Chapter 887: Do You Like Bondage?

"Intensify your research efforts. I want you to uncover the secrets of the lich as soon as possible. Otherwise, your Goat Assembly can leave this world forever and spend eternity in the Exile Lands, consorting with damned souls."

As he stepped away from the metal door, the Duke of Sapphire coldly addressed the magician standing at the entrance.

The magician of the Goat Assembly bowed his head and replied in an ingratiating tone, "Rest assured, Your Grace. The Goat Assembly has long studied the soul's secrets. We will surely master the secrets of the lich soon and atone for our past mistakes."

It was the great magicians of the Goat Assembly who had once conspired with Marquis Niuwei to assassinate the Sapphire Dragon. While the Marquis was captured, the great magicians vanished without a trace. Back then, vampires like Mary Dawnbreak were dispatched to Ironhoof Island to hunt down these magicians.

Yet, it seemed the Duke of Sapphire had long since captured them one by one, forcing them to conduct reverse-engineering on the lich.

"Remember, I won’t give you much time. One year. If you fail to deliver satisfactory results within a year, prepare your burial clothes—you’ll need it for your research in the Exile Lands."

The magician shuddered slightly.

Most magicians subscribed to a theory that at the boundary where magic, matter, and spirit converge, there exists a place beyond the descriptions of time and space—where eternity and transience coexist, a realm only souls can traverse. This place was known as the Exile Lands.

Those guilty of heinous crimes would be subjected to a ritual by the nobility, banishing their souls to languish in the Exile Lands.

Annuite Sapphire, who once plotted against the Sapphire Dragon, was punished by the Sapphire family, her soul cast into the Exile Lands. To save his beloved, Curtis Truth became a lich, building ghost ships in an attempt to breach the gates of the Exile Lands—only to clash with Liszt in the end.

Emerging from the underground and stepping onto the castle balcony, the Duke of Sapphire sighed deeply and murmured to himself, "I can only hope the Exile Lands truly exist, and that we find the missing soul of the Sapphire Dragon soon. Otherwise, once I perish, the dragon will fall into a coma once more... The Sapphire family cannot afford to have every heir sacrifice their own soul to sustain the dragon’s life."

......

THOOM!

The sound of the metallic dragon’s wings beating was like a jumbo jet roaring overhead, a thunderous cacophony. This was the commotion caused by the grey cast iron dragon. Under the terrified gazes of the knights and commoners around Tulip Castle, the dragon landed directly in the square before the gates.

Then, Marquis Niuwei leaped off its back, turned, and dismissively waved his hand.

Immediately, the grey cast iron dragon crouched on its hind legs, its wings stirring a tempest as it soared back into the sky. Under Liszt’s command, it vanished into the distance in moments, leaving only the Marquis standing with his hands behind his back.

"My lord, that dragon just now...?" Captain Mickey approached cautiously and inquired.

"Nothing to worry about. Just Liszt’s new mount."

Captain Mickey gasped in awe. "His Highness Liszt has gained yet another dragon!"

This exclamation quickly spread among the surrounding knights, dissolving all tension and replacing it with awe, envy, and giddy excitement—they were the Tulip family's retainers, and Liszt’s strength was the greatest assurance of their future prospects. A single dragon could safeguard a kingdom, let alone four!

Lady Mary, Levis, Gloria, and Lytton had also stepped out, though they hadn’t managed to greet Liszt, who remained atop the dragon.

This time, Liszt had left without even stopping home.

"Father, what just happened? Another dragon appeared, and you jumped off its back. I couldn’t see clearly—was there someone else on the dragon? Was it Liszt?" Levis pressed urgently.

"Let’s discuss this inside," Marquis Niuwei replied dismissively. "It’s nothing more than Liszt taming another dragon. I didn’t return with the fleet—he simply flew me back. He had urgent matters to attend to, so I didn’t detain him. A dragon knight’s work is never done, and I too have a mountain of work ahead."

......

"Ornn, you can stay here on Black Horse Island for now. Your dragon lair will be built on Flame Island in the future. However, the journey is long, so you'll have to wait until I complete the magic teleportation array before heading to Flame Island."

Ornn let out a rumbling roar!

The grey-cast-iron dragon Ornn was quite reasonable. After Liszt explained the situation, it took up residence on a hill on Black Horse Island to rest—its surplus magic, depleted from the previous battles and severe injuries, had not fully recovered, and it indeed needed a quiet place to recuperate.

Liszt instructed the servants not to forget to provide food and magic potions for Ornn.

Then, together with Acheronides, he rode the invisible dragon Bard, traversing space and appearing directly in the reed marshes of Flame Island to continue preparations for the magic gate.

Shortly after his departure—

The Grand Sprite Ash, who had been studying the art of rope-tying in the insect room, suddenly flew out of the castle, lured by the presence of the grey-cast-iron dragon. Servants scrambled onto horses to chase after her. Ash held a rope in her hand and flew straight toward the hill where Ornn was resting, the iron dragon’s hulking form filling her view.

"Ash, please stop! That's Lord Ornn ahead. The master has instructed not to disturb it casually," a servant called out, though fearful, they weren’t panicked—the Thorn Castle was frequently visited by the Fire Drake Rio, so the residents of Black Horse Island were no strangers to dragons.

"Go back! I know what I'm doing."

Ash wasn't as temperamental as Jie La, but she was still a highly individualistic Grand Sprite. She continued flying toward the slumbering grey-cast-iron dragon. As she drew near, Ornn suddenly opened its eyes, glaring fiercely at the sprite, who was no bigger than a sparrow in its eyes.

Ash paused.

Then, slowly, she approached again, grinning impishly and trying her best to raise her voice—though it remained barely louder than a mosquito’s buzz: "Ornn, can I call you Ornn?"

*Snort!*

The grey-cast-iron dragon responded with a dismissive snort from its nostrils.

Unfazed, Ash not only flew right up to its eyes but also brandished the rope in her hand. "Ornn, do you like binding? I can tie you up beautifully. My research on binding is thorough and expert—would you like to give it a try?"

Ornn turned its head and blew a gust of air directly at Ash.

*Whoosh!*

Ash was sent tumbling like a leaf in a gale, struggling to steady herself. Yet, undeterred, she flew back again. "Ornn, you blew my rope away, but I have a spare one!" She pulled out another red rope from who-knows-where.

Ornn, thoroughly annoyed, simply closed its eyes and resumed its slumber, ignoring the persistent sprite.

Undeterred, Ash circled around it, eventually landing on one of its metallic scales. She reached out, touched it, smiled, and began wrapping the rope around the scale. She amused herself like this, while Ornn simply treated her as an annoying fly, batting at her halfheartedly before losing interest.

The castle servants had no choice but to report the situation to Cris Truth, who then relayed the message via a heavily secured magic console to Liszt, who had already arrived at the reed marshes.

Upon receiving the message, Liszt’s lips curled into a smile. "So, it seems Ash is on the verge of evolving too?"

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