The Mighty Dragons Are Dead

Li Si Te (Liszt) sat in front of the upright piano, his emotions had calmed down, and the explosive inspirations had all dissipated, leaving only tranquility.

The sheet music of “For Alice” lay on the stand.

He was about to play a piece, to feel the sound quality of the new piano, and at the same time, to refine his personal sentiments. His fingers touched the keys, and familiar rhythms immediately awakened, as if driven by an internal force, his hands began to play on their own, and notes blossomed one after another.

The simple yet wonderful melody echoed in the study, and the thick walls provided excellent soundproofing, allowing him to immerse himself in his own world, to indulge as he pleased.

At the end of the piece, an intoxicated expression lingered on his face.

A moment later.

He awoke from his reverie and began to reminisce about the previous experience, “Compared to the grand piano of Long Taro Castle, the sound quality is much worse, and it’s not comparable to the grand piano of Tulip Castle either. But the upright piano also has its advantages, reducing sound quality also covers up many technical flaws.”

A grand piano can hit about 14 times per second, but an upright piano can only achieve 7 hits per second.

It doesn’t feel as smooth as a grand piano, and the sound isn’t as rich, the contrast between loud and soft isn’t clear enough.

Of course, if you’re not a professional, you probably can’t tell the difference between an upright and a grand piano.

Li Si Te (Liszt)’s former self was half a professional, and it seemed he himself also had the talent of a pianist, thus he could acutely feel the difference.

It was quite a pity, the Earl hadn’t gifted him a grand piano.

“I was being greedy, even the cheapest grand piano costs hundreds of gold coins, and with that money, one could buy quite a lot of magic potions. The Earl, though wealthy, is not one to spend money recklessly.” Li Si Te (Liszt) soon came to terms with this, feeling overjoyed simply to have his own piano.

He took a sip of milk tea and replaced the sheet music.

It was the “With You” he had “composed” on the ship, this sheet music was similar to “For Alice”, both very simple kinds, with his performance technique inherited from his predecessor and a good pianistic atmosphere cultivated, it should have been enough to reach the standard of an amateur level ten, sufficient to handle simple pieces.

“In my name as Li Si Te (Liszt), the Piano King, playing pieces of amateur levels four or five is a piece of cake!”

Dong!

He pressed the keys forcefully with his fingertips and began to play, a melody infused with faint melancholy wafted through the air.

In a flash, Li Si Te (Liszt) felt as if he was back on that sea voyage, reliving the moments of blossoming inspiration under the blue sky and white clouds, the poignant melody also encapsulating longing, advancement, aspiration, and unyielding determination.

Well aware that tragedy lay ahead, he still charged forward without hesitation.

Dong dong dong dong.

The final key was struck, and Li Si Te (Liszt) felt nearly moved to tears by the beautiful performance. Music touches the heart, and the piano, being the king of instruments, is especially enchanting. At this moment, he finally believed that he had the talent of a pianist, that within him resided the Piano King.

Dong!

He played it again, and then again.

Not until he had played “With You” and “For Alice” flawlessly did he stop. He felt as if after the baptism of music, his dusty soul was transparent again.

He glanced out the window.

The sunset was exceptionally bright.

“Time for my medicine.”

The thick paper was spread out on the desk and the quill was inserted into the inkwell, as Li Si Te (Liszt) fetched two Thorn Magic Potions and one Flame Magic Potion from the Gemstone Space.

The crystal hourglass on the table was turned over.

As the sand began to fall, he immediately consumed the first Thorn Magic Potion. The gentle Chaotic Magic Power fermented within him and spread out, giving him a sense of swelling. Opening his eyes, he maintained the conversion of Magic Power into Dou Qi while circulating it through his meridians, quietly observing the hourglass.

When five minutes’ worth of sand had trickled down, he suddenly opened a Flame Magic Potion and downed it in one gulp.

The surging Fire Attribute Magic Power exploded instantaneously; enveloped by the Chaotic Magic Power, it seemed to create a certain chemical reaction, generating an even greater, more surging Magic Power that battered every cell in his limbs and bones. His face reddened, sweat beaded on his forehead, and his body felt a vaguely tearing pain.

For a full ten minutes, the pain abated slightly. He glanced at the hourglass and silently opened the second Thorn Magic Potion, consuming all of its contents.

The chaos of the Magic Power surged again, covering his body that had been battered by the Flame Magic Potion, and solidifying the effects produced by the previous potion consumption.

When his body returned to its optimal state, half an hour’s worth of sand also passed through the hourglass.

The setting sun was about to dip below the horizon.

“Ah, so refreshing.” Feeling the total amount of Dou Qi climbing higher every day, Liszt’s lips curled into a smile as he began to ink down today’s potion-consumption insights and record data.

“Some fine-tuning of the timing is needed, along with a redistribution of the dosage for the Flame Magic Potion. Reducing the volume of each potion a bit will ensure the least loss for the greatest gain.”

Recording complete.

He pulled out another piece of heavyweight paper and plotted all the data on a coordinate system with X and Y axes, drawing a curve to precisely measure the direction for subsequent adjustments.

Quite a brain drain.

Just the coordinate systems drawn for various comparisons numbered eleven, but the final results drawn from these eleven variable comparisons were highly accurate. He was nearly at the point of deducing the optimal potion-consumption plan his body could withstand.

Compared to when he had just become an Elite Earth Knight, his total amount of Dou Qi had already increased by one and a half times. He felt like he could take on two Combat Skills-oriented Elite Earth Knights—such was the strength of a potion-consuming Elite Earth Knight.

Combat Skills focused purely on honing technique.

Potion-consumers merely needed to keep spending money.

“No matter how much you train for ten days, it’s not as good as one potion-consuming session: ‘This must be the so-called “mighty force that overcomes skilled maneuvers,” where a physically strong person can defeat ten skilled warriors. An Elite Earth Knight who consumes potions daily can defeat ten Elite Earth Knights who can only ponder Combat Skills.’”

Moreover, Liszt wasn’t just a potion consumer; he was still honing his own Combat Skills.

“Flaming Wave” and “Fire Dragon Drill” he had fully mastered. “Multi-Arrow” too was nearly perfected, and even the Ultimate Mystery Technique Multi-Shadow Arrow, which Marcus had not managed to master, he could execute flawlessly.

Training talent, potion-financed wealth, diligent perseverance—he was without the lack of any aspect.

He stood up, put away the heavyweight paper, and stood in front of the window with his hands clasped behind his back, gazing at the distant clouds lit with the glow of fire: “How far am I from becoming a Sky Knight?”

Unknown.

All he knew was that continuing to consume potions was the right path!

Walking out of the study, he saw the maid Little Lily bending over to clean the corridor, with her ample bottom sticking out as if inviting more picking.

Hearing the sound of the door opening, Little Lily hurriedly stood up and curtsied to Liszt: “Master.”

The young girl appeared ever more slender and graceful.

Liszt was in a good mood and wore a mild smile on his face: “You’ve been working hard.”

“Ah, Master, Little Lily is very happy working in the castle, it’s not hard at all.” She hurriedly spoke, her face bearing a sincere smile.

Life in the castle, this time last year, was something she couldn’t have even imagined.

Abundant, warm, respectable—it was like a fairytale dream come true.