Chapter 18 Probability of 1 in 2.5 billion

Dragon Foal.

Liszt was no stranger to this term.

This was because his biological father, Earl Lee William Tulip of Coral Island, currently held the position of Royal Stablemaster in the court, taking care of Sapphire Duke's beloved steed, a divine stallion with dragon bloodline.

In this world, there were dragons.

Not the Eastern divine dragons, nor the Western wicked ones; instead, they were the incomparably magnificent essences of heaven and earth. These dragons were essentially genderless and didn't mate to produce offspring. However, just like how they could create gems and metals, they could also infect other species with their dragon bloodline.

Some enthusiasts had classified dragons, elves, and magical beasts according to their rarity.

The rarest, of course, were the dragons, symbolizing a nation.

Next came the Dragon Elves, representing the power of great nobles.

Then were the Greater Elves, signifying the authority of middling nobles.

After that, there were the Dragon-Blooded Magical Beasts, those mixed with the blood of dragons.

Next in value come the Fairies, the embodiment of minor nobility.

More valuable still are Dragonkin beasts, ordinary creatures imbued with the blood of dragons.

And at the peak of rarity lies the Elfworm, the very symbol of productivity.

There is another type of Fairy, equally precious as dragons – the Elf King. A legendary being said to be the ultimate evolution of a Dragon Fairy. Its core, a gigantic caterpillar, has the power to nurture an entire forest, providing sustenance for countless magical beasts, elves, and even dragons.

However, most people regard the Elf King as nothing more than a myth.

An Elfworm's chance of evolving into a Fairy is about one in fifty. A Fairy's chance of evolving into a Greater Fairy is around one in a hundred. A Greater Fairy's chance of becoming a Dragon Fairy is about one in five hundred. And as for a Dragon Fairy evolving into an Elf King, no such instance has ever been recorded.

During idle moments, Liszt amused himself by calculating these odds.

Assuming an Elfworm has a 1/50 chance of evolving upward, a Fairy has a 1/100 chance, a Greater Fairy a 1/500 chance, and a Dragon Fairy a 1/1,000 chance, the probability of an Elfworm transforming into an Elf King would be 1/2,500,000,000 - a chance of one in twenty-five billion.

A probability so infinitesimal it might as well be zero – no wonder no one has ever laid eyes on an Elf King.

Gazing at the serpentine smoke before him.

Liszt's heart burned with renewed passion. Dragon horses were theoretically more precious than elven worms. In terms of ability, a dragon horse might not be able to defeat any magical beast, as it couldn't use magic. However, as a rare descendant of dragons, its value wouldn't be low.

In this world, anything associated with dragons would receive great enthusiasm.

Moreover, the blood of dragons could enhance the qualities of other species. A common horse mixed with dragon blood could instantly become a steed capable of running a thousand miles.

Dragon horses were undoubtedly an excellent breed for warhorses.

Why was the Duke of Sapphire so fond of his dragon horse that even the Earl of Coral Island was competing to feed it? It was because that dragon horse was the standard mount of the Blue Blood Knights, the most elite knight squad of the Sapphire Duchy with a two-hundred-and-forty-year history.

The Blue Blood Knights fought battles on behalf of the Sapphire family and had a long list of accomplishments. Their blue-blooded steeds had contributed significantly.

Of course, the Duke of Sapphire would ride a blue-blooded steed to win over the knights and show solidarity with them.

"Dragon horse... If I had a dragon horse, and bred it, could I form a knight squad as elite as the Blue Blood Knights?"

Just thinking about it was thrilling.

However, at present, only Liszt, Marcus, and Gort had Aura in Flower Town. Even if he were given a large number of dragon horses, there would be no knight squad.

A heavy burden lies upon me, and the path ahead is long.

Moments later, he returned to his senses, and the swirling smoke before him vanished. Gazing at Hiddleston, who had returned to his nook and fallen asleep, he suddenly felt that the knightly order was too distant a goal. However, riding a dragon breed stallion, leading a magical beast dog, and wandering around for hunting was a lifestyle that could be easily attained. "Marcus will return to Coral City tomorrow and visit Falcon Town. He'll probably be back in about three days. By then, I'll have practiced the Quasi-Aura Secret Scripture and completed the quest." Liszt got up and left the recreation room.

...

Marcus departed from Flower Town once again.

Liszt wouldn't idle in the castle. Having recovered, he couldn't sit still. Early in the morning, he arrived at the Flower Farm, where the Tulip Bug was almost finished assimilating the black tulip's petals.

"About two more hours," he estimated after looking at the Tulip Bug. Liszt mounted his horse and galloped towards Peanut Village, where his Peanut Bug was still in its incubation stage.

Carl Hammer was on duty: "My lord!"

"How is my Peanut Bug doing?"

"It's still sleeping. Old George has people fertilize it with manure every day, and the Peanut Bug grass is thriving."

"Ensure the Peanut Worm's safety with utmost care. I wish to avoid any unforeseen incidents."

"Rest assured, Your Excellency!"

After departing from Peanut Village and returning to the Flower Farm, half an hour later, the Tulip Worm completed its assimilation successfully. Upon retrieving the Tulip Worm, Liszt could sense its joy and a newfound aura emanating from it – the aura of the Black Tulip. This indicated that the Tulip Worm was now capable of influencing the Black Tulip.

Since its birth, the Tulip Castle had arranged for all the Elf Worms to assimilate as many tulip species as possible, enhancing their strength in the process.

Liszt's Tulip Worm had already assimilated all the tulip varieties cultivated by the Tulip Family.

"After assimilating the Black Tulip, why do I feel that the Tulip Worm is somewhat 'excited'? Could it be... attempting to evolve?" A bold thought crossed his mind.

He quickly dismissed the notion.

The Tulip Worm he had acquired was one of the weaker ones among the few belonging to the Tulip Family. The likelihood of its evolution was extremely low.

A single new variety of magical herb wouldn't be sufficient for it to evolve.

Retrieving the Tulip Worm, he entrusted it to Butler Carter for feeding – with the Cordyceps already planted, the Elf Worm would survive even without sustenance, making it easy to care for.

Liszt promptly reunited with Gort and arrived at the dairy farm.

"There's an abundance of alfalfa seeds. I plan to start here, gradually replacing the existing clover with alfalfa. Once we have a substantial crop, we can cultivate the alfalfa worm, and the cows will adapt to the new forage. Horses can also be brought here for feeding."

Wormgrass requires the presence of the same plant species nearby; otherwise, it cannot obtain nutrients and will wither.

The alfalfa wormgrass cultivation was straightforward, and Liszt had no further suggestions: "We'll proceed with Teacher Gort's plan. However, how do you intend to handle the millet worm and thorn worm arrangements?"

"For the millet worm, my idea is to clear a piece of land and plant millet to see if it can survive. As for the thorn worm, we'll have to think about the thorn forest on Thorns Ridge. Liszt, I believe the thorn worm doesn't serve much purpose."

Thornbush, a small shrub adorned with prickly spikes.

Hawthorns, commonly utilized for fencing, are a favorite among many nobles' estates, where they are planted in circles to serve as verdant hedges enclosing their properties. Liszt, too, saw little practical use in the thorny plants beyond nurturing a perimeter of barbed fences that could safeguard the estate from smaller critters – though against true magical beasts like the Windblade Wolf, a single swipe of its wind-infused claws would be enough to fell entire swathes of the thicket.

The Fire Drake leisurely grazed on a pair of clover leaves.

Liszt gazed at the scrawny cows not far away and said, "Regardless, Elven Insects are a vital productive force. We must find a suitable location for them to cultivate."