The Mighty Dragons Are Dead

Returning from Black Horse Island, good news kept coming.

First, a civilian family discovered their peas growing bigger and bigger and reported it to the authorities; Liszt later confirmed the presence of Pea Bugs within them. Then a Patrol Member found a blackberry bush with unusually large blackberries in the wild, which Liszt also confirmed as Cordyceps.

With that,

the rewards from the last Smoke Mission had been fulfilled—contract with Smoked Grass Bug had been sealed, and the identification of Cordyceps included the Fig Bug, Blackberry Bug, Pea Bug, and Green Tea Bug.

Following close on the heels of these events was news delivered by a messenger knight from Tulip Castle, "Viscount, Sir Meioubao from Red Crab Island Yam Fort visits Tulip Castle, and the Earl requests your presence to receive him."

"Cousin is here?" Liszt was surprised and then nodded to acknowledge, "Sir Meioubao visits Tulip Castle—did he mention a reason?"

"I'm not sure, Viscount."

"Alright, go rest and have a glass of juice."

"Thank you, Viscount."

By evening, Liszt had not immediately headed to Tulip Castle; he planned to go the next day. As for the reason Meioubao came by, Liszt did not speculate since he would find out tomorrow. In the evening, he still made his usual visit to see the Sea Sprite Ake who could break through to become a Water System Grand Mage at any moment.

Unfortunately, Ake was not at the Sea View Villa tonight.

Blowing the horn received no reply.

"I don't know where Ake has gone off to; never mind, let's head back." Not having seen Ake, he could only return and only upon arriving back at the Castle, did he learn that Mr. Elkeson True had come.

"Viscount, I have not been able to arrive at Fresh Flower Town in time to offer my congratulations."

"Mr. Elkerson, long time no see." Liszt gestured for Elkerson to take a seat at his leisure, "It's been several days since I returned, and I have been a bit anxious waiting for your magic books."

"I went on a trip to an outer island to connect with magicians I had known before in search of new magic and magic books. This time I've brought an entire cartload of magic books and seven new casting schemes," Elkerson said excitedly, knowing well that he could make a tidy profit once more.

Liszt's mouth twitched subtly in response.

He was now so poor he was close to having to sell his assets. The thought of spending lavishly again on magic books and casting schemes was causing him pain.

But for Ake's future, as well as for the advancements of Chris,

He decided to purchase these magic books and casting schemes regardless.

"Luckily, I still have a little private money left, enough to cover this expenditure," Liszt paid a total of sixty-two Gold Coins from the Castle's money pouch.

Where Elkerson got magic like "Waterfall" and "Permafrost," which only Grand Magicians could master, was anyone's guess.

Just these two magic books cost forty Gold Coins.

"Waterfall" was suitable for the future Water System Grand Mage Ake to practice, and "Permafrost" was suitable for Chris, who was proficient in Ice System magic.

Once the transaction was complete, Elkerson did not immediately take his leave.

Instead, he looked mysteriously around, ensuring the servants had departed before saying, "Viscount, have you ever heard of the Dragon Soul Soldier?"

"Dragon Soul Soldier?" Liszt shook his head; he had never heard of such a thing.

Mr. Elkeson explained, "Legends say dragon souls reside within their teeth, which is why Dragon Tooth Soldiers wield some of the finest divine weapons. However, they aren't considered the best weapons. Another legend speaks of extracting a dragon's soul and infusing it into a special blade to create a Dragon Soul Soldier, the ultimate weapon."

"Is there such a claim?"

"I've heard it mentioned," Mr. Elkeson said with a smile. "Viscount, I was chatting with a few magician friends on the outer islands during the Iron Hoof Island battle, so I know very little. Could you enlighten me with some details? Then I'll summarize and share some information I have with you."

On trading information, Li Si Te nodded, "What details do you wish to know?"

"The battle between the Grand Duke and the Marquis of the Bull."

It was no secret, Li Si Te remarked, "The Marquis of the Bull became a powerful Lich, shrouded in blue flame, standing two or three times taller than an average person, wielding a big sword that oozed blue fire. He was strong, fought off a group of Sky Knights, slayed several, and fled Juniper Castle."

Unfortunately, he encountered the Grand Duke riding a dragon, got slapped back, something pulled out from his chest, and was then taken away.

Mr. Elkeson realized, "So the plan was half a success."

"What plan?"

"Have you, Viscount, heard of the Goat Assembly?"

"I've heard of the Goat Assembly. The Marquis of the Bull, along with the Evil Magicians from the Assembly, executed a dragon slaying plot, but ultimately failed and fled," Li Si Te glanced at Elkeson, curious to see his expression when 'Evil Magician' was mentioned.

To his disappointment, Elkeson seemed unperturbed by the label, "The news I received indicated that the Goat Assembly collaborated with the Marquis of the Bull with the aim of creating a Dragon Soul Soldier. The Marquis needed the power of the Sapphire Dragon to transform into a Lich, while the Assembly sought to steal the Sapphire Dragon's soul."

"From your magician friends?"

"Yes, those magicians often organize exchanges, trading spellcasting materials, and such events tend to reveal some information. I was there to buy magic books and spell plans, and accidentally overheard this news, thinking it might be useful to you, Viscount."

Regardless of the veracity of this information, Li Si Te was rather appreciative of Elkeson's conduct.

"The news isn't very useful. Both the Marquis of the Bull and the Goat Assembly have been destroyed, and the Grand Duke's dragon is unharmed... However, living in the countryside does lead to outdated information. In the future, as you seek out magic books and spell plans, keep an ear out for any valuable news for me."

He then added, "I will compensate you accordingly, based on the value of the information."

"I would be pleased to serve you, Viscount." Elkeson's eyes narrowed into a happy smile; he had fallen from a magician who revered truth to a merchant solely focused on money.

"By the way, Mr. Elkeson, tell me more about the Dragon Soul Soldier."

"Honestly, I don't know much. My colleagues always act so mysteriously, telling half-truths, or adding their assumptions to the little they know... They believe the Grand Duke's dragon had its soul extracted, and the magicians from the Goat Assembly have already taken the dragon's soul to create a Dragon Soul Soldier. As for what it looks like, nobody knows."

The truth is, not just the Dragon Soul Soldier, but also the Dragon Tooth Soldier, remain unknown.

These are all just legends.

The best weapon known to actually exist, at least to Li Si Te, was a Greater Elf Warrior, a divine weapon steeped in Greater Elf blood, the Sapphire Duke's sword.

The name of that sword was the Wailing Cage Sword.

Discover hidden tales at empire

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My condition hasn't been great recently, preventing me from unleashing my full potential. For those of you feeling a book drought, you might want to check out three great completed novels: "Heavy Truck War Car at The Apocalypse," a sci-fi, Transformers-inspired rise, "Reboot High School First Year," a relaxing tale of writing anew upon returning to high school, and "The Legend of the Dragon Suit," a story of becoming a star from humble beginnings.