he had no desire to stand out. He did not wish to develop any memories with a particr young woman on this outing. "It was merely in memory of a pair of siblings in love who were forced to part. I happened to hear it and transcribed it," he answered, glossing over the details. However, Li Vera interjected, "Liszt has an exceptional piano talent. I''ve heard him y a piece heposed himself about Castle in the Sky... Liszt, why not y that piece for us again?" While speaking, she even winked purposefully. A puzzled look came his way, suggesting, "With so many nobledies here, you''d better take one home. That''s all the help I can offer, brother." That made Liszt want tough and cry at the same time. Then Meioubao, Grasutti, and Sndo started egging him on to y the piano piece heposed. Liszt intended to refuse, but even the Little Princess spoke up, "Liszt, may I have the honor of hearing you y this piece?" Without any other choice, he walked to the piano and sat down. His fingers gently brushed the keys as he briefly narrated a story, "I''ve heard of a city above the sky, affluent, peaceful, and happy. There was a child named Xida who descended from the sky holding a flying stone, and a serf named Bas who wished to prove the existence of Castle in the Sky..." While getting to grips with the new piano, he finished the story, "To prevent Castle in the Sky from falling into the hands of the Evil Magician, Xida and Bas chanted a spell that made the castle disintegrate and crumble... Though Castle in the Sky was ultimately destroyed, the pursuit, a brave heart, and the beautiful journey was enough." "This piece is called "With You"." After finishing the story, Liszt''s hands pressed the piano keys, starting to y the piano piece he knew all too well. ¡­ The piece concluded. Noble youngdies almost pped their hands raw. "It''s so exquisite, I feel as though I am in the sky, soaring among the clouds." "It made me feel a tranquility in my heart that I have never known, an emptiness." "Ah, I have fallen in love with this piano piece, just as I fell for "For Alice"!" Even Meioubao couldn''t help but p and exim, "Li Si Te, if you switched to being a pianist, you would surely achieve the aplishments of Master Czerny!" "It''s only a momentary feeling, which Iposed into a piano piece." But no matter how modest he was, at Matsutake Castle''s dinner, he had already be the center of attention. Noble youngdies always managed to casually inquire about his various details while pretending to chat with him, and there were even those who made suggestive remarks¡ªlike three youngdies who bluntly invited him to teach them how to y "With You". Private lessons. What would happen behind closed doors was anybody''s guess.N?v(el)B\\jnn Li Si Te eloquently refused such invitations on the grounds of not having the time. "I must admit I''m jealous of your talent, Li Si Te. If I couldpose something as moving as "With You" or "For Alice", I wouldn''t need to go through so much trouble pursuing Ang; she would take the initiative and throw herself into my arms," Meioubao kept talking non-stop as they walked. They left after the dinner, with only one day left before the wedding. It was not appropriate to stay overnight at Matsutake Castle, so they had to return to Long Taro Castle. To escape this one night. "You could have easily chosen one of the noble youngdies to return with you to Long Taro Castle; I believe she would not have refused," Li Vera said. "Sorry, sister, I''m currently in a critical phase of my practice and I don''t want to be disturbed by these messy things," Li Si Te replied as he undid the button at his cor. "You, on the other hand, should be more mindful of seizing your own opportunities. Surely many noble young talents havee this time." "You needn''t worry about me; I have my own standards for choosing," she replied. Li Si Te shrugged nomittally, which was just as well¡ªhe didn''t fancy ying matchmaker. During his walk around Long Taro Castle, he found it bustling with countless servants scurrying back and forth, busily setting up for the wedding ceremony the day after tomorrow, a stark contrast to the quiet he''d encountered on previous visits. He didn''t find the Earl, but he did find Levis. "Brother, father went to see Grandfather; do you know what they talked about? I saw that The Court''s servants and the Internal Affairs Officials haven''t left," he said. "It''s actually a misunderstanding. These servants and Internal Affairs Officials are a wedding gift from the Grand Duke to the Little Princess. They will join Long Taro Castle to take care of the Little Princess''s daily life and will be under the jurisdiction of Long Taro Castle''s butler," Levis shook his head. "The Grand Duke really is too indulgent with the Little Princess." "Perhaps," was the reply. "You should also get ready. You, me, Rolie, and three other young nobles will form Meioubao''s groomsmen. We''ll need to participate in the rehearsal for the wedding tomorrow, so better rest early tonight." "Do I need to wear some strange clothes?" "A formal suit is necessary, and you''ll even need to wear a floral gand, did you know? But there''s a part worth looking forward to¡ª we''ll have more interactions with a group of beautiful bridesmaids." Chapter 0428 Teasing at the Wedding (Third update, 10,000 coins reward celebration 2/2) The entire day. Liszt hadn''t enjoyed the pleasure of "close contact with beautiful bridesmaids" that Levis had mentioned. He was like a marite, manipted by the internal affairs officials. "I don''t like being a groomsman," Rolie, his cousin,ined under his breath, dressed in a light gold suit, with a wreath of colorful flowers on his head and a round, fluffy, ruffled cor around his neck, looking out of ce. "Count me in," Liszt echoed. He, too, was dressed in the tactless groomsman outfit. He had no idea where the custom of wearing such a ridiculous costume had originated. Even with his outstanding demeanor and handsome appearance, he was defeated by the suit. Among the groomsmen, only his handsome face stood out a bit. Your next chapter is on empire Levis secretly yawned, "I also regret agreeing to be Meioubao''s groomsman. It''s hot, tiring, and ufortable. I''d rather exhaust myself practicing Dou Qi than stand here as a prop... especially in this ugly and silly suit. I''m all sweaty!" But there was no helping it; it was custom. The golden suit represented the glory of knights, the puffy round frilled cor signified the nobility''s grandeur, and the colorful woven wreath symbolized nature''s blessing. Only such a group of groomsmen could provide the groom with the utmost support and guard his honor. Liszt nced at the opposite side of the red carpet, where a group of bridesmaids was draped in white dresses. They weren''t wearing wreaths but birddy hats with feathers, and with gloved hands, they held a bunch of dry flowers. The white symbolized purity, the birddy hats signified vigorous Dou Qi, and the dry flowers meant restrained beauty. At first, the group of bridesmaids was indeed so beautiful that it was hard to take one''s eyes off them. But now, Liszt had lost count of how many secretive rolled eyes he had caught from the bridesmaids. Especially after the rehearsal, their postures, both standing and sitting, lost all grace and were quite rough, far fromdylike. All in all, The day had passed in painful rehearsal, and the youngdies who had paid attention to Liszt because of the piano piece "With You" worked themselves half to death as bridesmaids without any intention to flirt with him. This allowed Liszt to sleep soundly again, greeting the wedding day with full energy. ... On the morning of August 17th, The group of groomsmen assembled, and the wedding had already begun. It was aplicated sequence of events. First, they had to assist the groom, Meioubao, in going to Matsutake Castle to wee the bride. Galloping on horses, the six groomsmen inside the carriage all stripped down to just their boxer shorts. Upon arriving at Matsutake Castle, they hurriedly dressed in the bizarre light gold suits. Then, they put on Ruffs and wreaths. They stepped out of the carriage with bright smiles, following the bridegroom Meioubao, dressed in glittering gold, towards Matsutake Castle under the guidance of the internal affairs official. In their hands, each bore a strange potted nt. They were wheat, barley, glutinous rice, corn, peas, and taro. The first five grains symbolized the food of the harvest, and thest taro signified the family''s foundation. Once they entered the castle, these grains and taro were handed over to the bridesmaid group¡ªthe male host handed over the management of the family''s foundation to the female host. The male host was responsible for battle; the female host for the castle. This was themon understanding. Of course, most male nobles were responsible not just for battle but also for the castle. The women were merely responsible for enjoyment. Just as Liszt was passing the glutinous rice in his hands to the opposite bridesmaid, Joanna Evening Primrose, he suddenly felt a caress on the back of his hand. It was Joanna smiling, her fingers tapping against the back of his hand. And she gave him an amorous look. She was the daughter of the Count of Moonlight Ind and a direct follower of the Grand Duke, her mother being one of the Grand Duke''s cousins, bearing the Sapphire Family''s bloodline. At neen years old, she was the most stunning among the bridesmaids, bearing a resemnce to Ang Sapphire. The youngdy who had hoped Liszt would teach her piano in private was among them. Having been tired all day, one might have thought she wouldn''t be inclined to any fanciful thoughts, yet after a night of restorative rest, this noble youngdy still hinted at Liszt ¡ª and did so under the broad light of day. Maintain a smile. Liszt pretended not to notice her subtle moves, for in the style of the Little Princess, he truly had no interest in her group of close friends. The ceremony continued. After blessings infused with symbolism such as the "exchange of grains," "feeding of horses," and "donning armor," it was time for the bride, Ang Sapphire, to finally emerge from the depths of the castle, under the protection of the First Prince. She shone as brilliantly as her gilded groom. The golden gown she wore hugged her figure, entuating her curves, and the light veil at her bosom made the profound cleavage teasingly visible. Atop her styled hair sat a tiara adorned with gemstones and pearls. The heavy makeup and significant beautification rendered her stunningly beautiful and noble. She ced her hand in Meioubao''s, who, with his arm, helped her onto the carriage, then Meioubao mounted his horse to personally guard by the side of the carriage. The bridesmaids each went to separate carriages while Liszt and the rest of the groomsmen also mounted their horses. Following them were the First Prince and others, forming the bride''s entourage, with the Blueblood Knight Order asionally letting out inexplicable roars, amplifying the procession''s presence. Two and a half hourster.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om The procession returned to Long Taro Castle as the sunlight began to intensify. The groom assisted the bride out of the carriage, while the groomsmen aided the bridesmaids. This time, Liszt found himself being teased again ¡ª when he assisted Joanna, she cunningly pretended to slip and fell into his arms. As she stood up, she even pinched Liszt''s pectoral muscle. "You have a really strong body," she said on tiptoe, whispering quickly into Liszt''s ear. In such a situation. Liszt could hardly show discontent and ruin his cousin''s wedding, so he simply smiled and pretended nothing had happened, proceeding with the following rituals. Serving the groom and bride ¡ª the cleansing with spring water, the sharing of a cup of wine, a piece of wheat bread, and the bride spinning yarn while the groom practiced archery. Finally. They stepped into the well-decorated hall for the final marital approval ceremony. It was only then that Liszt had a moment to notice that the entire hall was filled with numerous nobles and their spouses, and at the seats of honor sat an middle-aged couple ¡ª Grand Duke Andrew Sapphire and his wife Sarette Dahua Hun. The Grand Duke looked well, though he no longer radiated Dragon Might. Surrounding them were Marquis Merlin, The Mesiro Couple, the First Prince and his wife, Glendenton and the Grand Princess with their spouses, as well as Liszt''s brother Li Weiliam and his wife, and other nobles whom Liszt had merely greeted. Only Glendenton from the old Marquises was present, being the Grand Princess''s husband after all. The other Marquises had all sent their heirs in their stead. Regardless, the Grand Duke and Duchess''s very presence at the wedding was an honor in itself. The officiant of the wedding was an elderly noble, an Internal Affairs Official of The Court, who had presided over the First Prince''s wedding before. Now, with his dimming eyesight, he looked at the thick parchment in his hands and, addressing Meioubao with a dry but booming voice, read, "Meioubao Taro, if the master of the sea, the Lord of all inds, the great Sapphire Duke agrees, do you swear to take Ang Sapphire as your wife?" "I promise," Meioubao solemnly vowed. The elderly noble then turned to the Little Princess, "Ang Sapphire, if the master of the sea, the Lord of all inds, the great Sapphire Duke agrees, do you swear to take Meioubao Taro as your husband?" Ang, too, vowed solemnly, "I promise." Seeing this, the elderly noble continued, "By the power and name bestowed upon me by the master of the sea, the Lord of all inds, the great Sapphire Duke, I witness your marriage... May the glory of the knights shine upon this newlywed couple." Chapter 0429 Come to My Daisy Castle (First Update) ``` Your next read is at empire The wedding was underway. Liszt removed the sapphire ring from his left middle finger, lifted Ang''s right hand, and carefully ced it on her right ring finger, saying, "Friend¡ªwith this gemstone ring you shall understand, I am yours¡ªall my love, forever loyal." Ang did the same, removing the sapphire ring from her right middle finger, and sliding it onto Liszt''s left ring finger, she repeated the same words, "Friend¡ªwith this gemstone ring you shall understand, I am yours¡ªall my love, forever loyal." Thendlord witnessed, rings exchanged. The ceremony was nowplete, and byw, Meioubao Taro and Ang Sapphire were husband and wife, protected under the kingdom''sws. Shortly thereafter. The bride and groom were sent to change clothes, and the bridesmaids and groomsmen were finally liberated, able to shed their peculiar formalwear for morefortable attire. Liszt was almost the first one to rush into the bath, taking a quick shower. He then changed into a well-fitting ck¡¤Abbieye¡ªthough in reality, ck¡¤Abbieye was also quite borate, and it was still suffering to wear it in the heat, but at such formal gatherings, nobles must dress in ck¡¤Abbieye, which at least was morefortable than the earlier outfit. Once dressed, he stood before the crystal mirror, meticulously attending to the details, letting a servant make sure every hair was in ce. Only then did he step out of the room to attend the uing noon banquet. Standing at a height of 188 centimeters, his tall, upright figure, handsome face, and extraordinary demeanor, along with a pair of deep sapphire-blue eyes. No matter where Liszt went, he was always a sight for sore eyes. He had already noticed several bold nobledies sending him the ''spinach of autumn''. Of course, he had no response for them, not even a smile¡ªthere was already one bridesmaid watching him like a hawk, and he really didn''t want to invite more trouble; indulgence didn''t bring too much pleasure. The banquet didn''t adopt a fixed dining format due to theck of space, instead, a buffet style was chosen. Only the Grand Duke and those marquises, earls, and other great nobles were privileged to sit in the castle''s second-floor dining room, enjoying an undisturbed lunch. The lesser nobility or noble heirs circted around the buffet tables in the first-floor hall and the garden. Liszt, who was already hungry, naturally did not hold back, picking up a te and casually selecting food. As most of the food in this world did not suit his taste, he would usually only pick the nutritious ones for the banquets, needing a lot of nutrients for practicing Dou Qi. He had just chosen a few pieces of magical beast meat and ced them on his te. A servant holding drinks came by, smiling and offering Liszt a ss, but he simply shook his head. If he had the chance to avoid alcohol, he would never miss it. "Hi." A woman''s voice greeted him from behind. Liszt sighed inwardly, sure enough, being handsome was a hassle, always attracting moths to the me. He turned around to see a woman, around thirty years old, holding a ss of golden champagne. Dignified and of noble demeanor, yet her eyes betrayed an irrepressible slyness. "You are Liszt, right? The groom''s cousin. I saw you as a groomsman, and you looked very cute," the mature woman said. "I''m Martha Yiniang Peng; my husband was the Earl of Diagonal Ind before he fell in battle." "Lady Martha, nice to meet you." ``` "I heard from a few bridesmaids that you yed a very moving piano piece at Matsutake Castle, ''With You,''" she began. "I must tell you, I am utterly fascinated by the piano, so I couldn''t help but take the liberty of making your acquaintance. I can''t afford to miss out on a talented noble pianist like yourself." Li Si Te replied, "I y the piano merely as a hobby." "But your talent is exceptional, just as dazzling as your demeanor. I walked into the buffet corridor, and I saw and recognized you at a nce." Such ttery usuallyes with strings attached. Li Si Te, while enjoying the praise, did not let down his guard: "I am just one among many young nobles." "But you are the most special one to me," Lady Martha blurted out. "My husband left me with only a three-year-old son. I live alone in Daisy Castle, and the piano is like a spiritualpanion to me... I wonder if I might invite you to be my personal piano teacher, just for a while." "I''m afraid I don''t have the time." "In my castle resides a Little Minor Elf who is just as obsessed with the piano as I am. Perhaps, you shoulde to the castle and take it away, so it can listen to your wonderful piano ying every day." The subtext of those words was not lost on Li Si Te¡ªLady Martha was proposing to keep him as her patron for a while in exchange for a Little Minor Elf. Any young viscount would find such a temptation hard to resist. Li Si Te''s heart skipped a beat, even with the help of Smoke Mission, he still had only two Little Minor Elves, each one a treasure in its own right, enough to be passed down through generations. Being kept for a while would cost him little to nothing, yet he would acquire a Little Minor Elf¡ªthe offer was almost irresistible. He took a serious look at Martha Yiniang Peng, in her early thirties, not too old. Although she wore a bit too much makeup, the foundation was good, at least a 7 out of 10 by any standard. Her husband had passed away, leaving her only a three-year-old son.N?v(el)B\\jnn The castle was hers alone, free from the interference of family rtions¡ªshe was virtually the ideal lover for most impoverished nobility. He could definitely rely on Lady Martha''s finances and resources to acquire a noble foundation and return to the routine life of high society. Yet Li Si Te declined, "Sorry, Lady Martha, I don''t have the time to teach piano lessons." Lady Martha was not upset but just smiled slightly and left him with a phrase, "The doors of my castle are always open to you. Whenever you wish to be my personal piano teacher, feel free to write to Daisy Castle... I will personally wee you and let you experience the wonderful life at Daisy Castle." Having said that, she twisted her perky hips and left without hesitation. Looking at Lady Martha''s receding figure, Li Si Te felt a vain sense of pride swell within him: "With the piano and good looks, I couldpletely rely on my own face and talent to live a luxurious life in high society... Yet I chose to stay in a remote and barren domain, farming day after day." Only through continuous struggle and the help of the Smoke Mission did he manage to cultivate J, the Little Minor Elf. But simply by spending a few months entertaining ady of stature, he could easily obtain another Little Minor Elf. This thought filled him with sudden regret. "I should have epted!" Before he could go after her to seal the deal, a cheer burst out from the buffet at the luncheon. Meioubao and Ang, having changed into their reception attire, had arrived to join the banquet. Arm in arm, each holding a ss of red wine, they epted the well-wishes and toasts from everyone present. Li Si Te then remembered he needed to toast the newlyweds, so he took a ss of red wine from a servant''s tray and joined the line of well-wishers. "Cousin, Your Highness..." "Call me Ang, Li Si Te," the Little Princess said with a smile. Chapter 0430 Displaying Ones Talent (Second Update) The Little Princess wasn''t particrly tall, standing around one meter sixty-five. A smile brought out two shallow dimples, truly giving her the appearance of a beauty. Nobility and temperament coexisted within her, but whenever Liszt looked at her, his mind was flooded with definitions of a socialite, which made it impossible for him to associate her with purity. Thus, he was unable to link her with innocence. "Meioubao, Ang, I wish you happiness in your marriage," he lifted his ss, offering his blessing. Ang''s eyes twinkled with a smile, "Thank you." Meioubao had been in an excited state these past few days and, hearing this,ughed, "I don''t have time to talk more with you now. After the lunch banquet ends and the guests have left, we''ll have a good chat." "Alright."N?v(el)B\\jnn Surrounded by the young nobles, the Meioubao Couple left, and the thought that had surfaced in Liszt''s mind about finding Lady Martha for a chat also settled down. Carrying his te, he prepared to find a corner dining table to enjoy his lunch alone. Before he found a seat, a familiar voice came from behind him, "Viscount Liszt, it''s been a long time." He turned his head and found the speaker was a well-known socialite wearing a Bird Lady Hat, and she was also Duniko Hyacinth, with whom he''d had one wild night. "It''s been a long time." Liszt''s thoughts suddenly becameplex, though he managed a faint smile on his face. After exchanging greetings, the next few seconds became somewhat awkward for them as they both felt there was nothing more to say. The passion of that day had vanished with the lightest breeze after the cessation of their correspondence. So, Duniko said, "My friend is waiting for me over there." "It''s fine, please go ahead." A single encounter. A brief exchange, and they parted ways. Taking a deep breath as he found a seat, Liszt was struck by some inexplicable emotions¡ªDuniko was the first woman with whom he had left his bachelorhood behind. Even though it had been a night of indulgent passion without any real emotion involved, there were still some unusual thoughts deep in his mind. But, what''s in the past is past. Upon meeting again, they inevitably fell into the same awkward silence as before. "Perhaps I''ll never learn the carefree indulgence of the nobles here," he mused, eating his Magical Beast Meat, yet feeling a dissonance between his soul and the festivity of the banquet. For most nobles present, attending a wedding was more of a social event. But he was genuinely there just to attend the wedding. He looked around, seeing nobles gathered in groups of two or three, busilyworking with wine sses in hand, too preupied even to take a bite of the roasted meat. He also saw his brother Levisughing and chatting with a wine ss in hand, just like the others. As for his sister Li Vera, she was sitting face to face with a male noble, engaging in conversation. "Hey, our Master Pianist, hiding here for some peace and quiet?" Joanna Evening Primrose approached, te in hand. Liszt wasn''t in the mood to engage with this socialite who had made passes at him before, which made his tone somewhat cold, "I just want to have a serious lunch." Joanna remained oblivious, "Everyone is so keen onworking, and all you think about is having lunch?" "For a knight, breakfast, lunch, and dinner must all be taken seriously. Especially for a knight like me who is in a period of training and improvement." "Really, you are different from others. No wonder you couldpose ''With You.'' Did you know? I admire you very much." Liszt responded perfunctorily, "I''m honored." But Joanna leaned in closer, licking her tempting red lips, "Actually, I''d like to admire you from a much closer distance. Very close." "Sorry, I didn''t quite catch that." ... After embracing his Little Princess in the afternoon, the Grand Duke, along with arge group of Nobles, left Red Crab Ind without lingering for long. The bustling Long Taro Castle quieted down quickly. A night went by. The family of Liszt also declined to stay longer and said their goodbyes to leave. "We should''ve stayed a couple more days, tomorrow is my birthday, and I was hoping to invite the Little Princess to my birthday celebration too," Levis expressed regretfully on the road. "Meioubao just got married; they should be given time to be together, and you, you need to prepare for your marriage to Loria," the Earl said, riding on his horse. Liszt, too, was riding the Landwalker bird Loki, casually following the group. Nobles should travel by carriage, but everyone preferred to ride their mounts, relying on the rushing wind to alleviate the heat. Thus, only Lady Marie, Li Vera, and Lidun were inside the carriage. Before long. The Earl suddenly looked at Liszt: "Liszt, why are you so quiet?" "What?" A distracted Liszt came back to his senses, "I was just thinking about some things, Father, Brother, what were you discussing?" "We were talking about your piano performance, the way you yed ''With You'' at dinner, even the Princess couldn''t stop praising, and her friends had mes in their eyes, they almost wanted to devour you... but what surprises me more is that you didn''t respond to Joanna''s flirting; she is very beautiful," Levis looked at Liszt with an expression reserved for treating the cognitively challenged. "I''ve already said that now is the critical period for training, I must put all my effort into cultivating Dou Qi, and I have a feeling I will be a Sky Knight before you," Liszt stated. "You''ve only been using medicine for so long, and you want to surpass me?" "I''ve found the most suitable way for me to use medicine, and I have my own unique insights into cultivation. My bodily talents are also gradually showing themselves. Brother, if you continue to indulge in worldly pleasures, you are bound to be unable to catch up with me," Liszt looked up at an angle of forty-five degrees toward the sky. The light of the Sun draped over him, as if coating him in ayer of rosy glow. Levis clicked his tongue in disbelief: "Do you truly have confidence that you will be a Sky Knight faster than I will?" His heart was skeptical, but the vibe that Liszt gave off didn''t seem like he was boasting, and although Liszt could sometimes be a forced "cold humorist," he usually spoke with substance. The Earl also looked over. Liszt did not lower his head, still maintaining the posture of looking up at the sky at a forty-five-degree angle: "Yes, I am very confident, because the glory of the Knight shines upon me, I am the Son of Glory." His confidence did note from blindness. However, in Levis'' eyes, this was a sign of arrogance: "You might have some misunderstandings about Sky Knights, maybe Father will tell you the difference between Earth Knights and Sky Knights." But the Earl said: "Levis, as for the difference between Earth Knights and Sky Knights, I believe Liszt is very clear about it... As to who will be a Sky Knight first, I cannot judge. But your attitude towards cultivation is clearly not as devoted as Liszt''s, and excessive indulgence indeed harms the foundation of a Knight." Levis gave a sheepishugh: "I haven''t indulged excessively..." Seeing such a scene. A smile couldn''t help but appear on Liszt''s face. Calling himself the Son of Glory just now didn''t fit his usual low-profile style, but he had a purpose in saying it¡ªhe wasying the groundwork for his future advancement, bing a Sky Knight before the age of twenty would surely be astonishing. If he didn''ty the groundwork now, it would be troublesome to exinter. So, disying his talent appropriately and showing an attitude favored by the Knight''s glory would make it easier for others to ept it. At least for now, the Earl already believed his younger son had the talent to challenge bing a Sky Knight. "A good change." Chapter 0431 Selling Off Family Assets for Construction (First Update) Levis''s birthday was celebrated on board the ship. Although there was no lively banquet, the family gathered together, and everyone, except for Lady Penelope, who never went to sea, extended their blessings. The following afternoon, they returned to Tulip Castle and held a bted celebration. Liszt also rested for one night at the Tulip Castle before returning to Fresh Flower Town. However, his trip back to Fresh Flower Town was far from leisurely. Levis''s wedding was about to be organized¡ªAt Long Taro Castle, Li Weiliam had discussed with Marquis Roderick and his only son, Roger Golden Wheat Sheaf, and the wedding date had been set for September 12th. The Pioneer Mandate was also fast approaching¡ªSteel Ridge Kingdom would surely send an envoy to Blue Dragon Ind to confirm the date of this year''s war with Eagle Kingdom¡ªstrangely, almost every year around the time of the autumn harvest, the two Kingdoms would erupt intorge-scale conflict, a tradition that hadsted for centuries. Aside from ancient enmities, another reason was likely the knight system¡ªhow could one gain honors and wealth without war, how to alleviate the tension between new and old nobles, how to redistribute wealth, and without war, where to channel one''s vigorous energy. To train hard and be an Earth Knight, even a Sky Knight, was to seek glory and establish one''s career on the battlefield.N?v(el)B\\jnn On the way back, Liszt was a bit annoyed, "Levis''s birthday gift was easy to choose, but his wedding gift can''t be inferior to the one I gave Meioubao¡­ Although the Knight Squad has replenished two Earth Knights, with the territory''s construction booming, it is really not suitable to deploy knights forbat now." Knights were crucial, both mounted in battle and dismounted in governance, the cornerstone of the knight system¡ªbecause only knights had ess to aplete education, especially those of Noble descent. Without knowledge to expand their thinking, it would be difficult to bepetent in management positions. Now both the port town and Fresh Flower Town were short of officials, especially those capable of leading in "major battles"; Earth Knights could barely maintain the territory''s management. Withdrawing them all would seriously impact construction. "However, if I n to go to war, it is impossible not to bring the Knight Squad¡­ For the sake of the serfs, it is necessary to prepare to set out. Fortunately, it is possible to loot resources. My Douson and the eight tiny ones can all be taken to battle. By tearing down a few castles, I should be able to gather enough money to buy serfs." In the battle for Iron Hoof Ind, the Grand Duke prohibited the looting of resources. But the Pioneer Mandate was about looting resources, with the only requirement being to pay taxes to the Grand Duke, certainly making the Pioneer Mandate more profitable. On the road. He called out the Smoke Mission again. "Mission: Reviving Fire Dragon Bones. Have you forgotten? The dried-out dragon bones need to be nourished with Magic Power, only then can they foster a result that touches your heart. Please organize serfs to mine 10 tons of Volcanic ss. Reward: the restlessness of the Rubber Bug." No change. The ten tons of Volcanic ss had not yet been mined sufficiently. When he arrived back at Fresh Flower Town, he found that Goltai was waiting for him. "My lord, in the process of developing ck Horse Ind, there was a problem that was overlooked and needs urgent resolution," he said. "We only have two sailing ships, Fresh Flower Vessel and Thorn Number, but ck Horse Ind still cannot produce food. Merely for transporting food, most of the two ships'' transport capacity is upied." "That is indeed a problem. Has the Fresh Flower Town agency seen any increase in finances recently?" Liszt turned to inquire of Isaiah. "With Fresh Flower Brewpleting distribution in Red Crab Ind, profits have increased significantly. However, we are required to make payments to Tulip Castle to settle debts. The scale of Fresh Flower Soap has always been unable to expand further due to insufficient supply of raw materials... So, the agency''s current revenue has not seen a significant increase," replied Isaiah. "I see¡­" Liszt said. "My lord, with the increased profits from Fresh Flower Brew, do you think it might be possible to repay part of what we owe, while keeping some funds for the territory''s expenses?" Goltai suggested. Liszt rubbed his forehead, "I would like to do that too, but Tulip Castle is also facing a Gold Coin crisis. My brother is about to get married and needs a considerable amount of Gold Coins for the wedding. My father has already decided to levy an extra tax to tide over this difficulty." Tulip Castle was his support. But Tulip Castle couldn''t endlessly cater to his demands, especially when faced with Levis''s uing wedding¡ªa noble''s wedding was definitely an event of overwhelming extravagance, requiring arge expenditure of Gold Coins. Therefore, it was customary for kingdoms to impose a special "wedding tax." The Landlord or thendlord''s daughter, son was getting married. But what to do if there was no money? Of course, it was to levy taxes, shifting the financial pressure of thendlord''s marriage onto the subjects of thend, whether the subjectsined or epted it with good grace was not important. Now Tulip Castle had to rely on the wedding tax to raise funds, and Liszt really felt embarrassed to borrow money from Tulip Castle again. He could only find a way by himself. "The Thorn Ironwood, though fast-growing, couldn''t keep up with the rate of logging; the Rubber Bug, however adept at repairing Rubber Trees, couldn''t allow for rubber to be harvested inrge quantities; Fresh Flower Soap, though popr, was limited by the supply of ingredients like animal pancreas; Fresh Flower Brew, though it could capture the market, still needed time to be distributed." Essentially, the products of thend could be quickly converted into cash, yet still couldn''t fill the financial void for the development of ck Horse Ind. So, after much distress, Liszt still had to sell his family''s assets. He sent away Goltai and Isaiah and hid in the study to take inventory of his assets that could be liquidated. Mithril, Jade, Crystal, there wasn''t much left. He really didn''t want to sell them. His gaze finally settled on three gemstones, one being the Crimson Blood Sword embedded with a Ruby, another a Sapphire Magic Ring, and thest being a Pink Gemstone seized during the battle at Iron Hoof Ind. "I no longer need to use the Crimson Blood Sword, and Li Vera has long coveted it. She certainly wouldn''t be willing to pay one thousand five hundred Gold Coins, so just sell it to her at half price, eight hundred Gold Coins should do, she should be able to afford that; the Sapphire Magic Ring, as Curtis Truth''s Life Box, I don''t know if it holds any secrets, so let''s not sell it for now; the Pink Gemstone can be sold." But then he had another thought. He had a new inspiration, "I actually don''t need to prepare a pile of gifts for Levis''s wedding. I couldpletely give him the Pink Gemstone as a gift¡ªa gemstone worth a thousand Gold Coins is definitely a powerful gift... The Pink Gemstone as a gift, and money from selling the Crimson Blood Sword could buy two second-hand sailboats to almost make up for the loss of shipping capacity." The n was well-conceived. He immediately went to Tulip Castle to seek out Li Vera¡ªalthough she had been granted a fief in Falcon Town, she spent eleven months of the year at Tulip Castle, a true case of lingering dependency. "You want to sell the Crimson Blood Sword to me?" Li Vera looked at the dusty Liszt in surprise. "Not sell, it''s half sale, half gift. I happen to be short of money and I thought of my sister, whocks a good weapon, so I made this decision." "Are you really that short of money?" "As you can imagine, for the fiefdom of ck Horse Ind, I almost didn''t receive any material rewards from the Iron Hoof Ind campaign; the development of ck Horse Ind has left me penniless; and with Meioubao and Levis''s wedding, my finances are seriously depleted, so I need to find a solution from you." Facing Levis''s predicament, Li Vera thought for a moment and said, "The Crimson Blood Sword was a gift from grandfather, and it means a lot. I wouldn''t want to take away his expectations of you, but I can lend you some Gold Coins." Liszt, of course, didn''t want to sell the Crimson Blood Sword if he could borrow money. This was a very good backup weapon. "How many Gold Coins can you lend me?" "Five hundred, is that enough?" "Make it a thousand, I''m really short on money... If you have more, just lend me two thousand Gold Coins." Chapter 435 - 0432: The Future Chief Knight (Second Update) "Do you think I¡¯m raising a Golden Dragon?" Li Vera rolled her eyes in frustration andined, "I¡¯ve only umted a thousand Gold Coins, relying on the Tulip Lesser Spirit and twelve Elf Bugs, in addition to the family savings from my childhood! I can lend you at most eight hundred Gold Coins. My Falcon Town hasn¡¯t produced a single Elf Bug in a year!" Compared to the thriving Fresh Flower Town, Falcon Town, which should have been a prosperous small town, hadn¡¯t improved much under her management. It was only because she had a Tulip Lesser Spirit that she was able to quickly nt over eight hundred acres of ck Tulips in Falcon Town. The crop had just reached arge scale, and she hadn¡¯t reaped much profit from it yet. Experience more content on empire What frustrated Li Vera was that Fresh Flower Town frequently bred Elf Bugs, but she hadn¡¯t found even one in Falcon Town for nearly a year. Considering her own expenses and her ns to train a squad of female knights, she hadn¡¯t managed to umte much wealth¡ªif she had been a male Earth Knight, with just one Little Minor Elf, she might have had a chance to aim for the title of Viscount. Unfortunately, she was a woman. There was no use in going to battlefields or keeping the Gold Coins idle. Lending out eight hundred Gold Coins was close to Liszt¡¯s expectation from selling the Crimson Blood Sword, so he didn¡¯t insist any further, "Then I¡¯ll borrow eight hundred Gold Coins." Li Vera said, "You must prepare a grand gift for my birthday next year." "Of course." ... Having sessfully borrowed eight hundred Gold Coins from Li Vera, Liszt felt somewhat relieved. Sometimes he deliberately tried to avoid the constraints of kinship, but family was still different from strangers. He had inherited the bloodline of this body, and there was no doubt he was a member of the Tulip Family. Family would be a solid backup for each other. "Li Vera¡¯s eight hundred Gold Coins can wait a year or even longer to be repaid, and if I am still short of money, perhaps... I might borrow some from my grandmother," he thought to himself. Once, his grandmother had alwayspared him unfavorably to Melissa because of his personality and appearance, her words tinged with harshness. However, as he continued to demonstrate exceptional performance, his grandmother¡¯s attitude towards him softened considerably. This was indeed opportunistic. Yet being born into a Noble family, such things were inevitable. A waste, even if they are an eldest legitimate son, would be scorned; a talented individual, even if born out of wedlock, would be valued. Strength was the basis of a family¡¯s session, and sitting in the Noble¡¯s chair, Liszt saw this very clearly. He wasn¡¯t a young man. With the maturity of an adult, he understood how to let go and be tolerant, just as he knew how life involved a mixture of interest and affection¡ªeven the most loving parents would feel disappointed by their children¡¯s failures. The difference was in the inability to sever the kinship that blood rtions brought, no matter what. "In my grandmother¡¯s eyes, my status must be roughly equal to Levis¡¯s by now. She should not refuse a loan. Moreover, she must have umted quite a few Gold Coins, which would only molder away in the little Castle; it would be better to lend them to me to make profits... In the future, I will reciprocate with much more." It felt somewhat like spronging off the elderly. Liszt felt a tinge of embarrassment in his heart; he had originally wanted to focus on his own territory, to minimize entanglements with his family. In the end, he still needed his family¡¯s help. "However, having the family as support does feel very good. Building up ck Horse Ind from scratch, even with the Smoke Mission, would require a significant amount of time. Now, with Li Vera¡¯s Gold Coins and those from my grandmother, I can maintain a state of rapid development." For some reason, on the way back, he suddenly thought of Martha Yiniang Peng. This widowed Earl¡¯sdy was willing to provide for him for a while in exchange for a Little Minor Elf. If it had been right after he had arrived when his territory was destitute, he might not have been able to resist the temptation and would have gone straight to Daisy Castle to be thedy¡¯s petticoat knight. As for now, his pride and dignity still mattered. Back to Fresh Flower Town. "Consultant Goltai, I leave the purchase of the ships to you. With eight hundred Gold Coins, make sure to choose the best old sailing ships¡ªyes, two cargo ships," he handed over the borrowed Gold Coins to Goltai¡ªhe was all about efficiency. Since they needed ships, he bought them without hesitation. This style, of course, was not meticulous enough. It didn¡¯t match the maximization of benefits like those Landlords skilled in nning and management, who could stretch a penny into two. But the simplicity and brutality saved mental and physical energy, time he didn¡¯t have to spare. Practicing Dou Qi and enjoying life was what he should be doing daily. ... In the following days, his life became more peaceful. Only outside his regr schedule, he intensified the training of the Eight Tiny Ones. This year¡¯s Pioneer Mandate, the Eight Tiny Ones and Douson would be powerful aides in his plundering of resources. "Storm, Rock Spike!" "Pff!" Storm opened its mouth to cast Magic, and a Rock Spike shot up from the ground not far away. The Eight Tiny Ones were still pups, but they were well-fed and fast-developing, with their Magic reserves already considerable. With Douson¡¯smand, their discipline and obedience had greatly improved. The Blizzard Beast Squad had begun to take shape, just waiting to be tested on the battlefield. Apart from training dogs. Liszt still persisted in taking potions, practicing Dou Qi, and honing archery skills. Triple Arrow had be second nature, and Multiple Arrow was bing more proficient. "Charge!" The shout of Defense Officer Rom Barrel echoed across Knight¡¯s Square. He now mainly handled knight training courses for minors. Most of these hundreds of children would continue as serfs, but a few dozens of them would seize the opportunity and be Retainer Knights for Liszt. Among them, those with exceptional talent could even reach for Earth Knight status and the chance to earn merits on the battlefield. However, Liszt¡¯s gaze was focused more on another part of Knight¡¯s Square where a newly recruited Earth Knight was training Maggie and Emily. Maggie had average talent at best and would likely max out as an Earth Knight. But Emily had powerful talent. Her internal Dou Qi was abundant, and Liszt had no doubt that she could be an Earth Knight within half a year. "This talent, even I¡¯m jealous... The waste that I was before, with all the family resources piled up, didn¡¯t be an Earth Knight before reaching adulthood. Emily has only practiced for half a year and is already showing signs of a breakthrough. The future of this female Knight is boundless." With that thought. He couldn¡¯t help but instruct his personal manservant, "Thomas, remember to tell Mr. Carter and Mrs. Morson to send Emily a piece of Magical Beast Meat and a cup of high-quality milk every day." The high-quality milk referred to Dragon Breed Milk, which was plentiful, and Liszt on his own couldn¡¯t finish it all. "Yes, my lord." With Magical Beast Meat and Dragon Breed Milk to enhance her nutrition, Emily¡¯s training resources would be no less than those of any Noble offspring. Liszt watched as she meticulouslypleted various movements. Her small face was sunburned red, sweat continuously dripping down her cheeks, but she did notin of fatigue nor ck off. He couldn¡¯t help imagining, "Once Emily grows up, perhaps she can rece the aging Marcus and be my ¡¯Chief Knight,¡¯ leading the charge for me." Marcus was approaching forty and after a few more years of campaigns to earn a Noble title, he would likely retire from the front lines to serve as a Territory Officer. Liszt needed new Knights to manage his Knight Order¡ªck Horse Ind would certainly need to maintain its own Knight Order.N?v(el)B\\jnn Chapter 436 - 0433: The Conch Produces Pearls (First Update) ``` ck Horse Ind. Liszt was inspecting the mining of volcanic ss ore, which was quite interesting. It was hard on the outside, filled with bubbles on the inside, and had a clear boundary with the surrounding soil and rocks. As long as one dug deep into the earth, reached the basalt columns, one could follow the cracks to find the volcanic ss. So, once a thousand serfs mastered the excavation technique, they turned over thend along the low-lying areas. Not only did they unearth arge amount of volcanic ss, they also managed to convert thend into farnd in the process. "My lord, we have cleared the wilderness and mined to the south with the Red River as our boundary. We have now reached the wastnd between the eastern foothills of Needle Grass Hill and the East Coast. We¡¯ve scattered soybeans and peas on the reimed wild fields. The seed germination rate might not be very high, and I¡¯m afraid the yield will be quite sparse," reported Administrative Officer ir from the port town. Mining, reiming, sowing¡ªthese were the construction ns that Liszt directed. In choosing crops, he selected soybeans and peas because legume nts can propagate rhizobia in their roots¡ªhe had observed that this world¡¯s legume nts still grew rhizobia, only not very prominently. Among them, soybeans, peas, and peanuts were not only stable species, but also had a higher count of rhizobia. Furthermore, the legume alfalfa also contained rhizobia, which might be one of the reasons it became a superior pasture grass. Hence, he decided to nt arge amount of legumes and alfalfa during the early stage ofnd remation on ck Horse Ind to fertilize the fields and provide the soil with organic nitrogen. "Low germination rates and yield don¡¯t matter. As long as the harvest can offset the cost of sowing, that¡¯s sufficient. Farnd needs continuous limation to mature. The sooner we limate it, the sooner it can give back to us," said Liszt with a smile. He alone understood the benefit of rhizobia. The humans of this world relied too much on elf bugs for farming; they didn¡¯t understand fertilization, let alone something like rhizobia. Under the rule ofndlords, the serfs¡¯ mostmon farming method was the fallow system¡ªeither the two-field or three-field system. They divided the farnd into long strips, letting each strip rest every two or three years to allow the soil to regain fertility. It was only within the influence of elf bugs that they needn¡¯t let thend lie fallow, permitting yearly cultivation. A small portion of the farnd in Fresh Flower Town had already abandoned the fallow system and adopted artificial fertilization to ensure that nting could ur every year. Of course. Your journey continues with empire Due to theck of serfbor, most wild fields couldn¡¯t be intensively farmed and still followed the two-field system. They were cultivated one year and rested the next¡ªafter all, there was morend thanborers, and they could nt as they wished. As development progressed, Liszt would gradually guide the serfs on how to farm more precisely. In conjunction with elf bugs, they would practice scientific farming. As for the farnds currently being reimed on ck Horse Ind, as long as some beans could grow without loss, that would be enough. After inspecting the work site, he said to ir, "Organize the serfs to transport all the volcanic ss to the Burial Ground. ce it between those five big bones." He nned to collect the Fire Dragon Magic Power within it. This was a massive project and one that only he was capable of undertaking¡ªhe nned to hide on ck Horse Ind to carry out this task carefully while also enduring a few hard days to save expenditures for the castle in Fresh Flower Town. Breaking the volcanic ss and releasing the Fire Dragon Magic Power, the magic power was quickly absorbed by the five Fire Dragon Bones. What he needed to do was repeat the action. However, he soon discovered that the magic power from a single piece of volcanic ss was not enough to form a Magic Little Fire Dragon. That is to say, it couldn¡¯t burn people, because the bones would absorb it before the magic power could converge. "I couldpletely have Marcus and the otherse to work, arranging two or three knights around each Fire Dragon Bone to repeat my task." With that thought, he immediately arranged for the knights toe and work¡ªApprentice Knights couldplete this task. He walked with his hands behind his back at the Burial Ground, using his Eye of Magic to watch as red magic power continuously gathered towards the Fire Dragon Bones, lighting up their vein-like lines before settling down peacefully. The task continued until August 25th. ``` Finally. The Smoke Mission changed. "Complete the task, reward the restlessness of the Rubber Bugs." Mining ten tons of Volcanic ss wasn¡¯t difficult, and half a month was more than enough. The reward for the Smoke Mission was quickly distributed. However, when Liszt took out the Rubber Bug triplets he carried with him, the three little ones seemed to have no reaction. He stared at them intently for a while. Still no movement. This left him a bit embarrassed, "Would you start squirming, please!" The Rubber Bugs, hearing the call from within Liszt¡¯s heart, moved slightly but were far from restless. He had no choice but to put down the triplets and turn his attention to the new Smoke Mission. "Task: With the ten tons of Volcanic ss ore mined, the Fire Dragon Magic Power has also emerged from the earth¡¯s surface. This is exactly the source that the dried-up Dragon Bones urgently need. Please infuse all the Magic Power into the Fire Dragon Bones, revitalizing the staled Fire Dragon Bones. Reward: Pink pearl-producing conch." "A Pink pearl-producing conch?" "A conch can produce pearls?" Liszt was quite surprised. He only knew that shells could produce pearls, whether it was Pearl Oysters or Trida, both kinds were types of shells. But a conch... "It seems a conch is indeed a kind of shell. It looks like that¡¯s the case; otherwise, how could it produce pearls." He set aside his doubts and thought about the appearance of a conch. On the beaches of Fresh Flower Town, it wasmon to find conchs. Serfs from Oyster Vige had even offered a few very beautiful conch shells to the Castle as ornaments, "So, the pink pearl-producing conch, does it appear on the beaches of Fresh Flower Town or on ck Horse Ind?" Now in the height of summer, both Fresh Flower Town and the Harbour Town had organized many serfs to dive for seafood by the sea. Oyster Vige in Fresh Flower Town had even a group of professional fishermen diving for seafood in the offshore waters, rowing sampans. The fishing industry was booming in Liszt¡¯s territory. He called over Goltai, "Consultant Goltai, inform all the serfs engaged in sea fishing to look out for conchs, especially to check for pearls inside the conchs." n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om "Pearls?" Goltai, eyes wide, expressed his confusion, "My lord, what does a conch have to do with pearls?" "I recently read a book that mentioned a Magician finding a miraculous pearl inside a conch picked up by the sea. In short, pay more attention to this matter." Liszt found a casual excuse to dismiss Goltai. The Landlord¡¯s authority often meant he didn¡¯t have to try too hard to find excuses to justify his actions. Goltai had grown ustomed to Liszt¡¯s style and thus did not ask further, just got on with the job¡ªhe understood one thing, that Liszt was favoured by the glory of Swordsmanship. If he said there were pearls in the conchs, then it was very likely there were pearls. ... In the following two days, Liszt still stayed on ck Horse Ind, supervising the release of Fire Dragon Magic Power from the Volcanic ss. Only when all ten tons of Volcanic ss had beenpletely released did he order the remaining Volcanic ss to be stored and no more Fire Dragon Magic Power to be released¡ªthis Fire Dragon Magic Power was a treasure, enough for the Smoke Mission, and there was no need for wasteful extravagance. At this moment. He called out the Smoke Mission. The content of the Serpent Script had changed, "Complete the task, reward a Pink pearl-producing conch." Chapter 0432 The Future Chief Knight (Second Update) "Do you think I''m raising a Golden Dragon?" Li Vera rolled her eyes in frustration andined, "I''ve only umted a thousand Gold Coins, relying on the Tulip Lesser Spirit and twelve Elf Bugs, in addition to the family savings from my childhood! I can lend you at most eight hundred Gold Coins. My Falcon Town hasn''t produced a single Elf Bug in a year!" Compared to the thriving Fresh Flower Town, Falcon Town, which should have been a prosperous small town, hadn''t improved much under her management. It was only because she had a Tulip Lesser Spirit that she was able to quickly nt over eight hundred acres of ck Tulips in Falcon Town. The crop had just reached arge scale, and she hadn''t reaped much profit from it yet. Experience more content on empire What frustrated Li Vera was that Fresh Flower Town frequently bred Elf Bugs, but she hadn''t found even one in Falcon Town for nearly a year. Considering her own expenses and her ns to train a squad of female knights, she hadn''t managed to umte much wealth¡ªif she had been a male Earth Knight, with just one Little Minor Elf, she might have had a chance to aim for the title of Viscount. Unfortunately, she was a woman. There was no use in going to battlefields or keeping the Gold Coins idle. Lending out eight hundred Gold Coins was close to Liszt''s expectation from selling the Crimson Blood Sword, so he didn''t insist any further, "Then I''ll borrow eight hundred Gold Coins." Li Vera said, "You must prepare a grand gift for my birthday next year." "Of course." ... Having sessfully borrowed eight hundred Gold Coins from Li Vera, Liszt felt somewhat relieved. Sometimes he deliberately tried to avoid the constraints of kinship, but family was still different from strangers. He had inherited the bloodline of this body, and there was no doubt he was a member of the Tulip Family. Family would be a solid backup for each other. "Li Vera''s eight hundred Gold Coins can wait a year or even longer to be repaid, and if I am still short of money, perhaps... I might borrow some from my grandmother," he thought to himself. Once, his grandmother had alwayspared him unfavorably to Melissa because of his personality and appearance, her words tinged with harshness. However, as he continued to demonstrate exceptional performance, his grandmother''s attitude towards him softened considerably. This was indeed opportunistic. Yet being born into a Noble family, such things were inevitable. A waste, even if they are an eldest legitimate son, would be scorned; a talented individual, even if born out of wedlock, would be valued. Strength was the basis of a family''s session, and sitting in the Noble''s chair, Liszt saw this very clearly.