Chapter 39 Information about the Invisible Dragon

Three days later, Liszt returned to Flower Town on Coral Island.

It was the knights of Tulip Castle who escorted him back to Flower Town. Along with Liszt and Marcus, there were two impoverished nobles who, despite being descendants of noble families, had not inherited any titles themselves. They could only be addressed as knights.

They were friends introduced by Gort, enticed by the prospect of double wages to serve as officials in Flower Town.

"Gort, welcome back! I missed you already after just over a week," Gort greeted the lord of the small town with a touch of exaggeration.

His warmth was flamboyant yet thoughtful.

"And Marcus, the loyal knight of Baron, seeing that you both are well-dressed tells me that the journey was a success."

"Haha, look who's here, Isaiah and Blair, my old friends. I'm thrilled to see you arrive with the baron; it seems you've chosen Flower Town."

Afterward, a banquet was prepared in the small castle to entertain the knights who had safeguarded Liszt's party.

Before the banquet began,

Liszt, disregardful of the dust on his attire, promptly held the jade box containing the cloverworm and hurried to the castle's newly completed stable. The ground was already lush green, as the clover had grown swiftly; with summer approaching, the warmer temperatures would further stimulate their growth.

"Little one, come out."

The plump cloverworm had purple patterns on its body, making it quite attractive. Compared to the sluggish tulipworm, it was full of vitality. With a snap of its jaws, it spat out the wormgrass. Immediately, as if in fast-forward, a clover sprouted rapidly in the center of the stable grounds. This wormgrass was larger and stronger than ordinary clovers, blossoming with purple flowers right away.

"Remember to install a fence around it to prevent the horses from damaging the wormgrass," Liszt instructed his personal valet, Thomas.

Matters concerning elves were handled directly by the castle, without needing intervention from the town officials or the serfs.

"Sir, please rest assured. I'll commence building the fence immediately."

By the time Liszt returned to the castle, the butler, Carter, approached him. "Sir, the banquet is ready. You may take your seat."

"Let's proceed then."

The banquet in Flower Town Castle was a world apart from those Liszt had attended in previous years, but he much preferred the atmosphere here, for now, he was the most esteemed person among the guests.

"Firstly, I would like to express my gratitude to Lord Leiden and all the knights for your escort. Here's to you all."

"My lord is too kind," the knights raised their cups in unison.

As soon as he finished his ale, a servant promptly refilled his cup. Liszt lifted it again, "This next one, I toast to Isaiah and Blair, wishing you both a joyful life in Flower Town."

"Thank you, my lord, for your blessings. We hope to contribute to the town's development in any way we can."

"And lastly, a toast to my mentor, Gort, who tended to all matters in my absence."

"It is my pleasure, Liszt. As long as there is fine wine to drink every day, I am content to remain in a perpetual tipsy state in Flower Town." Gort burst into hearty laughter.

"Liszt governs Flower Town with clarity in waking hours, and ensures ample wine for all at mealtime," he said.

"Certainly, neither work nor fine wine shall be overlooked."

"Ahaha."

In a harmonious atmosphere, lunch was enjoyed to the fullest.

...

After bidding farewell to the knights, Liszt returned to the castle for an afternoon nap. Lying on his bed, he focused slightly, and the familiar fog mission promptly appeared. The Serpent Runes finally displayed a change: "Task completed. Reward: Three wild corn stalks."

In a moment, the smoke transformed, presenting a new task.

"Task: As a lord, it is your duty to look after the elves. Have you already forgotten about the Wheat Elf Worm, whose ability can greatly increase crop yields in your territory? Please provide a habitat for the worm with Cordyceps. Reward: Information on the Incognito Dragon."

"What is the reward of information on the Incognito Dragon?" Liszt wondered.

A bold idea suddenly popped into his mind, "Could it be that the fog missions are preparing to reward me with a dragon? That can't be right, can it? That would be too exciting. Dragons are entities that suppress the fate of nations. But what does 'Incognito' mean? An invisible or shapeless dragon?"

Based on his predecessor's memories, dragons could be classified into three major categories.

The first were Gem Dragons, like the Sapphire Dragons of the Sapphire Duchy, which could produce sapphires. The red ruby embedded in the Red Blood Sword, a gift from Marquis Merlin to Liszt, was also produced by a Gem Dragon and possessed mystical powers.

The second category were Metal Dragons. In knightly novels, the White Iron Dragon that battled the Sapphire Dragon was a Metal Dragon, capable of producing iron ore. Metal Dragons were more numerous than Gem Dragons, especially the Iron Dragon subtype, of which Liszt had heard quite a bit from various knightly tales.

Another category comprises Elemental Dragons, such as Fire Dragons and Water Dragons, which are incredibly difficult to tame. Due to their intense magical essence, they possess devastating power, often razed towns and caused countless casualties. They were typically the targets of dragon-slaying heroes in chivalric romances—humans are odd creatures, worshipping dragons while simultaneously seeking to slay them.

"Liszt pondered, "Would an Intangible Dragon fall under the category of gems, metals, or elements?"

Deciding to seek advice from others, he called for his butler, Carter. "Mr. Carter, have you ever heard of an Intangible Dragon?"

Carter considered for a moment. "I must say, sir, I haven't."

In the afternoon, he set out with his squire knights, heading to the town in search of Gort and his two friends. Along the way, he hoped to stumble upon some luck and find clues about the three wild corn plants awarded to him.

"An Intangible Dragon?" Gort stroked his chin. "I think I've heard something about it before. Isaiah, Blair, do either of you recall?"

Isaiah and Blair both tried hard to recollect, shaking their heads simultaneously.

In the end, Gort couldn't recall if he had ever heard of an invisible dragon: "Age does make one forgetful, Liszt. I'm sorry, perhaps I misunderstood. I've wasted your time – I might not have heard of the invisible dragon at all."

"That's alright. By the way, Mr. Gort, how do you plan to assign Isaiah and Blair?"

"I'll handle administrative affairs, Isaiah will take care of finance, and Blair will oversee legal and diplomatic matters."

"Since everything is settled, I'll entrust the development of Flower Town to the three of you." Liszt didn't stay in the town for long. He was confident in its growth, but he trusted his subordinates like Gort to carry out the practical work based on his intentions.

If he were to do it himself, it would go against the noble system – a noble who worked in the fields was no longer a noble, and one who ate with serfs certainly wasn't either. Second, handling specific tasks might not yield the desired outcome and would waste more energy.

For instance, there was no need for him to conduct the census personally when he could delegate it to his servants.

He had gone through so much trouble to become a noble. It would be foolish not to enjoy the perks and instead exhaust himself with labor.

Back in the castle, Liszt pondered: "Since the reward is information about the invisible dragon, it suggests that I won't receive it until the task is completed? In other words, nobody knows what an invisible dragon is, and someone might come forward to tell me once I finish the quest?"

Promptly, he left the castle without delay, heading swiftly for Wheat Village – the earl's reward of grain beetles awaited him to cultivate the Cordyceps.