Chapter 354: Breath Decay

The tension brought by the dragon assassination event was quickly alleviated amidst the playful banter between father and son.

Levis was no longer nervous, and Liszt appeared more relaxed. The Count even felt cheerful enough to pour each of his sons a glass of Crescent Wine.

The three of them then analyzed the potential impacts of the dragon assassination as if they were watching from a god's-eye view.

The analysis was simple.

Assuming the dragon slaying event was real and had already occurred, there would be three outcomes—the Sapphire Dragon was killed by the Marquis of the Bull, the Sapphire Duchy collapsed, and Coral Island needed to find a new path; the rebellion of the Marquis of the Bull was suppressed, the Sapphire Dragon remained unharmed, and Coral Island only needed to await the Grand Duke's command.

And then there was the middle ground—the Marquis of the Bull failed in the assassination, but the Sapphire Dragon was also injured. In this case, the collapse of the Sapphire Duchy wouldn’t be immediate, but internal and external forces would definitely stir up trouble. How should Coral Island position itself amidst all this? That was a vexing problem.

Now, they discussed each scenario separately.

"If the dragon is killed, we must abandon the Sapphire Family without hesitation! Perhaps supporting the Marquis of the Bull is the right choice, if he can become a lich," Levis voiced his thoughts on the first scenario. As for humans siding with a lich, that wasn’t important.

But the Count shook his head. "Liszt, what do you think?"

"I don’t think the Marquis of the Bull becoming a lich is likely. Immortality without power is just courting death. Those kings and grand dukes wouldn’t mind riding dragons to capture him and use him as excellent experimental material... If he really becomes a lich, he’ll definitely hide and cling to life."

From the moment the Marquis of the Bull attempted to assassinate the dragon, he was no longer a factor in the Sapphire Duchy’s future.

Liszt continued, "The fragmentation of the Sapphire Duchy will be inevitable. The question is, which nation will take control of these islands? The Kingdom of Steel Ridge or the Kingdom of the Eagle? Or will both have reservations, turning this place into a chaotic region? Without the dragon’s protection, pirates will surely increase dramatically."

The dragon represented the peak of power and order.

Without the dragon, the expansion of human ambition would likely exceed imagination.

Levis asked, "Are you suggesting we ally with one of the kingdoms?"

"Yes, I prefer siding with the Kingdom of Steel Ridge. After all, it’s our suzerain state."

"The marquises there would be more welcomed. We’re just a count family. If we switch sides, we might be demoted to viscounts. Even if we maintain our count status, we’ll have to pay a large sum."

"The kingdom won’t demand too much, as the islands still need us to manage them. We might have to pay 10-20% of our taxes as protection fees, but it’ll be worth it overall since we’ll resolve a crisis. It’s our own fault for losing the dragon’s protection."

The Count nodded. "Your analysis makes some sense, but you’re overlooking one point. Even without the Sapphire Dragon, the Sapphire Family still possesses enormous wealth. They can use this wealth to trade with any nation for protection. In the future, the Sapphire Family might become a marquis family of some nation."

He looked at his two sons. "And we can continue to support the Duke. Support in difficult times often signifies loyalty. A loyal noble is appreciated by most lords. That’s when it’s time to choose a better master to pledge to."

Levis and Liszt wanted to change allegiances sooner.

The Count, however, hoped to embellish things a bit before selling at a higher price.

"We need to unite. If the nobles of the Sapphire Duchy are scattered, they’ll be easily manipulated." Liszt added, "Red Crab Island is the best alliance option, and Golden Island can be considered too. We are island nobles. We might be a bit poor, but managing the islands requires us."

...

The discussion stretched on for an entire day.

By the evening, they had reached a basic framework—pretend to know nothing on the surface, while secretly preparing for war, self-defense, or escape.

The Count also dispatched scouts to gather intelligence.

Normally, the news should already be on its way, and they would soon know how to respond.

"After you return, make sure to integrate your knight squad. This crisis is also an opportunity. Since you’ve chosen to pursue glory, the battlefield is the best path forward." The Count spoke earnestly, "I’ve neglected you before, but now I hope we father and son can fight side by side."

Liszt bowed deeply. "I am always prepared."

The count didn’t know what else to say, so he firmly patted Liszt on the shoulder. "Your mother would be proud of you today."

"Thank you."

"Go, rest well. There’s no need to worry. Nobles have their own ways of surviving, and the death of a dragon won’t cause too much upheaval. The strength we possess is what truly grounds us in this world. Hold your spear tightly and fear no difficulties!"

"I will remember your teachings."

...

Returning from Tulip Castle to Flower Town.

Although Liszt had temporarily set aside the matter of slaying the dragon, he did not relax.

Despite his weak strength, he still needed to prepare for potential crises, so he immediately notified the six Earth Knights: "I hope to complete the integration of the knight team as soon as possible, and you six can begin making your choices."

"We are willing to charge for you, my lord!"

Without hesitation, the six immediately chose to follow him.

Thus, the knight team of Flower Town was officially established.

Liszt had a private conversation with Marcus: "Master Marcus, we need to start practical charge training as soon as possible. We might be heading to the battlefield soon."

"Is this year’s expansion order being moved up, my lord?"

"Perhaps."

Marcus's eyes lit up. "I understand!"

After completing the knight allegiance ceremony, the smoke mission was considered complete. He returned to his study, where a new batch of knight novels had been added to the bookshelf, and invoked the smoke mission.

"Mission completed, reward: mana manual 'Breath Decay.'"

"Breath Decay?" Liszt had a doubt, probably about the effect of concealing one’s own presence, but he felt that this mana manual was hidden among the newly acquired knight novels.

However, there was no rush to find it; he would wait for the next mission to be issued.

"Mission: Emily, a serf girl in the female children’s training group, is always clumsy and unable to learn the embroidery courses, often being punished by the embroidery teacher. Therefore, she prefers knight lessons, where she can find confidence. She cultivated mana faster than the boys. Please arrange her training reasonably." Reward: Hiddleston's new magic.

"Is Hiddleston's third magic about to be learned?" Liszt received the good news that Hiddleston would be his greatest help on the upcoming battlefield.

With its new magic, Hiddleston’s combat power would be further enhanced.

The only pity was that the eight young ones were still too young and learned magic very slowly, not seeming like intermediate magical beasts at all. Meanwhile, under Liszt's guidance, Hiddleston had learned rock spikes through mouth explosions—it seemed the eight young ones needed more guidance.

The thought crossed his mind, and he called his personal footman, Thomas: "Go to the administrative office and fetch a file about a girl named Emily from the female children’s training group. Also, find out about her life and studies, and provide me with a detailed report."

"Yes, my lord."

Thomas left to carry out his orders.

Liszt then took down the new books from the shelf, running his fingers over the covers, and began searching for the new mana manual, 'Breath Decay.'