The Mighty Dragons Are Dead

Liszt pondered.

Anything related to the soul is never devoid of evil.

Previously, during the great battle with the Ghost Ship, he had obtained the Soul Submerged Wood from Curtis Truth, tainted with the resentment of countless people—after all, it was made through the sacrifice of an entire ship’s crew; the Soul Disturbing Agent obtained from Merlese Truth was also extracted from the blood of the dead.

The triangular theory of magic power, materials, and spirit inherent to magicians naturally pushes them toward the exploration of the spiritual realm—the soul.

Liszt, too, wanted to know the meaning of the soul, but he was more keen on living a comfortable life.

He was now pondering in what manner this Soul Storage Vessel would present itself before him, “Currently, there are two magicians in town, Elkerson is making Magic Potions, and Granney has been invited by me to redesign the new Calming Sea Pearls, to be equipped on the soon-to-be launched Thorn Number.”

So he guessed.

The Soul Storage Vessel would either come from Elkerson or Granney.

As for how he would obtain it, it was still unclear. But if neither of them offered it up voluntarily, he would make a thorough inquiry, unwilling to let his reward fall into someone else’s hands.

In the midst of thinking.

The Smoke Serpent Script had already morphed.

“Mission: The wheat leaves in Little Wheat Village turned yellow and withered, right near the Little Wheat Elf Bug’s Cordyceps; despite the farmers’ desperate efforts to water and pile on compost, it was ineffective, and even burned a batch of wheat seedlings. As the Landlord, it’s incumbent on you to solve the problem. Reward: An Elf Bug.”

After reading the mission, Liszt understood that a new Little Wheat Bug was about to emerge in Little Wheat Village.

Indeed, with the arrival of spring, everything came to life, and the Elf Bugs of Fresh Flower Town were also nurturing new life. The wilting of the wheat leaves must be due to the Elf Bugs requring large amounts of nutrients during their nurturing period, yet even with the farmers’ desperate fertilization, they could not prevent the wheat leaves from continuing to yellow and wither.

“Why is this happening?”

As inspiration sparked in his mind, he swiftly arrived at the Worm Room on the second floor.

In the large box where the Elves lived, Jela monopolized the central position, with a dozen Elf Bugs crawling around it pointlessly.

Occasionally licking up some Jade Powder.

Living quite a cozy life.

Yet among them, there was a discordant Elf Bug—the Little Wheat Bug.

At the moment, it appeared quite restless and through the heart-mind contract connection, Liszt could feel its inner world. Though not quite clear, the message was adequately conveyed. It was agitated and even developed a slight hostility due to some matters.

“Little guy, come here.” He extended his hand, inviting the Little Wheat Bug to crawl onto it.

At that moment, the sleeping Jela suddenly woke up, snatched the Little Wheat Bug from Liszt’s hand, and put it back into the box: “Wah!”

There was no special meaning, just mischief.

You’re immediately met by Liszt’s stern Finger-Flick Magic, sulking in the corner with its head covered: “Wah, wah…”

“You better behave yourself, I’m going to take care of your hide soon!” Liszt picked up the Little Wheat Bug again, not before dropping a harsh threat.

“Wah!” Jela protested, not believing it was being mischievous.

Liszt pointed at it: “Mind your hide!”

“Wuwaa!”

“Wuwaa!”

“Wuwaa!”

Amid Jela’s protests, Liszt left the Worm Room and hurried towards Little Wheat Village. Just as he arrived, he saw Isaiah discussing something with the serfs in the field.

After the exchange of greetings,

Liszt knew they must be dealing with the wheat seedlings turning yellow, but he still couldn’t help asking, “What are you doing?”

Isaiah quickly replied, “My lord, there’s been an issue with the wheat seedlings in Little Wheat Village, particularly near the cordyceps. The leaves are gradually yellowing, and it started just a couple of days ago. At first, I thought there was an issue with the cordyceps, but they’re still healthy. I even asked Mr. Carter, and he told me the Little Wheat Bugs are healthy as well.”

He then wondered if it was a nutrient deficiency, even contemplating if it could be related to the incubation of Elf Bugs.

But using fertilizer did not help, leaving him puzzled, “If I cannot resolve this, I was preparing to seek your counsel, my lord, as I am powerless to face this situation.”

Agricultural anomalies in Fresh Flower Town should be reported directly to the Castle.

Because every anomaly might relate to the incubation of Elf Bugs, but after many false alarms, Liszt canceled this protocol—the occurrence of anomalies in farming is too common and most of them have nothing to do with Elf Bugs. Apart from the alerts provided by the Smoke Mission, not once was there an extra harvest.

“I have understood.” Liszt did not blame Isaiah. Without the help of the Smoke Mission, his own management of the town would not necessarily be better than Isaiah and the others’, especially in the face of this special situation, “I think a new Little Wheat Bug has been born here, but its location is somewhat conflicting, right near the Little Wheat Cordyceps… so, the two Little Wheat Bugs are competing, causing the yellowing of wheat around them.”

Friction between Elves is indeed rare, but it does not mean that they are all friendly towards each other.

The slap Jela gave Nami is clear evidence of that.

The existing Little Wheat Bug clearly does not have friendly intentions toward the upcoming one, hence the current problem.

Liszt took a simple approach to resolve it, “Little fellow, retrieve your cordyceps.”

The anxious Little Wheat Bug couldn’t resist Liszt’s thought.

It quickly aimed at its cordyceps and spat out a mouthful of Magic Power. Then, the cordyceps reverted its growth at a visible speed, quickly turning back into a wheat seed and being swallowed by the Little Wheat Bug.

“I will move the Little Wheat Cordyceps elsewhere. You all must manage this wheat field carefully. If there are excess nutrients, use less fertilizer, if there’s a deficiency, apply more. Watering and weeding must be done diligently. Don’t let my second Little Wheat Bug die young.”

“Rest assured my lord, I will personally supervise the serfs in caring for this wheat field.”

The Elf Bug’s cordyceps would at most affect a range of a hundred acres or so. Therefore, in another wheat field, Liszt chose a relatively good spot and allowed the Little Wheat Bug to spit out its cordyceps again.

The seed touched the ground.

Growing visibly once more, it quickly turned lush green and sprouted ears of wheat. The ears were green, and they would remain perpetually in that almost-ripe state.

The magical cordyceps, never a normal plant, resembles the incarnation of Magic Power more than anything else.

After moving its cordyceps, the Little Wheat Bug felt waves of exhaustion. Cordyceps are not supposed to be moved frequently, for every casting by an Elf Bug takes a heavy toll on its vitality.

Fortunately, Jade Powder can repair this damage.

After a while, it would be lively and invigorated once again.

“If it weren’t for the new Little Wheat Bug, I definitely would not have moved the cordyceps. While vitality can be restored, there is no direct evidence to show that moving the cordyceps won’t damage the Elf Bug’s evolution probability,” Liszt said, stroking the Little Wheat Bug’s golden yellow body with a trace of apology, “Little fellow, I hope this doesn’t affect your evolution.”