The Mighty Dragons Are Dead

After much effort, the flames 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 Blast 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 ninety percent of the story was true.

Even now, the Vulture Family might still exist within the Blast 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,” Liszt lamented 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 hidden layer within the cover.

With a flick of his finger, the cover started to flake and fall off in pieces, revealing the golden color inside.

“Indeed, a hidden layer!” Liszt’s disappointment was replaced by surprise, “This must be one of the so-called forgotten Dou Qi secret techniques!”

Earlier that day, having completed the Little Wheat Bug mission, he received his mission rewards by nightfall; everything was so natural.

After rubbing away the cover completely, he found nestled within it a gold-leaf paper the size of the palm— 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 circulation within the human body.

“Magic Eye Dou Qi Secret Technique – Stephan Vulture,” was written at the top of the gold leaf in larger 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’—could there be something else hidden within?”

To test his theory, he sliced a cut along the cover of each novel.

But no other hidden layers were found.

Clearly, this was the only Dou Qi secret technique.

“‘The Eye of Magic’ has intricate content, involving remarkably complex and intricate Dou Qi circulation, much more complicated 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 “Flame Wave” and “Fire Dragon Drill.” He was also preparing to learn archery from Marcus—preferring ranged attacks to close combat.

“Should I postpone learning ‘The Eye of Magic’?” As soon as the thought occurred, 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 circulation 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 place.

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 likewise commanded his men to excavate a tunnel, the entrance of which was disguised as a bunker.

In his plan, 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 would come 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 contemplating, ensuring that nothing was overlooked.

“If it really is about completing missions, and rewards start to be distributed, it means that after I place the Thorn Bugs, the Formless Dragon will come to Fresh Flower Town… Is it the Smoke Mission that controls the Formless Dragon, or is it merely a coincidental guide? Can I try placing 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 to complete 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 according 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 place the Thorn Bug within that Thorn Forest? That forest isn’t very large, not an ideal place for placement.”

“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 quite complex, but with his keen understanding, he soon fumbled his way to the trick of it.

To put it plainly, 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 non-combative 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?”