The Mighty Dragons Are Dead

Why does the milk tea taste better day after day?

Liszt had noticed this for over half a month now, initially thinking that it was the improved skill of Mrs. Morson from Morson Paddy Field, but it was not possible for the skill to improve noticeable every single day.

“In fact, my lord,” Carter said, “the desserts made with cream lately have also tasted better. Mrs. Morson and Mrs. Abbie think it might have something to do with the dairy cows on the farm. Both Dahei and Dahuang are pregnant with calves, and the quantity and quality of the milk have been on the rise.”

“Pregnancy can improve the quality of milk?”

“It’s probably because the dairy farm has started to cultivate alfalfa. Compared to the previous two-leaf clover, alfalfa is more nutritious. I have visited the dairy farm, and the condition of the eight cows is very good, especially the three younger ones who have grown quickly and are nearing milking age.”

“Good, once the calves grow up, the castle won’t be short of milk.” Liszt emptied his cup of milk tea in one gulp, “This time, we must keep the calves that are in the cows’ bellies alive.”

The gestation period for dairy cows is about nine months, and to maintain milk production, they must become pregnant again soon after giving birth.

So, a dairy cow can basically give birth to one calf per year.

But due to limitations in nutrition, sanitation, disease, etc., not all calves can grow into dairy cows, and there’s a high probability of them dying young. In this era, even human childbirth carried a substantial risk of infant mortality. Even if nobles had robust health and access to doctors for treatment, it was impossible to ensure a hundred percent survival rate for infants.

In more than a decade of breeding at the dairy farm, they had managed to raise only ten cows.

Now that two older cows had been eaten by the Formless Dragon, only eight remained, but the pasture was sufficient to support a few more. Milk was an essential food for nobles, just as important as bread and beer.

Liszt couldn’t do without milk.

He loved drinking milk tea. A cup of fresh milk in the morning and one cup of brewed milk for lunch and dinner, topped off with another cup of milk tea before bed. The nutrition from four cups of milk compensated for the energy he expended practicing Dou Qi every day—knight’s Dou Qi originated from the body; without nutrition, where would the Dou Qi come from?

He wiped the milk tea foam from his lips with a handkerchief.

Suddenly, Liszt really wanted to invent pearl milk tea.

However, there were no purple sweet potatoes or pumpkins on Coral Island, so he couldn’t produce “pearls.” Therefore, he could only continue to drink milk tea without any additives—when he first came to the castle, the milk tea brewed by Mrs. Morson was not just a mix of milk and tea, it also contained minced meat, eggs, salt, sugar cubes, salad, and more, which Liszt later forcefully eliminated.

Restoring the original flavor of milk tea.

After finishing his milk tea, he cheerfully said, “When the castle’s income improves, I plan to raise more dairy cows. I aim to give every servant and retainer in the castle a cup of fresh milk every day.”

Carter responded with a smile, “You are always so generous.”

A little kindness can ensure the enduring loyalty of servants, but the main reason was that he wanted to improve the nutritional treatment of the Knight Squad.

The next morning.

He continued practicing “Multi-Arrow” at the horse track, no longer requiring Marcus’s guidance. Marcus was training the Knight Squad not far away; Rom Barrel, Gray Scythe, and Auden Insole, three Retainer Knights, were also training with the squad.

Only Karl Ironhammer was no longer training with the squad but had returned to Liszt’s side—he had successfully practiced Dou Qi and become an Apprentice Knight.

The Dou Qi was very weak, and Marcus had judged that there was no potential left to tap into.

But Karl was already more than satisfied, grinning ear to ear these past few days. Having Dou Qi meant being strong and healthy, it also meant being of great use.

“Karl, your Dou Qi talent was developed too late, and this is as far as you go. Once the Knight Squad training is up to standard, and you stay to be my Retainer Knight, it’s hard to get a chance to improve. Therefore, I plan to have you work in town,” Liszt said while practicing archery and talking with Karl.

Karl was not young anymore and had already taken a wife and had children in Coral City.

He said solemnly, “My lord, Karl is willing to follow you forever!”

“I know your loyalty, but the position of retainer is not suitable for you. With your strength, competing with the young men of the knight squad would be very disadvantageous.”

“My lord, I…” Karl also understood that he was no match for the young men of the knight squad.

Among them were two youths, Philip Wool and Zavier Bull Dung, who had cultivated Dou Qi earlier than him, and both the abundance and recovery speed of their Dou Qi surpassed his; the remaining ten youths had all developed a sense of Qi and were close to obtaining Dou Qi, with ample time to strive towards becoming Earth Knights.

He felt a bit panicked.

Not being a particularly clever person, he became bewildered about his future for a moment.

Liszt sighed inwardly. He wasn’t unkind or hard-hearted, but the position of Retainer Knights wasn’t a place for sentimentality—they needed to protect their own safety and could not afford to be careless: “Go to the Patrol Team. The Patrol Team is made up of common people, and they need an Apprentice Knight to oversee their security work.”

“Yes, my lord.” Karl felt somewhat disheartened.

The Patrol Team was nowhere as glorious as the retainer knights of a landlord.

Liszt noticed Karl’s disappointment and said indifferently, “I will bestow upon you the status of a freeman and appoint you as the Defense Officer of Fresh Flower Town, assisting Goltai in managing the town’s security, with the Patrol Team under your direct command. This position is important, do not let me down, Karl.”

His expression shifted from disappointment to surprise in an instant.

Karl bowed deeply, “Thank you for the promotion, my lord. Karl is willing to serve you for life!”

In the afternoon, the news that Karl had been promoted to a freeman and appointed as the Defense Officer of Fresh Flower Town spread throughout the entire stableyard. During a break in the knight squad’s training, Marcus came over to give Liszt archery guidance.

They chatted casually as well.

“My lord, Karl’s story has made the knight squad train even harder, especially Rom, Gray, and Auden who are pushing themselves to the limit.”

“Dou Qi changes fate; it used to sound more like a slogan. But giving them a living example will make them realize that this is not just a slogan, but a tangible opportunity,” Liszt said as he shook his sore wrist. Even he himself was striving to become stronger.

Marcus, however, remarked, “It is you, my lord, who bestows upon them the opportunity to change their fate.”

The statement was irrefutable; Liszt acknowledged it.

Then changing the subject, he drew four arrows and practiced the “Spiral Shadow Arrow” from the Multiple Arrow technique, making the four arrows follow a spiral trajectory—this was a preliminary skill for the Ultimate Mystery Multi-Shadow Arrow, with a key technique of how to create the illusion effect of the arrows.

Two arrows were clamped between his index finger, and two between his middle finger.

Drawing the stiff bow to its full arc,

he aimed at a target not far in front of him. Suddenly, he released his grip, and the four arrows shot out one after another with magic power spreading out around them, driving the arrows to spin in the air.

Regrettably,

the magic power dispersing one of the arrows was directed incorrectly, breaking the formation of the arrows. The airflow shattered, affecting the other three arrows, leading all four to miss the target.

“Still lacking a bit,” Liszt put down the bow and arrows, recalling where he had gone wrong—the study of archery was vast, involving control over the bowstring’s force, direction of the arrows, balancing magic power, as well as accounting for wind resistance and gravity.

Marcus watched the landing trajectory of the arrows, his eyes shining.

“My lord, your archery talent has already surpassed many. I started learning archery at your age, but it took me three whole years just to get started in ‘Basic Archery.’ After becoming an Earth Knight and nearly fifteen years of practice, I reached my current level of archery, and you are quickly catching up.”