The Mighty Dragons Are Dead

Chapter 0512 An Old Friend Visits My Humble Abode (Third Update, Alliance Hierarch Additional 5/5)

Had the Earl been careless? No.

But at this moment, father and son didn't need to communicate with their eyes; they understood each other's silence and proceeded as if the Earl had been careless. Liszt didn't say he had won, so the Earl didn't need to admit he had lost.

Each found their own steeds and led them, walking slowly.

The Earl gradually calmed his emotions, whether he could accept reality or not was another matter. The one who had defeated him was not someone else—it was his son. This meant he couldn't stay upset forever. Every father harbors the hope that their children will surpass them, hoping the next generation will be stronger.

Liszt had achieved this.

He had no reason to feel discouraged.

But for him to become cheerful immediately was likewise not easy, especially since he had grown accustomed to being the strongest in Coral Island. Apart from the Grand Duke, who might succeed at dragon riding, Li Weiliam feared no one—not even the Sword Saints at the Completion Level. If he couldn't win, he could always flee.

What was unbelievable was that in front of Liszt, he didn't flee.

"I can no longer assess your growth... I am forty-six this year, in the prime of life; you are eighteen, not yet having celebrated your birthday... I remember you once said your goal was to ride dragons. Every young person dreams of dragon riding, and it's only in middle age that they give up such unrealistic fantasies. As for you..."

The Earl looked at the dashing Liszt, wanting to say something but then held back.

He believed Liszt had a chance of riding a dragon, yet every Sky Knight at the Completion Level harbored hopes of dragon riding, but where could they find the right dragon?

So, there was no need to say these things.

He bowed his head, lifting his gaze to see the few strands of hair that had been singed by the fire. It wasn't very clear to see, and without a mirror, he could only feel with his hand. The feeling wasn't good, especially at the hairline on his forehead, where there seemed to be a slight recession.

This sudden change in his otherwise calmed emotions made his tone particularly harsh: "Liszt, do you know what people fear most when they reach middle age?"

"What?" Liszt asked absentmindedly.

"The hairline!" the Earl said sharply, "Even the Grand Duke, with his daily nourishing diet, cannot stop his hairline from receding! As your father, I do not have a handsome appearance, so my hairline is my only solace!"

Liszt was baffled, "Ah?"

"But you've hurt it."

"Father, your hairline doesn't give off an unattainable impression, my Dou Qi flame only burned off a strand of hair, it didn't damage the hairline."

"Is that so."

"Yes."

"Alright, I forgive you," the Earl sighed in relief and then asked, "I am very curious, why is it that my Sword Saint Level Advanced Dou Qi couldn't block your ordinary Advanced Dou Qi, even showing signs of breaking upon contact."

"Perhaps it's because I have an extraordinary talent," Liszt replied with a slight concentration, a bit helplessly.

He hadn't anticipated the battle to be so one-sided, the oppressive effect of the Dragon Dou Qi on ordinary Dou Qi, was horrifyingly strong. Otherwise, he would absolutely have restrained himself a bit more and reduced the chance of exposure; he wasn't ready to share the secret of the Little Fire Dragon with his family yet.

When it comes to dragon riding, one cannot be too careful.

Once exposed, one can imagine that the Grand Duke would not let him go, he would try every possible means to seize the Little Fire Dragon—the allure of dragons, particularly that of young dragons, cannot be overstated. After all, young dragons are the easiest for a knight to bond with, achieving the status of a Dragon Knight.

Dragon Knights, the pinnacle of power in the world.

Who wouldn't be captivated!

Fortunately, the object of his sword battle was the Earl, his own father, and even if there were some secrets, he could easily brush them off, "My Dou Qi is rather special, possessing a strong corrosive nature, and my fighting style is all about overwhelming and explosive attacks. Once I seize the initiative, it's an endless onslaught of strikes."

The excuse was a bit far-fetched.

But the Earl did not delve further, firstly because he was not in a good mood, and secondly, he didn't want to interrogate his son too thoroughly. Especially since Liszt had the strength to crush him, in this world where the strong are revered, even though Liszt was only his son, he still deserved a great deal of respect.

"You have not yet reached the Sword Saint Level, have you?"

"Not yet."

"When can you advance?"

Liszt pondered, "It's hard to say; I'll aim for within a year."

Upon hearing this, the Earl paused for a moment, then swiftly mounted his horse and, leaving behind the words "I am proud of you," he rode his Panther Horse towards Tulip Castle.

The Earl sped away.

Meanwhile, Liszt rode Loki leisurely along the tranquil path. His gaze was locked onto the void ahead, where what appeared as coils of invisible smoke to others—after defeating the Earl, he had summoned the Smoke Mission, eager to find out the identity of his old friend.

"Complete the mission, reward: the Formless Dragon's lingering."

"The Formless Dragon, is it really the Formless Dragon?" Upon discovering the Formless Dragon, he was both shocked and delighted, as the Formless Dragon was a treasure-bringer; the Space Gem had been of great help to him. What puzzled him, though, was, "Why is the Formless Dragon considered an 'old friend'? When did I ever form a bond with it?"

The last time the Formless Dragon visited Fresh Flower Town, it ate two cows and then left with a roar.

Liszt had hidden in the tunnel all along, not daring to show his face.

"Such behavior hardly qualifies as friendship." However, after mulling it over for a moment, he did recall why the Smoke Mission would refer to the Formless Dragon as his old friend—it was because of the knight's novel "The Adventure of Ranger Griffe", which was the primary source of information about Formless Dragons.

In the book, the protagonist Griffe used Smoked Grass and beef to attract the Formless Dragon and claimed that the Space Gem was a token of their telepathic friendship.

Now understanding the meaning of "old friend." Experience more on empire

Liszt closely examined the Smoke Serpent Script before him.

"Mission: The Formless Dragon is lingering just outside the territory. It does not remember where it specifically was when it bathed in the fragrance intoxicating to dragons, eating the delicious beef. Perhaps the moment you ignite the Smoked Grass, it will descend once again. Reward: Formless Dragon's gift."

"It's actually forgotten the coordinates of Fresh Flower Town; this presents a tremendous opportunity. I can prepare meticulously to maximize the harvest. I believe 'the Formless Dragon's gift' will be more abundant than last time."

Last time, the Formless Dragon's gift included a Space Gem, four Dragon Breed Cows, and a few other cows that were affected.

This time.

Liszt intended to carefully plan the setup to maximize the benefits brought by the Formless Dragon—he had seen the dragon's majesty and understood that he couldn't keep the Formless Dragon there permanently. He could only try to reap as many benefits as possible.

"According to my previous notes on dragons, for a dragon to infect other species with its bloodline, it needs to be in a state of excitement. Apparently, gemstone production also requires it to be excited... when the Formless Dragon visits again, I need to make it feel 'completely at home' and thoroughly excited!"

The more excited the Formless Dragon, the more Space Gems it would likely leave behind, and the stronger the infective power of its bloodline would be.

Licking his lips.

Liszt's eyes shone, "Ideally, I'll exhaust it until it can't even stand!"