The Mighty Dragons Are Dead

Dragon hollyhock, said to be a close relative of the eggplant, bears small, edible, black berries that are quite tasty. When he was younger, there were many wild dragon hollyhocks growing in the fields and Liszt loved to eat them.

He wasn’t sure if the dragon hollyhock in Lady Penelope’s flowerpot was the variety he was familiar with.

But upon hearing that the plant was sick, he immediately stepped forward out of habit and used the Eye of Magic to take a look at the dying dragon hollyhock. At that glance, he seemed to see a faint trace of magic power flowing, but it was just a flash and soon disappeared.

Which made him extremely surprised.

The presence of magic power meant that this dragon hollyhock was no ordinary plant.

“Could it be about to give birth to an elf bug?” Liszt thought excitedly, but he kept his composure and continued to examine the dragon hollyhock.

This dragon hollyhock was on its last breath, its leaves yellowing and its roots showing black spots. It had a few buds that looked like they were about to wither away.

However, under the scrutiny of the Eye of Magic, he soon discovered the magic power flow again, very faint and sporadically visible. It was so subtle that one wouldn’t notice it without careful observation.

He was almost certain: “It’s highly unlikely to be a magic potion plant; it’s very possible that the dragon hollyhock is about to give birth to an elf bug.”

“Poor dragon hollyhock, I don’t know what disease it has caught, but it’s been a week, and it hasn’t been revived. Watching it wither day by day, just like I grow older day by day, is truly distressing,” Lady Penelope kept prattling and spraying the dragon hollyhock with clear water.

“Grandmother, you are in good health and there are no signs of aging,” Liszt said in a light-hearted tone, “Since you feel sad watching the dragon hollyhock, why don’t you give it to me to take care of? Maybe the climate in Fresh Flower Town will revive it. If it doesn’t, I will bring you a new pot of dragon hollyhock.”

“I am pleased that you think so, Liszt. Take good care of it.”

“Of course.”

Just like that, a pot of dragon hollyhock possibly harboring an elf bug was in Liszt’s hands. Anxious to arrange for the dragon hollyhock, Liszt quickly took his leave and met with his retainer knights, hastening back to Fresh Flower Town.

By the time he reached Fresh Flower Town,

It was the afternoon, with the sun about to set.

The sky was streaked with a red glow, a saying goes: ‘No travel with a morning glow, a thousand miles with an evening one.’ It would be another splendid sunny day tomorrow.

Without taking a break, Liszt immediately ordered Goltai: “Teacher Goltai, mobilize all the serfs to search for dragon hollyhock. Dig them up and bring them to the horse field. Remember to dig them up with the soil attached to the roots to avoid damaging them.”

Taking advantage of the lingering daylight, he quickly found a few wild dragon hollyhocks near the horse field.

He then moved the sick dragon hollyhock out of the flowerpot and planted it beside the wild dragon hollyhocks. He ordered people to bring manure, which was poured near the roots of the dragon hollyhock. As each wild dragon hollyhock was excavated and planted around the sick one, they formed a small dragon hollyhock field.

“My Lord, we’ve gathered all the dragon hollyhocks we could find before nightfall. The sun has set now, and the serfs can no longer see to find more. I will have them continue the search tomorrow,”

“That will be fine.”

Candles and lanterns shone.

Goltai curiously looked over the dragon hollyhock field and asked, “What’s the use of these dragon hollyhocks?”

Many knew that the berries of the dragon hollyhock were edible, but they were too small and produced too little to be of significant culinary value. Thus, no one cultivated them, and most of them grew wild at the edges of fields. Typically, only children would enjoy searching for the berries of dragon hollyhock.

“There may be significance, but it’s too early to be sure. Regardless, have all the dragon hollyhocks you can find tomorrow transplanted here.”

“As you wish.”

Back in the castle.

Waiting for dinner.

Liszt leaned back in the chair in the living room, opened a fragrant coconut fruit, and sipped the coconut milk, relishing its taste and relaxing his body. Riding all day, despite his strong Earth Knight constitution, had still left him with a hint of fatigue. However, his mood was good, and he felt a tad excited.