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om He wasn''t a young man. With the maturity of an adult, he understood how to let go and be tolerant, just as he knew how life involved a mixture of interest and affection¡ªeven the most loving parents would feel disappointed by their children''s failures. The difference was in the inability to sever the kinship that blood rtions brought, no matter what. "In my grandmother''s eyes, my status must be roughly equal to Levis''s by now. She should not refuse a loan. Moreover, she must have umted quite a few Gold Coins, which would only molder away in the little Castle; it would be better to lend them to me to make profits... In the future, I will reciprocate with much more." It felt somewhat like spronging off the elderly. Liszt felt a tinge of embarrassment in his heart; he had originally wanted to focus on his own territory, to minimize entanglements with his family. In the end, he still needed his family''s help. "However, having the family as support does feel very good. Building up ck Horse Ind from scratch, even with the Smoke Mission, would require a significant amount of time. Now, with Li Vera''s Gold Coins and those from my grandmother, I can maintain a state of rapid development." For some reason, on the way back, he suddenly thought of Martha Yiniang Peng. This widowed Earl''sdy was willing to provide for him for a while in exchange for a Little Minor Elf. If it had been right after he had arrived when his territory was destitute, he might not have been able to resist the temptation and would have gone straight to Daisy Castle to be thedy''s petticoat knight. As for now, his pride and dignity still mattered. Back to Fresh Flower Town. "Consultant Goltai, I leave the purchase of the ships to you. With eight hundred Gold Coins, make sure to choose the best old sailing ships¡ªyes, two cargo ships," he handed over the borrowed Gold Coins to Goltai¡ªhe was all about efficiency. Since they needed ships, he bought them without hesitation. This style, of course, was not meticulous enough. It didn''t match the maximization of benefits like those Landlords skilled in nning and management, who could stretch a penny into two. But the simplicity and brutality saved mental and physical energy, time he didn''t have to spare. Practicing Dou Qi and enjoying life was what he should be doing daily. ... In the following days, his life became more peaceful. Only outside his regr schedule, he intensified the training of the Eight Tiny Ones. This year''s Pioneer Mandate, the Eight Tiny Ones and Douson would be powerful aides in his plundering of resources. "Storm, Rock Spike!" "Pff!" Storm opened its mouth to cast Magic, and a Rock Spike shot up from the ground not far away. The Eight Tiny Ones were still pups, but they were well-fed and fast-developing, with their Magic reserves already considerable. With Douson''smand, their discipline and obedience had greatly improved. The Blizzard Beast Squad had begun to take shape, just waiting to be tested on the battlefield. Apart from training dogs. Liszt still persisted in taking potions, practicing Dou Qi, and honing archery skills. Triple Arrow had be second nature, and Multiple Arrow was bing more proficient. "Charge!" The shout of Defense Officer Rom Barrel echoed across Knight''s Square. He now mainly handled knight training courses for minors. Most of these hundreds of children would continue as serfs, but a few dozens of them would seize the opportunity and be Retainer Knights for Liszt. Among them, those with exceptional talent could even reach for Earth Knight status and the chance to earn merits on the battlefield. However, Liszt''s gaze was focused more on another part of Knight''s Square where a newly recruited Earth Knight was training Maggie and Emily. Maggie had average talent at best and would likely max out as an Earth Knight. But Emily had powerful talent. Her internal Dou Qi was abundant, and Liszt had no doubt that she could be an Earth Knight within half a year. "This talent, even I''m jealous... The waste that I was before, with all the family resources piled up, didn''t be an Earth Knight before reaching adulthood. Emily has only practiced for half a year and is already showing signs of a breakthrough. The future of this female Knight is boundless." With that thought. He couldn''t help but instruct his personal manservant, "Thomas, remember to tell Mr. Carter and Mrs. Morson to send Emily a piece of Magical Beast Meat and a cup of high-quality milk every day." The high-quality milk referred to Dragon Breed Milk, which was plentiful, and Liszt on his own couldn''t finish it all. "Yes, my lord." With Magical Beast Meat and Dragon Breed Milk to enhance her nutrition, Emily''s training resources would be no less than those of any Noble offspring. Liszt watched as she meticulouslypleted various movements. Her small face was sunburned red, sweat continuously dripping down her cheeks, but she did notin of fatigue nor ck off. He couldn''t help imagining, "Once Emily grows up, perhaps she can rece the aging Marcus and be my ''Chief Knight,'' leading the charge for me." Marcus was approaching forty and after a few more years of campaigns to earn a Noble title, he would likely retire from the front lines to serve as a Territory Officer. Liszt needed new Knights to manage his Knight Order¡ªck Horse Ind would certainly need to maintain its own Knight Order. Chapter 0433 The Conch Produces Pearls (First Update) ``` ck Horse Ind. Liszt was inspecting the mining of volcanic ss ore, which was quite interesting. It was hard on the outside, filled with bubbles on the inside, and had a clear boundary with the surrounding soil and rocks. As long as one dug deep into the earth, reached the basalt columns, one could follow the cracks to find the volcanic ss. So, once a thousand serfs mastered the excavation technique, they turned over thend along the low-lying areas. Not only did they unearth arge amount of volcanic ss, they also managed to convert thend into farnd in the process. "My lord, we have cleared the wilderness and mined to the south with the Red River as our boundary. We have now reached the wastnd between the eastern foothills of Needle Grass Hill and the East Coast. We''ve scattered soybeans and peas on the reimed wild fields. The seed germination rate might not be very high, and I''m afraid the yield will be quite sparse," reported Administrative Officer ir from the port town. Mining, reiming, sowing¡ªthese were the construction ns that Liszt directed. In choosing crops, he selected soybeans and peas because legume nts can propagate rhizobia in their roots¡ªhe had observed that this world''s legume nts still grew rhizobia, only not very prominently. Among them, soybeans, peas, and peanuts were not only stable species, but also had a higher count of rhizobia. Furthermore, the legume alfalfa also contained rhizobia, which might be one of the reasons it became a superior pasture grass. Hence, he decided to nt arge amount of legumes and alfalfa during the early stage ofnd remation on ck Horse Ind to fertilize the fields and provide the soil with organic nitrogen. "Low germination rates and yield don''t matter. As long as the harvest can offset the cost of sowing, that''s sufficient. Farnd needs continuous limation to mature. The sooner we limate it, the sooner it can give back to us," said Liszt with a smile. He alone understood the benefit of rhizobia. The humans of this world relied too much on elf bugs for farming; they didn''t understand fertilization, let alone something like rhizobia. Under the rule ofndlords, the serfs'' mostmon farming method was the fallow system¡ªeither the two-field or three-field system. They divided the farnd into long strips, letting each strip rest every two or three years to allow the soil to regain fertility. It was only within the influence of elf bugs that they needn''t let thend lie fallow, permitting yearly cultivation. A small portion of the farnd in Fresh Flower Town had already abandoned the fallow system and adopted artificial fertilization to ensure that nting could ur every year. Of course. Your journey continues with empire Due to theck of serfbor, most wild fields couldn''t be intensively farmed and still followed the two-field system. They were cultivated one year and rested the next¡ªafter all, there was morend thanborers, and they could nt as they wished. As development progressed, Liszt would gradually guide the serfs on how to farm more precisely. In conjunction with elf bugs, they would practice scientific farming. As for the farnds currently being reimed on ck Horse Ind, as long as some beans could grow without loss, that would be enough. After inspecting the work site, he said to ir, "Organize the serfs to transport all the volcanic ss to the Burial Ground. ce it between those five big bones." He nned to collect the Fire Dragon Magic Power within it. This was a massive project and one that only he was capable of undertaking¡ªhe nned to hide on ck Horse Ind to carry out this task carefully while also enduring a few hard days to save expenditures for the castle in Fresh Flower Town. Breaking the volcanic ss and releasing the Fire Dragon Magic Power, the magic power was quickly absorbed by the five Fire Dragon Bones. What he needed to do was repeat the action. However, he soon discovered that the magic power from a single piece of volcanic ss was not enough to form a Magic Little Fire Dragon. That is to say, it couldn''t burn people, because the bones would absorb it before the magic power could converge. "I couldpletely have Marcus and the otherse to work, arranging two or three knights around each Fire Dragon Bone to repeat my task." With that thought, he immediately arranged for the knights toe and work¡ªApprentice Knights couldplete this task. He walked with his hands behind his back at the Burial Ground, using his Eye of Magic to watch as red magic power continuously gathered towards the Fire Dragon Bones, lighting up their vein-like lines before settling down peacefully. The task continued until August 25th. ``` Finally. The Smoke Mission changed. "Complete the task, reward the restlessness of the Rubber Bugs." Mining ten tons of Volcanic ss wasn''t difficult, and half a month was more than enough. The reward for the Smoke Mission was quickly distributed. However, when Liszt took out the Rubber Bug triplets he carried with him, the three little ones seemed to have no reaction. He stared at them intently for a while. Still no movement. This left him a bit embarrassed, "Would you start squirming, please!" The Rubber Bugs, hearing the call from within Liszt''s heart, moved slightly but were far from restless. He had no choice but to put down the triplets and turn his attention to the new Smoke Mission. "Task: With the ten tons of Volcanic ss ore mined, the Fire Dragon Magic Power has also emerged from the earth''s surface. This is exactly the source that the dried-up Dragon Bones urgently need. Please infuse all the Magic Power into the Fire Dragon Bones, revitalizing the staled Fire Dragon Bones. Reward: Pink pearl-producing conch." "A Pink pearl-producing conch?" "A conch can produce pearls?" Liszt was quite surprised. He only knew that shells could produce pearls, whether it was Pearl Oysters or Trida, both kinds were types of shells. But a conch... "It seems a conch is indeed a kind of shell. It looks like that''s the case; otherwise, how could it produce pearls." He set aside his doubts and thought about the appearance of a conch.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om On the beaches of Fresh Flower Town, it wasmon to find conchs. Serfs from Oyster Vige had even offered a few very beautiful conch shells to the Castle as ornaments, "So, the pink pearl-producing conch, does it appear on the beaches of Fresh Flower Town or on ck Horse Ind?" Now in the height of summer, both Fresh Flower Town and the Harbour Town had organized many serfs to dive for seafood by the sea. Oyster Vige in Fresh Flower Town had even a group of professional fishermen diving for seafood in the offshore waters, rowing sampans. The fishing industry was booming in Liszt''s territory. He called over Goltai, "Consultant Goltai, inform all the serfs engaged in sea fishing to look out for conchs, especially to check for pearls inside the conchs." "Pearls?" Goltai, eyes wide, expressed his confusion, "My lord, what does a conch have to do with pearls?" "I recently read a book that mentioned a Magician finding a miraculous pearl inside a conch picked up by the sea. In short, pay more attention to this matter." Liszt found a casual excuse to dismiss Goltai. The Landlord''s authority often meant he didn''t have to try too hard to find excuses to justify his actions. Goltai had grown ustomed to Liszt''s style and thus did not ask further, just got on with the job¡ªhe understood one thing, that Liszt was favoured by the glory of Swordsmanship. If he said there were pearls in the conchs, then it was very likely there were pearls. ... In the following two days, Liszt still stayed on ck Horse Ind, supervising the release of Fire Dragon Magic Power from the Volcanic ss. Only when all ten tons of Volcanic ss had beenpletely released did he order the remaining Volcanic ss to be stored and no more Fire Dragon Magic Power to be released¡ªthis Fire Dragon Magic Power was a treasure, enough for the Smoke Mission, and there was no need for wasteful extravagance. At this moment. He called out the Smoke Mission. The content of the Serpent Script had changed, "Complete the task, reward a Pink pearl-producing conch." Chapter 0434 The Rubber Bugs New Cordyceps (Second Update) The conch that produces pink pearls has not yet been reported by fishermen, so Liszt does not know where to find this kind of conch and can only wait. Having stayed on ck Horse Ind for a week, he was preparing to return to Fresh Flower Town. By the way,plete a new Smoke Mission. "Mission: The fishermen of Oyster Vige are no longer afraid of the shallow areas near the shore and dare to dive to the seabed to gather seafood, but they do not recognize all the seafood. As a seafood enthusiast, why not guide the fishermen in identifying the delicacies of the sea? Reward: Mutated Rubber Tree." The carpentry workshop used thorns and rubber to produce many high-quality sampans, arming the fishermen to fish in the near sea. However, upon encountering numerous marine creatures at the sea floor, they were not easily able to identify which ones were edible, mainly sticking to the few kinds of seafood they could pick up on the beaches. "I don''t seem to know many kinds of seafood, I know how to eat them but not how to catch them." He thought for a moment and decided to take a dumb approach, letting the fishermen bring up everything they could gather from the seabed, and then he would select and test for poison to verify what was edible. Just as he was preparing to leave ck Horse Ind, a sudden urge struck him. A faint restlessness transmitted to him, causing him to quickly open his eyes wide: "It''s the Rubber Bug triplets." He immediately had the manservant bring the three Rubber Bugs to him. At this moment, one of the triplet Rubber Bugs that normally loved to line up and move in sync, left the formation and scurried around inside the Jade Box. It was feeling extremely restless, even more so than the other two. It was a rare situation. "Little guy, what''s wrong with you?" He carefully established a deeper spiritualmunication with the Rubber Bug, a capability supported by the contract. Soon, he discerned a unique emotion from the Rubber Bug''s restlessness¡ªit was actually about to spit out its own cordyceps. "The cordyceps of the Rubber Bug has been nted in the rubber garden since the contract, and it hasn''t been moved since then; what does this Rubber Bug mean?" Liszt suddenly raised an eyebrow, "Could it be that it has been brewing a new cordyceps inside its body?" The more he thought about it, the more usible it seemed. Perhaps this was the reward from the Smoke Mission¡ªthe restlessness of the Rubber Bug. Since the Rubber Bug was about to spit out cordyceps, Liszt certainly would not refuse. He quickly mounted the Landwalker Bird Loki and rushed to the rubber garden. The temporary n for the rubber garden was a thousand acres, aiming in the end for ten thousand acres, or even a hundred thousand acres¡ªthe more of this miraculous crop, the better. But the rubber garden at the moment didn''t have many Rubber Trees, only a sparse few in number. The original Rubber Tree cordyceps still stood in the center of the garden. Liszt roughly estimated its radiation range and then went further out to find a t terrain suitable for nting more Rubber Trees. He held the very restless Rubber Bug in his hand: "Little guy, spit it out." The Rubber Bug crawled on Liszt''s palm, raised its head, and opened its mouth. It spat out a faint green light that contained a small seed. Once the seed hit the ground, it quickly germinated and grew.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om In three minutes, visible to the naked eye, it grew into a Rubber Tree as tall as the previous Rubber Tree cordyceps. However, the difference was quite conspicuous. This Rubber Tree cordyceps wasden with dense white spherical fruits. Ordinary Rubber Trees, including the first Rubber Tree cordyceps, showed no signs of bearing fruit. Moreover, the propagation of Rubber Trees relied on adventitious bud reproduction from their roots. It wasmon to find new seedlings growing around Rubber Trees¡ªall originated from the roots of the Trees. Liszt ordered the serfs to dig out these seedlings and to cultivate them in rows in the rubber garden, constantly expanding the scale of the Rubber Trees. Therefore. This was a nt that reproduced asexually. Thus, Liszt was now surprised to find the rubber tree cordyceps, which had neither flowers nor fruits, had actually borne fruit. He pondered for a moment and, risking damage to the cordyceps, plucked one fruit¡ªonce the fruit or leaves of the cordyceps were picked, they would quickly lose their magic power and be ordinary nts, at most superior ones. Plucking just one fruit from a tree full of rubber fruits was not a big problem. Turning the magic power-draining rubber fruit in his hand, Liszt couldn''t help but reflect, "Elf Bugs really are full of wonders, a cordyceps which has borne three elf bugs, and now, the three elf bugs have given birth to a new cordyceps... Does this mean that the next time the Rubber Bugs be restless, they will give birth to a new cordyceps? Or a mutated cordyceps?" Problem solved. He returned to the port town and boarded the Fresh Flower Vessel, alreadyden with cargo, set off towards Fresh Flower Town¡ªThe Fresh Flower Vessel was fast, his own designated ship. During the dull moments of sea travel, aside from teasing the Blizzard Beasts, He spent most of his time studying the rubber fruit. When he drilled a hole through the hard-shelled rubber fruit, he found that it was filled with rubber. "So, the new variety of rubber trees concentrates the rubber into its own fruit?" he eximed with joy, "Does this mean that rubber can be easily collected from the new varietal rubber trees without harming the trees themselves? As soon as the new seedlings emerge, I''ll have the serfs try to grow them immediately!" Rubber collection was cumbersome and harmful to the trees, but if the rubber was concentrated in the fruit, it would not only be convenient to harvest but also easier to store. Such a rubber fruit could be preserved just like Fragrant Coconut Fruit for several years without spoiling. The value was higher. ... After arriving at Fresh Flower Port, Liszt''s anticipation for the rubber fruit was already under control. He headed straight for the office to meet with Administrative Officer Isaiah, "The sampan fleet of Oyster Vige is now familiar with shallow-water fishing. However, their knowledge of seafood is still too limited. Isaiah, you must immediately issue an order to the oyster sampan fleet to search the seabed for all kinds of creatures." "My lord, what do you mean?" "We need to develop new seafood to recapture the market on Coral Ind, and not just rely on oysters and minor oily captures. I need to restore a seafood market even more booming thanst year." "Yes, my lord. I will immediately give the orders to Oyster Vige to dredge up every creature they can find." "Additionally, you need to send someone to purchase a batch of ships and fines in Coral City. There should be schools of fish near Fresh Flower Town, and we can try to fish for them." Explore more at empire So far, the seafood harvested by Fresh Flower Town consisted mostly of shellfish, mollusks, and crustaceans. Seldom were fishes caught. But the most abundant creatures in the sea were surely the many kinds of fish, a resource that Liszt would not overlook. If this year''s Pioneer Mandate goes ording to n, he would definitely bring back tens of thousands of serfs, and the grains alone would not be enough. He would need to mix sea fish with their grains to fill the serfs'' stomachs. "I understand," replied Isaiah and added, "My lord, concerning the Corn Grass fields you instructed me to pay attention to, there has been a new discovery." "Oh? What kind of discovery?" "We''ve found a patch of mutated Corn Grass, with thick stems and leaves as well asrge ears of grain that could be pinched to release a thick oil with a delicious fragrance, very much like the butter we eat." Liszt''s eyebrows twitched. Without a doubt. The oily mutated variety of Corn Grass, a reward from the Smoke Mission, had been discovered. Chapter 438 - 435: Pinch and It’s All Oil (First Update) Corn Grass Field. The grain mutated variety of corn grass, which originally hadrge bunches of flower spikes, had now produced plump grains that looked like rather rounded triangles, all clustered together on a single spike. They did not bear much resemnce to the corn kernels in his memory, but they were about the same size. This bunch of fruit spikes weighed at least half a pound, and once mature, they would definitely yield a far greater harvest than wheat or millet. It was unknown how they tasted, whether they would be simr to corn cobs or other grains... And it was also uncertain whether they could be eaten like rice or ground into flour. Not far from the grain mutant corn grass, Liszt saw the oil-rich variant of corn grass. The fatty stems and leaves were mixed in with the regr corn grass and weren¡¯t very conspicuous, but its fruit spikes were very noticeable. While the regr corn grass had thin and shriveled spikes, the spikes of this variant were unusually plump, with a tender green husk that seemed almost transparent, clearly indicating the abundance of oil within. When he pinched it, indeed, oil came out onto his hand. These were unripe fruit spikes; it was unknown what the oil content would be like once they matured. "These are very valuable mutations," he said, appreciating the grain and oil-rich mutated corn grass, slowly diminishing his craving for corn cobs. He then conveyed to Isaiah, "This kind of corn grass with grain on top will be called ¡¯grain corn,¡¯ and this kind that yields oil when pinched will be called ¡¯oil corn.¡¯ Take good care of them, and when they mature, we¡¯ll research their utilitarian value and prepare forrge-scale cultivation." "Yes, sir." After identifying grain corn and oil corn, Liszt used his Eye of Magic to circle the corn field, but he found no trace of magic. He returned to the castle, where he enjoyed a sumptuous feast. After dinner, he went to the Sea View Vi to chat with Ach for a while. During the week¡¯s visit to ck Horse Ind, he had met Ach by the sea twice, primarily to have hermand Magic Mangrove Elves to aid in the stabilization and rooting of the Mangrove Forest at the Red River Mouth¡ªthe Little Minor Elves¡¯ magic was quite strong. Ach, now a Water System Grand Mage, was more cheerful and lively than when she was engrossed in studying magic before. Upon blowing her horn, she swam quickly from the ocean, flinging back her deep blue hair as though a waterfall cascaded before his eyes, "Brother, Ach scared away a sea monster today!" "What?" "A sea monster, a really big conch that can create water whirlpools, it attacked Ach but couldn¡¯t defeat me!" A conch? Find your next adventure on empire A sea monster? Liszt¡¯s inspiration bloomed on the spot, but he still chose to be cautious, "You weren¡¯t hurt, were you?" "I¡¯m fine, Ach is a Water System Grand Mage now, and it¡¯s just a low-level sea monster; it definitely couldn¡¯t beat me. I made it hide in the rock crevices and note out," Ach replied with a smile, quite pleased with having defeated a low-level sea monster. Actually, with her current strength, she could now barely contend against a Dulu Miqita that had already turned into organic fertilizer. Afterwards, Liszt began to inquire about the low-level sea monster conch. ording to Ach¡¯s description, it was arge conch big enough to be the size of a basin, with a yellow-white shell, fond of crawling on the seabed rocks, capable of releasing Common Magic water whirlpools to catch small fish and shrimp¡ªit turned out to be a carnivorous predator. Combining this information, Liszt roughly understood that this was a conch capable of producing pink pearls. He couldn¡¯t help but ask, "Ach, can you capture it for me?" "You want this big conch, brother?" "Yes." "Then Ach will go now and catch it, and bring it to brother... Oh yes, brother said that human knights need Magical Beast Meat to practice, so Ach will often look for sea monsters, catch them and bring the meat to brother, so brother can be a Sky Knight sooner!" Such a considerate little sprite! n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om Liszt ruffled her deep blue hair vigorously, "Ach, you understand me!" "Hehe, then I¡¯ll go catch the giant conches." "There¡¯s no need to hurry, let¡¯s catch them tomorrow. It¡¯s already night, and the sea must be very dark now." "Ach can see, and Ach swims very fast. Brother, you wait for Ach, Ach will be back soon. Hmm, let Nami keep youpany," Ach said as she ced Nami on the table, then turned and left the Sea View Vi to catch the low-level Sea Monsters, the giant conches. All Liszt could do was shake his head helplessly and then start ying with Nami. He took out a candy wrapped in hemp leaves, unwrapped it, and held it out to the Little Minor Elf, "Peanut nougat, Fresh Flower Town¡¯s new product, want to try?" "Chirp," Nami cocked her head to look at the peanut nougat. She then approached the nougat, sniffed its aroma, and wrapped her hands around it, taking a bite. Despite being just a palm-sized little thing, she had strong teeth and crisply bit off a chunk of nougat, chewing vigorously in her mouth. Then she excitedly chirped, "Chirp! Chirp! Chirp!" "Is it good?" "Chirp!" Nami hugged the nougat and munched away happily. Liszt watched the beautiful little creature and said softly, "Eat and drink well, but don¡¯t forget to work for me. The Mangrove Forest in Mangrove Ind is growing well, it no longer needs the influence of Cordyceps. Once the Mangrove Forest at the Red River Mouth grows, move the Cordyceps there to help me develop the Red River Mouth Mangrove Forest." Without a contract, hismunication with Nami was hindered. So Nami didn¡¯t understand a word he said. She just hugged the nougat and relished it, looking up at Liszt from time to time to call out, "Chirp." After one nougat was finished, Liszt pulled out another. Instead of immediately eating it, Nami rewrapped it with the hemp leaves and stashed the nougat in a drawer of the cab. Then she flew up to Liszt¡¯s shoulder andnded, beginning to groom Liszt¡ª or what could also be called picking lice. She meticulouslybed through his hair, checking his scalp. She might have learned this trick while raising Green-headed Ducks, but unfortunately for her, Liszt washed his hair daily, so there was no dirt to be found. "Such a gentle Little Minor Elf. Compared with Nami, J is simply a hooligan," he thought of J who liked to cry and shout. He could not help but sigh. Just at that moment, the sound of waves came from outside, and then he saw Ach swimming into the bottom floor of the Sea View Vi. She used Water to bind a huge conch, transporting it to the second floor: "Brother, Ach has stunned the giant conch, it can¡¯t release Water Whirlpools anymore." His eyes shining, Liszt took the giant conch and said, "Well done, my Ach." "Hehe." "It¡¯ste, you should rest too. I¡¯ll deal with this giant conch first." "Okay." Holding the giant conch, Liszt quickly returned to the Castle and began dissecting the giant conch on the open ground of the apple orchard. Taking advantage of its unconsciousness, he promptly pulled out the Sky-Cleaving Greatsword and channeled Dou Qi to kill it. Then he extracted the conch meat, which was only a small lump considering the basin-sized conch. He carefully peeled, and soon found a hard object wrapped in a membrane. Gently peeling off the outer membrane, he revealed a pink, oval-shaped pearl inside¡ªthe Pink Pearl. Chapter 0436 Snails Competing, Fisherman Gains (Second Update) The pink pearl, roughly the size of an egg, revealed me-like patterns on its surface after being cleaned. At first, Liszt thought it was a pearl imbued with Fire Attribute Mana, but the Eye of Magic observed that the magic power it radiated was a pale blue color. Like the giant conch, it belonged to the Water Attribute. The ck Pearl also contained Water Attribute magic power, but its effect was to disperse Wind System magic power. At the moment, the egg-sized Pink Pearl''s effect was unknown, but its magic power concentration was even denser than thergest ck Pearl in Liszt''s collection. "I probably won''t be able to figure anything out, better to hand it over to Chris for research." Now that he was sponsoring the Magician Chris Truth, in addition to making Magic Potions, he could assign her any work rted to magicians. Inside the Magic Workshop. Chris looked at the Pink Pearl and nodded solemnly, "Viscount, this is an object brimming with magic power. I need to thoroughly research its effects before I can analyze the results for you." "I appreciate it." "I''m pleased to serve you." Liszt suddenly asked, "Chris, are you confident about advancing to Grand Magician?" After thinking it over, Chris replied, "I''ve made some headway, but I still need more time to mull it over. If everything goes smoothly, I might be able to attempt advancing to Grand Magician within a year. If not, it could take several years before I can make the attempt." "Ask for anything you need, and I wish you an early promotion to Grand Magician. When that timees, I will build a Mage Tower for you on ck Horse Ind for your quest for Truth." Chris was truly ted, "Thank you, Viscount." Unlike second-rate peddlers like Elkerson, she genuinely enjoyed delving into magic and researching Truth. Having her own Mage Tower would be a great honor and benefit. After a brief chat. Liszt left the Pink Pearl behind and took his leave. Upon returning to the castle, Mrs. Abbie had already cleaned the meat from the Sea Monster, the Giant Conch¡ªthis Magical Beast Meat naturally belonged to Liszt. "It would be great if low-level Sea Monsters like the Giant Conch could be farmed¡­ Unfortunately, there''s no knowledge on farming Sea Monsters. The pearl had to be harvested by killing the creature¡­ Still, not only did it yield a Pink Pearl, but it also contributed arge heap of conch meat and a beautiful conch shell." He cleaned the conch shell and drilled a hole at the tip. He blew into it. A deep, resonant horn sound boomed out, carrying far and wide, more powerful than a loudspeaker. Using the Eye of Magic, he could see magical light flickering on the shell when blowing the conch, indicating that the amplification effect was rted to magic power, barely qualifying as a type of magic. "I should also give this to Chris to research, she mighte up with a horn that works like arge loudspeaker. With such a Magic Horn, it could serve as an ''air-raid siren''; in times of crisis, its st could probably wake even those in deep sleep." Even if they couldn''t create a very powerful loudspeaker. As a decorative piece ced on the curio shelf in the study, it would be a delightful sight to behold. "It''s just a shame there''s only one Giant Conch," he thought. ¡­ However.N?v(el)B\\jnn Just as he felt the reward from a solitary Giant Conch wasn''t very valuable, Ach brought new information: "Brother, ck Pearl Lake has been invaded by many Giant Conchs, and they are fighting with the Tridas. Loads of huge Tridas have also arrived at the bottom of theke, resisting the invasion of the Giant Conchs." "A battle between the Giant Conchs and Tridas?" "Yes, brother. You told Ach to look for veryrge Tridas, and Ach hadn''t found any until now. But many Tridasrger than two meters in diameter have appeared in ck Pearl Lake. The biggest one is twice the size of Ach''s shell!" Ach''s shell was three meters in diameter; a Trida shell evenrger than Ach''s would be at least four to five meters in diameter, truly colossal and muchrger than the one they had salvaged before. What kind of ck Pearl could be inside, one can only look forward to finding out. Moreover, there was arge batch of low-level Sea Monsters and giant tridas. Whether it was for the pink pearls or the meat of the tridas, Liszt would not give up on this opportunity, "Ach, pay attention to coordination, and join me in sweeping up all the tridas and giant tridas causing havoc in the ck Pearl Lake in one fell swoop!" "Hmm!" Ach nodded excitedly. The once delicate, innocent, and loving little sea monster had now been influenced by darkerpany, bing a Grand Magician who favored fighting and hunting sea monsters without a moment''s hesitation. Liszt couldn''t help but feel sentimental¡ªhow girls change as they grow up. The Fresh Flower Vessel was immediately summoned by him, heading towards the Coral Reef¡ªthe Coral Reef had no clear owner, but now it belonged to Liszt. Several gs bearing the emblem of the ck Tulip were nted on the rocks. Upon reaching the Coral Reef. The tide had just receded, leaving vast stretches of snow-white, fine sand exposed on the sea surface. The Fresh Flower Vessel slowly entered ck Pearl Lake, while Liszt used the Eye of Magic to guide the vessel on how to salvage the tridas and giant tridas¡ªAch was at the bottom of theke pointing to the locations of the carcasses of both Sea Monsters (tridas were barely considered Sea Monsters). This was a brutal ughter. As the divers continuously tied the ropes, more and more tridas and conches were hauled up, and Liszt''s mood grew more and more excited. He had just opened a trida with a diameter of about 1.8 meters, finding a ck Pearl the size of a sea bowl inside, along with several fist-sized ck Pearls. These were treasures. On the other hand, a basin-sized giant conch did not yield any pink pearls. After dissecting five of the giant conches, no pink pearls were found. It wasn''t until the sixth giant conch, thergest one, that new pink pearls were discovered. A pink pearl the size of a goose egg. "The probability of giant conches yielding pink pearls is a bit low, while tridas have a high probability of producing ck Pearls, but therger ck Pearls have a lower probability." He silently estimated the pearl yield rates for the tridas and conches. The hunt continued for two hours. Ach tracked the tridas and giant conches with great effort. Finally, thergest trida was killed in the center of ck Pearl Lake, along with it were three basin-sized giant conches. When the fourrge creatures were hauled up, the sailors on the ship cheered loudly. Captain Kostor was so excited that he said, "Sir, such wonderful shells and conches, it''s simply unbelievable! The glory of the Knight has blessed us, under your guidance, we were able to reap such a bountiful harvest." "Remember to keep this a secret, ck Pearl Lake will be the brightest ocean jewel in my territory, anyone who dares to leak it will receive a bloody retribution!" After finishing his fierce words, Liszt patted Kostor on the shoulder and said with a pleasant smile, "I will grant you the status of Freeman soon, and from then on, you can im rewards based on your service as an official. Follow me, and one day, you will be a Noble." Find your next read at empire Today, he hadpletely revealed his "talent"¡ªwherever he pointed, there would be prey. Although Kostor and others dared not inquire into Liszt''s gifts, it was inevitable that someone with a big mouth might spill the events of today. Therefore, he had wielded both the carrot and the stick. To preemptively mitigate any potential risk. Half an hourter. Seeing the signals made by Ach underwater, Liszt understood that the territorial struggle between the tridas and the giant conches was probably over. He blew the horn in response to Ach. He then gave the order, "End the salvage, we''re heading back!" Chapter 439 - 0436: Snails Competing, Fisherman Gains (Second Update) The pink pearl, roughly the size of an egg, revealed me-like patterns on its surface after being cleaned. At first, Liszt thought it was a pearl imbued with Fire Attribute Mana, but the Eye of Magic observed that the magic power it radiated was a pale blue color. Like the giant conch, it belonged to the Water Attribute. The ck Pearl also contained Water Attribute magic power, but its effect was to disperse Wind System magic power. At the moment, the egg-sized Pink Pearl¡¯s effect was unknown, but its magic power concentration was even denser than thergest ck Pearl in Liszt¡¯s collection. "I probably won¡¯t be able to figure anything out, better to hand it over to Chris for research." Now that he was sponsoring the Magician Chris Truth, in addition to making Magic Potions, he could assign her any work rted to magicians. Inside the Magic Workshop. Chris looked at the Pink Pearl and nodded solemnly, "Viscount, this is an object brimming with magic power. I need to thoroughly research its effects before I can analyze the results for you." "I appreciate it." "I¡¯m pleased to serve you." Liszt suddenly asked, "Chris, are you confident about advancing to Grand Magician?" After thinking it over, Chris replied, "I¡¯ve made some headway, but I still need more time to mull it over. If everything goes smoothly, I might be able to attempt advancing to Grand Magician within a year. If not, it could take several years before I can make the attempt." "Ask for anything you need, and I wish you an early promotion to Grand Magician. When that timees, I will build a Mage Tower for you on ck Horse Ind for your quest for Truth." Chris was truly ted, "Thank you, Viscount." Unlike second-rate peddlers like Elkerson, she genuinely enjoyed delving into magic and researching Truth. Having her own Mage Tower would be a great honor and benefit. After a brief chat. Liszt left the Pink Pearl behind and took his leave. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om Upon returning to the castle, Mrs. Abbie had already cleaned the meat from the Sea Monster, the Giant Conch¡ªthis Magical Beast Meat naturally belonged to Liszt. "It would be great if low-level Sea Monsters like the Giant Conch could be farmed¡­ Unfortunately, there¡¯s no knowledge on farming Sea Monsters. The pearl had to be harvested by killing the creature¡­ Still, not only did it yield a Pink Pearl, but it also contributed arge heap of conch meat and a beautiful conch shell." He cleaned the conch shell and drilled a hole at the tip. He blew into it. A deep, resonant horn sound boomed out, carrying far and wide, more powerful than a loudspeaker. Using the Eye of Magic, he could see magical light flickering on the shell when blowing the conch, indicating that the amplification effect was rted to magic power, barely qualifying as a type of magic. "I should also give this to Chris to research, she mighte up with a horn that works like arge loudspeaker. With such a Magic Horn, it could serve as an ¡¯air-raid siren¡¯; in times of crisis, its st could probably wake even those in deep sleep." Even if they couldn¡¯t create a very powerful loudspeaker. Continue your journey with empire As a decorative piece ced on the curio shelf in the study, it would be a delightful sight to behold. "It¡¯s just a shame there¡¯s only one Giant Conch," he thought. ¡­ However. Just as he felt the reward from a solitary Giant Conch wasn¡¯t very valuable, Ach brought new information: "Brother, ck Pearl Lake has been invaded by many Giant Conchs, and they are fighting with the Tridas. Loads of huge Tridas have also arrived at the bottom of theke, resisting the invasion of the Giant Conchs." "A battle between the Giant Conchs and Tridas?" "Yes, brother. You told Ach to look for veryrge Tridas, and Ach hadn¡¯t found any until now. But many Tridasrger than two meters in diameter have appeared in ck Pearl Lake. The biggest one is twice the size of Ach¡¯s shell!" Ach¡¯s shell was three meters in diameter; a Trida shell evenrger than Ach¡¯s would be at least four to five meters in diameter, truly colossal and muchrger than the one they had salvaged before. What kind of ck Pearl could be inside, one can only look forward to finding out. Moreover, there was arge batch of low-level Sea Monsters and giant tridas. Whether it was for the pink pearls or the meat of the tridas, Liszt would not give up on this opportunity, "Ach, pay attention to coordination, and join me in sweeping up all the tridas and giant tridas causing havoc in the ck Pearl Lake in one fell swoop!" "Hmm!" Ach nodded excitedly. The once delicate, innocent, and loving little sea monster had now been influenced by darkerpany, bing a Grand Magician who favored fighting and hunting sea monsters without a moment¡¯s hesitation. Liszt couldn¡¯t help but feel sentimental¡ªhow girls change as they grow up. The Fresh Flower Vessel was immediately summoned by him, heading towards the Coral Reef¡ªthe Coral Reef had no clear owner, but now it belonged to Liszt. Several gs bearing the emblem of the ck Tulip were nted on the rocks. Upon reaching the Coral Reef. The tide had just receded, leaving vast stretches of snow-white, fine sand exposed on the sea surface. The Fresh Flower Vessel slowly entered ck Pearl Lake, while Liszt used the Eye of Magic to guide the vessel on how to salvage the tridas and giant tridas¡ªAch was at the bottom of theke pointing to the locations of the carcasses of both Sea Monsters (tridas were barely considered Sea Monsters). This was a brutal ughter. As the divers continuously tied the ropes, more and more tridas and conches were hauled up, and Liszt¡¯s mood grew more and more excited. He had just opened a trida with a diameter of about 1.8 meters, finding a ck Pearl the size of a sea bowl inside, along with several fist-sized ck Pearls. These were treasures. On the other hand, a basin-sized giant conch did not yield any pink pearls. After dissecting five of the giant conches, no pink pearls were found. It wasn¡¯t until the sixth giant conch, thergest one, that new pink pearls were discovered. A pink pearl the size of a goose egg. "The probability of giant conches yielding pink pearls is a bit low, while tridas have a high probability of producing ck Pearls, but therger ck Pearls have a lower probability." He silently estimated the pearl yield rates for the tridas and conches. The hunt continued for two hours. Ach tracked the tridas and giant conches with great effort. Finally, thergest trida was killed in the center of ck Pearl Lake, along with it were three basin-sized giant conches. When the fourrge creatures were hauled up, the sailors on the ship cheered loudly. Captain Kostor was so excited that he said, "Sir, such wonderful shells and conches, it¡¯s simply unbelievable! The glory of the Knight has blessed us, under your guidance, we were able to reap such a bountiful harvest." "Remember to keep this a secret, ck Pearl Lake will be the brightest ocean jewel in my territory, anyone who dares to leak it will receive a bloody retribution!" After finishing his fierce words, Liszt patted Kostor on the shoulder and said with a pleasant smile, "I will grant you the status of Freeman soon, and from then on, you can im rewards based on your service as an official. Follow me, and one day, you will be a Noble." Today, he hadpletely revealed his "talent"¡ªwherever he pointed, there would be prey. Although Kostor and others dared not inquire into Liszt¡¯s gifts, it was inevitable that someone with a big mouth might spill the events of today. Therefore, he had wielded both the carrot and the stick. To preemptively mitigate any potential risk. Half an hourter. Seeing the signals made by Ach underwater, Liszt understood that the territorial struggle between the tridas and the giant conches was probably over. He blew the horn in response to Ach. He then gave the order, "End the salvage, we¡¯re heading back!" Chapter 440 - 0437: Warehouses Full of Big and Small Pearls (First Update) ``` The Fresh Flower Vessel returned to Fresh Flower Port,den with the weighty Trida and conches. It was time to tally the harvest, and watching the workers on the dock carry off one enormous seashell after another stirred Liszt¡¯s emotions. He had always wished to manage Coral Reef and ck Pearl Lake, but due to insufficient manpower, he had struggled to even develop ck Horse Ind, let alone ck Pearl Lake. However, with the Sea Sprite Ake, a single voyage yielded so many shells, those which could produce ck Pearls and Pink Pearls. "Two or three trips a year should be essentially sufficient!" The growth of Trida and conches was very slow. There was no way to over-harvest them, and it seemed that therger specimens all hid in the waters around ck Pearl Lake. It was rare to see them engage in fierce battles over territory in ck Pearl Lake, allowing Ake the pleasure of reaping the benefits. "My lord, how should we deal with these marine products?" asked a Knight who served as a dock official,ing over to inquire. He was a former ssmate of Liszt¡¯s, born to a minor noble family¡¯s second son. Liszt said directly, "Hand over therge conches to the castle for processing... Harvest the ck Pearls from the Trida and give them to the castle, as for the meat, release it into the seafood market, half to be sold by Thorn Caravan and the other half to be sold cheaply for consumption by the residents of Fresh Flower Town and the port town." Whether it was Fresh Flower Town or the port town, except for grain such as wheat which had to be purchased from elsewhere, other items like seafood were very cheap. Even serfs could afford it and could enjoy seafood feasts every day. The reason was simple: the sea area had never been overfished, and the fishery resources were abundant. Unfortunately, these methods did not involve much technical skill, and the lords of the small seaside towns of Coral Ind indulged in private fishing. They either consumed the seafood themselves or secretly sold it to surrounding towns. The seafood business of Fresh Flower Town, impacted by such conditions, found that the seafood from the beaches had be worthless. That was why he now asked the residents of Oyster Vige to advance to the near sea and dive for other seafood to rece the beach seafood. N?v(el)B\\jnn Ultimately realizing a fishing industry scale that developed deep-sea seafood, shallow water seafood, and beach seafood simultaneously. "Sir, there¡¯s too much meat from therge conches, and I fear it can¡¯t all be consumed, nor is it easy to store... There¡¯s not much ice left in the ice cer, and we¡¯re unable to continue keeping the seafood fresh," Mrs. Abbie said worriedly upon seeing another big batch ofrge conches being brought back to the castle. "Just turn them into food and hand them over to me; I¡¯ll distribute them among the knights of the territory for all of us to enjoy the nourishment of the Magical Beast," Liszt said casually. He had already eaten all the meat of the Six-Headed King Serpent and turned the snake skin into snake skin armor, handing over the snake bone and other parts to Chris Truth to be processed into magical materials. Now, his Gemstone Space had very few items stored¡ªthe wealthier Liszt no longer stored low-value items like Fine Steel Armor there. Currently, in the Gemstone Space, there was only the Crimson Blood Sword, Drift Bottle, Soul Storage Vessel, a set of spare Mithril Armor, two telescopes, Sapphire Magic Ring, Goat Head g, Sapphire Dragon Ship Figurehead, Soul Submerged Wood, and a batch of poison-coated Thorn Wood Arrows. And five books¡ª"Philip, Descendant of the Sun¡¯s Diary" used for learning the Sun Script; "To His Highness Annuette¡ªCurtis the Truth" detailing how to make Liches and Ghost Ships; the Sword Saint¡¯s Notes gifted by Marquis Merlin; a nameless Dragon Rearing Manual, and the Advanced Dou Qi Manual "Rising Sun ze". The Mithril Mine, Jade, Crystal, and ck Pearls, he had sealed in the storerooms of the castle. Therefore. He had freed up quite a bit of space in his Gemstone Space, to store Magical Beast Meat, Sea Monster Meat, Dragon Breed Milk, Magic Potions, ensuring that no matter where he went, he could enjoy the same nutrition. This batch ofrge conches¡¯ meat could be perfectly stored in the Gemstone Space, to be savored slowly. Of course, he was not so stingy as to enjoy all the Sea Monster meat by himself. The Earth Knights of the territory could get a share, and the officials of the territory could have a bit, too. This was a fair distribution of benefits. ``` ... After the inventory waspleted. The number of pink pearls was notrge, totaling seven including the one Chris was studying. Two ordinary bowl-sized pink pearls came from those bathtub-sized sea snails, one of which had no pink pearl; two goose egg-sized pink pearls, and three chicken egg-sized pink pearls. These seven pink pearls were all irregrly shaped ovals with me-patterned textures. The quantity of ck pearls was considerable, a total of one hundred thirty-six. Thergest Trida alone contributed twenty-nine ck pearls. Adding to Liszt¡¯s existing stock of ck pearls. There were a total of three basketball-sized ck pearls, eleven sea basin-sized ck pearls, forty-eight fist-sized ck pearls, and many smaller ones. There were also two basin-sized ck pearls, one from the stock and one from thergest Trida caught today. Additionally, there was an evenrger ck pearl, nearly the size of a bathtub. Without a doubt, it came from thergest Trida. "Hmm, so many pearls, am I rich again?" Liszt grinned as he gazed at the pile of ck pearls, already envisioning future maritime domination. Previously two basin-sized ck pearls had been made into Calming Sea Pearls, mounted on the Fresh Flower Vessel and Thorn Number. Although there were no severe storms between ck Horse Ind and Coral Ind, engaging the Calming Sea Pearls during the asional convection weather could greatly reduce the rocking of the vessels, allowing safe passage through the storm. "This bathtub-sized one must be used on my future gship. Once I get the shipbuilding technology and study the technology of square rigging, as well as the Dragonbone Stabilizer Technique, relying on rubber and Thorn Wood, I will surely create a super luxurious multi-mast ship... Right, maybe I can study magic-driven technology too!" ck pearls can disperse wind attribute magic power and even ordinary wind, so, by reverse engineering, could a magic array be developed that stimtes wind power? Maybe delve deeper and design a magic array that controls wind attribute magic power, turning storms into a driving force for the vessels. Thinking about it is exciting. However, to achieve all these, without substantial financial, material, and human resources, it¡¯s simply unattainable: "I still need to continue biding my time on ck Horse Ind, developing thend slowly... Who knows, maybe I¡¯ll be sessful at dragon riding and be a Dragon Knight soaring through the sky before thend is developed." By then, there might be no need to study magic-powered vessels. Regardless, he immediately ced the bathtub-sized ck pearl into the Gemstone Space, its value undoubtedly immense. The rest of the ck pearls were simply stored in the warehouse. Gazing at the gleaming ck pearls, inspiration suddenly struck him: "I was originally nning to give Levis a pink gemstone as a wedding gift, but now it seems unnecessary. The pink gemstone can go to Ake or Chris, as they are magicians and need a boost to their spirits." Not to give Levis the pink gemstone. Explore more at empire The alternative gift became clear: "Gift a ck pearl instead, one basketball-sized. Solely based on appearance, it¡¯s definitely more shocking than a single gemstone." Initially, even a fist-sized ck pearl sold to Levis fetched hundreds of Gold Coins; now giving him a basketball-sized ck pearl would surely make him ecstatic. Chapter 441 - 0438: Braised Abalone in Oyster Sauce (Second Release) Trida and sea snails brought arge number of pearls, but the greatest contributor was actually Sea Sprite Ake. At the Sea View Vi during the night, Liszt patiently listened to Ake¡¯s endless tales of the sights at ck Pearl Lake, how the trida and sea snails fought over their territories. He first redefined a new name for the trida and sea snails¡ª"Hei Chequ" and "Fen Hai Luo"¡ªand ssified both types of shells as sea monsters. The reason was simple, thergest Hei Chequ actually brimmed with magic power and could cast magic¡ªa Water Bullet. On its own, it battled the strongest among the three Fen Hai Luo, shing Water Whirlpools and Water Bullets. The seabed rocks shattered and sshed, darkening the water hazy. In the end, when all four sea monsters were utterly exhausted, Ake effortlessly rushed out and ended their lives. On other battlefields, the Fen Hai Luo and Hei Chequ also determined a victor. Indeed, the Hei Chequ managed to repel the Fen Hai Luo¡¯s attack, but it was gravely damaged and had to cede half of ck Pearl Lake¡¯s territory to the Fen Hai Luo. "Brother, Ake discovered that Hei Chequ and Fen Hai Luo are very smart. When they saw Ake hunting manyrge Hei Chequ and Fen Hai Luo, they stopped fighting voluntarily. The Hei Chequ left behind many small Hei Chequ, and the Fen Hai Luo left behind many small Fen Hai Luo, then they both retreated." The young Hei Chequ and Fen Hai Luo had little value when harvested. "So, ck Pearl Lake is actually more like a nursery for young shells?" Liszt was curious about this behavior. Therge Hei Chequ and Fen Hai Luo obviously didn¡¯t live in ck Pearl Lake; they survived in the surrounding deep sea, leaving their offspring to breed in ck Pearl Lake¡ªthe ce was once the Hei Chequ¡¯s breeding ground, but now it had obviously lost half to the Fen Hai Luo. Thus, continuing to call it ck Pearl Lake was no longer suitable. "Ake, what do you think we should call this marineke, Hei Fen Lake or Pearl Lake?" Liszt inquired. Ake tilted her head and thought about it: "Brother, Hei Fen sounds so unpleasant. Let¡¯s call it Pearl Lake, both Hei Chequ and Fen Hai Luo can produce beautiful pearls." She held a ck pearl as big as a sea bowl and a pink pearl as big as an egg, with stars twinkling in her eyes. Women always seem to have no resistance to pearls and gemstones¡ªeven though they were just materials Liszt provided for her to study magic arrays. As a Grand Magician, studying magic had be secondary, but researching magic arrays was the real deal. After confirming the name of the marineke formed by the coral reef as "Pearl Lake," Liszt took his leave, reminding Ake to frequently check on the situation at Pearl Lake regarding the Hei Chequ and Fen Hai Luo. One was to determine the breeding times of the two shell sea monsters, and the other was to await their next battle. The territory conflict was far from over, and the next time, it might be another brilliant harvest. ... The story of the shell sea monsters at the Coral Reef and Pearl Lakees to an end. But the work rted to seafood was not over yet, as Liszt visited Oyster Vige every day, identifying the shallow water seafood that the fishermen brought up. The species of shallow water seafood were obviously richer than those of the beach. Not only were there more shellfish, shrimps, and crabs, but there were also many novel creatures. There was a strange fish with a very good texture, which Liszt named "Xia Chan," and it had already be one of the castle¡¯s daily dishes; a strange ck bump covered with soft spikes, named sea cucumber, also became a daily dish; and a squishy, eight-legged little thing with its legs and head joined together, named squid, became yet another daily dish. Mrs. Abbie was now busy figuring out how to cook these seafood delicacies every day. And the fishermen of Oyster Vige were figuring out how to quickly catch these shallow-water seafood. Unfortunately. ``` Liszt called for the Smoke Mission several times but did not see itpleted. It was still the original Serpent Script content: "Mission: The fishermen of Oyster Vige are no longer afraid of the shallow waters near the shore and dare to dive into the seabed to gather seafood. However, they do not recognize all the seafood. As a seafood enthusiast, why not guide the fishermen in identifying the delicacies of the sea? Reward: Mutated Rubber Tree." Until today. On September 5th, right after a torrential rain, the fishermen of Oyster Vige couldn¡¯t wait to go out to sea to fish. At dusk, they brought back new seafood. They came to the Castle to have Liszt identify it. Liszt saw an ugly shell. At first nce, the shell seemed like just a shell with flesh attached to it, very unattractive. Yet, he was excited, for he had seen and eaten this kind of seafood on Earth. It is a very precious delicacy, known as "the gold on the table, the crown of sea treasures" ¡ª to put it inly, it is abalone. The value of abalone on Earth is indescribable. As for whether the abalone in this world has such rich nutritional value, one only needs to taste it a few times to find out. Afterpleting the toxicity test for the abalone, Liszt immediately had Mrs. Abbie focus on cooking abalone ¡ª he roughly provided some ideas, such as frying the abalone with oyster sauce and seasonings, and mixing it all to cook. Soon, a fragrant dish of oyster sauce braised abalone was freshly prepared. The butler served the oyster sauce braised abalone on the table, and the butler poured Liszt a ss of wine from the estate¡¯s Brewing Workshop. Then, he could start eating. His utensil was a pair of chopsticks; he always used chopsticks when eating privately. He disliked using a knife and fork. Picking up a tender piece of abalone meat, he ced it in his mouth and chewed for a moment: "Not bad, the texture is smooth and delicate, although the oyster sauce vor is a bit strong. Next time, we should use less to let the natural vor of the abalonee through." After consuming several pieces of abalone, he announced with lingering enjoyment that abalone would be a regr dish at the Castle. Lobster, crab, ms, mantis shrimp, razor ms, oysters, sea cucumbers, squid, pawn, conch, abalone, dried fish ¡ª and asionally soft-shelled turtles and geoducks ¡ª these had all been added to the Castle¡¯s menu. Currently, the estate could essentially rely on the sea for sustenance. ... When abalone officially made it onto the dining table, the long-awaited Smoke Mission finally changed. