The Mighty Dragons Are Dead

If it weren’t for the risk of failure associated with the Bloodline Fruit, its value might have been measured in Dragon coins.

He was both excited and relieved, “Thankfully, we started the campaign to clear out the Thorn Ridge Beasts early. Otherwise, by the time the Bloodline Fruit was ripe for the picking, this Fierce Earth Dog might have further evolved and become even harder to hunt down.”

It was for this very reason that Liszt had initiated the early purge of Thorn Ridge.

He reached out and touched the Bloodline Fruit, lamenting that it wasn’t edible for humans, “It seems like this Bloodline Fruit will soon mature. The Fierce Earth Dog originally wanted to gamble on this chance, but now it belongs to me.”

“My lord, treasures like these, once mature, will surely attract the Magical Beasts of Thorn Ridge. These beasts have acute senses; they must be lurking nearby, waiting for the Bloodline Fruit to ripen,”

“Isn’t that just perfect,” Liszt had a stroke of inspiration, “We can use the Bloodline Fruit as bait, wait at ease, and set up traps around the area.”

“I will lead the Knight Squad to set the traps right away!” Marcus said, exhilarated.

Before entering Thorn Ridge, the Knight Squad was well-prepared, bringing plenty of ropes, shovels, and traps. The knights had also learned a lot from hunters—the knights’ everyday work not only involved charging into the battlefield but also hunting Magical Beasts in the forest.

Marcus was an expert.

He had set numerous loops along the frequent routes of the Magical Beasts; such loops wouldn’t stop the beasts but could effectively hinder their movements when triggered unexpectedly.

The success of the hunt still relied on him and Liszt’s offensive capabilities.

By the time all traps were set, it was already evening. During this time, Liszt was by the side of the Bloodline Fruit the whole time, waiting for it to mature.

He was also contemplating whether to feed the Bloodline Fruit to Douson or the Li Dragon Horses.

Douson was a Low-Level Magical Beast that might evolve into an Intermediate Magical Beast after eating it. Of course, it might also fail to evolve, but dying an explosive death was unlikely.

Li Dragon Horses were Dragon Breed Beasts that might evolve into Low-Level Dragon Breed Magical Beasts after eating the fruit. Here too, there was a possibility of evolution failure, even a risk of exploding to death.

“Better to give it to Douson. Li Dragon Horses are extraordinarily rare Dragon Breed Beasts charged with the responsibility of proliferating their species. They cannot afford any loss,” Liszt decided after careful consideration.

As for Juan Fu in the castle, he was outright ignored.

The sun set in the west.

The campfire was lit once again.

Liszt took the front leg of the Fierce Earth Dog from a retainer, skewered it on a stick, and prepared to roast it for his dinner. His physical strength grew day by day, and his Dou Qi climbed ever higher. At the stage of an Earth Knight, his progress was incredibly rapid, incomparable to that of a Common Earth Knight.

The reason was simple: he ate well!

While talent is key to training, the essence of it is the absorption and utilization of nutrients. If every meal was Magical Beast Meat, even a pig could become a Magic Power Pig.

Without enough to eat, even those with exceptional talent could not cultivate Dou Qi.

“Woof woof!” Douson barked at him, drooling, coveting the Magical Beast Meat in his hands.

Liszt patted Douson’s big head, “You can’t eat this. It might be your father’s meat, or if not your father’s, then perhaps your uncle’s or maybe your brother’s… anyway, it’s likely related to you.” Fratricide was already cruel enough, but cannibalism was beyond the pale ethically.

So Douson only got a roasted hare.

Then he drooled as he watched Liszt tucking into the Fierce Earth Dog’s leg while nibbling on the skinny rabbit.

“Don’t be envious, your delicacy is right here,” Liszt pointed at the Bloodline Fruit, a significant opportunity for Douson, “Look, the Magic Power is almost tangible. It’s about to mature, probably tonight. Douson, conserve your strength; I hope that after tonight, you can become an Intermediate Magical Beast.”

An Intermediate Magical Beast was a match for a Sky Knight.

