Chapter 772: Leo Loves to Eat

This chapter is an additional update sponsored by the alliance leader "Meow Voice," temporarily one update, with the remaining ten to be completed later.

Marquis Niuwei stood on the balcony basking in the sun, having recently returned from negotiations at the Blue Sky Summit Palace, primarily to secure support from the Sapphire Duchy for Liszt.

The project covered many aspects, involving resources, technology, and talent.

Had Liszt not intervened in the dragon-slaying battle, the Sapphire Duchy would have perished, so no reward could be too generous. The Sapphire Duchy naturally understood this. Now that Liszt and Acheronides teamed up two against one, he knew he couldn’t hold his ground, so he could only pay to send these powerful figures away.

The previous negotiation brought the manufacturing technology of the Royal Fast Yacht, while this one delivered the training techniques for Iron Knights and an entire Iron Knight family.

This Iron Knight family was currently relocating, preparing to join Liszt's ranks and follow the new Dragon Knight.

"Watching the Flame Family grow bit by bit brings me great joy," Lee William remarked emotionally as Lady Mary approached from the room. "Though it’s not the Tulip family becoming the dragon-raising family, Liszt's Flame Family is a branch of the Tulip family—equally glorious."

"Yes, the family is thriving, and so many noblewomen envy us."

"That proves your foresight back then." Lee William smiled smugly. After Melissa's death, he had met Lady Mary.

Back then, Lady Mary was renowned for her beauty and faced two choices.

One was to marry a viscount from an outer island, ensuring her future son would inherit the title; the other was to marry the widowed middle-aged Lee William, whose children could not inherit his title. Ultimately, Lady Mary did not consider her future son’s prospects but chose Lee William, becoming the new Countess.

Perhaps it was this sense of debt that made Lee William particularly attentive to Lytton.

Yet fate always favors the beautiful. With Liszt's meteoric rise, Lee William’s status soared as well, now holding the title of Marquis.

Lady Mary basked in the reflected glory.

When Lytton came of age, granting him a viscount title would be effortless—even a county wouldn’t be difficult. The eldest son, Lytton, could hardly complain, as Lee William’s wealth wasn’t inherited but earned by himself, so he could allocate it as he wished.

Had Lee William inherited his father’s marquisate, tradition would have required him to pass all assets to his son.

He would merely be a custodian of the family’s legacy, with no right to divide it arbitrarily.

But Lee William inherited only a viscounty, while his earldom and marquisate were self-earned, granting him the authority to decide their distribution. In this era, it was still customary for the eldest son to inherit everything, while younger sons left with nothing—but rules are rigid, and people adapt, allowing for adaptable applications.

"My foresight was indeed excellent," Lady Mary smiled with satisfaction. "But the noblewomen from major houses have even better judgment—they’ve all set their sights on Liszt."

Lee William snorted coldly. "Ignore those young ladies from minor islands in the future. Liszt is a Dragon Knight, the future ruler of a nation. His marriage should be to a genuine princess from the mainland kingdoms... A new nation also needs the support of a kingdom."

"I’m afraid Liszt won’t agree. You know how extraordinary his sister is."

"Well... sigh, it’s not for us to decide. Whether it’s a kingdom’s princess or an Archmage, it’s Liszt’s private affair. We needn’t interfere." Lee William sighed. A kingdom’s princess could help the new nation gain support, but an Archmage could also stabilize a nation’s destiny.

No easy choice.

Besides.

He knew full well that Liszt was a man of strong opinions—marriage wasn’t something he could arrange... As a father, he still relied on his son.

Just then, butler Silva knocked and entered. "My lord, a messenger knight from Thorny Fortress has arrived."

"Bring him in," Lee William instructed, then turned to Lady Mary. "Go check the kitchen. I’d like flamingo for lunch today—tell Mrs. Phyllis to take care with the cooking. The dishes at Tulip Castle are far inferior to Thorny Fortress’s!"

"Mm." Lady Mary left the balcony.

The messenger knight soon arrived, bowed, and said, "Lord Marquis, His Highness asked me to inform you that he recently captured a super-magical beast, the Black Albatross, and has subdued it at Thorny Fortress. If you wish to tame it as a mount, you may go to Thorny Fortress to attempt it."

"A super-magical beast!"

Lee William could hardly sit still, almost leapt to his feet: "What are we waiting for then? Let's go, we're leaving now!"

Forgetting all about the flamingo meat he was supposed to have for lunch, he mounted his black-blooded steed and headed straight for Flower Town. By a little past three in the afternoon, he arrived in Flower Town, just in time to catch the evening merchant ship to Black Horse Island. He boarded the ship with his squire knight, and after rocking for more than ten hours, they arrived at Black Horse Port in the early hours of the morning.

The sky was still dark when he hurriedly made his way to Thorn Castle.

He woke Liszt from his sleep, and when Liszt came downstairs to see Lee William pacing, he couldn’t help but complain, "Father, is this really so urgent?"

"Liszt, my son, you don’t understand how I feel." Lee William pulled him along as they walked outside. "Hurry, I’ve already taken a good look at that black albatross—it truly is a powerful supreme magical beast... But I’m not entirely confident I can tame it successfully. I’ll need your help."

"Don’t worry, I’ll keep that big bird under control."

They quickly arrived at the spot where the black albatross was tethered. The eastern sky had just begun to lighten with the first hint of dawn, and the black albatross was already awake. Despite not eating for a day, it still looked full of vigor.

Only because Leo was sound asleep nearby, it didn't dare move recklessly.

"It’s absolutely magnificent! Look at those glossy black feathers, those broad webbed feet, that hooked beak, and that cold, predatory gaze." Seeing such a majestic supreme magical beast, Lee William felt even more excited than when he had advanced to the pinnacle level as a Sky Knight. This was a dream he had held since his youth.

"Cluck!"

"Screech!"

Suddenly.

A few bird calls came from the distance, followed by three small birds with fiery red feathers and the size of large roosters, circling around Leo. One of them, with slightly paler yellow feathers, circled a few times before landing on Liszt’s shoulder, chirping as if trying to curry favor.

"What are these?" Lee William stared at the three little birds in astonishment, feeling as though he were looking at three living flames. The intense fire-attribute magic power they radiated even gave him a faint sense of pressure—a natural suppression of lower magic power by higher magic power. Though small, these birds possessed high-level magic power.

"Them?" Liszt said casually. "They’re the legendary Wyvern Phoenix, though the 'wyvern' classification isn't entirely accurate—they’re nowhere near true dragons. Supreme Dragon Beasts are still part of the magical beast category, so I gave them a new name: Flame Dragonbird."

"Phoenixes!"

Lee William froze for a moment before widening his eyes. "You’re saying they’re phoenixes? Wyvern Phoenixes, creatures second only to dragons? You’re actually raising three phoenixes?"

Liszt nodded faintly. "Yes, I keep them for research. Primarily because Leo enjoys feeding on them."