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om "Missionpleted, reward: Fruiting Mutated Rubber Tree." The new mission was also promptly released: "Mission: Two secondhand sailboats will soon join the estate¡¯s fleet, taking on the cargo transport task between ck Horse Ind and Fresh Flower Town. Consultant Goltai, who purchased the sailboats, seems to have brought some very good news. Please seize this information. Reward: Mutated Variety Corn Grass." "The fruiting mutated variety of the Rubber Tree, if things go as expected, should be a rubber tree bred by the new Cordyceps, a rubber tree that bears fruit ¡ª the Rubber Fruit Tree." Liszt spected in his mind: "As for the mutated variety of Corn Grass, this time, it should be the turn of the corn cobs, right?" First, there was the corn simr to sorghum, followed by the oil-rich corn. The direction of the evolution of Corn Grass obviously still includes corn cobs. Stay tuned with empire "Actually, I suspect this is a chain mission about the Corn Grass Elf Bug, could it be that the Corn Grass Elf Bug is about to evolve?" he suddenly thought but then quickly denied himself, "It probably isn¡¯t, the Corn Grass Elf Bug hasn¡¯t been around for long, and there is no ¡¯restlessness.¡¯ What¡¯s restless are the Rubber Bug triplets." Conveniently, this time¡¯s fruiting mutated Rubber Tree also seemed to be a part of a chain mission: "Could it be that what¡¯s really about to evolve is the Rubber Bug triplets?" ``` Chapter 0437 Warehouses Full of Big and Small Pearls (First Update) ``` The Fresh Flower Vessel returned to Fresh Flower Port,den with the weighty Trida and conches. It was time to tally the harvest, and watching the workers on the dock carry off one enormous seashell after another stirred Liszt''s emotions. He had always wished to manage Coral Reef and ck Pearl Lake, but due to insufficient manpower, he had struggled to even develop ck Horse Ind, let alone ck Pearl Lake. However, with the Sea Sprite Ake, a single voyage yielded so many shells, those which could produce ck Pearls and Pink Pearls. "Two or three trips a year should be essentially sufficient!" The growth of Trida and conches was very slow. There was no way to over-harvest them, and it seemed that therger specimens all hid in the waters around ck Pearl Lake. It was rare to see them engage in fierce battles over territory in ck Pearl Lake, allowing Ake the pleasure of reaping the benefits. "My lord, how should we deal with these marine products?" asked a Knight who served as a dock official,ing over to inquire. He was a former ssmate of Liszt''s, born to a minor noble family''s second son. Liszt said directly, "Hand over therge conches to the castle for processing... Harvest the ck Pearls from the Trida and give them to the castle, as for the meat, release it into the seafood market, half to be sold by Thorn Caravan and the other half to be sold cheaply for consumption by the residents of Fresh Flower Town and the port town." Whether it was Fresh Flower Town or the port town, except for grain such as wheat which had to be purchased from elsewhere, other items like seafood were very cheap. Even serfs could afford it and could enjoy seafood feasts every day. The reason was simple: the sea area had never been overfished, and the fishery resources were abundant. Unfortunately, these methods did not involve much technical skill, and the lords of the small seaside towns of Coral Ind indulged in private fishing. They either consumed the seafood themselves or secretly sold it to surrounding towns. The seafood business of Fresh Flower Town, impacted by such conditions, found that the seafood from the beaches had be worthless. That was why he now asked the residents of Oyster Vige to advance to the near sea and dive for other seafood to rece the beach seafood. Ultimately realizing a fishing industry scale that developed deep-sea seafood, shallow water seafood, and beach seafood simultaneously. "Sir, there''s too much meat from therge conches, and I fear it can''t all be consumed, nor is it easy to store... There''s not much ice left in the ice cer, and we''re unable to continue keeping the seafood fresh," Mrs. Abbie said worriedly upon seeing another big batch ofrge conches being brought back to the castle. "Just turn them into food and hand them over to me; I''ll distribute them among the knights of the territory for all of us to enjoy the nourishment of the Magical Beast," Liszt said casually. He had already eaten all the meat of the Six-Headed King Serpent and turned the snake skin into snake skin armor, handing over the snake bone and other parts to Chris Truth to be processed into magical materials. Now, his Gemstone Space had very few items stored¡ªthe wealthier Liszt no longer stored low-value items like Fine Steel Armor there. Currently, in the Gemstone Space, there was only the Crimson Blood Sword, Drift Bottle, Soul Storage Vessel, a set of spare Mithril Armor, two telescopes, Sapphire Magic Ring, Goat Head g, Sapphire Dragon Ship Figurehead, Soul Submerged Wood, and a batch of poison-coated Thorn Wood Arrows. And five books¡ª"Philip, Descendant of the Sun''s Diary" used for learning the Sun Script; "To His Highness Annuette¡ªCurtis the Truth" detailing how to make Liches and Ghost Ships; the Sword Saint''s Notes gifted by Marquis Merlin; a nameless Dragon Rearing Manual, and the Advanced Dou Qi Manual "Rising Sun ze". The Mithril Mine, Jade, Crystal, and ck Pearls, he had sealed in the storerooms of the castle. Therefore. He had freed up quite a bit of space in his Gemstone Space, to store Magical Beast Meat, Sea Monster Meat, Dragon Breed Milk, Magic Potions, ensuring that no matter where he went, he could enjoy the same nutrition. This batch ofrge conches'' meat could be perfectly stored in the Gemstone Space, to be savored slowly. Of course, he was not so stingy as to enjoy all the Sea Monster meat by himself. The Earth Knights of the territory could get a share, and the officials of the territory could have a bit, too. This was a fair distribution of benefits. ``` ... After the inventory waspleted. The number of pink pearls was notrge, totaling seven including the one Chris was studying. Two ordinary bowl-sized pink pearls came from those bathtub-sized sea snails, one of which had no pink pearl; two goose egg-sized pink pearls, and three chicken egg-sized pink pearls. These seven pink pearls were all irregrly shaped ovals with me-patterned textures. The quantity of ck pearls was considerable, a total of one hundred thirty-six. Thergest Trida alone contributed twenty-nine ck pearls. Adding to Liszt''s existing stock of ck pearls. There were a total of three basketball-sized ck pearls, eleven sea basin-sized ck pearls, forty-eight fist-sized ck pearls, and many smaller ones. There were also two basin-sized ck pearls, one from the stock and one from thergest Trida caught today. Additionally, there was an evenrger ck pearl, nearly the size of a bathtub. Without a doubt, it came from thergest Trida. "Hmm, so many pearls, am I rich again?" Liszt grinned as he gazed at the pile of ck pearls, already envisioning future maritime domination. Previously two basin-sized ck pearls had been made into Calming Sea Pearls, mounted on the Fresh Flower Vessel and Thorn Number.N?v(el)B\\jnn Although there were no severe storms between ck Horse Ind and Coral Ind, engaging the Calming Sea Pearls during the asional convection weather could greatly reduce the rocking of the vessels, allowing safe passage through the storm. "This bathtub-sized one must be used on my future gship. Once I get the shipbuilding technology and study the technology of square rigging, as well as the Dragonbone Stabilizer Technique, relying on rubber and Thorn Wood, I will surely create a super luxurious multi-mast ship... Right, maybe I can study magic-driven technology too!" ck pearls can disperse wind attribute magic power and even ordinary wind, so, by reverse engineering, could a magic array be developed that stimtes wind power? Maybe delve deeper and design a magic array that controls wind attribute magic power, turning storms into a driving force for the vessels. Thinking about it is exciting. However, to achieve all these, without substantial financial, material, and human resources, it''s simply unattainable: "I still need to continue biding my time on ck Horse Ind, developing thend slowly... Who knows, maybe I''ll be sessful at dragon riding and be a Dragon Knight soaring through the sky before thend is developed." By then, there might be no need to study magic-powered vessels. Regardless, he immediately ced the bathtub-sized ck pearl into the Gemstone Space, its value undoubtedly immense. The rest of the ck pearls were simply stored in the warehouse. Gazing at the gleaming ck pearls, inspiration suddenly struck him: "I was originally nning to give Levis a pink gemstone as a wedding gift, but now it seems unnecessary. The pink gemstone can go to Ake or Chris, as they are magicians and need a boost to their spirits." Not to give Levis the pink gemstone. Explore more at empire The alternative gift became clear: "Gift a ck pearl instead, one basketball-sized. Solely based on appearance, it''s definitely more shocking than a single gemstone." Initially, even a fist-sized ck pearl sold to Levis fetched hundreds of Gold Coins; now giving him a basketball-sized ck pearl would surely make him ecstatic. Chapter 0438 Braised Abalone in Oyster Sauce (Second Release) Trida and sea snails brought arge number of pearls, but the greatest contributor was actually Sea Sprite Ake. At the Sea View Vi during the night, Liszt patiently listened to Ake''s endless tales of the sights at ck Pearl Lake, how the trida and sea snails fought over their territories. He first redefined a new name for the trida and sea snails¡ª"Hei Chequ" and "Fen Hai Luo"¡ªand ssified both types of shells as sea monsters. The reason was simple, thergest Hei Chequ actually brimmed with magic power and could cast magic¡ªa Water Bullet. On its own, it battled the strongest among the three Fen Hai Luo, shing Water Whirlpools and Water Bullets. The seabed rocks shattered and sshed, darkening the water hazy. In the end, when all four sea monsters were utterly exhausted, Ake effortlessly rushed out and ended their lives. On other battlefields, the Fen Hai Luo and Hei Chequ also determined a victor. Indeed, the Hei Chequ managed to repel the Fen Hai Luo''s attack, but it was gravely damaged and had to cede half of ck Pearl Lake''s territory to the Fen Hai Luo. "Brother, Ake discovered that Hei Chequ and Fen Hai Luo are very smart. When they saw Ake hunting manyrge Hei Chequ and Fen Hai Luo, they stopped fighting voluntarily. The Hei Chequ left behind many small Hei Chequ, and the Fen Hai Luo left behind many small Fen Hai Luo, then they both retreated." The young Hei Chequ and Fen Hai Luo had little value when harvested. "So, ck Pearl Lake is actually more like a nursery for young shells?" Liszt was curious about this behavior. Therge Hei Chequ and Fen Hai Luo obviously didn''t live in ck Pearl Lake; they survived in the surrounding deep sea, leaving their offspring to breed in ck Pearl Lake¡ªthe ce was once the Hei Chequ''s breeding ground, but now it had obviously lost half to the Fen Hai Luo. Thus, continuing to call it ck Pearl Lake was no longer suitable. "Ake, what do you think we should call this marineke, Hei Fen Lake or Pearl Lake?" Liszt inquired. Ake tilted her head and thought about it: "Brother, Hei Fen sounds so unpleasant. Let''s call it Pearl Lake, both Hei Chequ and Fen Hai Luo can produce beautiful pearls." She held a ck pearl as big as a sea bowl and a pink pearl as big as an egg, with stars twinkling in her eyes. Women always seem to have no resistance to pearls and gemstones¡ªeven though they were just materials Liszt provided for her to study magic arrays. As a Grand Magician, studying magic had be secondary, but researching magic arrays was the real deal. After confirming the name of the marineke formed by the coral reef as "Pearl Lake," Liszt took his leave, reminding Ake to frequently check on the situation at Pearl Lake regarding the Hei Chequ and Fen Hai Luo. One was to determine the breeding times of the two shell sea monsters, and the other was to await their next battle. The territory conflict was far from over, and the next time, it might be another brilliant harvest. ... The story of the shell sea monsters at the Coral Reef and Pearl Lakees to an end. But the work rted to seafood was not over yet, as Liszt visited Oyster Vige every day, identifying the shallow water seafood that the fishermen brought up. The species of shallow water seafood were obviously richer than those of the beach. Not only were there more shellfish, shrimps, and crabs, but there were also many novel creatures. There was a strange fish with a very good texture, which Liszt named "Xia Chan," and it had already be one of the castle''s daily dishes; a strange ck bump covered with soft spikes, named sea cucumber, also became a daily dish; and a squishy, eight-legged little thing with its legs and head joined together, named squid, became yet another daily dish. Mrs. Abbie was now busy figuring out how to cook these seafood delicacies every day. And the fishermen of Oyster Vige were figuring out how to quickly catch these shallow-water seafood. Unfortunately. ``` Liszt called for the Smoke Mission several times but did not see itpleted. It was still the original Serpent Script content: "Mission: The fishermen of Oyster Vige are no longer afraid of the shallow waters near the shore and dare to dive into the seabed to gather seafood. However, they do not recognize all the seafood. As a seafood enthusiast, why not guide the fishermen in identifying the delicacies of the sea? Reward: Mutated Rubber Tree." Until today. On September 5th, right after a torrential rain, the fishermen of Oyster Vige couldn''t wait to go out to sea to fish. At dusk, they brought back new seafood.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om They came to the Castle to have Liszt identify it. Liszt saw an ugly shell. At first nce, the shell seemed like just a shell with flesh attached to it, very unattractive. Yet, he was excited, for he had seen and eaten this kind of seafood on Earth. It is a very precious delicacy, known as "the gold on the table, the crown of sea treasures" ¡ª to put it inly, it is abalone. The value of abalone on Earth is indescribable. As for whether the abalone in this world has such rich nutritional value, one only needs to taste it a few times to find out. Afterpleting the toxicity test for the abalone, Liszt immediately had Mrs. Abbie focus on cooking abalone ¡ª he roughly provided some ideas, such as frying the abalone with oyster sauce and seasonings, and mixing it all to cook. Soon, a fragrant dish of oyster sauce braised abalone was freshly prepared. The butler served the oyster sauce braised abalone on the table, and the butler poured Liszt a ss of wine from the estate''s Brewing Workshop. Then, he could start eating. His utensil was a pair of chopsticks; he always used chopsticks when eating privately. He disliked using a knife and fork. Picking up a tender piece of abalone meat, he ced it in his mouth and chewed for a moment: "Not bad, the texture is smooth and delicate, although the oyster sauce vor is a bit strong. Next time, we should use less to let the natural vor of the abalonee through." After consuming several pieces of abalone, he announced with lingering enjoyment that abalone would be a regr dish at the Castle. Lobster, crab, ms, mantis shrimp, razor ms, oysters, sea cucumbers, squid, pawn, conch, abalone, dried fish ¡ª and asionally soft-shelled turtles and geoducks ¡ª these had all been added to the Castle''s menu. Currently, the estate could essentially rely on the sea for sustenance. ... When abalone officially made it onto the dining table, the long-awaited Smoke Mission finally changed. "Missionpleted, reward: Fruiting Mutated Rubber Tree." The new mission was also promptly released: "Mission: Two secondhand sailboats will soon join the estate''s fleet, taking on the cargo transport task between ck Horse Ind and Fresh Flower Town. Consultant Goltai, who purchased the sailboats, seems to have brought some very good news. Please seize this information. Reward: Mutated Variety Corn Grass." "The fruiting mutated variety of the Rubber Tree, if things go as expected, should be a rubber tree bred by the new Cordyceps, a rubber tree that bears fruit ¡ª the Rubber Fruit Tree." Liszt spected in his mind: "As for the mutated variety of Corn Grass, this time, it should be the turn of the corn cobs, right?" First, there was the corn simr to sorghum, followed by the oil-rich corn. The direction of the evolution of Corn Grass obviously still includes corn cobs. Stay tuned with empire "Actually, I suspect this is a chain mission about the Corn Grass Elf Bug, could it be that the Corn Grass Elf Bug is about to evolve?" he suddenly thought but then quickly denied himself, "It probably isn''t, the Corn Grass Elf Bug hasn''t been around for long, and there is no ''restlessness.'' What''s restless are the Rubber Bug triplets." Conveniently, this time''s fruiting mutated Rubber Tree also seemed to be a part of a chain mission: "Could it be that what''s really about to evolve is the Rubber Bug triplets?" ``` Chapter 0439 Must-Have Both Bugs (Third Update, Make-Up for Last Month 1/15) ```n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om Regardless of whether the Corn Grass Bug or the Rubber Bug can evolve into Little Minor Elves, the Smoke Mission must bepleted. Experience more content on empire Liszt had no time to go to ck Horse Ind again to observe the mutated rubber trees bearing fruit; he delegated the task to Captain Kostor toplete it¡ªif mature rubber trees bearing fruit were found, that would be great; if not, the rubber trees were definitely just sprouting near the new Cordyceps. In any case, these newly sprouted rubber trees are worth promoting vigorously. "Levis''s wedding is on September 12th, and there is only one week left. I must go to Tulip Castle to help out, or else people will talk," he ordered his servants to pack his bags, preparing to head to Tulip Castle first thing tomorrow morning. Nightfall. Fresh Flower Port finally weed two old two-masted cargo sailing ships, and Goltai returned with them. "My lord, the two cargo ships have been purchased; one was phased out by the Tulip Fleet, the other by the Beer Castle Fleet. However, they''re quite damaged and require us to refurbish them. The two old ships cost a total of 652 Gold Coins, and here are the remaining coins," he said. After taking the Gold Coins, Liszt handed them to Butler Carter to count and said, "The task of repairing the cargo ships is also yours. With rubber and Thorn Ironwood, it won''t be very difficult. Try to refurbish them to the best possible condition. Moreover, one is called Mangrove Number, and the other... Pearl." The names of the ships were just simple codes; he didn''t bother to think too hard about them. After that, he began to inquire, "Consultant Gao Ertai, during this purchase of the ships, have you gathered any interesting information or experiences outside?" Goltai suddenly said, "My lord, I almost forgot, there''s some good news you''ll definitely like!" The contents of the Smoke Mission arrived. Liszt smiled and asked, "What good news?" "Viscount Jonas of Shattered Stone Castle has discovered two newly born Elf Bugs in his territory, one is a Dragon Kui Elf Bug, the other is a Venus Flytrap Spirit Worm. He ns to sell them to offset the losses from the Iron Hoof Ind campaign," Goltai said excitedly. "These two Elf Bugs, one costs 1,500 Gold Coins, the other 1,200 Gold Coins. My lord, do you need them?" Dragon Kui Bug? Venus Flytrap Worm? Liszt''s eyebrows lifted; he was determined to get the Dragon Kui Bug¡ªthe recent batch of Auxiliary Magic Medicine Dragon Hollyhocks were about to mature, and although their effects were not yet clear, it was a magic potion and was bound to have substantial value. The territory had only one Dragon Kui Bug, tending a little over a hundred acres ofnd. Another Dragon Kui Bug meant another hundred acres could be cultivated. No matter how much magic potion was grown, it would always seem too little, so the greatest value of an Elf Bug is reflected in whether there is a magic potion to cultivate. "1,500 Gold Coins for a Dragon Kui Bug is a bit expensive. Teacher Goltai, you set aside the repair work on Mangrove Number and Pearl for now and focus entirely on this Dragon Kui Bug. I want to buy it! My bottom line is 1,200 Gold Coins; every time you cut down ten Gold Coins from the price, you may take one Gold Coin as amission," he said. After hearing this, Goltai''s eyes gleamed, "My lord, please rest assured, I am best at these matters, I can definitely secure the Dragon Kui Bug for 1,200 Gold Coins!" "I look forward to you bringing the Dragon Kui Bug back." "By the way, my lord, do you need the Venus Flytrap Worm?" "If I can buy it for 800 Gold Coins, then I''ll take it, otherwise forget it... Simrly, for every ten Gold Coins you cut down, you may take one as amission," said Liszt after a moment''s thought, knowing what Venus Flytraps were. Some nobles would ce a pot or two of Venus Flytraps in their bedrooms to catch mosquitoes. But in fact, the Venus Flytrap''s catching efficiency had no real effect on clearing mosquitoes, at most it was merely a curiosity. Indeed, all Elf Bugs are beautiful little creatures, but such a useless Elf Bug, costing more than 800 Gold Coins, still felt like poor value to him. For thepletion of the Smoke Mission. He was willing to spend Gold Coins and buy this Venus Flytrap Worm as well. ``` However, once he had made the decision, he quickly massaged his temples, "Dragon Kui Bugs will be 1,200 Gold Coins, Venus Flytrap Worms will be 800 Gold Coins, that''s 2,000 Gold Coins altogether... Where am I supposed to get that much money? Could it really be that I must borrow from my grandmother?" Borrowing money was not something that came easily. Had it not been for Li Vera taking the initiative to offer him a loan, he would have decided to sell the Crimson Blood Sword. Even with Tulip Castle being wealthy, he was merely using the ie from his properties as coteral to obtain Gold Coins in advance, not actually borrowing money. Deep down, he was not used to asking others for money. But he could not afford to miss out on the Dragon Kui Bugs and Venus Flytrap Worms. "Huff," he exhaled a breath of turbid air and instructed Butler Carter, "Mr. Carter, please prepare some Fen Hai Luo meat. Send one portion to the Earl and Earless, and another to my grandmother." "Sir, what amount do you think is appropriate?" "Five pounds... no, make it ten pounds each." Ten pounds was almost equivalent to the size of a basin full of Fen Hai Luo meat, and it hurt to give away a whole basin-sized Fen Hai Luo at once. But he was embarrassed to repeat what he had done back then, only giving five pounds of the Six-Headed King Serpent, which weighed several tons, to the Earl. The Earl had made fun of him for that several times. "Also, pick out the smallest ck Pearls and string them into a ne as a gift for my grandmother, to thank her for providing me with Fig Bugs," he added. Carter bowed and left, "As you wish, sir." ... The task of finding the Rubber Tree was given to Kostor; negotiating for the Dragon Kui Bugs and Venus Flytrap Worms was assigned to Goltai; the repair work for Mangrove Number and Pearl was handed over to Isaiah. Liszt did this the next morning. Carrying the two gifts, he headed towards Tulip Castle. After the Earl received him in his study, he teased in a bantering tone, "How many pounds of Magical Beast Meat have you brought me this time?" "Ten pounds... but not Magical Beast Meat, it''s Sea Monster meat, from a low-level Sea Monster called Fen Hai Luo. These ten pounds are all the meat from thergest Fen Hai Luo," he replied with a well-intentioned lie. In fact, thergest ones were three Fen Hai Luo the size of bathing tubs. The Earl didn''tck for eating low-level Magical Beast Meat; he just wanted a taste. "It seems that you''ve had quite some gains recently," the Earl remarked, sounding quite satisfied with the ten pounds of Fen Hai Luo meat. "I haven''t had much in the way of gains recently, not one Elf Bug, and what''s more, I even borrowed eight hundred Gold Coins from my sister." "You think Elf Bugs are asmon as wheat, that they''re found everywhere?" "Actually, I believe that Elf Bugs are not as rare as all that. Father, based on my observations over this past year, I''ve found that the birth rate of Elf Bugs can be influenced," Liszt decided to share some information with his father, to bring more Elf Bugs to the family. As the family grew stronger, he would gain better protection, therefore, his mindset was continually changing. Learning to share some not-so-important experiences to help develop the family. "How can it be influenced?" The Earl was clearly interested, sitting up straight with an eager, attentive posture. The importance of Elf Bugs to the territory was something every Landlord deeply understood. Liszt didn''t mince his words. He went straight to the point, "I''m not sure about the gestation rate of Elf Bugs, but I know most Elf Bugs actually die from miscarriage. What we need to do, is to detect any abnormalities in nts as early as possible and then increase the nutrition supply." Chapter 442 Cousin Needs Help (Second Update) Roger Golden Wheat Sheaf''s arrival was a prelude to that of his sister, Loria Gold Wheat Ear, but the Tulip Family had already made all the necessary arrangements. The detached castle in Birch City would serve as a temporary residence for the bride. An Earl''s daughter marrying a Viscount''s son certainly couldn''t match the scale of a Grand Duke''s daughter''s wedding. The Tulip Family''s financial and material resources also couldn''tpare to that of the Long Taro Family, but the festivities would not becking. As the wedding day approached. Nobles on good terms with the Tulip Family began to arrive in droves. Among them, the most distinguished were the Mesiro Couple, bringing along newlyweds Cousin Meioubao and Princess Ang. Tulip Castle became increasingly lively, and Liszt was so busy he hardly had a moment to rest. He was naturally a member of the groomsmen''s party and also had the responsibility of receiving guests. Moreover, he had to endure the harassment from female guests¡ªthere were always bold and spicy Noblewomen who admired his looks. As a single Noble, such harassment was inevitable. But these were not the sources of his worry, nor was it the awkwardness of potentially seeing Rona Sally Golden Wheat, once romantically ambiguous with him, apanying the bride back to Coral Ind. His real worry was brought on by Meioubao. Or to be precise, It was caused by the Smoke Mission, which made every encounter with his cousin exceptionally awkward, and his heart was a mess of confusion and entanglement, like a bundle of knotted yarn. "Liszt, Liszt?" Meioubao patted his shoulder, "What are you thinking about? Ang is asking you what kind of Noblewoman you like. She knows many Noblewomen of marriageable age and could help you find a match." Next to Meioubao, Princess Ang was looking at him with a smile on her face. Liszt came back to his senses and with a look known only to himself, nced at the newlywed couple in front of him andughed, "Sorry, I was just thinking that I have two Elf Bugs that I haven''t had time to ce with Cordyceps, so I got a bit distracted. By the way, did the Grand Duke give you a Greater Elf?" Meioubao responded grumpily, "It''s an Oat Greater Elf, but let''s not talk about Greater Elves now. We''re discussing what kind of Noblewoman you like." Ang also spoke up, "Liszt, you''re different from Meioubao and Levis; you can''t inherit a peerage. Marrying a Noblewoman wouldn''t just help with the development of your estate, but also with your advancement in peerage. Grandfather said you have great potential, but having a Noblewoman as your wife could further ensure the realization of that potential." "Let''s take it as ites. I''m still young. For now, I want to focus on my cultivation. I need to build a solid foundation so that in the future I can break free from the shackles of the earth," Liszt gave an excuse, "When the dayes that I want to find a Noblewoman to expand my family, I will definitely ask for your help, Ang." Seeing the couple so concerned about his marriage, Liszt felt even more conflicted inside. But soon, He decided within his heart to cut through the chaos quickly, forsaking the new Smoke Mission¡ªjust two days ago, after he contracted the Dragon Kui Bug and Venus Flytrap Worm, hepleted the Smoke Mission. "Missionpleted, reward Mutated Variety Corn Grass." The reward set his mind racing; a fruit mutation sounded like the Corn Grass really had mutated into corn cobs. He immediately ordered ir to keep a close watch on the Corn Grass fields to find the new mutated variety. The subsequent updated Smoke Mission, Caused him to be conflicted for two whole days. "Mission: Continuation of the bloodline is of utmost importance for a Noble family. Your older brother, Levis, is about to enter into matrimony and spread the family''s branches, but your cousin seems to have encountered some trouble. His marital rtions with Ang Sapphire are not harmonious, and he may need your help. Reward: Piano scores from Meioubao''s collection." This time, the Smoke Mission contained a rich amount of information. Marital disharmony, Was understandable, But needing his help left Liszt puzzled; how could he possibly help with someone else''s marital issues? This was why he was conflicted¡ªif it had been anyone else, given Ang''s status and appearance, he wouldn''t have been tormented and would readily have offered his help. However, Meioubao was his own cousin, and they were close. As he grew closer to the moral standards of this world, he still couldn''t bring himself to engage in such scandalous and incestuous behavior, and so he decided to cut through the chaos quickly: "I''ve been studying the piano recently, and Meioubao, I remember you have a collection of piano scores. How about giving me one?"n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om "No problem," Meioubao agreed immediately. This relieved Li Si Te (Liszt), grateful that the task reward was merely a piano score, which he could possess to change the mission. If the reward had been a Little Minor Elf or information rted to Fire Dragon Bones, his sense of morality might have tormented him¡ªthere would be no choice but to feed himself to the tiger. ... The internal conflict unraveled. Li Si Te (Liszt) returned to his usual indifference, but he couldn''t help thinking that Cousin Meioubao''s head would inevitably turn green¡ªwithout a harmonious life, problems would arise sooner orter. All he could do was wish the Long Taro Family could maintain the purity of their bloodline as much as possible. The morning before the wedding day. The official fleet of Golden Ind finally docked at Coral City Port. Marquis Roderick and his spouse, along with the nobles from Golden Ind who hade to attend the wedding and their daughter about to be married, Loria Golden Wheat Sheaf, headed for the separate castle in Birch City. They would stay overnight in Birch City ande to Tulip Castle tomorrow to attend the wedding. As the second son of the Tulip Family, Li Si Te (Liszt) needed to serve as a groomsman. The group of groomsmen consisted of familiar faces: Cousin Rolie Pinecone from Aunt Melinda''s home, the son of Viscount Trick, Aubrey Lycra, and three barons'' sons. Only unmarried men could serve as groomsmen. Simrly, only unmarried women could serve as bridesmaids. Rona Sally Golden Wheat, Loria''s sister, was among the bridesmaids. There were inevitably face-to-face encounters when they took time to practice the wedding procedures. "Hi, Li Si Te (Liszt)," "Hello, Rona Sally," "I heard from my brother that you have been titled Viscount for your military achievements, congrattions." Rona Sally said with a smile, "You own your own ind now, is it a city?" "ck Horse Ind, right next to Coral Ind." "That must be a beautiful ind." "Beautiful is yet to be seen, it''s just an undeveloped desert ind. I''ve built a small town on it, and then ran out of money to develop it any further." "Difficulties will always pass, right?" Read exclusive content at empire "Exactly." Then there was no more conversation to follow, and the day ended just like that, with the rehearsal leaving everyone exhausted. ... Night. Inside a guest room at Tulip Castle, Meioubao, having bathed and changed, returned to the bedroom. Looking at Ang, who was already lying in bed, he couldn''t help feeling exhrated, "Ang, in this new environment, do you feel all fired up? I believe with a bit more effort, we will have our own bundle of love." "I look forward to it, bearing an heir for the Long Taro Family is my unshirkable duty," Ang replied with a smile, but her eyes showed a hint of an unusual expression. They had been trying for almost a month, and there was no sign of any movement in her stomach. And she had inquired around¡ªMeioubao, already twenty-five, had many lovers in the past, but he had never impregnated any of them, let alone fathered a child out of wedlock. Chapter 0444 Ach Picks Up an Elf Bug (4th Update, Last Months Bonus 4/15) With the Mangrove Number and Pearl being repaired and officially joining the naval fleet, along with the Thorn Number, these three twin-masted cargo sailboats were now sufficient to meet the shipping requirements between ck Horse Ind and Fresh Flower Town. Thus, the Fresh Flower Vessel became the exclusive sea vessel for Liszt and the Territory Officers to travel between the inds, which would dock at Fresh Flower Port when not in use. When needed, it could set sail immediately without having to wait for the ships to return. Upon arriving at ck Horse Ind, the port town didn''t show much change, the serfs had all been arranged to go and clear fields for farming, as well as to excavate underground volcanic ss¡ªLiszt had required that before all the farnds on ck Horse Ind had been cleared, the extraction of volcanic ss must bepleted. Otherwise, once the fields were tilled and sown with crops, it would be difficult to turn the soil over for mining again. In the rubber garden, row upon row of new tender rubber tree saplings were thriving, centered on the Rubber Tree Cordyceps. These were all new varieties continuously propagated by the cordyceps, and the Rubber Tree Cordyceps were still persistently breeding new rubber tree saplings, showing no signs of slowing down. "Is it all set to propagate over a hundred acres of rubber garden saplings at one go?" Liszt looked at the current rubber garden with satisfaction. It felt as if thend wasn''t nted with rubber trees, but with fields of gold. After inspecting the rubber garden, he quickly headed to the pasture¡ªrecently named the ck Horse Ranch. In ck Horse Ranch, Liszt changed mounts to Lightning and galloped towards the Burial Ground. At this time, the Burial Ground was heaped with a great amount of volcanic ss around the five revived Fire Dragon Bones. All of them were volcanic ss that had not released Fire Dragon Magic Power. "After the Earl''s birthday is over, I must collect the Fire Dragon Magic Power here, and store all of it for any potential necessities," he thought. Now was not the time for this task. After touching the Fire Dragon Bones, which seemed unchanged, he still had no clear idea what these five bones were brewing, so he could only leave first. He continued towards the northern part of the ind to inspect the green tea garden¡ªsince the Green Tea Bug was introduced, the process of propagating green tea trees became simpler. Direct cuttings of the green tea tree branches were nted in the ground, and influenced by the Green Tea Bug Cordyceps, these cuttings easily sprouted and grew into new green tea trees. The reason the world''s agriculture was still using the primitive sh-and-burn method was due to Elf Bugs restricting human exploration of farming ideas¡ªeveryone was ustomed to nting crops rudely under the influence of cordyceps, and forndlords and serfs alike,nds without cordyceps were barren wastnds. Liszt was determined to change all that. Yet he would not be inventing fertilizers; at most he might use some organic fertilizer which resulted in him being nicknamed "Baron Feces-Vegetable." "I have absolutely no clue how to invent fertilizer, only how topost, adding a bit of nutrients to the farnd; I know even less about how to create pesticides, and if the crops get sick, I can only wait for them to die. However, I should not overlook another aspect¡ªirrigation," he thought while looking at the small river flowing beside the green tea garden. On Earth, China once experienced a natural disaster period where many people starved to death, but as efforts were concentrated on researching fertilizers and pesticides and constructing extensive irrigation systems, food production increased year by year. Coupled with the introduction of high-quality seeds from abroad, and improvements to seeds by agricultural experts like Li Zhen Sheng, the food and warmth crisis was finally ovee. Fertilizer, pesticides, irrigation, seeds¡ªin Liszt''s view, these were the four means representing a rich harvest. Now with no possibility for fertilizer or pesticides, seed improvementpletely relied on Elves; the only thing left that his territory could achieve was probably the irrigation works. "Once the Pioneer Mandate arrives, and a new batch of serfs is transported back to ck Horse Ind, the first thing to do is tomenceprehensive irrigation to make rational use of the water resources on ck Horse Ind," he nned. With that, another item entered his agenda. Indeed, there were so many projects he needed to push forward vigorously; nearly every industry required a ton of effort toplete. s, he dabbled in each industry but did not want to give up and had no manpower to develop further, so he had to struggle to keep them barely alive. If serfs were able to move freely, he believed high welfare would attract arge number of migrants to settle. However, serfs were the private property of thendlords and forbidden to move, while those freemen often did not regard agriculture as work; they were mostly craftsmen. In many ces, craftsmencked neither food nor drink. They would not be attracted to Fresh Flower Town. ...n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om At ck Horse Ind, he did not stay the night. That very night, he boarded the Fresh Flower Vessel to return to Fresh Flower Town. This was because the next day was the Earl''s birthday, and he must hurry to Tulip Castle to celebrate his father''s birthday. Just as he was preparing to listen to the waves and sleep at sea for the night. Suddenly, he heard a familiar horn sound¡ªit was the Sea Sprite Ake calling him. Based on the tone and length of the horn sound, Liszt understood that Ake had some good news to share with him. Under the current circumstances, of course, they could not meet. So he immediately picked up the horn and blew his response¡ªmeet tomorrow morning at the Sea View Vi. Sailing through the night. He managed to return to Fresh Flower Port just before dawn, and without going back to the castle, Liszt went straight to the Sea View Vi. There he saw that Ake had already been waiting inside the vi¡ªher swimming speed was so fast that she had returned here to rest for the night. "Brother, you''re back! Ake has wonderful things to share with you," she said. "What kind of wonderful things? Did you catch another pearl?" he asked. "No, not this time," Ake waved her hand from downstairs. Soon, the Mangrove Minor Elf Nami flew up, holding a plump Elf Bug in her arms. And then stuffed the Elf Bug into Liszt''s hands. Continue your journey on empire "Chirp," the Elf Bug tilted its head, looking at Liszt''s pocket. Seeing the Elf Bug, Liszt''s eyes lit up and he immediately took out a peanut nougat candy and handed it to Nami. "Chirp, chirp," Nami, holding the peanut nougat candy, happily flew to one side to savor her treat. As he yed with the somewhat nervous and anxious dark green Elf Bug, Liszt asked with surprise, "Ake, what is this Elf Bug?" "It''s a kind of nt that''s very long, right around the Mangrove Forest on Mangrove Ind, covering a vast area. Look, brother, I even brought one back," she said, gesturing with her hands to bind a dark green, slightly yellowing long strip-shaped nt with water and sending it into Liszt''s hands. Recognizing the familiar shape, Liszt immediately realized, "This is kelp, you actually found a Kelp Elf Bug? Can the ocean also nurture Elf Bugs? Have you bonded with it already?" "Um, I originally nned to catch it for you to bond with, brother, but it sneakily bit Ake, so Ake bonded with it," she replied. "No matter, you bonding with it or me bonding with it makes no difference." Even the Sea Sprite Ake was considered Liszt''s private property, so naturally, he didn''t mind who bonded with the Kelp Elf Bug. He was just very surprised. Ocean nts could also give birth to Elf Bugs, which meant that this Kelp Bug lived in the ocean. After a closer inspection, he indeed noticed the Kelp Bug''s differences, spotting two gill-like structures at the neck, probably the means by which it survived in the sea. Indeed, elves are full of wonders. Liszt passed the Kelp Bug back to Ake to put away, and with a painful yet joyful thought he mused, "Kelp is delicious food, and now, my territory will have another specialty... So far, no kelp has been found in the waters surrounding Coral Ind. It''s just a shame that for now we must let the kelp grow and perish naturally." There''s really a shortage of people. Chapter 447 - 0444: Ach Picks Up an Elf Bug (4th Update, Last Month’s Bonus 4/15) With the Mangrove Number and Pearl being repaired and officially joining the naval fleet, along with the Thorn Number, these three twin-masted cargo sailboats were now sufficient to meet the shipping requirements between ck Horse Ind and Fresh Flower Town. Thus, the Fresh Flower Vessel became the exclusive sea vessel for Liszt and the Territory Officers to travel between the inds, which would dock at Fresh Flower Port when not in use. When needed, it could set sail immediately without having to wait for the ships to return. Upon arriving at ck Horse Ind, the port town didn¡¯t show much change, the serfs had all been arranged to go and clear fields for farming, as well as to excavate underground volcanic ss¡ªLiszt had required that before all the farnds on ck Horse Ind had been cleared, the extraction of volcanic ss must bepleted. Otherwise, once the fields were tilled and sown with crops, it would be difficult to turn the soil over for mining again. In the rubber garden, row upon row of new tender rubber tree saplings were thriving, centered on the Rubber Tree Cordyceps. These were all new varieties continuously propagated by the cordyceps, and the Rubber Tree Cordyceps were still persistently breeding new rubber tree saplings, showing no signs of slowing down. "Is it all set to propagate over a hundred acres of rubber garden saplings at one go?" Liszt looked at the current rubber garden with satisfaction. It felt as if thend wasn¡¯t nted with rubber trees, but with fields of gold. After inspecting the rubber garden, he quickly headed to the pasture¡ªrecently named the ck Horse Ranch. In ck Horse Ranch, Liszt changed mounts to Lightning and galloped towards the Burial Ground. At this time, the Burial Ground was heaped with a great amount of volcanic ss around the five revived Fire Dragon Bones. All of them were volcanic ss that had not released Fire Dragon Magic Power. "After the Earl¡¯s birthday is over, I must collect the Fire Dragon Magic Power here, and store all of it for any potential necessities," he thought. Now was not the time for this task. After touching the Fire Dragon Bones, which seemed unchanged, he still had no clear idea what these five bones were brewing, so he could only leave first. He continued towards the northern part of the ind to inspect the green tea garden¡ªsince the Green Tea Bug was introduced, the process of propagating green tea trees became simpler. Direct cuttings of the green tea tree branches were nted in the ground, and influenced by the Green Tea Bug Cordyceps, these cuttings easily sprouted and grew into new green tea trees. The reason the world¡¯s agriculture was still using the primitive sh-and-burn method was due to Elf Bugs restricting human exploration of farming ideas¡ªeveryone was ustomed to nting crops rudely under the influence of cordyceps, and forndlords and serfs alike,nds without cordyceps were barren wastnds. Liszt was determined to change all that. Yet he would not be inventing fertilizers; at most he might use some organic fertilizer which resulted in him being nicknamed "Baron Feces-Vegetable." "I have absolutely no clue how to invent fertilizer, only how topost, adding a bit of nutrients to the farnd; I know even less about how to create pesticides, and if the crops get sick, I can only wait for them to die. However, I should not overlook another aspect¡ªirrigation," he thought while looking at the small river flowing beside the green tea garden. On Earth, China once experienced a natural disaster period where many people starved to death, but as efforts were concentrated on researching fertilizers and pesticides and constructing extensive irrigation systems, food production increased year by year. Coupled with the introduction of high-quality seeds from abroad, and improvements to seeds by agricultural experts like Li Zhen Sheng, the food and warmth crisis was finally ovee. Fertilizer, pesticides, irrigation, seeds¡ªin Liszt¡¯s view, these were the four means representing a rich harvest. Now with no possibility for fertilizer or pesticides, seed improvementpletely relied on Elves; the only thing left that his territory could achieve was probably the irrigation works. "Once the Pioneer Mandate arrives, and a new batch of serfs is transported back to ck Horse Ind, the first thing to do is tomenceprehensive irrigation to make rational use of the water resources on ck Horse Ind," he nned. With that, another item entered his agenda. Indeed, there were so many projects he needed to push forward vigorously; nearly every industry required a ton of effort toplete. s, he dabbled in each industry but did not want to give up and had no manpower to develop further, so he had to struggle to keep them barely alive. If serfs were able to move freely, he believed high welfare would attract arge number of migrants to settle. However, serfs were the private property of thendlords and forbidden to move, while those freemen often did not regard agriculture as work; they were mostly craftsmen. In many ces, craftsmencked neither food nor drink. They would not be attracted to Fresh Flower Town. ... At ck Horse Ind, he did not stay the night. That very night, he boarded the Fresh Flower Vessel to return to Fresh Flower Town. This was because the next day was the Earl¡¯s birthday, and he must hurry to Tulip Castle to celebrate his father¡¯s birthday. Just as he was preparing to listen to the waves and sleep at sea for the night. Suddenly, he heard a familiar horn sound¡ªit was the Sea Sprite Ake calling him. Based on the tone and length of the horn sound, Liszt understood that Ake had some good news to share with him. Under the current circumstances, of course, they could not meet. So he immediately picked up the horn and blew his response¡ªmeet tomorrow morning at the Sea View Vi. Sailing through the night. He managed to return to Fresh Flower Port just before dawn, and without going back to the castle, Liszt went straight to the Sea View Vi. There he saw that Ake had already been waiting inside the vi¡ªher swimming speed was so fast that she had returned here to rest for the night. "Brother, you¡¯re back! Ake has wonderful things to share with you," she said. "What kind of wonderful things? Did you catch another pearl?" he asked. "No, not this time," Ake waved her hand from downstairs. Soon, the Mangrove Minor Elf Nami flew up, holding a plump Elf Bug in her arms. And then stuffed the Elf Bug into Liszt¡¯s hands. Continue your journey on empire "Chirp," the Elf Bug tilted its head, looking at Liszt¡¯s pocket. Seeing the Elf Bug, Liszt¡¯s eyes lit up and he immediately took out a peanut nougat candy and handed it to Nami. "Chirp, chirp," Nami, holding the peanut nougat candy, happily flew to one side to savor her treat. As he yed with the somewhat nervous and anxious dark green Elf Bug, Liszt asked with surprise, "Ake, what is this Elf Bug?" "It¡¯s a kind of nt that¡¯s very long, right around the Mangrove Forest on Mangrove Ind, covering a vast area. Look, brother, I even brought one back," she said, gesturing with her hands to bind a dark green, slightly yellowing long strip-shaped nt with water and sending it into Liszt¡¯s hands. Recognizing the familiar shape, Liszt immediately realized, "This is kelp, you actually found a Kelp Elf Bug? Can the ocean also nurture Elf Bugs? Have you bonded with it already?" "Um, I originally nned to catch it for you to bond with, brother, but it sneakily bit Ake, so Ake bonded with it," she replied. "No matter, you bonding with it or me bonding with it makes no difference." Even the Sea Sprite Ake was considered Liszt¡¯s private property, so naturally, he didn¡¯t mind who bonded with the Kelp Elf Bug. He was just very surprised. Ocean nts could also give birth to Elf Bugs, which meant that this Kelp Bug lived in the ocean. After a closer inspection, he indeed noticed the Kelp Bug¡¯s differences, spotting two gill-like structures at the neck, probably the means by which it survived in the sea. