The Mighty Dragons Are Dead

The Earl stayed on Black Horse Island for half a day. Before leaving, he exchanged much information about the sea elves with Liszt.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Liszt did not choose to withhold information. For people nowadays, developing the sea was very difficult. Without mounts like the Rainbow Whale or a Sea Serpent sister like Ach, diving could only be done near the shore. However, it was almost impossible to discover Elf Bugs by diving near the shore.

Without the Eye of Magic, searching for Cordyceps with the naked eye was like finding a needle in the ocean.

In fact, according to the Earl's introduction, many Nobles were aware that there were elves in the sea, but few were willing to develop it—the technology, manpower, and resources required to farm in the sea, how much would that cost?

Moreover, most of the sea is populated by algae, which, apart from serving as feed for livestock, doesn't seem to have much value.

If there had not been Magic Medicine Kelp discovered in the Giant Algae Forest, just ordinary Giant Algae, it would not be worth the effort for Liszt to develop it so intensively.

The cost of cultivating Giant Algae was better spent putting more effort into farming on land.

But it was different with Magic Medicine Kelp. Spending a bit more to cultivate magic medicine in the sea still had huge benefits, especially since Magic Medicine Kelp had a large yield. Therefore, all things considered, apart from Liszt, it was hard to find a second person who could develop Elf Bugs in the sea.

He certainly was not afraid to exchange the technology.

All in all,

the Earl's tour around Black Horse Island probably wasn't very pleasant. Fast forward to the Greater Elf Birth Celebration three days later, his impression of Giant Algae Greater Elf Pike was similarly not so good. It wasn't that Pike's tooth ruined his entire face or that Pike lacked value.

It was the thought that he couldn't develop the sea elves and the near impossibility of finding a Giant Algae Elf like Pike that left him brooding with frustration.

Before setting foot on Black Horse Island, he had come with high spirits.

Indeed, Lady Marie was behind pushing him, and he himself truly hoped for a new source of Elf Bugs. Sadly, only his son reaped the benefits.

"Why can't I encounter a Magical Beast or Sea Monster mount!" he lamented, recalling how astounded he was when Liszt first told him of the magical spell of Rainbow Whale Rose—the Rainbow Breathing Membrane.

It allowed one to breathe underwater.

It completely made the sea as trivial to tread as land.

Envy blazed fiercely in the Earl's heart, but alas, the object of his envy was his own younger son, whom he could not directly vie with. Even if it weren't his offspring, it seemed he couldn't best Liszt now—between Loki, who flew in the sky, Ros, who swam in the water, and a host of Blizzard Beasts, one man was like an army.

Therefore, he could only wait patiently, leaning back in his chair, continuing to listen to Liszt's seemingly casual but actually bragging chat.

At that moment, the family was just discussing Liszt's new castle.

Only to hear Liszt say, "I plan to build a five-story castle because the terrain of Black Horse Island is flat without steep cliffs to serve as barriers, so I have to build it taller. Although the castle will feel somewhat empty with just me living in it, you are also welcome to vacation at my castle."

"Have you thought of a name for the castle?" Loria asked.

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"Not yet."

"Let's call it Giant Algae Castle, just like Tulip Castle, both named after Greater Elves," Li Vera proposed.

Liszt smiled and disagreed, "Actually, I favor calling it Thorn Castle." He snapped his fingers, and immediately a "woo-ah" cry sounded throughout the Castle. In the next moment, Thorn Minor Elf Jela had flown over and landed on Liszt's shoulder, yawning.

He continued, "Pike is an elf of the sea. It doesn't like to reside in Castles, whereas Jela is my very first Minor Elf, and naming the Castle after it is more meaningful."

"Woo-ah!" Jela didn't understand what Liszt was saying, but that didn't stop it from echoing his words.

Out of all the Elves,

Jela was Liszt's favorite, despite its terrible temper.

This was his first Minor Elf, and he personally witnessed its indomitable spirit, its struggle to transform from an overlooked Thorn Bug during the Fat Pupa Stage into a Minor Elf who plants Magic Medicine. He still remembered the shock that struck his soul when he saw Jela's hand reaching out from under the gray, deteriorated skin of a Thorn Bug.

He had grown accustomed to Jela rudely flipping through his food at every banquet, eating a bit and throwing some away.

Jela wasn't the most precious among the Elves, but in his heart, it was the most special.

Lady Penelope glanced at Jela and pretended to sigh, "Oh, my poor Pike, it didn't even get a family surname, let alone a Castle named after it." She was somewhat unhappy that Liszt didn't change his surname and start a new family line to gain glory.

"Let's just call it Thorn Castle," Liszt didn't want to discuss it further. "However, after the port town develops into a city, I can name it Giant Algae City."

...

The liveliness of the luncheon goes without saying, with a series of toasts and compliments under the knightly glory and dish after dish brought to the table——eating to one's heart's content and bringing the event to a joyous close.

After dining,

everyone also enjoyed a newly arranged stage play "Varcey Knight's Loyalty Song," with Avril Mask impressing everyone as the female lead.

Applause surged wave after wave.

Especially Lady Penelope, who really liked this new form of stage play: "It's so captivating, much more moving than those monotonous and dull comedies. This is an art form akin to piano music. I would like to stay here and watch their performances every day."

Liszt responded, "This is a play arranged by the Black Horse Island Drama Troupe. They are still training newcomers. Once the performance matures, I will have them perform on Coral Island, and you can enjoy their wonderful performances at home, along with a richer repertoire."

"That would be marvelous. I can't wait to see their performance on Coral Island," Lady Penelope said. She had her servant grab a handful of copper coins and scatter them onto the stage—this was the main income for slapstick plays, relying on the audience's tips.

But Liszt no longer planned to charge in this manner.

He chose to rent out houses to transform into theaters, build large stages indoors, and sell tickets to the public, taking a more high-end approach.

After "Varcey Knight's Loyalty Song," the Greater Elf birth celebration officially ended. Liszt personally saw the Carriage team off from the Castle. He knew that the name Pike would spread quickly to the entire Coral Island with the departure of the Carriages and even further to distant islands.

And his own name would once again enter noble society's conversation within the Grand Duchy, reminding those Nobles that there were indeed geniuses in this world.