Chapter 168: Evil Scientist

"Sir, Cufu has flown away."

"I know."

"You must be feeling quite upset right now."

"Of course, these damned magical beasts! Next time we catch one, we should just make soup out of it!" Liszt complained heavily. "I fed it and gave it freedom, raised it for so long, but it still can't be tamed and just flew away. It's clear that magical beasts are no different from wild beasts."

"Woof woof!" Hiddleston in his doghouse protested.

Liszt vented his dissatisfaction with Cufu, turned around, and his face no longer showed any anger: "Mr. Carter, hasn't the Thorns Ridge caravan brought back a female wolfhound yet?"

"According to Sherlock, they need to contact the Flower Caravan since North Valley City doesn't have a suitable female wolfhound... of Hiddleston's size," Carter carefully chose his words.

"As soon as possible; otherwise, Hiddleston will go crazy sooner or later. I've noticed that he's been looking at the horses in the stable with an odd expression lately."

"Hmm..."

To prevent Hiddleston from going crazy,

Liszt had to train him hard: "Hiddleston, Rock Spike!"

Puff!

A thick rock spike pierced through the ground.

"Hiddleston, Multiple Rock Spikes!"

Puff, puff, puff... puff!

A cluster of thick rock spikes pierced through the ground.

"Your magic casting is very proficient. Hiddleston is truly an outstanding magical beast. Baron Liszt, Hiddleston must be a mid-level magical beast," Elkson, who had just woken up, walked over from a distance, looking at Hiddleston with bright eyes. "What a magnificent creature; King of Thorns Ridge is an understatement for it."

He already knew that Hiddleston had eaten a Bloodline Fruit.

Liszt patted Hiddleston's large head: "Among mid-level magical beasts, it should be one of the weaker ones, especially since it can only cast Rock Spike. Multiple Rock Spikes is barely a new spell, but it's essentially just a combination of Rock Spikes without changing its nature."

Hiddleston turned around and licked Liszt's hand directly.

His hand was instantly covered in saliva.

The personal servant quickly pulled out a handkerchief and handed it to Liszt to wipe his hand.

Elkson laughed: "It's not yet fully grown, and its understanding of magic isn't particularly outstanding. Even we mages need a long time to master a spell, let alone a magical beast. As it grows older, it will naturally understand the power bestowed by its bloodline and learn to cast new spells."

"I hope so." Liszt didn't dwell on it. "At least Hiddleston, on Coral Island, has no natural enemies. In the future, I'll train it to adapt to the battlefield and help me earn glory."

"You will achieve countless dazzling glories like His Excellency the Earl."

Liszt smiled faintly: "I think so too."

This wasn't bragging.

This was confidence.

Nobles must have a thirst for glory and confidence; humility would be seen as cowardice or lack of ambition. Regardless of what Liszt thought privately, he needed to appear ready for battle and achievement publicly. Only then could he inspire loyalty among his subordinates.

Life is a stage, and acting skills are essential.

As an experienced adult soul, coupled with the noble education he received from his predecessor, his acting skills were undoubtedly proficient.

After a brief performance, he asked, "Mr. Elkson, how is the production of the Flame Mushroom Mana Potion progressing?"

"We are currently mixing the reagents and believe we will soon enter the production phase. Flame Mushrooms are excellent ingredients, and extracting mana to make potions is not difficult."

"Then let's start production as soon as possible."

In recent days, Liszt had stabilized at the Elite Earth Knight level and tried to continue training without relying on mana potions. However, it became evident that he lacked exceptional talent and was still constrained by the bottleneck of Aura, unable to increase his total Aura capacity.

Typically, Elite Earth Knights who cannot afford mana potions

would focus on refining their Aura control techniques. By constantly honing these techniques, they can improve their strength, further enhanced by meticulous study of Aura manuals, significantly boosting their capabilities.

An Elite Earth Knight can easily take on seven or eight ordinary Earth Knights.

As a wealthy individual, Liszt wasn't in a hurry to refine his Aura control techniques. He had already mastered two Aura manuals, *Flame Wave* and *Fire Dragon Drill*, partially mastered *Multiple Arrow*, and achieved mastery in the Aura technique *Eye of Mana*. Coupled with his Black Dragon horse and Red Blood Sword, his personal strength far exceeded Marcus', making him a formidable figure among Elite Earth Knights.

With Hiddleston's assistance, he might even stand a chance against the Earl.

"It should... be... possible." He had never witnessed a Sky Knight's full power or their prowess on the battlefield, so he could only estimate.

After all, it was said that some of the stronger low-level magical beasts could challenge Sky Knights.

Hiddleston, being a mid-level magical beast, could certainly give the Earl a run for his money with its powerful Rock Spike magic. With Liszt's support and tactical commands, holding their own should be feasible.

...

The development of the territory was on track.

There was no need for Liszt to do anything specific.

So most of the time, he found things to do himself. At sixteen, his young body was full of energy, which he either channeled into tedious training or sought other activities.

He decided to check on the progress of the Divine Pearl's production.

In the new house in Wheat Village, Glanny and his magic apprentices led a secluded life, rarely showing their faces, even eating meals in their workshop.

At this point, Liszt had to admit that Glanny was more dedicated than Elkson: "Both are mages, yet they seem like complete opposites—one arrogant and stubborn, the other witty and humorous; Elkson is better at socializing, while Glanny focuses on his work. In another aspect, Glanny seems to be more knowledgeable?"

If it were a younger native lord, he might find Elkson's wit far superior to Glanny's dullness, but Liszt appreciated Elkson's demeanor while also being rational in his analysis—Elkson was detailed only in his falconry techniques, but vague in all other aspects.

Especially in terms of specialized knowledge, he was far less solid than Glanny.

"Sir Baron, the master is busy right now. He said not to disturb him," said the magic apprentice Charlie carefully, fearing that his master's temper might upset Liszt.

Collecting his thoughts, Liszt replied, "I just want to take a look around and won't disturb your master. Please show me in."

"Well... alright, but please be quiet. The master needs peace and quiet for his work. He hates it when people interrupt his train of thought. I've been scolded by him many times during these moments."

Entering the inner workshop,

the light from the crystal chandelier illuminated the workbench—Glanny had his own crystal lamp, designed like a desk lamp, a brilliant idea.

The table was cluttered with a heap of materials and tools.

There were several furnaces nearby, each with pots and basins of various sizes boiling over them, filled with liquids of different colors. The mixed odors were so peculiar that they made one feel quite uncomfortable.

Glanny was hunched over the table, meticulously engraving runes onto a basketball-sized black pearl with a fine engraving knife. His messy brown hair, stained with various colors, looked like a bird's nest. His magic robe was similarly stained, giving him an abrupt and eccentric scientist vibe.

Completely absorbed,

he had no time to acknowledge Liszt.