Chapter 401 My Flower Town

"Prepare to receive your honor at the knighting ceremony in three days."

"I understand, Father."

After the luncheon, Liszt did not delay and immediately left Tulip Castle, heading towards Flower Town. He had consumed quite a bit of alcohol, feeling slightly tipsy but still clear-headed.

The chocobo, Loki, had fully recovered, its soft feathers and broad back providing a comfortable ride for Liszt.

He exhaled a deep breath and summoned the serpentine smoke. It was strange; even as he moved swiftly on the chocobo, the serpentine smoke remained fixed before his eyes.

"Complete the mission, reward: the revival of the decayed dragon bones."

He frowned involuntarily upon seeing the reward.

After a while, he widened his eyes, looking at the transformed serpent tongue of the new mission: "Mission: The mermaid Acheronides has accumulated numerous questions about magic that need to be resolved. These questions concern her understanding of magic and the improvement of her own magic power. Please resolve them. Reward: a great water magician."

His eyes were fixed on the serpent tongue.

But his mind was on the previous mission reward: "The revival of the decayed dragon bones?"

Perhaps it was the alcohol stimulating his brain, making it a bit sluggish. It took him quite some effort to get his thoughts moving: "Dragon bones? Revival? Decay? Are these the five Fire Dragon bones from the burial grounds of Black Horse Island?"

The five decayed dragon bones at the burial grounds had been exposed to wind and sun.

Liszt knew they were extraordinary, but he had never figured out exactly how. Now, it seemed these five dragon bones were finally going to undergo some change.

"What does 'revival' mean?"

He pondered the smoke mission's reward, somewhat confused. Literally, it should mean "spring returns to the earth, reviving all things": "The revival of the decayed dragon bones, does it mean these bones will come back to life, like dried trees coming back to life?"

"Is this revival of dragon bones just the bones reviving, or..." A bold thought suddenly struck him, "Could this Fire Dragon, dead for who knows how many years, also slowly revive along with its bones? Can dragons come back to life?"

He had never heard of such a possibility.

Liszt thought of another idea: "Or perhaps, it's not the Fire Dragon coming back to life, but its residual magic power, relying on the decayed dragon bones, to give birth to a new Fire Dragon?"

He recalled a legend.

Old dragons, at the end of their lives, would leave their habitats and fly to the legendary Dragon Valley to slumber: "Perhaps, when dragons grow old, they return to Dragon Valley to prepare for resurrection?"

Since dragons have no gender and do not reproduce, their birth has always been a mystery.

Thus, Liszt speculated on resurrection and cyclical rebirth.

After much contemplation, he couldn't come up with a better conclusion.

He restrained himself from fantasizing too much: "It's just five bones reviving, don't hastily connect it to dragons... Maybe the smoke mission is just telling me that Fire Dragon bones can be used to build ships... I hadn't had the chance to ask Virginia if she knew how to set keels."

He stopped thinking about dragons.

The five Fire Dragon bones needed to be examined upon his return.

His attention returned to the new smoke mission.

The mission indicated that Acheronides had accumulated numerous magic problems that needed solving, with the reward being a great water magician. This was easy to understand: Acheronides was about to be promoted to a great water magician.

"Not bad, she hasn't disappointed me. In less than half a year, Acheronides has become a great magician, her talent is terrifying... In a few more years, she might really have a chance to become a water mage."

The sun blazed down on the earth.

The chocobo's galloping brought gusts of wind, keeping Liszt cool, and the alcohol gradually wore off as his mana was continuously expended, restoring his mental clarity.

As the sun was about to set, Thorns Ridge, densely planted with fast-growing iron thorns, came into view. On the main gravel-paved road, a welcoming party was already assembled. When Liszt spotted the party, they also noticed Liszt and his entourage.

Instantly, cheers erupted.

Even from hundreds of meters away, the shouts were unmistakable: "Viscount Liszt!"

The squire knight who had delivered the message had already spread the news of Liszt's impending promotion to Viscount. It was easy to imagine how excited and thrilled the town officials, under Gort's leadership, must have been. Everyone knew Liszt had a bright future, but no one expected he would become a Viscount in just a year.

The clatter of hooves rushed by as the party entered the main road of Thorns Ridge.

The welcoming party was indeed headed by Gort, along with numerous town officials and a large crowd of townsfolk, all eagerly lining the roadside, craning their necks, hoping to catch a glimpse of the great Lord.

"Oh, the glory of knighthood! Incredible!" Gort exclaimed in his characteristic exaggerated tone, "Great Lord, Viscount Liszt! My Lord, Gort offers you the highest respect!"

The town officials behind him greeted and flattered Liszt's return with various forms of salutations.

The last rays of the setting sun bathed Liszt's face, accentuating his already handsome and dignified appearance, making him appear even more majestic. His warm voice carried out: "I accept your greetings. Let's return to the castle first."

"Yes, my Lord!"

The crowd thus surrounded Liszt, heading towards the castle. He was the center of attention, as was Loki, whose colorful plumage and imposing, slightly bizarre form amazed the common folk. In a world teeming with magical beasts, people's aesthetics were not about small cats or dogs.

The more bizarre and powerful the creature, the more humans were crazily drawn to it.

"That's the Lord! Even such a terrifying bird is the Lord's mount!" The townsfolk ran behind the procession, whispering among themselves.

"It might be a mid-level beast. The Lord's Hiddleston is a mid-level beast, and the Lord even killed the mid-level sea monster, the Six-Headed King Serpent."

A fellow running townsfolk nodded in agreement: "Exactly, if it's not mid-level, the Lord wouldn't even bother!"

"The Lord is already a Viscount. Do you think North Valley City will be assigned to him?"

"Not sure, maybe the Lord could have an island, like that Viscount from Beer Island."

"Ah, when the Lord first came to Flower Town last year, I said he was born to be a great noble, destined to achieve countless honors!"

These whispers.

Liszt did not hear them, as the officials around him continued to flatter him, unaware that he was not in the mood for compliments at the moment.

He just wanted to return to the castle and have a cup of fresh milk tea brewed by Mrs. Mossen.

"Mrs. Mossen must already be brewing the tea. She knows my favorite is dragon milk tea. Even if she forgets, Mr. Carter will remind her!"

After a year together, servants like Carter and Mo Sen had become like family.

Before Liszt could step onto Tom Hiddleston Avenue, he suddenly looked up ahead. With a "Woo-ah" cry, the familiar thorn fairy, Jie La, flew over, bobbing up and down. Seeing Liszt, it seemed delighted and landed directly on his head.

Spirits are emotional creatures, and the bond of the contract made him even closer to Jie La.

"Little one, have you torn down the castle yet?" Liszt called Jie La to his palm and continued riding the chocobo towards the castle.

"Woo-ah!"

Just as he was not paying attention, Jie La suddenly waved its hand, casting a faint green light onto Loki's head.