The Mighty Dragons Are Dead

Not being an expert, it was difficult to make a judgment.

“Smoke Mission says this thing is a Fire Attribute Core, Marcus says he felt traces of magic power, I need to check it carefully, to see if it really possesses Fire Attribute magic power.”

He immediately used the Eye of Magic.

His pupils swirled like a vortex, the profound gaze sweeping over the reddish-brown stone. Suddenly, the stone changed, becoming points of red light within his field of vision. The light seemed faint but exuded a luxurious texture, markedly different from ordinary Fire Attribute magic power.

“This…”

An idea suddenly leaped into Liszt’s mind: “Could this magic power be remnants of a Fire Dragon’s?”

Given he had already deduced that Black Horse Island was created by a fallen Fire Dragon, it was not surprising that the stone, enshrouded in magic power, contained that of the Fire Dragon.

He even considered the possibility that the volcano formed by the Fire Dragon was an active one, erupting frequently.

After all, a dragon’s magic power lingers long.

But if rocks encapsulated this magic power, losing its influence, the volcano would assuredly become extinct. It was highly probable that these stones, called Fire Attribute Cores, with bubbles trapping the magic power inside, were encapsulating the Fire Dragon’s magic power, causing it to be unable to drive the volcano’s eruption.

“Fire Dragon magic power!”

Liszt felt like he was about to strike it rich. Anything related to dragons held immense value. Although Fire Dragons were Elemental Dragons and not Metal Dragons or Gemstone Dragons, let alone Sacred Dragons, they too possessed the miraculous ability to infect their surroundings. Hence, the remnants of their magic power were extremely valuable.

He subdued his excitement.

Nonchalantly, he inquired, “Teacher Marcus, is this kind of ore widely distributed across Black Horse Island?”

“I am not very clear on the exact quantity on the island, but there are many of these stones scattered in the crevices of the stone pillars in the Burial Ground.”

“Mine them, mine all of them. Your feeling wasn’t wrong, and I too have seen the magic power it harbors.” Because Marcus was unaware that this was the product of a Fire Dragon, Liszt chose to keep it a secret. “I believe it will be a batch of good forging material, useful for crafting equipment or something else.”

However, he had underestimated Marcus’s intelligence and deductive power: “Stones containing magic power, sir, don’t you think they resemble gems produced by dragons?”

His eyebrows rose, then relaxed again.

Liszt feigned surprise: “How did you come to think of Dragon Gems? These stones don’t look at all like gems.”

“Sir, perhaps they are not the gemstones of Gemstone Dragons, nor the metal of Metal Dragons, but stones left behind by Elemental Dragons. Those five massive bones, if they were not left by dragons or Super Dragonkin Magical Beasts, I really can’t think of any other creatures that could have left them. Add to that these stones filled with magic power, they must surely be a dragon’s remnants!”

At this point, Marcus grew increasingly certain that his deduction was correct: “Maybe many years ago, a Dragon Slayer killed an Evil Dragon, and it happened right here on Black Horse Island!”

This series of deductions.

Made Liszt feel rather conflicted. Having a shrewd subordinate should have been a boon, but having his own sense of intellectual superiority challenged was somewhat disappointing.

Since Marcus had already guessed the answer, after some thought, he decided not to keep the secret any longer: “Do you truly believe that this is an Elemental Dragon?”

“Yes, my lord,” Marcus replied, his eyes gleaming with inspiration. “And I’ve thought of something else: the Black Blood Treasured Horses on the island are extraordinarily splendid, thought to be of magical beast lineage—but why couldn’t they be of dragon lineage? Living on Black Horse Island, in long-term contact with the remnants of Elemental Dragons, they might have been infected and turned into Dragon Breed Horses!”

Once the floodgates of his imagination opened, they could not be shut, and even the secret of the Dragon Breed Horses was guessed by him.

Taking a deep breath, Liszt spoke gravely, “Teacher Marcus, you must understand what this would mean for us if it were true.”

Marcus pondered seriously for a full two minutes before declaring aloud, “My lord, it means that you are indeed the ‘Son of Glory’ as Goltai believes, and that the knightly honor will forever shine upon you! As your follower, I am deeply honored and hope to follow in your footsteps to achieve great deeds!”

His tone was filled with exhilaration.

After speaking, he knelt on one knee and performed the solemn ritual of a knight swearing fealty.

Seeing this response, Liszt suddenly felt that he was sometimes too cautious. The knightly system in this world was deeply entrenched, and the indoctrination of knightly honor was as powerful as the call for civil liberty—the authority of the landlord was nearly unshakeable—especially for someone like Marcus, who was fervent about nobility.

Upholding the landlord’s authority was to uphold his dreams and beliefs—the future him would also be a Noble Landlord.

Thus, many secrets could actually be shared with subordinates.

However, adhering to the idea that caution could do no harm, Liszt still hoped to keep many secrets to himself—such as the Space Gem, the Smoke Mission, or how much money he had.

The corners of his mouth curved into a slight smile as he said lightly, “May the light of knightly honor shine upon us both.”

The act was over, and it was time to return to serious matters.

Liszt spoke in a deep voice, “I feel that the stone contains Fire Attribute Mana; it might be the product of a Fire Dragon. However, considering the decayed state of the bones, I fear that the Fire Dragon might have died thousands, if not tens of thousands of years ago, making it hard to say how much benefit remains.”

“Indeed, but determining that the Black Blood Treasured Horses are Dragon Breed Horses is a tremendous gain. We have not given them enough attention!”

“The Black Blood Treasured Horses certainly require more attention. The task of breeding them I leave to you, Teacher Marcus.”

“I am at your service, my lord!”

“Also, we shall call this type of stone ‘Volcanic Glass.’ Its extraction work will also need to be followed up closely,” Liszt decided, thinking Fire Attribute Cores was too much of a mouthful and irresponsibly coined a new name. “I will research its uses as soon as possible to evaluate its worth.”

Marcus nodded in agreement, then suddenly asked, “My lord, wouldn’t it be a waste to use those dragon bone fragments for making farming bone utensils directly?”

“I also think it’s a waste, but I had the magicians research it. They have decayed for too long, devoid of any magic power, and their miraculous properties have long dissipated, leaving only their hardness as a benefit.”

“Those five pieces of dragon bone should still retain some of their miraculous properties,” Marcus suggested.

“Hmm, we shall protect them and research them at a later time,” Liszt agreed.

“As you wish.”

The matters of the Fire Dragon and the Volcanic Glass having been discussed, Liszt recalled another previous thought: “Teacher Marcus, I have sparred with Rondo and Lasse, and their strength was slightly lacking, unable to truly test my power. In Fresh Flower Town, only you can validate my strength.”

Marcus exclaimed in surprise, “My lord, have you already honed your Dou Qi Manuscript?”

“In fact, I have not only mastered the “Fire Dragon Drill” and “Flaming Wave”, but I have also successfully cultivated the Ultimate Mystery Technique Multiple Phantom Arrow of the “Double Heavy Arrow”!” Liszt said with pride and high spirits. “Teacher Marcus, how about a real battle?”