The Mighty Dragons Are Dead

Chapter 787: Chapter 0784: Hands-Off Shopkeeper (Third Release, 10,000 Coin Reward Celebration 1/2)
 

This chapter is a bonus update sponsored by “Ten Thousand Years of Salted Fish”.

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In the Flame Territory, Black Horse Island, Thorn Castle, on the fifth floor, there was Liszt’s exclusive training room.

Paris was wielding a great sword, practicing the Dou Qi Manuscript “Flash Slash”, a light attribute Dou Qi Manuscript that Liszt had purchased at considerable expense—since knights with the light attribute Dou Qi are very rare, so too are the manuscripts, making them precious and naturally expensive.

Liszt sat in a large chair, employing the Eye of Magic Power to closely observe the operation of Dou Qi and magic power within Paris’s body.

Unlike regular light attribute knights, a light magic swordsman can not only refine their own light attribute Dou Qi but also naturally absorb the free light attribute magic power in the air.

As both magic and Dou Qi were cultivated together, the route for operating magic power was also rather complex.

With Paris’s not-so-sharp mind, without guidance, it would be difficult for her to break through the limit of an Earth Knight.

In other words, without Liszt helping her navigate the path of cultivation, she would remain at the level of an elite light attribute Earth Knight and an average light system magician for the rest of her life. However, she was fortunate to have followed a Dragon Knight as a landlord, who often trained her and guided her on how to cultivate.

“Paris has good physical talents, but her comprehension is lacking. Her Dou Qi has reached a bottleneck, and under normal conditions, she should be striving to break through to become a Sky Knight,” Liszt observed and discussed with Ach, “But a normal breakthrough is very difficult for her, and the root cause is her body.”

Paris could be described as a success because of her affinity for the light attribute, and yet also a failure for the same reason.

Her affinity for the light attribute allowed her to cultivate Dou Qi at an extraordinary speed, and coupled with her original talent, she quickly reached the bottleneck of intermediate Dou Qi. However, due to her affinity for the light attribute, her body naturally attracted the free light attribute magic power, which interrupted the boiling of her Dou Qi, causing interference with the breakthrough.

Ach, too, was using the Super Magic – Eye of Mana to carefully observe the flow of Dou Qi within Paris, as well as the interference from the light attribute magic power.

“Brother, Paris’s breakthrough is affected by the variable of light attribute magic power. If we resolve this variable, she should be able to break through quickly.”

“How to resolve it?”

“Ach has thought of three solutions. The first is to rely on a special environment to shield the free light attribute magic power; the second is to cut the connection between Dou Qi and magic power to establish a new Dou Qi circulation route, reducing the frequency of magic power mingling with Dou Qi; the third is to use a magic array.”

“A magic array?”

“Yes, by using a magic array to accelerate the light attribute magic power in Paris, allowing her to break through the bottleneck together with her Dou Qi… Currently, we can modify the advanced light system magic – Invisibility Technique, to intersect with her “Flash Slash”, thereby achieving a simultaneous breakthrough.”

Invisibility technique, a kind of magic that was almost instinctively used by Paris when she was a Black Dragon Childe, and there was no strategy more familiar to her.

However, at that time, it was a power given to her by the Light Dragon—Light and Shadow Tug.

Now that the power of the Light Dragon had been cleared, she could no longer use Light and Shadow Tug, but she still grasped the principle.

“Then, Paris’s breakthrough will be left for you, Ach, to handle, and keep an eye on the operation method while you’re at it,” Liszt naturally took the role of a hands-off manager, “I plan to see if I can train a group of Fire Paladins, since there’s no volcano and Leo is idle anyway.”

“Mhm,” Ach nodded, also quite interested in the new cultivation system of a light magic swordsman.

It was quite fulfilling to innovate a new cultivation system.

People cannot learn to cultivate immediately upon birth, nor can magicians and knights emerge out of nowhere. They’re the result of predecessors adapting to the physics and magic rules of the world, slowly figuring out a cultivation system. What Liszt and Ach were doing was just this.

