The Mighty Dragons Are Dead

The banquet was lively, although officials and knights from Black Horse Island did not appear, the officials and knights from Fresh Flower Town alone were enough to keep the castle bustling all night.

However.

On his own territory, Liszt seldom drank, his dignity became ever more palpable, and when he did not wish to drink, his followers dared not urge him to do so.

There was another matter worth mentioning at the banquet.

His personal guard Paris formally pledged her loyalty to him, becoming one of the many followers. Liszt personally appointed her as the captain of the Black Horse Island Patrol Knight Order—Paris's strength ensured that even if the Earth Knights envied her high position, they dared not provoke her.

After all, she was one of the few in the territory with the strength of an Elite Earth Knight, a force to be reckoned with even among veteran Elite Earth Knights.

Even though Paris was a woman.

This world did not adhere to concepts such as the three obediences and four virtues; female knights were not few in number, and women's status in society was not necessarily much worse than men's. However, in the high-end combat forces, there were few women, with most women taking on the roles of managing territories.

Men charged into battle, while women managed estates.

This was the standard arrangement.

Paris, having become a follower, was already preparing to pack her things. She would set off early the next morning to follow Liszt to Black Horse Island, where she would settle for a long period to come, taking up her duties.

Looking at Paris, who had already adopted the form of address between superior and subordinate when speaking.

Liszt felt somewhat melancholic. The knightly system was a society with very clear distinctions between superior and inferior, and here the definition of "friend" was more like a partner who could bring mutual benefits. Since Liszt arrived in this world, he had not really made a single true friend.

Butler Carter was his confidant, closer than family but not a friend.

Consultant Goltai was his teacher as well as an advisor to the territory, but only a follower. Captain Marcus, likewise a teacher, was also a follower.

Levis was a brother, Meioubao a cousin; neither could be considered friends.

Sea Sprite Ake was his sister but honestly, their relationship was somewhere between siblings and lovers, even carrying a twisted sense of owner and pet, yet it was certainly not friendship.

Only Paris, with her initial disdain for nobles, could have developed into a friend.

Alas, sometimes due to gender attraction, vague ambiguities can arise, making normal communication difficult to maintain over time. But to cross that line was not the result Liszt desired; he had no such considerations at the moment, and so he decisively cut the Gordian knot.

He did not want to become entangled in emotional affairs.

Dragon-riding was the focus of his life.

…

After the banquet ended, he took Douson and the two little minor elves with him to the Sea View Villa.

The villa's lights were still on, yet Ake's figure did not appear. He blew the horn for quite some time, still without response from Ake.

"Ake doesn't know where she's gone off to, it seems I won't see her tonight."

But just as he was about to turn back, familiar horn sounds rang out from the sea—Ake responding. Moments later, Liszt saw the greatly missed sea sprite, still as beautiful as ever, untouched by the passage of time.

"Brother!"

Ake flung herself directly into Liszt's arms.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Her petite yet full figure sparked an inappropriate reaction in Liszt instantaneously—even in winter, Ake needed no clothes, her body was somewhat cool but very soft. She had already mastered the skill of manipulating water streams, avoiding getting Liszt's clothes wet upon contact.

Therefore.

During the embrace, it was as if the water streams did not exist, and her body pressed tightly against Liszt's clothes.

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With that thought, Liszt felt his body about to lose control and could only recite "a minimum of three years, up to the death penalty" in his head while circulating his Dou Qi to suppress his bodily reactions. It took quite an effort before he finally managed to keep himself under control and did not reveal the restlessness in his heart.

"Chirp."

The Mangrove Minor Elf was flying nearby, and seeing Ake happy, it too became cheerful.

However, its expression quickly froze because it saw Thorn Minor Elf Jela, her face full of malevolence, staring at it with her eyes wide open and fists clenched, her threatening intent unmistakable.

This made Nami involuntarily recall the first time they met when Jela had roughly slapped it.

Leaving behind a deeply ingrained shadow.

It shrunk its neck and lay down on Ake's back, warily casting glances at Jela. Then, it shifted its gaze towards another Minor Elf, Mickey the Corn Minor Elf.

Mickey was a gentle Minor Elf, and after chirping "chirp, chirp" a few times, slowly flew towards Nami. Then, the two Minor Elves circled each other, drawing circles in a clearly friendly first encounter. But that was limited to just a friendly greeting.

Elves are not social creatures, nor do they possess abundant social emotions.

They are more dependent on their contracted masters.

...

"Brother, Ake has so many things to tell you."

After the embrace, they could finally have a normal conversation, and Ake quickly bounced around excitedly, taking out five Elf Bugs from a seashell as if presenting treasures!

"This..." Liszt was so surprised he was almost at a loss for words.

The five Elf Bugs were laid out on the table, colored yellow-brown, purple-brown, pink, greenish-yellow, and dark brown. All were roughly similar, with two small gills behind their heads suitable for living in water.

"Ake, where did you get so many Elf Bugs? Have you contracted them all?"

"These are all Elf Bugs from the deep sea, so Ake contracted them. However, Ake also found two more Elf Bugs in the Mangrove Forest by the sea, waiting for Brother to contract them."

Five contracted.

Two uncontracted.

That is to say, Ake had already brought him seven Elf Bugs. Adding Nami and that Kelp Bug, in such a short time, Ake had brought him one Minor Elf and eight Elf Bugs, practically wholesaling Elves. However, Liszt soon realized he had misunderstood one of the Elf Bugs.

The yellow-brown one was the previous Kelp Bug.

Ake also brought the remaining four Elf Bugs, showing what their corresponding marine plants looked like.

The purple-brown Elf Bug originated from a wrinkled sheet-like algae which looked a bit like the seaweed Liszt had eaten in seaweed egg soup—this Elf Bug could be called "Laver Bug" for now.

The pink Elf Bug originated from a translucent, gelatinous red plant that grew on rocks, resembling red flowers blooming on the rocks, probably also a kind of algae—this Elf Bug could be called "Redstone Flower Bug" for now.

The greenish-yellow Elf Bug originated from a kind of algae often seen in the waters of Fresh Flower Town, which the fishermen of Oyster Village call horsetail algae—this Elf Bug could naturally be called "Horsetail Bug".

The dark brown Elf Bug could also be found on the rocks at the seaside when the tide was low, known to the fishermen as ink horn algae—this Elf Bug should be named "Inkangle Bug".

Kelp Bug, Laver Bug, Redstone Flower Bug, Horsetail Bug, Inkangle Bug.

Five marine Elf Bugs expanded Liszt's horizons: "These marine Elf Bugs all seem to have gills, and they all originate from algae plants? Are Elf Bugs born from algae plants all like this?"

There was no way to start the marine breeding industry for now.

Liszt then asked Ake, "Where are the other two Elf Bugs?"

"One is in Nami's hometown, in the Mangrove Forest of Mangrove Island, a newly bred Elf Bug. The other is in the seas farther north of Black Horse Island, where there is also a very small island with a large mangrove forest. It was Nami who discovered that Elf Bug."

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