The Mighty Dragons Are Dead

Once again soaring, Liszt gently landed on the deck of the Tulip, having mastered the control of his descent's impact force, and did not damage the newly repaired deck.

The Earl had already been waiting at the bow.

Upon seeing Liszt land, he took a deep breath and exclaimed, "I am proud of you, my son!" After saying this, he suddenly realized that he had told Liszt something similar several times during this period—the pride Liszt brought was one event after another.

"Thank you, Father."

"When we return to Tulip Castle, I will hold a grand banquet for you to announce this good news to all the nobles and commoners of Coral Island."

"As you wish."

Liszt readily agreed.

Afterward, he received congratulations from all the nobles on board, and everyone was aware that a new noble star was rising within the Duchy of Sapphire. At this moment, no one doubted Liszt's future or whether he could achieve what Earl William Lee had now; he was always on the verge of establishing a new family.

Establishing a family, to carry on and glorify the bloodline, was an extraordinarily proud matter for the nobles of this world.

Liszt did not understand this at first, but after communicating with the Earl, he came to realize that the Earl was very much looking forward to such an event. It meant that the Tulip Family was growing stronger and achieving new accomplishments—just as the Earl had changed the family name to Tulip in the past, it was a moment of glory.

And then.

The sailboat carrying his followers quickly approached, and Marcus and the others filed onto the Tulip and offered Liszt a song of loyalty.

The noise continued for half a day.

Despite the ship's simplicity, a feast was held, the cups clinked as everybody drank themselves into a stupor. Liszt was no exception; he was already exhilarated, and with the nobles constantly urging him to drink, he kept downing one glass after another. In the end, he simply collapsed on the table and fell into a deep sleep.

A night passed.

Still, he woke up early in the morning, fresh as dawn. As an ordinary Sky Knight, his robust recovery allowed him no hint of a hangover.

He was in high spirits, watching the sailboat head towards the port of Coral City.

He was eager to fly there directly and flaunt his new status, but he controlled the impulse. A noble's image needed to be maintained; he couldn't afford to get carried away. After disembarking, he immediately mounted the Landwalker bird Loki, which had grown considerably larger, and followed behind Earl William Lee.

All along the way, without a doubt, he received more saluting glances than the Earl.

Not only was he handsome with an outstanding demeanor, it was more because of how majestic Loki looked beneath him. The creature had grown considerably, almost reaching four meters in height with legs nearly one point seven meters long, a neck of one point five meters, and a body length of less than one meter—slimmer than before, its body was closer to an oval streamlined shape.

The biggest change was its wings, which had grown longer and longer, with a wingspan that could stretch to six or seven meters. Continue your adventure at empire

Since these changes had all occurred during the voyage, he hadn't yet been able to measure Loki's current physical condition, but from the outside, it captivated everyone's attention.

In the past, Loki, when walking beside Douson, seemed somewhat less imposing.

But now, walking side by side with Douson, the average person would be hard-pressed to discern which of the two was the Intermediate Magical Beast. Douson had a larger tonnage and area, while Loki boasted greater height and length.

They were both impressive in their own right, and it was hard to declare a winner.

However, Loki's bloodline evolution was clearly not yet complete; there was still room for growth, and surpassing Douson in terms of aura was only a matter of time. After all, its future would be as an Intermediate Dragon Beast—and fortunately, two Bloodline Fruits in succession had successfully evolved the magical beasts that consumed them without exploding from within.

"Perhaps it was the Smoke Mission stirring the threads of fate, altering the destinies of Douson and Loki," Liszt could only understand it this way.

Encircled by civilians on both sides of the road, the triumphant knights rode their tall horses, heads held high and chests puffed out as they slowly galloped towards Tulip Castle. Every triumph was a perfect opportunity to proclaim the prestige of the knight, and in such traditions, the stratification between nobles and commoners was continuously reinforced.

Despite his inner denial,

Liszt still greatly enjoyed the feeling of parading through the streets on horseback. What people pursue in life is nothing more than fame, wealth, and beauty, and wasn't this moment the best accolade to "fame"? Everyone wants to be the center of attention; the difference lies in whether one can become it.

Now he had the chance to become the center, and indeed, he had become it.

The whispers of the commoners always revolved around him and his mount, Loki, and many children, whose envious gazes followed him everywhere.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

"When I grow up, I want to be as impressive as that knight and ride a big bird!" a child loudly declared.

This led to laughter from the older children in the group: "Haha, you might as well ride the chickens you raise at home."

"Maybe you can ride a big bird in your dreams! That's a magical beast, a magical beast bird that could eat you in one bite!"

An older boy, clearly more informed, boasted, "You might as well give up. He is the great lord of the Tulip Family bloodline, the ruler of Black Horse Island! He is the Son of Glory from Coral Island, none are more favored by the glory of the knights."

The child let out an "ah" and fell silent.

During the ignorance of youth, everyone has dreams too grand for their reach, yet growing up means compromising. With constant compromising, one gradually strays from their dreams and can no longer become the person they wished to be. Fate doesn't need to strike a blow, just slowly erode the fighting spirit.

In the end, the lowered head will declare that not everyone can grasp the throat of fate.

Of course, as long as one doesn't give up, hope will not fade, and this world ultimately leaves a sliver of hope for progress even for the commoners. This hope drives countless commoner knights to march towards the battlefield, one after the other. Some remain forever on the battlefield, wrapped in hide, while others return home draped in glory.

Liszt was undoubtedly one of those draped in glory.

When they arrived at the crossroads between Tulip Castle and Coral City, the welcoming party was already assembled at the junction. Just like the triumphant return from the Iron Hoof Island campaign, Lady Penelope, Lady Marie, Li Vera, Levis, and The Loria Couple all stood at the front of the group.

"Mother, I've caused you concern," said Earl William Lee as he dismounted and bowed to Lady Penelope. Every time he saw his mother come to welcome him, he would bow like this.

Nobility is full of exchanges of interest.

But there is also affection.

Lady Penelope smiled and said, "I'm not worried about you. You always stand on the side of victory, and you've never disappointed me, from past to present."

Following closely behind the Earl, Liszt dismounted from the bird and quickly approached: "Grandmother."

"Strong boy, Liszt, you've grown taller and more handsome!" Lady Penelope was very pleased, took Liszt's hand, and prattled on, "When William would go to battle alone, I wasn't worried about his safety, but I worried about his loneliness. Now that he has his sons with him, battling side by side with his father, he will no longer be lonely."

Earl William Lee smiled gently, "Mother, Liszt can truly fight alongside me now. You can't imagine the surprise he brought to us!"

"Stop beating around the bush and just say it," Lady Penelope chided impatiently.

The others watched closely, waiting for the Earl to finish his statement.

The Earl, long used to Lady Penelope's attitude, maintained his smile, unchanging: "Liszt has been promoted to a Sky Knight!"

Boom!

The ranks of those gathered for the triumphant return suddenly stirred.

Liszt, on the other hand, stood quietly to the side, his expression as if untouched by clouds or wind, as if the person the Earl was speaking about wasn't himself.