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om Indeed, elves are full of wonders. Liszt passed the Kelp Bug back to Ake to put away, and with a painful yet joyful thought he mused, "Kelp is delicious food, and now, my territory will have another specialty... So far, no kelp has been found in the waters surrounding Coral Ind. It¡¯s just a shame that for now we must let the kelp grow and perish naturally." There¡¯s really a shortage of people. Chapter 0455 Praise at the Birthday Banquet (First Update) There are also Elf Bugs in the sea, a significant discovery. Liszt couldn''t help but contemte how to obtain the ocean''s Elf Bug resources¡ªhe could swim but not dive, and it was very tough to approach the Ocean Elf Bugs. Moreover, transferring Cordyceps into the sea was quite troublesome. Besides, the Cordyceps from the deep sea regions might not adapt to the shallow waters. Even if the Cordyceps could adapt, the marine nts affected by them couldn''t be relocated to coastal waters for cultivation¡ªit would be a futile effort as these were marine nts that required certain habitats. The current situation. Even as an Elite Earth Knight known for consuming potions, he could not conquer the ocean. But Sea Sprite Ake could do it, as she was a spirit of the ocean itself. She could easily contract any Elf Bug in the sea and move the Cordyceps at will. As for his rtionship with Ake, Liszt was never worried since they had an inseparable bond of kinship. If he had to be wary of and distrust even Ake, life would be far too exhausting. Of course. For Elf Bugs that Liszt could contract, he still wanted to do it himself: "Ake, to manage the Elf Bugs more easily, from now on, when you find Elf Bugs in the shallow waters, be careful not to contract them. Leave them for me to contract, to fully utilize the Elf Bugs'' potential." "Mm, Ake understands." "Also, when you y in the ocean, remember to pay extra attention to the various seaweeds. If you spot Elf Bugs, you must not let them slip away." "Mm-hmm." Since discovering the Elf Bugs in the ocean, Liszt had decided to heavily invest in Ake''s development. In the future, he could rule the skies and the earth of his domain, and Ake would assist him in dominating the ocean. ¡­ For the Earl''s birthday, Liszt also gifted a ck Pearl, though it was only the size of a sea bowl. With the discovery of the ck Trida and Fen Hai Luo colonies, ck Pearls and Pink Pearls were no longer rare items. In fact, the ck Pearl, due to its abundant numbers, had significantly depreciated in Liszt''s eyes. Now, he was only interested in ck Pearlsrger than a basketball. Because a basketball-sized ck Pearl, when made into a "Calming Wind Pearl," could disperse all Wind Attribute Magic Power within a hundred-meter radius, perfectly sheltering a sea vessel. Smaller, and it wouldn''t cover a ship sufficiently, naturally decreasing its value. Stay tuned with empire Hence, aside from giving the Levis couple a basketball-sized ck Pearl for their wedding, he chose to give ck Pearls of sea bowl size or smaller for other festive gifts. Even more so, he had decided to recognize the ck Pearl as amodity for external sale, to increase his domain''s financial revenue. "Smaller ck Pearls and Pink Pearls can be sold. The pearls capable of making Calming Wind Pearls and Calming Water Pearls must be kept as strategic resources... But the names Calming Wind Pearl and Calming Water Pearl seem a bit lengthy. It might be better to simply call them Calming Wind Pearl and Water Calming Pearl." A Calming Wind Pearl and a Water Calming Pearl, along with a Dragonbone Stabilizer, togetherposed the Calming Sea Set. ¡­ Noon was time for a family banquet. So no followers came. The Earl sat at the head of the table, with Lady Marie on his right side. Lady Penelope sat in the middle of the long table, with Levis and Loria sitting in the center on the other side. Next to them was Loria''s sister, Rona Sally, who would spend some time at Tulip Castle with her sister and was not in a hurry to return. Li Vera and Li Si Te (Liszt) sat at the other end of the long table. The noble banquet did not have a strict seating arrangement, aside from the host taking the seat of honor and nobles of equal rank sitting at the same table; other than that, there weren''t many particrities. In fact, at a buffet, there weren''t even designated seats¡ªeveryone ate wherever they feltfortable. After all, everyone was andlord with only a nominal colleague rtionship. In most countries, including the Duchy of Sapphire, there wasn''t centralized power but rather a feudal distribution of territory. Regardless of the size of the territory, unless it was a rtionship between a lord and his followers, there were no entanglements between them; hence there was no need to be too concerned about the disparities in their statuses, For instance, Marquis Roderick of Golden Ind, one of the six marquises of the Grand Duchy, would be greeted by Liszt, but nothing more than a nod was necessary; he owed his allegiance solely to Earl Li Weiliam. As Liszt attended more banquets,N?v(el)B\\jnn he became increasingly ustomed to this system and its rules, gradually shedding his bureaucratic mindset. He wouldn''t go weak at the knees just because the other party was a marquis, nor would he think he could boss someone around just because they were merely an Honored Knight¡ªthe rights of nobles were confined to their own territories. "Having been busy with overseas endeavors for many years, birthdays were seldom celebrated, and since Lidun''s birth, the family hadn''t added any new tableware." The earl raised his ss and said with a smile, "Now that Levis has married Loria, the Tulip Family''s dining table can finally be adorned with a new set of tableware. My hope is to add a second set as soon as possible. In fact, I wish to have more tableware each year than the year before." The second set of tableware naturally meant for Levis and Loria to hurry and have children. Even though the monogamy limited the number of nobles'' offspring, the Nobles still hoped to have numerous descendants to carry on the family lineage. "Father, Loria and I will work hard to provide the family with more children," Levis raised his ss and casually responded. "It is your duty, not just to be taken lightly but to be treated as something even more important than seizing glory on the battlefield." After advising the Levis couple, the earl turned to Li Vera: "My daughter, you are already twenty years old. You have your own thoughts, and I shall not interfere. However, I hope that you will take action soon, attend more social balls, meet more young nobles, and select a suitable partner." "Of course, I understand," Li Vera replied. Having spoken to Li Vera, it was then Liszt''s turn. The earl picked up his ss but pondered for a long time before saying: "Liszt, I am quite satisfied with everything about you. You are the Son of Glory of the Tulip Family¡ªsteady, smart, brave, with great vision. All the virtues of a knight can be found in you." "I am just a bit luckier than others and a bit more thoughtful," Liszt said modestly. "Luck is part of a knight''s strength in itself. Let''s drink to that," the earl tilted his head back and finished the wine in his ss. Liszt also finished the wine in his ss. Finally, the earl''s gaze fell upon his youngest son Lidun and he gave him a series of wishes. As the half-brother of the three siblings from different mothers, Lidun had grown up under the protection of the earl and Lady Marie. Gifted and at the age of thirteen this year, he looked set to break through to be an Earth Knight soon. Such talent posed a pressure on the three siblings. Especially Levis, who felt the greatest pressure¡ªmany resources of the Tulip Family were devoted to Lidun, which made Levis, the legitimate eldest son and heir of the family, quite dissatisfied. Liszt''s predecessor had once been very jealous of Lidun''s talents. But the current Liszt was rather indifferent to Lidun. He harbored a hidden estrangement even towards his full siblings, Levis and Li Vera, let alone Lidun, a half-brother. He maintained a rtionship where they did not encroach on each other''s affairs. He neither suppressed nor paid much attention to him. His gaze was fixed on the vast future, with no ce for Lidun in his vision. Chapter 0446 The Dawn of Glass Making (Second Release) At the Earl''s birthday party, the most unexpected thing for Li Si Te was the restoration of a tepid rtionship with Rona Sally Golden Wheat. Perhaps this is the instinctive way of behaving for nobles, passions having faded, returning to their respective life tracks. Without interference with each other. Apart from some reflections, he didn''t have many other thoughts, and took a short rest in the afternoon before returning to Fresh Flower Town. With myriad duties on hisnd, the absence of its backbone always instilled unease. However, upon returning to his territory, he found no urgent matters awaiting him. So he went straight to the Burial Ground on ck Horse Ind to extract Fire Dragon Magic Power. Filling Fire Dragon Bones with magic power could be helped by his knights, but extracting Fire Dragon Magic Power and infusing it into Fire Dragon Jars had to be done by him alone, as only he possessed the Dou Qi Secret Technique"The Eye of Magic". Once he became skilled at the craft, the speed at which he could fill jars with Fire Dragon Magic Power increased. He could extract about four tons of Volcanic ss a day, filling nearly eight Fire Dragon Jars.N?v(el)B\\jnn After extracting the Fire Dragon Magic Power, the Volcanic ss was immediately sent to the newly built Crystal Workshop in the port town, where the crystal craftsman Brad carved vessels. Volcanic ss is not as hard as crystal, but it is much harder than ss, and its translucency is not bad, making it suitable for making ss vessels. Water sses, wine sses, tea cups, teapots, wine bottles, ssware, test tubes, and small bottles for storing Magic Potions¡ªall these vessels were not for sale. The reason is simple: Volcanic ss has a blocking effect on Fire Dragon Magic Power, which led him to guess that this material might also block other dragons'' magic power. Then its value would be incalcble. In his spare time, Li Si Te also went to the Smithy to fetch a cksmith''s furnace, bellows, and charcoal for high-temperature experiments¡ªas he remembered, ss could be melted and blown repeatedly. So he wanted to melt down the remnants produced when Brad carved the Volcanic ss to reuse them by shaping into other forms. Charcoal burned in the cksmith''s furnace, with servants continuously pumping the bellows to stoke the coals into a roaring me. The Volcanic ss was ced inside the furnace in an iron container and heated¡ªhe was not sure about the melting point or softening point of ss, but if it was higher than that of iron, the experiment would certainly fail. Fortunately, the Volcanic ss began to melt as soon as the iron container started to glow red. It quickly melted into a bright, soft substance. Li Si Te instructed the servant operating the furnace to pour this mass of Volcanic ss onto another red-hot iron te. He then had one of the Retainer Knights insert an iron tube into the soft ss and blow hard. The knight had strong lungs, and with a gentle blow, the soft ss began to expand. Once it expanded into a sphere shape, Li Si Te asked him to stop and pull out the iron tube. After slightly processing the bottle''s mouth, an ugly ss bottle was freshly made. Then a master from the Fire Dragon Brick Factory came to helpplete the annealing process¡ªannealing was a technique discovered by the workers of Fire Dragon Brick Factory, who had used water spraying after brick firing for faster cooling in the past. However, bricks sshed with water tended to shatter. Encouraged by the rewards from Lord Landlord, the workers, after much trial and error, found the proper annealing procedure, greatly reducing the fragility of the fired products. Ten workers were awarded ten silver coins each for this discovery and became the first masters of the Fire Dragon Brick Factory. They were upgraded from mere workers to qualified craftsmen. Since Volcanic ss was a new product, the master did not know the appropriate temperature for annealing and had to explore slowly. After the cooling of the Volcanic ss, he took the initiative to report to Li Si Te, "Lord Landlord, there is something I wonder if you''d like to know." "Speak," Li Si Te always encouraged his people to discover new things. The Master Craftsman was not old, around twenty years of age, and his name was Atest, a serf from the Eagle Kingdom: "You know that the Fire Dragon Brick Factory is always looking for new materials to calcine. Once, a serf from the Thorn Caravan brought a kind of yellowish-white rock that felt a bit transparent when held up to the light." Seeing that Liszt was listening earnestly. Atest said, both nervous and hopeful, "So I threw this type of rock into the kiln to calcine, but it was very strange, it melted into a puddle very quickly, and when I took it out, it had changed into something else... just like, just like the volcanic ss you asked me to anneal, only much cloudier." "Hmm?" Liszt''s eyebrows raised: "Like volcanic ss?" "Yes, it was also soft and soon solidified, and it was somewhat transparent. I showed it to the master craftsmen at the brick factory, and nobody could figure out what use it had, and it broke apart quite soon after, so we assessed it was not suitable for calcination and abandoned this type of rock," Atest exined. His words greatly stirred Liszt. If he was not mistaken, the substance that Atest had calcined was the ss he had long anticipated¡ªprimitive ss made from quartz. The stone brought by the serf from the Thorn Caravan was definitely the raw material for ss¡ªquartz. Liszt had once searched for quartz and had tried calcining all sorts of stones and soil from his territory in the kilns of the Fire Dragon Brick Factory, but never seeded in making ss. He vaguely remembered that seaside sand could be used to make ss, but the results had been disappointing; ss did not emerge from the sand after calcination. The beach''s sand here seemed to be the remains of ancient coral reefs weathered over time. Unexpectedly, the rock brought from foreignnds could potentially be quartz ore, and Liszt immediately issued an order for Goltai to take charge: "Consultant Goltai, what you need to do is to purchase a batch of the type of rock mentioned by Atest, then cooperate with the forging ss experiment. Remember confidentiality." "Lord, can this kind of stone really be calcined into ss, just like the cups you made from volcanic ss?" Goltai was very skeptical. "Whether it is or isn''t, we will decide after the experiment." Explore hidden tales at empire ... The potential discovery of quartz filled Liszt with great joy; he could already imagine how ss, as the specialty of ck Horse Ind, would amass fortune in the future. In an era where crystals were expensive, minor nobles would definitely find it hard to resist the allure of ssware. Of course. Before confirming that the rock was indeed quartz, Liszt did not get carried away. He continued his volcanic ss experiment¡ªhe needed to verify that the volcanic ss, once recalcined, still had the effect of blocking the magic power of the Fire Dragon. The Dragonfire Syringe drew a little bit of Fire Dragon Magic Power. Injected into the new "Fire Dragon Bottle," he quickly found that the Fire Dragon Magic Power still assumed a Magic Form, flowing quietly within the Fire Dragon Bottle without any leak. This proved that the volcanic ss''s ability to block the magic power of dragons did not change with the melting and reshaping process. "So it seems the volcanic ss from ck Horse Ind indeed has significant strategic value and is very likely to help me subdue dragons, thereby achieving the great endeavor of Dragon Riding," he thought to himself, pleased. Chapter 0448 Collapsed Sinkhole at the Burial Ground (First Update) September 21. It had been nine days since Levis''s wedding. After extracting all the Fire Dragon Magic Power on ck Horse Ind, Liszt took a ship back to Fresh Flower Town, preparing to spend a leisurely life in Fresh Flower Town. It was mostly to prepare for the uing Pioneer Mandate¡ªsoon after the Earl''s birthday, he would head to The Court to attend the Grand Duke''s followers meeting to officially discuss this year''s Pioneer Mandate. The footsteps of war were approaching. Liszt, who had already decided to go to battle for the second time, was not nervous, only excited. He was excited for the impending military achievements, for setting foot in newnds, and for the plunder of poption and resources. It was hard to imagine that he, who once loved peace, would be someone yearning for war. Perhaps he was also scared of poverty. Not long after returning to Fresh Flower Town, a knight from Tulip Castle galloped over and delivered a package. The package, which had been sent from Red Crab Ind, contained several piano scores¡ªMeioubao had indeed sent his treasured piano scores that he had collected over the years to Liszt, along with a book on his own experience of ying the piano. When he received the piano scores, the Smoke Mission also immediately changed. "The mission has changed." As expected, after receiving the reward in advance, the Smoke Mission automatically changed. The new Serpent Script quickly coalesced, "Mission: The craftsman Atest from the Fire Dragon Brick Factory has revealed clues to quartz mines, showing you a glimmer of hope in ssmaking. Please explore how quartz mines can be used to make ss, and sessfully craft an ordinary ss product. Reward: Copsed Sinkhole." "Copsed Sinkhole?" "What kind of reward is this?" Liszt looked at the Smoke Serpent Script''s reward content, puzzled. It seemed that a sinkhole was about to copse and reveal itself in a corner of his domain. Speaking of sinkholes. There are many sinkholes on Earth, often appearing very mysterious. Liszt had watched a documentary where they talked about the formation of sinkholes, usually rted to underground rivers. In karst areas, the underground rivers continuously erode the surface to form caves, and after multiple copses of the cave ceiling, sinkholes form. "It seems that Fresh Flower Town has no connection to karstndforms, and ck Horse Ind is irrelevant to karstndforms as well..." Liszt''s geographic knowledge was not good¡ªhe only knew that karstndforms, also known as karst topography, are rted to caves, underground rivers, stctites, and sinkholes. But thesendforms were not present on Coral Ind or ck Horse Ind. So he couldn''t figure out how this Copsed Sinkhole was going to appear on hisnd, and he could only wait. Fortunately, the wait was not long. The Thorn Caravan had already brought in arge number of yellow-white stones¡ªthese stones came from the Viscount Jonas''s territory of Serpent Spear City. There was a low hill around Serpent Spear City, all made of this kind of stone. Whether or not it was quartz, a test would tell. Liszt, having nothing else to do at the time, went back to ck Horse Ind by ship and observed the workers at the Fire Dragon Brick Factory burning these stones. Through the Eye of Magic''s vision, the Magic Little Fire Dragon continuously sted onto the stones, quickly burning away the impurities within them. Then the remaining part began to soften and melt, eventually forming blobs of liquid resembling sunlight. Calling it a liquid wasn''t quite urate; it was a soft semi-fluid, like a piece of y-dough. "When the temperature is not too high, this kind of stone only softens, then melts, and finally bes a true liquid," Atest exined. "However, liquid isn''t suitable for blowing ss objects, so we start blowing them when they be soft." They had already been using volcanic ss, painstakingly forging the craft of ssblowing. Seeing the stones melt into a fiery mass, they immediately scooped out this semi-fluid, inserted it into an iron pipe, and began to blow air into it. They even used special high-temperature-resistant beast skin gloves to knead the glowing mass of molten ss¡ªa world filled with magic power often imparted unique properties to many materials. The gloves that Liszt distributed to the craftsmen were made from the hide of a magical beast, able to withstand temperatures of several hundred degrees. Originally they were intended to prevent burns during brick firing, but now they were being used to make ss. As the craftsmen kneaded and worked the material, the blob that had initially been blown into a ball gradually turned into a cylindrical jar. With the help of a bellows to blow and cool it down, a ss jar with some colorful patterns quickly came into being¡ªnot entirely pure, but very clear. "Indeed, this ore is quartz, capable of being made into ss... The quality isn''t very high; both the craftsmanship and the raw materials need to be improved." The ss jars were uneven in thickness, asymmetrical in shape, and their colors were messy, and even their hardness could not be guaranteed. Liszt only yed with a ss jar for a little while before identally breaking it, probably due to uneven stress distribution during cooling. Regardless. ss had been born in his hands, and that exquisite rity was sure to set off a trend in this world, bringing a steady stream of wealth to the territory¡ªbut before selling ss products abroad, they would need further improvements in the process and mass training of the workers. The process of making a finished ss product wasplicated, and relying on just the few craftsmen from the Fire Dragon Brick Factory was severely insufficient. Just as he was about to personally blow a presentable ss piece, a Retainer Knight hurried over to report, "My lord, an ident has urred at the Burial Ground; serfs were stacking volcanic ss ore when the ground in the centre of those fiverge bones suddenly copsed, revealing a huge pit. Four serfs have fallen into the hole." "A pit?" Liszt had to interrupt his n to blow ss himself and head to the Burial Ground. He had already understood that this was a reward from the Smoke Mission¡ªthe Copsed Sinkhole. On the way, he summoned the Smoke Mission: "Complete the mission, reward Copsed Sinkhole." Then, a new mission was released. "Mission: The Copsed Sinkhole has exposed the bases of five reviving Dragon Bones, and something seems to be brewing. As a member of the Magic Goat Family, Virginia Truth may have the clues you need. Reward: A fire seedposed of magic power."n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om "The Copsed Sinkhole exposes the bases of five Dragon Bones, it seems that this is another part of a series of connected missions about Fire Dragons. Virginia Truth... I''ll ask herter. But what is this reward, a fire seedposed of magic power? What does it mean, or what is it?" In the midst of his thoughts. He had arrived at the Burial Ground. Many people were gathered around the five Fire Dragon Bones, discussing animatedly. When they saw Liszt arrive, the official overseeing the work immediately dispersed the serfs and weed Liszt. "What happened, what''s down in the pit? Have the fallen serfs been rescued?" Liszt asked as he walked. "My lord, four serfs fell down; three are dead, only Sean is still alive. But his leg is broken, and he lies on a pile of stones at the bottom of the pit. We are looking for ropes to get him out. As for what''s down there, we''re not yet sure, the pit is very dark." Soon. Approaching the edge of the Copsed Sinkhole, Liszt looked carefully¡ªthe opening was not veryrge, at most a hundred square meters in a circle. Standing at the edge of the hole and peering down, it was pitch ck and hard to see, but he could hear the serfs'' cries and Sean''s moaning from below. Chapter 0449 Dragon Bone Magic Array (Second Update) While waiting for the rope, Liszt carefully inquired about the situation at the bottom of the copsed sinkhole from the serf Sean. Serf Sean had already grown ustomed to the dark environment, iming that the bottom of the pit was spacious without any underground rivers and seemed to haverge pirs around it. There were no wild beasts or poisonous gases. From Liszt''s visual estimate, the bottom of the pit was about thirty meters deep; because the sun could not shine directly, the light was very dim. It didn''t take long for someone to bring the rope, and after piecing it together, it was finally long enough to reach the bottom of the pit. Two retainer knights were sent down first, carrying crystalmps. By the time they hauled up the serf Sean, tethered to the rope, the two retainer knights had already reported back about the bottom of the pit, "My lord, the pit is strange, with many passages that lead outward in all directions. At the bottom of this hole, there seem to be the lower halves of five big bones, sticking into the hole." Danger ruled out. Unable to hear the retainer knights'' description clearly, Liszt personally went down to investigate. Upon reaching the sinkhole''s bottom, with the aid of the light from the crystalmps, he finally saw the pit''s structure¡ªa typicalva cave and tunnel formation, with a massive cavern at the bottom surrounded by countless tunnels leading deeper underground. At the top of the cavern, five fire dragon bones were embedded. These five fire dragon bones formed an irregr ded shape on the surface above. Liszt had thought that dragon bones were straight, but the bones piercing into the cavern delineated theplete shape of the dragon skeleton¡ªthe structure of curved ribs. "These five dragon bones must be the ribs of a fire dragon, and the tips of the ribs seem to point towards a central point, the distance between them is more or less the same, about ten meters apart on average," he surmised. He moved around the cavern, walking to the middle of where the tips of the five dragon bones converged. The Eye of Magic revealed no trace of magic power, "Where went the fire dragon magic power I infused before? Could it be stored within the dragon bones?" He touched the dragon bone. The dragon bones in the cavern seemed "fresher" than those on the surface, more like bone than rock. With no clear idea in hand, he began to explore the surroundingva tunnels. However, these tunnels were impassable, bing narrower and narrower until they closed off. "It feels as if ck Horse Ind''s original volcano specifically created this cavern during an eruption of magma." He returned to the center of the cavern and instructed the two retainer knights to leave, "Return to the surface and disperse all the onlookers around here, seal off the Burial Ground. I want to continue my research down here for a while." "Yes, my lord!" The retainer knights left. Liszt quickly took out the soul storage vessel and poured out the soul state of Virginia Truth.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om "Ah, I''ve had a long nap... Hello, Viscount Liszt, I am pleased to meet you again," Virginia stretched and greeted before realizing she wasn''t in the library, "Huh, where is this, a cavern underground? And what are those five pirs?" She squinted her eyes. In his heart, Liszt was weighing his options. Following the instructions of the Smoke Mission, Virginia seemed to hold clues about the dragon, and he didn''t know whether he should share the secrets of the fire dragon bones with her. After a moment, he decided to reveal the truth. After all, Virginia waspletely under his control, "Virginia, what you see are not mere stone pirs, but the remnants of fire dragon bones." "Ah!" Virginia eximed in surprise, "The remnants of fire dragon bones?" "Yes, this is a secret I have discovered. Countless years ago, a fire dragon fell here, and its carcass decayed, leaving only these five bones. They form a formation that seems to contain a special power. Do you have any insights or ideas on this?" "I have too little information, Viscount Liszt. Would you be able to help me examine these dragon bones closely?" "What do you wish to observe?" Virginia, in the form of smoke and light, slowly entwined one of the dragon bones, trying to touch it, but was unable to: "I want to know if these dragon bones still retain the Fire Dragon''s magic power. My family''s generations of magicians all like to study dragons and dragon beasts, and they believe that dragons do not decay." "But this Fire Dragon has clearly decayed, leaving only five bones behind, probably five ribs that still exist." Read exclusive content at empire "I don''t know, maybe, the dragon hasid down the secret of reincarnation?" Virginia shook her head and said, "Some believe that the Valley of Dragons is where dragons die and be reborn, where theyplete a cycle of reincarnation... But I don''t know what dragons that die outside of the Valley of Dragons are like." Reincarnation... Liszt wanted to reject this notion, but in his heart, he was very eager¡ªwouldn''t it be wonderful for the Fire Dragon to reincarnate as a Little Fire Dragon after its death? "So, do you think these five dragon bones are the...props for the Fire Dragon''s prepared reincarnation?" "I don''t know, it''s just spection." "Wait a moment." Liszt turned and walked to the entrance of the pit, calling out, "Philip, has the Burial Ground been cleared of all unrted personnel?" "They have all been expelled, sir." "If there''s anymotion next, you don''t need to be rmed." "Yes, sir." After giving instructions to his Retainer Knights, he took out a Bone Hammer and began to strike the dragon bone. With the rhythm of the hammering, blood-red magic power patterns quickly shed across the surface of the dragon bone as seen through the Eye of Magic. In normal vision, the dragon bones didn''t change much, but any Knight or Magician would likely sense the magic power rippling over them. Although Virginia was in a soul state, she could still feel the presence of magic power. She looked at the dragon bones in amazement, closely examining the position of the five dragon bones. Something seemed to stir in her gaze. "How about it, Virginia, do you see anything?" Liszt had been watching her expression and asked at the first moment. "Viscount Liszt, I don''t know if my spection is correct, but I feel that these five dragon bones seem to be arranged into a magic array." "Magic array?" "Magicians need great talent to practice, and our Magic Goat Family cannot produce a genius every generation. But the reason we can pass on the magic through generations relies more on using a special magic power convergence magic array to assist mediocre apprentices in learning magic... I became a magician by relying on this convergence of magic power." In her life, Virginia was just an ordinary magician. Her talent was average, understandable. Liszt asked, "Then, what kind of magic array are these five dragon bones arranged into?" "It''s the magic power convergence magic array I mentioned. Its principle is somewhat simr, but I don''t know the specific situation as I can no longer observe the arrangement of runes within the magic array. I specte that the part of the dragon bone exposed on the ground surface can absorb free-floating magic power, and then converge it together through the dragon bones inside the pit." "Can it be started again?" "Based on the information you''ve provided, the dragon bones have existed for thousands or tens of thousands of years, and they probably lost the possibility of starting long ago. However, the emergence of magic power on the surface of the dragon bone just now proves that it still has a trace of vitality. Perhaps one day, it can indeed gather enough magic power to once again coalesce into a Fire Dragon." Can dragons reincarnate? It''s hard to say. Are dragons made of magic power? Difficult to ascertain. Can the dragon bone magic array still be used? There''s no guarantee. But Liszt, trusting his belief in the Smoke Mission, felt he should try once more: "I have collected a great deal of Fire Dragon Magic Power; perhaps, I should pour it all into the dragon bones, allowing them to converge and incubate... In case of failure, I shall find a way to shatter the dragon bones and reim the Fire Dragon Magic Power!" Chapter 0450 The Burning Heart (Third Update, Making up for 6 of 15 from Last Month) Many times, Liszt was an ordinary person who liked to dream about the future but had no long-term n. He was a bit like the monkey in primary schoolnguage textbooks, picking up sesame seeds while losing the watermelon. Of course. He wouldn''t actually do something as foolish as losing a watermelon, but he continuously picked up things along the way, wanting to collect everything. The number of projects underway in his territory was incrediblyrge, almost more than those of the Earl''s Coral Ind domain, but the problem was that none of the industries were seriously developed. They all started off well but were then left to the side, maintaining a state just above decline. Admittedly, this was because he was poor and didn''t have the manpower to develop them, and it also had to do with hisck of long-term nning and not knowing how to prioritize the distribution of industries. Plus, he liked to find new projects butcked the patience to perfect them, leading to the current situation. Despite holding good cards in his hand, he couldn''t put together a winningbination. However. Liszt also had virtues in his character¡ªbeing content with his lot and able to quickly adapt to new environments; diligent and hardworking, mainly when it came to practicing Dou Qi and taking medicine; standing by his convictions, never turning back until he hit a wall; and bravely moving forward, immediately acting once he''d made up his mind. For instance, right now, he fully exhibited his character of bravely moving forward and standing by his convictions. He released all of the recently extractedrge quantity of Fire Dragon Magic Power, watching them being continuously devoured by the Fire Dragon Bones. Even though his heart was bleeding, there was no hesitation in his actions. "Just do it, I refuse to believe I can''t conjure a Little Fire Dragon!" With each jar of Fire Dragon Magic Power poured out, the Fire Dragon Bones seemed to be bottomless pits, endlessly consuming the Fire Dragon Magic Power. On the ground, the Retainer Knights broke open bubbles in the newly mined Volcanic ss, also releasing Fire Dragon Magic Power, allowing the five Dragon Bones to greedily absorb it. The collection took nearly a week. The release took only a short two hours. All the Fire Dragon Magic Power was depleted. The so-called Dragon Bone Magic Array still had not condensed the "seed of magic" that he had imagined. This was part of the Smoke Mission reward content, and Liszt believed it had a significant connection to the Little Fire Dragon, likely being the "seed" that nurtured the Little Fire Dragon. The function of the Dragon Bone Magic Array was probably to condense such a kind of fire seed. "The Smoke Mission is not yetplete, which indicates the Fire Dragon Magic Power is still insufficient," Liszt said, taking out a Bone Hammer and forcefully striking the Fire Dragon Bones. Nearly every hit made the crimson magical fments densely appear. The Fire Dragon Bones seemed to catch fire, bing five towering pirs of mes, a magnificent sight. However, the me never rose, and the magic fments remained just that. "But, it''s still missing something!" "Keep mining the Volcanic ss!" Liszt, whilemanding his subordinates to continue mining the Volcanic ss, called upon Virginia Truth and exined his actions in detail¡ªhanding over almost all the Fire Dragon Magic Power in hopes of getting useful clues¡ªsince the Smoke Mission hinted that Virginia held the clues. Virginia walked around the Dragon Bones, pondering deeply, and she too could note up with any exnations, "Viscount Liszt, when I was alive, I was just an ordinary magician, working in the family on Dragonbone Stabilizers, mainly following the orders of the Grand Magician." Liszt was not satisfied, "Think harder." She sighed, "I don''t want to bring it up, but if my sister, Curtis Truth, were still here, she would definitely know what''s going on with these five Dragon Bones, as she was most passionate about researching dragons." Experience new tales on empire Curtis? An idea shed sharply through Liszt''s mind, "Curtis has passed away, but she left behind a relic! Yes, she left behind a book¡ª"To Prince Annuette¡ªCurtis Truth"." He dismissed Virginia. Quickly, he took out this book of Magic Notes and began flipping through it, trying to find useful information. However, the entire book documented arge number of experiments for creating Liches and researching Ghost Ships, but did not mention any information about dragons. He closed the notebook. Liszt furrowed his brow, "There is no information about dragons in the book, and Virginia has no further clues. Is there really no other way than to keep adding Fire Dragon Magic Power? I always feel that there''s already enough magic power within the Fire Dragon Bones; it justcks a little something." What was missing? As his gaze swept over the cover of the Magic Notes, suddenly, a sh of insight struck him, a realization dawned on him, "I know! What''s missing is a soul!" The Magic Array can no doubt gather Fire Dragon Magic Power and use it as fuel to condense the Magic Fire Seed, even nurture a Little Fire Dragon. But itcked a soul. Matter, spirit, magic power¡ªthese are the three foundations that make up the world in the magician''s cognition. Now the Dragon Bone Magic Array had magic power and the Dragon Bones as a material basis, onlycking spiritual support. Legend has it that a dragon''s soul resides in its teeth, but Liszt couldn''t find any Fire Dragon''s teeth. But he remembered. In his Gemstone Space, he had several items rted to souls¡ªthe Sapphire Dragon Ship Figurehead, the Goat Head g, and the Soul Submerged Wood.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om All existed between reality and illusion. "Can these things, through the Dragon Bone Magic Array, condense out a soul?" He decided to give it a try, taking out a piece of Soul Submerged Wood first. The Soul Submerged Wood was intact in the Gemstone Space. As soon as it was taken out, it immediately began to tremble and copse as though it had never existed. However, after Liszt activated his Eye of Magic, he noticed a faint stream of magic power flowing through the air into the Fire Dragon Bones. "It really works! The Dragon Bone Magic Array can absorb this kind of material. The Soul Submerged Wood is a material made from the souls of an entire ship''s crew sacrificed by Curtis the Truth, and it is closely rted to the soul." Next. He kept taking out Soul Submerged Wood. All materials were devoured by the Fire Dragon Bones. When he hammered the bones again, he felt clearly that when the magic silk threads appeared, they seemed to have an added liveliness, but they were still not at their limit. They couldn''t converge into a magical fire seed. At this point, only the Goat Head g and the Sapphire Dragon Ship Figurehead remained. He took out the Goat Head g first, which quickly copsed and was absorbed. Still not enough, but it felt like it had reached a critical point. Finally. He took out the Sapphire Dragon Ship Figurehead, and as it copsed, the Dragon Bone absorbed it. Liszt took a deep breath, raised the Bone Hammer, and struck hard on the Dragon Bone. With each hammer blow. With each strike, the magic became more spirited, no longer fleeting, but remaining on the surface of the Fire Dragon Bones, formingplicated fiery red patterns. This change filled Liszt with great joy, and as he continued to hammer, the fiery red patterns kept umting on the surface of the Dragon Bone. Eventually. On the twenty-fourth hammer stroke, Boom! A loud explosion! The Fire Dragon Bones zed up in a fierce inferno, with the mes from the tips of the five bones quickly converging to form a bright little fireball. Then, the mes on the Dragon Bones all moved toward the small fireball. Below the Copsed Sinkhole, the temperature of the cavern shot up suddenly. Liszt had to dodge to the side. He then saw the originally thick Dragon Bone shrink as if scorched, as though it had turned into me and burned away, ultimately converging into the small fireball. The me came quickly. And it dissipated just as quickly. In less than half a minute, the roaring fire was extinguished. The five Dragon Bones had vanished, leaving only five barely visible light passages leading straight to the ground. At where the tips of the Dragon Bones once were, a small Magic Fire Seed hovered, emitting a me about the size of a candle me. "Is this a Magic Fire Seed made of magic power?" Liszt approached cautiously. He couldn''t feel any heat, and the temperature from the previous burning had also rapidly decreased; the cavern quickly returned to its normal temperature. He wasn''t concerned about where the Dragon Bones had gone but circled around the tiny Magic Fire Seed, observing it continuously. From every angle, it looked like an ordinary me. Bright inside like sunlight, fiery red outside like fresh blood. "Is it really nurturing a Little Fire Dragon?" wondered Liszt, increasingly curious. He knew this Magic Fire Seed was extraordinary, but it looked the same even when he used the Eye of Magic, just a simple me resembling that of a candle. He cautiously extended the handle of the Bone Hammer to let the fire seed scorch it. But. After the me''s scorching, the handle of the Bone Hammer remained undamaged as if the me had no power at all. Liszt also tested other concentrated materials, likewise bringing no harm, not even singeing thick parchment. He even touched the me with Volcanic ss, and saw it wasn''t dispersed. This was utterly different from the previous Fire Dragon Magic Power. "With no temperature and no ability to scorch, what exactly is it?" After repeated experimentation and confirming it was almost harmless, Liszt couldn''t suppress the impulse to touch it himself. He really couldn''t control his curiosity. So he carefully extended his finger, and just as the fingertip touched the fire, his vision blurred for a moment, and the Magic Fire Seed had already prated his finger. Frightened, Liszt hurriedly shook his hand, trying to throw the fire seed out. But the fire seed moved rapidly through the channels of Dou Qi within his body and in the blink of an eye, he could feel it in his heart. Then, searing pain struck him as if his heart was aze. His head buzzed... and he lost consciousness. Before passing out, his mind lingered on a single thought, "It''s over, I''m finished, my heart has been burned away!" Chapter 0451 Facing the Fire Dragons Head (First Update) ``` The mes zed furiously. Liszt awoke from aa and shockingly found himself in an undergroundva cave, standing on a stone floating in the magma. The scorching temperature made him sweat profusely. The bubbling magmabined with the endless mes gave him a sense of falling into the abyss of hell. He tried to circte his Dou Qi within his body to resist the hot air, but he couldn''t muster any strength. Even the Sky-Cleaving Greatsword on his back couldn''t be drawn. "What¡­ What''s going on?"n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om Liszt''s heart raced with panic, his head buzzing and nk. Just then, the mes in front of him parted, and a huge head emerged from the fire. It was as big as a room, with reddish-brown skin stained with clumps of mes, shaped like a triangle and sporting five curved horns. The scales were clearly visible, and there were a pair of eyes flickering with golden mes, along with a slightly open mouth gaping wide. Sharp teeth lined up in rows, and although the tongue couldn''t be seen, mes could be observed flickering within. This head remained less than ten meters in front of Liszt, the golden mes in its eyes almost humanely sizing him up. The neck and everything below it were engulfed in mes, obscuring them from sight. But Liszt recognized it at a nce; it was a dragon''s head ¡ª the head of a Fire Dragon. At first nce it was ugly and fierce, but a closer look revealed rhythm in every line, filled with an unusual beauty of power that no other creature possessed. It could only be found on a dragon. Shivering was not enough to describe Liszt''s emotion at that moment. Facing the Fire Dragon''s head, all he wanted was to turn around and escape, far from his usual ambitions of Dragon Riding. But at the critical moment, his legs weakened, unable to move as if he''d been hit with a paralyzing spell, or as though his legs weren''t his own. "I¡­" He was extremely frightened. Apart from the Dragon Knights and Archmages, perhaps nobody could ovee fear when facing a dragon. However, apart from fear, his mind was more nk, and his thoughts weren''t working flexibly. He didn''t feel the pressure of the Dragon Might, but his body reacted just like those animals paralyzed by fear. The dragon''s head just stared at him. And he just stood there on the stone, too scared to move. The surrounding mes continued to burn, and the magma still bubbled. But soon. Liszt''s mind gradually cleared, and he began to remember he had woken up from aa. But the ce he had passed out was not here; it was in a... Copsed Sinkhole. "That''s it!" "I activated the Dragon Bone Magic Array, condensed a Magic Fire Seed made of magic power, and then... then the fire seed burrowed into my body, went to the position of my heart... It seemed to have burned away my heart. That''s not right, am I dead or alive right now?" His thoughts were still a bit chaotic. But as he took a few deep breaths and carefully sorted through the fleeting thoughts, he finally pieced together the current situation, "Either I''m dead, and this is a posthumous scene from hell; or the Magic Fire Seed triggered a volcanic eruption, filling up the Copsed Sinkhole; or... all of this is just a hallucination while I''m in aa, affected by the Magic Fire Seed!" After death. Without surprises, one would probably be left with nothing, only in rare cases might one be a soul. This world doesn''t have the concept of hell; a soul either exists as Virginia does or goes to the Exiled Lands. Therefore, the current scene doesn''t match any posthumous visuals. As for a Magic Fire Seed triggering a volcanic eruption and even bringing forth a Fire Dragon, it''s even more illogical. ck Horse Ind is indeed a volcanic ind, but the volcano has been dead for who knows how many years, and the Fire Dragon has long been reduced to a few remains. It makes no sense for such a massive Fire Dragon to be reborn. "So the current scene is just a dream sequence while I''m in aa?" With this thought, Liszt suddenly felt the fear that had been binding him dissipate abruptly. He regained control over his body. Read new adventures at empire ``` He stood up straight. He drew out the Sky-Cleaving Greatsword, and with a piercing voice, said to the still ring Fire Dragon''s head, "So you are the projection of the Magic Fire Seed! It''s a strange state; my body is still unconscious, yet my mind exists in such a vivid environment. Even this phantom body feels so real." The Fire Dragon''s head swayed slightly, its golden fiery eyes flickering with a dangerous light. Its mouth gradually opened, revealing mes as hot as the sun brewing within, seemingly ready at any moment to unleash the Dragon Breath and reduce Liszt to ashes. But Liszt felt no fear. From another aspect, he confirmed his spection¡ªthe Fire Dragoncked any Dragon Might; it was merely a facade. He had personally experienced the Dragon Might of the Formless Dragon, that overwhelming force that made his scalp tingle and left him breathless, an unforgettable memory. The Fire Dragon before him, however,cked this trait. "Roar!" The Fire Dragon did not release its Dragon Breath, instead, it let out a shrill, peculiar dragon roar that was indescribable. Liszt did not cover his ears but raised the Sky-Cleaving Greatsword, ready for any impending danger. Even having guessed that he was in a dream affected by the Magic Fire Seed, he remained cautious; to not leave meant danger could strike at any time. Fortunately, the danger did not materialize. After the roar, the eyes of the Fire Dragon''s head reflected a vibrant, indescribable meaning. Then, it slowly retracted back into the mes and vanished without a trace. Following that, the surrounding mes began to die down, the molten rock around him dulled, and everything suddenly plunged into darkness. The high temperature disappeared. Liszt felt waves of exhaustion wash over him, and he closed his eyes, dozing off. ... Hunger. An immense hunger. There was an irresistible urge to eat anything, even himself, to relieve the hunger. Liszt abruptly opened his eyes, awakened by the driving hunger, his mind foggy with nothing but thoughts of food. He resisted the growling protest from his stomach and looked around. A Crystal Lamp cast a faint light, barely illuminating his surroundings. He was still in the cavern of the Copsed Sinkhole. Only, the five Dragon Bones that had originally pierced through were now gone, leaving behind five passages leading up to the surface, with faint light seeping in. "Sigh." He let out a long breath of relief, "It was indeed just a dream, a dream influenced by the Magic Fire Seed... I''m so hungry, I can''t stand it, I need to eat something!" Unable to wait, he took out Magical Beast Meat and Dragon Breed Milk from the Gemstone Space and started devouring them wildly, both eating and drinking voraciously. It took him about five pounds of Magical Beast Meat and threerge cups of Dragon Breed Milk before the hunger finally started to recede and his mind becamepletely clear. "What''s happened to me? The amount I''ve just consumed is probably equivalent to my usual food intake for two meals." He rubbed his swollen stomach, surprised. His appetite was naturallyrge; he usually ate in one meal what others did in two or three. After all, the Dou Qi generated by a Knight required transformation from the food consumed. Even though his practice of the Dou Qi Secret Technique "Breath Decay" had some sess in effectively controlling the loss of Dou Qi, his appetite remainedrge. However, he paid close attention to eating healthily and rarely overindulged. He tried to increase the number of meals rather than eating too much at one time. Rarely did he experience such pangs of hunger: "How many days have I been unconscious to be this hungry... Right, why haven''t my Retainer Knightse to rescue me after being unconscious for so long? And what about that seed of Magic Fire that entered my body!" Chapter 0452 Fire Dragon Chain Quest (Second Update) Thinking of the Magic Fire Seed. His chest suddenly grew hot, and he could clearly feel that something had been added to the position of his heart. He exerted his inner Dou Qi to the fullest, attempting to guide this thing at his heart out, but after several attempts, all ended in failure. The Magic Fire Seed just like that lodged itself in his heart and was not prepared to leave. Liszt''s expression was grave. His body had been invaded by the Magic Fire Seed, and although he had regained consciousness from thea, it obviously did not put his mind at ease, "What exactly have I smashed open? Can this Magic Fire Seed really hatch a Little Fire Dragon? It''s in my heart, does it have any negative effects?" Unable to drive it away, Liszt could only try to console himself. He quickly summoned the Smoke Mission. "Complete the mission, reward one Magic Fire Seed." The mission was alreadypleted, and the Magic Fire Seed indeed was the reward from the Smoke Mission, just that the method of reward was somewhat unexpected. "If it is obtained through the guidance of the Smoke Mission, the Magic Fire Seed should not cause harm to my body, right?" Liszt pondered in his heart. Thus far, the rewards from the Smoke Missions have all been beneficial, without any adverse effects. It can be seen, then, that the Magic Fire Seed is also a benefit, it''s just that how to utilize this benefit is something he currently cannotprehend. In a moment. The smoke transformed into new Serpent Script. "Mission: The Magic Fire Seed has been obtained, the most valuable existence on ck Horse Ind has been acquired by you, the Copsed Sinkhole has be a huge hidden danger on your territory, liable to copse at any moment, and threatening the safety of your subjects, please resolve the safety hazard of the Copsed Sinkhole. Reward: The restlessness of Rubber Bugs." "Hmm!" Upon seeing the new mission, Liszt''s eyes brightened, "The Magic Fire Seed is the most valuable existence on ck Horse Ind, so it could really be connected to the Fire Dragon. Just as Virginia said, it''s the key to the Fire Dragon''s cycle of reincarnation... Does that mean that inside my body, there might live a Fire Dragon that will one daye to be?" The thought alone was very exciting.N?v(el)B\\jnn But after the initial thrill had subsided. He couldn''t help but feel a headache, "Just to condense a Magic Fire Seed took such a great cost, nearly half of ck Horse Ind''s Volcanic ss Ore had to be mined, just barely gathering enough Fire Dragon Magic Power required. Additionally, a special soul item from the Ghost Ship was used. If he was to nurture the Fire Dragon to life. He might have massive expenses awaiting him afterward. "Strictly speaking, the Magic Fire Seed should only be one link in the ''Fire Dragon Chain Mission'', let me calcte it." Standing in the pit, Liszt was not in a hurry to leave. He began to tally the Smoke Missions he hadpleted. Including thepleted and changed ones, a total of eighty-three missions in one and a half years. Among them, the missions rted to the Fire Dragon, started with the thirty-sixth mission¡ªrelocating one hundred serfs to settle on ck Horse Ind, reward five Decaying Dragon Bones. Next was the thirty-eighth mission¡ªraising over a thousand chickens in Fresh Flower Town, reward a Fire Attribute Condensation Core Vein, also known as Volcanic ss. Then came the seventy-first mission¡ªwaiting for the Iron Hoof Ind battle to end, reward the revival of Decaying Dragon Bones. After that, the seventy-seventh mission¡ªmine 10 tons of Volcanic ss, reward the restlessness of Rubber Bugs. The seventy-eighth mission¡ªinfuse Fire Dragon Magic Power into Dragon Bones, reward Pink Pearls from Fen Hai Luo. Discover hidden tales at empire The eighty-second mission¡ªproduce ss products, reward the Copsed Sinkhole. The eighty-third mission¡ªsecure a clue from Virginia Truth, reward the Magic Fire Seed. These seven missions are all rted to the Fire Dragon, either in content or in rewards, and can generally be considered as part of the interconnected Fire Dragon quests. If one were to seriously investigate, further quests could probably be linked to the Fire Dragon, like the several rted to Virginia. The twenty-seventh quest ¡ª Discover the reason behind the coldness of the sunken wreck, reward: Dragonbone Stabilizer, which hid a 36D Ghost. The fifty-seventh quest ¡ª Collect the ck Pearls of the Coral Reef, with the reward being a Soul Storage Vessel, allowing the 36D Ghost to sessfully regain its memory, bing Virginia Truth. The sixty-fifth quest ¡ª Set foot on Iron Hoof Ind, reward: the awakening of Virginia. So many tasks, obviously not existing in istion, with many interlinked with other chain quests, formingplex Threads of Destiny. If Liszt had not mastered the Smoke Mission, gaining the golden finger to manipte the Threads of Destiny, he would have likely missed many rewards. It was precisely the pull of the Threads of Destiny that made a reward, seemingly unrted at first, gradually umte, eventually leading to a greater reward. A Fire Dragon! "I am definitely undertaking the interconnected Fire Dragon quests, it''s just that there are many steps, and I can''tplete them all in one go. Now, the eighty-fourth Smoke Mission, the reward has changed to the restlessness of the Rubber Bug... which means, this Magic Fire Seed will probably have to stay inside me a bit longer." Calm contemtion, helped him soothe his restless emotions. Since it hase to this, as long as the Magic Fire Seed isn''t causing harm, he would let it reside in his heart. In the future, he would slowly figure out how to interact with the Magic Fire Seed, or wait for a new Fire Dragon chain quest to emerge to resolve the issue with the Magic Fire Seed. He pulled on the dangling rope. And shouted upwards towards the Copsed Sinkhole, "Philip, Zavier!" "My lord, we are here!" the voices of the Retainer Knights came from the opening, they had been guarding the Burial Ground all this while. "Pull me up." Back on the surface, after making inquiries, he realized that he hadn''t stayed too long in the pit, which meant he was unconscious for about a quarter of an hour. A quarter of an hour, starving to the point of dizziness, even considering devouring himself. Clearly, it was the doing of the Magic Fire Seed. Fortunately, it was just hunger, with no other changes to the body, and his Dou Qi was functioning as usual. "Lord, how is the situation at the Burial Ground?" Marcus, who hade from the training grounds, asked. The five iconic bones once at the Burial Ground had vanished, leading anyone to wonder. "It seems that the bones have decayed, triggering a copse of the surface, leaving nothing inside the sinkhole," Liszt said casually, "What needs to be done now is to fill the sinkhole to prevent further copses that could endanger the safety of the citizens in the territory. Three deaths and one injury have already caused significant loss." Every serf in the territory is an importantbor force. Apart from death due to age or illness¡ªforces beyond control¡ªLiszt hoped to minimize other casualties. "We could transport rocks produced by the Blizzard Beast to fill in this sinkhole," Administrative Officer ir suggested. Training the Blizzard Beast was also taking ce nearby, where every session ended with arge number of rocks left behind from the unleashed Rock Spikes. After some thought, Liszt said, "The terrain of the Burial Ground isn''t high, it''s quite low-lying, and the absence of umted water in the past was actually a bit abnormal. You can fill it halfway with rocks and sand, then the other half should be somehow filled with fresh water, for farming or grazing, we''ll need fresh water." He guessed the absence of water in the sinkhole was probably rted to the Fire Dragon Bones, which had evaporated all umted water. Now that the bones had decayed, it might be possible to retain water. ir nodded, "Lord, there isn''t an abundance of fresh water on the ind, perhaps we can hope for