Perhaps they would fail, or perhaps succeed; nobody could say for sure.

…

There are a myriad of matters concerning the territory, but with more and more talented individuals coming to follow, things are gradually getting on the right track. Not to mention the magicians, who are gathering in greater numbers—though there might be some who dislike the atmosphere here and leave, those who stay are in the majority, as the environment provided by the Magic Guild for experimentation is much better than solitary research.

Those who truly seek the Truth will naturally stay and slowly integrate into the Magic Guild.

Even many magicians believe that is how magicians should conduct research during the time of the Moon Empire—prospering magic cannot be achieved by working in isolation.

As for knights.

In Sapphire, there are a large number of frustrated knights slowly converging towards the Flame Territory. Especially in Iron Hoof City, where a large number of knights have gathered, many of whom were implicated by the Marquis of Bull’s betrayal and stripped of their noble titles. Liszt’s rise has shown them the glory of knights once again.

Following Liszt’s standards, Garcia, Marcus, and others continually screen knights.

Knights of good character and excellent talent are arranged to train and work on Black Horse Island, while a mix of knights stay to work in Iron Hoof City.

Anyway, Liszt doesn’t have many construction plans for Iron Hoof City. He even rented the farmlands to the Marquis of Bull Tail to cultivate, and the area is barely maintained, serving as a transportation hub. The trading of sea salt, glass, and white paper all centers around Iron Hoof City for expansion to the outside.

What local officials need to do is select excellent knights and send them to Thorn Castle.

Then they would be accepted by Liszt as followers.

He has already intermittently accepted the allegiance of more than a hundred knights.

The total number of Earth Knights in the territory has broken through six hundred, forming four Knight Orders—the Iron Hoof City Knights, the Black Horse Island Knights, the Fresh Flower Knights, and the Giant Algae Knights.

The leader of the Iron Hoof City Knights is Garcia, a Sky Knight; the leader of the Black Horse Island Knights is Fox, a Sky Knight; the leader of the Fresh Flower Knights Order is Liszt himself, and the members are all elite Earth Knights; the leader of the Giant Algae Knights is Marcus, stationed to guard the territory.

In addition, Paris’s patrolling team is gradually transitioning from Apprentice Knights to Earth Knights.

Charles’ security team also has selected a number of weakened and older Earth Knights.

Of course, these are all temporary knight orders, hastily assembled for the time being. After the establishment of the nation, the knight orders will gradually become formalized and renamed.

…

In the blink of an eye, February has ended.

Winter has passed, and spring has arrived. The territory has begun the busy work of spring plowing. Just at this time, Crown Prince Anthony Sapphire once again visited Black Horse Island.

Liszt received Crown Prince Anthony and his entourage at Thorn Castle.

“Your Highness, I bring you a proposal from my father. He hopes to join forces with you to launch a major naval campaign, completely destroy the Eagle Kingdom’s fleet, and reclaim the sea back into the arms of the Sapphire People,” Anthony started with his intentions and then divulged more secrets in the study.

“According to the rats of the Sapphire Family’s investigations, after Carlo Violet of the Eagle Kingdom died at the hands of Your Highness, the Light Green Gemstone Dragon did not return to the Eagle Kingdom. It is very likely that it has become an Evil Dragon in the wild. With Steel Ridge Kingdom and Blast Furnace Fortress Kingdom continuously pressuring the border, Eagle Kingdom can no longer afford to focus on the sea.”

This news was clearly not something new.

Because the Light Green Gemstone Dragon was in Liszt’s hands: “The Light Green Gemstone Dragon not returning is indeed very interesting… As for eradicating the Eagle Kingdom’s fleet, that aligns perfectly with my intention; in principle, I agree. I wonder how the Grand Duke plans to cooperate, and how will profits be divided?”

The fleet of Eagle Kingdom looking for the Light Green Gemstone Dragon in the sea had been very annoying to him. Since the Sapphire Duke already had an idea, he naturally agreed promptly.

If he could completely eliminate the Eagle Kingdom’s maritime force, it would also be greatly beneficial to the nation he was about to establish.