The Mighty Dragons Are Dead

The gift from the Red and White Rose Family was satisfactory or not?

Regarding this question,

Liszt didn't beat around the bush, responding enthusiastically, "I'm very satisfied. I gratefully accept the friendship of the Red and White Rose Family." Such a wealthy and generous friend, he was naturally willing to make their acquaintance.

Receiving occasional gifts was enough to prosper.

The value of the gift from the Red and White Rose Family alone exceeded the entire annual output of the Flame Territory. One couldn't begin to imagine how many sheets of white paper, sea salt, and glass it would take to amass a fortune nearly five million Gold Coins. An ordinary Marquis Family would have to sell everything they owned, and still, it wouldn't be enough.

Therefore, the two of them eagerly chatted for a full hour. In the end, Liszt personally escorted Mathew to the castle gates, acting as if he were seeing off an old friend he hadn't seen in years.

"Please stop here, Your Highness. Mathew will return to the embassy to rest a bit and we shall meet again in the afternoon."

Liszt grabbed Mathew's hand and gave it a firm shake, "Alright, Mathew, go and rest. We'll deal with the handover of the envoy's documents this afternoon, and in the evening, I'll join you for a drink. We won't return until we're completely drunk!"

"Yes, we won't return until we're completely drunk!"

As Mathew left, he walked with a bit of a swaying gait. He glanced at the Grey Iron Dragon not far from Thorn Castle.

His heart swelled with pride, coupled with a sense of superiority that he couldn't suppress: "Although knightly glory has looked favorably upon me, and my talents surpass all the youth in the three kingdoms, it's incredible to have ridden four dragons. But in the end, he's just a poor country boy, displaying a shabby appearance, dazzled by such wealth."

Scratching a stray lock of hair at the corner of his brow, he thought contentedly: "But this feeling is quite pleasant. Our ancestors used money to win over the Steel Ridge Kingdom, and now I use money to win over the future Flame Kingdom. Isn't this equal to the Red and White Rose Family secretly controlling two great kingdoms?"

The more he thought about it, the happier he became. His mood felt like dancing in a club.

So exciting.

It felt like he had reached a climax in life.

It felt like he had reached the pinnacle.

...

Meanwhile, in the study of Thorn Castle, Liszt and his father Li Weiliam were marveling at the priceless trove of gifts, clicking their tongues in amazement.

"Liszt said, "Worthy of the Red and White Rose Family, such financial capacity, such boldness, almost made me lose my composure." He picked up his teacup and gulp down a big swallow, calming his excited emotions.

Gemstones, Magic Metal, Low-Level Dragon Beasts, and Abandoned Cordyceps – each one of these gifts was lavish.

Yet the most extravagant were the two chests containing Magic Potions. One thousand vials of Platinum Magic Potion and two hundred vials of Red Dragon Water, two types of Magic Potions famous worldwide from the Red and White Rose Family, given in a quantity worth millions. Such valuable gifts, if it were Liszt, he would never part with, even if it killed him.

Too extravagant!

Li Weiliam also took deep breaths, trying to calm his emotions: "The Red and White Rose Family truly knows how to make a grand gesture. I've weathered many storms over the decades, but I've never seen such a generous gift-giving. It seems like several generations of a medium Noble Family would struggle to compare to a single gift casually given by one of these Dragon Rearing Families."

"The Tulip Family wouldn't be able to come up with this much wealth, not even one-tenth, without having to sell off their estates."

"Father, there is also a vast chasm between Dragon Rearing Families. Not every Dragon Rearing Family has access to Platinum Magic Potion and Red Dragon Water. Moreover, the gifts from King Osborne and King Helder were quite ordinary. The gift from the Red and White Rose Family is different."

"That's true. Free food tastes more expensive than rare delicacies. The Rose Duchy is far to the north of Steel Ridge, and it is challenging to establish relations. Why would Mathew send such valuable gifts?"

Li Weiliam wasn't very familiar with the Red and White Rose Family, only having heard that the family was famous for its wealth.

Liszt took out a vial of Platinum Magic Potion and, using his Eye of Magic, closely inspected the dense Chaotic Magic Power within, saying, "Father, have you ever heard of the Steel Pearl or the most beautiful woman of the Northland?"

"No."

"Marilyn Rose of Red and White, sister of Mathew, daughter of the Duke of Rose, niece of King Osborne, fifteen years old this year, and yet unmarried. Although Mathew didn't say it outright, he hinted everywhere that he has a beautiful sister, and that an alliance through marriage could secure the wealth of the Red and White Rose Family."