a heavy rain." Chapter 0453 Eating a Fire Dragon (Third Update, Making up for 7 of 15 from Last Month) ``` The rain came faster than expected. The climate on the ind is like this, with clear skies in the morning possibly turning into a storm in the afternoon. The copsed sinkhole had barely been filled with ayer of rocks and sea sand at the bottom when the sudden downpour came pouring down. The time was around three o''clock in the afternoon. Meanwhile. Liszt was in his room in the port town, feasting on his meal. The roasted magical beast meat sprinkled with seasoning, no need for drink apaniments, was still delicious. This was already his fourth meal of the day. One in the morning, one mid-morning, one at noon, and one in the afternoon. And he would still need one in the evening, another at night, and yet another in the middle of the night. Seven meals a day, each more than he used to eat. He also had to visit the bathroom twice, to expel the residues of the digested food. "So now, am I sharing a mouth with a dragon just to eat?" Liszt pondered after finishing the roasted meat and taking out a cup of dragon breed milk, drinking it down in one gulp. Aplex look of worry appeared between his brows. Despite eating seven meals a day, not only did he show no signs of obesity, he even felt a bit leaner day by day: "The magic fire seed''s need for nutrient absorptionpels me to shoulder the burden of more magical beast meat and dragon breed milk, rich in nutrients¡­ The amount I''m spending on eating now probably rivals Douson''s." Douson and other blizzard beasts are intermediate magical beasts that consume a massive amount of food every day. Liszt had caught up and even showed signs of surpassing them, and judging by the value of the food, what he consumed was more costly¡ªsince he couldn''t go without magical beast meat or dragon breed milk. Skipping one meal of magical beast meat or not drinking dragon breed milk for one meal made him feel weak. "This magic fire seed, I don''t know how long I''ll need to nourish it, but if this goes on, I will eventually be eaten out of house and home. The only constion is that the magic fire seed doesn''t require expending magic power; otherwise, I really couldn''t even afford to take potions." He had been eating ravenously for the past two days. Yet, he did not feel the slightest change at the location of his heart, where the magic fire seed asionally emitted a warm sensation but showed no other signs of activity. No matter how Liszt operated his Dou Qi, he couldn''t draw it out or stimte it. He couldn''t even utilize the magic power of the magic fire seed itself¡ªhis guess was that the magic power constituting the magic fire seed was highly concentrated dragon magic power; otherwise, he couldn''t exin where all the fire dragon magic power went after being transformed through the dragon bone magic array. Continue reading stories on empire Now the territory continued to mine volcanic ss. About ten or so more tons of volcanic ss could be mined from the surface. Shallow volcanic ss was very easy to mine as the soil was quite loose. But when ites to the deep volcanic ss, it bes hard to mine. Due to theck of serfs at the moment, they were only choosing to mine shallow deposits. Based on the size of ck Horse Ind, the total reserve of volcanic ss is estimated to exceed fifty tons. He used about twenty tons of volcanic ss''s fire dragon magic power to condense into the tiny magic fire seed he now possessed: "With such apression ratio, able topress gas into liquid, why did the transformation of fire dragon magic power only condense into a me slightly bigger than a candle me?" The transformation of magic power is hard to guess. Liszt did not know how much resources it took to raise a dragon, but nurturing a magic fire seed was already elerating the financial strain on his hands. "I must speed up the cultivation of ''Breath Decay''. At present, utilizing this Dou Qi secret technique only slows down one-third of my body''s Dou Qi loss rate. ording to Steve Vulture''s introduction to Dou Qi secret techniques, at the Elite Earth Knight level, it can slow down three-quarters of the Dou Qi loss rate." Slowing down the Dou Qi loss rate means increasing the efficiency of nutrient utilization, which means less food intake. When ''Breath Decay'' is mastered, the three-quarters rate of deceleration will at least allow me to save two meals, and eating only five meals a day will probably be enough. Moreover. After mastering ''Breath Decay'', the consumption when taking potions will also decrease, undoubtedly a very cost-effective Dou Qi secret technique: "I must master it as quickly as possible." Just after eating, he entered a state of cultivation, striving to operate Dou Qi in the way taught by ''Breath Decay''. With the pressure provided by the magic fire seed, he cultivated with utmost focus, fully concentrating on the details of the Dou Qi secret technique. Hoping to master it soon and save some money on food. Suddenly. His heart skipped a beat, and he felt a connection to the rubber elf bug, receiving a blur of restless sensations. Immediately his eyebrows raised, understanding dawned, and he called forth the Smoke Mission: "Missionpleted, reward is the restlessness of the rubber bug." ``` Taskpleted, which meant the copsed sinkhole had been filled with rain, turning into ake and five tunnel openings. With water to support the pressure on the surface, the rocks around the sinkhole should not copse easily. However, fences would need to be set up around it in the future to prevent falling in. That was a nearly thirty-meter deepke in the sinkhole. He stood up, ready to take the Rubber Elf Bug to nt new Cordyceps¡ªwithout saying much, he already sensed the restless Rubber Elf Bug, knowing what it wanted to do¡ªjust like the previous Rubber Elf Bug, it wanted to spit out the new Cordyceps it had nurtured inside its body. By the way. Pay attention to the new Smoke Mission. "Mission: The new season of autumn harvest is about to begin. Fresh Flower Town and ck Horse Ind have opened up many farms, yet the food grown is still hard to meet the consumption of the territory''s poption, and there is also a need to support even more people in the future. Please store enough food for ten thousand people to survive the winter. Reward: One Little Minor Elf." "Hmm?" Seeing the reward, Liszt suddenly froze, "Another Little Minor Elf?" The surprise came so unexpectedly that he did not know how to express his emotions for a moment, finding it hard to think clearly, probably because of the recent troubles with the Fire Dragon, causing his brain to be somewhat overloaded. It took a while for his thoughts to start moving again: "Is it a wild Little Minor Elf simr to Nami, or is it a breakthrough of a domesticated Elf Bug like J? If it''s a domestic Elf Bug breakthrough, which one could it be, the Corn Grass Elf Bug, or the Rubber Elf Bug triplets? It probably isn''t the Rubber Elf Bug triplets; their evolution should yield three Little Minor Elves." Therefore. His thoughts shifted to the Corn Grass Bug, which he did not carry with him, still in the castle of Fresh Flower Town. As for whether it was quietly umting power, Liszt was not sure, and he also couldn''t be certain that the Corn Grass Bug was about to evolve into a Little Minor Elf. However, during this period, the only Elf Bug that had been active, apart from the Rubber Elf Bug triplets, was the Corn Grass Bug. He shook his head. He pressed down the pointless guesswork. Instead, he started thinking about the content of the mission: "Storing enough food for ten thousand people to survive the winter, ording to the traditional winter, is from November to February of the following year. However, in Fresh Flower Town, the so-called ''surviving the winter'' usually refers to the snowy season from mid-December to mid-February." Fresh Flower Town was located at the northeastern corner of Coral Ind, with ck Horse Ind to the northeast of Fresh Flower Town. Every year, starting in mid-December, they would be covered by a long ice snow season, during which time the serfs would usually stay at home and try to move as little as possible, to reduce heat consumption and decrease the number of meals required. "Food for over ten thousand people for two months is no small sum. Relying on grains alone is definitely not enough. Seafood and meats must be stockpiled inrge quantities, and it would be best to have a lot of salted meat and pickled vegetables... However, the Smoke Mission''s requirement to store winter food for ten thousand people is very interesting." The Smoke Mission was closely rted to his own thoughts. Sometimes Liszt would think that many of the missions are driven by his own "imagination." For example, the bizarre mission to help Meioubao and Ang improve their marital rtionship might havee about because he often deliberately thought about Ang Sapphire''s promiscuous lifestyle and projected it through the Smoke Mission. And recently, he had always been concerned about how to buy serfs when executing the Pioneer Mandate and transport them back to the territory. Therefore. The Smoke Mission had issued the task of winter food storage for ten thousand people.N?v(el)B\\jnn "Perhaps I can attempt in future Smoke Missions to proactively guide the Smoke Mission by continually suggesting to myself," he mused. "It feels a bit unreliable, probably affecting only the content of the mission, and it seems not to influence the reward." "But trying it out isn''t a bad thing." He had always relied on the rewards of the Smoke Mission to achieve leapfrog development for both his territory and himself. But deep down, he also had a strong desire for control, hoping to firmly grasp the Smoke Mission in his hands, rather than triggering it passively. Moreover, this might rte to the existence of a Sacred Dragon. The Smoke Dragon! So he never stopped pondering over the Smoke Mission. ... Having mentally prepared to guide the Smoke Mission, he took the Rubber Elf Bug triplets. Mounting the Landwalker Bird, which was reluctant to leave its nest, he set out in the heavy rain towards the rubber ntation. Chapter 0454 The Secret of the Seed (First Update) "Spit it out, little guy." Liszt held a restless rubber bug in his palm and stepped through the muddy water to reach a pre-nned vacant rubber garden area¡ªthe rubber gardens were to be cultivated on tens of thousands of acres, so theyout of the area had all been determined in advance. As the rubber bug opened its mouth, a faint green light flew out. It was a tiny seed that took root immediately uponnding and then grew at a rate visible to the naked eye, sprouting stalks, branching out, and producing leaves, eventually bing a huge cordyceps tree. This dynamic scene of nt growth stirred something in Liszt: "A seed can grow into a towering tree, elf bugs nurture life in this way¡­ then what is the magic fire seed within me, and does it have any connection with the seeds of the elf cordyceps?" Elves could be seen as being nurtured from seeds. If his guess wasn''t wrong, fire dragons would also be nurtured from magic fire seeds. Thus, elves and dragons are both nurtured from seeds, and their seeds are clearly not ordinary¡ªthey are condensed from magic power. The seeds of the elf cordyceps possess the functions of ordinary nt seeds as well, but it''s unlikely the magic fire seeds could be nted in the ground to sprout. "I hope it doesn''t sprout in my heart and consider me the soil from which it draws nutrients, draining my Dou Qi to nurture itself into a fire dragon."n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om As the new rubber tree cordyceps grew, his thoughts were active. One moment hepared the simrities and differences between the elf seeds and the magic fire seeds; the next moment, he thought of humans developing from fertilized eggs, which could also be considered seeds; he concluded that perhaps all life originated from seeds, yet he inexplicably thought of Sea Sprite Ake, who seemed not to have developed from a seed. When she was born, she was already inside a shell,plete in body parts except for legs below the knees. "Perhaps, Ake was originally just a shell?" It was like elf bugs, which did not exist initially; sudden mutations in ordinary nts then nurtured elf bugs. Maybe sea sprites also did not exist, and a sudden mutation in a shell brought forth a sea sprite. Such thoughts were a bit strange. He didn''t believe Ake was transformed from a shell¡ªthere''s hardly any aesthetic in the flesh of a shell: "The only thing is, how was Ake''s shell formed, and where did shee from? If I can solve this mystery, perhaps I could mass-cultivate new sea sprites." Although Ake was still underage and under cultivation, her role was clearly significant. Nami was discovered by her, kelp bugs were found by her, the coral reef, Pearl Lake, and the trida were located by her, the fen hai luo was also found by her, Chris Truth was rescued by her, green caterpirs, green-headed ducks were discovered by her, and even the Six-Headed King Serpent was lured by her. Find your next adventure on empire Basically, all the rewards from the ocean-rted smoke missions were inseparable from Ake''s shadow¡ªafter all, Liszt was not an aquatic creature. Knights could conquer thend, and in the future, the skies as well, but the ocean was perhaps beyond the reach of even dragon knights¡ªexcept for those riding water dragons, for water dragons could definitely roam the sea at will. He did not drift long in the sea of thoughts. The cordyceps had been sessfully ced. Liszt put away the rubber bug that had calmed down and began to examine the new rubber tree cordyceps. He noticed that this cordyceps waspletely different from the previous two; it was muchrger, with a thicker trunk and more branches. Especially its leaves were extremely exaggerated,rger even than those of a banana nt. It had not borne fruit. Perhaps like amon rubber tree, rubber could be extracted from the trunk. "The biggest difference with this new Cordyceps might be its leaves, I''ll pick one to study first." Liszt carefully plucked a leaf imbued with magic power. The magic power quickly dissipated, turning into an ordinary leaf. From the cut at the base of the leaf, a small amount of rubber was seen to seep out, proving that the new rubber tree could still produce rubber and had not lost this ability¡ªin Liszt''s view, the value of rubber can bepared to that of magic potions; losing the ability to produce rubber would be an absolute failure of a mutation. "Such arge leaf, and quite sturdy, too." He tugged at the leaf, but it didn''t tear, "It could be made into a fan, or maybe... packaging bags? Like wrapping zongzi, using its leaves to wrap delicacies? I always feel that this function doesn''t quite match the worth of a rubber tree." ¡­ After settling the new Cordyceps rubber tree. Liszt''s next priority was toplete the new Smoke Mission¡ªstockpiling enough food for ten thousand people to get through the winter. But he soon discovered a serious problem: "It''s not even October yet, winter is from mid-December to mid-February, so when should I stockpile enough food to consider the taskpleted? Should I start stockpiling now?" He was unsure whether the food stockpiled now would count as winter food. Nevertheless, he had to start somewhere, and there was no way to stockpile enough food in a hurry. Under the condition of ensuring basic food and clothing, a young adult male would consume about 600 jin (approximately 300 kg) of grain per year. After deducting the consumption of the old, young, women, and children, and taking into ount the extra consumption of knights, it was estimated that each servant needed 2 jin (approximately 1 kg) of food per day. Ten thousand people would need 20,000 jin (approximately 10 tonnes) of food per day. The food required by ten thousand people for two months would be 600 tonnes. "Starting now, I need to find a way to buy grain from all over Coral Ind every day, storing 3 tonnes a day, so by December, I should be able to store about 100 tonnes; plus the grain produced from my own territory minus the consumption for eating, should allow storing another 100 tonnes; with the addition of preserved meats and seafood, another 100 tonnes shouldn''t be an issue... But there is still a shortfall of 300 tonnes." This 300 tonnes had to be purchased from other inds. The cost would definitely not be small. As of now, Fresh Flower Brew''s profits have been mortgaged until next year, and the revenue from ck Tulips, Fresh Flower Soap, and rubber can barely support the development of the territory. To buy additional food, I must find a way to raise new Gold Coins. "If there''s no other way, start selling ck Pearls and see if the market is indeed eager for ck Pearls smaller than a sea bowl." He had previously sold a fist-sized one to Levis for several hundred Gold Coins. Now, with ck Pearls bing more plentiful. The price will surely fall, but no matter to what extent it falls, it will definitely be more valuable than the White Pearls produced by the Grand Duke''s Pearl Oyster farming at Tranquil Lake¡ªWhite Pearls can only calm and soothe, while ck Pearls not only have that effect but can also disperse Wind Attribute Magic Power. Moreover, they arerger and contain more abundant magic power. "At ten times the price, they''ll definitely sell! Now,rge Trida in Pearl Lake are hard toe by, but there is still an abundance of small ones, just by catching a batch, I can make Gold Coins... I don''t need to worry about the territory''s finances at all, I may be out of money but I have special products!" So, after returning to Fresh Flower Town, he immediately took a few samples of ck Pearls and rushed to Tulip Castle to discuss the trade of ck Pearls with the Levis couple. If there''s no market on Coral Ind, my sister-inw Loria can take them to Golden Ind to sell. I believe thedies of Golden Ind will pay a handsome price for ck Pearls. Chapter 0456 Attacking Sardine Bay Serpent Fang City (Third Update, Celebrating 10,000 Coins Reward) This chapter is the "Dream Back to Ancient Jiangnan" reward addition. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Tulip Castle. The meeting was held solemnly, with a huge thick paper map spread out on the wall. The ck ink lines outlined a simple maritime map. This map was quite interesting. If one takes the top left corner and the bottom right corner as the central axis, the left is a yellow-brown base color, representing the continent; the right is a pale blue base color, representing the sea. Above the sea, inds were scattered, symbolizing the Duchy of Sapphire, and the one closest to the map''s central axis was Iron Hoof Ind. Taking the top right corner and the bottom left corner as the central axis, the continent is divided in two by red lines. The upper part of the continent''s territory belongs to the Steel Ridge Kingdom, while the lower part of the continent is the territory of the Eagle Kingdom. Following this central axis line, Iron Hoof Ind was also divided in half, which means the ind is equidistant from both kingdoms'' maind. It''s a six-day voyage either way. Of course, if one insists on precise measurement, actually reaching Steel Ridge Kingdom takes six and a half days, as it is slightly off the central axis. Basically, it can be estimated that Iron Hoof Ind is about 1,200+ kilometers away from the coast of the Eagle Kingdom, roughly the distance from Beijing to Shanghai. It''s about as wide as nine Taiwan Straits. "In previous years, our attacks on the hintends of the Eagle Kingdom focused mainly on Sardine Bay, Yellow Mud Coast, Roaring River Mouth, and Dense Corridor¡ªthese four coastlines. This year, we will coordinate with the knight order of Steel Ridge Kingdom to attack the area around Sardine Bay. There are four major cities nearby¡ªSerpent Fang City, Ambition City, Coldstream City, and Dragon Fall City," exined Captain Mickey, standing in front of the map. "These four major cities each belong to the territory of four different marquises. Our knight order cannot conquer theserge cities and castles, but the vast and t surroundingnds are all grazing fields for battle horses. We should take away whatever resources we can." "Which area is our Coral Ind Knights focusing on?" asked Viscount Jonas. "We''re mainly targeting the area around Serpent Fang City. The development here is poor, and it has been frequently plundered in past years, making it difficult for those Eagle Kingdom nobles to develop their territories. As a result, resources are rtively sparse. However, the Grand Duke willpensate in terms of military achievements," the Earl exined from his seat. The Duchy of Sapphire assaults the coastal hintends of the Eagle Kingdom year after year. But the direction of attack changes every year. Sometimes ites from Sardine Bay, sometimes from Roaring River Mouth, and sometimes it evennds on some unnamed coast. As a feudal state, the defense of these territories, of course, falls to the localndlords to bear. Without unified military action, they are easily raided by the knight orders of the Duchy of Sapphire. The coastal lords are the poorest nobles in the Eagle Kingdom. However, with constant warfare, each territory has a strong knight order, and they''re not easily conquered. Their territories arerger and often enves, meaning that thesendlords also have territories ind. Consequently, the development around the coastlinegs behind. Sardine Bay has not been plundered for several years. This time, with the issuance of the Pioneer Mandate, the Duchy of Sapphire will start from Sardine Bay. The Coral Ind Knights are assigned to focus on the area near Serpent Fang City. As for the specifics of the attack, it will be discussed upon arrival on the continent¡ªwar is not a y; there are no rehearsals here. "There''s equally good news and bad news, do you want to hear the good news or the bad news first?" The Earl smiled and without waiting for his followers'' response, he said, "Well, actually, the two pieces of news are rted. Comb City will gather a group of knight orders, and they will join us in attacking the hintends of the Eagle Kingdom." Your next journey awaits at empire Comb City is a major city in the Steel Ridge Kingdom, the fiefdom of a marquis. ``` With such a fresh force joining, the certainty of attacking the enemy''s hearnd increased, but the addition of a Marquis meant there were more sharers of the war achievements and resources. Indeed, it''s a mix of good news and bad news. Liszt didn''t mind this. Looking at the map, he had already begun to imagine how he was going to plunder resources¡ªunlike the previous knight orders, his strength wasn''t in charging, but in dismantling castles at an incredibly fast pace. Former Pioneer Mandates mainly focused on raiding, seldomying siege to cities, and onlypeted for mines. However, with the Blizzard Beast''s assistance, the interests of dismantling castles far exceeded the raids on mines. His mission had been assigned: to lead a Coral Ind Knights team, coordinate with the Earl, and focus on striking the major and minor castles around Serpent Fang City. The Earl also knew how to maximize benefits. With Douson and the Eight Tiny Ones¡ªa batch of intermediate magical beasts¡ªas a powerful new force, it would be foolish not to use them. ... After the meeting. The followers each returned to their respective territories from Tulip Castle to reorganize their military forces, waiting to depart for Bull Hoof City on October 6th¡ªthis major city in Iron Hoof Ind continued to be the starting point for the Duchy of Sapphire''s initiation of Pioneer Mandates and the expedition of knight orders.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om In Fresh Flower Town. Liszt spent an entire dayying out the construction ns for his territory. He then spent a night going over the various duties of the castle with Butler Carter and also ensuring enough food was packed. The next day he entrusted Chris Truth to take over his trade with Elkerson. Subsequently, he bid farewell to Ach, reminding her to oversee the mangrove afforestation, gathering Trida pearls, searching for elf bugs in the sea, and breeding little green-headed ducks, among other tasks. "Brother, how long will you be gone for this war before youe back?" Ach was reluctant to part with Liszt; she had once lived alone at sea. But now, she had grown fond of the times spent withpany. "Shortest, a month and a bit, longest, two to three months, but I think I will definitely rush back before the festival." The Little Sea Monster clenched her fist: "Hmm, Ach will practice magic diligently, help brother with his work, and will rest at the Sea View Vi every day, waiting for brother to return. When brotheres back, Ach will surely be stronger. No sea monsters in the ocean will be Ach''s match!" "I believe that," Liszt said, hugging Ach, whose magical talent was beyond doubt. ... The morning of October 8th. Liszt was already fully armed and ready, leading the ck Horse Ind Knight Squad, preparing to set out from Fresh Flower Town. He gave his final instructions to the parting Goltai: "Consultant Goltai, the construction of the territory is shared by Isaiah and ir, but you must oversee and direct the overall strategy. Pay particr attention to stockpiling food; do not skimp on spending gold coins. I''ll send over arge batch of serfs, at least ten thousand people, and there must be no shortage of food for them to get through the winter." "Please rest assured, I shall keep this in mind at all times." "The management and arrangement of the new serfs should also be nned ahead. If problems arise, you can directly seek help from Sir Levis at Tulip Castle." "I understand, my lord." That being the case. Having made all his instructions clear and his arrangements set, Liszt no longer lingered. Apanied by the farewells of territory officers and servants, he took off at the break of dawn, the dim light just beginning to brighten the east. The knight squad''s galloping hooves kicked up dust as they rode swiftly into the distance. ``` Chapter 457 Territory Cash Flow (First Update) The knights had already departed. Fresh Flower Town had returned to the tranquility of its usual mornings, yet the town''s administrative office was bustling with extraordinary activity. Officials from both the Port Town and Fresh Flower Town, as well as the Retainer Knights left behind, all gathered here for a meeting chaired by Consultant Goltai. "Isaiah, ir, you two go first and discuss the financial situation of the two towns so we can make reasonable arrangements for the subsidy of gold coins provided by Lord Landlord," Goltai said. Isaiah spoke first, "The ie of Fresh Flower Town is roughly as follows... The expenses of Fresh Flower Town are roughly as follows... All in all, the town has a very high turnover, but it has to bear the consumption of the castle and ck Horse Ind, losing at least five gold coins a day. A minimum of one hundred and fifty gold coins in subsidies is needed each month." The construction in Fresh Flower Town had slightly stalled, and its various industries were mostly making money. Unfortunately, the main projects were either mortgaged or had limited capacity and could not be used as cash cows for continuous extraction. Add to this the castle''s daily consumption and the support of construction materials for ck Horse Ind, and indeed operations were difficult. ir followed, "The current main ie of Port Town relies solely on rubber produced from rubber trees and pottery and charcoal from the brick factory... The expenses of Port Town, which need to underpin theprehensive construction of ck Horse Ind, face shortages in manpower, materials, and funds... losing at least fifteen gold coins a day." The rubber production was not yet high, and the brick factory had to meet the needs of the territory. ck Horse Ind was developing various industries in parallel; being able to maintain a loss of only fifteen gold coins a day was already a sign of healthy finances. Both administrative officers reported on the situation of their respective territories. Goltai cleared his throat and said, "Lord Landlord has allocated a total of two thousand three hundred gold coins to the territory''s finances. I n to allocate a total of five hundred gold coins to store food. ording to his lordship''s wishes, we need to store enough food for ten thousand new serfs on top of the territory''s existing poption, which means food for fifteen thousand people." "Consultant, if we keep stockpiling food, the price is bound to increase significantly. I think we''re lucky if we can stockpile enough food with one thousand gold coins," ir countered Goltai''s idea from another perspective. Isaiah corroborated this, "I''ve talked with Captain Abagon of the Fresh Flower Caravan. It''s indeed bing more and more difficult to buy food. We can''t expect those lords from other ces to sell us food at fair prices, just like the lords of Coral Ind." Rebutted by both administrative officers. Explore more at empire Goltai was somewhat displeased, but he nodded, "Then let''s set a budget of one thousand gold coins for storing food. With this issue settled, let''s move on to the next topic, the allocation of funds for various industries." ... A meeting was in session at the town''s administrative office. There was also a small meeting in the castle involving Butler Carter, Mrs. Morson, Mrs. Abbie, and Chris Truth, as well as Captain Abagon, Charlotte, and other caravan leaders. Carter was the first to speak, "Her Excellency Chris is busy with many matters, so let''s start with the purchase of Magic Books. The master has allocated one thousand gold coins for book purchases, of which four hundred are for buying knight novels and six hundred for magic books. We will mainly deal with Mr. Elkerson, and Her Excellency Chris will preside over this." Chris''s demeanor stood out from that of the servants. She simply sat to the side and said lightly, "Mr. Carter, the Viscount has told me that when Mr. Elkersones to town for the trade, you just need to notify me, and I will handle the pricing for each Magic Book." "That would be for the best." "Then, if there is nothing else, I shall take my leave." On her way back, she seemed somewhat preupied.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om Her thoughts were a bit scattered, "I feel that I have recently touched upon cognitive barriers, and ording to "Three-Phase Magic Array and Reality Interaction Theory", this is a sign of transitioning from a Static Magic Circle to a Dynamic Magic Array. Unfortunately, my umtion is still insufficient, and I need more magic references." She thought back to yesterday when Liszt came to get a Magic Potion. What he had said to her, "Chris, I don''t have the money to build you a Mage Tower yet, but whatever Magic Books you wish to buy, you may. Also, I will ask Elkerson to find a sufficient spellcasting scheme for your reference. I hope you can advance to Grand Magician soon." ``` With these thoughts in mind, she couldn''t help but breathe unevenly, "The value ced on magicians is too low. I cannot let Liszt down. I need to be promoted to Grand Magician to repay him for saving my life and for his daily smiles... I''ve dedicated my whole being to the Truth..." Various images and smiles of Liszt shed through her mind. Gradually, her face revealed a hopeful expression, and her eyes warmed with affection, "But I still wish to see him smile every day." ... Out at sea. A huge white seashell opened. Ach held a small horn, gently blowing into it, his expression somewhat listless. Mangrove Minor Elf Nami held a peanut nougat candy, crunching it loudly. At Nami''s feet, a dark green Kelp Bug swam in circles around her, its gills opening and closing at the back of its neck in a lively fashion. The Kelp Bug''s belly, rather than being bumpy like other Elf Bugs'' legs, was more ttened, allowing it to swim swiftly. Soon. Ach put away the small horn, touched Nami, then the Kelp Bug, and took a deep breath, "Let''s go, Nami, Kelp Bug. Let''s catch more Elf Bugs so we can give big brother a huge surprise when he returns!" Of course, Liszt didn''t know that the little sea monster was preparing a surprise for him. He was already at Coral City Port. After checking his Knight Order members, he boarded the gship Tulip of the Coral Ind fleet. Once all the knights, Retainer Knights, and supplies had boarded their respective ships, the immense fleet set sail across the Sea of Azure Waves, heading for Iron Hoof Ind once again. Liszt was busy securing Douson and the Eight Tiny Ones in the cabin, preventing them from running amok; thendwalker bird Loki was also kept in the cabin, where it enjoyed living with grains and beans. Afterward. As per tradition. All the nobles came to the Tulip to attend the meeting chaired by the Earl, where the agenda was the allocation of the battle loot. The basic principle of military merit was to allocate ording to work: more work gets more, less work gets less, no work gets nothing. The principle for materials was that whoever seized them kept them, but had to donate one-third to the Knight Order''s deathpensation. It was also stipted that seized mineral resources were forbidden to be sold to Mercenary Corps, but must be handed over to the treasury for the Grand Duke to allocate ¨C the main purpose of each year''s Pioneer Mandate was to snatch mineral resources. After the battle loot allocation was rified, the nobles dispersed and returned to their own ships. Suddenly, Liszt thought of a question and asked the Earl, "Father, can those mercenary groups be trusted?" "From my many years of experience in campaigning, it''s not about trust. As long as they can help us trade, some losses are bearable." "If I were thendlord of the Eagle Kingdom, I would never allow mercenary groups to develop unchecked." "Heh," the Earl finally found a sense of superiority, "Liszt, you are still somewhat naive. Whether it''s the mercenary groups of the Eagle Kingdom or the pirates of the Duchy of Sapphire, they exist for a reason. To summarize, it''s all driven by interest." ``` Chapter 0458 War and Justice (Second Update) In terms of social status, the position of mercenaries belonged to the middle tier,parable to that of master craftsmen who possessed irreceable skills. They were just below the upper nobility, and above the magical magicians, non-titled knight officers, and indispensable artists of high society. They ranked higher than the lower-mid servants, craftsmen, workers, merchants, rats, and the lowest tier of serfs, roles often filled by down-and-out knights. There were no mercenary corps in the Duchy of Sapphire, and consequently, no mercenaries. However, in the nations of the continent, mercenary corps were a widespread andmon phenomenon, often established under the pretense of guarding trade, hunting magical beasts, or capturing elves. But in secret, mercenary corps were direct participants in the ve trade, often ying the roles of robbers and bandits. Liszt didn''t know how mercenary corps originated and developed to the extent they had today. But after a conversation with the Earl, he started to understand clearer that mercenary corps were, in fact, simr to rats¡ªan extension of noble influence¡ªif rats yed the part of intelligence organizations, then mercenaries acted like dynamic social organizations. One of the disadvantages of the feudal system was that there were no overarching jurisdictional rtionships between territories, but rather significantpetition. Manyndlords had various private feuds and couldn''t directly dispatch knight orders to plunder each other, so mercenary corps yed their roles well. Mercenary corps were also a source of substantial profit. The continent was not short of poption, and during every war, the ve trade was a lucrative business. Even many localndlords were hopeful for invasions by the Duchy of Sapphire¡ªas long as their own territories weren''t the ones being raided. During such times, they would eagerly cooperate with invading knight orders to trade, exchanging easily captured serfs for the materials the knights had plundered from other ces. Every war between the Eagle Kingdom and the Steel Ridge Kingdom was the busiest time for mercenary corps. These mercenary corps dared not invade the territories'' castles, but they coulde and go like the wind when plundering serfs. "It can be said that when we invade Sardine Bay Area, apart from thendlords within the area who will resist, thendlords and mercenary corps from the surrounding regions will only be brandishing their cutlery, joining us in feasting on the wealth of the Sardine Bay Area," the Earl spoke fluently. "This is also the reason we dare to attack the Eagle Kingdom every year." He looked at Liszt, who was listening attentively. Finally, feeling the sentiment of a father teaching his son, he continued, "Moreover, somendlords in the Sardine Bay Area, we can sit down and talk business with them at night even as we wage war by day." Liszt was puzzled, "Why is that?" The Earl retorted, "What do you think nobles rely on to govern their territories, or rather, what do we depend on to live lives a thousand times morefortable thanmoners?" "Nobles govern their territories, relying on Dou Qi cultivation." "And where does Dou Qi cultivatione from?" "From... thend." "That''s right, you''re smart and can see the essence of the issue," the Earlplimented before continuing, "Nobles rely onnd, all resources are extracted from it. Either from one''s ownnd or someone else''s, whether by making serfs farm or by knights looting." "What does this have to do with thendlords of Sardine Bay, who wage war with us on one hand and trade on the other?" "Since war is inevitable, somendlords will, of course, look for opportunities to mitigate their losses. Grandndlords can transfer the losses to lesserndlords through trading with us, while smallerndlords can pass it on tomoners, or to otherndlords¡­ Undoubtedly, they have lost the noble virtue of knighthood." ... Do knights possess noble virtues? Liszt was already confused. After talking with the Earl and learning about the background of mercenary corps, he faintly felt the simrities with history. Although this world waspletely different from Earth and the kingdom he lived in had no connection to Earth, he considered the essence of the rtionship between the Duchy of Sapphire and the Eagle Kingdom from a fundamental perspective. Wasn''t it just a different world''s version of the Wokou Pirate turmoil during the Ming Dynasty? In the Ming Dynasty, the Wokou Pirates originated in Japan and often raided the southeastern coastal areas of China. However, by thetter part of the turmoil, true Japanese pirates had be rare. ording to historical records, true Wokou Pirates only ounted for one-third, and the rest were impostors, that is, rebels of the Ming Dynasty. After all, the Japanese ronin who made up the early Wokou Pirates were not familiar with the southeastern coast and could not form a fighting force. Only by colluding with the locals could theynd and plunder everywhere. In the Ming Dynasty''s specialized anti-pirate book, "Zhou Hai Tu Bian," fourteen Wokou Pirate leaders were listed, and they all turned out to be from the Ming Dynasty. The root causey in the Ming Dynasty''s sea ban policy, which prevented coastal residents from making a living from the sea. When they could no longer survive, they were forced to be pirates. Moreover, merchants would turn to piracy when the sea ban was stringent, and some powerful gentry also colluded secretly, leading to centuries of turmoil from the Wokou Pirate raids. In this world filled with magic power. The Pioneer Mandate of the Duchy of Sapphire had resemnces to the Wokou Pirate turmoil.N?v(el)B\\jnn "True, we can snatch plenty of resources from the Eagle Kingdom, but the real wealth created on thend is all plunder by thendlords of the Eagle Kingdom... Perhaps we''re just grabbing some mines, buying some serfs, while the rest of the materials are transferred by the local nobles." Ultimately. It confirmed a line from a Yuan dynasty song¡ªwhen it rises, themon people suffer; when it falls, themon people suffer. Throughout the struggle of the Pioneer Mandate, it was still those hardworking peasants and serfs who were truly plundered. Liszt even thought, "Is the annual war between the Steel Ridge Kingdom and the Eagle Kingdom somewhat like the Hundred Years'' War between Ennd and France on Earth?" In medieval times, Ennd and France were at war for over a century. Nobles waged wars of knights for profit. And naturally, it was themoners who suffered the most. As Liszt reflected on the wars, he suddenly felt dispirited, although his soul was from Earth and had nothing to do with this world. However, he quickly rallied. "If I do nothing, themoners will still be oppressed by the nobles; if I strive with all my might, and one day seed in dragon riding, I could perhaps bring a new order to this world." He clenched his fist. His eyes became more determined, "As long as I maintain justice in my heart, if I can bring a better life to themoners, then my participation in war is a just act!" This self-analysis, while somewhat of a justification for waging a war for profit, also reflected his innermost feelings. The standard of living for themoners under his governance was definitely far superior to those in other territories. His goal was dragon riding and exploring this miraculous world. He did not intend to act like a saint, nor did he wish to be a cold-hearted, profit-driven noble. Striving for the great cause of dragon riding, bringing goodness to the world along the way¡ªwhy not? His conviction was clear. He returned to his usual calm demeanor, standing at the bow of the ship, holding a ss of juice, enjoying the blue sky, white clouds, and undting waves. Four days passed in a sh, and the fleet had sessfully arrived at Bull Hoof City on Iron Hoof Ind. Here, they would make the final supply replenishment. In six days, they would set their sights on the continent! Chapter 459 The Fear from the Deep Sea (First Update) Iron Hoof Ind, Bull Hoof City. Now taken over by the Sapphire Family, but the scars of war had yet to be erased, the huge castle standing by the sea still bore pockmarked and cracked traces on its walls. Those had been left by the First Prince when he led the Knight Order to capture Bull Hoof City. At the moment, the port of Bull Hoof City was densely packed with various sailing ships, flying a variety of banners. The Red Tulip g of the Tulip Family was quite inconspicuous. During the stopover for supplies, Liszt found the Red Crab Ind Fleet, led by his uncle, Mesiro Taro. "Uncle, I want to rent the Red Crab Ind Fleet to transport a batch of serfs for me," Liszt stated directly. Mesiro was quite fond of Liszt, his nephew who had the fine features of the Long Taro Family: "No problem, as long as you pay the corresponding reward, the Red Crab Ind Fleet can be rented at any time. How many serfs are you nning to transport to your domain?" "I''m nning to transport at least ten thousand. If I can buy more, I hope to round up to twenty thousand." "ck Horse Ind is just an undeveloped barren ind, isn''t it? Are you sure you can support so many serfs based on your territory? If there is a food shortage, it may cause unrest in the territory, and the death of serfs would also be a huge loss." "I have already stocked enough food for ten thousand people to survive the winter. Adding another ten thousand would just tighten the food supply in the domain. I believe that I can obtain food from other channels and support us safely until the next year''s harvest," Liszt replied confidently. Live off the mountains if near the mountains, live off the sea if near the sea. If the serfs had nothing to eat, they would be sent to the sea to catch seafood, and seafood could also be purchased from the various coastal towns of Coral Ind. There was absolutely no problem with filling their bellies. It was just a matter of how many Gold Coins it would cost. "You are prepared for this, and that''s enough," Mesiro said with a hint of nostalgia in his eyes, speaking gently, "If Melissa were still alive, seeing how you are now, she would surely have a radiant smile every day." To Liszt, Melissa was merely a symbol. She had passed away when his former self was very young, so he had no memories or much to talk about regarding her, and thus he changed the subject: "How is grandfather doing? With Meioubao and Ang''s marriage, Long Taro Castle must be filled with even more warmth." "He''s getting stronger by the day, with no need to worry about worldly affairs, but his tempertely is not good. Every day Meioubao and Ang do not bring a Long Taro Family heir into this world is another day he will not be satisfied. Even a princess must strive for the continuity of the Long Taro Family lineage." "Yes, family session is the most important issue," Liszt said, and then suddenly remembered the Smoke Mission from before - Meioubao and Ang did not have a harmonious marital rtionship. At that time, his first thought was the taboo scenario of "cuckoldry," so he immediately changed the mission. But upon thinking it overter, he felt maybe he had overthought it, always viewing Ang, with her liberal lifestyle, through tinted lenses - The Smoke Mission mentioned ack of harmony in the marital rtionship, leading to an inability to continue the family line, which includes several other possibilities. It could be that Meioubao had a problem with his virility, preventing Ang from bing pregnant. It could also be that Ang had fertility issues, preventing her from conceiving. Another possibility was inactive sperm unable to reach where they were meant to go, naturally making pregnancy difficult. If it were the first two possibilities, there would be no solution, but if it were thetter, it required regtion. If it was just an ordinary level of inactivity, eating foods rich in zinc, maintaining proper rest and rxation could improve the activity level - oysters, also known as oysters, contained the highest amount of zinc. The zinc content in animal livers is also quite high. "If Meioubao and Ang cannot conceive for too long, I really should step in to help, at least by providing them with oyster food," he thought to himself. ... After anchoring at Bull Hoof City for just one night, the fleet continued its journey. On the azure Sea of Azure Waves, a line of sailboats sailed in formation. Liszt specifically climbed to the crow''s nest at the top of the mainmast, took out his telescope, and gazed at the surrounding fleet. The telescope he held in his hand was the second generation model, both precision and rity far surpassing the first generation. This stemmed from the Earl''s continuous investment; he was very fond of the telescope, and after Liszt exined the principles behind it, the Earl pushed hard to have crystal craftsmen research and refine it. Just then. Through the telescope, Liszt caught sight of a whale leaping mightily from the ocean''s surface to the right of the fleet, only to crash back into the water, raising arge spray of waves. These massive creatures were a part of the scenery on the voyage; they would often apany the fleet for a while. As long as the ships didn''t attack them, they would not attack the ships, and all was well. Liszt had even heard crew members say that when ships were attacked by sea monsters, theserge whales would sometimese to their aid, chasing away the monsters¡ªtheir immense size meant average low-level sea monsters simply couldn''t cope. "This could be the whales'' protective behavior towards their young. Sea monsters hunt baby whales, so the adult whales try to block any hunting behavior by the monsters, not allowing them to develop peacefully and reducing the chances of the young whales being hunted," Liszt deduced. He had watched documentaries where humpback whales would often embark on rescue missions over thousands of miles to save prey about to fall into the jaws of an orca. There was no evidence as to why they did this, but they seemed to enjoy it, showing gant valor. During this voyage. Besides witnessing a few instances of whales escorting the fleet, there were no other memorable moments; they didn''t even encounter a single sea monster. Tales of attacks by sea monsters abounded in the ocean, yet the chance to actuallye across one in a lifetime as a sailor was quite rare indeed. The vast ocean was simply too immense; sea monsters had specific prey and had no reason to attack wooden ships or to munch on humans, hardly worth a snack. What really hindered humanity from setting their sights on the ocean were the constraints of their understanding, and the fact that acquiring resources in the ocean was far more difficult than onnd. Indeed. If Liszt had arge fiefdom on the continent, he wouldn''t think about developing the ocean to lead the era of great maritime voyages. The profound ocean always emitted a mysterious and shadowy aura. Sometimes, as he stood at the helm, gazing into its unfathomable depths, he couldn''t help but feel a tinge of fear. The merciless ocean could swallow a man whole with ease. Cultivate.