The Mighty Dragons Are Dead

Chapter 791: Chapter 0788: Gemstones and Crystals (Second Update)
 

A large island, nearly as big as Coral Island, hung solitary above the vast sea, with none of the surrounding islands Liszt had been anticipating.

Not even the scattered islets were present, at most there were some coral reefs.

Of course, Liszt was not disappointed with this island. The Adventure Fleet had only sailed a few laps around the nearby sea and had not explored farther waters. There may be no islands within a hundred kilometers, but that did not mean there weren’t any beyond that distance.

The island was not yet named.

He was inclined to name it “Flamelet Island,” symbolizing it as the first small flame in the establishment of Flame Country, but then he thought that it would be a joke if there truly were no suitable archipelago nearby. Hence, he simply refrained from naming it and referred to it as New Island.

Accompanied by Ach aboard the Flame Number, they made a quick inspection of New Island and its surrounding waters and then hurriedly returned to Flame Territory.

New Island was here to stay, and neither Elf, Magic Potion, nor Magical Beast could escape.

However, there were many day-to-day affairs in the territory that needed his attention, leaving no time to waste on New Island, especially with the imminence of war. Liszt had much to prepare for.

Once war began, trade within the territory was bound to be impacted.

Plus, dealing with the post-war serf trade and similar matters had to be prepared for now to avoid being caught unprepared later.

And so,

time passed day by day, and before he knew it, it was the end of March.

The Sapphire Duke had officially set a date for the great naval battle. The Knight Order would assemble on April 4th in Bull Hoof City on Iron Hoof Island to rest for a day before commencing their attack on the various fleets of Eagle Kingdom, as well as the major ports where ships were harbored.

The fleets of Flame Territory organized quickly.

The Knight Orders from Iron Hoof City, Black Horse Island, and Fresh Flower, three divisions, began shipboard training—this naval war differed from a land charge, requiring Knights to fight aboard ships, where boarding combat would become the main tactic.

Marcus, who had previously served concurrently in the Thorn Knight Order, was appointed deputy leader of the Fresh Flower Knight Order, assisting Liszt with the training of the Knights.

As for Liszt himself, he had already set out with Ach to Dodo Island, and there was only one reason for this visit—the Light Green Gemstone Dragon had awakened.

Having a mind connection, Liszt knew of its awakening the moment it happened.

Upon reaching Dodo Island, the Light Green Gemstone Dragon that had been asleep for half a year was struggling to pace along the shore of the island. Even with the life-sustaining Magic Potions Liszt provided, it could not stop the drain of its energy. It was incredibly weak, barely able to fly.

With Flame Number anchored on the sandy beach, Liszt motioned for Ach to wait on the ship as he approached the Light Green Gemstone Dragon alone.

The Light Green Gemstone Dragon turned its head to look at Liszt, its dragon eyes bearing a complex human-like expression—despite the Mind Battle wiping the imprint of the First Dragon Knight, some memories are indelible. After all, it was an adult dragon who had lived for more than four centuries, with its own behaviors and personality.

“Roar!”

As Liszt drew near, the Light Green Gemstone Dragon let out a slight call.

This roar held no hostility. After all, they had ridden upon the Dragon Tooth Platform, and their minds merged as one. This was the first proper encounter between dragon and Dragon Knight. Many thoughts surfaced in the minds of both, some vaguely clashing, but in the end, all thoughts flickered out of consciousness.

Liszt took a deep breath and leaped onto the back of the Light Green Gemstone Dragon, then he comfortably seated himself on the Dragon Tooth Platform.

The Light Green Gemstone Dragon did not resist.

In an instant, the Dragon Knight Resonance was complete, and they entered Dragon Knight mode—with a total fusion of minds and limitless synchrony of thought. Liszt clearly felt the complex inner world of the Light Green Gemstone Dragon, and the dragon likewise sensed Liszt’s domineering inner self—in strict terms, it was still Liszt who dominated the shared mental space.

Dragons are no less intelligent than humans, and their mental strength is sufficiently powerful. Nonetheless, they tend to submit as mounts conquered by knights in the battle of minds.

“Light Green Gemstone Dragon, our minds are united as one. I can feel your weakness and understand your needs. No matter what has happened before, we are now one. I will feed you, accompany you, and explore this boundless and vast world together!”

“Roar!”

“You want Bone Burning Wine? You can have it!”

“Roar!”

“You want to eat Magic Potions and Jade, as well as Magical Beast Meat, you can have them!”

“Roar!”

“You desire an undisturbed Dragon Nest, you can have it!”

“Roar!”

“You refuse to unleash the power of bloodline infection because you’re severely injured now, you can have it that way!”

“Roar!”

“Rest assured, big guy, I can provide everything you want. But you also need to satisfy my needs—remember—fight, that’s what you need to do, battle side by side with me; produce, the Light Green Gemstone Mine, you are to infect them; train, we will train together to break the shackles of a Dragon Knight!”

“Roar!”

The Light Green Gemstone Dragon’s roar was full of excitement. A man and a dragon had thus reached an agreement, and Liszt quickly descended from the Dragon Tooth Platform. He then moved a large amount of supplies from the Flame Number, including a great deal of Magical Beast Meat, a small amount of Magic Potions and Auxiliary Medicine, as well as a batch of Bone Burning Wine brewed with Fresh Flower Brew.

Bone Burning Wine was a specialty of the Royal Family of the Eagle Kingdom. Liszt couldn’t get the recipe, but it was just about acceptable to concoct Bone Burning Wine from other spirits.

As for Jade.

He was temporarily unable to provide it because his territory didn’t have a Jade Mine, and the small reserves of Jade he had were still needed for the Elves. Coral Island did have a Jade Mine, but the five-year harvesting period had not yet passed, so the Jade Mine did not belong to Liszt for the time being. Moreover, the yield from the Coral Island Jade Mine was too low to meet the needs of the Light Green Gemstone Dragon.

After the Dragon Slaying Battle, Liszt had asked the Sapphire Duke how the Sapphire Dragon produced gemstones.

The answer he received was that whether it be Dragon Blood, Dragon Scales, Dragon Breath, or even Dragon Dung, they could all ferment over time to form Crystal Mines, which then would foster a small amount of gemstones. To get a large-scale Gemstone Mine, however, either Dragon Blood must be used to spill over the land to form it,

or Jade must be used to prompt the Gemstone Dragon to form Jade Dragon Breath, thereby spouting this special Dragon Breath to combine with the earth, creating a Gemstone Mine. Coupled with the continuous emanation of Dragon Magic Power from the dragon’s body, Crystals Mines would constantly congeal, with gemstones continuously forming within the Crystal Mines.

Therefore, raising a Gemstone Dragon is not an easy task.

But compared to the Gemstone Mines obtained, these expenses are not much to speak of.

Moreover, the most important thing about dragons is their combat power; a single dragon can shelter a Dragon Rearing Family’s everlasting prosperity. Just like a truck driver who has to spend a considerable price to take care of the truck—fueling, maintenance, tolls, insurance, etc.—but a truck can also sustain a family’s living necessities.

Compared to raising Elves, the cost of rearing dragons was enormous, but so were the returns.

“Eat up, recover your body quickly, and then I will send you to the new island, where you will live for a while. When I establish my own nation, I will build you a satisfactory Dragon Nest.”

“Roar!”