Moreover, a well-trained Magical Beast was imperative on the battlefield, owning an Intermediate Magical Beast was like having a Sky Knight as a retainer, one without ambition. Poised for glory on the battlefield, the owner of a Middle-Level Magical Beast only needed to await a rise in rank.

“Can Douson evolve?” Liszt wondered internally.

He was unsure.

There were all sorts of powerful Magical Beasts in the world, but on Coral Island, the Magical Beasts were mostly Low-Level ones, with only a single Purple Sand Crocodile. The Fierce Earth Dog was known as the King of Thorn Ridge, but it was still essentially a Low-Level Magical Beast. Whether it was an opportunity to rewrite its bloodline or simply a waste of a Bloodline Fruit on a failed evolution was hard to predict.

“My lord, would you like to rest for a while?” Marcus asked, returning from his patrol.

“No need, staying up occasionally is not a big deal.”

Time passed.

The night grew deeper.

Apart from the occasional crackling of the campfire, Thorn Ridge was left with only the sound of the wind and the unnamed chirring of insects, punctuated by the occasional calls of small animals.

Douson had already sprawled at the foot of Liszt, snoring evenly.

Liszt leaned against the trunk, his spirit still fairly vigorous, watching the bloodline fruit. After a long time, his gaze suddenly sparkled with vitality, and his spirit lifted, “It’s about to ripen, I can feel it. The magic power is about to dissipate from the bloodline fruit. It’s reached the critical point!”

He kicked Douson, waking him up.

He also called out to Marcus, “Teacher Marcus, the bloodline fruit is ripening. Have the knights stay alert, and be careful of possible magical beasts!”

“Is it ripening?” Marcus’s expression was serious as he quickly alerted the Knight Squad to get ready.

Just at that moment.

The bloodline fruit suddenly fell, spreading an overpowering fragrance swiftly.

It had ripened!

Liszt quickly picked up the bloodline fruit and stuffed it into Douson’s mouth, “Eat it quickly, Douson, eat it!” The bloodline fruit only lasted for a few minutes. Wasting a moment would mean losing some of its magic power, reducing its effect significantly.

Douson understood this was something good.

His mouth opened, and he gulped down the bloodline fruit in one swallow.

Meanwhile, Liszt, who was utilizing the Eye of Magic, had already noticed several shadows of magic power rapidly approaching. “Marcus, we are under attack! Magical beasts, to the east, southwest, and northwest!”

Crack!

Crack!

The traps were the first to act, entangling two of the magical beasts.

Marcus charged forward, leading the way toward the beast to the east, a familiar one, the Fierce Earth Dog! It turned out that the Fierce Earth Dogs of Thorn Ridge weren’t limited to just Douson’s family. A burst of Wind Attribute Dou Qi furiously unleashed, and the Fierce Earth Dog, whose hind legs were caught in ropes, was struck before it could react.

It immediately retaliated with Rock Spike, forcing Marcus to dodge in a frenzy, unable to kill the Fierce Earth Dog for the moment.

The magical beast from the southwest was also caught in the ropes.

Several Retainer Knights roared as they attacked.

Liszt drew his Crimson Blood Sword and glanced at this beast, a boar-shaped one. In Thorn Ridge, there’s only one kind of boar-shaped magical beast, the Thunderfang Boar that once attacked Fresh Flower Town in the winter. It was a Thunder Magic Beast, its teeth capable of releasing Thunder Magic — Lightning Flash.

Boom!

Without hesitation, the Thunderfang Boar unleashed Lightning Flash, lighting up the woods with a bolt of lightning.

“Dodge! Get close! Raise shields! Plant swords! Release Dou Qi!” Liszt issued five commands in one breath. The Retainer Knights reflexively retreated, gathered together, raised their shields, and planted their longswords in the ground, releasing their Dou Qi, which clung to their round shields.

Boom!

The lightning struck the round shields like a whip, instantly sending two Retainer Knights flying.

“Ah!”

“Ah!”

Two screams of agony.