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om Cultivate. Cultivate. The monotonous six-and-a-half-day voyage soon ended, and the fleet was already heading towards a major city of the Steel Ridge Kingdom¡ªComb City¡ªwhere they would gather, resupply, and collect information beforeunching an offensive on the Sardine Bay Area. "The Pioneer Mandate warfare is of a different stylepared to the battle of Iron Hoof Ind. Liszt, here, defeating opponents and plundering resources is our primary task," the Earl said spiritedly as he looked towards the approaching port, "The wars that take ce on the continent are the true battleground for knights." Chapter 0460 Wild Elf Trade Market (Second Update) Comb City is located at the easternmost edge of the Steel Ridge Kingdom, serving as the central metropolis of Marquis Zhil¨ªng Benedict Gubuasu''s domain, known as the Rooster Pheasant Hills, which is said to be evenrger than Iron Hoof Ind. Of course. Thend is indeed so vast that the size of a territory doesn''t mean much, as most of it is covered by primeval jungles, home to numerous magical beasts. Many of these jungles are no-go zones for humans, where not even Sky Knights dare to set foot lightly for fear of being attacked by advanced magical beasts. Human societies on the continent are more likely to buildrge cities on t ins and gather towns along roads between cities to ensure safety in living andmunication. Many long-distance trades require the escort of Knight Orders. Ordinary merchants who cannot afford to hire formal Knight Orders will employ Mercenary Corps for protection. Therefore, the existence of Mercenary Corps is always legal. "Gubuasu is a kind of fruit magic potion that tastes like a mix of chocte and pineapple, an expensive specialty of the Gubuasu family. It''s said to be a variant of the cocoa fruit, which is used to make chocte, and all the chocte in our country is imported from Comb City." The one introducing this to Liszt was Captain Layden, who was once again assigned to the Knight Order under Liszt''smand. The Earl had already gone to Rooster Pheasant Castle to attend the wee feast hosted by Marquis Zhil¨ªng and to hold a war council on the side. He decided to take a tour around Comb City and buy some local specialties, "Chocte has a high sales volume; why isn''t there andlord in our country growing cocoa trees?" "Probably because the climate isn''t suitable, or maybe there are no Elf Bugs for cocoa." Comb City is muchrger than Coral City, with seven-story wooden buildings on both sides of the street and residents ranging from superbly dressed nobles to ragged serfs, all mixed together. There are also many knights dressed like them, probably those participating in the Pioneer Mandate. "Hey, Viscount Liszt." Soon someone took the initiative to greet Liszt; he was a young viscount from Golden Ind who had attended a wedding on Coral Ind. Liszt recognized the man, having personally received him before, "Viscount Cyril, are you also visiting Comb City?" "Haha, I''m not really interested in Comb City; I''m nning to go to the Elf Market to see if there are any suitable Elf Bugs. I intend to buy a few." "Elf Market?" Liszt became interested, "I n to take a look there too." "Then let''s go together." Following Viscount Cyril, the group soon arrived at the Elf Market located in a corner of Comb City. It''s a small wild Elf Market, selling not many Elf Bugs. Liszt owns a magic book called "Wild Elf Bug Market Sale Prices," which includes information about the Elf Market. In the capital City of Steel of the Steel Ridge Kingdom, there is arge-scale wild Elf Market, where the trading prices of elves are clearly recorded in the book. For example, a Venus Flytrap Spirit Worm sells for three thousand six hundred Gold Coins¡ªit had cost him only seven hundred Gold Coins to purchase from Viscount Jonas. However, in the City of Steel, mosquitoes are rampant, and every household likes to buy and breed Venus Flytraps at home, even though Venus Flytraps have very limited insect-catching abilities. As long as the cultivation scale is increased, they still have a decent effect on catching mosquitoes and flies. On Coral Ind, Venus Flytrap has almost no use; there are not many mosquitoes, and themoners can''t afford them while nobles have other means to repel them. Walking through, Liszt gradually gained a clear understanding of the prices in this small Elf Market. They were simr to those in the City of Steel, generally around one to two thousand Gold Coins; Elf Bugs of little use were priced at several hundred Gold Coins; those linked to magic potions had prices starting from two thousand Gold Coins; the most expensive Elf Bug Liszt saw was priced at three thousand eight hundred Gold Coins, a Mysterious Fruit Elf Bug. The Mysterious Fruit is not a magic potion, but it can enhance the human sense of taste, making it an excellent apaniment to meals. "Too expensive. Buying it would not cover the cost," he shook his head, devoid of any intention to purchase. "There''s a sparse poption on Coral Ind and not many nobles, with little demand for Mysterious Fruit." However, he was interested in buying some grain-rted Elf Bugs. Unfortunately, the prices for grain-rted Elf Bugs were not cheap either, none below two thousand Gold Coins. Considering the value of the increased grain production over ten years, it just wasn''t enough to offset the cost of the bugs themselves. The main hope in purchasing them was that they would evolve into Little Minor Elves, at which point, the profits would be substantial. After all, grain is a crucialponent of human food, and the increased production brought by a single Little Minor Elf could save countless lives. Liszt was in dire need of grain-rted Elf Bugs. He only had one Barley Bug, one Millet Bug, and two Little Wheat Bugs. Perhaps the Corn Grass Bug could also be considered a grain-rted Elf, especially now that there was Stick Corn and Grain Corn. "The Little Wheat Bug is priced at 2,300 Gold Coins, which isn''t worth it. I don''t have that much money right now. Forget it, I''ll just wait for my territory to breed its own. I have the Smoke Mission; obtaining Elf Bugs isn''t a problem," Liszt quietly calcted before giving up on the idea of making a purchase. He nned to continue looking around for Dragon Kui Bugs, Rubber Bugs, and Thorn Bugs. If the prices for these three types of Elf Bugs weren''t outrageous, he would undoubtedly snatch them up without hesitation. Unfortunately. After making a round, he couldn''t find any. The Elf Market had less than a hundred Elf Bugs for trade, most of which were useless. Elf Bug trading was not very prosperous to begin with, with many being provided by smaller nobles unable to manage them. Nobles would buy but never sell¡ªElves were always scarce for nobility. If Viscount Jonas hadn''t encountered financial issues, he wouldn''t have sold his Dragon Kui Bug and Venus Flytrap Worm in the first ce. ... Leaving the Elf Market, Liszt asked Captain Layden, "When does the serf trade take ce?" "It''s not happening right now, but once the war starts, it won''t be long before Mercenary Corpse forward to make contact... All we need to do is prepare ships by the seaside, and the Mercenary Corps will bring arge number of serfs for trade. The entire transaction might bepleted within an hour, and then everyone leaves," replied Captain Layden, who had participated in several Pioneer Mandates and was very familiar with serf trading. In fact, some serf trades were conducted on the same day they plundered viges, bringing the serfs for immediate exchange. Captain Layden added further, "We could also contact serf traders who will buy ves for us, they always have ways to acquire arge number of ves. We would just wait for their ramshackle wooden boats by the seaside, and we couldplete the trade without even going ashore." This kind of indirect serf trading was obviously to prevent detection by Knight Orders during the transaction. While this increased security significantly, it would incur a fee from the serf traders, making it less profitable than dealing directly with Mercenary Corps.N?v(el)B\\jnn "On Coral Ind, do we usually trade directly, or do we contact serf traders?" Liszt inquired. Captain Layden smiled mysteriously. Looking around to ensure no one was near, he spoke in a low voice, "Lord Commander, do you know how those smallndlords frequently invaded by the coast survive? Their territories might not produce much, but the Mercenary Corps they foster are oftenrger than those fostered by somergerndlords... They are all secretly involved in the ve trade." He added another sentence: "Rat will help us make contact with the Mercenary Corps, and we might even acquire a small port without having to fight." Chapter 0461 The War Begins Like This (3rd Update, Catch-up for Last Month 8/15) The war had already begun, and the Knight Order of the Duchy of Sapphire participated, mainly to harass the enemy, restraining more of the Eagle Kingdom''s Knight Orders. Therefore, after resting for a day in Comb City, the fleets set sail, attacking the predetermined Sardine Bay Area. Marquis Zhil¨ªng also dispatched arge number of his followers to join the fleets of the Duchy of Sapphire and attack the Sardine Bay Area. On the fleet of the Tulip Family, Earl Qing Shi, one of Marquis Zhil¨ªng''s followers, and his associated Knight Order, which included nearly a thousand Knights, were present. "Herbert, this is my second son, Liszt. He is Viscount ck Horse Ind, an Elite Earth Knight," Earl Li Weiliam introduced to Earl Qing Shi who had just boarded the ship. "A very handsome young man, looks very young. Liszt, how old are you?" Earl Qing Shi, Herbert, asked. "Seventeen years old, Earl Qing Shi." In the Continental Kingdom, noble titles are not named after ces, but are rted to the titles of their territories. For example, Marquis Zhil¨ªng''s title "Zhil¨ªng" means the feathers of a wild pheasant, derived from his territory, the Rooster Pheasant Hills, and the central city of hisnd is also called Comb City. It was the same for Earl Qing Shi. His territory was Qing Shi Valley, which was covered with a kind of green rock. As for his full name, it was Herbert Tie Chun. Tie Chun is a type of flower. The surnaming convention in the Continental Kingdom is not much different from that of the Duchy of Sapphire¡ªin the serf ss among themoners, there are basically no surnames; in the wealthier freeman ss, they have lowly surnames; some small nobles extend these lowly surnames or change to moremon ones. Only the mid- and high-ranking nobles can have beautiful words such as flowers, grains, or metals as their surnames. Although there are no explicit rules about surnames,moners who dare to use nice words as surnames would be punished by theirndlords. Even some small nobles who used lovely words as surnames were attacked by the high nobility and even destroyed. Earl Qing Shi seemed like a straightforward person and directly asked, "Being an Elite Earth Knight at seventeen, you have good talent. As the second son of Earl Li Weiliam, did you earn the title of Viscount ck Horse Ind through your own achievements on the battlefield?" "Yes." "When did you join the battlefield?" "This year." "This year?" Earl Qing Shi was surprised. Earl Li Weiliam said indifferently, "Herbert, you should know that the Duchy of Sapphire has encountered a rebellion. Liszt made meritorious deeds in the Battle of Iron Hoof Ind, advancing from Baron to Viscount ck Horse Ind." "I''ve heard of the Battle of Iron Hoof Ind. To be promoted to Viscount after a single battle means your son must have performed exceptionally well," Qing Shi remarked. "He has an Intermediate Earth Attribute Magical Beast as a pet, which has captured castles multiple times in battle, and disyed outstanding performance in the final decisive battle, winning the appreciation of Prince Anthony." "Li Weiliam, will he inherit your title?" Herbert suddenly asked. Liszt answered for himself, "Earl Qing Shi, my older brother Levis is the heir, and he is also an Elite Earth Knight." "It''s enviable to have so many outstanding offspring in the family." After exchanging pleasantries, Herbert and Li Weiliam entered the cabin together while Liszt stayed at the bow. He still needed to train the Eight Tiny Ones and Douson, as they were about to enter the battlefield, and he was still somewhat concerned about their obedience and discipline since they were all immature juveniles. They hadn''t even reached the age of one year and so far could only use the Rock Spike Magic. ¡­ Just as Captain Layden had said. The Coral Ind fleet had just arrived at the coastline, and without experiencing a single battle, they already possessed a small port,plete with a city and a castle that were barelyrger than a small town. The Lord of this territory, upon hearing of the invaders'' attack, had fled his domain early on. Thus, the knights of the Coral Ind Knights and the Qing Shi Knight Order disembarked at the port. Using this ce as a springboard, theyunched their invasion into the Sardine Bay Area. Soldiers value speed, and without any pause or preparation, the knights of the Knight Order entered a state of war. Li Si Te had no time to contemte the suddenness of the war; he mounted a Landwalker Bird and followed at the Earl''s side. Looting towns, cities, besieging castles, and shing with the Knight Orders that came to resist. Without much strategy, it was just primal, savage charging, charging, and more charging. In previous Pioneer Mandate battles, the Coral Ind Knights seldom attacked named castles because they were easy to defend but hard to attack. However, this time with Douson and the Eight Tiny Ones aiding, they bulldozed their way through. In just a day and a half, the Coral Ind Knights, now separated from the Qing Shi Knight Order, had prated three hundred kilometers ind and reached a named castle by the river¡ªthe River Bay Fort. "Douson, prepare for the siege!" "Eight Tiny Ones, follow Douson''s lead!" "On mymand, Rock Spike!" The Earl swept through the battlefield, and Li Si Te personally directed the Blizzard Beast, starting the dismantling of River Bay Fort; meanwhile, the other knights from the Knight Order shot arrows relentlessly to suppress any counterattack from the fort. Momentster. A wall of River Bay Fort thunderously copsed, and Viscount Jonas charged at the forefront towards the breach in the castle. Soon after, all knights swarmed into River Bay Fort and within less than ten minutes, the viscount''s castle fell to the might of the Coral Ind Knights'' strong attack. The Viscount Lord died in battle. "Take captive all the Earth Knights and tally the resources of the castle," instructed Earl Li Weiliam, who hadn''t taken part in the battle and had been strolling through the fight, now began directing the mopping up, "Captain Mickey, send out the Rats to contact the nearby Mercenary Corps, and let''s proceed with the resource trade. Additionally, keep a close eye on the Knight Orders of the surrounding domains and be ready for battle at any moment." "Yes, my lord!" Unlike previous captures used for ransom, this time the Grand Duke allowed his followers to recruit captives themselves, so none of the Earth Knights taken in war were disabled; they were all subjects for recruitment.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om The Earl was only interested in Elite Earth Knights, particrly those who were younger, had lower titles or had no titles at all. It wasn''t Liszt''s turn to select Elite Earth Knights yet. His target was the younger Earth Knights, preferably single ones. Such Earth Knights, once recruited to his own territory and arranged with marriages, would soon breed loyalty. Earl Li Weiliam gazed at the bound Earth Knights. He spoke slowly, "You are now my captives, and your lives are in my hands. Now, I grant you the right to choose. One, write to your families, your Lords, to pay a ransom that satisfies me, and you may return; two, if you cannot afford the ransom, you may pledge your loyalty to me and my followers!" Over forty uninjured Earth Knights nced at each other, disheveled¡ªthey were familiar with the options of capture and loyalty in continental wars, but the Grand Duchy of Sapphire typically did not ept loyalty pledges from captives, leaving them pondering why this time was different. Twenty-one knights elected to pay the ransom. The remaining twenty-six knights chose loyalty. First, the Earl made his selection, taking only three young Elite Earth Knights; then, it was the turn of three Viscounts to choose in turns. Liszt had the highest military achievements, cing him in the first position to choose one knight. He looked over the remaining Earth Knights. Among them, there were only two elites¡ªone old and one middle-aged. Without a doubt, he chose the middle-aged Elite Earth Knight. "Tell me your name," Lisztmanded, d in a resplendent suit of Mithril Armor, his demeanor authoritative. Despite his youth, during the battle, these knights had clearly seen that he was surrounded by a host of powerful Magical Beasts. Thus. The excitement was evident in the middle-aged Elite Earth Knight''s eyes, "My lord, my name is Veddry Woodkindle, thirty-seven years old. I have been an Elite Earth Knight for eight years and hold no titles." Chapter 0462 Nobles Plundering Game (First Update) Apart from Elite Earth Knight Veddry Woodkindle, Liszt had also selected four other Earth Knights. Including the three chosen by the Earl and the fifteen selected by the Viscount, that left eight other old and weak Earth Knights for the Barons to choose from. Thus, his first recruitment of Knights wasplete. The loyalty of these Knights could not yet be guaranteed; it had to be determined by their performance. As for the Knights who chose to pay a ransom, they were simply bound. But there was no need to worry, for Knights are a rather trustworthy group on the battlefield. Being captive wasn''t a big deal. One could still eat, drink, sleep, and even attend banquets¡ªjust pay the sufficient ransom when the time came. In this era, nationalism hadn''t taken root, and the feudal system meant that national identities were not very strong, so the most fervent ideologies of nationalism and patriotism had not emerged. The wars of the Knights were for mutual benefit, a struggle among Nobles. Simr to an arm wrestling match. The victorious side would not mistreat the captives, who thus did not need to plot escapes but could eat, drink, and wait for their families or Landlords to deliver the ransom so they could return home happily. Just as long as they didn''t die in battle. The battlefield was as leisurely as a vacation¡ªof course, once defeated and captured, one had to bleed a great deal of money for their ransom. Watching in the Castle, as the five Earth Knights who had just sworn loyalty quickly mingled with the Knights of the Fresh Flower Squad, raising their cups together, Liszt still found it absurd how the serious matter of war seemed like mere y to these Knights. "Perhaps it really is just a game, a game of plundering... Attacking the Sardine Bay Area is inherently to plunder resources, not to upy thend," he thought as he lifted his cup and took a sip, responding to a newly loyal Earth Knight who had toasted him. Suddenly, he felt this was also good. Should he ever be defeated, he could also pay a ransom to release himself; survival was the best oue. "My lord, Veddry has a request, and I wonder whether you would permit it," Veddry Woodkindle suddenly said formally, speaking in Serpent Script. The Sardine Bay Area was near the Steel Ridge Kingdom and bordered the Rooster Pheasant Hills, so many Knights were fluent in both Wind Language and Serpent Script. "Speak, Knight Veddry." "On the eve of war, my family had just moved. I had them hide in the vige of a nearby small town. I ask for your permission, my lord, to bring them here and, after the war, to return with you to the Duchy of Sapphire." The families of loyal Knights. Of course, he had to permit it; with family ties, their loyalty would not be too low. At least when Knights were defeated, they were very likely to choose to pay a ransom¡ªprovided they had enough money for it. It was precisely because the local Viscounts had died in battle, and there were no Landlords to pay their ransom, that thesendlessmoner Earth Knights readily chose loyalty over stubbornly awaiting death. "Teacher Marcus, I need you to take a trip. Have Veddry write a letter to fetch them, then have them leave this ce by ship with the serfs, returning to the domain," Liszt decided, not trusting Veddry enough to let him fetch his family himself. He nned to take their families to ck Horse Ind first. This way, Veddry, free from worries, could quickly integrate into the Knight Squad. Then he turned to the four Earth Knights: "What about your families? Do you need them taken as well?" Three Earth Knights disclosed their families'' hiding ces, but one hesitated: "My lord, I am a bastard and not held in high regard within my family; they''re just strangers to me. My mother was a serf and has passed away." "In my domain, being a bastard does not serve as an obstacle," Liszt raised an eyebrow, "You''re still young. Following me, you will see plenty of opportunities to change your fate." The Earth Knight immediately knelt on one knee: "I will serve you, my lord!" His expression was extremely excited. Once, as a second son of a noble, he was not valued, even suppressed, and thendlord he followed also did not take him seriously; changing his fate seemed almost hopeless. After losing the battle, he couldn''t even afford the ransom and thought he would be sent to work in the mines or workshops until death. Unexpectedly, he could now choose to pledge his allegiance anew¡ªthis was practically great news. The former Duchy of Sapphire did not allow the recruitment of captives; either ransom was paid, or captives were sent to toil asborers. What was even more important was, thendlord did not care about his illegitimate status. ... Weapons, armor, equipment, food¡­the collected resources were immediately apportioned to each knight ording to their military achievements after being tallied. Of course, these resources wouldn''t be distributed right away but were all transported to a small port city by the sea. There, numerous Mercenary Corps and second-hand dealers woulde to trade¡ªgemstones, crystals, jade, metals were all part of the trade, and of course, serf trading was also included. "Father, I don''t need other materials, I only want serfs," Liszt stated his intention clearly. "I will have Captain Mickey convert your portion of the spoils entirely into serfs. The merchant ships brought along will also be reallocated to transport the serfs for you," "Thank you, father."n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om "Don''t forget to pay the rental fee." "You have to give me a discount, at least 20 percent cheaper than if I were to rent my uncle''s merchant ships." "Ten percent, and not a penny more. If you were not my son, I would charge a premium of three times the fee," "All right then." Negotiating business deals between father and son was also amon practice among the nobility, after all, Liszt had been enfeoffed and was an independent entity. He tasked Marcus to handle the serf trading separately from his Knight Squad. "Teacher Marcus, ept all serfs delivered by the Mercenary Corps, as long as they are not ill. Even if a serf is disabled, as long as they have some skill, they can be sent to ck Horse Ind," "My Lord, I understand!" ... The serf trade had already begun. And the pace of the war advanced rapidly as well, maintaining contact with other Knight Orders. After resting for a night at River Bay Fort, the Coral Ind Knights set off again, attacking a broader territory, plundering every wealth from the Earth. The knights'' forces of the smallndlords could not stop their offensive. Especially Liszt, who always led nine Blizzard Beasts into the charge and with a barrage of Rock Spikes, always managed to disrupt the enemy knights'' formations and achieve a rout. He reaped one glorious victory after another. Even if those Knight Orders took refuge in castles, they could hardly resist the Earth System Magic of the Blizzard Beasts. For a time, they were unstoppable, with him as the arrowhead, the Coral Ind Knights took down four small cities in session, directly pressing towards the first major city¡ªFalconseen City, the territory of Peregrine Count. The name of Falconseen City stems from being witnessed by the peregrine, naturally referring to Peregrine Count¡ªTasker Scentcartleaf. At this moment, within Scentcartleaf Stronghold on the eastern hillside of Falconseen City, Peregrine Count''s face was somber as he convened a meeting with his followers, "We have received a warning from Rattlesnake Marquis; the disgusting flies of Sapphire are here again, this time choosing the Sardine Bay Area. And the Wildfowl Marquis hase as well, so all of usndlords in Sardine Bay must unite!" His followers howled in response, "We''ll heed yourmand, my Lord!" Tasker''s eagle-like gaze swept over all the knights, revealing a satisfied smile, "Very well, then, what follows is... we defend Scentcartleaf Stronghold to the death!" Chapter 0463 Proficient Siege Rhythm (Second Update) Scentcartleaf Stronghold was not very tall, at least not whenpared to Tulip Castle, it fell short by quite a length. However, the scale of Falconseen City at the foot of the mountain far surpassed that of Coral City. The poption of Coral City was around thirty thousand, while Falconseen City had at least a poption of forty to fifty thousand. "My lord, if we are to plunder Falconseen City, our charge formation will inevitably be disrupted and the knights of Scentcartleaf Stronghold will be ready to charge and defeat us at any time," Viscount Trik, leading the Knight Order, returned from a patrol around Falconseen City to report. Although the city was not as fortified as a castle, it still had basic walls, as well as many apprentice knights guarding it, making it no easy task to breach under a rain of arrows. Not to mention the elite knights of Scentcartleaf Stronghold, lying in wait hungrily. Had it been in the past, The Coral Ind Knights would''ve directly bypassed the major cities, looting small towns and rural viges instead, and stumbling upon a mine was like striking it rich. That''s when the knight order hiding inside the strongholds would need to consider whether to charge out for a decisive battle, or to remain holed up and resolutely not emerge, allowing the Coral Ind Knights to loot and leave afterwards. However, now, Li Weiliam nced at his increasingly steadfast second son and the ck behemoth beside him, confidently saying, "Then let''s crush Scentcartleaf Stronghold first, and after that plunder Falconseen City!" His gaze turned to Liszt, "Is Douson ready?" "Douson is always ready for siege, my lord!" Liszt patted Douson''s huge head. The almost two-year-old Douson had matured in every aspect of his body, and his mastery of the four types of magic was particrly adept, essentially reaching the pinnacle that his bloodline could attain. "Then, let''s begin the siege! I''ll take care of the Scorching Sword Saint Tasker; you guys focus on suppressing the counterattacks from Scentcartleaf Stronghold''s archers. Douson, along with the eight Blizzard Beasts, will lead the main assault on the city!" The order was given. Combat was imminent. The divine archers of the Coral Ind Knights exchanged fire with the knights on the walls of Scentcartleaf Stronghold, while Liszt, mounted on the Landwalker bird Loki, holding the Swift Shadow Bow, began directing the Blizzard Beasts in the siege¡ªone of the eight tiny ones was responsible for prying at the base of the wall with Rock Spikes, while Douson handled bombarding it with Rock Grenades. The mixed Dou Qi of the knights, capable of shredding the magic cast by magicians who gathered the free-floating magic power in the air, was unable to shred the magic released by the inherent magic power within magical beasts. However, during the siege, Liszt noticed that there were a few spells cast from within Scentcartleaf Stronghold, which had injured several of the knights from the Coral Ind Knights. "There are also magical beasts in Scentcartleaf Stronghold, but fortunately, they seem to be low-level, only capable of casting Wind de Spell and Fireball Technique," his Eye of Magic gazed, quickly zeroing in on the firing openings of the castle. He distinguished the non-human forms of Magic Radiance. He soon found the magical beasts that were constantly changing positions, as the Swift Shadow Bow was drawn to full moon, a poisoned arrow was being readied. He had mastered "Multi-Arrow" to a proficient level, and as soon as a magical beast stuck its head out to cast a spell, he released the bowstring, sending an arrow angrily whistling through the air. Whoosh! The arrow spun through the air, following a path hard to discern with the naked eye, urately flying into the firing hole and piercing the mouth of the magical beast. It was as if the scream of the magical beast could be heard from his ear, as the one peeking from the firing hole had already withdrawn into the fortress, not showing itself again. Liszt''s lips slightly curled upwards, his archery skills must have reached an incredibly profound level. Overseeing nearly a thousand Earth Knights from the Coral Ind, he should be the strongest archer among them, justifying his daily archery practice, coupled with his exceptional talent. Inbination with the Eye of Magic, the effect was even better. The bowstring was drawn to full moon again, as he aimed at a second magical beast, awaiting for it to peek out and prepare to cast a spell before he fired another arrow, spinning it into the mouth of the magical beast. Another scream rang out. The magical beasts retreated back into the castle. It was unclear whether the two magical beasts had perished, but the arrows were dipped in a high-concentration poison from Rapid Growth Poison Thorn. Even if they didn''t die, the beasts would certainly shed ayer of skin. When shooting at people, he adhered to the knight''s code and did not use poisoned arrows. But when it came to magical beasts, there weren''t so many scruples. Suddenly. He bellowed, "Rock,e back!" Turned out, Rock, the Blizzard Beast, got carried away in the heat of the battle and charged towards the area bombarded with a hail of arrows. If Liszt could take down a beast from Scentcartleaf Stronghold, then the stronghold''s Divine Archer would certainly dare to strike down his beast. Thus, he immediately called Rock back to ensure all eight tiny ones remained outside of the arrow''s range. The discipline of the eight tiny ones still needed to be strengthened. Only Douson required less of Liszt''s worry. It simply donned a suit of Firmstone Armor and charged headlong, deploying Rock Grenades at close range to bombard the wall, smashing it until cracks followed one after another. After depleting its Magic Power.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om The attack would pause, and the knights, like the tide, fell back, waiting for Douson to replenish its Magic Power before continuing the siege. Following the previous battle at Iron Hoof Ind, the knights of Coral Ind had long since learned to coordinate with Douson''s rhythm, attack wave after wave sessively. "Father, do you think we can capture the Scorching Sword Saint?" Liszt asked during a brief respite. Li Weiliam shook his head, "It''s difficult, a Sky Knight who has reached the Sword Saint Level, even if their offensive power may becking, possesses unparalleled abilities to escape. Moreover, I''m not adept at tracking an opponent, and my Dou Qi and Dou Qi Manuscript aren''t particrly outstanding in terms of speed." He practiced the Water Attribute Advanced Dou Qi from "Giant Wave Breaks the Tide", excelling in endurance, stout attacks, and solid defense, but itcked a bit in explosive power, and the speed was quite ordinary. "I wonder what kind of Advanced Dou Qi Manuscript Tasker has. It would be great if we could capture his Dou Qi Manuscript," Liszt added expectantly. Scorching Sword Saint Tasker Scentcartleaf, from the title of Sword Saint alone, it was evident that he utilized Fire Attribute Dou Qi. Liszt had already obtained an Advanced Fire Attribute Dou Qi Manuscript, "Rising Sun ze", but he wouldn''t mind having another Advanced Dou Qi Manuscript topare and contrast for greater mastery. Although it was not the case that the more Dou Qi Manuscripts one studied, the better¡ªit could even cause problems with training due to conflicting techniques. But Liszt believed in his own ability to ovee such obstacles. The Earl spoke, "There''s a good chance he carries his Dou Qi Manuscript with him. Unless we capture him, we can''t obtain the manuscript." Father and son discussed the post-battle issues. They didn''t regard the desperate defense of Scentcartleaf Stronghold to be of any concern. However, before they had rested sufficiently, the rm horn suddenly sounded¡ªthe knights from Scentcartleaf Stronghold were pouring out of the castle, boldly charging toward the camp of the Coral Ind Knights. With a telescope, the movements of Scentcartleaf Stronghold were discovered in real-time. "I thought he was a turtle hiding in his shell, but I didn''t expect Tasker Scentcartleaf to still have some valor. Well then, let me snuff out his valor!" Li Weiliam suddenly rose, his Advanced Dou Qi surging around him, giving off the pressure of a vast ocean about to unleash massive surges. Liszt also quickly stood, rejoining his own Knight Order, arraying themselves to meet the enemy. He had charged many times and, with the assistance of the Blizzard Beast, had emerged victorious every time. Facing the charge of other knights, he felt no pressure, only a zing fighting spirit¡ªthese were all feats of valor delivered right to his doorstep! Chapter 0464 A Glorious Victory (3rd Update, Catch-up for Last Month 9/15) Charge! On the battlefield, two streams of irond torrents collided. It should have been an evenly matched scene, yet there emerged an unexpected turn of events. The Knight Order led by Liszt, like a sharp dagger, swiftly pierced through the knights whose formation had been destroyed by the Blizzard Beasts, defeating the opponent in one battle. Then, turning direction, he charged towards another Knight Order. Surrounded by Blizzard Beasts himself, with Douson d in Firmstone Armor sweeping the front, no Earth Knight could stand in his way. With unrestrained dominance, he inflicted a massive blow on the Scentcartleaf Stronghold''s Knights, a blow that rippled throughout, causing a domino effect. The Knight Order he defeated was swiftly taken over by other Coral Ind Knights, who madly sprinted in for the attack, preventing any new formation from being established. From the beginning, the trend of the battle had been set. Unless they were outnumbered by the Coral Ind Knights, or had the aid of several Sky Knights, the Coral Ind Knights with Blizzard Beasts were invincible among the Knight Orders of an Earl''s territory. Watching the battle from one side, Tasker Scentcartleaf trembled with rage as he saw his knights swept away: "Damn Intermediate Magical Beast! Destroying my walls, disrupting my formation, damn it!" He fiercely stimted his Dou Qi, transforming into a me that shot towards the sky. Falling back down, he prepared to strike at the Blizzard Beast. However, before he couldnd, a loud shout rang in his ears, "Tasker, have you asked my longsword?" apanied by a sh of silvery sword light. It was Li Weiliamunching a bold attack. The natural opponent for a Sky Knight was another Sky Knight¡ªdisengaging from the Earth Knights, they began their sword battle in the sky. "Get out of my way!" Tasker swung his sword to block. Boom! Two bursts of Advanced Dou Qi exploded in mid-air, half me and half steam. Li Weiliam burst forth from the steam, his momentum undiminished: "Big words, but your strength is too feeble!" "Hmph!" Tasker could not afford to speak further, focusing on his sword battle with Li Weiliam. But just as he was on guard, he caught sight of three arrows aiming at him from the corner of his eye. The trajectories of the arrows were erratic, their speed as fast as lightning, forcing him to retract his sword moves and twist his body to dodge. ng! However, just before the arrows could graze past, they unexpectedly collided with each other, then changed direction, heading straight for his body. The longsword returned, swiftly knocking away the strange arrows. Before Tasker could take a breath of relief, Li Weiliam''s attack had already descended upon him. A sword strike sted him forcibly from mid-air, causing him to plummet to the ground, tumbling several times beforeing to a stop. Then, he had to face Li Weiliam''s attacks, which came like relentless waves. Not far away.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om Liszt, who wasmanding the Knight Order''s charge, withdrew his Swift Shadow Bow, very satisfied with the power of his "Chain of Three Arrows" technique. Although he did not harm Tasker in the slightest, he sessfully disrupted his momentum, putting him in a defensive position, proving that he had qualified to intervene in the Sky Knights'' sword battle. Long-term use of drugs, both the Auxiliary Medicine and Magic Potion, his Dou Qi grew at an astoundingly fast rate. Moreover, with the "Breath Decay" slowing down the loss, he was progressing every moment, his cultivation in the Elite Earth Knight phase far surpassing anyone''s. If it weren''t for a Magic Fire Seed in his heartpeting for nutrients, he even doubted if, in this half a month of cultivation, he would be reaching the limits of an Elite Earth Knight, preparing to burst through the barrier to the next level of Dou Qi, to transform quantitatively and qualitatively, and advance to a Sky Knight. "Soon! Chris, before I set out, extracted all the harvested Auxiliary Medicine Dragon Mallow into Dragon Kui Auxiliary Medicine, and, inbination with the me Magic Potion and Thorn Magic Potion, it''s enough for me tost a month on the battlefield... A month''s time, let''s see if I can make a breakthrough. If I fail, I''ll wait until I get back to try again." His thoughts converged back. He had to focus onmanding the Knight Order''s charge. ... Twenty minutester. The battle ended, and the Knight Order of Scentcartleaf Stronghold crumbled in defeat. The Scorching Sword Saint Tasker could not best the Sea Wave Sword Saint Li Weiliam and, leading the few hundred knights that remained, fled back to Scentcartleaf Stronghold. Without hesitation, they then abandoned the stronghold and fled into the distance without looking back. A glorious victory. The casualties of the Coral Ind Knights were less than one-tenth, but they captured a whole three hundred Earth Knights. Without a doubt, at least half of these Earth Knights would ept allegiance reformation and replenish the losses of the Coral Ind Knights. The reformation process that followed indeed went as such. The Peregrine Count had already fled, and although assets including elves and other valuables had been taken from the stronghold, a considerable amount of supplies remained within the castle. This meant the Peregrine Count suffered heavy losses and might be unable to pay the ransom for the captured Earth Knights. Those knights without funds could only ept reformation. One hundred and sixteen Earth Knights chose to pay ransom. Two hundred and forty-two Earth Knights chose to ept reformation. Liszt added seven Elite Earth Knights and twenty-seven Earth Knights to his ranks. Along with the three Elite Earth Knights and sixteen Earth Knights he had previously recruited. Not long after receiving the Pioneer Mandate, he had already replenished ten Elite Earth Knights and forty-three Common Earth Knights under hismand. The Knight Squad of Fresh Flower Town currently had no losses in battle, with twelve fully staffed members, and his territory also had seven Earth Knights who had pledged allegiance. Thus. He now had a total of twelve Elite Earth Knights and sixty Common Earth Knights under him, enough to form six Knight Squads, and was not far from forming a full Knight Order. However, he did not n to recruit any further, for the expense of a Knight Order was too great for his territory to support at the moment. "You may immediately write letters to your families, and I will dispatch knights to bring them over to settle in my Territory ck Horse Ind. You shall stay to assist me and continue the campaign of the Pioneer Mandate," said Liszt solemnly to the newly reformed knights. The best way to control them was to bring over their families as well. It was difficult to leave their homnd, but having been defeated and sworn new allegiance to theirndlord, the knights could only write letters to fetch their families. Fetching people, reformation, and tallying the spoils took time. The Coral Ind Knights were temporarily stationed in Scentcartleaf Stronghold and did not n to continue attacking other nobles'' territories in the short term. For there was still a great city¡ªFalconseen City¡ªto plunder. "This is a tremendous gain. In past Pioneer Mandates, we might have gone thousands of kilometers in depth, or even further, to plunder all manner of materials from thend. But conqueringrge strongholds and cities rarely happened... Liszt, your Blizzard Beast yed the biggest role." The Earl raised his ss towards Liszt at the banquet with satisfaction. Liszt smiled, "Father, I merely did what I needed to do." "I''m proud of you, my son," Li Weiliam dered, draining the ss of fine wine in one go. The food and beverages were all supplies from the castle''s stockpile. Liszt likewise drained his ss in one go. The battlefield victory was splendid, and his military achievements were undoubtedly second only to the Earl''s, a tremendous feat indeed. Unfortunately, no metal ores were plundered¡ªmetal ores were thergest indicator of military achievements in the Pioneer Mandate. The Earl put down his ss. Looking around the circle, he raised his ss again, "The war is far from over, and danger could strike at any moment. Everyone is limited to thisst ss only. Let us raise our sses together to celebrate this splendid victory." Everyone raised their sses together, "Knight''s glory favors us, honor belongs to the lord!" The Earl nodded with satisfaction, "The honor belongs to me, and I stand with you all!" Chapter 0465 Shipping Serfs on Two Trips (Fourth Update, Last Months Additional Update 10/15) In the days that followed, it was a time of reaping rewards. The Peregrine Count did note for revenge, to reim his territory and castle, allowing the Coral Ind Knights to plunder Falconseen City to the bone. "We haven''t found a single Elf Bug, nor have any Knights willing to pay ransom offered up their Elf Bugs¡­ Before the war began, the Peregrine Count and his followers were already prepared, transferring important Elf Bugs and other materials away," Viscount Jonasined. Viscount Trik reflected, "At least, the supplies we''ve gained far exceed those of the past." He reminisced, "In my memory, following the Lord nearly twenty years on Pioneer Mandates, only thrice have we had a bounty surpassing this one. Once was during a thousand-mile raid where we plundered arge iron mine, attracting the pursuit of Dragon Knights; another was when we captured a Sky Knight and received two Little Minor Elves as ransom; and yet another was when we looted a vast quantity of gemstones." "Indeed, this time not only did we plunder arge amount of supplies, but we also managed to engage the surrounding territories, and our military achievements will not be few. Moreover, we can incorporate the captives, which would significantly benefit the replenishment of our Knights under ourmand," he said. "Speaking of which, if not for Viscount Liszt''s unexpected rise, achieving such a splendid victory would not have been easy," Trik said, "Without Douson''s siege deterrent, forcing the Scorching Sword Saint to charge, we would never have had the chance to breach Scentcartleaf Stronghold." "He has not just one Douson, but also eight Blizzard Beasts, no wonder everyone calls him the Son of Glory¡­ This time his gains are second only to the Earl''s, and he has chosen to purchase serfs. With his spoils, he can probably buy more than ten thousand serfs; his territory will quickly surpass ours," he added. Trik suddenly asked, "Jonas, where do you see the future of Viscount Liszt lying?" Jonas frowned in thought before shaking his head, "I don''t know, but I believe that if Earl William Lee advances further to be the new Marquis of the Grand Duchy, then Viscount Liszt would deserve an Earl''s title in the future." "I feel the same¡­ Who would have known that the once inconspicuous second son of the Tulip Family would be such a dazzling figure, with all the glories of knighthood showering upon him." "It''s not just the favor of knightly glory; his strength is equally outstanding. I feel that the power he has shown this time has already surpassed mine, especially his archery. He''s now able to interfere in battles between Sky Knights, and if he and Douson work together, I wouldn''t doubt his ability to defeat a Sky Knight." "Really, he''s be that powerful? Wasn''t he just an Apprentice Knight before he came of age?" "I don''t know how he''s been training, but it won''t be long before he bes a Sky Knight," Jonas said as he recalled his interactions with Liszt, making such a prediction. Trik was somewhat skeptical, "I haven''t felt that his aura has grown stronger than it was during the Iron Hoof Ind campaign." "I''ve noticed this as well, but his strength has indeed be greater," Jonas shrugged, "As for whether this is the case or not, perhaps it won''t take long for us to understand." "Perhaps." ¡­ Others were discussing Liszt''s strength. Over the past one or two years, his prominence was too overwhelming on Coral Ind, with no equal. The birth of a Little Minor Elf, rearing of an Intermediate Magical Beast, promotion to a Viscount, acquisition of a fiefdom ind ¨C coupled with a strength that even surpassed the veteran potion-consuming Elite Earth Knights, the change was drastic. On the monotonous Coral Ind, calling Liszt the Son of Glory went unquestioned. In the past, Liszt was very much against such high-profilebels. However, after a conversation with Marquis Merlin, he came to understand that being unassuming was not always the best choice. As the son of an Earl with Marquis lineage, he was born to stand above others. Disying his talent, as long as it wasn''t extraordinarily shocking, was all to his benefit, and not at all harmful. If he had hidden his abilities during the Iron Hoof Ind campaign, how could he have been ennobled with ck Horse Ind? ``` If he yed dumb on this Pioneer Mandate, how could he grab a ton of military merits and spoils of war, buy arge number of serfs, and snatch away arge number of craftsmen from Falconseen City? "My lord, after negotiations, we have ''convinced'' one hundred and ten craftsmen, along with their families, to settle on ck Horse Ind," Marcus excitedly said. "Very good. After these craftsmen board the ship, make sure to instruct the apanying Retainer Knights to take good care of them and not let them die needlessly." "Understood, my lord!" "By the way, Teacher Marcus, how did the negotiations with the Mercenary Corps for the serf trade go?" "We have submitted sufficient spoils of war, and the Mercenary Corps is gradually driving the serfs to the port to trade with us. The fleet from Red Crab Ind has also rented twenty merchant ships to us for transporting the serfs. Combined with the merchant ships from Coral Ind, we have thirty ships at our disposal for the transport." A two-masted merchant ship, ensuring that the serfs could ride in health, could carry three hundred people. Thirty ships would be nine thousand people.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om "The spoils of war we have should be enough to transport two batches of serfs, right?" Liszt asked again. He was primarily responsible for the military campaigns, while Marcus had be an indispensable assistant in the serf trade. Marcus shook his head, "The Mercenary Corps is driving a hard bargain. The goods here are on average a third to a fifth cheaper than those on Coral Ind. After saving the expenses of renting the merchant ships, we can probably buy thirteen thousand serfs." Thirteen thousand serfs. This number far exceeded Liszt''s bottom line. But he was still not satisfied, "I''m going to try and borrow some money, aiming to fill another ship!" "My lord, if we buy so many serfs, our territory''s food stores might not be sufficient," Marcus advised. "Before you left, storage was prepared for winter based on ten thousand people. If we ferry eighteen thousand serfs, the food will definitely not meet the demand." "Then we''ll borrow money, rent other nobles'' idle merchant ships, and transport food back." The bolder the people, the greater the yield of thend. He was no longer satisfied with minor developments; what he wanted was a breakthrough. "Renting merchant ships at this time will definitely require a hefty fee. Every greatndlordes to the Eagle Kingdom to loot resources to transport back to their territories." "That''s not necessarily the case; not allndlords can lead a Knight Order, conquer castles, and loot suchrge amounts of resources. I remember thest Pioneer Mandate, the family fleet didn''t fill the ships with goods, and some merchant ships returned empty." Liszt signaled Marcus to go ahead and rent anyway. As long as you are willing to spend money, you can definitely rent empty ships, and you can definitely buy food. Borrowing money once is borrowing, borrowing again is still borrowing; he believed he could get enough gold coins from Earl William Lee and his uncle Mesiro to purchase empty ships for transporting food. He would also write to Goltai, asking him to increase the effort in buying grain, to store more food for winter. "But speaking of which, Goltai''s actions are too slow. The Smoke Mission has not yet beenpleted to this day. I wonder if it''s because he hasn''t stored enough food yet... Without the Smoke Mission, I always feel that the rewards from this Pioneer Mandate might not exceed the Iron Hoof Ind campaign." The rewards from the Smoke Mission had already whetted his appetite. ``` Chapter 0466 Corn Minor Elf (First Update) On the grasnds, if a gazelle is caught and killed.N?v(el)B\\jnn Then the lion that made the kill would first enjoy the delicious parts, followed by the hyenas waiting to partake in the leftovers, then the vultures hovering ready to pick scraps from the bones, and finally the flies buzzing around the bones and remaining rotting flesh,ying maggots to partake in the final revelry. Undoubtedly. With the conquest of Scentcartleaf Stronghold and the plunder of Falconseen City, the Coral Ind Knights were the predators, savoring the most delicious portions. Then came the mercenary corps and second-hand traders flocking in to share the remaining resources, and rats, thieves, and the like woulde to divide whatever leaked out. So much so that when Li Si Te witnessed such a scene, he felt that the fruits of their hard-fought battle, in reality, amounted to less than one-third of what they had to their mouths. The rest was snatched away by mercenaries, traders, rats, and others. This was the ecological environment of the hintends along the Eagle Kingdom''s coastline¡ªhow many of these mercenary corps were fostered by the localndlords of Sardine Bay was hard to say clearly. One could say that thesendlords themselves were also gnawing at each other''s carcasses, bing an important part of the entire ecological chain. Without their channels, resources would be difficult to digest quickly. Only by satisfying the demands of most "creatures" in the ecological chain could it continue to sustain itself and not copse easily. Without mercenary corps to pass on losses, what the Pioneer Mandate would face annually would probably be fiercely resisting knight orders. Although arge part of the resources were shared out. Liszt was still satisfied with this Pioneer Mandate¡ªhe came for the serfs, and now thirty merchant ships were carrying nearly eight thousand five hundred serfs and more than five hundred knights'' rtives back to ck Horse Ind. Just this trip alone met his expectations before the war, the rest was all profit. At the same time. He received a verbal message. It was from a knight of the Golden Wheat Sheaf Family who had participated in the Pioneer Mandate: "Viscount Liszt, I bring a message from Sir Roger. Hearing that you are renting merchant ships at a high price to transport food, Sir Roger is prepared to offer you thirty idle merchant ships, and you can defer payment of the rent." Just as he was drowsy, someone brought a pillow. Although Liszt knew that the two families had already formed an alliance, interests still had to be rified in advance, "Sir Roger is offering such a huge favor, what does he need me to do?" "Sir Roger hopes that you could bring your Intermediate Magical Beast Douson and help him conquer the castle of Count Feijiang¡ªHands Fort. He will calcte your battle reward based on the standard merits, and ensure the safety of both you and Douson," the knight conveyed. "Wait, I need to consult with the Earl." Liszt quickly ryed the message to his father. Roger Golden Wheat was seeking help just to utilize Dorson''s siege capabilities, along with protection, which seemed like an easy battle honor to pick up. After hearing this, Li Weiliam said, "Just right, I don''t n on plundering any further. The Coral Ind Knights'' performance in conquering Scentcartleaf Stronghold was outstanding enough. If we make another big move, it will attract the attention of Marquis Snake Fang. ording to exchanged intelligence, Marquis Roderick is facing off against Marquis Snake Fang, who is the lord of Peregrine Count. It''s better for Roger to draw their attention instead." Count Feijiang, Russell Finger Citron, was also one of Marquis Snake Fang''s followers. Marquis Snake Fang was one of the majorndlords of the Sardine Bay Area, and his territory was a principal attack direction of the Duchy of Sapphire. The original battle n was for Coral Ind to restrain Peregrine Count, cutting off one of Marquis Snake Fang''s arms. It''s just that now the cut was a bit too severe, with Scentcartleaf Stronghold falling directly. "Then I shall go and support Roger." "Be careful, Russell Finger Citron is known as the Swift Flying Sword Saint; he possesses Wind Attribute Dou Qi and is as fast as Lightning," Li Weiliam warned. However, he might as well not have mentioned it, because as soon he did, Liszt''s eyes suddenly sparkled, "A Wind Attribute Sword Saint?" In order to increase the safety of sailing, he had brought a Calming Wind Pearl this time. Imagine, once he took out the Calming Wind Pearl, all Wind Attribute Magic Power within a few hundred meters would be dispersed. Even if a Sword Saint''s Dou Qi originated from within and could not be dispersed, the power of their Dou Qi moves would definitely be greatly reduced. In that case, Wouldn''t that mean he could even catch the Swift Flying Sword Saint by surprise and, in cooperation with others, manage to detain him? Li Weiliam seemed to have guessed Liszt''s thoughts and couldn''t help but warn, "I know you have the ck Pearl that can disperse Wind Attribute Magic Power, but I''ve experimented with it, and the reduction of a knight''s burst of Dou Qi is limited. The Dou Qi of the Sky Knights is of a special nature, and the reduction will definitely be smaller than you imagine." "I will proceed with caution, and if it''s not feasible, I won''t rashly act." "Good... Once we''ve cleaned up the battlefield over by Scentcartleaf Stronghold, I will lead the Coral Ind Knights to meet up with Marquis Roderick, and we''ll see each other there." "Yes, Father." With all matters clearly exined, Liszt rode thendwalker bird Loki, and took Dorson along with nine Blizzard Beasts. He also led his own knight squad, which had expanded to over fifty men, and a fully staffed knight order, following the knights of the Golden Wheat Sheaf Family towards Hands Fort. While galloping on the road, he asionally took out his telescope to survey the surroundings. This was to ensure that he wouldn''t fall into an ambush,bined with the Eye of Magic''s sensitivity to magic power, it wouldn''t be easy for an enemy to ambush him. During the journey, he still called upon the Smoke Mission from time to time to check on the progress of the mission. It was at this moment that he noticed a sudden change in the Smoke Mission: "Complete the mission, reward with one Corn Minor Elf." "Hm!" His mood was immediately filled with surprise, "Getting a Minor Elf, and it''s the expected Corn Minor Elf, such a Minor Elf is very valuable, representing a bountiful grain harvest! The food crisis of thend can finally take a breath, and the corn can feed more serfs!" One could imagine, at this very moment, miles away, the Corn Grass Bug is probably entering its Fat Pupa Stage. Unable to care for it from afar, and even the connection through the contract''s bond bing blurred and invisible due to the distance, he could only hope that under the influence of the Smoke Mission''s Threads of Destiny, the Corn Grass Bug could smoothly evolve into a Corn Minor Elf. Worrying is useless. He wisely chose not to worry and began to look at the new mission. "Mission: Count Feijiang is hiding in Hands Fort, constantly threatening the safety of the nks of the Golden Ind Knight Order and preventing Marquis Roderick from attacking Marquis Snake Fang''s territory with full strength. His son Roger thus requests your help; please assist in capturing Hands Fort. Reward: A sprout of a Magic Fire Seed." "Hmm?" Liszt''s gaze sharpened, the content of the mission was not surprising, but the promised reward set his mind racing. The Magic Fire Seed had been residing in his heart for a long time, alwayspeting with him for nutrients, yet not giving him any possibility to harness it. It was like growing a tumor, giving him both anticipation and a knot in his heart. He always felt that there was something uncontrolled inside his body, which was quite ufortable. "The Magic Fire Seed is about to sprout, is it really going to grow into a tree, or will it suck my body dry?" After pondering for a long time, he finally shook his head in silence, not entangling himself with this issue. He trusted that the Smoke Mission would not harm him. Perhaps after the Magic Fire Seed sprouted, new discoveries would be made. Chapter 0467 Kiting the Sprinting Sword Saint (Second Update) They sessfully rendezvoused with Roger Golden Wheat Sheaf. During the rest period, Liszt learned about the overall situation of the frontline from Roger. The Golden Ind Knight Order needed to attack the territory of Marquis Snake Fang, the great Landlord of Sardine Bay Area¡ªthe Poisonous Snake Ridge. Marquis Snake Fang had four Earl followers guarding the surrounding four territories, among which the territory of the Peregrine Count was the direction of the Coral Ind Knights'' attack, while the others were the target of Marquis Roderick and his followers. Roger and the newly promoted Sword Saint, yet-to-be Earl Fredo Curved Thorn, had their attack directed at Count Feijiang''s Hands Fort. "The Swift Flying Sword Saint is very powerful; I''m at a disadvantage when facing him," said Fredo, looking straight at Douson with a cold expression. Known as the Sprinting Sword Saint, he was a Thunder Attribute Sky Knight. Because of certain personality reasons, he hadn''t been able to advance to the status of Earl over the years. Roger exined from the side, "Fredo can only draw the Swift Flying Sword Saint away, but Hands Fort is extremely strong. We cannot capture it. This means that Count Feijiang''s Knight Order can break through our blockade at any time and charge into the other territories, preventing us from securely plundering resources." "I can have the Blizzard Beast join the siege, but you must ensure my safety." "Don''t worry, Liszt, I will apany you to the walls of Hands Fort. My Knight Order will do everything to protect us," said Roger. As a mere Elite Earth Knight reliant on potions, he naturally needed the protection of a Knight Order on the battlefield. "Then when do we start the siege?" "The sooner, the better¡ªas long as you''re ready."n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om "I can depart at any time." Thus, The siege battle unfolded quickly, with the lined-up Blizzard Beasts acting like movable turrets, constantly casting Earth System Magic to strike the walls of Hands Fort. With the Blizzard Beasts, Roger''s Knight Order couldunch organized attacks, forcing the Knight Order inside the castle toe out and fight. Because if they did not fight, the castle walls would eventually be bombarded and copse. The Swift Flying Sword Saint could not bear this situation and charged out of the castle, intending to attack the Blizzard Beast. His speed was indeed lightning-fast, like a streak of light, but the Sprinting Sword Saint''s speed was equally fast. He thundered forward to meet the attack, blocking the Swift Flying Sword Saint''s assault. It turned into a sword battle between two Sky Knights. On the back of Landwalker bird Loki, Liszt, holding the Calming Wind Pearl that he had taken out of the Gemstone Space,manded the Blizzard Beast in the attack while pondering. He wondered whether he should join the battle between the Sword Saints or not. Rationality told him that it was sufficient to focus on the siege, leaving the rest to Roger''s concerns, as the Golden Wheat Sheaf Family would bear the casualties of the war anyway. But his confidence was soaring. He had intervened in the battle between Li Weiliam and the Scorching Sword Saint; during the campaign on Iron Hoof Ind, he had even fought alongside Li Weiliam to y Count Sned. As an Earth Knight, to intercept a Sky Knight¡ªjust the thought was exhrating. Moreover, he wanted to test whether the effect of the Calming Wind Pearl on a Wind Attribute Sky Knight was as significant as he expected, "Roger, if I assist the Sprinting Sword Saint and intercept the Swift Flying Sword Saint, how do you n to calcte mybat achievements?" "What, intercept the Swift Flying Sword Saint?" Roger looked at Liszt skeptically, "I understand you have an Intermediate Magical Beast, but I don''t rmend you get involved in the fight between Sword Saints. The attack speed of the Swift Flying Sword Saint is terrifying. Liszt, be patient, we just need to focus on the siege." He nodded his head. Liszt couldn''t deny it. He decided to observe for a while longer. The Swift Flying Sword Saint currently held a clear advantage against the Sprinting Sword Saint, and the effect of the siege on Hands Fort hadn''t shown yet. It was best to keep a low profile for a while. Once the impact