The Mighty Dragons Are Dead

Fortunately, she could control seawater, stretching it out into a ribbon, or else she wouldn’t have been able to leave the shell at all.

It was a strange visual experience: having no legs, with everything below the ankles gradually turning into seawater. Liszt had always been puzzled by what that sensation might feel like.

He sat next to Ake and eventually couldn’t resist asking, “Ake, do you feel anything below your ankles?”

“Yes, brother, this seawater is part of Ake’s body. Although it’s not as clear as the sensation from the flesh and bone part of Ake, it still feels.” she replied.

“Really? May I study it?” Liszt asked with a gentle smile, “My curiosity is just too strong.”

Ake shyly lowered her head and then sneaked a peek at Liszt, “Mmm, if brother likes, Ake will let brother study it, hehe, humans probably haven’t seen a real sea sprite.”

Permission granted.

Liszt certainly didn’t stand on ceremony. He immediately squatted down and touched Ake’s ankles, which felt delicate, smooth, and elastic, like holding a mass of bone and flesh made from water.

He seemed to detect a faint aromatic scent at the tip of his nose, Ake’s body fragrance.

The delicate touch swayed Liszt’s mind for a moment, but he quickly composed himself and began to study earnestly. The area where the flesh and seawater gradually transitioned felt a bit like a gelatinous substance. After using the Eye of Magic, he could see that the mana in this part of Ake’s body was very active, far surpassing the magic power within the rest of her body.

“Ake, if your ankles were severed from the water ribbon, what would happen?” he inquired.

After pondering seriously, Ake answered, “Ake would probably feel very uncomfortable and get hurt because Ake hasn’t matured yet and can’t leave the shell.”

Well, Liszt abandoned that idea.

“What about when I touch the water with my hand? What do you feel?”

“It feels like brother’s hand, yes,” Ake responded. “It’s the same sensation as when Jela and the Insect Baby swim in the water. Hmm, how can I explain it? The seawater is a part of Ake, but it’s not exactly Ake’s body. It’s similar to what brother mentioned about the relation between Elves and Cordyceps.”

Even so, Liszt still had no idea what that sensation was like.

Harming Cordyceps would cause injuries to Elves, and severe damage might even threaten their lives. However, most Elves could survive even if their Cordyceps died. They would endure and nurture new seeds, eventually developing into new Cordyceps plants—though greatly weakened, at least they would stay alive.

Suddenly, Ake asked, “Brother, do you think sea sprites are a kind of Elf?”

“I don’t know, but even if sea sprites are Elves, they would be Elves of the sea, not like Jela,” Liszt replied while caressing Ake’s calf, enjoying the even more comforting texture, “You see, Ake, your body is almost the same as a human’s, but Jela’s body is different.”

“Uh-huh,” Ake nodded, “Jela is like a piece of soft jade, while Ake and brother are both made of flesh and blood.”

“That’s why you can master magic.”

Having had his fill of touching, Liszt finally let go of Ake’s legs and stood up to stroke her enticing azure blue hair, “How’s your Water Arrow Barrage coming along? Any progress?”

“Not yet, but Ake has found the reason,” Ake said excitedly. “This book, ‘Detailed Concepts of Magician Advancement,’ has very meticulous records. It turns out the reason Ake’s Water Arrow Barrage failed was that there were no Magic Arrays formed inside the body… A magician needs to engrave magic in the form of Magic Arrays within their body.”

Liszt had studied magic books, but he only flipped through them roughly, not delving in deeply, “Do any of these magic books teach about Magic Arrays?”

“There are many. Magicians love writing research notes on Magic Runes and Magic Arrays,” Ake replied with a radiant smile, “Brother, it won’t be long before Ake becomes a true magician!”

“I’m always looking forward to it.”

…

Under the apple tree.

There was a rocking chair swaying back and forth, with Liszt sitting on it, lazily enjoying the sunlight.

The date had already passed February 15th, and as expected, just like the serfs native to Fresh Flower Town had said, the winter would disperse by mid-February each year.

Several days of clear, sunny weather had melted most of Fresh Flower Town’s snow, and although the temperature was still below zero, it was certainly worth going outside to bask in the sun.

He rarely let the Eight Tiny Ones and Douson out together.

Perhaps due to a father-son instinct, the Eight Tiny Ones were very clingy to Douson, chasing him all around the castle. To the servants of the castle, the dangerous and terrifying intermediate magical beast had become commonplace, and sometimes they even forgot that the Blizzard Beast was an intermediate magical beast, treating them merely as a pack of dogs.

“Baron, you seem quite at ease,” said Mr. Elkeson, clad in a magic cloak, as he walked over.

“Please, take a seat, Mr. Elkeson.”

“I’ve finished concocting the magic potion from the Ice Snow Flame Mushrooms. Surprisingly, these Flame Mushrooms that thrive in cold, possess Fire Attribute Mana that can’t be matched by ordinary Flame Mushrooms. Please inspect this potion first,” he said, handing over a crystal vial.

The golden-red liquid swayed within the crystal tube.

This was Fresh Flower Town’s fourth magic potion following the Black Tulip, Common Flame Mushroom, and Rapid Growth Magic Thorn—made from the Ice Snow Flame Mushrooms.

The greenhouse cultivation technique for Ice Snow Flame Mushrooms had already been researched by serfs driven by Gold Coins. After initiating a mass effort, they had cleared fifty acres for mixed greenhouses, planting Ice Snow Flame Mushrooms. Liszt hoped to harvest another crop of Ice Snow Flame Mushrooms before the weather warmed up.

This magic potion thrived in the cold and couldn’t be cultivated in hot weather, making it a seasonal potion. Every year, it could only be planted for about two or three batches during the three-month winter period.

However, its potent Fire Attribute Mana and the trait of growing in winter could well compensate for the magic potion yield during the cold season.

After all, the growth of various magic potions slowed down or even stopped during winter.

After drinking the magic potion from the crystal tube, Liszt immediately felt a Flame Ascension inside his belly—several times stronger and hotter than the Flame Mushroom Magic Potion, nearly making him cry out.

The Fire Attribute Mana tumbled inside his body, wildly stimulating his cells to expand and absorb the frenzied mana.

If there had been a thermometer, Liszt felt that his body temperature must have reached at least sixty degrees by now!

This burst of mana came quickly and left just as fast. Two minutes later, everything returned to normal. After collecting his thoughts, he felt that his Dou Qi had greatly increased.

The effect was indeed ferocious.

“That was invigorating, Mr. Elkeson. How many more potions can you make?”

“Unfortunately, the Ice Snow Flame Mushrooms are in short supply. As it stands, we can only make three more Ice Flame Potions.” Ice Flame Potion was the abbreviation for the Ice Snow Flame Mushroom Magic Potion.

Hearing Mr. Elkeson’s words, Liszt felt a bit disappointed.

The potion was excellent, but there was just too little of it. He thought he should store the Ice Flame Potion. It would be better to save it for when the effects of the Flame Magic Potion and Thorn Magic Potion began to wane, and then use the Ice Flame Potion for a new surge and stimulation.

Taking potions scientifically was the way to ensure optimal use and double the results.