The Mighty Dragons Are Dead

"I surrender!"

Just as Liszt had expected, when he stepped past the surrounding knights and stood before Count Egret, this Earth Attribute Sword Saint threw away his longsword in a very straightforward manner.

"A wise man submits to the circumstances. I'm starting to appreciate you. Now, please go to the cell and stay there for a few days. After we both have taken ample time to think things over carefully, we shall discuss the matter of your ransom," Liszt said with gentle elegance. Since the other party did not resist, he naturally maintained his own dignity.

And so,

As night fell, a battle that was predetermined in its conclusion came to a quiet end, and the castle's dungeons were filled to capacity.

Sitting in the main seat of the castle hall, Liszt casually ordered, "Captain Marcus, send someone to inform Sir Mesiro to arrange for the Knight Order to take over Egret Castle. This castle controls the confluence of the Three Dragon River and the Roaring River. We must treat it with the utmost care to ensure the Golden Waterway remains unobstructed."

"Yes, my lord!" Marcus responded with excitement.

He was fortunate to know Liszt's plans, and so he had been in a state of excitement for several days. The military exploits from capturing the iron mines were bound to benefit a large number of knights, and he was almost certain that he would be promoted to nobility, becoming an Honored Knight. Moreover, due to the considerable military achievements, it might not take many years for him to ascend smoothly to the rank of Baron.

Liszt was not a miserly landlord when it came to rewarding his subordinates for their military exploits; he was always generous.

Marcus was well aware of this!

Liszt, who sat in the main seat, took a sip of tea and then continued, "Gentlemen, although we have taken Egret Castle, and Three Dragons City becomes our resource-gathering field, you must understand that neither the city nor the castle is our ultimate goal. Rest for the night, and tomorrow we continue moving forward!"

"Yes, my lord!"

"Now, all of you go and rest. Let's forgo the celebration feast tonight. When our real purpose is achieved, we can enjoy banquets every day, and the richness of the military exploits will drive you mad!"

The inspired leaders of the Knight Order respectfully bowed and left.

At that moment, a bat flew in from the outside window, quickly transforming into Bloody Mary dressed in leather pants, a leather jacket, and a black cloak—she had already donned Tuobert's cloak over herself. The oversized cloak completely hid her voluptuous figure; she had decided to rise through the ranks by ability, not by beauty.

Of course, the main reason was that beauty was ineffective.

Her personal style also began to turn from seductive to serious, "My lord, Mary reports to you."

"Mhm." Liszt was slightly disappointed by the conservative Bloody Mary. Although the female vampire was getting on in years, her figure and skin were well-maintained and could be pleasing to the eye—he regretted giving her Tuobert's cloak as a reward, ruining a potential spectacle.

"We have already locked down Egret Castle, including the tunnels beneath the castle which we have discovered and are guarding. Several knights and rats who tried to send messages outside have been killed. Hamil and the others are still blocking the paths out to ensure no information leaks from Egret Castle."

"Very well," Liszt stood up, "Next, hand over the lockdown task to the Knight Order on night duty, and let's begin the hunting plan!"

Bloody Mary unconsciously licked her lips, "As you wish, my lord!"

...

The dark night is a vampire's favorite environment.

There is no sunlight to burn them, just endless shadows that allow them to move freely in any corner.

Three Dragons City is approximately two hundred and fifty kilometers away from Lock Dragon City, with a large expanse of mountains lying between them. One of these mountain ranges is called Trapped Dragon Mountain.

Here lay vast valleys and never-ending excavation of iron mines—the origin of the mines revealed by the mountain's name. Once upon a time, a Malleable Cast Iron Dragon or a White Maw Iron Dragon became trapped here and continually infected the mountain range, eventually resulting in an abundance of iron mines.

Fomuir Black Knight was savoring the flavor of virginity within a castle at Trapped Dragon Mountain.

His duty was that of a supervisor, overseeing the iron ore mining at Trapped Dragon Mountain.

Because his master, Summit Marquis Alonso Xiankelai, had already ridden a Bronze Dragon to the border battlefield to confront the Dragon Knights of Steel Ridge Kingdom. The Knight Order of his family had also gone to the border to participate in the war and could not escort the convoy transporting the iron ore. Thus, the massively mined iron ores were piled up in the valley, waiting for the war to end before being guarded and transported.

Even within the territory of Eagle Kingdom, there were still reckless Mercenary Corps that would attack and plunder the iron mines.

Behind these audacious mercenary corps could be other Dragon Knights or aspiring Dragon Knights. Or perhaps some longstanding noble forces, up to and including some royals, vassals, and enemy states providing secret support. The nearly thousand-year-old Eagle Kingdom was no longer harmonious.

Just dealing with the power struggles and conflicts within the kingdom itself consumed vast amounts of energy.

Add to this the annual warfare initiated by Steel Ridge Kingdom, never giving Eagle Kingdom a moment's respite; the Sapphire Pirates, though weak, were like bone-clinging maggots, always able to leech blood and flesh.

The seemingly powerful kingdom.

Was actually finding it increasingly difficult to maintain its vast territories.

But none of this impeded Fomuir from living a life of debauchery on Trapped Dragon Mountain. As an original pureblood of the Black Knight Family, he enjoyed ample family resources and absolute authority. Tasting a few virgins outside was not a problem at all—in fact, he and his original pureblood partner were each playing their own games.

Just as he had barely started moving for a few seconds, there was a knock on the door.

However, he paid no attention—with his authority here at Trapped Dragon Mountain, even the two stationed Sky Knights held no greater power than him, for he was the eyes of Alonso.

So it was. Discover stories at My Virtual Library Empire

After persisting for a minute, Fomuir's body trembled and he ceased his movements.

At this point, the knocking outside the door resumed, and he lazily called out from the bed, "Come in."

The one who entered was one of his followers, a mixed-blood Vampire: "My lord, Sir Tuobert has sent Bloody Mary to visit you. She is waiting in the living room."

"Tuobert? Didn't that guy go to Sapphire? He completed his task so quickly? Bring Bloody Mary here."

Soon Bloody Mary arrived in the bedroom. She showed no curiosity towards the girl lying on the bed, looking directly at Fomuir, who was half-covered with his sleeping gown: "Lord Fomuir, Sir Tuobert has returned from Iron Hoof Island and is currently recuperating in the mountains, not far from here. He suffered some minor injuries on Iron Hoof Island."

"Why didn't he come to Lock Dragon Castle?"

"Hehe, Lord Fomuir, you must be joking. This is your territory."

Fomuir was very smug: "Haha, Bloody Mary, you do have a way with words! That fellow Tuobert definitely does not dare to come to my turf, afraid I'd eat his heart. Speaking of which, if it wasn't for me sparing him once ten years ago, how could he have had the chance to become a pureblood."

"Indeed, what the lord says is right. Sir Tuobert hopes you will meet with him on the opposite mountain. He has some clues about the investigation on Iron Hoof Island and hopes to discuss with you first before deciding on how to report to Prince Alonso... This is his token." Bloody Mary handed over the token of Tuobert that she had prepared in advance.

"Hmph, at least he knows his manners!"

Glancing at the token and then tossing it back to Bloody Mary, Fomuir proudly raised his head, a pale face wearing a smug smile: "Let's go. Speaking of which, he's something like my brother-in-law. It's a good time to give him some advice."