The Mighty Dragons Are Dead

The magic power of Magical Beasts comes half from their body’s refinement and half from absorbing from the environment. Intermediate Magical Beasts, compared to Low-Level Magical Beasts, naturally absorb free magic power from the surroundings much faster.

This is a very subtle absorption, which Liszt could not discern with his Eye of Magic, but the Earl, as a Sky Knight, could clearly feel it.

Therefore, he asserted that Dorson had reached the standard of an Intermediate Magical Beast.

As for the degree of blood boiling, it is a criterion based on the blood differences and auxiliary characteristics of the same species. Here, the same species can be considered as a lineage of evolution, such as ordinary dogs, Fierce Earth Dogs, and Dorson. Among the same species, there is a clear difference between the bloodlines of powerful Magical Beasts and those of weaker ones.

The blood of powerful Magical Beasts is highly active, with fast flow, high temperature, and distinct property changes. For example, at the level of Dragons, the degree of blood boiling can directly infect a Dragon’s bloodline.

With extensive experience, the Earl’s judgment that Dorson was an Intermediate Magical Beast was virtually conclusive.

“Father, Dorson currently can only release Rock Spike, what do you think is limiting its understanding of magic?” Liszt felt uneasy each day Dorson did not learn a new magic spell. After all, whose Intermediate Magical Beast knows only one move, Rock Spike? Oh, and Multiple Stone Spikes.

“Don’t worry, Liszt, it’s just a pup.” The Earl reached out to touch Dorson’s sleek black fur, prompting a low growl from Dorson, “It still needs time to settle, and like humans, Magical Beasts also need to accumulate continuously to truly transform into a more noble existence.”

“Woo-woo!”

Clutching Liszt’s hair and lying on top of his head, Jela, for some reason, cried out again.

Coming to the unfamiliar place of Tulip Castle, it felt constrained. Actually, during its Elf Bug phase, it lived in Tulip Castle, but at that time it probably did not have any memories.

They were talking about Dorson and Jela.

On the main road outside the Castle, a line of Knights was already rushing over. The leader was Liszt’s brother, Levis, followed by Lidun. Before the men even came close, their voices could be heard, “Liszt, why didn’t you announce your arrival earlier? You kept me at the Knight Academy for half the day.”

After dismounting, Levis embraced Liszt, showing a warm brotherly affection.

Once Levis opened his mouth, Liszt then said, “I missed Father and you very much, so I came early. After going to the battlefield, Brother, you have changed a lot, you have Father’s air about you.”

Levis was pleased, “Without the battlefield, one remains but a fledgling. Once on the battlefield and having seen carnage, looking back, I find many things I did in the past quite naive.”

Then, standing on one side, Lidun dismounted and called out, “Brother Liszt.”

“Lidun, you’ve grown taller,” Liszt replied lightly with a smile. The lad was only twelve years old but already at least 1.75 meters tall. Being valued by the Earl was not solely due to Lady Marie’s influence; his own talent played a big part.

The Earl was very content to see all three of his sons perform well, yet he still put on a serious expression, “Now that you’re all here, have a good talk.” After that, he went into the Castle by himself.

After the Earl left.

Levis and Lidun shifted their attention to Dorson and Jela. Jela was nothing special, just a Little Minor Elf — Tulip Castle had a full eleven of them. But the charm of an Intermediate Magical Beast held both men’s attention firmly; the fantasies of men, horses, and Magical Beasts each occupied half.

Compared to the Low-Level Magical Beasts, the Fire Rabbits raised in Tulip Castle, the majesty of the Intermediate Magical Beast Dorson could be seen from its physique.

Unfortunately, no matter how much one might covet, Dorson belongs to Li Si Te, and couldn’t be stolen.

…

The luncheon had not yet started.

As the Earl had expected, Levis began to enthusiastically recount his experiences on the battlefield, dragging Liszt into stories of charging thousands of miles to attack the enemy’s castle, tirelessly guarding the supplies, boldly voicing his opinion at military meetings, and risking his life to save a female slave.

These stories inevitably contained elements of boasting and exaggeration.

But they indeed piqued Liszt’s interest, especially Levis’ eyewitness account of the duel between the two Sky Knights, the Earl, known as the Sea Wave Sword Saint, and Count Figo, known as the Flame Cloud Sword Saint. The two Sword Saints maneuvered swiftly through the sky, their Dou Qi surging out, darkening the sky.

The confrontation of water and fire nearly severed the Red River below.

In the end, the Earl’s Sea Wave overpowered Count Figo’s Flame Cloud, inflicting a severe injury on Count Figo. With a subsequent charge by the knights, they decisively defeated the opposing Knight Order.

They took control of the Red River Plains, plundered resources, and built significant achievements.

“My father’s ‘Great Wave Crushing the Tide’ Dou Qi Manuscript is invincible below the Sword Saint level. I truly wish that one day I too could break through to become a Sky Knight and possess Advanced Dou Qi to wield such an incredible Dou Qi Manuscript!” Levis’ admiration for the Earl flowed endlessly like the river’s torrent.

Although his eloquence was mediocre and his narrative dry,

Liszt could still feel the terror of a Sword Saint’s battle and felt equally exhilarated. If Sword Saints were as formidable as Levis described, then the current Dorson would stand no chance against them—after all, Sword Saints could soar for a short duration, while Dorson could only hop.

He weighed the gap between himself and a Sky Knight and felt it was greater than he had imagined, “Unless Dorson develops new magic, like the Flying Rock Technique which allows for aerial attacks, otherwise it could only take a beating passively.”

Suddenly, he thought of Paris; he wondered if the transformed Black Dragon Childe could withstand a hundred rounds against a Sword Saint—probably manage to hold on for a while before being overwhelmed or corrupted by the Dragon Wraith’s power and dying, becoming a White Dragon Wraith.

“Brother, were there any Dragon Knights in this war?”

“No, unless the war has truly become unmanageable, no nation is willing to deploy Dragon Knights or dragons due to the many uncertainties involved. In fact, I didn’t even see the Grand Duke’s Sapphire Dragon; every battle was led by Sky Knights as the main force.”

He paused, then excitedly continued, “However, I did see an Advanced Magical Beast. It was a Thousand-Eyed Wolf Spider, the mount of Marquis Glaeden from the Eagle Kingdom, able to jump higher than the Sky Knights could fly… Unfortunately, Glaeden was there to deliver a truce letter. While following Marquis Roderick, just feeling the presence of the Thousand-Eyed Wolf Spider made my whole body tremble!”

“Why did this war end so quickly?”

“Due to the intervention of the Blast Furnace Fortress Kingdom. The daughter of the King of Eagle Kingdom married the brother of the King of Blast Furnace Fortress, Duke Haisiburgh.” As Levis said this, his voice grew somber, “Duke Haisiburgh has a dragon and is said to possibly become a Dragon Knight before age forty.”

Liszt furrowed his brows, “So the Eagle Kingdom and the Blast Furnace Fortress Kingdom are forming an alliance?”

“It’s not that bad. Kings intermarrying is quite normal; wars still have to be fought. It’s just that this year we cannot continue. We only recently occupied the Red River Plains. Many materials and ore deposits haven’t been seized yet, and we were forced to retreat… The gains are less than in previous years.”

The Earl had initially made his fortune with the Pioneer Mandate, bringing back abundant materials from every attack on the Eagle Kingdom.

Liszt wanted to ask how much iron they had captured this year but held back. Anyway, he was going to stay at Tulip Castle for a few days; business matters could be discussed at leisure.