The Mighty Dragons Are Dead

The wooden houses in Oyster Village had not yet been built, but the fishermen’s fishing work was progressing smoothly.

The construction of roads in the hamlets and towns wasn’t fast, but it went on every day.

The low-yielding, low-nutrient two-leaf clover at the dairy farm had been completely eradicated and replaced with high-yielding, nutritious alfalfa. The ten dairy cows really liked the new grass, and their milk production had significantly increased.

Outside the castle, in the horse paddocks, the alfalfa was also thriving, though there had been no mares impregnated yet, as the Li Dragon Horses hadn’t entered their mating season.

The peanuts in Peanut Hamlet were growing well, and the peanuts near the Millet Cordyceps were almost ready to harvest, with the prospect of yielding two crops a year.

The black tulips at Fresh Flower Farm had begun to bear fruit, in the form of small, dry capsules, although they hadn’t yet split open. Once they did, there would be many flaky seeds that could be propagated in large numbers. Influenced by the Tulip Bug’s cordyceps, this black tulip had produced over thirty fruits.

It was estimated that a single harvest could propagate several mu of land. The Greater Elf Xiangxiang at Tulip Castle would then continue the breeding process, and within half a year, large-scale planting would be achievable.

If it were the normal cultivation method, it would take several years to scale up, which showed the capabilities of the elves.

However, while elves were a strong helping force, they also represented a limitation, confining humans from visually cultivating plants and researching fertilizers, still using the primitive slash-and-burn agriculture to this day.

Liszt was changing the agricultural methods of Fresh Flower Town—every hamlet had begun to popularize the use of manure, wood ash, and pond mud as compost.

Little Wheat Village was still planting wheat. With the assistance of the Little Wheat Bug, it was feasible that the wheat yield could increase by twenty to thirty percent. Meanwhile, the three corn grasses were being tended by a dedicated person. However, more corn grass was planted in Barley Hamlet, cultivated by the serfs of Barley Hamlet and collecting pasture seeds.

Barley Hamlet used to grow barley and oats primarily, but the recent millet fields were cultivated on the newly reclaimed land of Barley Hamlet. Due to the cultivation of corn grass, there was a severe shortage of serfs.

Mushroom Hamlet and Tomato Hamlet remained at the same scale without significant changes.

The biggest changes were in town; no more filthy manure, and no one dared to litter in the streets—an edict strictly enforced by Liszt. With a patrol team checking daily, anyone caught littering would face harsh whipping—a punishment preserved selectively by Liszt among the various tortures nobles inflicted on commoners.

Initially, Liszt thought to adopt the police system of public security detention, but then realized that mere detention without physical punishment would be like a holiday for the serfs.

No work to do, and still receiving food and drink every day.

Thus, corporal punishment was inevitable.

“I have allocated fifty mu of wasteland for planting millet, which is the limit the Millet Bug can influence. Right now, Barley Hamlet can’t meet the planting needs, and it’s difficult to transfer serfs from other hamlets—Oyster Village has already taken some, so for now there are only ten mu of millet fields,” Goltai explained to Liszt.

Today, they were here to settle the Millet Bug. The millet had already sprouted, a green layer stretching over the ten mu of newly reclaimed land that had been fertilized with farm manure.

“Ten mu it is for now. After the harvest of oats and barley, we’ll switch to planting millet. Without an Elf Bug, growing barley and oats isn’t cost-effective,” Liszt nodded and said.

He then began to settle the Millet Cordyceps.

The Millet Bug’s cordyceps were golden millet, so its color was a bright, beautiful yellow that dazzled the eyes.

“Little guy, come on, breathe some fresh air,” he coaxed.

The Millet Bug was indeed a brave little thing, crawling out of the jade box and with an open mouth, it spat out the cordyceps, planting them in the center of the field, which had been fenced off. It quickly grew with the wind, turning into a plant of golden millet laden with grains.

With this, another task was completed.

Six Elf Bugs had been settled, with five Elf Bugs already in place, leaving only the last Thorn Bug.

Liszt, feeling elated, rode his horse and began to concentrate. The Smoke Serpent Script twisted rapidly before his eyes: “Complete the task: Reward Dou Qi Secret Technique ‘Eye of Magic Power’.”