of the siege became evident and the Swift Flying Sword Saint had to decide whether to fight or retreat, that would be the opportune moment for an interception. "Let''s have Fredo wear down the Swift Flying Sword Saint for a bit longer. Then, I''ll make a grand entrance with my sharp archery and the Calming Wind Pearl!" This stalematested for two days. After several sieges over two days, Hands Fort was riddled with holes, and a wall could copse at any moment. The Swift Flying Sword Saint Lasse had fought seven or eight sword battles with the Sprinting Sword Saint Fredo. Although no winner had emerged, it was evident that he was pressuring Fredo. However. These seven or eight sword battles had already allowed Liszt to see clearly and gain an intuitive understanding of the attacking power of the Swift Flying Sword Saint. "He is indeed very strong, but he stillgs behind the Earl. I can intervene in their fight!" The Earl he referred to was Sea Wave Sword Saint Li Weiliam. So, before the next siege, he found Fredo: "Viscount Fredo, for this siege battle, once the Swift Flying Sword Saint is drawn out, I n to join you in ambushing him, aiming to kill or capture him." "You, joining me? Are you joking?" Fredo replied with a cold face, his contempt unhesitating, "Ridiculous! You''re just an Earth Knight; maybe in a few years, you''ll barely have the chance to soar the skies. But the battle between Sword Saints is not a scene you can imagine!" "Indeed, a Sword Saint has a very strong attack, and I can''t withstand it, but my mount is also very strong. If I want to flee, even a Sword Saint can''t catch up with me." "Is that so!" "You can try it if you want!" Liszt said, his expression turning cold as well, for he did not like to be mocked. "Liszt, Fredo..." Roger hurried over to smooth things over, not wanting the two toe to blows, but his intervention was ineffective. Fredo directly scoffed with his indifferent face: "Even Li Weiliam wouldn''t dare im he could escape my pursuit. Who gave you the courage to show off in front of me!" "Verbal aggression doesn''t prove anything, Fredo!" Liszt suddenly spurred his Landwalker bird, leaping out of the camp, "Get ready to ept my challenge!" Having said that, the Swift Shadow Bow was quickly drawn to full moon, and as soon as three arrows were slightly mounted to the bowstring, they immediately flew towards the Sprinting Sword Saint. "Arrogant!" Fredo leapt into the air, soaring towards Liszt to unleash his attack. But Liszt was not the least bit flustered. He drew the Swift Shadow Bow again, scattering three more arrows across the sky. After one volley, he made the Landwalker bird leap high, gliding a hundred meters to evade Fredo''s attack. At the same time, he took the chance to turn around and shoot again, with even more elusive paths for the arrows. Fredo was just about to get up when the arrows already flew in front of his eyes, forcing him to wield his Longsword and block them. Such scenes urred one after the other in the time that followed. Admittedly. Liszt''s archery skills posed no real harm to the fully focused Sky Knight, but they sessfully disrupted the opponent''s attack rhythm. It allowed the Landwalker bird to move dexterously, circling around Fredo, giving Liszt the enjoyable feeling of kite-flying tactics. "Damn it, I want to see how many arrows you can fire!" "Sorry, I have enough arrows to keep shooting for half an hour," Liszt responded loudly. In reality, he could shoot for half a day since he had arge supply of arrows in the Gemstone Space. A quarter of an hourter. Roger arrived and stopped the two, who were at a stalemate¡ªLiszt was always shooting arrows, which felt too wasteful; Fredo couldn''t catch up with the Landwalker bird and was also vexed by the shooting. Putting away his Longsword and calming his agitated Advanced Dou Qi, he looked coldly at Liszt: "I admit I underestimated you. You have a fine mount, and your archery is passable. But with your ticklish fighting power, what makes you think you can participate in a battle between Sword Saints?" "Mybat strength is indeed not strong, but I can disrupt a Sword Saint''s attack rhythm. And you shouldn''t forget, I have nine Blizzard Beasts, and with a single whistle, they will hunt fervently. Do you think I can''t leave a few transparent arrow holes or w marks on you?" The kite-flying battle with Fredo Curved Thorn significantly enhanced Liszt''s air, and he had already measured that Sword Saints were nothing more than this. With the Blizzard Beasts'' help, he might be able to hunt and kill ordinary Sky Knights on his own. Chapter 0468 The Lifeform of Day and Night Yearning (3rd Update, Catch-up for Last Month 11/15) However, the unfortunate event that Liszt dreaded happened. The Swift Flying Sword Saint, who had been dominating Fredo in the sword battle, didn''t choose to charge and engage in a decisive death battle. Instead, he chose to break out and led the knights to flee toward Serpent Fang City. Serpent Fang City is the centralrge city of Poisonous Snake Ridge, with the towering Snake Coil Fortress right next to it, standing between two mountain peaks, easy to defend but hard to attack. Clearly, Count Feijiang seemed to havemunicated with Marquis Snake Fang, abandoning the strategic position of Hands Fort and retreating to defend Snake Coil Fortress. Together with the earlier fleeing Peregrine Count. Snake Coil Fortress had already gathered several Sky Knights, making it very difficult to attack. "Count Feijiang has fled, and Hands Fort has fallen into our hands. Liszt, thank you for your help, my mission has been perfectly aplished. From now on, we can be entrenched in Hands Fort, threatening the safety of the knight order of Marquis Snake Fang, with vast territories under the threat of our knight order." Roger Golden Wheat was extremely excited. He hastily directed the knight order to rush toward Hands Fort. The resources that could be taken away had been taken, but there were stillrge amounts of equipment, food, and tools left in the castle. While the knights were busy tallying their gains. Roger then decided in the subsequent merit distribution meeting, "Your merit will be ranked alongside Viscount Fredo''s as first ce, Liszt. Do you have any objections?" "None," Liszt calmly said, acknowledging that while Douson yed a huge role in the siege, without Fredo restraining the Swift Flying Sword Saint, it would have been impossible to safely attack the stronghold. Therefore, sharing the glory was eptable. "As for the distribution of the spoils of war, I know you don''t have much need for ordinary resources, so let''s convert all of it into food and transport it onto the thirty Airships I''ve provided for you, how about that?" "A very good distribution n," he said. He wasn''t nitpicky, and Roger wasn''t petty or stingy. The distribution of merits and spoils of war was quickly implemented. Knights took care of receiving everything for Liszt, and after the merit distribution meeting ended, he returned to his own room to rest for a while. To say he rested was actually not entirely urate due to a peculiar sensation at the location of his heart. He felt an indescribable sensation spreading from his heart, giving him an experience that was bothfortable and ufortable, forcing him to decline social invitations and carefully examine his body. "It must be the Magic Fire Seed sprouting, the mission ispleted," Liszt thought as he closed the door of his room. He thus called upon the Smoke Mission. "Complete the mission, reward: sprouting of the Magic Fire Seed." As expected. Then came the new Smoke Mission. "Mission: The already sprouted Magic Fire Seed has be the brand-new life form you''ve been longing for. Its growth requires arge amount of resources, but it can also bring you boundless benefits. Please train in coordination with the Magic Fire Seed. Reward: a Bloodline Fruit." "The brand-new life form that I''ve been longing for?" "Train in coordination with the Magic Fire Seed?" "Is its growth direction truly aimed towards bing a Fire Dragon?" wondered Liszt as he felt the changes at the location of his heart, pondering the hints given in the Smoke Mission. His blood was already boiling. For all signs pointed to a Fire Dragon indeed residing within him, waiting to emerge in the future. What was needed now was to make every effort to nurture the Fire Dragon--No information indicated how dragons were born, but following the hints from the Smoke Mission, step by step, the Magic Fire Seed could undoubtedly breed a Fire Dragon--It was just unknown how it would be bred. "I hope it''s not me ''birthing'' a Fire Dragon, that would be incredibly awkward." He suppressed his excitement. His gaze lingered on the reward for the Smoke Mission, and his eyes suddenly lit up: "Another Bloodline Fruit! Thest Bloodline Fruit I got nurtured Douson into an Intermediate Magical Beast, and even came with the bonus of breeding eight Blizzard Beasts! Now, who should I feed this Bloodline Fruit to?" He wasn''t quite sure where the Bloodline Fruit would grow; if it were in his own territory, it would be out of reach, and all he could do was leave it to luck to see which creature on hisnd would consume the Bloodline Fruit. If it were on the battlefield. The choices were fairly clear¡ªDouson and the Eight Tiny Ones were good candidates; the Landwalker bird Loki was also a solid choice; the ck Blood Treasured Horse Li Dragon Horse could also be nurtured with the Bloodline Fruit. He began to contemte. Who to feed it to, after all. "If I could, I''d naturally want Douson to consume the Bloodline Fruit and further evolve. But since Douson has already consumed a Bloodline Fruit recently, eating another so soon would probably greatly increase the odds of failure¡­ If it were to explode and die, it would be a major blow to me."N?v(el)B\\jnn Feeding Douson posed too much risk; it was not appropriate. The Eight Tiny Ones, on the other hand, were quite suitable. Even if one of them were to burst and die, it wouldn''t affect the overall situation. However, considering that they were born from Douson before itpletely digested the previous Bloodline Fruit, there must still be a "drug resistance" to the Bloodline Fruit in their bloodline, which also poses a great danger. "Feeding the Li Dragon Horse seems pointless; turning it into a Magical Beast would just mean having another low-level Dragon Breed Magic Beast¡­ It might actually be better to let Loki have it. Loki is basically a low-level Dragon Breed Magic Beast, and upon evolution into an Intermediate Dragon Beast, its strength would leap qualitatively." However, just like with Douson and the Eight Tiny Ones, if Loki were to explode and die, it would also be a great pity. Dragon Breed Magic Beasts are indeed very suitable for riding, and true dragons are hard to find¡ªthe Earl searched for many years without finding an appropriate mount to ride. The difficulty of finding a good steed is evident. "Forget it, let''s not think about this now; when the timees, I''ll decide whether to feed it to the Eight Tiny Ones or to Loki." He turned his attention back to his heart. He circted his Dou Qi, trying to sense any changes in the sprouted Magic Fire Seed. If the Magic Fire Seed before was like a seed that only absorbed without giving back, then the Magic Fire Seed he felt this time was more like a converter filter. He could still feel it constantly drawing in nutrition and magic power from his body, but at the same time, it began to emit magic power. Very unique magic power, mixed with the Dou Qi that Liszt was circting, causing his Dou Qi to undergo some abnormal changes. The Dou Qi, which usually followed hismands with ease, now felt slightly disobedient, especially when circting along theplex routes of Dou Qi techniques, causing a great sense of stagnation. The moreplex the cirction route, the stronger the sense of stagnation, making it almost impossible to perform Dou Qi techniques. Even when he used the Eye of Magic, he felt it wasn''t as agreeable as before. "This is a bit of a problem; the sprouted Magic Fire Seed inside me seems to be ''excreting'' impure magic power, mingling with my pure Dou Qi and drastically reducing my control over Dou Qi¡­ Mybat ability now has probably dropped significantly, to less than half of what it was before!" His expression was serious. Although this condition was probably due to initially not being ustomed to it, and a proper cultivation method could eventually resolve it, it still set off rm bells in his head, making him aware of the severity of the issue. "I can no longer participate in battles; with my current state, it''s bound to lead to idents on the battlefield. Hands Fort has already been taken; all I need to do now is wait patiently to meet up with the Earl and just be a bystander on the battlefield." He had decided to y dead for a while. Or rather, for this period, he was just a bystander. Chapter 0469 Possible Dragon Dou Qi (Fourth Update, Last Months Additional Update 12/15) A moment had passed. It was already mid-November. Since their arrival on the maind in mid-October, the Pioneer Mandate campaign had been ongoing for a month, and the mes of war in the Sardine Bay Area had stretched for thousands of miles. The Knight Order of the Duchy of Sapphire had been furiously plundering everything, in coordination with the local Mercenary Corps, to divide thend''s resource output. They transported goods and people back to the homnd without cease. Liszt''s first group of serf ships had already returned to his domain with many goods and had set sail again, with the second group of serf ships departing early. Also returning with the fleet was Zambrotta, the diplomatic officer of the domain. "My lord, before I departed, Consultant Goltai and Administrative Officers Isaiah and ir were earnestly arranging the serfs'' living conditions. The knight families who had been taken in were also well settled¡­ The rate of serf attrition wasn''t high; we lost fewer than four hundred people." "A loss of four hundred cannot be considered low. With more careful care, we certainly could have reduced the losses further," Liszt sighed. His conscience was troubled. In the trade of serfs, his role was equally unmorous. Even though he could conceal it by going with the flow, orpensate for it in the future, he still could not justify himself. He had always been a person with a healthy worldview, educated in modern civilization, and faced with the shock of a barbaric, primitive society, his thoughts were in constant turmoil. He could not possibly be a saint. When benefitsy before him, driving his instincts with desire, he could only align himself with the nobles, striving for his own share of benefit. As for revolution, hecked both the ability and the boldness¡ªin a world ruled by Dragon Knights, where he was just an ordinary person, unable to even light up technical skills, how could he preach the red theories. It would be better to proceed securely towards bing a Dragon Knight and look forward to enjoying this spectacr life. Moreover, the humans of this world were not fundamentally his kindred, so he had no obligation to liberate all mankind. "Zambrotta, how are things in the domain?" "Everything in the domain is well, oh, my lord, I almost forgot to mention a huge piece of good news!" Zambrotta suddenly remembered something and excitedly said, "Not long after you set off, the Corn Grass Elf Bug being cared for in the castle started showing some abnormalities, and after unanimous judgment by the town officials and Mr. Carter, it had entered the Fat Pupa Stage." "Really?" "Yes, by the time I was about to depart, it had grown quiterge and waspletely motionless. However, whether it can evolve sessfully is hard to say, as we cannot see its internal condition... To prevent J from interfering with the evolution of the Corn Grass Bug, Mr. Carter ced it alone in a Jade Box, guarded in turns by the domain''s knights." "It''s a pity I''m not by its side to see its luck, but I hope the glory of the knights will look after the domain," Liszt sighed again. In fact, even if he returned to the domain, there wasn''t much he could do. He could help the Elf Bug collect pheromones to increase the probability of evolution, but whether it seeded in evolving was entirely up to the Elf Bug itself. Zambrotta reported on the situation of the Corn Grass Elf Bug before also reviewing the various constructions in the domain. He then said, "Consultant Goltai and Sir Levis discussed and decided to use the empty ships to transport a great deal of goods for trade to the maind. The domain also transported a batch of Fresh Flower Soap, Serpent Blood Fruits, high-quality charcoal, pottery, sweets, and other specialties... Additionally, Her Excellency Chris consigned a batch of Magic Potions." The goods were intended for trade, and every bit of profit mattered. What pleased Liszt was this batch of Magic Potions; he now had to feed a man and a dragon, thetter of which had a voracious appetite, being a burgeoning Magic Fire Seed. The burden was too great. Without a vast amount of magic potions to support him, cultivation was extremely difficult. During this idling period, he had been exploring how to cultivate in conjunction with the Magic Fire Seed. He found that to improve his control over Dou Qi again, he had to first nurture the budding Magic Fire Seed and excrete arge amount of impure magic power. This kind of impure magic power had peculiar properties that could significantly alter the form of the Dou Qi within his body. Transforming it into a higher form of Dou Qi. Initially, he suspected this transformation was the shift from Intermediate Dou Qi to Advanced Dou Qi, but it didn''t seem quite right. Or rather, the change in form was another level of alteration, far surpassing the shift from Intermediate to Advanced Dou Qi, which made him suspect that this might be the evolution into "Dragon Dou Qi." Unfortunately, no one could tell him what Dragon Dou Qi was. He could only independently explore and gradually piece together some clues, gaining many insights into cultivating with the Magic Fire Seed, and he would soon be able to start apletely new form of cultivation. "Put someone else in this situation, and they might waste a year trying to figure out the change. But s, they''vee across me. Relying on scientific induction and summary, the changes in Dou Qi cannot escape my keen observation. The taming of the brand-new Dou Qi is just around the corner." A worldview and cognition beyond this world were his greatest talents. ... After sessively cooperating in the conquest of Scentcartleaf Stronghold and Hands Fort, Liszt then entered a state of idleness. In reality, the Coral Ind Knights, who had been in the limelight, also started to keep a low profile, no longer capturing castles but asionally seizing some small mines and materials from small towns. Following behind Marquis Roderick, they recruited some knights and engaged in some material trading. In the blink of an eye, it was almost December. After a long half-month of exploration, Liszt finally discovered a brand-new cultivation method,pletely mastering the new Dou Qi inside his body. This Fire Attribute Dou Qi faintly possessed some properties of Fire Dragon Magic Power. It had stronger incendiary abilities, dissipated more slowly, and when deploying Dou Qi, the power was more formidable. Moreover, with the help of medications, it was easier to break through the total amount of Dou Qi. He genuinely suspected that his Dou Qi was evolving into Dragon Dou Qi¡ªalthough he didn''t know if Dragon Dou Qi was indeed like this. He circted the new Dou Qi and unleashed a set of the much more powerful "Fire Dragon Drill".n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om He summoned the Smoke Mission. "Complete the mission, reward: one Bloodline Fruit." "Phew, finallypleted the mission. Next, I need to get moving and search for the Bloodline Fruit," Liszt sighed with relief, eager to leave the unnamed castle where they were stationed. He then checked the new Smoke Mission: "Mission: It has been a month since the first Pioneer Mandate, and with the temperature gradually decreasing, the war between the Steel Ridge Kingdom and the Eagle Kingdom is also reaching its final stages this year. You may choose to end your idleness and patiently await the end of the war. Reward: Unknown." "Another unknown reward. It seems that New Year''s and wars always bring unknown rewards." The first New Year''s unknown reward was Sea Sprite Ake. The second unknown reward from the Iron Hoof Ind campaign was the revival of Dragon Bone. Both were important rewards, which made him look forward to this time''s unknown reward. Now that he could continue to idle, he still decided to devote all his energy to the search for the Bloodline Fruit. Bloodline Fruits were rarely found in human-cultivated areas; they were mostly in forests. Therefore. Under the pretense of hunting, he rode thendwalker bird Loki, summoned the Eight Tiny Ones, and led a Knight Squad, heading towards the forests surrounding the Nameless Castle. Chapter 470 Lokis Battle of Destiny (5th Update, Last Month Make-up 13/15) ``` After hunting for two consecutive days, with the Eye of Magic Power almost constantly active for 24 hours, Liszt still hadn''t found the Bloodline Fruit, which left him feeling deeply frustrated. "The reward has already been two days past, and the Bloodline Fruit must have already been bred. It can only exist for five minutes... If it was bred within my territory, it might have been eaten by some animal, transforming into a Magical Beast... If it was bred around here, I''m afraid it would have already disappeared." The Bloodline Fruit has a time limit. Once ripe, it falls to the ground, and after just five minutes, its magic power willpletely dissipate, turning it into a normal piece of fruit. Feeling disheartened, he continued to hunt. Even though hope was growing dim, he persisted without giving up. After all, the life of a salted fish didn''t require busyness, just counting the days until the Grand Duke announced the end of the Pioneer Mandate - the Duchy of Sapphire had already made a mess of the Sardine Bay Area, tying down arge number of Knight Orders. Once the winter snows set in, the war wouldn''t mean much, as charging through ice and snow was not a good choice. It was while he was somewhat distracted. In the field of vision granted by the Eye of Magic Power, a sh of magic radiance suddenly passed by. It wasn''t until long after his gaze had left that area that he abruptly awoke, immediately turned Loki''s head, and began searching for that pinpoint of magic radiance. Quickly, after crossing a bush, he arrived at the source of the magic radiance. "Woof, woof!" "Woof, woof!" Eight Tiny Ones immediately started barking furiously. Loki, too, began to "click-ck," "click-ck," as they all discovered the source of the magic power, something of immense value - it was a green fruit, hanging on the branch of a small bush, emitting a strong greyish-green magic radiance. Clearly, this was the Bloodline Fruit that Liszt had been looking for all along. Only it wasn''t ripe yet. "Be on guard!" Liszt quickly reacted. "Charles, have the Knight Squad spread out and guard this bush! Protect this bounty I''ve discovered!" Charles Trap shouted, "Yes, my Lord!" and then led the Knight Squad to strictly guard the surrounding shrubbery against the possibility of Magical Beasts appearing. He had seen that strange green fruit. A tree that shouldn''t have borne fruit was sporting such arge one, undoubtedly the Bloodline Fruit, a Bloodline Fruit worth a thousand Gold Coins. A fruit that could alter the bloodline of wild beasts and Magical Beasts, Lord Liszt''s Douson was a Magical Beast that had consumed a Bloodline Fruit. Unfortunately, the sess rate of the Bloodline Fruit wasn''t high; otherwise, its value would be measured in Dragon coins. Anyone who discovers an immature Bloodline Fruit and informs their Lord could receive arge reward. But now that the Lord himself had found one, there was no reward for them; they could only fulfill their duties loyally and protect the Bloodline Fruit from Magical Beast attacks. "Woof, woof!" "Click-ck!" Eight Tiny Ones and Loki kept barking. Liszt immediately ordered, "Blizzard Beast, silence! Loki, quiet down!" The authority he wielded in everyday life was fully demonstrated in this moment, as Eight Tiny Ones and Loki all quieted down, but their eyes remained parchedly fixed on the Bloodline Fruit. Taking advantage of the interval before the Bloodline Fruit ripened. Liszt quickly pondered whom to give it to: "Thest time I found a Bloodline Fruit, it was a golden one, seemingly leaning towards the Earth Attribute; this time, it''s a green fruit, with greyish-green magic power, seemingly leaning towards the Wind Attribute." The Bloodline Fruit doesn''t have a strict attribute distinction, it is of a chaotic attribute, but judging from the color presentation, there is still some tendency. Eight Tiny Ones all have the Earth Attribute, only Loki has the Wind Attribute. Exhaling a breath of turbid air, he had made his decision on who would receive the Bloodline Fruit: "Give it to Loki, then. The Eight Tiny Ones are a united front, favoring one means slighting another, better not to give to any... If Loki consumes the Bloodline Fruit and by chance turns into an Intermediate Dragon Beast, wouldn''t that be an enormous windfall?" So. He directly issued an order: "Blizzard Beast, forbear from eating!" ``` "Woof woof!" the Eight Tiny Ones expressed their dissatisfaction. Liszt red, "Shut up, or I''ll let Douson teach you a lesson!" Only then did the Eight Tiny Ones whine softly, not daring to voice theirints again. They had grown up under Liszt''s "carrot and stick" dog training policy and had long since learned not to challenge Liszt''s authority¡ªespecially since their most feared father, Douson, always stood by Liszt''s side. Stepping off Loki''s back, Liszt patted its head as it seemed anxious, "Once it''s ripe, you can eat it." Loki seemed to understand and crowed loudly, "Gada!"n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om Five minutester. A rich fragrance emanated from the Bloodline Fruit, signaling that it was close to maturation. Through the Eye of Magic, one could also see that the magic power inside it was bing increasingly concentrated, almost to the point of dripping. Just at that moment. The knights on perimeter alert suddenly sent out a warning signal, "Magical Beasts! Arge pack of Wind de Wolves, at least twenty!" Liszt raised an eyebrow, "Eight Tiny Ones, get ready for battle. Hunt down all the Wind de Wolves!" He had been running short on Magical Beast Meattely and was actually hoping for some beasts to deliver themselves as a feast. Indeed, a group of low-level Magical Beasts known as Wind de Wolves,mon throughout the forests of the continent, started a benevolent act. Instantly, the fur of the Eight Tiny Ones bristled in readiness to attack the Wind de Wolves¡ªdirecting the fury of being unable to eat the Bloodline Fruit towards the wolves. In the blink of an eye. The battlemenced, with the Wind de Wolves attracted by the Bloodline Fruit and charging ferociously. Fueled by rage, the Eight Tiny Ones pounced to kill. The Intermediate Magical Beasts bullying the low-level beasts was almost like child''s y. In just a brief encounter, seven Wind de Wolves had their throats locked in the jaws of the Blizzard Beasts, with only one agile enough to escape, but it couldn''t evade the Rock Spikes bursting from the ground. In such a scene. With the Eight Tiny Ones leading the charge and the Earth Knights providing support, there was no need for Liszt to pay attention. He was waiting for the Bloodline Fruit to mature. Loki also circled around the bush anxiously, knowing that the Bloodline Fruit was about to ripen and understanding this was an opportunity to change its destiny. Suddenly. Fluttering sounds came from the sky. Liszt looked up to see a group of bats shimmering with Magic Radiance approaching, "Damn, ck Bats! A group of Dark Attribute low-level Magical Beasts capable of casting the Dark magic ''Decay''!" This kind of Dark magic seemed to work by draining the moisture from objects, elerating their dposition. The Magic Books had records ofmoners encountering ck Bat attacks, quickly withering away into desated corpses. He quickly drew the Swift Shadow Bow and aimed his arrows,unching fierce strikes at the ck Bats. However, the ck Bats were agile, seemingly equipped with ultrasonic positioning, enabling them to dodge arrows quickly. It often took Liszt three volleys of nine arrows to bring down a single ck Bat. It was nowhere near enough to clean up the group of more than twenty or thirty ck Bats in a short time. During the battle, the enticing scent of the Bloodline Fruit intensified to its peak, having ripened. The ck Bats dived madly at the Bloodline Fruit, vying for the precious treasure. Liszt had reached his maximum firing speed, but still, he could not stop them. "We''re doomed!" "The Bloodline Fruit is going to be snatched by these beasts!" As a ck Bat closed in on the Bloodline Fruit, Liszt couldn''t help but grind his teeth in anger. However. Loki, guarding nearby, suddenly pped its wings, charging at the ck Bat swarm like a brave warrior. Tendrils of blue magic power swirled around it, scattering the ck Bats. With the speed of lightning, it caught the Bloodline Fruit mid-air, after which a leap avoided the ck Bats'' retaliatory Decay spell. "Gada!" Loki, victorious in the battle for destiny, raced towards Liszt. Liszt swiftly mounted Loki and drew the Sky-Cleaving Greatsword, executing an Inferno sh. A fiery rain of attacks descended upon the ck Bat swarm, dispersing them. Inbination with Loki''s perfect airborne leap, they began to clear out these ck Bats. "They''re all mine, none of you are getting away!" Chapter 0471 Only I Can Rob You (First Update) The strength of low-level magical beasts was not weak, especially the flying low-level magical beasts; they could easily take on an Earth Knight in singlebat. Unfortunately for this group of ck Bats, they encountered Li Si Te, who was one of the elite Earth Knights even among those who relied heavily on drugs. He was even a knight whose Dou Qi was transforming towards "Dragon Dou Qi." Furthermore, the Landwalker Bird he rode, when executing the Light Body Skill, could leap to astonishing heights, scattering the group of ck Batspletely. One after another, they were cleaved by the Sky-Cleaving Greatsword and fell to the ground; in a moment, twelve ck Batsy dead. By then, the remaining ck Bats had already fled far away, beyond reach. "Damn, the prey that was in my mouth slipped away!" Out of the group of twenty or thirty ck Bats, not even half were left behind. He quickly switched to the Swift Shadow Bow, attempting to shoot down one or two more, but the ck Bats, equipped with ultrasonic location, were least afraid of arrows; not a single one was hit. Counting the three ck Bats he had shot before the Bloodline Fruit matured, he picked up a total of fifteen ck Bat corpses¡ªasrge as piglets, they could provide quite a bit of Magical Beast Meat, and many scraps suitable for Magicians to create Magic Arrays. A single one was worth at least ten Gold Coins. Fifteen amounted to one hundred and fifty Gold Coins, a considerable profit akin to the ransom of five Earth Knights. Thebat in the jungle was also over; eight juvenile Blizzard Beasts, with the strong bloodline and bodies of Intermediate Magical Beasts, had nearly annihted the twenty-odd Wind de Wolves that had invaded. Only three Wind de Wolves managed to escape, with the remaining eighteen left behind. This was close to two hundred Gold Coins in earnings. "Gather all the ck Bats and Wind de Wolves'' corpses, and allocate one ck Bat and two Wind de Wolves for tonight''s extra meal for the Knight Squad." "Thank you, my lord!" Charles and the other knights replied with great excitement. Having not exerted much effort, they were indeed happy to enjoy delicious Magical Beast Meat. The group quickly returned,den with spoils, busying themselves in sorting out the non-edible materials and the edible Magical Beast Meat, preparing for the evening feast. Li Si Te did not participate. He was observing Loki, who had eaten the Bloodline Fruit. This Landwalker Bird was extremely excited, and unlike Douson, who had fallen straight to sleep after ingesting the Bloodline Fruit, it had no intention of sleeping but kept hopping excitedly. Using the Eye of Magic, he could see that the Magic Power within it was boiling. Like water awaiting the boil. "Loki needs to release some energy, so I might as well make the effort and go a little wild with it to help process the powerful effect of the Bloodline Fruit," Liszt decided. He mounted the Landwalker Bird and began to race and leap across the wilderness. Loki was too excited to stop its feet. Liszt just gripped its neck, but his thoughts drifted elsewhere, "The five-minute maturation time of the Bloodline Fruit is indeed too brief. Once contested by magical beasts, there''s no time to organize a hunting operation properly. I should have stayed by the Bloodline Fruit myself, ready to pick it as soon as it matured." Then he could distribute it to his own pets and mounts, which would be safer than letting Loki eat the Bloodline Fruit on its own.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om "Right, although the Bloodline Fruit starts to lose Magic Power once it matures, there''s still a five-minute window. If I can store it in the Gemstone Space the moment it''s ripe, could I preserve its medicinal effect? Then I can calmly allocate it to the one I most want to give it to," he thought. The one he most wanted to give it to had an excellent candidate¡ªEarth Matron. Once Earth Matron broke through the restrictions of her bloodline and became a Blizzard Beast, he would have aplete Blizzard Beast Legion. Douson and Earth Matron could continuously produce offspring, and even if the offspring weren''t as exceptional as them, they would definitely be stronger than the low-level magical beasts, the Fierce Earth Dogs, from before. Thinking of this, he immediately felt regret so strong it was like a toothache, "I thought I was so cunning, why did I forget about my Space Gem at such a critical moment?" A single, small Bloodline Fruit could potentially represent the loss of an entire Blizzard Beast Legion. "Next time I get a Bloodline Fruit, I must store it in the Gemstone Space to see if it continues to lose Magic Power... Logically, it shouldn''t, as the Gemstone Space is formed by the Magic Power of the Formless Dragon, definitely the most miraculous and incredible gemstone." What was done was done, and regrets were useless now. He could only hope that the next Smoke Mission would continue to reward Bloodline Fruits or that he could obtain them through other channels¡ªthe price of one thousand Gold Coins was still eptablepared to the Blizzard Beast Legion. His thoughts were still soaring. Loki was still excitedly hopping around. After more than an hour of continuous bouncing that almost made Liszt vomit, Loki finally exhausted all its strength and returned to its nest in Nameless Castle to rest. Feet on the ground. Liszt steadied his still wobbling body and used the Eye of Magic to observe the Magic Power within Loki''s body once more. The blue Magic Power was a bit thicker, no longer boiling, but slowly seeping into its body. This was the medicinal effect of the Bloodline Fruit settling, which would continuously improve its bloodline over theing period. "I hope you can be an Intermediate Dragon Beast soon." After personally feeding it grains and fruits, Liszt then left. ... The banquet. The Magical Beast Meat from ck Bats and Wind de Wolves made the Knights eat with passionate exuberance. This period of leisure was nothing like being on the battlefield¡ªonly the Knights of Coral Ind, relying on the supplies captured from Scentcartleaf Stronghold, could enjoy such a delightful life. Other Knight Orders were still constantly plundering, trying to obtain more wartime merit and supplies through the Pioneer Mandate. "The Grand Duke has ridden the Sapphire Dragon to the war front to discuss a retreat with the Dragon Knights of the Steel Ridge Kingdom," Viscount Jonas mentioned in passing when he stopped by Nameless Castle after raiding a small city. Among the Knights of Coral Ind, only Viscount Jonas and his Knight Order were still fervently on the move¡ªhaving suffered heavy losses in the battle of Iron Hoof Ind, he took this opportunity to make up for the loss. "The Grand Duke riding a dragon? Has he really be a Dragon Knight?" "I don''t know, that''s what I heard from others." Jonas wasn''t sure. Liszt left Nameless Castle and went to ask his father. Li Weiliam''s answer was also somewhat vague, "There is a very good chance, yes, but the Grand Duke has not revealed his current status to us. His Sapphire Dragon is also somewhat different; the broken parts of its body have not healed and still look... quite ferocious." Half rotten, half intact. This was the deep impression left on Liszt when he first saw the Sapphire Dragon; he didn''t expect that after so long, the Sapphire was still in such dire straits. It seemed the surprise attack from the Goat Assembly had left the Sapphire Dragon with irreparable injuries. Li Weiliam quickly added another conjecture, "Now that the Grand Duke dares to ride the Sapphire Dragon out, it indicates the dragon should be alright. Those Continental Landlords who want to take advantage of the turmoil within our Kingdom probably need to extinguish their thoughts... We can rob them, but they can''t rob us." A Grand Duchy protected by Dragon Knights was indeed difficult to conquer. The Dragon Knights of all countries, as the ultimate deterrent force, were monitored by enemy forces, making it hard to go on an expedition easily. Moreover, maind countries generally did not manufacturerge sailing ships, leaving Knight Orders without the capability to sail the high seas. Still, Liszt was a bit speechless¡ªwas it really okay to bluntly state, "I can rob you, but you cannot rob me" like this? Regardless. Three dayster, on December 6th, the Grand Duke returned from the front line meeting and officially announced the end of this year''s Pioneer Mandate; it was time to go home. Chapter 0472 The Rebirth of Dou Qi (Second Update) Arriving with nearly a thousand knights, and leaving with one thousand five hundred, the scale of the Coral Ind Knights had grown like this for the first time during the Pioneer Mandate war. Liszt himself had incorporated nearly sixty Earth Knights, including ten Elite Earth Knights. The total number of Earth Knights in the territory had increased to seventy-nine, enough to form six knight squads with some to spare. Supporting so many knights was a significant burden for ck Horse Ind, which was still in its development phase, but the construction of the territory also inevitably depended on the knights, since they were the ss that held knowledge. Although Liszt was vigorously training knights from within his own territory, he still relied on the help of knights who hade over during the transition period. The development and construction were never things that could be achieved with just a snap of the fingers. When thest batch of supplies and serfs were loaded onto the ships, and the knights began to lead their horses on board in session, Liszt, after guiding Douson and the Eight Tiny Ones into the ship''s cabin, also led the Landwalker bird Loki aboard, its breathing unsteady and its expression listless¡ªthe effects of the Bloodline Fruit were showing, transforming its bloodline. Half an hourter. Thest sailboat left the harbor and headed towards the azure sea. The Pioneer Mandate of the year 152 officially ended.N?v(el)B\\jnn Standing at the bow and watching the coastline gradually fade away, Liszt was full of anticipation, waiting to return to his territory to flex his muscles and build a new outlook. At this moment. He summoned the Smoke Mission. With the war over, the Serpent Script changed, "Complete the mission, reward: the rebirth of Dou Qi." "Hmm?" Liszt''s gaze sharpened, surprised by the content of the reward, "The rebirth of Dou Qi, what does that mean? I remember that the rewards about Dou Qi included the sublimation of Dou Qi, which helped me advance to Earth Knight; and the bottleneck of Dou Qi, which helped me reach Elite Earth Knight." Now, the rebirth of Dou Qi was also awarded. "Is it saying that my Dou Qi, because of the germination of the Magic Fire Seed, is gradually transitioning to ''Dragon Dou Qi''; or does it mean that in the process of cultivating with the Magic Fire Seed, I''ve undergone a quantitative change leading to a qualitative leap, advancing towards Advanced Dou Qi?" He pondered, sensing the abundant Dou Qi within him. No matter which result it was. This was a significant breakthrough in his personal strength. As a noble scion, he had gained considerable cultivation experience, whether from his father Li Weiliam or his maternal grandfather Marquis Merlin. He had a deep understanding of the process of ascending from Intermediate Dou Qi to Advanced Dou Qi. Dou Qi, as a form of Magic Power, is referred to as "Qi" precisely because of its nature at the stage of Advanced Dou Qi. Low-Level Dou Qi is an aggregation of nutrients within the body, chaotic with no attribute, and after cultivation, one only bes an Apprentice Knight with no significant breakthrough in strength; Intermediate Dou Qi is Dou Qi that disys a change in properties, and with it, one can traverse the Earth, hence the title of Earth Knight. Simrly, the reason why a Sky Knight is called a Sky Knight is that they can soar into the sky. What they rely on is the nature of Advanced Dou Qi¡ªlight as air, which can support the body, almost as if merging with the sky. At the stage of Advanced Dou Qi, it truly demonstrates the properties of "Qi", distinctly set apart from Magic Power and showing even more significant changes in properties. High-level Water Attributed Dou Qi is like a stream of water flowing through the meridians; High-level Wind Attribute Dou Qi is like a mass of wind constantly cleansing the meridians. Simrly. High-level Fire Attribute Dou Qi should be like a me that continuously spreads throughout the meridians. Paired with an Advanced Dou Qi Manual, one can fully unleash the entire power of Advanced Dou Qi, and even cause changes in the weather during battles. A battle between a Water Attribute Sky Knight and a Thunder Attribute Sky Knight would definitely bring thunder, lightning, and pouring rain in that area. "No matter whether this rebirth of Dou Qi turns out to be Dragon Dou Qi or bes Advanced Dou Qi, I am filled with anticipation!" "Let''s get started quickly!" Amid anticipation, the smoke before his eyes transformed. New Serpent Script emerged: "Mission: 17,000 new serfs have arrived, your territory now has 22,300 citizens. The existing Fresh Flower Town and Harbor Town can no longer amodate them, please n new towns for the resettlement of your citizens. Reward: Peas that produce rhizobia." The number of serfs had soared. Setting up new towns was a necessary step. Li Si Te would have nned this way even without the Smoke Mission''s reminder, and he was delighted at the reward¡ªthe peas that produce rhizobia. Rhizobia, undoubtedly, were important agricultural auxiliary microorganisms. After forming nodules with leguminous nts, they could symbiotically fix nitrogen, greatly enhancing the nitrogen fertilizer required by nts and aiding in increased crop yields. Li Si Te had nted many soybeans and peas on ck Horse Ind, hoping to use them to produce rhizobia to improve soil fertility. However, the results seemed to be underwhelming. Many of the sprouting soybeans and peas grew weakly. When pulled out, their roots had few nodules. Clearly, most leguminous nts had not been infected with rhizobia. Li Si Te remembered that on Earth, the cultivation of leguminous crops required artificial inoction with rhizobia. What he could do was collect a small amount of rhizobia and mix it with the bean seeds. It was hard to guarantee that inoction would ur¡ªand the oue proved they had hardly been inocted. The rhizobia in the natural ecosystem were still too scarce. "With peas capable of producing rhizobia, I believe we can gather enough rhizobia strains, and then promote artificial inoction throughout the territory!" ... Returning to Coral Ind from the maind required about ten days of sailing. During this time, Li Si Te kept taking potions and eating meat, tirelessly training. Finally, on the third day of the voyage, he sensed a brand-new change in his Dou Qi. Previously, because it had been contaminated by the impure Magic Power excreted by the Magic Fire Seed, his Dou Qi had already undergone one evolution, bing a new Intermediate Fire Attribute Dou Qi¡ªmore powerful, less dissipative, with deeper qualities, allowing for faster breakthroughs. He thought he had already attained Dragon Dou Qi. But he felt that was unlikely. The power of Dragon Dou Qi should not be limited to this. Moreover, since the Magic Fire Seed had not yet nurtured a Fire Dragon, how could he have Dragon Dou Qi already? It could only be considered special Intermediate Dou Qi. And now, the special Intermediate Dou Qi was undergoing another change, as if it was a liquid sublimating into gas. Yet, the Dou Qi didn''t expand; instead, it became lighter and more agile. As it circted through his meridians, it gave him the sensation that he was beginning to ride the clouds and mist. It was as if the Dou Qi had be a me. Burning along his meridians, there was no sensation of scorching pain, only relief andfort. "This is... the process of Intermediate Dou Qi gradually evolving into Advanced Dou Qi. It looks like I''m beginning to break away from the constraints of an Earth Knight, advancing towards bing a Sky Knight!" It should have been a moment to tremble with excitement, but he had anticipated this. So at this moment, his mind was incredibly calm. He continued to focus on his training, constantly circting his Dou Qi to elerate this transformation¡ªfor many Elite Earth Knights, evolving from Intermediate Dou Qi to Advanced Dou Qi required a high unity of body, energy, and spirit, constantly striking, breaking through for a glimmer of a chance to touch the sky. However, as he calmly trained, the transformation of his Dou Qi naturally took its course, encountering no resistance whatsoever. "Is my talent so exceptional that no barriers to advancement exist? It''s a bit too self-congrattory. A more likely possibility is that my Dou Qi was changed by the Magic Fire Seed, resulting in the disappearance of barriers to advancement... After all, I can now be considered a reserve Dragon Knight!" He opened his eyes abruptly, his body slightly undting with the rocking of the ship. He felt that by merely circting the Dou Qi that was changing, his body could take flight, a wondrous sensation. "Once the voyage ends, this change will also beplete. By then, I will have truly be a Sky Knight! A seventeen-year-old Sky Knight, everyone will be astonished! Although there is still a gap from the sixteen-year-old Sky Knight candidate for Dragon Knight, it''s not far off!" With that thought, he could no longer contain himself. All his joy and pride were released with hisughter: "Hahahaha!" Chapter 473 The Sword Challenge Between Father and Son (3rd Update, Last Month Make-up 14/15) The joyfulughter startled the Earl. He walked over and knocked on Liszt''s door, "What are youughing at?" "I''ll be flying soon, Father," Liszt did not intend to hide anything, as a Sky Knight, he need not be too cautious. Even if envied by others, he had enough strength to protect himself. In the Duchy of Sapphire, unless the Grand Duke himself took action against him riding a dragon, being a Sky Knight as well, if he couldn''t win, couldn''t he still escape¡ªfleeing into the sea and letting the Sea Sprite Ake provide cover, no one could catch him. "Flying?" The Earl was momentarily at a loss. "Yes, aerial flying!" "You mean a Sky Knight?" "Hmm." Then. There was a long silence. Eventually, the Earl spoke first, "Liszt, are you sure you have already started advancing to Sky Knight? You became an Earth Knight only aftering of age, an Elite Earth Knight six monthster, and now, not even a year has passed, you want to advance to Sky Knight? I hope you''re not joking." "Father, although I am not serious, I am not one to joke," Liszt smiled slightly, "I have the Sky Knight training experience from you and Grandpa, always carrying Grandpa''s ''Sword Saint''s Chronicles,'' I know my current state." "What does it feel like, tell me." "My Dou Qi is changing, as if it sublimates from liquid to gas, as if the calm Dou Qi suddenly began to burn, enveloping me with strength, and greatly enhancing the power of mybat skills!" "Come with me, to the deck, I will personally test your fighting ability!" The Earl was still somewhat incredulous, preparing to personally probe, "I haven''t felt the pressure that a Sky Knight should have from you, and the rate at which your Dou Qi dissipates is far from the Sky Knight standard." Of course, it did not reach that standard. One reason was that Liszt had made some progress practicing ''Breath Decay,'' at least halving the Dou Qi depletion rate. Another reason was that his Dou Qi had been changed by the Magic Fire Seed, further slowing down the rate of dissipation, even the speed at which the released Dou Qi techniques dissipated was greatly reduced¡ªof course, it was still too far from the nearly permanent etching of Fire Dragon Magic Power, at this point it could at best be called "Primary Dragon Dou Qi." Perhaps with the continuous nurturing of the Magic Fire Seed, it could evolve into Low-Level, Intermediate, Advanced, Super, and Ultimate Dragon Dou Qi, and so on. Therefore. In terms of aura, Liszt gave off a harmless impression, but he harbored a ferocious Dou Qi within his body that only he knew about. The Primary Dragon Dou Qi that imbued the Fire Attribute Dou Qi was restrained like magma waiting to erupt. ... Standing on the deck. Liszt held his sword in both hands, gazing straight ahead with a serious expression, "Father, don''t underestimate me. When I unleash my strength, even I cannot measure it." Facing a Sky Knight of the Sword Saint Level, he didn''t n on holding back any strength and was ready to unleash it all. "I should be admonishing you not to be too arrogant, but without absolute pressure, you probably can''tprehend, so let''s fight it out!" Li Weiliam drew his longsword. The battle was on the verge of erupting. On the Tulip, the nobles who heard themotion came out of their cabins one after another, watching the fight. They were somewhat confused and didn''t understand why the Earl and Liszt were about to fight. "What''s going on?" "It seems that Viscount Liszt has challenged the Earl." "Is the Earl probably intending to teach Viscount Liszt about training?" Viscount Jonas raised his eyebrows and whispered to Viscount Trik who had arrived, "My hunch wasn''t wrong, Viscount Liszt''s strength has improved rapidly, and he dares to challenge the Earl now." "The gap between an Elite Earth Knight and a Sky Knight seems hard to bridge." "I heard that in the battle at Hands Fort, Viscount Liszt once crossed swords with Viscount Fredo, known as the Sprinting Sword Saint. It seems that the fight ended in a draw; the Sprinting Sword Saint simply couldn''t keep up with Viscount Liszt riding a Landwalker Bird." "But this time it''s a sword fight." ... Li Si Te paid no attention to the whispers of the crowd around him. His body was extremely excited, as this was his first time engaging in a sword fight with a Sky Knight¡ªknights preferred to use longswords in closebat, hence such encounters were known as sword fights. He had crossed swords with various Earth Knights and with the Sky-Cleaving Greatsword had killed several Elite Earth Knights. But when it came to Sky Knights, he had only ever engaged in archery sneak attacks and long-range kiting, never daring to face them head-on. Now. A breakthrough was imminent. Finally, he could face a Sky Knight head-on.