The Mighty Dragons Are Dead

“This ship is enormous, much larger than those of the Tulip Family,” Paris said as she saw such a huge ship for the first time, filled with wonder.

Without regard for his noble image, Liszt sat on the deck’s stairway at the bow, leaning against the soft fur on Douson’s belly.

The strong sea breeze tousled his meticulously combed pale golden hair incessantly.

“This is The Court’s swift sailing ship, fast enough to reach 10 knots with the wind behind it. My grandfather once commanded The Court navy, a position of high authority that garnered immense trust from the Grand Duke; he was gifted several swift sailing ships upon his retirement.”

The Long Taro Family was known for its shrewdness and were unwavering followers of the Grand Duke. Back when Marquis Merlin’s father was still an Earl, he had spent his entire fortune to support the war efforts of the previous Grand Duke.

It ultimately earned him the title of Marquis and the vast Red Crab Island.

Upon the ascension of the new Grand Duke, he especially relied on Marquis Merlin to command The Court navy. One must understand that for the Duchy of Sapphire, whose power extends across the sea, the navy is indispensable, underscoring the Grand Duke’s reliance on Marquis Merlin.

Unfortunately, Marquis Merlin fell ill and currently no longer holds a position at The Court.

As for Liszt’s uncle, Mesiro Taro, although also a Sky Knight, he did not inherit Marquis Merlin’s valor. The family’s magic potions had artificially boosted him until, at the age of thirty-five, he finally broke through to Advanced Dou Qi. At this age, Li Weiliam already leveraged the combat power of a Sky Knight to establish his own branch on Coral Island.

Despite Mesiro’s lackluster talent, it was said that his cousin Meioubao had promising abilities. At only twenty-five, he was already nearing the threshold of a Sky Knight and could break through at any moment.

One cannot deny the truth.

At the level of wealth accumulated by a Marquis Family, even a pig could be molded into a Sky Knight. Although there might be a gap compared to a naturally gifted individual like Li Weiliam, who consumed potions for his abilities, ensuring the family’s continuation was undoubtedly secured. With extra effort in nurturing the next generation, the family could always maintain its everlasting prosperity.

“You’re called Paris?” Li Vera, who had appeared on the deck at some point, greeted Liszt with a smile, and then struck up a conversation with Paris.

“Yes, Baroness Li Vera.”

“You’re not a local of Coral Island? Your accent is very different from those here.”

“I’m from the Eagle Kingdom.”

“A serf?”

“No, I’m a mercenary.”

“Hmm, there are many mercenaries on the mainland. How did you come to Coral Island and end up in the employ of my brother?”

“I came by ship. My sister was sold to Fresh Flower Town, and I tracked her here, then accepted the employment of Baron Li.”

“How are your combat skills?” Li Vera suddenly felt an urge to test Paris.

Liszt watched quietly from the side as Li Vera attempted to win over Paris, offering no comment, just a faint smile as he idly scratched Douson’s itch.

He actually wanted to see if Li Vera could coax Paris to switch sides, viewing it as a perfect opportunity to test Paris’s loyalty.

After glancing at Liszt, who was focused on grooming Douson’s fur, Paris turned back to Li Vera and said, “I am an Elite Earth Knight, Baroness Li Vera. Do you wish to challenge me?”

“I haven’t reached the elite level yet. It would be great to learn some combat skills from you!”

“As you wish!”

Thereupon, the two drew their longswords and began to duel. A noisy clash of metal ensued until Li Vera’s longsword was knocked out of her hand, marking the end of the encounter.

It was clear that Paris had held back.

She hadn’t even used the maneuver “Light and Shadow Tug,” defeating Li Vera, who possessed Dou Qi, simply through superior physical prowess.

After the competition, Baroness Li Vera openly praised Paris, chatted idly with Liszt for a while, and then left the bow to return to her cabin without directly expressing her intention to recruit Paris—Baroness Li Vera had indeed become more restrained than before and no longer tried to snatch the good things in front of Liszt’s face.

“Your sister is far inferior to you in strength,” Paris suddenly said.

“She was promoted to an Earth Knight before she came of age and is considered a very talented genius among female knights,” Liszt smiled calmly and said, “But my talent is even more exceptional.”

Paris turned away, not picking up on Liszt’s words.

…

After the female mercenary left, aside from a few sailors working on deck, only Liszt and Douson remained.

Douson was too large and did not like to stay in the cabin, so Liszt did not return to his either, continuing to accompany Douson on deck to enjoy the breeze.

Sailing at sea was an extremely boring affair. Liszt dozed off, his mind wandering aimlessly.

He thought about his journey to Long Taro Castle and whether he would see Asina Salmon again, the beautiful girl who had left a deep impression on him. But he was too shy to inquire about Asina’s recent situation with the deputy butler Ranieri, considering Asina’s age, it would be hard for her to remain single.

After all, she wasn’t someone as picky as Li Vera.

“It wouldn’t be right to say that Asina isn’t picky either. Choosing me out of the crowd at the ball shows that she has very high standards when it comes to selecting a partner,” he mused.

He was fantasizing about Asina seeing him again and expressing her love anew.

Suddenly, he heard the startled cry from the lookout at the top of the mast: “It’s the Devil Cloud!”

Immediately following, the lookout blew the horn.

The low, penetrating sound of the horn instantly awakened everyone on the ship from their slumber, sending them scurrying out of their cabins. Liszt, of course, understood the meaning of the horn—it signified that the ship was in danger. He quickly stood up, grabbing Douson, and nervously scanned his surroundings.

Upon looking, he saw dark clouds rolling in on the horizon of the ship’s forward course.

It was the tumult of dark clouds, interspersed with flashes of lightning, bearing down in a crushing line towards them.

“The Devil Cloud!”

“It’s the Devil Cloud!”

The sailors cried out in alarm until they were silenced by the captain’s voice: “Don’t panic! Take down the sails! Drop the bow anchor immediately, and get the stern anchor ready.”

The voice was not particularly loud, but the well-trained sailors immediately calmed their agitation and began expertly lowering the sails. A group of strong sailors operated the winch, casting the wooden bow anchor. Driven by the anchor, the huge wooden chain emitted a screeching friction noise as it rapidly sank to the seabed.

Lacking iron, the anchors were made of wood.

Though they were wooden anchors, they were made of ironwood, which sinks as soon as it touches water.

The weight of a single wooden anchor could be as heavy as half a ton. Once submerged, the massive dragging force immediately caused the sailing ship to halt and anchored it in place on the sea surface.

Liszt’s heart was somewhat panicked.

As he hadn’t brought the Calming Sea Pearl, he was already feeling uneasy, and now they truly encountered danger at sea. It would be all too easy for the vast sea to swallow a few people.

Seeing Levis rushing towards the captain’s quarters, he followed, just in time to hear Levis’s bellowing: “What is the Devil Cloud?”

The captain took out a flask, took a swig of liquor.

Steadying himself, he said, “Gentlemen nobles, there is no need for alarm, it is just a sea storm, in my life I have encountered more storms than white bread I’ve eaten. The Giant Crab was once a Court sailboat, with a massive tonnage capable of withstanding a storm. It can definitely hold its own against the Devil Cloud!”

Hearing his nonchalant explanation, everyone settled down a bit.

But Liszt, with his acute observation, noticed that the captain didn’t seem as relaxed as he portrayed, and pressed, “Captain, tell us, what exactly is the Devil Cloud?”