The Mighty Dragons Are Dead

This chapter is a special addition rewarded for the "Admiring Flowers and Jewels" contribution.

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Despite his disfavor towards Lidun, Liszt did answer his questions about cultivation practices when he asked. The reason for his disfavor was mostly due to the previous occupant of his body's memories—memories where Lidun showed no favor to his predecessor and the predecessor similarly disliked Lidun.

However, as his horizons broadened and he adopted a more detached view of the world, he no longer cared about the petty squabbles between siblings.

In fact, he was quite looking forward to the day Lidun would also become a Sky Knight.

If the Tulip Family could boast four Sky Knights from a single lineage, that would indeed be interesting, especially since if he decided to establish his own nation, his family would be a significant support.

A short while later, Li Vera had already hurried to the Castle accompanying Lady Penelope.

The first thing the elderly lady said to Liszt was, "When you return, remember to pick a potted plant from my Castle to take back with you."

"Grandmother, how many new potted plants have you cultivated?" Liszt asked with a smile.

With the foundation provided by the Dragon Hollyhock Bug, the Fig Bug, and the Green Yuanbao Bug, Lady Penelope had become utterly obsessed with her potted plants, unable to extricate herself. At first, it might have been about saving on gifts with the ruse of potted plants, but now it seemed she was indeed somewhat fanatical.

She truly believed that cultivating potted plants had a high probability of producing Elf Bugs.

When it came to potted plants, she expressed great excitement, "I've recently taken a liking to succulents; I've found they are very easy to keep alive. Each one is healthy, plump, and succulent. My cactus is about to bloom."

"Then I must take one with me," Liszt assured her.

The rest of their conversation was all casual chat.

First, they talked about the green-haired silk, with everyone singing its praises. They believed that inciting nobility to a frenzy was just a matter of time. Then, they spoke about a few new stage plays performed by the Black Horse Island Drama Troupe which had become must-see events for the nobility of Coral City.

Many comedy troupes began to imitate the Black Horse Island Drama Troupe and gradually switched to stage plays.

However, they primarily copied the plays of the Black Horse Island Drama Troupe without the ability to create original work. Adapting a classic play is not an easy task. Only Liszt occasionally had the leisure and interest to pick out suitable Knight's Novels and let Avril Mask adapt them.

There was no helping it.

On the whole of Coral Island, he was probably the one who read the most Knight's Novels.

As for how to adapt a Knight's Novel, he held an authoritative voice, knowing exactly what kind of plots people loved to watch.

...

By evening, the Earl and his wife had finally returned from Coral City, and not long after, the dinner began. At the dinner, the Earl spoke about preparations for this year's Pioneer Mandate, according to the messages from the Court Envoy, the Grand Duke might be preparing to launch a longer Pioneer Mandate this year.

"Now that both you and I are Sky Knights, we add the Blizzard Beast Squad for besieging, and I believe the military exploits we can contend for won't be worse than those few Marquises," he said with confidence, "To take the initiative in the competition for noble titles this year, we can't keep a low profile during the Pioneer Mandate anymore."

Last year during the Pioneer Mandate, after capturing an Earl's Castle, the Coral Island Knights ceased their campaign, afraid of attracting too much attention.

If they drew the attack of multiple Sky Knights, just Li Weiliam as the Sea Wave Sword Saint would find it hard to hold on.

But this year was different with Liszt. Others might not know, but Li Weiliam was very aware that Liszt's combat abilities far surpassed his own. Combined, they could handle most situations.

So.

It was time to make a bold show.

Liszt nodded, replying, "I'll do my utmost to help you, Father, compete for military merits. However, I hope that the family fleet can provide more support in transporting serfs. My territory is undergoing major development and requires a large number of serfs. During this year's Pioneer Mandate, I plan to primarily accept serfs."

"How many serfs are you preparing to transport?"

"At least twenty thousand. If we can obtain a considerable amount of food, I hope to bring back thirty thousand serfs."

Black Horse Island has many industries and, given the potential for territorial development, it can easily accommodate one hundred thousand residents. However, the main constraint is food—relying solely on farming and fishing obviously isn't enough to cover the deficit. Now, with a population of over thirty thousand, the territory is just about able to feed its people day to day.

If another twenty thousand serfs are to be transported back, resources must be gathered from all aspects—seafood, for instance, has the potential to be further exploited. Kelp and giant algae are edible; while giant algae taste poor, they can at least replace fodder for livestock. Additionally, with the mass production of single-masted sailboats, offshore fishing is on the rise.

Eating fish alone is not ideal, but it can be exchanged with Tulip Castle for grains.

In summary, according to the calculations of territory officers, an extra twenty thousand serfs would not result in famine within the territory. But any more than that would be unmanageable without the importation of a substantial amount of food from outside.

The Earl was surprised, "Transport thirty thousand serfs? That's no small number. Jonas and Trick's territories have total populations of sixty thousand and fifty thousand, respectively. Your territory has been developed for less than a year, and its population is set to exceed theirs. Are you certain that your territory can absorb this growth?"

"The current population of our territory is over thirty-five thousand one hundred. Accommodating another twenty thousand won't be an issue. With food, even thirty thousand is a trivial matter."

"As long as you're confident. I will arrange for the family's fleet to prioritize our main transport capacity towards you."

At this point, Levis joined the conversation, "Liszt, your Black Horse Island has also accumulated quite a few double-masted cargo ships, right? They can be combined with the family fleet for a joint expedition."

"My fleet is too small; currently, there are only fifteen ships. I must leave at least seven to meet the needs of the territory's shipping, so only eight can be merged with the family fleet."

"Eight ships are still a significant transport capacity."

"Then it's settled."

And so it was agreed.

The discussion continued until the banquet ended.

The Earl had convened this family dinner mainly to brief Liszt briefly, giving himself a basis for confidence before he went to Azure Sky Peak Palace to discuss how to participate in the Pioneer Mandate.

Come evening.

The father and son spent some time alone in the study again.

The main topic was the Earl's inquiry, "Liszt, how has your strength progressed?"

"I feel I've made significant advancements, reaching new levels every day. My current strength should far surpass that of a Sky Knight at the Completion Level. Hunting the Boot Beak Giant Stork wasn't very difficult."

"You've become this powerful?"

"Yes, Father. Do you need to take that into consideration?" Discover hidden content at empire

"Never mind that." The Earl coughed and shifted the topic, "Speaking of this Boot Beak Giant Stork, I think it must have killed the Purple Sand Crocodile on the island. I went to examine the crocodile's habitat and saw signs of a fierce battle... I was planning to wait for the Purple Sand Crocodile to breed, but it was destroyed by this large bird."

Although in the end, Liszt consumed the meat, it was indeed the Boot Beak Giant Stork who killed the Purple Sand Crocodile—Liszt just watched.

He felt slightly uneasy.

After some thought, he said, "If I get the chance, I'll take a stroll through the forests on the mainland. If I encounter any suitable Magical Beasts, I will capture one for you, Father."

The Earl raised an eyebrow, "You would trouble yourself for that?"

"It is what I should do."

The father and son looked at each other and smiled, a warm moment, although what each was thinking in that instant, nobody knew.