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om me-like Dou Qi thrummed through his body, circting through his meridians. By now, his Dou Qi should be referred to as "Intermediate Fire Attribute Primary Dragon Dou Qi." Suddenly, he raised the Sky-Cleaving Greatsword and executed a Fire Dragon Assault out of nowhere. The attack targeted Li Weiliam. Li Weiliam looked rxed as he raised his sword to meet the attack, his longsword, imbued with Advanced Water Attribute Dou Qi, effortlessly blocked Liszt''s sword move. And with ease, he counterthrust, the Dou Qi exploding forth, setting off a cascade of water vapor. Facing Li Weiliam''s formidable counterattack, Liszt, who had taken the initiative to strike, had to quickly switch to defensive mode. His longsword danced swiftly, furious Dou Qi continuously pouring in, dissipating the Water Attribute Dou Qi that was assailing him. His actions were slightly frantic, and it took several strokes before he managed to barely neutralize Li Weiliam''s casual counterattack. Just this one round of testing made him realize the vast gap between himself and a Sky Knight¡ªand it wasn''t surprising since Li Weiliam was one of the strongest Sky Knights at the Sword Saint Level. Heposed his flustered emotions. His mind rapidly cooled, casting aside all extraneous thoughts, and he attacked the Earl with all his might. His Dou Qi, which seemed to cost him nothing, gushed forth, aligning with sword techniques from the Dou Qi Manuscript andunching a frenzied attack. Such aggressive offensive maneuvers practically abandon his own defense, which was unnecessary against Li Weiliam. After all, this was a trial of strength, not a truebat exercise. Li Weiliam remained on the defensive, not taking the offensive. Liszt became more unleashed as the battle progressed, his Dou Qi beginning to weave together cohesively, making rapid progress in his sword fighting skills. Moreover, his attacking stamina far exceeded that of your average Elite Earth Knight, and the speed at which his Dou Qi dissipated was very slow. The aura he created was gradually matching the Earl''s surging Water Attribute Dou Qi. "Heart of the Fire Dragon Drill!" With a sudden inspiration, he transformed into a fire dragon and surged forward. His Dou Qi erupted all around him, forming a whirlwind-like me drill head, bombarding Li Weiliam. The Earl, who had been as stable as Mount Tai, couldn''t help but sh a look of surprise at such a move and then retreated to dodge. But before he could clear the path, the fiercely attacking Liszt made a swift turn, charging at him again. The Dou Qi transformed into roaring mes, not falling behind at all. This spurred amazement in him yet again¡ªIntermediate Dou Qi was actually shing with Advanced Dou Qi! And as the fight went on, he noticed that Liszt''s condition hardly diminished, a level of endurance that was difficult to find among Earth Knights. "Is he really about to advance to Sky Knight?" Caught off guard for a split second, when he snapped back to attention, Liszt was unleashing another Ultimate Mystery Strike, turning his sword into a sky full of fire rain, assailing him. With such a wide area of attack, there was virtually no space to dodge, and likewise, this rain of fire, created from his Dou Qi, was not dispersed by his Water Attribute Dou Qi. It was a confrontation befitting Advanced Dou Qi. Forced to fight back with full force, he unleashed a fierce Advanced Dou Qi secret technique, his Dou Qi transforming into a devastating tidal wave to meet the sky of fire rain. Pffft! Whoosh! In a matter of moments, me and mist created a dynamic bnce, a clear delineation of red and blue between the two of them. At this moment. Liszt, the Elite Earth Knight fueled by potions, stood up against Li Weiliam, a Sky Knight of the Sword Saint Level. Chapter 0474 The Journey is the Stars and the Sea (4th update, compensating for last month 15/15) Red and blue Dou Qi. Continuously striking. The onlookers were left agape; this was clearly a duel between two Sky Knights, rather than the expected situation between an Earth Knight and a Sky Knight. "Am I seeing things?" "The swordbat strength of Viscount Liszt is terrifying to this extent!" "With such fierce attacking power, can an Earth Knight achieve this?" "Such surging Fire Attribute Dou Qi, inconceivable." "Formidable!" Everyone eximed at that moment, all knights seasoned with broad experience, having fought countless battles on the battlefield, they were well aware of the gap between the sky and the earth. It was an absolutely insurmountable ravine. But Liszt forged a bridge across it with sheer force, transforming the impassable gulf into a thoroughfare, achieving an unexpected stance of equal confrontation. Unfortunately. No sooner had the cries of astonishment fallen silent. Than the scene drastically changed in an instant; the bnce that had been maintained for less than ten seconds copsed as Liszt''s Dou Qi could no longer hold up and was engulfed by a blue and white mist of vapor. There was a ng of metal against metal. An overwhelming force struck, involuntarily making him release his longsword, stepping back six paces, nearly tumbling over the ship''s railing into the sea. By grasping the railing just in time, he stabilized his body. "Huff!"n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om After exhaling a breath of turbid air and wiping the sweat from his forehead, he deeply understood the gap between himself and the Sword Saint¡ªif Li Weiliam got serious, his burst ofbat power was something he couldn''t even withstand a single move against. But for the Sword Saint to kill him in one move was almost impossible. He could still hold out for two or three more moves before being in. If it were an average-level Sky Knight, he might be able to resist head-on, sustaining about a dozen or twenty rounds: "Without ascending to a Sky Knight and the ability of Soaring sh, it''s very difficult to contend with a Sky Knight... Intermediate Fire Attribute Primary Dragon Dou Qi, no matter how resounding the name, is still just Intermediate Dou Qi. He felt some disappointment in his current strength; the "Dragon Dou Qi" offered only a limited boost to his power. However. Unbeknownst to him, his performance had already astonished the onlookers. Even Li Weiliam, who was retracting his longsword, looked at him with a highlyplex expression. As an almost two-decade-old veteran Sky Knight, he was undoubtedly clear about his own strength. Yet today, an Earth Knight had given him a feeling of "meeting an equal." And it was his own seventeen-year-old son! Even if it was just a temporary moment of equal footing, it was enough to astonish him, almost to the point of disbelief. He turned and addressed the surrounding onlookers, "Alright, disperse now, everyone go back. Don''t crowd the deck, let the workers repair the damaged nking." The battle wasn''t heart-stopping, but it had still caused extensive damage to the deck. The deck, crafted from rockwood, couldn''t withstand the aftermath of their exchange. He dismissed the crowd. Li Weiliam turned to Liszt, who seemed a bit disheartened, and said, "Come with me to the cabin." In the cabin, the Retainer Knights brought two cups of coffee. Li Weiliam took a sip and then scrutinized Liszt, "You''re right, your strength truly cannot be underestimated. If it had been me twenty years ago, just after being promoted to a Sky Knight, a moment of carelessness might even have resulted in my defeat by you." "I thought I was strong, but I didn''t expect there to be such a big difference between me and the Sky Knight," Liszt shook his head. What he meant was actually his dissatisfaction with the "Dragon Dou Qi." However, to Li Weiliam''s ears, it sounded different, "You shouldn''t think that way. You are in the process of being promoted, but you haven''t seeded yet; you are still just an Elite Earth Knight. Being able to wield such powerfulbat ability is already an impressive feat." "I understand," Liszt replied, "I just thought I would be a bit more of a genius." The Earl was taken aback. There was an illusion of being blindsided, "How much more of a genius do you want to be? Being promoted to a Sky Knight at the age of sixteen and bing a candidate for the Dragon Knight of the Continental Kingdom? In fact, your performance doesn''t fall short of those candidates at all. The leap from an Earth Knight to a Sky Knight has taken you less than two years!" He seemed indignant, "Do you know that in over forty years of my life, I have never heard of such a feat!" Liszt wanted to say something. But the Earl gave him no chance to interject, "Even a seventeen-year-old Sky Knight, I have not heard of such a case in the history of the Duchy of Sapphire!" "Actually, geniuses do exist. The grandson of Marquis of the Bull is one such genius." "Oh?" "The grandson of Marquis of the Bull, Andre Sapphire, could forge Mithril Armor at the age of twelve, which shows his cultivation in Dou Qi is very strong. If his talent continues, bing a Sky Knight by sixteen will not be difficult, and he might even be a candidate for Dragon Knight." Praised so highly by the Earl, Liszt felt somewhat embarrassed and shifted the topic to the Marquis of Bull. The Marquis of Bull had been taken by the Grand Duke, and his fate was unknown. His son had died in battle, but his grandson and his close confidants had left Iron Hoof Ind early and disappeared without a trace. Even the Grand Magicians of the Goat Assembly were now clueless about their whereabouts. The assassination incident involving the Sapphire Dragon came suddenly, escted quickly, but its conclusion remained a mystery. "How do you know this?" "I once took a set of Mithril Armor from the study of Marquis of the Bull at Juniper Castle. It was engraved with the phrase¡ª''Iron Knight Andre Sapphire, in the autumn of the year 149,pleted the creation of the first set of Mithril Armor, a gift to my grandfather.'' The Earl paused to ponder, "I know about Andre; indeed he was twelve in the year 149. A twelve-year-old Iron Knight is indeed a genius, nearly equal in performance to you... Perhaps one day he will pose a threat to the Sapphire Family, but with the Grand Duke riding the dragon to protect us, there is no need for us to worry." "I am not worried. No matter what happens in the Duchy of Sapphire, the strength I cultivate on my own is the foundation for standing in this world," Liszt responded. "The fact that you can think this way proves you have indeed matured," the Earlmented. The subject did not linger on the Marquis of Bull for long, and soon the attention returned to Liszt, with the Earl making a detailed inquiry into the state of Liszt''s Dou Qi. They reached the same conclusion that Liszt indeed was in the process of being promoted to a Sky Knight, and there were indeed no barriers in his way. "Such a smooth promotion process, Liszt, even I''m starting to be envious. When I was promoted to Sky Knight, it took a whole month, and I don''t know how many magic potions and much effort it took to break through the barriers between Intermediate and Advanced Dou Qi to achieve sess," said the Earl. "Perhaps I''m standing on the shoulders of giants, with your cultivation experiences making it morefortable for me," Liszt stated. Experience new stories on empire "I prefer to believe it''s the favor of Knight''s Glory. Indeed, you are the Son of Glory, the pride of the Tulip Family," the Earl patted his shoulder with an increasingly gentle tone, "Your future is destined to be more splendid than I imagined, and I hope to see the day you surpass me." Such an emotional, warm moment. Made Liszt somewhat ufortable as he found it hard to immerse himself in father-son affection. So after struggling for a while, he simply uttered, "It won''t be long, after all, ''my quest lies in the stars and the sea.''" Chapter 0476 Name Shakes Coral Island (First Update) Once again soaring, Liszt gentlynded on the deck of the Tulip, having mastered the control of his descent''s impact force, and did not damage the newly repaired deck. The Earl had already been waiting at the bow. Upon seeing Lisztnd, he took a deep breath and eximed, "I am proud of you, my son!" After saying this, he suddenly realized that he had told Liszt something simr several times during this period¡ªthe pride Liszt brought was one event after another. "Thank you, Father." "When we return to Tulip Castle, I will hold a grand banquet for you to announce this good news to all the nobles andmoners of Coral Ind." "As you wish." Liszt readily agreed. Afterward, he received congrattions from all the nobles on board, and everyone was aware that a new noble star was rising within the Duchy of Sapphire. At this moment, no one doubted Liszt''s future or whether he could achieve what Earl William Lee had now; he was always on the verge of establishing a new family. Establishing a family, to carry on and glorify the bloodline, was an extraordinarily proud matter for the nobles of this world. Liszt did not understand this at first, but aftermunicating with the Earl, he came to realize that the Earl was very much looking forward to such an event. It meant that the Tulip Family was growing stronger and achieving new aplishments¡ªjust as the Earl had changed the family name to Tulip in the past, it was a moment of glory. And then. The sailboat carrying his followers quickly approached, and Marcus and the others filed onto the Tulip and offered Liszt a song of loyalty. The noise continued for half a day. Despite the ship''s simplicity, a feast was held, the cups clinked as everybody drank themselves into a stupor. Liszt was no exception; he was already exhrated, and with the nobles constantly urging him to drink, he kept downing one ss after another. In the end, he simply copsed on the table and fell into a deep sleep. A night passed. Still, he woke up early in the morning, fresh as dawn. As an ordinary Sky Knight, his robust recovery allowed him no hint of a hangover. He was in high spirits, watching the sailboat head towards the port of Coral City. He was eager to fly there directly and unt his new status, but he controlled the impulse. A noble''s image needed to be maintained; he couldn''t afford to get carried away. After disembarking, he immediately mounted the Landwalker bird Loki, which had grown considerablyrger, and followed behind Earl William Lee. All along the way, without a doubt, he received more saluting nces than the Earl. Not only was he handsome with an outstanding demeanor, it was more because of how majestic Loki looked beneath him. The creature had grown considerably, almost reaching four meters in height with legs nearly one point seven meters long, a neck of one point five meters, and a body length of less than one meter¡ªslimmer than before, its body was closer to an oval streamlined shape. The biggest change was its wings, which had grown longer and longer, with a wingspan that could stretch to six or seven meters. Continue your adventure at empire Since these changes had all urred during the voyage, he hadn''t yet been able to measure Loki''s current physical condition, but from the outside, it captivated everyone''s attention. In the past, Loki, when walking beside Douson, seemed somewhat less imposing. But now, walking side by side with Douson, the average person would be hard-pressed to discern which of the two was the Intermediate Magical Beast. Douson had arger tonnage and area, while Loki boasted greater height and length. They were both impressive in their own right, and it was hard to dere a winner. However, Loki''s bloodline evolution was clearly not yetplete; there was still room for growth, and surpassing Douson in terms of aura was only a matter of time. After all, its future would be as an Intermediate Dragon Beast¡ªand fortunately, two Bloodline Fruits in session had sessfully evolved the magical beasts that consumed them without exploding from within. "Perhaps it was the Smoke Mission stirring the threads of fate, altering the destinies of Douson and Loki," Liszt could only understand it this way. Encircled by civilians on both sides of the road, the triumphant knights rode their tall horses, heads held high and chests puffed out as they slowly galloped towards Tulip Castle. Every triumph was a perfect opportunity to proim the prestige of the knight, and in such traditions, the stratification between nobles andmoners was continuously reinforced. Despite his inner denial, Liszt still greatly enjoyed the feeling of parading through the streets on horseback. What people pursue in life is nothing more than fame, wealth, and beauty, and wasn''t this moment the best de to "fame"? Everyone wants to be the center of attention; the difference lies in whether one can be it. Now he had the chance to be the center, and indeed, he had be it. The whispers of themoners always revolved around him and his mount, Loki, and many children, whose envious gazes followed him everywhere. "When I grow up, I want to be as impressive as that knight and ride a big bird!" a child loudly dered. This led toughter from the older children in the group: "Haha, you might as well ride the chickens you raise at home."n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om "Maybe you can ride a big bird in your dreams! That''s a magical beast, a magical beast bird that could eat you in one bite!" An older boy, clearly more informed, boasted, "You might as well give up. He is the great lord of the Tulip Family bloodline, the ruler of ck Horse Ind! He is the Son of Glory from Coral Ind, none are more favored by the glory of the knights." The child let out an "ah" and fell silent. During the ignorance of youth, everyone has dreams too grand for their reach, yet growing up meanspromising. With constantpromising, one gradually strays from their dreams and can no longer be the person they wished to be. Fate doesn''t need to strike a blow, just slowly erode the fighting spirit. In the end, the lowered head will dere that not everyone can grasp the throat of fate. Of course, as long as one doesn''t give up, hope will not fade, and this world ultimately leaves a sliver of hope for progress even for themoners. This hope drives countlessmoner knights to march towards the battlefield, one after the other. Some remain forever on the battlefield, wrapped in hide, while others return home draped in glory. Liszt was undoubtedly one of those draped in glory. When they arrived at the crossroads between Tulip Castle and Coral City, the weing party was already assembled at the junction. Just like the triumphant return from the Iron Hoof Ind campaign, Lady Penelope, Lady Marie, Li Vera, Levis, and The Loria Couple all stood at the front of the group. "Mother, I''ve caused you concern," said Earl William Lee as he dismounted and bowed to Lady Penelope. Every time he saw his mothere to wee him, he would bow like this. Nobility is full of exchanges of interest. But there is also affection. Lady Penelope smiled and said, "I''m not worried about you. You always stand on the side of victory, and you''ve never disappointed me, from past to present." Following closely behind the Earl, Liszt dismounted from the bird and quickly approached: "Grandmother." "Strong boy, Liszt, you''ve grown taller and more handsome!" Lady Penelope was very pleased, took Liszt''s hand, and prattled on, "When William would go to battle alone, I wasn''t worried about his safety, but I worried about his loneliness. Now that he has his sons with him, battling side by side with his father, he will no longer be lonely." Earl William Lee smiled gently, "Mother, Liszt can truly fight alongside me now. You can''t imagine the surprise he brought to us!" "Stop beating around the bush and just say it," Lady Penelope chided impatiently. The others watched closely, waiting for the Earl to finish his statement. The Earl, long used to Lady Penelope''s attitude, maintained his smile, unchanging: "Liszt has been promoted to a Sky Knight!" Boom! The ranks of those gathered for the triumphant return suddenly stirred. Liszt, on the other hand, stood quietly to the side, his expression as if untouched by clouds or wind, as if the person the Earl was speaking about wasn''t himself. Chapter 0477 Status Brought by Strength (Second Update) "Sky Knight?" Levis''s mouth fell open in disbelief, "Father, are you saying that Liszt has been promoted to a Sky Knight?" Loria clutched his arm, equally agape with astonishment. As the futuredy of Tulip Castle, she had always believed that Levis was the most talented member of the Tulip family, and that the promotion to Sky Knight would be led by him. Unexpectedly, it was Liszt, who had once been entangled with her sister, who suddenly erupted. Lady Marie''s eyes widened, and though she made no sound, her eyes were filled with distrust. Her son Lidun could hardly hide his own terror, despite Lady Marie''s teachings that he must respect his second brother. His talent, which had earned the Earl''s favor, had always made him believe he was the true genius. Without a doubt, in his eyes, Levis was merely mediocre, and Liszt was once considered a good-for-nothing. Yet at this moment, he heard the terrifying news: the once useless second son of the Tulip family had be an exalted Sky Knight. This was a lofty height many knights dreamt of but could never reach. Even those with talent struggled to attempt this level without ample resources. "Why is this happening?" "Why is this happening?" "Why is this happening?" Lidun''s head felt dizzy, echoing the question. He felt as if all his strength had dissipated, barely able to stand still, anxious and choked, deeply ufortable. However, no one cared about how he felt at that moment, not even his mother, Lady Marie, who was tensely watching Liszt, eager to hear him say "Sky Knight" himself. Lady Penelope held onto Liszt''s hand tightly: "My boy, is what your father said true?"n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om Li Vera rushed over as well, seizing Liszt''s other hand: "My dear brother, are you truly a Sky Knight now, a mighty knight who can soar through the skies?" Faced with everyone''s concern and anticipation. Liszt wanted to wipe the nonexistent sweat from his forehead; he was a bit overwhelmed by his family''s enthusiasm¡ªhe preferred quiet adtion to warm inquiries. Nevertheless, he maintained his usual demeanor, showing just the right amount of standard noble smile: "Yes, Grandmother, I have been promoted to Sky Knight, havingpleted it during my recent voyage. Now I am amon-tier Sky Knight who can ascend to the heavens and wield Advanced Dou Qi." His answer. Relieved those who were expectant, hit those who were jealous like a hammer, but regardless, the scene instantly erupted into ecstatic cheers. His family, no matter who they were, kept sending blessings, with Lady Penelope particrly embracing him and vigorously patting his shoulders. He was tall and had to bend down so Lady Penelope could embrace him. It was a while before Lady Penelope let go, her eyes shimmering with tears: "Knightly glory has looked upon us; our Tulip family has finally given birth to a new Sky Knight. Our family''s brilliance will not fade but will flourish even more!" "Yes, Mother, the Tulip family will grow stronger andrger." The Earl, supporting Lady Penelope, announced loudly to those around, "The ceremony of the triumphal return is now concluded. Knights, disband on the spot and return to your ownnds, to be reunited with your families. Everyone else, back to Tulip Castle!" Liszt straightened up, just about to mount Loki. But he was stopped by Levis: "Liszt, I simply don''t know how to address you. Sky Knight, you''ve achieved the height I''ve always dreamed of! Tonight, you must discuss with me untilte, I have so much about cultivation that I need your opinion on." Clearly. He wouldn''t be able to return to Fresh Flower Town today, so he could only reply: "Brother, if Loria doesn''t mind, I would be happy to share my insights on cultivation with you." Loria came over with a smile, "I don''t mind, Liszt; I hope you and your brother can have a pleasant chat." Li Vera also came over, "I want to join in too." Liszt smiled, "No problem." Whether it was one person or two, it was still an exchange; he didn''t mind sharing his sessful experiences with his rtives¡ªalthough he thought his sesses were not worth emting, at most he could tell them some cultivation tips he had summarized. He was adept at taking notes and used scientific methods to summarize and deduce problems that arose from cultivation. A thought crossed his mind, "Perhaps I could write a ''The Earth Chronicle of Liszt'' as an heirloom to provide a scientific reference for future generations'' cultivation." At that time, urged by Lady Marie, a somewhat pale-faced Lidun approached, forcing a smile, "Brother Liszt, I would like to join you too, even though I am not an Earth Knight yet, but I am eager to receive your guidance." "No problem." The Earl was not far off, and Liszt couldn''t bring himself to refuse, no matter how much he disliked the boy, Lidun. He had to consider the Earl''s feelings and maintain a superficial brotherly affection. And so. He was escorted back to Tulip Castle. Using the excuse of needing to instruct his followers about some matters, he managed to extricate himself from Levis, Li Vera, and Lidun''s entanglement and called for Marcus, "Teacher Marcus, the nning for the territory''s development, especially the nning for the new town on ck Horse Ind¡ªI mentioned it to you on the boat; you remember it all, right?" Now before Liszt, Marcus had be increasingly cautious and careful. Back when they were both Earth Knights, Marcus hadn''t felt it, but once Liszt became a Sky Knight, he experienced tremendous pressure and boundless motivation, "Yes, my Lord!" "I might not be able to return to Fresh Flower Town immediately these next few days, pass my thoughts on to Officer ir, and have him send someone to survey a suitable location for the new town. Additionally, have Captain Abagon from the Fresh Flower Caravane here immediately; I have some questions for him." Abagon''s Fresh Flower Caravan was not only engaged in trade but also involved in information exchange. It essentially acted as "Fresh Flower Town''s office in Coral City," and if there was anything that needed to be understood, he was the fastest way. Momentster, Abagon rushed to Tulip Castle to report thetest situations in Fresh Flower Town and ck Horse Ind to Liszt. First and foremost was the issue Liszt was most concerned about¡ªhad the Corn Minor Elf been born? Abagon answered, "Lord Landlord, I am unaware of the Corn Grass Bug situation, as such information is confidential within the Castle, and I dare not inquire carelessly. However, I have not heard of the Castle recently having any new Minor Elves born; perhaps you need to ask Mr. Carter or Consultant Goltai." Indeed, that was the case. Elves were important assets to a Lord and could not simply have their information revealed carelessly. Therefore, Liszt could only wait for Consultant Goltai, who was to be notified, to hurry to Tulip Castle and bring him news of the Corn Minor Elf. After listening to most of the construction status of Fresh Flower Town and ck Horse Ind, he sent Abagon away. He became the focus of everyone in Tulip Castle once again. It was apparent that with each visit to Tulip Castle, his treatment changed slightly. In the beginning, after he had first crossed over, he was practically invisible; after that, his significance grew once he obtained the Intermediate Magical Beast and the Thorn Minor Elf; and then he became a pivotal figure in the Castle having been sessfully ennobled as the Lord of ck Horse Ind. Now. The treatment he enjoyed was almost on par with that of the Earl¡ªhis family vied to show closeness, and the servants expressed endless respect. Holding a cup of fresh milk, he rxed and leaned back in his chair, thinking, with a pleased mood: "This is the status thates with power." Chapter 0478 - Liszt on Pharmacology (Third Update, 190,000 Votes for Additional Release) The luncheon was quite sumptuous. Even though the food at Tulip Castle wasn''t exactly to Liszt''s taste, he still devouredrge amounts of Magical Beast Meat and a variety of dairy products.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om "During the Pioneer Mandate Wars, it felt like I was starving every day. Back here, I can finally eat my fill without reserve," he said, rubbing his belly contentedly as he put down his fork. Lady Penelope cheerily said, "From now on, we can''t have a Sky Knight going hungry. The Tulip Family might not be as grand as the great Nobles, but we can certainly provide enough food." Lady Marie alsoughed, "As for the castle''s food, as long as it suits your taste, you can eat as much as you want." All eyes were on Liszt. The Earl, feeling a bit jealous, said, "Mother, I''ve never had a proper meal on the battlefield either." "You''re not growing anymore, but Liszt is still growing. Look at him, every time I see him, he seems to have grown taller. Are you one meter ny now?" Lady Penelope dismissed the Earl offhandedly and turned the conversation back to Liszt. Liszt shook his head, "About one meter eighty-nine, and I feel like my height has stopped increasing. I think my final height will be around one meter ny." Levis enviously said, "A height of one meter ny is more than enough. Too tall can be oppressive to others." He was only one meter eighty-five and was now shorter than Liszt by a whole head. Li Vera chuckled and said, "In our family, Liszt has been favored by the knight''s glory since his birth. You''ve inherited all the best attributes of the Tulip and Long Taro Families¡ªheight, looks, talent. I was very jealous when I was little, but now, I can hardly even reach your shadow." "I believe that Levis, Li Vera, and Lidun have all inherited our family''s talent. As long as the supply of resources keeps up, they all have the potential to advance to Sky Knight," Liszt replied. Tossing a few words of praise cost him nothing, so he was happy to encourage his siblings in such an atmosphere. ... In the afternoon, Goltai arrived from Fresh Flower Town. "My lord, I was overjoyed to the point of near insanity when I heard you advanced to Sky Knight," he remarked, showering exaggerated ttery upon their first meeting, "When I first followed you to Fresh Flower Town, I knew you were deeply favored by the knight''s glory, the Son of Glory!" Liszt maintained his smile. Goltai''s ttery continued unabated, "In less than two years, you''ve achieved honors that many Nobles couldn''t in a lifetime. A Sky Knight at only seventeen¡ªit''s a tremendous joy for all the vassals of ck Horse Ind Domain!" It seemed Goltai might go on for half an hour if he wasn''t stopped. He had to interrupt, "Consultant Goltai, bing a Sky Knight is indeed a cause for celebration, but right now I''m more interested in the domain''s affairs. Has my Corn Minor Elf been born during these two months I''ve been away? Is everything smooth with the various industries of the domain?" "The Corn Minor Elf hasn''t been born yet, but it has reached the final stage of the Fat Pupa Stage, motionless. We can''t guess whether it has evolved sessfully, but it has not decayed and vanished, so I believe the time for it to emerge sessfully should be soon." "That''s good to hear!" Relieved, Liszt had been worrying about the Corn Minor Elf for some time now. The Elf Bug''s Fat Pupa Stage is a critical point¡ªfailure means turning to ash; sess means the minor elf breaks out of the cocoon. Though the Corn Minor Elf has yet to break out, it has not turned to ash and is diligentlypleting its evolution. "What about the other matters?" "The new Cordyceps on the Rubber Trees have spawned arge number of seedlings around their roots. ir has already sent the Serfs to cultivate them within the influence of the cordyceps before the arrival of heavy snow. It seems these seedlings, under the influence of the cordyceps, will be able to safely get through the winter." Goltai could now be considered a barely qualified domain consultant, mindful of most matters. Overall, these past two months, the domain had not changed much, and there were no pleasing advancements in any industries¡ªtheck of serfs made it difficult to maintain even the key industries, let alone those that had not yet been developed. "Between the two batches of serfs, we lost over eight hundred people. The actual number of serfs who arrived safely is sixteen thousand three hundred and sixteen. Currently, eight thousand are settled in Fresh Flower Town, and another eight thousand are settled in the Port Town, yet to be assigned work and housing." "Do we have enough houses for them to live in?" "In ordance with your instructions before you left on the Pioneer Mandate, the carpentry workshop rushed to make a batch of ''bunk beds''. This way, eight serfs can live in a wooden house, barely amodating everyone against the severe cold. However, we still don''t have enough clothing, and many serfs are still freezing." "Have the residents with spare clothes contribute their unused cotton garments first, then emergency purchase more from outside. We paid a high price to transport the serfs here, and even if some were lost during the voyage, I hope that once they are on our domain, not a single one of them will die from hunger or cold." "My lord, I will try my best to arrange it." "Not try your best, you must make it happen," Liszt said sternly, shifting the responsibility of solving the problem to Goltai and other officials¡ªthe root of the problemy in his own greed for bringing in too many serfs, resulting in a shortage of warm clothing. Goltai pondered for a moment and then said, "My lord, if we frantically purchase clothing, there''s a fear that the price of all cotton clothes and nkets on Coral Ind will sharply increase." "Even if the price goes up, we have to buy it. Don''t be afraid to spend money, Consultant Goltai. I will figure out the finances. What you need to do is to follow my orders andplete the domain''s construction. The money we spend now will be repaid many times over in the future. ck Horse Ind and Fresh Flower Town have too many profitable industries." "I understand." Goltai nodded. "This winter, I will get all the officials in our domain to take action and carry out your orders at all costs." As a superior, Liszt seldom involved himself in frontline work anymore. All he needed to do was to direct the domain''s officials. After a thorough discussion with Goltai, he stayed at Tulip Castle for the night, holding an all-night conversation with Levis, Li Vera, and Lidun to exchange their cultivation experiences. He did not conceal his lesser abilities. He exined any issues he encountered in his practice and shared some scientific methods to aid in cultivation with his siblings. After all, their improvement in strength held no disadvantages for him; they were always bonded by the same blood. The greater the strength of the family, the more protection everyone enjoyed. "There must be a method to Dou Qi cultivation, just as there must be a method to ''pill-consumption''. The reason for my rapid progression is nothing special - merely being good at summarizing and reflecting." Liszt spoke as if he were a teacher, his words flowing smoothly: "What you are most concerned about must surely be ''pill-consumption''. Tonight I''ll focus on exining how to ''consume pills''... My knowledge of ''consuming pills''es from my father, grandfather, and the multitude of books I''ve bought... Although everyone has a different way of doing it, careful observation revealsmon principles." He asked the servants to bring paper and a pen. While speaking, he scribbled notes on the table, "Thesemon principles, you can call them ''Liszt''s Pill-Consumption Studies,'' dedicated to the science of pill consumption... Always record your sensations post-consumption, understand how to flexibly design tables and draw curves to ultimately find the most suitable dosage." He spoke earnestly. Levis and the others listened with equal seriousness, their eyes asionally shining¡ªperhaps they believed that mastering Liszt''s Pill-Consumption Studies would allow them to advance to Sky Knight as rapidly as Liszt had. They were never to know Just how many treasures Liszt possessed, and the kind of fortuitous encounters he had¡ªthe role that scientific ''pill-consumption'' yed in advancing to Sky Knight probably didn''t even amount to one-tenth of the whole process. Chapter 0480 Corn Above the Head (First Update) Now on Coral Ind, Liszt could go wherever he wanted without anyone being able to stop him, especially when it was a return to his own territory. Declining the banquet invitations from his noble colleagues, he led Retainer Knights directly to Fresh Flower Town at a fast pace. The significantly grown Landwalker bird Loki finally had the chance to fully release itself. "Take Douson and the Eight Tiny Ones back to Fresh Flower Town, I''ll go ahead alone, no need to follow me!" he instructed the Retainers and servants, then calmed the Blizzard Beasts and mounted Loki, who started running like the wind. "Faster, Loki!" "tter!" The intelligent Landwalker bird understood many of Liszt''smands. Immediately it broke into a sprint, its approximately 1.7 meters tall legs were like stilts, exceptionally stable, and even when running so fast that only the afterimages of its legs were visible, it still remained unruffled. The wind howled past his ears. By Liszt''s estimation, Loki''s speed at the moment was at least over 300 kilometers per hour because it had been only twenty minutes since they left Tulip Castle before they saw a small town on the outskirts of North Valley City¡ªa distance of less than a hundred kilometers from Tulip Castle to North Valley City. "Originally, when Loki did not use magic, its top speed was 200 kilometers per hour, and it could only maintain that for ten minutes; now it can reach 300 kilometers per hour and sustain it for twenty minutes," Liszt silently calcted as he watched Loki, whose speed had noticeably decreased as it reached its physical limits. He let Loki rest for a while in the small woods beside the road. Gave it some wheat grains and water. After a quarter of an hour, Loki started ttering again, announcing that its strength had been restored. Liszt then continued to ride it toplete other data measurements. A vertical leap from a standstill measured six meters high and thirty-five meters in length. A sprinting leap reached eight and a half meters high and ny meters long. Such data were already impable. However, when Liszt permitted Loki to use the Light Body Skill, its statistics became even more astonishing¡ªthe running speed peaked at 500 kilometers per hour, like a sh of lightning, Loki swiftly traveled from North Valley City to Fresh Flower Town. They stopped by the edge of the Thorn Forest at Thorn Ridge. During the sprint leap, the height reached a staggering twenty meters, with the horizontal span exceeding two hundred meters¡ªit almost looked like low-altitude flying. "Sky Knights can soar a hundred meters into the sky, Loki is slightly behind, but its speed is faster; it''s almost my perfect mount... If only it could fly, it''s a pity those long wings still haven''t learned how to fly," Liszt thought proudly, yet with a hint of regret. The inability to fly was always a w. When he rode Loki onto Douson Avenue, the Patrol Team quickly spotted him, and the news swiftly spread throughout the town. At the Castle gates, Butler Carter was already hurriedly leading the servants to wee the master''s return. "Wee home, master." "It''s been a while, Mr. Carter, Mrs. Morson, and all youdies and gentlemen," Liszt greeted the servants with a smile. He handed over Loki to be led away for feeding and entered the Castle while chatting with Butler Carter. Without any dy, he headed straight for the Worm Room. "Woah!" "Woah!"N?v(el)B\\jnn J, already aware through Mind Connection that Liszt was home, flew out, shouting at Liszt¡ªit was unsatisfied with Liszt''s lengthy absence, though amidst the displeasure was joy for his return. "J, it''s been a while." He patted the small thorns on J''s head and settled it onto his shoulder. Then he saw the Corn Grass Bugs in the Fat Pupa Stage that had been carefully protected. The originally greenish-yellow bugs had now turned grey-yellow, their skins dull and motionless. But Liszt could sense the strong vitality throbbing beneath their skin. He cast his Eye of Magic, and saw the chaotic magic power suddenly boil like water, continuously forming bubbles. Bubbles burst one after another, followed by indescribable changes in nature. The Corn Grass Bug, already huge in its Fat Pupa Stage, also swelled up in an instant. Excitement flowed from it, deeply affecting Liszt''s emotions. Butler Carter stood behind him, witnessing the transformation, and eximed, "Master, has it evolved sessfully?" "Yes, J''s birth was just like this!" Liszt said with a radiant smile, truly aplete surprise; his Corn Grass Bug had started its final evolution just as he returned. Time trickled by. The Corn Grass Bug had grown as thick as a calf''s leg. And then. As if sensing something, he suddenly widened his pupils and saw the Corn Grass Bug''s grayish-yellow skin turn pale and suddenly split open. A tender, pale yellow little hand emerged from beneath the skin, followed by an arm, and then a plump little head poked out. There was also a small corn cob on top of its head. The exquisitely beautiful Minor Elf had revealed its face. With curiosity about the world, it looked around and finally fixed its gaze on Liszt, opened its little mouth, and cried out crisply, "Chirp." Its cry, different from J''s clearer sound, was somewhat simr to Nami''s delicate voice. "Wow!" J, seeing the newborn Minor Elf, quickly flew up, wanting to pounce towards it. But Liszt grabbed her and ced her on a table beside him, issuing a "do not move"mand, and she pursed her lips in disappointment. Afterward. Liszt smiled and waved at the newborn Minor Elf. The Corn Minor Elf then crawled out from the ruined skin, its chubby body wobbled, and a pair of transparent wings unfolded, it took flight, circling the room once beforending on Liszt''s palm: "Chirp." The husk the Corn Grass Bug left behind. Before Liszt could touch it, it turned to dust and vanished without a trace. "Such a gentle Minor Elf, I can feel your tranquil heart," he mused, looking at his third Minor Elf, his emotions brimming, "Mr. Carter, look, isn''t it incredibly beautiful?" "Yes, Master, it''s unbelievably beautiful; I feel so fortunate to have witnessed the birth of a new Minor Elf in my lifetime," Mr. Carter said, his voice choked with emotion. The birth of the Thorn Minor Elf was a surprise, the Mangrove Minor Elf he had only heard about, apparently, it was reared outside. Now this Corn Minor Elf, he had witnessed its entire birth process. He regarded Liszt as his dearest person, happy for Liszt''s growth, and he couldn''t help but shed tears of joy for Liszt having a new Minor Elf. "Wow!" J cried out from the table. But neither Liszt nor Carter paid attention to it, still admiring the pale yellow, incredibly beautiful Corn Minor Elf¡ªit should be called the Corn Grass Minor Elf, but following the sessive births of Stick Corn, Oil Corn, and Corn, "Corn" had be arge family. This year''s harvest of Grain Corn, Oil Corn, and Stick Corn seeds had already been saved, waiting for extensive promotion and cultivation in the next spring nting season. Though their effects were yet unclear, there was no doubt that all three types of corn were excellent. Even if the variety wasn''t great, the Corn Grass itself was high-quality forage. The Corn Minor Elf had significant value. Carter quietly wiped the tears from the corner of his eyes andposed himself before asking, "Master, have you decided on a name for it?" Chapter 0481 The Cover-Sliding Maniac Reappears (Second Update) The name of the Corn Minor Elf had not yet been decided by Liszt. The name of Thorn Minor Elf J stemmed from "Rise of the Thorns," while the name of Mangrove Minor Elf Nami came from "Tidecaller." Both were heroes from "League of Legends", but it seemed there were no heroes rted to corn. "It''s not that there are none, for the explosives expert Jiggs does have a connection with corn¡ªexplosions, popcorn. However, Jiggs as a name is not shy enough, nor is it solid or vivid. Besides, I remember the steward of the Fruit Thief Monkey Training Ground is called Jiggs, so to use that name again would be awkward." Therefore. After thinking for a long time and not finding a suitable name, he simply made a random decision, "Just call it... Mickey." Why it was named Mickey, Liszt did not know. He had just thought of this name and decided to use it for the Corn Minor Elf¡ªgenerally in noble families, minor elves do not have names, and they are directly called by their Cordyceps names since there are too many of them. However, the Tulip Family had not yet reached such an affluent state, so every minor elf had a name. Naturally, Liszt also named his own minor elves. "My lord, I will spread the news of Mickey''s birth immediately," said Carter, somewhat eagerly. The birth of a minor elf was clearly another glorious asion worth a grand celebration. "Go ahead." However, before Carter could leave, the officials of the town hurriedly arrived at the castle. Isaiah, leading the officials, had received the patrol member''s notification and quickly rushed to the castle. "Mr. Carter, is the lord in the castle?" "Gentlemen, the lord is currently weing the birth of the Corn Minor Elf Mickey. I was just about to inform you all." "What? The Corn Minor Elf has been born?" The informed officials eximed in surprise, "My goodness, knightly glory has favored us, one marvelous event following another, all the glory converging upon the great lord we follow!" Just at that moment. Liszt came down from the second floor. On each shoulder was perched a minor elf. On his left shoulder sat a snow-white, pouting, and angry Thorn Minor Elf J; on his right shoulder was a pale yellow Corn Minor Elf Mickey, with a face of curiosity about its surroundings. It was a pity Nami wasn''t there; otherwise, there might have been one on top of his head as well. "Praise the lord!" "Praise the lord!" The officials quickly started bowing and saluting. Liszt said with a smile, "There is no need for such formalities. Let''s save the celebrations for the banquetter. Right now, I am more concerned with the development of the estate, especially the arrival of the new serfs, and the arrangements for the knights and their families." Isaiah stepped forward, "My lord, the knights that were taken in have already been led to ck Horse Ind by Captain Marcus. Except for a few Earth Knight instructors who remained in Fresh Flower Town, the other knights have gone to ck Horse Ind. Consultant Goltai also went to ck Horse Ind to settle the knights." "Then how are the serfs in Fresh Flower Town arranged?" "Following your instructions, Fresh Flower Town did not continue to reim wastnd. Most of the Cordyceps has been gradually moved to ck Horse Ind, so the new serfs in Fresh Flower Town are only temporarily arranged to live there, and tasked with repairing roads and wooden houses. They will gradually move to the new town on ck Horse Ind to farm once it is built." "You officials must ensure the procurement of supplies, to guarantee that the serfs can survive this winter. I will find a way to handle the matter of Gold Coins." "Yes, my lord." After receivingpliments from everyone and discussing government affairs for half an hour, Liszt dismissed the officials. It just so happened that the retainers and servants had already led the Blizzard Beasts back to Fresh Flower Town, so Liszt arranged for the Blizzard Beasts to be ced in dog kennels before leaving the castle for the Magic Workshop. He was in dire need of Magic Potions and urgently required Chris Truth to provide a new batch of them. He also came here to collect those Magic Books¡ªhaving given Chris many Gold Coins to purchase Magic Books, the pursuit of the achievement of the Cover-Sliding Maniac would continue. What if a new Dou Qi Secret Technique is hidden within the cover of one book? Sliding the cover doesn''t do any harm. When he arrived at the Magic Workshop, Chris wasn''t working, but sitting on a rocking chair in the cold wind, looking at a withering tree not far away, watching itsst leaf fall. "What are you thinking about?" Liszt''s voice interrupted Chris''s reverie. She hurried to her feet, "Viscount, have you returned? I heard you sessfully advanced to a Sky Knight, praise the lord, it is an impressive achievement indeed." "With both talent and hard work, bing a Sky Knight is only natural," Liszt said indifferently. In his own territory, he didn''t need to be modest. "Viscount, are you here to take the magic potion?" "I came to see you, to check on your training progress, and incidentally to take some magic books back for viewing. Only then will I take the magic potion," he said. Of course, his goal was the magic potion. But when speaking, there was no need to be so blunt; he could adjust the order appropriately. A sh of surprise crossed Chris''s face, then she replied, "Recently, I''ve been a bit unsettled, as if my understanding of the Magic Array has reached a critical point. But there are a few ces that I don''t quite understand, which need more careful thought." "Don''t be anxious. If there are any difficulties, you can tell me. I may not be a magician, but I can consult with other magicians." "If I really can''t solve it, I will ask for your help, Viscount." "So, how many magic books did Mr. Elkeson sell?" "I spent a total of thirty Gold Coins to buy three boxes of magic books, mostly theoretical notes. I also spent one hundred and thirty-six Gold Coins to purchase four types of advanced magic, along with eight types ofmon magic, among them was a high-level Light Magic - Shadow Projection, worth forty Gold Coins." These magic books were directly handed over to a servant to carry to the castle. Only then did they start to transfer the magic potions. Chris was very fast at making magic potions, as long as the materials could keep up, and the losses during production were quite low. However, it was clear that the magic potion materials produced by the domain were still too few. The potions she had made recently ounted for only a small batch. It wouldn''t be enough for even half a month''s training for Liszt. Therefore, he still needed to spend Gold Coins to buy potions from outside, even though it was painful. But for the sake of training, it was a necessary expenditure ¨C fortunately, the final payment for the sale of the ck Pearls would be received soon, as well as the earnings from the Fresh Flower Brew. The production of ss was also on the agenda. Otherwise, Liszt would really struggle to face the gold-devouring maw of his domain''s construction. ... He took the magic potions. Returned to the castle. Liszt immediately began the Cover-Sliding Maniac achievement. The castle''s library was now full to the brim with shelves upon shelves of books, looking like the study of a learned schr. But in reality, besides the covers showing creases, half of all the knight''s novels and magic books were brand new. One book, two books, three books¡­ He was like a busy little bee, constantly slicing open covers, searching for possible hiddenyers and metallic papers.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om Hoping to find another Dou Qi Secret Technique. Unfortunately, his hopes were dashed by the time he sat down for dinner, having sliced open the cover of every book with no hiddenyers found. He sighed, "Without the guidance of a Smoke Mission, it indeed isn''t reliable. It seems I must set off for ck Horse Ind immediately tomorrow, outline the new town, andplete this phase of the Smoke Mission." Chapter 482 Ach and the Sea Elf Bugs (Third Update, 210,000 Recommended Votes Bonus) The banquet was lively, although officials and knights from ck Horse Ind did not appear, the officials and knights from Fresh Flower Town alone were enough to keep the castle bustling all night. However. On his own territory, Liszt seldom drank, his dignity became ever more palpable, and when he did not wish to drink, his followers dared not urge him to do so. There was another matter worth mentioning at the banquet. His personal guard Paris formally pledged her loyalty to him, bing one of the many followers. Liszt personally appointed her as the captain of the ck Horse Ind Patrol Knight Order¡ªParis''s strength ensured that even if the Earth Knights envied her high position, they dared not provoke her. After all, she was one of the few in the territory with the strength of an Elite Earth Knight, a force to be reckoned with even among veteran Elite Earth Knights. Even though Paris was a woman. This world did not adhere to concepts such as the three obediences and four virtues; female knights were not few in number, and women''s status in society was not necessarily much worse than men''s. However, in the high-endbat forces, there were few women, with most women taking on the roles of managing territories. Men charged into battle, while women managed estates. This was the standard arrangement. Paris, having be a follower, was already preparing to pack her things. She would set off early the next morning to follow Liszt to ck Horse Ind, where she would settle for a long period toe, taking up her duties.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om Looking at Paris, who had already adopted the form of address between superior and subordinate when speaking. Liszt felt somewhat mncholic. The knightly system was a society with very clear distinctions between superior and inferior, and here the definition of "friend" was more like a partner who could bring mutual benefits. Since Liszt arrived in this world, he had not really made a single true friend. Butler Carter was his confidant, closer than family but not a friend. Consultant Goltai was his teacher as well as an advisor to the territory, but only a follower. Captain Marcus, likewise a teacher, was also a follower. Levis was a brother, Meioubao a cousin; neither could be considered friends. Sea Sprite Ake was his sister but honestly, their rtionship was somewhere between siblings and lovers, even carrying a twisted sense of owner and pet, yet it was certainly not friendship. Only Paris, with her initial disdain for nobles, could have developed into a friend. s, sometimes due to gender attraction, vague ambiguities can arise, making normalmunication difficult to maintain over time. But to cross that line was not the result Liszt desired; he had no such considerations at the moment, and so he decisively cut the Gordian knot. He did not want to be entangled in emotional affairs. Dragon-riding was the focus of his life. ¡­ After the banquet ended, he took Douson and the two little minor elves with him to the Sea View Vi. The vi''s lights were still on, yet Ake''s figure did not appear. He blew the horn for quite some time, still without response from Ake. "Ake doesn''t know where she''s gone off to, it seems I won''t see her tonight." But just as he was about to turn back, familiar horn sounds rang out from the sea¡ªAke responding. Momentster, Liszt saw the greatly missed sea sprite, still as beautiful as ever, untouched by the passage of time. "Brother!" Ake flung herself directly into Liszt''s arms. Her petite yet full figure sparked an inappropriate reaction in Liszt instantaneously¡ªeven in winter, Ake needed no clothes, her body was somewhat cool but very soft. She had already mastered the skill of manipting water streams, avoiding getting Liszt''s clothes wet upon contact. Therefore. During the embrace, it was as if the water streams did not exist, and her body pressed tightly against Liszt''s clothes. ``` With that thought, Liszt felt his body about to lose control and could only recite "a minimum of three years, up to the death penalty" in his head while circting his Dou Qi to suppress his bodily reactions. It took quite an effort before he finally managed to keep himself under control and did not reveal the restlessness in his heart. "Chirp." The Mangrove Minor Elf was flying nearby, and seeing Ake happy, it too became cheerful. However, its expression quickly froze because it saw Thorn Minor Elf J, her face full of malevolence, staring at it with her eyes wide open and fists clenched, her threatening intent unmistakable. This made Nami involuntarily recall the first time they met when J had roughly pped it. Leaving behind a deeply ingrained shadow. It shrunk its neck andy down on Ake''s back, warily casting nces at J. Then, it shifted its gaze towards another Minor Elf, Mickey the Corn Minor Elf. Mickey was a gentle Minor Elf, and after chirping "chirp, chirp" a few times, slowly flew towards Nami. Then, the two Minor Elves circled each other, drawing circles in a clearly friendly first encounter. But that was limited to just a friendly greeting. Elves are not social creatures, nor do they possess abundant social emotions. They are more dependent on their contracted masters. ... "Brother, Ake has so many things to tell you." After the embrace, they could finally have a normal conversation, and Ake quickly bounced around excitedly, taking out five Elf Bugs from a seashell as if presenting treasures! "This..." Liszt was so surprised he was almost at a loss for words. The five Elf Bugs wereid out on the table, colored yellow-brown, purple-brown, pink, greenish-yellow, and dark brown. All were roughly simr, with two small gills behind their heads suitable for living in water. "Ake, where did you get so many Elf Bugs? Have you contracted them all?" "These are all Elf Bugs from the deep sea, so Ake contracted them. However, Ake also found two more Elf Bugs in the Mangrove Forest by the sea, waiting for Brother to contract them." Five contracted. Two uncontracted. That is to say, Ake had already brought him seven Elf Bugs. Adding Nami and that Kelp Bug, in such a short time, Ake had brought him one Minor Elf and eight Elf Bugs, practically wholesaling Elves. However, Liszt soon realized he had misunderstood one of the Elf Bugs. The yellow-brown one was the previous Kelp Bug. Ake also brought the remaining four Elf Bugs, showing what their corresponding marine nts looked like. The purple-brown Elf Bug originated from a wrinkled sheet-like algae which looked a bit like the seaweed Liszt had eaten in seaweed egg soup¡ªthis Elf Bug could be called "Laver Bug" for now. The pink Elf Bug originated from a translucent, gtinous red nt that grew on rocks, resembling red flowers blooming on the rocks, probably also a kind of algae¡ªthis Elf Bug could be called "Redstone Flower Bug" for now. The greenish-yellow Elf Bug originated from a kind of algae often seen in the waters of Fresh Flower Town, which the fishermen of Oyster Vige call horsetail algae¡ªthis Elf Bug could naturally be called "Horsetail Bug". The dark brown Elf Bug could also be found on the rocks at the seaside when the tide was low, known to the fishermen as ink horn algae¡ªthis Elf Bug should be named "Inkangle Bug". Kelp Bug, Laver Bug, Redstone Flower Bug, Horsetail Bug, Inkangle Bug. Five marine Elf Bugs expanded Liszt''s horizons: "These marine Elf Bugs all seem to have gills, and they all originate from algae nts? Are Elf Bugs born from algae nts all like this?" There was no way to start the marine breeding industry for now. Liszt then asked Ake, "Where are the other two Elf Bugs?" "One is in Nami''s hometown, in the Mangrove Forest of Mangrove Ind, a newly bred Elf Bug. The other is in the seas farther north of ck Horse Ind, where there is also a very small ind with arge mangrove forest. It was Nami who discovered that Elf Bug." ``` The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!