Chapter 601: The Baptism of the Great Magician

Bloody Mary was bragging to Scarlet Peggy about how terrifying Liszt was, while Liszt himself was in the bathhouse watching the swirling steam. Bathing took only five minutes; he was mostly lost in thought.

He pondered the vampire incident, the Expansion Decree War, and also the new task.

"Task: In the dark of night, it’s not just bats on the move—there are plenty of rats too. They’re mixed among the knights on the expedition. Perhaps the battle intent at Roaring Estuary will soon be leaked by them. Stop the great magician’s port ritual. Reward: A hand-drawn ruins map."

This was the content of the new task. The reward—a hand-drawn ruins map—wasn’t his priority. What concerned him more was the information revealed by the task.

"Rats?"

"So, the Sapphire Duchy’s main assault on Roaring Estuary will be uncovered?" He couldn’t help but frown. "The plan was just finalized during the daytime meeting. Even if the rats learn the attack direction, getting the intel out in time would be tough... unless they board fast sailing ships, arriving at Roaring Estuary a day ahead of the regular fleet."

In every Expansion Decree War, the Sapphire Duchy never disclosed the attack direction in advance.

Only on the eve of the offensive would the Duke personally issue the order.

This effectively minimized the possibility of the Kingdom of the Eagle’s rats obtaining the battle intent. After all, launching a maritime attack differed from a land assault—no matter how fast the rats ran, they still had to board ships. And when it came to ships, the Duke’s fleet was the quickest, allowing them to strike before the rats could leak the information.

Once the attack began, any intelligence delivered by the rats would be meaningless.

Thus, spying didn’t give them much edge—even rats with flying beasts couldn’t cross the open ocean without stopping.

"Unless the rats board ships first and then send pigeons from aboard... but no, pigeons fly set routes. How could the rats ensure the pigeons would reach the exact location of the fleet's attack?"

Setting sail from Ironhoof Island’s Hoof City port, reaching the coastline of the Kingdom of the Eagle took six to seven days of sailing, stretching over a thousand kilometers. This distance ensured the fleet’s attack would be unpredictable. Unless a dragon knight flew nonstop on their dragon, perhaps then they could truly traverse this expanse without stopping.

Other flying beasts simply cannot cover over a thousand kilometers without rest.

"There's another possibility—take a ship first, then fly the rest of the way within the beast's range. This way, the intelligence might be sent one or two days earlier... But even if the information is sent three days in advance, what kind of defense could be organized?"

Every year at a fixed time, the Sapphire Duchy launches its attacks—this is the norm.

Yet the Kingdom of the Eagle can never stop it. Without the king's coordination and command, the lords of various territories cannot unite, nor can they work together to organize a defense system. Coupled with conflicting interests, the Decree of Expansion becomes a free-for-all feast for both sides, unfolding in the coastal hinterlands.

"The most crucial point is that there are several coastal cities near Roaring Estuary, all potential attack points. The meeting at Bullhoof City only determined the general direction of the attack, not the specific target. Detailed offensive plans will be discussed again during the voyage."

Therefore,

the odds of the Sapphire Duchy falling into an ambush are slim.

"If my speculation isn’t wrong, this mission's real danger lies in the fallout of failure—leading to the rats accidentally delivering the message to the port city I intend to attack, then facing the great magician’s magical bombardment—undoubtedly, there will be powerful magic awaiting."

He stood up and wiped off the water. "I’ll touch base with the Count at dawn, then dispatch a vampire squad before the attack to case the port city. I believe this task won’t be difficult."

By the time he stepped out of the bathhouse, he already had a complete plan.

Even if a great magician were to cast magic, overpowering a great magician’s spells would be child’s play—with his Dragon Aura, back in his territory, he even shattered Acheronides’ immensely powerful water-based magic, *Water-Spin Fusion*, with a single strike, and that was on the open sea.

After all, he was a Dragon Rider candidate!

...

By now, dawn was approaching.

The rowdy port had gone quiet. When Liszt returned to his room, five vampires were already seated inside. At his arrival, Bloody Mary was on her feet first, the other four snapping up right after, every eye locked onto the doorway.

Standing at one eighty-nine centimeters tall, Liszt was dressed in a well-fitted, modified house attire that, while slightly different from the usual noble garb, undoubtedly accentuated his tall and distinguished presence, exuding an air of nobility.

"Have you all arrived?" He walked straight to the table and sat down without inviting the five vampires to do so, his gaze slowly scanning the new arrivals. "Bloody Mary, introduce these four vampires."

Bloody Mary quickly responded, "My Lord, this is One-Eyed Uso..."

There wasn't much to introduce; they were all half-breed vampires with roughly the same strength as Bloody Mary—powerful mages at night, but reduced to mere mage level during the day. Their ability to transform into bats made them suitable for reconnaissance roles, though their skills as assassins were not particularly outstanding.

Unless, like in Liszt's performance, they caught someone drunk.

Otherwise, even when sleeping, Sky Knights would remain vigilant, with their advanced combat aura circulating naturally, ready to awaken at the slightest disturbance.

A failed assassination attempt could easily result in the vampire being killed instead. After all, they were just spellcasters; transforming into bats was useful for escaping, but the sweeping attacks of knights remained a significant threat. Engaging in close combat with a knight was foolish for a spellcaster.

The five vampires consisted of three males and two females.

After the introductions,

it was the turn of the four new vampires to report on their situation, particularly their search for the Goat Gathering High Mages on Iron Horse Island. Their information matched Bloody Mary's—they had not found the High Mages, and as half-breeds, they had no contact with the core of the Black Knight family. The information they could provide was limited.

"Very well, I have met all of you, and you should know me now," Liszt said directly, without any unnecessary words. "Your hearts are in my hands, and you will follow my commands and serve me... I don't care about your loyalty. As long as you prove your worth, getting back your hearts won't be a problem."

The five vampires' eyes darted around nervously.

Liszt smiled faintly. "I have placed your hearts in a very secret location. You can try to steal them back from me, but I must warn you, you only get one chance. Failure means I will eliminate you. Also, I enjoy killing in my dreams when I sleep, so don't say I didn't warn you."

With that,

He rang the bell on the table.

The personal footman Thomas entered the room: "My lord."

"Arrange rooms for these five mages. They are my new followers now."

"Yes, my lord." Thomas gestured gracefully, "Honored mages, please follow me."

Before they left the room, Liszt added, "Thomas, remember to prepare several sets of mage cloaks for them, the ones with large hoods. Mage cloaks with large hoods will hide their vampiric pallor and crimson eyes."