The Mighty Dragons Are Dead

Back then, Little Lizhi stood on the ship’s bow, bewitching countless ignorant young girls.

Liszt always thought, what’s so touching about that? It’s just cheating, depicted as though it were as intense as a thunderous strike igniting the earth.

But at this moment, looking at Paris, who was so moved that she stammered, he suddenly understood that women really are a different species from men. After uttering that sentence just now, he got goosebumps; it was truly disgusting. He found it hard to imagine how he could say it with even a slight hint of emotion.

The most crucial point was that Paris actually believed it and was touched, her eyes becoming tender.

“The Controlling Path is profound and vast… Speaking to men about honor and interests can be effective. But for women, interests and honor are secondary; emotions are what truly matter,” he reflected. At this moment, many realizations dawned on Liszt. Practice brings true knowledge, and his understanding of women had ascended a level.

And he immediately realized why in his past life he’d always hit a wall when chasing after girls, even though he had personally made ice cream for them—he had failed to win their favor.

The reasons were simple, two in fact:

Not handsome enough, and not good at sweet-talking.

Now, not only was he handsome, but he had also learned how to sweet-talk: “The loyalty of the female mercenary toward me has probably risen by ten points. If the full value is one hundred, it should be around seventy by now.”

The lingering atmosphere vanished in an instant, as the black thunderclouds with lightning flashes had approached. The sky darkened completely, with only the flicker of lightning shining.

“Let’s go, back to the cabin!”

“Mhm.”

Douson was also pulled into the cabin.

In the cabin, Levis and Li Vera received the notice, and the three siblings exchanged glances, instantly sharing their thoughts—should danger arise, the life rafts would be allocated by them. If necessary, all the sailors on this ship could be sacrificed.

A pang in his conscience, Liszt sat down and sighed inwardly: “I hope nothing really happens. It would be best to arrive at Red Crab Island safely.”

Crack! Boom!

A bolt of lightning struck just outside the window, and the dark clouds enveloped the fast-moving ship, heralding the full assault of the tempest. The fierce winds howled, accompanied by the pitter-patter of large raindrops, and the once-stable ship started rocking wildly in the waves. Liszt, with one hand braced against the wall, calmly looked out the window.

The darkness was impenetrable, with no light to be seen save for the flashes of lightning.

It was as if a giant mouth was swallowing the whole ship. Faint shouts from the sailors could be heard on deck as they struggled to control the ship, preventing it from capsizing in the fierce wind. At sea, wind and waves are the main causes of accidents, and experienced captains know how to navigate through them.

At this time, the waves weren’t that high, but the wind was very strong, and together with the rain, it slapped the fast-moving ship around like a toy.

The sister and brothers, who rarely experienced storms, grew tense for a while. Then, realizing that though the ship rocked and its bow and stern rose and fell, there was no sign of it capsizing, they began to relax. Looking out the window, they saw no sign of any Ghost Ship.

“Molodo was indeed talking nonsense; there’s no Ghost Ship of Marquis Cohen.” Levis said with disdain.

“Did Marquis Cohen really die in the prison on Blue Dragon Island?”

“Yes, that’s no secret. After Marquis Cohen’s involvement in the failed coup, he was immediately imprisoned by the Grand Duke. Once all of his family members had been captured, he was secretly executed in prison. The Sapphire Family didn’t create their present glory by being kind and merciful.”

Levis spoke with a tone of admiration. He held the Sapphire Family in high esteem.

…

It seemed just as Levis had said, this was only a common storm.

Half an hour later, the clouds still enveloped the sky, but the lightning had ceased, and both the heavy rain and fierce winds had gradually settled, as the swift sailboat regained its stability.

“The storm has finally passed,” Li Vera stretched her back.

But before she could finish her sigh of relief, the lookout who had climbed to the top of the mast blew the horn once again, its deep sound spreading through the gloomy environment, giving off a sinister feeling.

“What’s happening?”

No excessive words were needed, the continuous sound of the horn made everyone’s heart sink sharply, all understanding the gravity of the situation—the storm had stopped, but the danger had not passed. There must be a new threat approaching. Normally, they might think of a sea monster, but having been haunted by the Devil Cloud,

everyone felt a sense of foreboding as though they had encountered the Devil Cloud itself.

That feeling became reality.

Suddenly a sailor cried out: “Ah, light! Light! Light! It’s the green light of the ghost ship!”

Liszt and the others quickly climbed from the cabin to the foredeck, then towards the darkness in the distance where a green glow was moving, heading in this direction, flickering as if truly a wraith of flames.

Others could only see a wraith of flames.

Using the Eye of Magic, Liszt saw signs of magic power, faint green magic outlining the vague shape of a tattered sailboat.

“It’s really a ghost ship!”

He shuddered violently. To say he was surprised was not quite right; he had seen specters before, and had even a Black Dragon Childe with ties to wraiths by his side; specters were not a legend but a very real existence. Nonetheless, he was very tense, as encountering a ghost ship on the vast sea spelled unmistakable danger.

“The spectral vessel of Marquis Cohen, could it actually be real?” Levis, swallowing his saliva, was equally tense beside him.

No one keeps their composure when facing the implausible sight of a ghost ship; even Douson, the Intermediate Magical Beast, sensed the unease in the air, his fur standing on end as he growled softly.

At that moment, Levis’s guard, Honored Knight Captain Layden stepped forward: “Do not panic, Sir Levis, Baroness Li Vera, Baron Liszt, we knights possess Dou Qi, even devils can be beheaded by our blades! Gather all knights, prepare for battle against the ghost ship!”

“Philip, Zavier, you lead the Retainer Knights and follow Captain Layden into battle!” Liszt made a swift decision.

Soon, a fighting team composed of knights and Retainer Knights was assembled.

Under Sir Layden’s command, everyone drew their weapons, prepared to face the ghost ship drawing closer, whose decaying, damaged, and spotty hull could now be seen clearly along with the Ram Head Flag hanging from the mast, engulfed in green flames—as Captain Molodo had said, this was the ghost ship of Marquis Cohen.

“Baron, be careful!” Paris drew her greatsword, guarding in front of Liszt, her tone grave, sensing the threat of the ghost ship.

Her inner turmoil was intense, her hand clenching white as she held onto Douson’s leash.

But on the surface, Liszt still maintained his composure, forcibly appearing calm: “It’s just a ghost ship, it might not have been strong while alive, let alone in death. My Crimson Blood Sword has yet to taste fresh blood; it seems it couldn’t wait for the battlefield, so let’s use phantoms to whet its blade instead!”

Clang!

The Crimson Blood Sword was drawn, and the Dou Qi within him stirred, ready for combat.

Creak, sizzle, creak…

The ghost ship, drawing ever closer, stirred not a single wave on the sea surface, yet it made a grating noise of decay as it bore directly towards the swift sailboat’s bow, without any intention to evade, just charging straight ahead.