"The Red and White Rose Family wants a marriage alliance with you?" Li Weiliam gasped for breath, "So, what do you think about that? Do you have any plans for such an alliance?"

Liszt set down the Platinum Magic Potion he was holding and regained his usual calm demeanor, "Does Father think I should enter into a marriage alliance?"

Li Weiliam wanted to say "Stop hesitating, marry into wealth as quickly as possible," but then he remembered his daughter, the Archmage Acherloides Truth.

On one hand lay boundless wealth, on the other, vast magic.

It was indeed a difficult choice.

"This... marrying the daughter of the Red and White Rose Family would be an excellent choice, of course. Acherloides is a wonderful girl not to let go of either. As the head of the Flame Family and King of the Flame Kingdom, the decision of marriage is yours to make, and I won't interfere."

Acherloides represented strength, Marilyn represented wealth, and Li Weiliam did not want to put himself in a difficult position making choices for Liszt—besides, he knew he couldn't make decisions for him.

Not to mention that as a second son who had branched out from the family, even if he hadn't, he wouldn't be able to sway Liszt's convictions.

However, he still spoke with a trace of concern, "Liszt, there's one thing I hope you'll think about carefully. Once you become King, you must be responsible for all the citizens of the Kingdom, and the most important responsibility of a King is to produce an heir to ensure the smooth succession of the throne."

He often saw Acherloides and was all too aware of her Sea Serpent identity.

So, in his heart, he hoped to counsel Liszt—indicating that between Acherloides and Marilyn, he preferred Liszt to choose Marilyn.

Though he had never met Marilyn in person, the wealth of the Red and White Rose Family had already successfully dazed him.

Liszt did not respond immediately; he closed two cases containing Magic Potions and directly stored them in his Space Ring, then gathered the gemstones and Magic Metals as well.

The Abandoned Cordyceps Bloody Pen Ghost and Black Tiger's Paw would be planted by the serfs as arranged by the officials, and the Falcon Dogs would be handed over to specialized breeders for care.

After attending to these matters.

He asked indifferently, "Father, what do you think is the greatest power in this world?"

Li Weiliam asked curiously, "What is it?"

"Dragons!"

Without beating around the bush, Liszt said directly, "With dragons, one has everything, because dragons signify power, and wealth cannot represent power. The Red and White Rose Family may seem to dwarf the Steel Ridge Royal Family in wealth, but they are nothing but rootless trees, or to put it plainly, merely puppets manipulated by the Steel Ridge Royal Family."

Mathew, heir of the Duke of Rose, was majestic and glimmered with gold, yet Liszt had already seen through the flaw of the Red and White Rose Family: their strength did not match their wealth.

If he were just a poor boy, he would be easily stunned by money, but as penniless as he was, being a Dragon Knight with five dragons, acquiring wealth was all too easy.

Just like this time, the Red and White Rose Family had come from afar to bring money.

"The Red and White Rose Family's reason for wanting a marriage alliance is simple; they have money but no dragons to protect it, so they're hoping for a new support, which is me. However, the question worth pondering is, does the Steel Ridge Royal Family truly wish to share the wealth of the Red and White Rose Family with me?"

Li Weiliam pondered with furrowed brows.

Liszt offered an answer straight away, "You see, Mathew is the heir to the Red and White Rose Family, not Marilyn. The Steel Ridge Royal Family just needs to hold on to Mathew, and they've got the purse strings of the Red and White Rose Family, as well as control over the extent of wealth I can acquire."

"So, Mathew serving as the leader of the Envoy Group, and the Red and White Rose Family's intent to marry us off—is it all being manipulated by the Steel Ridge Royal Family behind the scenes?"

"Who knows? Maybe Osborne wants to ensnare me using Marilyn, or perhaps the Duke of Rose is eager to break free from the Platinum Family's constraints... But these don't matter. What matters is that I have dragons. Father, you might not yet know, but I've recently ridden another dragon."

Li Weiliam widened his eyes: "Ridden another dragon?"

"Yes, I have five dragons, I am a Dragon Knight, Acherloides is an Archmage." Liszt said this with a release of the frustration he had felt from being almost swindled by Mathew's wealth, "Though I might not have money, I have dragons, and as long as I ride out on dragons, their money will ultimately be my money!"