The Mighty Dragons Are Dead

Today was not a day for strong winds, so the speed of the Fresh Flower Vessel was not fast. The sailors in the paddle room had started to row, speeding up the journey.

Having a manservant bring a stool, Li Si Te sat at the bow of the ship, enjoying the seascape.

Douson lay at the ship’s side, a voyage that allowed it to successfully overcome its fear of the ocean. From the initial terror at the sight of deep blue seawater to now gazing idly at the waves, its adaptability was astounding.

In the near future.

It would become a qualified sailor, no, a water dog.

Dogs usually know how to swim, and the Fierce Earth Dog was a dog too, so Li Si Te was certainly going to make it learn to swim.

The waves tumbled.

The Fresh Flower Vessel was moving away from Black Horse Island.

There were scattered small islands around Black Horse Island, which perhaps could not really be called islands, but just barely coral reefs—a single wave could submerge them completely.

Some of the islets had trees growing on them, while some were just sand and stone.

“The scenery is truly beautiful, with the azure sea, blue sky, seagulls, and sandy beaches, but there are no Fragrant Coconut Trees. If it were on Earth, Black Horse Island and the nearby reefs could definitely be developed into a resort not inferior to the Maldives… Unfortunately, the Duchy of Sapphire is an archipelago in itself, and the local nobles are islanders with no interest in enjoying beach scenery.”

The nobles were all busy raiding the Eagle Kingdom.

“I wonder how much wealth the Earl and Levis have plundered… And when will the Tulip Fleet return to port? With the expected number of serfs, the return should be quite swift.”

Thinking of a thousand serfs.

Li Si Te’s heart swelled with heat.

With more than two and a half thousand serfs in his land, there were not enough hands to even cultivate the fields of Fresh Flower Town, and now there was also the need to develop Black Horse Island, further increasing the shortfall of labor. This shortage stalled many of his ideas, restricting him to slowly farming and slowly accumulating Gold Coins, preventing him from becoming rich overnight.

“Magic Potions are needed to sustain my use; with the amount I’m consuming right now, relying solely on Flame Mushrooms isn’t enough. Even adding Rapid Growth Magic Thorns is insufficient, and the earnings from Black Tulips also have to go towards buying Magic Potions.”

“Without the substantial income from Magic Potions, there aren’t many profitable businesses… The seafood business can only be maintained for another half year before it probably needs to be wrapped up. Any noble with a bit of sense is secretly fishing for seafood, just not selling it publicly… And I have no idea when Fresh Flower Brew will be ready.”

The current new moneymaking project is the soap produced by the Soap Making Workshop.

Bunier Zhen Dan is rushing to improve the manufacturing process, preparing for large-scale production and early market entry—Li Si Te hopes that Fresh Flower Soap will dominate the Coral Island market within three months, and then, through cooperation with Tulip Castle or the Beer Castle, he could tap into the outer island markets.

With the quality and cost of Fresh Flower Soap, if handled well, it could become a pillar industry of Fresh Flower Town.

“First make money with Fresh Flower Soap, then use that money to buy serfs. Once I have a large number of serfs, I can create more industries, earn more money, and then buy even more serfs… After full preparation, I’ll gain recognition on the battlefield to elevate my nobility, growing stronger continuously like a rolling snowball.”

He began to daydream.

Viscount, Earl, Marquis, Duke, and then Dragon Riding!

But right after indulging in fantasies of Dragon Riding, as the Fresh Flower Vessel rocked, everything suddenly seemed lackluster: “Indeed, it’s poverty that limits my imagination. The meaning of life, the goal of struggle, is still just Dragon Riding, with no other pursuits.”

At that moment.

From nearby, an alarmed shout of a sailor rang out: “Leviathan!”

“It’s a Leviathan!”

“My God, we’ve encountered a Sea Monster!”

“We are going to be eaten by Leviathan, argh!”

“Woof Woof!”

“It’s all over!”

Leviathan?

Upon hearing this, Liszt did not react immediately, not knowing what Leviathan was.

But soon after, Kostor’s loud roar reached his ears, “Don’t panic, don’t panic, just do your job! This is not Leviathan, it’s just a large Sea Beast, they are very friendly and never harm sailing ships!”

Perhaps Kostor’s words had a calming effect.

The sailors were no longer in a panic.

Thomas also calmed down from his disarray and hurried to Liszt’s side, “Lord, we have encountered a large Sea Beast!”

“I saw it.”

Liszt had already stood up, calming down Douson, whose fur was bristled and who was barking incessantly, and looked towards the left side of the Fresh Flower Vessel. There, a sea beast with huge pectoral fins emerged from the sea surface, tumbling once on the sea before diving back in, stirring up wild surges of waves.

It was some kind of whale, he recognized it immediately.

It was a Sea Beast, not a Sea Monster, as the Eye of Magic had not observed any signs of magical power.

The large Sea Beast was similar to the Humpback Whale he had read about in “Man and Nature”. Those huge pectoral fins, if they slapped against the Fresh Flower Vessel, would probably disassemble it on impact.

However, it did not approach the Fresh Flower Vessel but was moving forward, parallel to the ship, not too far away.

“My lord!” Marcus rushed over eagerly, followed by the Retainer Knights, who had felt the danger and come to protect Liszt.

But this was not a danger.

Liszt quickly suppressed his nervousness facing the colossal creature, put on a carefree demeanor, and gestured towards the Humpback Whale, “It’s magnificent, and vast, such a close encounter with a large Sea Beast is rare, Teacher Marcus, gentlemen, let’s sit down and watch together.”

“Lord, do you want to take shelter in the cabin first?” Marcus asked worriedly.

“This is a Sea Beast, don’t worry, Captain Kostor has told us about the Sea Beasts, they are very friendly,” Liszt said with a smile, calm and graceful.

He earned admiring looks from the Retainer Knights — as expected of the Lord Landlord, graced by the glory of knighthood, the embodiment of courage!

Reassured by Liszt’s comforting words, Marcus bowed respectfully, his body relaxed, and, joinining Liszt, began to marvel at the rare and spectacular scene before them.

Traveling with a giant beast!

However, the companionship was brief. The Humpback Whale seemed to lose interest in the Fresh Flower Vessel, or perhaps it had just come to the surface to breathe. Following a roll over the sea, its huge body submerged into the water and completely disappeared.

After the wave passed.

The sea surface became calm again.

Douson’s bristled fur relaxed, his Kryptonian dog eyes darting around the sea as if still searching for the sight of the Humpback Whale.

Captain Kostor left his cabin in a hurry and hurried to the deck, breaking the still lingering atmosphere of the Humpback Whale’s grand silhouette, “Lord Landlord, that was a large Sea Beast, often spotted by sailors at sea. They are actually very friendly and rarely attack ships, sometimes even escorting them.”

“I know, it certainly showed no hostility,” Liszt acknowledged Kostor’s words, and asked, “I know that the gigantic creatures that appear at sea are called Sea Beasts, but what exactly is Leviathan?”

Just now, he had clearly heard many sailors shouting about Leviathan.

Kostor replied, “Leviathan is a type of Sea Monster, just a legend among sailors, said to be a large Sea Serpent that preys on ships, but I have never seen one… and thankfully so, otherwise I wouldn’t have lived to see the Sun rise again.”