The content then changed, posting a new mission: “Mission: All companions have been properly settled, except for the Thorn Bug, which lacks a new home. As the Landlord, you cannot waste the productivity of any Elf Bug. Please settle the cordyceps for the Thorn Bug. Reward: Invasion of the Formless Dragon.”

Accompanied by a review of the new mission’s content, the prideful mood that had just filled him quickly shattered.

Had it not been for the presence of retainers and servants around, he would have jumped up and cursed, “A Smoke Mission, are you kidding me? Can the invasion of a Formless Dragon even be considered a reward?”

According to the information obtained earlier, a Formless Dragon might leave behind a priceless Space Ring.

But, one must still be alive to obtain it!

A single dragon could easily destroy a town. Liszt had no desire to test whether he could send a Formless Dragon away with two old dairy cows and a bundle of Smoked Grass. As he saw it, one should enjoy the treatment one’s capabilities allow. If he were the lord of Coral Island, he would even try luring the Formless Dragon at the cost of losing a city.

Unfortunately, he only had Fresh Flower Town.

If the dragon merely rolled over, he estimated the town would be gone, and he would become penniless, let alone lead a luxurious noble life.

In an instant, he even decided to give up on the Thorn Bugs, never complete the mission, and not trigger the invasion of the Formless Dragon as a reward.

However, after calming down, he couldn’t reconcile with giving up.

The Smoke Mission seemed only to be pushing at an open door, bringing something that should have already been in his path. Without this gentle push, who knew how difficult it would be for him to develop further — and he had already become dependent on the expedient benefits brought by the Smoke Mission, receiving a reward for each completed mission; it felt too wonderful.

All the way to the castle, his mind was made up.

“Do it, it’s just a Formless Dragon!”

“The Smoked Grass has been prepared, and the dairy cows are ready. If worse comes to worst and Fresh Flower Town is destroyed, I’ll just go to Tulip Castle and shamelessly beg for another inheritance.”

“The Earl can’t possibly watch his own son starve to death!”

For the Space Ring, and even more for the Smoke Mission, Liszt was going all in.

Once he had made up his mind, the next step was to make full preparations.

For this.

He spent a whole night in the castle’s study, burning the midnight oil to design a plan. He didn’t let anyone participate; keeping the secret of the Formless Dragon to himself was better, as more people could mean more confusion. And if he did manage to obtain the Space Ring, there was also the risk of it being leaked and stolen.

The Space Ring deserved to be called a Divine Artifact.

“Prepare for defeat before expecting victory, survival is of utmost importance.” This was the core thought in Liszt’s plan-making; no matter what, he must ensure his own safety above all.

He looked at the sketch he drew of Fresh Flower Town, thought for a long time, and circled the dairy farm, “Here, will be the battlefield for the invasion of the Formless Dragon. Leave the dairy cows as bait, and bring all the Smoked Grass here, piling it up at the dairy farm to attract the Formless Dragon’s attention.”

“As for the fight, it’s impossible to fight. No one can defeat a dragon, let alone think about slaying a Formless Dragon.”

“It’s said that dragons have Dragon Breath, a special magic substance that is sprayed out of their mouths, stuff like flames, acid, or poison. Half of a dragon’s combat power relies on its Dragon Breath. Therefore, the ground is very dangerous, and we must dig underground tunnels so we can escape instantly from in front of the Formless Dragon.”

“It’s not likely that a dragon will dig up the earth just to catch a few bug-like humans.”

“Then, I probably won’t be able to see the Formless Dragon, and I suppose no one in Fresh Flower Town will be able to see it either. To ensure I know the Formless Dragon’s exact location, I should spread a layer of flour over the dairy farm. If it walks, it will leave footprints… But then again, do dragons need to walk? Don’t they fly?”

Liszt scratched his head, trying to figure out how to spot the Formless Dragon. But no matter how he thought about it, he had no idea how to see an invisible dragon.

In irritation, he punched the table.

Crack.

The impact of his fist caused the candle to fall, the wax oil immediately flowing down the table and onto a corner where a knight’s novel lay. Flames engulfed the Knight’s Novel in an instant.