The Mighty Dragons Are Dead

Liszt did not disturb Marcus’s selection process, and he did have the intention of performing some basic drill training like marching in step and keeping soldiers aligned. However, the existence of Magic Power and Dou Qi magnified individual strength so tremendously that discipline could not compensate.

Elite Earth Knights like Marcus could fight a hundred ordinary Retainer Knights with ease.

Even as a novice Earth Knight, Liszt could take on twenty or thirty ordinary Retainer Knights as long as his Dou Qi was sufficient. Regular Retainer Knights wouldn’t be able to get close to him and would only be able to deplete his Dou Qi first.

As a former instructor at the Knight Academy, Marcus had his own methods of training novice Knights.

So.

It was too hot, and Liszt stayed inside the castle, training Douson.

“Sit, Douson!”

Now as big as a large dog, upon hearing the command, Douson immediately sat down on the ground, panting and looking up at Liszt. Liszt threw him a piece of jerked meat and then rubbed Douson’s head.

He used the Eye of Magic Power.

He could see that Douson’s Magic Power was already abundant.

“Theoretically, Douson has a large amount of Magic Power. Having been well-fed and taken care of in the castle, his development has been rapid, and he’s reached the level where he can cast spells. Unfortunately, without the guidance of a mature Fierce Earth Dog, he probably doesn’t know how to control the Magic Power within his body. Should I guide him a little?”

With the Eye of Magic Power to observe, Liszt was confident that he could guide the release of Douson’s Magic Power.

But there was the risk of danger, and the possibility of accidentally killing Douson was hard to predict.

Hesitation lasted but a moment before he quickly made a decision, “I won’t do the guiding. If the accumulation of Magic Power becomes too much and Douson cannot vent it, he could suffocate just the same. Rather than that, it’s better to teach him magic earlier. Even if he dies, not much food would have been wasted… and most importantly, our emotional bond isn’t deep yet.”

Before the transmigration, Liszt had kept dogs, and when they died of old age and sickness, it pained him for a long time.

Now he didn’t easily form emotional attachments to pets anymore.

Half of a person’s suffering stems from emotional investment. An adult’s soul and mind act with the knowledge to cut losses in a timely manner.

“Come here, Douson.”

He waved his hand and Douson immediately came trotting over, tail wagging.

“Woof woof, bark bark!”

Truth be told, the Fierce Earth Dog was simply a larger version of an Earth dog, with behaviors and a temperament close to that of dogs. Perhaps this was also why they were named Fierce Earth Dogs—essentially Earth dogs, just a bit more temperamental.

“I will now teach you magic!” Liszt soothed the Fierce Earth Dog, calming it down, and used the Eye of Magic Power to continuously observe the flow of Magic Power within its body.

Magic and Dou Qi are both forms of Magic Power.

The distinction lies in the fact that Magic is Magic Power refined by Magicians from outside elements, while Dou Qi is Magic Power refined by Knights themselves. This is why Magicians can control a variety of Magic attributes, one moment conjuring a fireball, the next compressing a water arrow; whereas Knights can only control the Dou Qi of their own attribute.

As for the Magic Power of Magical Beasts.

Half is refined from within and half absorbed from the environment, the recovery rate surpassing that of human Magicians and Knights.

In terms of releasing Magic Power, Magicians simply need to guide the elements in the air to combine and form various spells. Knights, on the other hand, require weapons to infuse the Dou Qi and prevent it from dissipating into the air.

“Magical Beasts certainly can’t learn the complex casting techniques and esoteric magical knowledge of Magicians, so their spellcasting is more akin to an instinctual bodily response… If I guide its Magic Power to vent, it should naturally release Rock Spike… Shouldn’t it?”

Just like Knights releasing Dou Qi.

Knight typically channel their Dou Qi through their hands, and Liszt thought, “Which part of his body should Douson use to cast spells? His paws?”

Both paws shouldn’t work, since it needs to walk on them— I’ve never heard of a knight releasing Dou Qi with both feet.

Suddenly, he remembered when he had first arrived at Fresh Flower Town and encountered the Wind Blade Wolf at Thorn Ridge, which released magic—Wind Blade—from its mouth.

According to the structure of animal limbs, their most appropriate place for releasing magic should be the mouth.

“So, I need to channel Douson’s magic power into its mouth and then break the bonds, which shouldn’t be difficult… I remember my predecessor was rather dumb, but he encountered no difficulty when releasing Dou Qi for the first time.” As he thought this, his hands were already in motion, pressing down on Douson, and his Dou Qi burst forth, guiding Douson’s internal magic power.

“Whimper!”

Douson, feeling as if it were on fire, struggled wildly, but as it was still just a pup of a few months old, it couldn’t break free from the restraints of the Earth Knight.

It could only be baptized with Liszt’s Dou Qi. His fire attribute Dou Qi, with its searing and explosive nature, was equivalent to giving it a sauna bath at several hundred degrees.

The dog’s eyes turned red instantly.

Its body temperature also rose rapidly, steaming hot.

“I seem to have forgotten that my Dou Qi is of the fire attribute, which seems unsuitable for guiding… But what’s done is done, success or failure hinges on this attempt.” With a sharp effort and coordinating with a shout, he exclaimed, “Douson, release your magic power!”

Bang-dong!

The Eye of Magic saw Douson’s internal magic power concentrate at the location of its mouth under his guidance and push of his Dou Qi. Then, with an explosive-like sound, the magic power suddenly burst open somewhere in Douson’s mouth, like piercing a water-filled balloon.

What followed was a moment of witnessing a miracle.

Out of the grass nearby, three giant, bamboo shoot-shaped rock spikes emerged, each as thick as an adult’s thigh, sharp at the tip like a needle, measuring at least one meter in length.

“Beautiful!”

Liszt laughed loudly: “Well done, Douson, you’ve learned a magic spell!” Looking at the rock spikes, he felt extremely proud. This magic move was perfect for sneak attacks and ambushes. Just thinking about it, all he needed to do was shout, “Douson, release your magic power,” and rock spikes would instantly invade the enemy’s defenses.

The scene was simply too beautiful for words.

Suddenly, the voice of his personal servant, Thomas, came from behind: “Master, Douson seems to be injured.”

“Hmm?” It was only then that Liszt noticed Douson, now languishing on the ground with a large amount of blood flowing from its mouth—its mouth had practically exploded.

Fortunately, upon closer inspection, Douson had only suffered superficial injuries from the discharge of magic power, without damage to its bones and muscles. Its languishing was more a result of the excessive release of magic power, causing depletion within its body.

Once he understood the situation, Liszt was able to relax.

He said to Thomas, “This is the danger that comes with magic… Why do you think those mysterious magicians are so rare and not liked by everyone? It’s because their magic experiments are always fraught with danger; explosions can happen at any time. They don’t understand the scientific essence and yet they foolishly try to control the rules.”

These words sounded more like he was talking to himself.

Thomas didn’t understand and asked curiously, “Master, have you seen a magician before?”

“No.”

“Then you are truly great, Master. You have never seen a magician, yet you taught Douson magic. Praise the Master!” Thomas exclaimed with the awe of a zealot.

Liszt smiled faintly.

This trifle was hardly worth mentioning.

He took out a handkerchief and wiped his hands, “Thomas, take good care of Douson, bandage its wounds, and make sure to mash up its food before feeding.”

“Yes, Master.”