The Mighty Dragons Are Dead

Chapter 0610 Refusing to Follow (Second Update)

Sitting in the main seat of the council hall of Little Riverheart Castle, Li Weiliam felt extremely pleased. He had easily gained a castle. His side had suffered only a few dozen knight casualties, yet they had captured two Sky Knights and a large number of Earth Knights. Moreover, with the knights previously conscripted at Snow Pear Castle, the more they fought, the more knights they seemed to have.

Although according to the plan, the supplies were all Liszt's, the military exploits belonged to Li Weiliam.

At the same time, these surrendered knights were all Noble Landlords of Coral Island, each one available to be chosen and conscripted, provided that one could afford the knights' upkeep. There was no shortage of captive knights, even Elite Earth Knights were captured in large numbers, many unable to pay their ransom, available for the taking.

Li Weiliam was in high spirits.

Liszt was equally elated, having captured two Sky Knights in succession, one an Earl and the other a Viscount, their ransoms were not sums that ordinary wealth could compensate.

His face beaming, he asked the Earl, "Father, you have captured a Sky Knight before too, what did it cost him to redeem himself?"

This matter was basically known to all the knights of Coral Island, and naturally, Liszt knew as well. Asking this question was merely a way to vent his excitement.

Light shone from the Earl's eyes: "In that battle, I received two Little Minor Elves as ransom!"

"If one Sky Knight is worth two Little Minor Elves, then I'll demand the same from Yevich. However, Deborah, being the nephew of Marquis Nuta, who has a very rich territory, should pay a bit more, let's say four Little Minor Elves." Liszt instantly decided on the ransom amount.

Yevich, a bit poor, pays less, Deborah, a bit richer, pays more, fair and just.

And indeed, that was how he conveyed his demands.

He first met with Yevich, this former Dragon Knight candidate, who seemed to be quite devastated, staring blankly at the ceiling with listless eyes.

"Yevich," Liszt called out across the cage.

Yevich turned his head woodenly, and upon seeing Liszt, he jolted slightly, coming somewhat back to his senses, "It's you… you look even younger than before."

"Let's skip the nonsense, you should know why I'm here."

"How much ransom do you want for my freedom?"

"I don't like to haggle with others, so the standard is the bottom line, I don't accept bargaining," Liszt replied indifferently, "Two Little Minor Elves, no older than fifty years and must be Grain or Magic Potion type, or of equivalent value. Additionally, you'll need to compensate me with a batch of craftsmen."

"Two Little Minor Elves? Must be of the Grain or Magic Potion type?" Yevich gave a piteous smile, "Viscount Liszt, you are a viscount too, do you think a viscount can have so many Little Minor Elves?"

"An ordinary viscount might only have one Little Minor Elf, but you as a Dragon Knight candidate and a Sword Saint, don't tell me you can't bear to part with two. Keep in mind, your Sword Saint status alone is worth at least three Little Minor Elves, but since you are only a viscount, I've lowered the demand to two."

"Haha…" Yevich's laugh grew more wretched, his eyes even wanting to tear up, "Once I was a contender for Dragon Knight, but I was born a commoner, all my training expenses came from my landlord's resources. Later, it was the Kingdom that provided the resources, I myself didn't have much in the way of resources… Decades have gone by, stuck at the Sword Saint level, what do you think I could have saved up?"

Liszt frowned, "You mean to say, you can't produce two Little Minor Elves as ransom?"

"Indeed, I have two Little Minor Elves, but both are Shui Huasheng Minor Elves. Shui Huasheng is just ordinary water grass, other than serving as livestock feed, there are no additional outputs."

Such was the plight of a mighty Sword Saint.

It also broadened Liszt's horizons: "Are you joking with me?"

"If you truly think so, I am willing to exchange my freedom with two Shui Huasheng Little Minor Elves; as for the craftsmen, you can take any from Ice Pear City... In fact, I probably can't follow Marquis Nuta anymore; my reputation has completely deteriorated."

Yevich had served four landlords in succession, falling out with the first three, and now he had been captured while serving the fourth; it was unlikely that any more landlords would be willing to take him in.

Liszt felt a toothache coming on, he had hoped that capturing Yevich would result in a huge profit, but it turned out he had caught a pauper instead.

Two Little Minor Elves that could only produce weeds certainly had value but were nowhere near comparable to the grain or Magic Potion Little Minor Elves. To use these two as a ransom, he was far from satisfied, suffering too great a loss. However, apart from that, Yevich really had no other Minor Elves—a fact that would be easy to verify with a little investigation.

After some thought.

He inquired, "Besides the two Little Minor Elves, how many Elf Bugs do you have, and what kind are they?"

"I have fourteen Elf Bugs, one of which can cultivate Magic Potions, one can cultivate grain... but if I use them as a ransom, I'll be completely devoid of resources. I might as well simply surrender and pledge allegiance to you..." As he spoke, Yevich suddenly had a bright idea.

Seizing a spark of inspiration, he stared blankly at Liszt outside the cage.

Breathing heavily with excitement, he said, "Viscount Liszt, no, Lord Liszt, your power is so terrifying it sends shivers down my spine, and I cannot afford my own ransom! Perhaps, I can pledge my loyalty to you. I cannot survive in the Eagle Kingdom, I might as well follow you and join the Sapphire!"

"Hmm?"

Liszt was shocked by Yevich's wild idea; he didn't know how to respond—for a Sword Saint to willingly pledge allegiance because he couldn't pay his ransom was definitely astounding news that would make people's eyes pop.

Far too ostentatious!

He also didn't trust Yevich's character, so after some thought, he flatly refused, "I do not need your allegiance, just pay the ransom."

"I can't afford the ransom, I wish to follow you, my lord!"

"I can give you a discount, just hand over all your Minor Elves."

"Handing over all the Minor Elves would mean my life's efforts have gone down the drain. Please allow me to follow you, my lord!" Yevich knelt down on one knee in the cage, his tone becoming increasingly fervent.

He had witnessed Liszt's strength and seen his youth; such a landlord had boundless prospects. His reputation in the Eagle Kingdom was ruined, so he might as well start afresh by pledging himself to Liszt—from the Duchy of Sapphire, he would start over—managing territory was not his strong suit, but with tasks like the Pioneer Mandate, he was quite fit for the job of robbery.

"Pay the ransom!"

"I wish to follow you, my lord!"

The two were at a stalemate, Liszt very much reluctant to accept Yevich, a person of low character considered useless, but Yevich had set his mind on Liszt and insisted on following him.

After going back and forth several times.

Liszt's expression darkened, and through gritted teeth, he said, "The two Little Minor Elves will serve as the ransom, the Elf Bugs I do not want, Yevich, this is my bottom line!"

Yevich also gritted his teeth, "My lord, Yevich is willing to offer all his Elves, just to be able to follow you! You are the most powerful person I have seen beneath a Dragon Knight, and so young. Yevich is willing to charge into battle for you and seize glory!"