The Mighty Dragons Are Dead

The rocking carriage jostled Liszt to the brink of sleepiness.

From Sea Crab City, he had endured a bumpy ride to Redstone City, where he spent a night. By dawn, after another two hours of travel, they finally saw Long Taro Castle standing halfway up the mountain.

Long Taro Castle was almost four times the size of Tulip Castle, with arrow towers that soared to a height of one to two hundred meters. Its location on the mountainside almost merged the castle with the mountain range.

Liszt had once traveled from his hometown, Earth, to visit Neuschwanstein Castle in Europe.

The majesty of Neuschwanstein Castle was comparable to Tulip Castle, save for the latter’s precipitous cliffs. However, compared to Long Taro Castle in front of him, Neuschwanstein seemed modest in scale. Long Taro Castle alone bore the grandeur rivaling The Lord of the Rings’ White City.

Below the castle lay a city.

The carriage didn’t need to go through the city, taking a rather steep mountain road directly towards the castle instead. Midway, it was spotted and approached by the Knight Squad of Long Taro Castle. Learning that they were relatives of the Tulip Family, the Knight Squad immediately escorted the carriage to the castle.

And one knight sprinted up the mountain to inform them ahead of time.

Thus, when the carriage arrived at the castle’s entrance, the heir to Long Taro Castle, the three siblings’ cousin Meioubao Taro, was already awaiting them with servants.

“Levis, Li Vera, Liszt,” said Meioubao Taro, who was handsome and graceful, with sapphire-like eyes shining exceptionally bright, “I received the letter and have been waiting a long time. Was your journey smooth?”

Liszt had to admit.

This cousin, both in looks and demeanor, was quite outstanding, almost on par with himself. Standing together, he looked more like a brother to Liszt than Levis did.

“Cousin Meioubao, everything went smoothly.”

“Cousin, you’ve become even more beautiful than last year.”

“Thank you for the compliment, cousin, but compared to your handsome features, it always feels like mockery,” Li Vera said half-jokingly and half-seriously to Meioubao Taro.

Meioubao Taro laughed heartily, “I can’t refuse this, right, Liszt?” The second part was addressed to Liszt.

Liszt gave a slight smile.

Finally, he confirmed that Li Vera had been teasing him all these years out of jealousy for his looks: “Cousin speaks the truth.”

“Haha, indeed, heroes share common views. Let’s go inside the castle. Father is overseeing this quarter’s tax collection on foreign land and has yet to return. Grandfather is recuperating his health but was very pleased to hear of your arrival.”

“How is grandfather’s health now?”

Meioubao Taro sighed, “Grandfather’s illness is a complication arising from the recurrence of an old injury. It fluctuates; sometimes it’s better, sometimes worse. The Grand Duke has already sent the Court’s physician to treat him — I believe he will recover.”

In the opulent bedroom, sitting on the bed was the master of Red Crab Island, one of the seven marquises of the Grand Duchy, former captain of the Court Fleet, the most venerable person in Long Taro Castle.

Merlin Taro.

He was a septuagenarian, his pale, wrinkled face still retaining its long-cultivated dignity, but fail to conceal the frailty brought on by age and illness.

Even as a former Sky Knight capable of leaping into the air, he was not immune to the ravages of time.

His sapphire-blue eyes had already turned cloudy, not to mention a head of white hair.

He lay quietly against the headboard, with a low tea table on his quilt-covered legs, laboriously writing with an ink-dipped quill on a sheet of thick paper.

The age spots on his face were particularly noticeable.

“My lord, Young Master Sun has already brought the three young masters and miss of the Tulip Family into the castle,” the butler, almost as old as Marquis Merlin himself, didn’t bear to disturb him and spoke in an especially soft voice.

Marquis Merlin’s pen tip hesitated slightly, then he continued writing, not lifting his head, “Melissa’s children? Then let them come and visit this old man, half buried in the grave.”

“My lord, you are only temporarily indisposed, and you will recover soon. You’ve said that you would live to a hundred, outlasting that old scoundrel Marquis Wallace from next door,” the butler said.

“Ha ha, I also threatened the Grand Duke’s Sapphire Dragon, saying that if it didn’t make me the Dragon Domain Landlord, I would slaughter it. However, it was to no avail; this time, I’m afraid I’ve lost to that old undying fellow,” Marquis Merlin laughed heartily, quickly finishing the last few words, and put down his pen.

The servants attending beside him immediately carried away the tea table.

The old butler supported the marquis, leaning him towards the head of the bed to sit more comfortably. He then bent down to straighten the red tie at the marquis’s chest.

A servant brought a bronze mirror.

Other servants handed over water, towels, and hair clips, serving the marquis in turn.

The marquis meticulously groomed his appearance, quickly transforming from a frail old man back to a figure of authority, and then, he waited.

Hearing familiar footsteps outside the door, his murky eyes couldn’t help but shine a bit of light.

Which was quickly concealed again.

Meioubao was leading the three siblings, and they had already walked into the bedroom.

Levis took the lead, with Li Vera and Liszt quickly following to the bedside, addressing Marquis Merlin with the courtesy of juniors, “Grandfather, Li Vera, Liszt, and I have come to visit you. Father also asked me to extend his sincere regards and hopes that you will recover immediately to restore the splendor belonging to the master of Long Taro Castle.”

“Your father is thoughtful,” the marquis nodded lightly, “Did you have a smooth journey?”

“It was smooth.”

“That’s good to hear. Since you have come to visit your grandfather, stay for a few days at Long Taro Castle.”

“Yes, grandfather.”

The marquis’s gaze moved past Levis and Li Vera, settling on Liszt, with a reminiscent look in his eyes, “Liszt, you’ve come of age.”

“Yes, my coming-of-age ceremony was on the ninth of March this year.”

“I’ve heard that your father has titled you a baron; which town is it?”

“Fresh Flower Town.”

“Hmm, not even able to allocate a viscountcy, it seems Earl Li Weiliam has been quite unsuccessful,” Marquis Merlin commented bluntly, then his tone became wistful again, “I wasn’t there for your coming-of-age ceremony; Melissa will surely blame me. Seeing you is like seeing Melissa standing right before me.”

Meioubao echoed, “Grandfather, Cousin Liszt indeed resembles Aunt Melissa so much. When I was a child and met Aunt Melissa, I thought that the Long Taro flowers were truly the most dazzling in the Grand Duchy.”

“I can hardly remember my mother; I can only look up to her through the portraits at Tulip Castle,” Liszt said, indeed he had no memory of his mother.

Liszt had been only two years old when Melissa passed away; what could a two-year-old child remember?

There were portraits of Melissa in the castle, but he didn’t often look at them. Besides, even if they were portraits, they lost much in their veracity, making it difficult to capture the true elegance of the person.

It was a cause for regret.

The marquis’s emotions were quickly reined in, “It’s been over a decade, but sometimes it feels like just yesterday You must be tired from your journey. Meioubao, take your cousins to rest. I want the young men and women to be full of vigor at the luncheon. Also, if time permits, hold a ball tomorrow night; make it a lively one for the young people.”