The Mighty Dragons Are Dead

Chapter 0607 Splendid Night Journey (First Update)

Liszt pressed his thoughts and asked, "Have you found the lost civilization in the map?"

Lars·Truth expressed his regret, "We can roughly determine that the lost civilization should be somewhere near the Roaring River Mouth, but it's really difficult to locate it."

Dulac·Truth followed with a sigh, "The Moon Empire was a great civilization from thousands of years ago, and even it has disappeared. The lost civilization must have been destroyed in the ocean long ago. Over the years, other than Sapphire's people, there hasn't been much activity at sea. The difficulty of finding it in the vast ocean is indeed very great."

Without money, progress was hard to come by, so they thought of approaching the coastal nobles for investment into their research and excavation work.

Clear Water Sword Saint Yevich·Shuisheng, agreed to fund them.

"Who would have known that Sapphire would issue a Pioneer Mandate? If we had known, we wouldn't have rushed over so hastily."

"But you still came."

"Yes, our desire for knowledge drove us to come here at an inopportune time, and we received a treatment we shouldn't have," Cyrille·Truth complained.

He harbored a grudge for becoming a prisoner at the feet of his captors.

Liszt did not care about the attitudes of the three Grand Magicians; he put away the hand-drawn map of the ruins as well as the map research notes they carried with them.

At his leisure, he said, "I have taken receipt of the ruins map. Now, let's talk about the ransom for the three of you."

"We apologize, my lord, but the only possessions we have are the map in your hands. We not only have no spare money but also owe a considerable sum to several magicians. I'm afraid you won't be able to get the ransom you're hoping for from us. We should not have been involved in a knight's war."

As Charles spoke, the other two Grand Magicians nodded, indicating agreement.

"Hmm, can't afford the ransom?" he mused. "Normally, as magicians, if you had not taken part in the knights' war, I would not have made things difficult for you. But since you have exercised magic and joined in this war of the Pioneer Mandate, rules are rules, and you can't escape just because you are not knights."

"But we truly can't pay the ransom."

"Ransom doesn't only come in the form of gold coins," Liszt said indifferently. From the moment he learned that these three were penniless, he had thought about how to deal with them. "There can be other forms, such as knowledge, which in my eyes is wealth. You can exchange your knowledge for freedom; if knowledge is insufficient, working for me is another way to gain freedom."

"Could you specify what kind of knowledge can buy our freedom?"

"All the knowledge in your heads, such as the development of Eagle Kingdom's magicians, the casting plans you hold, and the magical experiments you research all year round... However, knowledge is not highly valued, so your best choice is to work for me."

"Does your lordship wish to take us into his patronage?"

"Not patronage, but rather to work for me without compensation. You should be well aware, knights who cannot pay ransom are thrown into mines for mining, or into workshops for menial labor... What I need is for you to manufacture magic equipment, refine magic potions, and teach magic apprentices."

Without waiting for the three Grand Magicians to respond, he added, "Let's put the specific ransom plan aside for now. We'll discuss it in detail after the Pioneer Mandate is over. You will need to spend a few days confined on the ship... Think carefully about what knowledge you can provide. The more knowledge, the shorter your subsequent work years will be."

Having said this,

Liszt no longer paid attention to the three men and had his subordinate knights take them away—naturally, the ship was equipped with tools to bind magicians.

He wanted these Grand Magicians to cool down a bit, to grind away their arrogance and understand how precious freedom was. After all, in his eyes, magicians were all psychologically unsound perverts who needed effort and time to be reformed. Otherwise, employing them would sooner or later lead to rebellion incidents such as dragon slaying.

The matter with the magicians was settled.

There were no current plans to explore the Ruins Map; the Pioneer Mandate was the only task at hand.

"Father, the knights we dispatched should have already uprooted all the noble castles under the jurisdiction of Ice Pear City. We will be able to complete the purge by tomorrow. Based on my guess, Yevich has probably fled to Steel Dyke City, and we should strike first, capturing several castles outright before Marquis Nuta can react!"

He could hardly wait to capture or kill Yevich.

However, the Earl hesitated, "The Knight Order of Marquis Nuta holds the choke points across the Impact Plains. If we act too rashly, we may easily become his target. Should we perhaps slow down and let other nobles take the lead as a cover for us?"

The Coral Island Knights only had a little over a thousand knights and were finding it difficult to contend with the Marquis's power.

"Speed is of the essence in warfare. Only by continually plundering can we achieve enough military exploits to gain the upper hand for you, Father, in your promotion to Marquis," Liszt urged expansively, "I have Blood Servants to scout the enemy forces, Blizzard Beasts to attack and capture strongholds, and my own formidable strength. Who could possibly stop us!"

"Just how powerful have you become?" The Earl inquired, seemingly offhand.

Liszt pondered before answering, "I may still fall short of the Marquis of Bull who went on a rampage back in the day, but the gap is not big anymore."

Only the Earl and Liszt were present in the room.

After a moment of silence, the Earl once again asked, "The Marquis of Bull stole the power of the Sapphire Dragon and transformed into the legendary Lich to gain his formidable strength. So, tell me, son, how have you become so powerful as well? Especially considering that only half a year ago, you were just an Earth Knight."

He had not planned to voice this question, but he could not hold it back. The shock of that morning's arrow shooting the Sword Saint into the air still hadn't settled down.

Faced with this question.

Liszt was momentarily silent. After all, acquiring a Fire Dragon and becoming a Quasi-Dragon Knight, he should have kept a low profile and worked on his development, that was the proper way.

However, thanks to the continuous manipulation of the Threads of Destiny in his Smoke Mission, his domain was thriving, his personal cultivation growing stronger each day, and he had acquired various treasures. In particular, Rainbow Whale Rose and Sea Sprite Ake allowed him to confidently retreat into the ocean to escape, avoiding desperate crises.

This bred a restless presence in his heart, feeling uncomfortable if he didn't show off for a day.

He was like a nouveau riche who wanted to flaunt his wealth every day by wearing watches, rings, and thick gold chains everywhere. The ancient overlord Xiang Yu once said, "Riches not returned to one's hometown is like traveling by night in brocade—no one knows of it"; this vividly described Liszt's mentality.

Continue your adventure with My Virtual Library Empire

Dressed in fancy clothes, yet choosing to walk at night, who would notice the elegance of your attire!

Of course, Liszt could disguise himself as an average Sky Knight and methodically tend to his island farm until he was ready to soar into the sky. But that wasn't his style. Everyone's pursuit of life was different; he reveled in the shocked expressions of others.

After a long while.

Just when the Earl thought Liszt was not going to answer.

He slowly started speaking, with a hint of a smile, "My strength is far greater than what I have shown, and it is still increasing. Father, I have had my own extraordinary encounters, and I will openly tell you when the time is right... As for now, isn't seizing glory the most important thing?"