The Mighty Dragons Are Dead

Chapter 739: Chapter 0736: The Child Cries Loudly (First Update)
 

Dragon Slash possessed immense power, greatly enhancing Liszt’s strength, yet this was but one of the countless inspirations in his mind, with many more powerful offensive and defensive strategies brewing within.

Unnoticeable, four days had already passed.

Coral Island was in sight.

As drizzle began to fall from the overcast sky, Liszt and Li Weiliam stood side by side at the bow, father and son chatting about everyday matters in the rain without umbrellas.

“We’re almost home,” Li Weiliam suddenly said, filled with emotion, shaking his head and sighing, “Initially, I believed becoming a Marquis was the pinnacle of my life, but you’ve brought me so many surprises, propelling our family from nobles to a Dragon Rearing Family, what an honor.”

Liszt took it for granted and replied, “Being a Dragon Rearing Family is just the beginning, more glory lies ahead.”

When Li Weiliam saw Liszt’s attitude, he couldn’t help but laugh, “You’ve had such a smooth journey, that you can’t appreciate the prestige of a Dragon Rearing Family. Moving from a serf household to a commoner family is a huge hurdle, and ascending from a commoner to the ranks of a minor noble is even more formidable.”

And to climb from a minor noble to a major one, is yet another vast chasm.

These hurdles are enough to block ninety-nine percent of the people in this world; only the one percent, or rather the one in ten thousand fortunate ones, can relish the glory and nobility of being a major noble. Yet all these pale in comparison to the gap between a major noble and a Dragon Rearing Family.

The world is full of major nobles, however, Dragon Rearing Families won’t exceed two hundred.

Take for example the Grand Duchy of Sapphire, over more than one hundred and fifty years, major nobles have risen and fallen, but the Dragon Rearing Family has always only been the Sapphire Family.

“Had it not been for your unexpected rise, the old Sapphire Dragon might have led to the decline of the Sapphire Family, and we would not have witnessed the birth of a second Dragon Rearing Family,” Li Weiliam said, feeling more and more like it was surreal. He could not imagine how much a knight’s glory must favor one for a Dragon Knight and an Archmage to emerge one after another in the Tulip Family.

As a family of commoners at the beginning of the nation, our ancestors struggled through life and death on the battlefield to barely join the ranks of minor nobility. Over the next hundred years, the descendants barely squeezed into the ranks of the major nobility.

And then, in the blink of an eye, it became a Dragon Rearing Family.

“Father, you must adapt quickly, as our family will be busier in the future.”

“I know,” Li Weiliam said, halfheartedly lamenting, filled with unspoken elation, “We’re about to reach the port. Do you want to summon Leo so the people of Coral Island can witness the Fire Dragon’s incredible might?”

Liszt shook his head, “That would be too ostentatious and not very dignified. When we return to Tulip Castle, I’ll summon Leo just to let the family have a look.”

Li Weiliam coughed and found himself at a loss for words—every time Liszt returned to Bull Hoof Island Port, he would ride Leo with great display. Why didn’t he consider it too ostentatious then? Why did he receive such a response when he suggested the plan himself? Outrageous!

However, if Liszt did not wish to show off, he could not insist.

The father-son conversation thus fell into an awkward silence.

A moment later.

Upon arrival at the port, the Coral City Port was bustling with people. Not only had knights stationed on the island come to welcome the ship, but also a large crowd of commoners, all craning their necks eagerly waiting for the return of the Dragon Knight—almost none of them had ever seen a Dragon and all longed to lay eyes on one.

Afterward, they would have a story to tell their descendants.

Moreover, they could also catch a glimpse of the Archmage—for commoners, the fame of an Archmage didn’t quite compare with that of a Dragon Knight, because only knights were known as rulers.

Unfortunately.

Liszt had no interest in showing off today. He disembarked quietly with the Knight Order, then swiftly got into the family carriage, escorted by the knights towards Tulip Castle. When they reached the crossroads to Coral City and Tulip Castle, they saw Lady Penelope and others standing in the rain, looking forward expectantly.

There was a faint sense of bewilderment.

This was already his fourth triumphant return.@@novelbin@@

One battle at Iron Hoof Island, two Pioneer Mandate campaigns, and now this Dragon Slaying battle, the welcoming procession grew more magnificent each time, corresponding to his identity during each return—a promising Elite Earth Knight, the youngest Sky Knight, the second most powerful man in the Grand Duchy.

And now, the Dragon Knight, the new overlord of the sea!

While the family’s differential treatment was a clear display of opportunism, Liszt reveled in such opportunism, as it solidly confirmed his continuous growth and progress over the years.

Li Weiliam was the first to step out of the carriage, striding towards Lady Penelope: “Mother, I have made you worry.”

However, Lady Penelope simply nodded briefly before turning to greet Liszt, who had just stepped out of the carriage, and gave him a big hug: “Son of Glory to the Tulip Family, our Dragon Knight, I have been longing for your return ever since I received the message!”

Faced with such an enthusiastic embrace, Liszt was somewhat helpless but responded with a smile, “Grandmother.”

After the embrace, Lady Penelope turned to Ach, who was next to Liszt, and gave a reserved hug: “Ach, good child!”

Ach smiled calmly, devoid of familial warmth, as she remained indifferent to all humans except for Liszt—even to fellow Sea Serpents like Iris, she could not muster much enthusiasm, let alone humans who were mere acquaintances. If not for Liszt, she would have outright dodged the embrace.

After embracing the Dragon Knight and the Archmage, Lady Penelope stared at Liszt: “So my pride, my great Dragon Knight, your dragon resides within you?”

“Yes, Grandmother.”

“I actually embraced a dragon just now?”

“You could say that,” Liszt replied with a faint smile, and then, calling Leo silently from the depths of his heart, unleashed him. Leo burst forth immediately, igniting into a blaze of Flame as he emerged.

As the flames died down, a twenty-meter-long red and black Fire Dragon with a twenty-meter wingspan took off into the sky and flew towards the mountain that loomed over Tulip Castle. Landing on the mountaintop, the dragon looked down at the crowd below with a pair of eyes filled with malevolent splendor.

A stir went through the crowd.

The dramatic entrance of Leo awed everyone present; the sight of the Fire Dragon perched on the distant mountaintop turned many faces red with excitement.

Liszt helped the startled Lady Penelope to her feet, saying, “Grandmother, let’s head to the castle first.”

“Oh, yes, yes, of course,” Lady Penelope stammered, still trembling. In her youth, she had practiced Dou Qi for a time but never mastered it, so she remained a commoner at heart. The brief exposure to Dragon Might had truly jolted her gradually aging body.

In fact.

It was out of concern for Lady Penelope’s health that Liszt had Leo stay away from the crowd, for if Leo unleashed his Dragon Might in full, many of the weaker bystanders might have fainted right there and then.

If they had been exposed to the Dragon Might a little longer, even the Earth Knights would have fallen in droves.

Even so, Lady Penelope still felt somewhat distressed, and nearby, Loria, holding the infant Richard in her arms, saw him bursting into tears. The not yet one-year-old was overwhelmed by the oppressive Dragon Might—but in a way, he was fortunate to have experienced Dragon Might so young.

Thus.

While everyone gazed fixedly at the Fire Dragon atop the mountain, they made their way to Tulip Castle. Moments later, the news spread like wildfire throughout Coral City. Everyone knew that the Tulip Family’s Dragon Knight had returned, making a dramatic entrance on the back of an unimaginably mighty Fire Dragon.

Many people even swore with absolute certainty: “That Fire Dragon is so powerful, a single glance from it could kill a whole swath of Knights!”