The Mighty Dragons Are Dead

“Marquis Merlin, long time no see,” said a middle-aged to elderly man donned in an exquisite magic cloak, with three gemstone rings of different colors on his hand.

They were light yellow, pale red, and blue.

“Mr. Grimmand, what brings you here instead of staying at The Court?” Marquis Merlin was somewhat surprised by his arrival.

“I bring blessings from the Grand Duke.”

“The Grand Duke is thoughtful. Let’s begin, Mr. Grimmand.”

With a slight smile, Grimmand raised the hand adorned with the three rings high into the air. The next moment, the radiance from the rings intersected with each other, shooting beams straight into the night sky which was quickly darkening. These beams were magic power, and they suddenly exploded hundreds of meters above.

Boom!

The red beam ignited vast swaths of flames, like clouds of fire.

Boom!

The blue beam whipped up masses of water, churning in the sky like ocean waves.

Boom!

The purple beam burst forth with streaks of lightning, zigzagging between the flames and water, emitting tremendous thunderous roars.

Boom!

Finally, the green beam exploded, turning into a massive windstorm, mixing up the flames, water, and lightning into shapes that constantly shifted above Long Taro Castle.

This magical scene made everyone in Long Taro Castle look up at the sky in awe, admiring the magical spectacle. Even the distant cities could see the magical spectacle above Long Taro Castle and were astounded.

About a quarter of an hour passed.

The magical spectacle gradually dissipated, sparing a few raindrops, and everything returned to tranquility.

“Marquis Merlin, I have delivered the Grand Duke’s blessings,” said Mr. Grimmand with a slight bow, calmly speaking.

Marquis Merlin returned the gesture, his tone somewhat wistful, “Although it was but a showy display of magic with no practical use, I have received the Grand Duke’s sentiment. Thank you, Mr. Grimmand, for the arduous performance. Please join me for the festival’s dinner.”

“I am most honored.”

Accompanied by Marquis Merlin, Grimmand nodded to Mesiro and others before entering Long Taro Castle.

By this time, Liszt had inquired about the man’s identity, and Meioubao explained in detail: “Grimmand Truth, a Grand Magician in service at The Court, excels in magic of the six elements—wind, water, fire, earth, lightning, and ice—but his forte is designing magic equipment, especially magic rings.”

“The three rings he wears on his hand?” Liszt inquired further, recalling how he had duped Curtis Truth out of the Life Box, which was a sapphire ring, though he had not discovered anything special about it.

Its design was similar to the magic rings worn by Grimmand.

It could well be a magic ring.

Meioubao nodded, “Indeed, those are definitely three magic rings. They leverage the power of the Dragon Gem to amplify a magician’s magic power. Because of the different engravings of magic runes, they’re not of much use to us knights, but for magicians, they are treasures beyond value.”

Hearing they were of little use to knights,

Liszt couldn’t help but feel a bit disappointed.

It seems Curtis’ Life Box and the Magic Runes on the Sapphire Ring were also exclusively carved for magicians. He couldn’t use them, so he had no choice but to collect them as keepsakes.

Suddenly, an idea flashed through his mind, “Why not pry the sapphire out of the ring, scrape off those Magic Runes, recarve them, and have someone forge a Gemstone Weapon? I already have my suitable Crimson Blood Sword; it would be best to forge another suitable for the charge—a Gemstone Lance.”

He even had a name in mind, the Blue Blood Lance, to match the Crimson Blood Sword.

As for the Life Box function of the Sapphire Ring, Curtis’ soul had been extinguished along with the collapse of the Ghost Ship, so it was needless to say unnecessary.

“However, if this Sapphire Ring is exposed now, could it lead to any associations? Besides, can a gemstone that has already been used be recycled?”

Unknown.

He had just had the idea, and quickly he returned to the dining room for the New Year’s dinner.

On the dining table, rich high-end food, luxurious crystal tableware, and vintage wines from deep in the cellars, all showcased the wealth of the Long Taro Family.

Grand Magician Grimmand and Marquis Merlin were having a lively conversation, occasionally sharing some not-too-private court secrets.

The youths also toasted each other, wishing for smooth sailing in the new year.

The servants were coming in and out nonstop, taking away the barely touched plates of food and bringing in new various dark dishes. 2-year-old Rossi somehow started fussing, flailing his little hands and directly knocking the crystal tableware off the table, shattering it on the floor.

The servants of Long Taro Castle smiled as they cleaned up the broken tableware, and nobody at the table cared.

Liszt, even after a year, still hadn’t grown to like the dark cuisine, so he ate very elegantly, and even had time to reflect to himself, “The rich feast upon meat and wine while the poor freeze to death outside their gates.”

The luxury of Long Taro Castle permitted crystal tableware to be casually smashed.

The price of one piece of crystal tableware might be enough for a commoner to subsist on dark bread for a year.

Lagging productivity meant it was hard for the commoners to have enough to eat or to stay warm, even the serfs of Long Taro Castle who had countless Elves assisting with agriculture still had to struggle to survive. Despite their fields’ high yields, it also meant burdensome taxes, after all, it was to maintain the lifestyle of Long Taro Castle.

The food, the utilities, the clothes, and even the equipment of the armed knights, all production came from the peasants’ farming.

“What are you thinking about, daydreaming?” Li Vera was sitting next to Liszt, leaned over and whispered, “Are you thinking about your subordinates, like that mercenary lady attendant who wears a veil?”

After arriving at Red Crab Island and recovering from the mental trauma on the Ghost Ship, Li Vera took an interest in Paris and often sought out the maid mercenary to bond.

She really wanted to enlist the maid mercenary.

Liszt didn’t interfere—if she could persuade her, he’d consider it a loss.

Upon hearing this, he elegantly sliced his grilled Magical Beast meat, and replied with casual indifference, “No, I’m pondering world peace.”

“Haha.” Li Vera laughed, “Liszt, I’ve never realized you could be so humorous.”

Liszt laughed too, somewhat self-deprecatingly, “One should do something meaningful in life, and wishing for world peace is meaningful. Of course, we need to understand to set a small goal that can be achieved first.”

“What is your small goal?”

“For example, I want to ride a dragon first.”

“Haha!” Li Vera burst into laughter.

Cousin Russell from the side also laughed loudly, “Yes, I also want to set a small goal, I want to ride a dragon too.”

The laughter even drew the attention of Grimmand who was having an enjoyable chat with Marquis Merlin, “Who wants to ride a dragon? I can introduce him to the Grand Duke, his court has the only dragon in the country.”