The worries about the seafood market were resolved. With the seafood sales from Coral Island alone, he could support his lavish noble lifestyle.

The sales channel for Flame Mushrooms was in place, just waiting for the serfs to solve the cultivation technology issues. There was still a month to go before the harvest season for the Black Tulips.

The sale of the Black Pearl had brought in two hundred and eighty Gold Coins, nicely alleviating the castle’s financial strain. He was ready to buy a few more horses and several carriages to expand the caravan, aiming to establish the seafood business in every small city as soon as possible, reaching a scale of daily sales over three Gold Coins.

Of course, these were all predetermined plans.

What truly excited him were the Dragon Kui Elf Bugs.

Apart from the four Elf Bugs the Earl gifted him at the feudal ceremony, and one more as a reward for discovering the Black Tulip, the remaining Peanut Bugs, Tomato Bugs, and Fragrant Coconut Bugs were all found through the Smoke Mission.

Only this potential Dragon Kui Bug was a personal discovery, which gave him a great sense of achievement.

It proved that even without relying on the Smoke Mission, he could still find opportunities of his own—although it seemed that without the Eye of Magic, it would have been very difficult to discover the secrets of the Dragon Kui, and the Eye of Magic, after all, was brought by the Smoke Mission.

In the end,

it seemed he still relied on the light of the Smoke Mission.

“No matter how you put it, this is a good omen… Maybe in the future, I can often casually use the Eye of Magic to look for Elf Bugs that might be hiding in any plant!”

In his original perception, Elf Bugs were extremely rare. The Tulip Family, working on Coral Island for twenty years, had only obtained a little over a hundred Elf Bugs, which indicated a very low chance of encountering them.

But in Fresh Flower Town, this small place, in just half a year, three Elf Bugs had already been discovered.

Put a step outside, and he has brought back a Dragon Kui Elf Bug.

This could no longer be described as mere good luck.

“It can probably be confirmed that actually, the gestation rate of Elf Bugs is not low, but due to environmental restrictions, a large number of Elf Bugs may have been ‘miscarried’.”

Without the Smoke Mission,

the Peanut Bug would have died long ago, and the helpless serfs could not have provided the nutrition needed by the Peanut Bug.

The Tomato Bug might have had a chance to gestate, but it might also have been directly picked by John Bian Dan, taking the biggest tomato and unknowingly eating the unborn Elf Bug.

As for the Fragrant Coconut Bug, it’s hard to say, but with its high position and the threat of the Fruit Thief Monkeys, it might also have been doomed.

Even the current Dragon Kui Bug, without the Eye of Magic to spot its traces, was destined to die, with no chance of emerging into the world.

“Now that I have the Smoke Mission and the Eye of Magic, the Elf Bugs I can discover will surely keep pouring in. With these Elf Bugs, farming and accumulating wealth are bound to happen!”

After dinner, Liszt summoned the three leaders of the trading team to the castle.

He assigned them the matters of the seafood trade.

Coral City, Birch City, North Valley City, Elm Forest City, Serpent Spear City, and Shattered Stone City make up the six cities of Coral Island, and trade routes have been opened to five of them, with only Shattered Stone City being too far away for trade.

Fresh Flower Town was situated at the northeastern tip of the island, and Shattered Stone City at the southwestern tip, more than a hundred kilometers apart.

“Tomorrow, Tulip Castle will issue a seafood sale decree, which only we from Fresh Flower Town can obtain,” Liszt said with his hands clasped behind his back, looking out at the night scene through the window.

The nights of Fresh Flower Town were still without many lights.

Against the pitch-dark background, the stars were unusually bright, shining brilliantly.

A faint Milky Way was visible across the sky, suggesting that this Different World still belonged to the Milky Way Galaxy.

He continued, “The seafood market is my exclusive domain, so make sure to take advantage of that. I want you to set up a fishing team near Coral City, catch seafood directly from the nearby beaches, and sell it externally.”