Chapter 1 Dragons, Elves and Flower Town

After a week of recuperating from the poisoning caused by wild fruits and adjusting to his new identity, Liszt often found himself in disbelief.

He, who had previously died from overwork, had unexpectedly been reborn as a noble in another world.

Not just any world, but one reminiscent of medieval Europe, where castles and knights held sway over everything. Yet, it was a fantastical realm filled with magic and wonders, where dragons and elves coexisted, knights could cultivate Aura, and enigmatic mages wielded mysterious powers. Even he, Liszt, had cultivated the "Basic Aura," becoming an Apprentice Knight.

"Aura, in its rudimentary form."

A flow of energy ceaselessly circulated within him, responding to his will and surging into his palms. Instantly, he felt his hands heat up, brimming with immense power.

That slightly painful expansion made him momentarily believe he could tear apart tigers and leopards with his bare hands.

It was this Aura, symbolizing strength, that enabled knights to rule vast territories.

The cultivation of Aura.

Those who mastered the Basic Aura were known as "Apprentice Knights," while those who grasped the Intermediate Aura were called "Earth Knights."

Liszt's father, the hereditary "Coral Island Earl," Lee William Tulip, was an Earth Knight with intermediate-level Aura. He held absolute power of life and death over his territory, which equaled the size of a metropolitan area, and only needed to swear allegiance to the Sapphire Duke.

Unfortunately,

as the third son of the earl, Liszt did not inherit the Tulip family's Aura talent. At sixteen years old, he remained merely an Apprentice Knight.

His elder brother, Levis Tulip, had become an Earth Knight at thirteen and was now an elite among them, capable of challenging three Earth Knights single-handedly.

His sister, Li Weiwei Tulip, had also become an Earth Knight before reaching adulthood.

He had another half-brother, Lytton Tulip, who was twelve years old and reportedly on the brink of ascending to Earth Knight status.

Liszt inherited more from his mother, the late Countess, in terms of appearance. He had short, slightly curly blond hair, deep sapphire eyes, an upright profile, fair skin, and a tall, slender build, exuding the natural elegance of nobility. However, his innate abilities were lacking.

Perhaps because he resembled his mother so much, the earl once held great expectations for him.

The higher the expectations, the greater the disappointment.

As Liszt grew older, his father became utterly disappointed in him, even expressing contempt.

Brother Levis has been temporarily granted the title of "Baron for Life," destined to inherit the position of "Hereditary Earl." Sister Li Weiwei, unusually, was also bestowed the title of Baron of Falcon Town, becoming a rare "Hereditary Dame" with her own fief in the Sapphire Grand Duchy, rather than just an empty title without land.

As for him, he was merely titled a Baron, and that too, of the most remote Flower Town on Coral Island.

Levis, with his character resembling his mother, had always been gentle and weak, often bullied by his siblings. As he grew older, his communication with the Earl diminished, leading him to prefer living at the Knights Academy over returning home.

"Luckily, he's an unnoticed waste of space. No one will suspect my replacement... Moreover, having my own fief, with hereditary rights and control over life and death within it, is truly delightful." Liszt had long overcome his initial panic and was now striving to assimilate into this world.

He had to blend in, living like a native.

For in this world, transmigrators held no significant advantage—magic and martial prowess surpassed science.

Upon learning more about the situation, he felt even more compelled to keep a low profile—metal ores originated from dragons, and the flourishing plants depended on the elves!

Without dragons or elves,

farming and an industrial revolution would be nothing but fairy tales!

Yet, dragons and elves were extraordinary beings, and the Sapphire Grand Duchy had only one dragon—the Sapphire Dragon, which had served as the mount of the Sapphire Duke three hundred years ago. The entire Sapphire family,

It all rested upon this dragon. It was said that a dragon could live for a thousand years, meaning the Sapphire Duchy still had seven hundred years of prosperity left.

There were more elves than dragons, but they had a strict hierarchy.

Liszt's father, Lee William Tulip, possessed a "Grand Tulip Elf." It aided the family in cultivating vast tulip fields, which led to the founding of their lineage and the adoption of "Tulip" as their surname. Grand Elves could live up to two hundred years, so the Tulip Family should enjoy another one hundred fifty years of blessings, assuming no unforeseen disasters.

Below the Grand Elves were Lesser Elves, with a lifespan of a hundred years.

The Tulip Family owned twelve Lesser Elves who helped cultivate various plants for them.

Beneath the Lesser Elves were Elf Seeds, spirits born from plants with a lifespan of ten years. They could influence plant growth. If they were fortunate enough within those ten years, they could evolve into Lesser Elves. The birth of an Elf Seed itself was a rare occurrence, emerging by chance from a plant.

The Tulip Family had cultivated Coral Island for over twenty years, reaping over a hundred Elf Seeds. Including those that had already perished, there were only about one hundred fifty, among which only twelve evolved into Lesser Elves.

"Elves... It's regrettable that my previous self truly disgusted the Earl. Even Li Weiwei has obtained a Lesser Elf, while I have only four Elf Seeds!"

On Liszt's coming-of-age ceremony, the Earl of Coral Island declared him Baron of Flower Town and gifted him with four Elf Seeds.

That was all.

"Sir, dinner is served. Would you like to dine now?" Carter, the butler, entered with a gentle knock and a slight bow.

"It's already dinner time, huh? Very well, please invite both tutors to join us," Liszt stretched ungracefully, having grown restless during his convalescence.

In a short while, the two tutors arrived together.

The one with golden hair and a tailcoat was the family tutor, Gort, a forty-five-year-old fallen knight who had found refuge in the Tulip Family. He primarily oversaw Liszt's scholarly education. Naturally, his official role was as the administrative officer of Flower Town, assisting Liszt in governing the entire settlement.

"Glad to see you looking much better, Liszt. Thank heavens we can witness your lively antics once more," Gort said playfully, quite at ease.

The other, with a stern expression and meticulous demeanor, was Liszt's knight instructor, Marcus.

He had already attained the rank of Earth Knight but had yet to receive a noble title. His family had been generations of retainers to the Tulip Family, and it was finally in his generation that a true Earth Knight emerged.

Liszt smiled slightly. "Both tutors are here, Mr. Carter. Please proceed with the meal."

"As you wish, Sir," Carter, the old butler, left the living room with elegance, descending to the kitchen to give the order for dinner.

"Teacher Marcus, I've almost fully recovered. Starting tomorrow, I hope to resume my knight training," Liszt stated.

Marcus's square face was devoid of any expression: "Certainly."

Upon seeing this, Liszt smiled slightly, understanding that the Earth Knight held some resentment. He had hoped to go to war and earn the title of a Baron Knight, ascending to the upper echelons of society and becoming a noble. Instead, he was assigned as Liszt's knight instructor, trapped in the remote backwater of Flower Town.

In the Tulip family, Liszt was notorious for being a good-for-nothing. This meant that there was virtually no chance of becoming a noble by following him.

Soon, the old butler arrived with male and female servants, carrying the dining trays.

There wasn't much food on the plates. The standard of living in Flower Town was low, with little production. As an unloved son of the Earl, Liszt didn't have ample supplies to support a lavish lifestyle.

However, Liszt ate with great seriousness.

Time travel was a skillful endeavor, and becoming a noble was already a tremendous stroke of luck. One must understand that in this world, apart from the nobility, most commoners were merely lambs to be slaughtered at the whims of others.

Including his two instructors, they all essentially served as his servants, their lives subject to his mere words.