The Mighty Dragons Are Dead

Therefore, after Liszt had planned out the Snake-Slaying 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 too complicated, but it was undulating, with high and low areas. Liszt searched carefully and had roughly sketched out a plan for the riverbed. This area didn’t belong to Fresh Flower Town, but the surrounding land 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 plan 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 Island, 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 Black Horse Island. 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 succeed, 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, and complete the work quickly.”

With no other choice.

Goltai could only accept 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 only laid 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 plan… 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 accomplished.” She said with ease, “I’ve found out about the Magic Books. Elkerson is not an issue. The issue is with another Magician he collaborates 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 islands. 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 flayed 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 flaying 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 accidental 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 miscellaneous 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 planned to give the amplifying Magic Equipment to Ach, arming him further.

Paris accepted 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 plan to hunt an Intermediate Sea Monster, the Six-Headed King Serpent. I hope you can participate when the time comes. 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.”