The Mighty Dragons Are Dead

“Two months without seeing each other, Master Li Te, you seem even more spirited than before. How is everything in Fresh Flower Town?” Louis asked with a smile.

“All is well.”

“That’s good to hear. The Lord has mentioned you several times; he is also very concerned about your life now.”

Would Coral Island’s Count really be concerned about Liszt’s life? Liszt was skeptical. If the Count truly cared about Liszt, he wouldn’t have sent him off to a dilapidated town like Fresh Flower Town.

Returning to his family home, Liszt did not feel any trepidation at being near his hometown.

The soul within him came from a distant other world, and those memories of his predecessor were nothing more than scenes of a movie, unable to affect his current emotions. His connection with the Tulip Family lacked the deep bonds of kinship; everything felt more like a “game,” in which he was stepping into the role of Liszt.

The bustling servants in the castle, upon seeing the young masters and miss, all bowed and paid their respects.

The only members of the Tulip Family residing here were the Earl, the Earl’s wife, Levis, Lidun, and Li Vera, who often returned to live here; however, there were more than two hundred servants.

And the servants had almost no spare time, busy from morning till night.

Their actual job, in summary, was to maintain the luxurious life of the nobles.

“I need to take a bath; I can’t stand the smell on me,” said Li Vera as she entered the castle and turned to leave. “If father asks for me, tell him I’ll be there shortly.”

Levis acted as though he was the master of the castle: “Liszt, do you also need to take a bath first? Your room has been kept for you by father, including clothes you didn’t take with you, which servants meticulously manage.”

“I’m not as obsessive about cleanliness as my sister. I’ll wait here for father. Brother, if you have affairs to attend to, please go ahead; I don’t need to be entertained.”

“That’s true, the castle is also your home. Well then, I must discuss the Black Tulip matter with Teacher Frank – cultivation, sales, and medicine production, all of which he is managing for me. And also the Elves, they need to be properly settled; these delicate creatures can’t be neglected even the slightest bit,” Levis replied.

Levis left as well.

Marcus followed a male servant to take care of the horses, and now only Liszt and a few male servants who greeted guests were left in the living room. He stood with his hands clasped behind his back, admiring the crystal lamps on the stone columns— the quantity of crystals and gemstones in a castle represented the wealth of a noble family, as most gemstones came from dragons.

In Liszt’s homeland, the role of gemstones was probably to look pretty.

Here, gemstones are natural vessels of magic power, containing mystical forces, essential in the creation of magic items. The crystal lamp on the stone column in front of him was one such magic item, made from low-grade crystals, it could stay lit continuously until the magic within the crystal was depleted—then it could be recharged by a magician or knight.

This cycle would repeat until the crystal wore out, becoming a common stone.

“Is a crystal lamp without any carved patterns really worthy of such prolonged admiration?” Accompanied by the tap-tap of boot heels on the ground, someone spoke from behind Liszt.

Liszt turned around and saw, on the stairs leading to the second floor of the castle’s living room, the lord of Tulip Castle—a middle-aged man with pale gold hair, and a pair of not-so-pretty gray-green eyes, which contrasted starkly with the sapphire blue eyes of the three siblings.

An ordinary face, with nothing special about it.

Blending in with the crowd, Li Weiliam Tulip would probably not stand out at all. Yet he was the master of Coral Island, a Sky Knight who earned the tile of Earl through his own efforts.

Levis and Li Vera resembled their father more than their mother, making them not particularly good-looking, with only their sapphire blue eyes inherited from their mother.

Liszt, however, had inherited his mother’s looks, excessively handsome.

“Perhaps I’m just too accustomed to lighting candles, it takes some time to get used to the glow of a crystal lamp.”

“What, are you complaining about life in Fresh Flower Town?” Li Weiliam stood on the stairs without continuing down.

“Life in Fresh Flower Town is exceptionally free, I am very satisfied, Father.” Liszt bowed respectfully, performing a salute, “Your body remains as robust as ever, the surging Dou Qi is almost spilling out.”

“Your Dou Qi has also increased, that is good, content with a humble life, without complaints, that is good as well.” Li Weiliam nodded, “Where are your brother and sister?”

“They are busy, they will come later.”

“Come with me to the study.” Li Weiliam turned and climbed the stairs.

Liszt followed closely upstairs and entered the Count’s study, a large room with one whole wall lined with bookshelves filled with many thick leather-bound books—all sprayed with deodorant and fragrance, devoid of the distinctive smell of leather paper. Opposite the bookshelf by the window, a mahogany desk was also piled with plenty of books.

Pop!

The Earl uncorked a bottle of last year’s Crescent Moon Wine and poured into two tall crystal cups, the amber-red wine swirling in the glasses like blood, crystal clear.

He picked one up and handed it to his third son, the Earl seemed somewhat surprised, “Two months of independent living seems to have tempered your disposition.” The Liszt of the past was not at ease in his presence, their relationship awkward, but the Liszt now seemed very calm.

“Thank you,” Liszt accepted the wine, “Understanding the responsibilities of a landlord, I needed to change.”

“A positive change.”

“I think so as well.”

After a few exchanges, both father and son found that there was little of familial warmth to discuss. So, the Earl raised his cup and took a sip of the wine, awkwardly changing the subject, “Is the matter of the Black Tulip settled? How much did Levis pay you?”

“Tulip Castle is responsible for cultivation and sales, I have a share in the profits for the next ten years, thirty percent, just in cooperation between me, Levis, and Li Vera.”

The Earl pondered for a moment, “Just you three siblings in cooperation?”

“Yes.”

“You should not have left Lidun out, he is your brother too.”

“He’s still young, isn’t it good for him to be under Father’s wing? My brother, sister, and I are adults, cooperation is a natural thing.” Liszt smiled slightly, not trying to explain or clear his thoughts—Lidun looked down on him, and he hardly esteemed Lidun.

It seemed only now he remembered to ask, “What about the Earless and Lidun? I haven’t seen them.”

“The Earless took Lidun to Serpent Spear City. It’s Lidun’s uncle’s birthday today.” The Earless came from a Baron family on Coral Island, which resided in a small town near Serpent Spear City.

After that, another silence followed.

Liszt did not inherit the father-son affection with the Earl and could not chat like strangers, finding it hard to gauge the appropriate level of interaction, preferring to speak less.

The Earl was somewhat unaccustomed to Liszt’s current demeanor, more like a conversation between equals than the previous compliance, missing the feeling of being able to scold.

It was only after a while that he said, “Dinner is some time away, you may walk around or go to Coral City to see your friends.”

“No, thank you, I would like to stay in the study and read.”

“You never seemed so fond of reading before.” The Earl finished his wine and stood up to leave, “If you want to read, I’ll have someone prepare a cartload for you, to take back when you return to Fresh Flower Town.”