The Mighty Dragons Are Dead

The Earl’s caravan appeared at Thorn Ridge around ten in the morning.

Learning from the last time when the caravan had reached close to the Castle before being noticed, the Patrol Team had been wandering on the road of Thorn Ridge early on.

By now, a large number of trees had been felled on both sides of the road.

The logs had not been removed yet; they were spread out on the ground, looking like a layer of flooring, undoubtedly providing great visibility for humans and reducing the risk of Magical Beast attacks. However, the job was not yet finished. The woodcutting was still underway, and Liszt was planning to set up two barricades to block the paths of the Magical Beasts.

Although wooden barricades have zero restraining effect on Magical Beasts, the beasts, still having the minds of wild animals, would most likely turn back upon encountering them rather than destroy them.

With the notification from the Patrol Team,

Liszt, along with Goltai and others, went to meet this enormous troop—consisting of only five horse-drawn carriages but accompanied by a whole Knight Squad.

Pristinely dressed, with weapons shining bright, this Knight Squad had originally followed the Earl in continental warfare.

Many Knights, due to their military merits, were ennobled and left for their territories to enjoy the beautiful life of a landed gentry, then another batch of novices from the Knight Academy filled their places,

Maintaining the integrity of the Knight Order.

The Earl didn’t travel by carriage; he rode upon his beloved Panther Horse and didn’t wear festive attire but was clad in armor—I suspect he purposely wore military attire to avoid the Flack Abaieye, especially the disc-like Ruff, which could smother someone with prickly heat, particularly during the summer.

In the heat of summer, the Ruff isn’t so friendly to people.

No one likes wearing a scarf in the summer.

“Father, Sir Liszt extends his festive greetings to you.” Noble etiquette still needed to be observed.

“Happy holiday,” Li Weiliam responded, then looking towards the nearby Castle with a touch of emotion, “More than ten years, and this little Castle has not changed much… No need for formalities, let’s go directly to the Castle, the weather outside is too hot, your grandmother needs to cool off sooner.”

“Yes.” Liszt led the way at once.

A moment later, the caravan stopped at the Castle’s gate; all the servants, under the direction of Carter, stood ready on both sides to welcome the distinguished guests.

Goltai approached with exaggerated fanfare, “My Lord Earl, seeing you fills Goltai with such excitement! You seem even more splendid than a few months ago, despite my weakened Dou Qi, I can still feel the immense pressure emanating from you, the pressure of a Sky Knight!”

Li Weiliam enjoyed such flattery and laughed, “Goltai, your complexion looks even healthier. How is life in Fresh Flower Town?”

Only then did Goltai shake out his clothes and bow deeply, “Goltai presents his festive greetings to you, my lord. Life in Fresh Flower Town is vibrant and thriving; I enjoy working here.”

While conversing, the voice of Lady Penelope could be heard from behind, “The dust was so heavy on the way, I need water to clean up. Going on a long journey feels like enduring a nightmare, wishing for it to end but having to press on regardless.”

“Grandmother, Sir Liszt offers his festive greetings to you.”

“Happy holiday,” Lady Penelope, assisted by her personal maid, entered the Castle and glanced around, “It’s hard for you, living in the countryside, enduring such a straitened lifestyle… The only thing I might envy is the smell of this little house, the scent of the rural soil.”

Then, she added, “It’s more comfortable to me than the smell of Tulip Castle.”

“If you find it comfortable, why not stay a few more days?”

“I couldn’t possibly, my servants at home don’t know how to care for my Flowers. I’d go mad if I didn’t see them for even one day.”

Following Lady Penelope was a middle-aged woman, dressed in glittering finery, her tall Bird Lady Hat adorned with various feathers—this kind of hat, originally called the Bird Lady Hat, symbolizes “the sky” and can only be worn by the wife of a Sky Knight.

It later became a trend that during festivals, all noblewomen would wear various extravagant and bizarre hats.

In addition to her conspicuous hat, the woman also exuded a fox-like charm—especially her eyes. Liszt, inheriting the memories of his predecessor, had the deepest impression of those eyes.

Back then, Liszt

always felt that those eyes were constantly observing in secret without showing any signs. Yet, when she smiled, they carried the sweet flavor of the girl-next-door.

The present-day Liszt, upon seeing those eyes again, could easily conclude that they were fox eyes.

Slightly narrow, with upturned corners, they would curve into crescents when she smiled.

“Madam, Liszt presents his festival greetings to you,” he said with a faint smile on his face, demonstrating the impeccable etiquette of a noble as a matter of routine, even if his heart loathed it, his expression was still nothing but warm and cordial.

“Happy festival, Liszt. You’ve grown taller,” the middle-aged woman replied with a smile. She was the current Countess, Lady Marie Lova.

In her hand, she was holding a very young boy.

The boy was clearly disdainful of the castle environment, showing only a forced semblance of respect while performing his courtesies: “Brother Liszt, Lidun offers his festival greetings to you.”

“Happy festival.”

Liszt responded indifferently and continued speaking to Lady Marie, “Madam, please take Lidun inside the castle to rest. I will go and greet my brother, sister, and Sir Layden and the others.”

Levis and Li Vera had been to Fresh Flower Town more than once.

So after exchanging festivite greetings with each other, they entered the castle. Liszt then went on to greet the nobles who followed in the procession—these were lesser nobles serving at Tulip Castle, mostly Honored Knights and also a Baron, who was the Knight Captain of Tulip Castle, Miki.

The leader of the Coral Island Knights was personally held by Li Weiliam. As the captain, Miki was responsible for the regular training of the Knight Order and the security of Tulip Castle, effectively acting as the actual leader.

After the formalities were over,

the castle became even more lively.

Because there were too many people, there was a large gathering of nobles upstairs and even more knights downstairs; fifteen servants were simply not enough. Fortunately, the Earl himself had also brought many servants along with plenty of food and drinks—proving that they understood the countryside had little to offer.

Consider it a picnic here.

Carter, acting as the butler, naturally took command of all the servants, even in the presence of Silva, the deputy butler of Tulip Castle.

“Carter, if there isn’t enough food in the castle, don’t bother, the Earl has brought enough food from Tulip Castle to last several days,” said Silva, younger than Carter, perfectly attired in a tailcoat, standing among the servants, he was every inch a noble of high status.

Carter used to be just a butler at a manor castle.

When interacting with Silva, the deputy butler, he had to follow the other’s command.

But now,

he represented Liszt.

So he couldn’t help but puff out his chest, making himself look more spirited: “Thank you for the Earl’s consideration, but even without the food from Tulip Castle, the town can still offer a variety of delicious cuisine. We have prepared a feast, Mr. Silva. I’ll take it from here.”