The Mighty Dragons Are Dead

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The letter had been dealt with, but the Smoke Mission had not been updated. Clearly, it would only be considered complete 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 melancholic, 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 melancholy was fleeting.

Soon, he returned to his usual composed state of mind—letting 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 to come 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, Flame, 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 “Flaming 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 clad 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.

According to Teacher Marcus’s teachings, an Earth Knight only needed to master the basics of two arrows released together and two arrows crossing to become a sharpshooter and showcase their formidable strength on the battlefield. But Liszt was not satisfied; he had now successfully 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 planned 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 I command 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 his combat 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 Jela, 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 to come to the study.”

“`

A moment later.

He saw Marcus, “Is everything on Black Horse Island 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 been completed, and we are now preparing to build the warehouse district for Black Horse Port.”

Black Horse Port is an important harbor for the construction of Black Horse Island; all materials must go through Black Horse Port, so a large 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 of compost 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 the last time, he had Kostor carry a considerable amount of compost 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 accidents to occur 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 Black Horse Island?”

“That task falls to Lasse. He has traversed the entire island where there are trees and has come up with an exact number—there 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 a large number.

“How’s the research on rubber from the rubber trees coming 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 a layer 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 the command.

Liszt then remembered something else, “By the way, have you extracted the bee toxin?”

“It has been extracted.” Marcus carefully placed 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 a large 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—no wonder those sixteen serfs were all stung to death just for being lazy 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.

“`