Chapter 22 Li Longma was almost gelded

Without waiting for Liszt to instruct the search for a dragon horse, Gort, in charge of replacing the alfalfa in the dairy farm, rushed to the castle early in the morning.

"Liszt, good news has come knocking! Our newly planted alfalfa has sprouted and is growing well. Most importantly, a wild stallion, seemingly from nowhere, has been attracted to graze on it. That horse is magnificent, oh, even larger and more robust than your Fire Dragon Steed!"

"Let's invite Teacher Marcus along. We'll go to the dairy farm and see this wild horse. After feasting on our alfalfa, it'd better sell itself to pay for its keep, wouldn't you say?"

"You're quite right, its keep will be itself, ha-ha."

Everything within the territory belonged to the lord, without question, this wild stallion was now Liszt's personal property.

The group swiftly arrived at the dairy farm, and indeed, they found a magnificent black stallion grazing leisurely on the lush alfalfa that should have been reserved for the cows. The horse was towering, its coat glistening in the light, and its physique was elegant and majestic. One could clearly see the well-defined muscles rippling beneath its skin.

"Professor Marcus, you're an expert in assessing horses. What do you think of this wild stallion?"

The wild stallion had already spotted Liszt and the others, but it seemed unafraid. Upon seeing that they didn't approach, it lowered its head again to graze leisurely on the grass.

Marcus' eyes shimmered with excitement as he exclaimed, "My Lord, what a magnificent steed! It has slender bones yet a robust frame, its rippling muscles forming an elegant contour. Its limbs are long, with strong tendons, and its neck is lengthy, tilting gracefully forward. Its rump is well-proportioned, and the sheen of its coat indicates excellent health. Most importantly, its gaze is keen and sharp!"

"How does it compare to the Blue-blooded Steed?"

"Apologies, my lord, I have never laid eyes on a Blue-blooded Steed. The finest horse I've encountered is the Earl of Coral Island's Dí Panther, rumored to possess the bloodline of a Fiery Whelp Panther. However, the Dí Panther pales in comparison to this untamed stallion."

The horse with a white forehead was known as a Dí.

Liszt was naturally familiar with the Dí Panther, as it was the Earl of Coral Island's mount.

This black wild stallion before him exuded an aura far superior to that of the Dí Panther. After all, dragons were the most sacred creatures, and a Dragon Horse was the pinnacle among equines.

"How might we capture it?"

Marcus replied, "I could subdue it barehanded, for it is but a horse. But if my lord wishes to ride it, you must tame it personally. A wild horse submits only to its conqueror."

Liszt had no intention of taming the Dragon Horse to be his own steed. He hoped instead for it to become a true breeding stallion, siring a lineage of Dragon Horses.

That said, the task of taming a Dragon Horse held a certain allure. Liszt declined Marcus's offer to do it for him.

He approached the wild horse himself.

As he drew near, the grazing stallion immediately became alert, turning around to glare fiercely at Liszt, seemingly warning him not to cross the line.

As Liszt drew closer, the wild horse finally lost its patience and lunged at him. Twisting his body adroitly, Liszt's excellent horsemanship allowed him to instantly flip onto the horse's back. The wild horse, now mounted, felt a tremendous humiliation and began thrashing wildly, attempting to throw Liszt off. However, Liszt held tight around its neck, his aura surging, completely unaffected by the horse's struggles. A Land Knight could hold their own against genuine magic beasts, let alone a mere horse.

Half an hour later, exhausted from its efforts, the wild horse finally ceased its resistance, panting as it allowed Liszt to ride it and direct it left or right. Wiping the sweat from his forehead, Liszt chuckled. "A rather stubborn fellow, pure black in color without a single white hair. I'll call you Black Dragon."

A pure black horse was referred to as a 'lí' in Chinese.

Coupled with its faint dragon lineage, the name Black Dragon was quite fitting.

"Carl, bring over some bran cakes," said Liszt, dismounting. Taming a wild horse might not have been too challenging, but it was still physically draining, leaving him drenched in sweat.

At that moment, the Fire Dragon Horse approached, a young mare. Rubbing against Liszt's shoulder, it gazed wide-eyed at the towering Black Dragon Horse. However, the Black Dragon Horse paid no attention to the Fire Dragon Horse, maintaining its haughty demeanor and not attempting to curry favor with Liszt, still retaining a hint of its untamed nature.

Even as Liszt took the bran cake and offered it to the dragon horse, it didn't show any signs of affection.

"Sir, the Black Dragon Horse is an adult stallion. If you're going to raise it as a warhorse, it's best to geld it to prevent it from losing weight due to rutting," Marcus advised.

"Geld it?" Liszt waved his hand. "No way. I've already decided to use the Black Dragon Horse as a stud for Flower Town, breeding a herd of horses. It would be a great loss if such an extraordinary steed couldn't produce offspring."

"A stud, huh." Marcus nodded in approval of the decision.

Even though he didn't know that the Black Dragon Horse was a dragon horse, he could still see its extraordinariness. It would indeed be a pity to geld such a horse.

Unaware that it had narrowly escaped castration, the Black Dragon Horse continued to enjoy its bran cake, returning to its initial comfort.

Occasionally, it would nibble on some alfalfa growing on the ground.

Gort tried to approach and pet it but was startled by the horse's snort. He quickly changed the subject. "Where did the Black Dragon Horse come from? Did it wander over from Thorns Ridge?"

"There might be more Black Dragon Horses in Thorns Ridge... It's strange to think that there are wild horses on the island," Marcus speculated.

Horses typically lived in grasslands.

Coral Island didn't have enough grasslands to sustain wild horses; it was unrealistic for them to naturally thrive there.

"Perhaps they drifted over from another place, or they could be descendants of horses that were once domesticated by the island's former inhabitants and then turned feral. In any case, they didn't just appear out of thin air. Liszt, I think that in a few days, more Black Dragon Horses might emerge from Thorns Ridge, eventually forming a herd."

"That would be ideal."

Liszt had his doubts as well.

He didn't know whether to believe that the Black Dragon Horses had always lived on this land or if some entity behind the Smoke Quest had forcefully created one. He leaned towards the former, believing that the Smoke Quest was merely a trigger rather than an artificial creation.

As for what the Smoke Quest truly was, he had no way of uncovering the truth for now.

He could only suppress his curiosity and leave it to be answered gradually in the future.

Looking at the fresh alfalfa, he thought of the barren lands surrounding the castle. "Teacher Gort, what do you think about planting alfalfa around the castle? We could build a stable outside the castle walls to house the Black Dragon Horse herd."

"Hmm, it should work. Why not give it a try?"

"Then it's up to Teacher Gort."

...

Liszt rode his black dragon steed back to the castle.

Gort and Marcus were also preparing to return to their respective homes. On the way, Gort suddenly asked, "Marcus, you're now addressing Liszt as 'Your Excellency'?"

"Yes."

"That doesn't seem like you. You've made up your mind rather quickly."

"I didn't have many options, Mr. Gort." Marcus looked into the distance. The small castle basked in the sun's rays, shimmering brilliantly. "Besides, haven't you always said that he carries the demeanor of an Earl? I believe he won't remain hidden in the remote Flower Town forever."

"Perhaps." Gort was noncommittal.