Chapter 544: New Glory of the Family

"How could spirit bugs possibly be found in the sea, and even a Grand Sprite accompanied by a group of spirit bugs? It's impossible!" Levis shook his head, still in disbelief.

The messenger Marcus had already left, but the impact of the message lingered.

Loria, who was already showing signs of pregnancy, was going over the account books.

She had taken on the role of handling the couple's finances: "Of course, there are spirit bugs in the sea. My father once found two Alisma spirit bugs in a river. If there are spirit bugs in rivers, there must be spirit bugs in the sea too. I just don't know how List managed to find them in the sea."

"But that's a Grand Sprite, dear. Aren't you surprised?"

"What’s there to be surprised about? The Golden Wheat family has two Grand Sprites, and the Golden Wheat family also has one. Among my father's followers, several counts own Grand Sprites. List is already the youngest sky knight in the country. Isn’t it expected for him to have a Grand Sprite?"

Loria spoke with an air of certainty.

Levis opened his mouth, almost choking: "Most Grand Sprites are raised from domesticated spirit bugs, but List's Giant Kelp Grand Sprite is wild. That kind of luck is downright enviable."

"He’s the chosen one."

"Of course, I know he is favored by the glory of knighthood, but I still feel a little off."

Loria looked up at him: "Levis, I know you've been a genius on Coral Island since childhood, while List's talents were not apparent. This has thrown you off balance. But you need to accept reality. He is a sky knight, and even my father praised his future in a letter. Now, our business is backed by List. You should learn to be grateful."

"Gloria, don’t get it wrong. We gave him the connections!"

"If List were just an ordinary noble's second son, as suppliers, we should naturally take a larger cut." Gloria's tone was calm but commanding the conversation. "But he is not an ordinary second son. He is a sky knight, a future high-ranking noble. My father believes he might even surpass his own achievements."

"That... seems unlikely. Father is a top candidate for the Marquis title."

"I can't predict the future, but my father's judgment is never wrong. List’s genius magic aura even shines on the rural serfs of Coral Island. We can't ignore it. Whether he has a Grand Sprite or not, I plan to suggest that you renegotiate the business split with List. We can’t keep the majority share anymore; at least we need to split it equally."

Levis remained silent.

He couldn't bear to part with his share of the business.

Loria said calmly, "Levis, you’ll eventually inherit the Tulip family. For now, what you need to do is focus on your training and break through to become a sky knight. Only then can we get the upper hand in our dealings with Mary and stop resources from going to Lytton."

"Without enough resources, how can I break through quickly?"

"Precisely because we don't have enough resources, we need to compete with Mary for them and curb Lytton… List is your younger brother, someone you can count on, but Lytton must not become the next List."

After saying this, Loria lowered her head and continued with her accounts.

Levis looked at his wife and suddenly felt a chill, but he quickly shook it off and said, "Don’t stress about Lytton. List is the chosen one; he is not. His talent is indeed good—he became a land knight at thirteen—but that's about it."

"Alright, I’ll take care of the gifts and business dealings. You focus on your training."

...

In the small castle next to Coral City.

Penelope was busy selecting potted plants, occasionally exchanging words with Mira behind her: "What do you think of this azalea? Does it look like it might nurture a spirit bug?"

"I can't tell."

"Of course, you can't. You don't have the glory of knighthood to guide you, and you can't even find a suitable partner, let alone a spirit bug."

"Grandmother, how can you say that to me!"

"Miss, hurry up and find a noble knight to marry, and I'll treat you with respect."

"You were always so concerned about Liszt's marriage before. Why are you suddenly focusing on me now?" Lvera said with a frustrated expression.

"Before, Liszt was a promising young man, and I, as his grandmother, needed to worry about him. But now he is a rising noble star in the Duchy, and naturally, nobles will come seeking alliances with him. Those noble ladies will compete to be his wife, and there's no need to go through the trouble of searching."

Lvera said, "But I see that Liszt has no intention of looking."

"He's not in a hurry because he's still young, focusing on his career and cultivation. A noble with his exceptional talent and diligence will never be short of suitors. I believe your father has already been in correspondence with many nobles, discussing matters of their children."

"That's true... Now that Liszt has contracted a Grand Sprite, a Grand Sprite capable of cultivating magic herbs, oh my, I can imagine how many noble ladies will see him as their prince charming... Maybe even the Duke wishes he had a third princess."

"Don't make light of the Duke."

"Isn't it just the two of us here?"

"You should know that the Duke might send someone to assess Liszt at any time. A young man of his promise should pledge his loyalty to the Duke, not to your father. With a Grand Sprite and being the youngest sky knight, he is more than capable of founding a new family, branching out the Tulip family."

Penelope said, pointing to a pot of sunflower, she instructed the servants, "Place this pot where it gets the most sun. It will be my gift to Liszt, maybe there's a spirit bug growing inside."

Lvera rolled her eyes, "I don't see any sign of a spirit bug growing."

"You might not see it, but Liszt can... Perhaps I should let him choose a pot himself. Never mind, he's welcome to choose any of my potted plants anytime."

"You're too biased."

"If you could bring strength to the family, I'd favor you just the same." Penelope said, suddenly becoming sentimental, "If your grandfather were still alive, he would be very pleased. His son carried the Tulip name with pride, and now his grandson is set to start a new family—what an honor!"

...

Liszt had no idea they were talking about him behind his back.

Of course, even without knowing, he could guess the impact he had on others. A wild Grand Sprite, just casually contracted.

Anyone would be green with envy, utterly shocked.

But with his Dragon Aura improving and Giant Kelp Magic Potion in constant production, both he and his Fire Drake grew stronger by the day, and he didn't care what others thought.

Standing at the peak, looking down at the mountains below.

That's probably the feeling.

He rode Rainbow Whale Rosi across the sea, directing officials and organizing serfs to harvest Giant Kelp, then burying the mature Magic Giant Kelp in the harvested areas for experimental growth.

He kept at it until April 13th.

Only then was the sea area fully planned, and on the shore, they decided to build Giant Kelp Town, the ninth town after Port Town, New Port Town, Thorn Town, Horse Town, Green Tea Town, Grain Town, Red River Town, and Mushroom Town, dedicated to the Giant Kelp industry and its fishery.

At this point, invoking the smoke task finally yielded some changes.